#gunna try to get to all the comments before I post the next chapter

[fuckit-hero-of-trains]

Alone Together 1 Year Anniversary

I’m a little bit late, but its officially been 1 year since I began writing Alone Together. It’s been a wild ride and honestly? I wouldn't be here without you guys. This project has really transformed my whole view on writing and with your help, has made me a more confident author and for that, I am so very very grateful. I love all you guys so much and hope this next year of writing has just as many twists and turns and emotional conversations as the last one!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish chapter 8 to celebrate. However, here is a preview of what’s to come in the next chapter!

There are sounds that Four has come to dread.

Some, Four resents for practical reasons: The sharp and resonant ting that white-hot metal sometimes makes as it enters the quench, as much felt in his gloved hands as heard over the hiss and spit of oil. It is the tinny sound of microcracks ringing into existence, fissures forming as the pressure of hot hammer hammer hammer hammer hot cold becomes too much for the worked steel.

It's a horrible little sound, really. Almost pathetic if it weren't so devastating.

Hours of work gone and shattered not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Other sounds Four dislikes for more personal, but no less rational reasons.

The ringing of Hyrule Castle’s clock tower still sets his teeth on edge even all these years later, his stomach dropping down to his boots as the sound of the third bell tolls through his bones.

Gale force winds clattering at the slats of his windows still causes him to flinch, though not hard.

He had conquered the wind before– twice before, if anyone was keeping count. Which he is– but he can't stop the knee jerk reaction to it regardless.

Voices dropping down to whispers as he turns a corner still causes him to collapse a little into himself. Forces him to make himself even smaller than he already is. Like if he just kept his head down and hood up, hunched his shoulders a little higher, walked a little faster, he could become unintrusive enough to not to cause a marked difference in the volume of Hyrule Town just by buying carrots.

...

Like he said. Rational reactions to… personal aversions.

But then there are sounds that part of Four knows with utmost certainty that he has no reason to fear. Childish little things that set his blood pumping, his lungs stuttering, his stomach plummeting. Dumb little irrational nothings that he knows, he knows, shouldnt have an effect on him.

And yet…

Well, that's just it, isn't it?

And yet, at night, when the coyotes send their giggling screams of joy to the moon, despite being surrounded by the walls of his house or by the sleeping bodies of his fellow heroes, Four feels ice drip into his blood and his stomach fill with stones, like he’s the helpless little thing being chased.

And yet, there is something in an echo that eats at him. That steals the breath from his lungs at just how lonely it sounds. Truly and utterly alone, with nothing better to do than parrot back words stolen from someone else’s throat.

And yet the clap of shattering glass feels like taking a stone to the head, wiping away all logical thought in a singular spike of pain. It makes him whirl around, desperately searching for the source of the noise. And only then, when he sees that it's a dropped teacup or an incident with a ball and a window… only then does his body and mind let itself uncurl.

And yet–

“Four.”

The smallest hero feels the flinch roll through his shoulders before he can stop it. It rolls through him despite himself. Despite knowing this was coming. Despite the fact that he had been preparing himself for it for days, knowing it was coming once they had enough time to rest after the battle with the Hinox.

In his hands, the whetstone he was carefully gliding across the Four Sword whines to an abrupt halt as he turns to address the older hero.

From above, Time sends him what Four suspects is supposed to be a placating smile but which looks most like an uncomfortable twitch of the lips.

Regardless, it doesn't help. It looks too… comforting for the conversation they're about to have. Too nice. Too soft. Something to lessen a blow before it’s even thrown.

Because it is going to be thrown.

“Would you help me gather some firewood?”

It’s framed as a question.

Four knows it isn’t one.

So he nods. Puts his whetstone back in his bag. Sheathes the Four Sword, takes comfort in it’s weight against his back when he straps it there. And then he takes Time’s outstretched hand, allowing the older to help him up.

Without another word, Time turns and begins to lead the way out of the clearing they’ve set up camp in and into the shade of the forest.

Four glances back at the others.

They look… Well, the smithy would never use the word peaceful to describe his fellow heroes. Hyrule is sat under the shade of a tree, eyes closed, shoulders relaxed, and breaths even as he meditates. Beside him, Legend holds a needle and thread poised to begin mending a tunic.

Or, at least, he would be if he weren’t pointing the needle threateningly at Wind, who dangles from the branches of the tree they’re sitting under, holding what looks to be a bottle of chu chu jelly over Hyrule’s head, smirking as he prepares to pull the cork.

A little farther away, Warriors and Sky seem to be engaged in a heated argument regarding birds of all things.

Both had been the most heavily injured after their fight against the Hinox– Sky had managed to dislocate both shoulders by desperately clinging to the Master Sword embedded in the beast’s forearm even when the monster viciously tried to dislodge him while Warriors had suffered a broken femur thanks to an entire tree being thrown at him, Hylia, Wild’s monsters were really something.

Thus, even after a round of potions and some of Hyrule’s rosie, crystalline magic, the two were sat up in their bedrolls, wrapped in restrictive bandaging and forbidden from helping set up camp, apparently leading to the two having nothing better to do than argue about whether or not cuccos were “a blight upon all of Hyrule,” as Warriors was emphatically arguing.

Beside the bickering heroes, Wild and Twilight are attending to dinner, the two chatting as they chop and toss vegetables into a pot of bubbling stew. It must be going fairly well– and it always does with Wild at the helm– because the mouthwatering smell of cooking onions, garlic, and celery permeates the clearing.

Wild glances up midway through a laugh, and locks eyes with Four. In a second, the humor falls off the other’s face, his eyes flicking quickly between the smithy and the retreating back of Time in question.

Need help? His eyes seem to ask.

And though the other had promised to be with him, to help him with this conversation when it happened, Four slowly and deliberately shakes his head.

Wild has helped him enough. Has helped him run through what he wants to say. What he needs to say. To defend himself. Or, at least, help Time understand his point of view.

And as much as he would love for Wild to be here, to see him use what the other had taught him… something tells the smithy he should do this alone.

Or, at least, as alone as he ever is.

So he flashes Wild a grin that he hopes is more placating than Time’s and turns back toward the forest. He takes a deep breath. Lets it fill his lungs to bursting. Lets it buoy him up. Lets it raise his shoulders from their hunch and straighten his spine.

Well this should be fun Don’t say that We’ve practiced for this Remain calm Here we go

He lets the breath rush out from between his lips in a woosh, forcing himself to relax. To calm his beating heart, the whirlpool of emotion in his stomach, the itch in his scalp, the urge in his lungs to breathe faster.

With hands more shaky than he’d like, Four adjusts his headband, tightening it to the edge of discomfort.

It’s irrational to be afraid of Time.

Four knows that.

And yet, as he squares his shoulders and strides into the dark after the older hero, Four can't help but feel the twinge of fear that nestles itself deep into his chest, watching, waiting, listening, for the perfect moment to go for the throat.

[cuddlesslut]

Part Eight: Hope

Atsumu x fem reader , Suna x fem Reader, Hinata x Fem reader

A/N: I’m so sorry it took so long to put out this chapter I’m gunna try to do better on posting faster. I’ve had a lot of stuff happening irl. I love see so many of your write in for the poll 😂 I did not expect Sakusa to pop off! I hope y’all like this chapter. Again it’s still kind of short but I wanted to get it posted. Also you can’t convince me Hinata doesn’t use an all in one cleanser!

Warning: crude language, not much angst, some fluff.

Part Seven: Regrets

Hinata stared at his phone questioning whether he should message you again. It had been four days since you ran out of his apartment. You had yet to respond to any of his texts. As concerned as he is he knows no good will come from spamming you. Although he wants nothing more than for you too talk to him. He was so confused where you both stood. But he was sure of one thing, and that was that things couldn’t go back to the way they were before. He can’t go back to pushing down his feelings and pretending he doesn’t want to be more. That he didn’t want to call you his and show you off to the world. To take you out on dates try new experiences and make memories with you. He can’t keep acting like he doesn’t dream of waking up to you in his arms every morning. He wants to be there with you every step in life and support you no matter what. He wants to show you that you are the most amazing woman he’s ever known. As much as the sex is amazing it’s not worth holding back anymore. He knows you may still not be ready for a relationship and he wouldn’t think about pressuring you into one after how horribly your last ended, he’d gladly wait for you to be ready but he has to be honest with his feelings instead of torturing himself.

The sound of his alarm snapped him out of his daze. Time to get ready for practice, he groaned pulling himself from the comfort of his bed before heading to the shower to start his day. He shuffled in the bathroom hooking up his phone to his Bluetooth speaker starting up with morning playlist beginning his morning routine. He loved jamming in the shower. He turned the water on letting the heat build as he brushed his teeth before climbing into the steaming shower bopping his head to the beat of silhouette by Kana-boon having to refrain himself from attempting to naruto running in the slippery bath. He stood there for a moment enjoying the heat hitting his back and loosening his muscles. Losing himself in the music as he grabbed his three in one, body wash, shampoo and conditioner. He scrubbed his hair and body screaming the lyrics to the next song. “Sawaras nai kimi wa shojo wa na no Boku wa yarichinbitchi no osu da yo !!,” he was jamming out when the song was interrupted by the sound of a notification. He thought nothing of it figuring it was just Bokuto-San. When the chimes continue his curiosity won out as he peeked out passed the curtain still covered in bubbles to see who was spamming his phone. His eyes grew wide as he saw your name lighting up his notifications. He rushed for his phone loosing his balance and slamming the shower wall to keep himself from falling on his ass as he scrambled out still dripping and soapy as he stood in bathroom unlocking his phone.

YN-Chan 🧡: Hey Shoyo

YN-Chan🧡: you’re usually up by now so I thought I’d message you to say I’m soo soo sorry for how I ran out the other day.

YN-Chan🧡: honestly I should have messaged you days ago but I’ve just been dealing with a lot . It’s no excuse but still I’m sorry.

YN-Chan 🧡: look I totally understand if you don’t want talk to me after how I acted but if you do I was hoping we could get together and talk?

Hinata could see the text bubble at the bottom showing she was typing but he wasted no time pulling up the call button needing to here your voice. It rang two times before connecting. His heart clinched hearing your soft hello.

“Hey Sho,” you answered.

“Hey there YN-Chan,” he greeted back.

He could here a sense of nervousness in your tone. “Hey sorry if interrupted anything.” He realized how hard he was breathing from excitement and from nearly dying trying to escape his shower.

“Oh no no, its fine I wasn’t busy,” he feigned nonchalance. There was a beat of silence as you both searched for words.

“Umm you had said you wanted to talk?” He questioned. He was really concerned for why you ran off that day.

“Oh yeah but I’d much rather talk in person, is there anyway we could get together soon I understand if you’re busy,”

“I’m free tonight,” he cursed himself for how desperate he sounded, “uhh do you want to come over tonight?”

You chuckled at his eagerness. “If it’s okay with you maybe we could go out... to like dinner maybe,” his heart froze his mind reeling with excitement you had never gone out before. Always just opting to have food delivered and eating in. He couldn’t help but let his hopes rise.

“I know it’s not what we usually do so I get if you’re uncomfor-”

“I’d love to!” He cuts you off. Not wanting to miss this chance.

“A-awesome um is 7:30 good for you?” You questioned.

“Yep!” He could feeling his heart soaring as the plans started to solidify.

“Great well I’ll message you all of the details later, bye Sho umm I’ll see you tonight.”

“Goodbye YN-Chan, can’t wait!” He heard a small laugh leave your lips before the line disconnected. There is a wide smile spread across his face as leaning against the wall next to him not even upset that his shower water was now starting to run cold.

Hinata’s day was instantly better with thought of seeing you tonight the Idea of having a date with you filled him with joy. Everyone could see the difference in the outside hitter today compared to the last few practices. It’s was like he was in the zone. He was all over the court making the cleanest receives and his spikes were just so on point. It was time for there first water break and stretch. He sat on the bench taking a gulp of water a big smile present on his face when he checks his phone to see a message with a restaurant address. His teammates shared a look at the way the ginger stared at his phone.

“What’s got you so happy Hinata?” Sakusa questioned.

“Yeah Sho you’ve been on fire today plus you won’t stop smiling at your phone!” Bokuto boasted wrapping an arm around his newest teammate.

“That obvious huh?” Hinata grinned. “Well uhh the girl I’ve been talking to wants to go on a date tonight!”

“Oh yeah?” Atsumu smirked “the same girl that’s been marking up yer back recently?” Bokuto and the Setter busted into laughter when Hinata’s faced turned red. Sakusa rolled his eye at the childish behavior.

“Uh haha yeah that’s the one,” he chuckled rubbing the back of his head.

“Well if you’re already fuckin her why are you getting all giddy over a date?” The setter asked

“We’ve actually never been on date before,” Hinata admitted.

“Damn Sho, first date! Why’d you wait so long dude?” Bo wondered.

“Really Hinata-Kun I didn’t take you for the casual sex type,” Sakusa stated

“She’s a friend but I’ve like her pretty much since we met but she’s just not ready for a relationship,” he explains “ she has some bad history but we kept fooling around as friends. I’m so excited cause she asked if I wanted to get dinner so I’m hoping maybe she’s starting to open up to the idea.”

“Ha well good luck then bro,” Bokuto smacked him on the back laughing. The rest of them agreed in the well wishes before the whistle blew signaling the end of their break.

They resumed their intense training. Right now focusing on their serves and some indurance training. The coaches were wearing them out today going over and over drills. Soon enough they were in the locker room showering up a bit and changing as they got ready for their lunch break before they’d have to return to practice. The locker room filled with chatter as they discussed different plays they wanted to work on or where they wanted to grab lunch. There conversation was interrupted when one of the coaching assistants poked their head in.

“Miya-San your fiancé is here to see you, she waiting by the gym entrance.” He stated before turning to leave. All eyes were on the setter when he dropped his phone a look of shock present on his face. His mind was going a mile a minute he was so sure he miss heard the man . There was no way you were here. He stood up rushing to finish getting dressed. There was a pressure in the room he was ignoring some of his teammates sharing a confused look.

“I didn’t know you had a Fiancé Tsumu?” Hinata asked excitedly as the team started following behind the setter.

“That’s because he doesn’t,” Sakusa stated bitterly. Atsumu shot a dirty look back at the wing spiker.

“She left him months ago before you joined the team Shoyo-Kun, she’s are really nice girl though always brought us the best snacks when she’d visit,” Bokuto explained his hungry mind straying as he thought back to her delicious cooking.

“Oh I’m sorry Atsumu,” Hinata apologized.

“Don’t he deserved it,” Sakusa scoffed.

The setter paid no mind to comment there was no point in getting angry with the neat freak he was completely right. It didn’t matter at the moment what mattered was seeing you. He stopped in his tracks when he saw you standing there. You were even more beautiful than he remembered. You were looking at your hands picking at your nails. He could see you were nervous. So was he. What was he supposed to say he knew he owed you an apology and much more but it felt like he couldn’t breath looking at you. You looked up at him your eyes locking. There was a look he couldn’t quite pin point. It wasn’t exactly a look of hated which it was what he expected but it also nothing like the looks of love he used to receive. He didn’t even realize the boys had stopped behind him watching the scene. His eyes only focused on you and nothing else.

That is until he hears a sharp breath from behind him as Hinata called out your name. Bokuto and Sakusa’s eyes snapped to the ginger some confusion present. Atsumu however didn’t look away from you not even when you gaze shifted from the setter to his teammate. This look in your eyes he could distinguish. It was one you used to look at him with. It shattered Atsumu as he realized right then you were the woman Hinata had been talking about. It obvious when he saw a similar look of happiness on Shoyo’s face. It felt like a kick to the gut. An array of emotions swirling through his mind. He was hurt to think you moved on. Disgusted as he thought back to his earlier convo with the man and how they had discussed the scratches on his friends back and now realizing how they were from you. He felt like he was going to puke thinking of his teammate with you in that intimate way. But he knew he had no right to feel this way not after all he put you through so he pushed those emotions deep inside. Returning to the moment.

“Hi Sho,” you gave a small smile as you shuffled nervously in your spot.

“I thought we were getting dinner? We can switched to lunch if you need to tho.” He stated.

Sakusa and Bokutos eyes grew wide finally coming to the same conclusion the setter previously had. Sakusa had to stifle a laugh as Bo muttered “oh shit” under his breath at the awkward situation.

“Um actually Shoyo, I’d still like to get dinner with you. I know this must seem really confusing, and I promise to explain everything tonight, but uhh.. I actually here to see Miya-San.” You explain sheepishly.

Atsumu tried not to flinch at the use of his last name.

You turned to the blonde with a stoic face. “Can we get lunch, we really need to talk.” He nodded not knowing how to use his voice.

You turned back to Hinata with a pleasing look. “I’ll call you later before our date, Sho.” Before turning to leave with Tsumu.

Hinata may be beyond confused right now not yet connecting the dots. But that didn’t matter he couldn’t stop his heart from skipping. Date. It’s a date. He wasn’t overthinking or wishing hopefully. It was an actual date with you! The woman he can’t get out of his mind. And that one little comfort was enough for him to trust the situation as he watched you walk away.

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[jiminthestreets-bonesinthesheets]

Pas De Deux

Title: Pas De Deux

Fandom: Supernatural

Pairing: Destiel 

Rating: not really needed for this fluff lol

Tags: fluff, pretty much just a whole lot of fluff XD

Summary: Dean is a closeted ballet dancer, and cas is playing the Nutcracker Prince in the Kansas State Ballet. When the ballet loses their Clara and Cas confronts Dean about taking the part along side him, will he be able to put aside his fears and let everyone know who he really is? All to help the man of his dreams?

MASTERLIST

AO3

*** My works are not to be posted on any sites without my permission! But comments and reblogs are love! <3 Please and thanks!!

And special thanks to @thebridgekid for reading, editing, and naming the fic! You’re the best <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter one

     The sky was dark and starless as Dean pulled the impala into the empty parking lot behind the old brick building. As soon as he cut the engine he felt the instant drop in temperature hit his exposed skin, enticing him to quickly grab his bag and dart across the parking lot as fast as he could. It was coming into fall now, and it was an unseasonably cold September night as he stepped out of the car. The back door was left slightly ajar as it always was, the bright yellow mop bucket propping it open as Dean snuck inside and closed the door behind him. Once he was inside the warmth of the heated building, and his shivering had subsided, he smiled while he watched for a moment as the janitor shimmied across the floor to the beat of the music pumping through his headphones. With a slight chuckle he walked over and gave the man a light tap.

     “Hey, Garth.” The man turned to him and shifted his headphones down to his neck as Dean reached a hand into his duffle bag. “I got your weekly offering, and thanks again for keeping the door open for me, man, I really appreciate it.”

     “It's no problemo, my friend,” Garth smiled wide as he eyed the case of beer he was being handed, placing it on the bottom of his janitor's cart, “always happy to help a friend in need. And as always studio nine upstairs is open for you.”

