#and today I was supposed to be getting non work stuff done as well that I would have done yesterday if I knew I'd feel like crap today

[ereborne]

Song of the Day: May 3

"Life Less Frightening" by Rise Against

[uhohdad]

EXPERIMENTAL - Konig Fic Part 2

Summary: Konig helps Researcher!Reader with a new technology they’ve been developing.

Part one: X

AO3 Link: X

Warnings: Flirting, Sexual Content, NSFW, Reader x Konig, talk of standard war stuff, Reader is a bit of a pervert. Non-con Voyeurism. Reader has anxious thoughts/low-self esteem-ish? No use of y/n, abduction, bondage, blood and injury.

Word Count: 7.2k

Reader gender/sex is incomprehensible cause I do it for the girls, the gays, and the theys

NSFW under the cut

It probably didn’t mean anything, right?

How common is your name, really? He probably was just thinking about his girlfriend or wife at home who just happens to share the same name as you, the same wife he didn’t happen to mention during your introductions - even if it would have been a really good icebreaker.

Yeah, that’s it.

It couldn’t have been about you.

Could it?

Your thoughts are spiraling now, not giving yourself the room to dissect one detail before your brain throws another at you. You still haven’t moved, wide eyes watching warm light reflect on his skin as he basks in post-orgasm bliss.

He’s still for a while, and you’re wondering if the finish had tired him out enough to lull him into a nap.

After a few minutes of watching the rise and fall of his chest, you decide the show was over and closed out of the software. There was some part of you, some part you’d hoped wouldn’t ever come to light, that decided to keep his feed connected.

You’ve crossed so many lines already. In for a penny, in for a pound, right?

You feel like you’ve ruined whatever chance you’ve had with him, violating his privacy like this. This was a man that wasn’t even comfortable showing his face, how did you think he was going to feel knowing a stranger has not only seen him fully naked but watched him jerk his cock to completion?

He doesn’t have to know. No one has to know. It’ll be our little secret and we’ll just pretend it never happened.

Yeah, you acted real casual today when you hadn’t done a horrible, awful, perverted thing. I’m sure you’ll act real casual the next time you have to look him in the eyes.

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

You rest your head on your keyboard not-so-gently, accidentally booting up an ancient mail software that was sure to kick your laptop’s fans into overdrive. An audible groan leaves your mouth.

Who knew non-consensual voyeurism would leave such a horrific feeling of guilt in the pit of your stomach?

That and the arousal that sits right underneath. Your underwear now had a wet stain from watching the show, unconsciously rubbing your thighs together as you had.

There was no way you were going to be able to focus on work now. You had been planning on staying late, but there’s no way you can analyze today’s data. Review his feed. Replay your conversations. Hear his breathing…

No, you just can’t do it right now. It’s too much.

You do a quick round of the lab, performing a sloppy iteration of your closing procedures, pack up your things, and head out for the day.

Before you do, you decide you might as well round out the horrific deed by doing one last terrible thing.

You pair your personal cell phone to the software and send yourself the erotic recording of Konig.

You’ll start fresh tomorrow, you decide.

————————————————————-

You most certainly did not start fresh tomorrow.

The next few days are a vicious cycle.

Go to work. Review Konig’s simulation footage. Fantasize. Feel guilty. Review raw data. Think about Konig touching himself. Feel aroused. Feel guilty. Rewrite codes. Go home. Watch erotic recording. Feel aroused. Get off.

Feel guilty.

Feel guilty.

Feel guilty.

You can’t help it. You’re out of control, an addict desperate to get their fix, ashamed of their actions but lacking the willpower to quit.

How are you supposed to stop thinking about him when all day at work you’re watching him fight his way through the shoot house, strong hands gripping his gun, and hearing to that laugh?

How can you go home and ignore the recording of him finishing while moaning your name?

You must have replayed it a thousand times. He moaned it like he was begging you, pleading with you. Such a powerful man choking on your name. Even after a full week had passed, it still had the power to excite you in ways you haven’t felt in ages.

Your next meeting with Konig was scheduled for today and if you had to judge solely by the feeling in your gut, you would’ve guessed you had eaten rocks for breakfast. Your brain tells you to flee and fast but your body is promised to these four walls. Your leg bounces as you pick at the fingers that beg for something to do besides type code.

You wanted to call it off. Tell Konig you weren’t feeling well and you’d try again next week. Or maybe hit the bricks entirely. Just walk out of the building and never look back. Forget about everything.

You’re reconsidering your career choices as a steady knock on the lab’s swinging door rips you from your thoughts.

Your wince before you look up, quickly plastering what you hope is a convincing smile on your face.

He catches your eyes through the glass and you notice them crinkle, unable to place an emotion to it. You’d been dreading this moment all week. Even going so far as to avoid looking at his live feed after the incident, just in case you weren’t able to feign the natural responses of hearing his recounts for the ‘first’ time. That in addition to the intrapersonal understanding that you couldn’t handle carrying anymore guilt-rocks in your stomach.

Looking him in the eyes was as hard as you imagined it to be. He pushes open the door and steps in, standing hesitantly near the entrance like he did last week. You notice he has a notepad in one hand, and it looks so comically small compared to his size. Like a giant holding a sticky note. In the other he holds your earpiece in an open palm, as if hesitant to wrap his fingers around it.

It doesn’t help that the first word that left his mouth as he entered the lab was your name. Flashbacks to his sweaty body, shuddering in pleasure as he came all over his rippling muscles grab your attention.

He had followed it up with something, but you had been too distracted to catch it. You close your eyes, touching your hand to your forehead.

You were not doing a very good job hiding your fluster.

“I’m so sorry- what’d you say?” You give a small laugh, partly to ease the tension in your chest and partly at the situation itself. It’s not funny, you know that. It’s terrible. So terribly ridiculous that you can’t help but laugh at yourself for getting yourself into this mess. Your hand follows through the rest of your hair in an effort to soothe yourself before falling back down at your side.

“Good to see you.” He repeats, tilting his head, taking just a few careful steps closer to you. His eyes dart to the side briefly before returning to you, “Is everything okay?”

You give another weak laugh, “Yeah, sorry. Just still in the zone.” You gesture vaguely at scattered papers and devices on the table. You don’t give him a chance to pry further, “How was it?”

He takes a moment to eye you carefully, and you are sure he’s about to call your bluff before he responds, “Remarkable.”

You swallow, breaking eye contact with him again. It’s always been hard for you to accept a compliment. You're hoping he doesn’t notice the warmth creeping up your cheeks, but you know you have absolutely no right to such a request after what you’ve done.

He clears his throat before he continues, “I promised you I would have feedback. It wasn’t easy.” He holds his notepad up briefly as he steps up to the table to carefully set it down along with your earpiece. You can see from across the table he’s got a few scribbled sentences spaced out on the notepad. You take note of his sloppy handwriting from across the table, before realizing he didn’t write in English.

He looks down at his notes and you’re thankful you have something to stare at that’s not Konig’s eyes or intimidating frame. You’re trying hard not to think about the body filling out his gear. You’ve grown so accustomed to seeing him naked that it’s almost strange to see him with his uniform on.

You can tell he takes a deep breath before continuing and you wonder briefly if he’s nervous about sharing his feedback, worried he will hurt your feelings. “You mentioned before that it scans objects?” The end of his sentence lifts, almost like he’s asking you a question, “I think it would be good to make sure that the user is always made aware of landmines. I’m positive it will save lives.”

“Yes, absolutely. That’s a great idea.” You nod as you jot his ideas down on your laptop, a reminder to update your code.

You’re happy to be talking shop. Even happier to be talking about defensive designs instead of offensive ones.

The way he rubs his bicep with his opposing hand triggers a realization. You finally look at his eyes, his still staring down at his notes, and watch him for a moment.

The idea didn’t come from thin air.

You wonder what he saw, what traumatic memories are being replayed behind the downcast eyes to inspire such an idea.

You feel an ache in your chest for him, the desire to alienate his discomfort but unequipped to do so. Instead you look at him, your eyes swollen with sympathy and the corner of your mouth pinched in a frown.

He takes a moment before looking back up at you. He notices your warped expression but misinterprets it, “Am I overstepping?”

Your voice is low and you press a hand to your heart, “No, Konig, not at all. This is very helpful.” You’re not sure what else to say to him. What do you say to a man haunted by the violence he’s witnessed?

The only thing you can do is make sure it doesn’t happen again.

You’re not working for the government anymore, you decided. You’re going to work for Konig. To tailor your device with the purpose to save and protect him.

So you stick to the topic at hand. “Any other ideas?” You ask, voice still soft with empathy as you glance down at the notes written in German.

“Uh,” He clears his throat again and touches the back of his neck over his hood, the fabric pulling a bit on the front, “Sometimes when we’re in the heat of things, I can’t always get to my remote.” He gestured to the band on his wrist. “Do you think it would be possible to have voice command?”

Your brain’s mulling over the possibility. You’re surprised you haven’t thought of it yet. You could eliminate the remote entirely, you’re sure your supervisor will be elated with the big savings on material costs. The earpiece already has a microphone for the comm, it wouldn’t be hard for you to configure it to an additional feature.

“Absolutely, voice control. That’s clever.” Your brain is already running with alternatives to the wrist remote as you type his ideas, “Do you go on a lot of missions that require stealth?” It’s easier to make eye contact with him when you’re discussing work. He nods, and you continue, “In addition to voice command, I could also add hand controls, able to identify and respond to the signal you give it - totally silent.” You tap your fingers on the table twice, “The only draw I can think of is having to memorize control signals.”

He thinks it over for a moment and shifts in his spot, “That’s even better.”

“I think it’ll be best to have both.” Your keyboard clicks under your fingers as you enter the ideas coming to you faster than you can get them down.

This is great. I’m not even thinking about-

Stop it.

“These are great, Konig, really. Anything else?”

Your encouragement makes him look away. You follow his stare as it darts to the side and then down to his notes. He places one hand on the table next to the notepad as he leans his weight onto it.

You briefly picture yourself between him and the table, his arm pinning you in as he towers over you, hunched to watch you like you’re his prey, chests so close they’re almost touching.

You quickly push the thought to the side, moving your attention back to your laptop. The only way to survive this meeting is to repress.

Repress your memories of what he looks like with his cock in his hand, arching his hips into the thrusts. Repress the sound of his moans and your name echoing clearly in your brain. Repress the guilt from the breach of privacy to the highest degree.

Please, just until we get through this.

You close your eyes and take a breath to collect yourself while he’s not looking.

He’s got other things written on the notepad, you’re sure. Unless the two ideas he’d already pitched managed to take up the whole page. “No.”

Your brows furrow, the question leaving your mouth without thought, “You’re sure?”

He pauses. You can tell he’s sitting on a thought, but you don’t know what.

“It’s okay. Like I said, it’s just a prototype. You won’t hurt my feelings.”

He straightens his posture before he speaks, “No. That was all I could think of.” He swallows, “If you feel I didn’t make good on my promise, I can fix it.”

“No, no!” You say with urgency, a hand shaking in his direction, “Those ideas you gave me were perfect. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t holding back on me.” A weak laugh escapes you. “I can’t stress how helpful this has been. I’m glad we’re doing this.”

Konig looks at you, those intimidating eyes staring at you from across the table. You wish you could see his face, hoping it would give some insight on what was going through his head. Even if you could you don’t think you’d be able to maintain eye contact.

He knows.

No, he doesn’t, shut up.

“I’ll keep thinking.” He says definitively, like he’s trying to right a wrong.

“You’ve only had it for a week,” you reassure, “Besides, you’ve given me plenty to work with.” You force a smile at him, not even caring how it’s coming off because you’re just hoping not to choke on the tension suffocating the room. You wonder if he feels it too, or if it’s all in your head.

He nods, and you look to your laptop in a futile attempt to thwart the dread suddenly pooling in your stomach. You’re reminded of what you’ve done when he crosses his arms, and your eyes are drawn to the same bicep on the arm that he used to pleasure himself. You’re picturing how it looks under his uniform, comparing it to your filthy reference. Your heart quickens and you can’t help but take in his build, even from across the long lab table. You feel extra small sitting on your stool while he stands, arms still crossed, staring.

The air between you two is definitely weird. Him getting off to probably-not-you and you watching but him not knowing that you know will certainly fill the room with a tension unlike any other.

These drawn-out silences are smothering you, not knowing what goes on being his hood.

He looks disappointed in you.

He knows.

“How can I help you in the meantime?”

You can’t help but breathe a small sigh of relief. You were planning on taking him back out to shoot house, running a few more simulations, and having him give feedback on a few more overlays.

You scrap that plan, looking forward to expanding on his ideas while your synapses are still firing.

“Well, here’s my thoughts so far. Landmine identification, the coding for that will be easy. The device already has the scanning capability for obscured objects. All I have to do is enable the specific object for full-time recognition. The hard part will be testing. I’ll have to meet with weapons development to develop prop landmines for simulation.”

You glance at the notes on your laptop, “Voice control - easy. Mic’s already installed and all I would have to do is add speech-to-text recognition, repurpose the wrist control coding, and then…testing.” Your hand finds the side of your face as you think it over, “Well, I may need to sample voice lines from you and a couple of your friends…” You loosely gesture with the same hand as you continue, “But there may be workarounds to that. Put a pin in that.” You’re on a roll now, “Now the hand controls - that might be more complicated. I’m thinking I’ll have to start fresh with the hardware.” You look up, “Then again… it already has the scanning capacity. I could probably just teach the current model with software alone. But the coding will take some time to figure out.”

Your eyes find him again. He’s staring and as per usual you can’t decipher it.

“Y’know,” you continue with a smile, “You could help me come up with hand signals?”

He nods.

He doesn’t give you much to work with, does he?

“I’ll need references of your hands. To teach the AI, is that okay?”

He looks down in a way that makes you feel so, so ashamed. If he is hesitant about recordings of just his gloved hands, how would he feel if he found out about what you did? About the video living on your phone?

After a moment he looks back up at you, “I’ll do it.” His voice is stern as usual, always treating everything with importance, with determination.

You give him another shaky smile, “Might be awhile. Wanna sit?”

He pulls up a stool to his end of the table and you instruct him to put his earpiece on as you return to your software on the laptop, trying not to trigger the memory of the last time you watched his feed. You pretend to resync your devices, glad he can’t see your screen. A wave of shame washes over you.

You’re both collaborating for some time, you offering a prompt and him stiffly coming up with a corresponding hand command. You supervise his feed, having him tilt his hands so the AI has references from multiple angles.

The rest of the meeting is professional and you manage to steady your obsessive thoughts as best you can. It’s hard to observe his hands and not think about the video, about what you watched those same hands do.

About how those hands would feel mapping all of the curves of your body.

How they would feel gripping onto your hips as you rode him.

How they would feel sneaking up your thighs, teasing you.

Somehow, you make it.

Once you decide you’ve covered enough references, Konig heads out, and you hope to continue staving off your thoughts by wasting no time on incorporating his ideas into your design. You’re hoping to have a least one rough draft done before next week’s meeting, so you plan on hunkering down and forfeit your Friday night to work overtime.

—————————————————————-

It’s late in the evening, you can tell by how your eyes are burning, strained from staring at your bright screen. You don’t bother to check the actual time. It would just bum you out. Spending your Friday night working. Not that you would have been doing anything partially exciting if you hadn’t. You probably would have just spent your evening analyzing footage anyway, just of a more perverted genre.

When you finally call it quits, the base is barren. Everyone’s gone home or retired to their quarters by now. It’s quiet after the base door shuts behind you, automatic locks clicking into place.

