#hell yeah shrimp keychain

[chiisana-lion]

Izuleo 👁️ subakoga 👁️ midoyuzu 👁️

cracking my knuckles rn i Will answer for each character so im putting this under a read more (also i answered for yuzuru here!!)

Izumi

favorite thing about them he likes shrimp hes just like me for real also the fact his hobby is bullying his underclassmen but he really does have a desire to help and guide them properly and Does do that in the end!!

least favorite thing about them kidnapping :( (serious note though i do find his relationship w makoto really interesting)

favorite line his "sooo annoying" catchphrase <3

brOTP everyone in knights!!

OTP izuleo the everythings. giving each other a 2nd chance to try again.,..., also they are literally living together so

nOTP izumako akjdsgkjashsjkhg

random headcanon saw he liked to knit and i think he'd make nice matching sweaters for everyone in knights at some point

unpopular opinion none here either!

song i associate with them that's why i gave up on music by yorushika is really izuleocore

favorite picture of them ur comic reminded me of this card and he looks like hes enjoying himself a lot picking out keychains for everyone hjksdghkjgsd

Leo

favorite thing about them he's a silly guy!! just really loves composing and sena and knights and he's been through. so much what the hell was checkmate head in hands

least favorite thing about them nothing tbh

favorite line his little lover's quarrel with izumi in sudden death jgwhjkghkjds

brOTP madaleo is rly sweet to me and in dark night's passing.. augh

OTP izuleo!!

nOTP instead of saying none here maybe i should just remove this part entirely but i rly dont have many notps whkjwhjksdg

random headcanon he brings izumi over to his family's house so often that they actually get rather surprised when he comes back on his own

unpopular opinion none really come to mind 😔

song i associate with them ^ same as the one in izumi's

favorite picture of them this sticker <3

Subaru

favorite thing about them he's obviously very protagonist coded with the typical happy and sunny personality but like!! he is also kind of a jerk sometimes!! hes actually fairly observant of people!! and he does work so hard and the fact he was shunned for it early in his yumenosaki years </3 but rly he has a lot of love in his heart and shows it and i rly like charas like that

least favorite thing about them understand the initial discomfort w arashi but the transphobic comments sometimes 😔

favorite line im sorry its been ages since i last read stories none come to mind rn orz

brOTP him and midori wkjsjgdkjhksd junior he likes to tease fr. also anzu!!

OTP poly trickstar is always fun!! also sbhk i esp like and you already know subakoga i have a soft spot for

nOTP him and anzu specifically, they're more besties to me

random headcanon trickstar sleepovers. thats it

unpopular opinion not gonna lie i actually quite liked him in meteor impact, yeah he said what he needed to say and albeit harsh chiaki Was being not the best! at that very moment and probably needed that

song i associate with them STARDOM! from ai/katsu stars gives me a kinda trickstar vibe (<planned to draw them in said dresses related to such but never got to it)

favorite picture of them i like him in the starpro photoshoot a lot!!

Koga

favorite thing about them hate UNDEAD all they do is shout go dogboy go (koga probably) i really like his voice!! yuki ono slays each time

least favorite thing about them i think he can stand to calm down a bit sometimes. but then again i guess thats his charm

favorite line [i need to brush up on stories for real] but his halloween line about leon and daikichi's matching costumes was cute djkgshkhjsdg

brOTP adonis and koga!!! love their friendship and how hes one of the people he can rly open up to in UNDEAD. also his and ritsu's dynamic is so so funny too wyd when the guy u admire more than anything else's little brother calls u corgi and makes u spoil him. also the aoi twins.,,.... i love the light music club

OTP only sbkg as of rn but im fairly open to others skdjghjksdhg havent thought much of that i just think those two specifically were nice

nOTP none!

favorite picture of them he looks really nice in this one :) just having fun w his love of dogs and they love him!!

