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#his pointed ‘your alarm clock keeps exploding why do you think that is’
call-me-corvid · 1 year
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Watching the first few episode of My Adventures With Superman with the knowledge that Jimmy knew THE WHOLE TIME makes half of his dialogue/actions SO MUCH MORE FUNNY
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faterpresources · 1 year
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Mʏ Aᴅᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀᴇs ᴡɪᴛʜ Sᴜᴘᴇʀᴍᴀɴ - Sᴇᴀsᴏɴ 1 Eᴘɪsᴏᴅᴇ 1
A collection of random lines compiled from the first episode of My Adventures with Superman Feel free to change the pronouns in order to better suit the parts involved.
❝ Pew-pew! ❞
❝ You nervous? ❞
❝ I can do this. ❞
❝ It gets better. ❞
❝ Ha! I am pumped. ❞
❝ Time for Plan B. ❞
❝ Goodbye forever. ❞
❝ This is precious. ❞
❝ Don't touch that. ❞
❝ We have no buyer. ❞
❝ We're stuck here. ❞
❝ It's not gorillas. ❞
❝ How am I doing this? ❞
❝ Oh, that's not good. ❞
❝ What are we going to do? ❞
❝ I've already got a lead. ❞
❝ Hi, there. After... you. ❞
❝ Do what I tell you to do. ❞
❝ Hey, you gotta slow down! ❞
❝ No. ___, you're an intern. ❞
❝ Do not crush his/her hand. ❞
❝ These are the new interns. ❞
❝ She/He's gotta be an alien. ❞
❝ I can't believe we're late. ❞
❝ Okay. I think we lost them. ❞
❝ Come on, ___. We're a team. ❞
❝ We're not a team. ❞
❝ What took you so long, ____? ❞
❝ Oh! I can't believe him/her. ❞
❝ Well, I didn't plan for this. ❞
❝ I know what I'm talking about. ❞
❝ You didn't give us the chance. ❞
❝ ___, this is your last chance. ❞
❝ The crew was getting restless. ❞
❝ People need to know about this. ❞
❝ There's a big pothole up there. ❞
❝ No, don't do that to your boss. ❞
❝ See you in there, big guy/girl. ❞
❝ Wait, were they garbage trucks? ❞
❝ Uh, they came from an army base. ❞
❝ It could be the sewer dinosaurs. ❞
❝ We've hit a snag in the operation. ❞
❝ What we need to do is keep moving. ❞
❝ New interns, out. Old intern, stay. ❞
❝ You didn't give us the chance. ❞
❝ Really? He/she seemed pretty upset. ❞
❝ Nah, that's just his/her face. ❞
❝ Our fence wasn't at the drop point. ❞
❝ Fine. I don't need your help anyway. ❞
❝ And then he says I'm the selfish one. ❞
❝ We call ourselves the Newskid Legion. ❞
❝ Why do you think that keeps happening? ❞
❝ Look around. There has to be something. ❞
❝ They're moving the robots to the docks. ❞
❝ And I saw a weird pigeon. It was gross. ❞
❝ Which one of you messed with the robot? ❞
❝ Do what I say and we can still get paid. ❞
❝ Like the fact that aliens walk among us. ❞
❝ Uh, sorry. I'll fix the front door later! ❞
❝ Ready for me to bust the story wide open? ❞
❝ There's only so many places to hide them. ❞
❝ Then what are we waiting around here for? ❞
❝ We don't even know what half this stuff is. ❞
❝ I got him/her fired from his/her dream job. ❞
❝ I can't believe our alarm clock exploded again. ❞
❝ This isn't about the city, ___ , it's about you. ❞
❝ Uh, wait. ___, this is starting to feel dangerous. ❞
❝ You're, like, twice my size. You can definitely... ❞
❝ We don't have to go through the window, or whisper. ❞
❝ Okay, I had to save the cat. I had to save the cat. ❞
❝ PM could be initials, like...Paranormal Meta-sapiens! ❞
❝ Just take a risk. What's the worst that could happen? ❞
❝ The only reason I called you in today was to meet them. ❞
❝ I'll tell our boss all of this the instant we meet him. ❞
❝ So, I'm, uh, just gonna leave before this gets any worse. ❞
❝ You do not report the news. You do not leave this building. ❞
❝ Uh... Well, it's... Today's my first day of work and I'm... ❞
❝ And with my keen eye for observation, huh, I'll get the proof. ❞
❝ This is it. This is the story that'll make you a real reporter. ❞
❝ I'm a normal man/woman/person having a normal day, starting now. ❞
❝ We're meeting my important and very serious journalistic source. ❞
❝ What is wrong with your dumb, beautiful, coward of a best friend?  ❞
❝ Wait, did you say "beautiful"? ❞
❝ It's bad business to hand out freebies. I need something in return. ❞
❝ I mean, yes, I lied.But he/she wouldn't have helped me unless I had. ❞
❝ Aliens, Loch Ness, Bigfoot...that one psychic starfish from Germany. ❞
❝ Your job is to teach the interns how to scan things and make coffee. ❞
❝ For the good of me, you need to stop coming in with these wild ideas. ❞
❝ I trusted you, and you used me and ___ just so you could get your story. ❞
❝ It's the term for the super-intelligent gorillas France has been hiding. ❞
❝ Ooh, and I have the three dozen donutsy ou wanted to eat all ready to go. ❞
❝ We're just two dummies who listened to you because we didn't know any better. ❞
❝ I mean, technically, yes, but you wouldn't have helped me if I told the truth. ❞
❝ Oh, have you considered that these robots might have come from beyond the stars? ❞
❝ I was being selfish, and you just left us. But you came back, and...And I'm sorry. ❞
❝ Why don't we panic real loud in front of the thieves and killers we hired for this job? ❞
❝ Ugh. I know. He/She did lie, but would I have helped him/her if he/she told me the truth? ❞
❝ He/She kept me behind because he/she wants you to help me follow up on my stolen robot story. ❞
❝ Hmm. If I had to transport stolen goods through the city...I'd find a way to do it in plain sight. ❞
❝ And because they see everything during their routes, they always know what's happening in the city. ❞
❝ ____ , we can't just sit in a warehouse full of freaky stolen science weapons till the cops show up. ❞
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curryandbread · 3 years
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Can you do hcs for how the dorm leaders would react to falling for a male student in their respective dorms? Would they deny it or accept it?
TWST Dorm Leaders falling for a male student headcanons
Thank you for requesting!! Hope you like it!
TW: Mentions of homophobia
Riddle Rosehearts
He’d be absolutely confused.
The way he acts around you is iffy, why can’t he stay normal whenever you’re in his radar?
When he does realize he’s falling for a man such as you, he starts to become a lot more cautious and quiet around you.
He doesn’t know what to think. He grew up in such a conservative household, he’d feel like he’d be in the wrong here.
He was not exposed to such topics such as these, he spent nights tossing and turning on his bed,, thinking of how he’s going to handle these strange feelings.
“Why am I feeling this way?” “I feel like wanting to stay by his side more...” “Is it wrong? Is something wrong with me??” Riddle asks.
“Silly. That’s love, Riddle. You’re in love with him.” Trey chuckles, both of them talking at the dorm’s kitchen with the support of a candlelight.
Riddle would probably deny it for days, for some reason it just doesn’t feel right to him.
But as he let Trey’s words of reassurance and wisdom sink in, he started accepting it.
The next time he sees you, he musters up the courage to invite you out for a one-on-one unbirthday party with him. But of course as Cater from afar sees it, it is something more than just an unbirthday party.
Leona Kingscholar
Holy cow this man will probably deny it in a flash.
He’d be out like a light as soon as his body hits the bed. But for the first time, he’s grown to just stare at the moon from his terrace.
“How did it come to this?” He thinks.
The fact that you’re a dude, it gives him more reasons why he stays up at night. It had to be you out of all people.
He’s grown to be open to those kinds of things, he can be good at times. He knew that it was okay.
But at the same time, he recollects his thoughts and tells himself that it’s just not him.
As much as he wanted to let this out, he’s been used to keeping everything to himself as if it’s a matter to be handled in his own hands.
He could, but he just wouldn’t. He can only bench these overflowing feelings from you.
Azul Ashengrotto
Azul never came to a conclusion that he’d get along with the topic of love, not even his brains foresaw the situation he is in now.
He’s aware of what he’s going through. But he also had to think twice if it was okay.
He never knew he’d discover something so vital to his whole being, and he thanks you for that.
He had second thoughts when he thought of telling Jade about this. It feels like he’ll meet his doom if he does tell Jade.
Azul slowly opens up to accepting his feelings towards you. Knowing there wouldn’t be any harm in loving you.
Day by day, he’d look forward to see you drop by at the Mostro Lounge. There are days where he’d wish you’d chime in at his VIP room to have a little catch-up after his overblot situation.
He doesn’t want to rush, nor does he want to let it stay with him. For now, he’ll go at his own pace.
He would hope that you’d share the same feelings as his.
Kalim Al-Asim
Kalim is delighted that he found something so special that makes him look forward to a new day! It’s like he has a little alarm clock.
He doesn’t mind falling for you! However he won’t easily hint this.
He will wholeheartedly embrace and accept it for loving a man! In fact, he’s proud that he’s discovered more of himself.
When you’re not around, he would babble about how his day was spent with you to Jamil for a while, I mean, a while.
Jamil kinda gets annoyed with all the things Kalim tells him everyday and would just tell Kalim to “Just get together with him already!”
He doesn’t mind that you find out either. He’ll be waiting for an answer if ever though. He won’t be able sit still until you give him a response.
He wants to drink coconut juice with you all day, would even offer to give you a magic carpet ride with him. A whole new woooorld~
Vil Schoenheit
First of all, he found you absolutely beautiful. He’s never seen a man so charming.
He felt the need to be there with you as much as possible no matter what. Your presence intoxicates him, and he likes it.
When you exchange your greetings with each other, he’d just fall more into the warmth of your bright smile.
And yes, he’s not backing down on these feelings pressed onto him. Nothing can stop him. He knows what his heart wants.
He just won’t show it easily. But he would just shower you in nothing but compliments which leaves you thinking if he’s actually just being nice or something else.
He’ll give you simple things for you to remember him. A vase of flowers ordered from a high-end flower shop somewhere, a luxurious pack of skin care products! Anything that Vil can get his hands on that pleases you!
When the right time comes, he will most likely bring out the best in him, whatever it takes to keep you by his side.
Idia Shroud
“Is this a joke..?! This is no romance anime..!”
Yyyyyyeah. He’d deny it. No way is he gonna let you know about this.
Idia literally has social anxiety issues, what more if he realizes he likes someone; a guy!
His brain would just explode right then and there. He’s acting like a shoujo manga character and it’s sooo not like him.
He’d definitely hide this from Ortho. Ortho would be one to either scold his brother for being too dense, or pressure him to death.
He honestly doesn’t mind liking men, but to him it just feels off so it might not sit well for him in the next few weeks.
He’d drown himself in rhythm games and mangas, trying to brush aside that weight of obsession towards you.
Overthinking controls him.
Malleus Draconia
He’d be fascinated, for a creature such as him to experience such a thing called love.
He does take a liking to you after all, so what’s the point in hiding it?
He’ll happily embrace these feelings for you. He’s never felt so alive when he’s with you.
He wouldn’t tell anyone about these feelings, but it is painfully obvious to distinguish what’s on his mind.
He can never truly understand such feelings, however he’ll do what it takes to never let this falter.
Regardless of his feelings, he spends every second of his life with you as he indulges his feelings for you.
There will be a thought coming from the back of his head that it feels out of place to love a man. However he is not that shallow.
Lilia fully supports him, thanking your existence so that Malleus does not feel alone.
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(Y/n) and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week: Wednesday
Monday     Tuesday     Thursday (Part 1)     Thursday (Part 2)     Friday     Saturday     Sunday
Spotify Playlist (collaborative)
Warnings: panic attacks, swearing, getting outed, f slur and d slur, homophobia, puking, toxic friends
Word count: 5,160
(A/N): woah, thank you all so much for all the positive feedback, that really makes my day! 
The room was quiet with the exception of the clacking of the keyboard and the soft chirping of crickets outside your open window. The stars twinkled in the sky as the night droned on and on. There was a loud rustling outside your window, but your sleep deprived mind didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t important at the moment, the only important thing right now was finishing your work. 
Throughout the night, you worked endlessly on your friend’s work. The essays were relatively easy because Adrian and Annie had luckily chosen topics that you’re somewhat interested in, so at least finding the sources was enjoyable. You had gotten your essay completely written and proofread, Annie’s outline finished, and Adrian’s sources analyzed. You would start on Sammy’s presentation after you finished Adrian’s outline. Hours upon hours passed by you as you worked, yet you didn’t notice the time once. You worked uninterrupted with no breaks. Well, one break to talk to your dad about how you weren’t hungry, but you got back to work right after he left your room. You couldn’t waste any more time than you already have.
Your eyes felt heavy as you typed on your keyboard, working on putting Adrian’s sources together cohesively so that the writing would flow seamlessly. You paused your typing to rub at your tired eyes so you could keep working, you couldn’t afford to fall asleep. You had to get these done as soon as possible if you wanted their forgiveness. 
The blaring of your alarm startled you out of your focus, making you fall backwards out of your chair with a yelp. Landing painfully on your back, you laid on the floor trying to calm your racing heartbeat. You looked out your window. Hints of pinks and yellows were starting to make a gradient with the lightening dawn sky. Shit, you were so focused on getting your work done that you didn’t take account of the time. You just knew today was gonna be long. At least after school volleyball practice was shortened because of finals tomorrow. 
You groaned as you pulled your tired form off from the ground. You made your way downstairs and plopped yourself down at your usual place at the table, burying your face into the crook of your arm. You felt yourself drift off into a blissful sleep, the wood of the table suddenly seemed very comfortable at the moment. Not long after, you were jolted out of your peaceful sleep by a loud crash. Jumping up and looking around with wide eyes, you saw Tubbo looking at you apologetically. There was broken glass in front of his feet on the floor. 
“Sorry, (y/n).”
You just stared at him blankly as you slowly blinked. Philza didn’t spare you a glance as he whisked the short boy away from the glass. “(Y/n), can you please go get the broom and sweep this up?”
You nodded, hauling yourself to your feet and walked over to the storage closet, pulling out the broom and dust pan. You mindlessly sweeped up the glass, your limbs feeling heavy. After throwing the glass away, you rummaged in the cupboard and pulled out a mug. The bitter smell beckoned you welcomingly, working its way through your nostrils and digging itself deep into your brain. Just as you were about to pour yourself a cup, a hand snatched the coffee pot away from you. 
“You shouldn’t be drinking this.”
“You let Techno and Wil drink it, so why can’t I?”
“(Y/n), you’re a full year younger than them and you haven’t eaten anything since breakfast yesterday.”
You felt your eye twitch, “I’m only a year younger than them! There’s literally no-”
“(Y/n),” his warning tone cut you off, putting the pot back into the coffee maker, “you aren’t going to drink this. That’s final. Get a glass of water.”
You huffed and pushed past him to the sink to fill your coffee mug with water. You’ve been drinking coffee for a while behind his back, so you were used to its effects on your body. You supposed that you’d just beg Wilbur to take you to the cafe so you could get your sustenance. He always relented for you. 
You heard him chuckle, “you’ll thank me when you’re older.”
“Mhm.”
You plopped down next to Tubbo nursing your mug of water, trying to make small talk with him. One by one, your brothers made their way to the table. Tommy was talking and gesturing wildly to Tubbo like he normally did, Wilbur looked as dead inside as you felt, and Techno made it a point to ignore you. When someone pissed him off, he can hold a grudge better than he could hold onto his knowledge of Greek mythology, and that’s saying something. Man is obsessed with Greek mythology. 
Breakfast went by in a daze with you struggling to keep your eyes open. At one point, you almost fell asleep sitting up, only to be woken up by Tubbo shaking your shoulder to get your attention. When breakfast was almost done, you had only eaten about half your breakfast. 
Drifting off again, you were startled awake by the screeching of the chairs against the wooden floor and loud shouts coming from your brothers. You didn’t have the energy to race them to the bathroom like you usually did, you’d just freshen up after they were done. You tried to stand up to go to your room to get dressed, but you were stopped by a hand on your shoulder forcing you to sit back down. Looking up, you were met with the concerned, yet stern eyes of your father. 
“You’re not leaving this table until you’ve eaten at least a few more bites and tell me why you’re so tired.”
“I just stayed up later than I normally do finishing up some homework, it won’t happen again.”
“It better not or else I will make you stay home next time. When’d you go to bed last night?”
You avoided his eyes, “around one thirty or two.” You couldn’t tell him that you didn’t actually go to sleep last night, he’d flip. 
“You know, you’re a terrible liar.” Shit.
Looking him in the eye, you spoke more confidently. “Three in the morning.”
“(Y/n)-”
You felt a sudden rage start to twist inside you as he started to lecture you about taking better care of yourself. He was treating you like a child and you were not having it. 
“-young kids like you need to- are you even listening?”
You set your jaw and willed yourself not to explode at him. “Dad, I’m not a child. I know how to take care of myself.”
You saw him narrow his eyes and purse his lips in frustration, “well, obviously you don’t if you’re not eating or sleeping well,” his eyes softened. “I’m starting to worry about you.”
“Well, you shouldn’t because I’m fine,” you snapped at him. “I’m going to get ready.”
You stalked out of the room and stomped upstairs. Passing a shocked Tommy and Tubbo, you made your way into the bathroom to get ready. The person that stared back at you in the mirror looked pale and had dark eye bags accentuating her tired eyes. She had red pimples dotting her face more than she usually did. She was ugly, revolting. The girl you remembered her being was confident in her appearance and walked with an air of importance. Now, she was a decrepit thing that was run down and scared of her own shadow. You couldn’t recognize the girl that stared back at you anymore. You should’ve been able to;  after all, she was you and you were her.
You rushed through your morning routine in the bathroom avoiding looking at yourself in the mirror. You opened the bathroom door only to be met with Wilbur’s chest, his hand poised in the air in a closed fist ready to knock on the door. He stepped back.
“We’re gonna be late if you don’t hurry up.”
You glanced at the clock on the wall. “Wil, we still have twenty minutes before school starts. We don’t have to leave for another ten minutes.”
He gave you a smirk, “well, you want coffee, don’t you? You look dead.”
“Oh thank god. I feel dead, I didn’t sleep at all last night.”
“When’d you go to bed?”
“I didn’t.”
“Christ, (y/n) I knew you were a dumbass, but not that much of a dumbass.”
You rolled your eyes, walking around him and into your room. You felt a stab of hurt in your heart. “Fuck you.”
Before you could close the door, he shouted out a cheeky “love ya too (y/n)!”
You took off all your clothes slowly and stood in front of your open closet deciding on what you should wear today. You figured that since you felt like absolute shit, you should probably put a little bit more effort into your appearance. Picking out your favorite flannel shirt and favorite pair of pants. Smiling at yourself in the mirror in your room, you felt slightly more confident in your appearance. You felt like you could walk around the hallways at school without as many peering eyes trying to figure out your every secret. But maybe that was just the sleep deprivation talking. You tend to be more impulsive and emotional when you’re sleep deprived.
You slung the backpack onto your back with less difficulty than in the previous days. Your back was healing faster than you thought it would. Now, it barely hurt and the swelling completely went away.
You went downstairs and slunk past the kitchen where Philza was talking to Tommy and Tubbo. You didn’t want them to notice you, you felt somewhat guilty for snapping at your dad. You slipped through the front door and hopped into the passenger seat next to Wilbur. You three usually rotated seats counterclockwise and took turns driving each day. Now, you were just waiting for Techno.  
“Well, you look less homeless today.”
“Thanks Wilbur, I just felt like looking a little nicer than usual.”
“Who’re ya dressing up for? Is it Adrian?” He asked with slight disgust. He hated Adrian almost as much as he hated Annie and Sammy. He thought he was nothing more than a fuckboy looking to get into your pants. Little did he know you were secretly a raging lesbian so deep in the closet that you’re froliking with Aslan through the flowerfields of Narnia.
“Wilbur, I’m gay why would I-” you froze, cursing your sleep deprived self for lacking a filter. Your breath caught in your throat and you felt anxiety start to seep into your veins and pump around your body, filling every single nook and cranny with dread. You could feel tears welling in your eyes as you stared at your shaking hands horrified at yourself. How could you just… just out yourself like that? How could you be so careless? So stupid?
You barely felt it when Wilbur reached over to press a gentle hand on your arm. “(Y/n), are yo-”
“I-tha-that was a joke, I’m not gay, I’m straight.” Your words came out in frantic jumbles, desperately trying to fix your slip up. Oh god, you really fucked up this time.
“(Y/n), brea-”
“I swear I’m not gay, I like men, I do. I-”
“(Y/n), breathe with me.” Wilbur’s firm, yet gentle voice demanded. He placed your hand on his chest and took in a deep breath, held it, and released it slowly. You tried your best to follow him, but after about ten minutes, you were slowly but surely calming down. It was a lot faster calming down from a panic attack when you had someone helping you breathe. You’ve never gotten help with a panic attack before, it was nice. Becoming more aware of your surroundings, you took notice of the soft fabric of Wilbur’s sweater, the gentle thumping of his heart, and his worried expression. You also became aware of the extra hand rubbing small circles into your shoulder from behind your seat. It was Techno.
Taking in a shaky breath, you took your hand out of Wilbur’s grip and clasped your hands tightly in front of you, shrugging Techno’s hand off from your shoulder. 
“...Can we please leave? I don’t want Dad or Tubbo and Tommy seeing me like this.”
Wordlessly, Wilbur started up the car and pulled out of the driveway. At the intersection, he turned in the opposite direction of the school. “Wilbur, where are we going? The school’s the other way.”
“We’re going to the cafe for some coffee, my treat.”
“But school starts in five minutes, we’re gonna be late if we go to the cafe.”
“Actually,” Techno’s deep voice chimed in, “school started ten minutes ago. If we’re already late, there’s no harm in skipping first block.”
“Tech, I literally have no idea what’s going on in stats.”
“I’ll give you my notes.”
“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to bother you.”
Wilbur pulled into the cafe’s parking lot, “don’t be stupid, (y/n). You can never bother us.”
You didn’t say anything as you left the car and headed into the cafe. You could think of plenty of ways you could bother your older brothers. You bothered everybody just by being in their presence. You just had that effect. 
Your brothers followed you into the cafe, glancing at each other worriedly. You three quickly got your orders and sat in the secluded back of the cafe. Soft jazz music drifted throughout the quiet cafe. 
“(Y/n), we need to talk about what happened. Was this your first panic attack?” Wilbur asked you gently.
“...No, I’ve had them before.” 
“Were they always this intense? You’re still shaking.”
“That one was nowhere near as intense as the ones I usually have.’
“Usually? Do you have them often?” Tecno asked.
“Yeah, usually a couple of them a week since the middle of freshman year. Nothing I can’t manage.”
“So you’ve been doing this on your own for three years? You could’ve gotten us to help you.” 
You sighed, looking down at your steaming cup. “...I couldn’t’ve. Don’t get me wrong, I know you guys could help me, but I-I just couldn’t. No one was supposed to find out.”
“Promise us that you’ll come to one of us when you have an attack. We care about you, (y/n).”
“I… I’ll think about it. Thank you.”
The table fell into a comfortable silence as you all sipped at your drinks, the comforting taste of the bitter coffee dancing across your tongue.
“Ya know, we don’t care that you’re gay. A lesbian called me ‘actually pretty funny’ once and I’m still riding the high.” 
“Yeah, you’re still you. Nothing changes the fact that you’re our little sister.” 
You smiled as you felt warm inside. You knew your brothers loved you, but you didn’t know that they loved you for being you. You didn’t think anybody loved you unconditionally like that, and that made you feel genuinely happy.
“Thank you guys, for everything. I-I can’t put into words how much that means to me, I love you guys so much!”
“We love you too,” Wilbur smiled before he dropped it into a stern frown. “But if any girl hurts you, we’ll have a stern talking to her.”
“Yeah, we can’t beat up girls. We’ll put her in her place alright.” You snorted into your coffee, almost spilling it on yourself. Quickly setting it down before you could baptize yourself with the scalding liquid (though, you did consider coffee to be holy), you wiped at your teary eyes. 
“And that’s why I love you guys.”
“We’re serious, she’ll be wishing she got beat up after we’re done scolding her.” Wilbur said seriously before he broke into a grin and started laughing. 
The conversation carried on about your sexuality, how you found out, when you found out, if you’ve told anyone yet (they were honored that they were the first people you’ve told, even if you did it accidentally mid-panic attack). Eventually you had to go back to the school before your second block started. You three split ways to your separate classrooms. 
Annie and Adrian were locked onto you as soon as you walked through the door. They looked angry at you. What’d you do this time to piss them off?
“Where the fuck were you this morning? We were looking everywhere for you,” Annie seethed.
“Yeah, you wasted so much of our time looking for your sorry ass. You ditch us again?”
Oh, that. “Look, I didn’t mean to skip out on you guys again. It was a rough morning.” 
“That’s funny because we also had rough mornings, yet we still hung out with each other. You aren’t special.” Adrian rolled his eyes at you.
“It’s gonna take more to apologize. We don’t let things like the little stunts you pull go off scott free.”
“Oh, Annie I have the best idea,” Adrian squealed, bouncing on the balls of his feet excitedly. 
“What is it Dri?” Annie’s eyes shone.
“Our little (y/n) can set you up with one of her brothers and she can go on a date with me on a double date! It’s foolproof, not even someone as dumb as (y/n) could fuck it up.” 
“I don’t think that’s a good id-”
“It’s perfect Dri! Can it be with Wilbur? He’s literally so hot! Oh, the way his fingers can work that guitar…” Ew. The thought of Wilbur and Annie together made you scrunch up your nose with disgust.
