#and then he meets doc for the first time and is clocked on the spot

[shepscapades]

For those begging for dbhc mumbo angst, unfortunately (?) this is just about as bad as it gets for him (as far as I have planned, anyway). All I can think of when it comes to dbhc mumbo is how silly goofy pathetic he is so for now he gets spared from serious angst <3

(doc, on the other hand, gets closer and closer to combusting the more he gets to know everyone)

also, a bonus below the cut bc scar is no better :]

[philomenie]

Once in a lifetime

This is my first story to be published, so I'm very nervous.

i hope i've put all the content warnings, if i've forgotten anything, please let me know.

I would like to mention that English is not my mother tongue.

CN fluff, smut, anxiety, trauma, relationship anxiety, difficult situations, mention of betrayal of trust, cheating, 18+

@valiantroeagleangel

THREE

Mina

After blow-drying your hair and putting on your pyjamas, you grab your cell phone to see who has answered. Nothing!

Disappointment spreads through you.

You were absolutely expecting an answer, precisely because he behaved the way he did, his hug, the fact that he saved his number, your conversations, the closeness, all that can't be your imagination?

You are totally confused.

Then your cell phone vibrates and you check it excitedly.

Disappointed again, you see that it's just your brother Simon wanting to know if you've arrived safely.

Yes, everything's fine, I'm at the hotel in Willamette, tomorrow at noon I'm meeting Ella for lunch in a little café on campus!

Sounds good! Give her my love, also from Alva, Johan and Tilda!

I will, say hello back and kiss the 2 little ones for me!

They already miss their favorite aunt,

That's sweet, tell them I'll be back in 4 weeks!

See you soon sis, I love you!

I love you too Simon, kiss!

Your short conversation has distracted you a little, you check your messages again, then you switch to flight mode to sink quickly into Morpheus' arms.

Your alarm clock wakes you up far too early and you sleepily check the time.

Oh damn, really 11 o'clock already? You want to meet Ella in an hour.

Tired, you crawl out of bed and slip out of your clothes to take a quick shower and brush your teeth.

For your outfit, you choose your blue, ripped boyfriend jeans, a tight black top and your black cardigan with a hole pattern, your black ankle-high Docs and your obligatory cream-colored Birkin bag complete your outfit.

Your usual jewelry in silver, earrings, rings, today additionally your crown of thorns necklace, handmade according to your wishes. Something you gave yourself for your last birthday,

A little make-up, mascara and a light rose-colored lip gloss and you're done.

In the elevator, you check your messages again... nothing. You're sad and angry at the same time.

Angry at him for not getting in touch, for triggering such feelings in you and angry at yourself for allowing these feelings, this closeness.

Before the tears can fall, you throw your head back, stow your cell phone in your pocket and put on your aviator-style sunglasses.

Men.... Only problems with this species. Let that be a lesson to you once again. You're better off on your own!

And with that in mind, you leave your hotel.

When you arrive at the café, you spot Ella from the door, she jumps up happily and runs towards you, you fall into each other's arms, laughing and crying.

It's so good to see and feel her again. It's been far too long since you last saw each other!

You sit down at a table for two by the window and the waitress brings you the menu.

Ella opts for pancakes with syrup and a chai latte with oat milk, you take a normal coffee with milk, no sugar, plus scrambled eggs, bacon and French toast. You realize you're ravenous, the last time you ate was on the plane to Portland.

"Go on, tell me, how was Sweden? How are Simon and Alva? How are the little ones?"

"Sweden is great, Simon and Alva are incredible and the kids are just adorable!"

"Did you see David, Klara and Elsa during that time?"

"Yes, they came to Stockholm for Christmas, only you were missing...."

"Yes, I know.... It was too complicated for me, I had so much to do here, the study requirements are a lot heavier than at home"

"Hmm yeah, sure...."

You are silent for a moment, Ella avoids your gaze. You know exactly why, and why she didn't fly to Sweden, let alone back home.

You realize that she still hasn't come to terms with what happened a year ago in August.

You were able to come to terms with it yourself, the nightmares had stopped, thanks to your fantastic psychologist who guided you sensitively through the horror.

Ella rejected it all and is still visibly struggling with it.

You sigh, knowing that it's no good trying to get inside her, to confront her, she has to want help on her own and that might take some time.

Luckily, your food arrives and you pounce on it.

"So, how are you doing here? How's your roommate? Anshu? Or?"

"She's great, she's introduced me to Indian cuisine, we cook almost every day now, a real enrichment to the canteen food!"

"I'll take your word for it!"

"Then there's Lucas, Claire and Haru, who are also exchange students from the Netherlands, France and Japan. We're together almost all the time, doing things."

Ella continues to talk about her new friends, her activities and all the things she has planned for you.

You listen with a smile, but you can't stop thinking about him... damn him!!!

Joakim

"JOLLY, I'm sorry, but did you even hear what I said?"

Noah is a little annoyed that Joakim is just staring at his phone and not responding to his questions or the songs for the new album.

"What, did you say something?" Joakim is startled out of his thoughts.

"Yes, I was trying to get through to you! What the hell is wrong with you man? I don't know you like this at all?"

"Nahh nothing else," Joakim tries to divert from the topic, but Noah's skeptical look shows that he won't have any further success with this.

"Spit it out, what's bothering you!"

"It's about Mina.... She still hasn't contacted me" sighs Joakim.

"So Mina, still? I mean it's been almost a week now..."

"Yes, Mina, yes still" he growls indignantly and gets up from his chair to wander restlessly up and down the studio.

"I don't know why she's not contacting me and it's just driving me completely crazy! I mean, if you'd seen her, heard our conversations, the hug, everything... I don't get it!!!"

"Jolly.... I'm probably the worst counselor when it comes to that... I don't know how a relationship works myself"

"What about Amber? I thought that was something else? At least that's what it looks like to me!"

"Yaaaa Amber, I honestly like her, she's fantastic, the sex is amazing, I like having her around, she's not annoying, she's great... but I just don't know.…"

"Noah, honestly, don't blow it again just because you're thinking about it too much. She's honestly great and just lovely, everyone likes her, and I think Jesse has a crush on her friend Jules..."

"Jesse and Jules? Honestly?"

"Yeah man, didn't you realize that?"

"No, it slipped my mind."

"I'm just glad Rainy didn't show up here again!"

"Yeah, she could be quite pushy, Michael wanted to kick her out before you arrived...."

"If only he'd done that" growls Joakim

Then he tries to concentrate on the new songs.

Back in his room, he opens his laptop to google hotels in Willamette. 551 hits... Damn, he didn't expect there to be so many.

Frustrated, he closes the laptop and lies down on his bed, his gaze fixed upwards.

Mina.... Fuck, why don't you get in touch?

He jumps up, he needs answers, so he opens the laptop again with the search results. Ok, they had talked about destinations, what kind of accommodation you prefer, that should narrow down the hits a bit.

You said you prefer small, family-run hotels, fine, just 260.

Then the location, more on the outskirts, in the countryside, again a few less, only 120 hotels.

Ok, what else, remember Joakim!

Yes, exactly, pool is something you like to have with you so you can go swimming. 56 hotels. That's a manageable number.

He takes a deep breath, suddenly unsure whether he really...

Then he starts typing, a dial tone sounds

"The Allison In & Spa, Ashley Miller, what can I do for you?"

"Lamberts, Joak... DAVID Lamberts, I was wondering if you could deliver a message for my sister Mina Lamberts, who is staying at your hotel, I haven't been able to reach her for days...." Joakim is miserable at the lie, but how else could he find out which hotel you are staying in?

Meanwhile, the lady on the phone is typing data into her computer.

"Mr. Lamberts? I'm sorry, there is no Mina Lamberts among our guests! Are you sure she's here in our hotel?"

"Um, I thought so, excuse me, I'll check again and get back to you, thanks for your trouble!" and with that he quickly hangs up.

His heart is racing, should he really keep doing this? Pretend to be your brother? I'm sure you have reasons for not getting in touch, he's acting like a crazy stalker right now.

Damn!

Joakim paces up and down, rubbing his sweaty hands on his jeans. Damn, fuck, fuck, fuck.

The situation is driving him crazy, he can't think about anything else but you, he can still feel you in his arms, he remembers your scent.

No, he needs answers!

Determined, he reaches for his cell phone again and dials the nearest hotel number.

After 23 more unsuccessful attempts, he is more frustrated than ever before in his life. He gives himself an ultimatum: he will call 5 more hotels today, then that's half of the hotels that come into question. The rest tomorrow.

If none of them are a match.... He doesn't want to worry about that right now.

The 5 other hotels are also a miss. Then his gaze falls on a hotel that he had actually ruled out, Franziska Haus Bed and Breakfast. Franziska? A name from XY, your home country?

Maybe.... Excited, he dials the number!

"Franziska Haus Bed and Breakfast, Franziska Smithers, what can I do for you?" The voice has the same slight accent as you, Joakim's heart races, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Yes, uhm, David Lamberts here, I wanted to leave a message for my sister Mina Lamberts!"

"Mina Lamberts did you say?"

"Yes, Mina Lamberts, Mina Katharina Lamberts....."

"One moment please...."

Joakim has the feeling that time is standing still.

"Mr. Lamberts? A Mina Lamberts is currently a guest here with us. What message do you wish to convey?"

"Mina is with you?"

"Yes, as I said, a Mina Lamberts is our guest!"

Joakim exhales with relief.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" he says, before quickly hanging up without further explanation.

Joakim's legs tremble, he suddenly feels sick and has to sit down. He stares at the black display for a long time, unable to move.

A thought drills through his head, you've found her...

He now knows what he is doing, he hastily packs clothes and toiletries in a bag, takes his acoustic guitar from the wall and stows it in the case provided for it.

He quickly changes his clothes, pulls his hair into a half messy bun and grabs his sunglasses.

Then he runs downstairs, where astonished faces stare at him.

Noah and Amber are in the living room, Jesse and Jules (he knew it!!) are on the other couch, deep in conversation, Orie is rubbing Harper's back, sitting in the armchair.

All eyes are on him and his bags!

Noah is the first to break out of his stupor.

"What the hell are you up to now?"

"I'm going to see her, I know which hotel she's staying in!"

"JOLLY, YOU'RE NOT FUCKING SERIOUS!"

"But Noah, I've never been more serious, I need to see her, I need to sort this out, I need to know why, I need clarity, clarity as to whether I've imagined it all or not. Please understand, I MUST know!"

Noah shakes his head speechlessly, Amber looks at him in confusion and swallows.

Then she straightens her shoulders, "I think Jolly should drive! If he needs certainty, that's the only way he'll get it!"

Noah turns to her, shaking his head, "Have you gone mad too? There's this brilliant invention called a TELEPHONE!!!"

"Yes" Amber replies, now sharper, "But what if she doesn't answer? Then what smarty pants?"

Noah gasps

"I think it's totally romantic if you want to be specific!" she hisses.

"Romantic? You could also call it STALKING," growls Noah.

"You're impossible Noah Sebastian Davis!" and with that she jumps up angrily.

Walks up to Joakim, hugs him "You're doing the right thing, trust me! What you told me about Mina, go to her, sort it out in person, that's always best!"

And with one last angry look at Noah, Amber takes her bag and leaves the house.

"What was that about?" Orie asks, confused.

"I don't know," Noah is stunned.

"Oh Noah, you still have a lot to learn about women!" laughs Jules, turning to Joakim and saying "Go to her Joakim, no matter how it turns out, you'll know, I'll keep my fingers crossed that everything turns out okay!"

"Yeah, man, me too," smiles Jesse.

"Nobody listens to me here anyway," sulks Noah, "Then I guess I have no choice but to wish you luck!" and with that he hugs Joakim.

"Come back safely, we need you here!"

"Thanks man, and if I may give you some advice, go after Amber, she's worth it!"

"Uhum... maybe you're right..." Noah concedes.

Joakim stows his luggage in his car, an Audi R8, another luxury he has afforded himself, gets in and drives off.

Mina

The first week almost flies by, when Ella has lectures and seminars, you explore the city and the surrounding area. You've discovered a second-hand bookshop and various antique stores where you can spend hours.

You would love to stock up on books, furniture and home accessories there.

Just today you're standing in front of a shelf full of old signs and milk churns. You can think of a thousand things you could do with them.

Sighing, you turn away to look at the jewelry.

The rings catch your eye, one in particular, a wide rose gold hoop with a transparent stone, a diamond?

Rose gold would look wonderful on Ella's fair skin. Unlike you, Ella has a lighter skin tone and medium blonde curls, a spitting image of your deceased father, whereas you could be your mother's twin sister.

The thought of your parents still makes you sad, you wish you could have gone to your mother for advice. About so many things, but currently about Joakim.

He still hasn't responded to your message.

You shoo the thought of him aside and ask the sales assistant to take the ring from the display. When you try it on, it fits perfectly. You smile and decide to buy it for Ella.

You choose an antique pair of silver dangle earrings with a garnet stone for yourself.

Elated, you leave the store to meet up with Ella in what has become your favorite café.

She's already there, waiting for you, and when she sees you come in, her eyes light up in anticipation. You suspect she has something planned...

"Hey Ella, sorry, I forgot the time in that one store, if I'm not careful I'll spend all my money in there!" you laugh at her.

"It's okay, I've only just arrived, I had a quick chat with my lecturer after my psychology class, the one I told you about..."

"Um, the young, handsome lecturer?" you tease her

"Yes, exactly him!" grins Ella

"I told him about you" she suddenly blurts out.

"You did what????" you blurt out in horror.

"He told me about you, that you have a degree in psychology, worked in a renowned psychotherapy practice and then set up your own practice, he was quite interested, at least that's what I thought...."

You have to swallow and look at her open-mouthed. Stunned, you want to start when she continues.

"I've invited him to dinner tonight, one more person really doesn't matter! And besides, distraction is the best thing for lovesickness!"

You're even more speechless than before, which hardly ever happens, and just stare at Ella.

"Have you taken leave of your senses? I mean are you out of your mind? You can't just invite a guy I don't even know! What's more, he's your lecturer! Are you still in your right mind? And what do you mean by heartbreak? It was a flirtation with Joakim, nothing more!"

"Yeah, go on lying to yourself about your guitarist!" Ella snaps sourly "You keep checking your messages to see if he hasn't replied after all, you look sad when you think I can't see it, I'm neither stupid nor blind! You've fallen for this musician and you've really fallen for him! I can't remember it being as bad with Christopher..."

"Please don't mention that huge asshole in this context!" you growl bitterly "He can rot somewhere else for all I care!"

Ella leans back "Right, not another word about the giant asshole! Then what should I call the other one?"

"Who?" you ask, confused.

"Well Joakim," grins Ella.

You roll your eyes, annoyed.

"What do Anshu and the others say about you inviting your lecturer to dinner? I mean, you want to cook together at Kelly's house, don't you?"

Ella grins even more "Well, to be honest, the idea came from Anshu and Claire.... I was just the executor, because I get on best with Ethan…"

Your eyebrows go up, "ETHAN? You're on first-name terms with your lecturer?"

"Chill, everyone calls him that, he offered at the beginning of the semester. Ethan Turnbull, to be precise. He's also published a few books, by the way, so you can see if you know anything about him," explains Ella.

You take a deep breath and sort yourself out, even though you'd like to strangle your little sister!

"Ella, dear, please, unload him again, I don't want to and I can't, ok?! Besides, I don't HAVE my own practice anymore, as you know very well!"

Ella's gaze darkens, she swallows, sits up straight in her chair and looks you straight in the eye "I know that very well Mina, you certainly don't have to remind me, I was there.... As.... As.... You know what I mean, I know why you gave up the practice!"

You sigh, realizing that this is the worst possible time to start dealing with this issue.

"Ella, please, tell him no, make up what I know, I don't want this!" you beg her.

"Mina, I can't possibly cancel on him, I don't even have his number or home address!"

"You're not fucking serious!" you choke out.

"But I'm fucking serious, or do you think I'm going to ask my LECTURER for his number or address?" Ella is outraged.

"I'd trust you with anything," you growl in frustration.

"Pfffff" is all you hear from Ella.

Damn, how do I get out of this number, your mind is racing. The last thing you want to do is have dinner with that psychology lecturer. You just wanted to cook with Ella and her friends and then eat, have fun, maybe go out afterwards.

Now this is completely inconvenient for you, because.... Because.... Yes, damn it, because your heart is still with this impossible, attractive, unreliable, charming, incredible man, with him.

And you could slap yourself for that.

"He's really not ugly, if that makes you feel better," Ella interrupts your thoughts.

"Who?"

"Ethan, he's tall, blond, longer hair and athletic, he plays rugby and coaches a kids' team. And he has a dog, Spot, a husky mongrel, totally cute! Spot is often at the seminar with us!" explains Ella.

"Dog sounds good," you agree.

"Well, that's a plus for Ethan! Joakim certainly doesn't have a dog!" grins Ella.

"I don't know, I don't think so!" you sigh and admit defeat for now.

Okay then, dinner with the lecturer on top of everything else.

What else can go wrong today?

"Great, then you'll come by at 7 pm? You know where, you have Kelly's address, don't you? And put on something nice!"

"ELLA KONSTANZE LAMBERTS IT'S ENOUGH NOW," you get indignant, "Who are you? Our mother?"

"No, your sister, she wants you to laugh again!" comes the simple reply.

You can't add anything to that.

"And when will you be happy again?" you ask her cautiously.

Her eyes darken again "I'm not unhappy, you know. I just don't want to talk about it, not now, not here. I just want to forget about it and go on living normally, as if nothing ever happened, you know?"

You nod at her.

"I can't go through that again, I was afraid of losing you too Mina, I didn't care that I could have died then, I was just afraid that he would kill you, like, like ....." her voice trails off.

You lean over to her and hug her tightly, comforting her, stroking her back as you hear her quiet sobs.

"Shhhhh Ella, it's all right, it's over, I'm here, it's all right, I'm not going anywhere, I promised you, I'll stay with you!"

"Always? Promise?" comes quietly from Ella's mouth.

"Always, I promise, as long as you can put up with me!" you smile.

"Good, because I can still put up with you!" Ella smiles again.

"Well then, everything's perfect! Come on, let's finish eating, I've found a little something for you!"

"Ohhhhh what is it?" Ella is delighted, she is still like a little child bursting with curiosity when it comes to surprises and presents.

Smiling, you reach into your Birkin bag and hand her the small dark blue velvet-covered box.

Ella happily takes it and opens it.

"Ohhhh Mina, how beautiful! THANK YOU!"

"You're welcome little mouse!"

At the mention of her nickname, Ella makes a face and tries on the ring, which fits like a glove.

"Okay, I won't take it off, it looks fantastic!" she gushes.

You smile lovingly at her.

After dinner, Ella heads off to her duties again, not bothering to ask you to be punctual first, she knows you're usually late, one of your little mistakes.

You roll your eyes and promise to be on time, in "appropriate" attire, as requested, no band shirts or ripped jeans, your favorite outfits.

You slowly stroll towards the hotel, when you arrive you decide to take a hot shower and wash your hair. Then you want to take care of your outfit.

Your long dark green skirt with small cream-colored flowers, the dark green top and a short cream-colored cardigan should be suitable enough.

You mainly want to do Ella a favor, you don't care about Ethan.

You sigh at the thought of spending the evening looking after a psychologist who is a complete stranger to you.... So far, all the male psychologists you've met have been complicated in their own way. And the last thing you need is a complicated man!

Or a man in your life at all.

The story with Joakim has shown you again that it's better not to trust anyone, not to let your feelings get in the way.

You only get hurt and you never want to be hurt again, by anyone, you never want to feel helplessly at the mercy of a situation or feelings, ever again!!!

Joakim

After about 16 hours of driving, with short breaks, he finally reaches Willamette.

He is tired and excited at the same time.

How will you react?

Do you even want to see him?

What if you don't feel the same as he does....

Joakim becomes uncertain, what if Noah was right? It's stalking, he found out about your hotel through lies and now he's standing outside the hotel.

Creep!!! it goes through his head.

What if you're thinking the same thing?

Unsure, he puts his head on the steering wheel and stares ahead of him.

He no longer knows whether it was right to drive here. Shouldn't he go straight back?

Just forget everything?

But there is this tugging in his chest.... Longing?

He looks up, suddenly he sees you coming out of the hotel, at first he thinks he's going to die on the spot, then he quickly ducks away so that you don't recognize him.

He peers cautiously out of his side window, sees you make your way to the parking lot and open a Ford Fiesta, get in and drive off towards the city center.

Joakim is hot and cold and nauseous at the same time, God he's nauseous and dizzy, he has to open the door and breathe in and out deeply, otherwise he feels like he's either going to pass out or throw up.

He feels like a teenager in love for the first time, not a grown man of 35!

Pull yourself together and make a decision Karlsson, he tells himself.

Easier said than done, he still has pudding legs and feels sick as a dog.

He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes and decides to take a room in the hotel for now, he can make a decision there too.

Hopefully they still have rooms available, he thinks.

A friendly looking middle-aged lady stands at the reception desk

"Welcome to Fanziska Haus, what can I do for you?"

"Karlsson, Joakim Karlsson, I haven't booked, a spontaneous trip, I wanted to ask if you have a room available?"

"Oh, just a moment please, I'll have a quick look!"

The lady, whose name tag reads Sarah, types quickly on her keyboard and looks intently at the screen.

"Ahh, you're in luck, I can offer you room no. 14. How long are you planning to stay?"

"Uhmm, that depends on certain circumstances..." Joakim squirms.

Sarah smiles at him questioningly.

"Yeah, so for one night, I guess? Maybe longer... like one, two, three weeks?" he stutters.

"Oh, a little more specific would be good, Mr. Karlsson! One night is no problem at all, but several weeks is, because the room is booked elsewhere. You could then, or rather would have to, move to another room. Would that be a solution for you?" Sarah offers in a friendly manner.

"Yes, that sounds good, yes, that would be brilliant if you could arrange it that way!" Joakim beams.

"Good Mr. Karlsson, then I would need your personal details for the registration, how do you want to pay? By credit card?"

"Yes, credit card!"

Once everything is settled, Sarah hands him the key card for his room and wishes him a pleasant stay.

Joakim is glad to finally be able to lie down for a while. Once in the room, he leaves his luggage in his bag and throws himself tiredly onto the bed, only to fall asleep a little later.

When he wakes up again, it's late afternoon, FUCK, how long has he been asleep?

He looks frantically at his cell phone, 4 pm and 3 messages from Noah, 5 from Vincent...

Joakim rolls his eyes in annoyance and opens one after the other.

They both want to know where he is, whether he's arrived, how you reacted, whether you reacted, or whether he found you at all, when he's coming back to LA, whether he's still alive....

Idiots he thinks lovingly and types the same message for both of them:

Am at the same hotel as Mina

I saw her briefly, she's really here, but she didn't see me, I checked into the hotel first and am now in my room.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do next, I still have to think about it. I'll be in touch, you don't need to send me any more messages!

Jolly

What am I going to do, how am I going to meet her? Wait in the lobby?

"Hey Mina, how are you? You haven't contacted me yet, so I've been spying on you to find out exactly where you are, and tadaa here I am!"

Oh God, CREEEEEEEEEP!!! it roars in his head

Joakim sighs in frustration, he can't possibly do that!

His brain rattles, suddenly he has an idea.

He quickly searches his cell phone to see if there is a flower store or something similar in Willamette. Zack, hit. He grins with satisfaction and taps select.

"Willamette Flower Delivery Serving, Ava speaking, what can I do for you?"

"Karlsson here, I need a bouquet of flowers that can be delivered today!"

"Within Willamette that's no problem, Mr. Karlsson, what bouquet would you like and where, to whom, would you like it delivered? The bouquets can be found on our homepage."

Joakim quickly scrolls through the offer and spontaneously decides on the Garden Bouquet with white hydrangeas, pink and pink roses, rose-colored lilies, light pink button flowers and white margarites, plus various grasses and leaves.

He hopes you like the flowers, that he has met your taste.

"The Garden Bouquet, please deliver this to Mina Lamberts, M-I-N-A L-A-M-B-E-R-T-S," he quickly spells out, "Currently at Franziska Haus Bed and Breaktfast, here in Willamette!"

"Ok, I've written everything down, how do you want to pay?"

"Credit card, I'll put the card number through......!"

"All right Mr. Karlsson, I'll see to it that the bouquet is delivered today!"

"Can you tell me roughly when that will be?" he asks.

"Uhm, we have another big order here, in about 2 to 3 hours? By the way, would you like to add a greetings card?"

Joakim thinks about it

"No greeting card directly, but do you have a card with a guitar?"

"No, unfortunately, but I could print a guitar on the card if that would help you!"

"Yes, it does, thank you very much!" Joakim is relieved.

Now he just has to sit down in the lobby in 2 hours and wait for the flower delivery man... Just because it's all so easy!

In the meantime, he unpacks his things, showers, puts on fresh clothes and sets off in search of somewhere to eat.

The hotel itself only serves breakfast, and Sarah, the nice receptionist, tells him where he can get something to eat in the city.

With this information, he drives into town and stops in front of a nice-looking restaurant. The menu on the sign outside the restaurant promises a variety of burgers, just what he's in the mood for.

After he has eaten, the world looks a little more confident again. He decides to take a stroll through the city, keeping an eye on the time - he doesn't want to be back too late, that would ruin his whole plan!!!

A small antique store catches his attention, he looks curiously into the shop window, only to freeze shortly afterwards. YOU are in the store, bent over the sales counter. You take out various pieces of jewelry and look at them.

Joakim's mouth is suddenly completely dry again, he can't move, he watches spellbound as you decide on a ring and a pair of earrings and pay. You turn towards the exit and walk towards it...

He finally breaks out of his stupor and quickly disappears around the corner. From there, he looks after you as you walk down the street towards the university.

Damn him? No, he has a plan, this would have been chaotic and unplanned, it would have suddenly overwhelmed him.

He sees that you're going to a café near the campus.

Should he?

No, not that you'll discover him when he's looking for you at the window.

He's breathing heavily, fuck, he's going to have a heart attack!

Shortly before 6 p.m., Joakim walks into the hotel lobby and, with a quick glance, decides on a seating area in a corner of the lobby with a good view of the entrance and reception.

Now he just has to wait.... He can do that perfectly by now, he remarks sarcastically.

Time passes, no flower delivery man in sight, Joakim gets nervous, he taps his foot, taps his fingers rhythmically on the table, checks the time again and again.

He has been waiting for almost an hour....

Suddenly a young man enters the lobby with a bouquet of flowers wrapped in tissue paper and Joakim stands up tensely.

The young man is talking to Sarah at reception.

Joakim steps closer to overhear the conversation.

He comes within earshot just in time, right when Sarah calls your room number, 23!

You have room number 23, Yess!

The flower messenger heads for the elevator and Joakim hurries to the stairwell, where he hastily sprints to the second floor to arrive before the messenger.

His plan works, he has made it before him.

The messenger steps out of the elevator and looks around, Joakim watches him closely.

Then he heads towards room no. 23, just before he can knock, Joakim is at his side.

"Excuse me, but are these the flowers for Mina Lamberts?" he asks innocently.

The messenger is confused, but confirms the question.

"Wonderful!" Joakim beams, "I've given the order, you can leave the flowers to me, I'll deliver them myself!"

The messenger looks at him in disgust, "Uhh, yes, no, that's not possible, I have to deliver the flowers, otherwise my boss will give me hell, and I don't even know if her details are correct!"

"Ok, I can show you my ID," Joakim offers, "that should confirm my identity, and there's a guitar on the greeting card! Who would know that if not me, the client?"

The messenger becomes uncertain and opens the card to make sure.

"Yes well, then....." he stammers!

"Perfect!" grins Joakim, takes the flowers and slips the messenger a tip.

He grins, nods at Joakim and disappears towards the elevator.

Joakim waits until he is alone in the hotel corridor.

Heart pounding, he unwraps the flowers, positions himself in front of your door, lifts the flowers so that his face is not immediately recognizable and clears his throat several times.

Sweat breaks out from every pore, dizziness and nausea set in again.

If not now, then when, he thinks to himself, death-defyingly, and knocks energetically on your door!

[madhattervanessa]

Pain Management (Part 6)

Chapter 6! We’re almost there, I have 2 more chapters planned at most and I can tell you, the next chapter is already dabbling into spicy stuff! (Finally) At this point I am really motivated to finish this series again - I hope you enjoy yourself!

Warnings: alcohol consumption, otherwise none, it’s just a chill date night, babes

Words: 3240

(Chapter 5) - (Chapter 7)

Masterlist - Mobile Masterlist

Doc: I'll come pick you up around 7.

Doctor Leonard McCoy is a terrible tease and utterly stubborn to a fault. It had been endearing at first but now the messages still glaring at you from the afternoon had put you into a tough spot.

Me: Where are we going?

Doc: It's a surprise, can't spoil it.

Me: I need to know how fancy I need to dress!

Doc: It's not going to be dramatically formal. You will look beautiful either way.

You sigh as you look at the phone screen again before looking back into your suitcase.

You'd opt for a little black dress - can't be over or underdressed with that - right?

While you're still trying to decide what jewelry to wear, you hear the electronic doorbell.

"Shit", you mutter, threading an earring through your piercings as you walk over to the door to answer it.

"I'm almost ready, hang on-"

"I'm going to wait right here, don't worry."

You smile to yourself and take another look out the window before you glance at the clock.

7 sharp.

With the weather on the station in mind, you grab a jacket, just to be sure, before you swing open the door.

You are in the process of picking at your hair again when you meet his eyes.

"Good evening."

"Hey-", you mutter, your eyes drinking him in immediately, a wide smile on your face as you spot the bundle of flowers in his hands, contrasting the blue button down and the leather jacket. You see the glint of a necklace peeking through the first two open buttons of his shirt before you fix his eyes again. "You look great. Nice leather jacket."

He rubs the back of his neck and clears his throat, seemingly doing his own part in taking you in.

"Thanks. I got nothing on you though... You look stunning."

You grin and take a step back into the apartment.

"Yeah? Want me to do a little spin?"

Leonard takes a deep breath and feels the weight on his chest lighten at your cheeky behavior, the way you seem so excited at the prospect of your date tonight.

"Yeah, go on."

-

You slowly twirl in your spot and god, Leonard had forgotten what a little black dress can do on the right person. The fabric accentuates your waist and curves, flattering you perfectly - you look stunning.

You look so different off duty, relaxed and without that pinch in your brow - you stop and your eyes meet again, and this time, his own smile comes much easier.

"You're- you look perfect. But I've got to warn you, it looks like it might be raining later."

"Well, I'm not made out of sugar, so I think I will survive." You pause and take another lingering look at him. "Though I'm worried about you."

A wink, a quirk of your lips and Leonard thinks his heart might have just stumbled out of his chest.

You, however, don't seem all that sold on that fact.

"Sorry, it's- uh- it's a german saying- are those for me?"

He looks down at the blooms out of sheer reflex alone, his thoughts ripped away from just how pleased he is that you might be nervous, too.

"Yes. I had to bribe Chekov to get him to spill about what flowers you like." He withstands the urge to rub the nape of his neck again and instead watches you closely.

"Well... I gotta say, Chekov played you like a fiddle, Leonard..."

You bite your lip, fiddling with the hem of your dress.

Did he really just mess up getting flowers for you?

"...Seriously?"

"I'm kidding. I like these. I'm just not really great at keeping anything alive besides my patients."

"Oh."

"But like I said, these are very pretty- is there a special meaning behind these?"

You brush his hands as you take them from him and it’s like a little spark passes between the two of you. He is tempted, suddenly, to just stay in with you.

“There really isn’t- I didn’t really think about that when I picked them out.”

“You picked them out yourself?”

He spots a slight flush working its way up your cheeks and feels his confidence return at the prospect of being able to fluster you.

“Yeah.”

“That’s really sweet”, you mutter and you look up from the flowers again. “You’re all heart, Doc.”

Why is he even this nervous? He has dated before, damnit, you two had already kissed. Twice.

“I’m going to put these away really quick.”

“Sure, yeah, go ahead.”

You turn and he watches as you grab a large glass to put the flowers in. He glances down at his shoes, rubbing at the nape of his neck.

The two of you really shouldn’t be doing this, it’s complicated and-

“Alright, sorry for that. Are you alright?”

His head snaps back up and there you are again. He nods and you close the door behind you before extending an arm towards his back, your arm winding around him so you can press closer.

He gets a whiff of your shampoo and the perfume you’re wearing and finds it pleasantly subtle as you fit together.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

He extends his arm across your back as well as you walk towards the elevator. After pressing the button to go down, he glances at you to find you fiddling with an earring. His nose bumps against your temple and you meet his eyes before shily turning away from him again, your eyes flicking down to the floor, then to the windows.

It reassures him, to find you a little nervous, as well.

As he looks out the window with you, he remembers the last night; the way you had looked at him, how your lips had parted as he cornered you against the cool glass... The soft kiss you had shared before you had pressed back, a hand of yours in his.

The elevator snaps him out of his reverie and he guides you out of the elevator towards the lobby.

“We might have to hurry a bit to catch our reservation- have you ever been on a motorbike before?”

You tilt your head and chuckle.

“I can’t say I have.”

-

You’re baffled when Leonard guides you out of the lobby and towards a motorbike.

He hands you one of the helmets from the seat.

“Well, this certainly explains the leather jacket, Mr. Bad Boy.”

“Alright, you’re feisty tonight.” Leonard mutters under his breath and you laugh  at the grumble. You nudge him with your elbow, briefly considering pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Do you know how to put the helmet on?”

You consider the black helmet in your hands, briefly considering lying.

“Actually, I could use some instructions.”

“Of course”, he mutters and steps a bit closer, lifting his helmet to put it on as he speaks. “You start on the crown of your head and push it down over your nose with a little pressure.”

He lifts the visor so you can see his eyes and you nod, looking down at your own hands.

“Alright. I’ll try - can’t guarantee you won’t have to help though.”

“If you want, I can just do it for you.” He is already reaching out to grab the helmet out of your hands but you are quick to lift it out of his reach.

“No no, I want to try”, you stop him in his tracks and set the helmet on the crown of your head with determination. You pull it down your head but after getting it over your forehead you get it stuck.

“Some help?”

“I got this!”, you grunt and give it another shove until it plops down over your head fully. “Told you so”, you breathe out. 

“Fair enough, just missing something-” Your helmets touch as he reaches out under your chin. An uncomfortable hard piece of plastic slides across your cheek before you feel two straps touching your chin. Leonard's hands are remarkably warm as he closes the chin straps for you. “-there you go.”

“Thanks, Leonard. Are yours closed, too?”, you feel up his neck and chin, checking the chin strap like he had with yours. The corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiles at you.

“This ain’t my first rodeo, darlin’.”

“Well, I sure hope so, Doc. Wouldn’t want you falling off.”

“I think that will be your worry in a second. Ready to mount?”

“I’m not sure but I do know where to keep my hands so that’s a good start, right?”

He just nods, sitting down on the machine. It’s intimidating but at least he can balance that goddamn thing.

He turns to look at you and lets his eyes trail down your body before looking up again.

He holds one of his hands out.

You zip your jacket closed and take it.

-

“We’re here.”

You look around the place. There’s just skyscrapers and some bars around, nothing special, it seems.

You keep slowly rolling towards a parking bay.

You know you would feel your heart sink a bit if it weren’t for the adrenaline from the motorbike ride.

You stop in a designated spot and you do your best to keep close to Leonard as the balance tips to your right side. People in fancy dresses are practically flying through in cars or by foot.

“Alright- you’re going to have to get up first.”

“Uh- Leonard… I might need your help.” 

He turns his head to you, an eyebrow cocked in question.

“You can use me as support, no need to be shy.”

You huff out a laugh and squirm as you loosen your arms from him. After tugging your dress down again, you swing your leg backwards over the machine while holding on to Leonard’s shoulders. You stumble and feel like all blood is rushing out of your head as you prepare to embarrass yourself, but Leonard secures you with a hand on your waist. 

Your helmets almost bump and he smiles brightly.

“There. Everything okay?”

“Just nervous… After all, I didn’t know the CMO of the Enterprise is a motorbike kind of guy with a leather jacket…”

He takes the keys out of the ignition and turns to you as he takes off his helmet.

“What did you think, then?”

He gets up, tugging off his helmet in a smooth and to be honest, very bad boy kind of fashion before turning towards you.

“Well, I expected less of a bad boy and more of a well mannered southern gentleman to be perfectly honest with you.”

He steps closer and starts undoing the chin clasp of your helmet. It makes your cheeks flush to see that concentrated, warm expression on his face, his full attention on you.

