#i can wait a few days. like ok. but nah its been 6 days since he last wrote me

[mochela]

.

[caphayzardous]

things r fine just debriefing a short convo into a huge poste

caved and asked one of my damage-informed (and also reasonable-inquiry) questions through text. you can't imagine how much I don't like to take serious topics into text format, hate Getting Weird Over Text, but a) this qn always feels so unimportant in-person, yet haunts me semi-regularly when I'm alone. had told myself several times I'd just get it out of the way IRL only to be like 'psh, nah'. and b) due to recent propensity for crying - and also non-recent perpetuity of crying at ANY serious moment - I felt that just this once text was safer than IRL for keeping things sensible.

it went fine (I say that now, we'll see if my lover is actually waiting to follow it up with an honourable in-person "Call It Off Because You Were Weird", but I don't THINK that's it). I somehow got an answer very very close to the Fear Outcome but in a way that I feel okay about?

Basically confirmed what I already know. this is all re: some near-arbitrary semantics of the relationship, basically that we are dating (sike did you all think I officially worked that out before valentines, like I said I would? I did not. but I did become more confident in that truth, before this recent upset. it is a relief to have this confirmed actually tho) BUT we are not 'partners'/in a serious relationship.

if that sounds weird to you. well yeah. this is what I mean by arbitrary semantics and nebulous areas. "we are lovers and we are friends and we've been going on dates for 6 months but it's not...?" anyway, however bizarre that sounds, it feels good to me and is about what I expected and wanted.

even though: its close to what I feared, too, separated only by the nature and details of the conversation. honestly I think it just makes a difference to me to hear "lover" "friend" "date" rather than cut-and-dry "friends with benefits" though try explaining the actual difference there?? it Feels different. to me at least lmfao, there may be less distinction to her, but by god she has the tact not to say so. I think it just affirms that my soft little feelings, are okay as they are. are not entirely misplaced, even though they wont go any further. I did not have illusions about her feelings but mine are still being looked after, yeah.

think also this whole thing just feels different to... you know... the past situation that recently re-haunts me (do you know that came to a crux about this time of year as well...? and with the impending end of things, I became so scared that it would all twist up the same way). probably the fact that things are being communicated at all makes a world of difference dont you think adchsbsj!!! like it may be late in the game to re-affirm these details, but it's happening at a decent and safer moment. in that past exp, the relationship exploded in a bad way and SIMULTANEOUSLY I found out that we were not even dating... according to them. so you can see why I might be hung up what counts as dating or not.

Im not asking for love, I just wanted to know Im not being made a complete fool of (again).

talking about this always feels like Im going to get y'all saying 'oh, bri...' because I Know how it reads still (yes I am a fool all round).

I will keep an eye on myself. In that same past exp I made the mistake of convincing myself I was ok with certain things like this, only to subsequently have really volatile and opposite feelings about it. sometimes I can tamp down distress with the cool detachment of logic but ofc that bitch comes back UP, you know? so I will keep an eye on myself here to see if I'm ACTUALLY still good with this situation as it stands, or if I'm just Trying to be good with it.

a lot of blog post to say: things are alright. my chest has been aching the last few days since it got into my head that there are parallels with the past. but it finally stopped hurting, and my heartrate finally settled, after speaking with them about it - I feel soft and safe again. so I think it's safe to say it's a good outcome. I feel I can separate it from the past again.

hope we can still stick the landing and get the 'good ending' when she leaves aus and we stay friends after hehe. I believe!! I believe!! I dont want this damage to take that ending from me!

might delete this'n its a mess but wanted to get it out thx if u read lmfao

[pesterloglog]

Jade Harley, Dave Strider

Act 6, page 6383-6387

JADE: her imperious condescension has duly noted your ridiculous tantrum

JADE: now take your welsh sword

DAVE: why

JADE: since you have obviously been identified as the one who must deal english his fatal blow we will need to make sure you are battle ready

JADE: and you do not seem very battle ready to me dave

JADE: show me what you can do

DAVE: wait since when could you use a sword

DAVE: also

DAVE: whats up with that dumb sword

JADE: i will not hear another word of such appalling slander about this fine weapon

JADE: its colorful and its silly and its a sword

JADE: end of story

JADE: as for why i can wield it, i surpassed the need for a strife specibus quite some time ago

DAVE: how

JADE: havent you climbed any more god tiers over the last few years?

JADE: what were you even doing on that meteor

DAVE: ohh

DAVE: yeah no

DAVE: i climbed a few yeah

JADE: what badges do you have on your kiddie camper handysash?

DAVE: which ones do you have

JADE: i asked you first

DAVE: show me your badges and you can see mine

DAVE: i want to scope out this universal specibus badge that sounds pretty cool actually

JADE: dave

JADE: we both know neither the kiddie camper handysash nor the badges sewn onto it are real objects

DAVE: oh yeah

DAVE: its pretty easy to forget sometimes tho

JADE: yeah...

DAVE: i think were getting sidetracked by the kiddie camper shit

DAVE: are you really suggesting that we do an actual sword fight right now

DAVE: like for training purposes

JADE: why not?

JADE: our empress can hardly have a knight with such rusty combat skills in her service

DAVE: will you cut it out with the evil jade baloney

DAVE: im not going to fight you

DAVE: my rooftop dueling days are OVER

JADE: en garde!

DAVE: ugh

DAVE: even if we just went balls out jackass BANANAS with our swords here i mean realistically how much appreciable advancement in my battle skills would even result from that

DAVE: are you actually thinking this through or just going through the vaguely nefarious motions that come with the territory of being evildog!jade

JADE: im gonna go through the vaguely nefarious motions of kicking your ass in a minute if you dont put up your dukes!!!

DAVE: yeah you probably will

DAVE: youll probably annihilate me worse than my bro used to

DAVE: dont you have all of your dogs insane powers and like

DAVE: god tier space powers on top of all that

DAVE: how exactly am i supposed to compete with that

JADE: by using your time trickery!

JADE: come on dave do your timey thing

JADE: get creative, make lots of copies of yourself or something... outsmart me!

DAVE: no!

JADE: yes!!!

DAVE: ok here i go

JADE: !!!!!

DAVE: wait

DAVE: nah

JADE: grrr

JADE: dave, just try a little time travel to get this fight started

JADE: see look, one of your time doubles is surely predestined to come from a few minutes in the future and appear behind me for a surprise attack, riiiight about...

JADE: now!

JADE: ...

JADE: no wait

JADE: riiiiiiiiiight...

JADE: ...

JADE: ...

JADE: NOW!

JADE: ....

JADE: .....

JADE: dave why is your future self being such a wet blanket

DAVE: i told you

DAVE: im not time traveling

DAVE: i think im giving it up for good actually

JADE: :\

DAVE: im serious

DAVE: the thing is

DAVE: being a time guy

DAVE: like actually MASTERING time travel

DAVE: im pretty sure what that involves is

DAVE: learning to never use it

DAVE: see its like karate

DAVE: well

DAVE: its more like what they SAY about karate

DAVE: that you learn it so you dont use it

DAVE: but i mean we all know the truth about karate is if you know karate then obviously in reality you use it all the time

DAVE: like doing lethal fuckin crane kicks and sweet karate chops while walking down the street just cause you can

DAVE: its a god damn no brainer thats what you do with karate

DAVE: but see with time travel

DAVE: all the stuff about learning it so you dont have to use it is true

DAVE: theres no good that can come of it

DAVE: you can crunch the logic on the loops all you want

DAVE: but all youre doing is painting yourself into a corner

DAVE: creating inevitabilities you have to rehearse and enact or face death for yourself or everyone you know

DAVE: and sometimes facing death is the very inevitability you have to rehearse

DAVE: and then you wait and wait knowing its coming and knowing it has to happen

DAVE: how do you think it made me feel when we were gathering up all those frogs

DAVE: and i knew the whole time in a little while you would have to watch me get shot

DAVE: but i couldnt say anything or it would mess it all up

DAVE: all cause i thought it would be cool to be marty mcfuckin fly

DAVE: but instead of shredding johnny b goode on guitar to get my parents to bang

DAVE: my crowning performance was doing a funny dance while getting pumped full of lead

JADE: ......

DAVE: then i had to leave everyone behind and get into the delorean and return to the 1980s

DAVE: but the delorean was actually a big purple moon

DAVE: and the 1980s was me accidentally reaching god tier and living on a shitty meteor for a while

DAVE: and i guess rose was doc brown

DAVE: doc brown accidentally reached god tier too

DAVE: ok i guess this is where the analogy falls apart but you get what i mean

JADE: sorry dave, you lost me there after the part where i shot you

DAVE: damn

DAVE: ok lemme start over

JADE: omg, no!

JADE: the fact is youre going to have to rely on those powers if you want to stand any chance against a lord of time

JADE: it is safe to expect he can only be challenged by someone with a similar command over the aspect

DAVE: why is that safe to expect

DAVE: where are all these presumptions coming from

DAVE: if you can use swords why dont you take the welsh cueball sword and fight him yourself

DAVE: i bet you could fuck him up

DAVE: youre probably even more extra strong now that youve succumbed to the bark side

DAVE: did you ever think about that

JADE: dave i am perfectly aware of the awesome powers granted to me by the bark side

JADE: it does not matter

JADE: i cant be the one to wield your sword against english

JADE: it has to be you

JADE: it is the will of the empress, and thats final

DAVE: the empress can suck it

DAVE: i have no intention of fighting him

DAVE: and this isnt even me pulling more lame self aware reluctant hero junk

DAVE: i am just straight up not going to do it

DAVE: see thats not reluctance its just petulant refusal on my part

DAVE: reluctant hero shit is when the guys like aw shucks i dunno if i wanna but deep down we all know he really does

DAVE: but i really dont

DAVE: why should i

DAVE: i dont give a damn about lord english or his nebulous atrocities out in nowherespace

DAVE: what kind of villain is someone you never met who hardly did anything evil to you or your friends directly

DAVE: or even to anyone in your universe for that matter other than through some vague insidious influence

DAVE: who even is this guy and why should i hate him

DAVE: am i really supposed to be pissed off at a green muscle monster i never met

DAVE: cause i aint pissed off at no muscle monster

DAVE: hell wasnt he in some ass backwards way responsible for us existing in the first place?

DAVE: or all of humanity for that matter??

DAVE: maybe i should thank him before chopping him up via welshscalibur

JADE: jeez you sure have some issues

JADE: honestly it has become very tiresome listening to this sort of thing

JADE: i thought davesprite had problems

JADE: his issues i could kind of understand

JADE: i thought you might be different, being the alpha dave and all

JADE: but no

JADE: you might be even more messed up inside than he was!

DAVE: what

DAVE: why are you dragging that guy into this

DAVE: what happened with you and him anyway

JADE: none of your business >:p

DAVE: it kind of is

DAVE: hes bird me

DAVE: that clearly means i have a right to know

JADE: that doesnt make any sense!

DAVE: you said he had issues

DAVE: what issues

JADE: augh!

JADE: forget i mentioned it

DAVE: was he talking shit about me the whole time or something

DAVE: i know he resents me for being the real dave

JADE: dont say that, you arent the real dave!

JADE: well you are, but phrasing it like that is so mean!

JADE: hes just as real as you, and when you imply he isnt you sound like a jerk!!!

DAVE: man i knew it

DAVE: i knew he was poisoning your view of me all those years

DAVE: and i wasnt there to say anything or defend against his slander so now of course you think im a neurotic douche

JADE: THE ONLY REASON I THINK YOURE A NEUROTIC DOUCHE IS BECAUSE YOURE ACTING LIKE ONE NOW!!!

DAVE: yeah but i only started acting like a neurotic douche like half way through this conversation

DAVE: you clearly had an axe to grind with me from the start and i want to know why

DAVE: what did i ever do to deserve this shit from you

JADE: YOU BROKE MY HEART!!!!!!

DAVE: what

DAVE: i did

DAVE: when

JADE: ok not you

JADE: davesprite did

JADE: BUT YOURE BASICALLY THE SAME GUY!

DAVE: whoa no way

DAVE: thats such an unfair characterization we are completely different dudes

JADE: you just said you had a right to know what happened between us because, and i quote, "hes bird me"

DAVE: no i know

DAVE: i was playing the "hes bird me" card because it was convenient to whatever it was i was saying at the time

DAVE: i forget what point i was making when i said that

JADE: *growl*

DAVE: but thats not the point im making now

DAVE: he and me are just

DAVE: crazy different yo

DAVE: hes got fuckin wings!!!

DAVE: he also presumably takes a dump and lays eggs out of the same ghostly hole

DAVE: ...

DAVE: ew man whyd i have to go there

JADE: *SNARL*

DAVE: ok if he broke up with you or whatever that was because of his dumb bird issues not my issues

DAVE: theres no way i would have done that to you

DAVE: my issues are totally different and probably way more serious

DAVE: i dont see anyone ordering him to master time travel or trying to pawn brittle welsh swords off on him do you

DAVE: nobody is telling him hes got to murder the incredible hulk

DAVE: did you tell him hes got to murder the incredible hulk jade

DAVE: no i think not

JADE: *sigh*

JADE: dave, i did my best to put all this behind me a long time ago

JADE: i did not come here to dredge up any of this drama with you

JADE: besides, such behavior is unbecoming of her condescensions loyal subordinates

JADE: you can be stubborn all you want, but i will force you to comply with her wishes one way or another

JADE: it will be quite easy actually

JADE: all i have to do is target the people you care about most

DAVE: hey

DAVE: what are you doing

DAVE: dont you dare touch the mayor

JADE: he is a very cute mayor

JADE: it therefore pains me to have to do this

DAVE: GET AWAY FROM HIM!

[maddiewritesstucky]

Ok ok ok so this isn't exactly jock 'verse related but it also kinda is & I need 2 tell u or I might explode 🤣🤣🤣 its legit a perfect fanfic trope but irl

So, my university has fraternities like a lot do BUT there's this dude (he's in a few classes with me) & this dude is just a Frat. Bro. thru & thru. He loves his frat & would likely die 4 those boys. Idk literally anything else about him besides the fact that he knocked a girl up his freshman yr & now, just, brings his kid everywhere. 2 zoom meetings & 2 in person classes (according 2 my friend) when we had them 😅

but wait

it gets Better.

I learned today when we were sharing about ourselves that his "frat name" (idfk how that shit works😂) has transitioned from a pun on his last name 2 just- D A D D Y

All the other dudes just. call. him. daddy.

YES HE IS A LITERAL FATHER BUT Y?

y are so many frats so straight that they loop back 2 being gay?

NONNIE I AM BESIDE MYSELF 🤣

Literally everything about this is fucking incredible!?

Being one of those dudes who probably ends up getting matching ‘bros in, bros out’ tattoos with The Boys™️ by the end of college? Impeccable 👌

This very same bonafide FratBro rocking around with a baby? DELICIOUS 👏

You already had me, Nonnie, but then you go and heap on the fact that there’s a group of young adult men casually walking around referring to this man as DADDY?!?

T R A N S C E N D E N T 🙌

This might be the best story I’ve ever heard to be honest. And you know what, as for the relevance to JockVerse? I think this fits right in, and I’m gonna go ahead and tag my girl @rainbowsandcoconut here because you’ve probably just made her day by prompting me to write this, Nonnie.

Consider, if you will:

Bucky having to take care of his 6 month old niece on short notice, on a day when he can’t afford to skip class. It’s a short day for him, only one morning lecture then a team meeting, so he just...brings her with him

In a baby carrier, strapped to his front, so he can still carry his backpack and have his hands free

He doesn’t make a big deal about it, and no one in his lecture takes issue because she sleeps pretty much the entire way through

But when he walks into the meeting and his teammates clock his situation?...

“I knew this day would come! I knew Barnes was gonna knock someone up!”

“How could you not tell us you had a spawn? I thought we were friends, man!”

“Jesus, she looks exactly like you.”

(That one’s accurate - this kid is all Barnes, dark hair and slate eyes and perfect little Cupid’s bow)

“Nah, this is our new linebacker,” Bucky lifts her out of the carrier and grabs her blanket out of his backpack, spreading it on the floor to let her stretch her little body out

She’s a pretty chill little person so she’s unconcerned by the bunch of jacked up football players all kinda crowding around, she just looks at them all in turn, babbling a quiet assessment of the situation to herself

Steve and Coach Fury walk in at the same time, and they both do a double take - Fury, because “why is there a goddamn baby on my floor?” and Steve, because Bucky’s hands - those grabbing, pinning, shoving, spanking hands that he’s so intimately familiar with - are now very gently slipping a tiny sock onto a tiny foot

“Barnes is playing Daddy!” Clint oh so joyously informs them, and Fury just kinda shakes his head and mumbles something about how he’s ‘been waiting for some bullshit like this’

Bucky explains his situation, and Steve doesn’t say much of anything, but his face is doing a whole lot of something. There’s no time to examine that though, because Fury is getting the meeting underway

It all goes pretty much as normal, except this time when Bucky’s running his mouth about how they’re gonna fucking obliterate the opposing team at the upcoming playoff, he’s doing it with a baby in his arms and his fingertips drawing soft, absent patterns over her belly; occasionally cupping his hands over her teeny ears when his verbiage gets a little more colourful

Steve does not know what to do with the duality of this

Since when does Bucky know how to do shit like one-handed prep a bottle of formula? Where the fuck is this soft-ass smile coming from? Why is Steve’s gut doing weird swoopy flippy stuff every time Bucky quietly coos “oh, you think so?” to his niece’s incomprehensible little sounds?

Crisis 2.0 comes when Clint insists on referring to Bucky as ‘Daddy’ for the entirety of the meeting, even after Bucky points out the inaccuracy, because in Clint-logic it would apparently be “way too fuckin’ weird to call you ‘uncle’”

This is not a kink Steve has ever considered before, it’s certainly not one he and Bucky have played around with, but fuck if his body isn’t doing some Thangs at hearing that title used on Bucky. His throat gets inexplicably dry every time, and a few strangled sounds make their way out when he’s not quick enough to catch them

He knows it’s not lost on Bucky, he can feel Bucky looking at him every time Clint drops the D word, but Steve can’t bring himself to return that stare

It’s a miracle Steve survives this maelstrom at all, to be honest. It’s making him think entirely too hard, and he doesn’t want to think when it comes to Bucky. The whole point of them is that they don’t have to think

He disappears pretty quick after the meeting, and it doesn’t go unnoticed, but Bucky decides to be gracious this time and let it slide...

...At least, he does until the next time he’s putting Steve through the headboard, when he just can’t help but tuck his smug grin right up against Steve’s ear, and purr “...gonna come for your Daddy?”

[builder051]

Whumptober 2021 day 5: Misunderstanding

Nat on fire

Small mentions of drug use, sickness, emeto

___________________________

Nat gets the call to action a few minutes past five on Wednesday morning. Her phone, stashed in the bed and still on its charger , begins to blare loudly, as does the pager she’s long since thrown into the depths of the closet. Once she answers one, they’ll both stop. It’s usually convenient, except that today she’s nowhere near either of them.

On a normal morning, Nat would still be in bed. Probably still in the dregs of REM, but lately, she’s just been drifting off at this hour, the drink and drugs in her system wearing down and leaving her to catch a short rest.

That’s not today, though. It’s the middle of the week, and Nat’s not stupid. She hasn’t shot up in two days. She hates to think that small of a break would put her in withdrawal, for she can’t be that addicted, can she? But that’s about the only logical cause Nat can think of for her sudden and desperate urge to leap out of bed and spill her guts into the toilet.