“I’m sorry, but Wilbur’s actually dating Sally Fishmin right now. They’re actually really cute together-”
“God, how could someone as hot as Wilbur go for Sally Fishmin? She’s disgusting, always smells like fish,” Annie gagged, then gasped. “Wait (y/n) do you actually think that she’s more deserving to be with him than I am?”
“No, I nev-”
“Really? Cuz you just did. Glad to see you care about me, (y/n).”
“Annie, you’re literally so beautiful. I never said that you don’t deserve him. You deserve the world. I can’t split them up, but I can do more homework for you.” She perked up immediately, “awe, thanks love! That’s what happens when you actually put effort into how you look.”
“Speaking of, did you get that shirt out of the trash? It’s really not a look.” Adrian snickered to himself. There goes what little confidence you had. You actually thought you looked decent today. You felt grateful for your friends, they always told you the truth about how you looked when everybody else lied to you. 
Before you could respond, the bell rang and everybody took their seats. Luckily, Mr. Todd assigned today as a work day for your final research essays. You had finished Annie’s and got Adrian’s thesis done before the bell rang. While you were working on their essays, they were mindlessly scrolling on their phones and texting someone. 
You, Adrian, and Annie met up with Sammy and went into the lunch room. You tried to line up in the lunch line with them, but they laughed and told you that you’re fat enough and you needed to lose weight. What did you do to deserve such considerate friends? You really owed them one for always looking out for and putting up with you.
While you were waiting for them, you pulled out your phone. To your surprise, Haley texted you a screenshot of her conversation with Unknown. You felt a chill run down your spine. All four pictures were of you. You rubbing your eyes as the light of your computer provided the only light in the room. Your bare back facing the camera as you stood in front of your closet this morning. You sleeping a day ago (you felt sick as you realized that whoever took the picture was standing directly over your bed). Lastly, you and Haley holding each other’s hand under the moonlight last night. Attached to the pictures, Unknown had typed “you have one more day or else sleeping ugly gets it. Do not tempt us.”
Hales : )
(Y/n), how the hell did they get these pictures of you
Did you seriously leave your window open???
Why wouldn’t you close your curtains
Oh god, do you think they saw us in your driveway????
(Y/n)
Haley calm down 
Hales : )
I know you’re not telling me to calm down right now
You have a stalker
One that can GET INSIDE YOUR ROOM
(Y/n)
We’ll get to the bottom of this
Like I said, I don’t care if my pictures get leaked
I care about your pictures
Until we figure out who’s doing this, we need to lay low
Hales : )
Hanging out last night was a mistake
I shouldn’t have gave you a ride
I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you
I’m straight
And you are too
You said it yourself
We can’t talk anymore (y/n)
(Y/n)
I’m not straight Hales
I’m gay
And I like you
Like
Like you like you
Hales : )
I’m sorry (y/n)
But I’m straight
We can’t talk anymore
Goodbye.
With each text she sent you, you felt your heart drop deeper and deeper into your stomach until you felt your heart shatter in your chest, the pieces lodging themselves deep within you and ripping you open from inside out. How could you be so stupid to think that soemone as perfect as Haley Andrews, arguably the prettiest girl in the senior year, go out with (y/n) Minecraft, a known trainwreck. Annie’s shrill gasp sounded right next to your ear, making you gasp and drop your phone onto the table with a loud bang.
“OH MY GOD (Y/N) YOU’RE A FAGGOT? WERE YOU HITTING ON ME EARLIER? YOU FUCKING PERVERT.”
The entire cafeteria fell into silence as they listened to Annie’s shrieking. Whispers started to meld together.
“(Y/n)’s gay?”
“How gross”
“Damn, I was gonna hit it”
“We have a dyke going to this school?”
You felt like you were suffocating as the whispers and Annie’s yelling jumbled together in a disorienting cacophony. Adrian and Sammy both glared at you from behind Annie with a hatred that you didn’t know they had for you. You tried stuttering an apology, but you were quickly shut up by Annie harshly slapping you across the face.
“I don’t wanna hear it, fag. You’re going to finish our essays and you’re never gonna talk to us again. Do you understand me?” When you didn’t respond, she slapped you again. “I asked you, do you understand me?” 
You frantically nodded your head, grabbed your backpack, and sprinted out the door without any real destination in mind. You sprinted before you found the bathroom that nobody used. Ducking into a stall and slamming the door, you felt yourself start to hyperventilate. You couldn’t feel anything except for the tightness of your chest. You couldn’t see anything. You couldn’t hear anything. You faintly tasted bile rising up in your throat as you bent over to empty your stomach. You threw up everything in your stomach until you were left sitting on the dirty floor painfully dry heaving. 
You sobbed on that floor for what felt like hours. Everybody knows your secret now. Your dirty, dirty secret. God, you were a pervert weren’t you? You made people around you comfortable by just being you. Faintly, you felt your phone start to buzz in your pocket, your shaky hands scrambling to fish it out. They were all texts from your brothers.
Wilby
(Y/n) I heard what happened
Are you okay????
Please answer me
Where are you
Technology Sword
I’m gonna kill them
I swear to god they’re dead
Blood for the blood god
(Y/n)
Pls dont do anything or hurt anyone
I’m fine
I’ll see you two after practice
Wilby
Tell us where you are
(Y/n)
I’m fine
I’ll see you two after practice
You silenced your phone and put it back into your pocket, once again feeling yourself start to dry heave again. Your sobs and gags echoed throughout the bathroom. This is by far the worst panic attack you’ve had yet, and it doesn’t seem like it’s gonna stop anytime soon. You heard the final bell ring and students start to rush to their lockers to get home, so you tried to muffle your shaking sobs the best you could. You had at least an hour before you had to go to volleyball practice. Until then, you would stay in the bathroom trying to ground yourself. 
Luckily, you managed to calm down to the point where you stopped crying and dry heaving. You were only shaking slightly. You felt numb and completely drained from your panic attack, practice today was going to be a struggle. You cautiously walked through the empty hallways jumping at every little noise. When you finally reached the locker room, you made a beeline past Zara and Jazzy to your locker. You pulled out your uniform and changed in one of the bathroom stalls.
Practice went by with the girls on the team giving you sympathetic looks and Haley ignoring you. Not that you noticed, you were ignoring everyone and putting all of your focus on the ball. The entire practice, you felt light headed and drained. Fortunately, practice ended right as you felt like you were going to pass out.
You changed as fast as you could and pulled out your phone.
Dadza
Come outside, I’m here to pick you up
You felt a dread pool in your stomach as you stared at the text. Did he find out? Was he going to kick you out for being gay? Wilbur and Techno wouldn’t let him do that to you, right? Reluctantly, you left the sanctuary of the bathroom stall and rushed out of the locker room and out of the school. Sure enough, your dad’s car was parked in the parking lot. You glanced over to where Haley’s car was parked last night and saw glimpses of you and her chasing each other and laughing into the night sky without a care in the world before you ripped your gaze away to stare at your walking feet.
You reached your dad’s car and sat in the passenger seat. Your dad grinned at you. “Hey hun, how was practice?”
You merely shrugged your shoulders at him. You didn’t have the energy to talk to anyone at the moment. You felt extremely drained.
“What’s wrong, did something happen? You can talk to me.”
“...I’m just sad that the season’s over tomorrow.”
“Don’t be sad kid,” a gruff voice coming from behind you made you jump. “That’s pussy shit.”
You yelped and whipped your head around to look at whoever said that. Your uncle’s cocky grin greeted you. You felt yourself grin back at him. 
“Uncle Schlatt!”
“The one and only.”
“How was your business trip? You’re home early.”
He rolled his eyes, “boring as hell. I’m so fucking glad I got out early, I woulda blew my brains out if I had to stay there any longer.”
“Schlatt!” Philza reprimanded him, glancing at him through the rearview mirror.
“What? I’m just telling the truth. I woulda!” He defended himself.
Your dad gripped the steering wheel. “You didn’t have to say it in front of (y/n).”
Schlatt scoffed, “please, she’s heard me say worse.” 
As they bickered, you felt yourself zone out as you looked out the window. Houses and street signs passed by in a blur as the car moved down the road and pulled into your driveway. You got out as quickly as you could and made your way into the house alongside your uncle and dad. As soon as your uncle walked through the door, Tubbo barrelled into him and pulled him into a tight hug. Schlatt laughed loudly and bent over to pick him up into a hug. You smiled at the father and son as Philza gestured for you to follow him into the kitchen. He opened the oven to check on something cooking inside of it and turned to face you, leaning against the counter.
“So what’s really wrong?”
“I already told you, I’m sad the season’s almost over.”
“It’s something more than that,” as you opened your mouth he quickly added, “and you can’t say that it’s because you’re tired. I wasn’t born yesterday.”
You sighed and mimicked his actions. “...It’s just been a long day. I really don’t wanna talk about it.”
Without warning, he pulled you into a warm hug, your face being shoved into his shoulder and him rubbing circles into your back. “That’s okay, just talk to me when you’re ready. I won’t push you.”
That broke you. Throwing your arms around him, you started to sob into his shoulder. He started to rock you back and forth whispering reassurances into your ear. 
“That’s good, let it all out.”
“I love you so much.”
“I’m here for you.”
With each sentence to fall out of his mouth, you felt more at ease and safe. Your dad always did a great job at making people feel safe, that was just his natural talent. After a while, you pulled away from him.
“Do you feel better?”
You smiled tiredly at him, “Yeah, I really needed a hug.”
He turned around to check on dinner, “I bet, you look like you’ve been to hell and back. You don’t have to tell me what happened, but just know that I’m always here for you and I love you.”
The rest of the family flooded the kitchen after a while of you two talking. Dinner went by with Schlatt laughing loudly and telling stories about the people he met on his business trip. Every now and then, Wilbur and Techno would glance at you, but you ignored them. You just wanted dinner to end so you could pass out in your bed. Once dinner was over, you helped your dad gather everybody’s plate and put them into the sink. The rest of your little family went to the living room to start a game of Monopoly. The last time you all played that ended in fresh bruises and shed tears.
“I think I’m gonna go to bed, I have to get some rest for finals tomorrow.”
“But (y/n), it’s Monopoly! You love Monopoly,” Tommy exclaimed.
“That’s alright, you look dead on your feet kid. Go get some sleep.”
“Thanks Uncle Schlatt. Goodnight everyone, love ya.”
A flurry of goodnights and love you’s follow you as you leave the room and drug yourself up the stairs. Without a second thought, you closed your curtains and plopped face first onto your bed. You passed out without even making sure you were fully on your bed.
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starshine583 · 3 years
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New Girl on the Block (19)
(Hey, everyone!!! Thank you so much for your patience while I was away. It’s good to be back! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!)
Ch. 1 / Ch. 18 / Ch. 20 (ao3)
Chapter 19: A Date with Misery
“Marinette, you are.. an incredible person.”
“You don’t need anyone to validate how amazing you are.”
“You are talented, kind, and capable all on your own.”
Felix’s words from the night before played over in Marinette’s mind again and again, an endless loop that she found herself incapable of escaping, and with each echo, her heart seemed to melt further than she thought possible. The comments were simply too honey-sweet, too sincere. She couldn’t help reveling in them. How long had he thought of her that way? How long had he placed her on such a high pedestal that she wasn’t aware of? Marinette knew that Felix had a tendency to make unexpected comments every now and then, but last night truly caught her off guard.. and perhaps made her just a tad bit love-stricken. Had he always spoken to her in that soft manner, the one that made her believe she could be the very stars in his night sky? Had he always possessed the ability to send her heart fluttering the way it did last night, when he allowed her to pull him onto the dance floor and hold him incredibly close? She had no way of knowing, and certainly not enough nerve to ask aloud. But, oh, how her mind ran rampant with fantasies anyway. Will she ever be able to dance with him like that again? Would he look at her the same way he had then, with eyes that felt soft as a cloud in the moment? Did he go home last night and think about her too, endlessly turning on his bed and glancing at his diary- if he kept one, that is -and thinking maybe just one more entry-
“Marinette?” 
Marinette jumped, nearly falling off of the ladder that she’d been balancing on, and felt a blush explode across her cheeks.
“Nothing! What? I mean-” She flailed her arms a bit to regain balance, then peeked down at the person below, the very boy she’d been fantasizing about “-Did you need something?”
Felix stood at the base of the ladder, his brows furrowed slightly. “..No. I just wanted to know if there was something wrong with your heart.”
Marinette sputtered, her blush deepening considerably. She couldn’t have been that obvious, right? What expression was she making before he came over? 
“M-My heart?” She asked- or rather, squeaked.
Felix pointed to a stream of hearts on the wall, the ones she was supposed to be taking down. “You were staring at one of the hearts for quite a while. Is it ripped?”
“Oh.” She said, staring blankly at the wall. The paper hearts. He meant the paper hearts hanging next to her. Not her heart specifically. That made a lot more sense. “No, sorry. The hearts are fine. I was just, uh.. you know.. reminiscing. We had a lot of fun times with these decorations.”
“Ah,” Felix tilted his head up in a slight nod, “my apologies for interrupting you then.”
“Oh, you didn’t.” Marinette assured hastily. “It really wasn’t anything important.”
Definitely wasn’t anything important..
She plucked out the pin that held the hearts and started down the ladder to move to the other end of the stream. Felix offered a hand to help her down in the process, and she took it, strongly ignoring the tingling sensation that came from doing so. 
“If you’d like to keep one as a memorial, I’m sure Allegra wouldn’t mind.” He remarked. “I doubt she’s going to keep any of these things herself after all the parties they’ve had.”
Marinette hummed. Keeping a heart streamer as a memorial, huh? That didn’t sound like a bad idea. 
“Thanks. I just might do that.”
Felix gave her the tiniest of smiles, the kind Marinette was used to catching at this point, and slipped his hand out of hers when her feet hit the ground. She clasped her hands together afterwards to compensate, also ignoring the fact that it might have been nice for him to hold her hand just a tad bit longer.
“Would you like help moving the ladder?” He asked, to which she shook her head.
“I’ve got it, but if you could move the box over to the other round table while I move the ladder, I would be grateful.”
Allegra had given her an empty box to put the decorations in as she took them off of the wall. So far, Marinette had exactly.. zero decorations in the box. Gosh, how long had she been staring at that heart? Was she going insane? Why would she even be thinking about Felix this way? He’d just told her last night that he wasn’t interested in romance. Falling for him would be guaranteed heartbreak! It would be completely ridiculous! It would.. It would..
It would probably be inevitable.
Felix was just too sweet to her, too kind. He was always looking out for her and supporting her, always sharing his quiet laughs and amused smiles, and he said too many things that made her head spin for her not to start liking him. There was just no escape! It was going to happen eventually. The only question now was when.
And maybe today was her answer.
Stop it. Marinette scolded herself as she picked up the ladder to walk it over. It’s just some butterflies in your stomach. How many of those did you digest around Adrien?
Marinette froze midstep, an immense sense of horror washing over her. Oh, gosh, this wasn’t going to be another Adrien situation, was it? It couldn’t be. She refused to go through that again. At least not this soon.
Marinette continued walking, if only to avoid Felix’s suspicions, and set up the ladder under the next pin that was holding up her stream. 
When you think about it, this really can’t be another Adrien situation, right? With Adrien, she had no idea whether he liked her or not, but was hopeful despite that and used her friends in an effort to gain his attention. With Felix, she already had her answer. She knew for a fact that he didn’t like her romantically, that he wouldn’t ever like her romantically, and she also hadn’t asked any of her new friends to help her gain Felix’s attention. (Though, in all honesty, she probably wouldn’t need help even if she was looking for his attention, because he already gave it to her willingly on a constant basis, but that thought didn’t exactly help her cause.)
“Is here alright?” Felix asked as he set the box on the end of the round table.
Marinette nodded, scaling the ladder to pluck the next pin. “Yep. That’s great, thank you.”
“Of course. If you need anything else, I’ll be wrapping the candles and putting them in boxes.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” She said, pulling a smile. 
No, this wasn’t going to be anything like her crush on Adrien. This time she at least had closure before she began, and although it might be just as heart-shattering in the long run, she won’t be wasting her time wondering “what if” or tripping over herself to become his dream girl in an effort to be ‘chosen’. She’ll simply be his friend, as he’s been to her, and if she’s lucky, this sort-of-tiny-little crush of hers will wither away before it grows into a bigger problem. 
After all, it’s like Felix said: She’ll find someone new who appreciates her eventually. It just.. won’t be him. The sooner she took this lesson to heart, the better.
Marinette plucked the next pin out of the wall, watching the stream of hearts fall into the box below, and started back down the ladder again. That’s one down. Five to go.
She paused at the bottom of the ladder, ready to pull it together so she could pick it up and move it again, when her phone started buzzing in her pocket. She quickly shimmied it out to check what the buzzing was for, only to be met with the flashing words “Adrien Agreste - Café”.
It was her alarm clock telling her that it was time to go meet Adrien for lunch. And it couldn’t have picked a worse time. She still had five other heart streamers to take down, and at this rate she was going to have to run half way across town just to make it on time. Ugh- why didn’t she set her alarm clock earlier?
“Hey, guys?” She called out to the group, tucking her phone back into her pocket. “I hate to say it, but I actually need to get going. I’m sorry I couldn’t help out more.”
If she hadn’t stopped every two seconds to daydream about somebody-
“Oh, don’t worry about it!” Allegra called back with a smile. “You’ve helped out plenty.”
“Yeah,” Claude agreed. “This was our party anyway.”
“I know, but I only managed to get one of the streamers down.” Marinette sighed.
“But you also helped fold all of the tablecloths and put them away.” Allan reminded her.
“And you swept the room after the trash was taken care of.” Allegra added.
“Go have fun at your appointment thing or whatever. We’ve got everything covered here.” Claude assured, emptying the water from another flower vase.
Marinette smiled as she grabbed her purse from one of the round tables. Her friends were so great, each and every one of them. 
“I’ll see you guys later then.”
“See ya!”
“Bye, Mari!”
“Do you want me to call my driver for you?” Felix asked, briefly setting his candles aside. “It’s quite a walk from here to your house, isn’t it?”
“Thanks, but I’m good. I can have Maman and Papa come to pick me up if I start running late.” Or she can transform into Ladybug and swing right over to Adrien herself, which was exactly what she planned on doing. “I’ll text you guys when I get there, though.”
That seemed to satisfy Felix, because he nodded and continued placing his candles in the box. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you then.” 
Marinette pursed her lips and spun towards the door, hoping he didn’t notice the fresh blush that was creeping across her cheeks. Gosh, how was she ever going to survive this boy? Maybe Adrien’s presence will give her a good slap in the face and bring her back to her senses.. She highly doubted it though. With her track record, she’ll probably end up falling for Adrien again too, and then she’ll be stuck between two unrequited crushes! Great!
..Why does she always have to fall for the people who don’t love her back?
~~~~~~~
Wind rushed past Chat Noir’s face as he raced across the rooftops, his grin stretching wide from ear to ear. Today was the day! It was finally the fifteenth! In just a few short blocks, he was going to meet Marinette at their agreed café, and they were going to have a whole lunch together just to themselves! It made him buzz with excitement at the very thought, because finally his plans were progressing. Finally he was gonna have a long, drawn out chat with Marinette as Adrien, and perhaps, if he had gained even the slightest bit of luck from his partner, he would be able to convince her to transfer back to Dupont. Or at least have her consider it. She probably shouldn’t come back right this second. 
Chat Noir landed on a rooftop and slid down the tiles with glee, but before he could leap to the next rooftop, a red and black-spotted figure flew out in front of him. He stumbled back with a yelp, staring at the person with wide eyes as they sailed onto the rooftop across from him. Was that..?
“My Lady?” He called out, pushing himself back onto his feet. What was she doing out at this time of day? It wasn’t like her to be out and about during daylight when no akumas were present.
Unless there is an akuma. Chat realized with horror. He glanced around the city, looking for explosions or destruction of some kind. Please, let there not be an akuma. That would mean he’d have to skip out on his lunch with Marinette! And he’d worked so hard just to get her there!
The spotted figure turned around- proving that it was, in fact, his wonderful Ladybug -and flashed him her signature, Lady-Luck smile. “Oh, Chat Noir! I didn’t realize you would be out today.”
Chat Noir returned her smile and hopped over to her rooftop. “I could say the same to you, Bugaboo. Is an akuma on the loose again?”
“No, not that I’m aware of.” She assured, to his relief. “I just had some free time and thought I would do a small patrol around the city to make sure everything’s still in order.”
Chat Noir chuckled. That’s His Lady for you. Never ceasing to protect Paris. Could she ever become more amazing?
“Sounds like a great idea. I’d be tempted to join you, but I’m actually on my way home already. I’ve been out for a while.” He said, though none of it was true. He hadn’t been out for a while, and he certainly wasn’t running home, but Ladybug was extremely strict on the ‘keeping identities a secret’ policy. If he let something about his civilian life slip- like, say, meeting someone at a cafe about five minutes from now to talk about school transfers -she’d get upset and scold him for divulging too much information. It wasn’t fun lying to the person he was supposed to trust the most, but this was the set up that they’d decided to use. 
“That’s alright. I wasn’t planning on staying out long anyway.” Ladybug replied. “I’ll see you during our next patrol?”
“Or attack.” Chat Noir agreed, giving her a little wink before he took off again. This time he turned to the left of the café, moving in a direction that was somewhat opposite of it. He didn’t want Ladybug seeing where he was going- again, secret identities -but, he also didn’t want to stray too far from his and Marinette’s meeting place, or else he was going to be late. So, he figured he could find a comfortable alleyway about a block or two away from his destination and simply run the rest of the way on foot.
Thank goodness he did, because as soon as he turned left, Ladybug swung off in the exact direction he’d originally been heading. Can you imagine if they’d started going the same way? The explanation for that one would have been awful, he’s sure.
Chat Noir dropped down into an alleyway a few minutes later, just as planned, and detransformed back into Adrien. Running around Paris in his civilian form probably wasn’t going to be any easier than jumping rooftops, but at least he didn’t run into any problems with His Lady. That was a plus, right?
“Ugh,” Plagg groaned as he swirled back into the air, “remind me again why we had to waste my precious energy on a lunch date?”
“Come on, Plagg, you know I hate having Gorilla hover over my shoulder.” Adrien said, offering his kwami a slice of cheese. Gorilla does his best to give Adrien as much space as possible, but still, when you know someone is there specifically to watch you.. “Besides, it’ll give Marinette and I more privacy while we talk.”
Plagg gave a dismissive sigh as he snatched the cheese from Adrien’s hands. “Oh, that’s right. We’re still on pigtails.. I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with her. It’s not like she died or anything.”
Adrien frowned. “I’m not obsessed. I’m just trying to be a good friend. She’s always been there for all of us. So why shouldn’t I be there for her?”
“Mm.. Does this really count as being there for her, though?” Plagg asked as he shoved the first half of the cheese into his mouth. 
“What do you mean?”
“You’re trying to be there for her by bringing her back to Dupont, right? Well, she seems perfectly happy at her new school to me. So why not leave her be? If you want to be there for her, don’t you think you should be supporting her decisions?”
A bit of guilt festered in Adrien’s chest, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “I.. get what you’re saying, but I want her back too. I want to hang out again and talk like we used to.”
“You’re about to talk with her right now.” 
“You know what I mean. I want to talk with her daily, like we do at school.”
“Then, why don’t you transfer schools?”
Adrien let out a small chuckle. “And leave Nino? I couldn’t do that to him.”
“Okay~, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if things don’t work out the way you want them to.” Plagg said. He then shoved the rest of the cheese into his mouth and zipped into Adrien’s shirt pocket.
Adrien furrowed his eyebrows, but didn’t reply, instead starting for the cafe. Why would Plagg say something like that? Of course everything was going to work out! Yes, Marinette was happy at her new school, and yes, getting her to come back to Dupont might be a tad tricky (especially since he had to deal with Lila first) but that didn’t mean his plan was going to fail. He simply needed to remind Marinette that she loved being at Dupont too! More so than Rosemary even! It’ll be alright. Plagg will see.
With little time to spare, Adrien booked it to the café, careful to keep his head down and not catch the eyes of the media. Thankfully, he made it there in one piece, albeit five minutes late. It should be fine, though. If anyone were to understand missing the mark for an appointment, it would be her, right?
Adrien slipped his phone out of his pocket as he walked inside to check for any new messages from the ravenette, then silenced it when he saw that there were none. He didn’t want this precious time to be interrupted. 
The bell on the café door jingled above him when he entered, reminding him of a certain bakery. He glanced around the room for Marinette hopefully, then lit up when he caught sight of a pair of ravenette pigtails at a table in the middle of the room. Yes! She was here!
Adrien wasted no time strolling over the table, tapping the top of her head to get her attention. She jumped- as she usually does -and whirled around with wide eyes.
“Hey, Marinette.” He greeted with a smile.
“Adrien!” She said, letting out a nervous laugh. “Y-You’re here.”
“Yeah!” He chirped, slipping into the seat across from her. “Sorry I’m late. I ran into a bit of traffic on the way here. How have you been? Did you have a good Valentine’s Day?”
Marinette settled back into her chair as well, pulling a small, tight smile. “It’s alright.. I’ve been pretty good, and my Valentine’s Day was wonderful. How was yours?”
“Oh, you know,” Adrien shrugged, “same as always. I got some cards from a few fans and did a special photoshoot for my father, but that was about it. I tried to go see Nino or something, but he was with Alya, so..”
“Aw, I’m sorry. I wish it could have worked out better.”
“No, it’s fine.” He quickly assured. “I’m used to it. Besides, Nino and I have actually been hanging out a lot more during the winter break.”
“Oh,” Marinette said, “That’s good then. You deserve the free time.”
Adrien smiled. What a very ‘Marinette’ thing to say. “Thanks. Have you ordered anything yet?”
She shook her head. “No, I figured I’d wait for you.”
“Then let’s go get some food.” He said, standing from the table again. “I’m starving.”
Marinette stood with him, and they made their way over to the line that led to the service counter. It wasn’t long, thankfully, only holding about three people or so. They should be back at the table in no time.