     Dean nodded in thanks and hiked his duffle back over his shoulder, and headed up the stairs. He made his way to studio nine and walked into the mirrored room, dropping his duffle and connected his phone to the bluetooth speakers. He put on some light music and did a few quick stretches before looking at the clock. It was just about midnight, which meant that he had around three hours to practice before he had to be home. So without wasting any more time he got into position, pointed his toes, pushed play, and began his practice of the first dance of the Nutcracker Ballet.

~~~~~~~~~~~

     The week passed by as quickly as it always did, and the weekend passed agonizingly slowly as Dean waited for Monday night to come. Don't get him wrong, Dean loved spending time at home with his mom and brother Sam, but he found that every second his feet weren’t tucked snugly into his pointe shoes, he was anxious and fidgety, eager for Monday night so he could get himself back into the studio.

     He had been practicing so hard over the last year, trying his best to teach himself every step perfectly, though without any formal training he was sure he would never be as good as the ballet dancers he watched online. The ones from the videos he used to try and teach himself the steps. And trying to do it at home in his basement wasn't making it any easier. Trying to make sure that Sam and his mom never never walked in on him practicing, keeping the music low to make sure they didn't wake up in the middle of the night and hear it, catch him in the act. But when one of his childhood friends got a job as the night janitor at a local ballet studio, he was thrilled. He knew all it would take was the weekly promise of a case of beer and Garth would sneak him in, he was always good like that. That way he wouldn't have to worry about his mom or brother sneaking in on him in tights and pointe shoes, having to explain that embarrassing situation to them, and he could practice Monday to Friday while they were asleep without any anxiety about it. And the arrangement had been working perfectly… until now.

     It was finally Monday night and he snuck into the dance studio, same as he always did. Made his way up to studio nine and danced his heart out until around three in the morning. After he was finished, the sweat pouring down his body was a clear indication of a hell of a good practice, he grabbed up his things and made his way back down stairs. He was just about to slip out the back door to head home when he stopped halfway out, the sound of music coming from down the hall hitting his ears. 

     He went back inside and closed the door quietly, sneaking down the hall to find the room where the music was coming from. But it worried him slightly to hear the music, aside from him and Garth no one was ever in the building at night, especially this late. What if this meant he couldn't do this anymore, what if he couldn't sneak into the studio at night because someone who actually went to this studio, who actually paid to use the building, was going to be practicing here nightly. And there would be nothing Dean could do about it. On a mechanics salary there was no way he would ever be able to afford to pay for use of a studio, and he couldn't risk bumping into someone that might get Garth in trouble for sneaking him into the building every night. It would be the end of Dean's secret ballet sessions, and he couldn't go back to trying to practice in his basement at night, it would only be a matter of time before Sam or his mom caught him, and he really did not want to have to deal with that.

     Eventually he found the room where the music was coming from, studio two by the front of the building, and peaked his head in the doorway to see who it was. It was a man he didn't recognize, but as soon as he laid eyes on him he was instantly entranced. He had never in his life seen anyone move as gracefully as he did. Every line, every transition was pure perfection, the kind of dancer that Dean aspired to be. Dean couldn't help himself but stare as the dark haired man continued his perfect rendition of the Nutcracker, the very ballet he himself had been working on for months now. He watched for an unknown amount of time in the doorway, in awe of his elegance and grace, before eventually the music stopped and he took that as his cue to leave before he was caught. 

     Just as he was about to turn down the hall he was met by Garth coming to stand beside him, both now watching as the dark haired man stretched against the bars on the mirror. “Who is he?”

     “His name is Castiel,” Garth answered, leaning against his mop, “I completely forgot he was coming, sorry man.”

     “Nothing to be sorry for,” he shrugged then turned slightly towards Garth to ask, “why's he here so late? I mean, I know why I sneak around the studio at ungodly hours, but he doesn't look like he's ashamed of being a ballerina. He's clearly taken classes, so why be here alone at three in the morning?”

     “He's part of the Kansas State Ballet. They recently decided to move from their previous studio and are now taking up residence here. They are going to be performing The Nutcracker Ballet for Christmas.”

     “Seriously?!”

     Garth nodded, “Castiel is playing the role of the Nutcracker Prince. Apparently he's the most dedicated member of the team, and most nights stays late for extra practice. So if you're going to keep coming there is a chance you two might cross paths at some point, it sounds like he’ll be here a lot, but I'll do my best to make sure that doesn't happen.”

     “Hey, man, I don't wanna get you in trouble,” he shook his head, “if the owner of the studio finds out you've been sneaking me in here at night you'll lose your job.”

     Garth just waved him off, “Even if at some point Castiel does see you here, I don't think he would be the type to go running to mommy about it. Keep coming, Dean, don't give up your dancing.”

     “As long as you're sure,” he eyed him, “but if at any time you start to get worried you're gunna lose your job, you tell me and I'll stop coming.”

     “Deal.” He gave Dean's arm a light smack, then as they watched Castiel beginning to gather up his things and ready to leave, they both turned away from studio two and walked back down the hallway together. “I'll walk you out, man, and I better see you tomorrow night.”

     Dean smiled and clutched at the strap of his duffel as they walked. He was glad he had Garth, and glad that he didn't have to stop dancing or start sneaking around the house again. “Don't worry, I'll be here.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

     The next few days Dean continued to return to the studio every night, just as he promised Garth he would. For the most part he always arrived there before Castiel, did his two to three hours of practice up in studio nine, and every night before he left he would sneak over to studio two and watch Castiel dance. So far everything had been going fine. They hadn't crossed paths, and Castiel hadn't caught Dean watching him from the doorway. And tonight was just the same as all the others.

     Dean had practiced extra hard tonight. He managed to sneak out of his house an hour earlier than usual, then when he was finished he made his way down to studio two to watch Castiel dance for a few minutes before leaving. He was currently standing in the doorway to Castiel's studio, watching him dance the steps to act one scene six where the Nutcracker dances with Clara, when the shifting of his feet had him knocking over a mop that Garth had left leaning against the wall. He instantly panicked, and in a futile attempt to save the mop and not alert Castiel of his presence there, he lunged forwards to grab the mop, but the damage had already been done. 

     Castiel was mid dance when he heard the commotion at the door behind him and swiftly turned. He was now staring at a very stunned Dean clutching tightly to a mop and now standing a few feet inside the studio.

     “Can I help you?” Cas asked with a quirked brow.

     “I…” Dean scrambled and practically threw the mop off to the side, turning and grabbing his bag before darting back towards the door, “No, sorry, I was just leaving, I didn't mean to scare you.”

     Confused but also a little intrigued, Castiel took a step closer and called out to him, “Do you dance here?” Stopping Dean from leaving.

     He turned back to Cas, a little confused, and when he didn't say anything Castiel pointed to the duffel slung over his shoulder and asked again, “Are you a dancer at this studio?”

     “No, no I don't go here.”

     It was Castiel's turn to be confused now, not to mention slightly scared. He was, after all, in a studio in the middle of the night, alone, now faced with a random stranger who apparently had no reason for being there in the first place. “Then… how did you get in here?” He asked as he started taking slow steps back, trying to get to his phone, “And why are you in here?”

     “No, no!'' Dean realized what was happening, what Castiel was thinking, and held his hands up in a gesture of innocence. “It's not what you think! I’m not some creepy weirdo, I promise.”

     “If you don't dance at this studio then why are you here and how did you get in?” He asked with a little more force this time.

     Dean just sighed and figured since he had finally been caught, and now he’d have to go back to square one of not having a practice area, he might as well just tell the truth. He’d had a good run, but obviously it wasn't meant to be. “Look, I don't… I don't take lessons here, I've actually never taken lessons anywhere, but I love ballet.'' Castiel just stood and watched him with an unchanged expression, so Dean continued, “When I was younger, my mom convinced my sports loving, man's man of a dad to take my family to The Nutcracker Ballet when it rolled through town. I was really young but I remember it so well, and ever since I've been fascinated by it. But with my dad being the way he was, being a man of sports himself, I didn't really have a choice and he put me into every sports team he could find. I played lacrosse, hockey, baseball, soccer, basketball, rugby, you name it I've played it, and it got to a point where I felt that if I told my dad I hated sports and wanted to be a ballerina instead, he would have hated me. So I played all the sports he wanted me to play so that I wouldn’t disappoint him, and I decided to just secretly teach myself as much ballet as I could with the resources I could find online. 

     And so, when I found out a buddy of mine was the night janitor here, I made a deal with him. He lets me in after hours when everyone has left for the night so I can use a room upstairs to practice, and I give him something in return. I only do it because if anyone found out that I was in love with ballet, I would be the laughing stock of the town and my family. My dad would have been furious, and I don't even know what my mom and brother would say. Not to mention the fact that I would never be able to afford to take lessons or rent a studio here, not as a mechanic anyways. But this, sneaking in, was the one way I could still dance and keep everyone around me happy, so I could do what I love in peace.”

     When Dean finished he took a deep breath and waited for Castiel's inevitable explosion. It was only natural that he would explode, afterall Dean was taking advantage of Garth's position, using the facility for free, and was now interfering with the practice time of a member of the state ballet. But instead, all he did was nod. He didn't say anything, didn't even really look at Dean, just nodded. Which in Dean's mind was worse than having him yell at him.

     After a few more agonizing minutes of silence between them, he took a few cautious steps forwards and practically begged, “Please don't tell anyone about this. I don't care about myself, but I don't want to get Garth in trouble. The whole thing was my hair brained scheme, I don't want him to lose his job over me. And after tonight I promise you'll never see me again. I’m so sorry for disturbing you.”

     He turned to leave, and this time he made it almost out the door before he was stopped again by Castiel. “Why will I never see you again?”

     He slowly turned back, brows furrowed, “I just assumed that you'd tell the owner about me. I mean, I am using the studio for free, which I know I shouldn't be, but-”

     “I'm not going to tell anyone.'' Dean opened his mouth to ask why, why he wouldn't tell the owner about what he had been doing, but nothing came out. Instead Castiel continued and answered the unasked question himself, “I would never step in the way of someone trying to hold onto their passion.”

     “Really?!” 

     Castiel nodded and took a few steps towards Dean who was still stunned, “I know that ballet is not exactly seen as manly, but you shouldn't be ashamed of letting people know it's a passion of yours. Though I understand having a father that would frown upon the decision.”

     “Yeah, it's… it's not easy getting over the fear of how people will look at me differently when they find out, and…” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “My dad, he made me out to be just like him, rough, tough, manly, and sports driven. So it's the only way people have ever seen me. If people knew I loved ballet, that I danced around in tights to music played by an orchestra, it would change my entire life.”

     “It doesn't sound like your father is still in the picture, unless that's too personal an inquiry. If so, please feel free to ignore it.”

     “No, it's okay,” he shook his head with a sad smile, “he actually passed away about four years ago. And even though he's been gone for that long, it's still hard to try and get past that fear he built into me, that if I was seen doing anything even remotely feminine he would be disappointed in me. It's so hard pressed into my brain that I should be ashamed of what I'm doing here. That's why I sneak out of my house at midnight after my mom and brother are sleeping, and I always make sure I'm home before they wake up. I'm terrified of what they would say if they found out, of how they would treat me, and it's all because of my dad's perceptions. It's… It's hard to get past.”

     Cas nodded and reached out to place a gentle hand on Dean's shoulder in support, “You're right, it is very hard to get over something like that, but perhaps in time you will be able to let the world see the real you.”

     “That would be nice, I hate sneaking around, I hate hiding something that I'm so passionate about,” he looked up at Cas, “to finally be free to be myself.”

     “It's a great feeling, it truly is,” he then, much to Dean’s disappointment, moved his hand from Dean’s shoulder to hold it out in front of him, “I’m Castiel Novak, by the way”

     “I know,” Dean smiled as he took Castiel's hand and shook it, “Garth told me your name, and that you're a part of the Kansas State Ballet. You're playing the Nutcracker Prince in this year's performance.”

     “That's right,” Cas returned his beaming smile, clearly proud of his position in the ballet, “I have waited my entire career to play this part and I cannot wait to finally be on stage as the Nutcracker Prince.”

     “I bet! And my name's Dean Winchester. Actually…” He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck and blushed slightly as he confessed, “I've been trying to teach myself The Nutcracker this year. I've been practicing the moves for months now, and I'm almost through getting the steps down for most of the ballet. As best I can, that is, I actually have no formal training.”

     “That is actually very impressive, Dean! Ballet is not an easy thing to learn, and teaching yourself is quite a feat.”

     Dean blushed even harder at Castiel's words, “It definitely was not easy. But I've been working at secretly teaching myself ballet for over ten years now, and-” He was cut short by his watch chiming and startling the both of them. He looked down at the time and panicked when he realized that he had been talking to Cas for almost half an hour, and it was now almost four in the morning. Sam would be getting up soon for work and he did not want to explain to his brother why his car wasn't in the driveway when he left for work. “Crap I gotta go! I have to get home before my early-bird-gets-the-worm brother wakes up and realizes I'm not in the house. But it was nice to meet you Cas, and thanks for not ratting me out.”

     “Perhaps I'll see you again, at least I hope that I will,” and he couldn't help it if he blushed a bit too, then added, “and next time feel free to come in and watch rather than standing by the door like a creeper.”

     Just before Dean was fully out the door, he turned back to smile at Cas one more time and said,“I'll take you up on that offer, good night, Cas!” And sent a wink at the still blushing Cas and then turned and ran out of the studio.

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

     After meeting Cas the week before, Dean would make sure that at the end of every one of his practice sessions, he left enough time to sneak downstairs and spend half an hour watching Cas practice. But on his way into the studio tonight, he snuck a peek down the hallway and noticed that Cas’s usual practice room was dark, door closed. He was disappointed that Cas wouldn't be there tonight, but he tried to shrug it off and use his practice to try and keep his mind off of the blue eyed dancer. 

     He was about halfway through his practice of act two scene eleven, when clapping from behind him startled him out of his trance and he turned towards the door. Though he turned a little too fast, and what were seconds ago graceful and coordinated movements, had Dean tripping across the dance floor and nearly landing him on his ass.

    Cas’s deep gravely laugh sent shivers through his spine as he caught his footing and walked closer to Cas. “Hey, Cas!”

     “Hello, Dean,” he answered as he too started walking further into the room. 

     “Wasn't it you who told me not to stand in the door and watch like a creeper?”

     Cas laughed along with Dean and shifted off the doorframe to stand properly, now face to face with him, "That was very impressive, especially for someone with no formal training at all."

     "Thanks," he beamed with pride at the compliment. Afterall, if an amazing and well known dancer such as Castiel Novak was saying he was impressive, then he must be doing something right.

     "And I see you have chosen to teach yourself the role of Clara."

     He blushed a little and turned away, rubbing the back of his neck, “She was always my favourite. She's kind of like the underdog, you know. She gets pulled into this crazy world and in the end she ends up coming out on top and winning the love of her prince charming.

     “She is an amazing character," he nodded and agreed, "and very inspiring."

     "Yeah, she is. And she gets her prince in the end, which is nice too," he smiled to himself for a moment then looked back up to Cas, “I thought maybe you ditched practice today, didn't see you in room two when I got here.”

     "We started on stage rehearsals in the town theater today, and we ended up being there longer than I expected today, so I was a little late," he looked up and smirked at Dean, "sorry for worrying you."

     Dean just smirked back and shuffled his feet slightly, then asked, "So, was it really good? My dancing?"

     "It was, I was very impressed at your progress." Dean smiled, proud of himself, and also blushed a little at Castiel's praises. "Though you do need a little work on some of your lines."

     Cas then pushed off the wall, smirk still plastered on his face, and wiggled his finger at a now mezmorized Dean as he walked to the front of the studio. Dean, followed him mindlessly and stood front and center as Cas changed the music on Dean's phone, then came back to stand beside him as the music started. 

     The song that played was the song for the first time Clara and the Nutcracker dance, after she sneaks out of bed and goes to check on her beloved Nutcracker. Dean's stomach dropped a little as Cas came to stand behind him, his nerves tingling at their ends, butterflies violently attacking his stomach at just how close Cas was to him. 

     The music started to play and Dean instantly got into position, though still very aware of Cas's closeness, especially when his breath hit his ear as he spoke, "Go through the steps, I'll show you where to extend as we go through the motions together."

     Dean nodded and gracefully stepped into the first few steps of the dance. He knew Cas was watching him intently, he could see his eyes on him when he turned, could almost feel the lust pouring off of the man as he continued the dance. But as the music poured over him, he put himself fully into the role of Clara, closing his eyes and letting her completely take over his body. Then Cas's hands were on him, slowly roaming softly over his body as they danced. 

     Cas's hand came to rest on Dean's waist from behind, and the other ran down his left arm as he lifted it up. He was now leaning back into Cas as they moved together as one, and he was sure Cas could feel the shivers vibrating through his body as Cas whispered against his neck, “Extend more, push the movements straight out through your arms, feel it at your fingertips." 

     Dean did as he said, eyes closed and tried to focus on his breathing, the movements of the dance, on Cas's hands still roaming his body as he continued the dance pressed tightly against Dean. His whispered praises against his neck had Dean in pure bliss, the hot breath against his skin as he whispered, "Good, Dean, very good. Keep going."

     And he did. They performed the entire dance together and Dean had never in his life felt so connected to anyone, so open and vulnerable yet so free to be completely and wholly himself. And before he knew it the night had passed. Hours had flown by in a flurry of roaming hands, hot mingled breaths, lips brushing skin, noses touching…

     An alarm broke the moment, ripping Dean out of his dazed euphoria and back to his unfortunate reality. He gasped and pushed himself away from a confused Cas and ran to his phone. His eyes went wide as he realized it was already after three in the morning. Sam was going to be getting up for work soon, and he still had to drive home and sneak into the house without Sam noticing. But he had been so caught up in himself and Castiel that he didn't even realize they had been dancing for so long. 

     "Dean…" Cas stepped towards where Dean was tossing his things in his duffel, "Everything ok? Was… was it me? Did I do something wrong?"

     "No, no! Absolutely not!” He quickly reassured him while still tossing things in his duffel, “I’m sorry, Cas, I have to get home before my family wakes up!" 

     And before Cas could say another word, he was watching Dean run out of the studio. 

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

                                                  NEXT

A/N: So this started out as just a short Christmas fic, and then it got a little carried away XD And it has since turned into a three chapter fic. And if you would like to be tagged for the next two chapter postings, or know anyone else who might be interested, let me know! Enjoy <3

[moderndaygaang]

tagged by @praetorqueenreyna woohooooooo

To see the fics I’m talking about, here’s my ao3 ! (I’m including a WIP or two in this that i am THIS CLOSE to being done with and plan on posting before the year is out and I don’t have much else 🤷‍♀️)

Which Of Your Fics...

Did you think would get a bigger reaction/audience than it got: HONESTLY I was expecting “Hit And Run” to get more hits. It got way more genuine love in the comments than I ever expected from the people who did read it (including so many writers I admire *swoon*) so who cares, truly! I just forget how few people actually ship zutaraang.

Is your funniest: i actually think my korrasami WIP is very funny but that’s because i think Korra has a good sense of humor and her banter with Bolin is like the first half of the fic lmao. Out of my published stuff I would say “Better Left Unsaid” is more consistently funny throughout, but i did actually laugh out loud writing “Hit And Run” because of the ending!

Is your darkest/angstiest: none of my published/complete work because it’s not quite my style, but I have a Rangshi WIP that will be posted soon that is quite angsty and depressing feat. What if Rangi and Kyoshi didn’t get together and Rangi fucked with Kyoshi’s emotions because of her internalized homophobia ???? why am i writing it? Good question.

Is your absolute favorite: i love all my children equally i refuse to answer this (i actually just can’t decide)

Is your least favorite: mmm probably my most recent one “watch it spin”, which is actually not ATLA but a SPOP fic focused on Catra and Perfuma becoming friends (a big hc of mine) and getting high together (based off some funny fan art). I only say it’s my least fave because it’s not my best work, but it is very niche and self-indulgent and I’m glad it’s in the universe for my own sake!

Was the easiest to write: “Better Left Unsaid”! That one only took a couple of hours. Started as just a warm up for something else and then I was like ‘oh this is cute’ :)

Was the hardest to write: “Wanna Follow Your Voice...”! It was the first fic I had written in YEARS, first for ATLA, and I had never done anything with chapters before. I spent a lot of time on it! Just figuring out the pacing and the events I wanted to include and trying to maintain a consistent tone over time was not easy.