She’s been at it since…midnight? Maybe two. There was definitely a two showing on her glowing digital alarm clock when she dashed past it and skidded on her knees into the tiny bathroom. Hours have passed; Nat can tell without turning around to look at the clock. Her abdominal muscles have begin to hurt from heaving. She’s distinctly lightheaded, even perched up with the support of the toilet seat. Everything tastes like sour tropical fruit and salt and sweat. And Fury has a general rule about not calling before don’t-be-a-dick o’clock.

There’s a pause in the loud ringing from the bedroom behind her, then it all starts up again. Someone’s hit redial. Nat sighs and leans away from the toilet bowl, testing herself before leaving it completely. She’s fine, though shaky, and her throat seems both abraded and extra wet. “Ok,” she says, trying to push out speech without having to cough first.

Nat reaches around in the now-cold bedclothes and finds her phone, lit up and flashing Fury’s name.

“What?” Nat groans, almost before she has the speaker to her ear.

“Well, good morning to you,” Fury says in a clipped, annoyed tone. “What took you so long?”

“I was asleep…”

“Yeah, well, speedy reaction times are still a thing.”

Nat rolls her eyes, but but the movement brings back full-on nausea, so she stops, presses her shaky, slightly damp hand to her forehead, and takes two steps back until she finds the closet door against which to ground herself.

“Romanov?” Fury seems mildly concerned about her. Or maybe the connection of the call.

“Yeah,” Nat answers. “Here.”

“Briefing at 6:30. Trouble’s come up,” Fury explains shortly. “In country, so at least the flight’ll be short.”

“Urgent, uh, stuff…?” Nat hazards, her head more than her stomach telling her she’d be more comfortable back in the bathroom. She’s sure she’s emptied out, but that doesn’t mean the urge to retch is gone.

“Do I call you in for anything else?” Fury asks, as if she’s stupid.

“Well, um—“

“Briefing. 6:30,”. Fury shores up. “We still have a coffee machine.”

“Oh—“. Nat has to move her hand down over her mouth. “I’m really not feeling—“

“You’re up to it,” Fury says. “I promise. You’ll be finished by lunch, and you can all go and have your little celebratory hamburgers and what all.”

Nat’s going to explode. She presses what she hopes is the red button to end the call and throws her phone back on the bed. Then she turns on the spot and runs the three or four paces it takes to re-enter the bathroom. She bends at the waist and violently heaves, bringing up absolutely nothing except a dribble of foamy spit.

“Fabulous…”. Nat wipes her mouth on the back of her hand, then tries to force her fuzzy brain into motion. She needs to go into the office, there’s really no choice there. Then things are largely up to fate; she can sit seasick through a PowerPoint and bum along on a mission where she may or my not throw up on a jet, or she can get to the office and experience things going downhill from there. Nat can’t visualize an outcome where everything goes well.

Once she’s feeling steady enough, Nat gets back to her feet and turns on the bathroom light. She ignores the pale yellowish ring she’s made in the toilet and grabs a brush to see to her hair. Under the sink there’s a dusty gallon jug of distilled water, probably meant for the steam iron left untouched on the top shelf of the pantry. Fluids are fluids, though, and Nat has no Gatorade at the moment, so she unseals the lid and lifts the heavy bottle with both hands in order to take a drink. The water tastes like plastic, but anything’s better than the horror currently festering behind her molars.

Nat wore clothes to bed, a pair of faded black sweats and a SHIELD academy t-shirt, so she doesn’t bother getting dressed. She shoves her feet into tennis shoes without socks. Then she nabs a plastic grocery sack that’s listlessly floating across the kitchen tile opposite the window unit AC and stashes inside a pair of rolled up jeans and her phone. Nat takes her keys from the hook beside the front door, then takes a last deep breath and steps out into the hazy dawn.

It’s humid, and Nat’s car is covered in soft condensation. The moisture in the air settles on her upper lip, making her feel artificially hot and sick all over again. It’s only for a second, though, for once Nat’s in her vehicle, she blasts the cold air until she’s thoroughly chilled. Her hand shakes as she adjusts the temperature again to something more moderate, and it takes nearly the entire ride up the highway for her body to settle.

Nat’s fine, apart from a few hard swallows and intent breaths, until she gets to the side streets leading up to the SHIELD building. Half of them are one-way, and with cars illegally parked at intervals where she’d like to be driving, rather more attention is required than she’s prepared to give at the moment.

Nat’s stomach groans as she manages to squeeze past a crooked PT Cruiser with one tire attached to the curb. She swallows quickly a few times, but her mouth waters, and she isn’t sure anything is actually going down.

The next turn puts her at the entrance to the parking garage. Nat’s grateful that her full-time status lets her whiz past the barrier without having to stop and take a ticket. She loops around the first level, then the second. She’s about to go up the third and park on four, which puts her closest to the correct set of offices and locker rooms, but she’s beginning to taste bile again, and she knows she won’t last.

There’s a cluster of parking spaces in front of Nat, the weird angled ones that are most likely to get backed into by other cars as they escape at the end of the day, but, hey. She needs a spot and she needs one now. Nat means to let the car coast forward into the space, but it stagnates, and she hits the accelerator lightly. She has to slam on the break to keep from plowing into the blockade, and the jolt sends pure agony through her head, which then feeds down her spine, and into her abdomen.

“Fuck,” Nat mutters, trying to open the door and escape without first taking off her seatbelt. She hangs out of the car door, gagging for a moment, then her nausea dispels long enough for her come to her senses, disengage the seatbelt, and completely exit the car.

Unsteady on her feet, Nat clings to the door and hangs her head. Her breaths come fast and light perspiration forms on her forehead. Her throat feels gunky and sore, and she’s unaware of what or how much she’s expelling until she hears the splatter agains the garage floor.

A car horn honks suddenly behind Nat, and she starts, whipping her head around. Headlights nearly blind her, but Nat can make out the silhouette of an open door and someone moving toward her.

“Nat?” A familiar voice calls, and she can see him pick up his pace, running now to close the gap between his car and hers.

Nat curses under her breath, then spits and shakes her head. There’s no real hiding the evidence, not at this point. Best she can do is come up with a convincing lie and hope her body can roll with it.

“Are you ok?” Steve asks, approaching her with arm outstretched. He goes to touch her shoulder, but changes his mind at the last moment and places his palm atop the roof of the sedan.

“Um. Yeah.” Nat clears her throat a little, which burns and brings on a secondary desire to turn her insides out, but she clenches every muscle esophagus to colon and manages to keep it down.

“Are you—?”

“Coffee.” Nat tries to find her voice. “Didn’t quite agree with me.”

“Uh…”. Steve shakes his head. “That’s not coffee.”

Nat turns her head a micrometer and sees him looking at the hideously yellow bile running downhill toward her tires.

“Why are you so interested in looking at my…” Nat accuses. “You know. And why’d you honk at me?”

“That was a mistake.” Steve looks mildly ashamed. “I just traded in for a newer model…” He trails off.

“No matter what year it is, you shouldn’t leave it idling like that,” Nat snaps. She gets a swipe in at her face while Steve’s looking backward at his inappropriate high beams.

“You seem like you’re in trouble,” Steve says abruptly, still turned away. “You’re really sick.”

The flickering fluorescents overhead can’t be doing anything good for her complexion. “Eh. Everybody gets hit sometimes.”

“You shouldn’t have had to come in.”

Nat’s laugh comes out more like a weak, hitching sigh. “Try telling that to Fury.”

“You downplay things. Hard. You know?” Steve’s free hand comes out of nowhere and the backs of his fingers rest lightly below Nat’s cheekbone.

“Get off, you creep—“

“Relax. I’m just checking your temperature.” Steve’s smile looks placating, but his eyes are wide and honest.

“Hm.” Nat sniffs and waits for him to be done.

Steve drops his hand back to his side and nods conclusively.

“What?”

“Just what I thought. You’re warm.” Steve doesn’t waste time. “C’mon, I’ll quit idling my engine and take you home.”

“Nah, I’ll probably ruin your new upholstery.” Nat gulps, disgusted by the possibility of new car smell filling her lungs and sinus cavities. “I don’t know. I’ll just…”. Nat looks into her vehicle, dreading the journey back to her apartment. She shifts her eyes back to Steve. “And I’ll have to beg out to Fury first, anyway.”

“I’ll do it for you,” Steve says. “On my word.”

“You’re not going to take pictures on your phone, are you?” Nat asks weakly. “You’re going to need proof to get past that guy…”

“If you can’t ride in a car, you need to be in medical.” Steve seems to realize he hasn’t broken it to her gently, so he backtracks and says, “With beds, you know?”

Nat wants to disagree. Even if she’s not fit for a mission, she can at least be independent. Take care of herself. But what’s she even thinking? She’s barfing in a damn parking garage, getting rescued by a coworker because she can’t even get up to the right floor.

“Fine,” Nat practically growls. “But no needles.” The nurse babysitting her doesn’t need to see the baby track marks dotting her inner elbow. She’ll keep those to herself, thank you very much. “No IVs. Bed. Bin. That’s all.”

“I’ll make sure that’s clearly communicated.” Steve nods , then jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “Let me go park that thing, and I’ll walk you in.”

“Sure…”

Steve vanishes, and a moment later, the offensive headlights dim to something more manageable. His car moves forward and comes to a stop a few places down from hers.

Nat could vanish, too. Run into the building. Jump into her driver’s seat and speed off.

She doesn’t need the help. Or the charity. Or the friendship, really. She isn’t quite sure why, but she stays.

[peanut-butter-parkerxx]

non-navigational maps

y/n's new to the giant busy crowds of new york so she wanted to ask someone for help

pairing: peter x fem!reader

status: strangerz

Warning: shy reader (idk if this is a warning but just in case)

y/n's POV

new york sure is loud, like really really loud. but thankfully i found a park or something so i can relax a bit and really look at my map. i couldnt understand a thing. seriously how do people use a thousand subways just to get to one place?

after a few minutes i gave up and tried to ask someone for help which isn't very fun for me considering i barely talk to strangers...too shy for all of that but my familly will murder me if i wasnt home by 6 and most importantly im STARVING. hmm lets see, a mom and her toddler? nah shes probably busy as it is trying to stop her little boys tantrum, the old man in the bench infront of me? yeah why not- nope his ice cream just spilled on his shirt poor thing. i wanted to help him out but someone already did, a boy i think wait no he looks older maybe my age?  i dont know, i can only see his back, his hair looked cute though soft, brown, light, did I mention soft?- ok y/n stop it.

"Damn it!" The old man cursed "should've gon for the vanilla" he shook his head, I laughed his comment, he 'should've' gotten vanilla coz his t-shirt was white and it wouldn't stain that much *laughing* ugh so wholesome

I heard another voice, a much younger voice. I looked up from my god damn map to meet the back of the boy who's helping the guy out, laughing at what he said. His laugh is cute too

"But chocolate tastes better sir, I think you made a great choice" he wiped the excess now I know chocolate ice cream off the old mans shirt

"I always make the right choices kid, the names Stan" the once grumbled old man, smiled just from an act of kindness by a boy my age, he held his hand for him to shake

"Peter, Peter Parker sir" he shook his hand and smiled he said something to Stan which made him laugh. I giggled from their interaction just happy from what I've witnessed. for some reason I find guys my age helping others attractive it really shows me how good of a person this guy is, it makes me feel like not all boys my age are bad, I don't know hopefully I'll see him soon

*A/N: YES IM PUTTING A STAN LEE CAMEO IN HERE, if you didn't ask...The old guy I'm talking abt is Stan lee ;)*

After looking at my map a billion more times to try and not talk to people I gave up again and kept looking around, since there wasn't anyone else in this side of the park I decided to walk, if I'm staying for a while might as well get some exercise am I right?

I walked for a few minutes until I found a group of benches again so I looked for someone unoccupied, not sketchy, and hopefully is in a good mood, till i found a beautiful woman probably in her 40s or something ( but she looked amazing though)

she seemed nice as well, she just had that vibe to her so i decided to ask her, yayy can you feel the sarcasm?? I'm TERRIFIED

she was sitting on the bench, lifting her glasses every once in a while to read the book she had in her hand. i slowly walked up to her, nervous. what should i tell her? that im new to the area and if i couldnt find a Mcdonalds soon ill turn into the next hulk? the nerves seemend to fade away once we we locked eyes, she had brown welcoming eyes, a smile ill probably never forget plastered on her face.

"hello sweetie, what can i do for you?" her voice was like honey sweet, and calming as well.

"oh uhm sorry to bother you but i- i am kinda lost and i-i cant find a burger place kind near the are-" i was a stuttering mess! But thankfully i got interrupted from humiliating myself...by the- who is this guy? Oh wait! That's the guy that helped the old man! Peter? Yeah Peter, Peter Parker

"sorry i took a while aunt may, theres this old guy named stan, he spilled his ice cream all over his shirt so i decided to help him and i bought him a new one! should we go..." the boy trailed off, he looked cute not gonna lie, he had the same features as the woman infront of me, brown eyes, soft brown hair, and a kind spirit definitely. "s-sorry was i interrupting something?" he rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed

"no its okay peter, this lovely lady right here is just lost would you be a doll and help her? im bad at maps as it is" she laughed pointing at me. the second he looked at me blood rushed to my cheeks, he really was cute. i gave him a small wave and a barely audible 'hi' but luckily he picked it up and replied with a 'hey'

"i-im"

"Peter, yeah I know. Kinda heard saw helping the guy out. That's really sweet of you...what you did" I blushed "a-a-anyways I'm y/n" I wiped my clammy hands on my jeans to take the sweat off quickly before he shook them.

"Uh nice to meet you too?" he fiddled with his hands his smile growing bigger with every second he looked at me "y-you needed help?" He asked blushing and also eyeing may like he's frustrated from her or something, I laughed at his face and opened the map in my hands

"Uhm, well i-I'm supposed to go to the 21st street 3rd Avenue or somethig by 6 coz my parents will kill me if I was late since were new here, but I think there's enough time to go find some burger place or something since I'm starving and there should be a Macdonalds around the corner right? Oh my god I'm so sorry I'm rambling...I do that a lot when I'm frustrated.....and hungry haha" I nervously laughed mentally kicking myself for being such an idiot to a boy I potentially liked

"Oh no no, I don't mind. So uh you live in queens?" He started off smiling a bit, I was scared for a second since i didn't tell him about that part how would he know that?

"Oh uhm, I'm from queens and the 21st street 3rd Avenue is in queens" he probably got nervous since he saw my slightly frightened face, but it softened once I knew that he wasn't a creepy stalker or some shit

"Y-yeah yeah queens, sorry" why the the fuck am I apologizing?

"No it's fine, you don't need to worry. You probably couldn't find the 21st because you held the map upside down?" he chuckled flipping the map and I just died in embarrassment like can the floor eat me or something?

"I'm such an idiot oh my god" I face palmed and laughed a little the world has something against me I am sure of it

"No you're not, you're new to the busy subways and noisy streets it's fine" he assured me and continued on chuckling, can this day get any worse? "well ironically there isn't a burger place near this area" well great "but t-theres this deli sandwich shop that I always g-go to, uhm I don't know if you'd like that but it's uh really good" he squeaked red swarming to his cheeks and the tip of his ears

"He can show you, if you want? Since you're new and everything he'll be happy to help" the woman buts in smirking, turns out she's been listening to our conversation than reading her book. She sent Peter a wink and packed her stuff

"But what about the library may, you said you wante-"

"It's ok Peter, just come home before 7 and be safe!" She patted his shoulder and gave me a smile. It all happened so fast but I smiled back. Guess I'm gonna go eat with a handsome stranger?

"Well uhm sorry about my aunt" he cleared his throat "wanna g-go grab a sandwich? It's like 10 minutes away and uh we have like" he checked his watch " 3 hours before it turns 6 so plenty of time..." he trailed off, I could either decline and not explore with a cute boy and get lost again? Or risk it and potentially get kidnapped....yeah the answer is pretty obvious

"..uhm yeah sure, let's go" I ushered him taking the map and stuffing it in my bag "well, after you"

I'm thinking of doing a part 2 idk 🤷🏻‍♀️

Have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening/night!

-quacksonlover

[spideyswifey]

Power Couple: FootballStar!Thomas X Cheerleader!Reader Chapter 1: Practice and Parties

Okay so... this is my first x reader fic and I’m nervous on how this turns out 😬 I just had this idea of Thomas as a high school football star and the reader the cheer captain and they’re just a power couple! Also this was suppose to be like a little imagine, but ya girl ended up writing so much that this is now definitely going to be a series. Anyway without further ado I give you; Power Couple Chapter 1!!!

P.S I was inspired by @daveeddiggsit Wideout series for this. Y’all should go check her out if you haven’t already because her writing is AMAZING! And because of her I have become a simp for a football star thom! 🥺

Word Count: 1.4k

Pairing: FootballStarThom! X CheerCaptain!Reader

Warnings: None for now, as far as I know, but if you see some let me know!

Summary: For Y/N, being the freshman cheer captain definitely had its perks, a cute uniform, a badass squad that’s always got your back, and getting the attention of a certain freshman football team captain. And one day, Thomas Jefferson decides to approach her after practice.

“5, 6, 7, and 8! Whoo! Good job everyone!” Y/N exclaimed to her team as they just finished the last steps of their routine. Their coach nodded in approval, “Yes, now go ahead and rest up for the weekend! I’ll see you all on Monday!” A chorus of “Okays” and “See you coach!” could be heard by the rest of the team.

Y/n had knelt down on the track putting her stuff away in her gym bag, along with a few of her teammates/ friends. Her friends were excitedly chatting about the first football game of the season next Friday. She shared a smile, excited for their first time to cheer in front of a crowd at the freshman game.

“I just hope we get a pretty good turnout,” one of her best friends, Peggy piped up beside her, “Not a lot of people really come to the freshman games.” “Well they will this year once they see the amazing freshman cheer team led by the best captain ever!” Her other best friend, Lafayette, had proclaimed while he nudged her, giving her a cheeky grin. Y/n playfully rolled her eyes at her foreign friend, “C’mon Laf, you give me way to much credit!”

“Nah, he’s right Y/n! You’ve worked your ass off for the captains spot and you’ve earned it, you’ve gotta give yourself some credit at least!” Peggy declared, disagreeing with her friends previous statement. “Ok ok I’ll admit,” Y/n sighed contentedly “It is pretty rewarding to be where I am after practicing till my legs felt like they would fall off!” They all laughed together at her comment, finally standing up to leave the track.

“Speaking of rewards,” Peggy spoke up, a smirk suddenly appearing on her face, “It looks like a certain someone has also noticed your hard work.” Y/n followed Peggys stare, leading her to none other than the freshman football team captain, Thomas Jefferson; who had been caught, not so subtly staring at the three.

Thomas quickly looked away, hurriedly putting the rest of his stuff away, as he had just finished practice himself. He couldn’t help but look at her tho, she exuded confidence in a way that made him attracted to her. The way she smiled while performing a cheer, the way her ponytail bounced while she moved in step, everything about her was captivating to him and he knew right away that he had to at least talk to her, and then hopefully date her. Thomas then zipped up his bag, said a brief goodbye to his teammates, and decided to head over to Y/n’s group.

“No way!” Y/n scoffed, “We were probably just laughing too loud and annoyed him.” It was her friends’ turn to scoff, “Y/n,” Peggy started, “You’re hot girl! Why wouldn’t he be looking at you?” “I agree mom amie, you are a ray of sunshine who’s beauty over flows! Any guy would be foolish not to be attracted to you!” Lafayette concurred with Peggy.

