#am I back because university is kicking my ass and I miss my little blond man and writing about stuff which isn't strictly academic? yes

[prosciuttulipa]

"Prosciutto," It carries itself over into the kitchen, where a blond man works at the counter, knife stalling. "I'm home."

He knows he has every right to be mad. The culprit comes into view, surprisingly quiet and composed. From what Prosciutto remembers of her, she would've made a ruckus, tripping over ten things and herself before making it to him. But it has been two years. A lot can happen in two years.

She looks friendly but tired, and her smile has dulled, like she's been through something difficult, and is still crawling her way out. "I'm sorry I've been away," and the words are tender and wonderful (he'd almost forgotten her voice). "How have you been? Taking care of yourself?"

"Obviously."

Silence fills up the space as they take a moment to orient themselves. They've been apart, but that doesn't mean they've been unaware. He has felt her change, knows how parts of him no longer fit against her as well as they did. She knows he's felt the push and pull between them, how she occasionally crawls into his arms at night and disappears in the morning, a dream to the both of them.

And yet. She laughs slightly, and the cadence is the same. Right on cue, he finds himself smiling at the sound.

Times have changed the two of them, but enough of them has stayed. He chops up the rest of his ingredients, throws it in the frying pan. "How about staying for dinner?"

The pan sizzles, oil popping like fireworks. "I'd love that."

[lemonluvgirl]

Make Me has been Updated

So recently I had a very nice reader point out in the comment section that in my Modern AU fic Make Me, Peeta seemed to get overpowered by Gale too quickly in their fight considering I wrote Peeta as a college wrestler who had won a wrestling scholarship. I actually thought that was a very good point and with the help of that kind reader, I did some research and added some more plot to the fight scene in chapter 1. Then writing for this universe got me inspired again and today I decided to write a continuation of Katniss and Peeta's romantic night at Peeta's apartment. So, more Gale getting his ass kicked has been added as well as more Everlark smut. I am feeling pretty happy with the way the revisions and added content turned out! So if you haven't read it before, or if you have and want to read more, You can check out the new and improved version of Make Me AO3.

Excerpt from Chapter 1:

It was supposed to be an ordinary Saturday night. The kind where I met my best friend for drinks at the local hole in the wall, and hustled some miners out of their pocket change. They were usually easy marks who paid more attention to the way my ass looked in my short denim shorts while I lined up a shot, than the actual game.

But a little into the first half hour, while patrons were still trickling in slowly, the mood in the bar changed from relaxed to filled with some kind of unnamable tension. It was still early, too early for any drunken disagreements to break out, but the tense mood lingered. I shrugged it off as Gale and I started to prepare for our first game.

The first time I noticed him was when he stood in front of the bar but didn’t sit down. He just held up a finger as he gave the bartender his order. His hair was pale blond, and he had a thicker build than most of the olive-skinned men from the Seam. I only caught a side glimpse of his face, and then the crowd flowed around him, obscuring him from view.

Well, an outsider coming into our bar certainly explained the weird feeling I’d gotten earlier. I chalked it up to obliviousness, maybe a traveler passing through who didn’t know the customs of the locals.

The second time I noticed him was when he slowly sauntered over to the pool table that all of the regulars at the bar knew as my and Gale’s spot. At first, he just seemed familiar, but the closer he got the more familiar he appeared. He walked up to us and placed a quarter on the rail, at the same time I placed him, and where I knew him from.

“I call next,” the blond guy said in a voice too cheery for the dreary establishment we all called The Hob. He was taller than I remembered but still stocky, and broad-shouldered. I wondered what he was doing here on a Saturday night.

The only identifying mark outside this place was a busted neon sign labeling it ‘Bar’. He couldn’t have chosen to come in here based on the aesthetics, or the welcoming atmosphere. This place was usually only frequented by exhausted miners and out-of-work Seam residents, and he stuck out like a sore thumb. He was wearing a plain dark blue button-up, some faded dark wash jeans that still looked serviceable and his brightly colored sneakers had seen better days but she was sure at one time they had been expensive, like the rest of his slightly out-of-date outfit.

Beside me, Gale laughed.

“I think you missed your exit Merchie. The townie bar is 4 streets over,” Gale told the guy, who I went to school with from elementary to high school. He had been the youngest son of the baker, valedictorian in my class, and captain of the wrestling team. I vaguely remembered the circumstances surrounding his reappearance in our podunk town.

His father passed away last year. People said their family bakery was in trouble, and the former golden boy had to move back home because his university scholarship had been cut when he blew out his knee. A string of unfortunate events seemed to plague the kind boy I once knew.

All that and his pale merchant good looks weren’t winning him any popularity contests tonight. At least not in this place.

“It's a free country,” Peeta Mellark said, voice firm instead of placating like I assumed he would be. He had a reputation for being a nice guy back in school, not a push over since he was strong and athletic, but more….gentle than anything.

But right now Peeta’s blue eyes didn’t look gentle. They looked immovable and hard as he met Gale’s gray gaze, stare for stare. It was a little shocking to see him so…unintimidated by my 6’3” best friend who could scare off guys who sniffed too closely around our pool table in a heartbeat.

I elbowed Gale in the ribs to cut the tension and the macho male bullshit going on. He turned to me with a scowl.

“Your turn to break,” was all I said.

Gale grunted and took up his pool stick, as Peeta leaned against the side wall watching.

I turned my back to him, hoping he’d get bored and leave eventually.

But he didn’t.

He stayed through the entire game, and I could feel his eyes on my back. Although he didn’t outright leer when I leaned forward to take my shots like some of the other guys were known to. Several times I caught his eye, but he always looked away or covered it by lifting the mug of beer to his lips, his stare getting lost in the dissipating foam.

Eventually, I kicked Gale’s ass, like I usually did on a Saturday night. When the last ball sunk into the pocket, my best friend handed over five bucks with a scowl but didn’t leave to go get us some drinks like he normally would. Instead, Gale stuck around and eyed Peeta watchfully like he was a wild animal lurking around one of his game trails, waiting for Gale’s back to turn so it could swoop in and steal a catch from one of his snares.

Peeta, seemingly unbothered by Gale’s lingering presence, took up a pool stick and a cue and ignored Gale’s glare. He instead looked over at me expectantly.

I looked back at him with a neutral expression. If he wanted to spend his Saturday night in a shitty bar, losing his money to a known pool shark like me, who was I to argue?

“It's your turn to break right?” Peeta asked me in a voice I almost mistook as shy. And when I looked closer at him, he smiled a little at me. It was…sort of adorable? I wasn’t used to guys giving me such blatant puppy dog eyes and sunny smiles with just the right hint of self-consciousness.

I nodded, fighting off a blush, and was about to ask him whether he wanted to be solids or stripes, but before I could, Gale cut in.

“She’s not gonna play with you,” he said in a menacing voice.

My head snapped quickly in Gale’s direction, and now I could see there wasn’t just dislike in his eyes, but something akin to fury.

“I didn’t know you were her keeper,” Peeta replied, as he shifted his gaze to Gale who crossed his arms over his chest. There was something icy in his tone that I had not ever heard before.

I was taken aback for a second by the bizarre turn of events. Sure, my long-time best friend had always been protective of me, but this was downright ridiculous. What did he think Peeta Mellark was gonna do? Shank me with a pool stick in the middle of the bar in front of a crowd of witnesses?

“He’s not,” I bit out the words to cut off Gale’s answer before he spoke. “Grab a drink, Gale. Or take a walk. I’ll be done here in a bit,” I ordered, fed up with his posturing and bad attitude.

“I’ll do that once this merchant asswipe gets the hell outta our bar,” Gale said, undeterred.

Before I could tell Gale what an absolute idiot he was making of himself, Peeta answered.

“Why don’t you come over here and make me?” in a challenging voice.

“Crap,” I muttered right before Gale took a step forward. The night was turning out decidedly differently from how I had envisioned my weekend going.

My heartbeat kicked into overdrive as I watched Gale square up against Peeta, but for his part, Peeta didn’t look even the least bit worried. He eyed Gale’s advance calmly, with almost lazy curiosity. He slowly set his empty beer glass down on the built-in shelf by the pool table and rolled his shoulders back with a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. 

“I’m gonna wipe the floor with you, pissant,” Gale said in a low, threatening tone, as he stepped into Peeta’s space, rearing up to his full height which was an intimidating 6’3. Gale probably had a good 4 or 5 inches on Peeta, (even though Peeta was broader and way more muscular) but Peeta didn’t look intimidated at all. It looked like he was welcoming this confrontation. 

Which was crazy. Just batshit insane. 

“Whatever you say, big guy.” Peeta mocked, in a cheery sarcastic tone. 

“Knock it off, you guys. Stop causing trouble.” I said, hoping to diffuse the situation, even though I knew it was a long shot. Gale was like a bull when he got mad. It took very little to wind him up and make him see red. Which was one of the main reasons we broke up. He had such a damn temper. 

Gale ignored me, which was no big surprise. But Peeta’s eyes flicked over to me and I saw indecision flicker in them for a brief second. I knew it couldn’t be because of fear, he wasn’t scared of Gale, I somehow knew that, but when he saw my disapproval he seemed reluctant for a second. 

Unfortunately, Gale used that momentary distraction to his advantage and he sent a punch flying directly for Peeta’s stomach. 

I cried out in dismay at Peeta’s impending pain, but before Gale’s punch could connect, Peeta dropped low and twisted away smoothly. 

He slipped out of Gale’s reach and Gale stumbled, losing his footing when his momentum kept going instead of being halted by Peeta’s body. 

Quick as a flash, Peeta turned Gale’s momentary coordination against him and through some kind of wrestling wizardry got his arm around one of Gale’s tree trunk legs and just-flipped him. Freaking, honest to God, just flipped my giant-ass best friend over like a sack of potatoes.

I hadn’t even gotten over my shock before Peeta was on Gale’s back, twisting his arm up and Gale was planted face-first into the floor, howling and cussin’ up a storm. 

“Give it up, buddy.” I heard Peeta saying, as if from far away, yet he was only a few feet in front of me. But my mind was still spinning. “You’re not getting out of this until you say the word,” Peeta said in a patient voice, talking to Gale like he was a small, misbehaving child. 

The entire bar was standing up, watching by now. When my eyes flicked up to the crowd that had gathered around, I was relieved to see as many astounded expressions on a good number of faces, glad I wasn’t the only one surprised by the turn of events. 

A few on-lookers dared to call out questions about who started the fight, and whatnot. Which I quickly answered in truth, pinning the blame rightly where it belonged on Gale. 

But as I looked back at Peeta, his strong arms flexing casually as Gale bucked and kicked out beneath him, his broad shoulders straining the fabric of his shirt, still wearing that same calm, slightly amused expression, I realized just what a smooth operator Peeta Mellark was. 

He looked up at the crowd who were speculating about how he’d subdued a bigger opponent so quickly, and someone volunteered the information that Peeta was a college wrestler. This caused a fresh wave of fresh chatter and more interest in Peeta. Some of the older guys, who followed town sports religiously, threw in little anecdotes about how the wrestling team had gone to State the year Peeta was captain. 

Peeta took it all in stride, keeping a good grip on Gale, waiting for him to tire out. When he was asked questions about the accident with his knee, he shrugged his shoulder’s in a kind of ‘what can you do?’ way, and said that he was lucky that he still had another one. That charmed onlookers in chuckling. 

This set off another round of expletives from Gale, who thought he was being laughed at. But I did not feel one bit sorry for him. As far as I was concerned, he had earned this humiliation fair and square. 

Peeta told him that he would not release him until he said he was sorry. 

Which Gale eventually did, through gritted teeth. 

Peeta got off him and moved to walk away, but Gale, sore-loser that he was, couldn’t resist kicking out at Peeta’s left leg. The one with the knee injury. 

This time Peeta did fall, and caught the edge of a chair on his way down. 

Gale moved swiftly to get on top of him, but I was officially done with the whole thing and just as Gale lifted his arm to punch Peeta in the face----

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read the rest on AO3.

[honeypirate]

Can I request a All Might x reader where class 1-A finds out hes dating someone whose quirk is a siren (Can control someone when they sing)? Maybe the students reaction especially Midoryia?

I don’t know if I did this one justice hahah but I did my best!

AllMight x reader (I went for gn but I might have slipped up in a few places just let me know)

Hero name: Sirenity

“Okay class today we are having a surprise special guest coming to talk to you guys” Aizawa sounds completely uninterested in this day and honestly he did feel like it was a drag, but he figures with your lecture and answering questions he could buy at least a 30-40 minute nap, at best you’d take up the whole hour. That is if nothing went wrong and with you being the number 5 hero he doesnt think too much trouble will happen. “They are a fairly new hero but that didn’t stop them from rising to the top ten quickly” you walk through the door and chuckle when it seems you interrupted him introducing you.

“Sirenity here will be talking to you about their experience with hero training and being a side kick” You were a few minutes early and Aizawa was mentally adding the few minutes more to his nap time. As Aizawa was zipping up his sleeping bag you stopped in front of the class with a smile “Good morning class!” you say to the students who were freaking out talking to each other about how cool you are, you see a green haired boy absolutely losing his damn mind in the back, muttering to himself while staring with wide eyes. “QUIET!” Aizawa yelled from his place on the floor and the class stopped talking, the green haired boy snapping out of whatever he was doing.

“Hey guys! I’m Sirenity and if you aren't familiar with me my quirk is like a siren, I can control people when I sing. I’m also an amazing swimmer but it isn’t related” you chuckle and watch the green haired boy laugh and then scribble intensely in a notebook, a few other students gave you pity laughs or smiles and you took it, any laughter is good in your book.

“When I graduated from UA, I was actually in general studies. It wasn’t until I went to America and went to a hero university that I realized what I could offer as a hero. I actually had a little help and training from a friend to really encourage me to realize my dream.” green haired boy’s hand flies in the air, his other hand coming over his head to hold his elbow, his eyes shine as he waits for you to call on him. “Yes in the back? What’s your name?” he stands and bows “Izuku Midoriya Ma’am/Sir but my hero name is Deku!” you hold in a chuckle as you smile at his enthusiasm, realizing this is the boy that All Might talks about all the time. a blonde in the middle of class snickers but you ignore it “it’s a pleasure to meet you Deku” he stands up straight and sends you such an intensely excited look “did you know All Might in America?!” he asks and then sits back down

“I did actually, he was the friend i was talking about. I stayed in America though when he came back here” you smile at the young boy as he scribbles away again, his question and the subject making you think about those days when you first met All Might. Strong and cocky, always smiling. You didn’t like him when you first met him, thought it was weird that a kid in your same high school also came to the same area in America. You kept finding yourselves around the same people during parties which was even more annoying when you were actively avoiding him. You blame his best friend at the time who was dating your best friend at the time. After a party that ended in drinking games with truth or dare and spin the bottle, you got to know him a little bit better and you became actual friends when you both ditched before they could rope you into seven minutes in heaven.

“Hey” you say with a slight chuckle as he walks into the kitchen where you were “hey” he says as you open the fridge “do you want a bottle of water?” “yes please” you chuck one to him on the other side of the kitchen. “You’re a…. support student?” he asks and you shake your head “general studies right now, thinking about going into law” you involuntarily scowl at the thought, it was what your parents wanted and you thought they were right. “Why do you look like you would rather die than do that?” he asks, pulling a deep sigh as you confess “it’s what my parents want for me” he moves close to you until he’s leaning against the counter across from you “what do you want for you?” you shrug “I dont know” he chuckles and takes a sip of water “why do I feel like you do know?” your cheeks flush and you dont feel like you could really sell a lie right now, you sigh again “i’ve always had a dream to be a hero, but I was in the general studies course in high school and now I’m undecided here. I feel like I wasted time and now I don't have a choice” you hop on the countertop behind you, kicking your legs gently “but you always have a choice. It is never too late to be a hero someone can count on. You never know if you are the one hero that someone needs! You can do anything! What is your quirk?” you get shy from his intensity and you look at your thighs “I can control people when I sing” you whisper and he closes all distance between you, tilting your chin up to meet his eyes “that is an AMAZING quirk! You are going to be an amazing hero! I can help you if you want” he says and you feel for the first time in your whole life that maybe, just maybe you could be a hero even though you’re late to the game.

“But any more questions will have to wait until the end!” you say when you see Deku’s eyes flash up to you again, a million questions floating around his eyes and he laughs with a nod. You continue with your story, recounting the extra training you had done with All Might to prepare for your hero exams, the exams you didn't have to take in high school. How an encouraging word from a friend was all you needed at times to get your ass in gear. You talk to them about your internship with America’s #4 mind hero, Brian, who’s one choice behind his name was that he thought it was funny because its just one misspelt letter from being Brain. His birth name wasn’t even Brian.

“After my internship I was offered a sidekick position with him, around this time was when All Might came back here, I had plans to come back as well but I couldn't refuse his offer. I worked with Brian for three years, during those times I grew exponentially as a hero and as an individual. you may want to rush the process of being a sidekick so you can become your own solo heroes, getting all the praise for yourselves. But this time in your career will mean so much and I really insist that you take the opportunity every day to learn everything you can from the heroes you work with. As someone who was late to the game, I have no doubt you will grow into even more amazing and brilliant heroes. More so than those we have right now, and yes I do mean All Might. You guys are the heroes of tomorrow! That is amazing! And I’m telling you right now you have a lifelong fan already” you point at yourself and mouth ‘ME’ with a smile “I am behind you all, ready to support your dreams just like my hero supported mine.” You pause for a moment “Any questions?”

Deku’s hand was up first followed by half of the class all raising their hands. You beam at the kids response “okay when i call on you please tell me your name or hero name, whichever you are comfortable with. Deku” you look over at him “I’m guessing you have about a billion questions?” he nods shyly, his cheeks flushing “that’s fine, i feel flattered honestly how about you ask the biggest one you have right now and then after you can stay behind and i’ll answer every single one. That goes for everyone who has more than we can get through in the next 15 minutes of class” they all nod and you begin taking questions.

You had all questions about being a sidekick or a pro, how hard it was rising the ranks, a blonde boy who introduced himself as Aoyama, who you thought was adorable, asked you how to not get scared, you smiled warmly at him “to quote one of my favorite american movies, “courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something is more important than your fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.”

You paused for a moment as you looked across the class, some really thinking about what you have said “I have fear, I feel it often, but I let the fear fuel my actions, let it make me brave because my biggest fear is about what would happen if I didn’t act.” you see Deku pause for a moment to truly think about your words before he scribbles away again.

You call on a pink haired student “hi i’m Mina Ashido! Hero name Pinky!” you love her energy “what’s your question Pinky?” she grins “I read in Hero Daily that you said you still find time for dating as a pro and that your boyfriend is also a pro. Do we know him?” she sits down and then adds “oh! What was that American movie?” you chuckle, your cheeks heating thinking about your boyfriend.

Before you could answer the door opens and All Might walks in “speak of the devil” you say with a grin and then turn back to Mina “the movie is the princess diaries. And you guys do know him i think quite well actually. Just another rebut of advice, if you guys want to date as pros, then you can find time for it if you really want that. It isn't for everyone and that’s okay too. But there is someone out there who will be an understanding partner and help encourage you. Don't give up any of your dreams, you can have all of them if you want them.” All might has stopped next to you as you talk, his hand resting on the small of your back as he leans up to whisper in your ear “I couldn't wait any longer. I missed you” your cheeks flush and the class starts to put 2 and 2 together, whispering to each other as you turn and kiss his cheek, Mina squealing in excitement, whispers flying around, blonde boy that hasn’t said anything this entire time was staring with mouth open, and you can feel the energy Deku is pouring out as his scribbles freeze as he stares at his idol and hero. His hero had a significant other and he didnt know.. He knew everything about All Might so how come he never knew he had a S/O and why didnt All Might Say anything?! Waves were rolling off the kid but you didn’t say anything about it yet, you just leaned closer to All Might “I missed you too” you whisper back to him but before you can say anything else the bell rings, signaling the end of class.

Deku stays frozen in his seat as the rest of the students get their things together and leave the classroom, some stopping to shake your hand and talk to you for another second before leaving. All Might’s hand never leaving your back. When the room is clear, somehow Aizawa slipping out unnoticed as well, your eyes flick to Deku, still seated frozen. “Young man what’s wrong?” All Might says and he finally snaps out of it.

“Do they know about …?” he asks and you chuckle “yes I do. He talks about you a lot by the way” you say and smile at the sweet way the boy’s face flushes and his eyes widen, smiling like you just gave him the best news. “How come you never told me you were in a relationship?” Deku asks and All Might laughs “you never asked me about my dating life” you walk down the rows of desks and sit in the one next to Deku’s “I’m happy to answer any more questions you may have” you say and the boy short circuits again when you sit next to him. He cannot believe how lucky his day was, getting a one on one interview with an amazing pro hero that is also dating his Idol and father figure, give him a minute, he’ll pull himself together.

