#i think a handler or something once told him he should only read serious books so buyers don't think he's stupid

[hold-him-down]

I was reading your tags on your latest fic/reblog of fic (which by the way, I loved the fic!!! I'm always wanting more Luke and Leo)

And I think a book that would still be relevant in 2090 would be 1984 (but I could see it being a banned book what with it talking about Big Brother and all, but I could also see Luke still owning the book)

"You own books?" Leo asks, the corners of his eyes crinkling with a teasing smile.

"I... own some books. I assume they're referring to the 1984 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. In which case–" he looks at the ceiling, visualizing the sparse bookshelf in his office "–actually, it's still a no."

"He's a work in progress," Leo says. "He's got a long way to go before he starts a collection of classics of his own. But," he continues, "I've read it, from the library. And I agree, it is still relevant."

[rose-demica]

Princeling’s Home, Chapter One

For: @fanficocean‘s Starting out with a Challenge.

Prompts: 16. “Why is the coffee always gone?” and 23. “Hang on. Where’s the baby?” 

Tags: @mariekoukie6661

Pairing: Clint X Reader (eventually)

Fun Fact: Symkaria is an actual kingdom in the Marvel Universe! 

Head’s up: As per normal with me, I started the idea, realized it needed more background, and now it’s longer, so the two prompts are not in this, chapter one, but will be coming soon!

Marvel Masterlist:

Normally, you loved missions with Clint Barton. The Master Archer had an interesting way of looking at problems, and you loved watching him in action. Spending half of your time trying to figure out how his brain came up with such wonderfully stupid plans, and then how they seemed to work every time. He even managed to make stakeouts fun, sitting in one spot for hours on end was tedious, but there was something different about when it was just the pair of you. 

This mission, however, was not one that you were looking forward to. It had to be serious, they’d pulled Clint out of a deep-cover mission, and you’d been doing recon out in the field for Natasha Romanoff’s next big mission. You had nowhere near the level of information you had wanted to return with.

You were not prepared to be hauled up to the director’s office the second you landed at headquarters. There had been a sliver of hope that you would get to Shower and change into your SHIELD uniform first, maybe grab something to eat. You’d been on the streets since dawn, with the plan to grab breakfast while monitoring the building across from the cafe. The recall order came before you could order more than a glass of water.

Fury and Clint were already there, waiting for you. Fury pacing back and forth in front of his huge glass windows, deep in thought.

Clint was wearing a light blue suit, the jacket was missing and the tie loose around his neck, the top few buttons were undone as well. He was slouched in a chair in front of Fury’s desk, feet up on the wood, it had earned him a hard glare from Fury, but Clint ignored it in favour of the steaming mug grasped in his hands. 

“Barton sit up before you crinkle that suit.” Barton sighed at your order, but obeyed, sitting in the seat properly so that the shirt couldn’t crinkle. He didn’t lift his feet from the desk though, and you hadn’t quite expected him too. He was clearly ‘punishing’ Fury for pulling him out early, and wasn’t going to stop until he felt like it. 

“Agent Y/L/N, thanks for joining us.” Fury turned, motioning for you to take the seat beside Clint. You did so quickly, unlike Clint you weren’t that comfortable with upsetting the man who ran SHIELD. “Barton get your shoes off of my desk!” Clint only raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of his drink. “Barton!” He relented with a roll of his eyes as Fury growled at him. 

“Hello Y/N, how was your jaunt out to Cairo?” Clint turned to look at you, a hint of laughter sparkling in his blue eyes. 

“How’d you know where I was?” He laughed as you turned the question back around on him, no one was supposed to know where you’d been sent. Anyone but your handler was supposed to think that you were in Morocco. 

“A little birdie told me.” He was still laughing as he reached out to boop your nose, watching as you crinkled up your face and moved back.

“Barton!” Clint sighed, rolling back into the seat and away from you, looking at Fury.  “Are you drunk?” 

“Sir I was deep cover, and you pulled me out of a gambling den full of mafia-” You’d never seen Barton drunk before, he normally refused to drink more than one on social occasions, and maybe if he was forced to at a party.

“Y/L/N.” Fury cut Clint off before he could reveal anything about his mission to you. “You best remember this in case he can’t.” Fury passed you a file, and you reached out, but Clint intercepted it before you could take it. His coffee placed where his feet had been before.

“I’m fine,” Clint grumbled, holding the file so you could lean closer and read it over his shoulder. You rested a hand on his shoulder as you did so, and noticed that he leant even closer towards you. 

The file was pretty empty, normal for you, you were often tasked with finding the information out before sending someone else in to do the job. It wasn’t as normal for missions you usually took with Clint though. 

There were only 3 pages in there, and one was the official portrait of the King and Queen of Symkaria and their 2 daughters. The next page was a birth certificate, for a Theodore Amadocus Phillip, Prince of the Kingdom of Symkaria. The last page, a job offer, 25 million to anyone who could provide the head of the new Symkaria heir. 

“Their royal majesties have requested that we protect the heir until they have found and vanquished the threat.  We have decided that you and Barton will take the newborn, and live undercover as if he was your own.”

“What?!” You and Barton spoke as one, looking up from the file to see the dead serious face of Director Fury. You didn’t do undercover missions, nor protection details, this was both! Clint didn’t seem much happier than you were.

“It is not up for discussion. You leave for a small town in the midwest in an hour, only the three of us will know which town and where you are. I have organised it all myself. There will be a pilot waiting for you both in half an hour, they will fly you to an airport where I have brought you a vehicle. The Prince will meet you there, he is flying with a royal nursery maid who will provide you with everything you need to know to care for the child.” Fury moved closer to hand us another file, this one was much thicker.

“You’ve recently relocated from San Antonio with hopes to raise your son in a quiet, safe little town. Barton, you will have decided to take a break from your career as a builder to be a stay at home dad.  Y/L/N you will be working, we have set up a job in an office as a marketing consultant, you will mostly work from home, but you do have to attend some meetings at the office.” Clint took the folder once more, flicking through all the paperwork they had made so Barton and I could become completely different people. 

“You have been married for two years, Theodore is your firstborn, we’ve left most of the other details up to you two. Figure out what fits.” Fury stopped speaking, waiting for Clint to finish flicking through the file, he paused on the deed to a house, slowly flicking through the next few pages, photos of the house we had supposedly brought. “You should both go pack, and pack well, we have no idea how long this will take.” Clint closed the folder, handing it over to you, and picking up his mug. 

