#GOD FORBID a woman doesn’t wear a dress of a skirt at least once every episode

[benjinoff13]

Remember when the supergirl suit got pants instead of a skirt and that’s when they stopped dressing kara like this

And started dressing her like this

Idk to cancel out the lesbianism or something

[fanmoose12]

hi, i saw that you take prompts? then how about levihan as partner in crime, more like robin hood au with hange as levi's wife who helps him with anything relates to thiefing, like creating poison or bomb. i want to see them in action. could you make one for me? thank you hun😽

this is probably a lot different from what you had in mind, so sorry for that!

“Hange, no,” Levi resolutely stared at his wife, crossing his hands on his chest. “This plan is ridiculous! I will never agree to it!”

“Oi, Levi, c’mon,” Hange whined. “You know it’s a good one! Just trust me!”

Levi shook his head. “No, I told you already, your plan is insane. It’s extremely dangerous, Hange, how can you not see it?”

“It’s dangerous?” Hange put her hands on her hips, staring Levi down. “Dangerous for who?”

Levi gritted his teeth. Hange, damn that insanely smart woman, managed to find the weak point in his argument. He looked away from her knowing eyes, feeling embarrassed. “It would be dangerous for you,” he muttered quietly.

“Exactly!” Hange exclaimed victoriously.

“It doesn’t mean that I’m not right!” Levi shouted, tired of this argument. “Hange, you will be going on an enemy’s territory, alone and weaponless! Even if you manage to get in the castle, what if the Duke recognizes you? He would put you to jail before you know it! And do you know what would happen next? Do you know what he would do with a thief who broke into his castle to steal his priceless possessions? He would hang you!”

Hange rolled her eyes. Levi could be so dramatic sometimes. “It’s going to be fine! He won’t recognize me, because I’ll be wearing a mask! And even if he does, I’d kill him before he opens his stinky mouth! C’mon, Levi, have some faith in me! I’m not the hopeless idiot you think I am.”

Levi pinched the breach of his nose. He knew what Hange was doing. She was trying to manipulate him, saying that he didn’t believe in her. But he did! Of course, he trusted her, she was his wife for god’s sake. But that’s exactly why he didn’t want to let her go. He knew Hange was more than capable and she was smarter than Levi could possibly comprehend, but just the thought of her sitting in a cold damp cell, or, god forbid, walking with her head bowed as she is led towards the gallows, made him physically sick.

“I know you’re strong, Hange,” Levi said, making an effort to keep his voice calm. “But I’m still worried about you and I want to keep you safe. Is that so wrong? Wanting to protect the woman I love?”

“Levi…” Hange came closer to him, laying her hand on his cheek and gazing in his eyes softly. She moved even closer, until their foreheads were pressed against each other. “I know that you love me and I know you’re trying to do what is best for me, but Levi… Duke is stealing from the people of this village, everywhere around us are misery and poverty, you know we can’t let him continue doing this. We have to stop him, and you know this is the safest and surest way to do it.”

Levi just gazed at her face, not knowing what to say. He got lost in the warmth of her brown eyes that sparkled in the candlelight. Hange probably did it on a purpose, Levi thought fleetingly. She knew how much he adored her beautiful eyes. But Levi couldn’t do anything, he was completely powerless, mesmerized by his wife’s beauty.

So he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. Then he sighed, looking away from her face. “Tell me about your stupid plan again.”

“Yahoo!” Hange raised her fist in the air, jumping slightly.

Levi rolled his eyes, sometimes it felt like he was married to an overgrown and constantly over-excited child.

“So, as you already know it,” Hange stopped to wink at Levi, too excited that Levi had agreed to at least listen her out. “The Duke is having a party in seven days. Almost every noble of our kingdom will attend this ball and this event is organized to celebrate Duke’s last days at his castle, before he will set off to travel across the world. So! It means it’s our last and only hope to get revenge on this bastard. And that’s where I come in!” Levi sighed deeply, watching how Hange’s eyes sparkled with evil mischief. “I will also attend the ball and-“

“Wait.” Levi stopped her with a wave of his hand. “You said every noble will attend this stupid ball. Then how are you going to get an invitation?”

Hange smiled at him. “Ah, my dear husband, did you forget I was a daughter of an influential lord once? That I was supposed to marry another important lord? Before you cruelly decided to steal me from my own home?”

“You’re so full of shit, Hange.” Levi said, rolling his eyes. “I remember that story a lot different. You tricked me into stealing you, making me believe that your father would pay a huge ransom for you. I’m still waiting for it, by the way.”

Hange gasped, feigning shock on her face. “What do I hear?” she cried out dramatically. “You are not satisfied with your reward?”

Levi smirked, eyeing Hange from head to toe, his eyes glinting in the dark room. “You can be quite useful. From time to time.”

Hange smacked his arm, laughing. “You’re such a pervert, Levi. Anyways!” she clasped her hands together. “Back to my obviously genius plan! I’ve told you already that every noble is going to be there, meaning that Erwin is also going to attend the ball. So I’ll just accompany him there. Once I’ll get inside the castle, I’ll walk up to the Duke, seduce him-“

“Oi, oi, oi,” Levi cut her off abruptly. “No one said anything about you seducing him!”

Hange gave him a disappointed look. “I told you before that I’m planning to get inside his bedroom. How did you think I would manage to accomplish that?”

“I don’t know.” Levi said, glaring at Hange dangerously. “But I didn’t think my wife would be seducing anyone.”

“Levi, stop this,” Hange chided him. “It’s very cute that you’re jealous, but it’s really unnecessary now.”

Levi narrowed his eyes. “What if he falls in love with you? What if he manages to steal you away from me?”

“Levi,” Hange took his hand, intertwining their fingers. “My dear and loving husband, with all due respect, I don’t think there is anyone dumb enough to fall in love with me, except you. And, there is no man or woman, who could manage to steal my heart again. It is and always will be yours.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know you’re crazy for me, four-eyes,” Levi turned away, feeling his cheeks redden under Hange’s loving gaze. They had been married for a long time, but his wife’s affection and her unconditional love towards him was still perplexing Levi. He chanced a glance in her direction and seeing the gentle smile on her lips, Levi couldn’t resist pressing his lips to that smile. “My heart is forever yours too.” He promised in a passionate whisper.

Hange’s smile grew even wider, her eyes lighting up with adoration. She leaned in to give Levi a loving and without a doubt a very long kiss, the one that would make his head spin and his lips itching to connect with hers once again. Levi closed his eyes, awaiting the feeling of Hange’s chapped but soft lips.

It never came.

Instead, he felt the roughness of Hange’s palm as she pressed her hand against his mouth.

“You’re distracting me,” she glared at him. Then fixing her glasses, and pointedly ignoring Levi’s disappointed and annoyed face, she continued. “As I was saying, after I manage to seduce the Duke, I’ll make him lead me to his bedroom, the moment we step in and I make sure there are no guards around, I’ll kill him and steal all of his treasures.”

“I doubt, it would be that easy,” Levi shook his head. “I should go with you.”

“Levi… I doubt he would agree to take us both to his bedroom.”

“Don’t be an idiot, four-eyes.” Levi flicked her nose lightly. “I meant that I would come with you to the castle, not help you to fucking seduce the Duke. I would be watching you from the rooftops. In case something happens, I’ll come to your rescue.”

“Ah, my knight in shining armor,” Hange sighed dreamily, laying her head on Levi’s shoulder.

“Whatever.” Levi mumbled, his hands moving to Hange’s waist to press her tighter to his chest.

 _______________________________________________________________

Seven days passed pretty quickly as Hange, Levi and a team of their trusted comrades worked hard to learn all ins and outs of Duke’s castle.

Soon, it was the evening of the ball and Hange skeptically studied herself in the mirror.

“Don’t you like it?” Moblit asked, noticing the look of discontent on Hange’s face.

“No!” she was quick to assure him. “You did a great job, Moblit!” And he really did, Hange looked good, well, she looked much better than usual, that’s for sure. But would it be enough to seduce the Duke?

