#so the companion box is placed great for me :P

[windfighter]

This is just bad user interface! Who on the howrse team looked at this and went "Yeah this is perfect I'm sure they'll like this"????

(talking about the suddenly appeared top greek god horses-list over there)

Sure you can move it out of the way if you're a VIP but you know what happens then????

More bad UI

*grabs bat* listen howrse I just want to talk

[peterman-spideyparker]

Half-Wrong (College!Matt Murdock x college!fem!Reader)

Author’s Note: Howdy folks, ya girl somehow caught Covid during the worst week possible! I have a 102 fever and I don't really remember writing this cuz I've been taking a lot of naps, so if it doesn't make sense and has errors I'm sorry. I saw that Owen Sleater gifset (iykyk) and rolled with it. Enjoy :)

Summary: You have been attracted to Matt Murdock ever since the pair of you met at the coffee shop on campus on move-in day, but you knew he'd never feel the same way about you - this became especially true once you got insight on his romantic life. So when you find him waiting for you after you come back from a date, you take a chance.

Warnings: Sweet platonic fluff, close friendship vibes, kissing, smut (oral - f!receiving, sexy oral m!condom put on, protected sex, p in v sex), swearing

Other Characters: Foggy Nelson, ofc (Cassie)

Word Count: 2,844

“C’mon, just a little more,” you huff as you move your run to a jog on the sidewalk. “A little bit more, and then we’ll be back at the dorms.”

“I don’t get why you think this is the best way to exercise,” Matt huffs as he puts his hands up in a T shape.

“You like boxing, I like a good run. Potato, potahto. The thing you should be thinking about is why you repeatedly agree and continue to go on runs with me,” you pant as you untie the tether that you use while you run—with Matt being unable to see and just how hard you imagine running with a cane would be, a tether to your waist to guide him and gently keep him out of the path of obstacles seemed like a good option.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve figured that part out yet, either. I mean, you do agree to box with me which is nice. But I think I just like spending time with you. Although, being tied with you does kind of make me feel like a dog.”

“Ah, but you’re such a kind, pretty dog with soft hair,” you smirk, ruffling his sweaty hair. “Such a good boy.”

“Alright, alright,” he chuckles, his cheeks flushing beyond the rosiness from the run. “Help me get to the cafe in the student union and I’ll buy us some waters.”

You press a kiss to his warm cheek and place his hand on your forearm. 

“Hey, are you still gonna join Foggy and I at Josie’s tonight?” he asks, his breathing sounding like it’s starting to return to normal as you both enter the nearby building.

“I thought that was tomorrow?” you return, navigating the pair of you through a small little self-serve concession area.

“No, tonight. You have plans?”

“Don’t sound too shocked.”

“I don’t mean it like that.”

“Okay. Then how did you mean it?”

“Well, just that you haven’t had plans in almost a year,” he exaggerates as he takes the waters you hand him.

“Excuse me, I have plans,” you say as you take the waters back and scan them, Matt rooting around in his shorts for his student ID.

“No, you have plans with your other friends semi-regularly. You never have date plans,” he clarifies as he swipes his ID to pay.

“I’m sorry all of us can’t be you with a new companion every few weeks.”

“I don’t have a ‘new companion’ every few weeks.”

“Oh, come on, Matt, don’t deny it,” you say as you drink your water. “Right now, it’s that girl from that IP law class, before that it was a dental student, then I think an international relations major? But let’s not forget about contract law girl, estate planning—.”

“Okay, fine, I’ve had a lot of short-term relationships.”

“Well, that’s great for you, but that’s not what I’m looking for,” you tell him. “I mean, I don’t expect anything right now to last forever, but, I don’t want it to be a four-week thing and then be done with it. If I’m gonna make plans with someone, it’s because I think I still might be making plans with them in five months.”

Matt nods and drinks some of his own water as you move back outside and in the direction of our dorms. “So, what’s this guy like? Where’d you meet?”

“Cassie actually set us up,” you say. “She said that he seemed like my type, like a really good guy.”

“Well, then, I’m happy you have plans tonight. I hope it goes well.”

“Thanks, Matt. I do, too. I mean, I have no reason to think they won’t. Just tell Foggy I’m sorry I’m gonna miss him tonight.”

“Of course.”

“Do I see a wild (Y/N) in one of her natural habitats?” you hear Foggy call from across the quad.

“Speak of the Nelson, and he shall appear!” you smile as he comes to wrap you in a hug. 

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages!”

“(Y/N) has a date tonight,” Matt says with a devilish grin.

“Matthew!” you say, giving him a swift whack. “This is exactly why I don’t tell you things.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’m happy for you, really.”

“I am, too!” Foggy chimes in. “I’m bummed that it means you’ll miss drinks at Josie’s, but, it’s about time you get dicked down.”

“I need to hang out with more friends that are girls,” you sigh, taking a look at your watch. “I gotta go now if I want to take an everything shower.” Kissing each of their cheeks, you wave goodbye and run off to your dorm to get ready.

“I just don’t see it going anywhere,” you sigh as you enter the main lobby of your dorm building.

“Really?” Cassie asks over the phone.

“We work on paper, but there wasn’t any spark.”

“Maybe the spark is gonna take some time.”

“A spark shouldn’t take time, Cass. It should be right there I didn’t feel anything.”

“You can’t pin every guy against Matt, you know.”

“I’m not comparing everyone against Matt,” you scoff incredulously. 

“Yes, you are. Ever since you met. I bet you felt a spark with him.”

“So what if I did? It’s clear he didn’t with me, but . . .” You sigh and shake the thought out of your head. “I’m not an option for him. He’s a good person, but more importantly, he’s my friend. I’m not gonna spend my time fantasizing about something that’s never gonna happen.”

“HA.”

“You are so mean.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just a funny concept—you, not fantasizing.”

“Rude.”

“I’m your oldest friend, it’s my job.”

“I appreciate it. Listen, I just got to my door, I’m gonna call it a night.”

“Okay, (Y/N). Sleep well.”

“You too.”