“Those do not necessarily exclude each other, you know?”, he retorts in a mumble and pulls the helmet off before guiding you down the sidewalk with a hand on your lower back. “Just like being able to dance in the club and dancing like a lady aren’t exclusive.”

The added comment makes you grin.

“Touché.”

You grab the helmet again and take it in your right hand as you take another look around the parking lot.

You almost jump as Leonard gently puts his hand on your lower back.

“C’mon, it’s just a minute walk from here.”

“Alright, then”, you just smile and let yourself be led down the sidewalk by him, comforted by the hand on your lower back that wanders to your waist, holding you to his right as you walk. You can feel his body warmth like this and get a whiff of cologne. He smells really nice.

“Still tired from yesterday?"

"Huh?" You look at him again, brow wrinkled in confusion. 

"You woke up pretty late."

"Ah, well-" you bite your lip and think back to what had actually kept you from your PADD so long.

"What? You don't have to be shy about being hungover you know? Jim whined at me the whole morning all about it."

Of course he did. You smile at the visual your imagination provides you and just chuckle. 

"Well, I can assure you I was not hungover, just lazed around in bed."

After handing over your jackets as well as helmets you follow your waiter through the restaurant and past a room divider. You feel your jaw slackening at the view you’re suddenly met with: 

There’s a beautiful, deep orange sea with a fine white beach extending over the planet- the skyscrapers you thought were spanning the entire city alwaysity stand in considerable distance to the beach where little houses are situated. They seem tiny from here and you think you can see a few children playing somewhere near the coast to the west. 

The evening sun basks everything in blue hues which makes for a spectacular view with the brilliance of the stars already coming out. 

Your awe is interrupted by Leonard gently pushing you further.

“You should see your face. Priceless.”

His breath fans against your ear as he whispers to you, a hand on your lower back guiding you further. You are seated at a window spot, the benches comfortably plush. You don’t really have time to take in the whole setup, still taking in the view through the window you are seated right against.

“It’s so beautiful, Leonard…”

“Yeah…”, Leonard mutters, trying hard not to be impressed by the view after seeing it while checking for a good place for dinner but in person it’s a whole different experience. He glances at you, who is, even after the few minutes you had already been here, still awe struck and illuminated by the setting sun.

It’s surreal to him. Really being on a date… The black dress you are wearing is mirroring the color shifts of the scenery. Another reason Leonard won’t get the picture of you in that dress out of his head for a while. He is still thinking about that kiss. The way you had looked at him, how you had felt against him…

-

Dinner is lovely- the conversation keeps flowing between the two of you. 

At some point, one of the straps of your dress had fallen off of your shoulder as you both laughed at what Leonard had just said.

"You can not be serious!"

"I am! Trust me, I never lived that down. I'm lucky Jim wasn't around to witness that."

He can't stop trying to make you laugh - you're gorgeous and he thinks he might be able to admit it's what had been drawing him to you from the very beginning - that laugh, the way you smile at him, tease him.

When he leans back, he is quick to hide his smile behind his glass of wine, his eyes falling to the black strap of your dress losely falling down your shoulder.

As he sets his glass back down, he decides to fall back to what Jim had told him.

He can still do this.

Otherwise you wouldn't be looking at him like that right now.

He carefully leans over the table until he can hook his finger under the slim strap on your shoulder. He can see the hitch in your breath, your eyes on him as he tugs it back in place on your skin.

Trailing his fingers along your collarbone may be unnecessary but the way you lower your eyelids just like in the elevator last night, makes it worth it.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah, sure.”

His eyes fall to your empty plate and he smiles briefly.

“Do you want to order dessert?”

“Oh- uhm you’re sure?”

“Yeah, yeah, uh,” he laughs faintly and god why are his hands all sweaty. That was a perfectly normal question.

“But I also know a very cute little ice cream spot. They also have churros. Which I was saving for tomorrow morning buut… I don’t do well in fancy dinner spots.”

You reach out to his hand on the table, letting the tips of one of your fingers gently rub over one of his - a shy gesture, something so unusual of you, at least in his eyes, before you catch his gaze again.

 “And I feel like you’re not a big fan either.”

-

After leaving the bike behind at the apartment complex you’re staying in, you’d slowly made your way around a few corners, your hands busy with trying to operate the digital map while Leonard had held you close with one arm around your waist, carrying your jacket in the other due to the humid air on the station.

Now you’re sharing bites of the churros and ice cream on the edge of the artificial lake. He’s been quiet ever since you’ve left the restaurant, more reserved. But you chose not to dig into that. He had smiled a bit when you jokingly said you should be even after paying for the sweets.

You had washed off your hands under the frigid water of a drinking fountain, before continuing your stroll along the edge of the water next to each other.

Afterwards he had offered you his jacket, murmuring something about the evening chill. You had little choice but to let him layer the jacket around your, admittedly cold, shoulders.

Instead of asking anything stupid you let your hand swing close to his, your pinky nudging into the palm of his hand, not rushing, just… suggesting.

He turns his head towards you and looks down before taking it and firmly intertwining your hands.

You bite your lip and avert your gaze towards the lake, deciding to push your luck and scooting closer.

His nose nudges your temple and you feel goosebumps spreading over your skin as his warm breath hits the shell of your ear.

“This was a great idea, by the way. I like this a lot more than the restaurant.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Though I gotta say, the view was a lot better.”

You both come to a halt from your slow walk, his arm pulling you a bit closer.

“I’m not sure about that. I’ve been having a great view all evening.”

You turn your head towards him, lips already apart to ask what he means only to find him staring at you with a fond expression; a gentle smile and the faintest hint of the crow’s feet around his eyes as he searches your eyes for a reaction.

You feel yourself flush and your heart stumbles as you catch his meaning, a faint chuckle escaping you.

“Wow- uhm... alright-” your eyebrows rise and you seem to fight against the smile lighting up your face as you shily look away, then back at him. “-very smooth.”

“I did warn you last night.”

“Yeah, yeah, you did”, you agree and there’s that moment again, where everything stretches and he gently lets his thumb trace over your hand as he turns towards you, his warmth and the weight of his jacket sending a warm shiver through you.

It’s a short kiss, sweet and soft, and you both linger for a moment, afterwards. When you look at each other again, you feel your heart warm in your chest.

His hand finds your cheek and gently caresses it as you keep his other hand in yours, your thumb rubbing against his skin.

You walk back with his arm around your waist, an easy silence settling between the two of you.

-

Tagging!

@bkwrm523​, @medicatemedrmccoy​, @ladylizzieofdarbyshire​, @star-trekkin-across-theuniverse​, @tea-earl-grey-thot​, @lauraaan182​

if you want to be added/removed from the tag list, shoot me a quick message!

[randomguywithwords]

As The Dust Settles (fem!Geten X Dabi) Chapter 29-32

Second Compilation. A/N after this.

Chapter 29: Icarus Falls

5 minutes ago… 

“I’ve tried to talk to him…” Shuichi Iguchi muttered as he took another sip of broth. “These few weeks, but lately, I haven’t been able to find him. He’s probably been at the Doctor’s lab all this while. More experimentation, I guess.”

“Did you, after last Monday’s meeting?” Sako chewed on a roll of sushi. 

“Would you have? You saw how he looked...I think I’m too late.” Spinner stared at the stagnant bowl of soup. “He’s too far gone.”

Atsuhiro sighed and put down his chopsticks, staring at the grandeur of the lounge’s walls. All of this, this lavish life the League has been indulging in was because of Shigaraki. 

“I thought,” Sako said, “That Shigaraki was growing as a leader. He’d made wise decisions with the Liberation Army, so I felt…assured in our future. But I forgot that he was given the opportunity to fulfil his dream.”

“It didn’t hit you until you saw him last Monday, did it?” 

Compress shook his head. “I never once believed I would see Shigaraki offer himself as one of the doctor’s experiments. You would truly have to be inhuman to –” He caught himself. 

The awkward silence created by Sako’s implication was thankfully interrupted when Himiko Toga burst into the lounge and shouted, “Where’s Jin?” 

“We haven’t seen him, Himiko.” Sako was about to invite her to join them, but he thought better of it upon seeing the creases of worry on her face. “What’s wrong?” 

He was answered with a door slammed shut on both of them. That’s a good enough answer. Compress locked eyes with Spinner, a mutual understanding passing between the two. They rushed to catch up with her. 

“Toga!” Spinner called. “Ask the Doc! He’ll know where Twice is!” 

She skidded to a stop. “But I don’t have my earpiece!”

“I’ll do it. Check on her.” Compress muttered. Iguchi nodded. 

As Sako was attaching his communicator to make contact, Iguchi reached the girl’s side. “What happened to Twice?” 

“I — I think he’s gonna tell Hawks.” 

“About?”

“About the plan! Shigaraki’s plan!” Toga growled. 

Iguchi went slack-jawed. “No, he can’t. He’s —“ 

“Courtyard, now.” Compress’ tone left no room for further discussion. The three broke into a run. 

As Iguchi looked at the vast square beneath them, he spotted two figures. One in a black bodysuit and another with two noticeable crimson wings sprouting from his back.

------

“Hawks!” 

Keigo spun around to see Bubaigawara Jin frantically waving his hands, running to him. Donning a cordial smile, he waved in return. There he is. 

“What’s up, Twice?” He said, once Jin stopped in front of him. 

After catching his breath, Twice grabbed Hawks’ shoulders, wheezing, “Hawks! Where’ve you been these — I’ve been trying — couldn’t find you! You – you need to leave now!”

“Hold on,” Keigo said, raising his hands with a patient smile, though internally, alarm bells went off in his head. “Calm down, Twice. I’ve only been gone a couple days.”

“No! No time! Go away! Run!” The frantic tone made Hawks realise what Jin was trying to tell him. He was being targeted. 

It happened that fast? Guess I wasn’t as good as I thought. At least that means Plan B will work. 

“Alright, jeez. I just gotta give you something first.” Hawks reached for the specialised earpiece in his back pocket. His feathers picked up movement. 

Three people, 12 o clock, running. Sako, Iguchi, Toga. Probably have two minutes before they reach us. 

Don’t hear Dabi or Apocrypha. They may be waiting somewhere. As for Shigaraki, I can assume he’s with the doctor. 

Chikazoku, Hanabata, and Yotsubashi are dead. In other words, I’ve got an opening. And I only need a few minutes to finish this before I bail forever. 

“What? No, Hawks, just go!” As Jin spoke, Hawks used his feathers to shove the device into his right ear. On cue, Hawks went limp, with Shinso cutting off communication with Twice’s muscles and brain. 

The three minutes start now. Keigo started a timer on his wristwatch. 

As Hawks picked him up with a few feathers, he heard Himiko Toga scream. 

“HAWKS! I’LL KILL YOU!” 

He spared a second to look at the trio running towards them. Sako had made the right call to not use his quirk to launch the other two, since he could easily knock the pearls away, but that negated all possibilities of them reaching him in time. 

And then between the two, the familiar green slime appeared. Shit. 

Keigo wasn’t going to wait for whoever that was, though he harboured a sinking suspicion. He commanded his feathers to lift the unconscious Twice into the air, and blasted into the sky. 

A second sonic boom made him look back. “What the fuck?” He whispered. 

His eyesight was never wrong. Lo and behold, it was Shigaraki, fleshy grey wings extending from his spine, resembling a gargoyle. His colourless irises were gleaming with delight, his mouth curved upwards like a crescent blade. 

And he was getting closer, every flap of his wings increasing his velocity.

Dammit, I can’t fly at my max speed with some of my feathers carrying Twice. Hasn’t even been a minute yet. 

The look on Shigaraki’s face unnerved Keigo more than he liked. 

Could I wear him down with altitude sickness? 

He took the chance and made a sudden stop, breaking the sound barrier again as his trajectory rapidly shifted. Meanwhile, he kept moving Twice in the original direction.

Shit. He’s not aiming to rescue Twice. His feathers sensed as much. Shigaraki was coming for him. 

Better get this to her.

------

“Keep watch on him,” The President ordered her deputies. In front of them, Kineka Shinsou was sitting on a chair, his hands on his temples. His forehead was slick with sweat, energy demanded by his quirk usage. 

She exited the operation room and returned to her office. Before she even entered, she could hear Hawks’ quill scribbling furiously. Her pulse rate spiked. 

What’s happening? 

She barged inside to read his message. Her eyes widened.

------

“Shigaraki on my tail. Looks very different. Has wings and heightened strength. Probably some other quirks. Keeping you posted.” 

Hawks chanced a look back, and he was glad he did, because that was when Shigaraki thrust his arms, which then elongated like Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow, speeding towards him. 

He dodged and returned fire with some of his feathers. They sliced in segments, but with every ligament or muscle he punctured or tore, Shigaraki seemed to repair them with near instantaneous speed. It was slowing him down, but not enough. 

A barrage of feathers went for his wings, ripping through the flesh, shredding them like paper. He heard Shigaraki’s yell of agony through the rushing wind in his ears. 

That seemed to do it. The gap between the two widened as Shigaraki had to recover. Hawks kept on the ascent, while checking his watch. A minute so far. 

And he breached the troposphere. The land below faded into obscurity below low-flying clouds. Above him, the sun pricked his skin, but he was still below the ozone layer. 

Looking down, he saw the dark figure of Shigaraki closing in with renewed ferocity. Is the altitude even affecting him? 

Clip his wings. Hawks sent another fusillade to slice up his opponent’s wings, but he felt the temperature spike up. Wait — MOVE! 

Keigo shot forward whilst retreating his feathers, but not before Shigaraki unleashed a stream of fire from his mouth, incinerating a few feathers. Hawks flinched in pain. 

Evasion then. Can’t risk more of them being burnt up. He recollected the survivors, additionally taking some off Twice, and picked up the pace. Yet Shigaraki was able to match it. 

“He can breathe fire. Superhuman regeneration too, possibly on a cellular level. Doesn’t seem to be bothered by high altitudes.” He wrote. 

“Forced quirk activation tendrils, same as his old man.” Hawks weaved through the black-red wiring that protruded from Shigaraki’s back. He’d seen how those things could keep All Might at bay. Lucky for me, I’m faster than he was. 

Keigo looked back and saw how his injuries were already repaired, but there was some frustration evident on Shigaraki’s face. It’s probably his first time using these new quirks. If I can mess up his concentration, I can make a getaway. 

He checked his watch. Nearly time. He began to lower Twice to the ground, recalling the feathers from far below. ETA, twenty seconds or so. 

Definitely can’t fight him. I doubt I can outrace him even at maximum speeds, but I can spare about half of my feathers to slow him down as best as possible.

Detach. Feathers began to shed from his wings, floating in the air like mines. At his direction, they all trained their razor tips onto Shigaraki like a swarm of piranhas. 

They flew, whizzing around to dodge his grasps and steering clear of his mouth. They pierced through his wings repeatedly like sewing needles. Keigo felt blood spurt onto the frenzied feathers, accompanied by Shigaraki’s snarl. 

Ten seconds before the cavalry's here, and I’m out of here. GAH! 

A burst of pain came from one of his feathers, but it faded almost instantly, as if he’d lost control of it. Did it get burnt up? No, fire would feel different. 

A weird sensation began at his feet. He felt his body lightening, losing mass. 

He looked down, and saw his right foot slowly turn to dust. Oh. Oh, god. 

Turning around, he saw Shigaraki wearing a grin, waving his tendrils that activated quirks forcefully. 

“Nice knowing you, Hawks.” 

How long do I have? Hawks fashioned a blade and immediately sliced off his leg at the calf. Fuck! The blinding pain made spots dance in his eyes, but he forced himself to stay awake. He had three of his feathers rip off strips of his jeans to form a tourniquet. 

Then a second explosion of pain came at his ribs, the black tendrils sinking into his chest. Keigo gasped, spitting out blood. 

His feathers darted around him from behind and chopped off the tendrils, sending Hawks into a free fall. Keigo adjusted, recalling the feathers and speeding off, the few sticks still impaled in his chest. 

His vision darkened at the edges. Yeah, that got my vitals. Maybe if I could get to a hospital…No, can’t bring him into civilian territory. Given how his decay works now…oh yeah, I forgot to update. Need to…update. 

Hawks twisted his body to face the sky to reduce blood loss. He had some of his feathers keep the tendrils in place. 

In the distance, Keigo spotted Shigaraki stare at him for a few seconds. Then he chuckled and dove in after him. 

Finish the letter. 

At his will, the remaining feathers loosened and fired off in a salvo, all aimed at his assailant. Keigo gave up controlling each one of them. It was too much effort, and thinking…thinking was hard with spikes stuck in his lungs and heart. 

Instead, he only focused on the one feather, thousands of kilometres away, that was his last way of warning everyone. 

He felt his body lighten as Shigaraki grabbed his stump of a right leg. Takami Keigo decided to look up at the afternoon sun. It was blinding.

------

Take maximum caution, make sure he never enters any populated area. He’s not the same. Decay can be indirectly transferred, and doesn’t require Shigaraki to primarily lay his hand on the object. I think that’s how Deika City was destroyed to that extent. And he can control the rate of decay. My guess is that he started a slow decay on one of my feathers that I recalled without realising, so it made contact with the rest of 

Think this is it, chief. Tell Shinsou  

Midway through writing, the feather straightened, and just as suddenly, it wilted and lay motionless on the paper.

The president stared at it for a few seconds, hoping it would start twitching again. Her breath was sucked right of her lungs as each second passed, painfully slowly. 

But it never moved again. She placed her hands on the table to steady her trembling form. She closed her eyes. Ave, Takami. 

When she opened them, they were hardened iron. She strode out of the door and back to the room, her heels clacking against the floor, mustering stoicism with every step. The second she walked inside, she was bombarded with reports. 

“Connection’s cut off Ma’am. The device was probably destroyed.” 

“We got as much as we could from the subject.”

“And Shinso went to take a rest. We have medical personnel attending to him.” Good, she thought. She didn’t want Kineka to be here for this. 

She held up her hands to stem the flow. When silence reigned, she shattered it. “Hawks is dead.”

She allowed the room to digest the statement, as bitter and queasy the news made them. Some collapsed onto their seats, faces ashen. Some burst into tears. But she, the leader of the hero commission, forced herself to remain steadfast. 

“He gave his life for this last mission, to stop Shigaraki. We will finish it,” She said. 

She enunciated her next few words with utmost clarity, knowing they would herald doomsday, or salvation. Perhaps both, she thought. 

“Begin the Icarus Initiative.”

------

Chapter 30: Change Of Plans

In the first few centuries of quirk genesis, only a handful today have lived long enough to remember the chaos, and history books are insufficient in carrying the weight of the subsequent conflicts. When the human race was confronted with a global phenomena completely alien to them, they were petrified. When reality underwent an upheaval, it created opportunities to rewrite history. 

Hero Commissions were stated to be government agencies from the get go, but governments then were but men in suits. Political power was a bygone artefact when any motivated member of the public could teleport into meeting rooms and eliminate all decisions with a gun, or simply burn the place down from afar. 

No, power then was the quirks themselves, and clandestine agencies were the first to utilise them to regain control. Comprised of street vigilantes, government officials desperate to survive and the power-hungry, they took a stand against the chaos, and won. 

They did not use their soldiers as public figures or showmen. They were not heroes, but agents. And their employers realised something. The real difference-makers would never be those that paraded around town, winning the hearts of the people. It would instead be those operating covertly, with quirks powerful enough to collapse societies. 

Endeavour? All Might? They were number one because the ranking system the Commission made up put them there. If they truly were the strongest hero, they wouldn’t be on the system. They wouldn’t be a hero. 

That had been the original plan for Takami Keigo, but given his marketable appearance and his personal desires to be a hero, he was slotted into the system. But his colleague of the Commission’s secret program, Kineka Shinsou, was kept in the shadows. 

A quirk that can manipulate mind and body like the Fiber Hero strings his victims, with the precision of a surgeon’s hand, the fruit of a lifetime of gruelling training and psychological regimentation. That was the quirk of a boy fit for shaping society. 

A blessing for the country, and a curse upon the teenager. 

It was almost fitting that Kineka Shinsou was not considered a hero, as he had told the commission over and over when they requested his talents. 

They, of course, did not listen.

------

“I was wondering about this since yesterday. What do I call you?” Geten said. 

“Hmm, I did not think it through.” Dabi drummed his fingers on the table. “Just Dabi is fine, but…I guess my actual name is okay too. When we’re alone.”

“Does no one else know your real name?” 

“No.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “I…I see. Thank you.”

“And you? You’re okay with being called Apocrypha?” 

“I’ve nothing else to call myself, have I?”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t choose a new name for yourself. I did.” 

“I wouldn’t know what it would be.” 

Dabi tapped his chin. “Give it some thought. Just make sure it’s not as dumb as Vengeance.” 

She laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

It was then that the two heard the explosions. 

“What the hell?” Dabi stood up and walked to the window. Geten followed suit. 

Squinting, she spotted two dots in the sky, travelling at astounding speeds. In another second, they had disappeared above the clouds.

“It’s Hawks. Something’s up.” Dabi said. 

“Is he chasing someone, or…?” She didn't want to finish that question. Who was fast enough to do so? There seemed to be only one answer, and if it really was…him – No, she refused to entertain that possibility. 

But Dabi did it for her. “It’s Shigaraki. I think he’s hunting Hawks. But he said tomorrow…” His voice trailed off, as if in question. 

“Hunting? What’s going on?” She demanded. 

“We have to move.” He placed his communicator in his ear and fiddled with the channel. 

“Compress, where are you guys? We heard the sonic booms.” 

Geten heard Sako’s intelligible voice buzz. 

“We’re on our way.” Looking back at her, he said, “Mansion. Courtyard.” 

She nodded. They made their way to the window where Geten formed a platform underneath the two, propelling them towards the mansion’s courtyard. When they reached there, she spotted five figures, Shigaraki and the other lieutenants, standing around. A feeling crept upon her skin, telling her that whatever had occurred had passed. 

Where’s Hawks?

Shigaraki’s appearance took her aback. His clothes were shredded, his white hair caked with a layer of grey ash, matty and unkempt. Two large wings seemingly made from his own flesh sprouted from his back. As he turned his cold, lacklustre gaze upon her for a second, she was reminded of a demon. 

Her gaze drifted lower, and an invisible hand squeezed her heart as she saw one of Hawks’ wings in Shigaraki’s grasp, the end dripping blood. No.

“What did you do?” She breathed. All eyes turned on her, suddenly reminding her that she was the only surviving member of a cult. 

Shigaraki tossed the wing behind him. “Twice, what did they do to you?” 

“You…killed Hawks?” Bubaigawara Jin’s petrified expression still lay upon the severed wing. 

“Twice.” Shigaraki’s wings spread, casting a pale shadow on the man. Like a gravitational pull, Jin was drawn to meet his leader’s eyes. 

“What,” He repeated, “did the people on the earpiece do to you?” 

“I don’t…I don’t know. I can’t remember. The last thing I saw was Hawks putting it in my ear.” He gulped. 

Shigaraki sighed, rubbing his neck. Geten braced, the hairs on her skin static. The tension was one hand movement from being sliced.

“Doc, you got anything?” Shigaraki abruptly spun around. After some faint buzzing in reply, Shigaraki said, “Get the machine ready. I’ll grab the catalyst now. Teleport me nearby the lab.” 

He walked a distance away from the group. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t go anywhere, the heroes are coming for us now.” 

As he finished his sentence, the dark sludge enveloped him, and the Grand Commander was gone. 

Dabi turned to the other League members. “Okay, someone explain what the fuck happened.”

------

The motion sensors picked up the unknown individual approaching the gate of the Saitama Research Laboratory, secluded in a deep forest, far away from the city. 

Guards were immediately dispatched and one of them obtained a visual of the trespasser a hundred metres out. But he could not relay this information in time. 

Within the security control room, the officer in charge asked for a reply and received only static. 

Cameras swivelled to lock onto this threat, who was now speeding towards the entrance, flying on wings that were attached to its back. 

The officer, to his credit, immediately ordered the use of the concealed turrets. They were confidentially approved by the government to guard the work crucial to quirk factors and their strengthening. 

It was, after all, the fruits of labour by one Daruma Ujiko, before the doctor disappeared off the face of the earth after his research was confiscated by the government. The front that the laboratory was working on medical treatments was that, just a front. 

And the doctor had returned to reclaim what was rightfully his. 

The turrets, loaded with tungsten bullets, took aim at the figure. At the helm, a guard with a velocity-multiplication quirk received the go ahead. 

Tungsten was one of the densest metals. Conventionally, firearm rounds were tipped with this metal to provide additional impact force against stronger opponents, a much needed weapon against a quirk-filled society. 

However, these were pure tungsten bullets, since the guard’s quirk made gunpowder redundant, along with the rest of the cartridge. Weighing over a kilogram each, these would pierce through even Crust’s strongest shields. 

The target should not have been able to see the incoming bullets, much less hear them, but he dodged them with stupefying ease. 

A suspension quirk was simultaneously authorised onto the subject, and it worked. The figure suddenly stiffened and was rooted on the spot, and the next salvo of bullets would be sufficient to neutralise this threat. 

Yet there was a subtle motion of the trespasser’s fingers, undetected by the cameras and those observing its feed. 

Before it was rendered immobile, it had tapped the ground. 

The next fusillade of shots came silently, but as they reached the target, they turned to dust, along with the rest of the laboratory. 

The figure flew towards the only remaining room left standing, its occupants mere particles floating in the wind. Tomura Shigaraki grabbed the last piece required to finalise his transformation. 

“No time to waste…” Muttered in the wind, as Shigaraki was transported back in less than three minutes from when he arrived.

------

“What’s the cause of this?” The Commissioner’s eyes narrowed at the sorry state Kineka Shinsou was in. His temperature had been hovering dangerously close to 41 degrees Celsius for the past few hours. Every so often, his eyes would snap wide open and shut, like a faulty camera. Condensation formed on the glass the two were looking through. 

“Maintaining a connection over such a long distance, using a digital voice projection…the radio waves interfered with his quirk.” A doctor shook his head. “Scrambled his mind.”

The two stood in the adjacent room, a tinted window separating them from the subject. 

“He’ll recover, but if the Initiative requires him to control multiple villains from here — even if he could achieve this, it’ll be the last time he uses his quirk.” 

“Recovery time?” 

“This high fever will go down by tomorrow. Give him enough rest before you start putting him through hell again.”

“I don’t understand. We conducted preliminary experiments with similar circumstances. Why did this affect him so strongly?” Her face went slack as she answered her own question. “Bubaigawara Jin.” 

The doctor nodded. “He needed drastically more effort to obtain information from a schizophrenic person.”

She sighed. “I should have foreseen something like this. Thank you, you may go.” 

The President stared at the shuddering form of Shinsou, tended to by two nurses, as the doctor departed. She swallowed a lump in her throat. 

I’m sorry, you two.

------

Compress had just finished filling Dabi and Geten in when Shigaraki reappeared, his face grey with ash and impatience. He was holding a glass tube filled with some liquid. Sako quietened as Shigaraki walked towards them. 

“I’m not sure how much they know now. I guess they hacked into your brain, so they probably know about our plans. Doesn’t matter, now that I’ve taken three of those objectives off the list.” Shigaraki addressed both Twice and the group. 

Shigaraki fiddled with the tube in his hand, staring at the ground, while the members of the League and Geten watched him. 

“Your schedules are all cleared for tomorrow. We’re still proceeding with the plan to attack, so you have to lead your regiments. The main goal now is to buy time for me. I need 24 hours. Once I’m perfected,” Shigaraki looked up at them, a strange sorrowful look on his face. 

“That’s when you guys abandon the army and get away from here and Jakku, ASAP.” 

His words were a bow screeching across a violin of tension, instilling the same gnawing dread in the group. 

“Shigaraki?” Compress said. “What are you going to do?” 

After some silence, he said,

“I don’t remember a lot now, but I haven’t forgotten how nice you guys are. I’ll make it up to you guys. Just stay away from the heroes. And…you’ll know when I’m ready.” He tapped his earpiece. “Doc. Let’s do this.” 

As the sludge wrapped itself around Shigaraki, Geten had a sinking feeling Shigaraki was going to lay waste to the whole country.

------

“Strap me in.” Shigaraki marched up to the lightless tunnel and called out. “I got the thing.” 

Kyudai Garaki, in his chair, emerged from the darkness brimming with joy. From Shigaraki’s hand, he took the catalyst.

“Yes…yes! Thank you for retrieving this, Shigaraki. I can now fulfil your destiny to utmost perfection. But…I’m afraid Nine’s procedure must be halted for a sufficient electricity supply.”

“The guy in that tube back there?” Shigaraki jerked a thumb towards the cloud of dust. “I took care of it. He wasn’t useful anymore. Plan’s changed, I’m sure you heard.”

“I…see. A bit of a waste of an experiment, but no matter. Come.” The doctor gestured for Shigaraki to follow him. Into the darkness they went. 

“I notice you’ve exerted yourself physically. The fight against Hawks, I assume?” He gave a sweeping inspection of Tomura’s form from head to toe. When he nodded in reply, Garaki clicked his tongue. 

“A difficult battle, but if you were able to defeat the number two hero at this strength, I daresay you will be unstoppable once you emerge from that.” Garaki pointed to the glass chamber ahead of the two. 

“That’s why I’m doing this,” Shigaraki said. 

Master and servant reached their destination. While the doctor busied himself behind controls, Shigaraki ran his hand along the dirty glass, careful not to disintegrate it. 

“Y’know, doc, I thought I’d be feeling happier now that I’m finally at this point.” Shigaraki gazed at his faint reflection in the glass. He could make out his silhouette, his skin greyer than it was a few months ago, but he wondered when his eyes were that faded. 

Garaki placed the catalyst into a delivery tube, connected to the chamber. “Perhaps it is your dissatisfaction that you haven’t reached the power you dreamed of acquiring.” He gave a placating smile.

“Doc, come on, you’re a smart guy. Living hundreds of years, and you think the reason is my emotions, or not having any. You’re all...science-y. You know the real reason, don’t you? Isn’t it the things you did to me?”

“P-pardon?” Kyudai looked up, a bead of sweat hanging off his forehead. 

“I know you know. For these new quirks and stat increases, something’s gotta give. My brain. I’m not complaining. I guess…” He shrugged. “Just realising it for real now.” 

“If I had more time, perhaps I could —” 

Shigaraki waved his hand. “Don’t sweat it. I wasn’t asking for anything more. Just saying my thoughts out loud. I knew…” He frowned. “I knew that hole in my heart was always there. But a part of me…” 

Looking back at himself, he finished, “Wished something would change. Guess not.”

Silence filled the air for a few seconds. 

A pair of greyed irises turned to face Garaki. “Is it ready?” 

The doctor flipped a last switch, and the chamber began to fill with gas. Machines around them whirred to life, a resonant hum reverberating throughout the underground lair. “Yes.” 

Shigaraki drew a final breath and climbed into his cocoon. 

------

Chapter 31: May Tomorrow Never Arrive

Once Compress shut the door behind him, he gave a heavy sigh, taking off his hat, mask and coat. Like a sack of rice, he dropped onto the sofa and took a large gulp of beer. 

“Settled?” Dabi asked. He gave a tired nod.

“They’re fortifying the borders, arming themselves, all that.” He waved an arm flaccidly. 

“How’d you explain where the advisors and leaders went?” Spinner said from another couch. 

“No one asked, because everyone saw how Shigaraki looked like. I saw it in their eyes. Everyone wanted to ask what the hell happened, but they just witnessed wings sprout from their commander who then murdered Hawks. Kept them nice and quiet.” 

“They know.” Geten said suddenly, as eyes turned to her. “Maybe.” 

“Doesn’t matter, does it?” Dabi muttered. “Shit hit the fan at least three times within 24 hours.” 

“Get ready a fourth load of shit then,” Sako said with no trace of humour in his tone. “It’s either us invading, or them coming to us.” 

“You think they’ll do something that bold?” Geten arched an eyebrow. 

“We just took out the number two hero. You think they’ll risk Shigaraki entering a city?” Dabi snorted.

“Why…” All eyes turned to Twice, who was curled up on the sofa. “Why did he kill him?”

There was silence in the room as everyone looked at each other. Geten didn’t know how to respond either. She was asking the same question, which technically had been answered by Compress earlier, but she still found it hard to believe. The sake helped douse her feelings of grief, but evidently Twice was still in denial too. 

She noticed Dabi was looking right at her, as if he knew what she was thinking. 

“Jin, he was a spy for the heroes,” Sako said. 

“No, he wasn’t! Yes he was!” 

Dabi let out a sigh. “Did you forget that he kidnapped you? If it weren’t for Shigaraki, you wouldn’t be here.” 

“I…but —” Twice struggled to speak. “How? Why?”

“It’s what heroes do, alright?” Dabi said, a fire in his voice. 

Bubaigawara’s chin quivered. 

“But he was so nice to me…”

Me too, Twice, She wanted to say, me too. 

Was it all really an act? Whatever Hawks said or did, did he have some ulterior motive after all? 

When he told her about feeling caged by society, about his past and his training…In hindsight, what he said was so similar to her own experiences that they might have been fabricated so she would connect more with him. Then why did he sound truthful? 

“It doesn’t matter,” Geten suddenly said out loud. “He’s dead.”

Twice looked mournfully at her, while others seemed taken aback, watching her take another drink. 

“Bet you wish you were with your buddies six feet under,” Spinner said, definitely feeling the effects of alcohol, “Instead of having to deal with this shit.” 

“Spinner,” Dabi warned.

Geten waved him off. “It’s fine.” 

She saw Toga’s head flick between her and Dabi, her expression like a watchful cat, but she said nothing. 

“What?” Spinner said indignantly. “Am I missing something?”

“You could say that,” Geten replied, “But long story short, I’m not — I’ve never been on good terms with Yotsubashi and the others.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Sako laughed, “And I’m the magician here.” 

“And I’d rather be alive than specks of dust, thank you very much,” Geten said, “It’s possible my past self would have thought the idea of a glorious death in the name of liberation was beautiful, but I am not that person.” 

Compress whistled. “Look who got some character development.”

Spinner jutted a finger at her. “Well, you’re alive, for now. All of us are.” 

Silence, save for the lizard-man’s chugging. The temperature in the room seemed to plunge. 

“I think you’ve had enough of that.” Dabi swiped the bottle from Iguchi’s hand, as Compress muttered, “Mood-killer.”

“They’re not going to kill us, are they?” Geten asked. 

“Usually, no. But after what Shigaraki’s done,” Compress drew a shaky breath, “Who knows? Maybe they’ll stick to their self-righteous ‘heroism’ and take us alive. Toss us into Tartarus till we die. Let age do the dirty work.”

“They’ll kill us there and then. We killed Hawks. It’s karma,” Iguchi muttered. 

“We’re not going to die, Spinner. Calm the fuck down, would you?” Dabi sighed. 

“Am I wrong?” Iguchi said. “I don’t know when this started, but just a few weeks ago, we were living it up, now we could be fighting against the whole Hero Association? And Shigaraki’s —” 

His voice broke. 

“What happened to Tomura? What happened to him?” He croaked. 

No one had an answer, until Sako spoke up. “There’s…still a chance we can get through this. And that’s if we keep Shigaraki safe till he wakes up. You — We, we all saw how he was like. He’s going to be stronger than that once he emerges.”

Geten imagined the dark form of Shigaraki sweeping across the landscape, his touch disintegrating the earth itself and everything that stood upon it, friend or foe. 

“So we let him do as he pleases?” Geten said. “Is that what we do? He’s going to destroy everything.”

“Never had much of a stake in ‘everything’. We’re villains, Apocrypha,” Compress replied, “Unless you think yourself otherwise.”

“Hero?” She laughed. “I killed too many to be considered one. But…but letting millions of people — people who’ve never heard, seen or talked to me, become this —” She brushed off the dust on her parka. “Doesn’t fill that hole in my heart.” 

“You got a better idea?” Dabi said quietly. “If you think we all like this plan, we don’t. But it’s sure as hell better than surrendering and spending the rest of our lives in Tartarus.”

Geten couldn’t think of a solution. Her shoulders sagged as she slunked back on the sofa. 

“Nyehhhh. Boring, lame. You guys keep blabbing on stupid things.” Toga chimed in from her end. She had been lying upside down on a sofa spinning a knife the whole time. “Only one thing’s important, and no one’s said it yet?”

She pointed her knife at Geten, and then at Dabi. 

“Are you two dating?” 

Dabi sighed. “Seriously?” while Geten tilted her head. A chuckle that released the tension like a balloon deflating spread through the room. 