Hange looked at herself again. The person she saw in the mirror looked like a stranger to her. Her hair was free out of its usual ponytail and cascaded on her shoulders in slight curls. Her eyes and lips were painted lightly, and her nails were cut and manicured. And she even wore a dress, for god’s sake! The dress was dark blue in color and the hemline of its skirt was reaching to her toes, the sleeves were long, and the cleavage wasn’t too revealing, but the dress was tight enough, hugging her in all the right places. Hange couldn’t remember when was the last time she wore a dress. Even as the daughter of a lord, Hange refused to wear such clothes, saying they were uncomfortable for climbing trees and riding a horse. But now she was wearing one, and Hange didn’t know how to feel about this. She felt… weird looking like this. This wasn’t her, this wasn’t how she dressed. But then again, it was kind of a point, right? She had to look different from her usual self, so the Duke wouldn’t recognize her.

“You look beautiful,” Moblit said, laying his hands on her shoulders and squeezing them. “The Duke would surely fall to your knees.”

“You actually think so?” Hange turned her head to look at Moblit, her expression troubled and doubtful. “I think I look like an idiot…”

“You aren’t wrong.” Levi’s voice came unexpectedly. Turning around, Hange saw him walking inside the room. He wore a long black cloak with hood, ready for the mission. His face was twisted in distaste as he looked at Hange more closely.

“I look that bad?” she asked, hanging her head. Despite everything, she hoped Levi would like her new attire. After all, he had never seen her in a dress before. Even on the day of their wedding, Hange wore a dirty green cloak.

“You look awful,” Levi came closer to her, pushing Moblit aside and grabbing her by the waist, turning around. “You look like some highborn lady, not a notorious criminal.”

Hange faced Levi with a slight pout on her face. “And what’s wrong with looking like a lady?”

“Because that’s not you. Why should I like your appearance if you look so different from your usual self?”

Hange smiled, understanding what Levi had tried to say. He didn’t like the dress, because it made Hange look too feminine and fragile, so very different from her real self. As she gazed at him, Hange felt her heart fill with love. It was very hard for her to resist the temptation of pressing her husband close to her and kissing him with all the passion she had. This action would ruin Moblit’s hard work – it would smudge the make-up on her face and it would destroy the dress. So she had to stop herself from devouring Levi. She had a mission. She needed to complete it.

“Well, do you think the Duke will like me?” Hange asked, turning to the mirror again.

“If he wouldn’t, then I’ll kill him for it.” Levi told her seriously.

Hange burst out laughing. “Goddamn it, Levi, you’re so cute!” she reached her hand and ruffled his hair, staring at him softly. Not for the first time, Hange wondered what she did to deserve such a loving and caring husband.

“It’s time to go,” Moblit reminded them quietly.

Damn it, Hange forgot he was still here.

Moblit walked up to her with a mask in his hands. Shit, she forgot about it as well. Hange was lucky she had Moblit to remind her about everything.

He carefully put a mask on her face, securing it with a ribbon on the back of her head.

“Thank you again, Moblit,” Hange said, when he was finished. “If this plan works out, half of it was achieved by you.”

Moblit brushed her off, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. “Just be safe, alright?” he asked, fixing her hair one last time.

“I’ll try.” Hange promised him before turning around and following Levi out of the room.

Once outside, they saw that Erwin was already waiting for Hange, standing beside a beautiful white carriage. He wasn’t wearing his mask yet, and when he saw Hange, his eyes widened almost comically.

“Hange, is that you?”

Hange laughed, amused by his reaction. She spun around, showing her long dress, and grinned at Erwin. “Am I pretty enough to accompany you, Sir Erwin?”

Erwin chuckled, bowing before Hange. “My lady, I have never been accompanied by a woman more beautiful than you.”

“You’re so full of shit,” Hange smacked his arm with a grin.

“I would never dare to lie to a lady,” Erwin protested, straightening his posture. “Are you ready to go?” he asked, extending his hand out to Hange.

She accepted his hand with a grateful smile, and climbed to the first step of the carriage. Before she could disappear inside, she turned to look at Levi, smiling at him.

“I’ll see you later, yeah?” Levi wasn’t going to ride with them, instead he would travel to castle by horse, before leaving it behind and climbing the castle walls.

Levi raised his eyebrow, looking at Hange questionably. “Aren’t you forgetting something, four-eyes?”

“Huh?” Hange mentally checked her belongings – she wore a mask and a dress, she put on her shoes, there was a dagger strapped to her thigh. What did she forget?

Seeing the confusion on her face, Levi huffed and walked up to the carriage, grabbing Hange by the arm and leaning closer to her.

“You forgot a good-luck kiss, you idiot,” he whispered, before pressing his lips swiftly to hers.

He walked away from her just as quickly as he came, but Hange stayed glued to the same spot for several long seconds, her fingers gingerly touching her lips that Levi had kissed just moments ago. She smiled and seeing that Levi was still watching her, Hange gave him a cheerful wave and then with a help from Erwin, she got inside the carriage, smiling softly the whole ride.

________________________________________________________________

Hange scanned the ballroom, slowly sipping her wine. The wine was awful, the one they had at home, the one they stole from a nearby lord’s castle last month was much better. Erwin left her to go and mingle with other nobles some time ago and Hange was getting impatient. A whole hour had passed and there was still no sign of Duke. Hange was expecting that the Duke would arrive late, but really? He was late for his own party for a whole goddamn hour!

Suddenly, the main door burst open and a tall man in golden doublet and white pants walked in. Hange recognized the Duke immediately. Even though he was wearing a stupid mask, his hideous beard and ugly square chin were unmistakable.

The moment Duke entered the room, he became surrounded with his guests. The men came to shake his hand and women hang onto him, giggling at his stupid jokes.

Hange turned away, trying not to show her distaste. She looked for Erwin and when she saw him, she nodded and moved closer to the Duke. He already sent his guests away and began walking around the huge ballroom, watching the festivities with an arrogant smirk.

Hange took another glass of wine, waiting for Duke to walk up to her.

She didn’t have to wait for long.

As she was finishing her second glass of wine, she suddenly felt a hand on a small of her back. Her first instinct was to elbow the bastard behind her, but, taking a deep breath to calm herself, Hange relaxed, reminding herself that was exactly what she had been trying to achieve.

So, she turned around and hoped that her smile didn’t look too forced. And even if it did, she hoped that Duke was stupid enough not to notice.

“I’ve never seen you here before,” the Duke drew out, staring Hange up and down. Hange felt another wave of annoyance stir inside her, when she saw where exactly Duke’s gaze was drawn to.

“It’s my first time visiting your lovely castle, my lord,” Hange told him in a sweet voice. The sound of her own voice made Hange cringe inwardly. If Duke was actually falling for it, then he was the biggest idiot Hange had ever seen.

“Well, it’s a great honor that a rare beauty such as you decided to grace my house with your presence.” The Duke bowed before her, his hand outstretched. “Would honor me with a dance, fair lady?”

Hange resisted the urge to huff and roll her eyes. She smiled slightly, imagining what Levi would say about Duke. There probably would be a lot of insults and obscenities.

However, she accepted Duke’s invitation, trying to move as gracefully as possible. Her father used to hire countless teachers so little Lady Hange would learn how to dance properly. And Hange used to run away from all of them, hiding somewhere in a castle with a book in her hand.

Now she cursed her refusal to attend dance classes in her childhood, as Erwin had spent the whole week trying to teach her, and Hange still wasn’t confident moving around the room.

Thankfully, the song wasn’t too fast and the Duke didn’t stand in a proper position, instead taking Hange’s hand into his and laying another one on her waist, pressing her close to him. They started to slowly move around, and even though, the feeling of Duke’s hands on her repulsed Hange, she tried not to show the distaste on her face. If Duke got so close to her that meant her plan was working and Hange should be happy about it. Still, she couldn’t help but think that she would enjoy dancing a lot more, if it was Levi, who was pressed against her.

As they spun around, the Duke leaned in, whispering in her ear. “Do you wish to see my bedroom? There is a hidden room there that leads to my treasury. There lie riches you’ve never seen before. Do you want to take a look at it?”