Hanging up, you sigh as you put your phone back into your bag, hiking the strap up over your shoulder, slipping out your keys and undoing the old locks. You toss your purse on the nearby table, but freeze in your tracks when you see someone sitting on your bed. Not any someone. Matt.

“You shouldn’t be in here this late,” you breathe.

“I shouldn’t be in here at all,” he says softly, folding his glasses and putting them on your nightstand. “But why do something half-wrong?”

You slowly start to close the gap between where he sits and where you stand. “Matt . . .”

“If you want me to go, I will. Just say the word.”

“. . . Why now?”

“I don’t know. I just . . . I realized tonight when I was at Josie’s with Foggy that if you’re going to be kissing anyone, I want it to be me.”

You don’t care what you just told Cassie. Honestly, you don’t care about anything or how this could complicate your friendship or any of the consequences. Instead, you move to your bed, climb into his lap, and kiss him. That spark you first felt with Matt when you met is a full-blown lightning bolt now, every last bit of you tingling with electricity; you know Matt feels it too from the way his hands slide up your back and how his fingers card through your hair. Matt leans back on the mattress, letting you take the lead as you make out. His kisses gradually grow more aggressive—the clashing of teeth, nipping, squeezing, and grinding. Matt rolls your bodies over on the bed, eagerly but carefully pulling off your shirt.

“Please tell me you were anticipating this and have condoms on you,” you pant as he peppers kisses all over your torso.

“Mmm,” he hums into my body. Oh my God, I think I just came. “Four.”

“We’re using all of them.” You feel how his lips curl into a smile against your body, making you writhe before you scream out when he starts to suck on the sweet spot on your neck.

“Ambitious,” he hums, licking and kissing at the stinging spot on my neck.

“Oh, well, you know me,” you grunt, your fingertips scratching his scalp. “I love to go above and beyond.”

“Let’s shoot for two,” he says into your collarbone.

“Don’t think I can handle using them all?”

He lifts his face up to be level with yours. “I’m saying that you won’t be walking straight after one. If we use more than two, I’ll be carrying you around campus for a week.”

“Sound like a challenge.”

“It’s a guarantee.”

You both smile brightly before you kiss, and you bunch up the cotton of his shirt exposing his soft skin and toned muscles something out of a romance novel.

“Like what you see?” he smirks.

“You’re too cocky for your own good,” you sigh as you run a hand down his exposed body. “But as a matter of fact, I really, really do.”

“Well, if you’re thinking of doing what I think you are, angel . . . Tonight is about you, and treating you right. How I should’ve treated you a long time ago.” He leans down and kisses your lips before moving the embraces along your cheek to just below your ear. “Sit back and relax, sweetheart. I’m gonna take good care of you.”

You sigh as he presses kisses down your chest, nipping at your cleavage and soothing the sting of any bite with his lips. You pant in excitement under his touch as his hands wrap around my back, unclasping your bra and sliding it painfully slow off of your body. You let out a sigh and toss your head to the side as his lips wrap around your nipple, one of his hands on your free breast while the other hand holds onto yours. Matt takes his time as if he’s trying to map out your body in his mind with his lips. Gazing down, you catch a glimpse of how happy Matt looks as he drags his lips further down your torso, pressing a long kiss on your belly button before unbuttoning your pants to shimmy them off your legs. Tossing them to the floor, he kisses all the way up your legs before spreading them apart to nestle his face against your covered core. You whine at his careful and deliberate movements, lifting your hips to help him slide the fabric off. Matt’s fingers gently spread you open, exposing yourself completely to him.

“Oh, fuck, you’re gonna be the death of me,” he breathes. “So perfect for me.”

Carefully, he lets out a soft breath on your pussy before leaning forward and wrapping his lips around your clit.

“Oh!” you cry out. “Fuck . . .”

Your toes curl as Matt works his magic, and your eyes flutter shut as you let your mind get caught up in all the things that Matt is making you feel. If you had known he could make you feel like this—if you knew he even felt an inkling of the same way toward your, you would’ve done something to let him know that you care about him more more than a friend.

“Matty,” you breathe, running your fingers through his hair. “Oh, Matt, just like that. So good.”

You watch as Matt tries to lift his gaze upward to meet yours, his beautiful hazel eyes sparkling with delight as he eats you out. You swallow hard, throwing your head back as you feel your orgasm quickly approach. You cry out when you feel him slide two fingers into you, curling them just right to throw you over the edge. Your body arches off of the mattress as you cry out, your thighs clenching around his head. Matt’s tongue cleans up every last drop of your arousal before kissing all the way back up your body.

“You taste so good, angel,” he murmurs into your lips. “You ready for me?”

“Please,” you breathe, kissing him deeply. “I need you.”

He grins, kissing you again before leaning back and undoing his pants, shimmying them down enough to free his cock from the fabric before he reaches in his pocket to grab a condom. He is absolutely huge—delightfully so, and I feel the space between my legs instantly flood at the sight of him. Now what he said about not walking straight makes total sense, and not Matt just being cocky.

“All the way off,” you demand with a smile.

“Your wish is my command, sweetheart.”

You bite your lip in excitement as he gets completely naked while you tear open the little foil package.

“C’mere,” you grin as you drink him in as he kneels on your bed, completely and utterly bare.

Matt licks his lips, doing as you ask, folding his arms behind his head. Fuck, he has to know what he’s doing when he rests like that. Carefully, you crawl over to him, putting the tip of the condom in your mouth before you wrap your hand around his base and bring your head down his length. Your jaw hurts as you go down his thick cock, but you manage to get it all the way down. When you get back up, you see how lust-blown Matt’s expression is, how flushed his cheeks and chest are.

“That was so fucking hot,” he hums. “Get over here, angel.”

With a smile, you move to meet him in a kiss, a new passion in the embrace that hand’t been there before.

“You ready for me?” he breathes.

“Yeah,” you nod eagerly as you dip down for a kiss.

With firm hands on your hips, he guides you down on his cock. You moan in harmony as he gets deeper and deeper in you, and it feels like you’re going to get split in two the further he goes. When you’re all the way down, he pulls you in for a deep kiss.