“After you, my darling wife.” Clint frowned as you plucked the coffee from his hand and took a sip of your own. 

~~~~~~ Few hours later ~~~~~~

“Is this him?” You craned your head as a woman and a child started towards your designated meeting spot, only to pout when they walked right past. 

“Relax Y/N.” Clint chuckled, looking up from where he was sitting on the floor, another steaming cup of coffee in his hands. “Soon you’ll be pleading for a break from our son.” You simply turned and stuck your tongue out at him, before turning back to look for the Prince.

“Mr and Mrs MacManus?” You jumped as a voice to your back spoke your new fake last name. You had been so focused on watching the people coming off of incoming flights that you hadn’t kept an eye on the doors. You hadn’t even considered that could be an option, you were meeting in an airport for a reason, right?

“That would be us.” Clint stood, slipping a hand around your waist, and tugging you closer to his side. A slight chuckle leaving your lips as you squealed in fright. You couldn’t help the joy and excitement that you felt as you laid eyes on a suited woman and the pram she was pushing.

“This is little Theodore MacManus, your new son. The adoption agency has gone over everything with you?” She pulled off the cover to reveal the tiny infant in the pram, sleeping peacefully, a duffle, and baby bag squished underneath it, and another duffle over her shoulder. 

“They have indeed, we’re both very excited for today.” Clint shot the woman a dazzling smile, and you could see her melt a little, the same way you always did when you saw that smile. “May I?” He reached one hand towards the pram, waiting for permission to scoop the little princeling up in his arms, turning to place him securely in yours. 

“Awww.” You melted a little, brushing one finger along his soft babyface. “He’s adorable.” You could feel Clint’s eyes on you, rather than on the child he had given to you. 

“My wife loves children,” Clint explained to the nanny, turning his attention back to her. You paid no attention to them, eyes focused on the child you rocked in your arms. It had been a long while since any of your siblings were this young and small. Since you had been able to hold and care for a baby.

“I can see why the agency picked you two for this little one. I wrote down everything you need to know and put it in this book. Theodore is a very easy going happy baby, no known allergies or issues, he is accustomed to formula, so you won’t have a problem with that. I attached a photo of his brand and type just in case you struggle to find it.” Clint nodded, taking the folder she offered him and flicking through it. “He does have a rough routine already, and you may find it easier to stick to that, but he may decide he wants a change.” 

“I’m sure my wife will handle it all very well, she had to help raise her siblings.” You felt Clint’s eyes on you before his hand reached out to wrap around your waist once more. 

“Well, I shall let you both go. I hear you have a long drive ahead of you. The young- Theodore has just been fed, so he will probably sleep for a while, he loves car rides.” You raised your head in time to see the Nanny look at her former charge fondly before she put down the bag she was carrying and started to leave. You could see tears forming in her eyes, but didn’t call her back, judging by her quick steps, she wanted to be alone before she broke down.

“We have a son.” You whispered, instead, you looked to Clint. Clint moved closer, his chest to your back as he reached around, the young prince yawned, before reaching out and grabbing a hold of Clint’s finger. 

“He’s so little. Y/N-” You knew why he was hesitant, he hadn’t had many dealings with children, and no good male role models in his younger life. You knew Clint was terrified that he would somehow hurt the princeling. 

“You’ll make a great dad Clint, don’t worry.” Clint’s head rested on your shoulder, thumb rubbing back and forth over the tiny fingers that were clasped around his own. 

“I’ll always worry.” He whispered, “and little one, I do need that hand back if you want me to get your bags and take us all home.” You laughed at that, turning your head to look at him, only to notice just how close his face was to yours. You quickly looked away, feeling heat rise to your cheeks.

“Clint look!” Theodore’s eyes were starting to open, revealing very pale green eyes, almost clear. 

“Wow.” Theodore released Clint’s finger as he looked up at his new ‘parents’, meaning Clint could take one hand and brush it under the baby’s eyes. “Please tell me he isn’t blind, because if he’s blind, and I’m deaf, you’re gonna have issues.”

“I don’t think so, he’ll probably have a very light eye colour when he’s older though.” You checked, watching the baby as his eyes followed the finger you waved in front of his face momentarily, before going back to stare at Clint. “I think he likes you.” You turned to see Clint smile softly before he went to get the pram and the bags. 

“Alright, I think it's high time I got my wife and son home.” You laughed, offering the princeling your finger to hold in his, before following Clint towards the huge purple pick up truck you just knew would be his. “Alpha Romeo Charlie, eight, three, nine.” You could hear Clint whispering to himself, comparing the number plate we’d been given with all the cars we passed. His jaw dropped when he realised the truck was his.

“I think grandad is trying to apologize for ditching us here.” You stood beside him, nodding towards the truck, and using Fury’s new code name, just in case someone was hovering nearby. 

“Apology accepted.” Clint replied, pushing a button on the keys and watching with delight as the indicators flashed at him. Quickly moving closer to the car to open the doors and look in. 

“Clint-” You hesitated, not wanting to spoil his mood. It was so very rare to see him so delighted, and you wanted to enjoy every moment of it.  But also you wanted to keep moving, just in case anyone had followed the princeling. 

“I know, I know.” He sighed, packing down the pram, and loading it and all the bags into the tray. 

“We’ll need the baby bag Clint.” You chuckled as his eyes widened, having to climb into the back of the ute to get the bag back. 

“There’s a carseat behind the drivers side for Theodore, did you want a hand?” You shook your head, you were more than capable of tucking the young one in safely. Even so Clint was there, opening up the back door, and keeping a hand on your back as you stepped up onto the foot rung so you could reach the seats. 

“I feel short.” Clint laughed at your complaint, watching as you buckled in the princeling.

“It is a tall truck, I used to use it for my building business.” His hands moved to your waist, lifting you up and putting you down on the ground.

“Before you became a family man.” You teased, turning to face him. 

“Indeed.” His smile was breathtaking, and you watched as he glanced up at Theodore, before looking back to you. That same smile caused your breath to catch, watching as he leaned slightly closer to you.

“Anyway, we should uh- hit the road.” You stepped back out of his hold, running a hand through your hair awkwardly. 

“Yeah, of course.” Clint’s smile faltered, a hint of sadness in his eyes, “get the little man home.” He forced himself to smile, one of his fake ones that you hated seeing, before closing the back door and turning towards the drivers side. 

The first half of the journey home was relatively quiet, Clint had taken a moment to connect his phone to the audio system, playing his favourite country music. You kept glancing back at Prince Theodore, watching as sleep slowly drew the infant back into his embrace. 

Four hours into the journey you had asked Clint to stop at the next resting area. He’d been slightly confused, but did as you asked. His eyes followed every step you took as you got out of the passenger's seat, and then slid into the back bench to wake up Theodore. 

“Y/N, should you be waking him?” Theodore grumbled as you gently woke him, tiny hands bumping into yours as he stretched. 

“Newborns eat every three to four hours Clint, it’s been four hours since we left the airport, so he needs to eat.” You dug through the baby bag as Theodore stretched, grabbing out a bottle of purified water, and a pouch of milk formula. 

“Can you go ask the gas attendant if they can warm this up. Check the temperature against your wrist when it's done, just a couple of drops” You took the lid off the bottle, before reaching out and silently asking for Clint's arm. He laid his hand in yours, allowing you to pull it closer and demonstrate. “You’re aiming for it to be a tiny bit warm, but not too hot. Then mix this in and bring it back.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Clint took the bottle and pouch, hopping out of the car and heading inside the gas station. By the time he got back, you had changed Theodore’s nappy, and were playing with him, enjoying each wide smile you could coax onto his face. “Here you go.” Clint came to the door beside you, passing up the made bottle and placing a bag on the floor by your feet. “I also got snacks.” Theodore was starving, attaching to the bottle and taking huge gulps the second it touched his lips.

“Take your time, you’ll choke.” You spoke softly, pulling the bottle away so he could have a moment to breath. You waited until he was about to start screaming to return the bottle to his lips. 

“And Coffee.” You nearly jumped when Clint reappeared with two large steaming cups of what he considered liquid gold. The princeling did jump, detaching himself from his bottle to look around wildly. “Sorry little man.” Clint looked really guilty as you and the Prince looked at him, before the hungry prince remembered the bottle you were holding for him. 

“We’ll get used to all this, I’m sure.” You smiled at Clint, and he smiled back, climbing in beside you, carefully watching what you were doing with the Princeling. 

