#finally saw the light of day (escaped google docs)

[soscarlett1twas]

Midnight Church Bells

↳ Andrew and his brother sneak out. ↳ 2k words / also available on ao3! ↳ This fic is literally a year old lmao?? I was sorting through docs and found this finished draft, so I polished it a bit and here we are. Please forgive past me if the prose is... how we say 'shit'.

The holidays always snuck up on Andrew the same - sudden and unwelcome, but inevitable. This year, he’d been too invested in his studies, and, surprisingly, his own love life to notice much of withering leaves or decorations, but when he turned on the radio and heard those familiar jingles, he groaned in recognition. 

Really, it was none of those things (despite how much he did tire of those songs) that bittered Christmas for him. It was the fact that once the break started, his family would come calling. And despite all protests, his parents would never let him stay at college during the advent. 

“It’s time for the Lord.” His mother’s voice lifted through the phone he propped up on his dashboard. “And family,” she added after a moment. He resisted the urge to slam his head against the steering wheel, instead opting for biting his tongue. The one time his parents didn’t want him studying. 

Her saying that added to the sting of the season. And family. It seemed that this was the only time of year where that was on her mind. 

Which all led him to the same spot he was every December 24th: Sitting on his childhood bed, with whatever book he was currently reading in his hands, and classical music playing from his phone. 

Reclining into his pillow, Andrew lifted his glasses off and put them on the bedside table, a thumb folding the wings as the other worked as a bookmark. 

Yet he didn’t close his eyes. For one of those brief moments in life, he wasn’t thinking, or sleeping, or doing really anything at all. He was just there, in a limbo between sleep and consciousness, hoping that if he purposely derived himself the next day wouldn’t come as quickly.

And he stayed like that for 5 minutes. Or maybe it was 10, or maybe no time passed at all. But eventually he gave in to rest. No matter what, the morning would come and he’d rather not fall asleep during the already tedious sermons in church. So he set an alarm, put his book on the nightstand, and laid down.

He closed his eyes, and it was like he could hear the ringing already. 

Maybe he did.

A soft patter-ing rang just outside his door, the familiar sound of footsteps on carpet blotting the silence. And just as he was about to roll over, Andrew heard his door creak open, and the silhouette of a man leaned into the room. 

“Want to go on a walk?” He whispered, twinged with a sense of boredom. 

Andrew didn’t even need to turn to know who was asking. “Give me a moment,” he sighed, and motioned to push himself off the bed. 

—

“How did you know I was awake?” Andrew asked, still pulling his overcoat over his arms. 

“Your light was on, I saw it through your door.” His brother responded, turning off their driveway onto the sidewalk. He was slightly ahead of Andrew, but slowed a bit so that they were walking together. 

A cloud of mist formed from his breath as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, pulling the coat closer to himself to save some of his last remaining body heat. A near-midnight flit wasn’t what he had planned, but he’d prefer it than trying to sleep. Besides, this may be the only quality time he could spend with his twin during the break. God knows the time they’ve spent at college has already distanced them enough. 

“So,” he huffed, searching for a topic of conversation. “How have you been?” 

“Fine. Uni’s been beating my ass though - we spent practically the entire week leading up to the holidays in the lab, just sweating over our assignments. Jesus, I’m not even a Biochem major but Chemistry is just not letting up.”

It had been years since he was in a lab, but with the track he was on, he got the stress with ‘crunch time’. “I understand. I’ve recently had to rush a project for my Literary Theory course.” 

“What do you even do in that class?” He questioned, half serious, half mocking. 

“Analyze texts, find out how the culture of the author influenced their works.” He could go on: Literary Theory was one of his favorite classes, no matter how rigorous the course was, but he knew his brother wouldn’t care to hear the details. 

Winding down their street, the two carried on talking about academia with a partial interest, not fully understanding either’s field of study but trying to be supportive anyways. Soughing wind bent branches to a static beat as they approached the neighborhood's egress. By and by they were talking about the more social aspects of their schooling: Andrew’s literature club, the parties either rarely attended, his brother’s friends.

“How has your roommate been?” Andrew asked, kicking a rock under his shoe and watching it roll along the concrete. 

“Good.” He sighed out a laugh. “He’s great, actually.”

Andrew glanced over to his brother, and if the slight warmth in his voice wasn’t enough, the red on his cheeks told him everything he needed to know. He chuckled too, and gave a soft nudge on his shoulder, making them both smile. 

In a weird way, they never needed to tell eachother about any of this stuff. Equal parts the awkwardness that surrounded telling your sibling, your twin of all people, who you were interested in and an unspoken alliance against their parents had kept them from ever openly speaking it. But Andrew knew his brother was into guys ever since they were teens, he just didn’t know if his brother had caught on to his own preferences yet.

The stone made a sharp sound as it drifted over to his brother, who promptly kicked it back to Andrew with the inside of his shoe. 

“Helios, right?” 

His brother hummed in response. 

His mind trailed to the man at his college, the one who he had desperately wanted to introduce to him, and found himself grinning at the mere thought. God, he hoped Isaac would like his brother. 

He opened his mouth, then shut it quickly. What would he even say? He trusted his brother, but to come out was something entirely different, and with Christmas just around the corner? No, he’d wait. Right after, though, he’d tell him. Andrew silently swore it to himself. 

“Honestly, I prefer the dorms to the house.” 

That snapped Andrew out of his thinking. “Really?” 

“Yeah.” He stopped abruptly, and threw his arms out in exasperation. “Isn’t it suffocating to you too?” 

Everytime he was in his room, Andrew could only remember the sleepless nights he spent hunched over and studying. The dining table was a barrage of moments he spent silent as his parents and brother fought. The living room was a danger zone, as he never wanted to catch his parents when they were disappointed in his brother, or worse, him. The whole house could burn down and the only memories that would go with it were the most futile. Worse was, even without flames, Andrew felt like he wadded through smoke every time he was in those walls.

He silently nodded his head. His brother just stared at him, as if he wanted voice confirmation. But how can one speak up against the pyre when its fumes had already scorched his vocal cords? 

After a moment, his brother kept walking, and Andrew followed. “I contemplated not coming back this winter.” He muttered.

“As did I.” Andrew responded, suddenly getting his voice back. 

“What could you possibly be avoiding?” 

A million and one answers filled his head, but none escaped him - no matter what he said, not a single one would measure up to his brother's reasons. So why even bother trying to compare? 

His twin huffed as he turned away, suddenly gaining some distance on Andrew, and he let him keep it. 

For a while, the only sound they made was their shoes against concrete sidewalks and the crunch as they occasionally had to step into snow. Andrew brought his hands up to his face, cupping them to breathe and warm himself up. Normally he kept gloves in his pockets, just in case. But, of course, he just had to forget them tonight. His fingers combed through his hair, forcing him to look straight ahead at his brother's back. Again, he bit his tongue. But wasn’t that what had gotten him into this situation, unintentionally pushing his brother away by not talking? He didn’t understand it, but only continuing the cycle wasn’t going to help anything. 

So he opened his mouth, just in time to slam right into his brother. 

He stumbled, but his brother didn’t flinch. Or even look at Andrew. His eyes remained trained to the tree line, frozen in place. 

Regaining his footing, Andrew tried again. “Dar-“

“Stop.” He whispered.

“No, D-“  

“Shut up, Andrew, just listen.” 

So he did. 

For a few seconds, he didn’t hear anything. His eyes fell where his brother’s were focused, though without his glasses, the details were fuzzy. 

Then, a distant chime hit his ear. 

More followed. 

A symphony of church bells rang, each peal like a glimmer in the air. 

Andrew knew they rang the bells at midnight every Christmas Eve, though he couldn’t remember the last time he had heard them. During mass, he could imagine it would be unbearable. But from here? The sound was quite pleasant. 

As the bells continued, the twins stood there, listening to it all. Andrew was the first to tear his eyes away from the church he couldn’t see, glancing over at his brother through the corner of his eye. It was the first good look he had gotten at him in a long time. 

Andrew hadn’t realized how short a decade was. Though in context of anything else, the last ten years of his life had dawdled. But with his brother? It was like the blink of an eye. One moment they were running and laughing, a mirror image of one another - even the Christmas’ were tolerable. Fun, even. The next, blooming into adulthood - mimics of who they used to be.

In fact, the longer he looked at him, Andrew realized just how much his brother had changed. His hair had definitely grown, locked into a short ponytail that hung low with swooping bangs, and he made the full switch to contacts some time ago. He even got taller, and next to Andrew, he was a lofty inch or two higher. Though that could also be accredited to the boots he wore. (Ashamed to say, Andrew didn’t remember when or how he got them. They certainly weren’t a gift from their parents, but did his brother even have a job to afford them?) He was more muscular, which wasn’t saying much compared to Andrew, but he was certainly leaner. The man never made a mention of continuing his secondary school athletics, but maybe he did as an extracurricular? Again, Andrew was straining to remember specifics. Though, he supposed any reason to play was now null, as originally it was a brilliant excuse to come home late without his parents accusing him of deviancy. 

But he wasn’t too alien to him. There was something still familiar to him, like flecks of gold shining through, no matter how small. After all, they began to sneak out when they were fourteen and are still doing it now. There must be something that still connected them. 

Right?

Just as he had that thought, he missed his brother's pass, and the pebble went flying into a curb. 

They walked in silence for a while longer, bells fading to the wind. Eventually they found themselves back on their driveway, and their silence became deafening as they lightened their footsteps. God knows what their parents would do if they found out they had been out so late.

They followed one another up the stairs, crossed the same hallway, and went to rooms adjoining. There was a time they shared one, but that was before they had moved. 

Andrew slipped open his door, the knob turning slowly as to mute itself. As he slipped in, he turned half-way to see his brother doing the same.

His brother looked up, catching his gaze. 

Andrew saw himself in the reflection of his eyes. They were bitter, burning with… not rage. But a violent form of disappointment. 

Andrew was the center of it. And he could smell the smoke wafting. 

[1-khxna-1]

¡! ❞The Shadow of Mars¡! ❞

Pearl x gem reader ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚⋆ ˚ words: 888 google docs pages: 2

part: 3/4

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

After your walk, you went back inside the temple. Steven was in his bed, sound asleep as usual. Dreaming to his heart’s content. Pearl was watching him sleep until you walked in then her cheeks turned a light blue,” do you know how to knock!?” but then she calmed down after she saw it was you. In fact, she calmed down so much to shoot you with a dirty look before turning away and walking downstairs.” welcome back pearl! I thought you lost yourself outside there.” you said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes, trying to mask her annoyance at your comment. She knew you were just trying to be annoying, but her dry tone was a clear indication that she was not amused. She crossed her arms,” Ha ha very funny.” you grabbed a cup and filled it up with water, even though you didn't need to eat or drink or sleep or really do anything, Steven got you used to it. you signed and looked at Pearl,” Look. I can forgive you. I suppose… But I can never forget something like that” Her face was full of shock, “what… What about what happened on the beach?”

You cocked your head to the side and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Yeah, what about it?" you asked, wanting to know what she was so shocked about. She continued to stare at you like you had grown five more heads, which you hadn't. You squinted your eyes and furrowed your brow, trying to figure out why she was so taken aback. After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke up. "It's just… I didn't expect you to forgive me..”

“I'm mainly forgiving you for Steven.”Her expression changed in an instant, faster than Steven could pull out his shield to protect himself. "So then I didn't earn it," she said, her voice firm and determined. "I can't just be forgiven just because of Steven. I need to show that I earned it." now it was your turn to look at her in shock as if she had grown five heads. It was a strange thing for her to say, but you could tell that she meant it. She was determined to prove her worth, for who knows at this point these crystal gems are strange people.

“Alright just don't overdo it I guess,” you said not really wanting her to but you knew she was going to overdo it.

And that she did, whenever they had a battle you would be the first person to protect. Even though you could protect yourself just fine. Each day she protected you, you felt like a diamond at this point. It was difficult to witness a pearl making a considerable effort to seek forgiveness from you. Whenever you left to fetch some water, she would persistently hold her spear in a defensive stance as if anticipating an attack.

But then the real challenge came when dealing with Jasper and Peridot. They had come down in a green hand ship..? When they came down each crystal gem was there, even Steven which you thought was stupid, of course, Pearl was in front of you holding her spear out ready to attack. your weapon, gotten from your gem was a blade. the battle was short-lived with the crystal gems and you sadly losing. all of you had gotten poofed and placed in holding cells, yours being right next to Pearl.

“We could have won if you weren't busy protecting me,” you said, you were perfectly fine with protecting yourself.

“I just wanna earn your forgiveness. I can't live knowing that you just forgave me because of Steven, it isn't right,” she said.

“Well you will live and you have earned it”, your eyes were glued to the ground as you spoke to Pearl through the wall, “You do not need to defend me when I'm perfectly fine to do it myself pearl, its stupid and now we're going to homeworld to probably be shattered.” as if on queue steven ran up to the cells and helped you both out. You, Steven, Pearl, and Amethyst ran to the control room .peridot was there but that ended with her getting on an escape pod and fleeing, the ship was turned around and gotten back to earth in pieces. Once everyone was grouped Jasper and Lapis had fused but was pulled into the ocean…

“Yeah that's enough for me.” you picked up Steven and walked back into the house.

“Wa-wait we can't just leave Lapis in the ocean with Jasper!” Steven said as he wiggled out of your hold.

“She’ll be fine we’ll go looking for them in the morning.” Steven signed and climbed into his bed.

“Goodnight Steven.”

“Night tanzanite!”

He said as he fell fast asleep. you walked outside and saw Pearl just staring into the ocean.” Don't overthink it we’ll look in the morning Pearl.” you placed your hand on her shoulder. Her hands had balled up” It's not that simple. I put all of us in danger just.. Just cause..” she had stopped talking..? You looked at your arms tangled around her in a hug.” it's not your fault pearl.” a glow had emerged from both of your gems..? Before you knew it, the two of you had fused.

[sad-boy-mono]

Y'all it's been hours since the ending to genloss and it's still in my brain, so please enjoy the notes I took during the finale (copy and pasted from a Google doc). Before the notes I just wanna say how fuckin amazing the finale was and Ranboo's acting at the end gave me CHILLS. Super proud of everyone involved :]. Anyways, here are the notes I took. Just little things that were interesting/important/I wanted to note.

Ooo timer is different. More sinister, music isn't the chippy uptune elevator shit it was for g1 n g2. Numbers are red, font is different. No showfall logo

Cool opening. Drone footage of the mall. 

People in masks and suits. Same mask that "calmed" sneeg 

Almost thought he was gonna face reveal.

He's talking to the camera. Someone's on the screen. Hedge? Hetch? Hedge. Sure. Taking control.

Only way Ranboo can talk to Hedge is if they keep the mask on. Hedge is… good? For now?

Masked people seem not very observant.

Everyone did die. 

All the locations of the mall aren't what they used to be. Are they all showrooms now? Have more people have been put through what Ranboo went through?

Ranboo can't leave yet. Everyone is actually still alive? (I think Hedge is playin) 

They were reprogrammed for the next episode? Ranboo has seen them come back before.

ENARD FROM FNAF??? (Security thingy)

Masked people are brainwashed. Doing busy work until the next show.

The company sees something special in Ranboo. They set up missing posters in case he escaped. Not sure how long, but he's been here a long time.

4 codes, security upped, we choose which one. Ranboo chose instead. They chose wrong.

Enard escaped. There was blood.

Streamers are set up in the mall, they don't see Ranboo. Dream stream scenario. Million watchers, sub goal ect. Showfall is keeping them in a fantasy scenario?

CHARLIE!!!! 

Headphones keep them from seeing him(?) 

The puzzler died RIP

Charlie is waking up. He doesn't understand.

Alarm is going off. 

Suba

Found a mall map. One of the masked people died. Killed by Enard. All the masked people woke up.

Charlie has an ax, Ranboo has a knife. Hell yeah.

Nevermind Charlie took the frying pan(?)

Bucket of blood labeled slime. 

Long hallway, more masked people. Good shot. Back at Charlie's stream set up.

Masked people can't go up or down floors?

Charlie remembers, but is confused about what happened. Found the day 2 set.

Actually I think it's Hetch. Hetch is alive, but not for long. Ranboo and Charlie have to finish his job.

Ranboo and Charlie don't remember who they are before the show.

Aspect ratio changed I think. Ranboo is blinded by rage? The task? Is he still under control? Loud beeping noise drowning out Charlie.

Masked people full of wires. (Ranboo stabbed)

Found the cabin set.

Charlie attacked by Enard. Think he dies again :[

They shut down the show? Masked people shut down. 

HETCH IS ALIVE AND EVIL? Kinda knew it tbh.

MASK LIGHT TURNED BACK ON. RANBOO WAS AN EXPERIMENT. 

Ranboo's in a trap, mask is on but cracked. Minute face reveal slay.

Crucifix (religious trauma slay)

Holy shit Ranboo's acting is really good.

Live on in the cast until you can't entertain or die now. 

He saw everything that he did, even under control. 

We chose for him to die. Box closed with spikes.

The show ended, the tape ejected. Put on a shelf and was the only one labeled.

[supercimi]

recently i hadn't been successful at getting myself to write

althu i defnitly have the want to write feeling, but my time hadn't been timing very well ;<

okay maybe im also lazy --;

but i have managed to brainstorm stuff while busy with real life stuff so that's a good thing :D (althu i mainly did that without writing it down because i will be mid work or chores but it's alright..i remember some of it...or i will....probably -x-;)

funny thing is when i do finally have some free time i will do anything but write TwT

even browsing my old stuff :D the stuff that never saw the light of day >:3(kinda proud of that for some reason?)

was reading what seemed like a piece i wrote for some tag game or something? it really didn't feel like something i wrote xD

according to google docs i last opened that one back in 2020? but im not sure when exactly i wrote it

btw it's incomplete and probably willl never be(maybe? who knows?) but here it is cuz it made me laugh ;3

======loading========

Today was awful, and not okay, kinda awful, nope. It was just awful. 

ok, that was a bad start, let's be classy.

Hello, 4th wall alien, this is Ribbica, and your day can’t be worse than mine. 

Also, I am lost.

How lost?...well…*looks around*...somewhere underwater I guess?

*you are filled with disbelief* 

*it shows in your reading*

You don’t believe me, do you? Well, can’t blame you. Who’d believe some fictional character they are reading about?! 

…..

Oh, you are still reading?....guess aliens aren’t all that bad.

Then seeing as you are my only source of escaping reality. I'll rant about my awful luck recently, we cool? Rather, you don’t get to say no.

.

..

 'Hello and welcome to our esteemed yeeting service, here we can throw off any stress or emptiness you feel!' 

It started with a flyer smacking my head on the way to work. With all the wind and sand in the air that morning, I am lucky it was just a flyer that hit me.

What? It was windy, yes. But windy weather won’t pay bills.

Anyway, seeing it odd I threw it right away, go smack someone else’s face.

That certainly won’t be the last time I see that ad, or so my gut was warning me. But I ignored it, work won’t do itself.

As if howling winds and angry bosses weren’t enough, the weather kept getting worse.

One day it was just strong winds.

Another was heavy rainfalls.

The rest were nearing a typhoon.

But nope, work won’t be cancelled, can’t work outside? work inside! working online to be exact, all the lagging and errors didn’t make it any easier.

Another thing to add to my stress. Hmm? What? You also had to work online? Oh then maybe studying?..hmm strange didn’t know aliens needed to do that.

Anyway, the weather cooled off, enough to be a freezer yeah. But we were getting the hang of it.

Sadly that meant no going out, getting out meant freezing to death, not getting out was dying of boredom or nagging bosses in the comfort of your own house, alone.

At least I could practice painting. If my crazy workload ever lessened, Being an overworked adult isn’t fun.

Join a good company they said, having so much work they’d pay well they said, 

Yup, wonder why.

The odd ad chose those days to strike again. Online this time.

Even creepy ads were cooped at home huh?

 By that point, I had just gotten nagged at online and ran out of my comfort food.

So it was just me and this ad, I ignored it for being annoyingly tempting.

Then it was the same old routine: wake up, prepare for work over some fruits, work, work, some more work over noodles, lagging and heavy workload crashes, other work, and so forth.

I might as well have turned into a computer from how much work I did.

Even my beauty sleep was spent dreaming about work.

As if accompanying my tired self, the weather outside was getting quite crazy.

Once it’s a blizzard, another a typhoon, others a sandstorm.

Scientists were theorizing about all this being a dream, seriously just what happened?

Leaving the world crisis aside. Work went on as usual.

Those slave drivers didn’t relent at all. I had good pay at least, didn’t get to relish in its benefits at all, but, meh. Who needed entertainment anyway. Lol 

*you strangely feel a certain camaraderie with this character*

Don’t gimme that look, I don’t need a 4th wall breaking alien to pity me.

Anyway, being a work zombie was my life at that point, didn’t matter that scientists found out about a black hole nearing earth and causing an utter disaster, didn’t matter that earth was being colonized out in space, didn’t matter that my car was stolen by a crazy monkey. None at all.

At least until the power went out, a blackout in the middle of a global crisis, who would’ve thought?! Just nice!

My work-zombie mind couldn’t process what happened and had the great idea of going outside.

[peterbarnes]

Maybe Chapter 3

Summary: You work at the TVA as an analyst. Every day is the same- boring case after boring case- but your entire life changes one day when a new variant shows up.

Word Count: 6k

A/N: this is the longest fic I’ve written by far. that’s why it’s taken so long to come out. So 22 google docs pages later...I hope you enjoy!

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

When your eyes opened, your vision was completely blurred. There were beautiful swarms of yellow and green, but they were all mushed together, and you couldn’t make out any figures.

“Look, she’s waking up!”

A sharp shriek left your lips at the sudden voice. You made a fist and punched in front of you in an effort to defend yourself. You half expected to punch the air, considering your eyes were still adjusting, but ended up making contact with flesh and bone. Yet, nobody grunted in pain or fell to the ground. Instead, there was a maniacal and mischievous chuckle, and you knew, even before your vision had finally cleared, who that belonged to. 

It was almost like a camera finally coming into focus once it found the perfect subject. The world fell into place behind him, but none of it mattered because here he was in front of you. He was glistening against the dull, grey landscape and you could feel the air abruptly leave your lungs as if it had been whisked away by the wind. 

“Loki...” you said softly. 

Except, he wasn’t. Not quite. Because though he looked exactly like your Loki, with his raven curls and light eyes that always looked as if they were holding a secret, the way he carried himself was completely different. Your Loki had his boastful moments, sure, but far more often he shrunk into himself, unsure and insecure. This Loki was a stark contrast, exuding confidence in everything he did. His shoulders were set back, his chin tilted up, and his lips curled up just enough to make a smirk and not a smile. 

“Nice to see you again, my love,” he responded, the words falling off his lips smoothly.

“I don’t understand,” you told him, eyebrows furrowing. “You’re not him, how do you know me?”

“Silly girl, every Loki has a [Y/N].”

Right after he spoke, he slid his fingers through yours and lifted your hand to his lips, pressing a chaste kiss to your skin.

“Every Loki has a…” you trailed off. “That’s impossible. Every individual being has countless variants, there’s no way every one of my variants is somehow matched with one of Loki’s.”

“No?” Loki asked teasingly. “Then how do you explain that?”

He nodded to something behind you, and it is safe to say you were not expecting to see that. There stood a group of Loki’s and [Y/N]’s, waving at you excitedly. Even with the variant’s different genders and outfits, it wasn’t hard to determine which were yours and which were Loki’s. After counting, you saw there were exactly 12 of you and 12 of him. Huh.

“I didn’t think that was scientifically possible.”

“I think we’re beyond science now, darling.”

Your head snapped back towards the Loki who stood in front of you. As he helped you up from the ground, you finally took in his bright green coat and the pins that littered it.

“President?” You mumbled questioningly. 

“Indeed. Of all the Loki’s, I am the superior one,” he said, his chin tilting higher if that were even possible. 

“So what am I, the first lady?” You joked, chuckling at your own quip.

It was as if a shadow had cast over his face, parallel to the sound of the Loki’s and [Y/N]’s behind you collectively sucking in a sharp breath.

“She has passed on,” he said softly, his head turning to the floor for the first time since you met him. The facade fell and he fidgeted with his fingers anxiously. 

That’s when you realized that no matter how different Loki’s variants were, or what kind of lives they led, their best skill was still presentation, performing to mask the loneliness they felt inside. It’s as if they were born with it embedded into their souls, and no matter what path they take, they can’t escape it. The void. 

You felt a piece of your heart chip off and took Loki’s hands into your own.

“I’m sorry,” you told him, soft enough so only the two of you could hear it.

He nodded graciously before the facade reset. He cleared his throat as his posture returned to perfection and the pain faded from his expression. But the sadness still stained his eyes and his hand still clung to yours. 

“Come,” he told you. “It’s not safe here.”

He pulled you forward, the crowd of variants trailing behind you. It was the first time you got to focus on the land around you. It was barren, with a few weeds growing here and there. The sky was bruised with clouds that were ready to storm, though there was no rain in sight. It was oddly dry, and for a place filled with Loki’s, it appeared uninhabited, unhealthy… dead. 

It was at least a mile walk, and by the time you stopped, your boots were smudged with dirt and you were panting. 

“You know,” you started. “We never had to walk this much at the TVA… we could just use the TemPad to get wherever. Kinda miss that.”

Loki shot you an amused look, before stopping in front of what looked like a cover for an underground bunker. But instead, when he took its handle bar and opened it, you were met with another Loki, scaling a ladder towards you. At first glance, you thought he was another variant, but then you saw his eyes. You weren’t quite able to put your finger on it, but you knew that, because of his eyes, you would always be able to find your Loki in a packed room of look-alikes. They were distinct, intimate and vulnerable in a way the others weren’t. 

“Loki!” You exclaimed. 

You’d never seen him move so quickly. He climbed the rest of that ladder in record time, scrambling to get up from the ground and race into your arms. You buried your head in his neck and he pressed a soft kiss to your head. You could feel the tension leave his body as he finally held you, felt your skin, confirming that you were alive and with him. 

“You're okay,” he whispered into your hair, but it was more so to himself than to you.

“I’m okay… I’m okay.”

“Well, isn’t this touching,” the Loki, you now deemed President Loki, behind you drawled.

So captivated by finally seeing you, your Loki hadn’t even noticed the surrounding variants. You saw his eyes flutter with hesitation as he slowly scanned the group. 

“Hello,” President Loki continued, his voice deep like a growl. “Which one of us are you?”

You could’ve sworn you heard Loki gulp. To be fair, his President variant was rather intimidating at first.

“It’s okay,” you told Loki, sliding your fingers between his and squeezing. “They’re our…friends, I guess.”

“This is a nightmare.”

—

“You bastard!” An old Loki variant, decked in a ridiculous getup, screamed. “You led the wolves right to our door!”

“Hey-“ You started in an attempt to defend your Loki.

“We prefer snakes to wolves,” President Loki chimed in. 

“I’ve eaten both. They die just the same,” another one, a kid, spoke.

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the theatrics. Too many Loki’s, so much drama.

“Alright, ladies, are we done here?” You interrupted, your voice firm. The Loki’s collectively turned to look at you, startled by your tone. You saw one by one as they shrunk back and mumbled a soft apology. 

“Now,” you continued. “How the hell do we- is that an alligator? You know what, I don’t even want to know. Just tell me how to leave this place.”

“You cannot,” one voice boomed. You turned to arguably the largest Loki variant, donned in fur with a hammer of his own. “Nobody leaves the void. Alioth makes sure of that.”

“Alioth?”

“He’s the entity that guards the void, a giant monster that will kill you if you even think to leave,” President Loki told you. “That’s why I brought you here, to keep you off the mainland, to keep you safe.”

Your Loki scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Problem?” President Loki growled.

“Yes, actually-“

“Nope, we’re not doing this,” you said, stepping between the two men as they stalked toward each other angrily. 

“Well then, I’ll fight to keep you safe!” One Loki spoke up.

“No, I will!”

“No, I will!”

Sweet Jesus.

Before you could even comprehend what was going on around you, the Loki variants began to fight one another. Some used their magic, causing emerald mist to flow through the room, while others used brute force, clocking each other in the head, and taking cheap shots below the belt. Ouch.

You and your Loki ducked and dodged the various weapons swinging around you, as screams of aggression filled the room. Meanwhile, your variants stood huddled in the corner, whispering to one another nonchalantly as if this was just another Tuesday. 

“Come on!” You heard from behind you.

You and Loki whipped around to find the old variant in the ridiculous costume and the kid ushering you to follow them.

“Can we trust them?” You whispered.

“Honestly, we have nothing to lose at this point.”

“Fair enough.”

The two of you climbed the piles of junk that decorated the bunker as you made your way towards the old man. Loki walked behind you, his hand on the small of your back, keeping your figure guarded from the others so you wouldn’t get hit. 

You saw the variant step through a green portal that flowed out from his hands. You stopped right before it, mentally questioning if you should follow him. You could feel Loki step up right next to you, looking at the side of your face. There was something he wanted to ask, you could feel it, but instead he took your hand in yours.

“Together?”

You nodded.

“Together.”

Stepping through the portal was nothing like the TemPad. At the TVA, you could always see your destination in front of you. Here, you couldn’t see anything. You could only see green, swirls of it flowing all around you almost like it was alive. But you could still feel Loki’s hand clasped with yours, grounding you. You took a deep breath and stepped forward, pulling him with you, a true leap of faith.

When you finally met solid ground, you saw you were on another part of the void. The beautiful green now replaced with a dark grey sky. 

“Damn it, animals! We lie and we cheat, and we cut the throat of every person who trusts us, and for what?”

You could hear the frustration lacing the old variant’s voice as his horns pointed towards the sky, as if to curse it. 

“Power,” he grumbled. “Glorious power. Glorious purpose! We cannot change. We’re broken, every version of us. Forever.”

You saw your Loki tense, his eyes trailing towards the ground.

“That’s not true,” you said. “I mean, everyone’s a little bit broken, no? But…you’re not the bad guys you think you are. I’ve grown quite fond of Loki’s, actually.”

The three Loki’s turned to look at you, all of their eyes glistening in the same exact places. 

“Do you mean that?” Your Loki whispered to you.

“I do,” you said back softly, running your thumb over his palm. 

“Well,” the kid spoke up. “I’m glad you see the better of us- you always have. But there’s no use, whenever one of us dares to try to fix themselves, they’re sent here to die.”

“That’s why we need to get out of here,” your Loki said. “Nothing can change until the TVA is stopped. And Sylvie’s the one who-“

Your heart clenched as you heard her name on his lips. You remember how adamant he was to see her back in the interrogation room. The thought of seeing her, seeing them together, left a bitter taste in your mouth.

“And you trust her?” The old variant questioned aggressively.

“Yes! I do. And right now, I believe she’s our only chance of stopping the TVA.”

You slipped your hand out of his and walked in front of him instead, missing the hurt look that flashed across his face at your actions.

“That’s good enough for me,” the kid said. “[Y/N]?”

“Yeah, sure,” you mumbled unconvincingly. 

“Okay. Okay, we’ll help you, but…approaching Alioth is a death sentence. We’ll get you to it, but that’s as far as we go.”

You nodded, hoping to whatever higher power was up there for this to go well. You were exhausted after finding out the truth about the TVA. All you wanted after this was a quiet, normal life. Maybe even one with Loki, but you would never tell him that. If you tried, the words would just cling to your tongue out of fear of rejection. So you kept the fantasy to yourself, in your head, hoping one day it might become reality. 

—

“So, do you have a plan of action?” the older variant asked as you reached closer to where Alioth towered over the void.

“Get inside, find its heart or brain or whatever, and then, you know, do it in,” Loki responded.

“Uh…” the kid let out.

“Hey, just because it’s not complicated doesn’t mean it’s bad.”

“It’s bad,” you chimed in.

“Thanks for the show of support, darling.”

You heard a growl from your left and turned to see the alligator trotting alongside you. You let out a shriek, jumping behind Loki, clutching his shoulders, and moving him in front of you like a shield. 