“Are you okay?” he breathes when your lips part.

“I’m okay,” you assure him. “You’re big."

“And you’re tight,” he smirks. “You good for me to move?”

“Oh, fuck, please.”

“Such good manners.”

With another kiss and a smile, Matt wraps his arms around you so your back is on the mattress and he’s hovering above you. You feel the sweet sting from the drag of his cock as he pulls out before pushing back in, testing and stretching you slowly as he starts to establish a rhythm. Your lips part as you feel more pleasure with each of Matt’s thrusts, one of your hands moving to his bicep and creating little crescent moons in his soft skin as he moves faster and faster.

“Right there,” you breathe. “Shit . . . Matt, yes, right there.”

“Good girl,” he hums. “So good taking my cock like that.”

“K-Kiss me,” you stutter, feeling your second orgasm approaching.

Looking at you tenderly, he leans down and kisses you long and slow, staying lower to keep little space between our bodies.

“You’re perfect,” he breathes, kissing your cheek. “So perfect.”

“Matt, ‘m close,” you whimper.

“Whenever you’re ready.” His hand cradles the side of your face, kissing you once more.

You bite your lip, stifling your moan as you come around Matt, your body clinging to his as he continues to move his hips, his skin flushing as he grunts, approaching his own release, spilling into the condom. He kisses you all over as your breathing steadies, pulling out and tossing the condom into the trash before wrapping you in his arms and kissing your wherever his lips can find skin.

“Matt,” you chuckle softly as he sucks marks into your collarbone.

“Shh,” he hums, kissing the marks to soothe them.

“Matt, it tickles!”

You feel his lips curl into a smile as he presses kisses up your neck. “I’ve always loved your laugh. This is just another way I can hear it.”

“And it’s another way I can see your smile.” You lean in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “You know, I bet if you give me enough time in between, we can use up all the condoms.”

“You think?”

“Nothing saying we can’t try.”

“Ambitious girl,” he smiles.

“It’s part of my charm. Why you like me. Why we work well together.”

“One of the reasons, yeah. There’s plenty of others, though.”

“Oh?”

“Mm.” He kisses your forehead. “I’ve got a whole list.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

You giggle at the silence and look at him. “Are you gonna tell me any?”

Matt’s fingers trace aimless patterns on your skin. “I think you already know them, angel. But I’ll tell you one every day. Today, it’s your ambition. Tomorrow . . .” He lets out a breath. “It’ll be whatever feels right for me to point out.”

“Well, I’ve got a list, too. And right at the top is how safe you make me feel. How special you make me feel. How loved." You kiss his chest. "Tomorrow’s something might have to do with your nose.”

Matt’s expression is filled with tenderness, closing the gap between you once more, holding onto you and letting you rest right above his heart.

Permanent Taglist: @majesticavenger​ @steampowerednightvaler​ @themusingsofmany @just-the-hiddles​ @toozmanykids​ @dangertoozmanykids101 @clints-worldavengers @theburningbookshop​ @itwasthereaminuteago​ @peter1ismybrother@hellskitchens-whore​​ @dpaccione​ @catnip987​

Matt Murdock Taglist: @two-unbeatable-beaters

[sserpente]

A/N: Requests from @watermelon1568, @lokisgirl5, @cocoamoonmalfoy and anon. This is so fluffy and maybe a little silly, but in a good way! Enjoy everyone and have a good Christmas Eve! ♥

Words: 2635 Warnings: so much fluff, mentions of blood, implied smut

Additional NSFW warning: This Imagine contains implied period sex, just in case this is something you are uncomfortable with.

Loki might be a tiny tad OOC in this one because the requests were just so fluffy but I did my best! Enjoy!

-

Loki sighed. There you were again, running around with a list in hand looking much like the one Santa Clause had been carrying in that Christmas film Thor had forced him to watch. For the past few days, weeks almost, actually, you had been collecting everyone’s Christmas wishes like a squirrel collecting nuts for the winter. Even he knew everyone’s Christmas wishes by now. You had truly asked everybody, even the cleaning women who came to tidy up the entire Avengers facility once a week.

Loki could not quite put his finger on what it was that fascinated him so much about you—all he did know was that he too wanted to get you a Christmas present, if only just to see the surprised look on your face. He almost snorted. It was disappointment he felt, disappointment and envy because he longed to be the one to put a smile on your face on Christmas Day—and he didn’t even celebrate Christmas, not really.

Furthermore, he had not failed to notice how you avoided his presence like you were playing cat and mouse. You had, much to his surprise, asked him for his Christmas wish too the other day, all timid and unable to look him in the eye and Loki had been so taken aback he had not known an answer. The God of Mischief was many things but he was not blind and not stupid—he was perceptive. Villain or not, you were into him—and he was going to get your confession.

Smirking to himself, and determined to put an end to playing tag, he followed you into the empty hallway on your way back to your room, pushed past you and then unceremoniously blocked your way.

“O-Oh… hey, Loki.” You chirped.

“Are you in a hurry?”

“I, uh, actually, um… n-no?”

“Well, you did ask me what I wanted for Christmas, did you not?”

“Oh!” Your face lit up. “Oh, yes! Yes, what would you like?”

Loki thought about it for a moment. He needed an answer fast to not look like a moron now.

His lips parted. “I do miss writing with a quill and ink. Could you acquire a set for me? Surely, they are still being used on Midgard.”

Geez! How had you not thought about that? Loki truly was a scholar with all those books in his room, and that was a marvellous idea. “Y-yes, of course!” You responded, nodding eagerly in the process. But when you moved forward, Loki, instead of letting you pass now, put his hand against the wall so you were trapped.

“Hmm… Is there a particular reason you always get so nervous in my presence?” He asked. Your eyes widened. Fuck.

“Y-you… you tried to… you almost took over t-the p-planet, you k-know.” You lied quickly.

“Ah, yes. Of course… that must be it.” He responded with a knowing smirk. Oh, fuck. Did he have to be so god damn gorgeous?