You spend the next 30 minutes answering every question the young hero had for you and All Might answered some for you, ones that you couldn't really explain correctly. This was probably your most favorite interview, his questions were almost entirely about your hero work, they were thought out and original questions that weren’t superficial to make the public interested in you. This boy wanted to know every single thing about you as a hero, not you as a public celebrity. His eyes bright as he learns more, asking how you defeated your worst villain, asking your weakness was a fun one, you never got that before since it was fairly obvious.”hard of hearing individuals, ear plugs” you say and he laughs “i should have known that” All Might shakes his head, sometimes common sense eluded the boy, he was so intelligent and unafraid of asking questions that sometimes he lacked common sense for seemingly simple things.

“I’m sorry Midoriya but Sirenity here has to get back to work now” Deku frowns but understands, you give him your personal email in case he has any more questions and then you follow All Might out of the classroom. You chuckle once you reach All Might’s office, he locks the door behind you and then pulls you into his arms “if you wanted some one on one time with Deku’s new favorite hero you should have just asked” you joke as you wrap your arms around him. “I know you dont have work but i do soon and i needed a little time with my brilliant and amazing partner before then. Midoriya will understand plus you gave him a way to contact you.” you nod into his neck “how long until you have to go?” you ask and he looks at his watch “20 minutes” you smile and take his hand, pulling him over to the couch he has in his office and you sit down with him, laying back and pulling his head to your chest, pulling your gloves off with your teeth, carding your fingers through his hair. The entire time he had was spent laying together, as he moves to get up you realize something, they think you are only partners, only dating… “Hey Yagi? How do you think Midoriya will react when you tell him that we aren't just dating and are in fact engaged?”

[jj-5656]

Wanna Bet? With; Diego Hargreeves

A/N: Alright, it’s a long one folks! Took me just about all day but I was determined to get this one done. Special thanks to @jen8888​ for help with the prompt idea. I hope you all enjoy.

Warnings: Drinking, mild harassment, a LOT of cursing and✨sarcastic✨ Diego (grammar/spelling edits will be made later on) 

“C’mon, I can’t buy the big winner a drink? You had a hell of a fight.” 

“You promised a few drinks, actually. And the winner would have liked to go back to his room in the gym instead of walking two blocks over to this shit bar.”

“I appreciate the enthusiasm Di, truly inspiring.” You mutter out the final word as he opens the pub door, a wave of blurred chatter from it’s patrons and music from the old jukebox flood your senses. Diego doesn’t have the energy to rebuttal, seeing as you’ve had a battle of light-hearted sarcasm the entire walk here. The pair of you receive drunken cheers from a few of the patrons who must have bet on The infamous Kraken for tonight's fight. The brunette offers a curt nod, ushering you toward your regular seats in order to avoid any more attention. 

“Are we celebrating another victory or a loss?” Robin asks hesitantly from behind the counter, knowing by now two of her favorite regulars are here after a fight. 

“Victory.” You give her a smile as she places your beers in front of you, Diego rolling his eyes with a grin as you raise your bottle to meet his in celebration. 

“So, how’s it feel to be a local favorite? I’m here on even the quietest of night and there’s still talk about you, Kraken.” Robin gives a sly smirk to Diego, leaning over the bar as if to hear him better. Something ignites in you as they spark up conversation, and the not so subtle flirting on her part makes you take another swig after a slight scoff. Ignoring Diego’s curious side-eye towards you, a shot is in front of you as the pair is removed from your attention.

“Thought you could use a drink, on me of course.” In another ‘fuck you’ from the universe, there just has to be someone looking to get in your pants for a mere tequila sho-oh. He’s cute, and maybe the universe is not that much of a bitch after all. Not when you can feel Diego’s eyes burning into the handsome stranger as you offer your most charming smile.

“That obvious?” You both chuckle whilst clinking the small glasses together, not hesitating to down the clear liquid that burns some of the edge off.

“So, I kind of convinced my work buddies over there that I’m kick-ass at darts. And don’t get me wrong, I am. But maybe you could play a round or two with me to prove it?” You give him a once over as he speaks, glancing towards said friends who look to the pair of you expectantly. 

“Sure. No promises you’ll win though.” The words leave your mouth before Diego can even think to butt in, and the two of you are walking across the bar before he can even process what that cheese-ball has even said.

“Robin, who the fuck does that guy think he is?” He glares across the room as the woman laughs to herself whilst wiping the counter. Her smile growing when she observes the man angrily tracing the condensation on the rim of the cold bottle.

‘”I’m not sure y/n’s picked up on the fact that I play for the other team Diego. She’s probably a little pissed at me.”

Rob, what are you trying to say? Y/n has nothing against gay people-”

“Christ, Diego. Not that, I mean she’s probably confused our jokes for flirting. Man you’re lucky you’re pretty.” The tanned skin man narrows his eyes at her insult, scoffing before turning toward the couple grabbing the darts off of the board whilst lost in conversation. 

“Fuck you. And you know her and I are just friends. It’s not-we don’t...It’s not like that.”

“Right, so she just up and left to go play darts with some random douchey guy for fun? Let’s not pretend you’re not eyeing her every time she’s not looking Di. You’re practically pining over her every time I see you two.

“But you-”

“But what, I’m right? Besides, she likes you too dumbass. But you just sat here and talked to me for ten minutes while she watched.”

“Alright so, what do I do?”

“Diego, I’m not gonna hold your fucking hand while you write her a valentine. I have customers. You’ve never been one to back down from a fight right?”

“Right.”

“So go for it, knifeboy.”

               ___________________________________________

“Another double! Next round is on you then.” The man you now know as Henry grabs his darts off the board as you roll your eyes.

You prepare to throw, glancing incrudeously as he downs yet another shot with his friends. Looking over at you and muttering something that makes them all laugh. Your eyes focus back onto the board, eager to settle the head to head score and wipe that cocky smirk off his face. Quietly cursing yourself as you only earn an eight. 

“Lemme help.” He’s a bit too close for comfort when he utters the words from behind you, the strong smell of tequila informing you he’s had a bit too much to drink. “You need to square your feet, like this.” Your foot is kicked out into place by his own as his hands meet your hips, scruff tickling your neck when he tries to continue slurring advice into your ear. 

“Alright! Let’s just play the game.” Your face is stern when you spin around out of his grip, obviously uncomfortable with his sudden handsy demeanor. Diego rises from his stool across the bar, and you shoot him a look to signal you're fine, and quite honestly uninterested in his heroics. He grimaces when you do, slowly sitting back in his seat and crossing his arms in defiance.

“Whoa, whoa. Okay, no more helping out the competition then.” Henry snickers as he speaks, no doubt basking in the amusement he’s providing his co-workers. “How about we make it a bit more interesting. I’m pretty sure I can win here and-”

“Wanna bet?” You interrupt his rant with a challenging glare, skin getting hot with annoyance when his grin widens.

“Precisely. If you win, I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the night. Considering Rocky over there has been giving me a death stare this whole time.” His friends chuckle as he speaks, the pair of you glancing over at Diego who shifts in his seat before muttering something to Robin. “And if I win, let’s just say I won’t only be scoring on the board.” He eyes you at the end of his sentence, chest broadening at the ‘oohs’ from the childish group beside you.

Nice guy turned frat boy, why are you not surprised? Men are too predictable for their own good. Despite your now seething anger, you’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. Especially when sexism is at play.

“Fine. But just don’t get your hopes up. I’m assuming your right hand will do the most of the scoring tonight, an I’m not talking about the board either.” There’s another roar of hoots from the men at the table, other patrons giving them annoyed glances as they edge you both on.

                       -----------------------------------------------------

“25! I get a 50 next round and I win!” You cheer triumphantly, turning away from grabbing your darts off the board and bumping right into Henry’s chest. His face mere inches from yours as his hands grasp your waist once more. 

C’mon sweetheart, I know you want to come home with me. Why don’t we call it quits and I can get us a cab back t my apartment-”

“I’m going to win. And when I do, I’m leaving. Alone.” You pull out of his hold once more, side stepping away from him and only getting a few paces before you feel his large hand grasp your shoulder

“Don’t be like that bi-” He can’t even finish his sentence before you fell his hand suddenly leaving you as his body crashes against the wall. Your eyes trailing up his arm to see the sleeve of his jacket pinned against the dart board by a sharp, silvery blade. It’s tip buried into the red dot in the middle of the board and just barely missing the man’s wrist. The loud conversation has halted, and everyone in the bar stares expectantly at the three of you. Just great.

“Bullseye, she wins.” A familiar voice announces. Diego’s eyes are dark and filled with rage, fists clenched in an attempt to contain his anger as he eyes the man in front of him.

“What the fuck dude? Let the chick decide who she goes home wi-” Henry’s words are chocked to a stop once again when Diego’s on top of him in  flash. Forearm digging into his throat to catch the words about to leave his mouth. 

“You better watch your mouth pretty boy. Because next time, I wont miss.” The taller brunette seethes in challenge, Henry straightening up in a pathetic attempt to look more intimidating in his compromised position. 

“C’mon Di, he isn’t worth it.” You interrupt the testosterone battle with a huff, uncomfortable with the amount of eyes on the scene going down.

Diego's eyes move fiercely between you and the man under him, softening a bit when you enter his line of vision. Letting out a patronizing chuckle, he rips the knife from the board and backs away. Turning towards you with yes glimmering mischievously. And because Diego isn’t the least bit threatened by this douchebag, he let’s his guard down. Before you can warn him, Henry’s newly freed fist is in the air and bout to collide into Diego’s cheek. 

Instantly dodging the attempted blow, Diego lands a harsh strike into the blonde’s jaw. A few gasps from the other customers as Henry hits the ground with a thump. You smack your palm against your forehead as a round of cheers come from the men who had watched The Kraken’s fight earlier on, congratulating the man on yet another victory.

“Alright, that’s enough! You guys are out!” Robin forces her way through the groaning crowd as she motions the group of you to the door. Simply raising her finger at the Henry’s friends who are half holding him up from the floor and shouting words of protest. 

“Ah-ah! No talking, now I have to mop your friends blood of the floor because he’s too bitch to respect an uninterested woman’s rejection. Get that asshole out of here, I don’t want to see him or any of you incels again.” She finishes sternly, rolling her eyes as the group shuffles out of the bar. The other patrons have died down now, back to conversing about other things as if nothings happened. 

“We’re so sorry Robin I-”

“Nonsense y/n, it wasn’t your fault. Unfortunately, Conor McGregor here needs to go too.” Robin interrupts with a glare towards a very giddy Diego.

“Wha- Robin! Did you see that shit? I just knocked his ass out cold!” 

“Yeah I saw that shit, and now I have to clean it. You know the rules Diego, no knives and obviously no fighting in my bar! Now go, it’s not like you two wont be here to bother me next weekend anyway.” Albeit a bt pissed, the woman nods you two off with a knowing smile as you exit. “Bob, go get me the mop!”

Her shouts are drowned out when the door shuts and you’re met with the brisk night air. The only thing illuminating the sidewalk of the city being the streetlights above you. You start walking back towards the gym, eager to get to your car and go home. Rolling your eyes when you hear Diego’s footsteps quicken to catch up to you. 

“What, you’re mad at me now?” He teases from beside you, eyebrows furrowing when his elbow jab does nothing in attempt to get you to acknowledge him. You quicken you pace, trying to take deep breathes of the cold air in order to calm you. “Let me try then. Hey Diego, my best friend who enjoys the company of just about nobody but me, who is also really badass and fights crime, thank you for saving my ass back there!” He finishes his teasing when you whip around on your heel to face him. Your eyes wide in bewilderment as he stops short to avoid crashing into you.

“Th-Thank you? You want me to thank you for the shit you pulled back there!” You’re shouting now, and thank god it’s so late so this wouldn’t be the second public scene you two have caused tonight.

“Um...Yes?” He’s a bit offended now, short temper no doubt fired up from your sudden outburst.

“Okay, sure. Thanks Diego for causing a huge fucking scene for a situation I could have handled.”

“If you didn’t notice, that asshole had an iron grip on you. He could have hurt you y/n!” 

“You don’t go throwing knives at people just because they’re handsy Diego. I had the situation under control. I was getting out of there before you had to swoop in with your whole hero act!” The brown eyes looking into yours widen at your words, before turning dark and cold as they had at the bar. 

“Fine, then I guess I’ll let you walk yourself home since your’re so fucking capable!”

“Fine!” 

“Fine!” In true Hargreeves fashion, Diego shouts the last word before storming off in the other direction. You turn around once more, wrapping your arms around yourself in order to keep warm. The quiet of the night is a little creepy, but your apartment building isn’t far from here. 

It’s only been a couple minutes since you two have separated, but somehow the streets feel darker without Diego. If it were a normal night, you’d be pestering him over something while he pretends to get annoyed. And you can;t help but feel a pang of guilt when you picture him walking alone, head down as he rethinks tonight over and over. But your anger is valid right? He spends half the night flirting with Robin, and then decides to get all protective? It’s bullshit, and the constant mixed signals make your head spin and heart ache. It’s you’re fault for falling for him though, and directing all your anger and hurt toward him isn’t fair. On the other hand, did he not constantly send messages that he might be feeling the same way?

Your heart sinks when you pick up on a steady pair of footsteps behind you. Testing the stranger, you walk a bit faster, beginning to panic when they do too. A steady hand grips your mace as you continue walking, knowing your apartment isn’t far and if anything you can knock on Mr. Brown’s door. Recalling a time when he told you if you were ever worried, he’d be ready with his shotgun to ‘kick the shit out of them bastards’. But it’s late, and who knows if he’ll hear you in time. 

A hand on your shoulder rips you from your thoughts. Letting out a yelp, you swing your arm back so it knocks theirs away, giving a swift kick to their groin and sticking out your mace in preparation to spray and sprint. 

A guttural groan escapes the man on the floor, who shoots up a gloved hand to halt any further assault from you. 

J-Jesus Christ it’s me! It’s me y/n!” Diego manages to squeak out between wheezed coughs. 

Your hand smacks against your chest as you let out a sigh of relief. “Fuck Diego, you almost gave me a heart attack!”

“You know, I’d give a shit if I wasn’t worrying whether or not I’m able to have children.” He clutches his groin as he speaks, shooting you a glare when you kneel down beside him, hand over your mouth to stifle your giggles. “Are you seriously laughing right now? I’m pretty sure my dick just shot up into my stomach.” 

“I-I’m so sorry. Why’d you sneak up on me like that!” 

“I didn’t want you to walk home alone. Too dark out. But, I guess the reinforcement weren’t needed, seeing as you’ve just sterilized me.” He lets out a small chuckle when you laugh gets louder.

“I told you I could handle myself.” You offer your hand to pull him up, rolling your eyes when he lets out another dramatic yelp.

“I taught you that block, actually.” 

“Touche. Still up for walking me home?” 

                                  -------------------------------

You’re on the couch now, takeout strewn about over your coffee table as the tv plays quietly in front of you. Avatar plays on the screen, and although Diego always teases you for enjoying a kid’s show so much, he’s fully invested in every episode.

Not now, though. You can feel his eyes on you, and shift uncomfortably before turning your head to look at him.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just...I don’t know, forget it.” He shakes his head as he speaks, taking a swig f beer before peering over at you again. In an attempt to ignore it, you try to focus on the tv instead. But he’s still staring, and you can’t help but become increasingly annoyed at his behavior.

“Diego, what is it?” You give him your full attention, shifting so you’re facing his side of the couch. 

“Well, we never really talked about tonight.”

“Am I dreaming, or is Diego Hargreeves trying to have an adult discussion about a confrontation right now?”

“I’m serious y/n. Y-you haven’t been acting like yourself lately?”

“How have I been acting like then?” Your brows furrow defensively, and you straighten up as he replies.

“Like that! Like I’m I don’t know...Pissing you off all the time! I just want to know what a did wrong. And you do that little thing with your nose where you scrunch it up and stuff. And..Well, it’s pretty cute but you always get angr-”

“No! Don’t even say that shit Di. You know why I’ve been pissy lately? Because, you’re always saying stuff like that! And then we both pretend it doesn’t happen!” You stand up as you argue, beginning to pace around the room as if to better explain yourself. 

“Say what?”

“You, you just say stuff that makes my stomach feel like flippy and I don’t know how to handle it.” 

“Flippy?”

“Yeah, and then I have to ignore it because I know you don’t mean it and-”

“Don’t mean it?”

“Would you quit repeating everything I say!”

“Sorry, you’re confusing me!”

“NO, nope . You are the one that’s confusing Diego. I get it, we flirt as a joke or whatever. But it’s not really a joke to me anymore, and I don’t know how to feel about all the shit I’m...Feeling, and I’m so confused all the time! One minute I think you might actually be interested in me and the next I’m beating myself up for ever thinking you would. Because we’re friends, you’re my best friend. I c-can’t be without you and then when all these emotions bottle up I get angry and take it out on you. I Love you! Alright, is that what you wanted to fucking hear?” Your hands fly up to your temples at the end of your spiel, rubbing them in an attempt to figure out whether tonight has all been one big nightmare. The living room grows quite, and you continue to stalk around the room as you await a response. 

“Can you say something lease? Or just like, go if I totally just fucked up our entire friendship.”

“I-you, well...You never told me that.” He stutters out quietly, eyes trained on you as you let out a cynical scoff.

“Yeah, well now it’s out there.”

“You like me! I mean, you totally have a crush on me!” He cheers with a laugh, not seeming to notice your look of pure confusion. 

“Great, thanks for the memo then. You know, you could’ve us let me down easy but hooray y/n just made a complete fool of herself!” You stutter to a stop when you realize he’s standing in front of you. A shit eating grin you so rarely get to see from the typically stoic man adorning his tanned face as he admires you. 

In a pathetic attempt to scrounge up what little dignity you have left, your eyes dart around the room to spark up some sort of conversation. “Oh, they finally made it to the Southern Air Temple...Can we-can we just continue watching and pretend like nothing happened? Because that’s totally cool with me-”

“Can I kiss you?”

“Wh-what?”

“Can I kiss you?” Diego repeats, softer this time as he steps even closer. Hands going around your waist as he looks for a response expectantly. You want to move out of his grip, unaccustomed to the way his warm hands take your skin tingle.

“What’s wrong? Do I make you nervous?” His eyebrows raise as he utters out the challenge, a cocky smirk plastered on his lips when your eyes finally meet his. 

“N-no.” You can feel his breath against your skin, and damn it if that electric shock feeling doesn’t stop shooting from his hands you might just-fuck it.

You collide your lips with his, eager to get that stupid smirk off his face as his stance slightly falters. You’ve caught him off guard, and you’ll be damned if he thinks you’re the only one to get bashful from the other. 

You pull away slowly, biting down on your lip gently and quickly pulling back when he attempts to pull you closer for more. You stay close though, and let out a soft chuckle when he grunts at your teasing. 

“Hey, don’t get arrogant on me now. I had you all flustered just a second ago. I have the upper-hand here.

“Really Hargreeves? Wanna bet?”

[bbrandy2002]

Happy Birthday Jessica!

Title: Twinsane

A/N: Jessie, You already know Burns and I are big fans of your characters and stories, in particular your Leo and Drake. The three of us made our big writing debuts at the same time in the Summer of 2019 and became fast friends that have continued through every high and low we’ve each experienced in our lives. You’ve always been a great and supportive friend with a big heart and a bit of a funny bone. We both hope you have an amazing birthday and we wish you all the best in the coming year.

This story takes place in a universe created by @jessiembruno​.

Palace -- Throne Room

Liam paced the ancient throne room, site of their infant daughter’s upcoming anointing and baptism. Everything seemed to be in place; Regina had made sure of it despite the cast on her arm from her latest sex injury. 

Still, he worried. 

Not because of terrorist threats, not because of Lilyana possibly blowing out her diaper and ruining a $2,000 christening gown. No, he had two concerns: 

His brother and his brother-in-law. 

His wife tried to console him about it, but every time she did, the new father threw his hands up in the air and said, “I don’t want to talk about that stupid pendejo. I just can’t with him --” and the fights they had afterward weren’t worth it.

Leo had passed two kidney stones on the day Lilyana was born. Liam felt bad for him; he really did. Everything he’d heard about passing kidney stones was that it was a truly painful ordeal. 

But Leo, as always, had taken things too far. 

First of all, he’d named them: Rocky and Peter. He referred to them as “the twins,” and everywhere he went, that goddamn jar went with him. It was embarrassing to be somewhere with him in public and then to hear the telltale rattling as he adjusted change in his pocket. 

That was nothing, though, compared to when he’d bought “the twins” a Silver Cross Balmoral pram at the eye-popping price tag of seven grand. It was both nicer and more expensive than Jessica and Liam’s $2,700 Bugaboo by Diesel stroller; Liam had thrown a fit. And not just because Leo had charged them both to Liam’s credit card. 

“We are carting around a royal baby! You spent seven thousand dollars on a grocery cart for your goddamn kidney stones?” 

Leo, puffing out his chest, had merely clutched the jar of medical waste to his heart. “My children are royal adjacent, thank you very much.”  

At least Drake understood that the elder Rys brother was off his rocker, but since Drake flew all the way off the handle every time the subject was mentioned, Liam tried to avoid the inevitable blowups. Just last week, there had been an … incident at a formal dinner.

“Drake, will you watch the boys while I take a piss?” Leo had extended the jar toward the surly dark-haired man. 

“Get those fucken things away from me, Leo! Those were in your fucken dick! What the fuck is wrong with you?” 