“That thing’s been here the whole time?!!”

“He’s a Loki,” the kid told you casually. “He’s not gonna bite, he recognizes you.”

“What do you mean he recognizes me?”

“Every Loki has a [Y/N], remember?”

“So you’re saying there’s a little alligator me waddling around here somewhere?”

“Yup.”

“Fantastic.”

Suddenly, something in front of you bursted into color, bright yellows and pinks contrasting against the darkness of the void. However, they didn’t last, quickly transforming into a ginormous boat that dropped in the middle of the land. Another branch. The boat was filled with passengers on the deck who were scrambling to figure out what had just happened. You probably saw it before they did, the black clouds gathering behind them, the purple lightning that littered them. Do they know they’re about to die?

“Alioth is like any animal,” you heard Loki say. “He’ll go after the big meal first. And while he’s busy with that, we can sneak around the back and…”

Before he could finish, Alioth bellowed, the clouds expanding what seemed like infinitely, swallowing the boat whole in a matter of seconds before disappearing again into the air.

You turned towards Loki who wore both a confused and frightened expression on his face.

“Okay, uh. Maybe… um… think a bit more about this, huh?”

“Great job, honey,” you drawled sarcastically, rubbing his shoulder. 

“Car!”

“What?” You asked, turning to the kid who was now looking behind us over the horizon. You followed his line of sight to see what looked like a pizza truck speeding through the grass towards you. Whoever was driving it had no skill, you figured, since instead of going in a straight line, the car zig-zagged as if the wheel was being turned every two seconds.

“Is that bad?” Loki questioned hesitantly. 

“It usually means cannibalistic marauders or cannibalistic pirates,” the kid shot back. 

“I’m too young to be eaten by pirates!” You hollered. “Well, I don’t actually know how old I am, but the point still stands.”

You noticed as the car got closer, enough for the yellow headlights to shine brightly on your face, it slowed down, eventually parking neatly a few yards away from the four of you- five, if you want to count the alligator.

“Stay on guard,” the kid warned, conjuring a dagger into his hands. 

As the passenger door to the car opened, you saw a flash of blonde hair. Whoever it was, recognition immediately took over Loki’s face and he bolted towards the vehicle. 

“I guess that’s Sylvie?” The kid asked.

“Guess so,” you responded weakly, your voice deflating. You twiddled with your thumbs anxiously and forced your feet to move forward. 

“Don’t worry,” the old variant whispered as he walked beside you. “Loki’s and [Y/N]’s are destined to be together. No matter who comes along, you’re the one in his heart. Remember that.”

It was as if you could feel your heart flutter at his words, anxiety slowly being overcome with beautiful butterflies flying around in your stomach.

“Thank you,” you whispered back graciously.

By the time you got there, you could also see Mobius, a smile lighting up your face at the sight of your friend.

“Mobius!” You called.

The same smile you wore lit up his face as he drew you into a hug, squeezing you tight.

“Glad you’re okay, old man,” you told him. “Though you were a goner for a second there.”

“Old man? I see how it is,” he said playfully. “I’m glad you’re okay too.”

“Um, hello,” you heard from behind you.

You turned away from Mobius to see Sylvie looking you over, almost as if to analyze you. She didn’t look shy, just hesitant, unsure. Yeah, she’s definitely a Loki. You weren’t sure how to go about talking to her because, despite what the older variant said, you still felt the jealousy lingering in the pit of your stomach. But when you turned to Loki, he wasn’t looking at her, he was looking at you. Beaming at you actually, before nodding his head towards Sylvie as if to say go ahead, I think you’ll like her. 

“Hi,” you responded, burying your insecurities in the back of your mind. “I’m [Y/N].”

“[Y/N]?” The name had startled her, her eyes glazing over as if a memory had surfaced she didn’t want to remember. 

Every Loki has a [Y/N].

If you could have smacked yourself in the head then without it looking strange to the others, you would have. Sylvie’s not into Loki, she has her own version of you out there somewhere that the universe tied her to. 

“I’m not your [Y/N],” you started carefully. “But we can still be… friends?”

“Friends?” Sylvie asked, the word coming out unnaturally as if it had never escaped her lips before. “I don’t have much of those.”

“Me neither.”

You smiled at her softly and were elated when she returned it genuinely. 

“Hate to break up the moment, but why are you here exactly?” The kid interrupted, looking absolutely over the conversation.

“Thought you could use some back up,” Sylvie answered, looking at you and Loki. Loki put his hands on his hips and looked at her as if to say you haven’t gone soft on me, have you?

Sylvie only rolled her eyes in response, trying to hide the way the corners of her lips quirked upwards. 

“Who are those guys?” Mobius asked, pointing to the variants that lurked behind you and Loki, observing the situation.

“These are my friends,” Loki explained, gesturing to them. “Well, they’re, um… how best to put this? Us as a child, us in the future, and us as an alligator.”

Sylvie’s eyes widened questioningly as she took in the alligator on the floor, its horned helmet lying slightly crooked on its head. 

“It’s best not to question it,” you told her. 

“You throw a rock out here, you hit a Loki,” Mobius quipped.

“So you’re all after the giant cloud monster too then?” Sylvie asked.

“Well,” Loki responded. “We haven’t decided how we’re going to kill it, but-“

“Sorry, come again, kill it?”

“Yes, we’re going to kill Alioth.”

“Oh, my god, that was your plan?”

“Yeah…”

“And you went along with it?” Sylvie turned to you. “I thought you were the smart one, darling.”

Your cheeks heated up at the pet name you had only ever heard from Loki. 

“Nope, nope, none of that,” Loki budged in, pointing at Sylvie who only smirked back. 

“What’s your plan, then?” You asked her.

“I think the person we’re after, the head of the TVA, is beyond the void at the end of time. And if they are, that thing is just their guard dog protecting the only way in.”

“So how do we get past the guard dog, exactly?”

Her eyes gleamed with ambition and pride, exuding a confidence you only wished you could have. 

“I’m gonna enchant it.”

You took in a sharp breath as Loki let out a wheezing laugh.

“That’s insane,” he breathed out between chuckles.

“As insane as what? Paper-cutting a cloud to death?”

You let out a snort resulting in a glare from Loki. You stuck your tongue out at him and he mouthed real mature back at you. 

“She’s pretty confident,” Mobius chimed in.

“Then, let’s do it.”

—

Before you took on Alioth, you and Loki found yourselves sitting in the grass outside an abandoned house that had dropped from the sky not too long ago. It was nice, just the two of you together. The conversation wasn’t constant, but you and Loki had reached the point where you could just sit in silence with each other for hours and it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable- each other’s presence was enough. 

“Can I ask you something?” Loki asked softly, breaking the silence. 

“Yeah, of course.”

“Were you mad at me earlier when I mentioned Sylvie?”

Loki’s tone was cautious, like a child afraid of confrontation, or worse, rejection. You let out a sigh, scratching the back of your neck awkwardly.

“I wasn’t mad. I would never be mad at you for something like that, I was just…jealous. Which is so stupid, I know-“

You stopped at the sound of his laughter ringing in your ears. It wasn’t a small chuckle or even slightly maniacal. 

“What?” You asked hotly. “It’s not funny.”

“It is,” Loki managed to get out between laughs. “It’s quite hilarious actually.”

You huffed and turned away from him, crossing your arms and staring out into the dark horizon. You only looked away when you felt something being placed around your shoulders. It felt soft and warm, almost like a cloud was wrapped around you, and when you tilted your head down you saw it was a dark green blanket.

Your head shifted towards Loki, whose hand was up from just performing a conjuring spell, a sheepish smile on his face.

“I wasn’t laughing at you. It’s just- it’s funny to me that you think I would have feelings for someone else. Sylvie’s like an annoying sister. You, my darling, are everything. You have my heart for always.”

You definitely didn’t expect the declaration that had just come from him, like beautiful prose from a novel. 

“Yeah?” You whispered, your voice breaking.

“Yeah.”

You rested your head on his shoulder and felt the weight of his head leaning on top of yours, snuggling into you. You could’ve stayed there for centuries with him. It didn’t matter that you were in some sort of void in the timeline or that the universe was falling into madness around you. All of that faded away and you realized that, no matter what happened, as long as you had Loki you would be okay. 

—

The six of you stood on top of a hill as the black clouds surrounding Alioth raged throughout the void, lightning striking wherever it went. 

“Okay so what’s the next move?” Mobius hollered, struggling to be heard over the sound of Alioth’s thunder.

“The TVA needs to be brought down,” Sylvie said fiercely. “We don’t know who created it, or where they are, but that thing out there does. When it hit me earlier, I linked to it. It was brief, but I caught a glimpse of something, and I think if I can get close enough to it, I can enchant it, and it’s gonna take me to whoever’s behind all of this.”

“I’m staying,” you said, catching the attention of Loki and Sylvie, whose heads both shot to you.

“[Y/N],” Loki warns. “We don’t know if this is going to work, you’re safer away from here with Mobius.”

“You go, I go.”

You could see he was torn, both proud of your courage and fearful for your safety, but the thing you loved the most about Loki is that he never told you to back down. He knew your strength, knew that you had to do this, to find the people who ripped your life away from you, and wanted you to fight boldly by his side. 

He nodded firmly, taking your hand in his.

“Stay with me.”

“It’s happening guys, the branch will be right out there!” The kid told you, pointing down the hill to an open field. 

“I’ll give your regards to Renslayer,” Mobius told you, bringing you in for a hug.

“Please do,” you scoffed, hugging your friend back before pulling away and looking at him directly. “Stay safe, I’d prefer to see you again, alive.”

“Ha, ha,” Mobius drawled out sardonically. “I’ll try my best.”

He turned to variants asking if they wanted to go with him, a ticket out of the void. You had thought they would jump at the chance to leave, to get a second chance at their lives.

“No!” The kid insisted. “We’re staying here.”

“This is our home,” the old loki said. “We’ve survived this long. We know what we’re doing.”

You could’ve sworn you heard the alligator growl as if to add onto their touching show of bravery. 

“Loki,” the kid said, turning to him. “You’re going to need this on your journey.”

He conjured a golden dagger out of thin air. It was beautiful, carved delicately with a bronze handle that glowed against the light. Loki took it in his hands, admiring the blade before him, then watching as his variants walked away, likely towards another bunker. The sharp sound of a TemPad being activated caught your ear, the orange door appearing suddenly adjacent to Mobius.

“Looks like you got away in the end,” Mobius teased Loki. 

“I always do. What will you do at the TVA?”

“Burn it to the ground,” Mobius paused. “Thanks for the spark.”

Mobius reached out to shake his hand before Loki quickly brought him into a fierce hug. It made you beam to see two of your favorite people care about each other so much. They both needed a friend and had found one in each other.

“Thank you, my friend.”

“You’re my favorite,” Mobius whispered to you over his shoulder. 

A chuckle fell from your lips as Mobius walked smoothly through the TemPad door, off to his own adventure.

Now, it was just the three of you, two Loki’s and a [Y/N], staring down Alioth from a mile away.

You’d never felt fear like this before, adrenaline coursing through your veins, your heart racing so fast it felt like it might implode. You had thought the feeling would shut you down, but it didn’t. It woke you up. You weren’t a sorcerer or a warrior, but you were someone with something to prove, and you’d be dammed if you backed out of this fight now. 

“When a branch appears, Alioth will focus on it. That’s when I’ll enchant it,” Sylvie instructed. “[Y/N], wait until I have it under control before you come out, alright?”

Concern filled her eyes, not fully convinced you would listen to her. You nodded, you were reckless not stupid. 

When you reached the bottom of the hill, you managed to make out a face in the clouds. The eyes were red and beady and the mouth looked more like a black hole than any human feature. 

The cloud shot to the ground, swirling almost like a tornado, looking to consume everything around it. By now, you were only a few feet away from Alioth, cautiously stalking towards him behind Sylvie and Loki. 

The beast roared and you felt the wind push against you, as if it wanted you to turn around and walk away from what you were about to face. So you planted your feet firmly, daring the wind to try again. 

“What if we don’t have time to wait for a branch?” Loki yelled over the roars of Alioth.

“We’ll have to cause a distraction,” Sylvie said, her eyes flickering to you.

“I’ll do it.”

You didn’t even realize the words had come out of your mouth until you saw their faces. Loki looked at you as if you were mad, his eyes lit up in fear and shock.

“No, absolutely not,” Loki stated, his voice not even slightly wavering. “It’ll kill you.”

You let out an almost defeated sigh, placing your hand on his shoulder in an effort to comfort him. 

“I don’t have magic,” you said confidently. “I can’t defeat Alioth, only you two can. If one of you causes the distraction there’s less of a chance of defeating him and finding out who really is in charge of the TVA. It has to be me.”

The fear never left their eyes but they now had a mix of recognition in them too. 

“No-“ Loki insisted.

“We’re talking about saving the universe, Loki-“

“I don’t care about the universe, I care about you! None of this matters if you don’t come out of it with me.” He paused, hesitant before whispering, “I love you.”

Words died in your throat at his confession, instead replaced with a sharp breath. You bit your lip anxiously, your heart aching for him and for what was about to happen.

“Then let me go.”

Loki’s bottom lip wavered as if he could burst into tears at any moment. He went to respond but before he could say anything you and Sylvie locked eyes and you nodded at her. 

“Good luck,” she said softly before green hues left her finger tips, traveling over to Loki’s head where they slipped through his skin and into his mind, his light eyes now turning an emerald shade of green. You stared at him in his enchanted state, wishing so badly that you had said the words back, but knowing it was too late. 

You mouthed thank you to Sylvie before taking off running to the other side of the field. You felt the hard ground slap against your feet as you sprinted, pushing through the burning in your lungs and the aching in your knees. The wind didn’t fight you anymore, instead it followed you, almost carrying you to where you needed to be. 

When you were far enough away from Loki and Sylvie, you waved your hands in the air and screamed as loud as you could muster “hey you big, ugly bastard, come and get me!”

Alioth turned towards you like a predator about to pounce on its prey. It’s red eyes stared you down as the clouds charged, swirling around your body, blocking out all light. You were in there for what felt like hours, waiting to die. Alioth might be chaotic and raging, but in that moment as it looked down at you, all was quiet. It was almost peaceful, even. You closed your eyes, ready for the darkness to get even darker when you saw a speck of green in the corner of your eyelid. It was as if a seed had been planted and started to bloom because suddenly, as you opened your eyes, the speck became a castle. Two castles. A village. Asgard. 

“Holy shit,” you mumbled to yourself. 

“Go!” You heard echoing in the field around you, the old variant’s voice ringing in your ear. 

It was at that moment, too, that the beast turned away from you, charging towards the illusion of Asgard at full speed, ready to consume it. You felt someone behind you and turned your head to see Loki standing there, looking at you with an unreadable expression on his face.

“We’re talking about your reckless behavior later,” he said, slipping his hand into yours. “And your habit for planning things behind my back.”

“I love you, too,” you blurted. 

His cold features melted, and you saw his firmly pressed lips curve into a smile.

“You mean it?”

“I do.”

As his eyes looked in yours intimately, shyly, almost fearfully, you realized that it’s possible that he’d never heard those words before they left your lips. He pressed his forehead against yours, closing his eyes to bask in your closeness.

“Let’s finish this together.”

Hand in hand, you walked towards where Sylvie stood in front of you, observing Alioth as it reigned down on Asgard. She turned towards the two of you inquisitively before grabbing Loki’s other hand and pulling all of you forward.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“We’re going to enchant it.”

“I don’t know how!” Loki struggled, attempting to pull his hand away from Sylvie’s. She only grasped it harder, making him stand firm in between the two of you.

“Yes, you do. Because we’re the same,” she told him, before turning to you. “And you, [Y/N], you make us stronger.”

As Alioth brought down Asgard’s royal castle, the three of you ran right in front of one of his dark clouds. You saw Sylvie latch onto a wisp of one with her hand, the navy turning into her signature bright green. Loki had grasped onto one as well, but its color stayed the same, the magic refusing to flow from his hand. You saw him grimace as he tried to force it to come into fruition, growling slightly in frustration.

“Don’t force it,” you told him as pieces of the cloud swarmed around your legs and arms. “You have the power, let it come to you.”

You saw his eyes close as he took a deep breath. You swore you could see the emerald hues emerge at his feet and move fluidly up his figure until it flowed right into his palm, lightning up the cloud in front of him. His eyes opened again, alert to the magic in front of him, and he let out an almost surprised laugh. 

The cloud tried to fight back, to wear out their magic and exhaust them until they fell to their knees. But it failed to notice that your hands glowed too, not green, but a bright gold. It was like the sun was trapped in between your palms as you clutched both Loki’s and Sylvie’s hands. You were their fuel, their power, their strength. As long as a Loki has a [Y/N], they cannot be defeated. 

All of your palms grew brighter, the lights nearly blinding you as they burst outwards, quickly covering Alioth entirely until his eyes became a sharp green and his demeanor became submissive. You saw his clouds chipping away, turning into dust as the wind carried them onto the grass- a slow death. The path before the three of you was now cleared with the beast gone, and in front of you stood a portal. The green doorway opened to an old, dark house sat on top of a hill. Surrounding it was the cosmos, blends of purple and blue painting the sky like a beautiful portrait. You saw a bright white line as well, perfectly circling the house from a distance. The timeline. 

“You ready for one final adventure?” You asked Loki and Sylvie, their hands still not having left yours. 

They didn’t respond verbally, only nodding fiercely as you all made your way towards the portal that towered over you.

“Here we go.”

Tag List:

@bethany2002   @jordynhouston   @decadentwastelandtrash

@mrs-obrien   @darlingyoureperfection   @sadandabadbitch

@wizardcherryblossom  @vampiregirl1797  @heelsh1re

@poubxlle   @naturallyathief   @burntchicken231

@imabadbiatchh  @elisebuitron

[chiwhorei]

green scrunchies

pairing: dom!k. ukai x sub!fem!reader

genre: smut, 18+ minors dni

word count: 4.1k

warnings: swearing, spanking, smoking, daddy kink, dom/ sub dynamics, brat taming, subspace, dirty talk, degradation, age gap(reader is 22ish and ukai is 26ish) spitting, fingering, oral (fem receiving), edging, orgasm denial, dacryphilia, a little dumification, public nudity (kinda), unprotected sex, tattoos (there’s a tattoo in a really unholy place), this is just filth okay

a/n: i have been sitting on the bulk of this piece for a fucking month and am honestly so surprised i finished it. this was inspired by a picture i saw of a really naughty tattoo and my mind want crazy and vomited on to a google doc.

hymn: nothing’s gonna hurt you baby by cigarettes after sex

“but today isn’t a day of honey-sweet ministrations.”

Ukai Keishin is a gentle man. The team of highschoolers he coaches, his friends, hell, even his mother would beg to differ. But they were not privy to the Keishin you know. The man that serenades you with Elvis Presley while cleaning up after closing the store, grabbing your waist and pulling you into a clumsy slow dance as his gravelly voice croons into your ear. 

He’s entrancing. Hypnotizing you, almost two years ago now, in the most tender pursuit possible, so softly you were unaware of falling deeply in love with him until you had already tipped completely over. Turning to an ink pen and scraps of receipt paper to flesh out the feelings he worried would not sound perfect when they hit your ears. To this day, you’re not entirely sure if he meant to leave the pages to his extemporaneous romance novel for you to find on purpose, but you have your suspicions.

You were in your second year of college when you met Keishin, only 20 years old at the time and clueless to any world outside of studying frantically from one exam to the next. Chasing after a degree you could pursue your dreams with and getting tattoos that would piss your parents off, you crashed into him, literally. 

While walking to class with practiced steps and flipping through a small stack of notecards, you frantically try to accomplish last minute cramming and making it to class promptly at the same time. With one final attempt to understand the scribbles in front of you, you take a sharp turn into a brick wall. A flurry of white papers thrown into the air and falling back down like snow.

It happened in a minute, a minute that held sixty of the longest seconds to ever pass; from the moment you smack your nose into his cemented chest to the moment he saves your head from kissing the ground below. “You need to watch where you’re going, kid.” He says with a cigarette pressed between his teeth. It all happened in that single minute, your soul escaping and crawling into his jacket pocket without even realizing. It’s been there ever since, for safekeeping, of course.

He’s perfect in every way. But just as he is soft and loving, Ukai is not one to take shit. Especially when his sweet, shy baby girl is being a raging brat. It’s like any normal fall afternoon, slightly chilly and crisp on your walk from class. The air is biting at your skin, but the temperature is not what sends a piercing shiver down your spine. You know that as soon as you get home, Ukai Keishin is going to ruin you. 

“What are you doing here, princess?” Your presence is made known with a soft ding from the bell above the door, but Ukai doesn't look up from his magazine when acknowledging you. 

“I live upstairs?” Your tone is light and playful. You decide to test the waters, wondering how much Keishin will let slide today.

“Don’t be dense, little one.” He graces you with his eye contact for the first time, “I know you have a Biology lecture on Friday afternoons. So, why is that cute little ass here instead of on campus?” His lips are pulled tightly in a thin line and he rakes his eyes down your body. You’re wearing a short pleated skirt and a baggie pull-over. Exactly what he picked out for you this morning. Well, almost exactly. He was already opening up the store by the time you woke up, so the clothes were placed neatly on his side of the bed. What he didn’t pick out though, were the stockings currently brandishing your mid thigh, cutting off the supple skin with the soft, black cotton. 

“Oh! My professor cancelled lecture today so I came home early to have lunch with my loving boyfriend.” You smile sweetly, dropping your backpack and rounding the corner of the counter he is sat at. Ukai hums softly- dismissively- and lights a cigarette, his eyes don’t give away any emotion, so you are left hanging off the end of the burning cherry. Has he caught on yet? Maybe the thigh-highs would be enough to distract from your real surprise. 

Before you can ruminate on the thought, a wide, kind smile spreads across his face. If you didn’t know any better, this smile would be comforting. Your boyfriend pats his lap, motioning for you to take a seat. You adjust yourself to fit snugly and lean into Keishin’s chest. He presses a chaste kiss to your temple and takes a drag from his cigarette. Customers trickle in slowly, and you stand a few times to ring up their purchases, always the dutiful girlfriend. Keishin watches you with adoration in between paging through a magazine, everything you did was so perfect, even if it’s just scanning a few groceries. Such a good girl you are. 

It’s not until you sit back down, and he adjusts your hips to settle back into him that he is made aware of the game you’re trying to play. And he is pissed.

“Princess, did you not like the clothes I picked out for you this morning?” He has fully caught on to you at this point, and you both know it, but he isn’t going to show you his hand quite yet. 

“Of course I did, Daddy.” You bury your burning cheek into his neck, letting the familiar smell of cologne and campfires calm your clambering heartbeat. 

“I see, then why are you wearing these…” Keishin’s voice trails off and pulls at the material of the thigh-highs, snapping it against your skin.  

“Actually,” he interrupts, “I have a more important question. But I need you to be a good girl and answer honestly.” Keishin whispers into the shell of your ear and nods a goodbye to the elderly man leaving the store. You two were alone now, the promise of other customers wandering in diminishing quickly with the time of day. 

“I’ll be a good girl Daddy.” You try to coat your words in velvet as best as you can, but Keishin scoffs, clearly unamused. 

“That’s rich, princess. Now tell me, did you go to campus this morning without panties on?” You knew the question he was going to pose, you could have even saved him the breath. You knew you were going to get caught, I mean, that is why you did it. But now, faced with having to atone for your sins, the confidence in your original actions was melting away. 

“I forgot to put panties on this morning, Daddy. I’m sorry.” You try to pout in the sweetest way possible, but Keishin knows. You’re lying through your teeth.

“Tsk, you forgot. How could you forget if I laid them right on top of your skirt this morning?” He fishes in his pocket and pulls out a damning article. As he moves the exhibit into evidence, light pink thong hanging off of fingers, you resolve that your little game was over long before you even tried to start. All you can do now is wait with baited breath and flushed cheeks for his next move. 

“Stand up princess.” Ukai grabs onto your hip bones and lifts you upward. He spins you around to face him and perches his elbows on his knees. “Show me what’s mine baby girl.” His request, his demand, rolls off the tongue like icicles. You know what he means, but still stare back dumbly, mouth wide at what he was insinuating.

“You know I don’t like repeating myself, little girl.” His words stir inside you. If he sees how wet you’re getting, you’re done for. There’s no escaping this moment though. You take a deep breath in a feeble fight against the suffocating feeling in your chest, and lift up the end of your short, black skirt so he can see you. All of you.

Your precious, sumptuous thighs now in his view. He studies the lines of the tattoos not covered with your stockings. Beautiful floral designs in delicate black ink. Keishin thinks the work you get done is always so beautiful. Every addition befitting you perfectly. He loves tracing the pads of his fingers over the art in softer moments. This moment though, was not soft, and the tattoos on your thighs were not the subject of Ukai’s attention. 

He flicks his eyes up to meet yours briefly, and trails down from your quivering bottom lip, to your delicate, freckled collarbones peering sweetly from your large sweater. He drags his darkening gaze down further, cherishing every inch until he reaches your hips. Nestled in between the apex of your thighs, in small, dainty writing lays his prize.

“My Daddy Will Kill You.”

No matter what you did, he would always be there, snugly under the second layer of skin. When his fingers weren’t intertwined in yours, when he couldn’t have a protective hand in your back pocket. Whenever he was away with his team for tournaments or just when you were in class. He was always on you.

“Such a gorgeous little cunt you have.” He leans back in his seat, watching you fidget under his stare, “Whose cunt is this, baby? Is it your classmates? Is it your professors?” You bow your head in shame at Ukai’s insinuation, you know that going to class with a bare ass and a short skirt was going to get you in trouble. How could you resist though, when the punishment always feels so good.

“You’ve been acting like a petulant brat recently. I’ve been letting things slide because I know how stressful your senior year of college has been.” His tone is exasperated, but his eyes are calm, level, dark, “I can’t ignore this, you know that right?”

“I know, Daddy.”

“Your class was cancelled. So that means we get to start the weekend early.” He pulls your hands from your skirt, letting it fall back into place and holds both of your hands in one of his much larger ones. “Go upstairs and sit on the bed. I want you in just your skirt and those cute little tights you were so keen on wearing. I’ll be up in a few minutes.” 

“But Daddy…” you really did like to test your luck sometimes, but the look he gives you, slightly shocked and more than lightly infuriated, was enough to make you hurry to the back and up the stairs to your shared apartment. You kick your sneakers off at the door and head straight to the bedroom. You pull the sweater over your head and unclasp your bra. Usually Keishin likes to do that step for you, savoring the way you shiver as he brushes the straps off of your shoulders, but today isn’t a day of honey-sweet ministrations. 

You tremble like a puppy as you wait for Ukai and almost jump out of your own skin when you hear the front door creek open. Usually you are met with a bellowing voice upon his entry, walking through the door with a hearty, “Honey, I’m home!” even if you had only walked in a few steps ahead. Now, all you can do is wait as he mulls about the apartment with lackadaisical intent and a deafening silence. After a few agonizing minutes and feeling like he made his point, Ukai finally appears in the doorway, arms folded and pressed tightly to his hard chest with a categorically sadistic smile on his face.

“So, you do know how to follow directions?” You gulp loudly and nod your head, but quickly correct yourself. If you don’t use your words you’ll make things worse for yourself. “Yes, Daddy. I know how to follow directions.” It’s not a lie, obviously you are aware of his rules, you just prefer breaking them. Your response is small compared to the loud, sarcastic laugh falling from his throat. Ukai steps towards you slowly. 

“You are such a little tease, I came up to kiss you goodbye this morning and found these still sitting on the bed.” He pulls the thong out of his pocket again and drops the lace into your lap. “You left them there because you wanted me to find them. You wanted me to know you were sitting in class with a bare cunt.” There’s no use trying to find an excuse to push past your locked jaw, because he’s not really asking a question. 

“I left them on purpose, Daddy. I’m sorry.” Your mea culpa is underwhelming to say the least, and you both know it. You may be pleading guilty to all charges, but you don’t seem eager for absolution. 

“You are such a little attention whore. My timid, darling girl has been acting like an insolent slut recently. What am I going to do with you?” His voice sounds questioning, but unmistakingly rhetorical. He’s known what he was going to do to you from the moment he spotted your panties weighing the bed down this morning.

“Turn around baby.” Ukai unbuckles his belt, and you turn away from him, tucking your legs to sit upright. He gathers your long h/c hair from where it was settled around your face and meticulously braids it to lay flat on your back, attaching the green scrunchy from his wrist to the bottom. 

Just like a calling card, Keishin always had a scrunchy of yours around his wrist. Whenever you are hunched over the kitchen table in the middle of writing a paper, he pulls your hair behind you and fastens it into a bun, careful to keep it loose so as to not invite a headache, and kisses the crown of your head. Regardless of where you are: shopping, date night, visiting him at practice, if he notices your hair becoming annoying he will slip it from your neck and twist it into the green scrunchy.

And when you are about to be punished, Ukai pulls your hair into a neat, low braid.

You feel him run his hands from your shoulders to your wrists, pulling them gently behind your back. He presses your palms together and gives them a squeeze so you know to keep them together. Ukai pulls off his shirt, and  frees his undone belt from his jeans, folding it in half and running the cool leather up your thigh. He swats softly at your skin, just enough to make you flinch. 

Ukai tosses the belt to the ground, deciding he would rather you feel the sting of his palm, and sits down next to you on the bed. You face him with your hands still laced together behind you and let him position you to lay across his lap. The side of your face and your shoulders lay flush against the bed and your ass is raised up above his jean-clad thighs. 

“You know the rules, right my love?”

“Yes, Daddy. If I lose count you have to start over.”

“There’s my smart girl. You look so beautiful like this.” He lands a smack on your right cheek, actions greatly contrasting his soft, almost taunting tone. “It’s such a shame you’ve been acting like such a whore.” 

He delivers slap after slap on your bruising ass and you count every one out to him, briefly considering what would happen if you stopped counting, but you know that your punishment is already going to be harsh enough. You’re a masochist, yes, but not an idiot. 

“Why do you always seem to be on your best behavior when I have you over my knee, darling?” Ukai connects his palm with your tender flesh again. “How many was that baby?” 

“Fifteen, Daddy.” You speak in an even tone, if your boyfriend catches on to how much more you like this than he already knows, you’re, quite literally, fucked. 

“You really know how to play me, baby. I’m always wrapped around your little finger.” He starts to knead your ass cheek with his large hand, skimming the tips of his digits against your wanton cunt. He’s testing you, wanting to see if you’ll start squirming or unclasp your hands from their position behind your back, but you hold steady.

“You leave me naughty little surprises. I had you on my mind all day, thinking about this naked little pussy walking around campus. One tiny slip and you would have shown everyone what’s mine.” Another sharp swat to your butt reverberates through the room and you can barely mumble out your counted response. 

“But that’s what you wanted isn’t it? You wanted everyone to see this slutty pussy of yours didn’t you?” Whether that was the truth or not doesn't actually matter, you know not to make an excuse. You are just meant to count and thank. 

“You need to stop squirming, princess, or you’re going to royally piss me off.” Ukai continues his relentless pace, two thick fingers pistoning deep in your dripping pussy. This was one of Ukai’s favorite games, finger-fucking you to the point of the bed under you slamming into the wall. Your job was to keep completely still. One arch of your back or escaped moan and he would land a sharp slap to your puffy, untended clit. 

He’s actually being quite generous despite the circumstances. Usually, you would be propped on your hands and knees, but Ukai has laid you flat on your back with one leg tossed over his broad shoulder. The position, while easier to keep your body still, does mean that Ukai’s piercing, hungry gaze has you pinned like prey under him. The completely pornografic sounds of his fingers are making your head spin. The fact that he’s been hammering his fingers relentlessly into your g-spot for an hour, is starting to make your mind foggy, all thoughts are starting to slip from your brain and your boyfriend can tell.