~~~~~~

“Y/N.” You were being shaken, but you ignored it, you were tired and comfortable, why was someone trying to wake you up. “Y/N, we’re home.” Clint was chuckling, still trying to coax you awake. “I was going to carry you into bed, but I thought you might want to explore the place with me first.” 

Slowly you forced yourself awake, your eyes opened to see Clint’s face above yours, looking around to the back of the car. You started stretching, lifting your head from Clint’s lap to sit up. The truck was parked right in front of a garage on a sloped driveway. To the left was the house itself. It looked every bit like a normal house, from the outside you could see a perfect lawn, with a few beds of flowers around the path and in front of the house. A white picket fence encased the entire front lawn. It had two floors, you could see that just from the windows, although it looked like the top floor was where an attic should be.  

“Looks cosy.” Clint was watching you, waiting for your reaction. 

“It does. A little small.” He nodded, looking away from you and towards the house.

“There’s only three of us Barton, were you expecting a mansion?” You teased, hoping out of the truck and stretching your whole body, you had thought you were comfy, but now you could feel the effects of falling asleep in the truck. 

“A farm house would have been nice.” The words were quiet, not quite meant for your ears, so you didn’t react, walking around the truck to get Theodore out. 

“How long has it been since the gas station?” You felt Clint’s hands on your waist as you climbed up the side. 

“Three and a half, he slept through it all.” Clint answered, steadying you as you unbuckled the Prince and cradled him. 

“We should feed him then. Did you want to do it?” Clint lifted you up before you could start to step backwards, putting you on the ground safely. 

“I-” You turned to look at Clint, only to see him frozen in surprise. “I dunno if that’s smart Y/N.” He looked scared, unsure of himself. 

“I’ll help you.” You nudged him and smiled, “There is no way I’m getting up every four hours to feed him. You need to help mister.” Clint chuckled as you half-teased him, a brilliant smile pulling at his lips. 

“Shall we go in? I’ll come get the bags later.” He pointed your attention towards the house, waiting for you to take the first step, keys swinging around his finger.

“Alright, I’m ready.” You took a deep breath, before taking a step towards where you would be for the foreseeable future, playing family with Clint Barton and the Prince of Symkaria. You probably weren’t ready, but this was the mission, and you weren’t going to be any more ready if you stayed standing outside the house. 

“I’m scared too Y/N.” Clint whispered, stepping closer to wrap his arm around your waist, “But we can do this.” You nodded, letting him lead you towards the house, holding the young Prince tighter as the door swung open under Clint’s hand. 

Clint was the first to step into the house, turning back from inside the tiny foyer to offer you a hand. You reached out to take it, tangling your fingers through his and taking a step into the house. 

There were three ‘doors’ off of the foyer, one went to the kitchen and dining room, another to the lounge, and the last to a reasonably big office. Clint led you through the right hand door first, into the office, there were two desks either side, one in front of the windows, looking out to the front yard, and the other against the back wall, surrounded by large floor to ceiling bookshelves. There was a couch against the far wall, right where the evening sun would fall on it. There were pictures of landscapes on the walls, you made a mental note to take some ‘family’ pictures to put up before you had too many people around to visit. 

“It needs pictures.” Clint spoke what you were thinking, turning his attention to the young child in your arms as he started to fuss. “And this little man needs a snack, kitchen?” He chuckled, raising his free hand to offer it to the princeling. Theodore grabbed it and quickly stuck it in his mouth. 

“Can you take him? I’ll go-” Clints hand tightened around yours, stopping you as you tried to untangle your hands to pass the baby over to him. 

“I’d rather we stick together.” His voice was soft, and you looked up to see him glancing between you and Theodore, seemingly unwilling to let either of you out of his sight. “Just, please, until we get settled, I need to know you’re both safe.” He whispered, dropping his gaze to Theodore rather than look at you. 

“Okay.” You whispered, stepping closer to press a kiss to his cheek. This was a whole new level of mission for both of you. It would take some time for you both to get comfortable, and if Clint needed to keep both of you close, then that's what you’d do. 

“Let’s go find this little cannibal food.” Clint chuckled, gently taking his finger back, much to the princelings' unhappiness. 

“Can I have the desk in front of the window?” I asked, following Clint as he walked out of the office and back into the foyer. 

“Of course,” Clint responded, taking a moment to stare into the lounge straight ahead of him, before turning to his right and walking into the kitchen and dining room. You breathed a sigh of relief when you saw that the kitchen took up most of the room, counters and bench space going all the way around the back wall and down the left hand wall. On the right hand wall was a staircase leading up to the next level, but what was missing in counter space was made up for by a Kitchen Island. Two bar stools on the side closest to the living room. In the right hand corner facing you was a large refrigerator, just before it a door under the stairs, what you were hoping would be a walk in pantry. 

“Coffee!” You glanced over to Clint at his exclamation, following his eyes to see a fancy near cafe level coffee machine tucked into the left hand corner. Beside it was a two drawer dishwasher, built into the counters.

“I want a man who looks at me the way you look at Coffee.” You teased him, taking your hand out of his and starting to look for a pot to heat up the baby bottle, bouncing Therodore in your arm as he thought about screaming, getting hungrier and hungrier the longer you admired the new kitchen.

“Rude. What are we looking for?” You didn’t need to look over at Clint to see him sticking out his tongue at you. You looked down to Theodore and shook your head with a smile.

“Your dad is trouble.” He smiled at your quiet whisper, “A pot, we need to heat up his bottle.” You spoke louder, directing your words to Clint this time. You heard Clint start searching the kitchen Island, while you made your way around the room. 