“You never said what it was you want for Christmas, my dear.” He said then, blue eyes locking with yours. Your heart skipped a beat—no, actually, you were wondering whether it was still beating at all. You did have a Christmas wish, of course and you wanted to do backflips all across the hallway that Loki of all people took an interest in what you’d like—or maybe he just wanted to make conversation. Keep calm.

“Oh… it’s silly. Not really possible.” You replied sheepishly, gasping when he hooked a finger under your chin to gently force you to look up at him. He was definitely going to be the death of you.

“Tell me.” He urged you on.

“The only thing I… I’ve always wanted to have a dog. A loyal non-human companion, someone to cuddle with when it’s cold and who will never judge me but love me just the way I am… and they are just so cute! But that’s not possible,” You repeated quickly. “Imagine an innocent little puppy when everything’s on fire and another alien race attacks the planet!”

Loki hummed. Dogs were not common on Asgard. He himself had had a pet snake growing but released it into the wild after Thor and his friends had repeatedly stolen it to play silly and dangerous games. He could see why you kept that wish to yourself. Living among the Avengers, a dog might get in the way during missions—he did not doubt it would be helpful and capable of tearing off their enemies’ faces but your worry for it would distract you from a fight.

Still… perhaps there was a way. A smirk grew on his lips and your flustered reaction to it pleased him, making it grow wider.

-

It was early Christmas morning when Loki returned. It had taken him all of his wit and cunningness to leave the Avengers facilities unattended and without anyone asking suspicious questions but he had succeeded. The wooden box he was carrying—with many holes in them so the little creature could breathe—Loki sneaked across the hallway and past your room to hide his present for you in his own, already imagining your priceless reaction… was he hoping for a hug? Oh, he was. When was the last time anyone had hugged him? Perhaps you would, upon receiving the fluffy little creature in the box.

The dog winced. “Shh! Quiet, you silly little creature, you are going to wake up your mother!”

It was then he heard an ear-piercing scream coming from your room. He nearly dropped the box, turning on his heel to storm into your room like a tornado annihilating everything in its path. Your bed was empty, the sheets ruffled. There was a small beam of light coming from your bathroom—the closer he came, the more he could make out the rustling of fabric.

“I bloody hate being a woman…” You murmured to yourself, making the God of Mischief frown. Alarmed, he stepped closer and entered the bathroom without knocking—he barely remembered to set the box aside to draw his daggers if need be.

You were sat on the toilet, your white Christmas pyjamas with candy canes and gingerbread men on them soiled with blood. Loki’s eyes widened. There was blood on the floor too… and on your fingers.

His fingers were itching to materialise his weapons, yet he could see no enemy who could have attacked you. You gasped when he barged into the room, concealing your nakedness from the waist down with some toilet paper.

“What in the nine happened to you?” The amount of blood was almost concerning for a mortal. Had someone surprised you in your sleep? Who had managed to break into the Avengers facilities in the first place?

“How did you get in here? No wait, you’re awake already? Umm… Merry Christmas?” You swallowed. Talk about embarrassing yourself in front of the God of Mischief.

“We need to get you to a healer… a doctor, that is what you call them here?” You stared at him for a moment.

The last thing he expected was for you to burst out laughing. The whole situation was so hilarious you even forgot to be nervous around him for once.

“Oh, Loki… I’m okay, I’m not dying, I promise. I got surprised by my period, is all.”

“Your… period? Your period… as in your menstruation cycle?”

“Yes. Do women on Asgard not have that?”

“They do but… not like this.” Heavens, he felt stupid. He had thought you were dying, openly shown his concern… and you had laughed.

“Loki…” It was like you had heard his thoughts. “Thank you for checking on me. I was just being frustrated but I promise I’m okay.” You had probably disturbed his sleep but the fact that Loki cared enough to come to your help, admitting that just perhaps… he actually liked you. “W-would you mind?” Loki raised his brows, his lips parting.

“Yes, of course.”

He turned around for you to get dressed again (never before had you been more grateful for the pile of more or less dirty laundry on the floor next to your toilet) and nodded, only realising now that he had indeed just proved that one way or another, he had taken a liking into you. It was then the dog winced again just outside the bathroom door.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. In fact, I shall leave you… how did you get out of that box?” Eager and curious, the puppy must have somehow knocked its wooden box over. When Loki looked behind him, he found the lid on the floor, the young dog hurtling towards you.

“Oh my god! Hey there, little guy! Where did you come from?” You giggled when the dog attempted to jump up on you. You picked it up, grinning when it licked your face. “Aren’t you adorable?”

Loki pursed his lips. Oh, great. Now he was getting the hug. He furrowed his brows. Heavens, this was an innocent little puppy. Against all reason, he already loved the little guy with all his heart himself, how could he possibly feel jealous?

“You were not supposed to see it yet. I was going to put the box under the Christmas tree.”

“R-really? You mean… he’s for me? Oh, Loki… but h-how? I mean… I love him. But how can I keep him safe here? Is that really a good idea?”

“Well… he is, in fact, not a normal dog.” Loki remarked.

Your eyes widened. “What does that mean?”

“Dogs are rare on Asgard but there are indeed a few traders who raise them. This unprepossessing creature has a life expectancy five times as high as Midgardian dogs—not to mention it is stronger, more intelligent and much like Thor and me, more resistant to pain and injury.”

“You’re a superdog then, aren’t you? Yes, you are, such a good boy. I need a name for him.” You announced. Loki raised his arms. That would be your decision. His pet snake had never had a name. “I’ll think of something.” Smiling, you stepped forward and kissed Loki on the cheek whose lips parted in surprise.

“Thank you so much. I didn’t think you would… why did you?” He said nothing in response. He couldn’t possibly tell you that he wanted a hug and that the only person he wanted it from was you. Your lips on his face had already felt like liquid fire, warming him from the inside out. Heavens, what was wrong with him? You were a mortal. He couldn’t possibly like you this much.

“You should go back to bed.” He said after a while, clearing his throat. “It is still early.” You nodded. He was right. Besides, you and your little puppy needed to get to know each other.

