#I used to constantly forget chat's ears. unsure why

[anna-scribbles]

loveybug and catwalker from @blur0se @pisoprano and @asukiess beautiful minds

[snowdice]

Finding the Time to Study Fic 2 [Day 15]

Here is my starting post for today’s study break stories session. See this post for more details and feel free to send me asks to keep me going! It’s been a lot of fun so far! I will reblog this post with the story as I write them today. I’ll be constantly looking for ideas of times and places for Janus to have missions, so feel free to send in any you can think of at any point!

If you are a new follower or just don’t want all of these posts clogging your dash, please feel free to block the tag “study break stories” as all posts and voting about it will go there. You can still see the finished product of the story even if you are blocking that tag as I will not tag the edited chapters with “study break stories” but with the tag “folds in paper.” See edited chapters below. Chapters 3-7 and what I have of Chapter 8 are under the cut.

My Masterpost Part 1 Part 2

I also have a playlist on youtube (because Spotify didn’t have one of the songs I wanted). It’s short, and not really for serious listening, but I had fun with it.

This thing is going to be 1K words with the semester I’m having. :P The plan is to do a lot of work today. I even have my dinner in a crock-pot. I’m giving a presentation on October 13th and want to basically knock out the prep today so I don’t have to have it hanging over my head. Not sure if I will achieve that, but that’s the plan! I have big goals! Wish me luck! :D

Chapter 3

Janus and Remus both appeared at the same moment a couple of feet apart in what looked like the inside of a garden shed. There was already a man waiting for them a few feet away. “Sup babes,” Remy said, just like he always did. The T-Agent looked their costumes up and down and whistled. “Now that,” he said, “almost makes me want to be one of you time jockeys.”

“They wouldn’t let me have a gun or a canister of moonshine,” Remus pouted.

Remy snorted. “Sorry, babes, but that makes my job a lot easier. If I’ve gotta fish you outta the 1920s criminal justice system, I’d rather it not be because you shot someone on accident ‘cause you don’t know how to use the safety.”

 Remus groaned dramatically. “Everyone is lame.”

Remy just shook his head. “Meet back here when you’ve got the necklace,” he said. “Don’t make a move until after 11:05pm and before 11:17. That’s your window.”

“We know,” Janus said. “See you then.”

“Have fun at the party boys,” Remy said and then lowered his shades to look at Remus, “but not too much fun.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Remus, already towing Janus out of the garden shed. The way had been specifically cleared for them, so they met no other people before they’d rounded the house the party was taking place and had gotten onto the driveway in front of the house.

 Without missing a beat, they strolled up to the front of the house, just as a car pulled into the end of the driveway. Janus rang the doorbell, and a few moments later, a man who was clearly the butler answered the door. They handed over their invitation, and the man immediately let them in.

The party had already started when they slipped into the medium sized ballroom that had been decked out in streamers and other decorations. Janus’s nose immediately wanted to scrunch as the smell of sweat from all the dancing already going on as well as the too strong perfume meant to cover that stench wafted over him. It was by far not the worst smelling time period, but he was pretty sure some people still weren’t aware deodorant had been recently invented.

 He checked his time piece which had been disguised as a fancy wristwatch for this trip. “Okay,” he said. “We have about two hours before we need to make our move. We should…”

Remus’s attention was already being dragged away by a young man who seemed to be providing guests with food. “I’m going to go ‘mingle’,” he said, winking.

“No!” Janus hissed. “Re- Richard! No!”

Yet, he was already disappearing into the horde of stinky bodies, likely to go scandalize a bunch of rich folks, and leaving Janus alone. Janus mumbled a curse under his breath that he was sure no one around him would understand even if they could make it out.

 Unsure what to do with himself, he wandered over towards where the live musicians were playing jazz music, being sure to keep out of the way of the dancers. He was edging around the makeshift dancefloor, when one of said dancers must have misstepped and knocked into another one. The second man stumbled right towards Janus, arms pinwheeling. Janus reached out on instinct to catch the man as he fell.

There was a moment where the two of them just stared at each other, surprise evident on the other man’s face. He was wearing a mask that just covered the area around his eyes and the top of his nose, revealing a smattering of freckles across his cheeks that Janus imagined extended to his nose.

 The mask was a light blue velvet with a flower stuck on the side near his right ear, and a trail of curled golden ribbon bobbed down around his chin. The party continued on around them, a blur of movement and sound.

“Are you alright?” Janus asked.

The man blinked up at him and then tilted his head slightly to the side as though confused, before a smile slowly grew on his face. “Oh, I’m fine Dove.”

“Dove?” Janus asked.

He giggled. “You have dove feathers on your mask,” he explained, reaching up a hand to touch one. His finger brushed the tip of Janus’s ear, “and I don’t know what else I am supposed to call you.”

 “My name is Lee,” he automatically lied.

“Is it?” he asked, sounding amused. “Doesn’t seem to fit you well. I like Dove better.”

“Oh?” asked Janus. “And what’s your name so I can not call you that?”

The man chuckled. “Call me Pat.”

“Hello Pat,” Janus said.

“I thought you didn’t want to call me by my name.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Hmmm,” Pat said, finger tracing idly across Janus’s forearm which was when Janus realized with a start that he was still holding the man in his arms. He quickly went to release him, which Pat allowed with clear amusement.

 Yet, instead of completely stepping away, Pat grabbed Janus’s arm. “What are you doing all the way over here by the way?” he asked. “Don’t you want to dance.”

“Oh,” Janus hesitated. “I don’t really dance.” Or at least not in the way the people around him were. He’d had basic training for this style, but it had been a while and he was a bit rusty.

“Everyone dances Dove,” Pat claimed. “At least if they know the steps and have the right partner.”

“But I don’t know the steps,” Janus said with an eyebrow raise.

He hummed. “Well, I know the dance pretty well by this point,” Pat said. “Why don’t I teach you how it goes.”

 He was agreeing with the soft beseeching tone before he even realized it. Pat pulled him into the middle of the throng of people. He seemed to think, bopping his head to the music playing for a moment, before looking back at Janus. “Heard of James Johnson?”

Janus inclined his head.

“Well, have you heard his new song? Because there’s a dance that goes with it.”

He took a few steps away from Janus and started to dance. Despite his claim to know the steps, he wasn’t particularly good, but he made up for any loss of rhythm with pure enthusiasm.

 Janus found himself smiling at the man, and after a few moments, joined in with the dance. Despite his lack of practice, he ended up having a better natural rhythm than Pat. Pat didn’t seem to mind that he was being outperformed, however. On the contrary, he giggled at himself the couple of times he stumbled.

When he fell into Janus’s arms for the second time that night, Janus decided he’d probably had enough dancing for the moment and pulled him off to the side to get something to drink and cool down a bit.

He watched the man take a snack and some punch from one of servers and thank him happily before turning back to Janus. Pat was easily able to keep Janus’s attention as they chatted. He was bubbly and soft, and Janus found himself enchanted as they talked.

 He was explaining the steps of a different dance, a couples one. “Knowing how to perform the tango will entrance any girl you want,” Pat said, something mischievous sparkling in his eyes. “Assuming you’re that type of fella.”

“As opposed to what?” Janus asked.

Pat leaned in a bit closer. Not too much, but enough that he was definitely in Janus’s space. “A different type of fella,” he said simply, before smiling and leaning back.

Janus let out a shaky exhale and took a sip of punch. He glanced over at Pat. “Tell me about yourself, Pat,” he said.

Pat hummed in contemplation. “Well, I went to France recently.”

 “You did?”

“Oui, c'était amusant, mais j'ai eu des ennuis”

“What kind of trouble?” Janus asked curiously.

“Oh, the kind with a pretty boy and crepes that were way too sweet. Anyway,” he continued. “Other than that, I mostly help out my friend. He’s an inventor.”

“And how do you help him.”

He shrugged, “Running errands mostly, and making sure he gets enough sleep, because otherwise he gets distracted and forgets. And you?”

“I’m a banker,” he said, remembering his cover, but felt compelled to add, “but I like to travel as well.”

“You do look the type?”

“And how is that?”

   Pat shrugged. “I can always tell a wandering spirt from the masses, and you are easy to spot.” Pat looked at him then with a secret smile on his face, and Janus felt suddenly known, like the man in front of him had known him for years even though they’d only just met. Looking at him then, he wanted suddenly for that to be fact and not a flight of fancy.

He was brought firmly back to reality in the next moment. “Lee,” a pointed and familiar voice said. Janus’s head snapped up to see Remus, staring at him. He tapped his wrist. Janus glanced at his own wrist: 10:58pm. He just barely managed not to curse.

 “I,” he said looking up at Pat. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

“That’s okay,” Pat said easily. “It is getting rather late.”

“Yes,” Janus agreed. “Well… goodbye.”

Pat, titled his head, a half smile on his face. “I’ll be seeing you around.”

Janus nodded, and turned away from him towards Remus. He didn’t look back as they excited the ballroom. They snuck into a small side closet for coats that wasn’t being used as it was summer.

“So,” Remus said when the door closed behind them.

“Don’t,” warned Janus.

“I’m not one to judge,” Remus said.

“Shut up.” He glanced at his watch. It was 11:02. “We’ll go in 5.”

 “I have to give it to you. He was very cute.”

“We’re not talking about it.”

Remus just laughed joyfully, and Janus did his best to halt the blood rushing to his cheeks.

At 11:07, well into their window, they slipped back out of the closet, and towards the stairs as the party raged on.

Despite how Remus usually never shut up, he was able to be quiet when it counted. They snuck to the master bedroom of the home’s owners in silence. The door was already wide open by the time they got there, and Janus didn’t think anything of it. At least, he didn’t until they entered the bedroom, and there was someone already there.

 He turned from the dresser he’d been standing in front of to face them, sending Janus the same smile he had down in the ballroom. Janus and Remus both froze. “Sorry, sweetie,” Pat said. “Were you here for this too?” he held up the necklace they’d been sent for. He closed his fist around the charm made out of time travel tech.

“What?” Janus said.

Pat giggled and winked. “Unfortunately, I need it a bit more than you at the moment. So, I’m gonna have to go.” Janus stepped forward, not really sure what he was intending to do, but Pat just smiled. “See you some other time, my Turtle Dove.” With a snap of his fingers and loud crack, he disappeared. The mask he’d been wearing fluttered to the ground.

  Arc I: Finding Cinderella

Chapter 4

Janus was frozen in surprise for a few long moments after Pat disappeared. Which had been, admittedly, his mistake, because, while their window had technically been until 11:17pm and it was only 11:10, the loud crack that whatever Pat had been using for time travel made, garnered the attention of someone else.

“Uh oh,” Remus said, likely hearing footsteps. “Hide.”

That snapped Janus into action, but instead of hiding immediately like a sensible human being, he chose to go for the only link to the man who’d just stolen time travel tech and waltzed away, the mask.

Which was why he ended up getting arrested.

 Remy tsked the moment they were all alone in the police car having come to ‘transfer Lee to another facility.’ Remus was already waiting in the front seat, and flashed Janus a smug smile. If Janus wasn’t still handcuffed, he’d slap him.

“Well,” Remy said. “At least you didn’t shoot anybody like I asked. I was joking by the way. I didn’t really want to pick you up from a 1920s police station period.”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“Mmm, nah, ‘cause Remus managed to not get arrested this time, so you defiantly screwed something up.”

“Oh, he defiantly wanted to screw something all right,” Remus said joyfully.

 “Remus,” Janus hissed.

“What?” he asked. “I’m not the horny one for once. Well, no, that’s a lie, but it didn’t affect the job this time.”

Janus groaned and leaned his head back against the seat.

Remy pulled into a seemingly random garage around 20 minutes later. “Alright,” he said. “Here we are.” He got out of the car and then helped Janus out before uncuffing him. “Here’s your ‘watch,’” Remy handed him the timepiece that had been confiscated when he’d been arrested.

Janus put it on and activated it. “Shit,” he said.

“What?” Remus asked.

“An appointment with cultural outreach has already been downloaded to my calendar for once we get out of decon.”

 “Oof. Going to baby jail,” Remy laughed. Remus was cackling.

“This,” Janus said, “was not a cultural faux pas. I did nothing that indicated that I was not from this time. I am not some rookie.”

“Don’t forget cell phones don’t exist in the 1920s,” Remus sang.

“The real question is whether or not my foot exists in your…” Remus disappeared before he could finish, a smirk on his face. Janus growled. “By Remy,” he gritted out. He selected the decontamination chamber from his queue, ignoring the appointment that came after it for now.

He knew exactly where Remus would be standing when he landed, which was why he stepped forward on reentry to ram into him.

 He yelped in surprise. “Sorry,” Janus said pleasantly. “I must have also forgotten landing procedures.

Remus laughed good naturally. “Aw, come on Jay,” he said, bumping Janus back, albeit much gentler than Janus had been. “It’s not a big deal. You just go talk with some crusty old college professor who is far too interested in spoons and then everything’s fine.”

“It’s the principle of the thing,” he growled. “They’re treating me like I’m an idiot who accidently invented disco in the 1920s when I was conned by some free agent time traveler.”

“‘Conned,’ Remus said. Is that what they’re calling it now?”

 “I know where and when you live Remus,” Janus said.

Remus gave him a dopey smile as the decontamination cycle finished and the door unlocked. Janus’s wrist buzzed telling him that the coordinates to the cultural outreach office were now unlocked. Instead of pulling them up, Janus walked to the door.

“Um,” Remus said, following him. “Aren’t you supposed to be going to your appointment?” Janus just kept walking towards their office. “Uh… Jan?”

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that I have to go to cultural outreach,” Janus said. “In fact, no one can make me. If they want me to go have a discussion about the definition of ‘bushwa,’ they’re going to have to have me dragged there.”

 “Mmm, I feel like The Boss won’t be too happy about that, and I have a feeling she’d be 100% down to dragging you there herself.”

“Well, then, let her,” Janus said, stalking through the door to his office. “I’m not going to…”

“Ah, Agent Picani,” the woman standing next to his desk, clearly waiting for him, said when he came through the door. “Dr. Picani was informed that there were complications with your last mission and wishes to have a conversation with you and asks that you meet him in his office at the AMO.”

“Oh, um,” Janus said, stumbling a bit before plastering on a regretful half smile. “Unfortunately, I actually have an appointment right now at Cultural Outreach. It’s mandatory and very important, and I have to go now. So, I’ll have to take a raincheck on that.”

 “But-” she started, frowning.

“Remus, work on the report!” Janus said quickly as he waved his hand to bring up his timepiece display and jammed his finger at the glowing appointment card in his queue. A few moments later, Janus was at Cultural Outreach.

Cultural Outreach was not part of the TPI, though it often worked very closely with them. It was a collaboration between the government and multiple universities to help government workers, politicians, and other citizens understand and bridge cultural gaps. It had existed before time travel was invented but had expanded to also teach people who needed to time travel how to behave in unfamiliar times and cultures.

 After it had to be expanded to provide for the TPI, it had been moved to Silver Mountains University. The building had once just been a museum, but it had been thoroughly renovated and there had been add-ons for office space and some classrooms. It was still a museum, however, its purpose had expanded greatly and there were many areas that were off limits to the general public.

One of these areas was the fourth floor, where Janus’s timepiece had dumped him. This was the floor that was almost exclusively for TPI agents and staff of Cultural Outreach who worked with them.

 He immediately turned away from the reception area, hoping that he could escape and go sit on the university’s quad or something of the like for the next hour or so in hopes the woman his brother sent to fetch him would give up and go back to the AMO. Yet, the receptionist apparently saw him.

“Janus Picani?” he asked.

Janus grimaced and turned back towards him. “Yes,” he said.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “You’re 5 minutes late for your appointment and seem disoriented.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Is your timepiece malfunctioning?”

“No.”

“Uh… okay. Well, if you sign in here, I can take you to your appointment.”

“…Fine.”

 He begrudgingly stepped forward and touched the screen he’d gestured to sign with his fingerprint, and then let the man lead him down the hall.

The door they stopped at was propped open slightly, but he still paused and knocked. “Professor Eran? Your 2:30 is here.”

Janus had just a moment upon hearing the name to think that maybe there was actually some sort of intelligent design of the universe and whatever being of ultimate power had crafted it was a dick.

The door opened and Virgil Eran’s eyes immediately narrowed on him. “Janus.”

“Virgil.”

“I see you’re still late for everything.”

“I see you’re still a bastard.”

 Janus saw the receptionist slowly back away in the direction they’d come.

“Why don’t you come in?” Virgil said faux pleasantly.

Janus did, because he really didn’t have much of a choice at this point unless he wanted to jump out of a window… or push someone out of a window.

Virgil turned back into his office and took a seat behind his desk. Janus unhappily followed him in and sat across from him.

He took his time pulling up whatever the TPI sent him and reading it over. “So, I see you failed your recovery mission and were arrested in 1923.”

 “It wasn’t like that,” Janus said. “I shouldn’t be here.”

Virgil gave him that same suspicious look he used to give Janus whenever Janus claimed to have not eaten his hot pockets out of the freezer in the middle of the night. He’d only been lying 80% of the time. Virgil had a tendency to forget what he’d eaten in a half-conscious state at 3 o’clock in the morning.

“I shouldn’t,” Janus snapped defensively. “Nothing went wrong with anyone from the time period. An illegal time traveler screwed up the mission details.”

“Well, it is still protocol to make sure nothing slipped when agents go off script. You weren’t prepared to be in a jail cell, and it is possible that you screwed something up.”

 “I didn’t screw anything up,” Janus growled.

“Alright,” Virgil said pulling up a document on his desk. “The mission started on July 27th, 1923 at 9:58pm, correct?”

“Oh, god, we’re not really going to fill out a time sheet. I don’t have time for that today.”

“It is protocol and best that the information is documented when it is still fresh in your mind. Besides, your schedule has been cleared for the rest of the workday.” The bastard was enjoying this. He knew how much Janus hated this stuff.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Janus said, “it was the damned illicit time traveler.”

“And I will be the judge of that,” Virgil said. Janus should have just bit the bullet and had coffee with his brother. “If you truly did nothing wrong, your supervisor will see that when I send this to her.”

 Yet, despite the fact that Virgil clearly relished in his suffering, he was charitable enough to do most of the actual filling out of the forms. He’d read out the questions and write down what Janus said instead of making him do it himself. Janus really only had to do a quick quality check and sign it at the end.

He still was an asshole about the details, but really he’d been like that about stupid thing like the settings for the dish washer and how the pantry was organized during their college days before they’d had their falling out, so Janus wasn’t particularly surprised. When they were finally done, Virgil sent it off to get filed by the TPI.

 Then, they were left staring at each other with nothing between them but almost a decade of radio silence and a whole lot of awkwardness.

“I should go,” Janus finally said, standing up.

Virgil tilted his head slightly to the side and gave him a half smile. “Don’t lock the door behind you,” he said. “Not that I’d expect you too.”

Janus took it for the clear attempt at a joke it was intended to be and puffed out a breath of amusement with a head shake. “No risk of that,” he said. Then, he turned and walked out of the office.

 Chapter 5

Janus stepped back into the reception area and booted up his time piece. Instinct said to go back to the office despite the fact that it was late enough that most people had gone home, but he hesitated. Surely Emile had given up by now, but considering he’d sent someone to ambush him in his office, Janus wasn’t sure if he should trust that. He could just go home, but he already knew his mind was racing too much to sleep tonight so he’d probably just end up staring at the lake for the next 6 hours. So, he decided on the only other legitimate option he had. He pulled up Remus’s home coordinates and selected.

 The home that Remus had chosen (after his long line of rejected requests) managed to somehow make no and absolute sense simultaneously to anyone who knew him. It was a small farm in the United States just west of the Mississippi in 1842 in what would be ratified as the state of Iowa in a few years. When asked why he would choose that time and place, Remus always responded with “I thought it was funny,” whatever that meant.

Unlike most time agents who simply used the identities assigned to them by the AMO as a cover, Remus actually lived his part time.

 Janus was… fairly certain he was cheating a bit to get everything done, but he maintained his small farm all on his own, growing most of his own food. The neighbors he had lived very far away, but he still spoke with them far more than Janus did his own.

Janus appeared inside the small home, his eyes already shut. “Are you hear and dressed?” Janus called. Something bumped lightly into his legs.

“I’m in the kitchen!”

Janus peaked his eyes open and squatted to pet the cat at his feet. “That doesn’t answer my question!” he called back to Remus.

 “It’s a surprise!” Remus said.

“Remus.” Diesel Fuel the cat flopped to her side on the ground as Janus continued to pet her ears. He heard Remus’s footsteps, and saw cloth covering his legs, so risked looking up. He was currently not only dressed, but wearing an apron that Janus was fairly sure was not time appropriate judging by the fabric and cat pawprint design. He had a bit of flour on his hands, and it may have been a bit too white for the time and place, but Janus couldn’t be completely sure.

“What’re you doing here?” Remus asked.

 “My day has been an endless series of frustrations,” Janus said. “So, I have come to see the only tolerable being in the history of the universe.”

Remus snorted. “Since I know that isn’t me, I’ll assume you’re talking about the cat.”

“I still don’t understand why you tolerate this creature,” Janus addressed Diesel Fuel. She blinked slowly up at him. “To be fair, he was assigned as my partner. I didn’t have much of a choice in it. You could go always run away and become feral in the woods if you’d like.”

“So could you, technically,” Remus pointed out.

“I’m thinking about it after today.”

 “Would you like some bread?” Remus asked. “That’s all I’ve been making this afternoon. Some fresh should be coming out of the oven in a few minutes.”

“Do you have anything stronger made out of wheat?”

“Ew, no, but I do have vodka.”

“Vodka works.”

“Want me to mix it with something?”

“No.”

“One of those night then,” Remus said, easily. “Let me finish up the bread, so I don’t burn the kitchen down. You can go get the alcohol from the cellar while you wait if you want, or you can just flop down on the couch.”

He was going to just flop down on the couch.

 He did just that as Remus disappeared back into his kitchen. The cat hopped onto his stomach, proceeding to purr loudly and kneed at chest. Janus petted the cat and listened to the noise of Remus moving around in the other room, letting his mind drift. His mind drifted to Virgil for a bit and he steadfastly did not allow it to drift to his brother. Yet, the thing that most was on his mind was the strange man who had flirted and charmed Janus all night before mercilessly screwing him over. ‘Pat’ he’d said his name was, but surely that was not his real name.

 Janus sighed and scratched the cat’s ear. “He certainly wasn’t an amateur,” Janus mused to the cat. “With that amount of precision to get in before we did, he must have someone not on the ground feeding him information. Perhaps more than one.” He was part of a group of time traveling thieves perhaps or something worse. “I didn’t get a good look at his face since he was wearing a mask,” Janus said, “but I spent a lot of time with him, and I’m sure Remy swiped the mask from the police since it had been on me when I was arrested. It’s a good lead.”

 He continued to pet Diesel Fuel. Eventually, Remus came back in, noticed Janus hadn’t bothered to get the alcohol and went outside to the cellar. “I’m going to find him,” Janus told Diesel Fuel. “I’ll stop whatever it is he’s doing, and I’ll bring him in.” Diesel Fuel mewed her support, and Janus patted her on top of the head.

Remus came back in with the bottle of vodka and handed it to him without a word. He sat down on the couch near Janus’s feet and patted his lap so Diesel Fuel would come over to him and allow Janus to sit up.

 The bastard waited until he was approximately 3 shots in (he didn’t have a shot glass and was just taking drinks from the bottle) to ask the questions Janus really didn’t want to answer. “Are you mad at Emile?” Remus asked.

Janus groaned, trying to wash out the bitter taste of shame and grief with the sharp sting of vodka. It didn’t work. “No,” he said to Remus.

“Then why have you been avoiding him?”

“Shit, I’m here because I didn’t want to think about it. Can’t we just not.”

“Don’t want to think about what?

“It’s none of your business, Remus.”

 He could feel Remus frowning at him, but Janus stared resolutely ahead. At least, he did until a foot poked his face. He slapped it away, but it did the job of getting Janus to look at Remus.

“It is my business,” Remus said, foot still in the air. “I’m your partner and your friend.”

“If I’m your friend, you’ll drop it.”

“So, you’re not mad at Emile,” Remus continued, contemplatively. “Did you do something to him, then?” Janus bit his lip and looked away. “What?” Remus asked. Janus didn’t respond. “Look, I’m sure he’ll forgive you for whatever it is. He’s a good guy. Just talk to him about it.”

 “I can’t,” Janus said.

“Whatever it is, it’s probably been long enough that he forgives you. You literally just have to have a conversation, say you’re sorry, and everything will be A-OK.”

“I can’t,” Janus repeated.

“Why not?”

“He doesn’t know about it.”

Remus paused. “So, as far as he knows, you just cut contact with him all of a sudden for no reason and have been avoiding him ever since?”

Janus looked at his shoes. “Yeah.”

“That…” Remus said, “is not fucking fair Janus.”

“I know.”

“Then why the hell are you doing that to him? He’s like… soft and feeling-y. He’s probably really upset.”

 “I know, Remus.”

“Tell him. Whatever it is.”

“I can’t.”

“Look,” Remus said. “You tell him and he either forgives you or he doesn’t. If he does, everything’s fine. If he doesn’t… well, it’s not like it would be any different from you two never being in the same room the last few years. Either way, you can’t just do this to him. He’ll probably forgive you. He’s your brother. Brothers don’t… brothers would forgive each other.”

Janus laughed softly and met Remus’s eyes. “That’s the problem,” he said. “He’d definitely forgive me.” He turned away and opened the vodka bottle again. “Now, if you’ll shut up for a few minutes, I’m going to drink until I black out.”

 Chapter 6

“Really, Khalid,” Janus said, storming into his boss’s office. “A yellow?” It had been about a week since the 1920s incident, and his incident report had finally been cleared. Sure, it wasn’t a red or a black and he wasn’t facing any reprimand, but it should have been a green.

She looked up at him, clearly unconcerned. “There was an incident,” she said. “You handled it well, but there was one. Therefore, yellow.”

“It wasn’t a time travel incident! It was a rouge time traveler.”

“Janus, you helped me make these rules,” she said impatiently.

“Which is why I know this is bullshit,” he snapped.

 She rolled her eyes. “If it was anyone else, you would agree with me. While you didn’t go against protocol and had no time related incidents, the fact of the matter is, you were still distracted by this ‘rouge time traveler,’ didn’t complete your mission, and were arrested.”

“He was good,” Janus said. “You can’t fault me for that. He also could be dangerous and you’re busy handing out yellows instead of working to track him down.”

She raised an eyebrow. “We are working on tracking him down,” she said. “We have done an analysis on the mask and found fibers dating to the 2010s and some DNA. Though it isn’t exactly a high priority.”

 “We have no idea who he is or what he’s planning to do. Why is that not a high priority thing?”

“At the moment?” she asked. “Because we have reports of a time bomb being activated.”

“What?” Janus asked sitting up. “When?”

“New Years Eve going into the year 3,000 in Brazil,” she said. “Which you’d know about if you’d bothered to check your integration port this morning before storming into my office.”

“It’s my mission?” Janus asked.

“The incident investigation is over and your active again despite the dreaded yellow,” she said, clearly making fun of him a bit. “So, yes, and it’s a high priority mission, so I’ll be running it.”

 “Who all is going?” he asked.

“Other than the two of us, Remus, Lena, and Fred,” she told him. “We leave in three hours, so, you might want to run off to Rhi before Fred gets to her and ties her up for an hour on details.”

Janus nodded and got to his feet. He turned back at the door. “I still don’t deserve the yellow,” he hissed.

She waved him off. “I’ll see you in a few hours, Picani.”

He ground his teeth a bit about the dismissal of his worries, but his resentment was slightly soothed by the fact that she’d assigned him to go on such a high priority mission and with only senior agents.

 He took the advice and grabbed Remus from the office, noting Lena hadn’t been able to wrangle Fred yet as she was still at her desk, and they both headed off to see Rhi.

A few hours later, they were all in decontamination together, decked out in truly god-awful costumes. The turn of the third millennia had been a wild event, and the best way to fit in was to look like you’d grabbed something from every century in recorded human history, dyed it in neon paint, and rolled around in a vat of glitter.

Remus had opted to stick his head in a vat of glow in the dark green paint that costuming had offered them, and it wasn’t even going to be slightly disruptive to their covertness.

 In fact, costuming had frowned when Janus had insisted he not get his hair dyed and instead wore a bowler hat. They had required him to have flowers made out of glitter on it.

There were five people waiting for them when they landed 6 hours before the turn of the millennia. Three were touchdown agents, including Remy, and two were on location tech support. Usually it would be overkill to have that many people there just for support even with five agents in the field, but today the TPI needed to be cautious because they were planning on instituting a time lock.

Time bombs were dangerous things that would ripple through time if not contained. Even if it did end up going off (killing everyone in its reach), the time lock would serve to prevent most damage outside of the city and, more importantly, the year it was planted.

 Janus had only been in two time locks before, and he was one of the most senior agents in the TPI, outranked only by the founder: Lia Khalid. Time locks were designed to keep all time linear in a certain fixed time and geographical area as well as prevent any time travel in and out. Once it was engaged, all forms of time travel would not work for the duration, bar the pin device. Khalid was already switching out her regular timepiece with the slightly bigger one that was designed to support the time lock.

There was a failsafe back at the TPI that could be engaged in an emergency, which was why tech support was here, but other than that, the only thing that could break the time lock was that timepiece, and it would break the moment the time lock ended.

 As soon as it was on Khalid’s wrist, she looked up at them all. “Our information says the time bomb was planted in the costume of one of the ‘Millennium Birds’ who are the organizers of the different events,” she said. Janus had seen a photo of the identical costumes in the mission details. They were all robe like garments with giant fans of feathers coming from the neck that coalesced in a peak a foot above their head to hold a fake bird egg. At least they’d be easy to find. “There are 25 of them throughout the city. We need to find each of them. So, we don’t double count, you’ll need to subtly,” her eyes touched on Remus, “scan each one you find for the bomb and tag them with a tracker if it’s not on them. You can view the already tagged ones, as well as the rest of us on your timepiece even once the time lock is engaged. When you find the bomb, call it in.”

 They all nodded, and Khalid looked over at one of the techies. She nodded at her and then the techie flipped a couple of switches. “Three, two, one,” the techie said. There was a slight shift in the air that most people would disregard, but Janus as a seasoned time traveler could feel the change even before his wrist buzzed. He glanced at his timepiece to see it had a big red ‘X’ across its display. He tapped it and was still able to bring up the map of the city with 10 green dots on it all clustered together in their current location.

 After that, he tested the scanner on his timepiece that he would use to search for the bomb, just to make sure the time lock hadn’t messed anything up with his equipment. He glanced up to see everyone else was doing the same.

“Keep in contact,” Khalid said before everyone split up. Janus and Remus started by going North while Fredrick and Darlene were to go South. Khalid was a floater who would tag any Birds she saw but was mostly there for backup and orders.

Janus and Remus stepped into the chaos of New Years Eve before the turn of the third millennia. The streets were already swamped with people and it would only be getting worse the later it go.

“Where should we start?” Remus asked.

 “Let’s go all the way North to the games area,” Janus said. “We can work our way back here.”

“Okay!” Remus said. “I wonder if they have those fun little genetically modified goldfish as prizes. I’ve always wanted to eat one and see if I end up getting whatever design was on the fish on my body.”

Janus gave him a disgusted look.

“What?! People eat fish all the time!”

Janus shook his head. “We’re not playing the games anyway. We have work to do. Important work.”

“Boo,” Remus replied. Janus chose to ignore him as he spotted one of the Millenia Birds letting people into the gaming area.

 They walked over towards the entrance. Janus got in range first and moved to subtly scan the Millenia Bird, Remus doing the same the next moment. After a second, Janus’s timepiece buzzed and lit up red, meaning the bomb was within range. “Well, that was easy,” he said. “It was on the first one we found.”

“Uh…” Remus said. “Jan.” When Janus looked, he was holding up his wrist to show his green lit time piece.

“What?” Janus asked. He quickly moved to rescan the Millenia Bird, and his timepiece came up green as well. Which, meant the bomb was not in range, even though the Millenia Bird had not moved. “But…” He and Remus’s eyes met, and they quickly both started turning in a circle to look at the crowd around him. No one looked like they’d just stolen a time bomb off the Millennial Bird, but then Janus’s eyes caught on a man. He blended in perfectly to his surroundings. He was wearing the disgusting garb of the times, a large light blue piece that bubbled near his hips, and had most of his skin covered in rainbow neon paints. Yet, something about him, the curl of his hair or the way he moved, drew Janus’s eyes to him. He recognized the man immediately even in a completely different dressing style. Yet, what cinched it was the moment Janus’s eyes met his and they seemed to sparkle slightly in the afternoon sun. The next moment, the person Janus knew as Pat, turned to disappear into the crowd.

 Chapter 7

“Him,” was the only thing Janus said before taking off after the figure who had just disappeared into the game area.

“What?” Remus’s voice followed after him. “Janus! What?!”

Janus did not pause, just continuing to run after Pat, hopping over two barricades as a shortcut. Janus cursed when he lost sight of the man for just a moment near the prize table filled with colorful goldfish, but he was able to spot him once again walking into one of the tents. Janus blasted into the tent. It was a game where they raced rats, and when Janus entered, Pat was cooing at one of them.

 “Who’s a tiny little squishy precious baby?” he was asking one of them, wiggling his pointer finger at it.

“You,” Janus growled stepping up to him.

He turned and tilted his head at Janus with a frown. “Um, me?” he asked, pointing to his chest, all sorts of innocent, but Janus could see a spot of hidden amusement in his eyes.

“Where is it?”

His eyebrows drew together, but it was an act. It was clearly an act! “Where is what?”

“The…” he glanced around them at the people surrounding them. “Thing you just took.”

“I didn’t take anything,” Pat said with a frown.

 “Oh, no,” Janus said. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fooling me twice is not an option.”

“I’m sorry sir,” Pat said. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bull. Shit.”

Just then, Remus jogged into the tent. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“It’s him,” Janus said pointing. “He took it. He has it.”

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about,” Patton said. He looked over to Remus with a confused frown.

Remus looked at Janus. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Janus said. “It’s him. It has to be him. He’s the mask guy.”

Remus squinted at Pat. “He is?”

“Whoever you think I am, I’m not. I haven’t worn a mask all night. I just did the face paint,” he pointed to his cheeks.

 Remus raised his wrist and his timepiece lit up green. He looked at Janus.

“I lost sight of him for five seconds. He must have stashed it somewhere,” Janus said. He turned on Pat. “Where did you put it?”

“…Are you,” Pat asked, his eyes going back and forth between Janus and Remus, “… the police?”

“We are, actually,” Khalid said as she stepped into the tent. Remus must have called her. She inserted herself between Janus and Pat. “Agent Khalid,” she said, offering a hand with a smile. Pat looked at it in surprise and then smiled back hesitantly as he took it. “Apologizes, one of the big game prizes was stolen by someone matching your description. Would you mind coming down to security for questioning? Just to clear it up.”

 “Oh,” Patton said, hesitant. Janus expected him to refuse outright, but then he said. “Uh, sure.”

“Thank you very much, Mr…”

“Jonas,” Pat told her earnestly. “Do I need to be handcuffed?”

“No,” Khalid said. Janus frowned at her, but she ignored him. “It’s just a talk for now.” She gestured to the tent entrance. “Come with us.”

He did without argument, and Remus and Janus followed behind the both of them. Khalid did not lead them back to the base, but to a little spot that said “security” near the center of the event. Remy was already there waiting for them at a desk.

 “Remy, would you please take Mr. Jonas to go sit down?” she asked.

“Sure, boss,” Remy said, standing up. He led Pat away.

Khalid turned to Janus and Remus once they were out of earshot. “What is going on?”

“It’s the mask man,” Janus said, “the one from 1923, and my scanner said the time bomb was on the Millenia Bird outside the games entrance, but then it was gone the next second, and I saw him, and then he ran away.”

“So, does he have it on him?”

“No. I lost sight of him, and he must have stored it somewhere, but I know he took it.”

10264

“He’s the man from 1923?” she asked.

“Yes! Remus, that’s him, right? You recognize him.”

“Well,” Remus said thoughtfully. “He was in a mask, and it was dark in the room with the necklace. Other than that, I only really saw his back, and he was wearing pants. Mr. Jonas is wearing a dress, so I can’t really tell if their asses match.”

“Okay, but I was with him for hours. I swear it’s him, and I swear he took it,” Janus just about shouted.

“We’ll question him,” Khalid placated, “and Fred and Lena will keep looking in the meantime.”

 “He knows where it is,” Janus insisted. “I swear.”

“Okay,” Khalid said, before leaving to follow where Remy and Pat had gone. She stopped Janus with a hand on his shoulder. “I think Remus and I will do the interrogation.” He opened his mouth to argue. “You know the most about him, so observe from the sidelines and see if he makes any mistakes that indicate you’re right.”

“That’s just to placate me and you know it.”

“Observation’s over there,” she said pointing.

He got a thumbs up from Remus as he walked by, and Janus glared at his back before walking off to the indicated location.

 He watched as Remus and Khalid entered the room, and Remy left it. Remy joined him in the observation room after leaving and leaned against the wall.

Pat was sitting at a table and watched Remus and Khalid with that same rubbish placid confusion that he had before. “So,” Khalid said, “Mr. Jonas.”

“You can call me Nick,” Pat interrupted.

“Lia,” Khalid replied. He smiled at her happily. “So, are you enjoying your day?” she asked.

“I am!” he replied. “It’s a big day. You only get to see the turn of a millennia once in your life.”

“Ah, yes,” Khalid said. “Doing anything special for it?”

 “Um, not really,” he said. “Other than the party. I’m going to meet up with my roommates after dinner. Kevin doesn’t like this sort of thing, and Joe couldn’t come.”

“Your roommates,” Khalid said, considering him. “Do you live around here?”

“Uh huh,” Pat replied.

“Do you have any ID?”

“I do, want me to get it?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

Pat unzipped one of the bubbles on his waist and handed her a chip. “Remus, would you mind going out and getting the ID scanner?” she asked, even though her timepiece would be able to read it.

“Ah, shit,” Remy said. “Props. What do those things even look like?”

 As Remy scrambled to find something that would pass for an ID reader so “Nick” didn’t get suspicious of Khalid using her timepiece, Janus watched the two alone in the room like a hawk.

“I see you’re wearing a dress inspired by the 2770s,” Khalid noted, as Remus came to stand next to him.

“Yeah!” Pat replied. “Joe made it for me. He’s really good at fashion design!”

“Can I see?” she asked.

With a happy smile, he reached over the table to let her get a look of the sleeves. Janus saw her subtly scan the fabric, probably to make sure it was from the 2990s and not actually from the 2770s. Considering she didn’t mention it, Janus assumed it checked out.

 Remy came back with some sort of device then and handed it to Remus who saluted and wandered back into the interrogation room. Khalid pretended to scan the ID in her hand. She handed it back to him without comment. “So, you said you live with your roommates: Joe and Kevin?” she asked.

“Yep!” he replied. “We’re practically like brothers.”

“Would you mind calling them?”

“Erm,” he titled his head like he was confused by the question. “Well, like I said, Joe is a bit busy, but I could definitely call Kevin.

“Here,” Khalid said, “use my phone.”

“I have my own,” he said with a frown.

“Humor me,” she requested.