Midori

favorite thing about them mascot lover so true!! also his growth is soo <3 he really didnt wanna be there but grew to love everyone in ryuseitai and being an idol and how hes definitely trying harder now compared to ! era augh

least favorite thing about them ik he doesnt really mean it most of the time when he says he wants to die but it still hurts a bit like </3 dont say that

favorite line Climax makes me so...,,... when he talks about how he felt bad for essentially wasting Chiaki's efforts in raising him as an idol in the end after a whole year like... aughgj..........................

brOTP EVERYONE IN RYUSEITAI they love each other. so so much

OTP *gesturing @ everything* i like midoyuzu a perfectly normal amount (lying)

nOTP hmmm none really.,,... i guess i cant rly see chia/mido in a romantic way if anything?

random headcanon he saves yuzuru's art on his phone and look back at them as a pick-me-up during training or work sometimes!

song i associate with them i mean what else it really does fit him to a T imo

favorite picture of them 7th anni homescreen art gets me each time hes just. hes so damn starstruck it obliterates me

[y0itsbri]

shameless summer series - lifeguard au 🥽🩲🌊

debbie has her eye on the new lifeguard at the public pool. unlucky for her, said lifeguard already has his eye set on a different red-headed gallagher.

(think like s2 era)

also happy a.u.gust! @gallavichthings

words: 1.7k

"Debs, why do I gotta take you to the pool again this week? I thought you already fixed whatever was the problem with that blonde bitch," Ian whined, shoveling cereal into his mouth. Two tubes of sunscreen sat on the table in front of him.

"It's not about her anymore." Debbie retorted, like it was the simplest thing.

"Okay. Then what is it about?"

"Nothing!"

"Ask her boyfriend." Carl yelled over his video game in the living room, taking any opportunity to embarrass his sister.

Ian and Debbie's voices overlapped with a "Boyfriend?!" and "He's not my boyfriend-- Carl I'm going to fucking kill you!"

Debbie tossed a fork at Carl's head.

"Oh, now I'm definitely in," Ian laughed and winced before Debbie could throw a fork his direction.

--

The walk to the pool was relatively quiet aside from the rhythmic smacking of their sandals against the gravely pavement.

Debbie leapt a few strides, trying to outrun her shadow and failing each time. Ian chuckled, pulling the towel around his neck and swinging his keychain with the other hand.

Now that it was just the two of them, he tried again.

"Soooo," he drawled. "What's with this secret boyfriend?"

Debbie sighed. "He's not my boyfriend. Well, not yet."

"Hmm?"

"He's one of the new lifeguards since Justin got attacked by that dog last week."

Justin still owed Lip a beating for something or other so Ian was glad he didn't have to deal with Justin today, at least.

"You think this new lifeguard is a little too old for you?" Ian wondered.

Debbie shrugged. "Not like it matters much."

Ian couldn't argue with that logic. "I'll kick his ass if he bothers you, yeah?"

"Please. He doesn't even look at me. Even when I was fake-drowning." She skipped down the sidewalk, nearing the pool entrance.

Ian shook his head. His sister was something else.

--

After they set their towels down, Ian's eyes scoured the lifeguard chairs immediately. Too-tan-Toni, shrimp-speedo-Sam, and holy-fucking-shit. Was that Mickey Milkovich?

Ian hadn't let himself think about Mickey since he left town. But it was hard not to now that he was right in front of him again. Shit.

Mickey spread out across his chair, sunglasses low on his nose, watching the newcomers and he smirked before glancing back towards the pool. He blew his whistle and yelled at some kid to 'slow the fuck down unless you wanna bust your ass -- and I ain't fixing you up!'

Ian was brought back to the moment by Debbie's hands waving in front of his face. "Helloooo, earth to Ian! Sunscreen?"

Ian could've sworn he heard a chuckle coming from the direction of the lifeguard chair as he dug the sunscreen out of his shorts pockets. No. He was just being paranoid. His cheeks blushed regardless.

"Is that...?" Ian nodded his head towards the raven-haired man.

"Shhh!" Debbie slapped him on the arm. "Don't make it obvious!"

Ian rolled his eyes at her ridiculousness.

He covered Debbie's back and shoulders in the high resistance sunscreen before she took off towards the side of the pool with the diving board, eager to show off her skills.

