#has anyone noticed that the good kits somehow bring bad luck

[friedpestochicken]

Carlos win = Appreciation post

[cactusnymph]

Prompt fill #9 for @dimension20alphabet:

Injury

The air smells of smoke, dust and blood.

 Fabian is pretty sure that his left foot is broken, which sucks because he’s going to have a hard time kicking anyone’s ass without both his feet. Dancing will also be difficult.

 He clutches his battle sheet and tries to pull his foot out of the rubble it got stuck between. If he gets his hands on the bastards who made this damn cave explode above them even their ancestors are going to have a headache waking up tomorrow.

 But for that to happen, Fabian needs to get out of here.

 “Fabian?”

 Riz’ voice sounds hoarse and muffled and Fabian assumes that he’s somewhere behind another pile of rubble.

 “I’m over here”, he answers and tries to make his voice sound casual and not like he wants to do something embarrassing, like whimper from the pain. Fabian can barely anything and breathing is hard because there is so much dust in the air.

 “I’ll—let me see if I can get to you. You okay?”, Riz asks. Fabian doesn’t waste his breath to answer, he tries to push some of the rubble away from his ankle and lets out a wheezing breath. His mouth tastes like iron.

 He can hear Riz try to move the rubble out of the way, but his arms are like tiny twigs so Fabian doesn’t see how he’ll get any of that shit to move. And Fabian, being uselessly stuck with his damn foot, can’t help him.

 Fabian thought that splitting up the party was the smartest move, but now he regrets their choices because damn, they sure could use Kristen’s healing or Adaine’s magic or Gorgug’s insane muscles to move some of this shit.

 The quest to defeat the Night Yorb hasn’t exactly gone well so far. Fabian feels like being stuck in a fucking cave with his foot broken and his mouth full of blood is the peak of bad luck that they have reached so far. He can only hope that the others had more success on their ventures.

 But as far as he knows, they’re also stuck somewhere in here.

 Fabian never specifically had a problem with small, closed spaces, but right now he feels like his chest is unusually tight and he could swear that the damn ceiling is getting closer while he’s desperately trying to get his foot unstuck.

 The rubble behind him shifts and a few pained noises bring Fabian back to reality as a small, lithe shape wiggles itself through an impossible tiny crack made in the pile behind him as Riz appears, his head bleeding profusely and his face contorted in a mix of determination and pain.

 “Are you okay?”, Riz asks again the second he scrambles through the hole he made. Fabian notices that his hands are also bleeding—probably from digging through all those stones. Something in Fabian’s chest feels like a nervous bird fluttering against his rib cage and it takes him a confused moment to realize that it’s his heart.

 Riz has been different since they defeated the Nightmare King.

 More self confident somehow. Less awkward. Scarily competent.

 And he stopped wearing his hat.

 Fabian has been feeling weird around him for a while, but the fact that this little Goblin dug himself through sharp rocks to get to him, bleeding and bruised and hurt, and the first thing he does is ask if Fabian is okay—it does things to him.

 Fabian refuses to acknowledge this.

 “My foot is stuck”, he says.

 Riz—and he’s been Riz for a while now, at least in Fabian’s head, and not The Ball anymore—turns his huge, yellow eyes to the stones that are crushing Fabian’s foot between them.

 “Got it”, Riz says and without doing anything about his bleeding head or his bleeding hands he gets to work, his small frame working tirelessly, determined, stubborn even. The rocks are big—way too big for Riz to actually lift them.

 But Riz wouldn’t be Riz if he wouldn’t be a nerd even about stuff like this.

 Using his sword as leverage he manages to roll the bigger ones off of the pile. While he works Fabian can see blood dripping down the sword and Riz’ face.

 He swallows heavily.

 “You’re bleeding”, he croaks.

 “I know. I’ll take care of it in a second”, Riz answers.

 He’s focused.

 Fabian knows that, when Riz gets like this, there is no way to deter him from the task at hand. It sometimes happens for a project at school, or when he has a case he’s close to cracking. He disappears into his head and into his task at hand and it takes hours for him to appear again.

 Fabian doesn’t know when exactly he started to catalogue all of Riz’ facial expressions and behaviors, but he has quite the collection so far.

 Riz works in silence. Sometimes, when he gets like this, he starts mumbling to himself, but not this time.

 He looks almost grim.

 Fabian isn’t sure if it’s actually getting warmer in here or if that’s just him.

 “Do you think the others got stuck as well?”, he says to distract himself from the heat crawling under his skin and the fluttering in his chest.

 “Probably not. By my estimation they should be way further down already”, Riz murmurs and wipes some sweat off his forehead, which simply leaves a smearing of blood where his hand touches his green skin.

 Fabian has no idea since when his damn brain finds it mesmerizing to see blood on his best friend’s skin, but here he is, staring at Riz because he looks weirdly... ragged? Badass?

 Fabian is annoyed at himself.

 When he finally feels the weight lifted off his ankle he pulls his leg out and makes a pained noise in the back of his throat that causes Riz’ concentrated gaze to turn to him. His yellow eyes remind Fabian of cats’ eyes in the dark and he swallows again as Riz comes over to him and touches Fabian’s face to turn his head to the side so he can inspect his wounds.

 Fabian’s heart stumbles in his chest.

 Gods dammit, this is completely ridiculous.

 “You bleeding anywhere else?”, Riz asks and then his eyes find Fabian’s and they’re staring at each other. Fabian knows that Riz is in no headspace to think about kissing, but damn, Fabian does. Fabian’s stupid brain tells him to just grab Riz by the shoulders and pull him down, pull him on top of Fabian to minimize the space between them—

 “Fabian? You got a concussion? Let me check your eyes.”

 Riz gets even closer.

 Fabian thinks he might die.

 He thinks about the way Aelwyn made him feel back then, when he got so excited about kissing her again. Somehow that was nothing compared to how he’s been feeling about Riz for a while now. As Fig said, kissing someone you’re “madly in love with just hits different”.

 “Don’t think so”, he manages and his voice sounds like sandpaper on stone.

 “Okay. I have my healer’s kit. Just let me clean my hands real quick.”

 Fabian watches how Riz procures water and his healer’s kit from his bag and starts washing his hands as good as he can before he tries to wrap bandages around both of his hands. He lets out a frustrated hiss.

 “Let me—“, Fabian says and grabs Riz’ hands.

 To be fair, Fabian never paid much attention when Cathilda or Kristen tried to teach him first aid because it never was of much interest to him—and now he definitely wishes he had listened a little closer. But it can’t be that difficult to wrap a tiny pair of Goblin hands in bandages to make them stop bleeding.

 “You have to do, like, a kind of V-shape. Yeah. Like that. Not too tight, please. Yeah, that works.”

 What Fabian didn’t really think through was that now he’s somewhat holding Riz’ hands. Which doesn’t exactly help his brain or his heart to calm down. At least his internal turmoil distracts him from the pain and the situation they’re currently in.

 He remembers how Riz stole that healer’s kit on their very first day of school. He’s had it ever since and restocked it carefully for each of their adventures, taking great care to learn how to give first aid to his friends when everyone else was out of spells or they were separated.

 “Thanks, Fabian”, Riz says once it’s done and he wiggles his fingers slightly, then turns his eyes back on Fabian’s face.

 “I’ll take care of your head first and then I can check out that foot. Maybe I can—I dunno. Make a splint or something.”

 “You—uh. You got really good at this”, Fabian says and turns his gaze upwards so he doesn’t have to focus on Riz’ yellow eyes right in front of him anymore.

 “Thanks”, Riz mumbles and his bandages fingers touch Fabian’s face gently.

 Fabian kind of wishes one of the rocks had just knocked him out.

 This is pathetic.

 He is Fabian Aramais Seacaster.

 Maybe his confidence died briefly—or for a longer period of time—back on their Spring Break adventure, but he’s been building it back up! He’s a catch! He’s amazing!

 Riz should be the one getting nervous because he’s allowed to touch Fabian’s handsome face.

 “I think once we’re patched up you should take my sword and teleport through all that rubble and I’ll try to crawl back. We need to find the others.”

 “You shouldn’t crawl back through that, The Ball”, Fabian says, thinking about Riz’s bloody hands. Riz shouldn’t get hurt on Fabian’s behalf.

 Gods, Fabian has it bad.

 “It’s fine. I’m smaller than you, so it’s easier for me. And I don’t think you should move too much with that brok—“

 “I’m in—I have feelings. For you.”

 Silence.

 Fabian doesn’t dare to breathe. Two seconds ago it felt right to finally say it, but now he’s regretting all his life choices leading up to this, as Riz’ yellow eyes stare at him, his small fingers still on Fabian’s forehead, holding a piece of gauze against the wound.

 “Wh—what?”

 “Forget it—it’s uh—I probably do have a concussion. Nevermind!”

 He can tell that Riz doesn’t buy it and also that Fabian’s words have ripped him out of his state of hyper-focus, something that Fabian has never managed to do before. Maybe he should feel kind of proud. But instead he feels sick to his stomach.

 “Feelings? Like—uh—like...”

 Fabian sees the confidence slip from Riz’ face like a mask he wore, and underneath is still the socially awkward kid handing people fucking business cards and vomiting inside of backpacks because he heard some clues.

 “Yeah. Like that”, he says.

 It’s hard to see in the dark, but Fabian could swear that Riz’ cheeks are tinted dark green.

 “Really?”

 His voice sounds very small now. Nervous. As if he expects Fabian to start laughing and say “Of course not, The Ball”. Which is probably fair. It’s not like Fabian ever managed to make his appreciation of his best friend very clear.

 “Hm.”

 “Oh.”

 “Oh? What does that mean?”

 “I—uh—I don’t. Um—this is—“

 Riz laughs nervously and turns his head.

 “I didn’t—um. Well”, he laughs again and sits down, hugs his knees and props his chin on top of them. “I kinda didn’t expect to ever hear that. From you. Um—yeah. It’s been... a long time. For me? I guess.”

Fabian’s brain short circuits and his heart does a very complicated dancing routine.

 “You—what?”

 Riz peaks up at him. Shrugs.

 “I’ve kinda been in love with you since. I don’t even know. A long time.”

 “For real?”

 “Yeah. For real.”

 “Okay, fuck this cave. Fuck this whole thing. We have to get out of here so I can fucking kiss your brains out. Give me your sword.”

 Riz hides his face for a second and then he laughs, a shaky, nervous but also happy laugh. He does not hand Fabian his sword.

