#it was gonna suck either way (whether my sister and brother in law have already talked to them fairly indirectly about trans stuff or they

[capaldiera]

heard my sister reading my niece a bedtime story about "gods good gift of gender" and its kind of fucking depressing like at least at that age i just didn't know anyone thought any different

[oitommothetease]

Invisible String (8/?)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female reader (Modern AU)

Description: James Buchanan Barnes, the owner of the most expensive-looking club in town and your new apartment. He was a dick and you hated him. What could possibly go wrong when you, the new girl in town, start bartending at his club to pursue your dreams?

Word Count: 2.4k words

Your parents’ house was exactly how you remembered it, but again, it had been only two months since you last saw it. Contrary to your usual life, a lot has changed in two months. You aren't working in a cubicle anymore, you're not going on random blind dates that your sister and mother plot for you. What you are doing is bartending in a town far away from your family. You're fake dating your boss who happens to be the most dangerous person in the town, at least that's what you've heard of the rumors, but so far, James has been nothing but non-threatening to you. Yes, he was mean in the beginning, but a lot has changed since then. 

And now sitting in front of your parents with James beside you, eating lunch; you recall Barry's diner and you miss the food there. It's funny because you always thought that this was your home, your family and everything associated with them should make you feel at peace, but you were feeling everything but that. You were restless and anxious, and you wanted to go to that cozy dinner with James where Sally would tell you anecdotes about her life. You wanted to sit with James and watch him debunk the myths about his career that you believed were true your whole life. Turns out, he doesn't cut off people’s dick for disrespecting him. Who would have thought? And you decided that maybe you should stop reading those stupid mafia stories.

James sensed your discomfort, you don't know how he does that, but he always knows when something is bothering you. He brought his chair closer to you in hopes of providing you some relief. And it did, his presence made you feel at ease and you weren't sure how you felt about it. You knew you were dependent on him for comfort since the incident at his club, but being with him didn't make you feel caged.

You always thought that a relationship would make you feel stuck. That's why you never engaged in one, but with James, it felt liberating. Maybe because this wasn't real and the moment this turns real, it'll be a shithole. At least that's what you told yourself. 

“So, what do you do, James?” your father asked, and you nearly choked on your food. James's hand involuntarily reached towards your back, his thumb running soothing circles while his palms patted gently. 

“I own a club and a few other buildings in town,” your faux boyfriend answered, and you were thankful he didn't get into his other business. You wanted to ask about all the rumors in town and why people are so scared of him and why does everyone in the club carries a gun, but you were scared to ask. You feared that you wouldn't like the answers. Honestly, that's false, you weren't scared of the answers, you were scared that what if he closes himself again the moment you step into uncharted territory. And you really liked this fun, caring, swiftie James.

Everybody was sitting silently at the table which was unusual because usually family dinners were the place where everyone pointed out your faults. Carol kept glancing at your parents every few seconds and vice versa. Your brother-in-law, Nick, was focused on the food and their kids were taking a nap.

 You were going to thank your stars for this peaceful lunch when your sister broke off the silence. “So, how did you two meet?”

Every head on the table turned towards you expectantly, waiting for you to explain how you met James. What were you supposed to say? That you met when you interviewed for your current job and he clearly rejected you? 

Before the panic could make its way to the surface, James' palm landed on yours softly, grounding you. Your sister's eyes fell to your hands on the table and she scoffed.

 “We're glad you're happy, but at least don't forget basic table etiquette,” She commented. How could you forget the ‘no hands on the table while eating’ rule? Just when you were about to remove your hand from the table, James held your hand and placed it on his lap, lacing his fingers with yours. 

“Auntie Y/N!” A shriek made you turn behind, and you saw your nephew and niece running towards you with the biggest grin on their faces. Both the kids jumped in your embrace without a care of their surroundings and you stifled a laugh.

Bucky didn't like kids, hated them, to be honest. In his defense, what's there to like, they're always whining and crying, but seeing you attempting to straddle two 5-year-olds on your lap while their mother complained might change his opinions on the subject. 

You didn't like kids either, except your nephew and niece. They were perfect in your eyes, but maybe you were a bit partial because you sort of shared genes with them. You were so focused on the stories Alec and Izzy were telling you that you didn't notice the eyes that were fixed on you. James looked at you with not only adoration, but also devotion. He knew if he kept looking at you like that, he'd be deep in shit, but it was too late now. 

After dinner, you made your way to the bedroom, only to realize that there was one bed. Fuck. You really should have thought this through. 

Before the embarrassment could seep in, James started collecting a blanket and some pillows. “I'll take the floor,” He said. 

You frowned. “No, James. You've already done so much for me. Take the bed, please.”

James pretended not to hear you and started preparing his bed on the floor. 

“Seriously?” You queried, slightly huffing at his childish behavior. “You're gonna pretend you didn't hear me. How old are you, five?”

Without saying a word, James started humming a tune and situated himself on the makeshift bed on the floor and closed his eyes. 

You stomped your foot furiously, yeah, maybe you were a little childish too. Without muttering another word, you made your way towards the bed and tucked yourself in a comfortable position. 

“You were saying something?” James asked, his voice laced with tease, and you huffed at his tomfoolery. 

“Yeah, just how immature you are.”

“Sorry, I didn't hear that. What was that?” you couldn't see him, but you knew he was doing some theatrical actions by putting his hands on his ears for better listening or furrowing his eyes in feigned confusion. “That I'm so smart? Oh, why, thank you. You're not so bad yourself.”

“That's real mature, James,” you murmured, clearly not enjoying his antics.

A comfortable silence fell in the room. The only thing that could be heard was your breathing and the air conditioner that always sucked in your childhood room but your parents never thought it was a primary concern. Oh, yeah, also, you were staying in your teenage room with your boss. You tried telling your parents that you could get a hotel, but they insisted so now James could see one direction posters on the wall right in front of him.

You would have assumed that he fell asleep if he hadn't broken the silence. “I know it's not my business and you don't have to answer if you don't want to,” he paused, wondering whether he is crossing a line by asking you this. “But why do you let them treat you like that?”

You coughed in surprise, you clearly did not expect him to ask this. You thought maybe he was going to ask you who is your favorite one direction member. Anything really, expect this. “Wow, you do not beat around the bush.”

You could hear him shuffling and once he settled you were sure he was facing you. Well, the bed actually. You did the same, turning towards him. You couldn't see him, but it still felt so intimate.

 “I'm honest with people I trust,” he informed and you smiled, thinking about the time when he told you he did not trust you or your intentions.

“What do I get in return?” you teased, although you would have told him without getting anything in return.

“What do you want?”

You debated for a minute whether you should go forward and just ask him so you did. “What do you do?”

You didn't expect him to actually answer. You knew that your relationship (whatever that was) with James had increased from where it was a few months ago. You deeply cared for each other and had mutual trust in the other. But you still didn't know about the actual work he did. Your realtor told you that he was a criminal, a mobster to be exact, and had sketchy connections with the mafia but you didn't know the exact nature of his work. 

He signed heavily and you were ready to drop the subject, scared that it would only push him away again and you couldn't lose whatever you had this early. 

“We provide weapons to the government at a cheaper price, eliminate problems or shootouts that the government is too scared to take the blame for,” he said, voice unwavering but you could sense the tension. Bucky thought that telling you about his work would make you fear him, and he didn't want to risk losing the progress he made with you, but he also knew that if he wanted you in his life in any form then he has to be honest with you. “We don't do the kind of stuff you're thinking of, it's mostly assisting the government to do stuff where they don't want to get their hands dirty.”

“Why?”

“How would you feel if the leaders of your country were involved in shady business?” It was a rhetorical answer, of course, you would feel unsafe, but your sleep-dazed brain was about to muster up an answer but he quickly spoke. “So if it backfires then they don't lose their men and women and can blame it on us, the criminals.”

“So that's why you weren't scared if I went to the cops? Because you kinda work for them?” you asked. His reaction made a lot of sense now, but some part of your brain hoped that he did that for you. That he would defy the police for you. 

“Off charts yeah,” he answered, “Although that has nothing to do with why I wanted you to go to the cops. I wanted you to because what Rumlow did was unacceptable and he should pay for his actions.”

“Wow,” you didn't know what to say. Anything further could push him back to the 'I don't trust you' James and you couldn't risk that. 

Bucky didn't want to elaborate further, “Your turn.”

“Sir, you just set yourself up for the biggest disappointment,” you joked, already imagining his reaction and smiling to yourself. 

“I let them treat me like this because they are my family,” you replied honestly. “I don't have anyone else but them.”

Bucky knew all about the issues that come with family, but he didn't think you'd be the victim of it. Bucky realized that in his head, he had conjured up a version of you that was perfect, so if he were to know you better, it would decrease his crush on you, right? 

Wrong. The more Bucky got to know you, the more he realized you weren't some angel and were just a vulnerable human like everyone, and the more he wanted you, all of you.

“Where does Rumlow come in this?” you questioned.

“His work is dirty like drugs, sex trafficking so he doesn't work well with government or any sort of authority,” he explained, “He's one of the problems they wanna eliminate but can't because he's too powerful. He works with Hydra.”

“Wasn't Hydra a myth?” you queried. You have heard stories about Hydra too, how Bucky was their rival. You assumed it was about territory or money. You know, like in the movies.

“Nah, doll, it's real. He's part of that organization and that makes him shielded from us and literally everyone.” 

“So you're technically not… you know, killing people for fun like the mafia and all? You're like undercover agents,” you concluded and he shook his head, chuckling at the disappointment in your voice.

In your defense, you expected him to be the movie-type mafia boss who kills people for raising their voice but again, this is not a movie. 

“If it makes you feel better, we smuggle weapons for the government. We're still criminals and dangerous,” he articulated, his tone laced with amusement at your reaction.

 “No offense, but that's a horrible career. Is that what you wanted to do growing up?” you asked, yawning, your eyelids becoming heavy from the exhaustion.

“No,” he answered truthfully. “Not everyone gets a choice, doll. My dad was murdered when I was a kid and I was shoved into the business to protect my family.”

 “Where are they? Your family, I mean,” you inquired, hoping you weren't overstepping.

“Ma basically hates me and my sister maintains her distance, but it's for her own safety.”

You didn't ask about them further, realizing his family was a touchy subject for him. You could relate to that. “What do you want to do?”

Out of all your questions and weird assumptions, this took James by surprise. No one asked him what he wanted to do. Hell, he didn't even ask him that, and now someone finally asked him, he didn't know what to answer. You understood his silence, you always understood everything James felt even without it being voiced. He generally hated when people predicted him, he prided himself on being unpredictable but not with you. James wanted nothing more than to just be Bucky with you.

“Don’t worry, you'll figure something out,” you mumbled, already drifting off to sleep.

James turned towards the opposite side. “Sleep well, doll.” he murmured, his breath growing even, matching yours.

TAGS: @bananapipedreams​ @akkinda10​ @rivers-rambles21​ @emmabarnes​ @goodcleanfunsis​ @valsworldofcreativity​ @boofy1998​ @marvel-3407​

[seadragonjade]

Chapter 3: A Shadow’s tomb

I am so sorry that this Chapter come in so very late guys. I got distracted by other things and kept putting it off. So again so sorry about that. I will be posted chapter 4 but not for a a bit of time but it would be as long as this wait was hopefully. Pictures will be posted along with Chapter 4. Also this has be reposted since I freaked out when I didn’t know how to put read more but thank you to the person that helped me. 

Words: 22739

*Next Day: July 19 Tuesday* 

*Beep* *Beep**Beep**Be-* The alarm got cut off by the young Jaden-Drake Etheren hitting the snooze button. He groaned as he got up. “God! I hate getting up for school!” He groaned out as he got up and went to his closet. “Too bad you gotta.” Draco the bearded dragon said as he crawled out from bedding that was right near the tank. 

Drake sighed as he turned his head to the smirking dragon. “Don’t give me that look or I leave you behind.” “Wait, no!” The dragon was a little bit shocked when the green-haired teen said that. “C’mon already sleepy head. It is best for us to not miss the subway.” Xander said as he pokes his head in his friend's bedroom right when Drake was putting on his uniform. “You do know we can take my car right. Traffic ain’t that bad during this time.” Drake told his friend as he turned to face him. “The early bird catches the worm.” He shrugs as he walks away. “That really doesn’t answer me.”

After Jaden got fully dressed and got his shoes on he grabs his bag with Draco in it and heads out the door with Xander. “You do know I’m not a crazy driver like Tanner and Randy. I was the only one who was allowed to drive when Draco is in his jeep form. Sooner or later we’re going to drive in my car.” The shorter teen states as they head to the subway. Xander just shook his head as they got in the crowded subway and headed for Shujin. As soon as they got to Shujin they headed straight to their respective classes. 

*Time skip: Lunchtime*

Once lunchtime rolled around Jaden headed to the board where it showed everyone's grade in their own year. Jade sighed as he looked at the board. “Huh, not bad. Got to remember that their grading system is different from America's.” Drake muttered to himself. “I see that you got that you passed all your exams. Great job Drake-kun.” He heard a male voice say from behind him. The green-haired boy turned around to see Akira standing right behind him. “Oh, thank you Akira-kun.” He told him with a small smile and a pinkish tint of blush on his face. 

Akira chuckled at how Drake acted. “Oh, yeah. Awesome job on getting into the top tens by the way.” He told the taller male as they walked off to go find Ryuji. “Hehe, Thanks.” He said giving Jaden a smile. Once they were down the stairs they saw Xander, Ryuji, and Mishima waiting for them. Once they got to them they began to have a conversation.  “We were busy. It’s not like I could focus on studying.” All the boys looked at Ryuji. “Hey, it’s not my fault my scores suck, right?” Ryuji said, looking at them. Akira just shooked his head at Ryuji. “Mate...I’m not even going to say it.” Drake stated as he shook his head. “What?” Ryuji asked. 

Drake again shook his head. “Alright, I get it is my fault. Anyways, there’s something more important here, Mishima…” Ryuji said, looking at him. “You want to ask me something about the internet, right?” He asked looking back at the blond boy. “Yup, I’m gonna be straight with you here, do you know who Medjeb is?” “You weren’t kidding about being direct.” Mishima states. “Well, I suppose the news about Medjed and the Phantom Thieves has caused quite the commotion…” He continued. “They started out as hackers of justice but now they only look out for their own self-interests. That’s all I know. They were the group I texted Kurusu about yesterday.” He tells them. 

“Nobody’s sure actually who belongs to Medjed. Well, it looks like things’ll be the Phantom Thieves’ word debut, no?” He finishes off with a smile. “Dude..” Ryuji said as he put his hand on his head. “Don’t worry, I’ll be rooting for the Phantom Thieves. I’ll get the forum mobilized as well.” He smiled. “Now if we’re done talking here, I really must be going. I’ll see you guys later.” Mishima walked away. “So that was fruitless…” Morgana stated as Mishima walked. “Agreed.” Xander said as he shook his head. “I second that.” Drake said cracking his neck a bit. “Wonder if anyone else got any info.” Ryuji said as he took out his phone. The others did the same. 

Ryuji: Mishima was pretty useless, you guys get anything?

Makoto: I tried asking my sister, but it seemed as though she didn’t know very much about them. 

Makoto: She doesn’t specialize in cybercrime, after all.

Drake: I tried asking my brother over the phone but all I got was. “Why the hell you worrying about some dumb system. Worry about you and your friends.”

Ann: I tried looking into them too, but I didn't come up with anything.

Ann: There are really just no leads.

Xander: We are up against an enemy that we don’t know of. It would be difficult to use the Nav.

Yusuke: It seems so.

Yusuke: Hm, our opponent is truly elusive. 

“No luck.” Ryuji sighed out. “Medjed, hm?” Morgana pondered. “It seems we won’t be able to deal with them by ourselves”  “I wonder what they could really be.” Draco sighed out. 

*Time skip: Afternoon*

“I know summer vacation is due to begin next week, but I have an unfortunate announcement.” Ms. Kawakami began looking at the whole class. “We’ll be holding an emergency assembly on Monday the 25th. Please come to school that day.” She finished. Everyone began murmuring about the whole situation. “Great.” Drake signed out, flopping onto his desk with his arms sticking out. “Settle down.” She scolded the class. “We’ve had many strange incidents: the psychotic breakdowns, students being dragged into crime rings…” She explained. “Hence, Principal Kobayakawa has instructed all teachers to caution the student body. This is inconvenient for us too, you know? Having to find things to warn you about so suddenly.” She explained. Once she was done explaining Akira, Ann and Drake took out their phones. 

Ryuji: How’re we gonna find Medjed?

Ann: I’m not sure. No matter how hard I look online, all I find are unreliable rumors.

Yusuke: They have carried out corporate terrorism, yet they still manage to elude arrest somehow.

Yusuke: Kaneshiro was a lot of trouble, but this is turning out to be a much greater ordeal.

Drake: That sounds like a lot of famous people back in America.

Xander: We would just have to wait. It is difficult to attack someone if you can’t see them.

Ryuji: Did we bite off more than we can chew?

Akira: They're too big.

Makoto: Yeah…

Makoto: We don’t even know whether it’s a single individual or a large conglomerate of people.

Makoto: And even if we do manage to get a lead, what do we do from there?

Ryuji: Damn, this stuff’s really not going so good...

Ryuji: That’s prolly why my exams’re going to shit.

Ann: You know those are two separate things, right?

“‘Damn, this stuff’s really not going so good…’ Mwehehe…” A young teenage girl said as she read off the group's texts. “Clues on Medjed, huh?” she smirked.  

The school bell ranged and all the students started to grab their stuff and get ready to leave while some got left behind to chat with friends. “If we can’t identify who it is, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s wait till they make a move.” Morgana stated to Akira. “Although I would love to stay and chit-chat with you I gotta go. I have stuff to do with my older brother and I got to meet him somewhere. If you see Xander tell him I got to meet up with my brother.” Jaden sighed as he began walking away. “Alright. Do you also want me to let Boss know that too?” Akira asked, looking at him Jaden nodded as he headed on. He went past many students on his way out. 

He sighed as he walked off the campus. Was it a good idea not to tell Xander I’m going to see Taka… He thought to himself. He walked past Xander who was looking around the area. It seemed like he was looking for someone. Jaden didn’t pay any attention as he walked past his friend. “Hey, Xander.” Draco said, causing the green-haired boy to stop in his tracks and turn around to see his friend. “Huh, oh didn’t notice you guys there.” He said walking up to them. “Don’t worry, I didn’t notice you either. Draco did though. Anyways, what are you doing?” Drake asked his friend. “Well, I was looking for someone. There was this person that I knew online from awhile ago. We were pretty close; she apparently goes by the name Alibaba. She is an excellent hacker so maybe I could ask her to help us.” The taller out of the two explained still looking around. Jaden looked at him. 

“Well, first I don't believe you face time together so you don’t really know what she looks like. Second, she might not even go to this school. Third, she was probably a grown-ass man that was catfishing you. I mean she could be real and fourth, that’s most likely not her real name.” He explained to him with a long sigh. “That would have been true but aren’t you forgetting something?” Xander stated after looking at his friend. Drake looked at him for a minute then realized. “Shit, yeah. Thanks, oh also want to meet him?” Jaden said to his friend. “Yes but that is not what I meant. I was talking about my eagle sense.” He sighed as him and Drake began walking. “One of the games that we played involved voice chat. Since then I have been using eagle sense since we arrived here trying to see her unique tone. From the sound of her voice, she appears to be a girl mostly younger than us.” He sighed again. “No, I didn’t forget about your eagle sense. I’m just saying be careful. Japan isn’t like America. I mean look at the law for the age of consent. 13. So she could be an adult.” He sighs out. “But age can be revealed through a person’s voice. It is rather difficult to explain but whenever I hear people speaking, a younger person’s voice tends to not have voice cracks of different magnitude, some noticeable others difficult to hear. And with Alibaba, her voice was girlish with voice cracks that I can see.” He explained to his older friend. Drake shook his head and sighed. “Whatever, mate. I can sense you’re not lying about this situation. But still...do be careful.” He told him with a sigh as they headed on.

Once they got home they dropped off their bags and quickly left with Jaden grabbing his car keys and them heading to the car. Jaden-Drake’s car was an impala 67 Chevy black. The car was big but from what the inside looked like it could hold up to six people if needed. They got in, Jaden in the driver seat, Draco in a bag next to him, and Xander in the shotgun. They got in and headed out the parking lot and then to the street. The car ride was full of silence between the three of them. Being sick of the silence Jaden turned on the radio and put it on a station he thought was good enough. “...I am not scared you're going to tell me. I’m not scared of the beast and the belly. Fill this cup with ambition. Paint this town with my very own vision.” Xander started singing. Drake just sighed as he heard his friend start singing. 

Man, it’s been quite some time since I sang in front of the others...Maybe I should start singing in front of our new friends...He sighed again as they pulled up to a white building that looked strange to Xander. “Woooaah, I've never seen a building like this before.” Draco stated as his head was out of the bag looking at the building. “It’s a studio building. Meaning where they have photo shoots and movie scenes.” Drake stated as he walked towards the building. “What a building, talk about a skyscraper?” Xander said looking at the building while following his friend. “Wait, a studio that is one building?” Draco asked. “I’m used to seeing multiple buildings being a part of a studio place.” Xander exclaimed. 

Once they entered the building, both the tan boy and dragon were amazed to find a longed area and a receptionist. “Excuse me, but I don't thi-” She was cut off by Drake showing her his I.D. “Don’t worry he’s with me. Can you tell me what floor Takato Saijo is on.” He asked her while he put away his I.D. “Oh, Right. Sorry, Ethren-san. I didn’t recognize you. I give you the floor Takato-san is on.” she stated as she began typing away on the computer. Xander and Draco both stared at him. “What?” Drake asked his confused friends.  “The receptionist seems to know you.” Xander pointed out to Drake. “I’ve been coming here since I was a baby. A lot of people know me here...I also just realized I could have texted him which floor.” He’d facepalm. “That would have been wise.” Xander responded. “Here’s the floor he’s at, have a good day young Ethern.” The lady stated as she gave him a piece of paper with writing on it. 

“Thank you, follow me mate.” Drake stated as he walked away. The three of them entered the elevator and Jaden pressed the button. “Alright, I’m going to tell you guys something. There are going to be actors in this room and some will assume that you're a fan of them. If you want to talk to them and they are rude to you, you have my permission to be rude back. They know me because of my brother and know I don’t take shit. Trust me when I say they won’t do anything to you. They know how my brother can get.” He explained with a sigh. “Oh, and Draco you can’t talk to us in front of them. I'm fine with you talking when it’s with my brother. Also fair warning he does know about the whole Metaverse thing so if he asks you anything about the Metaverse, you can basically say anything about the situation, but don’t talk about the times I get hurt. He is really protective of me.”  He finished explaining to his friends. 

“Don’t worry I will be careful with what I say.” Xander smiled at his friend. Drake smiled. “Thanks, mate.” Once they got to the floor the doors opened to reveal another lounge area with a vending machine. Jaden walked out and headed right. Xander followed him as he entered the door. Upon entering it, Xander and Draco saw a whole staff of actors, carmamen, and dictators. “Cool.” Draco hissed out. Drake chuckles as he walks in further with Xander following close behind. They walked past people not even batting an eye at the three of them. 

Once they were at a table with one of the actors sitting there with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. He had black hair and was wearing nice, dark clothes. “Hey bro.” Jaden said looking at him. “Hey, Drake. I see you brought a friend with you.” The black-haired actor said looking at Xander. “Yep. Xander, this is my older brother Takato Saijo.” Jaden said. “Hi, Takato. I am Jaden’s best friend. It is a pleasure to finally meet.” Xander said as he bowed a little. Takato smiled a little as he nodded. “Hmm, nice to finally meet you as well Xander.” Drake smiled as he watched the exchange. “That kinda reminds me, how's Junta doing?” The teen asked his older brother who sighed after that. “Clingy as ever but we’re working on that. Thankfully.” He answered his brother truthfully. He smiled at his brother's comment. He shifts his attention to the set in front of him, where the director was giving orders. “Now I must ask you two, since I know you’re good friends with him and of course, are like brothers. How is Damien?” Takato asked as he closed his eyes again. Jaden froze on the spot as Draco and Xander looked at each other. Xander looks down with a sigh. “...He..He’s no longer with us.” He tells him while still looking down. 

Takato opened his eyes and brought his attention to the both of them. “Oh...I’m sorry to hear about that…” He paused for a second, then looked at his younger brother. “I knew how close you were to him. Just remember he’s in a better place now.” He said with an awkward smile. “Yeah….”Drake sighs. “Can we just change the topic, please?” He said softly. “Yeah of course. Um...Oh, how's working in the Metaverse?” The dark-haired male trying to change the subject quickly. “Kind of good, besides that incident. Have been helping people out here and there.” Xander explained. “Well, that’s always good to hear. Hey little bro, do you-” Takato was cut off by the director telling him it was his part to do. He sighed and shook his head. “Well, I’ll see you guys later then, I have my part to do.” He said as he got up and walked away. “Welp, that’s our cue to leave. Come on, mate.” Drake said as he headed for the door with Xander right behind him.

*Time skip: Evening*

Jaden was in the shower while Xander was in the living area when he got a text.

Yusuke: So I looked.

Ann: Did you find anything?

Yusuke: As you know, Medjed is a god that appears in the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Ann: Huh?

Yusuke: Its name apparently means “the smiter”.

Yusuke: It seems nobody is actually sure that Medjed is a real name.

Yusuke: On top of that, almost everything else about him is unknown.

Yusuke: Even his form is unattainable.

Xander: An enemy who is unseen.

Xander: It’s going to be rather difficult to get them

Yusuke: Right. An unseen god that flies through the sky and shoots from his eyes...

Yusuke: He truly is an elusive being.

Ryuji: Dude.

Yusuke: Everything about his existence is shrouded in mystery

Ryuji: Wait. 

Yusuke: Fundamentally speaking, ancient Egyptain art always depicted gods drawn in a side profile.

Yusuke: However, Medjed is facing straight ahead in all depictions of him

Yusuke: Taking all of this into account, he seems to be quite the alien being

Akira: Well done.

Ryuji: Hey, there’s nothing to be impressed about.

Drake: Well unlike you there are people who would love to hear what Yusuke has stated.

Drake: Fuckin’ dumbass

Yusuke: I hope that information was at least somewhat useful.

Makoto: Indeed it was.

Yusuke: Should I look into more?

Makoto: That’s enough, thank you.

“Well, I know who I’m going to talk to when it comes to mythology.” Drake said as he walked out with a towel around his neck. “Do you mean Inari?” Xander asked his friend as he watched him sit down on the couch. “Yep.” He smiled.

*Time skip: 7/20: Early morning*

“And here comes another hot day at school.” Jaden sighed as he waited for his friend to get in his car. “Yay and boo!” Draco said with a smile. Jaden chuckled as Xander got into the car and they drove off. As soon as they got to the school, Jaden parked his car in the student parking lot and they headed inside the school building. Once inside there they heard conversations about the Phantom Thieves versus Medjed. All three boys rolled their eyes at the comments. “I wonder who is going to win. The Phantom Thieves or Medjed.” The boys walked away not wanting to listen to more. “I hate that this is what people are talking about nowadays.” Draco hissed out. “They are people bored out of their minds there's nothing we can do about it.” The green-haired teen stated. “We just plan out our next move.” Xander said as they headed to their homerooms. “Right.” 

*Time skip: After school*

The Phantom Thieves have a meeting and Akira shows them the text messages that Alibaba sent to him. “Considerin’ he mentioned stealin’ hearts, he knows, doesn’t he?” Ryuji said. “Seems so...” Makoto. “First of all she is a young female and second of all how do we really know it’s her.” Xander stated, getting a little huffy. “Wait what?” Ann said. “That’s his old friend and he gets defensive when someone talks trash and, or doesn’t know anything about his friends, just continue.” Drake said with a small sigh. “Anyways, how were we found out?” Yusuke said with a hint of anger in his tone. “I wished I knew…” Drake said as he sighed. “Well, he may have traced our chat log…” Makoto stated. “How careless of us.” Yusuke said “It’s not really our fault. Hackers are hackers, we can’t really stop them.” Drake explained. “But how would he have known these details with just that?” Makoto asked. “Do you think that there is another cause?” Yusuke pondered. 

“Yeah. I’m not sure why, but that’s the feeling I get.” Makoto told them in a soft voice. “Hey, is it that easy to look at someone’s chat log?” Ann asked them. “Normally no. But unless they’re hackers or just really good at technology.” Draco said looking at Jaden for confirmation. Drake nodded his head at the young lizard. “I don’t know much about it myself, but...it’s probably not impossible, I think?” Makoto sighed out. “How’s it done?” Ryuji asked her. “Maybe they extracted our phones’ data?” She answered. “It’s a lot more complicated than that, so it’s a lot harder to explain than you think.” Xander told them, shaking his head. “Why’s Akira getting an error when he tries to reply?” Ann asked. “Perhaps the receiving end doesn’t exist.” Makoto stated. 

“That’s possible?” Ryuji asks in surprise. “Don’t ask me everything. I told you that I don’t know much about it.” Makoto told him. “Wait. Might this be, from what Jaden and Draco kept on telling us, is referred to as hacking?” Yusuke asked, looking at the green-haired teen and yellow bearded dragon. “Yes. Again it’s a lot harder to explain then it is to show, and I’m not much of a hacker myself. I just knew people that did this sort of thing.” Drake sighed out as he explained. 

