#nonbinary mc

[mammonswhore]

Mammon: We really need to stop meeting like this.

MC: Maybe we would, if you would STOP FOLLOWING ME EVERYWHERE I GO!

[luxthestrange]

WHB Incorrect quotes#48 In my pants there is only JUSTICE!*batman voice*

NB!Mc*Holding Ppyong in your hands and squishing his cheeks* If I die, you and Minhyeok can have what little I own-

Satan: Wait what- What do you mean "if" you die?

NB!Mc*Looks at the demon kings*My unending existence is fuelled by pure spite and revenge, that of which the painful experiences of life have rendered me full-

Demon kings: ...

Luci*Sighs grabbing your phone and typing*-Let me call your therapist again

[into-deepspace]

Hello! Hope you're having a great day!

May I request for Rafayel's reaction when MC comes out as non-binary? It's something that's never left my head since I started playing lnds. I can't help but worry if it'd change things for him even though I know it won't (insecurity did a number on me🥹). What if MC wanted to present themes as masc/femme? How would he react?

Sorry if this is too long and complicated and I understand if you don't want to write for this but if you do write it it'd mean the world to me. Thank you for reading this ask🌸🌸

aaa of course!!! dw it wasn't long or complicated at all! i had a lot of fun writing this, and i rlly hope i did rafayel justice here <33 i feel like it ended awkwardly but ah what can u do. anywayyyy:

as you are

rafayel/mc • nonbinary mc • 1.6k • ao3 link requests open, reblogs appreciated! mild hurt/comfort || coming out || tooth-rotting fluff || established relationship

MC stares at themselves in the mirror fixing their hair nervously. In twenty minutes, they’re meeting Rafayel at a cafe, one of their favourites. They’d made the plans several days ago, and have been nervously thinking through every possibility ever since. After all, coming out, no matter who it’s to, is nerve wracking.

“I need to talk to you,” they’d sent him, late in the evening when both of them really should have been asleep. Despite the late hour, typing bubbles immediately popped up from Rafayel’s end. He sends a sticker of a distressed yellow bird, then a message.

Rafayel, 11:48 PM are u breaking up with me :(

A bit frantic, MC typed back a quick response. Of course Rafayel, ever dramatic, would assume the worst.

MC, 11:48 PM No omg?

Rafayel, 11:48 PM DUN SCARE ME LIKE THAT THEN???? Those are FIGHTING WORDS. fighting words i tell u!!

MC sighed, but couldn't help but laugh a bit. It was never a dull moment with him around, one of the things they have always loved about him. They explained that no, they're not breaking up with him, but they did have something a little more serious they needed to talk with him about.

Rafayel, 12:03 AM okayyyy spill the beans cutie wait no serious I Am Prepared To Listen To Your Words. Please Begin.

MC, 12:04 AM Actually, i wanted to talk in person Can we meet @ our usual cafe on saturday

They waited nervously for Rafayel's response, picking at a stray thread in their blanket. But as usual, they had nothing to worry about

Rafayel, 12:05 AM ofc ofc ill buy u a tea and a cake and we can talk <3

They couldn't help but smile at their phone. He was always so sweet, so ready to adjust and accommodate. They just hope he’ll be the same way about this new revelation.

Now, MC has been going by their chosen name for a long while, so long that most people don’t even know the name they were given at birth. They’ve always presented a little more [femme/masc] than their peers, and Rafayel didn’t seem to mind any of that. If anything, he encouraged it, saying that the way they expressed themselves was art in it of itself. But would this, their coming out, be a piece of the puzzle that he wasn’t okay with?

MC sighs, smoothing their clothes one last time and telling themselves that they really do need to get going. Sitting here and stewing in their anxieties isn’t going to make anything better. They grab their bike helmet and make their way down to the street, setting off.

An uneventful drive later, they arrive at the cafe and park, fixing their hair in their phone camera after they take their helmet off. It seems Rafayel hasn’t arrived yet, which means they can go in and order for themselves. Usually, they’re fine with Rafayel paying for their treats, but what if he’s upset this time? What if he realizes he’s spent money on someone he can’t accept.

Just as they’re pulling their card from their wallet to pay for their drink and pastry, an arm wraps around their waist and lips press against their cheek, startling them.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Rafayel says, tone light and joking as he slips their wallet from their hands, tucking it back into their pocket. Ignoring their protests, he turns to the person at the register. “Add a vanilla iced coffee to that please, with… hm, six sugars.” MC can only watch as his drink is added to the total and he slots his card into the reader, looking pleased with himself.

Rafayel takes their hand and walks them over to a table by the window, pulling out their chair for them with a dramatic flourish. Normally, MC would laugh at his antics, but they’re too nervous right now to manage anything more than a tight smile. Rafayel, of course, notices right away.

“What’s wrong, cutie?” he asks, taking their hands as he kneels in front of their chair. MC takes a shaky breath, trying to school their expression into something at least neutral.

“I’m okay,” they say. “I promise.” For a moment, Rafayel tilts his head and searches their face. Then, with a sigh, he stands, pressing a kiss to their knuckles as he does.

“Okay,” he smiles. “We’ll talk once you’ve got something tasty to keep you company, okay?” This prompts a smile, a little more real this time, from MC.

“Okay,” they whisper.

Ever the gentleman, Rafayel goes to retrieve their order, tasting his own drink before adding two more pumps of sugary syrup to it and sprinkling cinnamon across the top. He comes back to their table, setting MC’s portion in front of them. They taste their own drink and nod in satisfaction, cutting a piece of their pastry to place into their mouth.

“Do you want some?” they ask, offering a forkful to Rafayel. With an easy smile, he waves away their question.

“Nah,” he says. “This here is sweet enough.” He shakes his drink, the ice in it rattling as specks of cinnamon swirl around. MC nods, taking the bite for themselves.

They let themselves savor the moment for a bit before speaking. After all, they don’t know if this is something they’ll ever have again. They make their way about halfway through the pastry before they take another long sip of their drink and fold their hands in their lap.

“I have something I need to tell you,” they say, before they can lose their resolve. “...Please don’t be upset with me.” Rafayel smiles, reaching across the table with his palm up, gesturing for their hand. MC obliges, tangling their fingers together, and Rafayel squeezes reassuringly.

“I won’t be,” he promises. “You can tell me anything. I swear.”

MC takes a deep breath. They appreciate that he’s putting his usual jokes and quips aside, sensing the nervous gravity of the moment, but it almost makes them even more anxious. Biting their lip, MC decides it’s better to rip the metaphorical band-aid off in one go.

“I’m nonbinary,” they say simply. “And I’m sorry I’ve been keeping this from you.”

Rafayel blinks for a moment, silent. MC feels their eyes sting.

“What?”

“Uh.” Out of all the scenarios they’d mentally prepared for, this wasn’t one of them. “You know,” they begin, “like, I’m not a guy, but I’m also not a girl. It’s-”

“No, I know what nonbinary means, silly,” Rafayel grins. “Why would you ever think I’d be upset at you over this?” MC feels the sting in their eyes become welling moisture, and Rafayel scrambles to drag his chair around to their side of the table and pull them into a tight embrace.

“I thought you were gonna tell me that you were moving away, or that you lost your job or something!” he says, rocking them back and forth, gently, slowly. With a shaky breath, MC tucks their face into Rafayel’s shoulder, smiling to themselves. But he’s not done, continuing as he pulls them tighter.