“Got it!” You looked over to see Clint right by the coffee maker, the cupboard under it open and filled with pots of all shapes and sizes. “This one?” He pulled out a small pot, that had deep sides, waiting for your nod to fill it with water and put it on the stove. 

“I’ll go change his nappy.” You glanced over to Clint, who shook his head, moving closer to you. 

“I’ll come help, or watch and learn.” His hand was gentle on your back, “We need to wait for the water to heat up a little first anyway, don’t we?” You were starting to think Clint knew a little bit more about caring for young babies than you had originally thought. That or he’d done some research on the flight in, which wasn’t that surprising.

“Yeah, we do. Shall we go upstairs?” You waited for Clint to be ready, before walking upstairs. “We are so going to need a baby gate when he starts moving around on his own.” 

“Hopefully he’ll be back home before that happens.” Clint responded, agreeing with you nevertheless. At the top of the stairs was a small landing, and two doors, one on the right and one on the left. Clint stuck his head in each, before turning back to face you. “Looks like ours is on the right, and his is on the left. It’s much smaller, and filled with baby gear.”

“Cool,” Theodore started screaming that second, his face balling up as he expressed his hunger and unhappiness the only way he knew how. “I know little one.” Clint got out of your way as you walked into the princelings room and set him down on the change table. Clint watched as you changed him as fast as you could, before scooping him up and putting him in Clint's arms, racing back off down the stairs before either of the boys could realise what was going on. 

“Hey grumpy.” You heard Clint greet, as Theodore went quiet for a moment. You put the bottle in the simmering pot, taking the pot off of the heat as you did so, going back up stairs to check on the two boys. They were staring at each other, Theodore’s tiny hand wrapped around one of Clint’s fingers. Clint had the softest, sweetest smile you had ever seen on his face.

“He likes you.” You whispered, not too sure you were willing to intrude on the moment. Clint slowly raised his eyes to yours, the smile never fading. 

“He likes both of us.” Clint walked over to you, offering to give the baby back, but you shook your head. 

