#i should totally be asleep but i just kinda blinked and 2+ hours had passed 🥰🥰🥰

[the-random-phan]

Sides of a Coin

[bellesowl]

kiss and make up

- multiple characters 

⤷ atsumu, sakusa

genre: (an attempt at) angst to fluff ; established relationship, timeskip 

synopsis: in which you have an almost relationship-ending argument

word count: 2.1k total - about 1k each

warnings: fighting (obv), being called a burden, the boys are kinda mean but they make up for it i swear

- a/n: tbh i was kinda getting sick of writing just fluff so i wanted to spice it up a lil! if this sucks i’m probably going to stick to fluff fics but i think it should be fine? this one also only has 2 characs cause idk how i would be at writing angst LMAO if this does well enough i’ll post the one i have written w kuroo and iwa <3 but i feel like this kinda sucks so oh well

- thank u @kybabi for beta-ing <3

- miya atsumu

you n atsumu have been together since high school which is why you’ve always been inseparable

you went to the same college & moved in together right after, but once he got his job with the jackals, he insisted that you didn’t work and focused on getting your master’s degree

you reluctantly agreed, if only to be able finish & earn your phd soon after

because atsumu is always busy, it’s kinda become commonplace for you to do the chores around the house- like doing the laundry or washing the dishes or cooking dinner for him

but it’s gotten to the point where he expects it

atsumu sighs, unlocking the door to your shared apartment. today’s practice was rough, it was a day of hard conditioning and bad sets and he wanted nothing more than a good meal and to cuddle. the first thing he noticed when he walked in was the mess. instant ramen bowls were scattered everywhere, empty coke cans and dirty napkins were all over the floor, and there you were, in the eye of the hurricane. the second thing he noticed was that there was no homecooked meal.

surprised, he walks into the dining room to see you, furiously typing away at your laptop with four different books surrounding you. you hear his footsteps and look up.

“hey baby! how was practice?” you ask with a smile

atsumu grunts in reply and gestures toward the kitchen, “so.. what’s for dinner babe?”

your eyes widen, “oh shoot! i’m sorry, i was so busy studying for this final that i forgot to cook. do you mind-“ you stop when you see him roll his eyes and head out.

“um, where are you going? you just got home?” you ask, following him.

“out. i have to get food somehow” he replies, “especially because my useless s/o can’t cook a goddamn meal for me” he mutters under his breath

you stop in shock because did he really just say that?

“i’m sorry, i don’t think i heard you right.” you start but he interrupts you

“i said, i have to go get food because someone is too busy to cook a goddamn meal. what do you even do anyways- well, besides spend my money? the least you can do is cook for me, god.” he finally turns to look at you but he feels his heart stop at the look on your face.

not wanting to escalate the situation any further, you try to calm him down, “tsum, hey, i’m sorry i forgot to cook okay? this is my last final before the year ends and i just can’t afford to fail it, so i’ve been studying all day. if you come back to the kitchen, i’ll make you something, okay?”

“i don’t want to eat your half assed attempt at a meal, y/n. the whole point is that you couldn’t get off your ass for an hour to cook when i make the money, i paid for the apartment, hell, i’m even paying for your school! is it really too much to ask for you to stop being such a burden and cook and clean everyday?” he fumed.

you gape at him, shocked that he would even say that. to hell with not escalating things

“at least i want to do something more with my life than hit balls around and retire at 35” you hiss, “and i do everything in this house! i do the laundry, i clean the bathroom, i cook - i do all the things you refuse to. and do i complain? no. i offered to get a job but you refused.”

you turn around to grab your laptop and your textbooks, “just- just do whatever the hell you want to, atsumu.” and with that you walk out the door.

atsumu’s heart drops when he realizes that you actually left. sure, you’ve had arguments here and there, but you’ve never left. he pulls out his phone to call you when he sees you’ve left yours on the counter. knowing there’s nothing to do but wait at this point, he begins to clean up and calls osamu over.

-

it’s already 3 am when you walk back into your apartment, and you blink multiple times when you open the door. it’s ... clean? you’re sure it was a mess when you left, so how would it be clean? you sigh, too tired to think about it more and walk into the kitchen. your eyes widen at the sight. not only is your favorite food on the stove, but there your boyfriend is, asleep on the dining table. you smile slightly, well that explains things.

“ ‘’mu, hey, wake up babe.” you kiss him lightly and shake him.

he grunts and sits up, “baby! i’m so so sorry for what i said. you are in no way, shape, or form a burden, i have no clue why i said that. today’s practice was just really tiring, but i know i shouldn’t have taken it out on you. just please-” he sighs, “just please don’t leave me again.”

your heart breaks your teary eyed boyfriend. “shh, of course baby. i’ll never leave you again okay?” you say, tugging on his arm, “cmon babe, let’s go to bed, okay?”

“mm okay my love.” he replies and practically pulls you into bed. “i love you, okay?”

“i love you too baby.” you reply

“to the moon and back?” he asks

“yeah, and to infinity and beyond.” you reply, your lack of sleep hitting you hard

“oh, i didn’t know i was dating buzz lightyear”

you let out a loud laugh and just like that you both fall into the same routine, love radiating off both of you in waves.

- sakusa kiyoomi

dating sakusa was,, challenging

it definitely took him a while to get comfortable with you

so you guys have been dating for a couple years now, and at this point he’s def clingy

however there still moments when he reverts to his old self

this just happened to be one of those times

“OUT! AND JUST LIKE THAT, EJP RAIJIN TAKES THE WIN AGAINST THE BLACK JACKALS!”

the stadium is silent before the ejp cheering section erupts in cheers. you stay silent, watching your team below. you watch as sakusa stills, still in disbelief. you make your way down, practically sprinting to your boyfriend.

he sees you on the sideline and makes his way over to you. you put on your biggest smile and attempt to make him feel better.

“you did great, kiyo! you’ll get them next time, yeah?” you beam, knowing how hard he’s been training to beat his cousin

he eyes you warily, not knowing what to say.

usually, sakusa gets pretty clingy after games, so you you move to give him a hug.

“don’t touch me” he barked, jerking away from you. “if you hadn’t been distracting me, we would’ve won.”

you stare at him, refusing to let the tears flow. you both turn when you hear a certain setter yelling at the opposing middle and you sigh.

“um, okay then. i’ll see you at home, yeah?” you ask

sakusa merely nods and makes his way over to his teammates. you look around to see if anyone saw what just happened and you lock eyes with your boyfriend’s cousin, who walks over.

“congrats on the win komori! you guys did so well!” you cheered

“thanks, y/n! and i’m sorry about kiyoomi. i’m sure you know he gets that way sometimes.” he explains

you smile and shake your head, saying that you’re used to it and you both bid your farewells. as you walk out of the stadium, you think back to how your boyfriend, the one person you loved with everything you had in you, utterly embarrassed you in front of his whole team. before you know it, silent tears start streaming down your face. 

you enter your home and immediately rush to the bathroom. you draw yourself a bath and make some dinner while waiting. you assume that kiyoomi wouldn’t be home to have dinner with you anyways- and now that you think about it, you can’t remember the last time you had dinner together. after you finish your bath and eat your dinner, you decide to wait up for boyfriend and watch a couple episodes of your favorite show to pass the time. 

-

kiyoomi walks into his apartment at around 1 am, completely and utterly exhausted. he kicks his shoes off and drops his bag on the floor. The rustling rouses you from sleep and you sit up.

“hey kiyo” you say with a yawn, “where’ve you been all night?” 

sakusa ignores you in favor of getting ready for bed and you frown when he brushes past you. 

“kiyo, babe, what’s wrong? you’ve been ignoring me all night and i-” you start but he interrupts you before you can finish. 

“god, just shut up, y/n. can’t you tell i don’t want to talk to you right now? i’ve already had the worst day, i don’t need you making it any worse.” he snaps

"kiyoomi, look, i understand you’re upset but you shouldn’t take it out on me.” you reason, reaching out towards him, “listen, i’m here if you wanna-” 

“i said, do not touch me.” he seethes. “you are so fucking clingy y/n, lord, let me breathe a little.”

with those words, you explode. “you know what, sakusa,” he flinches when he hears his last name come out of your mouth, “i think i have the right to want to spend some time with my boyfriend! i haven’t seen you in god knows how long- you leave before i wake up and i fall asleep in an empty bed. i’ve been working my ass off to get some time off to watch your stupid volleyball game and what do you do? you embarrass me in front of your whole team!”

you sigh, wiping away the tears that continue that continue to fall. “listen, i don’t want to fight right now. i’m going to go stay at a friend’s house for the night, alright? i’ll see you tomorrow” you say, grabbing your purse. “if you’re even home tomorrow,” you add under your breath.

sakusa is in shock. the moment he saw your tears start to spill, he felt an undeniable and unrelenting ache in his chest that only seemed to grow with every work that came out of your mouth. and when the door shut? sakusa fell on his knees, his heart dropping. he truly couldn’t believe he said that to you. now all he had to do was wait till you got home.

-

2:38 pm - you check the time on your phone before pulling out your keys. you hope you made the right move, choosing to come back home while kiyoomi was still at practice. you open the door and the sight causes your eyes to widen.

there, on the couch with your favorite flowers in hand, is your boyfriend. he hears the door open and stands up abruptly.

“y/n, my love, i am so sorry. i truly cannot express how horrible i feel, and i cannot begin to understand how you feel.” he takes a deep breath, seemingly holding back tears. “i- i do love you. i love you more than i’ve ever loved anyone in my entire life. i know i’m not the best at expressing it, but you mean the world to me- no, you are my world. without you, i don’t know what i would do. so please-” his voice cracks, “just, please give me another chance?”

you run towards your boyfriend, practically tackling him. “kiyo, baby, of course. i love you too, you know? you just can’t do that anymore, yeah? you shouldn’t feel like you have the right to embarrass me just because you had a bad day. and please, don’t call me clingy? i know i do stick to you like glue sometimes, but that’s just because i never see you anymore.” you reply.

“that will all change, darling.” he answers sincerely, “i’ll make more time for you, i swear. in fact, i’ll take the week off, how does that sound?” at the sight of your smile, he relaxes.

“that sounds wonderful, yoomi.” you answer

sakusa feels the weight that’s been dragging him down lift and he realizes the effect you have on him- you’re his breath of fresh air. he also realizes how utterly idiotic it was to push away the one person who could make him feel better.

it’s fine, he reasons, he’ll just never make that mistake again. he swears it.

[thebooki3h]

Lukadamianette Au Part 2

First Here Next

We begin where we left off, with Luka and Marinette on one of the dates Luka Planned. Just because it makes sense in this, Luka and Mari arrive a week early

Because Mari is emancipated and excused herself for the first week of school before the trip during which the class is still in France bc they just ended summer and all that jazz. also I have decided that the trip has turned into a half semester exchange program even though this doesn’t make the most sense, but the French school thought the class could use a reward and tbh they just wanted to get the Akuma class out for awhile. Also this way they aren’t in Gotham for a whole semester of senior year. The trip is planned for the first half of the first semester of senior year. I know that this doesn't make a whole lot of sense but just stick with me.

They go sight seeing and basically on a week long date bc the following week begins the Wayne sponsored exchange program and when Luka has to work for Jagged. One day they go to museums, the next the go to famous parks around Gotham (which are thriving thanks to Poison Ivy), the next they see all of the famous villain spots (which are surprisingly popular tourist destinations bc for the most part they don’t get hit twice in short periods of time) which is a good cover for studying past bat battles. They take days in between to rest and use the inspiration they gained to make new songs or clothing designs. 

They share hotel room bc Mari’s parents stopped being her parents a long time ago and lost their say and bc Jagged says they are grown up enough to be responsible for their actions (which brings a blush to their cheeks every time bc “daaaaaddddd” “uncle jaggeeedddd”)

Mari also makes it her mission to visit all of the non chain coffee shops at least once while they are there bc coffee became her best friend when she was active as ladybug. She meets Tim in almost everyone because Tim also drinks coffee obsessively. Luka is more of a tea drinker because coffee interrupts his musical thought process and tea is less harsh. Marinette drinks tea when she wants to relax but coffee is the fuel of the gods. She expresses this to Tim and that's how they become acquainted bc finally someone understands his love for coffee. They exchange numbers after they run into each other for a fourth time. (Luka silently thinks that he might have to talk to Mari about her obsession of coffee again and if there is a rehab center for coffee drinkers) Tim learns that Mari is from the exchange class very quickly based off of Luka’s French accent as well as her light French accent that is mixed with a couple things he can’t quite place.

The class arrives, Lila ofc tried to pull something to leave Mari behind and she thought she was successful so she was gloating. She ofc took credit for the whole trip claiming that she was super close to the Waynes and that she helped Damian acclimate to his new school (she actually knows that Damian didn’t start living with his father until 10 bc why not). Mrs Bustier tries to check in under both her name and Lila’s name, both of which don’t work because they are A) an hour and a half early and B) all of the reservations are under the contest winners name (they have to ok their chaperones to use their name) C)Mrs Bustier told Mari to make all of the reservations under Mari’s name anyway and she totally forgot that. 

So the sit in the lobby for an hour, Lila has the whole class riled up bc Marinette isn't there and it is al her fault that they can’t get in to their rooms. Marinette shows up with Luka 15 mins before the class was supposed to show up (they had just gotten lunch at a cafe that jagged had recommended) and she is laughing and happy, which causes the class to BLOW UP in her face. She ignores them and checks everyone into their rooms. Kagami and Chloe share a suite bc they are rich in their own right and upgraded their shared room bc they are dating and signed up to be roommates. They got this okayed by Buister in writing JIC. Marinette as the contest winner also got a suite (the room she had been staying in with Luka that she just extended the booking for)

Lila and Alya obviously make a big fuss about them getting special treatment but bustier can’t do anything because Mari won’t let her. She secretly thinks Mari is a lost cause now but she tries her best to get her to see that she has to be a role model. Mari actually planned the whole trip and she did a fucking fantastic job bc its Mari and planning something is what she is great at. She has all of the bases covered including iternerary, bookings for food, emergency contact info, health info, info on Gotham, safety procedures and the whole shebang. All of which had to be approved by  Bustier and that Bustier has copies of but totally ignored.

The next day they try to pull the let’s leave an hour early to leave behind Marinette stunt. Not only does that fail because the tour can’t start until the contest winner is there, but they arrived before Wayne tower was even open to the public. Because jagged is extra he shipped Luka and Marinette motorcycles to Gotham bc they were going to be there for a couple months, they also got special permission from Wayne enterprises to park their bikes in the employee parking structures from Tim once he heard that they rode bikes as expensive as Jason’s. So she left early from the hotel with Luka(bc she knew that Bustier would leave her behind somehow) to go meet up with Tim at a new coffee place (one of his favorites). They end up riding on their respective bikes to WE together so they can hang out before the tour. Luka goes to a recording studio to meet up with Jagged, but not before a very passionate kiss goodbye, which makes Tim blush. (Tim may not seem like the biker type but he is a bat and he lives with Jason so he not only knows how to ride a motorcycle well has one, so it may not be his favorite mode of transportation but he’ll live)

So he and Marinette walk to WE about a half an hour before the class is supposed to be there in the middle of a debate on how best to brew coffee (Mari insists its French press) and low and behold they are there yelling at the receptionist. Mari gives Tim a look that says I’m so sorry you have to see this and yes I was not exaggerating walks up to the receptionist and apologizes for what she is about to do (not for the classes actions bc fuck them they can apologize for themselves she has learned to not take responsibility for others actions and she won’t let all that work go to waste). She then proceeds to yell, much louder than someone of her stature presumably should “SHUT THE FUCK UP OR I STG I WILL BREAK JOKER OUT OF ARKHAM AND LOCK HIM IN A ROOM WITH ALL OF YOU WITHOUT FLINCHING” this is shocking to everyone, especially mrs bustier who is  scandalized  that her role model student would do something like this.

Tim had a feeling that something video worthy would happen so as soon as she walked away he started recording, and he was NOT disappointed. The video gos straight to the batfam gc and Luka immediately. He powered off his phone then he proceeds to start laughing and applauding. Upon seeing the CEO’s reaction the rest of the employees start applauding as well bc damn those kids were rude. Tim then walks up to Mari talking at a speed no one but Mari, Chloe and Kagami could understand (bc the class is not fluent in English no matter what they would tell you). Mari proceeds to blush once he informs her that he sent a video to Luka (he does not tell her about the batfam gc)

Chloe and Kagami are immediate intrigued bc this is NOT what they picture when Mari said she met someone who loves coffee as much as she does. they may be hella gay for each other but damn that man is ripped. They join the convo while the class remains befuddled bc who knew Mari even swore. in the back of his mind Nino is reminded of a young blue-eyed girl who lost playground privileges for a week bc someone made fun of his glasses and proceed to punch said someone in the nose. But he shakes it of because Mari hasn’t been like that in years. 

Bustier eventually collects herself and gently, so as not to cause an Akuma (apparently she didn't get the memo), reminds Mari that they are here for a tour and she needs to get the class their passes.  So Mari leaves her friends to get acquainted and goes up to the receptionist, to whom she apologizes for her actions again, and the receptionist replies with a laugh and a “honey, you just made my week, there's no need to apologize I should be thanking you” (she does thank Mari). Mari gets a special pass bc she’s the contest winner to which Lila and Alya (then the rest of the class for the most part) proceed to throw a hissy fit over. The receptionist is so over them though and doesn’t even blink. 

Then their tour guide shows up. (its Dick and his assistant Damian). Damian proceeds to scold the class for a solid ten mins (which coincidentally leads up to their scheduled time to start the tour). Dick slides off to talk to the receptionist and his brother who isn't working and is talking to real people for once. Just for that they are his favorite out of the class. Tim unfortunately has to go to work so they talk to Dick to get acquainted until the tour has to officially start. 

Los tres amigos are the only ones who pay attention to Dick at all (he leads the tour bc he’s been there the longest but Damian throws in a comment here or there mostly related to shenanigans his family has gotten into but overall useful facts. for example these windows are reinforced because our CEO (Tim) leaned up against one, fell asleep and fell through the window to the office below.)

The rest of the class is focused on Lila who is talking a whole bunch of nonsense about the Wayne family and how she has helped them with their business. Some things actually sound kinda legit, but Mari and Co. know that it is BS. Dick tries to bet bustier involved but she makes an excuse for Lila and goes on her phone and doesn’t really pay attention. 

Eventually the class tour turns into Dick talking to Mari, Chloe and Kagami while the class vaguely follows them. Damian doesn’t really say anything because he generally doesn’t do well talking to strangers and these girls seem ok and he is still insecure (not that he would ever admit it to anyone ) about social interaction now that he has figured out how people who weren’t raised as assassins act. That is until Dick starts talking about shenanigans that his brothers get into, and Damian jumps in correcting him because  I did not try to tackle Todd, Grayson I did tackle Todd quite successful and also Alfred won’t let you into the kitchen anymore because you almost burned down the east wing of the manor not  because he is territorial over the kitchen. And Mari hadn’t really paid attention to Damian until now but OH MY KAWAMI he is hot, and how did she talk so long to notice that. 

She ends up taking a pic of Damian without him noticing (he really doesn’t notice which is a feat in itself but Dick does and he will  be teasing Damian about it later bc obviously) and she texts it to Luka bc if she is going to freak out over his hotness she wants Luka to do so too. ( he sees the pic in the middle of recording and he ends up needing a water break bc gay panic and he really is extremely handsome. Recording gets delayed even longer bc jagged cannot pass up the opportunity to tease him son and he does so mercilessly and Mari totally knew what she was doing when she sent that picture) Luka ends up demanding that she gets Damians number or he will because that man is fine.  

Mari now knows that the stuttering idolization that she had with Adrien wasn’t really healthy and Luka likes to remind her all the time that she can be smooth when she wants to be (sometimes unintentionally but she practices on Luka because she loves to see him blush). Mari then makes it her mission to compliment Damian as much as possible so that it is crystal clear and very obvious that she is flirting with him. If he even shows a little discomfort in a negative I don’t like this kind of way she will stop because she will not make someone go through what she went through with Chat Noir and unwanted advances.

Chloe, Kagami and Dick immediately notice that she is flirting with Damian. Chloe takes a video for Luka bc she knows that he would want to see this and Dick takes a video for the Batfam gc. 

Just to be clear Mari and Luka have talked about seeing other people and maybe adding a third person to their relationship as long as they talk about it. that line of communication was opened when Mari sent a pic of Damian to Luka and when Luka asked for his number that was his “go ahead” for her to flirt with Damian. Lila doesn’t understand how that works and neither do the rest of the class so that is a point of contention between the class and Mari. She would NEVER cheat on Luka, she loves him and he is the most important person to her in the world. Something that Juleka understands (she just doesn’t like Mari bc of Lila she knows how polyamory works this is why her and Luka aren't as close as they used to be)

Moving on... the batfam gc blows up for a second time that day and so when the class goes to the cafeteria Tim just has to see this for himself. Mari tries not to be obnoxious in her flirting so she compliments Damians intelligence by asking him questions that weren't included in the tour, and she asks him about his interests and is like that must have taken a lot of time to perfect you must be very dedicated. Damian isn’t used to genuine compliments especially from strangers so he is very flustered by it but he makes no indication for her to stop. 

The day winds down and the class has some free time before they have to go to dinner but the do have to leave the tower. Mari does actually get Damians number (he thinks she must be very well trained to get his number that quick bc he refuses to accept that he gave it to her because he likes her) Mari promises to ft him later bc he promised to let her meet his dog and she doesn’t want to wait until the class has dinner at the manor to see Titus.

First Here Next

Taglist

@dood-space

@toodaloo-kangaroo

Also I’m not very sure about how to go back and edit posts to link new parts so if anyone knows how to do that please comment or message me because I would love to learn!

[janetbrown711]

"you've always been strong for me. let me return the favor." Angelina 2 to William 🥺

To say William woke up feeling refreshed would be the most obvious lie of all time. 

His first thought in his painfully groggy head of his was of his location. From what he could sense, it wasn’t familiar. The beds felt cheap, nothing like the royal silk sheets he had gotten used to at the palace. 

His second thought was of Lena. He couldn’t feel her presence, which caused him to snap his eyes open and look for her. 

This third thought was remembering what had happened. 

Freeing Wakko. Hurting his arm. The attack. 

He tried sitting up but a wave of pain shot through his whole body and he was forced to sit back down. However, he looked across the room and saw her. 

Lena was in a bed across the room from him, and it hurt his neck to look at her, but he couldn’t look away. He had never seen her with so many bruises and bandages around her in his life. It broke his heart.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” The familiar voice of his childhood best friend, Helloise Nerz, spoke softly. “How are you feeling?”

How was he feeling? Almost every inch of his body ached and hurt, his wife somehow appearing worse than him, and he was miles and miles away from his children, who he already missed terribly. 

“Right... poor question,” She apologized. “How much do you remember?”

He thought a moment. 

“Last thing I remember is passing out on your doorstep,” He said. She nodded. 

“Good, because that was the last thing that happened,” She said. 

“So... what’s wrong with me, doc?” He joked a little. Helloise chuckled. 

“Nurse. Scratchy is the real doc, I’m just the assistant,” She remarked. 

“Don’t sell yourself short, Helloise. I’m sure you could run this place if you had to,” He said. She snorted. 

“You’ve got a terribly sprained arm that I noticed was already bandaged, but you’ve made much worse, I presume from carrying her highness. You also have a torn ligament in your right ankle, minor frostbite, and numerous pulled muscles throughout your legs,” she read off of a chart. 

“And Lena?” He asked. 

“Broken rib, a minor concussion from what we can tell, fractured fibula, severe bruising on the face, minor frostbite, and blood loss from a severe wound in the right shoulder we cleaned and stitched up.”

William looked at his wife again. 

“How long have we been asleep?” He asked. 

“Three days,” She said. William blinked. 

“Th-three days?” he asked.

She sighed. “William...” she sat on the edge of his bed. 

“The whole kingdom thinks you two are dead, and honestly, you two are lucky to be alive.”

“What? Why? How? What about Yakko Wakko and Dot? Are they alright?” He tried sitting up, but the wave of pain reminded him not to. 

“Well, her majesty the queen threw a funeral two days ago. They said attackers stormed the castle in the night and killed the two of you,” She explained. 

“But what about Yakko Wakko and Dot? Are they okay?” He asked. 

“I haven’t heard any news of the three of them, so they should be alright with the queen.”

“If you could consider being with the queen alright,” he muttered. 

“Right... She wasn’t the best mother, right?” She remembered. He shook his head, sighing. Just then, a low grumble came from across the room, and Lena began to stir. 