“And if you come to me tomorrow and say you feel some other way, or that you want to change your name or buy new clothes or change your hair, that’s okay! MC, I love you no matter what. I promise, something like this is never ever going to come between me and you.” They’re full on sobbing now, the relief that comes with acceptance and the lovely promises spilling from Rafayel’s lips making all sorts of emotions surge in their chest.

Rafayel pulls back, cupping their face with one hand and wiping their tears away with the other. He smiles, a radiant and loving thing, and MC can’t help but give a breathy, relieved laugh as he leans in to place light little kisses along their cheeks.

“I don’t know why I was so nervous,” MC admits. “You never did anything to make me worried about this.” Rafayel shrugs.

“It’s a big thing to tell someone,” he says. “I’m proud of you. I know this took a lot.”

“It really did,” MC acknowledges. Rafayel ruffles their hair affectionately before scooting his chair back over to his side, keeping one of MC’s hands in his own.

“Okay, okay,” he says, buzzing with energy now that the serious moment is waning. “Finish your pastry and then we can go shopping.” MC blinks, surprised.

“We weren’t planning on going-”

“Uh-uh!” Rafayel cuts in, waving a hand in their face and startling a laugh from them. “Shhhh, we’re going shopping. You wanna go buy pretty things with me soooo bad. You would never think of saying no to this lovely face of mine.”

“Oh, my god,” MC laughs, nearly dropping their fork. “You’re so dramatic.” In response, Rafayel gives a pleased smile and makes a motion as if flicking hair behind his shoulder. MC shakes their head good naturedly, taking another bite of their pastry.

They do, in fact, end up out in the shops, and Rayafel buys them a jacket they’ve been eyeing for a long while. The two of them swing their intertwined hands between them as they walk, enjoying each others’ presence. It’s late in the evening by the time they decide to part ways, and even then, Rafayel convinces MC to sleep over at his house.

A couple hours later, laying in bed, MC watches Rafayel’s sleeping face with a soft smile. They never thought they’d be lucky enough for a relationship like this.

[lacydigital]

🔥Roped In: Deuces Wild is out NOW on itchio!🔥

It is available for windows, mac, linux, and android!

Come meet Roy and Reuben - it's time to save a horse!

[hayleyreadssapphicbooks]

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto

Y’all. Y’ALLL. Listen to me. LISTEN. SPACE HEIST. EVERYONE IS QUEER. NONBINARY MC. LESBIANS EVERYWHERE. HAWAIIAN REP.

No I will not be chill about this.

Zero notes.

PLEASE READ THIS

POV: third person

Spice: 🔥/3

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

[bevy-obeyme]

So. I’ve noticed something when I looked through my page.

And that is that I am really excluding Male MC. Well, I say this because I’ve only been writing for an MC with a female anatomy.

So, I would really love if any of my Male MC/ Gender Neutral fans could come through and request something because I myself am not gender neutral nor male and I want my writing to include everyone with tip top accuracy!!!

THANK YOU 🫶🫶🫶

[inadvisablebutinevitable]

How is DC’s Spirit World (2023) not more popular??? Cass??? Constantine??? XANTHE??

Appreciate them please????

(Also the art is beautiful)

[ladzwriting]

HAPPY RELEASE DAY to A SHARPER, MORE LASTING PAIN by @authoralexharvey

If you want messy sapphics and a dark academia that makes the academia the main source of darkness, I cannot recommend this book enough. I love the dual-POV journey Alex took the reader on with Simone and Nadia on opposite timelines. Tense and riveting, not one to miss this autumn

Out now wherever you get books

Read the summary below

After their girlfriend’s best friend is wounded in a monster attack, Simone Allard stumbles across a plot much deeper than they anticipated. As they work to find a cure to their own forming illness and find out the truth, one question remains: how was Nadia involved in this?

Nadia DuPont doesn’t know how much time she has or even what is ailing her, but it all gets more complex after meeting Simone on a field trip. As they both work to find a cure to her ailment, all Nadia is certain of is she's on the path to ruin.

[demoiselle-de-la-lune-rose]

Dearest gentle reader

To those members of the bridgerton fanbase, particularly those whom are queer. I pose a question. Would any of you be intrested in a queer book (or book series) inspiered by bridgerton, about a non binary Lord, falling for a transmasc prince. If so please follow, and name a flower that can be used as a name with the meaning behind the plant.

Yours, sinsirely.

lady booker

[digital-chance]

WIP: Nova Futurum

an intro to my current story and brainrot.

overview

status // planning

genres // romance, slice of life, cyberpunk, dystopian, action

target length // novel

setting // tbc, late 2040 maybe

rating + content warnings // various, mostly wip. most likely swearing.

tropes + themes // found family , queer characters , poc characters , mafia shenanigans , friends to lovers , soulmates , gang shenanigans , wip

inspo // cyberpunk 2077 , akira , the last of us , the song of achilles (madeline miller) , heartstopper (alice oseman) , mystery flesh pit national park

synopsis

wip

characters

main character: rowan reyes (they/them) is a punk by the alias of GH0$T who hacks/cracks into databases of corrupt corporations. they are a thoughtful person and tends to be reserved around people they don't know. [MORE]

wip

will be updated when i have more things sorted out :)

tag list // @dru-reads-writeblr @another-white-hole @outpost51 @zeenimf

[androgynousdeer7]

Said in an earlier post I would post the first chapter before I go through and edit it all. So this is sort of a rough draft since I haven't had my editor friends to go through this, but I did go through it a couple times. If theirs still issues they will be gone in the final version.

The forest is Silent - Chapter One

Dust hits my ankles as we walk up the trail, Airilyn walking a couple feet ahead of me while the rest of the group follows a bit behind us. The hot sun slips lower and lower in the sky as we make our way to the campsite, ‘only a couple more miles’ I think, sweat dripping down my face as a cool breeze drifts past us.

   “How much further do we have to go?” Leana asks, her curls now a frizzy mess loosely wrapping around her head.

   “Five or so miles I think?” I turn to face her, slowing my ascent slightly.

  “Alright, can we stop to drink water real quick then? My legs hurt and I forgot to take my water out of my bag earlier.” Her hair covers her face as she slouches forward a bit, wiping away sweat from her forehead with the sleeve of her arm.

   “Yeah, good idea.” Airilyn stops, her pink hair cascading down her back, a couple of strands falling in front of her face as she walks back down to where the rest of us are. I step up to a large rock on the side of the trail and sit down on one of the many flat surfaces as I pull off my bag, placing it down on the dusty ground. Everyone follows my lead, finding places to sit and taking off their bags, taking out their water bottles while catching their breaths.

Once everyone is rested we pick up our bags putting away whatever we had out, and begin our way up the mountain again, the talk amongst the group much louder now that everyone is feeling better. Airilyn slows down to my pace, now walking next to me,

    “What do you want to do first when we get to the campsite?” Her blue eyes shimmering in the sunlight as she looks over to me, the question hanging loosely in the air for mere moments as I stare into her gaze before I respond.

   “Sleep” I answer honestly, “Walking all the way to the campsite drained me.” I laugh, the overall exhaustion of walking all day in the heat gets to me, but she laughs too, and for a little bit we just walk in silence, the trees become denser around us, their leaves covering the trail in shade as the sun begins to dip below the horizon.