Y/n began to blush at her friends praise, trying to hide the smile growing on her face. “Thanks guys.” Just as they were about to reach the exit, a figure jogging toward them caught Peggys eye. “Oh and look! Thomas Jefferson sure ain’t a fool since he’s coming right over here!” She tried to contain her squeal of excitement. Y/n’s head shot in the direction of Peggys excited gaze. Suddenly she could feel her heartbeat speed up and her hands begin to sweat. Thomas Jefferson was approaching her!

“And I think that’s our cue to go Peggy, Good luck mon amie!” Laf shot her a wink as he and Peggy hurry to leave so they can give Y/n some time alone with Thomas. “I want details later!” Peggy harshly whispered, seeing as Thomas was now in earshot, and quickly left giggling with Lafayette about their best friend.

Thomas stopped right in front of her, quickly doing a once over of her practice outfit. “Uh, hi! It’s Y/n right?” Her eyes widened at the way her name left his lips. “Oh, Yeah hi! Thomas?” She mentally facepalmed, you already know his name idiot!

“Yeah” Thomas gave her a small smile, “Uh, I hope I don’t come off as creepy but, I couldn’t help but notice you practicing.” “Oh?” She questioned, a smirk now appearing on her face, now that he had admitted to watching her, a certain confidence started to ease her nerves. “Uh, yeah. Your moves are pretty good!” Thomas sheepishly complimented her while mentally scolding himself. Dude what is wrong with you? You’re never this nervous!

“Oh, thanks!” She grinned happily, “You’ve got some pretty good moves yourself captain!” She winked. “Oh really?” Thomas asked, “You’ve been watching my moves?” It was now his turn to smirk. Y/n looked down timidly, biting her lip quickly before responding. “Well, I’ve gotta keep tabs on who’s gonna possibly lead us to victory on our first game next Friday, you gonna prove me right?” She challenged. “Oh absolutely!” Thomas beamed. “And when I’m doing so, I hope the cheer squad is able to pump us all up!” He winked. “Oh trust me! We’re more than ready!” Y/n exclaimed. They both shared a laugh, the nerves leaving both of them as they bantered and started walking towards the front of the school together.

“So, listen,” Thomas started, “I’m not sure if you heard, but there’s gonna be a party at my house after the game on Friday, regardless if we win or not, and um I’d like it if you could come.” He looked at her with hope in his eyes. She was just so infatuating and he couldn’t get enough. “Oh, um ok!” She replied bashfully, that blush coming back to her cheeks. “Um my squad can come too right?” “No yeah of course, um everyone’s invited, especially the cheer captain.” He smirked.

Y/n was about to respond when a honk caught her off guard. They both looked in the direction of the sound and saw her older brother Zack, waiting for her in the drivers side. “That’s my ride,” she sighed, not wanting their conversation to end. Thomas nodded defeatedly. “I’ll see you around then?” He asked, hoping this wasn’t the last time they’d get to interact. Y/n smiled, “Definitely!” And with one last burst of conifidence, she took her phone out of her gym bag and placed it in Thomas’s hand. He glanced at her, eyebrows furrowed.

“How else am I gonna get directions to the captains party, hm?” She answered his puzzled gaze with a small giggle. Thomas chuckled and put his number in her phone, then gave her his so she could do the same. They exchanged gleeful glances as y/n started to walk towards her brothers car. Just before she opened the door, she turned to give Thomas one last line, “See you around, Captain!” Thomas chuckled shaking his head, his curls bouncing. “You too, Captain!”

With that Y/n entered the vehicle , hardly containing her smile. “So, who was that?” Her brother eyed her as she sat in the front seat with a goofy grin on her face. “No one.” She replied while trying to hide the smile growing on her face. “Mhm, ok” her brother quipped, deciding to ignore it for now and interrogate her later. Y/n paid no mind to her brother, looking out the window as he drove off towards their house. The alert of a text from her phone brought her out of her daze as she checked to see who it was.

From: Football Captain Thomas 🏈🔥😉

Hey, I just wanted to let you know that it was nice talking to you. 😅 Here’s the address for the party! Hope to see you there, cheer captain 😉

Y/n bit her lip while typing a reply.

Thomas watched as the car took off, the smile never leaving his face. He quickly pulled out his phone to text the girl that has him charmed, while walking towards his moms car as she just pulled up. His mom made small conversation as he sat himself in the front seat. He then felt his phone vibrate.

From: Cheer Captain Y/n 📣😍🔥

It was nice talking to you too! Bring us a victory and we’ll see 😜 Don’t let me down football captain 😉

Thomas beamed as he read the message. If there was any more motivation he needed to win this game, he knew this was it. He was gonna do it so the beautiful captain of the freshman cheer squad would go to his party. And Y/n herself knew either way she would go, if it meant more time with the freshman football captain, she would definitely go to this party.

Looks like being the captain of the team definitely has its perks.

I hope you all liked it! I didn’t even think it would be this long and yet, here we are! 😅 Also what do y’all think about male cheerleader Laf?!? I just had the idea and it wouldn’t go away and honestly I love it!!! Also if you want to be tagged in upcoming chapters just let me know and I’d be more than happy to do so! 😘 Anyway let me know what y’all think! 🥺♥️

-With Love,

Spidey’s Wifey 🕷♥️🖤

[bechobbi]

Fortune favours the bold - SamDrake x Reader - (Chapter 5)

Tags: @missdictatorme - @unchartedterritoria - @jodiereedus22 - @aliceriddell-aka-zephyr - @sicparvismagnaforsam - @mooraakath- @uncharted-trash-shar - @tennantmademedoit - @samdrakeftw - @sparrowspt9851 - @reachagalaxy - @irresistiblemonster @original-drake@sw33t-but-psycho @dragonjedihobbit @ellie-drake @fhujami@birdgirl69@mafiahobbit @spaskaalekha @avast-you-dirty-dog @shambhalala@fandoms-pizza-wifi-ym13 @missymysa

Wanna be tagged in/out? Just tell me!

The sun's rays illuminated the room in brilliant trails. The alternation of lights and shadows made the room warmer and more welcoming than it actually was.

Sam hadn't slept a wink after reading that one page of your diary.

You opened your eyes lazily at the sound of the front door closing. It took a few seconds to figure out where you were. The slightly moldy and unadorned walls brought back in your mind the events of the night just passed.

Another unfamiliar place that wouldn't have long remained etched in your memories.

You rolled out of bed and automatically made your way to the window. You were hoping to understand what time it was basing yourself on the power of the sun's rays that warmed the day ahead.

You pulled the curtain aside. It was probably 6 or 7 in the morning.

You hadn't slept much this time either, but you felt pretty rested.

Some movement caught your attention. A man from behind was smoking looking at the sky. It took you a couple of seconds to recognize him. He was the one who had disinfected your wounds hours ago. He was pacing back and forth along the narrow wooden corridor that joined all the doors of the rooms of that dilapidated motel.

"He seems nervous ... No, it would be more correct to say that he seems upset" you thought.

On the spot you headed for the door and, once outside, you stood staring at him for a few minutes.

"Did you sleep well?"

You didn't think he noticed you.

"L-llike a rock"

"You needed it," he said finally turning to you.

He looked tired, his eyes red and circled by light purple dark circles.

"You, on the other hand, look like someone who hasn't slept for days"

Sam, not too surprised by your statement, put his hands to his hips, puffed some smoke and said, "It is written in my face, isn’t it?"

"Quite"

He smiled and gestured in the direction of the room. “I got something for breakfast. There is also coffee. You like it?"

It had been some time since someone had bothered to get you breakfast.

"I love it"

The man came up, opened the door, threw his cigarette away and invited you to enter first.

"Ladies first"

"T-thank you ..." you said looking down at your feet.

"Sam. My name is Sam"

You faced him, he was waiting for your handshake.

“I am Y / N”, he had a strong grip typical of a person who could be trusted.

He had been smart, now he was sure of your name and he knew for sure that the diary he found was yours.

While he poured the coffee into two cups, you sat on the only chair in the room.

"Here it is. A good dose of energy to start the day” he said, passing you the cup. Then he sat on the bed.

"Thanks a lot. You know, my parents often brought me coffee in bed” you said as you lost yourself in the dark liquid.

"Really? Well, lucky you. "

Lowering your voice you commented “Not really I would say”.

"Why?"

"Long story. My parents are gone "

Sam bit his tongue "Man, sorry..."

"Don’t worry. It's not your fault. Rather, I have no money so I can't pay you back for hospitality and breakfast. "

He sipped his hot coffee “Don't even think about it, it’s on me. Never let a woman pay, unless she's rich and you're her toyboy” Sam joked to defuse the situation.

A smile appeared on your face.

"You're nice" you affirmed.

"Thank you" he winked at you.

You blushed for a moment. You could perceive the erotic charge of that man from a mile away.

To distract yourself from those kinds of thoughts you started looking around. But you ended up inspecting your interlocutor’s hands.

He had big and strong hands, that were probably skilled in different fields of action, and surely had touched an infinite number of women. He was clearly the one-night stand type, yet behind that facade in your opinion was hiding a person with a big heart .

"Look... what are you doing in a ramshackle motel like this?"

He tilted his head to one side and commented "I could ask you the same question"

"You're right" you shrugged.

He hesitated a moment after which he decided to answer anyway "I was expecting a person"

You made a face "... And?"

"She didn't come"

"I understand" you muttered.

Silence. He sipped his coffee noisily, so much to fill the silence of the room.

"Was it important?" you asked suddenly.

Sam narrowed his eyes and nodded.

Silence fell again and you felt a little embarrassed, but at the same time you couldn't stop the questions in your head.

You started making noises with your mouth to try to make yourself comfortable.

Then you noticed that he was staring at you from behind the cup, he was looking for eye contact with you. He was studying you.

"Why are you asking me these questions?" he seriously ruled.

You held your gaze and stammered “I-it was like that, just to talk. Sometimes the silence is too deafening "

Sam was very serious this time.

He lit a cigarette and headed for the window. He looked out after moving the curtain.

"You know, last night when I went out to get some food I found something."

Your blood ran cold as thhe man eagerly inhaled the smoke from his cigarette.

"I know what actually happened to you before you came knocking on my door."

At that moment the man in front of you scared you. He had changed abruptly. Now it was creepy.

"I-I ..."

He interrupted you “I live on lies too, but perhaps you already understood this. I noticed that you are smart. I could almost say that you understand more than you want to let others believe. "

"You-see ... I-I ..." you tried to speak again, but he cut you off again.

"You know I have this bad habit of always wanting to screw others, but not wanting to be screwed."

Finally he turned towards you, from that position you could see his height and his physical structure. A hand would have been enough to break you a bone.

He slowly moved towards you threateningly and you were frozen in fear.

Now he was crouching at your feet and, without taking his eyes off yours, he took a lock of your hair and put it in its place behind your ear.

You felt like you had a lump in your throat. You stood still.

“You remind me so much of a person I know. Now, will you please tell me who you are? "

You couldn't open your mouth so he kept on talking.

“I know you weren't attacked because they wanted to rape you. I know that you are a thief of books, records and food "

He was playing with another lock of your hair, rolling it around his fingers. You were ready to dash away at any moment to escape from that strange situation.

Then you saw a huge smile forming on the man's face. A wonderful and sincere smile.

"I like it" he commented.

You thought you would faint at any moment, but you held on tight.

Sam laughed “You should see your face! Don't worry girl, I'm not going to do anything to you. And... if you are in some trouble you can tell me about it, maybe I can help you " he winked at you and jumped up.

You were stunned, you no longer knew what you felt. Fear? Yes. Joy? Yes. A mixture of emotions.

You were baffled by that sudden change in his behavior, it was probably some kind of test you had to pass.

"I thought you wanted to hurt me" you said looking at him.

“Nah, I'm not that kind of man. Rather, I feel that you are in a situation bigger than you. Ah here." He continued heading towards the place where he had hidden your backpack "I believe this belongs to you".

He took out your stuff and handed it to you.

"Y-yes, did you find it in the trash can? I thought I had lost it ... "

Sam laughed "Yeah sure LOST, of course”

"Well, in a way I thought I would never find it again after yesterday ..." you justified yourself immediately.

Setting down the now empty cup of coffee, you took your diary and some clean clothes from your backpack.

“My name is Y/N  Y/L/N, and I'm on my way home. Or at least to what was my home. Let's say I want to take back my due. "

Sam was intrigued "And what what is that?" he pressed.

"As I said, my home and my legacy. Some people took everything away from me, even my parents, but obviously they made it look like murder-suicide, so ..."

The man was captivated by your story, by you, by your eyes, by your gestures as you spoke, by your voice. From the adventure that somehow lay ahead of him.

"You are alone?" he asked.

You nodded with a frown.

“So you want to take revenge and take back what's yours, all by yourself. It doesn't seem like a good plan to me. "

"I can shoot" you retorted determined.

Sam was stunned for a moment, then returned to his normal attitude “Shooting alone is useless. Besides, have you ever shot a person? I mean a real person? "

"Once."

“Wowowo! Aren’t you too young to play with a weapon? "

"It was self-defense, that's how they defined it"

"Who?"

"The judge and the jury"

Sam was more and more surprised and intrigued, for a moment he hesitated, then he asked "So you were also in court?"

“Yes, but they let me go. I told you: self-defense. " You repeated.

“Ok ok. Who are your enemies?"

"Relatives" you stated.

The conversation was becoming an interrogation, though the man in front of you did not make you feel uncomfortable as the police did. It seemed to you that by dint of telling the desire for revenge grew more and more.

"So your relatives, and you must have shot one of them, disinherited you and so you ended up on the street."

"In a nutshell" you shrugged.

Sam took another cigarette and lighting it he asked "Do you have an ace up your sleeve?"

You shook a no with your head.

He snorted and in a reproachful tone said “You need a plan, girl. Aren’t you thinking about walking into the house, shooting and getting out clean. If you shoot first, the jury won't be so kind. "

On the one hand you were discouraged, in your head there was only the desire to see  dead all those snakes. Material things and life itself had lost their value since your parents died.

Staring at the floor you whispered "I don't care about anything anymore ..."

"What the fuck?!" Sam snapped "You're wrong!" he took you by the hips and lifted you like a doll, dragged you in front of the mirror placed in front of the bed and put you down. He smoothed your messed up hair and placing his hands on your shoulders he said aloud “A beautiful and strong girl like you must not give in to the injustices of the world! Life can be better than this! Don't get your hands dirty. And if you really have to, let someone else do it! "

"W-what?"

“Listen to me” he said reaching your ear “I like you, you have the ability to see inside people and beyond things, I'm not stupid, I've known tons of people and you don't have to go down to the level of those who have hurt you. You have everything to lose. You have a whole life ahead of you. Start over, you can do it. I can’t, I'm in it up to my neck and I like it, the risk makes me feel alive, but you're smarter, you're better than that. Look at yourself!"

You did not have the courage to look at the reflection in the mirror, you would have studied and hated yourself.

"Don't you want to look at yourself?"

"No..."

“Then I'll look for you. Close your eyes."

You closed your eyes and took a breath. Never before have you met such a chatty and outgoing stranger. However, all in all it wasn't that bad. You let yourself go to the warm touch of his hands. The warmth of him, his not bad perfume and his cigarette smell. His important hands were now gently moving down towards your arms. It was all very strange, yet it was reassuring.

"In the mirror ... there is a young woman ... a woman hungry for life ... alone, and able to understand the hidden truths of the world, which is a considerable burden, but she’s capable of carrying it. She has intense eyes, an elastic and agile body, but her hand is not steady ... she is afraid and she would like to go back ... Unfortunately, however, it is only possible to move forward, otherwise she would not have make it till this very moment. She deserves to be better than that, the sad thoughts are dictated by the tragic events, by the fact of feeling alone. But Lord works in mysterious ways, remember that. "

You were filled with a sense of melancholy. Images of you as a child flowed before your eyes, the happy days when everything went the right way alternated within you.

“Now” Sam continued “it's time to open your eyes, in every sense, and to look at this young girl. To love her, to appreciate her ... to hug her. "

Slowly you opened your eyes and looking at your reflection the tears began to flow.

"Thanks ..." you whispered.

“So you don't have to do stupid and hasty actions. You have to come up with a plan and let someone else help you carry this burden. "

You stared at him through the mirror.

"And who?" you asked in a whisper.

Sam smiled and winking at you said "I can help you."

"Y-you can you shoot?"

The man laughed heartily "Among the many qualities I have, I also know how to shoot, but we will try to avoid it, what do you think?"

You looked away “I can't involve anyone. This is my battle "

Sam patted you on the back "When you get your inheritance back, you'll pay me back"

Your body stiffened, you looked down and said "So ... it's money that interests you ..."

"Well, let's say it would be a way to repay me for the help"

At that point you couldn't stand it anymore, you shook your hands off him and yelled facing him “You’re all the same! Money! Money! Only money! And all that idiotic talk you gave me ?! Eh ?!  Pure fiction! "

Sam couldn't help but burst into laughter and said “You're a tough one. Anyway ... do you really think my speech was stupid? "

"Hell yeah!"

"Now I understand why she dumped me." He laughed again putting his hands in his pockets looking at the ceiling.

“What do I care! You're just kidding me! "

"Ahahahah You're impressive, she would have answered like this too"

You insisted shouting “Get it over with! Who the hell are you talking about ?! I am me and no one else! "

Sam knew you were harmless, yours was just a small crisis. What was importanta was that after a long time he was having pure pleasure talking to a woman. A pleasure that went beyond simple sex.

The man sat down on the edge of the bed, poured himself some scotch and said "This speech, more or less, I had to give to my ... let's call it " marriage ", but she didn't show up"

Now you were at attention, your enquiring side activated, in a second your anger vanished and you were finally ready to listen.

"T-that person you were expecting ... was that your ...?" you stammered.

“Yeah, my future wife if you want to call her that. Obviously not in the Church, let’s say it was more like an officialization"

"And she dumped you?"

Sam nodded.

"Why?" you were curious, deathly curious.

“I've been wondering for years. I just know she was everything to me. It was my redemption. A new beginning."

"And is that why you drink, smoke and do bad things?"

“Hey hey, I don't do bad things. I am a bit like Robin Hood, I steal from the rich to give to the poor, including myself. "

"Robin Hood ..." you were perplexed.

"That's right," Sam said.

"Tsk-"

The man became serious again and said "So do you want a hand or not?"

[the19thduckpotato]

In the Shadow of a Smile (Part 6)

Part 5

Izuku started to feel full and sleepy, suppressing a yawn and blinking away the sleepy tears resulting from it.

"Mmm?"  Toshi dabbed at his mouth with the fancy cloth napkin.  "Tired?"

"Mm, a little...." Izuku pillowed his squishy cheek on his hand, eyes drooping a bit. "S'cause I ate, I guess. I'll wake up later."

Toshi tucked some bills under his own plate, waved to Ryori, then held a hand out for Izuku.  "C'mon, then.  Can't have you falling asleep in public."

Izu gave a slightly-dopey grin, taking Toshi's hand and following. "I wouldnnnn't!" Urgh, I hope he walks slow. I'm full.

Toshi guided his charge outside.  "Oh really?" he asked teasingly.

"Noooo!" Izu grinned bigger and shook his head.

And though he didn't mean to, Toshi found he had led them back to the riverfront. "It's ok, really.  We can call it a day.  It's been exciting enough already, heh."

Sounds nice, to be honest. "But don't you wanna go anywhere else?" He muffled a yawn into the sleeve of his new jacket, then smiled as he was once again reminded of its existence.

"Nah, kid.  Your company has been greatly appreciated--" ever since Mirai His heart twisted painfully and he forcefully shoved the thought away.  "--but I don't want to drag you all over the place.  Let's get you home."