“So, are you enjoying your new school life? I heard you transferred to Rosemary.” 
“Yeah, I’ve been having a great time,” Marinette said, a bit too cheerful for Adrien’s liking, “but I do have a question. How did you know I transferred to Rosemary?”
“Oh, uh..” 
Would she accept ‘my good friend Chat Noir’ as a proper answer?
“..Mlle Bustier. She announced to the class that you had transferred, and when I asked about it afterwards, she told me that you went to Rosemary.”
A hum came from Marinette, the corner of her lips tugging downwards. Why was she frowning? Did he say something wrong?
“Is that a problem?” He asked.
“Oh! No.” Marinette replied hastily. “Well.. sort of. I’m just worried that if she told you, then she’d be willing to tell other people.. Like Lila or Alya.”
Ah.. She made a good point. Her whereabouts could be spread around easily if Mlle Bustier was being loose-lipped. Although he doubted that Lila would come after Marinette since she’s not trying to out her anymore, Adrien wouldn’t put it past the girl entirely, especially since she was still spreading rumors about Marinette on a regular basis..
Granted, this only mattered if Mlle Bustier actually told him where Marinette went to school, which she didn’t. So they should be perfectly safe for the time being.
“I’m sure everything will be fine.” He insisted. “I was the only one that asked, anyway, and I made sure we were alone.”
Marinette nodded, but she didn’t look any less unsettled. “You’re sure you were the only one that asked?”
“Positive.”
“.. Okay.” She muttered, fiddling with the tip of her black jacket. Oh, she was getting anxious now! He needed to fix this. Change the subject!
“Anyway, you said your new school was great?” He asked as he stepped forward in line. “That’s good to hear. Have you made any friends there yet?”
Of course, he already knew that she’d made new friends- several, in fact -but hopefully talking about them would help her relax. Plus, it would give him more information on her new environment. So it’s a double bonus.
Marinette took the bait, her hands quickly falling back to her side as she said, “I have. I was fortunate enough to run into a whole group of friends on my first day, and they took me in without hesitation, which was sweet. They even gave me a tour of the school and everything.”
Adrien plastered a tight smile onto his face in an effort to show support. She already had an entire group of new friends? That was gonna be hard to pull her away from.  
“Wow, they sound really nice. You’ll have to introduce me to them sometime.”
“Maybe I can,” Marinette agreed, “but it probably won’t be for a while. We all have schedules and things that we’d need to work out, and I’ve been working on this fashion project lately that I was hoping to get done by the end of next week.”
“No worries. I definitely understand having a busy schedule.” Adrien joked, stepping forward in the line again. “Dupont’s been a little crazy since you left too. We had to pick a new vice president and everything.”
“Yeah, I heard. Lila had to come by and grab the books.” Marinette said bitterly.
Adrien winced. “Really? What did she say?”
“Gosh, I don’t even remember anymore.” Marinette rolled her eyes. “I try not to worry over stupid people. I’m sure she just rubbed her ‘victory’ towards me leaving in my face.”
Adrien chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I bet.. Lila aside, though, we all miss you. Dupont isn’t the same without you here.”
Marinette raised an eyebrow at him as they took another step forward in line. “You all miss me?”
Adrien frowned, partly because she doubted him, but mostly because he knew her skepticism was justified. They didn’t all miss her. Some- if not everyone besides himself -seemed to be happy that she was gone. It was a true tragedy.
“Well.. I miss you.” He said, his heart dropping further when she gave a satisfied nod. She’s already accepted the tragedy as fact, something unchanging, but he was going to work to make things different. 
“Can I take your order?” The cashier cut in, grabbing the pair’s attention.
Adrien and Marinette gave the cashier their order and walked back to their table to wait for their names being called.
“So..” Adrien trailed off as they took their seats. “Do.. you miss us?”
He knew it was a risky question, especially since she’d firmly told Chat Noir a month prior that she did not, in fact, miss Dupont, but maybe her opinion had changed since then?
Marinette shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. “I.. I’m not sure how to answer that, Adrien. How can I say that I miss the people who treated me like a monster for no other reason than the fact that I decided to stand up against a liar? I get that Lila twisted their views, and that everyone has their own version of a story, but it still hurt for them not to believe me even though most of us have known each other since childhood.”
“Do I miss the fun times and the people they used to be before Lila came along? Sure I do, but they’re not the people they used to be. They’re not the friends I grew up with anymore, and I’m not going to regret leaving a situation that wasn’t good for me.”
Adrien sighed. “Alright.. That’s a fair answer.. But what if they did come back? I mean- like - What if they realized that Lila was lying and came back and apologized and everything went back to normal. Would you come back?”
Marinette frowned. “.. I don’t know. What you’re suggesting is extremely far-fetched, and even if everything did go back to ‘normal’, it still wouldn’t quite be the same. They abandoned me for a foreigner. You can’t really come back from that. Plus, I think Rosemary is a great opportunity for me. It’s a prestigious school with extensive classes on the fashion industry and many other things, and although there can be some snooty, rich students, most of the people I’ve met there are really nice.”
Adrien hummed. Her answer was, once again, disheartening, but he took comfort in the fact that she said ‘I don’t know’ instead of just a straight up ‘no’. That was at least something, right? He could work with an ‘I don’t know’.
“Was this all you wanted to talk with me about?” Marinette asked. “Whether or not I would come back to Dupont?”
Adrien winced. “Well, no-”
Yes.
“-I also just wanted to catch up in general. We haven’t really seen each other in over a month, ya know?”
Although she appeared to be hesitant towards his answer, she gave a small smile anyway. “Yeah, it’s definitely been a while.”
Adrien chuckled. “You know, I actually tried to go visit you at Rosemary one time before this, but when I asked a student where you were, he said that you didn’t even attend the school. Had you two just not met yet?”
“Uh.. Can you describe him? There’s a lot of people at the school.”
“Sure. He was about my height, maybe a bit taller, with pale blonde hair and light eyes- I think. He was kind of  just pale in general.”
Marinette snorted. “Do you know the amount of people at the school that could match that description?”
“Okay, okay, uhm.. I think he was wearing dark colors that day. Like, greys or blacks maybe.”
“Wears dark colors, but has light hair and eyes, and is tall. Got it.” Marinette smiled. “Sorry, Adrien, but I’m just not sure. That could be Devin or Caleb or Eliot or any other number of boys. It could have even been someone who’s not in my classes.”
“Right, that’s fine. I was just curious.” He said casually, though it was really eating him alive. He knew that they knew each other. They had to! No one gets that upset during an akuma attack and calls the person their friend without knowing them. The guy even mentioned that their mutual friends were waiting for them! So who could it be? 
“Order for Adrien and Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”
Adrien stood. “I’ll get it.”
Honestly, he didn’t need to know the guy’s name. It was a bitter inconvenience, to be sure, but in the end, finding out the blond-haired dude’s name isn’t the objective. The objective was to get rid of Lila, then get Marinette to come back to Dupont. She might be hesitant about it now, which was understandable, but once she sees the changes that he’s gonna make at Dupont, she’ll be more than happy to come back. He simply needed to open her up to the idea again.
Lucky for him, he had a whole lunch date to do just that.
~~~~~~
Lila slowed to a stop on the sidewalk, panting and out of breath. She searched the city streets from left to right, but was only met with the scenery of a regular, Paris afternoon. Where were the screaming fans? The paparazzi? The bodyguards holding everyone back? Did they all disperse already? That post was literally made five minutes ago! How did he run away so fast?
She pulled out her phone to unlock it, watching as her social media popped up again. It was a picture of XY standing next to a downtown café, the very café Lila was standing next to right now.
“Chillin’ at the Café Aroma today!” The post read, but there was no XY in sight. There were hardly even any XY fans here looking for him. Was the post just a ruse to get rid of the paparazzi for a while? Don’t tell her she got up and ran all the way down here for nothing!
Lila let out a groan, slumping against the café. If XY or any of his lackeys bothered to answer their dang cell phones, none of this would’ve happened! Why would they even put out public numbers if they weren’t going to tend to them? It was really a jerk-ish thing to do.
Nevertheless, she still needed to find a way to contact him. XY was the only celebrity in Paris that might be willing to show up at Dupont per her request. Jagged Stone was a close second, but if she brought him to school, Lila was certain Adrien would ask about her stupid, kitten-saving story. Then, Jagged would get all confused and say that he never had a kitten, and Lila would have a lot more explaining to do. That was too much of a hassle for her to deal with. She needed someone she hadn’t lied much about, someone who could also quiet her whining, soul-sucking classmates. Ergo, she needed to find XY.
But where is he? Lila thought, scrolling through her phone for more recent posts. XY clearly wasn’t downtown, meaning he could be just about anywhere in Paris. He could even be outside of Paris. How was she supposed to find him when she had no special contacts to do so? It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. 
And yet.. Marinette managed to find and reign in every celebrity she needed while she was class president. On. Her. Own.
Lila scowled and shoved her phone back into her pocket. Curse that goody-little-two-shoes for making her job harder. Curse her for somehow being perfect at everything and forcing Lila to enhance her lies to compete. Curse her for leaving to another school and making Lila suffer the consequences for it. Why couldn't Marinette have been a normal class president, hm? Why did she have to constantly outdo herself with the grandest of gestures and the most important of people? Why did Lila have to be so stupid as to try and fill an impossible roll? She should have convinced Alya to run for president instead. At least then she wouldn’t be blamed for the sudden budget cuts or the mismatched class trips. She would be able to continue lying in peace and not have to worry about delivering on all of her false promises. In fact, if she weren’t so busy trying to keep up with Marinette’s ‘legacy’, along with her own big mouth, she might have been able to take care of Adrien by now.
Lila heaved a heavy sigh and massaged her temples as she stood up from the café wall. XY wasn’t going to be found anytime soon, so she might as well take a break and grab a coffee before moving forward. Perhaps the caffeine will spark her creativity for a few lies that Adrien can’t dig into should her plan to find XY fail.
She walked over to the café door and pushed it open. The bell attached to the door jingled, reminding her of that incorrigible bakery, but she ignored it and continued inside. A little music toy wasn’t going to get in the way of her espresso.
Her eyes grazed over the room, hoping to find an empty table.
What she found instead, however, made her stomach drop.
There, sitting at a table near the middle of the room, was Adrien Agreste himself, and sitting across from him was none other than Marinette Dupain-Cheng. 
Lila yelped and ducked back outside, pressing herself firmly against the wall where they couldn’t see her. What were they doing there? What were they doing together?!
Carefully, she crept past the door and slid over to the large window at the front of the café, where she could watch the two from a safe distance. It probably looked suspicious to anyone passing, but she hardly cared at that point. If Adrien and Marinette were getting together like this, Lila was going to have much bigger things to worry about.
She peered through the glass, noting the near-empty plates on their table. They must be having lunch together. Did they do that often? Since when? What could they possibly be talking about?
A smirk tugged at the corner of Adrien’s lips, and Marinette snorted, putting a hand on her mouth to hide her laughter. Ugh, why did she look so cheery! She was supposed to be miserable!
Lila scoffed, digging her fingernails into the brick at the base of the window. What happened to the endless tears and the defeated, sagging posture? What happened to the shriveled up nothing that Lila watched leave the school? Was she really enjoying herself now that she wasn’t attending Dupont? More importantly, how long have Marinette and Adrien been meeting up like this? Was this the reason Adrien suddenly decided to fight back against her? Because he’d rekindled his friendship with Marinette? No wonder the man was out for blood! Marinette probably set him up to the task herself! She must have planned all of this from the very beginning!
No, Lila thought, digging her phone out of her pocket again. She refused to be made a fool of. If they thought they were going to pull one over on her this easily, they were gonna have another thing coming. 
She snapped a photo of them together, making sure to get a moment where they were laughing hard, and tilted the angle of the camera to make it seem like she’d been passing by. Lila then got up and walked back into the café. A picture of Adrien having a grand time with Marinette should be enough of a set up for her to build him a bad reputation, but she needed to know what they were talking about specifically. The more she knew about this meet-up (and previous ones) the better, and if she were anything close to lucky, they would talk about their plans for her while she was there too. That would give her plenty of time to find a way to prepare. 
Or, perhaps, strike first.
As casually as possible, Lila slipped into an empty seat near the pair, not too close, but not too far away that she couldn’t hear them. She then snatched the menu on her table and propped it up so her face couldn’t be seen while she listened.
“Okay, wait. So you’re telling me that they threw an entire Valentine’s Day party at the Mandarin Oriental by themselves?” She heard Adrien ask. He sounded immensely impressed. Who were they talking about?
“Yeah!” Marinette replied, the smile clear in her voice. “They’re parents paid for it, of course, but they arranged everything themselves, including the caterers and reservations. We actually made some of the decorations by hand too.”
“Wow, that sounds like a blast. I bet they all looked great.”
“They did! Especially when we finished the lights and stuff. Everyone loved it.”
Lila scrunched up her nose, equally confused and annoyed. Someone threw a party at the Mandarin Oriental for Valentine’s day? Who? Why was Marinette invited? And why did she get to personally help with the decorations? This wasn’t another one of her “chummy celebrity friends”, was it? It better not be.
Adrien chuckled. “If all of those rich kids at Rosemary enjoyed it, I’m sure it was something.”
Lila froze. Did he just say “all” of the rich kids? Meaning multiple? Why was Marinette hanging out with multiple rich kids? How was she hanging out with multiple rich kids? Were they inviting her to the parties they were throwing? Why? What did she have that was so freaking special? 
Wait a minute. 
Her raging thought finally caught up with the rest of Adrien’s comment, specifically the one about Rosemary. Wasn’t that the stuck-up school near the middle of Paris that was famously known for hosting either incredibly rich or incredibly gifted students? The one that barely let you breathe in their direction if you weren’t considered “worthy”? How did Marinette end up wandering around there long enough to catch some rich friends? No one’s allowed inside except for students or staff, and their policies are extremely strict. (she should know, considering she’s tried to weasel her way in there several times.) The only way she would be able to get inside was if-
Lila gasped, nearly dropping her menu in the process.
No.. No, no way Marinette got transferred from Dupont to Rosemary. That would just be absurd! She didn’t have any money! And she certainly didn’t have enough talent to be accepted despite that! 
But as Lila listened to the conversation more and more, she had to endure the horrible realization that Marinette had, in fact, been transferred to Rosemary. Not only that, she was thriving there. She was making new friends who gave her rides in limos. She was going to fancy restaurants that cost more than Lila’s house for an afternoon snack. She was having slumber parties in mansions. Mansions! Entire estates that were apparently just as big- if not bigger! -than Adrien Agreste’s!
Lila had finally gotten rid of Marinette and won Dupont, only for Marinette to gain the new life that Lila had always dreamed of having! How was that fair? How was any of this fair!
Lila drew in a long, deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She couldn’t blow her top just yet. Marinette may be winning right now, but once Adrien is out of the way, Lila will make sure that Marinette suffers the way she deserves. Rosemary isn’t going to save her for long.
She pulled out her phone to unlock it and clicked on the messaging app, scrolling down until she found her favorite minion: Alya Cessaire. 
~Hey, you’ll never guess what I just saw!!~ 
Lila smiled as she sent the text. With a message like that, Alya won’t be able to help her curiosity, and when Lila sends the picture of Adrien and Marinette together, the journalist will fall headfirst into a pool of rage. 
In other words, that pampered little rich boy won’t know what hit him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Hey, everyone! This section isn’t quite part of the story, but it’s going to be part of the updates from now on. Two weeks ago, I visited a Bible camp, and the Lord really spoke to my heart through the messages. So, from now on, I want to make Him the center of my life and glorify Him in everything I do. At first, I thought of not writing anymore fics or chapters, since doing so would really take my focus away from Him, but instead, I decide to start writing little devotions at the end of each chapter I post. That way, you all won’t have to suffer through an incomplete story, and I get to share the wonderful gospel with you all!
The first devotion I want to post is the message of salvation and how you can know that you’re going to Heaven when you die. The Bible (King James Version) says in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” and the first part of Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death”. We have all had a moment in our lives where we know we’re not supposed to do something, but we do it anyway. That breaking of rules is called a sin, and because of that sin, God says that we are not fit to be in His presence, for He is a just and holy God. So, due to this, our souls are condemned to the fiery prison known as Hell, where it is pitch black around you, and the only thing you can hear is wailing and weeping and gnashing of teeth. Your soul will be alight with fire, but your body will never actually burn, so you will be faced with that pain for the rest of eternity. Can you imagine that? Being in that kind of torment forever and ever and ever and knowing that it will never end? I can’t wrap my brain around that kind of pain, and I certainly don’t want any of you to have to endure it. So that’s why I’m telling you now that there is a bright side to all of this!
John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” and the other part of Romans 6:23 says “but the gift of God is eternal life”. Do you realize what this means? It means we don’t have to go to Hell! God has provided a way of escape for us!
2,021 years ago, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, down to earth to die for us. He was a perfect man, with no sin about Him, but he became sin for us and sacrificed himself so that we could be saved. People beat him and mauled him to point beyond recognition, then they nailed him to a cross for him to die. The pain he had to endure was excruciating, but he did it for us, because he loves us.
Then, three days after the Son of God passed away, he arose from the grave with new life! and because of that, we now have a way to join Him in heaven! All we have to do is admit that we are a sinner, repent of our sins, and accept Jesus Christ into our hearts as our Lord and Savior. We must believe on Him, and believe that he died on the cross for us, then we won’t have to go to Hell! It’s that easy! And those who believe on the Lord Jesus not only don’t have to go to Hell, but they also find a new home in Heaven with the very person who created us and loves us so much to the point of sacrificing Himself for our benefit. It’s a win-win scenario!
I know this isn’t a normal thing to do for fics, but this is something extremely important that I need all of you to know. So please, if you read through this, I implore you to get saved and accept Jesus as your savior. What do you have to lose? If you don’t, you’ll be doomed to an eternity of pain and suffering that you can never escape, but if you do, you will be guaranteed a place in paradise, where Jesus will be waiting for you with open arms. Please trust Him with your life and your heart. You know he will keep it safe.
Thank you all for listening to this and I hope you have a wonderful day!)
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echoalyssa · 3 years
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Phantom | Dick Grayson
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Authors Note: There’s some light language in this, but thats about all!
“Phantom to Nightwing, entering dead zone now. Start the clock and come in if I’m late. I love you.”
You now had an hour inside the base, unable to contact anyone. You were collecting intel and because you were the stealthiest and smallest, (Damian was too young for this particular mission) Bruce had sent you in.
Your boyfriend, Dick Grayson had wanted to come with you but Bruce had rejected the idea because two people was more risky than one.
Dick had been livid, it was more risky for your life for you to go alone. He was your partner even though you were all a team. Ever since childhood, the two of you fought together and somewhat seemed to share the same mind.
You push a vine our of your dace. Your black masks shows the digital map of the quietest places to step. Your hood is pulled up to disguise your features and skin tone that obviously didn't fit in with the darkness of the air around you.
You had left your mottled cloak behind, opting to only have to worry about your body and where you place it. 
Joker was extremely active underground lately, he’d evolved and Bruce had only your mission as a lead. 
Your mask displays your one hour timer on the left hand side of your vision. Fifty minutes to get into the compound and back to safety.
The compound comes into view, a flat stone building that just didn’t fit in with the forest that surrounded it. You creep forward, staying in the shadows and hugging the walls of the building until you reach the only vent.
The stone was practically flat but years of training allowed you to look your gloved fingers into a crevice and wedge a booted foot into the building.
You begin climbing, scaling upwards twenty feet. The screws of the vent are all different and you have to pull away from the wall, your body straining so you can unscrew the bottom two.
You’re small enough that you can pry the vent open enough that you can squeeze yourself in. Forty minutes your clock reads. You were going too slow. You crawl forward on your elbows, you trek forward, you should have asked for two hours. Shit.
You hit the record button on your wrist panel and pull the microphone out.
It’s a tiny one but the quality is amazing. You’re peering through a small vent above a research lab now and you thread the microphone and it’s wire through the vent. The audio feeds into your ear piece and also saves to the hard drive in your panel.
You’re holding your breath, only breathing when you have to to minimize any chance of getting caught.
“We need to move in now! He’s only getting more recruits and it’s only a matter of time before they find us again.” Says a voice.
“If they haven’t already! I say we try the new weapon on some unsuspecting crowd of bystanders now. Then they’ll be too busy trying to save those silly citizens to deal with us.”
“Yes but is it ready..?”
“It needs to be tested again and we need to find a more powerful energy source eventually.”
And then the joker walks into view of the vent. He’s holding a blueprint and he spreads it on one of the tables. It’s the paint schematic for the weapon because of course, the joker being the joker meant that everything needed to be green, purple, and white.
You raise a hand to your mask and tap twice. It takes a screenshot of your view of the blueprint and sends it to the bat hard drive.
“Did you have any luck with batons inner circle? Would anyone snitch?”
“A couple...” the speaker listens. It’s valuable intel and now Bruce would be able to feed false information to the rats.
You begin to tap their names away into the panel and then attempt to wirelessly hack into the mainframes. The firewall were strong and plentiful but eventually they all fall victim to you. Sixteen minutes your timer reads. Shit. The data downloading from their computers and into your drive is only halfway done.
It won’t be very detailed. Just minuscule bits of information because you couldn't connect physically to the computers. It’s a line of script here and there that didn't make much sense to you because you weren't super tech-y. Though every line counted and that you knew. Several addresses also pop up.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity, your panel signals that the download is complete. Seven minutes reads the timer. Double shit.
You scramble backwards knowing that you’ve done all that you can. Somehow managing to turn yourself around in the small space. You’re almost at the vent when you foot clangs against the side of the vent.
You freeze, no alarms go off, but then again why would they? The timer is still ticking and you continue on, sliding out of the vent. You fumble with the screws, attempting to get them back in in case your cover hadn't already been blown. You then plant your feet, push off and flip down to the ground. You land nimbly in a rolling crouch and then pop to your feet and take off, sprinting for the tree line.
They come from the shadows. Dozens of them. All focused in on you.
You suck in a breath and draw your longswords.
“Bring it on Goonies!” You call and they surge forward all at once. Some with guns, electric batons, and swords.
You stalk forward, meeting them in the middle. You begin slashing immediately at arms, legs, torsos, anywhere that wasn’t too lethal. You weren't a killer.
Except there were just so many, the sword in your left hand falls from your grip and you pull out a disc, throwing it into the incomers. It explodes, blinding some and wounding others. 
You yank s taser out from your belt and stab it into an attackers neck while blocking an attack with your sword. And then it happens. A baton smacks into the back of your head and you stumble forward, dizzy. A blade slashes your thigh, splitting skin and muscle. A cry comes fro, your lips and you lash out desperately with your one remaining longsword. You're able to down the foe who had slashed you.
Two more take his place and then a dagger rips through your abdomen from behind. You scream, falling to your knees. Just as it gets put through your thigh, followed by your shoulder. You land in the grass face first and the world goes dark, sound fading out.
‘Dick.’ Is your last thought.
~~~
Dick is staring at the timer that is displayed by his make. 00:00:05. 00:00:04. 00:00:03. 00:00:02. 00:00:01. And the dreaded number... 00:00:00. It blares red and he stares at the forest, fists clenched. Where was she?
Tim steps forward and places a hand on his shoulder. “Give her five minutes okay? She’s smart. You know how these missions sometimes go overtime. She’s got this.”
“We never should have sent her in alone. It was too risky. Damn it!”
His fist rockets into a tree. He considers going after Bruce, giving him a piece of his mind. Then decides that it isn’t worth it and begins to prepare to go in after his love.
He makes sure to grab the miniature cauterizer and some other emergency medical supplies, stuffing them into the pouches on his belt.
“Wait, Nightwing, we’ll go together. We need a plan!” Damian calls.
His heart is pounding out of his chest and he can’t breathe. ‘What if he was too late? What if she was already gone?’
He doesn’t want to wait for a plan, time was ticking. He pushes past his adoptive brother.
“Dick wait!” Jason calls trying to grab his arm. But he keeps going, breaking for the trees to find her.
Jason and Tim look at each other, then they both look at Damian. “Stay here.” They say simultaneously/
“No way!” He yells back at his brothers.
The three of them take them off after Nightwing. And Bruce, having watched all his children run into danger, follows them in.
Nightwing is pushing through vines and branches, not caring if he makes noise or not. He knows the rest of his family will follow him, but quietly.
His mail enhances his vision in the darkness. He draws a thumb over his own panel and it activates the heat censor on his mask. Dick Grayson pushes forward quickly, scanning frantically for her heat signature.
And then he sees it. She’s always run cold. Her fingers and limbs always frozen. A small prone figure, running colder than the other surrounding bodies. He kicks up his pace, heading for her because he just knows.
“Phantom!” he yells, followed by, “Robin! I think I found her!”
He skids to a halt and falls to his knees, he can see the stab wounds. The way her blood has soared into the ground beneath her. 
Nightwing rolls her over, jamming his fingers under her neck to find a pulse. It’s there. But weak.
He rips the cauterizer out of his belt and drapes her body over him just as Jason appears. 
“Is she..?”
“Alive.” He grunts, “Not for much longer I need to..”
Jason helps him rip the uniform away enough so Dick has enough room to maneuver.
“Hold her down!”
Jason does as he’s told and Dick places the cauterizer to her skin.
“Only do what you have to, we need to get out of here. And soon.”
He pushes the two flaps of skin together and places the sparking tool to it. The heat melds the skin together. She’d need to be pumped full of antibiotics in case any of the blades were dirty and risked infection.
She only stirs slightly, too disoriented from her loss of blood. He talks to her the whole time he works on her.
He only does her abdomen, knowing that it’s her most serious injury. It might not even hold from the jolting and jostling that would occur in the journey back. Dick stabs a painkiller into her thigh, just in case she were to awaken.
He motions to Tim and Damian, who had been standing guard, to take up the rear. Grayson then scoops up his girlfriend, cradling her to his chest.
“Jason. Take point. Let’s get her home.”