Needless to say, however, you couldn’t fall asleep again after you had gotten changed into new pyjamas and then cuddled with your new pet. Loki had gotten you a dog. Why? He owed you nothing, and quite on the contrary, you highly doubted Loki would even bother to get the rest of the Avengers a Christmas gift.

-

In the meantime, Loki himself returned to his room, shaking his head in the process. He was being ridiculous. The other day in the hallway, he had still managed to remain composed but the more time he spent around you, the softer he became for you.

He had been worried for you upon seeing all that blood and it had scared him. Love and affection weren’t exactly emotions he got to experience a lot and then for a human of all species…

He realised with a start just what it was that was happening to him. He was courting you, wasn’t he? He had not done anything alike in years, the last time for a beautiful Asgardian woman who had turned out to take more interest in Thor than him.

Loki was no expert on dating. He had never had the need for it… not until you. A growl escaped his lips. How dangerous for his already shattered heart would it be to give in to his desire and make you smile again? To feel your lips against his skin once more?

Another growl. He was addicted to you already. Jumping up from the bed, he left the facilities again, this time to head a few miles west. Frigga had always said that love goes through the stomach. He might as well try that strategy out.

-

About two hours later, there was a soft knock on your door. You stirred, eyes fluttering open. Your puppy—you had still not thought of a name for it—had curled up in your arms, still sleeping soundly.

“Yes?”

The door opened to reveal Loki. With a smirk, he produced something from behind his back—a box with the logo of your favourite pancake shop on it. Your jaw dropped.

“Merry Christmas.” He announced.

“Oh my goodness… Loki, you are so sweet.”

The God of Mischief raised an eyebrow. “Sweet is not exactly what I was hoping for.” He replied, albeit smiling.  You sat up carefully to not wake the puppy, accepting the pancakes all the while licking your lips hungrily. Now that was one way to start Christmas Day.

“How about considerate?” You tried again, smiling up at him sweetly. Loki smirked, hands clasped behind his back. He almost appeared a little… awkward.

You longed to ask him why he was doing all this but then again… you could think of only one answer. It couldn’t possibly be, no?

“Care to share? They are really good.”

“It appears so. The entire restaurant smelled like a sugar realm.”

“Is that a thing?”

“No.”

“Oh… pity.” He chuckled.

Twenty minutes in which you silently ate with relish went by, the puppy still sleeping peacefully in your bed, with you unable to stop petting it all the time. Once you had finished the very last bite, you simply dropped the empty takeaway-packaging on the floor.

“Thank you so much, Loki. I couldn’t have imagined better Christmas presents.”

He nodded, watching your every move as you moved in to give him another kiss on the cheek.

This time though, in just this moment, Loki turned his head to face you again, your lips landing on his instead. You gasped, even more so when he deepened the kiss, moving his mouth gently against yours, tongue slipping between your lips to taste you. Oh my god. Loki was kissing you. Loki was kissing you!

It felt like a demon from Muspelheim had set his body on fire, from the inside out. Loki was ablaze. Unable to stop himself, his arms came up to pull you closer into his body until you were straddling him, your fingers digging into his clothes. You both knew where this was going.

There was no doubt you were going to wake up the little dog when you pushed him back on the mattress, overcome with a sudden confidence and hunger that made you feel invincible. Loki did not object. The only reason you hesitated was the fact you remembered just then that you were on your period. Reluctantly, you pulled away.

“Loki… maybe we should do this… another time. My… period, remember?”

“A little bit of blood will not stop me from ravishing you, my dear.” Your heart skipped a beat.

“A-are you sure?”

Loki nodded slowly and intimately, his blue gaze never leaving yours.

Next thing you knew, the both of you lost all of your layers of clothing one by one. Scratch making a list for Christmas presents for your friends to make them happy… you couldn’t quite believe that Loki actually reciprocated your affection for him. This certainly was the most amazing Christmas yet.

-

A/N: If you enjoyed this story, I would appreciate it so much if you considered supporting me on Kofi! It’s either for caffeine or red wine, I’ll take both. ko-fi.com/sserpente ♥

[some-dr-writings]

Gundham x shy reader who asks for kisses

·       Gundham always found himself enjoying his time with you, you were by far one of his greatest companions in this life. With how shy and meek you seemed to be when you first met, he never thought someone like you would become his partner, he always imagined that if he were to find one they’d be more outwardly bold, yet he fell for you.

·       Time and time again he had seen you try to approach others only to back out, running away in the end. It seemed you might have had a social anxiety of sorts, there had been several times where he had happened upon you after running, leaning against a wall breathing heavily, telling yourself that everything was alright. It was a rather pitiful state to find a person in, Mikan for as… flighty as she was could at least stammer out a few words to people if they talked to her, you on the other hand ended up just blabbering nonsense.

·       Well he thought what you spoke was gibberish till one day he found a little tablet on his desk. Curiously he turned on the device and was met with a box of text. “In a fairy tale kingdom far, far away peoples anxieties exist as monsters who follow them around. Tired of their monsters getting in the way of making friendships a shepherd and riddle solver devise a plan to meet without their anxieties. A river divides their lands and in that great river, a single, small island. There they would meet. First they would capture their anxieties and meet on the island in case they escaped to still be away from them. The shepherd successfully captured his monsters but the riddle solver failed, and more monsters were born of the failure, the riddle solver now having “hopelessness”. Can you get the shepherd and the riddle solver to the island? There are several conditions to this however. 1, no monsters can be with the shepherd and the riddle solver on the island, 2, with every trip the boat makes across the river another monster will find the riddle solver, the shepherd’s monsters will find him every other turn, 3, if the shepherd or the riddle solver are with 5 of their monsters they will be consumed and it’s game over, 4, if the shepherd or riddle solver are left with their monsters for three turns they will be consumed by anxiety and it’s game over, 5, the boat needs two people to row it they can be human, monster or both, but the river is too powerful for only one to move the boat”

·       Tapping the screen he was greeted to a picture on a person on each side of a river, one of them with a black creatures beside them as well as a boat, and island in the middle of the river. There were also buttons at the top labeled “rules and “hints” and such. The style seemed to be like a picture book. After some tapping around he learned the controls and intrigued by whatever this exactly was he played along. Eventually he found a way for them to meet, but it took much trial and error, and was certainly not helped by the fact he refused to check the hints. In the end when he did beat it he was instructed to leave the tablet in between specific books in the library.