“Can I take a photo? For our wall?” You waited for Clint to nod his consent before taking out your phone and taking a couple of quick pictures. “Alright, his bottle should be ready now, shall we?” 

~~~~~

You tried, and failed, to stifle another yawn, much to Clint’s annoyance. Theodore had stayed awake for a few hours after his bottle, and now he had gone down, you and Clint had decided to reorganise everything in the house to where you both wanted it.

“Okay, go nap.” Clint took the stuff out of your hands, and pointed up the stairs. 

“No, I’m okay.” You took the stuff back, turning away as you yawned again. 

“Y/N, you’re clearly exhausted. I can do this, or I can wait for you to rest a bit.”

“I need to adjust back to this timezone Clint, sleeping in the middle of the afternoon won’t help that.” It was well past when you would have returned to the safe house and slept if you were still on your mission. By your estimate, you’d been up around 21 hours at this point, minus the nap you’d had in the truck. 

“You’re also a new mother, to a child that needs feeding every four hours. I doubt either of us will have a normal sleep schedule for a while, so we’ll sleep when we’re tired, and work out the rest later.” Clint put his arms on your waist, turning you to face him and taking the stuff off you to put it on the bench. You took a moment to look at him, and the dark bags under his eyes. 

“You look just as tired.” You raised one hand to his cheek, brushing under his eyes. 

“Mafia aren’t exactly the 9-5 type.” He responded with a shrug, “Come on, we could both use a nap before the little one wakes up again.” He motioned towards the stairs, waiting for you to argue again.

“Okay, a little nap won’t hurt.” You agreed, trying to fight back yet another yawn.

“Good idea sleeping beauty.” Clint teased, moving back so that you could go upstairs first. You paused half way up when you realised he wasn’t following you, turning back to look at him. “There's uh, a minor situation.” He ran a hand through his hair nervously. “Go see for yourself.” You frowned, walking up the stairs and into the bedroom. 

In the middle of the room, pressed back against the middle wall was a king sized bed. The roof sloping down across the room, to where dressing tables were slid into the gap before the wall. There was a baby cot on the left hand side of the bed, even though you had put Theodore in the cot in his room to nap. On the far side of the room was another door that was open, and you could see that it led to the bathroom. 

“What problem?” You asked, jumping when you turned to see Clint leaning on the door frame behind you, you hadn’t heard him come up the stairs. 

“There’s only one bed.” He spoke softly, “I thought I would take the couch and leave you the room. That way you’re closest to Theodore, and I’m closest to the door if someone tries to break in.” He kept speaking, explaining his reasoning. 

“Clint-” you sighed, “I can’t let you sleep on the couch, not when we don’t know how long we’ll be here. I’m okay with sharing the giant bed if you are.” It probably would have been better to have separate beds, but you were also undercover as a married couple. 

“I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable Y/N.” He whispered, 

“You don’t, and you won’t... unless you snore really loudly.” You teased, reaching out to take his hand. “Now come on, hopefully we can get some shut eye before our little princeling wakes up.” Clint chuckled at you, before nodding. 

[marshmallow-phd]

The Experiments

(gif not mine)

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Experiment AU

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Exo (????)

Summary: You were a med school graduate who just wanted to help research cures for the world. Instead, what you got was a dream job at EXO Applied Sciences. That is, until you discover the secrets of Level Sixty-Six and the nine inhabitants that are stored down there….

Warning: mentions of abuse

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14 I 15 I 16 I 17 I 18 I 19 I 20 I 21 I 22 I 23 I Final

Luhan.

From you had been told, he should have been locked up in EXO’s chinese facility. How was he possibly be here?

He patted Sehun’s back lovingly. “I’ve missed you, too.”

Sehun straightened up, trying his hardest to make his face stoic again.

“How are you here?” Minseok asked the question that was on everyone’s lips.

“Security in the other lab isn’t as tight,” he answered, stepping further into the house. The door closed with a loud bang behind him, making you flinch. “They rescued us first. That was about eight months ago.”

“Are-” Junmyeon stopped, clearing his throat nervously. “Are the others with you?”

Luhan shook his head. “No. After about five months, they were ready to be back into the world. They split up. Tao’s still angry with Kris, blaming him for us being caught. They check in separately every so often, but I haven’t heard from them in a while. As far as we know, they’re doing fine.”

Junmyeon nodded, seemingly simultaneously sad and grateful for the update.

“(y/n).”

When Luhan called out to you, your perked up. Leaning around Jongin’s shoulder, you made eye contact with him. “Yes?”

“Where’s Marcus?”

Licking your lips, you opened your mouth to answer, but Junmyeon beat to the punch.

“He didn’t make it.”

Luhan visibly deflated, shoulders slumping.

You pushed past your barrier, stepping up. Upset or not, you could still speak for yourself.

“He got caught in the crossfire. We couldn’t save him.” You crossed your arms. “I’m assuming you’re the contact he told me about?”

He smiled. “Yeah. I decided to stick with the program and get these idiots out.”

A few chuckles rumbled off from the crowd behind you. Even you grinned a bit.

“You’re late.” The mood in the room was light and you tried to keep up with it.

“I know. EXO isn’t making it easy to move around. We had to be careful so we didn’t lead them to you accidentally.” He glance around the room. “I’m sorry guys. You’ll have to stay here a little longer.” Focus back on you, his face was all so serious. “(y/n), I think we should talk in private.”

Understanding, you nodded. “Okay. Let’s go up to my room.”

Multiple roars erupted behind you, making you jump. You couldn’t decipher who exactly had objected to your suggestion and you were confused as to what the big deal was. Luhan wasn’t a stranger. To them, at least.

“Or not.” You scratched head. “Okay, how about everyone else goes up to their rooms and Luhan and I stay in the living room?”

That idea wasn’t dismissed.

“Okay, then. I’ll call for you guys when we’re through.”

After giving nods of approval, they slowly went up the stairs. Minseok stopped to give Luhan a hug.

“I’m glad to see you safe, Minseok.”

Pulling away, the eldest shook his head. “You’re one to talk.”

Sehun was the last to leave, obvious reluctant to be absent of Luhan’s presence.

“We’ll catch up soon, Sehun,” he promised.

Giving in, Sehun nodded and took the stairs to the second floor two at a time.

“Come on,” you motioned with your head for him to follow you.

Though you had said to conveign in the living room, you didn’t entire trust the guys to stay in their rooms, so you bypassed the reactional room to the breakfast room. Windows made up three of the four walls with a small, round table in the middle, perfect for breakfast at sunrise. It was another one of your little hideaways that the boys didn’t bother you in. With a good deal distance from the second floor and plenty of doors in between, you knew the two of you could have privacy if you kept your voices low.

Once you were both seated, you let out a deep breath.

“Is the part where you tell me that my face is plastered all over every news broadcast as a wanted criminal?”

Luhan shook his head. The small smile on his face was reassuring. He had young boyish features, although from little you could remember from his nearly empty file you’d only glanced at once, he was one of the older ones.

“No. EXO has kept this little jailbreak quiet. They can’t exactly say nine of their human experiments went missing to the public. But they’ve got plenty of manpower to search for all of us without causing a stir in the streets.”

Leaning back in your seat, you sighed. “How much longer do you think we’ll have to stay here?”

The smile faded. “I don’t know. Maybe a week? They only sent me ahead because I was getting restless. We hadn’t heard from Marcus and I didn’t take that as a good sign. He was usually the impatient type. They agreed to let me scout ahead, make sure you guys made it here. I’ll contact my handler and them know you’re safe. From there, we’ll wait for things to die down.”

It would never die down. Dr. Wang herself was a very determined woman. She wouldn’t just let this go. They spent too much time, money, and resources to just shrug and walk away. All of you would be hunted for the rest your lives. Constantly looking over your shoulder, making sure no one was following you for too long, careful not to leave any sort of trace of who you really were.

“How exactly are you going to contact your handler?” you asked, trying to get your mind on something else rather than your future living as a burned spy. If only you were that cool. Or good at throwing a punch.

Luhan dug around his pocket before throwing down a very old and dingy looking flip phone. You didn’t even realize those still existed.