“Then, does that mean this guy’s a hacker!?” Ryuji asked. “Yep. Like I explained, mate.” Drake said. “I don’t get high-tech stuff! What does this all mean?” Morgana shouted. “An unknown hacker contacted us!” Ann told him. “I see. I don’t really get it.” He said. Akira shook his head a little bit after the cat said that. “Then is this person Medjed?” Yusuke asked. “I doubt it, considering he says he wants to “deal” with them.” Makoto said. “That is, only if we take his words for face value.” “True…” Yusuke agreed. “Hey...Wouldn’t it be great if we got this guy on our side?” Ryuji pondered. “That’s...not a half bad of an idea.” Drake said. “But we know nothing about his identity at all. We can’t trust him.” Makoto said, looking at the both of them. 

“I don’t think it’s a bad deal though…” Ryuji said. “I see where both of you are coming from.” Drake sighed. “But I agree with Ryuji. An enemy of my enemy is my friend as the saying goes.” The green-haired boy pointed out. “Even if Alibaba turns out to be a criminal? I am not helping anyone of that sort.” Yusuke stated. “Oh, right. That wouldn’t be good.” Ryuji sighed out. “We have no other choice though. Alibaba is our only way of beating Medjed.” Xander explained to the group. “I have to agree. It goes to say don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Right now we’re judging something based on second-hand information. Aren’t we a group that’s the opposite of that?” Jaden stated to them. Everyone nodded in agreement. “Although, the ‘I’ve prepared the necessary too’ part makes no sense either.” Morgana stated. 

“Could this be a prank?” Ann asked. “He knows an awful lot for it to be a prank.” Makoto responded. “If he knows who we are, won’t we get caught?” Ann asked. “No. If he wanted to report us, I think he would’ve done it already.” The brunette stated. “He must have some sort of objective of his own. He did offer us a deal, after all.” Yusuke said. “I’m certain he’ll contact us again.” He finished. “There’s no telling when he’ll do so, though…” Makoto said. “It’d be best if we stay together if something happens, we can act at once.” She told them. “I have to agree with that. Who knows what would happen if we don’t.” Drake sighed. “Yeah. So, somewhere we can wait and hide for long hours…” Ann stated. “How about Leblanc?” Makoto said watching everyone nod. “Alright, let’s go then.” Akira told the group as they walked off.

 *Time Skip: Evening*

The group walked into Leblanc to see Sojiro leaning on the counter holding a note looking at it. Akira looked puzzled as he walked up to him. Once he walked up to the black-haired adult he put the paper down and looked at him. “...Oh? What’s with the big group?” He asked looking at the group. “Good evening. We were thinking about putting together plans for our summer.” Ann told him. “Hm? Well, I don’t see why not. Just don’t cause too much trouble.” He said to them. “This old man’ll get going and leave you kids be. All right, the store is all yours.” He said as he walked towards the door then leaves. Once he left, they ordered food then sat down at a table. Their food arrives and they set it up at the table then just start talking. The T.V was on which was airing a news channel. 

“We have late-breaking news on Medjed, whose notoriety rose since their statement the other day.” The T.V.’s news reporter said. “Just moments ago, a new message has been released on their website. They have announced their victory over the Phantom Thieves. Medjed also warns any Japanese citizens who praised the Phantom Thieves to stop doing so. We will report any further actions by Medjed as they arrive.” He finished off. “Oh, come on! It’s in English!” Ryuji shouted as he checked his phone. Drake just chuckled as he shook his head. “Let me see. ‘The Phantom Thieves remain silent at our questions. This proves that we are just.’” Ann read out loud. “‘People of Japan, wake up. You must not worship the Phantom Thieves.’” She continued. 

“What!? That’s bullshit!” Ryuji shouted. “Keep listening.” Yusuke told him. “‘We will discipline any who worship them. The punishment is the confiscation of possessions. We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will eliminate evil.’” She finished. “That’s what it says.” She told them. “What does that all mean!?” Ryuji yelled. “They’re saying that they’ll target sympathizers of the Phantom Thieves.” Makoto stated. “For someone that wants to get rid of evil they sure are punishing that they will hurt people that don’t follow them. Sounds just like a cult.” Drake signed out. “Confiscation of possessions, hm?” Yusuke said. “Perhaps bank accounts or personal information...Either way, it won’t be anything pleasant.” Makoto stated. “Why the hell are we being singled out!?” Ryuji yelled out. “Like hell, I would know.” The green-haired teen huffed.  

“Perhaps all they care about is labeling the Phantom Thieves as crooks.” Makoto stated. “That all this wouldn’t have happened had the Phantom Thieves not existed.” She continued. “That’s complete bullshit.” Ryuji stated. “Talk about a troublesome organization that we’ve been targeted by…” Morgana stated. “Isn’t there anything we can do?” Ann questioned. “I don’t really think so.” Xander sighed out. “It’s certain we can’t do anything about this on our own…” Yusuke said with a saddened expression. “Hey, so what’s this letter about? We don’t need any more trouble.” Ryuji said to Akira. “It’s rare for you to get something like this.” Morgana said. Akira picked up the letter then took out the card. He then observed the envelope. 

Nothing seemed strange about it.  “What could it be?” Xander pondered. Akira put down the red paper. “A calling card?” Morgana asked in confusion. “Anything else in there!? Who’s this from anyway?” Ann said. “No, there wasn’t anything else in the envelope and I don’t really know.” Akira sighed out. “There’s no stamp on it. Someone must’ve directly dropped it into the mailbox…” Makoto said. “Could have been Alibaba?” Yusuke asked. “That reminds me, he did mention something about preparing the ‘necessary tool’...” Morgana stated. “Don’t tell me..Is this what he was talking about!?” The blue-eyed feline asked. “What the hell’s goin’ on here?” Ryuji said. “All we can do at the moment is wait for Alibaba’s orders.” Makoto said. “Let’s brace ourselves and stand by...in case anything comes up.” 

“I’m going to repeat this: an enemy of my enemy is my friend. So I guess we’re allying it up with them.” Drake stated. “Oh dear…” Ann sighed out. 

*Time Skip: At Jaden and Xander’s apartment*

“Man, I don’t really like this Alibaba person...Oh, no offense mate.” Drake started as he looked at Xander with a sheepish look. “None taken.” Xander sighed. “Kay, anyways. I wonder if they're just using us to get some recognition.” The short teen sighed out once he plopped himself on the couch. He thought for a bit while sighing again. “Man, this reminds me when we first formed the Hidden Ones. Heh, man, we didn’t understand who to trust and when to trust them.” Drake sighed. “Man, I miss those days.” He sighed again. 

He closed his eyes as he started to remember the days with the Hidden Ones. To him, it seemed like a lifetime ago. He sighed again. Draco looked at him with a knowing expression. “We can’t change the past. All we can do is look towards the future as you always tell us; The past is in the past and the future is in the future.” He told his human friend who chuckled at him. “Yeah, you’re right, I always do say that.” He agreed. “Just think of the friends we have today.” The dragon smiled. Speaking of other friends I wonder what Akira is doing. Drake blushed as he thought of the Phantom Thief leader. “The sight of love. Rather funny to see in your eyes.” Xander chuckled as he sat right next to his friend. 

“S-shut up, and what do you mean by that?” Drake asks him while his face was turning red. “My eagle sense is getting stronger and every time it is always to see your vivid feelings towards Akira.” Xander smirked as he watched his friend become even redder. “W-what?! Dude?! N-no, I don’t...” Drake stammered trying to think of a way out. “You are digging your own hole of embarrassment.” He continued to smirk at him. “Fuck! I can’t help that he’s just too freakin’ cute. Or the fact that everything about him is just so hot. Or how kind he is...He’s just...great…*sighs* I’m helpless aren’t I?” Drake asks as he flops a bit on the couch. 

“Yes, yes you are.” Xander told him. The shorter teen huffed a bit. “*sighs* What makes it worse is the fact I don’t know if he feels the same way.” He said as he bites his lip a bit. “You will just have to wait for the right moment.” The tan male told him. “Yeah, you're right. Anyways, we better get started on our home, god knows we have to before summer break.” Drake explained as he stretched. “Shall we begin?” Xander asked as he grabbed their bags. Jaden chuckles as he grabs his and gets his homework out while Xander does the same thing. 

*Time Skip: 7/21 Early Morning*

They were in Jaden-Drake’s car on the way to school at a stoplight. “Man, I hope today’s not going to suck.” Draco sighed as the two teens were looking out of the window. “Same here. I just hope nothing bad happens. Let’s face it we already have enough stuff to worry about.” Drake stated with a sigh that showed how tired he really was. “I also wonder if everyone’s alright. Learning we have to listen to Alibaba must be hard on some of them.” He huffs out. “We are basically pawns to her right now.” Xander explains to the two of them. 

“*Sighs* I feel bad for you the most mate. You two must have become good friends.” Drake said as he started the car again since the light turned green. Xander looked at his friend then sighed. “Heh, it will be fun when she realizes that it is me that she messed with.” Xander chuckled. Drake smiled and shook his head. “That’s going to be fun when we see her face to face as she realizes who you are...Did you ever give her your real name, mate?” He asked, looking at Xander. “No, my username was either ScarcenXD or Scarenknight.” He explained. Drake nodded as they made their way to the school.

*Time skip: Morning*

Akira, Ann, and Jaden-Drake were all in their class doing what they would normally do. Ann, listening to the teacher, Akira, somewhat listening to the teacher, and Drake, taking a quick nap. Everything was quiet till Akira's phone buzzed. Upon hearing this Morgana popped his head out of his desk. “Hey, your phone’s buzzing!” He told Akira. Akira checked his phone. “*sigh* It’s just Ryuji.” The cat said. The bearded dragon ignored the whole thing as he made sure Drake was still asleep since he stayed up too late the night before. Akira read the text messages to himself and shook his head a bit. He put his phone away and went back to doing what he was doing. While Draco tried walking Drake up to no avail.

*Time skip: Afternoon*  

They were back in class listening to the homeroom teacher. Thankfully Drake was fully awake and listening to Ms. Kawakami. Akira’s phone buzzed for what seemed like the fifth time that day. Drake shook his head while Morgana sighed. “Ryuji again? He just never shuts up, does he?” He huffed out. “Sounds like someone I know.” Draco mumbled as he curled further into Jaden’s desk. Said teen shook his head as he watched Akira check his phone. This time Akira kinda seemed a bit surprised by what Jaden could see. “So, it was really from this guy…” The feline said. 

Drake quickly understood what was going on and shook his head. I’ll learn about this later from Akira. He sighed to himself as he went back to listening to the teacher. “Tell him. We need the name of the target.” He heard the feline say but choose to ignore this time. He started nodding off to sleep until he heard Morgana speak again. “So he threatened you, then just took off!?” What the hell? He thought to himself. “And Sakura..? I feel like I’ve heard that name before…In any case, we should let everyone know about this.” The blue-eyed feline stated. 

Drake nudged Akira a bit. Akira turned his head a bit and saw the green-haired teen looking at him with a confused and worried expression. “You okay, mate?” He asked the fluffy, black-haired teen. Akira looked at Jaden and nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. Just, Alibaba texted me again. See.” Akira said as he showed Drake without the teacher noticing. “Huh, geez. We better watch out then and find out whoever this kid is.” The young teen sighed as he leaned back into his seat preparing to fall asleep. “And whoever this person is, that needs a change of heart, I hope they're ready for that.” He yawns as he falls right to sleep. 

Akira watches the other male for while he is falling asleep. He chuckles at his friend’s continues to keep falling asleep in class. He’s adorable when he falls asleep in class. I wish I could help him fall asleep better at night. The black-haired boy said as he smiled at the thought. I wonder how he would look in my arms. He smirked to himself. He continues to watch him for a few more minutes before going back to what the teacher was talking about.

*Time skip: After school*

“We’re gonna get reported if we don’t do this? What the hell…” Ryuji said after being shown the text messages from Akira’s phone. “‘Futaba Sakura’?” Ann questioned. “Wasn’t Sakura…” Makoto started. “It’s Boss’s last name!” Ann finished it for her. “Does he have any family?” Yusuke asked. “Boss has a kid...that really doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.” Drake said with a heavy sigh.  “Does he?” Morgana questions. “I don’t really know.” Akira said as he put his hand on his chin. 

“For reals!? How laid-back are you!?” Ryuji snapped at him. “Hey, it’s not his fault for not asking Boss in the beginning if he had any family. I mean it is kinda rude to ask that.” Jaden stated, glaring at Ryuji. “Wouldn’t you normally be introduced at least? I mean, you ARE living at his place.” Ryuji said. “Well, his situation does make things difficult…” Yusuke said. “True, why would someone trust a kid who has a criminal record, it is only us that know that the charge is fake.” Xander stated as he looked towards each member of the group. 

The teen green-haired right next time to him nodded. “If I was a parent in his situation, I wouldn’t want them near my kid. Ah, no offense Akira-kun.” Drake said, looking at Akira with a blush of embarrassment in his face. “None taken.” He said as he chuckled a bit. “Anyways, the calling card was delivered to Boss’s house; it’d be more natural to assume this is all related.” Makoto stated. “One of the reasons for that is because Alibaba mentioned nothing about “which” Futaba Sakura. Perhaps he thinks that the name alone is enough.” She said to them. 

“That makes sense.” Morgana said. “I believe it’s adequate for us to think that this is the doing of someone close by.” Makoto said, looking at the group. “I see.” Ann said looking at her. 

“I don't know how Alibaba got a hold of Akira-kun’s smartphone information. However, since he’s ordering us through chat, I do feel as though he’s taunting us.” Makoto explained with a sad expression on her face. “You mean, this might just be a prank?” Ryuji asked, looking at her. “I mean, look at his demands.” She pointed out. “Pay me if you don’t want me to leak who you really are-that I’d understand. But he’s telling us to steal someone’s heart without explaining why.” She explained to them. “So we’re being tested?” Yusuke asked. “I don’t really believe that we are.” Drake said. “Regardless, I think we should ask Boss about Futaba Sakura once.” She said. 

“That’s probably for the best. There’s nothing else we can do at the moment, and Chief might have an idea on what this is about too.” Morgana said. “I’ll check the school’s roster just in case.” Makoto said. “He will probably be mad at us if we were to ask about his family member.” Xander explains to them. “We don’t have a choice in the matter, mate.” The green-hair teen explained. “With that aside, we must make sure Boss doesn’t figure out who we are. We’ll have to go about this cautiously.” Yusuke said, looking towards his friends. Everyone nodded. 

“Well, I guess we’ll see you later. Also, good luck Akira-kun. I bet you’re going to need it.” Drake said as he patted Akira. “Also, boop.” he said as he boops Akira on the nose then left with Xander shaking his head following behind him. Everyone just chuckled or shook their heads as they left. Aside from Akira who stood there blushing a bit. Holy shit that’s adorable. I want him so badly. He thinks as he grabs his bag and walks away. 

“Don’t even think about it Jaden.” Xander said as he jokingly glared at his short friend. Drake just chuckled. “What’s the point when I know you're going to dodge it.” He told him. Draco just shook his head at the two human’s banter. “You two are strange people, but I love you two for that.” The bearded dragon smiled. 

“And you are a strange pet, but we love you for that.” Xander said with a smile as well. Draco looked at him and stuck his fork tongue out. Drake shook his head at the two of them. “You two are ridiculous. But will be my good friends no matter what.”  He states as the trio walk into the school parking lot and get into Drake’s Impala and drive away to their shared apartment. 

*Time skip: Evening*

The two teens were doing their homework when they got a text on their phone.

[Phone convo]

Ann: Oh, I just remembered!

Ann: Akira, were you able to ask Boss about Futaba Sakura?

Akira: I tried…

Yusuke: So, no results. Could there be a reason as to why that was?

Makoto: Hm. Alibaba might be our only hope of defeating Medjed.

Makoto: I wish we could get some info about Futaba out of Boss.

Ann: But trying to force it out would probably have the opposite effect.

Yusuke: To be honest, I owe a great deal to both Boss and Akira.

Yusuke: I don’t wish for this to be a source of discord between them. 

Drake: I owe Boss for allowing me to work for him and Akira whenever he needs it. 

Drake: So I got no complaints with finding out the hard way. 

Ryuji: Yeah, I know just what you mean!

Xander: We have no other choice.

Makoto: It’s probably best to wait for Boss to bring the subject himself. 

Jaden-Drake yawned as he laid on the couch a bit. “This is going to be difficult for us isn’t it?” Jaden sighs. “Most likely.” Xander said.

*Time Skip: 7/22: Morning.*

“Summer vacation starts the day after tomorrow, but don’t forget…” Mr. Ushimaru started up. “There's an urgent assembly on Monday. We’ll be taking attendance. There’s been an unusual number of strange incidents this year. Don’t do anything stupid over break. Got it? Don’t someplace shady like the red-light district, and don’t go to the beach after dark.” While he was stating this all, Drake was dead asleep on his desk with his arms crossed and his head to the side laying on them. “I wanna go to the beach...I wanna jump in some cold water…Seems like we won’t be having fun on our summer break for a while…” The blue-eyed feline said. “That’s true. But all I want to do is take a nice long nap under a shady rock under the sun.” The yellow lizard said as he responded to Morgana's statement. 

*Time Skip: After school*

Drake went to hang out with his older brother, Takato, while Xander was at the school's front looking for someone. He didn’t notice a certain red-haired girl with a ponytail behind him. “Audiotori-Senpai!!” She yells as she jumps a bit. Xander jumps a bit out of surprise then turns around to meet her. In his left eye was fading from its blue glow. “Ohh...what a pleasant surprise Kasumi-san.” He states looking at the redhead. 

“Hi, Audiotori-Senpai.” She said with a sweet smile on her face. “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me today?” She looked at him. “Sure my schedule is open for today.” Xander said with a smile. “Awesome, let’s go.” She said as she walked away with Xander following her. They both walked to the subway and had a nice chat about their school work with Xander cracking a few puns like he usually does with Kasumi laughing from them. Xander smiles as he watches her laugh at his puns. He appeared to have been more relaxed at the moment. 

This whole exchange was making him more relaxed from everything that was happening recently. He smiled a genuine smile. They made it to their stop and got off and continued walking towards the beach. The beach was thankfully not as crowded as it usually was. “Come on, let’s go Audiotori-Senpai.” Kasumi said with a smile as she walked towards the sand with a skip of joy. 

Xander chuckled as he followed her. “Alright, wait up.” He said as he walked behind her. They continued until they got to the sand. “Do you just want to sit and talk some more or have our swimsuits on and have fun in the water?” She asked, looking at him. “Well, the choice is up to you.” He told her. “Well then, let’s just sit and talk more.” She walked towards one of the tables then sat down. 

Xander followed her and sat across from her. “So how long have you known  Etheren-Senpai?” The red-haired girl asked, looking at him. He looked at her and smiled. “We actually go a bit, I think it’s been two or three years now. We didn’t know each other at first but when our other friends knew that both of us liked similar games, they decided to introduce us to each other.” He explained to her. 

“Wow, that’s so cool. You guys seemed like really good friends so I just wanted to know a little bit more about your guy's relationship. Also, how long are you guys going to be here in Japan for? Also, why did you guys transfer to Shujin?” Kasumi asked, looking at him with a smile. 

“Well...For the first question: might be for a year or three. And to the second it’s a bit complicated.” Xander said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, it’s all right you don’t have to explain to me right now if you don’t want to. It’s kind of the same situation for me as well.” She said with a little sad expression. “Which...I guess you kind of know a bit of it.” Xander looked at her and sighed. “Hey come on now.” He smiled as he put a hand on her cheek. “Smile my dear, you are never fully dressed without one.” He closed his eyes and smiled some more. 

It took him a few moments to realize what he was doing when he opened his eyes to see a little blush on Kasumi. He chuckles awkwardly as he takes his hand away from her cheek with a barely noticeable blush on his face. “Whoops, my apologies.” They look away from each other for a little bit. “I-it’s alright. I-I don’t really mind.” She said while she was still blushing. 

They sat there in an awkward silence not knowing what to say after that. Why did I do that, I was blinded by her cuteness. Why?! Why?! I am such a fool. He thinks as he starts blushing a little bit more. Why did he do that? Was there something on my face? Oh god, why did he have to look good when he did that. She thought as her blush became darker. Before any of them could speak or make the situation even more awkward Xander gets a text on his phone. 

Drake: Hey, I’m heading back home from Taka’s place. Do you want me to pick you up from wherever you’re at or do you want to take the train?

Xander breathed out of relief as he picked up his phone. “Uh Kasumi, I need to check something real quick.” He states as he looks through his text messages. “Oh, it’s fine.” She breathed out as will. 

[Phone convo]

 Drake:  Hey, I’m heading back home from Taka’s place. Do you want me to pick you up from wherever you’re at or do you want to take the train?

Xander: Go on ahead and pick me up.

Drake: Kay, where are you so I can come get you?

Xander: By the beach.

Drake: Kay I’ll be there in a few.

Xander: Kay.

He puts his phone away and looks at the redhead. “Sorry, but I have to go right now. Jaden-Drake needs help with something.” Xander said as he gets up and grabs his bag. “Oh, okay. I need to get to my practice anyways. So, I’ll see you later.” She states as she does the same thing. What a relief, probably won’t tell Jaden-Drake what happened. He thought with a sigh. 

“See you later Kasumi.” He said as he began walking to the parking lot to wait for his friend. His face was still red from embarrassment. Calm down already, just concentrate. He activated his eagle sense trying to find the green-haired male’s car. Meanwhile, Jaden-Drake had just parked and threw his head back with a grunt. “Shit, Taka worries too much.” He sighs out. Drake looks around trying to look for Xander. He sighed to himself again. He sometimes hates waiting by himself for his own personal reasons. 

He grabbed his phone to text Xander he was there when there was a tap on his driver window. He looked to his left to see a strange-looking man looking in. Drake already knows where this is going to go. He ignores this man and texts Xander.

Drake: Hey, I’m here.

Drake: Find me fast. There is a strange man at my door and you know how I can get.

He puts his phone down and rolls the window down so he can speak to him. “Yes. Can I help you, sir?” The confused but straight face teen asked the man who was over his window. The guy smirks at the short teen. “Well, hello there little lady.~ Why yes, you can help me.~” The guy said as he leans down so he can get more of a good look at Drake. 

The green-haired teen can smell the smell of beer on him. Great, this is a drunk dude. Just great. He thought to himself as he sighed and looked at the older male. “Okay first. I am a guy. Second what type of help do you need?” He asks as he grabs his metal knife just in case. “Well, you don’t look like a guy. You look like a very pretty girl. A girl that needs something to fill her.” He smirks and it clicks in Jaden’s head what he wanted. 

The young teen cringed as he looked at him. “Mate, I am male. Dick and all. Also, I’m 16. You can’t just go and when someone asks you for help to tell them that they need to have something fill them. Also, you're drunk so I’ll be calling the police.” The short teen said as he began to grab his phone to text Xander to hurry when the man grabbed him. “I don’t think it’s worth the time to bother the police.” He said with a smirk. 

Jaden smirked as he opened his door. The man thinks that the teen has finally agreed to do what he wants. He lets go of him so he can get out of the car but once the teen does he punches the man right in the face then kicks him. The man grabs his face and looks at the teen with surprise. “Don’t try to touch someone that can easily kill you. Well, don’t try to fuck someone at all.” The teen said as he watched the man get up and began to run. 

He smirks to himself as he sees a small dagger fly right past his head and hit the guy in his baggy pants keeping him from running. “Don’t worry it isn’t my Spear of Leonidas. This one is not lethal, it will just make him stop.” Xander said as he smirked when walking up to the car. 

Drake shrugs. “I know. Anyways, let’s get out of here.” The teen huffed as he got back into his car with Xander following to the shotgun. They backed out and drove away. “Well, to get the nasty-ass man out of my head. What were you doing at the beach anyways? I don’t remember you being a beach person. I mean, hell, I have asked you if you wanted to go but always a no, so why did you go now.” The teen asked his friend while he looked for an album to listen to on his phone but kept his eyes on the road. 

Xander did not look at his friend, instead he blushed and looked out the window without the other noticing. “Well...The sounds of the ocean is something I always find soothing.” Xander lied to his friend without really thinking. The green-haired teen sighed when he heard that. “I get it but you don’t have to lie about something but if you're uncomfortable with telling me then you don’t have to tell me.” Drake stated with a huff and left it at that.

*Time skip: Evening*

They made it home and went to their rooms without saying another word to each other. Drake sighed as he dropped his keys on his bedside table then went to his desk to start on his new animation project when his phone buzzed. He opened up and saw it was from the group.

[Phone convo]

Ryuji: Yo, how’d it go?

Ryuji: You find out anything about Futaba Sakura?

Ann: I’ve been wondering about that too!

Akira: Tell you tomorrow.

Ryuji: Woah-ho.

Yusuke: So you did learn something. Fine work.

Ann: I knew we could count on you

Makoto: Akira-kun, thank you

Drake: That’s great mate.

Drake sighed as he sent that text. He really dislikes the idea of going into someone's personal life without their permission since it wasn’t any of his business. He goes back into his project without another thought. He was about to call it quits for the night so he could get some sleep and do something else when he got another text. 

He checked if it was a scam when he saw it was from Akira. The green-haired teen blushed and almost fell out of his seat. What!? Why is Akira texting me!? What time is it?! He thought as he checked the time. His phone showed it was 8:15. He looked relieved but still confused. 

[Phone Convo]

Akira: Hey, Little Dragon, how are you feeling?

Drake: Little dragon?

Akira: Well…

Akira: It’s my...It’s my new nickname for you. 

Akira: Do you not like it?

Drake: No no. I love it, it’s just that this is my first time having a nickname that wasn’t from my family or a shorter version of my name.

Akira: Haha. Okay, okay.

Drake: Anyways, to answer your question, I’m feeling fine thanks for asking.

Akira: It’s alright. I just want to make sure you are feeling your best.

Drake: Aw, that’s sweet, mate.

Akira: Yeah, I know. Anyways, I have a question to ask you.

Akira: Would you...Would you like to have a sleepover at my place? Or would mind if I stay at your shared apartment?

Drake: Um, sure. I wouldn’t mind at all. I don’t really mind where it is as long as Boss knows I guess.

Akira: Great. I’ll have to talk to you in person about the time and place.

Drake: Alright. 

Drake sighed happily to himself with a small blush on his face. Akira had just asked him to sleep over at his or the shared apartment. He sat there rolling on his bed a little bit with joy. He doesn’t remember being this happy before, besides getting to see old family he loved or getting presents as a kid from anything. Drake and Akira texted until 10:30 where Akira convinced him to go to bed. 

Drake smiled and chuckled at his friend’s concern with his sleeping habit. He smiled at the thought of being next to him when sleeping. I would love to be in his arms cuddling up to him and feeling his warm body against mine. He thought to himself as he began to fall asleep.

*Time Skip: 7/23: After School*

Everyone was at the hangout to talk about what Akira knew. “A woman was threatening Boss?” Makoto asked. “Yeah, she was going on about domestic abuse and taking the case to court and stuff…” Morgana explained to everyone. “I don’t know how it is in Japan, but when you want to do that you need a lot of legal evidence, not just the basic information. So, in other words she can’t do that without evidence.” Jaden explained to them. “That is true, you can’t take a case far without solid evidence.” Xander agreed with his friend. “....” Makoto sighed to herself as the three of them made their statements. 

“What’s up?” Ryuji asked Makoto. “It’s nothing.” Makoto said as she looked at the male blond. “So to summarize what you told us, Futaba is Boss’s daughter, and he’s abusing her?” She asked looking at the feline and the fluffy black-haired boy. “I don’t know him very well… Is he really the kind of person who would do that?” He looked at her and sighed. “There’s no way.” Akira said. The brown-haired girl nodded. “I would like to believe so as well, but we don’t have any conclusive evidence, do we?” After she said that Akira’s phone pinged. “Is it Alibaba!?” Morgana asked the messy-haired boy. Everyone gathered to watch the text message. 

[Phone convo]

Alibaba: I’ve given you a calling card and told you the target’s name. You should be ready for this.

Alibaba: Why aren’t you doing it?

Alibaba: I told you I’d help you if you stole her heart. What seems to be the hold up?

Alibaba: I also said I’d report your identity to the police if you didn’t help me.

Alibaba: Are you OK with that? I’m serious here.

Yusuke shook his head with a sour expression. “What a selfish person.” He stated. “Well, he does have information on us…” Makoto said. “Anyways, this Futaba he’s talking about have a Palace? If so, we’ll need keywords to get it. Try messaging him about ‘em.” Ryuji told Akira. 

Akira: Tell me her keywords.

Alibaba: Keywords?

Alibaba: What are you talking about? 

Alibaba: Are you just saying random stuff to dodge the issue?

“What’re we supposed to do about this?” Ann asked with a worried expression. “We'd be able to figure out Alibaba’s identity if we could just meet with him… Try asking him if there's any way we could meet up.” Morgana said to him.

Akira: Let’s meet somewhere.

Alibaba: Meet? With me?

Alibaba: That will be difficult.

Alibaba: I have reasons for not being able to go out.

Alibaba: That’s why I’m contacting you like this.

“He can’t go out?” Morgana asked

Alibaba: Wait I get it.

Alibaba: You steal people’s hearts directly… That might make things difficult.

Alibaba: Extremely difficult.

Alibaba: One moment.

Alibaba: I’m thinking…

Alibaba: Ok. It’s a shame, but I’m calling this deal off. Stop looking into Futaba Sakura.

Alibaba: Forget this ever happened. I won’t report you to the police either, don’t worry.

