#I'm going to form so many headaches thinking about this chapter I can already tell.

[itsnothingofinterest]

hori just didn’t know what else to add to the fight and called it a day lol also where is togachakotsuyu and touya and endeavor

(in response to this.)

Well Endeavor at least has the excuse that he’s been running from his parenting mistakes since he got to Gunga, so they could be in another prefecture by now.

Toga’s girl’s night, I can’t say. They weren’t that far away last I checked; Inasa was handling that and AFO as I understand. But now that you mention it, boy would she have been a much more natural way to make AFO lose his hundred tails if Hori really wanted this fight over. Just take out Inasa and have the Toga horde handle Hawks and the others. I don't think that horde could win, but they could keep that many heroes busy.

Now I have to ask, as seriously as I can ask anything anymore, what Deku’s supposed to do against AFO’s ability to cut to a black panel and auto-beat all his opponents? And I guess be answered with: he'll trust in the now very visible hand of the author to decide that fight more than any other factor. That’s how immersion killing this is.

I now understand more than ever how much of a vacation Horikoshi probably needs.

[pluton514]

Chapter 4: The King of Olympus

A few days have passed since Amelia's incident ,but everything's gone back to normal. I still think about what that whole thing meant. Persephone, an old man with one hundred eyes, and a prophecy? What's that all about? Amelia doesn't seem to take interest in it. In fact, she doesn't seem fazed by any of this. It's as if nothing ever happened to her, or maybe it's because she's already used to being taken over. I honestly don't know.

      I keep having nightmares about my mother's death. Does that have anything to do with this? It's not entirely impossible. I put my hand on my chin and start to think. I can't think of anything besides what that old man said.  "You don't realize what you are,boy. Soon, everything you've ever loved will be taken away from you.The Prophecy is set in stone. For thy woe shall not be discerned nor heard." Is what he said. What does he mean I don't know who I am? I know exactly who I am! It must've been my head messing with me. I mean, I had a huge headache and went dizzy so it must've been just that.

    Amelia sees me and walks towards me then puts her hand on my head. She then says, "Let's go grab something to eat outside. I'm not in the mood to cook right now." We look at each other and agree.   As we step outside, the clear sky starts to dim, and dark clouds start to form near us. My head starts to hurt and I hear a voice.., "Mama! I'm scared!" I also see the trees and the burning houses . After that, I came back to my senses.

That was moments before my mother died, but why did it come back? I look up and I see lightning roar and strike down multiple times. Amelia then looks at me and tells me, "We should get back inside; it's too dangerous!"

    I nod,but before we could go inside a man with a black cloak  appears before us and yells, "YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE COME BACK! YOU SHOULD'VE STAYED DEAD!" I reply with, " WHO ARE YOU? WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE?!" The man stands still and proceeds to hysterically laugh, and in the blink of an eye he moves in front of me and whispers, "If it wasn't for you. Then I wouldn't have to take two lives today." Before I could even react;he grabs me by my throat and lunges me to the front yard of the house. Rain starts to pour ,and lightning starts to roar even louder than before. As I stand up,I see that he's choking Amelia.

   I sprint towards the man and clench my fists to punch him ,but then he disappears into thin air. Amelia and I look at each other,but before i could react the man pulls me into a chokehold from behind and says, "This time, I'll go for the kill." He then pushes me to ground and puts his foot on my chest. He reaches his arm out for the sky and a lightning bolt comes down to the palm of his hand ,but before he could finish me. Plants start to pull down on his arms ,and act as chains. I look at Amelia and see that she's holding him back.He drops the lightning bolt ,and then it starts to slowly disappear ,but before it did I grabbed it. I felt the electricity rush through my entire body. My palms were burning and smoke was coming out of my hand. I can barely control it. The pain is making me feel nauseous so I go for the blow.

     I aimed for the chest, but I missed and hit his abdomen instead. The man screamed in agony. While he was in pain I took the chance to unveil the hoodie from his cloak. He had blonde spiky hair with black highlights at the end of each hair, pale skin, and light blue eyes. He also has something that seemed like a birthmark rested under his chin with the shape of a lightning bolt. He has a scar going through his eyebrow. He looks at me and says, "I'll kill you as many times as it takes...just you wai-" he then passes out and the lightning bolt in his abdomen disintegrated.

    Amelia rushes to me and holds me before I could fall,and yells at me saying, "ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU COULD'VE DIED!!! OF ALL THE THINGS YOU COULD'VE DONE?! WHY DID YOU GO HOLD A LIGHTNING BOLT?!?! LOOK AT YOUR HAND!!! ITS PALM IS BURNT TO A CRISP!!!!" I then reply with, "Well, at least he's down isn't he?" She slaps me ,and says, "Next time, think before you do anything. Unfortunately, I don't have enough power to fully heal your palm, but I can make it feel better." I smile and reply with "Thanks for being there for me. I honestly don't know where I would be if it wasn't for you saving me." She smiles and then holds my hand. Green light starts to engulf my palm and we make eye contact. I never realized how detailed her eyes are. One dot on the top part of her pupil, another one on the bottom left, another one on the bottom right, and a small leaf in the center of her pupil. Before I could say anything the man starts to wake up. Both Amelia and I prepared ourselves for another fight,but he looked at us very confused. He asks, "What happened? Where am I?" Amelia then asks him, "If you don't know what happened then I think I might know. First of all what's your name?" He then makes eye contact with her and says "Zephilious."

I then ask Zephilious, "Why did you attack us?" He looked at me very confused and replies with, "Attacked? What do you mean? I woke up in the middle of nowhere and you're accusing me of attacking YOU?" I reply, "Yes you did! You even threw ligh-" before I could finish he interrupted me and yelled, "I ATTACKED YOU?! NO, THE WAY I SEE IT IS THAT I WAKE UP IN THE FRONT YARD OF A STRANGER'S HOME AND MY STOMACH HURTS LIKE HELL!!! ITS AS IF I WAS STABBED THEN BURNED!!! IF ANYTHING IT SEEMS LIKE YOU ATTACKED ME IN MY SLEEP!!! YOU BUNCH OF COWA-." He starts yelling out in pain and I tell Amelia, "Help him out." She tries get close to him, but he starts crawling away yelling, "GET AWAY YOU FILTHY BITCH! AHH!! YOU VERMIN! YOU COWARD!!"

Forget it. I'm gonna pin him down. I rush towards him and hold his entire body down. He screams for help,but no one can hear him since we live relatively far away from anyone. The nearest village takes about 5 hours to get there, and the nearest restaurant is 30 minutes away. He then yells, "LET ME GO! GET YOUR COWARDLY HANDS OFF OF ME!!! YOU'LL RUB ALL OF YOUR COWARDLYNESS ONTO ME!!!" Amelia then places her hand on his wound and starts healing it. He then realizes what's happening and calms down. She asks him, "Are you a Godlender?" He then asks her "How do you know what that is?" She then explains who she is and he replies with, "I see..Well, yes I am a Godlender. I am the Godlender of Zeus."

A few minutes passed,and both Zephilious and I are back to normal. Zephilious looks at me and says, "So I got taken over, huh?" I then nod and reply with, "Yeah, but what was that all about? You were saying that I shouldn't have come back? That I should've stayed dead?" Zephilious chuckles and says, "I don't know what you did, but it seems you've caught the attention of Zeus. I honestly don't know why,and I could care less. Now, if you excuse me, I'll head back home." Zephilious stands up and makes his way to the door, but then Amelia runs in front of him and says, "I'm sorry,but you don't seem to realize the scope of the situation at hand. The God of Gods just tried to kill my friend here. I don't know why, but we can't just sit back and pretend like nothing happened. So whether you like it or not. You're part of this problem now." The two look at each other without blinking for a good minute. It's as if they were having a staring contest, but eventually, Zephilious gave in. He sighs and says, "Fine, but I'm really hungry so can we please get something to eat? I'm starving." Amelia and I look at each other and say, "That's what we were going to do till you attacked us..." After that, we went on our way to the best restaurant of all time.

Ten minutes have passed ever since we left the house. Zephilious and Amelia are very quiet. I hate the silence. Very much. So I try to make conversation and say, "Why is it so quiet?" Zephilious looks at me and says, "The silence can be a good thing sometimes, and in this case it is." Amelia then says, "Yeah, I can agree with him on that." I hate these two....damnit we're in for a long walk.

[fosermi]

SEMI BACK FROM THE DEAD PEOPLE

That's right! I'm back! And I bring to you CHAPTER 3 OF GUARDIAN MACAQUE AU

WHY?! Well because I couldn't sleep well and it's 5 am fuck my headache I give you content!! Fair warning: Macaque is a soft monkey especially to kids AND YOU CAN PRY THIS HC FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS ABDJFKCMCM

Some days, Biming would leave to sell the rice cultivated in their field to the neighbouring village. An oddity, Hóu realised. Why sell to another village? He didn't understand… After all, there were other houses in their village. 

"Hóu?" Ai's soft voice called for the demon. Oddly enough, it wasn't her usual tone that came through her call. 

Immediately detecting the shift from her usual beat, the black monkey jumped down from his position on the plum tree that grew in the back garden of the couple's home. The tree upon which the monkey would spend most of his free time on whenever he could. "You called, Mrs. Ai?" 

"Oh! Yes, dear…" her voice dripped with worry - fear even. In her arms a red cloak, outstretched as if allowing him to take it. "Could you please accompany Biming to the town today…?" Her eyes glimmering under the morning sun with worry, begged the black monkey to take on her request. 

Hóu, with an immediate nod, complied as he gently took the cloak from Ai's grasp. Hesitantly, the black monkey built up enough courage to ask the kind lady, her worry affecting his own. 