“We’re close friends, if that’s what you mean. What’s dating?” She addressed Toga. 

At this, the girl gasped. Spinner gave a side glance to Dabi, Sako guffawed and Twice’s head swung between the couple like a pendulum. 

“It’s when…” Toga said, jumping off the couch as Dabi attempted to grab her. “It’s when two people fall in love with each other, and they spend time together!”

“Oh.” Geten’s face flushed, realising that definition checked all the boxes. “Well, then, I suppose we are.”

“Aww!” Toga squealed. 

“Shut up,” Dabi said, the venom in his voice ineffective in stopping Himiko’s stupor. 

“So cute! I could die!” 

“Please do,” He retorted.

“I wouldn’t have guessed you two would become a couple,” Sako interjected. “Although with the amount of time spent in each other’s company, it makes sense.” 

“Oh don’t get me started on you, Compress.” Dabi turned on the entertainer. 

Geten cracked a smile at Compress’ comment. She found Dabi’s defensiveness rather endearing, understanding why he would rather not disclose their relationship to the rest. There was an intimacy that he wanted to stay private about, and usually she would agree, but given that the mood was uplifted, she did not mind as much. 

“Hey, Apocrypha —” Toga began again.

“Can you not call me that? It’s not a name I relish.” 

“Well, what should I call you?” 

The room was silent, all eyes watching her. It was probably the alcohol, but she was unable to think of an answer. Maybe if she had more time to mull it over, she would have a satisfactory one for everyone and herself. 

“Well…” Her expression must have revealed her distraught state of mind; Toga jumped to devise a nickname for her.

“What about big sis?” Toga’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Eh?” She blinked. “I guess that’s also fine with me.”

“Ok, big sis! Have you and Dabi kissed yet?”

At this, Dabi choked on his drink. Sako burst into laughter and Spinner coughed to hide his mirth. 

“Huh?” She had the shame to blush at the reaction from the rest, but… was kissing something people did? 

“Okay, that’s enough out of you, crazy girl.” Dabi snarled, raising an ember in his hand. Toga only stuck her tongue out. 

“Fine. C’mon, Jin, let’s go play cards.” Toga crossed her arms. 

“Over my dead bodies! Sure thing!” 

The giddy laughter slowly died as the two left the room. 

“So that’s a yes?” Compress wiggled his eyebrows at Dabi. 

“No.” Dabi slapped Sako’s back. “That damn kid…”

“Alright, alright.” Spinner raised a hand. “We’ll shut up now.”

The four relaxed in the silence of the mansion that was more emptier than ever. Geten didn’t want to leave this room. If she did, she would remember that the outside world was flipped on its head. She had no idea what would happen tomorrow, and luckily, the alcohol helped to keep her imagination tame, for now.

She heard light snoring. The three of them looked at Spinner who was lying on one of the couches, sleeping. 

Compress checked his watch. “It’s nine now.”

“I’m gonna go get more drinks.” Dabi rose from his seat.

She frowned. “Haven’t you had enough?”

“Not until I’m blackout drunk from this nightmare.” He answered, walking out the door with a seemingly steady gait. He’ll be fine. 

“You’ve changed him,” Compress observed, when Dabi was out of earshot. “For the better, I mean. He’s not as much of an arrogant prick that he was when we first met him.”

“I don’t see it. I just assumed he was holding less animosity towards me.” Geten looked at Sako, who was swirling his glass of wine. 

“Can’t blame you for that. You both started as crazed rivals, and look where you two are…” He sighed. “Poetic, is it not? But yes, you really have transformed him.”

“Compress —” 

“Please, call me Sako, or Atsuhiro, if you’d prefer,” He said.

“Sako,” She corrected, “how did you all meet?”

“We?” The magician sipped his drink. “It’s not as dramatic as I would have envisioned it. We were recruited for a job, and our employer was Shigaraki. Slowly, our numbers dwindled, most were arrested and sent to Tartarus, and one of us —” He gave a heavy sigh. “Didn’t make it. At any rate, here we are, what’s left of us.”

“What about you?” He inquired. “Your origins.”

She shrugged. “I never knew, only that I was trained since I was young to become who I was.”

“Is that so?” Atsuhiro said, “Have you not thought of searching through archives for your personal information?”

“My past self thought identity redundant. Now, I don’t have the access to those files.”

“And if I were to pull those files for you? Would you want to know?”

Huh? She stared blankly at him. “You…?”

“I still have permissions from Skeptic who never revoked them. He’s gone now, but I still retain the database. It’s your choice.”

My true identity? 

“Have you…looked me up?”

He met her eyes, and he sounded truthful when he answered, “The idea never left my mind. It seemed harmless enough to search it; I even thought you yourself knew, but after some observing, and making assumptions, it came to me that perhaps you didn’t know your own identity. Rather, you held onto the one given by Yotsubashi, whether or not out of your own volition.”

He put down his wine glass. “It reminded me a bit of myself when I was younger. I struggled with my own personas. Who I was, who I wanted to be, as well as who others wanted me to be. I daresay, you’ve went through or are going through those same questions.” 

A quiet chuckle. “I apologise for rambling. An old man’s tale. Long story short, I don’t know who you are anymore than you do.” 

“Don’t pressure her, Sako.” Dabi’s voice came from the door. He strode in, carrying a few more bottles of cold sake and soju. 

“Eavesdropping now, are we?” Compress said slyly. “I wasn’t, it’s entirely her decision.” 

“I’m fine,” She said. “But I think I need time to think it over.”

Atsuhiro did some typing into his laptop, and from it he produced a small metallic chip, which he passed to her. 

“When you’re ready, if at all, just insert this into your phone or any device. It’s your call.” He stood up and stretched. “I’m going to give you two some privacy. You young couples…”

He shook his head and departed. 

Touya snorted and sat down. “He makes himself out to be some sage of the past. I think he’s barely 40. Old guy my ass…” 

She smiled, taking a bottle that he offered, but as she examined the thin object that Sako had given her, it faded. 

“I don’t know why I’m so…hesitant,” She said quietly. “I thought I wanted this ever since I awakened from this nightmare of a cult. But now that I’m here…”

“You’re afraid of something?”

“It’s just my name. Why am I acting out over this?”

“Don’t have a good answer to that, to be honest,” He said, “But maybe it’s not important. Your name can be anything, but it doesn’t change who you are.” 

“But you changed. Dabi, Touya…even Vengeance. All these names you’ve taken. It has to matter, right?” 

“It…it wasn’t the name that changed me. It was you.” 

She blinked. Was it me? 

Submerged in her memories, albeit blurry, she remembered how she and Touya initially treated each other, spitting invective after invective, greeting each other with death threats. Yet gradually, they grew to respect each other, and when the Takame incident occurred, they put their lives on the line for the other. 

Then maybe he changed me too. 

Slowly, she pocketed the chip. Dabi said nothing. 

“Call me Apocrypha.”

“Apocrypha it is,” He said with solemnity, raising his bottle. They gave a silent cheers, and drank. 

Her eyes were drawn to Spinner, who was still fast asleep. 

“Don’t think too much about what he said.” Dabi followed her gaze. “He can’t hold his alcohol worth a shit.” 

“I didn’t take offence. But I wonder…what he said about me joining them in death, maybe he wasn’t wrong.” 

“Huh?”

“What do you think comes after death, Touya?”

“You’re getting religious on me now, are you?” 

“Destro, Chikara Yotsubashi, he committed suicide in prison, as you might know. In his autobiography, he didn’t preach about an afterlife in a theistic manner, neither did he proclaim that it existed. He only explained it away as another way of liberation: freedom of self, and becoming a martyr for others.”

“Sounds like he smeared his diary with his shit using it as toilet paper.” Dabi snorted. “What’s your point?”

“Even if we win this war, which I’ll accept may be possible — I’ve seen Shigaraki’s power, do you think we’ll have freedom?” 

“Obviously. No more heroes, no more stupid ideals holding this fragile society together. Letting it all collapse, it’s awesome.” 

She paused, and then said what she didn’t want to think about. “And if we lose this, we’ll be thrown into the worst prison in the country, won’t we?”

“If.” Dabi emphasised, but there was a crack in his voice. “If, if, if. Why’re you still talking about this and not just drinking in silence?”

“So we just get drunk until we’re unconscious?”

“Yep.” Dabi tossed her another bottle. “How else do I escape these thoughts?”

Geten thought about an answer, and found that thinking was the problem. So she drank. 

Himiko Toga and Bubaigawara Jin were a few rooms down playing cards. They tried to stay energetic and upbeat, but despite bouncing in their seats and grinning, eventually their eyes weighed them down, and the thoughts crawled upon them like spiders. Twice slept first after putting down his final card. They hadn’t said a word to each other the entire time. 

Atsuhiro Sako was resting on the rooftop, his favourite private spot. He watched the night go on without him, watching the lights in apartment buildings and shophouses slowly die. He reenacted his past performances, performing some tricks for an audience of one. But the thoughts made his brow crease and his mind stumble. When he pulled the wrong card out of the deck, he stared at it for a second. Crushing it, he threw it off the roof. 

Shuichi Iguchi dreamed of fighting a boss battle with Shigaraki and the gang. They won. 

“Heh. Hahaha. Hahaha…” Geten had not the slightest idea why she was laughing. 

She kept laughing when there was nothing to laugh at and everything to cry about. As her voice died and her laughs subsided into ephemeral chuckles, and she stopped trembling, she had to concede defeat. 

The two let painful silence sweep through the room, the emptiness of it all encroaching on them, the nightmarish visions of death and oblivion. Neither said anything about what would happen tomorrow, yet they thought of the same thing. They only had alcohol and each other to forget the situation, and they had run out of alcohol. 

Dabi stared at the floor. “I don’t want to lose you.” 

She leaned on his shoulder. “Neither do I, you…perfect angel. Flawless, beautiful angel.” 

“You’re drunk,” He whispered, leaning on her head. His face was the colour of maple leaves. Hers felt like it was submerged in lava. No doubt it was as red as his.

“Good. I can only think of you, and that’s…that’s nice.” 

She could feel the warmth of his hands as they held hers and the burning alcohol running down her throat. It was a fuzzy feeling that enveloped her. She wanted it to stay forever. 

“Should we…what was it? Kiss?” 

Touya gave a chuckle and kissed her forehead. “There’s your kiss. Happy?” 

“That’s what Toga was excited about? Underwhelming,” She slurred. 

“She was…Never mind. Maybe when you’re sober.” 

“What? Tell me,” She whined. “This is all we have, Touya. C’mon.” 

“Toga was talking about kissing on…the lips.” 

“Eh?” She frowned, staring at Touya’s. “Well, if she says so.” 

“Huh?” Was all he could get out before she planted her lips on his. 

She tasted the alcohol on his breath, the sweetness of peach-flavoured soju and the bitterness of sake. It was as if Touya had poisoned her with giddiness and an inability to think rationally. She could only indulge in the feeling of her mouth on his, as every other part of her body ceased function. 

It felt good. She couldn’t explain why. But it did. 

Finally, Touya pulled back, gasping hoarsely. “Wow.” 

“That was…nice,” She weakly said.

“Yeah.”

The two drifted off into silence, holding each other for what Geten thought could be eternity. She suddenly wished she had a quirk to extend this moment into infinity. Touya did too. He would have burned the world for a quirk like that, would have mangled his arms till they were barely recognizable, if he could stop time and never resume. 

But Touya gave up that illusion first when he spoke. 

“We need to sleep now,” He whispered into her ear.

She trembled. No, no, don’t let me go. 

“If we sleep, we’ll wake up.”

“We can’t stay awake forever.” 

Geten blinked. And blinked again. Her vision darkened like a vignette frame. Her head felt light. 

“Promise me that I’ll be free, Touya…please.” 

She fell asleep before she heard his answer, if he even did. 

------

Chapter 32: The Icarus Initiative

The emergency meeting took place just hours after Hawks was reported, in secrecy, as KIA, as well as the attack by Shigaraki on the Saitama Quirk Research Centre. The audience included the top brass of the Hero Public Safety Commission.

“Dear god…”

As the council members watched the footage, their expressions slowly morphed from curiosity to worry, and then into abject horror. The room was silent at the end of the clip save the static from the recording. 

“Here are the satellite images of the laboratory’s current state. We are currently initiating a containment field to prevent any stray particles affected by Shigaraki’s quirk from reaching civilian areas. It’s a low probability given the isolated location, but better safe than sorry. As for search and rescue…we’ve confirmed that there were zero survivors, including any salvageable piece of research.” 

The presenter, a middle-aged woman, took a deep, shaky breath. Adjusting her glasses, she continued.

“Regarding the operation itself, through Bubaigawara Jin, we’ve managed to extract crucial information about Shigaraki’s schemes. He will undergo a drastic physical upgrade of sorts, duration unknown. Once complete, he will use his quirk, Decay, to annihilate cities. We could be looking at a nation-wide level of destruction.”

“He had given orders for his army to attack neighbouring cities in the Aichi prefecture as a distraction, buying him time. He had also tasked other members of the League during this time with various objectives. But we have sufficient evidence to believe these were all meant to distract us from the main threat, Shigaraki’s transformation.”

“Thank you.” The president of the HSPC dismissed the presenter. Turning to her fellow colleagues, she said, “I believe we have enough reason to push forward with the highest level of the Icarus Initiative.”

She noted the scepticism and concern on their faces, so she continued.

“Shigaraki’s quirks and physical capabilities lines up with what Hawks stated about him in their final fight. Every moment Shigaraki walks freely poses an existential threat to Japan, and possibly the rest of the world. He cannot be allowed to enact his plans. If we are to go against him and the Paranormal Liberation Front, we must allow the heroes to act decisively and with maximum prejudice.” 

“If we agree to this, we return to the dark ages. It’s unprecedented. We are blurring the line between hero and villain. There will be questioning. There will be controversy unparalleled, President. One of the finest hero societies on the planet, letting its heroes act without jurisdiction.” A councillor warned.

“If my name goes down in history as a tyrant who allowed this, then so be it. At least by doing this, there may be a human race that will remember me.” 

“And what of Kineka Shinso’s current condition? He’s in no state to be involved in this proposed assault on Deika City.”

“Which is why he will be at Jakku Hospital to eliminate Shigaraki instead. He can still use his quirk, just not on crowds of people.”

“It sounds like you arranged this not to seek our approval, but to inform us of your decision.” Another said coldly. 

Her gaze did not waver. “That’s correct. All in favour?”

After a beat of silence, the hands were raised.

------

“Master, there’s a letter for you.” 

Shinya Kamihara, hero name Edgeshot, opened his eyes from his meditation. One of his students held an envelope in her outstretched palm, bearing the seal of the Hero Safety Public Commission.

“Thank you, Monotama.” He took it. She bowed and left his chambers. 

The contents turned out to be a note as well as a holotape device. 

“Play only in complete privacy.”

Edgeshot set the device down and hit the green button. The hologram flared to life, an image of the Hero Commission’s president. 

“Edgeshot, we’re recruiting you for an operation of the highest level of secrecy. Do not tell anyone of this…”

“You will not speak to me directly, or any employee from the commission about this. It is unlikely they will be aware of this anyway.” Said the hologram playing in the U.A staff room, as Shota Aizawa, Snipe and Midnight watched. 

“You are to pretend as if nothing is happening, until the day of the operation. You will not inform anyone where you are going.” Best Jeanist’s brow creased. What was going on?

------

“I assume you have an excellent reason for this meeting?” 

The President turned around to see Enji Todoroki standing by her desk. 

“Why else would I interrupt your work? It’s about what’s happening soon, and the only reason you’re hearing about it is because of your standing.”

Endeavour’s eyes narrowed. “Go on.”

“You’re aware of the League of Villains’ whereabouts?”

“Deika city, no? Last we’ve seen them was in Aichi, and suddenly Deika was attacked by 20 villains whose faces were never seen once in the papers. I assume Deika is fully assimilated under them.”

“Majority of the city belongs to the cult under Yotsubashi, the CEO of Deterenat. Now they worship Shigaraki who the former named as the successor, following his defeat by the League.” 

She continued, “We’ve been keeping tabs on them, but recently we’ve decided to take action and eliminate Shigaraki. It’s happening tomorrow.”

“And we haven’t heard word of this because…”

“At his current stage, he’s too dangerous to send an armada of heroes. We’re only sending in a specialised squad, less than ten.”

Endeavour raised his eyebrows expectantly. Clearly the president knew better than to be willingly outnumbered by the enemy. 

“We’re giving them full permission for lethal, uncontrolled force against any adversary. No rules of engagement. A quiet strike force to incapacitate the city and stop Shigaraki.” 

“What?” Endeavour’s flames shone multiple hues brighter. “This is —“

“Necessary.” She cut in with a cold swiftness. “We’re briefing them in half an hour. You’re welcome to join us.” 

“I assume Hawks will be there?” 

“Hawks is dead.” 

The temperature of the room spiked as Enji’s fire roared with emotion. 

“Excuse me?” His voice was dangerously low.

“He was killed in action by Shigaraki. I thought it would be prudent to inform you first, and then the squad, and when this all blows over, the general public.” 

Endeavour’s form trembled. 

“When did it happen?” 

“Yesterday.” 

There was a cold silence. He spoke again. “How? Was it on your orders?” 

She met his eyes with a steely gaze. “Yes. We decided on a course of action, but didn’t anticipate Shigaraki’s strength.” 

“Then your decision was wrong.” 

“It was uninformed.” 

“You took a risk and cost a boy his life!” He shouted. “And you haven’t the shred of remorse —“

“I’m running an organisation that is dealing with a national crisis, so please excuse me if I save my emotions for the state funeral,” She said, clasping her trembling hands together. 

“Did you —” Enji’s voice broke. “Did you even manage to recover the body?”

“Shigaraki killed him.” 

Silence. The answer was obvious. 

“I’ll see you at the meeting, president.” The door slammed shut soon after.

------

“Kineka, is everything okay?” Takami Keigo bent over the bunk bed to look at Shinso under him. 

“I think I did something wrong to that man. He killed himself today.” Shinso said, his voice strained with emotion, his face wet with tears.

“Huh?” 

“I don’t know if it’s because of what I did, or if I hurt him in his brain. I don’t —” He rubbed the tears from his cheeks. 

“It’s not your fault. Prisoners do that all the time. What was your task?”

“Just to read his memories.”

“Was there anything traumatic in there that could have made him do it?”

“Um…He was a leader of a cult. I saw him standing in front of a whole army. He was talking about liberation…or something. But he got captured, and the last thing I managed to see was him writing in a book.”

“Wow…” 

“So, I don’t know if it was me that made him do it.”

“It sucks, but…maybe he did it because he was done with being in prison. It happens —” Keigo flinched at that remark. “I mean, I just don’t think it was your fault. Don’t beat yourself up, Kineka.”

“Thanks, Keigo.” Shinso managed a tiny smile seeing his friend’s head poke out of the bedframe’s silhouette in the darkness. Keigo gave a thumbs up in reply and receded. 

“Was today’s training alright for you?” Shinso asked.

“Same as always, I guess.”

“Tough?”

Keigo sighed. “Yeah, but, y’know, it’s what I have to do, if I wanna be a hero when I’m older. So, I’ll tough it out.”

“Me too,” Shinso said with renewed confidence.

“I bet you’ll be able to control a hundred people at one time! That’ll be awesome!” Takami laughed. 

“Hey! That’s too many!”

------

It wasn’t too many. At his peak, Shinso manipulated two hundred people in a pool of a five hundred, picking people that matched the criteria given. He knocked them unconscious and pulled thoughts from their heads like a sucking water through a straw. He made them relive memories many had forgotten about. He caused one to dance and another to cry. He gave five immense glee; ten, uncontrollable despair. Kineka Shinso held the greatest human organ like a violin and played it like Vivaldi. 

But after grasping the mind of Bubaigawara Jin, it was too much. It crippled Shinso. If things were normal, the Hero association would have him temporarily decommissioned. Unfortunately, his quirk was desperately needed. And so, the cripple had to learn to walk again.

“Whenever you’re ready, Shinso.” The doctor’s voice came from behind him. Shinso switched on the microphone and began to hum into it.  

Searching…

His humming reverberated from a small speaker embedded into a copper bullet, which was in turn buried in four-metre thick concrete, five kilometres from him. And as the electrical signals in the air was turned back into soundwaves and broadcasted through the room, he felt a connection being established with his target. A hazy one for sure, but strong enough for him to make contact with Probe, his quirk. 

Like strings stretched across a guitar, he plucked on the neurons in his target’s brain , finding a name. 

“Satoshi Hanzo,” He said out loud, and heard the stroke of a pencil. 

“Very good. Are you feeling ill?” The other person present in the room, the doctor, asked with concern. 

Shinso shook his head. “I can keep going.” 

“Does anything feel amiss with your quirk? When you were establishing a connection with Hanzo?”

He paused. “I felt some disturbance. Like there was a frayed string in our connection.”

“The similar phenomenon you experienced in the earlier experiment with a non-digital subject?”

Shinso nodded. 

The doctor scribbled some more notes, then looked back up smiling at Shinso. 

“We’re done for today. Go get some rest, Shinso.” 

The teenager dutifully thanked him and exited the room. The doctor watched him go, wearing a calm facade hiding sadness. He still remembered when Shinso was no taller than the door handle. How far he has come.

Sitting down on the chair, the doctor exhaled. 

“Is there no greater tragedy,” He spoke to an empty room, “Than forcing a child to bear the weight of the world?”

------

“Is that all you have to say?” Shota Aizawa spoke out. 

All eyes fell upon the hero, whose arms were crossed as he glared daggers at the president of the HPSC. Her lips curled, but she said nothing, waiting for him to speak. Enji Todoroki, seated at the far end of the table, watched the exchange with narrowed eyes.

“You recruit us into what is basically a death squad and expect us to follow along? As if we’re willing to take lives because you said so?”

“You do not need to take lives. We are telling you that you need not follow the rules of engagement,” She replied. 

Aizawa picked up his briefing report. “You are allowed to act in any manner which would render any hostile threats incapable of action that would endanger the lives and property of you, your teammates or civilians.” 

His tone laced with poison, he continued,

“However, due to the urgency and risk the League Of Villains and their respective accomplices poses to the nation, it is advised to act swiftly and decisively to fulfil the objective of the mission.” 

He tossed the report onto the president’s side of the table. “My students can come up with better euphemisms for not doing their homework.” 

“Desperate times, desperate measures,” She countered.

“Ma’am, with all due respect, but half a year ago, Japan held its breath whether we were about to return to the age of darkness when All For One showed himself. Even then, when All Might faced him down, when Best Jeanist faced him down, not once in either hero’s minds did they consider killing him. What does that say about this plan of yours?”

“The threat Shigaraki poses is not that of All For One. The latter was a self-obsessed mastermind that wanted to enslave the country. The former is a crazed, self-destructive manchild that wishes to destroy it. I am not saying All For One wasn’t a national threat and his motives weren’t horrible, but at the very least, he was somewhat predictable. Shigaraki is not.”

“You won’t find a single decent hero that is willing to kill.”

I have, The president kept that thought to herself. 

“I ask you, Eraserhead, do you truly find this logical?” 

“I do. Because it’s not just whether or not we protect the peace, but how we do it. You ask us to commit atrocities and teach our students what it means to be a hero. I find this hypocritical. I find it villainous.” 

The president drew a breath. “If you’re not willing to cooperate, then the door is right there. Although for security reasons, we will have to remove this meeting from your memory.”

Aizawa went rigid, his glare more venomous than ever. 

“How much of this will be disclosed to the public?” Midnight suddenly asked, diffusing the building tension. 

“Depends how much noise is made. We can guarantee that no member of public, besides those in Deika, will breach the perimeter around the city.”

“Kayama?” Aizawa stared at his colleague and senior. 

Her voice was uncharacteristically soft when she replied, “None of us like this, Aizawa, but I want a school to teach at and a home to come back to. If even Hawks was…” She cleared her throat. “We’ll minimise the casualties as much as possible, all right?” 

Eraserhead stared at the table and clenched his fists. “Fine.” 

The president surveyed the room for any further inquiry. “I know this is difficult to ask. For your sakes, we’ll keep this on the quiet as best as we can. When the situation deescalates, I’ll take responsibility for what I’ve authorised. Meeting adjourned.”

------

They were ready. 

On the streets, lined up orderly, facing the gate. Cars and vans and trucks were boarding soldiers. If Destro were here, he would shed a tear at the spectacle, seeing an army more than double what he had. 

Atsuhiro Sako watched from a rooftop, ready to give orders for them to march off. He spied the outskirts of the city. The evening was quiet. All day he was expecting a surprise attack by the heroes, but there were no reports of suspicious movement along the perimeter. 

The League, including the honorary member of Apocrypha, were stationed here and there, keeping a watchful eye over the army. 

Sako took a deep breath. Was this stage fright? It was a performance unlike any other. At best, it would be a successful “Resurrection Festival”. At worst, a bloodbath. Whatever happened, he was going to make it out alive, one way or another, and his friends with him. 

He checked his watch. It was seven thirty, Monday. 24 hours, Shigaraki, you better hold up your end of the deal. 

He pressed his earpiece, opening his mouth, when he saw a glint in the trees, the light from the setting sun shining into his eyes. The bushes rustled. 

Compress. 

His quirk activated on himself, his form shrinking into a pearl the size of a coin. As he felt his head being squashed onto himself, he felt the wind whoosh past where his face had been. A fraction of a second too late, and that bullet would have killed him. 

The heroes had arrived. 

------

Sigh. Idk what people think of it after this. No doubt the long gap between uploads doesn't make the impression positive. I hope you still liked it, but I can totally understand if you don't.

[kaeyas-beloved]

A Book, The Rain

- Kaeya x gn!Reader

Summary: Neither of you have met the other and yet you share the same friends. Now, together for a group project, you finally get to meet.

Genre: Fluff / Modern!AU (College) + Long Fic (3262 words according to Google Docs)

Warnings: A couple swears at the beginning, the absolute poorest writing compared to my other works (much more choppy I feel but oh well, my writing skills failed me this time), I think the OOCness is high in this one for some reason???

a/n: Maybe one day I'll come back to this idea, clean it up, rewrite it, do smth with it. For now though this is it. Part of me likes it (the idea and such), while another part of me wants to not post cause I know it's not the best (in my eyes).

Anyway-

“We’ve never actually talked.” Seeing the way your friends looked at you after telling the truth had you feeling as if you’ve just committed an atrocious crime. In their eyes, you might as well have.

“How could you have never talked to Kaeya!?” Venti, probably your closest yet most chaotic friend out of the group, exclaimed. The lit major’s hands shot out to grasp your shoulders, eyes wide as he frantically shook you back and forth. He’s not mad that you haven’t met the man, oh no, he’s just extremely flabbergasted that in the six years you’ve been friends with people both you and Kaeya knew there was never a time you two met. Like, ever.

“I’ve seen -- would you stop shaking me, please!” Aether, a newer addition to your endless list of friends, pulled the twin braided boy back, finally relieving you of the dizzying motion. “Thanks. As I was saying, I’ve seen Kaeya in the halls and in class, and I’ve heard many things about him. We've just never hung out like I do with all of you.”

Collectively, Aether, Venti, Eula, Amber and Lumine expressed yet again their disbelief. Some held their head in their hands while others could only pinch the bridge of their nose.

Eula, who always appeared to wear a straight face - not unlike Kaeya’s older brother - opened her mouth as if to say some kind of remark about the whole ordeal. Before the first syllable could tumble past her lips, no doubt including something about vengeance, you just happened to glance at the clock, your brain registering that you have just under 7 minutes to get to your next class.

“Son of a-” the curse falls short as you straighten up from your spot against the wall, ready to sonic your way down the hall and up two flights of stairs. You’ve done it in under three minutes before, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

“While I hate to cut the convo short,” you rush out, already eyeing the end of the hall, “I really gotta get going.”

“Wait!” NooooOOOOO you internally scream, reluctantly stopping to hear Lumine out, “for the final project, we should meet at Angel’s Share to discuss our plan. You know, brainstorm some ideas.” Her honey eyes squint in your direction a little, an almost smug smile taking over her face, the one she has every time she thinks of something devious. You don’t know what she’s planning, but you really don’t like it. You can worry about that later though, “You can also finally meet Kaeya. He’s part of our group after all.”

Damn. “I’ll be honest, I forgot the project was a thing…” you sigh, adding it onto your mental to-do list. Hearing your confession Venti burst out into laughter. You would’ve delivered a playful shove to him had your eyes not caught a glimpse of the measly two minutes left until your next class!

“Goddammit!” The cold shiver you felt couldn’t compare to how your heart started beating twice as fast as it should be. “Uhhhhhh, I agree about the meet-up thing. Send me a date and time and I’ll be there!” You practically tripped over your own two feet as you started a brisk pace down the hall, doing your best to weave through the crowd of people.

“Alright, I’ll text Diluc and he’ll inform Kaeya and Jean. Venti will tell Rosaria okay?” The blonde called out to you, though you had already broken into a sprint and skirted around the corner to the stairs. The only sign you gave to say that you heard was a half-ass hand wave to the group before disappearing completely from their sights.

- - - - -

For a newly opened café situated close to a college campus on a Friday afternoon, Angel’s Share was surprisingly empty. The bell above the door jingled faintly, the other patrons inside paying you no attention, and you, them. There’s only one thing on your mind: find that signature tuff of blue hair. You were told that Kaeya would probably be the first one here.

Right, I may have never spoken or hung out with him, but I at least know what he looks like… Actually, everyone knows what he looks like. How could they not?

The truth is, Kaeya Alberich is known all across campus for at least one reason or another. He’s mainly known for his suave, flirty nature, almost everyone having been on the receiving end of his smooth-talking. No one is safe from his charm.

Ah, and then there’s the fact that the bluenette is part of a band. It helped with his popularity, but Kaeya was definitely already well known before he and a few others formed DCKZ.

“May I help you?” Having been so lost in thought you failed to notice the café employee that made their way up to you. Only after they lightly tapped your shoulder did you snap back to reality. It took a moment for your mind to catch up but when it did you explained yourself quickly.

“I was just looking for someone,” you scan each table again, noting that not only Kaeya but not one person from your group has arrived yet. “Seems like they're not here yet…” you trail off, turning back to face the worker. Understanding the situation he offered a small smile, gesturing to a nearby window seat, “well, you’re welcome to take a seat while you wait. Is there anything I can get you?” Shaking your head you utter a quick thank you before sitting, laying your bag aside.

There’s still a while until the arranged meeting time anyway, someone should be here soon, you’re sure of it. Till then you busy yourself with gazing out the window, head in your hand as you think of what to do for the project.

- - - - -

That’s it.

After another twenty minutes of waiting around you finally unzip your bag and pull out your phone, ready to text honestly anyone and interrogate them on where they are. Just as you finished typing out a message you nearly jumped out of your skin as a figure appeared in the corner of your vision, swiftly taking the seat in front of you. Looking up you lock eyes with a sole blue one. The other one was covered by a white medical eye patch, though, that was also partially covered by his striking blue hair.

Not entirely sure how to respond you settle on saying Kaeya’s name, sounding unsure even though you’re one hundred percent sure it’s him.

“You’d be correct. Kaeya Alberich, at your service.” Comes his reply, a smirk that dances between flirty and teasing on his face.

Oooo that’s kinda smooth. You’re not one to fall in love at first sight - no matter how intriguing or fairytale-like it sounded - but you can admit when someone is attractive and good with their words.

You decide it’s only proper to introduce yourself, seeing as he did. When you finished, Kaeya’s response caught you a little off guard. He chuckled, something that mixes together deep and the right amount of raspy, “Oh I know who you are.”

“You… do?” you’re at a loss for words. How does he know you exactly? Seeing your perplexed expression he laughs yet again, eye closing as he smiles.

Resting his chin on the back of his hand when he finishes, Kaeya stares right at you, “But of course I know you. We did share quite a few classes in high school. That, and I’ve heard many things about you from the others.” You honestly don't want to know what your friends have said about you to him and before you could tell him such the waiter from earlier walks up to your table. Switching gears you quickly order your drink, Kaeya doing the same. When the waiter left a silence overtook. Unfortunately, you were never good at finding a way to start a conversation, what do you even begin to talk about???

Ah hell, what now? Shiiiiiiii- think think-

“Do you like the rain?” DAMMIT, NO!

SMOOTH! REAL SMOOTH ME! YES, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER! You complete and utter dumbass! You’ve done it now! God-!

As berating words fill your mind - because of course they would, especially after that - Kaeya’s eye widened, clearly taken aback by the sudden - and stupid - question. Still, he knew he should answer. And tease you.

“My, was that really the best you could come up with? It’s rather cliché don’t you think?” he chuckled, but if it was teasing, good-natured or from discomfort you’re not too sure, “To answer though, no. I was never one for the rain.”

A far-off look clouded his eye, the earlier smile he wore shifting to something sombre. Fearing you struck a cord that shouldn’t have been touched you were quick to decide on apologizing. You couldn’t even get a word out though, both your phones buzzing simultaneously. Sharing a confused expression both you and Kaeya took a peek at your devices. On-screen you’re met with a notification from a group chat. It wasn’t too far-fetched to assume Kaeya got the same one.

- PROJECT GROUP -

Amber - Sent 2:49 PM

Hey everyone! I’m really sorry but I actually can’t go to today’s meeting, something came up!

Lumine - Sent 2:50 PM

It’s alright! Actually, Aether and I can’t make it either.

Eula - 2:50 PM

What a coincidence, nor can I.

Diluc - 2:51 PM

Jean felt ill so I’m taking care of her. I as well won’t be there

You watched as a few more texts were exchanged between the group before it finally went silent. Your table buddy stayed silent as well, processing just as you were.

“They wait until now to tell us this!?” You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. You have to wonder what went through your group's minds to make them wait until 45 after the set time to let everyone know.

“It is rather poor timing isn’t it?” Kaeya pipes up, shaking his head as he tucks his phone away. He didn’t look particularly upset, the crease of his brow saying that, at best, he found this slightly annoying. However, it’s easy to see that he finds it rather humorous as well. In all honesty, so do you.

“You can say that again…” you share a chuckle. The awkward silence from before seems to have left just as fast as it appeared, something you're grateful for. In between sips of your drink, you find a much better question to ask the man across from you. However, yet again something stops you from talking. This time, it’s Kaeya beating you to the punch. His inquiry/comment though nearly makes you choke on air.

“Romance, eh?” The skin on your neck and back shot up in temperature at his words, most likely from embarrassment. This could only mean one thing - he saw it. What else could he be referring to?

Your eyes trailed down to where he was looking. The book you had brought sat snuggly in your bag, the elegant printing of Pride and Prejudice just barely seen. You must’ve forgotten to zip it up earlier.

You couldn’t bring yourself to look back up at him after spying the novel, afraid of his next actions. Does he think of you oddly now? Does he see you as the stereotypical lovesick fool? You’re expecting Kaeya to laugh condescendingly, maybe let out a snort or scoff, despite how nice he’s been this whole time.

A kind, curious tone wasn’t what you expected, and yet, it’s what you got. “May I see it?”

You’re eyes shot back up to stare at him. You didn’t find any traces of a lie, just genuine curiosity.

Hesitantly you retrieved the book, passing it across the table to him. Kaeya took a few minutes to study the novel, read the back and flip through the pages. When he was done he handed it back, a charming smile on his face.

“Have you heard of Pride and Prejudice?” You asked, voice soft and almost hesitant. You’re still a little baffled at the exchange - like you just narrowly dodged a fatal bullet.

“I have. Venti wouldn’t stop talking about how it’s ‘a classic’ and ‘a must read’.”

“... Do you like romance novels?”

“I like many things. But yes, I do enjoy a good love story every once in a while. I’ll have to look into the book. Who knows, maybe I’ll learn something from it.” Mischief flashed in his deep blue eye, flirtatiously winking in your direction (or perhaps he blinked? You’ll never be totally sure, not with the off-white eye patch he wears, but it feels like it was the former.), “that is, I’d learn some tricks on love itself.”

- - - - -

Finding conversation came easily after that. Covering almost any and everything, you come to learn that you and Kaeya share a lot of things in common. There’s how you both like to read, yes, but there’s also how you both share a liking for music, certain types of flowers, small think like that.

There are also the things you don’t share. You found that Kaeya can appreciate a good glass of wine while you on the other hand aren’t the biggest drinker in town. Not to say you don’t have one every once in a while, but it’s obvious you don’t indulge as much as he does.

Then, well, there are just some things you both can’t see eye to eye on.

“Grape juice is good though!”