Alibaba: Sorry for taking your time. Now if you’ll excuse me...

Akira: Wait a second.

Alibaba: I said the deal’s off!

Alibaba: We’re never going to speak again. Don’t expect me to contact you anymore either.

I can’t find an account to send a response to. All I get back is an error message...Akira thought while they still looked at his phone. “Huh…? Did he just shut the whole operation down?” Ann asked shocked after what she just read. “This doesn’t make any sense… Not only can Alibaba not go out, but he won’t let us meet Futaba either?” Morgana said. “Well, it’s none of our business now. We can’t contact him anymore.” Ryuji stated. 

“But...what do we do about Medjed? We won’t be able to get Alibaba to help us with them now.” Ann said. “I don’t know. It seems that we’re on our own for now.” Drake sighed as he shook his head. “Seems like it.” Xander stated with a sigh. “Maybe they were just prankin’ us.” Ryuji shrugged. “They made that huge declaration, but they ain’t done nothing since. I bet we got ‘em freaked out.” The blond stated. 

“You mean they backed out because they’re afraid we’ll change their hearts?” Morgana asked. “Yup. And now it’d just make ‘em look lame if they came out and apologized.” The blond male stated with a smile. Drake shook his head and sighed. “But-” Makoto tried to explain but was cut off by the blond. “I guess with Alibaba and Medjed outta the picture, can we just say this case is closed.” He smiled out. 

“...You do have a point. I guess it is safe for us to relax a little” The Makoto sighed out. The short male shook his head “I don’t think so. I get the feeling that’s not it. I believe there’s more than meets the eye here.” Drake explained to the group. They all looked at him. Ryuji shook his head. 

“Oh yeah, remember Kaneshiro’s Treasure? Prepare to have your minds blown! We got one hundred and fifty thousand yen out of it.” He shouted out. “Holy shite.” Drake said. “That’s awesome! We can really go all out with that kinda money!” Ann said happily. “Yeah! Let’s make up for what happened at the fireworks festival!” The blond smiled. 

“We gotta go eat something fittin’ for the Phantom Thieves’ worldwide debut!” He declared. “Where would be good?” Ann asked hungrily. “Ooh, how ‘bout sushi? I could really go for some eel too!” Ryuji suggested. The green-haired teen’s stomach growled out. Signaling that he was hungry. “Heh, I guess that works with me. I'm kinda starting to get hungry with all this talk about food.” He stated while rubbing his stomach. 

“The best method is to fill yourself on ginger before beginning to eat sushi. That is my master technique.” Yusuke said. Everyone looked at the blue haired teen. “You don’t need to do that this time. Actually, definitely don’t do it, okay?” Makoto told him. Drake shook his head. “Yusuke please don’t do that cause ginger is used for cooking different dishes and you’ll get sick if you eat too much of it. Hell, that's what happened to my family on Christmas.” He explained. “Yeah… probably best not to do that Yusuke.” Xander told the taller male while he looked at him. “I’m all for sushi! You’re okay with that too, right?” The feline smiled. Akira just chuckled and nodded. “Sushi’s fine.” He said. “Then it’s decided.” Morgana meowed out. “All right! We’ll go tomorrow night!” Ryuji said. Everyone nodded in agreement. 

*Time Skip: Evening*

Jaden and Xander were in the living room watching a random movie when they got a text on their phone.

[Phone convo]

Makoto: I wonder if that Medjed business was just a prank.

Makoto: Now that I think about it calmly, it’s strange that they haven’t actually done anything yet.

Makoto: If their goal is to target the Phantom Thieves, they should want to be acting now, given our fame.

Ann: Huh. When you put it that way, it kinda makes me wonder too.

Ann: Especially after they taunted us theatrically like that.

Yusuke: Yes, however, it would be best for us to come up with a countermeasure regardless.

Yusuke: For now though, we should cautiously enjoy the sushi. That is all we can do. 

Akira: Yeah.

Drake: I have to agree but, still…

Ryuji: But that’s no fun…

Makoto: Hm, Yusuke is right.

Makoto: I’m sorry for bringing this up. On the day before our celebration party too…

Ann: Cheer up, Makoto! We’ll be eating sushi like kings tomorrow!

Yusuke: I hope one person in particular is on their best behavior. I’ll refrain from saying who though.

Drake: I second that.

Xander: I third that.

Ryuji:...You better not be talking about me!

Jaden just started laughing after the text message was sent. “Damn, That’s too funny.” He said as he shook his head. “Well...who else would it be?” Xander mutters to himself causing Jaden to laugh even more. “HAHA, damn it dude why do you have to do tha-HAHAH!” The green-haired teen stated as he continued to laugh while trying to calm himself down. “Because I can.” Xander said with a smirk on his face while he watched his friend calm down from laughing. “Damn, it’s very rare to get me laughing like that, fuck.” Drake sighed. His friend shook his head at that statement. “I have done it several times.” Xander said while he looked down at the green-haired teen who was sitting on the floor by now.

*Time skip: 7/24: Daytime*

The next day, two people were standing around talking in what looked like a common area for a police building. One was a female wearing a black business suit and the other was a young male that was wearing his school's summer uniform with a striped tie. 

“You seem quite busy, Sae-san. I take it you’re stuck in the middle of everything?” The young man said. “The Phantom Thieves made a mockery of us when they brought down Kaneshiro… And to make matters worse, Medjed, who has been dormant for some time now, just declared war on them. How much more can they screw us over?” The woman, Sae, stated to the young man. “Stress is bad for the skin, you know.” The young man said to Sae with a smile. 

“Did you come all this way simply to be sarcastic?” The Sae young woman stated. “How about you listen to my deductions for a change of pace? You may think it absurd… But don’t you think the case you’re pursuing and the actions of Phantom Thieves overlap somehow?” The young man asked with a calm voice. “What are you basing this off of?” Sae asked, looking at him. “The one point of commonality across all cases is how those involved have an unforeseen change of heart.” He explained to her. 

“I’ve suspected that myself, but those suspicions are unfounded.” She told him. “I told you at the beginning that this was only a deduction. These ‘just’ Phantom Thieves are riling up the public. However, that is a disguise. Their true goal is terrorist action by way of psychotic breakdowns… Is that too much?” He asked her. “There’s nothing at the moment that falsifies that claim. Have you mentioned this to the police?” Sae asked him. “I’d never tell them such things. The only value I have to me is in their mobility and organizational capabilities.” The young man explained. The young woman turned and fully looked at him. 

“Hm, it seems having you lend me a hand has paid off.” She said to him. “I’m glad to hear that. What about your case, Sae-san? Did you learn anything from the guardian of that mental shutdown victim’s daughter?” He asked her. “Nothing at all.” She sighed out. “I see. Now, what should my next action be for our victory?” He said. “Handle the Phantom Thieves. Without remorse. Use any means necessary to win. That’s how I would deal with them.” Sae told him. 

“*Chuckle* Very well.” The light brunette said with a smile. “This seems to be fun for you. Are you on to something?” Sae asked him. He shook his head. “No, not all. Well then, to our victory.” He told her. The young light brunette male waked away leaving the young woman to herself. 

“*Groans*” Drake makes a noise as he is on the phone. Draco jumped in confusion. “Is Drake okay or...?” He asked Xander, who was sitting on the couch waiting for him. “Isn’t this him on a day to day basis?” Xander asked looking at the bearded dragon. “Well…” “Taka-kun, it’s fine. I’m just going to be with friends eating sushi.” Jaden-Drake told his older brother. 

“Well, I just want to know where you're going for the fact of Medjed. I’m worried since you're a part of the Phantom thieves, I just want to know that you're safe. Look, I know you're 16 and you’ve been here before, just be saAAAAfe- CHUNTA!!!” Takato yells through the phone. The three of them tried holding back laughter as they heard the black-haired male yell. “Make sure you're safe, kid. I don’t want Takato-sama to worry about you too much. You know how he can get it.” Junta said as he held Takato. 

“Hey. Don’t talk to my brother like that when I’m on the phone with him.” Takato yells a bit. “Huh, what are you talking about? What did I do wrong?” His lover asks. Drake chuckles at the two’s banter. “Okay, okay. I love you two bakas.” He chuckles as he hangs up on them. He sighed once he did so. “Man...Every day is getting harder and harder for him to worry less and less about me man.” He said as he shook his head. 

“Is he always like this?” Draco asked the green-haired human. “Most likely.” Xander answered for him. “Well, with that out of the way. Let’s go get sushi!” The short male shouted. The others chuckled and shook their heads. They all walked out of the apartment and to the parking lot to get in Jaden’s car. 

*Time skip: Evening*

The Phantom Thieves were at the sushi bar eating their favorite dishes. “Man, the flounder is outta this world! That texture…” Ryuji drooled as he spoke. “I-I don’t see any prices listed here…” Yusuke said all worriedly. “It’s called market price. Don’t worry ‘bout it; we got the cash!” The blond male told the blue-haired male with his mouth full. Drake chuckled. 

“Man, I have never been to this type of place unless it was a buffet. It’s more cooler than I thought. Any thoughts, mate?” Drake asked his friend next to him. “This restaurant is nice.” Xander said as he ate. “Sooo gooooood…” Ann drooled while she ate. “Hey, is the fatty tuna ready yet?” Morgana said, wanting some fish. 

“Hold your horses. And don’t talk!” Ryuji told him. “Hey, he and I want our food.” Draco hissed at him. “We get it but you're not supposed to talk to you, butt.” Drake told the dragon off. “By the way, Akira-Kun... Is Boss really the kind of person who would abuse someone?” Makoto asked, looking at the black-hair male. 

“That again?” Ryuji puffed out. “I can’t get it off my mind. Especially if it means he could be taken to court…” The young brunette explained. “I understand and get what you're going on about but it’s something we can not help. Boss isn’t someone that seems like he would abuse someone.” Drake explained to her. “It’s very hard to be a bystander in a situation like this.” He sighed out as he continued to eat. “What kind of person is he? Do you truly believe he’d do such a thing?” She asked Akira. 

“No chance.” Akira shook his head. “He doesn’t seem like the type.” Drake nodded in agreement. “I have to agree with Akira with that. Even though I worked with him for almost about a month I don’t sense that he is a bad person.” The green-haired teen explained. “If it’s really true about the abuse, he’d be a no-good jerk pretendin’ to be a guardian.” Ryuji told them. 

“Maybe the chief is the one who needs a change of heart…” Morgana meowed out. “Ooo, I agree with that.” Draco hissed out to the feline. “Wait, it might be too early to jump to conclusions about Boss’s behavior.” Xander said, putting his hand up, stopping the group a bit. “*sighs* We are.” Drake nodded. “Hold on a sec! About that… I actually got curious after our conversation… and checked his name in the Nav.” Ann explained. “Sounds to me like there wasn’t a hit.” Makoto said. “Right. Anything beyond this is his family’s problem. We probably shouldn’t get any more involved.” Ann explained. Drake nodded. “That’s basically what I’ve been saying this whole time.” He said as he put salmon sushi in his mouth. “Wait… You think Alibaba could be Boss’s ex-wife!?” Ryuji stated. 

Everyone looked at him with questioning looks. “He musta cheated on her, and that’s where Futaba came from.” Ryuji explained his reasoning. “Doubtful.” Ann said. The green-haired teen slowly looked at him. “This is one of the reasons why I question a lot of men’s brains sometimes.” Jaden states while shaking his head. “Your imagination has run rampant.” Makoto states with closed eyes. “How foolish.” Yusuke says agreeing with the two of them. 

Akira nodded in agreement while Ryuji looked away. After that, they all went back to eating their food. “Still, this is delicious. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it before.” Yusuke said with a small smile. “Hmm, I’m going to agree with you, mate.” Drake said. “Man, and it’s all thanks to us bein’ the Phantom Thieves-” Ryuji was about to finish when he cut himself once he saw everyone looking up. 

Drake tried to hold back his laughter. “Crap.” Ryuji said. “U-ummm… Ph-Phan… Fantastic! This sushi is delicious!” Makoto said, trying to make a quick save. “Y-yeah! The fish is so fresh!” Ann said, making a quick statement to save her. “Hmph. Everywhere we go, we hear about these Phantom Thieves.” An arrogant sounding woman said, looking at the man right next to her. “What rubbish.” The haughty man that was sitting next to the arrogant woman said. 

“Think about where we are, Ryuji.” The light blond female scolds at the yellowish blond male. “Sorry, it just kinda slipped…” Ryuji told her. “Think before you speak, boi.” The short, green-haired teen explained. Xander looks towards his friend. Drake looked back. “What?...It’s true.” He defended himself. Xander keeps on staring at him. He hints for the fact that Jaden also does the same thing. “Oh, wait hey!” “My apologies for bringing up Boss again. We should just enjoy the food.” Makoto said. Everyone went back to eating their food.

The group finished up their meal and went out of the sushi place. “Xander and I will meet you guys at Leblanc, seeing that I don’t want to leave my car anywhere.” Drake told them. “Unless you want to go with them, mate, then I don’t mind.” He said looking at Xander. “I will tag along with you.” Xander told his shorter friend as he shrugged. Drake nodded with a statement. Akira looked at Jaden and smiled. “Alright, we’ll see you at Leblanc text me when you get there. So we know that you guys are safe.” Akira said to them. I really don’t want anything bad to happen to you. He thought to himself. 

Drake chuckled and walked over to pat his head. “We’ll be fine. It’s not like in America where a lot of people were shitty drivers...Well, I can’t really say that.” He mumbled to himself as he patted his taller friend's head. Akira blushed as he watched Jaden pat his head with a bright smile on his face. Akira chuckled as he watched Jaden mutter to himself. 

He grabbed Drake’s hand so he could stop patting his head. Drake stopped talking to himself when he felt a hand on his hand. He looked up and saw Akira holding his hand and blushed. Akira still held his hand as he put their hands down to their sides. They stayed like that for a few more moments. “Um, dudes?” Ryuji said after a few more seconds of the two of them holding hands. 

Both teens realized what was happening and quickly got their hands away from each other blushing while doing so. “Um, Well...See you at Leblanc...Bye!” Jaden blushed as he ran straight to his car leaving a blushing Akira behind with a very confused group of friends. Xander smirked to himself seeing that he now has teasing material. “See you guys later.” He waved off as he grabbed Drake’s bag with Draco in it and followed the blushing Drake. 

The rest of the group were at the subway station when they heard a young male’s voice. “Niijima-san! What are you doing here?” A familiar-looking pleasant boy approached the group. “Akechi-kun…” Makoto said, turning to face Akechi. “Akechi?” Ryuji stated as he turned to look at Akechi. Ann and Akira followed after him. “You’re the ones from the TV station...Could it be that you’re friends of Niijima-san?” The young man asked them. 

Yusuke turns around to face him and the group. “Do you know this guy?” He asked the rest of the group. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Akechi. Glad to make your acquaintance, Yusuke Kitagawa.” He told the tall, dark blue-haired male. “How do you know my name?” Yusuke asks Akechi. “Well, because I’m a psychic, of course.” The light brunette told him with a smile. “Haha, I’m only joking. In truth, I’m a rookie detective. You’re a former pupil of Madarame, right?” He explained with a small smile. 

“I have actually just recently joined the investigation team looking into the Phantom Thieves. Did you see that Medjed has declared war on them?” He asked the group. “War?” Ryuji asked. “Their website was updated just a moment ago.” He stated to them. “For real?!” The vulgar blond asked. Ryuji took out his phone to check the website. “English again…” He groaned out as he checked the website. Ann took out her phone so she could read the post. 

“Wait what!?” Ann shouted as she looked at the post. “What’s it say!?” The blond male asked her. “Hm? Why do you seem so agitated?” Akechi asked the two of them. “Oh, um…” Ann started to think of something to say. “She’s, uh… a huge fan of the Phantom Thieves. A total nutjob for ‘em.” Ryuji quickly stated saving Ann at the last moment. 

“Hm, I don't know how wise it is to be a fan of groups like them.” The light brunette male said. “What is with these comments?” Makoto asked, looking at him with a stern look. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to butt into your conversation. But I must say, this is an interesting group. Prosecutor Niijma’s sister, an ex-pupil of Madarame, and a few Shujin Academy students… It seems you’re all connected to the Phantom Thieves. Perhaps you have better intel than I do. Ah, yes. I wanted to ask you something.” He said looking at the group. The group looked at him right after he said that. 

“Regarding this whole Medjed commotion… If you were one of the Phantom Thieves, what would you do?” Akechi asked them. “Ignore them.” Akira told him with just a single answer. “That is unexpected… Only a small minority of people believe that is the best decision.” Akechi said. “Sorry to disappoint, but we’re just normal high school kids. If anything, we wanna hear what you gotta say, Mr. Detective.” Ryuji said in a condescending tone. 

“...My profiling of the Phantom Thieves has led me to believe they are a group of juveniles. They have a relative amount of free time after and a hideout to slip away to.” Akechi explained to them. “Furthermore, considering Kamoshida was their first target, it seems they began activity around April. In a way, all I’ve said about the Phantom Thieves coincides with the group you have here.” He finished off looking at the group with a strange face. “What, you gonna report us? This isn’t even the full group, the rest are waiting for us.”   Ryuji said but regrets saying the last bit as soon as he said it. “Shit.” He cursed quietly. “Ryuji.” Ann quietly scolded at him. 

“So you have other friends that are part of this group. Interesting. Also, I didn’t say I was being suspicious of you.” Akechi said. “Good to hear.” Akira told him. “Hahaha, it seems you’re not perturbed in the slightest. You really are an intriguing one. I lack your calm mannerisms… but don’t you think my deduction is an interesting one? I bet we’d make a great team if we worked together.” He chuckled out with a wink. “What!? The hell’re you sayin’!?” Ryuji snapped at him. 

“Well, this has been a valuable point of reference for me. I hope to see you all again. And I wish to meet those other friends of yours.” Akechi stated. He then walked off leaving a very confused group behind. “What was that about?” Ann asked as soon as the group turned around to look at each other. “Do you think he’s ascertained our true identities?” Yusuke asked them. “Nah, couldn’t be. Right?” The blond male said. 

“I’d like to say that it’s simply us overthinking this, but… it may be best to be cautious from now on. We shouldn’t forget that Alibaba was able to discover who we are.” Makoto explained. “True, but it’s not as though he had tangible evidence to prove that discovery. Just keep acting normally.” Yusuke said. “More importantly, things are getting serious with Medjed!” The light blond female stated. 

“Oh yeah! What’d they write!?” Ryuji asked her. “Here I’ll read it… ‘We are disappointed in the people of Japan and their belief in the Phantom Thieves’ false justice. Hence, we shall proceed with our plan to cleanse Japan. This process will commence on August 21st. As a result, the Japanese economy shall suffer devastating damages.” Ann finished reading that part of the post. “For real…?” The blond male said. “Keep going.” Makoto told her. 

“‘However, we are magnanimous. We will give the Phantom Thieves one final opportunity to repent. As proof of this repentance, we demand that they reveal their identities to be public. We will attack if these demands remain unmet. The future of Japan rests with the Phantom Thieves. We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will eliminate evil…’ That’s what it says.” Ann finished. “Sounds bad…” Ryuji said. 

“In other words, if we don’t unmask ourselves, Medjed will attack Japan… correct? It seems they are quite the attention seekers...” Yusuke stated. “What are we gonna do about this?” Ann asked. “If only we could get in contact with Alibaba.” Makoto said to her group. “Our only clues... are Boss and Futaba. Anyways, it’s too damn hot out here. Why don’t we head to Leblanc already? We can talk more over there.” Ryuji explained. They all nodded as Akira texted Xander to explain to Drake and Draco what was going on. 

Xander and Jaden-Drake were very close to Leblanc. Joking around in the car when Xander got a text. “Well, this is bad.” He stated as he looked at his phone. “What? What is bad?” The green-haired teen asked as he looked at the road. “Medjed is claiming that if the Phantom Thieves don’t unmask themselves the future will be very grim.” He explained to him. “WHAT!?” Draco and Drake shouted in unison as Drake quickly slammed on the brakes as soon as he heard that, causing Xander’s seat belt to tighten up on him and Draco to almost fly out. 

His face was shown with shock and was as white as a ghost. “Be careful. Dude.” Xander shouted at Jaden. “Yeah. Sorry, but what the hell...This is like America all over again.” He sighed as he hit his head on the steering wheel. “Just don’t act as aggressively.” Xander sighed as he fixed his glasses and seating position. “Yeah...You're right...Geez” He sighed as his friend shook his head. “It’s just, how the hell are we going to handle it this time?” He begins with his eyes on the road again. 

“Last time we barely made it out cause we ended up turning their heart around. This time though we don’t know who they really are...Man...this is going to be tougher than what I was really hoping for.” The old Hidden Ones’ leader signed out from the memory of stress that the team and himself endured. “I don’t know what to tell you. We just have to wait to see what happens.” Xander explained calming his friend down. The other nodded and sighed. 

“Yeah...yeah you're right...sometimes I wonder why you didn’t become the leader of the Hidden Ones.” The green-haired teen sighed as his other friend chuckled. “You know that I like working behind the curtains while you enjoy the spotlight.” He smiled at him while Draco chuckled. “There is also the fact that you have more experience with being a leader than anyone that was a part of our group.” Draco smiled at Jaden. Drake chuckled after hearing that. “Huh, that’s true.” 

Once Drake and Xander drove up to a parking spot and headed towards Leblanc. Drake sighed as they walked in to see the group was already there. “We went through all sortsa options on our way here, but… Looks like we got no choice but to ask for Alibaba’s help.” Ryuji said to the others. “Question is how do we get in touch with him?” Ann asked with a look of defeat. “He cut off all contact with us after that misunderstanding. Then again, if we manage to steal Futaba’s heart, he may attempt to reach out to us once more.” Yusuke explained. 

“But we don’t have any clues on what her keywords are.” Morgana stated. “Dammit, Alibaba! Where the hell are you!?” Ryuji yells out in frustration. “Actually, he may be closer than we think.” Makoto said. “Huh?” Ryuji questioned. “How so?” Xander asked, looking at her. “Hypothetically speaking, even if we stole Futaba’s heart...How would Alibaba know that the deed has been done? Would he truly be able to discern that just from cell phone messages?” Makoto asks. Everyone looked at each other. “You mean he’d have to meet her in person?” Morgana asked. 

“Alibaba was able to deliver the calling card here. On top of that, he can check on Futaba’s condition. However, according to the circumstances he put forth, he’s unable to meet with us. This leads me to believe that if it would be bad for him if we were to see the two of them together. It seems to me that...Alibaba may in fact be Futaba herself.” Makoto explained to the group. “For real!?” Ryuji asked in shock. 

“So she’s asking that we steal her own heart!?” Yusuke asked in surprise. “I’m going to say this...I am not surprised one bit.” Drake signed out with a huff. “Maybe she wants us to save her from the scars of her abuse? That would be hard to ask directly.” Ann said. “I’d like to meet with Boss… He lives nearby, right?” Makoto said. Drake and Xander look at each other. Draco shakes his little head a bit. “I know where his house is.” Akira said. 

“I agree. It’s real late though. What’re we gonna tell Boss when we get there?” Ryuji asked her. “We’ll say this take-out sushi is a gift for him.” Makoto said. “But my fatty tuna…!” Morgana shouted. Draco hissed a bit. “Don’t give him any of my fish.” Drake sighed.  “I don’t think this is a real good idea. I understand that we need to help her but going into Boss’s private life. Now that is just wrong on so many levels.” Drake shook his head as he looked at the group. 

As much as he knew it was true that they needed to know, it just didn't feel right to him. He can’t really describe it, but something was telling him that something bigger was at play. He sighed as he heard Ann speak up. “No complaining.” She looked at the three of them. “Let’s all go together. Boss may get the wrong idea if Akira-kun and I show up alone.” Makoto said to them. Everyone nods. 

I still don’t think this is a good idea at all. But what choice do I have in the matter anyways. Drake thinks to himself. Xander notices his friend's concern. “This is our only way of knowing Futaba, like it or not.” Xander said to his friend as they walked out. Drake sighed and shook his head. 

*Time skip: Boss’s place*

Yusuke rang the doorbell near Sojiro’s door, but nobody came...again. “Nobody is answering, but the lights are on...” Makoto stated. “Maybe he thinks we are marketers.” Drake joked to the whole group. “Think she’s nappin’?” Ryuji said. “Even Boss would’ve woken up with how many times we’ve rung this doorbell.” Ann said annoyed. “I would think Futaba would have answered by now if she were here too.” Morgana sighed. 

“Ah, the gate is unlocked.” Yusuke pointed out. “Dude, you can’t go openin’ other people’s stuff like that.” Ryuji stated to Yusuke. “But look. The door seems to be slightly open as well. I wonder why. That’s rather careless...” The brunette said with confusion. After she said that a thunderous noise was heard from the sky. 

The Phantom Thieves looked up at the sky a little. “Whoa, it sounds like it’s going to rain...We should get inside!” The black feline stated with a serious voice. “...Do you think that’s okay?” Makoto asked. “Prolly?” Ryuji asked. Drake just shrugged. “I used to do this with abandoned houses when I was still trainin-AH.” He was cut off by Xander elbowing him in the gut. 

“Gonna rain for quite a while. Might as well go in.” Xander shrugged, then glared at him, who’s tempting to flip him off. “My apologies, Boss!” Makoto whispers. Six of the Phantom Thieves walked inside quickly while the other two fell behind in a slow walk. “WTF! Why did you elbow me, mate?” Drake whispered so the others wouldn’t hear.  “Would they not be suspicious if you were in abandoned houses?” Xander scolded back at him. 

The green-haired teen shook his head and sighed. “Whatever.” He mumbled while rolling his eyes. “Hello, sir?” Makoto said. They waited for an answer from him only to get nothing in return. “He’s not out, is he?” Makoto asked. “The door ahead is open, and I can hear the TV.” 

“I hope he didn’t pass out or something… I mean, Boss is kinda old, ain’t he?” Ryuji told them. “I’m a bit worried. Should we go in and check on him?” Ann asked. “I have no clue if that is a good or bad idea considering the fact we did enter without anyone’s permission, but might as well ‘cause if we don’t, I know for a fact that I will later regret it if we don’t.” Jaden sighed out. For the fact that I have morals of making sure everyone is alright and well. He thought to himself. “Please excuse us…” Makoto stated nervously. 

They walked further inside the house to look for any sign of life. The group continued until they heard the sound of thunder, the lights turning off following afterwards.  “AAAAAA!!!” Both Ann and a young female screeched. Draco, Jaden-Drake, and Ann jumped a little after hearing that. “Meep.” Drake meeped. “A scream!? What was that!?” Makoto questioned in fear. “H-How should I know?” Morgana scarcely asked. 

A few seconds after the black feline said that and the grouped calmed down, just by a little bit, they heard a thud coming from somewhere near them. “Did you hear that!?” The brunette asked the group in a scared voice. “H-Hai…” Drake said in all but a whisper rubbing both of his two arms. “What could it be?” Xander asked, looking around. “Let’s get out of here, please? Can we just go?” Ann the others terrified. “What’re you freakin’ out for?” Ryuji asked her annoyedly. 

“I-I-I’m not freaking out!” Ann said with a stutter at the beginning. “W-well it’s either this or the rain. I rather choose being freaked out a little bit rather than being soaked.” Draco hissed out at her with a beady eye glare. “Could it be Alibaba? I mean, Futaba?” The blue eye feline stated. Right after Morgana said that Ann ran back down the hallway past Jaden, Xander, and Draco who all shook their heads as they walked down with Yusuke and Ryuji. 

Drake sighed as he started calming down from being freaked out. Maybe I can ask Akira if I can just stand behind him or next to him at least? He thought to himself. “Um, sorry… Can I hold your hand?” He heard the older female ask the taller male. Drake froze in place when he heard that. He turned around to see Makoto holding on to Akira’s upper arm. He sighed as he shook his head. 

Man, I wanted to do that...Great... Drake pouted with a soft sigh. Can’t always get what you want, I guess. He thinks as he walks next to Xander. Next, they heard a door creak opened. “Eek!” The brunette screams screeched. Jaden, Xander, and Draco shivered a bit. 

“I can sense someone’s presence…” Yusuke said. “I have to agree.” Draco said. “Who is it?” Makoto asked with a hushed worried voice. At first, she looked at her leader then to another side of the room. “Who’s there!?” This time she was even more freaked out. “I can’t take this anymore! I’m leaving!” She yelled out of fear. 

After she stated that there was a noise coming from somewhere that they didn’t know. Makoto slipped down after hearing that. Drake was looking everywhere for the noise while pulling out his kunai slowly. Xander looks around as well and pulls out one of his daggers. Makoto tried getting up but she couldn’t get up. “N-No… My legs won’t move..” she stated out of fear. 

All of a sudden Makoto, Akira, and Morgana felt a presence behind them. They slowly turned their heads to see a dark figure with big white refelted eyes. The next thing everyone knew, lightning flashed revealing a girl with black-framed glasses and orange-colored hair. Even if that was the case, it still terrifies the living daylights out of Makoto. “Aaaaaah!” Both the brunette and the girl screamed causing the girl to run back into the room. Right when Makoto screamed she fell onto the floor and held onto Akira’s leg. 

“Alibaba! Futaba!” Ann yelled to the girl while Makoto quivered. Drake put his kunai away so he can cover his ears from all the girls yelling. Thankfully I’m not freaked out anymore...but I am now going to go deaf because of the screams. He sighed to himself. “Hey! C’mon, where are you!?” She shouts at where the girl once stood. Xander shakes his head as his shorter friend takes his hands off his ears and checks if Draco was alright. 