You’re feeling better after today’s meeting with Konig. Somewhere in the previous week you’d convinced yourself that he knew, that at any moment he was going to report you, and at any moment security would bust in the lab to escort you out.

Seeing him again, even though you couldn’t always figure out what he was thinking, reassured you that he hadn’t somehow telepathically figured out your terrible deed. You don’t think he would have bothered to keep helping you, or even be able to look at you without disgust if he did know.

The meeting also re-sparked your feelings of arousal and excitement. The knot in your lower abdomen made its presence known again. So much more desirable than the spiraling guilt. You’ve come to lean into the highs, enjoying it while you can, knowing soon you’ll be feeling nauseous at the thought of yourself.

You don’t know how much longer you can take the rollercoaster. This week has been exhausting. You can’t believe you’ve allowed this man to root himself into your life, seeping into every facet.

Career, personal, sexual, and - well, you’re still in denial about the romantic feelings - but it’s incredibly impressive how this man was capable of fucking your entire life up for the small price of a couple of hours and a few exchanged words.

When you finally get to the privacy of your home, you let out an audible groan. Loud enough to carry but quiet enough to not disturb the neighbors. You just needed to let something out, it was getting frustrating.

You didn’t want to think anymore, you didn’t want to think!

“Long day at work?”

You freeze, and the sound of heavy footsteps fill your ears. Two armed soldiers with fully equipped gear stride from the depth of your home, meeting you at the entrance.

The sight of them alone is enough to intimidate you. You instinctively back against the locked door, your trunk obscuring a hand moving towards the doorknob.

“Tsk, tsk. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”The taller of the two soldiers wears a black balaclava with a skull stitched in, his unimpressed stare drilling into you. You hear a click, and your wide eyes lock on to the gun in his hands, pointing right at your core.

You slowly release the doorknob, raising your shaking hands so they could see your palms.

“That’s good babe,” The other soldier speaks, but you’re too busy staring down the barrel of the gun to worry about it.

“I have to admit I’m a little upset with you,” Skull-face, as you appropriately nicknamed him, speaks as his eyes bore into you, “You kept us waiting a long time.”

He’s got some sort of thick accent laced into his grave voice, they both do, actually, but you’re too busy trying not to piss your pants to be able to place the region of origin.

A lump forms in your throat and you don’t think you‘ve taken a breath since you heard the unfamiliar voice in your home.

It’s violating. Them being here. Where you go after a long day of work to relax. Where you eat, sleep, shower, and just be.

How dare they defile and taint your safe place, where you hide away and pretend the exhausting world around you doesn’t exist?

You’re stuck, unsure of your next move and paralyzed with fear.

“We think you have something we want.”

You’re not sure what they mean, but you nod in compliance anyway. Not much you can say no to against two heavily armed men. You finally break your gaze away from the gun and take turns making frightful eye contact with them. You speak after a failed attempt of swallowing your fear, voice soft and broken, “Take it.”

They exchange a knowing glance with each other, the man with his face exposed bears an irritatingly smug grin.

Skull-face approaches you threateningly, sending fear down your spine and making your skin crawl as you push yourself further into the door. He leaves no room for pleas as he flips his gun around, the stock coming down on your forehead with enough force to knock you out cold.

————————————————————-

Your splitting headache was the first thing you registered when you came to. You can’t seem to concentrate, the fog in your brain so extreme your thoughts are incoherent. You let out a meek whimper as you attempt to open your eyes, the lights in the room stunning you and intensifying the throbbing pain in your skull. You wince, closing your eyes again to block it out.

A few moments pass - and the next thing you notice is the dryness in your mouth, unable to manage a swallow from the dehydration.

Water.

The only intelligible thought you’ve had after registering your discomfort, the instinctual desire stronger than the dizzy haze clouding your brain.

You lift your head, trying to move but your weakened muscles fail you.

Your muscles are weak, yes, but what’s really keeping you in place are the restraints.

You wince again, eyes scrunched to block out the brutal light as you tug to confirm you’re secured. Your wrists were bound behind you, your shoulders overextending around the back of the chair you were planted on. Your ankles bound to either leg of the chair. There’s another restraint wrapping under your arms and around the back of the chair, keeping your upper half upright. There’s a rashy burn underneath the coarse ropes that dug into your skin as your unconscious body leaned into it.

You let out another whimper from the back of your coarse throat. While you weren’t alert, every instinct within you notified you of the danger you were in.

Gotta move.

You try to squint one eye, but it still doesn’t save you from the flash intensity of your headache. Your eyes are stinging on top of it and you realize you’re partially blinded, vision blurred and doubled, stained red with your own blood.

You grit your teach, determined to figure out where you are. You try to concentrate your vision but to no avail.

Even so, you can tell you’re not at home, and you’re not on base.

Once you make your discovery, one that expended what little willpower you had, your eyes clench back shut, desperate to alleviate the migraine.

A secondary location, you thought to yourself through the pain, I’m fucked.

You can’t hear anything, the ringing in your ears deafening you.

You let out one more defeated whine before resting your chin on your chest, pinching your eyes closed.

You have no idea how long you drift in and out of consciousness for. During the brief moments you come to, you’re so disoriented you can’t make sense of your thoughts, and that coupled with the debilitating pain in your head is unnerving enough to make you cry tears of pure confusion.

It’s your neck snapping back to follow the hair yanking on your scalp that jolts you awake, and try to open your eyes to find the threat but they’re still not working as they should. Underneath the debilitating ringing, you can hear the sound of muffled male voices, unable to make out what they’re saying.

You gave up.

You were wounded & trapped, and in nature that meant a death sentence. You were in no shape to properly defend yourself. Couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t move, couldn’t think.

You were as done as the toast made from your own designs.

After wincing, your eyes screwed shut, you go limp and give in to the man physically controlling you like a sadistic puppeteer.

The muffled voices are louder, you still can’t make out their words but you can tell they’re having some sort of argument. They’re yelling at each other, and your scalp becomes collateral as the one tightens his grip on your hair to match his escalated volume

He’s right in your ear now and it’s not helping with the headache.

Just hurry it up, You manage through the haze, just hurry it up and put me out of my misery.

He throws your head forward to the position it was in before, slumped over as much as the ropes would allow with your chin pointed to the ground. The force rattles your skull in a way that makes you see a searing white behind your eyelids. What little water you had left in you was escaping through your swollen eyes lids and down tear-stained cheeks.

Just kill me, please.

——————————————————-

When you come to again, you’re no longer sitting. You’re flat on your back. Your neck secured so your head is in line with your spine. Your headache takes the front stage but the pain has noticeably subsided. You try to open your eyes again, but the lights above you are still excruciating.

You let out a low moan and shut your eyes again.

Your ears still ring, but a good portion of your hearing has returned to you. You hear your name, followed by, “are you awake?”

You grunt in response, unable to form sentences.

“Can you open your eyes for me?”

You wince, trying to shake your head but unable. Instead, you grunt again before parting your lips. You tried to say, “Lights,” but your voice is so hoarse it comes out broken and cracked.

“What is it?”

You try and clear your throat, putting all your power into your strained voice, “Lights.”

They understand, and while you still can’t hear the flick of the switch, you can tell from behind your eyelids they’ve been shut off.

You try to mutter a “Thank you,” but give up a quarter of the way through.

You slowly open your eyes, still burning but blood wiped away from them. Your vision is still blurry, but no longer doubled.

“Do you remember what happened?”

You try to shake your head, but can’t. So you force a weak, “No.”

“Do you know where you are?”

“No.”

“Do you know what today’s date is?”

You just grunt, closing your eyes again. You didn’t know the answer but you were too fed up with the questions to respond.

“Can you see?”

You grunt again.

“Okay, how ‘bout this? Can you wiggle your fingers for me?”

You try to lift your arm in the direction of the voice but your action is cut short, your arm jerked still by a restraint on your wrist. You open and close your fingers slowly at the maximum range the restraint will allow.

“How ‘bout your toes?”

Your toes move slightly, your calves aching at even such a mild movement.

“Good, thank you. How’s the hearing?”

Kill me or leave me alone, you think.

You eventually freeze the owner of voice out, finally leaving you alone to rest.

The next few days are a miserable, confusing blur. Somewhere along the way you’re informed you’re in medical, being treated for your extreme concussion. No skull fracture, thankfully, but they suspect the bruising is severe if it was enough to knock you unconscious.

The concussion had scrambled you good, and you were not nearly as sharp as you usually are.

It took you a whole five days, not that you could keep track of the passing time, before you realized that you were not at medical on your base.

You were in medical, restrained to a hospital bed-

in enemy care.

————————————————————

There was nothing you could do. Restrained to your bed, sedated with painkillers when they thought you were becoming too active.

“To help you rest.” They told you, but you couldn't trust a word that came out of their mouths.

Medics are supposed to be neutral, bound to an ethical code to heal the injured, enemy or not. That didn’t stop some medics from harboring grudges after years of patching up their own soldier’s brutal wounds of war.

The next time the medicine wears off for a long amount of time, with no medics in sight, you conveniently get visitors, the soldiers that had visited you in your home.

The events had been beaten out of you, but the traumatic event had seeped somewhere deeper into your psyche, and you knew deep down you were in trouble at the mere sight of them.

Skull-face especially, you don’t know how or why, but your intuition tells you he’s responsible for this. “Ready to answer some questions? Or do you need me to put you back to sleep?”

You can tell by the sharp edge in his voice he doesn’t mean the painkillers.

“Maybe I’d be able to answer your questions if you hadn’t given me brain damage.” Your patience is running thin, and an ember ignites a flame inside you, “Who knows what information you knocked out of me.” You stare directly into his eyes, brows furrowed, the tone of your voice inviting trouble in.

He already took everything away from you. At this point you don’t care if he puts you under. You’re begging him too. Every time you wake up you just want to go back to sleep. You don’t want to deal with it, any of it.

Skull-face makes a move to advance but the maskless soldier stops him by putting an arm out, laying it firmly across his to hold him back.

You don’t flinch, eyes now staring down the soldier with a stubbled jaw and a mohawk that ended in a widow's peak. It’s a haircut you find highly unusual for a soldier.

Your face doesn’t crack, but you squint at the pair, “What do you even want to know? I don’t even work on the field, I have no information.”

Skull-face looks down at you, “Oh, we know.” That stupid accent and that stupid mask. If you weren’t restrained you think you would have launched at him, risking it all to get a few good scratches in with your fingernails. He reaches into his pocket and your eyes widen and your brows retract at what he pulls out.

Not a weapon, no.

It’s your design, the AI-powered earpiece, and your wrist remote.

Skull-face notices the realization that sets across your face, “Awh, looks like your memory is working fine after all.”

The flame inside you laps at your skin, your features flushing with anger. A lot at Skull-face, for being such a cocky prick, but mostly at yourself.

You did this yourself. You figured your day of reckoning would come eventually. That karma would bite you in the ass, and those who are affected by your designs will stand by and laugh at your demise.

You should have just stuck with redesigning kitchen appliances.

“Why don’t you show us what you’ve been cooking up, huh? We know you’ve been busy.”

The pair share another knowing glance, Mohawk snickering at your expense.

“How did you get that?” You ask through gritted teeth, knowing there’s no way they could have gotten into the highly secured base.

“What is it?” Skull-face asks.

“It’s an intercom.” You grit, the ache in your head pulsing. You miss the painkillers.

“Don’t lie.”

“I’m not.”

Mohawk steps in, “It’s okay, we all get embarrassed about our porn.”

You furrow your brows at him.

What the hell was he talking about?

Skull-face elbows him in the side, but it doesn’t keep his partner from smiling, “What is it?” He asks again.

“It’s an intercom.”

He’s getting sick of this game and he goes to step to you again but Mohawk cuts him short. “Ghost!” He says firmly.

Ghost, that was Skull-faces name. Or call sign, at least. You hated him, but you’d wished the other soldier would just let him at you. You didn’t care anymore.

Mohawk looks at you, “Look, there’s only so much I can do,” gesturing to Ghost, “Can’t we all just get along for a little bit, yeah?”

“How about you get along with deez nuts.” You laugh at your dumb joke, a laugh influenced by the daze of concussion and painkillers. You’re in hysteria, the laugh spills out and doesn’t let up. A release of built-up stress and frustration and anger that seeped out uncontrollably. Cackling at yourself for ending up in this situation. Only you would be capable of such hijinks. The laugh leaves you out of breath and with eyes full of tears. You don’t even care how it exacerbates the headache, or how you’re coming off as insane. It feels too good to let out the pent-up emotions, one way or another.

Your elation is cut short with a squeak as a gloved hand cuts harshly into your trachea. Ghost squeezes, roughly lifting you by the neck before shoving you back down on the hospital bed, his grip tighter than before. His voice is low and filled with caution, “I am getting sick of you.”

If you could breathe enough to talk, you’d tell him the feeling’s mutual. Instead you gag and sputter, which he takes as a sign that you are still getting air, and forces more of his weight onto your neck.

Your hands fail to defend yourself, the restraints holding you from fighting back. You’re getting close to blacking out, your laugh having already knock most of the wind out of you, but Mohawk pulls Ghost off of you, his hands firm on Ghost’s shoulders, “Stop! Stop.”

You involuntarily gasp, desperate for air, trying not to choke on your own spit. For a moment all you can hear is the blood rushing in your ears, flowing desperately to replace what Ghost restricted.

“Come on, last try.” He warns, and you can tell in your voice he means it.

You eye him carefully, still heaving for air. When you collect yourself, you speak, “I’ll show you.” You say, voice weak and breathy. You try to hold out your hand, but get stopped by the restraints.

Mohawk glances at Ghost, but Ghost keeps his stern eyes trained on you. He stays still for a moment, studying you with his arms crossed.

You roll your eyes, your chest still huffing as you reclaim your air, “Don’t trust me? Fine. I’ll walk you through it. Put the fucking bracelet on.”

He stares for another moment before taking the device from Mohawk. Must of handed it off so he could strangle you better.

He puts it on his wrist.

“Now tap the top.”

He follows your instructions, the wrist remote’s projection displaying above his wrist.

“Go ahead and open your settings.” You guide him through it, activating a few select overlays. “You got it. Now put the earpiece on.”

Ghost hesitates, looking over to his companion before he slowly reaches up underneath his balaclava, attaching the earpiece.

“Yep, and while you’re in there, go ahead and hit the button on the base.”

You watch as your design activates, displaying the transparent overlay over his eyes. He’s taken aback, unnerved by the unidentified design being so close to his vulnerable eyes.

“Ta-da!” You say sarcastically, showing off the full range of the restraints as you offer weak jazz hands. “So I’ve given you some information. Maybe you can give me a little information, yeah?”

He doesn’t say anything as he removes his hand from his mask.

“Where am I?” You ask.

“You know where you are.”

“How’d you find me?”

“We tracked your cell phone.”

You squint, “Why were you tracking my phone?” It doesn’t make any sense, there’s no way they would have been able to pin your cell phone information back to base. You don’t use it for work and there’s no way you had connected to the private Wi-Fi. It’s apples and oranges, you think.

Mohawk steps in front of Ghost and holds out his phone in your direction. It takes a moment for the image to come into view, your vision still impaired. When your eyes adjust, the screen shows you something that makes your blood turn cold.

It’s the video of Konig jerking off.

“Okay! Okay.” You wave your hands, “Just put that away, I get it.”

When you connected your phone to your software to transfer the recording of Konig, it briefly connected to your laptop.

Base internet has state-of-the-art firewalls and encryptions to prevent surveillance, hack-in, key logs.

Cell phones do not.

So they’ve been tracking you all week, and who knows what kind of information they were able to pull from your software? From your laptop, containing dozens of government secrets?

No, you think, they wouldn’t be going through the trouble of keeping me alive if they had the information on my laptop.