“What... where... Will..?” she mumbled as her eyes slowly opened and she took in her surroundings. William wanted nothing more than to rush to her side, but the numerous injuries Helloise had informed him about kept him where he was. Instead, the good nurse went over and started evaluating and explaining the situation to her. 

“D-dead..?” Her face went pale as a ghost. “That means... They’re with... we have to go. Now,” She looked at William, and started climbing out of her bed, nearly collapsing immediately if it hadn’t been for Helloise catching her. 

“Your highness, you can’t. You need to recover,” She said, laying her back down. 

“I can’t leave them with her- I can’t,” She shook her head.

“Lena...” He said softly. She looked at him for a moment, before lying back down and looking away, her expression mostly unreadable. Just then, the doctor came in. 

“Oh goodie, you two are awake,” He said, but he quickly read the room. 

“Er... how are you two feeling?” He asked. William shrugged, while Lena remained silently looking away. 

He then pulled the nurse back outside to talk for a moment, promising it wouldn’t be long. William nodded and let them go, and his eyes went to Lena. 

She wouldn’t look at him, even when he said her name. Something was deeply, deeply wrong. William wished he could read her mind, though he did have a few guesses. For one, the kids. 

William knew they were resourceful and clever, but he honestly had no idea what Angelina was going to do to them now that they were out of the picture- especially if she thought they were dead. 

It sent a shiver down his spine just thinking about it...

“So... your highnesses... what can you tell us about the attack?” The doctor reentered and asked. 

“Oh god... where to start?” he chuckled nervously. 

“If you aren’t ready, it’s totally fine,” Helloise sat on the edge of his bed. “We just... well... the people are curious. You are supposed to be dead after all.”

“Of course,” William said, before taking in a deep breath and beginning. 

.o0o. 

It had been a tense week. William had been mad at himself when he had sprained his arm. He was a knight, dammit, he was supposed to be trained to be better than that. Now it meant he had to postpone any of his own mini training lessons he was giving Wakko and Yakko until later, which he knew Yakko would be suspicious of. He always had a habit of picking up on their anxiety and carrying it with him like it was his responsibility too, which was upsetting for multiple reasons. 

Some of Angelina’s lessons were extremely difficult to try and undo. 

At least Wakko was trying to be optimistic about things. After he had broken him out of the tower, Wakko was spending a lot more time with them as a family, suddenly talking to them a lot more than he used to, which William took as a good sign, seeing as he desperately wanted something to look on the bright side about. 

Dot was happy too, of course, as she was just glad to have Wakko back too. She could hardly tell everyone else was anxious, she was only four after all. 

When the first window broke, William had been up in a flash, and despite his injury, he grabbed his sword anyway. 

“William? What’s the matter?” Lena had asked. 

“Go back to sleep, my love. I’ll handle this,” he kissed her head, leaving their bedroom. 

He walked through the halls, surprised at just how silent everything was. Still, he kept his guard up, not allowing himself to relax for even a second. 

“...this castle is huge! Even with the map she gave us,” a disgruntled, not-too-far off voice said. William ducked behind a curtain for cover. 

“It’s a quick mission though: grab the king, grab the queen, and grab the kid if there’s time to spare,” A lower voice shrugged, and William felt a wave of protectiveness wash over him. Immediately, he burst out and attacked one of the men, and they quickly began a sword fight. 

Unfortunately, William found himself evenly matched by his opponent and realized he was surrounded by allies, some that were even taller than him.

He was kinda screwed. 

Still, he fought and parried and swung and blocked with a valiant effort, though the pain in his arm burned more and more and it was evident he was becoming weaker. His opponent saw this, and got behind, and he brought down the handle of his sword onto his arm, and William dropped his sword and fell onto the ground, growling in pain. 

“Remember, queenie said no blood on her carpets or tapestries,” The tallest reminded his attacker, who was now pointing his sword at his face. “Tie him up. With the strongest removed, we can work on getting that queen and the middle boy,” He ordered, before taking a few and leaving. 

Wakko. 

William growled, and swiped his feet out from under him, causing his attacker to fall to the ground. William then began fighting with his bare fists against the men who tried jumping on and fighting him next. 

However, the numbers were too large, and before William knew it, his wrists were tied and he was captured. 

“Alright, move it, princey,” one of the men kicked him. William gnashed his teeth, but they planned for that, as two of the men held him down, and a third quickly put a muzzle around him. 

“There, now that should get you to behave,” He grinned, pulling William up, and the three men forced him out of the castle, and into the back of a carriage, where he was locked in and left. 

He tried kicking the door open, but it must’ve been solid wood because he got nowhere, and all he ended up doing was exhausting himself. 

William was alone for quite an amount of time, and he tried everything he could to break free of his restraints but nothing was working. He cursed his stubbornness that caused him to sprain his arm- if it hadn’t been for that he was confident he would’ve been able to take down the six men. He was a knight for god’s sake- he was supposed to be able to protect his family. 

He was supposed to be able to protect his family. 

After a long moment of silence and stillness, the door opened and Lena was thrown in next to him, and William caught a glimpse of the outside and noticed it was snowing lightly. 

He didn’t dwell on that, his eyes falling onto Lena, who looked horrible. Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at him, slowly and painfully crawling her way over and lying against his chest. William did his best to hug her with his hands tied. 

Neither of them could say a word, but both knew exactly what the other was feeling, and they did their best to embrace and comfort each other. 

Then, the carriage began to move.

They didn’t capture Wakko.

Despite everything, William sighed a breath of relief.

Silently, the couple rode for hours, not knowing where they were being taken or why or who was behind any of this, though they had a few guesses.

William was just glad he still had her... even if it wouldn’t be for much longer.

He loved her with his entire being, nothing would ever change that, not an evil queen, and not even death.

However, his mind quickly went to his kids.

Wakko was alive- at least, he hoped. The attackers said they couldn’t get blood anywhere, hopefully, that meant they just ran out of time to find him and he was okay.  

But if they were killed, William had no idea what Angelina would do to them. They would have no protection from her now. They could be hurt, or worse...

William hugged Lena a little tighter.

After an hour or two of riding, the temperature inside the carriage got notably colder, the snow outside picking up.

William prayed for a miracle.

They continued riding on, William even drifting to sleep at one point, when they were suddenly jerked awake. there were shouts from out of where they were, and William and Lena sat up best they could, though Lena was in a lot more pain. Suddenly, the carriage lost control, and started to skid and slide, though William and Lena had no idea what the cause was- but it didn’t matter because not before long, it crashed into a tree and everyone was thrown into the air, and landed with a crash and crack. 

William winced at the sound, closing his eyes but when he opened, he saw it-

The doors were busted open. 

Quickly, William scooted out, gesturing for Lena to follow, but she was closing her eyes and cringing in pain, and William realized she had injured her leg in the fall. Knowing they didn’t have much time to run, he carefully got her out, having her arms go around him with the tie, and having her hold herself up best she could with her remaining upper body strength as they ran into the woods, as far away as they could manage, also while looking for something they could use to untie their hands- and also a hiding place for when the attackers began to search. 

Luckily, William was well trained in tracking so he did his best to make sure his footprints in the snow made zero sense and were misleading at best, praying they wouldn’t be able to follow, but he didn’t know who or what they were, so it was hard to be certain. 

Eventually, William and Lena made it to a cave and they hid in there for a while, With William finding a particularly sharp rock he used to untie his hands, remove his muzzle, then untie Lena, and remove her muzzle. 

“William,” she said with teary eyes. 

“Lena,’ he replied, becoming overwhelmed with the desire to hug her, but noting her injured state, he instead just pressed his forehead against hers, and she did the same, placing her soft hand against his face as she cried softly.

“We can’t stay here for long- a bear probably lives here,” she said. 

“Just for a moment, we need to rest- figure out where we are, and what our next move is,” He said. 

“We’re so far from home... how are we going to get out of this?” She asked. 

“I... I don’t know, Lena,” He admitted. “But we will, I promise.” 

They stayed hidden for quite some time, having only one close call when one of the tracker’s voices was close enough for them to hear, but William was ready with the sharp rock in case he got too close, but he never did, so they were alright. 

Well- alright, considering everything that just happened. 

Eventually, the sun started to rise in the woods, and it slowly dawned on William that the coast was clear, and they were free to go. 

But... free to go where? They had no idea where they were- were they even in Warnerstock? They could be in foreign lands for all they know- a place where they didn’t even speak the language and they could be killed for sneaking in and-

Wait. Lena was the Princess, and knew all the languages of the neighboring kingdoms, and would likely be given aid. William was panicking over nothing. 

However... Lena was looking rather weak. She lost a lot of blood, and her injuries were only pilling up. 

“Where do we go?” Lena asked as he was looking at her.

“Well... I don’t think we can go home... as something tells me your mother was behind this...” He stroked his chin. 

“You’re telling me,” she huffed, before wincing in pain. 

William snapped. “I know a place where they can’t refuse us,” he grinned. 

Lena blinked. “William... Acme falls is in the middle of nowhere and perhaps one of the first places they’d go looking for us if we were missing,” she frowned. 

“Well- not unless your mother wants us to be dead. Then she wouldn’t have to or want to look anywhere,” he said. “It’d be just like it was when we had just gotten married.”

“When we just married...” Lena trailed off into the memory, a look of sad nostalgia written on her face. 

“Look... I’m going to go and try to figure out where we are, so we can head to Acme. Will you be okay if you stay here?” he asked. 

“I don’t think I have a choice,” she tried to joke, but William knew she hated it. He kissed her forehead. 

“I love you,” He said. “I won’t be long.”

“I love you too, Wiliam,” she replied, and William ran out of the cave. 

It took about an hour, but eventually, William discovered that yes, they were still in Warnerstock, and found the direction they were to go to if they wanted to go to Acme Falls. It would be quite the trek, especially if this snow continued to fall, but he had determination on his side. 

He was not going to die here, nor was he going to let Lena. He would carry her in his arms if he had to, simple as that. 

.o0o.

“So... yeah. We hiked for hours to reach here, the strains and pulled muscles and frostbite are from trekking through the snow, and that’s how we got here,” William finished his tale. 

“Oh William... that’s terrible,” Helloise looked at him sadly. 

“That does explain a lot... you two should really be getting rest now, yah?” Scratchnsniff remarked, reading over their charts one more time. 

“Rest, yeah...” he nodded slowly, though sleep was the last thing he wanted. He wanted to go back to the palace asap, and kill Angelina, and get his kids back. He was confident Lena felt the same.

Though...  they wouldn’t be able to do much good in this state... especially without a plan. 

“We’ll leave the two of you alone... you’ve been through a lot,” Helloise said.

“Thanks,” he gave a weak smile, which she returned. 

His eyes then went to his wife, who still wasn’t looking at him, staring intently at the ground and wall. 

“Lena, my love, what’s the matter?” He asked. Lena snorted. 

“That’s your first question?” She snarked. 

Okay, that was on him. That was a pretty dumb question. 

“What are you thinking about?” he tried again. Lena crossed her arms.

“It isn’t fair...” she said. William sighed. 

“I know it’s not fair that-”

“I’m not talking about my mother o-or the attack- I-i’m talking about you,” she snapped. William paused. 

“What do you mean?” he asked. Lena sighed, wincing at the pain. 

“Damned broken ribs...” she muttered. 

“I meant... It’s not fair. Time after time after time I end up hurt or crying or abused- it isn’t fair. You’re always so strong William, it pains me. When is it my turn to be strong for you?” she said, wiping away tears and trying her best not to cry. 

“Lena...” William reached out to her as much as he could, his arm nearly touching her pillow. Lena continued to look away. 

“I’m serious. No matter what happens, you’re always so strong and so brave and comforting. I just- I feel so inadequate,” she whispered. 

“Lena, you aren’t inadequate,” He said softly. “You’re just...”

“Damaged?” she said, matter-of-factly. “Don’t pretend it isn’t true- I know what my mother has done.”

“Lena, I don’t care. I love you,” He said. 

“And I love you- but... I just... you’ve always been so strong for me William. I want to return the favor, just once...” She looked at him. 

“Lena, we’ve both lost so much... this shouldn’t be something we measure or keep track of,” He said, and Lena placed her head where his hand is on her pillow. 

“I miss them, William,” she whispered. 

“I miss them too, my love,” he whispered back. Lena kissed his hand. 

“We’ll get them back, Lena. I promise,” he said. Lena nodded, kissing his hand again and closing her eyes.

“I promise too. No matter what it takes, we are going to get our babies back.” 

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14

[super-secret-sick-fics]

ouu yes ive been so obsessed with them (osasuna) recently and there’s barely any fics for them in this department lol i wanted to see something like suna coming to school sick with the stomach flu or something and osamu taking him home to take care of him (i feel like it’s ooc for suna to go to go school if he’s not feeling well so it’d probably be one of those where it gets progressively worse throughout the day) sorry if this is too long haha

Okay!! Thank you for this request. Sorry it took so long. Honestly, I had a lot of fun with this and it ended up being so long, that I’m gonna post it in 2 parts!!

You can totally read either as a stand alone though. Part 2 should be up soon :)

Suna and I have the same birthday, so I actually kinda put a lot of myself into him in this one since we share a star sign lmao. I hope it’s not too ooc for either of them. It’s my first time writing sunaosa!

Sick at School: a SunaOsa fic

Pair: Sick Suna, Caretaker Osamu

Word Count: 3,024

Warnings: vomit & swearing & soft cuddles

Part 2 Here

_________________________________

Suna was confused.

There was a strange gnawing in his gut that wasn’t there when he woke up this morning. In fact, when he woke up this morning, he felt perfectly fine. Maybe he was a little more tired than usual, but he didn’t sleep all that well, so he brushed it off and got ready for school.

But now, he was sitting in class, his eyes burning as he tried to stay awake. It was only Monday and only the second class of the day, but he felt like he’d been at school for days already. On top of the grumbly feeling in his stomach, his brain was muddled, so paying attention to whatever his teacher was saying was taking every bit of energy he could scrounge up.

It didn’t make sense. He slept his eight hours (even if it wasn’t the best sleep), he ate a good breakfast, he was hydrated, there weren’t any tests or games coming up to make him anxious at all. So the unsteady, uncomfortable, unusual feelings he currently felt simply did not make a single bit of logical, rational sense.

And because they didn’t make sense—because there was no rational reason for him to feel that way—he ignored it.

Ignoring it proved to be more difficult than he anticipated as the fog in his brain solidified into a consistent pounding and the gnawing in his stomach started to feel more like his stomach acid was boiling. The sun shining on him through the window didn’t help any, and he started to feel rather warm. By his fourth class, occasional cramps rolled through his body, forcing him to tense every muscle in his body to keep from wincing.

When the teacher finally released them for lunch, Suna folded his arms on his desk and hid his face in the crook of his elbow, ready to take a nap. Within three seconds, he heard the chair in front of him scrape the ground, grating on his ears, and felt his desk shake as someone sat down. He adjusted his head and peeked over his arm to find Osamu staring down at him, his usual bored look gracing his features.

“Yer sick, Sunarin,” he deadpanned and took a bite of his sandwich. Suna blinked at him several times.

Sick? Was that why he felt so weird? But he wasn’t sick this morning. There was no way he would have come to school if he felt bad.

Still, it would explain why he slept poorly. It must be a fast acting bug.

“I guess so,” he mumbled and buried his face in his elbow again.

“Hmmm,” Osamu mumbled. They were quiet for a minute or two before Osamu spoke again.

“Wanna go to the infirmary?” he asked, his mouth full.

Suna looked up at him again and sighed before sitting up. The world spun around for a brief second and he closed his eyes until the feeling went away. When it righted itself once more, his stomach was hurting worse than before.

“How’d you know anyway?” he asked and rested his chin in his hand.

“You’ve been lookin’ bad all mornin’. Wasn’t hard to tell.” Osamu shrugged. His sandwich was gone and he started making his way through the onigiri he most likely made himself. The fact that Osamu could tell he wasn’t feeling well from across the room made Suna blush. Or maybe he had a fever?

“Plus,” Osamu continued, “Tsumu’s home right now with a pretty nasty stomach bug. Threw up all over his bed last night.” He scrunched up his nose cutely, probably remembering the disastrous scene from the night before. Atsumu was never good at being a sick person. Or an injured person. Or a person at all, really.

“Wouldn’t be all that surprising if ya caught it from him since ya slept over at our place last weekend.”

Suna nodded in agreement.

“What about you?” he asked. Osamu shrugged again.

“I’ll probably be spewin’ my guts out by Thursday. Usually how it goes. One of us catches something then the other is sick within the week. We’ve only been sick at the same time a handful o’ times.”

“Mmmm,” Suna nodded and put his head down once more. It was suddenly very difficult to hold his head up.

“Infirmary?” Osamu asked again. Suna shook his head.

“Can’t move,” he whined before he could stop himself. Osamu looked at him with wide eyes.

“W-well, I’ll help ya out, dumbass,” he stuttered and Suna returned the wide eyed look.

“Uh, sure. But finish your lunch first. I can wait. You should eat. Wake me up when you’re done,” he said and closed his eyes.

“Alright. Lemme know if we need to go sooner though…” Osamu said hesitantly and Suna tried to ignore the implication behind the phrase.

Just because Atsumu had a stomach bug didn’t mean that Suna did too. He wouldn’t throw up at school. The increasing nausea absolutely had to be related to the growing migraine that slammed away at his head. He definitely would not throw up at school.

Before he started overthinking himself into a downward spiral, Osamu placed a hand in his hair. Suna was tense at first, but then Osamu started gently scratching his scalp and he immediately relaxed. He was a little embarrassed, honestly. Not because this was unusual though.

Osamu knew it helped Suna with his frequent headaches, so Suna was sure he somehow knew about the incoming migraine. It was just that this was usually something Osamu did for him in much more private settings. He’d do it on the bus on the way back from away games, or in one of their rooms after school or during a sleepover. To be so affectionate in the middle of their classroom was unheard of and if Suna wasn’t feeling so poorly, he’d probably smack Osamu’s hand away.

“Ya got a slight fever there, Sunarin,” Osamu whispered gently.

“Mmmm.”

“Okay. I’ll let ya know when I’m done eatin’.”

“Mmmm.”

Within a few seconds, Suna felt himself drift off.

When he woke up again, it wasn’t because of Osamu.

A violent cramp rolled through his gut and he shot up in his seat, ignoring the startled looks of his classmates. The cramp passed quickly, but left behind a foreboding feeling of nausea so intense it left him paralyzed and glued to his seat.

A second later, he noticed that Osamu was nowhere to be found and his anxiety increased. The situation was becoming increasingly urgent and there was no way in hell he could move or speak without throwing up all over his desk.

His chest tightened and he swallowed back a gag. He needed help. He needed Osamu.

“Suna-kun?” a girl from his class touched his shoulder and he flinched. She withdrew her hand.

“O-osamu—“ he forced out and she nodded urgently and ran away and out the door. Less than a minute later, she came back, Osamu hot on her heels. She pointed to Suna and Osamu nodded before rushing over and stood in front of him.

“Sunarin?” he tried and Suna shook his head.

“Are ya gonna—“ Suna nodded before Osamu could finish his question. The eyes of all of his classmates burned Suna’s already flushed cheeks and as if to let everyone know what was going on, a gag forced itself through his body painfully and he leaned over his desk. He brought the back of his hand up to his mouth and whimpered.

“Can someone bring me a trash can, maybe?” Osamu snapped at their peers. The girl from before nodded and dashed to the corner of the room and dragged the trash can over to Suna’s desk.

Everyone froze again and stared with scared eyes at the situation unfolding. Suna shook with effort, trying to stop the inevitable. He really really didn’t want everyone to watch him throw up.

Thankfully, Osamu had his back.

“Leave?!” He shouted and everyone ran out of the room.

“I’ll bring the nurse, Osamu-kun,” the same girl said and Osamu nodded, but his eyes were focused only on Suna. They’d have to remember to thank that girl later.

“I’m sorry, Rintaro. I finished my lunch and you were sleepin’ so peaceful I thought I had time to go to the bathroom before I took ya to the infirmary,” Osamu apologized and cupped Suna’s face in his hands. His voice was much softer than a second ago. It was the voice reserved for those quiet nights that they spent chatting before they fell asleep. Or on the team bus early in the morning when everyone else was still too groggy to pay attention to them. And it comforted Suna in ways he couldn’t comprehend.

“I feel sick, S-samu,” Suna forced through gritted teeth. The swirling in his stomach grew more insistent by the second and he knew it was only a matter of time before he was leaning over the trash can.

“I know, Rin. I’m sorry. It’s okay. I’ve got ya,” Osamu smiled softly at him and brushed his hair back. He frowned when Suna unconsciously leaned into his cold hands.

“Fever got higher,” he mumbled. Suna gagged again.

“Alright, c‘mon,” he said and circled around the desk behind Suna. Osamu gently grabbed his trembling shoulders and positioned him over the trash can. People’s leftovers from lunch filled about half the bin and the smell of all the different foods made Suna dizzy.

“Rin, ya gotta relax,” Osamu sighed and forcefully rubbed between Suna’s shoulder blades.

“N-no,” Suna said stubbornly.

“Yer an idiot.”

“Y-yeah.”

“It’s gonna feel worse if ya don’t just let it happen,” Osamu tried. Suna shook his head.

“Alright well, be mad at me later, then,” Osamu muttered. Suna was about to turn and look at him questioningly, but Osamu wrapped a hand around Suna’s front and placed it on his stomach. Even the minimal contact forced a wretch that left Suna reeling.

“D-don’t,” he tried, but the request was punctuated by a painful hiccup.

“I’m sorry. Can’t do that,” Osamu responded before starting to rub up and down on Suna’s stomach quickly. The motion shook the contents nauseatingly and Suna couldn’t stop the watery burp that followed. He shook his head, eyes squeezed shut tightly.

Osamu didn’t relent. He started patting Suna’s back with the other hand, forcing belch after belch. The conflicting motions wreaked havoc on Suna’s already chaotic stomach.

They stayed like that for what felt like forever, before Suna grabbed Osamau’s wrist tightly.

“S-stop—hurrk. P-please, Samu. No m-mor—hic,” Suna begged. All of his limbs felt like they were about a thousand pounds and he shivered, cold despite the sun beating down on his back.

“It’s okay, Rin. I got ya,” Osamu muttered. He pried Suna’s sweaty hand off his wrist and replaced it with his hand. Suna squeezed hard when a wet belch jolted his body. His other hand grabbed the rim of the trash can in a white-knuckled grip. Osamu used his free hand to rub gently between Suna’s shoulder blades again.

Suna squeezed his eyes shut when he wretched. His throat felt tight and he tried to swallow the accumulating saliva in his mouth, only for it to come back up with a noisy gag. He opted to just drop his mouth open and let the spit fall into the trash can disgustingly.

“S-Samu—“ he tried but was interrupted by a guttural, wet, burp that left his head spinning. Two seconds later, he wretched and a weak stream vomit dribbled out of his mouth. It burned his throat and coated his mouth. The disgusting taste left him more nauseous than he thought possible and a belch gurgled in the back of his throat. He heaved, but nothing else came up.

“Ah, Rin, I’m so sorry. Please don’t cry,” Osamu shushed him. Suna didn’t even realize he was crying.

He continued heaving for what must have been an eternity before another painful gag jolted him forward and brought with it a torrent of pale vomit into the trash can. At least he didn’t have to see everyone’s discarded lunch anymore. Not that his new view was much prettier.

“There ya, go Sunarin,” Osamu soothed. Suna sputtered and coughed, trying to catch his breath. His body was relentless though, and before he felt like he had sufficient oxygen, he was lurching forward with more forceful vomit pouring out of his mouth.

Suna’s body didn’t let up. It was stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of gasping breaths abruptly interrupted by a fountain of vomit forcing its way out. Eventually, he was just left heaving over the trash can, his stomach trying but failing to expel whatever might be left. Anxiety crawled up his spine and the room spun. He wanted to breathe, he really did. He just couldn’t.

“Fuck, Rin, breathe. Please,” Osamu demanded and his voice shattered through Suna’s panic. He nodded and closed his eyes to try and collect himself. He inhaled through his nose and exhaled heavily through his mouth. A minute or two of that, and he was able to take in his surroundings again.

At some point, Osamu wrapped an arm around Suna’s chest because apparently, his own arms gave out at some point and hung limply at his sides. He spit the residual nastiness out of his mouth and squinted up at Osamu.

“Can we leave?” he asked plainly. Osamu stared at him owlishly and then chuckled.

“It’s the middle of the day Rin, I can’t just—“

“Please?” he all but begged and grabbed Osamu’s arm. Osamu hesitated for the briefest of seconds before relenting with a heavy breath.

“Yeah. Yeah, ‘course. Want me to call yer mom?” Osamu responded. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped off Suna’s face. Suna shook his head.