·       The next day on his desk he found that tablet again, this time with a new game in it and once beaten, instructed him to hide it in the library once more. Over and over this went on.

·       Once more he had solved the mystery of the new game, however he found the library was about to close. Not wanting to have to wait another day for another fun game he and his devas raced for the library. Though everyone was being ushered out Gundham charged through, bolting straight for the appointed section, the crossroads between mathematics and history. There he spotted you, pulling out a book then looking in between books, sliding them over, a tablet exactly like the one Gundham held in hand tucked under your arm. “… Excuse me-” A high pitched squeak sound escaped you as you flipped around, looking to the Dark Overlord, dropping your tablet in the process. “A-ah, oh, uh, h-hi- uh ummm, hamster squeaking, lost, find the-” Then you ran, leaving behind your tablet. Turning it on Gundham found the new mystery had to do with a woman dying and her sister getting her pet hamsters but the person who was to deliver the hamsters to her lost them in a pet store, and though the sister never saw the hamsters before, she could recognize them by their squeaks always hearing them in the background of her video calls with her sister, and the mystery was to figure out which hamsters made which squeaks in the giant group of them.

·       “Hmm, so the hiding soul speaks riddles…”

·       After the encounter Gundham did research on you, he didn’t know your name or talent, but since Hope’s Peak attendees were always a hot topic on the internet he was sure he could find something on you and that he did, Y/N the Super High School Level Enigmatologist.

·       “Hint.” “AH! Oh, uh, huh?” Before you could panic you were consumed in confusion seeing the dark brooding man before you, holding your latest puzzle before you. It was on the hint page, strange since he had never used the hints before. “Your words fall on deaf ears. Extract the meaning of this!” “… uh… n-new hint? Okay.” And so you began mumbling to yourself about the puzzle, while trying to not give away the answer till you came up with a new hint. Then after Gundham had solve it and was given a new puzzle to solve, he insisted that you give him a new hint again, then again with the next puzzle. Every time there after he came to you, asking for a new hint.

·       Gundham was rather intrigued by you, who found comfort in puzzle solving, getting lost in finding solutions to strange problems. He was willing to help meet you half way across the river, secluded on an island with you, away from the monsters that consumed you anywhere else, he wanted to get to know you without them in the way.

·       He rather liked so much about you, how passionate you were about your craft, going on rants about it for hours, your willingness and even enthusiasm to learn about his passions, how despite your anxieties you always tried your damnest to become a better person and push through them, how you never were confused by his words, always understanding him, how that even extended to his body language and understanding his boundaries on touch.

·       You were a rather logical sort even if your emotions of fears tended to get the best of you. It was only natural since you always were working on puzzles. Even emotions to an extent were logical to you. You saw everything, even yourself as a puzzle to be solved, and so often times the solution to aches and pains was affection. Usually you’d ask Gundham what he thought of you, knowing you’d only receive honesty which was mostly praise. Eventually after a long time you would get to hold hands or hug.

·       It was a rather lazy, sleepy day, it was just so peaceful, before Gundham knew it the day had already passed and it was past dinner time. “Hmm? Y/N?” Usually you’d have come to see him by dinner, but it seemed you never showed up. Did something happen? Sitting up from his desk he found his devas before him. “Ah, so you know where my mate hides?” He slowly got up following him companions.

·       “… the closet?” They simply sniffed at the door, and cautiously he opened it. “Ah!” You sat on the floor, curled up in a ball, cowering in the corner silently. It… had been a very long time since Gundham had last seen you in such a state, it had taken him aback for a moment and there he stood, his mind blank. “G-gundham… affection ple-please.” Your voice cracked and wavered, your breathing ragged. And hearing it almost brought tears to the Ice Lord’s eyes. Did… did you have a panic attack, and he never noticed? Why else would you sound so wreaked?

·       He slinked into the closet, closing the door behind himself before sitting beside you. Taking a deep breath, he took one of your hands into both of his own, squeezing it tightly. “Of course my Emperor, one who unravels the world, who reveals the truth behind veils of deceit. How could I not? You who takes my heart each and every moment, you who I cherish so dearly, you who is so cunning, what possible words could I have other than praise and love?” He felt how tight you squeezed his hand, how you trembled. He was not sure this would be enough this time, he had failed to be by our side when you needed it most.

·       “… My Emperor. Would you be so kind as to unravel my next words?” “… a riddle?” “Yes. Would you solve my riddle?” “o-okay.” “I… I, uh…” Preferably Gundham wanted to come up with a good riddle, one that you would have to think on for a long time, but he doubted he could come up with one. You had asked for affection so maybe… “I am… I am one action that can only ever be shared by two at a time. I am a way to show love. I am… uh… I am-” “A hug?” “…” Slowly Gundham wrapped his arms around you. “I am… something Gundham has never shared with you before.” “Huh? Something……… a kiss?”

·       Damn it. Gundham thought the darkness would make this easier but it only made him more anxious. Placing his hands on your shoulders, he clutched them in a tight grip. Okay! He could do this! He could hug you, and this was less contact than a hug, so he could do this!

·       “of course… someone as brilliant as you could solve my twisted words.” Leaning into you, he felt as if his heart were trembling. Even in darkness he closed his eyes. He tenderly pressed his lips to your forehead for a few moments before somehow managing to loosen the grip on our shoulders, though his fingers were still tense. Slowly he traced them up your neck as he pressed his lips on the bridge of your nose. Finally his hands stopped, cradling your head in them, allowing him to easily kiss your cheeks.

·       “P-perhaps… we can… prepare a meal for ourselves and by the time we’re finished I’ll have come up with an even more confounding riddle for you.”

[randomposterofstuff]

Soldiers by Choice - Chapter VI

Author's Note: So, real life has been stressing me out immensely. Lol. And I really wanted to post this chapter as soon as I could, so please forgive me for any mistakes and any other problems. Haha. In any case, I hope that you all like it!