“Burner phone,” he explained. “Untraceable. It’s been specially programmed to only be able to receive calls from one number. Same for any outgoing calls. Only that one number, everything else will fail to dial.”

You raised an eyebrow, impressed. “Nice.”

Leaning forward, Luhan rested his elbows on the table, staring you down and lowering his voice. “(y/n). The reason I wanted to talk to you alone was because I sensed something as soon as I walked into the house.”

“Sensed something?” you echoed. “Like, you smelled something? Or heard?”

He shook his head. “No. You see, my alterations gave me another sense. Not really a sixth sense since humans technically have a few more beyond our normal five.”

You bit your tongue, holding back your snipe. You knew that. You did go to med school.

“But my extra sense….” He paused, trying to find the best way to phrase whatever he was about to express to you. “Well, I guess the closest word to it is empath.”

“Okay,” you chewed on the inside of your cheek, processing his statement. “So, based on my limited knowledge of that word, you can basically feel other people's emotions?” Do not make a reference to that book, do NOT make a reference to that book.

“It’s a bit more complicated than that, but yes. I’m so intuned, sometimes it feels like I can read their mind.”

That made you scoff. “Okay, I believe Junmyeon being able to survive underwater without breathing for an hour and I can understand the science behind Yixing’s rapid healing, but mind reading? Seriously?”

Luhan rolled his eyes. “It’s not mindreading. I can just make very accurate assumptions from what I pick up. It’s more like I can smell the pheromones and the chemical changes in your brain and interpret what they mean.”

“That makes more sense,” you replied, although still a bit skeptical. “So, why are you telling me this?”

Clearing his throat, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Take what I’m about to say and keep it to yourself, okay?”

You cocked an eyebrow. “Okay….”

“I can sense the guys are protective of you,” he stated. That was obvious enough, even to you. “Marcus kept us updated on the situation with you. When the thing happened with Sehun-” he stopped, shaking the thought away. “We were able to realize that the boys would be more likely to listen to you than Marcus, so when he informed us that you were in, I was relieved. I figured they’d be attached to you, but-” he took a deep breath. “You understand that their DNA is mixed with wolf genes and that’s altered their way of thinking.”

You groaned. “Luhan, I’m a doctor. I studied their files and their blood for months. I know they are basically now part wolf. They might as well be a pack of werewolves that just don’t actually turn into giant dogs. What does this have to do with anything?”

He smirked. “You’re right. We might as well be wolves. Our instincts are like wolves. Including our mating instincts.”

The air caught in your throat, making you choke. “Mating instincts?”

“Yup.” Luhan gave you a look of sympathy. “They can get attached quickly. In this case, it’s to probably the first female to ever show them kindness.”

“So, you’re saying that those nine wolves have pegged me as their possible mate?” You were in deep trouble.

Luhan shook his head. “No. Not all. Like I said, most of them see you as a sister or motherly figure. Still would fight to keep you safe, but not romantic in any way. From what I could interpret, only about three of them see you as a possible mate.”

Okay. Still deep trouble but you could keep your head above water. Certain instances popped into your head. You were pretty sure you knew which of the boys he was talking about. This wasn’t going to be pretty.

“My advice,” he continued, “make your position known. Keep your distance. If you only want to be their friend, make sure they know it. If there is someone who you might be growing close to, keep it hidden from the others. Wolves are territorial. We’re all brothers, but they won’t hesitate to rip each other’s throats out if they feel like one of them is getting too close to you.”

You slumped in your chair. A face flashed in your mind and your heart sped up for just a moment. Yeah, you were falling for him. He made you feel safe. He calmed you down and always seemed to know just what to say. But how could you even think that way right now? It wasn’t the time or place for this.

“It’s okay to be getting feelings,” Luhan reassured you. “You don’t have to feel guilty. It’s natural.”

Throwing him a look, you tried to look on the bright side. At least there was now some progress on your current situation. With Luhan’s arrival, you finally had a way to contact the private sector if anything were to go wrong. You had someone here who had gone through a jailbreak before and could provide some very needed feedback, particularly on how not to get caught. Focusing on a love subplot to your life was not going to do you any good. Perhaps if you just distanced yourself from everyone equally, you’d be fine.

No. That wouldn’t work. The boys would pick up on it and ask if they’d done something to upset you. Minseok picked up on your issue with Yixing like a hound on a fox. All nine of them confronting you would just be horrifying.

Standing up, you figured your only choice was to play it by ear. Hopefully it didn’t turn into all out war like Luhan was describing.

What were you supposed to do? Sit them all down and say “hey, so I realize that I’m the only female that has shown you kindness in the last fifteen years and you are genetically enhanced males that are now led by by your instincts, but lets all just try and not be controlled by our hormones for the time being”? You shuddered at the thought.

“Hey, don’t stress out about it too much,” Luhan comforted.

You threw him a look. “I’m on the run from a very powerful research lab with practically infinite resources with nine genetically altered man-wolves who might start acting like it’s mating season. Yeah, I have absolutely nothing to stress out about.”

He smirked. “At least they’re all attractive.”

You gaped at him, unable to move as you watched his back exit from the sun room and into the main house.

Coming to your senses, you followed him. At the base of the stairs, you called up to the boys, “Okay! It’s safe to come down now!”

There was a moment of silence before a rumble that challenged a stampede of elephants shook the ceiling above you. All nine boys in a giant blob stumbled down the stairs before not-so-stabley coming to a stop in front of you and Luhan.

“Why don’t you all sit down at the island to catch up and I’ll warm dinner back up for everyone?”

Several of them nodded. Sehun threw an arm around Luhan, holding him back a bit while the others started for the kitchen. As you went to follow them, Junmyeon caught your eye and gave you small, reassuring smile. You returned it before noticing Luhan’s smirk in the corner of your eye. When Sehun wasn’t looking, he threw you a thumbs up and a look that clearly said “nice choice”.

Shaking your head, you pushed past them and tried not to focus on Jongin’s questioning gaze.

Having an empath around was going to drive you insane.

[darcyfirth]

I'm going to play the prize ball dispenser machine 'caude I loved the last one. So... 15 for Hartwin pretty please? ❤

read it on ao3.

Eggsy shifted uncomfortably in his chair, his shoulders rigid and still like a wall, his palms clammy and only a little bit shaky. Around him, people were either mumbling about how they missed their mums or giggling excessively. The heavy head on his right shoulder, though, was hot and would probably be the leading cause for his impending heart-attack. He sighed and checked his watch, careful to not jiggle his arm too much, to see it was only half past eleven.

Boasters, the lot of them, Eggsy thought, and I’ll never let these fools forget about it.  

Usually, in the history book of tragic events, every bad idea was started as a joke. A dare, in their case. One moment it was Merlin’s out-of-the-blue claim that he could withstand at least six glasses before losing consciousness. The next was Percival’s derisive snort and his clearly worded “as if you could” and now all seven - Dagonet was just an unsuspected casualty - of them were moving two tables together at The Black Prince, because what else could a bunch of bored spies do to spend their free time on a Friday night?

However, merely chugging down beer was scarcely regarded of as entertaining. “Therefore,” Roxy had decided, “we should play games, you know, something simple to take the edge off first, and see how it goes.”

Eggsy volunteered to order them the first round of Gin and Tonic and after he had brought all seven glasses to the table, came to a bitter realisation that the only empty seat left was between Dagonet and Roxy. His Harry, no, only Harry, had happily settled himself at the head of the their makeshift table and was idly reading something decidedly less interesting than Eggsy on his mobile.

The edge, it seemed, was actually never taken off.

Because their very first attempt of playing a fun drinking game was Truth or Dare, and regrettably turned into Truth or Drink without a single protest, which prompted Merlin to nearly annihilated everyone else. He was their handler and the only person with unlimited access to personal information after all.