Has your favorite line/exchange/paragraph (share it): gosh this is so hard!!!! I have favorites from all of them. I really was proud of how in “Wanna Follow Your Voice” zuko connects flashes from his dreams to his actual interactions with Aang (too much to share here). But have this bit from “Hit And Run” because it’s peak romcom imo —

Before even Aang can react, heat bursts from Zuko’s finger tips, lighting the poor, unassuming bartender’s beard on fire.

“Shit,” Zuko mutters, and jumps up. The bartender is screaming now, haplessly batting at his own chest to try and stop the flames from spreading.

Katara reacts in time with Zuko, pulling him towards the door while the other customers around him clamor to help the bartender, Rin and Aang included.

Zuko takes the opportunity to grab Aang’s wrist, dragging him away from the scene.

Luckily, no one realized where the flame came from, so their timely exit goes unnoticed. By the time Rin stops and looks for ‘Lee’, they’re already out the door and scaling the building next door to get out of sight.

When they reach the rooftop, they all collapse on their backs and catch their breath. Aang pulls off his bandana and wipes it across his brow.

“Well that’s one way to claim your territory,” Aang grinned. The three of them burst out laughing simultaneously.

When their laughter settles, Katara shoves Aang’s shoulder.

“Hey, you’re a little too good at charming the pants off of our enemies. Tone it down a notch next time.”

“I can’t help that the people love me.” He throws his hands up in resignation, drawing out another laugh from Zuko and Katara.

“I have to say Zuko,” Aang starts as he sits up, leaning back on his hands. “You must really love me if you’re willing to set someone on fire out of jealousy.”

Zuko covers his face with his hands, and an embarrassed groan pushes past his lips before he can stop it. “I didn’t mean to set anyone on fire!” he exclaims.

Have you reread the most: “hit and run” but only because people left the most kind and detailed comments about stuff that I genuinely forgot I put in there so I would go back to refresh my own memory LOL

Would you recommend to someone reading your work for the first time: “Better Left Unsaid”, most likely. It’s short and simple, lighthearted, not too shippy, but still captures my writing style well I think.

Are you most proud of: mmmm “Hit And Run” because I really like the way it turned out. It required the most ‘world building’ (so to speak) which is really not something I feel confident doing, but I think I did well with it! Plus it has an OC who I actually loved creating and would totally write about again.

So fun. Gunna tag @kuchee @jaystrifes and @flerkenkiddingme to do this ♥️🥰

[kayteewritessteve]

If Only You Knew - 8/19

Description: You arrive home one day to find a wedding invite for two of your best friends from high school. You knew this day was going to come eventually, but even with that said, you weren’t prepared to return home. At least not after 7 years of avoiding Buckhannon, West Virginia. Or rather, avoiding him; your ex-best friend and the secret love of your life. But maybe it was finally time to face your past, to face him, and everything else that happened on that horrible night. Who would have knew that your prom would end up being a total disaster, and the very last night you’d spend in Buckhannon for the next 7 years? you certainly didn’t. That’s for sure.

Catch up HERE.

Word Count: 3,860 ish.

Pairing: Modern!Steve Rogers x Reader.

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Violence. Drinking. Bad and offensive jokes. Possible triggering thoughts, feelings and emotions. Moments of bullying and harsh name calling. Lots of curse words. And a very sloooow burn.

A/N: I sadly don’t own any of these characters. And no beta reader, so I do proudly own all the errors and this story, so there’s that.

Giving you all a back to back update as I was slacking the last few days in the posting department. So here’s me making up for that! Hahaha. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!!

July 2018 - Present

Steve was sitting in his squad car outside the local coffee shop, the morning had been pretty slow. No more little woman running stop signs because they were ‘reading’ texts. So, that was a good thing, at least. Though, he would have loved to have ran into her again, but maybe not when he’d need to ticket her for it.

Bucky opened the passenger door and slid into the seat, careful not to spill their coffees as he did. “Nat says the bridal shower is going well,” he commented as he handed Steve his coffee.

“Glad to hear that,” he replied with a smile.

“Yeah, and the girls just arrived,” Bucky added as he buckled his seat belt.

“That’s good, must mean Y/N wasn’t the one driving then, as we didn’t get any reckless driving calls,” he smirked then put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb.

Bucky laughed, “Yeah, Hilde drove them over there.”

“That’s probably for the best,” he laughed.

Then Bucky’s phone pinged, and he pulled it out of his pocket to check the message, mumbling a, “well shit,” as he did.

Steve glanced over at his partner, “what happened?”

“Looks like Madi, Kiara and Penelope just arrive at the party,” Bucky scrunched up his nose.

“Shit,” he whispered and shook his head, “that’s probably not going to end well.”

“Yeah, probably not,” Bucky sighed, “but Y/N has Hilde and Wanda with her, they’ll protect her.”

“Let’s hope,” he sighed as well.

“The answer is no,” Bucky said out of nowhere and shook his head firmly, “we are not crashing my fiancée’s bridal shower so you can go protect your girl.”

“Wasn’t thinking that, nor is she ‘my girl’.”

“Ha, please. She has always been, and will always be ‘your girl’. Even if it’s only in your own damn mind,” Bucky paused then smirked. “So, you gonna finally do something about that, punk? Gunna finally make a move?”

“We already talked about this. Now is not the right time.”

Bucky groaned, “that’s what you always say! This is your chance, Steve, don’t miss it again.”

“So where did Nat decide to hold the party anyway?” He asked, attempting to change the subject.

“I’m not telling you shit,” Bucky shook his head. “For all I know, you’ll go limp mode again and we will magically end up outside the damn venue.”

At that Steve shoved Bucky’s shoulder, “I will not.”

“Really?” He glared at him. “Should we test that theory?”

“Fuck off, jerk.”

“My point exactly,” he shook his head. “You can’t resist the urge to protect her,” he paused, “or rescue her for that matter. It’s like ingrained into your soul or some shit,” he grumbled but Steve just ignored him as his mind began to travel back to one of the many times he’d had to rescue her in high school. Or rather, one of the few times he had actually failed to protect her…

January 2010 - 8 years ago.

“Where is she?” He skidded to a stop in front of his friends, “what happened?”

They all looked amongst themselves then Nat pointed across the hall to the girls bathroom door, “Madeleine happened.”

Hilde scoffed, “what’s new?”

He turned to look at the girls washroom then back to his friends, “what the fuck did she do this time?”

“Dumped an entire tray of lunch on her,” Wanda said flatly.

“It’s mac and cheese day,” Clint added as he cringed.

“Fuck,” Steve mumbled then he turned and headed towards the door.

“Dude, you can’t go in there!” Sam yelled but he just ignored him and pushed open the bathroom door. Like a silly rule was going to stop him from getting to her. Ha. Please.

He entered the bathroom and saw that there was luckily only one stall in use, clearly hiding her inside it. He walked over and knocked on the door, “Y/N?” He said quietly.

“Steve?!” She gasped. “What are you doing in here?”

“I’m here to check my makeup out, obviously,” he chuckled. But then a silence fell over them, he was hoping his joke would make her laugh, even just a little, but it clearly hadn’t worked. He quickly cleared this throat then corrected his original statement, “I’m here to check on you.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” she sighed, “and you aren’t supposed to be in here.”

“When have I ever followed the rules?” He asked, and even though he couldn’t see her, he could feel her eye roll through the door.

“Ain’t that the truth,” she mumbled through the door.

“So, you gonna come out, or just hide in that stall all day?”

“Hide in the stall all day,” she answered.

“Y/N,” he shook his head and laughed, “just come out here.”

“No, I’m covered in food, and if you didn’t know it’s—“

He cut in, “Mac and cheese day. Yeah, I know, Clint filled me in.”

“So then you know why I’m refusing to come out,” she sighed again, “this was my favourite shirt to.” Her sad voice caused him to believe she was most likely pouting now. But before he could speak the main bathroom door opened and a couple girls came waltzing into the room, stopping dead in their tracks once they noticed Steve.

“Ah,” one girl started but then another beat her to it. “You can’t be in here, Steve,” she crossed her arms.

He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Yeah, normally I’d agree with you on that buuuuut,” he shrugged. “I kind of have more important things to worry about at the moment,” he pointed at the bathroom stall, hoping that would be explanation enough. It seemed to work as the girls all looked between each other then giggled and turned to leave, once the door closed behind them he focused back on the mission at hand. Getting Y/N out of that damn stall. “Y/N, I bet it’s not even that bad, just come out here and we will get you all cleaned up.”

“No,” she replied like a small child.

He sighed then walked into the stall beside hers, putting the seat down and stepping up onto the toilet. Once he was up there he peered over the stall at her, “see, doesn’t even look that bad at all.”

“Steven!” Her head snapped up and her eyes went wide, “get down you creep!”

He throw his head back and laughed. “Not until you get out of that stall, don’t make me come in there to get you.” He raised a challenging eyebrow at her, as if begging her to try him. She just glared up at him, clearly trying to tell if he was bluffing or not, but then she sighed and unlocked the door. Steve jumped off the toilet with a loud thump and joined her in the main part of the washroom. “See, not that bad,” he pointed to her shirt.

“Liar,” she deadpanned.

“I’d never lie to you, Y/N,” he winked.

“Mm hm,” she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “I’m surprised your giant ass had to stand on the toilet to look over the stall wall. How does it feel to be too short for once?”

He feigned insult and put a hand over his chest, “excuse me?” Then he turned and peered behind himself at his butt, “first off, my ass is NOT that big!” He turned back to her, “and secondly, they make the stall walls that tall for this exact reason.” He gestured to his entire self, “tall people.”

She stared at him for a moment then burst out laughing, “I think you were dropped on your head as a child.”

“Oh probably,” he shrugged, “have you met Tony?”

She shook her head and playfully frowned, “sadly, I have.”

They both laughed and then she looked down at her shirt, pulling it away from her body to examine it. “Still not okay with her ruining my favourite shirt though,” she actually pouted now, or at least he saw it this time.

“I’m sorry, Y/N—“

She cut him off and looked up at him, “Why are you sorry!?”

“You know why,” he sighed.

She shook her head, “Stevie, you can’t control other people, or their actions. This is no ones fault but Madeleines.”

And all he could think was, if only she knew exactly why Madeleine painted a target on her back. It wasn’t just because Madeleine was a bitch, though that was a huge part of it, it was because to every one but Y/N, Steve’s feelings for her were plain as day.

He wasn’t the best at hiding them, minus from her, it was how he looked at her when she wasn’t paying attention. And how he talked about her when she wasn’t around. And how he went out of his way to make sure she was happy and carefree. He did everything in his power to shield her from the bullies and the fuck boys, but sometimes he couldn’t be there every second of the day. And with Y/N being unaware of all of it, that only made it even harder for him to protect her. She would straight up call him out if he just hovered around her all day trying to keep an eye on her. And that would only lead to him being forced to tell her the truth. To tell her how he truly felt and he just wasn’t ready for that. Not yet, at least.

He sighed, “I know, but I feel like she goes after you because we’re friends.”

“Which is so weird because she doesn’t do any of this to Nat, Hilde or Wanda?” She thought out loud as her brows knitted together and she looked down at her shirt again.

“Ah,” he searched around in his head for any excuse to throw out at her, “probably because they were friends with Madi as kids?” He scrunched up his face. That excuse was lame as hell, but he hoped she bought it.

Her deep sigh told him she did. “Yeah, that’s probably it.”

Just then he got an idea, he grabbed the back of his t-shirt and pulled it up and over his head, revealing a white wife beater underneath. Her eyes snapped up to his and widened slightly at the action. “What are you doing?” She whispered quickly.

He held the shirt out to her. “Giving you something to wear for the rest of the day?” He answered, sort of confused as to why she didn’t realize that. She looked at the shirt and then back up at him, she was shifting her weight back and forth on her feet, clearly unsure what to say. He cleared his throat and started to bring his hand back towards his body. “I mean, unless you’d rather wear mac and cheese all day,” he shrugged nonchalantly, though he felt a pang of hurt that she wouldn’t want to wear his shirt.

“No!” she abruptly said as she reached out for his shirt and cleared her throat. “No, I, ah,” she paused then looked down at the floor, “do not want to wear mac and cheese all day.”

His brows knitted together in confusion but before he could say a word the bathroom door opened again and more girls walked in, only to also stop dead in their tracks at the sight of him.

“Steve, you should probably get out of the girls bathroom now,” she pushed him towards the door lightly, though he barely budged. “You know, before more rumours start to circulate about me,” she laughed trying to play it off as a joke, though there was no humour in it. He knew that for a fact, as he knew all of her laughs off by heart. And that one was not a real laugh. “I’ll change then meet you out there.”

He sighed then nodded, “yeah. Okay.”

Then he walked out, squeezing passed the girls in the doorway and heading over towards his friends.

“So, how’d that go?” Sam asked with a smirk.

“Clearly not well since you’re alone,” Hilde crossed her arms.

“Actually, I’ll have you know it went really well. She’ll be out in a second,” he smiled triumphantly at his disbelieving friends. If any of them could get her out if that washroom, it was him, they never should have doubted that, or him. Nat exaggeratedly rolled her eyes then they all laughed.

A few minutes later his friends started to clap and cat call.

“There she is!” Clint hollered, “our girl!”

Steve spun around to see her coming out of the bathroom, wearing his t-shirt and his heart fluttered at the sight. She had taken the bottom and tied it into a knot right above the waistline of her jeans. Most wouldn’t even be able to tell it wasn’t her shirt, but he knew. It was his and she was currently wearing it, and fucking well at that. Their eyes locked and she had clearly caught him checking her out, a small smile broke out on her face before she quickly looked down and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You look marvellous darling!” Wanda said in an awkward English accent then laughed at herself.

Steve looked away from her, trying to calm the rapid beating of his heart at the sight of her. Then he saw Nat giving him that damn knowing look again, paired with her smug smirk. He just glared at her in response. Like always.

“Have I ever told you all how lucky I am to have you guys in my life?” Y/N said as she entered the small group circle.

“A few times,” Sam mused, “but we’ll never say no to compliments,” he laughed.

“Yes! More compliments!” Clint added with a flourish of his hands, “we need more!”

“Noted,” she smiled and nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind!”

Then they all burst out laughing and made their way towards their lockers. The rest of the day Steve could barely keep his eyes off her, which I guess was normal for him, but there was just something about her wearing his shirt that he could barely handle. He was so close to just giving her every one of his shirts so she could just wear one every damn day. That’s how much he enjoyed the sight of it.

He knew right then and there that he was fucking doomed. He had only known her for 5 months but she already held him in the palm of her hand, and what’s worse is she had no fucking clue about that, at all. No clue at just how head over heels he was for her. This was the day he realized it. Realized that if he didn’t already love her, he was well on his way to that outcome. It was only a matter of time.

July 2018 - Present.

The rest of his shift was just as quiet as the morning, nothing major, just a few random calls and a couple speeding tickets issued. It was nearing the end of his shift when Bucky slowly hissed out a “shit,” while staring at his phone.

“What’s up?” Steve asked as he glanced between the road and his best friend a few times.

“Y/N left the party,” Buck paused and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Okay?” Steve replied, dragging the word out in the hopes it would prompt his friend to continue.

He sighed, “right after Madi approached her.”

“Fuck,” he said quickly as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel and clenched his jaw. “What did she say to her?”

“They don’t know, all they said was Madi talked to her and then she left right after. Not even waiting for Hilde to drive her home.” He shook his head, “so I can only imagine it wasn’t a friendly chat.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to be stuck with that woman for fucking life,” he growled out. “What a fucking nightmare.”

“It won’t be that bad,” Bucky paused then frowned, “nope, that’s a lie. You’re fucking doomed.”

“Don’t I fucking know it,” he groaned.

They finally reached the end of their shift, though the last hour had felt like fucking days for Steve. He dropped Bucky off at home then headed to his place. Once he got there he quickly changed into jeans and a t-shirt then hoped in his truck.

He found himself driving a familiar route, one he had driven many times before. So many times he could have probably done it in his sleep. He pulled up in front of the house, shut off the engine and took a moment to just stare up at it. So many memories running through his mind at the sight of it, but one stood out from the rest. One just begged to be remembered…

February 2010 - 8 years ago.

“Morning Stevie.”

He looked up and around until his eyes landed on her, skipping towards him in the hall, a giant smile plastered on her beautiful face. Which caused a smile to form on his, involuntarily, from the sight. “Morning Y/N.”

“Happy Valentines Day,” she reached up and attempted to wrap her arms around his neck, it didn’t go to well with the height difference. He laughed then leaned down a bit so she could reach. “Zip it, Giant,” she sassed as she squeezed his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Wasn’t gonna say a word,” he said as he laughed and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight and resting his face in the crook of her neck as he mumbled “and Happy Valentines Day.”

She giggled happily then released him from the hug and took a step back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. A nervous tick of hers that he had noticed recently. “Thanks,” she smiled brightly.

He smiled back then turned to close his locker. “Someone’s happy today. You’re a fan of Valentine's Day, I take it?.”

“Not normally, but,” she shrugged, “this one seems to be going okay so far.”

He raised an eyebrow at her as they started to walk towards class, “oh yeah? And why’s that?”

She looked up at him for a second and he saw the red colouring in her cheeks now before she quickly turned to face down and shrugged again, “No reason—”

“I call bullshit,” Bucky’s cocky voice cut in, followed by a hissed out “Ow!”

Steve turned to look back at his 3 approaching friends, seeing the tail end of Nat smacking Bucky’s arm. “What the hell was that for woman?” he asked his girlfriend.

“For being a shit,” she whispered harshly to him before turning to smile sweetly at Steve and Y/N, “Happy Valentines Day you two”

“Yes! Happy V Day to you both!” Wanda said as she approached the group.

“Happy Valentines Day,” they both replied in unison to both girls.

Bucky took a few strategic steps back from Nat then spoke up, “so, Y/N, you gonna tell him or?”

Nat spun and went to smack him again but realized, at that exact second, that he had stepped out of her reach, so she just glared at him instead. Causing him to cringe, knowing that look was a promise that she’d get him back later.

Steve shook his head and stifled a laugh then turned to face Y/N again, noticing her wide eyes as she looked up at him, “tell me what?”

“It’s nothing,” she waved it off.

“It’s not nothing,” Clint corrected, then also hissed out an, “ow!” As Nat had spun to smack him now. Clearly he hadn’t got the memo, to step back before speaking, from Bucky.

“Would you both shut up,” she scolded.

Steve frowned at the fact that obviously everyone knew something he didn’t. “What is it, Y/N?”

She scrunched up her face for a moment then sighed and looked down at the floor. “Someone left a bouquet of roses by my front door last night,” she mumbled.

“Oh yeah?” Steve chuckled then coughed in an attempt to mask it, “that’s awesome, Y/N.”

Her head snapped up to look him in the eyes, her eyebrows damn near reaching her hairline, “it. It is?”

He laughed now, he couldn’t help it, then he looked around at his friends who all had similar expressions on their faces “It is,” he confirmed and shook his head, “it’s Valentine's Day, don’t secret admirers and flowers sort of come with the territory?”

“I guess,” she shrugged and smiled, though this time it seemed forced. “Okay, well I have to get to class, I’ll catch you guys later.” She waved then headed off down the hall.

“You’re actually okay with this?” Bucky whispered as he stepped up beside Steve.

“Aren’t you going to like beat up the flowers for showing up on her porch or something?” Clint asked.

Steve laughed then shook his head again, “nah, I’m not worried about it.”

Nat crossed her arms and looked him over for a few seconds before a smirk broke out on her face, “they were from you.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

He just shrugged, “maybe.”

“You going to tell her?” Wanda asked.

“No, probably not,” he replied.

“What? Why?” Clint asked, “isn’t that the whole point of buying someone flowers?” He looked around for help from his friends on this one.

Wanda patted his shoulder reassuringly, “No, you usually buy flowers to either brighten someone's day or show them someone cares for them.”

Then Nat added, “and both of those you can do without them actually knowing who they were from.”

Clint nodded in understanding but then frowned as he looked at Steve again, “but don’t you want her to know they are from you?”

“Maybe one day,” he shrugged, “but just not today. Let her have her secret admirer.”

“Jesus, pal,” Bucky shook his head, “you got it fucking bad.”

Nat looked at him and questioned, “you’re just realizing this now?”

“Oh no, I’ve know since day one,” he chuckled then jutted his chin towards Steve. “If he was an emoji he’d be the damn heart eyes one.”

Steve burst out laughing, “shut up, jerk.”

“Make me, punk,” Bucky said right back then laughed as well.

“Okay, simmer down, both of you,” Nat rolled her eyes. “We don’t have all day to listen to your marital dispute, we have class.”

They all said their goodbyes then headed off in different directions. Though Steve would never actually end up telling Y/N that the flowers were from him, that would have probably opened up a can of worms that he just wasn’t ready to open yet. If ever.

July 2018 - Present.

He hopped out of his truck, then walked up the path and the stairs, coming to a stop at the front door. He raised his fist up and took a deep breath, then knocked. He heard shuffling footsteps coming towards the door and then it opened, revealing one of the few sights that damn near broke his heart into pieces, instantly.

“Steve?” she sniffled, quickly wiping her cheeks then crossing her arms. “What are you—Why are you here?”

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

@hopefulmoonobject @harlequinash @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @tessvillegas @boxofteenageideas @wangdeasang @giggleberts @casuallydarktiger @theonelittleone @agentbadbitch @ratwrites @starrystellars @bandsandanimefreak @rockyroadthepastryarchy @lovvliies @cuffski @icesoccerer @alwaysright4 @lilsthethrills @imdiegohargreeves @zombiepotterfour @mu-mu-rs @ledandan1244 @straightforwardly @badassbeckettswan @denzmallows @xremember-me-notx @gwynethjodie @lollipopdomination

[minhoslut]

♡ summary: Y/N is a fairy in a world of magic hating humans, who moves into a house with seven young men after being kicked out of her old dorm. She learns about all their secrets while hiding hers for as long as she can. Lots of parties, games, sex and maybe even love.