Hange was glad that Duke was too close to her and thus couldn’t see her face. Because she couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes at his words. It was the worst pick-up line she had ever heard.

Gritting her teeth and closing her eyes, Hange tightened her hands around Duke. “I would love to, my lord.” She whispered back, trying to keep her voice as sultry as possible.

The Duke chuckled victoriously and Hange looked around the ballroom, trying to ignore the awful sound. Suddenly, at the edge of a ballroom Hange saw a small dark figure. Her eyes widened and her heart began to beat louder as she realized who it may be. Before she could take a better look, though, the figure started moving, faster than Hange eyes could follow, and soon it disappeared behind a door.

In the next moment, the song ended and Duke finally stepped away from Hange. He didn’t let go of her hand, though.

“Shall we go, my lady?” he asked, looking hungrily at her.

Hange swallowed and smiled brilliantly at him. “After you, my lord.”

 ______________________________________________________________

Levi stood in a shadow, watching Hange. She hadn’t noticed him yet, too preoccupied with staring at the big door, waiting for the moment of Duke’s arrival. Actually, no one seemed to notice Levi yet. Except for Erwin, of course. The blonde saw him the moment Levi stepped into the room, walking out of the back door. Erwin made eye contact with him and smirked amusedly, a knowing look in his eyes. Levi immediately looked away, embarrassed to be found so quickly. Thankfully, Erwin returned to his conversation with other nobles, only occasionally glancing at Levi. And he didn’t alert Hange of his presence, which thank fucking god he didn’t. Levi would never hear the end of it, if Hange found out that he came to spy on her.

He just couldn’t help but be worried about her. He didn’t doubt her abilities, of course, but still. He felt better when she was close. That way, even if something happens, Levi would be there to help her.

Levi looked away from Hange when a big door on the other side of the ballroom burst opened. A tall man walked in, his hips swaggering slightly, a wide arrogant smirk on his lips. Levi felt his own lips curl in disgust. It was definitely Duke, his ugly blonde beard visible even under that hideous mask of his.

Soon the man left his guests and started walking around the ballroom. Levi tensed, when he saw that Duke was headed towards Hange. With narrowed, angry eyes he watched how the Duke slowly made his way to Hange, how he came to stand too close to her, how he put his hand where it didn’t fucking belong to.

Levi seethed when the Duke started leading Hange towards the center of the ballroom, his hand holding hers. And when they started dancing, when Levi saw how close they stood to each other, he had to take a deep breath and remind himself that all of it was part of a mission. Hange had planned this, was counting on the events turning this way, and Levi had no choice but to accept it. Even it was really hard to stop himself from marching up to them, breaking them apart, and then punching the annoying asshole. He wanted to break Duke’s arms too to teach him a lesson on how to keep them to himself.

Levi continued to watch them move around the dancefloor, and he couldn’t help but feel envious. Hange never danced with him, she never wore a dress for him, she never even tried to look beautiful for him.

Levi shook his head, trying to get these thoughts out of his head. He was being fucking ridiculous right now. So what if they have never danced together? Hange was always affectionate with him, hugging his shoulders or holding his hand. Dancing was a lot like hugging, only they had to move while doing it. And Levi actually meant it, when he told her that he didn’t like her in a dress. She looked like a complete stranger, so unlike the Hange he fell in love with. His Hange wore dirty stinky clothes, and her face was often covered in mud or god knows what, her hair almost constantly greasy and put into a messy ponytail. That was his Hange, Hange he knew and loved. His Hange didn’t have to do anything to make herself look more beautiful to him. She was already the most beautiful woman Levi had ever seen. Her eyes would not shine brighter, if she painted them, her smile wouldn’t become prettier, if she put on a lipstick, her body wouldn’t become more desirable to Levi, if she wore a lengthy fabric over it.

Levi got so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn’t notice that Hange was staring right at him, her eyes wide behind the mask. Levi quickly ducked behind the nearest column and then swiftly disappeared behind the door. Shit, he almost got caught.

However, it was really the time for him to go, the song was ending anyway, and if everything was going accorded to Hange’s plan, the Duke will soon lead her to his bedroom. And that meant Levi had to get ready.

 _______________________________________________________________

Hange followed after the Duke, impatient to get inside his bedroom. She couldn’t wait to be left alone with him, so she could finally throw away her disguise and kill the man. It was very tempting to cut his throat while they were walking through the lengthy corridor, dumping his body in one of the many dark corners of the castle. But Duke had promised to show her the treasury and Hange needed his key to the room. The Duke was stealing from his people for too long and Hange was determined to return the wealth back to its original owners.

When the door finally closed behind them, Hange sighed in relief. Or, she would have sighed in relief, if the Duke didn’t immediately press her against the door.

“I want to see your face,” he whispered passionately to her, his hands grabbing Hange’s mask and throwing it off her face, before she could stop him.

To his credit, Duke wasn’t as big of an idiot as Hange hoped he would be. Less than in a second, his eyes shone with recognition and Hange saw that he was already opening his mouth. She knew what would happen next. The fucking fool would start shouting, alerting his guards. She couldn’t let that happen.

So she pressed one hand to his mouth, and she used another one to raise her skirt and take her dagger out. She pressed the sharp edge to the Duke’s neck.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” she whispered to him. The Duke’s eyes were opened wide, as he stared at Hange in terror. “I need you to show me the way to your treasury. If you will be a good boy and keep your mouth shut, maybe I’ll think about letting you live.” The last part was obviously bullshit, the man in front of her deceived thousands of people, condemning them to the life in poverty and fear. Hange would never forgive him for his crimes.

“Nod, if you understand.” Hange requested from the Duke. When he gave her a shaky nod, Hange smiled at him. “See, we can work together! Now I’ll take my hand away and you’ll show me your secret room, alright? But if you make even the smallest pip, I’ll paint your pristinely clean room with your own goddamn blood, understood?”

The man nodded again, his eyes filling with tears. Hange rolled her eyes, he was so pathetic.

“Let’s go then!” Hange exclaimed, taking her hands off him and shoving him further into a room.

 _______________________________________________________________

Levi sat on a roof, observing the window of Duke’s room. His eyes widened as he saw the door opening, and then Hange being pressed against that door. He waited a second, expecting Hange to punch the asshole, but after a long second they remained in the same position. Levi couldn’t see what was going on, the Duke’s wide back hiding Hange from him. But whatever was going on, it wasn’t good. The Duke was still alive, still standing close to her. Why hadn’t she acted yet? Did he do anything to her? Without thinking and with his heart in his throat, Levi moved faster than lighting. He jumped from the roof, landing softly on the balcony of the Duke’s room.

Neither Hange, nor Duke seemed to hear his arrival, and Levi entered the room, crossing it in a few short strides and coming to stand behind Duke. In the next second, Levi plunged his dagger deep inside Duke’s chest. The man slowly fell to the floor and with him out of the way Levi could finally see Hange.

He could quite clearly see Hange now, especially the furious glare she was giving him.

“What the fuck did you do?” she asked angrily, her hands on her hips. “I almost made him show me his treasury!”

“Huh? I thought… I thought he attacked you?” Levi scratched his head awkwardly, as it had suddenly occurred to him that he may have misunderstood the situation.

Hange sighed deeply, moving past him to walk further in the room. “I had everything under control,” she said. “Well, it can’t be helped then. We have to find the treasury ourselves.”

“You… you are not angry with me?” Levi asked carefully.

Hange waved him off. “It’s fine. I see now how you could have misinterpreted the position we were in. If I had seen you in the same situation, with some pesky woman kissing my dear husband, I would probably act the same way.”

Levi raised his eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you would get jealous.”

“Oh, I would get so jealous!” Hange exclaimed. “If someone ever kisses you, I’d kill them without hesitation.”

“It turns out my wife is quite possessive.” Levi noted with a slight smirk.

“You’re not much better, husband.” Hange replied, grinning at him.

Levi huffed, walked over Duke’s dead body and came to stand beside Hange, grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers.

“Well, should we start searching for that fucking treasury, my dear wife?”

Hange replied with a delightful laugh. They took a lighted candle and began examining the room.