He yelled after her. "Wait, fuck, Debs you forgot..." He glanced around.

His eyes definitely locked with Mickey's now.

Fuck.

Mickey hopped off his chair, waving his hand to dismiss his crowd of moon-eyed preteen girls and middle-aged women in scandalous bikinis. Ian would have shuddered at the thought if Mickey wasn't making a bee-line directly towards him.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Fuuuuuck.

"'Sup, man? Been awhile..." He smirked. "Raggedy Ann run out on ya?" Mickey bowed his leg out on his final step towards Ian, a little closer than he expected.

"Uhhh...." Real smooth, Ian. His words were bound to fail him again with the man in such close proximity to him, so he simply held up his bottle of sunscreen and shrugged.

"Toss it here," Mickey coolly demanded.

Ian was thoroughly confused, but threw it anyways. "What?"

"You heard me, Red. Turn around, I'll get your back."

"Protecting and serving the local ginger kids at the pool?" Ian joked weakly, finding his voice again.

Mickey huffed a breath. "Fuck the pigs. The only thing I'm protecting is your ass from a sunburn."

Ian was still confused as to why Mickey was offering to rub his back at a very public pool when he would have literally beaten his ass for looking his direction before.

All of Ian's thoughts subsided as he felt sturdy hands push the warming liquid around his shoulder blades, up his neck, then down his spine. Mickey's thumb digging deep into his muscles. He suppressed his urge to shiver despite the rising temperatures of the hot Chicago summer.

At least he thought he had suppressed it. A huff of air on the back of his neck said otherwise.

Mickey started pulling his hands away and Ian leaned back into them again. Mickey whacked the side of his head before tossing the bottle of sunscreen onto the chair in front of them.

"No free massages, man. Just sunscreen." Mickey licked the corner of his mouth and looked from the ground up to Ian's eyes.

He had to know how devious he looked. Ian didn't want to be presumptuous, but he just held eye contact.

"Unless," Mickey veered, slowly backing away, "the favor was returned in one way or another." He winked.

Ian stood, mouth agape as Mickey turned and waved again to the group of girls who still hadn't taken their eyes off of him. He hopped up onto his chair, whistle in mouth in no time like nothing had ever happened.

What the fuck was going on?

--

Ian spent the next few hours very much Not Looking At Mickey despite feeling a heated stare on him.

Even when he was having a breath-holding competition with Debbie, his brain couldn't stop the endless stream of Mickey Mickey Mickey.

After Debbie's third win, Ian felt like he was on the verge of passing out, so he returned to his towel, chugging his water bottle.

In a moment of weakness, he glanced at Mickey, only to find him already staring. Mickey tilted his head towards the main building and quietly dismissed himself to go on his break.

Ian knew.

He wasn't that stupid. He knew Mickey wanted him to follow. And he knew that it wouldn't be a good idea. All the while, his feet took him closer.

The building felt even hotter than the outside, the AC must've gone out and no one bothering to replace it.

This was a bad idea.

Ian was just about to turn around and leave when he heard the click of a lock.

"'Bout fuckin' time," Mickey stalked forward, eyes raking up and down Ian's body appreciatively.

Ian was putty.

He groaned as he let himself be pulled forward by the hips. "Didn't know you were a lifeguard?"

He sighed as Mickey toyed with the band of his shorts in between his tattooed fingers. His nails scraping dully against his sides.

"Dad got shanked. Family business went under. Had to go legal." Mickey's hands moved upwards as he raked his fingers through the sides of Ian's still-wet hair, gripping onto the back of his neck. Ian slid his own hands up Mickey's back, pushing his red tank top up with it, exposing his pale skin.

"Missed this." It was a whisper.

Ian attached his lips to the side of Mickey's neck briefly, tasting remnants of salt, chlorine, and sunscreen, before Mickey sunk down to his knees. Ian's hands were now gripping dark hair, and he was sure that the rocky pavement of the unfinished building had to be digging into Mickey's skin, but he made no sounds of discomfort.

Sure, he missed this, but he missed him more, not that he could say that.

--

On the walk home, the sun was hanging low in the sky and both Gallaghers' cheeks were sunburnt pink.