Liam had tried to calm Drake down -- Princess Lesedi looked absolutely horrified at the outburst -- but as usual, Leo just made things worse. 

Huffing loudly, he proclaimed, “Lilyana was in Jessica’s bacon hole, and I don’t hear you complaining about that, Drake. You hold her all the time, but you never take the twins when I ask! I am through with this open favoritism!”

Only Alyssa, quietly intervening and taking the jar, had prevented a full-on brawl from breaking out. But since she started to cry when Drake refused to hold her hand afterward even following a thorough handwashing, the crisis hadn’t really been averted in the end. 

Thinking of Drake only led Liam to ruminate on Mateo, his brother-in-law. Nearly a year before, when the four friends had attended a Yankees game with Jessica’s brothers, Mateo had made a sloppy pass at Alyssa without knowing she was in a relationship. 

Well, to be more precise, he’d actually talked about Alyssa in front of her face, not realizing she spoke Spanish, and told his brother “Alyssa can sit on my face.” 

The only thing that had saved the weekend from devolving into complete anarchy was that Drake didn’t know enough Spanish to translate. But someone -- probably shit-starting Leo -- had explained Mateo’s words to Drake, and now Alyssa’s new husband was out for blood. 

If any of them ruin my little princess’ day, Liam swore to himself, I will murder them. I’m king. I can pardon myself. 

------------

Palace -- Ballroom

Lilyana was properly anointed and baptized. At the head table, overlooking the large gathering as he cradled his daughter in his arms, Liam looked over the party with a sigh of relief and scooped up another forkful of chicken tagine. Everything had gone off without a hitch, and now they just needed to feed all these people, hand the princess off to Regina or one of her doting aunts or uncles, and he could spirit his wife away to take his “royal scepter” anywhere she wanted it. 

His eyes tracked to Leo, who was in rapt conversation with Penelope across the room. When Leo pulled the jar out of his pocket, Liam threw back his entire scotch in disgust. 

Jessica, resplendent in a new Ana de Luca original, came back to the table. “God, these fucken people are intolerable, Liam. How much longer --” Her words were cut off when Liam wrapped his hand around her wrist. 

“My love, give our daughter to her grandmother. Te necesito. Ahora,” he added, eyes locked on hers. (I need you. Now.)

She took the baby from his arms and brought Lilyana to Alyssa. “The princess needs some time with her Auntie Lyss.” 

Alyssa smirked as she kissed the infant’s sweet-smelling head. “And the queen needs to get her back blown out?” 

Jessica tossed her hair. “Fuck yeah.” 

Alyssa high-fived her before she walked away. 

------------

Palace -- Liam and Jessica’s Quarters

“You’re so gorgeous, love,” Liam grunted, gripping a fistful of Jessica’s hair and tugging her head back, exposing her throat to his lips and teeth. 

She shuddered at the feeling, reaching for his thick length. “We don’t have a lot of time …” 

“We have as much time as it takes.” He unzipped the dress and slid it down her body, admiring the curves that had only become lusher with motherhood. Lowering her to the bed, Liam’s lips moved over Jessica’s breasts and stomach. He toyed with the waistband of her underwear. 

“Liam, please --”

The panties dropped to the ground, and her plea melted into a throaty groan at the first swipe of his tongue. “Fuuuuuuuuck.” 

“Yes, love,” he said against her, working her with his hands and mouth. “Dámelo.” (Give it to me.)

She was still shaking with her release when Liam crawled over her, his rigid cock probing between her thighs. “Now, muñeca.” 

Something crashed against the door. 

------------

Palace -- Ballroom 

To his delight, Leo had reunited with Miss Willoughby, his fourth-grade teacher. Though she was no longer as perky as he remembered and had grown an unfortunate goiter, she listened attentively to Leo’s stories about his children. 

She had had a lot of champagne. 

“Do you have a picture?” she asked at last, after Leo had regaled her with the tale of taking Peter and Rocky grocery shopping for the first time. 

“Even better than that.” Leo proudly reached into his jacket pocket. “Boys, I’d like you to meet Miss Willoughby.” 

The teacher shrank back with concern. “Leo … what -- what is that?” 

“They are Rocky and Peter.” He pointed to each stone as he introduced them. “Their birth was excruciating, but it was worth every moment of pain.” 

Miss Willoughby rubbed her misshapen throat lump. “Are those --” 

He heaved a long-suffering sigh. “Technically they are kidney stones. But the word ‘kid’ is right in there! Love makes a family, Miss Willoughby. Not your status as ‘human.’” He punctuated the last word with finger quotes of disgust.

------------

On the other side of the room, Drake’s gaze narrowed on a familiar face. “Devereaux!” he hissed. 

Alyssa looked up from where she had been singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” to Lilyana. “What?” 

“Is that Jess’ fucken brother?” 

She bit her lip. It was Mateo, but no way was she letting Drake get involved in a brawl at the princess’ anointing, for Christ’s sake. “I don’t remember.” 

“What do you mean, you ‘don’t remember’?” 

Waving a breezy hand, Alyssa hastily tried to defuse the situation. “Oh, I was drinking a lot that day.” 

“A lot for you. Not for your average 15-year-old,” he snickered, agreeing. 

To Alyssa’s relief, the man had slipped out of sight. “Well, be that as it may, you should let that Mateo thing go. Everything’s cool.” 

He scowled. “It is not. I know he’s here today! I’m going to find him and kick the shit out of him.” 

-----------

“You should call me Roberta.” 

Leo raised his eyebrows. “Miss Willoughby -- Roberta. I would be delighted to.” 

She set down her flute. “You certainly grew up handsome …” 

Smoothing his blond locks back into place, Leo gave her a rakish grin. “Why, Roberta. How forward of you.” 

“Is there somewhere we can get away?” She reached out and gripped his ass with surprising strength. 

“I guess that depends on how much you’ve had to drink.” 

“The perfect amount.” Her hand slid around to the front, grappling with the front of his pants. 

“Whoooooooa. Well, in that case, yes. We can get away.” 

------------

Alyssa handed Lilyana to Drake in another attempt at distraction, nervous about the way he was pacing the room. “Uh, I have to use the bathroom. Can you take the baby?”

He was already cooing at Lilyana, assuaging Alyssa’s nerves until she made out the words. “And Uncle Drake’s gonna beat the fuck out of your Uncle Mateo ... yes, he is! Yes, he is!”

“Drake!” she gritted. 

“Because nofuckingone talks about your Auntie Lyssa like that; no, they do not!” he continued in a singsong voice, ignoring Alyssa completely. 

She rolled her eyes and headed out of the ballroom, content that he at least wouldn’t start any physical fights with a baby in his arms. 

------------

Palace -- Liam and Jessica’s Quarters

Jessica sat up with a start, unfortunately bending Liam’s manhood at an awkward angle. He screamed. 

“Who the fuck is at the door?” Her shrewd eyes, trained to find danger, scanned the room. She threw Liam’s jacket on -- their size difference meant it fit her like a gigantic robe -- and grabbed her taser. 

“Love, wait!” Liam struggled up from the bed, wincing at the pain in his dick. 

“Goddammit, Leo!” Jessica screeched upon throwing the door open. 

Her brother-in-law’s bare ass, driving rhythmically toward a faceless someone who was pressed against the opposite wall, greeted her. 

“Jess! Fuck!” Leo slowed. “Sorry, Roberta, hang on.” Continuing to hold her against him as a shield, he craned his head around to look at her. “I’m a little busy right now. What?” 

She slammed the door closed. “Liam, get dressed.” 

“What the fuck is going on?” The king complied, his good mood completely dissipated. 

“Your fucken brother is banging someone outside our door. I’m pretty sure his ass is the crashing sound we heard. His naked ass touched the door. I’m having maintenance replace it tomorrow!” 

------------

Palace -- Hallway Outside Liam and Jessica’s Quarters

Leo struggled back into his pants, grateful that his partner had kept her dress on. “Miss W -- Roberta, I’m really sorry, but we’re going to have to cut this short. Er, not that anything about me is short, obviously. But I’m pretty sure my brother’s about to come out here --” 

The door flew open. “LEO, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!” Liam raged. 

“Run!” Leo grabbed Roberta’s hand and took off running down the corridor, jacket in his other hand. 

------------

Palace -- Ballroom 

Alyssa hadn’t come back, but the more Drake stared at the man he had noticed earlier, the more he was convinced it was Mateo Garcia. 

That fucker. 

Lilyana had fallen asleep against his chest. He wasn’t going to disturb her or put her in danger, but … 

Drake looked at the abandoned plates of cake on their table. Steadying the baby with his left arm, he picked up a handful of cake and squeezed it experimentally in his fist. Maybe he hadn’t played ball with Liam and Maxwell in a few years, but he still had a decent arm. 

He rose, stalking closer to his target but staying close to the exit for a quick getaway. 

Drake raised his arm and fired. 

The handful of cake exploded against the man’s face. Spluttering, Mateo whipped his head around and roared, “What the fuck was that?” 

Drake and Lilyana slipped out the nearest door, almost colliding with a sweaty Leo, panic in his eyes. 

Leo grabbed Drake’s shoulders, careful to avoid Lilyana’s head. “Drake! We have a crisis on our hands!” 

He listened to Leo with only half his attention; his other ear focused uneasily on the new commotion of screaming and -- was that breaking glass? -- inside the ballroom. 

“So I need you to come on the search mission with me,” Leo finished. 

Drake shook his head to clear it, registering an older woman with a prominent goiter slinking back into the ballroom. “The fuck are you talking about? Did you just finish having sex with that woman?” He jerked a thumb toward Roberta.

The blond man scowled. “I didn’t get to finish, and neither did she, thanks to Jess and Liam’s drama.” 

“But the --” Drake gestured to his neck. 

Leo waved it off. “I hit it from behind. No distracting visuals that way.” 

“You, dickhead!” Drake grimaced. “Thanks for the mental image.” 

“My pleasure. Now, we need to go. Find someone to take the baby. I need you completely focused.” 

“On what? Where the fuck are we going?” 

“Have you not been listening to me? Jesus, Drake! I need you to help me find the twins!” Leo raked his hand through his hair, making it stand on end as his blue eyes burned with obsessive fire. “I took my jacket off when I was nailing Miss Willoughby -- er, Roberta -- and the jar must have fallen out. My children are missing, Drake!” 

Drake nestled Lilyana against his chest and covered one of her ears. “You -- you have lost the fucken plot, Leo. I am not searching for your -- your -- dick rocks!” 

“You were there at their birth, Drake. It hurts me that you take no interest in your godstones.” 

“Stop calling them my ‘godstones’! That is not even a goddamn word --” Drake broke off his rant as Alyssa appeared in the hallway, covered in red. “Jesus Christ! Baby!” He thrust Lilyana into Leo’s waiting arms; the baby woke up and began to cry. “What happened?” 

“Huh? You made the baby cry!” Alyssa went to take Lilyana, but Drake grabbed her.

“Look at you, Devereaux! Where are you bleeding from?” Frantic, he tugged the neckline of her dress aside, exposing her bra. She slapped his hand away. 

“Stop! I’m not bleeding!” 

“But --” He gestured to the bright stain marring her light blue dress. 

She looked down. “Oh, that. Someone dumped gazpacho on me when I was walking through the ballroom.” 

“What?” 

Alyssa pointed. “It’s anarchy in there; didn’t you notice?” 

The men peered into the room. Roughly 40 people, most screaming, flung food at each other, ducking to avoid flying lunch items and using plates and -- in several concerning cases -- overturned tables as shields. 

“What happened?” Leo looked concerned. 

Alyssa noted the guilty look on Drake’s face as she rocked and tried to shush Lilyana. “I think this baby needs to eat. Have you seen Liam or Jess?” 

The question seemed to snap Leo back to reality. “You should look for them, Lyss. Head them off --”

“What do you mean ‘head them off’?” 

But Leo continued, “And in the meantime, Drake and I need to find the twins!” He grabbed a loudly-protesting Drake by the arm and dragged him down the hall. 

A moment after they turned the corner, Alyssa, still rocking the baby, was startled by her voice from behind her. She turned her head to see Liam and Jessica stalking rapidly toward her. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re back!” 

Jessica took Lilyana, cuddling her. “Let’s go eat.” Stepping into the ballroom, she shrieked, “What the fuck?” 

------------

“I need you to help me file a missing persons report,” Leo said 15 minutes later, after they had repeatedly combed the hallways looking for the jar of kidney stones. “My children are in danger!” 

“Stop calling them your fucken children!” 

Leo pressed his lips together with frustration. “I went through two hours of labor and five minutes of pushing, all for your GODSTONES! The least you can do is help report the twins’ disappearance and bring them back to their Papi Chulo.” 

He was saved from Drake’s wrathful retort by a notification on Drake’s phone. “Oh, no you don’t,” Drake muttered, typing furiously on his keyboard. 

“What are you doing?” Leo huffed impatiently. 

“Someone outbid me for this lure I really want.” Drake finished typing and sucked in a breath. “Ohhhhh shit.” 

“What now?” 

Raking a hand through his hair, Drake extended his phone toward Leo. “Uhhhhh, I think you better look at this.” 

“HOberta69? Drake, don’t buy anything from a seller with that name -- holy shit!” he exclaimed as he looked closer. 

He clicked the link; the phone screen filled with his own image. “Yeah,” video Leo said, “it hurt like a son of a bitch when I pushed these li’l fellers out, but that’s parenthood!” He held up the jar and shook it. “The rascals.” 

Drake covered his face with his palm. “You are so fucken embarrassing.” 

“This fucken kidnapper! I give her the best two-pump-chumpin’ she’s ever had and this is how the old bag repays me? Oh, the fucken humanity! I will hunt her down! I will throw her in the dungeons! I will --”

“She’s basically holding them for ransom,” Drake said reasonably. “Maybe if you message her …” 

But Leo had already clicked the “buy it now” option. “Thank God I still have Liam’s credit card saved to my account.” 

Drake’s eyes widened. “You paid for the dick rocks? With Liam’s credit card? You know he’s gonna fucken kill you?” 

“Calm your tits, Drake.” Leo heaved a heavy sigh. “You and Alyssa haven’t created a family yet. The first lesson you’re gonna learn when the time comes, though, is that parenthood is full of bullshit sacrifice … and Liam is the lucky guy who gets to make that sacrifice.” 

[annabethy]

the seven and cows

based on this post by @blackjacktheboss because I thought it was hilarious

There’s something about Jason that irks Percy. He just has that effect on people, and the neat blonde hair and glasses sliding down his nose doesn’t do anything to ease Percy’s desire to drop kick him.

It’s the little things. The way he sits, tall and proud, at the head of the table as though they lived in a geocentric universe, and the world was Jason. He actually had the audacity to ask Annabeth to move from her spot, and Percy had never been more proud of her than that moment she shot him the look that said, touch my chair and I’ll break your neck.

“Percy?”

Percy’s blinks slowly, turning his head towards his girlfriend. Annabeth is looking at him, and he can sense the giggles she was holding back. Earlier in the day, he had made a rather loud confession about Jason being a prick, and she’d been teasing him about it all day. He’s sure she hadn’t missed that he was staring at Jason a second ago, face morphed into disgust.

“What is it?”

Jason frowns at Percy. “Have you missed the entire conversation?”

“I guess so,” Percy says nonchalantly, shrugging a shoulder. “Something about the wavelength of your voice just puts me to sleep, so.”

“Oh.”

Percy notes, preening, that Jason looks deeply insulted. It was too easy to bother that boy.

“Anyways,” Jason continues like the daddy’s boy that he thinks he is, “I was thinking—”

“Of course you were,” Percy mumbles. Annabeth muffles a choke into his shoulder.

“Is something wrong?” Jason asks. It takes everything in Percy not to scoff in Jason’s face because he just could not take him seriously. He doesn’t know where Jason got that whole superiority complex, but someone needed to knock it off of him real fast, and Percy would be honored to be the one to do it.

“Nothing,” Annabeth answers for him when Percy drops his face into his arms dramatically, his back heaving in silent laughter.

“I feel like he’s laughing at me,” Jason points out rather obviously, his eyes trained to Percy.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s not laughing at you,” Hazel tries hesitantly. She just looks more confused than anything.

“No,” Percy disagrees, lifting his head. “I’m laughing at you. I mean — god, you’re worse than Hera.”

Jason’s response is not so eloquent. “Huh?”

“Why do you pretend that you’re the best thing to walk this planet?” Percy asks, still chuckling under his breath. “You act like Hera, pretending you’re so amazing when really no one likes you.”

“People like me,” Jason says, but he words it like a question. He looks to Piper for assistance, but she just shrugs.

“He’s kind of right,” Piper says, “but that’s why I love you. You don’t care about what other people think.”

“But… what’s wrong with Hera?”

The entire room goes silent before Leo promptly bursts out laughing, slamming the table with his fists. “You’re joking! You have to be joking!”

“I’m not! What’s wrong with Hera?” Jason looks genuinely confused, his eyebrows scrunched together, and Percy wishes he had a stapler to throw at him.

“Did you somehow miss the whole Hera switching you and Percy, and also being a total ass?” Frank says.

Percy whistles. “Damn. And that’s coming from Frank.”

“Hera’s the queen of Olympus!”

Annabeth rolls her eyes. “You want to be queen of Olympus?”

He straightens. “Well… being king wouldn’t be bad.”

“So you want to be Zeus?” Leo asks, eyes twinkling. His lip twitches. “Dude, I don’t think that’s a life goal you want to have.”

“Hera’s not that bad,” Jason tries, his eyes lining with moisture.

“Did your mother drop you on your head?” Annabeth asks.

“Why do you have some personal vendetta against her?” Jason asks hesitantly.

“Her symbol is the fucking cow. What more reason do I need to despise her?”

Percy raises his hand for a high five. “You tell ‘em, babe.”

Jason pauses.

And then, “Do you guys not like cows?”

Annabeth takes a deep breath, closing her eyes and muttering something along the lines of god grant me the serenity.

“Literally what is wrong with you?” Percy asks, leaning forwards to rest his elbows on the table in front of them, glaring at Jason. “You like cows?”

“I think they’re cute.”

“Piper,” Percy says, “why are you dating him?”

“I ask myself that sometimes,” she answers, looking at Jason. “Cows? Really?”

“I didn’t know you all had some anti-cow agenda,” Jason defends. “My bad.”

Percy turns his head to look at Annabeth, who is still looking alarmingly close to having an aneurysm. He rests his hand on her knee, squeezing. She cracks one eye open to smile at him before she’s whipping around on Jason. Percy gets ready to watch this unravel, wishing desperately that he had some popcorn on hand.

“A cow. The nasty, huge, smelly cows that take shits bigger than your entire body mass? Those cows?”

“I feel as though you’re personally attacking me, and I don’t need this sort of negativity in my life,” Jason says.

“And I don’t need to be looking at someone who likes cows in the eyes, yet here I am!”

“Let me love my cows in peace!”

Frank raises a hand, trying to break in gently. Percy is a little sad, thinking he’s going to try to say something to ease the fight, but instead he says, “Cows are the most despicable beings I’ve met. Have you ever been to a drive through zoo? It’s bad.”

“Maybe if you gave them a chance—”

“No,” Hazel says, and Percy is surprised at the disgust she is able to muster.

“I—”

Percy threads his fingers in his hair, pulling slightly to ground himself before he leaps over the railing of the Argo II. “You like cows. We get it. You’re never going to recover from this.”

“Okay, but it would also be rude of me to not like cows because cows like me.”

“Oh, do you speak cow?” Annabeth asks, delirious.

“Well, no, but I can feel the energy they give off.”

“You’re disgusting,” Leo says.

“I want to break up,” Piper adds.

“Moo moo, bitch,” Percy whispers.

“You know what?” Jason pushes his chair away from the table and stands, shoving the metal rim of his glasses further up his face. “You’re all being very disrespectful right now. We were supposed to have a decent conversation about this quest, but instead you all decided to gang up on me, so enjoy figuring everything out for yourself. I’m leaving.”

“Going to cry to your cow pillow?” Percy asks.

“No,” Jason says, but his voice wavers as he’s already halfway out the room. Percy doesn’t even feel an ounce of guilt because it was a team effort. Jason was always rambling on about team bonding anyways.

Once he’s gone, the rest of the seven sit in the circle, staring at each other. Each person has a drastically different look on their face. Annabeth looks sick to the stomach, Frank looks uncomfortable, Leo’s over the moon, Piper seems as though she couldn’t care less, and poor Hazel just looks lost. And Percy?

Percy only has three words.

Moo moo, bitch.

[laurenairay]

Just Let Me Go - A. Burakovsky

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: swearing & mentions of cheating. lots of angst.

Summary: Andre had cheated on you on a roadtrip. Now he was home and it was time to confront him about how he had broken your heart.