 “First the wounds. Then the sword. Then—then the other stuff.”

 “Fine. You better hurry up.”

 “I will. Hold still.”

 Fabian is still determined to kick everyone’s ass once they get out of this. But maybe he’ll also send them some fruit baskets to the hospital afterwards.

[thisisawesomeness1825]

Fruity Loops and Fake (But not Fake) Proposals

Annabeth has a blanket draped over her head. Percy holds a blue pillow close to his chest.

They're standing inside Annabeth's room.

Both kids are panting heavily, heaving large gulps of air to recover their breathing. At the age of ten, it isn't that weird to find two children trying all their might to playfully strangle each other. No, they aren't playing tag. They just invented a new game where Annabeth takes the role of a wicked witch and Percy, a brave but naïve knight.

Taking two cautious steps forward, Annabeth keeps her grey eyes locked in with Percy's sea green ones.

"I'm going to take you down, Wicked Witch," Percy declares, holding the pillow tighter in mock stance.

Annabeth smirks at him, changing into attack position. "Now, now. We all know that isn't true Seawe—I mean Naïve Knight."

She advances two strides while Percy steps back.

Silence ensues and Annabeth dashes to Percy, yanks his pillow expertly and tickles him until he flops down her bed, helplessly.

"No, Annabeth, please—No!" He lets out a girly scream that sends an eerie shrilling vibration on Annabeth's ears. She just continues poking his sides, giggling.

"Stop. Annabeth, please!" his voice pleads.

There's a smug look on her face that says otherwise but her innocent voice tells a different story. "Say the magic line, Percy."

The poor kid sighs in defeat, knowing that begging will not work on his so-called bestfriend. He scoffs, a little breathless. "Okay. Fine. A-Annabeth," he stutters, and he sees Annabeth's expression that clearly tells him to go on (the humiliation part it is) but there's also that affection that sends warmth on his chest.

"A-Annabeth, b-beat me in the Witch and Knight game—"he pauses, "again."

Annabeth flashes him a mocking grin, much to his annoyance. "And?"

"For the bazzilionth time," Percy finishes. He lets out a huff, because the humiliation part is over.

Annabeth finally releases him and stands up, straightening her shirt in the process. Percy scoots over to give her space as she places herself beside him.

"I'm cool," she states, looking over to Percy who is obviously scowling.

"Nah. You just got lucky," Percy retorts, shoving the blue pillow in her direction.

She rolls her eyes and nudges him. "Luck doesn't bring you bazillion wins, Percy."

He exhales, sea green eyes flitting over to her. "Oh well. You're Wise Girl, anyway."

"I know. I know." She chuckles lightly.

They sit in a comfortable silence, thinking of new ways to spend their time together. Percy thinks of eating, but his Mom is still busy to bake some blue cookies for him and Annabeth. Which kind of reminds him of the pack of Fruity Loops he keeps in his bag.

He instantly stands up and reaches for his knapsack perched on top of Annabeth's study table. His hands delve inside and produces a bag of Fruity Loops.

"What's that?" Annabeth asks, her curiosity increases as she stares at the mystery pack.

Percy laughs, much to Annabeth's dismay. He knows how she hated not knowing. "Fruity Loops. Mom bought it for me. It tastes good, actually. Want to try some?"

Annabeth glares at him. She then fishes out three loops; red, yellow and pink. She scrunches her nose in disgust. "Isn't there a grey colored one?"

Percy chokes on his loop and looks incredulously at her. "Grey loop? Is there even a grey colored fruit?"

She scoffs. "Oh well. Never mind."

She swallows the rainbow food down to her throat. They aren't as bad as they look. They're sweet actually. Maybe she should stop judging foods by the way they look. Her biased taste buds scream yellow because it tastes like lemon. And she loves lemon.

"I like the yellow one," Annabeth decides.

Percy hums in response before passing her more yellow colored loops.

They stay like that for a couple of minutes, quietly munching on Fruity Loops. Annabeth enjoys his presence more than anyone else. The truth is, she's never been comfortable with other kids aside from this dork she refers to as her bestfriend. Percy knows her in more ways than one, and she does so with him.

"Annabeth," she hears Percy mutter. She turns so she could look at him, fully.

"Yeah?"

Percy blinks at her, then buries his face on the pillow. "Let's get married."

"What?"

He pushes the pillow away and shifts his body to look at her. "It's a game from what other kids say. All we do is act out the persons in the wedding. And Piper says she plays it with Jason, so I thought . . . we could also."

Annabeth thinks about it for a moment and nods her head slowly. She's never played it before but it sounds cool. "O-kay. But, I have a condition."

Percy beams at her. "What?"

She smirks and throws him her blanket. It lands with a thump on his face. "I get to be the groom."

Percy flails his arms wildly, a frown sculpted on his face. "That's unfair! That should be me. Only boys are allowed to be the grooms!"

Annabeth chucks her tongue at him. "But, you're girly."

"Hey! I am not!" Percy argues. He tries to catch Annabeth but he ends up stumbling on the floor. He gives up.

They play the whole wedding thing, starting from the proposal. Annabeth acts as the groom because she wants to. Percy takes the role of the bride because Annabeth wants him to and he can't argue with her anyway.

"Will you marry me?" she asks, feigning a deep, manly voice. She doesn't get on one knee since Annabeth thinks it's humiliating. There's a blue fruity loop on her palm.

Percy fakes astonishment. He looks ridiculous with a blanket over his head and a red smudge lipstick. But, he's a bride. He needs to look girly.

"Wow! Yes, yes! I'll marry you!" he exclaims, as he tries a womanly voice, but it comes out as a hoarse, strangled noise.

He takes the blue fruity loop from Annabeth's hand and slips it in his left pinky. He eats it right after.

When the wedding ends, they exchange another set of loop rings and Annabeth places a kiss on his cheek. Percy blushes.

"Annabeth?" he asks, once the fake ceremony is over. "Can I eat my ring now?"

"Shut up." Annabeth whacks him with a pillow.

Percy tickles her instead.

Annabeth has a blanket draped over her head. Percy holds a pillow close to his chest.

They're sitting on Annabeth's couch because she's in need for a Super Bestfriend Depression Kit right now.

Annabeth sobs on his shoulder, quietly, fisting on his shirt in an attempt to pull him closer. His breath hovers in her ear as Percy whispers sweet nothings, encasing her tighter in his arms.

"Stupid. Stupid," she mumbles on his shirt. "I'm so stupid."

Percy feels a little colder, as her tears seep through the material of his shirt, the wet clothing foreign to his skin. He doesn't mind though. And even if Annabeth cries in all of his shirts, he'd still gladly offer himself.

"No, Annabeth. You're not stupid," he says, patting her head in an effort to remove the thought.

"I am! I am!" she shouts, her voice hoarse and shrill and broken. She furiously pounds her fists at him, and Percy just draws her closer. He'll admit it hurts, Annabeth had taken a few judo lessons with him that he knows she throws punches like a guy. But the pain he feels is nothing compared to her, her heart shrinking and splinting and cracking.

"I should have known, Percy! I missed all the hints on those times. I feel so utterly idiotic and useless. Stupid! Stupid!" Annabeth yells. She cries again, his heart breaking little by little everytime her body shakes with sobs.

"It's not your fault, Annabeth. He's a douchebag for cheating on you. He should have known better," he mutters, trying to counterattack the insults she directs to herself. Percy rubs her back until the tension on her body eases.

He keeps her in his arms for a while, the two of them alone in their thoughts until Annabeth's breathing becomes even, his shoulder being her pillow. He pulls the blanket over them, tucks her in and presses play on the remote, humming some childish tune till he too, drifts off to sleep.

The steady thumping rhythm of Percy's heart rouses Annabeth from his shoulder. She blinks around and sees his sleeping face illuminated by the light from the TV. She considers waking him up for some company, but she suddenly remembers how much trouble she caused him, so she decided to watch the sleeping guy instead.

Her mind then wanders about Percy. How he has always known her whole being. The simplicity of the things he does for her; buying her favorite food whenever he comes, giving her cups of coffee during her late night shifts or even buying her tampons when it's her time of the month, all of this he does without bothering to ask her a favor. The whole idea of Percy is always there, lingering at the edges of her cerebral cortex, but Annabeth never got to notice it until now.

She is so used in seeing the whole bestfriend thing that she didn't pay attention to the details making up the big picture. Yet, as a bestfriend. How couldn't she see it? Hadn't she known him longer than anyone else aside from his mother? Hadn't she by his side when he lost the swimming competition?

Now that Annabeth thinks of it, she feels so selfish. So stupid. How come she hadn't read between the lines? The hint had always been there. Percy has always been there.

There's a rustling on her side and she looks over to see Percy blindly reaching for her hand. He grasps it tight and all of her worries and fears loosen with the feeling. She ruffles his hair till he glances up. And somehow, the memories flood back, like loose strings pulling tight on her mind that it hurts, just to create the perfect tone for the moment. Annabeth internally chuckles at the vague flashback, for the sight of a ten-year old Percy wearing smudged red lipstick is so adorable (though most of it is actually gross). But, the innocence of the moment crashes onto her like a euphoria, spreading warmth all over her body. She remembers teasing him girly (for he knows girly stuff she wasn't even aware back then) which he poorly argues. There's also a memory of them faking a proposal and shamelessly eating their engagement rings (Fruity Loops) right after.

She keeps the recollections close to her, the emotions swell like rivers to her heart.

"Hey," she hears Percy say. He buries his head onto the crook of her neck, and Annabeth wonders whether he's smelling her or breathing her in, both of the options sounded well anyway.

"Hi," she replies, scratching mindlessly on his hair. It had always been a favorite of her to play with his hair, constantly that it became a hobby. A content sigh escapes his lips, and Annabeth knows she's done the right thing.

"Did I fell asleep?" Percy asks. She has half a mind to answer with sarcasm. The other half wins.

"Yeah. You did."

He chuckles and curls into her, their skins tingling at the contact. "You smell like the Annabeth I know."

She stops scratching his scalp, sounding amused. She doesn't know if she is to be glad or not, pondering whether the comment 'You smell like the Annabeth I know' is a compliment or not.

"What?"

"Recently, you wore sadness and desperation like a perfume, you know. But now . . . You smell like your old self. No masks, no perfume, nothing. And, you're back now in smelling like a field of lemons. I love it."

She'll admit, she's taken aback. These words calm her mind, even though they mean nothing but to tease her. The boldness and honesty of his words appeals to her, that he actually takes time to recall these small things she doesn't even consider herself, and she feels so loved.