"Did ya have fun?" Ian asked, knocking his empty water bottle against the top of Debbie's head.

She scrunched her face up, but replied with some pep in her voice. "Yeah! Today the hot life guard actually looked at me! Maybe bringing you around was good luck."

No way in hell Ian was going to out Mickey to his little sister, let alone out himself. He put on a big-brother reassuring smile and changed the subject.

"Good luck for you maybe. I lost literally all of our competitions today!"

She giggled, "That was all skill, not luck. Frank's been helping me practice!"

Frank? Maybe Ian needed to spend a little more time at home. On the other hand, maybe it was a good thing Ian hadn't been spending a lot of time at home.

--

Ian left after dinner unannounced, taking his well-worn trail to the baseball dugouts.

When he approached the field, he noticed a small orange flame illuminating the man's face and a cloud of smoke fog through the chained fence. He smirked.

"Couldn't get enough the first round?" Ian taunted, announcing his presence as he leapt over the fence, an old habit.

"Fuck you, man," Mickey scoffed and blew his smoky breath in Ian's grimacing face.

"Oh I think you plan on it." He stepped closer.

"Is that so?"

"Mmhmm," Ian plucked the cigarette out of Mickey's fingers. "Can't have you with bad lungs, then what will all the poor defenseless swimmers do without a capable lifeguard?"

"Let 'em drown," Mickey smacked Ian's cigarette out of his hands and closed the distance between them.

"It would crush your groupies to know you care so little," Ian murmured against his neck.

"This is a bad idea," Mickey breathed, tugging at Ian's crumpled shirt.

"The worst," Ian yanked his shirt fully off.

Mickey pulled back, eyeing Ian's now-bare back.

"Mmm, no sunburn. That would've ruined my plans." Mickey smiled smugly.

Oh shit.

Ian swallowed. He was already way too far off the deep end. Luckily for them both, Mickey knew how to swim.

[yugirl]

Day 3: “Mind on Air”

Dreamers are dreaming with their heads in the clouds. Show us your favorite character’s dream career, their secret desires, or that diary they keep under their pillow. ;)

((You know what time to finish my first ever serious GX fic. I started this when I started watching season 2 back in April. Let’s do it))

@gxmonth

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

This was still very unreal to Jaden. He couldn’t believe all of his friends had moved into the Slifer red dorms. Usually, he’d be excited, but honestly, he just felt shy.

Living together with all his friends should be like a massive sleepover, and yet... here he was. Struggling to think outside of the Slifer dorm battle and.... that wanting...

Jaden had a certain yearning ever since he was 10. It was embarrassing. He didn’t want anyone to know, but... he couldn’t stop thinking about it to the point it was getting distracting.

“Jaden..?”

“Huh?”

“Are you ok? You’ve been staring at your fried shrimp for a while.” Syrus looked at his best friend, concerned, his eyes searching Jaden’s face for answers.

“Slacker’s not eating his shrimp?! Now that’s cause for alarm,” Chazz butted in.

“It’s nothing, guys. I’m fine.”

“Really? If you’re sure, Jay.”

Syrus didn’t buy that for a second. There had to be something up with his best friend, but what?

Jaden decided to go for a walk to clear his head before class, but he still couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was so cheesy, and yet he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He shook his head. Maybe for once, if he paid attention in class, this feeling would go away.

Aaaaand Jaden was wrong. He couldn’t focus in class and instead fell asleep, squeezing his Kuriboh keychain and hoping for a dreamless sleep.

By the time Jaden had left class, he was rested but frustrated. He wanted to tell his friends what was on his mind but... how do you even go about it!?

Well, his friends had noticed he was acting very oddly. They all looked at each other and knew they had to confront Jaden about this.

Jaden got invited over to Chazz’ luxurious half of the Slifer red dorms, where he saw the others were waiting for him. They tried to ask him what was going on, but Jaden would dodge the question or blow it off entirely, so the others kept pressing.

“Please, Jaden! Talk to us! What’s going on!!”

“I WANNA HOLD HANDS!!”

