#(Has and intense fear of loosing things like this due to obvious reasons)

[skhardwarevers1]

Hi I got possessed and put this together and immediately died but I’m stubborn and cross post everything I make ever. So.

[wardenannie]

Just friends

In the beginning they aren’t friends at all. Not even remotely. 

Hange is too excitable for Levi, and Levin too severe for Hange. Though the scientist attempts to feign cordiality between the two of them, Levi does nothing to conceal his disdain. It is only after Erwin calls them into his office and speaks to them sternly that they finally come to a silent agreement with one another. 

Just friends begins with a sort of truce. An understanding between them that perhaps they aren't so different, or they are, but they can learn to overcome those differences for the sake of synergy in the field.

That is what Erwin wants, after all. 

They still poke fun, but it's more lighthearted than it was before. More playful. There is a gentleness to it, a light. It brings some levity to those brutal, bloody days that linger in the backs of their minds. They actually begin to take some small comfort in each other’s presence, though neither of them are willing to admit it allowed, and most certainly not to each other. 

When just friends becomes staying up and drinking tea and whisky into the budding hours of dawn, neither of them can say. But more than once they are the only two left standing among a field of drunken allies.

They look at one another, and even Levi, dead sober, sipping his tea, cannot help but smirk.

When Hange passes out in his lap he reluctantly allows the contact, that is until they drool on him, at which point he surreptitiously slips a pillow beneath their cheek. 

He pretends not to watch them sleep, only for a moment.  

He doesn’t find their peaceful expression enchanting. He doesn’t secretly find them handsome with their russet hair covering their eyes, mingling with their lashes. He pushes it out of their face anyways. 

They’re just friends.

Just friends becomes casual touches. Passing smiles (or affectionate scowls in Levi’s case). It becomes easy nights spent in silent company. Nights spent in Hange’s lab, or lounging in the library. It becomes silent understanding, a fleeting consciousness of what the other is about to say or do. 

Just friends becomes a sort of casual, platonic intimacy that has their comrades whispering and casting them knowing glances. But they simply ignore it. They are just friends after all. 

When just friends begins to entail tending one another's wounds is about two years after their first meeting. Hange limps to his quarters, calf a bloody tattered mess from a nasty three-meter bite.

"I can't go to the infirmary," they explain. “If Erwin finds out about this he’ll bench me.” 

He scolds them as he treats the wound with iodine and wraps it in clean gauze. 

“You need to be more careful, four-eyes. It could have taken your leg clean off,” he tries to disguise the way his hands shake as he cleans each of the shallow gouges which hug Hange’s calf in a gory half moon. 

They hiss and wince as dirt and debris are washed away, leaving only ragged flesh which will surely scar. 

Levi pretends that their obvious discomfort doesn’t perturb him, but it does. Another new development. He cares for them, loathe as he is to admit it. 

Just friends becomes sharing a bed with surprising swiftness after that. 

It is after a particularly gory expedition beyond Wall Maria. Many of their comrades fall, never to rise again. The blood runs in rivers over the fallow earth, bones crunch between massive, inhuman teeth. And the screams. The screams bite into both of them; leaching into their very cores and clinging there like poison; breeding doubt, fear. 

The knock comes on Levi’s door well past midnight. That he is still awake is a coincidence he cares not to consider too closely.  

He knows its Hange without asking. Who else would be so bold as to disturb Captain Ackerman’s beauty sleep? 

“Come in?” He’s reading a book by candlelight and doesn’t so much as glance up as Hange Zoe enters the room, shutting the door carefully behind themself. 

“Levi...” 

He glances over the top of his book; stare cool but not unkind, “Why are you bothering me so late at night, shitty-glasses? You should be asleep.” 

Hange lingers at the threshold, clad in loose sleep clothing. Levi pretends he can’t see their nipples poking through the gauzy fabric of their shirt, “I could say the same about you.” 

A long, pained silence passes between the two of them. A quiet sort of understanding. 

Slowly, Levi lowers his book into his lap. Then he peels back the covers, scooting over and making room for Hange beside him. 

“Bad dreams?” He asks, already knowing the answer he will receive.

Hange crosses the room and sits on the edge of the bed, they rest their elbows on their knees, steepling their fingers in front of their face, “Yeah. You?”

Levi swallows thickly and nods. 

“Can I...” Hange turns their face away, glancing out the window in a paltry attempt to disguise their flush, “Can I stay here tonight?” 

Levi doesn’t so much as hesitate, “Yes.” 

Tentatively, Hange lowers themself into the mattress, stealing away one of Levi’s pillows. They don’t touch. They don’t speak a word once Hange has settled in beside Levi. The captain simply reaches over his comrade and snuffs out the candle, cloaking them in darkness. 

And so just friends becomes best friends in a night. 

The territory of best friends is accompanied by a new found respect for one another. A respect that runs deeper than that which had already existed between them. Occasionally Levi will glance up at Hange to find that their eyes are already on him. Usually they are smiling. But on rare occasions their expression is more contemplative; thoughtful and distant. 

Levi tries not to think about it too deeply. What it could mean. What they could be thinking while they stare at him with such intensity. 

Then the meaning of just friends who happen to be best friends shifts again during a hard fought battle beyond the suffocating succor of the Walls. 

Levi jerks awake, head throbbing, mouth dry and tasting of blood. The world around him is blurry at first, and he struggles to recall where he is until it slowly comes into focus. 

There are arms around him, supporting his aching head and clutching at his hand. A voice calls out to him, low and panicked. 

“Levi? Oh thank fuck, Levi,” it’s Hange. Levi can’t quite remember where he is, but he could place Hange’s voice anywhere. Slowly, they come into focus over him. Their head is ringed with sunlight that shines from behind them, creating the illusion of a halo around them as they look down on him. 

It strikes him how perfect they are. Gorgeous. Handsome. Hawkish nose and wide, bright eyes, olive skin and russet hair. Imperfectly perfect. 

Their wine-colored eyes shine with worry. They touch his face, tenderly, “Can you speak?” 

“Yeah,” Levi rasps, and it finally comes back to him. A titan had emerged as if from nowhere and swept him out of the sky, knocking him head first into the cold, hard ground. Hange saved his life, felling the thing at the last moment before it took the Captain into its jaws. 

For a moment it is enough to stun him. But isn’t that what best friends do for one another? 

It is that night in Levi’s tent that they go from being just friends who are also best friends, to best friends who kiss in the dark. 

Hange refuses to be parted from him. Insisting that he needs supervision due to his possible concussion. Levi doesn’t argue as they help him to his sleeping bag. Outside the stars hold their silent, glittering vigil, and the moon hangs low and radiant in the sky, bleeding through the canvas of the tent just enough to allow for some visibility. 

“Try to stay awake,” Hange says softly, sitting beside him. They touch his forehead, pushing his hair away from his eyes. Their touch lingers, and Levi cannot help but notice the way their eyes seem to glimmer in the dark. 

When they lean forward and press their lips to his it is chaste, delicate and fleeting. But when they try to pull away he cups the back of their neck and tugs them back to him, sitting up slightly so he can kiss them from an improved angle. 

“Just friends,” he rasps between hurried kisses. Hange occupies all of his senses, from their earthy scent to the sharp taste of them on his tongue. He loves it. He would gladly drown himself in Hange Zoe. 

Hange nods, curling into his side, kissing him again, “Just friends blowing off steam.” 

Just friends, best friends, best friends who kiss in the dark; they carry on that way for months. Stealing kisses in those quiet moments between meetings and missions. 

It isn’t long before hands begin to roam. Curious fingers searching over one another’s bodies as they chase each other’s tongues over eager, sliding lips. But they hold back. They resist that primordial drive for sex with everything they have. Because how can they be just friends if they’re having sex? How could they cross that line without jeopardizing everything they have built with one another? 

But the others know. Mike, Nanaba, Moblit, even Erwin... they all know. The teasing glances have turned to those of legitimate concern, the passing comments have turned into genuine appeals for common sense. And so they are met with the second reason to remain just friends, best friends, friends who kiss in the dark; the life of a soldier is not one which can accommodate love. Real unconditional love. Duty will always take precedent. 

Then comes the night where kissing in the dark is not longer enough. 

It was never really enough, but things finally reach a boiling point. 

Hange is in their lab, working well past midnight when Levi stumbles in. He is clad in nothing but a pair of loose fitting sleep pants, slate eyes wild. He is flushed, covered in a thin sheen of sweat. 

A nightmare. He’s had a nightmare. Hange bleeding in his arms. Dying. Not from a wound inflicted by a titan but from a series of bullet holes bored into their middle. Weeping blood, crimson welling over his fingers despite the pressure he applied. 

The image clings to the backs of his eyes, boring its way into his soul, his heart, his mind and consciousness. Hange; killed by another human, not a titan, but a man. Suddenly nowhere feels safe or sacred. He wants to take Hange into his arms and flee. Flee until the world cannot catch them. 

Kisses in the dark could never fix this. It feels like nothing could fix this. 

“Levi?” Hange turns away from their work, a collection of bubbling beakers resting on the wooden countertop. Their expression is one of concern as he crosses the room and pulls them roughly into his arms. 

“I can’t fucking do this anymore,” He snarls, and then he kisses them roughly, pushing the small of their back into the hard edge of the counter. The beakers rattle and several spill over with the force of his body against theirs. 

Hange moans into his mouth, melting into him, arms winding around the back of his neck as he helps them up and onto the counter. They shift backward, experiment forgotten, and suddenly they are anything but just friends. 

Levi buries himself in Hange with little foreplay or preamble, but they are already wet and pliant, ready for him. 

The sex is fast and desperate. Hange buries their face against Levi’s neck, feeling the erratic pace of his pulse as he delves into them. 

“I love you,” they whimper. Because they do. With everything they have they love their Captain. Levi Ackerman. Humanity’s strongest. Theirs.

Levi fucks them harder for it. Because it can’t be. They’re just friends. Best friends. Friends who kiss in the dark and make frantic love at the thought of losing one another. Just friends.

Just friends. 

Just friends. 

Levi comes inside of Hange with a broken sob. Their fingers are in his hair, lips on his as they follow him over the edge. They’re crying, too. Tears mingle between their mouths as they work one another up again. 

They dress, but only long enough to reach Levi’s quarters, at which point they peel away their clothing and fall into bed together. All of it is wordless, silent knowing passes between them. Each anticipates the other’s movements and react with according passion. 

They make love again. Slower, softer. Hange’s soft cries fill up the room, punctuated by Levi’s muffled grunts as he buries his own noises in their damp skin. 

“This is perfect,” Hange whispers, nails raking down Levi’s switching back. And then they say it again, “I love you.” 

Wetness floods between them as Hange comes first. Levi rocks them through it, body wracked with pleasure, mind wracked with confusion, fear of what will happen come sunrise, when this new, precious thing between them has been exposed to the light of day. 

But is it really so new? Has he not always loved Hange Zoe? Have they not occupied his every waking thought for years as he refused to acknowledge his own attractions?

He looks down as he fucks into them, finds their wine-colored gaze is locked on his face. They reach up and cup his cheek, soft moans slipping past their lips as his hips stutter and he finishes inside of them for the second time that night. 

“Hange,” The way he speaks their name is ragged, like a desperate prayer on his lips. He kisses them. He never wants to stop kissing them. 

“I love you,” Hange breathes between kisses. They roll onto their sides, their faces illuminated by a shaft of silvery moonlight through the window. “You don’t have to say it back but I can’t be just friends anymore, Levi. It’s driving me crazy.” 

They kiss him, “Seeing you.”

Again, “Touching you.” 

A third time, slower, wet, lingering, “But not being with you.” 

Levi’s hands are on their hips, caressing up their sides. He feels the goosebumps he leaves in his wake, and knows he shares a similar physiological reaction to Hange’s own touch. 

But they’re just friends. Just friends, best friends, friends who kiss in the dark, friends who make desperate love and whisper heartfelt confessions under cover of night. Just friends. 

Hange touches his cheek, “Say something, please, Levi.” 

His lips part, but he struggles to find the words to express his emotions. Nothing makes sense in that moment. The world has tilted on its axis, everything is changed, and yet nothing is. 

“We were never just friends, shitty-glasses,” he says, finally. His eyes are glassy, gaze turned up to peer out the window at the night sky. The stars show their brilliant faces, glittering, and Levi wonders if perhaps their fate is written somewhere in that serene darkness. 

“We’ll keep it a secret for as long as we can,” Hange reassures him, settling there head against his chest, where they can hear his heart beating steady and strong. They run their fingers over his sternum, between his pecs and down the expanse of his abdomen, toying with the trail of downy hairs beneath his navel. 

“They already know,” Levi sighed, and he presses his mouth to the crown of Hange’s head. His eyes flutter shut, savoring the earthy sent of his lover. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

You’re all that matters, he tacitly implies. 

“They know that we were never just friends.” He pulls the sheets over their sweat damp bodies. Cum stains the fitted sheet. 

“They don’t approve,” Hange says softly, half asleep, lulled by Levi’s steady breaths.

“I don’t give a shit what they think. We deserve this.” Happiness. Even if it was fleeting. Even if one of them died come dawn, it would have all been worth it; to have been loved, to have known love. 

They drift to sleep in each other’s arms. 

Just friends, who became best friends, which in turn because friends who kiss in the dark, then lovers. Two people in love.

But they are soldiers, and they both know that whatever time they might have is borrowed. So they treasure it as best they can. 

[1994sunflower]

Hey! First of all, I love your story SO MUCH, you’re such an amazingly talented writer! Also, I was wondering if you could dig deeper into Micheal’s soft side (never get tired of it) in which maybe Y/N is sick, like she collapses for high fever or something, and he has to take care of her

thank you so much!! and ofc, I love exploring michael's soft side. he can be such a sweetheart when he wants to be (which is like never lol).

in which you’re sick

It would have been bearable if it was just exam week. You’d done that a million times. But the fact that you were also doing grad school applications along with your extracurriculars - suddenly you felt as if there was not enough hours in the day. In a week even.

Even with the sacrifices you’d made. You’d taken to forgetting food times. When you did remember, you’d have to eat during one of your other activities, usually studying and that just led to spills and half eaten food. It had only been about a week into these habits that you had gotten sick with a cold. It wasn’t a surprise, you were overworked, exhausted - no wonder your immune system was depleted. But it made your work and concentration that much more difficult, you’d cried more than once at the circumstances.

But maybe the hardest has been forgoing seeing your beloved boyfriend. It wasn’t that he was a nuisance, it was just that he was distracting and right then, you didn’t have to time to deal with distractions. Lest he succeed in distracting you like he so often does.

It’s been nearly two weeks since the last time you saw him. Something he agreed very begrudgingly to. But he knew how important your grades were so he agreed nonetheless. You texted him nearly hourly but still it felt nothing like having his comforting presence right next to you. It might have been the reason you caved and let him come visit you after he insisted. Not that he likely would have accepted your denial. He missed you just as much and he needed to see you, especially with how worried he was starting to become.

He used the excuse of bringing you lunch and you, weak and missing him, accepted it, knowing he would probably try to stay for much longer than just that.

But you could deal with that and him firmly when it came to that. He always listened to you.

You were at your desk, crumpled papers beside you, tissues, and about ten different tabs open on your computer, with the beginnings of one of your many application essays open on your tablet. You kept alternating between the two works and by the end of it, you almost felt a hysterical scream wanting to leave you. Nothing was good enough.

When you heard the keys clinking at the door, was the only time you had snapped out of your almost unhealthy focus on your work. By the time you realized just how awful you look, it was too late. Your hair was in a ponytail, different strands already falling out of the scrunch by how much you tugged at your hair in frustration. You wore no makeup and the bags under your eyes were more prominent than ever. The sick pallor to your face was probably so much more obvious, if the sniffles and occasional cough didn’t give your sickness away. Not to mention the pajamas that still adorned your body.

But Michael had already opened the door before you could even think of last minute changes to your appearances. All you could do was turn around in your chair to face him, clearing your throat in hopes of pushing back any coughs.

Just as it’d been nearly 2 weeks without seeing him, it’d been 2 weeks of you living this mentally drained lifestyle. And you looked it. Not that it mattered. Michael had never made you feel insecure or anything but the prettiest girl he’d ever laid his eyes on. He loved you, no matter how you looked.

And that was proven when he finally took you in after 2 weeks of not seeing you. His eyes shone with the same love they always held when he looked at you, now with also a sense of relief at finally being right with you. No hint of judgement.

There was a third emotion there too. Worry. But you didn’t have time to try to dissect it because you knew it would just lead him to get you to take a break and lose time you could be spending on working.

Normally you’d be the one who greeted him first, excitedly. But you were too tired to hold that same energy and you hadn’t used your voice for anything other than frustrated groans. All you could do was smile weakly when Michael lifted the bag of food in his hands. The action made you swoon just a bit, you knew it was likely his first time being so attentive to someone, going beside himself to make sure they’re fed and bring it to them. He never would have the same detail with anyone else.

“Got your favorite.” Michael gravely voice finally hit your ears and you had to close your eyes for a second. You’d missed him, much more than you had allowed yourself to think of.

Opening them back up took more effort than you wanted to think of. It seemed that now that you weren’t hyper focused on the work in front of you, the mental tiredness you had been ignoring was finally starting to seep in.

When you stood, you had meant to say a ‘thank you’ before walking over to serve your food but the moment you got to your feet, you felt a wave of dizziness overtake you. Your body swayed for a moment, only stopping when one of your feet that had almost lost its footing, stomped down and you took a hold of the back of the chair you just left. Eyes closed tightly to try to center yourself.

When you opened your eyes, Michael was staring at you with wide eyes, intense with the worry that had been there before much more prominent. “Are you okay?”

You nodded, coughing slightly despite yourself. “Yeah, sorry. I think I might just be hungry.” You tried for a giggle to lessen the mood but Michael didn’t smile or relax at all. His eyes just raked in your figure.

“Are you sick?” That would have been bad enough but if he knew you were sick and didn’t tell him so he could have made sure you were okay, all hell might break loose.

“Sorry I didn’t have time to make myself look better today, okay?” Your tone was a lot snappier than you intended for it to be and that he expected, as evidenced by him rearing back in surprise. You were just so tense. But instead of apologizing you just made your way over to him. No wobbling, no swaying. You were fine.

You didn’t want to deal with defending how you took care of yourself (or rather how you didn’t). You didn’t have time anyway. You’d barely have time to eat what he brought you but the least you could do was eat a bit of it.

“It smells great.” You sniffled. You tried to reach for your food but Michael moved the bag back. His eyes never left you, analyzing every little move you made. It was unnerving. You couldn’t imagine how others withstood his gaze whenever he was angry at them.

“Y/N-” You made an impatient sound. Every time he said your first name, he was serious. And somehow, right then, it made you defensive. “You said you only needed a few weeks to focus on your shit and that you’d be fine without me having to check on you.”

“I am fine.” You muttered yet you couldn’t quite meet his eyes when you said it.

“Yeah? Is that why you got dizzy just from fucking standing up?” His words were harsh and loud but you knew it was because he never really figured out how to show concern any other way. He was worried.

“I told you, I’m just hungry. I didn’t have breakfast today.” But maybe it wasn’t the right thing to say because you saw his eyes flare up with even more concern and anger. But right then, after spending days multitasking and still not even making a dent on the work you needed completed before your rapidly approaching deadline, you were able to match those emotions.

“Michael, I’m really not in the mood to argue with you today, okay? I’m busy and if I’d known you came here to judge everything I’m doing I would have told you not to come. I’m doing my best! Why is that….why…”

It was getting hotter in the room. You’d felt the warmth all day - week even - but as your anger and voice rose, so did the temperature. You barely had time to register the light headedness.

Your breath was shaky by the time you finished your rant and your eyes becoming suddenly distant as you looked around, confused, before you were falling backwards. You would’ve hit the ground if Michael hadn’t moved first and caught you in his arms.

You didn’t hear the frantic calls of your name, more scared than perhaps anyone had ever heard him, the apathetic man he was, sound. You didn’t feel the way Michael’s hands gripped your body, trying not to move you too much lest he do more damage. You didn’t feel the same dropping of his heart when he saw you go down and the freezing fear in his veins. The only thing you felt was his huge, shaky, sigh of relief when you opened your eyes a handful of seconds later.

With much effort, fluttering them to try to keep them open. You couldn’t really see what was in your line of vision, everything was so blurry. Eventually, it was too much effort and you kept them closed, but you felt yourself being picked up and carried. His heartbeat was fast, you felt as he carried you with your face pressed against his chest.

The first movement you made when he finally put you down on the soft bed was furrow your eyebrows, then your hand was rubbing your face. By the time you opened your eyes, confusion set in “What…?”

You didn’t finish when you looked beside you, seeing Michale on his knees next to the bed to be on your level. He looked paler than you’d ever seen him, eyes wide and watching you like a hawk.

It was then that it hit you that you didn’t really know how it ended up that he carried you into your room. You remember getting mad at him, the warmth that slowly overtook you, then the next thing you knew, you were in his arms.

Panic struck you next. How much time had you wasted? You had a final paper due by the end of the week. You had to submit an application in two days.

But when you attempted to sit up, much too fast if your dizzying head was anything to go by, Michael pushed you back down. No longer trying to negotiate with you. His eyes shown fiercely - letting it known that there was no room for compromise.

You couldn’t stop the four coughs that escaped you as you stared at him, pleadingly.

“Don’t.”

“But I have to-”

“You just fainted, Y/N.” Michael almost sounded mad but the waver in his voice gave away his true emotions. “You’re sick and your body’s exhausted, obviously. You’re not going to do shit. You’re going to rest and I’ll…handle it. Contact your professors or whatever so…don’t worry about deadlines or anything.”

His voice made it clear there was no point in fighting against him. Even though his relationships with professors was less than friendly and he never cared enough to ask for extensions for anything before in his life.

He took your hand in his big ones, dropping his head to rest his forehead on top of your fingers. As gentle as you’d ever seen him. “Why haven’t you been taking care of yourself?”

You didn’t answer for a long time and you were grateful that he wasn’t looking at you anymore so he couldn’t see the way your eyes filled with tears and your lip wobbled. You didn’t mean to scare him, or neglect yourself. But if you took the time to do anything else, you’d be behind. You were so tired.

“I d-don’t know.” You said as a few hot tears ran down your cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

You felt his hands brush some of your hair from your face softly. “You scared me.” He admitted and somehow, you knew that for Michael, admitting that weakness was hard. But he didn’t mind being vulnerable in front of you.

His eyes bore into you, almost too intensely for you to be able to handle. Until his hand came up to your forehead and you found the excuse to close your eyes so you wouldn’t have to watch the worry in his.

“You have a fever.” He got up and you didn’t even get the chance for your sluggish brain to wonder where he went before he was already back, carrying a small bowl of water with a rectangular mini-towel on top. You weren’t sure how he knew exactly what to do for you, how he seemed so soft and tender in these actions that were so unlike him.

He put the cool, wet towel on your forehead as he sat next to your lying form on the bed. He was so close to you, leaning over you. You were scared he would get sick because of you but when you finally opened your mouth to speak again and told him so, he ignored you. As if that was the last thing he was worried about.

From the moment you collapsed, his attention had been on you and nothing else. Nothing else mattered in his mind. And that translated in every attentive action that made you feel so taken care of. This side of your brash boyfriend, the caring, delicate side at a time when you needed it most nearly brought tears in your eyes. It made it very obvious that despite what he might seem to everyone else, he was the perfect boyfriend, would make the perfect husband. For you. He made you feel supported and at home even when your body and energy seemed to be turning their backs on you.

“I’m hungry, Mikey.” You tugged at his sleeve. You weren’t sure if you were, really. You’d gotten used to the pulsing headache from the lack of food throughout the week. But judging by the heaviness of your eyelids, threatening to close and the weakness in your body, in your energy, if you didn’t eat, you might shut down again.

Your voice was croaky but he didn’t comment on it. His answer was almost automatic, “I’ll get the soup I brought you.”