   “So what do you want to do tomorrow after we all get some rest?” I ask, a gust of cold wind blowing past us.

   “I don't know, maybe swimming? We haven't gone swimming in forever and it would be nice to do that again.” She pushes a stray strand of hair out of her face, the early night sky reflecting in her eyes.

   “Yeah that would be nice, the lake is gorgeous this time of year.”

   “Well, I hope it's as good as you've hyped it up to be seeing as though I can see the gate!” She speeds up to a jog as we get closer, and within mere seconds we finally reach it. The partially rusted gate towers over our small group, the dim moonlight reflecting off the silver bars. I pull out an equally rusted silver key, slotting it into the metal lock. With a turn and a click the gate door slides open, a sharp creaking sound piercing the near silent night. We all slide through the doors and I make sure to lock it again behind us.

The forest within the gate becomes visibly more lush, the trees looming above the trail, thick bushes outstretch past the tree line, coating the ground in brambles and thorny vines. The pathway transitions from a crumbly sand to a dense dirt, muddy patches sticking to our boots as we slowly make our way down the path.

   “Wow, it really is as pretty as you said it would be…” Aila mutters out, his voice barely above a whisper. Everyone nods in agreement, slowly making our way closer and closer to the campsite.

   “I’m excited to go hiking more over the next week, it's been awhile since i've been able to.” Evelyn beamed, her syrupy brown hair partially tied up into a bun while the rest flows down her shoulders.

After an hour of walking we begin to see the campsite, the large trees parting to show the wooden lodges with thick patches of tall grass encircling the camp. As we make our way to the bonfire I go to stand on the stone ledge, stepping up to be above everyone else.

   “Alright everyone, we're going to split off into three groups because we can't all stay in the same cabin, who wants to stay with who?”

   “Me and Evelyn want to stay in one of them together.” Ado announces, and soon after Leana follows their lead,

   “Me and Lila are okay with sharing a cabin.” Lila nods in agreement, standing closely to their now cabin mate.

   “Alright that's settled then, Aila and Airilyn you're with me, were going to be going to the large cabin with the heart symbol,” They signal this was fine and start heading off to their cabin, 

   “Ada and Evelyn you're going to go to the cabin with the diamond shape,” They nod and start heading off to their cabin leaving only one group left, 

   “Leana and Lila, you're going to the cabin with the circle symbol.” They nod and head off to their cabin, leaving me in the dark alone for a few seconds before I turn and make my way to my cabin, the cold air making me shiver as I step up onto the wooden porch, grabbing the cold metal door handle and twisting it, pulling the heavy wood door open with a creak.

I step inside, my boots making a soft tapping sound against the tile flooring, the sound of Aila and Airilyn talking echoes through the house, the only light coming from upstairs barely illuminating the downstairs, leaving shadows in the corners of rooms, but I build up the courage to walk through the house, shutting the door behind me before making my way to the staircase. As I make my way up the sound of talking gets louder and clearer until I make it to the top of the staircase,

   “Hey, have yall picked out rooms yet?” I ask just as I walk up to them.

   “Yeah actually, Aila is going in the room to the far left and I'm going into the middle room, if that's alright with you.” Airilyn spins around to face me, her hair pulled up into a messy bun, the yellow light making it look shinier than usual.

   “Yeah that's alright. I’m really tired so I'm going to unpack my things and head to bed. I'll see y'all in the morning.” I wave my hand to them as I spin the opposite direction and step up to my room's door, twisting the door handle and stepping inside, shutting the door behind me.

[luxthestrange]

WHB Incorrect quotes#44 Im a Shark!

Gabriel*Popping his head out of your screen and spots you*Daughter of Solo-

NB!Mc*Seeing Gabriel popping out of your screen*...I'm not a girl

Gabriel:...Son of sol-

NB!Mc:...NNnnnope not that either-

Satan Arriving to Save you...only to be welcomed to a truly hilarious scene

Gabriel:-BUT WERE YOU BORN A GIRL OR A BOY?-

NB!Mc*Smirking breaking into a silly dance*Sir I was born to seek n destroy~

Gabriel: YOU HAVE TO PICK ONE!? CHOOSE A OR B!?-

NB!Mc: I PICK THE CONCEPT OF INFINITY!~

[aspenforest732]

Mortem ad Wrens Chapter 29: Kamino Ward

Summary:

tw: presence of past abusers

Notes:

‘text’ JSL text thoughts

Carefully keeping out of the heroes' line of sight, Akira padded in the shadows behind All for One as he stalked forward. Tiger gently scooped up Ragdoll, carrying her bridal style as he turned to Best Jeanist. Akira shuddered, forcing themself to keep moving. If they could just slip away…

Akira flinched as a loud boom shook the ground and threw the heroes back. Hair-like strands gleamed in the dim moonlight and pulled most of the heroes away from the main blast. With a flick of his finger, a shockwave rippled out from All for One’s finger, ripping a hole through the hero’s torso.

There! A low alley wall caught Akira’s eye, and they slowly shifted their trajectory while keeping rubble between them and the fight. Their left knee buckled with a sharp twinge, barely remaining upright as the sharp concrete ridges dug into their hands. Come on, just a little farther.

Akira’s eyes grew wide as they peeked over the rubble to find the League forming behind Katsuki out of black goop. Their breath caught at Dabi’s prone form, barely holding back from rushing to his side. They tried to catch Katsuki’s eyes, but he was solely focused on All for One, eyes wide in confusion and anger.

“Do it over as many times as you need to. That is why I am here. It’s all for you,” All for One encouraged Shigaraki, reaching out a hand to the shaking man. Shigaraki’s shaking frame relaxed slightly and took the hand with a hopeful look.

Akira slowly edged closer to the group, trying to get in Katsuki’s line of sight as a flicker of movement drew their eye to the opposite wall. Shit, whose backup is that? They finally caught his eyes as All Might landed into All for One and the concussive blast from the impact threw everyone back. Akira warped just before a piece of rubble would've hit them to land next to Katsuki, wincing at the albeit smaller impact and at the timer they were on accelerating.

“He held All Might back with his bare hands! This guy’s the villains’ boss!” Katsuki muttered, keeping himself low to the ground.

‘We need to go. Now.’ Akira signed, motioning towards the east wall. ‘We should avoid being behind either of them,’ they added as All for One blasted All Might through several buildings.

“All Mi-”

Akira slapped a hand over Katsuki’s mouth with a glare even as the dust settled. Akira leaned slightly on Katsuki as they rose with the villains' gazes. Damnit, Katsuki.

“Run away from here, Tomura, and take the children with you,” All for One said. Black and red spikes shot out of his fingertips and into Kurogiri, forcing a warp gate open.

Twice surged forward, shooting his sharpened measuring tape out as Dynamight and Mortis dodged in unison. Mortis unraveled their capture weapon from their arms, wincing as they dropped to their sides. Dynamight focused on Toga and Twice as Mortis kept Spinner and Magne occupied, blasting and pulling themselves away, respectively, from Mr. Compress when they had to. Mortis slipped under Magne’s weapon, snapping out their capture weapon to trip Spinner as he tried to slip into their reach. Mr. Compress marbled Dabi before leaping back, nearly tagging Mortis as they wrapped their capture weapon around a piece of rubble and pulled themself away from his landing.