“.... what?”

“All of my friends are living together like it’s a giant sleepover, and I want to do what they do in like every sleepover in anime and manga. I want to sleep in a giant bed and hold hands!”

The Slifer slacker was utterly red at this point.

“What the hell, slacker!? That’s what this is all about!?” Chazz snapped, almost repulsed

Alexis couldn’t help but let a giggle slip out. “Oh, Jaden, that’s so cute!”

Syrus was about to say something, but Jaden had already turned and left the building out of embarrassment. “Aw, man�� I think we hurt his feelings….”

“I had no idea the sarge wanted something so innocent that badly….” Hassleberry mutter and rubbed the back of his head.

“I’ll go talk to him….” Bastion announced and left the room, Alexis following soon after.

Syrus and Hassleberry looked at each other, “thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I gotcha private! Know where we can get some spare futons?”

“What?” Chazz needed a minute to realise what the other two were up to. “Y… you may as well do it here… my room is the only one with enough floor space.”

“Really? Thanks, Chazz!” Syrus grinned.

Jaden sat on the cliffside melancholically. He felt so embarrassed. He finally opened up to his friends, and… they laughed at him.

A soccer ball rolled towards him. Jaden blinked in surprise and picked it up.

“I remember you mentioned in P.E that you enjoyed playing it...” Bastion smiled as he approached him.

“Thanks but I'm not in the mood” Jaden huffed and tossed the ball over his shoulder.

“Jaden... I'm sorrry” Alexis said quietly and sat next to her classmate “i didn't mean to laugh I was just... Surprised and relieved”

Jaden looked at her, sceptical of that. “Relieved?”

“Yeah... I thought something awful had happened and you looked so miserable and spaced out and I felt so helpless because I wanted to help but didn't know how...” Alexis sighed “so to find out you just wanted to fall asleep holding hands? I felt relieved because of course I could do that!”

“Oh...” now Jaden felt like an ass. His friends were genuinely concerned about him and he mistook their relief for ridicule. “Sorry... It's just... I've never really had friends before coming here... So it was kinda hard to open up to you guys... So when you laughed I just...”

Bastion and Alexis slid their hands into Jaden’s

“Dont worry about it Jaden” Bastion smiled “I didn't have any friends until you welcomed me into your friend group either.”

“Me neither to be honest” Alexis mumbled “I mean I had some admirers in middle school and there was Atticus, Mindy and Jasmine... But you guys are the only ones I've felt comfortable being myself around in a long time...”

The boys were surprised at that; Alexis always seemed so popular but to know that she felt comfortable around them, it made them happy.

“Come on, Jaden!” Bastion smiled. “I’m sure the others want to apologise to you too.”

Jaden hesitated for a moment but then nodded and followed the others.

When they returned to Chazz’s dorm room they had discovered Chazz, Syrus and Hassleberry had laid out a series of futons on the floor.

“Wh-whats going on guys!!”

“We felt really bad for not supporting you earlier Sarge!” Hassleberry explained “so we decided to make your little wish come true.”

“You guys...”

Syrus hugged Jaden tight “you should’ve told us earlier! I would've done it a lot sooner!”

Jaden smiled and hugged back. “Thanks Sy...”

Chazz blushed and looked aside “d-don’t get the wrong idea, slacker; I only let this happen because my room was the only place with enough space!”

“Sure, Chazz!”

That night Jaden got settled on the futon. Syrus decided to forgo the hand-holding and cuddle Jaden, resting his head on the other’s chest. Hassleberry did the same on the other side, not wanting to be one-upped by the little man.

Bastion and Alexis, on the other hand, remembered their promises, and each held one of Jaden’s hands.

Chazz sheepishly reached over Bastion to hold Jaden’s hand too. “I didn't want to make Alexis uncomfortable...” he muttered when, in reality, Bastion didn't mind, and the two of them had become close.

Jaden looked to his friends, and a tear dripped down his face as he smiled “thanks, guys... I love you so much...”

“We love you too, Jaden.”