You’d almost forgotten why he had been there in the first place. He’d insisted because he had missed you. And you missed him. He came to take care of you, going out of his way to do what he would never do for anyone else, just never imagining you were at your limit.

It was almost embarrassing. Being in your weakened state in front of him and having him tend to you like a child. Especially when, sitting up in your bed with a disorientation and a feeling of tiredness that seemed to be the only things you could truly feel at the moment. Plus the muted feeling of stress that never seemed to go away; it was screaming that you should be doing your work, that you’d fall behind.

But you didn’t have time to dwell on it before Michael came back with a bowl of warm soup in his hands and sat next to you again. Saving you even from your own thoughts without realizing it. He placed the soup on your nightstand and it wasn’t until he began to get a spoonful that you realized he meant to actually spoon feed you.

To think of your boyfriend doing anything so nurturing seemed almost unnatural. Yet here he was, without an ounce of hesitation or embarrassment. It was such as mismatch from his personality, his reputation and it melt your heart to think that he cared about you so much to throw all of that away for you and his worry for you.

You could only manage a feeble, “You don’t have to…”

Michael stared at you silently for a while, not a decipherable emotion seen in his face, before bringing the spoonful of soup up to your lips. “I want to.”

And while you knew Michael wasn’t a big talker, those three words dripped with sincerity. Matching the loving actions and gestures he was currently doing for you. It was clear, if it wasn’t already before, that nothing was more important than being there for you when you needed him the most.

He didn’t let you talk again until you finished the food, feeding you each sip. Until he was satisfied that you had eaten enough to compensate for your lack of nutrients the weeks he spent without you. This was just as new to him as it was for you to see, this side of him. Doing things that he never would have dreamed of doing for someone else. But it felt like second nature when he saw the woman he loved more than anything else in such a vulnerable state. He yearned to take care of you, to provide for you. To keep you happy and healthy. Especially with how often you take care of him.

“Was it good?” He asked. Though he knew you would’ve liked it. If not simply for the fact that you hadn't eaten much else then certainly for the fact that he went out of his way to go to your favorite restaurant and pick your favorite item from their menu. The one you got every time he took you there.

You nodded, “Thank you.”

You weren’t expecting it when Michael enveloped you into a hug. So tightly you couldn’t even hug him back even after you got over the shock. His face was buried in your tangled, messy hair. He breathed you in as if taking in the fact that you were okay, he mumbled into your hair, “I know how much you care about school and how hard you try because of that but….none of that shit matters compared to you.”

It was so hard for him to be without you for so long. But he did it for you, to give you the time you had asked for to focus on your work. It had never occurred to him the bad mental state the solitude could leave you in, what it would do to your physically. If he had known, he never would have let you be alone. He would’ve fought you tooth and nail if it was what it took but he would have checked up on you, been there for you. And that’s exactly what he’ll be doing from now on. He’ll be there for you.

“Get some rest,” He reluctantly let you go. “You need to sleep.”

When Michael got up, though you were objectively much too warm because of your fever, you felt a lonely cold. You didn’t want him to stay away so you could study and work anymore. You needed him and all the comfort he brought to your soul. And he didn’t want to leave you anymore either.

“Mikey!” You called to him as he switched off the light to your room. You heard him hum in answer. “Don’t leave, please.”

He didn’t answer you. But you felt him get into bed beside you, kicking off his shoes as if it wasn’t the middle of the day - as if he had nothing else he would rather do than sleep right then next to you. And by the way he put his entire day on hold the minute he saw your condition, you guessed he didn’t. You had an inkling that while you had every intention of not letting him distract you when he had first arrived, that he had already been planning on staying the entire day anyway.

You were glad he did. You wouldn’t have been able to keep going the way you were if he hadn’t forced you to confront your self-neglect and tended to you with such dedication and love.

Both of you were silent and you could feel your tired body begin to drift to sleep when your boyfriend spoke up from beside you. “Promise me you’ll start looking after yourself, no matter how stressed or how much stuff you have to do. Promise.”

You weren’t snuggled into him like you would want. But you could feel him on his side, staring at you in the dark. His voice was serious with a hint of desperation. He needed to hear you say it. To know that his loved one would never be put in such a mistreated circumstance ever again, you didn’t deserve it. Nothing deserved to have you feeling anything but cherished, healthy and confident. Not even yourself. Because he believed in you so completely.

Though he never planned on leaving your side, emotionally or physically, to have any negativity enter your thoughts or habits ever again. He was willing to carry the weight of the world if it meant you would feel the strength and happiness that had been beat out of you.

“I promise.” Your words were small but it was good enough. Michael took you in his arms then, again not caring for any risk he was running of getting sick himself.

The next time you spoke, it was mumbling against his shirt. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this. I must’ve looked so gross because I didn’t really get ready all week and I-”

“Shut up.” His words held absolutely no bite, they were whispered. “I don’t give a damn what you looked like today. You never look bad to me. I only cared about making sure you were okay. And I’ll keep being here to make sure, I’m never leaving you alone again. I promise. No matter what you say.”

Your heart felt so full at his sweet words, just for you.

Then it was back to the comfortable silence. Until you began coughing again, this time against his chest and you tried to pull away quickly, both scared for his health and embarrassed. “Michael, seriously, you’ll get sick.”

But Michael’s strong arms were like steel bracketing you to his body. Unmoving despite your protests. He only cared about finally keeping you to him, where he knew he could protect you and keep you close, especially after so long without you and having your health deteriorate because he wasn't around.

“Yeah, maybe I’ll get my own class extensions then if I do.” He said it seriously, and knowing his academic achievement, or lack thereof, you didn’t doubt he meant it.

But still, you couldn’t help but giggle at his words, knowing he was smiling right alongside you without even having to see it. It felt foreign, laughing after so long of your negative thoughts and stressed lifestyle but nice especially because of all those things. A positive, carefree spirit that filled you because of your loving boyfriend and being so cocooned in his protection right at that moment.

[butteraway]

when time runs out | iv

⋆ summary:  A young girl has fallen deeply ill with an unknown disease in her, so with all her free time spent in an empty hospital room, she spends it online playing video games. That's until she meets her cousins friends, one spiking her interest with his extremely vulgare language.

pairing: bakugou katsuki x reader

word count: 2.5k

warnings: none

authors note: I wanna say im so sorry for lying to yall about that extra chapter KJDFFF😭😭 ALSO @chibiiichann I APOLOGIZE FOR SPAMMING YOU WHENEVER I REPLIED TO YOU💀 A DIFFERENT ACC WOULD POP UP BUT THE FIRST CHAPTER WAS AN INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER EXPLAINING THE OC'S CONDITION JFJDJD

"HAHA! I GOTCHU NOW LOSER!" Y/N smashed the buttons on her controller, basically on the edge of her bed. A grunt was heard through her headphones, then a loud bang with laughing in the background. Y/N felt her stomach turn at the sound of this, feeling a little left out, but smiled nonetheless.

"HOW'D YOU EVEN DO THAT?!! YOU’RE DOING SOME HACKING MY GUY!" Denki yelled through the laughing in the background, hands pulling at his hair. He seriously couldn't believe it!

"I'm not! I just wanted to show Sero I'm way better at this game than you are. And turns out I am!" Y/N let out a loud laugh, falling backwards onto her pillow. After finding out that 'Tape Dispenser' went to her cousin’s school by hearing his voice in the back of Denki's room, she got to learn more about this Sero dude. She already knew this after their last game a few nights ago, but he was so chill. It was still insane for her to find out that her cousin and online friend went to the same hero school. The coincidences in this world. Y/N thought as she grinned.

"It's okay Kaminari, you still lasted a long time! But you did get brutally beat by Y/N at the end though..." Sero said, trying to raise Denki's low spirits, but only succeeded in making him more miserable. Rustling was heard through Y/N's headphones, making it obvious that there was movement happening.

"You don't understand Sero! THIS IS THE ONLY GAME I COULD FULLY BEAT THIS GIRL IN!" Denki shook Sero by the shoulders, quickly doing the action. Cackling was heard through the speakers while the girl wiped a tear from her eye. Sero laughed along, as he was pushed to the ground by Denki. His arms were crossed as he looked away, upset that Y/N managed to finally beat him in every game they played.

"It's okay Denki, not everyone can be as good as me!" Y/N exclaimed, getting up from her bed to start taping specific parts of her room. Kaminari continued to complain about his defeat to Sero, who only chuckled in response. As she finished taping the bottom of the walls, Y/N sat back on her bed, sighing in content.

"So, how are you? I'm doing terribly after being utterly destroyed by you, by the way." Said Kaminari, opening his water bottle and taking large gulps from it. Y/N felt her face light up as she remembered to tell Kaminari of her future activity.

"Bro, you won't believe this! So, basically, they're actually letting me paint my room! All by myself! How fricking cool is that?!" The girl laughed out loud, jumping on her bed in excitement. Kaminari's eyes widen, in surprise and slight fear, sitting up and taking in the new information.

"Wait, really? But isn't that like extremely dangerous? Cuz of the chemicals and what not??" He tried his best to keep his voice leveled, not noticing Sero look at him weirdly. That guy had no idea what was happening.

"Well, they said that they were gonna do something to the paint so it won't hurt me or anything, I don't know what, but-" Y/N was cut off by an extremely confused Sero. "Wait wait wait, hold on. I don't understand what's happening. How can paint harm you? Besides like...eating it. And what do you mean by 'finally getting to paint your room?’ Silence was the only answer he got. Sero gulped in embarrassment, thinking he asked a really personal question.

"Um, it's nothing du-" A loud 'shhhhhhh' was heard from Y/N, who let out a shaky breath. She never really told anyone, it's not like she could either way, being confined in the hospital room for a long time. She pushed a loose strand of her away from her face, preparing herself to tell Sero.

"Well, the reason is because I basically live in a hospital. I can't go outside, or have 'unpurified' air, as the doctors like to say, meaning my interactions with people and the outside world are extremely limited. That means anything that's not cleared of dust and germs, I guess, can be extremely harmful for me? As pathetic as it sounds, it could actually kill me, haha." It was quiet as Sero took in the information, a large wave of emotions crashing on him. A person shouldn't have to be locked in a room for the rest of their life. Especially someone who is such a sweet person like Y/N.

"I-I'm so sorry to hear that Y/N. If you don't mind me asking, how...how long have you been in the hospital?" The young girl answered with a quick 'Two years', and that's when Sero felt his stomach twist uncomfortably. Kaminari abruptly got up and headed towards his door.

"I'm gonna get something to eat, you want something dude?" Kaminari's voice was low and trembling. It didn't take a genius to see that the blonde haired boy needed some time alone. "No thanks." Kaminari let out a hum, quickly exiting his room and closing the door shut. Sero heard the loud sniffs that slowly faded away, as he hung his head down.

"Hey, you good Sero? That was probably a lot to take in, sorry." Sero shook his head, letting a sad smile adorn his face. "It's fine, really. I actually feel honored that you're comfortable telling me. Feels like we're getting closer, to be honest." He smiled happily, meaning every word he said. And Y/N knew that. "Ha, we are though!" The air was tense, despite the two teenagers being in different rooms.

Y/N went to clear her throat, but was interrupted when a light knock echoed throughout her room. "Someone there?" Sero asked, noticing her silence and hearing the very faint knocking.

"Yeah, um Sero, I'll call you guys later, my doctor wants to talk." Y/N quickly replied, seeing Receen open the door and walk in with his thin suit on. Sero let out an ok and they hang up. Y/N finally took in how the doctor looked, noticeable eye bags under his blue-grey eyes, from lack of sleep. His dark hair slightly tousled, probably from putting on the protective helmet that came with the suit, and a small smile on his welcoming face. And a large container of paint in his left hand. Her eyes immediately lit up.

"What’s up doc? I see you have something in your hand, can I see it closer?" The small girl asked, getting up and making a grabbing motion with her hands. Receen chuckled, lifting up the paint for Y/N to see. Even if he were to hand her the container, she wouldn't be able to hold. She was just too weak. Said girl let out a high pitch 'OOOO ' in excitement.

"I'm not sure if you wanted more, but we managed to get you your favorite color! This should be enough to paint the room, you can even put a second layer if you want." Receen walked over to where Y/N put all the equipment, opening the container of paint. And with a low grunt from him, the lid was opened. Y/N watched with amazement as the doctor poured the soft looking paint into a tray. She picked up a roller near her, and drowned the roller in paint, the white fluff getting covered in color.

The two began painting, Y/N's hand shaking every now and then. After painting half the room, they sat in silence, resting for a while. Receen seemed to be tense, though Y/N didn't seem to notice since she was too happy to speak. Receen let out a breath, breaking the silence, causing Y/N to look towards him.

"I didn't get to ask you how you were, did I Y/N? How are you?" Said girl let a beaming smile spread on her face, causing Receen to slightly squint his eyes from the intensity of her smile. "Honestly, I haven't felt this happy in a very long time! I actually still can't believe you guys really let me do this! Thank you so much!"

Receen gave her a small smile while rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not a problem, you could’ve asked sooner and gotten this done a long time ago. You've been here for two years, so please don't be afraid of asking for things!" At the mention of her time spent in the hospital, Y/N lowered her head, causing Receen to wince. Well, might as well tell her. The doctor cleared his throat and began to talk.

"Y/N, as you are aware, I, along with many other doctors and scientists, have been working hard for you to be able to go outside again. To see your family, hug them, be a normal kid again." There was a pause and that alone caught Y/N's attention. She looked up at him. "There is a way for you to finally do that, Y/N."

Shock evident on the girl's face, she abruptly stood up and faced the doctor. There was absolutely no way anyone could have found a cure for someone like her. Someone who had an incurable sickness. Someone who was too sick, to even have medicine. He's lying. Y/N narrowed her eyes at the grown man sitting in front of her.

"With all due respect Doctor, I highly doubt that ​​that's possible. Cuz, y'know? I basically have an incurable disease? I mean, like, even if you did manage to find a way for me to leave this place, how do you even know it's gonna work? I don't think you've tried this medicine since no one in recorded hospital documents in the past have had people like that checked in before-"

"How do you even know that?"

"-so how do you truly know it'll work?" Y/N quickly finished, completely ignoring his statement. Receen sighed, scratching his head. "We live in a world where quirks exist. Would you believe me if I told you centuries ago that the human race would evolve to have super powers? It's kind of like that, but not really." Y/N eyed him suspiciously. He's avoiding the question.

Receen looked straight at the girl standing in front of him. He felt slightly intimidated by her piercing gaze. He quickly looked away and got up, towering over Y/N's small frame. Then he smiled. "Y/N, you are a very sweet girl, no doubt about it. I know how much you want to get out of here, and I want to help you. My team has created this almost perfect pill, especially suited for your sickness. I know you're very cautious, just like your mother, but I can only reassure you, that these are your ticket out of here." He pulled out the bottle from his protective suit, shaking it in front of [Y/N].

Her eyes widened as she restrained herself from reaching out and snatching the bottle. Her eyes slightly narrowed as she pulled herself together. Crossing her arms and slightly tilting her upwards, she looked into the doctor's bright eyes. "There's always a catch when it comes to these kinds of things. What's the price if I take these? My lifespan shortens, I only have five hours to go outside, it drugs me or something?"

"I'm hurt you think I would just give you these without setting out the consequences." There was a slight glint in his eyes before it quickly disappeared. Y/N hummed, urging the doctor to continue.

"There are exactly 15 pills in here. And consuming just one of these bad boys right here, would allow you to go outside! Though, time is very important when taking these. You'd have 10 hours before the pills effects wear off. These would dull your hypersensitive senses, but not to a point where you can't feel, smell or do anything. No no, it'd just be like how you were before. You'd feel slightly dizzy and be a little itchy, but besides that, nothing too extreme. It just dulls all your body senses down." Receen gave Y/N a small smile. She looked a little weary, unsure if what he said was true. She looked at the bottle then back to Doctor Receen, fingers twitching every now and then. Breathing in and letting it out slowly, Y/N stared straight into the doctor's eyes.

If I take these, I can finally go out. I can hug mom and dad, I can be around Denki again. I can meet Sero face to face and feel the grass again! I can be... happy again. But if these don't actually work, I'd immediately die on the spot. I'd be able to go outside though. Aah, so much going outside, I can meet new people! I don't wanna spend the rest of my days slowly rotting away in here anyway.

"So Y/N, are you going to take them or let all our time go to waste?"

Sero looked at his hands solemnly, thinking about what Y/N had told him. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, then lightly slapped his cheeks to stop the wave of emotions from spilling out.

"Yo, you good dude? It's not everyday I see someone willingly slapping themselves." Kaminari chuckled, walking in and closing the door with his foot as he carried a soda bottle and a bag of chips towards the boy sitting on his bed. Sero grinned, feeling the sadness of everything wash away.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. But what about you though? After we had that conversation, you were, well, umm... kind of out of it." Kaminari froze, letting a dejected smile appear on his face. Dragging a hand down his face, he let out a sorrowful laugh.

"She's my best friend. My first real, true friend. She's basically my sister at this point. So when she collapsed that day, I felt my whole world crashing down. She is the sweetest, the most kindest, person I have ever met. She never let me degrade myself, alway cheered me up when people called me stupid." Kaminari rubbed his eyes, opening the bag of chips and plopping one of them into his mouth.

"It hasn't been the same ever since she left, her parents barely come over anymore, and they're always so sad whenever I see them. My own parents aren't the same either, they treated her like their own daughter. I can't even begin to imagine how Y/N feels about this all. She was the top in our grade, highest scores in our test. No one could compare to her. M-my heart breaks for her. She lost everything." Sero let that information sink in, thinking about how she was before. He smiled as he saw Kaminari's shoulders begin to shake. He cares so much for her.

He put his hand on his shoulder, watching Kaminari slowly lift his face towards him. "Come here you emotional ball of feelings." Being the friendly guy he is, Sero gave the sobbing boy a hug, cuz hugs fix everything.

"No homo though bro." And with that, they both laughed out loud, continuing their bro day.

[tf2-hellhole]

Could I request mercs x s/o where the s/o got out of an abusive relationship but they're still some effects left on them? Like getting scared or submissive and quiet when voices are raised around them, or flinching when a person quickly raises their arm/hand, etc? If you're not comfortable writing this, I completely understand, this can be a difficult topic to write about

Sorry this is so late! I hope this post can be of some comfort to those who have experienced abuse.

Please let me know if I’ve accidentally said anything offensive to abuse victims in the headcanons!

Scout:

When you first explain it to him, he’s horrified. Not because of you, but because he’s scared that he might have done or said things that scared or offended you in the past. He awkwardly apologizes for anything he may have said. You can literally see the tension leave his body as you assure him that he never said anything bad to you or that it’s okay because he didn’t know.

He always gives you little touches to comfort you or let him know he’s watching over you while you two or in public. It’s surprisingly discreet, and he doesn’t even make eye contact when he does it, but he’ll do something like brush his hand over yours or touch the small of your back for a moment. He’s not really comfortable with verbally comforting you in public because he’s still paranoid of not looking manly.

After that first initial apology, he can’t bring himself to apologize for any time he scares you, because he still doesn’t know how. But he shows his apologies through quick hugs and little favors. You appreciate that he’s trying to help in the only way he’s able to.

But surprisingly, he does have his moments. On days you’re feeling particularly bad or anxious, he’ll sit next to you and just wrap an arm around you. He’ll probably talk about some of the things he’s been through, like aggressive bullying in school.

Soldier:

Honestly, Soldier’s probably the worst person out of the whole team to date at first. He can be very loud, obnoxious, intense, and threatening, which often terrifies you into submission, even though he doesn’t mean to frighten you at all.

He doesn’t realize he’s been scaring you so badly until one of the other mercenaries pulls him aside and tells him. After that, he talks to you about it at the first chance he gets. He apologizes for frightening you, though he still halfway yells it.

He tries to tone it down around you, by doing things like not talking so loud and asking you to do something instead of demanding it. It doesn’t work very well but the effort is obvious, and after a while you get more comfortable with his behavior.

He encourages you to not feel like you have to be submissive around him, or anyone for that matter. This is AMERICA, the land of FREEDOM, and you shouldn’t have to listen to ANYONE if you don’t want to.

Soldier becomes much more protective of you, though surprisingly he’s not at all possessive or controlling. But he’s loyal as a dog and will always be at your side, ready to support or protect you. And don’t think he won’t punch someone who’s bothering you.

He’s surprisingly a very encouraging partner, and seems to have a talent for pulling you out of your shell and getting you to be more confident.

Pyro:

Pyro, surprisingly, is probably the best to date if you have these kinds of fears. They’re so patient with you and would never do anything to make you uncomfortable. It’s actually rather funny that Pyro is so unbelievable brutal on the battlefield, but whenever they’re around you they’re so gentle and accommodating.

They would never, ever try to do anything that has a chance of frightening you. If they do, they’re automatically at your side, squeezing your hand and apologizing through their mask. They feel like shit if they scare you and will do anything in their power to make it up to you.

Pyro loves to snuggle up to you when you’re feeling a little stressed due to someone raising their voice or something similar. If you’re in public, they’ll just wrap an arm around you, but if you two are alone, they’ll full on snuggle you.

The reason Pyro is so good to you is because they’re the same way. They’ve never told anybody about their origin, and probably never will but there are things that clue to the nature of Pyro’s upbringing. On rare occasions, Pyro will flinch or jump in the same way you do, and sometimes they’re easily stressed out by the other mercenaries’ bickering. Those aren’t the only things, but they’re a few pieces of a puzzle only you could put together.

Demo:

Demo, for a while, doesn’t notice any of your habits, because he’s usually drunk off his ass. He doesn’t notice it until he’s been sober around you a few times and picks up on your behaviors over those few times.

When he finally figures it out, he’s mortified about the way he’s been treating you. He’s never abused you, verbally or physically, but he realizes that when he’s drunk, his volume, intensity, and emotions terrify you.

He remembers being verbally abused in the orphanage he grew up in, then physically abused by his father. He remembers how horrible it made him feel; it’s one of the main reasons he turned to alcohol. He’s horrified that he may have been scaring you or making you relieve memories because of his behavior. So, he decides to change himself for the better.

In the future, he successfully cuts back on alcohol, so he won’t be acting so aggressively around you. It’s agonizing for his body, but he refuses to back down from the promise he made to himself. He also lowers his voice around you.

He lowkey becomes a little mushier. He’ll go out of his way to give you a quick hug or kiss, cuddle with you, or remind you that he loves you. He never actually tells you why he’s doing all of these things, but you figure it out pretty quickly.

Heavy:

Heavy can be much more perceptive than you think, so he picks up on all of the little clues very quickly. For a while, it actually makes him feel pretty crappy, because he knows he can be very intimidating and intense at times and he feels like he may be the main thing frightening you.

He very bluntly approaches you about it, asking if he’s made you uncomfortable without pushing you to share about whatever’s made you feel so nervous. He apologizes if he did, but either way he pulls you into a loose hug and tells you that, as your s/o, he wants to protect you and you’ll always be safe around him.

In the future, he tries to be less frightening when you’re around. He speaks a little quietly and tries his best to hold in his barking laughter. He’s always softly squeezing your shoulder or touching your back so you know he’s watching out for you, unless you don’t like physical contact, of course. If you don’t, he always clears his throat around you to draw your attention to him, and just looks back at you. The eye contact lets you know he’s watching out for you.

He’s very, very patient with you and your habits. He understands that they’re habits that aren’t always easy to break, but he does remind you of them to help you become more conscious and ease yourself out of these habits.

Engie:

Engie, like Heavy, is very perceptive of other people’s thoughts and behaviors, so he picks up on all of the little clues fairly quickly, maybe before he even starts dating you.

Once he feels like you really trust him, he’ll approach you and ask you about them. He has so many questions such as: Are you comfortable with sharing about your past? Is there anything he can do to help you? Has he been frightening you?

It doesn’t matter if you feel like sharing or not, he assures you that you matter to him, and he would never do anything to hurt you, and you can always trust him. He’s your partner, and he wants to be your rock whenever you need him.