"Bu' whaddabou' you?" Izu rubbed at his eyes with one hand, the other still happily nestled into Toshi's big warm one.

Big hand squeezed small one.  "Hmm?"

Small one squeezed back. "D'you wanna go home or not."

I just like being around you.  You're good for this tired soul. But I also shouldn't be selfish... "You're the one blinking back sleep, heh."

And tired and I really wanna go home and sleep and-- NO, you gotta listen to him, he's not answering you! That means-- "But I won't be soon enough... n you didn't answer me, y'know." He squinted up at Toshi slightly suspiciously.

"Pretty sure I did," he replied with a wink and a crinkle eyed smile.  "There's plenty more shops to explore next time."  He gently tugged on Izuku's hand.

"Y'did not," Izuku objected as he went along with the tug.

"Shhh, you're delirious with tiredness."  A fatherly rumble of laughter.  "...want me to carry you?"  He rubbed the back of his head.  "I know you're kind of big for that...but...."

Izu blinked up at him. "--Ah... are you sure you want to?" I have to be too heavy for him-- and do I even want that? I'd be pretty embarrassed, I'd look silly-- but if I say no he'll never ask again!! That would be awful I DEFINITELY can't miss this chance but what if I am too heavy--

Another squeeze of hands.  "We'll keep going, then.  Don't worry, I'll catch ya if you drift off."

Did I miss my chance? Did he hear something in my voice and see it as a No? Did I push him away, or-- Izuku cut off his worried thoughts and leaned closer to Toshi.

"Really, though.  Don’t push yourself too hard.  I'll always be here to help, ok?"

Izu laughed softly. "I'm okay, really. ...Me too."

"You look good in that jacket." ....??? say it "You, uh... you look good in that jacket.  Kinda remind me of me as a kid."

Izuku’s face went from :o  to :D

Lookit that, another smile courtesy of Small Might.  See?  You don't always have to be super powerful to bring them happiness. Toshi made a noise of indeterminate emotion.

Izuku tilted his head, unsure how to respond. ...Is something wrong?

Toshi ruffled Izuku's hair.  "Home, then.  To the dorms, anyway.  It won't look weird if you suddenly noodle flop on me there.  ...less distance to carry you, too," he added impishly in a stage whisper.

Izuku grinned, ducking his head with a hissing sort of muffled laugh.

"Heehee, noodle flop.  That's...I gotta remember that one.  ....sounds like a plan?  I don't want to cut our visit short here if you don't want to."

“But I want what you want, you’re the one in charge here!” Izuku leaned against Toshi’s arm, flopping his head back dramatically as he tried to find out what Toshi really wanted behind his polite insistence that Izuku choose. “It’s your money anyway, heh.”

"Funny thing about being the Number One hero--no one ever lets me spend my money."  He shrugged with a shy smile.  "I wish they would, it's the right thing to do.  But I can't deny them the pleasure of wanting to do something for me.  ...that's why I like this idea of gifts.  Especially if we order online.  No one would know it was me."

Izuku’s eyes got wide, and his mouth formed into something between surprise and excitement. :> “Do you wanna wrap ‘em and give ‘em to the kids secretly? Because I can sneak some to their doors,” he bounced on his toes, thrilled that an old hobby of his was finally coming in handy again. “I’m pretty good at that!” He ducked his head again, realizing he sounded boastful. “Uhh, kinda, I mean.”

Toshi's jaw dropped, eyes wide.  "Why you sneaky little--"  Then he burst into an enormous grin.  "Excellent.  My protege and my accomplice." Not partner, though. He's too young for that. You know what I mean. ....... He pressed a knuckle to his mouth, trying not to take too obviously a deep and calming breath.  The grin burst forth again, still genuine but not quite as huge.

Izuku hid his own grin, a suppressed giggle that sounded undeniably like a zebra bubbling up.

Toshi's heart ached with relief.  He had almost slipped.  "Popcorn,"  he suddenly gasped.  "We have popcorn and you eat popcorn at movies and if you still feel sleepy, napping during a movie is generally accepted."

Izuku looked up with a gasp. “Yyyyyess!!” He bounced on his toes, all sleepiness hidden for the moment by excitement. “—wait wait, we can’t take that into a movie theater.”

"Well no, but I'm sure we could....hmmm.  We might need to bring more popcorn home if we watch in the common room."

“Hmm. True.” Izuku pulled at his lower lip in thought.

Toshi felt his resolve waver.  Somehow, going back to Madame Popol's and being social once more and then bringing home foodstuffs that would attract people which would mean being more social when all of a sudden, all he really wanted to do was curl up in his bed, pillow over his head-- Be strong. Don't drag everyone else down with you. "Good idea or best idea?" he said cheerfully.

“Huh?” Izuku blinked up at him, slightly lost.

"Bringing home popcorn for a big rousing movie night.  I guess we'd need to figure out what we want to watch, then.  Something that'd appeal to a lot of people.  Maybe even invite Mirio and--" His exuberant chatter cut off as he stared at the river, brows furrowed.  "--and uh..." Name, quick! Nighteye. NO.  Someone else!  The one kid, the...you know, with the--which class is she-- You mean Sir? Tyrande?  Tyra? You can't invite Mirio with out inviting Mirai, that's just rude. But i can't, he's.... Toshi was fast losing his train of thought.  Try as he might, he couldn't call up another name that wasn't Mirai.

"Oh, all of them?" Izuku's eyebrows wrinkled and he tilted his head, concerned about Toshi's trailing-off and apparent inner struggle for words. "I thought... it was too late?" A small pause. "...Are you okay?" he asked softly.

Everything hurt now.  His head pounded, his heart ached, his breath scraped at his throat.  His hand squeezed to dig his nails in, to slap himself out of it get ahold of yourself And felt the smaller hand still in his grasp. get ahold of yourself He turned to smile. hide it fake it till you make it don't ruin this don't steal his smile Mirai wanted smiles for everyone remember "...Are you okay?" the kid asked softly. Toshi froze.  The kindness in those words--he needed wanted it very badly.  He allowed himself to think about letting go, just for a moment, and felt his grasp on everything slipping. get ahold of yourself NOW His shoulders hitched, just once.

Izuku's eyes widened, and his other hand curled around Toshi's arm, holding on gently.

"...please no..." A hoarse plea.  Large hand squeezed small and Toshi tilted his head to the sky, refusing to let the tears fall.

"O-okay..." Izuku reluctantly removed his other hand, though the one holding Toshi's remained.

what are you afraid of? I'm afraid of losing him too, ok?! Idiot.  You absolute idiot.  What do you think you're doing right now? "Forgive me," the blond stammered out.  "I didn't mean to..." He felt a hot tear streak down and quickly covered his face with his free hand.  And under this cover, several more tears soon joined the first. not afraid of being seen? Toshi found himself too exhausted to worry about it any longer.

"It's okay," Izuku said softly. You can have boundaries, people are supposed to have those, I think.... The small hand squeezed the few fingers it could wrap around.

And there went your chance.  But at least you won't look weak in front of Toshi slowly sank to the ground, his free hand grasping the railing.  His flushed face shone with wetness. .....what are you doing. "--Izuku." Toshi broke Izuku's grasp so he could pull the boy into a hug.  He tried to speak but his throat worked and he knew forcing it would only bring a deluge of waterworks. I don't want to lose you, I'm sorry, I'm scared, I can't protect you any more, I couldn't bear it if something happened.  I just dont know how to speak my heart.  It's been so long, I'm out of practice.  Forgive your teacher, he's trying. He could only hold Izuku, trembling.

Izuku's heart skipped a beat as he watched Toshi sink to the ground, and again as Toshi broke his hand away. --??!? His arms wrapped around broad shoulders as best they could, holding tight. It's okay it's okay-- well it's clearly not okay but I'm gonna help as much as I can anyway-- what's wrong, what happened, did everything just catch up to him at once?? Should I ask or should I know already

"I'm so sorry, I'm messing everything up," Toshi whispered with a shaky laugh.  He buried his face in the familiar green hair. please let me keep him please don't let anything happen to him.  I'll try to do my best by him but PLEASE Then don't make the same mistakes.  Which means communicating. Toshi made a noise and continued to hold his kid.  but I'll say the wrong thing or something stupid or Or at least you'll be talking which is infinitely better. "...Izuku," Toshi murmured into the messy mossy mop.

"You're not," Izuku whispered back. "You're not." He hugged closer, lifting his head a big when he heard his name. "Yeah?"

"I promise I was just trying to make it a nice day for you.  And for me so I wouldn't think about things."  A sad sniffle.  "I may have used you as a distraction but I really did enjoy your company today.  Honest." And you're scared of it ending because you're afraid something might happen to him, you're scared of the thoughts coming, you're afraid of so much when All Might is never supposed to be afraid. "And I guess... I'm afraid..." With the truth so close now, the relief and the shame both vying so vehemently to take his heart, Toshi felt the tears well up thicker than ever.

"Of what?" One hand shifted, almost curling into wild blond hair.

Master.  Mirai.  Midoriya. "...I'm afraid of watching you slip from my fingers, too." Both arms wrapped around Izuku protectively as he gave voice to a sob, half terrified, half relieved.

"I'm here," Izuku whispered, tears starting to sting his eyes. I can't make promises for the future, I'm not that stupid, I know how things work. ...But now, right now.... "I'm here. And I'll fight to stay with you."

Toshi held him like he never wanted to let go as tears, now of grief for Mirai, now for want of Master, now for the ever looming fear of Izuku's safety, poured down faster and faster. And for the moment, his inner thoughts were silent as he simply let the hurts of his heart out.

Izuku held as tight as he possibly could, trying to sway comfortingly, heart pounding. Oh boy oh boy oh boy whatamidoing what if I do it wrong OH NO HELP-- No. No, I need to be there for him. Just... let him cry, that's all you'd want someone to do for you. After a while, his inner thoughts tried to drift to things like popcorn and whether there would still be time for a movie or if Toshi would even want to do that after this or would he be too tired or-- Am I being a bad listener? That seems impolite-- but then again if I thought too hard about this I'd try to say something and inevitably wreck it. Best just not to let him know I was thinking of anything else.

Exhaustion slowly crept in as the tears lessened.  And though Toshi tried to release Izuku, his hands shook and his heart pounded in fear once more-- a villain could show up right now and I wouldn't be able to do anything --so his bearhug lessened but did not break. I have to let him go at some point And the bearhug did not break.

A deep breath seemed to force itself into Izuku's lungs, an awakening sigh shaking his ribs. He blinked, shifting his arms, though not letting go. He skillfully suppressed a yawn, nestling closer so Toshi wouldn't mistake the sigh for wanting to leave.

The large hands finally dropped, the long lanky arms unwinding from Izuku.

A gentle questioning noise. Are you ready to get up?

Blue eyes flicked to the boy, nervous, waiting to see how Izuku would react.  They quickly looked away as Toshi pushed himself to his feet.

Izuku stood up too, purposefully ignoring the large wet spot soaked through his jacket shoulder. He kept looking up at Toshi, monitoring his reactions closely.

Toshi quickly wiped at his eyes and cleared his throat.  "I apologize.  I've....held on to that for a while.  Wasn't sure how to..."  He shrugged limply.

Izuku hugged the beanpole. "S'okay." He leaned his head onto Toshi. "...Thank you."

Toshi looked surprised, ears flushing.  "For...?"

"For like... trusting me with it," Izuku said quietly, fingers fidgeting with Toshi's coatsleeve. "I know that's. That's really not something you do with a lot of people," he laughed softly. "So uhm," he was back to murmuring. "...Thank you." He gave Toshi's middle a quick, grateful squeeze.

Toshi stiffened, the realization hitting powerfully now.  Then he relaxed, the warmest and kindest smile yet lighting his face up.  "Thank you.  For listening."

Izuku smiled back just as brightly. "Thanks for letting me."

Toshi rubbed his hands nervously.  "Are you....ah... disappointed?"

Izuku's eyebrows furrowed and he blinked in confusion. "At what?"

Toshi rubbed one arm sheepishly.  "For not being as strong as you thought I was."  Even saying it out loud sounded ridiculous as he said it.

Izuku's puzzled squint deepened, and his head tilted further as he spoke. "You... are? You're even stronger than I thought you were." I mean I always knew All Might must have problems, but GEE WHIZ.

Toshi looked at the river again, biting his lip.  Then he shrugged and gave Izuku a thumbs up.  "Well so are you."

Izuku took a second to think about that-- exactly how strong did you THINK I was, that must have been nil at the beginning --then smiled up at him. "Thanks!" Another brow-furrow. "Did... you still wanna do that movie thing?" But so many people.... "...Maybe... if it's okay... not in the common room..." he lit up with an idea. "I have a laptop we can use!"

Toshi nodded with polite agreement, looking like a top heavy sunflower starting to lean over.  "Maybe that's best."  He rubbed his aching eyes.  "I'm not feeling up to too many people at the moment."  A soft embarrassed laugh.

Izuku made a face. "Mblegh. Me neither." Than gave a sheepish laugh and scrunch. "If that's okaaay.... heeheeh."

Toshi reached a hand out.  "You ok?"

"Oh, yeah, just tired." Izu shrugged. "Never was one for long days." He blinked with some panic, realizing once again how what he said could be taken very badly. "I mean I LOVED this, I did!! I just meant I got tired sometimes and-- ohhhhh no that came out all wrong"

Toshi knelt down and gently took Izuku's shoulders.  "Hey hey hey, easy, kid."  His eyes shone happily.  "I get exactly what you mean.  ...I'm sure the last few minutes didn't help but, well...  it's been a long day for both of us.  And I'm feeling pretty run down myself now."

Izuku impulsively wrapped around Toshi's shoulders again, relief flooding his heart. "Okay," he said, muffled into Toshi's coat. "You ready to go home?"

The blond hugged the boy back, the warmth of the person he loved the most so close, so caring.  "Yeah," he replied thickly.  "You?"

Izuku gave a sigh that might as well have been a purr, so cozy was it. "Yeah." He smiles contentedly, his eyes crinkling shut with sudden happiness. "Me too."

"C'mon then."  Toshi began to lead Izuku away, then paused and gazed over the river one last time. Goodbye, Mirai.  I won't forget to smile.

FIN.

[cuddlepilefics]

1.    Christmas Bakery

Fandom: Stray Kids

Little: Minho (age 5-6) + Felix (5)

Caregiver: dance-line (mostly Hyunjin)

 Minho’s POV.:

I had told my group about me being a little a few months ago. Luckily, they were all very supportive and took care of me when I regressed. Which in the beginning I did quite often. Lately though I tried to avoid going into little space. As a surprise for Stay we were working on a Christmas album and had tough deadlines set which we were struggling to meet. Everyone was on edge, sacrificing sleep in favor of work and it was showing. We had always gotten along so well but now with the pressure and sleep deprivation fights were a common occurrence, both at the studio and at the dorm. To make matters worse, my neglected headspace was fighting for my attention the more time passed. I always tried to avoid it but it got increasingly hard, given how long I had already tried to suppress it.

During the dance-line meeting in the practice room, I slipped halfway twice but managed to pull myself back both times. That however resulted in me developing a bad headache and Hyunjin and Felix being annoyed with me. I don’t think they grasped what was really going on, they just saw me messing up and holding them back the entire time and reacting sensitive to their critique. And hell, I was annoyed with myself too but there was nothing I could do except for trying not to slip or to cry in front of the two younger members. By the time we decided to quit practicing for the day, it was already 10pm and we headed back to the dorm in uncomfortable silence and I could tell the two others were pissed. Fighting back my tears, I went straight for my bed, not bothering to take a shower or to eat something like the other two did. I fell asleep crying quietly into my favorite plushie.

The next morning, I woke up in little space, whining when Chan tried to wake me up. “Come on, Minho, you’re older than the other and yet fussing the most about getting up. We don’t have time for this, we’re already late. Now get up!”, Chan scolded, trying not to be to harsh but also making clear that I was an annoyance. I could tell he was mad by the way he shut the door a little too loud to be normal. A small tear made its way down my cheek and I hid my face in my plushie. I was tired and all I wanted was for my hyungs to cuddle me and show some love. For fear of upsetting my leader more, I slipped out of bed changing into some comfortable clothes to dance in and dried my face before leaving the room. Apparently, everyone was already ready to leave, so there was no way I would get a chance to have breakfast. Feeling rather shy and afraid of Chan’s anger, I stood close to Seungmin, trying to hide behind him. “Hyung, all we have been waiting for is you. I don’t think you have the time to lag off, given you were the one who didn’t get the moves down yesterday”, Felix snapped and the honorific he used in combination with the harsh words broke my heart. It took every ounce of strength in me to not start crying all over again. They needed me to be a big boy, obviously they hated me not being a big boy. Staring at the ground I quickly grabbed my backpack and left with Hyunjin and Felix, determined not to show them how little I was and upset my hyungs more.

 Hyunjin’s POV.:

We’ve been practicing for 20 minutes only but the mood was tense already. Minho kept messing up as much as yesterday and it was honestly pissing me off. I was really tired and it was determined that we could have a rest day when we nailed the choreography. Felix and I had already nailed the dance yesterday, so the only reason we were here was to ensure Minho would do too. However, it didn’t even seem like he was putting in an effort at all. We know he usually gets new dance moves down really fast so I have no idea what his deal is. I just wished he’d drop it already and take this as seriously as everyone else. “Hyung, come on, the part goes like this”, I demonstrated the section again while Felix counted the beats. “It’s really not that hard. Felix and I got it down already yesterday. We could have a free day if it wasn’t for you fooling around”, I frowned before walking off to restart the music. When we got back into position I could hear soft sniffles behind me and turned around to face a crying Minho. “Seriously, hyung get your shit together. Just do it right and we can go home”, I snapped and turned back around. Yes, that wasn’t very sensible but at this point I was really angry. With a soft thud he plopped to the ground hiding his face in his hands sobbing quietly. Rolling his eyes, Felix stopped the music again and I kneeled down in front of my hyung, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. I tried to hide my anger knowing it would only make matters worse. “MinMin, is s-sor-ry. No wan’ make h-hyungies m-mad”, Minho hiccupped in a small voice and only then it dawned on me that he had slipped into headspace. Felix had heard it to and we shared a mortified look. I don’t know how long he had been little but chances were high that I had just vented my anger at little him who has no idea how to handle it. I sighed gently pulling his hand away from his face. “Listen MinMin, hyung is sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. We just wanted you to be able to finish here like us. We’re not mad, ok? We’re not mad”, I tried to calm him down while wiping his tears. Felix came over and sat down next to Minho, looping one arm around his shoulders. “Sorry MinMin. It’s ok”, Felix shushed in a low voice. “Back to the dorm?”, he asked. “Back to the dorm”, I agreed, pulling the little to his feet before picking him up and placing him on my hip. We quickly put Minho into Felix’ sweatjacket, so the hood would hide his tearstained face, before I carried the still crying little back to the dorm. Felix brought our backpacks along and unlocked the door. The others were still at the studio, so we were the only ones home. After kicking off my shoes I sat down on the couch pulling Minho into my lap rocking him gently. “You’re ok sweety. Hyungie loves you baby. We’re not mad just stressed and I’m so sorry you became target for that”, I whispered into his hair before kissing his forehead. Whether he was calming down or had just exhausted himself, I couldn’t tell.