She watches the movie and he does too, as she tugs and strokes his hair while Percy rubs soothing circles in her back.

They reach the scene where the protagonist proposes to her bestfriend and Annabeth's mind suddenly wanders to their 'what if'.

"Hey, Perce?" she voices out.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of bestfriends marrying each other?"

He's quiet for a moment, perhaps thinking (which she thinks is actually pretty hard to come by) and plays with her fingers, occasionally lacing them with his.

"That'd be cool, I guess. And cute. Some people actually believe that it's kind of endearing to have your spouse as your bestfriend before anyone else. In that way, they'll just understand each other better."

Annabeth nods, understanding his point.

"Why'd you ask that, Wise Girl? Having thoughts on marrying your bestfriend?" Percy inquires, jokingly.

She snorts. 'Thinking of doing it right now, really' she wants to say. But, that'll be way too forward.

"I think. Yeah. I might have."

Annabeth glances at her right only to find Percy's sea green eyes on her. There's a look on his eyes that seems hopeful, happy and various more. She doesn't know which one is true.

"You aren't serious, are you?" he questions, cautiously. A passive expression masks his face, but Annabeth can clearly see into that façade. She has seen almost everything about him that she's aware of the meaning behind each appearance.

"I am. I am serious," she answers, more determined. Then, she adds to lighten the mood, "Even though you'd be a horrible wife. Talk about armpit hairs and morning breath."

A chuckle bubbles up his throat and he cuddles to her closer. He presses his face to her shoulder and Annabeth instantly knows he's smiling. She is too. She is smiling so wide it's starting to hurt.

"You hate my armpit hair, really? I'd pretty myself for you then, husband. Just propose to me, properly," Percy replies, poorly mimicking a woman's voice.

Annabeth laughs but plays with him, too. "Oh yes. I gladly would honey. If I only have a ring."

"Oh silly. What are Fruity Loops for? Wait here sweetheart. I'll go get 'em."

Percy abruptly gets up and goes to his bag for some Fruity Loops. As he searches, he calls out to her. "Just wait there, my Periwinkle."

Annabeth loudly groans. "My Periwinkle? Are you kidding me, Percy?"

"No. Just go with it, Annabeth."

"Okay then, Munchkin."

Percy comes back holding a pack Fruity Loops, grinning stupidly. "Did you just say Munchkin, Wise Girl? Munchkin, really?"

Annabeth ignores his comment and grabs the pack from him, finding a blue and yellow one. Percy looks at her expectantly.

"I'm not kneeling, you idiot. Come over and sit in the couch," she orders him. He happily obliges.

When they're already comfortably sitting, Annabeth reaches for Percy's hand and encloses it with her palm. She feels the callouses on his hand, a few scars he got from saving her and she thinks she's never gonna live the same life without this guy.

"Hey," Percy says, his voice soft and like home, a familiar ringtone in her ears. A hand gently strokes her cheek and he stares at her with so much affection. "You don't have to do this, Annabeth. I know the pain from your breakup still hurts. We don't have to rush this."

"I know. I know." She nods because she understands and she's glad Percy does too. But, she isn't about to be affected by her previous relationships. She's way too focused now on Percy.

Foreheads touching and eyes closed, Annabeth whispers, "But, I want to do this now. Besides, do you want me to change my mind?"

Percy laughs nervously and he searches her eyes for a second "No. I don't want you to change your mind."

Annabeth purposely bumps her nose to his. He thinks it says 'I love you'. She smiles.

"Then, marry me."

This time, it's Percy who nudges his nose to Annabeth. She thinks it translates to 'I love you, too.' He chuckles.

"That sounds like an order, not a proposal."

She huffs impatiently and glares at him. "Do you want to marry me or not?"

"Of course. Of course." He leans in and kisses her, lips softly brushing against each other. She kisses back, her hands on his neck to pull him closer. And suddenly, everything falls into place. The way he's holding her, his mouth pressed gently to hers, the cliché factor of the moment seems incomparably wonderful. There's something about the spontaneity of the moment, the exact time is all too picture perfect until her nose knocks onto his. He smiles against her lips because it is so cute, and he shifts his head to get a better angle and there it is again. Nosebumping. She laughs and they pull back, foreheads still in contact. Their ragged breathing fills the room as they stare at each other.

Percy says after a while. "I hate your nose, really."

She laughs again. "Don't worry. My nose says the feeling is mutual."

Annabeth then takes his hand as she tries to fit the blue loop ring. It barely grazes his pinky.

"Aw. The ring doesn't fit," Annabeth observes as she examines his finger. Percy stares at her with so much adoration and wonders how she couldn't notice it.

"Annabeth?"

She looks up at him, smiling way too sweet. Percy swears they'd get ant bites later. "Yeah?"

"Remember when you asked me about grey colored loops?"

She nods, reminiscing the question.

"Well, I tried to think about it. I researched so maybe I can find you some, but . . . I found another thing. It's still a loop, but not grey. Instead, it's silver. And you can't eat it. It costs way too much for a hundred pack of Fruity Loops," he confesses as he pulls a small red velvet box from his pocket. Perched on the center of the soft material is a ring, a real silver engagement ring.

"I'm just waiting the span of my entire life for this exact moment to ask you so. I-I know I should have proposed to you first, if that's what you're thinking but you-you look so cute in the whole proposal thing that I"—his rambling is cut-off when Annabeth kisses him again, hard. Percy easily responded, with the same amount of fervor. He feels so infinite with this ephemeral moment. His thoughts can't get coherent and all he knows is he doesn't want to stop. They pull back when their oxygen supply runs out and Annabeth encases him in an almost death hug.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she questions, breathless.

"Because I love you?"

"Oh shut up you dumb dork!"

He draws her tighter and she hugs him back and maybe Percy can die happy now. (Not that he wants to)

They cherish the silence, their steady breathing and heartbeats forming music into their ears. Percy speaks after a few minutes.

"Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I eat my ring now?"

"Shut up." Annabeth whacks him with a pillow.

Percy just kisses her instead.

[dimensiontripperhibiki]

Let It Burn (42/?)

Next chapter of LIB, hope you guys enjoy! :) Warning(s): Sexual scenes, some angst.  “Are you sure about this?” Eli asked apprehensively as she stepped into Honoka’s bedroom behind her. As much as she wanted to be able to spend time with Honoka and Umi she was worried that if she got too close to Yuki she might somehow hurt her. “Eli-senpai!” Yuki exclaimed brightly as she looked up from the book Honoka had given her to read. She was never really allowed any when she was with Sonoda. Certainly not any new ones. She scrambled to her feet and rushed toward Eli, her arms going around the blonde’s midsection in a strong embrace. Eli winced, expecting to feel cold but she didn’t. She realized in surprise that Yuki must have put her gloves on. Having made no such effort herself, she hugged the girl back as best she could without touching her with her hands. She wondered vaguely how the heat from her body wasn’t hurting Yuki. She looked to Honoka who nodded with a small smile. “She’s been asking for you all morning.” Honoka pointed out quietly. “I think she’s taken a liking to you.”

“She’s been asking for you all morning.” Honoka pointed out quietly. “I think she’s taken a liking to you.”