“Is it too much to ask if I can stay with you? I don’t want to risk giving this to my little sister and grandma.” His voice was quieter than he wanted, but he was wiped out. He cleared his throat and spit in the trash can. He was fading fast. All he wanted was to curl up in bed and sleep whatever bug this was off.

“Yeah okay. I’ll ask my Ma. Shouldn’t be too much of an issue since Tsumu’s sick too.” Osamu pulled out his phone and massaged Suna’s scalp. It felt so good that he leaned over and buried his face in Osamu’s stomach. If he wasn’t careful, he’d fall asleep here. Hopefully Osamu’s mom would be okay with it and come quickly.

“Ma, can you come pick me and— no I’m not sick— well, if you’d just let me talk ya crazy—Ma I do have a good reason to be call— would ya stop talkin—yer damn right I’m being disrespectfu—Ma!” As Osamu argued with his mother over the phone (it was nothing new) Suna took inventory of his body.

There was no denying he was sick. That much was obvious. His head was pounding and his stomach still rolled and swirled uncomfortably. Shivers danced up and down his body, exacerbated by the sweat that coated his skin. He was sure that he had a fever. All of his limbs weighed him down and he didn’t think he had any sort of energy to move them. It was taking all he had to stay awake right now.

“Osamu-san!” The girl from before returned, the school nurse right behind her.

“Suna Rintaro, you poor boy. Caught that bug going around, I see,” he heard the nurse and pulled his face away from Osamu’s body. Blinking a few times to clear his blurry vision, he sniffed and stared at the old lady in front of him.

She stuck a thermometer in his mouth without saying a word and pulled a water bottle out from her coat pocket. While they were waiting for his temperature, Suna glanced at Osamu, who was now leaning against the desk behind Suna’s. His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose, his other still holding the phone to his ear as he continued listening to his mother rant.

Without thinking, Suna reached over and grabbed a hold of Samu’s shirt with one hand. Osamu looked down in surprise before his face softened and he put a hand on Suna’s shoulder.

The thermometer beeped and Suna winced.

“38.7,” the nurse read and pursed her lips. She pulled out some medicine from her lab coat and gave some to Suna. He grimaced. Even in his hazy state, he knew putting something in his stomach wouldn’t go over well.

“Suna-kun, you need to get that fever of your’s down. I know it’s not ideal, but please try.” Suna turned his head away. She sighed.

“Okay, but make sure you take something at home. Does someone need to call your mother?” Before Suna could answer, Osamu interrupted.

“I’ll take him ma’am,” he said, apparently off the phone with his mother.

“Osamu-kun, don’t you be thinking you can just skip out on school,” she warned.

“I would never,” Osamu charmed, “I think it’s the smartest move, ya see. Atsumu is at home with the same illness right now and so there’s no way I ain’t carrying the germs for it. Wouldn’t it be safest if I go home too? Before I infect anyone else. And I can take Sunarin with me.”

The nurse gave him a skeptical look, but then glanced over at Suna. She noticed his grip on Osamu’s shirt and the former’s hand firmly on Suna’s back. It must’ve made Suna look pretty pathetic because she relented almost immediately.

“Oh fine, fine. Does someone need to call your mom?”

“No, ma’am. Just got off the phone with her. She’ll be here soon. Said she’s got no problem taking Sunarin in ‘til he’s all better.” He squeezed Suna’s shoulder and Suna relaxed knowing he wasn’t at risk of infecting his little sister or aging grandmother. He sighed and smiled gratefully at Osamu.

It was comforting to know that Osamu was going to be looking after him. Because, if the swirling in his stomach told him anything, he was in for a really long night.

[buckybeardreams]

Unwanted

Chapters: 5/11

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Brock Rumlow, James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Harley Keener

Additional Tags: Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alpha Steve Rogers, Omega Tony Stark, Service Top, Dominant Bottom, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Virgin Steve Rogers, Brock Rumlow is a Good Bro, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Romantic Soulmates, First Meetings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sappy, Romantic Fluff, Awkwardness, Drinking to Cope, Self-Worth Issues, Insecure Tony Stark, Insecure Steve Rogers, Age Difference, Harley Keener is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Bonding, Claiming Bites, Claiming, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Non-Explicit Sex, Light Dom/sub, Mutual Masturbation, Coming Untouched, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Wordcount: 10.000-30.000

Series: Part 1 of Second Chances

Summary:

Steve is a soft Alpha and Tony is an in charge kind of Omega with no desire to find a mate. He doesn't want to find his soulmate and when he does meet Steve he's determined to stay away from him.

That is until he realizes just how right they are for each other.

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 Ch 11

Can also be read here

Words: 2,258

Tony bit his lip, looking at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was sticking up in weird places from trying and failing to sleep last night. There were bags under his eyes that made him look like he hadn't slept in weeks and, well, really that wasn't too far off. Sometimes he drank enough to pass out for a little bit here and there, but he never just got a solid night's sleep. To be fair, Tony didn't sleep all that well even before he found his soulmate and then pretty much rejected him by never calling him.

Tony didn't sleep well when he was alone, but even when he wasn't and he did fall asleep instead of tossing and turning restlessly before giving up and going for a cup of coffee, Tony didn't sleep more then five hours tops unless he was passed out drunk. So maybe that's one of the reasons that he drinks so much.

He wasn't drinking right now, well, not much. He had a couple of beers, but that was nothing. Just a little something to take the edge off before he went to re-meet Brock's new mate. Tony sighed, took one last look at his disheveled appearance and flinched away from it, grabbing his jacket off the back of the couch before heading out.

It was a cold day, windy and blustery with clouds hanging overhead that threatened to soak the inhabitants of the city as they walked down the street in large groups, pushing and shoving, each desperate to get where they're going before the rain ruined their hair or makeup. Tony was far less concerned and when the rain did come down and he was left with wet hair clinging to him and soaked clothes and a gloomy atmosphere that the rain couldn't wash away, well, he thought at least his hair wasn't sticking up all over the place.

He showed up on Brock's doorstep and was relieved when it was Brock who opened the apartment door. Brock was grinning, but it faltered slightly when he saw Tony.

"Hey, you okay?"

Tony nodded.

"Yeah, 'course. Now are you gonna invite me in or make me stay out in the hall for dinner?" Tony said, trying and failing to sound like his usual snarky self.

Brock still looked concerned, but he nodded and stepped aside to let Tony in.

"Yeah, of course, come in."

Tony entered into a small hall, kicking off his shoes before heading further into the apartment. He froze when he saw Steve sitting on the couch next to Sam. Tony's heart raced in his chest and his mind was thrown through a loop, because what the fuck was his soulmate doing here?

"Tony, this is Steve, Sam's friend." Brock watched him anxiously, wondering how he would react.

Steve was staring at Tony, clearly just as caught off guard as Tony was. Steve looked far more put together than Tony did, like he wasn't completely miserable about his mate rejecting him, and didn't that just make Tony feel way worse about looking like a wet rat. Sam's confusion quickly gave way to understanding as he put the pieces together. Anthony, who works at a bar, and is Steve's soulmate. Of course it would be Tony. By the looks of it Brock was already aware of this. Sam sent Brock a stern look and Brock returned it with a sheepish one.

"What?" Brock asked innocently, going to settle in his Alpha's lap.

Sam rolled his eyes, but hugged him close. Tony and Steve were still staring at each other, neither one moving or saying anything. Tony was the one to break the silence after a few more awkwardly drawn out moments.

"No, you're not Steve." Tony shook his head in denial. "You can't be Steve."

Steve's mouth opened and closed a few times like he was trying to say something, but couldn't quite get the words out.

"I am... um, Steve," Steve managed to get out, blushing over how awkward it was.

Tony rubbed at his temples and shook his head again.

"No, I can't- I can't do this right now."

Tony headed straight back to the door, grabbing his shoes, not even bothering to put them on, and walked out. Steve whimpered, looking hurt and lost and like he kinda wanted to chase after Tony, but was also afraid of just being rejected again. Brock just groaned, grumbling under his breath about being way too fucking stubborn before heading after Tony.

"That's- That was my soulmate," Steve said, somehow sounding both shocked and heartbroken.

"Yeah, I kinda got that," Sam said, resting a hand on Steve's shoulder. "You okay, man?"

Steve swallowed and nodded, but truthfully, he had no fucking clue if he was okay or not. He was completely blindsided by the sudden appearance and then just as sudden disappearance of his soulmate and he had no clue how to feel about that. He thought devastated might be the right word, but then somehow that didn't seem like it fit at all. Steve felt like he was dying, and no, he did not think that was an exaggeration.

*****

"Tony, stop!" Brock called out to him. "Don't make me run after you."

Tony groaned, coming to a halt at the end of the hall and turning to glare at Brock.

"You knew," Tony accused.

"I did, or at least I was like ninety percent sure about it."

"You should have told me. You know how I feel about Alphas."

"I know, but you told me-"

"I know what I said!" Tony snapped. "Don't use my own words against me. I confided in you and you used it against me."

Tony swallowed back the lump in his throat, feeling betrayed and confused. He wanted an Alpha, but he didn't want the things that inevitably would follow, like being controlled or looked down on. Most of all he was scared that Steve would be perfect and Tony wouldn't be good enough for him.

"Tony... I'm sorry, but I knew you were going to be stubborn about this. You told me that you regret not calling him. This is your chance to get to know him. You might like him if you give him a chance."

Tears pricked at Tony's eyes. He wasn't worried about not liking Steve, well, he was worried about that. Mostly though he was worried about falling too hard, too fast, only to be rejected. He wasn't the kind of Omega to just submit and say yes, sir. He had opinions and dreams and no intention of letting anyone else tell him how to live his life, but those weren't the kinds of things that most Alphas wanted in a mate.

"Tony, I've spent time with Steve and he's literally the softest Alpha I've ever met, and I'm mated to Sam so that's really saying something. My Alpha is totally wrapped around my finger."

Tony smiled a little at that.

"Sam does seem nice... for an Alpha," Tony teased.

Brock laughed and nudged his shoulder.

"He is and Steve is too. Just talk to him, Tony. See what happens."

Tony groaned, but let Brock lead him back to the apartment. Steve was still in shock, only a few minutes having passed since Tony walked out. It wasn't nearly enough time to process what had happened and suddenly Tony reappeared. Tony shifted on his feet, his hand slipped into Brock's, his palm sweaty. Brock squeezed his hand encouragingly and leaned closer to whisper in his ear.

"Do you want some space?"

Tony licked his lips, not sure he wanted this at all, but he owed himself this. He needed to at least try or he'd always be left wondering if it could have worked out. Besides, Brock was not going to let this go until Tony at least gave it a try. He swallowed down his fears and nodded. Brock nodded, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and pulled Sam deeper into the apartment. Steve and Tony stared at each other and it started to feel tense and awkward.

Tony groaned.

"We need to talk."

Steve looked nervous, certain that Tony was about to reject him, but he nodded.

"I don't like Alphas," Tony blurted out when the silence dragged on.

Steve flinched like Tony had slapped him.

"Oh," Steve said, unable to hide his disappointment.

He just knew that his Omega was about to reject him and Steve wasn't sure he would survive the rejection.

"Yeah..." Tony said. "I'm willing to give this a try though, but if you try to go all Alpha on me..."

Tony shook his head and Steve's brows furrowed.

"I don't like the way Alphas feel entitled to an Omega's body. Like Omegas are beneath them and only there for an Alpha's pleasure."

Steve bit his lip, not wanting to get his hopes up. He was pretty sure his Omega was suggesting that he wanted to be the dominant one in their relationship. Or maybe he was just saying he didn't want to submit to an asshole Alpha. Either way, Steve could definitely work with this.

"I would never force myself on you, Anthony."

"Tony."

Steve blinked at him in surprise before smiling softly. He didn't want to assume that Tony was comfortable enough with him to use a nickname, but it touched Steve to know that his Omega was trying. Tony wanted to give this a try even if he was worried about it and that was enough for Steve. He would be the best Alpha ever, because he would be exactly what Tony needed him to be. He knew already that he'd give Tony anything he wanted and he'd try his best to be whatever Tony wanted him to be.

"Tony," He breathed out.

The word rolled off his tongue like velvet and Tony felt all fluttery inside. He cleared his throat, feeling the urge to escape the foreign sensation.

"How old are you even?" Tony blurted out, feeling awkward and uncertain in a way that he hated feeling. He was so not used to the warm feeling inside of him or the desire to go to Steve and touch him and be held close.

Steve blinked at the question, caught off guard by it.

"Um, I'm not that young."

Tony raised a brow at him and Steve squirmed.

"You look young," Tony pointed out.

"I'm legal!" Steve said defensively.

"So you're what? Eighteen?"

Steve looked down at his feet, looking awfully small for a six foot, two hundred pound hunk of pure muscle. Tony took that to be a yes.

"You're what? Ten years younger than me?" Tony said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're practically still a pup. I can't date you."

Steve pouted.

"I don't want to date you. I want to mate with you. I want you to be mine."

"That's infinitely worse," Tony said, flinging his hands up in exasperation. "You do realize that right? That's so much worse."

"No, it's not. There's nothing wrong with an age gap, besides no one would judge us for it. The goddess chose you for me," Steve insisted.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Or maybe she chose you for me. Ever thought that maybe it's not the Alpha that owns the Omega, but the Omega that owns the Alpha?" Tony snarked.

Steve blushed.

"Okay," Steve said, a little breathless. "I'll be yours, if only you'll have me."

Tony narrowed his eyes at him.

"You'd let me own you?"

"God, yes. Please, just don't reject me."

Tony licked his lips.

"Okay, come here, pup ."

Steve's blush deepened at being called a pup, but he didn't object to it. The moment Steve was within reach Tony grabbed his shirt and slammed their lips together, turning them so he could shove Steve up against the wall. Tony's hair was still dripping wet and his shirt was drenched. It got Steve wet, soaking through his own sweater, but he didn't care.

"Okay, then, pretty Alpha. You want to play, then let's play," Tony said, coming as close to a growl as an Omega could.

Steve gasped when Tony's hand grasped him in between his legs and groped him through his pants. His face lit up bright red and Tony smirked at his blushing Alpha. He was so fucking sweet. Tony thought that maybe, just maybe, this could work out, but they were going to have to agree on one very important thing if there was going to be any chance of them mating.

"Let's be clear, I still want your knot, but I'm in charge here and you do what I say or I'll throw you out and you won't get another chance."

Steve swallowed, nodding rapidly.

"Yes, sir."

Tony smirked, licking his lips.

"Good boy," Tony purred in his ear, his tongue darting out to lick his neck, his teeth sharp on his skin.

Steve whimpered, his head falling to the side to give his Omega better access. Clearly, the goddess knew what she was doing when she paired them up, because this was better than Steve had dared to hope for. Steve had always been excited about having a mate, but he had always thought he'd present as an Omega. When he didn't, he was concerned that he'd never be a good enough Alpha, but the moment he saw Tony in that bar he knew that he was in love, knew that he'd do anything to please this man.

Now here they were and Tony wanted him, wanted to use him, and Steve was in heaven. There was nothing that he wanted more than to please Tony, to be used by him, to be ordered around by his pretty little Omega.

Tony tried not to think about how young and naive Steve was. He didn't want to admit that a part of him was thrilled to be more experienced, to be the one teaching his Alpha about pleasure. It was pretty obvious that Steve had no experience, because when Tony kissed him Steve had no idea what he was doing. He had no rhythm and he clearly didn't know what to do with his tongue when Tony licked at his lips and dove inside his mouth. Tony thought it was cute though. Steve squirmed and whimpered, his blush spreading down his neck, and Tony ate it all up.

"Fuck, you're cute," Tony groaned when he pulled away. "Maybe I'll keep you after all."

[applepiry]

Karasuno Uni (Chap 3)

Chapter 3 - Saturday Afternoon

Contains: Jealousy as always, Flirting, smidgens of xNoya and xHinata Pairing: Short Fem Reader x Multiple Haikyuu Characters  Ry: Look at that i’m blushing ;;  WC: 4.4k+ 

YN- Your Name || LN - Last Name || YNN-chan - Your Nickname (From Family) || B#1 - Brother #1 Oldest Brother || B#2 - Brother #2 Second Brother 

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

It had been an extremely awkward walk to the bus stop with Kageyama and Hinata, and when you had gotten home you had told Kenma you had decided to go to sleep instead of playing. You had taken a long, hot shower and paced around for a while before you ended up passing out on your plush couch while sketching to calm your mind down. 

You had woken up to sunlight in your eyes, and had made yourself your favorite hot beverage before you even began to think about what today would hold for you. Finally, when you look at your phone, you see so many texts from last night from Noya, Hinata and Tanaka, as well two from this morning, one from Kenma and another from Kageyama. Geez, these boys were going to drain all your energy before you could even get ready to go. 

Texting Kenma first, the safest choice, you send; “Good morning. Sorry for not meeting you online. I was so exhausted. Let’s play tonight tho!ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ”

After that, you send a very similar good morning text to Noya, Tanaka and Hinata; “Morning! Can’t wait to kick your butt in any game we play! \(^ヮ^)/ ”

One last one, texting Kageyama a reply; “Morning, how did you sleep? ٩(ˊ〇ˋ*)و”

Doing your usual morning routine, you play your favorite music, dancing around as you ready yourself. Humming along to the song, you pick out an outfit that was going to be comfortable for all day; some slightly loose fit jeans that hugged your hips and thighs, a graphic u-neck t-shirt, and your favorite hoodie. 

Right as you grab your phone, it goes off with a text from Noya, saying to head over whenever, as he was up now. Looking at the clock, it was almost 9:00 now, so it was a good time to head out anyway. Grabbing your backpack and putting the essentials, you also add some snacks, your phone, a charger and your 3DS into it. 

 You put on socks and laced up your shoes, lock up, and walk down the steps, seeing your grandparents out in the courtyard having their morning tea. 

“Ojiisan! Obaasan!” you say happily as you reach them, giving them greeting kisses on their heads.

“Going out, YNN-chan?” your grandma wonders with a sweet smile.

“Yes, I was just about to tell Mom, is she in the shop?”

“No, she’s out at the store. Your father is, though,” your grandpa tells you, “We’ll tell them for you later, go have fun today, okay?” he tells you, handing you some money and patting your hand. 

You thank him several times before grabbing your bike, glad that Noya had been so excited he texted their address to you last night. Right before you leave, you remember something and run into the bookshop, grabbing the next volume of a manga that Noya and Hinata had mentioned liking, shoving them into your bag before heading out on your bike, music playing in your headphones. 

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

After half an hour, you come up to a three story apartment building, finding a place to lock your bike into place. Finding the right door on the third floor, you knock twice, rocking on your heels only once before the door flung open. 

“You came!” Noya’s happy voice filled your ears, his hand grabbing yours as he ushered you in. It seemed like a basic three bedroom, one bath apartment with a small living room and kitchen. The living room had a huge tv with two consoles under it, many games and manga lining shelves, several arm chairs, a few beanbags and a three seater couch in the middle. 

“Of course,” you say with a soft laugh. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, girls aren’t... usually interested when we invite them for video games,” Noya replies honestly with a shrug. “But whatever! I’m so stoked you came,” he added. He leads you to the couch and offers you some water, coming back with a bottle and handing it to you. “Taka is still asleep, we stayed up kinda late,” he laughed out.

You nod and take a sip of water, “Really? I went to sleep right after I got home… I don’t know how you didn’t pass out after that game!” you respond with your own laughter.

“We can’t usually sleep right after a game. Takes time to wind down!” 

“Makes sense.” You stare at your water bottle, wondering what to say. 

“Any games you like to play the most?” he wonders, your eyes finally landing on his face. 

You realize how close Nishinoya sat to you, despite there being ample room on the couch. His eyes lock with yours, the two of you seemingly moving closer to each other with each slowly creeping second. Your breath hitches and you prepare yourself, a hundred percent ready to kiss this man in front of you, right here, right now. It wouldn’t be your first kiss, no, but your first in a long time. 

Finally feeling the softest of connection from his lips, you go to close your eyes before the feeling is gone in a flash, his entire body across the couch in the blink of an eye. You sit there, confused and concerned you had done something wrong until you hear what he had obviously heard. 

Footsteps.

A door swings open and you hear a loud yawn, “Uggh, what time is it?” Tanaka grumbles, wearing nothing but boxers as he scratches his bottom. 

Your face heats up instantly, looking away and fidgeting. 

“Taka! YN is here!” Noya says, throwing a blanket from the couch at him. 

Tanaka’s face turns blank,  and he makes an ungodly sound as he goes back into his room with a slam. A moment later he comes out wearing sweats and a bright smile as if nothing had happened, “Hey YN, how are you this morning?” he asks with a new found confidence in his voice. He obviously didn’t mind being shirtless in front of anybody, you had noticed. 

“Oh, yaknow, not bad. I fell asleep on my couch, though, so my backs a little sore,” you tell him with a soft laugh.

“Want me to rub it?” Tanaka offers without any hesitation.

Your face goes hot and you shake your head, holding up your hands, “N-No, that’s fine. If anything, I should give you guys a massage after that awesome practice match! It was so cool to watch a game up close,” you tell them with a soft chuckle. 

“I’ll totally take you up on that!” Noya replies with a grin.

“I’m cool…!” Tanaka said, grinning ear to ear. 

SLAM!

All three of you turn and see a blonde girl coming out of the last room, looking extremely exhausted. 

“Long night at the bar, Nee-chan?” Noya asked with a grin.

“Very! But I made lots of tips,” she said grinning back before she realized you were there. “Oh, who's this? A girl?” she snickered, jumping over the back of the couch and sitting beside you. “Wow, you’re hot~” licking her lips she leaned in close and touched your cheek gently. 

“Saeko! This is our new manager we were telling you about!” Tanaka said from between gritted teeth, annoyed with his big sister. Well, more like jealous of her touching you so casually. 

“Oh that’s right! LN-chan, right?” she wondered, smiling at you. 

You nodded, leaning in a bit to her touch, not at all phased with women touching you. “Yes, YN is my first name,” you tell her, looking up at her with interest. You always admired a confident woman, and women weren’t at all that hard to get along with. Perhaps the fact you had never been a threat in middle and high school kept them genuinely nice towards you, but it had been an overall pleasant experience. 

Saeko’s face went pink for a moment before she grinned, “I like you, YN-chan!” she laughed, pulling away and hopping up. She heads into the kitchen and rummages around, “Hey, are you going to stay for lunch, YN-chan?” she calls to you.

“Oh, well if that’s okay?” you wonder, looking towards Noya and Tanaka, both who were trying to find ways to get closer to you.

“Hinata and Kageyama are coming sometime, too,” Tanaka adds.

 “Let’s go get stuff for hot pot later then,” she calls back, coming back into the living room. “Who wants to go?” she wonders, looking around.

“I don’t mind?” you say.

“Me!” both Tanaka and Noya say at the same time, then look at each other.

“Perfect, I'll take Tanaka!” Saeko says with a grin, “You can carry all the bags back,” she adds as she goes to her room to get changed. 

“Argh!” Tanaka groans and stomps into his own room with an annoyed look.

Noya looks away, but you can tell he’s grinning to himself. 

-----

After the two leave with protests from Tanaka, you fidget for a moment on the couch, your eyes flickering to Noya after a few moments. Locking once more with the beautiful pair, his eyes remind you of dark honey, your lips part in a way that Noya obviously finds inviting. His eyes flicker down to your lips, his body shifted towards you. 

“Can I…?” his words barely register before your own answer is out. 

“Yeah,” is all the acknowledgment he needs before he's back beside you. 

In a moment, his lips nearly crash against yours, his body pressed against yours. Your eyes are closed as your hands find their way up his chest and hold onto his shoulders. One of his hands finds its way to your lower thigh, resting there as the other rests on your cheek. His lips feel so soft against yours, moving sweetly against yours despite being so deep at first. Wet warmth crosses your bottom lip, his tongue asking for entrance. Parting your lips as a reply, his tongue is exploring your mouth, making your knees quiver a bit, you definitely hadn’t expected this style of kiss. Finally, the two of you part, panting softly in synch, staring deep into each other's eyes.

“Wow,” you murmur once you catch your breath.

Noya’s face spreads into a grin, his thumb running over your jeans, gently pressing into your soft thighs. “Yeah, seriously…” he says, licking his lips. 

Your hands gently squeezed onto his shoulder for a moment before letting go, sliding down his chest. “U-Um.. want that massage?” you wonder, shifting a bit. “A-A shoulder massage?” you add quickly, biting your bottom lip gently.

He nods happily, “I’d love that!” he says excitedly, and moves himself, getting onto a beanbag in front of you, so he's now leaning back in between your legs. Leaning his head back even further to look up at you as you begin rubbing his shoulders, he hums happily before speaking again. “Hey, do you think-”

Knock Knock Knock!