They almost warped out of his reach before remembering the compressed clones, instead sweeping his legs and narrowly contorting out of his fall path as Dynamight let off a large enough explosion to put himself just behind and above All for One for a moment. They winced at the sharp spikes of pain but darted back towards the undamaged section of building. Mortis wrapped their capture weapon around Dynamight's ankle and pulled him harshly to the side.

Just as they dodged swipes from Toga and Dynamight landed, Midoriya, Ida, Kirishima, and Fumikage burst through the wall and up an ice ramp. Glancing at Dynamight, Mortis charged towards the squad as Dark Shadow emerged at full strength and Kirishima reached out for Dynamight. “Come!”

Mortis snapped their capture scarf around Dynamight’s waist and closed their eyes tight against the massive explosion that rocketed them into the air. Gritting through the burns sharply tingling against their skin, Mortis sling-shot Katsuki into Kirishima and warped the last ten meters into Dark Shadow’s reach, snapping out their capture scarf to dispel the clone. The ringing slowly faded as they soared through the air, Dynamight begrudgingly following Deku’s calls for trajectories. After a few minutes, they roughly landed on a side street, narrowly avoiding grinding into the asphalt. Fumikage immediately shoved a straw to Mortis, who focused on drinking the familiar smoothie from their oversized tumbler.

“Can you walk?” Midoriya asked, glancing between the two of them.

“Of course I can, nerd!” Katsuki ground out while leaning slightly against Kirishima.

‘I shouldn’t,’ Mortis wearily shook their head. ‘Technically, I shouldn’t have used my quirk back there.’

A red feather sped up to them and, after a brief moment of hesitation, darted towards Mortis’ collar. Eyes wide, they threw themself to the side. Dark Shadow ducked to support them while Fumikage rapidly shook his head at the feather. “Just show us to the First Aid station.”

Two more feathers joined the first, and Fumikage scowled. “Hawks, that’s not what my classmate needs. Show us the station, or we’ll find it ourselves.”

After a moment, the feather zipped ahead, weaving the group through more side streets to avoid the main fight. Kirishima moved Katsuki to his back as the group trudged forward, and Midoriya stayed half a block ahead to make sure they weren’t about to run into rubble or villains. Explosions, screams, and sirens filled the air as they followed the feather, and the smell of sulfur, blood, and sweat hung thick. Soon, they arrived at a station with a number of civilians, a few heroes, and two ambulances at the ready. Fumikage quickly explained their history to the EMT and that they needed to stay out of the hospital if possible while Katsuki was checked over at the other ambulance.

“Kid, your friend needs fluids and antibiotics stat. They can’t stay around here, and we’re not going out to Musutafu.”

Akira reluctantly nodded, not wanting to waste their time. Besides, like All for One said, I’ll be found out soon enough from what that reporter said.

“Who’s riding with you? If you lot didn’t bring a guardian, I can let one of you ride,” he gestured to the rescue group.

“I’ll go,” Fumikage said with a nod from Akira.

Akira tensed as they noticed a red feather slip in right before the ambulance door closed but decided not to fight the intrusion. Not that they were in a state to do so anyway…

“Alright kid, I’m going to take your braces and scarf off so we can get a good look at what’s going on, okay? Do you have any injuries under them?”

Akira shook their head, directing their scarf to unwrap their torso and rest on Fumikage’s lap. He let out a quiet squeak before petting the material with a soft smile and wide eyes. The EMT sucked in a breath at their numerous scars and emaciated frame. What progress they’d made over the term was gone, their skin stretched over their protruding rib cage and sunken stomach.

“Damn, kid, how are you awake right now,” he muttered while hooking up an IV and monitors.

Akira smirked slightly and weakly joked, ‘Spite.’

Fumikage snorted and Dark Shadow did their odd little buzzing laugh as the EMT looked exasperated at them. The few cars on the road shimmied to make room for the ambulance, and soon, they arrived at Kamino General.

“Fat Gum is already here, I texted him on the way,” Fumikage said as they wheeled into the hospital. Akira nodded gratefully although torn on how their family might react to his presence.

The EMT passed them off to a couple nurses, who frowned at the paperwork. “There’s no Akira Mori in the system. Is there another name you go by?”

‘Wait,’ Akira weakly signed, limbs sluggish as the adrenaline started to wear off.

“Wait for Fat Gum?” Fumikage asked, head cocked slightly. At Akira’s nod, he explained, “Pro Hero Fat Gum should be with us shortly. He has their legal name if I’m not mistaken?” Akira nodded again. “They’re mildly allergic to methamphetamine and citrus. The emaciation is from their quirk’s drawback.”

Taishiro caught up to them as they were approaching an empty room, and Akira let themself relax into the gurney as they caught sight of him. “Mori! How are you feeling, kiddo?”

“Sir, we were told you know their legal name? We need it for records,” one of the nurses clipped.

With a worried glance at Akira, Taishiro said, “Daitan Inoue. Their family is the subject of an ongoing investigation, so they are not to be notified or let near their room.”

The nurses looked skeptical but nodded, one peeling off to presumably update the system. Fumikage squawked at the name and stared at Akira. “Inoue. As in the Wrens?” he whispered.

Akira nodded, eyeing the nurse as he set up an IV and explained the call buttons. He drew some blood for standard tests and said a doctor should come by eventually, but they weren’t considered a critical patient other than monitoring and getting their weight back with the IV cocktail.

“Feel free to sleep, kiddo, we’ve got you,” Taishiro murmured, settling on the floor next to the bed while Fumikage took the chair. “Shouta and Nezu are on their way, but traffic is horrific around the city right now.”

Akira shook their head and signed, ‘Sorry for not warning you.’

Taishiro chuckled, “You have no reason to apologize, but what do you mean warn?”

‘They had Murder God and Raven. Threatened them. Let myself be taken instead.’

“Akira, wasn’t that after you had a dozen clones up?” Fumikage asked, feathers ruffling as he gaped at them.

“You what?” Taishiro shot up, startling Akira halfway off the bed. “Sorry, but kid, that’s way more than we talked about. Is that why you’re so underweight?”

Shifting back, Akira nodded. ‘Had to try something. Stopped when he released.’

“Of course, right this way, sir.”

Akira tensed as the door opened, relaxing minutely when they recognized the Detective. Fumikage froze, feathers poofing as he looked between them and the cop before attempting to smooth his features.

“Tokoyami, I want to first say that what you did was incredibly reckless and nearly crossed the line into illegal,” the Detective said evenly. “That being said, since no one was hurt, none of your group will be facing vigilante charges. Mori, you and Bakugo were still acting under the permission given at the training camp as well as in self-defense, so both of you are also in the clear. If either of you have questions about those rulings, Aizawa is already planning a refresher on vigilante laws and would gladly go into more depth.”

‘Thank you, Detective,’ Akira signed before letting out a resigned sigh. ‘I take it you’re not just here for my statement on being kidnapped.’

“I’m afraid not. Your previous statements about your home life were lies, correct?”

‘About half were, the other half were half-truths or lies by omission,’ Akira shrugged.

“And why was that?” the Detective asked gently.

Akira scowled and drew themself up the small amount they could in their weakened state. ‘What’s your relation to the Wrens?’