“Uh, okay,” Pat agreed. He took the offered 2999 phone and dialed a number on it. Khalid reached over to put it on speaker.

“Hello?” a voice asked after a few seconds.

“Um, hey Kevin, it’s Nick.”

There was a sigh on the other end. “Hello Nick, is something wrong? Why are you calling me from someone else’s phone?”

“I’m fine, I think.” He looked up at Khalid. “Why am I calling him exactly?”

“Hello, I’m Officer Khalid,” Khalid said. “I just wanted to confirm that you are Nick Jonas’s roommate, and he does live in Manaus.”

“Yes, we live together with our other roommate,” the man replied flippantly. “Officer? Is something wrong?”

“I believe there was just a case of mistaken identity,” Khalid said.

“Bullshit there was!” Janus hissed, though she could not hear him.

“No need to worry,” Khalid continued.

“I’m good Kevin,” Pat said.

“Are you absolutely sure?” Kevin asked.

“Don’t be Paranoid, Kevin. I’ll see you Tonight for the New Years Celebration. You know I Live to Party.”

“I am hanging up now,” Kevin said.

“No! Comeback.” The line went dead. Pat handed the device back to Khalid.

She took it and smiled at him. “Give us just a couple of minutes,” she requested. He nodded easily, and she and Remus exited the interrogation room. “I… think we’re done here,” Khalid said.

“No, he’s lying,” Janus insisted, and got a dubious look in return. “I know he is! Remus!”

“The alibi is pretty solid…” Remus said, “and he doesn’t have the bomb on him.”

“Oh, come on,” Janus said. “You can’t say there is nothing fishy going on here.”

Khalid and Remus shared a look. “Janus,” Khalid said. “I respect your intuition. It is usually very good, but you have been a bit intense about the man from the 1920s, and I think that may be blinding you a bit...”

“I am not imagining this!” Janus said. “That’s him and he took it.”

“You only met him once while he was wearing a mask,” Khalid pointed out with a frown, “and you didn’t see him take the bomb, did you?”

“No, but he looked at me and I knew,” Janus argued. They both gave him a skeptical look. “Oh, come on!”

“You know that’s a little weak, Jan,” Remus said.

“Let me talk to him,” Janus requested. “Just give me five minutes to talk with him.”

Khalid raised one eyebrow. “Fine,” she agreed. “You have five minutes, but after that, you have to let it go. We can’t waste any more time.”

 Chapter 8

Pat looked up as Janus stepped into the interrogation room. “Hi,” he said with an innocent smile that could cut steal.

Janus didn’t say a word as he took a seat; he just watched him intently. He leaned slightly over the table and steepled his fingers in front of his chin. “So, your name is Nick this time?” Janus asked.

“Nicholas Jonas,” he said. “Always has been.”

“Stop it,” Janus said.

“Stop what?”

“Cut the crap. I know.”

Pat leaned forward, mirroring Janus as he leaned closer, interlocking his fingers and laying his chin on top of his knuckles. “What did you say your name was again?” he asked, pleasantly.

 “Janus,” Janus replied.

“No, I’m Jonas,” he said, pointing to his chest.

“Not Jonas,” Janus spat. “Janus.”

“Um,” Pat said, eyes alight with amusement. The bastard. “Those are the same words.”

“No, they’re not. It’s Janus. J-A-N-U.-S.”

“Well, that’s confusing,” Pat said with a frown, but his nose was crinkling. “It’s close to my name. You should go by a nickname instead.”

“What?” Janus said. “No.”

Pat hummed. “How about Love Bug?”

“What! No!” Janus sputtered, almost flipping the table, as Pat winked at him.

“BB Good?”

“What does that even mean?!”

“Mandy.”

“No!”

“Okay, okay, how about Macy Misa.”

11594

Janus stared at him for a moment. “Fine. Whatever. What was I even talking about?”

“Hmm. I Believe we were talking about my name and how you think it’s not my name.”

“Right,” Janus said. “So, Nick. That was your roommate, Kevin on the phone, right? He seemed a bit unhappy with you. Any reason?”

“Nah, we’re Cool” said Pat. “That’s Just the Way We Roll.”

“Not because you’re messing up a mission right now?”

Pat’s eyes crinkled together. “A mission?” he parroted. “I’m not messing up a mission.”

“Oh, really?” Janus growled. “Because you’ve been captured by the TPI, and I know who you are and what you’ve been doing.”

“I have no idea what the TPI is,” he claimed.

“Yes, you do!” Janus said, standing up. “You obviously do! Or you wouldn’t be playing this game!”

 “Game?” Pat asked. “Macy I ask you what you’re talking about.”

“This is all just a game to you isn’t it!” Janus said, slamming his hands down on the table in front of them.

“Whoa,” Pat said, putting his hands up. “Calm down. Your face is getting all red. You must be Burnin’ Up.”

“I’m not sure what, but something about what you just said pisses me off.”

“And that is five minutes,” Khalid said, bursting into the room. He felt a tug on the back of his shirt and glared back at Remus who was putting his own body between Janus and Pat.

 “There was no way that was five minutes,” Janus growled.

“It was five minutes,” Khalid gritted out. “Remus, get him out of here.”

“Come on Jay,” Remus said, dragging him back towards the door.

“Remus, I swear to god.”

“Just chill, Janus,” Remus said, slamming the door closed behind them.

Janus shrugged him off. “You chill!” he snapped. “He’s playing you all for the fool.”

“Wow, Macy,” Remy drawled like an asshole. “I’ve never seen you so fired up.”

“Oh, my gosh. No one is going to believe me, and he’s going to get away with this.”

“You’re not really helping your case, babe,” Remy said.

 Remus grabbed him by the shoulders again. “Here, let’s go get some water.”

“I don’t want water,” he said even as he let Remus lead him to another room to get a glass of water.

“Look,” Remus said. “I know the Mask Guy thing really sucked, but you have to look at the facts.

“I am looking at the facts,” Janus insisted, “and the facts are, he’s fucking with me.”

“You don’t know what mask guy looks like,” Remus said. “You didn’t see Nick take the time bomb, he has an ID from this time period and a roommate in this time he called on the phone, and he legitimately seems to not know what any of us are talking about.”

 “Did you even listen to our conversation?” Janus asked. “He was screwing with me the entire time!”

“Janus…” Remus said.

“What?” Janus said, narrowing his eyes at Remus’s tone.

“I know you recently had a bad experience, but not everyone who flirts with you is doing it out of evil.”

Janus’s mouth hung open for a few seconds. “That’s what you got out of our conversation?”

“He called you Love Bug.”

Janus felt his face heat a bit at the reminder. “That’s not… I. I’m stealing your cat and then never speaking to you again.”

Remus laughed. “Ah,” he said. “Young lust.”

Janus elbowed him roughly in the side. “No!”

“Yes!” he crooned, pleased.

[living-dead-parker]

Homecoming Queen

Summary: Request by @kalianoble - I was thinking something along the same lines being Tony's daughter and friends with the team And someone actively is trying to replace her, but she sort of pours out everything into her music and songs that she writes

Inspiration: Homecoming Queen by Kelsea Ballerini

Songs Used in the fic (not my original writing, credit goes out to the musicians): With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear & The Left Side of Everywhere by Sleeping With Sirens

Pairings: Avengers x stark!daughter, Shawn Mendes x stark!daughter

Warnings: cussing I think, implied sex, ooc Avengers

Word count: 1.9 k

"Oh come on, she's not trying to replace you," your friend Serena states, trying to reassure you. Your frown deepens as you lean back in your chair until you're nearly falling off of it.

"The other day, she was in my dad's lab, laughing and chilling with him and Bruce,  as if they've been friends their whole life. Then, they barely acknowledge me and she would try to get rid of me way too quick."

Your friends wince, not entirely too sure how to respond to that. However they do feel bad, seeing how much it's taking a toll on you. Meanwhile, you sulk in your pity. As spoiled as it may sound, you'd always gotten attention from your dad and the Avengers. They never bothered to get to know any other interns or temps. Why now? What's different this time around?

Eventually, you find yourself back home and upon entering the common room, you see Peter, Sam, and Bucky sitting on a couch each. Much to your disdain, Chrissy, the Avengers thief is there too. You feel the dislike bubble inside of you. A smirk evident on her face.

"Hey, you," Bucky calls out, offering you a smile.

"Hey," you respond, not feeling or sounding too eager. They all pick upon it, but what they don't pick up on is the way Chrissy glares at you. Chrissy scoots closer to Peter, resting a hand on his thigh. You chose to ignore it.

"Is everything okay?" Sam asks.

"As much as I'd like to chit chat," Chrissy speaks up, sounding way too sweet to actually be sweet. "I think Tony might be looking for you."

"He is?"

Chrissy shrugs, picking at her nails, not looking up at you. "Last I checked," she mumbles. You roll your eyes, walking off towards your room. He would have called it it was important.

From that point on, nobody talked to you for the rest of the day. You stayed in the comfort of your room's solitude. Not a single person asked about you. Not when Chrissy was there to entertain. An angry sigh escapes your lips as you watch them all play a game of Cards Against Humanity without you. Everyone laughs as Chrissy cheers from winning another round.

The days seemed to pass by much in this fashion. Days turned to weeks, which turned to months. It was slowly growing on you until being alone was all you wanted to do anymore. The lonliness began to eat you up, making you feel depressed and angry. You'd begun to feel like you were truly loosing your place, and slowly, your assurance in your purpose.

Chrissy continued to climb the ranks and everyone was wrapped around her finger. You'd try to reach out to the others, understanding that communication is a two way street. However, it always seemed to fall apart as soon as Chrissy walked into the room. You're convinced she's watching your every move because she's always there to intercept every single interaction. Ultimately, she got to a point where she was invited to events.

Parties, galas, and any other event was no longer fun because all you ever got was a simple greeting and a rushed five minute conversation.

You sit alone at a table at one of your father's gala after parties. The gold dress you wear making you stand out, yet no one approaches. until you see an all too familiar man slowly walk up towards your table. Curly brown hair, warm brown eyes, and an inviting yet excited smile. It's contagious as you find yourself smiling back.

"This seat taken?" he asks. Looking up at him, and with a certain excited gleam, you shake your head eagerly.

"Feel free," you respond, watching as he pulls the chair opposite you out and takes a seat.

"I'm Shawn-"

"Mendes, I know," you cut him off. He looks amused as you gasp from how rude you're being. "Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. I'm Y/N-"

"Stark, I know," he cuts in, a s mink on his lips as he leans back. You never really took him as a cocky person, bout here he is, making a Stark all flustered. "Can I ask why you're all alone?"

You seemed to naturally let your guard down around him. The walls were quick to fall and you held such deep and personal conversation with him. He reciprocated, letting you in on tons of personal information. As the night continued, the two of you talked, danced, and laughed together.

From that point on, the two of you became close friends and Shawn introduced you to the amazing world of writing and making music. As your family continued to push you away and fall into Chrissy's hand, you learned to write your feelings away in some of the most lyrically beautiful prose you could. So much so that Shawn was taken aback by it all.

As time passed, you found yourself constantly examining your relationship with Shawn, realising that it's not as platonic as you'd expected. The cuddling, the kisses, the hand- holding and gentle touching. Maybe the fact that you'd just slept with him last night, just before he's meant to leave for tour.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" he asks, stepping out of the restroom, towel wrapped around his waist. You bite your lip as you watch him  walk over. He picks up your shirt from the floor and tosses it at you nervously.

"I'll be fine," you tell him. He nods, still unsure. You sigh, kneeling on your bed and crawl over to him as he stands leaning against your bed. Your arms wrap around his shoulders, lips pecking his shoulder. "Seriously, I'll be fine," you assure him. "Maybe I'll write something new while you're out being a popstar," you joke. He chuckles, placing his lips to yours.

"Maybe you'll write something better than me," he states when he pulls away.  "Who am I kidding? I know you can."

Your heart swelled at his words. How can someone be so sweet and caring? So loving.

Once he left, you were stuck by yourself. However, you didn't allow yourself to get upset because you decided that you cannot buse all your happiness around Shawn. So, you got up and got productive. You showered, cleaned your room, got breakfast, and cleaned some more. You managed to say hi to your dad before Chrissy came along and you went back to your room. You grabbed your notebook and your pen, walking over to the garden room, guitar case on your back.

"Okay, we can do this," you say as you pull your guitar out. You flip open to the last song you wrote, one that's close to completion. Just needs a line or two. You then press record on your phone's voice recorder app.

"Falling over and over again," you sing, trying the chords you'd accidentally strummed the other day. You decided to keep the same general progression. "Oh, why does it have to be this way?"

The sound wasn't working, so you ditched the guitar, trying to find a sound through other mediums.

"From the place I was, to the place I am, to the place I want to be," you sing, following your own tune, letting your voice be your guide. "For the mountains I've been climbing over and under and over," you continue, finding your voice.

"From the place that I was to the woman I've become, I'll be there to see the tower you fall from," you belt out, really getting into it. "No this kingdom isn't quite what it may seem. You're an illusion you'll never be queen."

You sigh, flipping the pages in your notebook. "We'll come back to that one later, let's try Left Side of Everywhere," you tell yourself. This song was complete, now it's just a matter of recording it.

"There is no doubt tonight," you sing as you strum along on the guitar. However, you find yourself ditching the actual lyrics and singing something new. "I'm falling, I'm falling so in love with how you are to me. For you I would give anything, try to be a better person."

The words took you by surprise as you think of Shawn. You take a pause, falling into a rabbit hole of emotions and thoughts.

First and foremost, you're in love with Shawn. How could you not be? He's been nothing but kind and supportive of you. He's helped you through multiple breakdowns and he's given you purpose again. Sure, you've always had purpose even before he came along, but he helped you realize thats you're so much more than Tony Stark's daughter or a friend of the Avengers. So much more than just Shawn's friend. It doesn't matter if everyone is blinded by Chrissy's temporary shine, because you're so much more than that and you have things to say. Shawn encourages that. You don't need people who easily push you away and forget about you when someone new comes along.

"Now that I have the world in front of me," you sing excitedly. "I'm never turning back. How could I ever let this go?"

You pick the guitar back up and press record again, repeating the line and letting all your thoughts out.

"So many times I fall, I'm falling, I fall apart," you sing. "I'm so concerned with pity things, it drags me farther down. Why do we run from things we're scared of? I see it now it's all so clear. No, there's no turning back from here. Now that we have the world in front of us, we're never turning back. How could we ever not believe?"

It all seems rather silly, but you grow more excited with every word. You lose track of every word you've sung, but good thing you recorded it. Finally, after a minute, you end it, settling on going back to a loving tone,

"How could I ever let this go? I love the thought, what this all could mean. You're the only good thing left in me. Now that I have the world in front of me, I'm never turning back. How could I ever let this go?"

With that you call it a day.

Three months later, Shawn comes back, way too excited to see you. He arrives at the tower, meeting you in the common room where everyone, Chrissy included, is hanging out. He steps out of the elevator, quick to pull you into his arms and press his lips to yours in a sweet yet passionate kiss. When the two of you pull away, you grab his hand, pulling him towards the hall without acknowledging anyone.

Back in your room, you show Shawn your semi completed album. He listens to it, a large smile placed on his lips.

"So?"

He pauses as he pulls you into his arms. "It's amazing, just like you."

You smile, pulling him in for a kiss. He smiles into the kiss, pulling away to mumble a simple question. "Be my girlfriend?"

An excited squeal escapes your lips as you eagerly nod. Loving every second of this moment. You're excited. For your future, in music and with Shawn. Hopefully, a reconciliation will be in your future as Well, but for now, you're okay with where you are and you believe everything will fall firmly into place.

Send in feedback, requests, or asks, plz and thank you!!

[damntender]

            BECAUSE    I    HAVE    SO    MUCH    LOVE    TO    GIVE    . okay, first off I JUST HIT 100 FOLLOWERS after a matter of like 6 days... how???   ----  though i’m completely unsure why people stick around, or love me or even want to roleplay with my trash ass. i’ve not had an easy time with some horrendous experiences in this community and i wanted to give some love to the people that keep me staying, because all i wanna do is yell about them all the time.  azalea has been a crutch to me in the hardest times of my life, i created her after the loss of my grampa and all my anguish and pain went into trying to do something positive, and with the amount of loss in my life, it was nice to do something beneficial.  and i look back to creating her, and meeting all these incredible individuals along the way, and it’s honestly a blessing.  i wasn’t going to bring her back, but the response i’ve had, the love, the hype has honestly melted my heart and i could never ever thank anyone enough for that. but here, have me shouting about my love for you all in a post <333 

IF I MISS ANYONE,  I’M TRULY SORRY.  IT’S MY ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER FUCKING ME OVER. but i love you all <3333 

so some special mentions ( or a lot bc i can’t CHOOSE ),  these are people i talk to regularly, that i consider my best, and closest friends on this hellsite. you don’t know how much impact you’ve had on my life, but i have to let you know.  they are in NO particular order,  just the list i’ve written down on my notebook, because i have add and it’s a fucking party in my brain lmao. :))) 

@damncockroach  /  @damnbrazen  -----  becks, my love,  my aNGEL,  my bestie.  you don’t even need me to say how much you mean to me, or how much i love you because i try to make sure i remind you constantly.  you came into my life in a time that i really fucking needed someone,  someone to show me what true best friends are,  to pick me up, to be there and just ??? never leave.  someone i can count on constantly, and you’re always willing to help me. to shower me with hype and love, and i’ve lost count how many times i’ve cried down the phone to you and you’ve calmed me down, and given the best advice, or made me feel valid in my emotions.  you don’t know the impact you have on people becks, you’re honestly one of the best people i’ve met in my entire life. i know they say you get soul mates in forms of best friends, and i truly believe you’re mine.  you’ve been there for me through some of the most horrendous times in my entire life,  and you stood by me and that in itself deserves a medal.  i love you more than words could ever possibly express, and i count myself extremely lucky to call you my best friend, i honestly appreciate you so much.  you just get me,  we can communicate in person with just looks, and that proves our bond tbh.  you’re my rock.  getting to know you,  to know you out of writing and exist in a writing world with you is incredibly special,  and like you said in your original tags:  in fantasy and reality,  till death do us part.  i don’t think i’ve ever had a friend who is so selfless,  so down to earth,  and so compassionate and puts people before themselves until you.  i’ll always be here to remind you what a BABE you are,  how incredibly vital you are to not only me but to this world.  your one of the good ones.  and your talent?? is fucking astounding,  i get to be inspired by you and write with you and just learn from your insane gift,  because you breathe life into words.  you gift me with replies,  with characters and i scream over them forever,  and i can’t even say how in awe i am of you.  the love and depth you put into crafting your ocs,  or putting them into canons too,  just is crazy,  and i will never stop yelling about you.   you deserve all the hype, both in the roleplay world and the real world.  five years of friendship aNGEL !!!! i can’t wait for us to be besties when we’re 80 and can bitch about people still.  what i’m trying to say is, you’ve saved my life, more times than you know, and i wouldn’t still be breathing without you.  i owe you a load for that, and i love you endlessly, more than words could ever capture.  you make this rpc worth being in,  because with you beside me,  i can face anything.  i love you bubba,  so much.  i’m so proud of the person you’ve become,  who you are,  you’re a diamond and i am blessed to know you.  keep being your kickass self <3333 

@damnbrutal  /  @fearmer  /  @phoenique  -----  lunaaa ,  my love ,  the sweetest of angels.  my lil norwegian babe !!!! is there even words to sum you up either??? let me start by saying how i can’t encapsulate how sweet you are,  you’re like sunshine personified.  literally,  the brightest light and you deserve the fucking world, honestly.  meeting you was always meant to be, i truly believe that,  and i can’t ever say how much i love you.  you have been there to capture me when i fall,  to offer insane words of wisdom that comfort me,  to bless me with your presence when i’m breaking over voice chat.  when my grampa was dying,  or had died,  you were the biggest comfort,  you have no idea how much your presence,  your pure heart helped me out of such a horrendous place. you got how i was feeling,  you were sensitive to the subject,  and careful and you put your heart and soul into bringing me into a lighter place.  i can’t even express how much i’m gonna give you a MASSIVE squeeze when we see each other finally!!!!  you are one of the best human beings i’ve ever met,  just the most down to earth,  so pure,  so willing to help others,  and i can’t ever thank you or yell about you enough.  you give such a HUGE amount to your friends,  you’re always there to lend a ear, to offer us support across the ocean,  and i truly can’t even express how much that means.  you’re a fucking diamond, okay??? let’s get yelling about your talent,  your creativity will forever astound me.  from your writing to your graphics,  you’re truly fucking gifted,  and i’ve learned so much off you.  you’re a fucking inspiration in itself.  you’ve always shown me that i have the strength to overpower such negative forces in my life, and keep going, and i can’t ever thank you enough for that honestly, like i don’t think words will ever be as sufficient enough. you’ve put such love into your original characters, like mazia owns my aSS you know this, she is so fucking important to not only azalea but to me.  because you blessed me with this incredibly creative and in depth crafted character and i love her like she’s my own character.  you can truly see how much you love writing her, and the craft and everything and i truly believe you’re one of the best writers on this site.  our babies and their bond make me SOB, like they hit me right in the heart and i still weep over how mazia comes down to find out her best friend, her soul mate is gone.  they have a bond that WE have, we bled that into them, i can see that so clearly, like you’re my person. and i adore u <333  let’s not forget about the love of theo’s life either, odETTE. he adores her. god i get emo just thinking about them, and every single one of our babies.  it’s INSANE to me that someone who lives across the world can mean more to me than the majority of the friends i’ve known in real life.  you’re just SO important to me. i just love you a whole lot, words won’t ever capture it, and i appreciate you, i’m so grateful. thank u for being u. <3333

@hewolf  -------  ANI,  the loml.  while we haven’t wrote on here,  it didn’t feel right NOT including you,  because you’ve been in my life since day one of roleplay.  like when i look back for a constant in my life,  there you are,  making me laugh and being your INSANE, and down to earth self.  god,  how am i ever supposed to put into words just how much i love you?? like you know it knows NO bounds.  i don’t think there’s a person other than family for me who’s been there for me through everything in my life,  from start to finish of all the bullshit i’ve been through,  other than you.  you were there when i got my heart broken for the first time,  when i lost my gran,  grampa and my other grampa,  when i had a miscarriage,  you have been there and picked me up when i felt like i didn’t wanna be here anymore.  and you did it like it was NOTHING,  like it was easy,  and i’m so inspired by you as a person.  by your strength,  and you’re honestly the most hilarious person i’ve ever met.  like i can’t say how much i look forward to your snapchats every day,  how much they make me smile and laugh,  especially in our current predicament of the pandemic.  you’re a true joy,  and you’ve been there to support me always.  can you believe we’ve been besties for ten years next year???? like it’s crazy to me.  i just know that you’re someone i’m gonna have in my life forever,  and i don’t ever want to NOT have you around.  i know lately you’ve had the WORST time,  and i can relate to it,  all i wanna do is be there as best i can,  and it’s hard with shit going on,  i wish i could drive up to you and just give you a squeeze and try and take your mind off it all.  but i can’t.  and that sucks !!!! god,  do you remember where we started???? facebook fuckin roleplay??? i cringe at the thought but they are times i truly hold dear to my heart,  because i look at the development we’ve both had over the years as writers,  though you’ve ALWAYS been an incredible writer.  i look back at myself and i’m like?? who fuckin let her write??? you’re the reason i joined tumblr roleplay,  like you dragged my ass to it,  and it’s insane how long it’s been,  how much my life has changed.  you’re so down to earth,  and out of everyone i’ve met on this hell site,  and in life in general,  you’re one of the most REAL individuals i’ve met and it’s so inspiring??? you’re just so eloquent in your writing and you should have MORE FAITH in yourself because bubby you’re so talented.  i adore you so much,  words will never capture it.  i know that i can legit just ring you like i have previous,  crying down the phone and you’ll be there.  you’ve helped me through so much and i value you so much,  you’re a diamond,  one of the best individuals i’ve met.  you deserve the WORLD,  all the happiness,  because you are a fucking light,  you’re one of the good ones in life.  i love you bubby <33333

@racointeur -----  BEE,  my baby, one of the best friends i’ve ever had.  god, where do i start with you ??? without choking up because that’s gonna be hard.  let me first start by saying, i’m so proud of you, so proud of your strength, because you’ve been through some of the hardest shit as of late and i wish more than anything i could be there to cuddle you,  to support you better than i could here.  no one ever deserves what you’ve been through, but ESPECIALLY NOT you,  you are the kindest person with the BIGGEST heart of gold. all you do for others, is so clear to see, because you’ve always put people before yourself and it truly shows how GOOD of a person you are.  you came into my life when i needed someone too,  we bonded instantly over shadowhunters and our love for our babies jace / izzy, and instantly a bond came and i can’t ever explain how vital you are to me now.  days could pass or even weeks, and when we talk?? it’s like no time has passed.  there’s never any obligation or anger if we both fall off the grid.  you KNOW how important our friendship is to me. you’re one of my fave individuals to write with.  we’ve facetimed crying over the hardships of life,  or even laughed until our sides hurt,  i remember that one night when we spoke about simon biting izzy and how we were howling with laughter.  it’s a memory that legit sticks in my mind,  and makes me all warm and fuzzy.  in this life,  i’ve realised you’ve gotta stay close to the people who feel like sunlight,  the truly GOOD people and you’re one of them.  i know i can always message you, WITH any issue, or just to yell about our babies and you’ll be accepting and that in itself shows how deep our friendship goes,  you’re so accepting,  so supportive and i just love you more than words.  your writing is something i admire so much,  you’re so talented,  so eloquent and i just ??? aspire to be that gifted okay,  you can see your love for each and every character in your threads and i think EVERYONE should go love on you,  because you deserve the hype, and the love the most.  you’ve helped me down from ledges where i legit didn’t want to live anymore, you’ve put up with my bullshit and i can NEVER thank u enough for that.  here we are THREE years almost four years later,  still stuck to each other like glue bc u bet i’m not letting you GO at all, and still best friends.  i admire you so much,  i learn so much from you from your strength and i don’t think i could ever say enough what you mean to me.  you’re just purely talented,  an incredible individual and i can’t wait to meet you when this shit is all over and i’m finished with uni so i can fly out to see you and give you a MASSIVE squeeze.  you’re one of my fave individuals ever in life and i just adore you so so so much.  i love you bee.  you’re honestly world class,  and just a joy to know. <33333

@lethaelite ------ MANDI , you superhuman babe !!!!! gosh, i love you endlessly,  i can’t even begin to express, but it feels like we’ve been friends forever and i honestly can’t imagine a time without you in my life and i ???? don’t want to.  you’re one of the most intelligent individuals i’ve ever met, like you can see it so much in your writing, you put so much into the characters. like clarke???? i accept nO other portrayal than yours, because you just know her so much, at this point?? she’s your oc.  i love writing with her, and with octavia too, like octavia’s relationship with azalea is so important and it melts me, i just can’t help but get soft over them all the time. how azalea has broken down o’s walls.  how they’re ride or die,  all of it is fucking adorable.  and SUCH development.  i’m so glad becks dragged ur ass to tumblr so you can showcase your talent, everyone needs to KNOW how gifted you are!!!! let’s circle back to your talent, let’s talk about you.  you’re a diamond okay? a pure selfless individual with the biggest heart, and i’m so blessed to get to know you,  to be able to call you one of my best friends, and you’ve embraced me as a person, as a writer since we’ve met,  and i can’t ever thank you enough for that.  you’ve listened to me yell about some of the hardest times of my life,  you’ve listened and understood and kept it to yourself and it means everything and more to me.  let’s not FORGET that you’re a fierce badass individual, you’re so strong and i’m so proud of all you’ve battled through,  because i get to learn from your experience and guidance and words.  i look up to you SO much, i wish i had your outlook on life,  like i wish i had your strength because it’s incredible bubba.  honestly!!! you don’t realise the impact you’ve had either,  you have helped me through so much.  you’re kind,  down to earth,  and charismatic and hilarious and just a fucking joy to have around. i can’t wait for you to come over here,  because honestly we’re gonna have some insane memories to look back on,  and you deserve that break and a new surrounding more than anyone honestly.  i just can’t ever yell about you enough,  you’re beyond talented,  you have the BIGGEST heart and you’re one of the good ones in a world of bad.  i can’t wait for all the threads we get to do,  all the character development and everything. i know i can throw anything at you thread wise and you’ll be down for it, i love how much you YELL about threads and the reactions, because it truly shows me your excitement!! i just adore you so much and i can’t ever thank you for being you, for impacting my life how you have, and i’m thankful and appreciative to get you to be in my life. i LOVE you <3333 

@damnpain  /  @armyranger  ------��  VIC ------- god where do i begin with you ???? i used to ALWAYS fangirl over you,  like i would be heart eyes at your blogs from far away because i was always terrified to approach because your level of talent fucking astounds me. like you honestly have no clue how much i look up to you as a person,  you honestly are another whole level of talent.  and now i’ve gotten to know you,  and you’ve quickly become one of my best friends because you have the sweetest fucking heart,  you honestly make being on tumblr a pleasure,  and your incredibly soft and kind heart is something i’m so thankful to get to witness.  we’ve bonded over our own hardships both irl and in the community and it’s nice having someone who GETS it,  who understands exactly where i’m coming from,  it’s nice to know i’m not alone.  you’re like my very own hand to hold,  and i value you so fucking much honestly.  you’re honestly a sweetheart,  and you deserve the literal WORLD.  you make me laugh so much,  and you are so welcoming and knowing i can just yell at you about our babies,  really makes my day and i’m so thankful you get as excited as i do.  apollo literally OWNS my ass,  you’ve put your entire heart into him and he is so important to azalea,  so vital to her and i can’t wait to develop them and their relationship more because it’s something i’m so excited about. god don’t get me started on how HEARTBREAKING his story is,  his backstory makes me well up with tears,  poor baby deserves such a break,  he’s the cutest angel,  and i love him.  as i love ALL of your ocs,  you know this.  i’m always gonna be here to hype you up,  because you’re just outstanding,  a true fucking icon.   i remember how much you inspired me from when i saw your max blog so getting to call you one of my best friends now is !!!! amazing to me, but also, you’ve calmed me down when i’m spiralling, listened to my problems and issues and been happy to deal with them and it just shows how much of a selfless person you are.  you are always more than happy to help,  and i love you endlessly and more. and i’m so thankful we found each other even in the wake of all the shit i’ve been through lately,  because you’ve become a rock to me,  i adore you so much,  your incredible nature,  sweet and welcoming and i know i can talk to you about everything.  thank you for being your amazing,  sweet,  and truly extraordinary self,  because you honestly DESERVE the world,  all the happiness and stuff.  i know i’ve found another best friend for life in you,  you’re an angel.  i love love love you vic,  keep being YOU,  because you’re just out of this world,  a true good person.  A DIAMOND <333333

@tragedyhymns  /  @damnbrain  ------   SUN !!!! my sweet angel,  god how do i even begin to describe you or put into words my love for you ????  everytime i talk to you, you make my heart swell because you’re just so fucking sweet. you’re beyond considerate and just one of the nicest individuals i’ve ever met in this hellish community.  you’ve been nothing but a support to me,  and i don’t ever want us to part.  i’ve kept you close from the moment we met in the shadowhunters fandom over three years ago now,  and i’m sorry to say but you’re not getting away from me,  ever.  i just adore you with my entire heart.  i’m so proud of the person you are , i’m so proud that i GET to call you a best friend of mine . let me say i’m SO fucking proud of you for kicking ass with your education , like even when it feels like everything is getting too much and you’re having so much going on ooc??? you power through like the WARRIOR you are, and i’m beaming with pride over you.  because honestly, if there’s anyone who deserves to succeed in life??? it’s you.  your talent is astounding,  we’ll come to your writing, but your GRAPHICS???? like you’re an ASSET to that career you’re going to have.  you’re going to have such an insane career,  i am always taken aback by what you can make and create,  like share some of that talent pls.  never LET anyone bring you down.  you’re truly fucking remarkable.  i also have to commend your writing talent,  because you bring characters to life with such a love,  such a depth and admiration that i am always in awe of you.  matty and cris are by far my favorite babies,  like matty is so vital to azalea and the story we have created for them is one of my favourites, like it is so IMPORTANT to me, i can’t even thank you enough for it.  i also have to yell about how much you took on by creating ash,  and making him your own,  and i love being affiliated with you. you’re so eloquent,  so in depth and so talented, you bleed EVERYTHING into your writing and graphics and it shows.  you’re a treasure.   you mean everything and more to me, you’re just a fucking angel,  i love you.   you’re a light —- i appreciate you so much and i won’t ever be able to thank you for that . you’ve made me smile on the most horrific of days , you’ve been there to listen when things are falling apart . you’ve been there through a lot,  and i love you endlessly.  just know how important you are to me,  i will forever be here to rave about you as a person, your talent. never leave me o k ?? because i’ll actually fucking cry because you mean so much to me!!!!  never forget how loved , how incredible you are , and how much we all STAN you  i love you, you fucking cutie. <3333

@damnsamurai  /  @iswarholy  /  @skailante  ----- ZAWN !!!!! god,,, i love YOU.  i have gotten the opportunity to have you in my life for the past three years and even though we lost touch??? it’s like no TIME has passed,  because you’ve embraced me,  thrown nothing but love at me and just been a fucking angel.  you’re one of the good ones on this site,  like we reconnected and within like three days i had made an oc to be affiliated with yours because i fucking ADORE you.  my opinion of you since we first met,  hasn’t changed.  i thought you were truly blessed with an astounding talent then,  and if anything,  i’m even more convinced of that now,  because i am just constantly in awe of your characters,  of your portrayal of octavia because holy fuck babe,  it’s so GOOD,  so indepth.  you truly bleed complete depth and understanding into her,  as if she’s your actual character and not jroths or the original writers.  actually,  let’s say she’s yours because you show her more fucking love,  lets be real here.  let me also tell you,  how much your little messages about how much you love me on discord everyday,  they truly make my day.  because i’ve had a fucking horrendous time as of late with some shitty times irl and in the community and you’ve become a rock.  you’ve shown me there’s some people left who are intrinsically kind,  who have nothing but a GOOD regard to people.  you’re someone who deserves the literal world,  because you’re just a fucking diamond,  just pure through and through.  and your talent??? god i love writing our babies saff and orion,  we created them,  wrote them and i was hooked instantly,  like i am complete trash for our babies and for YOU,  because you’re so beyond talented,  so gifted.  i am shook at you all of the time,  please TEACH me your ways, pls pls.  i also know that i can approach you to yell about things,  or throw muse posts at you,  and you’ll be accepting.  thank you for embracing me,  for being so accepting,  so sweet to me and an astounding friend,  i count you as one of my best friends.  i honestly don’t think words could ever say how grateful i am for you,  but i hope this makes you smile.  you’re a credit to this fandom,  and i can’t wait to write more with you,  to yell more and for this beautiful friendship to continue.  i love you,  bIG UP THE RIDDEN FAM,  love you always,  please never forget how truly extraordinary you are,  because i’ll always be here to tell you.  i don’t want to be in this fandom ever without YOU  <3333 

@waldenborn  /  @geneticassassin  ----- LILLY  --------- U ANGEL… i don’t even know how i can ever express my true gratitude for you,  for always being there when i need someone,  for being your truly amazing self.  and also for embracing azalea from the very beginning when i made her,  i was such a heart eyes fan girl over you because damn… helo is so well crafted,  so in depth and just everything i aspire to create within my own oc’s.  you have always truly thought him through,  put so much love and creativity into him and that in itself has always astounded me,  i think i’ll always be someone who fangirls over you.  i was terrified to reach out at first,  just because i’m a ball of anxiety and you always made me completely at ease,  and even when we go weeks without talking,  without interacting at all,  it’s like NO time has passed.  we just pick up as we left off,  and i know there’s never ANY pressure and it makes me feel safe,  and like i can truly be myself.  you’re truly world class,  and i can never thank you for all the love and support you’ve given me,  honestly.  i don’t think i could ever put it into words,  but you mean everything to me and to a zillion more people in this fandom,  you’re a big ball of sunshine,  of love,  and you’re a true angel to have around.  A CREDIT.  i can never thank you for accepting me,  hyping me up and wanting to write with me,  honestly writing with you makes me SUPER happy because i get to craft such amazing character relationships with you, but also because i get to be astounded by your incredible replies all of the time.  i get so !!!! at seeing you on the dash bc dATS my babyyyyy. our development with azalea / helo always melts me,  from them meeting in mount weather,  to falling for each other and then facing the end of the world together,  living their peaceful life on earth for six years,  undisturbed.  they deserved that happiness !!!! helo is so important to azalea, like he’s a huge part of her life,  and i love our talks about them,  and you always yelled at me about how much you loved my characters even when i wasn’t writing azalea on tumblr anymore.  i always felt that support from you,  and you have no idea how much it helped me out of so many dark places.  i also adored writing bellamy / gabby with you because they own my aSS, and octavia and helo because hearing all your headcanons about his love of octavia and how protective of me always BLEW my mind.  fancy sharing some of that talent, please???? i am just forever in awe of you.  i count myself lucky to know someone like you. the world needs more GOOD souls like you. just know how much of an impact on my life you’ve had,  you deserve the hype you talented lil baby. I LOVE YOU <33333

@damnstory  /  @azgedaspy  ----- ��KAT  ----  u sWEET angel <3333  first off, let me YELL about how much of a fucking vital individual you are to this community,  like while we don’t have to ask permission to be part of the “damn” family,  you’ve brought together a group of writers,  and everyone fucking ADORES you because you’re down to earth.  you’re so sweet,  and so fucking lovely.  like i don’t think words even capture my adoration of you.  from the moment we met,  you did nothing but embrace me,  nothing but BUILD me up,  keep reminding me how much i was a strong person,  or a zillion and one other sweet things you said.  i can never thank you enough for that,  as someone who’s really been through it in the fandom with people that i didn’t deserve or ask for,  it was nice for someone to validate me and make me feel like ???? i was wanted around.  you helped my mental state more than words ever could truly express,  i love you endlessly for that, as it shows just HOW good of a person you are.  you have one of the kindest hearts i’ve met,  and your talent forever leaves me taken aback.  you know i’m so trash for your echo,  like the ONLY echo i’ll accept,  i’ll be honest.  like at this rate,  she’s your character in my eyes,  because wow,  the depth,  the love,  the UNDERSTANDING you’ve put into her.  it just is incomparable.  and now you’re bringing the loml bellamy blake to life,  and gOD DAMN you’re so fucking good at him,  you never make any excuses for his behaviour,  you hold him accountable and i love throwing angsty threads of my ocs,  or charas calling him out on his bullshit because you know i’m a SLUT for some angst.  you bring him to life,  and it’s so brilliant,  like truly you’re a talent,  so in depth and so much effort goes into it,  and it’s appreciated,  it’s something i ADMIRE,  you deserve all the hype and more.  you’re one of the best writers i’ve ever come across,  and i have no other choice but to STAN,  always and forever.   you showed me that there’s some good left on this site . you showed me that i can still make friends that i trust and love , and to never be intimidated to talk to people,  because we both know i’ve been terrified to talk to people before.  i always fangirled over you before and i STILL do,  you’re just a fucking angel who deserves the entire world and more.  like truly a treasure,  i count you as one of my best friends on this site,  a person who is so encompassingly good,  that it makes the community a JOY to be in.  i love you kat,  keep being your incredible self,  and throwing your talent into the community,  because i’ll always be here to yell about it.  you’re just world class and i love you so much. <3333

@damnbetray  ------  BEAN,  god if there’s anyone who’s a fucking CUTIE in this fandom,  it’s YOU.  i can’t ever express how much i love you or how much you make me laugh.  you are just beyond talented,  i can’t wait to write with you and develop our characters together.  but more than anything,  you’re just a SWEETHEART,  who has validated how i’ve felt lately,  you’ve made me feel at ease when my world was falling apart.  you’ve stayed and HYPED me up,  made me feel empowered to do what’s BEST for me,  and made sure to tell me i’m doing what’s right and i can never thank you enough for that.  you’ve got the kindest heart,  like truly,  i can’t even express how much i adore you,  words will never EVER encompass that enough.  you’re one of the sweetest babes i’ve met and i LOVE getting to yell about things to you,  like spending the very late hours of the evening with you on voice chat,  laughing our heads off about how stupid our languages or hometowns are.  like comparing sayings,  it honestly made my night.  after such discomfort i’ve experienced,  i can’t even explain how much that means to me,  getting some company,  someone who UNDERSTANDS my horrendous hysteria.  you deserve the WORLD bubby,  honestly.  you’re the cutest babe.  and your accent is SO ADORABLE, i want it... i’m jealous.  also,  your ocs are so well crafted,  i am in awe at your talent to bring characters to life,  how you’ve put your love,  soul and heart into creating them,  it shows how much you adore writing and how much they mean to you and i can’t wait for our soft grounder babies to meet.  azalea will LOVE on her so much,  like just you WAIT.  i’m so grateful for our little squad,  not only making me feel at ease in this fandom,  but being a support network i so desperately needed,  like we ALL need that love.  and i don’t care WHAT you say but ur a fucking talent at not only writing but fucking graphics bc what you created was legit fucking INSANELY incredible,  like i’m jealous pls teach me ur ways, thank u.  you’ve been a fucking angel to me since we met , and i can’t imagine life without you and i don’t wanna . it’s like we’ve been friends forever , and i love that .  you’re a friend i’m blessed to have. thank you for being you. i LOVE U so much,  and i’ll be here ALWAYS to hype you up because you deserve the hype, all of it. soak it up <3333 

OTHERS I LOVE,  that if i had the energy to write MORE about i would but they’re my squad and I ADORE them,  they truly inspire me so much,  and i value all of them,  like as MONTY would say,  the GOOD guys :  @mythso  ;  @mythcals  ;  @mieczlw  ;  @heroach  ;  @roseguided  ;  @buriedwoes  ;  @hevives  ;  @trageday ;  @mudwoven  ;  @coyoted  ;  @pahriahs -----  you ALL deserve the world,  your talent truly astounds me and your presence in this fandom has truly not only melted my heart but made this place a safe space for me,  a place of warmth.  you ALL are aware of how much i love you from how much i’ve yelled at you previously,  and if i could fight through this chronic illness pain right now to talk about you all individually i WOULD, but my meds aren’t working.  your writing is incomparable in talent,  like the depth,  the love you put in,  and how you’re all so DOWN to earth,  such softies and so welcoming and accepting of me???? i can’t thank you enough.  you all deserve ever OUNCE of hype.  like you accepted azalea,  or any other muse i’ve written and that in itself means everything and more to me,  i don’t think words will ever truly express.  for someone who’s insanely anxiety riddled after some shit ooc,  and in the community,  it melts me when i find people with nothing but GOOD intentions,  because it proves that there are STILL good people out there.  i count you as my closest friends,  and i adore writing with you and can’t wait to do it more.  just know you’ve had the biggest of impacts on me,  that by just BEING you,  and sharing your gift,  you’ve made me happy,  made this place ALL the more better,  and words will never do you justice.  you’re all SWEETHEARTS, and a credit to the community.  i ADORE you and love you all so so so much. <3333 

MORE PEOPLE I LOOK UP TO AND WANT TO INTERACT WITH ,  BUT I’M BUT AN ANXIETY RIDDLED BABE SO PLEASE THROW YOURSELVES AT ME : --- @commaender  ;  @commandied  ;  @azhefa  ;  @azgona  ;  @astralgenius  ;  @brotheir  ;  @darkseen  ;  @damnfoxed  ;  @damnbrace  ;  @damnloyal  ;  @shenomaly  ;  @damnbird  ; @damnguard  ;  @damnalone  ;  @earthsheir  ;  @earthreina  ;  @fatalruin  ;  @futuresees  ;  @fatalrisk  ;  @genetictraitor  ;  @glassae  ;  @graunfisop  ;  @holykissed  ;  @hqppier  ;  @heroicis  ;  @imperrator  ;  @knowsdeath  ;  @komfolaui  ;  @laendon  ;  @lovkyna  ;  @lovefray  ;  @mortaele  ;  @mortaele  ;  @nextleveldamaged  ;  @otvblake  ;  @puresthearted  ;  @pyrorize  ;  @praesaes  ;  @preytend  ;  @runegiven  ;  @sunhken  ;  @tribrids  ;  @warstroyed  ;  @wanlidas  ;  @avgustia  .

if i missed anyone !!! i’m sorry,  my add makes it super hard to REMEMBER and focus,  BUT i adore you and look up to you so much <333 

[lesbian-peanut-writer]

Late Birthday...