"Mrs. Ai… is everything alright…?" His hand reached out to Ai’s in an attempt to comfort her as his eyes locked with hers, taking notes of the high level of worry embedded deep within her honey-brown eyes.

Seeing the concern in Hóu's golden eyes, Ai's tense shoulders fell as she let out a shaky breath. "Ling Fa… he warned us that demons moved in close to the rout Biming takes to the other village…" 

Ling Fa… yes…

He was the family's guardian spirit… it was his duty to protect the family, right? Of course he would warn the kind couple.

By late morning, Biming and Hóu had headed out on the road on the small mule-pulled cart with their cargo safely secured. Ling Fa had stayed behind to ensure Ai's safety as he would not have been much help with manual labor. 

Hóu rode on the back of the cart as his mind drifted off to the thoughts of the strange family guardian. They had previously met a couple of times. Ling Fa wasn't a concerning figure, in fact Hóu believed he was incapable of fighting due to his pacifistic tendencies. 

Throughout the journey, Biming and Hóu held up a small lighthearted conversation, a conversation that seemed to have only lasted a couple of minutes was in fact just two hours. 

Soon the duo were at town close to noon, Hóu couldn't believe how lively everything was! Carts and vendors and buyers were everywhere! If he was being honest, Hóu's entire world seemed to start spinning due to the overload of his senses. 

"Welcome to the market, Hóu!" Biming said with a bright smile as he handed Hóu some earplugs. "They might not completely drown out all the new senses but its something at least… if you ever need a breath at all, then tell me and we can go to a more tame part of the town were we can rest for a bit"

Hóu's reply came in the form of a nod. However, even though his senses are over exerting himself, Hóu knew that he had to allow Biming to sell their crops so they could earn the money needed. So, the black monkey decided to sit right behind the cart after putting on the earplugs, mostly hidden from the front view as she observed how Biming bargained and sold his crops. 

Eventually, daylight started diminishing as the sun was starting to head down the horizon, turning the shy a nice shade that reminded the monkey of orange peaches… something about the sunset seems to have upset the demon and he felt a pang of pain in his chest. 

Upon noticing the sadness embedded on the monkey’s face, Biming decided that it was time to head home. "Hóu, let's go home." Came the familiar voice of the young man that got Hóu moving onto the back of the cart, and once again head off back home. "We should be back home just after sunset" Said Biming in an attempt to comfort his companion, which seemed to have worked somewhat. 

The ride back didn't have many complications, it was a smooth ride back with a few conversations every now and again. Once home, Biming and Hóu carried their goods into the home as they announced their return, only to be greeted by the smell of Ai's amazing cooking as they sat down by the table to eat. 

Biming was telling Ai how well Hóu had taken to the city and how well behaved he was. He kept on flattering the black monkey demon which got Hóu to stutter every now and again when he decided to speak up. Soon enough, it was time to head to bed after it was decided that from then on, Hóu would accompany Biming to the market. 

His days spent here in the small farm house by the valley with Ai and Biming went by faster than he expected. And soon, they would have a new addition to their family in the form of a child between the couple. 

The couple at first didn't know how Hóu would react to children, as throughout Ai's pregnancy, he had done his best to avoid her as much as possible without angering her. He however instead spent his time with Biming learning how to trade and sell as well as bargain and buy goods. 

When their daughter was born, the couple found something they never had expected to see. That night they had awoken to the sound of soft cries coming from the adjacent room that Hóu had offered the baby to stay in with him so he could make sure that their daughter was safe from all harm. Surprisingly, Hóu had also swore it as his duty out of the blue one night before she was even born. 

What surprised them however, was what they saw in the room that night. They had found Hóu gently cradling their small daughter in his arms. Biming most of all was surprised at how Hóu could be so delicate with such a small fragile being and yet possess strength strong enough to carry the entire cart filled with supplies. 

Hóu looked over at the couple with worry laced all very his face. "S-sorry… she won't stop crying… she must be hungry!" It surprised Ai how well he knew how to manage a baby and how he could tell what was wrong. She stood there for a moment as she smiled at the panicked monkey before taking her daughter to feed her in the other room, leaving Biming and Hóu together in the room. 

Biming sat down next to Hóu on the bed who seemed a bit anxious. "Is something the matter Hóu?" Came the concerned question from Biming. 

Hóu's tail flicked anxiously like an irritated cat, he lowered his head and talked in barely a whisper "she's just so small Biming… will she really survive?" 

With a comforting hand on Hóu's shoulder, a smile found its way onto Biming's face "with you worrying about her like this… I know she'll be perfectly fine Hóu…" and with that, Ai came back in, carrying their sleeping daughter in her arms. 

Without a second to lose, Hóu was up on his feet to give the bed to the sleeping baby. But instead, Ai gave him the small bundle of joy with a smile. Something within him clicked that night, and for the first time he remembered something from his past. 

A conversation? 

"Hey, [~~~] why so stiff?" 

"Because! They're so small! So defenseless! How can they survive?!" A chuckle rang out throughout what seemed like a cave as the sound echoed. 

"They're children! Of course, they're small! But hey! They seem to like you!" 

"I… I guess they do…" 

"You know… if you're really worried about them so much why not take care of them?" 

"Don't you already do that?" 

"Well, technically, yes? But what I meant was you could watch over the little ones and make sure they're safe?" 

"... alright, I'll do it!" 

Hóu held the small child close to his chest, a stifled sob escaped him as a few tears flowed down his face and onto the blankets that wrapped around the baby. This concerned the couple as they barely see Hóu cry, in fact. This is only the second time they've seen him cry ever since finding him that fateful day. 

Just before they could react, Hóu faced them. Face stained with tears but his eyes held a strong determination. "No matter what, I'll make sure she becomes big and strong. I swear on my life" 

With his sudden declaration, the couple found a sense of peace and comfort. Ever since then, Hóu had appointed himself their daughter's caretaker and would help Ai and Biming with their daughter in whatever way he could. There had been countless times when Ai or Biming would search for their daughter only to find her asleep on Hóu who had her safely asleep on or under his favorite tree in their garden, sometimes asleep himself. 

Such were the peaceful times, the days he wouldn't have to worry about much except for their family's safety. Nothing could happen to them, he used to think. Not until the incident. 

Golden eyes fluttered open as he heard a faint sound of someone calling out to him. "I'm heading off to work dad!! Text you later!!" Followed by a door slamming shut and a soft ringing of a bell. 

With a sigh, the black monkey sat up and combed through his messy black hair before getting up and heading to the bathroom to freshen up. Mi Hóu looked at the mirror and examined himself only to be taken back to see a human face before remembering that his life with Ai, Biming, and their daughter Chu-Hua had ended a couple of hundred years ago. 

He had remembered everything since that time, and his true name is Liu er Mihóu otherwise known as the Six Eared Macaque. And he remembered that at this current time, he has a son. A son that he had to look out for in a world of hidden demons. But here's the catch, he can't let his son know that he himself is a demon even though he already knows about demons. Which is why he uses a human disguise. 

"Another regular day of work I guess…" he mumbled as he heard the ringing of the bell hung at the door indicating that someone had entered their home, or to be more specific, his clinic. Little did he know that this day would be the end of his daily routine of curing demons and teaching at a dojo. 

[ackermanshoe]

"Mikasa?!"

"get your shit together"

"we are the only ones who can stop Eren"

Well smart ppl, this is the first time in the entirety of attack on titan Levi "snapped" towards Mikasa. The look on his eyes it's so full concern, did he know what was happening to her? Did he realise it was her headache or did he think it was Eren doing something?

Maybe he snapped bc he was absolutely tired of Erens shit and mikasa's hesitation towards him. Maybe he was so worried that he couldn't get his words to come out? "Get your shit together" is such a Levi think to say if he said "are you okay?" It would be so out of character.

I know I don't need to explain this as we are all aware that Levi's way with Mikasa is like none other, right? Eg when he snapped at historia for not being able to give a straight answer to the biggest decision of her life - more: he often snaps at hanji despite them being friends for years etc.

It also makes me wonder how Levi is so in touch with reality, he's right next to her, could it be that his presence helped Mikasa come back to hers and finally decide to end Eren?

"a theory isn't a fantasy, it's a coherent set of ideas intend to explain something.." and this is me theorising so stay with me. The Ackerman's who had their inhumane power activated are Levi Mikasa and Kenny. Kenny met his tragic end with Yuri, Levi met his tragic end with Erwin and now it is clearly Mikasa's turn. Ik it wasn't obvious but when Kenny Ackerman lost his liege he was completely alone then eventually he had died off. Isn't it funny how the only two Ackerman's to have had years side by side were Mikasa and Levi? It's just my belief that Erwin's death would have caused more harm on Levi if he hadn't had Mikasa by his side and Mikasa would have been more lost in her delusion or dreams without Levi's consent attempt to bring her back to reality. Eg female titan arc.

Even after killing Zeke Levi never found true happiness, was it really the purpose of his life? Definitely not. It almost feels like there's a loose end to tie, possibly with another Ackerman. This is where my theory ( or more questions ) about the shine in his eyes comes in which I will explain later.

I have always seen Mikasa as a doer, who is not indecisive and always goes for the kill. Levi knows that too. This one moment where got her headache and she hesitated to move forward it was a conflict that clearly irretated Levi.

But man if it were anyone else with all their love and care for Mikasa they would have snapped at her ages ago. The patience this man has for Mikasa is unmatched.

Furthermore

"got it"

"Mikasa"

He said this to himself, TO HIMSELF I repeat not to Mikasa or anyone. What does this tell me? It tells me he trusts Mikasa to make the right decision. He knows it's time and he knows that she won't hesitate this time. Remember the gleam in his eyes when Mikasa asked him to help her kill Eren?