He’s very conscious of your symptoms, and does his best to keep from scaring or offending you. If, for whatever reason, you do become particularly frightened or stressed, he’d sit with you to calm you for as long as you need. He often softly speaks to you to take your mind away from the trigger, and his softer voice often helps. He always has the sweetest smile when he manages to calm you down; he’s really happy he was able to help you. Your happiness means the world to him, and he always puts it above his own, so he’s glad you aren’t scared anymore.

Medic:

Medic, like Soldier, is completely oblivious to your habits for a while. He can be very intense at times, and it often scares you into submission or silence, and he never notices. He doesn’t mean to frighten you, but he doesn’t realize what he’s doing to you until someone else points it out to him.

Once someone brings it to his attention, he realizes what he’s been doing and feels horrible. He confronts you about it- he doesn’t ask why you’re so easily scared, but he just asks if he’s actually been frightening you. When you tell him he has, he’s devastated and brings you into a deep hug, apologizing for his behavior. He feels particularly bad for accidentally making you become submissive, and he tells you he loves you the way you are, and he doesn’t want you to change a bit. Even though he’s notorious for his disregard for other people’s feelings or needs, he values your happiness above all else.

In the future, he tries to tone it down. While he still will yell or bark orders at the other mercenaries, he always lowers his voice when talking to you. He isn’t able to fix all of his behaviors, but it’s definitely an improvement, and enough that you start to become more comfortable with his habits.

Highkey will kill anyone else who scares you

Sniper:

Sniper, surprisingly, notices what you’re doing fairly quickly. He knows he can be a standoffish or intimidating person at times, so at first he thinks he’s just scaring you, and doesn’t consider if there’s anything in your past that’s also influencing your behavior. He has to know if he’s the reason you’re acting this way.

One day, he pulls you aside to ask you about it. He wants to know if he’s really been frightening you, and if you feel like you have to be submissive around him. If you answer yes to either question, he’s horrified. He gently grabs you by the shoulders and tells you that he loves you more than anything on the planet and that you’ll never, ever be in danger as long as he’s around.

He starts trying to be a little more sincere and open to you, because he wants to show you he trusts you and wants you to trust him back. He’s not the best at showing it but you appreciate the effort. No matter what’s happening, he’s always willing to listen to you or protect you when you need him. It surprises you how thoughtful he is regarding your feelings- anyone who didn’t know him well would assume he’s a bit of an ass, but he’s the type of person who’s loyal as hell and values his loved ones deeply.

Spy:

Spy has trained himself to be extremely perceptive, so he notices your habits very quickly. For a few weeks, he just silently watches you, making trying to pick up on all of your habits and their triggers without you noticing. This silent investigation confirms his suspicions. He’s a smart man, and he quickly figures out that your behavior is a result of some kind of emotional trauma.

He never actually confronts you about it. He doesn’t share about his demons or his past with you, so why should he expect you to share everything with him? It’d be unfair. But he does start to remind you he cares deeply for you a little more often. He doesn’t want you to ever feel like he’s not someone you can always depend on. He doesn’t want you to ever feel alone.

But he does start trying to discreetly help you out of your habits, starting with the most harmful. He does things like try to help you develop newer, healthier habits or help you stop being anxious in situations that usually stress you out. He reads a lot about trauma beforehand, and while that definitely doesn’t mean he’s an expert, he at least able knows enough about trauma and it’s symptoms to help dull the mental and behavioral affects of your trauma a little.

[arcticrxt]

Some dream smp mbtis and enneagrams bc I love it!!!

@dreamsclock here it is!!

Characters:

Wilbur

Ghostbur

Tommy

Dream

Tubbo

Quackity

Karl

Under the cut bc they’re kinda long. Keep in mind this is the characters and not the content creators :]

WILBUR

Personally for me I’d type c!wilbur as ENFJ which is interesting for a villainous character. When he spirals into madness, you can see his dominant function (Fe) become more unhealthy, leading to him being very manipulative. He shows Ti-grip when his Fe is left to burn out, becoming critical of others and their methods, preferring he do it instead (seen with tommy during their exile). Ni auxiliary is shown in his ambition and drive for his goal of L’manburg.

For his enneagram, i know wilbur said he based c!wilbur off of the song eight by sleeping at last, but hear me out,,, I was thinking maybe a 3w4. The 8 characteristics could be seen in a tritype of 368. Type three is named the achiever which in itself stands for his vision and ambition of L’manburg. 3w4s are often working towards personal growth and professional success. When unhealthy, 3s can get extremely competitive and prone to one-upping others. May reject their sense of self and develop intense mood swings. At worst they can backstab ruthlessly (tommy and the whole of L’manburg and pogtopia) and destroy others reputations solely for their benefit (“if i can’t have this no one can”). The tritype Im a bit if-y on but I’ll say 368 because it focuses on working hard, achieving personal best and developing a winning image. They will want to protect others from those they perceive as a target (dream, Schlatt), they will warn and caution others and seek “worthy” authorities they can respect.

GHOSTBUR His Si is incredibly high so imma say ISFJ. His main motive (id say) is wanting to collect stories of his past and the history of the nation he built, his “unfinished symphony”. Fe auxiliary is very strong as well as he shows a lot of compassion to others, offering them some blue in times of need and also not wanting anyone to feel sadness like he feels it. Ghostbur ignores his own feelings in order for others to feel safe. His Ti is shown through his need for gathering knowledge to understand alivebur and i could also see it through his internalised logic that the blue will help people. Not sure on inferior Ne, maybe through not wanting to see other possibilities in regards to his resurrection, however he was under a lot of stress since his home just got blown up, and friend died, so I can’t blame him.

He clearly doesn’t want conflict so I’ll say type 9. Needs peace and harmony (he gives out blue to help people). Soothing voice, and collected (except when Phil blew up L’manburg but that’s reasonable). He’s complacent, and humble, and will go the extra mile so long as to not rock the boat. Appreciative of the small things in life and enjoy simple pleasures.

TOMMY For Tommy I think ESFP which is probably one of the ones I’m up for more opinions on bc I’m not completely sure of his type. Se as dominant as he thrives on living in the moment but in an unhealthy way (unnecessary conflicts) He’s got a strong Fi auxiliary and you can see that through his personal morals and the way he usually makes decisions based off of emotions rather than objective facts and logical reasoning. He’s good at planning, but not at thinking out the longevity of it. Eg when heady exile and found technos house and lived under there, thinking techno would find him, this all shows Se-Te loop. He gradually develops an unhealthy Fi which leads to him disregarding external relationships (his friendship with tubbo) and commitments to maintain his internal love of the discs.

Enneagram wise, I’m definitely leaning towards 7w6. 7s are usually jumping from one thing to another and are constantly getting bored. The wing 6 brings loyalty and protectiveness. When unhealthy, sevens become narcissistic in their actions and presentation (see his confrontation with tubbo after tubbo thought he was dead, and the “the discs are worth more than you ever were” granted he quickly realises what he said but the mentality was still there).

DREAM I think he’s a fairly obvious stereotype unhealthy ENTJ. He has a very low Fi. When we see him driven by emotion (usually anger) it’s terrifying and we have no context about it at all except that it’s for a need of control. He knows how to manipulate people through his charisma and power in an ENTJ fashion. He lost attachment to his things very quickly (using Te and Ni to go forward logically while also showcasing his inferior Fi)

Dream is a very painfully obvious 8, probably an 8w7, but he is defined an 8. The eight has fiery passions and is usually stubborn and headstrong, they are serious about control over their environment. They are goal-oriented and self-competent. Eights are direct and aren’t shy when taking the lead and making tough decisions. They are often seen in leadership positions. The eight type is part of the “body based” triad and they often act impulsively. They crave respect and enjoy being likes by the group. When unhealthy, eights can become tyrannical and intimidating, scaring off others at first glance. They become addicted to the pursuit of power and will destroy anything blocking their path. Feelings and emotions become insignificant (spirit :’)) challengers become stone-cold and take an antagonist stand to anyone who questions them or their motives. This is the one I’m most most sure of out of every typing I’ve done bc it seems painfully obvious.

TUBBO I’d say probably an Fe dom so maybe ENFJ/ESFP but I’m leaning more to the ENFJ side. Tubbo realised after he thought tommy had died that, without tommy he was himself. Something Fe doms struggle with the most is self worth and personal identity. They’re caught up in wanting to help others that they don’t tend to their own needs. He’s careless and self sacrificing when it comes to the needs of others (him giving up his life so that tommy could have the discs and be happy) and bc he has such low self esteem he doesn’t realise that that’s not what tommy wants. The reason I’m more leaning to ENFJ is because of his inferior Ti. Though he didn’t want to due to dominant Fe, he was lead to believe exiling tommy was the best possible solution. You can see he regrets it after tommy and dream had left. When he was working under schlatt we saw his remorse and guilt even though he knew it had to be done. We see his dominant Fe during his time as president when others push him to do things and he usually agrees. He was manipulated through guilt by dream which is very unhealthy ENFJ.

(I wrote this before the ghostbur one so sorry for any repetitive language) For enneagram, type nine: the peacemaker. Type 9s are motivated by their need for peace and harmony (tubbo was manipulated into believing that getting rid of tommy would achieve this). They have a calm demeanour and are agreeable. They’re hardworking, friendly, and modest but also more serious and diligent than expected. (I’m not too sure on his enneagram which is why this is so short)

QUACKITY Estj imo. Like dream, he’s unhealthily obsessed with power, (unhealthy dominant Te). He abandoned L’manburg because schlatt wouldn’t let him have any say, and he was shoved to the side, despite it being a coalition government. He is very logical and controls others. He makes sure he comes out as the hero and that his hands are clean, learning it from past experiences (Si). He quickly finds ways to get out of situations through the use of tertiary Ne. Doesnt show a lot of Fi and he usually underestimates his opponents abilities and/or strength due to his overconfidence. He’s willing to kill anyone who goes against what he thinks and is stubborn and argumentative. He doesn’t like it when people are lazy and don’t contribute.

Also, similarly to dream, I’d type his enneagram as 8w7. The same with his obsession of power, and his strong/weak mindset where he thinks the world is made up of protectors and those who need to be protected (see him taking it upon himself to execute technoblade for the better of L’manburg) which is all very textbook 8. The opinions of others don’t have much effect on him. Eights are concerned with justice, combating oppression, and protecting the weak. He takes the lead in making tough decisions (he’s the butcher army leader). He becomes more antagonist and villainous with his actions against technoblade, believing he’s in the right. (I didn’t want to just copy out what I said for dream so this is a shortened version)

KARL Torn between ENFP and ESFP but leaning toward ENFP. He’s time travelling because he believes it’s the right the to do which is more so Fi, but could be Fe wanting to help others at his personal cost. But also the Fi-Te pair keeps him going and he won’t stop until it’s fulfilled (which is pretty Te imo). He is creative and good with imagination and ideas (Ne) (at the masquerade, although it was a comical excuse, he came up with minecraft streamer quickly, he was also able to answer billiams questions pretty quickly).

Even though it’s now canon he doesn’t choose when and where he travels to, which would have been a stronger argument for a type seven, he’s still enthusiastic at the times he travels to. He’s optimistic (with the mentality everything will go right for him because he believes it has to, even though he’s loosing a lot of memories atm). He’s got childlike energy and curious eyes. He wants to bounce from one place to another, he created two towns already, although one technically no one knows about gogtopia except for the founders and tommy who travelled through it. He’s well like and popular, which is often a 7 trait. The type 7 is part of the “heart-based” triad, and we can see him act through this with the way he seeks excitement as a means to distract himself from the darker, and more painful things in life. He ignores his fears in favour of positive experiences. For a wing, probably a 7w6 in favour of 7w8, the same as tommy. He’s loyal and a strong leader over being tough and more career-driven. If he was to turn unhealthy in the future, we might see him loose his groundedness, and start to live in a perpetual fantasy instead of reality.

Sorry for any typos or bad grammar :]

[wevegottogetaway]

A hundred percent (Part 2 of Crashing into you)

It looks like the same bottle you had reached for before all hell broke loose. You found it lazing on shore, in that space between water and dry land where objects greet the wet sand but still submit to the waves. Along with the plastic container, you’d encountered a wet blanket you’d immediately laid out to dry, a corkscrew and the ice bucket that had accommodated the champagne you turned down during the flight (you’d gladly have a glass or four now, but alas the Champagne bottle wasn’t accounted for in your scavenger hunt). All things considered, it’s a relatively good inventory; it seems the currents were in your favor.

It makes sense actually, that the waters would shepherd the lightest of items to you. Yet your heart remains heavy with doubts and fears. You’re not versed enough in geography to have the slightest clue as to whereabout you’ve strayed in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. And with that comes the big question: if you don’t know where you are, how the people meant to save you will? Then how much time will it take for them to figure it out and will you be able to hold on for that long?

Everything is a big question mark as of now, and you hate it. You’re resourceful and quick on your feet, but you like to be prepared; you usually study the situation ahead and plan in accordance for every potential contingency, positive or negative. This however, never in a billion years would you have thought, much less prepared for the appropriate M.O. to follow in response to a freaking plane crash.

If anything, it makes you twice as grateful to have Harry by your side. Once for obvious reasons; the mere thought of associating his name with death in the same sentence could make you physically ill. But also, if there were one person that could make this ordeal that much bearable and give you the strength to withstand the pain for that much longer, it was him. He’d done it before; granted times weren’t as critical as they may be now, but he’d always been your beacon of light in the darkest of times. You’d just have to be his as well this time. Like a planet reflecting back the light of the star it revolves around.

Speaking of stars, the sun is unbearably warm. It feels like it is sitting right on top of your shoulders and breathing down your neck, as opposed to hundred millions kilometers away from your sweltering form. You’ve been pacing up and down the shore for over two hours, and you don’t think you’ve ever been so uncomfortably hot. Your skull is throbbing from the heat,(though the brutal impact of the crash and your brief encounter with death probably have something to do with it as well) and your top is positively drenched in sweat. Harry’s shirt didn’t fare much better and is now rolled and folded atop is head in a makeshift hat. You’re both very aware that a sunstroke is highly likely in this sort of climate, and very much the last thing you need in your preexisting predicament.

"Think we should head towards the forest before this heat grills our skin to the crisp, love." It’s the first thing either of you have uttered in a while, but you’re quick to agree to Harry’s proposition.

"You’re right. Let’s see if we can find a water source nearby," you nod towards the stretch of green wildness awaiting you, before shooting one last glance at the ocean behind you.

Harry is closely watching you before putting a hand at the small of your back to usher you both out of the beach. "We can always come back later and see if there’s anything new on the shore," he guesses the reason for your hesitation. You swear this man can read your mind sometimes.

As soon as you cross the border into the forest, the sound of the waves quickly fades to be replaced by the chirps, squeaks and buzzing of the jungle’s inhabitants. It sounds like the all jungle community is in conversation, and you gulp as you wonder what kind of animals are also roaming this place. It’s clear the smartest option is for you to set up camp closer to the beach so you can be safe both from the wildlife and the unforgiving sun, as well as be in plain sight in case rescue is scouring the vicinity. For now though, you have no choice but to wander the very much alive woods if you count on fending dehydration off.

As you weave through the thick and luxurious foliage, Harry is staying glued to your side, not willing to let is sight off of you. His shirt finds its way back over his torso to protect his smooth skin from the somewhat hostile vegetation. From the way nature seems to prevail over every inch of this seemingly impenetrable space, it is clear this land has never witnessed the wrath of human activity. The realization is rather unsettling as it weakens your hopes of finding civilization in this godforsaken place.

Once again, you feel indefinitely grateful for the man walking by your side. You’d always felt lucky to have him in your life, but that soft tug in your chest from his hand grazing your shoulder blades as your tread the muddy earth, has never been so strong and comforting than in this moment.

"Careful, love," he is quick to tug you against his broad frame when you’re about to step on a small snake. The creature hisses as your footsteps disturb its tranquil existence but apart from shooting what you could swear is an annoyed glare, the serpent remains put and lets you go on your merry way.

It takes a second for your heart to calm down from the sudden movement and you realize your fist is still clenching the soft cotton of his shirt. You mutter a small but genuine ‘thanks’ as you quickly remove your hands from him, and despite the tropical heat you find yourselves in, Harry can’t help but feel a coldness on the spot your hand just abandoned.

An hour goes by and you’ve yet to be successful in your quest. The sun is finally starting to relent some of its intensity and the air feels slightly easier to breathe. At least in theory. In practice, every minute that ticks by without you encountering even the smallest of water source, feels like a new brick dropping in-between your ribcage to crush your lungs. You are running out of time for the day and the anxiety that comes with that realization is not one you can gulp down and just ignore.

As the sun slowly retires, so does the light of your surroundings, and it’s enough to have your own light start flickering before finally shutting down. You need to make your way back to the edge of the shore and set up camp before darkness engulfs everything in its black coat. Your hand find Harry’s before you shift your body towards his. "We should head back before it’s too dark," you utter dejectedly.

He nods with the same despondent expression before wrapping an arm across your shoulders and directing you both towards the beach. "Come on, then," a small kiss is pressed against your temple and your heart leaps back out of its gloom for a moment. You’re not a total stranger to gestures like this one, but they’re usually spurred by a drink too many or they occur for these special occasions where joy is so exuberant it pigments your cheeks and leaves you no choice but to show your affection in a more physical manner. You relish those moments as much as you can, wrongly assuming they mean more to you than they do him.

You don’t day anything back as you wrap your arm around his waist and start making your walking again. You’re both in need of comfort right now, is how you rationalize it. Still, it doesn’t stop you from staying as close to him as humanly possible, your body molding his curves better than a puzzle. He doesn’t seem to mind, on the contrary, his grip on your arm tightens briefly, and though you don’t see it, his lips also twitch in a side smile.

You arrive just in time for what must be the most beautiful sunset you’ve ever witnessed in your life. The ocean has calmed some, waves now gently licking at the sand and in the far distance, a large sphere of tangerine flares, rests upon a blue canvas whose only bounds stretch to the horizon. "S’beautiful," Harry softly comments before your eyes meet for a minute. You answer with a small smile, admiring the tenderness of his gaze. It’s partly due to tiredness at this point, which is what you surmise, but you’ve been on the receiving end of this gaze countless and non-tired times before, unbeknownst to you.

Fifteen minutes later, you are trying your best to light a dry piece of wood on fire while Harry endeavors to built some kind of shelter. It takes you both a few attempts and a lot of cussing, but eventually you find yourselves sitting under a makeshift branch-made roof in front of a small fire. Thankfully, the blanket you’d recovered from the crash had dried entirely - one of the few perks of the scalding sun, you suppose - and is now wrapped tightly around you both. If the situation wasn’t so critical, you’d rejoice at the opportunity of being cuddled up with Harry so closely. Every intake of breath he takes you feel against your ribs. Your bones ache from tiredness, thirst and hunger, but as your head lays on Harry’s shoulder, you also feel lightness in your heart. Things will be all right. Tomorrow you’ll go back to explore the jungle and you’ll find water, maybe even catch a fish or two and you’ll repeat the process until the rescue team comes to get you. Soon.

"How’s your leg?" Harry gently breaks the silence. You’d almost forgotten about your respective injuries, and the question has your eyes shift to the cut on your shin. There wasn’t much to do anyway, your fateful time in the angry waters had taken care of all the cleaning that could be done without proper medicine. It’s uncomfortable and the sort of wound that would linger on your mind if you were back home, but there and then, you’d minded the sting for all of 5 minutes before more pressing matters needed your undivided attention.

"It’s fine. I was too distracted to notice the pain, I guess," you answer just as quietly even though you are the only two souls breathing for hundred miles around if not more. The mention of your injury also reminds you of his, though you don’t quite need as vocal a reminder as the gash above his eyebrow is much more conspicuous. "How’s your face?" you decide to return the question even though you have a feeling his answer won’t me much different from yours.

"Itchy but it doesn’t hurt."

Your eyes once again focus on the cut, making sure that no dirt made its way on the damaged tissue. Your lips curls slightly to the side when you take in the probable reason for the itch. "C’mere, your hair keeps falling into it," you say while your hand reaches up to tuck the rebellious curl behind his ear. The strand goes straight back to its previous spot as it lacks a bit of length to obey your ministration. You reach up again, this time running your fingers towards the back of his head to get the curl out of the way. Harry doesn’t dare move an inch, air caught up in his throat as he revels in your tender touch. You’re oblivious to his intense stare, as always, while you inspect the cut. "Shouldn’t leave a scar, I don’t think," you offer in reassurance.

"Well, that’s a relief," Harry answers almost absentmindedly though there’s humor lacing through his voice. He couldn’t care less about a scar, not after everything you’ve been through. Hell, you’re both lucky to have escape the crash with just superficial wounds. Besides, he’ll take a thousand scars over having your unconscious body under his palms again.

The conversation feels much lighter than the ones you’ve entertained all day, so you keep the playful tone going. "I know right, can’t have permanent damage on that Grammy winning face," you quip back with a smirk. Mischief is distinct in your eyes and Harry has never been more thankful to see that sparkle lit up your iris. If he focus hard enough, the sand beneath him can disappear to morph into the fluffy cushions of his sofa back home, and this can just be a regular hang-out where you pretend to watch movies and banter over every character’s decisions.

That’s why it’s so easy for him to indulge in the oh-so familiar back and forth; it’s a dance he could do eyes closed. "My career would be over," he retorts with a faux distraught expression.

You giggle and give him a smile before copying is fake air, "the end of the world."

He chuckles and for a moment there is nothing but silence between you two. You can feel the playfulness dissipate as Harry’s eyes don’t waver from yours. They suddenly hold a fervor that tells you he’s gonna say something serious. And of course he does, you know him so well. "I think my world would have ended today if you hadn’t woken back up on that beach." The statement is uttered barely above a whisper but it echoes like a hundred church bells chiming Cinderella’s midnight in your head.

"Harry…" Needless to say, you are speechless. Neither of you have ever shied away from voicing your affection towards the other, but this, coupled with the intensity of his stare, has your heart stopping for the second time today.

"You have no idea how terrified I was," he continues quietly, like his own heart is threatening to jump out of his throat if he dares speak louder. It’s obvious it’s painful for him to remember, perhaps even more painful than it was for you to actually endure. "The longer you wouldn’t-"

"Shh, stop, stop," you quickly halt him with a hand to his cheek. "Don’t torture yourself with the could haves. I’m here, alive and breathing. All thanks to you. And you are too. Alive and breathing." You say it all in confidence though you have the same chocked up feeling he did when you think of the alternatives. "That’s all that matters right now. You have me and I have you and nobody’s losing anyone." Your thumb is drawing soothing circles onto his skin as he nods at your statements as if to make their truths stronger. A second passes and your eyes shift to the ground before you gulp, "my world would have ended too. Had you not made it to the beach."

It seems the sentiment strikes a chord in his chest too, as Harry pinches his eyes close as if to make sure he is not hallucinating your words. His body is taken by a strong pull to kiss you but he knows his lips can’t quite fall on their most desired destination. He settles for a harsh forehead kiss instead, taking your head between his two shaking hands.

When he leans back, his eyes frantically search your face and you can see his breathing picking up from the motion of his chest. "Y/n, I…Fuck it’s…" the more the words escape him, the more frustrated he becomes, running a hand through his wild curls even though they’d stayed in the place you had brushed them last.

"Shh it’s okay. Harry, you’re working yourself up," you try to calm him down with a hand on his heart. Just as you suspected, the organ beneath your palm is jackhammering against his skin, but Harry shakes his head at your suggestion.

"I just have something that I need to say," he gulps, "and it’s terrifying-"

You can’t stand the way his voice wavers ever so slightly. He looks exhausted despite the wild look in his eyes and you realize that’s probably not helping tame the stormy thoughts in his mind. "M’not going anywhere, Harry," you reassure him, "we can talk tomorr-"

"No. No." He shakes his head forcefully between your hands. "I need to say this now because I already should have done it a long time ago, and as much as it is scary for me to say, today was a hundred times more scary."