The poor bearded dragon was curled way back into the bag thanks to all the yelling by both girls. “You’re a hacker, right? Just show yourself!” Ann yelled again. “I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry! PleasesavemeSis…” Makoto stated in a whimper. Drake saw the situation at hand. Fuck, I got to do something to calm the girls down so that way Draco isn’t scared. Poor little guy. Before the green-hair teen can say anything to try to defuse the situation there was a voice that came from behind them. “Are you okay, Futaba!?” The voice of Sojiro yells through the front door. 

“Crap, he’s home!” Ryuji said. Both him and Yusuke ran down that hall with Ann following right behind them. Drake, Xander, Akira, and Makoto stayed where they were with Drake facepalming as soon as Sojiro opened the door and ran partly in. He looked down the hallway, seeing a group of shadowy figures. Unaware of who they were, Sojiro becomes defensive. “Who the hell are you!? Don’t move!” He yelled at them.

“You hear me!?” Sojiro yelled again. Drake and Xander were just shaking their head at the situation, as Boss turned the flashlight that was in his hand. “I’msorryI’msorryI’msosorrySis...Somebodypleasesaveme…” Makoto kept on repeating. She hadn’t yet noticed Sojiro, who had entered the room. 

Sojiro realized who they were and calmed down. “You? What’re you doing in my house?” He asked them. “Ah…” Makoto finally calmed down and realized the situation that they were in. Drake just sighed as he mentioned Xander that they stay put. “You’re…” The older man was trying to find something to say but was interrupted by Makoto. 

“Oh… G-Good… evening, sir… We… didn’t mean… to intrude.” The brunette stated. “Niijima-san!” The black-haired adult said as he looked at her. “Wait, are you two dating?” He asks the both of them. Drake looks in between the to and tries to hold back a bit of laughter. Xander watches and does the same. The young brunette shook her head. “W-We’re j-just friends!” She exclaims. Akira nodded and agreed with her as he slid glances to Drake who was still trying not to laugh. 

“Friends nowadays get that close to each other?” He asks them. Drake just loses it and starts laughing a bit at the whole situation finding a funny story to tell his mom later. “That’s not it! This, um...Things happened… and..” She tried explaining the situation as she was getting up from the floor. As she did so Drake started laughing at the situation. Drake calmed down once the others walked in. “You kids are here too!?” He asks the rest of the group.

Ann was the first to speak before Drake had a chance to after he was calm enough to speak. “Um, we brought you some sushi, but nobody answered when we rang the bell… The door was unlocked too.” The blond female explained quickly, continuing as she continued explaining. “We could hear the TV though, so we got worried you might have passed out or something…”

After she finished Sojiro looked at them confused. “The door was unlocked?” He asked them. “Yes.” Ann told him. “...I do that sometimes. Guess I’m getting old.” He sighed. “Aw. Don’t worry about it. My family is like that sometimes as well.” Drake explained with a smile. Xander nodded in agreement with that statement. “Well, that makes me feel less old then.” He chuckles at that. “Um, excuse me. There’s something we’d like to ask.” Makoto said to the gray-eyed adult.

Sojiro turns his attention to the young brunette again. “Hm? You wanna ask me?” He asked her. Makoto looks back to where the girl once stood. “There’s someone else living here… isn’t there?” She asked. “Yeah…” The older man with glasses paused for a moment. “My daughter” He finally said. “Could she be Futaba Sakura?” Makoto asked.

“You told Niijma-san too!?” Sojiro asked Akira a bit loudly in front of the others. Akira was looking down the whole time while Jaden had moved next to him and put Draco near Morgana to calm him down. “U-Um… is there any way we could meet with Futaba-san?” The brunette asked the adult. “I think we may have frightened her earlier, so we’d like to apologize if at all possible…” She explained. “Well… that’s…” He crossed his arms and closed his eyes trying to think of a way to explain.

Everyone was looking at Sojiro. “Is she sick?” Makoto asked him. “No, it’s not like that.” Sojiro stated, answering her question. Everyone stood around for a short moment as he shook his head and sighed. “I don’t want you all getting the wrong idea…” He explained to them. The older male sighed again. “I shouldn’t have kept this a secret from you.” He told the group of teens in front of them. “Let’s talk at my shop. She’ll hear us if we stay here.” They all nodded and followed him to Leblanc.

*At Leblanc*

Everyone stood or sat around Sojiro who had pulled up a cheer that was at his bar. “Now, where do I start? Futaba’s mother and I knew each other long before Futaba was born. Her mother was a bit of a weird one, but we got along well for some reason…” He explained to them as he continued. “She was sharp-witted, somewhat stern, a little socially inept, but always carefree… She truly was a great woman.” He smiled to himself as he explained.

“I see…” Makoto said. “When something piqued her interest, that’d be all she focused on. She always worked deep into the night. I thought that’d change after her kid was born, but after having Futaba didn’t do much.” He explained. Drake chuckled a bit after he heard that. “If I’m going to be honest here that sounds like how my mom gets when she finds something she's very interested in.” The green-haired teen explained with a soft smile on his face. Sojiro chuckles a bit after hearing that. “It sounds like Her and your mother would have gotten along just fine.”

Drake nodded after hearing that. “I’m sure they would have, sir.” He smiled as Sojiro continued. “Even with that, she always took good care of her.” He finished that off. “Working and watching over a child at the same time sounds rough…” Ann said, sounding sorry for Futaba’s mom.  “I guess raising Futaba alone turned out to be tough on her in more ways than one…” Boss explained. “What about her father? Didn’t he at least try to help her in all of this?” Akira asked him with a few side glances in Drake's direction as he asked that. “There wasn’t a father.” Sojiro bluntly told them.

“Do you mean…” Yusuke asked while Jaden looked at him with a ‘Really, that’s the question to ask him right now’ look. “Well, there probably was one. I didn’t know him though. She never said a word about him, either. She was single when she gave birth to Futaba, and single when she raised her. They were an ordinary, loving family. You could really tell how much she cared for Futaba.” He sighs after stating that.

His face expression became more upset after he sighed. “But one day, she left… leaving Futaba behind.” Sojiro said to the group. “Did she die…?” Akira asked him with a sadden expression. The older adult male took a deep breath before speaking again. “Yes. She committed suicide.” He said softly but still loud enough for everyone to hear. “Suicide...!?” Ann said in shock. “Holy crud.” Drake said with a widened upset expression.

“Threw herself into the street, right in front of Futaba’s eyes…” Boss explained the upsetting news to the teens. Drake froze in thought for a second right after he heard the fact. “Shocking doesn’t begin to describe that…” Makoto stated with her jaw dropped. “That’s gotta be devastating for a kid.” Ryuji stated. “Yeah, the death of any family member is devastating, especially to a kid.” Xander sighed. “So…” Sojiro began, thinking of something else to say.

“Well, a lot happened after that, but I ended up taking custody of Futaba… First, she was so depressed she...she wouldn’t even talk to me.” Sojiro explained. “Was that because she couldn’t get over her mother’s suicide?” Ann asked him. “I kept talking to her though, and she started opening up to me little by little. That’s when I found out… Futaba blames herself for her mother’s death.” He explained to them. “What!? But why!?” Ann asked in shock. 

“That part she’s never told me. I wanted to know what led her to believing that, but I decided not to rub salt in the wound.” He explained. “Then, a few months ago… She started getting real scared, even when nothing was happening. She’d say things like, ‘I hear voices…’ and ‘Mom is looking at me…’” He told them.  “Visual and auditory hallucinations… Have you taken Futaba to a doctor?” Yusuke asked Sojiro. “I wanted to, but she refused. Even when I had a doctor come, she locked herself away in her room. Since then, she’s become what you’d call a shut-in.” He explained to them.

“She won’t take a single step outside the house or even try to see other people.” He stated. “What about you?” Yusuke asked standing up more and turning to him. “She doesn’t even let me come into her room.” Sojiro tells them. “That’s pretty harsh…” Ryuji said. “Futaba is, well, a unique girl. She’s so quick-minded that conversations with her tend to jump from one topic to the next… It seems like she’s always coming to conclusions in her head. There’s a lot I don’t get about her...” He said. 

Makoto nodded to Boss’ statement about his daughter. “So yeah… her situation is why I couldn’t let you in my house.” He explains to Akira while he turns towards him. “Don’t worry about it. You had your reasons, so I understand.” Akira explained to him. “Thanks.” Sojiro smiled at the black-haired teen. “What Futaba needs is a safe where nobody will threaten her. Somewhere she can be at ease. That’s why I won’t do anything she doesn’t want. I don’t make her do anything she’s unwilling to either.” He states as he gets up to stand from his seat.

“Then again, I know that’s no way for her to live. It’s all I can do though…” He said with an upset look. “What does Futaba want?” Akira asks him. “I’m going to agree with Akira on this. Do you truly know what Futaba wants from her point of view and a parent’s point of view?” Drake asks, looking at the older male. “I don’t know. She just asks me for things that she wants, like food or these complicated books… Well, that’s that. So can you just… leave her be?” Sojiro asks the teens around him. They all nodded in agreement. Well not all of them. Drake sighed as he heard Sojiro’s explanation. 

Like we’re going to... We need to help her… No teen should be shut in to believe that they were the cause of her mother’s death. Drake thought as he looked to the side of him. “I’m gonna head back then. You all had better head home soon too.” He tells them looking at each of them. He then walks past Akira, Makoto, Jaden-Drake, and Xander. Once he left, Akira took the seat that Sojiro was just sitting on and sits down. Drake walks up and stands behind him leaning in just a bit.

“I feel awful for prying into his personal affairs…” Makoto stated. “No way in hell he’s abusin’ her.” Ryuji stated. “The reason why Futaba wants her heart stolen must be related to what happened to her mother.” Ann claimed. “So, she’d like to discard her feelings of pain, but can’t do anything about it herself.” Yusuke said, adding to the conversation. “Will changing her heart really help her, though?” Ann asked looking off somewhere. “If we can help her, we may be able to stand up to Medjed.” Yusuke stated, standing up. 

Drake sighed as he thought about it. Not everything is easy to fix. “Maybe changing her heart will help her out, but having her help us out right after helping her is kinda of a dick move if you think about it.” The green-haired teen explained. “It makes us seem selfish.” He sighed out. “But we are in a tough situation, we do need her help.” Xander said. “Still…” Drake sighed out while looking at everybody. “It’s possible, but I believe we should have a better plan.” Akira sighed. “Hold on a sec. Do we even know if she has a Palace? Let’s check.” Ryuji said.

Akira took out his phone to the Nav to see if Futaba did have a Palace. “‘The Futaba Sakura that lives at Sojiro Sakura’s house.’ Is that gonna be enough?” The blond male. “Candidate Found” The nav said after Akira put the name in. “What the…?” Yusuke asked in shock. “She’s got one...” Ryuji stated with widened eyes. “So someone can have a Palace even if they’re not evil?” Ann asked with shocked confusion. “Hmm, yeah. We knew someone that had a Palace but they were the nicest person you’d ever meet.” Drake started as he motioned between him and Xander. 

“Oh... that one.” Xander said, remembering the Palace. “Hey Morgana-” Ann was about to talk to the black feline but as the group looked around themselves, they didn’t see him. “Where’s Morgana?” The light blue-eye female asked as Mona was nowhere to be found. “I haven’t seen him for some time.” Yusuke stated. “So, ever since we went inside Boss’s house?” Makoto asks. “...Somewhere ‘round there. He’ll be fine though. He’s a cat after all. The trains’re gonna be shuttin’ down for the night soon, so we should prolly be headin’ home.” Ryuji said.

Everyone nodded in agreement to Ryuji’s statement. “We have to go to school in the morning, after all.” Makoto told them. “Ohhh, right. The urgent assembly.” Ann groaned. “Tomorrow is going to suck then.” Draco said with a sigh. “Now I wish Morgana was here. Hmph” Drake rolled his eyes at the dragon. “An assembly? What about?” Yusuke asked. “Shujin has been garnering a lot of attention ever since Medjed called out the Phantom Thieves.” Ann sighed out while explaining. 

“So, they need to remind us not to say arbitrary stuff online and add more fuel to the fire.” She finished. “We’ve gotta meet up for every goddamn little thing. Talk about a pain in the ass.” Ryuji stated, annoyed. “I mean, it is our fault.” Ann said sadly. “It really isn’t. They’re just trying to find the littlest excuse to explain to us what we should do and shouldn’t do. I understand that the rules are different from an American public school but they’re still looking for an excuse to explain what we already know.” Jaden explained with a heavy sigh.

Xander just shrugged and shook his head. “Might as well go with the flow… I guess.” He sighed out. “Anyway, let’s contact each other afterward.” Makoto said.

\\\\

////

‘No way in hell he’s abusin’ her.’ The recording of Ryuji’s voice stated. During their discussion the orange-haired girl listens in while typing on her computer. ‘The reason why Futaba wants her heart stolen must be related to what happened to her mother.’ ‘So she’s like to discard her feelings of pain, but can’t do anything about it herself.’ ‘Will changing her heart really help her, though?’ ‘If we can help her we may be able to stand up to Medjed.’ ‘Maybe changing her heart will help her out, but having her help us out right after helping her is kinda of a dick move if you think about it.’ 

‘It makes us seem selfish.’ ‘But we are in a tough situation, we do need her help.’ ‘Still…’ ‘It’s possible, but I believe we should have a better plan.’ ‘Hold on a sec. Do we even know if she has a Palace? Let’s check. “The Futaba Sakura that lives at Sojiro Sakura’s house.” Is that gonna be enough?’ ‘What the…?’ ‘She’s got one..’ ‘So someone can have a Palace even if they’re not evil?’ ‘Hmm, yeah. We knew someone that had a Palace but they were the nicest person you’ll ever meet.’ 

‘Oh... that one.’ ‘Hey, Morgana-’ Right after the recording of Ann saying the feline's name, he jumped out from behind the computer, causing Futaba to yell and Morgana run out the door. 

////

\\\\

Jaden-Drake, Xander, and Draco were all in the front seat of Drake’s Impala. It was silent at first while they were getting home from Leblanc. “Alright... So you guys never told me why you guys can’t tell the others why you're so skilled and know a lot more than you're leading on…” Draco paused biting his lower lizard lip looking for the right way to put it. “You're also keeping the others hidden from them including Him… You need to open up to them...they're really nice to us.” Drake took a deep breath and sighed.

He looked over at Xander. “He’s right, mate... We told each other we wouldn’t keep secrets from them but we are...so why are we?” Drake asked, fully looking at him after he stopped at a red light. Xander looked out the window for a bit before he spoke. “It’s rather difficult for us to be open right away, we have only known them for a few months. I am just trying to be safe.” Xander explained to the both of them. “It’s not right man...they give us so much trust so far and what have we given them...little to none. Hell, we can’t even tell the people we like that we like them because of it... We have to tell them!” Drake yelled as he looked back at the road and drove since the light was green. 

Drake's eyes were starting to water due to the fact that he wants to be with Akira so badly. Xander looked at him full view now. His eyes flash from his light brown eyes to a brownish gold eye color to back to his original color. “It just… people are too unpredictable, you could have your arms open to someone and a few days later they could stab you in the back and take everything from you. I had that happen to me and I… I…just don’t want that to happen to any of us.” Xander shot back at his friend.

He was met with a dirty glare as they made it to their parking lot. “And you think you're the only one. I had that happen to me twice. TWICE!! And you already were a part of the second one...So do you think I don’t know or don't understand. Hell, I had my cousin because of this whole same situation. I don’t want that to happen again.” The green-haired male told him, reminding him why there wasn’t a third person. He was getting really upset. He stopped the engine of the car and grabbed his bag with the partly scared bearded dragon in it.

Draco went deeper into the school bag to avoid the two humans arguing. Xander huffed as he got out as well and shot a glare at his short friend. “I… know… such a thing… experiencing… hell.” Xander said, starting to act differently than from, his usual self. Drake looked and rolled his eyes. WTF is going on!? Drake thought, not realizing what was going on. “Well, it’s not like you’ve experienced it twice in your life or even have your own clan brother, who was supposed to be the leader, backstab your trust when he knew that he could trust your family here. But no, he wants you to continue your training in New York than to follow your late Sensei’s last wishes.” The multicolor-eye teen snapped back at them as they walked into their apartment building.

Once they were inside, they went into the elevator as they continued to argue. “I… know. We…all experienced things that we didn’t want to…” Xander stated, struggling to keep himself from switching. Both of his friends noticed this as they got to their floor and headed straight towards their shared apartment. “I get it dude, but you're making it about yourself and that is not a good thing to do seeing that we both transferred here for a better start and a better life.” Drake states as he unlocks the door.

“We need to let go and find a different path in life.” He put Draco down on the kitchen counter and turned towards his friend. “I mean, it’s not like we’ve killed anyone we really care about in the past. It’s just that we-” With a blink of an eye Xander had a dagger at Jaden’s neck. “Didn’t kill anyone we cared about you say? Anyone we cared about you say?! I ENDED UP KILLING MY OWN SON!!! I WATCH as his eyes started to go pale. Do you know how it feels? As you are trying to kill someone in order to protect your son. As that man pushes you into sinking a dagger into your son’s heart!? DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS!?!?” 

Drake's eyes widened as he fully realized that his friend wasn’t there in that moment in time. He wasn’t fully scared, seeing that this has happened before with others including this man, but never like this. He raises his hands up to where his head was. “Bayek please calm down. I didn’t know that you killed your son but please that was in the past and I am sorry for bringing it up like this.” The short teen stated calmly trying to reason with his friend's other personality. 

“You don't know how it is to have your own family’s blood spilt by your own hands. I had to KILL every… single… one of those bastards that breathed that day in Siwa.” The voice of Bayek said looking at the teen straight into his eyes. The teen sighed a bit and looked around to find a way to escape until his eye landed on the bearded dragon on the counter. His eyes widen in fear of what they just did. 

“Listen, I know how it feels to lose a family member but you need to let go of me because we are scaring someone very close to us.” Drake stated as he motioned to the terrified creature on the counter. “What are yo- oh… it is happening again. Why do I feel…so…lighthea-” Right after Xander regains control he drops the dagger and faints onto the floor. “Wha-Wha-what was that?” Draco asked, still shaking in fear.  

Jaden-Drake sighed as he fully looked at the shaking creature. “It’s something that we didn’t want you to know...and by we I mean them and I.” Drake sighed as he shook his head. It was something they hoped wouldn’t come to this. “Them? What… What do you mean by that?” The black-eye bearded dragon asked the calm teenager as he picked up his friend and led him to the couch.  Xander was starting to fall asleep as soon as he hit the couch. “I…will expla-” He started to snore right after saying that.

Jaden sighed as he grabbed the little creature and went to his room. “So… What happened out there?” The dragon asked again as Drake set him down on his desk and he sat on his bed. “ Listen, we, well Xander, really didn’t want you to find out this way. We were waiting for the right to at least talk about it with you…” Drake bit his lip trying to find a way to describe what the lizard just saw. “What... What you just witnessed...was one out of three different...personalities that Xander has..” Drake signed out. 

Darco looked at the human with his head tilted. “Three personalities...like one of the personality disorties that you were explaining to me?” He asked Drake as he sighed. “Not really. Xander hates this side of himself. He is going to have to explain to you when he wakes up. I can’t really-” He was cut off by his phone ringing. “Who’s calling me at this hour?” The green-haired teen grabbed his phone. He checked the caller ID to find that his grandmother was calling him.

Drake's eyes widened and he cursed under his breath. “Damn it, why now?” He asked with a sigh. “Look, we’ll talk about this later. I have to take this call.” The green-haired boy looked at Draco, who was still sitting on the counter. He is then moved by Drake and placed on his desk while he hits the answer button. “Hello?” “Jaden, Jaden, this is grammy.” His grandmother states through the phone receiver. “I know grandma. I have you on my caller ID.” 

This isn’t the first time Drake’s Grandma had told him that it was her and it wouldn’t be that last. “Well, how should I know that. Anyways, how are you and Xander holding up in Japan?” His grandma asks him. “Good, good. The school work here is hard, but hey I’m getting the hang of it.” He tells her with a small smile. Here it comes. He sighed out. “How are you doing in math?” There it is. “Drake?” “Yeah, I’m still not good at math. I mean, I’m not failing but I’m not getting the best grade either.” 

“Really, Drake why aren’t you great at it. Your father is a mathematician, why can’t you be?” His grandma tells him. Drake just stayed silent with a sigh. “Hello, Drake, are you still there?” “Yeah, grandma I am. Look, I will get help for math. I know a few people that can help me. Changing the subject though, I have a friend that is into art as well as I am and is really giving me inspiration that I need to continue wanting to take art as a career.  I am really happy about that.” He explained with a grin on his face.

Drake’s smile fell as soon as he heard what he’s been hearing from her for months “Oh, that’s nice to hear but shouldn’t you choose a different career path. I know that you want to but I believe you should go this root.” His grandma explained. He bit his lip as he tried to think of a response. “I’m sorry, but I want to be an artist and this is the path that I want to take.” He sighed out as he tried to hold his tongue back from snapping at her. I’m not dad. Stop comparing his past with my present. He thought “I know but listen, I don’t feel like you're going to get anywhere if you-” She was cut by her grandchild sighing out. “I’ll talk to you later grandma. I have to get some sleep because the school has an assembly tomorrow and I need to get up early for that.” 

Drake could tell his grandmother was surprised at this news. “Really, weren’t you supposed to start summer break tomorrow?” The eldrly woman asked him. “I do, it's just that we have an assembly explaining to the students not to be stupid ‘cause of what’s going on in Tokyo right now.” He sighed out. “Well alright. I will speak with you later, bye sweetheart. I love you.” “Yeah, love you too, bye.” He hangs up and groans. 

He puts his hands on his face and falls to the bed. “Goddamn it.” Drake sighed out. He stays like that for a few minutes then gets up and grabs his motorcycle helmet, jacket, and keys. Then, heads out the door without a word to anyone. The green-haired teen goes down to the parking lot to his motorcycle. 

Drake starts the motorcycle up and speeds out of the parking lot and into the quiet city streets. He was going to drive through the city to clear out his thoughts. Having done this time and time again he rides through parts of the city that seem lively during the day but are so quiet during this time. He doesn’t know where he is heading, all he knows is that he needs his head cleared. 

He stopped at a place where parts of the city could be seen from far away. He proceeds to take his helmet off, watching the city. “The city always looked so beautiful from this view, huh?” He smiled not expecting any answers. “This isn’t really you get to see.” “It sure is. Now speaking of sights that are rarely seen, what are you doing here Jaden-Drake?” A voice of an adult male said right behind Drake.

Jaden turned around, about to throw a shuriken when he saw who was talking. “Whew, you scared me, mate.” He sighed out as he turned to the male that was right behind him. “Please don’t do that because I can hurt and or kill you easily like that and I don't want that.” He chuckled. “Yeah, wouldn’t be a good thing, huh.”

*Time skip: 7/25: Early Morning*

“Man, I wish we didn’t have to go to this dumb assembly.” Draco hissed out as he stuck his head out of Drake’s bag. “Well, it’s cause of the stupid school wanting to scare us into following its rules. Like usual.” Drake stated as Xander and him followed the other students. “They just want to make sure that the students don’t say anything dumb to the press due to the whole Kamoshida and Kaneshiro incidents.” Xander said as they moved a head. 

“That too, but still it’s not like the press would want to ask some of the students. It’s not like we have any relation towards the Kaneshiro one.” Drake stated. “Anyways, are...are we not going to talk about what happened last night?” Draco asks the two teens. Drake bit his lip and looked at Xander. Xander rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Tis, not the time for that. Too many people could be listening.” Xander explained.

Drake nodded in agreement. “Hmm, I agree. When you're in our line of work you don’t know who you can trust outside of your group. That’s a fact that is true.” The green-haired teen started looking around. He goes into a whisper where only Xander and Draco can hear. “Trust me when I say you don’t know when an enemy is hiding in the shadows.”

Draco rolled his eyes at Jaden-Drake as he made his statement. “Well can you at least tell me where you ran off to last night?” The bearded dragon asked. Drake sighed and bit his lip. “There is a time and a place for everything now is not the time.” Xander stated. Draco huffed and nodded as they entered the school to hear murmurs of students compiling. 

*Time skip: Daytime*

After the assembly, the Phantom Thieves sat around Akira’s room eating lunch. “Man, that assembly had me bored to tears.” Ryuji stated. “I basically fell asleep through the whole thing.” Drake sighed out as he put his head down on the chair. “Huh? Did you have school too, Yusuke?” Ann asked him. “I’m doing laundry, so these are the only clothes I had to wear.” Yusuke explains. “I can relate.” Drake said, raising his hand.  “You really should buy a couple more outfits…” The blond female stated to Yusuke.

“Come now, we didn’t gather here to make small talk, now did we?” Makoto asked the three of them. “Let’s get to Alibaba’s case.” “Well then, I’ll start. It looks like Futaba was listening in to Leblanc.” Morgana stated. “But, why would she want to listen in on the cafe?” Ann asked. “I have no idea.” The feline stated. “It’s just like Boss said… She’s a tough nut to crack.” Ryuji said. “In any case, her hacking skills will be absolutely necessary if we wish to stand up to Medjed.” Makoto stated. 

“Going by what she has told us, we may even be able to identify who they are.” Makoto continued. “We’ll have to trust in her skills for now, then.”  Yusuke said looking at the table. “Anyway, we found out that Futaba has a Palace… but someone who isn’t evil have one?” Ann asks. “That does not matter. A Palace is the materialization of distorted cognitions brought about by strong desires… That’s all.” Morgana stated. “It just so happens that a lot of warped people turn out evil.” 

Makoto closed her eyes out of worry. “She’s so young though… The pain she’s gone through must be the cause of her distortion.” She stated. “Maybe that has something to do with why she calls herself Alibaba.” The blond female stated. “According to the chief’s story, Futaba has auditory and visual hallucinations, right?” The feline started up. “There’s a chance those are related to some important memories she’s holding. It’s hard to explain… but those memories may have been warped by the distortions.” Morgana tried his best to explain with what he could.

“Basically we just gotta steal her Treasure, right?” Ryuji stated. “Well, yeah.” Morgana stated. “So do we all agree about taking on Futaba’s Palace?” Ann asked. “She asked us to do so. I don’t think that part is an issue.” Makoto began. “If we heal Futaba’s heart, it will not only help Boss, but she can then assist us with Medjed.” She stated. “I agree.” Yusuke said. Xander and Drake nodded in agreement. “Likewise, mate.” Drake said. 

“I’ve been wonderin’ about how Boss said ‘a lot happened’ after Futaba’s mom died too.” The yellowish blond male stated. “Hold on a second. Our investigation of her Palace may not go like anything we’ve done up to this point.” Morgana explained. “Why’s that?” Ryuji asked the feline. “Having an individual ask you to steal their heart is an extremely irregular case.” The feline started. 

“There’s no telling what the Palace ruler’s disposition will be like, or the distortion that’ll be there. We may run into some unforeseen situations. Do you still want to go in?” Morgana questioned all of them. “Yeah, let’s do it.” Akira said to him. Drake nodded in agreement. “I agree. I don’t believe we really have anything to lose for.” The green-haired male said. “All right. Let’s just make sure we’re cautious.” Morgana told the group. “Well, let’s get crackin’ on those keywords, huh?” Ryuji said. 

Makoto pushed her hair back and looked around the group. “The ones we have at the moment are ‘Futaba Sakura’ and ‘Sojiro Sakura’s house’” She explained. “We got the ‘who’ and the ‘where’ so all that’s left is the ‘what,’ right?” Ryuji asked them. “That would be correct.” Drake shrugged. “Let us try going to their house first.” Yusuke stated. “Boss is busy running the cafe, isn’t he? We should make sure he doesn’t suspect anything.” Ann told them. 

The rest of the group gets up and heads for the stairs. While Akira and Morgana stay behind a bit to talk. Drake just looks at the two then heads down with the rest. “Speaking of important memories. Do the two of you think I’ll everything back if...if I was like you guys?” Draco asks. “You know besides being human. Being confident, strong, and not afraid of taking a risk?”

Drake and Xander looked at each other then back at the bearded dragon. “We have to just wait to see.” The tan teen tells Draco. “I’m going to have to agree with Xander. We really don’t know what the future holds, for right now we just have to sit and wait.” The green-haired teen explains. Draco just nods at the two's reasoning. “Anyways, hey Xander, how do you feel finally meeting your online friend in real life?” The dragon asked. “It will be fun.” Xander smirks as Drake just chuckled.

The Phantom Thieves made it to Sojiro’s house. Ready to go into the young Futaba’s Palace. “Now, the last keyword…” Makoto muttered. “She’s a shut-in, so we just gotta figure out ‘what’ she thinks her house is. If she can’t get out, maybe a prison?” Ryuji asks. The nav stated it wasn't correct. “Perhaps a labyrinth with an unknown exit?” The dark brunette suggested. Again the nav stated that the answer was not correct. “Hmm… Maybe an oasis?” Ann pondered. The nav stated that it wasn’t the right one either. 

“Nothing so far. In that case, how about hell?” Yusuke asks. Drake looked over at the slender man. “Dude.” He states. Akira shakes his head as the nav states permission is denied. “We don’t have nearly enough clues…” Ann sighed out. “If only we could ask her directly…” Yusuke stated. “We can. C’mon, let’s go see Futaba.” Ryuji declared. “But what will we say to get in?” Makoto asked. 