“What’s the matter? Embarrassed that gettin’ your rocks off caused a security breach in confidential information regarding warfare development?” Mohawk mocks.

Well, yes you were, now that he mentions it. You’re actually very worried your perverted little stunt will somehow end up forever immortalized in history books.

In the moment, though, your main concern was making sure that Konig wouldn’t find out, as you had started transmitting the device’s feed to him as soon as Ghost turned the earpiece on.

Part Three

[changingplumbob]

Just a note to say Drusilla is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.

Glenn walked over to the large tower. Jackson and Coleman had really made all those bricks on top of the ones for the houses? No wonder they were so cranky, it was a lot of work. Expecting the inside to be plain stone he was pleasantly surprised to see it furnished in a similar fashion to the living spaces of the houses with wood panels on the walls, a lot of books, and some comfy couches.

Glenn: Ummm, Drusilla? Are you... here?

The response came from somewhere above him.

Drusilla: For you, I suppose so, if you have something to offer. Up the ladder

Glenn turned and noticed the ladder leading upwards. Well he hadn't got his workout in today so he supposed this would have to count. Testing how fast he could climb he reached the top easily and pulled himself on to the floor.

Drusilla: My time has a price Glenn, what do you want

Glenn: It's not me specifically, well I guess it is, but Phoebus said I should see you about learning some spells

Drusilla: *scoffs* You think you can manage what I do

Glenn: I don't actually know what you do

Drusilla: A lot, I've been at this a long time. How about necromancy

Glenn: Oh, no, I don't fancy bringing anyone back from the afterlife

Drusilla: *sighs* Why does everyone think that's what necromancy means? It's about communicating with spirits of the dead, completely different to reanimation

Glenn: Do you... reanimate stuff?

Drusilla: Some of the spirits enjoy a taste of life. For example, if a bird breaks it's neck I can make it a stable house for a spirit for up to a week

Glenn: Right, well, I don't think I'll be trying that out

Drusilla: Reading minds of others? It can be incredibly useful and often far easier than talking

Glenn: Uh, I'm going to say no again. I do actually enjoy talking

Drusilla: *huffs* What do you actually want to do then Glenn? I don't have time to figure it out for you

Glenn: Phoebus said you're the best at mischief magic, is there some kind of magic trick you can teach me? To keep me safe if I decide not to stay here

Drusilla: Why would I teach a trick? Although... I suppose some kinds of illusion spells could be helpful...

Glenn: What do you mean

Drusilla: What are the walls made of Glenn

Glenn: Uh, bricks on the outside, a lot of bricks. Then wooden paneling for the interior walls

Drusilla: Wrong. They are completely brick

Glenn: But the panels-

Drusilla: There are no panels Glenn. They're a self sustaining illusion I cast. I could teach you something similar, how to make it look like something is there or more useful, how to hide something from sight

Glenn: If it's not too dangerous

Drusilla: So long as you don't hide a dragon you're fine. Now, my fee

Glenn: Fee?

Drusilla: For my time. I'm doing some research on alternate universes. How they may interact, if there are ways to see others, contact alternate me's, that sort of thing. Heartbreak has been in short supply around here so I'll borrow some of yours, it can be a useful ingredient

Glenn: You'll borrow my heartbreak?

Drusilla: It's tied to you, so I'll just borrow a bit of you. Now, I best use it right away so you stay here and finish this gem for me

Glenn: Wait you're charging me and expecting me to do something for you?

Drusilla: If you ever want your hair colour back then yes

Glenn: What do you mean my hair colour?

Drusilla: An integral part of you is your hair, it holds a good portion of your essence and therefore the heartbreak. I've borrowed the colour

Glenn: Wait, are you saying-

Drusilla: Your hair is black right now? Yes

Glenn: But- but- I didn't feel anything

Drusilla: I'm just that good

Glenn: But I love my green hair! It makes me me, and looks good

Drusilla: Then I guess you'd better get on with the task I set if you ever want it back

Glenn: You can't just steal stuff like that

Drusilla: *scoffs* Maybe you can't but I assure you, I can. Don't worry, the spirits will tell me when you're done, then I'll return the colour

Glenn: But I don't know anything about gem carving

Drusilla: That sounds like a you problem. No time to learn like the present Glenn

Glenn watched Drusilla depart and felt his heart sink. They may be powerful but something told him he should stay clear of Drusilla in future if he could.

Drusilla: *yelling* That's not very nice

Damn, they did read minds.

Previous ... Next

[the-wip-project]

Bad Brain Days

Today I’m having a bad brain day.

It’s not that my brain is misbehaving. It’s just having a rough time functioning.

You might call it something else, and it has numerous causes, a bad night’s sleep, a flare up of a chronic health condition, medication issues, a short term illness, or simply being overwhelmed with responsibilities.

Whatever the cause, we all have days when our brain doesn’t want to do what it’s supposed to, ie: think.

Which is bad for life in general, and particularly bad for the thinky work of writing.

So what does a committed writer do when faced with a bad brain day?

The first and simplest thing is yield. If your body is telling you to rest, it’s a good idea to heed it.

I don’t advocate for pushing yourself to write every single day. (unless streaks really work well for you, in that case streak on!) It’s especially important if your bad brain days are often caused by feeling overwhelmed.

No doubt you have things you must get done: work, classes, child or elder care, household responsibilities. Things you can’t skip just because you’re not feeling up to it. So do yourself a favor and skip the non-vital tasks, like writing. Just for today.

But perhaps that writing habit thing is starting to catch hold and you’re looking forward to your writing session as something you do for yourself, but sadly your brain just won’t go in the words and ideas direction. What then?

The best thing is to make a list of what you can do. If you have low brain usefulness days frequently, on a good day try coming up with a list of things you can do on slow brain days.

Here’s some ideas to get you started.

1. Read. Skip the social media doom scroll, turn off your devices, and read something on paper. It could be an old favorite that feels comforting, it could be something new and exciting, but either way, focus on what makes the book or story good. We hear a lot about reading critically, and finding fault seems to dominate that. But try reading to admire. Pay attention to what you enjoy, what makes you smile, what makes you feel immersed. Read with the intention of enjoyment.

2. Do something story adjacent. If you like posting about your WIP on socials, find a few good pull quotes and queue them up. Or create a synopsis or pitch to keep on file for whenever someone asks what you’re writing. If you like making visual stuff like mood boards, make one for a scene or character.

3. Feeling up to diving into the work itself? How about updating your outline? Read over what you have written and add whatever changes you’ve made to the outline. It doesn’t have to be complex. Just try making one sentence summaries of each scene. You can do this if you didn’t have an outline to begin with too.

4. Talk to a friend about your writing. Writers need social interaction and if your writing has been consuming a lot of your spare time, just connecting with a friend might be what you need. (and don’t make it all about your writing! Be a good friend!)

5. Make starting tomorrow easier. Do non writing stuff that smooths the way, like tidying up the formatting or layout, creating blank chapters or scenes, or even sketching out a scene without making an attempt to fill in all the blanks.

Finally, don’t make any major decisions about your WIP on a bad brain day. You might do something your regret. Instead make notes on any major cuts or changes that feel needed, and look at them again on a day when you feel good.

And don’t make your writing another burden that makes everything too hard to carry. Tomorrow, when your head is (hopefully) clearer, take the time to assess if your writing is too much. To consider if the goals you’ve set yourself are workable with your current life situation. There’s no shame in dialing things back. If writing 250 words a day is too much, consider reducing it to 200. Or adding in more days off. Or considering a lower pressure project. Writing short fiction instead of tackling The Novel.

Most of all, remember that a solid writing practice is first of all a healthy one. So take care of yourself.

—Maree

Subscribe to my substack to make sure you don't miss a post, chat with me on the WIP Project discord, and tag any posts you make about the challenge with #slomowrino if you want me to see them!

[crazylittlejester]

Daily brainrot and today I've got a load of headcanons I've been mulling over because they won't leave me alone.

I know we've all done a college AU at some point in our lives, but I was up at like 3 am last night debating over which academia aesthetic each Link embodies because I may have spent way too much time on the aesthetics wiki recently. Did I procrastinate for an hour to work on this? Yes. I have no regrets. YOLO and all that.

Sky -- Definitely has light academia vibes. The man does not own a single dark piece of clothing, and everything in his closet is very soft and cozy. He double majored in aviation and environmental science, but he's debating transferring over to the biology department to pursue grad studies in ornithology.

Time -- He is not in charge of his own wardrobe, okay? Malon picks out his outfits. They match. It's always something tasteful and neutral with a little bit of color, but nothing that marks him as belonging to academia. He's part of the philosophy department and a strict teacher, but the students all love him because he genuinely wants them to do well and lets them know. Most of his work is writing for philosophy journals when he isn't teaching.

Legend -- Has more of a general/miscellaneous aesthetic that leans hard into gender non-conformity. He takes his work with him everywhere and whenever someone asks about it, it goes completely over their heads because they have no idea what he's talking about. There's an ongoing bet about whether his dissertation is about linguistics, sociology, or both.

Hyrule -- I don't think there's a word for his aesthetic, he just gives off "outdoors creature" vibes so hard. He's a cryptid and rarely in the classroom because he's always out doing field work. The most human contact he has is outreach programs with the environmental science and biology departments. No one knows exactly what his grad work is supposed to be because it's incomprehensible combinations of wildlife photos half the time and the other half the time he's off the grid.

Twilight -- This is what happens when cowboys and gothic academia have a kid. It's really freaking weird, but somehow he makes it work, so nobody questions it. He technically works for the agricultural department doing research and outreach programs, but he also haunts the English department and occasionally teaches 100 level literature classes online. The freshmen like him because he rounds grades up.

Four -- An unholy combination of academia and his unique color coding system. You don't know what you're getting until he shows up. He generally wears neutral stuff, but his socks and ties are color coded, much to everyone's chagrin. He's got multiple projects going at any given time and helps out the other departments when they get stuck on details. He's really cagey about his dissertation, but he practically lives in the science & engineering building, so he can't exactly deny that he's doing something in STEM.

Wind -- He tried being fashionable, but as soon as he decided to major in oceanography he was swept away by ocean academia. The amount of blue clothing he has is frankly horrifying, and Warriors is trying to get him to branch out into less garish shades of gray and stop wearing almost exclusively rubber boots as footwear. It's a work in progress.

Warriors -- I think he'd fall under general or queer academia because he'd be fashionable in a mostly-normal-but-also-queer sort of way. Stylish, and fruity. Definitely prefers autumn/winter because that's peak scarf season. He's the kind of guy who manages to casually slip representation into any curriculum you hand him and makes it look natural. He got an assistantship with the history department because the professors love him.

Wild -- 100% chaotic academia and doesn't even have to try. Everything is a mess, but it's his mess, he knows exactly where everything is, and to be honest it's not a safety hazard, so it's fine. Besides, he dresses appropriately for department events, and he's the only grad student that Flora hasn't scared off. No one actually knows which department he belongs to, but he knows something about everything.

IM SO FUCKING OBSESSED WITH THIS YOU HAVE NO IDEA

THESE ARE SO PERFECT AND YOU’RE SO RIGHT ABOUT THEM ALL I LOVE THESE SO MUCH IM SHAKIN EM AROUND LIKE A JAR OF MARBLES

[bellysoupset]

Considering Jonah having a vertigo crisis while at the ice rink with Leo is one of my favorite sick fics I have ever read I have to ask for another fic where Jonah has a vertigo crisis.

Maybe it could happen while they’re doing some NSFW stuff.

But if you’re not comfortable writing that maybe it could happen because he had a stressful day at the hospital or something else that could cause it, this came to my mind because I remember you mentioning that his vertigo is triggered by stress.

Sorry it took me so damn long! This is not super NSFW, but it's a tiny bit steamy for a second, maybe I'll write another one that's more steamy to fully fulfill the prompt!

-------

It was the final week of the hospital. Well, for him, it was. Of course the regular doctor's still worked, but the students who interned there, such as Jonah, had been dismissed for the three weeks long holiday break.

Issue was, because the hospital relied so heavily in all the student work they got, they were all overworking before the break.

Jonah was no exception. Despite the fact that Leo now lived with him, he somehow had seen his boyfriend less in the past week than before. It was awful timing.

However, it was finally done. After 10 days of non stop overworking and barely seeing his boyfriend or his friends or, hell, even eating properly, today had been the last day.

Jonah all but stumbled inside the apartment and he could've cried when he heard Leo humming inside the kitchen. He still wasn't used to this, he supposed it would take a lot longer to get used to the idea he now shared a house. Regardless, it was a lovely sound to be heard and Jonah crumpled against the door and breathed out, hearing as Leo hummed completely off tune to some old Sinatra song.

"Jon?" Leo interrupted himself, as he heard the door click shut, "I swear, I'll put a bell on you, don't sneak up-" he stopped mid ranting as he left the kitchen and entered the living room area, only to find his boyfriend with his back pressed to the door, looking exhausted, "aw, babe... Bad day...?"

Jonah shook his head, "no one died, so nope," he smiled as he took in Leo's appearance. His boyfriend was still in his work clothes, social pants and a button up, but the sleeves were rolled up and the first few buttons undone. He had ditched the blazer, the tie and the shoes already, blonde hair nicely tousled, "you're a fucking sight."

Leo's cheeks turned red and he rolled his eyes, "yeah, yeah, c'mere-" he said, barely masking a smile as he yanked the front of Jonah's t-shirt and pulled him into a kiss.

Jonah went forward willingly, wrapping an arm around Leo's neck and pulling him closer, as they stumbled inside the apartment. Leo smiled, sucking at his bottom lip and bumping their noses together, "where-"

"Here's fine," Jonah interrupted, pushing him on the big couch and Leo nodded, falling on his back, just as Jon straddled him down, already tugging off his shirt, undoing just the necessary buttons to do so.

He scooted up as Jonah trailed a bunch of kisses down his neck and naked chest, hands going for Leo's pants, until he heard his boyfriend let out a groan and freeze, forehead meeting his stomach.

"Jon?" Leo called, breathless, glancing down worriedly. His heart was racing still and despite the growing concern, he had a dumb smile on, "Jonah?"

"Just..." Jonah moved his hands from his belt, down to Leo's thighs and squeezed, almost hard enough to hurt, "Leo, fuck, I... I'm dizzy..."

There was a beat, Leo wondering if he was joking, but then he heard yet another pitiful moan and snapped back to reality. He scrambled up on the couch, all but perching on the arm and Jonah fell forward, face planting a pillow.

"That was rude..." Jonah groaned, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling, while Leo dismounted the couch's arm and circled it so he could sit next to Jonah's hip, looking at him worriedly.

"Is this an episode?"

"Not sure," Jon closed his eyes, breathing in deeply, "I think I just lowered my head too fast..."

Leo couldn't help a snort, hands coming up to cup Jon's cheeks, "take a deep breath, babe. I'm going to get your meds."

"Uhmm'kay," Jonah mumbled, eyes squeezed shut. It was horrible just how absolutely useless the vertigo rendered him. He swallowed in, taking another deep breath and shakily letting it out through his mouth.

It felt like the couch was swaying, from one side to the other and Jonah had to force himself not to sit up straight. His common sense told him that he'd feel more grounded sitting up, but he knew from experience that it was a lie.

He just hoped they had caught it early on enough that the meds might control the nausea. There were faint footsteps, that he barely heard over the rushing in his ears and then Leo's hand on his cheek again.

"Here, I need you to sit up just a bit, Jon," Leo touched his nape, aiding him to lift up his head and Jonah groaned when the small movement caused everything to twirl furiously. He breathed through his nose, then gagged, harshly, causing Leo to jump and splash the water.