So, I’m extremely late for this, but this piece is a Birthday Present for @ikinabi. I’m like 5 months late with it and honestly, I’m sorry for that. I’m glad that they liked it and they’ve given permission for it to be posted here. This is a continuation of the previous birthday piece I did for them, so if you haven’t read that one yet, go read it here. I hope all of you enjoy this as well, I had a lot of fun getting this done.

~Lesbian Peanut

It still amazed you how quickly a year could come and go, one minute you are celebrating the New Year, then suddenly Christmas is kissing you. It had been a blissful year for you though, a year filled with memories of which you cherished deeply. Your birthday had come around once more to kick you in the face, but this time it felt a little empty and you knew exactly what had caused that feeling. Despite all of your friends turning up to help celebrate with you once again, minus of course the ones that had to work for the day and you had got to spend the night with your amazing boyfriend. Unfortunately, there was one person you wanted to show who just didn’t and you couldn’t keep your eyes from scanning the crowd in hope, searching desperately for a certain head of blonde hair. The rush of disappointment that would hit you each time you failed to locate it within the crowd, was quickly overshadowed by your rambunctious friends.

You had been left a mess after Katsuki had spewed his heart out to you and your boyfriend, his pent-up feelings for you both made painfully clear that night. Eijiro and yourself had sworn to talk with Katsuki about all of it the following day but the chance to do so had never presented itself. It wasn’t like you didn’t try either, you had gone to find him the next morning but he was nowhere to be found. You had started by looking at his house and then decided to make your way around to all his other normal places; work being the last place you checked in at. Honestly, you wished now it had been the first place you had gone, he had been loaned out to another station on assignment and they were unsure as to when exactly he would be returning. Just like that, the opportunity to talk everything over passed.

Eijiro had been understanding about it all and consoled you about it several times but you knew ultimately that you couldn’t mope around over the situation. You chose to pour yourself into your work while dedicating all of your affection towards your beloved boyfriend. Things were great in your life the way they were now, Eijiro was doing the most amazing job at work and you had recently picked up more hours after being promoted through the ranks. Despite everything being so smooth and good for you, that feeling of having something missing from your lie was constantly antagonising you. Some days it was more noticeable than others, like the mornings you would wake alone in bed due to Eijiro having been called into work early or working the early shift and sometimes not having come home from work yet. Truth was you missed Katsuki, that hole in your heart where he belonged aching and there was nothing in the world that could possibly stop it from doing so.

You sighed as you pushed open the heavy-set door to your local café, heading towards the counter in order to get your regular morning coffee. The waitress here knew you well, she would always have your order ready when you would head in at lunch break to get food and a bit of a break from work. The barista was much the same, saying your order before you could even get the chance to form the sentence in your head. You blinked as your phone chimed in your bag, shifting your stance about as you rummaged through your belongings in order to retrieve the small cellular device. You cursed whoever had talked you into getting such a small phone or possible such a large bag, of course Mina was totally to blame for both of those things. You grumbled as you found your phone, pulling it out of your bag and unlocking it to view the message you had received. You were just about to read the small words printed in the bubble on your screen, when you smacked into the back of the person standing before you in line. You screamed internally as you stepped back away from them quickly, making sure not to hit anyone who might be standing behind you in the process.

“Watch where you’re going, won't…”

Your eyes grew wide as the voice carried over to your ears and you snapped your head up instantly. You seriously hoped this wasn’t one of those cases where someone starts hearing the voice of the person they’re missing or longing to see but they’re not actually there. Your brown eyes locked with the crimson ones looming over you and your heart skipped a beat. “K-Katsuki…” You whispered cautiously, as though afraid speaking his name would cause him to disappear on you.

“Shit!” He cursed the singular word as he turned his head away from you, his hand moving to cover his mouth in that familiar instinctive habit he had of trying to hide his surprise from people.

You couldn’t help but to frown at his little outburst, your eyes flicking over his stature as you took in the way he looked. He looked haggard, warn out and extremely tired; you’d never seen him like this. Were those bags under his eyes? It was clear to you that this man who you loved dearly, hadn’t been looking after himself for some time and it was hurting you to see him in such a run-down state. “Where have you been?” You demanded as you stepped in closer to him, moving to pull on a loose strand of his jacket.

Katsuki shifted his stance, pulling back away from you as he lowered his hand down to his side before hiding it away in the pocket of his jeans quickly. There was no way that was supposed to be missed by you and you weren’t about to let it slide either. “Working shrimp, some of us work in the field remember?” He shot back, narrowing his eyes as he scrutinised you closely. You were aware he was having a stab at you and probably a little at your boyfriend, though that wasn’t about to slide.

“Oh, I remember. Hard to forget that sort of thing when you have a boyfriend who happens to be a firefighter.” You remarked, crossing your arms over your chest as you looked up into his eyes. “I think you and I need to have a little bit of a chat, Katsuki Bakugou and I will not take no for a fucking answer this time!”

Katsuki instantly stiffened as his name rolled off of your tongue, staring down into your eyes as he sucked in his breath. Your small stature wasn’t something that he or anyone else would usually be scared of but when you used his full name like that; he knew he’d fucked up! He nodded his head in defeat, resigning himself to the fact he owed you at least that much and if he was being honest with himself; it was nice to see you again. He sighed heavily as he corded a hand through his untamed hair and turned around towards the barista, ordering your coffees before grabbing your arm to pull you away towards a table. His hand was firm around your bicep as he pulled you along and you couldn’t help but wonder why he was being so forceful with you. He let you go, watching you as you slipped into the seat in the little booth, he chose for you and moved to sit opposite of you. It seemed to him as though you were in good health and happy with yourself, something he had been worried about after he left. Katsuki frowned as he recalled the way things had been left between the two of you at your birthday party, it hadn’t been the way he had wanted things to go but he had been left with little choice.

Katsuki was excruciatingly tired, his entire body felt like it was on fire from being pushed too far and his muscles were protesting at the slightest of moves he made. He felt as though he was teetering on the brink of death from all the work he had been doing over the past year and from finishing unpacking all his shit from the night before. He groaned out in exhaustion as he rubbed his calloused hands over his face, his leg bouncing as he awaited the arrival of his highly anticipated coffee; the one juice that had kept him from killing most people in the last year. His eyes flicked over in search of your own as you sat there in front of him, your eyes downcast and focused on your hands while you kept them hidden away in your lap. Katsuki didn’t blame you for being this reserved around him again, it had been a long time since the two of you had let silence hand between you like this but with the shitty-ass way he had acted out at your birthday; he sure felt as though he deserved it.

“Where the fuck is that stupid shitty-haired boyfriend of yours? Shouldn’t that moron be here with you right now?” Katsuki inquired in a gruff voice as he narrowed his eyes and attempted to stifle down a yawn.

“That moron, as you so crassly put it, has to work you know!” You shot back at him as your eyebrows pulled together in agitation, he was well aware of how you felt when people took it upon themselves to actively insult your boyfriend. Half the time people didn’t even know that much about the man, but Katsuki did and that was what really pissed you off the most.

“I saw him working the late shift last night, there is no way in hell that asshole has any reason not to be here right now.” He rebuked as he drummed his fingers effortlessly against the hard surface of the table, his eyes never leaving yours as he tried to pry the truth from you. “Try me with your next excuse, yeah?”

“Shut up!” You growled, lifting your head to look straight into his eyes as tears brimmed within your own, stinging as they threatened to spill over. “Unlike you, Eijiro is a responsible man and needs to sleep in order to be able to do his job to the best of his ability. He isn’t able to knock off work, grab a cup of coffee and keep his eyes open for the rest of the day.” You shot back at Katsuki as you defended your boyfriend’s good name, tears slipping from your eyes to run down your cheeks as you held back your sobs. “Something I had always wished you wouldn’t do when you were here, before you left us. You can’t keep burning the candle at both ends all the time Katsuki, eventually there won’t be anything left of you because you’ll burn out.”

Katsuki’s body grew rigid as he stared you down, his eyes wide with shock as he took in all the words you had just assaulted his ears with. He had been expecting you to react to him seeing your boyfriend the night before but he wasn’t expecting you to blow up on him, you had become a little spit-fire since he had left town. No, you had always been one and he was well aware of that; you just knew how to hide it. “You’re starting to sound a hell of a lot like a mother, scolding their child for having done something they shouldn’t have been.”

“That’s no insult to me, Katsuki. Don’t you think that’s saying a little something about yourself more than me?” You bit back as you narrowed your eyes, daring him to tell you that you were wrong. “Like, maybe you’re being a bit childish and need to think things over a little more before you get yourself or someone else hurt.” You whispered as you reached your hand across the table, closing the small distance between you and falling short as you hesitated in your decision. “Kats, I…” You frowned as you turned your head away from the man in front of you quickly, unsure on how you should go about finishing that sentence and started to pull your hand back away from his own.

Katsuki was a reserved person, he knew that much about himself but fuck he wasn’t that fucking dense when it came to reading other people; especially not you. He knew there was something more that you wished to say aloud to him but some small part of you was keeping you from speaking your mind to him and he knew it wasn’t going to be good if he left you to dwell on the thoughts or leave before getting them out. He reached his hand across the table instantly. Trapping your much smaller one under his as he watched you closely; you had always been so easy to read for him. “You’re the one who said that you and I had to have a little talk, I agreed so that I could hear you out; not for you to not fucking talk to me! You’ve obviously got something to get off your mind, so stop fucking tiptoeing around me and fucking say it already!”

“You kiss your mother with that same mouth, Kats?” You quipped as you quirked an eyebrow at him, a glint of a smile tugging at the edges of your lips.

“Fuck no!” His answer was resounding and it hung in the air between you like a thick fog, causing some of the other patrons to look over at you both. “I’d rather get on my hands and knees to eat dirt, than kiss that old hag.” He bit out as his grip tightened around your hand subconsciously. “Now, out with it damn it!”

You sighed in exasperation as you dropped your eyes down to where your hands sat on the table, smiling tenderly as you felt just how warm his hands really were. You had known that the relationship Katsuki had with his mother had been strained when you had known each other throughout high school, but judging from his reaction now; it was safe to say things had only managed to get worse between them. You took the opportunity to look his hand over, his knuckles were covered in bruises and there were cuts across the back of his hand. You were careful as you moved your hand out from under his, instead opting to cover his as you smoothed your thumb over the swell of his knuckles. It was a comforting feeling in a way and reassuring after spending the last year constantly searching for this man in crowds.

“So, you managed to see Ei huh?” You whispered as you watched his jaw closely, noticing the tick of his muscles as his jaw clenched in his effort to contain his anger. It was an old habit of his that you had tried to break him of because it was sometimes painful for you to hear him grinding his teeth like that.

“Yeah… the bastard was working the late shift last night.” He managed to mutter through clenched teeth; his eyes focused on something over your left shoulder before he closed them completely. “Is he at home now?”

Until tonight, he has to work again tonight.” You smiled as you rubbed his knuckles gently, your thumbpad pressing into each of them as you went; secretly checking for any signs of pain or broken bones.

“Stubborn asshole!”

“What exactly is that supposed to mean, Katsuki?” You frowned at Katsuki’s quick remark of your boyfriend, your thumb slowing to a halt over the back of his hand as you looked up into his eyes intensely.

“Nothing… just forget about it.” Katsuki brushed your inquiries off as he opened his eyes and turned his head away from you, opting instead to stare out of the window into the street.

“Katsuki…”

“Here are your coffees, Alyssa.”

You blinked as you flicked your eyes up to the waitress as she stood beside your table, smiling at her in thanks as you watched her place both of the coffee cups down on the table between you both. Katsuki took that moment to pull his hand out from under yours, withdrawing it back and hiding both of them under the table as he dropped his head to stare at the table top. You pouted as you took your coffee in hand and sipped at it through the lid, it was some damn good coffee. Katsuki seemed to be extremely distant in your opinion, you’d thought he’d be a little cheerier or welcoming towards you after everything he’d said last year at your birthday but apparently your hopes had been wrong; dashed by the shell of a man before you.

Forget it? Those words he had spoken to you made absolutely no sense. How the hell, were you supposed to forget anything when you spent the entire last year searching for this man with every chance that you got? Now here he was sitting before you and he was spouting bullshit that you really didn’t understand, he wasn’t being himself and you didn’t like what he had become. Forget it? What exactly were you supposed to be forgetting? The fact he called your boyfriend stubborn or what? Katsuki hadn’t really given you much else to work with here and it wasn’t like he had really said all too much to you either. You sighed out in frustration as you slammed your coffee down on the table and leaned over it towards him, reaching out towards his sleeve as your eyebrows knit together.

“What’s wrong with you, Katsuki? What’s going on, talk to me.” You pleaded as you watched him closely, hoping he would lift his head and smile at you.

“Nothing, I just…” Katsuki frowned as he sighed heavily, catching sight of your hand as he leaned back against the seat and pulled his arms out of your reach. “I’m just tired, alright?”

Tired? He really expected you to believe that all this was just because he was tired? “Go get some sleep then, or do you have to get back to work soon?” You shot back as you watched him skeptically, he was hiding something from you but as always, he was hard to read.

Katsuki hummed in response to your questions, his hands moving to rub at the back of his neck firmly. He seemed distant, as though his mind wasn’t there in the conversation with you but instead thinking a million miles ahead. “Do me a favour yeah? Stay at home tonight.” His voice was soft and sombre as he spoke those words, his eyes flitting over to your momentarily.

Your eyes widened in shock as you stared into the crimson ones before you, there was pain hidden in the depth of those beautiful eyes but what that was pertaining to you had no idea. Was Katsuki in pain or was he hurting over something else entirely? Was it possible that he had done something and was now regretting it, he wasn’t regretting the words he had spoken to you last year was he? His words made no sense to you, why on earth was he asking you to stay at home tonight and why was he calling it a favour? You wanted desperately to say something in response to him but the words you desire just wouldn’t come forth. What had happened to Katsuki, what was it that he was hiding from you?

“Katsuki, please… I can’t…” You pleaded as you leaned over the table that fraction more, your fingers mere inches away from gripping his jacket sleeve. Your breath caught in your throat as he suddenly stood from his seat, his hands retreating to his jean pockets once more as he stood out of your reach. You lifted your head tentatively, afraid of what you’d fine when you looked back into his eyes this time. Cold! His eyes held nothing, the emotion you had been so familiar with while growing up was gone and the coldness reflected back at you now was suffocating.

“Just do it damn it, I don’t want to argue with you, Alyssa!” Katsuki’s words were abrupt and final as he glared down at you with a stern demeanour. He moved to grab his coffee cup, holding it to his chest as he made to walk away from you.

You sat there numb, watching him as he hesitated briefly and halted in his path before turning back to face your body. You felt fingers cord into your hair, pushing it back out of your face as he leaned down close to you. Katsuki was so close to you and yet it felt as though he was so incredibly far away, you could feel the heat radiating from his body though his cold demeanour was off-putting. You sat there as confusion overwhelmed you and you felt his lips press firmly against your forehead; his actions were not on par with his words.

“Please, don’t go again…” Your voice cracked as you started to shift in your seat, the fear of never seeing him again suddenly becoming suffocating as realisation sunk in.

“I love you, Alyssa.” Katsuki whispered the words against your forehead before leaving, taking his warmth with him as he left the small café. You sat there in mind-numbing silence as you stared across the café, nothing really registering with you and it felt as though all the warmth was gone from your body as tears welled in your eyes.

~

“Wait, he did what now?”

Eijiro recoiled back, pressing his body away from the sound as he backed away from the shrill voice of Mina as he shot her a disapproving glare. He had regretted telling her everything that had happened between you and Katsuki the moment the words had left his mouth but she had been so insistent on knowing what had her boss in such a grumpy mood. Several emotions had taken over him in the brief moments you had told him what had happened between Katsuki and yourself but there was something that didn’t sit right with him. It wasn’t like Katsuki to hurt you like that, he had always been gentle and kind when it came to dealing with you. Heck, he had threatened Eijiro if he were to ever mess things up for you. The words he had left you with was something else altogether, what on earth had he meant by asking you to stay at home tonight? Was he aware that you had work to do at the hospital tonight or was he planning on stopping by the house to see you perhaps?

“Look, I told you everything that I know and I’m not exactly pleased with what he did to her either but right now we have more important things to focus on, yeah?” Eijiro shot as he motioned to the building around them.

Mina nodded as she turned her attention back to the building they were currently standing in; they had just started their shift for the night at the firehouse when the call had come in about a fire that had engulfed an apartment block. The two of them had been quick to get their squad into gear and get the truck on the road/ When they said engulfed, they hadn’t been joking, the entire damn building was up in flames but unfortunately that meant nothing to their current task. Eijiro had been quick to lay out the plan to his team, instructing them to get in the building and escort any trapped tenants out, with the assurance of the fire chief they had moved into the burning disaster.

“I’m just saying, I would have stomped his ass there and then if he dared to treat me like that.” Mina’s voice pierced Eijiro’s ear as she quipped back at him.

“Ashido, sweep the rooms to the left, I’ll take the ones to the right and remember to keep an eye on the fire. It shifts and you get the hell out, watch the beams above too!” Eijiro ordered as he motioned towards the rooms on the left, ignoring her previous comment on their earlier subject.

“Yes sir, don’t worry about me and just watch out for yourself yeah?” She shot back over the comms as she headed into the first room on the left.

“Just making sure you’ll be heading home tonight with your fiancée in one piece there Ashido.” Eijiro smirked as he moved off towards the rooms on the right.

“Cleared the fourth floor, heading on up to the fifth now, boss.” Inasa’s voice came over the comms in a muffled crackle as he reported in to Eijiro.

“Alright, be careful up there and watch one another’s backs.” Eijiro ordered as he searched the first room, calling out for anyone before moving on to the next.

The first floor of the apartment block was covered in debris and shrouded in smoke, it made seeing anything next to impossible. Eijiro was thankful for the breathing apparatus that he had on; he’d hate to be anyone in there at that moment without one on. He couldn’t imagine the feeling of his lungs burning as they were deprived of the oxygen they so desperately needed. He continued on with his sweep of the first floor, room after room being cleared of residents as he went and honestly that really didn’t surprise him. Generally speaking, in his experience the first floors of buildings were usually the first ones to be evacuated, as residents usually didn’t have to fight with the fire.

“Second and third floor are clear, we’re heading down now with a couple of residents from the third floor.” Hanta’s voice crackled over the comms as he checked in.

“Some of them are going to need medical attention too.” Denki’s voice cut through before Eijiro could respond to him and a slight smirk pulled at his lips.

“Alright you two, pull out and get those residents out of here. Head out to the medical crew and Mina will meet you out there once she’s finished her sweep of the left side of the first floor.” Eijiro called back as he moved towards the last door on the right side, frowning as he tried for the handle and it didn’t budge. “Fuck sake…” He growled as he stepped back away from the door before booting it, splintering the doorframe in the process. “Fire department, call out!”

Eijiro searched around the main room thoroughly, lifting the covers on the bed to check under it before noticing a door leading off to what he assumed could only be the bathroom. He moved over towards it quickly, the temperature in the room was skyrocketing and he knew that meant it was time for them to start thinking about getting out of the building. He cursed as he tried the handle, ramming the door with his shoulder when it didn’t budge. “If there’s anyone in there, shield yourself!” He yelled before taking a step back and ramming the door once more with his shoulder. He growled with the effort as the door buckled under his force and slammed open, splintering as it slammed onto the floor. He was about to call out when his eyes focused on a figure laying slumped in the bathtub, their posture indicating to them being unconscious. “I got an unconscious male in a bathtub, we’re in the last room on the right side of the first floor. Requesting medical team on standby for exit.”

“We hear you, Eijiro. We’re ready and waiting for your exit.”

Eijiro rushed over to the tub instantly, kneeling down next to it and pulled off his glove before reaching over to check for a pulse. His hand stilled over their neck as suddenly blonde hair shifted and a pair of crimson eyes locked with his own. “What the…” Eijiro’s eyes blew wide as he looked over the person in the tub, his heart dropping as he noticed blood on his chest. “Fuck… stay with me bud!” Eijiro muttered as he moved his hands up to unclip his rebreather mask, moving it over the blonde in the tub as he tried to clear his lungs. “Update, the resident is conscious, blood all over their chest but I’m unable to find the wound in these conditions.”

“Ambulance is on standby for immediate departure, Eijiro.”

“Eijiro, you need to hurry and get your team out of there, this building isn’t going to hold up much longer!” Taishiro’s deep voice cut over the comms as he gave the order to get out to Eijiro.

“Understood, all teams head back for the first floor and get outside. We can’t afford to spend any more time in this building.” Eijiro ordered his crew as he flicked his eyes back to the crimson ones before him. Eijiro moved about in the cramped space of the bathroom, stuffing his glove into his mouth as he hopped into the tub carefully while managing to keep the mask secured to the man’s face.

“Stop… just go.” The voice was pitifully weak and full of pain as they spoke. A cough ripped itself from their throat and caused them to arch their back up in pain, moving their hand to grip at their chest.

“Shut up!” Eijiro muttered bitterly as he took his other glove from his hand and moved his hand up along the blonde’s chest, wincing as he felt the wound beneath his fingers. He placed both his gloves over the wound quickly and applied pressure to it. “Young male, gunshot wound to the right chest between the fourth and fifth ribs.” Eijiro relayed over the comms before trying to move the man up into his arms.

Eijiro’s lungs were starting to burn from all the smoke, his throat was drying and he felt as though he was going to pass out. He looked down into Katsuki’s eyes again, watching as they fluttered and he tried to keep them from closing completely. He frowned as he leaned over the blonde, wrapping his arms around him as he lifted him up against his chest. “You’re not dying here asshole; you owe her a fucking apology!” He growled as he tried to move in the tub to get them out of it.

“Denki!” Hanta’s voice cracked over the comms in a roar as he called out his partner’s name.

“HOLY FUCK!”

The sound of screams coming from over Eijiro’s head and the shouts of his crew mates had his heart racing faster than before. He lifted his head to look overhead as the sound of creaking beams sounded moments before the beams above gave way and came crashing down. Eijiro didn’t give a second thought to his own safety, hunching over the man in his arms as he shielded the already wounded blonde between himself and the bathtub.

~

“ALYSSA!” Your head snapped up as you heard your name being called from outside the break room, you had stopped for one second to get a glass of water after having been run off your feet for the last two hours. “Your boyfriend is here!” Those were the only words you needed to hear from your colleague before you were gone.

Your heart pounded, thundering in your ears as your feet slammed against the floor beneath. You rushed through the hospital quickly, you only stopped to ask about your boyfriend once you got to the admissions desk. Surgery? Why the fuck was your boyfriend anywhere near the emergency surgery department? You took off running, ignoring the calls of your co-workers as you rushed to be with your boyfriend. Your eyes stung as tears fell from them uncontrollably, your mind conjuring the worst-case scenarios as you drew closer to the emergency department. You rushed out into the waiting area, turning to head into the surgery area when a cry stopped you in your tracks.

“Alyssa, babe!”

You whipped around at the sound of your boyfriend’s voice and instantly rushed towards him. Relief. That as all that washed over you as you slammed into his chest, your arms wrapping around him as you buried your head into his neck and sobbed. He held you tight as you both rocked from side to side, his hand tangling into your hair as he pressed a solid kiss to your temple. You sobbed as you pulled away from him reluctantly, wiping at your tears as you looked up into his eyes.

“You! Don’t you dare scare me like that!” You stipulated as you jabbed a finger against his chest, freezing in your actions as your eyes slipped down to the massive red stain that was covering his shirt. Where was his jacket? What the hell was going on? “Blood…” You whispered as you pulled at the thin material of his shirt. “This is blood, are you hurt Eijiro?”

“No, I’m fine!” Eijiro reassured you as he waved his hands out in front of his body.

“Yeah, except for the smoke inhalation you suffered from and the bruising on your back. You’re totally fine, huh?” You blinked as you turned your head to look at Mina, her eyes narrowed as she watched the two of you closely and you noticed her gaze was more fixed on your boyfriend.

“Mina… what are you doing here?” You asked tentatively, not sure if you actually wanted the answer to that question or not.

“Me? Oh, my fiancé fell through the ceiling at work tonight… saved a couple of the residents from falling through but he fell through himself.” She admitted as she shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in the chair, she was sitting in. “The fall broke his collarbone somehow but other than that, he’ll be fine and I’ll make sure to make him feel better.”

You shuddered as you realised what she meant by her words but quickly refocused on the man standing before you. “Smoke inhalation? Bruises? Excuse me but how does any of that make you fine?” You demanded as you jammed your finger into his chest forcefully. “And explain this to me right now, Eijiro Kirishima!”

Eijiro paled as he nodded and pulled you out of the waiting area, heading back down the hallway with you a bit before stopping to lean against the wall. “First off, it’s not as bad as what Mina made it sound. The bruising isn’t as bad as it could have been if it weren’t for the protective gear…” Eijiro rubbed the back of his head as he looked over at you.

“You would have had broken bones, right?” You asked to clarify what he was meaning.

“Or worse…” He admitted before sighing heavily. “The smoke inhalation is because I was using my mask to save someone’s life babe, I promise it wasn’t because I chose not to use my mask.”

You nodded as you stepped in closer to him, placing your hand over his heart as your eyes fixated on the blood that was covering his chest. “And all this? What’s this from?”

“It’s not my blood, babe. The person I lent the mask too had been shot, this is their blood. I was holding them in my arms when Denki came through the roof above us. I shielded them beneath me and that’s how I got the blood on me.” Eijiro spat out in a flurry of words as he tried desperately to reassure you that he was fine. You nodded as you understood where all the blood had come from and that your boyfriend wasn’t in any danger. “Babe… it’s Katsuki.”

Your eyes widened as you looked up into Eijiro’s eyes, your eyebrows knitting together in confusion as you stared at him. “What about him? If he’s here I don’t want to see him right now, he can go back to his home until I feel like seeing him!” You quipped as you crossed your arms over your chest.

“The blood is his…”

Numbness. You felt it wash over you like a Tsunami, aggressive and destructive as those words hit home. Your legs gave out from under you and you reached out for Eijiro as you crumbled to the floor. He gripped you in his arms and pulled you in close to his body, sinking to the floor with you as he rubbed your back. You could say all the hurtful words in the world about the blonde, but no matter what you still loved him! He was as much a part of your life as Eijiro was and now you find out his life is hanging in the balance.

You waited around for the next two hours and hovered over the doors to the surgery area, you didn’t dare to go back there. You couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Katsuki like that, seeing him on an operating table while your colleagues worked to save his life. Eijiro had used the time to fill you in, explain to you how he’d found him and that he had already lost a fair amount of blood. Katsuki’s boss had come in to explain to you both what had happened but you had silenced him, you didn’t want to hear any of it now. You wanted Katsuki to wake up, you wanted him to be the one to tell you what had happened and what it had to do with him being gone for the last year.

When the doctor finally walked through the doors, he wasn’t that surprised to find you hovering there and even less surprised when you practically pounced on him. “Mr Bakugou will be just fine. The procedure was a little more complicated than we had first thought it would be. The bullet had fragmented after hitting his rib and embedded itself into his scapula while the fragment was embedded in tissue.” You nodded along as the doctor explained everything to you, your hands wringing tighter with each word that he spoke. “Honestly, I’m surprised that there wasn’t more damage with the trajectory of the bullet but hitting his rib may have actually saved his life.”

“So… he’s going to be ok, right?” Eijiro spoke up from behind you, his hand coming to rest on the small of your back as he tried to calm you.

“Oh, he’ll be sore for a bit. The bullet tore through a bit of muscle and tissue, not to mention his rib is broken and his scapula fractured. He’ll be on light duties for a while, but other than that I don’t see any reason for him not to be ok.” The doctor admitted as he shrugged his shoulders. “He’s been moved to a private room and should be waking any minute now, you can do through and see him, Alyssa.”

“Thank you.” You breathed a sigh of relief as you grabbed Eijiro’s hand and pulled him through the doors, heading towards Katsuki’s room.

The two of you walked in silence until you reached the door to Katsuki’s room, you could see him through the window and his eyes were open. You knew it must have been killing him to have to lay there in that bed, unable to move about or do anything until the doctor gave him the all clear. You turned to look at Eijiro, his smile as he looked at you the only reassurance you needed before you pushed open the door and pulled him inside.

Katsuki turned his head to look at the two of you before turning it away again, he couldn’t bear the thought of knowing how scared you must have been. “Hey…. I’m…”

“Shut up!” You cut him off as you moved over to his bed and sat on the edge, grasping his hand within yours as you looked down into his eyes. “You shut up; you hear me?”

Katsuki blinked as he looked up at you and then turned his head to look at Eijiro. “Can… I at least apologise?” He asked before looking back up at you.

“Depends, what exactly is it that you want to apologise for Katsuki?” Eijiro enquired as he moved to lean against the wall on the other side of the bed.

“Everything.” He whispered, wincing as he tried to move his other hand and reach for Eijiro.

“Don’t do that, you shouldn’t be moving your arm about right now.” You scolded as you smacked his hand back down towards the bed, looking over at Eijiro before motioning for him to come closer.

Eijiro sighed as he pushed off the wall and sat on the other side of the bed, taking Katsuki’s hand in his own as he looked down at him. “Explain…”

“Alyssa, I shouldn’t have been a dick on your birthday last year… I just…” Katsuki frowned as tears welled in his eyes and his hand balled into a fist in your hands.

You pouted as you rubbed his hand tenderly, relaxing it as you intertwined your fingers with his own. “Just… take it slow.” You reassured him as you lifted his hand to kiss his knuckles, watching as he nodded in response.

“I was reassigned to work undercover on a big operation. I didn’t want to leave and not tell you how I felt, the job was high risk so I just wanted you to know.” Katsuki admitted as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back into his pillows. “I didn’t want things to happen that way, but I had little choice and I’m sorry for hurting you.” Your hands tightened around his as you pressed your lips to his knuckles more. “I love you both and that’s not going to change. It hurt to leave like that and I regretted leaving things that way between us but I had to.” Katsuki breathed out a sigh as tears trailed back into his hair and disappeared. “Things got too hectic and the operation was stepped up. We made the arrests but a couple got a way. I was pulled out and brought back home but those fuckers followed me.”

“That’s how you got shot?” Eijiro interrupted as he squeezed Katsuki’s hand. “Those assholes are the ones that shot you!”

“Yeah, I had to clean up loose ends and try to get them turned in but they got the jump on me.” Katsuki whispered as he grits his teeth, his neck straining as he tried to tilt his head back further in an attempt to hide his tears from you both.

You sighed heavily as you leaned over him, pressing your lips to his jaw before standing and kissing his forehead. “You idiot…. We both loved you for a long time but neither of us acted on it. We fell in love with each other but we still wanted you!” You admitted as you looked over at Eijiro and he nodded, smiling as he moved and kissed Katsuki’s jaw.

“She’s right, we spoke about it and we came to a decision Katsuki. We were going to talk to you a year ago but you’d already left when we tried.” Eijiro stated as he trailed kisses along his cheek and up to his temple.

“Fuck… I’m so sorry…” Katsuki croaked out as his voice cracked and he opened his eyes to look at you both.

“Katsuki, we want you to be our boyfriend… to join our relationship.” You stated clearly, watching him as the words sunk in to his thick skull slowly.

Katsuki nodded as his vision blurred, tears taking away his vision of you both as his emotion’s came flooding out. “Fuck!”

“Let it out babe, it’s fucking fine to cry!” Eijiro muttered as he pressed his forehead against Katsuki’s and closed his eyes.

“I love you… both of you…” Katsuki sobbed, moving his arm and pulling you down against his chest as he rubbed his forehead against Eijiro’s.

“We know…” Eijiro whispered.

“We love you too, Katsuki!”

[laadychat]

Broken and Repaired chat. 1

He didn't know what to do. The modeling, the school, the constant akuma attacks - he just didn't know what to do. So he continued to smile as if nothing was wrong. He continued to banter with his lady, as if the world wasn't slowly closing in on him. What else can you do when it's clear that the universe doesn't have a happy ending set for you? His mom was gone, he had to schedule meetings with his father in order to even talk to him- The lady of his dreams didn't see him like that.

But he still had his friends. And when he's in school, he doesn't want to think about anything else. He doesn't want to think about akumas and Ladybug and his parents- he just wanted act like a normal student with a normal life. Nothing out of the ordinary. Don't get him wrong, he absolutely loves the thrill of being Chat Noir. But he couldn't help feeling helpless and useless whenever he gets hit with the akuma. Sure, Ladybug always talks about them being equal but were they really? Really? He knew his lady could handle the akumas by herself. Coming back to school, lately it's just been a field mine. Most his friends still favored Lila and were fooled by her ways, while a few others were clearly not captured by her obvious lies. All in all, the drama was stressful. Just, why, why, couldn't something work in his favor for once? Just why couldn't anyone tell him what happened to his mother, why his father was always so distant, why, why, why. Why couldn't everything be easy? Not everything, just anything. Sighing to the millionth time that day, Adrien walked up the stairs with deliberately slow, calculated steps. Since when did he start to dread school? He didn't know, couldn't remember. Then again, that's where his friends are, right? He wouldn't be alone anymore. That did little to lighten his mood. Whatever, it beat being home, that's for sure. As he walked, he made sure to keep up his facade - no one needed to know that Adrien Agreste was breaking at the seams. But he has to admit, he felt a little bitter on how no one seemed to notice. Not even Nino.