[sunsetcurve]

break these clocks, forget about time

Summary: The point is this, the three of them piled together on the couch with the blankets pulled over their laps, the dim light from the streets spilling in through the window, the cheap takeout in their hands and Jasper's arm around her and Henry's fingers threaded through hers and this, them, together. 

Fandom: Henry Danger

Relationships: Henry Hart/Charlotte Page-Bolton/Jasper Dunlop

Word Count: 1,492

A/N: i don’t know? i don’t know. there’s no plot to this. last night i just really needed some shitty domestic ot3 fluff and i started writing and...yeah. the three of them are aged up in this fic—you can really picture it at any point in their lives, but personally i just saw it as them being fresh out of college. it also doesn’t have to be read as romantic, it can definitely also be a platonic friendship thing. anyway, i hope you like it! (title is from the song a.m. by one direction)

Dedications: as always, please don’t feel any pressure to read this! also, if you want to be tagged/untagged in the future, just let me know! @rorythevambire @up-the-tube @mychenrymadness @ciara-knightly @cactus-con @henryhearts @henry-p-fart @bijerbear @chenoahchantel @taylorswiftrulestheworld @just-a-j-reallly @shadows-and-starlight

* * *

By the time they make it back to their apartment, Henry's sort of out of it. 

He hasn’t said much on the way home—not in the dark, brooding way that he only ever falls into when things are really bad, but more in the way that he gets when he's just tired. Worn out. He's leaning heavily on Charlotte as Jasper fumbles with his keys. She can see the latter's gaze flitting from side to side—Henry's not in costume anymore, but the fact that he's only a little more than half-conscious would probably raise too many questions among their new neighbors. Over the years that they've been doing this, the three of them have perfected the art of making up excuses, but they've only been here a couple of weeks, and they really don't need any sort of suspicion on them just yet.

Jasper finally gets the door open with only some effort (Charlotte's long since given up on trying to explain to him why having that many keychains on the same ring just doesn't make sense) and flicks on the lamps. Warm light floods the room, spilling over the pull-out couch they'd bought only a few days ago and the boxes that still sit unpacked in the corners of the room.

If it were up to Charlotte, things would be spick and span, exactly in their place by now, but it's not. Not entirely, anyway. She's tried, she's definitely tried to put their new apartment together, but it seems like her boys have a way of distracting her out of it every single time, with video games or movies or music that she really can't help but dance to with them.

(Maybe she should mind it more than she does. But maybe she's just too caught up in the happiness that they've finally, finally moved in together to care.)

Anyway, it's not like it isn't wonderful the way that it is. There's the beginnings of the bookshelf that she and Henry were putting together in the corner, and tiny potted succulents on the coffee table and counter tops, and a box of Henry's flowers by the window and a gaming system set up underneath the TV and the polaroids that Jasper had taken of the three of them hanging on string lights by wooden laundry clips over the couch. It’s perfect.

And to Charlotte, it's home.

She helps Henry down onto the couch, and he tips his head back and shuts his eyes and gives her a tired sort of smile. It could be worse, she thinks briefly—it has been worse—and still, there's a flutter of concern in her chest as she cards her fingers through his hair. Schwoz had given him a thorough examination; he's got a sprained ankle and a few scrapes and bruises and a mild concussion, but he'll be okay. By tomorrow morning, he'll be bouncing on his feet, acting good as new, whether he's pretending just for their benefit or not. 

For tonight, though, he's too out of it to put on a show, and Charlotte is quietly sort of grateful for that. For tonight, he'll let her and Jasper take care of him, let himself close his eyes and rest for once. God knows he needs it. 

"We're out of leftovers," Jasper says, looking over at them from where he's standing by the open fridge. "Should I make something?"

"Better not." Henry's words are a little slurred together, but there's a lopsided grin on his face and a teasing lilt to his voice.

He's right—the only things that Jasper knows how to make are turkey sandwiches and instant ramen. Really, that goes for Charlotte too; she's a fantastic baker, but she can't cook to save her life. That's Henry's job here, although clearly he's not up to it at the moment.

"Order takeout," Charlotte suggests. "Em's Kitchen." 