Now with a follow-up part!

~~~

Three days ago, you would’ve said you were the luckiest person in the world.

Three days ago, everything changed.

Three days ago, you found out your boyfriend of two years had cheated on you.

You had met Andre shortly after he arrived in Denver. You were born and raised in Denver, attending the local university too, but that year you’d finally moved out of your parents’ house to live with some friends. You’d been shopping in Whole Foods, trying to kickstart a health kick that your housemates all swore they would stick to as well, and as you rounded the corner to find some sweet potatoes, your eyes had landed on an incredibly hot guy looking incredibly confused.

*

“What’s next?” you muttered under your breath as you scanned your shopping list, “Sweet potatoes!”

As you walked into the next aisle, you couldn’t help but slow down a little to stare at the person standing in front of you. Gods he was hot. Tall, great arms, beautiful curls…and a truly adorable pout on a very handsome face. Damn.

No, cute boys are not interested in girls who look like they just rolled out of bed, you grumbled to yourself. Just leave the curly-haired angel-boy to his confusion.

But as you walked past him to get to your sweet potato destination, he turned around, eyes lighting up with hope. Oh god.

“Hi! Um, can you help me?”

Oh god. Cute accent on cute boy. But you found yourself smiling, and nodded.

“I can try,”

The guy laughed, gesturing you towards him, so you walked to his side, heart beating just that little bit faster.

“What’s the problem?” you asked, trying to gain back a little more control of yourself.

“My nutritionist suggested I eat some celeriac...but I can’t find it and I don’t know what it looks like,” he said, smiling helplessly.

You laughed softly, pulling out your phone, starting to type.

“Why don’t you just…not buy it?”

The cute guy pouted. “Because then she’ll know that I didn’t understand when I said that I did?”

You couldn’t help but laugh again, and the guy smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. Ah there it is!

“Here,” you said, showing him your phone, “That’s a celeriac,”

The guy grimaced, making you laugh again.

“That is not what I expected,” he said, laughing as well. “But I appreciate your help,”

“You’re welcome,” you shrugged,

“Maybe I could take you out for coffee sometime to say thank you?” he asked shyly, biting his bottom lip.

Oh wow. You weren’t expecting that. But how could you say no to that?

“Sure, but it might help if you told me your name first,” you grinned, unable to stop yourself from flirting a little.

The cute guy grinned back. “I’m Andre,”

*

And that was that. That coffee date had turned into another coffee date, and a dinner and another dinner, until he asked you to be officially his only a month in. He’d swept you off your feet and you had fallen quickly, you knew that.

And you were happy. So happy. And up until three days ago, you thought he was happy too.

But it looks like you were wrong.

Andre had been away for just over a week, on a roadtrip with his team down to the three California teams. Three days ago, he played against LA, scoring twice, including the game winning goal. Damn that had been an amazing game – you’d even gone over to Mel Landeskog’s house with some of the other ladies to all watch it together. You’d all stayed for a few drinks afterwards too, nothing crazy, just enjoying the celebration together, and you’d left in an Uber with the promise of texting them when you got home so they knew you’d arrived safely.

But when you pulled out your phone to text Mel as you walked into your house, you had a flurry of text messages from your housemates, as well as other friends too. Messages which all contained the same photos. Andre was in a club, with another girl. Kissing another girl. You didn’t realise you had frozen in your doorway, until your three housemates were suddenly around you, all fluttering and flapping.

“He…what?”

You just burst into tears, and your housemates had taken over from there, one of them bundling you to the sofa, while the other grabbed blankets and icecream. Another girl. Another girl. Another girl. Andre had cheated?

You could barely breathe, barely process what was happening. Andre had cheated on you. Andre had kissed another girl in public, and everyone knew. Andre had cheated?

The worst part was, your last boyfriend had cheated too, also publicly, also with a pretty blonde. And Andre knew about it, because you’d both been open with your past relationships, telling each other everything. He knew how much your cheating ex had hurt you, how humiliated you had been, how devastated that betrayal was. And now…he’d done exactly the same thing. Andre had cheated?

And that was three days ago. He was due to arrive back from the roadtrip today. You hadn’t spoken to him since that night. Hadn’t spoken to anyone to be honest, outside of your housemates. There was no way they didn’t know, not with the social media explosion. It was so embarrassing, and you didn’t want to show your face. And you sure as hell weren’t there waiting for him at the airport. Not a chance.

From: Andre

Hey I’m back! Are you home? I haven’t heard from you!

You scoffed under your breath. Yeah no shit he hadn’t heard from you.

To: Andre

Yeah. I’m home.

His next message didn’t take long.

From: Andre

Oookay, can I come over then? I miss you!

How dare he.

Did he really think everything was okay? Did he really think you didn’t know?

You could feel the anger rising in you all over again. No. You were worth more than this. You deserved an explanation before you kicked his ass to the curb.

To: Andre

Sure. Come over whenever.

Your housemates were all out for the evening, and you knew they wouldn’t approve of this. But you needed to do it. And maybe it was best that they weren’t going to be around to see you explode at him. It definitely wasn’t going to be pretty.

It didn’t take long for Andre to arrive. You felt your stomach explode in butterflies as his car pulled into your driveway, but you took a deep breath to keep yourself calm, waiting a few seconds after the doorbell went to open the door.

“Hey Y/N!” Andre said happily, eyes lighting up as he saw you.

Your heart skipped a beat, and you swallowed heavily. How could he act like everything was normal?

“Hey. Coming in?” you asked, trying to keep your voice steady.

“Of course!” he grinned.

But as he ducked his head down to kiss you, you turned your face away, his lips pressing to your cheek instead. You saw him frown, but before he could say anything, you walked away, letting him shut the door behind yourself. He followed you towards the living room, but you just sat on the arm of the sofa, arms crossing over your chest. You couldn’t let yourself just welcome him back like normal. You couldn’t pretend that there was nothing wrong. You just couldn’t.

“I’ve missed you! I swear this roadtrip felt so long,” Andre said, smiling expectantly.

“Yeah it felt long to me too,” you said shortly.

His smile dimmed a little. You could tell Andre was just getting more confused, but that was only making you madder.

“Did you want to go out for dinner tomorrow night?” he asked hopefully, “Landy recommended this great place he took Mel to last w-”

“What was her name?” you asked, interrupting him.

“W-What?”

“What was the name of the girl in that club in LA? Red dress, blonde hair? You were wearing that blue shirt I bought you,” you said, voice calm and steady, although all you wanted to do was scream.

“I…I don’t know what you mean,” Andre stuttered, brows furrowing in confusion.

But you just shook your head, laughing in disbelief.

“Don’t lie to me! I saw the pictures, Andre! You, that girl, your hands on her hips, her lips on yours. It was all over twitter, Andre. So many people sent me the links. Did you really think I wouldn’t find out that you cheated on me?”

Andre froze, eyes widening. You watched as he opened his mouth, and closed it again, and you shook your head again.

“Wow, you can’t even think of anything else to cover your ass, can you?” you scoffed, clenching your fists as you stood up from the arm of the sofa.

“It was just one kiss,” he blurted.

There. There it was. Strange how his confession didn’t make you feel any better. Instead, it felt like a red-hot knife had slid into your stomach, his words twisting it in agonising pain. But you just pursed your lips, face hard and cold, even if your hands were shaking.

“Just one kiss. Not sure if I can believe that, if you lied to me once already,” you spat.

But Andre shook his head, eyes pleading. “That was the only lie, I swear! Y/N, I swear it was only one stupid kiss,”

One kiss that had been enough to break your heart. A lump rose in your throat, mouth going dry as your eyes filled with tears. You cursed yourself for letting your anger start to crumble, looking away from him as you tried desperately to blink away the tears before they fell.

“I trusted you,” you whispered, your voice betraying you.

Andre’s face crumpled, and he reached a hand out to turn your face back to look at him. “Y/N, älskling…”

“I can’t do this again. I won’t,” you said, interrupting him again, “You know my ex cheated on me, you know how much it hurt…and now you’ve done it too?”

Andre cursed under his breath.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It was a mistake, just a stupid mistake. I swear, I’ll make it up to you,” he begged

That’s what your ex had said too. But it was all lies. Why would Andre be any different?

So you took a step back away from him, the distance already hurting like a sharp pain. Andre’s eyes widened in shock; you took a deep breath to steady yourself.

“I am done. What you did broke my heart. I thought you loved me, and I can’t trust that you won’t do this again. I can’t trust you. So I am done,”

Oh God. There it was. You’d said it, you’d actually said it. Why did it have to hurt so badly?

“This can’t be the end,” Andre whimpered, reaching a hand out towards you, “Please don’t leave me,”

But you took another step backwards, lips pressing together briefly as you tried to compose yourself, eyes filling with tears again.

“It is, Andre,” you said, voice shaking, “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t trust that you won’t cheat on me again, that you won’t lie to me again. Please, just let me go,”

But Andre squared his shoulders, shaking his head, confusing you.

“No,”

“No?”

Andre scowled slightly. “No, I’m not letting you go. I fucked up, I know that. I fucked up so badly and I will do whatever it takes for you to forgive me, even if that means giving you some space. But I’m not giving up on us,”

Tears sprung to your eyes, your breath catching in your throat. Andre’s scowl softened as he took in your shaking frame, how you were barely holding yourself together. He moved towards you slowly, closing the distance that you’d put between the two of you, and gently rested his hands on your shoulders. You froze, making Andre freeze as well, but something inside you wouldn’t let you push his hands off. And with that, you could see the hope that entered Andre’s eyes.

“I love you, älskling, and I am so so sorry. I know you’re so mad at me and I get it. I hurt you. I fucked up. So I’m going to go home and give you the space that you need. But I swear, I’m going to make this up to you,”

You swallowed heavily as his thumbs rubbed back and forth over your shoulders, not sure what to say. He was right, you were so mad. Your body still thrummed with the hurt, the betrayal, the humiliation. But…

“I don’t know if I can…”

“Don’t finish that thought?” Andre blurted desperately, “Just…I’ll go. And you can be mad at me all you want. And tomorrow I’ll bring us breakfast and we can talk? Please?”

What were you supposed to say to that?

Andre saw the hesitation on your face, and squeezed your shoulders gently before dropping his hands. He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, making your breath catch in your throat in a sob.

“Andre…”

“I love you, Y/N. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Andre said, smiling sadly.

I love you too.

But you didn’t dare say it out loud, in case you broke down entirely. “O-Okay. Tomorrow,”

Andre let out a shaky breath as you agreed, pressing another kiss to your forehead before walking towards the door, not turning his back on you the whole way, making you laugh in spite of the situation. He sent you a hopeful smile as he opened the door, eyes not leaving your face until the door closed behind him.

And with that, the last of your strength left you, and you slid to the ground, tears finally falling.

[dontcare77ghj]

Flustered

Steve x reader x Bucky x Natasha

The three had seen the horrors of the world. It was a place of fear and mistrust. They had been forced to live through their own horrors and to try and fix the world. 

They had suffered through hell and come yet still came back. For a long time, they each believed they deserved no better than the life they lived. Thankfully the universe gifted them better.

The universe gifted them with each other as well as Y/N Parker. 

Y/N was not a superhero. Y/N was not a mutant. Y/N Parker was a civilian and they couldn't be more grateful to have her.

She was a light at the end of the tunnel. A light they'd never thought available to them.

Y/N was not oblivious to the work her brother and partners shared. She knew what they faced daily and she knew none of them were unscathed to the atrocities of the world. 

Y/N knew she was not a hero. She didn't save the world but she didn't need to. She just wanted to protect her brother and her three partners.

"Med, there's no more counter space. I think it's time to stop." Natasha smiled, watching you move about the small kitchen.

"There's plenty of space." You waved her off, placing a tray of cookies on the table. "Besides I need to make a lot, Peter has an enhanced metabolism and food just disappears with Steve and Bucky."

"I still think you have enough," Natasha said, getting off her stool and moving behind you. "You have enough to feed a small army." She added, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"One more batch." You bargained, humming contently as you leaned back into her hold. "I haven't made the peanut butter ones you like."

"You're too nice for your own good." Natasha sighed, pressing her lips to your neck. You could feel your cheeks turn red and travel down your neck as she kissed your neck.

"Nat, stop." You laughed as she lingered on the sensitive spot on your neck. "The ovens on." You chided her lightly.

"You've done worse with the oven on." She reminded you, causing your face and neck to burn brighter.

"Nat!" You whined as she laughed.

"You're so easy to tease." She smirked, kissing your cheek and letting you go. "One more batch and that's it." She allowed you.

"Thank you, sweetheart." You grinned, kissing her quickly before getting back to work.

"We're back!" Bucky announced as you were pulling Natasha's batch out.

"And we brought Peter," Steve added. 

"So please have your clothes on," Peter begged, causing Natasha to laugh loudly and you to flush once more.

"Peter Benjamin Parker." You scolded him. "Don't be an ass." You stuttered through your embarrassment as he and your boys entered the kitchen.

"Don't swear in front of the child." Bucky teased you, leaning down to kiss you. 

"Are you okay?" You asked him, leaning back and looking his body over. "No broken bones? No blood pouring out of your body?" You checked with him.

"I'm fine, doll." He promised you, squeezing your shoulders gently.

"It was a good mission. Very little injuries." Steve said, pulling you into a hug.

"Little injuries mean someone got hurt." You pointed out. "So who was it?" You questioned, looking up at him.

Steve did not say anything but you caught Bucky looking between the blonde and your brother.

"Couch now, Steven." You said, pulling away from him. "You too, Pete." You added to your younger sibling who was happily munching away at the platefuls of cookies. 

"Somebody's in trouble." Natasha sang as Peter whined and Steve slouched over to the couch.

"Eat your cookies, Nat." You shook your head. "Buck, sit down and have something to eat." You directed him.

"Yes, doll." He agreed, kissing your cheek.

"Who's the most injured?" You asked, grabbing the first aid kit and sitting on the table in front of them.

"Steve." Peter blurted out quickly.

"So you." You nodded, shifting to face your brother. "Show me." You demanded him. 

Knowing better than to argue, Peter wordlessly raised his shirt showcasing a nasty looking gash.

"Are you going home to May tonight?" You asked the younger boy to distract him.

"Yeah." He breathed, gasping when you pressed an alcohol wipe to the wound. "I just wanted you to see I'm alive." He teased you.

"I am your older sibling I'm allowed to worry." You told the boy. "I'll get you to take May some cookies."

"We have plenty to spare, Pete," Natasha mentioned. "We could give you three containers and still have plenty." She added around a mouthful of cookie.

"Are you mocking me, Nat?" You asked, placing a large bandage on Peter's wound.

"Yes, she is, Y/N." Bucky dobbed. "You should punish her by giving me all the peanut butter cookies." He said before the sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the apartment.

"No hitting." You and Steve scolded the two.

"Alright, Pete, you're all good. Go take a shower. There are clothes in the spare room." You said, patting his knee. 

"Thanks, Y/N," Peter said, embracing you before moving towards the bathroom.

"Alright Steve, show me what you did." You commanded, nodding at him.

"Technically HYDRA did it," Steve said, pulling his shirt off to reveal a   long cut on his arm.

"You run headfirst into trouble Steve. It's kinda your fault." Natasha told him as you began to wrap his arm.

"This looks like it's healing quickly. I don't need to stitch you up tonight." You said to him.

"What would we do without you, sweetheart?" Steve questioned, brushing hair off your face.

At the simple action, you could feel your cheeks burn red.

"I missed seeing that color." Steve chuckled, running his thumb down your cheeks. "It suits you so well, sweetheart."

"Shut up." You scoffed, ducking your head. 

"We can make that color appear in other ways, can't we doll?" Bucky teased, sitting on the couch behind you and Natasha sat in front of you.

"Guys I just want you to know I can hear you," Peter yelled, causing you to sink back on the couch as your partners howled. "I don't need to hear any of this!"

"I hate all of you." You said as your partners continued to laugh. "No more cookies for Peter and no sex for the three of you." You announced.

"You love us," Bucky said, throwing an arm over your shoulders. 

"Yeah, yeah I do." You admitted with a smile.

"Bucky you're not allowed to pick the movies anymore," Natasha said, pushing him onto the couch next to you. 

"Why?" Bucky whined, pulling you into his lap.

"Because you pick crappy movies," Steve answered, sitting next to the two of you. 

"What Rogers said." Natasha nodded, turning on her own movie. "And I'm not sitting through one of your choices again."

"Mean." Bucky pouted, resting his head in the crook of your neck. "You like my movie choices, don't you Y/N?"

"I liked it when you chose the Wizard of Oz." You smiled, running your fingers through his hair. "Just not some of your other choices."

"No-one appreciates me," Bucky whined as the movie began.

"Black Swan, Nat?" You questioned. "Didn't we already watch this one?"

"I love this movie." Natasha defended herself. "Besides it's better than Steve making us watch E.T. every other movie night."

"Bucky was right, no-one appreciates how hard it is to pick a movie," Steve said. The four of you settled back into the couch and relaxed as your movie night began.

"Alright, who wants hot chocolate?" You asked after the third movie. You stood from the couch and stretched to work out the kinks in your neck. The shirt you stole from Steve lifted with your arms, showing off your upper thighs.

"In a minute," Natasha said, gripping your waist and dragging you down onto her lap.

"Nat!" You gasped in surprise. "Give a girl a little warning."

"I like to surprise you," Natasha said, pulling you closer and pressing her face into your chest. "You're so warm."

"Tash!" You whined, body flushing as she snuggled into your chest. "Let me up, please, honey."

"I don't think so. I think I'll keep you." Natasha said, nibbling your neck. “I do love seeing this color on you.” She smirked as you turned bright red.

 "Steve help me." You begged, half turning towards him.

"Just try it, Rogers," Natasha dared the blonde, standing with you still in her arms. "She's mine."

"That sounds like a challenge to me," Bucky commented, standing next to Steve. "Does that sound like a challenge to you, Stevie?"

"Yes, it does." Steve nodded. "One chance to give this up Nat. Surrender Y/N and we can end this peacefully."

"Never." Natasha denied his request. Before you could fully comprehend exactly what was happening, Natasha tightened her grip on you and began to run you through your apartment.

You were laughing as Natasha skillfully dodged both Steve and Bucky. The two men were chasing the two of you through the relatively small apartment without letting up.

"You're surrounded now, Tash," Steve said as he and Bucky backed the two of you into the corner of the kitchen. 

"Give us Y/N," Bucky demanded as he and Steve advanced.

"Once again, never." She denied him. In a flurry of movements, you soon found yourself out of Natasha's arms and in Steve's.

"Victory is mine!" Steve declared, holding you close as you laughed.

"Victory is ours." Bucky corrected him, clutching Natasha close to his own chest.

"Thank you for the rescue, Stevie." You smiled, pressing your lips to his.

"Anytime sweetheart," Steve responded. 

"I say we take this to the bedroom, Steve," Bucky suggested. "We can celebrate our victory and consolidate Tasha's crushing defeat."

"Fuck you, Barnes." Natasha rolled her eyes. "Though I have to say, I do like the way you celebrate."

"So do I." Steve chuckled, carrying you bridal style towards the bedroom.  "What do you say, sweetheart? You want to celebrate?"

"Always." You smiled, jumping out of his arms. "Race you to the bedroom." You said before taking off, leaving your partners laughing behind you.

"You look like a kicked puppy." Peter laughed. "A kicked puppy in clothing that's too big for you."

"Don't make me send you back to May." You threatened him half-heartedly. "You love me." Peter teased as you poured yourself another glass of coffee.

Natasha, Steve, and Bucky had been out on a mission for almost two months now. You weren't allowed any contact with the three during this time, you weren't even allowed to know if they were alive or dead.

Peter had talked to May and he was staying with you for a little while they were on their mission. He'd made it his own personal mission to ensure you were taking care of yourself and not just worrying about your partners.

"Yes, I do." You said, pouring him a glass of orange juice. "You know you can go to sleep, Pete. It's three in the morning." You pointed out, handing him the glass.

"I've got school work anyway." He shrugged, gesturing to his computer.

"Whatcha working on?" You asked, sitting next to him.

"Spanish. I got a quiz tomorrow." He told you.

"I'd offer to help you, but I took French." You said, sipping your coffee.

"I should've taken French, I could've cheated off you then." Peter groaned.

"Tricher c'est mal." You smirked. "I'm gonna head to bed. Don't stay up too late." You said, pressing a kiss to his forehead."

"I won't." He promised. "Love you, Y/N."

"Love you too, Petey." You responded before walking back to your bedroom.

Contrary to what you told Peter, you weren't planning on going to sleep. You just couldn't let Peter see you right now.

You were so worried about Steve, Nat, and Bucky. They could be dead right now. You just needed a minute, needed a minute to breathe, and to control your thoughts.

It was Bucky, Steve, and Natasha. They were the best at their jobs, no-one could take them out.

Shaking your head, you turned on the T.V. and crawled into bed. It was a show Bucky was making the three of you watch, though none of you really cared for the show. You just enjoyed Bucky's reactions to the show.

You could hear Peter moving through the apartment as you began to drift off. You just needed to sleep. That's all you needed.

You were half asleep when you heard the bedroom door open.