Turns out, they didn’t have to search for too long. The Duke proved to bw as much of an idiot as Levi and Hange had believed him to be. His secret room was hidden behind a bookshelf, and when Hange and Levi pushed it aside, they saw a small wooden door. Which wasn’t even locked. Opening it and walking inside, they appeared on long stairwell. When they slowly made their way towards the end of the stairs, Hange and Levi walked into another room and were shocked to see the amount of riches, lying around in that room.

Everywhere around them, they saw gold and jewelry. There was much more than they could possibly steal.

“It seems like we hadn’t thought about this part.” Levi noted.

“I couldn’t possibly imagine he was that rich!” Hange exclaimed. She looked at the pile of gold in front of her, scratching her chin thoughtfully. “I know how we can transport all of this.” She said after a few seconds. “Gather as much as you can and then stuff it into Erwin’s carriage.”

Levi looked skeptically at her. “Do you think he would let us do it?”

“Of course! It’s for a noble cause! Although, I probably need to warn him beforehand. Start carrying this crap to his carriage and I’ll go and talk to him. I’ll come back to help you.”

Hange turned around to leave, but Levi grabbed her by the sleeve.

He pointedly didn’t look at her, his head lowered, as he spoke quietly. “When we come back home… would you, um, would you like to have a dance with me?”

Hange stared at his bowed head, her hands pressed against her chest. They were married for seven goddamn years, but still it felt like she was falling in love with Levi more and more each day.

She took a step closer to him, laying her hands on his shoulders. Hange leaned in and kissed the crown of Levi’s head. Then she took his chin in her hands, making him look at her. She pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, before looking him in the eyes.

“I’ll dance with as long as you want,” she promised him in a whisper. “If you can endure me, constantly stepping on your toes, of course.” She finished with a grin.

Levi smirked in reply. “I think I can endure such harsh tortures for a chance of dancing with a fair lady such as you.”

“Oh, you’re such an insufferable asshole!” Hange cried out, laughing.

“And you still decided to marry me.” Levi reminded her.

“Yeah, I did,” Hange agreed with a smile, pressing a quick kiss to Levi’s lips.

[angelofthequeers]

Hold Me By Both Hands: Chapter 42

Disclaimer: I don’t own ML.

@smolplantmum tagged as requested :)

Chapter 41 | Chapter 43 | AO3 link

“Two different dates!” Tikki chirps as Marinette carefully slides the last bobby pin into her hair to hold her bun. “First this one, then the group one later this week! You’re a lucky girl, Marinette!”

“Yeah. Lucky.” Marinette leans closer to her mirror so that she can touch up her makeup.

“You’re…not excited?”

“Of course I am!” The thought of seeing Kagami soon is sending shivers down her spine, and it takes every scrap of willpower she has to keep her arm steady as she finishes off her mascara. Just a touch of lip gloss and then she’ll be done; she’s never been huge on caking on makeup, mostly because the feel of it on her skin is a constant, irritating presence that sends her spiralling into sensory overload. “I think I’m too excited. And having “oh my god, you slut” feelings.”

“Marinette!” Tikki gasps. “You’re not – no! And even if you were, how is that a bad thing so long as you’re not hurting anyone else?”

“I know!” Marinette screws the lid back on her lip gloss. “I don’t shame people. If they’re into that, they’re into that. I just…guess I’m still struggling with the “happily ever after with one person” thing? And I’m not ashamed but…you know…people would have a field day if they knew I was dating three people at once.”

“What does it matter what other people think?” Tikki says. “They have no say in your love life.”

“I know…” Marinette sighs as she undresses. The outfit she’s picked is a floaty, cropped pink blouse and a white skater skirt with her signature flowers around the hem, and all she can think as she slips into it is what if Kagami doesn’t like it? What if it’s too childish? Adrien and Luka are so laidback, but Kagami? She’s so…formal. She’s never objected to Marinette’s casual outfit, but this is a date. What exactly is Kagami going to wear?

“Here!” Tikki darts over to do the button at the nape of Marinette’s neck after a few moments of Marinette struggling to contort her arms to degrees that not even a god-powered superhero can manage. Nice to know that for all the power of the Ladybug Miraculous, it can’t allow Marinette to do up her own back buttons.

“Thanks, Tikki. Now I get to sit around and catastrophise until Kagami gets here.”

“What on earth could you be catastrophising about after Kagami told you to your face that she likes you?” says a bewildered Tikki.

“You know me, Tikki! I can freak out about anything!” Marinette’s shoulders slump. “I just…it’s Adrien all over again, in a way. I keep wondering if I’m good enough for someone like her, just like I freaked out about Adrien dancing with Chloé when Nino was akumatised.”

“Oh, Marinette.” Tikki zooms up to nuzzle against Marinette’s cheek. “You don’t give yourself nearly enough credit. You’re creative and clever and if Kagami didn’t think you were good enough, why would she have asked you out? If you weren’t good enough, why are three people interested in you?”

“Yeah but Luka and Adrien are…Luka and Adrien. And at least I’ve met Adrien’s father, so I at least impressed him with my hat beforehand. But Kagami’s mother? What if she decides that I’m not good enough for Kagami? Of course Adrien would be! He’s the cute, rich boy!”

“There’s not much she can do about it,” Tikki says. “Kagami’s a teenager. If her mother pushes too far, she’s bound to push right back. Remember how she lied about being at fencing with Adrien to visit Luka’s houseboat when Desperada attacked? Sure, Ms Tsurugi could forbid Kagami from being with you, but that’s not going to stop Kagami.”

“I know…which again brings me back to the “what if she decides I’m not worth it” thing. I know she doesn’t think that but…”

“But it’s hard to pull yourself out of that spiral.” Tikki presses a tiny kiss to Marinette’s cheek. “All you can do is tell her how you feel directly, Marinette. Then she can tell you what you need to hear.”

“Marinette! You’ve got a visitor!” Sabine calls from downstairs. Marinette yelps and fumbles for her purse, then grabs a pair of black flats, because her and heels are a match made in hell and she’ll probably end up breaking not only her neck but Kagami’s as well. She makes sure that Tikki’s safely in her purse before bolting downstairs as fast as safely possible, where Kagami’s waiting stiffly in the living room, and…wow. Just…wow.

“Kagami…” is all she can say. Sticking to her usual red and black theme, Kagami’s wearing a long-sleeved scarlet wrap top tied over what looks like a knee-length black dress, holding a pair of black shoes with a slight heel and a red clutch purse that looks brand new, as though purchased only because a fencing bag wouldn’t match her outfit. Topping off her outfit is the Dragon choker around her neck, blending in with Kagami’s palette so well that Marinette wouldn’t have even picked it as a Miraculous if she hadn’t known beforehand.

“Hello, Marinette,” Kagami says with an awkward smile. “You look very beautiful.”

“I – um – you thank – thanks, you too!” Marinette babbles. This is so unfair. How did she get three pretty people to like her?

“You’re sure about this, Marinette?” Sabine says, reaching out until Marinette crosses over and takes her hands, while Tom slides a thick arm around both of them. “When you told us that you’ve been dating Adrien…oh, we were so happy, because you’ve loved him for ages! But Luka and Kagami too? You’re sure this isn’t an experiment?”

“Mum!”

“We have to ask!” Tom holds his hands up. “Sabine and I don’t care how many people you date if it makes you happy, cupcake. We just want you to be sure.”

“I’m sure.” Marinette slips one hand free so that she can lean over and interlace her fingers with Kagami’s. Kagami’s cheeks flush and she looks down at the floor with a soft smile. “Trust me, I’ve torn my hair out over this for months now, and we’ve all talked about it and made sure we’re all on the same page. I like Adrien and Luka and Kagami, and I don’t want to have to choose one when we can all be happy together.”

Sabine smiles and rests her forehead against Marinette’s for a moment, just like she used to do when Marinette was a child. The familiarity of the action leaves Marinette breathless for a moment, transported back to the days when things were so…simple. When she wasn’t in love or putting on a magical spotted mask to fight a butterfly supervillain.

“So long as you’re sure, qiānjīn,” Sabine says. “You know your father and I will support you no matter what.”