Eggsy angrily sipped after Merlin’s question, “Who here would you most like to see naked?”

Their second and third rounds were sponsored by Harry, whose choices were Martinis - he and Eggsy exchanged secretive smirks at this - and surprisingly enough, Cosmopolitans. “They’re pretty to look at,” he shrugged. Like you, Eggsy’s traitorous mouth almost added. He prevented it by gluing his lips on the rim of his glass, there was a time and place for it, hopefully.  

They played Heads or Tails and a few matches of tippy cup after that. Eventually, Merlin stood up and declared it was long overdue for the actual challenge that sparked the night’s events. He waved the bartender and once he had the man’s attention, announced, “Thirty-five tequila shots! Please!” and sat back under the dubious glances from his colleagues.

The man is insane, Eggsy gasped and darted his eyes to Harry’s direction, a blessed reflex, and saw him give him a wink.

“He’s like that,” Harry mouthed.

Eggsy giggled and that singular action somehow made Harry’s grin grew a fraction wider.

“Never have I ever,” Roxy chirped once everyone had had their shots delivered.

Several assenting grumbles sounded, Percival just glared at Merlin and said, “Sure.”

They went clockwise, starting at Roxy who was sitting on Eggsy’s right, and ending at Merlin, who was playing third wheel in seat next to James and Percival.

Roxy whose sense of self-preservation was virtually non-existent, said with an air of mock solemnity, “Never have I ever carried a dog during my training.”

With a sigh, Eggsy took his first shot, feeling the alcohol making its way down his throat like liquid fire burning every inch of his insides, and made eye contact with Harry, who also downed his glass in one go.

“Never have I ever made out with one of my colleagues,” Eggsy said with abandon and sat back to watch Roxy, Percival, James, and Dagonet begrudgingly drank their first shots.

“Never have I ever dreamt of anyone at this table,” said Dagonet, and mercilessly appended, “in a biblical sense.”

Eggsy, James, Harry, Eggsy noted with interest, and Percival all drank.

“Never have I ever cried while watching Titanic,” mused Harry, earning himself glares from the rest, who raised his eyebrows and chuckled, “Really? All of you? I’d never guess.”

After that, all hell broke loose.

“Never have I ever had a crush on a recruit,” said Percival smugly. This smugness blossomed into a full-fledge evil villain grin when he watched Harry gulp down his drink. Dagonet also followed suit, sensing the questions from the younger agents, he said shyly, “My wife.” They had been married for twenty years.

James chimed almost immediately, “Never have I ever gushed extensively at my friends about my crush on someone at this table.” It was an oddly specific thing to say, even more curious, only Harry and Eggsy were the only two people drinking this time.

As if a pause would be detrimental to their enjoyment, Merlin quickly said, “Never have I ever wished that crush grew into something more serious, say, a relationship.” And he rested his face on his palm to watch Arthur and Galahad drink before signalling the bartender for three more rounds of tequila.

Unbuttoning the buttons of his t-shirt for ease of breathing, Eggsy was beginning to hatch his escape plan. As a side note, he found himself emotionally invested in the new facts he had gathered about Harry tonight. So Harry had had a crush on someone presently sitting here, at this table, and even told his friends about it, he even wanted more. Normally Eggsy’s brilliant brain would be able to connect the dots in no time, but he felt a little sluggish after four? five? drinks now.

He excused himself to the bathroom, no one deemed it worthy of an answer or a grunt, and so he went.

When he got back, the seating order had changed drastically as well as his friends’ sobriety.

James was now snoozing lightly on his husband’s shoulder, drooling a bit on the thousand pounds suit, but Percy paid it no mind. Next to him, Merlin was doing a tremendous job of holding himself together, his glasses forgotten and his sleeves rolled up.

Dagonet had moved to Roxy’s empty chair, chatting pleasantly with Harry who was in Eggsy’s previous seat. He shot Eggsy a bemused look when Eggsy came to sit down on his left.

“Where’s Roxy?” asked Eggsy.

“Ladies’ room,” replied Harry, leaning closer, blatantly trespassing Eggsy’s personal space, to make sure his words were clear and heard in the noisy pub.

They picked up after Roxy returned, face cleaned of makeup and even a little wet, her suit jacket hanging on her arm and tie loosed.

Anti-clockwise this time, and started at Roxy again.

“Never have I ever kissed both boys and girls.”

Except for Merlin and Roxy, all of them drank. Eggsy sneaked a glance at Harry, who was looking straight ahead with a well-practiced poker face.

Harry’s kissed a boy! Boys! A man. Some man! What man? Who? Eggsy’s brain was overworking itself now, his throat felt dry all of a sudden.

In possession of a burst of bravery, Eggsy blurted, “Never have I ever seduced a person of the same sex.” And almost congratulated himself upon witnessing Harry’s calmly drinking his glass until he saw Roxy’s judgemental eyebrow quirk. Their silent exchange went unnoticed as everyone else was busy with their drink, and because the two challengers had waved their metaphorical white flags almost right after it.

This brought Eggsy back to the aforementioned situation, one in which he had to keep his shoulder unmoving despite the fuzzy sensation in his head. He hiccuped, looked down worriedly to check, and sighed in relief when Harry’s head was resting peacefully on him.

The occupied space on his right warmed up like a kindling fire, a surge of affection overwhelming his heart and Eggsy raised a tentative hand to brush back an errant lock of Harry’s curly hair. His fingers stayed longer than strictly needed, but he knew no one would remember, and hoped that he would, against all odds.      

“That felt nice,” mumbled Harry.

Eggsy startled and whispered a soft, “What?” and jerked his hand back reflexively when it was caught by Harry’s larger one.

“Your fingers in my hair. Feels very nice,” the head on his shoulder said.

Swallowing his entire tongue, he asked, “Are you sober?”

“I’m moderately functional.” There was a hint of a smile there. The head nuzzled closer and hot, tempting breaths reached Eggsy’s neck.

Harry continued, knew not of the tiny earthquake he had a hand in the making, “And I know, Eggsy.”

Eggsy near-shivered, hands and heart felt like they had been violently stabbed by the manifestation of his regrets and self-doubt. He could only wish for Harry forgetting everything come tomorrow.

“In fact, I think you do too.”

Eggsy didn’t response, so Harry filled in the silence himself, “That you’re the only one who’s been occupying my head. Constantly. Always. My thoughts always come back to you.”

“Harry,” Eggsy choked back a gasp.

Lifting his his head, a precious thing, a beautiful thing, at last, Harry looked at Eggsy with clear-glass eyes, not a hint of intoxication hiding behind them.

Amidst the buzzing noise and colours which seemed to fade into a black-and-white background, Harry reached out to smooth Eggsy’s collars, said gently, “And I promise to cease doing so if it is not something you want.”  

“Don’t you dare,” Eggsy croaked. He’d not let himself be reduced to begging.

And since he was never good with words, Eggsy grabbed hold of Harry’s befuddled face and brought their lips together because he needed to, because it was never too late, and because they had paid their due.

And Harry pressed back, sighing into the kiss, opening his heart to receive Eggsy’s feelings, and monopolising the entirety of Eggsy’s heart at the same time.

Someone in the background let out a loud whoop and came a ‘yes!’ from a voice which sounded suspiciously like Roxy’s.  

But Eggsy’s sole focus was on Harry and his lips.

Harry asked between kisses, “Is this your confirmation then?”

“It.” Kiss. “Is.” Kiss. “For everything now.” Kiss. “And for everything in the future.”

Harry smiled, eyes twinkling with mirth, “Don’t forget the in-betweens.”

Eggsy’s heart was unbearably full, “How could I ever?”

Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.  

dialogue writing prompts

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 10/10/19

Animeta!, Vol. 1 | By Yaso Hanamura | J-Novel Club – Nineteen-year-old Miyuki Sanada never had anything to be passionate about until she encountered a certain magical girl anime. Now, she’s managed to get hired at the studio that created it, but training is grueling and the pay is abysmal (and her fellow new hires are jerks). Her skills aren’t great, but Miyuki’s a heroine with enthusiasm to spare and already makes some progress in this first volume. I really know very little about how anime is made—particularly nowadays, where digital technology plays a part—so all of that information and the handy flowcharts were fascinating. Miyuki is somewhat of a cipher as a character, but for now I’m okay with that. I look forward to seeing her skills develop and learning along with her. – Michelle Smith