Once he stopped crying, I convinced him to take a quick shower as he hadn’t showered the night before and promised him we’d eat something afterwards, remembering he slept through breakfast this morning. I couldn’t help but feel guilty and watching Felix chew on his bottom lip, I knew he felt the same. I walked Minho to the bathroom and picked out some fresh clothes for him to put on when he was done. Luckily, having been without caregivers most of the time, Minho could shower by himself and I went to talk to Felix in the kitchen while the little washed up.

The Aussie had already prepared two sandwiches and the crust cut off, placing them onto a plastic plate with a cute motive on it. “Hyung, I feel so bad. I didn’t realize he was little and I was mean and now he thinks we hate him”, Felix started to ramble, his breathing quickening until I pulled him into a tight hug. “I know, Lixxie, I know. We’ll make it up to him, He’ll see how much we love him”, I patted Felix’ back and I felt him nod as he took a deep breath to pull himself together. Taking a step away, I pulled out my phone and texted the group chat explaining what had happened, informing the others that we were at home. “Lix, I need your advice since you���re a little too. Do you think making Christmas cookies is a suitable activity for littles?”, I asked biting my nails. My dongsaeng’s face lit up and he nodded excitedly. “You think we could bake with Minho?”, he asked excitedly and I nodded. “If you get him ready and make him eat, I’ll prepare some dough for sugar cookies. There must be some recipes online and I think we also have a few cookie-cutters”, I smiled and Felix nodded walking to the bathroom to check if Minho was done.

While Felix helped the little to put his hoodie, which was inside-out when he exited the bathroom, on correctly and sat him down at the table to munch on his sandwiches, I kneaded together the basic ingredients, following the instructions I had found when searching the internet. I heard giggles and after patting Minho’s head, Felix passed me to put the plate into the sink. Felix then stopped at the cookie- cutters I had laid out on the counter. I watched him admire them with glassy eyes before he shook his had and carried them over to the dining table. We didn’t have many cookie-cutters, just a star, a heart, a candy cane and a small gingerbread man. I rolled the dough into a ball and placed it into a bowl before grabbing a rolling pin and following Felix to the dining table. Minho smiled at me excitedly and Felix ruffled his hair before rolling the littles’ sleeves up. “Lixxie, you know, you can slip too. I know you want to”, I suggested but he shook his head with a smile that didn’t fully convince me. “Nah, Hyung, I’m good. I don’t want to burden you with having to look after two littles”, he mumbled, chewing on his lip. “That’s alright, Lixxie. I’m more than ok with that, go ahead”, I encouraged while rubbing his back but he just shook his head again. “Lixxie, look how cute those cookie-cutters look. I’m sure MinMin and you will make even cuter cookies with them”, I said cheerfully, picking up the gingerbread man shaped cookie-cutter and handing it to Felix who broke into a bright smile. He quickly went to hug Minho, bouncing slightly. “Right, MinMin, we’ll make weally cute cookies?”, he giggled with a lisp, to which the other little nodded and I could tell my plan had worked. Only after Felix had slipped did I noticed how tense he had been before because his shoulders were now hanging in a more comfortable and relaxed position.

After rolling Felix’ sleeves up too, I divided the dough into two and rolled out it out on the dining table. The littles were quick to grab a cookie-cutter each and start to work on cutting shapes out of the dough. To be honest, this way it was easy to take care of two littles at once, since all I had to do was roll out the dough over and over again and bake the cut-out cookies. Ok I admit, sometimes I had to transfer a cookie onto the baking sheet when it got stuck on the table and remind the littles not to eat the raw dough because it contained egg but that was it. At some point I had turned on some quiet Christmas music which was playing softly in the background, while we enjoyed a relaxed afternoon.

A few hours later the proud littles welcomed the rest of their hyungs home with cookies that were only slightly burned, which I fully take the blame for as I might have gotten distracted adoring their cuteness and therefore forgotten to take the cookies out on time. Sure the thought of having to teach the choreography to Minho again tomorrow was constantly in the back of my head but for now I chose to enjoy the innocent bliss as long as possible. As did the rest of the group who let themselves unwind in the evening, eating cookies and praising the littles for their hard work making treats for everyone. Our two littles fell asleep to the soothing background music, cuddled up on the couch from where Chan and I carried them to bed.

[angelkurenai]

Imagine Tom accidentally spoiling that your boyfriend, Jake, has plans to propose to you and already has bought an engagement ring.

“Acting is on its own a tough profession but one must admit each movie is different and does demand more things from you. Especially a superhero one, has even more demands. And you as actors need to be able to live up to the expectations and demands of this job.” the interviewer said and both Jake and Tom nodded their heads “So my question is, was there a scene that was particularly hard to film and you felt like demanded more from you as actors than any other one?”

“Oh you're playing a very dangerous game there, I'm warning you!” Jake said with a grin, grabbing his coffee to take a sip as he glanced at Tom “Are you sure you want him to answer that one? Because if you do, let me go right ahead and say: Spoiler Warning! Proceed with caution!”

“Come on, dude.” Tom laughed although deep down he too was scared something might slip. It was this kind of questions that he really was scared of “Have some faith in me!”

“Oh I do have faith in you! I have so much faith that I am 100% sure you will leave one non-spoiled scene in the entire movie. That's why I'm making this clear, I have no part in this!” he raised his hands in the air.

“Wow way to throw me under the bus, man, thank you so much for this.” Tom blinked, faking shock and hurt but in the end they both burst in laughter “Anyway, I'll prove you wrong and you'll see it!” he said fully determined before turning back to the interviewer “I actually remember filming this scene which-” he paused for a second, glancing at Jake who was seemingly on alert, watching his with wide eyes.

“Look at him!” the interviewer laughed “He's like ready to jump and stop you in case you spoil something.”

“You know, I suggested getting duct tape with me just in case but somehow they believed it was too much? What kind of thing is even that?!” he looked around with a funny look before scoffing “Now there's only so much I can do about it.” he shrugged as his words earned a laugh “You can never be too careful I tell you.” Jake noted and Tom shook his head with a laugh.

“Don't worry man. As I was saying, there was this scene which aside from the action part which it certainly had, because I remember my heart racing the entire time, it also came down to being really emotional. And- and I remember how it was during the middle of the production and we had shot some easy and hard scenes but when we got to shot that one it was, like, Whow man this is tough! And now that it's all over I can say that for sure. I remember how I had to balance those two and it was particularly hard because other than being this struggling hero trying to fight for his life and the ones he cares, I had to show the emotional pain on my moves and whenever I could my voice and face; whenever it was on display I suppose. It was like putting two aspects together that very often are linked but also very rarely are displayed in that way, with- with the mask on and all that. So uhm-” he shrugged a bit, nodding his head “Yeah, that's it I believe.”

“Wow” Jake breathed out with wide eyes, faking shock “I'm actually impressed. He didn't spoil anything!”

“Told you to have some faith in me dude.” Tom said as they both laughed.

“What about you, Jake?” the interviewer asked the older man.

“Oh nah I just sipped on my coffee, said a couple lines here and there, cuddled the life out of (Y/n) and all around let the CGI team do their thing. It was a great movie to film, yes.” Jake said with smile full of pride, shrugging casually.

“Basically was 24/7 with his girlfriend is what he'd trying to say.” Tom laughed “And even when she had a scene he was like, behind the cameras cheering and fangirling over her!”

“No, man, no.” Jake brushed him off all seriously “It's called fanboying! Fanboying! Learn the right terms.” his voice came out almost stern until they both laughed “I can't believe I'd ever get to say that!”

“(Y/n)'s really forced you to learn them huh?” Tom laughed.

“Nah she talks about it all the time so I just kind of listened to it and now I know pretty much everything.”

“Considering how much time you spent together it would be no surprise. Plus, (Y/n)'s like the ultimate fangirl despite having been part of the MCU ever since the beginning. It was actually-” Tom looked back at the interviewer “Her that I was about to talk about next. Despite how Jake insists that he had it easy, there were some scenes that were quiet stressful and I think if it wasn't for her being there to, you know, support you and make you come back to reality, you would have noticed how hard they really were.”

“All jokes aside, it's a tough job, yeah. A lot more than people actually realize.” Jake nodded his head “That's why friends and family are sometimes really important.”

“And you guys I presume had a little bit of both during this film, right?” the interviewer asked.

“We were very lucky because we had a lot of both, yes.” Tom said, glancing at Jake who nodded his head “And there were a lot of people that were friends and turned into family and that makes the movie even more important. We- Despite any tough days were we really got tired, I think we were always able to find moments to- to actually relax without having to think about preparing for work or anything like that and be ourselves, you know?”

“Which is actually a bunch of five-year-olds stuck into adults' buddies.” Jake said with a smirk, getting hold of his coffee again.

“Which is exactly that, yes.” Tom nodded his head “But it's also something that some days (Y/n) could barely handle and that- that really was an advantage sometimes, you see. Because, I remember that time we had the day off and I had gone to find him in case he wanted to hang out. But when I saw him he was so incredibly nervous and unable to sit down and I was not sure if I should ask or not. In the end I was like “Hey, what's up man? You don't look ok today. Is there something I can help with?” and turns out it was the right thing to say because he was overthinking about some stuff and uh needed a friend to help him take it slow.”

“And at this point I go like: Who the heck told you we're friends?” Jake said playfully, effectively making both him and the interviewer laugh.

“Yeah, here's probably that too. Anyway, I'm really glad we became this big dysfunctional family, even if he and I actually spent the entire day going from shop to shop trying to find the perfect engagement ring for him to prop-” but his words were cut off when he hear the loud coughing coming from the man next to him as Jake had apparently chosen the wrong moment to take a sip of his coffee. Or maybe the second worst decision, with the first one being letting his guards down and thinking that spoilers was the worst that could come out of Tom's mouth.

“Jake, you ok man? Jake?” he patted him on the back as he tried to recover from it “Are you ok?”

“D-dude!” was the first word that came out of his lips as he looked with wide eyes at Tom.

“...Wh-what?” Tom asked after a good few seconds, unable to understand the reason behind all of it was what he said.

Jake's face went serious and he looked at the interviewer saying with an almost blank face and no longer wide eyes “Please tell me you have some duct tape with you. Please, I will be eternally grateful to you.”

The woman was having a hard time hiding her laugh behind her hand “I'm- I'm sorry but... no.”

Jake groaned, letting his head hang low as he shook it “No mercy. Absolutely no mercy. I can't believe this.”

“Wh-what happened? Why are you-”

“What happened? What happened? Oh how about the fact that you just blurted out something way worse than a spoiler for the movie! Is there really no filter? None at all?”

“I didn't- Wait-- you mean you haven't proposed to her yet?!” Ton's own eyes widened “Dude you've had the ring for like 6 months now!”

“Oh yeah, why don't you go ahead and say that too hm?” he asked sarcastically before shaking his head “Oh dear, can't believe-”

“Come on, do you really think after all these months she may have not figured it out herself? (Y/n)'s too smart for that! I'm 100% sure she knows.” he tried to comfort him or probably calm him down before he killed him, judging by the nervous laugh that he let. Seeing Jake somewhat relax he kept going in hopes that he'd make things better “Only reason she's probably not talking about is because she's trying to figure a way out to tell you about the positive pregnancy test without you-”

“What now?!”

Or not. Maybe not. Definitely not make things better.

[hey-hamlet]

BNHA AU Ideas : Quirkless Erasure

Also on AO3!

TL;DR: 

In some worlds, Midoriya Izuku is the first quirkless hero. But not in this one, not by far.

Because his homeroom teacher is the hero he's always looked up to: UA's first quirkless Pro Hero.

----

Izuku isn't the only quirkless one, and Aizawa gets into the hero course via emotional devastation against his opponents.

anyway so: quirkless aizawa bc i need that

everyone thinks he has a quirk like emotional manipulation of something but no he's just fucking savage, he gets into the hero course bc he blasted the absolute shit out of mic

everything’s on youtube it’s one of the most viewed videos of all time

this aizawa's eyes are permanently gold bc i headcanon it's his quirk that makes his eyes black, not the colour they flash

"you yell because you have a constant fear no one is really listening to you. you play the class clown and don't try too hard so when you look back you think "i failed because i didn't try" not "i failed because i wasn't good enough""

"bro,,, bro what the fuck did i do to you"

aizawa isn’t even salty he’s quirkless tbh

"you're pushing this on me because it hurts, right? your loud, flashy but damaging quirk means the only thing people think you're useful for is heroics. did you want to do this, or is this the only way society will let you feel comfortable in the role it presses in on you"

"well being quirkless is rough but at least i cn be whatever i want to be"

mics just shell shocked mics not even using his quirk and everyone’s just uwu he’s erasing mics quirk

all aizawa does is walk is close and mutter "society thinks im worthless, which is rough. but you have to put your life on the line or you're nothing better than a villain to the people"

and just, lightly pushes him out of bounds

pls mics just in Love this guy tore him to fucking pieces but Damn

aizawa  helps him up off the floor

"so im probably not wrong but im a little sorry for saying it on live tv"

mic "youre amazing"

aizawa just goes bright red and starts sputtering

aizawa: the emotional devastation hero weakness: genuine compliments

consider 1A teacher aizawa just still made of emotional devastation, nezu made him promise not to use his powers of destruction on his children unless he was expelling them 

this is a quirkless izuku au too, mirio got ofa, allmight encouraged izuku to be a hero after the fight but had no quirk to give him and he manages to make his own way into the hero course

so izuku is a little analyst, gets mostly hero points but uses sharp rebar and poles to smash in the sensors of some robots, getting him a few non-rescue points either. Aizawa is watching like "oh interesting a non-combat quirk" and beside him allmight is vibrating with excitement

"he might actually do it!"

"who might do what"

allmight turns sheepishly to aizawa

"young midoriya on camera 6, he might just be the first quirkless student to pass the enterance exam to heroics straight up"

and aizawa can hardly watch anyone else for the rest of the exam, he adopts this kid on the fucking Spot

hes on the edge of his fucking seat, when nezu sends out the zero pointer. "this kid only needs 10 more points, just ten more" and izuku turns around to look at the 0 pointer and aizawa is like "fuck kid i hope you know what youre doing"

he manages to shove a piece of rebar into the treads, stoping it in its place. it tries to swat him like a bug but he just dives out of the way, picks up ochako and sprints and aizawa is like "holy shit holy shit these bastards better give this kid hero points for that"

like they are assigning final hero points and aizawa has to awkwardly put his hand up "i,,, should probably be excluded from giving midoriya hero points because i went from 0 to bias very very quickly"

allmight just nods sagely

"young midoriya be like that sometimes"

pls aizawa tries to act extra tough bc he can’t let anyone know he’s Adopted this child

for all izuku's brain hes useless w social stuff and thinks aizawa hates him but everyone else k n o w s

also izuku is the only person in 1A who knows ab aizawa's "quirk" and hes like, constantly vibrating w glee around the guy

aizawa walks in the first day, hears bakugo asking how this "quirkless bastard" got in, grabs bakugo w his scarf and yeets him into vlad’s room

"ok students, looks like we are a class of 19. any other comments before we start?"

and like everyone is so lost no one questions it

bakugo is screaming bloody murder until vlad "kindly" tells him ua has a strict no discrimination policy and aizawa would have been well within his rights to expel him

please nezu is like "uwu take one of 1B to make the classes even" and vlad is like "no ive already bonded tough cookies" vlad just adopts bakugo instantly

monoma and bakugou become bros, the baku-squad is 50% a thing, but its mostly 1B students but with pinning kiri. kendo and bakugo both keep monoma in line, monoma and kendo keep bakugo in line

during the sports festival shinsou is like "you must have a blessed quirk to get into the hero course"

and izuku just has this "really. this si what we're doing now" look on his face. hes just gesturing to shinso in exasperation, trying to make eye contact w aizawa hidden up in the commentary box

all you can hear from the box is aizawa quiet snickering as mic tries not to give the game away. he yeets shinso out of bonds and just hauls him back to his feet

"im quirkless you nonce"

"oh,,,"

"yeah, oh. what, gonna be embarrassed a quirkless kid kicked your ass?"

"nah i just feel bad for being a dick"

"ok you are the only valid person ive ever met, come meet my not-dad"

"wait what"

izuku fireman carries shinso into the announcers booth and just presents him to aizawa

you can just vaguely hear "no not kid" "but he'll be perfect" "kid this is live ask me after the festival" "but! hed be perfect! and you could train him to carry on your legacy of soul-crushing burns" "... hmmm"

"do i get a say in this?" "no" "nope"

mic just loudly saying "SO BEFORE WE WITNESS A CHILD CRY LIVE ON AIR AGAIN, AS ALWAYS HAPPENS IN THIS FESTIVAL, LETS START THE NEXT ROUND!"

there’s a counter “days since someone last cried: 0”

please its like "times cried durring all sports festivals" "average cry events" "number of times cried this festival"

aizawa being even more of a dad than canon, like hes a mess he sees on sad kid and he's like "wow that's my kid now"

he makes them soup when they get sick and leaves it outside their doors, refuses to admit its him doing it

soup cryptid

please mic is like 100% in love with him and had been for years but aizawa still has internal bias against the quirkless and thinks he's not good enough for mic so he cant make himself see the flirting for what it really is

“haha he’s just being friendlyL

“aizawa i literally want to marry u”

“awww ur so nice u mean as friends tho right?”

in this au ive decided that quirkless heroes are a thing, but pretty rare, in japan they are all underground bc villains go after them a l o t. there are some public ones in america but they tend to,,, die,,, pretty quickly

and bc there are some quirkless heroes everyone acts like discrimination isn't a thing anymore and quirkless people should shut up while quirkless people are still getting killed and committing suicide at like 500% the rate of people with quirks

also the suicide rate is,,,,, significantly higher in japan but no one ever talks abt it bc japan the “ideal place for people with quirks” so that surely means nothing could ever go wrong

izuku does the "its your power" speech in like 3 parts, before, during and after the sports festival bc he needs he bones w no quirk

stain asks izuku what his quirk is and izuku does the "wouldn't you like to know, weather boy"

",,, where are your parents"

"one abandoned me straight up and the other is giving it a red hot go right now, try me coward"

izuku but everytime he roasts a villain he does it in vine quotes

tl;dr in the au inko is like,, not ok w izuku being a hero and she's trying to do the "leave the school or you can't live here any more" ultimatum and it's not working for her

bc izuku said "ok bye then" and now lives out of his backpack. no one knows. he just like,, sleeps on the train

and iida is like "owo could i come over to your house" and izuku is like

"aaaaa its on fire. yep. made of arsenic and always in flames, why dont we go to the park"

everyone in 1a is like betting on what his house is like. they harass katsuki in 1b but he refuses to talk

hes like "hell no i got thrown into another class for talking ab that nerd eat my left tit"

they only fucking work it out when aizawa and allmight go to izukus house to talk ab dorms and there is literally no one there

aizawa asks izuku ab it like "kid you need to update your forms with your current address" and hes like "oh worm, she moved? wack."

“u,,,,didn’t know,,,,”

“nah lmao i sleep on the bench in a park near here”

“my boy,,,,,l

"what, ochako lives alone!"