That hurt a little. Who was he kidding? No one really liked him, they were just being too nice. He was just a spoiled, home-schooled boy who came crashing through their lives out of no where - why would they care? If he's own father won't pay attention to them, why should they? But suddenly, it was as if a the first sunray of the week was breaking through the dark clouds that surrounded his head when he caught sight of something that was on his desk. A familiar looking pastery bag and a to-go cup next to it. His eyes soften and the first real smile in a while was tugging on his lips. Because of course Marinette noticed. When he looked over at her to express his gratitude, he was greeted with the sight of a passed out girl. His smile quickly morphed itself to a frown, his heart aching at the sight. Besides him, it seems like the girl was always tired. He knew being the class representative and all those commissions coming in - she's barely gotten a break. Adrien stared at her fondly, sending to any God out there to give the girl the break she deserved because despite having her own problems, she still went of her way to make him feel better. That within itself made him extremely glad he came to school today. - All that warm feeling from this morning was gone. Completely replaced by anguish and concern- he wasn't expecting this. Marinette had quickly left once the lunch bell ring, only pausing briefly to shoot him a smile. A smile that was obviously forced but it was her eyes that shattered his heart. Those were not the warm, soft gaze of the bluenette he was use to, but one he often finds in front of the mirror. Lifeless, exhausted, dead eyes. It took a moment for his heart to jump start again. And only a few more to go search for her. He was already dreading about what he would find, but this, this wasn't what he expected. Wait, no. He had expected it but was hoping against all hope it wasn't it. The model found her in one of the corners in the locker room, hunched up in a ball. A tight, shaking ball. The sight froze him in his spot, unable to comprehend that this was Marinette - strong, amazing, kind Marinette - that was making herself seem small to the world. But the choked sob that came from that specific corner? That's what really had him dropping his stuff right where he stood and diving towards the shaking figure. "Marinette," he whispered, afraid of startling her. "It's okay, Marinette, you're not alone." He hated the sound of her cries, the way she seemed to jump at his voice, the way she refused to look at him. He wanted to do anything, anything, stop her from feeling like this. Unsure, but determined, Adrien wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him. Her cries came to a halt but when he pressed her head into his chest, hugged her tight, muttered soothing words against her hair, she came undone. He held her, refusing to let go until he knew she was feeling a little better. She's been there for him, it only makes sense for him to do the same. He still held on even when her cries stopped. God knows how much he wanted for someone to comfort him like this on his rough days but he would never, never, let Marinette feel that hopelessness. Not on his watch. "Lunch is almost over," he said softly, chin resting on her head. "Do you want to go to class or should I walk you home?" She didn't reply right away but that was fine with Adrien. He could wait right here all day with her. When she did reply, he was taken aback by the request but something warm blossomed in his chest. "Can we stay like this..." her voice hoarse, she tucked herself tighter in his embrace. "just for a little longer?" Who was Adrien to deny such a request? Without any other word, he made himself more comfortable and pulled her closer. And later that day, when he would glance at her and received the soft smile of gratitude, well, that was just between them. - He felt a little lighter when he went home - knowing he was able to make a good friend of his feel better had somehow made him feel a bit better. Like he somehow can do some good still. (The fact that of all people it was Marinette definitely had an impact but Adrien wouldn't admit it.) Up until he was sitting at dinner, alone, once again. Alone at a table too big and too cold. Eating a meal that hadn't been made with his wants in mind- very much like the cold and heartless walls staring back at him. Even Nathalie wasn't keeping him company tonight - was it really too much to ask for? Was it too much to ask the two adult he loves to pay attention to him, even just a little? Why must he have to spend his time alone? Adrien wanted to knock on his father's door, desperately. But the last time he did such things, it didn't end too well for him. It's pretty much clear where he stands with his father and it doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon. That realization left a bitter taste in his mouth, his throat closing up with the sheer weight of it. The dawning, terrifying conclusion that maybe his father didn't want him anymore. Suddenly, the bleak looking food was starting to make him sick. Pushing the food away and dragging himself back into his room, he collapsed on his bed. Despite how much he wanted to fight against that one thought, to throw it away and never have such an idea ever again, he couldn't. It made too much sense. He really was bad luck wherever he went. "Hey, kid, talk to me." Blinking, Adrien turned towards the voice. He almost forgotten that he wasn't completely alone. "What?" "You have that look again. Talk to me, tell me what's on your mind." The small creature landed on the boy's chest, staring at him intensely. He debated on what to say. Who was he to complain about his life? He was well off, had amazing friends, he even got to be a super hero, for goodness sake. How could he not be happy? Shouldn't he be happy? "No, no," Plagg muttered, tapping on Adrien's cheeks. "We can talk in a moment, it's time for patrol." Right. Patrol. With Ladybug. With much effort needed than necessary, he pushed himself up and called onto his transformation. - It's all starting to stack up. Being class representative, helping out her parents, being half of the super hero duo - it's just too much. Sure, what was there to complain about? She had amazing parents, her friends were great, she had amazing fighting partner - what could be going wrong? It definitely not because of the constant event planning, helping out any of her classmates with whatever problem arises, despite her lack of communication with a certain Italian she still manages to still make her day a mess and- Just everything. People are expecting too much from Ladybug and Marinette. But what could she do besides moving forward, pushing herself harder, trying to please everyone? Let's not forget that as Ladybug, she has a whole different weight on her shoulders. One she doesn't regret but makes some days harder than other. And the downside? She couldn't let herself get akumatized. She couldn't let herself feel too much. It was exhausting to constantly have to keep herself in check and some days, she just wanted to take the earrings off and scream. Scream, cry, just something besides bottling it all up with nowhere for it to go. Shaking her head, she dragged herself off her bed. There was, however, one thing on her to-do list she was more focused on than any other thing. And that was to get Adrien Agreste some breakfast. She's noticed how lately, the usual sunshine boy was not being himself. But when she brought it up to Nino or Alya, they brushed it off with a roll of their eyes, declaring that the blonde boy was indeed okay. But Marinette knew this wasn't the case. And every time she's brought him something, it was then that she would see that spark of his reignite again. She made up her mind, she'd try to bring him breakfast as often as she could. By the time she had rested the goods on his desk, she was barely able to keep her eyes open. She almost didn't make it to her seat by the time she passed out.

-

 It started the same.       With her partner by her side, staring at her in terror. The blood, the gash, the whimper that escaped his lips, the way-       "How could you do this, m'Lady?"       She couldn't move, couldn't speak - God, why couldn't she move?       Chat Noir fell to his knees, his eyes never leaving her's. The blood, there was so much, too much, why was there so much.       "Chat-" she choked out, her hands trying to catch him, but couldn't she move. "Chat, I'm so sorry!"       "It's all your fault." He cried out, slipping down and disappearing, leaving behind another one at his wake.

 "Look at you, you nasty bug. I loathe you." He growled, baring his teeth as he stocked closer. "What are you going to do? You're so tiny, I could eat you up."

 Frozen, shocked, unable to move as he lunged at her, she could only stare, fear gripping her heart tightly. The last thing she saw was the black lipsticked stained lips and hatred filled eyes before feeling arms wrapping around her, creating a barrier between her and the other Chat Noir.

 "Chat!" she found her voice, terror gripping her as she felt the body against her shudder and groan. "Oh, God-" she clutched the boy, feeling him sink to the ground, feeling him disappearing. She felt more than heard the cough that wracked his body. She pulled back and the sight she saw, blood dripping from his lips, ears losing their shine, him disappearing.       "Don't leave me, Chat." She whimpered, falling on her knees with her dying partner in her arms. "Oh my God, Chat..."       He smiled up at her, his eyes displaying the amount of love and affection he felt for her. "I'll always have your back, bug."       This was her fault. Everything was her fault. She failed Paris, she failed Master Fu, but most importantly, she failed Chat Noir, her partner.

Don't you dare, leave me, Chat. - The nightmare was brief and she had to thank her luck she didn't scream when she came too. But that, that nightmare would not leave her alone. With shaky hands, she undid her pigtails and ran her finger through her hair, trying to calm her crazed heart. The sight was still fresh in her mind, the way Chat Noir looked at her with such betrayal and utter distaste- it took everything for her not to break down right then and there. She caught Alya's gaze and gave her what she hoped was a smile. Clearly, it didn't work, if Alya's frown was anything to go by, but Marinette didn't have time to care. Shaking her head, Marinette decided to keep her hair down and focus on the board in front of her. But it just. wouldn't. go away. So much blood, so much hate in those eyes, Paris in crumbles behind him- how could she have failed her partner so devastatingly? So utterly? It's just a nightmare, Chat is fine. She knew it's only a nightmare and Chat is fine. Right? Right? Chat had to be fine. Sure, she noticed him being more reserved, more quiet, more not-Chat-like but he had to be - no, she didn't know. And it was all. her. fault. Wasn't Chat the one person she trusts her life with? The one person she felt the most comfortable around? The one person she would lay her life down for without any hesitation? So why doesn't she trust him with her identity? What if her nightmare comes true? What if she caused the down fall of Paris? What if Hawkmoth wins? The school bell rung, startling her out of her thoughts, only to have the emotions hit her with full force. 'It's your fault.' The words kept repeating themselves, seemingly getting louder with each one. She had to get out, get out from here. Bolting out of her seat, Marinette threw her friends a smile(she didn't want them to worry about her despite her coming undone) and sprinted towards the locker rooms. She could vaguely hear her kwami trying to keep her calm but she just couldn't. Not this time. Not while that cursed image was running through her mind. Not while he disappeared between her hands. She collapsed in a corner, the first sob breaking through before she met the ground. Curling herself inwards, she pulled her knees tightly against her chest, shielding herself from the world as much as possible. It was getting too much- the stress, the thoughts, the nightmares- all too much. Hawkmoth is going to win. She's going to fail. She's gonna lose Chat. Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her, tugging her towards themselves. Glancing up, she felt her heart drop because why was Adrien holding her? But what he said next broke her. "You're not alone." Her walls crumpled, shattering what little composure she managed to build. And she cried. And cried. And cried because she finally could. Being held like what with no judgment, well, she wanted to embrace it a little bit longer. - "Chat." The boy in question's ear perked up, wary at the tone she used. But he couldn't help but frown while looking at his partner. He knew she was strong- God, he loves that about her- but lately? He could see the struggle through her eyes. The way her smile seems to grow smaller each time they see each other, the way she seemed to be just a tad bit slower, the way she didn't joke on their patrols anymore. He wished he could do something, anything, to help her. But she constantly pushed him away, declaring that she was fine every single time. Even the strongest people need to breathe and be vulnerable sometimes. "Ladybug." The spotted hero turned around to face her partner. The boy looked just as drain as she did- but his eyes. Where were the smiles? The jokes? The twinkle in his eyes? Her partner was cracking and she mentally kicked herself for not checking in on him earlier. But she has tried- oh, so many times. He always brushed it off, always joked about it, always deflected her questions- she just wanted to know if he was okay. "Do you..." she paused, glancing away for a brief moment. "Chat, are you okay?" Chat Noir took a step back, eyes furrowed in surprise. He wasn't expecting such a question. Ladybug recognized that and it only fueled her anger towards herself. "Chat, what's going on?" She repeated the question, her heart sinking when she noticed her partner raising his guard. His shoulder straightened slightly, his lips curling at the end in a way that didn't reach his eyes, the curt nod he sent her way. "Of course. Why do you ask?" "Chat." Just that one word. The way she said his name, so gentle and so soft, he couldn't stop his walls from falling, even if he wanted to keep them up. How could he tell her exactly what was wrong? How could he mention that without explaining what his life is like outside of the masks?

 What exactly is wrong?

Everything. But for just once, he didn't want to hide it. He didn't want to lock it up, put on a brave face, and act like nothing is wrong when everything is wrong. Not when she was staring at him like that, like he meant something to her. Call him selfish, inconsiderate, whatever- he was tired and wanted someone to see how not okay he was.

And Ladybug saw him. Ladybug watched him, her heart squeezing when she saw his composure crumble and oh- He wasn't just not okay, he was hurting. The pain she saw behind those bright, green eyes were going to haunt for the rest of her days. The tremble in his hands as he raked his fingers through his hair, the shaky breathes he took in, the hunched shoulder as he turned away from her-

There's nothing she wouldn't do for him at the moment.

"I think... I don't, uh," she stole a glance in the boy's direction, only to quickly look away again. "Do you think we should reveal ourselves to each other?" The silence that came after was too deafening as it stretched, both heroes staring at each with so much emotions, so many feelings. They both had too many restless night thinking about the other, too many of uncertain days, too many secrets. "Why?" Why now, Ladybug?  He wanted to ask. What changed your mind?

"Because," she said, letting her partner see the vulnerability she tried so hard to hide from him, the uncertainty, the pain. "I think we both need our best friend outside of the mask." Neither seemed ready to speak up quite yet after that confession. Hadn't that been what's been on their minds lately? How much easier would it be if they just knew who the other was?

Wouldn't it make everything easier? "We're... we're not okay, Chat. It kills me whenever I don't see you and I can't just call you up to see how you're doing. I hate you having to go to that prison of a home and I just-" she forced out, trembling hands covering her mouth as she choked back a sob. "I just want to know if you're okay." "Okay." Such a simple answer to a complicated problem. What more did Chat Noir want? Having his best friend be by his side, being able to call them up whenever-

 Have someone care for him.

And what she said was only the truth- they weren't okay and who else could he possibly trust other than her at this point? She's his best friend and the one person who's opinion really mattered. Having her with him, well, there's nothing else he would ask for. The spotted hero's shoulder slumped with relief. Where she got this irrational fear of him rejecting her was beyond her understanding but now? Now, she could breathe a bit normally now, the tight knot in her stomach loosening up. The thought of being able to just call him up whenever, to check up on him after an attack, overrides any fear she had about their reveal.

Because if there was one thing that kept them going, it was that fact that they were doing this together. "No matter who you are, kitty, you will always be my best friend."

That statement, that confession, had toppled down any other insecurity he felt about revealing himself. He took her hands, brushed his thumb against them and with a soft smile he nodded. "We're in this together, bugaboo."

And they were. Together- partners who trusts each other more than what was humanly possible, who would fight with every ounce of power in their bodies for each other, who would do anything to ease the burden of the other.

[seasonofthegeek]

An Anchor in the Dark, Part 10

The wonderful @squellybell donated to my ko-fi for the next part of this story. Thanks so much, sweets! <3

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10:

It had been two weeks since Chat Noir disappeared into the ring and Marinette had taken to wearing it constantly. Sometimes it seemed like the green paw print glowed a little brighter and she took what comfort she could from that. Maybe at least he was safe inside.

Or maybe she was crazy and hallucinating the whole thing.

To keep her mind busy, she took to starting the end stretch of her school career like a madwoman on a mission. She put together a resume and portfolio and sent them out to different fashion houses. She also applied to a few jobs outside of fashion for a fallback in case she couldn’t land something after graduation.

She deep cleaned her room and donated her older things she had no more use for to charity, and she spent as much time down in the bakery with her parents as she could.

She didn’t walk by the Agreste mansion to see what had been done to the place. Her only reason for visiting wasn’t there anymore and she knew it would only hurt to see it.

She hadn’t cried since the night he disappeared. She promised herself she wouldn’t. The next tears she cried over him would be happy ones when he was able to come back.

________________________________

“So we’re trapped then.” Adrien paced the endless dark expanse and turned back towards the glow of Plagg’s eyes. The darkness had seemed scary and oppressing when he’d first been pulled into it but now it felt normal. “There’s no way we can get back out.”

“Are we going to just keep having this conversation on loop?” Plagg drawled. “I don’t know how many more I have in me.”

“Do you think the Ladybug Miraculous could help set us free? You guys are two halves after all.”

The kwami stretched and let out a long yawn. “Kid. I mean it. I can’t keep having this same conversation over and over again.”

“Just try to think back. There wasn’t a holder when we were around, right?”

Plagg slumped in the air. “No. I thought you’ve started getting your memories back.”

“I did but I just want to make sure.”

“You know as much as I do about our time then.”

“Right.” Adrien chewed on his bottom lip and then his tongue darted out to wet it. “So in theory, if Marinette happened to come across the earrings, she might be able to get us out.”

“If Marinette even still has the ring,” Plagg pointed out, “I suppose there is a teeny tiny chance that could happen, yeah.” He saw the hope light up in Adrien’s eyes and sighed. “But Kid, you’re forgetting one small detail.”

“What?”

“Why would she go looking for them?”

“Well...”

“How would she even know to look for them? Where would she find them? Who's to say she would even put them on if she did find them? And if she found them and put them on while wearing the ring, that’s a whole other problem we do not want to have to deal with, believe me.”

“So you’re saying we’re trapped then.”

“Yes. For the millionth time, we’re trapped.” Plagg’s expression softened. “I’m sorry. I know it’s not easy now but it really isn’t bad after a time.”

“You’ve been stuck in here a lot?”

“Here and there,” he nodded. “I’m old. It happens.”

“How did you come out before? I remember you just appearing when I found the ring.”

“Well, yeah. I was chosen for you so I knew I was expected. I can sense when a holder is near and it’s almost like a door opens up for me to be released,” Plagg explained.

“And you can’t sense anyone around now?”

He frowned. “There’s some kind of block. That’s why I couldn’t get out before. I’m guessing it’s why you were left as a transformed ghost with no memories. Something happened to the ring when you died.”

Adrien paced a stretch of darkness with an agitated growl. “And I still can’t remember how it happened! I keep thinking back as far as I can but it’s like I can remember my life and then there is just a blank space and then I was a ghost.” He pulled at his hair. “I just need to remember!”

“Calm down and take a deep breath.”

“I don’t need to breathe,” he huffed. “I’m dead.”

“It’s a figure of speech.”

“Well, it sucks.”

“Maybe your mind is protecting you. It might not be something you can handle,” Plagg said, voice unusually gentle. “Don’t push it.”

Adrien crossed his arms. “Either I’m pushing or you are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You try to get past your block or I’m going to try to get past mine. I can’t just stay here indefinitely.”

“Kid...”

Adrien’s eyes turned pleading. “Come on, Plagg. Please try. That’s all I ask.”

The kwami eyed him warily. “I’m going to try but if nothing happens, we drop this, got it?”

“But you have to really try, not just pretend to try.”

“Fine. Now shut up so I can concentrate.” Plagg closed his eyes and focused on the darkness surrounding them. He could feel a muted presence just beyond the ring and he latched onto it. It hurt to push against the barrier and a painful mewling sound spilled from his mouth as he forced himself up further still.

________________________________

Marinette swore and dropped her pencil as the ring began to burn white hot against her finger. She shot up from her desk and her chair crashed to the bedroom floor behind her. She pulled at the ring with a whimper as the metal seared her skin and then her room was filled with a bright radiant green. There was a feeling of her entire body floating weightlessly and then gravity found her again and tethered her to the ground. She fell to her knees with a breathless gasp.

“What...the...hell...” she panted as she stared down at the floor and tried to catch her breath while her heart hammered in her chest. Her eyes focused on her fingers and they were long and black and tipped with familiar sharp claws.

She scrambled backwards and held up her hands in awe. The ring was still on her finger but her skin was covered in what looked like some kind of black leather, the same kind that made up Chat Noir’s costume. She quickly crawled over to her mirror and stared at her reflection with a soft gasp. Her pupils were now slitted like his and a darker blue filled in where the white of her eyes used to be. She stood up and took in the whole ensemble. It was very much like Chat Noir’s with a few minor differences. 

She stood staring at her reflection, unsure of what she was supposed to do next. She couldn’t go downstairs looking like this. She needed to make it go away. She pulled at the ring but it stayed firmly in place.

Marinette swallowed hard and looked at the mirror again. “What am I supposed to do?” she whispered.

“Marinette?”

She froze. She knew that voice. She spun around but her room was as empty as it had been before.

“Marinette?!”

The voice was clearer now. “Chat?! Are you here?”

She felt warmth flow from the ring but it wasn’t the painful heat it had been before. It felt familiar and comforting and like Chat Noir. 

“I’m here,” he said.

[politicallycorrectinnocentteen]

How is Loving Parker Like? (ABC Fluff) Part-3

Note- This continues from where the previous one finishes.

=========================================================

He takes a sip of his coffee, as we look expectantly towards him. 

“It’s about time we wrap up.” Vance smiles, “But I promise more soon.” He gets up and goes inside… 

A disappointed groan escapes our lips as we watch Vance vanish behind the doors of his house.

“Some coffee right now would be good…” we ponder as we head towards the only café in Pine Springs. Opening the door, we smile as we come face to face with- 

DANNI… 

“How can I help?” she politely asks.

“Can you tell us some stories of Vance…?” we ask, like a curious kid. She glances at the watch, unsure, and then shrugs. “My shift is off anyway. Let’s talk over a coffee.” She grins.

.

.

.

“So, what do you want to hear?” She asks, as she puts a stray lock of hair behind her ears.

“Something fun.” We sheepishly grin. (…and intelligibly cut the part of how it had to be about Parker and Vance).

“Ok, you got to listen to this.” She has a devilish grin of a prankster as she continues-

 ===========================================================

7. Date…

  Danni was cleaning the counter table with her napkin, when she heard the door open. 

“Vance!” she lights up as she watches him enter the shop smiling faintly at her, only to be followed by-

“PARKER?” She grunted a little. What was office Buzzkill doing here? And more importantly, why is he buzzing around Vance? 

“Vance, why are we here? There are literally thousands of better places to eat.” 

Parker’s ‘encouraging’ whispers were enough to confirm her suspicions. She took a writing pad as an excuse to take orders, as she proceeded to shamelessly eavesdrop the conversation.

“You said that you got a lead about what is this ‘Power’?” Vance said, “I think Danni should also know this.” 

The ‘Power’ card again?

Danni felt the need to punch Parker right on his face. Like...Really?

Last time Parker had something to tell about the ‘Power’ to Vance in private turned out to be some otter making splashing noises in the lake. Previous to that, he mistook Imogen riding horse in woods as the Lake Ghost hee-hawing across the woods and asked Vance to accompany him to a lonely hike to see it himself. It did not take her even a split second to put two and two together once she saw how Parker’s forehead was covered with cold sweats under her intense glare. It was pretty obvious that, he was lying again. 

Now, there are three type of people in the world. The first type of people are angelic innocent. People like Vance, on whom God definitely spent eons sculpturing the fine looks, the kind soul and the irresistible personality. Who deserve all the good things the world has to offer, and those for whom the world would rather die than see them shed a tear. Then, there were people like her, normal guys and girls, knowing some things about hook and crook, pretty much average – but highly deserving. And last type has those who are incredibly dumb, pathetic, moronic and as sad excuse of cops as one ever could be. Those who are good at nothing – who can’t even lie nor have courage to say the truth, and most importantly, those people who should simply get the fuck away from Vance. 

“What’d you like to order?” She sweetly smiled at Vance, watching Parker from the corner of her eyes. 

“Listen Danni!” Vance’s eyes light up as he speaks. Did she tell you how giddy that thing made her feel? The sparkle in his eyes which makes her feel the world as inconsequential and makes her feel as if there exists a part of Vance’s heart which lights up on seeing her and for which- 

“Can you give me a glass of water please?” Parker stressed the last part of his sentence startling Danni and earning a glare from her. 

“Of course, ‘officer’. “She grunted as she turned to leave. 

“Wait! Danni!” Vance stopped her, much to Parker’s horror. “Let’s sit and talk, I think Parker has something important to tell- “ 

“DANNI ASTURIAS? THE LAST TIME I CHECKED YOU WERE PAID TO DO THE JOB AND NOT CHIT CHAT WITH CUSTOMERS.” Her manager’s scream came from behind the counter. She visibly flinched on hearing that and shut her eyes tight. Why did that asshole had to scream when she was in front of Vance?

“I am sorry…” Vance apologized to Danni as she nods understandingly at him.

“Will join you after my shift...” She sighs. As she turned, Parker shoved a napkin onto her hand.

‘Call 1-0-0 and that bastard is dead.’

She watches surprised at Parker who nods, and then smiles. Ok, perhaps the cop wasn’t so bad after all? She smiles a little, and is glad that no matter how much of a catfight she and Parker may do, they are what people call ‘friends’ at the end of the day. 

“Oi.” Parker shouts as she reaches the counter, “Two ice-creams and one pizza here please. Oh! And some coffee as well.”

She froze in horror on hearing Parker as her manager shook his head angrily at her. “Next time, when you chit chat with customers, at least take their orders.” He growled as he went into the kitchen.

Danni felt like ripping Parker’s head off then and there. She turned frustrated at Parker, only to find him returning that usual innocent smile – which meant that the moron had no idea on what he did wrong. 

She sighed as she went on to prepare the coffee. Vance, like a child, liked it sweet and with whipped cream. Parker liked whipped cream as well. She rolled her eyes as she poured some extra whipped cream into Parker’s. Contrary to what one might feel, she is not mean. It’s just that Parker’s idiocy at times puts her off. Actually no, it’s not Parker’s idiocy. It’s the fact that he is stuck to Vance like a bloody leech that makes her want to punch him. How obvious can one make that he is in love? Parker never failed to set a new low in setting that, and she has to admit she herself is surprised that Vance did not realize it yet. Heck, Vance did not even realize her signs, forget realizing Parker’s. Vance was, as she said, too innocent and angelic to even know of such things. She sweetly sighed. 

She picked the ice creams, the pizza and the coffees overflowing with lovely whipped cream (her manager is surely not going to like this…) and took it down to the table with a smile. Vance, took a spoonful of his favourite coffee delight and shoved it in his mouth, humming like a kid. Parker and Danni smiled at that, bathing in the warmth of his smile like a sunbather bathing in sun. Vance had no regards on how he looks when eating it – clearly evident by the moustache of whipped cream above his creamy lips.

Not a good thought ... Danni shook her head as she tried to put her mind off how erotic it’d had been to kiss Vance in such a state.

“Hey Danni,” Parker said in a low voice, “Got some pepper for the pizza?”

She looked at the table, she was definitely sure that all tables had a pepper sprinkler. To her surprise there was none on that table.

“Coming.” She nodded as she turned towards another table which had the pepper sprinkler. Picking it up, she turned around-

…only to find Parker’s hazel irises staring intently at Vance, who merely blinked back in confusion.

And then she noticed it – beneath Parker’s seat, the pepper sprinkler originally belonging to their table – straight and upright.

No… she gasped. That…that couldn’t be possible! The…The police moron outsmarted her? That he hid that pepper beneath his chair so that he could send Danni away and- 

“Vance…” Parker’s voice was husky. “You got cream all over your face.” He involuntarily licked his lips. Danni knew where this was going…she clutched the damned pepper sprinkler tight.

“Hmm…? I guess?” Vance sheepishly grinned, unwary of Parker’s advances. “Let me try to take it off.” Vance said as he ran his thumb over his lips.

“Nopes…” Parker whispered as his face advanced towards Vance. “There is still some cream left…”. Parker’s could feel Vance’s breath on his face now. He stopped to absorb the sight for a moment. He imagined how it’d feel running a hand on those lips he dreamt of kissing in so many encounters they had. He intently watched the small whipped cream at the corner of Vance’s lips – the corner which he could caress with his thumbs for eternity. He could breathe in Vance’s scent – he smelled of perfume and soap, fresh and clean – unlike him who’d constantly smell a little sweaty and a little pungent. And he found it tempting, tempting enough for him to forget the world and just smash his lips over Vance, forbidding them to ever leave. And judging by how Vance was looking into his eyes instead of going away, he was sure Vance liked his acrid scent as well. 

He finally put a thumb on Vance’s lips, slowly moving it to the corner, trying to relish every millimetre of the smooth skin as long as he could. He then cupped his cheek, his thumb finally at the corner where the whipped cream lay. With a slow horizontal glide, Parker wiped it off, his hazel eyes darkening with the thoughts going on in his brain. Although the cream was wiped off, he had no desire to move away his hand, which cupped Vance’s cheek and kept him from going away. He could feel Vance’s cheeks heat up a bit, his breath hitch up a bit, his heartbeat increase a little. Perhaps he realized that this intimacy is clearly not shared between friends? But he made no effort to move, his eyes were stuck to Parker’s which were full of desire and…thoughts.

Has the moment finally come?

Parker felt that Vance within his reach for once. He felt that if he just pushes himself a little, if he just pulls Vance a little, if he just dares a little – so much as to close the minimal distance between their lips – he would get everything. He again licked his lips, not wanting to pass chance to feel how Vance’s lips would feel after delighting on whipped cream. And with a final resolve, he tilts his head a little, moving his face closer to Vance to –

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

“ACCHHOOOOO”

To his horror, he sneezed at Vance’s face.

“ACHHOOOO”

“ACHHOOOOO”

“AAAACHHHHOOOOO”

Parker sneezed loudly – his spit becoming the latest topping on the pizza while a stealthy drop of mucus fell from his nose into his coffee.

Danni, who might have ‘accidentally’ sprinkled pepper over Parker instead of the pizza, burst out laughing as she handed Vance a napkin and asked him to go wash himself in the washroom. And she was definitely content at watching Parker sneeze for next five minutes, and realize that he could not have any of the delicious looking whipped-cream coffee which Danni made. He gave a pleading look to Danni, who merely whipped her braid behind her head and walked away.

“My shift is over.” She laughed, “Which means now we can actually talk about what you have to say about the ‘Power’ together.”

She’d never forget Parker’s horrified face, or his stuttering to Vance afterwards as he struggled to apologize normally given his social awkwardness. What she could forget was, the gibberish nonsense which the embarrassed Parker stuttered as he threw some random gibberish theories at Vance and her explaining that bear steak was source of Lake Ghost’s immense power.

.

.

.

.

.

“LOL” we clutch our stomach, laughing as Danni shows a photograph of Parker’s tomato-red, embarrassed face. “More! More! PLEASE MORE!!”

“Hm…” Danni pretended to think. “Ok, fair enough.” She smiled. “But only if you can convince me to…” She grinned as we gave her a confused look. “Tell me something which would make me tell you another one.”

.

.

.

.

Q. What should be say to Danni to make her reveal more stories?

a) Vance is home alone right now.

b) Parker and Vance are the best couple and she should fuck off.

c) We can put a good word for her in Vance

d) She and Vance definitely make a good couple.

  CHALLENGE- The first part of the fluff focuses on Danni’s perspective, and the latter part (Except the ending) focuses in Parker’s perspective. The challenge is to re-write this fluff with first part focusing on Parker’s perspective and latter part on Danni’s perspective.

ART CHALLENGE - Does this fluff inspire any drawing? I’d personally like to see the scene where Danni watches Parker and Vance with a pepper sprinkler in her hands :p 

   ==========================================================

Credits - A big thanks to ALL the people who reblog and like my fictions. It’s just you guys who keep me going <3. I can’t even describe how much eagerly I wait for a review on them, thinking on if you guys liked them or not!! Requesting you to be equally kind with me here as well <3. Love you all!!

Also, really sorry to @brightpinkpeppercorn - I promised her a fluff but I am sick right now (guess where the sneeze inspiration came from? XD) and I will complete it asap :D. I want that one to be a treat for her <3

  Tag List- @brightpinkpeppercorn​ @pbmychoices​ @zuaovca​ @dumbbrowngirl​ @fluffy-cat-whisper​ @danniseyebrows​ @danni-whatshername​ @danniasturiass​ @sherjules​ @rayssa10-blog​ @flammingred​ @strangelycami​ @griffinsbigdickenergy​ @europeanguy​ @darley1101​ @personthatlovesshippings​

[shimmerystyles]

‘You’re my muse.’

Luke x Reader blurb.

Summary: Y/N is a photography student in her 3rd year of college. It’s the end of the semester project time and she’s given a task that leads her to an unsuspecting stranger.

Warnings: its cute, maybe a swear or two, that’s about it.

Word Count: 1,100+

“Alright class, before you all run out of my lecture hall, I have your final assignment” Professor Stevenbach says fixing his bowtie.

The class erupts in groans and he lets out a hefty laugh. “Now now class, it’s a good project” He exclaims as he hands out papers to each row.

“Your assignment, should you choose to accept it” he snickers to himself, leaving the hall in dead silence. He clears his throat and continues. “I want you to take your cameras out on the town, and find the one thing that captures your eye, your muse if you’d like to call it that. Photograph it, show it’s depth, dimension, emotion. I want to see your pictures and understand where your idea came from. Be creative, and HAVE FUN!!” He sang the last part out as the bell rang.

As the class scurried out, you carefully put your laptop in your backpack, along with the assignment. “Don’t forget class, this project is due in 3 days! I also want a paragraph explaining your photos” The prof yelled over the kids eagerly running out of the lecture hall. You made your way out slowly, placing your earbuds in your ears and started the long trek to your car on the other end of the campus. As you walked over, you thought of things you could do for your project, what could you photograph? You pass by trees and flowers, freshly blooming and symbolizing a new beginning.“Nah” you thought to yourself. ‘So cliche’. You snicker at your own comment and continue walking. 

As you approach your car, you see a family of geese walking in the opposite direction. You smile and think of animals as an option, symbolizing unity and family. You knew too many people were going to do these topics, and it left you with a creative writing block, so you decided to drive over to your favourite coffee shop, and brainstorm some ideas as they came to you.

Once you arrived, you walked over to the entrance, and immediately stopped dead in your tracks the second you saw him.

He was tall, 6′2″ at best. Had long curly hair and painted nails. A man so exquisite and yet so rugged and handsome. You pull out your camera and sit at a table further away from him. When he looks back down at his phone, you take the opportunity to take a shot. You look back at the picture, and it’s perfect.  You just needed one last shot, so you waited for him to look up, and as he looked up, he looked straight at you and his once still face was now a frustrated, angry face.

“You people seriously can’t leave me alone, can you?” He says walking over to you.

“E-excuse me?” You stutter in confusion, unaware as to what you did.

“You paps are always invading my personal time, time for ME. MYSELF. THATS IT. If i were you, i’d fucking get up and walk away because this is my time. Don’t take that away from me.” He rolls his eyes as you tremble in fear over his negative attitude.

“I-I’m sorry, you don’t understand I-”

“No, I get it. It’s your job, it’s what puts food on the fucking table right? Well, I need my space too. So can’t you just come back another time? Seriously.” He crosses his arms, and leaves you speechless. He scoffs and turns. “Pathetic” He spits out and starts back to his table.

“You’re my muse” 

He stops dead in his tracks and turns slowly. “Your what?”

You gulp and smile softly. “I’m Y/N Y/L/N, i’m a photography student at UCLA. I was assigned a project to find my muse. Someone who I admired from afar, thought was original and unique and looked like an incredibly handsome gentleman.”

He furrows his brows. “And that’s me?”

You shrug. “I don’t just call anyone a muse, Mr.-”

“Luke. Luke Hemmings.” He sticks out his hand and you gladly accept it. “Listen, i’m sorry for being rude before. I’m just so used to annoying paps and their cameras flashing, so when you literally sat right by me and started taking pictures, I got fed up.”

“I don’t blame you, it must be annoying having people constantly watching you with cameras, waiting for you to make a mistake or something.” 

He nods. “That’s exactly it!” You smile softly. “I’m sorry for taking your photos without permission, that was rude of me. It’s just, you were perfect. I was hoping, you’d allow me to take more pictures of you. Just so I have more options.” You ask, never breaking eye contact. He smiles and nods. “Come, join me.” He ushers you over to his table and you immediately get to work.

You both goof off and share a few laughs as you take funny, and serious photos for your project. You spent the entire afternoon, drinking iced coffees and describing your lives to eachother and it was fasciniating for the both of you. After a long while of chatting, you finally check your phone, and it’s already 6PM. 

Time flies when you find a muse.

“I should probably get back home.” You say packing up your camera. “Hang on, Y/N” He places his hand over yours on the table. “Can I call you sometime?” He asks smiling softly. You nod and trade phones. “You seriously put your contact name as “Mr. Muse” in my phone?” You chuckle softly and he smiles. “Well, I did the exact same thing for you, Ms. Muse.” His cheeks flush a soft pink, causing you to blush back.

You rush home to edit your photos and started writing your paragraph for the assignment.

‘I was told to find a muse that captures my eye, and photograph it. I’ve never been so immediatly drawn to a human being before, but something about my muse was... alluring. He was so dashingly handsome, and his aura screamed expression and creativity. My muse was frustratingly curious as to why i was candidly photographing him. He expressed emotions, and honesty that I’ve never heard a man express. He was upset with me, but for a reason that wasn’t my doing. My muse and I, over the course of 3 hours, got these images together. 3 images. A serious face, to portray the initial reaction to my photography. A candid laugh, to portray our immediate connection, and A smile, because my muse was a piece of work, but Mr. Luke Hemmings, was worth the slight struggle.’

You attached all the files over to your school email and sent it in, but not before taking a picture of your assignment and sending it to Luke.

Mr. Muse: Wow, didn’t know you liked me THAT much already Ms. Muse.

Y/N: Sorry, Mr. Muse. I was trying to get a good grade.

Mr. Muse: And what if it doesn’t? 

Y/N: Honestly... doesn’t matter.

‘Meeting you, was worth it.’

najskfnjkansfn (first off, who caught me calling luke 6′2″.. cocktail chats anyone?? HES 6′4″ THE MAN CAN’T LIE) I hope you guys like this. I really, really wanted to try this concept as I loved this idea so much and was so unsure as to how to execute it properly. if you hate it, it’s ok too!!!

[snowdice]

Finding the Time to Study Fic 2 [Day 14]

Here is my starting post for today’s study break stories session. See this post for more details and feel free to send me asks to keep me going! It’s been a lot of fun so far! I will reblog this post with the story as I write them today. I’ll be constantly looking for ideas of times and places for Janus to have missions, so feel free to send in any you can think of at any point!

If you are a new follower or just don’t want all of these posts clogging your dash, please feel free to block the tag “study break stories” as all posts and voting about it will go there. You can still see the finished product of the story even if you are blocking that tag as I will not tag the edited chapters with “study break stories” but with the tag “folds in paper.” See edited chapters below. Chapters 3, 4, 5, and what I have of chapter 6 are under the cut.

My Masterpost Part 1 Part 2

I also have a playlist on youtube (because Spotify didn’t have one of the songs I wanted). It’s short, and not really for serious listening, but I had fun with it.

I have like 4-5 hours of busy work to do today. So, pls keep me entertained.

Chapter 3

Janus and Remus both appeared at the same moment a couple of feet apart in what looked like the inside of a garden shed. There was already a man waiting for them a few feet away. “Sup babes,” Remy said, just like he always did. The T-Agent looked their costumes up and down and whistled. “Now that,” he said, “almost makes me want to be one of you time jockeys.”

“They wouldn’t let me have a gun or a canister of moonshine,” Remus pouted.

Remy snorted. “Sorry, babes, but that makes my job a lot easier. If I’ve gotta fish you outta the 1920s criminal justice system, I’d rather it not be because you shot someone on accident ‘cause you don’t know how to use the safety.”

 Remus groaned dramatically. “Everyone is lame.”

Remy just shook his head. “Meet back here when you’ve got the necklace,” he said. “Don’t make a move until after 11:05pm and before 11:17. That’s your window.”

“We know,” Janus said. “See you then.”

“Have fun at the party boys,” Remy said and then lowered his shades to look at Remus, “but not too much fun.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Remus, already towing Janus out of the garden shed. The way had been specifically cleared for them, so they met no other people before they’d rounded the house the party was taking place and had gotten onto the driveway in front of the house.

 Without missing a beat, they strolled up to the front of the house, just as a car pulled into the end of the driveway. Janus rang the doorbell, and a few moments later, a man who was clearly the butler answered the door. They handed over their invitation, and the man immediately let them in.

The party had already started when they slipped into the medium sized ballroom that had been decked out in streamers and other decorations. Janus’s nose immediately wanted to scrunch as the smell of sweat from all the dancing already going on as well as the too strong perfume meant to cover that stench wafted over him. It was by far not the worst smelling time period, but he was pretty sure some people still weren’t aware deodorant had been recently invented.

 He checked his time piece which had been disguised as a fancy wristwatch for this trip. “Okay,” he said. “We have about two hours before we need to make our move. We should…”

Remus’s attention was already being dragged away by a young man who seemed to be providing guests with food. “I’m going to go ‘mingle’,” he said, winking.