“Absolutely not! How could you ever drink something so unromantic!” the look he gave you when you told him that you didn’t mind the ‘unromantic’ drink was one of pure comedic disbelief. You kinda wished you took a picture.

“If it helps,” you begin, calming down from your wheezing fit long enough to talk, “I am more of an apple juice kind of person.” You watched as Kaeya rolled his eye, crossing his arms as he refused to look at you. His childish action made you burst into another fit of laughs. At one point your stomach started to hurt and you had to set your head on the table, wrapping an arm around your torso in hopes to alleviate the joyful pain.

While you suffered Kaeya took this chance to observe you. If anyone who knew him saw the smile he wore while gazing at you they’d say it was a true smile. Something genuine, rare, not a shadow of the flirty façade he dons 24/7. You were a joy to spend time with, and you made him feel so relaxed, how could he not let a smile slip?

A faint ding from his phone pulls him back to reality, as it does to you as well. You lift your head, actually having mellowed down now.

“Something wrong?” you ask, sipping from your third drink of the day. Kaeya looked almost sad for a second as he read whatever was on his phone, his expression changing back to its normal charming smile a moment later.

“Nothing of concern, no. My roommate just wanted to know when I’ll be back for dinner.” The mention of dinner has you checking the time, your eyes bulging as you read 5:10 PM.

“Oh! I’m so sorry I didn’t even realize!” Kaeya waved off your apology, assuring you that it was no way your fault as he too didn’t watch the time either.

Grabbing your bags and paying for your drinks the both of you stepped out for the first time in hours.

“It looks like it might rain…” you note. It’s true, the sky looks pretty dark, not a trace of the setting sun anywhere on the horizon.

As if some higher being was given a signal from you it began to rain. At first, it started as just one or two drops but that quickly changed into an all-out downpour. Kaeya glanced at you, amused at the timing.

“Well, today was fun. Perhaps I’ll see you some other time.” Opening up his umbrella, the bluenette steps out from under the veranda, exchanging one ‘final’ farewell.

Five steps later and the man turned around, making his way to stand in front of you again.

“Where’s your umbrella?” his question caught you off guard, you didn't think he noticed. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

“I didn’t bring one - didn’t know it would rain.”

“Allow me to walk you home then.” His offer, as well as the smile he offered, made your heart do flips. You’re no fool, you know exactly what he was getting at.

“Really it’s fine. I don’t live too far from here. I’ll just wait until the rain slows a little.” You try to reason. What you didn’t know was you just gave Kaeya the ammo he needed. His smile twists just a little more.

“If you live so close then it really won't be too much of a hassle to walk you home.” Seeing you open your mouth to try and protest some more, Kaeya interjects once more, “I insist. Think of it as payment for spending so much time with me.”

You honestly couldn't come up with anything more to say, and he looked like the kind that wouldn’t give up, so you relent, stepping to stand beside Kayea under the umbrella.

It’s like the moment you do so you forget how to operate. You don’t know where to put your hands - let them hang at your sides? Put them in your pockets? Do you cross them? - nor do you know how to angle your body so you both are comfortable.

The weight of an arm around your shoulders stops all thoughts from running through your mind. “Let me know if this makes you uncomfortable,” the way he says that oh so softly has your heart speeding up, words failing you. The most you could manage was a small ‘okay’.

As you walked down the street, giving directions when need be, you found yourself growing less tense than you were at first. You maybe even liked having Kaeya’s arm wrapped around you.

“Here we are” you point towards an apartment building that was nestled between two others. A few lights illuminated the soaked street, the light dancing on the concrete in many ways pretty.

“Alright,” your new friend walks you up to the overhang at the front door. “Now this is see you later,” he chuckles. You’re almost sad when he removes his arm from you, the loss of warmth cold and lonely.

“Yeah. I’ll see you in class Monday then?”

“Correct. Until next time then,” he waves a little and you nod, giving your own goodbyes before watching Kaeya turn and walk down the walkway then to the street. You wait those extra few minutes until he leaves your sight before entering your home.

Closing the door behind you, you lean yourself against it, finding yourself looking back on your day. You can’t believe you never hung out with him before. Truly, you were missing out. He was a joy to talk with and get to know, so much so that you hope to see him again far sooner than Monday.

You smile to yourself, “until next time then…”

- - - - -

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU STAGED THIS???”

Lumine smirked at you, crossing her arms. “Well, how else were you supposed to get to know Kaeya?”

“NORMALLY. LIKE, THROUGHOUT THE BRAINSTORMING SESSION!”

“Did my way work?

“...”

“Well?”

“Maybe”

“Then I win this fight.”

“Sometimes you can be a real devil you know that?”

Tag list: @spoopy-fish-writes // @that-enby-alien // @xenuuu

…

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[Masterlist]

[No Genshin Masterlist Yet!]

[i-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend]

In a Heartbeat ~ Doctor!Bucky x Reader Oneshot

A/N: Title subject to change. This is a GIANT CONGRATULATIONS PRESENT for my fave Doctor!Bucky lover and yours @captainscanadian Because my girl finished undergrad today! Congrats, bby! Enjoy this doctor!bucky fluff that I said I would write a million years ago. ;) I'm so proud of you!!

Summary: What should have been a fun night out ends in the ER. At least your doctor is handsome?

Characters/Pairings: Bucky x Reader, Wanda Maximoff

Warnings: Injuries (fractured ankle), hospital, getting a cast, xrays and catscan. I think that's it. Fluff

Word Count: 2190

For the first hour of your stay in the ER you couldn’t decide if the constant beeping from the machine beside you was calming or irritating.

As it rolled into the second hour, you settled on irritating. You glared down at your ankle even though it was hidden under the blanket. You moved it ever so slightly, wincing as it caught on the sheet.

You unlocked your phone, letting your friends know that yes you were still here. And no you didn’t have any updates. And no they shouldn’t feel guilty.

A small part of you had blamed them in the first moments, after all they were the ones who convinced you to celebrate the end of finals with some drinking and dancing.

You checked your make up in the mirror next to your front door before locking up. You glanced at the door across the hall, hoping to catch the eye of your hunky neighbor before heading out. But no dice.

Oh well. At least your dress would likely be appreciated at the club. You’d even pulled out your comfy heels. Heels which were now mocking you from their spot on the chair next to your purse.

You’d been feeling good strutting down the stairs of your apartment building when a group of college kids who had clearly been pre-gaming, thundered past you, forcing you to press up against the wall. When you’d taken your next step your heel broke and you went sliding down 15 stairs.

You’d thought your ass had taken the worst of it until you tried to stand up and immediately cried out in pain.

So instead of ferrying you to a club, the Uber your friends arrived in took you to the hospital. You’d sent your friends on their way once you’d been processed and were waiting to be admitted. No need to spoil everyone’s night.

But now five hours later and bored out of your skull you were regretting that decision. You were going to lose your mind. You’d only left the room twice. Once for an x-ray and once for a CT scan.

You turned on the TV and settled on the game show network, letting the episode of family feud distract you.

You were on your third episode when a nurse came in.

“Hello. I’m Wanda, the night shift nurse. How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay. I’m just eager to get out of here.”

“I’ll bet you are. Dr. Barnes should be in soon,” she assured you. “He just finished up a surgery.”

“Sounds good.”

She checked your chart, noting your vitals and making sure that you weren’t tangled in any wires.

“Can I get you anything?”

“Can I have some water?”

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

Wanda brought back a cup of water and a warm blanket.

“Thought you might be cold,” she explained.

“Actually yeah. Thanks. Is there any way I can take this off?” You gestured to the heart rate monitor on your finger.

She shot you an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry. It’s protocol.”

“Worth a shot,” you shrugged.

“I’ll come and check on you in a little bit.”

“Thank you.”

She bustled out of the room and you turned your attention back to the TV which had moved on the Price is Right reruns.

You must have drifted off because the next thing you know you were being gently shaken. Your eyes were finally able to focus on a pair of entirely too blue eyes.

As your brain caught up, you realized the blue eyes were set in a very handsome face. A familiar handsome face at that.

“2A?” you asked cocking your head to the side.

He chuckled as you readjusted yourself trying to discretely check that you hadn’t drooled in your sleep.

“Most people call me Dr. Barnes. Or Bucky.”

“Bucky?”

That made even less sense. You were certain the name on his mailbox was James.

“My middle name is Buchanan. And what shall I call you, 2B?”

“Y/n.”

“Well it’s very nice to officially meet you, Y/n. Although I wish it were under better circumstances. Let’s take a look at this ankle shall we?”

You nodded, and he took that as an assent to lift the blanket. He folded in neatly up over your knee leaving most of your lap covered. You grimaced when you saw the swelling was even worse now than when you arrived.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

You relayed your story to him, omitting the bit about hoping to run into him. He listened intently, making the occasional note but mainly he just nodded.

“I’m going to examine it now,” he announced.

His hands were sure and practiced as he gently turned your ankle from side to side. It twinged occasionally, so you focused on his features to distract yourself.

You catalogued each in turn but lingered on his sharp jawline. Your thoughts drifted to peppering kisses along it and down his neck.

You were startled when his cerulean gaze met yours with a concerned look.

“Did that hurt?”

“Not really. Why?”

You were genuinely confused by the question. You hadn’t noticed anything amiss in his examination.

“Your heart rate was elevated. And you, ummm,” he broke eye contact for the first time.

“I what?”

“Squeaked.”

Your eyes widened and your chest felt hot with embarrassment. You glanced at the traitorous machine which was live casting your racing heart. Although that probably was less of the issue than the fact that you squeaked.

“I guess the hospital just makes me nervous,” you lied lamely.

He didn’t look convinced but thankfully let it go.

“I just need to check one more angle.”

This time it was painful and you yelped.

“Sorry.” He gingerly placed your foot back on the pillow that had been elevating it and covered it with the blanket.

He held the CT scans and X-rays up to the light as you watched him. You once again failed to notice your heart rate climbing as you admired the bulge of his bicep.

Dr. Barnes however definitely noticed. He smiled over at you reassuringly, which failed to help the issue at all. He glanced at the erratically beeping machine, before looking back to you. You would swear that there was a hint of smugness in his expression. But he kept it well hidden.

“Well, I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news.”

“Lay it on me, doc.”

“Well, the good news is that you will not be needing surgery. It’s a minor fracture.”

“And the bad news?”

“It’s a minor fracture that requires a cast.”

“How long?”

“Eight weeks. Total.”

“Eight weeks on crutches?” You whined.

“You should only be on crutches for the first four. After that, assuming everything is healing well, you’ll be in a walking cast.”

You groaned and shot a murderous glare at your heels once again.

“The price we pay for fashion.”

“I’ll have Wanda prepare everything now. It should only take about an hour.”

“Well, that sure cuts into my dancing plans,” you joked, frustrated by being stuck there for another hour.

It would be morning before you got home.

“Is that where you were headed?” he asked as he pressed the call button.

“Yeah. My friends finally convinced me to go out with them for once and look where it got me,” you laughed humorlessly. “Well at least I’m done for the summer. So the leg won’t mess me up too bad.”

Wanda appeared in the doorway.

“What do you need, doctor Barnes?”

“I need a cast kit. For the ankle.”

“Got it. I’ll be right back.”

You expected Bucky to leave then, but he continued bustling around the room.

“You said you’re done for the summer. Are you a teacher?”

“Kinda.”

He quirked an eyebrow at you.

“I’m a graduate student. So I just finished up TAing for the semester.”

“Ahh. Are you doing research then?”

“I’m finishing up the edits on my thesis actually. So this might actually make me do it instead of procrastinating," you giggled.

“What’s your thesis on?”

You were in the middle of explaining your thesis, when Wanda returned. Genuinely interested in your area of research, Bucky continued asking you questions as he wrapped the liner around your leg.

From time to time he would grin up at you and the damn heart rate monitor would go off all over again. You’d gotten over your embarrassment for the most part, until Wanda had to suppress a giggle because your heart actually skipped a beat.

“Alright. You are all set. Wanda will grab you your crutches and your discharge papers. You’ll need to make a follow up with your Orthopedic in four weeks.”

“Since I don’t have an orthopedic on speed dial, do you know any good ones?”

Bucky chuckled.

“I’ll have her put my practice’s number on the sheet.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

“No problem. Do you have any questions before I go?”

“How long do you think getting all the paperwork sorted will take?”

“Not long. Twenty minutes or so. Why?”

“Just wondering if I should order my Uber now or wait.”

He glanced at the clock on the wall. His fingers drummed against the clipboard in his hand as he momentarily mulled something over.

“If you’re willing to wait another forty-five minutes, I can drive you home when I get off my shift.”

You immediately shook your head.

“You so don’t need to do that.”

“Please. It’s literally on my way home.”

You nibbled on your lip. It would be a lot easier.

“If you’re sure.”

He seemed almost relieved when you accepted.

“Absolutely. It’s been pretty quiet tonight, so you can just hang out in here until I get back.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

He smiled, softer than the other ones he’d given you so far before hanging your chart on the end of your bed and exiting the room, bumping into the glass door as he went. You stifled a giggle. Maybe you weren’t the only one affected.

It took a little over thirty minutes to get you processed. And before you knew it Bucky was helping you into his car. You went in butt first and then swung your cast leg, followed by your good leg in just a hospital sock. Bucky handed you your shoes and purse.

“So, do you chauffer all of your patients home?” You teased as you left the parking lot.

“Only the ones who live across the hall. Speaking of which, I am sorry this is the first time we’ve gotten to meet properly. Not very neighborly of me.”

“I can’t imagine why you haven’t made your way over with your loads of free time,” you deadpanned, earning you an eyeroll. “But however it happened, I’m glad that we met. It was getting to the awkward stage.”

“Yeah, seven months of passing waves is a long time.”

You hummed your agreement.

“So, how did you get into medicine?”

“Family business.”

He told you all about his surgeon mom and physician father as you drove home. His siblings were also in medicine and even his childhood best friend.

“That is so many medical degrees in one house. Must be rousing holiday dinner conversations.”

“We actually have a no shop talk rule.”

“And how long does that last?” you asked knowingly.

“Through appetizers… maybe.”

“Your family sounds amazing.”

“They are. I wouldn’t trade them for anything,” he admitted as he parked his car.

Bucky carefully helped you out of the car and up to your apartment. You’d never been so glad to live in a building with an elevator.

“I feel like I should offer you breakfast for bringing me home,” you admitted as you plopped down on the couch, and lifted your foot onto the coffee table exhausted from the crutches.

“You need to stay off that foot. But I’m sure you’re starving and so am I. Got any pancake mix?”

“Doctor Barnes, you really don’t have to do that.”

“It’s Bucky. We’re back to just neighbors here. And I want to.”

“How can I repay you?”

“Think about going out on a date with me when your leg is all healed.”

You cocked your head, as you appraised him.

“Just think about it?”

He scratched behind his ear as he shrugged a little.

“I’ve been wanting to ask you out for well… about seven months. But I don’t want you to feel like you owe me anything. Because you don’t. I would have brought any of my neighbors home,” he rambled.

“You’re a really good guy,” you hummed.

“Could you tell my Ma that?” he joked, though his ears tinged pink.

“Happily. And I’d love to think about going on a date with you.”

He beamed back at you.

“I’ll take it. So pancakes?”

“In the cabinet above the fridge. Next to the chocolate chips.”

He nodded, taking the hint on your favorite add on.

“I’m on it.”

Eight weeks later when your walking cast came off, you and Bucky went out for dinner… for your two month anniversary.

Your heart definitely still raced when he smiled at you. And you wouldn’t have it any other way.

A/N: There we have it! I hope you enjoyed @captainscanadian.

[squidthechaotickid]

Here is the fic!!

Word count: 4,827

Summary: Star makes a choice. His choice, of course, has consequences, both for him and his parents

Warnings: Nothing major but there's a lot of angst in here so be ready for that

(I'm copy/pasting from a Google doc so if anything seems off let me know ajdjdjfjejf)

Star laid on his bed, listening to the consistent ticking of his clock. It was a nice clock, with a picture of the moon and white numbers surrounding it. His dad had bought it for him when he was younger, about 5, as a Christmas gift.

His dad.

Was Dream really as good as he had thought? If what Nightmare said was true, it had been Dream's fault the apple incident occurred. Dream always said he'd tried to help Nightmare, but… what if he hadn't? What if it was a lie made up to make himself feel better, like Nightmare said? Or, even worse, a lie he'd told to keep everyone on his side?

Then, of course, there were the other things his uncle had said. About his mom. About Ink. About the Star Sanses as a whole, about Core and the creators and their true intentions.

He had met his uncle a week ago, though it felt like a million years had gone by. And all he'd done since then was think. Think about his parents. Think about his uncle, and the choice he was forced to make.

"Star!" Came his father's shout, coupled with knocking. He jumped, looking to the door.

"Yeah Dad?"

"Your sister isn't feeling well, we're keeping her home today. It's about time for you to lea- Pastel!" With that, his sister burst into the room, running forward and tackling Star with a hug.

"Bye Star! I'll see you later!" Star giggled, making a fake angry face. "Hey, knock first!" Pastel stuck out her tongue in response. Rolling his eyelights, Star stood, grabbing his backpack. "I have to go if I wanna get to the pickup spot on time, I'll see you later. Love you Pastel, you better be better by the time I get back. That's a threat." She grinned. "I'll try!"

If I even come back. He shook the thought out of his mind. "Bye, Dad." He gave him a quick hug before rushing out of the door.

He began walking down the street. Usually he'd turn left, then enter an alley where a portal would be opened to the AU where his school was. It was an AU specifically for outcodes and multiverse-aware students to go, made by Core after an influx of kids in the Omega Timeline. Today, though, he turned right, crossing the road.

He didn't think as his feet led him away from where he should have been going. It was better not to, after all. Too much thinking and he might just change his mind.

Instead, he made his way to another alley. It was decided, then. He was joining Nightmare. His stomach twisted as he opened a portal. He took one last deep breath before walking in.

"Nightmare?" He looked around. "I- I wanna join you." No one was around. Perhaps he hadn't arrived yet. Maybe he should just leave, go home and tell Blue he didn't feel well. Nightmare would never know, would he? Yeah, going home seemed like a nice ide-

"Hello, nephew." Star tensed as a tentacle curled around his arm. His voice was sickly sweet, causing a chill to go down the smaller skeleton's spine. Star slowly turned, eyes meeting the single eyelight belonging to his uncle.

Star gulped, meeting the other's gaze. "...Hello." Nightmare chuckled, holding out a hand. "So you've decided to join, eh? Good, good. Take my hand, and I'll take you to the castle." He tilted his head, a grin plastering itself onto his face. "Unless, of course, you've changed your mind?"

Star stared at his outstretched hand. This was his last chance. Did he really wanna give up his life with his family for Nightmare's Gang? Was he right in switching sides? Should he-

No, he already made his choice. He wasn't second guessing himself again. Slowly, the child took his hand.

The cold of Nightmare's goop made him shiver, though not as much as the grin on his face. "Good. Now, come on. It's time for you to meet the rest of the gang." Star slowly followed, wondering what he'd just gotten himself into.

☆

Dream anxiously tapped his foot. "What do you mean he didn't go to school? I saw him go out the door!" He listened intently as Core's voice came from the phone's speaker.

"I'm sorry, Dream. He just- he didn't come to school. Maybe he skipped?" Dream shook his head.

"No, Star wouldn't do that. Besides, he'd be smart enough to at least come back by the time school ended." Dream took a shaky breath, hoping to calm his worry. It did little to help.

Dream blinked as he realized he'd toned out whatever Frisk had just said. "What was that?"

"I asked, do you need me to come over? I can help you look for him."

"No, no, it's good. I'll- I'll call Blue. We'll find him ourselves. I'll call back when we do." After a quick goodbye, Dream hung up, and began dialing his partner.

"Oh, Starry, what did you do?"

☆

Star stood in front of the gang, Nightmare beside him. A hand placed itself on his shoulder. "Boys, this is Star, the nephew I've been telling you about. Star, this is the gang." He began gesturing to the individual skeletons.

"That one is Dust" The skeleton was leaning against a wall, twirling a playing card between his fingers. He glanced up and gave a half nod, but otherwise didn't acknowledge the introduction.

"That is Horror," Horror stared at the child. He felt like the skeleton's single red eyelight was tearing through his skull. Star quickly looked away.

"That's Killer," Killer scowled, but gave a begrudging nod when he was glared at by Nightmare.

"And that is Cross." Cross smiled, giving a wave. At least one of the gang members seemed somewhat friendly.

"Now that you've all been introduced, let's show you around, shall we?" Nightmare looked to the gang. "Which of you boys want to show our new member around?" There was silence for a moment as the skeletons glaced around, until Cross begrudgingly raised a hand. "Excellent! Cross will show you around, Star. After that, we'll have dinner.

Cross walked over, awkwardly holding out a hand. "Hey, uh, Star, right? I'm Cross. Night just told you that though, heh." Star took the hand. It wasn't freezing like Nightmare's was, instead being slightly warm.

"I'm- I'm Star! It's, uh, nice to meet you!" Cross smiled. "Alright, come on then. We'll go to the library first." He began leading the child out of the room.

Nightmare watched, waiting until the large ebony doors swung shut to turn to the remaining gang members.

"Remind me why we're taking in that kid again?" Killer said, a mix of boredom and annoyance in his voice.

"Because," Nightmare began, beginning to move towards his office. "He has plenty of information in him. Besides, can you imagine the look on Dream's face when he finds out his own son chose to betray him?" With that, he left the room.

"I still think this is a stupid idea," Killer muttered to nobody in particular. "I mean, what if the kid betrays us and tells Dream everything!"

Dust stopped messing with the card, glancing over. "If he tries to leave, we kill 'em. Or throw him in the dungeon, whatever works."

Killer grumbled something, but it was too quiet to make out. "I think… it'll be fine… He's just a kid, shouldn't be much trouble…" Horror added on.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Killer turned towards the door leading to the bedroom. "I'm gonna go terrorize some AU, I don't feel like being a babysitter."

Dust shoved himself off from his spot on the wall. "I'm coming with. Horror, you wanna join?" The skeleton shook his head. "Gotta cook." Dust nodded, giving a wave before following Killer through a portal.

☆

"...And this is your room!" Cross opened the door, gesturing inside. Star looked in. The walls were a dull, rather dreary blue shade. The floor was made of a gray wood, which creaked when Star stepped on it. There was a dark blue rug next to the wooden bed, which contained only a mattress with white sheets. It was otherwise empty.

"We can get you some more stuff in here later. We, uh, weren't sure what you liked." Star looked back to the monochrome skeleton standing in the doorway.

"It's… it's fine. Can I have a blanket to put on here? And some pillows, if you don't mind. I… I'd like to lay down for a while." There was a lot to take in, so much that it was making him feel sick. He needed some time to process everything.

"Sure! I'll be right back, okay?" Cross didn't wait for an answer before running off. Star let out a breath, collapsing onto his bed. Was he doing the right thing? Was this all right? Was…

"No, I promised myself I wouldn't second guess. It's… fine. Everything is fine."

"You don't sound too sure."

Star jumped, letting out a yelp before falling off of the bed. He rubbed his head as he looked up.

Nightmare was snickering. "A bit jumpy, aren't we?" Star stood, brushing himself off. "Oh, it's okay. I get it. I used to be rather jumpy too." He sat on the bed, patting the spot on the side of him. Star sat where he gestured, looking to the floor.

"I…" Star closed his mouth, unsure of what to say. Should he ask about his uncle? Talk a bit about himself? Tell him about Dream? He didn't know.

"Nervous?" Star could only nod. Nightmare chuckled. "Understandable. This is a rather… new experience for you. How about an icebreaker? Tell me about yourself, nephew. I don't know much, other than your name."

Star wondered how much to say. Nightmare sounded rather genuine, but…

He was about to begin speaking, when Cross ran into the room, a bundle of blankets and pillows in his arms. "Hey Star, I got you some- oh, hey Boss!" He glanced between the two skeletons. "Uh- I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

A tentacle glided over, lifting the bundle away from the skeleton. "It's fine, Cross. We were just… getting to know each other, that's all." He sat the pile to the side.

"Oh! Well, I'll leave you two to it!" He nervously laughed before leaving, closing the door behind him.

"Now then," Nightmare resumed the conversation. "How about we start with something simple. How old are you, nephew?"

"Oh, I'm- I'm 13. And you?" Star tried returning the question, hoping it would spark some interesting discussion.

"Oh, a little over 500? Around 520, 530. You lose track after a while." Nightmare said it rather nonchalantly, as if being over 500 years old was normal. "You're rather young. Younger than I thought you would be. How about siblings? Any of those?"

Star hesitated. Would telling him about his sister put her in danger? He wasn't sure. Even if he wanted to trust Nightmare, he knew he couldn't just give him all the information. Not until he was sure he wouldn't be endangering anyone he cared about.

"...Pastel. She's- She's my sister. 8 years old. She's really into frogs." He frowned. "You… You won't hurt her, right?"

Nightmare threw on an assuring smile. "Of course not, Star. The only people I'm gonna harm are those who've harmed me." He placed a hand on the child's cheek. "Your sister is perfectly safe, okay?"

Star nodded. It was a bit reassuring, but… Both of his parents met the criteria Nightmare had listed. He knew they weren't really good, not if what Nightmare said was true, but… He still cared about them.

Nightmare, sensing the child's conflicted feelings, quickly changed the subject.

"Any interests, hobbies? Reading, perhaps? Maybe you like watching one of those animes the boys are into?"

"Oh, yeah, I watched a ton of anime with Undyne in my timeline. I'm more into space, though. And plants!" He brightened slightly. "I have a lot of plants in my room- My old one, anyways. I had a rose, a few succulents, and a couple others. My favorite was an echo flower Mom got me from his old Waterfall. Sometimes I'd use it to mess with Pastel, like that one time I had it repeat her name over and over. I hid it in her closet and-"

He paused. "I'm sorry, do you mind me rambling? I know you probably have important stuff to do."

Nightmare shrugged. "Keep on going if you wish. I'd like to get to know you, and what better way to do that than by letting you talk?"

Star smiled slightly. "Okay… Well, I put it in her closet and…"

☆

"No sign of him." Blue collapsed onto the couch. "Nothing? Not even a scrap of clothing, a dropped pencil, nothing?" Dream sat beside him, already knowing the answer to the question.

"The whole Royal Guard was searching, Dreamy. Nothing." He grabbed his partner's hand, gently squeezing it in a comforting way. "How's Ellie doing?"

"She's still sick, hasn't got much better. I… I just told her. I think she's still processing everything." Dream winced slightly at the memory of his daughter's reaction. She had begun crying, as expected. However, all the crying, coupled with being sick, had led to… Well, let's just say Dream had spent the past 15 minutes cleaning her lunch out of the floor.

"Yeah…" Blue trailed off, looking at his feet. "I… I think I'm going to call Ink. If he isn't in the city, he's probably in another AU. He can start looking through the code for any portals that might've been opened." Dream nodded. The two went silent.

"Hey, sunshine?" Blue took the skeleton's hand. "It's gonna be okay, alright? We'll find him." He attempted a comforting smile, but there was a bit of uncertainty in it. Dream appreciated the gesture nonetheless, leaning onto Blue's chest.

"I sure hope so," he muttered, squeezing his partner's hand.

☆

Star gasped, ducking down. He barely avoided a bone attack. He quickly retaliated with an attack of his own, though it was easily dodged.

"Come on, Starry!" Cross easily dodged another arrow. "You gotta be more aggressive!"

Said skeleton didn't respond, instead twisting to the side. As he did, though, Cross teleported behind him, not giving the kid a chance to react before grabbing him from behind and placing a knife against their throat.

"Ack- ugh, you win, again…" Cross released them. "That's what, 9 times now?" The victor asked. Star grumbled something under his breath, gripping his bow tighter. "Can we do one more? I think I can do it this time."

Cross shook his head, unsummoning his knife. "That's what you said the last 8 times. Come on, let's get you a snack." Star begrudgingly agreed, letting his bow fizzle out of existence as Cross grabbed his hand and began leading him into the kitchen.

As they walked, Star reviewed the events of the past two weeks in his mind. It had mostly been training, though he had spoken with his uncle a few times. It was mostly questions about himself and small talk, though every once in a while a question about Dream would come up. It was mostly harmless stuff, questions like "How has he been doing?" or "Did he ever sit still long enough to learn reading?"

Occasionally, though, there would be a question such as "How often did he train?" And "What AUs does Dream usually go to?" Questions that, had Star not already been on edge, he would have passed on as normal. However, knowing what he did, he had to wonder…

What did Nightmare want with his father?

They were pulled out of their thoughts as the duo made it to the kitchen. Horror was there, cooking. He was one of the friendlier gang members, despite his fearsome appearance. He'd brought Star some snacks his first day. Star had sparked a conversation with the skeleton, and had gotten a little closer. Not as close as he was with Cross, of course, but rather close.

"Hey, Horror, did we restock on those good chocolate bars last raid?" Cross was already opening the cabinets, looking for said treat.

"Mhm… Next cabinet over," the larger skeleton said, only glancing at Cross before returning to whatever was on the stove.

"Sick, thanks!" Cross scooped two of the bars out of the stash, tossing one to Star before sitting at a barstool at the kitchen island. Star slowly joined him, still catching their breath as he tore the wrapper open.

"How's he been… doin'?" Horror asked, referring to Star's training.

"Better. He's lasting longer than 30 seconds now," the skeleton teased. "He made it to 6 minutes the past two times. Quick learner," Cross responded, taking a bite of chocolate after.

"That's good."

The other two skeletons finished their snack in silence, only speaking after they finished.

"How 'bout we take a break from training for the rest of the day? I think you've earned it."

Star nodded. They were tired. Maybe they could take a nap. That would be pretty refreshin-

"Shoot, just got a text from the boss. He wants you in his office."

Star groaned. "Alright, bye Cross." Cross waved as Star turned to head towards his uncle.

The castle was huge, so it was a rather long walk. Star was, unfortunately, unable to teleport. His magic wasn't quite developed enough. There was no guarantee he wouldn't end up in a wall, or halfway across the castle, or outside of it completely.

After almost 20 minutes of nothing but the tap of his boots on the ground, Star made it to the office. He knocked, knowing Nightmare hated people barging in.

"Come in, nephew," his uncle's voice called. "I need you for something…"

☆

Dream was this close to a breakdown.

His baby was gone.

Ink and Core had been scanning over the code, but they found nothing. Ink assured Dream that it would take a while to scan all the code for signs of a portal, that they could still figure out what AU Star disappeared to, but that didn't stop the fear.

Star had been gone for two weeks. Two weeks was more than enough time for a monster with little magic to defend himself with to get seriously hurt, or even enough time for him to-

Dream shook his head. He didn't want to imagine the pile of dust that could be his son.

The skeleton perked up from his spot on the couch as the door opened. He had been scanning the AU for any trace of Star, any calling of his soul.

There had been nothing, of course.

Ink met the hopeful look in Dream's eyelights, only to crush it as he shook his head. "Haven't found a thing, Dream. Core said something about a possible lead, but that was hours ago and I haven't heard anything else."

Dream deflated. "...Do you know where Blue is?" His voice was hoarse from crying. He'd kept it to his room, not wanting Pastel to see, but he was certain she already knew.

"Looking over the city again. I told him there's not much of a point, but he didn't listen."

Ink made his way in, closing the front door and heading to the spot next to Dream. He paused before slowly sitting, wrapping an arm around the guardian in an attempt to comfort.

"Where's Pastel?" The artist asked, hoping to get his mind off things for a moment.

"Star's room, listening to the echo flower. She won't let anyone in."

"Oh."

The two fell silent. Ink… didn't know what to do. He'd searched the code. He was still searching, there was still a chance he was looking over it, but…

Without knowing exactly where the portal had opened, it could take months to figure out where Star was. They had already taken much too much time.

The artist was about to suggest Dream and him check on Pastel, make sure she was okay, when a portal opened and Core ran through.

"Frisk? What's-"

"Star!"

Dream launched himself off the couch, eyes widening. "Star? Where- When- Is he okay?!"

The monochrome child held up a paper, which Dream quickly snatched.

"There was an anomaly in a Swapfell timeline. I went to check it out and found that. I think- You need to read it."

Dream looked down at the paper. His marrow went cold as he recognized the handwriting.

To my dearest brother Dream, the note began, the letters written in that familiar curly font that he knew belonged to Nightmare.

It seems we have a lot to catch up on, brother. You never told me I had a nephew! He's fine, the gang has been taking very good care of him. However, I do believe you'd like to see him. Meet me in Underswap 432's Snowdin, if you'd like to see him as anything other than a pile of dust.

Love,

Nightmare ~

Dream read the letter. Then reread it as Ink leaned over his shoulder to look at it, before slamming the letter down onto the coffee table. He wasted no time as he pulled his phone out and dialed his lover's number.

"Dream?" Blue's voice came on over the speaker. What-"

"I know where Star is, and we're about to beat my brother's coccyx."

☆

Dream, Blue, and Ink stood in the AU that Nightmare had specified. This timeline had made it to the surface, similarly to Blue's. That meant there was no noise, no other monsters around. Just the three of them, tensely waiting for the arrival of Nightmare.

Dream held his bow, sitting on a rock as he waited for his brother to show. Blue stood at the ready with a bone attack in hand, while Ink leaned against a nearby tree, fiddling with a paintbrush.

"Do you think he's gonna show?" Ink asked, after almost 2 hours of waiting. "I mean, he never specified a time. Maybe we missed the meeting?"

Dream shook his head. "He knows we're here, I'm sure. He can sense emotions, remember?"

"He's sure taking his sweet time," Blue grumbled.

Dream was about to respond, when the sound of footsteps cut him off. His eyelights shot up as he turned, meeting a single cyan eye.

"Hello, brother," Nightmare purred, taking another step forward. "I see you got the message."

Dream summoned an arrow, readying his bow as he stood. In his peripheral vision, he saw Ink and Blue readying themselves too. "Where is Star?" he growled, glaring. He didn't care that this was his brother, not right now. He wanted his son back.

Nightmare only smiled.

"Why, brother, he's right here!"

Star stepped out from behind his uncle, his own bow in hand. "Hi Dad," he muttered. "Hi Mom, Uncle Ink."

Dream almost ran straight to his child, ready to cry out in joy, but restrained himself. Something felt… wrong.

Blue must have felt it too, because he took a tentative step forward before pausing. "Star?" He began, looking inquisitively between his and Nightmare. "What's going on?"

"What's going on?" Nightmare repeated, a grin forming on his face. "What's going on, Blue, is that your son has switched sides." He grinned as the terror settled on the trio's face. "He's mine, now."

"You're lying!" Dream shouted, pulling his bow's string back and aiming at Nightmare. "Give me my son!"

"I assure you, I am not lying, Dreamy. Show them, Star. Show them where your loyalty lies."

All eyes snapped to the child. He took a shaky breath as he wearily looked up at his family.

"I almost want to say I'm sorry," he laughed, before grabbing at his scarf and ripping off the sun shaped patch.

☆

Star had been slightly worried about going through with his Uncle's plan. He was assured it would be okay, though.

He knew it would break his parents to see their own son betray them. He knew it would hurt Ink, too.

And yet, somehow, he was okay with that.

Maybe he was starting to believe the things Nightmare told him. Maybe the gang's violent ways were rubbing off on him a bit. Either way, he agreed to go through with Nightmare's plan.

He was slow to step through the portal as it opened, slow to summon his bow, but as soon as he did, he felt his confidence rise. He was doing the right thing. Nightmare was telling the truth.

After all, if he wasn't, then it would mean he'd caused all this pain for nothing.

Star stepped out from behind his uncle. He saw the flash of hope in his parents' eyes before it was replaced with unease.

"Star?" Blue had asked. He didn't move. He didn't dare, because if he did, he might've ran straight to Blue, crying and apologizing for how stupid he'd been to leave, begging for them to forgive him. So, he didn't move.

He'd already betrayed enough people.

"You're lying!" Dream shouted, Star realizing he'd tuned out part of their conversation. "Give me my son!"

"I assure you, I am not lying, Dreamy. Show them, Star. Show them where your loyalty lies."

Star glanced around. He didn't need his empathic abilities to tell how scared the Star Sanses were. Dream looked as if he'd seen a ghost, Blue seemed on the verge of tears, and Ink was just… staring, almost as if he'd been off his paints.

Star decided on what he was going to do. He chuckled weakly.

"I almost want to say I'm sorry."

He ripped the sun off his scarf, tossing it to the ground.