"Shit, Jon, please-" Leo planted the water on the ground, holding him steadily by the shoulders, "please don't throw up, you need to take the meds..."

"I- I know..." he groaned, panting for air, "It's just-" his mouth watered and Jonah gagged softly, slamming a hand clumsily over his lips. He swallowed in, gulping against the pressure in his throat and the way his stomach sloshed alongside the sway of the couch.

He fought the nausea, forcing it to settle back, then opened his eyes and met Leo's worried gaze. Jonah let out a groan, not out of discomfort, but because of how concerned his boyfriend looked. He hated being in this position, "stop looking at me like that."

"Oh, man up," Leo snapped back just as sharply, much to Jon's surprise, "I worry about you, deal with it."

Jonah let out a surprised chuckle, closing his eyes again, "so I've heard." He lowered his hand away from his mouth, meeting Leo's wrist and squeezing it, "okay, slowly pull me up..."

Leo didn't hold on him, only allowed Jonah's strong grip around his wrist to be the support point, and tilted his body back, holding most of their weight on his back. Jonah swallowed in again, glancing nervously at the glass of water and the two grey pills Leo was holding out for him.

"I don't think I can, Leo..."

"Try it anyway," the blonde urged him, handing him the glass and then the pills.

It was a struggle to put both in his mouth with just one free hand, an even bigger struggle to swallow the tiniest sip of water and Jonah's felt a whole new wave of nausea wash over him as Leo gently lowered him back against the couch cushions.

"Leo..."

"Shh, baby, breathe," Leo cooed softly, cupping his face, a hand firmly pressed to his cheek, "just breathe, I'm right here."

The meds burned his throat, settling in his stomach like a load of bricks. Jonah let out a groan, trying to lean into Leo's touch, but all he managed was to hang his head awkwardly out of the couch.

"I'm gonna be sick..." he slurred the words, a hand darting forward to brace against something, anything. It met Leo's pants and Jonah squeezed the hem, tugging at the belt loops with enough force that he heard a minor rip, "Leo... Leo, I-" he was panicking, his heart was beating at a fast pace, mouth filling up with saliva, blood rushing to his ears.

Jonah blinked, saw the ground swimming in front of him, Leo's socks- He gagged and then there were hands on his armpits, forcing him to sit up and the whole world turned into a blur. Jonah's stomach rolled with the movement and he let out a whimper.

Leo's hand cupped his neck and he opened his eyes, trying to get anything in focus, to at least know where to aim, but the world was still blurry and twirling around. A retch caused him to squeeze his eyes and Jonah choked on the vomit, unable to swallow it back down.

He gagged around the liquid mess, puke burning his nose and hitting his lap. The humid sensation caused him to gag again and he felt Leo squeezing his shoulder, grounding him, "Jonah, just take a deep breath. You're not moving, just try to focus on my hand..."

It was easier said than done, but he was empty. He had hardly eaten all day, so after a couple more empty heaves, Jonah sighed, breathing slowly through his mouth, "my nose- Fuck, my nose is burning..."

"Is that blood?"

Leo's question, in a very different tone from his gentle concern, forced Jonah to open his eyes and look at the mess. It was disgusting and he pressed a fist to his mouth, swallowing back a reflexive gag.

It was all brown and liquid, covering his jeans, the hem of his shirt and even a spot of the couch, "No..." Jon groaned, closing his eyes again, "no, it's coffee."

"Oh", Leo's death grip on his shoulder relaxed, "okay, don't move, I'm gonna get you something to clean up. Don't move your head."

"Uhmm," Jonah answered, closing his eyes once more. His stomach still felt unsteady, sloshing around, but all the heaving seemed to have at least tricked his brain into grounding itself. Maybe.

"Okay..." Leo's voice brought him back to the present, "here, blow your nose-" he handed him a wad of toilet paper, in his other hand a waste basket and a towel Jonah didn't recognize. Jon obediently blew his nose, crumpling the paper in his hand when the action caused the whole couch to dip forward and him to almost fall.

"Hey! Don't faint on me, Jon," Leo's voice had a hysterical tinge to it, but he seemed more in his element than the previous times they had been in this situation. It hurt Jonah that somehow his boyfriend was getting used to him being a complete mess.

"This is so humiliating," he groaned, forehead meeting Leo's chest as the blonde forced him to sit up straight again.

"Don't be silly," Leo scoffed, then Jonah let out a huff, hiding a smile as he felt him kiss the top of his head, "okay, don't move, I'm gonna get this shirt off of you."

He stayed frozen, gripping the couch to keep steady as Leo stretched the neckline of his shirt and pulled it off, carefully avoiding his hair. He dropped it back down on Jonah's lap, making a face, "...You better repay me real good for this," Leo teased him, crouching next to the couch as he undid Jon's fly and carefully peeled off the soiled jeans.

"Insane that you still can think about fucking when I look like the most pathetic display of a man," Jonah said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. He heard a snort as Leo rolled up the destroyed clothes and put it aside on the ground, grabbing the towel.

"What can I say, I have bad taste in men," Leo winked at him, then pressed the towel to his chin, wiping down the vestiges of sick, down his chest and stomach.

Jonah frowned, "where did you find this towel?"

"Uh, it's mine," Leo shrugged, rubbing at the spot Jonah had puked on the couch, wrinkling his nose on distaste, "you'll have to send this to get cleaned, there's no way it won't leave a stain..."

"Why are you using your towel to clean my vomit?"

"Technically it's your towel too, since we live together. You know, mi casa, tu casa-"

"Leo," Jonah glared at him sternly, noticing his boyfriend's ears were red with embarrassment, "c'mon."

"Yours are just too fancy, I didn't want to stain them," Leo shrugged, putting everything aside and grabbing the ditched glass of water, "let's try this again."

"Don't do that," Jonah groaned, taking the glass with a shaky hand and almost causing it to spill, wasn't for Leo rushing to steady it by holding the bottom, "don't... Don't put your stuff down... Or whatever."

"It's really not that deep," Leo glared at him, "drink your water and try not to vomit again, I'm gonna put this in the laundry."

"Rude," Jon whispered, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He loved this side of Leo, this sassy... Mean side that Leo only ever showed in truth with him. It felt like a leap of faith, that Leo had to make himself likable to everyone else, but not to him.

He swallowed the little bit of water, then burped as it splashed in his belly and immediately threatened to come back up. Jonah swallowed in the bitter taste, forcing his stomach to stay put.

"It's staying down?" Leo asked, returning to the living room and Jonah raised a hand since he couldn't nod, shaking it from side to side as if to say I don't know.

"Can I lie down?" he asked after a long minute, once the water settled, "in bed?"

"You're the doctor, McSteamy," Leo smiled, causing Jonah to snort.

"I'm really more of a McDreamy," he corrected, raising a hand so Leo could pull him up. His boyfriend let out a chuckle.

"The fuck you are, Jon," he said lightly, holding his hand and slowly pulling him up. The ground felt liquid, as if he was standing on a water mattress, but at least the world didn't turn all blurry.

Jonah let out a sigh of relief, throwing an arm around Leo's shoulder as his boyfriend held him by the waist, helping him back to the bedroom, "I'm sorry-"

"Can we buy new towels?" Leo interrupted him, sharply, showing it was not an accidental interruption. Jonah opened a smile, his head heavy as he leaned it to rest against Leo's shoulder, chin meeting his temple.

"Sure," Jon let out a sigh, "yeah, we can buy new towels."

[punsmaster69]

22/DEC/20XX

"NOOO!!"

"Who did this."

(they definitely said it as a period.)

frisk's cookie was ruined in red sprinkles. the sprinkle container's lid sat in the middle.

"Really? You know EXACTLY who would do that."

flowey made a very non-discreet leaf-point towards me.

"whaat?"

"i would never."

"can't believe you would even accuse me of such a thing."

"You already ruined one of mine with that, of course it's you!"

going to put sprinkles over my own splotchily iced cookie, it suddenly twinned theirs, but in cyan.

"whoops."

i plucked the lid of the sprinkle container out of the icing and set it aside.

it stuck to the tablecloth.

"What's the matter? Got a taste of your own medicine, trash bag? How's it taste?"

"dunno. haven't tried the cookie yet."

his smug face dropped.

"That's not what I meant, idiot."

"i know."

"Do you?"

"nope."

"Why did you say you did?"

"because i do."

"You JUST said you don't."

"i don't."

"Do you do or do you don't?!"

"what? that's too much doing."

"let's start over."

"Wh- NO! We're not doing that!"

"i know."

"You don't!"

"i do."

"You don't!!"

"Will you two cut that out already?! It's like listening to two parrots!"

for once, flowey agreed with undyne.

——

"SANS. LOOK!"

"wow."

"...is it you?"

"OBVIOUSLY. WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE, WITH SUCH A DASHING RED SCARF?"

"i see it now."

"very cool, bro."

"WHAT DID YOU MAKE?"

"this. my magnum opus."

"THIS IS A BLANK COOKIE."

"two blank cookies."

"STUCK TOGETHER...?"

"sugar cookie sandwich."

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DECORATE THEM, NOT STICK TWO TOGETHER AND CALL IT A DAY!"

"you're right."

"should have been three."

"I'M NOT SAYING TO ADD 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘."

"if i add less, they won't be a sandwich anymore."

"WHY DO YOU WANT THEM TO BE A SANDWICH AT ALL?"

"because i can decorate two for the price of one."

"YOU DIDN'T DECORATE EITHER ONE."

"yeah, it was a steal. decorated zero for the price of two."

"IS THIS ALL YOU'VE DONE??"

"no."

pointing to the cyan mess.

"there's that one."

"DID YOU EVEN ADD ANYTHING TO ONE OF THE GINGERBREAD HOUSES?"

"i added a peppermint."

"𝘈 PEPPERMINT."

"a peppermint and two gumdrops."

"....WELL. IT'S MORE THAN LAST YEAR."

"PROGRESS!"

"Are your standards for what is 'progress' not a bit low..?"

"THEY HAVE TO BE WHEN IT COMES TO HIM."

"you know me; seeing how low the the bar is and still barely tripping on it."

"WHAT DID YOU MAKE, MS. TORIEL?"

"I have been getting this house standing."

"and sneaking the candies."

"Just a few here and there."

"and a cookie."

"I at least frosted mine before eating it, unlike someone."

"wonder who that could be."

"YOU'RE STILL EATING THE COOKIE."

"we'll never know."

——

𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙢.

the table shook as undyne smashed her fist into their gingerbread house.

i hardly saw the finished product before they decided on eating it immediately.

as a result of the table shaking, papyrus sighed as the other toppled over as well.

"At least we were pretty much done."

frisk consoled.

"now you get to eat it."

various pieces of gingerbread were passed around the table, as well as decorated cookies.

——

asgore was here but couldn't stay too much longer, so we packed him a nice to-go bag. papyrus even put a bow on it.

——

considering how long he's been doing food stuff, it should come as no surprise that grillby's decorated cookies are neat and pretty.

he and tori's are both on the same level, really.

flowey tried his best.

so did papyrus.

and anyone who's not the aforementioned same level.

didn't expect frisk to struggle with it so much.

"It's so goopy, dude! How does anyone work with icing??"

——

they stared at the icing tube in their hand.

"just gonna hold onto that all night?"

"....."

"Can I slurp it like a yogurt tube?"

"I've been fighting the urge this whole time."

"let me see."

"paps, are we gonna need these icings again?"

"NO, I BELIEVE THEY WERE JUST FOR TODAY. ANYONE CAN TAKE THEM."

tori was too engaged in conversation with undyne and alphys to be paying attention.

grillby couldn't care less.

he's used to someone downing odd things in his vicinity.

mettaton and napsta wouldn't care even if they were paying attention, either.

"promise to brush your teeth extra good tonight?"

"Yep."

"if you get sick from it, that's on you."

"Yep."

"ok."

"go ahead."

——

flowey poked at them, face-down to the floor in front of the couch.

with a slippered foot, i tapped frisk's side.

"so."

"So?"

"regret?"

"Regret that my body couldn't take it. I don't, otherwise."

"ok. if you do get sick, don't do it on your old lady's carpet here."

"I woon'tt."

doofus.

"think i should try it too?"

"Please do! I'd love to see you drop to the floor exactly like this idiot."

flowey said, also eating straight up icing.

he seems only benefitted from what'd be a unhealthy amount of sugar for anyone else.

"see you on the floor in a few minutes, kid."

——

"YOU DID WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU WHEN YOU'RE TALKING INTO THE CARPET."

"drank icing."

"𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧'𝗦 WHY YOU ASKED ABOUT THE ICING??"

"yep."

"WHY, BROTHER?"

"sounded good."

"FEELS LESS SO, BY THE LOOKS OF IT."

"i'll get over it."

dual sugar overload aside, it's chill down here.

[mephinomaly]

[TL] Howling at the Stars/Chapter 1

Season: Winter

Kaoru: Everyone got a glass? Then, well done for all your hard work this year. To another year of working together–

Cheers!

Koga + Adonis: Cheers!

Rei: Hm, I didn’t think I’d be able to have a New Years Party with you all. Thank you to Kaoru-kun for organising this.

Adonis: Yes. If Hakaze-senpai hadn’t done this, I don’t think we would have celebrated New Years together.

Koga: Oioi, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, Adonis.

We live in the same buildin’ and we woulda seen each other around. Then I woulda said somethin’ to ya.

Kaoru: Do you think so? It’s been pretty busy lately, I don’t think I’ve seen any of you for what, at least three days?

Rei: In private, everyone can see each other if and when they desire. But when it comes to these sorts of gatherings, prior arrangements are necessary.

Adonis: So yes, I am thankful to Hakaze-senpai for asking us to hang out.

Kaoru: You guys and your exaggerations. I just wanted to show my appreciation for how hard you’ve all worked.

Rei: Umu. I, too, share that sentiment. This past year has been truly tumultuous…

Ever since ES was established, I feel as if I have constantly been on my feet.

Adonis: I agree. The SS has only just finished. I haven’t had time to relax until New Year’s Eve.

There’s been so much other work, and I feel like I’ve been at it non-stop.

Kaoru: That’s why we need to take a break during the holidays.

Koga: Hmph…But for me, I don’t even get a minute to myself.

Adonis: Oh? What work are you doing, Oogami?

Koga: Actually, before I came here, Anzu was tellin’ me ‘bout my Feature Live.

We was gonna do some candid shots for my pamphlet soon.

Kaoru: Ooo~, sounds exciting~. That means you’re gonna be alone with Anzu-chan, right?

Koga: Haa? Well yeah, duh. Why is that all you think about.

It’s gonna be just us, yeah, but if other people turn up I don’t really care.

Kaoru: (Well if there’s time, I’d like to see these photos too. It’ll be a good reference for later…)

Rei: Wanko is already very busy this early on in the year. In all honesty, so am I. I have work to complete tomorrow.

Adonis: I don’t have any work, but I do have some plans starting from tomorrow.

I’m glad we celebrated today. If you had asked tomorrow, I would have had to refuse.

Kaoru: Everyone’s got a surprisingly busy schedule and the years only just started!

Koga: What, you guys are all busy? Tch…I was gonna ask if any of yous could help me.

Adonis: If you’re really in a spot of trouble, just say so. I can try move around my schedule but…

Koga: Nah, it’s cool. Prioritise your stuff first. Besides, it’s just a few photos.

I ain’t got a Scooby how yer supposed t’take candid photos. Kinda wish I could have someone t’practice with.

Kaoru: …I haven’t got anything on at the moment?

Koga: Yeah? Then come with me, Hakaze-senpai…♪

You’re gonna take some super cool photos of me!