“Whaddya mean? We’re sneakin’ in.” Ryuji said. Which causes Jaden to smirk. “I like your style.” He tells Ryuji as he wraps his arm over Ryuji’s shoulder. The blond male chuckles at the shorter males action. Xander just shakes his head. While Akira side glares Ryuji. “You both have to be joking.” Makoto stared at them in disbelief. “Won’t the door be locked for sure this time?” She asked. “I’ll take care of that. Oh, and I figured out where Futaba’s room was when I snuck in last night.” Morgana said. 

Makoto looks up at the feline. “What if we run into Boss, thought? There’s no way we’ll be able to avoid his questions.” Makoto explains. “He’s at work now, so I think we should be fine.” Ann explained. “Gettin’ cold feet, Makoto? Don’t worry, it’ll be nothing. We’ve gone through loads of shits like this already.” Ryuji tells her. “Yeah, just remember I’ve done this stuff before loads of time. It gets easier the more you do it.” Drake explained. “Ditto.” Xander said. 

Makoto looked around the whole group then closed her eyes and brought her hand up to her chin. “...This is our only choice, right? I suppose Futaba did get in contact with Akira-kun… Perhaps she’ll at least be willing to speak with him…” She said. “...Very well. Let’s do this.” The brunette sighs out. Everyone nodded in agreement. They all walked inside Sojiro’s house and followed Morgana to Futaba’s room.

The group stood in front of a door that had a sign and caution tape around her door. “This is Futaba’s room.” Morgana told them. “Futaba-chan? You’re in there, right?” Makoto stated as she knocked on the door. “There’s no answer…” The blue-eyed feline states. “Futaba-chan. Are you there? I’m sorry for being startled and screaming yesterday. It was so dark that O got scared.” The brunette tells Futaba through the door. 

“No reaction whatsoever.” Yusuke states. “I mean can you blame her this is most likely the first time in at least a few years she heard other people’s voices besides her caretaker.”  Drake explained while looking straight at the door. “This is gonna be hard…” Ryuji sighed out. “You're listening, right, Alibaba?” Makoto tries to reach out for the fourth time. Right after that knock, Akira gets a text on his phone. “Is it Alibaba?” Makoto asks Akira while he pulls out his phone. 

After Akire checks the message on his phone, Makoto turns to the door. “You’re Futaba Sakura, aren’t you?” She asks again. “She’s not responding again.” Yusuke says. “Does she not like us saying her name?” Ann asks. “We don’t have time to dally around. We need her keyword before dealing with Alibaba’s identity.” Morgana snapped. “We want to learn more about you. If we don’t do so, we can’t steal your heart. The reason why we came here is because we need the keyword to enter your Palace. That’s why we want to talk with Futaba Sakura herself, and not Alibaba.” Makoto explains to Futaba.

Drake lets out a sigh. “She’s right, chickareta. We really do want to help you out here.” He tells her. “You don’t have to show yourself. Just answer some questions for us. Chat messages are fine.” Makoto adds on. 

Futaba/Alibaba: Ok

“All right then… Our leader, the guy who lives in Leblanc’s attic, wants to speak with you. We’re counting on you, Akira-kun. Try and get a keyword out of her.” Makoto tells Akira. 

Futaba/Alibaba: What do you want to hear?

Akira: How's living in this house?

Futaba/Alibaba: It’s painful…

Akira: Why not go out?

Futaba/Alibaba: I can’t leave this place

Futaba/Alibaba: I’m going to die here.

“Wha… Die?” Ann asks

Futaba/Alibaba: Is this going to continue? 

Akira: Die?

Futaba/Alibaba: That’s right. I’m definitely going to die here.

Futaba/Alibaba: This place is my tomb.

“Tomb?” Makoto asks. “You think that’s it?” Ryuji asks. “Try entering ‘tomb.’” Morgana tells Akira. “Input accepted. Searching for route to destination.” The Navigation voice stated. “We got it…!” Morgana smiled. “Yay.” Draco cheered.

Futaba/Alibaba: Was that enough?

“Yes. It was plenty. You haven’t forgotten your promise of helping us if we complete your request, right?” Makoto asks Futaba.

To be continued... 

[hexlikesramennoodles]

If you’re still doing kissing prompts? #4

4. An accidental brush of lips followed by a pause and going back for another, on purpose.

Author’s note: this is rated M for suggestive content and violence. Inspired by this beautiful work of art by @kelpie-earnest. 

“It’s my brother. He can’t know I’m here,” Max said. “He’ll kill me. He’ll kill us.”

Steve gazed through the gap in Joyce Byers’ curtains, out to where the Camaro was tucked in the driveway like some gigantic waiting spider. The noise generated by the engine was tremendous, a powerful, vibrating thrum of tectonic force that could be felt through the walls. Right through to the marrow.

“Lock yourselves in,” he said.

Four pairs of disbelieving eyes swiveled around to stare at him. Steve felt the strange urge to laugh. Before he could, though, they all started arguing at once:

“Steve, no—”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said? He’ll kill you—”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Steve said in a loud voice, clapping his hands. “Did I stutter, you boneheads? Lock yourselves in, I said. Don’t open the door until you hear me say so.” He gestured vaguely to the window. “If it goes south—”

He heard Dustin’s intake of breath, registered Lucas’ eyes growing large and round in their sockets, but couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge them both, lest he start thinking too hard about what it was he meant to do—

“You run like hell, okay?”

It was fine, he told himself. He had survived the Demodogs. He could survive this, too. One carrier was chump change compared to what lurked in Hawkins’ cavernous underbelly. He was going to be completely fine.

It wasn’t until he stepped out onto the porch that he realized he’d forgotten to bring his bat.

“Am I dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?”

As always, the cherry of Billy’s lit cigarette preceded the rest of him. Steve watched its slow orbit in the gloom, his arms crossed loosely over his chest. Something made him uncross them, straighten his spine. A mnemonic echo. Billy’s fangs jutting wetly from the bed of his mouth, his hand held out. Plant your feet.

“I didn’t know carriers could dream,” he said evenly.

Billy lowered his hand. The cherry descended like a miniature comet, trailing embers and smoke. “I’m looking for my step-sister,” he said. The words were casual, almost friendly. They didn’t match his eyes. “Little birdie told me she was here.”

“I haven’t seen her, man. Sorry.”

A sudden explosion of glass made him jump: a beer bottle, flung from Billy’s hand into the gutter. Foam bubbled sluggishly from its broken neck, spreading across the blacktop in jagged white lines.

“You know,” Billy said. The driver’s door slammed shut, but the headlights stayed on; they cut a bright, glaring swath through the trees. “I was meant to be goin’ on a date tonight, amigo. I had it all planned out. Sure, his face wasn’t much to look at, but his neck? A whole meal. He had his own donor card, too. Certified and everything. But then what happens? Maxine goes missing, and I get told—I get told that I have to find her sorry ass, because she’s my responsibility. Which means my night—all that hard work—is down the toilet. Fucked.”

He smiled, then. Or snarled. The cherry of his cigarette rose, a wandering red star, a demon’s eye that kept lazily opening and closing on each inhale. Billy opened his mouth, still smiling, and doused the cigarette on his tongue. There was an angry hss of cooking flesh, like animal fat rendering over an open flame.

“As far as I’m concerned, you took my fuckin’ food, Harrington,” Billy continued, dropping the butt under his boot. “Are you gonna pay for it?”

“Will you leave them alone if I do?”

He could tell by the way Billy paused that whatever he’d been expecting when he stepped out of the Camaro, it hadn’t been that. Steve watched him flick his tongue over his teeth, telling himself that he was used to the sight by now. It was generally considered to be bad etiquette for carriers to flaunt their fangs in public, the same way it was considered indecent for non-carrier women to breastfeed in shopping malls. Billy was either unaware of the unspoken social laws of his kind, or he considered himself to be above them. Steve would bet all the money in his wallet on the latter; whether it was on the court or in class, the locker rooms or at house parties, Billy always had his fangs out.

“If the price is right,” Billy said. He was silent for another moment, his tongue between his teeth, studying Steve with an expression that was difficult to read. Sizing up the merchandise, Steve thought. “Have you been tested?”

He nodded. “When I was with Nancy, I—”

“Oh, that’s right,” Billy exclaimed, his smile turning into a sneer, “you were her blood bag.”

Steve gritted his teeth through the mockery. “I was her donor.”

“Please. We both know what you were, Harrington. What you still are. There’s no use denying it.” Billy moved with frightening agility; one moment he was on the other side of the road, the next he was breathing down Steve’s neck, his teeth—both incisors, each at least an inch long—hot and hard against Steve’s pulse. His pupils were two scorch marks, deepest obsidian ringed in flaming red and orange. “You and everybody else in that house, you’re all just meat. Prey. And I’m the hunter.”

“Not tonight,” Steve said. He turned his head, willing himself to stare into the darkest center of the red. The rage and hunger there. “Not ever. You can have me. But you can’t have them. They’re off limits from now on, you understand?”

Billy’s lips peeled apart. “Like I said. If the price is right.” He jerked his head in the direction of the Camaro. “Let’s have a taste.”

“Don’t you wanna take this elsewhere?”

“Why? I’m already dressed up for it.” In the blink of an eye, Billy was standing on the opposite sidewalk, holding the passenger door open. “Get in the car, blood bag.”

The inside of the Camaro was surprisingly clean, save for the smell: hot ash and hot blood. Visceral and vital. It was the smell of a fever that had yet to burn itself out, cloying and oppressive; the smell of a cancer ward. The word vampire was outdated. Vampire was for old Christopher Lee movies, for actors with powdered faces and plastic fangs smeared with sticky, ketchup-looking fake blood. Carrier was treatable; vampire wasn’t. Carrier made it sound akin to plague; carrier and medical emergency and regressive behavior. Carriers—not vampires—still retained their humanity somewhere inside, despite their monstrous symptoms. Steve knew better. Billy, like Nancy before him, was nothing human.

“Where did Wheeler like to have her fill?” Billy asked. “From your neck?”

“No. From my thumb.”

“Your—seriously?” Billy threw back his head, letting out a quick, yipping laugh. Steve followed the needlepoint gleam of his incisors with nauseated fascination. “How fuckin’ chaste. And you—you were okay with that, pretty boy?”

“You know, they don’t recommend you drink from the neck, typically,” Steve said. “Because it’s so close to the artery—”

“That’s what makes it feel so fuckin’ good, though. Like, really good.” Billy caught his eye in the rearview mirror and smirked, then leaned across to squeeze his knee. “Better than getting your finger sucked by some prissy bitch in her daddy’s pillbox McMansion.”

Steve pushed his knee out of Billy’s grip. “Don’t call her a bitch.”

“I’ll call her whatever the fuck I want, Harrington. She deprived you, and she did it on purpose. I bet she knew that if you had it elsewhere, you’d leave her in the dust.”

Something about Billy’s eyes, this close—how the red surrounding his pupils fluctuated as he spoke, shifting and dancing like real flames—had loosened Steve’s tongue, made him less aware of himself and his surroundings. Hadn’t there been a warning in the pamphlets about looking directly into carriers’ eyes? He couldn’t remember.

“It doesn’t matter,” he heard himself say. “She left me in the dust first.”

(Why not? Steve thought. Underneath the blood and ash and sickroom smell, he could just make out Billy’s cologne, a hint of sweetness to offset the bitter. The world was going to hell in a handbasket, but Billy looked like the closest thing to a model from a Calvin Klein magazine spread. Pretty. Hair spilling down his shoulders in soft, stylized waves, his muscled arms sitting snugly in the sleeves of his maroon shirt; Steve had always envied him for his arms. Why the fuck not?)

“She did, didn’t she?” Billy made a soft, sympathetic noise that was as bogus as it was scathing. “Oh, and she hurt you, too. She really hurt. But it’s okay now, though, because you’ve got me. And I can show you what you’ve been missing out on.”

He leaned across, so abruptly Steve didn’t have time to parse what was happening; panicking, he blurted out: “Is it gonna hurt?”

Billy’s smile paused inches from his neck. “It will, and then it won’t,” he said, “but you gotta relax first.”

Steve thought of Nancy. Billy’s hand was creeping up his arm, over his shoulder. Pulling the collar of his jacket and T-shirt to one side. Moving slow, like he wanted to savor it. Steve fixed his eyes straight ahead, on the outline of the driveway just outside the reach of the Camaro’s headlights. The engine growled and shuddered underneath his feet like an animal that wanted to throw him off. He thought of Nancy, or he tried to. Every time he pictured her smile, he came up short.

Billy let out a shaky breath. “Beautiful,” he said.

“What?” Steve said, distracted.

“Nothing, Harrington. Just relax.”

With Nancy, it had been like getting a flu shot. A quick jab, minimal pain, no mess. If Steve became lightheaded, she would stop. If he told her to stop, she would stop.

He didn’t know if Billy would extend him the same courtesy.

Minimal pain, no mess. Billy’s thumb caressed his neck, soothing the hoofbeat clatter of his heart. He was no longer smiling. Steve closed his eyes.

It was quick, he’d give Billy that—the initial pain. Steve shifted in the passenger seat, tilting his head as far back as the headrest would allow; Billy moved with him, cupping his jaw. He bit down lightly, suckling on Steve’s neck. Pain blossomed like a flare in the dark. Fading as Billy’s teeth probed deeper. He made a noise against Steve’s skin. It might have been a sigh of relief. A moan. Steve couldn’t tell.

“Let me know when you see the colors,” Billy said thickly. He sounded drunk. His hand was back on Steve’s knee, massaging the bone, anchoring them both.

“The—”

Billy bit down again and Steve cried out, shocked, his spine bowing. Not from pain. The pain had subsided entirely, morphed into a distant, warm prickling. It was actually kind of nice. Steve let the tension in his shoulders slacken, giving Billy’s mouth more leeway to rove over his skin. He was sucking hard, lapping at Steve’s neck like a dog with a bowl of water, his Adam’s apple working as he swallowed, paused to breathe.

“Knew you’d taste good.”

Billy’s voice, faint. Prickling like pins and needles. Steve was starting to feel as though he’d fallen asleep with his arm trapped underneath his body; the tingling, pins and needles sensation had spread from his neck down to his wrist. Numb and blissful. The heat from Billy’s mouth was building, tightening into a stranglehold. The car was getting warmer.

“I’d think about it,” Billy’s voice said. Still faint, still distant and removed. Steve fought to open his eyes; he was dimly aware of someone watching him, the hand on his knee parting his legs to run up the inseam of his jeans. He was too warm to do anything about it. “You know, when we were in the showers together and you’d … you’d just stand there, ignoring everybody else, I’d look at you, and think about what it would be like if I just …”

“Tore my throat out?” Steve slurred.

The prickling had turned into an itch, restless, fierce. Billy latched onto his neck, sucking with a junkie’s greed for his next fix, like he would die if he didn’t have it, like there was nothing in the world that mattered more. “No,” he said, laughing. Pulling off his neck with an obscene, theatrical pop that should have made Steve retch. Instead, it sent desire licking down his spine. “Hey, I’ve never killed anybody. Ask Laurie. Ask Tina. They both came to me begging for it. You know, I’ve always thought there was somethin’ in the water here that drove people crazy horny. Maybe you’re all just bored. Too wimpy to turn to meth. I was doing them a favor, man. There are worse things to get hooked on.”

“You were doing them a favor, huh? Wow. What a hero you are.”

“It was a mutually beneficial partnership,” Billy insisted. “You can feel it, right? It’s like … fuck, it’s like we’re fucking, almost. Or doing poppers. Except there’s no come down, no limit to how high you can get … you just keep flying … and flying …”

“Uh,” was all Steve could say. It did sort of feel like he was flying. He could no longer feel his arm, or his leg; the left side of his body seemed to have dissolved, become incorporeal. He didn’t have any sense of where the roof of the Camaro had gone; he was rising, being steadily submerged into the night sky. There came another moan. Billy’s teeth were thumb tacks pressing into the grooves of his palms, pins and needles, prickling and itching and stoking the fire between them.

“Can you feel it, Steve?” he was panting. His hand clutched at Steve’s leg in ecstasy and desperation. “Can you see me?”

“I—I can see you,” Steve mumbled. He was hot all over, floating in an ozone layer of swirling blues and greens and pinks. Each color was its own self-contained galaxy; each color reminded him of Billy’s eyes, ever-changing. Rings hot with lust. “God, the colors, Billy … I didn’t know …”

“It’s called a glamour,” Billy said. “I told you, baby. It’s good, isn’t it?”

“Good? It’s—it’s incredible. God, I’m—”

“Yeah?” Somewhere back on Earth, Billy’s smile had returned, wide and cannibalistic. “Yeah, baby? Are you close?”

“I’m—” Steve said, swallowing. His hands flapped at Billy’s chest like maimed birds. “I’m—I’m—”

It came at him out of nowhere, all at once. When it did, his mouth was still straining to form the words that he could no longer speak, pleasure robbing him of all ability to do so: I’m, I’m, ohmyGod, Billy, Billy, I’m gonna. Something soft brushed his cheek and he automatically turned towards it, his mouth opening, searching for comfort like a newborn’s rooting reflex searched for the nipple. He met the soft something halfway, and tasted himself.

Billy kissed him hard, his mouth tasting of Steve’s blood. The kiss was without fangs, without hunger or violence. His hand caressed Steve’s neck, played with his hair. His grip was lax and boneless.

He was well fed.

“Like we’re fucking,” Steve repeated. His voice sounded husky and raw, his vocal chords crippled. He was still coming, still high; his wrists trembled through the ghostly aftershocks. “Did you dream about that, too?”

He knew Billy was watching him. The prickling in his neck was all but gone; the wound had already sutured itself closed, and it would only reopen the next time Billy came for him. And he would come, Steve thought, with an odd sense of pride. Billy was the one who needed him, now. He wouldn’t be able to find it anywhere else. Not the way Steve tasted.

Billy reached for the steering wheel. He turned the key, and the headlights stuttered. Then, like a candleflame guttering out, they went dark.

[officialmaleclibrary]

Magnus/Alec fandom favorites - The full list of nominated fics!

Thank you to everyone who submitted the fics for our poll! We’re excited to present the full list of nominated works.

The list is in order of author pseud from A - Z. Have fun reading! 

Breakfast by Accal1a (Explicit | 1/1 | 2,765)

Alec thought it was very sweet that Magnus made them both breakfast and loved the new dining room table, only to find out that his boyfriend had an ulterior motive all along… 

The Club by Accal1a (Explicit | 1/1 | 5,985)

Magnus has a membership to a very special club, which Alec can't stop thinking about. So, one evening, he gets up the courage to mention it...

A Spanish Revolution by Accal1a (Explicit | 50/50 | 130,740)

Lorenzo Rey breezes back into town wanting to help Magnus Bane with a new revolution, after Magnus' failed attempt with the Seelies. What he wasn't prepared for was a contrite Magnus who wanted nothing to do with him. He decides to convince him, using Magnus' love against him. Can Magnus keep everyone he loves safe while still trying to convince Lorenzo this is a bad idea? Can love win out when the chips all fall after the battle is over?

Far From Gone by Agnes Joseph (Explicit | 7/7 | 124.596)

When the Soul Sword is threatening all of the Downworld again, Magnus’ solution comes with a price. A price Alec finds too high to pay.

Call You Home by Airuna (PG13 | 7/7 |  62,247)

Alec Lightwood was pretty content with his life, he had a successful job leading a law firm with one of his best friends, a great relationship with his siblings and a perfectly acceptable apartment. He really wasn’t looking for anything more but when he finds a little girl waiting all alone in a coffee shop his life will change irremediably and maybe that’s not such a bad thing after all. Or,The one in which Alec makes up with his mother, gets a boyfriend and adopts a little girl. Just not necessarily in that order.

i get to love you by alineppenhallow (PG13 | 1/1 | 1,378)

I get to love you, it’s the best thing that I’ll ever do.

Magnus thinks back on past holidays now that Ragnor is gone, luckily Alec makes an unexpected visit to draw him out of his sadness…

nocturne by alineppenhallow (PG13 | 1/1 | 2,310)

“Stay for just one more drink…and then decide.”

Music to my Ears by Alistoney (PG13 | 1/1 | 10,913)

“Emma,” Alec says startled, but he’s smiling, “do you need something?”

Emma grins as she looks between Magnus and Alec and her eyes turn mischievous.

“I did come to ask whether you’d found out about the all-state audition music, but I can see that you’re quite busy so I’ll come back another time.” She winks and turns to Ty and indicates that they’re leaving.

Or the one where band teacher Alec and drama teacher Magnus have a special connection and their students make it their goal to get them together.

Don’t You Wanna Stay by AlxSteele (Mature | 2/2 | 38,014)

Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane have hated each other since the moment they met, both working at a small coffee shop. Five years later, the hate is still going strong as they blame each other for the fact that they were fired from the coffee shop five years before. But, will all that change when they end up hooking up after a bad day? And…keep doing that. They do still hate each other… Don’t they?

Hate and love. Sex and feelings. Things are getting a little… Complicated.

Paparazzi by AlxSteele (Not Rated | 31/31 | 219,060)

Magnus Bane is a pop star best known for his break up songs and wicked dance sequences. Alec Lightwood is an actor best known for being the object of Magnus’ songs.

When Alec’s new tv show gets picked up, a series of events throws Magnus back into his life, bringing up a mess of memories and confusion. Forced to spend more and more time together, will they ever figure their feelings out?

Plus One by AlxSteele (PG13 | 3/3 | 75,206)

When Alec’s invite arrives for his brother’s wedding, he allows his best friend Magnus Bane to convince him to check “plus one”, insisting he’ll find a date by then. Only, he doesn’t. Clearly, the only thing to do is bring Magnus to the wedding as his fake boyfriend. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Strange Love by Arandomfan91 (Mature | 17/17 | 46,632)

Alec is in love with Magnus. Magnus needs Alec to be his fake boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong?

The Language of Flowers by Astudyinfic (PG13 | 8/8 | 19,099)

Following the loss of his brother, florist Alec Lightwood wants to do something to remember him by. Enter tattoo artist Magnus Bane who brings beauty and love into his life. What starts as a one-time thing blooms into an expression of love for all the important people in Alec’s life.

To Fly is to Risk Falling by Astudyinfic (Explicit | 8/8 | 25,923)

Thrown out by his parents and forbidden from seeing his siblings, when Alec's grandfather Andrew passes, he loses the only family he has left. One night Alec receives a mysterious package in the mail, his birthright from Andrew whose death left Alec alone in the world. Inside, he discovers his family secret: the firstborn Lightwood of every other generation has wings.

With the knowledge of how to unlock his wings, Alec takes to the skies over New York every night, as a way to escape the sadness of his life. One night, he sees a man far too drunk to be standing that close to a railing and catches him just in time.

So starts a tentative relationship between the 'broken' Magnus Bane and his guardian angel who appears on his penthouse balcony every night. Together the two start to heal on their own and as a pair.

Universally Acknowledged by Astudyinfic (Explicit | 26/26 | 70,168)

Alec Lightwood knows what he wants. He also knows he can't have it. So he focuses on making his sure his siblings are happy, despite all the challenges thrown at him by family, society, and his own mind. But when his sister falls for the new owner of DuMort Park and Alec is required to be her chaperone, he wonders if he might be able to have what he wants after all with Mr. Lewis' flamboyant and beautiful brother. A self-made man named Magnus Bane.

I Think I'm Falling For You by Baneofbrooklyn (PG13 | 1/1 | 4,333)

" 'Do you think you could ever fall in love with me?' Alec asked, his hands stilled on Magnus’ side, and he dropped their hands, laced together still, against his own chest on top of his heart.

Magnus didn't reply. He wanted to tell Alec he already had fallen for him.

Instead he tried to convey those feelings through a tone, and he uttered softly, 'It would be an honor to fall in love with you, Alexander Lightwood.' "

օʀ

Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood discuss what it's like to be in love, and Alec confesses that he never loved Jace.

Good Our Whole Lives by Beatperfume (Explicit | 9/9 | 34,833)

They say that prostitution is the world’s oldest profession, and it’s just as true for the Downworld as the mundane one.

But this is the first time Magnus has ever heard of a nephilim hustling his crowd.

Per Aspera by Beatperfume (Mature | 1/1 | 16,366)

Captain Alec Lightwood goes to Atlantis, fights Wraith, gets soul bonded, gets kidnapped, gets sex pollened, blows stuff up, and falls in love. Mostly in that order.

A Stargate Atlantis AU.

Owe you a mistake by BookAdictArchiver (PG | 16/16 | 44,114)

Magnus Bane is a TV heart-throb who doesn't want a bodyguard, this wasn't what Alec was thinking when he signed up to be one either. But Alec needs the job, so he's gotta suck it up and work for a man who may look like an angel, but if more than difficult to please. And Magnus needs his producer off his back. After all, its not like they are gonna be spending most their time together. 

Inimitable by Bumblebeesknees (Explicit | 1/1 | 13,515)

Stuck in London in 1882 without Magnus’ magic, the way back to New York in the 21st century requires securing a charmed amulet from the Magnus who lives in that time. Thankfully, Alec has a proven track record of being the kind of man Magnus wants. This is both good and bad news. -

“It’s the only way,” says Magnus, grim. “And it’ll work. We already know that just one look is all it’ll take for him to go for you."

lionheart by Bumblebeesknees (Explicit | 1/1 | 8,350)

Magnus’ bed hasn’t felt like his own without Alec in it. His body hasn’t felt the same without Alec’s warmth pressed up against it. From the second Alec takes his hand, Magnus doesn’t waste any time fixing either of those things. [Coda to 2x20] -

When Magnus asks, “Do you want to get out of here?” it really, truly isn’t his intention to imply anything. He doesn’t even know what he expects. To finally pull Alec back into the loft, maybe. Sit on the sofa, conjure up another drink. Maybe rest his hand on the steady, reassuring beat of Alec’s heart and lean in to kiss his waiting lips.

Midas by Bumblebeesknees (PG | 1/1 | 4,930)

Magnus gets tangled up in a spell that has everything he touches, living or not, turn to gold. Thankfully, the key to breaking any fairy curse is true love’s kiss. Alec would be the simple solution to this dilemma – except that despite his best efforts he and Magnus are still not together, an uncrossable line drawn on the sand between them. -

“Is anything different for you now?” Alec asks quietly. “If I tell you again that I’m sorry, if I ask you again to give us a shot, that I really think we can make it work – will that make a difference?”

Permanent Resident by Bumblebeesnees (Explicit | 1/1 | 15,015)

Alec is Persephone and just wants to spend a weekend with his boyfriend in peace. Only issue: Magnus is Hades, and visiting him means taking a trip to the land of the dead. Magnus is understandably wary, but Alec’s not deterred – all they have to do is make sure Alec doesn’t eat anything from down there and everything will be fine.

Also starring Jace as a traumatized Hermes, Maryse as a furious Demeter, and Izzy, Clary, and Maia as the Fate Sisters reeled in to help with an unprecedented dilemma. -

“I think I would remember if I had–” And then the words catch in Alec’s throat as a single, terrible thought occurs to him. He slowly turns to look at Magnus, whose face has gone deathly pale from the same realization. Against his will, his gaze drops to Magnus’ crotch. Alec – Alec definitely had something in his mouth while he’s been down here.

Reconstruction by Bumblebeesknees (Explicit | 3/3 | 80,115)

It takes months for Valentine to find the Mirror, and longer still to defeat him. Afterward, Alec has another first that he shares with Magnus: the strange and tentative transition from being not together to back together.

He’s not handling it as well as he’d like.

State of Grace by Bumblebeesknees (Mature | 1/1 | 21,620)

It’s Rafael’s wedding day, which makes for a somewhat hectic morning for the Lightwood-Banes. Things are pretty close to perfect though – if only Magnus could stop teasing Alec about the most embarrassing incident of his life that took place in this very same hall at the Institute over twenty-five years ago. -

Alec says, "Raf called in a panic this morning and there's a slight situation with the wedding.”

Magnus is instantly on alert.

“Of course there is,” says Max, eyes moving heavenward. “Typical.”

“Excuse me, no, not typical,” says Magnus. “I planned this wedding, and things don't go wrong when I plan weddings.”

The Chariot by Bumblebeesknees (PG13 | 1/1 | 15,025)

Every so often, Magnus breaks out his tarot cards and does a reading for Alec. A series of codas set after 1x06, 2x07, 2x15, and 2x20 (and one more in an undetermined future). - “Tarot cards,” says Alec, unimpressed. He frowns at the worn, faded deck that Magnus places on the table. “Do you really believe this stuff? That it can tell your future?” “This craft is less about divining the future and more about... getting perspective on the present,” corrects Magnus. “Would it really be too much trouble to indulge your newest – and by my guess, only – warlock friend in a harmless hobby?”

Traveler by Bumblebeesknees (PG13 | 1/1 | 15,880)

Alec’s not sure how to process that Max, his five-month old baby, is apparently a dimension hopping private investigator 140 years in the future. Magnus has a much easier time dealing with it. -

“Sorry,” says Max, blinking rapidly. He doesn’t look away from Alec. He looks – Alec doesn’t know how to describe the expression on Max’s face. “It’s just... it’s been a long time since I saw you, Dad.”

Waiting Game by Bumblebeesknees (PG | 1/1 | 7,485)

Magnus has never hid the fact that he’s endlessly curious and an unabashed snoop, but the ring he discovers in Alec’s dresser is genuinely by accident. He thinks he can wait for Alec to reveal this secret in his own time. -

The box is made out of a dark mahogany. When Magnus picks it up with shaking fingers and without conscious thought, he sees that it has the marriage rune seared on the side in deft, elegant strokes.