~~~
He sits by her bedside. His hands are covered in her dry blood, along with his suit. He hadn’t bothered to change.
Y/N had needed a blood transfusion and he had offered immediately, hence why there was a needle in his arm funneling blood into girlfriend. Alfred had stitched do her wounds and hooked her up to an IV for hydration and anti-infection purposes.
She’d been changed out of her uniform after she was stable for cleanliness reasons and was now wearing one of his black shirts.
He’s holding her hand, his thumb tracing over the pulse point of her wrist occasionally.
It would be a long road to recovery for her though they all knew that she would bounce back and attempt to get back in to the field as soon as she could walk.
It’s days later when she finally wakes, her eyelids fluttering.
“Dick.” She whispers.
He’s right there, just like he had been, he’d only left briefly to shower but he ate and slept at her side. Jason had covered both of your patrols, with Bruce helping out.
“I’m okay. You’re okay, babygirl.” He places a hand on her face and she leans her head into his touch.
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boldlyvoid · 3 years
Text
ain't it fun? | part 4
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Summary: reader just needs an NA meeting before they have a meltdown, they end up with the best friend they could ever make.
Warnings: chronic illness, hurt/comfort, drug use**! spencer and reader smoke weed together; talks of relapse and recovery. Also, a case involving child abductions, getting engaged, love confessions
word count: 2.4k
a/n: not sure how long this is going to keep getting but I am enjoying adding to it
P1 P2 P3
Days like today suck.
She can’t get out of bed, she’s so hungry her stomach is swirling and screaming and there’s a pain in her intestines that feels like someone is eating her from the inside out but she can’t move… and she has to pee but her legs hurt and her head is pounding from the light. It’s 6 am according to the alarm clock, Spencer hasn’t left for work yet and she’s already missing him.
She manages to make it to the bathroom, sitting there for too long after because she can’t find the courage to stand back up.
“Why?” She whispers to herself before the tears start.
Covering her face as she cries, she’s still sitting on the toilet with her underwear around her ankles, sobbing as Spencer walks in.
He helps her up without asking, he’s seen too many bad mornings now to ask if she needs help, he just knows she wants to go back to bed, so he fixes her underwear and picks her up.
When he finally lays her down with all her pillows, he lowers the temperature in the room to relax her bones and gets her a ginger ale to help with the nausea from the pain she’s in. It is a regular occurrence for her to wake up and feel like she’s dying, but Spencer was wonderful when dealing with it.
He’s in the kitchen for a while, she’s worried he’s making something for her to eat that she’ll have to lovingly turn away because she can’t do it right now. Her throat is too tight and it hurts to swallow or talk.
She can hear him talking… he’s on the phone with someone.
When he comes back in, he cuddles into her the way he knows she likes. Soothing his hands over her back in a way that helps the pain while also helping her feel like she’s not alone in all of this. He’ll never understand; but he loves her, so a part of him feels it too.
“You called out?” She whispers against his chest.
He nods, his cheek resting on the top of her head as she feels the friction. “I don’t feel good when you don’t feel good.”
“I’m sorry you had to help.”
He’s told her time and time again that he doesn’t mind.
He would kill for her, he’d clean up the mess if she killed someone. He’d even dig the fucking grave if she needed him too… he wasn’t opposed to being there for her no matter what that entailed.
She just hated the fact he had to, he knew her apology came from her hatred of herself and not the fact she felt sorry for him. She loved the help, it made her feel loved until she felt disappointed in herself for needing it.
“Do you want your medicine?”
She smiles finally, “if you mean my secret joint stash— yes, but if you can’t handle being around me like that, then I don’t need it today.”
“I think I’d like to try it,” Spencer whispers. “If you can smoke weed and not relapse then I think I can too?”
“Probably, but if you can’t, I’ll support you however you need me to?” She smiles up at him, he kisses the tip of her nose as she kisses his chin.
Getting high with Spencer is… interesting to say the least. He doesn’t want a full hit, he just wants a taste and so she takes a drag and blows the smoke from her lungs to his. Sharing a part of themselves in a way they never expected before, this is his most vulnerable moment and he was trusting her with it.
The sunshine hits his face in such a perfect way that as they lay side by side, she can watch his pupil devour his iris as he gets high. Their breathing is steady and their fingers are interlocked. They’re content just blinking together, in the sunshine, quiet. In love.
Her body is so calm, and her mind is slow as she takes it all in and he looks so relaxed. He’s not jittery or caffeine-deprived like most mornings; he’s not anxious or stressed or trying to find a way to pretend he’s fine before leaving for work again, only to come home sad.
He’s okay.
She’s okay.
“It's nice,” he whispers, “but it’s not as good as you.”
She smiles, trying not to laugh at how his thoughts are going to be all jumbled for the next few hours. He’s going to be smart yet stupid at the same time and she couldn’t fucking wait to hear all the things he thinks of.
“I know what you mean,” she agrees.
“This is like a tidal wave..." his ramble starts and she is so excited to see where it takes them. "A tsunami that rushes and relieves just as quickly." His eyes are closed as he talks, visualizing his feelings and it makes her giddy.
"You’re like a volcano; there are so many stages before mass destruction, and even then there’s still the ash cloud and the debris and the lava dries like rocks… the destruction is total and the cleanup will be brutal.”
“I’m addicted to you," his eyes are closed as he talks, visualizing his feelings and it makes her giddy. "Drugs are boring and you’re not,” Simplifying his meaning as his eyes open again.
“I love you,” he says with the same certainty as the first time.
“I love you, too, Spencer,” she didn’t think they’d go down this path when she was blowing into his mouth, she expected him to panic or get horny.
“I don’t think I’ve ever really told you how much.”
He shakes his head lightly, “I wouldn’t be opposed to knowing.”
If she thinks it over, she’ll abandon ship before she can tell him, so she just jumps into it.
“I was a little scared to ask you to help me lock my door that first day because I thought you’d think I was just some junky who couldn’t get their shit together. But the second you asked if I had a local group and you helped me; that was the moment I knew I wanted you in my life for forever.”
He smiles, silent so she can keep going. He’ll take his turn when she’s really done.
“And then when we got to talking it was like I knew you already. Like I had your memories in my mind and as you told me things I was like well duh! Yeah, that’s my Spencer! I don’t know how it happened so fast. One minute you’re a stranger and the next you’re the only person I ever want to see for the rest of my entire fucking life,” it’s more passionate than she expected as she rambles on.
“I can’t get married on paper without losing my disability, but I don’t give a fuck about a piece of paper or someone officially giving us that title one day, I’m content just staying in this bed with you for the rest of time and never moving again.”
He looks like he’s about to explode with love as he presses his lips together in the softest smile. He can’t keep quiet any longer, “are you asking me to spend the rest of my life with you but not marry you?”
She laughs at the realization, “I think so?”
They’re trying to kiss but it ends up more like laughing with their mouths touching and teeth occasionally clashing. It’s hysterical because of the marijuana, sure, but they’re high on each other. It’s everything they’ve ever wanted.
To find something better than drugs; that little purpose in life comes back, that drive to see tomorrow because there are good memories to be made with their favourite person. She’s not afraid of the darkness or the unknowing anymore, Spencer’s her guiding light.
He's holding her close to his chest after a while, "are you feeling better?"
"Of course," she smiles, "I've got my weed and my reid."
His laugh is everything as it fills their space again. This was how the rest of her life was going to feel, and it made her excited for tomorrow.
She’s feeling a lot better later and they need Spencer to help Penelope back at work, but he doesn’t want to leave her. She’s in sweats with a blanket on her lap in the corner of Penelope’s office, a book in her hand and a coffee on the table beside her as she listens to them bicker back and forth.
“If you hack the NSA we can no longer use all this as evidence if he’s brought in alive, Penelope!” Spencer whisper shouts at her, afraid to raise his voice at her but wanting to get his point across.
“Hotch needs the aerial shots like yesterday, and the NSA won't get them to us in time for this kid!” She yells back.
“Call google…” Y/N suggests, flipping through her book.
“What?” Spencer looks at her like she just said the dumbest thing ever.
“They’re taking photos constantly for their maps program, my mom was saying our new roof is now on the updated map. They might have all the photos saved up, if the FBI asks nicely they might work with you…” she explains, pressing her lips together in a tight smile.
“You’re a genius!” Penelope shouts, dialling the phone and getting JJ to work his media magic for contact at google.
Spencer's smile is one she hasn’t seen before, he’s not only proud of her; he looks a little turned on. She just cracked the case by knowing all the little hacks about the internet as part of her day job. She lived online, and now she was saving lives because of it.
It was a good case to help on, she got to see 3 kids go home to their parents and know a terrible man was going to rot in prison for the rest of his sad and pathetic life. The hard part was seeing them go through months of footage of this guy's yard, seeing the child-sized holes he dug up. The disrupted earth and the knowledge of what happened when there wasn’t picture proof.
They go to a meeting after work.
They sit side by side, her leg is crossed and resting over his knee as their arms are linked and fingers interlocked. They really couldn’t be any closer if they tried. They just wanted to listen today, to know they were in a room of people who were trying, people who understood and battled every bad feeling they did.
“Y/N,” the group leader calls her out just before the end of the meeting, “it’s nice to see you back here with Spencer, we heard you found another group but it’s nice to see you here for the support.”
“Thank you,” she smiled. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stay, but as you can see he is distracting.” She gestured to how they were sitting with a small giggle. “I like coming here if you guys don’t mind me occasionally dropping by?”
“By all means,” another member, carol, spoke up. “Spencer is a great sponsor, it’s nice to see him happy.”
She didn’t know he was a sponsor but he thanks her for the compliment, it turns out almost everyone in his group turned to Spencer for support. It was comforting to everyone there to know the real, chemical and biological reasoning behind their addictions. Spencer provided a sense of calm for all of them, like a younger brother; they all loved him dearly.
They’re still holding hands as they walk home, the sun is still setting and it's barely even 7 pm. All the lights on the street are on, shops are closing and the sidewalks are bare. One store is still open however, across the street, she can see the big storefront window, illuminated with the brightest lights to show off a new collection of rings.
“Do you want one?” He notices her eyes darting to the light like a moth to a flame.
“What?” She zones back in when he stops walking.
“A ring, do you want to get one?” He clarifies with the softest voice.
She nods softly, “you should get one too though, seeing as I asked you and everything.”
He grips her hand tighter and they dart across the street. Giggling like children running to the playground, they’re almost out of breath from laughing as they open the shop door with a ding. Smiles on their faces, joy in their hearts, it makes the shop owner swoon as she sees them.
“Did you just get engaged?” She pries with a knowing smile.
They nod, “we just need some rings,” Y/N adds.
She waves them over, “well I’m going to need our sizes first, here try these on.” She hands them what looks like a thin ruler with holes spaces out.
Y/N attempts to find the right one, fitting the best into the 9 and a half. Spencer fits into the 11 on the first try like he knew already and the woman just laughs at the way Y/N glares at him with love.
“What kind of rings are we thinking? Do you have a preferred cut, style, size, or colour?”
It’s a lot all at once and she’s never really thought about it, “I love my grandma's ring, do you have any vintage styles?”
“I have vintage-style rings as well as some restored rings from the '20s and '30s,” she brings out a jewellery box from under the counter. “These are all appraised and unique.”
When she takes the lid off, Y/N’s eyes widen at the view. There are at least 50 rings in their velvet beds as they wait patiently to be tried on; all different shapes sizes and colours like she said. It feels a little overwhelming at first but then her eyes land on a green one. She takes it out slowly and slides it over her ring finger.
It’s perfect.
Spencer picks out a nice gold band to match, he pays and the lady is so happy to watch them leave hand in hand with their new rings. Dedicated to each other forever and ever, he was her person for the rest of time because he said so and that’s as good as a piece of paper.
She’s a completely different person from who she was when she woke up; twirling down the street with the love of her life, high on loving him as he makes her laugh and holds her hand. He stops in the middle of the street and places his hands on her cheeks, drawing her in closer.
“Loving you is so much fun.”
“Ain’t it fun?” She agrees with a smile before pressing their lips together.
taglist:
@g0lden-cth @doctorspenceryeet @samuel-de-champagne-problems @reiding-recs @ssavanessa22 @spookyspence @shemarmooresfedora @spencers-dria@reidsfish @manuosorioh @mochionly @jswessie187 @k-k0129 @calm-and-doctor
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wzrd-wheezes · 4 years
Text
My Jumper! Pt 1: Fred Weasley x Reader
“In her dreams there was a man. A tall man, with a pretty face and fiery red hair. His face sported a cheeky grin accompanied by some freckles dotted across his nose. When Y/N woke up from her nap, she had forgotten about her dream completely. That was until the same man appeared in her dream the next night. And that night after that…”
Fred x Reader Fluff .Warnings: swearing .1.7k words
Masterlist here
Part 2 Here
AN - I really want to do a part two of this so please let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in!
Taglist: (pls let me know if you want adding for future fics!)
@amourtentiaa
Y/N’s hands were clammy as she gripped onto the cardboard box she was carrying. She walked into the house, kicking the door shut behind her and set the box on the floor. This was it. She had finally moved out from her parent’s house and into her own place. New houses often seem eerie and daunting with their plain walls and unfurnished rooms. However, this particular house felt welcoming, like it had been lived in, but not in a bad way. In a way that made each room feel like memories had been made in it. As she walked through each room, she noted bits of furniture that had been left behind, a plush green sofa in the living room, an old closet in her bedroom, and a large dining table in the kitchen. She smiled as she looked around. She didn’t have the patience for flatpack furniture right now. Even magic couldn’t make assembling it bearable.
It took Y/N a few days to fully unpack and feel settled in her new home. She had never lived by herself before and the past few days she had fought off the loneliness by filling her time with doing jobs around the house. Luckily for her, the house didn’t need too much doing to it, just a splash of paint here and there and some new furniture. It was one night when she was laying in bed that she noticed a particularly dark stain on her ceiling. She waved her wand, trying to remove it but the mark was stubborn and stayed put.
The next morning, Y/N rolled out of bed and decided that she was going to try and tackle the stain on her ceiling. She trudged into the bathroom and rifled through the cabinet looking for some sort of cleaning product. As she searched, her hand brushed over something unfamiliar. In an attempt to pull it out to examine it, she sent the entire contents of the shelf cascading to the floor. She winced as something bounced off of her head and smashed on the tiles.
             “How the fuck did that get there?” She swore, picking up a fragment of glass and inspecting it. It was a deep purple colour, bits of what looked like an old label still stuck to a large section which lay on the floor. An earthy yet sweet smell spread through the room. Aftershave. Sighing, she grabbed a cloth out of the cabinet and began to mop up the mess. She could have sworn that the bottle of aftershave wasn’t in there when she had unpacked her things.
The scent seemed to linger in her house for days. It was almost a week later when she got another whiff of it as she lay on the sofa in the living room. The smell was strong but sweet, a sort of burnt vanilla. She didn’t mind it too much, in fact, every time the smell of the aftershave would waft through the house, it would bring a smile to her face. Y/N was due back at work in a few days, so she decided to spend her last few days of freedom lounging on the sofa in front of the television. It was while one particularly bad muggle programme playing that she fell asleep. She was dreaming as she napped, slipping in and out of consciousness as the television played on in the background. In her dreams there was a man. A tall man, with a pretty face and fiery red hair. His face sported a cheeky grin accompanied by some freckles dotted across his nose. When Y/N woke up from her nap, she had forgotten about her dream completely. That was until the same man appeared in her dream the next night. And that night after that…
             “He must have just been in that stupid Muggle programme I was watching the other day,” she grumbled as she lay in bed, staring at the mark on her ceiling that had yet to vanish, “Yeah, that’s it. That’s where I know him from.”
She drifted off back to sleep for a few moments before she jolted upright.
             “Shit.”
She had forgotten that she had her first shift back at work today. Y/N didn’t have a fancy job as an Auror or anything like that. She worked in a coffee shop a few streets away from her house and she loved it. She glanced over at her alarm clock as she stumbled out of bed, she only had twenty minutes to get to work. Rushing over to her wardrobe, she fumbled around in the dark for a few moments before pulling out a jumper. The jumper was knitted and a deep red colour, she didn’t recognise it but she didn’t have time to faff around looking for something else so she threw it on and dashed out of the door.
It was a steady day. Customers came in to get their drinks and then seated themselves at tables to read books or to work on projects or just to relax in the gentle hum of the coffee shop. The sun was beaming through the large glass windows, shining light through the petals of the flowers that sat on shelves. Y/N was leaning against the counter, day dreaming as she looked out of the window when the ringing of the bell on the door snapped her out of her thoughts. Her eyes shot up to the person that walked in, her vision was slightly blurred from looking out into the bright light.
             “Morning,” the man grinned as he approached the counter, “Could I have two caramel lattes with an extra shot, please?”
It took Y/N a few moments to reply to him, she was sure she knew his face from somewhere. She just couldn’t place him.
             “Yeah, no worries,” she smiled. Merlin, he was handsome.
             “I like your jumper,” he gestured towards it, “My Mum always knits us a jumper each for Christmas,”
             “Oh, really?” Y/N replied, “that’s really cute. What’s your name by the way?”
             “My name?” he raised an eyebrow at her and smirked.
             “Yeah…” she blushed, “For- for your drinks.” The man chuckled and shook his head.
             “It’s Fred.”
Y/N turned around to make his drinks and Fred moved to the other end of the counter to wait. It was silent for a few moments as Y/N measured out the caramel syrups into the cups.
             “My jumper!” Fred exclaimed.
             “What?” Y/N turned round quickly to look at him.
             “That’s my jumper.”
             “Is this supposed to be some sort of cheesy pick up line?” she raised her eyebrows at him.
             “No, no, no,” he laughed, “you’re literally wearing my jumper. Look, turn around,”
Y/N turned around to catch a glimpse of herself in the shiny metal of the coffee machine. A large gold ‘F’ was knitted into the wool.
             “How the..?” her face flushed red furiously.
             “Where did you get that?” Fred asked, looking amused.
             “It was just in my wardrobe this morning. I didn’t think I recognised it,” she forced out an awkward laugh, “I have no idea how it got there,”
             “Me either,” he smiled.
             “I finish in a few minutes so I can go home and change so I can give this back to you,” she was still blushing intensely, “I’m so sorry,”
             “It’s fine,” he grinned, “It looks better on you anyway.”
 His last comment lingered in her mind as she gathered her things from the staffroom and shrugged on her coat. Fred was waiting outside for her, leaning coolly against the wall. The sun was setting as they walked back to Y/N’s house.
             “Have you just moved here, then?” Fred asked, making small talk with her.
             “Yeah, I only moved in a little while ago,” she answered, “it’s just round this corner.”
 As they rounded the corner, Fred stopped in his tracks.
             “That’s why you found my jumper in your wardrobe then.”
             “What?” Y/N opened the front door and let Fred in.
             “This used to be my house. My brother and I used to live here,” he looked around the living room, “We’ve moved back above our shop now. I do miss this place though,”
             “Ah, so it’s your aftershave that’s stank my house out then?” she joked.
             “Aftershave?” he looked at her quizzically.
             “Yeah, the purple bottle?” she went to her cabinet and grabbed a fragment of the glass that she had saved. She handed it to him and he studied it, turning it over and over in his hands.
             “I have this bottle at home,” he said, still staring at it intently, “I used it this morning, so I don’t know how it’s got into your cabinet,”
             “Oh?” she frowned a little, “I’m going to go up and change,”
 She didn’t realise that Fred had followed her up to her bedroom until she had turned around to grab another shirt.
             “Merlin, you made me jump,” she said startled, quickly throwing her shirt on before he could see too much of her. He just smiled and crossed the room to where her bed was. He pointed up at the ceiling.
             “Good to know that that mark is still there,” he chuckled.
             “I can’t get rid of it. Not even with magic. How did you even do it?”
             “Well, my brother and I own this joke shop, you see. One day we were testing out some products in here and they kind of exploded…”
 Fred ended up staying with Y/N for dinner. They lost hours and hours chatting, later learning that Y/N was in the year below him at Hogwarts.
               “I should probably get going,” Fred said, getting up, “Is it okay if I keep this?”
He showed her the fragment of his aftershave bottle that she had saved.
             “Of course, it is yours after all,” she smiled.
Fred stopped for a moment as he got to her front door.
             “I know this sounds odd,” he bit his lip nervously, “but I feel like we were supposed to meet… My stuff showing up in your house, you wearing my jumper to work and me coming in. It’s just strange, don’t you think?”
             “Magic works in strange ways,” she grinned.
             “I’d really like to see you again Y/N,”
             “I’d like that a lot,”
             “Wicked.”
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junicai · 4 years
Text
lights out.
| summary | In New York, the City that Never Sleeps, Aria can’t sleep. So, her roommate comes up with a skeptical idea, and ropes Mark into it as well. 
| word count | 3.7k
| warnings | one (1) curse word
| era | circa. April 2019
92. "Just remember if we get caught, you’re deaf and I don’t speak English."
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New York City.
Forever illuminated in light, forever alive and bustling down below the skyrises that towered above the people that wandered through the streets no matter what time was displayed on the clocks. The city was teeming with energy, bubbling beneath the surface as it waited for a chance to explode.
Traffic backlogged street to street, wandering souls pattering around the block in search of nothing, aimlessly strolling past the busy business-goers, those that carried briefcases with carefully filed notes and papers, and those that had dragged themselves out of their beds for the graveyard shift in the neon-lighted coffeehouse.
24-hour Coffee! The best coffee you’ll find in the Big Apple!
The noise outside the window was muffled through the thick glass but the busy sounds of the city still filtered through, gently falling in to the otherwise silent hotel room.
Aria rolled over onto her side, pressing her head into the soft pillow. The red LED lights of the alarm clock sitting on the locker beside her bed was boring the colour into her retinas, and no good could come from simply watching the minutes tick by.
The blankets were soft, if not a little cold on her skin, and she pulled her legs into her chest to rub at the exposed skin lightly. Donghyuck had insisted on leaving the air conditioning on as they slept, the boy living up to his name Fullsun as he ran hot near-constantly, but that left Aria to shiver slightly despite the mountain of blankets she had buried herself beneath. 
Rolling back over to the cool side of the pillowcase, Aria let her eyes fall on Donghyuck’s back. 
The boy wasn’t asleep - she could hear the low sounds coming from the airpods in his ears as he watched something on his phone - but he looked comfortable enough that she was reluctant to disturb him.
It had been a long day, and tomorrow was their only real designated day in this area before they were scheduled to be flown out to their next concert.
Aria loved touring, but it was hard to keep going sometimes. She assumed that Donghyuck thought the same, and that’s why instead of insisting that the pair of them watched something on his laptop, or played a game, he was letting her sleep in peace.
He had watched Aria push herself past what they both had thought her limits had been that day - watched as she stumbled through the final songs of their set with blurry eyes and a shaking frame. He’d moved to wrap an arm around her waist as soon as they had broken formation, and she’d given him a shaky smile for his efforts. 
Donghyuck had guided a rapidly blinking Aria through their ending ments and off the stage, catching her as she slipped down the last two steps. He’d practically carried her into the car, waving off an insisting Yuta, who was adamant that he could help despite still favoring the ankle he had rolled two nights ago. 
They were all running a little worse-for-wear, but, by god the crowds made up for it. 
He had known that NCT 127 had an international fanbase, had known that they were popular overseas for years. But there was nothing like seeing a crowd of five thousand, even eight thousand people from a country that didn’t speak their language, singing their songs and screaming their fanchants at the top of their lungs.
It settled into his bones, pushed him past his old boundaries to create new ones, made him want to keep going and keep singing, keep dancing, keep performing until his knees went from beneath him and he fell to the ground with a thud.
Donghyuck knew Aria felt the same, and that’s why he took it upon himself to pull her away when she needed him to.
 Despite their broadly opposite personalities - truly the sun and the moon when it came down to it - they were similar in so many ways. Scarily so.
Scary, in so far as the fact that Donghyuck knew when Aria couldn’t take it anymore, knew when she was stumbling and falling not because she was tired but because she’d hurt her back again and was unwilling to talk about it. Scary, in the fact that he knew when she wasn’t telling them something, choosing to bite her lip instead of letting whatever worry that was bouncing around in her head fall onto their shoulders to help carry the weight. 
Donghyuck wanted to help her carry those things. Even if that meant carrying her as well. 
The two of them had slipped into the hotel room at nine minutes past ten, showering briefly in the small bathroom they had adjoined to the left wall and slid into the two beds with a quiet goodnight. It had been silent since Aria had leant down to turn off the centre light, only the light peeking through the curtains from the street and the light of Donghyuck’s phone screen to illuminate the dark room left.
He had thought she had fallen asleep soon after - given the bleary squinted look she had given him in the van home as she told her to not fall asleep just yet, that they’d be home soon and then she could sleep - so you could imagine his surprise as he flipped over in the bed, letting the phone fall face down and was met with the image of Aria starfished over her single bed, staring open-eyed at the ceiling.
“Ari?” Donghyuck cleared his throat. “Ari? Why’re you awake still?”
Aria’s head flopped to the side to look at Donghyuck in the opposite bed, blinking once at him before closing her eyes and groaning. “Can’t sleep.”
He hummed, lifting up the corner of his blanket with a hand as the other pushed his phone onto the bedside locker to make sure it didn’t fall off the bed. 
Without a word, Aria slid out from underneath her own blankets - pulling one from the top layer - and padded across the room to slide into Donghyuck’s embrace, fluffing the extra blanket on top of them both. 
Donghyuck sniffed a laugh at her, but said nothing as he dropped his arm around her waist to pull her closer to him and snuggled his head into where her shoulder meets her neck.
Aria giggled lightly at his hair tickling her skin, moving her head away from the strands until the hand around her waist squeezed once. 
“It tickles,” She whispered.
“But m’comfy like this,” He responded, shoving his head further in if possible and throwing a leg over hers. 
“Just-” Aria moved some of his hair away from her face. “Better.”
“Better?”