It's a gleam of trust and recognition.

To me this is the purest form of support Levi has given not only to Mikasa but anyone at all. It kinda makes me feel soft if I'm being honest but I can't explain that with facts.

Might I mention how how Levi said mikasa's name more in this one chapter than he has said in the entire manga?

( if someone know why he never calls Mikasa by her name please let me know I'm so hung up on that and still wondering what could be the meaning behind it )

It can be said the same with Mikasa calling Levi "captain" several times in the last chapter and possibly this one.

It may be a personal view of mine but the I think there's a lot of significance in calling ones name. But in rivamika's relationship the lack there of name calling makes it much more interesting to theorise. I have always been someone who would hesitate to say my crush's name because I feel like it would be awkward and make the conversation much more intimate. Yeah it's just a theory but most people would avoid using their crushes name because it makes them nervous and the fact their crush exist near them much more realistic. ( Input scene from there first caridge scene where Levi called Mikasa by her name to tell her to protect Eren with all her skills and Mikasa had a drop sweat on her, she was caught off guard by his voice calling her name )

If I was to assume this is what happened with Levi not mentioning mikasa's name ( all that often ) then it kinda makes sense. And now that we have Levi finally calling out her name in the middle of a life or death battle it makes me wonder if he is finally breaking out of a invisible shell and confronting his feelings (?)

Note: "feelings" can be interpreted as romantic AND non romantic. I don't mean to say that I think he is in love with her that's realistically thinking.

Idk how to word this properly but it's like he is becoming more aware of mikasa's importance in his life and vice versa (?)

Ones name is the biggest connection they have with their individuality and the fact that Levi calls her name several times in this particular chapter makes me think it's somehow connected to Mikasa letting go off Eren and choosing herself + Levi and whoever is left to save. I believe Levi already knew this since the moment the gleam came into his eyes, like I mentioned many many many times Levi knows things about Mikasa before she does. For Levi it's like looking into a mirror that goes backwards in time.

If I'm going to talk more about the gleam in Levi's eyes I might as well put it all down on the table and you can view it however you want.

Remember this

"is it from hope or despair that this strength comes from?"

Well the gleam to me represents hope, not only for the survival of them two by killing Eren, but for Mikasa herself, finding herself MIGHT just be the gleam of hope Levi's strength came from. Individuality. This is more like forshadowing the future than the present.

It also reminds me of S1 when Levi's eyes gleamed when Eren expressed his hatred towards the titans. The look of obsession, to kill the titans and now mikasa's determination to kill Eren ( her obsession).

If I'm being a delulu then yes I do think he is in love with her and nothing less 🤩 and this look^^ above is so sexy can they just idk send me the wedding invitation already I'm 🕯️😔🕯️ tired of waiting.

Anyways I'm going to end this here I feel like I write so much and if anyone asked me what this was all about in real life I would prolly run away rather than speaking. Thank you guys for being here and supporting me and everyone else! I hope the last chapter is at least 100 pages long because we need it 😭🕯️😭.

Edit: I apologize for making this so long I was going to post it like tomorrow but I think it will makes sense if I do it now rather than later.

Also regarding the snapping bit I honestly think it's just because the way he speaks it comes out as harsh which is natural for his character we already know he cares so much about her, he was panicking guys.

[pedrosbrat]

Sorrow You Are My Light {Pero Tovar x Max Phillips x F!Reader}

CHAPTER I : Insomnia

AU - Vampire Hunters

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 4.9k

Warnings: Angst, Nightmares, Language, alcohol, yearning, violence (fight) , mention of murder, sword, blood …

Summary: You and Pero were united by fate in your youth due to a tragic event. You will seek revenge from the creature that caused your common suffering all your life without success... Until you cross paths with Max Philips, forcing you to form an alliance with an enemy to destroy a common foe...

Little Comment : Hi everyone, it’s my first series, I hope you will like it (if you see any mistakes let me know and I will correct it) - 1 chapter will be published every week, every Saturday⚔️ Enjoy!

Series Masterlist

1440- Transylvania

You have been travelling on horseback for a little more than two days now, with a weather changing from very hot to very rainy, and usually it doesn't bother you, at least not really, because Pero has the decency to take breaks, it has always been like that. But for the first time in decades of travelling together, he has refused to take any breaks, because he says you are close to the goal.

You can understand it, and you feel it too, but you would still like to be able to rest, not feeling your legs or even feeling your buttocks... You don't even know if you don't feel them anymore because of the total absence of sensation from sitting on your horse for this long, or if the pain you felt yesterday has taken over and has become a friend, and the only company you feel at this moment.

Because despite his presence, Pero is far too absorbed in the mission. This is nothing new, in fact, he has always been like this, only usually he has the good sense to admit that sleep is important for a good fight, as well as a somewhat adequate physical form...

"If we are attacked by a vampire now Pero I won't be able to fight". You say as you catch up to him slightly at a gallop. "Stop complaining," he says, slightly grumpier than his natural temperament, which is bound to be an effect of lack of sleep. "I'm not complaining, I'm just right! You know very well that the lack of rest will eventually kill us, if it is not the horses that die long before us! You say, slightly annoyed by his behaviour.

He stopped short, and turned to face you, grimacing, probably aching and exhausted, unconsciously proving your point: "If he runs away, he'll kill more people! You seem to forget what this thing is capable of!" "Forget?!" you say, widening your eyes, increasingly annoyed.

Vampires: demonic beings that have occupied the lands of your country since your childhood. At first, in your youth, their presence was only a myth, which some people described as mad swore they had seen, but as time went on, the world realised that it was all real. These decaying beings, who have no chance of finding the light again, their gaze completely absorbed in the darkness, surrounded by veins resembling the shade of smoke enveloping the sky and covering all traces of the sun. They are the shadows that will hide the light of all normal life since your youth... Since that night sixteen years ago...

You know that Pero can be stubborn, but he is not so deeply stubborn that he tries to pretend to anyone who doesn't know him, although he hides it quite well, he is a gentle man and a good man... Except when he really decides otherwise, as he has done for the last forty-eight hours. So you don't try to argue or have a simple debate with him on the subject, because you know very well what he's talking about and you don't want to talk about it... You've already had enough nightmares since you were a child, so you don't need that.

You gallop alone towards the big city, from where you are not so far now, determined to make a big turn, to let your horse rest, and to rest at the same time in a real bed, and not stones under a sheet for a pillow or an old tavern of the village where you were hunting.

It doesn't matter if he follows you or not, you're far too tired and suffering to care at the moment, and being a very good tracker, you know you'll be able to find him if only a few hours separate you from each other, and at least you'll be able to fight effectively if something happens.

⊱•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •⊰

The city is not as jovial as it usually is. You don't know why, of course, but there's a sort of silent restlessness that mingles with an almost empty square, leaving a black shadow over all those little houses, like a feeling deep inside you that you can see floating over the city.

"Anything interesting in the sky Paloma?"

You turn, coming out of the thoughts that had completely absorbed you, to find that Pero is at your side, handing you a piece of cheese, which he must have bought at the entrance of the city, and that you grab without hesitation the rumbling belly for any substitute of food... His way of apologizing and telling you that you are right, even if he will never admit it out loud...

Pero will never admit it, but he doesn't like to see you turning your back on him. He likes your presence, even if he doesn't express it, he likes to see you smiling, annoying him, lecturing him. He likes the way you've been waddling around on your horse for the last few days, and he knows it's only because of the pain he's putting you through, and that he shouldn't like to see that, he feels a little bad about it at times.... But you are so beautiful... And that ass, God only knows how many times he's dreamed of it bouncing off him...

"Nothing special, just a bad feeling" you say, taking a bite of the end of your feeble dish, "...I don't really believe in feelings you know, but for once I have to give it to you..." he says, kicking the sides of his horse to start galloping "No we should let the king know we're back, maybe he'll explain what's going on.

You nod and follow him, speeding up in your turn, not missing the crosses on the front of each house, as well as some silver objects in front of the windows, which normally would have been looted by the small thieves of the city, but even they don't seem to want to touch them... You start to understand what is going on but don't go forward, hoping that the bad luck hasn't come to your place of living once again, where you and Tovar have decided to stay for more than two years now.

⊱•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •⊰

The throne room which is usually decorated with berries on every table, and bright silk draperies falling from the chandeliers to the ceiling, adorning the sides of the windows are not present, leaving the room in a dullness and sadness that the king and queen usually do not like. But they don't seem to mind, in fact in this room where all the lords are gorging themselves and filling up, they think it is much more agitated than the atmosphere outside. An almost incomprehensible hubbub envelops the room, leaving the king before you, not uttering a word, eyes fixed on you, nodding towards a guard at the back of the room, leading to the inner corridors of the castle, a neutral look on his face, leaving his wife and lords to shout complaints and fears into every ear.

He stands up curtly as the others in the room don't take the decency to stop talking as they usually would, leaving the king to walk out the back door, with you on his heels.

"Where were you?!" He says before you can even close the door to the large hallway, "On the trail of one of them my king" Pero says, bowing his head slightly. "And?" Said the king as he placed his index finger and thumb on his nose, as if trying to relieve a headache. "We had a trail... But we got away from it because of me" you say as you look the king in the eye, not flinching, assuming that a disaster may be looming over the city because of you.

The king doesn't answer and starts pacing in front of you before continuing silently, in a calm and gentle manner that must have always been endowed with "It's nothing... I think you might have guessed it when you returned to the city, but one of them is attacking an area near here..." "And no one was AVAILABLE to stop it?... Dios mío..." says pero a little annoyed that everyone is waiting on you two. "Oh, there were many volunteers... But none came back."