"yeah, in a fucking house, kid"

aizawas just: this is literal child abuse i’m ur guardian now

allmight "hes my kid too dont be greedy"

"fuck off all might you already have mirio" "and you already have shinsou!" nighteye, from around the corner "ill take him!" aizawa and allmight "NO"                                  

mic adopts him nezu just sitting in the distance "well, its my school. i get the kid" one whole school full of adult heroes "NO ITS MY SON,,," izukus like crying "wait,,, you guys aren't sick of me? wild" while sobbing

afo out of nowhere: i’ll take the child :))) everyone collectively: N O

for self-indulgence, izuku is the youngest in the class for this au so they all call him their little brother

consider: quirkless aizawa is very similar to normal aizawa but he does practise self-care, he just tries to make it look like he doesnt because hes like that

if i dont take care of myself ill never be able to stand up to the heroes w quirks but also do i deserve normal good human things

tl:dr: he can cook well and is trying to teach izuku that 2-minute noodles and apples arent hero fuel

inko is like: "uwu i wont change what i cook for you so you'll just have to make do owo" in like, a pathetic attempt to get him to stop training so izuku runs off protein bars, electrolyte drinks and raw vegetables

just like, his bento at school. its only raw mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and 2 full carrots

the only time he gets like a kinda valid balanced meal for a hero in training is when he pops by bakugous place and mitsuki forces him to stay for lunch

izuku is like "oh hi bakugo i have ur book-" "HI ITS LUNCH GET IN PIPSQUEAK"

hes just thrown into a chair, bakugo isnt even confused. izuku is like ",,,, so vlad gave me your book bc your house is near mums." "fair enough. hope you like miso salmon"

izuku just looks stary eyed

"f i s h ??? warm food bakugo id kill for you"

"deku wtf"

"i had nothing but 3 scoops of protein powder and 2 tomatoes today"

“dEKU WHAT THE FUCK”

"i had to eat the protein podwer with plain water kacchan. protein sludge followed by two raw tomatoes. i would commit real actual murder for you"

mitsuki always packs an extra bento after that

so like when it’s dorm time izuku gets rly stressed out bc he doesn’t know how to cook for himself??? bakugous in the 1b dorms and even if he wasn’t he definitely wouldn’t cook for him

1a goes on a fucking shopping trip, chaperoned, obviously

and they’re lining up and aizawa sees that izukus cart is only filled with like??? instant noodles and like two (2) fruits and he’s losing his mind bc yes okay he’s a child but he’s also a young hero and he’s going to get a heart attack by 20 if he doesn’t fix his diet

aizawa is like "izuku, you cant eat that" and izuku just goes "oh ok" puts the noodles back and comes back with a tub of protein powder and like 11 vegetables and a bag of kale

okay this is an improvement kinda, how do u cook it

,,,,,c

cook?

izuku just has a totally blank face

"i was just gonna like,,, eat it"

"raw."

"uh, yeah, is that not how u eat vegetables?”

"thats a potato. and some leeks. thats a fucking onion"

"it wont kill me though"

"thats,,, that not how you pick food kid."

“but vegetable??? good????”

"kid do you even fucking like any of this"

"wait, im supposed to like?? my food???"

yagi in the fucking health food isle hearing this is 50% laughing but 50% crying

aizawa: “izuku ur supposed to eat a well balanced and tasty meal”

izuku: *surprized pikachu face*

please even todoroki is like ",,, at least fuyumi could c o o k"

oh god imagine having a worse diet than shouto todoroki from 1a who eats nothing but cold soba and drinks juice

also please aizawa is like "kid i thought you just happened to be thin but now im seeing thats not the case"

bakugo in the distance "like inko ever fed him enough anyway lmao"

aizawa "WAIT WHAT"

whys bakugou shopping with 1a? its actually all 40 of the first years just descending on this poor little store. it’s this little mom and pop grocery store and a billion hungry hero hopefuls just burst through the door like 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒏𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒔

izuku is like "oh its too expensive" and aizawa is just holding a bag of rice, aizawa is like "its cheaper than the protein powder you have"

and izuku is like "yeah i mean its empty calories and im not paying that much for empty calories"

",,,"

"thats what you taught us sensei!"

"EMPTY CALORIES ARE ONLY A PROBLEM IF UR EATING TOO MUCH"

"and?"

"YOU HAVE 3 POTAOES FOR THE NEXT 2 WEEKS"

"i can put some back if you want?"

"THATS EXACTLY WHAT I DONT WANT"

[pesterloglog]

Dave Strider, John Egbert, Jade Harley

Act 6, page 6302-6323

DAVE: so weird being back here

DAVE: cant believe how long ago it feels since i lived in this place

DAVE: spent way too long wallowing in our own filth on that gnarly meteor thats for sure

DAVE: this doesnt even seem like my room anymore

DAVE: its like trespassing or something like im horning in on somebody elses life

DAVE: a life lived most sweetly though i will admit

DAVE: ahahaha the fuckin toilets still there

DAVE: i remember when jade put that there that is perhaps like my favorite memory

DAVE: wish jade wasnt crazy just makes me remember how much i miss not crazy jade

DAVE: or less crazy jade

DAVE: wait

DAVE: didnt karkat once say terezi ripped a troll toilet out of his house

DAVE: what is with girls and their universally constant tendency to rip out plumbing fixtures

DAVE: did i just accidentally crack another cosmic riddle or

DAVE: i gotta txt him and get confirmation on this asap

DAVE: actually nah

DAVE: i probably harangued the poor guy with enough of my bs the last few years

DAVE: ill just keep shufflin thru memory lane making wistful observations out loud

DAVE: you know it kinda chaps my bulge that people rip on me for talking to myself

DAVE: its like the most perfectly natural thing to do

DAVE: why are people so up tight about keepin a lid on their monologues what a bunch of stuffy pricks

DAVE: ive always found the sound of my own voice to be mysteriously soothing

DAVE: haha talk about an embarrassing sentence to say in earshot of an actual person

DAVE: well maybe not the mayor

DAVE: you can always tell the mayor anything <3

DAVE: hahaha this piece of shit is still here too

DAVE: didnt we use this thing like ONCE

DAVE: what a useless pile of trash in hindsight

DAVE: sometimes i think this game was designed by an idiot

DAVE: wasnt it called like

DAVE: the laserbeam intellivision or something

DAVE: id throw it in the lava but that would be a waste of melting

DAVE: oh yeah

DAVE: almost forgot about my ill beats from the past

DAVE: i wonder if theyre as ill as i remember

DAVE: ok i just pushed some buttons and verified they remain as ill as the day they were dropped

DAVE: ill have to send them to karkat he has always been an enthusiastic patron of my exceptional science

DAVE: i mean sure he says it sucks and maybe he even believes that on some pathetic sub intellectual plane of consciousness which gross philistines operate on their whole lives

DAVE: but whenever he gets a load of my hype

DAVE: i see him there

DAVE: tapping his foot ever so slightly

DAVE: i see him

DAVE: this poster...

DAVE: love this poster

DAVE: its like an old friend

DAVE: never even knew who these guys were or what their deal was

DAVE: never gave it much thought i guess

DAVE: doubt ill ever find out at this point

DAVE: oh well

DAVE: some things i guess were never meant to be figured out

DAVE: or benefit from any kind of elaboration

DAVE: not even years later

DAVE: just the way it is sometimes

DAVE: its like ive said before

DAVE: this poster is a hell of a mystery

DAVE: that i never even thought was a mystery

DAVE: and it would be pretty cool if somebody solved it

DAVE: but damn if thats ever gonna happen

DAVE: so thats a shame

DAVE: aw hell its my old dead things collection

DAVE: what a stupid blast from the past

DAVE: i seriously cannot remember if i was sincere with this shit

DAVE: i was probably trying to flex my underdeveloped irony muscles

DAVE: like the shrimpiest kid at the hipster gym

DAVE: why does my childhood room have to be such a predictable museum of embarrassments

DAVE: i dont know

DAVE: some of these things are kind of cool actually

DAVE: like from a standpoint of objective reevaluation afforded by the sobering maturity that comes with being literally 100% grown up now

DAVE: dead things are actually pretty rad

DAVE: i feel like if i was legitmately into all this then more should have come of the interest

DAVE: like there could have been like

DAVE: entire CONVERSATIONS about it that never even took place

DAVE: hey rose youll never guess what im excited about and have loads of dialogue to spill over

DAVE: whats that dave

DAVE: ancient mollusks

DAVE: hmmmmmmmm said rose

DAVE: how many bananas do you think this paw clutched back when it was alive and attached to a monkey

DAVE: dave i really must say

DAVE: this conversation blows

DAVE: yeah sorry

DAVE: maybe i could have really developed this interest

DAVE: maybe i could have been something cool as a result

DAVE: like what even profession is this

DAVE: a dead shit ogler?

DAVE: no wait

DAVE: probably a paleontologist or something

DAVE: i could have been a paleontologist

DAVE: instead of what i became

DAVE: which was

DAVE: uh

DAVE: some pajama packing fuckface from the renaissance fair

DAVE: that would have been the dopeness!

DAVE: eurgh

DAVE: the ironic selfies

DAVE: oh god

DAVE: now this

DAVE: this is some irredeemably mortifying shit here

DAVE: what was i thinking

DAVE: i dont know man

DAVE: i just dont know

DAVE: this is what seasoned veterans call "bad irony"

DAVE: look at this guy

DAVE: what a fucking novice

DAVE: oh who am i kidding

DAVE: i cant stay mad at that face

DAVE: ok this one is pretty funny actually

DAVE: ...

DAVE: eheheh

DAVE: hehehehe

DAVE: haha!

DAVE: hahahahahaha!

DAVE: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

DAVE: WHY

DAVE: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

DAVE: (gasp)

DAVE: WHY CANT

DAVE: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

DAVE: WHY CANT I STOP LAUGHING

DAVE: PFFFFAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

DAVE: YOU WIN!

DAVE: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

DAVE: YOU WIN YOUNG DAVE

DAVE: THESE SELFIES ARE COMEDY GOLD

DAVE: AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

JOHN: hi dave!

JOHN: what's so funny?

DAVE: whoa

DAVE: john

JOHN: what were you looking at there...

JOHN: hey, are you crying?

DAVE: what

DAVE: no

JOHN: ...

DAVE: i mean i was just laughing too hard at something dumb

DAVE: you know how it is

JOHN: heh, yeah.

JOHN: can i see?

DAVE: no its nothing

DAVE: where the fuck have you been

DAVE: do you remember what happened since we got here

JOHN: yes.

DAVE: well

DAVE: are you gonna fill me in or keep floating there in the most uninformative way possible

JOHN: uh oh.

JOHN: dave, i have to go!

DAVE: what

DAVE: why

JOHN: i can't hang around in one place for too long.

JOHN: let's catch up later, ok?

DAVE: john wait

JOHN: see you buddy!

DAVE: no dont

DAVE: john no stop turning into wind you fickle idiot

DAVE: dont just leave right away that is such an insanely predictable move

DAVE: i said get back here you slippery motherfucker!!!

JADE: hello dave

DAVE: god dammit

JADE: he was just here wasnt he

DAVE: no

JADE: how do you even know who im talking about??

DAVE: look all i know is egbert most definitely didnt just appear out of nowhere and catch me weeplaughing at my selfies

JADE: dave i know he was just here

JADE: i can smell him

DAVE: i keep my apparment misted with his odor at all times

DAVE: essence d'egbert

JADE: degbear?

JADE: what...

DAVE: no like the french pronunciation

JADE: ah

DAVE: anyway im just a lot more comfortable when my whole place reeks of nerd musk

DAVE: so that explains that

JADE: you cant fool me dave

JADE: i will track him down sooner or later

JADE: in any case it doesnt matter

JADE: i came here to see you, not him

DAVE: you did

JADE: come with me

DAVE: where

JADE: out here

JADE: we have some work to do

DAVE: what work

JADE: youre going to need to upgrade your weapon

DAVE: what

DAVE: you mean the deringer

JADE: yes

DAVE: i thought it was like the best possible sword

DAVE: or at least the best possible broken sword

JADE: that may very well be the case

JADE: but it will be useless against lord english

JADE: wouldnt you prefer a weapon that is capable of inflicting damage against him?

DAVE: uh

DAVE: not really?

JADE: of course you would

JADE: this isnt even up for discussion

JADE: now give me the deringer

JADE: we have all been traveling for three long years. what better way to celebrate our reunion than with a little alchemy? :)

DAVE: lots of ways

DAVE: we could have a jade goes back to normal party

DAVE: starring normal jade

JADE: HAR HAR

JADE: gimme the sword

DAVE: ok here

DAVE: how do we make it so it can damage him

JADE: it needs a special ingredient

JADE: something which represents his only known weakness, but hasnt been properly weaponized

DAVE: and you know what that is

JADE: i do

DAVE: how

JADE: i get all my intelligence on such matters from the old lady

JADE: shes had centuries to hatch a plan to settle her score

JADE: over time shes uncovered many secrets about him

DAVE: i dont understand how this is working

DAVE: is she piping all these secrets into your brain

DAVE: along with the evil

JADE: that is not relevant!

DAVE: fair enough

DAVE: i guess technically almost nothing is relevant to the dude youre barking orders to

DAVE: literal barking because of dogginess

JADE: bark bark bark!!!

DAVE: yes exactly like that

DAVE: thank you for participating in the joke

DAVE: now what is this special ingredient and where do we get it

JADE: i already have it right here

DAVE: oh yeah?

JADE: in fact ive had it for about as long as i can remember

JADE: it was right under my doggy snout all along

JADE: remember this?

DAVE: no

JADE: dave are you lying to me?

DAVE: no!

DAVE: ive never seen that thing before

JADE: but i found it on your planet

JADE: it must have gotten here somehow

DAVE: i didnt take your lousy egg

JADE: its not an egg!

DAVE: yeah well these planets are crawling with brainless lizards maybe one of them thought it was an egg

DAVE: and then brought it here cause its warm here and tried to hatch it

JADE: you really have a one track mind when it comes to certain things

DAVE: what things

DAVE: what are you talking about

JADE: davesprite was like that too... i just figured it was because he was part bird

JADE: but no, here you are going on about bird things too just like him :p

DAVE: come on dont compare me to him

DAVE: just cause i think its an eggy looking thing dont mean i think like a damn bird

JADE: mm hmm

JADE: and just because i have these pointy ears doesnt mean i wouldnt kill for some snausages right now!

DAVE: .....................

DAVE: do you actually want snausages

JADE: .....................

JADE: maybe ._.

DAVE: ok well snausages notwithstanding this is bullshit

DAVE: tell me how that thing doesnt look like an egg to you

DAVE: how is that not so obviously SUCH an egg???

JADE: its a cueball dave!

DAVE: i see

DAVE: so if im following

DAVE: then what youre trying to tell me is

DAVE: lord english has some sort of severe egg allergy that we are hoping to exploit

JADE: sigh

JADE: i see its still impossible to have a serious conversation with you, whether you are a sassy bird or not

JADE: i thought regular dave might have matured a little over three years but i guess i was wrong

DAVE: can we just make the eggsword already

DAVE: oh no

DAVE: not the legendary piece of shit again

JADE: pardon?

DAVE: its the fuckin welsh sword again!

JADE: are you telling me you have seen this sword before dave

JADE: how is that possible?

DAVE: i dont know!

DAVE: because i have a shitty quest is how

JADE: .....

DAVE: didnt davesprite tell you anything

DAVE: i found this sword in a gold cave and broke it

DAVE: then davesprite took it to hephaestus who fixed it and upgraded it to the deringer

DAVE: and sent that to me and i broke it again

JADE: you sure seem to break swords a lot

DAVE: i know!!!

DAVE: that has always been my thing for some reason

DAVE: now i guess it turns out my ultimate sword is really just a repaired downgrade of my previously ultimate sword mixed with a cueball?

DAVE: we just cycled right back to caledfwelsh like a bunch of tools

DAVE: that is the most stupid convoluted ass backward way to get a sword out of a stone i can even imagine

DAVE: i feel like somebody somewhere is having a good laugh over this i sure hope like the juggalo equivalent of fuckin loki or whoever the fuck is having a top notch riddlewank at my expense

JADE: :|

DAVE: you know what really gets me is

DAVE: this shitty welsh sword presumably consisted of those ingredients all along which just makes me want to travel back in time to perform a mutually assisted suicide with myself

DAVE: me and other dave can take turns suffocating each other with our own DUMBASS capes

JADE: dave i admit this is a peculiar turn of events, but i think you are overreacting

DAVE: jade this is STUPID

DAVE: my quest is a STUPID PIECE OF GARBAGE QUEST for LAME SHITTY LOSER FUCKHEADS WHO SUCK BALLS WHILE CRAPPING THEIR PANTS

JADE: omg

JADE: youve really spent way too much time alone with karkat havent you

DAVE: ...

DAVE: i need help :(

[unlockthelore]

catch me, won’t you?

Part 6 of Know-It-All a.k.a the modern AU snippet series that no one asked for. To find other parts of the series, follow the know-it-all tag.

shijimeikme#1231 — direct message with nenehime#1113

nenehime AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

shijimeikme what is it I’m studying

nenehime are you really studying??? (¯―¯٥)

shijimeikme fair

shijimeikme what is it

nenehime I’m coming over

shijimeikme okay??? but the screaming ( ¬_¬)

nenehime i messed up

shijimeikme bad enough that you gotta scream???

shijimeikme did you text aoi???

nenehime no not yet she’ll do the thing

shijimeikme the protective best friend thing where she defers to murder first?

nenehime it’s almost scary that you know that

shijimeikme been hanging out with u guys long enough

shijimeikme alright ima clean up, tell me what happened

Nene was hard pressed to stay where she was while waiting for Amane to wake up. The sides of her phone case pressing uncomfortably into her palms as she gripped it tight enough that she could hear the plastic cracking. A slight fumble to keep from breaking it resulting in her phone smacking against her face and only Amane’s soft huff reminding her not to groan in pain. The throbbing on her forehead reminding her of the contrast, his lips soft as they brushed against her skin, leaving a kiss that was quickly drowned out as he sang the last line.

Looking her in the eye.

Just like —

She wanted to scream or kick out her legs or do something. Staring out the window as the evening sunlight slanted through, lightening the dark blue curtains and running over the carpet to the edge of Amane’s bed. His arm loosened its grip around her waist and Nene could move a bit easier but she stayed where she was. As much as she wanted to rant and rage, she found herself just laying there. Looking around the room and memorizing every inch of it.

His telescope in the corner.

A number of books on his shelf, rearranged in sequence, with a soccer ball propped up beside them. The dust collecting on the trophy hidden behind it. Posters of his heroes on dark blue walls, a mosaic painting of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the light catching and making the moon shine. The glare catching on the dark screen of his television, a shelf beneath it with books and games organized on either side, his system tucked away in the cabinet.

How many hours did she spend here playing games with him when they should be studying?

His slight grin when she won and rubbed it in his face only to start up another game while she wasn’t looking.

Would that all change because she knew now?

Looking down at him, her breath hitched when he started to shift and his eyes slowly opened. His cheek brushing against her chest as he raised his head, resting his chin against her chest and staring up at her with sleep-glazed sunset eyes.

“Yashiro,” he called, voice husky with sleep. “What time is it?”

Nene’s eyes widened and she fumbled for her phone, pressing the home button to see the time and another message from Mei.

“About five,” she said, shifting from beneath him as carefully as she could as he rolled to the side. “I should start heading home.”

She chose to wisely ignore the way that his voice made the back of her neck warm or twist her stomach in knots when he looked her way. His eyes were oranger than gold, or was it golder than orange? If she got a better look. Zipping her bag shut with more force than necessary, she downed the thought before it could grow any further. There was no way she could do that. Being that close to him —

Standing up abruptly, her knees almost buckled but she forced herself upright, picking up her phone from where it laid beside him. Amane lying on his side and peering up at her with a soft grumble, his fingers curled in the sheets.

Why.

She pressed her phone to her chest, holding it tightly, trying to slow the racing of her heart. He looked so vulnerable, small as he curled up in a ball, his eyes squinting to avoid being blinded by the light. Wide eyes that looked up at her with trust and fondness, faint dark circles beneath them showing he could use a bit more sleep, and his smile. It wasn’t teasing or cat-like but wide and warm, crinkling his eyes at the corners and stealing her breath away.