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 16 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | Viz Media – This always seems to end up on the end of my list of Viz when it comes out, but it’s a credit to the title that it still remains riveting regardless. Yuzu dominates this volume, finishing the concert by leaping into the audience (giving their handlers a heart attack), and then asking the band to go on hiatus for a year so that he can sort out his family issues. We also hear about the fate of his father in greater detail, and see that he and his mother have essentially been pushing at each other without listening. That said, when a band takes a year’s hiatus—especially one not that famous yet—it’s the kiss of death. The solution? Get the new single to number one. This is ending soon, and it’ll be a race to the finish. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 22 | By Kazue Kato | Viz Media – The majority of this volume is a flashback, as the cover might indicate. Still, we also write out Shiemi in this volume, at least for now, and as she’s realized that maybe she does like Rin romantically after all. I’m not sure I trust her in the hands of her family, however. Meanwhile, Rin and Mephisto are going back into the past to see about Father Fujimoto’s past, as well as that of his mother, Yuri. It’s the classic combination of “asshole” and “plucky,” and is quite interesting, despite Mephisto continuing to point out that, being a tragic backstory, there’s only tragedy ahead. I’ve heard this flashback lasts a number of chapters, so next volume should delve deeper into Fujimoto and Yuri’s story. Good stuff. – Sean Gaffney

The Golden Sheep, Vol. 1 | By Kaori Ozaki | Vertical Comics – Years ago, my husband and I were watching Freaks and Geeks when we had a realization: it was undeniably excellent, but it was simply too effective at portraying the shitty things kids do to each other to be fun. The Golden Sheep is like that. Tsugu Miikura has returned to her hometown after six years away to find her former friends much changed. Yuushin has become a delinquent who regularly beats up Sora, who feels like he deserves it for abandoning Yuushin during a time of family crisis. Asari acts on her spiteful jealousy when Yuushin pays attention to Tsugu, leading Tsugu to be ostracized by the rest of the class. It’s painful for readers and characters alike, but mercifully there’s a surprise change of venue at the end of the first volume. I hope everyone’s able to move past their adolescent trauma in the two volumes that remain. – Michelle Smith

Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 7 | By Petos | Kodansha Comics – It appears “once a year” is the new schedule for this title, so it’s probably both good and bad that it ends on such a cliffhanger. Before that, though, we get the introduction of a new character (she’s on the cover): Kaoru, a kijimunaa who allegedly can read people’s minds. She’s had standoffish relationships with her prior classmates, which she thinks is because of this but also may be due to her misreading them entirely. No matter, there’s no way she’s not going to be accepted by this group. Meanwhile, she can also see that Tetsuo and Sakie are very much into each other, and this nudges the dullahan girl into a confession that he pretends not to hear—at first. Excellent title, but man, long wait to get here. – Sean Gaffney

Kaze Hikaru, Vol. 27 | By Taeko Watanabe | VIZ Media – For the most part, I quite enjoyed this volume of Kaze Hikaru. It mostly centers around Kamiya serving as Hijikata’s attendant and following his orders to pretend they are in a relationship in order to discourage Councillor Ito, who has gone into full-on predatory homosexual mode. While I’m not fond of this characterization, I do like that the situation forces Kamiya to get to know Hijikata better. As she witnesses some of his vulnerabilities and moments of supririsng humility, her hatred of him begins to fade. I’m glad of it, as this mindset has led her to make too many impulsively foolish decisions in the past. Alas, Ito turns out to have something more substantial on his mind than bedding Hijikata, and we’re reminded that the collapse of the Bakufu is just around the corner. Too bad it’ll be another year before we get the next piece of the story. – Michelle Smith

Missions of Love, Vol. 18 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – Perhaps being told that it’s time to wrap this up, Toyama finally comes through after a couple of substandard volumes and gives us an excellent one, mainly driven by Yukina finally getting up the nerve to a) tell Hisame to get bent, and b) tell Shigure that she’s written her book using their own romance as the basis. This stuns him, naturally (his mother collapsing during the filming does not help), but I suspect he’s going to take it pretty well, especially after he reads it. Hisame, meanwhile, is acting like an immature brat, as literally pointed out by Mami, and Yukina’s actions end up driving him to his own writer’s block. I’m, actually looking forward to the nineteenth and final volume. – Sean Gaffney

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 12 | By Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu | VIZ Media – A new arc begins in this volume, and because various things are set into motion, it feels a little disjointed at times. Emma and the others make contact with a supporter in the human world and wait for further contact, but it never comes. Meanwhile, they continue their search for the Seven Walls and suddenly, a year and seven months have passed since the destruction of Goldy Pond. I liked getting a glimpse of what’s been going on with Phil and it was neat seeing some human antagonists, too. I also like that Lucas and Yugo have come to care about the kids so much that they’re willing to sacrifice themselves so the children can get away when the enemy finds them. I guess I’m just a little bummed about the time jump and all the clever strategizing we didn’t get to see. Still, this remains a really good read. – Michelle Smith

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 5 | By Negi Haruba | Kodansha Comics – Given that she’s had probably the least development of the heroines to date, it’s no surprise that this volume leans heavily on Yotsuba, who also gets the cover. She shows off a few sides that should be surprising but aren’t really, notably a tendency to put the needs and desires of others ahead of her own needs—does this include her feelings for Futaro? And then there’s the girl from his past, who is clearly a Quintuplet but the hair and false name make us wonder which one. (Honestly, she reminded me of Teasing Master Takagi-san, and it distracted me). Compared to other shonen romcoms like, say, the one I’m reviewing further down, this fires on all cylinders. Well done. – Sean Gaffney

Takane & Hana, Vol. 11 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – The resolution of the kiss on the nose actually ends up being the lightest part of the book, as we introduce what amounts to the series’ first serious villain. Takane’s cousin Yakumo is back in town, and determined to ruin Takane’s life. Oddly, merely exposing he’s engaged to a high school girl never seems to occur to him. Instead we end up with kidnapping, blackmail, and attempted rape. This left something of a sour taste in my mouth, though the sheer ridiculousness of the helicopter did end up distracting me so that I forgot about it. Sadly, I doubt we’re finished with this guy, and I want to get rid of him and get back to Takane and Hana snarking at each other. It’s what the series does best. – Sean Gaffney

We Never Learn, Vol. 6 | By Taishi Tsutsui | Viz Media – Reading this at the same time as Quintessential Quintuplets is probably a bit of a mistake. Magazine has always done better romantic comedy/dramas than Jump anyway, and this is definitely a weaker volume for We Never Learn, as it has no drama to speak of. Instead there are gags about confusing Rizu’s test score with her cup size, a “whoops we’re all naked in the same bathhouse” chapter, and an introduction to Kirisu’s sister whose highlight is that she doesn’t seem to fall in love with Nariyuki—yet. Again, I have heard that the teacher is by far the most popular character in this manga, which worries me—teacher/student romance is not how I want this to end. Maybe a figure skating ending instead? A weak entry. – Sean Gaffney

The Wize Wize Beasts of the Wizarding Wizdoms | By Nagabe | Seven Seas – Out of all of the manga series currently being released in English, The Girl from the Other Side by Nagabe is consistently one of the most striking in both storytelling and illustration. I was therefore very excited to see more of Nagabe’s work licensed. The Wize Wize Beasts of the Wizarding Wizdoms is a collection of eight short BL stories featuring anthropomorphic animals who either attend or teach at an academy for wizards. The stories are largely independent from one another, although they do share the same setting and there are a few recurring characters and events as well. Tonally, Nagabe has achieved a remarkably effective balance between lightness and darkness with these tales. There are moments of levity and endearment, but the narratives frequently also have unsettling undercurrents to them. The result is a collection that can be both delightfully charming and subtly (and occasionally not so subtly) ominous. – Ash Brown

By: Ash Brown