Both of you look towards the door, wondering who in the world was here, knocking. Noya jumped up quickly and went to the door, peeking out the eyehole. He let out a deep sigh, “It’s Hinata,” he says, his face turned away from you as he opened the door. “Hey Hinata!” he greets him happily, ushering him in. 

Hinata happily says hello to Noya, then sees you on the couch and stiffens a bit, “YN-chan!” he trots over to you and sits beside you, “Did you guys get the new volume in yet?!” he wonders. When he and Kageyama had dropped you off at your stop, you had mentioned during the walk your family owned a bookstore, and Hinata had asked you to keep an eye out.

Noya quickly takes his place in the beanbag between your legs before Shouyou notices it. He acts as if this is normal, and begins turning on the tv as you answer Hinata.

“Oh, yeah!” you say, grabbing your backpack and pulling it into your lap. You pull the manga out, setting them down on the table, leaning across right beside Noya’s head. As you pull back, your breast brushes against Noya’s head, causing both of the boys to stiffen. Hinata watching your chest closely, and Noya staring straight ahead, savoring the feeling. Your breath hitches for a moment as you lean back, swallowing hard, “S-Sorry, Nishinoya-senpai…” you murmur. 

He turns to you with a grin, although his face shows he's panicking inside as he gives you a thumbs up, “Nothing to apologize for!” he proclaims, turning back to look over the manga.

Hinata shifts a bit and turns away, grabbing one of the manga off the table. “Thank you so much! I didn’t expect you to bring them! I could have stopped by later,” he laughed. He starts rummaging through his pockets, pulling out some money for you.

You smile and shake your head, “You can still stop by any time,” you tell him. You close his hand and push it back, “No need to pay me for any of this,” you declare.

“What?! No way! You can’t just give me something without getting something in return!” Hinata whined.

“It’s totally fine, I wanted to get you guys something, so I got you and Noya-senpai the manga volumes! Ah, I haven’t figured out anything else for anyone, though,” you explain, scratching your neck gently as you nervously spoke. You weren’t sure what their reactions would be.

Noya tilted his head back and grinned at you again, holding the book, “Thanks so much! I really appreciate it,” he told you, leaning slightly so his back was touching your legs. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but Hinata spoke first.

“Wow you’re so nice…!” Hinata says, and unable to help himself, wraps his arms around you and hugs you, squeezing you for a moment before letting go. “AH! I hope that was okay…” he says, fidgeting. 

A smile spreads across your face, “I don’t mind. I actually like hugs,” you tell them, feeling a bit more confident around them. The fact that you could relax around both of them, and they both seemed to think highly of you, helped the situation. 

Hinata’s face goes red and he nods. Both of them look like they have something to say when the clicking of the door’s lock causes everyone’s heads to turn. Tanaka and Saeko had returned with the groceries, since the store really was only around the corner. 

“Oh, Hinata is here!” Saeko says as she comes in, holding only one bag in each hand, heading to the kitchen. “I wonder when Kageyama will show up?” she wonders to mostly herself as she starts putting stuff up. Tanaka isn’t far behind, helping put the groceries up before he greets Hinata, his gaze going to Nishinoya who hadn’t left his spot between your legs. Noya was sitting firm, not willing to jump up to help like he usually would, focusing on the tv and acting as if he was finding something for entertainment. 

“Oh, hey, Tanaka-senpai, what kinds of things do you like?” you wondered.

“Me? Hm, well, I like video games, meat and melon bread, and hot girls!” he tells you, grinning.

To most people, that would not have been helpful but you had a secret, something you never shared. You loved to bake, and were rather amazing at it. You could totally make melon bread, you had been thinking of making milk bread for Kageyama last night but had been way too tired. In fact, you had started pre-mading nearly all the pastries on Sunday for the little cafe in the bookstore these past two months. Then your parents would bake them as needed. 

“I can work with that,” you say with a soft laugh. 

“What do ya mean?” Tanaka wondered.

“She’s getting everyone on the team presents!” Hinata chirped happily.

“Doesn’t that sound like something that should be a surprise, Hinata-chan?” Saeko said, laughing loudly.

“It’s okay! It is for a present,” you laugh it off, not minding. It wasn’t like any of them knew exactly what you’d be getting anybody.

“She got me manga!” Noya said, holding up two volumes with a large grin.

Hinata did the same, nodding happily, “Me too!”

“That’s awesome! I can’t wait to get a present from a pretty girl!” Tanaka said happily, dazing off into his own daydream.

“It’ll be monday if that's okay?” you wonder. You would be busy most of tomorrow, but you knew you could make an extra few melon breads during that time.

“Whenever is fine with me!” Tanaka replies, grinning as he sits beside Hinata on the couch. “What are we gonna play?” he asks Noya.

Noya grinned at him, “Any of the Kario games we have, it’s like the only series we have that’s four player,” he said, shifting through the game selection to find the perfect one. 

“Oh, do you guys have Kario Kart?” you wonder with a sparkle in your eye, freakishly good at that game.

“Oh heck yeah we do!” Noya pulled it out, putting it in the gaming console as everyone picked a controller. 

“I love playing this game,” Tanaka said smugly, “I’m pretty damn good at it.” You were sure he was trying to impress you, but they seemed to forget who your friend was already. 

You had spent hours upon hours playing games with Kenma, Kuroo and your brother. You and Kenma preferred to join as a team, but on the occasion you were on opposite teams, things got heated as the two of you were competitive. 

“I am too!” Hinata said with a grin, enjoying sitting next to you. 

Knock Knock! 

“Ah, that must be Kageyama!” Noya said, hopping up and leading to the door, opening it and ushering Kageyama inside. 

You wave, “Morning Kageyama,” you say as you fiddle with one of the controllers, picking a character as you, Hinata and Tanaka all get ready to play a round.

“Morning... is this why you didn’t text back?” Kageyama wonders as he sits in one of the empty chairs, eyes flickering to your chest for a moment before looking back at your face. 

Your face flushed a bit, surprised he was being so upfront. “Oh! Yes, I’m so sorry, I rode my bike here and forgot to check my phone,” you laugh, feeling a bit bad you had forgotten to text him back. You pull out your phone, checking the messages, even if it is too late now. You quickly reply to Kenma as Noya sits between your legs in the beanbag, all of them watching you closely. 

“Come on and put that away! Let’s play~” Hinata says, just barely noticing the contact name out of the corner of his eye. 

“Sorry,” you reply as you put it away, picking the controller back up. 

“Alright, let’s play!” Tanaka shouts happily, “You can play next, Kageyama,” he says as he begins the game once Noya picks out his character.

It went on like that for a few hours, everyone switching around as you all played games until around noon, when Saeko started the hotpot. Noya was the first to suggest turning on a show in the background as you all gathered for lunch.

Your phone began going off right as you had taken your first bite. “I wonder who that is…?” you wonder mostly to yourself as you go to your bag, finding your phone and answering it. “W-Wait, hold on, slow down,” you said as you heard your mothers frantic voice, asking where you had been and why you didn’t tell them you were leaving for so long. “I told grandpa!” you tried to tell her, but she wasn’t having it. “F-Fine, I got it… See you soon,” you finally mutter, hanging up the phone and frowning a bit. You turn back to see all four boys, and Saeko, watching you from around the corner of the kitchen. 

“Do you have to go already?” Hinata and Noya whined together.

“Was that your mom?” Kageyama wonders.

“Man we were just starting to have fun!” Tanaka complains, heading over to you. 

“Yeah, I’m really sorry. It seems my grandparents forgot to tell my parents I was leaving, so now my mom’s all mad…” you explain, sighing. You weren’t upset with your grandparents, though, as you knew their memories were slipping due to old age. Plus, you had had a lot of fun and knew you’d definitely be coming back to hang out again. 

“Want to take some hot pot?” Hinata asks, which earns him a smack from Kageyama.

“How is she supposed to do that, dumbass?” he grumbles.

“So mean!” Hinata whines.

“It’s okay, thank you for thinking of me, Hinata,” you say, smiling at him. 

“Here take this as a snack~” Saeko offers, handing you a protein bar. She hugs you tightly, “And be safe okay? Here, have my number so you can text me anytime!” she says happily, taking your phone and putting her number in it. You hug her back, feeling a bit embarrassed with all the boys staring at you, but enjoy the way it feels. 

All of a sudden, Noya and Tanaka are hugging you too, “Yeah be safe! Text us!” they say as they hug you and Saeko. Hinata joins in, leaving Kageyama to awkwardly stand in the corner. You laugh and agree you’ll text everyone once you’re back home. 

“Oh, wait YN,” it’s Hinata as he moves quickly towards you, “Can we go together? I just saw the text from my mom! She needs me to watch Natsu,” he explains, sighing a bit, being made to watch his little sister's babysitter still, at the age of 18. Not that he minded watching her, but he had been having fun too.

“Dang, Kageyama, you should check your phone too or everyones going to be banned from coming over, jeez!” Tanaka complained. 

“I don’t have any younger siblings, though? And my mom knows I’m here.” Kageyama replies, confused but still looks at his phone just to check. “Nope, no messages.”

“It was a joke,” Tanaka laughs and slaps Kageyama’s back.

“I’m really sorry guys, again,” you say, bowing to all of them again before nodding to Hinata, not minding if he took you home, or at least part of the way. You honestly weren’t sure where this place was compared to yours. Last night, you had taken the bus, having forgotten your own bike, while he had ridden his bike home. And you hadn’t ever gone home together before. 

The two of you had bikes, so you agreed to race to the base of the mountain, apparently his family’s house was on the other side. 

“Wow, so close! Only right down the mountain!” he said excitedly when you had told him which street to stop at.

The bookstore you lived above was near the base, a two story building, the bottom being the bookstore and the top being your home with a balcony overlooking the courtyard, the entire outside surrounded by six foot walls that connected the two buildings. The back building was a four bedroom house, which your parents and grandparents lived in and had been your mothers childhood home. You had spent summers here, and some winter breaks, but your hometown was a bit further away. 

It was odd, you wished you had somehow met Hinata back then, when you had wished for someone your age to play with when your brother would pick on you and run off with his own friends. 

“I won!” Hinata shouts, breaking your thoughts as you realize you got to the corner across from your house. 

“Darn it! I spaced out!” you groan, hopping off your bike and walking it the rest of the way.

“Wow, this is where you live? I’ve been in this bookstore before!” he said as the two of you crossed and you stopped in front. You invite him in, going through the gate and parking your bikes beside one anothers. 

“I need to go find my mom, but thanks so much for bringing me home,” you tell him, gently biting your lip as your eyes flicker to his soft looking lips.

“Thanks for the manga… and hanging out with me, u-um! I mean us!” he stammered, obviously nervous, but you had caught him looking at your lips too. 

Gently placing your hand over his mouth to stop his ramblings, you lean up, moving your hand just in time to plant a sweet kiss on his lips. 

“I enjoyed hanging out with you,” you whisper, having just barely pulled away. 

His face was bright red, but something in his eyes told you he wanted more. Leaning in again, he pressed his lips to yours, his hand finding your waist to pull you in. It surprised you since you weren’t sure if he was going to actually do it, but you quickly leaned into him, kissing him deeper for a moment. Hearing a door open, you quickly pull away, your face feeling like it was on fire.

“I’ll text you, okay?” you whisper, kissing his cheek before pulling back fully, right as you hear your mother call for you.

“YN! Where have you… Oh! Who is this?” the short woman who looks similar to you, just without your eye color, walks up to Hinata and smiles at him. 

“Mom, this is Shouyou Hinata, he’s from the Volleyball Club I started managing with Kiyoko-nee-chan,” you explain to her.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am!” he nearly shouts, stiffening up. 

She laughs, “No need to be so stiff, son,” she tells him sweetly, “Nice to meet you, dear.” 

“Ah, well, I’ll see you Monday, YN, I gotta go!” he says, bowing to your mother and thanking her for letting you spend time with him before taking his bike and disappearing down the road.

“What a cutie~” your mom coos. “Well, you’re not in trouble this time… but make sure you tell us, okay? Can you go work in the cafe for a bit for me?” she asks, although you know it’s really a frequest. “I wonder when I’ll get a cute son-in-law like that?” she wonders loudly as she walks off, 

Your face goes red, mumbling as you go into the cafe, putting on an apron and getting a snack first, considering you hadn’t had a chance to finish your lunch. Once you’re at the counter, you pull your phone out of your pocket and quickly text everyone that you got home safely, as well as tell Kenma you got roped into working today. 

Jingle! Jingle! 

“Welcome!” You say, setting your phone down as you look up, your eyes going wide when you see two familiar faces, Sugawara and Sawamura Senpai’s.

“Oh, this was the right one!” Daichi said, grinning as he looked at you.

Ry: Next part is right after this~ Ohohoho May contain Daichi and Suga fun~

[miss-choco-chips]

College au part 2

Home, a place where I can go to take this off my shoulders- someone take me home (Machine Gun Kelly, X Ambassadors & Bebe Rexha – Home)

They are there for each other, the good and the bad. That’s what family is for, after all.

-.-.-.-.-.-

-I'm so gay -sighed Miguel almost dreamingly, stopping next to Slobo by the doors leading to the backyard.

Blissfully unaware of them, Tim was going through his usual routine of what seemed a mix of gymnastics, various martial arts and parkour, with a side of dancing to spice things up.

His friend snorted without even raising his eyes from the motorcycle engine he was trying to fix. A blasphemy, in Miguel's humble opinion, to have such an amazing view and to not take advantage of it.

-I know.

He dropped to the ground, head resting on Slobo's shoulder, gaze unwavering in his appreciation of slim muscles and perfectly controlled strength. Tamed power to the fullest.

-I mean like, really really gay.

-Yeah, what else is new? Pass me the motor oil.

He blindly patted the ground for it, picking something vaguely shaped like a can and thrusting it to where he thought were the other's hands.

When Tim bends over and starts stretching, Miguel wheezes and drops the can.

-I'm so stupidly, non functionally gay.

Slobo rolled his eyes and picked it up, his other hand going to close Miguel’s jaw.

-Dude that's all old news. Either come here with fresh gossip, be helpful, or leave. I don't need you making a mess of my stuff. You are getting your hormones all over my individual bubble.

Miguel sighed again, eyes almost physically turning into hearts when Tim stretched his arms over his head.

-Fuck, I can’t handle this much inner gay. It’s overwhelming.

-Nothing inner about it, dude. You’re dripping it all over my work station. Can’t you go be a disaster gay somewhere else?

-Tim is here, so no can do.

-Can’t you just ask him out and save us all the pining show and second hand embarrassment? 

A few meters away, Tim had taken out the bo staff and was practicing some moves. He accidentally brushed a branch (a thick one, from the pine tree Kon’s grandparents had made him plant upon moving there), and snapped it in half. He seemed kinda sheepish about it, which was both adorable and terrifying. Miguel was scared and horny.

-He’d destroy me.

Slobo hummed, hand reaching up to pat Miguel in the shoulder.

-Sounds like something you’d be kinda into, though.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

-This coffee tastes like dirt -complained Tim, while chugging half the pot in one long gulp. 

Distantly, Cassie noted there was still steam coming out of the liquid. Hadn’t Tim just brew it? Also, was it completely dark? No sugar? 

Like her future?

Despairingly, she let her head fall again on the table.

-Why did I get into politics?

-Your pathological need to fulfill Diana’s expectations -replied Cissie, sitting across from her, long hair in what could have been a bun once upon a time but now looked more like a bird’s nest. That had been hit by lighting. Repeatedly.

It strangely suited her. Or it could be Cassie’s adoration for her friend speaking, who the fuck knows.

-Which, I might add -interjected Tim, not waiting for them to say ‘you may’ before continuing. Because he was a rude bastard like that- you invented by yourself. Diana only hopes you don’t end up in jail. And if it's for the right causes, she might even forgive that. 

He dropped to the ground for no discernible reason, back to the cabinets where they kept the fine cutlery they never used. He was staring at the halfway empty pot like it contained the key to conquering mankind.

Knowing Tim, it might actually be true.

-Don’t try to take over the world -she asked, worried he might. Cissie made a confused sound, not privy to Cassie’s internal monologue, but Tim just nodded distractedly, which was all she needed before turning back to her half done paper.

-How are you doing, sis?

-Sis like sister, o Ciss like Cissie? -came Tim’s voice from behind her, probably still sitting on the ground. 

-Yes.

-Oh -the girl in front of her blinked- sorry, you were talking to me? 

-I mean… Tim is not ‘sis’.

-I resent that, I totally could be. Also, seriously, why does my coffee taste like dirt?

-Don’t drink it then. You were saying, honey?

Cassie rested her chin on a hand, elbow carefully to the side of her paper. 

-How are you doing?

-Wondering why did I ever thought studying psychology was a good idea. Why? Who started me on this path, and can I punch them? -her voice raised higher and higher the more distressed she got- Tim? Do you remember?

-Your therapist back in high school got you out of your toxic home life and helped you basically re-build your sense of self worth. Also you like to get into everyone’s business so Kon suggested making a career out of it.

-Remind me to punch him later.

-You could break your hand, and you have an archery competition this friday.

-Kick him, then.

-Got ya.

-Can I just die? -interjected Cassie, phone at hand. Her screen displayed a text sent by a classmate, who updated her on their due date. Apparently, she had calculated wrong and it was way sooner than what she thought- What’s the worst that could happen if I die? I’m sure people would get over it.

-You’d be losing all the progress you made in your career so far -reminded her Cissie.

Tim’s voice joined from behind- Included, but not limited to, that one class you had with the douche professor. Imagine if you lost your progress and had to start over. Imagine having class with him again.

She shivered- That was both incredibly motivational, and unholily terrorizing.

Greta entered the kitchen then. She looked fresh and cute, which was probably due to her having a full night’s sleep.

-Wow, you three have been here the whole night? -she asked, obviously concerned, looking over Cissie’s shoulder at her assignment- Did you guys even make progress? At all? -her eyes discovered Tim’s half assed project, on the place next to where Cissie sat.

If Cassie didn’t love her so much, she would punch her in the face.

Tim sighed.

-I can’t get up. I can’t feel my legs -he admitted. Cassie thinks, she should be worried. Losing sensibility seemed like a serious problem. But, whatever, Greta was here, and she was perfectly well rested. Let her take care of the worrying.

-Tim? Oh my god, are you alright? -she rushed to his side.

-I think the coffee stopped making effect, and my three-on-a-row all nighters caught up to me. Just let me die, Greta. If coffee is not longer working on my body, I might as well let the grim reaper do its thing. 

Cassie couldn’t see her any longer, since she was at her back by Tim’s side, but she could still somehow sense her concern growing.

-Tim... Did you use this bag by the coffee maker to brew it?

-I can’t move my head to look up at what you’re pointing, but I guess I did.

-Oh, honey… that is soil for Kon’s vegetable plot. Not coffee grounds.

-...so that’s why it tasted like dirt. Thank god. Excuse me while I faint.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

-I think Conner is dead on our living room -announced Miguel entering the kitchen. Slobo, Anita and Greta didn’t even blink, just kept their... poker? game going.

-He’s probably just sleeping -the other man waved a hand dismissively- Did you check his pulse or something?

-Ew, no. What if he’s really dead? I don’t want to touch a corpse. Greta, you go touch it.

-Why me? 

-If anyone will need to put their fingerprints in a veritable crime scene, who better than the only one with no criminal record?

-Tim doesn't have it either, go knock on his door and tell him to do it. I’m about to swindle both these jerks.

-There’s a difference between never getting caught by the police, and erasing all virtual proof of your crimes. Tim belongs to the second group. Also, last I checked, he and Bart were working on something on his room. I’m not approaching that danger zone without protective equipment.

-Speaking of -Slobo raised his head, looking around- has anyone bought them food in the last couple of hours?

-Kon, probably. 

-He is dead -he reminded them- Cassie and Cissie are still asleep, and I’m not waking them up. Greta?

Out of their group, Conner was Tim and Bart’s official handler (when Tim was not micromanaging them all, at least; little control freak).  Many people believed he lifted at the gym to get all the girls; in truth, as the boy had once told Miguel, it was so he could carry both his friends to bed in one trip to tuck them in at the same time, because if he did it separately, the one that got to be second always tried to make a run for it. 

In the event he was unavailable, Cassie took over. Her skills with a lasso and years of practice at the rodeo came in handy then, and it never failed to crack him up when he saw how swiftly she caught them both.

And if she wasn’t close or was busy, then Cissie took over for Bart and Greta for Tim, as they could only handle one at the time.

The rest of them were last resource. Second to last was Jason Todd, who as both Tim’s brother and Bart’s TA held a fair amount of power over them.

If Jason told them to fuck off, then Slobo, Miguel and Anita would talk it out among themselves. Slobo would suggest knocking them out. Which, considering Bart’s speed and Tim’s mindblowing ninja training (and where the hell did he learn that, they would never know), wasn’t a very realistic option. Anita suggested drugs; but between Bart’s ADHD medication and Tim’s antibiotics for his lack of spleen and antidepressants, the adverse effects made them all a little uncomfortable with the idea.

Miguel’s own suggestions, which involved a lot of tender care and coddling, where ignored with a few laughs and a shrug.

-Fuck you, I’m not leaving this table so close to cleaning you both up. If you are worried, you go feed them.

Slobo shrugged.

-If they die, I call Tim’s room. Having a roommate is the worst.

-Excuse you -raised an eyebrow Miguel, walking to the fridge for a drink. He might as well watch the game.

-If I have to listen to you practicing your singing before showering one more time...

-If I can deal with you cursing at your phone at five am, you can deal with my melodious voice -Miguel blinked- That’s not poker.

-We are playing Truco.

-What?

-It’s a popular game in Argentina, or so Tim said. He taught us when he was having a coffee break this morning. And by the way: Truco, bitches!

-I’m in! -Slobo yelled back.

Greta looked at her cards impassively, then at the ones laying on the table between the three of them, before raising an eyebrow- I call Re Truco.

Miguel watched them go for a while. He wasn’t sure on the rules, but from the way they kept yelling, he knew it was highly competitive. It also seemed to involve a great amount of deceit, bullshiting and being as poker faced as possible. It made sense that Tim had been the one introducing them to the game. Speaking of…

-Maybe if I knock on the door with a coffee offering, he’ll listen to me without punching my nose in? -he mumbled to himself, aware that the others were ignoring him. Decided to test his luck, he climbed to his feet and readied the coffee maker.

The rest of the afternoon saw Miguel sitting on Tim’s bed, watching from the sidelines how both he and Bart built… something. It had a chainsaw and a mini shield, so maybe a fighting bot? There were some (not very legal) competitions around campus...

It was almost dinner time when he remembered a tiny, small detail.

-Man, I’m so hungry. You guys think dinner is ready? -asked Bart, hand sweeping the sweat off his forehead- Who was in charge of it tonight?

Lightning-like realization hit Miguel.

-Oh, yeah, speaking of that… Kon was probably dead, last time I checked. Maybe we should order a pizza or something?

-Cool, I could do pizza. 

-I’m sorry, Kon was what?!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

-You guys need jobs -told them Tim one morning over breakfast. They had just moved in together, and classes were about to start. Nobody seemed willing to talk about responsibility yet, but he felt like they needed the push to do it.

-I have a job -proudly smiled Bart, eyes never leaving the TV where his character was beating Kon’s into a bloody plump. He didn’t elaborate past that, and Tim made a mental note to investigate further later. Bart’s career was enough, they needn't add another unsolved mystery.

-Where is this coming from, though? We have loads of time for that -scoffed Slobo, watching the game intently.

-Classes are starting soon, and people will be getting all the good jobs. I did some calculations, and the money you guys have been saving for living expenses will run out in two, three months tops. Greta has the coffee shop thing and Cassie just got called back from the movie theatre, but the rest of you need to find some money maker. Stat.

-And what about you? -threw Cissie back, internally agreeing with him but despising the reality check.

Tim looked at her, completely deadpan. Silently, he took out his wallet, fishing three cards (one silver, one golden and one black) from it and showing them to her.

-Even before being adopted by a billionaire, I already was a rich trust fund baby. And now that I’ve said it, I’m gonna avoid getting punched by making my exit. Good luck job hunting.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Cassie and Anita’s room was ground floor, along with the kitchen, living room, laundry area, a medium size bathroom with a shower, and a very small one with only the toilet and sink. The second floor housed Bart and Conner’s room, along with Miguel and Slobo’s, and Cissie and Greta’s, plus the biggest bathroom, with both a tub and shower. The attic had been claimed by Tim, who won that right by paying the deposit for the house on top of his part of the rent. It was the biggest room, the size of the entire house without partitions, with only one separation in the form of the small sized bathroom. He loved his room, would pay twice what he coughed up to have it. It was worth it, every cent.