You turn your gaze to Tovar understanding without him actually saying it, what the king is asking you. He nods and you do the same before turning to the king, "Where? Where did you send them?" you say, already beginning to think you're going to regret it, "The Singing Mountain... There was... If you had seen what happened there...".

He couldn't finish his sentence and squinted hard, as if to chase away painful memories buried behind his eyelids. "We've seen it all our lives," Pero said before bowing and walking out to cross the throne room. You do the same, "It will be dark soon, we can't leave now, it would be too dangerous. But at dawn we'll get started. You don't share any contact with him, out of royal respect, and simply turn on your heels to join Pero, already far away, probably thinking of a plan for tomorrow.

⊱•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •⊰

Your little house is on the outskirts of the village, a little out of the way, not that you don't like the presence of other people, but you are simply used to living like this: just the two of you.

You had already tried to live in separate houses in the village when you arrived two years ago, but every night was cut short by panicked screams and the search for comforting warmth next to you, visions and nightmares that you hadn't had in years, memories that were buried in the depths of your mind, every moment and every night that you spent in Pero's arms.

And you know that it was the same for him, even if he never mentioned it. He didn't have to. The simple fact that he would leave his house at one end of town in the middle of the night to join you under the sheets without saying anything and just let you snuggle up to him as you have done since you were children. So, you drifted away from the villagers, refusing to attach yourself to anyone else, only needing each other, sleeping together to hunt and seek comfort from the demons that plague you both when night falls. And sometimes even sharing each other's presence you feel that you are missing something... It's weird, and you don't know what it is. You don't talk about it... But you both feel it as well...

After setting up silver dust, under foliage all around your home and bringing back some stew that an old lady gave you in the village, thanking you for protecting them, and drinking a large pint of beer that Pero had left out in the house, you both finish your well-deserved meal in silence, savouring every mouthful of stew with a deliciousness like you've never tasted before... Or maybe you're just so hungry that everything would seem like a delicacy right now.

The same goes for the bed, having obviously finished before Pero who always takes a second bite and calls you "paloma", which according to what he told you simply means that you don't eat much for someone who is always crying out for food, like a little bird. You quickly head for your room so that you can have a nice bath without being disturbed by his lack of patience who you know would be there asking you every thirty seconds if you were almost finished, wanting to take a bath as well. So you were able to enjoy it fully until the water cooled, letting your muscles relax from the tumultuous journey and the stress dissolve for a short moment you cherished.

"I heard people talking about this mountain when we first arrived..." says Pero from the bathroom, waking you from your near sleep, now lying on the bed "Mmmh..." you reply far too tired to utter a word. Eyes still closed, you sit up slightly, knowing that he won't stop there. "The villagers always said that the devil lived in his heart... I didn't really pay attention to it, since there was never a murder... At least until now.”

You open your eyes hearing his voice much closer than it was a few seconds ago, and the reason being that he is standing by the bed, with only a sheet around his hips, placing his weapons beside him as he always does before going to bed. And for your part you try to look away as you always do before going to bed. At least when you sleep in a bed with him. At first it was quite simple and automatic not to look at him when you were younger and when he is only "dressed" like that... But lately it has become quite difficult... It has become quite difficult to avoid the vision of his broad shoulders and that torso getting thinner and thinner towards his waist, that aqualine nose that you imagine between your legs, before placing kisses on it as on his perfect lips and this goddamn perfect little line on it... And that scar on his beautiful obsidian black puppy-dog eyes, even if you're almost sure he doesn't like it, that scar on his face...That scar gives him a crazy charm... And everytime it become impossible to avoid to look at the droplets falling from his deep chocolate curls, sliding down that nape of his neck that you wish you could mark with your lips, to end up around his pure silver cross, shining on his golden and bronze skin...

It's become so hard to ignore this man who's practically become a god under your hungry eyes, as hard as it is to ignore the coming arousal that you feel between your legs as you watch him walk around in his armor or the mere sight of the veins and muscles in his neck give you unholy thoughts...

You turn around and help yourself to your sheets, crossing your legs to try and forget what you'd like him to do to you in that room and bed right now, thinking about how you probably wouldn't have the energy for it, and you fall asleep quicker than you thought you would, already with your mind bent on what you might find on that mountain tomorrow...

Pero watches your body rise and fall slightly with every breath you take and exhale, as he has been doing every night for the past few years... Since he was old enough to understand that you were no longer just a friend to him, that he was no longer indifferent to your curves, that he would watch you come out of the bathroom out of the corner of his eye and bend over the bed to admire your buttocks that he always imagined grabbing tightly in his hands... But he never did and was content to watch you fall asleep with your back to him, now that he can no longer see you come out with a simple sheet around you, your hair wet and your skin steaming from the good bath he would have liked to share with you... He is only content to fall asleep following your breaths, wanting deep down, much more of his Paloma...

⊱•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •⊰

You have galloped and walked all day to get to this cursed place, making you arrive around mid-day, when the sun begins its descent towards the west.

The forest is not dancing as usual, and the birds, being the reason why this mountain is called the singing mountain by their chirping, have seemingly disappeared singing no more from this cursed place under a river now red with blood. A putrid, foul smell that you can't miss is present on the scene. No bodies. Lots of blood.

"I've never seen this..."

You don't respond to his remark, but you know exactly what he is talking about. A river turned red with blood, accompanied by the smell of death, yet showing no sign of a body near the water or even in the forest you've just passed through.

Vampires kill, and abandon the corpse, having no interest in keeping the body, or if they really want a use for it, they transform the person, but in this case if, the smell of decomposing corpse and the river of blood should not be present at the scene.

"I don't like this Pero...".

He doesn't answer and just grunts before pulling out his sword and pushing you back slightly. You do the same and pull out your sword, never having doubted his ability to sense the presence of another being, other than the two of you. "It's not dark enough for it to be one," you say, watching carefully around you. "The king would never send his men out in the middle of the night," he says, passing you some silver powder. "How..."

You don't finish your sentence and freeze. Your hands tighten on the hilt of your sword, and you look into the shadows of the forest at the glowing yellow eye sockets. A man you can't make out is watching you without moving. Pero notices this too and pushes you behind him, instinctively as he does every time, even though he knows you can defend yourself, he never misses an opportunity to throw himself between you and the danger... And you will do the same for him when the opportunity arises.

"Come here!" he shouted with a smile, taunting this bloodsucking bastard, who for his part did not move a muscle. He's watching both you, and you're getting more and more worried, not understanding why he's not attacking you, as they all do. This is not a usual behaviour from them... What is going on here...

Your question evaporates as he evaporates, not approaching you, or attacking you. You tug lightly on Pero's arm, asking him to return to the horse. He didn't insist and followed you, sword in hand, running and climbing on the horses as fast as he could.

"What was that?!" you shouted at him at a gallop not far from him, who stopped dead in his tracks a few paces away from you "Pero what..." "I don't know!" he says, a growing frustration in his eyes that you know only too well, a look he gets when he is about to do something impulsive. "Pero you're not going back!" "He didn't attack us..." "That doesn't mean he won't next time! What's wrong with you?!" You say completely dumbfounded by your best friend, willing to risk his life to prove a point.

FUCK PERO!

You follow him in spite of yourself, knowing that you couldn't forgive yourself for leaving him to die alone in those woods, whether it was his choice or not.

A million thoughts go through your head as Pero is hit by something. You jump off your horse and swing your sword at a man in your path, a man who did not flinch at the shock of a galloping horse. You throw a sword at him which he quickly avoids and disappears again, but you know this kind of technique well, you have fought them all your life. You grab a dagger in your other hand and stand back-to-back with pero who has just straightened up.

"I told you we should have left," you say, more than a little frustrated by events that could have been avoided. "This is not the time." He says as he begins to fight the creature in front of you, moving far too quickly for you to anticipate any movement.

He's faster. Smarter than anything you've encountered before, and despite Pero's ability to inflict some cuts with his pure silver sword, the vampire doesn't give in. But it doesn't kill us for all that... A sentence that goes through your head thinking that it could kill you both in a few seconds if it really wanted to... No, this thing is looking for something...

You don't take any more chances and grab your powder and throw it at the thing, which is screaming in pain, looking at you with reddened eyes, sharp fangs and black veins around its eyes like you've never seen before... "PERO THE HORSES!". He thinks for half a second about killing this thing here and now, but sees the powder starting to dissipate and prefers not to risk both of you getting killed here and now... Not to risk YOUR death here and now which would ultimately be his fault...

You gallop off without looking back, not understanding what you just saw.

⊱•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •⊰

"PERO WHAT DID YOU DO THERE?!" you say as you slam the door of the house and drop your weapons on the floor "You could have gotten us both killed! You saw what that thing did!" "It didn't kill us... Why?" he says as he sits down on one of the chairs calmly, too calm for what just happened "Is that really the only thing that bothers you about what just happened Pero?!" you say as you bang on the table.

He straightens up curtly and approaches you with a dark look in his eyes, "Aren't you even asking yourself that question? Don't you want to know why he left us alive? Why didn't he kill us or just jump down our throats and kill us like they all do? ¡Miénteme! LIE TO ME?! TRY LYING TO ME!" He says, banging on the table in turn.

You don't respond, knowing he's right, but you can't help it, impulsive behaviour like that could have killed you both. "I shouldn't have gone back there I know that Paloma... But I don't understand..." he says more calmly trying to apologize in his own way. You take him in your arms, understanding that he acted in incomprehension and panic "I also wonder Pero but don't ever do that again... He was smarter... Faster... And seems to control himself in front of living people... We never had to deal with that" you say holding him tighter, also needing a little comfort, adrenaline gradually coming down.