He blinked, looking to Taishiro who simply motioned for him to go on. “I occasionally work on cases with them, but they don’t often come to my jurisdiction. Why?”

‘Once they arrive in the next 24 to 48 hours, I’ll assess and then decide whether to give a statement,’ Akira decided.

“If they hurt you, we can-”

‘Protect me?’ Akira scoffed. ‘I don’t trust heroes, cops, or the Hero Commission. Good luck finding someone who can work with that, can’t be bought out or blackmailed, and is still capable of holding off the Wrens.’

The Detective looked to Taishiro, who simply added, “Mori has their reasons. You up for a statement on the kidnapping while he’s here, kiddo? I can interpret for you for the record.”

At their nod, the Detective set up the recording. Akira described the night of their capture, excluding the tip from Dabi. They kept their discussion with the League vague but included that the League was one of the bidders during the sting. As they got to All for One, Akira started slowing down, more hesitant.

“Preliminary reports say you weren’t at the bar with Bakugo. Were you kept at a secondary location?” the Detective gently asked.

Akira nodded, ‘The Kamino warehouse.’ They took a steadying breath before adding, ‘All for One wanted to meet me.’

“Did he tell you why?”

Akira hesitated, glancing at the red feather tucked between Fumikage’s chair and the wall. ‘They wanted to recruit us, but I was nearing the point of organ failure because of my quirk. All for One gave me enough for my baseline, but…’

“It’s enough for them to gain a few pounds on a normal day without actively using their quirk,” Taishiro supplied. “I helped Mori refine a nutrition plan during their internship, so I’m well-versed on the side effects.”

After a few more questions, the Detective left to take other statements. Fumikage spoke up after a moment, “He offered something, didn’t he?”

Akira nodded, not bothering to contest his intuition. ‘Not now. Hawks listening.’

“What?” he squawked. Akira motioned behind his chair, and he grabbed the feather. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

‘I would’ve stopped you if there was going to be an issue. We’ll find out soon enough if he’s still with the family.’

“So, biggest hero family in Japan,” Fumikage said after a while. Akira chuckled and motioned for him to continue. “Do you have any siblings?”

Akira was caught between a shudder and smile at the flashes of their siblings. ‘Unfortunately, yes.’

Taking the hint, Fumikage shifted to catching them up on what had happened over the past two days. Hitoshi had been held hostage by Yamada and Aizawa at their house, only letting him video call those in the hospital. The rescue team also included Ida and Shota making sure they didn’t fight and running support, respectively. Koji thought it was a terrible idea, especially without a plan, since surely the heroes already had a plan in place.

Akira glanced to Taishiro at that, whose expression was dark but slightly amused. ‘Were you part of the bar team? I didn’t see you at the warehouse, but we were a little busy.’

That drew a small laugh out of the hero, albeit less enthusiastically than normal. “Yeah, kiddo, I was a little too recognizable to be with the warehouse team. Tamaki offered to do the paperwork once Tokoyami messaged me you were on your way here. He might stop by later depending on when you get discharged.”

A few hours and several micronaps later, Akira shot up in bed, hairs on the back of their neck rising. Dread pooled in their gut, although nothing in the room itself seemed different. They quickly made a shushing motion to Taishiro and Fumikage and slipped off the bed, bringing the IV with them towards the door. Ear to the wall next to it, Akira just barely made out a few voices.

“…really, sir, I’m afraid you can’t go back there right now. We’re limiting visitors per the…” the voice trailed off, and Akira froze. “Of course, right this way. My apologies for the confusion.”

“It’s no trouble at all, thank you.”

Akira stumbled back and quickly signed to the pair, ‘Don’t let them touch you!’ They hobbled back to the bed with Dark Shadow steadying them and settled just as the door opened. Beyond was a slightly dazed nurse, a tall man with dark, gravity-defying hair in a suit with the mandatory Legacy Holder red gloves and ring, and…

Asami?

Notes:

normally with starvation, you don’t want the person to eat too much too quickly, especially since their stomach will have shrunk. Akira’s starvation mode from their quirk works a little differently since it’s a lot faster and their body is designed to recoup faster. Akira wasn’t this bad during USJ because they were pretty quickly dispelling their clones, only leaving at most one or two active when they needed invisibility. They also had time to chug jelly pouches and assess the situation before acting.

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[lacydigital]

Roped In has multiple *optional* NSFW scenes throughout the story. Each scene in itself brings the characters closer together (whether by sexual means or cuddling alternatives!) You can also choose your name, pronouns, and even your horse's name! Play here for FREE: https://lacydigital.itch.io/roped-in Please leave a rating and a comment to let me know what you thought about our favorite cowboy! Find me on twitter: https://twitter.com/lacydigital

[eebeewrites]

Blood Money: Part 1 (Callon/Alex)

Prologue - More Modern Fantasy Stories

Synopsis: After his uncle makes the mistake of exposing their criminal organization to his new nanny, Callon tries to ignore the stress of working for his family's criminal empire, while Alex stresses about landing a blood magic fellowship with room for only one student. Alex and Callon tell their friends about their new relationship, while their friend Taleisin confides in them about his own romantic encounter.

Highly recommend reading Part 1 of Ronan's series and Part 1 of Taleisin's series before reading this one!

Tags: oc x oc, modern fantasy, urban fantasy, college setting, mafia setting, smut, fluff, established relationship, violence, blood magic, magic, elves, elf x human, public sex, gnc character, nonbinary character, band kids being horny but with high stakes, original world

Ronan's nephew is a goddamn mess.

Callon was good at keeping secrets. 

It was second nature to him at this point. He knew the girl he stood next to in marching band had a crush on the drum major. He knew his friend Taleisin was afraid of loud noises. He knew his cousins kept little boxes of candy under their beds. He knew his father was sleeping with one of the casino managers. Yet he knew that he could never tell anyone, not even his boyfriend, his own secrets. 

He leaned against the wall as his uncle begged the new nanny not to go to the police; she had watched Callon dump the body into the water from the boat, and now both his uncle and his father were in damage control mode. 

‘For someone so smart, he sure is fucking stupid. Did he really think he’d hide it that long? Jackass.” 

He looked over at his phone; 1:30 AM. 

🔴: think you’ll still be able to come over? 🔵: probably not, work is taking forever 🔵: everyone is stupid and i hate them 🔴: I’ll stay up for you if you just wanna come over so we can sleep together  🔵: I’d like that <3 

“Hey uh, sorry to interrupt, but can I go?” He asked, pointing at the door. He hadn’t been paying attention to what was said; he just wanted to go home. 

“Sure, fine, go,” his father responded in a frustrated tone, the rest sitting in silence. He waved goodbye, starting to walk back towards the front of the house. 

“Psst.”

He whipped his head around, and there was his five year-old cousin Amara, sitting at the base of the stairs. “Hi,” she whispered. 

He stopped, letting out a sigh; clearly the adrenaline from the night’s events hadn’t fully worn off quite yet. “You scared me, what are you doing up so late?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. I had a nightmare, so I went to go talk to the lady, and then we saw the boat, and now everyone’s upset,” she mumbled as she hugged her knees close to her chest. “I think I’m in trouble.”

He raised an eyebrow, “why would you be in trouble?”

“Because I wanted to see the boat, we haven’t gone on the boat in forever. I heard it, and we looked out the window, and then I said hi, and then everyone got upset,” she lowered her head. “I didn’t want to make everyone angry, I just wanted to say hi,” she sniffled. 