“No!” Janus hissed. “Re- Richard! No!”

Yet, he was already disappearing into the horde of stinky bodies, likely to go scandalize a bunch of rich folks, and leaving Janus alone. Janus mumbled a curse under his breath that he was sure no one around him would understand even if they could make it out.

 Unsure what to do with himself, he wandered over towards where the live musicians were playing jazz music, being sure to keep out of the way of the dancers. He was edging around the makeshift dancefloor, when one of said dancers must have misstepped and knocked into another one. The second man stumbled right towards Janus, arms pinwheeling. Janus reached out on instinct to catch the man as he fell.

There was a moment where the two of them just stared at each other, surprise evident on the other man’s face. He was wearing a mask that just covered the area around his eyes and the top of his nose, revealing a smattering of freckles across his cheeks that Janus imagined extended to his nose.

 The mask was a light blue velvet with a flower stuck on the side near his right ear, and a trail of curled golden ribbon bobbed down around his chin. The party continued on around them, a blur of movement and sound.

“Are you alright?” Janus asked.

The man blinked up at him and then tilted his head slightly to the side as though confused, before a smile slowly grew on his face. “Oh, I’m fine Dove.”

“Dove?” Janus asked.

He giggled. “You have dove feathers on your mask,” he explained, reaching up a hand to touch one. His finger brushed the tip of Janus’s ear, “and I don’t know what else I am supposed to call you.”

 “My name is Lee,” he automatically lied.

“Is it?” he asked, sounding amused. “Doesn’t seem to fit you well. I like Dove better.”

“Oh?” asked Janus. “And what’s your name so I can not call you that?”

The man chuckled. “Call me Pat.”

“Hello Pat,” Janus said.

“I thought you didn’t want to call me by my name.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Hmmm,” Pat said, finger tracing idly across Janus’s forearm which was when Janus realized with a start that he was still holding the man in his arms. He quickly went to release him, which Pat allowed with clear amusement.

 Yet, instead of completely stepping away, Pat grabbed Janus’s arm. “What are you doing all the way over here by the way?” he asked. “Don’t you want to dance.”

“Oh,” Janus hesitated. “I don’t really dance.” Or at least not in the way the people around him were. He’d had basic training for this style, but it had been a while and he was a bit rusty.

“Everyone dances Dove,” Pat claimed. “At least if they know the steps and have the right partner.”

“But I don’t know the steps,” Janus said with an eyebrow raise.

He hummed. “Well, I know the dance pretty well by this point,” Pat said. “Why don’t I teach you how it goes.”

 He was agreeing with the soft beseeching tone before he even realized it. Pat pulled him into the middle of the throng of people. He seemed to think, bopping his head to the music playing for a moment, before looking back at Janus. “Heard of James Johnson?”

Janus inclined his head.

“Well, have you heard his new song? Because there’s a dance that goes with it.”

He took a few steps away from Janus and started to dance. Despite his claim to know the steps, he wasn’t particularly good, but he made up for any loss of rhythm with pure enthusiasm.

 Janus found himself smiling at the man, and after a few moments, joined in with the dance. Despite his lack of practice, he ended up having a better natural rhythm than Pat. Pat didn’t seem to mind that he was being outperformed, however. On the contrary, he giggled at himself the couple of times he stumbled.

When he fell into Janus’s arms for the second time that night, Janus decided he’d probably had enough dancing for the moment and pulled him off to the side to get something to drink and cool down a bit.

He watched the man take a snack and some punch from one of servers and thank him happily before turning back to Janus. Pat was easily able to keep Janus’s attention as they chatted. He was bubbly and soft, and Janus found himself enchanted as they talked.

 He was explaining the steps of a different dance, a couples one. “Knowing how to perform the tango will entrance any girl you want,” Pat said, something mischievous sparkling in his eyes. “Assuming you’re that type of fella.”

“As opposed to what?” Janus asked.

Pat leaned in a bit closer. Not too much, but enough that he was definitely in Janus’s space. “A different type of fella,” he said simply, before smiling and leaning back.

Janus let out a shaky exhale and took a sip of punch. He glanced over at Pat. “Tell me about yourself, Pat,” he said.

Pat hummed in contemplation. “Well, I went to France recently.”

 “You did?”

“Oui, c'était amusant, mais j'ai eu des ennuis”

“What kind of trouble?” Janus asked curiously.

“Oh, the kind with a pretty boy and crepes that were way too sweet. Anyway,” he continued. “Other than that, I mostly help out my friend. He’s an inventor.”

“And how do you help him.”

He shrugged, “Running errands mostly, and making sure he gets enough sleep, because otherwise he gets distracted and forgets. And you?”

“I’m a banker,” he said, remembering his cover, but felt compelled to add, “but I like to travel as well.”

“You do look the type?”

“And how is that?”

   Pat shrugged. “I can always tell a wandering spirt from the masses, and you are easy to spot.” Pat looked at him then with a secret smile on his face, and Janus felt suddenly known, like the man in front of him had known him for years even though they’d only just met. Looking at him then, he wanted suddenly for that to be fact and not a flight of fancy.

He was brought firmly back to reality in the next moment. “Lee,” a pointed and familiar voice said. Janus’s head snapped up to see Remus, staring at him. He tapped his wrist. Janus glanced at his own wrist: 10:58pm. He just barely managed not to curse.

 “I,” he said looking up at Pat. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

“That’s okay,” Pat said easily. “It is getting rather late.”

“Yes,” Janus agreed. “Well… goodbye.”

Pat, titled his head, a half smile on his face. “I’ll be seeing you around.”

Janus nodded, and turned away from him towards Remus. He didn’t look back as they excited the ballroom. They snuck into a small side closet for coats that wasn’t being used as it was summer.

“So,” Remus said when the door closed behind them.

“Don’t,” warned Janus.

“I’m not one to judge,” Remus said.

“Shut up.” He glanced at his watch. It was 11:02. “We’ll go in 5.”

 “I have to give it to you. He was very cute.”

“We’re not talking about it.”

Remus just laughed joyfully, and Janus did his best to halt the blood rushing to his cheeks.

At 11:07, well into their window, they slipped back out of the closet, and towards the stairs as the party raged on.

Despite how Remus usually never shut up, he was able to be quiet when it counted. They snuck to the master bedroom of the home’s owners in silence. The door was already wide open by the time they got there, and Janus didn’t think anything of it. At least, he didn’t until they entered the bedroom, and there was someone already there.

 He turned from the dresser he’d been standing in front of to face them, sending Janus the same smile he had down in the ballroom. Janus and Remus both froze. “Sorry, sweetie,” Pat said. “Were you here for this too?” he held up the necklace they’d been sent for. He closed his fist around the charm made out of time travel tech.

“What?” Janus said.

Pat giggled and winked. “Unfortunately, I need it a bit more than you at the moment. So, I’m gonna have to go.” Janus stepped forward, not really sure what he was intending to do, but Pat just smiled. “See you some other time, my Turtle Dove.” With a snap of his fingers and loud crack, he disappeared. The mask he’d been wearing fluttered to the ground.

  Arc I: Finding Cinderella

Chapter 4

Janus was frozen in surprise for a few long moments after Pat disappeared. Which had been, admittedly, his mistake, because, while their window had technically been until 11:17pm and it was only 11:10, the loud crack that whatever Pat had been using for time travel made, garnered the attention of someone else.

“Uh oh,” Remus said, likely hearing footsteps. “Hide.”

That snapped Janus into action, but instead of hiding immediately like a sensible human being, he chose to go for the only link to the man who’d just stolen time travel tech and waltzed away, the mask.

Which was why he ended up getting arrested.

 Remy tsked the moment they were all alone in the police car having come to ‘transfer Lee to another facility.’ Remus was already waiting in the front seat, and flashed Janus a smug smile. If Janus wasn’t still handcuffed, he’d slap him.

“Well,” Remy said. “At least you didn’t shoot anybody like I asked. I was joking by the way. I didn’t really want to pick you up from a 1920s police station period.”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“Mmm, nah, ‘cause Remus managed to not get arrested this time, so you defiantly screwed something up.”

“Oh, he defiantly wanted to screw something all right,” Remus said joyfully.

 “Remus,” Janus hissed.

“What?” he asked. “I’m not the horny one for once. Well, no, that’s a lie, but it didn’t affect the job this time.”

Janus groaned and leaned his head back against the seat.

Remy pulled into a seemingly random garage around 20 minutes later. “Alright,” he said. “Here we are.” He got out of the car and then helped Janus out before uncuffing him. “Here’s your ‘watch,’” Remy handed him the timepiece that had been confiscated when he’d been arrested.

Janus put it on and activated it. “Shit,” he said.

“What?” Remus asked.

“An appointment with cultural outreach has already been downloaded to my calendar for once we get out of decon.”

 “Oof. Going to baby jail,” Remy laughed. Remus was cackling.

“This,” Janus said, “was not a cultural faux pas. I did nothing that indicated that I was not from this time. I am not some rookie.”

“Don’t forget cell phones don’t exist in the 1920s,” Remus sang.

“The real question is whether or not my foot exists in your…” Remus disappeared before he could finish, a smirk on his face. Janus growled. “By Remy,” he gritted out. He selected the decontamination chamber from his queue, ignoring the appointment that came after it for now.

He knew exactly where Remus would be standing when he landed, which was why he stepped forward on reentry to ram into him.

 He yelped in surprise. “Sorry,” Janus said pleasantly. “I must have also forgotten landing procedures.

Remus laughed good naturally. “Aw, come on Jay,” he said, bumping Janus back, albeit much gentler than Janus had been. “It’s not a big deal. You just go talk with some crusty old college professor who is far too interested in spoons and then everything’s fine.”

“It’s the principle of the thing,” he growled. “They’re treating me like I’m an idiot who accidently invented disco in the 1920s when I was conned by some free agent time traveler.”

“‘Conned,’ Remus said. Is that what they’re calling it now?”

 “I know where and when you live Remus,” Janus said.

Remus gave him a dopey smile as the decontamination cycle finished and the door unlocked. Janus’s wrist buzzed telling him that the coordinates to the cultural outreach office were now unlocked. Instead of pulling them up, Janus walked to the door.

“Um,” Remus said, following him. “Aren’t you supposed to be going to your appointment?” Janus just kept walking towards their office. “Uh… Jan?”

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that I have to go to cultural outreach,” Janus said. “In fact, no one can make me. If they want me to go have a discussion about the definition of ‘bushwa,’ they’re going to have to have me dragged there.”

 “Mmm, I feel like The Boss won’t be too happy about that, and I have a feeling she’d be 100% down to dragging you there herself.”

“Well, then, let her,” Janus said, stalking through the door to his office. “I’m not going to…”

“Ah, Agent Picani,” the woman standing next to his desk, clearly waiting for him, said when he came through the door. “Dr. Picani was informed that there were complications with your last mission and wishes to have a conversation with you and asks that you meet him in his office at the AMO.”

“Oh, um,” Janus said, stumbling a bit before plastering on a regretful half smile. “Unfortunately, I actually have an appointment right now at Cultural Outreach. It’s mandatory and very important, and I have to go now. So, I’ll have to take a raincheck on that.”

 “But-” she started, frowning.

“Remus, work on the report!” Janus said quickly as he waved his hand to bring up his timepiece display and jammed his finger at the glowing appointment card in his queue. A few moments later, Janus was at Cultural Outreach.

Cultural Outreach was not part of the TPI, though it often worked very closely with them. It was a collaboration between the government and multiple universities to help government workers, politicians, and other citizens understand and bridge cultural gaps. It had existed before time travel was invented but had expanded to also teach people who needed to time travel how to behave in unfamiliar times and cultures.

 After it had to be expanded to provide for the TPI, it had been moved to Silver Mountains University. The building had once just been a museum, but it had been thoroughly renovated and there had been add-ons for office space and some classrooms. It was still a museum, however, its purpose had expanded greatly and there were many areas that were off limits to the general public.

One of these areas was the fourth floor, where Janus’s timepiece had dumped him. This was the floor that was almost exclusively for TPI agents and staff of Cultural Outreach who worked with them.

 He immediately turned away from the reception area, hoping that he could escape and go sit on the university’s quad or something of the like for the next hour or so in hopes the woman his brother sent to fetch him would give up and go back to the AMO. Yet, the receptionist apparently saw him.

“Janus Picani?” he asked.

Janus grimaced and turned back towards him. “Yes,” he said.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “You’re 5 minutes late for your appointment and seem disoriented.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Is your timepiece malfunctioning?”

“No.”

“Uh… okay. Well, if you sign in here, I can take you to your appointment.”

“…Fine.”

 He begrudgingly stepped forward and touched the screen he’d gestured to sign with his fingerprint, and then let the man lead him down the hall.

The door they stopped at was propped open slightly, but he still paused and knocked. “Professor Eran? Your 2:30 is here.”

Janus had just a moment upon hearing the name to think that maybe there was actually some sort of intelligent design of the universe and whatever being of ultimate power had crafted it was a dick.

The door opened and Virgil Eran’s eyes immediately narrowed on him. “Janus.”

“Virgil.”

“I see you’re still late for everything.”

“I see you’re still a bastard.”

 Janus saw the receptionist slowly back away in the direction they’d come.

“Why don’t you come in?” Virgil said faux pleasantly.

Janus did, because he really didn’t have much of a choice at this point unless he wanted to jump out of a window… or push someone out of a window.

Virgil turned back into his office and took a seat behind his desk. Janus unhappily followed him in and sat across from him.

He took his time pulling up whatever the TPI sent him and reading it over. “So, I see you failed your recovery mission and were arrested in 1923.”

 “It wasn’t like that,” Janus said. “I shouldn’t be here.”

Virgil gave him that same suspicious look he used to give Janus whenever Janus claimed to have not eaten his hot pockets out of the freezer in the middle of the night. He’d only been lying 80% of the time. Virgil had a tendency to forget what he’d eaten in a half-conscious state at 3 o’clock in the morning.

“I shouldn’t,” Janus snapped defensively. “Nothing went wrong with anyone from the time period. An illegal time traveler screwed up the mission details.”

“Well, it is still protocol to make sure nothing slipped when agents go off script. You weren’t prepared to be in a jail cell, and it is possible that you screwed something up.”

 “I didn’t screw anything up,” Janus growled.

“Alright,” Virgil said pulling up a document on his desk. “The mission started on July 27th, 1923 at 9:58pm, correct?”

“Oh, god, we’re not really going to fill out a time sheet. I don’t have time for that today.”

“It is protocol and best that the information is documented when it is still fresh in your mind. Besides, your schedule has been cleared for the rest of the workday.” The bastard was enjoying this. He knew how much Janus hated this stuff.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Janus said, “it was the damned illicit time traveler.”

“And I will be the judge of that,” Virgil said. Janus should have just bit the bullet and had coffee with his brother. “If you truly did nothing wrong, your supervisor will see that when I send this to her.”

 Yet, despite the fact that Virgil clearly relished in his suffering, he was charitable enough to do most of the actual filling out of the forms. He’d read out the questions and write down what Janus said instead of making him do it himself. Janus really only had to do a quick quality check and sign it at the end.

He still was an asshole about the details, but really he’d been like that about stupid thing like the settings for the dish washer and how the pantry was organized during their college days before they’d had their falling out, so Janus wasn’t particularly surprised. When they were finally done, Virgil sent it off to get filed by the TPI.

 Then, they were left staring at each other with nothing between them but almost a decade of radio silence and a whole lot of awkwardness.

“I should go,” Janus finally said, standing up.

Virgil tilted his head slightly to the side and gave him a half smile. “Don’t lock the door behind you,” he said. “Not that I’d expect you too.”

Janus took it for the clear attempt at a joke it was intended to be and puffed out a breath of amusement with a head shake. “No risk of that,” he said. Then, he turned and walked out of the office.

 Chapter 5

Janus stepped back into the reception area and booted up his time piece. Instinct said to go back to the office despite the fact that it was late enough that most people had gone home, but he hesitated. Surely Emile had given up by now, but considering he’d sent someone to ambush him in his office, Janus wasn’t sure if he should trust that. He could just go home, but he already knew his mind was racing too much to sleep tonight so he’d probably just end up staring at the lake for the next 6 hours. So, he decided on the only other legitimate option he had. He pulled up Remus’s home coordinates and selected.

 The home that Remus had chosen (after his long line of rejected requests) managed to somehow make no and absolute sense simultaneously to anyone who knew him. It was a small farm in the United States just west of the Mississippi in 1842 in what would be ratified as the state of Iowa in a few years. When asked why he would choose that time and place, Remus always responded with “I thought it was funny,” whatever that meant.

Unlike most time agents who simply used the identities assigned to them by the AMO as a cover, Remus actually lived his part time.

 Janus was… fairly certain he was cheating a bit to get everything done, but he maintained his small farm all on his own, growing most of his own food. The neighbors he had lived very far away, but he still spoke with them far more than Janus did his own.

Janus appeared inside the small home, his eyes already shut. “Are you hear and dressed?” Janus called. Something bumped lightly into his legs.

“I’m in the kitchen!”

Janus peaked his eyes open and squatted to pet the cat at his feet. “That doesn’t answer my question!” he called back to Remus.

 “It’s a surprise!” Remus said.

“Remus.” Diesel Fuel the cat flopped to her side on the ground as Janus continued to pet her ears. He heard Remus’s footsteps, and saw cloth covering his legs, so risked looking up. He was currently not only dressed, but wearing an apron that Janus was fairly sure was not time appropriate judging by the fabric and cat pawprint design. He had a bit of flour on his hands, and it may have been a bit too white for the time and place, but Janus couldn’t be completely sure.

“What’re you doing here?” Remus asked.

 “My day has been an endless series of frustrations,” Janus said. “So, I have come to see the only tolerable being in the history of the universe.”

Remus snorted. “Since I know that isn’t me, I’ll assume you’re talking about the cat.”

“I still don’t understand why you tolerate this creature,” Janus addressed Diesel Fuel. She blinked slowly up at him. “To be fair, he was assigned as my partner. I didn’t have much of a choice in it. You could go always run away and become feral in the woods if you’d like.”

“So could you, technically,” Remus pointed out.

“I’m thinking about it after today.”

 “Would you like some bread?” Remus asked. “That’s all I’ve been making this afternoon. Some fresh should be coming out of the oven in a few minutes.”

“Do you have anything stronger made out of wheat?”

“Ew, no, but I do have vodka.”

“Vodka works.”

“Want me to mix it with something?”

“No.”

“One of those night then,” Remus said, easily. “Let me finish up the bread, so I don’t burn the kitchen down. You can go get the alcohol from the cellar while you wait if you want, or you can just flop down on the couch.”

He was going to just flop down on the couch.

 He did just that as Remus disappeared back into his kitchen. The cat hopped onto his stomach, proceeding to purr loudly and kneed at chest. Janus petted the cat and listened to the noise of Remus moving around in the other room, letting his mind drift. His mind drifted to Virgil for a bit and he steadfastly did not allow it to drift to his brother. Yet, the thing that most was on his mind was the strange man who had flirted and charmed Janus all night before mercilessly screwing him over. ‘Pat’ he’d said his name was, but surely that was not his real name.

 Janus sighed and scratched the cat’s ear. “He certainly wasn’t an amateur,” Janus mused to the cat. “With that amount of precision to get in before we did, he must have someone not on the ground feeding him information. Perhaps more than one.” He was part of a group of time traveling thieves perhaps or something worse. “I didn’t get a good look at his face since he was wearing a mask,” Janus said, “but I spent a lot of time with him, and I’m sure Remy swiped the mask from the police since it had been on me when I was arrested. It’s a good lead.”

 He continued to pet Diesel Fuel. Eventually, Remus came back in, noticed Janus hadn’t bothered to get the alcohol and went outside to the cellar. “I’m going to find him,” Janus told Diesel Fuel. “I’ll stop whatever it is he’s doing, and I’ll bring him in.” Diesel Fuel mewed her support, and Janus patted her on top of the head.

Remus came back in with the bottle of vodka and handed it to him without a word. He sat down on the couch near Janus’s feet and patted his lap so Diesel Fuel would come over to him and allow Janus to sit up.

 The bastard waited until he was approximately 3 shots in (he didn’t have a shot glass and was just taking drinks from the bottle) to ask the questions Janus really didn’t want to answer. “Are you mad at Emile?” Remus asked.

Janus groaned, trying to wash out the bitter taste of shame and grief with the sharp sting of vodka. It didn’t work. “No,” he said to Remus.

“Then why have you been avoiding him?”

“Shit, I’m here because I didn’t want to think about it. Can’t we just not.”

“Don’t want to think about what?

“It’s none of your business, Remus.”

 He could feel Remus frowning at him, but Janus stared resolutely ahead. At least, he did until a foot poked his face. He slapped it away, but it did the job of getting Janus to look at Remus.

“It is my business,” Remus said, foot still in the air. “I’m your partner and your friend.”

“If I’m your friend, you’ll drop it.”

“So, you’re not mad at Emile,” Remus continued, contemplatively. “Did you do something to him, then?” Janus bit his lip and looked away. “What?” Remus asked. Janus didn’t respond. “Look, I’m sure he’ll forgive you for whatever it is. He’s a good guy. Just talk to him about it.”

 “I can’t,” Janus said.

“Whatever it is, it’s probably been long enough that he forgives you. You literally just have to have a conversation, say you’re sorry, and everything will be A-OK.”

“I can’t,” Janus repeated.

“Why not?”

“He doesn’t know about it.”

Remus paused. “So, as far as he knows, you just cut contact with him all of a sudden for no reason and have been avoiding him ever since?”

Janus looked at his shoes. “Yeah.”

“That…” Remus said, “is not fucking fair Janus.”

“I know.”

“Then why the hell are you doing that to him? He’s like… soft and feeling-y. He’s probably really upset.”

 “I know, Remus.”

“Tell him. Whatever it is.”

“I can’t.”

“Look,” Remus said. “You tell him and he either forgives you or he doesn’t. If he does, everything’s fine. If he doesn’t… well, it’s not like it would be any different from you two never being in the same room the last few years. Either way, you can’t just do this to him. He’ll probably forgive you. He’s your brother. Brothers don’t… brothers would forgive each other.”

Janus laughed softly and met Remus’s eyes. “That’s the problem,” he said. “He’d definitely forgive me.” He turned away and opened the vodka bottle again. “Now, if you’ll shut up for a few minutes, I’m going to drink until I black out.”

 Chapter 6

“Really, Khalid,” Janus said, storming into his boss’s office. “A yellow?” It had been about a week since the 1920s incident, and his incident report had finally been cleared. Sure, it wasn’t a red or a black and he wasn’t facing any reprimand, but it should have been a green.

She looked up at him, clearly unconcerned. “There was an incident,” she said. “You handled it well, but there was one. Therefore, yellow.”

“It wasn’t a time travel incident! It was a rouge time traveler.”

“Janus, you helped me make these rules,” she said impatiently.

“Which is why I know this is bullshit,” he snapped.

 She rolled her eyes. “If it was anyone else, you would agree with me. While you didn’t go against protocol and had no time related incidents, the fact of the matter is, you were still distracted by this ‘rouge time traveler,’ didn’t complete your mission, and were arrested.”

“He was good,” Janus said. “You can’t fault me for that. He also could be dangerous and you’re busy handing out yellows instead of working to track him down.”

She raised an eyebrow. “We are working on tracking him down,” she said. “We have done an analysis on the mask and found fibers dating to the 2010s and some DNA. Though it isn’t exactly a high priority.”

 “We have no idea who he is or what he’s planning to do. Why is that not a high priority thing?”

“At the moment?” she asked. “Because we have reports of a time bomb being activated.”

“What?” Janus asked sitting up. “When?”

“New Years Eve going into the year 3,000 in Brazil,” she said. “Which you’d know about if you’d bothered to check your integration port this morning before storming into my office.”

“It’s my mission?” Janus asked.

“The incident investigation is over and your active again despite the dreaded yellow,” she said, clearly making fun of him a bit. “So, yes, and it’s a high priority mission, so I’ll be running it.”

 “Who all is going?” he asked.

“Other than the two of us, Remus, Lena, and Fred,” she told him. “We leave in three hours, so, you might want to run off to Rhi before Fred gets to her and ties her up for an hour on details.”

Janus nodded and got to his feet. He turned back at the door. “I still don’t deserve the yellow,” he hissed.

She waved him off. “I’ll see you in a few hours, Picani.”

He ground his teeth a bit about the dismissal of his worries, but his resentment was slightly soothed by the fact that she’d assigned him to go on such a high priority mission and with only senior agents.

 He took the advice and grabbed Remus from the office, noting Lena hadn’t been able to wrangle Fred yet as she was still at her desk, and they both headed off to see Rhi.

A few hours later, they were all in decontamination together, decked out in truly god-awful costumes. The turn of the third millennia had been a wild event, and the best way to fit in was to look like you’d grabbed something from every century in recorded human history, dyed it in neon paint, and rolled around in a vat of glitter.

Remus had opted to stick his head in a vat of glow in the dark green paint that costuming had offered them, and it wasn’t even going to be slightly disruptive to their covertness.

 In fact, costuming had frowned when Janus had insisted he not get his hair dyed and instead wore a bowler hat. They had required him to have flowers made out of glitter on it.

There were five people waiting for them when they landed 6 hours before the turn of the millennia. Three were touchdown agents, including Remy, and two were on location tech support. Usually it would be overkill to have that many people there just for support even with five agents in the field, but today the TPI needed to be cautious because they were planning on instituting a time lock.

Time bombs were dangerous things that would ripple through time if not contained. Even if it did end up going off (killing everyone in its reach), the time lock would serve to prevent most damage outside of the city and, more importantly, the year it was planted.

 Janus had only been in two time locks before, and he was one of the most senior agents in the TPI, outranked only by the founder: Lia Khalid. Time locks were designed to keep all time linear in a certain fixed time and geographical area as well as prevent any time travel in and out. Once it was engaged, all forms of time travel would not work for the duration, bar the pin device. Khalid was already switching out her regular timepiece with the slightly bigger one that was designed to support the time lock.

There was a failsafe back at the TPI that could be engaged in an emergency, which was why tech support was here, but other than that, the only thing that could break the time lock was that timepiece, and it would break the moment the time lock ended.

 As soon as it was on Khalid’s wrist, she looked up at them all. “Our information says the time bomb was planted in the costume of one of the ‘Millennium Birds’ who are the organizers of the different events,” she said. Janus had seen a photo of the identical costumes in the mission details. They were all robe like garments with giant fans of feathers coming from the neck that coalesced in a peak a foot above their head to hold a fake bird egg. At least they’d be easy to find. “There are 25 of them throughout the city. We need to find each of them. So, we don’t double count, you’ll need to subtly,” her eyes touched on Remus, “scan each one you find for the bomb and tag them with a tracker if it’s not on them. You can view the already tagged ones, as well as the rest of us on your timepiece even once the time lock is engaged. When you find the bomb, call it in.”

 They all nodded, and Khalid looked over at one of the techies. She nodded at her and then the techie flipped a couple of switches. “Three, two, one,” the techie said. There was a slight shift in the air that most people would disregard, but Janus as a seasoned time traveler could feel the change even before his wrist buzzed. He glanced at his timepiece to see it had a big red ‘X’ across its display. He tapped it and was still able to bring up the map of the city with 10 green dots on it all clustered together in their current location.

 After that, he tested the scanner on his timepiece that he would use to search for the bomb, just to make sure the time lock hadn’t messed anything up with his equipment. He glanced up to see everyone else was doing the same.

“Keep in contact,” Khalid said before everyone split up. Janus and Remus started by going North while Fredrick and Darlene were to go South. Khalid was a floater who would tag any Birds she saw but was mostly there for backup and orders.

Janus and Remus stepped into the chaos of New Years Eve before the turn of the third millennia. The streets were already swamped with people and it would only be getting worse the later it go.

“Where should we start?” Remus asked.

 “Let’s go all the way North to the games area,” Janus said. “We can work our way back here.”

“Okay!” Remus said. “I wonder if they have those fun little genetically modified goldfish as prizes. I’ve always wanted to eat one and see if I end up getting whatever design was on the fish on my body.”

Janus gave him a disgusted look.

“What?! People eat fish all the time!”

Janus shook his head. “We’re not playing the games anyway. We have work to do. Important work.”

“Boo,” Remus replied. Janus chose to ignore him as he spotted one of the Millenia Birds letting people into the gaming area.

 They walked over towards the entrance. Janus got in range first and moved to subtly scan the Millenia Bird, Remus doing the same the next moment. After a second, Janus’s timepiece buzzed and lit up red, meaning the bomb was within range. “Well, that was easy,” he said. “It was on the first one we found.”

“Uh…” Remus said. “Jan.” When Janus looked, he was holding up his wrist to show his green lit time piece.

“What?” Janus asked. He quickly moved to rescan the Millenia Bird, and his timepiece came up green as well. Which, meant the bomb was not in range, even though the Millenia Bird had not moved. “But…” He and Remus’s eyes met, and they quickly both started turning in a circle to look at the crowd around him. No one looked like they’d just stolen a time bomb off the Millennial Bird, but then Janus’s eyes caught on a man. He blended in perfectly to his surroundings. He was wearing the disgusting garb of the times, a large light blue piece that bubbled near his hips, and had most of his skin covered in rainbow neon paints. Yet, something about him, the curl of his hair or the way he moved, drew Janus’s eyes to him. He recognized the man immediately even in a completely different dressing style. Yet, what cinched it was the moment Janus’s eyes met his and they seemed to sparkle slightly in the afternoon sun. The next moment, the person Janus knew as Pat, turned to disappear into the crowd.

 Chapter 7

“Him,” was the only thing Janus said before taking off after the figure who had just disappeared into the game area.

“What?” Remus’s voice followed after him. “Janus! What?!”

Janus did not pause, just continuing to run after Pat, hopping over two barricades as a shortcut. Janus cursed when he lost sight of the man for just a moment near the prize table filled with colorful goldfish, but he was able to spot him once again walking into one of the tents. Janus blasted into the tent. It was a game where they raced rats, and when Janus entered, Pat was cooing at one of them.

 “Who’s a tiny little squishy precious baby?” he was asking one of them, wiggling his pointer finger at it.

“You,” Janus growled stepping up to him.

He turned and tilted his head at Janus with a frown. “Um, me?” he asked, pointing to his chest, all sorts of innocent, but Janus could see a spot of hidden amusement in his eyes.

“Where is it?”

His eyebrows drew together, but it was an act. It was clearly an act! “Where is what?”

“The…” he glanced around them at the people surrounding them. “Thing you just took.”

“I didn’t take anything,” Pat said with a frown.

9794

“Oh, no,” Janus said. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fooling me twice is not an option.”

“I’m sorry sir,” Pat said. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bull. Shit.”

Just then, Remus jogged into the tent. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“It’s him,” Janus said pointing. “He took it. He has it.”

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about,” Patton said. He looked over to Remus with a confused frown.

Remus looked at Janus. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Janus said. “It’s him. It has to be him. He’s the mask guy.”

Remus squinted at Pat. “He is?”

“Whoever you think I am, I’m not. I haven’t worn a mask all night. I just did the face paint,” he pointed to his cheeks.

[entomjinx]

Obsession

Prompt: Don't ask me that.

"These people," Mira decided, "are idiots." She looked around at her guild mates, completely flabbergasted at their obliviousness. It was obvious who liked who, to her anyways, and she felt somewhat ridiculous as she tried to explain to the group sitting at the bar why they were wrong without giving away people's private lives.

As much as she liked to gossip, there were lines you just didn't cross.

"Gray-sama loves Juvia," the bluenette said confidently, "He's just shy around her." Juvia, along with most of the rest of the girls in the guild, was sitting at a table near the bar and chatting about "Gray-sama."

Mire cringed, "If only you knew." The oldest of the Strauss siblings swore up and down that most everyone in this guild was already in a relationship and just hiding it, "Not to mention that 'your' Gray is most definitely homosexual and dating a certain pinkette." The two of them were sneaky, but not sneaky enough. She'd caught them holding hands under the table too many times for it not to be true.

She gave out another round of milkshakes for them as she tried not to throw in her own comments and give people away.

Her sister didn't have the same thoughts, "I wouldn't be so sure..." She uttered.

Juvia shot a glare her way, and Mira winced in sympathy. Juvia could be terrifying.

"Why wouldn't Gray love Juvia?" She hissed.

Lisanna put her hand on the water mage's shoulder, "For the same reason Natsu didn't love me when were kids." The group of female mages were watching silently, unsure of where this was going.

"She's not going to out them is she?," Mira wondered.

Mira moved closer to stop Lisanna if she had to, but froze at the younger's words, "What you feel is the same thing I felt, and it's not love." Juvia looked like she was going to protest, but Lisanna shook her head, "It's obsession." She moved her had off of Juvia's shoulder and grabbed the vanilla shake Mira was holding out to her.

The long haired bartender shook her head, "Why was I even worried? She probably never figured that out."

Gajeel, who had been listening to the entire conversation, was desperate to pretend like he hadn't. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Juvia's whining. He'd told her it wasn't going to happen, and watching her get told the same thing from someone else was bound to either send her into tears or make her want to spar.

He wasn't willing to make that gamble.

"It's not an obsession," Juvia hissed.

"Don't do it."

"Yes it is, Juvia. Don't do the same thing I did. It'll break you."

"It's not an obsession. Juvia loves Gray-sama."

"You'll regret it later."

"She's right you know," Lucy mumbled.

"Shut-up love rival! You just want Gray-sama to yourse-"

"Fuck it," Gajeel said aloud. Several heads whipped towards him as he made his way over to the gaggle of girls, "You have literally stitched dolls of the ice-bastard, you have photographs that he doesn't know you've taken of him, you steal his clothing, and who knows what else. If you were a boy, and him a girl, you'd be arrested for being a stalker, Juvia." The water mage had become teary-eyed, and Gajeel almost stopped himself. She opened her mouth to protest, but he clamped his hand down over her mouth. "No, Juv. You don't love him. It's an obsession from the fact that he helped you. It's just a stronger version of what you did to me when we first met, and if calling you out in front of the entire guild is what I have to do to get that through your skull, then so be it. I'll be the bad guy again."

He moved his hand and immediately wished he hadn't. A sharp wail instantly pierce the air, and the three slayers in the guild recoiled. Freed acted quickly, and placed runes around both Laxus and Wendy, not bothering with the retreating iron dragon slayer.

"Instant head-aches are the worst."

He shoved the doors open and nearly hit Erza in the face. He mumbled a quick, "Sorry," before shoving past her. As expected, Natsu and Gray weren't too far behind, "Hey, Salamander, don't go in there." Natsu was covering his ears, and Gray was watching him blankly "Actually, you shouldn't either." He directed at Gray. He walked past them, not caring whether they headed his warning.

"I need a nap."

"I know he had to say all that to Juvia, but did he really have to be so cruel about it?" The pinkette hadn't heard the whole conversation, just the end of it, but even he knew that Gajeel's phrasing was a little harsh. "Or maybe it's just the fact that I'm rally good at picking up on emotions. Isn't there a word for that? It was like 'imputh' or something. I know in Dravic it's 'one who feels everything' if you translate it, but I swear there's a Fiori word for it..." He let his thoughts run rampant as he turned to leave.

"Oi, flame-brain," Gray reached for his arm and yanked him backwards, "Did you forget that we're sparing?"

Natsu shook his head, "No, but we can continue elsewhere. Juvia's crying is obnoxious."

"Juvia's... Crying? Is that why Gajeel told us not to go in?" The ice mage scoffed, "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself."

"You and I both know that you don't want to deal with her," Natsu commented, but it was too late. Juvia had opened up the guild doors and was staring at the two of them.

"Shit. She heard that didn't she?" Natsu may not have been the biggest fan of Juvia, especially since she was constantly attaching herself to his boyfriend, but that didn't mean that he wanted to hurt her.

"They were right," Juvia muttered, "Gray-sama doesn't love Juvia, does he?"

Gray froze, and now everyone in the guild was staring at the two of them. Natsu could hear several of the girls muttering about how romantic it would be if Gray stopped her from crying, and it took a lot of willpower not to growl.

"Mine."

"Juvia..." Gray whispered, and several of the girls squealed.

This time Natsu did growl. It was quiet, and he stopped it fairly quick, but it still happened.

"Does Gray-sama love Juvia?" The rain woman was looked absolutely hear-broken, and Gray realized that there wasn't any more putting this off.

"Don't ask me that unless you want an long, honest answer," He said firmly. When she nodded hopefully, Gray sighed.

"I guess now's a better time than any." They'd been a thing for a long time, but considering human customs, Natsu hastily agreed to Gray's idea of keeping it secret.

"Juvia, there is more than one kind of love," He started, "I love you like a gild-mate, like a friend, and like a creepy-obsessive-stalker-like-little-sister, but I can't love you like a lover."

Juvia's crying was a lot more subdued this time, and she had sank to her knees, "But Gray-sama-"

Gray cut her off again, "I promise you it has nothing to do with ridiculous things like how pretty you are or how intelligent, because I'll be one of the first to admit that you're beautiful, both literally and as a person. Love isn't something that you can force, nor is it the picture perfect thing that everyone thinks it is." He bent down and pulled her face in his shoulder. Several people cooed, and a few applauded the ice mage, Natsu being one of them.

"That was adorable," Natsu thought, "And he didn't out us! Hell yeah! No one will immediately assume we're fucking the moment we're alone! Because that's gross,"Natsu ace-self was not about to be accused of such a thing. "Or homophobes. How did I forget that? Homophobes suck."

It took a long while for the guild to calm down after what happened earlier, but it did eventually. Most everyone was crowded around team Natsu's usual table, asking about the mission. The few who were still asking about Juvia were ignored for the most part, but one question didn't go unnoticed by their noisy guild mates.

"Is the part of reason that Gray-sama, er," Juvia paused, "Gray-san, doesn't love Juvia because he loves someone else?" Under normal circumstances, he'd have completely ignored the question, but it had caught him so off guard that he chocked on his water. Everyone had caught on to his slip up, and Gray was mentally cussing himself out.

"There goes hiding it." He threw a side glance to Natsu, who was on the other side of the room eating, and steeled himself for what was to come, "Yes." Gray felt his face go completely scarlet, and he didn't even bother trying to hide it. Several of the girls squealed, and Elfman shouted something about real men admitting their love.

Instantly people began prodding him, asking him about who it was. Most of them were now frozen in place. "Their own fault."

When Gray looked up, he found Erza glaring at him, "Unfreeze them Gray." Needless to say, he complied fairly quickly. "I will only ask three questions. You don have to answer them, but I appreciate it." She had gone into protective big sister mode, and Gray figured that if he didn't answer these in front of the guild, then he have to later. He sighed, still red in the face, and nodded. "Do I know them, are they a good person, and do you really love them or is it a crush."

"Of course she'd ask those questions."

"Yes, no shit, and," Gray paused, thinking about what he was getting ready to say, and deciding to go all out with it. He leaned forward to look directly into his older sister figure's eyes. "I've never had so much as a crush on anyone else."

"So Gray-san does love someone else," Juvia stated. Gray expected her to be upset at that fact, but when he saw her face, she had a ridiculous grin slapped across it,"If Juvia can't have Gray-san, then just means that Juvia has to help Gray-san get the person he loves, so tell Juvia who it is?" Gray gave her a blank look, and Juvia almost wondered if she gone too far again.