He loved his attic; The bathroom, however, was another thing. It ran out of warm water constantly.

-This is the second time this month. I love you, but you aren’t burrowing our bath -denied Cissie firmly, arms crossed as she waited outside the door for Greta to finish her shower-. If it was any other day I’d say yes, you know I would, but you aren’t the only one that needs to get ready for the movie, and there’s six of us sharing here. Go ask the girls.

Defeated but understanding, he went another floor down, arms full with his skin and hair care products (he had a image to keep, and one never knew when paparazzi would be around; he and his brothers had a steady competition on who got caught in camera being a ugly mess the least, that he wasn’t willing to lose) and clean clothes. 

Anita shrugged when she opened the door, still naked except from her towel and hair dripping.

-Yeah, Cassie already took hers. Just remember to lock the door, dude. Since its ground floor bathroom, someone always tries to get in to pee when you’re showering, it’s annoying. Also, don’t come at me with complains about hair in the drain, okay? 

Thankful beyond caring, he nodded and hurried towards it.

He wasn’t expecting what he found there. Already halfway to the shower, he stopped to leave his folded clothes on top of the cabinet near the sink when he saw...

-Why are there weapons here? -he couldn't help but scream, clutching a towel to his naked chest. He felt distinctly like a victorian lady preserving her virtue from a foe. It was a very curious feeling.

-I said no judgements!! -Anita yelled back from across the hallway.

-Yeah, regarding hair on the floor! Nobody said anything about weapons!

-So I forgot my katana there after my shower, big deal. Just don’t fall on it, problem solved.

-No, I’m used to seeing your katana, but why the fuck do you girls have cat shaped brass knuckles?

-They are cute and useful! Aren’t you taking a shower, dude? The movie starts soon!

Deciding that this wasn't a battle worth picking, he turned on the warm water. Ahh, nice, wonderful hot water.

-Oh, Tim! -came Cassie’s yell- Don’t lock the door, forget what Anita said! I need to put on my make up and that mirror is better than the one in our room.

-I’m gonna be showering though.

-And?

Yeah, she had a point. Shrugging, he made sure the door was unlocked before stepping under the water and closing the curtain.

He heard her coming in and rummaging through one of the little bags he saw on the sink cabinet. He couldn't help but ask.

-Why do you guys keep weapons here?

-They are for when we are most vulnerable.

-With thighs like yours you’re never vulnerable.

-I love you. But just pretend I have noodle legs, for argument’s sake.

-Mkay. 

-Well, name one instance when you’re more weak and exposed than when you’re taking a shower.

-...Yeah, I follow. Still seems a bit excessive, but I do like that pointy needle thing you have by the blow dryer. I need to get my sister one of those, cute and deadly like her.

-That? Oh, honey, no, that’s a hair pin. 

-If you put your hair in a bun and use that as an ornament, you’d never be unarmed, that’s all I’m saying. Again, cute and deadly. 

-...You’ve opened my eyes.

-You’re welcome. May I borrow your eyeliner?

-Sure, but why? You don’t usually use makeup.

-If I make myself long enough wings, maybe I’ll be able to fly away from my problems. Or look fabulous enough to not care about them.

-In moments like this I’m reminded of my undying love for you. Do my eyes too.

-Gotcha.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He came home five minutes after receiving the text, chest heaving from the run and heart beating furiously for a entirely different reason.

Cassie, phone at hand, was waiting by the door. Her eyes were solemn.

-What happened? -he asked, not bothering with niceties as he stepped in and closed the door behind him.

-Family dinner went wrong -she shrugged-, not that he told me. Bart was playing games when he walked in and he texted Jason, who told him, and then he came to me.

Fuck them, Kon thought uncharitably. The Waynes were both an awesome family, and boarding on toxic. Guessing which kind were they going to be any given week was like playing lottery. It was such a Murphy law thing that they went for shitty this particular weekend, where Tim could have used their love and support the most.

-How is Jason? -he asked, not that he cared too much, but because he knew Tim would want to know sooner or later.

-Bart didn’t say, but he did mention he was hanging out with Kori and Roy, and Artemis said in the family group chat to not bother her tonight, so I’m assuming she’s there too.

-Biz is still at the farm, but three is better than nothing -he sighed, taking off his coat and walking towards the stairs- Bart?

-He just convinced Tim to take a bath in the big tub, so he’s probably standing guard by the door.

A nod, Kon’s steps hurried with purpose now that he had a clear destination in mind.

-The others?

Cassie waved vaguely towards the arch on the wall leading to the living room. Kon could see someone moving there from the corner of his eye, but didn’t turn to check; he wouldn't be derailed from his path.

-Greta went to the attic to clean Tim’s room a bit. You know he doesn't have the strength to do it himself right now, but seeing it like that also makes him feel worse. Cissie and Anita are readying the living room for a movie night, picking up all the pillows and blankets in the house. A pillow fort might be in the making.

They were on the second floor now. Kon could see Bart ahead, back resting against the wall, just by the side of the door.

-Slobo ran to Tim’s favorite pizza place -Cassie kept going, keeping pace with him- and should be back soon; Miguel went to the store to buy comfort food, sweets and stuff. Ice cream too, probably.

Conner nodded again, glad to see everyone was following their protocol for these kind of situations. All their housemates accounted for, he stopped in front of Bart and patted his shoulder comfortingly. He was very empathetic, tended to pick up on everyone’s moods, specially Tim’s, and let himself be influenced by them. The shadows on his eyes were probably a mirror image of how their friend currently taking a bath was doing. Not so hot, apparently.

-I’ll take it from here, you guys go put on your pajamas and help the girls get everything ready -he suggested, eyes going to Cassie’s. She nodded, understanding that her mission now was to calm Bart down. Helping Anita and Cissie would do wonders for him.

On most situations, the group tended to follow Tim’s lead, their indisputable commander in chief; when he couldn’t be there, or was too emotionally compromised, Cassie would take over. However, in this particular scenario, everyone deferred to him for some reason. Maybe because he’s been with Tim for the longest time, maybe because he knew him best. It didn’t matter; all he cared about was that it made his work easier, and they seemed glad to have a task they could focus on, rather than dwelling in concern.

Softly, he rapped his knuckles against the door.

-Tim? I’m coming in, dude -he informed him, voice low as to not spook him if he was dissociating. The last they needed was him slipping in the shower.

When no answer came, he entered the steamy bathroom, door closing behind him. As Cassie had predicted, Tim was sitting in the almost full tub, knees hugged to his chest and chin resting above them. His eyes went to Conner when he approached him though, which was a good enough sign to make him visibly sigh in relief.

Tim’s eyes narrowed, as if he wanted to snap at him that he didn’t need them to take care of him, but then he just deflated and looked ahead again, not nearly strong enough to fight.

Knot growing on his chest, Kon sat by the tub’s edge- Hey there. You’re not looking very cool right now. Have I ever told you I despise like 66% of your family?

-Three out of six is not 66%.

-Three? I only like Alfred and Cass.

-You don’t dislike Jason.

-I mean, it varies from moment to moment. But I’ll give you that since you’re feeling bad, and concede on 50%.

Tim snorted a little, and his eyes didn’t look as dead as they had when Kon first came in, so he gave himself infinite Best Friend points.

-Want to talk about it? -he asked gently, hand on Tim’s wet shoulder. He felt more like saw him shrug.

-Nothing to tell, really… It was more of the same shit. I love them, but sometimes they…

-Don’t make it easy, huh?

-...yeah. I don’t even know why I’m so fucked up over it, I’m used to this.

Kon squeezed his shoulder- Your psychiatrist warned you, this week was gonna be tough even without the family drama.  Your body is adjusting to the new medication, and it…

-Yeah, yeah, I know -he sighs, sinking deeper into the water- I just… I just hate this. That my brain works like that, that I worry you all, that I can’t just fucking deal with it alone. You know what Jack used to say about mental illness…

-A stupid bastard’s words shouldn't be taken seriously. And you know we don’t like the J word in this house, it’s one of the rules.

Tim’s smile, small and tentative, was a thing of beauty. It never failed to remind Kon why he put so much effort into making the situation better for his friend, when he saw that it actually did help.

-You guys can’t just erase my father from my memory by sheer force of will and avoidance of the topic.

-Sure we can -he gave his shoulder a  light pat-. The boys will be here soon with food, and I heard a movie night is in order. You done with your bath? We could stay here longer if you want to, though.

Tim’s smile grew a little bit, cheeks warming, delighted despite himself at the love and care that was being bestowed upon him. Some time ago, he might have fought them over it; the progress was hard earned, but Kon wouldn't change a single thing about it.

-Yeah, I just have to put conditioner on and comb my hair -he hesitated a bit, glancing down at his arms hugging his legs and probably weighing their strength-. Could you, uh… do it for me?

Kon had already been reaching for the bottle even before he asked.

There was little he could do to help Tim, medical wise. But there were professionals for that, and after many late night talks and specially bad episodes, Tim had gotten better at seeking their help when needed.

What he could do was no less important, though; making sure their home was a safe, supportive, non-toxic place for him to come back to.

That’s what best friends-- what family was there for.

[dobrikswriting]

Basically Strangers PT 2

Sorry this took so long!

Here’s part one!

I laid down in my bed the second I got back to my hotel. I glanced over at the clock.

5 AM.

I hadn't been to bed yet, I almost felt like the whole night I hadn't even been awake. I felt bad about leaving David while he was sleeping I just felt like it might be awkward in the morning. I feel like he's going to wake up and regret everything and I really didn't want to see that look on his face. I sent Zane a quick text telling him to call me the second he woke up and then I stripped down to just my bra and underwear before I laid down and finally rest my eyes.

"Y/N?" I heard as I felt a hand gently shake me awake. I blinked my eyes, my brain not able to process anything as I saw Zane standing in front of me. I sat there staring at him for a couple second before I finally realized that Zane and, by the sound of chatter, a few other people were in my room right now.

"Woah." I said softly sitting up looking around the room, seeing Matt, Carly, and Erin sitting on the couch in my room. "Hey? How did yo-"

"I pretended to be your husband and got an extra key." Zane said cutting you off.

"That's .... unsettling." I replied sleepily looking over to see the time. 11 AM, 6 hours of sleep would have to do.

"That's what I said!" Matt said, agreeing with me. "No way should it be that easy I'm going to do something about that. I'm writing a letter to someone." Matt said matter of factually.

"Okay sure, can we go get some food now." I heard a voice say, a voice I hadn't previously known was in the room. I leaned forward in the bed more and looked around the corner into the open hallway to see David leaning up against the door frame, looking at his phone. He looked up at me and smiled.

 "Nice hickies y/n. You ditched us to go have fun last night huh?" David teased, I felt heat rush to my cheeks knowing my face had to be bright red. I looked down and quickly remembered I had stripped down to basically nothing before I had fallen asleep, I quickly grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to my neck covering myself up.

"A bra is basically a bikini you're fine." Zane joked sitting on the edge of my bed. "We're getting breakfast get dressed." He said, not asking more demanding. 

David walked more into the room throwing me the robe that the hotel had left hanging in the bathroom.

"We'll wait for you to shower if you want." He added before sitting in a chair at the opposite end of the room. I could tell by the way Zane wasn't joking around and wasn't giving me shit, that David hadn't said anything about last night. I was thankful but I guess I had also expected that, David didn't seem like the type of guy to do that without talking to me first.

I smiled at him as I put the robe on and quickly went into the bathroom to shower and get ready.

--

I had gotten ready in record time and we were all on our way down to the car to get food. Zane walked up beside me, "Sorry I went too hard last night I was looking forward to having fun with you and I passed out so early." He said looking at me with puppy dog eyes.

"It's okay really, I still had fun." I replied genuinely, even aside from spending time with David I really did have a fun time with everyone last night. I was excited to see what the rest of the week would hold.

"Yeah I can see that." Zane said, referring to the light hickies on my neck. "Who did those you don't even know anyone here."

"I'm on vacation, let me live." I said brushing him off, not wanting to lie but not wanting to tell him the truth. He just gave me a look smiling and then walked up to say some comment to annoy Matt. We got out to David's tesla and all got in, I was surprised to see everyone getting in the back leaving the only open spot being the front seat. I slid in the seat, I could feel my heart beating extremely fast. I was nervous but also excited I felt like I was 14 and had just seen my crush in the hall or something. David made me feel different. I tried to pretend I was looking at something on my phone as I heard him get into the car and we started to drive.

"Why'd you leave last night?" He asked me softly, the music was loud enough that the others couldn't hear it while they were caught up in their own conversation. I looked over at him to see he was looking intently at the road, I had never seen a more beautiful side profile. His hair was messy but still perfect, and the way his mouth sat ever so slightly open with his tongue resting against his bottom lip, I felt like I should pinch myself because no way was this guy in any way interested in me.

"I just didn't want the morning to be awkward, if you..." I stopped for a moment wanting to word it correctly. "I mean I know you were drunk and I just wanted to give you a clean escape you know." I replied back quietly, changing my gaze to match his, watching the road go past.

"I don't want one." He said and I could see him look at me and smile out of the corner of my eye. I smiled but I kept looking forward, before Zane popped his head between us and had some remark to say about how hungry he was and David wasn't going fast enough. We rolled our eyes and continued the drive in conversation with everyone else.

After we had eaten we hung out at David's for a while. I was shocked at how included I felt, I felt like I had been friends with everyone for years. I was happy that things weren't weird between me and David. I knew nothing would come of the two of us, I was only going to be in California for a few more days then I would go back to my life as normal but I was so excited to even be able to experience a glimpse of this life, with these people. It made me wish I had moved out here when Zane did.

After a few hours at David's everyone was about to split up and do their own things, David had to get some footage for a brand deal, Carly and Erin were going to shoot a video with Jason and, Zane and Matt were going to film the podcast with Heath and Mariah. "Do you wanna come and film with us?" Zane asked not wanting to leave me alone for the afternoon.

"I was kinda thinking about doing something touristy." I said laughing at how lame I sounded. "Who knows when I'll be able to come back here." I added. Zane nodded and looked in thought hopefully thinking of a good place for me to go.

"Do you wanna come with me?" David asked overhearing me. "My brand deal is with universal studios, I have to go ride a new ride they're coming out with but we can definitely make a day of it. Amusement parks are good content." He said smiling at me.

"That's perfect thank you!" I said thankfully back to him. "You sure I wouldn't be intruding?" I asked. David immediately shook his head.

"I was supposed to take Jonah but he just ditched me last second so you're doing me a favor actually." He replied. I smiled back at him and gave Zane a quick hug as we all went on our separate ways.

I slid back into the passenger seat of the tesla and tried to contain my smile, I was excited to spend time alone with David. I knew from the vlogs that he was fun but actually being around him is a totally different story. He was so fun and nice and just a good person that wanted to do anything he could to make other people laugh. It was a nice vibe to be around. We started driving and I was a little nervous how to start conversation with him, so I was glad when he broke the silence.

"I hope nothing is awkward between us because of last night." He said looking over at me.

"Not at all. At least for me. I really enjoyed myself." I said smiling at him. He nodded and smiled at me.

"I have to be really careful about what I do and who I do it with. I have this image and if anything comes out of me actually acting like a 23 year old, the world goes crazy." He said running a hand through his brown his. "It was very off brand of me to do that but it felt really nice, like freeing." He said opening up to me. I hadn't realized how much pressure was on David to always do the right things and be the perfect guy, I couldn't imagine not getting to just do whatever I wanted and always having to worry about people taking things the wrong way.

"Well I'm happy I could help." I replied laughing. "It feels really good to be here. In LA, with all you guys. You are all so inviting and I feel like I'm apart of the group."

"You fit in really well, your personality is a good match. I bet by the end of the week everyone is going to be begging for you to stay." He said winking at me.

"Everyone?" I teased, making it a point to look him in the eyes so he knew I was talking about him directly. David just smiled back at me and laughed but I could see a blush creeping up on his cheeks. David then put the camera up on his dashboard and filmed us driving the rest of way, just jamming out to music and David filming a couple stupid dad joke puns from random billboards we went past.

I had never been to universal studios but I had been to multiple other theme parks and it was pretty standard to the rest. David and I filmed us riding the new ride, he introduced me as Zane's home town best friend and he was putting me through the test to see if I could make it in the vlog squad. We finished riding that ride and then rode a could more, on any ride that had a big drop or upside down turn David would grab my hand and hold on for dear life and I could my whole stomach fill with butterflies. We were both eating a churro and David was taking some pictures with fans when I finally glanced down at my phone, I was shocked to see so many notifications.

I opened up my messages to see multiple texts from my friends back home and one from Zane tell me to call him right away. I told David I would be right back and stepped into a quieter area to call him.

"Hey!" Zane picked up immediately.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Have you seen the pictures?" Zane asked.

"Huh?" Is all I said back in confusion.

"Look at my texts." He stated I quickly opened up my messages app and went to Zanes, he had sent me a picture of David and I standing in line at one of the rides. "Thats a little weird that someone took that buts what's the big deal?" I asked.

"The way he's looking at you." Zane said. I opened up the picture more and I could see that David was looking at me, I don’t know if it was in my head but there was something more there. I don’t think I had ever seen anyone look at me quite the same even if I couldn’t explain it. We just looked really happy and comfortable together.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I replied back though not wanting to make it a big deal.

"Yes you do. You know what I'm talking about and so will David when he sees that. It's a big deal because David can have some crazy fans and their really running with this one y/n. Most of the fans either don't want David with anyone or they want him with Liza, and this picture with him looking at you like that and those hickies on your neck it won't be long before they come for you." He said worried.

"I think you're reading too deep into it. We're just friends hanging out.”

"I'm not dumb. You didn't leave last night you hooked up with David. I heard you guys talking in the car." He said back, I felt bad that Zane knew I was lying to him, it just didn't feel like my place to tell David's business like that.

"I'm sorry." Was all I could reply.

"It's okay just be careful please, some of the fans can be ruthless." Zane said. I thanked him before getting off the phone, I looked through a couple of my messages, seeing they all had to do with the picture, people asking me what David was like and if I could have him follow them on stuff. I didn't reply to anything and I walked back over to David who was sitting signing something for a fan. He looked up at me and could tell something was off.

"What's wrong?" He asked after the fan had walked away.

"I'm just really hot do you wanna head out?" I asked. David just looked at me and nodded and we headed back to the car in silence.

We didn't say much the whole ride back to my hotel. David pulled up in a parking spot and turned to me. "Did something happen?" He asked me.

"You have to know about the picture." I said turning my body to face him as well.

"Yeah. I mean it's not a big deal it'll blow over." He replied. I unlocked my phone and slid it over to him as the notification kept popping up on my screen, follow requests and random DM's.

 "Maybe but it's a lot right now." I said. He looked over a couple of the DM's most of them were harmless but I could see him get uncomfortable when a negative one would pop up on the screen. I was surprised they had found all my social media accounts so quickly.

"I'm sorry." David said handing me back my phone.

"It's not your fault I'm just not used to this. I'm pretty unremarkable so my phone is never this popping." I said joking back.

"No seriously I should of never taken you there I knew it wasn't a good idea. I just wanted to. Last night I felt so free and good to just do what I wanted and not worry about what anyone else would think. It felt so good. And I wanted to do it again but that was way too public." He said staring at his hand. I felt my heart get tight, I had so much fun with David I didn't want whatever weird friendship we had to stop because of this.

"David I barely know you, but there is something about you that just makes me want to be around you and get to know you. I don't care about what other people think. I get it's a big part of your job, so if you want me to keep my distance to help you out I totally understand." I said, know he would agree and that would be the end to this thing that had barely even started.

"I feel the same way about you. Y/N when I said I don't do the having sex with strangers and bringing them home thing I meant that. I don't do that but there is just something about you where I feel like I can be myself." He said looking up at me. "I don't want you to keep your distance. We just can't be too extra about it but I do want to get to know you better." He added, we had slowly been leaning in towards each other and David leaned in more pushing his lips against mine. I kissed him back, I can't describe the feeling that rushed through my veins. He pulled back and smiled at me.

"Do you wanna come up?" I asked, wanting to continue spending time with him.

"I gotta go edit for the vlog tomorrow but I do want to see you, do you wanna come over later, everyone will probably be there you can meet the rest of the gang?" He replied.

I nodded and went to get out of the car, David placed a hand on the back of my neck and pulled me in for another kiss, this one deeper and more passionate as his tongue found its way into my mouth. He pulled away and I felt breathless.

"I'll text you." I said trying to make it seem like I wasn't as giddy as a little school girl I said as I smiled back at David and got out of the car.

I couldn't help but do a little dance freak out as I got back to my room. I couldn't believe that David had any interest in me at all, I would never think someone like him would like me. It felt so good. I laid back on my bed as I was facetimed Zane to tell him what happened and have him help me decide how to handle the new found popularity I had.

[imaginexmeintheuniverse]

Ok girlie I see your tags on the prompts and I’m. Here. For. It. Please do i’m the only one who gets your costume and apparently that makes you wanna rip my clothes off with my baby Peter maximoff I’m so freaking thirsty for him

i’m the only one whogets your costume and apparently that makes you wanna rip my clothes off +we’re secret friends with benefits and you accidentally wore my shirt to theparty so you’re pretending you came as me and it turns out your impression ofme is on point and you know me better than I know myself are you sure you’renot in love with me??

Word count: 1, 845

A/N: GIRL I GOT YOU

“I thought you said you weren’t going to dress up forthis,” Peter appears before you with a gust of wind that blows your loosehair back.

Raising an eyebrow at him, you lift your arms up at theelbows and reply, “I’m not…?”

The corners of his mouth curl up in a smirk as he looks youup and down, and realizes you aren’t aware that you’re wearing his shirt. Thelook of utter confusion on your face changes slowly as you look down to see thefamiliar Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moonalbum cover print on the front of your— well, Peter’s t-shirt.

“Shit.”You curse under your breath, hoping no one else will notice that the shirt yourwearing isn’t yours.

“Hey, isn’t that Peter’s shirt?” Jubilee chirps,popping up out of nowhere with Kurt by her side and you start to panic becausethat really didn’t take long. Normally,you probably wouldn’t make a huge deal about wearing a friend’s shirt, butPeter isn’t like the rest of your friends, given the circumstances whichresulted in you wearing it. You had stayed in Peter’s bed while he was gettinghis costume ready after your, ehm, activitiesearlier. Long story short, you must have left too quickly and picked up thewrong shirt from the pile of clothes on the floor as you made your swift exit.

“Uh, y-yeah—” you stutter, completely caughtoff-guard, and as if on cue, the rest of the squad shows up. Great.

“Is Y/N wearing Peter’s shirt?” Scott asks,slightly confused.

“Yeah,” Peter interjects, saving you from beinggrilled. “I’m so much cooler than all of you that she decided to dress upas me.”

“Wow, Y/N,” Warren dramatically puts a hand overhis chest. “I thought we had something special.”

“Way to put some effort into your costume,” Jean snorts,her lips curved in a teasing grin.

“Yeah, it seems like she’s just missing a little—”Peter zooms off before finishing his sentence, and as per usual, he’s back asfast as he left. You don’t have time to blink before you find yourself with hissilver leather jacket around your shoulders and he’s grinning down at you as hegently places his goggles on your head. You smile back up at him, silentlythanking him as you slide your arms through the sleeves of his flashy jacket.

“And what are you supposed to be?” Jubilee asks, examiningPeter like he’s a foreign entity.

It takes you no time at all recognize Peter’s costume; apin-striped suit, the jacket a little wide and boxy, his hair is slicked down,and to top it all off, a pencil moustache. You and Peter spent hoursmarathoning the Addams Family on old recorded tapes, how could you not know?

“I think he’s supposed to be a gangster like from thoseold movies you showed me,” Kurt guesses, and Peter shakes his head inresponse.

“I’m actually—”

“I think you gangster costume is missing a fedora,”Scott comments, and Peter drags out an exasperated sigh.

“All right, I give up,” Peter throws his hands upin surrender. “I’m gonna go get a drink.”

The crowd parts as he speeds his way through to therefreshments table— which at this point, is a punch bowl mixed withgod-knows-what, with  a stack of cups anda few bottles of different drinks and alcohol. Meanwhile, you and the rest ofthe group start to converse, dance, and play Halloween-themed party games. Uponrequest, you start doing your impression of Peter— which you totally nail— andhave everyone in a fit of laughter as the night goes on.

You can only dance around and play party games so muchbefore you become a sweaty mess, so you make a short trip to the bathroom tocool down. When you exit, you see Peter leaning back on the wall of thehallway, waiting for you with a red cup in each hand, one of which he holds outto you.