Oh no, she couldn’t do this.

“See you tomorrow, Amane,” she blurted out, gripping the strap of her bag and hurrying downstairs.

Tsuchigomori raised his hands as she flew past him, peering at her curiously. “Where’s the fire..?”

“I just have to head home, parents… y’know.”

Lying to him was so difficult. Not only because he was a teacher but he always seemed to just know. His hum was judgmental and she could feel his gaze on her back, analyzing her with a scrutiny that might have made her crack if she looked back at him. Tugging her shoes on, she stood and bowed deeply.

“Bye!”

Throwing open the doors, she looked down at her phone, squinting against the glare from the light.

shijimeikme#1231 — direct message with nenehime#1113

nenehime I came over to amane’s to hangout and he was so tired so I tried to cheer him up then we were singing and it was all nice and he kissed my forehead and said he loved me

shijimeikme …. Just like that

nenehime well… yes… and no…and kinda??? It was part of the song

shijimeikme but he kissed you

nenehime my forehead

shijimeikme which is a part of you

nenehime hnnnnnn I knooooooow meeeeeeei

shijimeikme are you still there???

nenehime no I’m leaving

shijimeikme did you talk to him before you left

nenehime does saying see you tomorrow count

shijimeikme baby no

shijimeikme hurry up and get over here

nenehime AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

shijimeikme see now the screaming makes sense

Throwing her phone into her bag, she hurried off as quickly as her legs could carry her. Amane’s voice repeating like a song she couldn’t get out of her head.

koulest#0206 — direct message with hanako#0724

hanako i fucked up

koulest to the surprise of no one

hanako kid ur killing me

koulest wh

koulest I’m olny few years younger thn u

hanako and shit at spelling too

koulest I’m going back to bed

hanako wait kou no listen

koulest whaaaaaaaat???

hanako so how would you cope w/ falling asleep on ur crush

koulest ….. what did you do

hanako so yashiro came over and tsuchigomori must’ve said something to her bc she was trying to get me to stop studying

koulest to be fair you don’t take breaks

hanako hey hey that’s not the point

hanako stay on topic

koulest mmmmm you didn’t deny it

hanako kou

koulest alrgiht alright damn so what

hanako I was sleep deprived kinda and she played this song and we were dancing and

koulest wait how sleep deprived

hanako stAY ON POINT

koulest HOW LONG WERE YOU AWAKE

hanako LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW I FUCKED UP

koulest you know what??? fair

koulest continue

hanakoshe played fly me to the moon

koulest soft but mmm think theres more to this

hanako look up the lyrics

koulest ohhhHHH fuck

hanako does your brother even let you curse???

koulest if you and I wanna survive he better not find out

hanako anyway we were singing

koulest ….

hanako kou

koulest you did a duet w senpai

hanako why do you still call her that but not me

koulest because you might be older than me grade-wise but up here we’re the same

hanako did you tap your head??? you know I can’t see you right

koulest HUSH

koulest okay, so how’d this lead to you falling asleep on her

hanako I got comfortable and… she was telling me to take a break and I was gonna just lay down and when I woke up I was on her

koulest did you do anything to her

hanako WH no what do you take me for

koulest (;￢＿￢) do you really wanna know

hanako killing me

hanako anyway I was faking sleep when I woke up bc I was trying to figure out how I got here

hanako and she’s messing with my hair

hanako then I “woke up” and she was on her phone and said she had to go

hanako and idk if she actually had to go or no but we didn’t talk bout it

hanako and idk if I made things weird cause this isn’ the first time

koulest back up

koulest the fuck do you mean this isn’t the first time

hanako ….

koulest oh no NOPE you don’t get to do the ellipsis of disappointment

hanako the wh

koulest mitsuba

koulest but that’s not the point TELL

hanako mmMMM mitsuba ok

koulest the fuck does that mean

hanako ANYWAY we were stargazing awhile ago

koulest post or pre kodama incident

hanako we do not speak about the kodama incident

koulest still can’t believe u did that

hanako kou no kodama incident please

koulest alright, alright what happened

hanako we fell asleep and when I woke up we were cuddling???

koulest idk if u have the best or worse luck

hanako don you mean worst

koulest nah ur luck just gets terrible w the day

koulest anyway did she talk about it w u thin

hanako then???

koulest I’M GOING BACK TO BED

hanako KOU WAIT NO

hanako yeah yeah she talked to me

hanako and I asked her if we could cuddle not as friends

koulest ??? Don’t leave me in suspense what’d she say

hanako she said yeah

koulest …. Okay why do I think you’re leaving something out

hanako am I?

koulest u were sleep deprived so you might’ve done something to make senpai skip out

hanako I can’t think of what tho and if I ask her

hanako so fkinembarrassed

koulest maybe if you actually slept

hanako shUT YOUR FUCK

koulest get some sleep we can talk about it tomorrow

koulest GET SOME SLEEP

hanako fuck we do have school tomorrow

koulest you would know that if ur days weren’t blurring

koulest BECAUSE YOU DON’T SLEEP

hanako GOOD NIGHT KOU

koulest oH FINALLY

Amane’s phone screen went dark, reflecting his own flustered face, and he grimaced at the sight. Dropping his phone to his chest and burying his fingers in his hair as he squinted at the ceiling. It’d long since gotten dark and Tsuchigomori ordered takeout, Yako coming over, and their usual bickering distracted him from his thoughts. Insisting that he’d be heading off to bed when he was only paying partial attention to one of their arguments that he’d been drawn into. Weighty sharp gazes following him and their voices were hushed as he disappeared from sight, no doubt trying to glean the meaning for his behavior.

How was he supposed to tell them that he might have scared off the girl that he liked because she was trying to make him feel better? Hell, how was he supposed to justify it to himself. The heels of his hands pressed against his eyelids, making the stars on his ceiling blurry and his eyes water. Deep down, he almost wanted to cry.

It took him a full six minutes to register Nene’s hasty goodbye and another two to hurry after her with the insistence of walking her home. She didn’t hear him, tapping away at her phone, her shoulders hunched and steps brisk — reminding him of that day. A muffled curse behind his hand as the memory came to mind.

The day was perfect. Like a scene out of her favorite movie, and her eyes were so warm and trusting. She believed every word that came out of his mouth. And that was it. He meant it, meant that he liked her, perhaps not love but he did like her and —

He hurt her.

Ruby eyes glistening with unshed tears, the ones that managed to slip free in silver streaks down her cheeks were quickly wiped away as she jerked away from him. The dull ache in his head from her headbutt was nothing compared to the sharp pain in his chest. Seeing her walking away from him, rubbing her eyes from tears he caused, all because his intentions were good but his method wasn’t.

What more could he do but apologize to her?

Could he really expect her to believe him when he lied before?

His phone slid off his chest as he shifted onto his side, pressing his cheek against his pillow, the smell of earth and something sweet filling his nose.

Nene.

It could only be her. And he mentally kicked himself, burying his face against the pillow and clutching it tightly.

kannoaoi#0320 — direct message with nenehime#1113

nenehime AOI I NEED YOUR HELP

kannoaoi name and what’d they do

nenehime wh— （・□・；）no not like that

kannoaoi just kidding （⌒▽⌒）mei told me what happened

nenehime

nenehime message

kannoaoi well it doesn’t sound like the kodama incident again

kannoaoi if he was as tired as you said maybe he meant it

kannoaoi or maybe he was delirious

nenehime not helping aoi

kannoaoi what im saying is that talking to us is well and good but you should talk to yugi

nenehime but how do you talk to someone whose bed you woke up in twice

kannoaoi how do you talk to me? (✿╹u╹)

nenehime aoi you’re different

kannoaoi and I’m glad you think so but nene whats one of the most irritating tropes from your books

nenehime besides power imbalance???

kannoaoi mhm

nenehime miscommunication

nenehime … oh

kannoaoi oh (✿◠‿◠)

Flower emojis were supposed to be cute but somehow Aoi could make them both that and absolutely threatening. Locking her phone screen, Nene stared at her own reddened faced worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Black Canyon rolled across her pillow, colliding with her cheek and she closed her eyes with a sigh. Letting her phone fall to the side, her hands cupping around the mischievous hamster as she sat up and tucked her knees in close.

The contents of her bag spilled out over the shag carpet, her books face down and obscuring the heart shaped design from view. Her gaze drifting to the ceiling then her curtains, the stuffed animals and movie posters barely discernible in the low lighting. Her teal hair falling in her face as she rested her head against her knees, nuzzling against Black Canyon’s fur. Honey and brown sugar from the shampoo that she used bathe him still fresh. Pressing a kiss to his head, she set him on the floor and let him run around, pushing the ball that he’d come to claim as his own.

Black and white, checkered just like the one in Amane’s room, bumping against her dresser and the walls. Sitting back with her head against the wall, she almost wished for the glow in the dark stars on her ceiling. Checking to make sure that Black Canyon wasn’t nearby as she toed off her bed, bending down to pick up the objects from her bag. Her books heavy in her hands, thumbs running over the embossed titles.

What was she going to do come tomorrow?

It wasn’t as if she could just hide in her room or avoid him. No one was at fault but the knots twisting in her stomach and the fear of having dashed hopes meant something. Pressing her lips to the spine of her book, she tried to remember the warmth of his hand and the gentle press of his lips against her forehead. That wide smile, soft and all for her.

I just wanted them to stop making fun of you.

Was it really that bad?

If he liked her and she liked him, did anyone else really matter?

And even then — why would anyone tease for her liking him when he was so…

Draping her bag on her chair, she tip toed over to the window and pulled the soft cherry pink curtains, opening her window slightly to let the cool air come in. Her arms crossed on the window sill and chin resting atop of them as she looked out at the cityscape. Thousands of lights wavering in the distance, dancing as her eyelids fell and she sighed. The moon wasn’t out tonight and she wondered if he was dismayed by it.

He kept track of the moon phases on his calendars so she doubted he didn’t know but she wanted to check anyway.

Though with the way she left, would it be alright to text him?

Was he offended because they didn’t talk?

Or should she just do it anyway?

They were still friends.

Black Canyon’s soft squeaks made her smile and she rested her cheek against her arms, watching him as he bumped the ball against the wall, trying to get it to change directions. Scurrying after it with all of the speed that his tiny legs could afford him.

Sometimes, she thought it must have been a lot easier to be an animal.

Like a hamster or a fish.

Lingering by the window for a moment longer, she sighed and drifted back to her bed, picking up her phone. The light shining in her eyes were momentarily blinding and scrolling through the recent messages, she found the thread with Amane and her finger hovered over it.

Yashiro, I love you! Please go out with me.

I love you.

hanako#0724 — direct message with nenehime#1113

nenehime no stargazing tonight I guess

nenehime amane

nenehime about earlier can we talk?

nenehime …please

Nene had never been one for flippant use of prayer. In fact, she tried not to pray for things that were selfish if she could help it. But right now, she really needed this. Even if it went wrong and something happened that couldn’t be taken back — it was better than this.

A gentle chime and a notification popped up on her screen. She pressed her phone to her forehead with a ragged sigh, sagging down to the floor. Black Canyon’s ball tapping her side as the hamster squeaked at her.

hanako#0724 — direct message with nenehime#1113

hanako yeah

hananene squad — 5 members

koulest added kannoaoi to the group.

koulest added shijimeikme to the group.

koulest added aoi_a to the group.

koulest added elemonate to the group.

koulest added snapmitsu to the group.

koulest renamed koulest, kannoaoi, shijimeikme, aoi_a, elemonate, snapmitsu to hananene squad.

snapmitsu TRAFFIC EARRING yOU ASS

koulest wrong chat mitsuba

elemonate im sory but what was the right chat

aoi_a sory?

elemonate yeah like you

aoi_a rude

shijimeikme assuming we’re all here for the same thing are we gonna talk about our friends pining or…

koulest is pining even the word anymore

koulest wait role call how did everybody find out

kannoaoi nene

koulest amane

snapmitsu being added to this gc

aoi_a u can leave anytime

snapmitsu fuck u im staying

koulest okay but can we talk about what we’re gonna do about them

snapmitsu like are we picking sides

koulest wh NO why would we pick sides we’re both of their friends

aoi_a idk if I’d say that

kannoaoi akane

kannoaoi and don’t worry too much kou

shijimeikme aoi’s right, we don’t have to do much of anything

elemonate ….. what did you two already do

kannoaoi planted the seeds, so watch them grow

snapmitsu a gardening joke???

kannoaoi this IS nene we’re talking about here

shijimeikme yeah kou so just let the stars align

snapmitsu am I having a stoke is this what a stroke feels like

aoi_a so basically we were called for….

aoi_a nothing if we’re being honest

koulest no no I wouldn’t say THAT - sigh - we’re out here in case anything happens

elemonate like what super senate

koulest yeah like sentai WARRIORS

kannoaoi and the two people we’re talking about aren’t part of this little band of heroes

koulest do you want me to make a whole gc with all of us???

snapmitsu nope a server

koulest wh

aoi_a more space for pins

elemonate you mean memes

shijimeikme you mean pictures

kannoaoi you mean puns

aoi_a aoi please

snapmitsu heathens all of you

aoi_a tomorrow is gonna be fun

snapmitsu for who?

shijimeikme yes

[merinnan]

DMBJ Explore with the Note Ep 5

Okay, now that my workshop is finished, time for DMBJ Explore with the Note ep 5! Otherwise I will spend the entire afternoon just fucking around in WoW instead (one day I will show you screenshots of my Iron Triangle-as-WoW-toons).

We start ep 5 with the usual counts 

Season 2 Xiaoge Rescue Count: 2 for Wu Xie, 2 for protagonists, 3 for everyone 

Season 2 Wu Xie Swoon Count: 0 

Season 2 Evil Hair Count: 3

Cumulative Xiaoge Rescue Count: 12 for Wu Xie, 17 for protagonists, 18 for everyone 

Cumulative Wu Xie Swoon Count: 6

- It's been a few eps since we had updates to the rescue or swoon counts, so here's hoping for Ep 5 

- Ah, yes, the baby archaeologists just discovered the heavenly palace 

- At least this girl is marginally less annoying than she was in the novel 

- ...okay, I take it back

- Sweetie, it's a fucking tomb, why are you upset that there's a corpse in there? 

- Those are some impressive fingernails 

- lol, and they were all so distracted by the girl that no-one noticed 'Xiao Zhang' going all Zhang Qiling to get up there to check out what freaked her out

- I am disappoint that they didn't keep the present time crew in form-fitting wetsuits for the whole underwater tomb investigation like they did with the flashback crew 

- OMG the look on Wenjin's face, I love it 

- I think she's starting to realise that he knows what he's doing

-Very good questions, Wenjin 

- Oh, so that wasn't just better set lighting, the tomb was actually fully lit somehow? The better question in this case is not 'why is it suddenly so dark' but 'how the fuck was this underwater tomb so well lit?'

- THEN you can follow it up with 'why has the mysterious lighting suddenly gone out?' 

- WHY would you bring such a group of easily scared kids on an archaeological expedition to EXPLORE THROUGH TOMBS? 

- That seems like a bad idea even if you didn't think anything weird would go on

- ISTG, Sanxing, Wenjin, and Xiaoge are the only level-headed ones of the bunch 

- A mural. They were in hysterics over a mural. 

- I mean, yeah, there's a lot of high mountains, so not surprising you can't tell which one it is

- I was gonna say she's super judgey for an archaeologist but...nah, yeah, that tracks for academia, speaking from experience XD

 - This episode has been taunting me with potential rescues that never quite get there, so it better actually pay off with one of them this episode

- Oooh, bitty shadow 

- Wonder if it's the baby corpse from the jar earlier 

- ...oh, right, Sanshu's still running around in some weird trance

- Awww, the lights go out in the heavenly palace room, and the entire set lighting goes from lovely and well-lit so you can actually see what's on screen, to super dark and shadowy, even outside that room

- Sorry, sanmei, I know I said I’d stop talking about lighting, but...I live in eternal hope of good lighting. The flashbacks here were actually GOOD up until now. So I am sad they've gone back to bad lighting. 

- I'm embarrassed to say that it's taken me the entirety of Guardian, Granting You A Dreamlike Life, DMBJ 1, and now partway through ep 2 of DMBJ 2 before I've realised that I can pause Viki playbacks by hitting my space bar.

- OMFG, how many rooms are there in this tomb with a set of porcelain vases arranged in a particular order?

- Smart, Wenjin, conserving flashlight batteries like that. 

- I know that this Wenjin must be older than the Wenjin in the Chongqi flashbacks, but why couldn't we have had this Wenjin in those flashbacks as well?

- Chongqi Wenjin is ok, but this one's more level-headed and competent. And much better at de-escalating semi-hysterical girls. 

- Then again, I suppose if Chongqi Wenjin had this Wenjin's skills, they wouldn't have been able to have had that dumb ~DRAAMAA~ with the love triangle

- Tunnel floor is suddenly wet again instead of dry. Wish they'd make up their mind 

 - Evil Hair Count: 4 

- This time creeping on random guy at the back of the party 

- Who is mildly disturbed that he's suddenly got water down the back of his neck. Don't blame him

- Judging by the way Xiaoge just clapped a hand over his mouth and nose, I'm guessing that they all just got gassed. 

- And it must be a REALLY FAST acting gas if they all collapsed like 5 seconds after Xiaoge covered his nose and mouth, and he seems to be fine

- Oh, no, spoke to soon, down he goes 

- Okay, Sanshu. A) That's creepy, and b) why aren't you also affected? 

- ...something that takes down Xiaoge for long enough that he wakes up in a hospital bed concerns me 

- I do not blame him one bit for looking so perturbed

- OMG, that GRRM roast, that's fantastic 

- I hope Xiaoge is just leaving out all of the unnecessary family stuff that he doesn't think Wu Xie and Pangzi need to do, otherwise he just implied that the Zhangs have just, like, misplaced him for 20 or so years and not looked for him?

- Wu Xie is always so desperate to believe the best of Sanshu, it's really cute 

- Ah, I see we're back to the requisite pingxie staring for the episode. Excellent

- Here's the clearest sign yet that S2 does not follow on from S1 at all, as it completely ignores changes that S1 made to the plot and instead is referencing novel events that did not happen in the drama. 

- I would have been SO FUCKING CONFUSED if I hadn't read the first novel

- lol, Xiaoge. Giving a tiny almost-smile and clapping someone on the shoulder after dropping a bombshell like that on them is NOT how you're supposed to talk to your crush

- And it looks like we're now back to Wu Xie's nightmares from the first ep 

- ...is that last one supposed to be Xiaoge? It's hard to tell with the angle and (yes, sorry, sanmei) the lighting 

- Way to ruin the moment, Pangzi 

- ...omg Pangzi 

- I'm kinda cringing now

-  Hahah, the look on Wu Xie's face. Like, same 

- Those are good points, Pangzi, but wouldn't you still have the problem of being underwater without oxygen tanks? That tomb is pretty far down and mostly buried in the sea bed, after all 

- ...Wu Xie that maths made no sense at all

- Rude. Pangzi has said useful things before now! 

- LOL at all the "don't touch anything" "i mean it" "also" "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING" 

- Because we all know that Pangzi is gonna touch stuff and try to steal at least one thing 

- Oh, there you are, A-Ning 

- How did you get in there?

- This is an unnecessarily long sequence of Xiaoge running his fingers over the door and Pangzi messing with his hair, set to super annoying BGM. Was it really necessary to have a full 1 minute 40 seconds of that? 