"What's wrong, Pete?" You asked without opening your eyes. The bed dipped as someone sat next to you. It was only when the bed dipped in two other places, your eyes snapped open.

"Not Peter, doll," Steve smiled before you lunged forward. Your arms wound themselves around his neck as he pulled you taut to his body.

"You're back." You cried. "You're okay." 

"We're back, med," Natasha confirmed from behind you. Pulling yourself off Steve's chest, you turned and saw both your other partners sitting there. Perfectly okay.

Quickly you threw yourself into Natasha's arms and then Bucky's. After being in Bucky's arms for a minute you pulled back and began to run your hands over his body.

"Are you okay? Are you bleeding? Is anything broken?" You checked with him as your hands roamed his body.

Bucky chuckled before grabbing your hands in his.

"If you wanted to feel me up, you just had to ask, doll." He said, kissing your knuckles as you turned red. "We're fine. No injuries, no nothing. We're all fine." He promised.

Nodding you pressed your lips to his gently. 

"All three of you, shower and get changed. I'll get you something to eat." You said, standing from the bed.

"Yes ma'am." Natasha teased, quickly pulling you down for a kiss.

"Shower." You said after you both pulled apart. Before they moved into the bathroom you kissed Steve as well and moved into the kitchen. 

You made the three a large plate of food and went to take it back to the bedroom. You stopped in your tracks when you saw Peter asleep on the couch. You laid the younger boy down properly and placed a blanket over him.

When you entered the bedroom, you could still hear the shower running. Despite the relatively small apartment, you were very lucky to have a large shower. You placed the plate of food on the bedside before stripping yourself of Steve’s shirt and Bucky’s boxers.

“Room for one more?” You asked, entering the bathroom.

“Always, doll.” Bucky said, pulling you into the shower. Without a word, you lathered up the sponge and gently washed the three of them down. Despite the fact they weren’t injured, they allowed you to help them.

It was your way of helping them. It was your way of knowing they were okay.

After the shower was finished the four of you moved back into the bedroom. You pulled back on your clothes from before as the others put their own on as they ate.

It was not long before the four of you were a mess of tangled limbs and fast asleep. And it was the first sleep in weeks where any of you felt safe.

While Steve, Bucky and Natasha may save the world from danger on a near weekly basis, they all agreed you saved them daily. You were there for them. You were their flustered, civilian, girl. 

Taglist

@rvgrsbrns @smilexcaptainx @hopingforbarnes @starlingelliot @piper-koko-barnes-rogers @jelly-fishy-babie @skeletoresinthebasement @agent-barnes40 @reann-loves-sebstan @skadikh

Natasha Romanoff Taglist

@5aftermidnight @ohfuckno

Coming soon

Dean x reader x Cas

Bucky x reader x Natasha

Meg x reader x Cas

Wanda x reader x Vision

Steve x reader x Bucky x Peggy

[labyrinthof-fan-fiction]

Two Ships Passing in the Night {4}

Series Masterlist

Spock x fem!Reader then Bones x fem!Reader

AOS

Summary: Time aboard the Defiance as captain is new, but you think you will be able to handle it, as long as you don’t lose it on a diplomat. Jim is determined to beat down the walls around Leonard’s existence.

A/N: Hi, it’s been a while. I have a plan for this story, so many nice parts, that are towards the end, still working on the bulk of it. But here’s an update! I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters

Warnings: Alcohol Consumption, Language.

Word Count: 1,536

You made the way to the bridge of your ship. It was surreal being captain, watching ensigns salute and scatter away. You took the captain’s chair. So many times you had seen Jim take his seat, you wondered how he managed. You stared out across the hangar, you would be taking the ship into space in a few hours, you had managed to get a few moments to yourself on the bridge. There was something daunting about sitting in the captain’s chair, having all of those lives in your hands. And now you had even more lives to worry about, your hand rested on your abdomen.

When you accepted this appointment you had worried it would be ripped out of your hands because you were going to have a child. It seemed that Starfleet had decided your existence was good press, or at least better press than sending you out on the Enterprise. You had been in the hangar when they took off. You stayed in the back of the crowd, but Leonard saw you, he waved as they sent off on their excursion. You were one of the last people in the hangar watching the ship float away into the stars.

The prospect of a child had scared you initially, petrified you. Everything you had worked for was wiped off the table permanently. Sure, there were things that could be done, things you could do to handle it, but you could not bring yourself to go through with any of them. You chuckled to yourself, the notion that your world would end with a child was such an antiquated idea. Your world would continue, just not in the path you had always planned for. You sighed, “I promise to give you the universe little one, I may not be able to give you a perfect family life. But the stars, the universe, even worlds. These are what I will offer you.” You whispered in your chair. Heart aching for the crew you had spent so much time with. Feeling like something was missing as you looked around your bridge.

Realistically, you knew that you would see them again, Jim, Leonard, Scotty, even Spock. Maybe before the five years were up, diplomats could be sent behind their excursions. You had to tell yourself that you would see them again, sooner than later.

“Sir.” Your first mate, T’ral, a Vulcan greeted. “We are beginning loading the crew, we will be ready in an hour.”

You nodded. “Thank you, are you ready?”

She tilted her head, “I am.”

A smile played across your lips. The parallels of the Defiance and Enterprise made you chuckle. Having a Vulcan first mate had been a bit of a surprise, but you knew that even in the most dire of circumstances, having a Vulcan at your side was a great asset. “Glad to hear it.”

T’ral glanced down at your hand resting on your stomach. “How are you feeling?” She asked.

“Well, thank you.” You carefully took your hand away from your stomach. The crew was aware they were serving a pregnant captain, no one was out of the loop, but you still felt the need to hide.

“If you require, I have several remedies from my mother, for pregnancy. I know your condition is unique. I doubt that I will be needing them soon, but if you require.” T’ral said gently.

You smiled at her. “Thank you.”

Her lips remained in a thin line, but you knew that she was being kind. You looked to the monitors as you heard the sounds of the crew beginning to board the ship. The journey was going to begin, your PADD beeped, you glanced down to see a message from Leonard. Good luck, Captain. You smiled and typed back a quick thank you.

Leonard sat in his office, it had been surprisingly quiet on the Enterprise. No injuries to speak of, for two weeks. It was a goddamn miracle, he thought for a moment about putting up one of those old signs. “It has been blank days since our last incident.” He glanced down at his PADD smiling when he received the thank you message from you.

The ship felt odd without you, like there was an emptiness. Leonard knew it wasn’t just the ship that felt odd, it was him too. He sighed and pulled out his bottle of whiskey, that was definitely standard issue for all doctors, especially doctors serving onboard a ship with James Kirk as Captain. As he poured a glass a telltale head of blonde hair poked just inside his office door.

“Jesus Jim, give a man a warning.” He grumbled, grabbing another glass from his desk.

Jim sat across from him, accepting the whiskey from his friend. “You want to talk about it?”

Leonard took a sip of the whiskey and looked over at Jim, “Talk about what?”

Jim chuckled and took a long swig of whiskey, wincing as he swallowed. “Strong shit.” He muttered, “Whatever it is that has you in such a mood.”

Leonard sighed, swirling the glass of whiskey, watching the amber liquid spin in the glass. “It’s nothing.”

“Bones, don’t tiptoe around the subject. She’s on another ship.” Jim snapped, putting his feet up on Leonard’s desk. Leonard had to bite his tongue to keep from snapping at the captain.

“She’s on another ship, what more do I need to say?” He grumbled, still watching the whiskey.

“She’s captaining another ship and she is pregnant.” Jim said, meeting his friend’s eyes.

Leonard took a swig of the whiskey in the glass. “She is.”

Jim remained silent for a moment, hoping that his friend just might elaborate. When the silence became longer and more uncomfortable Jim decided to poke the bear. “Dammit Bones, I get more of a reaction out of Spock when I talk to him.”

Leonard’s hazel eyes clouded, “Don’t you dare compare me to him. Don’t even think about it.”

Jim smirked into his glass, he had hit a nerve. “Then talk to me.”

“What do you want me to say Jim? She is going to be a galaxy away, she’s pregnant, with another man’s child. I can never be there for her in the ways that I wanted. She’s on a whole other ship. I’ve lost my chances and all I can do is hope that I can send her messages on the PADD and check her medical logs to make sure she and the baby are okay.” Leonard ranted. “Everything I ever could have wanted is across the galaxy and I might see her in five years, but who knows what will happen to her in five years. I was around and she ended up with someone else.”

“But who was there when she got the news?” Jim asked, taking a sip of the whiskey. “It wasn’t the father of the child, it was you.”

For some reason that comforted Leonard, brought him a small bit of peace. “I miss her already, Jim.”

“I think, she’ll be waiting for you.” Jim said, glancing at his friend. While it wasn’t quite the confession he had been looking for, it was more than he had been able to get out of him for weeks.

You sighed, you had been captaining the Defiance for a month now, shuttling diplomats across the universe, hosting parties onboard the ship. And you would have given anything to be onboard the Enterprise for even one minute. You remembered why you enjoyed the exploratory missions, you didn’t have to be a service. You turned off your PADD when you heard the shift change.

“Captain, get some rest.” T’ral said from her post. “I’ll watch over the ship. If we need you we will find you.”

Relief pulsed through your tense shoulders, you rose from your chair, rolling your shoulders and entering the lift. You didn’t remember how long it had been since your last good sleep. You made it to your quarters and scanned in. The room was larger than you had expected, being the Captain’s Quarters. One addition that was not conventional for the Captain’s Quarters was a nursery, a cradle had been set up for when the baby came. There was a weight to being the first Captain to have a family on board a ship.

You made your way to your shower, letting the warm water fall on your body and try to loosen the tension that had grown from trying to keep the most recent group of diplomats happy. You left the shower feeling lighter, you glanced at the PADD by your bedside, a message from Dr. Ambrose reminding you to take vitamins and care for yourself. An update from Leonard on how the adventures of the Enterprise had been going, including a few detailed accounts on how he wanted to kick Jim Kirk’s ass from here to the end of the universe. And a message from Jim asking how captaining was going, how you were feeling, and commiserating about the trials of having a logical first mate. You turned the lights off and your PADD lit itself. You grabbed it and glanced at the screen, you froze.

One new message from: Commander Spock.

Part 5

Taglist

@elizabeththefandomgirl

[scandeniall]

leaving the fold

pairing: atsumu x reader

summary/warnings: Youre leaving the Jackals. That means your life, position, and soulmate./ mentions of death, (bsd verse so implied mafia), profanity

wc: 2.1K

notes: this is a bungo stray dogs type universe and yall are the port mafia in this case because i miss them :-). also this is more dialogue heavy than i usually do ???

“What the fuck am I hearing about ya leaving,” You mentally roll your eyes at the now likely dented wall behind your door that had been pushed open. You don't even look up from your laptop’s screen as you greet in amusement.

“Well hello to you Atsumu. You're back from your mission already? How’d it go, I’m sure it was like child’s play to you” The fist coming down on your desk does little to shock you, nor are you surprised when the top of your laptop comes crashing down.

“Cut the shit. You're trying to leave the agency-”

“Will you keep your voice down,” you hiss out standing from your desk to shut your office’s door. You ignore his comments about not giving a damn about his volume, despite him lowering it anyways. Turning back to face him, you eye him menacingly. “How did you find out.”

“So it's true huh.” His eyes glare at you just as deadly. “What were ya gonna do, just disappear one night. Ya know more than anyone here that leaving is a death sentence” His voice grows angriet the longer he speaks. “Besides, where ya gonna go. There's nowhere in this city that the Jackals don’t have eyes. We run the underground.” By the time he had finished the two of you stood face to face. “You’re an executive for fuck’s sake (Y/N) you can’t- ”

“Shugo was set up.” Silence settled among the two of you. Both of you thought about your fallen friend. You noticed Atsumu’s eyes undergo a range of emotions: confusion, comprehension. Shock, disbelief, and back to anger as he silently accused you of lying. “Foster purposely sent him on that mission, knowing he’d die.” You stand tall as the words leave your mouth, managing to calm your raging emotions. The only indication of any sort of emotional weakness came from the balled fists resting at your sides. “Why the hell would-”

“Shugo was planning on leaving the org. I don’t know how, but Foster caught word, and-” the words trailed off as you walked past Atsumu to sit on the corner of your desk. “He had a pregnant girlfriend. Said he couldn’t keep putting her or their unborn child at risk with this life. He proposed about a year ago.” You begin to fiddle with your fingers, ignoring the shock written all over the blonde’s face. “They’d been dating maybe two or three, I’m not sure. When they got engaged he told me he was gonna leave. That's why he started taking lower paid and ranked missions. Then, she got pregnant and that was the last straw for him.” The crack in your voice ultimately caused your friend to react.

“If he had him killed, why are you trying to do the same thing.” This time the words came out in hardly a whisper as you felt his body settle next to yours on the desk. The feel of one of his hands encasing yours brings you back to the reality you’d talked yourself into. “I can take care of myself and you know that. Youngest to become a Jackal’s executive ever, remember,” you lightly bump his shoulder as you tease. “Not to mention, I’m the best at hand-to-hand combat here.” At that Atsumu scoffs, “Yeah, because your ability is better for being on the defensive.”

“I can still kick your ass,” you shrug as the conversation dies down.

“You think, Foster is letting you out without raising hell.” For a second his hand tightens on top of yours so quickly that you barely notice. “Him bringing you into this world was like hitting a goldmine.”

“Which is why he wouldn’t kill me right away-”

“You don’t know that,” his voice begins to grow again. “Listen. I know why ya wanna leave, but it's a shitty idea. Ya don’t have anywhere to go, can’t get a normal job or anything. Ya know I loved Shugo too, but people here die all the time” You snatch your hands away at his words, pushing at his arm as it reaches out for you again.

“You can’t be fucking serious right now,” you laugh out humorlessly. Your mind flashes back to the dozens of conversations the two of you had over the years as you practically grew up together. “We didn't choose this world, it chose us.” The phrase he’d always tell you along with the kid who used to say it long forgotten. 

“Well one of us needs to be realistic. It's part of the life we all chose including him.” You shake your head at disbelief following his words.

“Get the fuck out Atsumu,” is the only thing you settle on. Your voice is low and dangerous, but he doesn’t move. “Now,” this time you were the one raising your voice. The thing you’d told him not to do as he walked in.

“We’re on the same level (Y/N). I’m not one of your damn subordinates,” the fellow executive bites back. He easily avoids the book you opt for throwing at him.

“Difference is, we’re in my office.” This time he narrowly misses the punch you’d thrown his way.

However in the attempt, he neglects the fact you managed to get behind him, until you had his arms pinned against his back. “I said get the fuck out.” You scoff as you let him go, now pointing at your door. The air is heavy, as the two of you seethe in anger. Atsumu shakes his head in disbelief as he nears the exit.

“Tell me one thing,” you raise your eyebrows signaling him to continue. “Where do ya plan on going.” The question was void of any real concern. In an attempt to further upset you it was asked in malice. Mocking you. Telling you that outside of the Jackals you had no one nor anywhere to go. And it pissed you off.

“Maybe the Adlers,” the words came out solely to spite him. The mention of your counterpart organization angered him to where his own ability activated. So you stood. Stood in anger as the books on your bookshelf flew to the ground and papers fluttered to the ground. “When you realize the way Foster is leading this organization will be our demise don’t come crying to me,” you yell over the sound of your office being trashed. 

“Fuck you”

“Fuck you,” the door slammed shut behind you and you were left with an aching heart and trashed office.

The argument with Atsumu had been over a month ago. And since then, the two of you didn’t interact unless otherwise necessary. Your missions together were strictly business, both of your subordinates easily catching onto the tension. Your comments at one another just too harsh to be considered the usual joking. Whenever you had to work together, you’d opt for not riding together to sights. 

The only time things seemed relatively normal were during executive meetings. You would take your rightful place as Foster’s right hand, engaging and giving updates and directives. You interacted with Atsumu as usual, even throwing in careful jokes and he’d reciprocated. He knew you still had every intention of leaving. You were stubborn. When you set your mind to something you followed through. It was one of the things he loved about you. Despite his hurt at that he didn’t want you to end up dead all because he couldn’t act in a mere meeting. 

You’d finished the last letter, the one actually designated for Atsumu. It was nearing 3am and you had to be gone soon. You looked over your now former office for the last time and sighed. Eying the letters in your hands your mind thought back to the people you were leaving behind. The closest thing you could call friends in this hellhole. Directly under you in ranks were the two you entrusted as the commanders of your infiltration unit; Bokuto and Sakusa. You’d miss the way Bokuto would laugh after a completed mission somehow making the carnage left behind seem a little less gut wrenching. You’d even miss the quips at your hygiene when you got unnecessarily messy during a fight. 

Then you had the guys under Atsumu’s command. His trusted commanders; Osamu and Suna, and the newest member of the organization. Hinata, a firecracker who was quickly rising in ranks.

The last letter belonged to your fellow executive. The one you shared nearly a decade’s worth of memories with. Your right hand on missions, the two of you clicking immediately and being able to act scarily in sync. the one who you’d have hundreds of sparring matches with and he’d pout whenever you let him win. The person who’d you stay getting into trouble about the base as kids, annoying everyone in your sight with pranks. The one you swore was your soulmate, despite the fact that the two of you could never be. Not with the lives you lived at least.

The buzz of the new burner phone you’d gotten shook you out of the thoughts. The text about who you were set to meet reminded of you of the time. Adjusting the straps of your backpack, you shut the light out of your office for the last time. You’d manage to drop the letters off, slipping them in the lockers of their respective occupants before sneaking off. You’d made it outside, before a voice sounded behind you. “Ya didn’t think I’d let you go by yourself now.”

Turning around you were met with Atsumu, who looked unusually happy given the situation. “Atsumu, I’m leaving and you can’t stop-” hands reached around your waist pulling you into him and effectively cutting you off.

“Of course not. Listen. You’re leaving but you're not going alone alright.” The way his index finger pressing against your lips causes your breath to catch. “It can’t be me. Not yet anyway. Listen, you were right about Foster. He’s trying to lead us into an all about war with ability users.”

That revelation causes your eyes to widen. You almost forget about the fact that Atsumu’s body was pressed against yours and that your lips were so close to one another. He only nods at your shock, looking around cautiously before continuing. “Bokuto and Sakusa are going with you. You need someone with some offensive ability, and you need Sakusa to keep you on track.”

“Are you serious,” you whisper. Your friends were coming with you? He only nods offering a smile that disappears just as quickly as it occurs.

“I assume you already had a plan for yourself. Got room for two more?” You quickly confirm, making a mental note to text your awaiting party. You also confirm after he asks you about a burner phone. “Alright good. Sakusa has my burner and some information about where we can meet up later.”

Your hands go towards his chest gently pushing him away. “I have so many questions right now-”

“Babe, you have to go. Morning guards will be here soon. We’re going to bring Foster down. For now Me, Samu, Suna and Hinata are staying here. Acting as normal. But we’re your inside eyes ok and when the time is right we’re here with you.” Your mind hardly registers the new nickname. He was with you. He believed in you and thought you were doing the right thing. The only thing you could do was wrap your arms around him in a hug. You only nod as he whispers for you to please be safe. 

“Fuck! Tsumu, I wrote you all-”

“Already got Samu on it. I knew you couldn’t just leave. By now he should have already picked the locks to your guy’s lockers. Now you have to go. Bo and Omi are waiting about 2 blocks down at the end of the street.” You find yourself nodding once again, this time caught off guard when his lips come down to meet yours in a quick kiss. You’re the one to pull away, this not being the time nor place. “Get the info from Omi- and we’ll figure out a meeting for next month.”

His words cause you to step away from him, taking a deep breath. “Be safe Y/N”

“Aren’t I always,” you shoot him a smirk before nodding. He watches as you depart, lost in how he was now going to have to act in order to uphold his promise to you. “You couldn't even say I love you? How lame,” the voice causes Atsumu to jump as he scowls

“Shut up Suna! You’ve been spending too much time with Samu”

a/n: not me making meian oda and coach foster mori LMFAO. Yall also peep how i made bokuto and sakusa both hirotsu. Ok so yeah idk if im making a part 2 so in the case that i dont (bc this plot wasn;t even supposed to get a happy ending)

atsumu’s ability is basically gravity control so basically chuya (yeah he manipulated it to trash ur office), you ability is smoke manipulation aka you can form it, its poisoneous but not deadly and can only really stun momentarily or be used as a way to impair vision. Atsumu got them dazai brains, and you got them chuya hands. But yeah you were the youngest exec like dazai due to a back story that u wont know unless i decide to make another part, and yall basically double black

[nalgenewhore]