Kaoru: Sure thing. If it’s my cute kouhai asking, then who am I to say no? ♪

Time: Practice shoot day

Location: In a corner of the Hanging Garden

Koga: —How was that? That one was definitely a good one, right~?

Kaoru: Uh, well. Hey, Koga-kun. You do know what candid means, right?

Koga: Haah? Waddya mean? Ain’t it like natural ‘n relaxed?

Kaoru: Yeah, that. Then let me show you the picture I just took. Thoughts?

Koga: Yo! It’s got a cool rock vibe to it ♪

Kaoru: Yeah no we’re not using that.

Koga: Hah? How is that not a good photo?!

Kaoru: Nono, it’s good it’s just- these are supposed to be candid photos. You need to be casual about it.

You’re very aware of the camera so I can’t say it counts as candid.

Koga: You say that but if a camera was pointed at you, yer gonna strike a pose, right?

Kaoru: Yeah that might be true, but you’re far too aware of the camera.

In every photo you’re making direct eye contact with the camera and posing. That kind of thing doesn’t give it a very natural feeling.

Koga: …GyahhH! You’re making this difficult Hakaze-senpai!

I don’t want anyone t’see me pullin’ a stupid face in the first place!

Kaoru: No, candid shots aren’t meant to be silly, you know?

Koga: I get that but when the camera is pointed at me, it’s only natural to pose.

Kaoru: That’s a very wonderful talent to have as an idol~

…Ah, but this photo really captures your cute side.

Koga: Haa? Cute side? I have a cute side?

Kaoru: Mhm. Look, this one. Koga-kun mid sneeze.

Koga: Huh…!?

Kaoru: You’ve got a surprisingly cute sneeze. The people love these sorts of photos. It’s so Wan-chan core ♪

Koga: Bastard, stop messin’ around! I’m not a dog! Delete that shitty photo now!

Kaoru: Alright I will~... and it’s gone.

Well then, let’s carry on. At this rate, we’re gonna have no good photos.

Koga: Take some cooler ones this time. Don’t mess up.

Kaoru: (Sigh…this is gonna be a long day.)

next

[goldenhypen]

❝ THE PARTNER PROJECT ❞ TEASER

PAIRING → jake sim x fem!reader || GENRE → friends to lovers!au, non-idol!au, dancer!au, fluff, angst || WORD COUNT (of actual fic) → 8-10k

FEATURING → tomorrow x together’s yeonjun; le sserafim’s chaewon and yunjin; nmixx’s lily; ive’s wonyoung and liz; and newjeans’ danielle || WARNINGS → none

SYNOPSIS → being part of the same dance team for two years and counting, jake and y/n have never found the courage to confess to each other about their feelings, until one day, they are forced to grow closer as they just so happen to get paired for the first time as the team prepares for a new performance. and luckily for the both of them, they’ll be partners for the entire season. and who knows? this particular partnership might just evolve and grow into one that will last them a lifetime.

AUTHOR’S NOTE → introducing to you, the teaser for my jake birthday fic for this year! ^_^ i’m really excited to share this one with you guys, so stay tuned. i hope you enjoy <3

“jake totally has a crush on you.”

“chaewon!” you whisper-yelled with wide eyes, “be quiet!”

“he does not!” you continued in a soft yet demanding tone.

“y/n, i’m serious,” yunjin responded. “based on my intuition, i give you a solid 90-percent chance that he actually likes you too. and you know my success rate for these things are high, such as the wonyoung-sunghoon confirmation incident last week!”

“yeah, yeah, i get it,” you playfully rolled your eyes.

after around five minutes, everyone finally arrived in the studio, along with your senior and dance coach, choi yeonjun. however, just as you though you were done with your friends’ jake nonsense, the thumping inside your chest wouldn’t slow down for even two seconds as you watched the man in question step into the room.

he was glowing—you could’ve sworn he was—with that beaming smile of his that was always on his face whenever he hung out with the boys.

oh, how nice it would be to be one of the guys right now.

“okay, everyone, listen here, please!” yeonjun started loudly. “i have important and exciting news. during today’s practice, we’re going to start on a new performance…”

everyone gasped, and smiles lit up the room, followed by a few whispered exchanges.

“…i want us to do something that we don’t do too often, and that is dancing with partners, meaning every guy and girl have to partner up with each other...”

mixed emotions filled the room, and a different expression could be seen on every face as you scanned the people around you—some shocked, some excited, some nervous.

“…this will be a different style than what we’re used to, but i think it’ll be fun. and i’ve been working on the choreography and formations for this dance all week, but i still haven’t picked the partners for it.”

“or—!” danielle raised her hand and began excitedly, “maybe we can pick the partners, since you’ve done a lot already, coach. doing this, you can have a little bit of a break.”

yeonjun thought for a moment, hesitant, “i don’t usually let you pick your own partners for a number of reasons, but i suppose this time wouldn’t be such a bad idea to. go ahead; we’ve been dancing together long enough, i trust you guys.”

danielle, as well as many others’ eyes lit up at the unexpected decision made.

“okay, while i just get some stuff ready for us to start, you all go and begin picking your partners,” yeonjun said. “i’ll give you three minutes, and then we can start.”

having been a team for a while now, it was a habit for you all to work on coming to a decision together, so that’s exactly what you did, somewhat huddling up as partners were being chosen.

“i think me and sunoo have similar styles, so we can go together,” liz suggested, followed by several agreeing nods.

and yunjin just had to go on and say, “and i think jake and y/n dance well together, but we don’t get to see you two dance side by side very often. it would be nice to see you as partners this time.”

you narrowed your eyes at her in a death stare that was as subtle as possible, but she only gave you a smirk with a playful look of pride in her eyes, happy with her suggestion as the rest of the group agreed.

and that was how you ended up by jake’s side—as his dance partner for this season.

you didn’t know if your heart was beating and unsteady hands shaking because of how nervous or how excited you were to be paired with him. but you came to the conclusion that though you had known him and danced in the same team with him for two years now, in this moment, you were so anxious to make the smallest slip up and wanted to do your best at looking good in front of him.

so yes, you were extraordinarily nervous to say the least, and your body couldn’t be more tense with these uncontrollable nerves and feelings locked up inside of you.

and this really didn’t help your case as jake suddenly, yet so delicately and softly, placed his hands on your waist from behind, catching you so off guard that you jumped slightly under his touch.

that was when you snapped back to reality and realised yeonjun was already teaching the choreography.

“sorry,” you felt jake whisper beside your ear from behind. felt, because not only did you hear him, but shivers also rushed down your entire being as jake’s breath brushed against the shell of your ear, and you hoped for the life of you that he wouldn’t get too close so as to hear your rapid heartbeat himself.

being paired with your crush, you would have expected time to pass by more quickly, because ‘time flies when you’re having fun,’ but no. time slowed extremely, because you were so nervous.

being so focused on your own feelings and also trying to pick up the choreography quickly without mistakes, you didn’t fully notice that jake was also struggling because he had similar feelings as you, since he liked you too—a lot.

“what’s going on?” yeonjun asked you both seriously and slightly frustrated.

“sorry, coach,” you apologised.

yeonjun, sceptical, looked at you and jake, who nodded along to everything you had to say, “i want you two to stay behind until you’re able to dance this piece as well as everybody else.”

“yes, coach,” jake said with a nod.

“okay,” yeonjun started assertively to grab everyone’s attention, “let’s end practice here. reminder that we have the retreat tomorrow, and we have to meet here at 10 am. jake and y/n, please clean up the studio when you’re done. i’ll see you all tomorrow.”

and with that, everybody began packing up, and within minutes, your coach and all of your dance mates were gone, leaving just you and jake, alone in the empty studio.

“well, i guess it’s just us,” jake began, breaking the silence as he sent you the softest smile, reminding you of how much your heart ached for him. “should we go over the dance?”

“yeah. actually, can we go over that one part that we were having trouble with? the one that’s like—” you demonstrated the move by lifting your arms and placing them in position.

he made his way, stopping in front of you before placing his hands on your hips.

heat rose to your cheeks, and your arms slowly made their way around his neck, preparing for the following moves.

“ready?” he counted, “five, six, seven, eight—”

you couldn’t keep track of how many times you had run this routine with jake today, but with one last run through the dance, the song finally began to conclude, and you both made your way to your ending position, your body in his arms, faces close as you held the ending pose. and as the music came to an end, you two stayed there for a few more counts, and during that time, you could’ve sworn his eyes rushed down to your lips for a split second.

or maybe not.

either way, you decided to just brush it off and not think about it too much or else you’d potentially be getting your hopes up for nothing.

AUTHOR’S NOTE → here’s a sneak peak into one of the scenes from the fic i’ll be posting for jake’s birthday !! :> it’s a very condensed version of what will be posted tomorrow, but i hope you look forward to it! if you want to be tagged when this fic is posted and you haven’t already joined my taglist, feel free to send an ask, comment on this post, or fill in this form to be added to my permanent taglist. i’m really excited to share this one with you, thanks for looking forward to it!

[captain-cargoshorts]

I just got done with my first day of work and it went... Well. It certainly was something.

So I had a 4 hour shift today training on registers. It's scary bc they're the old style with a tiny screen so you can't see what you're doing until the end and if you do something wrong it yells at you. I have a trainer with me pretty much the entire time though so I'm doing okay. She says I'm picking it up pretty quick and doing a great job (validation!) and I've figured out how to keep conversation going with customers so they follow the pin pad prompts and everything.

The first three hours go great. My trainer seems pretty tired tho and between customers she talks about how she's burnt out and wishes she could leave retail bc it's a lot. I share about my previous jobs and we both agree that retail is hard and customers are awful. Then about half an hour before we close a Chinese family (I promise it's relevant) comes in and start looking around. They have a toddler with them that immediately goes to the toys by the register and pulls out all the cars to play with on the floor. Irritating, but not a problem until he starts climbing on the fixture. I try to get the mother's attention without leaving the register unattended bc I'm not supposed to and she ignores me until I'm pretty much yelling "MA'AM YOUR BABY" over and over. Finally she turns around and gets him down, but she shoots me a dirty look as she does so. She then goes back to talking to her mother (I think) in mandarin. Guys, I don't speak mandarin. I didn't know what they're saying, and I don't really care? Until I notice my trainer looking Extremely Nonchalant (tm). You know the look. Turns out, she understands mandarin and the ladies are major gossips. I don't ask for a translation bc there's still other customers and it's my job to ring them up and talk about the rewards program. But they've been standing in the kitchen area for like thirty minutes.

It's now time to close. They ignored the warnings 15 and then 5 minutes out and haven't moved. My trainer meanwhile has started getting extremely antsy. Not only are we supposed to be starting on closing tasks, but the ladies have noticed her looking over and are now talking about her. "That girl with the yardstick keeps looking at us" etc. Apparently. Again, I don't speak mandarin. She sends me away to do a sweep of the store for stuff that's out of place, etc, so I don't know what happens for a bit but my trainer stays up at the front to check out the ladies and let them out whenever they finally decide to leave because the door is locked to prevent other people coming in. She doesn't approach them to ask them to hurry up though. Like, she's ADAMANT that she won't. I, being extremely new, don't know what to do. They don't leave.

Eventually our manager comes down from the cash office and asks them if they're going to buy anything, because we're very much closed for business. It is now 20 minutes after closing, and they've been here almost an hour. They grab one (1) spoon and check out with the manager, which is a massive waste of everyone's time because they don't seem to even want the spoon? But finally they leave and we can take out the trash and do the bathrooms and stuff.

To the surprise of literally nobody, we get out late. Apparently we usually get out at like 7:45. It's 8:15. We're going to have to explain that to the store manager tomorrow. I walk the other non-manager employee to her car bc it's polite, but I noticed that the manager bad the trainer stayed back to talk so i check back in with them. The moment I get within earshot they stop talking and are like "what's up? You were leaving?" I said yeah but you stopped and we usually make sure everyone gets to their cars. I just want to check that everything's okay. They say they're fine and I get the feeling that whatever is going on is Absolutely Not My Business so I start walking back to my apartment.

There's a dead raccoon on the sidewalk on the way home.

[8turn-xikers-galaxy]

Hunt Your Heart ❤💕✨💓

(🎀💖Xikers- Hunter x Fem! Reader 💖🎀)

Genre : Fluff, Non-idol AU

Tw : Reader is going through a rough time in the beginning, Reader is an orphan, Mentions of food, Absolute cringe, Kinda (very) cliché, grammatical and spelling mistakes, too many emojis ( Let me know if I missed anything)

Idols mentioned : Kyujin from Nmixx, Leeseo from IVE, Xikers members

Key : B/n - Book name

Note : This is my cousin's idea and my first time writing it as a oneshot so there might be a lot of cringe stuff and mistakes but I tried my best so I hope you like it! The credit goes to my cousin.

💙 Y/n's POV ❤

Student life has always been hard for me. No true friends to share my feelings with. No teachers who would actually understand me. No family.... It's always been this way. My parents abandoned me when I was 12. All of my friends are toxic and my teachers always take their anger on me. In the midst of all this inconvenience, I try my best to be optimistic and face my problems a little differently. As of now, I'm sat here in Math class Trying to solve the quadratic equation "Fuck... " I mutter under my breath once I mess up. "Hey Kyujin, Can you teach me how to solve this?" I've never been good enough at Math. I managed to pass 9th grade with just a fluke but I dunno How I'll survive this year. "Yeah sure, can you wait tho? I'm helping Leeseo with the third sum" She said without even turning to face me "It's fine, I'll do it myself" And that's how it goes every single time...

🍃🌺🎀✨ Timeskip ✨🎀🌺🍃

After working for a while, the bell finally rung and I waited for everyone to leave before packing my stuff. "Miss L/n, could you meet me in my office after lunch?" My teacher asked me on my way to the cafeteria. "Of course Mrs. Yoon" I didn't speak any further, knowing she gets angry easily at anything and everything (yikes) that's just how it's been. The teachers always get their way to get me to do their work for them. Oh, well. I went to the café to grab myself some Kimchi Mandu. Then, I went outside to the school field and sat down under my favorite blossom tree to eat. My eyes wandered to the tennis court where the senior grade summer campers were playing their hearts out. I saw a tall boy with black hair and beautiful brown eyes with a red jersey, hitting every ball with grace, with a cute gentle smile and ethereal Features. I didn't realize I was zoning out until I heard a male voice behind me snapping me out of my daydream. "You done checking him out?" I turned around to see a boy with messy brown hair, leaning against the tree "w-what? Do I know you?" I asked with a slight blush "I'm Choi Hyunwoo! Captain of the soccer team and Hunter's bestie, The guy you were staring at" He smiled and sat down beside me "Uhh, I wasn't staring" He chuckled And nudged my arm "Sure you weren't"

"Anyways, why are you out here alone? Don't you guys eat in the cafeteria?" Hearing him ask that, I visibly tensed up thinking he might see me as a weirdo. "I... Don't have any friends to eat with, so I prefer to eat out here. It brings some peace to me" He gave me another one of his infamous eye smile. "I can accompany you everyday if you don't mind! I love making friends"

And that's how me and Hyunwoo became best friends. Months passed, and Autumn finally rolled by. Me and Hyunwoo kept growing closer. One particular evening, Mr. Min called me to his office just when I was leaving. "Please sit" I did as I was told however I didn't have a good feeling about it. "Ms.L/n, you do notice you've not had any improvement in your math classes right?" He asked me somewhat softly "Yes sir, but I promise I'm trying my best to improve although nothing seems to work" He nodded. "Then how do you suppose passing your finals this year? Do you realise you're two months away from it?" I looked at my feet, not able to utter a word Knowing he would speak against me regardless of my protests. "I'll assign a tutor for you, starting today. He'll meet you at the school library at 6" I nodded. "Okay sir" He nodded, slightly cracking a smile "You may take your leave now" I got out of his room and heaved a deep sigh. A tutor? That's not too bad. It could've been worse tbh. I walked to the blossom tree where me and Hyunwoo usually meet up. I sat down and took out my sketchbook to doodle for a while. When I looked up from my book to look for an inspiration, my eyes wandered to the tennis court again. In the blink of an eye, A ball came flying out of the court and landed beside me. I picked it up and when I looked up again, I saw Hunter running towards me to get the ball. He stood in front of me and heck, I totally fell. He looked so... Perfect. I couldn't even make up words to describe him because nothing seemed good enough to me.