- That should have been done in, like, 30 seconds tops.

- I do like how excited this Wu Xie is to see the cool architectural stuff like the moving doors in here 

- After that first hallway, they all seem so unconcerned about traps 

- Tombs are usually, quiet, Wu Xie. Hence the saying 'quiet as the tomb'

- Xiaoge's tiny smiles at Wu Xie and Pangzi's banter are just adorable

- OMG THEIR FACES

- But guys, you really should have looked for traps first 

- Before the walls started trying to squish you like pancakes 

- "Start climbing", says Xiaoge, as he just fucking leaps up the sides of the walls

- Good thing these walls are conveniently not smooth and straight, with regular hand and footholds 

- Xiaoge Rescue Count: 3 for protagonists

- Not quite the dramatic rescue I was hoping for, but I'll take it since it's been so long 

- The closed walls has now made them a cute little tunnel to crawl through

- Oh, wait, annoying girl was from one of the Nine Gate families? 

- Which one? I'll have to look her up later, I've completely forgotten her name.

- Xie Lianhuan is talking Sanshu into taking him along on the original expedition. Honestly, dude, you dying is all your fault, you weren't even supposed to be there

- Oh, Qiu Dekao was involved in the 20 year ago bullshit as well. Why am I not surprised? 

- And with the tomb from S1, too, also 20 years ago

- Wait, if Wenjin was the leader the whole time, how come she kept deferring to Sanshu? 

- Dramatic bgm! Dramatic reused footage! 

- Oh yeah, the looks on their faces, I know exactly who just popped into mind for Pangzi and Wu Xie at that 

- Because who else could have done it?

- ...okay, except Sanshu, point 

- Oh noooooo, more fucking underwater diving scenes 

- This show is instilling in me a visceral loathing of underwater diving scenes. They're awful

- Like, seriously, after 5 eps they've already shown enough underwater goddamn diving scenes to fill up a full half of an episode 

- An entire quarter of one episode was made up of them 

- Oh my GOD that bgm. That was...something

- Okay, Xie Lianhuan was supposed to have dug this passage? Seriously? 

- He was only missing for a day before they found his body, how the fuck was he supposed to dig a loooooong passage, high enough for a fully grown adult to walk crouched, in less than a day?

- Ah, and that's ep 5. 

 Count updates: 

 Season 2 Xiaoge Rescue Count: 2 for Wu Xie, 3 for protagonists, 4 for everyone 

Season 2 Wu Xie Swoon Count: 0 

Season 2 Evil Hair Count: 4

Cumulative Xiaoge Rescue Count: 12 for Wu Xie, 18 for protagonists, 19 for everyone 

Cumulative Wu Xie Swoon Count: 6 

Season 2 is decidedly lacking in swoons so far. It better up its game.

[hpsamantha]

the intern - avengers

Word Count: 3384

Warnings: Language 

POV: Clint Barton

Sam had insisted that they turn up a full day before Tony was expecting them, something that Steve protested at first until Natasha pointed out that they still didn't have written confirmation from Ross that all charges held against them had been dropped.

Part of Clint felt awkward about turning up unexpectedly; Tony would see it as a lack of trust. The assassin side of Clint thought that the precautionary measure was totally justified.

They approached the unmanned front entrance and paused.

"Umm...F.R.I.D.A.Y?" Steve tentatively asks the air, unsure if she would reply.

"Good evening, Captain Rogers," comes F.R.I.D.A.Y's smooth voice.

"May we enter?"

"Certainly," the A.I. replies, "though I should inform you that, since you were not expected until tomorrow, Mr Stark is not here to greet you."

The doors slide open and the foyer lights up as they enter.

"Is Vision here?" asks Wanda hopefully.

"No," F.R.I.D.A.Y replies. "He is attending a meeting on the east coast. Ms Potts and Colonel Rhodes are also unavailable. The only person currently in the building is Y/N. I will inform her of your arrival."

Clint looks around at the others. "Who's Y/N?" he asks them.

The rest of the team shrugs but F.R.I.D.A.Y responds. "She is Mr Stark's intern. Y/N is currently in the kitchen but she has just informed me she will come down to welcome you."

"Did anyone know Tony has an intern?"

More shrugs. They only have to wait a couple more seconds before they hear light footsteps running in their direction.

A teenager, dressed in leggings, a Sherpa and a t-shirt (reading: 'How can you speak 6 languages and sound like a dick in every single one of them?' Which also had the flash logo under it, with the name, 'Cisco Ramon') skids into the foyer. Clint notes that the child was semi tall, with H/C hair and E/C eyes that snapped rapidly from one Avenger to the next as she approached. Clint has spent years honing his instincts, and despite the girl's casual air as she approaches them, something tells Clint that the teen's movements are controlled and purposeful.

Clint almost ignores his instincts when the kid opens her mouth.

"Uh...hi! Hi guys! I mean, Avengers, I mean..." the child ruefully rubs the front of her neck. "Um...I'm Y/N, Tony's intern. He, um, he told me you were arriving tomorrow. Not that you're not welcome today, of course!"

The ramble cuts off and the team exchanges looks varying from amused to confused.

Steve takes the initiative. "We hoped we could turn up early. Get settled in ASAP."

"Cool, cool!" exclaims the teen, smiling now. "That's very cool. Um, would you like me to show you to the rooms Tony has set up for you? You could dump your bags and then I could either give you a tour or you could just explore the place yourselves, or whatever?"

Steve explains to Y/N that everyone but Scott has been here before, but they accept his offer to show them to their rooms, which is how they all end up walking after girl, who points out rooms to Scott along the way.

"...and that down there is the gym room. The weights on the bench press go up to 10 tons..."

Clint wonders what Tony was thinking, allowing a teenager to stay somewhere as risk-attracting as Avengers HQ. It just doesn't make sense.

Something else that doesn't make sense is Sam's attitude towards them. Sure, she appears excited and welcoming, nothing unusual about that. The thing is, kids her age usually do this whole 'gobsmacked-with-awe, hero-worship' thing when meeting even one of the Avengers, never mind a half dozen of them. Hell, adults do it too.

It's not like Clint wants the teen to be drooling over them all. The down-to-earth attitude is a really nice change when meeting a civilian. It's remarkably mature and a little bit odd.

He shows them all their rooms, asks if they've eaten yet and offers to make a stir fry when Natasha says they've haven't, claiming that she was making one for himself anyway.

Nat stands at Clint's door as he pulls clothes out of a bag and places them in the closet.

"Any thoughts on the kid?" She asks.

"I was hoping you knew," he replies, to which she shrugs.

"I've got a theory, but I'm not certain."

"Wanna share?"

"Not yet," she replies, tapping her nose before heading back to her own room.

A short while later, Y/N is separating stir fry out into bowls and the team converges at a large dining table. Clint watches as the girl helps herself to a bowlful of stir fry and then starts to head in the direction of the bedrooms.

It is Scott who stops her. "Hey, Y/N, aren't you going to eat with us?"

The teen looks surprised and a little bit anxious. "I don't want to intrude on your meal."

"Not at all," says Sam.

So Y/N sits down next to Scott and applies herself quietly to her meal.

Clint begins the interrogation. "So, Y/N, how long have you been interning for Tony?"

"Hmm....about, eight months?"

"Enjoying it?"

"Sure, absolutely. The tech is amazing."

Natasha takes a turn. "What do you do as an intern?"

Y/N reaches for her glass of juice and takes a long swallow before answering. "Whatever needs doing, I guess. Tony occasionally lets me tinker with stuff in the lab."

A few eyebrows rise at this. Tony's lab is sacrosanct. Bruce was always allowed free range but for everyone else entry was based on a 'look but don't touch' policy. Memorably, Sam was once banned from the lab after The Coffee Incident of 2015.

The kid then tries to turn attention away from herself by asking what brought the team to HQ earlier than planned, but Steve deflects that one nicely.

They all take it in turn to engage the child; clearly Clint isn't the only one who is curious. Y/N answers their questions (sixteen years old, Senior year, Midtown School of Science and Technology, an application to Tony's September Foundation), looking a bit harried by the time she finishes answering that last one about how she met Tony.

When F.R.I.D.A.Y announces that Tony has arrived back from wherever the hell he was, the child looks relieved.

They hear Tony before they see him. "Well, would you believe it, there was no Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough at the store I stopped at on the way back, so I hope you like Chunky Monkey, kid. I really shouldn't eat this crap, but..."

Tony enters the room, spots them all at the dinner table and stops cold.

"Hi," the billionaire says flatly, clearly not pleased about being caught off-guard.

Steve stands. "Hi Tony. I hope you don't mind, we pushed forward our arrival." He doesn't bother trying to explain why and Tony doesn't ask.

"Why would I mind?" Tony saunters forward and wanders over to pull up a seat next to Y/N, before turning to the kid. "You OK?" A silent conversation seems to go on between the two of them.

Y/N nods quickly. "Yup. We've had stir-fry. You want some?"

Tony shakes his head. "Nah. It's Chunky Monkey for me. You could get me a spoon though."

Y/N raises an eyebrow and gives Tony a look that can only be described as critical. "You know Pepper hates it when you skip meals."

"Jeez! I hate it when you two gang up on me. How much does she pay you to keep me on the straight and narrow? I promise I can better whatever she's offering you. How would you like a nice shiny new phone, hmm?"

Clint watches to two verbally spar and realizes that this Y/N kid is close to Tony. Close in a way only one or two other people are. Clint doesn't know what to make of it and, looking around the table he can see that the others don't either.

Tony eventually concedes to eating some stir fry and, standing up from the table, he ruffles Y/N's H/L hair on the way past. Y/N makes an annoyed noise, but grins as she starts collecting everyone's empty bowls.

Later that night, after Y/N has headed to bed, Sam brings it up.

"So who is he really Tony? The girl."

Tony gives him a bland look.

"My intern," he replies, before making his excuses and heading to his own bedroom.

POV: Sam Wilson

The following weekend, Y/N the Intern makes another appearance at HQ. She studies quietly in her room. She joins Tony in the lab (and Sam is not at all suspicious of the way they shove something under the desk when he approaches the lab at lunchtime).

At Tony's invitation, Y/N also sits and watches them spar in the training room, her gaze razor sharp as she observes evasive man-oeuvres, feints and offensive attacks.

She joins Steve, Sam and Scott on a morning run, and Sam is surprised at how fast the kid moves, for a Tall-ass.

However, it isn't until Sunday afternoon that the team comes to realize why Y/N is there. Sam, Nat and Clint head to the gym room for an afternoon workout, only to find her there, doing bench presses.

At first, Sam doesn't understand what has gotten Natasha's attention when she nudges him and gestures subtly towards the girl. He looks at Y/N, frowns at Nat and (at her repeated gesturing) looks again.

That's when he spots it. The weight counter indicates that the child is pressing five tons. Sam looks sharply back at Natasha who nods. Sam looks back at the counter. There's no way it can be correct. Steve can't lift five tonnes, never mind the rest of them. Only Thor and Hulk can manage that kind of weight.

Y/N is not wearing a suit, or technology of any kind, as far as Sam can see. She has a couple of thick bands around her wrists, but that's it.

After a moment, the girl returns the weight to its resting place and sits up. She gives the three of them a smile and a hello as she wipes the sweat off the bench. She hesitates a moment, as though trying to decide whether to stay or go, then she waves at them slightly awkwardly and exits the room.

Sam can't help himself. He goes over to the bench, positions himself and tries to lift the bar. It feels like he's trying to push a small moon out of orbit. Impossible. He sits up.

"What the fuck?!" He asks Nat and Clint.

POV: Scott Lang

That evening Scott is one of the last to arrive when the pizza is delivered. He arrives just in time to hear Nat asking Tony a question.

"Did you know your intern can bench press five tons?" Natasha asks Tony conversationally.

"Really?" said Tony, lifting an eyebrow. "I thought it was four and a half."

"Five tons." She repeats. "Who is she really Tony?"

"She really is my intern, and her name really is Y/N." Tony reached for a pizza slice. "Seriously, the girl has brains coming out of her ears. You should see what she can do with a chemistry set."

"She's enhanced. So spill the beans, Stark. I've got my suspicions, but I'm really not sure it's my place to air them."

"Y'do?" Scott chimes in. "Let's hear them then, your suspicions."

Y/N picks that moment to wander into the room, a thick physics textbook tucked under one arm.

"Kid, you'd better take this one," says Tony. "Natasha is convinced she saw you lifting five tons in the gym room earlier."

The rest of the Avengers all turn to look at Y/N. The teenager bounces from foot to foot, an expression of mild panic on her face.

"Uh...Mr Stark, can I see you in private for a minute?" The girl asks.

Tony nods and wraps an arm around Y/N's shoulders as they wander out of the room. They return fifteen minutes later. Tony sits back down and unconcernedly picks up another piece of pizza. Everyone else stares at Y/N in anticipation, the teenager standing awkwardly in front of them all.

"So?" Natasha raises an eyebrow.

Y/N clears her throat. "So...you're right. I'm...different. Enhanced. Whatever you want to call it. But..."

The child looks at Tony before taking a deep breath and continuing "...I don't really know you all like Tony does, so if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not share anything else about it, for the moment."

The room is quiet for a moment before Nat shrugs. "Fair enough."

And that is the end of that. For the moment.

POV: Tony Stank

Tony has a particular spot he likes to sit in on the modular couches in the Avengers lounge room. It's a corner single seater; no-one elbowing him and plenty of personal space. Clint and Sam seem to think this is hilarious and sometimes refer to Tony as 'Sheldon', ungrateful swine that they are. The Sheldon jokes are the only reason Tony doesn't put up a list of house rules on the fridge door; no need to give them any more ammunition, regardless of how annoying some of their habits are.

Tony gets back to the tower one day after a grueling Stark Industries board meeting (Pepper must have been in the mood to torture him – there was absolutely no need for him to be there) and heads towards his seat. All he wants is a drink and some soothing AC/DC in the background.

He reaches his seat and stops cold. On it is a pillow covered in an image of Edna Mode, from the movie The Incredibles, holding up a super-suit and accompanied by the words: 'Fine. I will also fix the hobo-suit'. Tony stares at it, stupefied, for a few moments before he hears sniggering from the direction of the kitchen. Turning, he sees Nat, Scott and Clint watching him, wearing various expressions of amusement.

"Which one of you dicks is responsible for this?"

Clint laughs out loud as Scott responds.

"We all really like your intern, Tony. She's got a wicked sense of humor."

"That little shit." He finds himself reluctantly smiling. It figures Y/N would worm his way into the hearts of the team quickly.

Vision wanders into the lounge from his bedroom.

"Is anyone able to explain this to me?" He holds up another pillow of Edna Mode, this one with the words 'No Capes!' in block letters. Tony snorts.

"Vision buddy, talk to my intern."

POV: Wanda Maximoff

It is Wanda who is next to pick up on one of Y/N's abilities. It isn't surprising, really. After all, she reminds her of Pietro. She is quick and lithe and has a ready smile. Plus, with her psionic abilities, it makes sense that Wanda would pick up on another person's unusual mental talents.

It is a Friday night and they had all greeted Y/N warmly when she arrived, smiling somewhat shyly at them as she'd slumped down on the lounge next to Tony.

"Hey, kid," greeted the billionaire. "How was school?"

A shrug. "Same old, same old."

Tony had remained tight-lipped about the teenager, only admitting that she was Enhanced and determined to use her abilities to help people, so Tony wanted her trained. As a consequence, Y/N now spent a couple of hours each Saturday learning hand-to-hand combat from Natasha and Clint.

Wanda watched now as Y/N discussed a school science project with Tony, who appeared more relaxed and animated talking with the teen than he had done all afternoon with the Avengers team.

Suddenly, mid-sentence, Y/N went silent. Her eyes took on a distant quality.

"Kid, everything OK?" asked Tony.

"Uhh..."

"Y/N?" asked Steve.

Y/N turned to look at Tony.

"Is anyone expected tonight? Like, guests I mean?"

"Noo..." replied Tony. "Why do you ask?"

Y/N ignored Tony's question. "Are there any threats on the horizon? I mean, are you guys on alert right now, for any particular reason?"

"You're making me pretty damn alert." Tony's eyes were sharp as he watched Y/N stand up and turn in a circle. "Talk to me kid."

Y/N rubbed the back of his neck in a frustrated gesture, before turning again to Tony.

"Something's wrong. I think...maybe...something's coming?"

Tony only narrowly beats the other Avengers in standing up.

"Can you be any more specific?" Steve asks as Tony started running F.R.I.D.A.Y through a series of security searches.

Y/N shakes her head. "Sorry, no. It's just a feeling right now."

"Are you sure you're not just being..." Sam trails off.

"Paranoid?" Supplies Tony, eyes flickering over the results from F.R.I.D.A.Y. "Y/N doesn't do paranoid. She does, however, have excellent instincts. If she says something's wrong, then something's wrong."

Wanda watches as Y/N suddenly swivelled towards the elevators which, as if on cue, give a friendly 'ding'. Y/N tenses, her hands fisting, and without conscious thought Wanda engages her telekinesis and braces herself.

The elevator doors slid open to reveal one of the cleaners; Wanda recalled that his name was Richard, although she'd never come into close contact with him before. Tony, still distracted by his screens, glanced over at the cleaner and then back to the readouts.

"This part of the complex isn't scheduled for cleaning in the evenings." Tony calls out, as his hands moved rapidly to pull up data.

Richard smiled and cold dread shivered up Wanda's spine. She knew that type of smile. So when Richard throws three small canisters in their direction, she reacts in a split-second, encasing the canisters in a telekinetic bubble. She held the bubble steady, unwilling to release it for fear of what might happen to the canisters if she did.

Natasha is across the room almost before Wanda can blink, knocking the guy out cold within seconds. And just like that, it is over.

The canisters are transferred to a decontamination lock-box before Wanda releases her hold on them. Almost immediately, they begin to hiss with the release of an unknown substance. A substance which, three days later, the CDC informs them is something unseen before and utterly, devastatingly deadly.

The following day, Wanda strolls into the common area to see most of the team quietly watching Tony argue with someone on the phone.

"I know. I know that M/N. I'm not arguing with you on that score." Tony runs a hand down his face. "But I promise you, steps have been taken in the last four days to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"What's going on?" Wanda asks Scott.

"I think that's Y/N's Mom on the phone," he replies, "and she's not happy about her coming back here after what happened on the weekend."

"No," says Tony. "Yes. Yes, M/N. I understand. Absolutely. You have my word."

"I've never heard Tony sound so whipped before," whispers Rhodey, who had arrived a couple of days ago. "I wish I was recording this."

When Y/N visits HQ again the next weekend, she is accompanied by a beautiful middle-aged woman who greets each of the Avengers politely but coolly. M/N, it turns out, is Y/N's Mom.

M/N says little. She watches as the Avengers train and as Y/N trains with specific team members. She joins them for meals and listens to the conversation. She watches how Y/N interacts with the team.

Tony is at pains to please the woman and Wanda realizes that the kid must mean a lot to the billionaire, for him to go to so much effort to accommodate M/N.

Wanda's curiosity gets the better of her. She dips shallowly into the other woman's mind, and encounters an intense well of emotion directed towards Y/N; deep love, overwhelming pride, curdling fear and fierce protectiveness, all rolled into one. It is so intense that Wanda backs out, but not before glimpsing a series of images M/N is projecting.

A man, with the same E/C eyes and warm smile as Y/N.

A small child who can only be a younger Y/N, crying as she lifts up a broken pair of glasses.

A blue mask. Tidal's mask.

Busted, thinks Wanda, eyeing the unassuming teenager.