"She's right!"

You flinch and Pero pulls his sword straight out pushing you behind him, hearing a voice coming from your kitchen. Your eyes widen as you realise that the vampire you fought a few hours ago is the man in the room...

"Your powder has no effect on me, cuties... Should you have tried the wooden stakes?" he says, leaning slowly against one of the walls in front of you. "The wooden stakes are too big, a risk. You have to get too close and we're not stupid enough for that," Pero says dryly.

Those features... A protruding jaw, puppy dog eyes that dominate a fierce rage and that aquiline nose... You turn to Pero and move from him to this man, noticing that your friend, has similar features with this creature in front of you even if his hair is longer than pero, but he doesn't seem to really care or even notice it, it's actually the least of his concerns "Why are we still alive? "He says, putting his weapon on the table behind him, understanding that this creature does not intend to kill you, that if it really wanted to, it would not have bothered to let you go and then follow you and interrupt you... Or would have simply killed you in this forest.

He took a step closer but changed his mind when he saw that Pero was keeping a hand on one of his weapons. "Because I'm not the one you're looking for" says the vampire. Pero looked at you wide-eyed and started to laugh, a dark laugh, far from being amused by the situation. "Do you hear that? Now they're coming to our house to haggle," he said, jostling you slightly, still not making you smile.

You know that side of Pero. That unstable side that loses control of itself and doesn't know how to deal with the information and emotions it receives, which are far too numerous to process quickly enough for events that are far too unfamiliar to its eyes. And you don't blame him because you yourself don't know how to deal with it all. "I'm not happy about talking to you..." you say, trying not to play on each other's nerves. "...But you haven't killed us yet, so I'll give you a minute to explain what you want from us."

He stares at you for a few seconds, examining you from head to toe, not missing the look of disgust and hatred on your face. "You're looking for my creator... And I need you to kill him" he said, staring into your eyes, a teasing smile on his face, very sure of himself, yet very serious about the words he just said "Vampires are normally very attached to their creator, I think you're setting us up" you said, crossing your arms "She can't understand that if I wanted you dead you'd have been dead long ago!

He disappeared for a few seconds and found himself next to you, making you jump up and grab tovar's sword behind you to point it at him. He stared at the blade and ran his finger over it, causing smoke to billow from his skin, like at the end of a fire. "I'm not one of the little vampires you usually fight, which makes me... superior to what you're used to..." Tovar rolled his eyes and stepped in front of you, again, instinctively offering his body as a barrier to protect you, letting the man finish, always having a thought of skewering him at any moment "... I'm not dependent on him... At least not completely. But I don't serve him like all those vermin you hunt every day, who don't know how to control themselves or even think for themselves."

He loosens his last words with a more than visible disgust, arranging his clothes and slowly walking around the table without taking his eyes off you. "I don't depend on him. I'm not attached to him in any way... At least not emotionally... Physically it's something else: I can't kill him, not with my own hands." he says, staring deeply into the wood of the table, as if he could see his own reflection there.

"And you need us for that?!" Pero laughed a dark laugh like you've never heard, now less and less amused by the situation, knowing that he could launch himself at the thing in front of you at any moment. You grab him by the arm before he does something stupid and pull him away from the vampire "We should do it Pero." He widened his eyes and reached up to your face, grabbing your cheeks, as if to check that you hadn't been bewitched. You clapped his hands and told him you were fine before continuing, "If he leads us to his master..." "HE'S NOT MY MASTER!" he shouts from across the room letting you know that he can hear anything you say.

You look at Pero and let him know you'll explain the rest later by miming dust between your fingers, as you've done since you were little, before continuing "When he leads us to his MASTER, we can at least find out where he is and kill him! That's what we've wanted for weeks, Pero."

He's not thrilled. He realizes the danger you're going to face and knows that you've already faced a lot of such danger in your life... But he's not excited. He doesn't know if he can trust the information this thing has just given him, and if he should trust it at all. He doesn't want to have to trust it, and he can see in your eyes that you don't want to either... But he also understands that you have no choice after the king's request. So he lets his gaze shift from yours to the vampire's. "Okay. We leave tomorrow morning," he says, stepping around you and approaching the vampire, a more stern look on his face than he usually wears "... But if you were foolish enough to betray us, know this..." "... That you'll kill me?" he cuts Tovar off with a laugh and moves closer to him "And I'll let you do beautiful."

You chuckle and cross your arms and squint your eyes, amused "We already don't trust you..." "I know that sweetheart" "...BUT that's no reason to lie to us" you say, raising your voice, slightly annoyed by his condescending air.

He tries to get around Tovar, who won't let him pass, and shakes his head to let him know he's definitely not going to approach you. "Believe me..." he said as he put his gaze into yours, a serious, not amused gaze "... If I tell you I'd let you do it it's simply that I'd rather it be you than him."

He nodded to you, then to Tovar, and walked towards the front door.

"Oh, and I'd rather be Max Phillips than 'that thing'," he said as he closed the door behind him, leaving you and Tovar in a state of anxiety and nervousness the likes of which you hadn't had in a long time, leaving you both that night alive to the slightest background noise, the slightest shadow passing through the thin draperies of your windows...

•

Chapter 2

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[bokutosbubblebutt]

Chapter: Happiness || Teaser

——————

To be honest, it was really a miracle how you got there. You never expected that your parents would allow you to leave the house, to go outside, meet other people, start a life.

After never ending discussions, trying to find a compromise, they really said yes.

"We will try it a few months and if we are satisfied, if they can keep you safe, you can stay!"

You never felt more happy in your entire life. You finally could go outside, start a life, meet people, make finally friends and maybe even fall in love. Something you had dreamt about since you started reading.

Even though there was a high chance of being forced to go back to your place, the place that was supposed to keep you safe from every injury possible, you tried to make the best out of it. Even though there was a high chance of getting hurt and accidentally killing yourself, you tried your best to enjoy it.

Nervous but excited you were standing in front of your new teachers office, Mr. Aizawa. You already read about him in a superhero blog. He was the one, who could easily erase the quirks of his enemies and then capture them with his weapon. Pretty impressive, in your opinion. Simple but very effective.

It was really early in the morning. The classes usually start around 8:20 and it was 7:30 now. Already a bunch of people came across your way. You greeted everyone nicely and smiled at them but they all seemed to be in a hurry and stressed. Well, it was the first day of a new school year and taking care of such a big school with so many future pro heroes must be really complicated.

The school. Overwhelming! The campus was gigantic and had so many buildings, grounds and areas. You barely ever left your house, so it happens that you even got overwhelmed by only visiting the shopping center sometimes. Such a big place with so many different individuals made you panic a bit, and since you weren't used to being surrounded by people, you may suffered from social anxiety but the excitement and your curiosity made you gladly forget about it.

Your only concern right now was that you just tried to not get lost in here.

The whole atmosphere was completely different than at home. Here, it made you feel free like living an exciting life full of many people and different activities. At home, it was like a constant feeling of not being yourself or more like not knowing yourself.

And it smelled different here. It smelled like something sweet and dangerous, but quite serious as well. The sweetness definitely came from a lady that walked past you a few minutes ago. You recognized her immediately by her hero costume. It was the pro hero Midnight. For some reasons you've always looked up to her. She just always did what she wanted, not caring about what others think or tell her, sometimes you wish you could be like her but no, not in your situation.

Nervously you stared at the ceiling, trying to count the blue and white stripes on the metallic plates and not taking care about the things that happened around you. The counting helped you focus on one thing and made you forget about your nervousness.

"You need to go to Mr. Aizawa as well, right?" a deep voice made you snap back to reality and loose your concentrated trance.

A tired looking boy with really dark circles under his eyes was staring at you, scanning your appearance. He looked pretty buff and intimidating at the first sight. His indigo hair was standing up in all directions and made him look really tall. Awkwardly he turned his body towards the door and back to you.

"No taking?" He asked again and stared confused at you. The boy tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Again his eyes scanned your body. Since you fiddled with your fingers the whole time, your hand caught his attention. A scar was going down from your middle finger to your wrist.

He had never seen you before. He would remember such a sick looking girl. You were really skinny and pale. You had completely grey eyes and light grey, almost white, hair, which stopped straight above your shoulders. Your whole appearance was ghost like and, to be honest, kinda sad. You looked so skinny, your cheekbones clearly defined, a big gap between your legs and like it would only take one little blow, probably just a little refreshing wind in the summer, to make you fly away. If you had a little bit more meat on your body, you would look prettier, he thought but that was just his opinion.

Perplexed you looked at him in shock, still not fully realizing what he just said to you. He's going to be the first person you ever had spoken to besides the people your parents hired and your online friends. He is the one, the first one.

"Uhm, no, I mean yes. I-, I am just nervous. Birfst, I mean first big day, you know."

you stuttered awkwardly and blushed in embarrassment. Amused the boy smirked and leaned back against the wall.

Great, the first sentence and you immediately fucked up, you thought. He probably must now be thinking that you are stupid and not able to speak, great.

Again you were staring at the ceiling, counting how many stripes the pattern had to make you forget about what a nervous wreck you actually were right now and he was silently watching you. Again he was trying to remember the person who was standing in front of him, trying to find out if he had seen you before but such a sick and sad looking girl was someone, he definitely would remember.

After waiting some more minutes the door suddenly opened and a man with long black hair and eyes that looked like they would fall shut every second, was standing in the door frame. Mr. Aizawa.

"Come in" he said and walked back into the room.