But that’s just absurd, Magnus thinks as his mind comes to the only logical conclusion. It can’t possibly, possibly–

How Alec became Magnus's favourite pizza topping by Candidshot (PG13 | 14/14 | 31,080)

When Magnus had ordered his favourite BBQ beef pizza with extra meat and cheese, he didn't expect to have gotten a special delivery on that order.

This is a story on how Alec became Magnus's favourite pizza topping. Sorta.

AU.

Appassionato by Chonideno (PG | 2/2 | 35,866)

Alec plays the piano every day, with great talent. One night, a note slips under his door: it’s a request from an anonymous neighbor. Before he knows it, Alec picks up the habit of leaving his window open so his neighbor can listen to him. Requests keep coming. Slowly, two strangers start a conversation without words and let the music do the work for them.

Destiny Calls by Clockworkswan (Mature | 23/23 | 300,283)

A Knights of the Round Table/quest inspired AU. When Prince Alec and his knights venture into the mysterious Shadowlands - home to downworlders, and fearsome creatures - to retrieve the Mortal Cup, they soon learn about an upcoming war. Dark magic has begun to call to creatures and mortals alike. A race to prevent the Cup from falling into the evil, exiled Lord Valentine's hands adds even more danger to the prince's quest. On the way, he finds himself falling for the warlock, Magnus Bane. There, they must battle demons, test their courage and maybe take on the most dangerous task of all; falling in love. Loyalties are tested and hearts are swayed, but who will destiny call to?

Eyes On Me by Clockworkswan (Mature | 5/5 | 102,076)

When a new same-sex dancing rule gets people talking, Magnus Bane decides to take the jump from Latin to Ballroom in order to prove that change is a good thing. Looking for a new challenge, he’s determined to win the Ballroom Championships and be crowned victorious in the first same-sex partnership.

Now all he needs are the right shoes, the right music, and the right partner.

~

Alec is well on his way to securing another victory for his parents’ prestigious dance school, yet a new face, and surprising feelings, might change that. When Magnus turns up, he sweeps more than dancing traditions off their feet.

As the competition rounds heat up, and dreams hang in the balance, can the pair prove themselves to a worldwide audience of fellow dreamers, critics and cynics?

Kiss With A Fist by Clockworkswan (Mature | 26/26 | 240,899)

When agent Alec Lightwood is given his first kill hit, he doesn’t expect much trouble. Of course, he also doesn’t expect it to be a cheerful assassin who lands him in a whole load of trouble. Enter Magnus Bane: an assassin turned thief who reluctantly teams up with Alec - and The Clave - after he pisses off a very important and powerful crime boss, Valentine Morgenstern. In a world of violence and unjust laws, can the two put aside their differences and work together? Aka: in which Alec is sent to kill Magnus, doesn’t, and then really wishes he had. (but not really). Enemies to friends to lovers. 

Wild Life by Crazyellephant (Not Rated | 4/4 | 69,044)

Alec Lightwood likes to go on road trips. He doesn't pick up hitchhikers. But the one time he does, it's Magnus. He's in for an adventure or maybe even fall in love.

"Can Alec help this Magnus out? like this is not safe to search for a car this way." - @Malecwings Malec AU.

Nothing Impossible to Him Who Will Try by Cytheriafalas (PG13 | 1/1 | 7,109)

So, here's the soulmate!Highlander!AU nobody asked for. I honestly have no idea what compelled me to write this. (And if anyone is worried about Losing Sleep, I promise, it's still coming.)

The character death isn't permanent, so don't worry. It is a soulmate!AU after all.

Dear Diary by deathdario (Mature | 1/1 | 3,417)

It took them a few minutes to realise they were sleeping on each other's side of the bed, and when Magnus rolled onto his side and slid a hand beneath the pillow that was meant for Alec's head, he felt a solid object. “What's this?”

think of me when you shoot your arrows by deepbutdazzlingdarkness (Explicit | 6/6 | 11,904)

Five times Alec gets off thinking about Magnus and one time he doesn’t have to.

AKA a character study of Alec and his thirst throughout season 1.

Don't Mourn Me If I Go by deNOrthernLIGHTs (PG13 | 1/1 | 3,376)

Alec shakes his head. “Tell me you didn’t just spend the entire day thinking you were going to die.” The smile falls. “It was a fair assumption, considering.” “But-“ Alec swallows a lump in his throat. “But it wasn’t just an assumption. You sounded certain.” “I just didn’t want to make you watch me die.” Magnus’s voice is so quiet Alec barely hears it. “That wouldn’t have been fair to you.”

What if Magnus realized he didn't need to choose between Alec and the downworld before the alley conversation? What if the way he acted in 2x20 was just that, an act?

please stay with me by doggo_fiends_on_a_spaceship (Mature | 1/1 | 3,026)

Magnus could still feel Alec’s warm breath on his neck. In other circumstances, he would’ve enjoyed this. He would’ve loved Alec’s hands gently exploring his body, his lips claiming Magnus’. But he wasn’t ready. Not for this much.

Darkest Before the Dawn by Donttalktomeimfangirling (Jillian_k) (Mature | 1/1 | 27,345)

Alexander Lightwood has been forced to be a servant in his own home after his parents die and his beloved siblings are taken from him. It isn't until he meets a handsome stranger in town that he begins to have hope for the future. However, the universe, and his horrible step family, have always seemed to have it out for him, and Alec must do what he can to escape his past and take a leap of faith with Magnus, the man with a mysterious backstory that he has quickly fallen in love with. You know what they say though- it's always darkest before the dawn.

Through the Frozen Heart by Donttalktomeimfangirling (Jillian_k) (Mature | 9/9 | 47,883)

From the very first moment Alexander Lightwood laid eyes on Magnus Bane, his whole world changed. Years later, now a decorated junior figure skater himself, an injury prevents him from participating in his senior debut. Considering giving up the sport for good, one video posted by his brother will send Alec down a new path, one that becomes intertwined with that of his long time idol, Olympic Gold Medalist and three time world figure skating champion Magnus Bane.

Bitter Sweet Symphony by DownworldShadow (Mature | 22/22 | 159,540)

When young, up-and-coming cellist Alexander Lightwood heads to Aspen, Colorado to attend the prestigious Aspen Music Festival he has no idea what destiny awaits him there. This is an alternate universe Malec love story full of twists and turns, triumphs and tragedies. Asking one of life's most difficult questions... does true love really conquer all?

Anything Beautiful by em_the_gem (PG13 | 8/8 | 40,278)

Alec Lightwood is a small town florist with big dreams of opening his own shop. Magnus Bane is a big city photographer a desire to reinvent his craft. Alec gets by with his simple life full of routine and a boss to please, but when a storm brings Magnus into his life, everything he has ever dreamt of seems to crumble.

And while both men have lead completely different lives, they have more in common than they initially thought: everything nature and anything beautiful.

everything he could never be by em_the_gem (PG13 | 1/1 | 21,659)

In between jobs, Alec and his son, Max, move to Alec's mother's country home where they meet Magnus and his son, Rafael - the small family Maryse rented the 1st floor out to. As a big city MD and single dad, Alec finds himself fascinated by Magnus' eccentric healing practice, parenting methods and deep brown eyes.

And while preparing for the move to London, finally spending time with his son, and juggling his growing affection towards Magnus, the ghosts of Alec's childhood threaten to disturb the peace he'd found surrounded by his family.

Unlocked by Evil_Keshi (Mature | 22/22 | 93,101)

"So, Alexander," Magnus said, fully enjoying the lack of etiquette in the way he addressed the Crown Prince, "What can I do for you tonight?"

"Well... I want... Can you..."

The prince stuttered and trailed off, staring at Magnus with wide,frightened eyes that, to the warlock's utmost horror, filled with tears in a second. He didn't have the time to ask what was wrong though, because the boy took a breath and then blurted out:

"Please, can you make me normal?"

5 Times Magnus Thinks Alec Would Make A Great Dad + 1 Time He Does by fancyachatup (Not Rated | 1/1 | 4,661)

Magnus admires Alec's parenting abilities on other people's children

natura nihil frustra facit by fancyachatup (Not Rated | 2/2 | 4,426)

Max & Rafe accidentally travel back in time and meet their dads.

Not On Drugs, Just In Love by fancyachatup (PG13 | 3/3 | 10,735)

Alec Lightwood is drugged by a Seelie, resulting in some interesting non-pg truth bombs

lost in hell by fictionalrobin (PG13 | 4/4 | 4,909)

asmodeus brainwashed magnus

oh lover, hold on by fireblazie (PG13 | 4/4 | 33,168)

The mask and goggles clatter to the ground. Isabelle makes a choked noise, and Jace whispers, paper-thin, “Alec?”

Magnus stops breathing as Alec’s gaze—cold, dead, and empty—comes to rest impassively on them.

“Who the hell is Alec?”

don't break my faded heart by firstaudrina (Explicit | 1/1 | 5,721)

It's not entirely unheard of for a Shadowhunter to be in Pandemonium, but it is unusual for one to be here alone. Magnus will have to deal with that, but not yet. He's having too good a time.

Make You Feel Beautiful by FlightlessAngelWings (Explicit | 1/1 | 2,431)

“Magnus, you’re beautiful.”

Magnus smiled softly as he wrapped his hand around Alec’s wrist. Never in his long life had someone made him feel the way this man made him feel; nor could he remember the last time someone called him “beautiful” in such a loving tone. He felt his heart skip a beat as he studied every inch of Alec’s face, memorizing every single detail. All of his previous insecurities left him as he gazed into the shadowhunter’s eyes, and he gently pulled his face closer to his.

I'll Miss You When You're Gone by GideonGraystairs (PG13 | 1/1 | 6,151)

And then, because his mind has always been a traitor, he thinks about Camille, and how Magnus has known her forever, and then he thinks about how long forever is for him and how long it is for Magnus. In a moment of cold realization that should have been creeping up on him for weeks now, Alec realizes that their definitions are different.

Or five times Alec and Magnus don't talk about Magnus's immortality, and the one time they do.

just hold on (it won't be long) by gingergenower (Explicit | 1/1 | 1,054)

The night after Magnus returns from Edom.

The Queen Who Reigns by GoldenDaydreams (Mature | 40/40 | 10,109)

Old magic resurrects an ally. An important artifact is lost after an intense battle. A Clave official takes over the Institute. If all that isn't enough, the Seelie Court falls into Civil War, it causes hostility felt through the entire Shadow World. One Queen offers freedom from the rules of the Clave; another promises an alliance with the Shadowhunters. One wrong move, and the Seelie Court might end up Valentine's puppets.

Three's A Crowd by GoldenDaydreams (Explicit | 9/9 | 40,205)

“Two can play at this game.” Alec had the pleasure of watching Magnus go from confused, to a slow smirk, and understanding coming to his eyes. “I might not be able to kick him out, but I can make him want to leave.”

A.K.A The story where Jace keeps interrupting Alec and Magnus's 'alone time,' and they're both super fed up.

Knives at the Ready by harrysglasses (PG13 | 9/9 | 38,012)

The Institute is New York City's finest dining establishment, winner of two Michelin Stars and currently chasing after its third. Head Chef Alec Lightwood is notorious for running a tight ship in his kitchen, but everything is about to change with the arrival of their newest recruit, renowned pastry chef Magnus Bane.

In the competitive, cut-throat world of the restaurant industry where pressure runs high and tempers run hotter, can Alec keep his team under control, win a third Michelin star, and ignore his ever-growing attraction to a certain charming pâtissier, whose smile is even sweeter than his desserts?

A Different Kind of Hero by heartsdesire456 (Mature | 1/1 | 6,704)

When Alec receives a letter from an anonymous source, he realizes that his bravery in choosing to kiss Magnus at his wedding had far more of an impact than he could have ever imagined.

The Arrangement by heartsdesire456 (Explicit | 12/12 | 42,411)

When a meeting with a debt collector at a randomly chosen night club starts to go wrong, Alec meets a man who might just change his life with one unique offer.

The Time Alec Suddenly Became a Dad by heartsdesire456 (PG | 1/1 | 7,770)

When Alec finds an abandoned warlock baby on the steps of the institute and they can't find anywhere he may have come from, Alec decides to keep him and raise him as his son. When his son's magical powers begin to manifest early in life, the accidents that happen around him quickly become dangerous

be my light in the dark by hufflebee (PG13 | 1/1 | 21,238)

Going to Camp Half-Blood is something Alec, a son of Apollo, looks forward to every summer, but when he arrives, he finds one of his best friends is missing. Suddenly nothing is as important as saving Magnus, even if it means going against Magnus’s father, Hades himself. With the help of Maia, Simon and Izzy, Alec goes on a journey to find his best friend, one he may be in love with, as well as the truth about why he was taken to begin with.

(demigod AU)

We Break that Way by ifallonblackdays_fics & valfromrome (Not Rated | 22/22 | 72,956)

It's no secret that Alec's revolutionary politics where the Downworld is concerned are not entirely popular. But what lengths will some of the dissidents go to, to stop him? What lengths will Alec go to, to protect what he believes in? And what lengths will Magnus, Jace, and the others go to, to protect him? And when they all break in their own unique way, what will it take to piece each other back together?

Body And Soul, Free To Withhold by Inrainbowz (PG13 | 1/1 | 5,427)

Alec was almost never the one to initiate sex.

It’s not that he didn’t think about it or didn’t want to. Or well, maybe it was a little bit of that.

Alec starts to think that maybe there's more to it, and tries to make sense of what he is feeling, with some help along the way.

Deeper Than the Truth by insieme (Mature | 15/15 | 149,820)

Alec Lightwood is a world-famous author, though the world knows him only under his pseud: Gideon Archer. Magnus Bane is a fashion designer who just happens to be a big fan of Gideon's work.

a love that won't sit still by Insomiak (Explicit | 1/1 | 6,643)

“You’re starting to,” Clary says, “And I get it—I’m sure Magnus gets it too. Jace is gone. But the whole time my mother was missing…” She shakes her head. “You don’t just forget everyone else, Alec.” Clary puts a hand on his arm. Alec looks at it like it’s something he’s never seen before. “Okay?”

Firsts by Insomiak (Explicit | 1/1 | 4,939)

Everything with Magnus is so new, there’s just first after first, so many things Alec never thought he would think or feel.

(Or: Alec really wants to give his first blowjob).

a billingual beginning by iwillstayalive (Not Rated | 1/1 | 836)

“Yo te estoy diciendo, Sherwin, él es el amor de mi vida, aunque no lo sepa todavía. ¡Deja de voltearte como que estás en el exorcista! Dios, disimula” I’m telling you, Sherwin, he is the love of my life, even tho he doesn’t know it yet. Stop turning around like you’re on the exorcist! God, be smooth.

Alec perked up at that. He looked up, and a few tables down, there were two guys talking in hushed tones. Or well, trying. One had brown hair, with a slightly crooked pair of glasses, smiling wide into the conversation he was having, gesturing with his hands, looking at him not so subtle.

Worshipped Skin by Jinko (Explicit | 1/1 | 3,318)

“Of course I’m comfortable with phone sex. It’s far better than using telegrams, I can tell you that. No, the question is if you’re comfortable with it.”

Rather, the one where Magnus uses his magic to facilitate phone sex.

A Dream of Peace by Ketz (Explicit | 13/13 | 87,642)

A long time ago, King Valentine, of the rich kingdom of Alicante, attacked the southerner kingdoms. He searched for triumph and annihilation, for uniting the realm under his rule and his alone.

Instead of the easy victory, though, the greedy king found defeat and death, for the four kingdoms united for the first time in history, forging the Downworlder Alliance. As a result, the great families of the north were forced to deliver their firstborns to the Kings and Queens of the Downworlder Alliance, and so ensure their fielty and crush any further rebellions before they even sparkled.

Only, boring history lessons had always annoyed the Prince of Darkness and heir to the Kingdom of Edom, Magnus Bane. As the anniversary of his Mark Day arrives and with it the Victory Tournament, he figures the only good thing the Mortal War really brought was his father’s hostage, the quiet Alec Lightwood, eldest son to the once great Lightwoods of Alicante.

Good could become great, though. Magnus needs only figure out a way to get that boy away from the practicing arena and into his bed.

After all, he couldn’t possibly celebrate his day of honor without a suitable gift, could he?

One Show Only by KouriArashi (Explicit | 7/7 | 29,410)

It's hard to stay in the closet when the guy you had a one-night stand with two nights ago turns out to be your new partner ... but Alec will be damned if he isn't going to give it a try.

The Last Thing I Expected by KouriArashi (Mature | 12/12 | 47,848)

On every warlock's 25th birthday, there's a ritual to choose their perfect match. Normally it isn't a big deal, but for Magnus Bane - the son of Asmodeus, an Underworld crime lord - it's the party of the century. Everyone is more than a little surprised when Magnus' match turns out to be the bartender, Alec ... who's actually an undercover police officer. Alec's bosses want him to play along to get close to the organization, but Alec isn't sure he can mislead the man who's apparently his soulmate...

Love is a Gamble by la_muerta (Explicit | 20/20 | 44,768)

Upholding law and order in gold-mining town Nephilim Falls, population 1,700 souls, is the responsibility of Sheriff Alec Lightwood. As it is, Alec already has his hands full with the saloons and whorehouses making tempers rise and the men rowdy when the day's mining goes badly, and the constant threat of bandits in the hills. The last thing he needs is some no-count gambler setting up a gambling hall in his town. And what kind of name is 'Magnus Bane', anyway?

The Lavender Code by la_muerta (PG13 | 9/9 | 18,896)

Alec Lightwood is a young, honest private detective hired by Camille Belcourt to investigate her fiancé, who she suspects is hiding something scandalous from her. What starts out as a simple case turns out to be a lot more complicated than Alec bargained for, and when the death toll starts to rise, Alec finds his own life in increasing jeopardy.

pillow talk by lacheses (Mature | 5/5 | 26,592)

Alec Lightwood falls in love, one nap at a time.

Made All The Difference by LadyMatt (PG | 1/1 | 8,340)

Since finishing work, Alec had been reflecting on how Magnus, and their beautiful relationship, had changed his life for the better in just a few short weeks, so when he arrives back at the loft to enjoy yet another evening full of love, laughter and liquor, he takes a few private moments to appreciate just how great it is to be in love - especially with Magnus Bane!

An Apple A Day by Lecrit (Explicit | 1/1 | 15,804)

Alec only likes getting up at four in the morning to get to the hospital because he has always dreamed of becoming a doctor and because he finds a childish excitement in besting Dr. Glitter and winning a battle in their little war for his favorite parking spot.

It has nothing to do with Magnus’ incorrigible, shameless, incessant flirting. Nothing.

And the Oscar goes to... by Lecrit (Explicit | 1/1 | 21,494)

Working for Magnus isn’t easy. Magnus is out of control and Alec has to yell more often than not to get him to listen to him. He hates everything formal because it means he has to watch his mouth. Most importantly, Magnus is an incorrigible flirt.

Which would be alright if Alec wasn’t utterly, irremediably, unfathomably in love with him.

Bright Lights, Small Town by Lecrit (Explicit | 4/4 | 104,298)

When Magnus gets to Nashville, Indiana to handle his late mother's will, he doesn't expect to be forced to stay there for six months. Six months away from New York and lost in the wildness of the countryside.

It quickly appears that he is going to go through six months of living hell.

The fact that he hates the local veterinarian on sight isn't helping.

Dead men tell no tales by Lecrit (Mature | 1/1 | 17,486)

Magnus looked up when Alec stopped in front of the rusty gate and quirked an eyebrow upon seeing him.

“Your Highness,” he muttered, deadpan.

“Don’t,” Alec sighed.

“Aren’t you afraid to tarnish your royal blood by coming to visit a pirate?” Magnus continued, his lips twitching with the beginning of a smirk, lacking the humor Alec had witnessed so many times before.

His mesmerizing eyes told a different story, though. They were defeated, tired and it only made Alec feel worse.

“I tried to explain it to them but they wouldn’t listen,” he murmured in a desperate attempt at defending himself.

.

In which the prince of Idris and an infamous pirate find themselves stuck together on a deserted island and have to face the consequences when they get back on land.

Invictus by Lecrit (Mature | 1/1 | 30,222)

“You should get a tattoo.”

Alec firmly believed in coincidences, in the serendipity that could bring the hazards of life, but even he could admit that sometimes, things seemed to happen for a reason. He was too much of a pragmatic person to truly believe in fate and destiny.

So even when Jace blurted those words at him as he stumbled into his shop, they remained abstract concepts to him, no matter how it nudged at the back of his mind.

It's Always Your Move by Lecrit (Explicit | 1/1 | 15,453)

Maryse Lightwood is fierce, determinate and she is standing right in front of Magnus, on the threshold of his house, the scowl on her face announcing nothing good.

Magnus hasn’t seen her since the Oscars ceremony three days ago. To be fair, he hasn’t really seen anyone, too busy that he had been catching up on lost time with Alec.

Magnus thought he could be tranquil forever after winning an Oscar and finally confessing his feelings to Alec. Magnus was wrong.

The Avengers Initiative (Or Something Like That) by Lecrit (Mature | 21/21 | 117,213)

“Do you really think it’s going to work? I know they are good,” Hodge sighed, “but that’s a lot of egos we need to get to work together.” “It will work,” Luke said with assurance, nodding. “They can do it.”

In which Luke Garroway and Hodge Starkweather put together a team of world-class thieves to steal from Valentine Morgenstern and everything goes according to plan. Or not.

Vodka Cannot Kill a Dragon by Lecrit (Mature | 1/1 | 2,894)

“It’s my bachelor party and you’re my best man,” Jace had said. “You owe me to get drunk.”

The thing is, Alec doesn’t really drink. He never does. He doesn’t like the way it makes his head foggy and his long limbs out of control. Even with Magnus, who quite surely can hold his liquor, he never goes past one or two cocktails. So, after Jace has managed to shove drinks in his hand time and time again, Alec is not drunk. He’s hammered.

Set Me In Motion by lemonoclefox (Mature | 20/20 | 132,055)

One night, Magnus spots a handsome stranger in the elevator of his apartment building – which wouldn’t be a big deal if said stranger didn’t turn out to be dating Magnus’s neighbor. The stranger soon becomes Alec, and their paths end up crossing more than once. A tentative friendship develops as they slowly get to know each other, and they both find that it’s effortless in a way neither of them has ever known. It's only when other kinds of feelings start getting involved that things become a bit more complicated.

What’s It Gonna Be by lemonoclefox (Mature | 4/4 | 49,338)

Fairchild’s bakery is a second home to not just Magnus, but also to most of his found-family. As a pastry chef, he works long hours and takes great pride in his craft – so much so that he has little time or attention for much else. Least of all romance. After plenty of experience with heartbreak and disappointment, he has come to expect the worst from anything in that department, and the arrival of the wealthy Lightwoods in the neighborhood isn’t about to change that. Especially not when their eldest son might just be the most insufferable prick Magnus has ever met, no matter what anyone else has to say about the guy.

(aka the Pride & Prejudice/bakery AU no one asked for)

A Horse That Loves You by Lemur710 (PG13 | 1/1 | 5,563)

Magnus rushes into battle to rescue Jace—and comes to terms with what it means to love a shadowhunter with a parabatai.

Binding Spell by Lemur710 (PG | 1/1 | 7,880)

“He watched with a sadness he couldn’t define as Alec drained the last drop of his drink. A toast to the dying, he thought, and took another sip of his own. Magnus supposed Alec had stuck to their agreement: One more drink and then decide. He’d decided.”

Force of Nature by Lemur710 (Mature | 1/1 | 5,844)

A note from the past causes Magnus to contemplate the loves of his long life, and leads to an unexpected turning point in his relationship with Alec.

Or, Why Magnus Never Married

Statements by Lemur710 (Mature | 6/6 | 11,907)

Five times Magnus was told “I love you,” and the one time he believed it.

Picking up the Pieces by lilyhearted (PG13 | 1/1 | 5,884)

They've made a life for themselves, after the world fell apart.

Contains: Malec being an awesome battle couple but also managing to be domestic as hell.

a kind of magic by magicmagnus (PG | 1/1 | 8,151)

After teaching at Hogwarts for years, Magnus thought he had seen it all. Dragons smuggled onto campus, students returning at all times of the night with mysterious bruises, a summoning or two -- Magnus was no stranger to the kind of mischief young wizards were capable of. When a powerful love potion begins taking students under its sway, Magnus must get to the bottom of it -- even if it means missing lunch with a certain Defense Against the Dark Arts professor...

above and below by magicmagnus (PG13 | 1/1 | 37,437)

It’s the end of the world as we know it. The Four Horsemen are riding, reality is shifting, and someone has lost the Antichrist. After thousands of years living on earth and swaying human souls to their sides, Magnus (a flirtatious demon with a heart of gold) and Alec (a somewhat rude and antisocial angel) have become quite accustomed to life on earth, and neither one of them are too happy about the impending Apocalypse. The two hatch a plan to avert the End of All Things, only to have it rapidly spiral out of control -- something they might be able to handle, if they could just put their personal feelings aside…

A Good Omens AU

Purer Than Any by MagnusCaresaLot (PG13 | 1/1 | 2,128)

Alec gets curious, of course. Everyone get curious. But this curiosity was eating at Alec. Ever since the first time, he wanted Magnus to show them again. He wanted to touch and feel them. God, he wanted to wrap his wings around Magnus'.

OR

The Shadowhunter Wing!AU that no one asked for.

Days of Dark by magnusragnor & ohprongs (Mature | 9/9 | 97,115)

Alec clutches the worn out comic book in his hands, his eyes sweeping over Captain America’s stance on the cover. He still remembers how excited Max had been when he’d gotten it, going on and on about how Captain America helped people, how he just wanted to stop the bullies - how he was a hero.

Staring down at the star on Cap’s shield, Alec pushes away all his anger and grief, focussing on the single most ridiculous idea he’s ever had. He can hear Hodge's voice, clear as day:

“With great power, comes great responsibility.”

(or, the the amazing spider-man ish au)

melt me down by maialec (PG | 6/6 | 23,073)

When Luke and Alaric invite their daughter, Maia, and her friends on a week long family vacation at their log cabin, Izzy, Maia’s girlfriend, takes it upon herself to send the invitations. However, when she realizes that everyone except for her brother would be coupled up, she gets a fantastic idea. One that includes Alec having to bring a date so that he wouldn’t feel alone.

In response, Alec gets a less fantastic idea. One that includes bringing his best friend, Magnus, as a date.

can you keep me close? (can you love me most?) by maiaslightwood (PG13 | 1/1 | 4,752)

Alec has made his choice a long time ago, though he has trouble putting his finger on the when. Maybe when he had rushed out that first, desperate 'I love you' or when he had realized after those painful days apart that he couldn't live without Magnus; when he had let Magnus take his hand and drag him back to the only place he ever called home. Or maybe it had been some other moment, some everyday feeling in the morning light or kitchen or settled on the balcony. However, it takes a demon wound and a day of sleep for him to finally say it.

Contact by MalecCrazedAuthor (PG | 1/1 | 5,518)

It’s a game, you see.

Not that it was intended to be. The evolution of Alec’s contact in Magnus’s phone started out innocently enough. Almost by accident, even.

But now it’s taken on a life of its own.

One Easy Answer by MalecCrazedAuthor (Mature | 11/11 | 36,963)

Magnus warned Alec he wouldn’t ask again.

And he didn’t.

Alec called off his wedding, but the next day walked in on Magnus with Camille and hasn’t spoken to Magnus since.

Now, months later, relations between the Shadowhunters and the Downworld are growing increasingly turbulent as the Downworld blames Jace for Valentine’s massacre of dozens of Downworlders.

It’s up to Alec, as Head of the New York Institute, to forge a peace that could save thousands of Downworlder and Shadowhunter lives—even if it means re-evaluating everything he once thought mattered.

Fools Rush In by Maleciseverything (PG | 4/4 | 85,198)

Alec, Jace, and Simon go to Vegas for Jace's bachelor party and things get a little bit ridiculous.

Alec wakes up the next morning and...wait a minute, who's that in his bed?

If You Love Me by Malteser24 (PG | 1/1 | 11,029)

Alec isn’t like anybody that Magnus has dated before, unlike anyone he’s ever met, and it’s terrifying and exhilarating and more than Magnus knows what to do with

Of Immeasurable Talent And Beauty by Malteser24 (PG13 | 1/1 | 7,268)

Alec's a notable and credible photographer, his hobby turned career meaning he faces many kinds of people, often in the tight space of a few hours.

But then he meets Magnus Bane, a popular model, with an eccentric flair for the dramatics and an insatiable need for flirting.

Especially with Alec

A Day In The Life by mansikka (Mature | 6/6 | 21,078)

Alec doesn't want to work today. There are too many things that would make him angry, too many terse words on his tongue that he knows better than to say out loud. With Magnus' schedule full, the thought of spending the full day watching him work gives Alec something else to focus on. Though will a busy day provide an adequate distraction from the things that are on Alec's mind, that he knows he has to deal with, but wants a day off from thinking about?

Stripped Bare by mansikka (PG13 | 1/1 | 3,573)

Magnus is having a day where he doesn't like himself.

oh, i've waited for you by manticoremoons (Explicit | 1/1 | 12,359)

He’d been willing to maybe try messing around with a shadowhunter—his first—but a married one? Hell no. (And he’d been to hell before, so he knew exactly how serious it was).