Jasper nods and has the order placed within a few minutes; he's got the number saved on his phone and doesn't even have to ask her and Henry what they want. Em's Kitchen has quickly become their default; it's right across the street and doesn't dent their wallets very much, and it's good, too—at least, as good as cheap Americanized-Chinese takeout can get. 

When he's off the phone, Jasper settles onto the couch next to Charlotte, curling up against her shoulder while his fingers reach over to thread through Henry's. He's warm; Charlotte will swear sometimes that lying next to him is like curling up beside a fire, and she leans back into him. 

"How're you feeling, Hen?" he says around her, and Henry's mouth quirks upward a little like he's pleased just by the sound of Jasper's voice, which, really, she can't argue with.

"M'fine,” he replies. "Head's kind of fuzzy, though."

"That's why you don't go giving yourself concussions," Charlotte chides. Jasper chuckles softly next to her.

Henry pouts a little, and it's cute enough that Charlotte can feel herself melt and has no doubt that Jasper does the same. "It's not my fault I got thrown into a stupid wall," he protests, though it's half-hearted.

"No," Jasper hums in agreement, "but we should probably get you a helmet at some point." He taps the side of Henry's head gently for effect, and Charlotte laughs quietly as Henry's scowl deepens and he swats at Jasper's hand.

The doorbell rings a little later, and Charlotte carefully untangles herself from the two of them and misses the warmth immediately when she does. She scrapes a handful of change from the jar on the kitchen counter and opens the door, smiling at the dark-haired man who hands her the food and tells her to enjoy her meal. She trades the cash for the bag of takeout and then he's gone and she shuts the door and makes her way back to the couch, the smell of fryer oil slowly filling the room.

There's Kung Pao chicken for her, shrimp fried rice for Jasper, sesame beef for Henry, and potstickers for the three of them to share. She deals out chopsticks and napkins and then settles back into her place in between them. 

"You guys wanna watch a movie?" Jasper asks, clumsily grabbing a potsticker from the carton in her lap with his chopsticks. He's gotten a little better at using them, but the bar was set pretty low to begin with. At least he's trying, though—unlike Henry, who's just settled for a fork.  

"We never did finish The Avengers," Charlotte says with a small shrug, and takes the remote.

Between the three of them, they've probably watched it over a hundred times. But that's not the point, really—the point is her calling out every inaccuracy in the film, and Jasper saying all the lines he knows by heart, and Henry telling them both to shut up with enough affection in his voice to let them know he doesn't really mind. The point is this, the three of them piled together on the couch with the blankets pulled over their laps, the dim light from the streets spilling in through the window, the cheap takeout in their hands and Jasper's arm around her and Henry's fingers threaded through hers and this, them, together. 

They haven't quite gotten to the battle of New York yet when it's clear that Henry's asleep, snoring quietly from where he's lying with his head in Charlotte’s lap. She finds herself watching him more than the movie, drawing comfort from the steady rise and fall of his chest, and maybe Jasper notices because his voice cuts in over the shouts and laser sound effects coming from the screen.

“You worried about him?” he says, the arm that’s wrapped around her moving to rub her shoulder gently.

She shrugs a little. “Always,” she replies, and he cracks a smile and presses a soft kiss against her temple.

“He’ll be okay,” Jasper says, quiet but sure. “He’s got us, remember?”

It’s sort of cheesy, and maybe a year ago Charlotte wouldn’t have believed him. But it’s been the three of them together since they were little kids. They’ve walked through heaven and hell and come out of it stronger, and she’s quickly realizing that when it’s like this, them, together, there’s nothing they can’t do.

“I love you, Jasper,” she says quietly, and he smiles softly and nudges his head in between her neck and shoulder.

“Love you too, Char,” he breathes, his eyes closed. “And you, Hen, even though you’re an idiot.”

Henry just snores in response, and Charlotte feels a laugh rise in her throat.

There's a flutter of something in her chest, then, something that Charlotte thinks will never go away, no matter how long they live together, no matter how many more nights they spend like this. It feels soft, familiar. It feels warm.

And to Charlotte, it feels like home.