♡ pairing: ot7 x fem!reader, fem!reader x various idols

♡ chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ? |

♡ series warnings: alcohol consumption, blood mention, drug use, mxm, fxf, threesome, foursome, orgy, swearing, anxiety, depression, past trauma, past abuse

♡ series genre: fluff, smut, slight angst

♡ series rating: R

♡ word count: 2043

♡ posted on: AO3

♡ chapter four: never have I ever...

When you reached the liquor store, you all exited the car and headed in. “I’ll gather the things the other boys want if you two want to find your own!” Namjoon suggested. Splitting up, you and Jimin wandered through the store. “What are you thinking of getting?” You asked him, looking at all the various bottles. “Mm, probably tequila, maybe some gin, beer… I’m a heavyweight so I usually drink a lot. Plus we all like to get blackout, so lots of liquor is a must.” You giggled and shook your head, “Makes sense I guess, I’m gunna get sourpuss and some raspberry vodka I think, maybe some growers… I’m a lightweight but I love to drink too.”

You both laughed and went on with your search, collecting bottles and finally heading up to the register. “Perfect timing!” Namjoon said smiling, his basket filled with beers, soju, vodka and rose. Once you had paid, you loaded them into the car and piled back in. Jimin connected his phone to the aux cord and turned the volume up. Up and Down by EXID blasted through the speakers and the three of you sang along as loud as you could. Your heart was full of laughter the whole ride home, these men were really becoming a great part of your life.

Back at the house, Jimin and Namjoon stacked the alcohol in the so called ‘buzz cupboard’ that held all of their other liquor as well. “I’m so glad you guys throw parties! I love to drink and dance!” You cheered from your seat at the island, a bright smile on your face. “That’s why we accepted your application, no one else seemed as interested in the parties!” Namjoon chuckled, closing the cabinet drawer and coming to lean on the island across from you. His eyes locked with your own and you could swear that they shimmered a beautiful deep violet. Shaking your head you hopped off the bar stool and slipped your shoes on, calling out, “I’m off on a walk be back sometime!” before heading for the woods surrounding the house.

The sun was peeking through the foliage as you walked, creating shadows that danced along the ground. You let your intuition guide you once again, just walking and walking, deeper into the woods. Eventually you reached a small clearing, covered with a beautiful green grass carpet. You slipped off your shoes and walked across the grass to the center, the ground was soft and cool under your feet.

The sun was shining onto you as you laid down, warming your skin and reminding you of your fairy home. It was times like this you would briefly wonder if you should have just stayed in your colony, safe in the arms of the trees, singing with the streams. The fact that your new home was close to nature would be comfort enough for now, but you never knew what you would choose in the future, though you would be on your own if you chose nature.

The idea of being alone was one of the few things you were terrified of, it was like a darkness that would consume you in an instant if you imagined it for more than a brief moment. Taking a few deep breaths you brought yourself back to the forest, the cool grass on your skin and the birds chirping in the trees. It was comforting here in the clearing, and you eventually drifted off.

~

When you awoke, the sun had begun to set and you scrambled to get up quickly, rushing through the trees back to the house. You hadn’t meant to spend so long there, especially not asleep, and you felt bad for just vanishing. The lights were on when you reached the old house, and you could hear laughter coming from the kitchen, making you smile to yourself. Walking up the deck stairs, you entered your home and slipped off your shoes.

“She returns!” Hoseok called from the table, making you rub your neck sheepishly. “Sorry, I fell asleep.” You explained quickly, taking a seat next to Yoongi. “In the woods?” Taehyung said, disbelief lacing his words, “Yeah in the woods, it’s nice!” You pouted at him and served some food for yourself. “I like the woods too, Y/N! It’s so peaceful there~” Hoseok chimed, giving you a smile. You nodded your agreement and started eating happily, listening to the guys talk about their days.

After dinner, you all moved into the living room as requested by Jimin, confusion on all of your faces. “Tada! Let’s do never have I ever! Every finger down you take a shot, and the first one with all their fingers down has to chug the rest of the vodka!” Jimin declared when he returned with several packs of beer and a huge bottle of vodka. “Sounds fun!” You smiled, settling the worries of the seven men around you. Everyone grabbed a drink and settled in comfortably, ready to begin the game. “So who is starting?” Jungkook questioned, leaning forward excitedly. “Jimin obviously, he started this!” Namjoon said decidedly, making all of you turn to Jimin.

“Alright, alright!” Jimin said, raising his hands in surrender, “Um, never have I ever passed out from drinking.” A collective groan came from the group as everyone but Yoongi and Jin put down a finger, “Ok! Let’s continue in the circle! ” Jin suggested smirking, and all eyes turned to Namjoon who was sat beside Jimin. “Never have I ever skipped my class 3 weeks in a row.” The three youngest boys protested at Namjoons words, but he just laughed at them, “I had to say something to get Jimin down!”

Yoongi went next with a simple, “Never have I ever almost drowned in the pool because I was drunk off my ass.” Making Jimin glare at him while everyone else was having a giggle fit. “Did he really?” You asked wiping tears from your eyes, “Yeah, it was the shallow end too, he was just sitting down!” Taehyung said when he caught his breath, “You all better watch out now, if that’s how we’re playing!” Jimin threatened, but he was just ignored as Jungkook began his turn.

“Never have I ever had a threesome~” He said slyly, making you, Namjoon, Jin and Yoongi put down a finger, you caught some of their eyes widen when you put your finger down but you just smiled and shook your head, the more the merrier in your mind. Hoseok, Jin and Yoongi only had one finger down, while you, Namjoon, Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook had two. Hoseok was up next, “Never have I ever made out with two people at the same time.” His comment had everyone putting another finger down, putting him in the lead.

You all crushed two beers before continuing the game, which made everyone tipsy, since you had each finished one already. Taehyung was up and he hummed for a moment before saying, “Never have I ever had sex on a balcony!” This time Hoseoks finger went down along with yours, Namjoons, Yoongis, Jungkooks and Jins, Taehyung laughed at the scowl Hoseok had sent his way when he asked the question. “Alright Jin you’re up~” You teased, putting a hand on Jins thigh and squeezing slightly.

He cleared his throat, a smirk on his lips as he announced, “Never have I ever cum on the couch.” This knocked down a finger on Jimin, Jungkook, Hoseok, Taehyung and Namjoon, leaving them blushing and you, Jin and Yoongi with tears of laughter in your eyes. “That was a low blow Jin, you better be ready!” Jungkook said shaking his head. You tapped your lips as you thought of a good question, smiling as you said “Never have I ever kissed anyone in this room.” Just like you had thought, your question made everyone lose a finger. “No fair Y/N~ Taehyung whined, but you just giggled at him.

By now a good amount of vodka was missing from the bottle and you were all sufficiently drunk, with the current stats being Jin, Yoongi and you with 3 down, Taehyung, Jimin, Hoseok and Jungkook with 4 down and Namjoon in last with 5 down.  The game continued for a while, words slurring more and more, while questions got extra sexual. You were basically fucking them with your eyes whenever you put down a finger, seeing as you had a pretty long sexual history and most things had you taking a shot. They seemed surprised by it, and you could tell they were trying to even the playing field by making specific digs at each other.

The game ended with Hoseok drinking the remainder of the vodka, though that ended up not being much, since a ‘shot’ had really evolved into giant sips straight from the bottle. Everyone was giggly and unstable as you all finally stood up from your circle, you stumbled and caught yourself against Jins chest so you wouldn’t fall. “Sorry handsome~” You slurred cutely before turning to face the group.

“Thanks for such a game so fun!” You managed to get out, though not in the right order. With a big two handed thrown kiss you clumsily skipped up the stairs and jumped into your bed, your body on fire and your mind a puddle. You had run away so you wouldn’t start begging for Jins cock in the middle of the living room, your drunk self tended to be even more bold and it wasn’t time for that, not yet.

~

You must have fallen asleep soon after, since next you knew the sun was in your room once more. Sitting up you surveyed the situation, clothes were strewn about the floor and you were only wearing panties, so you must have stripped before passing out. Last night had been the perfect way to find out what kind of boundaries there were for the party tonight, and you were extremely excited to test them out.

Slipping on a black robe and grabbing a high cut hot pink tube top bodysuit and some black sweatpants with a checkered stripe , you made your way to the bathroom to have a warm bath. As you filled the tub, you removed the robe and your panties, and organized your pampering items in the space surrounding the bath. Since you were aiming for some intimacy tonight, you were using all mango scented cleansers, and doing a full body spa.

You put on some relaxing music and sank into the tub, relishing in the warm water surrounding your body. Sighing happily, you began your routine, scrubbing yourself clean, exfoliating, shampoo, deep condition etc. When you got out of the bath, you applied a nourishing face mask before starting on toweling off and moisturizing your body. Finished with putting on lotion and getting dressed, you rinse away the mask and apply your face oil before collecting your belongings and heading back to your room to deposit them.

Feeling clean and satisfied, you went downstairs to make a fruit salad for breakfast, surprised to find all seven men scattered around the downstairs. “Good morning~” You sang when you came to the landing, skipping to the fridge and starting your prep. “Morning Y/N.” They all called from their various seats, “I’m making fruit salad, anyone want some?” A chorus of “yes” answered your question making you laugh as you pulled more fruit from the fridge.

Once the salad had been made up, you asked Seokjin to set the table while you moved the large bowl over. Eventually everyone was seated and had their own serving of fruit to eat, and  hopefully help clear any hangovers they had. “I had a lot of fun last night! I love party games like that!” You said in between scoops of fruit. “It was really interesting, you’re not easily embarrassed are you Y/N?” Yoongi said chuckling, and the other six nodded in agreement. “Nope! If i ever was I’d say something~ I’d much rather be comfortable and close with the people I live with, as long as they are ok with it, of course!” You smiled at them all, happy that they seemed to be starting to push their own worries about you away.

[hi-i-love-u-bitch]

Turns Out Being a Super Hero Is Actually Really Gay! - Chapter 3

I am so, so sorry this is late guys! A lot of things have been going on and I wasn’t able to finish the chapter on time yesterday. But it’s here now and I hope you like it. As always I would like to thank the lovely @sugarglider9603 and @ask-spiderverse-virgil for there lovely AU for without it I would not have the inspiration to write this. ENJOY!!!

Master Post

Beginning

Previous

Next Chapter

So, after the group of teens were done freaking out because “holy shit, Thomas Sanders, top YouTube celebrity, is THE Rainbow Weaver!” Thomas decided to take them to a small but cozy pizza place down town. He bought them six boxes of pizza, hot wings, fries, onion rings, ice cream shakes and a few other goodies, much to the teens protests and insistence that they could pay for themselves. Thomas assured them that it was fine but that still didn’t stop them from arguing that it wasn’t. He payed no mind to their comments as he payed for the food and lead them towards the back of the restaurant where a large circular booth resided, big enough to fit them all.

As Thomas watched these teens…these children scarf down their food like they hadn’t eaten a day in their lives he couldn’t help but worry. He knew exactly how scary it must be for them to suddenly gain strange new powers and not know what to do with them. But the difference between them was that Thomas got his powers near the middle of his senior year of high school and these kids were still…sophomores? Junior? Either way, they were still much to young to be worrying about powers and weird things like that. Unlike them Thomas didn’t have much of a “social life” in high school and college so being Rainbow Weaver was a good distraction from that but these kids…he doubt they were the same.

They had come searching for him for help and honestly Thomas was totally willing to give them whatever help they needed. He just didn’t know what? He wasn’t a teacher, he was a chemical engineering and theater major that did YouTube videos and super heroing on the side. I mean, if they needed help controlling their powers Thomas would to the best, he could to teach them but if they wanted to become super heroes…

“Are you okay, Mr. Sanders?” Thomas looked up to see four pairs of curious eyes looking at him, still munching away at their meal. He was pretty sure it was the stoic looking kid that asked him this, Logan he believed his name was.

“Hmm, yeah,” Thomas said, shaking his head “yeah, why do you ask?”

“You kind of have this…” The loud kid, Roman if he was remembering correctly, gestured towards him “…face, like you’ve just kind of walked into your doom.”

Thomas saw how the groups shoulders slumped, the mood severely brought down by that statement and he really didn’t want to see these boys in anymore distressed then they already were.

“Oh, no, no, uh, I was just…thinking you know,” Thomas sighed, rubbing his face tiredly “like, how is it that Oscorp can screw up twice and let a multimillion-dollar mutant spider escape…again! Like, they’re supposed to be a bunch of geniuses, right? But they’re letting this happen again and god only knows how much more powerful that little spider is. I was lucky enough to have accidently stepped on mine and killed it but it seems that little guy you got there is a bit smarter.”

“Indeed,” Logan perked up “from what I was able to study and pick up from its distorted speech pattern, it seems to know what it’s doing. It was trying to kill us as it saw us as a potential threat, which is why the venom dosage increased with each victim, but it unknowingly mutated our DNA. To say it was disappointed that I woke up the next morning is…an understatement.”

“It likes me though.” The gloomy kid, Virgil he recalled, stated smugly.

Logan rolled his eyes, “Yes, well you did help it escape out your window so of course it sees you as some sort of ally.”

“Are we just going to skip over the fact that it TRIED to kill us?” Roman said worriedly.

“Yes, because I don’t wanna think about it,” The cutesy kid, Patton, whined childishly but there was a glint of fear in his eyes “and for the record tell that creepy crawly death dealer that I don’t like it either!”

“It’s nothing personal Patton,” Virgil assured “consciously or not it’s just a defense mechanism all spiders have when they’re scared.”

“I don’t care,” Patton cried “I still don’t want it anywhere near me!”

Thomas watched as they continued to argue and bicker, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips and the bitter taste of dread at the pit of his stomach. These were kids, teenagers really but still kids none the less, still full of life and wonder. He couldn’t burden them with the life of a hero. All the worry and sleepless nights and existential dread that came along with the job would definitely snuff out whatever innocence these boys had left. But he couldn’t just leave them to their own devices, they needed guidance on how to navigate their new-found powers. He’d be willing to do that, only that, nothing else. His job was dangerous as it was and he didn’t need to drag these kids into it, especially if they still don’t yet know how to control their powers.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Thomas said, finally interrupting the boys’ argument “I can help you guys out, well, I can try. I’ll help you guys understand what you’re going through and how to control your powers better, though I’m not sure if we’re exactly the same in that regard. Again, I have no idea what advances Oscorp has made in genetic splicing. You all could have totally different powers then what I’m used to.”

“We have all the basic functions,” Logan explained helpfully “though only Virgil and Roman can make webbing and I assume you can’t hear at the frequency we have; thus, you can’t hear the spider talking.”

“You would be correct in that assumption,” Thomas nodded “though, I mean, sometimes I can sense where they are and how they’re feeling but that’s about it. Nothing too crazy. Anything else?”

“None that we know of,” Roman shrugged “we’ve just been sticking to things all day and seeing weird colors radiating off each other like fireworks and this weird buzzing in the back of our head that keeps telling us somethings happening.”

“Yeah, that would be your spidy sense.” Thomas said.

The boys tilted their heads like some sort of adorable, confused puppy, “Spidy sense?”

“It’s a thing that I have and you guys have that makes us a LOT more aware of our surroundings,” Thomas explained “how do you think I’m able to attack, dodge, and shoot things without even looking at them?”

“Oh, you mean precognition,” Logan said “like the crab spider.”

“Sort of,” Thomas said “think of it as a sort of alarm clock that goes off every time dangers near.”

“Oh great, just what I need in my life,” Virgil said sarcastically “even more anxiety.”

“Yeah, that’s gunna be a tough one for you to handle bud,” Thomas said sympathetically “given that you have anxiety it’ll feel like one and the same but I’ll teach you a few tricks to help tell the difference.”

Virgil gave him a shy appreciative smile and Thomas all but melted as the kid mumbled, “Th-thanks…that would…help a lot actually.”

No Sanders! Do not get attached to these kids! Do not!

“So, um, what are we gunna do now?” Patton piped up shyly “Are you gunna teach us to be super heroes?”

“Do we get to be your sidekicks?” Roman asked excitedly, practically bouncing in his seat.

Thomas bit the inside of his cheek anxiously, “Um, well, I’ll teach you guys how to control your powers and understand yourselves better and everything but I don’t think-”

“Obviously, we would have to train a significant amount before even considering becoming his sidekicks.” Logan stated plainly.

“I know that Einstein,” Roman huffed “I’m just asking!”

“Wait, if we’re gunna do this are we gunna have to make our own costumes or something?” Virgil asked “Because I don’t know if I’m willing to put in that much effort.”

“Ooo, Roman and I can help you guys if you want,” Patton offered “I’m good at sewing and Roman sometimes helps out the costume department at the drama club.”

“Thank you, Patton, but I don’t think we should be thinking about costumes until after we’ve completed our training.” Logan said.

“Boo you whore,” Roman grumbled “you’re no fun.”

“You are not super heroes!” Thomas said firmly causing the table to go quiet, all four boys staring at him with a mixture of confusion and disappointment. He sighed, “Look, guys, my job as Rainbow Weaver, it’s not a game. It’s dangerous and tiring and…is the biggest responsibility you could ever ask for.”

The boys fidgeted in their seats, having now realized they were sort of jumping to conclusions and not seeing the reality of the situation. Thomas continued on, “You guys are just kids, you’re still in high school, you’re still growing, you still have a life! I don’t want you guys to leave that behind. Being a super hero may seem cool and glamorous but it’s a lot of work and sometimes…” There was a look of pain that flashed across Thomas is eyes, too quick for the boys to properly evaluate “…sometimes you won’t be able to save everyone. This is a job where you can’t afford to make mistakes because they have dire consequences. For you, the people around you, their families, everyone, they’re all affected. And no one will give you the benefit of the doubt because you’re a hero and it’s your job to protect them.”

It was silent for a moment then Roman asked, quiet and unsure, “If it’s such a burden then…why did you become a hero?”

The look of pain and regret returned to Thomas is eyes as he ran an anxious hand across his salt and pepper brown hair, “To become a better person then what I once was.”

“What does that mean?” Virgil asked bravely but still quite gentle.

“Sometimes,” Thomas began carefully “things happen and…people get hurt and then you have no choice but to take responsibility for that.” No one pressed him any further but it seemed Thomas still had more to say, “You guys have an opportunity to…live a normal life. I had that opportunity but the choices I made forced me to abandon it and I regret it so much. But I knew it was something to be done and because of it I did end up helping a lot of people but…also hurting a lot of people as well.”

Finally, Thomas looked back up at them, a strong determined look in his eyes, “I don’t want you guys going through the same experiences as I did. I want you boys to live your lives as normally as possible. Go out, make friends, date, have parties, worry about exams…live a life. Because if you choose to go down this path this will be your only life, do you understand?”

It was quiet again, this time much longer and this time it was Logan who chose to brake it, “No offence, Mr. Sanders, we understand completely what you’re trying to tell us but what else do you expect us to do with these abilities?”

Thomas sighed tiredly, “Look, kid-”

“No, we get it,” Logan continued “well, at least, I know I do. I can not speak for us all but I understand how big of a responsibility this is. But do you really expect us to go about our lives normally as we did before? How are we supposed to live “normally” when we know that we are anything but? How are we going to go our whole lives doing nothing and letting our powers sit dormant when we can feel it itching beneath our skin? Honestly, could you have done that?”

Thomas thought a moment, flashing back to when he first got his powers and how everything felt jittery and loud. How he had trouble sitting still and had been restless for days. Then he became Rainbow Weaver and everything changed, it was difficult yes but it really helped get out a lot of that nervous, restless energy he had inside him. He felt he was using his powers correctly and not just sitting there while his head buzzed like an angry hornets’ nest. When he first got his powers, he knew he needed to do SOMETHING with them but he didn’t know what. That lead to a lot of trouble be even then after he knew that he still couldn’t just sit there.

“I’ll admit that I would have been restless and miserable my entire life if I hadn’t become Rainbow Weaver,” Thomas answered honestly “however, I think I still would of chosen to do so instead of taking on the mask.”

“Do you really hate being Rainbow Weaver that much?” Virgil asked. He looked…hurt? Disappointed? Thomas wasn’t quite sure but he knew for sure that he didn’t like it.

“I don’t hate being Rainbow Weaver,” Thomas said, looking out the window next to their booth “it’s just…after a couple of years it kind of takes a toll on you. I’m just a tired, grumpy old man, nothing special.”

More silence, the boys quietly mulling over the conversation, fidgeting with that same restless energy mentioned earlier and then…

“You’re special to me.”

Thomas looked back to see Roman staring back at him with a pout and a gentle yet fiery look in his eyes. “You may not think yourself special as a person but to me, be it Thomas Sanders or Rainbow Weaver, you’ve brought…just a little bit more joy into my life. And maybe it’s not a lot to someone like you but it’s a lot to me. So…if I could be able to do that for someone, even if it’s just one person, I’d be over the moon.

“I understand your concern and you’re absolutely right, this is not a game. But Logan is, dare I say it, right, we can’t just sit around letting these powers fester inside us. What are we supposed to do with our selves for the rest of our lives? Can’t go back to being normal when we know for damn sure we’re not and I don’t know about the rest of you but I want to do more with my life. Especially now that I can!”

Thomas sighed once more, rubbing a hand over his face and hair, “You gotta understand kid, this isn’t like the comic books. The dangers and hardships are real and once you’re in there is no going back.”