He sighed, sitting down on the floor in front of her. “You weren’t the one who made everyone upset, it was me.” Truthfully, it was no one’s fault; Amara had woken up while they were in the middle of finishing a job. It wasn’t like this hadn’t happened before, the only new factor being the nanny, who Ronan egotistically thought he could hide their secrets from. Yet Callon knew he was a good scapegoat; he didn’t want her to blame herself, and she’d never blame her father. “I shouldn’t have been on the boat. But you know, things happen.” 

She nodded her head slowly, letting out a sigh. “Okay. Are you leaving now?”

“Yeah, it’s late, and-”

“Are you gonna go see your boyfriend?”

His eyes widened, quickly shushing her as she laughed. He looked over at the table; thankfully, they were still wrapped up in their conversation, it appeared no one had heard her. “Dude, they’re like, right there!” He said through gritted teeth. 

“Sorry. I just wanted to be silly,” she grinned. 

“Well…just be silly in a different way. A way that doesn’t involve yelling my business out to the world.” 

“Can we go to school with you again? That was fun.”

“At some point, sure. I gotta get going though, it’s late. Try to get some rest, okay? Don’t worry about whatever they’re talking about, you didn’t do anything wrong.” He gave her a pat on the head before walking back out into the night. 

🔵: I’m leaving now 🔴: 👍

He drove back to his college apartment, somehow managing to stay awake.  

He knew he couldn’t drive straight to his boyfriend’s apartment, still dirtied with blood and sweat from earlier. It was foolish to drive like this, but he was so exhausted he didn’t care. He got home and took a shower, looking himself over to see if he had been injured throughout the night. It seemed as if Alex could find even the smallest cuts and bruises, and the last thing Callon wanted to do was make him worry. The few times it had happened already felt like too many. He changed clothes and sent him a message. 

🔵: still awake?  🔴: yeah 🔵: I’ll be over in five minutes  🔴: door is unlocked 

Callon didn’t walk through Alex’s door until 3:00 AM. He had managed to keep his lies as close to the truth as possible to avoid him questioning his strange hours. As far as Alex knew, Callon worked at his father’s casino downtown when they needed extra help.

Callon walked inside, and there was Alex sitting at his desk studying, the only light coming from a small lamp pointed down at a book. He turned to face him, “hey,” he said sleepily. 

“Hey,” Callon took his shoes off before walking closer, sitting himself atop his lap and wrapping his arms around him. He buried his face in his neck, inhaling the smell of lavender and mahogany; scents typical for most mages. He felt his hands trail down his back, holding him. 

“You know, the bed’s right there,” Alex teased, running his fingers through Callon’s hair. 

“Yeah, but you were sitting here. Carry me,” he demanded, his voice still muffled by Alex’s shoulder. 

He heard Alex sigh, “I can’t pick you up when you’re already sitting on me.” 

“Fine,” he groaned, standing up. Alex followed, standing just a few inches shorter than him. Yet he picked Callon up with ease, muscles toned by years of working on cars and playing baseball. 

Callon smiled, relaxing in his arms as he carried him towards the bed, just a few feet away. Alex made him feel sweet, perhaps even delicate; a feeling that didn’t come naturally, given that he was six feet tall and spent some nights with two pistols strapped to his hips.

They fell into bed, Callon resting his head on Alex’s chest as he held him. “Did everything get resolved?” Alex smiled, referencing his text message from earlier. 

“Man, I have no fucking idea,” he laughed. “I left before I could find out.”

“Anything interesting?”

“Just family being stupid. The whole thing was dumb, I’ll tell you tomorrow.” 

“Well, at least you don’t have to deal with it,” he kissed the top of Callon’s head, rubbing his back. “Now come on, let’s get some rest.” 

Callon nodded, humming in agreement as he shut his eyes. Here, in his arms, he was not a weapon, or a made man, or the nephew of the Boss. Here, he could be soft. Here, he could be himself.

———

Callon looked through his closet, his hair still slightly wet from their shower. Alex laid on the bed, watching from the distance as his partner looked over his options. In hindsight, it would’ve been easier for Alex to just come over to Callon’s apartment last night, but the buildings were close enough together they didn’t mind the walk. 

From what Alex saw, Callon’s style seemed to be all over the place. Posh vests, frilled skirts, and short cut t-shirts all had a place in his closet, with little rhyme or reason to their organization. 

“Do you think we should tell them?” Callon asked, looking over a pleated blue skirt. 

“Tell them what?” 

“That we’re… you know.” He said as he slipped it on. “I think this is the first time since the semester started that we’ve all been able to hang out, now that I think about it.” He finished getting dressed, completing the outfit with a loose fitting shirt, short enough to show his midsection. He walked back over to the bed, straddling Alex’s lap. “I figured it’d be harder to keep things in the dark now. Although…I don’t think I’d want to, either. That probably sounds stupid.” 

Alex rested his hands on his sides, smiling at him. “I don’t think so. Is that what you want? To tell people we’re dating?”

He nodded, “yeah. If that’s okay with you,” he said as he rested his hands on Alex’s stomach. “I just want everyone to know I’m yours,” he grinned, leaning forward. 

“You know, it’s hard to say no to you when you’re looking at me like that.” 

He couldn’t help but tease him, feigning innocence. “Like what?” 

He ran his hands up and down,“you know what you’re doing. Sitting on my lap, dressed like that.”

He leaned closer, “what’s wrong with that? It’s just hot outside, that’s all,” he maintained his playful tone, biting his lip. 

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all,” Alex moved his hands under his skirt, gripping his ass, gazing back at him before letting out a sigh. “We…We probably shouldn’t though. As tempting as you are, I don’t want to keep everyone waiting.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he sighed, getting off of him. “I don’t wanna hear Ezra say some shit about ‘punctuality’ or whatever.” 

—— 

Their group of five was missing one person. Their friend Taleisin was nowhere to be found. 

They sat around the table outside, campus fairly quiet once the clock hit 1:30; a time Alex and Callon’s friends all had a gap in their schedules. 

“We could’ve totally like, rubbed our dicks together or something if we knew he’d be late,” Callon thought, resting his face on his hand. 

Ezra and Anthony sat across from the two of them, friends they had met outside of band; Anthony shared a major with Taleisin, and Ezra was in the Honors College with Alex, alongside being a friend of Taleisin’s before college. “This is weird, he’s never late like this,” said Ezra, looking at his phone with a frustrated yet concerned look. 

“What a caring mother you are,” Callon teased. 

“Shut up, if something happened his dad’s gonna kill me,” he groaned. Neither Alex nor Callon could remember if Taleisin and Ezra were actually related, or if their families were just close. Despite Taleisin being nearly eighty years older than Ezra, he wasn’t nearly as organzied.  

“He could’ve just gotten distracted, you know how he is,” shrugged Anthony, not even looking up from the rhythm game he was playing on his phone as he spoke. “I’m sure it’s fine.” 

“I just don’t want anything like last year to happen again. He’s not stupid, he’s just…his dad’s still worried about him.” 

“Why?” Asked Alex.

“I don’t know. He’s like six hundred years old, so I guess a year doesn’t seem like a long enough time to adjust. He’s too nice to people, he trusts everyone like, immediately.”