The boy turned around and walked into the room as well. The office was really messy and many stacks of papers were laying around. It smelled like coffee in here and the morning sun heated up the air, making the little dust particles that were floating around able to see. It was this kind of mixture that gives you a headache if you stay in here for too long.

„You two are the only one who are going to transfer to Class 2-A." he explained and sat down at his desk, trying to find something.

Both Class 2-A? The boy must be one of your new classmates then, you thought. You just hoped that he's not one of those school bullies, who make fun of others, will steal your money and put you into the toilet like you already have read about in some books. 

„I already filled out your forms and put them together in your folder. The only thing you need to do, is designing your hero costume but I can't find the sheet for it right now. I'm gonna be right back. Please go trough it and check if we missed something" he handed you your folders and then went through another door.

Your folder was pretty thin if you compare it to the other one. Well, obviously because there was not much information about you so far. Only your stats like height, weight and birthday and of course a description of your quirk.

Quickly you read through everything and checked if there were any mistake and surprisingly there was one. Just a small one but still something you better don't forget.

Curious you were eyeing the other folder and tried to read the boys' stats. After he went to the next page, you finally could read some single words if his quirk description.

"Your quirk is brainwashing?" you suddenly asked and smiled at him in excitement. „How cool! You must be pretty powerful with that, hu?"

Shocked the boy looked at you because he didn't expected you to speak so loudly. He thought you were more shy and quiet, your appearance didn't matched how you talked.

„Uhm, not really." he answered and closed his folder.

„I think it's a pretty cool quirk. How does it work?" you asked the next question and turned your body towards his, grabbing the arm rests of your seat.

„If someone answers me I can activate it." he explained and put the folder back on the desk, still shocked and not knowing how to act.

„But you can control when you activate it or not?"

He simply nodded and looked at you.

„My name is Y/N L/N but you can call me (Nickname). Nice to meet you!" you laughed with a big smile and offered your hand to shake it.

„I'm Hitoshi Shinsou, nice to meet you."

———————

So this is the first chapter of one of my stories I am currently writing on Wattpad

It’s called Chapter: happiness

If you liked the first chapter and are now interested in what’s going to happen next, here’s the link

[settersprouts]

꠵ look at me : chapter three ꠵

俗語。

"Mmm." Oikawa's chocolate colored eyes fluttered open, taking in the sunlight leaking in from behind the blinds. The first thing he noticed as he woke up was the fact that-

This isn't my room. The third-year setter sat up abruptly, looking around frantically. Was I kidnapped? Where am I? Where's Iwa-chan? Last thing I remember was- just then, his eyes laid to rest on a sleeping Iwaizumi, who had come to rest right next to him. He had his brawny arms around Oikawa's waist, his leg flung over like he was holding a big stuffed animal. A blush rose in Oikawa's cheeks, as he diverted his attention to anything but him. C'mon. Look somewhere else. Don't look at his cute- I mean- stupid face. He's going to kill you when he wakes up.

Oikawa tried slipping out of Iwaizumi's grasp, but failed miserably. Each time he got close to freeing himself, the other would groan and pull him closer. After a couple minutes of losing this miniature battle with Iwaizumi, he gave up and reached for his phone on the nightstand. The device turned on in his hand automatically since it sensed the motion, and a bunch of messages popped up on his lockscreen.

4 messages from ✨ Makki ✨

2 messages from ✬ Mattsun ✬

7 messages from ♡ Rooster-head ♡

Oikawa sighed, rubbing his temples. Just looking at the messages gives me a headache. He clicked on Kuroo's messages, not wanting to leave him waiting for the setter's reply any longer.

. .

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: oi, oikawa [from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: how's it going [from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: hey [from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: you [from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: heyyyyy [from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: you there? [from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: i heard what happened, how you holdin' up?

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: hey, kuroo. i'm fine, thanks for worrying though!

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: and that is how i know you're not fine- [from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: you're using punctuation.

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: u H- why can't i use proper punctuation?

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: you can it's just, you don't.

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: you sir, are incredibly smart.

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: pff, i know right? so, wanna talk about it?

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: maybe. we can meet up soon?

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: sure. you're still coming to watch, right?

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: maybe, i dunno though. i hope karasuno n shiratorizawa both fail, though

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: LMAO you're messed up

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: could say the same about you

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: ah, got me there. i'll text you a restaurant location after my matches.[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: udon or ramen

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: udon

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: alright. i'll find someplace [from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: imma get ready, ttyl

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: bye.

. .

Oikawa sighed once again, scrolling through the other messages he had from Matsukawa and Hanamaki. They didn't really differ from each other : it was just them asking where to meet up later for the qualifiers. He quickly texted them both an answer, saying Iwa would pick them up.

"Mmm." Iwaizumi groaned, making Oikawa's eyes flick over to his friend's face. "Oh. Morning, Kawa."

"Morning." Oikawa hummed in response, setting his phone aside to give Iwaizumi a quick hug. "Get ready, you're going to pick up Makki and Mattsun to watch the rest of the matches." Iwaizumi lifted his arm so Oikawa could leave his warm embrace, and blushed a bit when the setter started taking off his clothes.

"T-trashykawa, the hell are you doing?"

He turned around. "Changing. Is it okay if I use some of your clothes again? I'll wash them as soon as we get back, I promise. I just need something to wear when I walk home."

Iwaizumi nodded quickly. "Sure, whatever, just- hurry up and change already." A couple minutes passed of Oikawa looking through his closet when the gears in Iwaizumi's head started shifting. "Wait, walk home?"

Oikawa turned around, pulling on one of Iwaizumi's large Godzilla sweatshirts. "Mhm. My parents are already worried enough as is, I need to get home before they get even more pissed at me." He pulled off his shorts to reveal regular black boxer briefs, which caught Iwaizumi by surprise. He would've expected him to have alien-themed underwear. "I know it's not the smartest idea to be going home right now, that's why I'm just going to get some clothes and head out. I already called my brother, he said I can stay with him for a little while."

Iwaizumi's mouth formed an 'o' shape. "When are you moving in with him?"

"He'll be back in town next week. So, around then." Oikawa clucked his tongue, something suddenly coming to mind. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, I'm going to an udon restaurant with Kuroo after his matches are over. Do you want to come with?"

"Sure." Iwaizumi stood up, changing into some clothes as well. As he was shrugging his jeans-jacket over his hoodie, he looked at Oikawa with an unreadable expression on his face. "You going to be okay? I can come with you when you're at your parent's house."

Oikawa waved his hands in dismissal. "No, no, that's okay. I think that'll just set them off again." He put his hands up over his head, stretching and cracking a couple of joints in the process. At every pop Iwaizumi flinched : ever since Oikawa's knee injury, he's been worried about every little unnatural noise that emitted from his bones and the rest of his body. Iwaizumi didn't want another repeat.

"Why would it set them off? They like me, right?"

"Of course they do. They'll probably assume I told you everything and that you're only there to call the cops on them and stuff." Oikawa shrugged. "Something like that. Don't mind, Iwa-chan."

Iwaizumi pouted a little bit, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine. Call me if your folks try anything."

Oikawa smiled brightly at him, and it almost seemed like he was glowing. Like he was the sun itself. "Of course, Iwa."

⊱ ─ ‧̥̥͙⋅. ♔ .⋅‧̥̥͙ ─ ⊰

Water lopped at Oikawa's shoes as he started the tedious trek towards home. The faint pshhhhhh reached his ears, the rain splashing in puddles and lifting Oikawa's spirits. Normally, he hates rain since it usually meant practice would end way earlier then it was supposed to, but he liked walking in the rain, he liked the sound and the smell of the fresh dew. 'I should take Iwa-chan to the park next time it rains,' Oikawa thought. 'He'd like it, right?'

Once he reached his fairly-nice home, he shoved the key into the keyhole, jiggling the knob a little so it would unlock. The lock was a little stiff, so it needed a little push now and then. Once the door had swung open, he called out, trying to see if anyone was home. No answer. Good, I don't have to talk to the old man tonight. He skipped to his room, pulling a backpack out from his closet, as well as his gym bag, and starting packing. Clothes, some stuffies Iwa-chan had got him when they were younger, and the award he received back when he was at Kitagawa Daiichi were all set on the bed before he had to set them in the bag. He pulled one of the pillow sheets off of the pillow on his bed, wrapping the fabric around the award carefully. He didn't want it to get scratched or damaged in any other way when it was in his bag.

He pulled off the sweatshirt and shorts he borrowed from Iwa, dressing up in a white button-up shirt, and a creme-colored vest. He shrugged into a navy-blue suit top, pulling on a pair of brown khakis afterward.

Oikawa put on a pair of glasses, looking into the mirror and styling his hair a little bit. Not bad. Pulling out his phone, he sent a quick text to Iwaizumi, telling him he was ready to be picked up. The latter replied with a "👍," and Oikawa turned off his phone. He looked around his room a little more, packing up anything he might want to take with him. A photo album, his and Iwa's old shared journal, some picture frames containing priceless memories, and many other little trinkets he was given over the years.

A couple of minutes after he had set everything he wanted to take with him in his bag, he heard a loud honk in his driveway. That must be Iwa-chan!, Oikawa thought, grabbing his backpack and his gym bag, racing to the front door. Sure enough, Iwaizumi's car was parked out front, the man himself leaning on the hood. He perked up once he heard Oikawa's front door click shut, smiling a little bit at the sight before clearing his throat and glaring at the setter.

"About time." He muttered, causing Oikawa to roll his eyes a little.

"I didn't take that long." The latter retorted, opening the trunk and setting his belongings in carefully. "You waited for like, two minutes."

Iwaizumi scoffed. "So? I still have to pick up Matsukawa and Hanamaki."

"Mm."