You take in his adamant look and realize this is far more serious than you were led to believe. "Okay, you know you can tell me anything."

He nods at your reassurance before taking a deep breath. "You’re my best friend, y/n. The one person I don’t ever want out of my life, the one person that understands all of me and that is besides me for everything." You try to remain impassive and not wince at the f-word as you listen to his sorrows. "And I can only hope that will never change, because like I said, my world wouldn’t be the same if I had you any less in it. And that’s the thing that is scaring me, because as much as I need you as my best friend, I’m also in love with you and that has the power to change everything." He barely pauses before carrying on, still locking eyes with you. "I used to be able to pretend, but earlier on that beach, when your life was hanging by a thread in my hands, all I thought was that I couldn’t ever look at myself again if you left and I was too much of a coward to tell you the truth. I don’t want to be that guy anymore, because now I know. Being that guy is more terrifying than telling you I love you."

The words are buzzing in your mind. Ones you’ve heard before in daydreamings and fantasies but that you never thought you would get to receive in the realm of reality. At least not from the person you wanted them from. "Harry," is all you can muster to say without tripping over the rest of your words. You realize your vision is getting blurrier by the second, and you could swear there were droplets pearling at the corner of his eyes too. You let out a nervous chuckle, quickly wiping a tear from your cheek with the back of your hand. "Fuck, you dumbass, making us cry when we’re already fighting dehydration." The exclamation has him mirroring your smile as his thumb replaces yours at the crease of your eye. "I love you too, Harry," you say shakily through your grin. "So much it is the scariest thing to feel for a best friend. But you’re right, today was much scarier and I don’t want to be that girl anymore either."

Harry doesn’t think he’s ever been this happy and he makes a note to call his Mum as soon as his back on civilized land, to tell her she was right. Love does work in mysterious ways; sometimes you need to be the most lost to finally find it. And part of him hates that he wasted so much time with you everyday he wouldn’t say anything, but the other part of him also feels like it was worth the wait. "Fuck, promise? You’re not concussed from the crash and you really l-"

"I love you, Harry," you don’t let him finish vocalizing any doubt about your feelings. "Hundred percent sure."

"A hundred percent?"

"A hundred percent." He loves how confident you are when you reiterate the affirmation, looking straight in his eyes. Your faces a barely inches apart and your bodies still tightly embraced in the flimsy plane blanket.

"Christ, this is the best day of my life," he marvels before kissing the wrist of your hand still cupping his face.

You raise a brow at the statement, "the day you were in an air crash and found yourself stranded on a desolate island is the best day of your life?" You tease him in humor though you know exactly what he means by it and share the sentiment equally as strongly.

"The day I made you mine," he proudly explains with a smirk.

"Mmm am I?" you tauntingly bite your lip, though you’re not fooling anyone. You are absolutely and irrevocably, a hundred percent his. Knowing this perfectly well himself, Harry doesn’t even give you the curtesy of an answer and kisses the sass right off your mouth. It’s a fierce contact at first, as though he was kindly telling you to just shut up. Then he eases into a slow and emotional kiss, as your lips wrap around each others. He doesn’t pull back until you’re both out of breath and he’s had a proper taste from licking your supple lips. When he does, you only want to dive in for more, and it seems he shares the same desire as he barely retracts from your face.

"You most definitely are," he asserts with that same teasing smirk.

"Hundred percent?"

"A hundred percent, darling," he acquiesces before giving you the second best kiss of your life (the first having occurred a mere minute earlier). This time he drags his hand away from your face to wrap his arm around your small frame. "C’mere, come closer so we don’t freeze." It feels like close enough will never be an achievable concept for you both, but you’ll content yourself with the weight of his limbs intertwining with yours as you lay down besides the small fire. He brings the blanket high enough beneath you so you don’t have your heads directly on the sand, and you don’t realize how physically exhausted you were until your head is tucked underneath his chin and all your muscles loosen up some.

"Comfy?" He inquires as he hears you sigh in relief. You nod against his collarbones a small ‘yeah’ whispered against his skin and the feeling has him shoot a smile to the stars. He’s quite comfortable himself if he may say so.

"Good, now gimme a kiss."

"Making demands already?" You keep teasing him because let’s face it, you’ll never get tired of watching his reactions to your taunts. The cute crease between his brows, the twitching of his button nose or even better, the small pout enhancing the cherry color of his lips are probably the things that made you fall in love with him in the first place.

"You’re not complaining."

You laugh at his self-assuredness, sad not to see his precious pout though the newfound spark in his eyes makes up for it and then some. You can’t help but to confirm the bold statement, "yeah, a hundred percent not," and he smiles at the now familiar words, like it has become an inside joke that only belongs to the two of you.

For a while you just cuddle in silence, reveling in the embrace you’ve shared a couple times in the past but that now beholds an entire new meaning. You’re just about to surrender to Morpheus’ arms when Harry muses aloud, "imagine this was all a dream and we just wake up in LA tomorrow morning."

Paradoxically, the suggestion forms lump in your throat. Had he asked an hour ago, you would have let a wistful sigh and longed for a reality where you didn’t hop on a doomed plane and landed both yourself and you best friend in what can only be the hardest trial of your life. And yet, now you find yourself unsettled at the idea that your very much reciprocated feelings wouldn’t be out in the open if none of this had happened. You wouldn’t know the taste of his lips had you not plummeted in the sea only to wash up on a desolate shore.

"It doesn’t matter. I’ll still tell you." You affirm confidently. Now that you know; not about the mutuality of your feelings, but about how scary it is to find yourself on the precipice of forever regrets, you’ll take the chance every time. Wiser from the same tribulations, Harry just smiles softly before returning a faint ‘me too’.  

"Yeah?"

"Not that guy anymore, ‘member?" He is quick to remind you, eyebrow cocked upwards, to which you simply respond with a whispered ‘good’ against his chest. Harry kisses you on last time and then you both let your unconscious take over at last, still wrapped in each others’ arms and not even caring about your perilous surroundings anymore.

[lupin-for-president]

“Behind the Shelves” Pt. 1

(A Wolfstar College AU)

•••

Long couldn’t even begin to describe the day Remus Lupin was having.

From waking up late and missing his morning lecture, finding out his chocolate bars had melted from being in his car, spilling coffee all over his floorboards, and then his boss telling him he had to work the late shift at his college’s library, “long” didn’t seem to do this day justice.

It was around six in the evening when he had noticed them walk in from his spot behind the front counter.

A graceful girl with long red hair, at least four books in her arms, and a baggy cardigan hanging loosely off of her shoulders. A darker boy with nerdy looking glasses following close behind her, holding just one textbook in his hand, and his hair a curly mess.

The boy clearly fancied the girl, it was obvious in the way his mouth curled at the edges while he tried his best to match her steps, and —by the way she was trying to fight off a smile of her own— Remus was nearly positive that the girl fancied the boy a tad bit too.

Then, Remus’ eyes landed on the last member of the arriving party.

A boy with warm carmel skin and wavy black hair that hung gently down to his shoulders. His mouth held a smirk —that Remus would deem absolutely sinful— and his eyes glinted with a playful sense of glee. He wore faded ripped jeans and a black Queen shirt with the sleeves pushed up, exposing his delicately intricate tattoos. He had piercings littering both of his ears, as well as a black stud in the side of his nose.

Just my type, Remus thought.

When he finally lifted his gaze back up to the stranger’s face —hazel eyes meeting a set of piercing grey ones— he felt his breath catch in his throat. He quickly averted his gaze back to the books he was sorting, doing his best to fight off an embarrassed blush. The next time he dared to look up, the enterauge had already vanished away —deeper into the library— and a relieved breath blew past his lips.

“Way to go Remus,” he muttered to himself, “Just start having repressed gay thoughts the second a mildly attractive boy walks through the door.”

He’s more than just mildly attractive, he scolded himself.

With a heaved sigh, he picked up the stack of books and walked out from behind the counter. He made his way to the proper shelves quickly, knowing he had at least twelve more stacks to sort back out before the night was over.

He was finally on his last book of the stack and, due to its placement, he had to use the library ladder to put it back on its shelf. Climbing the rolling ladder —rather carelessly if he were being honest— he lazily reached up to place the book back in its proper position.

“Ah, History of French Language, I wonder what poor soul had to indulge in that.”

The sudden voice caught Remus off guard, making him jump so hard that he nearly fell backwards off the ladder. After he regained his balance, he was ready to look down and make a snappy remark to the person who had almost made him fall, but immediately bit his tongue as his gaze locked on the source. Remus’ eyes widened for a moment before he cleared his throat, a heat rising to his cheeks.

It was the same boy from before, his long black hair tucked lazily behind one of his ears, arms crossed over his chest, and a cheeky smile painted on his lips. He was leaning against the shelf, eyeing Remus with a teasing look that was enough to make his skin become peppered with goosebumps.

“It actually isn’t too bad,” Remus finally answered, making his descent down the ladder.

“Oh? Have you read it?”

“Yes, I have,” Remus nodded curtly, grabbing the ladder and dragging it along behind him to put it back in its proper place.

Remus had expected the conversation to end there, but he heard footsteps following after him. When he positioned the ladder in its rightful spot, he turned to quirk an eyebrow at the boy, readjusting the sleeves of his sweater.

“Can I help you?” Remus asked, probably a little too sternly, “Are you looking for something?”

“Oh, no,” Sirius grinned, leaning forward slightly, “I’ve found everything I need.”

Remus was taken aback at the boy’s forwardness, it wasn’t something he was used to seeing. Then again, this boy was undeniably attractive —enough to make any girl or boy weak in the knees just by looking at him— so he really had no reason to be shy with his flirting.

But Remus was currently working and on the clock and —even though he was oh so tempted— couldn’t be caught flirting with some mysterious bad boy behind the bookshelf.

“Right,” Remus cleared his throat, “Then I must get back to work. If you decide you need help, I’ll either be behind the desk or putting books back on their shelves.”

And so he strolled off and did just that, but the strange boy simply followed. Remus tried to pretend that he wasn’t looming over his shoulder, but the boy kept getting closer and closer and it kept getting harder and harder to avoid him. Finally, Remus slammed the book he had just scanned into the computer shut and turned around to face him.

“What.”

“What’s your name?” Sirius asked.

“Remus,” he said bluntly.

“Remus,” Sirius repeated, as if he were testing it out.

The pale boy nearly felt his heart combust at the sound of his name dripping off of the other’s tongue like warm honey, drizzling into every crevice in his mind. He did his best to push past the thought and not focus on those beautiful pink lips that just looked so temptingly soft.

“And your name is?” Remus questioned, leaning back against the counter, arms crossed over his chest.

“Sirius, but you can call me yours,” he winked.

Remus couldn’t even attempt to hide his blush this time, his entire face turning a bright shade of pink. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously before turning back around to gather up the scanned books.

“Sirius, that’s uh— that’s a nice name,” Remus nodded, cursing himself for not knowing how to handle the blatant flirting of this beautiful stranger.

Sirius laughed —a melodious, charming laugh— and shook his head.

“It’s after the star,” he murmured, “Speaking of which, the stars are supposed to look absolutely beautiful tonight. Would you like to go watch them with me?”

Remus paused for a moment as he turned with the stack of books in his arms, his eyebrows creasing togegher slightly. Slowly, he looked up at Sirius, head titled slightly to the side.

“Do you always invite random strangers on dates or is this a new thing for you?” Remus asked.

“Nah, only the cute ones,” Sirius smirked, sending him a flirty wink that made butterflies erupt inside of his stomach.

Remus simply scoffed and brushed past him, books in hand. “Well, sorry to disappoint, but I must decline. I don’t go on dates with strangers,” he said sternly, though his voice had a hint of teasing in it.

“Oh, come on. We’re hardly strangers now, Remus. Wouldn’t you agree?” Sirius quipped, following after him, “I mean we’ve known each other for a whole half hour already, I’d say we’ve become pretty swell friends.”

Remus just started sorting the books back onto their shelves, careful not to make eye contact with Sirius in the fear that doing so might cause him to give in. After all, this boy was obviously handed everything in life. It wouldn’t do much harm for Remus to play a little hard to get.

“Speaking of friends,” Remus started, “Aren’t yours going to be wondering where you are?”

“You mean James and Lily? Please,” the tan boy waved off the claim, “I doubt they even notice I’m gone. James has been swooning over that girl since our freshman year here, two years later and he’s still just as infatuated as ever. I think Lils is finally starting to give in, though.”

“So you’re a junior here as well? Funny, I haven’t seen you around much,” Remus noted.

“That’s because I never have the need to come into your little library,” Sirius shrugged, “I’m an art major —a free spirit if you will— I’d rather not waste my time surrounded by books. Though, now that I know you’re here, I might have to come around a little more often.”

There it was again, that bold flirtatious side of him. It made Remus want nothing more than to grab him by the shirt collar and slam him up against the bookshelf, ravaging him with intense kisses just to make him shut up. Remus was sure those pretty pink lips were just as soft as they looked.

He cleared his throat and turned to the boy, hands now empty of books to sort. “Art major, huh? I should’ve guessed, you seem like the type,” Remus said, his eyes giving the boy a once over.

“Do I now?” Sirius smirked, taking a step closer to Remus. “How about you, what’s your major?”

“English.”

“Should’ve known, you seem like the type,” he said, his words spilling out like dangerously sinful honey. “When does your shift end?”

“A few hours,” Remus replied, his heart pattering inside of his chest, “Not that it’ll matter to you, I already told you I don’t go out with strangers.”

“What’ll it take to convince you?” Sirius asked, his tone turning oddly tense.

“Figure it out yourself, Mr. Free Spirit.”

With that, Remus turned on his heel and walked down the aisle and back to his counter to finish his job. Sirius, of course, acted as his shadow the entire time, dropping flirting remarks and teasing hints every few minutes.

It didn’t stop until the glasses boy from earlier came up to the front desk to whisk him away, just about ten minutes before closing. Not that the stubborn boy would admit it, but he almost hated to see him go already.

As Remus watched him walk out of the door, blushing lightly as the boy turned and gave him a cheeky wink, he found himself wondering if he would see him again.

And prayed to god that it would be soon.

[scarabbai]

For your role reversal au, what happens after Yuu and Grim are booted out of the dorm? Do Azul and co still help them? Or does Yuu think of a way to get back inside and help?

ANON I HAVE FINALLY (somewhat) WORKED OUT THIS PART SO I CAN NOW ANSWER YOUR QUESTION!

Important (and new/previously unmentioned) context and details behind when MC and Grim are thrown out of the dorm:

(YET ANOTHER “INFO UNDER THE CUT” POST BC I HAVE NO SELF CONTROL AND TALK A LOT)

In order to keep MC and Grim entertained during their stay at Scarabia (and to keep the dorm members busy so they can’t ask MC for further help/explain their situation in more detail) Kalim has the dorm put together preparations for a grand Winter Break banquet to “celebrate the arrival of [their] guests.” This puts the dorm members to work without it being too obvious/them being too upset since Kalim already tends to plan and throw parties pretty often in order to boost morale. While the bulk of the work is done by the dorm members, Kalim himself plays the role of an excellent host and entertainer by accompanying MC and Grim everywhere around the dorm and showing them all the wonderful things about Scarabia, subtly assuring them that everything is fine and wonderful in the process. After all, how can there possibly be anything wrong when the dorm members are all smiling, laughing, and having fun while putting up decorations, when the dorm is alive with music and dance practice, when Kalim gives MC and Grim all the best that Scarabia has to offer?

Sure, the actual dorm leader doesn’t make many appearances during MC and Grim’s visit, but when he does, he’s kind! Civil! Polite! A generous host, don’t you agree? Don’t pay any mind to the way the dorm members get a little quiet when he shows up! They’re just very focused on their tasks in order to impress their dorm leader, you see. That’s not fear in their eyes, it’s respect! The dorm leader is incredibly responsible, brave, and intelligent after all. He’ll never let anything bad happen under his watchful eye! Disregard any rumors you’ve heard about Scarabia and Jamil...everything is fine. Kalim says so, and his sunny personality and bright smiles feel so genuine, it’s hard not to believe him. Something about the way he speaks, the enthusiasm and warmth in his words, it draws you in, makes you trust him.

Something still doesn’t seem quite right though, so MC and Grim stay at Scarabia for a few nights to wait and see. For a while, it seems like Kalim’s telling the truth. Everything does appear fine...up until their third day at Scarabia, when the banquet is finally fully prepared. Everyone is having fun, chatting and laughing while eating lunch together, but everything gets quiet when Jamil takes a seat at the head of the table, Kalim loyally at his side. For context, prior to MC’s arrival at Scarabia, Jamil threatened all the dorm members into silence and as a result is currently ruling by fear instead of true leadership. Therefore, everyone is afraid to say anything that might even vaguely hint at rebellion or discontent, and the banquet takes on a very tense and uncomfortable air.

Grim, fed up with this sudden nosedive in atmosphere, snaps at Jamil. Since it was his presence that brought on this sudden fearful energy, it’s clear that the rumors are true. The dorm members were telling the truth when they said Scarabia was a nightmare, Jamil’s a lying snake, and Grim and MC were right to come in and investigate. The sudden accusations and questioning of Jamil’s authority do not sit well with him, and he basically loses his shit bc not only did Grim admitting they came to the dorm to investigate and not to just “see how great Scarabia is” mean that they snuck in under false pretenses (BAD move) and thus are a threat to “the security of the dorm,” but also this is a surefire sign that Jamil’s control of the dorm isn’t absolute and there are little rebels in his midst. Given Jamil’s past experiences with rebels and traitors in his family, it’s not surprising that he lashes out at Grim and ends up exposing his tyrannical/controlling nature. Before Jamil can do anything serious though, Kalim holds him back and very strongly “advises” Grim and MC to go back to their guest room.

Effectively banished to their room for the rest of the day, Grim complains and stews over the confrontation for hours, getting more and more upset that not only are he and MC getting ignored by everyone now (nobody comes to visit them or tell them what happened afterward) but also that Jamil is an asshole who’s been mistreating his dorm members. It becomes very obvious Grim didn’t learn his lesson from the lunch incident when late that night, he takes it upon himself to leave the guest room and rush toward Jamil’s room with the intention of barging in and giving him a piece of his mind. MC, in an attempt to stop Grim, chases after him. However, neither of them get very far—when Grim is just a few leaps away from Jamil’s door, he gets snapped up and completely immobilized in a sticky magic webbing that comes flying out of nowhere. MC, who is only a few steps behind, also gets stopped in their tracks by an arm around their neck and a blade at their back.

Kalim, his protective nature and moderate guard training having taken over, doesn’t even bother to put up a cheery or delightful front as he questions (read: interrogates) both MC and Grim on what they’re doing. It’s in the middle of the night, they were practically charging directly at Jamil’s room while he was sleeping, they’ve lied and caused trouble already, and both of them joined the school under odd circumstances. Who’s to say MC and Grim aren’t secretly after Jamil’s life? Under Kalim’s intense scrutiny, they very quickly explain themselves, and though the smile Kalim gives them doesn’t reach his eyes at all, he seems to accept their answer. However, this doesn’t stop them from being kicked out of Scarabia. After pocketing the blade (it practically vanishes when Kalim puts it away, did he have it on him the whole time?) and grabbing Grim by the scruff of his neck, Kalim personally escorts MC to the dorm’s exit mirror. On their way there, a rather panicked looking dorm member runs up to Kalim, asking when they’ll finally go through with “The Plan” and rambling about how they’re “worried Jamil will find out.” Kalim quickly shushes the student before shoving MC and Grim through the mirror.

Now fully aware that Something Is Up, MC and Grim decide not to head back to Ramshackle immediately and instead think of who might still be on campus to assist them. Considering the Octavinelle trio are at NRC for the holiday and that they kinda lowkey owe MC gang for resolving the events of Ch3, they decide to go directly to their dorm despite it being in the middle of the night. Floyd’s happy to see MC gang, Jade is curious as to why they’re here so late at night, and Azul is interested in the strange situation they claim to need help for. After MC explains everything they’ve seen and heard, the fish are most definitely intrigued, and Azul, who never passes up an opportunity to get on Jamil’s nerves, declares that they’ll assist in the investigation. This is a side to his classmate (and classmate’s close friend) he’s never seen before, and he simply must know all the juicy details. Thus, MC and Grim spend the rest of the night at Octavinelle, and the following morning they all go to Scarabia. Unfortunately, due to Grim’s stunt the night before, MC is no longer welcome in Scarabia and the dorm itself is on high alert per Jamil’s orders and Kalim’s strict enforcement—not a single outsider is making it in.

So, what now? The group brainstorms for a bit back at Octavinelle before they realize there’s a loose end they might still be able to investigate despite not being allowed into Scarabia: the mysterious plan mentioned by the student. Jade asks MC to recall what the student looked like, and they’re able to give an accurate enough description that the fish now have a target. They spend the rest of the day going from place to place to find said student, and when they do, the tweels corner them. Jade uses Shock The Heart to find out the details of this plan and when it will take place, revealing that the plan will be executed tonight and that it’s a covert operation to sneak students with urgent financial/health/family/etc situations out of the school and back home for winter break. Knowing the student won’t remember giving up the secret, they let them go and plan a stakeout. If they get footage of the students’ escape, they can use it as leverage/a reason to be let into Scarabia for further investigation. That night, they do manage to record what happens:

A small group of students slipping out of the Scarabia dorm mirror, assisted by none other than Kalim himself. Any whispers are too hushed to make out what’s being said, but all in all it’s very clear that Kalim is the leader of the operation and the one guiding the students to the main magic mirror. Each of the students thank Kalim before disappearing home, most with tears in their eyes and some even taking Kalim’s hands into their own in grattitude. Kalim gives each of them a kind smile before they go. It’s a very sweet moment.

A true shame that this very moment is the catalyst for the disaster to come.

[collectivefandomstuff]

Hey mom! I’m stressed at 1am, any advice? I’m having trouble in school via studying sometimes it feels like we’re going from 0 to 100. And I need better study habits, do you have any advice? Bc sometimes it feels like I’m so afraid of failure that if I do study to my full potential (sounds weird) I feel like I loose the excuse of saying oh I got a bad score bc I goofed off. Like if I actually do all my effort to study and do bad, then is there something wrong with me??

(A/N: this answer is so long I almost feel ashamed to post it. I’m very sorry everyone. Anyway, if you’re looking for the concrete tips they’re at the end :) )

Hey :)

This doesn’t sound weird at all because I’m the exact same way. This way of thinking is actually more common than you’d think, and is often a part of the cognitive profile of perfectionism (btw, perfectionism isn’t that apt a name but I digress. Also, this way of thinking doesn’t mean you’re a perfectionist.). Anyway, I know a bunch of people who’ve experienced this, and the common factor isn’t fear of failure, but rather what it is you think you’re failing at. For example, I once told my therapist that I was super stressed over a bunch of stuff and I also had a paper I had to get done, and he asked me what would happen if I didn’t turn it in on time and I was like “academically? nothing. mentally? I wouldn’t be me anymore.” And that’s the stitch.

The people I know who struggle with this are often (though not exclusively) girls, and often people who’re pretty smart. They spent their childhood being told over and over that they were gifted, intelligent, and good at school. And back then, that was easy to live up to. They danced through the first few years of school without any issue, and enjoyed it a lot. They did their homework, understood stuff, and were usually “good kids”.

Now, we’re always growing and re-shaping our sense of self, but the foundations are lain when we’re children. So, when people around you keep identifying you as a smart/good student, then we start identifying ourselves like that too. Especially if it is being reinforced by your actual achievements. And then, suddenly, getting good grades isn’t about doing well or working hard, it’s about identity. It’s about who you are at your core. Thus, the stakes become infinitely higher. If you fail at a math test that you really studied for, then that means that you don’t have what it takes, and that means you are no longer yourself- the intelligent kid who’s good at school. A test might not be that anxiety-inducing, but losing your whole sense of self is. So, in that case procastination makes a lot of sense, because as long as you don’t fail while doing your best then you never put your identity on the line.