"He already knows," Gray blurted, and he realized his mistake the second it came out. His face got redder, and his stance became defensive.

Juvia tilted her head, "If he already knows then why haven't you told anyone?" She asked.

"Juvia completely ignored the fact I said he. Actually, everyone did."

When Gray didn't answer, Erza decided to take the initiative, "You realize that we couldn't care less about that right? So what, you like a guy. I've dated girls before, and I know for a fact that you're not the only gay in the guild. Besides, it shouldn't matter who loves who anyways." She smacked the top of his head, huffing in annoyance, as he rubbed his head, "Now that that's out of the way, I have to reiterate Juvia's question. Why didn't you tell us, without the obvious."

"Do you all remember what I said earlier?"Gray asked. He received several nods. "Love is never what you expect it to be, and considering the relationship between the two of us is very different to the usual depiction, we didn't think you understand it. He's also a lot more secretive than he likes to admit, so I don want to accidentally talk about something that only I know about." Gray had partially zoned out with a smile on his face, but in an instant his features turned possessive, "He's also abso-fucking-lutely adorable and mine and I'm not sharing that."

Mira's voice cut through the noise of the crowd, ¨I think you broke your boyfriend, Gray." Everyone whipped around.

At the bar, Natsu's face was burred in his scarf, but you could still see that it was redder than Gray's, "Asshole," He blurted as he flipped Gray off without bothering to look.

"Love you, Pyro," Gray responded.

"Love you, too, Snowflake," Natsu muttered.

"So that's what Gray-san meant by 'different'."

Gajeel and Wendy didn't look surprised, and the bleunette even threw in a "called it." The lager of the two cleared a small hole in the crowd, and Gray, who'd quickly put together what he was doing, bolted through it and grabbed onto Natsu's arm, "Run," He whispered questioningly.

Natsu nodded, "Run." He slid his arm so as to hold Gray's hand, pulling him along, and before the crowd could catch up to them, they were out the guild's backdoor. "They are going to kill us later," Natsu shouted over the wind. Gray just shook his head and laughed, "Yeah, I don't care either."

Gray watched the pinkette as the ran rather than where they were going, smiling at the energetic fucker he called his. Yeah, they were different, but different isn't always a bad thing. Their uniqueness made their relationship irreplaceable, and Gray would be more than happy to put up with it for the rest of his life.

"When Erza murders us for not telling her, at least I'll have died protecting something precious."

Words: 2349

[fierysafrina]

Moving On | Nash x reader x Oikawa

Fandom: Kuroko no Basket | Haikyuu Rating: General Genre: Drama | Romance | Fluff | Angst Words: 3.565 Summary: Despite dating Nash, he still treated you like an object so you broke up with him. Some time after the break up, you go to Japan as an exchange student and end up dating Oikawa, who's supportive of you and you of him. It doesn't pass long when Nash comes to Japan for the game with Strky, expecting you to run to his side, only to realize that he was too late. – requested by @bigincle 

You weren’t entirely sure what lead to this moment of Nash confronting you about men, but he should have expected that you had male friends as well. You were quite popular in both basketball and volleyball so it wasn’t a surprise when boys talked to you, asking for number or just hanging with them at the parties. You had few female friends, but only the closest ones.

Dating Nash was rather … interesting. You both loved sports, so you were usually seen running early in the mornings or in the evening, or exercising in general together. To the whole city, you were relationship goals and top couple in high school. He treated you well even when he screwed up with other women. He loved you even when he spoke the same sweet nothings into ears of others. Some would say he was cheating on you, but you both knew the truth was far from that.

You loved him, you really did love him, so when he approached you, you could see in his eyes he was rather pissed off. You were waiting for him in front of his gym after your volleyball practice.

“Hey,” You smiled, rose on your toes and kissed him on the cheek, only for Nash to pull away right after. Narrowing your eyebrows you wondered what kind of rumours he heard now.

“Can you tell your, so-called, “friend” to back off when I’m with you?” His voice was giving away annoyed vibe.

You frowned and thought back to your former classmate, who approached you when you were on a date with Nash. It happened few days ago and it confused you why he brought it up now. “We didn’t see each other in years, Nash. He just wanted to chat with me.”

“Yeah, by having his hands all over your body?” He scowled and your frown deepened.

“I-I don’t get it…” You murmured. “What’s the problem? You know I play both basketball and volleyball and have full hands with modelling. I’m everywhere, so people would come to me and be all touchy. I can’t just tell them to back off. That would ruin my image.”

Nash raised an eyebrow, obviously telling you that what you said sounded like an excuse to him. “I’d rather have your image ruined than seeing someone’s hands on you.”

It was your turn to scoff. “Do you even hear yourself?” You took a step back, your eyebrows narrowed and gaze strict. “It sounds like you want me all for yourself while every woman is hanging off your arm every day.”

“So?” He shrugged with his shoulders. “I’m a guy; I can do whatever I want to.” You ignored the stinging pain that spread in your chest at his words. “But I want my girlfriend only for myself. No one should touch what’s mine.” He reached out his hand to caress your cheek, but you stepped away, slapping his hand away.

“Okay, I thought you were anything different from all those rumours.” You laughed, your chest feeling tight. You felt short on breath, but you had to be strong. For yourself. “You’re not going to order me around with whom I can hang out with or not.” You shook your head. “I’m not a toy, Nash, you should’ve known that by now.”

“So you’re going to dump me?” He laughed, but froze when he heard your answer with no hesitation.

“Yeah,”

His eyes widened and he stared at you, unsure of what to say.

“It was nice dating you though.” You smiled and gripped your bag tighter. Shaking your head, you turned around and left, without looking behind anymore. Deep down you wished, hoped, he would run after you and tell you to stay.

Once you were sure you far enough, you stopped behind the corner and lowered your gaze to the ground. Your eyes stung and you bit your lower lip hard.

“Idiot…” You murmured, realizing it was really over. Taking a deep breath you closed your eyes before letting it out. I can do this. The thought crossed your mind. Even if I can’t, I have to. It’s over.

The sun shone through the curtains of your foster home before you heard small, short and quick footsteps running up the stairs. The corners of your lips turned in a smile as the moment the doors opened, a young girl, aged three, looked at you with her bright brown eyes.

“[Name]!” She called your name and rushed to your bedside only to jump on you.

“Mio,” You laughed and messed her hair. Mio chuckled and snuggled closer to you, hugging around your neck. “What’s up?” You asked in slightly broken Japanese.

“You have a game today, right? Right?” She pulled away and looked straight into your eyes.

“I do,” You nodded. “You want to come too?”

“Yes!” She exclaimed and raised her small arms high in the air. You laughed and looked towards doors when a teen of the same age as you, walked in.

She let out a sigh and approached your side, picking Mio in her arms. “Sorry, [Name], she gets too excited when there’s a game.” She apologized.

“It’s fine, Sumire.” You smiled and stood from bed. “Also, I’d like to see Mio come along if she can. It’s not every day I get cheered up by children.” Your smile widened as Mio began chanting, wanting to come along.

Sumire shook with head, laughing. “Fine, fine, you’ll come along, just stop wriggling in my arms.” Mio stilled her movements, but still chanted. Sumire put her on the ground and looked back at you. “I’m amazed.”

“About?” Caught by surprise, you couldn’t help but widen your eyes at her statement.

“You play basketball and volleyball. You’re a teenage model and your Japanese is really good for someone who’s here only for two months.” Sumire crossed her arms, ignoring Mio as she held on your top that you wore as pyjama all while smiling wide.

“I watched a lot of movies.” You said and looked down at Mio, messing her hair.

“I thought it was something like that.” Sumire laughed. “We hardly ever get an exchange student from America—especially to Miyagi—, but if we ever do, they hardly know Japanese.” She sighed, shaking with her head. “Oh right, Oikawa said he’ll pick you up an hour before the game.”

Your eyes widened with a small blush colouring your cheeks. Sumire laughed louder. “He really did call you…” You murmured under your breath.

“Yeah, well he did know you’ll forget it. I’m surprised how well he knows you.” Sumire grinned as you groaned in annoyance at yourself. “Which also makes me wonder just how the hell did the two of you hit it off? You hardly ever see each other with how busy you both are.”

You snorted. “Would you believe me if I say he spiked volley ball into my head?”

Sumire raised an eyebrow as Mio looked at you in confusion until she ran out of the room when her mother called for her. You nodded and before you knew it, both of you were laughing.

“He would do that.” Sumire held for her sides as she continued to laugh. “Please tell me, you got back at him.”

“At lunch.” You grinned. “I stole ‘his Iwa-chan’ throughout whole lunch, asking about the tournament, stalling as much as I could. He didn’t even mind it, less alone realized it until Oikawa caught up with us near the gym. He thought I was confessing my love to Iwaizumi and I couldn’t help but just go along with it. Iwaizumi quickly joined, just to see Oikawa losing it about how he ‘betrayed’ him.”

“You’re a genius.” She laughed and shook with head. “What happened after?”

“Well, he wanted to apologize for spiking at me, by buying me ice-cream.” You smiled at the memory. “He was nice. And then...then it just happened.”

“As long as both of you are happy.” Sumire smiled widely before she looked at the time. “Get ready, [Name], you have a game today.” She caressed your arm and left the room, leaving you alone.

Letting out a silent sigh, you looked around the room when you heard your phone ringing constantly. There was only one person that could send you dozens of messages in one go. Finding it under the pillow, you unlocked the phone and snorted at how ridiculous, yet funny, Oikawa sounded.

          Good morning, [Name]-chan! Today’s the big day! Are you ready? σ(≧ε≦ｏ)

          Heeey are you still sleeping?

          Sleepy head

          Wake up

          If you don’t wake up and reply in next minute I’ll post all those photos of you on your profile. You know which photos I’m talking about. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Your eyes widened, knowing that Oikawa would do that; posting those embarrassing photos online. Before you could even text a reply, you got another message.

           Too late~（๑✧∀✧๑）

Your eyebrow twitched.

           You post that on and I’m breaking up with you.

There wasn’t even a second when you received a reply.

           You’re being mean just like Iwa-chan! You two are hanging around each other too much! (ᗒᗩᗕ)՞

Laughing, you shook with head.

           I’ll be ready in thirty minutes. Wanna come sooner?

You didn’t need to worry that he would decline. His reply made you smile and you put phone on table before walking to the closet. You took out sports clothes and walked out into bathroom. Hearing Mio’s cheerful voice and Sumire calling after her, you realized that you liked it here in Japan.

It’s been two months since you started the student exchange program in Miyagi Prefecture. At first you were a bit doubtful, but meeting Sumire’s family, who was also your classmate, you immediately kicked it off. Mio never let go of you and whenever she had a chance as she even sneaked into your room at night so you woke up with her in your arms almost every morning. You weren’t sure what made her like you so much, but you didn’t mind. You liked Mio as well.

And even in Japan, you continued to play volleyball and basketball, where you also met Oikawa. You heard many rumours and stories about him from Sumire and every girl in your class, so at first you decided to keep him within a distance. That distance, though, quickly got cut when he spiked the ball into your head. If it was by accident or not you weren’t sure, but it was how you met officially. It was pretty cliché, yet he made your heart beat like he was your first love. He made you feel loved.

“[Name]-chan!” Your thoughts were cut short when you heard your boyfriend call you.

You were standing outside the gates in front of the house, waiting for Oikawa.

Your lips instantly turned upwards in a wide smile and as you felt his arms wrap around you and his lips on your cheek, your smile turned into grin. “We saw each other yesterday. There’s no need to hug me like we haven’t seen each other in years.”

“But I missed you!” Oikawa pouted.

You laughed. “I missed you too.” Managing to pull away from Oikawa’s tight embrace, you looked at him. “Are both teams already waiting?” You asked, knowing it was already the time to leave for Tokyo.

“And our fans to greet us off~” He sang and held your hand, giving it a tight squeeze before you slowly began walking. With a snort, you rolled with your eyes as Oikawa laughed. “You know they love us both. They worship us like we’re deity.” He put his free hand over his chest and took a step forward before reaching the hand out, his head held high and back straight.

“You’re an idiot, Tooru.” You held back the laughter that threatened when he gave you his betraying look and continued without letting him speak. “But I love you and if we’re going to screw around even more, we’ll be late and you know Iwaizumi will pick it on you.”

“Again,”

“Again …” Shaking with head, you held your bag over your shoulder tighter.

“Oh right!” Oikawa seemed to remember something. You looked at him with raised eyebrow and he grinned at you. “There’s a basketball game in Tokyo an hour after your game. Wanna watch it?”

“Basketball game?” You repeated rather confused and surprised. Oikawa nodded and you frowned. “How come I don’t know about it?” You spoke your thoughts out loud.

“You were busy with the ongoing games and exams. I’m surprised you’re still alive!” He responded and you snorted before bursting into laughter. Oikawa grinned as he raised his hand that held yours and kissed the top of your hand. “Let’s go, we have games to play so we can go to finals.”

With a short nod, the two of you walked down the street towards train station where your teams were already waiting. The ride to Tokyo passed by quickly with constant joking around and teasing that came from both teams. You were already used to their antics, but still played along.

Oikawa took many photos of you two together, saying it is to savour every moment precious to him. He could make you blush when he wanted to and this time wasn’t an exception. You were sitting together on the train and laughed when you went through the gallery on your phones.

It wasn’t long until you got to Tokyo and the games began. You watched from the seats when Oikawa’s team played. The game was tense and you couldn’t help but sit on the edge the whole time, cheering loud whenever they scored. Oikawa always looked at you and winked, making your cheeks dark. Yet it only motivated you to cheer more.

When it was your team’s turn to play, you felt nervous as you stood on the court. You heard Oikawa and his team cheering, but it was suddenly somewhere in the background when you spotted golden hair. Your eyes were wide and you had to look away by force, refusing to believe he was here. You pretended he was in America, because why would Nash be in Japan? It certainly wasn’t because you had a game.

Oikawa’s voce brought you back to your senses and you smiled, knowing he had your back. You focused on the game and before you knew it, it was over with your team’s win in pocket. The team cheered as you looked towards Oikawa, who was already rushing to the court. When he got down from his seats, you weren’t sure, but he held you in his arms and spun you, kissing you on the cheek. He grinned as you laughed and wrapped arms around his neck. You heard the team’s whistles and cheers, which made your cheeks dark and burying your face in the crook of his neck.

Oikawa laughed as he caressed your back, whispering how proud he was of you. You couldn’t have felt more loved than you already were. Knowing that Oikawa loved and cared for you made your heart beat faster.

The thought of Nash completely slipped your mind until you were standing in front of him right outside the gym. You felt your breath stuck in your throat, lump growing bigger and Oikawa’s voice somewhere. Nash was smiling at you; that smile you knew he was up to something. You held Oikawa’s hand tighter, unknowingly shivering as you tried to stand tall without cowering from Nash’s intense gaze that didn’t seem to break for a second.

“And here I thought you’d be sulking so far from home.” He was the first one to speak and you felt Oikawa tense beside.

“W-why would I be sulking?” Your laughter was forced and you averted your gaze away, knowing he heard you stutter even when you tried to hide it away.

“[Name]-chan, do you know him?” Oikawa asked, knowing enough that he was the one you didn’t want to see or talk with. He squeezed your hand and you calmed down.

Nash scoffed and before you could answer, he spoke. “What’s this monkey doing here? Doesn’t he have better things to do?” He focused back on you. “Why don’t you come to our hotel tonight, so we catch up to all these months we missed?”

Your blood ran cold, but you laughed. Oikawa looked at you confused as Nash narrowed his eyebrows. “Why would I go to you? We broke up.” Feeling Oikawa’s tight grip, you felt strong. It’s okay. Tooru is here. I’ll be fine. “And I have no intention of going back to someone, who won’t find time to hang out with me and treat me like a toy. I’m a human, I have feelings and you didn’t appreciate for what I am. You never wanted a relationship. You just wanted someone, who’d follow you like a lost puppy.”

Nash’s expression darkened.

You took a shaky breath in. “On top of that, I won’t cheat on my boyfriend, who treats me like I should be treated. I’m loved and I love him back.” The corners of your lips turned up in a smile. “You had your chance, but you screwed it up.” Looking at Oikawa, your smile turned softer. “Let’s go. Our teams are probably waiting for us.”

“You sure?” Oikawa glanced at Nash, who was now glaring at the two of you.

Without looking at your ex, you grinned. “Yeah. You said there’s a basketball game, right? Why don’t we go to the team and then decide where to go before the game begins?” As you talked, you began walking away, feeling calm and at peace.

Oikawa looked back at Nash and frowned when he saw his expression sour and pained. He didn’t need to ask you if you two were together as the answer was written on both of your faces. He didn’t need to guess twice that Nash still loved you.

Nash watched your back in irritation that annoyed him more than anything. Ever since you walked away from him those four months ago, he expected you to come back. He wanted you to come back as you were. He wanted you to stay at his side. He knew he messed it up, but he couldn’t help himself. He loved it when he made you angry or jealous. It was in him that he wanted to see every expression you could make.

He knew you were serious about the breakup when you left to Japan as an exchange student without a word. And he knew he was late to approach you.

Yet he hoped that there was still some of him left in your heart and thoughts. His head was filled with memories of you working out together and staying at each other’s side and guilt was beginning to eat him inside out. He wanted to hold you in his arms again.

When he received the news that they will go to Tokyo and play against Japanese team, he felt hope rise inside him. He could finally think of you without bitter memories of your arguments and guilt that followed him with each step.

All hope seemed to leave him when he saw Oikawa holding your hand as you left the gym. He felt anger towards you and jealousy towards Oikawa, who didn’t hesitate to show his feelings for you. You were smiling at whatever he was talking about and he wanted to break that happiness apart. He hated it when he saw you smiling for someone else. You were his.

“I’m not an object.”

“If you’re going to treat me like I’m worse than trash then it’s best that we break up.”

He could still remember those words you spoke so many times. But he never listened to them or you. He took you for granted.

He watched your back growing distant and smaller before you stopped only to be embraced by your new boyfriend. His chest felt tight as his hands turned into fists. His eyes glowered with anger and jealousy that he felt, knowing you were gone. He wanted to hit the guy, who could make you smile and blush like he used to.

Did all that time mean nothing to you?

Nash scowled and looked away. He refused to acknowledge him or the fact that you really broke up with him. He needed you by his side. He wanted to step between you and Oikawa, pull you to his side and drag you away. He wanted to show you just how much you mean to him and how you continue to fill his thoughts with both happy and sad moments. He wanted to make you his once more.

Your laughter brought him back to senses and he released his fists when he saw how happy you truly were. Your cheeks were red when your teams approached the two of you, most likely teasing you—Nash didn’t really care. His eyes were fixed on you and he cursed.

He scoffed and went with hand through his hair, turning around. It dawned on him only now that it was over. You were happier with Oikawa even though he refused to admit it. Without sparring you another glance, Nash walked away with a bitter feeling.

It was obvious you moved on. And now it was time for him to do the same.

[thealfanator]

The Steel that Warmed Us in the Night-Time ~ Chapter 9

He scrunched his boots along the hard, gravel path.  They emitted tiny, mysterious screams as the friction shook the tension between them. The night-time air conjured mist in front of his eyes so he had to raise his arm to feel the darkness in order to feel his way through the meadow.  He, with an unusual amount of effort, held on to his journals and papers scruffily under his anxious armpit.  Constantly looking behind him and blasting out small, nervous breaths like popping balloons, he continued to make his way up the steep hill.  The steepness of the landscape challenged his worn legs; making him want for rest.  Resisting, he scrunched some more; gravel screaming further.  When he reached his destination, he breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately took the opportunity to connect his sweaty palms with his knees and, forgetting his untidy papers, let them go onto the steep ground.  To his regret, they humorously fell down the path and to the bottom like children laughing after they stole some rich man’s wallet.  Cursing at his clumsiness, he ran back down the way he came to retrieve them. A few agonising moments later, more clumsy cursing could be heard from the large, ancient mansion which stood wisely like a statue, effortlessly drinking in the static air; night and day. The man clasped onto his papers once more (now further out of breath), and headed inside the building.

           Once inside, he listened for sounds of presence. Footsteps, coughs; any human activity, but there was none.  Exhaling from exhaustion, he tucked his journals on an ancient table which looked like it could buckle any second.  The thick layer of dust disappeared at the large thump of leather which had just taken place.  The man squinted down the dark hallway before lighting his lantern.  Before anxiously breathing in and out a few more times and laying down his crimson, feather hat, he headed deeper into the mansion.

           Geralt and Yennefer cuddled next to each other whilst on the merciless, cold grass.  They rejected it with their backs as they faced the night sky.  As the evening progressed, they became increasingly oblivious to the fact that they held each other tighter and tighter to fend off the night-time air.  They lie dead centre of a barren yet peaceful field somewhere in the middle of the Skellige Isles.  Crickets and birds yelled in the distance, but not so loud as to disturb the peace which held around them like a bubble or a sphere.  Yennefer gripped the witcher tighter before turning towards him and warming his lips with hers.

“If the king saw us procrastinating, he would slaughter us right now.” She chuckled.  Geralt was undecided whether Yennefer was motivated to push the contract to completion or to show her mischievous side and take a break from the action.  For now, he sensed both.

“I love you,” he said awkwardly, “so much.”  He gazed into the stars after receiving another pluck on the lips.  He could feel Yennefer’s warm breath on his cheek as she laughed again, almost silently.

“You know Geralt.” She started, “I never knew how much feeling your metal swords warmed me inside. Every time I touch the blade; steel or silver, it never fails to ignite a loving part of me.  It makes me feel welcome.”  Geralt failed to reply.  Maybe it was best not to – just let the moment float into the night sky like a peaceful stream of water, splattering on the rocks in a jungle.  Moments passed.  They almost drifted to sleep but they knew they had to stay awake.  For Ciri.

“When do you reckon she’ll return?” Geralt asked.  Yennefer’s eyes grew hard and confident.

“I have faith in her.” She said, continuing to clutch him round the arm, staying warm against the cold.

*

Ciri swept across a surprisingly steep hill with little effort.  She gulped a few panicked breaths before exhaling once more with a grin on her face.  Looking back at the hill, she congratulated herself.  She admitted to herself that being right in the middle of Skellige in the middle of the night and about to enter a creepy mansion tangled her nerves and sparked butterflies in her stomach.  Realigning her sword and leather straps, she walked up to the porch of the creaky mansion.  It creaked so loudly that it sounded like a moaning animal in pain.  She stared up the side of the building: nothing but wooden slabs and shattered windows.  Cirilla almost sensed a statuary nature about the house; the large structure almost posed proudly at the surroundings.  She laughed silently.

“Come on, give me luck…” she whispered at the front door and she fumbled around the handle.  She twisted.  A satisfying click followed by the high-pitched screaming of the hinges as the door swung open branded another smile on Ciri’s face.  An agonising wait proceeded as the door hung on the hinges as if it was gripping on with all its effort, about to loosen and crash to the ground.  It didn’t. After another few breaths of adrenaline, she headed inside.

           The building was silent like the calm before the storm.  Candles were unlit, books on tables had a thick layer of dust, coats hung helplessly onto racks.  It was abandoned.  Ignoring the wails of the floorboards, she absorbed the layout of the interior whilst dawdling down a long corridor.  Doors leading to kitchens, libraries and offices dotted the sides of hallways. Ciri didn’t know where to head and was impressed by the scale of it all.  She glared at the end of the path.  Something seemed strange but she was unsure what caused her unnerved sense. Something halted her breath and stopped her footsteps.  A flickering light in one of the doorways followed by indistinct whispers.  She suddenly crouched and cursed to herself. She suppressed the sounds made by her boots as much as possible but she failed at her task.  The floorboard made a tiny crack which felt loud enough to wake an army.  The whispers stopped.  Ciri stopped. Seconds of nothing passed.  She reached the doorway.  She saw the candle on the other side of the dimly lit room. Suddenly a figure reached towards her from behind the door; hands flailed, everything happened at once. Ciri fell to the floor and the silhouette bellowed onto her.  Whilst punches flew, Ciri thought she noticed a scruff of crimson clothing from the corner of her eye…

“Wait!  Stop!” she screamed.  They both stopped and exhaled.  Taking the opportunity, she darted to the nearest candle and lit it with a convenient match which sat beside it.  She saw him.  “Oh, Dandelion!  What the hell are you doing here?”  She sighed.

“Oh, darling Cirilla – I’m ever so… my apologies.” Dandelion said immediately, ignoring her question. He swept towards her and hugged her. “Me?” he quickly realised, “I’m studying!  I heard about this marvel of a structure; this house!  I couldn’t resist but use it for my research.  I needed to quench my thirst for new and exciting poetry!” Ciri glared at his gestures.  He looked like a madman, quickly coaching the wood and pointing to corners and floorboards, dancing around the room. His crimson clothing and feather hat continued to glisten despite the tiny stashes of light which flew from the candles.  “Why are you here?” he interrupted.

“It’s a long story,” Ciri began whilst leaning against a table, “here, why don’t we sit down and I’ll fill you in…”

*

           “Hey, do you remember that time in Zerrikania?” Yennefer whispered in his ear; the black tips of her raven-like hair scratching passively at Geralt’s cheek.  The Witcher turned away and laughed.

“Don’t even remind me like you’ve done a thousand times!” he said, “So embarrassing…” his voice seemed to trail off into the night sky like steam from a chimney – soft and peaceful. They continue to lie there, huddled and mutually dreaming of a life full of exciting adventures.  Yennefer collapsed her head onto Geralt’s chest whilst playing with a small tuft of grass with her right hand.  She could hear his heartbeat.  It thumped pleasurably and slowly as if it was enjoying the moment bit by bit.  Thump. Thump, like waves of electricity.

“Have you ever thought about getting a dog?” she asked before staring sleepily into Geralt’s orange, fire-like eyes, “You.  Me. Ciri.  Dog.  Toussaint? Seems peaceful, no?”

“Since when have we settled to live a normal life?  Adventure always calls.  Think I’d find it boring anyway; living a normal life, I mean.”  He sighed as he retreated into thought like a madman would eagerly return to his study, “I don’t know though, maybe…”

“I’ll let you think it over.” Yennefer said in a louder voice yet still contained all the love and passion.  She smiled.

*

           After what seemed like an extremely long chat, Cirilla and Dandelion retreated from their wobbly, creaky chairs and each held a candle which slumped in a silver cup.

“Do you really expect to find a precious, expensive amulet in a run-down, dead maze like this?” Dandelion spoke whilst fiddling with an odd positioning of his crimson cuff. Ciri, without looking directly at him, laughed exotically at his addition to the conversation.

“Why wouldn’t you find an amulet in a haunted, ominous house like this?” she countered as she used her candle to blindly follow a dark corridor.  She shadowed her eyes with her arm in hope that it would make her see better amidst the thick layer of darkness which wrapped around them.  As they reached some winding, circular stairs, Ciri heard Dandelion spluttering dust and waving the air followed by an amusing dissatisfied sound.  Ciri turned to face him and laughed.

“What’s up?  Air too… unbreathable?” She smiled once more.  Dandelion shook his head and frowned like a soaked cat.  Each step made a wail and scream as they slowly headed up. As they reached the next floor, Ciri dropped her candle as a door in the distance of the mansion slammed.  She cursed as she swiftly scrambled to pick it up again whilst burning the tips of her fingers.  Dandelion, behind her, looked in concern.

“You alright?” he said. Ciri nodded before confirming a ‘yes’ because she wasn’t certain he could see her in the darkness.

“Probably the wind.” She said.  They continued to creep forward.  Ciri twisted her neck left to see another long corridor.  “Oh, my God.” The poet heard her shout before she darted down the corridor. Dandelion, in concern, followed her. He thrusted his arm out in hope that the candle he held made a difference to his vision.

“Ciri?” he shouted. He saw her crouched at the end of the hallway.

“It’s ok!” She shouted back.  She turned to hold up the shiny amulet.  Dandelion wasn’t sure what shined more: the amulet or her smile. Dandelion sighed in relieve.  The smile was swiftly swiped off his face as a grinding, mechanical sound occurred.  After it was too late, Ciri and Dandelion were separated by a wall which previously had slid before they could have reacted and entrapped Ciri in a small space behind it.  A menacing, yet physically impossible laugh sounded from nowhere.  This time, both of them truly believed the mansion was haunted. Dandelion hugged the wall in panic whilst Ciri clutched the amulet like a mother protecting her child.  She had no escape.

Thanks once again for reaching the end of this chapter.  I still thoroughly enjoy it when I post a chapter because I get lovely feedback from you!  Sometimes I wait for Monday to arrive painfully so I can share my new content with you :) Once again, I appreciate that you guys are so patient with each chapter!  If you missed my post earlier, a few weeks ago, The Steel that Warmed Us in the Night-Time will have 12 Chapters!  Have a good day :)

Link to Chapter 1: https://thealfanator.tumblr.com/post/161443706234/the-steel-that-warmed-us-in-the-night-time

[lucidkpopscenarios-blog]

Confession (Wonho/Reader)

By: Admin Dreamer

Genre: Fluff, a little angsty?, bartender!Wonho

Warnings: None

You decided to drink your problems away after a embarrassingly bad confession, only to find out that your bartender for the night was your crush that you tried to forget about.

“That was terrible.” Your friend whispered as you left your last class of the day with her, your shoulders slightly hunched over in embarrassment and fully aware of the jocks who were laughing about what happened between you and Wonho earlier that day.

“Yeah, don’t remind me.”

“Hey, at least he was nice about it and you didn’t make a total fool of yourself.”

With a scoff, you looked at her incredulously, “Are you kidding, Celia? I totally made myself look like an idiot out there. I’m not the most good-looking person out there, what would he think of me after this?”

“Okay first off, you need to have more confidence in yourself. Secondly, Wonho is a nice guy even though he is part of the swim team. If anything I would rather you date him than anyone else, they’re all douchebags.”

“Thanks, friend.” You mused sarcastically, squinting in the sunlight.

“Hey, I’m going to be having a get-together tonight at the bar downtown, you want to come with?”

“Ummm...”

“And homework is not going to be an excuse this time.”

“Celia, I don’t like bars and drunk people.”

“Well you won’t have to be dealing with drunk people if you’re the one getting drunk!”

“Wow, peer pressure much?”

“Just think of it as me looking out for your well-being. You can’t sit here and mope around forever.”

“It literally happened two hours ago, the wound is still open.” You whimpered, wishing your friend wasn’t so persistent on you trying to forget the crush you built up over two years all in a single night.

It was honestly a mistake, how the two of you met.

You were an assistant for the women’s lacrosse team coach, and while you were rushing around on your daily errands one day you accidentally missed the athletic’s office and ran into the boy’s locker room of the swimming pool to find a nearly naked Wonho (save for a towel wrapped around his bottom half, thank God)

The memory was as clear as day, as if it happened yesterday.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I--”

“Hey, umm, you’re fine. You looking for the athletic’s office?”

“H-How did you know?” He offered what seemed to be a kind smile, but you didn’t want to take it at face value because you knew how people like him were.

“Ah, people always come in here looking for the athletics office to be honest. Though you’re pretty lucky, some people have caught us in more... compromising positions before.” You gulped as you tried not to imagine what exactly he would be referring to.

He noticed how nervous you were and scratched the back of his neck, peering over at you curiously through his lashes. “I’m Wonho by the way, what’s your name?”

“[Y-Y/N...]”

“[Y/N]... well, although we didn’t meet at the best times, it was nice meeting you.” He smiled again, but you were still hung up on the past tense that he used. Did that mean he didn’t want to talk to you again?

You couldn’t really blame him if that was the case, you weren’t the type of girl that he would go after anyway.

You always could see him with a lithe, beautiful yet aggressively outgoing cheerleader from the football team, but it was odd because while you saw his teammates constantly around them, Wonho was nowhere to be found.

Maybe he already had a girlfriend.

“Is everything okay? You look a little down...” 

“M-Me?”

“There’s no one else here.” He chuckled at you, finding your embarrassment and subsequent flush to your face cute.

Squeaking out a, “S-Sorry, I’ll be, umm, g-going now. It was nice to meet you too!” you dashed off to the athletic office, where the secretary asked if you were sick because of your flaming red cheeks.

After that day, you saw him around campus, sometimes with his teammates and other times alone and absorbed in his studies. Whenever the two of you did talk, it never went past the formalities. But you being a fool in love with the idea of the handsome man, didn’t mind. If you could see his face in your classes almost daily it was enough for you.

Sometimes you wondered if Wonho thought that meeting you was a mistake too.

Little did you know, Wonho’s thoughts weren’t far from yours.

Unlike you, he hadn’t started paying attention to you when you accidentally barged into the locker room that day. He saw you even before then, when you were taking an English class with him during freshman year. He noticed how serious you were in your classes, how you were constantly studying and typing away at your laptop.

Then he started to notice your appearance. You weren’t really one to care much for your appearance while you were in class, but he liked that about you. He liked that you seemed to be comfortable about yourself that you didn’t feel the need to change yourself for anyone.

You seemed to be so different from the people that he was forced to hang around with his teammates, but he never got to prove the theory for himself because you appeared to be scared of him, so he didn’t push himself onto you.

When you had confessed to him today when he was around his teammates, he was flustered, a little embarrassed, but was happy. But he couldn’t say anything, even after he saw you defeated and talking to your friend. He didn’t want to hurt you, but he did.

And he felt terrible.

“Dude, you coming over tonight? There’s this awesome party and it’s the party of the year!”

“Nah, I have work tonight.”

“At the bar? You’re on scholarship, why are you working at a bar?”

“Extra pocket money.” He replied simply, cutting off the conversation as he walked off to his dorm to get ready for work.

You didn’t want to be here right now.

As you sat and watched your friend chatting up a group of strangers, you sat at the counter, the drink in front of you and wondering why you were so shy to begin with and why you thought it was a good idea to confess to him in the first place.

He obviously wasn’t interested in someone like you anyway.

As you swirled the alcohol in the glass and listened to the tinkle of the ice hitting the sides of the glass, you were suddenly aware of a presence in front of you. As you looked up, you were shocked to see Wonho standing in front of you, dressed in a black button up dress shirt (with top two buttons undone and sleeves rolled up to his elbow of course) and black dress pants and shoes.

He seemed to be equally as shocked to see you here, because he started off with a, “What are you doing here?”

“Just... hanging out with a friend, but she’s busy doing shots with a bunch of people.”

“Ah, got it.” He nodded, unsure of how he was supposed to continue this conversation. You were stunning to him right now, and he was much more flustered than he wished he was.

Thankfully, you continued with a, “Well, I do have to ask what you’re doing here too, right?”

“I work here during the weekends, just for extra pocket money.”

“That must be fun.”

“Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. A job’s a job to be honest.” 

“That’s true I suppose.” You replied, looking down at the untouched drink, the ice now fully melted.

“You want something else? I can get you a soda if you want. You don’t seem really keen on drinking that.”

“Please.” He smiled at your urgency, placing a tall glass of the bubbly drink in front of you. Instead of leaving however, he stayed to keep you company, resting his elbows on the counter as he peered at you intently.

“You know, this is probably the most conversation that we had ever.”

“That’s true, but now that I’m here I guess you have all the time in the world right?”

He nodded with a grin, “That’s right.” 

The rest of the night was spent talking and laughing with Wonho about many things, and the two of you were surprised by how much you had in common. You almost forgot about the confession, but it still lingered on your mind.

As the two of you stopped laughing over something, you fell silent, looking down your empty glass with the same expression Wonho had seen you with earlier that day.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just wanted to apologize, you know. For embarrassing you in front of your friends yesterday in class. It’s okay if you don’t like me, I just wanted to get it off my chest because I didn’t know how long I could stand pining over you without knowing your true feelings like a creep. If you don’t--”

“Hey...” He interjected quietly, a hand covering yours. You looked up at him shocked, his eyes staring intently at you with a steady gaze. “Wonho?”

“I should be the one who’s sorry.”

“You? But, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

He laughed drily in reply, “Well, that’s where you’re wrong.”

“W-What?”

“I, uh, I like you a lot. Probably for a lot longer than you have. I didn’t know how to confess to you because every time we made conversation you seemed scared of me and I didn’t want to push you to talk to me, so I tried to avoid you for a while. When you confessed to me out of the blue yesterday I was shocked that you actually had the courage to do it and I didn’t know what to say. If that looked like me rejecting you I’m really sorry. I just want you to know that I do like you a lot.” He rambled, ears turning red at his confession.

You sat there for a minute, shocked at how you hadn’t noticed it before he did. But before you could catch yourself you said, “If I was drunk I would definitely kiss you right now.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten you that soda.” He laughed as you smacked his upper arm, a flush dusting your cheeks.

“Hey, umm, if you don’t mind, we can go get coffee after my shift? If you aren’t busy of course.”

“Wonho, are you asking me out on a date?”

“Of course, what else would it be?” He teased, tapping your nose lightly and letting go of your hand to tend to other customers.

As you caught his eye and received a wide smile in return, you thought that maybe confessing wasn’t so bad after all.

[snowdice]

Finding the Time to Study Fic 2 [Day 13]

Here is my starting post for today’s study break stories session. See this post for more details and feel free to send me asks to keep me going! It’s been a lot of fun so far! I will reblog this post with the story as I write them today. I’ll be constantly looking for ideas of times and places for Janus to have missions, so feel free to send in any you can think of at any point!

If you are a new follower or just don’t want all of these posts clogging your dash, please feel free to block the tag “study break stories” as all posts and voting about it will go there. You can still see the finished product of the story even if you are blocking that tag as I will not tag the edited chapters with “study break stories” but with the tag “folds in paper.” See edited chapters below. Chapters 3, 4, 5, and what I have of chapter 6 are under the cut.

My Masterpost Part 1 Part 2

I also have a playlist on youtube (because Spotify didn’t have one of the songs I wanted). It’s short, and not really for serious listening, but I had fun with it.

Let’s do this!

Chapter 3

Janus and Remus both appeared at the same moment a couple of feet apart in what looked like the inside of a garden shed. There was already a man waiting for them a few feet away. “Sup babes,” Remy said, just like he always did. The T-Agent looked their costumes up and down and whistled. “Now that,” he said, “almost makes me want to be one of you time jockeys.”

“They wouldn’t let me have a gun or a canister of moonshine,” Remus pouted.

Remy snorted. “Sorry, babes, but that makes my job a lot easier. If I’ve gotta fish you outta the 1920s criminal justice system, I’d rather it not be because you shot someone on accident ‘cause you don’t know how to use the safety.”

 Remus groaned dramatically. “Everyone is lame.”

Remy just shook his head. “Meet back here when you’ve got the necklace,” he said. “Don’t make a move until after 11:05pm and before 11:17. That’s your window.”

“We know,” Janus said. “See you then.”

“Have fun at the party boys,” Remy said and then lowered his shades to look at Remus, “but not too much fun.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Remus, already towing Janus out of the garden shed. The way had been specifically cleared for them, so they met no other people before they’d rounded the house the party was taking place and had gotten onto the driveway in front of the house.

 Without missing a beat, they strolled up to the front of the house, just as a car pulled into the end of the driveway. Janus rang the doorbell, and a few moments later, a man who was clearly the butler answered the door. They handed over their invitation, and the man immediately let them in.

The party had already started when they slipped into the medium sized ballroom that had been decked out in streamers and other decorations. Janus’s nose immediately wanted to scrunch as the smell of sweat from all the dancing already going on as well as the too strong perfume meant to cover that stench wafted over him. It was by far not the worst smelling time period, but he was pretty sure some people still weren’t aware deodorant had been recently invented.