Dream gasped, taking a step back. The child screwed his eyes shut, his grip on his bow tightening. He vaguely heard Nightmare say something along the lines of, "I told you, brother. He joined me, all on his own accord." but he couldn't focus on it.

His head began to feel hazy as his body burned with pain. Suddenly, his magic wasn't so bright.

He remembered, a long time ago, he had gotten sick. It wasn't incredibly bad, looking back, but it was one of the worst pains he'd ever had in his 4 year-old mind. Sci had told his parents that his soul was unstable, unable to fully control his guardian magic.

"It'll get better as he grows," Sci had told them. "But I'd still be careful. It wouldn't be hard for his magic to shift to something more… negative, I guess. It would be like Nightmare and the Apple Incident, except it could be caused by a change much less drastic than that."

He knew that was what was happening. His magic was changing, adapting to the new darkness within him.

CRACK!

His eyes flashed open, and without thinking, he aimed his bow. It's string was purple now, instead of its old shade of turquoise. The arrow was similarly colored.

"Your eyelight!" Ink gasped, and Star was sure his father's yellow had been replaced by lavender too.

He let go of the string, allowing the arrow to fly forward, burying itself in Dream's shoulder. He had been too busy staring at Star to register the projectile before, but he screamed in pain as it landed.

Blue rushed to his husband's side, looking at his son in horror. Star ignored him.

He also ignored the unshed tears that burned the back of his throat.

"Don't we need to leave now?" He asked Nightmare. "We did what we came to do."

Nightmare stared at the child in surprise. Star was certain it was because of what had just happened to his magic. He didn't say anything about it, though, instead chuckling as the shock wore off.

"So we have, nephew. Come on, now, I do think you deserve a treat for this amazing show you've put on." The guardian sent one last chilling grin to his twin before taking his nephew's hand and teleporting the two away.

The last thing Star heard was Dream desperately shouting his name.

☆

Dream stumbled through the portal, his shoulder burning as Blue tried to lead him to the couch. He heard Pastel shout something, sounding almost hopeful before her voice quickly switched to panic. Dream didn't hear anything she said, though.

Star was gone.

Not permanently, of course, but still. He was gone. He'd joined his brother.

He knew the second he saw the child's crown crack that Nightmare wasn't lying.

It was laced with Dream's positive aura - It cracking could only mean the magic had been tainted.

Dream didn't make it to the couch. He fell to his knees before he got there.

"Ink, can you get Pastel?" He distantly heard his partner ask. It hardly registered, though.

His child was gone. Taken from him by his own brother.

Dream sobbed, ugly tears shamelessly making their way down his face as he cried out for his little baby boy.

[mackeydoodledoo]

I Only Swim Free: Chapter 3

Pairing: Bela Dimitrescu x (Fem!)Reader

Summary: You’ve done swimming all your life. You’ve gotten to your dream college on a scholarship for your outstanding freestyle technique back in high school. Relationships never crossed your mind however, that was before you met your swim team captain: Bela Dimitrescu.

Warning: Jealousy, heavy couple-arguements, domestic abuse, alcohol abuse

A/N: Rather than having this be a one chapter story, I decided to make this thing a whole series!

“Dried up Youthful Fame” - OLDCODEX

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

You slide your flip flops on as you hoist your swim team jacket around and through your arms. You catch up to the rest of your teammates and step out onto the floor of the pool. You're overwhelmed with the amount of people that are there. Especially when you looked up and saw a seemingly tall woman with two other girls at both her sides.

"That's Dean Dimitrescu and Bela's sisters: Cassandra and Daniela," one of your team members catches you staring at them

You were sort of aware that Bela was the daughter of Dean Dimitrescu, but you didn't expect them to be here; at your first swim meet.

"I see," you only reply

You get into one of those group huddle things before the game, Bela immediately draping her arm around your shoulders.

"Alright girls, we've been working all week for this one, we're going against our hugest rival; Heisenberg University."

You've heard about them. They've got Dean Heisenberg and Coach Miranda. You weren't sure what her last name was, you've only hear her being referred to as Coach Miranda.

"You got that y/n?" Bela turns to you

"I'm sorry what Captain?" You ask, realizing you were barely paying any attention

"Oh stars, The first event is the 100 m Freestyle, so you're up first," Bela re-explains to you

You nod, however you were nervous.

"You got this y/n," all the girls encourage you

You walk into a different direction, to get up onto the podium as the rest of the girls stand along the sidelines to watch you. As you ready yourself, you begin thinking about how you were going to round the lap before hearing a beeping sound, enabling your body to dive into the water. As you flex your muscles to the best of your abilities, you manage to round the other direction in due time however the rival right on your tail. However, your palm presses against the wall, stopping the clock for your slot. You look up the scoreboard and saw you had come in first, however, the rival’s score time was just right behind yours.

I have to step up my speed...

You climb out of the water and Bela gets your swim jacket wrapped around you. You watch the next several events go down. At one point there was a medley relay however you left that to another member. You did another freestyle event however that was pretty much it. 

“This next event is the 500 m Butterfly,” The announcer says

You watch Bela step away from you. She takes off her jacket and she makes quick eye contact with you before giving you a wink. Your eyes travel down to her bottom and you had to tear your eyes away from her fitting figure.

Girl’s got some figure... Damn shut up...

As you watch her get set for her even, you look up into the audience and notice her boyfriend looking solely at you. You notice how his eyes are giving you vibes that you weren’t enjoying. So you put your eyes back onto Bela, just as the beeps sound goes off again. You watch her form dive into the water and begin gazing at her back muscles as she drags her arms out of the water. You watch the muscles she had to show off flex with each stroke. 

Bela snags the first place spot with ease. You hang around in the locker room as the diving portion is about to begin.

“You sure know how to put on a show y/n,” a familiar voice calls out to you

You turn your head and shut your locker and smile, “Not so bad yourself little butterfly.”

“Little dolphin,” She flirts

She walks up to you and gets into your personal space. you weren’t complaining if you were honest. She tugs on the collar of your jacket and plants her lips against yours. She quickly pulls her lips away when she hears the doors open. you re-compose yourself for whomever interrupted your alone time with Bela.

“Just want to let you know Captain that the Diving events are starting,” One of the members says, gesturing to the other side of the door

You follow Bela out to the floor and sit next to her as you and your team were seated separately from all the spectators. You couldn’t help but turn to where her boyfriend was sitting and you swear he looks closer than he already was. You just turn your attention back to your divers of the team and Bela. You cheer when there is cheering to be done. There was a few more events before the meet ended.

You couldn’t help but look over towards who must’ve been Heisenberg as you’ve taken notice to Dean Dimitrescu as she watches him carefully.

"Now, this just in, we have our very first 1500 m Freestyle event," the announcer says

You and Bela, along with your team and Dean Dimitrescu look surprised.

"Heisenberg you fool," Dimitrescu growls, looking into his direction

"Now, will one member from each team steps forth for this event," he requests

You knew you were the only one who could do it, regardless if you've only swam up to 500 m in the Freestyle technique. So you take a couple steps away from Bela.

"State your name," the announcer says

"Y/n Y/l/n," you say, "1st year Freestyle Swimmer."

Everyone in the vicinity gasps. How could a 1st year possibly swim the 1500 m event? Surely it was impossible. The one swimmer from the other team does the same however, they were a 4th year swimmer. But it didn't phase you. You've swam all your life. All the preparations have come for this moment. You look up and notice Dean Dimitrescu talking to the announcer.

"We will take a 10 minute recess," he announces

You immediately bolt for the locker room, finally shedding your unphased nature, to reveal a scared 18 year old. You immediately plug in your music to play your one song you play before every meet. However, you needed it. You could feel someone's presence next to you and an arm wrap around you. You knew the familiar sort touch: Bela. You take out one earbud for her to listen to the song with you like you did on the rooftop last night.

"Its okay to be nervous," she says

You lay your head against her shoulder, "Is it? Because that girl clearly has the same build as I do... What if she's faster than me? We've seen her do multiple events."

"But this is your time to shine y/n," Bela puts a finger under your chin to look up at her, "You only swim free, right? So show that to everyone. Show them what you show me during practice."

You stop playing your music when you could hear the mic giving feedback, hinting that you needed to get yourself back out there for the event. There was no turning back. However, Bela was right next to you as you exited the locker room, feeling like an entire different person.

Let's do this y/n....

You put on your swim cap and goggles and get up on the podium to leap off of. The rival member get onto the one right next to you.

"Ready," the announcer says

The both of you lift your legs in preparation for the leap. A beep sound echoes in the arena as both you and your rival leap into the water.

30 laps in a 50 meter pool.... You got this, just PUSH through!!

You could hear the song that you were playing in the 10 minute recess, giving you a confidence boost. However only 15 laps in, and your rival is still on your tail. You were ahead by a hare, not too much but you were pulling the lead spot. However, when you turn your head to take a deep breath, you could see that the rival swimmer was beginning to pull ahead on the 28th lap.

Step it up y/n... GO!!!!

You begin to put more power into your calves and move them even faster than you normally swim. You flip and round the last stretch just before the rival swimmer could.

Come on!!

You began to feel on fire. Your calves, lungs and arms. You could tell your pace was beginning to slow down as the rival swimmer began pulling ahead.

NO! Come on y/n come on... Go against the waves and go beyond your limit!!!!

Feeling like you had been given some kind of healing power you began to quicken your pace. You reach your hand out to touch the other end of the pool, however, the rival swimmer did so as well. As your head broke the surface of the water, you look up at the scoreboard and see Dimitrescu University in the first place spot. You and your team cheers as Bela comes running over to you to help you out of the water. Once you place your right foot onto the solid ground you wince in pain. Bela was the only one who noticed you falling onto your knees. She picks you up and has you put half of your weight onto her.

"I think I overdid it on that last stretch," you groan in pain

Your family comes running over to you as Bela transfers you over in their care. Your mother puts your swim jacket around you she begins taking you to the locker room to get changed.

"Heisenberg you idiot," Dean Dimitrescu walks up to him, "You did this on purpose to get one of my girls to injure themselves-"

"That kid over did her swimming technique, but you did win right?" He asks, "So you have nothing to complain about."

He walks over to his female division swim team.

You tell Bela you’d meet her at the restaurant after your trip to the doctor’s office and she’d give you the details and directions.

"Is it serious doc?" You ask, groaning in pain, trying to stretch out your injured calf gently

"It’s not severe thankfully," he says, “However, I’d suggest you use a calf brace for the next couple of weeks. You shouldn’t swim until after two weeks.”

You sigh...

Two weeks huh? I don’t know if that’s worse or not... 

When the doctor had discharged you from his office your parents stop by a convenient store to get you that calf brace.

When you came through the doors of the restaurant after following Bela’s address she had given you, your team turns to you and applauds you, noticing Dean Dimitrescu and Bela’s sisters with the team as well. The three were, too, applauding for you. Bela immediately stands up to help your limping body and into a chair right next to her.

“Quite the stunt you pulled miss y/l/n,” Dean Dimitrescu, “How are you feeling?” 

“Better than after the meet Dean Dimitrescu,” You say, “Thank you.”

“Bela’s told us so much about you,” She adds

“Is that so?” You ask, looking at Bela, who was clearly blushing

“I’m starting to think Bela will finally leave her deadbeat boyfriend,” Daniela teases

Cassandra elbows Daniela in the side and Daniela winces in pain. 

“Oh- I uhhh I wouldn’t want to intrude on their relationship,” You lie, “Bela sure looks happy with him. He’s pretty lucky himself. Speaking of which, where is he?”

“Ditched Bela for the boys,” Daniela says

Cassandra again elbows Daniela in the side.

“Ow! It’s true,” Daniela groans 

“Well, let’s forget about him,” One of the team member says, raising her glass

“We celebrate us tonight,” another team member says

“Cheers to that,” You say

“Cheers to y/n and her sweet victory today,” Bela adds

You look at Bela and smile at her, feeling your cheeks slightly heat up. Everyone applauds you once more.

“So y/n how long have you’ve been swimming?” Daniela asks

“Pretty much when I was 5 when I went to the beach for the first time,” You say, “I felt the current of the water and somehow, I knew swimming was it for me.”

“What was your style back in high school?” Cassandra asks, with her head down

“I specialize in Freestyle and-”

“’I only swim free’ is what she says,” Bela exaggerates

You look at her, slightly a mix of amusement and unamusement written across your face you you continue drinking your water.

“I would sometimes do other strokes when I’m at the gym my parents run,” You add, “Most of the time I swim free...”

“See you only swim free,” Bela laughs

You lean into her shoulder as she places her head on top of yours.

After the tiny celebration outing, Bela offered you a ride back to your apartment. It was a silent ride though.

“You okay Bela?” You ask, breaking the silence

“I don’t know,” She sighs, “Lately he’s been ditching me for what he calls ‘time with the boys’... I feel like he’s no longer... Into me you know?”

“I wouldn’t” You sigh, trying to make light jokes, “But like our team says, you don’t need him. You’ve got them, your sisters, your mother... And me.”

“That’s true,” She smiles, “Hey, I’ll see you tomorrow okay?”

You nod and hop out of her car. You watch her drive off. You were worried for Bela. You really didn’t want to intrude on her relationship with her boyfriend, you have managed to put your little crush aside however, it never left. You just don’t let it get the best of you when you’re around her. 

We’re falling... Oh lord... How much longer will it be until we hit the ground?...

You walk into your apartment and make a quick shower to shower off the chlorine from the meet. 

Chapter 4

[wing-ed-thing]

Group Project (Shino x Reader x Kisame x Temari)

Request: 

Word Count: 2,282

Tags/Warnings: Language, Alcohol Mention, Gender Neutral Reader @brokennerdalert​ @narahanabi​

Notes: I have never written for Temari before. I think I got her spot on tho. This was actually too fun to write. Enjoy, y’all.

The only time that worked for everyone was 10 o’clock. Which, by the way, sucked ass. At least, that was what Kisame said in the groupchat just ten minutes before you dragged yourself out of your dorm and into the rain. You trudged through the puddles, holding your jacket closed over your body to protect your backpack-encased laptop. Shino had a night lab. The earlier he finished his work the earlier he could leave. Temari had been insistent about that. She had some sort of circle and you remembered Kisame asking her why she couldn’t just skip for the week only to be met with a passive aggressive response. And Kisame himself had hockey practice. Even the sports houses were off campus, only impeding your scheduling efforts.

When you got to the longue, Temari had already set up all of her belongings. She sat herself in a cluster of four shallow armchairs and spread out a flurry of papers on the long coffee table. With the packed schedule that she threw into the chat, you wondered how she got there so quickly. Temari looked up at you with one long, slender brow raised.

“Oh good, at least you’re here.” Unsure, really, of what to make of her backhanded compliment, you sat down in the chair across from her and wordlessly unpacked your laptop.

You never liked general classes. At the end of the day, you worked on a few big, group projects, ultimately learned nothing, and your grade depended on the work ethic of others. You glanced over at Temari. She likely didn’t even have the same major as you. Granted, that was probably the point of the class, but nonetheless, it weighed on your already drooping eyes knowing that you’d have to pour so many late night hours into a project that would amount to nothing.

You pulled up your school account and sifted through your notifications.

“I signed us up for a research question. I thought that censorship in the classroom was an easy and relevant one. I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to get into the intricacies of drones at this time of day.” You couldn’t help but nod. Temari sure pounced on top of things quickly and for that, you were thankful to have received an easy prompt.

“Sounds great,” you mused and the heavy door from the outside to the longue slammed shut. You glanced over your shoulder to find Kisame, still in athletic clothes grinning as he approached.

“Well this is bullshit, isn’t it?” Those were the first words to come out of his mouth and you could practically hear Temari groan in exasperation. Kisame plopped down in the armchair beside you, offering you a wink as he did. “What kinda professor assigns a project on Tuesday only for it to be due Thursday? Ain’t that right, sweetheart?”

You averted your eyes back to your screen, pretending to sort through your notifications. You hummed in response, too easily flustered and too tired to process. Temari’s fingers flexed over her own keyboard.

“It’s the beginning of the semester. It’s to test out organizational skills and teamwork,” she managed through half-gritted teeth. You looked between your two teammates, wondering what exactly happened between them that made them so hostile to each other. You made a mental note to not get in the way of whatever that was. Kisame scoffed, sitting back in the arm chair and reaching for his own computer.

“I don’t really care what it is and why it is. What I care about is that I’m wasting my Wednesday night…”

“Ah, yes, Wednesday night,” Temari repeated mockingly, “Because I know that I like getting plastered in the middle of the week.” Kisame leaned towards you on his left arm cushion.

“Soy Sauce over there is just sore that her brother picked a fight with one of my boys and lost. Sasori’s a short guy too, you should link with us sometime.” You heard Temari scoff.

“Yeah, like Kankuro would lose to any of the thugs you hang around—”

“Who are you calling a thug?” Temari met Kisame’s pointed glare. Even so, he sank farther into his seat, lifting one ankle to rest on his knee. “Though, I think it says something that you knew exactly what I was talking about—” He punctuated every word with a smug swing of his head before Shino walked in.

“Nice to see that things are lively in here.” He made his way across the lounge before plopping down next to Temari. A white piece of cloth hung out from his backpack, something that Temari didn’t miss as Shino prepared his materials.

“That’s a hazard.” She bit the inside of her lip.

“Don’t listen to her. She’s been grumpy since before you came here,” Kisame quickly explained, much to Temari’s disdain.

Looking across from you, you almost wished that you had just been paired up with Shino. You didn’t know him that well, but he seemed smart, capable and overall, quiet. Temari had drive, but her approach felt intense. Meanwhile, Kisame seemed like he couldn’t care less about the project. Or perhaps, it was more that he couldn’t care less about Temari.

“So the paper,” you began out of sheer nervousness. “And the presentation…” The three sets of eyes turned to you. You glanced at the clock. You had already wasted more than a half hour.

“Let’s be real here, a five page research paper is nothing,” Temari said, also crossing her legs. “It’s the presentation that we should worry about.” Kisame let out a breath.

“Well, here I was about to say the opposite.” He turned his neck to the side and you heard a few audible cracks. “What about we split it up if the paper is so easy for you?”

“I’m not just doing the paper by myself. Besides, I’d need to find sources and by the time I’ve found sources and written everything up, I’ll have done most of the work.” Temari wrinkled her nose at your partner next to you. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what you were banking on.”

“Here.” Shino’s low voice broke through the room. With one exaggerated click on his keyboard he looked up at the three of you. “I just put a list of sources in the shared doc. There’s ten of them which should be more than enough. I pulled a few articles and a few academic papers which should meet the criteria from the rubric.”

Temari blinked down at her computer, furiously switching tabs. Her lips formed a round ‘o’ shape.

“Nice work, Shino,” you praised only to receive a shy nod. “I think if we take an anti-censorship stance, it’ll make out work easier given the time that we have to finish. Maybe Temari, you can start the paper and I can start the slides.”

“I can help you with that,” Kisame offered and you typed his email into the share box.

“I’ll help Temari with the paper,” Shino said with another nod.

“Start with the counterarguments. I’ll work from the top, you work from the bottom.” Temari gestured widely to Shino’s screen and you let out a relieved sigh. Maybe you’ll be able to get all of this done after all.

Time flew during the late hours of the night. You didn’t know what it was about the nighttime that made time feel quicker than usual. Soon enough, the clock struck one. Temari plucked ferociously at her laptop and it surprised you that Kisame hadn’t asked her what she was punishing her keyboard for. Shino, on the other hand, liked to stand. About an hour ago, he had stood up from his seat, and with one foot on the low level of the coffee table, kept at writing his part of the paper. Temari and Shino didn’t speak much. Rather, their side of the table mostly sounded of clicking.

Meanwhile, you and Kisame were having a great time. He made you laugh much to Temari’s annoyance, but knowing that you were getting your parts done, she didn’t comment. Despite his outward physique, Kisame had a sense of style when it came to design and organization. You flew through fonts and images quickly and by the time you had cleared the first few slides, even you were impressed by how professional it looked. The clock read two o’clock.

“This was your conclusion, right?” You turned your screen in your hands to face Temari. She squinted over and her eyes lit up.

“Actually, that’s a way better wording. Imma just steal that…” She clicked some more. “That’s some great work.”

“It was actually all Kisame.” And to your surprise, he didn’t gloat. Instead, he remained eerily focused. Temari glanced at him before glancing away.

“Like I said, great work…” she muttered.

“We’re almost done with the slides,” you announced, “Do you guys need help with the paper?” Shino shook his head. You found that he preferred non-verbal answers.

“We’re wrapping up over here, too,” Temari answered.

“Good, because I’m fuckin’ starving.”

And with the one mention of food, you all looked up at each other.

***

There was only one place open this late at night and it was one block away from campus. Fast Food, of course, but no one in your group complained. The dining halls were closed and most of you didn’t keep your rolling pantries stocked with anything worth eating at two in the morning, so you packed up your things.

It felt odd walking down the road with this group of people. You chattered amongst yourselves about anything other than your assignment.

“Me? I’m a biology major. I want to study beetles but I have to get my undergrad before I can do anything really specific.” By far, Shino had to be the most interesting of you all. You made your way off of campus, the restaurant in your sight. And as the walk continued, so did your conversation.

“I’ve wanted to try the new place that they opened up by admissions but they’re always closed when I try to go.” Temari pouted and you crossed the street together. You wondered if spending four straight hours having to communicate with any three people could make talking to them this easy.

“Marine biology?” You stared up at Kisame. “I don’t think I would have guessed.” He let out a hearty laugh that sent a few birds flying.

“Oh yeah, they have us go out of labs for the whole day. And when I say the whole day, I mean the whole day. I’ve always loved the ocean, but I think I’d have to transfer if I had to wake up at seven and come back at eight for more than one day a week.” Kisame reached for the handle, only for it not to budge in his grip. He tried again.

“Are they closed?” you asked, getting slightly agitated at the prospect.

“No.” Shino cupped his hands around his eyes as he stared through the window. “Wet floor signs are out. This must be the time that they clean the dining room.” Shino hardly had to finish his sentence before Kisame was already on his way to the drive thru.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Temari yelled after him as she jogged to catch up. “You can’t just walk through the drive thru.”

“Sure you can.” Kisame stood directly in front of the speaker with his hands in his pockets. “There are no cars around and even if there were, they’d have to take our order to get us out of the way… Hello?” The speaker crackled and Kisame shot a pointed look at the rest of you before moting for you to come closer to order.

“What can I get you?” the apathetic worker droned.

“Can I get a number nine?” Kisame started.

“Oh me too,” you whispered to him, not entirely sure why you spoke with such a hushed tone. He crossed his arms with a smirk.

“Make that two number nines? One large—” He stepped back to let Temari come up to the speaker.

“May I please get a number six with extra sauce, please? And, uh, a number seven too, please.” Like Kisame before her, Temari stepped to allow Shino to talk.

“Two number forty-fives, one with cheese and a large soda.”

With nowhere else to sit, you claimed a spot in the empty parking lot. Temari ended up paying. You put up a fight, but she insisted. You were secretly convinced that she was loaded anyway.

“You two got a lot of food.” Kisame handed you your fillet burger. Temari hummed, taking one of her backs and folded it behind her.

“One’s for my boyfriend,” she said, and before Kisame could get out a snarky comment about how Temari could ever land a boyfriend, Shino answered,

“I just usually eat all at once. Can’t usually grab dinner while doing night labs.” You all grimaced to yourselves. You knew the feeling of skipping meals because of your schedules.

You looked out at the city. Your school sat on a hill just outside of the twinkling lights. You found comfort in the blinking that came from below and your surroundings made the atmosphere feel completely still.

“You know, if we have a choice, we should just stick together for the rest of the semester.” Shino’s monotone voice cut through the air. You turned to the rest of them. Temari shrugged.

“It’s less of a gamble since we know each other, I suppose. I know that most of you won’t mess up our assignments…” You and Kisame nodded along, both stuffing your faces with french fries.

The decision was unanimous.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed and otherwise supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Notes: 

Shino’s lab coat was in with his regular supplies which is technically a hazard when working in chem and bio labs since lab coats should be sealed. 

Not all fast-food places well take your order without a car, but if you block the line they’ll give in (that’s what I did). Don’t blame me if you get arrested for doing that though. 

"I'll have two number 9s, a number 9 large, a number 6 with extra dip, a number 7, two number 45s, one with cheese, and a large soda."– Melvin "Big Smoke" Harris

[spencesglasses]

sweet creature (spencer reid x f! reader) pt 1

A/N: I did it! I did change the plot a little bit so Spencer does know the reader instead of just meeting her at the BAU. This takes place around season 11/12. Please ignore any grammar or spelling errors hehe. Enjoy! <3

part two

Spencer weaves through the sea of people, heading towards a small coffee shop tucked between two lonely stores. The hustle and bustle of the market square was enough to make Spencer’s need for a serene atmosphere urge him into the cafe. A familiar scent fills his nose when he finally walks in: freshly brewed coffee and muffins straight out of the oven, he concludes.  

“Welcome in!” he heard someone call out from the back. “I’ll be with you in a second!”

He nods and claims his spot on the battered leather couch in the nook of the quiet coffee shop. The building was cold, despite the burning heat outside. Which was good, he supposed, he was never really fond of the heat.

“187!”

Spencer puts his attention to the woman in front of him. His eyes were stuck on her, and his thoughts drowned out most of his surroundings. She and Spencer had known each other for a while now, since the day he walked into her shop on an impromptu coffee run. Spencer went in with a frown on his face and left with a number memorised, but Y/N didn't need to know that. And that next Saturday they found themselves on his couch watching movies and cracking jokes through them all. By the end of their first movie, she was asleep so peacefully Spencer did not have the heart to wake her up. So he stayed there with her, throwing a small blanket over her and making a makeshift bed on the floor below her. Y/N left in the morning for her part-time job, a job he found out keeps her afloat when monthly payments come around.

“Hello,” sang Y/N, waving a hand over his face. “Earth to 187.”

For a moment, he feels out of place while the memory of them clings to him. “Huh?” he clears his throat. “Sorry about that.”

Y/N quirks her brow. “It’s alright, Mr. 187,” she pokes his stomach.

“Doctor, actually,” he grinned, shooing her hand away.

She moved away just before Spencer could poke the spot between her brows, and she made her way back behind the register. “Well, doc, you didn’t come here to sit and look pretty. Whatcha want?” Spencer’s face flushes and she watches him shake his head, as if it was a reluctant reply. “Unless you did come here to sit there and look pretty,” she laughs.

His brows furrowed. “What? I was ju-”

“I’m just messing with you,”

His lips curl into a gentle smile. “Oh,” he looks up at the menu. “You choose.”

“Oh, don’t say that, Spence, I’ll give you the most repulsive cup of coffee you’ve ever had.” she said with a smile.

“The most repulsive cup of coffee, but I’d still love it anyway,” he leans forward against the counter between them.

“And why is that, 187?”

“Because you made it,”

Y/N pushes his head away and starts on the ticket. “Such a charmer, Dr. Reid. So tell me, you use that line often, or are you just trying to get free coffee?”

Spencer taps his finger against his chin in a false ponder. “Both, but free coffee always makes my day.”

Her laugh and the smell of freshly brewed coffee are lively compared to the quietness inside the shop. Seeing her move so effortlessly around the kitchen had more of an effect on him than he’d care to admit. She puts a lid on the cup and pulls a pen out of her apron.

The buzzing of his phone in his pocket pulled him out of his thoughts. “I gotta go,” he said. “We just got a case.”

“Just in time, 187, your coffee is ready,” she slides the cup across the counter.

He takes out his wallet and pulls out a few dollars and Y/N shakes her head, “No need,” it was her turn to shoo away his hands. “It’s on me.”

“So I’m taking my charm worked?” he laughed.

Y/N held her hand over her chest and batted her lashes. “Oh, of course,”

“That usually doesn’t-” Spencer’s phone rang.

“You should go,” she checks her watch. “I actually have to go as well.”

Spencer tilts his head at her. “New job,” she continues.

“I can walk you out,”

“I’m sure the FBI needs you much more than I do, and I think-”

He interrupts her. “You paid for my coffee and the least I could do is walk you out.”

She paused for a beat. “Alright then, doc, I need to clean up a bit then clock out and I’ll meet you out front.”

Spencer nods, turning on his heel and walking through the front doors. She stared at the doors closing behind him, then got to work.

“I can do that if you like,” she hears her coworker, Anna, say. “I see you have a special someone waiting for you.” she wiggles her eyebrows.

“Oh please, Spence and I are friends,” she rolls her eyes. “Barely that, we meet each other a month ago and the only times I see him, or actually get to have a proper conversation with him, is when he stops by the shop.”

“Spence?” Anna repeats.

She arched one brow. “Yeah?”

“Nicknames already, huh?” Anna faked yawned.

She threw the rag she was using to clean the counters to her friend. “Just shut up and clean,”

Anna chuckled softly. “Have you told him, by the way?”

Y/N’s head snapped up. She did mean to tell him, but she just did never have the chance to. Now, she had two options: tell him now, or surprise him later.

She frowned deeply. “Not yet.”

-

Y/N hurried to the front and found Spencer leaning against the shop building, fiddling with his watch. The sound of the doors opening alerted him. “Ready?”

She hummed and held out her arm. “Ready.” Spencer linked his arm with hers, and they were on their way. Meanwhile, Y/N had something boiling deep inside her, her thoughts overflowing. Should I tell him now? Of course! This is the last chance you have! It’s not that big of a deal, right? She huffed, digging her nails into her palm.

Spencer’s eyes fall on her, quite literally having to look down at her. “Are you okay?”

“Huh?”

“I asked if you were okay,”

His voice catches her off guard, and she’s quiet for a moment. This is the perfect opportunity to tell him, Y/N. You’re making a bigger deal than it is. “Don’t profile me, 187,”

“I don’t need to profile you to know something is bothering you,” he separates their arms. “What is it?”

Tell him, Tell him, Tell him. “It’s really nothing,” she said. “I start at my new job today so I’m just nervous,”

This wasn’t a total lie. She was nervous. Who wouldn’t be nervous starting at a new job, especially the one she’s about to have. New people, new surroundings, and traveling every other day. It would be a huge adjustment considering the job she has now. Despite the nervousness, she was excited. She was ready for new and bigger things, things her current job could not give her.

“Hey,” he says softly, halting their movements. “You are-”

“Spence, we both have to go,” she snaps.

Spencer watches her as her feet carry her to her car. She didn’t mean to be so blunt. She knew she should just tell him and get it over with, but she couldn’t help but think about how awkward the interaction would be. She didn’t want to intrude. Dammit, Y/N. Why didn’t you just tell him when you had the chance? You’re making this so difficult! She shakes her head. It’s silly that she’s arguing with herself through her thoughts. “I’ll see you in a bit, Spence,”

He gave her a questioning look but before he can question her, she was off.

What is she hiding, he thinks.

-

The train to Quantico was brief, but it gave him time to be alone with his thoughts. What was she being so secretive about? And why was she going to ‘see him in a bit’. He knew he was thinking too much into it, but the profiler in him needed answers.

Spencer made it to his floor as soon as he could, realizing he was 30 minutes late. This wouldn’t be the first time he was late, but it was the first time he was late because he was with her. He rushed through the hallways not paying attention to his surroundings into he heard someone call his name, well his nickname.

“Boy wonder!” he halts and sees Penelope Garcia rushing towards him.

“You’re finally here,” she places her hand on his arm. “We have a case,”

“Hotch sent me-”

“And we have a new addition to the team!” she squeals.

Wait. New job. “See you in a bit”. It couldn’t be. Could it? Is this what she was so nervous about? Starting at the BAU? Not just starting at the BAU, joining their team. Being a new member of their tight-knit group. A new member of their family. Don’t think too ahead on this, Spencer, you don’t even know if it’s her yet. Don’t get your hopes up.

“Oh, you will love her! She fits in so perfectly!” Penelope tugs on his wrist, pulling him towards the wide glass doors.

The bullpen is lively. Everyone seemed happier, more joyful than they’ve had been in a while. His eyes roam left and right, trying to find if his conclusion was true. And there she is. Just as he thought. Y/N. Y/N sitting there with Hotch. And Morgan. And Tara. She sits there as if she has always been there, making jokes with everyone and already having a playful banter with Morgan. He knows Penelope was right, as always.

“Spence!” JJ calls. “Come meet newbie,”

Y/N’s and Spencer’s eyes meet, and they knew exactly what they were thinking. She gives him a sheepish smile and says, “Surprise.”

—

A/N: I just remembered that Emily is only in one episode in season 11 so you’ll probably only see her when I write out that episode and when I write season 12.

But anyway, first chapter! How we feelin’?

Feedback is always appreciated <3

[alfredosauce50]

You’re gonna go far, kid [Punk! England x reader]

Synopsis: Ever since coming to England to study, you haven’t had the time to do what made you come in the first place--tourism! The only friend you have is an exchange student from Russia, Ivan, so why not kill two birds with one stone? He schedules a little playdate with Arthur, a local, so he can show you around the hottest spots in London. You two immediately hit it off. Ivan is quick to notice his interest in you, so he starts teasing the poor man and making things hard for him. Camden is the last destination, and there’s no saying when he’ll ever see you again. Will he be able to get over himself and ask you out before the night ends?  Note: Attractions are italicized and have a link to a picture. Wordcount: 4,641 The reader is referred to as she/her.

This was the day you had been dreading, and yet, looking forward to. The first part was easy to explain. Picking up your hot latte, you set it down after a quick sip. You didn’t even have time to enjoy it. Not when you were typing away at your keyboard like a speed demon. You promised your friend you would finish your assignment before today’s meet-up, but your procrastination habits were a bitch. Nevertheless, you were eager to uphold your side of the deal, even if it meant stressing your hair out to get it done. 

So long as he didn’t show up before you were done, right? 

After burning your tongue for the second time that morning, you let out a small groan at the sting you felt but gasped at what you saw outside the window. It was a sound made from genuine terror--rather than the quiet streets of London at seven AM, you spotted a man pressing his face right up to the glass. And he was staring at you, menacingly. 

Anybody would’ve been creeped out by the sight, but you knew the guy. “Aha--Ivan! Hey! Morning?” You began rather awkwardly. 

He waved in response, and his glower melted away in exchange for a childlike smile. “Dobroye utro, (F/N)! I hope that’s not your assignment you’re doing.” He hummed, placing two hands on the glass to peer at your screen from outside. Oh shit. Glancing briefly at said screen, you turned it away before clicking the upload button. 

“Of course not.” You grinned, shutting your laptop immediately after. “I was just... Surfing the net. Checking Instagram. You know?”

“Is that so? I’m gonna check.” He made his way inside. And in no time, he was looming over your shoulder to start browsing through your internet history. You, on the other hand, were sweating balls. 

“You’re so funny, (F/N). Who checks Instagram on their computer?”

It seemed like only yesterday he was the oblivious exchange student from Russia who had no concept of social media. He had been a country bumpkin through and through, but a few semesters after befriending you, your influence rubbed off on him. Even you had no idea what went through your head when decided to talk to him, the intimidating new kid who spoke broken English, but there was no turning back now. He was attached to you by the hip and picked up on your habits faster than you could deal. 

He only became more of a menace when he discovered Twitter.

A displeased expression contorted at his expression when he saw that there was no evidence of you ‘surfing the net’. Google Docs couldn’t possibly count, after all.  “... Hm... Apparently, not you. Why didn’t you finish this yesterday, sunflower? Remember our promise?” 

You sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I passed out last night. But hey, I technically finished it before you came, didn’t I?” 

He craned his head from side to side in thought. “Maybe. But if you hadn’t, you know what that means.” Ivan coiled his arms around your neck and a sickeningly sweet smile curled up at his lips. 

“You will come with me to Moscow for Christmas!” 

A chill ran down your spine at the thought. Going to Russia was bad enough. But during Winter? You were never good with the cold. If you could barely handle London, Moscow was out of the question. “Oh God, please no.” He nodded giddily. “I’m never going to Russia. Maybe I’d consider it during Summer, but--anyway, that’s not the point here! I didn’t break any promises so I won’t be turning into a popsicle this year. Got that?” 

He pouted. “Aw...” 

“You damn sadist.” 

“Hehe.” 

“I wonder how you even became friends with him. Arthur, was it? Poor dude.” You mumbled, but he didn’t look all too offended. 

He tapped his chin and hummed. “Now that you mention it.” Then, he let out a short laugh. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say it was a happy little accident.”

“Unfortunate.” 