“Even if that involves moving to New York and letting people make fun of our English,” Tom adds. Sabine rolls her eyes and elbows him.

“Just get going,” Sabine says, letting go of Marinette’s hand. “Before your father pulls out the baby photos.”

“Great idea!” Tom claps his hands. “Where did I put them?”

“Nope!” Marinette yanks Kagami along. “Gotta go, bye, be back by ten!”

Kagami’s red car is waiting outside, and after she and Kagami slip their shoes on before stepping outside, it’s a mind-screw for Marinette when she peers inside as Kagami holds the back door open for her and she finds that there’s…no driver. What?

“Ah,” says a voice. Marinette almost jumps out of her skin upon noticing the woman sitting in the backseat, dressed in a loose, long-sleeved white blouse tucked into red pants, with dark shades covering her eyes. “You must be Miss Dupain-Cheng.”

“Um – hi!” Marinette waves, then gulps and lowers her hand when she realises that the woman can’t exactly see her action. “Yeah, that’s me! Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”

“Just be yourself,” Kagami whispers against the nape of Marinette’s neck as Marinette ducks into the car. “Treat her as you would any adult.”

“Tatsue, to the Scarlet Dragon restaurant,” Tomoe Tsurugi says once Kagami has shut the door after her and she and Marinette are buckled in.

“Very well, Ms Tsurugi,” says a robotic voice, and the car takes off smoothly from the sidewalk.

“Whoa,” Marinette breathes. “That’s so cool.” She shakes her head and offers her hand to Tomoe. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms Tsurugi.”

Tomoe’s grip is firm, self-assured without being overwhelmingly tight, and although the handshake only lasts for a moment, Marinette’s left very sure that this isn’t a woman she wants to cross.

“And what do you believe makes you worthy of my daughter, heir of the Tsurugi family?” Tomoe says. Marinette gulps.

“I, um…” she stammers. Kagami takes her hand and squeezes, injecting her with just enough courage to keep talking. “I’ve designed glasses and an album cover for Jagged Stone…Gabriel Agreste and Audrey Bourgeois approved of my hat design…”

Tomoe clicks her tongue. “You talk with uncertainty. You speak of your achievements without letting them speak for you. What makes you worthy of Kagami?”

Marinette squares her shoulders. Tomoe wants a good brag? Well, she’s going to get it. “I don’t care about Kagami’s name,” she says. “Just like I don’t care about Adrien’s name, even though his backing could jumpstart my career. My uncle is a famous Chinese chef and I’ve made connections of my own merit. I’m creative enough to get out of sticky situations and I always keep my promises no matter the pressure, unless I physically can’t. I speak up when someone needs to raise their voice because all that’s necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. And I promise you that even though Kagami can protect and speak for herself, I’ll always do everything in my power to protect her and stand up for her against evil, whether it’s an akuma or another person. I promise that even though I’m dating two other people as well and Kagami’s also dating one of them, I’ll never make your daughter feel left out or like she’s an afterthought. She’s just as important to me as my other two partners.”

Once she’s finished her speech, Marinette lets herself sag against the scarlet car seat, taking in gulps of air to try and balance the way her head’s starting to spin. Kagami’s firm grip is an anchor against the impassive face of Tomoe Tsurugi as she assesses Marinette, seeming to be able to peer straight into Marinette’s core despite being unable to physically see her. Then Tomoe gives the barest hint of a smile, and Marinette melts even further into the seat.

“Good,” Tomoe says. “Anyone can list what they’ve done, but not everyone can speak of who they are.”

“So…you approve of me?” Marinette says.

“I didn’t say that. It takes a lot to earn my approval, Miss Dupain-Cheng. But you don’t have my disapproval.”

“Um…thanks?”

The car ride to the restaurant is silent after that. Thankfully, before Marinette can begin to fear that Tomoe will join them inside and watch over Kagami on their date, Kagami bows and says goodbye to her mother and then shuts the car door.

“That was probably the scariest moment of my life,” Marinette laughs weakly as she and Kagami enter the restaurant. “I felt like she was going to eat me alive.”

“You did brilliantly, Marinette,” Kagami says. “You were confident and spoke highly of yourself without boasting. Mother will definitely like you eventually.”

“Eventually?”

“Don’t worry. It took her a bit to warm to Adrien, and that’s with our parents being friends. It’s nothing that you did.”

Once they’re seated, Marinette’s tempted to grab a menu and pull the old nervous trick of hiding behind it to spend the whole date deciding what she wants to order. But no, after her speech in the car to Tomoe, she’s not going to just back down and give in to her anxiety now.

“I’m surprised she let you out in the first place,” Marinette says.

“So am I,” Kagami says. “But I think she feels that a romantic relationship is different enough from friendship. Her only condition was that she meet you and judge you herself. I’m just glad she didn’t care that I’m attracted to girls.”

“That was super brave of you, Kagami.” Marinette dares to reach across the table and link their fingers, and Kagami once more blushes and looks down with a small smile. Then she clears her throat and looks back at her menu.

“I’ll get the kamo nanban,” she says. “It’s my favourite dish. My comfort food, you could say.”

“Yeah, why try something new and risk not liking it when you can stick to what you know you like?” Marinette grins. Kagami nods rather vigorously and accidentally kicks Marinette’s leg under the table.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Kagami jerks back as though she’d been burned. “My apologies, Marinette.”

“Hey!” Marinette grabs Kagami’s hand again and smiles in what she hopes is a reassuring manner. “Don’t apologise. Never apologise for stimming, Kagami. You don’t have to mask around me.”

A rare, wide smile spreads across Kagami’s face. “Thank you, Marinette. I’ve never been given permission to, um…stim. I always get scolded for not being a proper young lady and I guess I just…forgot that I don’t have to pretend around my friends.”

Marinette smiles back at Kagami, then returns to figuring out what she wants to eat. “I’ll get the beef teriyaki,” she says after a moment, since it’s probably the only Japanese dish she’s ever eaten apart from instant ramen, which she’s pretty sure doesn’t count. “And I’ll just get a lemonade to drink.”

“So will I. Mother never lets me have sugary drinks like that.” There’s a small gleam in Kagami’s eyes as she adds, “I’m being a rebellious teenager and drinking lemonade.”

“That’s just sad,” Marinette giggles.

Once the waiter has arrived and taken their orders, the girls lapse into a comfortable silence. Kagami’s now freely playing footsies with Marinette under the table and rocking ever so slightly in her seat, a blissful little smile on her face, and the sight of her relaxed and open like this is so radiant that for a moment, Marinette can’t even remember her own name.

“You’re beautiful,” Marinette’s mouth says without permission. Now Kagami’s cheeks are as red as her top.

“Thank you, Marinette,” Kagami says and squeezes Marinette’s hand. “Not just for the compliment. Thank you for this date. I know we’ve all been open about our feelings but…there was still a part of me that was scared that I’d be the “spare” partner. You and Luka are similar but different, whereas I sometimes feel like I could be interchanged with Adrien, since we’re so incredibly similar. And Luka and Adrien were always options for you from the time you met them.”

“No! Never!” Marinette says immediately. “You’re not a female Adrien. You’re also similar but different, Kagami. And just because I fell for Luka and Adrien when I met them doesn’t mean that you’re any less important. I guess it was…well, easy to fall for them. But that doesn’t make you any lesser than them.”

“I know that rationally. It was just…hard to convince myself. For such a logical person, I can be quite irrational.”

“Yeah, it’s called being human,” Marinette says. “I meant what I said to your mother, Kagami. You’re just as important to me as Adrien and Luka, and I promise I’ll never leave you out or put my relationships with Adrien and Luka above ours. And I give you permission to slap me if I mess up.”

Kagami giggles. Has Marinette ever heard her giggle before? Laugh, yes, but never giggle. It suits her.

“I don’t think a slap will be necessary,” Kagami says. “But don’t worry, I will make my displeasure very obvious.”

“Good,” Marinette says. “You know what they say about “normal” people: they can’t communicate to save their lives.”