Eli glanced down at Yuki in surprise and watched as the girl pulled back to look up at her, her silver eyes shimmering. Eli couldn’t help but smile at how adorable the girl was. Honoka ran her hand over Yuki’s auburn hair and smiled softly when the girl leaned into her. It was clear that she hadn’t had much human contact. Positive human contact at least. “Just don’t steal her away from me, okay? Eli-senpai is mine too. She has all the girls falling for her...” Eli rolled her eyes, a blush coloring her cheeks as she felt Honoka’s arm slide around her shoulders. “Can I see your gloves, Yuki?” Yuki nodded in response and Eli crouched down as the small girl held up her hands. She looked closely at the gloves on Yuki’s hands, recalling how it hadn’t hurt when the girl had touched her. “Rei-san gave them to me!” Yuki exclaimed excitedly. “She said they would help me keep control of my ability better than the other ones.” “I think they have the same material as mine.” Eli said observantly. “Hmm?” Yuki innocently tilted her head. “Why don’t you wear yours?” “Because usually I can control my heat.” Eli explained simply as Yuki lowered her hands. She didn’t stand up just yet though, preferring to be eye level with the girl when she spoke to her. “When I was younger I used to...burn people without meaning to but I managed to control that. It’s just that with you, you’re sensitive to my ability. Just like I am with yours.” Yuki nodded, a serious expression on her face. “Maybe you could wear your gloves when you touch me? So you don’t have to stay away anymore.” “That’s a good idea.” Eli said with a soft laugh. She got to her feet, her heart skipping a beat when she noticed Honoka beaming at the two of them. “What?” “I just love you.” Honoka said with a slight shake of her head. “So what do you think? Can we keep her? Please?” Eli felt a hand grasp at her sleeve and looked down at Yuki who stared up at her with a puppy dog expression “Please?” “Fine, we can keep her.” Eli grunted as the two simultaneously hugged her, one from the front and one around her shoulders from the side. She couldn’t help but smile to herself though. She was relieved that Honoka was happier. She had worried she would never see her like that again. “I’m going to have to ask Rei to help me with those gloves before I can come back for real though. You know that, right?” Honoka sighed and Yuki looked up at Eli. “I heard Honoka-san and Umi-san saying they missed you last night.” She said innocently. “They said they couldn’t get warm without you.” “Yuki!” Honoka chided gently, her face turning red. “I think it’s cute.” Eli said with a soft smile. “I’m surprised Umi said it too though.” “What? Umi loves you!” Honoka said with a roll of her eyes. “And she’s gotten used to you being there when we sleep. You’re like a furnace, you warm the whole bed up.” Eli frowned suddenly in concern and looked down at the girl hanging onto her. “Does that not hurt you? The rest of my body being so warm?” Yuki shook her head in response. “No.” Eli gave a sigh of relief. She wasn’t sure how that worked but she supposed it was a good thing that she wasn’t doing anything to hurt Yuki inadvertently. “That’s good. When I get my gloves we can practice control together, okay?” Yuki beamed at that. “Eli-senpai is going to teach me?” “And you’re going to teach me.” Eli said with a nod of her head. “We can teach each other.” Honoka reached out and ran her hand over the top of Yuki’s head, mouthing a silent ‘thank you’ to Eli.   ----- Rin grabbed the towel she had left in the entranceway as the door slammed shut behind her. She had taken a few laps around the city as way of training. She needed to get faster and soon, otherwise they were all screwed. Even more so than they already were. Hearing a jingle she turned to see Hibiki picking up her backpack from the floor. The girl was wearing a grey hoodie and black shorts but as Rin watched, Hibiki removed the hoodie, exposing her black sports bra. Rin’s gaze shifted to Hibiki’s shoulder blade. There was a tattoo there. A thorn rose. It was beautifully drawn, Rin noticed as she stepped closer. “I can feel you staring at me.” Hibiki said without turning around as she stuffed her hoodie into her bag. “If it’s the tattoo I got it in England last year.” Rin blushed. “I wasn’t staring…” “Oh really, speedster?” Hibiki turned around with a smirk. Rin’s eyes were drawn to Hibiki’s full chest. She had been sure the girl was flat chested like her. "Did it hurt?" "Like a bitch...but I'm used to pain. And before you ask a friend of mine did it. Though she did teach me.” “She did?” Rin asked curiously. “What would you think suits me?" Hibiki seemed to think about that for a moment. “A crow with a chain of lightning around it.” Rin frowned "Crows are bad luck." "You're a crow” Hibiki shrugged in response.”Bound to the ground. But you want to break free.” Rin shook her head. “Nah, I like cats.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I like your tattoo though. It’s pretty.” “Thanks.” Hibiki smiled softly. “But I guess it’s kind of meant in a tragic way too. It reminds me that no one can ever understand me...or get close to me. Do you ever feel that way, Rin?” Rin thought about that for a moment before nodding. “More now than before, I guess.” “It’s tough being an outsider.” Hibiki remarked, dropping her bag back to the floor. “Who said I’m an outsider?” Rin frowned, a bit defensive. That hardly seemed like a nice thing to call someone. “Aren’t you? It’s just the impression I get.” Hibiki said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Your friends all seem to have groups. But you’re not really in them. Like Riko. It’s…” She paused, noticing Rin looked a little crushed by the comment. “Oh hey, I’m sorry. Look, what do I even know? I’m new here.” Rin shrugged her shoulders. “You seem smart though. Like Umi-chan, Maki-chan and Hanayo-chan.” “You are too. You just keep it to yourself.” Hibiki remarked thoughtfully. “That’s the impression I get anyway.” Rin gave a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. “I just run fast.” “Just run fast?” Hibiki echoed skeptically. “You saved my sorry ass.” “By running fast. It’s easy when you’re a lot faster than the other person.” Rin said casually. “Besides, it seemed like you had a plan.” “My plan was you coming and whisking me off.” Hibiki smirked, shrugging her shoulders. “I told you, I knew you would come.” “You’re really pretty, nya.” Rin’s eyes widened as the words left her mouth. “NYA. I…” She clapped her hand over her mouth in case anything else she didn’t mean to say escaped. She didn’t know where that had come from. Hibiki smirked at the embarrassed look on Rin’s face. “Must be my delinquent charm. So you like the bad girls, huh?” “N-No, I just…” Rin stuttered nervously. “I don’t know why I said that, nya.” “Relax, it’s fine.” Hibiki said, shaking her head in amusement. “Life’s too short to not tell girls you think they’re pretty. It’s funny though, considering all of the hot girls you’re surrounded by.” “Huh?” Rin tilted her head in confusion. “How is it fine that I want to push you against the wa-” She cut herself off again. “NYA, I did it again! Maybe I’m dreami...ow!” Rin flinched as Hibiki reached behind her and pinched her. “You pinched my butt!” “You were asking if you were dreaming.” Hibiki grinned, shrugging her shoulders. “Guess not.” Rin lightly pushed Hibiki and taking it as a challenge, Hibiki pushed her back. “Getting physical, huh speeds-” Hibiki grunted as Rin tackled her to the floor, using her ability. She locked her legs around the girl’s waist and flipped them, easily pinning her hands to the floor. “Well that wasn’t very nice.” Rin growled and using all of the strength she had, she flipped them again. “You’re annoying me. Why do you have to be so...pretty and so cool?!” Hibiki smirked up at Rin, letting the girl hold her in place. “Why don’t you let your instincts tell you? Let that inner cheetah out.” Rin gritted her teeth. “I’m so frustrated and you...you…” “What?” Hibiki asked, raising an eyebrow. Rin closed her eyes and leaned down, letting her instincts take over as she pressed her lips to Hibiki’s.