 He checked his time piece which had been disguised as a fancy wristwatch for this trip. “Okay,” he said. “We have about two hours before we need to make our move. We should…”

Remus’s attention was already being dragged away by a young man who seemed to be providing guests with food. “I’m going to go ‘mingle’,” he said, winking.

“No!” Janus hissed. “Re- Richard! No!”

Yet, he was already disappearing into the horde of stinky bodies, likely to go scandalize a bunch of rich folks, and leaving Janus alone. Janus mumbled a curse under his breath that he was sure no one around him would understand even if they could make it out.

 Unsure what to do with himself, he wandered over towards where the live musicians were playing jazz music, being sure to keep out of the way of the dancers. He was edging around the makeshift dancefloor, when one of said dancers must have misstepped and knocked into another one. The second man stumbled right towards Janus, arms pinwheeling. Janus reached out on instinct to catch the man as he fell.

There was a moment where the two of them just stared at each other, surprise evident on the other man’s face. He was wearing a mask that just covered the area around his eyes and the top of his nose, revealing a smattering of freckles across his cheeks that Janus imagined extended to his nose.

 The mask was a light blue velvet with a flower stuck on the side near his right ear, and a trail of curled golden ribbon bobbed down around his chin. The party continued on around them, a blur of movement and sound.

“Are you alright?” Janus asked.

The man blinked up at him and then tilted his head slightly to the side as though confused, before a smile slowly grew on his face. “Oh, I’m fine Dove.”

“Dove?” Janus asked.

He giggled. “You have dove feathers on your mask,” he explained, reaching up a hand to touch one. His finger brushed the tip of Janus’s ear, “and I don’t know what else I am supposed to call you.”

 “My name is Lee,” he automatically lied.

“Is it?” he asked, sounding amused. “Doesn’t seem to fit you well. I like Dove better.”

“Oh?” asked Janus. “And what’s your name so I can not call you that?”

The man chuckled. “Call me Pat.”

“Hello Pat,” Janus said.

“I thought you didn’t want to call me by my name.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Hmmm,” Pat said, finger tracing idly across Janus’s forearm which was when Janus realized with a start that he was still holding the man in his arms. He quickly went to release him, which Pat allowed with clear amusement.

 Yet, instead of completely stepping away, Pat grabbed Janus’s arm. “What are you doing all the way over here by the way?” he asked. “Don’t you want to dance.”

“Oh,” Janus hesitated. “I don’t really dance.” Or at least not in the way the people around him were. He’d had basic training for this style, but it had been a while and he was a bit rusty.

“Everyone dances Dove,” Pat claimed. “At least if they know the steps and have the right partner.”

“But I don’t know the steps,” Janus said with an eyebrow raise.

He hummed. “Well, I know the dance pretty well by this point,” Pat said. “Why don’t I teach you how it goes.”

 He was agreeing with the soft beseeching tone before he even realized it. Pat pulled him into the middle of the throng of people. He seemed to think, bopping his head to the music playing for a moment, before looking back at Janus. “Heard of James Johnson?”

Janus inclined his head.

“Well, have you heard his new song? Because there’s a dance that goes with it.”

He took a few steps away from Janus and started to dance. Despite his claim to know the steps, he wasn’t particularly good, but he made up for any loss of rhythm with pure enthusiasm.

 Janus found himself smiling at the man, and after a few moments, joined in with the dance. Despite his lack of practice, he ended up having a better natural rhythm than Pat. Pat didn’t seem to mind that he was being outperformed, however. On the contrary, he giggled at himself the couple of times he stumbled.

When he fell into Janus’s arms for the second time that night, Janus decided he’d probably had enough dancing for the moment and pulled him off to the side to get something to drink and cool down a bit.

He watched the man take a snack and some punch from one of servers and thank him happily before turning back to Janus. Pat was easily able to keep Janus’s attention as they chatted. He was bubbly and soft, and Janus found himself enchanted as they talked.

 He was explaining the steps of a different dance, a couples one. “Knowing how to perform the tango will entrance any girl you want,” Pat said, something mischievous sparkling in his eyes. “Assuming you’re that type of fella.”

“As opposed to what?” Janus asked.

Pat leaned in a bit closer. Not too much, but enough that he was definitely in Janus’s space. “A different type of fella,” he said simply, before smiling and leaning back.

Janus let out a shaky exhale and took a sip of punch. He glanced over at Pat. “Tell me about yourself, Pat,” he said.

Pat hummed in contemplation. “Well, I went to France recently.”

 “You did?”

“Oui, c'était amusant, mais j'ai eu des ennuis”

“What kind of trouble?” Janus asked curiously.

“Oh, the kind with a pretty boy and crepes that were way too sweet. Anyway,” he continued. “Other than that, I mostly help out my friend. He’s an inventor.”

“And how do you help him.”

He shrugged, “Running errands mostly, and making sure he gets enough sleep, because otherwise he gets distracted and forgets. And you?”

“I’m a banker,” he said, remembering his cover, but felt compelled to add, “but I like to travel as well.”

“You do look the type?”

“And how is that?”

   Pat shrugged. “I can always tell a wandering spirt from the masses, and you are easy to spot.” Pat looked at him then with a secret smile on his face, and Janus felt suddenly known, like the man in front of him had known him for years even though they’d only just met. Looking at him then, he wanted suddenly for that to be fact and not a flight of fancy.

He was brought firmly back to reality in the next moment. “Lee,” a pointed and familiar voice said. Janus’s head snapped up to see Remus, staring at him. He tapped his wrist. Janus glanced at his own wrist: 10:58pm. He just barely managed not to curse.

 “I,” he said looking up at Pat. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

“That’s okay,” Pat said easily. “It is getting rather late.”

“Yes,” Janus agreed. “Well… goodbye.”

Pat, titled his head, a half smile on his face. “I’ll be seeing you around.”

Janus nodded, and turned away from him towards Remus. He didn’t look back as they excited the ballroom. They snuck into a small side closet for coats that wasn’t being used as it was summer.

“So,” Remus said when the door closed behind them.

“Don’t,” warned Janus.

“I’m not one to judge,” Remus said.

“Shut up.” He glanced at his watch. It was 11:02. “We’ll go in 5.”

 “I have to give it to you. He was very cute.”

“We’re not talking about it.”

Remus just laughed joyfully, and Janus did his best to halt the blood rushing to his cheeks.

At 11:07, well into their window, they slipped back out of the closet, and towards the stairs as the party raged on.

Despite how Remus usually never shut up, he was able to be quiet when it counted. They snuck to the master bedroom of the home’s owners in silence. The door was already wide open by the time they got there, and Janus didn’t think anything of it. At least, he didn’t until they entered the bedroom, and there was someone already there.

 He turned from the dresser he’d been standing in front of to face them, sending Janus the same smile he had down in the ballroom. Janus and Remus both froze. “Sorry, sweetie,” Pat said. “Were you here for this too?” he held up the necklace they’d been sent for. He closed his fist around the charm made out of time travel tech.

“What?” Janus said.

Pat giggled and winked. “Unfortunately, I need it a bit more than you at the moment. So, I’m gonna have to go.” Janus stepped forward, not really sure what he was intending to do, but Pat just smiled. “See you some other time, my Turtle Dove.” With a snap of his fingers and loud crack, he disappeared. The mask he’d been wearing fluttered to the ground.

  Arc I: Finding Cinderella

Chapter 4

Janus was frozen in surprise for a few long moments after Pat disappeared. Which had been, admittedly, his mistake, because, while their window had technically been until 11:17pm and it was only 11:10, the loud crack that whatever Pat had been using for time travel made, garnered the attention of someone else.

“Uh oh,” Remus said, likely hearing footsteps. “Hide.”

That snapped Janus into action, but instead of hiding immediately like a sensible human being, he chose to go for the only link to the man who’d just stolen time travel tech and waltzed away, the mask.

Which was why he ended up getting arrested.

 Remy tsked the moment they were all alone in the police car having come to ‘transfer Lee to another facility.’ Remus was already waiting in the front seat, and flashed Janus a smug smile. If Janus wasn’t still handcuffed, he’d slap him.

“Well,” Remy said. “At least you didn’t shoot anybody like I asked. I was joking by the way. I didn’t really want to pick you up from a 1920s police station period.”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“Mmm, nah, ‘cause Remus managed to not get arrested this time, so you defiantly screwed something up.”

“Oh, he defiantly wanted to screw something all right,” Remus said joyfully.

 “Remus,” Janus hissed.

“What?” he asked. “I’m not the horny one for once. Well, no, that’s a lie, but it didn’t affect the job this time.”

Janus groaned and leaned his head back against the seat.

Remy pulled into a seemingly random garage around 20 minutes later. “Alright,” he said. “Here we are.” He got out of the car and then helped Janus out before uncuffing him. “Here’s your ‘watch,’” Remy handed him the timepiece that had been confiscated when he’d been arrested.

Janus put it on and activated it. “Shit,” he said.

“What?” Remus asked.

“An appointment with cultural outreach has already been downloaded to my calendar for once we get out of decon.”

 “Oof. Going to baby jail,” Remy laughed. Remus was cackling.

“This,” Janus said, “was not a cultural faux pas. I did nothing that indicated that I was not from this time. I am not some rookie.”

“Don’t forget cell phones don’t exist in the 1920s,” Remus sang.

“The real question is whether or not my foot exists in your…” Remus disappeared before he could finish, a smirk on his face. Janus growled. “By Remy,” he gritted out. He selected the decontamination chamber from his queue, ignoring the appointment that came after it for now.

He knew exactly where Remus would be standing when he landed, which was why he stepped forward on reentry to ram into him.

 He yelped in surprise. “Sorry,” Janus said pleasantly. “I must have also forgotten landing procedures.

Remus laughed good naturally. “Aw, come on Jay,” he said, bumping Janus back, albeit much gentler than Janus had been. “It’s not a big deal. You just go talk with some crusty old college professor who is far too interested in spoons and then everything’s fine.”

“It’s the principle of the thing,” he growled. “They’re treating me like I’m an idiot who accidently invented disco in the 1920s when I was conned by some free agent time traveler.”

“‘Conned,’ Remus said. Is that what they’re calling it now?”

 “I know where and when you live Remus,” Janus said.

Remus gave him a dopey smile as the decontamination cycle finished and the door unlocked. Janus’s wrist buzzed telling him that the coordinates to the cultural outreach office were now unlocked. Instead of pulling them up, Janus walked to the door.

“Um,” Remus said, following him. “Aren’t you supposed to be going to your appointment?” Janus just kept walking towards their office. “Uh… Jan?”

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that I have to go to cultural outreach,” Janus said. “In fact, no one can make me. If they want me to go have a discussion about the definition of ‘bushwa,’ they’re going to have to have me dragged there.”

 “Mmm, I feel like The Boss won’t be too happy about that, and I have a feeling she’d be 100% down to dragging you there herself.”

“Well, then, let her,” Janus said, stalking through the door to his office. “I’m not going to…”

“Ah, Agent Picani,” the woman standing next to his desk, clearly waiting for him, said when he came through the door. “Dr. Picani was informed that there were complications with your last mission and wishes to have a conversation with you and asks that you meet him in his office at the AMO.”

“Oh, um,” Janus said, stumbling a bit before plastering on a regretful half smile. “Unfortunately, I actually have an appointment right now at Cultural Outreach. It’s mandatory and very important, and I have to go now. So, I’ll have to take a raincheck on that.”

 “But-” she started, frowning.

“Remus, work on the report!” Janus said quickly as he waved his hand to bring up his timepiece display and jammed his finger at the glowing appointment card in his queue. A few moments later, Janus was at Cultural Outreach.

Cultural Outreach was not part of the TPI, though it often worked very closely with them. It was a collaboration between the government and multiple universities to help government workers, politicians, and other citizens understand and bridge cultural gaps. It had existed before time travel was invented but had expanded to also teach people who needed to time travel how to behave in unfamiliar times and cultures.

 After it had to be expanded to provide for the TPI, it had been moved to Silver Mountains University. The building had once just been a museum, but it had been thoroughly renovated and there had been add-ons for office space and some classrooms. It was still a museum, however, its purpose had expanded greatly and there were many areas that were off limits to the general public.

One of these areas was the fourth floor, where Janus’s timepiece had dumped him. This was the floor that was almost exclusively for TPI agents and staff of Cultural Outreach who worked with them.

 He immediately turned away from the reception area, hoping that he could escape and go sit on the university’s quad or something of the like for the next hour or so in hopes the woman his brother sent to fetch him would give up and go back to the AMO. Yet, the receptionist apparently saw him.

“Janus Picani?” he asked.

Janus grimaced and turned back towards him. “Yes,” he said.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “You’re 5 minutes late for your appointment and seem disoriented.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Is your timepiece malfunctioning?”

“No.”

���Uh… okay. Well, if you sign in here, I can take you to your appointment.”

“…Fine.”

 He begrudgingly stepped forward and touched the screen he’d gestured to sign with his fingerprint, and then let the man lead him down the hall.

The door they stopped at was propped open slightly, but he still paused and knocked. “Professor Eran? Your 2:30 is here.”

Janus had just a moment upon hearing the name to think that maybe there was actually some sort of intelligent design of the universe and whatever being of ultimate power had crafted it was a dick.

The door opened and Virgil Eran’s eyes immediately narrowed on him. “Janus.”

“Virgil.”

“I see you’re still late for everything.”

“I see you’re still a bastard.”

 Janus saw the receptionist slowly back away in the direction they’d come.

“Why don’t you come in?” Virgil said faux pleasantly.

Janus did, because he really didn’t have much of a choice at this point unless he wanted to jump out of a window… or push someone out of a window.

Virgil turned back into his office and took a seat behind his desk. Janus unhappily followed him in and sat across from him.

He took his time pulling up whatever the TPI sent him and reading it over. “So, I see you failed your recovery mission and were arrested in 1923.”

 “It wasn’t like that,” Janus said. “I shouldn’t be here.”

Virgil gave him that same suspicious look he used to give Janus whenever Janus claimed to have not eaten his hot pockets out of the freezer in the middle of the night. He’d only been lying 80% of the time. Virgil had a tendency to forget what he’d eaten in a half-conscious state at 3 o’clock in the morning.

“I shouldn’t,” Janus snapped defensively. “Nothing went wrong with anyone from the time period. An illegal time traveler screwed up the mission details.”

“Well, it is still protocol to make sure nothing slipped when agents go off script. You weren’t prepared to be in a jail cell, and it is possible that you screwed something up.”

 “I didn’t screw anything up,” Janus growled.

“Alright,” Virgil said pulling up a document on his desk. “The mission started on July 27th, 1923 at 9:58pm, correct?”

“Oh, god, we’re not really going to fill out a time sheet. I don’t have time for that today.”

“It is protocol and best that the information is documented when it is still fresh in your mind. Besides, your schedule has been cleared for the rest of the workday.” The bastard was enjoying this. He knew how much Janus hated this stuff.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Janus said, “it was the damned illicit time traveler.”

“And I will be the judge of that,” Virgil said. Janus should have just bit the bullet and had coffee with his brother. “If you truly did nothing wrong, your supervisor will see that when I send this to her.”

 Yet, despite the fact that Virgil clearly relished in his suffering, he was charitable enough to do most of the actual filling out of the forms. He’d read out the questions and write down what Janus said instead of making him do it himself. Janus really only had to do a quick quality check and sign it at the end.

He still was an asshole about the details, but really he’d been like that about stupid thing like the settings for the dish washer and how the pantry was organized during their college days before they’d had their falling out, so Janus wasn’t particularly surprised. When they were finally done, Virgil sent it off to get filed by the TPI.

 Then, they were left staring at each other with nothing between them but almost a decade of radio silence and a whole lot of awkwardness.

“I should go,” Janus finally said, standing up.

Virgil tilted his head slightly to the side and gave him a half smile. “Don’t lock the door behind you,” he said. “Not that I’d expect you too.”

Janus took it for the clear attempt at a joke it was intended to be and puffed out a breath of amusement with a head shake. “No risk of that,” he said. Then, he turned and walked out of the office.

 Chapter 5

Janus stepped back into the reception area and booted up his time piece. Instinct said to go back to the office despite the fact that it was late enough that most people had gone home, but he hesitated. Surely Emile had given up by now, but considering he’d sent someone to ambush him in his office, Janus wasn’t sure if he should trust that. He could just go home, but he already knew his mind was racing too much to sleep tonight so he’d probably just end up staring at the lake for the next 6 hours. So, he decided on the only other legitimate option he had. He pulled up Remus’s home coordinates and selected.

 The home that Remus had chosen (after his long line of rejected requests) managed to somehow make no and absolute sense simultaneously to anyone who knew him. It was a small farm in the United States just west of the Mississippi in 1842 in what would be ratified as the state of Iowa in a few years. When asked why he would choose that time and place, Remus always responded with “I thought it was funny,” whatever that meant.

Unlike most time agents who simply used the identities assigned to them by the AMO as a cover, Remus actually lived his part time.

 Janus was… fairly certain he was cheating a bit to get everything done, but he maintained his small farm all on his own, growing most of his own food. The neighbors he had lived very far away, but he still spoke with them far more than Janus did his own.

Janus appeared inside the small home, his eyes already shut. “Are you hear and dressed?” Janus called. Something bumped lightly into his legs.

“I’m in the kitchen!”

Janus peaked his eyes open and squatted to pet the cat at his feet. “That doesn’t answer my question!” he called back to Remus.

 “It’s a surprise!” Remus said.

“Remus.” Diesel Fuel the cat flopped to her side on the ground as Janus continued to pet her ears. He heard Remus’s footsteps, and saw cloth covering his legs, so risked looking up. He was currently not only dressed, but wearing an apron that Janus was fairly sure was not time appropriate judging by the fabric and cat pawprint design. He had a bit of flour on his hands, and it may have been a bit too white for the time and place, but Janus couldn’t be completely sure.

“What’re you doing here?” Remus asked.

 “My day has been an endless series of frustrations,” Janus said. “So, I have come to see the only tolerable being in the history of the universe.”

Remus snorted. “Since I know that isn’t me, I’ll assume you’re talking about the cat.”

“I still don’t understand why you tolerate this creature,” Janus addressed Diesel Fuel. She blinked slowly up at him. “To be fair, he was assigned as my partner. I didn’t have much of a choice in it. You could go always run away and become feral in the woods if you’d like.”

“So could you, technically,” Remus pointed out.

“I’m thinking about it after today.”

 “Would you like some bread?” Remus asked. “That’s all I’ve been making this afternoon. Some fresh should be coming out of the oven in a few minutes.”

“Do you have anything stronger made out of wheat?”

“Ew, no, but I do have vodka.”

“Vodka works.”

“Want me to mix it with something?”

“No.”

“One of those night then,” Remus said, easily. “Let me finish up the bread, so I don’t burn the kitchen down. You can go get the alcohol from the cellar while you wait if you want, or you can just flop down on the couch.”

He was going to just flop down on the couch.

 He did just that as Remus disappeared back into his kitchen. The cat hopped onto his stomach, proceeding to purr loudly and kneed at chest. Janus petted the cat and listened to the noise of Remus moving around in the other room, letting his mind drift. His mind drifted to Virgil for a bit and he steadfastly did not allow it to drift to his brother. Yet, the thing that most was on his mind was the strange man who had flirted and charmed Janus all night before mercilessly screwing him over. ‘Pat’ he’d said his name was, but surely that was not his real name.

 Janus sighed and scratched the cat’s ear. “He certainly wasn’t an amateur,” Janus mused to the cat. “With that amount of precision to get in before we did, he must have someone not on the ground feeding him information. Perhaps more than one.” He was part of a group of time traveling thieves perhaps or something worse. “I didn’t get a good look at his face since he was wearing a mask,” Janus said, “but I spent a lot of time with him, and I’m sure Remy swiped the mask from the police since it had been on me when I was arrested. It’s a good lead.”

 He continued to pet Diesel Fuel. Eventually, Remus came back in, noticed Janus hadn’t bothered to get the alcohol and went outside to the cellar. “I’m going to find him,” Janus told Diesel Fuel. “I’ll stop whatever it is he’s doing, and I’ll bring him in.” Diesel Fuel mewed her support, and Janus patted her on top of the head.

Remus came back in with the bottle of vodka and handed it to him without a word. He sat down on the couch near Janus’s feet and patted his lap so Diesel Fuel would come over to him and allow Janus to sit up.

 The bastard waited until he was approximately 3 shots in (he didn’t have a shot glass and was just taking drinks from the bottle) to ask the questions Janus really didn’t want to answer. “Are you mad at Emile?” Remus asked.

Janus groaned, trying to wash out the bitter taste of shame and grief with the sharp sting of vodka. It didn’t work. “No,” he said to Remus.

“Then why have you been avoiding him?”

“Shit, I’m here because I didn’t want to think about it. Can’t we just not.”

“Don’t want to think about what?

“It’s none of your business, Remus.”

 He could feel Remus frowning at him, but Janus stared resolutely ahead. At least, he did until a foot poked his face. He slapped it away, but it did the job of getting Janus to look at Remus.

“It is my business,” Remus said, foot still in the air. “I’m your partner and your friend.”

“If I’m your friend, you’ll drop it.”

“So, you’re not mad at Emile,” Remus continued, contemplatively. “Did you do something to him, then?” Janus bit his lip and looked away. “What?” Remus asked. Janus didn’t respond. “Look, I’m sure he’ll forgive you for whatever it is. He’s a good guy. Just talk to him about it.”

 “I can’t,” Janus said.

“Whatever it is, it’s probably been long enough that he forgives you. You literally just have to have a conversation, say you’re sorry, and everything will be A-OK.”

“I can’t,” Janus repeated.

“Why not?”

“He doesn’t know about it.”

Remus paused. “So, as far as he knows, you just cut contact with him all of a sudden for no reason and have been avoiding him ever since?”

Janus looked at his shoes. “Yeah.”

“That…” Remus said, “is not fucking fair Janus.”

“I know.”

“Then why the hell are you doing that to him? He’s like… soft and feeling-y. He’s probably really upset.”

 “I know, Remus.”

“Tell him. Whatever it is.”

“I can’t.”

“Look,” Remus said. “You tell him and he either forgives you or he doesn’t. If he does, everything’s fine. If he doesn’t… well, it’s not like it would be any different from you two never being in the same room the last few years. Either way, you can’t just do this to him. He’ll probably forgive you. He’s your brother. Brothers don’t… brothers would forgive each other.”

Janus laughed softly and met Remus’s eyes. “That’s the problem,” he said. “He’d definitely forgive me.” He turned away and opened the vodka bottle again. “Now, if you’ll shut up for a few minutes, I’m going to drink until I black out.”

 Chapter 6

“Really, Khalid,” Janus said, storming into his boss’s office. “A yellow?” It had been about a week since the 1920s incident, and his incident report had finally been cleared. Sure, it wasn’t a red or a black and he wasn’t facing any reprimand, but it should have been a green.

She looked up at him, clearly unconcerned. “There was an incident,” she said. “You handled it well, but there was one. Therefore, yellow.”

“It wasn’t a time travel incident! It was a rouge time traveler.”

“Janus, you helped me make these rules,” she said impatiently.

“Which is why I know this is bullshit,” he snapped.

 She rolled her eyes. “If it was anyone else, you would agree with me. While you didn’t go against protocol and had no time related incidents, the fact of the matter is, you were still distracted by this ‘rouge time traveler,’ didn’t complete your mission, and were arrested.”

“He was good,” Janus said. “You can’t fault me for that. He also could be dangerous and you’re busy handing out yellows instead of working to track him down.”

She raised an eyebrow. “We are working on tracking him down,” she said. “We have done an analysis on the mask and found fibers dating to the 2010s and some DNA. Though it isn’t exactly a high priority.”

 “We have no idea who he is or what he’s planning to do. Why is that not a high priority thing?”

“At the moment?” she asked. “Because we have reports of a time bomb being activated.”

“What?” Janus asked sitting up. “When?”

“New Years Eve going into the year 3,000 in Brazil,” she said. “Which you’d know about if you’d bothered to check your integration port this morning before storming into my office.”

“It’s my mission?” Janus asked.

“The incident investigation is over and your active again despite the dreaded yellow,” she said, clearly making fun of him a bit. “So, yes, and it’s a high priority mission, so I’ll be running it.”

 “Who all is going?” he asked.

“Other than the two of us, Remus, Lena, and Fred,” she told him. “We leave in three hours, so, you might want to run off to Rhi before Fred gets to her and ties her up for an hour on details.”

Janus nodded and got to his feet. He turned back at the door. “I still don’t deserve the yellow,” he hissed.

She waved him off. “I’ll see you in a few hours, Picani.”

He ground his teeth a bit about the dismissal of his worries, but his resentment was slightly soothed by the fact that she’d assigned him to go on such a high priority mission and with only senior agents.

 He took the advice and grabbed Remus from the office, noting Lena hadn’t been able to wrangle Fred yet as she was still at her desk, and they both headed off to see Rhi.

A few hours later, they were all in decontamination together, decked out in truly god-awful costumes. The turn of the third millennia had been a wild event, and the best way to fit in was to look like you’d grabbed something from every century in recorded human history, dyed it in neon paint, and rolled around in a vat of glitter.

Remus had opted to stick his head in a vat of glow in the dark green paint that costuming had offered them, and it wasn’t even going to be slightly disruptive to their covertness.

 In fact, costuming had frowned when Janus had insisted he not get his hair dyed and instead wore a bowler hat. They had required him to have flowers made out of glitter on it.

There were five people waiting for them when they landed 6 hours before the turn of the millennia. Three were touchdown agents, including Remy, and two were on location tech support. Usually it would be overkill to have that many people there just for support even with five agents in the field, but today the TPI needed to be cautious because they were planning on instituting a time lock.

Time bombs were dangerous things that would ripple through time if not contained. Even if it did end up going off (killing everyone in its reach), the time lock would serve to prevent most damage outside of the city and, more importantly, the year it was planted.

 Janus had only been in two time locks before, and he was one of the most senior agents in the TPI, outranked only by the founder: Lia Khalid. Time locks were designed to keep all time linear in a certain fixed time and geographical area as well as prevent any time travel in and out. Once it was engaged, all forms of time travel would not work for the duration, bar the pin device. Khalid was already switching out her regular timepiece with the slightly bigger one that was designed to support the time lock.

There was a failsafe back at the TPI that could be engaged in an emergency, which was why tech support was here, but other than that, the only thing that could break the time lock was that timepiece, and it would break the moment the time lock ended.

 As soon as it was on Khalid’s wrist, she looked up at them all. “Our information says the time bomb was planted in the costume of one of the ‘Millennium Birds’ who are the organizers of the different events,” she said. Janus had seen a photo of the identical costumes in the mission details. They were all robe like garments with giant fans of feathers coming from the neck that coalesced in a peak a foot above their head to hold a fake bird egg. At least they’d be easy to find. “There are 25 of them throughout the city. We need to find each of them. So, we don’t double count, you’ll need to subtly,” her eyes touched on Remus, “scan each one you find for the bomb and tag them with a tracker if it’s not on them. You can view the already tagged ones, as well as the rest of us on your timepiece even once the time lock is engaged. When you find the bomb, call it in.”

[snowdice]

Finding the Time to Study Fic 2 [Day 16]

Here is my starting post for today’s study break stories session. See this post for more details and feel free to send me asks to keep me going! It’s been a lot of fun so far! I will reblog this post with the story as I write them today. I’ll be constantly looking for ideas of times and places for Janus to have missions, so feel free to send in any you can think of at any point!

If you are a new follower or just don’t want all of these posts clogging your dash, please feel free to block the tag “study break stories” as all posts and voting about it will go there. You can still see the finished product of the story even if you are blocking that tag as I will not tag the edited chapters with “study break stories” but with the tag “folds in paper.” See edited chapters below. Chapters 3-8 and what I have of Chapter 9 are under the cut.

My Masterpost Part 1 Part 2

I also have a playlist on youtube (because Spotify didn’t have one of the songs I wanted). It’s short, and not really for serious listening, but I had fun with it.

Alright. Let’s do this for a couple of hours! :) Also... gosh I need to edit this when school calms down. I’m already on chapter 9 and only chapters 1 and 2 have been edited... When I have time to actually edit, AO3 will be like 0_0.

Chapter 3

Janus and Remus both appeared at the same moment a couple of feet apart in what looked like the inside of a garden shed. There was already a man waiting for them a few feet away. “Sup babes,” Remy said, just like he always did. The T-Agent looked their costumes up and down and whistled. “Now that,” he said, “almost makes me want to be one of you time jockeys.”

“They wouldn’t let me have a gun or a canister of moonshine,” Remus pouted.

Remy snorted. “Sorry, babes, but that makes my job a lot easier. If I’ve gotta fish you outta the 1920s criminal justice system, I’d rather it not be because you shot someone on accident ‘cause you don’t know how to use the safety.”

 Remus groaned dramatically. “Everyone is lame.”

Remy just shook his head. “Meet back here when you’ve got the necklace,” he said. “Don’t make a move until after 11:05pm and before 11:17. That’s your window.”

“We know,” Janus said. “See you then.”

“Have fun at the party boys,” Remy said and then lowered his shades to look at Remus, “but not too much fun.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Remus, already towing Janus out of the garden shed. The way had been specifically cleared for them, so they met no other people before they’d rounded the house the party was taking place and had gotten onto the driveway in front of the house.

 Without missing a beat, they strolled up to the front of the house, just as a car pulled into the end of the driveway. Janus rang the doorbell, and a few moments later, a man who was clearly the butler answered the door. They handed over their invitation, and the man immediately let them in.

The party had already started when they slipped into the medium sized ballroom that had been decked out in streamers and other decorations. Janus’s nose immediately wanted to scrunch as the smell of sweat from all the dancing already going on as well as the too strong perfume meant to cover that stench wafted over him. It was by far not the worst smelling time period, but he was pretty sure some people still weren’t aware deodorant had been recently invented.

 He checked his time piece which had been disguised as a fancy wristwatch for this trip. “Okay,” he said. “We have about two hours before we need to make our move. We should…”

Remus’s attention was already being dragged away by a young man who seemed to be providing guests with food. “I’m going to go ‘mingle’,” he said, winking.

“No!” Janus hissed. “Re- Richard! No!”

Yet, he was already disappearing into the horde of stinky bodies, likely to go scandalize a bunch of rich folks, and leaving Janus alone. Janus mumbled a curse under his breath that he was sure no one around him would understand even if they could make it out.

 Unsure what to do with himself, he wandered over towards where the live musicians were playing jazz music, being sure to keep out of the way of the dancers. He was edging around the makeshift dancefloor, when one of said dancers must have misstepped and knocked into another one. The second man stumbled right towards Janus, arms pinwheeling. Janus reached out on instinct to catch the man as he fell.

There was a moment where the two of them just stared at each other, surprise evident on the other man’s face. He was wearing a mask that just covered the area around his eyes and the top of his nose, revealing a smattering of freckles across his cheeks that Janus imagined extended to his nose.

 The mask was a light blue velvet with a flower stuck on the side near his right ear, and a trail of curled golden ribbon bobbed down around his chin. The party continued on around them, a blur of movement and sound.

“Are you alright?” Janus asked.

The man blinked up at him and then tilted his head slightly to the side as though confused, before a smile slowly grew on his face. “Oh, I’m fine Dove.”

“Dove?” Janus asked.

He giggled. “You have dove feathers on your mask,” he explained, reaching up a hand to touch one. His finger brushed the tip of Janus’s ear, “and I don’t know what else I am supposed to call you.”

 “My name is Lee,” he automatically lied.

“Is it?” he asked, sounding amused. “Doesn’t seem to fit you well. I like Dove better.”

“Oh?” asked Janus. “And what’s your name so I can not call you that?”

The man chuckled. “Call me Pat.”

“Hello Pat,” Janus said.

“I thought you didn’t want to call me by my name.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Hmmm,” Pat said, finger tracing idly across Janus’s forearm which was when Janus realized with a start that he was still holding the man in his arms. He quickly went to release him, which Pat allowed with clear amusement.

 Yet, instead of completely stepping away, Pat grabbed Janus’s arm. “What are you doing all the way over here by the way?” he asked. “Don’t you want to dance.”

“Oh,” Janus hesitated. “I don’t really dance.” Or at least not in the way the people around him were. He’d had basic training for this style, but it had been a while and he was a bit rusty.

“Everyone dances Dove,” Pat claimed. “At least if they know the steps and have the right partner.”

“But I don’t know the steps,” Janus said with an eyebrow raise.

He hummed. “Well, I know the dance pretty well by this point,” Pat said. “Why don’t I teach you how it goes.”

 He was agreeing with the soft beseeching tone before he even realized it. Pat pulled him into the middle of the throng of people. He seemed to think, bopping his head to the music playing for a moment, before looking back at Janus. “Heard of James Johnson?”

Janus inclined his head.

“Well, have you heard his new song? Because there’s a dance that goes with it.”

He took a few steps away from Janus and started to dance. Despite his claim to know the steps, he wasn’t particularly good, but he made up for any loss of rhythm with pure enthusiasm.

 Janus found himself smiling at the man, and after a few moments, joined in with the dance. Despite his lack of practice, he ended up having a better natural rhythm than Pat. Pat didn’t seem to mind that he was being outperformed, however. On the contrary, he giggled at himself the couple of times he stumbled.

When he fell into Janus’s arms for the second time that night, Janus decided he’d probably had enough dancing for the moment and pulled him off to the side to get something to drink and cool down a bit.

He watched the man take a snack and some punch from one of servers and thank him happily before turning back to Janus. Pat was easily able to keep Janus’s attention as they chatted. He was bubbly and soft, and Janus found himself enchanted as they talked.

 He was explaining the steps of a different dance, a couples one. “Knowing how to perform the tango will entrance any girl you want,” Pat said, something mischievous sparkling in his eyes. “Assuming you’re that type of fella.”

“As opposed to what?” Janus asked.

Pat leaned in a bit closer. Not too much, but enough that he was definitely in Janus’s space. “A different type of fella,” he said simply, before smiling and leaning back.

Janus let out a shaky exhale and took a sip of punch. He glanced over at Pat. “Tell me about yourself, Pat,” he said.

Pat hummed in contemplation. “Well, I went to France recently.”

 “You did?”

“Oui, c'était amusant, mais j'ai eu des ennuis”

“What kind of trouble?” Janus asked curiously.

“Oh, the kind with a pretty boy and crepes that were way too sweet. Anyway,” he continued. “Other than that, I mostly help out my friend. He’s an inventor.”

“And how do you help him.”

He shrugged, “Running errands mostly, and making sure he gets enough sleep, because otherwise he gets distracted and forgets. And you?”

“I’m a banker,” he said, remembering his cover, but felt compelled to add, “but I like to travel as well.”

“You do look the type?”

“And how is that?”

   Pat shrugged. “I can always tell a wandering spirt from the masses, and you are easy to spot.” Pat looked at him then with a secret smile on his face, and Janus felt suddenly known, like the man in front of him had known him for years even though they’d only just met. Looking at him then, he wanted suddenly for that to be fact and not a flight of fancy.

He was brought firmly back to reality in the next moment. “Lee,” a pointed and familiar voice said. Janus’s head snapped up to see Remus, staring at him. He tapped his wrist. Janus glanced at his own wrist: 10:58pm. He just barely managed not to curse.

 “I,” he said looking up at Pat. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

“That’s okay,” Pat said easily. “It is getting rather late.”

“Yes,” Janus agreed. “Well… goodbye.”

Pat, titled his head, a half smile on his face. “I’ll be seeing you around.”

Janus nodded, and turned away from him towards Remus. He didn’t look back as they excited the ballroom. They snuck into a small side closet for coats that wasn’t being used as it was summer.

“So,” Remus said when the door closed behind them.

“Don’t,” warned Janus.

“I’m not one to judge,” Remus said.

“Shut up.” He glanced at his watch. It was 11:02. “We’ll go in 5.”

 “I have to give it to you. He was very cute.”

“We’re not talking about it.”

Remus just laughed joyfully, and Janus did his best to halt the blood rushing to his cheeks.

At 11:07, well into their window, they slipped back out of the closet, and towards the stairs as the party raged on.

Despite how Remus usually never shut up, he was able to be quiet when it counted. They snuck to the master bedroom of the home’s owners in silence. The door was already wide open by the time they got there, and Janus didn’t think anything of it. At least, he didn’t until they entered the bedroom, and there was someone already there.

 He turned from the dresser he’d been standing in front of to face them, sending Janus the same smile he had down in the ballroom. Janus and Remus both froze. “Sorry, sweetie,” Pat said. “Were you here for this too?” he held up the necklace they’d been sent for. He closed his fist around the charm made out of time travel tech.

“What?” Janus said.

Pat giggled and winked. “Unfortunately, I need it a bit more than you at the moment. So, I’m gonna have to go.” Janus stepped forward, not really sure what he was intending to do, but Pat just smiled. “See you some other time, my Turtle Dove.” With a snap of his fingers and loud crack, he disappeared. The mask he’d been wearing fluttered to the ground.

  Arc I: Finding Cinderella

Chapter 4

Janus was frozen in surprise for a few long moments after Pat disappeared. Which had been, admittedly, his mistake, because, while their window had technically been until 11:17pm and it was only 11:10, the loud crack that whatever Pat had been using for time travel made, garnered the attention of someone else.

“Uh oh,” Remus said, likely hearing footsteps. “Hide.”

That snapped Janus into action, but instead of hiding immediately like a sensible human being, he chose to go for the only link to the man who’d just stolen time travel tech and waltzed away, the mask.

Which was why he ended up getting arrested.

 Remy tsked the moment they were all alone in the police car having come to ‘transfer Lee to another facility.’ Remus was already waiting in the front seat, and flashed Janus a smug smile. If Janus wasn’t still handcuffed, he’d slap him.

“Well,” Remy said. “At least you didn’t shoot anybody like I asked. I was joking by the way. I didn’t really want to pick you up from a 1920s police station period.”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“Mmm, nah, ‘cause Remus managed to not get arrested this time, so you defiantly screwed something up.”

“Oh, he defiantly wanted to screw something all right,” Remus said joyfully.

 “Remus,” Janus hissed.

“What?” he asked. “I’m not the horny one for once. Well, no, that’s a lie, but it didn’t affect the job this time.”

Janus groaned and leaned his head back against the seat.

Remy pulled into a seemingly random garage around 20 minutes later. “Alright,” he said. “Here we are.” He got out of the car and then helped Janus out before uncuffing him. “Here’s your ‘watch,’” Remy handed him the timepiece that had been confiscated when he’d been arrested.

Janus put it on and activated it. “Shit,” he said.

“What?” Remus asked.

“An appointment with cultural outreach has already been downloaded to my calendar for once we get out of decon.”

 “Oof. Going to baby jail,” Remy laughed. Remus was cackling.

“This,” Janus said, “was not a cultural faux pas. I did nothing that indicated that I was not from this time. I am not some rookie.”

“Don’t forget cell phones don’t exist in the 1920s,” Remus sang.

“The real question is whether or not my foot exists in your…” Remus disappeared before he could finish, a smirk on his face. Janus growled. “By Remy,” he gritted out. He selected the decontamination chamber from his queue, ignoring the appointment that came after it for now.

He knew exactly where Remus would be standing when he landed, which was why he stepped forward on reentry to ram into him.