That one makes Kagami laugh so hard that she slumps in her seat and attracts odd looks from the middle-aged blonde couple sitting a few tables over. Whether it was the actual words or the air quotes, Marinette has no idea. All she knows is that she’s going to spend every moment of her life from now on trying to tease out this gorgeous laugh from Kagami whenever she can, and she’ll damn well die trying if it comes to that.

[bitternessbitesback]

Fed Up

AO3 FFN

Summary: Laney is just so tired of everything. Especially of constantly being mistaken for a guy by everybody, so when Corey says they are entering a 'boy-band' competition she can't help but reflect on some things.

Pairing: Laney/Corey

Chapters: 1/1

        Laney was tired. Tired of people misgendering her, of Trina calling them a 'boy band', of everything. Honestly the only solace in her life sometimes was the knowledge that her band mates knew she was a girl, but didn't care if she acted unladylike most of the time. Or at least that's what she thought, before Corey came up with another one of his stupid schemes. Seriously they were pretty much an everything band due to all of his crazy ideas that somehow end up working. His can do attitude is one of the things that made her fall for him, yet it was also one of the reasons she was upset with him now. 

        Her and Corey were close as could be, best friends since diapers, together through thick and thin despite everything they've been through. She was around when Trina still went by "Katrina" and was actually a nice person, though that seemed so long ago now. Now she was crazy and the redhead was positive the older teen needed to be institutionalized, though Laney supposed she was getting a bit off track. 

        You see, her whole life people had mistaken her gender, but they were mostly strangers so it didn't really matter to her what they thought she was. Yeah, she probably didn't help with her perpetually short hair, refusal to conform to gender roles and what was expected of her. Usually she let it slide because she got it, she was at that weird age where people couldn't really tell what gender you were. Hell, that kid Larry from the Newmans was mistaken for a girl sometimes! Still... although it didn't hurt when strangers did it, it certainly did when her own band mates apparently got confused. It all started earlier today actually, when Corey came bursting through the garage yelling excitedly about a new gig he booked. 

"Yes!" Kon exclaimed as Kin yelled, "That's awesome!"

"Wow! Really Core?" Laney questioned, "What's the gig?"

"There's a Boy Band competition coming to Peaceville and Mayor Mellow asked us to preform!" He told them, confused as to how the excited energy immediately dissipated.

"We're not a boy band though." She told him as her mood turned sour.

'"Yeah, but that's an easy fix Lanes! People already mistake you for a guy anyway so what's the harm?"

"What's the harm?" She was incredulous! How dare he say that? Laney scoffed as she crossed her arms and fixed her best friend with a glare.

Corey, bless his oblivious heart, continued on despite the tension floating around. "Yeah fella! Nobody will even find out, we could win the prize, and get our name out there!"

"Nobody would find out?" She couldn't stop the look of disbelief before it crossed her face as she simply stared at him for a moment before continuing, "As if! People always realize I'm a chick after, like, five seconds of speaking with me! Besides, "fella", half of our songs have me sharing vocals with you. If they didn't figure it out after we got on stage then they sure would after I sang!"

"Hey, Lanes, calm down." He put his hands up in defense as if that would actually work.

"No Corey! This isn't one of your crazy schemes that somehow end up working! What will we do when the fans we gain from the competition find out I'm a girl? They'll feel betrayed at the fact we lied to them and so will the judges and everybody else! If we ended up winning they would just take the trophy away and we would probably lose all of our fans! So let me ask you one more time, is there really going to be no harm from doing this?"

        Corey seemed stunned into silence as he stood, gaping at her like a fish, and unsure about what to say to calm the fiery redhead down. Laney and him rarely ever fought, and when they did it never escalated to this degree so everyone was unsure what to do about it. Kin and Kon exchanged nervous looks between themselves as Laney attempted to calm down and Corey simply stood as if frozen in place. They all stayed like that for half a minute before their killer bass player stormed out of the garage, taking the icy atmosphere with her, but leaving the tension.

        So here she was now, moping in her very pink room, hugging her horned stuffed bear to her chest. How on Earth was the blue haired singer so dumb? After everything they'd been through, she was sure Corey had finally been starting to see her as a girl! She participated in a beauty pagent for him, they were able to perform in girl fest because of her, and she really hoped he'd see her as a girl especially after they accidentally kissed! It seemed like he liked it, but maybe that was just her fantasy jading her memory? Plus they haven't talked about it since and now this whole boy band thing, Laney was beginning to think maybe she'd been wrong in her perception of her long-time crush.

        Getting up, the green eyed girl walked over to her vanity, and sat on the stool to look in the mirror easily. Leaning in, the young girl scrutinized her face. As she gazed upon her reflection, she couldn't help but wonder how the confusion on her gender happened so easily. She didn't have a mustache! Her voice was a little on the raspy side, sure, but it was still obviously feminine. Even boys who haven't gone through puberty yet had deeper voices than her! It honestly wasn't that  hard to figure out, yet people keep doing it! Was it cause she almost never wore a dress? Or cause she wore her red leggings as pants all the time, heaven forbid a woman not wear a skirt! Gasp! 

        It wasn't fair that if she didn't wear dresses, have long hair, or put on nicer makeup, she was automatically deemed a guy. Like, what was up with that! She was still a girl even if she played basketball, was in a band, and wore heavy black eye makeup! She also liked the color pink, her stuffed animals, her dollhouse her dad made for her, and her tea set too. So what if she enjoys mud fights with the guys, roughhousing with them, and letting her wild side out. If that makes her less of a girl, well that's stupid. Girls aren't meant to sit still, silent, and looking pretty for their whole lives. What an awful fate for her gender to have! 

        Why did girls have to be one dimensional while boys got to be practically anything they wanted. Yes, Laney likes girly things and wanted to be treated like a lady sometimes, but she also likes guy things and enjoys being seen as one of the guys. What was wrong with that? Why couldn't people just leave well enough alone and care about themselves? It was nobody's business how she presents herself and they should all just butt out!

        The redheaded girl was trying to calm down, but not she's angry all over again. It's all Corey's fault too! How dare he say they could pull off being a 'boy band'! How ridiculous honestly. Sure, he's not always the brightest, but this is a new low even for him. No, she wasn't saying he was stupid, he was just so obtuse sometimes! Only ever hearing what he wants and never listens to her! In case he forgot, starting up a band was her idea! She even found out about Kin and Kon a couple months later in the music classroom! Yes, Corey's the band leader, but she's the band founder and manager. Without her none of this would be possible. Hell! Half of his schemes wouldn't work without her reluctant help!

        Sighing, Laney gets up, walks over to her bed, and flops face first onto it. She started the band and she loves it  so much, but maybe it was time for a break from it for a little while. She doesn't want to quit, but she's just so exhausted of everything that comes with being in a band. The harebrained schemes, her unrequited crush, and the toll she didn't realize came with being 'one of the guys'. More than anything though, she was really upset at the fact said crush didn't think anything of her pretending to be a guy, as if it were easy! As her best friend, he should've known that the gig would make her upset. She didn't even know why Mayor Mellow suggested it in the first place since he knows that she's a girl! 

        Maybe they should perform, just, you know, without her. That way they could still compete and it wouldn't be a breach of rules. She didn't want them to though and that was where the problem lay. Of course she couldn't ask them to turn down a gig or perform without her, but she couldn't go up there and pretend to be a guy either. This was just one of Corey's crazy schemes she just couldn't get behind this time. Laney put her foot down and meant every word that she said, even if they couldn't do a gig, just this once. The girl really hoped she had gotten through to the blue haired boy of her dreams. Although it was unlikely something actually got through that thick skull of his, she still hoped it had nonetheless. 

        Suddenly a feeling of dread began to sprout within her, regret rooting in place of anger. Did she go too far earlier? Should she have not yelled at Corey? Was he upset with her now for rejecting his idea so quickly and now he'd never speak to her again? With a gasp Laney shot up from her bed as another terrible thought entered her brain, what if her wanted to kick her out of the band now? She knows she wanted a break, but that was just a fantasy! The last time she had a break from the guys, she had no idea what to do with herself, she missed them too much. If he kicked her out of the band, then who would she eat lunch with in the cafeteria at school? Kate and Ally wouldn't let her near then once she was no longer a member, and she legit only had three friends! Oh gosh, no one would want to talk to her either and she'd end up being ostracized! Not even Larry from the Newmans would take pity on her situation, she bet he didn't stand up to Carrie, he was far too shy to even think about it. 