---- Future Honoka was halfway down the stairs when she heard voices coming from the kitchen. She faltered slightly, having been on her way there to get some tea for Nozomi. The empath was still working with Chika while also trying to get Kotori to open up to her more about what had happened to her. She didn’t usually get headaches but so much use of her ability had been enough to bring one on. Honoka faltered for a moment, not especially wanting to run into anyone. As immature as it was she much prefered spending her time solely with Nozomi. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself before she walked into the kitchen. Honoka and Eli were there, standing near Yuki who was sitting on the counter, swinging her legs back and forth. “Don’t you think this is a bit much?” Eli asked as Honoka squeezed ketchup onto the omurice she’d just finished cooking. It didn’t look too bad, considering Honoka had made it. “No, she deserves to be spoiled after...you know.” Honoka said as she drew a smiley face with the ketchup. “Mmm!” Yuki chimed in, her mouth full of rice. “Honoka-san said I can have whatever I want!” “Honoka.” Eli said disapprovingly. Honoka gave a nervous laugh as she turned to Eli. “I can’t help it, I just…” She trailed off as she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She glanced in that direction, her expression souring when she saw her future self. “Come on, Yuki. Let’s go and eat upstairs with Umi-chan.” Yuki nodded and let Eli help her down from the counter. Honoka picked up Yuki’s plate and guided her to the door with a hand on her back. Yuki faltered at the sight of future Honoka, her brow furrowing slightly in confusion. She glanced between Honoka and the older girl but she didn’t have time to question it before she was being ushered from the room. “That’s brave.” Future Honoka murmured as she watched her past self leave. “I wouldn’t trust myself with a kid, nevermind her.” “Honoka knows what she’s doing.” Eli, who hadn’t moved to follow Honoka, said. Future Honoka snorted in disbelief. “No, she doesn’t. I know how she is, remember? How I was.” Eli heaved a sigh. “Do you have to be such an ass all of the time? She’s trying. What is she supposed to do, tell the kid to go back to where she came from?” Honoka raised an eyebrow as she hopped up onto one of the stools in the kitchen. It still caught her by surprise how nice the Minami household was. It made her think of a time when things were so much simpler. “You seem annoyed.” “I’m not annoyed, I just don’t like that you constantly have something to say about my girlfriend.” Eli said as she turned to take Honoka’s dishes to the sink. “She’s been through hell the past few weeks but she’s trying. She’s trying to drag herself out of it. If I had lost Arisa I don’t think I could do that.” “Yes you could.” Honoka disagreed quietly, recalling how Eli had acted after Arisa had died. “In my future Nozomi-chan dragged you out of your darkness kicking and screaming. I helped after but Nozomi-chan did all of the work.” Eli paused, confused by the strangeness of the comment. “Why would you tell me that?” “You mentioned it.” Honoka said with a shrug. She watched as Eli turned to frown at her. “Before you get any ideas, I’m not telling you you should get back with Nozomi. She’s not available.” Eli managed a small smile at that. It was rare to hear Honoka admit her relationship with Nozomi. “I’m glad. You make her happy.” Future Honoka scoffed and looked down at her lap. “For now.” She bit her lip for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “She’s too good for me, you know.” “What?” “Nozomi.” Honoka clarified, looking up. “She’s always been the best of all of us.” “You don’t have to tell me that.” Eli muttered, crossing the room to lean against the counter near Honoka. “You obviously love her. Did you not feel that way about her in your own time?” Honoka shook her head. “Nozomi-chan was one of my closest friends but I was in love with Kotori-chan. And...Eli-senpai. Though I never admitted it…” Eli watched Honoka closely, noticing the flash of pain across her face. “Is that why you’re so angry with Honoka? You’re annoyed that she did?” “Jealous, you mean?” Honoka tipped her head back and sighed. “Yeah, I guess. And angry with myself for putting Eli-senpai through what I did. She really loved me. Probably a lot more than you love your version of me. But I ignored how she felt. I pretended I didn’t notice.” Eli tried not to take offence to the comment about her future self loving Honoka more than she did. From what Future Honoka said, it could be true. Eli consoled herself with the thought that it was because that version of herself had had more time with Honoka. She was sure she would only love Honoka more with time. “You were with Kotori.” She said hesitantly after a moment of silence. “You can’t blame yourself for not being able to answer my...her feelings.” “I should have. She died without knowing how I felt. I would give anything to…” Honoka paused as if realizing how much she was telling Eli. “Anyway, yeah. I envy her in a way. My past self. So that’s why I don’t like her, besides the fact that she’s useless.” Eli rolled her eyes. “So you’re calling yourself useless?” “I let all of my friends die. What else would I call myself?” Honoka retorted pointedly. “Besides it’s not like she has any love lost for me either. She blames me for her sister dying. Not that she’s exactly wrong about that. I did change the timeline.” Eli couldn’t argue with that. She had known almost from the start that it was meant to be Arisa who died. That Yukiho has been alive in Future Honoka’s time. “You must understand her on some level though. She’s you. You’ve lived through this.” “No, I haven’t.” Honoka frowned at the suggestion. “Her life is completely different to mine.” Eli watched contemplatively as Honoka hopped down from the stool she was sitting on and crossed to the cupboard, taking out a cup. “What are you doing?” “Nozomi has a headache so I’m making her some tea.” Honoka answered with a shrug of her shoulders. “She’s been using her ability a lot today, with Chika. Not that she’s getting anywhere. It seems like a waste of her time.” Eli stared at Honoka as the girl heaved an annoyed sigh. “You really confuse me sometimes.” She mumbled, shaking her head. It was confusing, yet sweet at the same time, that Honoka could be so cold toward everyone else and yet so warm toward Nozomi. “You know what the best cure for a headache is though, don’t you?” Honoka turned to gape at Eli in surprise but the blonde was already leaving the room. ---- Rei looked up from the chart she was reading over and cast a glance over at You and Chika. It was times like this when she was at a loss for answers but knew what she would need to do to get them that she wished she had access to actual hospital equipment. An MRI machine would have been more than helpful so she could figure out if there was anything going on physically with Chika’s brain. It was frustrating, not being able to do anything to help. She watched as You ran her fingers gently over the top of Chika’s forehead, idly brushing her hair aside. Their closeness reminded her of Maki and Kotori and she frowned at the thought. She wasn’t sure what was going on with her daughter and Yume’s. She knew they had been spending less time together since Kotori had gotten back. She couldn’t help but worry that Kotori was pushing Maki away. She knew that losing Kotori would be devastating to her daughter. It had been the first time they had been separated too. She could only imagine that now that Maki was so attached to Kotori it would be a lot worse. She was torn from her thoughts by the door flying open. She looked up in time to see Rin and Kotori drag the young man who’d brought Kotori back, into the room. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she lowered the clipboard in her hands. “What’s going on?” “We know how to fix Chika-chan, nya!” Rin exclaimed excitedly, letting go of Raven’s arm. “Kotori-chan figured it out.” “You did?” You’s excited exclamation sounded at the same time as Rei’s more skeptical response. “Yes. Well I think so.” Kotori answered. She glanced over at Chika, flashing her a small smile. “Hey, Chika-chan. I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you, I’ve been...preoccupied.” “No, it’s fine.” Chika said quickly. Even emotionless she knew that she shouldn’t be insensitive toward Kotori so she kept in mind the way she would usually act had she been able to feel anything. It felt fake but she supposed it was better than doing anything to upset her. “H-How are you?” Kotori gave a meek shrug in response. “I’m fine. More importantly I think I have...or rather Raven-kun has a way of helping you.” Rei looked at the young man who seemed to be avoiding looking specifically at her. “What do you mean? How could he help her?” “With his ability.” Kotori planted her hand on Raven’s back and gave him a gentle nudge toward Rei. “Tell her.  You don’t have to worry, I told you she’s not going to try to…” “Melt my brain.” Raven provided when Kotori trailed off uncertainly. “Like the other redhead.” “He means Maki-chan.” Kotori explained, glancing toward Rei. “Right.” Rei said slowly, still struggling to figure out what the three of them were trying to say. “So how do you think you can help Chika?” “I think I can give her senses a kickstart.” Raven answered, glancing over at Chika before he turned his attention back to Rei. “If we find a way to make her feel some kind of pain, I can intensify it and make her feel it a hundred times stronger. I think that might help. Or Kotori does at least.” “Wait, wait…” Rei held up a hand, struggling to keep up. “Are you saying you have an ability? Kotori told us you were a guard.” Raven looked to Kotori in confusion. “You told them I worked for Sonoda?” “Ah, yeah. But in my defence they wouldn’t have taken the news that you helped torture me well. Especially my mother.” Kotori said, stepping forward. “He tortured you?” Kotori froze at the sound of Maki’s voice. She sounded hurt. But mostly, she sounded furious. She slowly turned in time to see Maki walk into the room, her fists clenched as she headed for Raven. “Oh crap…” Raven muttered, quickly backing up. “Whoa, Maki wait…” Kotori quickly put herself between Raven and her fuming girlfriend, holding her hands up. “It’s not as simple as that, okay? It’s complicated.” “You told me he was just a guard.” Maki growled, her gaze flitting to Kotori. “You told me he didn’t do anything to you.” “Look, let’s just...go and talk about this okay?” Kotori glanced at Rei who was staring at them with a troubled look on