“God, baby, I love making you absolutely stupid for me. I bet all you can think about is my cock filling this little cunt up, huh?” His words are sneering, taunting. Your response is a babbled agreement and plea for his cock, and the sight of you so completely fucked out makes the bulge in his jeans strain even further. The feeling of his fingers in your squelching pussy is dulling all other senses, so when he pulls the digits away, you can’t help the cry that rips from the back of your throat. 

“Don’t worry, precious girl, I’m going to give you what you want. What you’re fucking desperate for.” Ukai pushes himself from the bed and removes his jeans and boxers, and you watch as his thick cock springs free to slap against his abdomen. The sound makes you mewl, your cunt clenching in anticipation. 

As Ukai crawls back onto your shared bed, his head dips down in between your legs. He licks, flat and languid across your slit, collecting your arousal on his tongue with a feral groan.

“Please, Daddy. Please fuck me. I- I need you. Wa- want to be your good girl.” You find your words as best as you can to beg for him, the sweet cadence of your voice and the way your weak arms reach out for his messy bleached hair signals to him that you’ve fallen completely into a foggy, submissive haze. You tug lightly at the tresses and the impressive self-control he has kept up thus far snaps like plywood under a heavy boot. 

Ukai takes one more deep, hungry lick at your soaking pussy and sits up, pushing your legs further apart, digging his nails into the soft skin under your knees. 

“Open your mouth, Princess.” You are quick to comply with his request, sticking your tongue out and looking up at him through your lashes. You hear the sound of him spitting, his saliva and your arousal coats the thickest plane of your tongue, but connecting one thought to the next becomes impossible as Ukai pushes his thick cock into you at the same time.

“Jesus Christ, no matter how much time I take to get you ready you’re still so tight. God, you make it really hard to stay mad at you.” His hands keep your legs pressed up to your chest, pushing his thick cock into you at an agonizingly lazy pace. Ukai was right, it didn’t matter that he had finger-fucked you into the mattress for an hour, taking him was a tight fit every time. As he buries himself in you, the intoxicating burn of being so full takes all of the air out of your chest. His thick cock stretches you so far, you swear he can feel your own heartbeat within the walls of your tiny cunt. He’s barely halfway into you and you can’t help but constrict, the tinny flavor of your orgasm crawling up from your spine to your mouth. 

“There’s no way I’m letting you cum already.” Ukai snickered sadistically, thumb brushing across your tattoo, the dirty secret you shared, right over where you need his fingers most. He wasn’t going to touch your deprived clit yet, and hoping for him to do so was a waste of energy. 

“I’m sorry Daddy. I promise, I’ll be good.” Your tears are rolling down the side of your face, wetting the sheet next to you. 

“You’re a pathetic mess and I’m not even all the way in you yet. I would save the tears if I were you, babydoll.” You try to compose yourself, but Ukai’s words of dismissive degradation give your whimpers more body, sobbing and babbling as his cock bottoms out. 

You can feel every inch of him, hard and thick and so so full inside of you. Ukai pulls out of you completely, his soaking tip rubbing on your labia before slamming back in to the hilt. His pace becomes brutal with every thrust, original slow pace completely unknown to you now. There’s no way you're going to be able to stand properly after this. 

“Daddy, please. Please let me cum. Need to cum, Daddy. Need to be your good girl.” A series of calls for your daddy and prayerful begs are the only things you know at this point, drool and tears covering your face.

“You know what, Princess? I bet I could make you cum with just one touch to that little clit.” Ukai takes one hand off of your thigh and hovers over where you have needed him since you woke up this morning. “If I’m right, I’ll make you cum again. If I’m wrong, you’re not gonna cum at all.”

You can feel the warmth of his finger looming over the neglected bud, the anticipation is overwhelming and cruel, but all worth it as soon as he pushes the rough pad of his thumb down. Ukai presses a single, taught circle into your clit and the coil wound tightly in your stomach snaps with incredible force. You know there is a scream that rips from your dry mouth, but you can’t hear it with the blood rushing through your ears. Ukai works you through your first orgasm, stilling his thrusts as until you come floating back down.

“I know this slutty little cunt better than the back of my hand. Now, my precious little thing,” You watch as Ukai hooks your limp legs over his shoulders, lining his throbbing cock back to your slopping entrance. “Let’s do that a couple more times.”

“Wise men say, only fools rush in. But I can’t help, falling in love with you.”

You feel your senses coming back to you slowly, with every delicate touch Keishin glides over your skin. He pulls you back to reality with sweet touches and the deep, gravely sound of his voice. After several meticulous moments and even more words of praise, Kei delivers a delicate kiss to your forehead and carries you to the shower. You take a deep, relaxed sigh as he massages your aching muscles under the hot water. After drying your exhausted body with a fluffy towel, Keishin helps you into a comfy pair of leggings and one of his sweatshirts. 

“Take my hand. Take my whole heart too.” Your boyfriend’s broad arms wrap around your waist, hands finding purchase under the orange sweatshirt currently drowning your form, and you melt into his chest. “Because I can’t help, falling in love with you.” You turn around in his arms to steal a kiss, but as your lips attach to his a small laugh bubbles up from your stomach. 

“What are you giggling at?” Keishin eyes you curiously, and you start laughing even harder.

“Oh nothing, I was just thinking about the bloody nose you gave me when we first met.” You cackle at the memory and feel Keishin take an exasperated but amused sigh, joining your laughter with his own.

“First of all, Princess, you ran into me.”

all writing is dymphnasprose’s original content, please do not repost or modify. do no read my content as asmr.©️

[vechkinfan]

Jack

A/n: I found this little one shot while I was looking through the deep dark depths of my google docs the other day and figured I might as well share it. Its a young Joker fic, and my fist time writing for the joker so please take it easy on me!😁

Pairing: Joker x OFC

Summary: A brief glimpse into the Jokers past, memories that he would rather keep buried, memories that reminded him of someone that held his heart. A heart that now burned for Gotham's reckoning.

Warnings: Talks of abuse, swearing, angst, vague talk of death

Jack found himself climbing the dirty, half rotten stairs of his apartment building. The light bulbs on every other floor, blown out or stolen, casting a darkness over him as he made his way up. 

His mother had one of her 'friends' as she liked to call them, over. So he made himself scarce for the afternoon, like he always managed to. Jack weaseled his way out of the apartment when those creeps were over. Especially the ones who would come right in and give him those looks. Those perverted sideways eyes when his mother was too plastered to notice any different. Looks that sent a piercing shiver across his whole body, and an uneasiness to settle in his gut.  He much preferred the men who would come over and pretended like he didn't exist. 

The sun had long since started to sink in the sky  as he climbed the stairs towards home and Jack knew he had to make it before the streetlights in the narrows started to flicker. The evil in his apartment was one thing, but the evils that lurched about once all the sunlight was extinguished in the sky was much more frightening. 

Rounding the last flight of stairs, his eyes landed on a girl  sitting at the top of them. Her back pressed against the door jam of the closest apartment door.  One foot stretched out in front of her blocking his path and the other bent, shaking vigorously on the next step down. 

She was sucking on a red popsicle, as her fingers drummed against the skin of her knee that poked free from a hole in her ratty jeans. 

Jack knew she just moved in a few months back, but he never crossed paths with her before now. However every time he opened the door to let in one of his mothers 'friends', she would be sitting at the top of those stairs. Usually a pack of playing cards in her hands, flicking them one by one, aimlessly down to the next landing. 

"What flavor is that?" Jack asked, curious at what her voice would sound like. He'd been intrigued by her presence the moment he saw her all those weeks ago. 

Pulling the half melted popsicle from her mouth, the girl turned her head slightly to gaze towards him. Her dark brown hair in a curly mess that covered half of her face, but not enough for Jack to miss the darkness of her left eye. It almost appeared black, the deep brown of her iris engulfing her pupil, giving her a truly ominous appearance. 

"Cherry." She answered, her voice nothing what he expected. It held a delicate raspiness, nowhere near the point where it matched Ms. Emerson two floors up who had been smoking 3 packs a day since the depression. There was a softness to it though, one that made Jack want to hear more from her.  "You live in the apartment cross from me don't you?" 

Nodding his head, Jack shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "Sure do." 

She sat in silence after that, and he stood a few stairs below quietly staring at her. His feet shuffling against the creaky old floor board, wondering if this would be the end of their talk. Perhaps it'd be the last time they spoke at all. Jack knew the Narrows had people shuffling around from place to place, like one of them scam shell games. She very well could be gone by morning. 

 "I can bring you one next time…. If you want?" Swinging her leg around, she sat so she was facing him. Both feet planted one step down as she licked the red sugary liquid that was starting to drip down the wooden popsicle stick and onto the top of her hand. 

"I got two left in the freezer." Her voice was soft and held a nervousness that made fighting off a sly grin for Jack very difficult.  

"Yeah, I'd like that." Hustling up the stairs, Jack found himself sitting down beside her. 

His eyes getting a better glance at the girl, in the low light of the stairwell. Now he could tell she was using her hair to hide the right side of her face. Her right eye was an awful shade of purple, and the lid swollen so badly Jack knew she must be having a hard time seeing. 

As he let his eyes pan across her face, he noticed her lip that was stained with cherry popsicle was also busted open. The girl next to him seemed to have come from a similar home as himself. It was near luck that Jack hadn't gotten his ass handed to him by one of his mother friends in a while. Talking back was a habit that he couldn't quit no matter how much he was beaten for it. Not to mention the fit of laughter that usually escaped his thin lips as a belt or a fist swung in his direction didn't help either. 

"You got a name?" He asked, finally dragging his eyes back to meet her dark gaze. 

"Billy." 

Furrowing his brow and giving his head a subtle tilt, he wondered if she was fucking with him.

"That's a boy's name." He puffed out a small laugh. However the girl beside him didn't react at all. 

"I know, you don't gotta remind me." She shrugged her shoulders, before finishing off the popsicle and throwing the wood stick down the stairs. 

"It's  your nickname right?" Jack couldn't quite stop himself with the questions. Usually he kept to himself and avoided people, but she…  there was just something  different about her. Something that drew Jack in like a moth to a flame. 

He knew his interest was purely the result of her moving directly across the hall and appearing to be close to his age, if she had moved three flights up and was a little frilly girl, Jack was sure he wouldn't have even batted an eyelash in her direction as he carried on home. 

Shaking her head and rolling her eye, she was the one to laugh now. "No, my momma lost her first baby, who was a boy when he was real little. She ain't been right in the head since." Jack watched as she picked at the frayed edge of the side pocket of her faded army green vest while she spoke. "So when she found out she was having me, she just knew I was a boy. The doctors told her different, but she didn't really care what they thought. So she named me Billy." 

Shoving her hands into her vest pockets now, she quickly pulled out her deck of cards and began to shuffle them absentmindedly. 

"Billy's not a bad name, I mean there was Billy the kid that robbed banks in the old west right? Like some badass cowboy outlaw… Maybe one day I could live up to that name." Jack's eyes watched as she expertly flipped the cards against themselves, the loud noise filling the hallway. 

"Hate to break it to you, Billy the kid never robbed banks. He's just known for murdering people."

Peering up at him from the corner of her eye, her posture deflated, "Oh…." Billy sighed. 

They sat there in silence after that, Jack feeling some form of regret telling her about Billy the kid. The girl had seemed thrilled in her blissful unawareness, so happy with only a shared name that connected the two. Which was utterly ridiculous, and in any other circumstance Jack would have enjoyed watching the girls dreams come crashing down from the clouds. However it was like a small light had been snuffed inside of her and Jack hated that he caused that. Which blew his mind, cause why would he care about some girl he just met and her no good thoughts. She'd be gone in a few weeks, out of his life for good! The narrows would swallow her up just like it did the other kids, and he really shouldn't have cared. But he did on some level, and it fucking bothered him. 

"Billy where the fuck you at, you little piece of shit?" An angry voice screamed from just beyond the door she had been leaning against. The abruptness caused the girl to flinch and drop the stack of cards she was holding. 

They fell like dominos down the stairs, fluttering off in all sorts of directions. Making a fucking mess. 

Jack watched as she threw herself off the steps and down the stairs chasing after all the playing cards. "Fuck I'm gonna be in so much trouble." She muttered to herself as she frantically began the daunting task. 

Without much thought, Jack did something that surprised himself again. He stood up and grabbed a few of the cards that had fallen towards the top of the stairs. Bunching them together in his hand, before looking down at the Ace of hearts that was face up. The corner dog-eared like a well read book, from constant use probably. 

"I said where the fuck you at girl." A man ripped the door open to her apartment, and stumbled out. The stench of bad tequila filling the air almost immediately.

"I-im I'm sorry I…" Billy stuttered out as she crawled on the ground grabbing the last of the cards.  Her hands trembled bad enough that Jack could tell from where he stood that she was terrified. 

Eyeing the man cautiously, Jack saw him take a step closer to the edge of the stairs. His arm raised slightly, fingers twitching, ready to strike her hard when she finally made her way back to him. 

"Sorry, I tripped into Billy while I was coming down the steps. Made her drop her cards." Jack lied with a laugh, and held up the few in his hands. "I was just helping her pick them up." 

The drunken slob of a man, took a steadying breath, probably knowing he couldn't pummel a kid that wasn't his own. The man's overtly round face, covered in a patchy beard and a badly trimmed mustache that had the remnants of cheese puffs littered throughout it, gave Jack a nasty look. His lip turned up in pure disgust. 

"Yeah well watch where you fucking walk next time." He flicked his hand at Jack, and then turned his attention to Billy. Who was now standing up straight at the bottom of the landing, cards in hand. "You, " He pointed at her with a chubby accusatory finger, "pick up your goddamn mess and get in the house, and don't make me fucking tell you again." 

Jack watched as the man turned ungracefully on his heel and stumbled back from the pit in which he came. Slamming the door behind him with such power, some of the cracked plaster on the ceiling fell to the floor.

"You didn't have to lie." 

"I know." He heard her take a few hesitant steps up, until she was standing side by side with himself. "I ain't in the mood to watch an ass kicking at the moment." He couldn't stop the tiny laugh that escaped him at his own humorless joke. 

Tilting his head towards Billy, he finally held out the few cards that he managed to collect. She greedily took them back into her possession, and Jack watched as the girl seemed to be counting them to herself. Her fingers flipping past each number making sure they were all accounted for. 

"Thank you." Her voice was softer than anything Jack had ever heard as she finished what she was doing and tucked the cards back into her vest pocket. 

"He hit you a lot?" Jack asked aloud, as the girl pushed past him and towards her apartment door. 

Shrugging her shoulders, Billy nodded her head. "Not as much as my real dad did, so I'm lucky enough. I know some kids got it worse than me, so I'm not complaining."

"Lucky?" He quirked a brow at her choice of words. Luck was nowhere to be seen in the Narrows, especially not in that girls apartment. 

Perhaps the girl had been struck in the head so many times it actually made her dense. It wouldn't be a surprise to him if that was the case, because no one, and he meant no one, would ever call themselves lucky with the life she seemingly led. 

"You got to believe in something, right?" She smirked. "Luck seems more plausible than some god or a superhero saving me. Plus I got this." Reaching back into her pocket the girl drew out a single card, and quickly flicked it over to him.

Jack caught it and huffed an amused laugh. His eyes falling upon the joker card that belonged to her deck. The jester was skillfully juggling three knives while he balanced with one foot on a large green and purple circus ball. The character itself was off putting, his face painted white, his lips smudged with red paint  that made his maniacal grin even more pronounced. His jester hat constructed out of oddly colored rattlesnakes, multiple wrapped around one another to give its iconic shape. Their rattling tails hung as the bells at the tips. It was clearly far from the typical playing card one could get at the Bodega down the block. 

"It's my lucky card, bad things don't happen as often when I have it on me." 

Jack couldn't help but continue to stare at it. The wheels in his mind spun endlessly with hundreds of questions, but he knew he'd never have time to get them answered. She was on borrowed time as it was, and he didn't want to hold her up further. Cause if he did, the girl probably wouldn't be able to see at all next time he ran into her. The guy inside, smashing her other eye to the point it was swelled shut as well. 

Looking up into her eyes, Jack attempted to hand it back. But Billy just shook her head at him. 

"You keep it, it's the least I can do after you saved my ass. Maybe it will bring you some luck." She smiled at him before turning and opening her apartment door making her exit. 

"If you give me this, won't your luck be gone?" His words stopped her in her tracks. But all Jack could focus on was her soft laughter.

Without turning to face him, she pulled another card free from her pocket, twisting it expertly between two fingers so the face of it was in Jack's direction. An inverted match to the very card that he held in his hands. "There's always two jokers." 

Just as quick as she pulled it free, Billy shoved it back into her pocket, "See you around." She chuckled before disappearing into her apartment. Leaving Jack alone in the stairwell, staring quizzically at the place the girl once was. His lip twitching up in amusement, before he shook his head clear of their encounter. 

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

The joker cracked an eye open as he startled awake. It was a rare occurrence in recent years that his dreams would startle him out of sleep. That was only reserved for a specific time in his life, and that was not now anymore. 

His half sleep blurred vision instantly focused on the ever growing water stain that was spreading across the ceiling tiles. It's dark brownish edges tainting the once white paint, giving the already run down room a greater sense of abandonment. 

His hand stretched out wantingly, his long fingers gripping into the cool sheets of the spot next to him. The spot that had been vacant for many years now. An emptiness that slowly consumed him in absolute sorrow, and then engulfed him in a burning rage, no one could ever put out. 

It was a pain that radiated through the Joker like a poison when his mind traveled to her. Pleading for him to remember, remember a time when things were pleasant. When she was by his side, and in his bed, places he could keep her safe. 

But he couldn't, the day Gotham took her from him was the day its reckoning started. They would all pay, every last one of them.

[marvelyhp]

A thousand yous

Synopsis: Adelaide (or Y/n) opens up to Bucky and he tries to settle her fears and finally tells her how he feels.

Word count: 1790

Disclaimer: I don’t own the papasito of James “Bucky” Barnes.

Side note: This is another out of nowhere piece that came up. I thought about making this a series or a story but I’m not sure. I guess I got tired of seeing it in Google docs and put it somewhere else. Oh and Adelaide’s name can be changed for y/n or y/n l/n for the end, I just prefer to use actual names. I’m writing all this as if I expect anyone to read this.

++++++++++++++++++

Bucky found her sitting beside the window, her head propped against the glass pane. Eyes focused on the moving lights of the cars and the city, yearning gleaming in her face.

“I miss wearing my dresses,” Adelaide whispered, her breath leaving a trail in the window.

Bucky’s heart stopped at the sound of her voice. He let her words sink in before answering her, eagerly wishing she was opening up to him and felt more comfortable around him. Hope grew deep inside him.

“You mean the red one, with the white flowers?” Bucky started walking towards her to settle beside her on the windowsill. His knee brushed hers as he sat, looking at her face, not bothering with the twinkling lights in the city but the lack of them in her eyes. He missed that shine, her smile, and her carefree personality. But he was so thankful to have her next to him right then, it didn’t matter if he had to discover her all over again.

“Oh, the red shirtwaist. That was my favorite. I just miss the simplicity of it.” It came as a whisper, and he noticed the wavering of her voice.

Memories of her in that red dress, the one that left him more breathless than usual crossed his mind. He remembered her dancing with him in a fair, surrounded by hundreds of people. He remembered Steve dancing with a pretty brunette to his side. Her smile stood out most for him, the way it would light up her whole face, light up his whole world. The way her beautiful golden skin glowed. He remembered her twirling and giggling as she danced with his finger in her hand, her long onyx hair an umbrella as it rose around her.

The girl in front of him was not the Adelaide he knew. He couldn’t read her as well as he used to but she was rough around the edges, he saw the anger in her eyes every day. He saw the fear hidden behind a mask of indifference. He saw how fidgety she was around men, and untrusting of women. She didn’t let anybody in. He thought about how much she resembled him after he left Hydra, the things he saw in her that he knew he still harbored.

“It feels ridiculous to miss that,” Her voice resonated through the room. The darkness of the room would’ve swallowed them if it weren’t for the rays of moonlight coming through the windows. “To miss something so banal like dresses.”

“Don’t you miss anything else?” He didn’t want this moment to stop, he didn’t want her to stop talking. He wanted her to tell him, to open up to him more. But he wishes for her to mention him, even if once. He wanted her to mention him without that anger she felt towards him.

“I do. I miss the way everything was so simple then, even if it wasn’t. Nothing seems quite as complicated and exhausting as this,” A sigh escaped her lips as she shuffled on the windowsill, turning her body and her eyes towards Bucky. “I miss dancing. I miss Brooklyn and the way it was back then. I miss...” her voice trailed off as her eyes lowered to the ground, leaving Bucky’s blue orbs confused.

“What?”

“Forget it.” Her eyes lingered on his eyes before lowering to his lips. She quickly withdrew them, focusing in the moving bright lights.

“I miss Brooklyn, too. I-I miss Steve, so much. Every day I wake up and wish he was here to tell me what I’m doing wrong, or laugh at the stupid things I say or just call me an idiot. He was the only one who understood me.” Bucky’s voice had taken an edge of sadness. The memories of Steve laughing, dancing with his off-beat moves, being plain stupid and his heroics coming into view in his mind.

“I miss Steve, too.” It was a whisper, but the pain and sadness laced in her voice made him feel as though she was screaming. A pang of jealousy poked at his heart. Steve’s face and words as they talked about Adelaide that afternoon in the apartment in Romania shooting on his mind. He shook his head, Shame settling in his gut at his thoughts. It didn’t even matter now because Steve was no longer with him, he could no longer defend himself or say what he thought.

When Bucky looked at her face, she was still facing the window, her lips slightly pressed together. Her lids closed, a small tear glistening in the moonlight. He waited for something more but nothing came.

“He missed you too,” Bucky’s lips pursed. “He used to talk about you all the time. Anything we would do would remind us of you, but he would be the first one to comment on it. Damn it, sometimes I wanted to shut him up”

“Why did you?”

“Because it was too painful, talking about you.” A sigh escaped his lips as his hands traveled to cradle his face to then push his fingers through the mass on top of his head. “I couldn’t hear about the way you used to dance, or the way you smiled or the way you scolded the both of us. I didn’t want to remember the days we went on dates or think about the nights we spent together.”

Silence engulfed them both, the only sound interrupting were the horns of the cars below. Adelaide’s eyes closed tightly, her arms hugging her elbows. A tremble escaped her lips and Bucky felt afraid he had said too much, that he had pushed her too far. Even then, he decided to continue. He needed to say this, to get this heavy load off his chest.

“I couldn’t talk about you because I didn’t want to remember what I had lost. Of all the things and people I’d lost, you were the one who hurt the most.” His heart thundered against his rib cage, forcing his chest to rise and fall unevenly. He felt his hands shake slightly against the skin of his thighs. His eyes focused on her.

He focused on the way her chest rose and fell erratically. He focused on her body, shaking slightly as she stood up from the windowsill. He focused on the way she paced the living room. He focused on the way she kept muttering ‘no’ under her breath and shaking her head side to side.

“The only thing I thought for 80 years was you, Ady.” She was in denial and that’s when he threw caution to the wind.

“Stop.”

“Your smile was the only thing Hydra couldn’t erase, Ady. It didn’t matter how much of you I forgot, your smile was always there.”

“James, stop.”

“Your face was the first thing I remembered. Please, Ady-“

“Stop calling me that!” She cried out. She had stopped pacing at this point, having turned around to face Bucky. Her head was hung low, her white hair hiding her face.

Bucky just sat there with wide eyes and his mouth in a firm line. Her shout had surprised him having been the first time she had been so vocal. The first time she had expressed so much emotion since he had recognized her coming out of Doctor Raynold’s session.

“I’m not her, James. I am no longer that woman you so clearly loved and treasured. I don’t know who I was, who I am, or who am I supposed to be anymore. You don’t know me anymore, and neither do I.” Her fists were clenched at her sides, her voice shaking with every word spoken.

Seeing her so broken, so fragile, broke something inside him. He felt his heart twisting painfully in his chest. Without thinking, Bucky stood up and crossed the space between them in four powerful strides. His hands found her cheeks, tilting her head up.

Thin almond eyes stared back at him. Tears fell from her eyes, marking a pathway from the pool in her eyes to her chin. His thumbs cleaned her falling tears before he whispered his next words. His heart a thousand miles a minute.

"I don't care if you're not the Adelaide I knew. I would suffer through everything again if it meant finding you, whoever that is at the moment," Multiple tears fell from her bloodshot eyes, tears he washed away like the ocean washes the sand. "I would get to know you a thousand times if it meant having you." Their lips were mere inches away, her small refined nose brushing his. His breath mixing with hers. Both of them breathing heavily, their bodies leaning towards each other involuntarily.

Bucky thought about how close she was. He could feel the warmth of her body melting the coldness around his heart. Her stormy grey eyes looking longingly at him and he forgot the promise he had made to himself. He threw his promise out the window because he couldn't take things slower than they had been.

"Fuck it." That was all he said before he crashed his lips onto hers. He poured every lonely night spent thinking about her into the kiss, every tear he shed about her, every desire he had to see her for eighty years. The kiss was desperate and full of longing.

Adelaide's hand grasped the base of his neck, pulling his head towards her, deepening the kiss. All those emotions she had so desperately tried to hide came floating out of her chest. She had missed him so much. Her right hand caressed the soft brown hair on his head. She had taken a while to get used to the way his hair looked, much shorter than it used to be. His beard tickled her chin and even though she remembered how soft his face used to be, she had started to like the beard and how manly he looked.

They kissed passionately until their lungs no longer held any breath. Until a burning sensation flourished in the chest, lungs screaming for air. Bucky rested his forehead against hers, panting.

"I loved you," he pressed a kiss at the tip of her nose. "I love you, " his lips moved towards her cheek. "and I will always love you, Adelaide Wright." His lips settled on hers once again, this time slow and lovingly.

[moon-lixie]

Change or stay the same - Han Jisung

word count: 4.791k

song: Punching Bag -Wallice

warnings: none, even though there's a bit of angst if you squint your eyes.

Yellow washed over the white walls of the room, soon enough soaking the bed sheets that draped over his body. The morning was eager to greet him, light poking at his eyelids to speed up the process of waking him.

A groan slipped his rosy lips before he moved to nuzzle his face on the fluffy material of the sky colored pillow. He dreaded mornings the most; one of the hardest tasks of the day was trying to rip himself away from his sheets.

His lids grew heavy after a couple minutes, sleep tugging on his arms begging him to drift away and into oblivion. Humming in satisfaction his mind was about to shut down when a loud ringing noise filled the room, it was Changbin’s special ringtone.

“Shit,” he murmured groggily before stretching his arm enough to reach the nightstand without having to move away from his pillow.

Putting the phone right beside his ear the first thing he heard was an oh so sweet Where the fuck are you, Jisung? It’s eight already. Which was soon followed by a string of profanities leaving his own lips, almost seemingly pushing him to move frantically across his room.

“I’ll be there in ten.” Was the last and first thing he said to his friend before hanging up and throwing his phone to his bed.

There was no time for him to take a shower; it’s not like he was planning to take one but he sometimes liked to pretend that he would. He barely brushed his teeth, changed into the first things that popped out of his closet and groaned at his empty refrigerator before finding himself running through the crowded streets.

He wasn’t particularly stressed despite his palms growing clammy at the idea of having to come up with a good excuse for his tardiness; to a certain degree he loved running like a maniac in that big city that seemed to have too many places for him to discover despite having been living there for years now.

A light giggle escaped his lips as he turned around a corner, now meters away from arriving at his destination. Despite his empty stomach and lack of morning coffee, he seemed to have too much energy to spare.

It felt like nothing could stop him until he couldn’t move his feet anymore, the world stopped before his eyes and breath left his lungs. He swore he had seen a familiar face but it had soon disappeared between the crowd; still, just one glimpse of said person had his heart coming to a stop.

“What are you doing?” Filled Jisung’s ears before he blinked back to reality; it was his friend of similar height, head popping out of the entrance door he should’ve crossed earlier.

Quickly shaking his head as he dismissed the question thrown at him, he entered the building and apologized to the older man throwing a curious glance at him.

The ride on the elevator was filled with silence, allowing his head to be filled with questions and worries that now had nothing to do with the task at hand but rather the person he believed to have seen.

Silence finally dissipated when he entered the studio to face a more or less exasperated Chan, he was sometimes too serious when it came to work but Jisung totally understood, one of them had to have the tiniest bit of seriousness or it could turn to chaos.

“I’m so sorry, I—”

“You overslept, we know. Let’s just get to work.” Changbin interrupted before patting his shoulder reassuringly.

A sheepish smile covered his lips before his fingers reached towards the bag that he was supposed to be wearing, the one that had his laptop in it. There went another fuck because he knew he was forgetting something as he left his apartment but was quick to shrug off the thought.

“It’s okay, you can just log in here.” Chan was quick to say without even having to spare him a glance to know what was the problem. He was grateful to have friends who seemed to balance out his clumsiness perfectly fine.

Taking a chair and moving closer to the desk he grabbed the mouse and started clicking away. Second later the monitor eagerly asked him for the password of his email where he happened to have his lyrics noted down. Yes, he used google docs, so what?

He gulped down at the thought of what he was about to type; his password never seemed to represent a problem until today. It was the name of someone he had last seen years ago, five to be exact. He just never saw the need to change it, not when he could type it with his eyes closed or in his sleep; it had been the same since he was in high school and until today he hadn’t minded that it stayed like that.

“Dude, we need to work so hurry up.” That’s right, he needed to hurry and snap out of it. it wasn’t such a big deal, he just needed to type every letter of your name in the specific order he knew by heart and pretend that it hadn't been you on the street just now.

And so he did, typing it as quickly as any other day, pressing enter and getting access to everything he needed along with a million memories stored as videos and pictures.

He cleared his throat before getting to work, he didn’t have the guts to revive his high school days in front of his friends; perhaps not brave enough to revive them at all despite the place or people around him.

Once the three of them were certain that the sun outside was slowly flooding the city with small orange and pink tinges, they exited the building that guarded their creative mess. Each walking their own way, not before throwing one last threat at the youngest in hopes that tomorrow he’d open his eyes at the right hour. Laughing lightly Jisung nodded and walked away, eager to return home.

His landlord had a white cat with some brown spots that somehow added to its cuteness; just like any other day he pet it before quickly scurrying to the elevator and finally walking past three doors before finding himself in front of his apartment door.

When he found himself inside, the first thing he did was take a shower, one that this time he had actually been intending to take. Later sitting on his bed, towel still tousling his hair in attempts to dry it, his laptop found its way to his lap.

His fingers didn’t hesitate much before clicking on the right places that took him to those videos and pictures that brought him joy every single time. Biting on his bottom lip he finally allowed the towel to rest on his shoulder and pressed play.

The video revealed his freckled friend whose laugh could light up the whole world, he did something silly as usual before Seungmin popped up a little far away. In the middle of a park, they found themselves atop lush grass that welcomed their feet happily as they fooled around.

After some time filming the two boys the camera moved towards some swings where you sat, expression all too dull for the situation that you were in. That was it, the video cut there and the memories would finish at that moment if he didn’t clearly remember what happened next.

He had stopped recording, closing the small screen of the video camera before walking towards you, a worried expression taking hold of his features. Once close enough he sat on the swing next to yours, feet kicking the soil softly.

“I don’t want to leave this place,” you had mumbled by his side, catching him off guard.

“What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you thought about what will happen to us when we go to college. It’s months away and I’m terrified of leaving.” A heavy sigh escaped your lips, pupils moving to catch his gaze.

Next time you opened your mouth, the tone with which you spoke was way quieter as if you were scared of saying such things. “I wish I could stay here forever, with you guys, just being silly and worrying about nothing.”

Reaching his hand to grab yours he ended up intertwining his fingers with yours before sighing and smiling sweetly. “Nothing is going to change, we’ll keep being together. Trust in me, we’ll make it through.”

You had smiled brightly after he spoke, blindly believing in his words that ended up not becoming true. Soon after everyone parted away to college the distance had done its job at making communication difficult, a text a day turned into one every week, quickly it had been one a month and then nothing but each other’s contacts saved on your phones.