“But don’t worry! I don’t plan on bothering you as much as him today.” Ivan clarified, earning a slow nod from you. Phew. The clock was inching closer to eight and you weren’t much of a morning person, so hearing that was like music to your ears. “That’s why I wanted you to finish your work yesterday. I want him to be the only one making mistakes! It’s interesting to see him mess up and get embarrassed.” 

You had to wonder if he was using ‘interesting’ as a synonym for fun because he was clapping. “... Ivan, you really are a sadist.” 

The two of you stayed in that café for another hour or so, ordering some breakfast during your stay. Once the table was cleared and the bill was paid, you and he caught a bus to the London eye. You could marvel at the iconic ferris wheel for a few minutes as you walked up to the London aquarium next to it, your first stop. The building was huge to start with, and it didn’t look like they’d be storing fish in there considering how fancy it was. But wasn’t everything in England fancy? 

“He should be waiting in the front. Look for a short grouchy man with a bad taste in fashion.” You shot him a weird look, beckoning him to elaborate. 

“... And blonde hair.”

“Alright. I guess I’ll try my best.” Glancing around the sea of people filled with tourists, couples, and families, you skimmed the crowd for someone who fitted the description--but to no avail. It was only when they walked up to you both did you find the guy. He had short and choppy blonde hair that framed a heart-shaped face, and under his fringe was a pair of lime green eyes staring on with a neutral expression. And did Ivan say he had bad taste?

You couldn’t agree. Yes, his charcoal pants were ripped and he had a bandana tied around his neck with a Union Jack on it. But he still had a kind of style you liked. Under his black leather jacket was a gray shirt, and combined with the piercings in his right ear, you couldn’t help admiring him for a second. 

“Arthur! I was wondering if you were trampled because we couldn’t find you.” Ivan began, causing the said man to furrow his brows. And boy, were they thick. 

“You just arrived, so don’t start now you twat.” He grumbled. Ivan never teased you for your height, even when you were a little shorter than the Brit. He always found it cute, but you figured it was only because you didn’t care. The Russian always found amusement in poking fun at others, after all. “Anywho, I’m glad I won’t be spending the whole day alone with you.” 

Turning to you with a soft smile this time, he held out a hand for you to shake. “Kirkland. Arthur Kirkland.” 

You shook it, but not without a laugh. It hadn’t even been a minute since meeting him, and his personality seemed to clash violently with his appearance. He sounded so prim and proper, but his outfit screamed punk rock. 

“(L/N). (F/N) (L/N).” 

He released you from his grip. Placing his hands on his hips with an accusing stare, he felt a grin upturn his lips. “Are you copying me, (F/N)?” 

“I don’t know. Do all British people introduce themselves like James Bond?” 

Arthur clicked his tongue. “... Not all of them. Just a force of habit.” 

“Mhm. Right, right. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Arthur. I’m a student here too and I could only imagine how busy it gets for you--so thanks for coming out today!” He didn’t respond to those comments and simply nodded. 

Ivan stayed quiet in the back, but he was probably reading the atmosphere like he always did when he didn’t speak. 

“It’s nice to meet you too.” The blonde turned on his heel and closed his eyes. “As much as I’d like to stay out here and chat, we can do that in the aquarium. Wouldn’t wanna waste our tickets, do we?” 

While the group of three wandered slowly through the establishment, Ivan lingered in the background while you walked in the front with the Brit. For the first ten minutes, you’d look at him expectantly, gesturing for him to join in the conversation. As the mutual, wasn’t he supposed to be the icebreaker? He’d shake his head every time, offering you a smile as if to say, go and make some friends. But soon, this brief spell of irritation morphed into gratitude.

“I’ve been here probably a hundred times, so don’t take it personally when I don’t seem as excited as you.” Turning to him to watch his face as he spoke--which was filtered through a bluish tinge from the Antarctic setting-- you only caught a brief glimpse of it before he turned away. Huh. Maybe it was just you not paying enough attention. 

Either way, what came out of your mouth next would surely grab his. 

“Don’t worry about it. But hey, this is the first time you’ve been here with me, so look alive, won’t you?” It happened to be a slip of the tongue, something bold and improvised, but luckily, he reacted fairly quickly before the regret set in.

“Oi, you better not be flirting with me already,” Arthur grumbled, feeling another smile come as he heard you chuckle. Since when was he this expressive? He pinned it on the fact that he was starting to have a little fun himself. 

“Couldn’t imagine it.” Before he could add anything else, you hopped in front of the penguins and started waving your friend over with great gusto. “Ivan, c’mere. Arthur, mind taking a photo of us?” Once he joined your side, the two of you held up peace signs for the Brit to snap a photo. 

“Ivan, change your pose. We can’t have both of you doing the same thing.” 

The said man moved his peace sign to the back of your head so he could stick two fingers over it. “Is that better?”

“... Better.” Trailing his emerald eyes to you, he felt his cheeks heat up a touch at the sight of you grinning ear to ear. What the fuck, Arthur. Just take the damn photo. And that was exactly what he did, showing you both right after. Whatever just happened, he boiled it down to him idealizing a stranger. That was right. He had yet to get to know you, so his perception of you couldn’t be any better at this stage. 

But there was one thing he couldn’t deny.

“Damn, I look really ugly in this. You two better not post this anywhere.” You settled a hand over the screen to lower it with a nervous laugh. Then, you looked away, and what was that? You looked a little flustered. 

You were cute.

Hanging his head to look at the photo, he knitted his brows together. You? Ugly? He couldn’t imagine it. 

“... I bet I could take an even uglier one of you.”

Spinning back to him, you folded your arms. “What did you say?” 

“Nothing.” He shook his head slowly, and the amusement in his voice made it blatantly obvious he was lying. 

“That’s what I thought.” 

Walking off at that, Ivan followed. Because he was behind him, he could brush his shoulders against his. Arthur looked up at that, but almost wished he didn’t. Ivan was smiling down at him so shrewdly, it was threatening. Then, he raised a hand to his mouth so he could laugh softly. “Huhu. You like (F/N)~” 

His eyes flew open and blood rushed up to his face. “What the hell gave you that impression? I literally just met them!” As adamant as he sounded, he knew deep inside he liked you, but only platonically. Your personality was refreshing, and talking to you was as easy as breathing. Even if it wasn’t platonic attraction, he was endlessly frustrated the other figured it out earlier than he could. 

Whatever it was, he was certainly more sociable than usual, even to the point of being a tease. And not to mention the rosy cheeks. Maybe he should’ve just kept his trap shut--otherwise, his huge outburst let Ivan milk the obvious. Fuck. He even started to giggle like a schoolchild. 

Giving him a rough shove, he muttered a string of curses under his breath.  “I bloody hate your arse, you know that?” He hissed, his face now redder than a tomato. God, why he did have to be born so pale? Every slight change to his complexion was jarring, and it was embarrassing. 

“Don’t hate me because I’m right,” Ivan hummed, joining his side as your back came into view. “Once you realize, it’ll be too late. I’m not letting you have (F/N). I will always be (F/N)’s number one.” Lighting up at that, he skipped off to you in the front. “Wait for me, sunflower! Don’t leave me alone with Arthur!”

Arthur stopped in his tracks and clenched his fists. How annoying. If he was going to continue being a little tyke, then he figured he’d up his game as well. He didn’t know what that exactly entailed yet, but he’d do it. Ivan didn’t even sound like he wanted anything more than friendship, so what was with that? Pointing a finger at him as he walked off with you, his face scrunched up. 

“What did you even call me out for then, you idiot? I’m supposed to be guiding you both!” Picking up his pace at that, he slotted himself between you and him. Flashing you a brief smile, he gave Ivan another push without breaking eye contact. “It’s a tight fit for three, so he’ll stay in the back.” 

“Hey, no fair!” 

By the time the whole aquarium was toured, you and Arthur were laughing to yourselves while leaving through the exit. 

But the joyful atmosphere was short-lived. 

The Ferris wheel just outside was the next stop, and the Brit offered to splurge a little to have a carriage without strangers. That way, you could run around as much as you wanted, even if that meant leaving the two men to sit in their lonesome. While Ivan was sitting on the bench in the centre out of his own volition, the same couldn’t be said for him. 

Sitting back to back to the other, he pressed his legs firmly together and leaned over in a hunch. Then, he dug his hands through his hair, all while keeping his round eyes fixated on the ground. His heart couldn’t stop pounding, and his head was spinning like a carousel. What was he thinking, taking you here? That was right. This was an iconic destination you couldn’t miss, that was why. He was initially planning on staying back there on the ground, but you were so excited, he couldn’t help but hop on with you. 

Fuck. Maybe Ivan was right about him. But he wouldn’t let him know it. Speaking of the guy, he didn’t know if he was sitting there by choice, or just rubbing it in. While he was incapacitated by fear so he couldn’t even stand, he was sitting there because he wanted to. 

“You should’ve stayed on the ground if this was going to happen.” 

Arthur screwed his eyes shut and tightened his arms around his stomach. “... Shut up.” 

“I was just saying.” Ivan murmured, looking at him over his shoulder. Poor guy. He really was down bad, wasn’t he? Down bad for you, that was. Too bad Arthur was hoping he wasn’t convinced--but it was too obvious. So all Ivan wanted was to prove his point, and later on, keep you away from him. But maybe he’d save it until after the ride was over. “... This ride is thirty minutes long. You’ll live.” 

He heard the other groan. “Thirty minutes? How long has it been?” 

“Mm... Ten.” 

“Fuck me.” 

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be long before you would pull away from the railing and return to the company of the two. Arthur had been praying that somehow, you’d leave him alone sitting there, pathetically, but he couldn’t expect something so cold from you. So while he hung his head, he wasn’t surprised to feel your hand on his shoulder. 

“Hey, you okay?” He heard you ask, but he never looked up. 

“... Yeah. Just give me a minute.” 

“I have. Ten, actually.” Taking a seat beside him, you leaned down to peer at his face, which was a few shades paler than normal. He didn’t even have the energy to respond, and kept his eyes fixed to the ground. Concern immediately contorted at your features, especially when he looked so shaken. “Arthur, you look a little sick. What’s wrong? Can you talk?” 

He shook his head slowly before managing a weak smile at you. “Sorry, love.” It didn’t even faze him he just called you that. He was far too uncomfortable to feel the embarrassment from a nickname he should’ve saved until a little later. 

“I’m not... Too good with heights. Never have been... I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.” His voice was slow and faint, and you were beginning to suspect he was having a panic attack. “... Sorry if I seem a little lame.” 

“No, of course not.” You frowned. “Things like this happen. Just breathe with me, okay? You can do it. Just count to ten.” 

Arthur took a deep inhale. “... Okay.” 

Around ten minutes later of these exchanges, he calmed down some, especially when you kept on reminding him that the carriage was finally descending. Once the ride was over, you had to help him up and walk him out. Now that he had his two feet planted firmly on the ground, it didn’t take long for him to recover. Even then, you remained rather cautious and stuck with him on your journey to Soho. By the time everyone took their seats in Circolo Popolare, a beautiful Italian restaurant Arthur so kindly booked, you were still looking out for him.

Leaning over to rest your head on the table, you glanced up at his face with a soft smile. “... You okay now?” 

A light blush dusted his cheeks and he nodded. You didn’t need to be this observant with him considering he was well now, but he loved your attentiveness. It wasn’t something he was used to. “Yeah, I’m fine now. Thank you. Now quit worrying about me, alright?” Rubbing the nape of his neck at that, you couldn’t help lingering on his body language for a moment.

It didn’t matter what he dressed like, or what his personality was. He could be endearing when it came to it, and a total softie too. And the thought made you smile even wider. If he thought you were cute, then you thought he was adorable. “Fine. I’ll leave you alone.” You slowly turned to Ivan, the action making Arthur tense up a little. 

Reaching out to your hand, he took it. “I didn’t mean it like that.” 

The feeling of his warm fingers around yours made your heart skip a beat. Did he just? Your thoughts manifested into your look of shock, and you darted your eyes over his neutral expression to try and decipher it. Before you could come up with anything, there was a phone in your face, followed by a flash. 

“Wha--?” 

He turned the screen to you to reveal a photo of you, and in your opinion, it was the least flattering picture anybody had ever taken of you. “I said I’d take an uglier photo of you, didn’t I?” Arthur grinned, the words acting like a cold splash of water to bring you back to reality. 

“... You sneaky little shit.” You growled. “Delete that right now!” 

“How about no?” 

“I’ll never forgive you for this, Arthur.” 

“I think you already have, love. You’re smiling right now.” 

You stared at him wordlessly for a few seconds. Then, out of nowhere, you reached out to snatch his phone right out of his hands. Tapping furiously on the screen to get rid of it, you heard his chair scrape back violently as he tried to retrieve it. “Why, you--” 

But it was too late. Gone forever. Lost in the abyss of cyberspace. And so, he immediately channelled his frustration by jabbing his fingers into your sides. “If I can’t have that photo of you, at least let me do this!” You burst into a fit of laughter so loud, nearby patrons turned their heads. Only then did he pull away, leaving you to recover through breathless wheezing. 

“Fuck you, Arthur.” You whispered, but it was on an affectionate note more than anything. As you glowered at him from your seat, you never noticed Ivan doing the same thing, but he was glaring at the Brit for an entirely different reason. Arthur had to be the most self-aware person out there, and to make a scene in a restaurant like this? He really fell for you, didn’t he? 

When he realized Ivan’s scorching gaze burning into him, he froze. 

Not just out of how intimidated he was, but the epiphany that he was right all along. Why else was he acting so out of character? The only explanation was this--in the short time of being with you, he may or may not have developed a little crush. But that was no problem, right? 

All he needed to do was to ask you out. 

But that would prove a task easier said than done, especially when Ivan decided to attach himself to you by the hip after that stunt. That cunning bastard knew what he was doing. After a little window shopping around Bond street and Mayfair, he stuck to you like a tattoo, and kept it up until night fell. While the group walked around Camden, Ivan kept you by his side with a firm grip on your hand. 

When you asked why he was suddenly so clingy, he simply justified it with, “It’s dangerous for small people like you to wander around at night!” 

But Arthur called bullshit. Especially when the other went ahead and smirked at him right after saying it. Maybe he liked you too, but was refusing to admit it. How hypocritical. If not, then he probably didn’t want you making friends when you were the only friend he had. Whatever it was, he wasn’t about to back down so easily. Camden may be the last destination for the night, and perhaps, the last time he’d see you again for God knows how long, but it was his trump card.

If this didn’t sweep you off your feet enough to get you to pull away from Ivan, nothing would. 

As a town famous for its thriving nightlife and punk culture, it encompassed everything he was passionate about, and he’d give anything to show it to you. So he included a visit to the bar here on the agenda today, one that hosted live music. While you and Ivan got comfortable in your seats, Arthur never made a move to sit down. 

It was already dim inside, so you never noticed him leave. The next time you saw him, it was a few minutes later when he was on stage with a few other musicians. Leaning forward with surprise, you watched him strap on a bright red electric guitar. Walking up to the microphone, he adjusted that. No way. 

You were still trying to process him being a professional performer, but a lead singer as well? 

The second he strummed the strings to start a guitar riff, he opened his mouth to start singing.

Play this while you read

undefined

Show me how to lie, you're getting better all the time

And turning all against the one is an art that's hard to teach

His fingers never stopped moving as he belted out note after note. His voice was so different to how he talked, you had to do a double take. He sounded a little more rasp, a little more punk. To say you were impressed was an understatement. 

Now dance, fucker, dance, man, he never had a chance

And no one even knew it was really only you

While he jammed out on stage, he was electric. The energy in the bar exploded, and he had everyone singing along. You could almost see the confidence in him shoot up from the excitable crowd, because he was smirking. 

Nice work, you did. 

You’re gonna go far, kid! 

Turning his head to you as he sung that line, you raised a hand to your mouth. Whether he did that on purpose or not was a mystery. But no words could describe how attractive it was. Hell, it even made you mind blank for a few moments. This was Arthur? He was like an entirely different person! Needless to say, you were completely star struck. 

You couldn’t even make out what Ivan was telling you when the music was blaring in your ears. But you didn’t care. Arthur had you caught in a trance with his voice and guitar all until the end. When the song finally ended, the band bowed graciously and threw up hand signs as the audience erupted in applause and cheers. 

When he stepped off the stage, you didn’t hesitate to run up to him. There, you practically pounced on him for a tight embrace. “Oh my god, you were amazing! I didn’t know you could play so well! And sing, too! Why didn’t you tell me!?” You exasperated, pulling away to be met with his dazzling smile. It was the first time you’ve seen him so energetic, as if performing sparked a fire inside him that burned with youthful intensity. 

“I was dying to show you all day. I wanted it to be a surprise, and I had to save the best til’ last, didn’t I?” He grinned, feeling his heart swell up with warmth as he watched you light up. 

“Well, good on you! I loved it!” Squeezing him again, you felt his chest shake under his laughs. When you pulled away, you reached up to cup his face. But it felt so natural in the spur of the moment, even he didn’t seem to care. 

“Thanks again for today, Arthur. I really appreciate you taking us out today. You completely blew me away.”

The way how you phrased it reminded him of why he was here in the first place. That was right. He still had to ask you out. And with Ivan watching on from afar, this was his chance. The thought reddened his cheeks, but while you had his face in your hands, he couldn’t feel more comfortable. “Is that so? If that’s the case, how about I take you out again?” His expression grew serious. “A proper date, I mean.” 

It was your turn to blush, but you managed a quick answer. 

“No need to look so serious, love. Of course I’ll go on a date with you.” 

He chuckled and leaned in to peck your lips. “Stealing my vocabulary now, are we?” 

“Stealing kisses now, are we?” 

“Touché.” 

Now a third wheel of the group, he breathed out a soft sigh and rested his cheek on his hand. “I guess my job here is done.” It didn’t really look like it, but he had been trying to play the wingman all along. Arthur was always one to go a little crazy when he wanted something, and only more so when he was desperate. So all he gave him was a little push in the right direction. 

Maybe he would thank him later, but for now, he’d leave you two be. 

This is a request. Thank you for requesting.

[berrynarrybanana]

Babyhoney

A/N: I’m sorry that I am a day late for my own challenge everyone, but it’s been a hectic week! I would like to thank everyone who is participating in The Sex Bucketlist Challenge first off. It’s been so nice chatting with everyone and seeing what they’ve come up with. I admittedly have done more plot than smut in this, but I hope the smut is still worth it lol. Thank you to my sweet group chat angels for reading over the doc I shared with them and making suggestions and edits and I would especially like to think the lovely @fromyourstrulyh​ for correcting all of my mistakes and @soullikestyles for setting me straight and making some wonderful suggestions. 

Word Count: 6982

Warnings: Smut (obvs), secret relationship, fifties!auPrompt: Against a tree, cockwarming, drive in! 

Links: Nightie | Car | Ring | Summer Dress 

 June 15, 1952 | 9:15 AM

It wasn’t my alarm clock that woke me up on Friday morning. 

Three weeks into summer and I was living in sinful bliss with the man of my dreams. After graduation and my eighteenth birthday, my life slipped into a peaceful routine. I would sleep in until nine-thirty before waking up slowly. I would join my Mother downstairs for coffee and we would spend an hour talking about our plans for the day. This particular Friday morning, my Mother had an appointment that pulled her away from our daily coffee routine. That left me with a little more time to sleep in before I actually had to start my day. 

Or so I thought. 

When I opened my eyes, the bright sunshine beaming into my eyes, I heard a series of tapping from my bedroom window. I groaned, sitting up slowly before I glanced over to see the one person I least expected. I scrambled out of bed, quick to push my window up so that Harry could fall into my bedroom before anyone in the neighborhood saw him. I looked back at him with wide eyes when he fell into my room, reaching out to grab my arms as a method of steadying himself. It took him all of ten seconds to trail his eyes over the nightgown that I had chosen the night before. It was a light blue material that was definitely more sheer in the daylight. I cleared my throat, crossing my arms over my chest as he flashed me his signature smirk. 

“Well what do we have here?” He said softly, brushing his fingers down the material as my face grew hot. “Do Mummy and Daddy know that you sleep like this?” 

“Don’t start teasing me, Harry.” I pouted my lips out. “I’ve just woken up, barely opened my eyes before I heard you knocking at my window like some kind of burglar.” 

“I’m sorry babyhoney.” He lowered his head, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead right below my hairline. “Will you forgive me for disrupting your beauty sleep?”

“I suppose.” I grumbled, fighting off my smile as he chuckled. “I thought we were meeting up at the park?” 

“I couldn’t wait.” He shrugged, sliding his hands up to grip my sides tightly in his long fingers, he pulled me forward, brushing his nose against mine. “Missed my girl too much. Couldn’t wait any longer to see her.” 

“You’re ridiculous.” I sighed, tipping my head back as he kissed gently over the apple of my cheek. “I shouldn’t have told you that my Mother was away this morning. Then again, I didn’t know you’d turn into such a desperate man at the prospect of spending time in bed with me.” 

“Who said anything about spending time in bed?” He pulled back, lifting a hand up to cup my cheek with his palm, brushing his thumb over my hot cheek. “I’ve changed you, haven’t I? Turned you into a sex crazed little honey.” 

“I am no such thing Harry Edward Styles!” I gasped, playfully pushing at his shoulder as he chuckled along with me. “You take that back.” 

“I will not.” He shook his head. “Now give me a proper kiss babyhoney, my lips are feeling a little lonely.”

“Tell me why I should kiss you after a statement like that?” I pouted, pulling my head back as he leaned forward. “Give me one good reason and I’ll give you a very nice, slow kiss.” 

“Hmm, because you love me?” He asked, raising his brows. “Is that good enough?” 

“Well, I guess.” I let out a dramatic sigh, rolling my eyes at him. He chuckled, shaking his head before he leaned forward. 

I carried out my promise, kissing him soft and slow. It was just how he liked it, something I learned within our first week of dating back in junior high. We had been together for nearly five years now, our entire relationship a secret to the outside world. I pulled back from our current kiss, shaking my head as a whine broke from Harry’s throat. I opened my eyes, looking up at him with a soft smile. It took him a second to open his eyes, basking in the afterglow of our kiss for as long as he possibly could. I kissed his chin before pushing up on my toes, kissing up his jawline.

 He tilted his head to the side, digging his fingers into my sides as I looped my own arms behind his neck. It didn’t take long before Harry was pushing me back towards my bed, his lips finding mine once more. When I fell back onto my bed, Harry wasted no time before dropping to his knees. His palms massaged over my outer thigh as he pressed soft kisses over my kneecaps. I smiled down at him, lifting a hand to push the long hairs at the top of his head back. 

He glanced up at me, a cheeky grin on his mouth. 

“Do you have work today?” I asked softly. “I don’t want to disrupt your schedule?” 

“I go in later.” He said softly. “I promised you lunch in the park, remember? M’gonna give you just that.” 

“But I thought we were going to the drive-in tonight?” My brows furrowed as he slipped his fingers higher up, hooking them in the waistband of my panties. “dreamboat, you promised we would go see the new film with Grace Kelly. You know that I love her.” 

“I know, babyhoney.” He cooed softly as I shifted on my bum, allowing him to slip my panties down to my knees before he pulled them off of me completely. “We’re gonna go to the drive-in, I promise.” 

“Okay.” I said softly, sliding my fingers from his hair to grip his chin. “We don’t have time for this, dreamboat. You’re gonna be late and we won’t get to have our picnic.” 

“Baby, stop being so anxious.” He mumbled, turning his head to kiss my inner wrist. “I have enough time for a little taste, I promise.” 

“Well...if you’re late don’t blame me.” I said softly, releasing his chin as he shot me a toothy grin, his dimple carved out just for me. “I suppose a little taste wouldn’t hurt.” 

“Think it’s better than breakfast if I’m honest.” He started to litter soft kisses to the inside of my thighs, his hands pulling my legs further apart as he made his way up. “Really is a good way to start my day.” 

“I do quite like the glow I get after we fool around.” I giggled, dropping my upper half back onto my bed. “Can’t buy that in a bottle, that’s for sure.”

“Oh honey.” Harry laughed loudly at my statement. “What am I going to do with you?” 

12:00 PM 

Harry kept his promise to me. 

When I hopped on the back of his motorcycle, there was a small picnic basket attached to the back that didn’t normally sit there. We went to a park outside of town that we frequented. The locals knew us there, but we never ran into anyone from our own town during our trips. He confessed that he stole his Mother’s kitchen tablecloth and he worked with Gemma to fix up lunch for both of us. There was a full spread laid out in front of us. Harry took great care in making sure my favorite dessert was tucked away in his picnic basket. When we were done eating, I curled into his side while he read aloud from his favorite book. It was like a small piece of heaven, lying in the sunshine with him. I loved to hear his voice reciting romantic words from the likes of Jane Austen and Emily Bronte. My eyes started to slip shut when he neared the end of a chapter of Emma, the current romance novel we were indulging in together.

“Babyhoney.” Harry kissed the top of my head several times. “You need to keep your eyes open, my sweet little sloth.” 

“So tired, Harry.” I let out a loud yawn, turning in my spot so that my face was hidden in his side. He chuckled softly as I groaned. “Your voice lulls me right to sleep.” 

“S’that a compliment?” He asked, a teasing lilt to his voice. 

“Yes, dreamboat.” I let out a heavy sigh, pushing up on my arms before pressing a sloppy kiss to his lips. “Love you.” 

“I love you more.” He rubbed the tip of his moan against mine and I giggled. “We better get going, I need to be at the shop in an hour.” 

“Alright.” I let out another sigh before sitting up. Harry stood up as I started to put things back in the basket. When I was finished, I looked up to see Harry with his hand extended out. “Thank you, dreamboat.” 

He pulled me to my feet, catching my lips when I stumbled into his chest. It didn’t take long for our innocent little kiss to turn into something more. My fingers found themselves tangled into his hair around the same time he was hoisting me up with a low grunt. I wrapped my legs around his, giggling as he started walking us towards whatever flat surface would support me. I broke the kiss with a giggle when he pushed my back into a wide tree trunk. 

He wasted no time ducking his head down to kiss up my neck, suckling softly at the soft junction of my jaw and my neck. I tilted my head back, letting out a soft sigh as he nipped softly at the already wet skin. It didn’t take long for Harry to slip his hand under my dress, pushing aside my panties before he brushed his fingers up my wet folds. I closed my eyes, clenching around nothing as he brushed his fingers over my clit softly. He smirked into the skin of my jaw as he rubbed in soft circles, ignoring my desperate pleas for him to sink his fingers into me. After a few moments of his fingers circling over my clit, he dipped his forefinger into my entrance. I gasped when he hooked the first half of his digit up, massaging that soft spot inside of my walls before he pulled his finger away. I was seconds from complaining, my mouth ajar as I snapped my head up. I was quickly cut off by Harry adding a second finger into me. 

My heartbeat picked up as he grunted softly, adjusting so that my back was firmly pressed against the tree. There was no way he could hold me up anymore. 

“Harry, please.” I dropped my forehead to his, my breath fanning over his face as he looked up at me. “Fuck me.” 

“Are you sure?” He gulped, pulling back to glance around the park. “Honey, someone could walk by and see us.” 

“I don’t care.” I whispered, brushing my fingers over his cheek. “I need you now, dreamboat.” 

“Bloody christ, woman.” He whined, closing his eyes tightly for a second before he was nodding. I tried to conceal my triumphant grin, but it was no use. “Who taught you to be this naughty?” 

“You, Harry.” I let out a soft laugh as he shook his head, mumbling a soft curse under his breath. “Thought you needed to be at the shop in an hour, dreamboat? Are you sure you have time?” 

“Gotta give my girl what she wants, don’t I? Gonna have to make this quick.” Harry mutters.

I look back at him with a mischievous smirk on my face. “Then, stop talking and show me what you can do, please.”

It took him a few minutes to maneuver around holding me and pulling his pants down, but when he finally got them down, he wasted no time sinking into me. It took my breath away when he settled against me, the tip of his cock brushing so deep in me that I clenched down around his shaft. He groaned, dropping his head forward before he pulled back. I whimpered at the empty feeling, but it didn’t last long. Harry settled into an impressive speed as I tangled my fingers in his hair. We were fucking against a tree in broad daylight as if it was perfectly normal and something about that turned me on even more. I closed my eyes, sliding one hand down to press against my clit as Harry continued to drive his hips into me. 

“Gonna play with yourself for me, babyhoney?” He gasped, lifting his head up as I moaned softly in response. “That’s my sweet girl.” 

“M’your sweet girl.” I opened my eyes, pressing my forehead to his. “I’m so close.” 

“Yeah?” He asked, licking over his bottom lip. I took the cue, leaning down to press my lips to his in a desperate kiss. “Go on babyhoney, let go for me.” 

His words sent me over the edge, my body picking up on his demand as I clenched around his shaft. I let out a loud gasp, burying my face in the crook of his shoulders as he bucked his hips a little harder. His thrusts turned sloppy as I started to come down and I knew that he was close. It didn’t take long for him to grunt, pressing his forehead against mine as he spilled into me. I would worry about the consequences of it later, my eyes and mind focused on Harry’s face as he tried to keep himself quiet. When he was finally finished, he pulled out slowly. When he hissed out in discomfort, I whimpered at the empty feeling left in the pit of my stomach. 

“I need to keep an eye on you.” Harry chuckled lowly, shaking his head as I giggled. “You’re starting to get a little too wild baby.” 

“Only for you dreamboat.” I lifted my hand up to pinch his cheek. “Now we absolutely have to get back to my house. You’re going to be late for work.” 

“I’ll be fine, baby.” He brushed his nose against mine before pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “I actually have something I want to ask you.” 

In all the time that I had known Harry, I’d never seen him nervous like this before. I could tell he was nervous by the shifting of his eyes and the deep frown pulling between his brows. My heartbeat started to pick up as I watched him fumble for his words. He cleared his throat, tapping his fingers against my thigh. I slipped my legs from around his waist, pressing my feet flat to the ground. He shifted around, sliding his pants back up over his hips before buckling them up. I smoothed my hands over my dress after readjusting my panties. Harry let out a deep sigh before wiping his hands over his trousers. I watched with raised brows and wide eyes as he looked up towards the sky before looking back down at me. 

“You know that I love you, right?” I nodded at his question, crossing my arms over my chest shyly. This felt more like a breakup speech than a confession of love. “You’re my entire world, honeybaby. I adore you.” 

“I love you too, dreamboat.” I gave him a sad smile, stepping forward. “Is everything okay? Oh no!”

“What?” His eyes grew wide as tears started to pool in my own eyes. “What’s wrong?” 

“You’re moving back to England, aren’t you?” I sniffled, my heart breaking. “You’re going to leave me here and go back to that stupid old country and I’ll never see you again!” 

“Honey, no!” He cried out, moving forward to wrap his arms around me. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

“Why would you scare me like that!” I groaned, pressing my palms over my face as I leaned into his chest. “You sounded like you were about to break up with me dreamboat!” 

“I - what?” He pulled back, reaching up to wrap his fingers around my wrists. He pulled my hands away from my face and I sniffled, trying to control the tears flowing over my cheeks. “Never, babyhoney. I wouldn’t...I was trying to-fuck.” 

“What?” I asked, my brows furrowing as he reached into his back pocket with one hand. When he brought his hand back into view, I noticed the small velvet box immediately. “Oh my god.” 

“I had a speech prepared but…words aren’t enough when it comes to you.” He said softly, reaching over with his other hand to open the box with shaky fingers. “You are the reason I wake up every morning. You’re the reason I smile at nothing in the middle of a conversation with someone else. You’re the reason I wake up in the middle of the night, petrified because I don’t have you by my side.I know you still want to go to Harvard to earn your degree and I want to be there to support you every step of the way, as your husband.”

I didn’t even look at the ring, my eyes trained on Harry’s. 

He was tearing up as well, the rims of his eyes red and the light green shade just a little darker. 

“Will you marry me?” He asked, his voice breaking a little. “Please, babyhoney. Say something.” 

“Yes.” I whispered, nodding my head. “Yes I will.” 

“You will?” His frown was replaced with a smile, his eyes lighting up as a few tears fell onto his cheeks. “You didn’t even look at the ring.” 

“You could have proposed to me with a piece of string and I would have said yes.” I chuckled. I moved forward, tossing my arms around his neck before another round of tears released from my eyes. I turned my head, pressing my nose into his shirt as a soft sob broke free. “I can’t believe I let you make love to me against a tree before proposing to me.” 

“That’s what are you crying about?” He laughed, sliding his arms around my waist. 

“No, I’m crying because I love you so much.” I pulled back, pressing my lips to his. “I’m going to love you until my heart stops beating dreamboat. I know it.”

5:00 PM

The plan that I had told my parents was a complete lie. 

They thought that I would be going to the drive-in theatre with my best friend, Imogene, and her boyfriend Tommy. It wasn’t completely a lie. Imogene and Tommy would probably be at the drive-in tonight, but I wouldn’t be with them. I would be with Harry, pressed against his side as I watched Grace Kelly on the silver screen. We would split a strawberry shake like we always did and I would steal half of his fries. He never complained when I did it though. When I kissed my Mother and Father goodbye, I told them not to wait up for me. They never had a problem with me staying out late when I was with Imogene. She was a good girl with a good head on her shoulders as my Father would always say. It was half of the reason I used her as an alibi. She never knew I was with Harry but she knew I was off having a secret love affair with someone. 

When I walked out of my house, I turned my head to the left expecting to see Harry’s motorcycle parked down the street. Sitting there in its normal spot was a pink and white car with white wall tires. I knew that wasn’t him because he didn’t actually own a car despite the fact he was working in an autoshop. I was just about to retreat back inside when I did a double take. My jaw dropped as I watched my fiance step out of the car, ruffling his hair slightly before turning my direction. I could see the grin on his face from my parent’s front porch and it made me shake my head in disbelief. I jogged down the steps before running down the sidewalk. I crashed into Harry at full speed, giggling as he wrapped his arms around me. 

“Whose car is this?” I asked breathlessly, looking over at the Ford Fairlane convertible with wide eyes. 

“It’s ours.” He said. “My boss bought a newer model for his wife last week and he promised me this one if I pulled some extra hours at the shop when he asked.” 

“Really?” I looked back at him, my smile so wide that it actually hurt my cheeks. “I can’t believe you have a car!” 

“We have a car.” He corrected me. “What’s mine is yours, remember?” 

“Oh my god we have a car.” I cheered, jumping up in excitement. “You’re already the best husband a girl could ask for.” 

“We’re not even married yet.” He chuckled, reaching down for my hand. “Come on, let’s get you fed before you get grumpy.” 

“I am not grumpy!” I frowned, my brows pulling together. “You take that back right now.” 

“Come on babyhoney.” He kissed my cheek before leaning down to open the passenger side door. “You’re already turning into a sourpuss.” 

5:30 PM 

Halfway through our split strawberry milkshake, Harry pressed his hand against my thigh. 

Part of me wanted to wear pants to the drive-in because I knew when the sun went away, the air would get colder. The other part of me wanted to drive Harry crazy with a beautiful, yellow summer dress that I bought on clearance months ago at Sears. Harry always loved when I wore yellow, even if I disliked how the color looked on me. As his fingers softly brushed against the sensitive skin of my inner thigh I found that I couldn’t care less about the color yellow. As long as I got this kind of reaction from my dreamboat, I didn’t care if I was in a paper bag. When Grace Kelly appeared on the screen, I gasped. Harry let out a soft chuckle as I moved forward in my seat to get a better look at her. His hand slipped off of my thigh momentarily and I passed the shake back to him before I reached down to turn the dial on the radio higher. 

“She’s so beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Think you’re much prettier, babyhoney.” He pressed his palm against my lower back and I let out a soft chuckle before leaning back into his embrace. “I bet you would be a much better actor, too.” 

“I don’t think I was meant to be on camera.” I shook my head at his words, glancing back at him with my nose scrunched up. “That’s more your speed, I think.” 

“Why do you say that?” He chuckled. 

“You’ve got such a handsome face.” I cooed, reaching up to pinch his cheek as he groaned. “And you’re so charming. Like Cary Grant.” 

“I wouldn't want to be an actor either.” He mumbled as I pressed my palm against his chest. “I think I would want to be a musician. I’d be happy as a backup singer or something.” 

“Dreamboat,” I rolled my eyes at his words before shaking my head. “You’d be the frontman, I know it. You have such an amazing singing voice.” 

“Alright, you’re gonna blow my head up.” He patted my hand softly, trying to distract me from the pink dusted across his cheeks. “Pay attention to your movie.” 

“Suddenly I’m not very interested in the movie, dreamboat.” My soft whisper was enough to pull his gaze from the screen, his attention back on me as I grinned. “I think there’s something else I would rather be doing right now.” 