“Yeah, but still. Tali’s older than any of us,” said Callon. 

“I mean, yeah, but…look, when you spend eighty years afraid to leave your house, I imagine going from that to a school as big as this one is overwhelming,” Ezra reasoned. “He just kind of assumes everyone’s a good person, I think.”

Callon shrugged, “fair enough, I guess.” They all knew Tali was a bit awkward; he had told them about his years in self-isolation, but never what prompted it. Even Ezra didn’t know all the details, but it wasn’t his place to share what he did know. 

Ezra’s phone buzzed, “Okay, he just said he’s on his way.”

“Did he say why he was late?” Anthony asked, eyes still fixated on the screen, tapping away as the music played through a single headphone.

“No, but I guess we’ll find out,” he mumbled, setting his phone back down. “Oh, Alex, did you submit your stuff for fellowship applications?” 

Alex nodded, “yeah. I feel pretty good about it, but…I know what I’m going for is pretty competitive.”

“They’re all competitive, to be fair. They only take a handful of students for each one,” Anthony remarked. The opportunity was only for Honors College students, but that was still nearly five-hundred people to compete with

“Yeah, but…you’re smart,” Ezra said as he looked over at Alex. “So long as you aren’t going for one where they’re only taking one person, you should be fine.” 

“Well, shit,” he laughed nervously. “I think the blood magic fellowship is only taking one person. Makes sense, I guess, the guy’s practically a household name in the field.”

Ezra’s eyes widened, “blood magic? With Dr. Nerixi?” 

“That’s the only one, if everything I saw was correct.” 

“Huh,” he trailed off, looking a bit nervous. “Well…don’t get your hopes up.”

“Wow, way to be motivating,” said Callon.

“I’m just being realistic. Alex is smart, but…there’s fifty people going for that one.”

Callon’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”

“Honors College ambassadors can see the numbers, for which fellowships are most popular. Or it might be student government that lets me see it, I can’t remember.” 

Callon looked over to Alex, his expression still neutral, always hard to read. Yet the way he gripped the bench below him was enough for him to realize Ezra’s words had unnerved him. He covertly put his hand on top of Alex’s, but it seemed to do little to comfort him. 

Ezra sighed, “look, I’m not trying to make you feel shitty, seriously, just…have a plan B. That’s all I’m trying to say. I think you’d be good for it, it’s just rough.”

“No, it’s cool, you’re fine,” Alex smiled. Growing up in a small town meant competition in school was minimal. He had always worked hard, but competing against so many people now meant he had to push himself even further. “Worst case, I have-”

He was interrupted by Taleisin sitting down next to Callon, nearly colliding into him. “Holy shit, I’m so sorry, so much happened last night.”

“Fuck, you sound like you just ran a marathon,” Callon said as he pulled away from him. 

“I mean kinda, yeah. I felt bad, we haven’t all hung out together as a group since the semester started,” he was still catching his breath. 

“At least you feel bad. Callon and Alex are almost always late,” Ezra joked.

Alex nervously scratched the back of his neck. “You know, about that-”

Taleisin kept going, unable to hear Alex. “Do you remember that girl I met? The singer?” 

Callon’s eyes widened. “Yeah, what happened?” 

He spoke rapidly, barely giving himself time to breathe. “Okay, so, yesterday we went to practice, and then the practice rooms wouldn’t unlock, so we went to practice at my place, and then…yeah.” 

“So you fucked her?” Callon asked. 

“It sounds kinda demeaning when you put it like that, but…yeah, that’s what happened.” 

“Did you win?”

Taleisin paused. “What?”

“You know,” Callon continued with a grin on his face. “Did you win?”

Taleisin paused, “uh…”

Alex put a hand on Callon’s shoulder, rolling his eyes. “Callon, stop.” He looked back at Taleisin as Callon laughed, “he’s just fucking with you. Are you okay though? You seem worked up.”

“I don’t know,” he groaned, resting his head on the table. “I mean, I think I won, or whatever. I just…I don’t know what to do now.” 

“Well, what happened afterwards?” Asked Ezra. 

“She ended up spending the night at my apartment, and then she had a class kinda early, so she left in the morning.”

“Did you text her after she left? Like a ‘I had a great time last night’ type thing?” Asked Alex.

“Fuck,” he let out another elongated groan. “No, I figured she’d be busy with class, I didn’t wanna bother her,” he said as he went to reach for his phone. 

“Well hold on, it’s gonna be weird if you send it now, it’s been too long,” said Alex. 

“Is it?” Callon raised an eyebrow. “I’d rather get a text late than nothing at all.” 

“I guess so, but if he had texted her after she left, then it would show he’s still thinking about her.” 

“Wouldn’t that still show the same thing if he texted her now?”

“Fair point.” 

“I don’t think either of you are qualified to give advice on something like this,” said Ezra.

Callon smiled, seeing an opportunity. “Well, actually-”

“Oh, God damn it,” Ezra mumbled, as if he knew exactly what Callon was about to say. “Are you serious?” 

“Yeah,” he looked back at Alex, watching him nod his head. 

Taleisin looked around at all of them, “what? I feel like I’m missing something.”

Ezra gestured his hand towards both Callon and Alex, and Callon continued. “We’ve been dating since like, the end of last semester.” 

“WHAT?!” 

Anthony was entirely unphased. “Yeah, that checks out,” he mumbled. 

“So, you’ve graduated from fucking in bathrooms to holding hands. Congratulations,” Ezra said sarcastically. 

“Thanks!” Callon laughed. 

“How did I not notice any of this?” Taleisin mumbled, looking down at the ground. “We hang out like, all the time during band season…” 

“Taleisin, you literally walked in on us one time,” Alex laughed. 

“I did?” 

“You’re such a stupid little slut,” Alex said as he rammed his cock inside Callon’s ass, gripping his ass as he spread his legs in the bathroom stall. Regrettably, fucking during rehearsals had become a bit of a habit. 

Callon let out a breathy laugh, “is that all you’ve got? I hardly feel a thing,” he mumbled, letting out another moan as he felt Alex’s hand smack his ass. 

He fucked him even harder, losing himself in the sensation. He reached over to stroke Callon’s cock, “you should be thankful that I’d fuck a dirty whore like you.”

Callon let out a moan once more, biting his lip as he felt himself getting close, Alex’s pace unrelenting. “Daddy, I don’t know if I-”

The door opened, Taleisin’s voice calling out. “Hey, are you guys okay? You guys just looked kinda mad and I wanted to make sure everything was-”

“TALEISIN, FUCK OFF,” Callon shouted, his voice a stark contrast to the light whimpers and moans he had been letting out prior. 

“Sorry, sorry, sorry, I’ll just… let you guys sort everything out…hope everything’s okay…” he mumbled, walking out of the bathroom. 

“That’s what that was?”

“Yeah. Sorry about that,” Callon shrugged.

“Huh…” Taleisin trailed off. “I guess I should be a bit more observant…”

The rest of their lunch was far less uneventful, but entertaining nonetheless. As their friends went their separate ways, Callon couldn’t help but notice the dejected look on Alex’s face as they started their walk back to Callon’s apartment. 

“You okay?” He asked. 

“Yeah, I’m alright, just…” he sighed. “Just thinking about what we talked about.”

“About how Tali got laid?”