Living kilometers away everyone kept moving on with their lives not really knowing much about each other. The only thing that he now was aware of was about his own story, how he had met Chan and Changbin in college and their common interest and ambition had brought them to work together in what they loved.

Quickly closing his laptop and leaving it on his night stand he plopped himself down on his face. Seconds after reaching for his phone and looking for your contact.

His breath hitched once it appeared on his screen, all too familiar but quite foreign by now. He had stopped himself from calling you many times; when he was sober he convinced himself that you wouldn’t want to talk to him after he lied to you that one evening, when drunk he decided that you deserved better than a Jisung that made no sense and slurred all his words.

Nevertheless, he always thought of you like how one thinks about their first love that never happened, because that was the case. Your reckless mixed with your amazing sense of responsibility —that he had always admired— still haunted him at night along with your melodious laugh.

Finally deciding that it was now or never he pressed on your contact and pressed his phone to his ear, dying slowly at every loud beep that separated him from your voice. Without notice the line went silent for a moment before a strange voice spoke a soft hello?, it wasn’t you.

“Is y/n there?”

“No, I’m sorry. I think you have the wrong number.”

He thanked the stranger, trying not to sound utterly disappointed before hanging up and throwing his phone towards his pillow and sighing in defeat. It had never occurred to him that you could’ve changed your number in the past five years but it made sense.

It wasn’t the end of the world, he could later call Felix and ask him for your number —because Jisung was certain he would have it— but that could be left for when he ate something and felt less nervous.

Walking to his kitchen it suddenly popped in his mind, his refrigerator was empty and that meant no food he could simply stuff in his mouth. He cursed for the nth time that day.

“It’s okay, I’ll just go buy something to eat and then get some groceries on the weekend,” he said to no one in particular before getting dressed again and going out to wander around the city until he found a place that sold something edible, that would suffice.

On one particular street where he had to wait for the traffic light to change his heart came to a stop because this time he didn't see you but rather heard your voice calling his name, and upon turning around there you were, just like he remembered.

A hello meant to escape his lips but it got stuck on his throat when you smiled at him warmly; he loved you as much as that eighteen year old him that would do anything for you.

Without thinking much he hugged you tightly; you were quick to return his hug, convincing him that it would be the biggest mistake in the world to pull away soon. People walked past the both of you, some huffing in annoyance as you were in fact obstructing the street but for all that he cared everyone could go and fuck themselves.

When he finally broke away the hug some words came tumbling down of his mouth before he got the chance to think about them, “I was going to grab something to eat, want to come with me?”

The words surely took you by surprise as confusion plastered in your face for a second, but you nevertheless accepted his offer.

“So...what are you doing here?” he asked as both crossed the street, Jisung no longer wandering without a destination.

“I live here.” He threw you a confused look that couldn’t mean anything more than a since when? that seemed to amuse you greatly as you laughed for a second before answering. “I moved not far from here three months ago, for work.”

Nodding lightly he kept walking, silence moving at a fast pace to catch up with your moving figures on the street, but it was futile as you spoke up once again.

“It’s silly but— ”

“It’s not,” he retorted before an unknown force tugged at the corners of his lips with force, refusing to let his smile falter.

“—I had been wondering when we would end up stumbling with each other.”

Those simple words made his heart beat at a faster pace, aggressively thumping against his chest. After all this time you still had his existence present in your mind, not seeming to forget how he always talked about moving here once he was old enough when he was just a child.

“Well, I’m glad that we finally did.” A coward, that’s how he should call himself from now on as the words refused to slip past his lips. He should tell you that he had tried to call you, that he had also been wanting to see you, but he couldn’t.

Jisung had decided to bring you to a small dinner that was not only cheap but delicious; he smiled way too widely once you asked for the same you used to have and you questioned him with your eyes when he asked for coffee, he used to not be able to stand the bitter taste.

Hours passed as you both caught up with each other, apparently you still spoke often with Felix —which he already suspected all along— and had only recently decided to move out from the apartment you still shared with your college roommates, ending up in that lovely city by chance.

His eyes scanned every single centimetre of yours, the small dimple that formed on your right cheek everytime you chewed, the way your faint and discreet lip gloss had turned into a more lively lip tint, the ever so faint eye bags under your eyes that seemed to distinguish people your age.

“God, then Felix fell to that fountain, right?”

He snickered loudly before nodding in affirmation. “He had to walk all the way home completely soaked. He wouldn't stop complaining.”

The laugh that escaped your throat seemed almost nostalgic; it had been quite a while.

When you both crossed the door on your way out the only light covering the streets were those of the streetlights and some cars stuck in traffic. He offered to walk you back home and you immediately nodded in approval of his proposition.

In the blink of an eye he had turned to the high school Jisung that would walk slightly behind you, secretly wanting to reach out for your hand and intertwined his fingers without you, but not even now did he have the courage.

The walk seemed to be awfully short, perhaps because he didn’t want to leave you yet. You got your keys out and stood in front of your door but still facing him as if waiting for something.

“You changed your number.” Was the first thing he could think of saying to what you sighed awkwardly and answered him a quick I did.

“I would love to get something to eat with you again or just talk for a while. So I was wondering if I could have your number.” His eyes closed mid sentence, feeling embarrassed about his sound lack of ability to say something that wasn’t awkward.

Thankfully you seemed to want to spare him some suffering, quickly asking for his phone so you could add your contact, sneakingly adding a cheesy heart after your name. And when you were about to close the door you turned around and asked one last thing, “How did you know? You know, that I changed my number.”

He didn’t like the implications of that question, almost as if you were implying that it would be impossible to know if he hadn't tried to contact you, which you seemed to believe he hadn’t tried to do so all this time.

“I called you and someone else answered.” You nodded softly at his words, a feeling that he couldn’t quite comprehend pooling in your eyes before closing the door.

Yes, he should’ve called you sooner, should have texted Felix asking for your new number a million years before but he never thought of it despite always thinking of you. He had gotten so caught up with every present day that he had forgotten what he was leaving behind; but now you were part of his present and he was determined to keep you there.

It didn’t feel like he was on a cloud as he made his way back home, it rather felt somewhat heavy as he thought back on the last look in your eyes. If he could then he would run back to your door and wouldn’t leave until a smile hung on your lips, but he was scared of overstepping his boundaries.

His bed felt less comfortable than usual but that was usual on the navy nights that lyrics haunted his mind. And so he found himself on his usual spot on the floor of his room, guitar lazily placed on his lap, laptop sitting on the floor making him have to slouch himself to properly type down what he wanted.

At one point he fell asleep, not caring about the hard wooden floor under his back or the cold air nipping at his skin. Until he moved, guitar complaining about the position it had been placed at. His eyes snapped open and he quickly reached his hands around the floor until they found his phone.

One long yawn and then his eyes were being met with an almost perfect 05:59 that quickly turned to 06:00. He still had a solid hour and a half of sleep but he still found his feet colliding with the pavement of the street, later reaching a coffee shop near the studio.

He exited the place with the ring of a bell and an iced americano seeping cold into the warm skin of his hand. A pleased smile grazed his lips upon the first sip, he was now more ready than ever to start his day.

Not long after his friends were exaggeratedly gasping in surprise behind his back upon reaching the studio and finding the younger there. He clicked away shamelessly, never daring to feel embarrassed in front of them, not when it came to music and his sometimes peculiar lyrics.

“A love song?” Chan snorted while peeking over his shoulder, only causing a light blush to spread across his cheeks. He only shrugged it off before continuing his work.

Hours passed and as the sun reached its peak his fingers found their way to his phone screen, clicking on your contact and quickly typing a short message before he started overthinking his way to never speaking to you again. Only then noticing the heart that you had placed beside your name; it made his heart do a flip

He typed a quick and simple question, asking if you were free at seven; soon after you replied with a lovely yes that made him giddy. His expression must have radically changed because Changbin felt free to question him and try to take a peek of his screen.

“Hyung!” Jisung said annoyed while scooting away a couple of centimetres, his friend just giggled in content and left him alone.

Taking into account that his apartment was a mess he quickly convinced you to hang out at yours to what you even ended up offering to make dinner for both of you with a sweet If you get the ingredients then I’ll be happy to cook.

So as soon as he had the chance he shouted farewell to his friends as he hurried to his apartment to get ready and buy the things you had asked him too, feeling all too happy and young. It’s not like he was old but everytime he thought about you now he felt like a child, back at 15 or even worse, younger, not knowing what to do except stare at your messages with complete infatuation.

His knuckles hesitated before colliding with your beige door twice, quickly and with enough force to make his presence known to you who opened with a tender smile barely reaching your eyes.

When he entered he couldn’t help but allow his eyes to linger around every small detail that the place held. The grey cushion went delightfully well with the subtle tones of yellow and cerulean, those matching with some accents you had added on the walls.

Only then he noticed that just as your number changed you could’ve too, he knew all about the you who had survived school by his side but almost nothing about the person who lived on that tidy apartment that smelt faintly of vanilla.

He turned around to find the image of you moving freely in the kitchen way too endearing to look away. Your hands got everything he had brought out of the bag and your back greeted him with a sense of familiarity he could get used to.

A second later you turned around, a playful smile crinkling the corners of your eyes. “Are you going to help me or are you just going to stand there?”

Jisung chuckled before throwing a small apology to the air, walking to your side and not forgetting to push his hips to meet yours. Grabbing some vegetables he moved to the sink to wash them, that was one of his specialties in the kitchen.

You hummed along at a non existent song while he dried his hand on the kitchen towel, watching you cook without major effort. Out of nowhere your eyes travelled to his, making him freeze on his spot for a second.

“I missed you,” you said with ease, showing him that those words weren’t as hard to pronounce as he had been thinking since he hugged you on the street.

He was about to answer, finally allowing himself to take the proper time to express how happy he felt about your presence when you turned around and walked a couple steps towards him, gaze saddening ever so slightly. “Why didn’t you call me in all this time?”

“Well...” He sighed loudly, contemplating the option with which he could respond. I was scared? Well sure, he was but that wasn’t really the reason. I forgot? More like it but it definitely sounded rude enough to gain the wrong reaction from you. I love you? No, that wasn’t the answer to this question in particular, but it sure was an answer he would have to say at one point.

At the silence that installed in the kitchen you sighed before speaking. “When we first started getting distanced I was really discouraged, but every single time I feared we wouldn’t talk again I remembered something you told me once. God, maybe you don’t even remember.” Jisung’s gaze softened once again, of course he knew, how could he forget how he lied to you. “You said ‘Trust in me, we’ll make it through’, even now it brings me such peace to think back at the certainty with which you said that.”

You walked towards the couch, sitting and patting the cushion beside yours to urge him to do the same.

“Those words healed me during the hardships that I went through, they gave me hope that no matter how much time passed we still remained the same, all of us.” You sighed loudly and looked at the floor. “But still, I couldn’t help wondering why? Were you too busy? Not interested enough? Had you forgotten about me? And at some point I blamed you until I realized that I could’ve texted you too, or perhaps called you. But I was so caught up in being scared that I never made a move, and without realizing the years had passed by.”

After a short pause you moved your eyes to meet his again, filled with melancholy. “So, I didn't call you because I was too much of a coward and I accept it.” Jisung chuckled lightly, earning a small laugh from you as well. “So why didn’t you?”

He sighed once again before leaning back on the couch, to which you followed seconds later, resting your head on the back of the couch while looking at him with an intense gaze.

“Did you know that your name was my email password when we were in high school?” he began; you immediately shook your head to deny knowing. “It still is. I hadn’t seen you in five years and still your name keeps being my password. I typed it every time I got a new phone, when I forgot my laptop and had to log in elsewhere, all the time, your name.”

He stole a glance at your face and smiled widely before looking at the ceiling, white and with the smallest crack on one corner of the room. “There wasn’t a second that I didn’t think of you and not a moment in which I didn’t have the intention of calling you.

There were times in which I was way too caught up in my life and what I had in front of my eyes but that wasn’t enough excuse. Just like you said, one day I realized that it had been too long and I felt too guilty to do it. I had promised you we wouldn’t drift away and then there I was, months of not exchanging a single word with you and an incredible amount of guilt tying my hands to my back.”

“I lied to you and then convinced myself that I had no right to face you after,” Jisung finally said, embarrassment creeping up to his cheeks at how his statement sounded out loud.

“But you didn’t lie to me, at least not entirely,” you quickly retorted, earning a quick snort from him.

“Well damn, thank you so much. Now I feel way better.”

Rolling your eyes and hitting his arm lightly, you continued, “You said we would make it through and here we are; being away from each other wasn’t the end of the world. We, well, I was too childish back then to think that our relationship changing a little would be the end of the world.

We were kilometres apart, of course our relationships would change but in the end it didn’t change that much. I mean, look at us. You just revealed an embarrassing secret that will cost you your email.”

He threw you a warning look before you giggled. “After all this time we can still talk freely, it’s just a matter of catching up where we left off and going back to our old rhythm.”

A matter of catching up and going back to our old rhythm. The first part had put his calm at ease, the second one not so much. He didn’t want to go back exactly to what you had; you had just said it yourself relationships change and he wanted this one to do so as well.

He reached his hand to grab yours, finally intertwining his fingers freely with yours after years of hesitation. Throwing you one last look he just muttered, “Or change.”

“Or change...” you repeated after him, adding with mischief something else, “like your password should if you don’t want me lurking around your email.”

“God, you have such a way of ruining things" You snorted and he sighed in defeat. You were still a dork and that would never change, like his password; remaining the same that he loved.

[pocket-void]

A Cup of Coffee

A/N: I am so incredibly relieved to have finished this, but anyways! This is the second fic for Smaller Sides to Life, and I hope it’s alright. (Might make a mini list for that eventually) ^///^ I feel better about this story after thinking about it, and honestly I’m pretty content! Thank you and I hope you have a lovely day/night. u///u

Pairing: Loceit Words: 3596 Content: Flustered Janus because it just kind of turned out that way akjefabekf, it’s mostly Janus’ POV, there’s like a handful of swear words, it is fully light hearted u///u Summary: Janus and Logan always share the kitchen in the morning, being the earliest ones to rise. They never really talked, nor were they ever close, but it turns out that maybe they both have wanted to be.

Google doc if you like reading Cambria font or something, since I haven’t quite figured out Ao3 and don’t know if I ever will. >///< Also I believe uh, @sophiexteresa you wanted to be tagged...?

“Tssss...ouch.”

Sometimes a morning is about as good as a cup of coffee.

Some days it’s rich, fulfilling, and satisfying; a perfect and refreshing way to start the day. A cup that wakes you up with a gentle spreading warmth and wraps you in its delicate aroma that soothes your mind.

Other times however, it’s bitter, bland, and too watered down to really be properly enjoyed, resulting in a disgusting aftertaste that lingers just at the back of your throat; a constant reminder of what could’ve been, a better cup of coffee. It’s doubly worse when the coffee is not only bad, but also way too hot. The only possible benefit of the harsh sting that comes from the first sip is that it completely numbs the taste buds, effectively nullifying the admittedly awful flavor of the beverage, which of course will inevitably come creeping back regardless because there never truly is an escape from the shame and disappointment that is failing to make something as easy as a cup of joe. 

Perhaps the simple truth was just that Janus was not very good at making coffee. He was never going to admit that, obviously. Heavens no, he’d rather down another cup of scalding bean water before that ever happened. It’s not like he’d be able to taste it right now anyways, with his stupid numb mouth and all. Still, the fact that he couldn’t seem to keep something as simple as coffee consistent was definitely an odd flaw that weighed heavily on his stubborn pride, much more than any petty insult ever could. Perhaps it was the simplicity of it all that made it feel like such a thorn in his side. Hypothetically, one should be able to follow a procedure each and every morning and end up with a, if not identical, similar tasting brew each time. Well evidently that was not the case with Janus, much to his chagrin. Out of the seven days in a week, he could maybe make a decent pot only during two of those days; maybe three if he was lucky. Over the course of a year he has drunk more overheated, burnt, and under extracted cups of coffee than he could even bother to count, which he didn’t, because it was frankly beyond embarrassing at this point. If coffee wasn’t such a crucial part of his morning, he wouldn’t hesitate to label it the absolute bane of his existence. Curse those pesky grounded beans.

“...Are you alright?” A voice calls out from the other side of the kitchen. Seated at the dining table just a few feet away was Logan, halfway through a book just like he was on most days. His own empty mug casually placed atop a scattered collection of papers that no doubt contained endless notes on various facts, vocabulary words, and details of the coming week’s activities.

Of course, how could he ever forget the second most embarrassing part of his already lackluster mornings. The fact that the only other intelligent person in the living space had to watch him do this ridiculous charade every day. They’re the only ones who’d ever be awake at this time of day, as such is the fate of two people with actually proper sleeping habits. He has no clue how Logan manages to bear witness to this laughable display with a straight face, though perhaps the man was just not really paying attention. As he was, more often than not, too absorbed in hastily scribbling down notes about whatever topic had caught his attention that week to probably care about Janus constantly burning his delicate tongue over and over again. Which, to be fair, was a good thing. Wasn’t it? Totally. Right. Of course he wouldn’t want Logan to see him act a fool, why was he even asking. It’s not like anything he was doing was ever going to be as interesting as whatever the man was reading up about, as disappointing as that was. Not that it mattered currently, seeing as how for once he did manage to notice and- Aw shoot he completely forgot about that didn’t he.

Janus simply makes a face and squints, lips still slightly parted as he held his tongue between his teeth. He sighs and, with a mildly sarcastic gesture of one hand, replies with simply “Yes”.

Logan responds by raising an eyebrow, gaze still remaining firmly upon him.

Now maybe it was the way the gentle sunlight filtered through the slightly fogged up windows, or the way the dust danced under those soft golden beams, but the sight of Logan seated at the table somehow seemed to shine with an almost unfair ethereal glow. Now if only the reflection of his glasses didn’t also obscure his eyes...

Janus blinks. “Oh it’s just great.” He finally complies, rolling his eyes and ignoring the fact that he was probably just blankly staring for the past few moments. You know, like a fool. Which he was not. “Nothing big, just the usual.”

“The usual.” Logan repeats, sounding rather unimpressed. To which the snake reacts to by immediately placing a gloved hand over his heart.

“What? Don’t believe me?”

“Quite the contrary,” The other shuts his book. “I am well aware of the fact that you tend to make this mistake on a nearly daily basis.” 

The record scratch was almost audible.

“You-” Janus practically stumbles at the revelation that Logan was, in fact, actually aware of his struggles with the abominable coffee machine and its products’ disastrous burning touch. Memories of his daily mishaps slowly begin to flood his mind, and as he recalled each and every previous morning, the sound of nails being hammered into what might as well be the coffin of his tattered pride echoed louder and louder in his ears. Well it was either that, or the blood that was currently rushing through them from his suddenly racing heart. For a moment he wasn’t even sure how to respond, but the creeping heat that soon invaded his face was all too prevalent to ignore; a burning sensation rivaling even that of his tongue. 

In hindsight, he was perhaps the foolish one to not expect someone as perceptive as Logan to notice such things. Maybe it was wishful thinking at best. But surely nobody could’ve foreseen Logan ignoring the mistakes he was making even after taking note of it, right? Logan, who’s known to instinctively attempt to remedy mistakes when he saw them. Logan, who gets way too caught up in silly errors and misunderstanding figurative statements. Surely he would’ve said something, anything. But he knew? He knew and he didn’t say anything? He knew and he just watched as he made a fool of himself every day? What would’ve been the purpose of that? Was he secretly mocking him? Did he find this amusing? Janus winces. That thought perhaps stung more than it should have. 

He quickly turns away with a flick of his capelette and pretends to occupy himself with cleaning up the counter. Focusing his attention to the obnoxious yellow of his gloves rather than the gaze he still felt on his back. “Ah, so you knew.” Janus mumbles, managing to muster up his best attempt at remaining casual. “Did you even need to ask, in that case? Didn’t think you would be paying attention to whatever I was doing.” Honestly—now ain’t that a joke—he wasn’t really even sure what else he could say to that. “You have better, less mundane things to be paying attention to, no? Surely I’m nowhere near as interesting as the books you oh so love to stick your nose in.” The soft chuckle that emanated from behind just made him want to coil up into a ball and dissipate even more, but he stands his ground. He’ll just...get through the morning and subsequently try to never think of this moment ever again. He’s totally fine. 

“I wouldn’t say you aren’t interesting, Janus.”

Ok nevermind, maybe he isn’t-

“I beg your pardon?” Janus almost instantly snaps his head back towards the man at the table. A decision he immediately regrets as he locks eyes with a softly smiling Logan—gently leaning forwards as his chin rests upon crossed hands—and Janus feels his composure once again fly right out the window. 

“I said I find you interesting.”

He takes a deep breath. “Don’t repeat that, I didn’t hear you.”

“I said-”

“No no, I didn’t mean that, actually stop.”

Logan quirks his eyebrow yet again, in the snarky yet triumphant way that showed when he knew he was right about something. While the confidence was admittedly charming, Janus for one really wishes he’d stop doing that. Especially right now.

“Would you like me to elaborate?”

“As a matter of fact, I would.” No he fucking didn’t, why the hell did he say that. He nods curtly, setting his coffee cup aside as he awkwardly leans against the counter for support more than anything else. Ignoring the fact that he wanted nothing more than to leave this current predicament, he hoped to god, the bastard, that the panic settling in his bones wasn’t showing on his face.

Logan smiles a little. “Well personally, I rather enjoy our time in each other’s presence during the morning.”

He enjoyed his company? “Well I certainly wouldn’t have guessed.”

“I’ve also observed that you tend to have great difficulty making your preferred morning beverage the way you like it, correct?”

Ouch. “No?”

“I’m taking that as a yes,” Logan replies without pause. “While I find your persistence admirable, I think we’ve reached the point of reasonable doubt a good while ago.”

“Mhm, yeah, great. Great. And are you just going to sit there and humiliate me, or are you actually trying to make a point?” Suffice it to say, he was not a big fan of hearing about it.

“Apologies, I didn’t mean to offend or belittle you in any way.”

Janus scowls. “So what? Have my mistakes finally bothered you enough to actually speak up about it?”

“Well, I had anticipated you asking for assistance one of these days, but it seems like I have underestimated your tenacity.” Logan adjusts his glasses as he opens up one of his notebooks. “Truly a miscalculation on my part.”

“Miscalculation?” He gives a weary glance at the notebook. Logan had tons of them; each one having a different color or pattern that denoted their specific purpose. A sudden realization hits him as he gets a brief glance of the yellow cover. “Have you been observing me??”

“For the past few months, yes.” The man looks back up with a click of his pen. “Is there a problem?”

Is there a problem? How the hell does he just say these things? Of course there was a problem! How in the world was he supposed to live this down knowing that Logan didn’t just notice him every morning, but also was most likely taking excessively extensive notes? He was beginning to think that his attempts to make himself less conspicuous in the morning had subsequently led him to be less perceptive about what the other was doing instead, and that was an irony that he did not want to think about right now.

“Well I simply don’t see any benefit for you in doing that.”

That actually seems to make the other take pause. “There is no benefit.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“There is no benefit.”

“You really need to stop repeating things when I-” Deep breath Janus, deep breath. “I’m not actually asking you to- Nevermind that, why are you doing this then?”

Logan lightly taps his pen against his chin. He shrugs. “I just wanted to figure out the best method of assisting you.”

“Oh and why would you ever care to do that?”

There wasn’t an immediate answer. Just a quiet, all encompassing silence interrupted by only the occasional distant chirping of birds, as the two remained where they were in the kitchen on what was supposed to be a typical Tuesday morning.

Truth was, he didn’t want to hear it. And for one moment, just that moment, time seemed to slow. As Janus stands by the counter, with the bittersweet smell of his still cooling cup of coffee gently wafting his way and his eyes still focused on the twinkling starry blue that was Logan’s eyes, something within him was absolutely terrified. And the worst part was that he didn’t even know why. Or perhaps he did, but for the sake of himself he had never dared to acknowledge it. He couldn’t. How could he? His world sat upon an ever delicate balance, and he was not one to step towards any risk of tipping that scale. So he never did. As much as he wishes he could. To be important. To be just a few feet closer. To be just one seat away. To be sitting at that table, silently listening to Logan rant about the latest book he oh so loved to stick his nose in, and to take a sip out of a cup that was not his own. As much as he wishes he could. But no, he couldn’t. He shouldn’t.

Yet a part of him still hopes, and he curses himself for it.

Every part of his body is telling him to get out right now. To run. To spare himself the agony being here instead of literally anywhere else. To save himself before whatever words that were about to leave Logan’s mouth completely shatters the status quo that he was already accustomed to. He knew he was hoping for too much, it was too late to take anything back, and at this point even if it were just a kind hearted gesture from a well meaning acquaintance, he didn’t think his currently pounding heart could bear the affirmation of what he already suspected. It was frankly a lose-lose situation. A situation he should’ve known better than to get himself into. A situation where he knew the best solution was just to leave.

Which is why within that moment, just one moment in which time had seemed to slow, when Janus is suddenly pulled back into reality as he now finds himself glancing upwards at Logan, who was now standing a mere two feet away. He instinctively attempts to take a step back, but his heel taps against the counter, clearly surprised at the sudden shift in positioning. Had he really been that lost in thought? Janus finally breaks away his gaze to look to the side, holding his breath as if he were bracing for whatever the other had to say next.

“Am I not allowed to?” The unexpected softness in Logan’s voice was so incredibly unfair, and it obliterated any guard that he could have ever possibly put up. 

“I- No, you just...” He inhales rather sharply. Get a grip. “Just why would you-”

“Janus.”

He looks back and suddenly they’re face to face, barely a few inches apart, and within moments he completely forgets how to breathe.

Logan laughs. He laughs. With a tenderness he has never seen etched across the man’s typically serious face. Janus stares, completely mesmerized by the beautiful yet admittedly confusing sight, and forgetting about just why he was so flustered not too long ago. He feels his hand be slowly taken into another as Logan lifts to hold it within both of his own.

“Would you mind if I made your coffee tomorrow morning?” He asks, voice barely a whisper and lips still curled in an enchanting smile.

It was a request that barely registers itself in Janus’ mind, but he quickly manages a nod after swallowing practically nothing; his mouth suddenly dry. The only thing he could focus on was just how darn close those lips were, or how deep his eyes were, or how he still smelled faintly of chamomile tea, or- “Please.” He states, with whatever remaining dignity he had left.

The other seemed pleased with the answer, and the silent understanding that was present between them felt almost too nice to be true, yet it managed to put all of his worries to rest. Part of Janus wishes time could stop right here, with his hand delicately held between Logan’s and his heart quietly swelling within his chest; the other part promptly snaps him out of that ridiculous fantasy to focus back on what was actually happening. Logan hadn’t yet moved from where he was.

“Uh…” Janus lightly bit his lip, the next thing almost paining him to suggest. “Could you perhaps...let go now?” 

“Of course.” Logan says, loosening the hold on the other’s hand. An admittedly disappointing gesture, but it’s not like anyone was going to admit that. “There are still tasks that we must both attend to.” But before he steps back to return to his seat, he gently leans in to lift Janus’ hat and plants a soft kiss upon his forehead. The expression Janus showed as a result is surely priceless as his eyes grow wide and heat instantly flares across the rest of his face yet again. He couldn’t even get a word of protest out before Logan walks away after a small pat on his shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“...Right.” He replies, and promptly excuses himself from the kitchen as fast as humanly possible. He genuinely didn’t think he could handle staying there for much longer. His head was still spinning from everything that had happened, and the simple promise that was to be fulfilled the next morning sat heavily on his mind for the rest of the day. Did he know what he was doing? Was it on purpose? Was he allowed to believe in what he hadn’t thought was possible before? Janus places a hand over his forehead, the feeling of warm lips touching against his skin still rather fresh in his memories. Maybe, he could allow himself to enjoy it? What a dangerous thought, but ever so enticing. Here he thought that he could avoid it forever, and eventually it would be forgotten. Like a fool. Which he just might be.

It was something he’d probably never escape, but was it a curse? Or a blessing? Or perhaps it was neither, since neither of those things exist. But alas these feelings did, and if he couldn’t throw them away, then he’d have to keep them.

The next morning inevitably came, and with great anticipation Janus pauses a few steps before entering the kitchen. He places a hand over his heart, as if the action would somehow manage to soothe its wild rhythm, and takes a deep breath. He enters, hesitant and still groggy from just getting up, completely not knowing what to expect.

Logan was there, as usual, sitting at the dining table, papers scattered all across the surface and eyes attentively scanning through the pages of yet another book. It felt almost like a crime to disturb his concentration, but a new detail catches Janus’ eyes. A second cup, placed but a foot away from the other on the table; the area around the mug being mildly less cluttered as if to make room. 

Janus finally steps forward to make his way to the table, his arrival being politely greeted with a “salutations” from the other, and immediately given an offer to sit.

“Here?” He gestures, giving a tentative glance towards where he was used to standing. A comfortable distance away, by the counter. But now that safe haven seemed so far away.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

With that he pulls out a chair and takes a seat. His eyes wander towards the various papers that cover most of the table’s surface. Notes, facts, and schedules, just like he always imagined. The confirmation of being correct about something never fails to amuse him. He sneaks a peek at Logan, whose gaze also shifts up from his book without lifting his head.

“Reading about coffee today are we?” Janus chuckles.

“There can be a surprising amount of depth to any subject.”

“Hmm.” Janus hums. “...Tell me about it.”

And so he does.

While the two sit in tranquil harmony, with Logan explaining the intricacies of coffee, from its history to its benefits to its various methods of consumption, and Janus patiently listening while staring down at the drink that was poured for him beforehand, in the cup that he has always used each and every morning before. Amidst the pleasant atmosphere and the comforting voice of another, he eventually takes a sip.

It was perfect.

“I’m pleased you like it.” Logan comments, noticing the content expression on his face.

“You really did your research huh.”

“It took a few months. It was difficult to gather data when there was no consistency in the methodology that you used.”

Janus coughs and glances away again, but he hears the small chuckle underneath Logan’s breath.

“I can walk you through the process one day if you’d like.”

“I think I’d rather leave it to you.”

“A wise course of action.”

“Don’t look so pleased with yourself.” Janus mumbles, smiling a little to himself and completely accepting defeat in that regard. 

Sometimes a morning is about as good as a cup of coffee. And now, sitting here at the table under the gentle light of the rising sun, perhaps every following morning could be similarly warm, fulfilling, and just as perfect as well. 

After all, every cup was now going to be just the way he likes it.

[perseusjackson-jasongrace]

the story of us

this was requested by @fantasylover16. I genuinely had so much fun with this thank you! I hope you enjoy. Also I said nb jack frost rights and I meant it.

masterlist; my links

This is a story about two people.

One died three hundred years ago and has been alive since then. They have white hair, whiter than the stars, than burning light, than heaven itself. They have blue eyes that remind you of cracked ice in melting winter. They have ivory skin, some say like porcelain, it's more like liquid opal.

The other is twenty two years old. He has black hair, like jet fuel, and midnight. He has green eyes that hold oceans lost to time, that hold memories. He has brown skin that reminds you of cool forest floors and water glistened rock.

This is a story about who they are.

"Percy!" His roommate shouts from the kitchen. "Get your butt down here and tell me if the blue skirt goes better with these glasses!"

He laughs as he pulls a sweater over his heads and grabs his phone, slipping it into his back pocket. He feels the press of his pen as he pats himself down to make sure he has everything and when he is satisfied he bolts down the passage and stops short of the kitchen where Hazel Levesque is parading in front of their grand mirror on the opposing wall. She is decked out in black platform ankle boots, white fishnets that draw out the colour of her skin, slightly dark than his, a bright blue skater skirt and a soft pastel blue crew-neck not unlike his own.

"You Hazel Levesque," He grins bright and unrestrained, "Are a vision."

"Yes," She mutters still swopping between two pairs of clear-framed glasses and scrunching her nose, "But is it enough to bring my crush to their knees?"

"If Reyna doesn't bow down to you I think we can assume she's in desperate need of glasses."