The two third-years hopped in the car, putting on their seatbelts. Iwaizumi turned the key fob, making the engine start to sputter before it leveled out, and backed out of the driveway. Oikawa looked at the dash, noticing a phone propped up with the Maps app open and directing him. "You don't know where Makki and Mattsun live?"

"No, of course not. I've never been to either of their houses before." He replied, glancing at Oikawa. "Also, you look nice."

Oikawa turned to face him, his cheeks matching Iwa's. Both boys' faces were flushed, and they both seemed to turn their heads away from each other in unison when they noticed this. "Thanks." Oikawa mumbled a reply, twirling a lock of hair around his index finger. Iwaizumi smiled at this action. It was almost childish, and he was glad Oikawa hadn't changed at much as he thought he did.

"I haven't?" Iwaizumi snapped back to reality as Oikawa said this.

"Huh?"

"You said I didn't change all that much."

Iwaizumi blushed again, scratching the nape of his neck with one hand, the other safely holding the steering wheel of the vehicle. "I said that out loud didn't I?" Oikawa nodded. "Well, you haven't really. You might present yourself differently, but you still act like that annoying, crybaby dumbass I grew up with."

Oikawa huffed, crossing his arms and staring out the window. "You're so rude, you know that?"

"Whatever, Shittykawa."

"And vulgar!"

chapter 4 !

[dameronsgalaxygal]

I’ve Been Waiting For You - Chapter 4: Take a Chance on Me

series masterlist

Pairing: modern!poe x reader

Warnings: mentions of abuse, mentions of past toxic relationship, language.

Word Count: 2269

Song Link: Take a Chance on Me

A/N: sorry it took so long! I went away for the weekend and have also been active in the BLM movement. As always, make sure you listen to the song! I know things have been kinda slow, but I promise after this chapter we are going to get into the FUN STUFF!!! taglist is open and feedback is appreciated!! shoutout to @rewritingstarrs my lovely co-writer and editor :) 

Summary: You and Poe talk about your last encounter. Poe really wants a date. 

You woke up earlier than usual the next morning.

Your hangover wasn’t too bad since you had basically sobered up after you remembered Kyle, but you still had a lingering headache.

Rolling over to grab your phone, you remembered the text you received from Poe last night.

You wanted to text him back, let him know that he didn’t do anything wrong and that you wanted to apologize, but you couldn’t and you were so upset with yourself.

You finally shuffled out of bed and headed to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee when you saw Rey sitting on the couch.

“Hey.” Her voice was soft.

“Hey.”

“What happened last night?” She asked bluntly.

“Good morning to you too” You laughed lightly before opening the cabinet and grabbing a mug.

“Y/N” You looked back to see her serious face. “What happened between you and Poe?”

You sighed, turning the keurig on and putting your cup underneath. You turned to look at her, leaning against the counter. “Nothing happened. We didn’t do anything.” You crossed your arms.

“Why did you leave? Poe came back into the bar and told us he wanted to go home. Poe never does that.” She sounded as if she was angry, like you did something wrong.

You looked down, shuffling your feet. “We made out in his car. We were…we were about to…” Talking to your cousin about almost having sex with one of her friends wasn’t the most comfortable topic.

“Fuck?”

You shot her a look and she cocked her eyebrow.

You rolled your eyes and sighed. “Yeah. But we didn’t.”

She nodded. “Obviously. I thought you said there was nothing happening between you and Poe?”

You grabbed your cup of coffee before walking over to her and sitting beside her. “I didn’t think there was. But then last night...” You replayed the night in your head. Was Poe kissing you because he liked you? Or because he was horny?

“You didn’t go through with it.” You nodded.

“I couldn’t.”

“Because you like him and you don’t want to mess this up.” She said what you were thinking. She knew you too well.

You sighed, admitting it to yourself and her. “Yeah, I like him.”

“So tell him, tell him you want to take things slow!”

“I can’t!” You nearly yelled. “I can’t get Kyle out of my fucking head”

Her face softened. She knew you were in a toxic relationship and that you wanted out, but she didn’t know the details. “Y/N, what did he do to you…”

Tears started to form in your eyes. If there was one thing you hated more than thinking about him, it was talking about him and what he did to you.

“You know what he did” You told her sternly.

“I know he hit you once. I know he only cared about himself. I know he wasn’t very nice to you. What else did he do to you?” She scooted closer to you, putting a hand on your knee.

“Rey…” You looked at her, a single tear dropping from your eye. “I don’t want to talk about it. Please respect that”.

“Y/N I just want to know why he’s affecting you-”

“Please” It nearly came out a sob.

She nodded. “I’m sorry”

“I have to get ready for work” You sniffled as you started to get off the couch and head toward your room.

Before you could, Rey was pulling you into a hug. “You know I’m always here to talk, right?”

“I know.”

Rey couldn’t help you, as much as you wanted her to. You wanted to spill all of your emotions and allow her to comfort you, but you still couldn’t find the strength. Kyle had broken you and you still didn’t know how to fix it.

-----

Work seemed to go by so slow. You spent the majority of the day at the register, but not very many customers visited.

You spent most of your shift sitting at the register and reading To Kill A Mockingbird, one of the first books you had read in high school that made you fall in love with literature.

The bell above the door jingled as the it opened, alerting you that someone had entered.

Still focused on your book, you welcomed the guest. “Hi, welcome in.”

“Hi.” You recognized that voice.

You looked up, closing your book gently.

“Hi.”

Poe ran his hand through his hair. “Can we talk?”

“I’m working” You sounded a bit harsher than you intended, and you felt so bad. Poe didn’t deserve it. He didn’t do anything wrong.

He looked around. “There’s no one here. Can you get Tallie to cover for you? Please?” His face was desperate.

With a sigh, you moved from around the desk and walked to the back of the bookstore to find Tallie reorganizing shelves. You asked her to cover for you at the desk, which she complied.

You met Poe outside. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He looked uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry,” He said. “I never intended to make you uncomfortable in any way. I know I texted you that, but I wanted to let you know in person.”

You could tell he was covered in guilt.

“Poe..”

“Listen, I like you. And I don’t want to mess this up. Though I'm starting to think I already did. God, I’m such an idiot.” He rubbed his hands across his face before throwing his arms down and sighing deeply.

“You’re not an idiot, Poe. You did nothing wrong.” You said softly.

“Obviously I did.”

“You didn’t.” You stared at him before looking down. “Look, I like you too, Poe.”

“Then let me take you out.”

“But I can’t do this right now.” You nearly said at the same time that he spoke.

He sighed. “I’m going away for a few days for work. Can we go out when I get back?”

You didn’t answer.

“Y/N. I don’t want this to ruin anything. I don’t want you to think of me as that guy who just wants to have sex… I’m more than who I was at the bar” His voice was sincere.

You put your hand on his cheek, rubbing your thumb over his soft skin. “I don’t think of you like that. I just…” you removed your hand from his cheek, “I don’t want to mess up our friendship”

“Me neither. I want you to get to know me more. Just please trust me.”

You sighed in which he looked away from your gaze.

Your last encounter had beaten him up more than it should have. It had nothing to do with him. Besides, he had asked for your consent and you had said yes. It was your past that crawled back and stopped everything. You wanted to tell him, but you couldn’t.

“I have to get back to work. I’ll text you.” Really you just wanted to get out of the awkward conversation you were having in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Will you actually reply this time?” He joked.

You chuckled. “I promise” And with that he pulled you into a hug and kissed your head before watching you walk back inside.

“You two okay?” Leia was standing by the register. There was no doubt she had witnessed your full conversation.

You ran your hand through your hair nervously. She was very protective over her nephew, she had made that very clear the more you got to know her.

“Poe and I just had a….moment… last night. We needed to clear things up, that’s all.” You said as you hurried behind the counter, allowing Tallie to go back to organizing books. You grabbed your book you had been reading, trying to avoid continuing the conversation.

“Y/N. Poe called me last night.”

Your eyes immediately shot to meet hers.

“He told me what happened. Not in detail, of course, but I got the idea.”

You blushed slightly as she took your hand in hers.

“He likes you a lot. He talks about you all the time to me. You need to understand that he would never try or do anything to disrespect you. He feels really bad. Don’t be too hard on him.” She squeezed your hand gently.

You swallowed, looking down at her hand. “I know that. It wasn’t him, Leia. It was me. I um...I was in a bad relationship back in New York...and I just got nervous. It was just too familiar.”

Her face softened as if she understood you completely. “Then don’t rush it. Go at your own pace. You like him too, don’t you?”

You nodded in which she smiled softly. “You don’t need to rush into anything. You do what you feel is right. If that is taking a month, a year, two years, then that’s okay. No one knows you better than you know yourself. You know what you want.”

What you wanted was someone to respect you. To not hurt you the way that Kyle did. To love you. To care about you. Someone to really know you. Someone to heal you. The fact that Poe had gotten so scared he had messed up and called Leia proved that he cared about you a lot, maybe even more than you thought.

“Thank you, Leia.” It was nice to get advice from her. Not just because she was Poe's aunt, but because she had seemed to understand what you were saying about your past relationship.

She smiled at you again before walking to the back of the store to check on Tallie.

Your conversations with Poe and Leia replayed in your head as you completed your shift. It made you feel better knowing that both you and Poe wanted the same thing, which meant that Leia was right. There was no need to rush into anything, things would work out the way they were supposed to. Besides, you enjoyed the butterflies you had in your stomach when you were with Poe. You had never felt butterflies before.

----

It had been a few days since Poe had come by your work to talk to you. He was flying back from South Carolina today and asked if he could come over, which you had said yes to.