        Oh god what did she do! She's probably just lost the only friends she's ever had and will die alone with fifty cats to keep for company since no one would ever want to hangout with a band reject! Or worse, she could live on the streets, jobless since she was never able to finish high school and her parents kick her out for being such a loser! Laney tried telling herself to breathe and calm down, but it wasn't working. She was spiraling and didn't know how to stop. Her poor bear was getting the life squeezed out of him, but it wasn't her fault! Should she go and apologize to the guys? It'd probably be better to go now rather than waiting and having her nightmares become reality. 

        Once more the girl stands up, taking a deep breath, and walks over to her vanity. She was shocked to see smeared makeup, evidence of her crying that she didn't even know she was doing. Quickly she removed her makeup and reapplied it, an attempt to look as presentable as possible so as to not let anyone know just how affected she really was by all of this. Upon finishing her self imposed task, Laney ran down the stairs and towards the front door, opening it, shocked to see-

"Corey?" She questioned, his hand still up in the air as if to knock.

"L- Laney!" He exclaimed as a shocked look taking place on his features.

"What... are you doing here?" 

"I, uh, came to apologize. For before. I wasn't thinking and I shouldn't have accepted the offer in the first place."

"I'm sorry too Core, I took it too far."

"No, Lanes, you were rightfully angry. I went and talked to Mayor Mellow and backed out of the competition."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you were right, we shouldn't trick our fans. Besides, while Kin, Kon, and I could compete on our own, we wouldn't want to. So please don't quit the band!"

"Why would I quit the band?"

"Cause I was insensitive and wasn't listening to you?"

"Core," Laney reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "You never listen to my very right arguments against your ideas."

"That's different cause you're the band manager, you have to reject my crazy ideas at first before going along with them! Not get genuinely upset with me..."

"Corey..."

"No, Laney, it's not your fault, so don't apologize. I'm sorry."

"Thank you... for apologizing. Though, as my best friend you should know better than to pull that crap."

"Yeah, haha," He agreed while his hand went up to rub the back of his head, "Yeah, I should. It was wrong of me to say that there'd be no harm since people mistake you anyway. I know I'm not always the most attentive person in the world and have a terrible case of tunnel vision, but I do know how much it secretly bothers you when people do misgender you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Right, sure dude. As if I don't see you check your reflection every time someone messes up on your gender when you think no one is looking."

The bassist was simply silent for a second before joking, "Wow, way to call me out Core."

"Haha, gotta take the rare chance when it pops up."

"Yeah, that's fair." Suddenly the redhead looked up at her best friend, revelation shining in her eyes as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink, "Why were you looking at me during those times?"

"I wanted to see if you were okay," He shrugged nonchalantly, "Besides I'm always looking at you."

"What?" If possible Laney's face turned even redder and it seemed like the situation finally clicked in Corey's brain.

"Wait! No. Not it the creepy way! Just... in... the normal way?"

"Normal way?" Ah, yes, giving him a hard time was the sure fire way to get over her own embarrassment.

"Ye- yeah! You know, ca- cause you're interesting and my best friend! And you know, sometimes when you're thinking really hard sometimes you make funny faces that are fun to watch."

"Oh, really now?"

        It was rare for them to be in this position, Corey blushing like crazy and Laney being the one teasing him. Sure some of the things he said were embarrassing for her too, but she filed away that information to process later when she was alone. Though it seemed like he was avoiding saying anything else for now lest he say something else even more embarrassing. So they stood there for what seemed like forever, simply staring at each other.

        Corey then did something she never expected as he glanced down at her lips and his tongue danced out on his own, which of course made Laney look down at his in turn. Was it just her, or did the space between them seem to be getting smaller? The bassist wasn't sure who moved first even though it didn't seem to matter much at the moment as all she could think about was how her long time crush was currently looking at her like he very much wanted to kiss her. It took all her willpower to stop her brain from short circuiting as she placed her hands on his chest, searching his eyes for some kind of prank or hint that this wasn't really what she thought was happening. She didn't see anything negative when she probed so she couldn't help but reach her arms up and hook them around his neck loosely to pull him closer as she leaned up on her tiptoes. Roughly a couple inches left of space, he green eyes fluttered closed, heart nearly pounding out of her chest as-

"Corey?" "Laney?" Two voices simultaneously called out causing both the bassist and singer to split apart, faces a bright as Laney's hair.

        Kin and Kon were looking at them, bewildered at the scene before them. Everybody just stood, glancing nervously at each other, unsure about what to do about the situation. 

"Uhh..." Corey helpfully supplied. Laney gave an awkward smile and looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"Alright Core! Thanks for the apology, see you all at band practice tomorrow, bye!" Laney exclaimed before running back into her house, up into her room, flopping down onto her bed, and screaming simultaneously out of excitement and frustration. 

        To think she almost kissed Corey on purpose this time and those dumb twins just had to interrupt! Couldn't they have waited until after her and the singer kissed? Like, seriously, the universe must be having hell of a laugh right now. Shaking her head, she let out a sigh of longing, and a goofy grin overtook her face as she smiled into her pillow. Maybe she wasn't such a hopeless romantic after all? Just a sap.

[theeeveetamer]

Personally I'm so down for cute family shit. Maybe seeing the Forrest/Kiragi/etc sibling dynamic?

I’m such a sucker for cute family Leokumis

Relevant Tags: Omegaverse, Alpha!Leo, Omega!Takumi, Alpha!Kiragi, Omega!Forrest, Mama Bear Takumi, mentioned sexual harassment

AO3 Link for the interested: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15954623/chapters/39561847

He wasn’t really sure what he’d been expecting when he arrived at the school. Maybe something about their youngest son goofing off in class, or interrupting the teacher, or heck even getting caught cutting last period. What he didn’t expect was to see his son’s blonde hair and clothes stained with mud, or the beginnings of a black eye marring his tanned skin.

“Kiragi! Gods, what happened to you?”

His son was sitting in one of the chairs in the school’s office, arms crossed and fuming. Takumi knelt down in front of him and pulled his chin up so he could get a better look at the bruise forming around his left eye. There was also a bit of blood on his lip and it was slightly swollen.

“Papa! Stop, I’m fine!” He swatted the hand away testily.

Takumi sighed. He didn’t seem too hurt at least, aside from the split lip and black eye. And his irritable attitude. But he’d been a bit of a pain ever since he presented as an Alpha, and what fourteen year old boy wasn’t?

“What happened?” He turned to the principal. It wasn’t a question, he was far too furious to be polite. His baby was bloodied and hurt and he demanded answers.

“We would prefer to wait until your mate arrives.”

“You’re making Leo leave work for whatever this is?” He growled deep in his throat. “What, you think I’m not capable of handling my son because I’m not an Alpha?”

The man shuffled uncomfortably under his indignant glare. He probably wasn’t used to taking the full brunt of a mother’s fury; The school explicitly tried to deal with Alpha or Beta parents first, and tended to leave Omegas out of the equation. It was such a ridiculous policy; He didn’t even work, and Leo couldn’t leave his job for every little incident. Hell, he and Leo had fought tooth and nail to get them to call him at all for situations like this.

“No, of course not but–”

“I got in a fight, papa.” Kiragi interrupted quickly, probably to stop the brewing storm. Once he got started, there was no stopping him, really.

“Well I can see that kiddo!” He turned back around toward his son, exasperated. “What was the fight about?”

The principal felt the need to intervene once again, clearing his throat and standing a little straighter.

“Your son attacked another student.”

He glanced quickly between Kiragi and the principal, and tried to keep his voice under control.

“Why did you do that?”

“He was harassing Forrest, papa! They cornered him in the bathroom and tried flipping up his dress!”

His eyes softened, and all of his rage immediately melted away.

“Be that as it may, we do not find this kind of behavior acceptable and–”

Aaaaand then it was back again. Tenfold.

“Wait… You’re punishing Kiragi for defending his brother? What about the boys harassing my son? Why aren’t they here?”