"Well then maybe I should take both pairs and offer her one." She muses, pulling at her afro distractedly.

He snorts, turning to the counter and grabbing a bowl and whatever cereal he can reach first.

"Well," Hazel turns to him, he can see the smile she's trying so hard to hide, "Shall we be off then?"

He blinks at her, blinks again, points an unsure finger at his chest.

"Oh you don't expect me to brave Reyna on my own do you? Besides we're matching today it'd be quite ridiculous if we went out separately."

"But—" He looks to his bowl, as barren as the desert, "But my cereal?"

"I'll buy you breakfast on the way!" She waves the concern off, grabbing his hand and pulling them both out the door.

Despite their height difference, she makes it look far less like he's letting her pull him and far more like she has the strength to straight up carry him across the country.

"Hazel," He giggles, "Slow down."

"I can't Percy," She shakes her head vigorously, practically running through the park next to their building and into the bustling streets beyond. "If I don't do this now I'll lose all my courage and spend eternity in self-damned misery." Her brown eyes, turning honeyed as they catch the sun through the round glasses framing her face, flash bright and bold.

He stops them, pulling her in for a hug, unable to stop the laughter shaking his body." You have never been a coward Hazel Levesque. No matter the day, time or outfit you have always been brave enough to stand up and do what's needed. And telling Reyna you have a crush on her is just another battle you absolutely can win." He pulls them apart, setting a steady green gaze on her excited one. "Now let's get some coffee, and a mint tea for you because you're hyper enough as it is, and then we'll go find the love of your life and I can finally show you the google-doc I have for your wedding."

She strangles his ribs in another hug and then takes a deep breath as she steps away. "What would I do without you Percy Jackson?"

"Let's never find out," He smiles, slinging an arm over her shoulder and directing them towards the Chaos House.

As per its namesake, walking into the café is like being lost in a crowd of sleep-deprived, adhd kids all connected to caffeine IVs. In short: it's chaos. Its their favourite place on earth.

Being hit with a wall of noise after the quiet of awakening nature feels like being sucker punched directly in your ear canal. Percy cannot help but grin as he takes in the racing patrons and the sound of coffee beans being ground and the smell of cinnamon and honey and endless activity.

They immediately spot a group of their friends and bolt for the booth they're all squished into.

"Reyna isn't here." Hazels voice is pitched with panic, "Oh gods what if she's sick today? What if she fell in a ditch on her jog this morning?" She stops right in the middle of the café, brown eyes wide. "What if she knew I was trying to do this and decided to stay home today to avoid seeing me?"

He grabs her arms already shaking his head. "My darling, I need you to take a deep breath. You are spiraling."

Wildness is still tracing her expression but he feels her shoulders rise and fall as she gulps air.

"Okay," He says gently, "Now we're gonna go to our table, have a good time with our friends and if and when Reyna shows up you're going to tell her how you feel and I'll meet you back at home so you can let me know when the wedding is."

She smacks his shoulder gently, nervous giggles escaping her. "Alright fine. I hate when you get reasonable. It's very disconcerting."

"Good thing it's rare," His lips twitch, and they finally start towards their friends.

A loud chorus of hellos and how are you’s ring around his head as they get nearer and he feels right at home amongst it all.

"What's up losers?" He flops down next to Jason, pressing a shoulder into the blondes side in a hug.

Annabeth sits next to the blonde, squished between him and Piper, a leg over Jason's thigh and her hand intertwined with Piper's. Frank is on the opposite side, a casual arm slung over Leo's shoulder. Hazel squeezes in besides Leo and sighs dramatically.

"What's wrong Levesque?" Piper frowns, reaching over to clasp the girl's hand.

"She's feeling put out because she had something very important to do today and her plans are being delayed because a certain someone isn't here."

And just as their friends start reassuring and ribbing her in equal parts Percy's phone rings. With a frown he pulls it from his pocket, as he gets up and waves to say he'll be back in a minute.

"Hello, this is Percy Jackson."

He's not paying attention to his surroundings as he listens to the person on the line so when his shoulder slams into somebody he almost topples to the ground. When he turns around to say sorry there is nobody there; his frown only deepens but then the voice on the phone is pulling his attention and he makes his way outside.

This is story about they meet.

The conversation is a whirl of information about his upcoming course and what his supervisor needs from him. By the time he ends the call and tucks the phone back in his pocket his whole body feels like it's taken on the sky all over again. He has the urge to check if another grey streak has graced his hair. Instead he leans against the wall, ignoring the way his clothes catch against its roughness. He can feel the cold seeping through the cracks in the brick and into the threads of his sweatshirt.

He looks down, pulling his arms over his chest in an attempt to keep the warmth in but as he takes his arms away from the wall he sees the frost outline of his fingers. A clear, already melting handprint marking the brick like a graffiti tag. He steps back, away from the wall, to find his whole body outlined. It reminds him eerily of the chalk markings they do at murder investigations. He's not entirely sure this isn't prophetic.

The frost, little beads of ice skittered in shape, is melting at a rapid rate but the colour catches Percy's eye. It's not the usual dulled, muddy ice that coats his windows in the morning and sits atop the grass each night. It is blue, bright and pure, and looks... happy?

He's definitely going insane. The lack of coffee is getting to his brain and he has officially going mad. He should go inside and get warm and sit with his friends and have 3 espresso shots in a row.

But the phone call is still rattling his nerves and he can't bare to face the café without all his wits about him. So he studies the melted frost outline, curiosity moving him forward to trace it with his fingers. He doesn't expect to feel cold like winter mornings and snowball fights and sleigh rides coursing through his bloodstream. It's shocks him right into a new state of being. It reminds him of a poem his mother used to say at the beginning of each winter. The poem was long enough that he was always asleep by the end of the last verse but he recalls the first part clearly now

Jack Frost was in the garden;

I saw him there at dawn;

He was dancing round the bushes

And prancing on the lawn.

He had a cloak of silver,

A hat all shimm'ring white,

A wand of glittering star-dust,

And shoes of sunbeam light.

The thought is so ridiculous Percy has to laugh. It bursts out of him unexpectedly but once he starts he cannot stop. It feels like the world has turned on its side but he's still walking upright. Everything is slightly dizzying but strangely amusing from this angle. He laughs harder, ribs aching, cheeks stiff, and eyes bright. He's sure people are staring at him like he's mad but he cannot stop. Until he stumbles over the pavement and is falling to the inevitable crunch of his facial bones.

It happens almost in slow motion. He sees the ground coming towards him, bubbling up like it's going to swallow him whole. He stared it down, refusing to close his eyes, as if challenging it to hurt him, to take him as he goes. But then hands, freezing cold even through his layers of clothing, wrap around his waist and he is being hauled up in a rush of wind and dizzying speed. He bumps into a hard chest and feels as if he's stepped into a freezer.

"Hey," A voice low and playful crackles through him, "You okay?"

He turns around slowly, and is not at all prepared for the site he is greeted with. There is so much all at once, startling and glowing and fracturing. His eyes catch an warm icy gaze, blizzard white hair, pale skin, cold-kissed lips, hands running with blue veins and silver rings.

"You okay?" The stranger repeats, looking at him with concern.

He honestly doesn't know if he has the ability to talk. His mouth opens, his throat bobs, but words are lost cargo.

"Can you hear me?" The stranger asks, accompanying the question with sign language.

Percy responds automatically, raising a fist and moving it back and forth; his head accompanies the action but still no words come out.

They smile at him, and start signing another question. He doesn't bother to stop them, tell them they aren't deaf, he can hear, he just can't talk. He's speechless.

Are you okay? They sign.

He nods, and the words stuck in his throat finally tumble out. "Yes, yes," It is croaky with overwhelming emotion, "Thank you for catching me. I’m sorry I uh—" He doesn't have any respectable excuse for being mute for the entire first half of their interaction. He is just completely struck by everything the stranger is.

"Ah so you can hear me," The stranger laughs. He decides the sound is what makes stars. "Well I'm glad you're okay. I'm Jack."

Percy snorts. This cannot be real. Ice, him thinking about Jack Frost, and suddenly his saviour's name is jack? What has the universe been doing with its time to plan this?

“I'm Percy," He stares at them curiously studying the snowflakes that seem to cling to their floppy white hair despite the snow season being weeks away, and the blue eyes that hurtle him to the Abraham lake in Canada. A holiday his family had taken a mere year ago and one of the most beautiful places he's ever seen.

His demigod senses are peeking out their window, as curious as he is. The action puts him on high alert. His instincts are usually only alerted when he's in danger or............. in love.

"What are you?" He cannot stop the question. His mouth has a self-controlled function and no way to override it.

Jack raises their brow, "What are you, Percy?" His name sounds like luxury rolling off the stranger's tongue.

But the question throws him off guard and before he has time to drool over them again he is pulling his pen out and twirling it between his fingers anxiously. "Are you here to kill me?"

That barks a laugh from Jack, who looks so entirely amused he can't help but wonder if he can frame the moment to keep with him forever; a brow quirked, a slight dimple on their right cheek as their smile grows, and bunched freckles as their nose scrunches slightly.

"Get a lot of assassination attempts do you?"

“You have no idea," He feels his eyes roll in annoyance, an automatic reaction after all these years.

"No Percy," Jack says softly. It brushes across his skin like cool paint and snowy pine leaves. "I am here because the moon told me to be."

"The moon?" He sputters, "What do you mean the moon?"

"I mean exactly that. I talk to the moon and it answers."

He can feel his legs grow weak. "The moon— the moon— the....... moon," He mutters, staring at Jack.

They are silent as he attempts to compartmentalize his thoughts. "You know what?" He finally speaks, "That's not the weirdest thing I've ever heard. The children of Demeter talk to grain so this isn't that far out of reach."

Jack just looks at him with a patient, gentle smile on their face.

"So what are you? A child of Selene?"

"I am not a demigod." They shake their head. "I was chosen by the moon three hundred years ago. I am the spirit of winter."

The silence stretches between them like taffy. He isn't sure he's heard this right.

"You're—" He cannot even bring himself to say it.

"Yes, I'm Jack Frost."

Percy's legs give our from under him. Jack is not quick enough to catch him but he lands on a pillow of snow right before he bruises his knees. "You're Jack Frost?"

"Yes. And you are Percy Jackson."

"How—how do you know?"

"I've been alive for a very long time. I know a lot of people."

He just hums, trying to wrap his head sound another layer of myth and fable that makes up the fabric of the world.

"Why are you here?" He finally gutters out. "I mean I know the moon told you to come but why?"

"I uh have a theory but I need to ask something of you in order to know if I'm right."

He frowns, staring up at the stranger. No not stranger. Can you even call someone who's been around for centuries a stranger? What are they a stranger to? They have seen and heard and learnt and loved more than he ever has or ever will. It's more like he is the stranger. "What do you need me to do?"

"I just need you to summon water for me."

A thousand questions sit like caught snowflakes on his tongue but he let's them melt instead of spilling them into the world. Instead he gets up and concentrates on all the water sources surrounding them.

A reservoir one hundred miles away, fire hydrants near bursting with unused pressure, a small pond in a small park about five miles south, and of course the ocean in front of them, no more than fifty miles within reach.

"How much do you need?"

"Give me fifty liters."

He closes his eyes and imagines the pond, the water rippling within it. He imagines holding it in his palm as he would a basketball ball. When he feels a cool sensation wash over his skin he opens his eyes once more and sees a swirling blob of water surrounding his hand, dancing to the beat of his pulse.

"Is this enough?"

"Plenty," They smile and then their hands are reaching out and as if the water knows they're calling to it, it bounces over in little bubbles. As it touches their fingers a ray of light bursts from the contact and it turns to ice. Jack sucks in a breath, watching in amazement as the water freezes and hits the ground in a flurry of snow.

"What?" Percy cannot hold in his curiosity any longer. "What is it?"

"The moon was right." They look at him, eyes sparkling with something more than awe or curiosity.

"About?" He prompts.

"We're soulmates."

This is a story about their destinies.

"We're what?" Percy whispers. He has never gotten loud when he was surprised or angry or sad. He has always been soft.

"I usually need my staff to solidify water but if I use elements touched by my soulmate I can do it without aid."

"This is ridiculous!" He sputters. There is absolutely no way this is real. Seriously? Soulmates? He would laugh if he wasn't so outraged.

"You don't believe in soulmates?"

"It doesn't matter what I believe in!" He growls, "This whole ordeal is completely insane."

"What would it take to convince you Percy Jackson?" Jack just smiles, it is shining with happiness like it hadn't before.

"I have no idea because I have never heard of or encountered a soulmate." He hisses.

"Do you know why you can see me?"

He shakes his head, thoughts swirling faster than the hurricanes his further looses.

"Because you believe in me."

"I thought you had control over who sees you and who doesn't?" He raises a brow.

"Only with children. I can choose to show myself whether they believe or not. I have the ability since enough of them do believe." They say. "But adults are different. If they don't believe I cannot make myself appear to them. I am simply a ghost of their childhood past."

"I don't understand." Percy cannot wrap his mind around this. "How do you know you can only make ice out of whatever water I touch?"

Jack looks around for a brief moment before catching sight of something behind them. In a split second they are there and then they're back.

"Watch," He pours the water from the bottom he'd nabbed over his hand. It falls to the floor as liquid as it had started out.

"That doesn't prove anything, how do I know you're not just making sure you don't turn it to ice?"

"I cannot touch anything without freezing it, especially water." They worry at their bottom lip with their teeth, thoughts flying across their face. "It's like your friend Leo." They nod their head towards the café where Percy can still see his friends snuggled into the booth. "He doesn't necessarily turn everything he touches to ashes but he will always leave a warm imprint no matter how or what he has touched."

"How do you know that?" He gapes.

"Immortality gives you a lot of time to know the world." They shrug. "Now do you believe me?"

"I don't know." He answers truthfully. "I mean if we are soulmates..." He tries to form the question into some semblance of sense and order. "Does that mean I'm tied to you? That we have to like I don't know get married and spend eternity together?"

"No," Jack says gently, "No you can deny this bond if that is how you feel. It does not mean anything except that the universe put our souls in the same constellation. We are free to pick and choose who we love."

“And how will it work if we do decide to get together?” He frowns, “I will age but you will always stay the same.”

They look at him, head tilted, ice eyes bright. “But you know that’s not true.”

Everything in him barrels forward like a tidal wave. It cannot be. No-one knows. Not even his mother. “What isn’t true?” He will play this carefully, like the strings of a harp. He will not let his life crash through the ground.

“Why are you hiding it?”

“I’m not hiding anything.” He is adamant in his stance. He will not bow.

“You are denying the life you chose.” Jack considers him. “Why?”

“I’m not denying anything.” He huffs, “I’m just taking it slow.”

A snort bursts of them, arrogant and amused. “You are taking becoming a God slow?”

“I want to live with my friends before they figure it out!” He cries, all the fear and terror and worry burning through him.

Jack moves closer, presses a cold hand to his shoulder. “It is okay to be scared and angry and worried but do not forget that you are worthy of the title and you should wear it like a crown, not a burden.”

“There is always some burden in this much power.” He is bitter. He is right.

“Come,” Jack pulls them together, “Go meet your friends.” The hug is so cold but comforts him to the bone. “And when you are ready to make a decision, just whisper my name and i will answer, no matter where i am, or how far apart we are.”

He studies the person before him, beautiful and strange in an inviting sort of way, like no matter how much he learns about them he'll always want to know more. "Well you are very pretty."

They laugh, and the sound lights up the ocean inside him. "Thank you."

“Live Percy Jackson.” Jack Frost whispers.

And then Percy is standing outside a café, an icy wind dancing between his fingertips, and the impression of a freezing hug still clinging to his clothes. He realizes he feels happy. He feels safe.

This is a story about their love.

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

[image id: a poem by John P Smeeton titled "Jack Frost in the Garden" the poem reads:

Jack Frost was in the garden;// I saw him there at dawn;// He was dancing round the bushes// And prancing on the lawn.// He had a cloak of silver,// A hat all shimm'ring white,// A wand of glittering star-dust,// And shoes of sunbeam light.

Jack Frost was in the garden,// When I went out to play// He nipped my toes and fingers// And quickly ran away.// I chased him round the wood-shed,// But, oh! I'm sad to say// That though I chased him everywhere// He simply wouldn't stay.

Jack Frost was in the garden:// But now I'd like to know// Where I can find him hiding;// I've hunted high and low —// I've lost his cloak of silver,// His hat all shimm'ring white,// His wand of glittering star-dust,// His shoes of sunbeam light"

the background is a light blue and white marble. end id]

Tags: @fantasylover16 @queen-of-demons-and-hell @nishlicious-01​ @leyontheway @caffeinated-croissant

[hanniiesuckle17]

Anything But Normal

A/n: this was such cute Idea I hope I did it justice. It’s been a while since I’ve written a comedy piece. There are probably spelling errors I’ll go back and fix them later. also I love Jon Favreau as Happy so I had to put him in. (i swear he is one of my favorite actors) btw this is not edited (i’ll come back and do that eventually)

Requested by: @tokiokiedokie​

Warnings: Cussing,(come on it's me guys), partial nudity.

Member: Han Jisung

Summary: When Y/n’s best friend goes through a drastic change he starts keeping secrets. Secrets that include him being New York’s one and only friendly neighborhood spiderman. Shit hits the fan when his new secret life is exposed and she gets dragged into it.

Genre: Spiderman!au, romance, comedy, friends to lovers!au, little bit of angst

There are only three things that truly matter in life. Good friends, good pizza, and a good story. So far I had two of those at the moment. Sadly I was lacking a good story. Our school newspaper had been quite dry despite my efforts to discover new and intriguing stories. 

“Stop sulking and eat.” My best friend said, shoving a piece of cheese pizza in my face. Jisung laughed when I bit the end before returning to look at my laptop. We were at our usual pizza place seated next to the window with the big bright red neon sign lighting up our faces. The sun set over the New York skyline making the moment almost perfect. If only I was writing an exciting article. Instead, I was putting together a riveting look into the school’s menu changes. 

“You know I invited you because I thought you were going to be good company.”

“Please. You invited me because Felix was busy with a stupid Lego project and no one else will eat pizza with you.”

“Whatever.”

Jisung and I weren’t the most popular people in our senior class. To be frank, Jisung was my only friend. So going out and eating pizza every other day at ten o’clock at night was often the highlight of my week. Having had enough of the lack of attention Jisung slammed my laptop closed and removed it from the already small table. “Hey! I didn’t save!” 

“That’s what Google Docs is for.”

He was right. I needed to stop working. I had been slaving over that stupid and boring article all week. He didn’t have to be such an ass though. “You are such a teenager.” I scoffed, watching him shovel yet another slice of pizza down his throat. “Oh, and you are such an adult!” The mocking tone of his voice threatened a laugh. 

“I swear you are God’s punishment for enjoying sex. Everyone’s libido just disappears when you are around.”

“Hey don’t ruin our date. I was considering sleeping with you tonight.”

He laughed when I threatened to smack him. It had been like this for as long as I could remember. Just me and Jisung. My parents had been friends with his before they passed away in a car accident. Now Jisung lived with his Aunt May and his Uncle Ben a few blocks away from me. 

I remember after the crash I would wake to a tap on my window to see an eight year old Jisung on my fire escape. Not wanting to bother his Aunt with his nightmares, Jisung had run all the way to my apartment and climbed the fire escape to my room on the sixth floor. I would open the window and let him sleep in my bed. My eight year old brain used to think maybe my bed was like force field keeping away the bad dreams about his parents.

“Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?” Jisung asked bringing me out of my thoughts. 

“Mr. Finoli asked me to take pictures of the science field trip so I’m going with you guys. Why?” A look of realization crossed Jisung’s face making him freeze. “Did you forget to ask May to sign your permission slip?”

“I forgot to ask May to sign my-...you can be a real ass sometimes, you know that?”

Laughing I pulled a ten out of my wallet and left it on the table. “Come on, you’ve gotta get your slip signed, dummy.” “I can pay, it’s no problem.” He said watching me pack up my stuff. “Nah, you can get the next one.” Bellies full of pizza, we left Tony’s Pizzeria and headed in the direction of Jisung’s apartment, his arm draped over my shoulder and talking my ear off about some random experiment they had done in Physics that day. 

The next day I woke up bright and early to meet the class at the New York Museum of Science. Camera bag on my shoulder and camera around my neck I stood outside the museum with about ten other students and two teachers. My tired eyes brightened when I saw Jisung step out from the subway, May right behind him.

I laughed as he wiped a kiss from his cheek before waving goodbye to her. His dyed blonde hair was messy and blew slightly in the wind. Jisung waved when he saw me and jogged over. His hoodie lazily hung off his shoulder and his shirt and jeans were somewhat wrinkled. “Don’t you look nice?” I couldn’t help but chuckle at his appearance. 

“Shut up.”

He laughed throwing an arm around my shoulder, leading me closer to the group. Soon the tour began and I busied myself with taking photos of the group for the paper and yearbook. Jisung followed the group, only half-listening to the teacher as he looked at other random exhibits. 

At around one in the afternoon, the group moved outside to have lunch on the steps. I sat off to the side with Jisung, his legs spread out across the stairs and his elbow rested on the step above us. It was refreshing to be next to him talking about absolutely nothing. Even if he stole my food. 

Eventually, we were all called back to resume the tour. I angled a shot of two students looking at a bug exhibit, but just as I took the picture Jisung jumped in the frame throwing up a peace sign and crossing his eyes. “Hey! Stop hitting me!” He yelled as I smacked his shoulder over and over again. “Look I’m just innocently observing the exhibit. Leave me alone crazy woman!”

Sighing, I pushed him away and resumed taking photos. As the group was moving onto the next room I noticed Jisung was missing. It wasn’t unlike him to wander off into a room he wasn’t supposed to just to look at probably like some DNA model or some other weird science shit. I could never get over the fact Jisung was super into science when he gave zero fucks about his other classes. 

“Jisung?”

“Ji?”

“Ji, we are moving on,” I said looking for him. My eyes landed on a semi-open door marked ‘Lab’. He wouldn’t. He did. Just as I started to walk towards the door, he exited with a goofy smile on his face. “Y/n! Dude, they have all these cool spiders and test tubes in there it was so cool! One of them bit me!” Like an excited three-year-old, he showed me his wrist where he indeed had a red spider bite. 

“Ooooooh! Take a picture!” 

He shoved my camera into my hands and held up his arm pointing to the spider bite making the dopiest smile. Knowing he wouldn’t shut up until I complied, I took the picture. 

“Let’s catch up with the group,” I said taking his hand and dragging him back to the class. When we reached the group a teacher looked over at us his brows furrowing. “Excuse me, Miss L/n, is your friend okay?” He pointed to Jisung, a concerned expression on his face.

“Jisung? There are certainly things wrong with him but he’s oka-”

My words stopped when I turned to look at my best friend next to me. “Ji- Oh my god! Ji are you okay?” His face had obviously paled and he looked dizzy. A thin layer of sweat lay on his forehead. 

“Hell yeah. I’m doing fine, baby.” His voice sounded drowsy.

“Miss L/n he is not alright. Does he have anyone who can come get him.” The teacher said pulling out his phone. I shook my head. May worked in the day and his Uncle Ben was on a business trip. “No, they are working.” 

He sighed and turned to me. Jisung was clearly getting worse by the second and was wobbling a little. “What about you? Can you take him home?” Jisung laughed and wrapped his arms around me loosely. “Fuck yeah, I’d her take me home.” 

“I have a test in my last period.”

“I’ll write you a pass and send it to your teacher. Take him home please.”

Nodding he typed something on his phone and returned to the group who had started to move once again. “Okay Ji, let’s get you back to May’s.” Slowly we started moving to the exit. Before we made it to the doors, Jisung practically turned green. He pushed away from me and burst towards the nearest restroom. 

“Jisung!” 

Ignoring the looks and yells I followed Jisung into the restroom and looked for the stall he was in. “Hey, lady get out of here!” A man standing at the urinal screamed. 

“Oh please. Get over yourself.”

“Ji?”

Following the coughing and gagging sounds, I pushed the final stall door open. Jisung sat on the floor his mop of blonde hair hanging over the toilet. I crouched next to him and rubbed his back gently. “Oh god, I hate puking.”

“Jisung everyone hates puking.”

“Yeah well.....your face likes puking.”

“Nice comeback.”

Feeling too terrible to respond, he just threw up the contents of his stomach again. When he seemed able to stand the two of us made our way outside and down the subway. Jisung leaned most of his weight on me as I slid my metro pass through the scanner. How I managed to get him through the turnstile and onto the metro I have no clue. Thankfully there was once last seat free for Jisung to sit down in. 

“Y/n, I don’t feel good.” 

“I know,” I said softly as he rested his head against my stomach. The train turned sharply making me hold onto the strap, not wanting to fall into Jisung. Soft whines and groans came from him every now and then. This was the worst I had ever seen Jisung. 

I listened to the stations being called out as I ran my fingers through his hair, hoping that would calm him down a little. We were only four stops away but more people were getting on the train. Jisung looked up at me a sick expression on his face. It changed when he looked at the passengers boarding the car. 

“Here, Ma’am. You can take my seat.”

“Thank you so much, young man.” An older woman said taking his seat as he got up. “Jisung, you feel terrible. Are you okay to stand?” He shrugged latching onto the strap next to mine, his face paling again. “I’ll be fine, it’s only four stops.”

Jisung’s eyes started to droop as the train started up again. His body began to act heavier than it was so he resorted to leaning on me and nestling his head between my neck and shoulder. I did my best to make sure he didn’t fall over.

“You two are very cute together.” The old lady said with a smile.

“Oh- we aren’t--” 

“You better hold onto a good man like that, sweetie. Handsome and kind. Those are hard to come by.”

Before I could respond we turned again, and I had to keep Jisung from falling in this poor nice old lady’s lap. I felt his skin burning against mine. Could this train not go any faster. Soon enough our stop came. I said bye to the old woman and helped Jisung get off the train and up the subway stairs. 

“Come on, Ji. We are almost there and we both know I cannot carry your ass.” 

Eventually, I made it up the stairs of his apartment building to the fourth floor and managed to drag him to his door. “Jisung, where’s your key?” Trying not to hurt his head I propped him up on the door frame. He laughed when I started searching through his pockets.  

“Y/n if you wanted to cop a feel just ask. That tickles.” 

“Jisung where are your fucking keys?” 

“Back pocket.” He said drowsily. I sighed and reached behind him. My hands searched through his jean pockets for the cold metal keys. “Having fun back there, because I’m sure enjoying it.” 

I suppressed the urge to punch him in the stomach out of fear he would vomit all over me. Finally finding his keys, I unlocked the door and threw my stuff inside, before lugging him in as well. Jisung leaned on the couch while I put my stuff on the table.

“Y/n it’s burning up in here.” 

“Jisung, you just have a temperature.”

“It burns like fucking hell! It’s too hot!”

Before I could stop him Jisung was shedding layers like a snake. He tossed his shirt somewhere in the small living room. He was sweating like crazy, his blonde hair sticking to his forehead. “Ji, come on let’s get you in the shower.” I started running a cold shower for him before rushing back to the living room to call May. It would only be a couple hours until she got home, but I should still let her know what’s going on.

While Jisung was in the shower, I grabbed some medicine from the cabinet. I had absolutely no fucking idea how to treat a spider bite. Antibiotics? Hearing the shower turn off I knocked before entering. Jisung had a towel wrapped around his waist and was leaning his head against the wall. “Y/n...”

“I’m right here, Jisung.” Cautiously I led him to his room and watched him collapse onto his double bed. Rummaging through his drawers I found some mostly clean sweatpants. “Ji, do you even do laundry?” 

“Y/n, I feel a little too fucking sick to do chores now.”

“I know. I know.” He slipped on the sweatpants and let me dry his hair. I wrapped his arms, covering the bite so it wouldn’t get more infected then it already probably was. Jisung’s temperature flipped like crazy. One minute he was burning up and the next he was freezing. 

A sigh of relief left my chest when I heard May call out in the apartment. “Y/n thank you so much for taking care of him.” She gave me a short hug before running to go get more meds. She would know better than I would, being an ER nurse. “Ji, do you want me to stay? I can call my parents and tell them I’m staying the night.” He slowly shook his head.

“No, it’s okay.” 

“I can stay really-”

“Y/n, I’ll be fine. You can go home.” 

He gave me a half-assed smile and squeezed my hand. There was no arguing with Jisung sick or not so I gathered my things and left. May promised to keep me updated and I told her I would have my phone next to me.

The walk back to my apartment seemed longer than usual. I couldn’t stop thinking about Jisung. When I got home, my parents greeted me before telling me they would be working tonight. My dad was a cop and my mom worked at a hospital downtown. It was rare they were even home, to begin with. Exhausted from taking care of Jisung, I rolled onto my bed and fell asleep.

This boy really texted me at five the morning telling me to meet him at his locker three hours later. If he wasn’t still sick I would for sure have throttled him. Except for the fact that Jisung didn’t look sick. Not at all. He looked perfectly healthy as he walked down the hall towards me. In fact, he looked...really....good. It pissed me off. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be sick?”

“Yeah, I got better.”

Jisung opened his locker like it was any other day and got his books. “What did you want to talk about?” He sighed and looked over at me. There was something different about him. Did his jaw always look like that? No. No jaw looks like that. 

“So this morning I woke up and like I felt completely fine. In fact, I felt the best I have in years. And this weird thing happened to me on the subway-”

Jisung’s words were interrupted by the sound of his locker closing, only the entire row of metal lockers rattled as his shut. “The fuck? Did we have an earthquake or something?” I asked looking around. “What? No. New York isn’t on a fault line.” Shrugging it off I turned back to Jisung.

“You were saying?” He seemed distracted now, looking at his closed locker. “Ummm.... I wanted to thank you for yesterday.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. “Ji, you don’t need to thank me. I’ll always take care of you if you need me.” As I pulled away his hands stayed on my waist, which wasn’t totally out of the norm. Jisung was always a really touchy and flirty person. It drove me crazy sometimes, knowing that it was just his personality and not him acting on something else. 

“So this weird thing happened on my way to school this morning. My hand-” Again Jisung was interrupted. This time by the bell ringing for homeroom. “Hey Jisung, I’ve gotta go, but you can tell me at lunch right?” He nodded, his expression becoming more uneasy. As I turned his grip on my waist stopped me.

“Ji, I know you wanna tell me now but I have to go!” I said with a laugh. A nervous breathy laugh escaped his lips as he tried to pull away from me. “Well, you know how hard it is for me to keep my hands off of you.” Arching an eyebrow I chose to ignore his weird behavior and walked off to my homeroom. 

When the lunch bell finally rang I took my food outside to where Ji and I normally ate. However, he was nowhere in sight. As if he could read my thoughts, my phone notified me of a text from Jisung.

Lix asked me to help him with some Chem work. Sry I can’t eat with you :(

I sent him a quick reply saying it was okay. It wasn’t the first time I had eaten alone and it surely wouldn’t be the last. To no surprise, Chaeyoung and one of her friends walked by. “Have you seen that kid? What’s his name? Jihyun?” She said in her shrill voice. It was hard not to hear her conversation even from twenty feet away.

“No, I think his name is Jisung. Han Jisung. He is in my physics class. Kind of a dweeb if you ask me.” 

“Well, that dweeb filled out. He was probably just a late bloomer, but like all of a sudden, he got really hot. Have you seen his arms and his chest? Oh my god! A girl could die.” 

The girls laughed and continued to objectify my best friend. They were right. Jisung had seemed to have had a huge glow up overnight. His lanky form did seem more toned and his arms were much more muscular than I remembered. 

“Can you believe he still hangs out with that new junkie girl? Like, please. He could get any girl he wants now. Why stay friends with that waste of space?” 

“That bitch is so full of herself. Literally, no one even likes her.” Chaeyoung said laughing. Having heard enough, I got up and decided to go to my next class early. It didn’t necessarily bother me what she had said. Chaeyoung always liked to mess with me.