A rogue storm had her presumed dead and stranded on the red planet. Left on her own, astronaut Aelin Galathynius has four years to make it to the next drop-site, some two thousand miles. Armed with her smarts and dwindling supplies, Aelin attempts to survive on an inhospitable planet, when the nearest help is only millions of miles away.

masterlist - ao3 - last chapter - next chapter 

+*+*+*+*+*+*

Rowan wasn’t breathing. Wasn’t doing anything but fighting against the tether as Aelin let go in every way possible.

Aelin was so tired. She was so gods-damned tired. “It’s ok, Ro, I’m ok-“

“Don’t let go, you can’t let go!” He couldn’t live without her. He’d done it for over a year and he couldn’t – refused to do it again. “You’re not letting go, Ae, don’t you dare let go.”

The comms were silent save for his yells and Aelin’s soft reassurance. The crew was sitting in a horrified silence as they listened, powerless to change her mind.

Nesryn’s gaze was locked on the computer screen, feeling queasy as the distance grew smaller and smaller. She didn’t want to interrupt Rowan’s concentration, but, “Distance to target – seven metres.”

She was so close, Aelin was so close and upon hearing the distance, she half-sobbed, keeping her arm reached out to Rowan as the tether slipped free and he blasted towards her, desperately reaching as their hands brushed against each other’s and she was in his arms seconds later. “Ro,” she croaked, smiling so widely as their helmets knocked together.

“Aelin,” he said, tears blurring his vision. “I got her.” Cheers erupted throughout the comms and Mission Control. “I got her.”

“Lochan, bring them in,” said Lorcan, a smile on his face that no one but Elide ever saw.

“Copy that, Commander.” The MMU moved backwards and Aelin clung harder to Rowan, closing her eyes as tears slipped down her cheeks and she smiled. It seemed the gods had finally answered her prayers.

Everyone was waiting in the inner airlock as they floated in. Aelin waved to them through the window as the outer door closed and Rowan helped her snap her helmet off. The door hissed and Elide was the first one to reach her, the others hanging back – letting the sisters have a minute. Lorcan could just make out Elide’s threats through her tears, “…ever do that shit again, I’ll kill you.”

Aelin laughed and groaned, “Don’t make me laugh, my ribs are broken.”

Elide let go of her, wiping the blonde’s tears away before the rest of the crew swarmed her, enveloping her in a snug hug, careful to not squeeze too hard. Nobody mentioned what Rowan had confessed, just so unbelievably happy to have their girl back.

Nobody knew how long it was until they reluctantly let go and moved as one to the medical bay, waiting anxiously as Rowan checked her out. With a smile, he lifted his head, letting the stethoscope down, “You’re good, Ace. Ribs are broken and I’ll set you up with an IV and might need a feeding tube to replenish the calories you’re missing, but you’re good.”

The crew let out a relieved breath and Rowan relayed the information to Manon. Aelin waggled her brows at Lorcan and Elide, who were standing by the door. Elide was leaning back against Lorcan’s front, his hands in the front pocket of her hoodie. “So, is there going to be mini Lorcan or Elide at the wedding?”

Elide groaned, their sex life was something the crew had always loved to tease them about, “Anneith below, why did we come back for you?” Lorcan just winked at Aelin and bent down to whisper to Elide, nipping at the soft shell of her ear. Her cheeks turned pink as she elbowed him in the stomach as a response, “You’re disgusting. Both of you.” A sly grin grew over her lips as Aelin and the rest of the crew cackled.

Rowan chuckled and knelt, searching for a roll of gauze to wrap her ribs. “You’re gonna need to strip, so…” he arched a brow and she nodded.

“Bye, guys,” she told the rest of the crew. They all got up from their various positions and waved goodbye to her, hesitant to leave, as if she would slip away again. “I’ll be fine. Go,” she shooed them away, smiling softly as they left and the door clicked shut behind them.

Silent as he worked, Rowan ignored the feeling of her gaze burning into him as he wrapped her ribs, “How’s that feel?”

Aelin breathed in slowly, it was snug. “Good, really sore still.”

“If it’s still sore later, let me know, I can get you-“

“You love me?”

Her words had him choking and looking up from the IV he was preparing. “I-I…”

“I heard you, buzzard. Was it a lie to get me to hold on?” A heartbreaking light fractured her eyes and Rowan cursed himself, quick to shake his head.

“What? Gods, no, it wasn’t a lie, Ae.” He floundered, searching for the right words, “I know… we didn’t always get along very well and I was an ass, but I love you.” He waited for her response, tensing as he prepared to hear the worst. When she stayed silent, his brain short wired and he began rambling, “I’ve loved you for years, Aelin. Gods, you drive me crazy and sometimes I didn’t know if I wanted to kill you  or kiss you because you’re you. You’re the smartest person I know and you’re completely unapologetic for it. You’re curious. You want to know everything about the world and I-“

She stopped him by pressing her fingers to his mouth, “Shut up.” His stomach fell at the two words before she whispered, “I love you. So much.”

“You do?”

“Most ardently, Rowan Whitethorn.” Tears were caught in her lashes and he gently cupped her face, swiping his thumb under her eye to catch the drops.

“Why do you cry, Fireheart?” Aelin fell further every time he called her that.

“Because I was lost and I didn’t know the way.”

“And now?” He leaned down to rest his forehead against hers, the tip of her nose cold against his.

“I’ve been found.” And never to be lost again. He would follow her to the ends of the universe and whatever they found after it.

 +*+*+*+*+*+*

“Stop staring at me,” Aelin said, already tired of everyone’s mothering. She slowly chewed on her pasta, using most of her energy to keep it down. “I’m fine.”

When she snapped her head up, glaring at everyone, they all held her gaze, arching their brows as if to say she’d have to try harder than that. Lorcan laughed quietly, “Can you really blame us? You can barely keep your plain noodles down.” Rowan shot him a look and Lorcan read what was happening, a satisfied gleam entering his dark eyes. “Ah. Well, not to be blunt or anything but gods above, fucking finally.”

Fenrys and Elide hooted. Nesryn was able to control herself more and smiled fondly, as if they were children, nodding once and returning to her meal.

Rowan near growled and his brother just cocked his head to the side and smirked, “At least we didn’t bet on it.” Elide turned in his lap and smacked his chest, glaring at him. He just shrugged, Am I wrong? 

“You’re awful, all of you,” Rowan seethed, calming as Aelin patted his knee. He gave her a secret smile and then blushed when she returned it, lifting her hand and kissing the back of her knuckles.

“Oh good gods, my eyes! Premarital affection!” Fenrys cried out, grabbing Nesryn’s hand to cover his eyes. 

Everyone promptly ignored him and smiled softly to themselves, exchanging amused glances at Aelin and Rowan’s expense.

After dinner, they all lingered, explicitly rejecting Aelin’s request that they ‘cease and desist being overprotective mother hens’. Finally, Aelin bluntly told them to leave before she started kicking ass and they all dispersed, humouring her. She watched her sister and commander leave together, no longer feeling that same aching sense in her chest. 

Lorcan tugged Elide along, whispering low enough that Aelin couldn’t hear it. Elide gave him a fond look, tangling her fingers in his and pulling him behind her, their joyful laughter floating along as they disappeared from view. 

Aelin turned, spying Rowan a little ways away, watching her. “What?” 

“Nothing,” he replied smoothly, finally making his way over to her. Rowan rolled his eyes when she lifted her arms and he scooped her up, holding her against his chest as he walked to the couch and sat down. 

Her eyes were begging to be closed but still she kept them open, tracking over Rowan’s face as he gazed out the windows. Eventually, he slid his gaze to her, a brow quirked up. “What?” 

She shook her head, her throat tight, “I just… I would have these dreams that you were right there with me. And we were so happy-” her breath hitched and he opened his mouth to tell her he didn’t need to hear this right now but she needed to tell him this. “We were so happy and then I would wake up and not be able to sleep again because I thought I would never get to tell you that I love you.”

A tear escaped her eye and slid down her cheek as she slid her fingers across his face, feeling the contours of his features, the smoothness of tattoo ink. “You’re real.” 

Rowan nodded, tracing a comforting pattern over her side, “I am.” 

His eyes were like liquid emeralds as she met his gaze and tilted her chin up, so soft as she brushed her lips against his. Rowan sucked in a sharp breath as she pulled away, still close enough to touch his lips if either of them spoke. 

Aelin didn’t know how long they had been trapped in that moment until his lips were on hers again, gentle and tender, but strong, full. A gasp escaped her as she gave into the feeling, her long lashes brushing against his cheeks as her eyes fluttered shut. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck, using every ounce of strength in her weak body to hold herself to him as their lips moved against each other’s. When his tongue traced the seam of her mouth, she opened for him, tasting his soft groan at the first brush of her tongue against his. 

Kissing him was like a breath of fresh air, the first real breath she’d inhaled since the rescue. Aelin still wasn’t convinced, was sure that if she moved too quickly, it would all disappear. Again. 

But it was real, the feeling of his hair tangled in her hands grounding her to the moment as she threatened to float away. 

Somebody coughed and they broke apart, chests heaving, gazes wide and pupils dilated. Aelin looked over Rowan’s shoulder, spying Lorcan and Fenrys standing there. “What, in Hellas’ cold and dark realm, do you want?” 

“Oh, nothing, just in the communal area, getting some tea before bed, don’t mind us” Lorcan replied, a shit-eating grin on his face. He took one step forward and smirked at the look on Rowan’s face as he turned to glare at Lorcan and Fenrys. “On second thought, it’s late, probably not a good idea to have caffeine. Have fun, you two.” 

“But not too much fun,” Fenrys yelled as they left, snickering the entire way. They were almost gone when Lorcan’s wolf whistle pierced the air and he howled, the sounds amplified by Fenrys’ roaring laughter. 

“We’re surrounded by animals,” Rowan muttered, his frown melting as Aelin smiled at him. “I hate them.” 

He pressed his forehead against hers, kissing away the tears that streaked down her cheeks. She only cried harder, “Buzzard.”

“Fireheart.”

+*+*+*+*+*+*

an: see! i told you it would all work out 💛 nine chapters down, one to go! 

@mythicaitt​ @tinywolfofeyllwe​ @schmlip-scribble​ @the-regal-warrior​ @westofmoon​ @empire-of-wildfire​ @rhysands-highlady​ @city-of-fae​ @shyvioletcat​ @alifletcher2012​ @tangledraysofsunshine​ @ttakeitbacknoww​ @tswaney17​ @ourbooksuniverse​ @flora-and-fae​ @thesirenwashere​ @queenofxhearts​ @that-other-pineapple​ @sleeping-and-books​ @superspiritfestival​ @faerie-queen-fireheart​ @chemicha​ @rowaelin-cressworth​ @mynewdreamwasyou​ @candid-confetti​ @bat-wing-rhys​ @the-reading-obsessed-stitchbear​ @feyrethedarklady​ @booklover41802​ @rowaelinforeverworld​ @jamesxdaisy​ @julemmaes​ @hellas-himself​ @kayjaybea​ @ghostlyrose2​ @but-she-was-aelin-galathynius​ @queen-of-glass​ @can-dreamers-be-lost-too​ 

[animefinatic]

Fire Force: 1st thoughts/impression

Okay so I’ve been hearing some murmurs about this anime for a while but because I weird I move slow when it comes to new anime for some reason, mainly because I want something to binge. But since getting Hulu recently I’ve been watching a lot of nostalgic shows (Digimon s1-3 and Yuyu Hakusho along with some old school nickelodeon and cartooonnetwork shows) but I’ve decided to finally get around to watching something new for a change. I’m not done with season 1 (episode 12)yet so I’m just going to give some 1st impressions on a few characters. Just some general thoughts, I’m sure overall feelings will change as i finish what’s currently out so don’t get bent outta shape if I don’t like someone or mention someone. Also be respectful if you’re a manga reader.

World building: The whole people turning into infernals at the drop of a dime and killing other people and the rest of humanity seems to have all been clustered in some small ass piece of japan lowkey put me in the mind of AOT (humanity being behind walls, the monster being humans all along type shit) I went into this thinking the protagonist is some sort of form of internal with that logic.

Shinra: Sharp teeth. I’m not into the whole teeth thing (Rin from Free, Soul from Soul Eater, Kirishima are swell in their own way but i was never a fan of their teeth) I like his little ‘smile in tense situation quirk because bless his heart i know when he’s nervous or tense about something. He’s a good kid all the same and he lowkey gave me Izuku vibes because they want to be a hero but he also gives me Rin (Blue Exorcist) vibes because he gets a bad rep and being called Devil even though he’s really sweet and has a good character. Seeing him in action I can’t help but think how would he do in the my hero universe (he’d kick so much ass) Has a typical shonen protag tragic backstory about his mother and brother and so has a reason to be in the fire force, I like the drive to be a hero from that kid dream he had, I look forward to him finding the answers he seeks while also not looking forward to seeing him fight his kid brother (I fucking swear if he has to kill his own brother I will fucking scream)

Akitaru: Oh my god fucking hot, fucking cute that's my husbando right there. When he called Shinra’s smiling quirk cute I fucking melted. The Dad (and daddy) of this squad I see him looking out for the other and providing a solid foundation of justice. a swell guy that has the whole groups trust and respect and I just hope nothing happens to this man. When Joker gave Shinra a reason to doubt the fire force i was a little nervous but so far so good team 8 seems to have been formed for a specific reason bc the other teams are lowkey shady.

Hinawa: stereotypical glasses character, annoyingly strict, and give the mc a hard time. In comparison to captain he annoyed me, by putting down my boy Shinra without giving him a real chance, (it wasn’t Nighteye lvl of annoying  but still) but overtime I’ve warned up to him, I tend to like the glasses characters too (Kyoya...I blame Kyoya) so by this point I see he’s a caring individual in his own way, what sold me is when he pulls Shinra aside to check on him and ask if he was ok...also mans can cook so bonus.

Maki: Mikasa vibes, just a woman with some muscle but she seems very insecure about it. I like she’s such a romantic maiden at heart though. I like her Sputter flames, so cute it made me think of calsifer from Howl’s moving castle.

Iris: I took one look at her and went: a sister. oh fuck religion is going to be a big influence in this show. Ignoring my own personal bias feelings of religion it seems she serves the purpose of praying for the souls of those who turned nothing too special about her, she’s sweet even though she has her tragic backstory with everyone but her and Hibana watched the whole damn church burn. 

Arthur: Annoying. I thought he was gonna be some sort of edgy rival for Shinra since they seem to fight on sight. However he’s kinda this cute idiot. But his knight at the round table schtick is kinda aggy he reminds me of that one classmate in my class that took Shakespeare too seriously. Maybe he’ll warm up on me later he has got to be more than the idiot blond (maybe at some point they’ll drop a back story on him)

Tamaki: Adorable, her powers make her look like a twin tailed cat (I not sure but I think there is like fire yokai so it works for the fire theme of this show) and I love cats so she's adorable. However this trend of her being clumsy af all of a sudden and becoming undressed and/or being groped or touched by Shinra accidentally only for her to hit the hell out of him is a trope i kinda want to die already like it’s not even funny. I’m an elder weeb so i’m not new to this but idk if it just my old age but I’m kinda over it. So even though I found her so cute earlier she’s almost annoying me even though its not her fault its the creator. 

Hibana: Bad bitch, she had dudes as her chair and had dudes lined at her feet like a red (in this case orange) carpet. Love seeing a black woman thrive (she’s brown skinned or whatever so I’m claiming her as black until further notice).Stunning, only I hate the oddly shaped eyes (it works given her power is flowers and her eyes are in a shape of a flower) but it was jarring to see it. It reminded me of Nia teppelin (Gugrren laggan) did she make me wanna stomp her for messing with my boy Shinra? yes. But I kept wondering why was I so awed by her I looked up her VA and it made sense, fucking Riza Hawkeye and Erza Scarlett (I am watching it dubbed, blame Hulu for not letting me have an option for sub but its whatever I’m committing to the dub for now) and well I respected her more. Also love how she wasn’t actually into that religion stuff even though she was taken in by the sisters. Now her moment with Iris after she got her shit rocked, sweet, adorable, so cute. Also her sudden affections for Shinra going forward is cute not sure if I ship anyone at this point but adorable is adorable I can not deny that.

Rekka: My stars that annoying. I also cringed because it reminded me of (yagamiyato’siida if you know then you know) And again with the weird ass eyes its not missed on mean that Hoshi is means star and its a part of his surname. But he went from 0-100 real quick once I realized he’s who Shinra is looking for and once again  me being wary over religion is validated through the white coats or Evangelist running around turning people into infernals on purpose (once again we back on some AOT shit) this man is bat shit crazy but he somewhat succeeded I wonder what it means for that kid who happened to be compatible with that bug thing (and of course Shinra is special bc the bug reacted to his fire) anyway what I learned from this character than religion got this universe all the way fucked up and the direct result of this is that religion has a firm hold in government and I know this is not finna be good.

[danielcooperrp]

We Two Boys Together Clinging

Halfway through 19th Century American Poetry and Drew has a sensation with which he is all too familiar: eyes boring into the back of head. It doesn't matter how many times he's been gawked at in a restaurant or in the allergy aisle of CVS (hay fever is a bitch), the feeling of the little hairs on the back of his neck standing up never fails to make him want to slink into a hole and die. He tries to ignore it, tries to focus all of his attention on the professor, who is droning on about the difference between various editions of Leaves of Grass, but that only lasts so long. Eventually, he caves, and he turns to look. 

He's not shocked when the dark eyes watching him quickly dart away—people are often abashed when they get caught staring—but it is a surprise when, a few moments later, they return to meet his. The face they belong to is handsome, warm, dark skin, a strong jaw, a slightly crooked nose that suggests some kind of trouble, and—oh. Two rows of perfect white teeth that he sees now because the face is grinning at him, an inviting, dangerous grin, and now Drew's the one looking away, his own cheeks glowing red. His eyes burn holes in his notebook—he hasn't written a word in so long, he'll have to research this edition issue on his own later—and the other guy's eyes burn holes in his skull. 

Why is he looking at him like that? Drew hasn't said a thing all class, not that any of them would be able to get a word in edgewise. His eyes dart down to check his outfit; a little schnerdy, sure, but nothing that stands out in a Harvard classroom. He risks it again; a quick look back, and that smile is still waiting for him, this time a little softer, like he's happy he keeps getting caught. 

By the time class ends, Drew is a sweaty mess. He has no idea what the professor said for the last half of that lecture, but he's not going to stick around to ask. He tosses his notebook and his copy of Whitman into his satchel and slides into the mass exodus from the room. He lets himself be carried toward the building exit by the river of hungry undergrads, hoping that he avoids whatever situation was brewing behind him in class, but the river comes to a screeching halt when everyone notices that it's pouring buckets outside. Those smart enough to plan ahead whip out their umbrellas and leave, and some who don't have any other choice lower their heads and shoulders as though preparing to take a charging bull head on and foray bravely into the downpour. 

Drew doesn't have another class for forty-five minutes, and even though he was planning on getting lunch in the interim, he really doesn't want to get this sweater wet, so he decides to duck into an alcove and wait it out. He pulls out his phone, Googles the information he thinks he missed in class, and is halfway through an Encyclopedia Britannica article when someone clears their throat. He looks up and blinks owlishly. It's the teeth. 

"Hi," the teeth say. "I'm Xander." 

Drew stares. He doesn't know what to do with this information. During the rare instances someone deigns to talk to him, an introduction like "I'm Xander" is almost always followed by a request like "Can I get an picture?" or "Do you know where the bathroom is?", depending on if he's been recognized or not. But this...this is just warm brown eyes and a big shiny smile that he doesn't know what to with. 

"Drew Cooper," he eventually blurts out, remembering that he is in fact a human person with a name. "Um. Hi." 

Xander leans casually against the wall adjacent to Drew, the fabric of his shirt pulling tight over the bulk of his arms as he crosses them over his very muscular chest. "You know, I really liked what you had to say last week about the em dashes in Emily Dickinson's poems. How they're meant to give you space to breath but really end up making you feel breathless. Professor didn't know what do with that, but...I liked it."

What is happening what is happening what is hap— Drew swallows thickly. "Oh. Thanks. I, uh, visited the house in Amherst a lot growing up. School field trips, family weekends...I'm...familiar with her work."

Xander nods toward the corner of Leaves of Grass sticking out of Drew's satchel. "What about Whitman? He a favorite too?"

Drew shrugs. "Sure. Mostly 'Song of Myself' and 'Drum-Taps,' but generally...yeah, his language is...unparalleled." Drew pauses, unsure, and then continues. "Reading Whitman always reminds me that I need to look around more. That everything is beautiful if I let it be."

The smile grows bigger. "I really like the way you talk about poetry, Drew Cooper." Xander reaches into the JanSport he's got slung over one shoulder and pulls out an umbrella. "Want to talk about it over lunch?"

—————

It’s not until their third post-poetry class lunch that Drew finds out something interesting about his new friend. “Wait...you’re on the football team?”

Xander laughs, a loud, warm sound that makes Drew feel like he’s part of the joke instead of the butt of it. “Yeah, yeah, I’m on the football team.” Drew makes a face. “What?”

“Well...don’t take this the wrong way, but...” Drew swirls his spoon in his cup of clam chowder. “...is Harvard’s team any good?”

This earns a longer, louder laugh from Xander, who takes a bite of his grilled chicken when he’s done. “In the grand scheme of things? No. We go up against Auburn or Clemson and we’re getting our asses kicked, no questions asked. But against the teams we actually play? We’re not half-bad.” 

“So what position do you play?”

“Tight end.”

“Oh, I know that one. That’s...an important one.”

Xander suppresses the laugh this time. “It’s okay, Cooper. You don’t have to pretend to like football.”

Drew scrunches his nose. “I’m sorry. I come from a sports family. My dad and my older sister, in particular, they’ll talk for hours about football or baseball or hockey...it all goes over my head.”