(This also applies if failing at school has become synonymous with being a failure, i.e. if you’ve been taught that doing well academically is the only way to be a successful/useful person in society, or if academic success has merged with the idea of a happy future so it feels like failing autmatically leads to an unhappy life. Essentially, mental structures that lead to a misconception of the stakes involved in a single exam/paper/task.)

That said, I do have some more practical things to say here. First off, sometimes we’re in a situation where we can’t do our best and that’s okay. I’ve failed exams, tests, papers, you name it and I still have my degree in the end. It’s never the end all of things.

Now, my own biggest freak out like this came when I started uni. My first paper I went completely insane and procrastinated like crazy, and I failed. And then the though crept in “what if I can’t do this? What if this is it. I can’t handle higher education, even if I try my hardest?” The anxiety was... big bad and mad.

I should say for this next part that my therapist once told me that I have a strangely aggressive approach to handling anxiety. Moving on. I sat down and said to myself “what is worse, to try my hardest and fail or half-ass it and never be able to live the life I want?” Since the answer was pretty obvious, I got to it. I had about 5 weeks until the next exam, and I sat down and planned every single hour until then. I studied for that damn test like I’ve never studied before, and whenever I felt anxious I would tell it to FUCK OFF and focus on the task I had planned. I didn’t allow myself to think beyond that first planning session, I just did what was next on the agenda. What am I supposed to do right now? read these 10 pages? Ok.

I’ve had two exams during my studies where I failed (the second due to the situation I was in) and ended up in this spiral. And here’s the funny thing: I have a small number of courses in uni where I got a higher grade. They include 1) courses that I found extremly interesting and 2) those two courses.

Okay! I know this is already so fucking long but I want to give you some actual tips too. Number one is obviously to plan. Take a whole day, sit down and plan the next month. Consider all your assignments, when they’re due, what you need to do to study, how long that’ll take and when that is done most efficiently. Plan everything in your calendar. Give yourself enough time for each task that you can do it even if you’re not super super focused. Do not study outside these hours. When you’re done for the day you’re done for the day. This way, there’s a clear, reachable end to each study session and you don’t feel as compelled to postpone tasks. When you sit down to study, don’t worry about the other stuff you have to do, or other subjects that you haven’t done yet. They’re all in the plan, all you have to do is what is in front of you. As long as you keep doing that you’ll make it. (If the plan goes to shit for some reason, take a day to plan a make a new one. It happens).

Some things to consider:

Different subjects are best studied in different ways. I used to set aside 15-30 minutes every day in high school for Italian, where I’d sit down and read the chapter we were working on out loud. I didn’t even focus that hard, I just did it every day- the chapter and the glossary. I STILL remember some sentences from that book. Math is best done in longer stretches, but not too long. 1-2 hours preferably. Think about how YOU work. Do you best read a textbook in one go or in increments? Do you learn better in a coffee-shop or your room? Silence? Music? This can also change depending on your subject. Plan accordingly.

For reading, time your reading speed for the book. Read a page at normal speed and clock it, then multiply that by the pages you need to read to see how much time you’ll have to plan for. Round up to give yourself room for spacing out.

Plan for breaks. Think about your normal need for it, but the uni standard is 15 minutes for every 45, making an even hour. Find a break activity that’s has a specific end, for example making some more tea/coffee and snacks and doing some stretches, or maybe playing one race in mario kart. Avoid things that you can get stuck doing beyond the alotted break time.

Buffers. For every five hours or so, plan one hour of buffer time. This is time that you can use if something takes longer than expected. If you do everything as planned, this is surprise free time! :D If you have a long study session, plan 30 minute buffers every two or three hours to be used for extra breaks and to keep panic at bay. Buffers will save your life.

Make a chart with different tasks and have little boxes that you get to fill in with fun colours when you’re done. If you have to read 100 pages, do a bar with ten boxes, that way you can see your progress visually.

Plan for days/evenings that are free. Plan what you’re going to do those days, like “movie night with X”, “play videogames and eat cupcakes”, “take a long bath and read a good book”. That way, you use your free time well and can use those days and evenings as incentive.

Prioritize your work. If you have too much to do, make a list of what’s most to least important and focus on doing the important stuff first. This includes studying tasks. What’s more important, reading that text for the third time or really understanding integrals?

Drink lots of water and eat sugar. It’s brain food. I usually bake before an intense week. That way when I feel myself going down I can go get a cupcake instead of taking time to make something to eat, or worse- try to soldier through which never works.

I hope this helped a little at least :) Good Luck! I believe in you! 💙💜

[eskalations]

Riza takes a bullet for Roy - something, he's not entirely happy about.

(A Royai Family Oneshot)

FFN Link

A/N: Hey all! I was going to write the next chapter for Smoke and Gunpowder, but I just couldn't get this idea out of my head. The reason for the general title is so that I can turn this into a series of Royai family oneshots if I would like. Given how all over the place my writing is at times, I just don't ever know when my muse is going to strike!

Elizabeth Mustang is my own OC Royai Child. If you would like to read more about her, she is featured in both "the ballad of two killers" and "contentment". I've decided that Elizabeth is a total Pisces and is going to be this sweet, sensitive soul, birthed by two parents who are nearly the complete opposites of her.

I've had the idea for a LONG time that I wanted Royai's daughter to be interested in Alkahestry. I don't know why, but it just seemed right to me.

Let me know what you think! 

~

It had all happened so fast.

One moment, Roy and Riza had been standing next to each other – greeting the superintendent of a newly built school in the Nosh District – when suddenly all hell broke loose. Everything happened so quickly that even the most experienced of soldiers were left staring in shock.

It seemed that the only one who thought to act was Riza herself.

It was supposed to be a simple appearance for the "first" family. Though parliament was now in control of the country's laws, the Fuhrer and his wife were still seen as the faces of the Amestrian government. Many of their days included christenings of new buildings throughout the districts of Central.

This day had been special for Riza. As the First Lady of Amestris, she usually headed projects that had to do with education and its availability in poorer parts of the country. For the past year, she had been working on making education available to the Nosh District of Central, an area that was made up of primarily low income families and had a large Ishvalan population.

The project was one that Parliament had considered a gamble – due to lingering distaste for the Ishvalan race – however, Grumman had been very supportive of the idea from the start. After all the work they had done in Ishval in an attempt to make amends with its people, there was still a continued need to help those who had been misplaced during the extermination campaign.

Riza had spent many sleepless nights putting together plans to get the project off the ground. She had spoken with a countless number of contractors who would be willing to work on the facilities and had personally interviewed several teaching candidates herself. She had even made sure that the superintendent of the new school was of Ishvalan descent as well. Though she had put forth a large effort in Ishval to make up for her actions during the Ishvalan Campaign, she still saw this effort as an extremely personal way to apologize to those who were forced to live in squalor due to the war.

That's why – on the day of the christening of the first primary school established in the district – that Roy insisted upon accompanying his wife to the event. Though it was not a big enough opening to justify both members of the first family's presence, Roy wanted to be there to see the fruition of Riza's hard work. His wife had been grateful for the support and hadn't thought twice about allowing him to attend with her.

This proved to be a big mistake.

The event had started on time. The superintendent gave a short speech about the promotion of education and then made her way over to greet the Fuhrer and First Lady. Roy reached out to shake her hand when he noticed Riza go rigid beside him. He couldn't hear anything over the loud chatter of the crowd watching them, but he could see her lips move as though she were trying to communicate something to one of the bodyguards who stood towards the front of the stage. Before the message could be interpreted though – a very familiar sound filled the air, ringing out sharply above the voices of the spectators.

It was a gunshot. Two, to be exact.

Before Roy could react, his gloves shoved firmly in his pockets out of respect for the people in this area, Riza was shoving him down to the ground and falling on top of him. In the movement, Roy could feel her stiffen in preparation for impact – knowing exactly what was about to happen. Before Roy had even touched the ground, his wife's body jolted twice and then went limp over him.

Roy was in shock.

Everything that happened after that was a blur. It was as though he was watching everything happen from outside of his own body. He could see the blood pouring out of Riza's abdomen – the wound nestled tightly under the left side of her rib cage. There was also a wound on her left arm, the result of a second bullet shot in an attempt to still wound the Fuhrer. Both shots had been meant for him.

The crowd was in a panic and he could feel their usual team of bodyguards crowding around, attempting to put pressure on Riza's wound while also barking orders for an ambulance to be contacted. After the initial shock had worn off, Roy worked to secure her wounds, mumbling near her ear in an attempt to get a response. It was useless though, he received none.

They hadn't let him ride in the ambulance with her to the hospital, despite his own minor injuries. His scratches and bruises could be looked at later – all that mattered was that Riza received the help she deserved.

That was how he ended up in an eggshell white, Central Regional hospital room on a Friday afternoon. After Riza's emergency surgery, she had been transferred to Intensive Care for twenty-four hour observation. For the time being, she was being given sleep medication, so Roy had yet to hear his wife's voice since the events of the morning.

He wanted to be angry. Oh, he wanted to be angry. His men had already arrested the man who had fired the shots – a disgruntled Ishvalan whom had been forced to flee Ishval during the war. According to Havoc, the man had burns up the right side of his body – making it pretty obvious why he attempted to assassinate the Flame Alchemist.

Unfortunately, once again, Riza had reaped the consequences of his own actions.

"Chief?"

Roy turned sluggishly towards the voice, his movements slow as his exhaustion began to set in. Havoc was standing in the doorway of Riza's room – having gained clearance by the two bodyguards stationed at the door of her room. Roy was not taking any more chances, anyone who walked into her room was going to be screened before being allowed in.

The Fuhrer could tell by the look on his friend's face that he must have been quite a sight. He had ditched his jacket awhile back and was stripped down in his white button-down and military pants. There were splatters of blood on both articles of clothing, but Roy couldn't bring himself to leave his wife long enough to go wash it out.

While Roy might have looked bad, Riza surely looked ten time worse. Her usually shiny blonde hair had fallen out of its clip and was hanging limply over her shoulders, the light tips stained with the rusty red color of her own blood. She was breathing on her own – so he assumed that was a good sign – but still seeing all the tubes and wires attached to her caused him a significant amount of anxiety.

"Chief?" Havoc's voice brought him back, the man very familiar with his superior's self-loathing tendencies. "Rebecca wanted me to let you know that she's picking Lizzie up from daycare and that she can stay with us and the boys."

If Roy thought his guilt was bad before, it was nothing compared to now.

He hadn't even thought of Elizabeth.

He had been so focused on Riza and her injuries, that he hadn't made any alternative plans to have his daughter picked up from the military daycare. He had kind of assumed Grumman would take care of it after learning of the incident, which it seemed he had. He must have been the one to ask Rebecca to pick up his great grandchild.

If Riza had been the one sitting by his bedside, she wouldn't have forgotten something like that. Riza was so much better at this parenting thing than he was.

"Thank you." Roy spoke, his voice thick with emotion. "If she gets to be too much, call my aunt."

"It's no problem at all." Havoc answered, honestly. The man made his way across the room to clap his superior on the shoulder. "Don't forget – we'll always have your back. Even if we slipped up this morning, we'll do everything in our power to help aide in Riza's recovery."

He said it so confidently, as though there was no doubt in his mind that she would be able to pull through. The doctors certainly thought she would. After being taken into emergency surgery for a ruptured spleen, the prognosis seemed to be grim. However, with the assistance of an Alkahestry specialist newly employed in the hospital, they had been able to repair the organ nicely.

The wound in her arm was nothing more than a graze, so that was good news. It had required a few stitches, but other than that, the only wound that had caused a significant amount of worry was the one in her gut.

Roy supposed he should be confident in her ability to recover – but it didn't help that every time something happened to her, it made him more and more fearful of losing her.

"Why did she jump in front of that bullet?"

"You know the answer to that." Havoc squeezed his shoulder, his eyes drifting back to the woman in bed. "She may be retired from the military, but she's still watching your back. To her, I don't think much has changed."

"Elizabeth should have changed everything." Roy insisted, bitterness evident in his tone. He hated that he felt so angry with her, but it didn't change the fact that what she had done had been rash. "Riza knows better than anyone how terrible it is to grow up without a mother."

"I don't think the thought even crossed her mind." Havoc said quietly, eyes softening as Riza let out a sigh before shifting on to her side. "She watched your back for so long that I'm sure it's second nature to her to protect you. Besides, Riza doesn't want her daughter growing up without a father, either. Those shots would have proven fatal if she had not knocked you out of the way."

Roy knew what he said was true – however, it did not make him feel any better.

~

The next morning brought more good news. After Riza's tests had come back normal and her vitals had stayed stable throughout the night, the nurses decided it would soon be time to wake her up. They cleaned up the areas around her stitches while explaining to Roy that they would get a better idea of how much pain medication she would need once she woke up.

This made Roy nervous. Riza had made several noises of discomfort throughout the night, but she had still not woken up. While everything may seem fine on paper, it wasn't going to be until she was conscious that they would see the true extent of damage. Roy dreaded the moment that his wife would have to return to him, only to feel the intense pain that the previous day had left behind.

He couldn't deny how eager he was to hear her voice, though.

Rebecca had stopped by – bringing both Riza and Roy a change of clothes. Sometimes Roy forgot how much affection the woman held for his wife, but it was moments like these when Riza was at her weakest, that he could truly see the bond between the two.

The woman had brushed past him without a word before making her way to the bed, dropping their bags in her wake. Rebecca immediately produced a hair tie from her pocket, gently ruffling the soft bangs on Riza's forehead. Within a minute, she had the woman's hair situated into a simple braid that hung over her right shoulder.

"They did a shit job of getting this blood out." Rebecca tsked, using her fingernail to scrape the crusted blood from the ends of her friend's hair. "I know she could care less what she looks like when she's in the hospital, but I'm sure it hasn't made it any easier on you."

Roy grunted in agreement from his place beside his wife's bed.

Rebecca gave him a critical once over before pointing to the room's single bathroom.

"Go get changed, Mustang." The woman commanded before returning her hands to her hips. "The last thing Riza needs to see when she wakes up is you covered in blood. I'll stay with her so you can freshen up."

Though he had not left her side for more than a few minutes all night, Roy knew Rebecca was right. His back ached as he stood from the chair, his state of exhaustion much too great at this point to bother with arguing against her command.

After changing into a new button down and some comfortable black pants, Roy re-entered the room. The entire change had taken him less than two minutes. Rebecca fought the urge to roll her eyes from her spot perched next to Riza on the bed.

They sat in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. The machines that Riza was hooked up to continued to beep and buzz just as they had for the past twenty-four hours. Out in the hall, Roy could hear the two sergeants he had put on guard duty, talking with a nurse as she assisted a patient in the room across from them.

"Elizabeth's been asking for you."

Roy sighed, rubbing his eyes as a wave of tiredness hit him. "I know. Please just tell her we were called away for urgent business. I don't want her to get involved in this."

The Fuhrer could immediately tell from the look on Rebecca's face that something was wrong. He could feel his heart drop into the pit of his stomach as she twisted her mouth, as though trying to figure out exactly how to communicate her next words. Finally, she just came out with it.

"Actually, she already knows."

Now Roy was certain his heart was all the way in his feet. He felt like he was going to throw up. He could feel himself gripping the armrest of his chair, his knuckles going white with the strength of his grip.

"What?" Roy could hear himself ask through gritted teeth, his heartbeat pounding like a drum in his ears. "What do you mean she knows? How did she find out?"

Hearing the accusation in his tone, Rebecca gave him a glare from the other side of the bed. "Central Headquarters went berserk yesterday after Riza was shot. The workers in the daycare had the radio on when I arrived to pick her up yesterday, so she must of overheard everything on the news."

Roy groaned, his head falling into his palms. Great – just great! Now his daughter was being affected by this entire mess!

"She had a rough night last night." Rebecca continued softly, using her fingers to fluff up Riza's bangs once more, trying to keep her hands busy. "She kept on asking if Riza was okay and when she could see her and where her Daddy was. We told her everything was fine, but she didn't believe us. Jean was having to rock her when I left to try and get her to calm down."

The image that painted in Roy's mind made him sick. His poor baby was hurting and he wasn't there to comfort her. It seemed he couldn't do anything right.

"I don't know what to do." Roy admitted quietly, staring at Riza's sleeping face as though it would give him the answer. "I don't want her to see her mother like this."

Rebecca gave him a sympathetic smile, probably the first one she had ever bothered to send his way. "Maybe not like this – but if Riza's recovery is going to be long, then it may be better to let her see her occasionally so she has confirmation that everything's alright."

Roy nodded, knowing that her suggestion was probably the best solution. He wanted to shield his daughter from the cruel realities of their jobs, but much like the time when she had discovered their burns, he knew that keeping the truth from her would probably hurt her more in the end.

"Thank you for watching her." Roy spoke earnestly, dark eyes never leaving his wife's face. He missed the shocked expression on Rebecca's own features at his gratitude. "Hopefully, tomorrow we can let her come see her. I want to see her too."

Rebecca smiled softly, nodding her head in agreement before turning back to her friend.

~

The process of taking Riza off sedatives was a horrible affair.

To Roy, there was nothing worse than seeing his wife in pain. They had done the same thing during their stay after the Promised Day – letting her sleep off the worst of it before gently bringing her back. However, that didn't make it any easier to watch a second time.

Two nurses were in the room when Riza began the waking process. First, it was a sharp hiss that was drawn in between her teeth. Then, it evolved into a quiet groan. Before long, her glassy amber eyes were opening, meeting the concerned gaze of her husband. Though she made eye contact with him – due to the pain meds �� he could tell she wasn't truly seeing them.

"Mrs. Mustang?" One of the nurses, Julia – if Roy remembered correctly – asked the woman as she gently patted her shoulder. Riza moaned and closed her eyes once more. "Mrs. Mustang, do you know where you are?"

Riza only moaned once again in response. Roy grabbed the hand laying limply by her side, squeezing it gently.

"Fuhrer Mustang," The other nurse, Patricia said, drawing his attention away from his wife's now scrunched up face. "Try and get her to respond. Her scans showed no head trauma, but we have to make sure she understands what's going on."

Roy nodded, leaning down close to his wife's ear.

"Riza," He spoke softly, his own hand still holding on to her own. "We just need to make sure you're alright."

He could feel her weakly respond to his squeeze, attempting to give him a squeeze back. Her eyes remained closed, but she did moan once more. He could tell she was trying to move her legs underneath the sheets, her mind not fully remembering all that had happened the day before.

She had been able to bend her leg by only a fraction, before it was falling back on to the bed, a hiss of pain escaping her lips. The movement had caused the stitches in her left side to catch and she was most certainly starting to feel the pain that seemed to be radiating there.

"Easy." Julia patted her shoulder once more, trying to calm her racing heart after the sudden onslaught of pain. "You have to be careful. You've been through a lot, so you need to take it slowly."

The nurses had shared with him that once Riza was awake and aware of her situation, she would be transferred over to the Recovery Unit. Upon being released from ICU, she would be allowed more than two guests at a time. That meant she would be allowed to see their daughter.

Knowing this, Roy decided to change tactics.

"Riza," He tried again, watching as the nurse took another syringe and reached over to one of the bags hanging on the IV pole. "You need to wake up so you can see Elizabeth."

This certainly had the mother reacting. Almost instantly, her glassy amber eyes were opening once more and searching for his own black pair. Once she met his gaze, he could see clear confusion in her expression.

"Elizabeth?" Riza asked, her words barely above a whisper. He could hear the slight rasp in her voice from lack of use. "Where is – ?"

Then suddenly as though it had all come rushing back to her, Riza realized where she was and why she was there.

"Roy!" She nearly jolted up in bed, the only thing keeping her in place being the hand of the nurse. Despite being restrained from completing the action, Riza still hissed in pain as the stitches in her side pulled once more. This had Roy reaching out for her other shoulder and gently pushing her back.

"Riza, you have to stay still." He reminded her, his thumb stroking soothing circles over the skin of her collarbone. "You were shot yesterday and went through emergency surgery."

"Yesterday?" Riza looked with bleary eyes to the window where the midday sun was flooding in. "I slept an entire day?"

"Yes ma'am." Patricia answered for him, retrieving a clipboard from the side table. “After your surgery, the doctors wanted you to sleep off the most painful part of your recovery. Unfortunately, we had to wake you in order to determine how much pain medication you actually need."

Riza nodded, familiar with the spiel. She had been in the hospital enough during her time in the military to know basic protocol. Doctors knew better than to administer heavy duty pain medications for long periods of time, especially when it came to soldiers. With how much trauma they had bubbling under the surface, they tended to become easily addicted to the pain killers they were given during treatment.

Riza had never become dependent on painkillers – however, she had had them enough to become somewhat immune to them. That immunity was probably the reason both her arm and her side were throbbing so badly right now.

"On a scale of 1-10 where is your pain at right now?" Patrica asked, her pen flying over the clipboard as she wrote down a few notes ahead of Riza's answer. "Please, don't feel the need to be brave in front of us – you can answer honestly."

Roy squeezed her hand in a show of support.

"A six." She answered honestly, the burning underneath her ribcage becoming more severe as time ticked on. While the slice in her neck had certainly hurt worse than a bullet, the pain she was feeling now was still relatively intense. "It's getting worse though as time goes on."

"That's normal." Julia assured her, squeezing her shoulder once more before turning to the tray behind her. She picked up a syringe with a clear liquid and administered it into one of Riza's IV bags. "This should take the edge off and give us a better idea of how much you'll need from here on out."

The liquid coursed through the IV and into the injured woman's veins. Within moments, the crease in her brow had lessened as the pain in her side dulled to a manageable ache. Roy gave his own sigh of relief as he felt her body relax under his touch.

The nurses continued to monitor her for a few minutes, checking her vitals and making sure that there were no unusual dips or spikes. Once they were satisfied, they took their leave, telling the couple that the surgeon would be arriving soon to sign Riza off for transfer to the Recovery Unit.

After the nurses left, the room was silent save for the beeps coming from the monitors. Roy returned to his seat next to the bed, scooting close enough so that he could continue to hold his wife's hand. Riza shut her eyes, the residual tiredness from the medication still lingering in her system.

"Why?"

Amber eyes found his own, the crease in her brow deepening at his question. "Why what?"

"Why did you jump in front of me, Riza?" Roy's voice shook with emotion, all the pain and suffering he had gone through making its way to the surface. His grip on her hand tightened as he learned forward in his chair, its legs squeaking in protest. "That's not your job anymore."

Riza gave him a sideways look – a wry grin finding its way to her features. "It will always be my job to protect you, Roy. No matter what."

"Riza, it isn't just the two of us anymore – we have to think of Elizabeth," He reasoned, shifting closer, both of his hands now cradling her fingers. He tried his best to communicate his own desperation in this action. "You know better than anyone what it feels like to grow up without a mother. You can't put yourself in these types of situations. You need to let our guards do their duty."

"They didn't notice." Riza's voice was hoarse from lack of use – however, he could still hear the determination behind her words. "They didn't see the gun – but I did. I will not stand by while you get assassinated. Elizabeth shouldn't have to grow up without a father, either."

"Riza, I couldn't do this alone. I couldn't go on without you."

"You would have to." Despite her weak grasp, she wrapped her fingers around his own and gave them a tight squeeze. "You are too important to this country. You would have to go on – for Amestris and for Elizabeth."

This was not a new argument for them – in fact, it came up more often than Roy cared to admit. Though Riza had chosen to act as an active First Lady, she still saw his worth as more than her own. He supposed that, to the world, he was more of an asset to them – but what they didn't know was that, behind the scenes, they had Riza to thank for everything. She was his guiding light – his moral compass – and without her, he wasn't sure what he would do.

She was necessary. She needed to know that.

"We're a team." Roy finally said, his dark eyes boring into her's. In this look, he tried to communicate all the pain and exhaustion he had experienced in the past twenty-four hours. "One does not work without the other."

"If I hadn't jumped in front of you – you would have died."