“Its not in my face anymore.”
Donghyuck lifted his head from her shoulder to peer up at her face. “Why couldn’t you sleep? You were sleepy in the van.”
Aria huffed. “No I wasn’t.”
“You hit your head against the window when you dozed off.”
“I-”
“Twice.”
She sighed through her nose. “If it bruises I’m going to be upset. My face is my only selling point right now.”
A silence permeated the room, and Donghyuck sat up. 
“Why couldn’t you sleep?” He asked again.
Aria flipped to lay on her stomach, shoving her head into the pillow. “I dunno. Think I have some excess energy to burn off or something.”
“You were literally dead on your feet three hours ago,” Donghyuck said. 
“I know that. I just, feel like I need to go on a walk or something. Just to move or do something that isn’t lying in a bed in the middle of New York.” Aria muffled out into the fabric, kicking her legs slightly. 
Donghyuck caught a wayward ankle before it could hit him in the face. “Hey, kicking your best friend was not on that list!”
“It could be.”
Scowling, he fell back beside her, scooching closer. The pair laid together for a moment, listening to the sound of traffic from outside. 
“You want to go for a walk?” Donghyuck was the one to break the silence, looking down at Aria.
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s go.”
Aria lifted her head to blink up at him. “It’s like,” she broke off to turn her head towards the clock, blinking rapidly to bring the LED numbers into view, “Half one in the morning, I don’t think the hotel gym is open.”
“I don’t mean the gym. I mean out there.” Donghyuck pointed to the window. 
This time it was Aria who sat up, rubbing at her eyes. “Hyuck, what?”
“You want to go for a walk? Let’s go for a walk. Who’s gonna stop us?”
“Our managers? The fact that its nearly two in the morning? The fact that Taeyong will kill us?” She said, bewildered. 
Donghyuck sat up to face her properly. “They won’t know! We could be quick - promise. You can’t tell me you don’t want to see the city properly.”
Aria spluttered. “We have seen the city! We took that bus tour around when we first arrived!” 
He scoffed. “I meant properly, Ari. Like a local. How the city is meant to be.”
“We could get murdered.”
“Bold of you to assume I’d let that happen.”
Aria swallowed. “What happens if we get caught on the way out?”
“Simple: Lie.” Donghyuck leant back on his hands like this wasn’t the worst plan he had ever come up with in his nineteen years of life. 
It wasn’t often that Aria went along with his ideas - nine times out of ten, she was usually the one talking him out of them. It was only when she’d run out of patience, or the will to give the effort to barter logic out with him that she’d give in. Or in cases like this. 
“Fine.” 
Donghyuck let out a whoop, reaching over to the locker to snag his phone off the top of it and flicking the screen unlocked. Aria in turn proceeded to roll off the bed and onto the carpet, looking for the pair of leggings she had worn through the airport to cover her legs so she didn’t go wandering around the city in a pair of sleep shorts. 
Finding the black coloured material hanging on the back of the chair, she could hear Donghyuck texting someone behind her. 
“Who’s that?” She asked, not bothering to turn around as she moved into the bathroom and partially shut the door to allow her both privacy and the ability to continue her conversation with him. 
“Mark - Thought we should tell someone where we’re gone, right?”
Aria stopped. “Does he want to come?” 
“Given the angry texts I’ve just received about quote, missing out on stuff like this now that he’s not in Dream: I’d say a solid yes.”
Aria nodded, before realizing that he couldn’t see her. “Is Jungwoo coming as well then?” 
Mark was rooming with Jungwoo this time around, the members alternating on a rotational basis.
Donghyuck shook his head. “No, he says that Jungwoo is too tired. He’ll keep a lookout for Taeyong for us though, which is good.”
“Huh, that’s nice of him.” Aria re-emerged from the bathroom, leggings pulled up over her hips and a large hoodie swamping her frame. With her thin wire glasses, she looked cosy and extremely comfortable. 
Donghyuck himself was still wearing a pair of sweatpants, and pulled one of his hoodies on over his t-shirt before rummaging in the pile of shoes to find something comfortable. 
Without looking back, he tossed out Aria’s runners, who caught them with a thanks before sitting down on the ground to do up the laces. 
He succeeded in finding his own pair of shoes, pulling them in just before two light knocks sounded against their door. Aria pulled it open to reveal a bleary-eyed but excited Mark, a padded jacket pulled over his jumper.
"You are insane." Was the first thing out of his mouth.
"You're welcome to leave?" Sniffed Aria.
Mark frowned. "I never said I wasn't."
Opening the door wider, she revealed Donghyuck who had just stood up from the edge of the bed, brushing down his pants. He looked up to meet Mark's eyes and grinned.
"Let's go!" He cheered, moving to walk out into the hallway but being stopped by Aria catching the neck of his jumper and tugging him back.
Looking at her quizzically, he raised an eyebrow.
"You need a coat? It's nearly two in the morning it's going to be cold outside."
Aria herself had pulled on a jacket once Mark had arrived, but Donghyuck was still only clad in a threadbare hoodie that wouldn't protect him from the cold outside.
Reaching back over the bed, he pulled out his cost from beneath a chair and slid his arms into it wordlessly. He turned to Aria and spread his arms out into a display. "Happy?"
"It's better."
"Guys do you think we could not do this in the hallway? I really don't want to get caught by someone right now." Mark's voice came from just inside the doorway.
"Right, right," Aria agreed, shoving Donghyuck out the door and snatching the keycard off the table just before they left.
She slipped the keycard into her inside pocket of her jacket, zipping it closed before patting the padded material lightly. “Safe and sound.”
Mark, closed the door behind them. The beep sounded as the mechanism locked itself, and the trio were left standing alone in the empty hallway.
Donghyuck stretched his arms above his head, wincing slightly as his shoulder clicked. “Just remember if we get caught, you’re deaf and I don’t speak English.” 
Aria paused. “Hyuck, you don’t speak English.”
“I’m deaf and you don’t speak English.”
“And what do I do? You planning on leaving me for dead?” Mark asked, arms crossed.
Donghyuck only pat him on the shoulder, moving to rest his weight onto his elbow. “You, are fast. You’ll be fine.”
“You, are a terrible influence.” 
“A proud one.”
Aria put a hand on one of their shoulders each, pushing the two boys forward down the hallway insistently. “Let’s not have this argument where we can be found in incriminating circumstances, okay boys?”
Donghyuck snorted. “Aria we’re not going to go to jail for sneaking out.”
“Doyoung might put Aria on house arrest,” Mark countered.
“Then let’s not wait around for him to find her!”
With that, the trio made their way down the hallway, choosing to take the stairs down to the ground floor instead of the elevator - hoping to avoid as many people as possible. Aria had slipped three black facemasks into her pocket before they had left the room, knowing that if they were to be spotted they’d need something to help them blend in. 
The front doors of the hotel slid open with a quiet beep, and she was blasted with a cold front of air. She could feel her nose twitch slightly at the breeze, and knew that she’d be returning with a rosy tinge to her skin if they stayed out longer than a few minutes.
But instead of letting that bother her, Aria chose to focus on the identical wide grins Donghyuck and Mark sported, both boys looking around in wonder at the lights that surrounded them on the pavement. 
“Shall we?” Aria extended her arms playfully, giggling lightly as they both linked their arms into hers. 
Beginning their walk down the pavement, she could only look around in wonder. New York truly lived up to it’s name - dozens of people were milling about even at this time, all clad in various thicknesses of coats, and Aria felt herself relax minutely at the knowledge that the trio didn’t stick out against the colorful lights like a sore thumb. 
Each street had something new, and her eyes grew wider with every sign they passed as they walked. 
“Mark look!” Aria pointed towards a small bookstore on the corner of the block, dropping his arm to run towards the window. “Doesn’t that look like the notebook you wanted to get in Atlanta?”
A small, green leather-bound notebook had piqued Mark’s interest in the city earlier that month, but by the time he had had the time to get to the bookstore, the notebook had been sold. 
The notebook that Aria pointed out was near identical - perhaps a little bit thicker, but close enough to the original that Mark was already planning on how he was going to get back to this street tomorrow when all the shops were opened back up.
“Do you think we could come back here tomorrow to get it for you?” Aria looked away from the window, eyes shining hopefully.
Mark reached out to tug Aria underneath his arm, pulling her into his side. “I’m sure we can figure something out, Ari.”
She clapped her hands lightly to celebrate, before Donghyuck was taking them both by the hand and dragging them both back down the street which they had walked up.
“Now, while you’ve both been looking for fancy notebooks, I’ve been doing some important area recon, and have discovered that,” He trailed off, continuing walking with a firm grip on their wrists.
“Ta-da!” Donghyuck came to a stop, releasing their wrists before making jazz hands beside his face. 
Behind him, was a small food cart with an attendee that looked like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world. 
“Pretzels?” Mark asked with a tilted head.
“Pretzels.” Donghyuck nodded emphatically. 
Aria tugged lightly on the younger boy’s sleeve. “Hyuck, I don’t think any of us brought money with us-”
Donghyuck hummed, cutting her off. “Got you covered, angel.” pulling out his phone and taking several small bills from behind his opaque phone case. 
Turning to the attendee with a blinding smile he strolled forward to the cart, opening his mouth to begin speaking. 
“Can I.. we..”
Mark stepped up behind him. “Order,” he whispered, facing the pavement so his lips weren’t visible to the man.
“Order.. three.. three,”
“Pretzels,”
“Pretzels please?” Donghyuck finished, looking up at the man curiously. 
“Yeah,” Came the deadened response. “That’ll be $9.87.” 
Donghyuck fumbled with his hands momentarily, before placing three bills into the awaiting hand and stepping back from the cart, shoving his hands into his pocket.
Aria came up beside him as Mark waited at the front of the cart. “Hyuck, I don’t think I should..”
He turned his head to look at her. “Hm?”
“I don’t think I should, eat that. You know?” She looked down knawing at her lip slightly. 
“I think you should.” He said.
“No I really shouldn’t-”
Aria was cut off by Mark approaching them, three warm pretzels in his hand. He handed one to Donghyuck who took it with an affirming hum before ripping into the bread with his teeth, and handed the other to a cautious Aria. 
After Mark had taken his first bite, he looked quizzically at Aria who was staring traitorously at the bread in her hand. “Ari?”
She sighed, dropping her shoulders a little. “I’m sorry, I don’t know if I should-”
Aria squeaked when both Donghyuck’s and Mark’s glare was turned on her. “Guys I-”
“Pretzel.”
A protest formed on the top of her tongue, but fell flat when Mark raised an eyebrow. 
“Ok, ok sorry.” Aria took a bite from the now-cooling snack. 
Satisfied, both boys went back to their own snacks, sighing lightly as the trio continued their walk back down the streets they had come. From a different angle, they noticed new things each time, and it was so easy to lose track of the time when they were staring up in wonder at the neon lights.
The atmosphere was broken by a ping from Mark’s phone.
Jungwoo [2:08] uh
Jungwoo [2:08] taeyong hyung started his rounds
Jungwoo [2:08] id recommend getting ur asses back
Jungwoo [2:09] ill stall him
Mark [2:09] how long do we have 
Jungwoo [2:09] seven minutes. tops
Mark [2:09] fuck
The trio turned on their heels, pelting down the pavement.
The people they passed looked oddly at them - they must have made a comical sight. Three twenty-year-olds, dressed in padded jackets and facemasks sprinting down the street at two am. They looked like they’d just committed a robbery.
Aria could feel sweat beading at her forehead beneath her headband, pulling it off and tucking it into her pocket. These shoes were not designed for sprinting, and she could feel the rough plastic digging into her ankle already.
“How long do you think it’ll take us to get back?” Aria yelled over to the other boys, the blood rushing in her ears. 
Mark slipped out his phone from his pocket, pulling it up close to his face and checking the time. “Four minutes? We’ve gone in a big circle.”
“We’re dead.” Donghyuck breathed out harshly, picking up speed.
Silence filled in the wind rushing past their ears, feet pounding against the pavement. Mark barely stopped himself before crashing into a small child clinging sleepily to an older woman’s hand; twisting his body out of the way at the last second before profusely apologizing. 
It seemed like an eternity before they reached the front doors of the hotel they were staying at for the next two nights. 
Panting, Aria slowed to a walk, pulling at the neck of her sweater to fan herself. She took slow and deep breaths, trying to calm her pulse before they made their way into the lobby.
Starting forward, she was stopped by Donghyuck’s hand on her shoulder and Mark’s sharp intake of breath. 
“Oh. Oh god.” 
“Mark? You alright?” Aria turned to face the boy, watching his face drain of colour. 
He lifted a hand, pointing to the one window on the fifth floor with a light still on. It stood out against the other darkened windows, like a lightstick in a sea of concert-goers. And there, illuminated against the cream-coloured curtains, was Taeyong’s silhouette. 
Donghyuck huffed. “Aria, this was a terrible idea!”
129 notes · View notes
cno-inbminor · 4 years
Text
domus - pt. 3 (final)
a/n: it’s done. oh god it’s done. it’s like 2AM so it’s unedited for now, but i’ll make edits in the morning. i also apologize in advance for the slightly rushed ending fas;elifjac you will need to read parts 1 and 2 (linked below) for context!
plot: when kuroo tetsuro drops the hard-hitting truth that he’s fallen out of love with you, your first thought is to escape. but you find comfort in the least likely person: akaashi keiji, a boy you had grown up with out of forced family interactions, who always seemed so distant from you. yet you probably knew more about him than anyone else.
characters: fem!reader, ex-bf!kuroo, & family friend!akaashi
wc: ~8k
genre/warnings: angst with teaspoons of fluff; mentions of alcohol and getting drunk
pt. 1 | pt. 2
The grey sheets fail to startle you this time around, granted that it’s been about four days since you first arrived. It’s the constriction of cotton around your body that wakes you up on this Tuesday morning, and your brain can’t fathom why your loose pajamas have suddenly become so uncomfortable. But then the threads tickle the skin of your arms, your legs feel the slight scrape of denim, and your toes have trouble wiggling around due to the constraint of…socks.
Why are you wearing socks to sleep?
Much to your body’s protest, you stumble out of Keiji’s comfortable sheets (note to self: ask him where he got them from) and into the reflection of the body-length mirror in his room. Your vision blurs when all the colors of the rainbow come into place, exploding into a million stars as you lose a bit of your balance. Thankfully, your hand finds purchase against the wall and allows you to regain some stability. It only takes a few seconds, overwhelmingly agonizing as they are, before you can properly assess your current state.
Yesterday’s outfit glares back at you, though much more mussed and wrinkled than you last saw it. Similarly, your hair is in a disarray, hands subconsciously trying to take out any tangles while you can. Knowing the state of cleanliness that Keiji keeps his space in, you feel a wave of regret wash over you for having slept in his bed in air-polluted clothes that must have caught who knows how many germs. Immediately, you move to your suitcase to find something to change into, discarding your current outfit into a large plastic bag that acted as your nomadic hamper. As soon as you’re done, you begin to gather up all the layers of Keiji’s bed, fitted sheet and all, and leaving them on top of the mattress in separate piles by how they should be washed. But while you gather the first bundle into your arms, you take a quick look at the clock, slightly flabbergasted that it’s only a little past 6AM.
In your somewhat frantic attempt to atone for your sins against Keiji’s abode, you failed to notice the lack of sun rays peeking from behind the curtains. And much like you’ve done every day since you showed up, you pull the material back and greet the nostalgic view of Tokyo once more.
But serenity doesn’t come to you. In fact, your heart seems to be weighed down by an unknown anchor. Instinctively, your arms come up to hug yourself slightly, knowing that it’s a feeble attempt at best. The weight gradually mixes with a grasp of suffocation and the feeling closes around your throat. Immediately, you seek a source of fresh air, eyes catching a handle on the window that you somehow missed all these days. This means that Keiji has two separate doors to the balcony, including the one in the living room, and you do your best to quickly yet quietly slide the pane open. As soon as there’s enough space for you to slide through, you practically bound out and lean yourself over the rail of the balcony, lungs taking in deep breaths of oxygen.
Below you, the city has already begun to awaken, pedestrians the size of ants seemingly crawling their away down the street. Faint car honks echo through the city, the occasional train horn blaring louder than the rest. These are sights and sounds you find familiar, and somehow, the unease in your chest settles. Everything seems okay again, and you wonder why it crept up on you so suddenly.
The realization creeps through your veins as you drink in the sight of the SkyTree: you’re not quite ready to leave yet. You don’t think you’re ready to hop on a plane back to Sapporo and back to the apartment that you and Tetsuro spent the last few years building together. Every corner, every nook and cranny of that unit was filled with memories upon memories, mostly good and some bad. And even if you want to think back on them, to be able to look at them and recall the moments fondly, you know that Tetsuro’s unfortunate confession would immediately overshadow all of it. They would just leave you in the same pool of broken bitterness that you originally escaped from.
You still haven’t texted him.
He must be worried sick, you think as your feet drag you back inside and grab your device from the nightstand. You check through your notifications as you step out onto the balcony again, and after a few minutes, your thumb hovers over his conversation thread. A stinging pain courses through your system at the nickname you have set for his contact, and you hate it. You hate how fresh it still feels, completely and utterly frustrated at yourself that part of you still hasn’t let go of him. Why couldn’t you be stronger than this?
But despite your distress, you tap on it and hesitate above the keyboard, trying to think of the right words. Only a few come to your mind, and before you can convince yourself to back out (because you owed him at least this much), your thumbs type out two words and hit the send button, immediately locking it afterwards and sliding it into the pocket of your gym shorts. Out of sight, out of mind, right? He wanted a text of confirmation, you give him a text. That’s all you would allow yourself without crumbling again, and you were trying to put all the Band-aids you could on it.
Undoubtedly, Keiji’s presence helps. It’s easy to not think about Tetsuro when you’re around him, busying yourself with either work emails or recipes that you want to try out. The former doesn’t mind being a guinea pig, as he so kindly put it on Sunday. In fact, he handed you a cookbook from his shelf that had some recipes tabbed with sticky notes, pointing out the ones he thought you might enjoy. Surprisingly, they were all very appealing and to your taste, and part of you wonders if it’s just a mild coincidence. So far, you haven’t messed anything up, and Keiji always finishes his portion with slightly veiled enthusiasm. He knew how much you enjoyed cooking and baking for others, evidence presented by the years of instances when you stopped at their house to drop off your newest creations – so whether or not his compliments were genuine, you took it.
What you don’t know is the number of knowing glances throughout middle and high school that Keiji’s mother would give him as he munched on your edible gifts, pretending to seem unfazed though his eyes adopted a slight twinkle as he ate his fair share. If she could see him now, she’d notice the same shine in them.
Part of you itches to see if Tetsuro read your text message, if he will bother responding. The phone burns in your pocket, but you decide against it, letting it scorch against your thigh as you lean against the rail and watch the sky grow brighter. You miss the carefree mornings like these when you aren’t in a rush to leave the apartment. All that’s really on your mind now is what to make for breakfast, mentally running through all the ingredients that Keiji has.
Today seems like a good day for pancakes.
-
Keiji’s eyes snap open when his phone goes off, mentally groaning when he realized he forgot to turn off the daily alarm he usually sets for going into work. Now that he’s spending a few days at home, there’s been no need to get up so early. He left it on yesterday since they had that early ride on the bullet train, but with all the events that happened last night, he simply forgot.
Keiji sees that his bedroom door remains closed and believes you’re still asleep. But when he stands up to stretch and looks out his balcony windows, he catches a glimpse of your figure through the gap in the curtains. The breeze from the AC slightly causes them to flutter, giving him a better view as he steps around the couch to get a better angle. You look pensive and somewhat defeated, staring out into the open space as the wind from the heights tousles your hair. He wonders if you’ve taken the initiative to let Tetsuro know if you were okay.
At this thought, his eyes are drawn the phone on his coffee table, staring for a few seconds and calculating to see if this is a good idea. Unable to find any issues with it, he steps back to reach for the device. On the off-chance that you did text him, he doubts that you told your boyfriend where you’re staying. Keiji knows that Tetsuro would be worried regardless and perhaps might gain some comfort from knowing that you were staying with a friend. So before he can chicken out, he taps a short text, ignoring the fact that it’s been months since the two had last spoken outside of the group chat Koutaro created for the three of them and Tsukishima.      
The lack of an immediate reply indicates that the former Nekoma captain is either still asleep or busy with his residency. Keiji casts one last look at you, noticing that you haven’t moved in the last few minutes. It seems that you’ll be there for a while and lost in your thoughts. There were only a few times in his life when he had witnessed this faraway look of yours, knowing it was better to leave you alone than to try and rip you out of the reverie. Perhaps he’ll take a chance with breakfast today, a small repayment for the onigiri and juice boxes you bought him on the train.
He thinks you might enjoy having some pancakes.
-
The deafening creak and slide of plastic ripping away from its rubber suction startles you. Much like you did when Keiji first scared you on Saturday morning, you turn to the source of fright with a hand over your pounding heart, staring in disbelief as said man walks out with a tray of food. Though this time, much to your amusement, he looks rather apologetic. The humor quickly morphs into guilt as you notice the two plates of pancakes – just how long had you been standing out here?
In a few steps, you meet him and silently take the tray from his hands, allowing him to close the balcony door. There’s no good place to put it besides the ground, and when Keiji sits next to it – legs stretched out – with his back against the plexiglass, you demurely mimic his movements on the other side of the tray. Without a word, Keiji places his portion onto his lap and grabs his own set of fork and knife. You simply stare at him until he gestures for you to do the same, returning the small smile he gives you. Both of you say your thanks before digging in, and you can’t help but notice how Keiji has drizzled just the right amount of syrup and in the way that you like it.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you,” you apologize after a few bites in. Despite how fluffy and soft they are, the pancakes have a hard time going down your throat. Keiji had also gone through the trouble of making some freshly squeezed orange juice, yet the sip of the beverage doesn’t help much.
“It’s the least I could do after yesterday,” he says softly, and his eyes let you know he really didn’t mind. “Really, you’ve been cooking everything else. I saw a chance and took it.”
“But still—”
“I was more than happy to do it,” Keiji interjects. “It’s my way of saying thanks.”
“…has anyone ever told you that you’re too kind sometimes?” It’s easier to swallow now.
“Bokuto-san has mentioned it a few times,” he replies quickly, staring at you before you both burst out laughing.
From there, conversation flows more smoothly, topics ranging from the MSBY practice session yesterday to what mangas he’s been editing. The pancakes quickly disappear as the sun beams through the clouds, gradually heating up the earth until it was becoming somewhat unbearable in the heat. Keiji sports a light sheen of sweat by the time you two decide it’s wise to go back inside. He takes the tray before you can even think of grabbing it, ushering you to go ahead and shower first while he washes the dishes. As a sign of thanks, you give an affectionate squeeze around his upper arm as you walk past him.
Keiji pretends that his skin isn’t burning from the touch.
Right as he’s placing everything onto the drying rack, his phone rings from the pocket of his sweatpants. He’s not entirely surprised when Kuroo’s name flashes on the screen – after his text, he figured your boyfriend would either message back with lots of question marks or simply call to demand answers. A quick exhale leaves his lungs as he hits the green button and brings the device to his ear.
“Hi Kuroo-san.”
“What do you mean ‘she’s staying with me’?”
Keiji glances in the direction of the bathroom and hears the shower still running. Chances of you eavesdropping or overhearing would be low.
“It’s exactly what I mean. She’s staying with me for the time being.”
“Why you?”
“Honestly, that’s a good question.”
“…wait, so you didn’t know she was coming?”
“She called me when she was at the airport,” Keiji sighs, leaning back against the sink to keep a lookout on the bathroom. “I was just as surprised as you are.”
“You’ve been treating her okay?”
“Of course, what do you take me for?”
“Sorry, that’s not what I meant,” Kuroo groans. “I only have about 10 minutes left in my break. How’s she doing?”
“As well as someone can do when their significant other suddenly tells them they’re not in love with them anymore.”
The silence is deafening over the phone. Keiji didn’t really mean to slip up right then and there, but he couldn’t help the simmering anger rising in his stomach.
“…I’m guessing she told you then.”
“Just last night. I asked when she got here, but she wasn’t in the mood to talk about it. We went to see Bokuto-san yesterday.”
“That would explain the weird text I got from him last night. Did it help?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“That’s good then,” Kuroo sighs into the speaker, rubbing his temple with his free hand. “Thank you for taking care of her.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Keiji replies. “Though if you don’t mind me asking…how did it happen?”
“I don’t have a lot of time left so I’ll make it quick. It just – I don’t know, it kinda hit me one morning. I was wondering why I stopped feeling like I needed to get home as soon as possible. Stopped asking for details about her day, or at least nothing more than how it was. I’d forget half the things she was telling me whenever she talked about her job. It was nice coming home to someone after a long shift, but I just…it didn’t feel all that special knowing she was the one waiting for me. I love her like a best friend, just not romantically anymore. She doesn’t deserve to get dragged along because I can’t speak up about my feelings, so I told her. You understand, right?”
Immediately, Keiji wants to say no. No, he doesn’t get it. It’s nearly unfathomable to him that Tetsuro can just slowly stop caring about the things that were important to you. He imagines your figure curled up in bed, anxiously waiting for your boyfriend to come home safely. He imagines you greeting Tetsuro happily, blissfully unaware that the man only kissed your cheek in greeting as a force of habit.
He imagines your face falling little by little as Tetsuro explains himself, your guard failing to mask the anguish you were feeling, and it pains him. Yet his torment at the thought could only be a small fraction of what you experienced – neither was this the time to be heavily biased.
“I don’t have any say in the matter,” Keiji begins and tries to keep his voice as level as possible. “But you know she’s not going to give in to your terms, right?”
“I know it’s not exactly sensible, but I’m trying—”
“Do you really think she’d be happy knowing that?” He nearly hisses into the phone, simply fed up with Kuroo’s stubbornness. “You’ve just told her you don’t love her anymore, insinuating that you’d be happier without her – knowing how much she loves you, do you really think she’d let you force yourself to try for her sake? You know how selfless she is!”