“Merci,”You accept the cup with a sly smile, and he seems taken aback. You eyes don’tleave his as you bring the cup up to your lips and you see his slightlysurprised expression change to a pleased one. “Don’t think I haven’tnoticed your costume, mon chérie.”

“Cara mía,”A smile takes over his features and there is nothing he can do to stop it. Infact, he’d be telling the biggest lie he’s ever told if he said that you beingthe only person to get his costume andspeaking French didn’t turn him on.

“So, what do you think of my impression of you?”you ask, a playful smirk curving your lips.

“It could use some work,” he says nonchalantly, shiftingso that his side leans on the wall.

“Please,”You roll your eyes, and punch him lightly on the bicep. “I totally nailedyou!”

“Yeah you did,” he smirks, as you mentally slapyourself because you should have seen it coming. “Speaking of which,”He takes a step closer to you and his voice takes on a mischievous tone. Yourchests are mere inches apart, and as the seconds pass, Peter  gets increasingly impatient. All he wants todo is tear your— err— his clothes offof you. “We should totally go somewhere and get weird with eachother.”

Dismissing his last comment, you take another sip of yourdrink. “I’ve got you pinned—”

“Yeah you will—”

“I know you better than you know yourself.” Yourgaze bores into his big brown eyes . His pupils are totally blown and there’s ahint of something else you can’t quite put your finger on. The tension onlythickens between you and him, and it feels different than the usual sexualbuild up. It’s the same feeling that made you rush out of his room earlier.

That feeling was so small when you and Peter first startedyour— for lack of a better word— arrangement.You were friends, but not that close; he was attractive, but not someone yousaw as a romantic prospect. As the weeks passed, you started hanging aroundmore with him afterwards, and him with you. Like every friends-with-benefitsagreement, you’re supposed to call it off the second someone catches feelings,but as you realized that afternoon, it turns out you’ve been repressing a lotof feelings for a while now.

To make things more confusing, it was something so simplethat brought on your great epiphany. You had stayed in his bed after sex,clothed in nothing but your underwear and one of his oversized sweaters whilehe showered. He came back to find you had fallen asleep, and woke you up withthe sweetest kiss. His lips felt softer than usual, he smelled of soap, and thewet tips of his hair tickled your cheeks. The smile you saw when you openedyour eyes, made you feel like you were exactly where you were supposed to be.The second he turned around and headed to his closet, it hit you all at onceand you panicked. That’s when you ditched the sweater and left in a hurry,picking up the wrong shirt in the process.

Going through your memory, you swear there are times wherehe had those feelings. Every time, you got scared and must have thought aboutcalling the whole thing off a dozen times, but you and him fell into a grooveand somewhere along the way you subconsciously got attached. And now, as hestands in front of you, you search his eyes for that same spark and you’re moreconfused than ever.

“So you’ve been paying attention to me,” You snortat the cocky expression on his face, once again repressing the hell out of yourfeelings and keep up the back and forth flirting game the two of you alwaysplay. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re in love with me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself—” You tip your cup andgulp down the rest of whatever liquid is in it— it tastes like rum and coke,but not quite the same. “We made rules for a reason, remember?” Ruleswhich you’ve already broken.

After all this time you’d think you’d be used to it, but itfeels like all oxygen has escaped your lungs when you notice that his lips are real close to yours. His eyes dart downand come back up to meet yours. “Are you sure you’re not in love with me,Y/L/N?” He’s giving you major heart palpitations and your stomach is doingsome crazy flips, but you definitely can’t tell him that.

“Don’t push it, Maximoff.” You crush the empty cupin your hand and watch it turn to dust and eventually disappear as you vaporizeit. “I’ll see you later— my room.” He’s not sure what it is aboutthat that kind of turns him on, but he definitely doesn’t hate it. Spinning onyour heel, you call over your shoulder as you make your way back to the party, “Andget rid of the pencil stache!”

Before you can join back with the rest of the squad, you’restopped by your best friend— and she just about startled the crap out of you.“So, were you ever going to tell me about you and Peter?”

“Were you eavesdropping?!”

“How long have you guys been a thing?”

“Were you— uh we're— we’re not a thing—”

“I’m gonna take a wild guess… three months?”

“Accurate.”

You and Jean keep going back and forth, her firing questionsat you, and you trying your best to dodge them until she asks the one thatstops you.

“How long have you been in love with him?”

You freeze for a moment before turning into a stutteringmess. “I-I- love? P-Peter? No— I don't—” You think your heart mightjump right out of your chest and you jump to the first conclusion you can thinkof. “You read my mind?!”

“Not yours,”she specifies, eyes darting over to where Peter is dancing like a mad man.“It’s hard not to hear histhoughts when he’s pretty much screaming them, trust me I’ve tried.”

“I swear I wanted to tell you, but we agreed on certain,ehm, terms and conditions when thisstarted— we thought it would be better if no one knew.”

“It’s okay,” you’re a little surprised, but gladthat she’s hugging you instead of being salty about not telling her. You’re notsure why you expected anything different, she’s always been supportive. “Butare you sure you’re not in love withhim?” It’s almost chilling; those same words came from Peter just momentsago. You look over to where he’s dancing like a total dad, and that samefeeling washes over you again. You’re not sure whether or not you can lie toyour best friend— it wouldn’t make a difference even if you did because youboth already know the answer to that question.

Masterlist | Request a Halloween/Autumn drabble!

[eleanor-writes-stuff]

a language of its own - Day 9

“And the heart is hard to translate, it has a language of its own.”

All the ways Rey and Ben say “I love you”.

It’s Day 9 of my 12-day Valentine’s collection… which means we’ve only got three days to go, friends! Today’s prompt is a “we’re not going to bed til we’ve made up” kind of love, and the resulting ‘ficlet’ is nearly two thousand words long. Oops. Happy reading!

12 Days of Valentine’s Also available on AO3 Psst, you can also find me on Twitter and Ko-fi!

It’s nearly ten by the time he gets home, the latest he’s arrived in weeks.

The plan is to get a drink, brood in the darkness of their living room for a bit, and then slip into bed and hold Rey until the voices in his head shut up and let him go to sleep. But then Ben steps into their apartment to find a single light on in the living room and Rey curled up in their armchair, and his already shitty day takes a turn for the worse.

“Ben?” Rey calls through a yawn, rubbing at sleep-crusted eyes before she stretches out her arms and turns to him. “You’re home. Where were you?”

“Work,” he tells her, leaving it at that as he sets his things down on the kitchen counter and yanks off his tie. “Sorry I didn’t warn you, it was kinda last minute.”

So last minute that he’d already had one foot in the elevator before one of Snoke’s panicked-looking assistants pulled him back and informed him their boss was demanding to see him.

Rey watches him as he slumps down into the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest. “S’okay,” she mumbles, still half-asleep. “I figured something must’ve come up. Everything go okay?”

No. No, everything most certainly did not go okay, but now’s not a good time to talk about it, not when he’s still seething under a mask of composure that he can barely hold on to. “I don’t want to talk about it right now,” Ben says, knowing Rey would see through any lie he tries to feed her. Even now a frown is slowly forming on her face as she observes him, and after a while she comes to sit next to him on the couch and tentatively takes his shaking hands in hers.

They’re cold. They’re always cold, but even more so now as the wind grows sharp with that early October chill. She should be in bed, buried under three blankets and warming her icy fingers on his bare skin. Instead she’d been sleeping in their tiny armchair for who knows how long while he was busy getting chewed out by Snoke, and all because–

I saw your grandfather in you the first time we met, and like a fool I assumed it was his greatness I recognized in your eyes. Now I see it was his weakness, the same desperate heart that beats in you and turns you into a slave for the first set of pretty eyes willing to spread her legs for you–

All because he only stays an extra half hour each day instead of the unspoken requirement of two hours. All because he chooses to have breakfast with Rey in the mornings instead of going in extra early. All because he skipped out on two hours of work last week to check on her–

She calls and you go running like a dog. If you’re going to be a mutt, it would serve you well to at least pick the right master, Ben Solo.

Rey pulls him out of his head by wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest. “Was it Snoke?” she asks quietly. And he knows she means well, knows she’s worried, but–

“I said I don’t want to talk about it,” Ben mutters, and shrugs off her arms so that he can go wash this shitty day off and pretend it didn’t happen. Pretend he hasn’t made a huge mistake, pretend his parents weren’t right to warn him about Snoke, pretend he doesn’t see the pity in Rey’s eyes when he comes back from work looking like a kicked puppy.

God, he really is just a lost mutt, running from one master to another in search of validation and acceptance and love.

He bites back a groan when Rey follows him into the shower and lingers by the door, watching as his clothes form a puddle on the ground. All he needs is two minutes, just two minutes to breathe and bury it all deep down before it can spill over–

“Ben, I know it’s none of my business but…”

Two minutes. All he needed was two minutes. “You’re right,” Ben snaps as he steps under the scalding hot spray. “It is none of your business, Rey. So will you please stop, for just one second, acting like my fucking mom just waiting to say I told you so?”

He didn’t mean to raise his voice. He has never, ever meant to raise his voice at Rey, never wants her to feel afraid of him the way he knows he sometimes scares others, the way she grew up fearing others… but frankly Ben’s surprised he’s managed to go this long without fucking up.

His voice sounds painfully loud bouncing off the tiled walls of their bathroom, and Rey’s sharp little gasp is just as deafening. Ben feels fucking winded when he hears it, like the weight of his mistake has just slammed into him with all the force of a wrecking ball. “Rey, no,” he sighs, stepping out of the shower to reach for her. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t mean–”

“Don’t,” she warns him, voice small and shaky as she steps out of reach. She flinched, he realizes, and god if that doesn’t make him feel like a piece of shit–

“I… I’m going for a walk,” Rey announces, still quiet and shaken and fuck, the one glimpse he gets of her before she slams the bathroom door shut will be seared onto the back of his eyelids forever, her eyes shiny with tears and her lips trembling with shock.

He doesn’t bother with a towel, only stops to turn the water off before he nearly rips the door off its hinges to follow after her, but he runs into the living room just in time for her to shut the front door in his face.

It’s ten on a Friday night. The neighborhood is still bustling with the younger crowd out and about, and the streets are well-lit and not at all deserted. Besides, if he knows Rey she’s probably headed for the little bar around the corner managed by her friend Jessika, who’s been known to comp her the occasional drink.

She’s safe. As much as he wants to run after her, as much as it hurts him to think of her handling this on her own… Rey’s safe and sound and probably needs as much space as he does right now.

So Ben gets back into the shower and goes through the motions, and twenty minutes later he pours himself a shot of whiskey from the bottle his father had given him and Poe as a housewarming gift and brings it with him to the living room, where he finally gets to sit and brood in the darkness.

Tonight was… tonight was a fucking disaster, and it’s one he never, ever wants to repeat in his life. He’ll take up meditation. Google coping techniques. Fuck, he’ll even look into therapy if that’s what it takes for him to manage the stress of his work without taking it out on Rey. She doesn’t deserve this; she doesn’t deserve any of his shit, but especially this. Especially when she was the only one who was truly happy for him when he got his dream job, the only one genuinely rooting for his success, the only one who would never say or even think I told you so.

Half an hour passes. He’s tempted to get up and pour himself another shot – hell, he’s tempted to take the whole bottle with him – but Rey doesn’t deserve to deal with his drunk ass either. So he puts both glass and bottle away, and then it’s his turn to curl up on the couch and wait for her to come home.

Last call at Jessika’s is two on Fridays – well, Saturdays – and Ben sets an alarm for 2:15, fully prepared to go out and roam the streets for her if she isn’t back by then. He tries to stay awake after that, even turns on the TV in the hopes that whatever late-night programming he can find will help him fight against the pull of sleep, but it’s been a long day. A really long fucking day, and it’s nowhere near done yet, so eventually Ben gives in and turns off the TV, telling himself he’ll just take a twenty-minute nap.

The front door opens just as his alarm goes off two hours later. He blinks and finds Rey locking the door behind her and heading straight for the bedroom, only to pause when she feels his eyes on her.

“Ben?” she asks, squinting in the darkness as she comes closer.

“You’re home,” he murmurs, and reaches out to pull her in as soon as she’s within reach. Rey lets out a little oh as she stumbles into his lap, but makes no move to get away. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he whispers into the crook of her neck. “I’m so sorry, it’ll never happen again, I promise–”

“Hey,” Rey sighs, locking her arms around his neck and sliding her fingers into his hair. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay, baby. I shouldn’t have pushed you–”

Ben shakes his head. “No, no, you only did it because you care, and I… I was a total asshole, I can’t believe–”

Rey pulls back and cups his face, gently guiding him back up. “Look at me. It’s okay, Ben, I promise. I should’ve given you space, and you shouldn’t have raised your voice, but it’s over now. Okay?”

It’s not okay that he’d raised his voice at her, that he’d lashed out at her concern because he doesn’t know how to react to it. But it’s late, and he doesn’t want to argue again, not about something like this, not when Rey is soft and warm and sleepy in his arms. “Okay,” Ben concedes, and leans his forehead against hers. This way he can hear her breathe, can match his inhales and exhales to hers, and they stay like that for a while until she pulls away and gets off his lap.

“Now come on, let’s go to bed. You need to be at work in–” She pulls her phone out of her pocket and frowns at the time. “Ben, you need to be awake in less than four hours! Why didn’t you go to sleep?”

He gets up and takes her hand. “Never go to bed angry, right?” At least that’s what all his friends and the relationship columns say, and he figures they’re probably onto something if only because it’s the exact opposite of what his parents do.

Rey sighs and reaches up for a quick kiss. “I could never stay angry at you for that long,” she mumbles against his lips before leading him to their bedroom. “But let’s not test that, okay?”

At the threshold of their room, Ben takes the hand still wrapped around his and brings it up to press a kiss to her knuckles. “Okay,” he says, wishing he could give her something more concrete, wishing her could promise her never again.

But he’s not going to make any promises he can’t keep, not to Rey. He can’t promise that he’ll never mess things up… but he can promise to always fix them, he realizes as Rey disappears into the bathroom.

Ben grabs his phone and adds that to the list of wedding vows he sometimes finds himself drafting.

What this was supposed to be: a Rey POV ficlet. What this ended up being: nearly two thousand words of Ben POV.

I'm actually quite pleased with how Ben's POV turned out because I think this piece wouldn't have made much sense from Rey's perspective, but this probably could've used some trimming. Oops.

Anyway, only three ficlets left, friends! And I'm gonna try my best to write and post Day 10 by today. Without giving away too much, Ben finally comes to the realization we've all been waiting for. (I just gave away the whole darn thing, didn't I?)

As always, thank you for reading and I hope you liked it! Please don't hesitate to like/reblog/comment; I love reading your reactions and thoughts!

[missblanchette]

Rumor Has It [2/10]

Series: Hypnosis Mic

Characters: Izanami Hifumi/Yumeno Gentaro

Rating: T

Summary: Thousands of hearts broke that day. With tears shed and cries resounding to the heavens, each grief-stricken woman wondered how this could possibly happen. In the year 20XX of the H. Era, Matenrou’s MC GIGOLO and Fling Posse’s MC Phantom were officially in a relationship.

Except they weren’t, actually.

Words: 3,449

ko-fi // Ch. 1 | You can read this on AO3! Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy! ( ･ω･)ﾉ

Ch 2: The Cobra Effect

"Wake up, Doppo! You have to check this out!"

"'m sorry... I'll have the reports done in five minutes..."

"Doppo!"

There was nothing new about Hifumi barging into Doppo's room to wake him up nor was shaking him awake anything out of the ordinary; nothing weird about Doppo's sleep-talking nor Hifumi's pleas. Indeed, this scene played out almost every morning in their apartment like clockwork. What was different, however, was the overactive child-like intensity in which Hifumi shook Doppo, the desperation in his voice as if the sales at the supermarket were ending in the next second, and most notably, the phone in his hand.

"C'mon, Doppo! Wake up!"

"I'll do overtime..."

"You're gonna get fired!" he yelled, slapping Doppo's cheek.

Doppo shot up. "I'm awake, I'm awake!"

"Look, look." Hifumi shoved his phone into Doppo's face, not giving him the chance to recover from his morning heart attack. "I'm in the headlines!"

Eyes dead and soul deader, Doppo stared at him. Hifumi grabbed Doppo’s hand and placed his phone in it, wrapping Doppo's fingers around it and nudging it closer to him. A long and deep sigh left Doppo's lips, his body visibly deflating as he exhaled. He looked at the screen.

"...'Matenrou's MC GIGOLO's and Fling Posse's MC Phantom's hook up,'" he read aloud rather flatly. His brows furrowed, eyes squinting at the screen. He brought the phone closer to his face. "...’Hook up’... wait. What. What the hell?!"

"See, it's me!"

Hifumi pointed at the accompanying image: the shot of him and Yumeno Gentaro sitting close together at TOP DANDY. Usually, pictures of him on the job were either for those flashy promos or cute selfies with his clients, but a candid like this was pretty refreshing. Not bad quality either, which was a plus.

Doppo made a face, the constipated one whenever his boss called him outside of office hours.

"This isn't the kind of headline you want to be in."

"Okay, yeah, but. It's kinda cool, isn't it?"

"No, no it's not!" Doppo threw his phone back at him, which Hifumi barely caught before it hit his face. "How'd this happen?!"

Leaning back, Hifumi tapped his chin as he recalled the night before -- a night that, to be honest, was like any other except for the encounter with Gentaro. TOP DANDY might’ve been geared towards women, but there was also the occasional male client and ever the perfect host, Hifumi would entertain every unsure heart and all those who chose him.

"Well, like, Yumeno-sensei came in and he wanted some research or something, right? So I gave him some stuff to think about!"

Groaning, Doppo buried his face in his hands.

"Goddammit, Hifumi, that suit of yours is a mistake! Don't you see what you've done?! We're going to have to apologize to Fling Posse and can you imagine the shame? Chuuoku's going to strip us of our title for bending down to the guys we defeated and Jinguji-san -- oh my God, Jinguji-san. What's he going to think? He's going to hate me because I can't control my best friend! Matenrou's going to be the shame of the century and it'll all be my fault --"

"Psh, Doppo-chin, it's not that big a deal!" Hifumi waved him off and laughed as Doppo dragged his hands down his face. "Anyways, aren't you gonna be late for work?"

Head snapping towards the clock, Doppo scrambled out of bed while muttering a string of curses. "Don't think you're off the hook!"

"Awww." Bouncing onto his feet, Hifumi clapped his hands. "How's about I make all your faves for dinner to make it up to you?"

"You really don't have to, but please --" Doppo paused and steepled his fingers, the points tipped together as if in prayer before jabbing them in his direction. "-- just. Do some damage control, okay?"

Complete with a grin, Hifumi gave him the okay sign. "No worries, Doppo-chin, I got this!"

Doppo only sighed.

With Doppo gone for work and the laundry loaded into the washer, Hifumi nearly knocked out for the rest of the morning when he remembered he promised Doppo to do that damage control or whatever. He swayed his head from side-to-side, mulling over what he'd written before erasing it. Too serious! Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill.

He shook his head. Too formal! Over-apologizing was Doppo's thing.

Giving it a once over, he nodded. Lighthearted and easy-going. Just right!

He sent the tweet and closed his eyes, already forgetting the whole mishap and making a mental list of groceries he needed to get later.

Sleep was quick and dreamless, which Hifumi much preferred to the opposite, but rest felt too short this time around when he awoke to his ringtone blaring. Blinking away his tiredness, he picked up his phone and tilted his head at the unknown number calling him. He didn't think twice before answering.

"Hello?"

"This is Izanami Hifumi, correct?" The voice speaking sounded familiar, an airy lilt to the curtness.

"Yeppers, that's me. Who's this?"

"It's Yumeno Gentaro --"

"Oh, Yumeno-sensei!" A beat passed before Hifumi's lips puckered in confusion. "...How'd you get my number?"

"Never mind that. I need to speak with you about the rumor going on. Certainly you've heard of it?"

"Rumor?"

"The one concerning us."

"Rumor, rumor, rumor..." Hifumi mumbled over and over to himself, racking through his sleep deprived brain for any memory of it. Oh, right! He'd been dealing with it before he fell asleep. "The one with us at the club? I totes got that under control."

"By 'totes got it under control,' you don't happen to mean that tweet you made at 6:54 this morning?"

"Uh --" He checked his clock. Wow, four hours of sleep? That was more than usual. Nice. "-- yeah!"

"You can't possibly expect that to have appeased anyone," Gentaro said incredulously.

"Sure it can! Like, y'know, if people think it's a joke then they'll let it go."

"Then why am I receiving death threats from your adoring fans? Why, pray tell, did I find a message written in blood on my door?" His words, spoken so courteously like a light conversation over tea, bore a cutting sharpness.

Hifumi frowned, biting his lower lip as the situation sank in. Having worked as a host for nearly a decade, he'd experienced all kinds of women and that included the less mentally stable ones. Such as it was to be serving dreams in a paradise; those who needed them most would take refuge in them. From ordering his favorite champagne to demanding the most outlandish requests, these ladies expressed their love in all kinds of ways. To this day, phantom pains pierced his arm where that one stalker had stabbed him, but he didn't mind receiving all of their attention -- the good, the bad, and the worst -- so long as it was him himself. It was why he never mentioned Doppo nor talked about Matenrou while at work. Every single one of his kittens could dig their claws into him, but he'd be damned if he let anything happen to anyone else.

And that included his rival.

"Oh my God, I'm sooo totally super duper sorry!" Though he couldn't see him, Hifumi held a hand in front of his face and dipped his head. "They're just, like, really enthusiastic, y'know?! Sometimes they don't think these things through!"

"Yes, I've noticed." Gentaro's fair voice hid irritation underneath. "So much like the one they admire the most, now are they?"

Less hurt and more upset, Hifumi pouted. "Hey! Okay, it's not like I told them to do anything."

"Right. Which leads me as to why I called you. If I'm not mistaken, you have an Instagram account, yes?"

"Yeah...?"

"Then I propose we do a live stream together --"

"Ooh, a live stream?! That sounds fun~ We can make a show out of it --"

"Take this seriously, Izanami," said Gentaro, tone clipped.

"I am too taking this seriously."

A sigh came from the other end. "As I was saying, I have no doubt that anything I say now will fall onto deaf ears, but your fans will most likely listen to you. If we come together to explain the situation, that should hopefully clear up any misunderstandings."

Nodding his head along to Gentaro's words, Hifumi hummed. "Yeah, sounds good."

"Very well, meet me at the South Gate of Shinjuku Station at twelve o'clock. I know a place nearby where no one should bother us. Is that clear?"

Hifumi saluted, hair bobbing up and down. "Crystal!"

Without another word, Gentaro hung up. If they were meeting at twelve, Hifumi figured, then he'd have to get ready soon. A slight bump to his plans, but he could work around it. Groceries could get done on the way home though drying the laundry would have to wait until later.

He reached for his hoodie and jeans, but froze as he remembered why he was going out in the first place. A live stream, admittedly, wasn't as bad as actually being face-to-face with women. In fact, the screen dividing him and the women made dealing with them easier; he could ignore the tendrils of fear and anxiety that clawed at him by communicating via social media, if only for a while. That said, text was always the easiest, calls more harder, but a live stream? Maybe it wouldn't hurt to dress up a bit for this occasion.  

Putting on his chains and rings, his gaze wandered to his suit jacket. There shouldn't be any real, live women he had to be dealing with, but the image of Gentaro's feminine act popped into mind -- so much like his own clients but somehow worse. His stomach churned like a whirlpool at the memory. It should be illegal how gracefully Gentaro moved, how pretty he looked without makeup, how sickeningly sweet his voice sounded pitched up. No man should be allowed to be that beautiful. Not even all the primping and beauty care routines Hifumi followed made him look that flawless.

His breathing grew shallow and his fingers trembled ever so slightly. Yep, the suit jacket was definitely coming along.

Slipping into it, Hifumi ran his hands through his hair and winked at his reflection in the mirror. While donning his suit, no fear could touch him nor could any doubt reach him; invincible, he was, with hardly a sense of his cowardly self in sight. A wolf who ran wild and a man who stole the hearts of women everywhere -- undeniably, this Hifumi was in all ways superior.

After making sure everything in the apartment was secure, Hifumi strode off to Shinjuku Station. Shinjuku's number one host had some kittens to tame.

He arrived seven minutes after twelve to be greeted with an impassive look from Gentaro and a brusque "You're late." For as much as he tried to strike up a conversation, Gentaro shot down his every attempt with well-spoken ease as he lead him to a hole-in-the-wall tea house. Heads turned as the door opened, revealing the faces of everyone present -- particularly the women. Adjusting his suit jacket, Hifumi thanked his foresight, though Gentaro forcefully dragged him along for flirting with the cashier while he'd been ordering some tea.