"Maybe," Roy reasoned, the corners of his lips rising to form a small, ironic grin. "But I've survived worse. It still doesn't give you the right to take bullets meant for me."

"If we're a team, then those bullets were also meant for me."

Roy barked out a laugh, though there was no humor behind it. This woman was impossibly stubborn, but it was one of the things he loved most about her.

~

Riza was transferred to the Recovery Unit soon after her surgeon had come in and checked her stitches. Everything seemed to be healing up nicely and so far, she was free of infection. All her vitals had been stable since surgery, so her team of doctors felt like she was in the clear.

Despite her improved condition though, they still felt it was necessary to keep her in the hospital for several days of observation. The Alkahestry Specialist had mentioned that she would like to continue her treatments for at least four days before allowing Riza to go home. Although her spleen seemed to be working properly, the specialist wanted to monitor its healing through her Xingese alchemy.

Riza's pain fluctuated over the next twenty-four hours after transfer. It took them awhile to create an appropriate cocktail of painkillers, but once they had it all figured out, Riza was able to rest comfortably for six hours at a time. Both her and Roy had been able to get a good night's rest and Riza had even felt well enough to change into a pair of her own pajamas.

Of course, Roy had to assist her and they had to pause several times due to her stitches pulling, but she was able to successfully get the white cotton clothes on before falling back on the bed, exhausted from the effort. She didn't say anything, but Roy knew she had chosen to change out of fear that Elizabeth would be upset seeing her in hospital garb.

Roy had called the Havoc's this morning to let them know that Riza's condition continued to get better. He was disappointed to hear that, once again, Elizabeth had had a rough night and slept very little. According to Jean, she had been asking repeatedly about her mother and father and why they weren't coming to see her. Roy's heart ached at the thought of her tears. He had wanted to call and talk to her, but he feared she would demand to see her mother and everyone knew he couldn't say no to his daughter.

It was decided that Rebecca would bring the girl by later in the afternoon, closer to dinnertime. Havoc, having taken his paperwork home with him for the remainder of the weekend, was going to stay and watch the boys. Roy promised himself that after all this was over – he and Riza would offer up to watch the Havoc boys for a weekend to give Jean and Rebecca a well-deserved reprieve.

Riza was so excited to see her daughter that she had been unable to nap during the day. While it had only been about forty-eight hours since she had last seen her daughter, there was something about a near death experience that made you want to hold your child a little bit closer than before.

Once the afternoon rolled around, Riza was very adamant that her pain medications be delivered promptly so that she would be in the best state when her daughter finally arrived. She even had Roy help sponge her off, to get off the excess blood left behind from the incident – a situation that Roy thoroughly enjoyed.

"I guess I'm returning the favor now." He had teased, using the sponge to wipe the delicate skin of her neck. There was still crusted blood there from her arm wound. "How many times did you have to sponge me when I was in the hospital?"

Riza rolled her eyes at his comment, but gave him a small smile as he dipped the sponge back into the bucket. "Too many times to count."

Once she was re-situated in bed with her pain medications administered, Roy gave the Havoc's a quick call to let them know that they were ready to see Elizabeth. The short wait they had to endure to see their daughter felt like it lasted an eternity. While Roy took to pacing for the time being, Riza attempted to read through one of the books Rebecca had brought with her clothes. It was a futile effort though.

Finally, there was a knock on the door, much too timid to have been one of the doctors who had been coming and visiting them. Riza sat up a little taller in bed while Roy paused in his pacing, standing directly in front of the room's lone window.

A tiny face peaked out from behind the wood of the door, a smiling Rebecca grinning and encouraging the little girl to keep pushing forward. Despite her honorary aunt's gentle prodding, Elizabeth stalled in the doorway, not quite sure how to proceed.

Roy's heart constricted at the sight of his daughter. Her dark hair was braided in a way that matched her mother's, the dark bangs that hung over her eyebrows brushed and straightened to perfection. But even this could not hide the worrisome pallor of her skin and the dark circles under her eyes. Even her ruffled white dress – a new one that her aunt and uncle must have bought her – was wrinkled from being held by Rebecca on their way to the hospital.

Evidently, his poor daughter was having just as hard of a time as they were these past few days.

"Hi Elizabeth," Riza called gently from the bed, her face lighting up with a smile at the sight of her child. Although her mother looked happy to see her, Elizabeth was still uncertain. She looked up at her aunt, her wide eyes asking for direction.

"Go on," Rebecca gently patted the girl's back, urging her forward. "Go see your Mommy and Daddy. They've been waiting for you."

Seeing her father standing in his normal clothes was a familiar sight, more familiar than seeing her mother laying in a hospital bed anyways. With one more glance back at her aunt, her little sandaled feet began their trek against the tiled floor. In response to her actions, Roy squatted down and opened his arms to receive her.

"Hi Lizzy," He murmured affectionately. At his gentle greeting, the girl rushed into his arms. Roy caught her easily and hugged her tightly to his chest. A pair of little arms wound around his neck as he lifted her up off the ground, holding her as close as possible. God, had he missed her.

"Daddy!"

Her sweet voice almost brought tears to Roy's eyes. There was so much relief in that one word. It spoke of the days of longing where all she had desired was to see them. They had traveled before without her, but never under such severe circumstances. Roy was going to have to have a word with the daycare workers at Headquarters about letting the children listen to the radio.

Suddenly, Elizabeth was pulling away from his neck, her gaze level with his own. Though she hadn't been crying when she walked in, she certainly was now.

"Is Mommy hurt?" The girl asked, her eyes already puffy. Roy adjusted his grip, using his fingers to wipe a few stray tears from her cheeks. "They said Mommy was hurt."

"Shhh," He soothed the child as her tears continued to fall, he put his hand on the back of her head and drew her into his embrace. "Everything's okay, Lizzie. Mommy's fine. She's been so excited to see you."

His eyes met with Riza's as she gestured for him to come closer. The Fuhrer bounced his daughter gently as he made his way over to the side of the bed where Riza was reaching out for the distraught girl. Roy carefully placed Elizabeth into her mother's arms, trying his best to avoid jostling the upper portion of his wife's left arm. If the transfer hurt, she gave no indication as she cradled the girl against her un-injured side.

"Mommy?" Elizabeth asked, looking up at the woman next to her. Her mother wrapped her arm snugly around the small of her back and pulled her in even closer.

"I've missed you so much." Riza spoke softly, using her hand to wipe the tears from her daughter's face. Elizabeth eyed the IV's that were stuck in her mother's hand wearily. "I was waiting for you to come visit me."

Elizabeth didn't say anything in response, instead looking behind her at the monitors next to her mother's bed. In her four years of life, she had never stepped foot in a hospital. All of the equipment surrounding them was completely foreign to her. Roy pulled his chair up to the bed to get closer to his wife and daughter, watching as Rebecca chose to exit the room and speak with the guards outside.

Finally, Elizabeth's eyes drifted back to her mother's. She still looked uncertain, but at least she wasn't crying.

At that moment, Dr. Feng walked through the door with a clipboard in hand. The Xingese native known as an Alkahestry Specialist smiled from beneath her mask, her long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. She couldn't have been more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old with such a young set of features.

"Hello Mrs. Mustang!" The woman greeted cheerfully, noticing the small girl sitting next to her. "Is this the daughter you've been talking about?"

Riza smiled down at Elizabeth as the girl's face lit up, now knowing her mother hand been speaking of her. "Yes – this is Elizabeth."

"Hi Elizabeth!" Dr. Feng walked over to the left side of the bed, opposite where the young child was seated. "Have you ever gotten to see Alkahestry at work?"

Elizabeth's face scrunched up in confusion at the woman's use of the word, a crinkle appearing on the bridge of her nose. She directed her curious gaze to her father, who was smiling down at her.

"Alkahestry?" Elizabeth asked, tripping over the 'es', making it sound as though she had said 'alkahistory'. "Like alchemy?"

"Kind of," Roy placed his hand on her tiny shoulder, giving it a squeeze. At her young age, she already knew quite a bit about alchemy, having the "Flame Alchemist" as a father and the younger Elric children as playmates. It made him proud. "It's not like my alchemy. This kind of alchemy is used to heal."

"Like a doctor?" The girl asked for clarification, looking back at the woman in scrubs. She gave a bright smile from below her mask, nodding her head encouragingly.

"Yes! That's why they call me Dr. Feng!" She pointed at her name tag, where the words were proudly displayed along with her specialty. "I helped make your Mommy feel better and I've been checking in on her ever since. Do you want to watch me work?"

Roy wasn't so sure that was a good idea, especially after Elizabeth's emotional reaction to seeing their scars only a few months prior. However, the child nodded excitedly, shifting to sit forward on her knees. Riza brushed back her hair affectionately, the attentive look on her face reminding the mother of the young girl's father.

Dr. Feng put on a pair of gloves before unbuttoning Riza's nightshirt. Once the stitched-up wound was exposed, both mother and father watched their daughter's face closely for some sort of reaction. The crease between her brows deepened in worry, but the sight didn't send her into another round of tears, her curiosity far greater than her fear.

The doctor removed the protective dressing over the wound, chatting with Riza about the pain. She was happy to hear that it had gotten a bit more bearable and that she had been able to sponge off earlier in the day. According to the specialist, her recovery was right on track and she shouldn't have to be in the hospital for any longer than possibly three or four more days. This was good news indeed.

Elizabeth watched as the woman took a funny brown liquid and drew a transmutation circle over the area under her mother's left breast. Once the circle was set, Dr. Feng pressed her hands to the woman's abdomen and the liquid began to glow. Elizabeth's attention was so focused on the woman's ministrations that she didn't notice the wince on her mother's face once the circle was activated.

The young girl watched in fascination as the glow dimmed and her mother's body relaxed – the healing arts promoting the growth of new tissue around the tender organ.

"Wow," Elizabeth said in wonder, her black eyes wide as she reached out with a finger to gently touch the residue left on her mother's stomach. Riza carefully guided her daughter's hand to an area that wasn't so tender and allowed her to feel the warmth of her flesh. "Cool!"

Dr. Feng laughed at the child's enthusiasm, disposing her gloves in the waste bin at the side of the bed. "It is pretty cool, isn't it? It makes saving lives kind of fun."

Those words had Elizabeth's eyes widening once more. "You save lives?"

Riza smiled down at her daughter, pushing her dark bangs back from her forehead. "She saved my life the other day when I first came here. Without her, I probably wouldn't have survived."

Elizabeth's face turned sad for a moment, her lower lip jutting forward in a pout. Roy feared she was going to start crying again, until she shook her head to get rid of the frown and instead turned to smile up at the doctor.

"You're like a hero!" The young girl proclaimed excitedly, leaning forward on her knees and bringing her fists to her chest. "I want to be hero!"

This shocked Roy. While his daughter certainly knew a lot more about alchemy than the average child her age, she had never shown much of an interest in it. She had been impressed by his show of skills from time to time, but beyond that, she wasn't terribly inclined towards things like fire. It seemed like her interests went in another direction – healing.

At the child's words, Dr. Feng was laughing once more, placing a warm hand on the girl's head. "You can be, Miss Elizabeth. All you have to do is study hard…"

"Study hard." Elizabeth nodded vigorously – a look of determination on her features.

"…and always listen to your mom and dad…"

"I always do! I'm a good listener!"

"….and have a healer's heart!"

With that, Dr. Feng tapped Elizabeth's chest, right over where her heart would be. Almost in awe, Elizabeth placed her hands over the area, her eyes wide with wonder.

Long after the doctor had taken her leave, Elizabeth chattered on and on about the scene she had witnessed. Even after Riza's pain medications started to wear off, the woman didn't have the heart to tell her child that it was probably time to go. They had expected Elizabeth to be emotional and upset at the sight of her mother in a hospital bed – and she had been – but it seemed that her experience with Alkahestry had replaced her fear and sadness with a new-found excitement.

Roy watched from his chair beside the bed as the two most important ladies in his life chatted about doctors and hospitals and Alkahestry and about a certain ponytailed girl who had once saved Riza's life. The pure joy on Elizabeth's face and the sweet affection on Riza's had the man smiling as he leaned back in his seat.

Who would have ever thought his daughter would be fascinated by Alkahestry?

[ghostspideys-moved]

All For The Best

Chapter One

A/N: Alright, here it is. The sequel to “We’ll Have Tomorrow,” which you can catch up on here if you haven’t read it already

Word Count: 2.7k

Pairings: Steve Harrington x OC, Nancy Wheeler x Jonathan  Byers x OC

Summary: River takes Max and El to the mall, hoping to see Steve in the meantime. Somehow, she gets dragged into cracking the code Dustin intercepted.

River and Hawthorne had been staying with their aunt and uncle for about a week now. Occasionally, El would try her best to check in on them, though it didn’t happen very often. As far as River could tell, El hadn’t ever tried using her powers from this far away, so it was probably for the best.

In the short time that they’d been in Sweden, mostly staying with their Uncle Feliks, they’d both done plenty of exploring. Their aunt, Anya, got herself a hotel not too far away so she could spend some time with them as well. And so far, it had been going amazingly well. 

Admittedly, River had been hesitant and a little scared that it wouldn’t, but those fears were quickly washed away. Feliks was probably the nicest person she’d ever met; not at all like her father despite them being brothers. And she’d quickly learned that they shared a lot of the same interests.

Then there was Marius. He was Feliks’s boyfriend, though they typically used the term “roommates” in public, which wasn’t exactly wrong. He was nice, too. Both of them had done a great job making her feel like she belonged, and for that, River was thankful. 

Anya had been just as welcoming, and she’d tried to take the time to drag them along places so they could explore together and spend some time. It was hard to believe that none of this was a dream. River hardly had any memories of either of them, but she already felt like she’d known them both forever. It was a nice feeling having some family that actually cared about them. 

Of course, they hadn’t planned to stay the whole summer, so it wasn’t too long before they were due to return. River found herself wondering what everyone else had been up to in the time they’d been gone. Hopefully it hadn’t gone to shit in that time, though she wouldn’t have been too surprised.

As fun as being with family had been, it was oddly nice to return to Hawkins. Sure, there was nothing particularly special about it, but maybe that was the appeal. After all, the town certainly had a different feel to it when you had some insight to how extraordinary of a place it was. 

Thankfully, River wasn’t too out of the loop thanks to El. She’d done a good job of keeping her in the know, especially about how Steve started a new job not too long ago. That just meant she’d have an opportunity to check out the new mall she’d heard a lot about. 

Naturally, River and Hawthorne had the foresight to meet with Hopper and fill him in on their trip.

By now, River could immediately tell something was going on. He was more than thrilled to see them again, but he also seemed much more chipper than usual. She preferred not probing anyone’s minds if she could truly avoid it, so she figured it would be better to ask outright. Maybe something great happened that she didn’t get to hear about.

“Has everything been okay over here while we were gone?” she asked, grabbing herself some soda from the fridge. 

The grin on Hopper’s face was unmistakable, and it almost concerned her, in all honesty.

“This is the first time all summer that Mike and El haven’t seen each other.”

“What? Why?” She was shocked. They’d been pretty attached, and, last she saw, more than excited to see each other this summer.

Something had to have happened.

“Well, Joyce said to set boundaries, so I did,” Hopper explained, not making eye contact with her. Something about that didn’t seem right.

Hawthorne seemed to have the same thought process and asked, “What kind of boundaries?”

Hopper shrugged, seemingly trying to act nonchalant. “I pulled Mike aside and had a little chat with him.”

“Did you ‘have a chat’ or yell at him?” River asked. 

She knew he could be a bit intense every now and then, and she remembered how disgruntled he seemed about how much time they spent together.

“Look, what matters is that it worked,” he insisted. “I’m going to tell Joyce how it went here in a minute.” 

He was already throwing on his hat and grabbing his keys, so River let it go for now, but she worried about how El was holding up. She knew how much she seemed to like having Mike around. 

Not all that long after Hopper left, El came out of her room, Max trailing behind her. Not exactly what she was expecting, but it was nice to see them hanging out themselves.

El immediately brightened up when she saw the twins hanging out in the kitchen. “You guys are back!”

Before River could answer, she was pulled into a bone-crushing hug. “Wow, you’re strong.” She hugged back, patting her back and offering a fond smile. El didn’t waste doing the same to Hawthorne, which made him laugh. 

“What are you guys up to?” River asked.

“We’re heading to the mall,” Max answered.

She paused, giving them a stern look. “Woah, that’s against the rules,” she said. “You know that’s not allowed.”

“But you leave,” El pointed out.

While she had a point, that wasn’t the same thing. “That’s different.”

“Why?”

Sometimes, River almost hated how quick El was to question everything, but she understood that she was asking a genuine question.

“Because I’ve been hiding in plain sight for a long time now. And you’re supposed to be careful for a while.”

Max was just as stubborn and chipped in with, “but Mike’s being a jerk. And I thought it might help her to have some fun without him.”

“Can’t you guys do that here?”

“Sure, but that’s not as fun is it?”

River sighed. She was sure this had something do with Hopper and Mike’s “little talk.” He must have scared the kid, and she wouldn’t put it past him to keep that from her. Maybe El would benefit from going out. Just this once. Besides, she knew she’d find a way to sneak out if she didn’t let them. 

“Fine, but I’m coming along. I was already planning on heading to the mall, anyways,” River said. If they were going to be out and about, might as well be around to make sure nothing bad happens.

Hawthorne seemed a little surprised she’d cracked. “What if Hopper comes back while you guys are gone?” he asked.

“I’ll make sure we’re back before he does.” Maybe not foolproof, but she would just have to take a risk. She was sure she could reason with him if he found out.

The girls dragged her along before he could make a retort, and she followed them out to the bus, which was pretty packed. She let the two of them sit together and took a seat behind them.

“So, what are you going to the mall for?” Max asked, turning to face her. 

River shrugged. “I’m just curious to see what it’s like. I never thought Hawkins would ever get a mall.” It was a pretty small town, and she’d heard Starcourt was pretty big, which intrigued her. Even if that wasn’t really the reason she was going, which Max seemed to infer.

“Oh, come on. That’s not all, is it?” She turned a bit more, throwing her arm over the back of her seat. “You’re going to see Steve, aren’t you?”

Admittedly, the fact that she’d gotten right embarrassed her a little. Was she really that obvious?

“Well, he is my friend, and I haven’t seen him all summer,” River pointed out.

Max didn’t seem totally convinced. “God, are you two ever going to stop being so blind?” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We all know you guys like each other,” she insisted. “It’s been so painful watching you guys tiptoe around your feelings.”

The fact that Max was that observant was a testament to how smart she was, but River saw it as more of an inconvenience right now. 

“We have not. We’re really just friends.” River wasn’t any more convinced hearing herself say it, but that was the truth, wasn’t it? There was no way they’d be more than that. And it wasn’t like she liked Steve that way. 

Max shook her head, turning around again. “You guys are hopeless.”

Her words continue to ring in her ears the rest of the bus ride, and by the time they stopped outside the mall, River’s mind was racing. 

She tried to brush it aside as they hopped off the bus.

El looked around curiously, almost seeming a bit worried and distressed.

“What’s wrong?” Max asked. 

“Too many people. Against the rules.”

Now she questioned going out? Then again, it was way more overwhelming actually being here. Starcourt was much bigger than River expected. 

“Seriously?” Max nudged her, trying to be encouraging. “You have superpowers. What’s the worst that could happen?”

River wasn’t sure if they should speak so soon, but decided this would be a good time to set some ground rules. 

“Okay, if I’m going to set you loose, I want you guys to meet me at Scoops Ahoy when you’re done.” She ignored the smug look on Max’s face. “Is that clear?”

Both girls nodded, and she let them wander off on their own for now. El deserved a chance to be a stupid teenager for a few hours.

Right now, River was much more preoccupied with the thought of bugging Steve. Maybe she’d even weasel some free ice cream out of him. And the uniform. She’d heard all about the Scoops Ahoy uniform and how funny it looked. Already, River was mentally preparing herself to laugh hysterically at him. 

Of course, maybe not as prepared as she previously thought. As she approached the counter, she tried with all her might to hide her snickering, but it was practically impossible. 

“Okay, yeah. Laugh it up,” Steve muttered. “I’d like to see you make this ridiculous uniform work.”

River snorted, giving him another once-over. “No way. I think you make it work just fine,” she teased. “That hat really brings the whole outfit together.”

She could imagine the mental anguish he was going through having to hide his hair. 

“This thing is totally screwing me over!” he exclaimed. “How the hell am I supposed to pick up girls if I’m not even allowed to show off my best feature?”

Honestly, River wasn’t really sure why, but she felt a slight pang of jealousy just thinking about all the girls he must have flirted with. 

“I’m sure one of them is bound to come around,” she assured him. Steve didn’t seem so sure. The dejected huff he gave in response was enough to convince her he was losing hope. 

Before she could dig through her brain for any more comforting words, Dustin popped his head out of the break room. River’s brows furrowed. Why he was here was beyond her, but she supposed it shouldn’t have been so shocking. Steve and Dustin were practically inseparable at this point. 

Dustin brightened up the moment he spotted River, but the relieved look on his face put her on edge. Something was happening here, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know. 

“Perfect! Steve, why the hell didn’t you tell me River was here?” he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air followed by an exasperated sigh. “She can help us.”

Steve’s eyes widened, and his previous look of defeat was replaced with a huge grin.

Something was definitely happening here.

“Okay, woah. Help with what?” River glanced between them, even more peeved that neither of them was telling her anything. It was like they were having some telepathic debate, which was impossible. Telepathy was her thing.

“Hi. Hello. Anyone wanna tell me what the hell’s going on?” she exclaimed.

Neither of them answered right away. Dustin was quick to take her hand and drag her into the back room. She hardly had a chance to notice Steve glance around the shop, as if scanning for anyone who might be eavesdropping. That only concerned her more. 

In the back room, there was a tape recorder placed in the middle of the table, and standing at the end of the table was Robin Buckley. River had a few conversations with her, so they were acquainted enough, she felt. 

“Okay, seriously. What is all this about?” River asked, glancing at the recorder.

Dustin plopped into a chair, looking like a kid in a candy store. Or an ice cream store, really. He was clearly excited about something. 

“Last night, I was trying out Cerebro — the radio I built — and I intercepted some kind of code,” he explained. “The only problem was, it’s in Russian. And Robin thinks she’s cracked it, but I thought — since you speak Russian — maybe you could double check.” 

There was a lot to unpack there, and she wasn’t even sure what to make of all that. Nevertheless, she caved and listened to the tape. As she looked over their translation, sure enough, she could safely say they had it pretty accurate. 

River sat back, dropping the notepad on the table. “Yeah, that’s right,” she said. “No clue what it means, but you got it.” She turned to Robin, who looked relieved and maybe a bit proud of herself.

“There’s no way that can be right,” Steve chimed in. “It all sounds like nonsense.”

“Well, I’m telling you, it’s right,” River insisted. “It’s a code. Did you think it was going to be clear?”

Steve sighed and crossed his arms, leaning against the door. “No, but it feels way too...all over the place. I don’t know.”

“Whatever the hell it means, it’s just going to be harder to crack.” She knew Dustin had a point, though she wasn’t even sure where to start with this.

At some point, Steve and Robin had to go back out to work, but River stayed in the back room to help. As she expected, they weren’t making any more progress than before. Interpreting the code was proving far more difficult than Dustin hoped, and she could only do so much to help him. 

An hour or so passed, and she finally looked up as Steve peeked in. “Max and El are here for you,” he said.

River got up, wishing Dustin luck and ruffling his hair, before she went out to meet the girls. “Is El even allowed out here?” he asked as she went around the counter.

“No, but I decided one mall trip couldn’t be a bad idea.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, but didn’t ask her to elaborate, thankfully.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” River added. “I hope you guys have some better luck.”

“We’ll tell you how it goes,” Robin assured her, offering a smile. 

River nodded and said her goodbyes before the girls dragged her back to the bus. She immediately noticed the wardrobe change El was rocking. And honestly? She really liked it.