“And I accept that,” Roman replied firmly “I accept all of it and everything and…if I live to regret it then oh well. But I know that I’ll regret it more knowing I had the power to do something but instead chose to do nothing. In the end it’s my choice and nobody else is.”

Well, I’m not sure about the whole super hero thing,” Virgil pipped up “but…I do feel like I should be doing something with these powers. I’ve taught my self to play it safe and keep quiet my whole life but now…now I wanna do something more. I don’t want to just sit here letting the world pass me by anymore I want…I want to do something spontaneous and brave.

“A-and I know this isn’t some sort of hobby you pick up like dancing or painting or something,” Virgil said quickly “but I feel like…it’s something I need to do. Something I have to do. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“I…” Thomas wanted to say yes, yes, he understood everything that they were saying because it was what drove him to be Rainbow Weaver in the first place. But he also wanted to lie and say no, just so he can protect these kids from the horrors that awaited them down the hero’s path.

“Plus,” Patton added “you look like you could use the help. It must be difficult looking after an entire city alone. And since we all have powers now, we can make the work a whole lot easier for you in return for you helping us control our powers.”

“Indeed,” Logan said, readjusting his fake glasses “crime rate will surely go down in numbers with five on the team. It will give you time to have optimal rest between shifts as well as pursue what ever other hobbies you previously could not do. It’s a solid business proposition for all of us, we get the proper training we need to control our new-found abilities and you have a more balanced out schedule for both your vigilante duties and personal life.”

Thomas looked over these kids, determination in their eyes and fire in their bellies, ready to take on the weight of the world for him. They were stubborn and foolish and so not ready for anything yet to come…but it would be very hypocritical of Thomas to deny them this path. Plus, he wasn’t their parent, it wasn’t like he could completely tell them what to do. All he could do was warn them of what was ahead and hope to whatever god above they take his advice. Thomas sighed again, then he groaned, then he banged his head against the table because these kids were so stubborn, exactly like him, and it was all just so frustrating. He looked back up at them, face squished against the table as four pairs of worried eyes stared at him, he probably looked insane. He probably was insane but was too deep in shit to actually be affected by anything now.

“Fine.” Thomas said, he was so going to regret this.

“Fine what?” Roman asked.

Thomas made a vague gesture with his hand, “Fine, I’ll…teach you and train you guys and, if you really want, I’ll…consider letting you help me out a bit.”

“Really?” Logan said, somewhat excitedly, like a child on Christmas.

If this were not such a serious matter Thomas would of laughed, “But nothing to dangerous, just…common things, purse muggers, corner store robberies, assaulters, jay walkers, all that jazz.”

“Hey, that’s good enough for me.” Virgil said, a small excited smile growing on this face.

“Me too!” Patton exclaimed.

“I second that motion.” Logan added.

“Epic!” Roman cheered.

“But!” Thomas interrupted “You guys are still minors and in high school so you all are under my rule, got it? You do exactly as I say when I say it.”

They all nodded enthusiastically, still jittery with excitement as Thomas continued to give out instructions, “This is a dangerous job and I want you all trained first and for most. So, we aren’t gunna be going out on patrol anytime soon, get that into your head right now. Secondly, it is imperative you keep all of this a secret, everything we do can not only put you at risk but your families and friends.”

“Luckily, I don’t have any friends.” Virgil half joked.

Logan rolled his eyes, “Gee, thanks.”

“Thirdly,” Thomas cut in, his expression growing dark and serious “if you guys are going to do this, you have to be willing to put everything you have into this. No short cuts, no half assed effort, no walking away. It’s all or nothing, got it?”

“Got it.” They echoed, just as serious and determined as Thomas feared they’d be.

“Alright,” Thomas huffed, leaning back to stretch “let’s finish up here and then we have to go somewhere.”

“Where?” Patton asked curiously.

“There are a few people I want you to meet.” Thomas smirked mysteriously.

---

Thomas had been worried at first, it was very suspicious for a grown adult man to take for underaged teenagers to his house. It gave off the wrong impression to people and made him look like a creep. But what else could he do but make sure the boys were safe and comfortable, assuring them that nothing bad would happen even though when he said it out loud it still sounded mildly disturbing. Like sure, he was Rainbow Weaver, but he was still a stranger to these boys and he did not want to scare them off when they had no where else to turn to for help.

Thankfully the boys understood Thomas is worry and were careful to not crowed around too much to make it seem weird. When they got to his neighborhood Roman commented that the two-story brownstone townhouse Thomas lived in looked like the house from Stuart Little. Thomas paused a moment, tilting his head back to get a good look at his house before chuckling and reluctantly agreeing that, “Yeah, you’re kind of right.”

Inside, the house was spacious and neat, band, concert, musical and play posters hung on the wall alongside pictures of Thomas and his friends and family. There were lots of colors, figurines from movies and shows, potted plants on shelves, tables and corners, and just and overall warm atmosphere.

“Whoa, your house is really neat-o!” Patton exclaimed, excitingly looking over one of the potted plants filled with sweet peas.

Thomas smiled bashfully, “Oh, thanks, I-”

“You went to a My Chemical Romance concert?!” Virgil gasped softly as he stared at one of the hung-up posters “And you got it signed?!”

“Yeah,” Thomas nodded “me and Joan went-”

“You went to see Hamilton!” Roman squealed, looking up at another poster “And you got it signed by Lin Manuel Mirandas!”

“Yes and-”

“Do you have the entire anthology of Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle’s work?” Logan asked excitedly, he ran his finger over the books of the bookshelf and plucked out The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

“Not entirely but-”

“Oh my gosh!” Patton squealed, running over to the living room towards the shelf filled with pop vinyl’s “You have a bunch of Winnie the Pooh pops! And Steven Universe! I love that show!”

“I heard Steven Universe!” Roman exclaimed, rushing in behind his friend.

“Where?” Virgil chimed in, not to far behind with Logan tailing along, nose deep in a Sherlock Holmes book.

“You have a record player!” Roman gasped, quickly kneeling to look through Thomas is record box “What types of records do you have?”

“Oh, David Bowie!” Patton smiled as he pulled out a record.

“Cool, the Beatles White Album!” Virgil grinned.

“Isn’t that the one that Charles Manson was obsessed over?” Roman asked.

“It’s still a good album.” Virgil and Thomas said at the same time. They blinked at each other in surprise before dissolving into a fit of giggles. It was all a little more chaotic then what Thomas was expecting but it wasn’t unwelcome. Thomas didn’t usually have many people over except for Joan and Talyn so it was…nice hearing the house so full of laughter.

Speaking of Joan and Talyn…

“Thomas? Is that you?” A voice from down the hall made it’s way closer and closer to the living room where it was revealed to belong to a lanky, scraggily looking person in an orange beanie. “Talyn and I just finished-”

They paused, looking over the scene carefully as the boys all froze like deer caught in headlights. They scanned over each teen one by one before making direct eye contact with Thomas and carefully asking: “What the hell is going on?”

“Joan, uh,” Thomas flubbered in place, caught way off guard “look, hears the thing, uh, they have what I have.”

“That isn’t making any of this look any better Thomas!” Joan exclaimed, frustrated.

“Uh…”

“We have spider powers!” Roman butted in, shooting a web at a nearby picture frame causing it to fall and brake “Sorry!”

“God damn it Roman!” Virgil shrieked “Be careful, this isn’t your house!”

“Oh please,” Roman huffed “as if you weren’t just going through his vinyl collection not five seconds ago. And without permission might I add.”

“You did so as well,” Logan rebutted “so it’s kind of hypocritical of you to make that statement.”

“Right back at you!” Roman shot back, gesturing to the book in Logan’s hands.

The bespectacled man flushed with embarrassment, setting the book down on a nearby table as Virgil bounced back up, “Well, he’s not the one that broke something!”

“Come on guys, please no fighting.” Patton begged but it fell on deaf ears and soon the room was filled with loud arguing. Joan and Thomas observed the chaos unfold silently, contemplating what their best course of action should be. Wait it out? Get involved?

“What’s going on?” Another voice chimed in and the room went silent once more, turning to find a short person with orange and black hair. Joan pointed to Thomas who merely shrugged sheepishly and said: “Talyn, you’re never gunna believe this.”

---

They head down towards Thomas is basement (which still sounds super fucking creepy) and find that it has been transformed into pretty sizable high-tech lab. If Logan had been excited by the books that Thomas owned, he was over the moon by all the gadgets and text books he had down there. He kept asking question after question about how everything worked and what did this do and what did that do? Thomas found the whole thing very amusing, like watching a little kid at a candy store.

“Did you all make all this stuff?” Logan asked excitedly.

“Well, it was mainly Joan and Talyn.” Thomas said.

“Don’t sell yourself short man,” Joan scolded lightly, patting their friend on the back “you did a lot of the designing and schematics. Not your fault you had to be out saving everybody.”

“Stay still please,” Talyn ordered gently, seating Logan on a near by chair next to Patton, Roman, and Virgil who had a few suction cup wires stuck to their foreheads, necks, chests, and arms. “The scanning process will go a lot faster if we’re able to draw blood from you and use is as a sort of blue print to navigate your body. Is that okay?”

The boys looked at each other tentatively before all nodding in agreement. As Talyn got a few petri dishes and micro slides ready Joan had taken the spider from Logan’s backpack and transferred it into a small containment unit that was hooked up to the large motherboard computer. Thomas watched anxiously from the sideline as his friends scurried around to get everything ready.

“So, what are you gunna do to us?” Virgil asked nervously as Talyn carefully wiped down one of his fingers with rubbing alcohol.

“Well, we took a sample from the spider and scanning it right now to see what’s been mixed in to it,” Talyn explained as they took a clean syringe needle and pricked his finger with it dropping blood into the petri dish and micro slid before bandaging it up. It hadn’t even hurt. “Then we’re gunna use your DNA to see what’s been transformed as well as to easily scan your vitals.”

“Why are you doing that?” Patton asked as he watched them move on to Roman.

“Well for one, to make sure your mutation is stable,” Joan chimed in helpfully “and to also see what other abilities you guys may have. Keep in mind you guys may or may not have other abilities within you that will take a bit of time to, uh, activate.”

“What happens if our mutation isn’t stable?” Roman asked, rubbing his bandage finger.

The adults were quiet for a moment which of course did not sit well with the teens one bit. Talyn gently smiled at them, wrapping up Patton’s finger before finally moving on to Logan. “Don’t worry about it, it’s most likely not going to happen. You boys seem pretty stable from what we’ve observed.”

“That’s not ominous at all.” Virgil said sarcastically.

“Starting scan,” Joan announced once Talyn was finish getting their sample from Logan. They typed away quickly at the computer as a long beam of blue light scanned the quartet up and down and a light tingly sensation was felt where the suction cups were attached. The boys didn’t move once, much to fearful they might accidently mess up the scanning process, Virgil didn’t even want to breath.

Finally, after a few seconds, there was an audible beep and the blue lights shut off. Virgil, along with the other three, let out a loud sigh, shoulders still a bit tense but not as much as when the scanning was happening. Thomas quickly walked over towards them to make sure they were okay.

“You guys good?” He asked.

“We’re okie dokie,” Patton giggled nervously “just, uh, a bit frazzled.”

“I think I’m stuck to my chair.” Virgil admitted bashfully, his hands had been gripping the sides of the stool and Thomas could now see that he was physically trying to pull them off.

“Hey, hey, hey, you’re gunna hurt yourself,” Thomas cooed softly “just breath, in for four…hold for seven…out for eight. Good job, keep it up.”

Once he was able to calm Virgil down enough and get him unstuck, he looked to the others to make sure they were okay too. As Patton said earlier, he was a bit frazzled but ultimately okay, Roman was a bit jittery but seemed to be calming down as he followed Virgil’s breathing technique. Logan was just fine and was once again talking and asking a dozen questions about what just happened and how it worked and what did they find and etcetera, etcetera.

“Good news, your mutation is stable,” Joan announced and there was an obvious sigh of relief from both Thomas and the boys “we have found some interesting data though. This poor little spider has been spliced through hell and back. It’s practically a new species on it’s own, way different then the first generation that bit Thomas.”

“How so?” Logan asked, intrigued.

“Well, for one it has a few functions not typically normal for a spider,” Talyn said, looking through a few graphs on their tablet “it’s been extremely enhanced and mutated over and over again. Like if they were copying the same piece of paper again and again. It just all stacks up into this…it can barely be called a spider, I honestly don’t know what it is.”

“Well, it still looks like a creepy crawly spider to me.” Patton pouted.

“Looks are one thing, the function of it is another,” Joan said thoughtfully, pressing a few buttons and gesturing towards the containment unit the spider was in “watch this.”

The boys and Thomas looked towards the chamber and watched the spider scuttle around as the soft buzz of electricity filled its tank then it disappeared. Their eyes widened as they did a double take to make sure that really happened and the spider really wasn’t there anymore.

“Where’d it go?” Roman asked.

“It’s still there,” Joan said, typing once more and the tank was soon glossed over in Infrared light. There they saw the spider, still inside, scuttling around its tank as if nothing has changed. “Besides invisibility it seems to have other super abilities as well. We can’t for sure name all of them but I’ve got a few here listed out and ready for testing.”

“Sit back boys, Thomas move out of the way, please,” Talyn ordered gently “this’ll tingle a little.”

They typed something out on their tablet and the boys felt a slight tingle of electricity move throughout their bodies. It didn’t hurt and it didn’t last long so the boys were left confused as to what happened. Until they looked to Virgil.

“Virgil?” Logan called out, looking around the lab when he saw that his friend was no longer seated on the stool “Where’d you go?”

“I’m right here.” A disembodied voice said.

Patton screamed, jumping out of his chair and on to Roman’s lap, “There’s a ghost!”

“What?”

“V-Virgil, is that you?” Roman asked, holding Patton close.

“Yeah, what are you guys looking at?” The voice demanded.

“We aren’t looking at anything, we’re looking for you.” Logan said.

“But I’m right-” There was a sudden pause then a shriek of fear “I can’t see my-my hands or my feet or my anything!”

Thomas quickly turned to Joan and Talyn when he heard the panic rise in Virgil’s voice, “Whatever you did, stop it now!”

Talyn nodded, quickly typing on their tablet and another small tingle of electricity was sent out. Virgil reappeared slowly, arms hugging around his waist as he curled into himself and eyes squeezed shut. Thomas was by his side in an instant, gently coxing him back to reality, “Hey, its okay, you’re okay. Breath for me, please.”

Virgil took a breath and peeked out from one eye before looking down and sighing with relief when he was able to see himself again. He looked back up to Thomas with fearful eyes, “W-what was that?”

“I’m not sure,” Thomas admitted before looking over and firmly pining his two friends with a look “what did you guys do?”

They gave an apologetic smile as Joan leaped to explain what happened, “Well, we sent the same small electric pulse we used on the spider towards your brain to see if you would have the same effects. Obviously, it did and obviously we should have prepared you guys a bit more in advance. We’re sorry.”

“Yeah, that’s our bad.” Talyn added.

Thomas sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Guys, we talked about this, please give substantial warning BEFORE the experiment happens. Not everyone is super geniuses like you two and know exactly what’s going to happen.”

“I take it this has happened before?” Logan stated, having now gotten up to be by Virgil’s side, a hand placed gently on his friends back rubbing soothing circles.

“Yeah,” Thomas admitted “but usually it’s with me on the receiving end. I’m used to it by now but of course you guys aren’t so…” He gave his friends a pointed look “warning next time.”

“Next time?” Virgil squeaked.

“Oh, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Thomas assured quickly “we can do this another day. I know today has been really stressful for you boys already so I understand if you guys want to go home already and get some rest.”

“No, no, I’m fine,” Virgil said quickly “really, just…you know, a little freaked out. Might as well get it over with now so we won’t have to worry about it later.”

“Are you sure?” Logan asked, his hand still remained in contact with Virgil’s back.

“Don’t push yourself too hard,” Roman added “mental health is just as important as physical health you know.”

“Yeah kiddo, if it’s gunna be too much for you we rather just wait for a bit to cool down.” Patton said sweetly.

Virgil cheeks flushed a light pink, head ducking down so that his bangs cover his eyes, “I’m fine, really. Th-thanks for checking up though. But, like, what about you guys? How do you guys feel about all this…experimenting stuff?”

“Yeah, I want to make sure you boys are all comfortable with all of this,” Thomas said firmly “if anything crosses a line or you want to stop, tell us okay?”

“I’m good.” Roman nodded.

“I am as well.” Logan confirmed, sitting back down.

“Me too.” Patton chimed in as he climbed off of Roman’s lap.

“I’ll be fine.” Virgil murmured.

“Excellent,” Joan said excitingly turning back to the computer “the next set of tests will be of a similar fashion. We’ll send a wave of electronic pules to your brain’s nervous system and see if we can get a reaction.”

“Remember, if you guys get uncomfortable or need us to stop don’t be afraid to tell us, okay?” Talyn added.

With one last nod of confirmation Joan said, “Let us begin.”

---

“Roman can you sing a note for me?” Talyn asked.

Roman gave her a look of confusion, “You want me to sing? I mean, not that I won’t do it but why?”

“With this test we seem to only be getting a reaction from your brain so I want to see if the ability we’ve unlocked is active,” Talyn explained “but make sure to face the wall over there, please.”

“Uh, okay,” Roman said, shifting in his seat towards the directed area “can I ask what ability this is?”

“Sonic sound waves,” Joan said casually “we all might want to take a step back just in case.”

Thomas and the other three stepped behind Roman who in turn rolled his eyes before focusing on the task at hand. All he had to do was sing a note, but like what note? How high? How loud? How would this even work? Roman sighed, shrugged, and decided to just riff Ariel’s theme.

“Ah, ah, ah! Ah, ah, ah!”

The room shook and shuttered like an earthquake. Everyone covered their ears from be beautiful yet ear piercingly loud tune that shook the entire building. The wall which Roman was facing when he sang had shook so violently there was a large crack that ripped down the middle of it.

Roman was quick to cover his mouth, eyes wide at the destruction he’s caused, “Oh dear…”

“Yeah, I think we should have that dormant for now until he learns how to control it.” Thomas suggested, trying to settle the ringing in his ear.

“We can’t exactly turn their powers on or off,” Joan explained “these are just electric pulses that activate their powers for them artificially. On their own we don’t know when these powers will pop up or how they’ll be able to activate them. It could take days, months, even years.”

“I just hope it doesn’t come out during the play this winter.” Roman moaned.

---

“This one is simple,” Joan said as they walked over towards a light switch on a wall “it shows that each of you have some variation of night vision, though I’m not sure how strong it is. I’m gunna turn off the light and you guys tell me what you see, okay?”

Four nods of agreement were seen and Joan finally flipped the switch. Nothing happened, well, at least for Logan. He looked around confused, was the light switch broken? Everything still looked the same to him.

“What do you see?” Talyn asked, they stared straight ahead at nothing and Logan wondered why that was.

“You still haven’t turned off the light.” Logan stated obviously.

Joan, who was also looking into the nothingness, pulled a face of confusion before breaking out into a large grin, “Logan, we just switched them off.”

“No, you haven’t,” Logan argued “I mean you used the light switch but they’re still….on.” He looked up to the florescent lights above him that were now dark and it suddenly dawned on him “I have night vision…”

“I think I do too,” Virgil piped up, squinting around the room “but when you turned off the light everything just kind of got dim.”

“Yeah, me too.” Patton chimed in.

“It all turned black and white for me,” Roman said “like, I can see everything fine but it’s all just shades of gray.”

“Excellent,” Joan smiled, flicking the light switch back on “it seems like Logan has the better night vision out of everyone. Roman’s vision is probably more what the spider would see normally and Patton and Virgil’s are about the same as Thomas.”

“Why do you think that is?” Logan asked curiously “We all got bit by the same spider so you would assume we would all be the same ability wise.”

“You’re all different,” Talyn said obviously “if you were the same person then maybe you’d have similar reactions but depending on your DNA your bodies will react to the venom differently. Plus, you did theorize that with each victim the spider used more and more venom so that can also be an important factor.”

Logan nodded thoughtfully, “I guess so.”

---

“We’re gunna do a quick test on just you Patton,” Talyn said as they tied a blindfold over Patton’s eyes “we’ve been picking up some strange brainwaves coming from you and we want to if we’re right.”

“Uh, okay,” Patton said tentatively, squirming in his seat “is it something bad?”

“No, no nothing bad,” Talyn assured “it’s just we’ve noticed that you seemed to be a very empathetic person and we want to see if that has been enhanced in anyway with your mutation.”

“Oh, well, what are we gunna do then?” Patton asked.

“Well, we’ve given everybody a note card of a certain feeling and they’re gunna try to emulate that feeling,” Joan explained as they passed out the note cards “your job is to guess what that feeling is.”

“How am I gunna do that?” Patton asked, head turning to try and track Joan’s voice.

“How ever you deem it necessary,” Joan said “I’ve known some people to sense thing through auras and given your ‘spidy sense’ that could be the case. But sometimes physical contact is needed to truly pick up what the other person is feeling.”

“Mmh, okay,” Patton said “but why the blindfold?”

“Eye contact and facial features can sometimes give away what a person’s feeling very easily,” Talyn chimed in “so this a ‘no cheating’ blindfold.”

“Oooh, sorry, I’m dumb.” Patton giggled.

“You are NOT dumb, Patton!” Roman said firmly, arms crossed stubbornly and glaring at his best friend even though Patton couldn’t see him.

Patton smiled passively, “Whatever you say, Ro.”

“I will punch you in the name of friendship!” Roman declared dramatically.

The group laughed at the two friends’ antics before quickly settling into silence as Joan lined them up in front of Patton with them going first. Patton fidgeted nervously as Joan stood in front him, he could tell someone was there but he just couldn’t read them properly. Shyly, Patton extended both his hands out, palms up, and Joan silently replied by carefully setting their own hands over his.

“I feel…curious,” Patton hummed “like, I have a lot of questions, well, they have a lot of question. I have questions too but that’s not me feeling question…wait can you feel question? Oh, it’s changing. They’re amused but also satisfied that they’re questions have been answered. Is that right?”