All the stories that Hyunwoo tells me about him make me want to get to know him better but I just couldn't get myself to budge when it came to him.

I snap out of my trance when he crouches down in front of me, gazing deep into my soul "Are you okay miss? You seem a little stressed"

I blushed hard with a small smile "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you. Here's your ball" He smiled the enchanting smile which gives me butterflies and sparks fireworks in my veins. "Thank you! I'll see you later?" He asked holding my hand. "Of course" And with that, he left with a wave. I looked down at my hand with the same smile and blush.

"What was that?" Hyunwoo asked, bouncing onto my shoulder out of nowhere. "Please don't tell me you saw all of that.." He grinned and ruffled my hair. "Of course I did! Even if you don't believe it, you two are meant for each other" I rolled my eyes "okay, Whatever. Can you get off of me now?" I smiled at my bestie. Even tho he is annoying, He's my only true friend and I love him for that but he could be a little pathetic sometimes. "Haha! Nope" Yeah.. Like that.

✨Third person POV ✨

After hanging out with Hyunwoo and telling him about your Tutoring session this evening, He shooed you away because it was already time for you to go. You bade farewell to him and left for the library. You waited there for your tutor to arrive. You decided to kill some time by reading one of your favorite novels/comics B/n given the fact that you were the only one in the library.

🧡Hunter's POV🧡

I changed my clothes and fixed my hair a bit before heading to the Library. I don't know who I'm Tutoring, Mr. Min was in a hurry so he didn't really do a good job in explaining the situation of the student who needs my guidance. Regardless, I entered the library, surprised to see it completely empty. Not even the Librarian was there. I walked further and saw the girl from earlier struggling to reach the higher shelf. I went behind her and grabbed the book she wanted and handed it to her. "That's a good one!" I complimented and she blushed 'god she's so cute'

"Are you the one who needs tutoring?" I asked her softly, hoping she'd be a little less shy. "Yeah, I'm Y/n" She held out her hand. I shook it with a smile "Hunter" She took me to the table where she kept her stuff and got to work right away. "There's an easier way to solve the quadratic equation. Here" She listened to me carefully and tried it herself. "That's right! You're a fast learner" She smiled and blushed 'gosh that smile' We continued doing the sums and I helped on the harder ones but for the most, she did great herself. After a while, I checked the time and it was 8 already. "I think that's enough for today, we should head home now" I said, holding her hand to get her attention. "O-okay, thanks for today" She said, lacing her fingers in mine leaving me shocked and making the butterflies in my chest go wild. I nodded and waved before taking my stuff and leaving.

I walked out with a mad smile on my face. "Mind to explain Mister?" A familiar voice called out from behind me. "Hyunwoo?!" Shit, I forgot about our sleepover tonight. "You were supposed to pick up Sumin, Yujun and Minjae about an hour ago! And you're wandering here with a lovey dovey smile, what's the matter dude?" He asked, bumping my shoulder. "Oh, Mr. Min Assigned me to tutor this really cute girl! Her name is Y/n and-" He cut me off right there. "And she's a junior struggling with math" That caught me off guard. "Yeah, How do you know?" I asked with a dumbfounded look. "She's my best friend that I always talk about! I've been meaning to introduce her to you but not like this" He said scratching his head. "Well, what's done is done, let's go pick up The others" I said walking ahead but he grabed me by my sleeve "and you expect me to let go of the fact that you think my bestie is cute?" From there on, I knew this would be a never ending saga of teasing in our squad....

🌛☄️✨🌿 Timeskip 🌿✨☄️🌛

💜 Y/n's POV💜

It's been two whole months of Hunter tutoring me and to be honest, I never felt so safe with anyone else. Not even Hyunwoo could care so much of me. He introduced me to the rest of his friends and let me join in on their fun time. I'm grateful and finally feel loved and wanted but the thing that worries me is the finals starting tomorrow. I am at Hunter's place studying hard. "Y/n.. Take a break, you've been studying for 7 hours straight since you arrived here" He said sitting next to me on his bed. Me being my stubborn self, I shook my head "And what if I fail tomorrow? I can't risk my score this year! Mr. Min has faith in me! Hyunwoo is looking forward to it too! And besides, I can't let you down..." I said, finally turning to face him. "You'll never let me down, unless you keep straining yourself like this! Please rest? For me?"

He said holding my cheek to stop me from looking away. He never failed to make me blush. "Okay, fine" I said, closing my eyes and smiling. I then listened to some music with him and got back to studying after an hour. He got take out for us, we ate and got ready for bed. When I got out of the bathroom after getting changed, I saw him lying on the bed already and holding his arms out for me. I snuggled up close to him. These kind of physical contacts had become very common in our friendship so it wasn't awkward. "Have a good sleep princess, I love you.. " To my dismay, I didn't hear his last sentence before I fell into a deep slumber, feeling safe and secure in his arms.

When I woke up in the morning, I didn't find him beside me on the bed. I went downstairs to see him making something in the Kitchen. I ruffled the bird's nest on my head and I went upto him. "Good morning princess" He turned around and pinched my nose. "Slept well?" I nodded and smiled, leaning against the counter. After having breakfast with him, he dropped me off at the exam hall. "I'm nervous" I turned to look at him. "Hello nervous, I'm Hunter" He laughed at me and I hit his arm slightly. "Okay, in all seriousness, I'm sure you'll be fine!" He said and ruffled my hair. "Alright, if you say so, I should get going now" I said after I fixed my hair and checked the time. "Okay, All the best love!" He said and gave me a handshake and a hwaiting sign before we both parted ways.

🌺🌺The day of the result🌺🌺

"Y/n-yah will you stop jumping around so much? The seatbelt might break!" Hyunwoo joked. "How can you expect me to calm down when my report card is literally here in my very god damned hands?!" I yelled in a limited voice. "Well, first of all, mind your language and second of all, you'll be fine!!" He shot back. "And besides, we're here already" After he pulled up at Sumin's porch, the guys came running out, asking about my results. "Guys, she hasn't seen it yet!" Hyunwoo shouted. "Okay, then how about we go inside and let her calm down for a bit first?" Just as Minjae said that, we got inside and sat down. "Kay, just rip it off like a band-aid on the count of three!" Yujun said.

"1"

"2"

"3"

I shut my eyes and opened the card and all of a sudden, the boys erupted into screams and cheers. I took a peek at my results... Only to see PERFECT SCORES IN EVERY SUBJECT INCLUDING MATH! I jumped up and leaped into Hunter arms.

"You did it!"

"I did it!"

Hyunwoo smirked, watching the scene unfold. "We'll give you guys some space" Minjae said and dragged out the rest of them. "Hunter, I want to tell you something" He nodded in a sign for me to continue. "Hunter, for the past two months, you've helped me a lot to get through my studies and my life. You made every moment feel better, safer and... Special. Without you, I wouldn't be where I've gotten today and I'm very grateful. From the moment I first saw you, I felt attached, safe and loved. I don't know if the nicknames that you call me are a joke or if they mean something, but I've always loved them. What I'm trying to say is...I love you. A lot. And it's totally okay if you don't feel the same, I-"

I felt warm lips press against mine. It all happened so quick that I couldn't process anything. I didn't even know if I was living in the reality.

"Y/n" He lifted my head by my cheek to make me look at him. "I love you too, that's why I've hunt your heart"

[volixia669]

Hey you know that Wizarding game, that’s been called “Harry Potter and the Protocols of Zion” due to the whole plot where extremely antisemitic (like taken from nazi propaganda) caricatures kill a kid, and are rebelling because people keep stealing their stuff?

Yeah, uh...It gets worse. Way worse.

So this image has been going around social media. And hoo boy.

To run over:

-A horn used by goblins aka “totally not Jews” which would be a shofar. A shofar for those who don’t know is a special horn used during the High Holidays aka the weeks leading up to the new year in the Jewish Calender, to lead in the New Year, and on Yom Kippur. There are Jews who don’t get to synagogue all year EXCEPT for Yom Kippur. So. Holy item for holy days.

-”generally annoy witch and wizards” The shofar being an “irritant” to Christians is libel used against Jews to vilify us.

-So, fun history I got to learn today. 1612 was the year of horrifying pogroms aka genocidal slaughter of Jewish people in Germany. It’s called the Fettmilch Uprising. This date being used for Goblin rebellions is NOT a coincidence.

-Why DO these Goblins rebel so much btw? Could it be, that the WIzarding Kind teaches history in a way that acts like they are the good guys, and the Goblins constantly need to be put down? Seems that way.

-Hogs Mead Inn. It was fond in the pigs inn. Pigs or pork being the most well known non-kosher food.

-Oh but we’re not done. Gorgonzola is one of the few non-kosher cheeses. Stuffing it into the shofar is also not kosher, or in other words, makes it...I suppose not holy works? Not Jewish Law Approved essentially.

There are levels to the antisemitism here. “It’s just a horn” says some except the plot of the game is already riffing off of antisemitic tropes. JK Rowling’s goblins have been criticized as highly antisemitic for over two decades. To add in these highly specific dogwhistles is intentional.

Most people don’t even know what a shofar is, let alone which cheeses are kosher or non-kosher, or the dates of lesser known attempts to kill Jewish people. While I would never say the whole dev team was full of bigots, there were clearly some who were excited to throw in dogwhistle after dogwhistle.

That alone is a good enough reason to not support this stupid fucking game. Fuck Hogwarts Legacy. Go play something else.

[hermionegalathynius]

Sweet Sixteen (2/11)

Second chapter, lets go!

Pairing: Sirius Black x Reader

Warnings: not any that I can think of.

Sirius Black Masterlist

Main Masterlist

First Chapter

Next Chapter

The library was even quieter on Saturdays. 

  Y/n suspected it was because no one ever felt like doing school work on the weekends, even though it was statistically the most efficient time to get stuff done. That was why she was getting stuff done. The past week had been... busy, to say the least. She had five essays due on Monday, two of which had to be a maximum of ten inches. Along with that she also had to draw up two charts for Astronomy and learn how to do Expelliarmus non-verbally by Tuesday. It was a lot, but she was used to it. In fact, she welcomed it. Academics had always been her strong point, and she intended to keep it that way.

  "How would you describe Golpalotte's Third Law?" she mused to Remus, her usual study partner when he wasn't off galavanting with his friends.

  He looked up from his own Potions paper, brown hair unusually messy from running his hands through it, "Well, Golpalotte said that the antidote to a blended poison isn't simply the antidotes to all the separate poisons in the blend mixed together. Instead you must find that one ingredient that will transform the poisons in to a combined whole, which will counteract the entire blended potion. As the textbook states, the true antidote to a blended poison is more than the sum of its parts."

  Y/n smiled at him bemused, "I was trying to find a way to put it quote-unquote 'in my own words', but you've just recited the textbook."

  Remus's cheeks went a little pink as he glared playfully at her, "Doesn't knowing that what I said is how it's written in the textbook also a sign that you know that paragraph as well as I do?"

  Y/n narrowed her eyes at him, "Well done Sherlock. 10/10 detective work, I must say." 

  He chuckled softly and the two of you went back to work. 

———

  Sirius yawned contently as he trudged up the stairs to the boys dormitory with James still chatting on excitedly behind him. 

  "... didn't even glare at me today, Pads! Not once! Maybe she's starting to fall for my Potter charm?" That last sentence he said with a cocky smirk on his face as he wiggled his eyebrows. Of course, Sirius wasn't looking at the time, but he knew his friend well enough to be able to guess. 

  He snorted, "Yeah right, Prongs. That's as likely as Dumbledore getting a girlfriend."

  James punched him in the shoulder playfully, "Oi! Don't knock my hopes down! Especially when you might be in the same position as me very soon."

  Sirius paused in front of the door into their dorm, "What's that supposed to mean?"

  James strode past him, patting him on the shoulder, "I mean, your soulmate is the one girl in this school who doesn't swoon at your mere presence. She is also the one girl who you've never dared to try to charm because she makes you nervous."

  Sirius glared at him, "Thanks for the reminder."

  "Hey, I'm only stating it as I see it. You gotta admit it's a little ironic, mate. I mean, she's Y/n L/n, top of our year and the most Ravenclaw Ravenclaw I've ever seen. And you... well, do you get my point?"

  Sirius sighed and flopped onto his bed, throwing an arm over his face, "Yes, I get your bloody point Prongs. Did it not occur to you that I've probably been thinking the same thing ever since I got her bloody name on my bloody wrist?" 

  James chuckled, "Alright, relax. I get it. You don't want to be reminded of the irony of your situation. I'll just sit here looking pretty then."

  Sirius rolled his eyes even though James couldn't see them. His friend really was the most dramatic person he knew. 

  Then, as if to break Sirius out of his spiralling thoughts, an owl tapped on the window.

  Sirius took his arm off of his eyes and sat up as James walked over to the window to let the bird in. 

  "That's odd," he said as he twisted the latch on the window, "We've never received post in our dorm before."

  The owl flew straight to Sirius and perched on his bedside table, sticking out it's leg. Sirius quickly untied the letter from the bird's leg and gave it a little scratch behind the head as a thanks before it flew off again. 

  "Who's it from?" James asked.

  "How am I supposed to know? I haven't opened it yet!"

  "Then open it!"

  "What do you think I'm doing?" 

  Sirius shook his head in exasperation as he broke the seal and pulled the piece of parchment out. The writing was small and neat, looking as if one of those muggle pinter things had made it. 

  Dear Mr Black

  I would like to inform you that due to our conversation being cut short, I have taken your silence as agreement to go ahead with the tutoring sessions. Miss L/n has also been contacted and will be expecting you in the Library every Wednesday afternoon at 3 o'clock to dinner and every Sunday morning from 10 o'clock to 1pm. If you have any problem with the times of your sessions, please send me a letter explaining when you are free. 

  Sincerely, Professor Sikander

  Sirius swallowed, his gut clenching. Not only was Y/n L/n his soulmate, but she was also supposed to be his tutor?

  It was going to be a long year...

  ———

  "Why do I have to tutor him, Sienna? The last time I spoke to him was in first year when I apologised for bumping into him on the train and he tried to flirt with me." Y/n complained as she got ready for bed that evening. 

  She had left the library at closing time after having spent the whole day there finishing all five essays and two charts, so she was knackered and in no mood for the letter she received upon arrival back in Ravenclaw Tower. 

  Sienna shrugged, "I don't know. But what I do know is he's cute and every single girl in this school would kill to trade places with you."

  She wiggled her eyebrows at Y/n who grumbled, "They don’t need to kill anyone, I'd trade places with them in a heart beat if I could."

  Her friend rolled her eyes, "Come on, Y/n. It can't be that bad? It's not like you have to socialise with him. You only have to teach him."

  Y/n climbed into bed and gave her friend a small smile, "You're right, as usual. I'll survive. Goodnight."

  "Goodnight."

Tag list:

@obscurilicious

@hphufflefan

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 34- Part 1

So, as usual, the first thing I need to do is check what today's weather is. Just step outside, and…

It's rain! Can I get any new unique events with that…? I don't think so, but that's fine, there are still things I can do to prepare, and they involve going back to Reborn proper.