I love you wholly & I love you forever. by melbopo (PG13 | 1/1 | 5,797)

Alec's not sure if something is in the water again or if there is a betting pool in his family that caps at 6 years, for suddenly everyone he knows is emotionally invested in when and how he is going to propose to Magnus. At this point, Alec's not even sure if he unknowingly agreed to be secretly filmed for the next season of Real Housewives of Idris.

------ (alt summary: Alec receives 5 different suggestions for how to propose to Magnus and the one time he actually succeeds.)

Quite Magical by MenckensChrestomethy (PG13 | 2/2 | 9,917)

Magnus is a potions prodigy, and a rebellious loner, his only friends at Hogwarts are professors and the nurse.

Alec is the Quidditch Captain, Prefect and...Terrible at potions.

Obviously, Magnus has to tutor him.

Who Ya Gonna Call? by MenckensChrestomethy (PG13 | 1/1 | 7,463)

“You have to—“

“Help you?” Magnus filled in dryly.

Or: The Six Times Magnus helped someone, and the one time they try to help him

Between the Lines by msalexiscriss (Explicit | 33/33 | 240,680)

AU. Special Agent Alec Lightwood’s been chasing the renowned thief and conman extraordinaire Magnus Bane for five years now. When a criminal from the past, Valentine Morgenstern, threatens their city and both their reputations, the duo will have to do the unimaginable and team up to restore the peace in the big old city. Between secrets, betrayals, heartbreaking truths, and sick games, Alec and Magnus will have to learn to play between the lines of good and evil in order to carry out their mission and make it out alive. Will they succeed?

Sanctuary by MuscleMemory (Mature | 6/6 | 92,735)

Sometimes you have to find a sanctuary. Sometimes you don’t have to travel very far to find it. And sometimes you find it in a person.

Magnus arrives in a small town. There are pumpkins, a dog, and a very intriguing stranger.

No Stopping the Zombie Apocalypse by Nerdy_fangirl_57 (PG13 | 1/1 | 3,731)

It's been 20 years since the rise of the zombies. It's been 20 years since everyone was evacuated into safe zones for the unforeseeable future. Alec never minded staying in the parameters of Idris, it was peaceful here, boring as hell sure, but, peaceful. Idris was safe.

So of course Isabelle and Jace force him to leave the sanctuary with them one night to go 'explore' the outside world. Even though he's explained to them several times that the outside world is crawling with zombies. Brain eating zombies. That eat people.

Sometimes Alec wonders if Izzy and Jace even have brains. They never seem to use them.

Back to the Future by notcrypticbutcoy (PG13 | 1/1 | 6,443)

Magnus Bane has spent his life being watched over by a strange man, who claims he's a Shadowhunter, acts like an angel, and, logically, can only possibly be a demon. The voice in his head whispers that he can trust him. Magnus isn't so sure.

Or: In which Alec is Magnus' (sort-of) guardian angel, Ragnor Fell is a good friend even in death, and Ragnor and Alec prove to Magnus that he is loved.

Five Times Magnus Isn’t a Good Boyfriend and One Time He Is by notcrypticbutcoy (PG13 | 1/1 | 7,112)

Being a high profile celebrity makes it difficult for Magnus to find enough time for his personal life. Alec's feeling lonely after spending yet another night alone.

Or, in which Magnus is spending too much time at work, Alec confides in Chairman Meow, and Magnus tries to make everything better.

I'll Be Home (For Christmas) by notcrypticbutcoy (PG13 | 1/1 | 12,875)

The universe had really come through with this fine specimen of a man. It would be a horrible, cruel cosmic joke from the universe if she revealed that he was straight. Or taken. Or both. Magnus would probably sell his soul to get a kiss from him.

***

In which Alec is a soldier struggling with himself, Magnus is a student who adores Isabelle Lightwood's Christmas parties, and Christmas kisses don't always have to be under the mistletoe.

I'll Love You in a Thousand Lifetimes by notcrypticbutcoy (Mature | 2/2 | 18,625)

The first words their soulmates will ever speak to them are marked on the wrists of every person on the planet, and Magnus and Alec are no exception. And across countries and centuries and lifetimes, they will find each other.

(i.e. The soulmate AU with reincarnation that nobody asked for)

***

Or: in which Magnus and Alec are soulmates, memory is a fickle thing, and love will always prevail.

takes on any shape by oh_la_fraise (PG13 | 9/9 | 26,351)

Alec hesitated. He’d never lied to Magnus since his aborted wedding, and he wasn’t about to start now. “You’re probably wondering how you got here, right?”

Magnus shrugged. “Magic?”

Alec grinned. Now that Magnus seemed a little more settled, his cheekiness—apparently a biological trait—was rising up. “Yeah. We’re still figuring out exactly what it was, but. Something brought you to the future. You know how warlocks live forever?” Magnus nodded. “Well, as an adult you live here in the city. And you and I are best friends.”

Magnus wrinkled his nose. “I’m best friends with a white Shadowhunter?”

with bones unbuttoned by ohfreckle (Explicit | 1/1 | 4,473)

Alec may still be figuring out the day-to-day aspects of their relationship, they both are, but this, here—Alec Lightwood was born to fuck.

and my heart is set on you by ohprongs (PG13 | 2/2 | 18,710)

or the, 'we're putting on a fund-raising play to save our old drama department' au (ft. bonus: 'we had a thing in high school but i haven't seen you in years and oh god you're even more attractive than i remember')

i just want your kiss, boy by ohprongs (PG13 | 1/1 | 5,130)

“Alexander!” Magnus says, trying not to smile too hard. It’s a while since they’ve seen each other, and though they message regularly, it’s not quite the same. It’s nice to finally get a chance to see his friend.

Plus Alec’s shoulders look lovely in his denim shirt. Yeah, there’s that too.

“Come on,” he says, holding out his hand and trying not to think about it too much, “let’s get you a drink.”

The Lies Mirrors Tell You by Once_Upon_A_Ghost_Story (PG13 | 1/1 | 1,029)

Magnus is having a bad day, that's it. It's nothing more.

No matter how much he tells himself that however, he can't believe it.

The Scars You Can't Forget by Once_Upon_A_Ghost_Story (PG13 | 1/1 | 3,106)

Magnus wasn’t sure which part hurt the most, the fact that he had trusted Alec so much...

Or that he couldn’t bring himself to open the door.

Never Stand Between Two Mirrors by oncethrown (Mature | 15/15 | 51,758)

Alec has enough on his plate right now. His parents are furious at him, Magnus Bane is making him feel things he's trying so hard not to feel, his wedding is coming up, and his world is breaking apart.

What he doesn't need is a fussy mundane version on himself showing up in the Institute basement. What he doesn't need is Magnus telling him that they'll just have to wait for Seelie Magic to suck that version of himself back to his own dimension.

But since when does Alec get what he needs?

Alternate Dimension Alec gets trapped in the Shadowhunter reality at some point after the "I know you feel what I feel" scene. The gang desperately tries to stop chaos from ensuing.

The Right Kind of Love by onyxmoon (Explicit | 1/1 | 30,242)

It starts during their first fuck after “The Incident” as Magnus was calling it now. Alec had been hovering over him, effectively turning Magnus’ brain into mush when it happened. It wasn’t the sentence that Alec uttered out in the midst of the heat, but the way he looked at Magnus.

Like he was something invaluable.

Something worth saving.

It scares Magnus because Alec looked like he sincerely meant that. And even more he fears that he might actually believe it himself.

terra incognita by orphan_account (Mature | 1/1 | 21,1176)

There’s a growl, there’s a bang, there’s the gentle splashing of water, there’s the sound of his own breath, there’s something just out of range that’s whispering something. But he’s not thinking about that.

-----

Basically the events from Jocelyn's death to the aftermath of Alec's suicide attempt, but Alec has a psychotic episode throughout.

Home by otppurefuckingmagic (PG13 | 16/16 | 6,967)

magnus disappears on a thursday. there’s too much alec remembers about that day.

ever the years you wept by Pameluke (PG13 | 1/1 | 5,250)

Magnus has lost faith, Alec has lost hope.

The Hunter's Moon Hustle by Pameluke (PG13 | 1/1 | 1,546)

The minute he walked into the bar, Magnus Bane knew he was in trouble. He was a Nephilim Shadowhunter, a real hard-ass. But he handled a pool stick like a pro, and he had a wicked smile–Magnus could testify to that. Yes, sir, Alexander Lightwood had all the right moves. And he had something else, a hint of innocence that lured Magnus right in.

Walk A Little Closer by Pameluke (PG13 | 1/1 | 3,357)

Nothing beats a late-night stroll through the city.

Adventure XXL by RedOrchid (Explicit | 9/9 | 26,858)

Tune in for a breathtaking adventure—Reality TV like you’ve never seen it before. Join us on an exhilarating ride where contestants are both pitted against each other to complete challenges and forced to find ways to cooperate—as we determine who has the intelligence, strength, creativity and charm to make it to the top.

Six teams. One game.

This is Adventure XXL.

(Aka Jace signs himself and Alec up for a stupid reality show. Once Alec’s there, he meets fellow contestant Magnus, and suddenly the stupid show doesn’t feel quite so stupid anymore)

Home by redskyatmorning (Mature | 1/1 | 30,775)

A few weeks after the wedding incident, the Clave has Alec arrested and put on trial to have his runes stripped for what seems like no reason. Faced with exile, Alec must come to terms with himself, his feelings for a certain warlock, and the world that he was raised in.

Don't take it easy by sarcasticfluentry (Explicit | 1/1 | 1,537)

"Magnus loves seeing him like this, muscles straining, mind completely blank except for the need to come, because normally Alec keeps himself under ironfast control.

Magnus is so, so lucky to be the one that gets to take him apart."

...or, Magnus and Alec spend a lazy afternoon in front of the television.

night highs by sarcasticfluentry (Explicit | 1/1 | 10,021)

The Book of the White turns out to be encrypted, so they're unable to immediately wake Jocelyn up. Magnus returns home to his loft feeling defeated and wonders where he stands with Alec.

pro bono by sarcasticfluentry (Explicit | 1/1 | 7,195)

After the Clave drops the charges against Isabelle and declares her free, Magnus decides he doesn't want Alec's bow and quiver after all. He gets something even better.

All Love's Loving Parts by satonawall (PG13 | 1/1 | 16,082)

Five gifts Alec gave Magnus, five gifts Magnus gave Alec + one time they both gave each other something.

Change The World, Get The Guy by satonawall (PG13 | 1/1 | 27,851)

Isabelle leaned against the doorframe. “Any progress?”

Magnus looked around at the notes spread around him. “As dear old Thomas used to say, I’ve found 10,000 ways that won’t work, so we’ll call it a productive day.”

Magnus Bane has dedicated his immortal life to science, new inventions and discovering everything magic can do. After years of hard work, he is so, so close to revolutionising transportation by creating a magical portal that actually works, but he has let his work take over his whole life. However, when Isabelle, his mundane assistant researcher, brings around her brother Alec, Magnus’s obsessive focus wavers for the first time in a decade. Maybe giving himself a few breaks will actually help him figure out the magical theory behind portals.

night vision by serendipitiness (Not Rated | 2/2 | 15,637)

“N-no. No. No.” There were a thousand directions this could have taken, and this isn’t one. Shouldn’t be one. Alec is tripping over the words, his thoughts a mess because it’s true, his timer had been down to the last minutes when he’d closed his eyes and then now…

His soulmate is a stranger in the dark, someone without a face. A man.

(or how Alec finds his soulmate, inspired by the myth of Cupid and Psyche)

Blue Bolt and the Birth of the Warlock by ShadowMystic (Explicit | 16/16 | 47,588)

The city of Idris is corrupted by gangs and power hungry tyrants. After ten years of absence Alec Lightwood has returned to fulfil his destiny. By day he's stinking rich and running the family business. Trying to juggle competitors and a meddling Journalist. By night he's The Blue Bolt. A crime fighter armed with ancient gifts and the heart of a warrior.

And We Did Not Walk Away Unscathed by SilverMirror12 (PG13 | 4/4 | 10,245)

Magnus advanced steadily. There was no compassion, sympathy or mercy in his blank eyes. His outfit and makeup gleamed under the summer sun, reminding Alec of creatures who wrapped their poison in the brightest colors possible.

(Alec and Magnus try to kill each other, then try to live with themselves.)

He is Love by simonsprettyface (PG13 | 6/6 | 8,808)

Alec hates Valentine's Day.

Why wouldn't he? He's chronically single and doesn't exactly see that changing anytime soon. He's happy with his life and is only sometimes lonely, he just hates seeing all the pressure to show someone you love just how much you love them one day of the year with flowers or candy or whatever cheesy, cliche gift you can come up with.

That is until his sister talks him into attending a Valentine's Day speed dating event.

We can solve this together by softshumjr (Explicit | 15/15 | 90,189)

Alec and Magnus have been friends since high school. They both love each other but are afraid to say anything because they believe the other one doesn't feel the same way and it'll ruin their friendship. Alec and Jace are working on an overdose case and are stuck. Can Magnus be the one to help them solve the case?

The Red String of Fate by Someone_aka_Me (PG13 | 1/1 | 5,294)

In a world where everyone is born with a red thread on his hand, tying him to his soulmate, Magnus Bane is born with a closed loop. He waits a long time to find the other end.

Holding the Stick by StarWitness42 (Mature | 12/12 | 80,323)

Alec Lightwood has dreamed of hoisting Lord Stanley since he was eight. It's in his blood. He's spent the last five years trying to make that dream a reality, only managing to fall short each time.

Until a scandal leads to a multi-team trade that sends Magnus Bane his way. One of the top performing wingers in the league. An up and coming star.

And the most handsome man Alec has ever met.

He's doomed.

It's a kind of magic by Thealmostrhetoricalquestion (PG | 5/5 | 10,910)

Alec frowns at a point just over Magnus’ shoulder, and then his eyes widen. “Magnus… did your house plant just wave at me?”

Magnus freezes. He whirls around and glares, hissing, “Figmund, youpromised.”

Figmund wiggles its leaves unrepentantly.

first of so many things by Thealmostrhetoricalquestion (PG13 | 1/1 | 6,140)

"You're being dramatic," Alec said fondly, unsurprised. "Again."

“I think a little drama can be forgiven,” Magnus said, mock-indignantly, conjuring a cocktail glass out of mid-air with an elegant flick of his fingers. There was a little paper umbrella floating inside it, an alarming shade of yellow, and Magnus fished it out and pointed it threateningly in Alec's face. “Considering I almost choked to death during what should have been an intimate, sensual experience.”

(Five times that Magnus wins an argument and one time that they both sort of win.)

unmentionable by Thealmostrhetoricalquestion (PG | 2/2 | 5,601)

Magnus takes pity on him. “I didn’t catch your name, which puts me at a bit of a disadvantage here. Of course, I can just call you darling, if you prefer.”

The woman on the phone beside him throws them a dirty look and wanders off to the other side of the laundromat.

“Darling’s fine,” Alec mumbles, and then makes a wounded noise. “Alec. My name’s Alec.”

Journey To The Past by theloverneverleaves (PG13 | 10/10 | 61,015)

Magnus has spent his whole life in an orphanage. He has no memories of his childhood, and no clues to what happened to his family other than a single necklace wrapped around his neck, and three little words - 'Together In Paris'. On leaving the orphanage, it will take a leap of courage to go and chase down his dreams - and a little help from a kitchen boy turned forger called Alec.

aka anastasia au

all the things I'd say but couldn't by thenorthface (PG13 | 1/1 | 10,525)

“Last time we called the memory demon--” Alec starts.

Magnus theatrically rolls his eyes. “When we called Valak you were a miserable teenager, in love with your brother. You had something to hide. It isn’t going to be like that this time.”

When Magnus had changed, he’d pulled on tight pants and an ornate emerald green jacket, open to his sternum to show off the necklaces he has layered on. His makeup is perfect now, smudges of kohl transformed into dark black lines. He looks every bit the High Warlock again, no longer like some late night fantasy created solely to torment Alec.

Alec forces a brittle smile. “Sure,” he says.

Yellow-Eyed Demon by thenorthface (Mature | 1/1 | 9,286)

Alec is absolutely certain he hasn’t moved. He’s still seated at his desk, catching his breath; still has the heels of his palms pressed to his eyes. Despite knowing that, being fully aware of his body’s position the way he’s been trained to do his entire life, somehow he opens his eyes to find himself lying down in a dark room.

There’s a man in his arms. With every exhale, Alec’s breath ruffles someone else’s hair.

The first time by theonetruenorth (Explicit | 1/1 | 6,529)

“Alexander, my darling,” Magnus whispered, leaning over Alec once more to tenderly stroke his thumb over Alec’s lips, red and sensitive from kissing. “You take my breath away.”

as your sun sets (i know you in bleary-eyed 3AM) by theprophetlemonade (PG13 | 1/1 | 50,121)

[“Alexander, does it not scare you,” Magnus says at last. “Knowing that you can feel so strongly about someone that some part of you still believes you can hardly know? Because it terrifies me. Someone flitting into your life one day, out of the blue, and leaving you with no choice in the matter.”]

---

Alec meets a man in his bathroom mirror who says he's from the other side of the world. Things spiral from there.

(Malec + Sense8 clustermates AU.)

the world's a little brighter by thessalami (PG | 2/2 | 25,667)

"Alec." "I'm Magnus. I'd offer you my hand but you've been holding it for the past minute."

Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood, the two that act like a couple. But definitely aren't. They're just friends. Totally not in love with each other. Nope.

your hands (guided me home) by thesorrowoflizards (PG13 | 1/1 | 2,292)

If someone who truly loves and trusts a werewolf, they can call them by name, and bring them home.

this type of mine by thisissirius (PG13 | 1/1 | 27,816)

alec and magnus have a bond. it's probably going to be telepathic.

or the one where the lightwoods are put on trial in more ways than one and alec slowly falls in love with magnus one day at a time.

to endure by thisissirius (PG13 | 1/1 | 7,372)

“I can’t watch you die again,” Alec blurts out. He rubs his hands against his knees, looks up at Magnus through his lashes. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

a time loop threatens to confine alec to a lifetime of losing magnus.

A Tangled Web We Weave... by Tiger_Tiger_Burning_Bright (Not Rated | 12/12 | 57,452)

Home. It was an odd word really for someone who'd never really felt like he belonged anywhere but it was only stepping through the door and being greeted by the lines of yellow cabs waiting for fares that it struck Magnus that yes, New York, was exactly that, his home. Even though it was well into the night the bustle around him felt comforting and relaxing, the sounds and smells that were essentially New York, that were familiar and strangely safe. Here was a city where you could lose yourself, where the crowds would engulf you no matter how flamboyant you were and that kind of anonymity was exactly what Magnus craved right now.

It's been five years since Magnus Bane, infamous conman, left New York but when an old friend calls for help he can't resist coming home again.

News of the return of Magnus, the so called high warlock of grifting, isn't something that can really be kept quiet and for Jace, Isabelle and Alec Lightwood this may be the break they need.

Can Magnus reunite the old team and succeed with his task or has he bitten off more than he can chew this time.

The Gift of Choice by tinylilremus (PG13 | 5/5 | 44,594)

Neither Alec nor Magnus is particularly thrilled at the discovery of their soul marks. Alec because he knows that the design of it means that his soulmate is a Downworlder, something practically unheard of in Shadowhunter society. For Magnus, the idea of being permanently attached to a joyless demon-killer is hardly a thrill. Given that they can choose if they accept their soulmate or not, the decision seems like a no-brainer.

But when Alec finally meets the beautiful, other-worldly Magnus and Magnus meets the gorgeous, self-sacrificing Alec, it becomes clear that the decision might not be as easy as they thought it would.

The Burden of Atlas by tomfoolery14 (Mature | 9/9 | 38,261)

Alec Lightwood is a low profile, high success assassin. He’s the son of two lawyers notorious for flying in the face of justice for the love of money, who he retaliates against by taking on cases that require working outside the law to ensure justice is served. Magnus Bane is underworld royalty as the divergent son of a highly respected crime lord. He dissolves drug cartels, prostitution rings, and any other monopoly that threatens to poison his beloved Brooklyn. The two of them together are the perfect storm. When a new threat arises that combines the case of Alec’s new prospective client and a drug cartel Magnus has been keeping tabs on for years, the pair is out for blood.

don't judge a book by its cover by WendigoBaby (PG | 1/1 | 1,517)

Maybe it’s just a coincidence or a sign from the universe. Either way, it’s Magnus’ chance to introduce himself, find out the name of the person he’s been subtly fawning over.

But is he more than just a pretty face?

(or the biker!alec au fic nobody asked for)

everything is fine when your hand is resting next to mine by WendigoBaby (PG13 | 1/1 | 3,610)

They’re teetering.

Always walking a thin line of something more, of a touch a second too long, of a heartbeat just on the side of too quick. Magnus loves it, hates it, a little bit of both. It makes him lie awake at night, imagining the moment when the tide breaks.

so i bow my head and pray by WendigoBaby (Mature | 1/1 | 2,515)

Cheers get even louder, threatening to burst everyone’s eardrums when Magnus’ fighter walks into the arena. He’s already shirtless, hands wrapped in boxing tape, skin covered with tattoos, dark hair sprawling the expanse of a muscular chest and stomach. Jaw tight, brows pulled together and calculating, he pays no attention to the public; focused on the goal, his hazel eyes trace the nervous movements of his opponent.

Magnus feels a tug of nostalgia in his heart, where there was a boy laughing once, there is now a man with only one wish. With nostalgia come questions and with questions comes guilt, but it’s foreign, trapped behind thick walls, as this is not the time nor the place for deeper thoughts.

veni vidi amavi by WendigoBaby (PG | 1/1 | 5,663)

Alec still looks so young, bright-eyed and with morning scruff covering his face; there are no grey hairs on his head, no wrinkles embedded in his skin, except for little crow’s feet around his eyes that came from smiling. The golden band around Alec’s right ring finger catches the light as he cuts the tomatoes, quick and efficient.

It’s an unspoken rule that warlocks rarely marry. Usually, it’s the fear of commitment with mortals - the promise of heartbreak after they pass lingering like a ghost over your shoulder or people not wanting to spend the entirety of their lives devoted to one soul. But Alec has always had a tendency to surprise Magnus.

[amorremanet]

“chris & phichit’s excellent adventure”

a.k.a, “the transcontinental road trip AU where, a few years in the future, chris and phichit go on the hunt to find vitya’s missing blood family and bring them to the viktuuri wedding.” for #yoiweek2017 day five: stay close to me — option b: bonds/friendship.

(and sneaks in tags for @sikenesque @fighthaus & @pocketlass for reasons)

featuring hijinks and shenanigans, including but not limited to (not even remotely in order):

“how did you even find intel, chris??” // “oh, my future father-in-law has a soft spot for romance and touching family reunions, he helped me out. also, he specializes in finding missing persons for INTERPOL.”

“so, why don’t we just let INTERPOL handle this? like, they have the resources, don’t they?”

“because they’re a police organization? all the rumors about viktor’s blood family being in organized crime are ridic, they’re not even credible enough for gossip bloggers to dignify their existence anymore. INTERPOL has no reason to be involved, my future father-in-law just did me a favor.”

“okay, that makes sense… plus, i mean? if you think about it, it’d probably mean a lot more to viktor and yuuri if we got viktor’s family to the wedding ourselves. found family uniting blood family and all that, right? :D”

“blanket rule: no selfies while we’re on the trip, viktor and yuuri might figure out what we’re up to.”

“won’t they figure out that we’re up to something when they realize that both of the best men have gone missing?” // “nah, i got it covered. :D”

literally the full extent of christophe’s alleged “plan” here is, “make my beautiful bae thierry run interference to keep the grooms-to-be-distracted. he’s in government, he is experienced at finding ways to waste people’s time. then, when i get home, make it up to him that i asked for so much important help, and then have dinner and a gold-medal romantic marriage proposal, awwww yiss.”

having to call on leo for help at some point in the states, bc phichit has never needed to learn how to drive, and chris has a license but he hasn’t driven in ages and he’s used to everything being on the other side of the road, what the hell is this, why is everything in america backwards

“i’m sorry for chris, leo. trying to drive the rental car back in detroit messed him up a little, thank you for giving us a ride ♡”

“THE ROADS MADE NO SENSE, THERE WERE POTHOLES AND BROKEN CEMENT ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE, THE PEOPLE WERE MEAN TO ME, AND EVERYTHING WAS BACKWARDS!!!”

“……right. yeah, it’s no problem, phichit. i was gonna call you today anyway, you’ve been quiet on social media since the thing in munich, i was getting worried. ♡”

a scooby doo-esque chase scene through the louvre, arising from a misunderstanding between chris and a belgian tourist who looked kinda like the last confirmed photo of viktor’s blood mother (in his defense, it’s a very bad photo and the poor tourist did look kinda like viktor’s mother)

“we’re way ahead of schedule, phichit! we have enough time to go out tonight! besides, we’re gonna meet a contact!” — *spongebob announcer voice* SEVERAL HOURS LATER……

“ugh, phichit, come on. our contact probably isn’t showing up by now and this mountain goat guy’s music sucks…… uh. ……phichit? *to the bartender, showing her a picture on his phone* ……hey, have you seen this guy? he came in with me a few hours ago? he’s about this tall *mimes with his hand*, really cute, probably trying to take selfies with everybody?”

bartender: “oh yeah, he headed for the stage while you were arguing with that other patron about whether or not that russian skater guy deserves to be called a living legend—”

“well, what else are you supposed to do when someone insults your best friend’s honor and also his skating”

bartender: “right, well. have fun trying to elbow your way through a bunch of enraptured john darnielle fans to get your cute friend back. :)”

chris does not have fun trying to do this. phichit doesn’t appreciate chris trying to yank him out of the pit in the middle of j.d. playing, “this year,” like?? what the hell, chris!

chris still thinks that the weirdo in the glasses can’t actually sing or play his guitar and also his songs suck. phichit makes him wait by the stage door for an autograph and a selfie anyway.

“you can’t even post it anywhere or this will all go belly-up again ffs WHY”

“because the mountain goats, chris!!! THAT’S why!”

having to call on jj and isabella for help in montreal, bc as the adventure winds down and brings them to canada, they still can’t drive but they are too close to finding vitya’s family to give up now just because chris finds jj insufferable

“seung-gil? this is isabella and jj’s place, uh? not to be rude but… why are YOU here? with your dog?”

“*shrugs* spending time with my best friend and our boyfriend. what are you doing here, phichit. and with giacometti?”

“would you believe that chris and i are on a transcontinental hunt for viktor’s long-lost family who might be involved in organized crime or something, thanks to a series of tips that started with chris’s future father-in-law who works for INTERPOL i guess, and we’ve been all over the world, looking for the long-lost nikiforovs so they can come to viktor and yuuri’s wedding?”

“*headtilts at phichit, then eyebrow arches at chris, who is faceplanted and sacked out on the couch* ……well, i believe that jj would believe that and let you two stay here for a while.”

“*sighs and takes chris’s phone out of his jacket pocket, borrows his thumb to get past the lock, and shows seung-gil some of the intel that’s been guiding them on their search* ……i feel like i should say something witty? but i’m tired and jetlagged, so… please substitute something witty in here for me?”

“*eyebrow arches at chris’s phone and then up at phichit* ……why on earth would you two do all of this instead of just buying katsuki and nikiforov a honeymoon in the bahamas or something?”

“………that. um. ………………that literally never occurred to us?”

“literally never?”

“and we thought it’d be sweeter and more personal to find viktor’s family???”

“*whistles, sighs, then gets up and points at the guest bed* get some sleep, phichit. you look like you’re going to need it. *waits for phichit to lie down, then coaxes his husky up into the bed to go snuggle phichit. because seung-gil likes phichit, so phichit gets dog-snuggles. and none for christophe giacometti, bye.*”

chris doesn’t make arrangements for them in rome bc he expects to be able to call on sara and sleep on her couch, but she, mickey, and emil are already at the wedding when chris and phichit get there.

(sara is there as mila’s plus-one, and yuuri invited emil, who brought mickey as his plus-one.)

so, without any planned accommodations in rome, chris and phichit go looking for either a room or maybe some of the leads they’re supposed to be finding (hey, it’s not that late).

a few wrong turns and oddball miscommunications, exacerbated by their very questionable italian, later… and they’ve found their way to a fancy dinner party being hosted by a distinguished professor of art history and the classics, who has family ties to organized crime.

(their bags get stashed in one of the guest rooms, based on the assumption that they’ll be staying the night.)

people at the party keep asking phichit if he’s the professor’s mysterious sicilian protégé whom they’ve heard about but never met, and at first, phichit is trying to find it as amusing as he can when he can’t post selfies with people after clearing up the misidentification.

after a while, though, enough people have done it that he’s really frustrated because??? what the HELL??? he is THAI, not sicilian??? how are you people even getting sicilian when he knows that his italian is other-than-good???

also, not to be immodest, but phichit just won silver at the winter olympics in pyeongchang, like?? that was just last year??? were his performances really that forgettable????

finally, phichit tries to drag chris away from charming a group of pretty, eager graduate students with an anecdote about some holiday in ibiza that is like 85% made up, and in his indignation at everything going on today, phichit shouts at chris that they need to get back on the hunt for the nikiforovs!!!