“Yes, it is.” Joan chuckled, letting go of Patton’s hands.

“Oh, Joan,” Patton said surprised “I didn’t know you’d be participating too. I don’t have to guess names, right? I don’t think I can do that.”

“No, just feelings.” They assured, stepping away and letting the next person go up.

Virgil carefully stepped up, looking down at his note card before stuffing it in his pocket. He just stood there a moment, staring down at Patton’s extended hands before carefully reaching out to grab them. Patton hummed curiously, soft warm hands squeezing Virgil’s gently.

“They’re kind of nervous,” Patton stated “they really don’t know what they should be doing right now. Aw, don’t be nervous, you’re doing great. Oh, they’re relaxing a little, that’s good. Glad I could lend a hand.”

Virgil snorted, Logan groaned in the background and everybody else chuckled. Patton giggled delightfully, “See, they think I’m funny! Did I do good?”

“Doing great Patton,” Joan assured “Next please.”

Virgil stepped out of the way for Thomas to move forward. The older man was hesitant at first but ultimately sighed, handing his note card off to Joan before grabbing hold of Patton’s hands. Immediately, Patton’s smiling face morphed into a melancholy frown, brow knitting together as if in immense pain.

“Oh they’re…i-it feels…sad,” Patton whimpered, voice cracked and watery “b-but it’s not a normal sad it’s like…like they lost someone precious to them.”

The others watch on with amazement and worry as tears began to stream down Patton’s face, “They’re in a lot of pain but…they also feel empty and cold. N-now they feel guilty, oh don’t feel guilty! I’m fine, really it’s just…can I give you a hug?”

Thomas looked down at Patton’s tear stained face, fear and guilt clawing at his chest for causing so much destress to such a sweet kid. Taking a breath to calm himself Thomas stepped forward and engulfed the teen in a big hug. Patton was quick to wrap his arms tightly around Thomas’s waist as if he was trying to physically mend all of Thomas is broken pieces back together. Warmth bloomed in Thomas’s chest at the sweet gesture and he couldn’t help but squeeze a little tighter and hold on a bit longer. The room was calm and quiet, no one wanting to disturb the gentle moment being had between the two.

“I know it’s hard but…I promise we’ll get through it eventually.” Patton murmured gently into his chest.

They final let go after a long while and Thomas sheepishly side stepped away while Patton wiped away the tears from under his blindfold. Roman was about to step forward but Talyn held him back to take his place, seeing that Roman’s note card also had an extreme emotion they figured Patton could use a bit of an emotional cool down. Gently, Talyn grabbed onto Patton’s hands, rubbing soothing circles over his fingers.

“They’re very clam,” Patton sniffed, taking in a breath then slowly letting it out “it’s gentle and nice, very soothing. Like, aloe being put over a burn mark…that’s weird analogy, I’m sorry.”

Talyn huffed out a laugh, “I think it’s suitable.”

“Oh, Talyn, you’re here too,” Patton smiled “did I get it right?”

“Mmh,” Talyn nodded before realizing Patton couldn’t see them “yeah, you did. We can stop now if you want, we have plenty of date.”

“No, I wanna finish,” Patton said determined “I’m fine to continue.”

“You sure?” Talyn asked carefully.

Patton nodded, “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Okay, next person.” Talyn stepped aside and let Roman take their place. Roman handed them his note card before firmly taking Patton’s hands in his. Patton pouted, his brow scrunched up in annoyance.

“I feel…angry,” Patton said “well, maybe not ‘angry’ angry but like…kind of annoyed, maybe a little more frustrated. Also, a tad bit worried. Geez, what’s got you so riled up?”

“Because my best friend thinks he’s dumb but he’s not and I love him very much!” Roman grumbled, stomping his foot childishly “Also you were crying earlier and I don’t like seeing you sad.”

“Aw, Ro-Ro,” Patton giggled, pulling Roman in for a hug “I love you too, sorry for making you worry.”

“It’s not your fault Peaches,” Roman murmured, burying his face into Patton’s hair “but to quote you: ‘if you keep talking bad about yourself, I will physically fight you!’”

The friends giggled, holding each other for a little while longer until Roman finally “forgave” Patton and moved out of the way for the last person. Logan fidgeted nervously, quite unlike his usual calm and cool self, frowning down at the note card in his hand, “Happy” it read. Logan was pretty sure that Virgil switched out their note cards if the smug face he had was anything to go by. He glared at his best friend before handing off the note card and stepping in front of Patton, who extended his hands readily.

Logan gulped nervously, no that was not the right emotion to be having right now. Happy, he had to be happy. Think happy thoughts…what kind of happy thoughts? His mother’s homed cooked Mansaf…his first telescope his brother got him on his 7th birthday…the first time his father took him to the aquarium and the jelly fish looked like stars…the time Virgil fell down the stairs…Logan huffed a small laugh on that last one.

Carefully, Logan lifted his hands and hovered them a few inches above Patton’s own. He gulped again, face red hot and all eyes (minus Patton’s) were on him, waiting. Why was he nervous? Why couldn’t he move? Why were his hands suddenly so sweaty? This was just an experiment, it was not big deal!

“Um, are you still there?” Patton asked, confused as to why it was taking so long.

“Give them a minute,” Joan said helpfully, but the knowing smirk on his and everybody else is face wasn’t helpful at all. At least not for Logan.

“Oh, okay, take your time.” Patton said soothingly, a soft smile painting his face. Patton always had a nice smile, it made everything feel lighter. Logan was quick to stop that train of thought and immediately dropped his hands onto Patton’s.

Patton hummed quietly, his hands were soft and warm, short and fat compared to Logan’s cold, clammy, spindly fingers. They were so different and yet they felt completely natural together. It was a completely absurd and illogical thought to say the least but it was a common thought process Logan had whenever he was around the bright sunshine of a human being known as Patton Foster.

Patton smiled, a pretty blush spreading across his cheeks, “It’s really warm and fluttery.”

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck!’ Logan thought to himself ‘Abort mission! Abort mission!’

But he was frozen in place as Patton continued to explain, “Like a thousand butterflies in my stomach but I also want to throw up at the same time. Not in a bad way though. They’re a bit nervous too but also kind of excited. They’re in love!”

Logan choked on his own spit and he heard Virgil and Roman in the background quietly snickering to themselves. He threw them a glare to shut up before turning back to remove his hands but found that Patton still held them firmly in his own. Turns out he wasn’t done yet.

“They’re embarrassed now,” He said tentatively “was I not supposed to say that? Sorry, I got excited. You’re love is a very nice feeling and whoever that lucky person is to receive it I hope they know how wonderfully blessed they are.”

Logan was pretty sure his face was on fire now, he’s surprised that the smoke alarm hadn’t started beeping. Or maybe it has but he just couldn’t hear it over the beating of his own heart in his ears and Roman and Virgil’s annoying laughter. Logan cleared his throat, shaking his thoughts out of his head before carefully removing his hands from Patton’s gentle hold and rejoining the group.

“Did I get it right?” Patton asked.

“Uh, it wasn’t what was written on the note card but I think you still got it right,” Joan chuckled as they went to remove Patton’s blindfold as well as the suction cups on his head and neck “I think that’s enough testing for today. It’s getting late and you kids should probably start getting home.”

“Should we come back tomorrow?” Patton asked, blinking his eyes to adjust to the light.

“Only if you want to,” Thomas butted in before either Joan or Talyn could answer “and only if you guys are not busy. Remember, you still have school and a life to attend to.”

“Don’t remind me,” Roman whined “I still gotta finish my homework when I get home.”

“That’s ironic since we told our parents we were in a study group.” Logan said.

“What time is it anyway?” Virgil asked, stretching out his arms.

Talyn looked down at their watch, “’Bout to be eight thirty.”

“Eight thirty!” The boys exclaimed, panic rising in their eyes as they scrambled to pack their things.

“Aw, man my mom’s gunna kill for missing dinner!” Patton shrieked.

“You’re mom? Have you met my mom?” Roman voice cracked “She still thinks I’m sick and wanted me to stay home!”

“Thanks for everything Mr. Sanders, uh, we’ll come by tomorrow if we aren’t grounded.” Virgil said in a rush as they all raced up stairs.

“Pleasure meeting all of you!” Logan called out as he dashed out the basement door with his friends. The door slammed shut and there was a rumble of feet running across the hall before they heard the front door open and slam shut too.

“Nice kids.” Joan said after a moment of silence.

“Don’t get too attached to them,” Thomas warned as he walked over to the containment unit where the little spider was still scuttling around in “this all has to be taken seriously and professionally. These kids have no idea what going on to them or what they’ve just gotten themselves into so we have to there to guide them.”

“Mmh, are you telling us that or yourself?” Talyn smirked.

Thomas sputtered uselessly, “I-I…wh-what are you talking about?”

“Don’t think we don’t see how you interact with those kids,” Talyn chuckled “all maternal and such.”

“I’m not – it’s not…I don’t do that…” Thomas said meekly, but even he was starting to doubt that “I mean, they’re just kids and I know what it’s like going through what they’re going through. God knows I would have liked a bit of guidance. And they’re also younger then what I was when I first got my powers, we have to keep a careful eye on them.”

“I have a theory,” Joan announced dramatically “that by the end of the week they’ll have you wrapped around their little fingers.”

“Yeah right,” Thomas grumbled “I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m not really ‘hip’ with the kids.”

“You’re right, I should give you the benefit of the doubt,” Joan said solemnly “one and a half weeks it is.”

Talyn and Joan laughed while Thomas groaned but it wasn’t because he was frustrated but because he knew Joan was probably right.

Tag:

@immortaldystopia @metaphoricalpluto2 @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2 @misunderstood-shadow @fairytailtwists @0callmevirge0 @blenderkit17 @galaxy-lilies-main @lumi-1 @paint-in-flames

[nozoroomie]

Confessing Really Shouldn’t be this Difficult Chapter 1: Love Letter Part 1

Summary:  Confession attempt number one: An incredibly crafted love letter, written with the help of her two best friends. The stationery is perfect, the letter is dropped off at just the right time, and everything seems to be in place. What could possibly go wrong?

Notes: Hello everyone! Welcome to the very first -official- chapter of this story! Thank you for being so patient and hanging on to just the prologue for so long- I promise I'll try to keep up with regular updates. If things go well, hopefully every 2-3 weeks a new chapter will be posted!

Small note: Every time "Line" is mentioned, it's referring to the instant messaging app!

And a special HUGE thank you to @banditchika , I'm love you, thank you so so much for all your help betaing this and helping me figure out better ways to word my sentences, and to @ Sessaware for also reading it over and giving me her input! Thank you both again so so much ;w;.I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter!

Thank you for reading, replying. commenting and rebloging! Every bit of feedback means a lot to me ;w;

Word count: 6,392

[A03]

“Hanayo?!”

Nico sighs and fiddles with her eraser at the end of the club table. A notebook lies open in front of her and a mechanical pencil rests next to it. Eli’s exclamation causes her to blush a bit. Is it always this embarrassing telling your best friends who you have a crush on?

“That’s right Elichi~” Nozomi says in a sing song voice. “Our beloved Nicocchi is in love with cute little Hanayo-chan!”

“Harasho!” Eli’s eyes sparkle with excitement and she looks at Nico with the brightest smile, “I was a bit worried when you asked for us to meet in the club room, but I’m glad it’s for something as wonderful as this.”

Nico smiles awkwardly. “Thanks, I guess.” She shrugs and plays with her eraser a bit more.

“Do you plan on telling her?” Eli asks.

A dumb question from Eli, really. She’s got writing supplies in front of her- she’s asked both of them to meet with her and given Eli the final details of the conversation her and Nozomi had the night before. The question isn’t if Nico plans on telling her, but more like how she plans on telling her.

“Actually, that’s sort of why you’re here. Both of you.” Nico points towards Nozomi, who flashes a small grin.

“Nicocchi, is this your way of asking us to help you?” She teases.

Eli’s face is ecstatic for a moment, the idea already warming up to her. She looks to Nico with a unwavering and determined smile. Nico blushes a bit, not sure if she can answer Nozomi when Eli’s looking at her like that.

“I’d love nothing more than to help you out.” She says with confidence, “I’ll do whatever I can to help get your feelings to reach Hanayo.”

Despite Eli’s reassurance, Nico can see the tiny tinge of pink on Eli’s cheeks, as if she were a little embarrassed by her choice of words. She wishes this were a conversation on Line and not in person, that way she wouldn’t have to attempt to hide her blush. Or have to hear the words “your feelings” and “Hanayo” voiced out loud by her friends. It’s not like she’s embarrassed or  anything, but hearing the words spoken out loud from other people makes it feel more real. More set in stone. The idea of telling Hanayo she loves her is nerve wracking, but making a plan to act on those feelings makes her heart race in a way that can only be described as horrifying. Or exciting. There’s actually several ways Nico could describe this feeling, if she really thinks about it.

This might be hard to get used to.

“Yes okay! Yeah, I need a bit of help. Not like, a huge amount, I just-” she pauses, looking to the paper and gesturing to it with both hands. “I want to write her this love letter, full of my feelings, but I don’t even know how to begin it.”

“Oooh, you’re gunna tell her through love letter huh? Good choice, Nicocchi. Very direct and to the point.” Nozomi nods her head, approving of Nico’s idea.

“Right? I thought so too.” Nico crosses her arms and smirks, satisfied that her idea is a hit. “My problem here is I can’t write a good enough letter.”

“How many times have you tried to write it?” Eli inquires.

“About three,” Nico replies instantly. Her friends stare at each other before looking back to her and she sighs dejectedly. “ Okay, seven. But none of them sound right! I can’t form the right words at all. Saying ‘I like you, please go out with me,’ is way too flat and unexciting, but whenever I try to elaborate I just get distracted and end up with disasters like this.”

She flips a couple pages back in her notebook and hands it to Eli. She takes it and glances over one of the letters Nico’s written. Her cheeks puff a little as she tries -and fails- to stifle a small giggle. She covers her mouth with one hand and Nico rolls her eyes.

“It’s fine. That’s one of the first drafts so of course it’s bad.”

“I-it’s not that.” Eli tries to reassure, “The letter just sounds nothing like you at all. It’s like you’re putting on an act.”

“Eh?! Seriously?! I didn’t think it was that bad...” Nico grumbles and Eli flips the page, reading over the next letter.

“Hmm.. this ones better, but you’re right about sounding too flat. I’d say it’s more like you’re really… stiff?” She looks to Nozomi with a questioning gaze and holds the notebook out to her.

Nozomi takes it with both hands and scans the letter. She puts a thoughtful hand to her chin and hums, furrowing her brows and examining the characters on the page. Nico can already hear something ridiculous coming from Nozomi’s mouth.

“Actually, It’s just really easy to tell how nervous you are while writing this.”

Surprised, Nico sits up.

“Really?” She asks.

“Mhmm. It’s not even about penmanship really, it’s more like your wording fumbles around a lot, ya know?” She flips the page back to the earlier letter and reads it, smirking a little before pushing the notebook away. “That first one on the other hand? Yikes.”

There it is. Nico frowns. “Gee, thanks.”

“So, how do we help Nico improve her letter then?” Eli says, bringing the two of them back to the main question once again.

The three of them fall into silence, pondering it. Nico’s hands go back to fiddling with her eraser and Eli takes the notebook, scanning through the different letters Nico’s already written. Nozomi looks to the ceiling with a small frown as she considers different options. A phone vibrates and each of the girls check their pockets to determine who’s phone received the message.

Nico’s eyes light up a little when she notices an e-mail notification from Hanayo. She opens it with glee and Eli and Nozomi peer over curiously, wanting to know who the sender is. The contents are an image file and a caption that says “Don’t tell Maki-chan I sent this!!”

“Oho? What’s this Hanayo-chan is sending you?” Nozomi quips, leaning closer to get a better look.

“Isn’t it a bit rude to peek at messages that aren’t yours?” Nico jabs, but does nothing to move away from Nozomi or Eli’s curious gazes.

Nozomi laughs and says nothing to follow up. Nico taps on the thumbnail and the photo takes a moment before it loads. Nico snorts while Eli and Nozomi chuckle as a photo of a flustered Maki and beaming Rin take up the screen. Both have kitty whiskers drawn on in some sort of pen, and judging by the slight blur of the photo, Hanayo must have moved her camera out of the way fast so Maki didn’t notice. Nico’s phone vibrates and she exits from the photo to read the next message.

In quotations, the text reads “We’re a couple of cutie panthers!” followed by a dash and Rin’s name. Nico laughs loudly while the other two giggle with her. When she recovers from her laughter she opens up a blank reply and begins to type.

“Cute, but if I remember right, there’s three cutie panthers, ain’t there?”

Nico hits send with another laugh.

“Ahh, lunch with those three looks like it’s fun. We should all eat together sometime.” Nozomi comments with a grin.

“We can always do that tomorrow.” Eli suggests.

Another vibration comes from Nico’s phone and she ignores the other two as they begin making plans for tomorrow's lunch. The reply from Hanayo is only a photo this time, and Nico opens it curiously. When the picture loads her throat closes and her hold on the phone tightens. Hanayo’s holding a shy peace sign up with one hand. Her glasses are on and decorating either sides of her face are two whiskers that match Maki and Rin’s from the previous photo. There’s a slight tinge of pink to her cheeks, as well as a couple grains of rice lingering in the corner of her mouth.

Nico feels like she could die happy this very moment from the surprise photo. Nozomi and Eli have stopped talking and are looking at Nico with concern on their faces. Her phone vibrates again and Nico’s brought back to reality, backing away from the photo and reading the follow up text.

“Rin-chan had to take the photo, but we’re all here!! (´･ω･`)”

‘Thank you Rin.’ Nico thinks, tempted to raise her fist in the air.

“What was the last picture Hanayo sent?” asks Nozomi as she leans closer, wanting to see the image. Nico almost chucks the phone across the room in her surprise.

“I-It was Hanayo,” She says, going back to the picture to show the other two.

“Is this a sign you and I are being replaced by Rin and Hanayo for the next performance of Cutie Panther?” Eli jests, a warm smile on her face. “We can swap subunits for the day. Nico, you can be with Printemps while I join Lily White.”

Eli’s the only one who laughs at her joke. Nozomi and Nico make eye contact, knowing that if a switch like that actually happened, Eli would probably be in Printemps and Nico would join Lily White. They let Eli have her fun and Nozomi watches as Nico smiles fondly at the photo on her screen.

“Nicocchi really loves Hanayo-chan, doesn’t she.” It’s not said as a question, nor teasingly. It’s a genuine observation. Nico looks to her friend and notices the warm, fond smile she has. The kind Nozomi wears when Eli walks into the room.

“I-” She pauses, thinking over her own feelings. She knows talking with Nozomi last night cleared up her uncertain feelings, but they’re still so new and unfamiliar, she feels a little weird saying them outloud. “I really, really do.”

Nozomi and Eli settle back down in their chairs. Nozomi looks at Eli, silently communicating something that the blonde seems to understand perfectly. Her green eyed gaze looks back to Nico and her smile turns cheeky as she asks a question.

“Why?”

Flabbergasted, Nico almost glares at her.

“What the heck do you mean ‘why’?!” She almost throws her arms up. “I don’t know why I love Hanayo! It just sort of happened.”

Nozomi hums.

“Love has a weird way of doing that.” She says with a nod. “But what do you love about her?”

Nico hesitates. There’s a lot she could say for this question. It isn’t just a single thing, more like a compilation of little things.

“I love a lot of things about her,” She eventually begins, “I love her personality. Even if she is a little timid and doesn’t have a lot of confidence in herself some times, if she’s determined, she’ll do her best to succeed. She’s cute- not just her looks, but everything about her is cute. She’s great to talk with, she always makes sure you know she’s listening to you and she’s serious about idols. She may even rival me when it comes to how much we know about the business.”

Nico thinks about her junior and a small smile forms on her face. All the time spent with her, conversations they’ve shared, every little detail that brought them closer together and strengthened their friendship were also little things that helped Nico fall for her in the first place. She misses the gentle smiles both Eli and Nozomi stare at her with. She speaks in a soft tone as she continues.

“I love the way she laughs. The way her eyes light up when she see’s something she loves, or hears something good about muse. I love how she shouts “BIG NEWS!” when there’s been an update on Love Live, or anything in general really. I love all of these and I love all of her.”

Eli sniffles a bit and Nico looks over to see her wiping away a tear.

“Eh?! Are you crying?!” She’s a mixture of embarrassed and proud of the little detail and Eli doesn’t try to deny it.

“I-I don’t mean to! It’s just so sweet.” She sighs a bit and smiles, “It’s nice, seeing how happy loving her makes you.”

Nico almost buries her face into her hands to hide her embarrassment.

“It really is, isn’t it?” Nozomi giggles and looks at Eli, “and you wrote all of it down, right Elichi?”

Eli holds up a piece of paper Nico hadn’t noticed and winks.

“Every word.”

Nico almost screams.

“You wrote it all down?! What the hell?!” She stands up flustered, reaching over to Eli and grabbing the paper. She scans Eli’s point form notes of the confession and she feels her face heat up.

“It’s to help you, Nicocchi!” Nozomi laughs, “If you can say all of this outloud, you shouldn’t have a problem with putting it on paper, right?”

Nico swears she can hear a heavenly chorus. There’s a golden glow surrounding Nozomi, making her think nothing less of an angelic angel;maybe even a beautiful goddess like Muse's namesakes. Nico reaches over and grabs Nozomi’s hands into her own, looking her dead in the face and saying her thoughts proudly.

“You’re a genius and if I could, I’d kiss you right now.”

Nozomi’s eyes practically light up and Eli coughs. Nico laughs.

“Geeze Eli, I’m kidding. Besides, I should be kissing you since you wrote down all of this great content that just came out of my mouth. I won’t, because that’d be weird, but I’d kiss you if it wasn’t.”

Eli’s cheeks redden and Nozomi lets out a small, disappointed hum (Nico wants to assume it’s because she joked about kissing Eli instead of her, but she knows Nozomi’s probably disappointed there’s no kissing at all. ) She rereads everything Eli’s written down carefully before reaching into her bag and pulling out a piece of pink stationery. Lining the outsides of it is a pattern of a bunny silhouette and tiny pink hearts. It’s Nico’s favourite, and the perfect kind to use for something as important as this.

“Okay. I think I have the right idea.” Nico grabs her pencil and without any more hesitation, she begins to write on the dotted lines of the paper.

Nozomi and Eli busy themselves with light conversation, not wanting to distract Nico from her writing. Lunch is nearing its end and the girl is determined to finish this before heading back to class. She needs to finish it now. It has to be slipped into Hanayo’s shoe locker before practice starts. She’s glad that no matter the speed of her writing, it’s always perfectly legible- and quite adorable, if she’s truly honest. Practicing to have the cutest writing in grade 3 had perfect, lasting impressions.