Still doing this, of course I wouldn't leave a chemical tank behind.

Huh? It's clear now? So even the Wasteland has its own weather system?? Or maybe that gate blocks out more than just toxic waste…

Well…okay, not like that changes too much. In fact, it opens up one extra encounter, starting…here!

There's one specific building to visit, namely this apartment building, and you talk to the guy next to the elevator-

Who is…one of Fern’s old lackeys? From when Xera was trying to get the second Badge? An unexpected return, but…okay, sure.

And now we can use the elevator! Off we go to touch some non-toxic, non-purple grass!

Ah yeah, that's the good stuff. 

Anyways, I see one yellow thing hiding behind the tree up there, but there's a second yellow thing behind the entrance that I wanna pick up beforehand-

Embargo…okay, I'll bite, perhaps that could be used for something or another.

More importantly, the Pokémon I came to find!

Yup, it's Pichu! And…I don't even think I need to do anything to it, I think I can just chuck a Poké Ball.

I forgot to screenshot it, but I named her Jolt. Figured it would work given the association with sudden, light discharges electricity, and that's Pichu’s…thing, so, yeah. 

Next, we return to the site of where STUFF happened- Apophyll Beach!

And I proceed to give myself further psychic damage in the name of expanding Xera's Boxes by re-entering none other than…

So this next event is a bit…weird. It's better seen than explained, I think. The first place I'm gonna go is down to this lava island-

And as you can see, there's a glowing rock over there, despite the lava from the floor above having been drained back during the Team Meteor stuff. For you see, if we use Rock Smash on this alleged rock…

…It's…It's actually just a normal rock…?

Um! No worries! No worries, I just need to go to a different location. With this, we check this other lava island, and lo and behold…

Uhwahbuhhuhwhuhuuuh-???

Okay so I'm gonna have to explain things after all-

Basically, this event is supposed to be one of two possible Pokémon: Turtonator (the first one I checked) or Heatmor (this second one here). They are mutually exclusive, you can only encounter one or the other, not both. This isn't the first time Reborn’s done something like this, like- the special Eggs Xera's found (like where Kirin came from) can be select pools of possible Pokémon, or the encounter where she got Streak the Zangoose could have equally been a Pachirisu instead. In those cases, however, the locations and sequence events are the same, the only difference is the Pokémon you get at the end. Here, however, the locations and things needed for Heatmor or Turtonator are more different, which is what makes this one so interesting.

But I guess none of that matters, because Xera isn't allowed to have either of them! What happened, huh? Some kinda bug or something? No new Fire-types here, I suppose…

…Actually- according to the guide I use for these, the Magcargo you encounter for breaking non-glowing lava rocks also count as special encounters. …Hmmm.

Wow everyone, look at that! Look at that Magcargo I definitely caught from Pyrous Mountain, I definitely didn't evolve the Slugma Xera happened to obtain much earlier in the game, nope! No way!

Next

[us-the-voices-and-more-voices-2]

There is also a similar bill called Bill S-210 for Canada. What can be done about that?

damn bro! wtf is up with the north America's and their horrible bills.

well 1 thing you can do which is the most useful is call your representatives, so like mayors, judges, political people, all that

whoever represents you? you must call and complain, the biggest power in a democracy are the complainers! so complain and complain!!!

legit how do you think anything happened, most of it was complaining and the other half was through people dying

you can also organise protests, and spread the word by making one of those infographics or a slide show (super easy to do takes like 35mins)

another thing you can do, is make a non-Canadian social media account and email.

because again how can they stop you? you can get a free trial of a VPN and go and Make some, it's fun! it's easy! and remember the jig will be up if they figure out your Canadian so be wary.

I used to pretend to be American bc otherwise I couldn't access anything American, (now I have a accent smh) but I found out about pirating and life got better lol.

but if KOSA or this bill S-210 goes through your probably going to have to do this.

anyway, make an internet archive account.

collect all your favourite YouTube videos, tiktoks, twitter videos, vinmeo's, whatever any and all of those. you can use Cobalt or Freemediadownloder you can also use Jdownloader and YTDL but the set up is confusing and hard, and if your pressed for time the ones I gave you work fine.

collect your favourite posts or archive your favourite creators accounts super easy to do (through the usage of internet archive. unlike storing them just locally or in your cloud which the government can take if need be the archive is supposed to be an archive so it will keep it all safe unless for some fucking reason the stuff you have is copyrighted)

bookmark this website Archive today so while some websites or news or information sites might get restricted to kids, the older versions will not! also archive today bypasses paywalls and might even bypass the restrictions in place. so keep in in mind it's in general just amazing and a wonderful resource. the more you archive the better for everyone! you can get it as an extension to archive all the websites you go to! (also the internet archive)

you will probably have to put some money into a getting a VPN, vpn's are awesome kinda spendy sometimes but awesome!!! they allow you to change your location by proxying different IP's in different places around the world!

you will probably have to ask International people to help you grab specific videos and stuff to access if you can't get a VPN.

(if the KOSA stuff goes through same shit will be incredibly useful)

[shewasverynice]

Fandom: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga) WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

Rating: Explicit 

Major Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Non-Consensual Drug Use

Additional Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence, Blood and Injury, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Drug Use

Categories: F/M, Multi 

Relationships: Takami Keigo | Hawks/Original Female Character(s), Original Character/Other(s) 

Major Characters: Original Characters, Takami Keigo | Hawks, Hero Public Safety Commission, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead

. . . . . ╰──╮꒰ Halcyon - Part 7꒱ ╭──╯ . . . . .

Hawks slumped in his seat, letting out a deep sigh. He glanced at the stack of applications before shifting his gaze to Owl, who was diligently reviewing some of them. Sorting through countless applications for positions at Nest was definitely not what Hawks had anticipated with an agency, but he should have seen it coming. His rapidly rising approval rating was nothing to scoff at, and his name was spreading fast.

"Well, I've narrowed it down to who I believe would be our best fits," Owl said, setting down a stack of papers, "I do agree that letting in more than solely bird-like heroes is the right call, but are we sure we still need the restriction for wings?"

"I guess we really don't need to do that," Hawks said with a lazy wave of his hand, "Just felt like we should stick to something with birds."

"Well, what if it was anything that lives in a Nest?" Kiwi suggested, "Like... Uhhh... Squirrels and stuff?"

"I mean..." Hawks narrowed his eyes, staring up at the lights above on the ceiling, "I dunno. I'm not really all that picky really. Let's just fill up the slots with whoever seems best. We really just need to have enough coverage so a restriction is kind of silly anyway."

"Alright," Owl agreed, "Then I will--"

"Actually," Hawks pushed himself up in his chair and pointed at Owl, "How about you handle this? You're good at this kind of thing, yeah?"

Owl chuckled, "I suppose in a way, yes," he raised his eyebrow as Hawks got to his feet, his bright wings stretching as the younger man glanced at his phone, "I'll take care of this. I'm sure you're eager to work on Halcyon's case."

Hawks grinned and asked with more than a hint of sarcasm, "Whaaat? Why would you say that?"

"What else needs to be done before we can bring her home?" Kiwi asked as she glanced over a few of the rejected applications.

"We have all the evidence we need and Eraser's support," Hawks explained, "I've got to go shake up the police for their reports today. That should be plenty to get her put on parole with us."

"Ugh," Kiwi scoffed, "Well tell them off again while you're there. They're half-assing their response times down town again. Guess they thought we wouldn't find out."

Hawks grit his teeth, "I'm so sick of this shit. Why can't they just get it together?" Picking up his headset, he placed it around his neck while heading towards the door, "I'm over it with that police chief. This is his last chance. We'll drop the bomb on him if he doesn't take this warning seriously."

"I think you should just do it," Kiwi said, pointing at Hawks, "He's such an asshole. Why bother giving him another chance?"

Hawks gave a nonchalant shrug, a relaxed grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, "I'd like to believe he's got a soft spot in there somewhere."

"Well you're way more optimistic than me," Kiwi huffed, "I'd have that man outta there so fast."

With one last wave, Hawks headed out. Towards the main doors, he passed by the secretary desk, and tried to give a genuine smile but the shiver down his spine probably made him look insane. The four armed woman, Ms. Shiori as he'd come to learn, was staying on permanently as the head secretary as a reward from the HPSC.

She was honestly incredible and had already assembled a small team that was organizing past records and updating whatever Halcyon had been doing before. However, Hawks couldn't help but feel unnerved when he saw her. Her thin black eyes always stared through his soul like a knife and she just down right didn't seem to like him.

"I'll be back in a little while, Miss Shiori," he said with his pleasant PR smile.

"Yes, sir." She replied tersley, then returned to her business at the desk without another word.

He shuddered as soon as he got outside, the shiver running all the way through to the tips of his feathers. That woman was an unbreakable fortress specifically equipped to deter any kind of polite conversation. Most older women loved how charming he was, so why not her?

"Must be how tight that bun is pulling her face," he muttered himself as he took off.

The police station had a similar stance on Hawks as Miss Shiori did, as he could see the disdain in their eyes through the windows when he landed outside. Despite this, he didn't let it bother him. It was obvious that these people needed to get their act together, and everything hinged on his mercy. Nest had gathered more than enough evidence of their neglect and abuse to justify a complete overhaul of the station, and Hawks was the only one willing to give them a second chance.

"Afternoon, folks!" He said brightly, his wing folding flat against his back as he strutted into the station, "How's it goin'?"

"Ah... Yes. Hello again, Hawks sir," An officer said, his eyes looking literally anywhere but Hawks, "Good. Things have been good, but a little busy."

Hawks pushed his aviator glasses up to his forehead, his golden eyes piercing right into the officer's. The man was a partial heteromorph, kind of like a centaur with only two horse legs. Didn't make him any faster, but the legs looked powerful and certainly wouldn't get tired like human legs.

"Well, that's good," Hawks said with a smile and his hand landing on the counter, "Glad to hear that the last few calls were just you all feeling tired, hmm?"

The officer gulped, "Y-yes. Of course, sir."

"Great!" Hawks grinned with a thumbs up, "So, anyway where's Akiyama-san? He's got the reports I asked for, yeah?"

The officer nodded, "Yeah, he does. Just head on into his office, he just got in recently."

Slapping the countertop once Hawks gave the officer a little wave before turning to head into the office of Police Chief Akiyama. Instinctually he scanned the area with his feathers, just to ease his mind. He could hear the whispers, some good some bad, but that's what he expected. The majority of the officers did mean well, even if they'd let themselves fall to the wrong side.

"Akiyama-san!" He called cheerfully, pushing the door open without even a knock.

The man sighed, pushing up his glasses before he looked up at Hawks. He was older, probably around Owl's age if Hawks were to make a guess. His quirk allowed him to create waves in solid matter, kind of like shaking a sheet of aluminum. Pretty useful stuff for a cop. Good for knocking down fleeing criminals or something.

"Hello, Hawks," Akiyama sighed, "I'm assuming you're here for Halcyon's papers?"

"Yup!" Hawks said, his wings fluttered as he put on that winning smile, "And hey, everything going alright? I've heard y'all have been busy around here?"

"Uh, yes," Akiyama cleared his throat, "Yes, it's been quite busy."

"Well, that's good in a way, yeah? Makes the day go by fast!" Hawks chuckled, placing his palm on the desk, "There's a lot to make up for, after all."

"Yes. Yes of course," he muttered. Turning his chair, he slid it across the floor behind him and opened up a filing cabinet. He plucked a large binder out, then rolled back over and placed it into Hawks waiting hands. "This is everything we've been reporting on for Halcyon," he said, "Good and bad, it's all here."

"Cool, man. I appreciate it," Hawks nodded, flipping through the binder. His wings extended for a moment, and he grinned again, "Yeah, this is perfect! Thanks for your hard work!"

Akiyama stared at him and sighed, "Yeah. Sure, no problem."

Hawks strutted back out of the station, flipping through the binder still. His feathers pushed the door open, his eyes not even leaving the papers inside for a moment. The reports were through for sure, although they were certainly biased. Comparing them to the accounts he'd gotten from the citizens, it was clear the Police were itching for a reason to arrest Halcyon.

"Assholes," he muttered, closing the binder and tucking it under his arm.

In a few days the legal team from the HPSC would be presenting all the information they'd gathered to have Halcyon placed at Nest. They'd assured him that it would all work out, although part of him was concerned that they may decide to use Halcyon the way they used him. If that happened, at least they'd have each other right?

It was probably better not to think about that right now.

Back at Nest, Owl had already left four neat stacks of applications on Hawks' desk. He sighed, his wings dropping and dragging on the floor as he threw himself into his chair. It would be best for him to at least look at them before he signed off. Owl probably chose well, but he definitely didn't want to do that. That's pretty lazy even for him.

It was a good selection of heroes, lots of folks with wings. A couple without which would probably make Kiwi feel better. She never said it out loud, but Hawks was pretty sure she was sensitive about her wings being too small to fly. The sidekicks were good too, one that caught his eye was some kind of guy with dragonfly wings. That would be interesting for sure! Hovering was a useful skill!

His mind wandered to Hummingbird, her time would probably be up soon. She'd be on parole just like Halcyon, although it was a lot easier to get that sentencing for her. He chuckled, knowing Hummingbird would absolutely hate to have anything in common with Halcyon. That was certainly going to be a fun conversation.

The other two stacks were for a few other auxiliary staff members like a few people to repair gadgets and tools, some cleaning staff of course, and various other positions. It was amazing what just five people had managed to keep the place running for almost five years since Kingfisher retired.

Flicking his wrist, four feathers separated from his wings. He guided them to float in front of him, tucking a pen into the quills of each one. Leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head, he used them to start signing away while he lazily stared up at the ceiling.

Paperwork was the worst.

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

Hawks waited outside the parole office a week later, his wings fluttering impatiently. He was genuinely excited to see Halcyon again, and now she was a newly approved parolee! She would be joining his agency and everything, just as they'd hoped! He'd knew she was a bit rough around the edges, but he was determined to see the best in her.

As Halcyon stepped out, she immediately scowled at the sight of Hawks' bright, cheerful demeanor. "Great, my bird-brain babysitter is here," she muttered under her breath.

Hawks, completely undeterred, spread his wings and arms wide in a grand, welcoming gesture. "Halcyon! Welcome back to freedom! I've got big plans for us!" He said brightly, completely brushing over her statement.

Halcyon raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms, "Big plans? You mean like cleaning up your messes?"

"Well, messes are part of the job," Hawks said with a grin as he pointed at her, his feathers ruffling playfully. "But think of it as a new adventure. And, hey, I brought snacks!" He pulled out a bag of pastries, offering them to her.

She took one reluctantly, biting into it with a sigh, "This better be good."

Hawks' wings drooped slightly as he tried to keep the conversation light, "Oh, it's amazing. Trust me, things are so much better now. And you'll get to use your skills for good!"

Halcyon's eyes narrowed, "Yeah? Like I was doing until you had me arrested for being "too aggressive"?"

Hawks chuckled, his wings flapping in amusement, "Hey, every hero has their quirks. Yours just make you unique! Besides, I’m not exactly known for following the rules to the letter myself."

Halcyon snorted, despite herself, "Unique, huh?"

"Absolutely!" Hawks exclaimed, his wings fanning out enthusiastically, "Unique and awesome. Now, how about we head to the agency and get you settled in? I promise, you'll have a blast."

One awkward and silent car ride later, and they were back at Nest. As they walked into the bustling agency, Halcyon couldn't help but notice the influx of new heroes. "Wow, looks like you let anyone in these days," she remarked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Hawks' wings twitched slightly, but he kept his smile intact, "Yep, it's been growing a lot. More heroes mean more help for the city, right?"