 He yelped in surprise. “Sorry,” Janus said pleasantly. “I must have also forgotten landing procedures.

Remus laughed good naturally. “Aw, come on Jay,” he said, bumping Janus back, albeit much gentler than Janus had been. “It’s not a big deal. You just go talk with some crusty old college professor who is far too interested in spoons and then everything’s fine.”

“It’s the principle of the thing,” he growled. “They’re treating me like I’m an idiot who accidently invented disco in the 1920s when I was conned by some free agent time traveler.”

“‘Conned,’ Remus said. Is that what they’re calling it now?”

 “I know where and when you live Remus,” Janus said.

Remus gave him a dopey smile as the decontamination cycle finished and the door unlocked. Janus’s wrist buzzed telling him that the coordinates to the cultural outreach office were now unlocked. Instead of pulling them up, Janus walked to the door.

“Um,” Remus said, following him. “Aren’t you supposed to be going to your appointment?” Janus just kept walking towards their office. “Uh… Jan?”

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that I have to go to cultural outreach,” Janus said. “In fact, no one can make me. If they want me to go have a discussion about the definition of ‘bushwa,’ they’re going to have to have me dragged there.”

 “Mmm, I feel like The Boss won’t be too happy about that, and I have a feeling she’d be 100% down to dragging you there herself.”

“Well, then, let her,” Janus said, stalking through the door to his office. “I’m not going to…”

“Ah, Agent Picani,” the woman standing next to his desk, clearly waiting for him, said when he came through the door. “Dr. Picani was informed that there were complications with your last mission and wishes to have a conversation with you and asks that you meet him in his office at the AMO.”

“Oh, um,” Janus said, stumbling a bit before plastering on a regretful half smile. “Unfortunately, I actually have an appointment right now at Cultural Outreach. It’s mandatory and very important, and I have to go now. So, I’ll have to take a raincheck on that.”

 “But-” she started, frowning.

“Remus, work on the report!” Janus said quickly as he waved his hand to bring up his timepiece display and jammed his finger at the glowing appointment card in his queue. A few moments later, Janus was at Cultural Outreach.

Cultural Outreach was not part of the TPI, though it often worked very closely with them. It was a collaboration between the government and multiple universities to help government workers, politicians, and other citizens understand and bridge cultural gaps. It had existed before time travel was invented but had expanded to also teach people who needed to time travel how to behave in unfamiliar times and cultures.

 After it had to be expanded to provide for the TPI, it had been moved to Silver Mountains University. The building had once just been a museum, but it had been thoroughly renovated and there had been add-ons for office space and some classrooms. It was still a museum, however, its purpose had expanded greatly and there were many areas that were off limits to the general public.

One of these areas was the fourth floor, where Janus’s timepiece had dumped him. This was the floor that was almost exclusively for TPI agents and staff of Cultural Outreach who worked with them.

 He immediately turned away from the reception area, hoping that he could escape and go sit on the university’s quad or something of the like for the next hour or so in hopes the woman his brother sent to fetch him would give up and go back to the AMO. Yet, the receptionist apparently saw him.

“Janus Picani?” he asked.

Janus grimaced and turned back towards him. “Yes,” he said.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “You’re 5 minutes late for your appointment and seem disoriented.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Is your timepiece malfunctioning?”

“No.”

“Uh… okay. Well, if you sign in here, I can take you to your appointment.”

“…Fine.”

 He begrudgingly stepped forward and touched the screen he’d gestured to sign with his fingerprint, and then let the man lead him down the hall.

The door they stopped at was propped open slightly, but he still paused and knocked. “Professor Eran? Your 2:30 is here.”

Janus had just a moment upon hearing the name to think that maybe there was actually some sort of intelligent design of the universe and whatever being of ultimate power had crafted it was a dick.

The door opened and Virgil Eran’s eyes immediately narrowed on him. “Janus.”

“Virgil.”

“I see you’re still late for everything.”

“I see you’re still a bastard.”

 Janus saw the receptionist slowly back away in the direction they’d come.

“Why don’t you come in?” Virgil said faux pleasantly.

Janus did, because he really didn’t have much of a choice at this point unless he wanted to jump out of a window… or push someone out of a window.

Virgil turned back into his office and took a seat behind his desk. Janus unhappily followed him in and sat across from him.

He took his time pulling up whatever the TPI sent him and reading it over. “So, I see you failed your recovery mission and were arrested in 1923.”

 “It wasn’t like that,” Janus said. “I shouldn’t be here.”

Virgil gave him that same suspicious look he used to give Janus whenever Janus claimed to have not eaten his hot pockets out of the freezer in the middle of the night. He’d only been lying 80% of the time. Virgil had a tendency to forget what he’d eaten in a half-conscious state at 3 o’clock in the morning.

“I shouldn’t,” Janus snapped defensively. “Nothing went wrong with anyone from the time period. An illegal time traveler screwed up the mission details.”

“Well, it is still protocol to make sure nothing slipped when agents go off script. You weren’t prepared to be in a jail cell, and it is possible that you screwed something up.”

 “I didn’t screw anything up,” Janus growled.

“Alright,” Virgil said pulling up a document on his desk. “The mission started on July 27th, 1923 at 9:58pm, correct?”

“Oh, god, we’re not really going to fill out a time sheet. I don’t have time for that today.”

“It is protocol and best that the information is documented when it is still fresh in your mind. Besides, your schedule has been cleared for the rest of the workday.” The bastard was enjoying this. He knew how much Janus hated this stuff.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Janus said, “it was the damned illicit time traveler.”

“And I will be the judge of that,” Virgil said. Janus should have just bit the bullet and had coffee with his brother. “If you truly did nothing wrong, your supervisor will see that when I send this to her.”

 Yet, despite the fact that Virgil clearly relished in his suffering, he was charitable enough to do most of the actual filling out of the forms. He’d read out the questions and write down what Janus said instead of making him do it himself. Janus really only had to do a quick quality check and sign it at the end.

He still was an asshole about the details, but really he’d been like that about stupid thing like the settings for the dish washer and how the pantry was organized during their college days before they’d had their falling out, so Janus wasn’t particularly surprised. When they were finally done, Virgil sent it off to get filed by the TPI.

 Then, they were left staring at each other with nothing between them but almost a decade of radio silence and a whole lot of awkwardness.

“I should go,” Janus finally said, standing up.

Virgil tilted his head slightly to the side and gave him a half smile. “Don’t lock the door behind you,” he said. “Not that I’d expect you too.”

Janus took it for the clear attempt at a joke it was intended to be and puffed out a breath of amusement with a head shake. “No risk of that,” he said. Then, he turned and walked out of the office.

 Chapter 5

Janus stepped back into the reception area and booted up his time piece. Instinct said to go back to the office despite the fact that it was late enough that most people had gone home, but he hesitated. Surely Emile had given up by now, but considering he’d sent someone to ambush him in his office, Janus wasn’t sure if he should trust that. He could just go home, but he already knew his mind was racing too much to sleep tonight so he’d probably just end up staring at the lake for the next 6 hours. So, he decided on the only other legitimate option he had. He pulled up Remus’s home coordinates and selected.

 The home that Remus had chosen (after his long line of rejected requests) managed to somehow make no and absolute sense simultaneously to anyone who knew him. It was a small farm in the United States just west of the Mississippi in 1842 in what would be ratified as the state of Iowa in a few years. When asked why he would choose that time and place, Remus always responded with “I thought it was funny,” whatever that meant.

Unlike most time agents who simply used the identities assigned to them by the AMO as a cover, Remus actually lived his part time.

 Janus was… fairly certain he was cheating a bit to get everything done, but he maintained his small farm all on his own, growing most of his own food. The neighbors he had lived very far away, but he still spoke with them far more than Janus did his own.

Janus appeared inside the small home, his eyes already shut. “Are you hear and dressed?” Janus called. Something bumped lightly into his legs.

“I’m in the kitchen!”

Janus peaked his eyes open and squatted to pet the cat at his feet. “That doesn’t answer my question!” he called back to Remus.

 “It’s a surprise!” Remus said.

“Remus.” Diesel Fuel the cat flopped to her side on the ground as Janus continued to pet her ears. He heard Remus’s footsteps, and saw cloth covering his legs, so risked looking up. He was currently not only dressed, but wearing an apron that Janus was fairly sure was not time appropriate judging by the fabric and cat pawprint design. He had a bit of flour on his hands, and it may have been a bit too white for the time and place, but Janus couldn’t be completely sure.

“What’re you doing here?” Remus asked.

 “My day has been an endless series of frustrations,” Janus said. “So, I have come to see the only tolerable being in the history of the universe.”

Remus snorted. “Since I know that isn’t me, I’ll assume you’re talking about the cat.”

“I still don’t understand why you tolerate this creature,” Janus addressed Diesel Fuel. She blinked slowly up at him. “To be fair, he was assigned as my partner. I didn’t have much of a choice in it. You could go always run away and become feral in the woods if you’d like.”

“So could you, technically,” Remus pointed out.

“I’m thinking about it after today.”

 “Would you like some bread?” Remus asked. “That’s all I’ve been making this afternoon. Some fresh should be coming out of the oven in a few minutes.”

“Do you have anything stronger made out of wheat?”

“Ew, no, but I do have vodka.”

“Vodka works.”

“Want me to mix it with something?”

“No.”

“One of those night then,” Remus said, easily. “Let me finish up the bread, so I don’t burn the kitchen down. You can go get the alcohol from the cellar while you wait if you want, or you can just flop down on the couch.”

He was going to just flop down on the couch.

 He did just that as Remus disappeared back into his kitchen. The cat hopped onto his stomach, proceeding to purr loudly and kneed at chest. Janus petted the cat and listened to the noise of Remus moving around in the other room, letting his mind drift. His mind drifted to Virgil for a bit and he steadfastly did not allow it to drift to his brother. Yet, the thing that most was on his mind was the strange man who had flirted and charmed Janus all night before mercilessly screwing him over. ‘Pat’ he’d said his name was, but surely that was not his real name.

 Janus sighed and scratched the cat’s ear. “He certainly wasn’t an amateur,” Janus mused to the cat. “With that amount of precision to get in before we did, he must have someone not on the ground feeding him information. Perhaps more than one.” He was part of a group of time traveling thieves perhaps or something worse. “I didn’t get a good look at his face since he was wearing a mask,” Janus said, “but I spent a lot of time with him, and I’m sure Remy swiped the mask from the police since it had been on me when I was arrested. It’s a good lead.”

 He continued to pet Diesel Fuel. Eventually, Remus came back in, noticed Janus hadn’t bothered to get the alcohol and went outside to the cellar. “I’m going to find him,” Janus told Diesel Fuel. “I’ll stop whatever it is he’s doing, and I’ll bring him in.” Diesel Fuel mewed her support, and Janus patted her on top of the head.

Remus came back in with the bottle of vodka and handed it to him without a word. He sat down on the couch near Janus’s feet and patted his lap so Diesel Fuel would come over to him and allow Janus to sit up.

 The bastard waited until he was approximately 3 shots in (he didn’t have a shot glass and was just taking drinks from the bottle) to ask the questions Janus really didn’t want to answer. “Are you mad at Emile?” Remus asked.

Janus groaned, trying to wash out the bitter taste of shame and grief with the sharp sting of vodka. It didn’t work. “No,” he said to Remus.

“Then why have you been avoiding him?”

“Shit, I’m here because I didn’t want to think about it. Can’t we just not.”

“Don’t want to think about what?

“It’s none of your business, Remus.”

 He could feel Remus frowning at him, but Janus stared resolutely ahead. At least, he did until a foot poked his face. He slapped it away, but it did the job of getting Janus to look at Remus.

“It is my business,” Remus said, foot still in the air. “I’m your partner and your friend.”

“If I’m your friend, you’ll drop it.”

“So, you’re not mad at Emile,” Remus continued, contemplatively. “Did you do something to him, then?” Janus bit his lip and looked away. “What?” Remus asked. Janus didn’t respond. “Look, I’m sure he’ll forgive you for whatever it is. He’s a good guy. Just talk to him about it.”

 “I can’t,” Janus said.

“Whatever it is, it’s probably been long enough that he forgives you. You literally just have to have a conversation, say you’re sorry, and everything will be A-OK.”

“I can’t,” Janus repeated.

“Why not?”

“He doesn’t know about it.”

Remus paused. “So, as far as he knows, you just cut contact with him all of a sudden for no reason and have been avoiding him ever since?”

Janus looked at his shoes. “Yeah.”

“That…” Remus said, “is not fucking fair Janus.”

“I know.”

“Then why the hell are you doing that to him? He’s like… soft and feeling-y. He’s probably really upset.”

 “I know, Remus.”

“Tell him. Whatever it is.”

“I can’t.”

“Look,” Remus said. “You tell him and he either forgives you or he doesn’t. If he does, everything’s fine. If he doesn’t… well, it’s not like it would be any different from you two never being in the same room the last few years. Either way, you can’t just do this to him. He’ll probably forgive you. He’s your brother. Brothers don’t… brothers would forgive each other.”

Janus laughed softly and met Remus’s eyes. “That’s the problem,” he said. “He’d definitely forgive me.” He turned away and opened the vodka bottle again. “Now, if you’ll shut up for a few minutes, I’m going to drink until I black out.”

 Chapter 6

“Really, Khalid,” Janus said, storming into his boss’s office. “A yellow?” It had been about a week since the 1920s incident, and his incident report had finally been cleared. Sure, it wasn’t a red or a black and he wasn’t facing any reprimand, but it should have been a green.

She looked up at him, clearly unconcerned. “There was an incident,” she said. “You handled it well, but there was one. Therefore, yellow.”

“It wasn’t a time travel incident! It was a rouge time traveler.”

“Janus, you helped me make these rules,” she said impatiently.

“Which is why I know this is bullshit,” he snapped.

 She rolled her eyes. “If it was anyone else, you would agree with me. While you didn’t go against protocol and had no time related incidents, the fact of the matter is, you were still distracted by this ‘rouge time traveler,’ didn’t complete your mission, and were arrested.”

“He was good,” Janus said. “You can’t fault me for that. He also could be dangerous and you’re busy handing out yellows instead of working to track him down.”

She raised an eyebrow. “We are working on tracking him down,” she said. “We have done an analysis on the mask and found fibers dating to the 2010s and some DNA. Though it isn’t exactly a high priority.”

 “We have no idea who he is or what he’s planning to do. Why is that not a high priority thing?”

“At the moment?” she asked. “Because we have reports of a time bomb being activated.”

“What?” Janus asked sitting up. “When?”

“New Years Eve going into the year 3,000 in Brazil,” she said. “Which you’d know about if you’d bothered to check your integration port this morning before storming into my office.”

“It’s my mission?” Janus asked.

“The incident investigation is over and your active again despite the dreaded yellow,” she said, clearly making fun of him a bit. “So, yes, and it’s a high priority mission, so I’ll be running it.”

 “Who all is going?” he asked.

“Other than the two of us, Remus, Lena, and Fred,” she told him. “We leave in three hours, so, you might want to run off to Rhi before Fred gets to her and ties her up for an hour on details.”

Janus nodded and got to his feet. He turned back at the door. “I still don’t deserve the yellow,” he hissed.

She waved him off. “I’ll see you in a few hours, Picani.”

He ground his teeth a bit about the dismissal of his worries, but his resentment was slightly soothed by the fact that she’d assigned him to go on such a high priority mission and with only senior agents.

 He took the advice and grabbed Remus from the office, noting Lena hadn’t been able to wrangle Fred yet as she was still at her desk, and they both headed off to see Rhi.

A few hours later, they were all in decontamination together, decked out in truly god-awful costumes. The turn of the third millennia had been a wild event, and the best way to fit in was to look like you’d grabbed something from every century in recorded human history, dyed it in neon paint, and rolled around in a vat of glitter.

Remus had opted to stick his head in a vat of glow in the dark green paint that costuming had offered them, and it wasn’t even going to be slightly disruptive to their covertness.

 In fact, costuming had frowned when Janus had insisted he not get his hair dyed and instead wore a bowler hat. They had required him to have flowers made out of glitter on it.

There were five people waiting for them when they landed 6 hours before the turn of the millennia. Three were touchdown agents, including Remy, and two were on location tech support. Usually it would be overkill to have that many people there just for support even with five agents in the field, but today the TPI needed to be cautious because they were planning on instituting a time lock.

Time bombs were dangerous things that would ripple through time if not contained. Even if it did end up going off (killing everyone in its reach), the time lock would serve to prevent most damage outside of the city and, more importantly, the year it was planted.

 Janus had only been in two time locks before, and he was one of the most senior agents in the TPI, outranked only by the founder: Lia Khalid. Time locks were designed to keep all time linear in a certain fixed time and geographical area as well as prevent any time travel in and out. Once it was engaged, all forms of time travel would not work for the duration, bar the pin device. Khalid was already switching out her regular timepiece with the slightly bigger one that was designed to support the time lock.

There was a failsafe back at the TPI that could be engaged in an emergency, which was why tech support was here, but other than that, the only thing that could break the time lock was that timepiece, and it would break the moment the time lock ended.

 As soon as it was on Khalid’s wrist, she looked up at them all. “Our information says the time bomb was planted in the costume of one of the ‘Millennium Birds’ who are the organizers of the different events,” she said. Janus had seen a photo of the identical costumes in the mission details. They were all robe like garments with giant fans of feathers coming from the neck that coalesced in a peak a foot above their head to hold a fake bird egg. At least they’d be easy to find. “There are 25 of them throughout the city. We need to find each of them. So, we don’t double count, you’ll need to subtly,” her eyes touched on Remus, “scan each one you find for the bomb and tag them with a tracker if it’s not on them. You can view the already tagged ones, as well as the rest of us on your timepiece even once the time lock is engaged. When you find the bomb, call it in.”

 They all nodded, and Khalid looked over at one of the techies. She nodded at her and then the techie flipped a couple of switches. “Three, two, one,” the techie said. There was a slight shift in the air that most people would disregard, but Janus as a seasoned time traveler could feel the change even before his wrist buzzed. He glanced at his timepiece to see it had a big red ‘X’ across its display. He tapped it and was still able to bring up the map of the city with 10 green dots on it all clustered together in their current location.

 After that, he tested the scanner on his timepiece that he would use to search for the bomb, just to make sure the time lock hadn’t messed anything up with his equipment. He glanced up to see everyone else was doing the same.

“Keep in contact,” Khalid said before everyone split up. Janus and Remus started by going North while Fredrick and Darlene were to go South. Khalid was a floater who would tag any Birds she saw but was mostly there for backup and orders.

Janus and Remus stepped into the chaos of New Years Eve before the turn of the third millennia. The streets were already swamped with people and it would only be getting worse the later it go.

“Where should we start?” Remus asked.

 “Let’s go all the way North to the games area,” Janus said. “We can work our way back here.”

“Okay!” Remus said. “I wonder if they have those fun little genetically modified goldfish as prizes. I’ve always wanted to eat one and see if I end up getting whatever design was on the fish on my body.”

Janus gave him a disgusted look.

“What?! People eat fish all the time!”

Janus shook his head. “We’re not playing the games anyway. We have work to do. Important work.”

“Boo,” Remus replied. Janus chose to ignore him as he spotted one of the Millenia Birds letting people into the gaming area.

 They walked over towards the entrance. Janus got in range first and moved to subtly scan the Millenia Bird, Remus doing the same the next moment. After a second, Janus’s timepiece buzzed and lit up red, meaning the bomb was within range. “Well, that was easy,” he said. “It was on the first one we found.”

“Uh…” Remus said. “Jan.” When Janus looked, he was holding up his wrist to show his green lit time piece.

“What?” Janus asked. He quickly moved to rescan the Millenia Bird, and his timepiece came up green as well. Which, meant the bomb was not in range, even though the Millenia Bird had not moved. “But…” He and Remus’s eyes met, and they quickly both started turning in a circle to look at the crowd around him. No one looked like they’d just stolen a time bomb off the Millennial Bird, but then Janus’s eyes caught on a man. He blended in perfectly to his surroundings. He was wearing the disgusting garb of the times, a large light blue piece that bubbled near his hips, and had most of his skin covered in rainbow neon paints. Yet, something about him, the curl of his hair or the way he moved, drew Janus’s eyes to him. He recognized the man immediately even in a completely different dressing style. Yet, what cinched it was the moment Janus’s eyes met his and they seemed to sparkle slightly in the afternoon sun. The next moment, the person Janus knew as Pat, turned to disappear into the crowd.

 Chapter 7

“Him,” was the only thing Janus said before taking off after the figure who had just disappeared into the game area.

“What?” Remus’s voice followed after him. “Janus! What?!”

Janus did not pause, just continuing to run after Pat, hopping over two barricades as a shortcut. Janus cursed when he lost sight of the man for just a moment near the prize table filled with colorful goldfish, but he was able to spot him once again walking into one of the tents. Janus blasted into the tent. It was a game where they raced rats, and when Janus entered, Pat was cooing at one of them.

 “Who’s a tiny little squishy precious baby?” he was asking one of them, wiggling his pointer finger at it.

“You,” Janus growled stepping up to him.

He turned and tilted his head at Janus with a frown. “Um, me?” he asked, pointing to his chest, all sorts of innocent, but Janus could see a spot of hidden amusement in his eyes.

“Where is it?”

His eyebrows drew together, but it was an act. It was clearly an act! “Where is what?”

“The…” he glanced around them at the people surrounding them. “Thing you just took.”

“I didn’t take anything,” Pat said with a frown.

 “Oh, no,” Janus said. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fooling me twice is not an option.”

“I’m sorry sir,” Pat said. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bull. Shit.”

Just then, Remus jogged into the tent. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“It’s him,” Janus said pointing. “He took it. He has it.”

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about,” Patton said. He looked over to Remus with a confused frown.

Remus looked at Janus. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Janus said. “It’s him. It has to be him. He’s the mask guy.”

Remus squinted at Pat. “He is?”

“Whoever you think I am, I’m not. I haven’t worn a mask all night. I just did the face paint,” he pointed to his cheeks.

 Remus raised his wrist and his timepiece lit up green. He looked at Janus.

“I lost sight of him for five seconds. He must have stashed it somewhere,” Janus said. He turned on Pat. “Where did you put it?”

“…Are you,” Pat asked, his eyes going back and forth between Janus and Remus, “… the police?”

“We are, actually,” Khalid said as she stepped into the tent. Remus must have called her. She inserted herself between Janus and Pat. “Agent Khalid,” she said, offering a hand with a smile. Pat looked at it in surprise and then smiled back hesitantly as he took it. “Apologizes, one of the big game prizes was stolen by someone matching your description. Would you mind coming down to security for questioning? Just to clear it up.”

 “Oh,” Patton said, hesitant. Janus expected him to refuse outright, but then he said. “Uh, sure.”

“Thank you very much, Mr…”

“Jonas,” Pat told her earnestly. “Do I need to be handcuffed?”

“No,” Khalid said. Janus frowned at her, but she ignored him. “It’s just a talk for now.” She gestured to the tent entrance. “Come with us.”

He did without argument, and Remus and Janus followed behind the both of them. Khalid did not lead them back to the base, but to a little spot that said “security” near the center of the event. Remy was already there waiting for them at a desk.

 “Remy, would you please take Mr. Jonas to go sit down?” she asked.

“Sure, boss,” Remy said, standing up. He led Pat away.

Khalid turned to Janus and Remus once they were out of earshot. “What is going on?”

“It’s the mask man,” Janus said, “the one from 1923, and my scanner said the time bomb was on the Millenia Bird outside the games entrance, but then it was gone the next second, and I saw him, and then he ran away.”

“So, does he have it on him?”

“No. I lost sight of him, and he must have stored it somewhere, but I know he took it.”

10264

“He’s the man from 1923?” she asked.

“Yes! Remus, that’s him, right? You recognize him.”

“Well,” Remus said thoughtfully. “He was in a mask, and it was dark in the room with the necklace. Other than that, I only really saw his back, and he was wearing pants. Mr. Jonas is wearing a dress, so I can’t really tell if their asses match.”

“Okay, but I was with him for hours. I swear it’s him, and I swear he took it,” Janus just about shouted.

“We’ll question him,” Khalid placated, “and Fred and Lena will keep looking in the meantime.”

 “He knows where it is,” Janus insisted. “I swear.”

“Okay,” Khalid said, before leaving to follow where Remy and Pat had gone. She stopped Janus with a hand on his shoulder. “I think Remus and I will do the interrogation.” He opened his mouth to argue. “You know the most about him, so observe from the sidelines and see if he makes any mistakes that indicate you’re right.”

“That’s just to placate me and you know it.”

“Observation’s over there,” she said pointing.

He got a thumbs up from Remus as he walked by, and Janus glared at his back before walking off to the indicated location.

 He watched as Remus and Khalid entered the room, and Remy left it. Remy joined him in the observation room after leaving and leaned against the wall.

Pat was sitting at a table and watched Remus and Khalid with that same rubbish placid confusion that he had before. “So,” Khalid said, “Mr. Jonas.”

“You can call me Nick,” Pat interrupted.

“Lia,” Khalid replied. He smiled at her happily. “So, are you enjoying your day?” she asked.

“I am!” he replied. “It’s a big day. You only get to see the turn of a millennia once in your life.”

“Ah, yes,” Khalid said. “Doing anything special for it?”

 “Um, not really,” he said. “Other than the party. I’m going to meet up with my roommates after dinner. Kevin doesn’t like this sort of thing, and Joe couldn’t come.”

“Your roommates,” Khalid said, considering him. “Do you live around here?”

“Uh huh,” Pat replied.

“Do you have any ID?”

“I do, want me to get it?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

Pat unzipped one of the bubbles on his waist and handed her a chip. “Remus, would you mind going out and getting the ID scanner?” she asked, even though her timepiece would be able to read it.

“Ah, shit,” Remy said. “Props. What do those things even look like?”

 As Remy scrambled to find something that would pass for an ID reader so “Nick” didn’t get suspicious of Khalid using her timepiece, Janus watched the two alone in the room like a hawk.

“I see you’re wearing a dress inspired by the 2770s,” Khalid noted, as Remus came to stand next to him.

“Yeah!” Pat replied. “Joe made it for me. He’s really good at fashion design!”

“Can I see?” she asked.

With a happy smile, he reached over the table to let her get a look of the sleeves. Janus saw her subtly scan the fabric, probably to make sure it was from the 2990s and not actually from the 2770s. Considering she didn’t mention it, Janus assumed it checked out.

 Remy came back with some sort of device then and handed it to Remus who saluted and wandered back into the interrogation room. Khalid pretended to scan the ID in her hand. She handed it back to him without comment. “So, you said you live with your roommates: Joe and Kevin?” she asked.

“Yep!” he replied. “We’re practically like brothers.”

“Would you mind calling them?”

“Erm,” he titled his head like he was confused by the question. “Well, like I said, Joe is a bit busy, but I could definitely call Kevin.

“Here,” Khalid said, “use my phone.”

“I have my own,” he said with a frown.

“Humor me,” she requested.

“Uh, okay,” Pat agreed. He took the offered 2999 phone and dialed a number on it. Khalid reached over to put it on speaker.

“Hello?” a voice asked after a few seconds.

“Um, hey Kevin, it’s Nick.”

There was a sigh on the other end. “Hello Nick, is something wrong? Why are you calling me from someone else’s phone?”

“I’m fine, I think.” He looked up at Khalid. “Why am I calling him exactly?”

“Hello, I’m Officer Khalid,” Khalid said. “I just wanted to confirm that you are Nick Jonas’s roommate, and he does live in Manaus.”

“Yes, we live together with our other roommate,” the man replied flippantly. “Officer? Is something wrong?”

“I believe there was just a case of mistaken identity,” Khalid said.

“Bullshit there was!” Janus hissed, though she could not hear him.

“No need to worry,” Khalid continued.

“I’m good Kevin,” Pat said.

“Are you absolutely sure?” Kevin asked.

“Don’t be Paranoid, Kevin. I’ll see you Tonight for the New Years Celebration. You know I Live to Party.”

“I am hanging up now,” Kevin said.

“No! Comeback.” The line went dead. Pat handed the device back to Khalid.

She took it and smiled at him. “Give us just a couple of minutes,” she requested. He nodded easily, and she and Remus exited the interrogation room. “I… think we’re done here,” Khalid said.

“No, he’s lying,” Janus insisted, and got a dubious look in return. “I know he is! Remus!”

“The alibi is pretty solid…” Remus said, “and he doesn’t have the bomb on him.”

“Oh, come on,” Janus said. “You can’t say there is nothing fishy going on here.”

Khalid and Remus shared a look. “Janus,” Khalid said. “I respect your intuition. It is usually very good, but you have been a bit intense about the man from the 1920s, and I think that may be blinding you a bit...”

“I am not imagining this!” Janus said. “That’s him and he took it.”

“You only met him once while he was wearing a mask,” Khalid pointed out with a frown, “and you didn’t see him take the bomb, did you?”

“No, but he looked at me and I knew,” Janus argued. They both gave him a skeptical look. “Oh, come on!”

“You know that’s a little weak, Jan,” Remus said.

“Let me talk to him,” Janus requested. “Just give me five minutes to talk with him.”

Khalid raised one eyebrow. “Fine,” she agreed. “You have five minutes, but after that, you have to let it go. We can’t waste any more time.”

 Chapter 8

Pat looked up as Janus stepped into the interrogation room. “Hi,” he said with an innocent smile that could cut steal.

Janus didn’t say a word as he took a seat; he just watched him intently. He leaned slightly over the table and steepled his fingers in front of his chin. “So, your name is Nick this time?” Janus asked.

“Nicholas Jonas,” he said. “Always has been.”

“Stop it,” Janus said.

“Stop what?”

“Cut the crap. I know.”

Pat leaned forward, mirroring Janus as he leaned closer, interlocking his fingers and laying his chin on top of his knuckles. “What did you say your name was again?” he asked, pleasantly.

 “Janus,” Janus replied.

“No, I’m Jonas,” he said, pointing to his chest.

“Not Jonas,” Janus spat. “Janus.”

“Um,” Pat said, eyes alight with amusement. The bastard. “Those are the same words.”

“No, they’re not. It’s Janus. J-A-N-U.-S.”

“Well, that’s confusing,” Pat said with a frown, but his nose was crinkling. “It’s close to my name. You should go by a nickname instead.”

“What?” Janus said. “No.”

Pat hummed. “How about Love Bug?”

“What! No!” Janus sputtered, almost flipping the table, as Pat winked at him.

“BB Good?”

“What does that even mean?!”

“Mandy.”

“No!”

“Okay, okay, how about Macy Misa.”

11594

Janus stared at him for a moment. “Fine. Whatever. What was I even talking about?”

“Hmm. I Believe we were talking about my name and how you think it’s not my name.”

“Right,” Janus said. “So, Nick. That was your roommate, Kevin on the phone, right? He seemed a bit unhappy with you. Any reason?”

“Nah, we’re Cool” said Pat. “That’s Just the Way We Roll.”

“Not because you’re messing up a mission right now?”

Pat’s eyes crinkled together. “A mission?” he parroted. “I’m not messing up a mission.”

“Oh, really?” Janus growled. “Because you’ve been captured by the TPI, and I know who you are and what you’ve been doing.”

“I have no idea what the TPI is,” he claimed.

“Yes, you do!” Janus said, standing up. “You obviously do! Or you wouldn’t be playing this game!”

 “Game?” Pat asked. “Macy I ask you what you’re talking about.”

“This is all just a game to you isn’t it!” Janus said, slamming his hands down on the table in front of them.

“Whoa,” Pat said, putting his hands up. “Calm down. Your face is getting all red. You must be Burnin’ Up.”

“I’m not sure what, but something about what you just said pisses me off.”

“And that is five minutes,” Khalid said, bursting into the room. He felt a tug on the back of his shirt and glared back at Remus who was putting his own body between Janus and Pat.

 “There was no way that was five minutes,” Janus growled.

“It was five minutes,” Khalid gritted out. “Remus, get him out of here.”

“Come on Jay,” Remus said, dragging him back towards the door.

“Remus, I swear to god.”

“Just chill, Janus,” Remus said, slamming the door closed behind them.

Janus shrugged him off. “You chill!” he snapped. “He’s playing you all for the fool.”

“Wow, Macy,” Remy drawled like an asshole. “I’ve never seen you so fired up.”

“Oh, my gosh. No one is going to believe me, and he’s going to get away with this.”

“You’re not really helping your case, babe,” Remy said.

 Remus grabbed him by the shoulders again. “Here, let’s go get some water.”

“I don’t want water,” he said even as he let Remus lead him to another room to get a glass of water.

“Look,” Remus said. “I know the Mask Guy thing really sucked, but you have to look at the facts.

“I am looking at the facts,” Janus insisted, “and the facts are, he’s fucking with me.”

“You don’t know what mask guy looks like,” Remus said. “You didn’t see Nick take the time bomb, he has an ID from this time period and a roommate in this time he called on the phone, and he legitimately seems to not know what any of us are talking about.”

 “Did you even listen to our conversation?” Janus asked. “He was screwing with me the entire time!”

“Janus…” Remus said.

“What?” Janus said, narrowing his eyes at Remus’s tone.

“I know you recently had a bad experience, but not everyone who flirts with you is doing it out of evil.”

Janus’s mouth hung open for a few seconds. “That’s what you got out of our conversation?”

“He called you Love Bug.”

Janus felt his face heat a bit at the reminder. “That’s not… I. I’m stealing your cat and then never speaking to you again.”

Remus laughed. “Ah,” he said. “Young lust.”

Janus elbowed him roughly in the side. “No!”

“Yes!” he crooned, pleased.

 “You are the worst partner,” Janus hissed. “When I’m right you owe me 10 loafs of your fresh bread.”

“Branching out from poptarts?” Remus asked.

Janus shook his head. He still wasn’t happy about the state of things, but he could feel himself cooling down a bit.

Khalid came out of the integration room after a few minutes, leaving Pat with Remy. “What was that?” she asked him.

“He got under my skin,” Janus said.

“We’ll talk about it later,” she said. “For now, we’re letting him go and then going back to looking for the bomb like we’re meant to be.”

 “Fine,” Janus relented. “Just do me the favor of tagging him before he leaves. Just that. I beg of you.”

“Sure,” she agreed. “If it will calm you down.”

He nodded.

“Then, let’s go,” she said. When they met back up with Remy and Pat, he saw Khalid make the subtle gesture that would tag Pat like they would have for the Millennium Birds. Pat sent him what could pass as a sweet smile if Janus didn’t know better. Then, they walked him outside, leaving Remy on clean-up duty for the make-shift security office.

“So, I’m free to go?” Pat asked. His bemused expression edged far too much on the side of amused verses confused for Janus’s taste.

 “You are,” Khalid said. “Have fun at the festivities.”

His hands went flapping about. “Oh, you too!” he said. “Well, I guess you’re working, but you can have fun anyway, I’m sure.”

“We’ll do our best,” she said.

He gave her a blinding smile and reached forward to shake her hand enthusiastically. Janus rolled his eyes and looked up at the heavens. “It was nice to meet you!” he said, “and you too, Remus!” He turned to meet Janus’s eyes. “Macy Misa.”

Janus pressed his lips together.

Then, Pat turned and walked away.

“Well, now that we’re done with that,” Khalid said, turning to them. “We have only a few more hours before midnight and we really need to find the time bomb.

 “Oh,” Pat called. He’d paused a few yards away and turned back to them. “Thanks for letting me go so easily by the way,” he said, “and just in the Nick,” he winked, “of time too.” Janus narrowed his eyes at him. He smiled back. “Wrist check,” he said holding up his arm to show off the timepiece there. Khalid immediately looked down at her own wrist just to see that the one timepiece that could move through the time lock was no longer there. Pat made a gesture and disappeared.

All three of them stared at the spot he’d been for a long moment.

Janus was the one to speak first. “I want. The yellow. To be erased. From my record.”

 Chapter 9

Khalid immediately called everyone back to base.

“What happened?” asked Fred when he and Lena arrived. The tech people were already scrambling to get through to the TPI and get the time lock broken from the outside.

“Remus, Remy, and Khalid got played by Pat or whatever his name is. It certainly isn’t Nick. He was just setting up a joke,” Janus told him.

“Stop being smug,” Remy said. “It’s not a good look for you.”

“Pat is…?” Lena asked.

“They guy who fucked me over in 1923,” Janus said, “and is currently in the middle of fucking us all over because he stole the pin timepiece, and by extrapolation, probably the time bomb too.”

 “It will be fine,” said Khalid, “because what he doesn’t know is that timepiece has a tracker on it. Wherever and whenever he went, we’ll have his coordinates.”

“Speaking of,” one of the techies said. “It’s about to break. You might want to hold onto something.” Janus grabbed for a support beam next to him as the techie put a device on the ground in the center of the base. It blinked once, twice, and on the third blink the ground rumbled. There were sounds of panicked yelps outside. The fail safe for the time lock was not nearly as gentle as ending it correctly.

 Everything settled after a few moments, and they all straightened themselves out. Janus’s timepiece buzzed to indicate it was now functioning normally. Khalid had returned her usual timepiece to her wrist and now used it to open a display they could all see. “The pin timepiece’s closest time/space coordinates are…” she trailed off. “Right outside?” She frowned. “That’s strange. Why would he still be here?” She turned to march outside, following the coordinates to a trash can. She pulled the pin timepiece out and stared at it. “Fuck,” she said.

“What just happened?” Remy asked.

“He ticked us,” Janus said. “Again.”

 “He was stuck in the time lock,” Khalid said. “That’s why he got our attention. He couldn’t leave with the time bomb unless he had the pin timepiece or we broke the time lock. Apparently, he’s smart enough to know that if he took the pin timepiece away from here, we’d probably be able to find him, but he knew we’d break the lock as soon as the pin went missing. So, he must have stashed his own timepiece and went back in time within the time lock to grab it while we were distracted with the past version of him. As soon as the time lock went down, I imagine he left.”

 “Probably with the time bomb,” Janus said.

“Probably with the time bomb,” she confirmed.

And everyone knew the only thing worse than a time bomb was a time bomb you didn’t know the location of.

They evacuated after that, of course, and time locked the location once they were out just in case they were wrong, but midnight 3000 struck without thousands of people dying in Brazil, so the time bomb had defiantly been removed from then.

The, they initiated a time travel lockdown for all nonessentials, not willing to let random history students get caught up in an explosion if Pat decided to set the thing off somewhere.

 Then, it was a matter of figuring out everything they could about ‘Pat.’ First, they checked the tracker data as Khalid had tagged him with one of the Millennium Bird trackers. It wouldn’t work outside of the zone they’d set up that day, but the record would show his behavior during the time lock after he’d escaped with the pin timepiece.

There had been many little green dots on the map that day as Fred and Lena had actually been doing the job they’d set out to do, but most of those were running around in the south. There had been one green dot, however, that appeared suddenly in the game area about 10 minutes before the time bomb had been stolen.

 They could see Janus’s yellow dot almost brush his when he’d been chasing the earlier Pat down, around when he’d lost him briefly. The earlier Pat must have all but handed it off to his future self.

“He doubled back,” Remus commented when they watched the recorded data. It was a ballsy move and one that most people balked at, because there were inherent dangers any time you interacted with yourself from a different point in the timestream. It was ripe for paradoxes. It made everyone at the agency even more worried, because if he was willing to risk that, then what else was he willing to do?