With a shrug, Xander says, “Well, you’ve got enough good stuff going on in that head. No need to waste brain space on stuff that doesn’t matter.”

Drew feels himself starting to flush, so he quickly tries to shift the focus. “Well what about you? If football doesn’t matter, why risk CTE for it?”

“Scholarships, Cooper! You think Harvard pays for itself? I got in on test scores, but test scores don’t get you out of loans. Football does.”

And doesn’t that make Drew feel so silly. He knows how unbelievably lucky he is, that he had every semester of higher education he could ever want at whatever university would take him paid for before he was even born. If he had the mind to, he could keep taking classes at Harvard or Yale or Oxford until he died and he’d never have to think about the cost. Xander actually has to work for his education, and Drew feels like a little kid in comparison. 

—————

They’ve been in a little back corner of Lamont Library for a few hours now, bent over their respective texts as they work on assignments for different classes. Drew’s nose-deep in an anthology of Helen Hunt Jackson, while Xander’s scribbling away at equations for one of his insanely complicated math classes. They work in comfortable silence, and every once in a while Drew wonder how strange it is, the easy way they spend their days together. 

At one point, Xander throws down his pencil in disgust. “That’s it. Cooper, I’m dropping out.”

Drew makes a face. “You’re not dropping out, Xander.” 

“I am. No economics degree is worth this.” He gestures vaguely to his chicken-scratch math homework. 

“I mean, you’re not going to hear an argument from me, the guy studying History and Literature.” Drew peeks at the equations. “Would it help if you explained it to me?”

Xander furrows his brows. “What do you mean?”

“I mean...my sisters always head more of a head for the STEM subjects, while I’ve always been better at...” He waves a hand over his poetry book. “...softer stuff. But when I was a kid, my dad, who’s, like, an insane science nerd to the max, would tell me to pretend that I was the science teacher and I had to teach him the homework. It really helped. Explaining out loud, going over each problem piece by piece, helped me understand it better.” He flushes. “It’s just a thought, though. You don’t have to...”

“On one condition.” Xander smirks. “You have to tell me all of your thoughts on Thoreau afterward.”

Drew can’t fight his grin. “Deal.”

—————

Drew’s schedule is light on Tuesdays, so he’s back in the apartment he shares with Aidan, about halfway between Harvard and MIT’s campuses. She’s here, too, ditching a class she claims is “beneath the mathematical sensibilities of a first-grader.” She and some friend Drew is sure he should know the name of are on their little balcony, sipping wine coolers and people-watching while Drew reads for his early Wednesday class. Mostly, really, he’s listening to them gossip.

“See her?” 

“Blond ponytail?”

“No, by the crosswalk, with the dog. Don’t tell her you have a fake ID, she’ll narc on you in a heartbeat.”

“Get out!”

“Dead serious. Freshman down the hall got busted because of her.”

“What a bitch. Over there, those two: dating or siblings?”

“They’re practically identical, so I’m hoping siblings....Oh god, please let me be wrong...”

“Who’s that?”

“Where?” 

“Coming down the sidewalk here.”

“He’s hot, whoever he is.”

“I’ll say.”

“Wait...why does he look familiar....”

“Wasn’t he at that party two weekends ago? The one on Banks Street?”

“Oh my god, that’s it, he’s on the Harvard football team!”

Drew’s head snaps up. 

“Tell you what, he could score a touchdown any day. Look at those arms...Drew?” 

Drew scrambles off of the couch and flings himself onto the balcony. Aidan gives him a wild look. “What the hell?”

Peering over the edge, Drew spies Xander just as he gets to the front door of their building. He doesn’t need to use the buzzer, because someone’s coming out. “Oh.”

“Drew?”

Ignoring his sister, Drew rushes back to the couch, where he grabs all of his books and notebooks and tosses them into his backpack. Then he races into his bedroom to grab shoes. “I, uh, have to go! Study thing!”

Aidan looks down to the street and back to her panicked twin. “Drew...are you friends with a football player?”

“No!” Drew squeaks. “Yes! I mean, yes, we are friends. We have a class together. I have to go!”

Aidan squints in suspicion as Drew charges out the door. When it slams shut behind him, her friend says, “Does he know his sweater is on backward?”

Aidan shrugs. “Not my business.”

—————

“Why do you hang out with me?”

It’s a hazy October afternoon, and Drew and Xander are hanging out in Flagstaff Park, studying. People call out to Xander as they walk by, and Xander gives them a friendly wave or a “Hey man!” but makes no move to get up and socialize. Drew knows he’s quiet, not the best conversationalist in the world, so he wonders. 

“What do you mean?” Xander looks at him like he always does, like Drew is about to say something absolutely revelatory. 

“I mean...shouldn’t you be hanging out with the rest of the football team? Is that what you’re supposed to do?”

Xander seems amused. “Is that what you want me to do?”

“No,” Drew answers too quickly. “I just...I don’t know. I’ve never had someone spend so much time with me who wasn’t a blood relative, that’s all. And it seems like you have a lot of friends so...I don’t know...forget it...” Embarrassed, he turns back to his history textbook. 

A wide hand, fingers splayed, plops down over the pages, and Drew looks up to see Xander rolling his eyes. “I hang out with you so much, Cooper, because I like spending time with you, and also, I’m hoping that if I earn enough goodwill you’ll let me take you out to dinner at some point.” 

Drew freezes. “I—what?”

“I mean, if you’re not into me, that’s fine. I’m a big boy, I can handle it. But the thing is, I think you are into me, which is great, because I’m into you too, but I don’t mind biding my time until you’re ready.”

Every single neuron in Drew’s brain is misfiring. “You’re—into me?”

“Man got himself into Harvard just to outshine the professors and he still can’t read what’s right in front of him.” Xander sighs. “Yes, Cooper, I am into you, and would like to start seeing you socially in a romantic capacity.”

“But...you’re on the football team!” 

“I—what?” Drew just gapes at him. “Cooper...” Xander starts to laugh, slow at first, and then harder.

“Wait, why are you laughing at me?”

“It’s just...really refreshing to talk to someone as woefully out of touch as you are.”

“Hey!”

“Cooper, I dated a guy on the swim team for like two months last year. My being gay is...not news. To anyone.”

“Apparently not my sister,” Drew grumbles. 

“What?”

“Nothing.” Drew shakes his head. Nothing is making sense. “Do you know...who I am?”

“...We’ve met, yeah.”

“No, I mean...my family.”

“Oh.” Xander shrugs. “Yeah. Did some light Googling. I mean, c’mon, a white boy as quiet and smart as you? I had to be sure you weren’t secretly a neo-Nazi or some shit.”

“I’m Jewish,” Drew mumbles, “but that’s not the point. You know...who I’m related to.”

“Yeah. Am I supposed to care?” Xander reaches out and takes Drew’s hand, interlaces their fingers together. Drew’s heart is pounding so hard in his ears he can barely hear Xander speak. “Cooper, I am an economics major. I don’t want to date you because your grandpa was a billionaire. I want to date you in spite of the fact that your grandpa was a billionaire.”

Drew chokes out a laugh. “Fair enough.” 

“I mean, you’re cute and all, but don’t think I won’t eat you for sustenance when the class war starts.”

His laugh is louder this time. “Stop.” 

“So what do you say?” A squeeze of the fingers, and a squeeze to his heart. “Drew Cooper, will you go on a date with me?”

Drew chews on his lip, and then he nods. “Yeah. Yeah I will.” 

Then Xander grins his perfect white grin, and Drew knows he’s a goner.

[revengeoftheantichrist]

From Eden

Warnings: Harem, violence, work-place harassment, mentions of pregnancy and miscarriage

AO3  <<<Previous

Chapter 3

There was absolute pandemonium in the harem. Michael had decided that he was cutting down on the number of girls in there. It was a simple formula, those that were the least successful were going to go. Those that had carried for the longest would stay. For now. Michael would eventually get rid of them all, they just didn’t know that yet. He needed to keep some around for stress relief and backup, while he put his little ‘experiment’ in action. If it was successful, the harem would be obsolete. He hadn’t thought about what he would do with the space yet, but he’d cross that bridge when he got there. “Your Majesty, please think this decision through, it’ll cause chaos through the ranks,” pleaded the matron of the harem. “Chaos has already won, what difference does a little more make?” The doors of the harem opened with a loud noise. All chatter had stopped. The only sound that could be heard was the fountains. He walked into the centre of the courtyard, the attention of all ten girls and staff on him. The four chosen to leave were stood in front; faces stained with tears. He stared at the four of them, looking them up and down. “don’t cry girls,” he reached forward to wipe one of their faces. “You’ll still be on the 8th floor, just now you can be anyone’s whores, except mine,” he smiled. One of the girls fell to her knees, grasping at his feet, begging him to keep her, that she could do better. He looked down with disgust, kicking her off him. “Grovelling won’t help you today.” He snapped his fingers, guards coming in to escort them out, some left with no fight, some had to be carried away. Michael smirked to himself, they’d be devoured by the wolves outside, fighting over his leftovers. How pathetic. “As for the rest of you, don’t get too comfortable. None of you are safe, anyone could leave,” he explained. Michael reclined himself on the chaise lounge, propping his head up with his arm, inspecting the girls. He snapped his fingers again and the remaining six fawned over him. The chatter in the harem started again. One of the greys brought out wine and fruit. The girls poured out Michael a glass, they fed him grapes, cherries and strawberries. Watching his plump lips around the fruit. They forgot the events from earlier, pleasing their king was their only task now. Biting into the fruit, he thought of the girl that had toiled away to pick and deliver the fruit, of ‘Eve’ in Eden. She dreamed about him last night, of the future he wanted; he did send the dream. The seed was planted, all he had to do was nurture it, just like she did on a daily basis. But now wasn’t the time to think about that. He pulled down the dress of one of the girls, taking her nipple into his mouth, while smacking the ass of another. He had a lot of planning to do, so today he would de-stress and relax. //// “Did you hear? Some of the harem girls have been kicked out,” whispered your friend. You raised your brow and laughed, “why? Is the king running out of stamina for all of them? She slapped your arm telling you to shut up. You were on your delivery run, carrying the baskets down to the harem. There had been a double order today, probably for a dish the chefs were trying. You got to the servants’ entrance, being let in by the guards, and walked to the kitchens. “Ah Y/N and Lucy, how good to see you both this afternoon,” greeted the chef. “I’m gonna cut straight to the point Milly, what’s the goss and all the ruckus?” She sighed and shook her head, gesturing for you to help sort the produce out. “Well, the king has decided to cut down on numbers, something about wasting chances for others,” the clattering of the equipment covering your already hushed tones. “He’s still out there right now, enjoying what we have to offer,” she finished. “Is he being hand fed fruit, like a roman emperor or something?” you snorted. Milly just looked at you, tight lipped. “Oh, so he is,” you confirmed. “Aww, what a widdle baby,” you laughed. The staff glared at you, telling you to hold your tongue. You tried to hold in your giggles. Over the silence, the sound of skin slapping on skin and moaning could be heard. It echoed through the courtyard and into the kitchens. Milly cleared her throat, “so, what have you been up to recently, anything new?” “Hmm, nothing much really, I spent all day yesterday inspecting the perimeter, we suspected a breach but it’s all good.” “Tell her about your dream,” interrupted Lucy. Milly looked at you expectantly. “well,” you started, “I had a dream that I had babies. I mean me? And babies? They were really cute though, as they would be being mine,” you flipped your hair as you said so. “It could be a sign from the universe, maybe it’s about time you contributed to humanity,” said Lucy. You pretended to act offended, “I make plenty of contributions to humanity! You all get to eat nice things because of me, don’t forget that.” The staff all laughed. The snapping of fingers calling away a few greys again. “But maybe your right. Or maybe it’s because everyone seems to have baby fever this time of year. There’s no one on the ‘roster’ that’s caught my eye” you explained. “Not even Jeff and Mutt?” “Not even Jeff and Mutt.” You were interrupted by are particularly loud moan. Making you laugh again. “He is really going for it out there.” You made some more small talk, collecting your materials and wishing everyone goodbye. You continued to laugh towards the exit. Catching a glimpse of blond hair and lightly tanned skin through the decorated screens. That must be the king. You turned back to Lucy. Not noticing that Michael had heard your laugh again, he too was looking though the screens, catching a glimpse of your smile. //// Today you were on lab duty. You had samples to test today, especially after the false alarm of two days ago, you had to be extra vigilant. “What’s up y/n?” It was Jeff. “Don’t startle me like that! I could have dropped the samples,” you warned him. You were not in the mood to be messed with today. Two days of dreaming of little children did take a toll on you, surprisingly. “I’m just up here to check on things. Heard about the false alarm the other day.” “You could have just read the reports, no need to leave the garden of pleasures for it.” “But I like talking to you Y/N,” Jeff whined. You rolled your eyes, getting back to your job; you were almost finished. “So, what are you up to these days,” making small talk while inputting data. “the usual, eating, fucking, sleeping, snorting lines in between,” he replied. “Living the life then, not toiling away like the rest of us peasants,” you laughed. You’d much rather be doing this than living like those on the lower floors. “you… don’t have to be up here all the time you know,” he was hesitating, making you put your work down. “What do you mean by that?” “Well, I’ve decided it’s about time I let some mini mes loose into the world. But I haven’t found a match that I like you know.” You stared at him wide eyed. You knew what he was hinting at. “Look, Jeff, we’re good friends and stuff but… I don’t think it’ll work if I’m honest. I mean our lifestyles are totally different. I’m sorry.” He looked like a kicked puppy. “Can we still be friends at least; I hope this hasn’t made things too awkward.” “Obviously we can still be friends. Hey some of those harem girls are available now, I’m sure there’s someone in there,” you tried to lighten the mood. He lit up. “Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that man. That’s why you’re a genius y/n!” he kissed your cheek and ran out. Leaving you there to wonder what was going on in your life. //// It was time for Michael to come pester you again; you were on lab duty today. He was supposed to saunter in and get on with it. But the sound of you talking to someone made him stop at the door. It was Jeff. Jeff who had been specific instructions to stay away from greys. Michael’s jaw clenched in anger. It seemed that the coke had left Jeff with some permanent brain damage. He had heard the whole conversation, satisfied that you had turned coconut head down. However, he was not happy that you were ‘friends’. He stormed into the lab. “Why are people interrupting me today?” you snipped. “Oh, it’s you.” You looked at him, annoyed. Going back to your work as if he wasn’t there. “You really have no respect for your superiors, do you?” Michael pointed out. “Adam was it? You’re here to observe my work. I am currently working,” you gestured to the desk, “you can sit in that seat over there and do it then,” you pointed to the stool in front of you, going back to inputting data. Michael stood behind you instead, pressed up against you. You could feel his warmth on your back. He could sense your discomfort, but you continued to work. You moved to tie up your hair, but he stopped you. Running his fingers through your scalp, gathering your hair in a high ponytail. You sighed slightly at the sensation, how long had it been since you had been touched like that? He removed the ribbon from his own hair, blond curls cascading down his shoulders. He used it to tie your hair up. He leaned down to whisper in your ear, “Don’t you have work to do?” You came out your daze and cleared your throat, getting back to your work. Michael grabbed the stool from the opposite you, bringing right next to you and sitting. You could feel him staring at you, maybe through you, into your soul. He seemed to be moving closer with every breath, eventually feeling his curls on your own shoulders. “Have you ever thought about children or… dreamed about them?” he broke the silence. You stiffened again. Dreams? Did he know? Of course not he’s just a man. Or maybe a figment of your imagination? “Hasn’t everyone?” you finally replied. “I’m sure baby fever is common in people of all genders.” “Such an animalistic and natural instinct isn’t it little miss scientist?” he got closer to you, “to breed and to be bred. To feel so close to someone, to have a physical reminder of that passion,” you could have sworn he hissed that part out. “uhm, I guess?” how on earth were you supposed to reply to that? This was so awkward, worse that the conversation you’d had with Jeff earlier. “And you miss Y/N? have you ever felt that passion for someone?” his fingers started to trail up and down your arm. “not really. Someone decided to end the world before I could… you know,” you gestured. Michael started to laugh, “the world has ended, and you have still manged to stay untouched. Your ‘status’ is more valuable than you think, be careful who you share this information with. I’m sure the devoted would throw you onto the alter given the chance.” Being a human sacrifice was not the way you wanted to go. Michael’s face got closer, your noses touching, breaths mixing. His lips looked so plump, so inviting; you were sure they would be as sweet as the cherries you grew. You thought it was the most perfect pair you’d ever seen, and you were sure they’d fit perfectly with yours. Before you could act on your thoughts. Your data-pad notification broke the silence. You turned away from him to read your message. “I’m needed up in the main lab now,” you scrambled up from your seat, speed walking away from him. As you turned the corner, you broke out into a run; what the hell had just happened? //// Michael growled. He almost had you. That damn job of yours was keeping you too far from him. You were far too specialised for him to move you arbitrarily. He needed a way to get closer to you and this ‘inspector’ thing could only work for so long. He could just keep you prisoner on the 9th floor, no one but himself and Mead were allowed entry; but people would ask questions. H could ‘promote’ you to the harem, but that would put the previous decisions of cutting down up for question. Then he had an idea. It was perfect and fool proof. You would still be doing your job, but on the 9th floor. He could watch you. He could control exactly who saw you and talked to you.

You would build him a garden.

Next>>>

[saitamaandmanakoblog]

Manako’s PTSD: The Hero Training Test: 1/2

Remember all the fan-made fiction of Saitama and Manako is not in order so good luck with that.

“Hey Saitama do you want to come to Hero Training with me?”

“Nay I’m good, if they give you any trouble call me ok.”

“Ok, bye Saitama, I love you~”

“Love you too Manako.”

Manako hugged Saitama before she went out

Time Skip

Slowly, the Metting Room started to trickle in, and a few attempted to make small talk with the other heroes. She sighed when she realized that the minister is was going to be late.

“Hey, Manako!” Child Emperor grinned. “You’re the one my friend talked about, right? ZombieMan is his username!!”

“Yeah.” Manako smiled softly. “My Username name is FlashLight.” She explained. “He told me to keep a lookout for you. Sorry it took so long. I’m kind of socially awkward.”

“That’s fine, ZombieMan is, too.” Child Emperor grinned. “Is it ok if I ask you some questions, Manako?”

“So, Manako!” The Green hair girl, leaned towards her, cutting off whatever Child Emperor was going to ask. “I have to ask. What’s your Powers?!”

“My… Powers?” Manako blinked. Didn’t they…? Oh. She didn’t tell them. She opened her mouth to affirm that her powers is a literal flashlight when Sweet Mask decided to be an ass and do it for her.

“BL?! Ha! That little Monster’s power is literally a flashlight. She’s basically useless. I have no idea how the fuck she managed to get into A Class.”

“Flashlight?” Child Emperor echoed, confused.

“Gee, thanks a lot.” Manako threw SweetMask a tired glare, startling the blond. “But yeah, I’m basically a Flashlight. I still managed to become a hero same as the rest of you. So doubt me if you want, but just know that underestimating me will not end well for you.” There was a glint in her eye that made the heroes falter.

“I think it’s so cool! A Monster and you still got in?!, you’re incredible!” Child Emperor grinned, taking Manako aback.

“Um… what?” She blinked. She’d been so ready for the teasing and discrimination, already having built the wall around herself in preparation… but… what?

“Yeah!” Dark Shine grinned. Watchdog gave her a thumbs up.

“I think you’re very brave and definitely someone I wouldn’t underestimate on the battlefield. If you could take down those monsters while saving civilians , then you must be a force to be reckoned with.” Metal Bat.

“Though I gotta ask, how did you beat them?!” Child Emperor was literally bouncing in his seat.

Before anyone could say anything else, The Minister strode in, making Manako stiffen. Oh Phew it’s just the Tester guy or TG for short.

( I have no idea what’s the staff’s name is so the random mister guy is going to be the Hero Tester.)

After the TG explain the rules Manako smirked. This was going to be fun.

Flash Forward

Okay, scratch that. This was going to suck. Test Guy had put her up against SweetMask of all people. Manako didn’t know how, but she had a feeling that it was either on purpose, or a ‘unlucky accident’. Either way, her TG looked happy with the matchup. She supposed that Tester Guy simply thought that the two were friends since they went to same zones to help a bunch of random civilians at at that time, but…

Manako was not an idiot. She knew he had weak points and faults just like everyone else. He was just better at hiding them. Can’t look at something ugly—specifically that monster who easily beat up Sweet Mask and the roof started collapsing—and the important sparkles that came out of him? But there is one problem SweetMask has a strong hate towards monsters thereafter was something that could easily pull her into a flashback. (She hated sudden loud noises, but explosions were the worst. She blamed childhood trauma.) She knew this, which is why he tried his best to stay away from SweetMask whenever possible.

That’s why she always stay close to Saitama, she always feels safe around her BFF and Geno since most of the time she just hang in Saitama’s Pouch.

“TG?” Manako asked quietly, making sure none of her heroes would overhear. “I was wondering if I could switch opponents. I know that normally this isn’t allowed, but I have… bad reactions to certain noises, and was going to talk to Mike about working around it at the end of this week.” Manako was trying to be mature about this. She really was.

(Mike is a made up Monster Character in this universe.)

After all, she knew, logically, that this fear of hers is extremely dangerous in the field of heroism. However, that’s what Mike, the counselor, was for. He’d help Manako work through them—even if she didn’t want to talk about anything to the Ant Monster—and then Manako would be cleared to do hero work in those situations.