her face. “I’m sorry, Rei-san.” “It’s fine, I can take it from here.” “No, I want to know what he did to you first.” Maki refused to budge, staring intently at Raven instead. “I want to hear it from him.” Raven winced. He wasn’t sure hearing it from him would make it any easier. He glanced at Kotori and though she looked worried, she nodded. “Right, um...my ability is to amplify senses. Pain, mainly. Sonoda usually used me to…” “I want to know what you did to Kotori!” Maki cut him off sharply. “Well the guards and Sonoda were torturing her. Cutting her and beating her, you know?” Raven shifted uncomfortably under the weight of Maki’s furious stare. “I just made it hurt more the first couple of times. It’s not like I wanted to! I didn’t have a choice, Sonoda...” “There’s always a choice.” Maki growled angrily. She glared at him once more but recognizing that she wouldn’t be able to do what she wanted, she turned and stormed out of the room. “Sorry.” Kotori apologized before she hastened after Maki. Raven watched them go before he turned back to Rei. He winced as he noticed the furious expression on her face. “I guess you’re gonna yell at me too?” “People here are very fond of Kotori. Including myself, given that she’s my daughter’s girlfriend. “You’d do well to understand that this won’t help anyone like you. But we’ll talk more about that later. For now, let’s focus on Chika.” “Right.” Raven agreed quietly. He glanced at Rin and she gave him an encouraging nod. He sighed in relief. Kotori had explained the situation to her so she didn’t seem to be angry with him. “So can you feel anything at all?” Chika shrugged her shoulders and squeezed You’s hand. “I can feel You-chan touching me but I can’t feel anyone else.” “We think it has to do with how close they are.” Rei said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Right.” Raven glanced between the two thoughtfully. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you to each other?” “She’s my girlfriend.” You answered strongly. “Ah, got it.” Raven winced, reminded of when Kotori had told him about Maki in the facility. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “Is there anyone else at all? Anything you can feel without...your girlfriend being involved?” Chika shook her head. “No. Why?” Raven glanced hesitantly at Rei before he turned his attention back to Chika. “She needs to hit you as hard as she can and then I’ll amplify the pain to give your senses a kickstart. Hopefully that’ll work.” “That’s never going to happen. My ability is super strength, I might kill her.” You said quickly, a panicked look on her face. “I can’t hit her.” She looked to Chika who seemed to be considering her options. “Chika-chan, I can’t hit you.” “Can’t you just hold back a little?” Raven cut in earning himself an angry look from You. “Sorry. I’m just saying. It seems like this is the only way.” “As much as I hate to admit it, I think he’s right.” Rei said reluctantly as she glanced between the three of them. “It’s worth a try. It seems like we’ve exhausted all other options besides surgery. And I’m not exactly equipped for that. I can heal her right after though.” “You-chan.” Chika spoke softly, looking up to meet You’s syes. “It’s okay, you can do it. I trust you not to hurt me too much. Just try not to tap into your ability too much, okay? It’ll be fine.” You anxiously bit her lip. “I don’t know...what if I can’t hold back? What if I hurt you too badly and Rei-san can’t heal you.” “I trust you.” Chika said again. “Please, You-chan. I don’t want to be stuck like this forever. I want to feel again. I know you won’t hurt me more than you have to.” “O-Okay.” You said nervously. She couldn’t stand seeing Chika the way she was and she knew that Chika hated it. “I’ll do it. If you’re sure you want me to.” “Thank you.” Chika said softly. She slipped off the bed and took a step back, waiting for You to get up too. She looked over at Raven. “So what does she have to do? Just hit me?” “Sure, I guess.” Raven answered hesitantly. “Just make it hurt.” “It’s definitely gonna hurt…” You muttered. She clenched her fist at her side. “How should I hit you? I mean where? I don’t want to hit you in the face.” Chika frowned. “Well you can’t just punch me in the arm.” “Well I don’t want to punch you in the face!” You exclaimed, her voice a little higher than usual. “W-What if I just hit you in the side or something? Wait no, that could mean internal bleeding. Damn it.” “What about breaking her arm, nya?” Rin suggested brightly. “That won’t kill her but it’ll hurt a lot.” “No! Are you crazy?! I-I’m not breaking my girlfriend’s ARM!” “You-chan, calm down. Just hit me in the face and get it over with.” Chika said, taking a step closer to You. “Rei-san will heal me afterwards and it’ll be fine.” “I-I don’t think I can…” Rei sighed and ran a hand over her face in frustration. She understood You’d misgivings but hesitating wouldn’t help. Chika echoed Rei’s sigh. “Just do it, You-chan. Please. I need this so just…” You raised her fist and hit Chika hard across the face, sending her not stumbling to the side like a punch from an ordinary person would, but flying across the room. Chika hit the side of a bed and slid to the floor. “Chika-chan!” You made to rush toward Chika but Rei grasped her arm. “It’s best you don’t see it until I’ve healed her.” Rei pushed You toward Raven. “Keep her here.” “Sure, I’ll try.” Raven said as You stumbled into him. He grasped her arm though he was sure he wouldn’t be able to do anything if she decided that she really wanted to move. “If it makes you feel any better I’m pretty sure that would have worked.” “It doesn’t.” You muttered as she watched Rei kneel down next to her girlfriend. “Is she okay?” “She’s fine, you just knocked her out.” Rei called back. “Give me a second to heal her.” You waited anxiously for a moment as Rei lapsed into silence. Just as she was about to ask what was going on, she heard Chika groan. She pulled away from Raven’s grip and hurried across the room, crouching down next to Chika. “Chika-chan, are you okay?” “Yeah, my head hurts though…” Chika muttered, pushing herself into a sitting position. Her eyes sprung open in realization. “Wait, my head hurts!” “So it worked, nya!” Rin turned to Raven with an excited smile. “You did it!” “Guess I did.” Raven said, smiling sheepishly at her. He hadn’t been sure it would but Kotori had seemed convinced when she’d brought the idea up. “ Chika pinched herself to be sure, wincing at the pain. “I can feel!” She looked at You and emotion washed over her. Like she was feeling everything she’d missed out on. “Thank you, You-chan.” You threw her arms around Chika in relief and embraced her as tightly as she could. ---- “I didn’t think Umi would be the type to spoil her kids.” Eli commented as she stepped over to Honoka, laying a hand on her shoulder. Honoka flinched, having not noticed Eli approaching. She herself had been leaning against the doorway to the living room, watching Umi with Yuki. “And I didn’t think you’d be so strict.” Honoka teased, relaxing under Eli’s touch as she watched Umi press a glass of chocolate milk into Yuki’s hands. Eli smiled softly at that. She understood Honoka and Umi’s desire to make Yuki happy, especially after they’d learned the kind of conditions she’d had to live in. “Is she okay?” “Better now.” There had been a bit of an incident with Yuki earlier when the young girl had taken a bath. There’d been a loud bang somewhere in the house and Yuki started freaking out, turning the water icy cold, almost freezing it. Eli and Honoka, who had been waiting outside had burst into the room and Eli had tried to get close but without any gloves to act as protection from the cold, she hadn’t been able to and she’d had to fall back in pain. Honoka was ashamed to admit that she hadn’t been much use either, freaking out herself at the fact that Eli was in so much pain and that Yuki’s bath had been slowly turning to ice with the girl in it. Umi had heard them yelling though and had rushed into the bathroom, breaking the ice forming around Yuki with her fist and scooping the upset girl up. She’d consoled her after and Yuki had refused to let go for a long while. She was still sticking close to Umi now, seemingly comforted by her presence. Eli kissed Honoka’s cheek before she stepped into the room and made her way to Umi and Yuki who were both sitting on the couch. Honoka watched as Eli placed a gloved hand on Yuki’s head and the young girl leaned into it with a content sigh. Eli sat next to Yuki on the couch and the girl shuffled closer to her, pursuing the gentle warmth that emanated from Eli’s body. It was puzzling to the blonde, that Yuki seemed to have no problem at all with her warmth, just the heat that tended to radiate from her hands. She supposed it was because she had control over her body temperature, she just had to be careful not to let her temperature get too high. As Yuki’s eyes fluttered shut, her grip on the glass in her hand loosening, Honoka walked over and took it from her. She set it down on the table and knelt down in front of her. Gently, she took Yuki’s smaller hand in her own. “We’re here.” “We’re not going to let anyone touch you.” Umi chimed in, gently brushing Yuki’s hair from her face. “Or hurt you.” “Or make you cry.” Eli said in a whisper, feeling Yuki’s grip on the front of her shirt tighten in response to Umi’s words. “You’re safe with us, we promise.” Honoka reached out with her free hand, taking Umi’s and lightly tangling their fingers together. The three of them watched in silence as Yuki dozed off in Eli’s arms. “It’s only been a week since she got here and I love her so much already.” Honoka said softly as she watched Yuki sleeping. “I don’t know what I would do if we let anything happen to her. If Umi-chan hadn’t…” “Don’t beat yourself up over that.” Umi said quietly, giving Honoka’s hand a light squeeze. “You panicked, it’s not your fault.” “And I was just as bad.” Eli added reassuringly. “I probably distracted you. Besides, Umi was there. She’s always going to be there. That’s what the three of us do. We’re there for each other.” Honoka managed a small smile at that. “She’s ours, right? We’re not going to let anyone take her away from us.” “Never.” Umi and Eli vowed in unison. “Good.” Honoka said in relief. She let go of Umi’s hand and moved into a more comfortable position on the floor, leaning against Umi’s legs instead. “I love you.” “I love you too.” Umi and Eli once more spoke at the same time, neither asking which of them she meant. To them it was obvious she was addressing both of them. They shared a small smile of understanding. -----