By the time she reaches the end of the letter, she hesitates. It’s time for her to write her name. She swallows, hard, her pencil hovering above the bottom of the paper. This would seal the letters fate. She could leave it anonymous, leave Hanayo guessing who left the letter in her locker and have her ponder endlessly until she either figured it out or Nico decided enough was enough- but then what would be the point of the love letter? Nico didn’t want to make this anonymous. She wanted Hanayo to know her true feelings, and know that it’s her who has been nothing but blessed with falling in love with her.

That thought alone makes Nico sign the bottom of the paper, and for an added touch she doodles a small heart and a tiny “nico nico nii” next to it.

“Nico, I’m sorry but lunch is almost over,” Eli’s voice has a hint of worry to it, but Nico looks up with a triumphant smile.

“Guess that means I made the deadline~” She grins, holding the letter out to her. “Well, tell me what you think.”

Eli gingerly takes it from her, reading it. She nods at some parts and Nico watches as her smile grows wider. She hands the paper off to Nozomi when she’s finished reading and turns to Nico, giving her a wink and a thumbs up.

“It’s perfect!”

Nico silently pats herself on the back and Nozomi laughs.

“It is. It’s very much like Nicocchi too. I’d expect nothing less than this.” Nozomi hands the paper back to Nico and grins. “Looks like the hardest part is over.”

Nico sighs in relief.

“Thank god. Now all I have to do is put it in her locker before practice.”

Eli wants to add a thought in, but the bell signalling the end of lunch rings and her thoughts are pushed to the side. Nico quickly folds the letter up and puts it into a matching envelope. She doesn’t seal it as she slips it into her bag and she follows Nozomi and Eli as they stand from their chairs.

“Good luck with your letter, Nico.” Eli says with a smile.

“Thanks,” Nico returns the smile, “I’ll need it.”

The three of them laugh as they exit the club room and head towards their classrooms for the second half of the school day.

Fifteen minutes left in class and Nico’s having a small breakdown. Her English work means nothing right now, the most important moment of the day is approaching and Nico isn’t so sure she’s as prepared as she thought she was. She’s never felt so anxious before; not even before her very first live at Otonokizaka.

She reaches into her bag and pulls out the envelope. There’s no harm in being certain your love letter is perfect, right? And it wasn’t like she had the chance to proofread it herself during lunch- she was a little behind by the time she was able to begin writing it. Her eyes carefully scan the letter over and over again, double and triple checking that everything is written perfectly and that her mess of words actually got her feelings across. She fails to notice the girls around her packing up their books and getting ready to leave class. The teacher calls for everyones attention, but Nico ignores it as she checks over the letter one last time.

The end of day bell rings and Nico’s brought back to reality. Startled by the chime, Nico hurriedly gathers all her things. She quickly seals up the envelope, not giving it a second thought as she turns it around and scribbles the kanji for Hanayo’s name. She’s determined to get it downstairs and inside of Hanayo’s shoe locker, while still being on time to make it to the club room with the rest of the gang. She haphazardously throws all her books and loose papers into her school bag before making a mad dash out of the class.

On her way down the hall, she notices Eli give her a quick thumbs up. She returns it with a small smile as she excuses herself past a couple of girls, weaving her way by them and dashing down the stairs. She clutches the cute stationary in her hands like her life depends on it, not wanting to lose the important letter. The letter that contains her most heartfelt feelings towards her junior.

By the time Nico makes it to the bottom, her breathing is incredibly heavy.  A few students look her way, worried about her current state, but she waves them off and tells them she’s fine. She moves as quickly as any winded girl can towards the entrance and the shoe lockers, heading straight for the row with Hanayo’s. She scans each number on the shoe compartments with careful eyes, not wanting to mistake the numbers.

“216…. 220... “ she mumbles to herself as she glances at the numbers. “Ah! 223!”

She swallows the nervous lump in her throat as she reaches the exact locker she needs to be at. With shaky hands, she pulls the door open carefully. Inside it, Hanayo’s outdoor shoes sit on the bottom level, neatly placed next to one another and not a single detail out of place. It’s very cute; very much like her. Nico shakes her head before placing it down on the pair of brown shoes before shutting the locker tightly. She glances up to the clock and sighs in relief when it reads only a few minutes have gone by since she made her mad dash down the stairs.

“Now.. to climb back up them.”

Nico groans as she makes her way back inside the building and towards the closest staircase.

“Great practice today, everybody!” Umi calls out to the group. “We’ve all been working really hard on our steps lately, so I think tomorrow we should all take the time to memorize the new lyrics. Does that work for everyone?”

A chorus of “Yes!” comes from the group. Umi smiles and dismisses everyone for the day. Nico immediately goes for her towel, picking it up and wiping the sweat off her brow. There’s a nudge from her right side and she glances to see Nozomi peeking at her with curious eyes. Nico frowns.

“What?” She asks in a flat tone.

“Oh nothing~. Just wondering how dropping off the ‘you know what’ went.” She gives Nico a tiny wink and Nico immediately leans in to shush her.

“S-shut up! It went fine! What else did you think would happen?!”

Nozomi laughs and shrugs.

“Dunno.” She turns her gaze over to their juniors to see Hanayo talking with Maki about today's practice. Nico’s gaze follows hers and her eyes soften. Her heart jumps in her chest and she reaches up, absentmindedly clenching it.

“Don’t worry Nicocchi.” Nozomi says quietly. “I’m sure your feelings will reach her through that letter. You worked hard on it during lunch time, after all.”

Nico nods. She wishes there’s more she could do, but it’s all up to her letter now. She hopes that maybe Hanayo will text her later after reading it, or will ask to meet up to give her a proper response. There’s so many ways this could go, the thought of having to wait to find out stresses Nico out just a bit more than the idea of confessing to the girl face to face.

“Hey Nicocchi,” Nozomi says in a whisper close to her ear. “If we hurry up, maybe we can watch Hanayo-chan get the letter from her locker.”

Nico’s head whips to the side, her pigtails smacking Nozomi in the face. The idea pieces itself together inside her brain and she shouts.

“WELL, WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?!” She grabs Nozomi by the wrist and drags her to the door, calling back to their third comrade, “ELI, HURRY UP! YOU’RE WALKING WITH US, RIGHT?!”

Nozomi’s laughing as Nico pulls her through the door to the stairs and Eli sighs, saying goodbye to the girls and quickly following the two of them off the rooftop.

“Why exactly do we need to hurry?!” She asks, looking to Nozomi for an answer.

“Nicocchi wants to watch the magical moment happen.” Nozomi explains with a cheeky grin, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious as well.”

Nico’s face feels warm but she says nothing as they reach the club room. They grab their uniforms and it doesn’t take the three of them long to change out of their practice clothes and back into them. Nico doesn’t bother tying her ribbon up nicely as she hoists her bag over her shoulder and waits impatiently by the door.

Once the other two have finished, Nico leads the way down the halls and to the school’s entrance. She ignores the increasing butterflies that build up more and more in the pit of her stomach. Thanks to the adrenaline from practice, it feels like nothing more than a light tickle, but she knows the moment Hanayo opens that  locker door she’ll be feeling the full force of her anxieties.

The three of them settle in the perfect spot in the aisle next to the one with Hanayo’s locker. Nico stands between both of her friends, biting her lip and pushing all the thoughts that seem too hopeful out of her mind. She reminds herself that it’s a love letter, Hanayo might not read it until she gets home and even then, there’s no telling what her reaction might be. Maybe Nico will be rejected. Maybe Hanayo won’t want to be anything more than friends. Maybe she’s already dating somebody else Nico doesn’t know of (a silly thought, she realizes, because Hanayo keeps no secrets from muse, and they both know being an idol and having a lover has its problems .)

Voices can be heard in the distance and Nico can feel both Nozomi and Eli shifting closer to her in their excitement. Eli’s hand is comfortingly resting on her shoulder while Nozomi has linked her arm with Nico’s. This is it. The moment of truth is right before their eyes. Nico swallows nervously.

Rin and Hanayo step into the school entrance, discussing the English homework they’d been given. The older girls are so quiet that not a breath can be heard from any of them. Rin’s voice becomes a bit distant as she heads to her locker all the way at the end of the row, near the exit. Nico shuts her eyes tightly and the sound of Hanayo opening the door to her own echos in her ears.

“Eh?” Hanayo startles. “H-huh.. Whats this..?!”

Nico’s lips form a thin line and her face heats up even more. She’s hyper aware of the way Nozomi and Eli tense up with her; how all three of them stand as still as possible. She can hear the way Hanayo turns over the envelope and how she reads out her own name to herself. Nico shuts her eyes tightly and waits as the moment reaches its peak: would Hanayo open the envelope now? Or later?

“R-Rin-chan!” Hanayo calls out immediately, “R-Rin-chan!!!”

“Kayo-chin?!” Rin shouts back, followed by fast approaching footsteps. “What’s up!? What’s wro- OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT?!”

“I-I DON’T KNOW!” Hanayo cries, “IT’S ADDRESSED TO ME!”

“KAYO-CHIN, IS THAT A LOVE LETTER?!”

“I DON’T KNOW!”

It’s almost comical, the reactions the two of them have. If Nico weren’t so nervous, she’d be laughing about this. She feels the weight of Eli’s hand lift off her shoulder and her eyes glance to her, watching her cover her mouth and shake a little bit. She nudges Eli playfully and the girl only tries to stifle her laughs more.

“Geeze, you two are loud. What’s gotten you both so riled up?” A voice comes from the hall.

“MAKI-CHAN, IT’S BIG NEWS!” Rin exclaims, stealing the popular catchphrase from Hanayo, “KAYO-CHIN FOUND A LETTER IN HER LOCKER!”

“Eh?!” Maki’s voice seems surprised and the third years listen as her footsteps move closer to the other three.

Nico wishes she could see Hanayo’s expression right now.

“Koizumi Hanayo,” Maki reads the front of the envelope.”W-well, it’s certainly a letter for you alright.”

“Right?! This is amazing! Kayo-chin, you gotta open it!” Rin’s voice is bubbly and you can tell she’s got a slight bounce in her posture as she speaks.

“N-now?! B-but.. But I can’t.. it.. it wouldn’t be right to read it right now, would it?!”

“Rin, you can’t just ask Hanayo to read something personal right here in front of us.” Maki scolds.

Nico silently thanks Maki for stopping everyone from seeing the confession. It isn’t that it’s badly written- Nico poured her whole heart into it. It’s the highest quality love letter around. But, as great as it is, it's meant for one person’s eyes only (A silly thought, she realizes, when she remembers she had Eli and Nozomi proof read it.)

“Aww, but the flaps already opening up, see?”

‘Stupid cheap stationery.’ Nico almost grumbles.

“Eh?! Oh no! It is!” Hanayo sounds distressed. “I-I’ll just reseal it-”

Her voice cuts off and there’s an awkward silence from the other side of the shoe lockers. Nico glances to Eli and Nozomi in confusion and the both of them wear an expression that mirrors her own. Suddenly, Rin shouts so loudly that Nico’s positive all the clubs outside can hear her.

“IT’S EMPTY?!?!”

Nico’s eyes widen. Nozomi and Eli look at her bewildered as she starts quietly rummaging through her bag. She hands various textbooks and notebooks for both Eli and Nozomi to hold as she digs deeper into the bag. Sure enough, as she pulls out her English notebook, a corner of paper that matches the envelope the first years currently have peeks out at her. Nico tugs at it carefully and clutches it with a shaky hand as her face goes pale and her heart sinks. Staring her right in the face is her confession. The single most important detail of the love letter.

Nico wants to cry.

“Who would just put an empty envelope in your locker?!” Rin asks, her voice a mixture of offended and astonished.

“An idiot.” Maki says, and you can tell she wears an unhappy expression. “Don’t pay any mind to it Hanayo. This is a low prank.”

“You think it’s a prank?!” Rin’s horrified when she asks, not wanting to assume the worst like Maki has.

“W-well, what else could it be?!” Maki retorts. Nico can picture her arms are crossed and her fingers playing with her hair.

Hanayo hasn’t said anything in what feels like forever. Nico’s heart sinks imagining how hurt she must feel. There’s a nudge from the side Eli’s on and she glances to her taller friend. She points down the row and Nico turns just in time to see Nozomi walking out of their aisle and into the first years.

She almost yells.

“I was wondering what the commotion was~” Nozomi’s voice jumps in and Nico buries her face into her hands.

“Nozomi-chan!” Rin calls out to her. “Hey hey, come look at this!”

Eli and Nico listen as Nozomi’s footsteps get closer to the other girls.

“Hm? A love letter?!” She exclaims curiously.

“That’s what we thought too but it’s empty!!” Rin definitely sounds angry about this now, no thanks to Maki pointing out it could be a prank.

“Ahh… isn’t that something.” Nozomi responds.

“Uhm,” It’s the first time Hanayo’s spoken since they realized it was empty and Nico’s stomach tightens. “N-Nozomi-chan, you don’t… you don’t think this is a prank, do you?”

Her voice sounds hurt. Nico wants to punch herself in the face. Or smash it repeatedly into the lockers. How could she be so stupid and forget the actual letter? The cute envelope is nothing without the letter inside of it. This is a disaster.

“Mmm, well, it does seem that way doesn’t it?” Nozomi starts, “But Otonokizaka is full of sweet girls. I don’t think any of them would intentionally put an envelope in your locker without the letter.”

There’s a small silence from the other side.

“That’s true,” Hanayo says quietly. “Everyone I talk with here is so kind towards me.”

“Mhm. Plus, the school loves muse, don’t they?” Nozomi adds. “I think whoever gave this to you is just a little clumsy. They’re probably going to open their bag later and find the letter and feel pretty silly for forgetting to put it in the envelope.”

Nico can hear the smirk in Nozomi’s voice and she doesn’t know whether she should feel grateful or upset by the way she’s saving the situation.

Rin giggles a bit.

“That sounds kind of sad. Now I feel kinda bad for whoever gave Kayo-chin the empty envelope.”

“I’m not convinced.” Maki states, still unimpressed by the situation. “But it’s not really my concern. Hanayo, what do you think?”

There’s a moment of pause before the timid girl speaks.

“I think Nozomi-chan might be right.” She says, “I really don’t think anyone would do a prank like this. N-not here, anyway, but uhm,” She pauses a bit, as if thinking of what to say next. “W-well, I am hoping that they aren’t too sad about it later.”

Nico’s heart soars. This girl is just too good. Way too good. Even now, after her confession letter failed, she still hopes that whoever attempted to confess to her isn’t feeling down about failing. Nico wishes she could tell her right now. She wishes she could pull the courage to run into the other row and shout her feelings to the world, but as she gazes at the piece of paper clutched in her hand, she’s reminded of how she got into the situation in the first place. She holds the letter closer to her and almost sighs.

“Hey, didn’t you leave earlier with Nico-chan?” Rin suddenly says.

Nico tenses again.

“Ah, I did.” Nozomi replies with a laugh, “Nicocchi was so eager to leave, but thanks to that I forgot one of my books in class, so I came back to get it.”

‘Nice save, Nozomi.’ Nico thinks, with a mental thumbs up.

“Oh! Well, tell her and Eli-chan we said hi then!” Rin laughs, “Maki-chan, Kayo-chin, are we all ready to go?”

“Just let me grab my outdoor shoes.” Maki says.

The first years say goodbye to Nozomi, and Nico and Eli stay standing where they are until they hear the sounds of their footsteps walking out the entrance. Nico groans loudly and puts her head in her hands, the letter crumpling into her face as she accepts the fact that this confession is her biggest failure to date.

“What a mess.” She sighs. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice the letter wasn’t in the envelope.”

“How did that end up happening?” Eli asks in surprise. “Nozomi and I watched you fold and put it in the envelope at lunch!”

“I know! I know but-” Nico removes her hands from her face and looks up to the blonde, a tiny blush on her face. “I wanted to go over it one last time and the end of class to make sure it was absolutely perfect, and then class was dismissed and I sort of panicked and sealed the envelope and shoved my books into my bag.”

“Nicocchi needs to be a little careful with her notes then.” Nozomi says with a laugh as she returns,  “Well, to be fair I may have seen this coming.”

Nico looks at Nozomi with squinted eyes.

“You KNEW it wouldn’t work!? And you let me embarrass myself?!” Nico exclaims, pushing herself onto her feet and glaring up at Nozomi.

“It was the cards, Nicocchi!” Nozomi laughs, “I may have done a reading for you before practice, and it wasn’t exactly the best outcome it could be but-”

“Wasn’t exactly?! Nozomi, I listened to Hanayo find an empty envelope from me in her locker! I think it’s far from the best outcome!” Nico’s voice is loud and Eli reaches out and pats Nico’s head reassuringly.

“There there Nico, it’s not like you won’t have other opportunities to tell Hanayo how you feel.” She reassures. “Nozomi, did your cards imply something else would happen if the letter failed?”

Nozomi smiles and shrugs. Nico feels a strong urge to crumple the letter in her hands into a small ball and throw it at the girl’s dimpled face. Eli sighs.

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” She rubs the back of her neck and adjusts her bag on her shoulder. “Nico, would you like to join us for parfaits?”

“Thanks, but I think I’m going to go home for the day.” The shorter girl grumbles, folding the letter up and slipping it back into her bag.

“Hey, look on the bright side of this,” Eli attempts to bring up her mood by throwing in a positive thought, “With the letter not working, you can always try something more direct.”

“Mhm!” Nozomi says, looping her arm with one of Nico’s and adding onto Eli’s point. “Maybe you can invite her over to your place and watch some of those Lives you’ve got on dvd. We all know how you and Hanayo-chan love them.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“And maybe you’ll be able to read out the letter to her instea-” Nico cuts Nozomi off by elbowing her in the side. Nozomi laughs through the light pain as Nico walks away from her.

“Nozomi,” Eli warns and Nozomi’s laughter ends, replaced with a teasing smile. Eli turns her attention to Nico and steps forward to walk with her. “In all honestly though, it does give you a lot more time to work on confessing to her again. A lot of people fail to get their first confession across, and even I had my own struggles with confessing to Nozomi.

“Wait, really?” Nico’s a bit intrigued. She knew the story of how Eli confessed, but she hadn’t known Eli struggled to tell her girlfriend her feelings.

“Of course! It took me months before I could even ask Nozomi out, and I think I was finally able to tell her on the fourth attempt.”

Nozomi says a little “aw” as she catches up with the two of them, walking on Nico’s other side. Eli laughs as her cheeks tint red again and Nico’s attention goes from Eli to the open space in front of them. Knowing that even Eli had a tough time telling Nozomi her feelings gives her a bit of hope, and while Eli probably didn’t fail as badly with her confessions as Nico did today, she knows Eli has the right idea.

“Thanks Eli.” Nico says sincerely.

Eli smiles.

“So, does this mean you’re not giving up on telling Hanayo-chan you love her?” Nozomi asks.

Nico nods.

“Of course it does! It’d be dumb to give up in the first place, especially after today,” Nico starts, “If Eli didn’t give up on telling you her feelings, then there’s no way I can give up on telling Hanayo! I’ll tell her exactly how I feel no matter what!”

“Harasho!” Eli cheers, “That’s the spirit, Nico!”

“We’ll be rooting for you, Nicocchi! Do your best!” Nozomi adds.

Today really didn’t go as planned for Nico, but with nothing but determination and the promise of getting her feelings across to Hanayo, Nico’s confident the next attempt will be better.

[shewhowantsmouseears]

The Nutcracker Prince, 7

Notes: The final chapter! This wasn't an easy story for me to write, due to my issues with the holidays, and that for once I focused on a family aspect instead of romance. But I'm still fairly pleased with how it came about, and since others seemed to enjoy it as well, I call this a success. I hope you all had the happiest of holidays!

Thanks for all my fans who left comments, they're the ones that keep me going! A big thanks to the TransSiberian Orchestra, whose music inspired part of this story. And of course a big thank you to Twisted-Wind, whose artwork planted the idea in my mind in the first place.

Finally, the biggest and most heartfelt thanks to my editors, Drucilla and BlueShifted, who are the sweetest people you could ever know. They not only make my rambling nonsense into something coherent, but they're wonderfully supportive and always try to lift my spirits.

I do hope you enjoy this little story, and that you love the next story just as much!

Summary: In the final battle for control of the kingdom, will the siblings be able to reunite? Is happily ever after in their grasp, or will this fairy tale end in a nightmare?

Goofy wasn't one of the guards who had been given the strange order to let any intruders in, but it was probably for the best. If he'd thought about it too hard, he might have gotten a headache. He was in the midst of taking yet another nap at his post when he heard hoofbeats, and when he woke up he saw exactly what he was expecting – horses. Though he certainly hadn't been expecting the riders – hadn't those people escaped before? What in the world were they doing coming back?

He stood up straight, holding the empty shotgun and mulling over his options. He'd been trying to prevent people from entering the kingdom so they could avoid Mortimer, but with the destruction of the doors, there was honestly very little he could do about it. He was tempted to simply take another nap, but curiosity overwhelmed him, and he shouted towards the oncoming stampede, “What do you think you're doin'!”

“Saving Mausekönig!” Donald yelled right back, with Daisy cheering behind him.

“Or die trying!” Ludwig added as they galloped on past.

“Nice to see you, Goofy!” Mickey was the last of the group, but he was running as fast as his body could go while offering a friendly wave to the befuddled guard.

“Huh. All right, then.” Goofy nodded once and was going to continue his nap – but if they were going to save Mausekönig, then that meant they were going to confront Mortimer, and Mortimer would get mad, and then – and then EVERYONE would be in trouble. “No, that's not all right!” He chased after them, swinging his shotgun in the air. “You can't do this! You're gunna get us all transformed!”

Those that were out in the dirty streets had to stop and look at the world's most bizarre parade – ducks on horses, a running nutcracker, and a disheveled dog wielding a useless weapon. All it needed was a partridge in a pear tree and it could've been Christmas.

But as the band of heroes, plus one frazzled guard, raced toward the castle, they were forced to halt before a line of disfigured guardsmen. Horace was at the forefront, holding his hand out – which now held five extra fingers. “Oh no you don't! That rat king might want you in there, but you've caused enough damage!”

Donald held out his toy sword, but he didn't will for it to be of any use yet. He'd have to save that. “Out of the way! I've got the only thing that can stop Mortimer and save everyone here!”

“Save us!” an indignant woman from the village shouted, and others began to angrily join her. “You've got Ludwig with you! It's thanks to those rotten Drosselmeyers we're in this mess!”

“Yeah, we don't want your help!”

“I don't wanna be turned into...into...anything!”

“If you keep this up, we'll all be suffering!”