She was waiting until the end of the week because she knew it could pose the risk of her safety when she go out with one of Saitama’s Hero Work Trip Days, which she does not want Saitama to worry.

TG just smiled down at her. “I understand, Manako, but you cannot always choose what powers your enemies have. Even if it makes you uncomfortable, I ask that you still bear with the exercise. If things start getting out of hand, I’ll stop it.”

He isn’t taking me seriously. Manako sighed. “If that’s your final decision that’s fine by me.” I am in huge trouble!

Okay, so maybe Manako was being a little harsh. But she felt somewhat unfair and considering that the Monster Association. Tried to kill her twice. And yeah, she understood why he’d pared her with SweetMask, and even mostly understand why he thought it’s a good idea, but Monako was still bitter about the whole thing. And considering all that she’d been through, she felt that the minister chose the wrong person to do the test.

When the match started, Manako took a deep steadying breath. “Child Emperor.” The boy looked at her. “SweetMask will come after me. I’ll distract him to keep him in bay. Take this,” she passed him a small canister, “It’s a smokescreen.” He said. “Try to use it on Flashy Flash speed against him.”

“Right!” Child Emperor grinned, taking it from Manako with a smile.

“GO!”

Like a flash, Manako and Child Emperor bolted into the city’s building. As expected, SweetMask met them on the second floor, heading them off.

Manako motioned for Child Emperor to hide as he drew SweetMask attention. “Why do you hate monsters so much SweetMask?, What have I ever done to you?”

“Shut the hell up you Monsters! Why are you in the Hero Association? Are you here to spy on everyone?!”

“That’s what’s got you so mad?” Manako sighed, as she saw Child Emperor sneak up the stairs from the corner of his eye. “SweetMask. This is obviously a huge miss understanding can’t we just talk this out and be friends?.” She watched as the blond flinched.

“Like I’d ever be friends with a Monster reject like you!” He snarled, lunging forward with his all-too-familiar sharp hands.

Manako easily dodged, catching his arm pin it into the wall. It would’ve ended there if SweetMask hadn’t used his other hand to slice her up, but his free legs break through the floor and sending the two crashing to the room below.

SweetMask immediately jumped away and reared around to the offensive.

“So you’ve got some moves. So what!” SweetMask snarled. “You’re still a Monster ! You’ll gonna get killed anyways!”

“SweetMask.” Manako flinched when she hears a huge explosion went off a room above. The smell of the dust that the explosion kicked up and the sound of the ceiling crumbling at the edges of the hole that SweetMask made, but Manako nasty memories rather came right away.

Flash Back

“It’ll be alright, kid.” Aden smiled as she patted Manako’s head. “You’ll make it out of this.”

“B-but i don’t want you to die.” She protested through thick tears. “You can come with me. Saitama is a good friend he can help us.” She flinched at the sound of angry mobs of monsters.

“You know I can’t. Tell Saitama and the others I’m sorry—and stay safe, kiddo. Keep smiling.” She gave Manako a grin before standing up from their hiding place, leaving Manako essentially buried in a safe-hole Aden had dug just for her and the others so they have a chance to escape through the secret tunnels. “See ya in the next life.”

“Goodbye.” Manako smiled as best she could. “Auntie Aden.”

Manako shook his head sharply, barely dodging a blow from SweetMask. He hadn’t had to think about Aden’s death in a long time. The Ant Monsters had run out to draw the Mobs away from Manako’s hiding spot. All she’d managed to find of the ant after was few bloodstained pieces of clothing and some bone,And her minding helmet, That was it.

End of Flashback

“I know you won’t understand this, but there are bigger things for me to worry about than your point of view!.” Manako charged at him, ducking under a angry swings and dodging fierce blows.

Oh sh*t that was close!

The noises and explosion were starting to overwhelm her, and the smell of blood and nitroglycerin filled his nostrils, mixing with the scent of ash and smoke. She found that it made it harder to remember on what she was supposed to do. SweetMask kept using his hands-like glimpses of knifes and swords of the corner of his eyes.

Sometimes, when SweetMask tried to slice her with his hand, she overlapped with the image of the Miners evil boss. His red eyes glinted in malice and amusing glee, and Manako wasn’t sure if that was the hallucination or not.

Don’t kill him. The thought ran through her mind. She had to remember. This was SweetMask , not the Monster Association… not the evil boss… this is SweetMask . She pulled back, restraining herself, fighting against years of instinct screaming at her to do otherwise. She fought at only a small percentage of her power. She couldn’t go all-out. Not against her death coworkers. Not against, a fellow friend . A human child.

The two finally jumped apart to catch their breath as Manako held up his hand (a hand that looked bloody pale and was horribly dry from overuse of the slice hand technique), one finger hooked in the pin on the rope. Yellow eyes glined in bloodlust as they thirsted for his death. “You know what structure of this building is, right? Well, Monster, what’dya think these are for?”

Manako’s eyes widened in startled realization as her vision focused on the present for that moment. “The force of the channels down through the walls to the floor.…”

“STOP! YOUR GONNA KILL HER!” TG’s voice rung out in worry, and Manako heard the familiar voice of Mike in the background. Mikey? What’s he doing here?

“Only if she doesn’t jump!” SweetMask grinned as he pulled the rope pin.

If Manako hadn’t spent a decade time surviveing Saitama training or fighting a unbelievably fast and ludicrously strong Monsters, she’d would’ve actually died.

But luckily for Manako, her reflexes were insane, and she managed to dodge most of the buildings rubbles. But one caught her left leg, burning and piercing the skin. The smell of burned flesh reached her nostrils, mixing with the dust kicked up from Manako’s trap. The scent mixed with blood became unnervingly similar to the scent of a decayed corpse from the Monsters Association, and suddenly Manako was completely gone—she didn’t know where she was.

She was half-sure her mind was playing tricks on herself, but she heard some mobs nearby. She glanced around herself quickly, and slipped into stealth mode, hiding in the best spot she could find. She’d wait out the Anger Monsters—Mike and the others was smart enough to do the same. And if her friends was in trouble, Manako would plan it out. She’d go to help them if that were the case. She made a promise to the gang to keep each other safe, after all. Mike wouldn’t die. She’d make sure of it.

But she also promised Aden that she’d look after herself. So she needed to survive. “You’re doing great, Manako.” Aden’s hand ruffled her head. “You’re doing just fine. Keep your elbow bent a little more, yeah! Like that!”

She violently flung the thought out of her mind—this was no time to think of people long dead.

They will survive. No matter what.

May the Meeting Room

Silver Fang was tired. Not that that was necessarily anything new, per say, but he was apprehensive about Saitama’s friend first Heroics Test. Never once his gut feelings lie, he decided to observe TG’s lesson. It was the man’s first time testing heroes, after all, so he’d likely need a hand reigning in 19 superpowered Heroes.

He entered the observation room with TG and the remaining 15 Heroes as Blast, Atomic Samurai, King, Metal Night ready themselves for their battle. ZombieMan , personally, was against the idea of SweetMask and Manako facing one another (or a battle exercise right off the bat, but he trusted that TG had enough common sense to stop heroes for over doing it).

Something about the way SweetMask had lunged at Saitama’s Sidekick during the test before had rubbed him the wrong way. Though Manako hadn’t seemed phased by the unprompted lunge, ZombieMan could see the way she tensed around SweetMask and the surrounding. He suspected this was a case of trauma or something similar, but with no evidence there was nothing ZombieMan could do about it except do his best to prevent any further altercations.

Warily, he kept his eye on the match before him. He just had a feeling.

“Turn on the audio.” Silver Fang spoke up, startling the TG. He internally smirked—he loved scaring people when he’s on stealth mode.

“Silver Fang. I wasn’t aware that you were observing the Test today?”

“I wanted to make sure you had an extra set of eyes on these 2. They’re a handful.” He explained, and TG nodded.

“Um… how do I turn on the audio?”

ZombieMan sighed before leaning over and pressing the obvious white button with the headphone icon. Honestly, the staff should’ve made him get a teaching degree or at least. teach him in private so he will know what to do.

They listened as Manako handed what she explained was a smoke screen bomb to Child Emperor. Clever idea, but let’s see well her plan works.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long until Manako met with SweetMask , and the results were as hated as ZombieMan had feared.

“Why do you hate monsters so much SweetMask?, What have I ever done to you?” Manako worriedly asked, causing SweetMask bristle in anger.

“Shut the hell up you Monsters! Why are you in the Hero Association? Are you here to spy on everyone?!”

“That’s what’s got you so mad?”. “SweetMask. This is obviously a huge miss understanding can’t we just talk this out and be friends?.” Obviously there’s a lot of context I’m missing, here.

“Like I’d ever be friends with a Monster reject like you!” ZombieMan’s attention immediately became entirely focused on the fight. He had suspected that SweetMask’s record wasn’t as clean as it initially appeared, but 1SRanks has a lot of advantage to hide from the public eye, also noob crushers was very serious—especially for a Monster hero like Manako and Saitama.

ZombieMan also found himself appreciating the smooth form that Manako had, and his obvious expertise with analyzing. She wielded them with experience beyond his years, and ZombieMan wondered where shee’d learned to fight.

Compared to Manako, SweetMask looked like a raging fashion model with graceful and stylish appearance or manner elegance.—powerful, with strong instincts, but a lot of wasted energy and movement. Manako’s movement wasted none, and actually reminded ZombieMan he needs to improve his fighting style a little more on his Weapon.

He tensed when SweetMask cracked a hole in the floor, freeing himself from Maniko’s grasp.

“So you’ve got some moves. So what!” SweetMask snarled. “You’re still a Monster ! You’ll gonna get killed anyways!”

Zim eyes narrowed. This was a personal statement. He knew right there that both of these 2 heroes would need to talk (SweetMask for his anger and fame blindness, and for Manako is low self-esteem and trauma.)

“SweetMask .” Manako flinched as another crashing sound went off, and ZombieMan took a deep breath. He didn’t like the feeling he was getting.

And for a moment, Manako froze. No… ZombieMan’s eyes narrowed. That’s not right. This is something else… But between the shitty angle of the camera and the dust settling, ZombieMan couldn’t name what it was before the Monster snapped herself out of it.

“I know you won’t understand this, but there are bigger things for me to worry about than your point of view .”

Something’s not right. The dust settled and he could see a lot more clearly. Manako’s eyes… they were somewhat glassy and she didn’t look completely there. It was as if she didn’t completely recognize where she was beyond the fight. That worried ZombieMan. A lot.

And then something changed.

It was subtle, and the shift was one that ZombieMan only barely noticed, but Manako went from a sparring fighting style to a fighting for your life style. He caught Manako altering several moves at the last minute that would’ve been lethal (for SweetMask) if he hadn’t changed course. That was when he’d decided that enough was enough. He moved to stop the match before someone got killed, when SweetMask spoke up.

“You know what structure of this building is, right? Well, Monster, what’dya think these are for?”

“The force of the channels down through the walls to the floor.…”

“STOP! YOUR GONNA KILL HER!” TG

shouted over the intercom.

“SweetMask , if you pull that ro—” ZombieMan started, but SweetMask didn’t hear him.

“Only if she doesn’t jump!” ZombieMan felt anger well up alongside his fear as the pin was pulled and a massive crash and explosion took out the building crumbling down.

“Holly Sh*t?! Is everyone okay?!” TG asked, but ZombieMan hit a button on the panel instead while Sliver Fang worried.

“Stop the exercise! Anyone continuing to fight will be expelled.” Silver Fang promised as TG sent him an affronted look.

“I’m going to go check on Manako and The rest. Call the hospital, there’s sure to be injuries.” TG nodded meekly and went to do as told. “Hero Training has been canceled” glared at the remaining heroes , who nodded and planted their feet where they stood or sat. half of them is terrified and the other half is worried if that was of ZombieMan , then good, he’d done something right. Silver Fang though

His heart pounded in worry. SweetMask was leaning casually against a wall, acting like nothing was wrong. While Child Emperor was sitting down on the floor and Flashy Flash was looking at the crumpled building “You are going to wait for me in the minsters office. We will have a nice long discussion on why that was not okay. And the boss wants to talk to you so don’t attempt to go elsewhere, and you’ll find yourself in huge trouble.” ZombieMan glared, and SweetMask straightened in shock and nodded.

Silver Fang stayed with the 3 heroes while ZombieMan looked for Manako

Fubuki and King came down the stairs, worry evident on their faces. “So are they ok?” Fubuki asked.

“Just go back to the other heroes since this test is called while I locate Manako also can you call Saitama.” He ordered, and King and Fubuki did what he had said.

ZombieMan was good at finding people with his analyzing skills—he had to be to find the crooks and crannies lurking in back alleyways at important missions. But it was harder to find Manako for the life of him, finding Manako is really tricky. And that scared him. It wasn’t until he finally caught sight of a few drops of blood on the floor (likely from cutting herself on rubble) that his eyes focused on a deathly still figure hiding in the rubble.

Wide one eyes stared around his environment, as if tracking unseen enemies. She flinched—twitched, more like—at unheard sounds, and her breathing was almost nonexistent.

ZombieMan realized that Manako was stuck in some kind of flashback. “Bright Light.” No reaction.

“Manako.” He tried again, noticing that his friend twitched a little at the sound of her given name.

“Mikey?” ZombieMan blinked. Who the heck is Mikey? He decided not to question it right now. “Yeah, kid. It’s me.” He carefully made his way over to him. “Can you tell me where you are right now?”

“Cave Mineing. I can hear them nearby… Making a break for it would be too dangerous, though. But as long we stick to the plan we can make it out alive. Did you get hurt?” Manako’s voice was scarcely a whisper, and ZombieMan couldn’t help but feel a little heartbroken to see the hardened and fearful look on her face. Just what had happened to Manako in the past? She looked like a soldier in a warzone.

“I’m okay. Listen to me. You’re at Hero Association You’re safe, it’s okay. Nobody is going to hurt you.” He kept his voice calm and soft, and the monsters blinked a few times in confusion. “There’s no one here but our gang?,But… I can hear them?”

“Hear who?”

“The anger mobs of monsters.” There was a pause. So Manako has enemies who are not only human but also monsters? “Mikey? Are the gang okay? Foapy, MooMoo… And Vend?” Are those Manako’s old friends?

“Yeah. Everyone’s okay, Manako.” He rolled with it, calling him Mikey. The monsters relaxed substantially, so ZombieMan assumed it was the right call. “Saitama is here to pick you up.”

“Saitama? But he’s…” her eye furrowed before her eyes cleared up quickly.

ZombieMan carefully placed a hand on Bright Light’s shoulder, and he found Manako’s hand grasping his arm like a lifeline. “Where am I?” She asked desperately.

“It’s Wednesday.. You just started your first Hero Test of Hero Association .” He answered quietly, and she froze for a moment before she melted into his arms.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…” ZombieMan ignored the tears that were soaking into his coat as he held Saitama’s Sidekick . He reached up to his radio. “Silver Fang, I’ve found her. She’s hurt, but nothing life-threatening. I’m taking her to the Saitama myself.”

He then turned his attention back to the obviously traumatized monsters. “It’s all right, Bright Light. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I… I must’ve hurt my coworkers and my teammate I… I’m so sorry…”

[talkfastromance4]

sooo here what I was thinking (and if you don't like it or it's kind of weird or complicated,you can completely ignore this) for Michael's single mom universe: reader has an one night stand and ends up pregnant,she doesn't want to tell best friend!Michael bc he's getting ready for a huge tour,so when she's 3 months along (and still hiding the pregnancy) he goes on tour and when comes back he finds reader with a 4 month old baby boy and struggling to bc she's all by herself and +++

+++ he is kinda angry she didn't tell him bc he could've helped but he's overwhelmed with this woman keeping everything together and caring so much for this tiny baby (I imagine him being called Daniel??? Like the lion??? Or maybe Theo??? It's completely up to you tho) and wants to be in the baby boy's life bc he can't help the immediate love he feels once he meets him and asks reader to move in with him so they can take care together of the baby+++

I. LOVE. THIS!

This got a little long because I want the first blurb of michael dating single!mom to cover all that you wrote!

• • • •

Three months you’ve been keeping this secret. From your family, your friends, your coworkers and from your best friend Michael. You decided today was the day you were going to tell him. 

You were going to tell him about your one night stand from that cute guy at the bar you poured your heart and soul to about how she’s in love with her best friend and because of alcohol and heightened emotions and the need to feel close to someone, you brought him back to your place. 

Now, three months later, you’re carrying the only evidence that it ever happened in your belly. Your baby is the size of a plum but your love for it is the size of the sun. You didn’t tell the father because you never got his contact information and you doubt he’d stick around, it was a one night stand after all. 

You walk into Michael’s house, dogs greeting you happily as you venture down the hall to his bedroom. When you come inside it’s a warzone.

“Did your closet throw up?” you ask tugging on your oversized shirt. You’ve opted for larger clothes to hide your growing belly, it’s not that big yet but still. 

“No. I’m trying to decide which clothes to bring for tour,” he mumbles.

“Tour. Right, that starts . . . holy shit, tomorrow doesn’t it?” you ask becoming nervous. Since becoming pregnant, you’ve gotten a little more forgetful. There’s no way you can drop this news on him now. 

“Yeah, has been for the last three months,” he chuckles tossing a sweatshirt in his suitcase. “What’s up? Want to do one last night of switch and pizza before I go?”

“Sure,” you smile. 

The rest of the night is spent trying to act normal for Michael as you play mario kart and eat pizza. The dogs are cuddling you a lot more than normal and Southy keeps sniffing at your tummy and you hope Michael doesn’t notice.

You’re woken the next morning to Michael gently nudging you awake, it’s still pretty dark outside. 

“Hey, I’m heading to the airport but you can stay sleeping,” he whispers and you sit up rubbing your eyes. “I’ll call you when I land, okay?”

“Okay,” you sigh holding your arms open and he gives you a tight hug.

“Love you,” he kisses the top of your head.

“Love you too, Mikey.”

****

The next six months were even harder keeping your pregnancy from Michael. You finally told your friends and family but had them swear not to tell Michael because he needs to focus on performing. When he’d call it was easy to hide it, but when he wanted to facetime you really had to come up with clever ways to hide your belly. 

Ironically, after you gave birth to your baby boy Theo and you spent the first couple months building his routine and loving on him, it was when Michael was the busiest on tour. It was nearing an end soon, so would your secret.

You’d stay up most nights thinking of his reaction and so many different scenarios played out in your head. He’ll scream at you and never talk to you again. Or he won’t say anything and just leave. 

When Theo turns four months old, that’s when Michael will be home again and he’ll be by to pick up the dogs. You always watched them when he went away and they’ve been amazing with Theo. 

Theo is in the living room in his tiny bouncer when Michael said he’s just pulled up. Your hands are clammy and your stomach has flipped upside down as you wait for him by the front door. 

When it opens, the dogs start barking and attack him as he falls to the floor letting them. He pets them the best he can while saying hello then looks up at you, he gives you a funny look. 

“You look different,” he muses standing up to his feet and pulls you into his arms for a tight embrace. 

You melt into his touch, breathing him in and feeling his presence. You hadn’t realized how much you missed him and you hope this won’t be the last hug. 

“Your hair looks longer,” you smile tousling his blond locks. “Um, so I am different but in more ways than my looks.”

“What are you talking about?” he asks in confusion when you pull away. His hands are still on your elbows. 

“Um, there’s someone I want you to meet,” you say nervously and back away to the living room. “Stay here and let me explain before you say anything. Okay?” You hold up your pinky for him to take, a serious pact between you two. He links his pinky with yours. 

You lift Theo from his bouncer and he wriggles in your arms until he’s nestled comfortably in your arms. You appear in the kitchen and Michael’s eyes get wide as saucers. 

“Three months before you left on tour, I hooked up with a guy and I was going to tell you but you were literally leaving for tour the next morning and I couldn’t drop that bomb on you and I didn’t want to do it over the phone and please don’t hate me. But this is my son, Theo and he turned four months old today and I really don’t want you to hate me,” you say all in one breath. Michael just stares. 

And stares. And stares. And stares. 

“Please say something,” you beg adjusting Theo in your arms. 

He takes a careful step forward, looking between you and Theo over and over again. He keeps stepping until he’s right in front of you and brushes his finger on Theo’s small forehead. 

“He looks just like you, Y/N,” he says softly. “The only thing I’m mad about is that you’ve been doing this all on your own. Where’s his dad? Did he kick you to the curb? I’ll kick his ass right--”

“I never told him. I don’t even know his name or got his number. It’s better this way, Mikey. Me and Theo. . . we’re doing okay,” you smile down at your beautiful baby boy. 

Michael watches you rock him gently then holds out his arms. “Can I hold him?”

“Yeah! Yes, of course you can,” you smile and place Theo in his arms. He rocks him carefully, his long finger touching his nose. He coos at him gently and smiles at him even though Theo’s eyes are closed.

“Move in with me.”

“What? Mikey, no, this isn’t your responsibility--”

“I don’t care. I want to help, and he’s so amazing and I love him so much even though I just met him. Let me help you take care of him, you’re my best friend.”

Your heart jolts, both at the sight of him holding your son and at the fact that he wants to help you even though Theo isn’t his. And just like that, you agree and you’re more in love with him than before, which basically was how Theo was conceived.

• • • •

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