“And I’m trying to give her a chance to be selfish for once – this is on me, and I could at least try! I loved her once, who says I couldn’t love her again? I’ll give her all the time she needs and—"
“If you really cared about her, you would let her go!”
“It’s not that simple!”
Keiji has never wanted to punch someone so bad in his life. “Don’t you understand it’d be nothing but torture for her? Every day, hanging onto some flimsy hope that everything will go back to the way it used to be? There’s a high chance that you’d never feel that way again, so you’re going to let her waste all that time on you? That’s bullshit, and you know it.”
Tetsuro knows Keiji’s right. He knows, and he loathes it. His own fear of drastic change caused him to spill all those empty promises to you, simply refusing to acknowledge that his own selfish desires were the demons speaking.
“…I’m glad you’re the one she’s staying with. It’s better than being alone in a hotel for a week.”
“You’re digressing.”
“Let her go, huh?”
“Like I said, if you really cared, then yes. Anything she asks of you, go with it. It’s the least you could do.”
“…I gotta go, my break’s up. Thanks, Akaashi.”
Keiji isn’t doing it for him. “Bye, Kuroo-san.”
Beep.
-
“You cannot leave your room until I let you!”
“(Y/n), what—”
“I need to get groceries and what I’m making is gonna take a really long time, but I’ve been dying to try it and this is the perfect time! I wanna surprise you though.”
“You don’t need to surprise me—”
Keiji’s feet are planted in the entrance of his bedroom door, heels digging into the hardwood as much as they can. After he came out of his shower and grabbed a cup of coffee from the kitchen, you were pushing him towards his room, words spilling from your lips a mile a minute.
“Please?” You nearly pout when Keiji turns to get a good look at your face. “You said you need to work anyways, right? I’d be much less of a bother if I was doing something else.”
“You know I don’t mind you being in the same room,” he says gently, hoping that he never said anything that could’ve insinuated your presence wasn’t welcome wherever he was. “Company is nice.”
“We have tomorrow for that, it’s just this one time. Plus, I’m washing the bed and the sheets are still in the dryer.”
“You didn’t have to do that – hey, what if I need to go to the bathroom?”
“You have to promise not to peek!”
“(Y/n)—”
“Pinky promise, right now!” You demand, sticking out a pinky in between the two of you. Keiji pretends to be annoyed at your antics, but he can’t help but smile as your two pinkies link together and thumbs come up for a stamp.    
“What if I need to get something to drink?”
“Just let me know and I’ll bring it to you. And no peeking!”
“As I promised, yes.”
“Don’t miss me too much,” you tease, and Keiji can only watch a little despondently as you disappear out the front door. He isn’t looking forward to the same sight that’ll occur in three days, though that time you’ll be lugging a suitcase behind you and potentially leaving for good.
Instantly, the apartment feels too empty. Everything is too quiet again, reminding him why he has a difficult relationship with working from home. Part of him is so used to the hustle and bustle of the manga company that the silence in an empty home somehow feels wrong. And now that some liveliness has been thrown into the mix, painting his abode with splashes of gentle hues, the void feels even more foreign.
You’ll be back within an hour. He just has to bear with it for that short time frame – there’s a decent pile of work waiting for him anyways.
It might be a good time to start practicing being alone again as well.
-
With determination, Keiji throws himself into his work, only stopping every couple of hours to lean back into his chair and rub his eyes. His little energy bursts come in various forms: when you first came back and greeted, “I’m home!” through his bedroom door, whenever you come in to refill his cup of water, when you come in with two plates of sandwiches          during lunch time, and when you bring him some tea as a change of pace in the afternoon. Every gesture is strongly appreciated, and he wishes he could help you in the kitchen.
(He tries to ignore how domestic everything feels. It’s a sensation he finds himself getting drunk on, the bliss encasing his nerves with a pleasant numbness.)
Keiji broadcasts a bit of his work to you, talking you through his process and the things he looks out for when editing. With you, he doesn’t have to worry about leaking spoilers – in fact, you look more enraptured with his set-up than anything. He enjoys the awe and childlike wonder that cloud your face. It’s a far cry from the ruminative expression from this morning, and Keiji hopes that he’ll never have to see that face again.
Always a man of his word, he stays in his bedroom while you finish making dinner. Based on the smell and distinct sound of something being seared in a hot pan, Keiji gathers there’s meat involved. Earlier, his food processor had been going as well, though he couldn’t exactly place why it sounded like you were beating something against the counter. You might have been butchering something, meaning there was meat involved. But he knows his curiosity will be pleasantly sated and bides his time with mindless YouTube videos.
There’s a quiet knock on his door before it opens, revealing your slightly exhausted frame. Concern washes over him as his eyes frantically assess your current state, flitting around until he spots where your hand seems to be cradling the other. It could only mean one of two possible scenarios, and without a word, he grabs the medicine box from his closet in search of the burn ointment. You begin to try and explain what happened, but before you can even say that you accidentally touched one of racks in the oven with the back of your wrist, you spot the little tube between Keiji’s fingers and fall silent. His eyebrows furrow as he approaches you, standing no more than a couple of centimeters away from you as he finds the burn and begins to apply the balm.
“You should’ve let me help,” he says quietly, regret laced through the words. His lithe fingers hesitate over the mark, hoping that the salve was applied quickly enough to prevent any potential blistering.
“This is nothing,” you try to soothe him. “I was just lost in thought and didn’t realize that my arm was getting a little too close. What matters most is that I still saved the dinner.”
Keiji shakes his head and releases his hold. “That’s not the most important at all. Are you sure there isn’t anything I can help you with?”
“You can help me by waiting here for another 15 minutes until I tell you to come out.”
“You know that’s not—”
“Keiji,” you firmly interject. Your hands grasp one of his, clenching around them to let him know it was okay. The small burn was no one’s fault but yours, and there was no need for him to feel guilty. “I’m okay, really. All the hard parts are over now, I just need to let something cool down and set up the table.”
The man before you releases a defeated sigh and you let go of his hand. Instantly, he misses the warmth and subconsciously flexes his hand in some strange attempt to retain the heat running through his fingers. “Call for me if you need any help, okay?”
“Of course.”
Once more, you exit his room and close the door behind you. He takes this time to stand by and stare out his balcony doors, watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon. A warm, orange glow fills his room as Keiji turns to look at his freshly washed bed, remembering the way you had scuttled in with an armful of linen and batted him away repeatedly from trying to help. He pictures the way you would curl up in sleep, imagining once again just how nice it would be to wake up together with the Tokyo sunrise.
“Dinner’s ready,” your voice calls out from behind him, stealing him away from his daydream. He makes his way around the bed to meet you where you demand him to close his eyes. The skeptical look causes you to laugh as you continue to goad him.
“I’ll make sure you don’t bump into anything, promise.”
“If I so much as nudge a table with my big toe, I will kick you out.”
“So dramatic,” you scoff and roll your eyes. “Come on, please?”
Giving in to your requests seems second nature now, he realizes as his eyes slip shut, relying on nothing but the gentle hold you have on his hands and the sound of your voice. You do well in warning him about any possibility he might bump into something and Keiji’s trust in you solidifies – hell, they could be on the outskirts of an exploding volcano and he’d let you drag him around with a blindfold on. He can feel the nervousness rolling off you as you sit him down in his chair, hurriedly taking the seat across from him and adjusting yourself. “Okay, you can open your eyes.”
Keiji has to blink a few times to refocus his vision and chooses to ignore the way your teeth gnaw on your bottom lip for the plate in front of him. Two slices of beef wellington sit elegantly on the white porcelain, a glass of red wine in the top corner, and a set of a knife and fork on opposite sides. It looks straight out of a cookbook and he loves that you were right – he would be pleasantly surprised, and your hard work would certainly pay off.
But what makes the smile on his face form is the memory of you two discussing different cooking shows on the walk home from school one evening. You had asked him out of the blue if he watched anything cooking-related, and when he had listed some of the channels he watched from time to time, you rattled off a list of things you wanted to try making some day but never could with time constraints. Beef wellington had been one of those items, as well as a croquembouche, Totoro macarons, and others.
“Did you finally get to live out your Great British Bake Off dreams with the puff pastry?” Keiji jokes, lifting his utensils and beginning to cut through the meat. At his question, he realizes you must’ve been pounding out the slab of butter to be used when making puff pastry from scratch.
“That, and try to channel Gordon Ramsay for everything else,” you chuckle and watch him carefully as he chews on his first bite.
“This is really good, holy shit,” he murmurs and relief floods your system. “Are you sure this is your first time making it?”
“Yep!”
“I’m gonna have to get seconds later,” Keiji says, still slightly suspended in disbelief. You’re practically shaking in your seat from how well received the dish is.
“Try to save some room for the dessert wine later.”
“Oh, you bought some?”
“Yeah, they had the brand we like at the supermarket.”
“What’s the occasion?”
You ponder on that for a bit, trying to find the right words for it. What he didn’t know was that you caught the last half of his conversation on the phone with Tetsuro. At first, you felt a flare of anger when you put the pieces together and realized that Keiji had ratted out your location, almost storming out of the bathroom to give him a piece of your mind. But when you heard him defend and stand up for you, you faltered, hand hovering over the doorknob. Once again, he was holding your best interests at heart and risking potentially fraying his friendship with Tetsuro for you. It was exactly the kind of support you needed in that moment.
So you do what you’ve always done to show gratitude when it comes to Keiji: make something edible for him. In middle and high school, you felt that food was the least awkward thing you could give to him if he did something for you, considering that you felt you two weren’t very close. Permanent gifts were a touch too intimate, and you could always hide the fact that you were gifting him something under the pretense of wanting to give it to his mother instead. Any batch of cookies, muffins, palmiers, or pastries were mainly meant for him, saying thanks for walking home with you, driving you home, entertaining you during get-togethers, letting you win in Monopoly for once, and many more. That was something you originally planned to take to your grave since you figured that Keiji would find it weird or disturbing, but now…now seemed okay.
Just not this exact moment.
“To a new beginning,” you decide and lift up your glass, angling it towards him for cheers.
“To a new beginning,” he echoes. Keiji clinks his glass against you and you both take a sip, his eyes glimmering over the rim.
-
You are very tipsy. Borderline drunk. You honestly can’t remember the last time you got wine drunk, but somehow you just couldn’t stop drinking. If you had to give your best estimate, about 70% of the red wine had been consumed by you. And now that the dessert wine was open, you were nearing 60% of that as well.
Keiji sits on the opposite side of the couch from you, indulging you by letting you watch Ouran High School Host Club through some streaming service on his TV. It had been ages since he last saw anything from it, though he mainly focuses on your how far your inebriation is getting ahead of you. An hour ago, he had placed a cup of water by your side, though there was still half of it left. He wonders if he should be cutting you off soon, but you look too carefree and happy. And from experience, he knows that you could easily walk in a straight line if told to. It was an uncanny ability that you possessed, one that was somewhat showcased when you and Tetsuro showed up at a house party in college he just happened to also attend. Smashed overexaggerated your drunken state at the time, but the glossy look in your eyes now was very similar to that incident all those years ago.
The laugh that erupts from your chest as a result of Haruhi’s deadpan humor is slurred and lasts a little too long to be considered normal. Keiji feels his chest ease up when you reach for the water this time instead of the alcohol and chug it all down. He freezes when you turn towards him with a lazy smile spread across your face, but it turns into a pout when you hand him the now empty mug.
“Keiji-kun,” you mumble. “Please gimme more water?”
“You can’t get it yourself?” He taunts, chuckling when your pout intensifies.
“I don’t wanna acci-acc-accid-accidentally break the mug. You brought it from your parents’, right? I used this one all the time back then.”
“Mmm,” he hums, prying the porcelain from your hands and standing to comply with your request.
Not even a minute passes after he returns when you clumsily shift closer to him. He doesn’t even have to time to internally gasp when you lay down on your back and plop your head onto his thighs, his arms now slightly suspended in the air because he honestly has no idea what to do with them. The best he can come up with is resting one arm on the back of the couch, the other tentatively placed on top of your head. He fights the need to run his fingers through your hair, although knowing it would bring you some comfort as the world begins to blur. It takes everything in him to not look down, but he’s not absorbing anything from the anime. The sounds fall short to the pounding in his ears, and the only time he can remember being this nervous was their last volleyball match during Nationals.
“Thank you, Keiji.”
“Hm? For what?”
“…sticking up for me to Tetsu.”
“…didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s rude to eavesdrop?” Keiji attempts to digress, pinching the shell of your ear.
“It hurts!” You cry out, overstating the pain you felt. In his defense, he barely put any force behind it. “I just wanted to say thank you, ‘s all.”
“It was nothing, I—”
“You really think we’re friends?”
Keiji frowns. “I said that before, didn’t I? Did you ever think we weren’t?”
“Honestly…no, I didn’t,” you confess. It’ll be a miracle if you remember any of this tomorrow morning. “You always seemed so far away…there were a few times when I thought you maybe hated me, only tolerated me because you’d never hear the end of it from your mom if she ever caught you being mean to me. I mean, if you ever think about it…you never talked about yourself, y’know?”
Keiji pauses the TV, throwing the apartment into complete silence. He only hears your shaky breathing and the AC running.
“Anything I ever heard about you was from your mom because she’d tell my mom, and then my mom would gossip,” you continue, chuckling bitterly at the end. “I knew you, but did I really know you? It felt so weird, walking by you in school and knowing what you were struggling with. But then you’d just smile at me like nothing was wrong and that hurt.”
He’s been staring at the same frame for the last minute or so and feels more and more awful with every word that leaves your lips. Somehow it’s everything he’s wanted to hear for years, but it’s also so bittersweet and tragic. But the more important matter currently at hand is the sound of your sniffles. Oh god, are you crying? Keiji finally has a reason to look at you now, studying how a forearm is strewn across your eyes – but he can see the tear tracks and feel the dampness on his sweatpants as they slide down your face. He attempts to move the limb away but you resist as much as you can, though it doesn’t take much. Keiji reaches over and plucks out a tissue to help clean you up, trying to placate both you and the semblance of a heartbreak.
“I was always worried that you were just – hic – hiding your emotions, bottling them up inside until it’d burst one day. But then I had to – hic -- remind myself that you had other close friends to confide in. With how much you got along with your teammates, I figured they’d keep an eye on you…but I still worried a lot. I hoped that you’d finally open up during our family dinners someday. Instead, it took a break-up and me getting drunk.”
He’s frozen when you lift your hand to his face, the tips of your fingers barely ghosting over his jawline. The anguish in your eyes is palpable; he can’t help but broaden the contact, leaning into your palm until it’s cradling his cheek while maintaining eye contact with you.
“You were okay, right?” You whisper. “You could talk to Koutaro? Or Akinori?”
Keiji’s gaze softens considerably. He analyzes the drooping of your eyelids, how they fight to stay open until you receive a desirable answer from him. It’s incredibly touching how much you wanted to reach out to him during all those years, waiting, wishing, hoping. You were right – he did expose some of his more vulnerable moments to his teammates. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have days where he ached to call you and spill every negative emotion he was feeling.
“I was okay, I promise,” Keiji reassures you, giving in to comb through your hair. “Thank you, (y/n), for caring about me.”
Your arm slowly drops from its hold and curls up against your chest. Even in your drunken state, you feel at peace, like the world has finally been lifted from your shoulders. It’s the answer that you’ve been silently searching for all this time, the unknown stewing and festering in the back of your mind.  
“I’m…glad…”
Keiji observes as you fall asleep and your breaths even out. With a heavy sigh, he gathers you into his arms bridal-style, hoping that the jostling doesn’t wake you up. Just like last night, he tucks you into bed, though not without leaving a gentle press of his lips against your temple.
The futon is cold and lonely. He’s really starting to not like it very much.
-
Wednesday and Thursday fly by so fast that he wonders if he accidentally time-traveled into Friday. Before he knows it, you’re rolling your suitcase out of his bedroom and towards his front door. As you slip on your shoes, your mind rattles off the locations of your important things: phone, wallet, keys, passport, driver’s license, and more. You turn back to look at your gracious host, shooting him your most appreciative smile.
“Thank you for everything this past week, Keiji. You don’t know how much it means to me, and I promise I’ll pay you back somehow.”
“I was happy to have you, and you’ve done more than you needed to in trying to pay me back. Are you sure you don’t need me to drop you off at the airport?”
“I couldn’t impose on you any longer,” you wave off. “An Uber will do just fine.”
“You’ll let me know when you’re there? When you get back to your apartment?”
“Yes, mother,” you poke fun at him, laughing at the way he rolls his eyes.
“I’ll let that one pass for now. Remember, you can call me anytime, okay? About anything, it doesn’t matter. Just don’t be a stranger.”
“I’ll remember that. See you around then?”
“See you around. Be safe.”
Neither of you make a move, not until Keiji steps forward to wrap you in a tight embrace. You do your best to return it ounce of ounce, bundling the back of his shirt in your fists. The last seven days have been pivotal to your friendship and you’ll never forget everything he’s done for you. Minutes pass, neither wanting to pull back until you can’t anymore, needing to meet the Uber outside. Keiji doesn’t have the heart to walk you all the way to the main entrance of the apartment complex, and you don’t force him.
Sitting in the airplane back to Sapporo is much less nerve-wracking than you originally predicted. You already have a list in mind of how to clear things out with Tetsuro, what steps you two need to take to make this split as seamless as possible. Various apartment listings had been bookmarked over the last couple of days, units big enough for just one person rather than two. The wound is still somewhat fresh, but scabs have already begun to form. You have Keiji to thank for in this process of healing.
As promised, you update him whenever you can, the final notice sent when you stand outside the door of your and Teturo’s apartment. It’s impossible for the nerves to not strike you now, even more so as you slowly unlock the door. The work shoes to the side of the doorway indicates that he is home, probably passed out in bed after a long shift. You quietly pad around the unit while putting some of your stuff away, though leaving the suitcase in the living room for now. When you step into the bedroom, Tetsuro is curled up on your side of the mattress, breathing deeply and soundly.
Two months ago, you would have peppered his face with kisses, demanding that he give you enough room to cuddle next to him. He would have opened his arms willingly, trapping you effectively in his new cage and you would’ve never thought of wanting to escape from him. So much has changed now, you think as you sit on the edge. You believe your action was subtle, but he stirs from his asleep, addressing the fact that you have returned. There is no screaming or crying, no tears or pleading. Instead, he shifts closer to give you an awkward hug around your waist while still laying on his side. It’s not the kind of hug that says, “Welcome home,” or “I miss you”, though.
It says, “I’m sorry,” and the placement of your hand on his embrace replies, “It’s okay.”
-
2 years later
Keiji likes this new routine with you.
For the last year and a half, you two schedule a weekly video call to catch up with each other. He likes this because he can watch you pull yourself together, adjust to the new life without Tetsuro. He gets to hear all the work stories that the other stopped bothering to pay attention to, no longer waiting for your next Snapchat or Instagram story update. Keiji’s at the friendship level now where he knows something has happened before you even post the photo. Sometimes you both cook together, finding a recipe that you’ll want to try. Other times you might just want to watch an episode or two of a show that’s caught both of your interests, swearing to each other that you’ll avoid spoilers or watching ahead.
It’s not the kind of relationship he truly wants with you, but it’s close enough and he’d be a fool to not take it.
Last week, you had to miss the video call, saying that your boss dropped a massive project onto your desk. You were going to be pulling overtime, and Keiji reminds you to take the necessary breaks. Texting is sparse and he feels the worry exponentially grow – were you pushing yourself too hard? Were you eating foods other than convenience store bentos and onigiris? Were you getting enough sleep at night?
His phone blares your custom ringtone from his kitchen counter and Keiji practically lunges for it, quickly picking up and holding the phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
“Have you had dinner yet?”
What is this feeling of déjà vu?  “I was about to start cooking something up just now, why? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I was so busy, I’m sorry we didn’t get to talk last week. What about you?”
“I’m good, everything’s normal. Where are you?”
“I’m on my way home. By the way, I bought you a gift. They said it got delivered not a few minutes ago.”
“Really? That’s weird, the front desk usually notifies me as soon as they get it. But you shouldn’t have.”
“Consider it an early birthday present,” he hears and relishes in the warmth your words bring. “Why don’t you go downstairs and check?”
“I guess I can. Stay on the phone with me?”
“Of course.”
“What’d you get me?”
“What’s the point in me telling you when you’re about to open it in a few minutes?”
“Well,” Keiji starts and wrenches open the door. “I—”
He stops in his tracks, voice caught in his throat. You stand sheepishly before him, phone still at your ear as you drink in his stunned expression. Keiji doesn’t get taken by surprise very often, and you wish you had a camera for this moment. Koutaro would’ve loved it.
“Hey there,” he hears from you and through the speaker, a slight delay between the two phrases as his mind grasps at the situation.
“Why are you here?” He asks, hanging up and letting you in. Keiji hopes it doesn’t sound as rude as it might’ve come across. Like a gentleman, he takes your jacket and allows you enough space to take off your shoes.
“They’re doing renovations at my new apartment so I can’t really move in yet…I was wondering if I could stay here for a few days?”
Wait, new apartment? “Are you moving back to Tokyo?”
Excitement isn’t enough to describe the pure feeling of joy that runs through his veins when you nod. This is what you must have been so busy dealing with, packing everything up and scheduling a small moving van. All you have is your purse and a large suitcase, meaning that the rest of your belongings must still be en route.
“You can stay for as long as you need to. Take the bed, I can—”
“Actually, I lied. Not about moving to Tokyo,” you quickly defend when he seems to bristle at your words. “There aren’t any renovations and the rest of my stuff is coming tomorrow…but I purposely booked a ticket to get here today. You’re the first person I wanted to see.”
Not your parents, not some of your other friends. Him. You wanted to come and see him first before anyone else. The tone in your confession holds so much weight, a fondness in them that’s too intimate for someone who was just a friend. This was your way of trying to let him know that there was something more going on, but you were afraid that he would reject you. The ball was in his court now, and it was entirely up to him to decide how to proceed.
No one knows you better than him. No one is in tune or in sync with you as much as he is. It’s terrifyingly thrilling, but you want this. You want him.
So he takes one stride forward, cradles your face between his hands, and crashes his lips onto yours with a searing passion that’s been kept under lock and key for far, far too long. It’s perfect, you smile to yourself. But most of all…
It feels like home.
Bonus (a week later):
[Konoha]: hey, kou, is keiji dating anyone????
[Bokuto]: not that I know of??? why???
[Konoha]: apparently he just rsvp’d to my wedding and said he’s bringing a plus one??? i’m so confused, why wouldn’t he tell us??
[Bokuto]: did your fiancée see a name anywhere?
[Konoha]: hang on, she’s checking.
[Konoha]: oh shit.
[Konoha]: OH SHIT.
[Konoha]: HOLY FUCKING SHIT WHAT THE FUCK
[Bokuto]: WHO IS IT YOU BETTER TELL ME RIGHT NOW
[Konoha]: HE’S BRINGING FUCKING (Y/N) JESUS FUCKING CHRIST
[Bokuto]: ABOUT GODDAMN TIME
[Konoha]: YOU OWE ME 5000 YEN, PAY UP
526 notes · View notes
pirate-kwazii · 3 years
Text
Watching Ring Of Fire now so here’s more of my thoughts
Is that a fence in the water
Is everyone groaning about the sea urchin and crab or yawning? I can’t tell
Okay I’ve had the Vegimals song stuck in my head for awhile now
Kwazii’s alarm clock shoots tennis balls at him- same
And Dashi starts the day with yoga
Tweaks fell asleep playing video games mood
Shellington what the fUCK
Tf is that- is that lava?!?
Oh ring of fire like the volcanoes- I feel stupid now
They’re doing their role call out of order
What the fuck Kwazii why did you eat 17 kelp cakes
Is the only thing you eat is seaweed
VIDEO TRAINING VIDEO TRAINING
*terrible accordion playing* *everyone winces*
How many cousins do you have peso?!?!
Kwazii: I’m going out and FAST!!!!
Captain: *eyebrow raise*
Kwazii: I mean I’m checking the engine
MORE GUPS?!?!
“Don’t push the Z button” Kwazii is definitely going to press it I bet all 3 of my dollars
Wait why did Peso and Barnacles need a Gup if they were taking the octopod?!
How much time does Tweak have to keep making all these gups?!
Aw Kwazii loves that Gup so much
WHAT IS BARNACLES WEARING WHAT THE HELL NO
Kwazii’s copying it omg-
Shellington and Dashi are such nerd friends it’s actually adorable
Tremors those are probably important
Ring-shape? Like the ring of fire-
Oh no comms are down
A TSUNAMI?!?!
Mateys you should’ve stayed at the Octopod
Kwazii saved Tweak’s life and now it’s flooding
Why don’t they know about the Ring of Fire if they LIVE in the ocean
Oh no the comms are down they can’t reach them!!!!
Damn at least no one is alone...
Of course the Chinstrap Penguins live on a volcano
Well at least Shellington and Dashi are alright and above water so there’s a lower chance of drowning
“How does he know I’m an octonaut?” Maybe it’s because you’re wearing the octonauts colors and the logo all over it
Wow itd be faster to push the stupid thing
Last time you guys followed the screaming sound there was a tsunami
Well at least you found the whales you wanted to find
“I’ve always wanted to see a whale but not like this!” I’d sure hope so Shellington
Of course the volcano erupts
Tweak Kwazii are ya okay?!
THEY DONT HAVE AIR TANKS ON THEM OH NO
TWEAK!!!
Now is not the time to copy Barnacles- holy shit it worked
She just noticed that?!