All my classes seemed slower than usual and Jisung was answering my texts. At this point in the day, we would probably be having a meme war or a stupid conversation ignoring our teachers, but my phone was silent. Not a single notification. 

By the end of the day, I was feeling totally depressed. English was my last class and thank god I had it with Jisung. No doubt he would be late though. He rarely ever showed up on time to class. But, as I walked through the classroom door I did a double-take seeing my best friend in his usual seat right beside mine. 

He gave me an innocent smile. This was strange. Jisung was never early. He looked...normal. I mean other than the physical overnight puberty storm. He slouched in his chair his long legs spilling into the aisle, not that he cared, and he twirled a pen between his long slender fingers. 

“Yo, wassup, cutie?” He said as I sat down. “You seem to be the talk of the school.” He shrugged and shuffled through some physics work he had on his desk. “You jealous?” That stupid smirk appeared on his mouth. “No. Just confused.”

“Okay, class. Settle down. We are going to be returning to our analysis of Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility.” 

I busied myself with taking thorough notes knowing Jisung would just fall asleep again or just play a random game on his phone. The teacher droned on making a seemingly not boring book a complete snooze fest. The lecture continued without end threatening to send me to sleep as well. Out of habit, I looked over at Jisung, except he was not asleep. Jisung was wide awake and he appeared to be listening intently. 

As if he sensed I was looking at him he turned and smiled at me before returning his attention to the front of the classroom. This was too weird. Where was my Jisung? Maybe he was still sick. That could explain the weird behavior, right? 

The harsh sound of the release bell brought me out of my thoughts. Jisung was already packing up his stuff. “Hey, you wanna stop by Tony’s on the way home? You can buy me a slice!” I said latching onto his arm. The girls were right. Jisung had filled out. Feeling myself starting to blush, I let go and looked back up at my best friend. 

“I can’t. I’ve gotta run some errands fro May and then Uncle Ben asked me to pick up dinner and some other stuff.”

“I can come with you?”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll text you later!” 

Without another word, Jisung raced out of the classroom. I knew Jisung pretty well and it was clear he didn’t want me around today. Alone-again- I rode the subway back to my apartment to be greeted by an empty living room. My mom had left a note on the counter leaving me money for dinner and saying Jisung was welcome to come over. “Yeah, well he’s too busy,” I said to no one in particular. 

It got dark pretty quick. All my homework was finished. I even managed to submit the stupid article on lunch menus. Eventually, I had nothing to do but stare at my ceiling. The news was getting pretty boring. After the whole Avenger’s fiasco, things had quieted down, and no interesting stories were in sight. By 11:30 I had given up hope Jisung was going to text let alone call so I did the next best thing. 

“Hi, May! Is Jisung busy?” 

“Hi, sweetie! Jisung got home about an hour ago. He said he was out with Felix. Should I tell him to call you?”

“No, no. It’s fine. You don’t have to tell him. I’ll talk to him later.”

“Okay, honey. Goodnight!”

Han Jisung you filthy little liar. If he didn’t want to hang out with me he should have just said so. Deciding I had finally had enough of this awful day I curled up under my covers and fell asleep.

Months had now passed and Jisung had started acting normal again. Well as normal as Jisung could be anyway. Our near daily trips to Tony’s had decreased to only twice a week and Jisung always seemed to be busy after school, though he made sure to text me back for fear of facing my wrath. 

“What do you think of this Spiderman guy?” I asked typing away on my laptop. Jisung lounged across my bed, the Saturday afternoon light casting a warm glow over his face.  He looked up from his place beside me. “Uhh...I don’t know. What do you think of him?”

“He seems a little childish and amateur, but he is a great story. Vigilante helping out downtown New York? That’s gold.”

“Childish? What do you mean childish? He’s professional as fuck. I heard he stopped a bank robbery the other day.”

“Yeah, and they found the criminals hanging from a lampost by their underwear.”

Jisung laughed and ran a hand through his blonde hair before looking up at the ceiling. “You’ve been talking about Spiderman a lot lately. What do you have a crush on him?” I scoffed, fingers flying across my keyboard. “Please. I don’t date children. Besides, I just think he is a great story.”

“You wanna order takeout?” Jisung asked reaching over me to get my phone. My dad was on duty and my mom was on call so Jisung had come over to keep me company. I did my best to pretend I didn’t notice how amazing he smelled as he leaned over me. “You know you should really stop eating junk food. You are what you eat.” I said distracting myself from how close he was.

“Well then if we are what we eat, I guess I would be fast, cheap, and easy.” 

Jisung winked at me, making my eyes roll. Jisung had grown at home in his new body and somehow he got even cockier than he was before. He groaned at my lack of response and instead let his head rest in my lap, giving him a good view of my screen. “Play with my hair, bitch.”

“Excuse me, dick. I’m working.” He laughed and unlocked my phone. I often wondered why he liked just sitting with me. I think I remembered him telling me once that he liked the sound of me typing. He said it had sort of a rhythm that only belonged to me. How he could pick up on that I had no clue. Like he had superhearing. 

“I ordered sushi. Don’t worry, I’ll pay.” Jisung said, adjusting his body slightly so he wasn’t at an awkward angle. I smiled continuing to write about our masked arachnid hero. “Please tell me you got boba too.” I sighed suddenly craving the sweet drink.

“Of course, baby. I’ve got you.” 

There was a moment of silence. Any minute now Jisung was going to break it. The boy couldn’t go three minutes without talking. “Do you think Spiderman is hot?” Jisung blurted out. 

“Jisung...do we need to have a talk?”

“What- no! Oh, what- no! I mean like do you think he’s hot?”

“The guy wears a mask; how am I supposed to know?”

He shrugged and played on my phone. “I don’t know. What do you think he looks like?” With Jisung’s mind, he wasn’t going to drop this until he got an answer. Saving my work, I closed my laptop and moved it onto the side table. “He’s probably like thirteen. I’m mean he is skinny enough to be a pre-teen.”

“No, like his face.”

“You are weirdly obsessed with this you know.”

“Answer the question already. I’m getting bored.”

I thought for a minute, my hand unconsciously moving to run through his blonde locks. What would spiderman look like? “He is probably just some random white dude. Dark hair, blue eyes maybe?”

He nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer. The topic changed after that. Jisung told me about spending time with his Uncle earlier that day and we talked about his weird physics experiments. Soon enough, the food came and Jisung paid for it like he said he would. We spent the next several hours sitting in my bed eating sushi, drinking boba, and watching a drama Jisung insisted I ‘needed to see or my brain would explode out of my ears from being lame’.

After several episodes, my room was obscenely dark and my parents had yet to come home. My back rested against Jisung’s chest letting me feel the vibration of his laughs. “Hey, it’s late. You should probably head home.” He smiled when I made no attempt at moving or letting him up. “Do you want me to stay?” “Yes  please.”  He chuckled and pulled out his phone, calling his uncle and letting him know. 

Soon I began to grow tired, my head slumping back onto his shoulder. He poked my side, trying to wake me up. “Hey, go change for bed.” Sleepily, I nodded and shuffled out of bed to sift through my closet for a nightshirt. Jisung moved around getting comfortable while I changed. 

As I walked back over to the bed Jisung shut my laptop and placed it on my nightstand. When I climbed back into my bed he pulled me on top of him, wrapping his arms around my waist. It had been quite a while since Jisung had stayed over. It felt so nice just to be next to him, feeling the warmth radiating off his bare chest. The sound of his heartbeat lulled me to sleep. 

Jisung’s ringtone blared in my small room quickly waking me up. “Ji-” I said shoving my head under the covers. “I got it. Go back to sleep.” A quick glance at my clock told me it was two am. Who the hell was calling Jisung at two am? Jisung reached over me and grabbed his phone off the stand. He tried not to move a lot because my head still lay on his arm. “Hello?”

“Happy? What’s wrong?”

“Jisung tell the Disney dwarf to hang up. I wanna go back to sleep.” I whined, drowsily. Snuggling back into his chest, I reluctantly listened to him sleepily talk on the phone, Jisung not being fully awake himself. “Where am I? I’m at Y/n’s.....Yes....Yes, you can add the location to the list.” I felt Jisung run a hand through his fluffy hair and sigh.

“Mr. Stark said what? Yeah, yeah I have it in my bag....What now?....She’s gonna kill me....I can be there in ten.” Jisung hung up and started to get out of bed. “Woah, where the hell are you going? I need my personal space heater.” Jisung let out a tired laugh as he slipped his baggy shirt back on and rummaged through his bag looking for something. 

“I’m really sorry, but I have to go.”

“Jisung who the fuck is calling you at two am? What is so important that you have to leave?” I asked still not really awake and comprehensive. “Uhhh....my....internship.”

“Your what?”

“My internship.”

“Your what?” 

“My internship.” 

“Yeah-Ji- you keep saying ‘your internship’ like my half-asleep half murderous mind will understand what your saying.”

 “I got an internship with Stark Industries. They have uh... a problem....with some of the...code that I wrote....last week.” 

Jisung started slipping his socks back on as I stared at him in confusion. “When did you get an internship with freaking Tony Stark -You work with Ironman?!” He laughed and started searching for his shoes. 

“Y/n, go back to sleep. I’ll see you on Monday.” Then he left. I was alone once again in my room. A random siren went off in the distance and I just sat in bed. Suddenly, the police scanner on my dresser crackled to life. My dad had given it to me for my birthday a few years ago. 

We have a 647g Disorderly Conduct at 284 Hickom Av.

647g? Why bother calling that in at this time of night? That was just loitering. Sighing, I got up and walked over to turn the radio off. Another voice coming through stopped me. 

Disregard suspect has left the premise with another group of guys. Headed south down Hickom. 

South down Hickom street? What had my dad said earlier this week? Something about several high arms deals going down near there. If I could catch one in the act this would be a great story! Throwing on some pants and slipping on my sneakers, I grabbed my camera and put on my jacket. “Finally a great story!” 

Hickom Avenue was maybe about ten minutes away. The streets were pretty dark at two am, but it didn’t really bother me. My curiosity overpowered any fear I should have. My eyes scanned the area looking for any sign of the guys the scanner mentioned. Just as I was about to cross in front of an alley I saw them. Quickly I doubled back and pressed against the wall. 

“If I’m paying 4k for some lightsaber shit, I’d better get a demonstration, man.”

Carefully I peeked around the corner. Seven men stood in the hallway. Three were next to this heavy-duty van with blacked-out windows. This was definitely an arms deal if I had ever seen one. Which....to be fair...I hadn’t. But it was pretty clear. 

A guy with muscles bigger than my head pulled out a large weapon with green glowing lights. Quickly I pulled out my camera and started snapping pictures. They proceeded to fire this huge light cannon around the alley. Holy shit. This thing was powerful.

“Okay, you got a deal. I’ll take four-”

Let’s dance the night away,

Let’s  dance the night away,

Yeaaaahh

One, Two, Three! Let’s go!

“Fuck,” I whispered ripping my phone out of my pocket and struggling to turn it off. “Turn off, come on.” Finally, I silenced the phone and turned to see if they had heard. Instead my eyes met a broad chest only a couple inches away. 

Okay....think, think, think. Too busy panicking. Can’t think. Uhhhhhh......fuck. I followed my first instinct and threw a punch at the guy’s nose. His head did not recoil like it was supposed to. He just simply cracked his neck and glared down at me.

Okay.....instincts bad.

Before I knew it I was struggling against the man’s grip as he dragged me into the alley. “We’ve got a visitor.” He said throwing me onto the ground in front of all the other men. They sneered and inched closer clearly quite upset I had interrupted their little party. 

“Make that two. Hey, how are you guys doing?” 

All heads turned to the roof of the liquor store we were next to. My eyes widened. There was Spiderman. Complete with the red and blue suit and cocky childish attitude. “Who the fuck are you?” The buff guy, who now had his foot digging into my stomach, said.

“Bro....Come on. I’m Spiderman. You know. I shoot webs and kick ass.” 

“Isn’t he that guy from YouTube that did the flip on that building?”

“OH MY GOD, THAT WAS ONE TIME!”

The man scoffed and pressed further onto my stomach, making me wince slightly. “Scram, Arachne Boy.” The men around me laughed at I assumed the leader’s joke. The hero sighed and shook his head.

“See now I have to beat you up. You can’t just make fun of my name. That shit hurts, bro.”

“What the fu-” Before he could finish his sentence a web shot and grabbed onto his face and flung him into the side of the building. Soon a fight broke out. Trying to remove myself from the situation I crawled away as Spiderman fought all the men. 

“Ah!” 

A strong hand grabbed the back of my neck and hoisted me off the ground. “You aren’t getting away that easy, little girl.” The man sneered. A huge welt was on the side of his face from Spiderman’s attack. My airway’s started to close as he squeezed tighter. My hands tried to pull his fingers away and slapping at any place I could reach. Meanwhile, the last thing I would hear before I died would be Spiderman yelling something about Naruto running a dude into the next Millenium. 

As the edges of my vision started to fade, I heard another voice come closer. “Get your fucking mutant hands off her!” It screamed. I was dropped to the ground. Air filled my lungs as I took huge gasps. Looking up I saw Spiderman taking on the huge monstrosity of a man with nothing but his own two hands. 

“I was told never to play with guns. But I think today might be the exception.”

A web shot out of his fingertips and pulled the weird contraption into his hands. A bright light emitted and fired at the man, blasting him into the building wall. Within seconds Spiderman had wrapped up the villain in a little cocoon of sticky webs, keeping him secure. A quick look around told me he had already done the same to the others. 

The boy in the red suit danced around like a weirdo, while I sat on the ground. “Go Spidey! Go Spidey! Hell yeah! I made all of you my bitches!” I coughed still trying to get air back into my lungs. The white eyes on his mask widened. It must be some pretty advanced tech in that suit.

“Holy shit- Are you okay, Y/n...........I mean...wait-...random citizen I don’t know who means nothing to me personally. Are you okay?”

His voice weirdly got lower halfway through his sentence. Dazed, I looked back up at him. He offered me a hand up and gratefully I took it. “Thanks for helping back there,” I said, voice coming out a bit sore. He shrugged and puffed out his chest. 

“Yeah, I did kick some serious ass didn’t I?”

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my camera and started to walk away. “Wait! Where are you going?” He swung from a lamppost and landed in front of me the suit’s eyes widening and shrinking again. His suit must have facial readers or something. 

“I’m going home. I’ve got my story; I’m done.”

“Hey it’s not safe. Let me take you home. What would your friends say if you weren’t at school tomorrow?” 

Spiderman continued to follow me as if he were a lost puppy. I laughed when he almost tripped over a trashcan. “Okay, one- how do you know I’m a student? And two- I don’t really have any friends. People don’t like me at school.” He stopped in his tracks. 

“What do you mean- Are you getting bullied at school?” His words stopped me. He sounded genuinely concerned. By now we were halfway to my apartment. I simply stared at him as the old streetlights flickered and struggled to light up the sidewalks we were on.

“A couple people bother me, but I just ignore them. Look I’m gonna go home. Thanks for back there. You were a real hero.” 

He looked between me and my hand as I stuck it out for him to shake. Slowly he took it, his grip firm, but cautious. “You know, usually heroes get a thank you kiss for rescuing such a gorgeous girl.” I scoffed and pulled my hand away. 

“Sorry, Spidey. I’m not interested in cocky little shits who run around wearing masks.”

“Yeah well, you’d be surprised. What is your type? Bet, I’m still it.”

My eyes lit up thinking about him. “I guess I’m more of the boy next door type. They say you always fall for your best friend right?”

He blinked as if he was processing my words. What I thinking? A horny fourteen-year-old boy wouldn’t understand. “Night, Spidey. Thanks for the save.” Not letting him say another word, I headed back to my apartment. My apartment was still empty when I returned. My parents wouldn’t be back until after I left for school in a few hours. Reluctantly I went back to my bed, missing the space where Jisung lay only a few hours earlier. It was harder to fall asleep without him next to me.

My legs carried me as quickly as they could. I ignored the crazy looks from people on the street as I raced to May’s apartment. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I burst through the building’s main entrance. Knowing the elevator would take too long and it was probably broken again, I took the stairs up to the fourth floor. 

The door was unlocked when I ran into the apartment. “May? May!” I called, looking for her in the living room. Hearing small cries I turned to find her exiting the kitchen. With open arms, I let her hug me and cry into my shoulder. 

We sat in the kitchen in silence. Occasionally one of our cries would slip, but the emptiness would return. He wasn’t answering any of my calls. I was beginning to worry. May said they were together. Where was he? It had been hours since May had called me. The sound of the door opening made us both stand from our seats. 

Jisung walked in with heavy shoulders and blood on his forehead and smeared across his shirt. He had dried tears staining his cheeks. I had seen the footage of the shooting on the news with May, but the sight of Jisung standing before us made my heart break. 

I held myself back as May went to her nephew. They needed each other. I could wait. Whispers between the two were shared, most likely about her husband. She had already gotten a call, but hearing it from Jisung seemed important to her. After a moment she excused herself, saying something about wanting to go to bed. 

The two of us stood in silence. I had no idea how to comfort him. How could you comfort someone who just watched their uncle die? Jisung started to slowly move towards his room. Wordlessly, I followed. 

After I closed his door, I turned to find him staring at the walls small cries coming from his form. There were pictures of him and his uncle all over his room. Jisung sighed when I wrapped my arms around him from behind. He turned around so he could hold me to his chest. Hot tears fell against my neck as he cried. 

It felt like hours before he calmed down. Gently I led him over to the bed and sat him down. All he could do was stare at his hands as I grabbed a clean shirt from his closet and a wet cloth from the bathroom. There was no fight from him as I lifted the bloodied shirt from his body and put it in the hamper. 

Carefully, I lifted his chin and gently started cleaning the blood away from his face. I tried not to wipe away the tears that slowly ran down his cheeks. He looked broken-and tired like he hadn’t slept even before today’s events. My heart shattered when he finally looked me in the eye. 

“I’m not ready for this.” He whispered, more tears falling. 

Wrapping my arms around him, I let the clean shirt fall to the floor. “I know...” I tried to keep tears from falling from my own eyes. I concentrated on running my fingers through his hair and how tightly he held onto my waist. “You’re never going to be ready for it.” He cried even harder, making me want to scream for him. 

Slowly, I laid back onto his bed, holding him on top of my chest. “No one is ever ready for what you are going through,” I whispered. His body shook from crying and he buried his nose into my neck, holding onto me as if I were the only tether keeping him from floating away. “But, you are so strong. We aren’t faced with challenges we can’t overcome.” His breathing started to steady as my hand traced patterns on this bare skin of his back. “Sometimes I wish I was normal,” He whispered.

“Ji, you are anything but normal. And that’s okay. But for now...you can just be here. I’ll be with you. When you’re ready you can do whatever you need to. But...just stay here for now.”

He nodded and held onto me even tighter. I listened to his breath, gently rubbing his back and playing with his hair. When I knew he was asleep, I let myself do the same. Tomorrow would be another day. I would most likely have to leave and let Jisung and May grieve, but for now, I could be with him. Hopefully, that was enough. 

Early the next morning, I woke up to an empty bed. Jisung’s covers were loosely wrapped around me and his window was cracked open, letting a strip of sunlight in. Slowly, I sat up and rubbed my head. It was quite unusual for him to be up this early. Well, it was quite unusual for me to be up this early, but it was like my body had a sensor for when he was gone. I pulled my phone from the table and started to text him.

The sound of the window opening caused my attention to turn. I froze as I saw Jisung climbing through the window. “What the fuck!” He froze when he saw me. My eyes widened, taking the sight in. Jisung was standing before me wearing a familiar red and blue suit, a mask in his hand. 

“Y/n, I can explain...”

Was Jisung Spiderman? Was my best friend Spiderman? Holy shit! “Okay explain!” He simply stared at me, eyes wide. His hand came to scratch the back of his neck. His eyes avoided mine as my arms crossed my chest. 

“Jisung, might I suggest explanation protocol #38 for Miss L/n?”

“Oh my God! Friday, shut up! You aren’t helping.”

I watched as Jisung said to the AI apparently in his suit before he tossed the mask onto his desk. “You have an explanation protocol for me?” The look on his face showed that he knew he was in trouble. 

“See the thing is...I’m not Spiderman-...” He stopped when I glared at him. “Okay, I am Spiderman. This is my internship with Mr.Stark.” Without hesitation, I got up from his bed and started slapping his arm.

“This doesn’t even hurt, does it? You have superstrength. Oh my god, I’m going to fucking murder you.” An aggravated sigh left my chest. “So this whole entire time you have been swinging around the city saving people and doing flips on buildings and I was none the wiser?” I said turning back to him.

“That was one time! But...yes.” He stood awkwardly in his own room. “Look, I’m sure you have a lot of questions.” He gulped when my stern gaze turned back on him. “So, anything you ask I’ll answer.” 

“Who else knows?”

“Mr. Stark, Happy- the guy who is my supervisor-, and Felix.”

“FELIX?”

He flinched as my voice raised. Taking a breath, I calmly sat back down on his bed. He watched as I crossed my legs and turned off the sound on my phone. No way was I gonna let my parents interrupt this conversation. “How did you become like...this...” I asked pointing to his clearly toned physique.

“At first I thought it was just like another puberty thing. But, like puberty doesn't make me shoot webs out of my hands. I think it was that spider from the lab.”

“So do-...are all your...bodily fluids...like...webs? Like do you shoot webs out of everywhere or-”

“You wanna find out?” Jisung said with a smirk, coming closer. I did not hesitate to slap him. 

“You couldn’t think of a better name though? Spiderman, really? You couldn’t come up with something more aggressive?”

“Well, I mean...like - spiders are cool, okay!”

I could tell he was uncomfortable. Usually, Jisung always stood up straight and had some sort of a smile or smirk on his face, but he was truly nervous. He watched me expectantly, waiting to answer whatever questions I asked next.

“So when you said you were away on a company retreat for the weekend. That was actually you who was fighting Captain America and all that shit in Prauge?”

“Yes.”

“When you left that night, did you go to the arms deal?”

“Yes.”

“So, it was you who saved me.”

“Your welcome.”

“Don’t push it.”

Nervously, he let out a laugh. No matter how many questions I asked...he was still my best friend. I was proud of him. He was doing so much good. Don’t get me wrong I was still very pissed at him for not telling me. “You owe me pizza at Tony’s for the rest of the fucking year.” A sigh of relief left his chest and he wrapped me in a hug. 

“That’s fine by me. I’m honestly surprised you didn’t ask about the whole crush thing.” I pulled away to see that fucking smirk on his mouth. “I think it’s cute you’re in love with me.” He tugged me closer to his body, gripping my waist.

“Who says I’m in love with you?”

“Me.”

“You’re an asshole- you say a lot of stupid shit.”

“I’m an asshole, not a liar. There’s a difference.”

My breath caught in my throat when I saw his eyes glance down to my lips. I could practically feel my heartbeat pulsing through my entire body. It was true and he knew it. I was in love with him. “Well....what are you going do about it? Prick...” I said in a shaky breath. He let out a soft laugh, his eyes lighting up. 

“Kiss you....bitch.”

My heart went crazy as he pressed his lips to mine. Closing my eyes, I melted into his touch. This was definitely the craziest two days of my entire life. I never would have imagined I would have to comfort my best friend, find out he was a superhero running around New York, and then have him kiss me in his bedroom.

Jisung smiled as I kissed him back, draping my arms around his neck and threading my fingers through his blonde hair. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought kissing Jisung would be like this. Without his mouth leaving mine he pushed me up against the wall of his bedroom. He sighed when my teeth caught his bottom lip.

“Fuck...do you know how long I’ve thought about this?” He asked before returning to my lips. 

“Kissing me?”

“To be honest I’ve been thinking about more than that since I was thirteen.”

Ignoring my scoff, Jisung continued to attack my lips like he had found water for the first time after walking in a desert. His hands slid under my legs, making me shriek when he picked me up. In one swift motion, he turned around and threw me onto his bed, before hovering over me. “I love you,” He whispered, before placing a soft kiss on my lips. Slowly, he moved down to my neck, my hands running through his soft hair. Impatiently, I pulled him back to my lips. 

Our little makeout session was interrupted by the sound of Jisung’s phone ringing. He sighed and dropped his head onto my shoulder. “I have to get that,” He sighed and pushed himself off the bed, walking over to pick up his phone. My eyes couldn’t help but rake over him. Now, I could freely ogle how gorgeous his body was. I bit my lip, looking at the lines of his broad shoulders go down to his slim waist.

“Happy, now is not a good time.”

“Yes....among other things...” A blush flooded his cheeks as he looked back at me still laying on his bed. 

“Can’t Mr. Stark send someone else?”

“I’m not just going to up and leave.”

Getting bored, I got up and wrapped my arms around him. He tried to look over at me, but I just buried my face in his chest. Patiently, I waited for him to finished the call with Happy. Finally, he threw the phone onto his bed and kissed me again. “Do you have to go?” I asked against his lips. He pulled away another smirk filling his face.

“You want to go to Berlin for a week?”

“What?”

“Mr. Stark needs me in Berlin. Something about S.H.I.E.L.D and an Avenger thing. But, there is no way May will let me go. Especially after yesterday.”

“Why am I going?”

“Happy said I could take you with me, you know to convince May to let me go.”

I laughed and kissed him again. “Sure. I’ll go to Berlin with you.” He laughed and spun me around the room. “However, you are gonna be the one to tell my dad that we are going alone with no chaperone to a country where the drinking age is sixteen.” 

“Fuck.”

“Good luck, Ji.”

Requests are open, just send an ask my lovelies!

Masterlist

[flowerthornsart]

Drabble I had written in my journal during class and typed up last night in google docs. I’m pretty happy with it!

Simbako belongs to @plaguenevermore !

I can’t cut this (on mobile rn) til later so please block the tag “long post” if you want to skip over it!

—

Her eyes closed, feeling the cool breeze on her face as the opened the door leading to the roof of her apartment building. Looking over the bustle of the city from above always put her heart at ease. Maybe it was seeing the world in a wider scale, or that it all looked so small from up above, or maybe it was that siren call of swinging her legs over the edge yet still being able to overcome it. Either way, it was a sort of sanctuary after a long day. It was something that she was sure she wasn’t supposed to have access to, and it was merely coincidence that the few staff who would have any reason to be up there didn't lock the door. She was sure no one else really knew the door could be opened.

So it shocked her to see someone already on the roof, sitting on the edge of the roof and a beer in hand. Mantis looked at her own strawberry lagers in the six pack hooked on her fingers before cutting her eyes back. The city lights outlined his silhouette, messy hair evident as well as what looked to be bandages wrapped up to his elbows. That’s when it finally hit her. Eyes widening, her words escaped her lips before she even had the chance to stop herself.

“Simbako-?”

He immediately tensed, straightening up at the sound of another voice. He quickly turned to face her, already looking hostile and like he was trying to find his words. “The fuck are you doing here?” He snarled, though he was already planning how he’d make an escape; or if push came to shove, he was sure he could handle her on his own. Mantis put her free hand up, a small gesture as she moved forward.

“I could ask you the same, this is… er,” she faltered for a moment, thinking over her words. She couldn’t possibly tell him she lived in this complex. “... I usually relax here ‘cause it’s quiet.” to be fair, that wasn’t a lie, but the way his eyebrow raised made her realize how much more suspicious she sounded. She shook her head, pulling one of the glass bottles from the cardboard six pack she was holding and offered it out to him as she got closer. “Here, relax. I swear I’m not here to do anything. Er… do you mind having some company?”

Simbako looked to the hero, then the lager in her hand, before taking it with a resigned shrug. “Thanks, I think.” He muttered, looking away as Mantis sat just beside the edge, resting her drink on it’s raised eaves before crossing her arms over the edge. The silence between them was thick with tension, neither sure what exactly to say before Simbako finally spoke up.

“... So why the hell are you being so nice to me?” He watched her as she kept her eyes fixed on the city skyline, quiet for a moment longer before she finally answered.

“You haven’t really done anything to me yet,” she hummed, “Plus, I’m more of a ‘small time villain’ sort. I’m nowhere near as strong or useful as the others, and I’m pretty sure the couple times I got in fights with you and Rayne were ‘cause I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

He merely nodded along to that, taking a sip of the lager she had given him. His face scrunched up a little.

“This is really sweet.”

“Beats the convenience store beer you got.” She laughed, taking another swig of her own bottle. “So, why are you up here? Shouldn’t you be home?”

Simbako shrugged, the condensation of the glass bottle soaking into the wraps around his palms. “ I dunno, its just… some time to slow down. Nosy little shit, aren’t ya?”

“Hey, just trying to make some conversation.”

There was another stretch of silence between the two, but instead of it being tense, it felt like a more comfortable silence. At least, to Mantis it did. Her antennas twitched, slugging through half the bottle, the way only someone used to- or unbothered by the bitter burn could. Her eyes drifted from the city lights and the low din of cars and people to Simbako’s face. It wasn’t hard to notice the bags under his eyes, the unkempt scruff on his face. She knew this man was someone to be wary of- or hell, scared of- but most of what she was feeling was some sort of sympathy. He looked absolutely exhausted, eyes glazed, and it wasn’t because of the alcohol. Seeing his eyes suddenly cut over to meet hers, she quickly looked away, finishing off the rest of her bottle before setting it aside and already pawing for a second.

“What ya mentioned before; you’re a lot fuckin tougher than you look, it’s almost annoying. I swear ya held your own pretty good against Rayne.”

Mantis stopped mid pull of the second bottle cap, shocked by the sudden compliment and her mind clicking back to what exactly he had meant. “Uh- really? She tased my ass til I could taste peanut butter for a couple days, I’m pretty sure she won.” He held back a laugh, only a small huff escaping him before he continued.

“Didn’t say ya won, just that you’re tough. Between that and staying in Daxton, I thought for sure you’d be gone by now. This place is a shithole.”

“The whole world pretty much is, y’know?”

“... not what I’d expect from miss “I wanna play hero”.”

It was Mantis’ turn to glare up at him, a frown on her face as she studied the very light smirk on his face.

“Just ‘cause things are bad doesn’t mean I can't make the world better for someone, mister… erm-... mister half naked all the damned time!” That one did make him laugh a bit, shaking his head. “You’re just jealous you can't walk around like this.”

“I-! … Okay, maybe I am a little bit…!” Mantis laughed, obviously a bit tipsy but her laughter was sweet and genuine. “Really though, I’m not here to lecture you on hero stuff. I’ve just… have my reasons.”

“And I have mine.”

“Such as…?”

“There ya go being fuckin nosy again.” He had to admit her laid back, joking manner was contagious, to the point that even his usual grumbled retorts took on a lighter tone. Mantis was about to reply when a soft melody played from her pocket. She fished her phone from her pocket, tapping the screen a couple times until the alarm finally stopped. “Ugh, I can’t be up here much longer, I gotta sleep.”

“ ‘bout time, I thought you were gonna talk my ear off.”

Mantis rolled her eyes, picking up the half empty six pack and putting the empty bottles in the slots to throw out. As she picked up the empty convenience store one from Simbakos’ side, she gave him a sheepish grin. “...Uhm, thanks for keeping me company. I appreciate it. If you…” She stopped before shaking her head and continuing. “Just, you know where to find me most nights. I’m not gonna turn you away or be upset if you stop by again.” There was a mix of confusion and surprise on his face as she trailed off, but he simply nodded and turned away again. There wasn’t much else to say to that, so Mantis opened the roof access again, quietly closing the door behind her. Face to face with the stairs again, a mixture of different emotions and the alcohol warming her body kept her in place at the top for a moment. She was sure that’d be the last she saw of him, outside of watching Blade and the others fighting him, and all she could do was sigh, shake her head, and take that first step.

At least she had gotten him to laugh, she felt a weird sense of pride at that.

[voltrontranscript]

VLDS7E7: The Last Stand, Part 1

Season 7 Episode 7: The Last Stand, Part 1

Transcript by @dragonofyang

Episode Summary: The Paladins make their way back to Earth, but upon reaching out to Sam Holt, discover Earth’s distress beacon and that the Galra have invaded. We catch up with Sam and the technological developments on Earth since his return four years prior to the Paladins’ approach, and the trials Sam and Colleen face when in the heart of the Garrison.