“What’s that?” His voice was strained as he spoke and I felt his warm palm land back on the skin of my thigh. 

“Can I have a kiss?” I asked, brushing the tip of my nose against his. “It’s been so long since you’ve kissed me.” 

“Kissed you for ten minutes when we got in the car.” 

“Not the same.” I whispered, shaking my head. “I want a really good kiss, dreamboat.” 

“Baby, I don’t think I know what you mean.” He hummed, pursing his lips out as if he was deep in thought. “Show me?” 

“My pleasure.” 

I pressed my lips to his seconds later and he gripped my thigh tighter in response. 

I let out a soft sigh of content, tilting my head to the side before pressing up in my seat. I slipped the hand I had resting on his chest to his neck. I let my fingers trail over the skin of his neck softly as I tried to deepen the kiss. I slipped my tongue over the seam of his mouth, but he didn’t budge. I let out a frustrated whimper when I felt him smirk against my lips. 

Before I could pull back to scold him, he cradled the back of my neck with his own hand. My hand fell back to his chest, my fingers sliding down the fabric of his baby blue sweater before I pushed it up. I rested my palm on his tummy, my heart fluttering when I felt him tense beneath my hands. 

It was my turn to smile into the kiss as he tried to guide my hand closer to his cock. I didn’t give into his needs, sliding my hand up towards his nipples instead. I brushed my thumb over his right nipple, pulling my lips away to trail over his jawline as I tweaked it gently. Harry let out a breathless moan, tossing his head back as I kissed over his Adam's apple. 

“Babyhoney?” His voice was deep and raspy and I wondered if I had anything to do with the change in mood. “Please touch me?” 

“I am touching you, Dreamboat.” I whispered against the skin of his neck as I moved my fingers to his left nipple. “Touching you just how you like it, aren’t I?” 

“Yes, but-” 

“But?” I pulled back, a faux pout settling on my lips. “You don’t like it?” 

“You know I love it.” He let out a frustrated chuckle, shaking his head. “Want your hand down my pants babyhoney. Wanna feel you touch my cock.” 

“Oh.” I pressed my lips together, nodding my head at his words. “Do you want to show me how?” 

“You know how, baby.” He whimpered, shuffling his hips around. “Pull me out, sweet girl.” 

“I wasn’t quite finished kissing you.” I sighed dramatically before dropping my hand down to the waistband of his pants. “I guess that will just have to wait.” 

“Yes.” He nodded, licking over his bottom lip as he lifted his hips up. I smirked at his eager attitude, popping the button on his trousers before I tugged the zipper down. “Want you to put your mouth on me. Want you to show me how good you can really be, baby.” 

I wasted no time pulling him from the confines of his boxers, wrapping my fingers around his shaft firmly before giving it a few tugs. It never took me long to get him hard. When I brushed the pad of my thumb over the tip of his cock, I felt the wet traces of his pre-cum on my finger. I glanced up at him with soft eyes, shuffling myself a little bit further away so that I could lean down. I pressed a few, soft kisses to the tip of his cock before flattening my tongue out. I slipped it further down his shaft before closing my lips around it. I could tell that Harry was having a hard time staying composed above me. He had already slipped his fingers into the hair at the nape of my neck,  tugging softly as I tried to push myself lower onto his cock. I pulled back, quickly, hollowing out my cheeks. Harry gasped, bucking his hips to chase the feeling of my mouth. 

“Baby,” Harry tugged at my hair gently as he tried his best to pull his hips away. “The carhop is coming.” 

“Fuck.” I groaned out, sitting up before I swiped the back of my hand over my lips. “Just...sit still, okay?” 

“What?” Harry furrowed his brows as I climbed into his lap, hovering over him before I reached down to grab his shaft. “Fuck, baby. Are you going to sit on my cock?”

“Yes,” I gasped when he pushed his hips up, the tip of his cock pushing into me. “I can’t...don’t want the carhop seeing you. You’re mine.” 

“M’yours.” He grasped at my hips, steadying me as I let his cock stretch me out. I let out a low whine when I settled into him fully, his fingers digging into my sides. “Feels so good to be in you like this. Can’t….all I feel is you, babyhoney.” 

I rested my hands over his, linking our fingers together as I tried my best not to move my hips. I needed to sit absolutely still if we were going to get away with this. When the carhop finally made it to our car, I smiled over at her the best that I could. Harry pressed his chin onto my shoulder, pretending to watch the movie as I waited for the carhop to finish speaking. 

“We’re done with everything.” I tried my best not to gasp when I absentmindedly shift my hips, the tip of his cock sending a shockwave through my body. “Thank you.” 

“Have a stellar night you two!” She called out before walking off to the next car. 

“Fuck.” I gasped when Harry shifted under me, his hips pushing up and catching me off guard. My thighs tensed up as Harry bit into my shoulder, sliding his arms around me. “I just...we’re missing the movie, Harry.”

“I don’t care about the movie.” He growled, shifting his hips up again. “I need it...know you do too, babyhoney.” 

“I have to watch the movie, dreamboat.” I sighed softly as he sponged a few wet kisses up my neck, stopping at my jawline. “Gotta tell Mama about it when I get home.” 

“We’ll come back tomorrow.” He tried to reason with me, sliding his palm over my lower stomach before pressing down. “Feel how full I make you? That’s me in your belly, babyhoney.” 

“I know.” I bit my lower lip, rolling my eyes up towards the ceiling in attempts to control myself. I wanted so badly to move my hips, but listening to him beg was worth the wait. “Gotta be good for me, dreamboat.” 

“Baby.” He whimpered in my ear. “Please don’t leave me hanging.” 

“Shh, Harry.” I turned my head to look at him, ignoring the soft blush on his cheeks and the furrow in his brow. “I’m watching the film.” 

Harry let out a frustrated sigh, but he didn’t say another word. 

I kept my eyes on the screen, watching Grace float around each scene. I wasn’t really paying attention to what was happening, the feeling of Harry fidgeting behind me a distraction. Every few moments, he would move his hands. From settling on my thighs to my hips to my stomach to my sides. He moved them so much that it almost felt like he was making sure I was still okay. A few times, I squeezed my walls, shifting around to keep him on his toes. Each movement earned a gasp joined by his fingers digging into my skin through my dress. When we were nearing the end of the movie, I decided that enough was enough. I couldn’t hold out any longer, my hips moving on their own as I inhaled sharply. It didn’t take long for Harry to catch onto my motive, his hands falling on my hips as my body moved. 

The stretch of his cock sent a shockwave through my body with each rise of my hips and by the time I fell back onto him, he was already praising me. My movements were slow and unsure, the confidence I’d had at the beginning of the night completely gone. My legs were starting to grow sore and I wasn’t sure that I could carry myself to an orgasm in this position. Something in the way Harry leaned forward, gripping my hips tighter, told me that he was aware of my struggle. He leaned forward, kissing up my neck before lifting my hips up. When I started to settle back onto him, he pushed me back up to the awkward crouching position. 

“S’enough of that baby.” He grunted. “Want you to lay down for me, yeah?” 

“Someone will notice.” I shook my head, looking back at him. “Just let me turn around, please? I want to...I want to finish making you feel good.” 

“You make me feel good no matter what position we’re in.” He let out a soft chuckle as I turned around, climbing over his lap. “Babyhoney, I know your legs are tired.” 

“They are.” I nodded, pressing my palms to his cheeks as he brushed his fingers up my bare thighs. “Maybe you can help me with that? Be a gentleman like you promised me, dreamboat?” 

“Okay.” Harry nodded as I reached down with my right hand, holding his shaft before I slipped the tip past my entrance. “Don’t sit all the way, just...wait right there.” 

“Why?” I asked, my brow furrowing as I settled towards the middle of his shaft. 

My answer was a sharp thrust from Harry’s hips nearly knocking me over. 

The air left my lungs in the form of a loud moan and I ducked my head down, burying my face in his shoulder as he pulled back out. The feeling before was good, but this was so much better. Harry lifted his hips again with a grunt, angling them slightly different and holding himself in me for just a few moments longer. I laced my fingers behind his neck, holding onto him as he started to find a steady rhythm. It wasn’t fast, but it felt so good. I could feel my own wetness starting to coat my thighs and my fingers started to slip apart, slick from perspiration as Harry pushed my closer to the edge. I knew that I was done for when he opened his mouth, his words sending chills down my spine. 

“Gonna be such a good wife to me, I know it.” He grunted in my ear and I nodded. “Gonna be my partner, yeah? Gonna treat you like a bloody queen, baby. Gonna fuck you like this every night.” 

“Harry.” I lifted my head up, pressing my forehead into his. “I’m close.” 

“Yeah?” He let out a breathless chuckle, licking over his bottom lip. “Hold tight for me, baby. Gonna get you there, gonna make you cum.” 

He did as promised, driving his hips up into me at an impressive speed. He had to kiss me to keep me quiet, the moans ripping from my mouth far too loud for our little rendezvous. When I came, it felt like the world stopped. Harry pulled my hips down flush against his, spilling into me with a grunt of his own. I rolled my hips forward, welcoming the soft sting as I continued to pulse around his cock. I pulled back from his mouth with a loud chuckle, tossing my head back. 

“Surely someone saw that.” I let out a heavy sigh, trying to catch my breath. 

When I finally felt calm enough, my chest no longer heaving, I lifted my hips up. Harry winced when his cock dropped back against his stomach and I kissed him softly as an apology. When he was tucked back into his trousers, I kissed him again. 

 “I can’t believe we just did that.” I chuckled into his mouth. 

“You’re something else.” He shook his head before dropping it back to the seat behind him. “I’m gonna have to keep a close watch on you. Putting that ring on your finger has changed you, huh?” 

“I just want to make my husband happy.” I hummed softly, pressing my lips to his. “Are you happy?” 

“So happy that my heart could burst right out of my chest.” He whispered. “I can’t wait for it to be official.” 

“I would go to the courthouse tomorrow to say ‘I do’, you know I would dreamboat.” I whispered, pulling back to brush my thumb over his chin. “You tell me when you’re ready and I’ll meet you at the altar.” 

“I want you to have a proper wedding.” He frowned, his brows pulling together.  “Everything we’ve done so far has been....it’s not been by the book. You deserve to have something normal and proper.” 

“Harry, I-” 

Before I could get the words out of my mouth, I heard my Father’s voice. 

My blood ran cold as I looked at Harry, my eyes growing wide. Harry’s look mirrored mine, his fingers digging into the skin of my thighs before I slipped off of his lap. I was quick to grab the door handle, getting out of the car. I cursed when I felt the wetness between my legs. It slipped my mind that Harry didn’t pull out, his release still inside of me. I quickly rushed around the front of the car when I saw my Father barreling towards Bertha. My Mother was hot on his heels as Harry stepped out of the car, settling by my side with his hand on my lower back. In the distance, I could see Imogene and Tommy standing there with shock on their faces. 

“You better get your hands off my daughter, you hoodrat.” My father was dangerously close to Harry, pointing his finger at him angrily. 

“Daddy, it’s okay!” I said quickly, sliding between the two men. “It’s...Harry is harmless, I promise. He’s my boyfriend, Daddy.” 

“Johnny is your boyfriend.” My Father didn’t take his eyes from Harry’s. 

“He’s not.” I swallowed around the lump in my throat, closing my eyes as I took a deep breath. “I broke up with Johnny a long time ago. He’s with someone else now.” 

“How long have you been lying to us then?” My Mother asked quietly. 

When I looked over at her, she was clutching her pearls with sad eyes. 

“I’ve been with Harry for five years.” I whispered. “I really love him, Mama. I swear that I do.” 

“You don’t know what love is!” My Father snapped, his eyes finally landing on mine. I felt Harry stand up straighter behind me, his chest brushing my back as he rested his fingers lightly on my hip. “You’re just a child.” 

“I’m not a child, daddy.” I whispered, the familiar burn behind my eyes catching me off guard. “I love him.” 

“We’re going home.” My Father said, reaching down for my hand. I pulled it back, holding it to my chest. “Y/N we are going home, you don’t have a choice.” 

“Sir, maybe we can take this somewhere more private.” Harry spoke up behind me. “We can all talk this out and-” 

“You don’t speak to me.” My Father snapped at Harry before looking back at me. “Let’s go.” 

“I’m not a child anymore. If you insist on making me choose between you and Harry, I’ll pick him. I will always pick him. He’s my soulmate.” I said.

“If you don’t come home with us right now, there’s no coming back. There will be no university in the fall or summer trip to the beach.” My Father seethed, but I didn’t budge. “You would give up your family for a lowlife like him.” 

“Yes.” I didn’t hesitate. “I’m sorry that you don’t believe me, but Harry is my soulmate and I...I can’t leave him. Not even for you.” 

It was silent for a minute, the whole world standing still as my father and I stared at each other. I tried to hold it all in, hiding my fear behind a deep scowl. The only thing keeping me grounded and steady was Harry’s touch. I waited, watching my Father’s face turn red with anger with each passing second. It didn’t take him long to turn around, booking past my Mother. I looked over at her, my face softening as I realized that maybe I shouldn’t have kept it from her. She stared back at me with a look of sheer disappointment in her eyes and it nearly broke me. She looked back at Harry, letting go of her pearls as she let out a heavy sigh. 

“He’s going to need time to adjust.” My Mother said quietly. “I’ll pack up your things. You can come pick them up on Sunday after church.” 

“Okay.” I croaked out, reaching up to lace my fingers with Harry’s. “I’m sorry.” 

She didn’t say another word, turning on her heels before walking away. 

When she was out of sight, I stumbled back into Harry. I pressed the fingers of my freehand to my lips, muffling the sob that burst out of my chest as I watched my parents peel away. Harry wrapped both of his arms around me as my knees started to grow weak. I turned in his arms, burying my face in his chest as he cooed softly above me. 

“It’s going to be alright.” He said softly. “They just need time, like your Mother said.” 

“I don’t think time will fix it.” I hiccuped, looking up at him. “Are you...are you okay?” 

“I’m alright, babyhoney.” He smiled softly, reaching up to brush his fingers over my wet cheeks. I sniffled, nodding my head. “Stop your cryin’, alright? Let’s go home. I’m sure Mum will be excited to have another girl around.” 

“You don’t think she’ll be upset?” I asked. 

“Never.” Harry said softly. “You’re family now.” 

[charincharge]

Person A and Person B are co-workers who hate each other. They’re always competing with each other at work and they’re always getting into arguments. Then one day Person A is leaving an appointment with their therapist when they happen to see Person B waiting to see the same therapist in the lobby. I think one is perfect for rowaelin.

This was silly but fun. Word Count: 1,757

Aelin pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, a horrible mannerism she’d picked up from her least favorite person. She could see her boss bite back a smirk as he noticed Aelin’s mirrored position from across the table. Aelin leaned back, removing her hand from her nose, refusing to have anything in common with the man who made her life a living hell. Fucking Rowan Whitethorn.

When Aelin had first joined Rifthold Marketing, she’d been excited to meet her team. She’d been warned she would be the first female to be hired as a senior account manager, and that it was a bit of a boys’ club. But Aelin could handle herself. She was fierce and opinionated and refused to be bowled over by any sexist asshole. But it turned out she didn’t need to be worried, the team of managers, who referred to themselves as The Cadre, invited her to their weekly happy hour her first day on the job, welcoming her with open arms.

Well. All, except one.

Rowan Whitethorn was a prick extraordinaire. He scoffed as Aelin sipped her chardonnay at their happy hour, frowning into his beer unhappily at her presence, and he hadn’t warmed to her since. It’d been four months, and every day he’d made Aelin’s life a living hell. Which is why for the life of her, she could not understand why Dorian, the company VP had asked them to work together on a new account pitch.

“This is insane, Dorian,” Rowan grumbled from his side of the table, his fingers ever present on the bridge of his nose, between his furrowed brow.

“As much as I hate agreeing with him,” Aelin said, clearing her throat. “Rowan is right.”

“I am?” he asked, straightening up slightly.

“Of course,” Aelin scoffed. “Us working together is ridiculous. I have an existing relationship with the account. Orynth Hotel Group is only taking the meeting because of me. They want to rebrand with me. Rowan has no business pitching whatever nonsense ideas he has to them.”

“Except Rowan also has an existing relationship with the client,” Rowan said, speaking of himself in the third person. It was something he did all too frequently, and it made Aelin’s skin itch every time.

“The existing relationship should not count if it’s not professional,” Aelin jeered, and Rowan’s lips curled into a sneer as his fist pounded on the table. “Who is she? An ex? You screw your way into all your accounts?”

“Excuse me?” Rowan gaped. “Dor, come on, she can’t say that. Not only is it not true,” he ground out. “But it’s grounds for harassment. I’ve worked with Maeve on three campaigns, and she specifically reached out to tell me she’d just joined Orynth.”

Rowan glared at his boss, who looked far too amused at his discomfort. Dorian sighed loudly.

“Which is why I need you to work together,” he said, giving the pair a small smile. “Orynth is a huge account, and we would be idiots to lose out because you two couldn’t come up with a cohesive pitch. I know I can count on my two best account managers to come up with something spectacular, yes?” He paused and looked at them. “By Friday, please.”

Aelin groaned and slumped back into her chair, nodding feebly at Dorian as he left the two in the conference room.

“Coffee?” Aelin offered, hoping to thaw the icy glare from Rowan’s eyes, but it hardened even more as he shook his head.

“While you waste time on that, I’ll gather my notes for you.”

Aelin tried her very hardest not to roll her eyes as she made her way across the hall to pour herself a cup of coffee. She could get through this. It was one week of her life. Just one fucking week where she’d have to spend every minute of her day with Rowan. She paused. Thank gods she had therapy tonight. Her therapist had heard far toto much about the infamous Rowan Whitethorn, and she had a feeling she’d be hearing another earful tonight.

When she made her way back into the conference room, Rowan had spread out a series of boards he’d drawn up across the table. The intricate pitch proved he’d already put a lot of work into it, but Aelin had done the same prepping for this meeting. She knew it was going to be a long battle between them. As she glanced at the boards, she couldn’t help but admire some of them. She hated that he was actually pretty talented. If only his attitude didn’t suck so badly, they might actually be a pretty great team.

“So?” Rowan asked expectantly as Aelin took a sip of her steaming mug.

“Your illustrations are beautiful…”

“But,” he ground out between his clenched teeth.

“But,” Aelin continued. “Orynth has worked incredibly hard to launch themselves as a luxury hotel brand. Cozy, family stay doesn’t exactly say – luxury to me.”

“I don’t know,” Rowan countered. “Taking time off work. Having a family. Sharing a meal. Feels like a luxury to me.” His eyes were suddenly sad, and Aelin felt slightly uncomfortable seeing it. She looked down at her coffee and when she looked back up, his eyes were back to their usual cold glare.  “I suppose you have something much better?” he asked, his voice defensive with sarcasm.

“In fact…” Aelin laid out her own papers. Her boards weren’t anything close to Rowan’s meticulously drawn illustrations, but they got the point across. Rowan’s eyes flicked across them quickly, and she could see the eye roll he barely restrained.

“What?” she snapped.

“It’s just… sex?” he scoffed. “It’s so overdone. This isn’t a seedy Vegas hotel for a forbidden affair.”  

“No, it’s… a staycation for an overworked couple who deserve time to relax. Away from their family. Time for themselves. Between sheets or otherwise. The luxury of being yourself.” Aelin used her best pitch voice and watched as Rowan barked out a loud laugh.

“You think that’s going to sell?”

“You’re infuriating!” Aelin said.

“You’re not much better yourself, Ace,” he spat, using Dorian’s nickname for her.

“Fine,” Aelin sighed. “Let’s scrap them both.”

“Fine,” Rowan agreed, pushing all the papers off the table and making room for new scratch. She was in for a long night.

Luckily, at seven on the dot, Aelin called it for both of them. They’d made a list of general areas to explore and a few sub headers without murdering each other. She deemed that extreme progress.

“Where you going?” Rowan asked as she gathered her things. “Hot date?” he asked, glancing at the clock.

Aelin snorted, thinking of her weekly date with her therapist. “Something like that,” she answered.

Rowan stretched, clearly annoyed. “I would have put in another hour, but who am I to judge? It’s not like we have to pitch something to Dorian in four days.”

Aelin didn’t dignify his taunt with a response, her fury rising up in her as she sped off to therapy.

“I wish I didn’t have to work with him. He’s just… rude,” Aelin concluded for her doctor, who sat listening to her intently. “All the time.”

“And you’re not?” Yrene probed. Aelin rolled her eyes.

“He started it!”

“Aelin,” Yrene sighed. “We’ve talked about this every week for months. Someone needs to be the first to extend an olive branch, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be him.”

“Well, it’s not going to be me, either.”

Yrene gave her a warm smile. “Did you think maybe that you two spar because you’re so similar? Obviously, I only know what you’ve told me, but maybe Rowan needs you to be the first to reach out.”

“Unhelpful session, doc,” Aelin laughed as she stood, the timer beside Yrene beeping softly.

“It’s going to be a stressful week for you, I understand,” Yrene said. “But, you can do it.”

Aelin walked all the way down to her car with Yrene’s affirmations ringing in her head. Should she reach out? Say something kind? It would maybe make this week better. Or maybe not, she sighed.

As Aelin reached for the car door handle, it didn’t open. She dug through her purse only to quickly see her key wasn’t there. She realized she’d left her car key on the arm of Yrene’s couch. She’d been in such an infuriated rush when she got there she must have forgotten to put it back into her purse. Yet another thing Rowan Whitethorn was to blame for.

She stalked back upstairs to the second floor, and saw that the light on Yrene’s door was on, meaning she was already in another session. Damnit. Aelin couldn’t wait around for another forty five minutes while Yrene’s eight o’clock appointment received their therapy.

Tentatively, Aelin knocked on the door. The chatter stopped from inside the office as Yrene opened the door a crack.

“Hi!” Yrene said, her voice high with surprise.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Aelin began, “But I left my car key on your couch.”

“Am I hallucinating?” a voice called from within the office. Aelin would recognize tthat voice anywhere.

“No fucking way…” she mumbled as she pushed the door open wider.

There, on her spot on her favorite couch in the room, sat Rowan.

“Did I conjure you? Said your name three times, and you appear like Bloody Fucking Mary,” he scoffed. “Date went badly?”

“I forgot my key,” Aelin said, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. All those times Aelin had complained about Rowan, and here Rowan was probably doing the exact same thing. Aelin couldn’t bear it.

Rowan’s eyes widened as he realized where Aelin had been. He reached over and grabbed her car key and walked it to her, handing it over.

“You know,” Yrene said softly. “You two are the only clients who sit in that spot.”

“Great,” Rowan sighed. “I’m going to need a new therapist,” verbalizing the thoughts that Aelin had just had.

“No!” Yrene called out as Rowan grabbed his jacket off the couch. “Rowan, don’t…”

“At least I get to keep something this week,” Aelin smirked, putting her key back into her purse. At her smug smile, Rowan growled and stalked back to the couch, plopping down on the opposite side. He flicked Aelin off, and Yrene gave her a soft smile.

“See you next week, Aelin,” she said, closing the door in her face.

No fucking way, thought Aelin. Never again would she be seeing the same therapist as Rowan fucking Whitethorn.

~*~

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[theicywinter]

One Shot

Character: Bucky Barnes

Summary: Bucky is recovering with the help of his always-happy neighbor.

_____________________________________

Something good

Bucky grunted exhausted, the TV was on and the disturbing voices from his nightmare kept banging inside his head. He looked up his ceiling, he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep again, that was for sure, and even if it was not right to think it he repeat it to himself, "i deserve it" he deserved being deprived from sleep, he deserved being taunted by the people he have killed all this years.

He looked at his phone watch , 6:16 am, he decided to get up and go running, exercising helped him a lot, it was useful to drain all his super soldier energy, at least partially.

After an hour running his stomach made a noise indicating he needed to stop and get food, he looked at his phone. Just in time. He returned to his apartment, hopefully she would be up now.

A knock on his door was his signal. He opened the door an a small woman greeted him with the most charming smile he had seen.

"Eva" he said copying her smile.

"Bucky! Breakfast is done, come quickly before it gets cold" she grabbed his hand and dragged him from his apartment to her own, wich was beside his. The warm feeling spreading inside his body from her touch.

The aroma of bacon invaded his nostrils making him almost drool. After he have spent so many years eating the synthetic food from Hydra, simple things for most of people like bacon, pancakes, hamburgers were delicacies to him.

"It smell delicious Eva, I'm starving" he sat on his usual spot. His breakfast looked so good, but being honest, to him everything she prepared was marvelous.

A small blush covered her cheeks and she gave him a shy nod.

"Thank you, I hope it taste as good too" she commented back while sitting on the other chair.

"I know it will taste good, as always" he replied.

She smiled watching him eat his food, she ate from her plate.

"How did you sleep?" Eva asked sipping from her cup. Her eyes examining his face, reading him.

He shrugged.

"It could be worse" He said, and he knew it was true.

"I see, well you can blame me for that, I shouldn't have cancelled our game night" Eva said, some nights they stayed with each other and played some board games or games she had downloaded on her laptop.

"I missed beating you up on Mario Kart" She joked, it was really entertaining watching Bucky trying not to push the buttons hard with his metallic fingers.

He looked at her joyful face, her eyes sparked with light, the only light he had in his life. But he couldn't miss the dark circles formed under her eyes.

"What did he want?" His question hit her with force, her mouth twitched in discomfort.

"He gave me an extra shift, Sara had a domestic emergency. I was the only one available" she explained, her boss found a way to make her stay at work almost every night, she was getting sick of it but it was her job and it payed the rent.

"you're overworking yourself, he can't keep making you stay extra time every day" he shook his head in disapproval.

"I know, but it's okay" she told him calmly "at least it's Friday, I can rest this weekend."

He nodded not convinced.

"Sam called me again." He informed abruptly. He knew he had to answer his calls sooner than later, but he couldn't.

"He's worried about you" she commented quite concerned.

"He doesn't have to be"

"You have to tell him that then" Eva watched the frown in his face, sure it was easy for her to say it but she knew that for him it implied much more. She didn't knew the reason though.

"Wanna watch the news with me?" She asked hopefully. Eva loved being with Bucky, he was a great companion.

"Sure" Bucky said walking to her sofa. He thanked her for the food and turned on the TV.

She sat beside him and his arm flew around her shoulders, Eva rested her head on his chest with her hand on his abdomen. Bucky thought how he became used to this type of affection, when they watched TV or stayed at night talking they always ended up snuggling. He couldn't complain, Bucky loved holding her in his arms, touching her.

"I like you Bucky" she confessed. This wasn't the first time she had said it to him.

He smiled.

"I like you too, doll" she giggled and hugged him harder, he returned the hug.

Bucky looked the hour on her wall clock. He had to leave soon.

"I gotta go, Eva" He said, the disappointment clear in his voice.

"I know, it's okay" she replied with a smile "We can spend the weekend together if you want"

His eyes shined hearing the promise.

"I would love that"

They said each other goodbye and Bucky went to his appointment, the therapist wouldn't like him being late. When he arrived he entered the room and took a sit. The woman entered just after him.

"Hello, James" she greeted him while she sat across him.

"Hi, doc." he said.

"Let's get started, how are you doing?" She asked watching him.

"I'm fine" he replied and it was true, he was feeling good, the nightmare left his mind as soon as Eva appeared on his apartment.

"I can see that, have you had any nightmare?" She inquired back.

He stayed silent. Then nodded.

"Want to tell me what it was about?" She asked again.

"I would prefer not to" he spoke hoping she wouldn't pressure him.

She looked quizzically at him, studying his movements.

"It helps some people talking about what it's disturbing them, Bucky" She informed. "To share the burden with someone"

"I know" He replied, he remembered telling Eva his dreams, she listened to him but her eyes where the most important, they never reflected hatred or disgust for the things he did in his dreams or should he said memories?

"Have you spoken to Sam?" He shook his head in negation.

"Bucky, you need to star meeting new people or contacting your old friends" she suggested. A pang of hurt stick on him remembering Steve.

"I have met knew people" he said instantly, the words spilling from his mouth. His therapist looked quite surprised but she disguised it well.

"Yeah? Tell me their names" she inquired.

"Eva" he mentioned. The doctor looked at his eyes trying to find if it was a lie.

"Where did you met her?"

"She's my neighbor, she is nice to me" he informed his eyes looking directly at her.

The women smiled content with the answer.

"Great, how much time do you spend with her?" This was a critical question, to know if they were becoming friends or were just being polite to each other.

He doubted answering. They spent a lot of time together.

"We have breakfast together, everyday" he answered omitting their others activities.

"Well that sounds good Bucky, it's a progress" she informed. The thought of him spending time with another person relieved her, he was trying.

He smiled, it was indeed a good progress. Eva was a positive addition to his life, she made his day brighter and his heart warmer. He could visualize her in his life.

"What are you thinking James?" The doctor asked him, knowing exactly what was happening.

He snapped back and his face blushed, he cleared his throat.

"Nothing, I think my hour has ended" he told her. She looked at her clock. It was true.

"I think we are done for this day, James. I'm happy you have know someone new, it's good for you to make a friends" she explained while he walked to the door. He nodded."You deserve good, Mr. Barnes".

"Goodbye, doc." he walked out.

It was good for him. Maybe he deserved something good after all he has done. Maybe.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Together

A Stitched Story (END)

JSE Fanfic

Man...this is it. The last one. That’s...wow. This was an AU three years in the writing, and with this, it’s over. I just...wow. I’m gonna need to just think about that for a second. Maybe wait a bit before starting something new. Anyway, this is basically wrapping everything up, taking care of all the final plot points and loose ends. There are emotional moments, including one big one, but...wow. I just have to keep saying that over and over again, it’s all I feel. The boys are settling down. Finally. Man, they’ve earned it. 

Tagging @septic-dr-schneep for inspiring this AU with this post.

Read the whole story: Stitched Together | Season One | Season Two | Torn Apart | Tales to Tell | Threads | Twice Bitten, Never Shy | Two of Souls | The Tower | Time to End

Taglist (finally): @bupine @violet--majesty @ari-trash

It was surprisingly sunny, for an autumn day. Busy, too. Cars rushed through the streets, and pedestrians populated the pavement. Jameson shielded his eyes from the sun’s glare as he peered around a street corner and saw their destination. We’re almost there. One more block, he said, tapping the message out in Morse code on a nearby lamppost.

“Good, I hope we are not late,” Schneep replied. “What time is it?”

JJ checked the clock on his phone. 1:25. Do you think it’s already over?

“Possibly. In any case, it would be better to be early.” Schneep turned the corner, speeding up, running his cane over the sidewalk to check for cracks. JJ hurried to catch up. “Chase would be upset if we are not there.”

He’ll be fine, JJ said reassuringly, now tapping the message on Schneep’s arm. But I suppose we can make haste.

The two of them soon arrived at their destination, turning into the hospital parking lot and walking towards the building’s front entrance. “Oh! I think he is here, yes?” Schneep said.

Yes, I can see him. JJ waved. Chase was standing outside the glass doors, bouncing on his feet and scanning the area. He had his usual bandanna and cap, but was wearing a new sweater, one that the others had given him as a group birthday present to make up for missing it a few months ago, and an old backpack Stacy had lent him. Once he saw JJ waving he smiled, and waved back.

“Ha! Knew it. I am getting good at this,” Schneep said proudly. “If only sensing souls could help with telling apart the toothpaste and burn cream.”

JJ laughed, muffled as usual, and the two of them hurried across the parking lot. Chase ran up to meet them at the edge of the sidewalk. “Hey guys!” he said. “Good to see you.”

“Good to see you too,” Schneep said lightheartedly. “Well, well? Did everything go fine?”

“Oh, uh, mostly.” Chase rolled up the sleeves of his sweater. He wasn’t wearing his wristbands. Instead, there were white bandages. “She managed to get the ones on my wrists off, but said she didn’t want to risk messing with the one on my neck. It’s close to an artery or something? I don’t know, it was some complicated medical stuff.”

“Ah. That is too bad,” Schneep said sadly. Jameson shook his head sympathetically. “But it is glad to hear some of the stitches are gone. I told you that Darla was good. Trustworthy, too. She will not tell anyone.”

“If you say so, doc.” Pulling his sleeves down, Chase turned to JJ. “Are you sure you don’t want to try? I mean, it’s a lot more inconvenient for you than it is for me.”

JJ hesitated, then nodded. I am fine, he signed. I’ve gotten used to it, and yes, there are many downsides, but considering what happened last week, I think it is good enough.

“Man. If you’re really sure,” Chase said reluctantly. “They’re already a bit looser, right? Maybe whatever magic’s making them hard to cut through will fade over time.”

“Wait, Jameson, did you bring up last week?” Schneep whacked JJ’s legs with his cane. “I said that you should not try yourself! Things could go wrong!” He paused. “But everything is fine, right?”

Yes, it was a shallow cut, JJ said. Your scissors are pretty sharp.

“I know. They are not normal, and I am starting to think they were always supposed to be weapons.” Schneep sighed. “Well, I am putting them away soon.”

JJ and Chase exchanged a significant look. “You’re gonna put them away?” Chase repeated.

Schneep nodded. “If I need them again, it won’t be hard to pull them out.”

In the month since they’d finally gotten rid of the strings, Schneep had kept carrying the scissors around. Just in case, he’d said. Just in case those glowing green strands of black magic managed to worm their way back into the world. But the past month had been quiet. Busy in other ways, but nothing had appeared to attack any of them. So maybe ‘just in case’ wasn’t going to come. Maybe it would be fine to leave them at home. Or, well, in whatever pocket dimension they came from.

“If you’re sure, doc,” Chase said. “A-anyway, it’s a bit past 1:30. We should hurry, or we’ll be late to meet up with the others. You guys walked here? C’mon, there’s a bus stop across the street.”

We’d definitely be on time if you drove us, JJ said teasingly.

“Hey, I can’t be blamed for not having a car.”

Ask Stacy.

“Nah, it’s fine. I should practice a bit before I do any serious driving, anyway. It’s been a while.”

“You took the bus here?” Schneep asked, puzzled. “But what about people sitting next to you?”

“It’s okay, I just put the backpack next to me. And it’s alright if it’s you guys.” Chase stepped off the sidewalk curb and onto the parking lot asphalt. “Now let’s go.”

The bus ride was short, and soon the three of them were getting off at a stop outside a small restaurant—or, more of a cafe, really. Despite being near lunchtime, the place was almost empty when they walked in. Soft piano music was playing over a speaker system, and a chalk signboard near the front entrance read “Please Seat Yourselves” with a hand-drawn smiley face. Chase read the sign out loud, and the three of them spotted the rest of the group, sitting at a table in the corner of the dining area, right by a window.

Jack had looked up at the sound of the bell chiming when the door opened. “Hey, they’re here,” he said to the other two sitting at the table.

“Huh? Oh, good.” Jackie was turning the menu over and over, listening to the sound of the laminated paper against the air. Marvin didn’t say anything. His head was leaning against the glass of the window, eyes closed, a pair of earbuds blocking out most sound. But he did make a small sound of acknowledgement.

“Hey guys.” Chase arrived first, taking the chair across from Marvin, next to the wall. Schneep and JJ took the next two. “Did you already order?”

“No, I told the waiter that we were waiting for people,” Jack explained. “But, more importantly, how’d it go? Are they gone?”

“Wrists are.” Chase once again pulled back his sleeves. For a moment, Jackie glanced at the bandages on his wrists, then bit his lip and looked away. “Apparently the neck stitches are too close to an artery or something. She didn’t want to mess with it.”

“Shit. Well, two out of three’s not bad,” Jack said.

“Jack, my friend, how are the repairs going?” Schneep asked.

“Pretty good, I think. The walls just got repainted, and the living room has new chairs and stuff. Still a long way to go.” Jack laughed. “Honestly I’m just glad that the water and Internet didn’t go out.”

Are the police still talking to you? JJ asked.

“No, not really. You guys?”

The other three all shook their heads. Dealing with the police had been...complicated. They had to, of course. They couldn’t just go back to their old lives without people asking “what the hell happened to you?!”JJ had it the easiest, in a way. Nobody had reported him missing, which was a bit sad when he thought about it, and all the regular patrons of his shop had assumed it closed down. Jack and Chase had more difficulty, since they were pretty public figures. The moment Jack had uploaded a video explaining he was back, the Internet had gone up in flames wondering where he’d been.