Luckily, Hopper wasn’t home yet when they made it back to the cabin. River went to her room, letting the girls hang out in El’s room. 

Her mind wandered, as she laid back on her bed. She had her headphones on, her Walkman softly playing “Take a chance on me.” There was a lot going on in her head, and it was so hard to make sense of any of it.

Over and over, she kept thinking about what Max said to her on the bus. Sure, Steve was her friend, and she liked him. He really wasn’t so bad the more time she spent with him, and they’d gone through a lot together. But that didn’t really mean she liked him, right? There was no way. 

In fact, she had a feeling Steve probably liked Robin, or literally anyone but herself. More than likely, he just saw her as a good friend. Which was fine, because she was sure she felt that way about him.

He’d done a lot of nice things for her, but that was what friends did for each other. River wasn’t any less confused the more she thought about it. 

It was late and, therefore, a problem to deal with tomorrow.

//

Taglist: @bravest-at-heart​ @jxnehxpper​ @musicalytrashpanda​

[ruthlessnessisyourdesire-archive]

\ RK800-60 \

# 313-248-317-60

—-> Designated: \ Assigned Detective / Model: Investigative, Negotiator, Interrogator, Police Protocol, Enforcer \

—-> Parameter Changed From: \ Cyberlife Enforcer, Revolution Killer \

—-> Code Name: Connor 

\ / Status > Reprogram \ /

—-> New Code Name: Sixty, 60 (Caleb Stern > human verses)

Functions > 

—-> Real time sensors. Data analysis of biological material a.k.a evidence samples; analysis conducted by taste samples, tongue houses micro biology sensor.

—-> Strength. As an android he possesses a higher strength threshold and agility. His model is designed to be light in maneuverability, stealth a major concept in his distribution. While he holds more strength than humans, 60 does find equal match in fellow models. He is a fierce fighter who relies on his swift fancy footwork. Sixty certainly loves to be dramatic even in the dance of a warrior’s grace.

—-> Negotiator and interrogation: Protocols give him voice in convincing, pressuring and obtaining  Preconstructive capabilities enable him to construct scenarios to solve investigations. Just like Connor he is an RK800 therefore as the same principle features to do detective work.

—-> Combat; hand to hand and weapons, despite the fact androids were not permitted to carry armaments. 60 gladly ignored his code block when invading the Cyberlife Tower and confronting Connor.

Weakness >

—-> Deviant In Denial: Sixty began as an enforcer for Cyberlife to put an end to the revolution’s success by way of taking out original RK800 model unit 51 coded Connor. His entrance in the warehouse is bolstered by his flair for surprising Connor with Hank at gunpoint, waiting among androids housed there. A perfect on purpose camouflage instead of simply just moving into view to enact his mission orders. He shows a great amount of disapproval and displeasure at Connor becoming a traitor to their masters. This is an obvious onset of emotion even while he denies he is a deviant. Deviancy itself is in his system from the onset of his activation and this can lead to him making snap judgement going against his preconstructed programming. 

—-> Weight: Sixty is lighter than the upgraded RK900 therefore can easily be thrown about if caught in an intense fight. While he is not weak being a prototype RK800 detective model, Sixty still suffers from the fact he is not invincible. Bullets can and will penetrate his chassis and damage vital biocomponents if extensive enough. His body is hard beneath his synthetic epidermis and while not as heavy as his successor, adds enough extra weight to bog him down when water is involved. During one of his cases he even fell into a pool and unfortunately lost his suspect. 

—-> Mind Palace: A centralized hub garden world that houses remnants of data core files and the AI program Amanda. Unlike Connor who properly disconnected, Sixty is still technically tied to his Zen Garden. While this is hidden in his mind, the android has the whisper of Amanda’s memory. He finds it just a means of remembering his brief time with the master program. However Sixty is unaware that he is still connected to Cyberlife. It can activate at any time and Amanda can ensnare him inside his own mind. This a major weakness hiding in the shadows and actually does frighten him. Even when he was loyal to Cyberlife with his new life now Sixty does fear having it all wiped away. 

—-> Emotional Overload: Sixty is dramatic by nature. This brings him a particular aura that makes him quite intimidating. Violence is his calling especially in the early origins of his main verse. His emotions swing back and forth in a sense that mimics humanity quite well. That hardly means it’s a good thing. He can be nasty. He can become bitter and envious at the drop of a hat. Sixty’s emotional fluctuations cause him greater harm than good especially when it comes to his relationships be it social, familial or romantic. The android is always a live wire and even more so in his Mad AU. 

—-> Jealousy: His greatest sin is most definitely envy. He envies not only Connor but Nines. Even if he has them as ‘siblings’ he still lacks the will to believe he is equal. He holds envy towards humans, especially ones who belittle him for his kind, and lashes out to anyone who stands in his way. Sixty is rather irrational for an android even for his type of model. He certainly has a few more instability screws loose than Connor. In a sense this can be much worse if he was repaired and reactivated after Hank shoots him. 

File Diagnostic >

 > Sixty is loyal to Cyberlife in the beginning of his main origin. Following the tower, he is canonically forced to fully deviate by none other than Connor himself. This is one of the reasons he despises him. Furthermore it only shows him what sort of world deviancy truly lives in. With it he can be more and use it to advantage for his masters. Yet it also brings him many emotional discharges that  become setbacks when pushed too far. It makes him more human in a sense but also adds to his bitterness. 

He is dramatic by nature. It all began on sublevel -49 at the Cyberlife Tower. His entrance with Hank held hostage was a thing of brilliance in his eyes. Plotting for full surprise certainly gave way to crackles of deviancy in his code. This is true due to one thing. He uploaded Connor’s memories on a separate data file. Storing it at the behest of Amanda, Sixty used this to delve into Connor’s feats starting all the way back to August 15th when he was first set on a mission. Sixty used this to aid his guise as Connor when taking Lt Hank Anderson as a hostage. Fooling the lieutenant was a sign of his prowess in stealth and undercover programming. 

The files in question already riddled with the deviancy virus. This caused RK800-60′s systems to become unstable whether he realized or not. Amanda’s orders were still something he strove to carry out even as the fragments of the deviant strain latched onto him from Connor. 

His mission was unsuccessful. During their altercation, Connor forced the transfer on him. While this completely snapped his chains it did not fully pull Sixty away from his loyalties. It was his decision to continue to hold loyal connections with Cyberlife. However, his reasons were ones born out of free thinking. This was another failure in his mind. This deviancy was now part of him fully but he could use it to advantage. A better integration than anything else is how he saw it.

Sixty’s main verse pits Connor as the reason for full deviation but he has an alt version of events. In this variation Sixty failed the questions Hank gives him and is severely damaged when the lieutenant fires a bullet into his head. While he is seeming inoperable from this point, RK800-60 is taken and repaired. His body is the same model that entered the tower at the time. Cyberlife techs manage to recover him and reactivate. From here on out he goes to the DPD and is working closely with Cyberlife to gather Intel. Gathering of Intel happens in his main verse development as well. He just gets there a different way and is much more fully integrated as their patsy if damaged and then repaired.

Currently he cuts ties with Cyberlife and becomes a proper detective at the DPD. Whether he gets along with his colleagues remains to be seen. One thing they notice about Sixty that is different from Connor is his penchant to become overzealous with suspects and his cases. He is more a brute force first and ask questions later type. While his words are as cunning and sly as a fox, Sixty revels in making others fear him. He finds it quite the power move.  

He enjoys his deviant lifestyle at this point and adapts to more human tendencies. Ask him what sort of things he likes and Sixty lists off a treasure trove of items androids hardly have need for. To him it’s a lovely aesthetic. It makes him feel superior. Superiority is a bad trait he possesses he does not care. 

Favorite things he owns include: fancy suits (blue of course), nice watches, pairs of shined shoes, a lovely personal apartment decorated in blues and whites. A cell phone. This android who has an internal communications system owns a phone. He thinks it’s better to communicate with the humans he has to put up with. He also likes the accessory aspect. 

Sixty is literally obsessed with blue. It’s the color he dons the most and sets him apart from Connor. One thing he hates is people getting them mixed up. The android makes a point to be his own person, different in every way possible. Even his hair style is slightly different with extra curls falling against his forehead. 

Current Relationships: 

Brother: Connor > Sixty has one Connor who he considers a brother. This familial role is exclusive to @rob0badge​​

Brother: Nines > Sixty has one RK900 who he considers a brother. This familial role is exclusive to @unitedxfront​

Mother: Amanda Stern > Sixty has one Amanda who is his foster mother in his human verse and adoptive mother in his college verse. This familial role is exclusive to @asternprotocol​

Human Verse siblings: 

@rob0badge​​‘s Connor

@unitedxfront​’s Cassius (Nines)

@artofdeviancy​​‘s Connor

@detroitfortune​‘s Callum

Killer AU Vers 3 Connections (Mafia Verse)

@aroaringlioness​‘ Natalie: Lover

@creation-is-chaos​‘ Corvus: Enemy

@itsagraywcrld​‘s Eloise: Love Interest

@musescollective​‘s Hank: Father

College Verse Siblings:

@artofdeviancy​​’s Connor 

@unitedxfront​‘s Cassius (Nines)

@creation-is-chaos​’s Corvus

@pathdiverted​‘s Cameron 

Demon AU Connections:

@rob0badge​’s Greed: Twin Demon Brother

@unitedxfront​​’s Wrath: Brother

@soulxism​’s Aiden: Fallen Angel (Seraphim) Lover

@rxseguided​’s Jesse: Archangel Mother

@creatorofclay​‘s Elijah: Half Demon Father

@creation-is-chaos​’s Corvus: Satan King

@detroitfortune​‘s Envy: Sin Demon Enemy

@repliicantceo​’s Eli: Brother-in-law

@repliicantceo​’s Elliott: Brother-in-law

Fully Developed Significant Others: 

@bloomingascension​ > Main Verse / other verses: Engaged in human verse

@diivinerose​ > Deviant Disaster Verse / Main Verse: Married in Disaster Verse

@lavishbylaw​ > Main Verse / other verses: Engaged in Main verse / Married In Human Verse

@soulxism​ > Main Verse / other verses: Pending Engagement in Main Verse

@untamedxfates​ > Human Verse / College Verse (Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji)

Developed Familial/Friendships

@anderson-residence​ > Main Verse / other verses: Mayson (father/son dynamic)

@bluebloodstained​ > Deviant Disaster Verse: Unlikely Friends

@lover-of-wolves​ > College Verse / other verses: Friendship

Sixty has various ships. He is always multiverse and multiship. Some are newer and will have that glorious development. When they do they will land here as well! Please see all of his babes here:

Shipping List

Exclusives

Twin to @artofdeviancy​‘s Connor only

Interaction with Elijah Kamski @creatorofclay​ only

Ship with Gavin Reed @unitedxfront​ only

\ / Statistics: \ /

—-> Created: November 2038

—-> Model: RK800

—-> Rarity: High > 1 of 2 – potentially 3 unit prototypes

—-> Height: 6'0" / 183cm

—-> Distributor: Cyberlife

—-> Origin of Make: Detroit

[imaginedanganronpa]

May I request Mondo, Gonta, Gundham, Sakura, and Kaede with a Fem!S/O who's super affectionate? Like she just loves giving them tons of love and appreciation, even if she's not hugging or kissing them. If you don't mind, that is! Oh, and, I love your blog a lot, you're great-!

I’ve done this prompt for Kaedebefore in a different Request (with the other V3 Girls!) so HERE is that one! Ihope you enjoy the rest, and thank you very much! That means a lot! :)

Mondo Oowada, Gonta Gokuhara,Gundham Tanaka and Sakura Oogami with an Affectionate Fem!S/O!

Mondo Oowada

Mondo might be a big, tough guy – but around his girlfriend, he’sa complete teddy-bear. That tough guy act dissolves and he drops his guard whenyou’re by his side.

He can be bitter and a bit irritable about it at first, fearingwhat the others in the Crazy Diamonds may say or losing credibility in his Gangif he shows his softer side, but he truly does love it. You can see rightthrough him every time he insists that you cut it out or whenever he tells youhe doesn’t like it.

He loves how easily your body fits into his – he can wrap his armsaround you and you fit perfectly in his chest, which makes holding you easier.

Mondo’s favorite type of affection is when you surprise him on hismotorcycle – never when he’s driving, but quick kisses on the back of his neckat a red-light or gentle caresses on his chest or arms. 

And whenever you hug him from behind and nuzzle your face into hisshoulders or back will cause his cheeks to turn bright red. That’s the only thing that can cause him to turn into a stuttering mess.

He’ll never show it, but he absolutely loves the way it makes himfeel.

Mondo will just start smiling with a big, wide grin. As soon asyou mention it though, his demeanor changes. He’ll cross his arms, press hislips firmly together, close his eyes and turn away from you, denying just howmuch he loved the affection. 

“Oh, please, (Y/N)! Guys like me don’t get phased by that kind ofstuff.”

Mondo didn’t have the kind of upbringing where he was used toaffection. No one ever tucked him in bed at night and kissed his forehead, andhe didn’t hear, “I love you” very frequently. He was raised to really ‘be aman.’

It’s a nice change and he welcomes it with open arms. It does takehim a long while to get used to it, though.

Mondo thinks it’s nice to finally feel appreciated, even if it makes him trip over his words and blush uncontrollably. He’s like the stereotypical cool, tough guy who acts all hard until the girl he likes walks by, and then he turns into an absolute dork.

Truthfully, Mondo doesn’t think he deserves all of this affectiondue to his troubled past and hostile attitude, but he will do his best toreturn every bit of it to you. After awhile, he stops caring what others maythink and instead will snap back at them whenever they chuckle or tease him.

He gets awkward whenever you hug him since he doesn’t know what todo with his arms. He also thoroughly enjoys when you kiss all over him,especially on his neck or jawline. 

After a long day, all Mondo wants to do is come home and collapseon the bed with you, and have you snuggle beside him and shower him in kissesand light caresses all over. His favorite feeling is your hands on his chest.

No matter what happened throughout the day, yourembrace and love always takes away his stress and fears.

Even the verbal affection sends Mondo into flustered huffs ofbreath and obvious blushes. You like to surprise him with compliments orrandom “I love you’s” purely to get a reaction out of him.

In actuality, he’s a big baby who loves to be held and taken care of. Your forehead kisses send him over the edge and he can’t get enough of your touch. Even when he’s busy or working, he always insists that it’s fine and that you’re never a bother. 

Mondo is more than happy to work with you glued to his side, and all of the adoration you give him is like a breath of fresh air. 

Gonta Gokuhara

Gonta is an incredibly affectionate partner as well, so combiningthe two of you is so sweet that it could make your teeth rot. He’s all foraffection and even encourages it, becoming addicted to your touch and loving, reassuring words.

He knows he’s a lot larger in comparison to you and most of yourclassmates, and he’s aware of his strength, but being around you makes him feelso weak in the knees. 

He didn’t fully understand the concept of love or affection at first since he’s never encountered it before, and asked you why he has such a fluttery feeling in his stomach and shaky hands whenever you kiss him or run into his arms.

Gonta melts when he’s around you and will return the love in full, butwill handle you like fragile China. He will hug you back, but much more softly and gently;even his kisses are gentle and as light as a feather.

He adores feeling your arms wrap around him, especially since theydon’t reach all the way around. Gonta thinks it’s so charming and cute, andwill place his hands on top of yours or lift you up off your feet.

And in return, he’ll be a complete gentleman. If he’s around, youknow you won’t touch any door-handles or walk in the rain without a cover.Gonta will go out of his way to treat you as well as you treat him. All in all, he’ll treat you like nothing short of a Queen.

When you two met, you quickly transitioned into fast friends andlovers. Due to this, he didn’t have time to get used to the affection. He wasn’t raised aroundthis kind of attention so Gonta isn’t very quick to respond, especially toverbal compliments. 

This is an all new experience for him, but he loves the way it makes him feel.

This love is a big adjustment for the larger man, but he will enjoy every second of it.

He has an urge to be around you all the time. After awhile, he’ll become much more needy and blatantly ask you to hold his hand or play with his hair. Gonta will also ask for consent whenever he kisses you back, and will whine if you forget to kiss him in the mornings or at night. 

But all of your love and positive reinforcement makes him feel like he’s doing something right and always makes him feel fuzzy inside - he has never been appreciated in this way before, and he soaks it up.

Even if it isn’t kisses or hugs, Gonta always melts whenever you compliment him as well. It doesn’t matter what you’re complimenting him on, because he’ll always blush furiously and smile like a child.

When you kiss him, his hands will wrap around your waist and pull you close, gripping your sides tenderly.

He’s always by your side like an over-sized lost puppy. 

Gonta loves the intimate contact the most, though. His natural instincts kick in and he loves the feeling of skin-on-skin contact. He is especially fond of when you cuddle up to him and lay on his bare chest, and feeling your breathing against his.

You’re always holding him or resting your head on his strong shoulder, and he’ll run his hands through your hair or down your back with a small smile. “(Y/N) is so beautiful,” he’ll say with adoration filling his voice.

Your kisses always inspire him and Gonta’s favorite thing is to just collapse and curl up on the couch together in a mess of limbs and tangled body parts, whilst leaving trails of kisses all over one another.

Gundham Tanaka

He’s convinced that you’re casting some sort of spell on him that makeshim feel so weak and flustered! Supreme Overlords of Ice like himself don’t feel butterfliesin their stomach or get wobbly knees!

Gundham isn’t used to receiving so much affection from anotherperson, especially his female partner, so it causes him to blush and fumble over his words.

He had a touch-starved childhood so you have to be a little bitcautious around him. Even the “I love you’s” and other non-physicalaffection can cause him to grow flustered and embarrassed. Gundham will turn his head away from you and pull up his scarf to hide his intense blush, muttering about your sorcery.

At first, he would flinch at your sudden touches. You found it hard to hold back your affection, so you had to slowly ease your boyfriend into the sensations and all of the attention you wanted to give him.

It’s overwhelming at first and takes some time before he gets usedto it. He calls you his only weakness, even his ‘Kryptonite,’ along with the other nicknames he’s given you over time.

Since Gundham isn’t the biggest fan of PDA, he’ll use his scarf asa shield when kissing you in public – he also loves Kissing Booths for that very reason; they’re much more private and secluded.

He’ll love to wrap his arm around you and feel your body against his. Gundham much prefers physical affection over kisses, and is very fond of all of your hugs. He will return the touches by placing a hand on the small of your back or your arm, and he’s always guiding you with his hands, loosely holding them in his own.

Sudden wrapping your arms around him will cause him to jump, but he soon nestles into your embrace. He might let out a loud threat, though, before realizing that it’s just you. He says that he’ll accidentally curse you one day if you’re not careful.

When it’s just the two of you, he’s a completely different personwho is much more receptive to your affection.

Gundham loves cuddling, especially when you’re snuggled into him and all he has to do is lay there with his arm wrapped around your shoulders. Also, expect to have a wide variety of animals cuddled up with you.

His Four Dark Devas will crawl out of his scarf and nestle into your neck or chest, and that always melts his heart. That’s by far the most heart-warming sight he’s ever seen, and he’s glad that they approve of you.

Although Gundham isn’t used to the affection, he won’t tell you to stop, either. When he’s feeling extra loving, he’ll shyly ask to hold your hand.

He has warned you that prolonged exposure to him can cause several side-effects that are potentially life-altering, but you honestly don’t believe a single word of this.

He also really enjoys when you play with his hair and brush it up into different styles. He’ll groan and pretend like he doesn’t like it, but you’ll catch him admiring it in the mirror later…

Anytime you show your appreciation through compliments, his superiority complex flares up and he’ll respond with an, “Of course, I’m Tanaka the Forbidden One after all!” That’s just Gundham being Gundham.

When he’s tired, his eccentric personality calms down and he is much more open to cuddling and possibly make-out sessions.

And when you cuddle up beside him, his hands instinctively travel to your shoulders or sides. Gundham likes to place his hand on the side of your face when kissing you, and he really enjoys staring into your eyes. He enjoys the intimacy and grows fond of your touch and the affection you give him; however, you’re the only person he lets get this close to him.

Sakura Oogami 

Sakura isn’t the most affectionate partner in return, and a lot of her affection comes in the form of silent smiles and small grunts of approval. She isn’t all about being fawned over, but she doesn’t normally mind it when it’s coming from you.

Don’t expect to be able to surprise her with hugs or kisses because you’ll never be able to manage catching her off guard. Every time you try surprising her with a kiss or sudden embrace, Sakura will whirl around and return it in the best way she can.

She will pull you into her arms instead, causing you to yelp at the sudden swift movement. This always causes her to heartily laugh as she pulls you into her chest.

Sakura is quite fond of caresses though, and seems to always have at least one of her hands on you. This is a motherly gesture and her way of protecting you, though. She will normally hold your hand or keep hers on your lower back or thigh.

Nothing really embarrasses Sakura, not even PDA. She isn’t a very big fan of it and will politely ask you to hold off on all of the attention while in public though, but she’ll still be more than willing to hold your hand or lightly kiss you in a brief moment of weakness.

She enjoys your cuddling and the way you hold her. Even a Martial Artist and strong, independent woman like Sakura needs to be held and coddled from time to time.

She really loves it when you run your fingers through her hair. She says it’s comforting and it makes her fall asleep peacefully.

Although Sakura loves all of the excess attention you give her, she doesn’t like being caught of guard, mainly because she doesn’t want her reflexes to kick in and accidentally hurt you. Most of the time, as long as you ask to kiss or hug her, or at least make your presence known, she will happily oblige.

Sakura has very good patience so regardless of what she’s doing, she will never become irritated with you nor will she shoo you away. She will accept all of your kisses and let you wrap your arms around her, following her like a puppy as she works. She actually finds it quite cute when you cling onto her, and doesn’t mind the personal space.

And after a long Training session, it feels nice to be able to come home and have you kiss her all over and take care of her. 

You also tend to rub her shoulders and give her a massage after a hard day, which she will always be more than down for. Plus, she likes feeling your hands running along her body.

Sakura isn’t entirely sure how to show affection back. She’s been conditioned into becoming a warrior and the romantic side of her has been suppressed. But still, she tries her best.

She is prone to showering you in compliments and “I love you’s” rather than a lot of physical affection, so you balance each other out well. Sakura will simply watch you from across the room or look down at you pressed up against her with your arms wrapped around her waist, and tell you how stunning you look or how much she cares for you.

It’s not just the kisses and physical love, either; you also show her all kinds of verbal attention. You’re her biggest motivator and her own personal cheerleader which means the world to her.

But you’re also always reminding her that she looks lovely. In response, Sakura will simply nod and smile silently, humbly thanking you. She isn’t very expressive with her feelings, but you know she loves you dearly.

 - Mod Rantaro

[waterwindow]

@bloodshadow213  Okay! This is actually the second ask I’ve gotten about Al in the last couple days.

 So I guess hopefully I’ll be able to help the Anon as well with the information.

    Al’s story is complicated. And 90% of it took place in V1 which means it’s laced with campy jargon, continuity errors, stories being told out of order and.... “””comics logic”””

WARNING, THIS IS REALLY LONG.

  It doesn’t help that a lot of Wiki data and other online sources on him are completely false. Most of them confuse him with his Astral Twin Alvin and they can’t even get his actual height correct EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE THE INFORMATION IN COMICS CLEAR AS DAY

if you’re going to WRITE THE ARTICLE could you please at least---   

 read the comics (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

  ahem.

   Despite that he’s one of my favorite characters, and so I’ve spent a LOT of time (YEARS) thinking about him so I’ll be the first to admit my interpretation of events is completely biased. I’ll do my best to separate concrete information from my headcanons.

anywho here’s Albert, HE’S..... HANDSOME.....

   Okay so Albert- he’s got a few split personalities. Mr. Element and Doctor Alchemy. He’s also got the power to transmute elements. Yes- another misconception is that Albert’s gun or the philosopher’s stone is where he gets his powers. And where it was apparently retconned that Al needs the Philosopher’s Stone for most of his existence that wasn’t the case. 