[Google Doc]

Hunk: I can’t believe it. We’re finally back to Earth.

Keith: Well, what are we waiting for?

Pidge: I’ll see if I can get a message out to my dad. Dad, it’s me, Pidge. Do you copy? We’re back in Earth’s solar system, and heading home now.

Sam’s voice: To any beings who receive this message--

Pidge: Dad, you’re okay. How’s Mom and Matt? Is he with you?

Sam’s voice: Planet Earth has been… Most of the citizens…

Pidge: Hold on, let me try to get a clear signal.

Sam’s voice: ...have been captured.

Pidge: What? Who’s captured? Dad, what are you saying?

Sam’s voice: Those of us remaining are making our last stand. If you get this message, please get word to Voltron. We need help.

Keith: Guys, are you seeing this?

Sam’s voice: To any beings who receive this message…

Allura: Oh, no.

Sam’s voice: ...Planet Earth has been overrun by the Galra.

Lance: The Galra have invaded Earth.

Sam’s voice: Most of the citizens have been captured. Those of us remaining are making our last stand. If you get this message, please get word to Voltron. We need help.

Hunk: It’s not a reply. It’s a distress signal.

Pidge: Dad.

[Scene change to a flashback, labeled “Four years earlier…”.]

Sam: Admiral Sanda, how long have I--?

Sanda: It’s been about a week since you landed. Sorry, we’ve had you under for most of the time.

Sam: A week?

Sanda: We had to run tests. You spent years in an alien environment. Look, Sam, the joint chiefs are eager to hear what you have to tell us.

Sam: Tell the chiefs I’ll debrief when I’m ready. There’s someone I need to see first.

[Scene change to a lounge in the Galaxy Garrison.]

Colleen: Sam.

Sam: Colleen, I’ve missed you so much.

Colleen: I thought you were dead. I thought I’d never see you again.

Sam: You’re squeezing me pretty tight. Being abducted by aliens didn’t kill me, but I think you might.

Colleen: Aliens?

Sam: On the Kerberos mission. Matt, Shiro, and I were taken by hostile aliens.

Colleen: So Matt is with you?

Sam: No, but he’s alive and safe. So is Katie. They’re together. Last time I saw them, they were just outside the planet Olkarion. They saved me. There was a device on my pod, a transmitter. Where is it? I can use it to contact my children and the other Paladins, cadets.

Sanda: I’m afraid we can’t allow you to broadcast yet. We need more information before you start sending messages into deep space. Any contact with alien species needs to be run through the appropriate channels. We need to be sure you’re not putting Earth in danger, Sam.

Colleen: I don’t care about your channels. I want to talk to my children.

Sanda: And you will, soon. We just want to debrief you first.

Colleen: Tell them what you know, then we can talk to our children and get you home.

Sanda: I’m afraid we can’t allow Sam to leave the premises. We’re not prepared to tell the world about the existence of alien life just yet. Remember, everyone thinks you’re dead.

Sam: So you’re holding me like a prisoner?

Sanda: Not a prisoner. You’re free to move about within the Garrison grounds. Just until we’re ready.

Colleen: If he’s staying, I’m staying, too.

Sanda: I’m afraid you don’t have the clearance, Colleen.

Colleen: This is the only family I have left. You’ll get me the clearance.

[Scene change to a meeting room in the Galaxy Garrison.]

Iverson: Here’s what we know. Two years ago, during your Kerberos mission, our scans picked up an anomaly at your location. Minutes later, we lost contact with you and the rest of the crew. In the immediate aftermath, we intercepted a transmission.

Unnamed Galra Commander’s voice: We found these primitive scientists. I don’t think they know anything useful.

Zarkon’s voice: Take them back to the main fleet for interrogation. The Druids will find out what they know.

Sam: That last voice is Zarkon, the emperor of an advanced hostile alien race known as the Galra.

Unnamed officer: How advanced?

Unnamed officer 2: And how do you know they’re hostile?

Sam: Do you have the device I asked for? The one from my pod?

Sanda: Bring it to him.

Sam: Before I left, I downloaded as much information as I could from the Castle of Lions. For ten thousand years, Zarkon has been expanding his empire, conquering vast swaths of the universe and harnessing its quintessence in order to survive and maintain power.

Sanda: Quintessence?

Sam: It’s an energy generated by living beings.

Bearded officer: You mean certain alien beings?

Sam: No. Quintessence is within us all.

Bearded officer: Impossible. We’ve never come across anything like that.

Sam: Maybe because this is beyond the realm of what you think you know. Have you ever traveled faster than the speed of light? Have you ever seen a living creature bio-hack nature? Have you ever come face to face with an alien warlord who’s older than the entirety of human civilization? Well, I have. And I assure you, it’s all real. Following our abduction, Shiro, Matt, and I were taken by Galra scouts to the main fleet where we were interrogated. After that, we were split up. I spent the next year at a remote outpost, working alongside other captive scientists researching and creating new technologies to be used by the Galra. I later learned that Shiro and Matt had been sent to fight in the gladiator pits. Matt would’ve been killed, but Shiro, he saved my son’s life. Later, Matt was rescued from a work camp by alien rebels. He now works alongside them, fighting back against the Galra. During his time on Zarkon’s command ship, Shiro discovered that Zarkon was looking for a super weapon hidden on Earth. Shiro escaped to get the weapon first.

Iverson: That must be when Lieutenant Shirogane returned to Earth.

Sam: That’s right.

Iverson: Following Garrison protocol, we placed Lieutenant Takeshi Shirogane under mandatory quarantine, but he managed to escape with the aid of several Garrison cadets. We later found out the one known as Pidge Gunderson was your daughter, Katie Holt, who had illegally enrolled in the cadet program under an assumed identity. The following day, the Blue Lion appeared on our radars. Long-range sensors tracked the UFO to the edge of our solar system traveling at speeds we’ve never achieved. It disappeared along with the ship. That was the last activity we had until your pod arrived on Earth a month ago.

Glasses officer: So that Blue Lion, that was the super weapon?

Sam: Part of it. The super weapon is known as Voltron. It’s made up of five mechanical lions. As fate would have it, when Shiro crashed on Earth, those same Garrison students that got him out of quarantine became the pilots, or Paladins, of the five lions of Voltron. The Paladins are doing everything they can to protect the universe from the Galra. But we must begin to bolster Earth’s defenses now, or we do not stand a chance. War is coming.

Iverson: So this Zarkon, you think he’ll attack Earth?

Sam: No. Zarkon is dead, but the Galra Empire is not stopping. There are factions fighting for control and looking to dominate their own sections of the universe. Without a clear leader, things are worse than before.

Iverson: So what do we do?

Sam: We hold a conference and announce what we know to the world.

Sanda: Absolutely not.

Sam: They need to know. And if we can bring the world’s top minds together, it might mean the difference--

Sanda: If we told the world there was an imminent attack, we’d set off a global panic.

Sam: But there will be an attack.

Sanda: When? How will the attack happen? Is there a plan to stop it? None of these things have been discussed. None of these things have been thought through, and until they are, we’re not going to be responsible for sending the world into disarray.

Sam: If you would allow me to contact Katie and the Paladins right now, we could begin to answer those questions.

Sanda: Very well.

Sam: This is Sam Holt calling the Paladins of Voltron. I’m on Earth. Please respond. Pidge, this is Dad. Come in.

Colleen: Katie, it’s your mom. Are you there?

Sam: The transmission’s not being received. There might be interference. We need to keep trying.

Sanda: We can have someone send out regular transmissions around the clock until we hear from them. But in the meantime, we stay quiet.

Sam: Very well, but we should at least begin preparations.

Iverson: We already have.

[Cut to an elevator in the Galaxy Garrison.]

Iverson: We’ve been studying the ship that Shiro crash landed in for the last year, and we’ve begun research on the ship you arrived in. We thought the technology would be exactly the same, but that’s not the case.

Sam: That’s because one is Galran and the other Altean, created by two different alien species. So, did you get it airborne?

Iverson: Unfortunately, no. We got the nav system and other instruments turned on by powering them externally, but the power it would take to fly them is unsustainable.

Sam: Hmm. The crystal must have been damaged on entry if you couldn’t power it.

Sanda: Crystal?

Sam: It’s the main energy source for most alien spacecraft. If you haven’t been able to get it running, then what have you been doing with it?

Sanda: We created a simulator based on the controls so that when we figure out how to integrate the tech into our own ships, we’ll be ready to fly.

Iverson: Commander Holt, I’d like to introduce you to the best pilots to come out of the Galaxy Garrison in the last year. These are officers Griffin, Rizavi, Kinkade, and Leifsdottir. They’re young, but their ability to adapt to new flying techniques is a step above.

Griffin: On behalf of my squadron, it’s an honor to meet you, sir.

Iverson: I’ve got them running drills in the simulator five days a week. They can take just about anything you can throw at them.

Sam: Good. Now it’s time to get them out of the simulator and flying these things for real.

Rizavi: But they aren’t working, sir.

Sam: Then we better get them working.

[Scene change to outside the Galaxy Garrison.]

Griffin: No way.

Rizavi: When can we fly them, sir?

Sam: You’re gonna be flying ships much faster and much more maneuverable than this in no time.

Rizavi: Sir?

Sam: This is just an Altean shuttle pod. The engine and functions are extremely basic. If we’re going to defend the planet against the Galra, we’re going to need better ships.

[Scene change to the Galaxy Garrison meeting room.]

Sam: When I was enslaved by the Galra, I was forced to work on technologies that are a hundred times more complex than a simple pod. And after I regrouped with the Paladins, I continued learning alongside the Olkari, some of the most amazing engineers I’ve ever had the honor to work with. They taught me everything I know about integrating technologies. These are Altean schematics. We’re gonna use these to upgrade our weapons, build new ships, and create a defense for Earth. Engineers will be in charge of salvaging what they can from the pods. Repurposing parts is of the utmost importance. Our pilots must get out of the simulators and into real ships powered by crystal technology if they hope to stand a chance against Galran battle tactics. It’s gonna be a steep learning curve, but I know they’ll get it. The Garrison will become the epicenter of technological advances beyond what this world has ever seen. In the meantime, we will continue our attempts to contact Matt and the Paladins. It’s imperative that we find out what’s happening beyond our galaxy. There is a war coming, and we need to be prepared.

[Scene change to another flashback, labeled “One year later…”.]

Griffin: Sorry, guess I’m too quick.

Rizavi: Not for my micro-pulse boosters!

Sam: How’s the response time compared to the previous generation?

Rizavi: Instantaneous, sir. It’s like it knows what I wanna do before I think it.

Iverson: It’s amazing what you’ve done in just over a year.

Sam: We’ve done it together.

Unnamed female officer: Sir, you’re needed in the communications room immediately.

[Scene change to the Garrison’s communications room.]

Colleen: It’s Matt. He contacted us.

Matt: Mom, is that Dad?

Colleen: He just got here.

Sam: Matt, are you okay? I’ve been trying to contact you and Katie for months. Where are you? What’s going on?

Matt: So, you didn’t hear yet?

Sam: Hear what?

Matt: Mom, Dad, no one has seen or heard from the Paladins in the last six months.

Colleen: No…

Sam: Katie… What happened?

Matt: No one is really sure. There are rumors that Voltron fought Lotor, then they just disappeared.

Sam: So, they could still be alive.

Matt: No one knows. But, Dad, listen to me. You need to stop broadcasting from Earth. Members of the Blade of Marmora and the Voltron Coalition are being hunted. Our army has been all but wiped out. The situation is bad out here, and the last thing we need is to put Earth in danger.

Sam: But how will I get ahold of you?

Matt: I have to go. I’ll contact you when I’m safe. I love you both.

[Scene change to Admiral Sanda’s office.]

Sam: It’s time. We need to tell the rest of the world the situation.

Sanda: Sam, I’m sorry to hear about your daughter, but we can’t get off course.

Sam: If we want to finish the IGF-ATLAS, we need more resources and more manpower. The world needs to come together so that we can take the fight to the Galra.

Sanda: You’re too emotional right now and you’re not thinking straight. We’re not building ships to go fight aliens in different galaxies.

Sam: But they need us!

Sanda: The citizens of Earth need us.

Sam: And yet you refuse to tell them the truth!

Iverson: Maybe we should talk about this later.

Sanda: We can talk later, but my decision will be the same. We’re not telling the people of Earth, and we’re not fighting in someone else’s war.

[Scene change to the Holt’s private quarters.]

Colleen: They’re gonna be okay.

Sam: They will be okay because they’re strong just like their mother.

Colleen: We’ve gotta do something. We can’t just sit here while our children are in danger.

Sam: We’re doing everything we can with the limited personnel we have.

Colleen: Then we’ll get more personnel and more resources. The admiral is making decisions for the rest of the world. I say let them make decisions for themselves.

Sam: You wanna tell the world? The repercussions could be serious. They could kick us out of the Garrison.

Colleen: It’s risky, but that ship may never get done otherwise. And I’ll do whatever it takes to see my kids again.

Sam: Okay.

[Cut to Sam and Colleen walking into the communications hub.]

Sam: You’re sure you wanna do this?

Colleen: I’m sure.

Sam: Alright, I’ll be broadcasting on every channel. You ready?

Colleen: Citizens of Earth, my name is Colleen Holt. I am the wife of famed astronaut, Sam Holt, and mother of Matt Holt. Two years ago, it was believed that they died during a deep space mission. That was a lie. My husband, along with his crew, were abducted by an alien race known as the Galra, a fact that was covered up by the Galaxy Garrison.

[Cut to Admiral Sanda’s office.]

Unnamed soldier: Admiral, you need to see this. They’re broadcasting on every channel.

Colleen: A year ago, my husband returned to Earth, but the Garrison forced him to stay in hiding.

Sanda’s voice: I’m afraid we can’t allow Sam to leave the premises. We’re not prepared to tell the world about the existence of alien life just yet.

Sam: But I refuse to stay hidden any longer. We desperately need your help. Not every alien species is friendly, and Planet Earth must be protected. Here at the Garrison, we’ve been working on creating advanced ships and weaponry.

Sanda: Get the rest of the guards.

Colleen: The footage you are about to see is real.

Sam: These are the Galra. If they find Earth, they will attack, and we must be prepared.

Griffin: Huh. Guess the cat’s out of the bag, huh?

Colleen: But there are those that have spent years protecting us. They are the Paladins of Voltron, and they come from Earth.

Hunk: Ugh, I can’t wait to be back home. I’m not really sure when that’ll be, but when I get there, I really want Uncle Filo to make some of his amazing pork lau lau. I can almost taste it now.

Lance: Hi, Mom, hi, Dad. It’s me, Lance. I’m here in outer space somewhere. I, um, uh, don’t really know what to say. Uh, I miss you guys. I miss you guys a lot.

Pidge: Mom, I’m so sorry I left without saying goodbye. I think of you every day.

Colleen: Now is the time to come together. To protect our world, we must be united under one cause.

Sanda: Override the lock. Lock them up.

Iverson: For what?

Sanda: For divulging top secret information.

Sam: Now, now, Admiral. Don’t get emotional.

Sanda: You disregarded a direct order.

Sam: You held me at the Garrison against my will. You lied about my death. You wanna control every situation, but face it. You can’t. The world needed to know this, and now that they do, it will be better for us. Right now, the world needs a leader that’s not afraid to face facts and you’re not it.

Sanda: And you think you are?

Sam: Yes.

Sanda: Get these traitors out of here.

Iverson: Stop. If Sam goes, I go too.

Glasses officer: Admiral Sanda, calls are coming in from all over the world. Citizens want to know how they can help. It’s incredible.

Sam: It worked.

[Scene change to the desert outside of the Galaxy Garrison.]

Sam: That’s the last one.

Griffin: Think it’ll work?

Sam: Well, particle barriers are tricky, but if my calculations are right, these just might act as a perimeter. What’s that?

Griffin: I don’t know. I didn’t think we were doing any test flights today.

Sam: They’re here. Activate the particle barrier immediately.

Woman: Are you sure, sir? We haven’t run diagnostics--

Sam: Do it, now!

End.

[calmlftv]

telephone - m.c. (part 1)

w/n: this was supposed to be a cute and soft blurb that turned into 10 pages on google docs, so it’s officially the longest thing i’ve written about 5sos! this part is a bit boring and slow so i apologize. part 2 coming soon! 

word count (part 1): 1.7k

warnings: n/a! 

Ever since the quarantine started, you were bored. Absolutely, totally, and completely bored. Because you took it all so seriously you stayed home as much as possible, and while your home was quite literally squeaky clean, you just couldn’t take the silence anymore; your friends were all still working from home, so while you had all the time in the world to talk, you tried not to bother them too much.

One day, just after dinner, your boredom had once again brought you to your Twitter feed. While it was probably the 4th time you had read through the same tweets, you finally found a new one; something your friend had liked during the day, probably while they were on a break from work. You paused when you read it, really thinking before you opened up iMessage. The tweet contained a phone number, and while you had no idea who this person was, you thought “why not?” and sent that first text.

Hello??, you sent, your boredom truly bringing you to this uncharted territory. Saw this phone number on Twitter, and lockdown is boring. Pls don’t be a serial killer. 

You set your phone down but left the conversation open, biting your lower lip as you stared at the screen. After what felt like forever but was only a few seconds you locked the screen, deciding you were just being weird and getting up to grab a snack for yourself. From the kitchen you heard the ping, your head snapping in that direction as you paused your actions. After a second you put everything down, your curiosity getting the better of you as you wandered back to your room and picked up the phone. 

An emoji appeared on the screen, one of the crying laughing ones, before a new blue bubble appeared below it. Am not a serial killer, the bubble read, causing you to sigh a bit in relief. Just a man who is also bored of lockdown. 

Locking the phone you set it down again, standing and pacing your bedroom as you thought. Could you really take this person's word for it? Could you really trust they weren’t tracking your cell phone right at that moment, just waiting for the right moment to grab you and carve you up for dinner? 

On the other side, however, was the loneliness of lockdown. Could you really go another day without talking to someone? Your friends do what they can, but loneliness has really crept up on you in this quarantine. Letting yourself trust this person was telling the truth wasn’t going to be the worst thing in the world, right?

Without much more thought you picked up your phone again, opening the conversation again and typing out your response. 

I’ve decided to trust you, Mister Stranger. You paused, sending that message before starting a new one. What’s your name, again? Unless you prefer being the handsome Mister Stranger.

You practically threw your phone on to your bed as you waited for the response, now forgetting about the snack you had prepared that was still sitting on the counter. Surprisingly your phone dinged rather quickly, the object being in your hand before you could even think about it. 

Well, you don’t know who I am, so how do you know I’m handsome? 

You bit your lip. Mister Stranger had a point. 

Good point, Mister. Maybe a name and a face, then? 

Another answer within a few seconds: You first.

You took a second to find a really cute photo of yourself and sent it, your name following in a separate speech bubble after it. The response was a smiling photo of the cutest blonde man you’ve ever seen; he had a chocolate Easter bunny in one hand, his blue eyes sparkling while he held it up for the selfie. He looked cute and sleepy all at once, like he had been just about to lie down in a nap. 

A second speech bubble appeared soon after, containing a name and a question. 

Name’s Michael. Michael Clifford. You really don’t have any idea who I am? 

The question was odd, your curiosity peaking again as you responded. 

No idea. Should I know? Are you really a serial killer after all? 

Definitely still not a serial killer, Michael’s response read. Hopefully you were making him laugh. Just a bit strange that you’re texting someone and you have no idea who they are. 

Oh I’ve done much worse with strangers. Almost immediately you blushed, regretting the response right after you had already sent it. 

Oh, she’s saucy. A winky face was added after that. That’s alright, we don’t need to dive into that at all. What have you been up to in this lockdown?

It didn’t take long for you to grow comfortable with this stranger -- Michael -- as you talked, both of you obviously invested in the conversations you were having. If you were honest, you really enjoyed the attention; you know people you care about have lives outside of you, but finally getting the attention you’ve been craving for so long was almost euphoric. So when Michael pointed out what time it was you cursed under your breath. 

Not like it matters anymore, you joked, adding a winking emoji to the text. But I should go to bed. Chat in the morning?

Michael quickly responded with the affirmative, causing you to smile as you said your goodnights. Once you were finished talking you laid in bed for a bit, looking up at the ceiling while your thoughts swirled around in your brain. Eventually you finally caved in to your curiosity, pulling out your laptop and typing Michael’s name into the Google search bar. 

The results were...nothing like you had expected. 

Photos ranged from obvious teenage years to the present day, his face splashed across your screen as you dove in a bit deeper. You got to laugh a bit at his multi-colored hair styles as you scrolled through, reading tabloid titles and gossip pages and even pausing over social media accounts dedicated just to him. It seemed like his band was much more popular than you thought; not that it would have affected the way you spoke to him, of course, it was just surprising that you had never heard of such a popular band. 

Your snooping eventually leads to uncovering his Instagram page, causing you to scroll through different posts and give him a quick follow. With his follower count so high you were sure he wouldn’t notice, so you brazenly snooped and looked at the photos of him. His dogs were adorable, and the photos he had with his girlfriend (?) were precious. Mentally you made a note to ask him about those things in the morning before you turned off your computer. 

Settling in once again you went through the conversation in your head. Usually small things about how you texted would bother you and sometimes other people, but this time nothing seemed to have been standing out; you would double, triple, or quadruple text Michael and he would do the very same with you. Having someone meet that energy was...different, but very much welcomed. 

With these thoughts swirling around your head, you drifted off to sleep, dreaming of puppies and a world without a possibly deadly virus. 

**

Sunlight filtered through your window, the wispy curtains you had hung not doing very much to keep the light from waking you. Slowly you were pulled from your sleep, a small groan escaping you as you reached for your phone. The time read 8:16 a.m., another groan emitting from you as you flung your blankets off of your body. Groggily you dragged yourself into your bathroom, running a hand down your face as you yawned and put your phone on the counter. You reached up and ran a hand through your hair as you checked your notifications, catching up on social media as your phone rested against the sink counter. 

A memory surfaced when you saw your missed texts, your fingers immediately tapping the conversation from last night. You forgot you had updated his contact to be his name, followed by the obvious dog emoji and you couldn’t help but smile. You really thought you were so clever, in the best way possible. 

After giving it much thought -- really, about 2 seconds -- you sent Michael another text. 

Good morning! Hope you have a great day today, x. 

For good measure you added a smile emoji and left it at that, not expecting any sort of answer until much later anyway. You dismissed the app and pulled open your favorite music one instead, playing your favorite playlist as you got into the shower and went about your day. 

Things got quiet again after that. Doing your spring cleaning occupied your thoughts, but on occasion they drifted back to your conversation with Michael; after your good morning text didn’t get a response you had simply given him space, sure he was just a busy guy with other things to do and worry about. Being in a band was tiring, and lockdowns probably didn’t stop everything he had to handle. 

During all your down time you had decided to listen to Michael’s band, going through the entire discography two or three times within the almost two weeks you didn’t hear from him. They really were incredibly talented, you decided, and a handful of them found their way on their daily rotation as you danced around your home. 

One day you were watching the television, just surfing through the different channels while you lounged on the couch. You were about to shove a fitsful of popcorn into your mouth when you came across the broadcast, the California state governor issuing another address about the state of emergency he had issued months ago. You sat up straight and turned the television up as the governor spoke, a smile on his face as he proudly announced the end of the lockdown. 

You immediately jumped up and cheered, knocking the full bowl of popcorn to the ground as you grabbed your phone. Immediately you were texting your group chat with all your friends, planning a killer kickback for the following weekend to celebrate your newfound freedom. Without any hesitation you tapped open the text thread with Michael, your single text from however many days before still sitting there unanswered. You don’t know why but you sent him one more, asking him if he wanted to come to the kickback before you finally noticed the mess on the floor. 

Still giddy you started to clean, this time not resenting the fact that you had to. 

[amintyworld]

Chapter 3: Don’t Lose Your Head - Sanders Sides Six AU

First - Last - Next

A/N: It’s finally here. Totaling a freaking 19 PAGES on google docs, this is probably the longest thing I’ve ever written, and I hope all the wait was worth it. I’m sorry it’s so long. The good news is it seems to all fit on one post, so I don’t have to split it! Yay. Also special thanks to @if-i-had-a-spoon for test reading this chapter, please go check their blog if you have the chance, they’re amazing. 

This is gonna go down in my tumblr history, isn’t it?

Summary: Relations with Farwood grow tense as Remy finds new feelings for his best friend. Meanwhile, Daniel’s world is rocked as a new lover moves in. 

TW: Suggestive Themes, Cursing, Murder, Beheading, Forced Romance (Just talking about kissing), Threatening, marriage issues, cheating. (As always, let me know if I missed anything!)

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

Remus sat in front of his vanity, preening himself for the night’s festivities. His father was expecting quite the performance to quench all the thirsty suitors always pounding at his door. He wore his shirt open nearly all the way, pants tight enough to show off his curves. He applied light makeup, adding his signature red lipstick, ready to leave when a servant knocked on the door. 

He sighed. “Come in, if you must.”

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, Remus sir, but these letters just arrived for you. They told me it’s urgent, sir.”

Remus crossed his arms, scowling. “If I had the power you’d have more than regret for disturbing me in my quarters.” The poor maid shivered at his words but made no movements to escape. “But, I am feeling generous today, so consider yourself lucky. I’ll just take the letters, then -  leave it on my desk, and don’t dawdle.”

“Yes sir, right away sir.” The maid said, nodding briskly in thanks as she left the packet of letters and package on Remus’s desk for his work. He was in charge of collecting taxes from the people of Monasia, his father’s protege - wasn’t exactly hard work collecting taxes when he looked as he did. Let’s just say it was easy getting people to do what he wanted when he said what they wanted to hear.

His eyes scanned the sender of the letter and his lips curled up in a smirk. “Oh, dopey, stupid, flirtatious, Lover Boy.”

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

King Thomas drew his rapier as he faced across from his son. With Remy’s birthday and decision day fast approaching, he hadn’t had much time to spend with his son. It had been a while since they’d last talked, and the Prince in question had been quiet. Too quiet.

Remy seemed unfocused as he raised his rapier to meet his fathers’ - every prince of the Sanders Kingdom had been trained in combat - sword training, fencing, hand-to-hand combat - since they were 13. Remy supposed it was a tradition.

Their swords clashed, and Thomas met his sons’ gaze. “I know you still have a lot on your mind, Remy, but-”

“But what-?” Remy huffed.

Remy’s rapier slashed his father’s. It was good to let out a bit of frustration every now and then. His mind still wasn’t made up, and he would admit the pressure was beginning to get to him. He kept reading that book his father had given him, late into the light, until his candle was a small nub, a puddle of cool wax. Part of him thought if he reached the end, he’d find the answers he needed. Hopefully, he’ll finish it before the deadline. 

His father’s gaze seemed unfocused, and Remy quickly used that to his advantage, striking right and left, leaving his father scrambling for the defense. He was taught good form, and to always look for openings or weaknesses to strike. His father was prepared, of course, blocking the attack and turning the tables to attack him. Things turned silent as the two fenced.

Up above, a certain light blue spirit looked on in concern. He’d sensed the growing tension and pressure on his great-grandson, and wished that he could do something, anything, to aid him. Sadly, spirits couldn’t influence emotions, feelings, or thoughts of others - though, Patton wished more than anything at that moment to possess that ability. To be able to put Remy’s thoughts at ease - the poor boy was barely holding himself together as it was. He’d stay up, barely take a break from the book - that was certainly not healthy.

Back when he was alive, he could put others at ease so easily. Now? He could do nothing but watch.

“Room for one more?”

Patton looked up to see his husband, Daniel, leaning on the doorframe. His eyes sparkled with the sun, and his smile, though some would think sinister, Patton always saw it as sweet and timid. He gave a small smile in return, scooting over on the balcony overlooking the two below. “Always.”

Daniel just sat, watching for a few moments as their hands naturally intertwined again. All the sound that could be heard was the small sound of the fall breeze and the clanging of metal swords. It was a type of peaceful paradise, a paradise that was special for the two of them. 

“Alright,” Daniel turned to face Patton, giving his husband a knowing look. “What’s wrong?”

Patton’s eyes were focused in the fight below, avoiding his gaze. “Nothing.”

“Patton Seymour, we’ve been married for 235 years-” Daniel said, crossing his arms and giving what Patton could only describe as a ‘dad look’.

“-and 7 months.” Patton piped up, looking toward his husband shyly, his gaze filled with love.

“... and 7 months,” Daniel repeated. “Point is, I think by this point we’ve been together long enough for me to know when something’s up with you.” Patton sighed, leaning against his husband’s shoulder in defeat.

“Remy just… he’s in so much stress and pain… I-I wish-”

“He’s strong, love. He’ll get through it - we did.” Daniel said, wrapping his arm around Patton’s shoulders and rubbing his thumb gently along his hand. 

“Dani, we didn’t have deadlines and arranged marriages and pending wars,” Patton said softly. “Things are so much more complicated than when we were his age.”

“I know you want to help, Love, but we have to trust that he’ll make the right decision. We shouldn’t interfere, even if it has good intentions.” Daniel said, his heart thumping quicker as Patton buried his face in the crook of his neck, letting out a contented sigh. God, he loved him. 

“I know, Dani,” Patton said. “I just hate feeling so… so useless.”

“Pat, you’re not-” Daniel began to defend when shouts interrupted from below. The two turned their attention to the two royals in combat, their rapiers were thrown aside and forgotten. 

Thomas looked to his son. “Please, Remy. They’re getting restless waiting-”

“So them wait-!” Remy snapped. “As far as I know, I still have four more days, and I don’t intend to waste them on some diplomat charade!” He shouted loudly, not caring who heard.

“Remy, you know Farwood, please I’m begging you-” King Thomas countered, grabbing his son’s wrist. “They’re threatening to storm the kingdom, kill every last man, woman, and child, burn the villages to the ground, and then kill you and me.” Remy shook free of his father’s deathly grasp, stopping at the entrance inside when his father explained the threats. 

“I won’t let that happen,” Remy said. “We’ll arrange an ambush-”

“No, Remy. No.” His father’s voice turned firm. “There is no ambushing Farwood, there is no attacking Farwood, do you understand?!” Thomas’s tone turned soft. “You know there’s no way around this, Remy.”

Remy was quiet, holding his arms around himself. He slowly cleared his throat, looking to the ground, too ashamed to face his father. He felt queasy, cowardly, the pit of his stomach in knots. He couldn’t bear the thought of sucking up, of playing nice to those monsters-

He swallowed his pride, though it felt like he was swallowing fire. “Wh-When… when are they arriving?” 

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

Remus stepped out of the carriage, his fresh red lipstick glistening in the sunlight. His Lover Boy was persistent, he couldn’t deny. Much more persistent than any of his other suitors back home. He was so blinded by his own lust and love, he insisted to make him his new Prince within only a few weeks of letters.

Persistence, stubbornness…

Was this supposed to be love? To be honest, Remus wasn’t sure. He took a deep breath as his face fell into his neutral pursed lips, walking out of the carriage swaying his defined hips side to side. His father’s words rang in his head: Make them want you.

He stood, staring straight ahead, awaiting for those doors to open, to meet his love. So what if Father told him to do it for the money and status? He could have a connection - a spark, that feeling he’d heard about over and over by his many admirers and suitors back home, through every word, letter, and poem. It dripped from their passionate lips and lust-filled gazes, traveled through home to home, from village to village like some kind of infection.

He’d hadn’t felt it yet - but he guessed 135th time’s a charm.

Now, Remus, you could say, was used to staring, especially the stares of others admiring his well-known beauty, but this stare… it felt cold, almost threatening. It made him feel small, and he looked around for the source.

Up on the balcony - a man dressed fancily in a crown, with some kind of face diminishment, it was hard to see from so high up. Remus thought for a second if he was his Lover Boy, but before he had time to figure it out, the figure turned and quickly left teh balcony.

“My darling Remus!”