“Kiragi was the one who instigated the fight.”

“And the people who harassed my son? Where are they?”

“We’ll be dealing with them separately.”

“You mean you’ll be going easy on them! What, because Forrest is an Omega it’s okay if he gets assaulted on school grounds?! So what if he likes dressing like a girl, that doesn’t mean people get to treat him like shit!”

He was vibrating with rage, fists balled up at his sides and face flushed as he continued his tirade. The principal looked incredibly uncomfortable as he continued laying into him, spitting out every curse word and insult under the sun. He was a good deal taller than Takumi, but he was so angry that he couldn’t appreciate the comedy in a short little Omega like him craning his neck to yell directly in this Alpha’s face.

“–I have half a mind to-!”

He barely noticed the arrival of his mate in his righteous anger.

“Takumi! Takumi, love, what are you doing?” Leo all but ran into the room and grabbed him by the shoulders. He gently pulled him away from the man.

“Some boys assaulted Forrest, and Kiragi is getting punished for it!”

“Now that’s not–” The principal tried to defend himself, but Takumi interrupted him.

“Shut up!” He snarled. “I have had just about enough of Alphas like you! This is the third time Forrest has been harassed and your spineless administration has done nothing!”

“Shhh,” Leo leaned in close and nipped the back of his neck gently. The Omega whined in protest, but he did calm down marginally. “Takumi, why don’t you take Kiragi home, okay? I’ll handle things from here.”

“You don’t need to handle this for me.”

“I know you’re more than capable, love… But you really should get Kiragi’s eye treated before it starts swelling too much.”

“Fine.” He finally acquiesced. “But I’m taking Forrest home too. Gods forbid the school encounter another incident involving our children today. Come on Kiragi, we’re going.”

He nearly marched down the hall to Forrest’s classroom to grab him himself, but the woman manning the desk had the good sense to just call him to the office over the intercom.

There were a few minutes of impatient foot tapping – and him not-so-subtly trying to listen through the door – until Forrest arrived.

“Papa, what’s going on?” Their eldest son asked uncertainty as he came down the hall with his backpack.

“Nothing, baby. We’re going home early. Do you have all of your stuff?”

He nodded and Takumi marched out to the car, grumbling to himself about “how Leo was going to go too easy on that spineless principal”.

It was a very short, very tense drive home. He could see Kiragi twiddling his thumbs in the back through the rear view mirror. Forrest must have realized what had transpired, because he was also quiet as a mouse and staring intently down at his lap.

They’d just pulled into the driveway when he finally spoke up.

“Papa? Is Kiragi in trouble for fighting?”

“What? What gave you that idea?”

“You just seem really upset about it, is all… Look, it’s not his fault.”

“Don’t worry baby, I’m not mad at him. I’m proud of him, actually.” He turned around to face them as best he could from the front seat of the car. “In fact, why don’t we all go do something fun tomorrow? Whatever you guys want, you’ve earned it.”

Their faces lit up; Kiragi nodded eagerly and Forrest just beamed at him from the back seat. “Alright, papa!”

They both grabbed their backpacks and ran inside. Or, Kiragi ran. Forrest did his best to keep up, but he still wasn’t too used to wearing heels around.

Takumi took the moment alone by himself to cool down. As angry as he was at the school, he didn’t want to let it affect his children.

Takumi paused outside of the bathroom when he finally entered the house. Forrest was dabbing at Kiragi’s eye with some disinfectant and an ice pack, and Takumi couldn’t help eavesdropping on their conversation.

“You know you didn’t have to get in a fight over it.”

“Of course I did! That guy can’t go around harassing my brother like that!”

“But you got hurt! Because of me!”

“You should see what I did to him!”

Takumi smiled as their eldest son laughed himself silly over the joke. He could just see Kiragi’s goofy little smile in his mind’s eye. Once the injuries were all taken care of they all settled into the living room and more or less went about their usual post-school routine.

Leo arrived home about a half an hour later. Kiragi had fallen asleep beside him watching TV and Forrest had just finished explaining to him what exactly had happened at school. It was more or less what Kiragi had already told him with a few added details.

As soon as his mate walked through the door though he excused himself went to their bedroom. They shut the door behind them, so the kids wouldn’t hear unless they came snooping. Leo dropped down onto the bed and sighed.

“I cannot believe they pulled me out of work for this.”

“Is your boss that upset? I told them that they didn’t have to call you over this…”

“It’ll be fine. And it’s probably a good thing they did call me, I thought you were going to bite that man’s head off! If I were any later I think they would have been calling security on you!”

“Can you blame me? Forrest has been getting harassed for weeks and the only person getting in trouble for it is Kiragi.”

“Maybe we should stop letting him dress like that when he goes to school.”

“Leo,” He said sternly. “Don’t even start.”

“It’s just a suggestion! He keeps getting teased! He’s sixteen, kids are cruel. Do you remember the kind of shit I used to say to you when we were in high school?”

“Yes, you were an asshole. But that doesn’t mean our son should have to change! He likes wearing dresses and doing his hair and makeup, so what?”

“He already has to deal with being an Omega, do you want another target on his back?”

“Are you saying that there’s something wrong with being an Omega?”

“Love… You know that’s not what I meant. Life is already hard for him, why should he make it harder for himself?”

“I just…” He sighed. “I just want our son to be himself. If that means I have to scream at the school administration until I’m blue in the face then so be it. Besides, if they aren’t flipping his skirt up in the bathroom then it’ll be something else. Maybe that really cute Alpha from his history class will corner him right before they go home for the weekend, make him think he’s going to ask him out on a date like he wanted, but then just ask how much it is for a blowjob right in front of his very protective older brother.”

“Hey, I only did that on a dare! And don’t act so innocent, we both know you were actually blowing Alphas in the bathroom”

“Not for money! I wasn’t a damn prostitute! And you’re lucky Ryoma didn’t kill you for that one! Though that split lip did look good on you.”

Leo pulled him down onto his lap and kissed him.

“I cannot believe you still agreed to go on a date with me after that.”

“Neither can I, frankly.” He rested his forehead against Leo’s neck and sighed. “So, what’s going to happen to Kiragi?”

“Two days suspension. It was originally going to be a week, but I guess you scared him.”

He hummed thoughtfully. “Hunting season is coming up. Maybe I’ll take Kiragi out with the bows?”

“You’re rewarding him?”

“Of course! You think Mama punished Ryoma for kicking your ass?”

“I… Had been hoping something like that had occurred.”

Takumi just laughed. “Nope, she took us all out to dinner after that one!”

He nuzzled the side of Leo’s neck. There were a million things that still needed done, but he allowed his Alpha a few minutes to hold him and unwind from the day. He waited until the tension in his mate’s shoulders relaxed a bit before he spoke again.

“So, I really scared the principal that much?” Something about a six foot tall, snobby Alpha being intimidated by him was entertaining.

“He was positively terrified of you, love. Can’t say I blame him either, how long were you yelling at him before I showed up?”

“Oh I don’t know, a minute or two? I can’t believe they called you! I can handle disciplining my own child without your help!”

“You don’t need to tell me that, dear. I’m fully aware of what you’re capable of.” His tone became more serious, and Leo squeezed him tight. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He found Leo’s hand with his own and squeezed once.

“Lucky for you, I’m not going anywhere.”

They heard a shout from down the hall. Kiragi had apparently woken up from his nap, and now he and Forrest were loudly bickering over him drooling on one of Forrest’s hand-embroidered pillows.

He chuckled to himself and stood up.

“One of us should probably go tell Kiragi the bad news.”

“Mm, in a minute, love. Do you really want to walk into that?” Leo wrapped his arms around his waist pulled back down onto the bed with him. “Besides, it’s been awhile since we’ve had a moment like this.”

He settled back down on Leo’s lap and sighed.

“Fine, but you’re responsible for burying the bodies if they kill each other.”

Leo kissed along his neck and pushed the collar of his shirt aside so he could nibble at his bond scar.

“Not a problem, love. We can always make more.”

He laughed in spite of himself.

“I hate you.”

“I love you, too.”