“No, the other thing. With the fellowship. It’s just…I’ve told you about my hometown, how it’s kinda in the middle of nowhere.”

“Yeah. I remember you telling me they’re still kinda weird about magic over there.”

“It’s definitely old fashioned. It’s been three hundred years since the war, but…I think a lot of people are still afraid of magic. So many of the people I know from there just…never really leave, I guess. But anyway, my graduating class was pretty small, like fifty people.” 

“Really?”

He nodded, “yeah. I busted my ass for college applications, with band and sports and other shit, but at the end of the day…valedictorian isn’t that impressive when your class is that small.” 

Callon raised an eyebrow. “The fuck are you talking about?” 

“If I went to a bigger school, I probably wouldn’t even have all the accolades I do, I may not have even-”

Callon stopped, “no. Shut up, don’t say that.” 

“Cal, that’s sweet, but-”

“You still worked your ass off to get that title, right?” 

“Yeah, but-”

“You still beat out 49 other people for it. For fucks sake, you’re on a full scholarship. That’s impressive! You have every right to that spot as anyone else does. Don’t let Ezra being an ass make you think you’re not good enough.”

Alex sighed, “he’s just being realistic-”

“And so am I. You’re much smarter than I am, you’re organized, and I think you’ve got a better shot than you think.” 

He gave him a weary smile, the two resuming their walk. “Thanks. I…To be honest, part of the reason I picked this school in the first place was for this fellowship. It’s gonna suck if I don’t get it, but I feel like preparing for that possibility now will make it easier.”

“I get that. Still, just…” he grabbed his hand once more, looking over at him. “Whoever the fuck would be lucky to have you as a student. I admire how dedicated you are, to your dream.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it a dream,” he said as they walked back inside Callon’s room. Alex sat down on the bed. “It’s just…it’s the job I want to have, and this is the only way I can afford to do it. It’s not special, it’s just what I have to do.” 

Callon paused, sitting next to him. He had casually carried suitcases filled with millions of dollars, seen pallets of money in his uncle’s basement. Despite his constant handling of it, he couldn’t understand the value of money to the average person. He looked at Alex’s face; he rarely ever looked fully rested, the bags under his eyes a permanent fixture on his face from nights of studying, rehearsals, and late night shifts. He looked down at Alex’s hands, the skin hard and cracked after years of hard work, saving every paycheck just to come here to study.

It was a life Callon hadn’t experienced. “I guess…I admire that you know what you want out of life. Even if it’s just a job, you have a plan. That’s more than I can say,” he smiled. “You deserve it.”

“Thanks. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” It was clear he wanted to move on from the topic. Despite knowing each other for a year, conversations like this still felt new and awkward at times. “You know…you never told me what happened at work last night.”

He didn’t want to lie to Alex. He loved him, even if he hadn’t told him yet. Yet it still felt wrong, even if it was necessary. “Oh, basically someone new overheard my uncle talking about something he really shouldn’t have been talking about in public.” 

“What was it?”

“Well, it’s something I shouldn’t talk about in public either,” he said with a wink. 

“Alright, keep your secrets,” Alex teased. “I won’t tell anyone how the games are all rigged.” 

Alex’s offhand comment gave him enough material to work with if he had any more questions. “Listen, it wasn’t exactly that, but…pretty close. I just don’t know why he was dumb enough to say it out in the open. But it was a whole thing, that’s why I was so late. Him and my dad wouldn’t stop arguing,” he exhaled, leaning back on the bed. 

“That sucks. You know…I think it’d be cool to go there sometime. Together, I mean. I get if you don’t want to, but,” he shrugged, “it could be fun.”

“I…” a pit formed in Callon’s stomach, suddenly remembering why he hadn’t ever pursued relationships like this in the first place. In a situation like this, it wasn’t just his criminal connections he was worried about; it was his father finding out he had yet another distraction from his ‘work’. Or even worse, Alex finding out the truth about his ‘work’.

‘He’s going to find out eventually.’

man i love them so much. im going to put them through horrors. honestly, being able to write Taleisin AND Ronan in the same chapter is so fun. They will interact at some point, and it will be hilarious.

This chapter does also include some of the major story edits I've wanted to make; Taleisin and Ezra are not related, BUT their families are close; why will be explained later :D

I hope you enjoyed!

[your-local-911-obsseser]

A little OC story from my writing class (tell me if you want more from them)

I sit in the grass on the top of West Branch Hill, I watch the little kids run around on the playground at the park. My guitar sits in my lap and my guitar pick sits around my neck on a chain, the kids toss around a red balloon between them. I look around and she's still not here, I check my watch and see that it's 5:00. She should be here by now, for 3 years we’ve met at this spot. The same spot we met at when we were kids, the same spot we got together at. At the bottom of the hill I see her, she's wearing a beautiful white sundress with cherries on it. She has her notebook and a wicker basket that isn’t all the way closed, her mom probably made too much food again. I wave down at her as she climbs the hill, once she gets to the top she sits down in front of me. 

“Happy Anniversary” I say to her putting my arm around her shoulder, she smiles at me and lays her head on my shoulder.

“Happy Anniversary Jamie,” she says quietly, my other hand works on the tuning knobs of my guitar. We sit in silence for a few minutes just enjoying eachothers company, and once my guitar is tuned right I start playing it. I play ‘Teenage Dream’ by Katy Perry since that's the song that was playing at the party we first kissed at.

“You make me feel like I’m livin’ a teenage dream…” Alice sings along to the music softly, I always tell her that she should do something with singing but she insists that she’s not good enough. Once I finish playing the song I reach into my canvas bag behind me and pull out the forms for the college I’m going to. I've already auditioned for the guitar program and I’m waiting for my letter but these forms are filled out in Alice’s name except for the signatures. I place the forms in her lap,

“For you. I already filled them out and signed you up for an audition. I want you to come to college with me, I don’t want to become that long distance couple that falls apart. I can’t lose you Alice.” I say while spinning the ring she gave me for my birthday and on my finger. It's silver and it has roman numerals on it, 1-12 which is how long we have known each other. She looks up at me, her blue eyes drown me everytime I look into them. 

“Jamie I couldn’t do-” I cut her off

“But you can! I won't listen to you bring yourself down anymore, you're a good- no, great singer and it hurts me to hear you talk down about your voice. So please if not for then… for me, for us. Please” I look at her pleadingly. 

TIME SKIP TO 3 MONTHS LATER

My mom is looking through the mail for the day as I anxiously look over her shoulder,

“You know that stalking the mail won't make the letter come any fas-” She gets cut off as I see the letter from Halter College and snatch it from the pile. Just as I’m about to open the envelope Alice comes bursting into the house, she stands there holding up a letter and panting.

“You guys… should really lock… that door you know. Also!” She waves a letter from Halter in the air as well.

“My letter came. Did yours? Please tell me it did.” She straightens up and walks toward me where I’m holding my letter as well. We both stare at each others letters before handing them to each other,

“Open mine for me” We both say at the same time before opening the letters, I take her letter out and read it to myself. 

‘Dear Alice Stevens, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Halter College in our choir program. Please come register for school before September 1st otherwise your spot will be handed to the next person. While at registration please sign up for dorms if wanted/needed. 

Thank you,

Halter Administration'

I look up at her at the same time that she looks up, we both have smiles on our faces. I have a feeling that college is gonna be a wild ride for the both of us.