Halcyon's gaze landed on Miss Shiori, the secretary who had given her a hard time back when she was disguised as Chickadee. A smirk formed on her lips as she approached the desk, "Well, if it isn't Miss Perfect herself. Still here causing trouble?"

Before Miss Shiori could respond, Hawks swiftly stepped in between them, his wings spreading out as if to shield both parties, "Hey, Halcyon, how about I give you a tour of the new set-up first? Lots of cool new things to see!"

Miss Shiori glared at Halcyon, but Hawks quickly led her away, trying to diffuse the situation. His feathers fluffed up nervously, and he struggled to maintain his upbeat demeanor, "So, uh, the training area is this way. We've got some amazing new equipment you'll love."

Halcyon rolled her eyes but followed him, "You really think you can handle me, Birdy?"

Hawks' smile faltered for a second, but he quickly recovered, "Of course! We’re a team now, after all. And teams stick together, even if some members are a bit... spicy."

Halcyon chuckled, though it was more of a scoff, "Spicy, huh? You really are something, Birdy."

Hawks held back his groan. Birdy. He hated that nickname. It's not that he minded being referred to as a bird, hell he did it himself pretty often. It was just... somehow that particular one got on his nerves. His wings twitched with every mention of that nickname, but he forced a smile, trying to keep up appearances.

"Alright, Birdy, show me where I'm supposed to live now," Halcyon said, barely concealing her disdain.

Hawks led her to her room and gestured grandly, "Here you go! It's just the same as when you left it when you were still Chickadee. We didn't touch anything since we knew you'd be back."

Halcyon scoffed, crossing her arms. "I never actually lived in here, Birdy. I used to sneak back out to my old place. It was more comfortable," she said, tilting her head.

Hawks blinked in confusion. "Oh. Well, uh, you have to stay at Nest now per your parole. But I'll gladly help you get your things," he nodded enthusiastically, "With two of us it won't take--"

Halcyon rolled her eyes, "I don't need your help. I can manage on my own, like I always have."

Hawks' feathers ruffled in frustration, and for the first time, his patience wore thin. He sighed, "Look, Halcyon, I'm just trying to make this transition easier for you. We're a team now, remember? And part of being a team is helping each other out."

Halcyon met his gaze, her eyes steely, "I don't need your pity, Birdy."

Hawks sighed, his wings drooping slightly, "Fine. But remember, we're stuck with each other now. The sooner you accept that, the better it'll be for both of us."

As Halcyon made a beeline for the exit, Hawks suddenly remembered an important detail. "Wait, Halcyon!" he called, quickly catching up to her, "You need to wear this tracking bracelet."

Halcyon turned to him, her eyes narrowing, "A tracking bracelet? Seriously?"

"Yep," Hawks replied, trying to stay patient despite her attitude. He gently placed the bracelet on her wrist and locked it, typing in a specific code to the little screen. "You have to stay within a mile radius of Nest when you're not on duty, and on duty you have to stay within the city limits. If you try go beyond that without me, it'll set off an alarm, and you'll have to be reprimanded," he explained.

Halcyon laughed, a mocking edge to her voice while she put her hand on her hip and smirked at him, "Reprimanded? What are you gonna do, Birdy? Put me over your knee or something?"

Hawks' face turned crimson, and his wings fluttered nervously and he waved his hands a little frantically, "N-no! Nothing like that. Just... don't make things harder than they need to be, okay?"

She smirked at his flustered state, "Relax, Birdy. I'll play nice... for now."

Hawks sighed, trying to regain his composure, "Thanks. Let's just get through this together, alright?"

With a final roll of her eyes, Halcyon walked back to her room, leaving him to wonder just how long he could keep his cool around her. Hawks sighed deeply, feeling the weight of the day already. He'd really hoped that getting her freedom again might make Halcyon a little less... tough. But then he was joined by Kiwi, who was of course excited to see Halcyon again. She barely greeted him as she bounced down the hall excitedly.

"Hey, Kiwi, wait—" Hawks began, but Kiwi had already brushed past him, eager to visit her friend.

"Hey!" Halcyon said with a grin, "Kiwi! Long time no see, girlie! I missed you!"

"Aww!" Kiwi cooed, wrapping her large muscled arms around Halcyon, "I missed you too, Hal! I thought for sure you'd look completely different! Like you'd turn out to have another form or something!"

Halcyon chuckled, "Nah, my transformations only work for my four forms. I can't actually shape shift the rest of me."

Kiwi nodded, releasing Halcyon from her grip and setting her back on the ground, "Oh! I had no idea!"

"Well, there's a lot of things you don't know about me," Halcyon said with a shrug, "Well, at least who I really am anyway."

"What's your non-vigilante name, by the way? You can still call me Ava, you know. You're not the girl we knew anymore, but you're still my little Chickadee so I don't mind," Kiwi asked, her little brown wings fluttering on her back.

Halcyon fell quiet for a moment before she admitted, "Toni and Kingfisher have always called me Sera when I'm not Halcyon. I guess that's fine if you want to use that."

Hawks stood in the doorway, his eyes narrowed and wings slightly drooped in confusion. "So, you're nice to Kiwi but not to me?" he muttered under his breath, feeling a bit left out.

Halcyon glanced at him, a small smirk playing on her lips, "Well, Birdy, she didn't have me arrested or slap a tracking bracelet on me."

Kiwi laughed, oblivious to Hawks' frustration, "It's good to have you back, Sera. And don't worry, we'll make sure "Birdy" here doesn't ruffle your feathers too much."

"No... Not you too..." He whined under his breath.

"Well, it's kind of good to be back," Halcyon shrugged, "Better than prison for sure."

Hawks managed a weak smile, realizing this was going to be a much bigger challenge than he initially thought, "Yeah, welcome back, Sera. Let's make this work, okay?"

A few hours later, after reconnecting with Heron and Owl, Halcyon made her way to Hawks, who was in the middle of a conversation with some of the newer heroes at Nest. She pushed past them with no regard for their discussion, placing her hands on her hips and clearing her throat loudly. He tried to ignore her, choosing to finish his conversation but clearly she felt she didn't have time for that.

"Hawks," she said, her voice cutting through the chatter, "I need to go get my stuff, so you need to come with me."

The new heroes looked at each other, surprised by her boldness. Hawks turned to her, trying to maintain his composure. "Uh, sure, Halcyon, but can we—"

She cut him off, smirking. "Come on, Birdy. I don't want to break the rules and get a spanking, right? Unless you're into--"

Hawks' face turned bright red, his wings extending with embarrassment. "I never said I'd do anything like that!" he stammered, glancing at the newer heroes who were now barely suppressing their laughter.

Halcyon just grinned, clearly enjoying his discomfort. "Hurry up, then. We don't have all day."

With a sigh, Hawks excused himself from the group, following Halcyon out the door. As they left, he couldn't help but mutter, "You really know how to make an entrance, don't you?"

Halcyon just grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I aim to please, Birdy. Now, let's get this over with."

Hawks followed Halcyon, just as he expected, to the slums. There was a long, awkward silence between them before he steeled himself. He just had to find a way to get through to her somehow. Trying to make conversation, he asked, "So, how was your stay in prison?"

She grunted, "It sucked."

"Smooth, Hawks," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair.

He tried again after another few minutes of walking. "You know, it might help to talk about it. I—"

She stopped abruptly, turning to face him. Her head was tipped back defiantly when she hissed out, "I don't want to be friends, Birdy. Okay? I still don't like pro heroes, and I never will."

Hawks paused, trying to remain patient. "Look, I talked to Kingfisher, and I understand what happened to you—"

Halcyon quickly cut him off, her eyes flashing with anger, "You have no idea what happened to me. So butt out of my business."

Hawks sighed, his wings drooping slightly, "I'm just trying to help, Sera."

"Well, don't," she snapped, before continuing to walk, leaving Hawks to trail behind her, wondering how he was going to bridge the gap between them.

Halcyon led Hawks through the winding alleys of the slums, eventually stopping in front of what appeared to be a collapsing building. She pushed aside a heavy stack of boards with surprising ease and squeezed inside through a narrow gap. Hawks followed, having to separate his feathers from his wings temporarily to fit through the tight space.

Once inside, Hawks was surprised to see a whole setup. There was a hammock strung up in one corner, a worn-out old armchair that looked like it had seen many nights of use, and a few other mismatched chairs and even an old stained carpet. A junky, beat-up table was strewn with used medical supplies, some of which were stained with what Hawks realized was probably Halcyon's blood.

"How did you manage to hide all this as Chickadee?" Hawks asked, genuinely impressed and a bit concerned. He ran his gloved hand over some of the stains, wondering if her wounds had even healed properly.

Halcyon shrugged nonchalantly, "People aren't always as observant when you play dumb and cute. They see what they want to see."

Hawks ran a hand through his hair, his wings twitching slightly, "You've got quite the setup here. It's, uh, cozy."

Halcyon smirked, "Cozy, huh? Yeah, that's one way to put it."

Hawks took in the surroundings, noting the resourcefulness and grit it must have taken to survive in such conditions, "Well, I guess it's time to upgrade your digs. The agency will be much better. A lot more... Uh... Stable?"

Halcyon eyed him skeptically. "Better than my cozy hole in the wall? We'll see about that, Birdy."

Hawks helped Halcyon gather her few important belongings, noting a small blue feather that probably belonged to a kingfisher and a few small trinkets she quickly shoved into a box. She slung a backpack over her shoulder with her few clothes and grabbed a bottle of tequila off the floor.

"Is that everything?" Hawks asked, glancing around. His hands had found their way to his pockets, his wings tucked in close.

"Probably," Halcyon said, taking a last look around, "I don't really have all that much."

Hawks' found his gaze land back on her and he was surprised to see the sadness in her eyes. Her hand was gripped tightly on the backpack strap on her shoulder, an almost imperceptible tremble in her fingers. She tried to mask it with a nonchalant shrug, and turned to leave the building.

"We can get some help to get the furniture and stuff if it would make you more comfortable?" Hawks suggested softly, "I mean it. Whatever you need, Hal."

"Tsk," she glanced over her shoulder at him, "Don't try to make me feel better. This is your fault."

Back at Nest, she quickly left him behind and closed her door behind her. Without wanting to press the matter further, Hawks let her be for now.

"She'll warm up," he mumbled, "She just... Needs time to adjust."

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

The city streets were a blur of motion as the group of villains fled, weaving through alleys and causing chaos. Halcyon transformed into her Tiger, his long flowing white hair and white striped fur making him an impressive sight as usual. He sprinted with incredible speed, his bare feet leaving burning scars on the concrete.

Hawks flew overhead, his keen eyes tracking the villains' movements. "Halcyon, they're heading for the docks! Cut them off at the intersection!"

"No need to state the obvious, Birdy," Halcyon shot back, his voice a growl as he leapt onto a building, his claws digging into the brick for leverage. He darted through the rooftops, his speed unmatched, and dropped down into the alley ahead of the villains, blocking their path.

"Nice move, Tiger!" Hawks called out, diving from above to intercept the villains who were forced to change direction.

"Don't get cocky," Halcyon retorted, his eyes narrowing as she lunged at one of the villains, swiping with his claws and knocking him down, "You still have to keep up."

Hawks grinned, his wings flaring out as he used his feathers to pin another villain to the ground, "Keeping up? I think I'm doing just fine."

As they continued the chase, the villains split up, trying to lose their pursuers in the maze-like streets. "I'll take the left!" Hawks shouted, veering off.

"Figures you'd take the easy ones," Halcyon muttered, speeding after the right group. He caught up quickly, his agility allowing him to outmaneuver them and drive them back towards Hawks.

With a synchronized effort, Hawks and Halcyon funneled the villains into a corner, leaving them with no escape. Hawks landed gracefully beside Halcyon, his wings folding in. "Nice work. See? We make a great team."

Halcyon huffed, though a hint of a smile tugged at his lips, "Yeah, yeah. Just don't let it go to your head."

"Too late," Hawks quipped, giving her a playful nudge with his wing.

Hawks swiftly pinned down the remaining villains with his feathers, immobilizing them with precision. As the chaos settled, Halcyon transformed back into her normal self, her Tiger form giving way to her human appearance. She adjusted her simple white stretchy leotard, which she'd chosen for its practicality during transformations, but its minimal coverage left her looking oddly nude in a way.

Hawks couldn't help but glance at her as she moved to lean against the wall, her curves drawing his eyes despite his best efforts to stay professional. He cleared his throat, trying to keep his focus on the task at hand, "Good job, Halcyon. We got them all."

Halcyon rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of satisfaction in her expression, "Yeah, yeah. Just doing my job."

As they waited for the police to arrive, Hawks found himself stealing glances at her, struggling to keep his mind on their victory. Halcyon caught him looking and raised an eyebrow, "What? Never seen a leotard before?"

Hawks chuckled nervously, his wings twitching. "Just making sure you're okay. You were pretty impressive out there," he said, looking at his phone for a beat.

Halcyon smirked, crossing her arms, "Impressive? From you, that's almost a compliment."

Hawks grinned, trying to play it cool, "Take it as one. We made a good team today."

The sound of approaching sirens broke the moment, and Hawks turned his attention back to the captured villains, "Looks like they're here."

Halcyon stood up, stretching her arms as she meandered towards the corner of the building and glanced down the alley. She pointed down the way then asked, "Mind if I go grab a snack or something?"

Hawks nodded, "Nah, go ahead. I'll take care of this part."

As the police arrived, Halcyon glanced at Hawks, a hint of discomfort in her eyes, "You handle this."

Hawks nodded, understanding her unease, "Sure thing. Take your time."

As she walked away, Hawks shivered slightly at a chill in the air, wondering if Halcyon was warm enough in her minimal leotard. It would be winter soon and he was really hoping she had something in mind that wouldn't be so... revealing. He focused on the task at hand, helping the police secure and arrest the villains. He explained the situation, detailing their pursuit and capture.

Once the police had everything under control, Hawks took a moment to compose himself before heading to the convenience store to find Halcyon. He spotted her near the snack aisle, casually browsing through the options.

"Find anything good?" Hawks asked, his wings giving a little twitch as he approached.

Halcyon looked up, holding a bag of chips and a soda. "Yeah. Everything go smoothly with the cops?"

Hawks nodded, "Yeah, all taken care of. Thanks for letting me handle that part."

She shrugged, opening the bag of chips, "Whatever. Just figured you'd be better at talking to them."

Hawks smiled, "No problem. Ready to get back on the route?"

Halcyon nodded, munching on her snack as they walked back onto the street. Despite the chilly air, she seemed unbothered, her tough exterior holding strong.

"So like," he dared to ask, "Do you have a... Coat or something for your winter costume or...?"

"Pfft," she scoffed, "No. I'll just stay as Tiger or Phoenix."

"Can you just do that indefinitely?" Hawks asked curiously, "You don't have a limit?"

"Don't ask stupid questions," Halcyon scoffed.

"How is that a stupid question?" Hawks rolled his eyes, "You won't tell me the details of your quirk so I gotta figure it out somehow."

"Why does it matter? You know what I can do. Isn't that enough?" she asked, dumping the crumbs into her mouth.

"It would be helpful," Hawks sighed, "It would be a lot easier to make plans if I knew--"

"Just don't make plans then," Halcyon chuckled, "It's easier not to think too much about it."

Hawks watched her crunch up the empty chip bag, tossing it into a nearby trashcan. She was obstinate and frustrating, but at least they worked well together. He couldn't ask for more than that.

He never thought he'd be wishing for this time back.

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