Also available on Archive of Our Own. Check my tumblr page to click on the ‘Archive of Our Own’ tab!

Tumblr Chapters List can be found here.

CHAPTER 6: Reasons and Apologies

Summary: Mikasa and Levi encounter troublesome Military Police officers while doing a supply run. Meanwhile, at the Cadet Corps headquarters, Eren Yeager and Jean Kirstein have another confrontation.

Year 847 (5 months later)

---

“Tch. They’re out of bleach.”

Levi glares at the empty row of shelves where jars of commercial bleach usually would be. A few feet away to his left, Mikasa speaks with the shop owner.

“Mr. Gale, I don’t understand. Section Commander Hange told us that you usually have stocks of everything during this time of the month.”

The Titan-scientist and Moblit were on the supply pick-up rotation for the current month. But since they were away on another observation expedition with the Research division, the task had fallen to the two Ackermans.

Mr. Gale, an aging man in his early 50s, clasps his hands apologetically. “I’m sorry, Captain. But due to some issues with our supplier, we won’t have stocks until next month.”

The dark-haired woman sighs at the news. “I see. We will just have to make do with an alternative and the other supplies.”

After a few more words and apologetic gestures from the shop owner, she approaches her co-captain, who is still glowering at the vacant racks.

“They won’t restock until next month.”

His frown deepens. “How the hell are we supposed to properly clean without bleach?”

Mikasa cracks a small smile at his displeasure over the absence of the cleaning agent. In the back of her mind, she muses that even after three years of working together, she still finds his pseudo-obsession with cleanliness to be comical to the point of disbelief.

“We can make our own cleaning formula.” She says. “The store has the necessary ingredients, and the budget is enough to cover them.”

The tautness in his jaw relents at this. “You know how to make bleach?”

She nods. “I do. My mother created her own cleanser. The employees at our estate use it.”

His eyebrows raise in mild surprise. “I didn’t know the Azumabitos also dealt in the cleaning business.” He remarks wryly.

She shifts her eyes from side to side before taking a step closer. "It's a closely guarded family secret." She whispers mock-conspiratorially.

He smirks. “Your secret is safe with me.” He speaks in a similarly hushed tone, and she mirrors his smirk.

---

After perusing the store for the needed ingredients, the two officers help the elderly shop owner place all their purchased supplies in eight wooden crates.

“That’s everything.” Mr. Gale comments as he places the lid on the final crate. “I’ll call my boys to help you load them on your cart.”

“There’s no need for that.” Levi says, already readying himself to lift some of the boxes. “We can handle it.”

The proprietor laughs good-naturedly. "Come now, Captain Levi. I know that you’re ‘Humanity’s Strongest Soldier’ and that Captain Mikasa is the ‘Woman Worth a Hundred Soldiers”, but you can’t rea---”

He cuts himself off when the two Ackermans each lift four boxes with little effort.

Mikasa shifts the crates so that she faces the shop owner properly. "Mr. Gale, you've already received the payment from our budgetary officer, correct?"

The older man merely nods, his mouth still agape in shock at the display of inhuman strength.

“We’ll be on our way, then. Thanks, old man.” Levi states, unfazed by the reaction.

The warm afternoon sun greets them as they exit the shop. The commercial area of Trost is filled with chatter from the mass of patrons. Due to the crowded streets, they had to leave their wagon at a fairly secluded area some ways away from the store.

When they finally arrive at where they parked, the crowd has thinned considerably. The few people there are either entering or exiting the complex. The two are in the process of loading the crates onto the cart when they hear the sound of glass breaking, followed by a frightened yell to their right.

They turn their heads to the source see to see a small saloon. One of its front windows is covered by pull-down drapes, while the other one is unobscured. Through the glass of the second one, the co-captains see a middle-aged man and woman, presumably the owners, anxiously speaking to two Military Police officers.

“Whaddaya mean we have to pay?” An MP with light hair slurs loudly while gripping a long-necked bottle.

The woman, who looks to be in her early 40s, attempts to explain. “Sir, you’ve consumed more than two bottles already.” She says, wringing her hands together nervously. “And our store ---”

“Blah!” The other MP, a man with darker hair, sways as he unslings his rifle from his shoulder. Both the woman and her partner take a step back, visibly terrified. “We serve the kingdom!” He yells. “You lot should be grateful! Besides, your stuff tastes like shit!"

He unsteadily aims his rifle at a row of bottles behind the counter while his companion laughs. “You’re right, Ricky!” He shouts, smashing the bottle he was holding against the floor.

The one called Ricky guffaws. "Damn right, I'm right, George!" Slightly swaying, he disengages the safety lock. “I’ve been wanting to try this beauty out! They say this thing can shoot 15 bullets in a row after just one click!” Just as he is about to place his finger on the trigger, he is suddenly struck across the head. The impact of the attack causes him to drop his weapon.

“Ricky!” George makes to unsling his own rifle but barely has time to react before a heavy boot hits him in the stomach. He faintly registers his gun being snatched from him before he is thrown across the room and roughly crashes onto a table and some chairs. One second later, Ricky lands beside him with a loud thud.

They both groan for a moment before raising their heads and seeing the profiles of two other soldiers in the area where they had been standing before. “Hey!” George yells while unsteadily getting up. “What gives?!” He demands, face flushed with both embarrassment and alcohol. “Who are you anyway?!” He trains his glazed-over beady eyes at their assailants.

Levi narrows his eyes, not the least bit intimidated. “You were harassing innocent civilians.” He crosses his arms, leveling him with a look of disdain. "Taxpayer money is wasted on pigs like you.”

“They’re from the Survey Corps!” Ricky exclaims, pointing to the Wings of Freedom on the fronts of their jackets. “You two have got some nerve!” He glares, eyes glassy with inebriation. “Accusing us of wasting taxpayer money when you ---”

Mikasa quietly raises his rifle at him, causing him to cut himself short. Both MPs freeze at the movement.

“P—put that down and g—give it back!” Ricky demands, voice shaking.