Mickey stepped out of the shadows, his wooden fists clenched. “Aren't you already suffering?!” It was difficult to tell what ultimately silenced the mob – that point of fact or seeing their prince as a gigantic talking nutcracker. He took advantage of the confusion to march forward, though inside he was shaking like a leaf. “This isn't the Drosslemeyers' fault! They've done nothing but try to help this kingdom since it was first founded! And...And maybe it didn't work out exactly as they planned...but doesn't effort count for anything?” He glanced at Donald for additional support, but Donald merely crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow. No, this time Mickey was on his own.

The prince wanted to keep his eyes down and avoid the same of looking at the people he'd hurt, but instead he gazed straight ahead. “Maybe...Maybe the first Drosselmeyer did exactly what I did – try to avoid the real work it takes to build and lead a kingdom. I-I was the one who gave Mortimer access to the crown, because I wanted the crown before I was ready.” In turn, Mickey got exactly what he expected – furious shouting, cries of how he had doomed them all, demanding he leave at once, and he could have sworn he saw one large cat grabbing a stone to hurl towards him. Mickey embraced each stinging word, and didn't budge from his spot.

“AW, SHADDAP!” Donald roared from atop his horse, wildly swinging his sword around. Even his horse appeared to be affected, kicking its front legs about to keep the crowd away from his masters. “Like none of you have ever done one wrong thing in your rotten stinkin' lives! Let him finish, jerks!”

Daisy happily laid her head on Donald's shoulder. “I really like this side of you, y'know.”

“Daisy. Time. Place. This is neither.”

But the villagers weren't the only ones affected by Donald's bravery in the face of so much opposition. Ludwig had taken his time to dismount from his horse, and he joined Mickey at his side, touching the young man's shoulder. “My boy is right. None of us are without fault. And I've got more than enough faults for one lifetime. I was too afraid to look after my own blood and I tried to make up for it by redeeming a man who never showed any signs he wanted to change. I've been running away for a long time. I won't beg for forgiveness from anyone.” To this he locked eyes with Donald, who turned away uncomfortably. “But I'll apologize all the same. To my dear nephew, my sweet niece, to the true prince of Mausekönig, and to all of you...I'm sorry for all the pain I have caused.”

Mickey didn't kneel down as Donald had ordered him to do – he doubted his body could – but he took one large step after another, though the guardsmen wouldn't budge. “Please let us through. Please let us fix this once and for all. We have to put an end to this, and I have to make up for what I did to each and every single one of you. Even-” How could a wooden nutcracker feel pain? It didn't make sense, but it burnt his insides to speak it. “Even if it means you don't want me as prince anymore, I have to do this. I'm sorry too, but my words will never be enough. I have to do this. We have to do this. I'm not ordering you as the real prince of Mausekönig. I'm...I'm just Mickey Mouse, asking you to let me right these wrongs.”

Of course the entire kingdom didn't collectively forgive the two sinners instantaneously. But the need for revenge and blood had begun to cool, as each man and woman exchanged looks from one to another, quiet murmurs debating about the future of their lives. Those with raised fists began to lower them, and quite a few took steps back to clear the way. Even a number of the guardsman began to shuffle away, but Horace stood his ground, a large lump in his throat. “Look, what you guys said is nice and all, but what happens if you lose? Mortimer's gunna change us all into whatever he wants!”

Daisy poked her head out from behind Donald. “Doesn't he do that...kind of already? If we lose, how much are things going to change around here, really?”

The horse needed to pause and process this. His eyes bounced around, trying to find a counterargument, and none came. “Might be one of those 'stuck between a rock and a hard place' kinda situations, I suppose.”

Donald finally climbed down from his horse and helped Daisy do the same, allowing her to keep holding his hand for the time being. “Rock nothing! What can he do to YOU? Unless you were born with those extra digits, he can't do squat. Now move!”

Daisy triumphantly waved her hand in the air. “Exactly! We're unstoppable! In fact, so are most of you, if you bothered to think about it! Tell them, Ludwig!”

Ludwig moved his head around, and began counting out loud all of the already transformed people around him. Not everyone who had been struck had to stay in the castle, and as he added the guardsmen, he ran out of fingers to count. “Meine Güte! She's right! If we took everyone who's already been hexed by that heretic, we'd have our own small army! It actually works out for us if we got more people transformed!”

This made Horace slowly lower his changed hand and blink three times in a row. “You mean I could've punched him extra hard this time, and he can't do nothin' else to me?”

Donald hadn't felt himself smile in what seemed like a century – but now a wide, deep, eager one graced his face. “Well then, what are we waiting for?”

Mickey had never felt his spirits rise so high, and he pumped a fist in the air before sprinting ahead, joined by more and more people with every passing second. “Down with the false prince! CHAAARGE!”

~*~

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner no longer had any real meaning to Mortimer since he could eat whenever he wanted. He had ordered the oppressed chefs to cook up a lavish meal for one of his most entertaining shows, and he chewed cheerfully through some chicken as he watched Minnie continued to pirouette in pain. “Hey, babe, I can't see your pretty face if you wilt like that! Don't you dames do this for fun?”

Minnie had to wonder if she'd ever want to dance again once this was all over. Her arms hung lifelessly at her side and her breathing was labored. It was probably because of her extreme weakness that she didn't hear the sudden repetitive thuds of footsteps further along in the castle. But Mortimer did hear, and he stopped mid-bite into a piece of ham to try and guess what it was. Last he checked, Donald had only two feet.

The doors to the throne room burst open, and even Minnie was stunned to see Donald joined by a horde of villagers and guardsmen, each one shouting cries of “Usurper, ursuper!”

“Uh-oh,” Mortimer's left and right faces whispered together, but Mortimer's middle remained defiant. “I don't know what that means, but it doesn't sound pleasant! You'd better learn some manners quick, before I start getting creative!”

“Give it your best short, Mortimer!” Mickey shouted, banging his fist to his chest. “You can barely touch any of us now! Don't you remember Ludwig's lessons about the crown's magic? Or were you really that lousy of an assistant?”

“Hey, I was a fantastic assistant!” Mortimer stood on his feet, hissing through his teeth. “Of course I remember! You can change objects as much as you want, but you can only change people...” He trailed off, making same counting motion Ludwig had done mere moments before. “...Once. Hm. This is...mildly unfortunate...” He dragged each word out as the mental counting got higher and higher.

As much as Donald wanted to start the beat-down, the second he saw his sister his priorities changed. “Minnie! Are you okay? I'm here to – to – will you stop moving for one second? I'm trying to say something here!”

“Enchanted feet!” Minnie shouted back, trying to get his attention returned to Mortimer.

As Mortimer heard her, for a fraction of a second he wondered if she planned this – no, impossible, no one was more clever than he was! She was just a good little girl, and probably without a single thought in her head. All she was good for was dancing... and that's when he recalled the instruments still playing in the corner, the silverware resting on the throne's arm rests, and the throne itself. His multiple faces sneered and he rubbed his hands together. “So, you've got yourself a little militia? I've got my own!” Before anyone could think to stop him, the rubies shot out red light toward the instruments, the silverware, and the throne. With horrendous creaking noises, they began to twist and turn until they faced the rebels – in an explosion of energy, all of them countercharged the onslaught of commoners.

The violin strings tried to tie up tangled fists, the forks and knives cut across skin and fabric, but the throne was made into a living battering ram – and as a former battering ram, Mickey was using all of his strength to hold it in place. There were many frightened cries from the unprepared band, though many refused to give up. Donald didn't care how many knuckles he bruised and bloodied as he knocked a towering tuba out of his way – he was going to get to his sister!

Mortimer's faces laughed in wicked amusement, his arms outstretched and ready to wield his magic once more. “Did you morons think you stood a chance against my power? I can have curtains strangle you, windows wham you, I could even make the entire carpet capture you! I'm the most amazing person who has ever lived!”

Minnie could feel her heartbeat in her big black ears. Mortimer was right, in his own twisted way. He was amazing in many ways – amazingly creative, amazingly cruel, and amazingly selfish. She'd already proven to herself that as long as he believed in himself, he was capable of anything – so it was time to make one last gamble. If she was wrong about this, she hoped this constant dancing would kill her. It'd be better than the alternative.

Though she could no longer will her feet to stop, she could lean towards a direction and they'd follow suit, dancing all the while. Gritting her teeth and fighting through the aches, she spun and jumped in Mortimer's direction, until she had somewhat gracefully landed in front of him. “Mortimer, I don't understand!” She arched her back, pushing her chest out. To heck with acting like she believed any of this, all he needed was words. “You of all people should be able to change people more than once!”

The right face furrowed its brows, fooled once again. “We should?”

Daisy, who was avoiding a shower of broken plates, tried to shout to Ludwig and others to gain their attention. “What is she saying!”

Minnie touched her cheeks, trying to get the point across as fast as Mortimer's brain cells could connect. “With all those faces of yours, you're almost three people! So you – you could – you could have the other parts of you change people, since it'll be their first time!” She had never wished so hard for someone to believe as much she did right now.

“We could?” The left face was liking the sound of this, and why shouldn't he? It was appealing to what he loved the most – himself.

“Minnie, what are you doing?!” Even Mickey was having trouble concentrating on pinning the throne down. “Don't give him any ideas!”

She heard each of their shouts of pleas and protests, but like the tragedy in the caves, she wouldn't budge. “You could do anything you wanted to, your highness! You could even make me fall in love with you!”

Was it the last stroke of luck in Mausekönig that Mortimer never thought of enchanting someone's mind and emotions before? The seed that had been planted bloomed in his mind, and his eyes widened with new possibilities. The idea of making people believe they wanted to love him, obey him, respect him – it was enough to make him drool. Turning Daisy into an obedient monster of a servant had been close, but this was on a whole new level of loyalty. “Yes...Yes I can! I'm the ruler of  Mausekönig! I can do anything I want! I CAN DO ANYTHING I WANT! I'M AMAZING!”

Donald screamed for his sister, trying to reach for her through the binds of a resistant harp, but the crown was glowing, and the lights came, and no one could stop the frightening transformation taking place before them. Minnie found herself lifted an inch off the ground, and that wormy feeling of knives digging through her skin now plowed itself through every cell of her body. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, nothing could be done. The nightgown that had begun this adventure grew longer and darkened until it resembled a queenly gown that trailed on for ages. Her ballet shoes grew sharp dagger-like heels, with the strings looping around her body in a tightening imitation of a corset. When she floated back to the ground, her head was tilted to a side, listless and lifeless.

Mortimer bent down to inspect his work, licking his lips. “So, how's it feel to love someone as amazing as I am, Minnie Drosselmeyer?”

Only he could see the expression Minnie was making, and he was wholly convinced it was one of sweet devotion, a smile that could melt the coldest ice. “Amazing, of course,” she murmured with a genuine sunniness. She threw her arms around his neck, and he picked her up into his arms, laughing over and over, ignoring the fact that her feet were still moving this way and that. “All hail Prince Mortimer!”

Upon hearing that, several villagers raced for the door to avoid being struck next, but a grand piano was blocking them from any escapes. Daisy felt ready to cry, and Ludwig pulled out his hair, gasping for words that wouldn't come. Mickey dropped the throne in complete shock, and Donald was losing the strength in his legs. Had this all been for nothing? Were they really so powerless? Had the Drosselmeyers actually doomed them all?

Upon meeting less and less resistance, several of the utensils and instruments began to back up, awaiting more orders. Mortimer let go of Minnie and sat back down on his throne, trying to catch his breath after all his jubilation. “I've got to say, this has been fun. But you really should've thought twice before trying to take what I took. There's nothing this crown can't do, which means there's nothing I can't do. Now, maybe if you all formed a neat little line, I can start improving you one at a time. Let's start with the old man.” He raised a hand to adjust the crown so one of his faces could take over -

Except it wasn't there anymore.

“You're amazing, all right – an absolutely astounding amazing fool!” Minnie's dancing feet kicked Mortimer soundly in his big nose before jumping gracefully off of him. With the crown of Mausekönig in her hands, she raced toward her brother. The new outfit made it harder to move swiftly, but it was the only thing the crown could change about her as her body had already been enchanted. Mortimer had failed to change the most powerful aspect Minnie had – her faith. Faith in her family, faith in tomorrow, and now more than ever, faith in herself. She spun, she pirouetted, she twirled, closer and closer to her shocked sibling. “DONALD! NOW!”

For the briefest of moments, Donald felt guilty for doubting his brilliant, clever, wonderful sister. Was it really so surprising he'd done all he could to protect her throughout life? She didn't have his love merely because they happened to have the same blood – Minnie was Minnie, and Minnie was someone to be proud of. With this love pouring through his very soul, the sword in his hand ignited. Whatever came after this, they would always be brother and sister, Minnie and Donald Drosselmeyer. The name no longer brought shame. Donald was proud to be a Drosselmeyer, proud to have Minnie as his sister, and proud to be the one to save this imperfect kingdom.

“This is the end – of magic in Mausekönig!” He raised his arms high, and brought it down upon the cursed crown – when flames met rubies, they both erupted into a hot fury of volcanic proportions. The heat made Minnie and Donald drop their enchanted objects, watching in astonishment as the swirling flames rose up in the air, destroying each ruby one by one. Within the flames, they thought they saw – and it may have just been their imagination – an old, familiar soul smiling at them in gratitude. Yet this flicker didn't last, and spirals of flames began to fly off toward anyone who needed its touch.

Now this warmth felt welcome, like a mother's embrace to her tender child – Minnie's nightgown was its white pureness again, and her feet stopped their eternal tumbling. Ludwig's throat was engulfed in fire momentarily, freeing his voice to answer whatever it pleased. The servants, the guardsmen, the villagers – all were cured, with tears of joy streaming down their faces, followed by joyous dancing and jumping into the arms of loved ones. The flames vanished through the windows, removing the walls and the glass dome that had loomed over the kingdom. The buildings were restored to their natural hard-earned beauty, and even the castle itself was less pompous than it had been before. No perfection could be found in the kingdom naturally, but it now looked like a place one would be happy to live in.

Mortimer's extra faces howled in terror as they burnt off his cheeks, scrambling to undo what couldn't be undone. The final transformation was for the nutcracker prince himself – light obscured his entire body, and when people could open their eyes and see him for himself, he was flesh and blood, breathing and blinking, and a little shorter than they remembered. Mickey was overwhelmed by the return of his senses, and began to pinch every inch of skin he could find so he could remember what he felt like.

The almighty fire began to die out, whispering into smoke and ashes that littered into Donald's empty hands. The weariness deep within him was gone, and while he couldn't be sure if he had regained what had been lost, he decided to be an optimist for once. He held his hands up, and blew the ashes away.

Though Minnie longed to sit and rest, she found herself hugging her brother, flopping onto him as the last of her vigor left her worn out body. “I love you, bruder.”

“Yeah. I know.” But it was soothing to hear, and Donald ruffled her fur between her ears, unable to stop smiling. He wasn't sure if he could ever stop. “I love you too, schwester.”  He didn't want her to let go, but he knew she would have to. He'd have to let her go and make her own choices, as good or bad as they were.

Mortimer tried to take advantage of everyone's partying celebration by sneaking away, but Daisy put a stop to that via smashing a now lifeless trumpet to the back of his head. The “OW!” caught everyone's attention, reminding them there was one thing they needed to do before they could properly congratulate their heroes. He rubbed the large lump on the back of his head, sitting on his knees as everyone glared into him. “Uh...Oh! Would you believe me if I said the crown was evil, and it possessed me into doing those awful things?” Daisy smashed the trumpet into his head again. “OW! OW! I...wasn't hugged enough as a child?” Smash. “I have a split personality?” Smash. “Sleepwalking?” Smash.

Before Mortimer could suffer a concussion, Mickey calmly touched Daisy's shoulder to make her stop playing whack-a-rat. “Mortimer, for your crimes against the kingdom, I sentence you to the dungeon!”

“Hold it!” Donald held up a flat hand, allowing his sister to lean on him while she caught some much needed rest. “Dungeon? What is this? Some kind of wacky fairy tale? This isn't a dictatorship, you can't send him to the dungeons!”

Mortimer wiped his forehead. “Phew. Thanks!”

“You send him to jail, like a normal person! Sheesh.”

The guardsmen had to shove each other aside for the prestigious honor of dragging the kicking and crying Mortimer off, but it was Horace who happily won the fight. He even began to hum as he grabbed Mortimer by the wrist and dragged him along. Not once did Mortimer ever apologize as he went to meet his just punishment, and the people of  Mausekönig doubted he ever would. However, they never needed to hear it. With the menace out of range, hugs and kisses were tossed about once more, with those in the village streets running up and down to see that their homes had been restored, that businesses were open and ready, and that Mausekönig was indeed Mausekönig once more.

As the merriment went on, Mickey timidly approached the siblings, a hand on his beating chest. “I can't ever thank you both enough for all you've done. This isn't about what your ancestors did, or even Ludwig. You both did what no one else could. How can I ever repay you?”

Donald looked down at his sister, afraid that she'd ask for Mickey's hand in marriage. Minnie herself appeared to be contemplating it, but she shook her head, smiling through a weary face. “I think I'd like to get you know you better, Mickey. I feel like we still don't know each other very well.” Instead of covering his face in kisses or offering him a tackle of a hug, she merely held out her hand. “Maybe when you get a chance, we can go on a date?”

Mickey could now blush naturally, and boy did he ever, with puffy pink cheeks. “S-Sure! I'd love to! I mean, that'd be great! That'd be...” He stopped himself, feeling Donald's narrowed eyes boring into him. But Donald rolled his eyes and waved a hand – Mickey chuckled quietly and kissed Minnie's cheek. She grinned, squeezing his hand and holding onto it longer than necessary.

“Well now!” Ludwig announced loudly, having popped up next to Donald and almost shattering his eardrums. “Now that I am free, I can finally answer your question!”

Minnie and Donald blinked, looked at each other, and then shrugged. Donald was the one to ask the obvious. “What question? I'm pretty sure we've asked you, like, a hundred of them.”

“Don't you remember, nephew? On your first day here, you asked me if ever really loved you.” He cupped Minnie's cheek in one hand, and Donald's in his other. “Of course I love you. I've always loved you both. Leaving you behind was the worst decision I ever made and I'll always regret it. You've turned into spectacular adults.” He nestled his head between theirs, a bit of mist in his eyes. “Can you ever forgive your uncle for how awful he's been to you?”

Donald breathed slowly, looking down at the withered old man. He was as human as anyone else, he supposed. The pain from Donald's childhood still lingered, but it was no longer an open wound. A scar would always be there to remind him of what had happened, but it wouldn't be as painful to look at. “No promises,” he muttered, and he saw a crack of a smile on Ludwig's beak.

Minnie didn't instantly forgive her uncle either, though she did kiss his sagging cheek fondly. She had warped her life to be the good girl she thought he wanted instead of being the kind of girl she wanted to be. But it wasn't too late to change things. For Minnie, things were never too late as long as you had faith and trust.

As much as everyone wanted to take in this adorable family moment, there was work to be done, as evidenced by Mickey taking the fallen throne and trying to prop it back up. “I might not be the prince anymore,” he huffed – this body was much weaker than one of wood, “But I think there's still some things we gotta fix.”

The throne became easier to push when a second pair of hands joined in. “Who says you're not the prince?” Daisy asked sincerely. “Anyone here got any objections?”

After a moment, more hands began to grab the throne. “We've gotta rewrite the laws Mortimer made up,” from Clarabelle Cow. “And I bet our economy's not that great right now.”

“Wouldn't hurt to have someone tellin' us how to do all that,” Goofy was the last shove needed to put the throne up right. “Long as you don't go rushin' things this time.”

“But this time,” Donald picked up his sister, guessing she wasn't going to stand for much longer, “You're getting a whole family of Drosselmeyers to keep your head on straight.” He walked forward, and plopped Minnie into Mickey's befuddled yet open arms.

Minnie tittered, snuggling up to her beloved. “No more magic to cheat! We're all going to work hard to make this the kind of kingdom I dreamed about!”

“More doing, less talking.” Donald shoved his empty hands into his pockets. Funny, he'd only held the sword for less than a day, but now his hands felt bare without it. Maybe in a silly fairy tale they'd spend the whole day and night hooting and hollering for their victory, but they wouldn't know what needed fixing without actually taking a good long look at everything. Christmas had probably passed in the time they spent here, but it would come by next year. Time would move on, and it wouldn't wait for anyone.

As he headed for the door, ready to make himself useful and find out what else Mortimer had done, Daisy skipped to his side, anxious to see what she could do. Mickey would join them, after putting Minnie to bed so her aching feet would know relief. Yet there was no doubt once she felt better, she'd work alongside them. Ludwig answered question after question, now unable to shut up even when people asked him to. All the while Donald found himself surrounded by people offering their thanks and their help. He didn't see his sister for quite some time – and found he could survive.

There was no happily ever after to be found. Life wasn't like a fairy tale, where every broken promise was healed by true love. There would still be people who didn't trust the prince or the Drosselmeyers, and it would take years for the ill rumors of the kingdom to die out in other lands. But with every setting sun, the villagers who were no longer transformed found less nightmares waiting for them in sleep. Donald never said out loud if he forgave his uncle. Minnie waited three months before marrying Mickey – well, all right, maybe that part was a bit like a fairy tale. You can't change a girl that much, to Donald's annoyance.

Not everyone was happy, the hot cocoa would end in empty cups, and magic was never used again. But nutcrackers would be built once more, standing like guardians before closed windows, and each one held a smile of love and pride.

It wasn't happily ever after, but it was close.