The few days away from him had you thinking about your feelings. You wrote in your notebook the positives and negatives about having feelings. It almost seemed impossible that you had been developing feelings so fast for him, especially with everything you had been through in the past. You didn’t think it would be this easy, but then you were reminded that even though you had liked him, you had trauma that may affect the way you carry yourself in a relationship.

You looked through your notebook, your face heating up as you read.

Kyle told me to go fuck myself today.

Kyle broke the bracelet Jessika made me.

Kyle hit me again.

Tears welded in your eyes and you slammed your notebook closed again, similar to how you did the night you had first met Poe.

You shook your head. Poe isn’t like that, you tried to convince yourself. Poe cares about me. It still seemed hard to believe. You wanted to try this, but you were worried of becoming attached the way you became attached to Kyle.

You were strung from your thoughts when Rey knocked on your door that was cracked open.

“Poe’s here” She said.

You quickly threw your notebook into your desk drawer before nodding, blinking back your tears.

Poe entered your room, leaving the door open. Man, he was gorgeous.

“Hey” He smiled.

“Hi” You smiled back, “How was South Carolina? Where were you exactly?”

“Charleston. It was good. There was a bit of a storm but nothing too crazy.” He sat on the edge of your bed and you spun in your desk chair to face him.

“So…” You tapped your fingers against your legs.

“Is this how it’s gonna be now?”

“What?”

He rolled his eyes “Awkward.”

You shrugged, “This doesn’t seem awkward.” Yes it does.

“Y/N.”

You sighed, giving in. “Okay it’s a little awkward.”

“Would you just let me take you out?” He asked. “We can go dancing again.”

You laughed, “We know what happened the last time we danced together. I walked out on you with no explanation...”

“Okay, then let’s go for a walk on the beach.”

You loved the beach. That was one of the reasons you wanted to move in with Rey. You wanted to get away from Kyle, of course, but the beach was another factor. Poe's request was tempting.

“Like a date?”

“Yeah.” He looked into his hands, knowing he would probably be rejected once again and altogether friendzoned.

You moved to Florida to start over, not to linger on your past. As much as you were still hurting, you knew that you liked Poe. You wanted to trust him. You came here to control your life, and it sucked that Kyle was still influencing your actions even if he wasn’t physically there anymore. It had been a month since you arrived in Florida. You wouldn’t let Kyle hold you back any longer, as scary as it might be.

You bit your lip as you thought about what Leia had told you. You know what you want.

“Give me a chance. Please.” He leaned forward to allow his arms to rest on his knees.

“Okay.”

He looked up at you, his eyes immediately brightening and his lips forming a small smile. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Yeah I’ll go on a date with you.”

taglist <open> @twomoonstwosuns @rewritingstarrs @damnyoudameron @aidela @fanfiction-trashpile @darksideofclarke @demigod-dragonrider-schoolidol @lanatheawesome @fantasticcopeaglepasta @softly-sad @the-cry-of-youth @yeeintensifies @itsamedeemoney

[raybyanothername]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Star Trek: Voyager Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kathryn Janeway & Q Junior, Icheb/Q Junior Characters: Q Junior (Star Trek), Kathryn Janeway, Icheb (Star Trek), Seven of Nine, Naomi Wildman, Voyager Crew Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Crew as Family Summary:

Young Q absconds to earth to stay with his godmother. Janeway is absolutely suspicious, but...he is her godson, and she can't trust Q to help his son now can she?

-.-.-

Captain Janeway would love to say she was surprised by this turn of events. Really, she'd have even given up a coffee ration for an iota or two of shock if they were still in the Delta Quadrant (just the one ration though).

Reality as it was, when she opened the door to her quarters to find Q Junior sitting on her couch, eyes already wide and ready to pout, Kathryn just sighed. She plopped herself beside her godson and rubbed her fingers into the sides of her forehead. A headache formed anyway.

Some of the manners she'd instilled while Q was under her care in the Delta Quadrant must have stayed with him because the immortal young man waited until she dropped her fingers. "Alright. Go."

"He's completely overbearing! And controlling!" Q jumped up to start pacing. Kathryn smiled as she watched him gesture out - it was a very human thing to do after all. As were his street clothes - no Starfleet uniform in sight. "I mean, what's the point of my exploring the infinite universe if HE makes all the decisions! We went to the same three systems over and over again and -"

Kathryn let the boy rant for a good long while - at least five minutes - before she cleared her throat. Q turned back to her with sunken shoulders and puckered lips. Even his curly hair looked a little slumped.

"Can't I stay with you for a while Aunt Kathy?"

Her eyebrows raised, "You want to stay with me?" She glanced around at her apartment.

It was larger than her quarters on Voyager, but it was still just the two bedrooms. The kitchen didn't even warrant its it's own room, just a few cabinets that ran along the wall beside the replicator. "You are aware I'm assigned to Starfleet Headquarters right now? No adventures. No space. There's very little excitement."

Q shrugged and slunk into the couch beside her. His eyes widened a fraction, "Please, Aunt Kathy? Anything's better than another trip to the Urus system." His lower lip stuck out, "I'll be good. I promise."

"I highly doubt that," Kathryn snorted, but she patted his cheek nonetheless. Q smiled at the gesture, leaned into it even. "You can stay." She sighed as he jumped up in exclamation.

Immortal Omniscient Being or not, the Young Q was essentially the same as any other teenager. He made a dramatic show of jumping up and down and talking a mile a minute about everything there was to do on earth.

Exactly like a teenager. That also meant he needed something to do while she worked or he'd drive her nuts for sure.

"If you'd like, I'm sure the Academy would let you sit in on a few classes while you're here." Q's head lulled and Kathryn smiled at him. "Think of it like diplomatic training, might come in handy someday."

Q grumbled out an agreement. "Yes, Aunt Kathy."

She stood then and gave him a quick tour of her apartment - mostly unnecessary as she was positive he'd already snooped around, but it gave her a chance to lay some ground rules. Namely - no unnecessary use of powers and no joyriding.

The end of the tour brought the encounter's first real shock.

"Thanks Aunt Kathy!" Q gave her a swift hug and then immediately flounced onto her guest bed when she opened the door to the room. There, he promptly fell asleep. He hadn't even snapped his fingers to change into pajamas. Just…closed his eyes and went to sleep in his jeans and sweatshirt.

Even when he'd temporarily had his powers revoked, Kathryn had never seen Q sleep. Or his father for that matter. And she'd checked on her godson at all hours of the day that week. Like everyone, Q looked more peaceful in his sleep with the lines on his face all smoothed out. It struck her then that most of Q's smiles that night had been tight.

Kathryn instructed the computer to turn the lights to low. Q shifted, pulled the blanket closer. She ruffled his hair slightly before padding out of the room, "Goodnight, Q." Once she was in the living room, she placed her hands on her hips and waited.

"Kathy!" Q Senior was just as magnanimous as usual. Kathryn glared him down, per usual as well. "I see Junior's come running to you for help again."

"You were the one asking for my help last time, Q, not him." She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "Now, why don't you explain why he's running away from you?"

Q held a hand to his chest, gasping, "Run away?? From me? Preposterous!" Janeway's eye twitched. "Alright! We might have had a slight disagreement."

Her headache returned full force.

It took Janeway two hours to get the Elder Q out of her apartment, sans son. He'd hemmed, he'd hawed, he'd snapped a literal donkey into her apartment, but he'd finally acquiesced that Junior needed a break and Janeway was the best option.

"Not like I'm his godmother or anything…" Janeway groused to herself as she started to undress. She threw her uniform jacket over the back of a chair.

These quarters had been given to her by Starfleet when Voyager returned. She still hadn't managed to really move in - the walls were blank, the closet empty but for those items she'd needed after her assignment to Headquarters.

Staring at the lack of non-replicated clothing in her room, Janeway made a decision. If Q was moving in, so was she.

"We're going shopping once I get back from work today," Kathryn enjoyed the way Q's face slackened as he turned from scowling at her replicator to look at her the next morning. She smirked, sipped her coffee, "This place needs a little color and comfort. Your visit is the perfect excuse to add some."

Q rolled his eyes and grabbed his bowl of cereal - not sugary, because Kathryn had set parameters on the machine before going to bed last night. He didn't snap his fingers as he begrudgingly dug in and Kathryn felt a small bubble of triumph.

"Do you think I could pick up some clothes while we're out then?" Q asked, mid-bite. Janeway stared him down and he swallowed before speaking, "Your replicator doesn't have many options."

Janeway eyed Q's jeans and sweatshirt. "I'm surprised you don't just…" she snapped her fingers "…yourself some." Q fidgeted, fiddled with his spoon. "Q?"

"…I'm…uh…" He ran a hand through his hair. Janeway set her coffee down. Q's head shot up, big grin in place and shrug on his shoulder. "I'm just respecting your rules, Aunt Kathy. You said no powers, so. No powers!" Q gave her a thumbs up.

Janeway lowered her chin, eyes narrowed. "Try again." Q raised his hands to his chest, insulted. "You're not nearly as convincing as you think you are."

"I don't really think I'm that good actually..." Q sighed and his entire persona fell away. A slight frown and a furrowed brow were all that was left.

"Q?"

"It's nothing, Aunt Kathy, promise. I just don't want to use my powers right now." Q looked her straight in the eye this time. The pupils trembled just a touch and Janeway caught the wobble of his lips.

"Fine," Janeway drawled, eyebrows low. Q let out a breath and returned to his cereal. "I hope you'll tell me, eventually." Q kept his eyes diverted, but his cheerful little mask returned before she left for work.

Janeway didn't buy that any better than she had either of his explanations. Q was running away from more than just his father, of that she was certain. And, maybe even a little shocked. The day officially warranted a second pot of coffee.