In the end, they all decided on the same story. It was pretty lame, as Chase often said, but it worked. They all just lied and said they didn’t remember anything. Weird stitches on Chase’s wrists and neck? Nope. Scars all over Jack’s body? Don’t know what happened there. Schneep losing an entire sense and gaining weird scars that looked like tears dripping from his eyes? No idea, officer. The police had prodded them, but eventually given up, essentially leaving the case unsolved and concluding it was a strange psychological phenomenon. The case would go down in history, but nobody would know the truth.

Of course, when it came to Marvin and Jackie coming back to life, things were going to be a bit difficult. Fortunately, they had magic on their side.

“Have any of you heard from Yvonne?” Jack asked, sliding each of them a menu.

“Dude, why would she talk to me? I’m the least magical person here,” Chase said.

Not since she offered to help, JJ added.

Schneep merely shook his head and picked up the menu. “Oh! They actually have—”

“Yeah, I explained the situation when the waiter came over and he gave me a Braille copy,” Jack explained. “Anyway, she called me the other day. Says that the records should be all fixed now.”

“I still say that can’t be legal,” Chase muttered.

“It’s not.” Everyone jumped, a bit surprised to hear Marvin talk. He didn’t move from his position against the window or open his eyes, but he did continue. “She’s not really into stuff being legal, you know. Normal laws or magic laws. Always thought they got in the way, that...that...her. That...name.”

“Yvonne.” Jackie gently bumped Marvin’s shoulder with his own.

“Right.”

Jack gave the others a meaningful look. Memory issues. One of the lingering side effects Marvin and Jackie were dealing with. They could forget something in seconds. Jackie had taken to writing things down, if not with an actual pen and paper, then by finger-spelling it on his hand over and over. Marvin just sort of let it happen, only writing down the really important stuff. “Anyway, it’s all fixed,” Jack continued, looking back over at the other two. “You guys can...y’know, start doing stuff again. When you want. Move out, if you feel like it.”

“Thanks,” Jackie said. He sounded oddly reluctant. Marvin didn’t even bother to answer.

Chase cleared his throat. “Speaking of moving out, Schneep, did you get your apartment back yet?”

Schneep scowled. “I am so close. The stupid building owner is still insisting on keeping it all preserved, and I say, ‘for what?!’ You are clearly not going to sell it, if everything is still how it is when I was living there. So just let me live in! The police do not care anymore, anyway, so there is no crime scene!”

He probably liked the idea of having a flat where someone who disappeared lived, JJ suggested. It lends a bit of mystery and gives the building a reputation. People might want to move in because of that.

“Well he will still have it! I will just be actually there!” Schneep folded his arms and leaned back in the chair. “Ugh. Jamie, I like you, but your guest room is tiny.”

JJ gave a huff of a laugh. Sorry, Hen. I’d never really needed one before so I didn’t hear any complaints. 

“Oh, Chase, what about you? How’s the house search coming?” Jack asked.

“Fine.” Chase shrugged. “I got a few to look at. Y’know Stacy doesn’t seem to mind me staying over. I was surprised, given how she, um...wanted to move out so much a few years ago.”

“Well, things change,” Jack said cheerfully.

“Yeah. I guess that’s an upside of this, we’re, like...friends.” Chase said the word in a tone of bewildered, but welcomed, happiness. The way someone would react to hearing good news that they’d thought was no longer an option. “Again, I mean. A-and I don’t think it’s gonna go further, but...still.”

“That’s great, my friend.” Schneep patted the back of Chase’s hand.

“Yeah, that’s great!” Jackie repeated, suddenly enthusiastic. “So, like, we should order food, right?”

“Oh right.” Jack nodded. “Hang on.” He stood up, looking towards the back of the restaurant where the door to the kitchen was. A waiter was walking out at that moment, and caught sight of the group, quickly indicating he’d be right there. “Oh, nice. I was confused, really, if like this was the type of place where people would come over or if we had to go up there.” Jack sat back down and picked up the menu. “We should go all out. This is a celebration.”

I think I can get a drink, JJ signed slowly.

“Really?” Jack asked, surprised.

Yes, I think the stitches have loosened up enough for that, JJ said more confidently. A small straw or a bit of liquid. Just so long as nobody’s looking when I take off my mask.

“Awesome, man,” Chase said cheerfully. “Honestly, this place looked good on the website. We should get a lot.”

“Celebration,” Schneep repeated, then nodded. “Yes. Yes, that sounds wonderful. Celebration lunch.”

And for most of them, it was just that, wonderful. They were meeting up again, the last of their troubles were ending. Things were looking up.

But a corner of the table was a bit gloomier. Jackie and Marvin were pretty quiet all throughout the lunch. Neither of them ate that much. Marvin kept his eyes closed or looking down at his plate, and Jackie paid more attention to the salt and pepper shakers than anything else. Once the lunch was over and after everyone said their goodbyes, they followed Jack back to his apartment, where they were staying, and drifted off to separate activities. A book for Marvin, an old laptop for Jackie.

They never once said anything to each other.

— — — — — — —

Ignisa: a spell to conjure fire.

Marvin read the simple command word over and over, repeating it mentally. Ignisa. Ignisa. It was one of the simplest spells out there, and one of the first ones he learned. He could visualize the page of the book he read it in. He remembered it. Really, he did. Most of the time. For the occasions that he didn’t he’d written down the command and what it did on a spare bit of paper.

“Ignisa,” he whispered, staring down at his hands, cupped as if to hold water. He sat in the center of the floor in the spare bedroom, as far away from furniture as possible. “Ignisa. Ig-NI-sa. IG-ni-sa. Ig-ni-SA.” Yet, no matter how many times he repeated it, no matter how he pronounced it or how loud he spoke it, no matter how much he concentrated on the feeling of fire bursting forth in his hands...there wasn’t even a spark.

“Fuck.” Marvin gave up, burying his face in his hands. He squeezed his eyes to contain tears of frustration, but he still let one or two sobs slip out. Why couldn’t he do anything? No fire, no lights, no telekinesis. All the magic he remembered was useless. The only spell that sort of worked was teleportation, in fact he actually found it easier now than it used to be, but he couldn’t quite control it. If he was lucky, he’d end up close to where he wanted to be, and if he was unlucky, he teleported to the middle of the sky twenty miles away. That...hadn’t been a fun evening.

There were only a few spells that worked perfectly for him. Taking a few deep breaths, Marvin lifted his head up, and pressed his hands close together, palm to palm. Slowly, he pulled them away from each other. In the space between them were blue glowing threads of magic, which got longer the farther apart his hands got. If he wanted, he could use these strings like a weapon, grabbing things, pinning them to the wall, and maybe with practice he could use them to swing, like some sort of discount magical Spider-Man. But he didn’t want to. He didn’t want anything to do with these. Scowling, Marvin brushed his hands together, and the strings disappeared.

Someone knocked on the door, and Marvin yelped in surprise. He quickly got to his feet. “Wh-who is it?”

“It’s Jack,” a voice said. “Can I come in?”

“Um...sure.”

Jack opened the door, poking his head in through the gap. “Hey Jackie’s making noodles for dinner. Do you want any?”

Did he? Marvin wasn’t really hungry. He didn’t really feel hungry that often anymore. Or maybe he did, and just couldn’t recognize the feeling. Jackie was the same way, but that didn’t stop him from trying to eat. After a bit, Marvin decided it would probably be better safe than sorry. “...Sure.”

“Okay, I’ll tell him.” Jack hesitated. “Do you...want anything? Need anything?”

Marvin hesitated. He glanced over at Jack before looking away. Wait, why was one of Jack’s eyes a slightly different shade of blue? When had that—oh. Right. “No.”

“Alright...if you’re sure,” Jack said reluctantly. “Come out whenever you’re ready.” And with that, he left.

Just in time, too. Marvin backed up until his legs hit the edge of the bed. Immediately, he fell back onto the mattress, pressing his hands against his eyes. “Stop thinking about it,” he said to himself. “Stop thinking about it, stop it, stop.” That only seemed to make it worse. Images flashed in his head, leftover memories that weren’t his, but also were, and were also Jackie’s and someone else’s. The others called him Anti. Anti’s memories. They would pop up whenever something triggered them, and that ‘something’ was usually one of the others. Right now, the memories were about Jack, about what happened to his eye. Marvin could hear himself—no, Anti—laughing.

Shaking, Marvin slowly stood up again, staggering across the room to the door. Why was it that sometimes, his balance just didn’t work? Why was he so clumsy now? He grabbed the doorknob but didn’t open it, just pressing his forehead into the wood. These were the consequences for his actions. The memories, the problems with his magic, the lack of balance. It was all his fault. If he hadn’t gotten into his head that trying the transference spell would be fine, that not telling Jackie wouldn’t cause any problems...It hadn’t even been about helping people, like how Jackie probably wanted to, he just wanted to see if he could do it, to see if he could increase his power. And he caused everything. So this was his punishment. Served him right.

— — — — — — —

“Marvin says he wants dinner,” Jack said, leaning into the kitchen/dining room.

“Okay,” Jackie said cheerfully, grabbing another bowl from the cabinet. It was easy, since that particular cabinet was missing its door. It would probably stay that way for a while, too, since with all the other repairs the apartment required it wasn’t a high enough priority. Jackie set the bowl on the counter next to two others, then looked over at the pot of water. It wasn’t steaming or boiling. Did he forget to turn the heat on? He tapped the edge of the burner under the pot.

“Jackie!” Jack gasped.

“Oh, it’s fine, it’s not on,” Jackie assured him. “I was just checking.”

“You mean you didn’t know if it was on?!”

“It probably wasn’t.” Jackie looked up to see the dial hadn’t been turned. Oh. He probably could have looked at the dial before touching the burner. Well, whatever. He reached over and turned the dial to the 7 mark.

“Please be careful,” Jack said, looking nervous. “You could get hurt.”

“I am being careful,” Jackie said. It didn’t really matter, anyway. He was having trouble feeling pain lately. Or...most things, actually. It was weird, he was a bit numb. Not by too much, but enough to be noticeable, to know that he hadn’t been like that before. Marvin was just the opposite, nowadays he was constantly being overwhelmed with the texture and feel of things. But he was always more sensitive to sensations than the rest of them.

“Well, be even more careful,” Jack insisted. He backed out of the kitchen. “I’m gonna, uh, hang out in the living room. Tell me if you need anything.”

“Okay,” Jackie nodded. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Alright.” Jack hesitated for a second before turning away and leaving.

Everything was fine. Jack really didn’t need to worry, Jackie had everything covered. Making food was easy, really. It was something that he did all the time. The process was automatic, especially for making pasta. Just wait for a bit, occasionally stirring, then drain the water. It was all good. This was a normal thing that normal people did. Things were normal.

Of course, Jackie knew that every single thing he’d just thought to himself was a lie. But it was easier to pretend. Sometimes he pretended so hard that it felt like he was watching a movie filmed in the first-person, instead of actually existing in this body.

Oh, it was happening now, actually. Jackie watched as his hand pulled open the cutlery drawer and took out a long spoon. Then the hand started stirring the pasta in the pot. It was starting to get hot now. There was steam. How hot was it? The other hand reached forward and—

“Shit!” Jackie snapped back to reality, pulling his hand away from the side of the metal pot. “Ah. Fuck.” He looked down. The skin of his fingers was a bit red and tender. He opened and closed his fist a few times to help the leftover burning feeling fade away.

“Is everything okay?” Jack was back, apparently having heard Jackie shout. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just brushed against the side,” Jackie explained.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

“Well...okay, then.” Jack reluctantly backed out of view.

Everything was fine. Oh look, the pasta was suddenly done. Time had just flown past. Jackie poured the pasta into the strainer and then scooped it into the bowls. Marvin showed up, and then Jack, and they all ate in silence, after which Jack excused himself to go back to his recording room to do some editing. The moment he’d replaced all the broken computer parts, he’d gone back to making videos, though not nearly as frequently as before. That was...nice. Nice that he could do that.

Jackie wondered what he was supposed to do now. Not just for the rest of the day, but...for the rest of ever. He wanted things to be fine, to be normal, and he was pretty good at pretending they were. But they. Just. Weren’t. He couldn’t find the energy to start looking for a job, or for a new apartment, or even for new clothes. But at the same time, he didn’t want to keep borrowing from Jack. He didn’t want to just stay in place, but he couldn’t move forward.

At one point, he’d thought about going back out onto the streets. He didn’t know what happened to his old super suit, but he could make a new one. Then that train of thought had immediately crashed to a halt with a flash of memory. Not his, but also his. Anti’s. A memory with so much pain in it, and feeling glad at that pain. Somehow triumphantly vindicated to see suffering. No. Someone like that couldn’t be a hero.

So things continued. The same things. Every day.

Everything was fine.

— — — — — — —

Time passed. Autumn progressed, and it became cooler as September blended into October. Jack kept fixing up the apartment, and it was beginning to look good as new. Schneep finally convinced the building owner to let him back into his place, and so he moved out of JJ’s building. Chase was still having trouble finding a house, but he was glad to spend more time with Lily and Moira, absolutely doting on the two of them. Business at JJ’s shop started to pick up again, though he had to get used to carrying around a notepad since most customers didn’t know sign language.

Jackie and Marvin stayed where they were.

One night, a storm rolled over the city. Rain pounded the ground, thunder rumbled in the distance, and nobody went out of their houses. That night, Marvin went into the apartment’s bathroom and pressed his face against the small window to watch the storm. There wasn’t much to see. The glass was cloudy for privacy. But there was water running down the other side, droplets racing each other to the bottom.

Then there was a flash, and a fork of lightning split the window in half. A second later came the thunder. Marvin heard someone gasp, and jumped, spinning around to see Jackie standing in the open bathroom doorway. “Oh. Sorry,” Jackie muttered. “I just saw the lights on in here and—nevermind.”

Marvin just looked at him for a bit, then turned back to the window. Jackie stood there for a moment, then started to turn away.

“Jackie?”

He stopped at the sound of Marvin’s quiet voice. “Yeah?”

“Are we...bad people?”

Jackie didn’t answer, and that was an answer on its own.

“Should we...be here?”

“What do you mean?” Jackie asked.

Marvin started pulling at his fingers. “Just...what if something...happens?”

Jackie paled. “I-it’ll be okay. It’s all okay.”

“Okay.”

Neither of them moved. Then, quietly, Jackie admitted something. “I don’t want to be here.”

“You don’t?” Marvin finally turned around.

“I don’t think I should,” Jackie whispered. “Just...everyone is nice to us. But we...hurt them. Or, kind of us. I mean, he was still us, right?”

Marvin nodded. “I remember doing it.”

“Me too.”

“He can’t come back, though. Right?”

“I mean...no,” Jackie said slowly. “But what if we...what if something happens?” He echoed Marvin’s own words back at him.

Marvin was silent for a moment. “I don’t want to be here, either.”

“Should we leave?”

“What would we do?”

“I don’t know.” Jackie glanced down the hall, towards Jack’s bedroom. “But they’re...good people. And we’re.... We don’t...” He trailed off.

Another crack of thunder.

“Should we leave a note?” Marvin asked.

“No. They can figure it out. Should we stay together?”

“Maybe at first.”

“Okay.”

A few minutes later, the power in the apartment building went out. Jack left his bedroom, holding a flashlight. “Hey guys? The storm knocked the lights out. You okay?”

No answer. Not surprising, Jackie and Marvin could be pretty quiet. So Jack went to look for them.

But...they weren’t there. Not in the spare bedroom, not in the bathroom, not in the kitchen, not in the living room. “Guys?” he called, voice rising in worry. “Guys?!”

Still no answer. Swearing under his breath, Jack went back to his bedroom and picked up his phone from where he’d left it. He opened up the group chat and sent a message.

Jackie and Marvin are gone. I think they’ve left.

— — — — — — —

It was still storming when they got off the bus to look around. With the rain pouring down, it was hard to make out details of anything. There were the vague, tall shapes of buildings, the long stretches of clear roads and sidewalks...but everything else was a bit cloudy. “We should’ve brought an umbrella,” Marvin said, trying to shield himself from the rain by covering his head with his arms. It didn’t work.

“I didn’t think he had one,” Jackie said, peering through the falling water. “Do you want my jacket?”

“No, I’m fine.” Marvin shivered.

“I...okay, if you’re sure you’re alright,” Jackie said reluctantly. “Here, there’s a street sign over on that corner.” He walked up to the sign, Marvin trailing after him. “Uh...Everwood Lane. I...I don’t remember where that is. Do you?”

“No,” Marvin admitted. They hadn’t really had much of a plan, had they? Just up and left, trusting they’d figure it out in the moment. Saw a bus stopping at a nearby station, and hopped aboard, pretending to swipe bus passes so the driver, who wasn’t really paying any attention, wouldn’t notice. Then they’d gotten off at random, once they realized they’d been sitting in the bus for a while and they had to be far away by then. Why had they thought any of that would be a good idea? Why had he just gone along with it? 

“Well, uh. Let’s get inside.” Jackie pressed on, now walking up to the entrance of the nearest building. “Maybe we can ask someone in there, and it’ll be dry.” See? This would work out.

Luckily, that building turned out to be open, and they stepped into a front hall. It looked nice, but was completely empty. The only things of note were the pair of elevators, the door labelled ‘Stairwell,’ another unlabelled door, and a directory on a sign attached to the wall.

“No one’s here,” Marvin muttered.

“Someone has to be here, everything’s on.” Jackie scanned the directory. The building was nine floors tall, plus the ground floor, and every floor was listed as belonging to some business, each with operating hours attached. “Uh...what time is it?”

“...I don’t remember,” Marvin said. “And there’s no clock here. And we don’t have phones.”

“It’s fine, we’ll—we’ll just check around,” Jackie said optimistically. He walked over to the unmarked door and grabbed the handle, starting to push it open. Only to stop short when the door wouldn’t budge. Locked. Okay. That was fine. There were more options. Jackie turned around. “C’mon, we’ll take the lifts.”

“Mm-hmm.” Marvin nodded, following him to the elevators.

The elevator arrived, doors sliding open, and the two of them stepped in. “Right, we’ll just start with the first floor,” Jackie said, pressing the button. He waited for a few seconds, but the elevator wasn’t moving. The button hadn’t lit up. “Um...” He pressed it again. Then a couple more times. Then he tried the other buttons, pushing them hard.

“There’s a card reader attached,” Marvin pointed out, nodding towards a black box mounted on the elevator’s panel. “I don’t think it’ll work without the right card.”

“Oh.” Jackie was momentarily at a loss, but then he recovered. They just had to keep moving. That’s all. “I guess we’ll take the stairs, then.”

The stairwell was tall, white, and empty, metal stairs spiralling upwards with only a railing keeping the people walking up and down from falling off. Jackie led the way, climbing up the stairs quickly with Marvin a bit behind. But there was no luck. All the doors that led into the floors were blocked by the same card readers as in the elevators. Just in case, Jackie still tried to open them, both pushing and pulling, but to no avail. So they just kept climbing, stopping at every story so Jackie could try the doors with increasing desperation, while Marvin watched him with increasing annoyance.

Until finally, they reached the last door, this one labelled ‘Roof Access.’ Surprisingly, this one didn’t have a card reader. Jackie hesitated, then pushed it open, letting in a spray of rain from the storm outside. 

“Okay, this was useless,” Marvin said. “Let’s—”

“Well, maybe there’s someone outside,” Jackie suggested.

“In the rain?”

But Jackie was already heading out, pulling on his hood as he stepped into the storm.

Of course there wasn’t anyone there. Disregarding the misery of the weather, it was hard to see anything, including the railing that marked the edge of the roof. It would be dangerous to be up there. But Jackie still walked forward, looking around, until he eventually found that railing along the edge, grabbing the rain-slicked metal to orient himself.

“No one’s here!” Marvin shouted over a clap of thunder. He’d followed Jackie out onto the roof and was now standing about an arm’s length behind him, looking extremely unhappy about the whole situation. “Let’s go!”

“Right.” Jackie nodded. “We’ll just—just try another building, and ask where we are.”

“Then what?”

“Then we’ll—we’ll get a hotel.”

“How will we pay for it?”

“Uh...okay, not a hotel. We’ll...find our way to someone’s house, o-or something, and ask if we can stay.”

“What if no one lets us in?”

“We’ll—we’ll find an empty building.” Jackie grasped desperately at a way to salvage this situation, a way that wouldn’t involve them going back. He wasn’t even sure he could find his way back; he’d forgotten Jack’s address somewhere on the way. “Yeah. And then we’ll go to sleep, and in the morning, figure out a better plan. Yeah! It’s fine. Everything will be fi—”

“Everything will not be fucking fine, Jackie!” Marvin suddenly burst out. “This was a terrible idea! Why did we think to do this?! Why did I go along with it?! It’s raining, there’s lightning, we’re lost, my clothes are wet which I hate more than murder, and you’re being delusional!”

“I—I am being optimistic!” Jackie spluttered, letting go of the railing so he could face Marvin head-on. “I am trying to make the best of a difficult situation—”

“We shouldn’t even be out here!” Marvin interrupted. Another crack of thunder rang throughout the sky, even louder than before. “You suggested this! Why’d you suggest it?”

“Well, why did you ask if we should’ve been staying with the others if you weren’t prepared to leave?” Jackie countered. “You didn’t have to come with me! You didn’t have to go out at all!”

“Oh yeah, what was I going to do, tell Jack and the others, ‘sorry, I don’t know where they went, they said they were leaving and I thought that was alright’? No!”

“You could’ve convinced me to stay!” Jackie shouted. “You could’ve shot it down when I said it! But you went along, so you must have wanted to leave, too!”

“I—yeah, but it was more of a vague thing!” Marvin protested. “A what-if! I didn’t expect us to go right then!”

Jackie grabbed Marvin by the shirt. “Then why did you leave?! Why did we leave?! Why did we want to leave?!”

The sky lit up a brilliant white, electricity crashing. A bolt of lightning had hit a lightning rod attached to the building’s roof, only a room’s width away from the two of them. Sparks flew. Marvin screamed. Jackie instinctively covered him, hugging him tight to his chest and bending over. The sound was deafening, thunder right next to their heads, and even after it faded their ears echoed with the remains of it.

“Holy shit!” Jackie gasped, blinking the brilliant light from his eyes. His eyes...which were now glowing. The left was bright green, the right an equally bright red. Marvin’s were also glowing, though his right eye was the green one, and the other one was blue. “That was—oh my god. Marvin, are you okay?”

Marvin didn’t answer for a moment. He just stared at the lightning rod, still faintly glowing from being struck. And then...he let out a quiet sob.

“M...Marvin?” Jackie took a closer look at him, and realized his face wasn’t just wet from the rain. “Hey, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s fucking not,” Marvin cried. “All I could think about while we were walking up those stairs—all I could think about were the memories, the—you know the ones, the—I wasn’t even there, I was somewhere else. I hate this. I hate this! I hate what’s happened to me! I hate that it’s my fault!”

“Your fault?!” Jackie repeated.

“My stupid fucking selfish spell,” Marvin sobbed. “It’s all because of that! Everything happened because of that! Of course I should’ve realized, if the things I did after the spell were—were like that, then of course! Of course I’m a horrible fucking person that wouldn’t care about what that spell might do!”

“Marvin—”

“And you’re just going around acting like everything is alright!” Marvin said, jabbing a finger into Jackie’s chest. “You just like—like nothing happened, you keep saying everything is fine, it might be for you, but it’s not for me! No it’s fine, it doesn’t matter!”

“I just want everything to move on, Marvin!” Jackie said, grasping Marvin’s upper arms and pulling him close. “Everything has to be fine, but it’s not, so I have to pretend it is! Because if I stop pretending, all I can think about is what I’ve done. Every time I look at the others, I remember how I hurt them! Every time I look at you, I remember how I killed you!”

Silence, and the sound of rain.

“I didn’t...didn’t know you felt that way,” Marvin said, barely audible.

“I didn’t know you did, either,” Jackie whispered.

“That’s ironic, isn’t it?” Marvin commented dully. “Aren’t we connected now? Aren’t our souls all...mixed up with each other?”

“Yeah...” Jackie nodded. “Yeah.”

The two of them stared at each other. Eyes wide, hearts pounding, breathing heavy. Letting themselves be rained on. Until—

The door to the rooftop burst open, and a couple flashlight beams fell onto the two of them.

“Marv!”

“Jackie!”

“My friends!”

It was the others. All of them. Chase was in front with Jack close behind, then Schneep in the back holding onto Jameson’s arm for extra support. “Are you two okay?!” Chase asked.

“What happened?!” Jack added.

Is everything alright? JJ signed.

“Why did you go?” Schneep said.

Jackie took a step backwards, letting go of Marvin, who was too in shock to even notice. “You guys...h-how’d you find us?”

“JJ did,” Chase explained.

Luckily the tracking spell still works, JJ said. How did you two even get here? It’s the other side of town!

“I...we took the bus,” Jackie said numbly. “How—why are you here?”

“We came to find you, of course!” Schneep said, as if it was obvious.

“Why?” Marvin asked quietly.

“What?! Because you’re our friends!” Chase said, gaping. “If you leave to go out with no note, no anything, in the middle of a thunderstorm—” Thunder rumbled in the distance as if to prove his point. “—and without any way for anyone to contact you, anything could have happened! We were so fucking worried!”

“...why?” Marvin repeated.

“You’re our friends,” Jack reiterated. “We care about you. What if you got hurt? That would be—fuck. I-I don’t even want to think about it.”

Jackie felt tears in his eyes, and he let them slip out, hidden by the rain. “But—but it was going to be better this way.”

“Better? Better?!” Schneep repeated incredulously. “No no no no no no, we went through so much to see you again. You cannot just disappear! And less expect us to be fine with it!”

“But...w-we—I—I hurt you!” Jackie blurted out. “So much! I mean, look at yourselves! You still have the scars!”

“That wasn’t you,” Chase said gently, slowly approaching. “That was Anti.”

“Well, Anti was us.”

“Anti was two parts you guys and, like, seventeen parts black magic,” Chase said. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“It feels like it,” Marvin muttered. “You’d say the same if you remembered doing it.”

“What if something happens?” Jackie said, his voice hushed. “What if we...while we’re around you guys, what if we...hurt you? Th-there’s a possibility, right? As long as we’re around.”

Jack’s next question was soft, almost unheard through the rain. “You don’t want to hurt anyone, right?”

“No!” Jackie said, aghast. Marvin shook his head furiously.

“Then you won’t,” Jack said firmly. “I mean, sure, there will be accidents. But you can’t run from everyone because you’re afraid you might hurt them. A life like that would be so lonely. We trust you. Both of you. And you trust us. That’s what friendship’s built on, isn’t it? Trust.”

Jackie fell silent. The four of them stood firm, agreeing with Jack’s sentiment. Did they...really want them to stay?

“We don’t—” Marvin stammered. “I-I-I don’t—we’re—I’m—not...the type of person...who should have friends.”

“What?” Jack asked, shocked.

“You’re all so nice, a-and good,” Marvin said. “We...I don’t...deserve you.”

“That is ridiculous,” Schneep said. “Marvin, and Jackie, you are both some of the best friends I ever had, and the same goes for everyone else.”

“We’re not...good people,” Marvin said desperately. “If we were Anti, we can’t have been. Good people wouldn’t become...that. A-and you’re all just saying it ‘cause you’re friends.”

Can I say something? JJ, who’d been waiting on the sidelines, finally spoke up. Look, I barely know either of you. I’m new to all this. But I can tell that neither of you are bad people. Flawed, yes, but so is everyone. Chase said that Anti was mostly black magic, and he’s right. You can’t be blamed for what that entity did; its perception was warped and broken. You two are nice, you seem smart, you’re friendly to others. You are not bad people.

“Look, I know, it’s hard to accept that you deserve nice things,” Chase jumped in. “But you do. You want to step away from friends and good things because you think you’re not worthy. It’s gonna be hard to accept that you are. But that’s why we’re here, okay? To help you accept that.”

“And to point out when you need something,” Schneep added. “Something that you think is above you. I swear, I will fight every single bad thought you have, anything that tells you that you do not deserve all the care and love that you do.”

Jack laughed a bit. “Yeah. We all will.”

Both of them were crying, and despite the falling rain, it was quite obvious. Marvin reached over and grabbed Jackie’s hand, pulling him close. “I...I’m sorry,” he choked out.

Jackie nodded. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, voice rasping. “I...we should...I’m going to go back. Are you going to?”

“Yeah. I’m going back, too.”

Jackie nodded again, then let go of Marvin’s hand. He took a deep breath, and walked over to join the others.

Marvin shivered. The rain was starting to feel even colder than it had before. But as he carefully stepped towards the group, it felt a bit warmer.

The moment the two were close, the remaining four huddled around them. Hands were held and tears were shed, slowly joining together in a tight group hug. Everyone kept saying how proud they were of them, how happy they were to have them back, how much they loved them. And more tears leaked out, though of a different sort of emotion altogether. They were so caught up in the moment that they didn’t even notice the rain until they headed back down the stairs.

And as the six headed home, the storm started to lessen.

— — — — — — —

“Can’t believe it’s actually snowing,” Jack muttered, brushing white flakes off his coat. “It never snows here.”

“I like it.” Jackie looked around, taking in the white blanket covering the park, then up at the sky. “Everything looks all clean. I like how the snow is all smooth.”

“Mm. Won’t be for long.” Jack pointed. The two of them were content to sit at a picnic table, sheltered from the snowfall by a nearby tree. But some ways away, two girls were running through the snow, pelting their dad with snowballs. Chase was laughing. It was good to see. Lily tripped over something in the snow, and he bent over to help her up. “There’s gonna be so many footprints when they’re done with it.”

“Aw.” Jackie frowned, pulling his coat closer. He didn’t really feel the cold, but it still affected him, so he had to make sure to dress appropriately for any weather. “Hey...when will the others be here? Do you think they forgot we were going to meet up?”

“I don’t—wait.” Jack paused. “Nope, there they are.”

A car pulled into the nearby lot, and three people stepped out. JJ recently got his license, so he and Chase had become the chauffeurs of the group. He looked around, then waved at the others, turning back to point them out to Marvin and Schneep. The three headed over, and Jack and Jackie made room for them at the table.

“It is so cold!” Schneep immediately started complaining. “There is going to be so much ice later, it is awful!”

“Oh shush, you like having cold weather so you can have warm drinks and stuff,” Marvin said.

“Okay, yes, but that is inside, where I cannot risk the chance of slipping,” Schneep griped.

JJ laughed. Speaking of warm drinks. He pulled his backpack off and rifled through it, taking out a couple thermoses. I thought if we were going to be meeting up out here, we should keep hot.

“Oh nice!” Jack grabbed one with his name written on the side in sharpie. “What’s this?”

Tea and coffee. And hot chocolate for the kids, JJ explained.

“Sweet,” Jackie said, leaning over to grab one as well.

“So, uh...” Jack cleared his throat, and turned to Marvin. “How’d it go?”

Marvin leaned back, rocking slightly on the picnic bench. “Good, I think. I mean, it’s just the first session, but...it was a good sign, I guess.”

“Hey, uh, Marv?” Jackie said. “I...forgot the address.”

“Oh. Right. It’s uh...Hang on a moment.” Marvin pulled out his phone, opening up the notes. “547 Norwich, on the east side. You can’t miss it, there’s a big sign with ‘Riverwood Counseling” on the front. You’re, uh...going soon?”

“Next week.” Jackie copied the address into his own phone. “‘M a bit nervous,” he mumbled.

“Nothing to be afraid of,” Schneep said encouragingly. “They are very good, very reputable. And if things are not working, they will transfer you to someone new without any charge.”

Jackie smiled a bit. “Well, I guess if you guys trust them.”

At that moment, Chase and the girls got tired of their snowball fight and came over to the table. “Hi!” Lily said brightly. “Ooooh, what’s that?”

“It’s a thermos,” Moira explained to her sister. “They’re for hot things like soup. And hot chocolate.”

“Well, would you look at that? There are two with your names on them,” Chase said brightly. “Here you go. JJ, you brought them, right?”

JJ nodded. Cocoa for them. And this one has some tea for you.

“Oh sweet! Thanks, Jays.”

It had been a few months, and the group had decided to meet up for some casual catching up. Chase had finally gotten a new house, just a rental but he hoped to find one for himself eventually. Schneep had started taking online classes. Since he couldn’t exactly continue his surgeon profession he decided to go back and find something else to do. He was particularly interested in physics, and he was convinced that it could explain how his new magic worked. Jack’s apartment was almost entirely repaired, and the Internet had finally settled down about his disappearance. JJ’s shop was picking up business again.

And Marvin and Jackie? Well, they’d found themselves a new place. A small townhouse, just big enough for both of them, part of a row of houses with connected walls. At first, they’d debated whether or not to continue living together or to live separately, but eventually decided on the former. After all, they still had problems, with memory and movement, and more, and decided it would be easier to live with someone who could help out. They were still working on finding new jobs. Jackie wanted something active, and Marvin wanted something quiet. The search was slow going, but they were making do. Jackie had been particularly bored at night, but didn’t want to go out and try being a vigilante again. Maybe eventually. Marvin was still relearning how to use his magic, and was teaching Jackie how to, as well, given Jackie’s new abilities.

The group had been talking for about half an hour when suddenly Moira tugged on the edge of Chase’s coat. “Dad? Who’s that? She’s been staring at us.”

Chase looked over towards where Moira was pointing, and his eyes widened. “Guys. Look who it is,” he said quietly.

The others all glanced in the same direction. “Shi—oh no,” Jack muttered. “It’s that—that magician. Delyth.”

JJ sighed. Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time.

“Who?” Marvin asked.

“She’s with the, uh, the magic police,” Jack explained.

“Oh fu—” Marvin quickly ducked his head, deliberately not looking over to where Delyth was standing, casually leaning against a tree.

“Should we talk to her?” Chase asked.

“I think so,” Schneep said. He paused, then stood up. “I will.”

“Wait, no, she’s coming over here!” Jackie gasped.

There was a sudden flurry of activity as the group tried to act casually, pretending they hadn’t seen her and weren’t keeping an eye on her as she walked over. Until eventually, they couldn’t pretend any longer.

Delyth stopped next to the table. “So...it is you,” she said slowly. “You know, you gave us one hell of a scare when you disappeared.”

“Hey, language,” Chase said, indicating the two small girls sitting next to him.

“Oh. Sorry.” Delyth paused. “We were looking for you, but it was like you all just...disappeared. Correct me if I’m wrong, but was a certain other magician helping with that?” Nobody answered. They weren’t about to throw Yvonne under the bus. Delyth shook her head. “Never should’ve given her access to ABIM systems,” she muttered.

“Did you want something?” Schneep asked.

“Hmm...well, no, not really.” Delyth looked them over, making eye contact with each. “You know, the ABIM is pretty busy. If a case hasn’t been active for two months, it’s deemed low priority, provided there’s no significant danger. If four months pass, we have to permanently shelve it, until there’s evidence for it becoming active again. Marked as unsolved, and people tend to forget about it.” She looked down at her watch. “Well, I have to go. It’s been nice seeing you all again. It’s been, what, five months?” After a moment, she nodded towards Jackie and Marvin. “Glad to see it all worked out. Goodbye.”

 The group remained mostly silent as she left, though Jack muttered a quiet “goodbye” and JJ waved as Delyth disappeared into a car in the parking lot and drove away. Then, once she was gone, Chase turned to the others. “What was that about?”

I think that was her saying the magicians won’t bother us, JJ signed, a bit in awe.

“Oh thank god,” Marvin breathed. “I don’t want to be on their bad side anymore. No more magic police, thank you very much.”

“She could have been a bit more direct with it, though,” Jackie added.

Jack just laughed. “Wow. So, I guess that’s the last we’ll see of her, then?”

“Provided nothing else strange happens to us,” Schneep pointed out.

“Well, I hope it doesn’t. I’ve had enough strangeness for my entire life.”

So...is it over, then? JJ asked slowly.

“Dad, what was that about?” Lily asked. “Who was that? What did she mean?” Moira nodded, agreeing with all the questions.

“Oh, it’s a bit complicated.” Chase pulled his daughter close and gave her a quick hug. “But it’s nothing to worry about anymore. I’ll explain when you’re older.”

“I guess it’s over,” Jackie repeated.

“Yeah...guess so,” Jack agreed.

Time went on, as it always does. The group ended their get-together shortly after, parting ways for a short while. After a few more months, the strange disappearances faded into local legend, with people speculating what happened but nobody getting close to the truth that was only known to a small group of six friends. Magic remained, side effects lingered, but they settled back into their place, becoming the new normal.

Still, none of them forgot what happened to them for those three years. It would be hard not to. They had scars to prove it, and some memories would never fade. But the past was the past. And together, they moved on, looking forward to the future.