Remus smiled at the King as he walked toward him, his brown hair waved in the wind as he returned his smile. Remus bowed. “King Benjamin of Salkenshire, it’s truly a honor your highness.”

“No need for formalities, beauty. Call me Ben.”

Remus was shown around the castle as he was swiftly taken to the King’s Quarters to freshen up. Benjamin was being quite flirty, and he’d sighed through pick-up lines and compliments - he’d heard it all before. The castle was huge, and yet Remus hadn’t really seen the figure from the balcony, and he didn’t really want to ask. From their stare, it was clear he wasn’t exactly favored by them. 

The two stopped near the bedroom. “This is our room. You’ll be sleeping with me, if that’s alright?”

“Of course-”

“And who exactly is this? Another toy, Benjamin?” Their tone was sharp and chilling, and Remus turned to meet a very familiar set of eyes. He had messed dirty blonde hair, a formal yellow and black jacket and tie, those same scars, and… a crown? They leaned against the doorframe, sizing Remus up. “You really don’t want the people to worry, honey.” The man spat the last word, now looking toward the King with disgust. 

“Who... are you?” Remus retorted, scanning him up and down. 

“I asked first, so please be patient and wait your turn. Thanks.” The man said, holding his hand up, before looking at Benjamin. Benjamin looked fed up with the mystery man as he was with him. “I’m not doing this anymore, Ben. You have a kingdom to run, you shouldn’t be so selfish to just-”

Benjamin just glared. “If you have any complaints, the door’s behind you Daniel.” The King coldly snapped. “This is Remus Boelyn, my fiance.”

Daniel bit his lip, his arms still crossed, nodding. “Fiance, huh? Well Remus, I’m his husband.”

Wait… what?

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

Prince Remy looked up from the journal with a sigh. “Man, these two REALLY hated each other. Rightfully so, too. Who even tries to marry two people?!”

The yellow spirit of Daniel gritted his teeth. “An idiot, that’s who.” He cursed under his breath. “A bloody bastard murderer tyrant king-!”

“Woah there, Dee.” Remus gave his friend a comforting smile. “That’s too much swearing, even for me.” Daniel returned the smile, but his face fell as he looked back to Remy, a knock on the door grabbing his attention. Emile entered the room with a floured apron, a plate of cookies and a warm smile. The two spirits turned their attention to the new arrival, quickly going quiet - Remus’s arm still around Daniel’s neck. Emile bowed deeply as he entered.

“Your highness.”

“Hey Em.” Remy gave his friend a small smile, sitting up on the soft duvet. “Don’t ‘your highness’ me, you know how much I hate that.”

Emile gave his friend a comforting smile. “Sorry Rem, you know how angry Madame Patrcia gets about formalities. Respect and all. If she hears me call you by your name again, I’ll be toast.” He laughed a bit, awkwardly standing with the plate of cookies, unsure of what to do.

“Yeah, well it’s nice to hear my actual name from someone other than my father. ‘Prince’ never seemed to fit very well with it, you know.” Remy returned his friend’s smile.

“I heard what happened. It’s amazing how fast gossip travels in such a large castle.” Emile said, moving to set the plate on the bed. “Cinnamon Chocolate Chip. I figured you may need a bit of a pick me up.”

Remy picked up one of the warm cookies in his hand, inspecting it. It wasn’t an extremely popular cookie, or even a well-known recipe throughout the kingdom. He remembered how the staff would make some every now and then for the castle, and he’d sneak down late at night to bring up a plate to eat in his room. For some reason, they always reminded him of his mother - he barely knew anything about her, since his father rarely brought her up, but he remembered the scent. A sweet cinnimony vanilla, almost like what warmth would smell like. It burned in his memory, and it clung to the cookies. Remy, as he grew, found himself in times of sadness or stress, with that same cookie in his hand. It was a comfort. Remy took in the scent for a second, closing his eyes. 

It smelled so much like the scent, so close, and his mouth broke into a smile. He took a bite, and let the warmth of the cookie travel through his body. He opened his eyes to look to Emile standing by his desk, smiling and looking towards him with an expression Remy couldn’t exactly place. “Thank you.”

Emile’s smile only grew as silence passed between the two friends, and Remy finished his cookie, reaching for another. “What’re you smiling about?” he said, beginning to laugh as Emile smiled even bigger. 

“Oh nothing.” Emile said, giggling a bit. 

“Aw come on Em, now I’m really curious.” Remy said, turning his attention to his friend. “Do I have chocolate on my face or something?”

“No no… w-well, you do, but…” Emile’s cheeks were lightly dusted pink as he nervously laughed, trying to find the right words. “It’s, uh… a bit hard to explain...heh.”

Remy moved the plate toward his side as he patted the space in front of him. Emile looked so happy, so incredibly happy. Remy had never seen him smile and laugh this much ever. A part of him wanted to see that look on his face for as long as he lived. It made him feel light, happy. He wanted to know what made him so happy so Emile could be this happy forever. “Then don’t explain. Just tell me.”

Emile slowly walked over and sat down, thinking of what to say. He looked at Remy, breaking into a soft fond smile as he used his apron to begin getting chocolate off Remy’s face. “They’re this look in your eye. I… I haven’t seen it before. You just looked content, happy, I… I couldn’t help but smile myself, I guess.”

Remy smiled fondly, his heart beat faster. “Your smile is really pretty, you know.”The two were once again extremely close, and Emile blushed, laughing. Remy quickly joined in, gaining a blush on his own. Emile leaned in, laying a bit on Remy’s shoulder, smiling. 

Remy couldn’t help but think it was the most beautiful thing in the world. All these happy, soft, light feelings were new. He didn’t know if they were always there, but he knew whatever he was feeling was strong, and he knew he liked it. Looking down at Emile once more, he moved closer towards Remy’s chest, and their eyes met. Emile couldn’t stop smiling, and Remy’s heartbeat quickened, looking into his eyes. A faint blush spread across his cheeks.

He really, really, liked it. 

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

King Benjamin was a king, a title which meant two things - power and paperwork. Benjamin loved power, that was for certain. He liked being in control, and he liked controlling others - like making sure a certain thorn in his side was out of his life for good. He’d admit it’d been easier to deal with Daniel’s presence with Remus around. He was truly a work of beauty - Benjamin was sure the gods sculpted his curves and bright dazzling eyes. Only a creation of the gods could pull him to his knees with only a simple stare. Remus was entirely his. 

Benjamin’s mind often wandered during his boring paperwork in his office. Ruling an entire kingdom, though with its fair advantages, was extremely boring at times. He was fantasizing as his quill pen barely touched the paper when a servant walked in. Ben quickly stood at attention. The servant handed him a stack of papers. “Here’s the Official Law Book of Salkenshire, Section 44 as you requested, your highness.”

“At ease.” He said dismissively, and the servant stopped their bow and quickly scurried away. Benjamin looked down at the stack of papers and sighed. Section 44: Marriage Law. 

A rule. A single sentence made sure Daniel stayed. Benjamin saw it as a mistake, a technicality. Mistakes, he reminded himself, can be so easily fixed. If only Daniel had signed the damn divorce papers, he wouldn’t have this problem, would he? Benjamin’s fists clenched slightly in anger. He wanted Remus as his husband and his lover, but without the divorce being official, Benjamin was stuck with him.

He was so focused on his work, scanning and reading, for the first time he didn’t hear someone come in. Remus wrapped his arms around Benjamin from behind, surprising him a little, but when Remus began messaging his chest he began to hum in contentment. “You’re so tense, babe.” Remus said, smooth as honey. “I swear you work so hard you don’t give yourself a break sometimes.”

“Hmm, hello darling,” Benjamin chirped. “How was your morning?”

“It was okay, as usual. Daniel kept critisizing my every move again. He’s lucky I’m so civil.” Remus said, leaning down to kiss Benjamin’s neck. “Watcha reading?”

“Just some boring law.” Benjamin said. “Wish I could just spend the day with you.”

“Hm…” Remus hummed. The two settled into a somewhat comfortable silence for a while. Remus bit his lip after a moment, looking down to Benjamin. “You are still going to marry me, right?”

“Of course my darling, things are just complicated.” Benjamin insisted, looking up from his books to kiss Remus’s hand. “If I could, I would marry you today, my love.”

“Complicated, huh…” Remus just smiled. Complicated. Complicated could mean so many things. So many things he didn’t really like to be true. But, Remus was smart. He knew how to play the game, as his father would say. 

He knew how to get a head. 

Daniel busted into the room, and Remus stared up with an icy glare. Daniel stared back with his own glare that matched Remus’s. Tension began to grow around the three, sitting in tight silence. The air sat thick, and each lover stood completely still, as if at any moment, any step… blood would be shed and splattered across the wooden desk. Daniel’s gaze never shifted from Remus as he spoke. “We’ve been hit with an attack. Millions of innocents are fighting for their lives at the edge of our lands by unknown trespassers. The General insists on an immediate response.”

Benjamin’s voice was extremely calm, looking down at his book. “Hm, what a shame. Please tell me, exactly, how does that affect you, Daniel?”

“Millions are dying in the streets, my King.” He spit the word like poison. “As a member of your treacherous household, it is my duty and responsibility for the people-”

“Ah, I see. You seem to be lacking in knowledge, Daniel.” Benjamin’s eyes flicked above the book, with a sickening grin on his mouth. “You seem to be forgetting your place. According to the Salkenshire Book of Law, a married husband to the King has no power over major decisions, nor any power to order official decrees, or even lead an army.” Benjamin’s gaze was deadly cold. “You serve no one but me, your highness, and even that has been stripped away from you.”

Remus grinned as Daniel’s face grew angerier and angerier with each passing word. It looked like he would hit the King square in the mouth if he could. But the fact was, he couldn’t. Remus felt a possessive fire under his skin, and turned to straddle the King, kissing his neck. He couldn’t deny it now, the King was his, and his alone. 

“You won’t get away with this, you monster.” Daniel spit.

“It seems I already have, my dear. I’m putting in a new law, didn’t you know?” Benjamin just smiled. “Leaving your mark and all that - it’s a new divorce law. With the evidence you just gave me on abusing power, I’m sure the advisors would be willing to listen.” Daniel’s eyes widened. Ben’s words were sharp and to the point. “I suggest you get an early start on packing. Your services are no longer required.” Daniel’s eyes brimmed with tears. He had nothing left to say.

Remus’s kiss was deep and long, and he looked back to the former lover with a smirk. “Oh, are you too dumb to get it, hon? He wants my ass, not yours.” Remus laughed as Daniel cried more, running out the door and slamming it behind him.

Finally. 

Benjamin just looked to Remus in hunger, his eyes gleaming in the candlelight. “I’m so sorry for that disruption, my love. Now, where were we?” God, he was so hot.

Remus just smirked. “I was getting hungry, my love.”

“Were you?” Benjamin breathed as Remus kissed, sucked and licked the King’s neck, leaving a mark. Their bodies pressed together in the chair, heated passion fueled the air. Benjamin’s heart hammered, smiling. “Come to think of it, honey, so am I.”

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

Daniel was kicked out of the castle the next day, and he stood outside the front gates of the majestic castle, holding the little he owned in a small bag. Benjamin had taken back all the fancy clothing, the jewelry, anything he’d gotten from him in all the years they’d known each other, were married to each other. Benjamin acted like it was a favor to get rid of ‘painful memories’, but Daniel knew the truth - he couldn’t bare giving him any cushion to land on when he kicked him out.

He had a bit of clothing, some essentials, and a bit of money to his name. Daniel looked around at the townsfolk, staring, most of them in shock. The busy marketplace, usually filled with chatter and merchants yelling their wares, is suddenly quiet as Daniel passes. Daniel breathes as he holds back tears, walking through the town with his head held high.

“Is that the Prince?”

“I knew he’d get kicked out, he always seemed like a cheater-”

“Finally coming down from his fancy palace to walk among the common folk, huh…?”

“Another lover, what a gold digger.”

Daniel walked through the crowds with false confidence, quickly ducking into an empty alley, letting the waterfall of tears free. “Stupid, stupid, stupid…” He was a stupid idiot. Of course Banjamin didn’t love him, how could he ever think anyone would ever love him? All he had was his looks, now he was worthless. Remus’s words repeated in his mind…

The way his mustache curled as he smirked evily, almost out of pity. How he sat in Benjamin’s lap, practically eating his face whole, only to look to him like he was nothing but a dirty stain that wouldn’t come out. A rat. A mistake.

“Oh are you too dumb to get it, hon?”

Tears stained his cheeks as he tried to quiet his sobs to not attract attention. He was embarrassed. HIs heart felt like it was broken into a million pieces, and it quickly was replaced with a tougher shell. 

“He wants my ass, not yours.”

Daniel wiped away his tears. He’s been in worse before, felt worse before - both his parents died when he was 15, a group raided their village and killed any who stood against their reign. It hadn’t lasted long, yet while others easily forgot, Daniel could never forget. With two bullets, they lay lifeless on the floor, in a pool of their own crimson blood. He’d knelt before them, shaking them, tears blurring his vision. He hadn’t heard the click of the gun, or noticed the point of it towards his own head. Not until he realized they were really dead, that his parents were really gone, that he was an orphan, that he moved his head to look toward the sky, to look for some sort of reasoning in all this.

If it weren’t for that soldier’s arrival, he’d be dead.

His aunt always told him that you needed to do whatever you needed to, to get by. She told him to play the world for all the money it was worth, to pay for the next day’s price of living. But when he was noticed by the Prince, working in the palace, his aunt’s warnings of distancing himself and thinking of money, of security were gone. He stopped thinking about survival, and started thinking of love. 

Daniel stopped listening to his head, and began listening to his heart. It was dumb and stupid. He never should have fallen in love. Love is for suckers. 

“Prince Daniel?”

Daniel stepped back in shock, and a dirtied teenage boy in rags walked into the light. They both looked to each other a moment, silence passing between them. He held himself, studying the boy. Daniel’s eyes narrowed, those brown eyes looked familiar, that ruffed hair…

“You… you tried to kill me, you drove me off a ravine-!” Daniel stammered, stepping backwards. He didn’t want this little assassin to finish the job, his survival instincts kicked in quickly, like old friends. 

The teen grabbed his wrist. “Wait, your highness-!”

Instantly Daniel’s body kicked into fight-or-flight, and within seconds, the attacker from that night he recognized, Alex, was restrained. “Leave me alone. If you think your rebellion is going to win just by killing me, you’re sadly mistaken.”

“No! Your highness, I just… I just want to talk!”

Daniel quickly released Alex as he tumbled to the floor. His mind was scrambled. He looked to the teenager, extremely confused, as he stood up. “Talk…?”

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

“Now, when the Farwoods’ arrive, we must be diplomatic. I’ll try to handle the King and Queen, just don’t mess things up with Anne.” Thomas spoke, pacing the room. 

“How… how could I mess things up with her, father?” Remy asked. “It’s not like I’m gonna just slap her or anything.”

“W-well, Anne is extremely close to her parents, and her parents, well… they’re expecting a royal who’s ready to settle down. Any indication of otherwise and they won’t be happy. This night has to go perfectly-”

“Jeez Dad, no pressure or anything.” Remy said jokingly to somehow clear the tension, trying to breathe - he didn’t need more stress than he could handle, and with decision day drawing near, he was certainly at his limit. He was used to not letting things get to him, of course - such was the way of a prince, or any royal for that matter. But his father always lessened the blow of pressure while he grew up, to help him flourish and thrive - as an adult, his father couldn’t shield him from everything.

“Just whatever she wants, do it. Hand holding, kissing…”

“Waitwaitwait… you’re expecting me to kiss her?” Remy could not believe what he was hearing. He’d never even had his first kiss, and his own father is expecting him to kiss this girl he’s rarely interected with?

“Only if she wants.” Thomas looked at his son’s facial expression and sighed. “Look, I’m so sorry you have to deal with this, but I promise to you whatever happens that night, it’s for the good of the kingdom.”

Remy just sighed. “I know. Doesn’t mean it’s easy.”

“It sure isn’t, Remy.” The two royals turned their attention to the eldest, Thomas’s father - Logan. His voice was gravely and older, yet somehow still smooth and calming. Wrinkles adorned his soft skin, his deep blue eyes still glimmering with life, curiosity, and wisdom. He shuffled, walking slowly with a wood-carved cane. His hair was completely grey, some even turning white. He coughed suddenly, his older body shaking as he went into a coughing fit. 

Thomas rushed over to his father. “Dad, you really shouldn’t be out of bed, the healer-”

“The healer can tell me off later. I think I’m old enough by now to have the right to walk around my own damn castle, hm?” Logan’s voice was hoarse, and his body clung to the cane as he moved to sit next to Remy. Logan looked to Remy, then to Thomas. “What’s the matter with you two?! You look like it’s someone’s funeral.”

“Farwood got upset with Remy’s indecision, father. They’ve threatened to attack unless Anne and Remy get some more time together.” Thomas solemnly says. He just simply sat, looking down at the folded hands in his lap. “We...we have no choice.”

Logan’s hands rested on the cane, swaying it around. “Farwood’s always been arrogant, it’s their nature. Any wise leader knows the way to deal with a bull is to let it run wild.” Logan’s hand moved to Remy’s shoulder, a calming grounded presence, almost a comfort. “That doesn’t mean it won’t make a mess.” Logan turned to Remy, tucking a stray hair behind his ear. “But the thing about bulls is, that eventually, they’ll run into something they can’t break.”

“Thank you, Grandpa.” Remy says, locking eyes with him after just staring at the marble floor. “It’s nice to see you again. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, little mousey.” Logan smiles at his grandson. “Do you have the book?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Logan said. “Read it, Remy. Our family has been strong in the darkest of times, and I know you can be too. Be strong, Remy.”

“I will, Grandpa.” Logan’s throat went into another coughing fit. He looked extremely pale, almost like his soul, his heart, is the only thing holding him together. Thomas moved quickly, rubbing his back until the coughing stopped. He picked up his father with ease, which only worried Remy more.

His father looked at him. “It’s late, you should get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

“Okay.”

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

Remus’s sobs filled the dungeon as he held himself closer, warming himself as a cold winter draft flowed in through the bars. He didn’t want this, he never wanted this. Everything was perfect, everything was so incredibly perfect between them. How could he just… he didn’t - he didn’t mean to do anything wrong. He never meant to hurt anyone. 

How did it get to this?

It started after they quickly eloped, and began their blissful days with passionate kisses and bliss in each other’s arms. Remus would often spend his days on the King’s lap, making him feel good while he worked. The servants and staff eventually got used to the sight, unfazed as they handed the King paperwork or letters. They were so close and so in love their bodies were almost always together, their hearts beating as one. Remus liked the feeling, and got addicted to Benjamin’s breaths close to his ear. 

Remus just got addicted to Benjamin - the way he deepened his kisses, the way his body felt on fire, how he cursed under his breath, his hungry eyes… Remus was addicted to every inch of him, and he wasn’t afraid to admit it. This was love. Remus could feel it deep in his heart - that aching feeling. It was finally his, he was finally in love for the first time.

They learned, over time, that they were more in common than they thought. They both were hungry for power and passion, and often fed off each other's energy. 

Controversy sprang up over the new royal couple once a tattletale servant overheard Remus's comment to Daniel. The people questioned their King's choice - it wasn't just about what he wanted, the kingdom mattered too, and Salkenshire didn't want Remus.

But Benjamin didn't care for revolt, and when the people went too far, punishment put them in their place. They'd learn to respect their new crowned prince.

Of course, there were always disadvantages - when Benjamin’s buddies were over and he served drinks and shots over poker, a few would always cop a feel if they thought they’d get away with it, and when his friends were drunk, they’d always practically throw themselves at him, and he’d always push them toward the door, maybe with a little more force than necessary, but what can he say? It got the job done. 

After a few months of fun, Remus noticed something strange about Benjamin - every Friday, he goes out for late meetings at 8, and returns at 2am. He wasn’t exactly an expert at running a country or attending meetings, but he knew they don’t exactly last that long. Something was going on. When he bothered staying up to see what was going on - he was greeted with a discovery. 

Some pink lipstick stains on his collar, abs, and chest. That paired with a massive hangover only led to one conculsion - he was out seeing other lovers. Others would freak out in this situation, maybe break up or confront them, maybe even get even or get revenge. But, Remus was calm. Ben was out with others for a reason, and if this was how their relationship was going to work, he could do the same. 

Make them want you, Remus. 

After his buddies were drunk he made out with one on the fancy sitting room couch. It was scary how easy it was to get them somewhere private. Benjamin walked in, his eyes bulging wide and his face going beet red. He cursed him out, called him names, and Remus just crossed his arms. “Well you know what? At least I have the decency to own it.”

And, that was it. 

His face going ice cold, he ordered the guards to bring him to the dungeon. He was to be beheaded at sunrise. Remus’s eyes had filled with tears as he sat in his knees, clinging to Benjamin and begging for forgiveness. Apologies flowed out of his mouth like running water, and even as he was dragged through the hallways, they never stopped.

Now, red lipstick smeared, clothes wrinkled and ruffed, Remus just sat in the holding cell and cried.

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

Daniel sat on a roof near the castle, his hand wavering near his light sword tight around his back. He pulled up the black mask around his face tighter, looking around and taking in his surroundings. Security was tighter for some reason, but that wouldn’t be a problem for him. He could take down the guards easily, the only obstacle was being spotted. He quickly ran hopped from roof to roof, getting a closer view. 

The stone castle was dimly lit by candlelight, most of it completely consumed in darkness. He recognized the large balcony adorned with those familiar silk curtains he'd seen every morning for what seemed like forever. He sighed painfully at the memory, closing his eyes for a brief moment. His hand reached up to brush the scars adorning his face, the memory burned into the soreness of the scars - 25 years of dopy, stupid happiness.

Daniel quickly retracted his hands. He couldn't get distracted. He looked back to the gigantic balcony.

Well, the balcony was the goal - get in, get out. 

Daniel hopped down from the roof into the dark alleyway, grunting as the force of the ground met his body. Immediately, Daniel was pinned up against the wall, knife to throat, but Daniel wasn't scared. This was routine. 

The dark figure spoke - "The eyes of the enemy…?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "...are the eyes of royalty." Quickly, he was let down as the masked figure unveiled themselves - Alex. "Al, passcodes are cliche. We really need better security."

"Well when you're in the streets it's the best security you have, J." Alex said, leading the way deeper into the darker alley, and both their eyes quickly adjusted to the darker atmosphere. “How’s it look?”

“Place is crawling with guards, but I know we came here to party.” Daniel smirked at Alex’s grin.

“Hell yeah.”

“As long as we get to the balcony, we’re set.” Daniel said, with a wave of his hand that radiated confidence. Two other figures landed in front of them. 

“No one’s tailed us, thankfully. This is the night, gentlemen - don’t piss your pants and we might pull this off.” The figure closer to Daniel spoke, taking off her mask to reveal ebony hair and intense eyes. The other figure’s eyes sparkled, taking in the night sky and the scene. Violet and Squirt - two other elite members of the rebellion, Violet being the leader. When Alex found Daniel on the street 5 months ago, he’d offered a proposition. The rebellion was planning on assasinating the King for years, but needed some knowledge of the castle - hiding spots, quick exits. Alex saw Daniel in the alley and the thought clicked that no one would be better equipped to help than him. 

Violet didn’t trust him right away - after all, he used to be a royal. But, overtime Daniel proved his loyalty to the rebellion and to his people, and Violet let down her guard. She even apologized to him about the accident, but Daniel wasn’t having it. He told her there was no need to apologize, they clearly didn’t mean to go after him personally, it was obviously some plan to get at Benjamin. 

Violet stepped toward Daniel. “Janus, you have us a way in?”

Janus. Daniel had read about him in a book of gods somewhere - a gatekeeper. He was the Roman god who held the key to the door. One night, it came to him - he wasn’t Daniel anymore. Daniel was the naive fool who fell for Benjamin’s trickery, who failed to save his people. So, he decided he’d be Janus, that he’d open the doors for his people to be free, and he’d finally end Benjamin’s tyranny. 

Daniel was dead. Janus was born.

“Balcony. If we can reach that, that leads straight to his bedroom. We can take care of business and split.” Janus looked at his friends. “No harm is to come to the Prince. We tie him up, jail him and take over. No more blood should be spelt than what’s necessary.”

“Aye aye.” Violet said. “Squirt. You and I will take out the guards below while Alex and Janus sneak in. No matter what happens, this ends tonight.”

“Here here.” Squirt said, taking out his throwing knives. “Al, you ready?”

“Let’s do this.” Alex said, pulling out his dagger. He walked over to Squirt, facing the wall and ready to jump back on the roof. “Two whistles, don’t forget.” Janus just nodded in response as the two jumped up on the roof, off to take out the guards. 

“This is it, Jan.” Violet said, before jumping up onto the roof, Janus following behind her. 

“That it is.” Janus responded.  The two were silent, masks up and weapons ready. They jumped across rooftops with ease, landing only with the tiniest of thuds as to not wake or alert anyone of their presence. Janus learned as a Rebel you had to be really good at slipping into the silence, and into the darkness. It’s your safety and your cover, and without it, you’ll be killed all too quickly. 

Janus tapped Violet and pointed to walls, then to his own daggers. Violet nodded. The sun began to peak over the horizon, as the two made their way toward the balcony. Janus shielded his eyes from the bright rays as they chased away the dark night to morning. The whistles sounded and the two began climbing the wall, pushing their daggers into the stone as they shimmied upwards. A bell tolled in the distance, and the two rebels heard the sounds of teh twon come to life as the day began. They needed to get this done quickly before he woke up. 

This was their one perfect chance, they could NOT mess this up. 

That’s when Janus saw him. Remus, clothes ripped, body dirty, makeup staining his face from crying. Remus was crying. Suddenly, everything else just disappeared. He… he knew that face, that feeling… He’d felt that way for months before he’d just grown numb to it. 

“Hereby on June 25th, Remus is sentenced to beheading by order of the Great King Benjamin for cheating and besmirching of His Grace’s good name…”

Janus’s heart burned with sympathy. Dammit. 

“Janus!” Violet yelled and his attention quickly snapped upwards. “Come on, we have to go-!” Janus knew he had to, he knew it was his duty to the country that he failed to serve and protect from danger, he knew all this and yet his heart made him look down once more. Violet looked at his expression and her eyebrows furrowed. “Jan, whatever you’re thinking, stop it.”

“Vi you need to get up to the balcony, get it done and I’ll meet you there.”

“Janus…?”

“Just get up there, okay? Save the kingdom… I gotta go save an asshole first.”

“Janus…” Violet’s eyes searched Janus’s. “... why, Janus? He’s just as guilty as him.”

Janus sighed. “Maybe he is, I don’t know. But I promised to protect my kingdom, and that includes him.” Janus looked back down. “Just get up there, okay?” With a quick slide of the daggers, Janus dropped to the ground, and up onto a roof. 

Time to save an asshole.

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

Remus had laid their head upon the wood, savoring his last moments as the sun warmed his face, closing his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see the glee of the crowd. His charges were listed, and he heard the axe slice through the air. He tried not to be afraid. He breathed in deep as the axe swung down, and-

Nothing. 

Uh, Remus didn’t think this was exactly how beheadings worked. Where was the blinding pain, the thud of his head falling to the ground?

He was grabbed by his bindings and pulled upward, noticing with wide eyes the executioner lying unconscious on the ground, the person behind them holding them by the bindings pointing the axe at the charge reader, raising his hands in surrender.

“Look, it’s one of the rebels!” Someone shouted in the crowd, making them cheer at the scene. Remus didn’t know what the rebels wanted with him, and his mind was scrambled and more importantly, confused. Wind whistled in his ears as he was dragged upward onto a roof, and their captor began to jump from roof to roof, until they quickly dropped down into a dark alley. Remus was thrown down onto the ground harshly, and he winced for some sort of stab, or pain, but with a whistle of the axe, his bindings were cut. He turned around to the Rebel, face to face. 

As he moved to stand, the axe was quickly pointed at his chest, and he decided moving probably wasn’t the best option. “If you’re going to kill me, just do it.” Remus snapped at the Rebel standing over him. “I would have preferred the quick beheading, but I suppose some people would rather kill me themselves.”

The brown eyes scanned Remus, and he swore they looked familiar, but he shook the feeling away. They spoke, muffled through the black mask. “Leave. Go find somewhere to hide before they find you.”

“So you’re… not going to kill me?”

“Think of it as the only mercy you’ll receive in this life. Now move it.” The way they spoke was so familiar, but Remus couldn’t put his finger on it… did he know a Rebel? More importantly, why did the Rebel save him? Remus’s eyes looked at the Rebel, studying them carefully.

“Do I know you?”

“Do you not understand me, Remus?! YOU NEED TO MOVE!” The Rebel yelled, and Remus’s brain clicked. There were only two people who called him by his first name - the attendants were too afraid to address him directly. He slowly stood, looking over the Rebel again, and his eyes widened in shock. 

“Daniel?!”

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

“Come on, we need to move!” Janus grabbed Remus’s wrist as he dragged the former royal through roof after roof, hoisting him up vines until they made it to the balcony. Janus heard scuffling inside and put a finger to Remus’s lips. He whispered harshly. “Quiet. He can’t know you’re here. Just stay outside, I’ve got to handle something.” Remus nodded firmly as Janus pulled out his dagger, and slowly entered the dimly lit room.

The scuffling had stopped. Was it over? It had to be. Violet must have killed him. It was so dark he could barely see a thing, but from the sounds, he was sure there was blood on the floor. He quietly whistled, and was suddenly pushed up against a wall. “How many more of you rats are there?!” 

The King. Oh no… Violet…

He kicked him between the legs and pinned him down to the ground, Ready to slit his throat as planned, until Benjamin decked his throat, making his choke on air as he quickly turned the tables. “Every time I think I’ve killed you all, you keep coming back.”

“You know, I think if... ugh… your Kingdom has a rebellion, something’s wrong with the ruler.”

“Oh, really? Well, thanks for your input, but it’s time for you to die now like your feisty friend…”

Janus grabbed Benjamin’s wrist and twisted it as he screamed out in pain, kicking him square in the face, making him go flying as he headed for the balcony. Oh no.. Remus-

Janus rushed through the doors quickly, but the King already had Remus by the hair with a bloodthirstly gleam in his eye, the axe ready to cut. “Not another step.” He looked down at Remus, his hair messed looking slightly unhinged. “You know, Love, I wanted to behead you myself - Holding you at my mercy, seeing the blood drip from your head as you take your final breaths…”

“You… you motherf-”

With a thud, his head plopped to the ground, eyes wide in shock and pain. Blood splattered the floor, and Remus’s body slumped over, a puddle of blood forming around it. Janus stepped back, upset, growing into complete and utter anger. “You… you monster!”

“I’ve never claimed to be anything else.” The King stepped forward, unhinged look in his eye and axe in hand. “Now it’s your turn, rat.”

Janus remembers him screaming, and yelling. He remembers slicing, pain… stinging… blood. The next vivid vision he had was his hands wrapped tightly around the King’s throat, his body pinning his own down, hatred fuleing his blood, and squeezing.

“D-daniel…?!”

 He remembers choking noises, and blood… so much more blood. The next thing he remembered was looking down at the dead King, his hands covered in red. The way his eyes rolled back, the paleness of his dead corpse. 

Crying. He remembers crying, and fear. He couldn’t stop crying, he couldn’t stop…

“What have I done…?!”

A green translucent arm wrapped around Janus’s back in comfort. The green spirit looked down at the corpse in distaste. “You did what you had to do to survive, Daniel. He would have killed you.” Remus tries to tell his friend. “You saved me from him, Daniel. You saved me… you saved the entire Kingdom.” He looked at his unconsoulable friend. “Please don’t cry.”

Remus looked down at his new form. “I don’t know what this is, Daniel, and I don’t think I’ll ever understand why you showed me such kindness when I was… so, so horrible to you. But I promise, for as long as I’m able, I’ll be here for you.” 

Remus’s translucent hand fazed through Daniel’s. “My...my friend…”