"All right, Izanami, let's get this over with," Gentaro said once they’d found a secluded table near the back.

"My, no need to be so eager, Yumeno-sensei." Despite his words, he, too, looked forward to ending this quickly. "You should consider yourself lucky to be spending the day with me after a night at TOP DANDY. Many of my kittens would kill to be in your place."

"And that's exactly why we're here on this otherwise fine day, are we not?"

Hifumi laughed, ignoring the downwards twist of Gentaro's lips.

"Quite so." Phone in hand, his finger hovered over the start button. "Ready? I'll be starting in three --"

Schooling his face into a neutral expression, Gentaro straightened his back.

"-- two --"

Hifumi took a breath.

"-- one."

Then put on his award winning grin that caused many a woman to swoon.  

"Good afternoon, my lovely kittens~ I hope you're all doing well," Hifumi purred as the number of viewers rose at a rapid rate. Not even thirty seconds in, and already thousands upon thousands had joined the stream. Comments ranging from "good afternoon hifumi ❤️❤️❤️" to "I LOVE YOU HIFUMI!!!" cycled through and hearts filled the corner of the screen. "Now a certain rumor has come to my attention, and I thought to clear things up a little. Today, I have a special guest to help me with that."

He shifted to the external camera and pointed his phone at Gentaro, who put on a polite smile and bowed his head.

"Good afternoon, I'm Yumeno Gentaro," he said, voice light and airy.

Immediately, the comments took a downward spiral. "WHAT IS HE DOING THERE???", "IT'S THAT YUMENO BITCH," and "GET AWAY FROM HIFUMI" were among the more tamer comments flying up. Hifumi fought to keep his smile on as he shifted back to the internal camera. Angling his phone so that both of them were visible on the screen, Hifumi scooted over a healthy distance away from Gentaro.

"Yes, I'm sure you've heard of the rumors regarding me and Yumeno-sensei, but I assure you, loves, they’re absolutely not true." Chuckling as naturally as possible, Hifumi caught Gentaro’s eyes. "Would you mind taking it away, Yumeno-sensei?"

"Indeed, Izanami is correct." As he looked into the camera, Gentaro held a perfectly poised posture and an equally practiced smile. "The image circulating social media is being taken horribly out of context. I was merely at TOP DANDY last night for my own enjoyment and Izanami happened to be one of the hosts in my rotation. He is, if anything, a good host and a good host should entertain their clients, no?"

"HE'S A LYING BITCH" and "CUT OFF HIS TONGUE" were among the screams that shot up, the comments descending into a riot. Hifumi had half the mind to turn off the comments but he thought it better to end things soon. He focused the camera onto himself.

"It is my duty to give everyone my attention when they walk into TOP DANDY, but I apologize for any distress I’ve caused you darlings. The relationship between me and Yumeno-sensei is far more innocent than you think so worry not, I still belong to all of you." He gestured towards his viewers, giving his best smolder. The comments didn't get any kinder. His grin faltered. "Thank you for your understanding, my dear kittens. I hope to see you all in paradise tonight~"

Winking and blowing a kiss to the screen, he tapped the end button as fast as he could and set his phone down onto the table. His shoulders slumped, a breath escaping his lips as he thought back to all those comments. Princesses they were, but his kittens definitely had sharp fangs.

A hand propped up against his forehead, Gentaro took a sip of his tea. "Now all that's left to do is wait this fiasco out."

Hifumi leaned back against his seat, peering at him through his peripheral. Whether or not Gentaro had been bothered by all those threats, he didn't show. Really, the only sign of unease he’d shown throughout the whole ordeal was the annoyance the slipped through his words. A part of him hated how easily he wore his facade when it'd taken him years to get to this point; the other, a tinge of sympathy at the fact that the facade was needed. Nonetheless, rival or not, no one deserved such unsolicited backlash. Turning towards him, he placed a hand over his heart and took Gentaro's with his other.

"Once again, I offer my utmost and heartfelt apologies. I didn't realize how violent my kittens were and apologize on their behalf."

Pulling his hand away as if he'd been stung, Gentaro's green eyes ran over him -- scanning and scrutinizing his entire being.

"Have you ever considered becoming an actor, Izanami? Your theatrics are impeccable, I have to admit."

Hifumi's head tilted to the side. "Oh? Is my apology not enough for you, Yumeno-sensei?"

"Anything you say holds little meaning for getting me involved in this mishap."

Leaning forward, Hifumi lowered his voice into a purr. "Perhaps you should've asked for a private interview instead if you wanted to avoid any controversy, hm?"

"I don't believe it would've been satisfactory," Gentaro said, resting his chin upon his palm. He spoke casually, though the bared teeth beneath his words bit hard. "Especially from someone who's dropped in ranking."

"My, my, Yumeno-sensei~ You never know something until you try it."

Gentaro's mouth opened, but whatever retort he had coming was put on pause as a small vibration buzzed in his pocket. He took a breath as if to restart his sentence, but the vibrations grew stronger and stronger. Pursing his lips, Gentaro glared at him and pulled his phone out. From his angle, Hifumi could see “🍭fling posse 🍭 ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎♡” on the screen accompanied by fifty-plus messages. As he opened up his phone, Gentaro's eyes widened and his mouth hung ajar.

Izanami, he mouthed, head snapping back towards him. He glanced at Hifumi's phone. Are you certain you turned the stream off?

Brow creasing, Hifumi nodded. Just in case, he picked up his phone and -- oh . Oh dear. The live icon sure still was on. Hifumi let out a nervous laugh.

"I am ever so sorry for the slip up, my dear kittens!" Hifumi spoke quickly, struggling to maintain his cool. He could barely see himself anymore with all the outcry filling the screen. "As I said, I'll see you all tonight~"

He rushed to end the stream, but the amount of comments pouring in made his phone lag and the process took an eternity too long to finish. Double checking, triple checking, quadruple checking to make sure the stream was truly finished, he exited out of the app to be extra safe. Phone blowing up with notifications, he set it down again. The one thing breaking the awkward silence that fell over was the endless buzzing of both their phones.

"Why --" A tiny giggle came from Gentaro, the mirth not reaching his eyes at all. “-- this is fantastic.”

Hifumi raised an eyebrow at the smile Gentaro plastered on. "Really?"

"Yes." Gentaro's green irises hooded over, voice as pleasant as a spring day. "I've always sought to be in the limelight like this."

"...While I commend your positive thinking, I --"

"That was a lie, Izanami," Gentaro snapped. His lips curled down into a scowl. "Do you drink so much champagne a night that your brain no longer works?"

More agitated than hurt, Hifumi's expression fell as well. "My brain, hm? Maybe if you took your nose out of your novels for once, you'd grow thicker skin."

Jaw clenching, Gentaro looked away with his head held high.

"Fine, then. I’ve had enough of this," he said, standing up. He'd dropped his faux politeness along the way. "I haven't the faintest idea of what possessed me to seek help from you anyways. If anything happens to me, it's on your head."

Without as so much as a glance back, Gentaro left the tea house with his parting words hanging in the air. Hifumi had left Gentaro battered and bruised before, weak on his knees and within an inch of his life during the territory battles, and he’d reveled in the victory. Upon Chuuoku's order, under the gazes of thousands and thousands of women, their raps rattled each others' nerves and shook each others' egos with their mics; but outside the stadium, their lyrics meant little. This was a completely different stage altogether where a hypnosis canceler couldn't save them, where the law tipped against their favor, where anything was game -- fair or not. The words of a few crazed fans could do more than cause a short-circuit, their hands a weapon worse than a hypnosis mic. That, he knew first hand.

Yumeno Gentaro might've been a lot of things from a pretentious novelist to a serial liar stuck in the past, but for all his grievances, Hifumi would never wish that kind of harm upon him. Especially if he had something to do with it. Wars were ugly, battles were messy, and there was no respect between those who fought them. But, even so, Hifumi still had his standards.

The only thing Hifumi could really do, though, was hope nothing too bad happened to Gentaro.

[badchoosey]

Endless Summer, Book One. Chapter 1: This Must Be Heaven

???: Stay down! It’s coming this way!

??? 2: Tim! Give me your hand!

??? 3: You don’t understand, do you? Of course not. But you will… in time.

The plane shudders, jolting you awake. You blink away the strange dream as your eyes adjust to the bright sunlight outside…

Tim: Wow…

Your best friend Diego gives you a goofy smirk from the seat beside you.

Diego: Morning, sleepyhead.

Tim: I’m not still dreaming, right?

Diego: Doesn’t feel real, does it? But we’re finally on our way!

The chatter of the ten contest winners from your school fills the small plane…

Quinn: One magical week in paradise, here we come!

Craig: All expenses paid, what whaaaat!

Raj: Good thing too. I’m so deep in student debt I couldn’t even afford instant ramen right now.

Diego: Hey… you okay, Tim? Bad dream?

Tim: Just a really weird one. I dreamt about… about him!

You instantly recognise the guy walking down the aisle toward you.

Diego: You had a dream about Sean Gayle? Well, what are you waiting for? Go talk to him!

Diego pushes you out into the aisle, right as he passes by! You bump into each other.

Sean: Whoa, hello there!

Diego: My friend Tim here wants to say something.

Time: Outta my way! Think you can take up all that room with those big muscles? Think again, bud!

Sean: How, uh, rude of me...

Sean excuses himself as he slips by you.

Diego: Oh man, got that whole thing on video. You’ve gotta see your face… Huh, weird. Is it really 5:15? We should’ve landed an hour ago and it didn’t feel like you’d been snoring that long.

Tim: Hilarious. I’ll go ask the pilot if something’s up.

As you make your way forward, you pass by the other students talking loudly over each other…

Aleister: Excuse me, will you all please cease your babbling?! The tour guide is trying to speak!

Lila: Thank you Aleister! As you tour guide for the week, I just want to say that we should all try to… you know, be friends! It is an island after all, so… you’re kinda stuck with each other! Hee hee!

Zahra: Is it too late to jump out of the plane?

The pilot has his combat boots kicked up on the dashboard.

Tim: Excuse me. It’s Jake right? Weren’t we supposed to have landed by now…? Wait, are you asleep?!

Jake: Hrn?

He opens his eyes and looks back at you. Instantly you recognise his face too… from that same bizarre dream…

Jake: Listen, Boy Scout, don’tcha know it’s rude to wake someone who’s taking a nap?

Tim: ‘Boy Scout’?

Jake: What can I say? I give nicknames to people who annoy me.

Tim: In that case, I’m calling you Jared Leto.

Jake: ‘Jared Leto’? Whoa, hang on, I do not look like Jared Leto! I had this haircut before Jared Leto did, okay?

Tim: No judgement here. We all get our style from somewhere.

Jake: Alright, comedian, when I come back in a week to pick y’all up, you, my friend, are riding in the cargo bay.

Time: Okay, okay. What if I just called you Joker?

Jake: Fine. But I’m picturing the Heath Ledger one instead. Anyway, relax. We ain’t landing ‘til… The hell? That time ain’t right… And that ain’t right either.

He whacks the instrument panel on his dash a few times.

Tim: You sure you know what you’re doing?

Jake: If you knew half the things I’ve survived, you’d bet on me to get you through anyth--

Out of nowhere, turbulence hammers the plane! You’re thrown into the wall of the cockpit!

Tim: Aah!

Jake: Aw, just great! This stormfront’s coming in quick.

He leans in and grabs the yoke.

Jake: Get your ass in a seat, hear? And tell everybody to buckle up.

Tim: But--

Jake: Now, Boy Scout!

Dark clouds close in around the plane, gusts rocking it side to side. Everyone starts shouting…

Raj: Ohhhh, I am really regretting that airport Chipotle!

Craig: Don’t puke, bro! If you puke, I’m gonna puke!

Michelle: Where the hell did this storm come from?! It was a clear day!

Jake: It happens, okay? This is totally normal!

Zahra: Yeah. Sure. THAT looks normal.

Outside, balls of orange electricity coalesce out of the dark sky and explode in a crackle of sparks!

Grace: It looks like ball lightning… but I’ve never seen anything quite like this!

Aleister: This is all wrong! I can’t die here, surrounded by these morons!

Sean: Everyone, just breathe! We’re gonna get through this!

Quinn: Oh god, Oh god…

A blistering crack of thunder deafens you as lightning strikes the plane! Sparks fly in the cockpit!

Jake: Welp, engines just lost power! Bringin’ her down manually! Everybody, hang on!

The shouting grows louder as your classmates start to panic… all except one. A girl with a tight ponytail and a long scar across her eye sits alone in the back row of the plane, silent and unfazed.

Lila: Tim! Safety first! Please find a seat!

You look for an empty space around you… You tumble into the seat beside Quinn as the plane lurches violently! Quinn’s face is drawn tight, refusing to look.

Quinn: Hff… hff…

Tim: Just breathe. It’ll pass.

Quinn: This can’t happen… not yet… it’s too soon.

Quinn grips the armrests tightly. Her chest rises and falls shallowly, as if she’s having trouble breathing. You rest your hand gently on top of hers.

Tim: I’m here. You’re not alone. We’ll be okay.

Quinn: I…

She relaxes and lets out a deep sigh. When she opens her eyes, they meet yours.

Quinn: Thank you…

She offers you her hand. You take it. She smiles sweetly, and it somehow makes all the shouting and alarms fade to the background.

Quinn: I’m Quinn.

Tim: Tim.

Jake: Just a little farther! I think we’re almost out!

Just as the lightning reaches fever pitch, the plane bursts out of the storm clouds into clear sky!

Raj: Woooooooohoooooo! We’re alive!

Quinn: Tim, look! There it is…

Jake: Get a good look now, ‘cause we’re coming in fast! Welcome to La Huerta.

The plane sinks toward the gorgeous, sprawling island. At its center, a volcano rises above the rainforest, breathing a white column of smoke.

Jake: La Huerta Tower, this is tail number XC-DMK, requesting emergency priority to land!

Radio: …

Jake: Carlos! Pick up, you lazy bastard. It’s Jake!

Radio: …

Jake: Ignoring me won’t make me forget the hundred bucks you owe me. Like it or not, we’re coming in!

The plane lands on a dirt airstrip at the edge of the island, pulling into a hangar. You step down the stairs into the warm tropical sunshine.

Tim: Rough landing, Joker. Hope you don’t work for tips.

Jake: You kidding? I’m a damn hero for even getting you on the ground! Carlos, I need a tune-up! … Carlos!

As Jake marches off, the rest of your group pulls their luggage from the plane’s cargo bay…

Quinn: This island’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. The beaches, the waterfalls…

Grace: It’s also home to a plethora of rare flora and fauna!

Craig: Only ten spots on the trip, and they had to give one to this dork…

You reach for your suitcase handle just as Sean does.

Sean: Oh, sorry!

Tim: If you wanna carry my bag, go right ahead.

Michelle: Oh my god. Could you be any more desperate?

A pretty girl in heavy makeup drapes her arms around Sean.

Michelle: People like you always hover around the spotlight like moths.

Tim: Spotlight?

Michelle: Yeah, right. As if you don’t know who Sean is.

Craig: Seriously? Our superstar quarterback? … The Heisman frontrunner?

Sean: Guys, it’s cool. Chill out--

Michelle: Look, Sean doesn’t need any famehounds hanging around, got it?

Tim: Exactly. So what are you doing here?

Michelle: Ex-cuse me?!

Tim: You heard me. You’re just stalling to think up a comeback. Don’t worry. I’ll wait.

Michelle: You--

Sean: Michelle, can you chill? And I don’t mean Netflix and chill. I mean actual chill. Please.

As Michelle starts arguing with Sean, you back away. Your foot clinks on something.

Tim: Huh? What’s this?

Diego: Is that… a tranquilizer dart? The vial’s nearly empty. It must’ve hit its target.

Tim: Yeah, and this is a pretty big dose. Whatever animal they took down must’ve been huge.

Diego: You mean, if they took it down.

You look up and see someone watching you from nearby, listening to your conversation.

Tim: Hey, Diego… who is that?

Diego: Dunno. Got eyes for the mysterious hottie, huh?

Tim: There’s something… off about her.

Diego: What gives you that idea?

Tim: She’s too quiet.

Diego: Quiet? So what? I’m quiet. Well, when I’m not around you.

Tim: I guess you’re right. I don’t know why I’m being suspicious.

Diego: Huh… well, there is one thing.

Tim: What?

Diego: We were told that ten students from our college had won this trip, right? Obviously we’re not counting the pilot or the guide, but… Count us off. She makes eleven.

You look in the girl’s direction once more, and this time she’s staring directly back at you. Your eyes lock. You try to look away, but for some reason you can’t, as if she’s pulling you in with her gaze.

Jake: Hey, Lila! Where the hell are your people?

Jake storms back, and at last the silent girl looks away. The strange hold over you dissipates. You shake it off.

Jake: There’s nobody here!

You all look around. You and your group are still the only people at the airstrip.

Lila: They should be here in a shuttle to take us up to the main resort, but… I’m sure it’s just a slight delay! No need to fret! They’ll be here any minute.

Jake: The hell with that. I’m going up to that control tower to get some answers.

Tim: What do you think is going on here?

Jake: No idea… Call it a gut feeling, but whatever it is, it ain’t good. So, Boy Scout? You comin’ or not?

Michelle: I could go with you--

Jake: Wasn’t talkin’ to you, Maybelline.

Lila: Um, okay! I guess, the rest of you, please follow me? We’ll take the short walk up the hill to the resort. Sounds fun, right? Yay! Um, Quinn? Where are you going?

Quinn is skipping past Lila, unbuttoning her blouse.

Quinn: Some of us want to explore the beach a little first! We’ll meet you guys at the hotel! Oof, this button’s stuck. Tim, could you help me?

Tim: Oh! Sure…

Quinn draws close to you, and you help her undo the last button. She slips out of her top.

Quinn: Ahh, that’s better! You’re coming to the beach with us, right?

Tim: I’m tired. I’ll just head up to the hotel now.

Your group gradually winds your way up the paved road, rolling your suitcases. You’re beginning to fatigue when you come around the bend and see it…

Lila: May I be the first to welcome you all to The Celestial!

Grace: We get to stay here?!

Zahra: Huh. Maybe this trip won’t suck.

Sean: Well? What are we waiting for? Let’s check out our rooms.

Your group excitedly heads toward the lobby, passing under a long, ornamented overhang, while Lila launches into her rehearsed speech.

Lila: ‘The Celestial Hotel and Resort, the jewel of the Caribbean, boasts 25 stories and 1,200 suites of the finest tropical accommodations you can imagine. Built on the island of La Huerta, which means ‘The Garden’, the Celestial ranked in Travel and Leisure’s top ten global hotels last year.’

The automatic doors slide open welcomingly, and you enter the crisp air conditioning of the lobby… Every last one of you freezes where they stand.

Tim: Um…

Lila: I… I don’t understand.

The silence is deafening. The front desk stands deserted. Suitcases and luggage carts lie unattended. On a table, a half-finished wine glass gathers dust.

Zahra: If this place is supposed to be so great… Then where the hell is everyone?

[marvel-at-all-these-fandoms]

Bargains, Pranks, Alliances, Oh My!

Summary: You make a deal with your dad, Tony Stark, for you to stop quoting a meme. A disagreement eventually leads to a prank, which then leads to a surprising alliance.

Words: 2,066

You were sat in the lounge scrolling on your phone, when your attention moved to your father who was talking to himself in the kitchen, “I can’t believe Peter doesn't wanna move here and become an Avenger…this is what he’s always wanted.”

“This is so sad….” It had been so long since you last did it, and now you had the opportunity. You had to take it, you’d be a fool not to.

His head snapped to look at you, eyes wide, and spoke softly, “don’t.”

A devious smirk played on your lips, “…....F.R.I.D.A.Y play Despacito….”

Despacito started playing throughout the room causing your dad to groan and throw his head back, “F.R.I.D.A.Y stop.”

A war started between the two of you as you went back and forth, “F.R.I.D.A.Y don’t stop! Keep playing Despacito.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y…”, your dad looked at you, meaning that the warning wasn’t just for her.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y, you’re my best friend! Please keep playing Despacito!”

He rushed to sit next to you, “please make it stop. She isn’t gonna listen to me, especially now that you said she’s your best friend… stop it, please.”

You put a finger to your lips as you hummed, pretending to think about it, “let’s see how desperate you are….I’ll make it stop if I get to go out one night. Without you or Happy being there.”

“Uhhhh, I dunno about that.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y just keep Despacito on a loop. Never stop playing it.” Your dad put his hands up in surrender, sighing, “okay...okay…fine.” You called for F.R.I.D.A.Y to stop playing Despacito as he started talking, the grumpiness evident in his voice, “you can go out one night and myself or Happy won't go with you....” “Thank-you!” He held up a finger, meaning he had one rule, “just keep me posted though, regular updates. I don't wanna be the strict kind of dad but I worry.”

“I know, and I will keep you updated,” you nodded as you spoke, emphasising your words. Throwing your arms around his neck, you pulled him in for a hug as he hugged you back.

“You’re welcome. And no more Despacito, okay?”

Pulling away from the hug, you nodded, “mhmm, yeah, okay. You got it!”

Three days later. You and the team were sitting in the lounge full from the dinner you’d all just enjoyed. You watched your dad as he walked to the wall closest to you, wiping away the ‘62’ on the sign that read “__ days since the last Despacito incident.” and replacing it with a ‘2’. You couldn’t help but find it funny. You were smug, and proud. He gave you a quick look, trying to assert some authority over you but you could tell he was struggling to hide a laugh.

You played with your fingers as you asked the question that’s been on your mind since your 16th birthday, “can I start training soon?”

The room went quiet as everyone looked at Tony, who looked at you blankly, blinking a few times as if you’d said the most ridiculous thing ever.

“No.”

Your eyes widened at his response, “ah what?? It’s something I should know and I wanna help you guys!”

“No, not happening.”

“Nat, come on, you can train me!” You were looking at her, begging with your eyes.

Natasha looked to Tony, who was slightly glaring at her and shaking his head. She looked at you, shrugging, “sorry Y/N, this isn’t up to me.”

“Oh come on!” Your arms flailed in the air, “I can help you guys! I want to help you guys,” you looked at everyone in the room,  “please!!”

You heard your dad sigh, “how about a vote? Everyone in favour of Y/N training, raise your hand.”

You raised your hand, confident in your chances. Looking around at the others you saw you were the only one. You felt betrayed. How could your friends, your family, do this? Your jaw dropped slightly before clenching as you threw your other arm in the air.

Your father’s eyes scanned the room, landing on you, “noted. Those against?”

You looked around the room and everyone’s hands were raised. Your dad, Rhodey, Natasha, Steve, Bucky, Bruce, Clint, Wanda, Vision, Pepper, Sam and Happy. You weren't too surprised about your dad, Pepper, and Happy. But the others? Yeah, you weren't expecting that.

Everyone’s hands started lowering when they heard your dad start talking. “Well...seems pretty unanimous to me.”

You hit the arms of the chair you were sitting in, looking your dad dead in the eyes, “Ugh! You guys suck!”

You stormed to your room. You might’ve been a been over the top with it, but you're Tony Stark’s child - ‘dramatic’ is pretty much in your genes. You were 16 and were already helping them from home when they were on an assignment. And all you wanted was some basic training so that you could be of use in the field. Distracting yourself by watching your favourite show didn’t help as you kept thinking of how you could get them back. You’d annoy your way into training if you needed to.

You gave curt “goodnights" to everyone, your father being the last. He stood in the doorway of your room, “Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Night.” You barely looked at him, continuing to type on your laptop.

Your attitude made him pinch the bridge of his nose, replying in the same curt manner, “I love you too. Sweet dreams.” He shut the door, both of you cursing the way the other was acting.

You gave it half an hour before asking F.R.I.D.A.Y where everyone was, her replying that everyone was currently asleep in their rooms. You had already gone out without your father or Happy present, so you had nothing to lose.

“Hmm, this is so sad….F.R.I.D.A.Y play Despacito throughout the whole compound.”

You watched your laptop, the security camera footage of the hallways near everyone's rooms was clear. A grin plastered on your face as you saw doors open by the half asleep, grumpy, Avengers. Your dad glared into the camera knowing you were watching, before he headed towards your room.

Suffice to say you were grounded after that. Banned from using F.R.I.D.A.Y for anything other than emergencies, and banned from the lab for a month. You didn't mind too much though, as after your grounding was over you were going to be receiving basic training from Natasha.

You were victorious.

One month later.

You walked out of the training room and headed towards the kitchen, when you saw Thor and Loki at the briefing table with a few of the others. Your dad looked at you, happy to finally see a smile on your face. A vast comparison to how you’ve been the past month.