Rin bit her lip as she focused on the wall in front of her. Holding out her hand, she narrowed her eyes and focused on what Hanayo had told her to do. “You can do it, Rin-chan.” Hanayo encouraged from Rin’s side, her eyes glued to Rin’s hand. “Remember all you have to do is vibrate at the natural frequency of the air around you and your cells will be in an electrified state, letting you pass through the object. Just connect with the air around you…” Rin sighed and lowered her hand. “I don’t get it. I’m much better at running fast, nya.” “You should be able to do this.” Hanayo frowned, at a loss. They had been trying for weeks to get this right and Rin still wasn’t anywhere near succeeding. “I don’t understand how you can phase through things when you run but not when you’re still. This should be easier. Right, Maki-chan?” “Huh?” Maki, who was sitting at the desk she’d set up in the spacious room, looked up. She had been staring at a record of Rin’s phasing attempts as well as her recent speed for the past twenty minutes without taking anything. “Yeah, sure.” Hanayo threw her hands up in disbelief. “Well at least your speed is improving, I guess.” “I don’t need to phase like this, nya!” Rin protested as she wandered over to Maki’s desk. She hopped up onto it and sat cross legged, earning herself a disgruntled look from the redhead. “I can just run really fast if I need to go through anything.” Hanayo opened her mouth to protest but she knew there was no point. Rin wasn’t one to be dissuaded from doing things the way she wanted to do them. “Have you noticed anything off about Kotori lately?” Maki spoke up bluntly before the issue of Rin’s phasing could be continued. “You’ve spent more time with her than me since she got back.” “Eh?” Rin’s eyes widened when she noticed Maki was looking at her. “Uh...I don’t think so. Kotori-chan seems okay!” “Okay?” Hanayo frowned, tilting her head. “Is that all? Not...scared?” Rin shrugged her shoulders. “She seems fine. Maybe she just doesn’t want to talk about it, nya.” “Even with me.” Maki muttered. She sighed and leaned back in her seat, rubbing at her temples. “She’s keeping secrets from me, I can tell. She lied to me about the Raven thing, about what happened to her in there. I didn’t think she’d ever lie to me.” Hanayo bit her lip for a moment, wondering whether she should really input her opinion. It wouldn’t be a popular one, she knew that. “Maybe it’s a secret that needs to be kept. Nico-chan has been upset with me lately for keeping secrets from her, especially about what the three of us are doing.” “It’s different, Kotori is my girlfriend.” Maki pointed out with a frown. “Keeping secrets about work is different to keeping secrets about being tortured in Sonoda’s facility! She should be able to trust me with this kind of thing but it seems like she’d prefer to be around that guy than me.” “Raven-kun is nice.” Rin pointed out with a shrug of her shoulders. “He was stuck in Sonoda’s facility just like Kotori-chan was, nya.” Maki growled in frustration and leaned forward, burying her head in her hands. “I just want her to trust me. I know she’s not telling me everything about what happened. She’s acting like everything is fine and I know it’s not but I don’t know what to do to help her. Damn it.” Hanayo made her way around the desk and gently patted Maki’s shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. She disagreed with what Maki was saying but she could feel her friend’s frustration. “Maybe she just needs some time. It’s only been a day, Maki-chan. Just give her some space, may-” “I’m not doing that.” Maki interrupted sharply. Giving Kotori space meant leaving her to deal with the situation herself and that was something Maki refused to do. A tense silence settled between them and Rin cleared her throat. “So uh...I was out running yesterday and as I passed one of the big buildings in the city, I saw my reflection in the glass. But not my reflection.” Maki and Hanayo turned to Rin in confusion. “Huh?” “I mean it was me but I was wearing different clothes to what I am now.” Rin explained, relieved to have been able to change the subject at least. “And I looked kind of dirty for some reason. It was really weird.” “And you didn’t think that was important enough to tell us until now?!” Maki exclaimed in disbelief. Rin shrugged sheepishly. “I told Hibiki-chan and she said it might be nothing. Just an effect of my speed.” “Wha…?” Maki trailed off in disbelief. “I’m really getting tired of these new people coming in and taking everything over. Rin, if something like this happens you need to tell us right away, okay? It could be nothing but it could be serious. You have to tell us. We’re meant to be a team, remember?” “Right. Team Lightning, nya.” “We’re not calling our team that. We’re not calling our team anything.” Maki said with a heavy sigh. “Come on, Maki-chan. We need a team name. Like in the comics.” Rin pouted. She stretched out her leg, almost knocking Maki’s files off her desk. “Ah, sorry. We need code names too! I want to be Quick. Oh, or Raven-kun calls me Speedy. Maybe that can be my ni…” She paused at the annoyed look on Maki’s face. “What about…” “Light Stream!” Hanayo contributed, earning herself a betrayed look from Maki. She shrugged sheepishly. “Yeah!” Rin exclaimed brightly, happy that Hanayo was on her side at least. “Kayo-chin, you can be...Phaser. And Maki-chan, you can be Professor X!” “Eh?!” Maki crossed her arms in front of her chest. “That’s a villain name and those names are terrible anyway.” “A villain?!” Rin laughed at that and shook her head. “That’s not true at all, Maki-chan. Besides it sounds cool...but I guess it’s already taken, nya. Why don’t you think of something then?” “Fine.” Maki huffed in response. “Your code name should be Bolt. And Hanayo’s should be Phase. Phaser sounds dumb. My nickname can be um...Oracle.” “I knew it!” Rin exclaimed excitedly. “You read Batman!” “Ugh, shut up…” Maki muttered, feeling her headache getting worse. “So we’re Team Bolt, right?” Rin asked, glancing between Hanayo and Maki. They both nodded, Maki more reluctantly than Hanayo. “Do you think Kotori-chan would make me a suit if I asked her to?” “I want to say no but she probably would.” Maki sighed, reaching up to play with a strand of her hair. “Just don’t ask her yet. Why do you need a suit anyway?” “One time I went so fast I set my clothes on fire. Besides, secret identity.” “RIN!” Maki groaned. She wasn’t surprised Rin had chosen to keep that to herself though. “Fine, I’ll ask her.” “Oh, maybe I should ask her instead. Kotori-chan needs a superhero name too.” Rin said enthusiastically. “Maybe she could be Invisible Lady or um...Blend. Or Camo.” Maki winced. “Let’s just keep it in...Team Bolt for now, alright?” She stood slowly from her seat, feeling a little bit sick. She realized she hadn’t eaten yet and it was already evening. “I got it, it’s a secret.” Rin smiled warmly. “Oh, my symbol is a lightning bolt with a cat shadow. Because I’m fast and sneaky sometimes.” Hanayo nodded hurriedly. “Mine is a hand phasing through a wall.” Maki rolled her eyes as she skirted around her desk. “Maki-chan’s could be the oracle symbol since she’s obviously a huge Barbara Gordon fan girl.” Rin continued as Maki walked away. “I already regret agreeing to this.” Maki sighed as she left the room, leaving the two to talk about their secret identities. ---- Honoka winced as she gripped her shoulder and rotated her arm. She had managed to goad Nico into sparring with her but she almost regretted it now. Nico was a lot weaker than she was in the future but even now she was quick, resilient and packed a hard punch so she’d managed to get in a few good hits. Honoka stepped into her bedroom, towel drying her still slightly damp hair from her shower and paused when she noticed Nozomi and Maki sitting on the bed. “What’s going on?” She frowned, noticing their joined hands. Nozomi had been talking softly while Maki stared at her anxiously. It was fairly obvious what was going on. “You.” She pointed at Maki. “Out. This can wait until tomorrow, she’s not an emotional sponge!” Maki grumbled as she stood from the bed. “She said she didn’t mind.” “I really don’t.” Nozomi said though Honoka immediately picked up on how faint her voice was. “Out.” Honoka said again, pointing to the doorway. “It can wait until tomorrow at the earliest. Or better yet maybe you should work out your own problems with your girlfriend. Like normal people.” “Yeah, yeah.” Maki mumbled as she made her way toward the door. “Maybe you should put some clothes on.” “I’m wearing clothes!” Honoka exclaimed loudly as Maki left the room, closing the door behind her. “Sweats with a sports bra ain’t clothes, Honoka! Put a fucking shirt on!” Maki hollered through the door before she seemingly walked away. Nozomi chuckled softly to herself as she looked down at Honoka’s attire. She noticed her joggers slipping slightly over her waist, the scars that covered her skin. “Are you like this with all of the people you like?” “Like what?” Honoka asked, making her way over to Nozomi. She climbed onto the bed behind her, kneeling down. “You’ve had enough for today.” Nozomi let out a sigh as Honoka’s hands moved to her shoulders, lightly kneading. She leaned back, closing her eyes. “I just want to help. That feels really nice though.” Honoka smiled and leaned down, pressing her lips briefly to Nozomi’s neck. She continued what she was doing, working out the knots of tension as her fingers slid down Nozomi’s back. “You okay?” Nozomi mumbled. “Yeah, don’t worry. I sparred with Nico. Worked out all of my anger with her. So I’m fine.” Honoka answered softly. “I’m more worried about you right now. You’re overworking yourself.” Nozomi gave a soft laugh in response. “I’m fine.” “Oh really?” Honoka paused what she was doing, earning a groan of disappointment from Nozomi. “You had another session with Chika today. And one with Kotori. And you were just talking to Maki.” Nozomi shrugged. “It’s just talking. No feelings with Maki-chan. She just wanted someone to hold her hand while she talked out her frustrations. It’s a bit awkward considering Kotori talks to me too though...but I understand what she needs.” “And I know that Eli asked you to speak to the kid today.” Honoka continued knowingly. “Yuki-chan. Yeah.” Nozomi frowned, remembering she needed to talk to Rei about what she’d noticed. “It wasn’t anything really. Just a preliminary kind of talk before we get into anything. How did you know that anyway? Are you keeping tabs on me?” “Maybe.” Nozomi laughed under her breath. “I guess you really are into me, huh? If you’re this worried about me.” Honoka scoffed slightly. “Into you?” “Into me. Like you like me.” Nozomi leaned back against Honoka’s front and tilted her head back against her shoulder to look up at her. “Love me?” Honoka smirked and nodded her head. “You know I do.” “Do what?” Nozomi grinned teasingly. Honoka rolled her eyes. “You just want to hear me say it, don’t you?” “Yes.” “Fine.” Honoka leaned down, pressing her lips to Nozomi’s cheek. Her arms went around the girl’s chest in a light embrace. “I love you. Is that better?” “I love you too. A lot. I love that you care so much about me. But I need to keep doing my work. It’s nice to feel needed.” Nozomi said softly. She pulled away from Honoka and turned slightly to face her. “I need you.” Honoka pouted. “So do my friends.” Nozomi leaned in and kissed Honoka softly. “Okay, okay.” Honoka mumbled, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “But you have to promise not to overdo it like you are. I know that your head is hurting right now.” Nozomi raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that…?” “Because my head has been pounding on and off for the past hour.” Honoka lifted her hand, brushing her fingers against the right side of Nozomi’s forehead. Nozomi’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait, am I…?” She hadn’t meant to share anything she was feeling with Honoka. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you could feel that. I’m not trying to.” “It’s okay.” Honoka kissed Nozomi again, lightly threading her fingers into Nozomi’s hair. Running them through, she gently tugged Nozomi’s hair ties out. Nozomi pulled back, remembering something. “Will you do something for me?” “Anything.” Honoka said solemnly. “If I can. Unless it involves speaking to my past self.” “Cut my hair.” Nozomi requested softly. She felt Honoka flinch in surprise and gave a gentle giggle. She supposed it would be shocking. “This hairstyle is more...the old me. The highschool girl who’s in love with her best friend and believes she’ll graduate. That’s not me anymore. I want to change, I want to be reborn.” “You really are an adult stuck in a teenagers body, huh?” Honoka mused, lightly brushing her fingers through Nozomi’s hair again. “I’m almost eighteen.” Nozomi pointed out. “I am an adult. Come on, please? I know you’re thinking about how to say no. I can see it in your eyes.” “Guilty.” Honoka admitted with a small smile. “I’m not saying no, it’s mostly...a suggestion. You should have Kotori-chan cut it. She’s really good at that type of stuff. I don’t want to mess it up.” “You won’t.” Nozomi said confidently. “I don’t want to bother Kotori-chan right now and she’s...I don’t think she’d be able to do it. Um…” She hesitated, not sure how much she should say about Kotori’s lingering weakness in her arms. “Please? I want you to do it. It’s symbolic. It symbolises...I don’t know, our future together. I know you’ve been thinking about it, even if you don’t want to admit it.” Honoka blushed as Nozomi prodded her in the arm. “I guess. In an ideal world, provided we don’t all end up being killed by A-Rise…” She couldn’t help but smirk as Nozomi huffed and rolled her eyes. “We’ll travel but once we settle you can go to college and I’ll get a job. Not that that’ll be easy, considering I didn’t graduate. We’ll share an apartment, maybe get engaged. Who knows. Maybe we could get a dog.” Nozomi felt her heart skip a beat but she didn’t say anything, not wanting to scare Honoka off. “What do you want to work as? In an ideal world.” “Maybe a cop. I’m used to punching the bad guys. I’d be good at it.” Honoka said with a hint of amusement. “I don’t care as long as I’m living with you.” “You’re such a sap.” Nozomi whispered, reaching up to brush her fingers against Honoka’s cheek. Her chest ached with longing for the future Honoka had described. She wished they could have it now. “I want that too. All of it.” -----