*record scratch sound effect!*

this gets them dragged back into a very well-furnished study to have a chat with the professor, his younger brother, and their older sister because oh no, did you say nikiforov :|

turns out that the professor’s family definitely knew the nikiforovs and it’s some kind of complicated mess, and there is some serious miscommunication that briefly makes them think that chris and phichit are the cutest but most ineffective hitmen ever.

once this is cleared up, they are given intel on where to go looking for the nikiforovs on the condition that they leave rome by dawn. they get on the first train out of the city without even caring where it goes.

after a series of unfortunate transfers and sleeping through the stops where they initially planned to get off, they end up in munich. this would be awesome if they were on holiday, but it’s really not where they want to be for the sake of hunting for viktor’s family.

moreover, it’s kinda troublesome because phichit really does have a lot of fans after his big win in pyeongchang — more than he did beforehand, even, which says a lot because he’s had a lot of fans since his instagram started getting attention and got a huge rush of them after he made the cut for the sochi winter olympics.

but he has an especially huge fan club in germany for reasons he doesn’t entirely understand but also isn’t arguing with because omg yay, hi new friends, phichit wants to meet all of you and be your friend for real!!! (how sad is phichit that he’s banned from posting selfies right now? VERY SAD, that is how sad he is)

chris also has a pretty big fan club in germany, and when they show up in munich, he’s wearing the t-shirt one of his german fans designed for him that says, “bigger than hasselhoff” with fanart of chris in his free skate outfit from the sochi olympics (and hey, phichit, it’s not just you who’s upset about the blanket selfie-ban right now, but there’s a reason that you and chris agreed to this)

either way, they run into one of their fans while trying to scope out a café where they can get breakfast (“one that isn’t at the damned train station, phichit. ew, we have time enough to go find better food”) — and while the three of them share breakfast, chris and phichit take a few selfies with him without even thinking that their fan might post it anywhere. which he does.

the selfies end up on instagram, facebook, snapchat, and tumblr — never mind the tweets he posts alerting the fanclubs that chris and phichit are in munich, apparently doing nothing of interest (or maybe looking for someone who knows viktor nikiforov? they weren’t very clear on that).

you know those iconic scenes from a hard day’s night where the screaming fangirls chase the beatles around london?

yeeeeeah, uh.

chris and phichit are going to get chased around munich by screaming fans of all genders. if this were a movie, there would be a shot of them booking it through the main square at marienplatz — like, right in front of the mariensäule and fischbrunnen — scaring the other people and the pigeons as they desperately attempt to get away from the throng of fans behind them.

there would probably be another shot of them running from fans in front of the hofbräuhaus am platzl. because in the movies, you have to showcase the most well-known landmarks. it’s like how you can’t have paris in a movie without showing off the eiffel tower, just so everybody knows that we’re in paris.

they try to hide in different shops and on a bus. they try running into the englischer garten because, with an area of 910 acres, they figure that it should be big enough to hide in (but there are fans there already, shit).

they run out, hide on another bus, and try to go to the tierpark hellabrunn, which is going well until they get comfortable and take a selfie in front of the tigers, and phichit at-tags yurio in it.

for one thing, this tells most of the fans that chris and phichit are at the zoo, looking at tigers and it alerts the fans who are already there because chris unzipped his jacket to show off his shirt and they both pulled down the coverings on their mouths.

for another thing, yurio doesn’t actually appreciate being tagged by either of the best men after he was told (by thierry) that chris and phichit wouldn’t be on social media while away on their adventure (so please, please, please help them out by not telling viktor what they’re doing, and help thierry keep it secret from him and yuuri, please?)

he especially doesn’t appreciate phichit trying to be nice to him and acting like they’re friends by going, “omg yurio, it you” — like, okay. by now, yuri has mostly given up on fighting his nickname. it hasn’t gone away and yuri’s angels have even started using it, but stop being NICE to him, phichit. it’s WEIRD. (also, “it you” on a picture of a tiger, that’s so funny, he forgot to laugh. :|)

so, not only do the fans notice them and resume the chase, but yurio forwards the selfie to thierry, who is other than impressed that chris and phichit have broken the, “no selfies so viktor and yuuri don’t figure out what we’re doing” rule

like, okay, the first one? thierry can understand that. they were tired and hungry and it’s not like they told the random guy at the café not to post selfies because they couldn’t figure out how to do it without spilling the whole story — but the second one, though??

chris, what the hell

thierry loves you but he is trying SO HARD!!! to keep viktor and yuuri from finding out what’s going on and you’re posting selfies with phichit like you swore that you wouldn’t because the selfies would make thierry’s job harder, why are you doing this

and rather than hang up on his boyfriend while the bae is being understandably upset with him, chris tries to apologize and explain the situation while he and phichit are still running from the fan squad

after a while of this: “……uh, chris?”

chris: “*talking quickly, periodically punctuated by heavy breathing* what? i love you, i swear i was listening, you were saying that i’m being irresponsible and—”

“thank you for proving that you were listening, which i was going to trust you about actually, but why does it sound like you can’t breathe???”

chris: “i’m fine!!! i swear, bae!! keep talking, i don’t want to interrupt or anything, i love!!! listening to you taaaalk — ack!!! *sounds vaguely strangled*”

phichit: “*grabbed chris by his shirt and jacket collars to keep him from running out into moving traffic and drag him around a corner instead*”

chris: “i’m fine, bae! keep talking!”

“you don’t sound fine…”

chris: “no, i am!!! i am totally fine! so you were saying about me!! and phichit!! being irresponsible!!! and making your life harder!!! and you really don’t appreciate it because you’re trying so hard to help keep the secret from vitya and sleeping beauty!!! and you’re so good about everything! and so smart!!! and i don’t wanna!! tell you that you’re sexy!!! because i tell you all the time and i know you feel like sometimes i’m just saying it!!! to get out of trouble!! or out of telling you other compliments!!!!”

“chris what in the world is going on because i do not believe for a second that you and phichit are actually fine right now”

chris: “NO I’M FINE JUST LIKE YOUR BUTT!! oh shit, i’m sorry bae!!! that wasn’t appropriate while you’re upset!!! with us for being irresponsible!!!”

“chris stop trying to act like you’re fine, i don’t feel like this is helping and—”

chris: “BAE EVERYTHING IS PERFECTLY FINE WHY WOULD IT NOT BE THAT’S FUNNY YOU’RE SO FUNNY I’M—”

“christophe sebastian giacometti, stop lying to me and give the phone to phichit right. now. :|”

chris: “*groans and whines about how he doesn’t want to give the phone to phichit but does anyway*”

phichit: “hi, thierry! we’re okay!! we’re in munich!!”

“yes, phichit, i saw the selfie. it was very cute, the current situation notwithstanding.”

phichit: “aww thanks!! you’re so cool, thierry! to appreciate the cuteness of the selfie even when you’re mad at us! :D”

“……right. phichit, what in the world is going on, why does neither of you sound like you can breathe.”

phichit: “oh, nothing much! same thing that’s been happening all day! it’s no big deal!!!”

“um. neither of you being able to breathe sounds like a very big deal to me, actually???”

phichit: “but we can so breathe!! it’s just harder because we’re running! like, literally running! have been all day, almost!!”

“why on earth have you been literally running around munich all day”

phichit: “we got on a couple of buses!!!”

“that doesn’t really answer my question…… :/”

phichit: “okay, we’re running from some fans!!!”

“wait what”

phichit: “they started showing up!! after that nice guy from the café!!! posted his selfies with us this morning!!!!”

“you are running through the streets of munich…… pursued by enthusiastic skating fans?”

phichit: “yeah, it’s like we’re the beatles!! but cuter and figure skaters and there are only two of us!!!”

“um, why did chris answer his phone in the first place if that’s the case”

phichit: “because he loves you and knew you’d probably be mad about the selfies!! and he wanted to apologize!!! because yeah, that was totally not a good move on our part!!! and he was all like, ‘it’s fair for him to be mad, i have to take this or it’ll make him more upset, ugh my name is chris giacometti, i’m a huge nerd and i just love my boyfriend soooooo much’”

“uh, why wouldn’t he just tell me that himself”

phichit: “i don’t know???! probably because he’s a huge nerd who loves you so much???! and he didn’t want to like, interrupt you being mad at us for the selfie?”

“………phichit, give chris his phone back.”

phichit: “okay!! bye, theirry!! i’m sorry for posting the selfie and making your life hard!!!”

chris: “HI BAE DID PHICHIT CLEAR THINGS UP”

“chris, this is one of those situations we talked about? you know, the ones where you’re allowed to not take my call or tell me that you need to call me back because important things are happening? so you don’t need to be unreasonably, irrationally worried that i’ll be mad at you because i understand that you have anxiety about this but i swear that i won’t be upset? or worried? or any other negative thing you’re afraid of me being?”

chris: “yeah, but when i didn’t take your call in rome, we were getting interrogated by the mafioso professor guy! i didn’t want you to worry!! also, you’re right to be mad at us!! we fucked it up bad this time!!! so you deserved to, like?! idk, chew us out before you had time to calm down and not be as mad at us!!! *makes a weird squawking noise as phichit drags him into a fairly empty alleyway* also i can’t text you and run at the same time, bae!! i’m not superman!”

“you have been risking your escape and stressing your body out to talk to me while you’re running and dragging luggage through a crowded city…… because you wanted to let me be MAD at you?”

chris: “*in between trying to catch his breath as he and phichit slump against the wall* well, yeah! i mean!! you’re my thierry, you’re my bae… and i know you do that thing sometimes where you’re really understanding and i love it…… i really do!!! ……but it’s totally not fair on you, sometimes!! because you end up censoring your feelings instead of communicating them!! and i mean, i don’t like that i made you mad at us, but you’re right to be so you should express that and like—”

“if the next words out of your mouth have something to do with sex, chris, i swear to god—”

chris: “well, yeah, the sex with you is great, but like!! bae, i mean!!! if it was just that, i wouldn’t love you, though!! it’s all of you, like how you’re smart and you’re sweet and you’re funny and so caring and it’s like?? what kind of way to treat somebody you love is that? ignoring your call when you’re right to be mad?”

“at the moment, it’s a self-preserving way to treat me because frankly? i would have understood if you and phichit escaped from your fans before calling me back. :/”

chris: “but then you’d have time to get not-as-mad at us! which isn’t fair! like you should be able to express that with us and i love you so much that i’d rather let you be mad at us while we’re trying to run from fans than call you back because making you wait is so not fair to the man i’m gonna marry!!!”

“wait what?”

chris: “*deep breaths and finally starts chilling out a bit* which part wait what?”

“‘it is so not fair to the man i’m gonna marry’?”

chris: “…………uh. ……………oops, i love you, are you mad or happy? mad or happy?”

“neither, er — confused, mostly, i mean?? we haven’t talked about anything like this since we moved in together, and??? explain???”

chris: “i decided i wanted to propose recently, okay?! and i wanted to wait until after the wedding so it wouldn’t steal viktor and yuuri’s thunder because viktor’s my best friend and yuuri’s the endearing oddball who makes my best friend happy, and oh god, fuck, this is so not how i wanted to do this—”

phichit: “*shouting at the phone* he was gonna cook for you, thierry! he was gonna make your favorites and he ruled out rose petals because he knows you’d hate the mess and wouldn’t find it sexy!!! he has like twenty-seven pages of handwritten plans about it in his journal, i saw them, it was super-romantic!”

chris: “oh my god, shut up!”

“wait is he serious”

chris: “…i mean, i have more like forty pages of plans about it because some of them, i had to vote, ‘no’ on but…… yes?”

“okay, are you being serious”

chris: “*sighs, then stiffens as phichit tugs on his sleeve and points out of the alley, where a few fans are looking around; sotto voce* ……bae, i don’t want to cut this off because i love you more than anything and it’s important but we’re gonna have to run again, so look? i’ll call you back when we’re out of this for real, and until then, there’s something in the upper right drawer of my desk that should answer your question for you, okay?”

“*chuckles* if it’s those weird gold medal condoms, i’m divorcing you”

chris: “ugggh, it’s not condoms, thierry, jesus! *has unwittingly alerted the fans to his and phichit’s hiding spot* okay, shit, we need to run, I LOVE YOU, BAE, YOU MAKE ME HAPPY EVEN WHEN YOU’RE MAD AT ME, TAKE CARE, GET SLEEP TONIGHT, I LOVE YOU AND WANT TO MARRY YOU, BYE.”

phichit: “*drags chris down the alley by his sleeve because fuck this, they’re running now, chris*”

anyway, at some point, they end up in some secondhand bookshop where a lone fan corners them and actually has some unexpected information about the nikiforovs for them

so, at least a hard day’s night in munich: starring phichit chulanont and christophe giacometti! was worth something more than the entertainment they’ll get out of telling the stories after the fact, when they are not exhausted and trying to get to paris on the tail of this new lead

that’s it for now, this post got long enough and i need to go make dinner

the end (probably temporarily)!!!

okay, bye, thanks for reading

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How To Build Instant Rapport (In Just 2 Sentences) With Tom Schreiter

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     the first automatic program in the back of our minds is are you more like me than not like you see the world the same way I do do you have the same viewpoints and if you do then I can trust you that's the first one hello sales

 nation I will Be  the host of the Salesman podcast on today's episode we have Tom Schrader and we're talking about rapport how we can build it the importance of building it before we leverage trust or anything else that we need to

 close deals and yeah I think it's an important topic and I'm gonna do a few more episodes and next few weeks to go into it in more detail you can find out more about Tom over at fortune now calm he is a pretty prolific author and is

 also a keynote speaker and with that all set let's dive in today's episode hey Tom welcome to the salesman podcast thank you you're more than welcome sir okay so today I want to talk about trust belief influence all these things

 rapport that we band around and I want to get your insights on how we can build them faster and and how we can get deeper with these rather than the usual what happens in b2b sales of hey nice to meet you handshake and then

 most people just blurt out with a pitch and it's awkward it's it's it's horrible to watch and it's not a nice experience to be on the other side of it so let's get started with this in and hopefully you agree with this I'd be interesting if you

  don't but do you believe that rapport is always the first step in all of this to build trust and to build influence with people you've just met I think rapport is just about almost everything if you don't have rapport they're not going to

 believe anything you say people don't buy from people they don't trust and they don't engage with people they don't don't believe so if you don't have rapport or you don't even have a ticket into the ballpark so it's gonna be difficult

 and and just to go back on that do people buy from people the perhaps trust but don't like or do they have to like you as well I think they have to be pretty desperate to buy from somebody they don't like you have to be really desperate I

 think you can really up your chances by having a poor and that's that happens so quickly though I always did a little demonstration when I'm in the UK there I say to the group trust me I'm an American and that always brings a laugh

 and I said well how quick did we make a decision to trust somebody or not and they said well that was really quick or I could say trust me I'm from the tax authorities and I'm here to help you we got a decision already but we don't

 realize as sales people is that people are constantly making decisions about us and the first decision they're going to make is can I trust you and believe you and that's over so quick having a handshake and how's the weather is

 probably we waste our chance to get rapport so that's pretty ugly you're right let's go as best as we can step by step through this process where does this start does this start from and I'm talking like the main chunk of rapport rather

 than everything stop see you could go into super detail with this but does this all start with that first contact whether it be an email or phone call or an introduction or a people's decisions still quite open at that point so they're not set

 in their ways does it start really when you meet face-to-face perhaps usually the decision is almost instant in humans for instance if I say the word chocolate chances are people have already made a decision as to four major food groups

 or if I were to say Lester City football people already made a decision how they feel about that so if the decision is instant we have to ask ourselves why is it so quick what's it formed upon and usually the primary program our minds

 are saying this or saying do you have the same viewpoint I do if you have the same viewpoint I do well then there's a pretty good chance that you're going to see the same facts and make the same decision I do so the first automatic

 program people are not aware of it but the first automatic program in the back of our minds is are you more like me

 than not like you see the world the same way I do do you have the same viewpoints and if you do then I can trust you that's the first one well let's go a bit deeper than that as well because all you you keep using the word make a decision

are we actually making a decision or is the decision be made for words based on kind of as you alluded to then programs or references of important place in the past a good way of looking at it is people store programs in the back

 of their mind they store decisions because we can't figure everything out if you walk down the aisle at Sainsbury grocery store and you see a thousand item you can't really reason do I want this or not on a thousand items store

 decisions would go down there no no no no no no no candy bar yes no no no no no we've stored the station so in the back of their mind I would say a lot of people have a store decision about a Salesman so if you come across as a sales

 when they might have a store decision saying salesman to be skeptical they're going to take my money too good to be true what's the catch being negative competent objections appear not interested so we have to be careful of triggering

 these programs on the human mind is mostly a collection of stored decisions based upon our experiences in the past but how do we then predict some of this because the salesmen the salesmen want is an obvious one being people

 throughout the years and I've never even though always worked in sales I've never been called a sales person I've been an account manager and I can't think of the some of the weird titles I've been given when I worked in medical

 device sales and that consultant and I guess that is precisely that if you were the sales consultant or something yeah someone's then expecting you to be pitching out them in and trying to suck value in and take their money are there

 any other things before we meet the prospect that we should be thinking of along those lines well it depends on the business but if you're all your pre approached material looks like a TV commercial chances are they're going to have

 their salesmen program triggered and you're right that's why people call themselves consultants technicians all kind of different words just so people don't set up a precondition response I got to be careful I can't believe you it's over

 yes the stations are stored the best way of putting it that way would be let's say we're one years old learning to walk we have our left leg locked hanging on to the crib we look down there's only one leg left that's the right leg we swing

 it around and after a while after a month or two we form a decision in our mind a program that's always left foot than the right foot left foot the right foot it's always that way we don't even think about it and so now when we meet

 people we do certain things we don't even think about it but it triggers a program in their mind that they've accumulated over the past based upon past experiences that's either good or bad so I tell people if you're going to try

 to trigger a program what trigger a positive one something that's better than tricking a negative one which almost kills you from from the start this is really your he won't step ahead of me of every question here I'm finding this

 fascinating interview so far so triggering these positive side of things flipping everything we talked about on its head what can we trigger and I guess there's some laws of influence or things that we can look at and but what should we

 be triggering a nun attempting and consciously going out to touch and prod in the prospects mind to build trust perhaps rapport and also this influence as well what do we need to how do we turn ourselves well here's the easiest

 one a major program in people's brains is are you more likely than not like me I can trust people who are like me and

 that's why people tend to trust and believe people the same religion the same political party the same city the same sports team same activities you know same brand of beer we tend to trust people who are more like us than dislike us

 an example I like to give is you go to yearn England so you go to mmm let's say China billion Chinese people around you and you meet somebody from England now you're way up in north and Leeds and you say so where are you from

 and that person says I'm from South Hampton and you say I'm from Leeds and you both hug each other we're neighbors and it's distant report because that person is more like you than the billion Chinese people around you so

 the first thing they're looking for is are you more like me than not like me which brings the obvious question how do you trigger that in somebody's mind and the easiest way is to start off with one fact in the known universe that they

 believe in you believe so if you start off with one fact that they believe in you blue if they say hey you know what you're more likely than not like me you see the world from the same viewpoint and since you talk business-to-

 business if I was talking to a business about advertising I might start off by saying advertising it's just so expensive and they might be saying oh man you read my mind and then I say and we'd rather have extra money for advertising

 by reducing our current expenses they might say yeah you're right about that and we might say but the best part is if we get our customers bring people and it won't even cost us anything and they're saying you're a genius Vulcan

 mind-meld blood brother blood sister and by just talking to them from their viewpoint by saying facts that they believe that makes it pretty easy for certain that's the easiest way to for most people build rapport almost right away

 and I've got loads of examples of this one strikes me that happened really recently in that I've got a Mazda rx-8 love rotary cars talked about on the show before some guy in garage ones filling up the of day cables our nice cars I you

 know thank you because it doesn't happen very often and it's it's always a rotary enthusiast who says nice car because you know it's not a Ferrari or a Lamborghini or push enter and appreciate that so of course it chatting to him erodes

erodes and Erik Satie races them is really big into it and instantly we were best friends and that just came to mind that little anecdote is you it selling out then and does this scale with if you if you share a fact that is super narrow

 focused is that does that build more rapport than perhaps a more general fact about hey we're both in advertising versa is hey we both drive rotary sports cars that's where I research comes in if we do our pre approach as

 salespeople we should know a lot about our prospect and the deeper and or more narrows you say that would be like beyond awesome so if we need our salespeople to actually focus on the research finding out more about that person

 and really dig down deep they can have instant rapport probably one or two sentences and it's not all it takes is an what will and go with this now is that once you've perhaps built that initial bit of rapport is it then the game not to

 lose it or do you continually need to build upon it well I would like to look at sales from this viewpoint that most the people we talk to let's say we have a really great product which we all do and the people we talk to desperately need it

 which makes sense so if most of people we talk to is pre-sold absolutely pre solely desperately need what we have to offer and we have to offer and they tell us no that would probably tell us that we lost rapport so if we have this great

 product we built rapport all we really have to do is just show them what the product is and they're pre-sold it wouldn't take any type of sales manipulation or anything it's just putting our message inside their brain by passing

 all these salesman filters and skepticism that we build up by not having rapport so that's the real essence is obviously

 getting our message inside their head where they believe it and if it's going to serve them they can figure that out like instantly and it's not the skill and in the art of sales rather than the science then of you doing building the rapport

 ticking all these check boxes and then leaving it to the prospect to make a decision because some people wouldn't agree with that and some sales experts Avedon would say that no it's your responsibility if you believe in your

 products to get it in their hands should we be letting them make the end decision it seems like a stupid question to ask but I think it's a valuable one to to take into consideration well they're always going to make the indecision if we

 turn it late pretty tough road I think the easier road is to say they need this we have it how do we communicate that in the easiest ways just to remove the barrier of rapport and once inside their head they can figure out if it's going to

 stir them today or not you know maybe it's like a server day because they have budgetary problems or maybe the committee won't meet till next month but it's inside their head and when the time is right they can choose but to

 force it ahead of time but that I'm not sure that might even be a disservice to the customer especially of financing problems or other issues and let's get into the message in itself then are there any way because and I'll prerequisite

 this in that we've had loads people to come show to talk about body language and mirroring and things like that I'm always a bit even though there might be some evidence for it most bit sceptical and generally my thoughts on it are

 that and then clearly my thoughts on the the be-all and end-all but my thoughts on it are that you're probably better just focusing on them being present in the moment asking good questions rather than trying to juggle plates and do

 different things at once but the messaging and the wording of things I think that can be important are there any ways to rephrase our conversation to plan beforehand how we're going to say things to get deeper at ingrain ourselves in

 the subconscious of the prospectin and to I guess bypass some of these things that we're talking about can you do that through language alone I think language helps a lot a body language I give you an example first on body

 language babies from the age six weeks can do this or laying on the back they can't even roll over yet they can't talk but they can look up at an adult and how do they know which adult to trust the adult smiles and from six weeks the

 baby can respond by smiling back so one of the easiest ways to increase rapport or even to build rapport with a simple smile and I tell people if you smile so seems like some sort of stupid program in it from birth it says if

 somebody smiles they can't be trusted I think who made up that program in her mind but if you smile your odds go way up versus just being a serious frown so I tell people oh hey you want increase your odds learn to smile if you're

 kind of a grumpy person y'all accounting is a good career too you know let's do it going over to your right in about words though right let me give a couple example words if I start off by saying to be perfectly honest with you that

 kind of tells people I wasn't honest with them before but on the inverse of that if you were to say these simple four words well you know how those four words tell them in the back of mind well I know how then it must be true

 because what I know is true no further proof needed and apparently when we say well you know how people will not even ask for proof as long as whatever we say is reasonable so if you have a fact by putting well you know how in

 front of it it just increases the believability Factory and I think it has something to do with my habits of people if you stand by the coffee machine at work when people want you to believe what they're saying else the conversation would

 be like well you know how it only rains on weekends and well you know how the traffic is terrible on the m62 and well you know how they don't pay us enough and well you know how we fight traffic to get here and then they expect

 just work on top of that you know people just naturally put well you know how in front of stuff and when they do people just want to believe it more so that's an example of the words brilliant a knock that I use similar to that is that

 rather than saying hey my product door has this feature this benefit I owe or I always go down the route of hey this customer which I can introduce you to said this this and this and it's a similar kind of process of your taking away the

 fact that the salesperson is telling you something and now it's all that why would this customer say this if it wasn't true and again as you look to them they just accept it Ivan no I've had it done to me probably not even purposefully

 not in a manipulation standpoint but just from a anecdotal standpoint and I've always resonated with that and moving forward I always use that when I speak to customers and I find it always works better than my opinion on

 things which they always take with a grain of salt and they should do if you're trying to sell them something I guess now people are rushed and they're making constant decisions when we talk so if we say everybody knows the back of

 their mind says well if everybody knows that it must be true as long as whatever you stay next is reasonable we can just get on with it we don't have to look through a whole bunch of testimonials or research reports because everybody

 knows whatever you told them that makes it nice something I wasn't going to talk about but you've you've demonstrated it in the conversation so far humor how does humor play into all this because yeah I'm enjoying our

 conversation and you've caught over a couple of jokes that maybe like laughs laugh out loud on the show so far is is humor something that you can develop is it something that people just have because clearly if you're a funny person

 you're a person that people want to be around and so it's going to be easier to have business and just conversations in general humor is a great way of building rapport as all I can say some people tend to have better tendencies of doing

 it than others I've seen people that the chances of developing humor are pretty pretty slim it's just not in their skill set and they have different skill set so I tell people laughter gonna develop humor I guess you could probably go on

 watch stand-up comedy on YouTube for a while but it's just something that people have like some people just have this charismatic personality and I don't so you just use your best benefits that you have or your best gifts that you

 have naturally but humor is yeah it gives you an advantage sure good stuff well Tom I've got a couple of questions ask everyone that comes on the show first one is who do you think is the world's greatest salesperson I think probably

 politicians do a pretty good job they say give me money for your votes and I'm not allowed to give you anything in return that that's a big sales job okay next one what and go deeper on this rather than there making customers happy

 or making other people happy that kind of thing what motivates you to close deals what motivates you to work day to day you just have to enjoy it I tell people if you wake up Saturday morning this weekend and you're thinking about

 work that means you didn't work all week you just have fun doing it so if you enjoy the profession you're in it's not work at all it's what you do on we can retire when you're on holidays you just enjoy it so if you can find a career that

 you enjoy then you never have to work a day in your life and for salespeople some kind of drudgery and a job and others find it the most fun thing they do and they do it 24 hours a day seven days a week nice that's a different angle

 than what about on the show when I've asked that question before and I think there is a weird split between and I don't know what the percentages are but there's people who just love sales and there's a lot of people and that we

 people listen to the show that fell into sales forever reason I clearly make great money from it you perhaps don't need massive koala facials to get started you just need the the will and the drive to hustle and to succeed in it and so I

 think there is a lot of miserable salespeople and I've talked about this before in that I think a lot of people not necessarily sin to this but because you'd have to person to seek out a sales podcast it wants to get better at it and so

 they're probably dedicated to the career but there's a lot of other salespeople that they probably shouldn't be doing it and they'd be much happier as you alluded to then doing something else even if they made less money that would

 offset the the global happiness that are going to experience but massively yeah a lot of people are desperately accountants or engineers and ad sales people absolutely good stuff well Tom I've got one final question for you it's a

 man ask everyone that comes on the show if you could go back in time and speak to your younger self what be the one piece of advice you'd give him to help him become better at sales probably to read more books in the beginning

 we don't get a very broad sense of this business but I think you read more books you find more in different voices you're going to find which voices you and if you can find your own voice in sales then it's fun but if you're trying to do

 stiff sales presentations from other people's voices that's not not fun at all so when you can become natural with your own voice by reading some books or listening to podcasts like this hey you're going to find maybe a way that's perfect

 for you so that's in my and let's type that very briefly in that when you say find your own voice you are using the use of them at being authentic and being you or are you saying reading of books and so you almost find a mentor in one

 of them and that someone has the same voice as you and that you you understand the resonate with them and then you can learn from replicating what they've done well some people their voices with humor other people their voices

 all facts and presentations other people it's about wine and dining and a long long piece of entertainment I think people are going to find their voice their particular way of doing the business that's within their comfort zone that

 they say hey this is me this is the way I like to do business and once you do that well you're going to be comfortable with how you do it whether the prospect is finite they might have to adjust but if we can find a way that's really good

 for us hey that's awesome yeah that goes back to the previous point Salman will wrap up with this in the loads of different opportunities within sales it's the whole beauty of it if you had and as you eluded this event if your example

 it says people who were very good at this if your thing is wining and dining talk to people on the Golf Course perhaps you should be selling big complex corporate c-suite sales if your talents and skills lie in the analytical side of things

 then maybe you should be selling edge new products or whatever is again it's it's worth if you're in sales having the having the the nuts to just go and experiment and to take that leap into a different industry and that's really

 important and that's how you're going to get the best fit and with that Tom always sells and the audience a little bit more about where we can find out about you your books anything that you're doing as well well the book you alluded

 to earlier when we're visiting how to create the trust reports probably the book that they enjoy the most out of all my books and that just has little micro phrases that people can use to get people to believe them and trust them quicker

 and my philosophy is if you don't have rapport it's pretty hard to recover the sale if you have rapport at least you can go forward so hand rapport is probably the first step that we cepa's salespeople because we're going to the deal or

the offer to quick so that would be the book I'd recommend Tom will link certain show notes over at salesman read and with that genuinely thank you for your time today mate and thanks for joining us on the salesman podcast

thanks for inviting me and there we have it thank you Tom for coming on the show I appreciate your insight sir thank you sales nation as always for tuning in and massively appreciate your time if you are not subscribed and you

listen to this on iTunes or you're watching this on YouTube make sure you hit those subscribe buttons so we get delivered to you daily and you don't have to even think about it it just pops up in your inbox on your phone or on

YouTube and with all that set up overdue speak your again tomorrow you

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