“Young Stark!” Thor called towards you, a grin on his face and his arms opened for a hug.

“Hey you guys! I would hug you but I just got back from my first training session,” the pride and smug attitude clear in your voice, “and I’m kinda sweaty and gross.”

Thor pulled you into a hug anyway, you should’ve known he wouldn't be bothered by it.

“Hey Loki! I’m surprised to see you here…?”

His eyes flicked towards Thor and the others, “we’re on good terms now.”

“Ah, right, okay, ” you nodded your head slightly, “well that’s great then!”

They were all talking about something important before you walked in which they were dying to get back to, but not while you were present. You took their silence as a hint and left to go to the lab.

You took a deep breath as you entered the room, “Ahhh, home sweet home. It’s good to be back!”

You started designing a suit for yourself, hoping that this training will actually lead to you being in the field at some point. This would have to be highly protected and secured from your family. If Pepper or Happy found out, they’d tell your dad. And if he found out about it you’d be grounded for longer than a month, that’s for sure.

The door swung open as you quickly minimised your designs, sighing in relief and pulling them back up when you noticed it was just Loki.

“They wanted to talk about something without me hearing, so here I am.”

“I totally understand. Take a seat!”

He took a seat opposite you looking around the room. He shifted in his seat and leant forward slightly, clearly already interested in the conversation he was about to start.

“I must ask. Your father mentioned you were grounded for a month and banned from your lab. Apparently you pulled a prank on them?”

You smirked as he started talking, your face lighting up as you planned to tell him everything. You leant forward, your hands in front of you, fingers laced. You explained the origin of your prank - the well known meme, the song, what an Alexa is - before telling him all about your greatest achievement.

He was invested, entertained, thrilled. You could see the devious look in his eyes as he imagined everyone's reactions, their fury of being rudely awoken by a song most humans consider irritating.

“Wow! I’m impressed and proud, well done!.” He held up a hand, inviting a high five which you gladly reciprocated. “I’d quite like to do something like that.”

“Go for it! It’s all yours!”

“That’s very kind of you. Though I would never use it against you of course, I wouldn't betray your trust like that. How about, we’re no longer the victims of each other's pranks?”

“Allies?” You held out a hand.

He shook your hand, nodding, “allies.”

Walking over to your drawer of old electronics, you grabbed a phone, plugging it into your computer, “I’m gonna work on something for ya, to help with the prank.”

Loki watched as you worked your magic, typing and clicking away, changing settings, coding. You stopped, turning to him.

“Vor? V.o.r? She’s Asgardian right?”

“The goddess who knows all? Yes she is. Why? How do you know about her?”

You muttered under your breath, “so many questions…” before returning to your normal volume, “awesome! It’s for the phone. And I read.”

A few hours later Thor and Loki had to return to Asgard in order to carry out their part of whatever plan had been set up. You gave them both a hug, then passed the phone to Loki. It had simple functions and you had given him a crash course earlier on how to use it, and how to access the personal assistant function.

“For updates.” You winked at him, a knowing look shared between the two of you.

“Thank-you.” They both said goodbye once again before calling for Heimdall. Watching them go, you hoped you’d be able to travel through the bifrost at some point and to see Asgard. There’s only so much you can learn from books and the internet.

You received questioning looks from your dad and the others, wondering why you gave Loki a phone and what the two of you were up to. You just shrugged your shoulders as you headed to the lab to continue designing your suit.

A few hours passed when your phone buzzed, seeing that Loki had sent you a video. You plugged your earphones in before pressing play.

Thor’s voice could be heard in the distance, “This isn’t going to work!”

“....This is so sad…. Vor play Despacito.” Loki started laughing, you joining him, as the song played loudly from the phone.

Thor’s head snapped to look at his brother and started walking quickly towards him, “LOKI! Now is not the time for your tricks!!”

“Gotta go!” The video ended suddenly and you didn’t need a wild imagination to know that Thor must’ve knocked some sense into him.

It filled you with pride, and it made you laugh, how a meme and your prank had now gone beyond the Earth, and was being spread throughout the cosmos. Your dad will probably hear of this, but oh well, he should’ve let you train sooner.

[thesoundofnat]

Three Times Peter Helped Tony

Tony, Peter

Summary: The title says it all. Ranges from bigger to smaller ways Peter helps.

A/N: I honestly wouldn’t consider this my best work, but I still kinda like it, so I’m deciding to post it anyway lmao. Hope you like it!

Also if this looks weird on your dash it’s because tumblr hates me is glitching.

[Read it on AO3]

Words: 2 463

1.

Tony was sad. He hadn’t told Peter that, of course, but Peter wasn’t stupid and knew what those brief etched on smiles and hollow eyes meant. Tony wasn’t okay. Probably hadn’t been for a while now, but this seemed more current. The wound seemed more fresh.

He knew it had something to do with the airport fight and everything that had come after that. He had seen Tony try so hard to fix everything while simultaneously making sure Peter wasn’t taking on too many battles he couldn’t handle. It stung a little to know he was a part of Tony’s stress, but if there was one thing he’d learnt about the man was that he needed the distractions more than he needed air in his lungs, lest he wanted the pain to swallow him whole.

Peter had been happy to be a distraction, at first. It was no secret that he enjoyed the older man’s company, and god knew he had a lot to learn from him. But his finals crept closer, and smaller bad guys robbing stores never stopped, and he had to handle his crush moving away before he could even properly have his chance with her, and things became slightly too much for his sixteen year old self to handle. So he had to make a choice. Avengers stuff or life stuff. He knew what Mr Stark wanted him to pick.

Now that they were reunited after several weeks of no contact - not even from Peter’s side - he could see those bags under his eyes and the lines on his face more clearly. Tony wasn’t young anymore, and all the pressure he’d been put on was getting to him. Maybe Peter had just caught him at the wrong time, but it was more obvious than ever.

“What?”

Tony was narrowing his eyes at him, and Peter realized that he’d been staring slightly too intently at him from across the table.

Peter shook his head. “Nothing! I was just wondering if maybe I should start drinking coffee.”

Tony hummed, hands gripping his cup just like Peter was gripping his own cup of tea. “Nah. Too young. I’d say wait until college. You’ll need it more then.”

“I reckon you know best.”

Tony’s lips quirked upward. “Maybe not always, but in this case I’m pretty sure I do.”

It was a strangely… normal conversation. Each time they saw each other it was always because Peter was panicking over something or Tony needed to show him new tech. That he’d been invited over for tea had been a greater shock than Tony probably realized.

“How’s school? You acing your classes?”

“Of course.”

“Social life?”

“Other than the occasional meeting with academic decathlon team I mostly just see Ned.”

“Good. About the team, I mean. It’s good that you’re keeping it up.” Tony hesitated briefly before saying, “And how’s your aunt handling this whole - thing.”

Peter squirmed in his seat. “She was very angry with me at first. And with you.”

“I figured. Did my talk with her help at all?”

“Oh, definitely. It’s taken her a while, but she’s more calm about it now as long as I tell her where I go each time.” Peter barked out a laugh. “It’s kind of annoying.”

Tony grinned. “That’s guardians to you. You’re lucky, you know.”

“I know.”

They sipped on their drinks in silence for a moment. A ray of sun had found its way between the buildings outside and illuminated the kitchen table, and Peter found himself watching it just to keep himself from watching Tony. He knew he wouldn’t appreciate being observed.

“How are you?” Peter blurted out before he could stop himself. “And Ms Potts and Mr Rhodes?”

Tony seemed a bit amused. “We’re all good, kid. Rhodey can almost walk entirely on his own now.”

Peter nodded. “So you’re all… fine?”

Tony blinked. “Relatively. Should we not be?”

“Yes! I mean, I hope you are?”

“This-” Tony shook his head. “I don’t say this often, but I’m confused.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to- I mean-”

“Kid. Just say whatever you want to say. I promise I won’t get mad or whatever.”

Peter exhaled slowly, biding his time. “It’s just… you look a little sad, s’all. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

Tony’s eyebrows met his hairline. “Oh. Well, uh-” He scratched the back of his head. “I guess lying and saying I’m fine will get me nowhere.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Mr Stark. I just wanted to check.”

“No, no, it’s- it’s fine, I-” Tony shook his head. “Maybe I need it.”

Peter never would’ve thought they’d be in this position, where Tony Stark of all people attempted to put his emotions into words in order to share them with him. It was usually the other way around.

“The thing is,” Tony started, pushing his cup from hand to hand on the table. “I care more than people probably think, and sometimes it gets hard to deal with everything. Especially when people so very obviously didn’t care back. At least not to the same extent.”

That was probably the most Tony would be willing to tell him, but Peter appreciated it anyway. “Do you wanna know what I think?”

“I’m sure you’ll tell me.”

“None of them deserved you.”

Tony didn’t reply, but Peter could see a slight shift in his posture. A brightness to his eyes.

Peter made it his goal to always make sure Mr Stark remembered how important he actually was after that.

2.

Peter wasn’t sure how or even why, but when he opened his eyes he found himself in Mr Stark’s living room, and the light was way too natural for it to still be dark outside.

“What happened?” he asked FRIDAY automatically, but got an entirely different voice in return.

“You passed out. As in like, fell asleep. You weren’t knocked out or anything.”

Peter sat up a bit in order to look at Tony who was sitting in the armchair across the room from him, his attention captured by the pad in his lap. “Have you- have you just been sitting there all night?”

“Of course not. I went to my lab. Had a few hours of sleep. Went back to the lab. You dozed for over ten hours. Seriously, Parker, when was the last time you slept through the night?”

“Too long ago,” Peter muttered. “Does Aunt May-”

“All informed.”

“Oh. Good. Thank you.”

Tony snorted and finally looked up at him. “No problem. I was mostly covering my own ass.”

Peter grinned. “Right, because you don’t care about either me or her at all.”

“All right, don’t get cocky. Geez, you’ve been hanging around me for too long.” He placed the pad on the coffee table. “If you want breakfast you know where everything is.”

Peter nodded and sat up properly. He felt more awake than he had in weeks, miraculously. “How’d you sleep? Those hours you did sleep, I mean.”

Tony hummed. “I slept all right. It could’ve been better.” That Tony was willingly admitting that was a huge step. “But it was enough to function today. I’ve got so many meetings this afternoon that I’m sorta considering going into hiding.” He waved his hand around. “Never become an adult, you hear me.”

“I’m afraid it’s a little too late for that,” Peter said, the idea that he would have to apply for colleges in less than a year ever so present in the back of his mind. “You should eat too. And probably get some more coffee.”

“You sound like Pepper.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Mmm not really.”

“Then I’ll take the compliment.”

Tony laughed. “Definitely getting cocky. I can’t say I hate it, but you better be careful.”

Peter had to admit that the months he’d spent around the older man had made him much more comfortable around him and his closest friends, and sometimes he had to remind himself that snark could seem disrespectful. Fortunately Tony was fluent in snark and didn’t seem to mind.

Peter took a quick trip to the bathroom and tried in vain to get his hair to cooperate, and then met Tony in the kitchen where a glass of orange juice was waiting for him on the table. He downed it in seconds, only just then realizing how dry his throat had been. Tony watched him over his coffee in amusement.

“I have to make a call,” he said, already halfway out of the room with his cup in hand. “Make yourself at home and all that jazz.”

Peter didn’t need to be told twice.

***

“God, if a stupid phone call takes this long I cannot imagine how long the actual meetings will last-” Tony stopped in his tracks, his cup empty and his hair in disarray. “What’s this?”

Peter looked up from where he’d been scrolling on his phone. “Breakfast.”

“For me?”

“Of course.” He motioned to the toast across from him on the table. “It’s probably a little cold now, but-”

“No, no, I- that doesn’t matter, it’s-” Tony cut himself off with a shake of his head. “The only people who’ve ever made me breakfast are Pepper and Rhodey.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, sorry, was it insensitive? You don’t have to eat it.”

Tony grinned then. Hugely and genuinely. “Not insensitive at all.” He wouldn’t look directly on Peter, but Peter knew him well enough at this point to know it wasn’t a bad thing. “Thanks, kid,” he said as he sat. “I have to leave in like ten minutes, so I was worried I wouldn’t even have time to eat. God knows I would forget all about food once in those meetings, so this-” He grabbed his toast. “-is gold.”

Peter beamed all the way home.

3.

How Peter ended up at a movie night at Tony’s with Pepper, Rhodey and Happy was beyond him, but he was happily (and slightly awkwardly) sitting between Tony and the armrest while they tried to decide on a movie. Pepper, who was on Tony’s other side, was pointing at one of the movies on the screen, but Tony kept scrolling.

“Already seen it,” he said, glancing at her. “But you can totally have more than one choice.”

“If we’re gonna find a movie that none of us have seen it will be a miracle,” she replied matter-of-factly. “How about that one?”

“Oohh, I’ve been meaning to see it for ages,” Rhodey said from the other couch.

Happy shook his head beside him. “Not that one.”

“Why not?”

“Looks bad.”

“I agree,” Tony said and kept scrolling.

“You know what, give me the remote.” Rhodey held out his hand, but Tony barely acknowledged him.

“My house, my rules.”

“Pepper, get him to give me the remote.”

“Don’t get me involved in this.”

“You wanted to watch the movie too.”

“We can negotiate like adults.”

“That one!” Happy piped up, pointing. “I vote that one.”

Tony hummed. “It looks all right, actually.”

“Oh, you’re kidding!” Rhodey was more passionate over this than Peter would’ve expected, but he recognized the thrill that came with going against your best friend over small things. “Peter, get him to give me the remote.”

Peter really hadn’t been expecting to get dragged into this. “What, me?”

“Yes! He listens to you.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Peter blurted out, and Tony snorted.

“Cut yourself some slack, kid,” Rhodey said, voice softer.

“Actually,” Tony said, turning to Peter with a grin so big it almost scared him. “It’s a tie between two movies, but we’re an odd number. Peter’s vote can decide.”

“Do you think I’m suicidal?” Peter asked with a slight panic.

Happy, of all people, burst into laughter. “Oh, okay, you’re funny, I’ll give you that.”

Tony poked his chest. “Just choose.”

“And if I don’t want to watch either of them?”

“Then we’ll never get around to watch a thing.”

Peter had honestly not been paying much attention to the options, since he was fine with whatever. “Could- could you let me read the descriptions of them both?”

They sat in silence as Peter read. They both sounded mediocre, and Peter realized he’d already seen parts of one of them with Ned. They’d only gotten half an hour in before they’d had to turn it off. Which meant-

“I think the one Mr Stark likes sounds good,” he said, and Happy surprised him once again by cheering.

Tony clapped his hands. “That’s my boy. The night is saved.”

Those words were worth the mock glare Rhodey sent his way.

And one time Tony asked him to.

Peter had been in Tony’s lab before, but he’d never been allowed to touch anything, and today was no exception. He hovered behind Tony and tried to peek at what he was doing, which he knew was probably bothering the older man, but so far he hadn’t said anything. That was one of the things that had changed as they spent more time together. Tony got more patient with him and his curiosity.

“You think you can hand me that?” Tony suddenly asked, pointing toward the end of the table.

Peter was quick to oblige. “Of course, here you go.”

“Thank you.” He peeked up briefly to smile at him, if a twitch of his lips counted as a smile. “Actually, do you think you could hold this while I tweak it?” He handed Peter a part of the Iron suit and asked him to hold it in place against the table.

“Make sure to not move it,” he said before diving in, and Peter felt like he was dreaming. He was actually here, in Tony Stark’s lab, helping Tony Stark build one of his genius creations. Ned would freak.

To be entirely honest Peter was freaking out a little himself.

“You’re doing good,” Tony said, and Peter had to hold back a laugh lest he wanted to jostle the part.

“I’m only holding it.”

“Still.” His fingers stilled, and he took a step back to observe it. “I think that’ll do. Thanks, kid.”

Peter was eager to keep helping, but he wasn’t about to test his luck. “Is it okay if I sit in here and work on homework?”

“Sure thing.”

Life felt right in there, with Tony working away and Peter sitting on the couch taking care of his own responsibilities. Occasionally he would look up and observe his mentor, and he could occasionally feel Tony looking his way, but they didn’t talk. It was nice.

Tony still seemed sad, but he seemed to be handling it, and Peter was still happy to be one of his distractions, mostly because he was now certain Tony saw him as more than just that.

[bytheangell]

Support System - Chapter 5

When Alec's favorite show gets cancelled and he takes to messaging customer service repeatedly to show his support, he doesn't expect to connect so well with the support representative he keeps getting paired off with.  (Read it from the start on AO3!)

Alec feels the heat in his face as he stutters something out - he isn’t even sure what at this point because his brain shut down entirely in his flustered panic. But the attractive man he spilled coffee on like a total klutz is still smiling, laughing and shrugging and disappearing into the coffee shop with a wink. The thought occurs to him to follow - to buy him a coffee, at least. But he remembers how late he’s already running, and it’s the easiest excuse to cling to as he turns to leave.

Still, his thoughts linger on the man - those dark brown eyes that seemed to flash with flecks of gold when the light caught them (though he never make eye contact long enough to tell if it was just the light playing tricks on him), the way the sleeves of his dress shirt clung to his impressively large biceps, and how the tailored plum vest he wore over it suited him so perfectly. And those maroon highlights in his hair…

...the blush was back on Alec’s face even though he is now an entire block away. He needs to stop. It isn’t like he can go out for drinks in the city his entire family lives in! He didn’t have a choice but to say no; what if someone sees him? Izzy is the only one who knows he’s gay, and if his brothe,r or parents, or even any of his parent’s friend’s see him out and say something… he just isn’t ready for that. But it still feels nice to be hit on, even if he did chicken out on the follow-through.

So he forces the thoughts from his mind the best he can as he steps through the door of the shop. Or at least he thinks he does.

“...what happened?” Izzy asks immediately.

“What?” He asks, confused, placing his coffee and bag down on the nearest counter.

“Your face is right red and you have a dopey grin on your face.”

Shit.

“Oh, I ran into someone at the coffee shop. Literally. I spilled coffee on them and it was embarrassing and we’re going to pretend it never happened now.”

“And on a scale of 1 to 10, how hot was he?”

“Izzy.” He chastises, rolling his eyes, but when he’s met with nothing more than crossed arms and a defiant stare he sighs. “11.” And since he knows she won’t let it go that easily he pauses only briefly before adding (and not without a hint of satisfaction). “I offered to pay to have his shirt cleaned and he said I could pay him back with a drink instead.”  

“You got a date?” Isabelle asks incredulously, but Alec shakes his head quickly before she can get her hopes up too high.

“No. I said I couldn’t and left.” He sees the disappointment all over her face. “You know I can’t, Iz. If someone saw-” “I know, I know.” And her tone is understanding but laced with sadness. “I can’t tell you how to live your life, big brother, but I’ve said it once and I’ll say it a thousand more times if I have to - you deserve to be happy. No one who matters is going to judge you for that. And if they do, I’ll kick their asses.”

“I know you will,” he says with a fond smile. “Thanks.” He braces himself for more but Isabelle drops it there and the Lightwood siblings get to work opening the store.

--

The day passes by slowly and uneventfully after that, and Alec is back home and falling into what is quickly becoming a new routine. Eat, sleep, wake up to a midnight alarm so he can catch a chat or two with Magnus, universe willing. The queues are down to 3 or so minutes each time now, still holding strong, and he passes the time in between by sending out tweets and e-mails, and writing brief exchanges with the first two support reps he gets connected to who aren’t Magnus, until:

Support: You are Chatting with Magnus B. Magnus: Just the name I wanted to see.   Alec: Hello again to you, too. Magnus: One of these times I’m going to come across another Alec L. and things are going to get hilariously awkward. Alec: You could always use a regular greeting, you know. Magnus: Where’s the fun in that? I like living on the edge. Alec: I wish I had some of that mentality. Magnus: You can take some of mine. I have plenty to go around.   Alec: Heh, thanks. Alec: Any word on the show? Magnus: Unfortunately, nothing new on my end. Same old blanket statement. Alec: Damn. Alec: Sorry, can I curse in here? Probably not. Magnus: If you think you’re the first person to swear in a customer service chat, boy do I have news for you. Alec: Good point. So where are you in Season 2 now?

They chat about the show for a few minutes before Alec realizes he’s still far too tired for this right now. Every time he blinks his eyes stay shut for longer and longer, and it isn’t like Magnus doesn’t have an actual job to do here. Alec: Well, I should let you get back to work. Maybe I’ll try and pop back in later. Magnus: I hope you do. This chat has ended.

Alec decides to try and sleep the rest of the night and wake up early enough to catch Magnus before the end of his shift in the morning. A plan that would’ve worked great if a massive rumble of thunder followed by a tremor that rattled his entire apartment didn’t wake him up at 2:34 am, and try as he might he just can’t fall back asleep. He pulls his laptop off of the bedside table and boots it up, browsing through the #SaveTheHunt tags for a few minutes before donating to a fundraiser set up in the campaign’s name for an amazing LGBTQ+ Nonprofit. And then, when it becomes clear he isn’t about to fall asleep any time soon, he decides to try the support chat again.

This time there is no queue, which is good, because it takes three tries to get to Magnus.

Support: You are Chatting with Magnus B. Magnus: Welcome back. Alec: I couldn’t sleep, and this seemed better than tossing and turning for another hour. Magnus: Not that I’m glad you can’t sleep, but it’s been an uncharacteristically quiet night here. I thought I’d be glad to see things die down but I kinda miss it. Alec: I’m sure it’ll pick back up. We’re far from giving up - in fact, there was a new fundraising campaign started today in the show’s name, benefitting LGBTQ+ youth in honor of all the representation and impact the show has in the community. Magnus: That’s amazing! I’ll have to check that out after work. I’d be remiss not to give back in honor of the positive bisexual showing so far. It isn’t often you find something in pop culture that goes out of its way to give us such a good rep.  Alec: Oh, you’re bi? Magnus: Sorry, tmi. Alec: No, it’s cool. Alec: That’s cool.

Alec hesitates, hands hovering over the keyboard as he thinks back to earlier at his desire to live on the edge a little more. To the missed opportunity at the coffee shop. To Isabelle telling him that he deserves to be himself. His pulse is racing, but that’s stupid, because it’s just a word. It’s just a word to a person who doesn’t even know him. A person he’ll never meet. And there’s a certain safety in the anonymity of the internet, isn’t there? He’s just a name here, and not an uncommon one at that. He can be anyone, anywhere. And if he can’t bring himself to type the words to a stranger on the internet how will he ever say them out loud to the people around him? It seems like the perfect starting point.

What does he really have to lose?

He takes a deep breath and starts to type.

Alec: I told my sister I was gay after watching the first two seasons with her, so I get it. It’s important. Seeing the support the everyone gave, even after the whole wedding fiasco, had a huge impact on me. I’m not sure I ever would’ve done it otherwise. Magnus: Oh wow. That is big. Congratulations! Alec: Thanks, but it isn’t that impressive. I’m 22 and she’s the only one I ever told. Magnus: Everyone moves at their own pace. I’m sure you’ll get there.

Alex exhales the breath he didn’t realize he’s holding. Admitting that truth about himself to someone other than Isabelle is so freeing, no matter what the context, and Alec feels a small sense of peace settle over him. Nothing as intense as what he felt talking to Isabelle, but nice in its own way.

The conversation seems to flow so easily after that, and Alec forgets his nerves almost entirely. They talk about a mixture of personal anecdotes and things from the show (with Alec carefully treading around spoilers from things beyond the point Magnus stopped at in his reactions and replies) for much longer than Alec realizes, both of them losing track of time. It starts to feel like he’s talking to a close friend rather than some faceless stranger across the internet when the tone of Magnus’ text takes a sudden, abrupt turn.

Magnus: I need you to end this chat right now, but I promise I’ll explain later. Alec: What? Magnus: Please. This chat has ended.

And Alec sits there, feeling a bit lost and more than a little confused, staring at the blank screen of the ended conversation. It is difficult to pick up on intonations through written word, but he could sense the urgency behind Magnus’ request enough to not question it. But something uneasy sits in the pit of his stomach as he wonders if he said something wrong. They talked a lot more this time, and about personal things, not just the show. But it all seemed alright at the time. So what happened? What changed?

Alec wonders exactly when ‘later’ is -  if he’s supposed to try to talk to him again right away, or in an hour, or maybe not for the rest of the night?  He has nothing to go off of. He resolves to wait at least an hour but before the time is up he dozes off, and doesn’t wake back up until the sunlight is already pouring in through the window. What time is it? Maybe he can still catch--

But the clock reads 8:05, and Alec’s heart drops. Magnus’ shift is over, and if he’s going to get any answers he’ll have to wait for them now.