Maki leaned against the doorway to Kotori’s bedroom. The door had been ajar when she got there and Kotori was focused on the journal she was writing in so she hadn’t noticed her yet. She smiled softly as Kotori bit her lip in thought. Somehow Kotori managed to look even prettier when she was focused on something, when she wasn’t paying attention to what was happening around her. Finally, Maki cleared her throat and Kotori looked up sharply, her journal slipping from her hands as she automatically flinched back. “It’s just me!” Maki exclaimed quickly as she stepped into the room. She felt guilty for having accidentally startled Kotori. “Is...Is it okay if I come in? I feel like we should talk.” “Yeah.” Kotori slowly relaxed, reassured by Maki’s presence. She wasn’t sure she was particularly ready for the conversation but she knew they needed to have it. Their last attempt had failed because of how frustrated they had both felt at not being able to communicate properly. “Yeah, of course.” Maki entered the room and closed the door behind her. It was dimly lit but as she stepped forward, closer to the bed, she noticed the scars spread over Kotori’s arms, no doubt leading up to her shoulder. Kotori noticed her looking and blushed, crossing her arms in front of her and trying in vain to use her hands to cover the scars. Maki’s stomach sank in response. She didn’t want Kotori to feel exposed in front of her, or like she was being judged. She climbed onto the bed, sitting on her knees in front of Kotori. As gently as she could, she grasped Kotori’s wrist and pulled her arms apart. Her eyes slowly travelled back down and she felt Kotori take a short, shuddering breath. She didn’t protest though. Kotori closed her eyes for a moment as Maki leaned in. She felt the redhead press her cheek to her bicep and fingers run down her forearm, over the scars Maki could doubtlessly feel there. Soft fingers wandered over the skin that had once been torn. Rei had healed her as best she could but scars still remained from the deeper wounds, the ones that were too old to heal too. Her eyes snapped open suddenly in realization. “You opened a channel between us.” Maki stilled for a second as Kotori’s thoughts reached her. Continuing to run her fingers over the slightly rougher lines of skin on Kotori’s arm, she thought back. “It’s better to talk this way so we have our own space. So that nobody else can hear us at our weakest.” Kotori wondered how Maki had known that was what she needed. “I want to be completely open to you, Kotori.” Maki thought, closing her eyes. She didn’t pull back to look at Kotori, comfortable with sitting as close to her as she could. “I was a wreck when you were gone, I was searching everywhere for you, doing everything I could to break Sonoda’s barrier but it was no good. I was weak and she’s stronger than anything I’ve ever come across. Her defenses wouldn’t let me find you and it killed me. I even smoked a few times because I was so scared. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m so weak. I want to get stronger. So me and Rin and Hanayo have been training. Each of us with a goal. Mine is to protect you, to be useful. So we’re Team Bolt now.” Kotori giggled at that. “Bolt? That’s a dog’s name, right? From a movie?” “Well I guess it suits Rin even though she likes cats.” Maki thought back, relieved to hear Kotori laugh again. She finally drew back, meeting Kotori’s eyes. “She’s the leader. Hence the team name.” “What about you then?” Kotori asked, happy with the topic being briefly changed. It felt like a conversation she would have with Maki before she was taken. “Ops. And side medic, I guess. But I can still fight. Rin wants us to have code names too. Mine’s...Oracle.” Kotori smiled as Maki blushed and ducked her head. “So lame.” “Hey!” “Maki-chan should be...The Doctor or um...Thinker! Thinker would suit you better.” Kotori thought back in amusement. “It suits you. You think too much.” “I like it.” Maki smiled warmly. “What’s Hanayo?” “Phase. Rin wanted to call you Invisible Lady. Or Blend.” Maki rolled her eyes at the thought of the names Rin had somehow thought up. “Pffft. What about Concealer? That’s better than Blend. We could be like a power couple. Thinker and Concealer.” “Sounds a bit silly.” Maki giggled out loud but she couldn’t deny that she liked the idea. “Want to be part of Team Bolt then?” “It did feel good helping Yuki-chan escape.” Kotori thought with a shrug of her shoulders. “I want to save more of the children they have. But I think I need to find my own team. You, Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan work well together. Maybe I could work with you on a few odd things if you need me?” Maki hugged Kotori and kissed the scar that inched out from under her shirt at her shoulder. “I’ll always need you.” She responded in a whisper. “And if you ever need me I’ll drop everything to help you. I’ll even drag our idiot leader to help.” Kotori hugged Maki back as tightly as she could. “I love you.” She whispered, her eyes prickling with tears. “I love you too.” Maki replied earnestly. She gave Kotori a light squeeze before she drew back, remembering why she’d sought Kotori out in the first place. Their argument from earlier had been short but bad enough that Maki wanted to address it. “I’m sorry I got mad at...Raven. I’ll try to be nicer to him, it’s just knowing that he…” “He did it because they had his sister captured. Or that’s what they told him anyway. He was trying to protect her.” Kotori said quietly. She wished she had told Maki earlier instead of just arguing back. “Most of the people there are prisoners, even some of the agents. You heard what Honoka-chan said about Umi-chan in the future. It was just like that for Raven-kun. He told me that CORPS doesn’t give a shit about their agents, especially the ability users. They just use the person for their abilities. The children they have are trained as child soldiers, it’s horrible.” “Kotori, I…” Maki hesitated for a moment. “You know that’s how it was for me too, right? And Eli and Umi. We trained our whole lives. Especially Umi if I recall correctly. It wasn’t just middle school. My childhood after you left was nothing but training my mind, isolated in my room. Never having friends or kids over to play with me.” “That doesn’t make it right though. Just because it happens sometimes outside of the facility doesn’t mean it’s any less horrible that it’s happening constantly inside...right?” Kotori frowned. Her arms fell back to her sides and she winced slightly. “What’s wrong?” Maki asked in concern, forgetting about their conversation for a moment. “Nothing.” Kotori answered quickly. “I know you had it really bad, Maki-chan. And I feel terrible for...any part my mother and I had to play in you being isolated. If I’d been older, I would have...I would have done something. I don’t know what but I would have helped. But we can help those kids. If we can make a difference it’ll...help, won’t it?” “What happened to me wasn’t your fault.” Maki bowed her head slightly, biting her lip before she looked back to Kotori. “But you’re right. We can stop them from hurting anyone else. Even our future kids.” Kotori’s eyes widened. “Huh?” “Uh…” Maki coughed, her face turning red. “Well my mom has been teasing me to uh...you know, put a ring on it. At least I’m pretty sure she’s just teasing. She really likes you.” Kotori laughed at Maki’s explanation, her own face a bit flushed with embarrassment too. A moment later Maki started laughing too and soon enough the two were in fits of giggles. “Yes.” Kotori managed to say when she finally stopped laughing. “Huh?” “I’ll marry you.” Kotori said simply, dashing tears of laughter from her eyes. “And our children will be free.” “W-Wha…?” Maki wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Wait, you need to let me ask you for real before you give me an answer.” “You already knew the answer.” Kotori reached up and gently cupped Maki’s face in her hand. “I love you, Nishikino Maki. And I want to be with you for the rest of my life, however long that is.” Maki winced. “Hanayo has been rubbing off on you.” She didn’t give Kotori time to formulate a response before she kissed her softly. “You’re gonna live for a long time. I’ll make sure of that.” Kotori smiled and leaned in, kissing Maki once more. Alone with the redhead, she felt more normal than she had since she’d been taken by Sonoda’s men. “Maki-chan?” She whispered against Maki’s lips. She pulled back slightly to look at her. “Will you spend the night with me?” “Yes.” Maki said without hesitation. “Do you mean um…?” Kotori giggled and kissed Maki once more. She was comfortable in the idea that her mother wouldn’t be walking into the room at least. Yume seemed to accept her daughter’s need for space. She pushed Maki to the bed and crawled atop her, straddling her waist. “Let me be on top?” “Yeah.” Maki whispered, staring up at Kotori. Gently, she placed her hands on Kotori’s knees and gently stroked upwards. “I’m all yours to take.” Kotori smiled bashfully and moved her hands to the hem of her shirt. She hesitated, her smile slipping. “Um...I don’t really look the same. I mean, I’m...it’s not too different but with the scars and...I don’t want you to be surprised.” “You’re beautiful no matter what.” Maki said quietly, her eyes locked to Kotori’s. “And I’ll tell you that until I’m no longer breathing. But if you want to wai-” She was cut off my Kotori tugging off her shirt and tossing it to the side. Inadvertently, her gaze shifted downwards. Kotori wasn’t wearing a bra, given that it was getting late. That was the first thing Maki noticed, along with the tempting curve of Kotori’s breasts. The second thing she noticed were the scars. There were three that streaked over her abdomen, like she’d been cut with some kind of blade. Maki wasn’t sure what it was. She was certain Umi would know though. She reached out, slowly, giving Kotori plenty of time to pull away and brushed her fingers over the scars. They were fairly faint and didn’t feel much different to the rest of Kotori’s skin. She felt Kotori’s hands close around the lapels of the lab coat she’d stolen from her mom’s stash and let her drag her upwards into a deep, passionate kiss. “You looking like a real doctor is turning me on.” Kotor mumbled against Maki’s lips. She felt her grip slid on Maki’s lab coat and gently guided her back down to the bed, moving with her. “So it was a good idea.” Maki mumbled back between kisses. “Such a nerd.” Kotori giggled before she effectively shut Maki up by turning the light kisses they’d shifted to sharing into another long kiss that left both of them breathless. Maki loosely wrapped an arm around Kotori’s waist but left the rest to her girlfriend, more than willing to give her control. ---- Nozomi took a deep breath and knocked on the door to the infirmary. She heard a call to come in and opened the door, tentatively stepping inside. Glancing around, she expected to see Chika but to her surprise she didn’t see her anywhere. “Chika-chan’s not here anymore?” “No, we had a bit of a breakthrough this afternoon.” Rei said, seeming happy about that at least. “So she’s not going to have to stay here anymore. She’ll just come for checkups.” “Oh, that’s good.” Nozomi said, relieved to hear that at least. “I’ll visit her tomorrow to check up on her.” “That would be nice. I’ve heard that you’re offering...sessions to anyone who needs it. That’s proactive of you.” Rei crossed to a bed closer to Nozomi and hopped up onto it. She didn’t have a desk in the infirmary so usually she just used one of the beds. She gestured to the chair in front of her. “Take a seat.” “Thanks.” Nozomi crossed to the chair and sat down, her hands in her lap. She wondered if Rei needed to speak to her too. She hadn’t mentioned that she would be stopping by to talk but the redhead seemed keen to continue the conversation. “Um...I’m just helping my friends. Kotori-chan is adjusting to being back and she has some anxiety problems we’re going to look into. Chika-chan too, from what she went through with Tsubasa.” “Of course. It’s understandable.” Rei stared at Nozomi for a long moment. “And Honoka? Are you having sessions with her? She seemed lost after the death of her sister.” “Ah, Honoka-chan isn’t ready for that. She’ll come to me when she needs it.” Nozomi answered with a hesitant shrug. “As for my Honoka, I’m not...helping her like that. We’re in a relationship so I support her like that.” “And my daughter?” “Um...does doctor and patient confidentiality count here?” Nozomi asked hopefully. Rei laughed at that. “That’s fair enough. I’m sure you helping the others will be invaluable after everything that’s happened.” “Thank you.” Nozomi said softly, relieved that Rei wasn’t going to try to pressure her into talking. “I actually wanted to talk to you about Yuki-chan.” “Oh?” Rei asked curiously. As nonchalant as the response had been, Nozomi noticed the hitch in Rei’s voice and the way her hands curled slightly into fists. “What’s the mark on her arm? Why did Takashi-san know what it was? And why did it make you so angry?” Rei looked away and took a deep breath. “I suppose I could give you a brief history.” “Please.” Nozomi said softly, leaning forward, her hands on her knees. “I want to understand. I need to before I can work with her. If she needs that.” Rei sighed. She didn’t want to talk about it but Nozomi made a good point. There was no going back now. “That mark means she wasn’t born an ability user. Rather, she was artificially injected, like me and Taka-kun. Natural ability users are fairly rare.” “Really?” Nozomi asked in surprise. “Yes. Natural ability users, remember? It may not seem like it to you, given that you’re surrounded by other ability users but it’s true. And there’s a reason you’re all together, that wasn’t by coincidence.” Rei answered, trying her utmost to keep her voice steady. “Takai-kun, me and Yusuke-kun were all injected so we could...well…” She winced, pausing for a moment. “I’m sorry.” “No, it’s fine.” Nozomi said softly. She waited patiently while Rei took a few breaths to collect herself. “We were injected so we could mate with the founders bloodline.” Rei said, grateful that the person she had to explain to was so patient at least. “Yusuke-kun escaped but he went on to have two children. Two natural ability users. Honoka and Yukiho.” “So that’s what’s happened to Yuki?” Nozomi asked for clarification. “She was injected to give her an ability even though she was born without one? And so she could continue the bloodline eventually, right?” “So to speak.” Rei said with a nod of her head. “It’s a little more complicated than that but if you wanted to know why Yuki-chan was injected, that’s the reason. In simple terms. Eventually, when Yuki turned eighteen years of age she would be assigned to a male natural ability user within CORPS. Yusuke-kun was originally assigned to Yume-chan but Yume-chan fell for someone from another natural bloodline. Which is forbidden. That’s why Kotori is special, along with Rin and Hanayo. They’re new bloodlines. New bloodlines are usually killed, Nozomi.” “W-Why?” “Because only people within CORPS can be ability users.” Rei said darkly. She stared at Nozomi in silence for a moment. “Do you know why you were found in a burning building?” Nozomi inhaled sharply in surprise. “How did you…?” “Your profile.” Rei answered simply. “You survived the fire but you weren’t meant to. You were supposed to be killed along with your parents, who were both natural bloodlines from different families. You were a new bloodline too.” Nozomi fell silent for a moment, taking everything in. It was a lot, especially the stuff about her parents. “You seem to have a vested interest in Chika.” Rei continued as she watched Nozomi mull over what she was saying. “Given that you’re working with her, I think it would make sense for me to tell you as much as I know.” Nozomi nodded silently. “Chika is a new bloodline too.” Rei started quietly. “But she’s not the start of a bloodline that CORPS wants to get rid of, like you. With her ability, she is the strongest ability user in the world, without question. She just doesn’t fully know how to control her emotions and use that ability to it’s full extent. CORPS want to capture her to groom her, to become a founder. Or head of a section. The goal is that she starts her own natural ability family. A family that would consist of the strongest ability users we’ve ever seen.” “I see.” Nozomi said softly, looking down at her lap. “So...I’m sorry to go back to what you were saying before but my parents were targeted because together, they had me and created a new bloodline. So if they hadn’t had me…” Rei hopped down off of the bed and crouched down in front of Nozomi, meeting her downcast eyes. “They would have still been targeted regardless. Their relationship itself was forbidden, Nozomi. I know what you’re thinking and if you want some advice, you shouldn’t think like that. They chose their own path.” “Right.” Nozomi murmured. She looked up, forcing a smile. “Thank you, Rei-san. I appreciate the information. If you need any help with the infirmary just let me know.” “Okay.” Rei rose to her feet as did Nozomi. “Likewise, if there’s anything you feel I should know, I’m here. Or if you need to talk.” “Thanks. I have Honoka and Elichi though, I’ll be fine.” Nozomi flashed Rei a small smile before she turned and left the infirmary, leaving Rei staring after her. TBC