Shit you guys are stuck
Kwazii beggars can’t be choosers
Why is that the only way to get across Tweak
No Tweak pay attention
ITS ON FIRE
I really hope you guys can hold your breath
She’s pulling a Ladybug and the things she looks at glow now
Improvised fire extinguisher
WHY IS EVERYTHING ON FIRE ARENT YOU UNDERWATER
Eww they landed in seaweed and a banana peel
Why does everyone end in the garbage disposal- sorry compost
Oh he almost fell in-
*opens door and floods room* Guess we’re swimming after all
Tunip leave him it’s natural selection
Grouber just sits and eats during a panic- same
“Lesson Nine- dealing with disasters” what
Why is the background of those videos so bad
I mean it’s rad but also bad
Tunip: *hands the Vegimals a bunch of shovels* good luck
Mateys how did that dirt pile work-
*quickly unplants all the seaweed*
*vacuums the animals*
LEAVE THE SEAWEED YOU HAVE ENOUGH
“You gotta save us!” Why didn’t you get their attention sooner?
Why do none of them notice the volcanoes that they live on/near
We’ve seen the rafts it won’t work
How the hell did you think of that
Is that even possible
They only leave Inkling in charge when legit no one else is there
Kwazii and Tweak: *mimic pirates, rabbits and Barnacles*
Peso and Barnacles: *mimic penguins*
How was the lava that aLMOST COOKED YOUR EGGS NOT A WARNING SIGN
Wow Inkling is not good at this I see why he’s never in charge
Even Kwazii and the Vegimals have managed the octopod better than that
Why is there is Disco Ball
Why does it always switch to the training videos
“Dashi’s so good at this” yeah it’s almost like it’s her JOB
There was a BUTTON FOR THAT EXACT REASON AND YOU DIDNT THINK TO PRESS IT FIRST?!?!?!
Took you long enough jeez
What is they fall off of the “slide”
“Mothers and babies first” anyone else can perish
Well that egg is dead
Oh never mind he got it
WHY DIDNT YOU TWO GET ON THE SIDE TOO TWEAK WOULD UNDERSTAND
I mean she and Kwazii are trying not to be set on fire so I’m sure she’d get it
“I just hope everyone else is okay” well shellington and Dashi are stuck on a volcano that’s exploding trying to get a beached whale out on a very slow Gup, the Vegimals are trying to evacuate the garden, and Tweak and Kwazii are trying to get out of the burning and flooding repair area so no I don’t think anyone else is okay
“This isn’t working” no really Dashi
Oh the crabs know Kwazii that explains so much
Another Training Video?!
The crew all look so nervous when they appear in a training videos
Oh now Dashi and Shellington are mimicking Tweak
Poor Shellington he’s clumsy
“I have to say I.. really like that plan” yea cuz it’s the one that doesn’t involve you burning in the lava
Shellingtons getting a workout in oof
He’s about to fall into the lava
Now the crabs about to fall into the water
Oh god he’s screwed
Crab jump on the whale- now he’s flying
Shellington get out of the lava!!!
Alright some people are safe
Oh never mind the other volcanoes are erupting too
That water level is dangerously high are they gonna be okay
Kwazii don’t phrase it like that it sounds like you’ll die
KWAZII!!!!!
Oh god oh no his tail
Mimicking Barnacles saved the day
TWEAK!!! KWAZII!!!
Oh they are alright thank god
They’re gonna be traumatized from this- *angst time*
“And how will we get up there” Kwazii making good points again
Kwazii with a grappling hook is a terrifying idea please get one
And now they find out the comms are down
Kwazii trying to be helpful
WHY DOES SHE HAVE AN EMERGENCY CARROT STASH
KWAZII GOT ONE TOO
Another video but this ones useless-
TWEAK YOU TURNED OFF THE POWER
They sounded the octo alert together!!!
Babies
EVERYONES OKAY!!!!
OF COURSE THERES ANOTHER ONE
Kwazii and Tweak: ya we’re good
Also them: *trying to not to drown or burn*
They are all gonna connect to each other like Voltron aren’t they
KWAZII DID PRESS IT IM NOT LOSING MY $3 TODAY!!!
Tweak: I got a plan
*crashes through the hatch*
Kwazii: *excited cat sounds*
Yeah they’re going together naturally
“Mega Gup Z” epic naming skills Tweak
“Seat swap” “wait a minute- WHOA”
“It’s completely covered in sea creatures” there’s no way you get all of them
Oh good some are swimming away
“Sit tight” they can’t really do anything else Captain
Do we know where they go after being S U C C E D into the mega Gup z?
And now rocks are everywhere
Kwazii’s excited cat noises are giving me life
Couldn’t the crabs walk away?
Oh no they’re getting stuck in the volcano-
Oh they’re good thank Neptune
Dashi: yea it’s bout to erupt we gotta go
Peso: I saw something inside there we gotta go look
Does Peso want them to die
Of course the animals sound snobby
“Why ever would we do that” CUZ ITS ERUPTING i swear all the creatures have the IQ of a walnut
“I didn’t even make a button for it” bruh
Yeah just like Voltron
Kwazii: *even more excited cat noises cuz he gets to destroy things*
Why do you all name the moves with the word “mantis” in front of them?
They all share one braincell and Barnacles and Peso have it 90% of the time
Tweak gets the other 10%
Everyone else runs on pure chaotic energy
“Tweak Status Report!” Tweak: WE ARE FUCKED
Let Tweak say “Fuck” 2k21
Kwazii: *e x c i t e d c a t n o i s e s*
*throws sea creatures at whale*
*blows up into five gups in massive explosion in front of erupting volcano*
Is all that sea urchin thinks about is food
“You know what I’d like? Dinner” “you know what pal, that sounds great”
“Have the eruptions stopped” “yea but that’s not what I called about”
Is Inkling trying to be more than that guy who sits in his library all day?
Yea it’s not hatching because of the bandage all around it
Please say the egg doesn’t die
Oh it’s alive good
Octonauts: remember that island that got destroyed by a volcano? Would you like to live on an island that volcano created?
Penguins: not really
Octonauts: too bad
Vegitoa? Wow
ITS THAT STUPID SONG AGAIN LAST TIME IT WAS IT MY HEAD FOR TWO WEEKS
“It still felt like we were working as a team” maybe cuz you were all copying each other the whole time
“You really, really need to update those training videos” yeah fair enough
Of course the Vegimals still remember the dance
I see what the hype was about that was a fantastic movie mateys... though everyone’s probably gonna have some problems after that
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ptergwen · 4 years
Text
last christmas
Tumblr media
w/c: 2.0k
warnings: a few descriptions of dizziness
summary: someone might be able to get you back into the holiday spirit
a/n: hi hi hi i’m really excited about this :,) i’ve had the idea for a while and i like where it’s going! it’s based it off of the movie last christmas and this is only part one, so if it feels a little slow that’s why AND on that note i hope you enjoy
━━━ *:・。.
“you’re late,” harry comments as the coat room door bursts open. he’s not wrong, but he doesn’t have to announce it. you slip behind the counter while tying up your apron. “only ten minutes. besides, we’re never busy this early.” he presses his lips together and grabs a large cup.
that’s the face he makes whenever you say or do something stupid. you’ve learned a lot about harry in your year of working together. he’s a pretty laidback guy. funny, too. you’d consider him a friend and not just your coworker. the only time he isn’t chill is when your coffee shop has what you like to call its rush hour.
it’s in a pretty prominent area in london, and it gets packed every afternoon. people like to pop in for a muffin or some tea on their lunch break. with it being christmas time and all, the shop is way more chaotic than usual. the seasonal flavors clearly draw a crowd. you take that as a compliment since you came up with a few of them.
the point is, harry can get stressed and pretty mean. you’re afraid he’ll explode if you ask him a question sometimes. he turns super red. but, he also knows more than you do. he’s had to fix countless machines you’ve almost broken. you two make an interesting team. it’s just you and harry who work mornings.
your mouth drops open when you see the line of people squished into the shop. “oh, shit,” you whisper to yourself. harry hears it and hums smugly. “rush hour came early. get out there.” you quickly take your spot at the register. a man with a fuzzy red sweater and judgy look steps up. “hi, sorry for the wait. what can i get started for you?”
the rest of your morning is exactly the same. you deal with the crabby customers, harry makes the drinks. it gets better once your other coworkers clock in for the day. orders get done faster, and you have someone to joke around with from time to time.
you and harry eventually switch because he’s bored of making hot chocolates. you’re in charge of drinks while he rings people up now. it’s not too bad at first. all you have to do is dump some mixes into water and call names. then, everyone starts shouting at you. the drinks gets harder, you keep messing up, and customers aren’t happy.
harry is about to tell you off when he sees you stumble. he rushes to your side before you hit the ground. you grab his arm with an apologetic smile. “thanks.” “is it...” you nod, not wanting him to finish his sentence.
he’s your only coworker you told about your accident. it happened last year, almost a full one to date. you got this job a few months after. harry has always been understanding of it all, and he accommodates you however he can. you’re grateful to have his support.
“i’m just a little lightheaded. i’ll be fine,” you wave him off. he clicks his tongue. “you can’t stand if i let go of you.” you’d try to prove him wrong, but you don’t feel like falling on your face in front of all these people. “go take your break, y/n,” harry says softer this time. you give in, letting him take you to the coat room.
━ ❆
it’s finally the end of the day. your shift ended fine, and now you’re walking out with harry. you’re laughing at something he said inside. you pull your coat up around your face, smiling as you say your goodbyes. harry looks off to the car you assume is his before returning it. he waits until you’re out of sight to get into the passenger seat.
“who was that?” tom asks before harry can even shut his door. “y/n. we work together,” harry replies casually and buckles his seatbelt. the car engine is the only thing holding off silence. he raises an eyebrow at his brother.
“why do you ask?” “dunno. looks like you’re friends,” tom says quietly, pulling out of the spot he parked in. “you haven’t mentioned her.” “i have. you’re never home when i do,” he deadpans. tom drums his fingers on the steering wheel as they stop at a light.
there’s that void begging to be filled again. harry gives him a small smile. “thanks for picking me up, by the way. you’re cheaper than uber.” “does that mean i’m getting paid?” tom looks over at him. “joking. anytime, bro.”
harry can tell he’s waiting to bring you up again. all he did was look at you, and he’s falling. he’s never been subtle about his crushes. harry knows the two of you would get on well, but he’s not sure if you can handle a relationship right now. this year hasn’t been easy for you. you should be focusing on your health, not his tool of a brother.
at the same time, you could use some cheering up. you haven’t sang along to one christmas song playing at the shop. tom gets so into christmas every year, so maybe some of his festivity could rub off on you. it’s possible to work on two things at once, right? you’ll be happy and healthy for the new year. that’s all harry wants for you.
he wouldn’t mind the same for tom, either.
“she’s in all day tomorrow,” harry sighs. tom scrunches his face up in the side mirror. “who is?” “y/n, div. i knew you were going to ask.” there’s no denying that one. “right. i’ll stop in for a drink.”
he smiles about it the whole way home.
━ ❆
the next day is just like the last one. harry seems more on edge than usual, but you don’t know what that’s about. he does let you stay on register today so the chances of you passing out are lower. that all changes when your next customer walks in. you recognize him immediately, even with a scarf covering half his face.
what the hell is tom holland doing in your café? he pulls his scarf down and walks up to place an order. you sort of forget how to act. “you... you’re...” you stammer, eyes wide on him. smiling, he presses a finger to his lips. all he wants is a coffee, and you’re about to get him mobbed. you raise your hands in defense and focus on the register.
“sorry. can i get you anything?” you try again, lowering your voice. he’s still smiling. “sure, thanks. i’ll try an iced peppermint mocha.” a smile takes over your own face. “cool, i suggested that one.” you punch it into the register, keeping your eyes on tom. “i’ll bet it’s good, then. i trust your judgement.” he sounds genuine but teasing at the same time.
“hey, harry.” tom waves at him while he makes something in the blender. harry unenthusiastically waves back before getting to work again. you turn to harry with your eyebrows knitted together. “you know each other?” “really well. we’re brothers,” tom replies, your eyebrows now raised to the top of your head.
“what? how come you never told me?” you almost yell at harry. he awkwardly dumps the contents of the blender into a cup. “it never came up.” “you don’t talk about me, baby bro?” tom jokes, getting his card out. you give harry one more look before turning back to him. “oh, don’t worry about it. it’s on the house,” you dismiss him.
“he’s a multimillionaire, y/n. i think he’ll be fine,” harry chimes in. “family discount,” you decide. tom chuckles and shoves his wallet back into his pocket. “you’re a funny one. can i make it up to you somehow?” his eyes lock with yours. you feel fluttery, like your heart is going to jump out of your chest. there could be a few reasons for that.
“um, can i get your autograph?” you murmur out. “easy. do you have something to write with?” he watches you scramble to get a piece of paper. you pull a pen from behind the counter and hand them both to him. a line is starting to form, but you can’t even pretend to care. there are more important things going on.
harry starts making tom’s drink while he signs the paper. he leans on the counter, his tongue poking out. he’s so sweet for doing this. your alarm goes off before you can tell him that. you quickly shut it and peek over the register to see. harry comes up to you.
“isn’t that for your medication? you should probably go take it,” he says so only you hear. you shrug a shoulder. “i set it a few minutes early. i’ll be fine.”
“here we go.” tom grins and hands you the paper, then the pen. you put it down with another smile before looking over his signature. you’re confused when you don’t see one. instead, he wrote down a bunch of numbers.
it can’t be...
“it’s my number,” tom explains, glancing over at harry for a second. he scoffs and puts the lid on his drink. “i figured you’d like it more than my terrible cursive.”
your whole body feels hot. whether it’s from putting off your meds or getting hit on by tom holland, you’re not sure. you wouldn’t mind the latter, though. it’s the safer of the two. in all seriousness, the fact that he has any sort of interest in you is pretty insane.
“wow, for real? thank you.” you look at the piece of paper in your hands, then at tom. “does this mean i can text you?” he’s practically beaming at you. “or call.” “tom,” harry calls from the pickup counter. he rolls his eyes for good measure. “i guess your drink is ready,” you laugh out. tom adjusts his scarf again.
“i guess it is. i’ll talk to you later?” you hold up the piece of paper. “that’s what this is for.” he breathes out a laugh and turns to go. you’re about to call up the next customer, but he looks back at you. you shake your head. it’s going to be impossible getting through what’s left of your shift. “enjoy.” tom nods confidently. “i will.”
━ ❆
the first thing you do once you get home is call tom. your roommate is out with friends, so you’re spread out on the couch. all the lights are off to help the headache you got. with your luck, you’ll wake up with a migraine. you’ve become too familiar with nursing those. it’s given considering everything that happened.
tom picks up on the third ring. you hold your phone to your ear and sit up. “hello?” he asks sternly. you cringe at yourself for not texting him who you are first. “hi, it’s y/n. i probably should’ve texted.” his tone softens. “no, you’re fine. i was waiting for you to call.”
“were you really?” you lay your head back on the arm of the couch. he hums proudly. “tom holland was waiting for me to call him?” “he was.” you can hear the smirk in his voice. “he really enjoyed your conversation earlier.” sighing, you look at your reflection in the tv. “i did, too. i don’t think harry could say the same.”
“he hates having me around. i’m embarrassing, apparently,” tom laughs at his brother’s behavior. you press your lips into a pout. “is that why i’ve never heard about you?” “probably,” he confirms. it seemed weird that he wouldn’t want to tell the world his brother is spider-man. then again, harry isn’t like that.
“that’s nice, though. it’s like i’m the same me before the movies,” tom lightens the mood. “not that i know you, but i feel like you are,” you agree with a small smile. he’s grinning at his phone. “speaking of not knowing me, when are you free?” he smoothly transitions to the asking you out part. you were hoping you’d get there.
“saturday. why?” “i was wondering if you’d want to go out with me.” you hold the phone away from your face and silently squeal. tom didn’t need to witness that. “that would be fun, yeah.” “anywhere special you want to go?” he asks. he’s hoping there isn’t because he already has a place in mind. you actually don’t.
“surprise me.”
-
i made a new taglist form, so fill it out if you want!! the link is in my bio
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bettertomorrows-ao3 · 4 years
Text
Are You My Mother?
Ellie is frantic. Dina is amused. JJ has some questions.
JJ stays still in Ellie’s arms and his teeny voice is muffled when he says, “Max said you’re not my real mom so we’re not a real family and that you only fake love me.”
Tags: Post-Game, Family Fluff Rating: Teen for language
EllieDina Week // Day 4 // FAMILY
---
It’s almost sundown when Ellie gets a visitor at work.
Her office is a medium-sized shack located near the stables of the main gate, a perfect place to house all the paperwork she needs in order to facilitate her new role as the patrol manager. Ellie had originally argued with Maria that the chore didn’t even exist, that it seemed like a feeble arrangement to give her a task somewhat similar to what she was used to just so she could still feel useful around town.
Maria admitted to some truth to Ellie’s point, but she also insisted that she would love for Ellie to start learning to ropes of leading the town. There was a buried emphasis in her request that suggested Maria only trusted Ellie to be the one to succeed her role in the future. That Ellie was already deeply embedded in the tangled mess of a family the Miller brothers left them with—and implication was what led Ellie to accept the job on the spot.
Managing patrol rotations is not the laid-back kind of job Ellie thought it would be.
It’s far more stressful than what Maria initially described it would be, but it’s a task that keeps her on her toes on a daily basis. It was hard to believe it at first, but rescheduling patrol rotations sometimes felt like hugging an exploding bloater. Not to mention how balancing patrollers with the right partners oftentimes resembled the act of gathering sheep into a barn. One wrong move, and a stray could lead the pack in the wrong direction.
Jackson’s townsfolk always knew she would have the job in the future, anyway. There was a tacit understanding that regardless of the complications of their familial relations, Maria’s niece would one day take over the duty of leading Jackson. It was never a question of whether it would ever happen, but more of when Ellie would feel comfortable to take on these responsibilities.
It came as a surprise to those who personally knew her—that Ellie would start making her way up before she was even in her thirties. Most of them thought they would have to wrench a 100-year-old Ellie away from patrolling duties, so to have her willingly take a job inside Jackson’s walls was a bit unnerving.
The desk job isn’t as exciting, but it’s definitely enough work to keep her busy throughout the week. Her favourite part of the job was toward the end of the day. When her last task was to wait for the afternoon patrols to come back home, and she spent the time quietly drafting ways to adjust routes for possible expansions to the town. Nothing felt better than to wrap up a workday with a glint of hope for a better future for her son.
Ellie is knee deep in concentration, head down studying a map and ready to sketch out a new patrol route when a knock on the door breaks her focus. It’s Andres, Dina’s new apprentice at the electric shop, a gangly young man whose family recently moved to Jackson. His presence immediately makes Ellie panic. They’ve only met three times since Dina hired him, and their interactions have been cordial at best. So, what else could warrant his appearance at her office at the end of the day if it weren’t for something urgent?
“Hey, uh… Ellie. A-are you busy?” he croaks out, Ellie can tell he’s nervous, but what for she’s not sure yet.
“Andres, right?” she asks hoping to calm his nerves even though she knows exactly who he is, “what’s up?”
“D-dina sent me t-to tell you to please… go to her house as soon as pos-possible once you’re finished with work,” Andres stutters out, making Ellie all the more concerned.
Ellie stands up from her desk and promptly grabs her coat from the chair, “did something happen? Is she hurt? Is JJ okay?”
She tries to calm herself enough to hear a response from him. Whatever it was must have not been too terrible, because if something dire had indeed happened to her family, there is no way Maria would have sent this semi-stranger to send the news.
“Oh! I don’t—um…” the young man stutters and brings a hand up to rub the back of his neck, “she didn’t say. I’m just a messenger.”
With her jacket half worn on her back, Ellie looks down to the scattered papers on the desk and then to the clock on the wall. She only had 30 minutes left before the last patrol shift returned and reported back to her. Ellie was not one to ever leave her post early, but she was unfortunately not immune to whatever nervous energy Andres passed on to her.
The whole situation was terrifyingly curious, and she had to get to her family to find out what was happening. Ellie scribbles a note on a torn piece of paper, neatly folds it, and hands it to noticeably anxious Andres.
“Since you’re a messenger and all… can you quickly send this to Maria for me, please?”
**
Ellie tries not to sprint to Dina’s house. She doesn’t want to alarm anybody in town, so she ends up speed walking instead. In hindsight, sprinting would have probably looked way less ridiculous than the quick shimmy her hips do when she makes herself walk fast.
The thought comes too late. Dina’s house is already in view when she decides to run the rest of the way.
Ellie pauses on the porch to catch her breath. She knocks on the door twice before she curses to herself. Why is she knocking when she has a key to the door? Ellie digs in her pockets for the familiar shape of the metal when the door swings wide open.
“Did you forget your key again?”
Ellie looks up and releases a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Dina is leaning on the door frame with a smirk on her face. She looks perfect as ever and all Ellie can’t stop herself from hugging her right away. Relief floods her senses when she feels Dina reciprocate, her arms wrapping tightly around Ellie’s waist.
“Are you fine? Like, you’re not hurt?” Ellie whispers into her ear.
“Yes? Is this a trick question? Why?” Dina is puzzled by Ellie’s panic-stricken face and leads them into the house.
“Andres said I had to come home, and he was all nervous and twitchy, so I freaked out and kind of ran here,” Ellie admits before adding, “wait, what about JJ? Is he safe too?”
Dina eyes Ellie as if gauging to see if she was being pranked. When she realizes that Ellie was serious, she laughs and gives Ellie a quick peck on the lips.
“JJ’s upstairs doing homework, but babe, you do know Andres has a speech impediment, right? Like, it’s a medical condition, it doesn’t mean he’s actually nervous,” Dina chuckles when Ellie finally realizes that there was actually nothing to worry about.
“A speech impediment? You mean to say I got nervous for nothing?” Ellie takes a step back to shrug her jacket off her shoulders.
“Mhm,” Dina agrees, and takes Ellie’s jacket to hang on the coat rack by the door.
“So, what was so urgent you sent you lackey out to fetch me?” Ellie tilts her head to the side, still so apparently confused by everything.
“Well… your son—” Dina starts but Ellie interrupts her.
“Oh no. What did he do?”
Dina points up to the stairs, “your son picked a fight at school today.”
Ellie’s eyes bulge out in amazement, “Potato picked a fight? But… he’s only five years old!”
“That’s what I thought!” Dina shrugs, “but then I remembered who his parents are and then I realized that the apple really didn’t fall far from the tree.”
“Holy fuck, you didn’t not just say that,” Ellie laughs.
“I literally just sounded like my mother,” Dina groans.
“Seriously, though,” Ellie asks, treading carefully but not without a smirk on her lips, “why did he get in a fight in the first place? Because questionable parents aside, he’s practically an angel!”
Dina sighs and leans forward letting Ellie hold her once again, “he said he doesn’t want to talk about it. Only that he wants to ask you something important.”
Ellie glances up toward the stairs wondering what their son could possibly want to ask her. She wonders what kind of demon would have likely possessed their sweet little spud to attack another student at school. The worst part is not even knowing how to explain to their son about not resorting to violence when the world they lived in required such actions to survive.
Despite the severity of the situation, Ellie couldn’t help but to joke, “if he wants to learn how to punch better, he’s asking for the wrong mom.”
The comment earns Ellie a light jab to the chest from Dina.
“Oof. Way to prove my point, babe.” Ellie shakes her head and grabs Dina’s hand to lead them upstairs to JJ’s room.
They share a look understanding that whatever JJ wanted to talk to Ellie about, they all had to do it as a family.
**
Ellie enters JJ’s room first. They find him slumped and sitting cross-legged on his big boy bed. Ollie is on his lap, and they seemed to have interrupted a silent conversation between JJ and his beloved toy. Ellie slowly makes her way to sit on the edge of the bed leaving Dina behind to lean on the doorframe. Their family was complete, but they still wished to respect JJ’s request to only talk to Ellie.
“Hey, bud. I heard what happened at school today. Wanna tell me about it?”
JJ sinks further into his bed and fiddles with Ollie in his hands. He hesitantly looks up and whispers, “do you love me?”
The question baffles Ellie and feels her heart breaking at sound of doubt in her son’s voice. She is more than a little concerned that her son somehow thinks there is a universe in which she could possibly stop loving him. She immediately scoots closer to him and wraps him tightly in her arms.
“Of course, I do, Spud. What makes you think I don’t?” Ellie eyes Dina by the door making a speechless plea for some comfort on her part. Dina only nods her head, assuring her that she is doing all right.
JJ stays still in Ellie’s arms and his teeny voice is muffled when he says, “Max said you’re not my real mom so we’re not a real family and that you only fake love me.”
“What? Who the fuck is Max?” Ellie growls making JJ flinch under her grasp.
Ellie has a sudden urge to hunt down this Max to teach a lesson about not meddling in other people’s business. Dina loudly clears her throat as if to remind Ellie that she is veering off track. Ellie has to remind herself that children can be unconsciously callous and that whoever this kid was probably didn’t mean any harm, and most likely doesn’t know any better.
“Are you angry with me?” JJ asks her and slithers out of her arms.
Ellie is reluctant to let him go and only does when Dina approaches them to sit next to her.
“Mom is not angry with you, Tater,” Dina speaks up, “she has her thinking face on.”
JJ pokes Ellie on the cheek as testing to see if his mom would notice. Ellie fails to hide the smile that emerges on her face. She kisses JJ on the head and comes up with a way to explain the dynamics of their family to a five-year-old.
“Do you remember the book I read to you the other night about the lost bird asking the dog if she’s his mother?” he nods and she continues, “well, our family is kind of like that. You have momma, and you have me. And just because we don’t look alike, it doesn’t mean that I’m any less your mom than momma is to you. Do you understand?”
The truth is that the allusion to the old story isn’t quite fitting to their situation, but Ellie hopes that it is basic enough for their little boy to understand the way their family works.
“You’re the dog and me and momma are birds, and you love us anyway?” he asks so innocently she and Dina can’t help but to laugh.
“I love you always no matter what other people say, Spud,” Ellie reassures him, and she is relieved to see him accepting her explanation, “we’re our own little family and I will always be your mom, even when you don’t see me.”
“What about momma? Do you love momma too?”
Dina tilts her head at Ellie, mimicking the hopeful look in their son’s eyes.