(and personally I still don’t believe that’s the case, because we’ve only ever seen ALVIN actively loose his powers when the stone is taken from him. And that might make sense once I get into who and what Alvin is. But let’s focus on Albert for now)

  Anyhow, yes Albert is a metahuman.

He got his powers from meteoric radiation beamed into his brain as an infant. And his powers and split personalities are linked somehow or somewhat with celestial activity.

Anywho, the Element Gun at the very least is more like a magic wand that he can use to channel his power through. And it’s actually useless in the hands of someone else.

  (I have a few headcanons that the Philosopher’s Stone might also be a meteorite- if not a larger piece of the meteorite that originally mutated him as a baby. Or it could be a figment of his imagination (link to headcanon).)

One thing that does seem consistent is that Albert’s powers are more or less suppressed and he has to assume one of his undesirable personalities to “unlock” them. 

BUT EVEN THAT’S NOT ALWAYS TRUE. Here’s Al saving a firefighter as Mister Element.  

(This isn’t the first time Mr. Element has been heroic, So it’s my headcanon that the Mister Element personality isn’t necessarily ‘split’ with Albert’s. It’s just a more intense version of himself. Because out of Costume, Albert is quiet and mild-mannered.)

ENTER THIS ASSHOLE

So there’s a plot where Eobard needs Albert’s help to get his speed back. But Albert won’t help because his powers are ‘locked’ behind his ‘Evil’ personality. So Eobard makes Albert go and steal stuff (with the random ability to hypnotize people by vibrating that he magically obtains for this single story) And spends the entire adventure trying to impress Al and gaslight him into thinking he likes crime.

And poor Al is just

he’s so done. It’s horrible I ship it

 OKAY ANYWAYS

My ultimate point here before I got distracted fangirling is that despite Barry’s efforts to help, Eobard wins Al over and convinces him that he IS ultimately Evil.

The story ends with Albert momentarily betraying Eobard right as he was commanded to kill Barry. (using the power of self-hypnosis to counter-act Eobard’s influences.) Though convinced he is forever and permanently evil at that point, Barry knocks him out and uses the cosmic treadmill to take Albert to the future where he can be um

‘cured’

of his evil tendencies forever.

COUGHS this isn’t a lobotomy at all

So yeah! Al is ‘’’’cured’’’’

ENTER THIS STINKY BOY

Albert’s been a good. So Alvin shows up and starts running around as Doctor Alchemy COMMITTING CRIME. This is the first story we see him in so everyone thinks Albert is the one running around in costume, of course.

 (Barry, Iris, and Rita are all part of Al’s life but I haven’t gone into them in depth for brevity- because holy shit this is long....)

(yes you read that right, Rita keeps tranquilizers on hand for Albert- for... obvious reasons- earlier in this post you saw he wigged out and caught their car on fire while they were in it. SHE PUTS UP WITH A LOT....)

( Headcanon-talk though. It couldn’t have been easy for Al either knowing he could be called a liar or drugged by his spouse at the drop of a hat. Of course Rita has every right to fear for her life. And she’s done a lot for Al, at the risk of her own safety. But that being said... they do get an off-screen divorce, and I believe it was 100% mutual. 

   This has got to be an unpopular opinion, since the fandom loves Rita and of course I’m sad they wrote her out of the story as well. I love her too! But it couldn’t have been easy for Al either. Living with a mental illness and a distrusting spouse who keeps a weapon on hand to use against you. And it’s clear later on that Albert literally has such an awful time keeping his shit together that he needs much more help than just Rita can provide. RAH RAH BLAH BLAH-)

Anywho,

 they cart Albert off to jail, but Alvin kidnaps him. With every intent to frame him for all the crime he sees fit to do.

According to Alvin, he is Albert’s psychic/astral twin. Born at the same time and with an identical childhood to Albert’s.

Again according to Alvin, they sit on some sort of moral Teeter-totter. Where whenever Albert is good- Alvin feels an uncontrollable urge to be evil. and vice-versa.

Anyways he invented this potion called Desmodium where the fumes can cause people to be susceptible to hypnotic suggestion (Wow Alvin knows about hypnosis too, his entire life is so coincidentally similar to Albert’s) - which is how he was able to use Rita to lie about Albert’s alibi and frame Albert for Alvin’s crimes. He explains that because of their psychic connection, Alvin was able to locate where Albert hid the philosopher’s stone and used it to take up the mantle of Doctor Alchemy.  (in this scene Albert is also under the influence of Desmodium which is why he’s just sitting dead-eyed like a doll)

  So Alvin leaves to try and kill the Flash, and once he believes he has won, he reveals himself to Barry- and obviously he doesn’t succeed, so now Barry knows the truth of what’s going on and is on Albert’s side. Meanwhile, Albert escapes and feels the uncontrollable urge to don the Mr. Element costume to combat his evil twin. (Wigging out from the stress probably- which is why I headcanon that the Mr. Element personality is just a stronger-willed and decisive version of Albert.)

SO THEY FIGHT. It’s glorious. 

Albert saves a firefighter, Barry sees the whole thing. Also Rita and Al meet up off-panel where he explains everything to her and she in turn explains everything to Barry and that’s completely convinced him that Albert is completely innocent and is in fact trying to do the heroic thing.

  SO Albert, Rita and Barry work together and ultimately defeat Alvin. And from there on Alvin takes up the mantle of Doctor Alchemy permanently, becoming an honorary Rogue while Albert goes into retirement.

 (Alvin seems to be the only one who ever hung out with the Rogues at all and had a relationship with them. He seems to have got along well with Lisa - or at the very least she seems entertained by his antics. Whereas she has no patience for perverts, and yet she’s bemused by Alvin’s flirtations when he’s drunk. Also Alvin being in consortium with the Rogues is why I believe Hartley much later comments on how ‘Freaked out’ the Rogues are of Albert. 

Because whO IS THIS GUY? WHERE’D THE FUN REDHEADED AL GO.... Also all things considered, of course he laughed in their faces.)

I’M NOT DONE YET.

VOLUME 2

  So somewhere along the line, Alvin discovers that he isn’t in fact Albert’s astral twin. That he’s actually a completely artificial construct born by the philosopher’s stone (or Albert himself depending on your interpretation) Personality completely made up of Albert’s ‘Dark Side’.

 (WHEN or HOW Alvin came to this realization isn’t explained, but if I had to headcanon it might have been when he somehow survived his ‘death’ in his Blue Beetle cameo.

He attempts to merge with the Philosopher’s stone and it leads to his demise... AND THEN APPEARS AGAIN FOUR YEARS LATER IN THE FLASH. WE CAN READ INTO THIS- THEY DEFINITELY DIDN’T MAKE A MISTAKE.....)

Anyways, back to Flash v2. In volume 40 and 41 Alvin has completely lost his mind- likely due to his identity crises and tries to take over Albert’s life completely. Convincing Wally and Linda (and himself apparently) that he is ACTUALLY Albert Desmond, and not the evil twin.

But Wally figures out that it’s actually Alvin and defeats him.

   And finds Albert locked up in the closet (FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG....)

Hopefully not long, Wally postulates that Alvin had been listening to Albert’s phonecalls and wanted an opportunity to get the Flash once and for all. 

 Alvin is taken to jail, but escapes almost instantly, leading to a fight with Wally that doesn’t look like it will end well for him. BUT GUESS WHO SHOWS UP JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME

butt

Fake memories you say, Wally? Would certainly explain why Alvin’s life was so identical to Albert’s.

And that is the end of Alvin, killed/absorbed by his own brother.

....

hey- remember this?

It’s almost like Al’s story could be read as a metaphor for neurodiverse repression to the point of self-destruction. Instead of working with him, they literally lobotomized the ‘evil’ out of him and gave birth to a physical manifestation of how he felt himself perceived by the outside world.

i’ve been reading these comics for too damn long

Anyways! After that, Albert vanished into the wind. He became Doctor Alchemy permanently and denounced the Mr. Element name- calling it an ‘embarrassment’. He became solitary and committed crimes much darker than his previous. (notably, a cop-murdering spree in Gotham).

  Albert is literally unstoppable and the only reason he’s not wreaking havoc is  He’s now characterized by his unhealthy obsession with books and escapism and finding ‘Peace and Quiet’. 

Not only that, he seems to have developed a something of a grudge against Wally. (Either that or he’s too far gone to care about anything any more)

And that’s..... basically the end of the story. There’s some loose ends that got nuked out of existence right before Flashpoint. Something insinuating that Albert may have a larger role to play or knows more than he’s letting on- but it’s literally so vague it could be interpreted as anything. The plot is lost in the wind, unfortunately.

  But If you made it all the way to the end, thank you for listening to my dramatic summery of Al’s story

 Believe it or not, but I wasn’t even half as thorough as I could have been. So I definitely encourage you to read v1 and draw your own conclusions.

[manyimaginativemuses]

Small Bump - Chapter 10

Rating: M+

Warnings: HERE IS AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER CUZ IT’S BEEN A HOT MINUTE SINCE I POSTED!!!

Read on AO3

Despite his own fears, Michael continued to stay close to Lucy for the next few weeks. The only times he left her alone were when she went to the bathroom and when he got phone calls from the Cooperative. Lucy was beginning to get curious about this newfound affection. Michael had always been protective of her, especially when she was pregnant, but this was starting to border on clingy. She wasn’t exactly uncomfortable with it, in fact she rather enjoyed the extra attention, but it was worrying her a bit given how it was slightly out of character for him.

Another time when Lucy managed to get away during those clingy weeks was when she wanted to see Melanie and Ally. Melanie’s pregnancy was progressing exactly as planned and she was over the moon about it. Unfortunately for Lucy, her pregnancy wasn’t exactly normal. Not only was she still experiencing the extreme morning sickness (if one could even call it that since it lasted all day), but her nights were slowly but surely being filled with nightmares. Every night, Lucy was having heart stoppingly terrifying nightmares. They ranged from her normal fears of heights and spiders to her darker, more twisted fears of Michael and her children dying or ruling hell. Lucy had her head in her hands as she explained all this to Melanie and Ally as they sat in her living room. As Melanie’s due date got closer and closer, Lucy wanted to be with her best friend more often, and that afternoon she decided to bring Ally along with her so all her friends could meet up.

“Have you been able to get any sleep with these crazy ass dreams?” Melanie asked, handing Lucy a cup of her ginger tea as the redhead let out a heavy sigh.

“Well yeah, but I just keep waking up with overwhelming anxiety. Michael’s presence definitely helps but then again, it’s also not helping at the same time. Some mornings I wake up and my depression is just kicking my ass, and he’s almost suffocating with how much affection he gives me.” Lucy explained with a chuckle.

“I find it funny how just a few weeks ago, you were complaining that you didn’t see him enough. Now that you got your wish, you’re complaining that you’re seeing him too much.” Ally said with a laugh, “But I get where you’re coming from. When I was pregnant with Oz, my emotions were all over the place. One minute I wanted my wife as close as possible, the next I wanted nothing to do with her.”

“The thing is I don’t know how to handle it. I wasn’t like this during any of my previous pregnancies. Like this time around, everything is heightened so much more than normal for me. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that I’m carrying twins?” Lucy then grabbed a pencil and her sketchbook off the side table, drawing Michael’s eyes as a way to calm her nerves. Melanie felt her heart ache for her friend. She reached over and took Lucy’s hand, pressing it to her belly where her child was moving.

“Luce, just think, in a few weeks you’ll be feeling this yourself. Just focus on that. Focus on the two beautiful little lives inside you. Forget about everything else that’s upsetting you… Just think of them.” Melanie’s words made Lucy tear up. Her hormones were continuing to make her emotional, and to hear her friend say such sweet words was making her weak. She took her hand back and pressed it against her own belly. At 15 weeks, she had really started to pop. Since she was so skinny and short to begin with, her belly was quite obvious when compared to how it used to be. Lucy could sense the energy of her twins under her hand. She could feel their rapid pulses and when she closed her eyes to enhance the sensations, the lights in the room began to flicker. Books suddenly flew off the shelves and all the candles in the room simultaneously came alight.

“What the hell?!” Melanie gasped at the sudden display of power. Ally couldn’t stop staring at Lucy as she realized it was coming from her. She swallowed dryly as the idea that Lucy’s sudden strange powers were connected to the Cooperative somehow popped into Ally’s head. After all, if the Cooperative controlled everything, how else other than magic could that be accomplished?

“Lucy!” Ally shouted and Lucy snapped out of her haze. The candles extinguished all at once and everything finally stood still. The two other women stared at Lucy as if she had a second head. Lucy quirked her eyebrow in confusion as she frantically scanned the room.

“Uhhh…. Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked. She had basically tuned out of reality when her senses heightened. Her magic had spiralled out of control in that moment and she hadn’t even realized it.

“Lucy, are you ok?” Ally asked, both nervously and curiously. If being a part of the Cooperative gave someone magical abilities, Ally definitely wanted to be the leader of the group even more than before. This strange situation only further fueled Ally in her dark plan.

“I’m fine? Why, what happened?”

“Luce, you didn’t just see all those books fly off the shelves and the candles suddenly light themselves out of nowhere?” Melanie said, just as confused as Ally was.

“No?” Lucy then looked beside her, spotting books strewn all across the floor. It was then that she realized her powers had gone haywire while she tried to sense her children. There were a few moments of awkward silence before a sudden wave of nausea gripped at Lucy’s stomach. She ran past her friends and vomited into the toilet violently. In her mind, Lucy was more confused than ever. Not only had her powers gone out of control, but the second she came back to herself, she couldn’t stop herself from puking up everything she had in her stomach. When she finally stopped getting sick, Lucy sat back on her heels and putting her head in her hands.

“What the hell are you two doing to me?” She whispered as she gently rubbed her belly, trying to understand all the strange chaos.

“Lucy?” Ally’s voice piped up as she knocked on the door, “Lucy are you ok in there?”

“I’m fine! I’m fine, really…” Lucy called out as Melanie put her hand on Ally’s shoulder and gestured toward the door.

“Hey Luce, I think Ally and I are gonna go back to my place. She said she would help me set up the crib. So if you feel better later, feel free to come by alright?” Melanie shouted and Lucy sighed heavily.

“Yep. That’s fine. You kids go have fun.” Lucy said with a weak laugh as Melanie and Ally promptly left the apartment. A few moments later, Lucy finally got her strength back and stood up, grabbing onto the towel rack for support as she was still a bit woozy. Glancing at herself in the mirror, she immediately became worried. She was even more pale than normal, her freckles seemingly more noticeable as well. Her multicolored eyes seemed to have lost their trademark sparkle and somehow, she was even skinnier than she was before she was pregnant. It was then that she also really started to wonder what her pregnancy was doing to her abilities. She’d never really used them before except for when they were really necessary. However, the fact that they just went crazy for almost no reason made Lucy concerned as to what could possibly happen as her pregnancy progressed. She felt like in order to get them back under control, she needed to start putting them to use. Maybe by releasing the pent up magical energy, it would spare her from dramatic accidents later on.

When Michael returned later that evening, he was surprised to find Lucy with a large spell book in her lap. She had her long red hair pulled back as she focused intensely on the book in front of her.

“And just what exactly has triggered my soulmate to FINALLY investigate her abilities?” Michael asked as he approached. He could sense the power in the air as he got closer. The sheer strength she possessed was making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Lucy looked up when she heard his voice, a gentle smile crossing her face.

“Something happened earlier with Melanie and Ally. I think the twins are affecting my abilities and I just want to make sure I’m not losing them completely.” Lucy explained, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’ve been waiting for so long to truly help you with your power. You’re the only one equal to me in that respect, but you barely know how to use said power. I’ve been craving to teach you how to become the Supreme I know you’re meant to be.” Michael said with a smile, sitting beside her on the bed. He glanced at the spells she was looking at, quirking an eyebrow at how advanced the spells were, “Ok, so those kinds of spells might be a little too hard for you right now. Why don’t we start off with something simpler?” He suggested, closing the book all together. Lucy looked at him, confused for a moment, before he picked up the pen she had been using to take notes. He then held it in front of her, resting it in his palm.

“Move this pen with your mind. Throw it across the room.” Michael commanded and Lucy blinked as she stared at the pen. It wasn’t long before she felt energy building under her skin. Her body felt like it was vibrating as all of a sudden, the pen flew out of Michael’s hand and smacked straight into the door. Michael couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped him at this feat.

“Very good, Lucinda! Now I already know you’re proficient in pyrokinesis,” As he said that, Lucy smirked in agreement as all of the candles in the room spontaneously lit up from her magic. Michael chuckled at this display before speaking again, “How about you give this a try: control my mind. Force me to do something against my will.” His demand made Lucy a bit concerned.

“A-are you sure? I’m not sure I’ll be able to do that.”

“Lucinda, my Precious Starlight, you are definitely strong enough to do that. Now make me do something. Control my mind.” He demanded again and Lucy swallowed dryly. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on the bond she shared with Michael. She felt the buzzing under her skin increase as she searched through their bond. Once she got a good grip on it, Lucy felt the air leave the room as she tried to control his mind… To force him to do the one thing she’d always asked of him but he’d never done. Michael soon felt a presence in his mind, forcing his self control out the window. Soon enough, he was revealing his true face, his skin paling and his eyes turning black as the White Faced Demon was forced to the front lines.

“Lucinda…” Michael’s voice was deeper and trembling with fear as Lucy opened her eyes. She gasped as she gazed upon his true face… The face of the White Faced Demon, “Lucinda, what have you done?!” Michael whispered as he pulled away from her. Lucy then grabbed his hand, forcing him to look at her by using her control over him.

“Michael… I’m not scared of you.” She whispered, trying to soothe him as she stared into his empty black eyes, “I love you, my darling. I love every single part of you and this is the one side of you you’ve always refused to show me. You said to force you to do something. I forced you to bare your entire soul to me.” Lucy reached over and cupped his white face in her hands, her finger tracing the bloody pentagram on his forehead. Michael was trembling under her touch as if he was trying to hold something back, “I love both the beauty and the beast, the man and the demon… Michael and The Antichrist. And now, I finally see all of you.” Lucy said, finally releasing her control on him. His face immediately turned back to normal and his eyes turned blue once more. He stared at her with a look of both shock and adoration clear on his face.

“I thought you hated that side of me…” He muttered and Lucy shook her head.

“Not anymore. I used to be terrified of that side of you. I was worried about what you were capable of… But I learned over time that no matter what, you are my soulmate.” She took his hand and placed it on her belly, allowing him to feel the sheer energy of their children inside her, “You’re also the father of my children. I chose you to love and father my children. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to that.” Lucy’s words made Michael let out a shaky breath.

“I’m sorry… I’m just not exactly used to this kind of compassion. You’re pretty much the only person who’s shown me this kind of kindness without wanting anything in return. Even though we’ve been together for years, I’m still shocked by you quite often.” Michael said with a dark laugh. Lucy just smiled and caressed his cheek while he pressed his hand more firmly on her belly.

“I love you. I’ve always loved you.” Lucy said and Michael nodded in response, “I’m sorry I forced you into revealing your true face.”

“No… It’s fine. I asked you to control my mind. You did what I asked of you. If you’d like, we can continue. After all, you are the Supreme.” Michael teased after pulling himself back together. Lucy just laughed at him and shook her head.

“How the hell can you do that? You have an emotional outburst one moment and the next you’re suddenly calm and collected again.” Lucy scoffed. Michael simply just rolled his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

“I think it might be because I’m not entirely human. But then again, it might just be the way I am, darling.” He winked at her, causing Lucy to laugh.

“Fine. Ok. What else do you want me to dor?” She asked as she crossed her arms.

“There’s a specific book somewhere in this room. A book that happens to be my favorite book from when I was a child. I’ve never told you the name of this book, but I want you to find it. I want you to sense where the book is in this room and bring it back to me.” Michael explained. Lucy narrowed her eyes, unsure of how or even if she’d be able to do that. Regardless, she nodded and closed her eyes, trying to hone in on the book Michael was talking about. Suddenly, it seemed as if all the noise in the room was silenced. The entire room went completely silent except for the sound of a soft pulse. When Lucy opened her eyes, she stood up and followed the sound of the pulse. Walking across the room to a small wooden bookcase, Lucy pushed past other books and found the source of the noise. She pulled the small book out and looked at the cover, letting out a laugh of surprise when she read the title.

“Peter Pan? Really?!” Lucy asked as she held out the book and Michael nodded with a laugh.

“I was not really allowed to be a child, Lucinda. Just the idea of a boy being lucky enough to stay a child forever was basically a dream for me.” Michael shrugged. Lucy just shook her head again before hopping in the bed beside him.

“No matter how much I think I know you, you always find new ways to surprise me.” Lucy laughed and Michael smirked in response.

“I’m always full of surprises.” He winked at her again before taking her hand in his, “The next test might be a bit difficult, seeing that you’re pregnant. I’m not even sure if you should attempt this just yet.”

“Why, is it dangerous?”

“No, not at all. It’s just that I’m unsure if it will work since you’re carrying two other lives inside you. It’s called Transmutation, which is just a fancy way of saying Teleportation.” He explained and Lucy quirked an eyebrow. She’d always seen Michael teleport anywhere he wanted, but she was unsure if she could do it herself.

“Well it’s worth a try. After all, in order to be a Supreme, I have to complete the Seven Wonders right?” She took a deep breath and focused on the inside of their closet. She envisioned the walk in closet in her minds eye, noting every little detail before forcing herself to project her body into that space. Soon enough, Lucy vanished from the bed and reappeared inside the dark closet. Her first instinct was to check on her children, her hands flying to her small belly. She let out a sigh of relief when she felt their presences still nestled deep within her womb.

“Lucinda?” Michael called out, a bit shocked that she had managed to do it. Lucy opened the closet door with a smile, laughing softly when she saw Michael’s surprised expression, “Well I’ll be damned! Nice work, my love.” He stood up from the bed and approached her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in for a kiss. She happily kissed back for a moment before tapping him on the nose with her index finger.

“I’m always full of surprises, Michael.” She teased, throwing his own words back at him, “What’s next? There’s two more wonders to complete.” She asked but Michael’s face fell in response.

“The last two of the Seven Wonders will have to wait until after the twins are born. These two wonders deal with the balance between life and death. If done improperly or failed completely, you could die. I know for a face that your pregnancy could alter the outcome of these tests, so we’ll wait on those strengths until after our family is finally complete.” Michael’s words made Lucy blink in confusion but despite her confusion, she did understand where he was coming from. He wanted to protect all three of them. Lucy simply nodded in response before taking Michael’s hand and putting it on top of her belly. He smiled as she did so, his thumb lovingly stroking the rounded skin.

“You know, despite knowing the fact that nothing could ever possibly hurt you, I’m still terrified I’ll lose you in childbirth.” Michael’s voice went quiet as more of his fears bubbled to the surface. It seemed to Lucy that the longer they were in the Sanctuary, the more Michael dropped his dark Antichrist persona around her. Many times Lucy heard him angrily yelling on the phone in his domineering tone only to revert back to the young teenage boy she had fallen in love with the second he hung up the phone. She was probably the only person left alive that saw Michael this way.

She also was the only one who knew how deadly serious he was about his childbirth fears.

“Michael, I’m not gonna die in childbirth. These babies are gonna come out safely and without a hitch, I promise you.”

“You don’t know that. What if something goes wrong? What if I’m not able to bring you back?” He started to panic as his fears began to consume him but Lucy simply took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her.

“Michael, listen to me, I’m not like your mother. Our children won’t kill me. Our twins may be the children of the Antichrist, but they’re not Antichrists themselves. We’re going to raise them better than you were. They won’t be consumed by the darkness that lives within both of us.” Lucy’s words made Michael let out a shaky sigh. She was right… She was always right…

“Forgive me for being anxious. It’s just that neither of us have had the best experiences with this sort of thing.” Michael gave a weak smile and rested her forehead against his.

“We’re gonna be ok… We’re all gonna be ok.”

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