“Your momma owns my heart, Tater.”
Ellie feels Dina’s hand grasp one of hers, their fingers intertwined. JJ sees the contact, jumps on them, and nuzzles his little head in between theirs. The moment was so tender they almost forgot what had started the discussion in the first place.
Until JJ spoke again, “if we’re always a family, how come you don’t live with us?”
And damn, their son really did have some hard-hitting questions that night.
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krysphycookiez · 4 years
Note
Heyo hun can i request a NCT 127 scenario please? 🥺 where the foreigner fem!reader is the same age as haechan and they're both gemini's (reader late may - haechan early june) and they're a lot a like to the point where they're known as the nct twins. johnny is basically their dad. lmaoo.
(ps. reader doesn't refer the boy as hyungs.)
if you don't feel like it that's fine hun. 🥺❤
nct 127 | gemini twins
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synopsis: you’re the same age as donghyuck and both of you are very similar, to the point you both are known as the ‘twins of nct’ amongst the group
genre: fluff, platonic, slight humor, one-shot
pairing: nct x foreign!fem!reader
tw: none except for a bit of swearing
a/n: hi sweet pea! thanks for requesting, i really appreciate it <3 this one in particular was a little specific so i apologize if there’s some parts i missed! with that i hope you enjoy!
btw, anything in italics and bold is in english :)
❤︎
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“do you think johnny hyung will kill us if we do this??”
“last time we did, he almost cremated us into paste. let’s do it,”
“hell yeah,”
you and the little sunshine himself, lee donghyuck, we’re currently hovering over your tired leader’s sleeping expression, while setting up alarm clocks around him strategically.
both of you guys were known as “the twins of nct”, with the two of you being gemini’s and similar in personality, that name was bound to come around. the slightly younger male next to you snickered as he set up the alarm clocks, and fleeing along with you once it was all set up.
once the two of you got into a safe position, you looked at the timer on your phone, and the alarm clocks were going to set off in 5 minutes. sure you got an earful from doyoung and mark cussed you out in english, but it was worth seeing their funny reactions.
the tan-skinned male pulled out a small tablet and turned on the screen, and what appeared on the screen was camera viewings of each member’s rooms, all of them sleeping soundly, unknowing of the danger that awaits them.
both of you snickering quietly to yourselves, you both sat on the couch, awaiting the amazing reactions that was gonna come from your fellow bandmates, but you both were unknowing on the figure standing behind you.
“what are the two of you doing?” johnny, one of the older members asked you suspiciously, making you both freeze up and turn around nervously. “o-oppa! uh— well we were just- y’know—“
“AHHH WHAT IS THAT SOUND—“
your statement was quickly interrupted when you heard the familiar voice of your fellow member jungwoo. both you and the soft-faced male both turned over to the screen with excited smiles, while johnny tried to peer over your shoulders to see what you two were looking at.
“what did the two of you do this time?” he questioned, as if you guys were some sort of criminals. “just gave them a nice good morning greeting~” the sunshine maknae said cheekily while he was watching his members catastrophe in the cameras.
despite the fear and terror that ran through your bodies when entering the member’s rooms, it was so worth the risk. jaehyun was trying to calm down a screaming jungwoo, your leader knocked over various things on his nightstand which hit mark on his toes, but the cherry on top was yuta desperately trying to turn off the alarms with his sleeping mask still on, running into taeil on the way as well.
you and the devilish maknae exploded with euphoria, you could feel tears of joy pricking at the corners of your eyes while donghyuck was hunched over his seat laughing out loud. johnny just sighed, growing tired of your guy’s antics, but he could feel the small smile teasing the corners of his lips.
after the whole fiasco went down, all of the members went downstairs and you laughed even more at their tired and sleepy faces. they looked angry, but you knew deep down that they actually didn’t have the energy to be mad at you.
the first one to speak up was none other than taeyong himself. “did you brats start this whole thing?” he questioned in a somewhat intimidating tone, but his tough facade soon fell after he saw the both of you laugh even more, making his face light up a bit.
in between huffed pants, a familiar cute voice answered. “y-yes, hyung! it was us!” donghyuck replied, still trying to catch his breaths while you were already gone on the couch. “why did you guys do that!? i was just sleeping after staying up last night!” mark yelped out in a distressed voice, automatically switching to english, so you assumed the statement was directed towards you. “s-sorry mark! we just wanted to prank you guys a bit..” You said still recovering from your laughter, which can be seen through your stuttery tone. you were born and raised in a country that spoke english, so you obviously knew how to speak it.
before the other members could counter, a voice of reason spoke up. “alright guys let’s just get ready for the day, at least y/n and donghyuck are ready for training,” johnny said as-a-matter-of-factly, leaving the other members dumbfounded.
“hyung but they—“
“did i stutter?”
“ON IT—“
“hey give me the strawberry mochi,”
“no i’m not, donghyuck.”
“why not???”
“because i’m older than you,”
“yeah by like only two weeks,”
“still,”
“both of you just shut up and eat your food,” doyoung said a bit irritated by your guy’s bickering, making the two of you chuckle cheekily as you went back to eating your food. you and the boys just finished rehearsing your newest comeback, superhuman. it was a nice change of pace for a song, given that it was very positive and energetic.
“hey y/n— aren’t you gonna visit the dreamies with haechan soon?” johnny asked you, while you were munching on your delicious cold snack. you swallowed the food and replied. “yeah we will, right after lunch actually,”
“the two of you are lucky, i can’t see them any time soon,” mark said sulkily, making you chuckle. “must suck to suck, mark,” “shut up.” mark said while playfully punching you in the shoulder, which resulted in you punching him back. your little banter was soon interrupted when a familiar voice ringed in your ears.
“ay what’s up twins of nct!?”
“eyyyy jaemiiiiin!!”
you and sunny hyuck got up excitedly to be met with the two members of nct dream, na jaemin and huang renjun. you all did a signature handshake you came up with and laughed while the 127 brothers watched you guys with happy smiles. “how have you guys been?” the chinese boy asked curiously while donghyuck waved him off. “pssh! we are fiiine~ mark was being annoying as always,”
“i’m right here!”
“i know~”
the flirt of the dreamies just chuckled and wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer to him, much to your surprise. “well let’s go! chenle and jisung planned some awesome things back at the dorm, and jeno is cooking some good food too!” jaemin exclaimed, but his smile disappeared when he heard the familiar sound of someone clearing their throat and putting their hand on his shoulder.
“and will you kiddos cause any trouble? i don’t want managers to come and cause some more chaos while you guys are away.” taeyong asked sternly to the younger male, causing him to gulp the lump in his throat. “w-well hyung- we were gonna just play games and stuff...” he said nervously while you silently snickered at him. you knew taeyong just didn’t want anything bad happening to you, considering that jaemin made a particularly inappropriate joke that quite literally almost landed him in the wrath of mom taeyong.
“are you sure about that, jaemin?”
“yes i’m sure!”
“don’t worry about it taeyong, they won’t do anything.” johnny said while approaching the duo, making jaemin sigh in relief. taeyong just sighed and let go of jaemin’s shoulder. “alright, but if you brats do anything i’m gonna—“ “taeyong.”
the leader slightly froze at johnny’s words and didn’t say anything further. but when johnny walked away, he turned back to renjun and jaemin and said seriously, but cutely. “i’m watching you.” in english before walking out of the room.
all four of you stood there confused for a moment before letting out joyous laughs. all of you were hunched over trying to catch your breaths while jaemin wiped a tear from his eye. “holy cow hyung is scary! i thought i was gonna die!”
“mhm, i don’t blame ya. however he does have a point, if you do anything to y/n i swear on yo fuckin yEEZY’S—“
“hyuck, not the time.” you said sternly at the slightly younger gemini, making him smile cheekily. this overprotective brother side of his really was something. “fine fiiine~ but still, i see you, jaemin.”
“alright alright i won’t do anything!”
“come on guys let’s just go, we don’t wanna keep the others waiting.” renjun said excitedly while running off, making the three of you trail behind him in pure joy, ready for the fun that’s about to start.
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❤︎
ANNND DONE! thanks for the request again! this one was really fun to write for, sorry if i did miss anything though i promise i didn’t mean it qwq
this is @/krysphycookiez logging off... ♡︎
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whattodowithkpop · 3 years
Text
Blind Senses (Ravn)
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Title: Blind Senses
Pairing: Reader x Ravn (Oneus)
Genre: Fluff, Spice, Superhero AU, Enemies to lovers, Soulmate AU
Word count: 2,543
Writer: Kpopmadness (Ju)
*****
There is a lie that every parent tells their child, we hear it when we get scared at night. We are reminded of it over and over again. 'Monsters don't exist' Monsters aren't under your bed, they aren't in the closet, they aren't trying to get in your window. The doors are locked, the window is sealed shut, everything is fine.
The only thing I was worried about when I was little was who my match was; Every child is born with a soul mark, it's the tell of where your soulmate will touch you for the very first time. But when you are touched by your soulmate, the birthmark will turn a bright shade of pink and purple before withering away. Your soulmate having been found.
My birthmark encases my right wrist, a common place for people to have their soul mark. I often forgot about my mark until I looked down and saw my one marked wrist. But every now and again a flutter would slice through my stomach at the thought that one day, that mark would be gone. And I would have found my other half.
When I was 15, my childish dreams changed forever. A science plant exploded suddenly. An experiment gone wrong. There was an orange smoke that rose from the ashes of the building, its angry smoke rushing toward our city. I still remember seeing it outside my bedroom window a second before my mother rushed in with my father and hurried us down to our basement. My father boarding up the windows and doors to block the smoke out. Screaming could be heard outside, ones of fear and agony for those who didn't get inside in time.
In the wake of that science experiment, we were left with mutants. People caught in the smoke developed supernatural powers. Some of these people developed a spiked aggression, using their powers for the worst. That is how my father died. He and a group of scientists were working on a cure for the genetic mutations. But some didn't like that. A group of mutants set up a bomb in the basement of the plant, angry that someone wanted to take their power away. Take away their sense of control.
I still remember being home with my mother when we saw the black cloud with angry flames fill the sky. The earth shaking slightly in its wake. Dread and grief filling us, knowing exactly where the explosion came from. On that day, my life, my goals, and how I viewed people with these special powers, changed.
`````
Alarms ring through the large building, the sound jarring and disorienting. I stand my ground at my station and continue working quickly. I enter a series of commands into my laptop. My fingers shaking violently.
Red lights flash and the sound of people running down the halls fills the small room. I take my lab coat off, the room sweltering. The screen on my laptop shows a loading bar, making me tap my foot impatiently. I was so close to finishing this, it would change how we see mutants. It reversed their DNA to go back to normal, their powers vanishing. The work my father started would finally be complete and I would have a sense of closure.
The lights and alarm cut out, leaving me in blackness except for the screen of my laptop. I suck in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I was putting my life at risk for the sake of this experiment, but I had come too far to stop now. Eventually, blue lights come on, slightly illuminating the room. When they do, the loading bar on the screen is almost done, my muscles tense. Then the laptop suddenly gets slammed shut, making me jump back.
"Did I interrupt something?" A deep voice asks coldly, his palm firmly on the laptop to keep it shut.
"That's government property." I say firmly, but my voice cracks.
The man smirks at me, seeming amused by my weak attempt at a threat. Like me saying it was something the government owned would make him remove his hand from it and leave in fear.
"Yes, well, you and your government should really stop trying to cure something that doesn't need a cure." He glowers.
"And maybe we wouldn't have to look for a cure if you people weren't destroying families and killing the innocent." I shoot back, anger rising in my chest and filling my veins. My thoughts going to my father.
The man hesitates, his eyes showing a sort of concern and sympathy for my words. I take my chance and make a dive for the laptop, trying to jerk it out from under his strong hand. The man grabs my right wrist, stopping me.
"Do not try it." He snarls, his grip on my wrist horribly tight.
He slowly removes his hand from my wrist, my eyes widening and a gasp escaping my lips when I see my wrist. My soulmate mark shined a bright purple, matching the mark on his hand, then both marks slowly began to fade. Our soulmate marks disappearing. We had found our soulmates.
I stare at the man in front of me, both our eyes wide in disbelief. We were on opposite sides of a war, yet we were meant to be together. Suddenly, everything goes black. At first, I think the lights in the room have gone out. But it's my vision that disappears. I fall to the floor, my legs unable to support me. Panic grips me. I've gone blind.
"Don't worry." The man says soothingly. "I only took your sight away temporarily. Your vision will return in 10 minutes, that's just long enough time for me and my team to escape."
I take several deep breaths, trying to soothe my heart that pounded in my ribs. I spread my fingers out along the cold tile floor, trying to feel for something, anything. That's why I jump when I feel warm hands incase both my hands, making me cower away from the touch. But the grip holds firm.
"I hope we meet again." The man says. His tone sounding like he really meant that. "Maybe then it will be under better circumstances, soulmate."
He squeezes my hands before letting me go, his footsteps fading into the distance. Leaving me to recover my sight slowly, with a swirling heart and mind. I thought he had left, then I hear his voice again.
"By the way, just because I think we should know this for the future, my name is Ravn."
````
3 Years Later;
"No, we have to finish this." I demand as I follow my co-worker around the lab. The earth shaking beneath us, making everyone scurry around the room. Anxiety levels high.
"Well then you finish it then." My co-worker snaps irritably. "We don't want to die here. Unlike you and your obsession with finding this dream cure."
"It's more than that." I plead. Pushing my way through people pushing passed me in panic. The earth giving off another tremble while bright flashes of red light flash outside. Heavy rain pounding against the building like fists.
"You say that and he always comes for you." My co-worker says, whirling around to face me. His eyes raging.
I pause, my brain looking for an excuse. Any excuse. Ravn had come for me and the sought after cure for three years. No matter what I did, no matter how much I tried to hide, he always found me. His devilish smirk always reappearing.
"We're so close though." I say quietly. More of a reminder to myself than to anyone else in the room. Not that they ever listened to me. The population had given up on trying to find a cure a long time ago.
My co-worker sighs, rubbing his temples. "I know this experiment is the only thing of your father you have of him." He says, his tone softened. "But they won't stop chasing you and trying to tear you down. And they are outside as we speak."
I look over my shoulder to the large glass window behind me. Flashes of light and tremors in the earth reminding us that these weren't from natural sources. But from people. People who could control the weather and even create earthquakes to topple a building in seconds. And their leader, my soulmate, just waiting for them to break through our defenses.
"We're evacuating." My co-worker says, pulling my attention back towards him. "Come with us if you want. Otherwise, you can stay and talk to your boyfriend."
I feel a surge of heat course through me, flushing my cheeks a scarlet color. I couldn't find my voice in time to deny that he wasn't my boyfriend before my co-worker hurries off with the rest of my, supposed to be, teammates. At this point in my journey, I was used to working alone and everyone thinking I was crazy for trying to fix something that everyone else had just adjusted to and given up trying to control.
I set my jaw in determination and whirl back to my station, opening my laptop and entering the code. I watched the clock carefully as I worked. The world around me seemed to fall away as I worked, being used to Ravn coming for me to stop me from developing a cure. Our relationship having grown in a strange way. We were soulmates, but we were also enemies.
The lights in the building flicker off, just like they had three years prior when I first met Ravn. My heartbeat picks up but I keep working, knowing I still had a few valuable minutes before he showed up. My laptop gives out a series of beeps, making me step back in surprise. I stare at the screen in shock.
"I did it." I whisper under my breath, a smile spreading across my face. I found the cure to return the mutants back to their normal DNA.
"We really have to stop meeting like this." A familiar deep voice says behind me.
I whirl around and press my back against the counter's edge, trying to hide my laptop screen from his sharp eyes. Ravn stood a few feet away from me, his dark hair dripping wet from the rain. His black trench coat leaving pools of water around his boots.
"You say that, but you seem to enjoy chasing me." I reply, trying to keep my tone even. I slowly reach my hands behind my back to find the USB with the cure downloaded on it, pressing it firmly against my palm for safety.
Ravn's eyes flicker to my hands that were behind my back, his eyes taking on a cautious look. "You just can't give up on that cure, can you?"
"Someone has to keep trying."
Ravn chuckles, stepping closer to me. Making my muscles tense. "Give me the USB, sweetheart." He says dryly, extending his palm towards me.
I stare at him, how could he know?
"I'm not stupid." Ravn says, as if reading my thoughts. "I know you found the cure. Please, give it to me."
"Why is it so bad that you could all go back to your normal lives?" I ask, my voice pleading as I slide my way down the counter as Ravn comes closer.
"Because some of us have nothing to return to." Ravn answers calmly. "You would be taking away the one thing people feel they can control since they inherited their powers."
"You don't use your powers for anything good though." I argue.
"That's not true and you know it." Ravn replies. "We aren't all like that. Even if you gave the cure to some of us there would be others who would refuse to take it and would continue to wreak havoc. You take away the good people with powers you're left with the bad and you won't be able to defeat them."
I pause, that thought never having occurred to me since I took over my fathers work. The population of people with special powers had grown. 40% of the worlds population had citizens with some kind of power these past three years.
"The cure." Ravn says again, extending his hand out to me once again.
I stare at his hand, the hand that once held his soulmate mark, just like my wrist once did. Despite all he said, I still held onto the USB tighter and turned and ran from him. I knew how stupid of a move it was, it was pointless when Ravn could strip away human senses. But I still ran, and I almost got to the door when my vision disappeared, immersing me in blackness. Making me fall to my knees, the USB still clutched in my hand.
I feel Ravn's hands encase my waist, picking me up off the tile floor and taking me to the closest counter to let me lean against it. My vision a milky white.
"You know running from me does no good." His voice sounding as if he were a bit hurt by my actions.
"This cure is all I have." I choke out, still clutching the USB in my palm. My hands trembling.
Ravn seems to freeze, his breath fanning across my cheeks that were starting to streak with tears. "This cure is all I've known since my fathers death." I gush, unable to stop the words from tumbling out. My mother having completely shut down since my fathers death. Her attitude cold and isolated from me.
"It's all I have."
Ravn touches my eyes, wiping the tears away but also giving me my vision back. I'm alarmed by how close he stands to me, our eyes locked. His brown eyes hold a sadness to them I had never seen before. A sort of sympathy that had faded from people's eyes long ago when it came to me.
"It's not all you have." He whispers. "It never has been."
I stare up at him, words freezing in my throat. Before I can form a response, his lips press against mine. His hands cupping my face. I suck in a breath in shock, but soon my eyes close and my arms snake around his neck, pulling him closer to me. A sense of completeness washing over me.
Ravn slides his hands down to my ribs, picking my up and setting me on the counter. His body between my legs, his hands going to my thighs as he grips them firmly. I feel my fingers uncurl their grip on the USB, it clatters to the floor. My fingers weaving through Ravn's hair instead. His lips tugging at mine in a sort of desperation, both of us craving each other after being deprived for years.
The cure fades into an obsession that melts into my past, something I had chased thinking it was all I had. When my life had the chance to start over with Ravn and actually do something to help others. He had known something all this time that I never had. We were on the same side, I just wasn't willing to accept it. My senses blinded. And it took him to uncover them.
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regrettablewritings · 4 years
Text
Peter B. Parker Pre-Relationship Headcanons
A/N: Why? Because it’s my blog, I love Peter B. Parker, and not enough people are still writing for him.
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How did they first meet?: Normally, people in apartments prefer to keep to themselves. New Yorkers are especially not an exception. But it’s a little hard to avoid meeting someone whose crying you can hear going on through the thin walls of your cheap apartment -- no matter how much you may want to. Maybe the delivery person was tired and misread the address, but they wound up delivering an extra-large pizza to your door instead of the one to the right of your place -- the one where at any given moment, you could be hearing crying, a phone alarm clock going off for way too long, or an animal documentary playing. Pettiness told you to just keep the pie for yourself as revenge for him being such a weirdass, whoever he was. But the decent person you really were reminded you that doing that wouldn’t really accomplish anything. Besides: If the dude is already crying so often, why make it even worse by stealing his pizza? Sighing heavily, you shuffled over to your mysteriously somber neighbor to try to do the right thing . . .
What was their first impression of each other?: To be perfectly frank, not good. Peter had made his first impression to you before you’d even met him -- and you thought he was a weirdass! That, or really depressed. Given the apartment building you both lived in, it could very easily have been both. But when he opened that door, revealing himself to be a very tired-looking 30-something, you knew it was probably more the latter. And even though it was technically your third impression of him, the sour expression he wore with the equally unpleasant curtness over how you weren’t the delivery kid left a bitter taste in your mouth. The aftertaste stuck with you, tainting your thoughts of him for weeks on after. So it really shocked you when he reappeared after going silent for about a week, having seemingly done a complete 180. No, not seemingly -- had! As it turned out, his time in Miles’ dimension had caused Peter to become more introspective. Both on his life, and how he wound up treating others in it. Including you. He felt pretty bad for how things had started off. In hindsight, he was coming from a pretty dark and arguably even selfish place. Heck, the first thoughts he had of you (annoying, a nuisance) weren’t even based in reality: Rather, they had been muddled by his own cynicism and depression. And he really did regret that it never transformed properly beyond that, even during the scattered few times you would see one another as you left or returned to your respective apartments. When he tried to start over, being kinder, his impression of you was someone who was guarded -- as you had every right to be. It would take some time and a lot more mellowing before he learned that you were more of a shy, concerned person at the heart of things.
Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?: Peter honestly didn’t know how much he should let the others know about when it came to you. Was it really appropriate to use the cross-dimensional communication system to reveal that he not only was no longer involved with MJ on a romantic level, but also was potentially eyeing somebody new? No, but the disturbingly insightful Noir caught on and demanded that Peter come clean after using some detective mumbo-jumbo about how his pupil dilation indicated the presence of another woman in his life. Everyone to both Peter’s relief and embarrassment is supportive of this new chapter in his life, gently jabbing at how incredible it was for such an “old-timer” to put himself back out there. Even though the usage of “leap of faith” made his cheeks burn (how dare his own protégé once again use the phrase against him), part of Peter couldn’t help but wonder where such a leap might take him. Or if this was a leap he should even take. You, on the other hand, try to keep your budding attraction to your neighbor a secret from your loved ones. Yes, you’re a grown-ass woman, but that doesn’t make it any easier that you’re crushing a little higher than you normally do, age-wise. But eventually, the strain of bottling it up (coupled with your friends’ pestering) let to you coming clean. Of course, there were a lot of initial taunts on the matter but once that had calmed down, they were surprisingly supportive. “It’s New York,” they reasoned. “We’ve got some weirdo in a red suit swinging around and shooting webs -- you getting with your older neighbor is one of the most normal things that could ever happen in this city.” A fair point. But still, you had some concerns . . .
Who felt romantic feelings first?: You did, and the realization of it made you convinced you must have Daddy Issues floating around somewhere, though it was debatable to you if Peter could even qualify as a Daddy. You don’t even know where or when it started! (And frankly, you’re not sure if you want to because the chances that it happened when he was horking down on something is just too big a risk to take.) And even though you knew stranger things have happened, this was something you never would have guessed when you once humored the idea of meeting your “one true love” in New York City.
Did either of them try to resist their feelings?: You both did, and both had a laundry list of excuses reasons as to why you did. Yours started with the age gap, continued with things such as being worried he saw you as immature, and didn’t so much end as it did thud to a conclusion at your inner conviction that his heart still belonged to his ex-wife. And Peter didn’t even know where to begin with his. Most would probably suggest the fact that he was Spider-Man, but he would beg to differ. Yeah, it was a big deal, but so was (at least to him) the idea of an age gap and coming across as a creepy old guy. And even beyond those was the fact that being a depressed 30-something living in a shoddy apartment with a newspaper job despite having a degree in physics. (So basically, he’s peak Millennial.) To him, it just wasn’t a good look. Besides, was it right of him to go after someone new? Was it fair to him or you? Or was that just intrusive thoughts doing the talking? Whatever it was, the poor fellow couldn’t help but feel he was at a bit beside himself. And at the end of it, the two of you were just overthinking things to the point of nearly exploding. 
If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?: Do you know how many strange things random people walking around New York have told the both of you? You’ve learned not to invest a whole lot of thought into it. Not gonna lie, the idea would petrify Peter on so many levels that it’s not even funny. For one, he’d spent all this time convinced that MJ was his one true love. And now the universe is telling him that there isn’t a one singular true love!? Besides, what if he messes this one up? He talked a big game about a leap of faith, but that was with familiar territory: He knew MJ and how to approach her and be with her. But you? You’re something else. Not a bad something else, but . . . not quite one he knows exactly how to approach, especially this far into the game that is his life. To be perfectly honest, he might actually try to keep some distance and hope that you aren’t aware of how the two of you are connected. He doesn’t mean to hurt you, but he doesn’t mean to hurt you, if that makes sense. Peter knows his alter ego can cause a lot of pain and strife, and it was hard enough just going through that with MJ; he doesn’t want to drag another person into that, not if he isn’t sure if they’d be ready for it. But he will keep a close eye on you. Not only because you’re a citizen of the city he swore he would protect, but now he knows you’re meant to be particularly special to him. If he can’t love you up close, then the least he can do is at least make sure you stay safe. Maybe even fed, as he sometimes knocks on your door, claiming that he ordered too much food and would like to give you some. Perhaps he leaves a bag on your doorknob full of spices you may have wanted or coupons for things he thinks you might need, knowing that you’re probably scrimping and saving just as much as he is. Just little things to assure that you’re fine, seeing as he surely couldn’t do so as yours. . . . Right? See, the funny thing about soulmates is that while it comes down to the individuals what they can try to do about it, the bond between them will always been inevitable, given the right circumstances. So it was always inevitable that the distance would be worn away by the man who put them there. It was always inevitable that Peter would enjoy your company, and you his. What wasn’t inevitable was the fact that Peter would be standing in the middle of a bodega, reaching for a pack of candy he thought you might like, pause, and then silently curse himself. Whether he knew it or not, he took a leap of faith. And now he was in far too deep to get out.
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