Mikasa shifts her gaze from the anxious Military Police officers and to the firearm in her hands. She examines its long sleek frame and swipes her thumb over the grip.

“It saddens me to see that my father’s guns were used to frighten defenseless civilians.” She comments out loud, her tone a cross between pensive and disappointed.

George’s brows scrunch up in confusion at her statement. “Huh?!” The two MPs look at her dumbly, trying to comprehend the meaning behinds her words.

Meanwhile, Levi picks up the second rifle from the floor, ignoring the whimpers from the two pigs. He feels the gun's weight in his hands and notes that it is light compared to other models. He then places his thumb on the butt of the rifle and runs it over the engraved encircled cursive 'A' which serves as the insignia of Lord Mikhail Ackerman's gun manufacturing company. He muses that the emblem looks similar to the Azumabito clan symbol on the inside of Mikasa’s wrist.

“If it’s any consolation,” he begins, still looking at the rifle, “I think that your father did a great job with this gun, Mikasa.” He remarks almost idly.

“Thanks, Levi.”

“Levi? Mikasa?” George repeats their names, a hint of recognition in their slurred tone. “Mikasa… Mikhail A—“. Shock settles on his features as they finally connect the dots. His eyes further widen in realization when they shift to Levi. “… Ackerman.”

“You’re Levi and Mikasa Ackerman!” George exclaims, lips trembling. At his exclamation, Ricky’s mouth drops open as sweat starts to form on his brow. The two men nervously shift their eyes between the co-captains – panic and recognition clearing away the drink-induced glazes in their eyes.

“I mean, my lord and lady!” George suddenly bows at the waist. His companion scrambles to do the same. “Our apologies! We didn’t recognize you!”

Levi’s jaw clenches at their sycophantic gesture. “Tch. Do not call us those.” He hisses. “And quit your groveling.”

They straighten themselves instantly at the vitriol in his voice. “My lord?” One of them squeaks.

Mikasa takes a sharp breath. “We’re not at the royal court.” She states, an edge to her voice. “Furthermore, we’re acting in our capacities as officers of the Survey Corps. So, if you’re going to address us, do so accordingly.”

“Yes, my la---, I mean, Captain!” The same MP yelps. “We’re sorry!”

Mikasa narrows her eyes, clearly unimpressed. “You’re clearly not genuine.” She speaks coldly. “And it appears that the likes of you get your bravado from carrying my father’s guns. Perhaps I should tell him to terminate his weapons provision contract with the Military Police.”

“Please don’t!” They both plead simultaneously, alarm in their voices. Clearly frightened of the consequences should they be the cause of the loss of the contract. “This won’t happen again!”

The disdain in her dark grey eyes indicates that she is not convinced. “I don’t believe you.” Mikasa then grips that rifle’s ammunition magazine. “So, I’m going to take these.”

Following her lead, Levi makes to do the same with the rifle in his hands. “I’ll take care of this one.”

Once he’s done, Mikasa holds out a hand, and he gives her the second rifle. She throws the weapons at the feet of the two MPs. “Take those and leave.” She commands, voice near imperious. “And don’t forget to put your payment on the counter.”

The two men do as they are told. They wordlessly take the ammo-less rifles and practically empty their wallets onto the counter before leaving the saloon with their heads bowed.

Once they were out of sight, the two Ackermans turn to the shop owners, who had been silently watching the exchange from the sidelines with bated breath.

“We’re not from the Military Police.” Levi states plainly. “But all the same, we’re sorry for the trouble they caused.”

The middle-aged man shakes himself from his daze. “Oh, please! You have nothing to apologize for!” He says, a nervous but sincere smile on his face. “In fact, my wife and I should thank you, my lord and lady!” His eyes then widen at his slip of tongue. “I’m sorry, I mean---”

Mikasa raises her hands in a calming gesture. “It’s alright.” She assures him with a smile.

The man’s tension eases, relieved at her assurance.

“Thank you so much, Captains.” His wife steps forward, wearing a bright and grateful smile. “May we offer you something to eat and drink?”

“Oh, we ---” Mikasa begins, about to politely decline.

“It’s on the house!” The husband insists. “It’s the least that we could do for you! We insist.”

Mikasa observes their smiling and amiable expressions before turning to Levi. She lifts her brows, and he gives a slight shrug before taking out his pocket watch.

“I suppose we have time before we need to get back to headquarters.” He comments.

The shop owners beam at the response. “Wonderful! I’m Tim Briles, by the way, and this is my wife, Frances." Tim introduces himself and his wife. “Please, have a seat. The menu is by the counter. Order anything you want!”

"Sure." Levi replies, and he turns towards the turned-over tables and chairs. “I’ll fix the tables and chairs. I’ll have what you’re having.”

“Noted." Mikasa states as she makes her way to the counter. She peruses the menu and, after a minute of deliberating, settles on a sandwich platter and chamomile tea. She vaguely wonders if the tea selection is meant for customers with hangovers.

After an enthusiastic Frances takes their order, she makes her way to Levi, who has just finished righting the disarray of furniture. As she approaches, her co-captain suddenly pulls out a chair and gestures for her to sit.

Mikasa looks at him questioningly, and he tilts his head towards the offered chair.

She decides to play along. “How very gentlemanly of you.” She jests, voice half-coquettish as she moves to sit.

“Only for you, my lady.” He drawls as he pushes the chair in for her.

They both snicker at the mocking references to their noble backgrounds.

“So, what are we having?” He asks as he sits from across her.

“Tea and sandwiches.” He raised a brow at ‘tea’, and she smiles. "I know; I was also surprised to see it on the menu.”

Levi hums. “In any case, it’s too early for liquor.”

A few minutes pass, and Frances approaches their table with their food and drinks. “Here are your orders. Enjoy!”

The co-captains both thank the female shop owner, and they split the sandwiches and tea between themselves.

Comfortable silence ensues as they eat their sandwiches. Levi muses that the saloon’s turkey sandwich is quite good. He takes a look at the sandwich in Mikasa’s hand and deduces from the green poking out from the bread that it’s full of vegetables.

After he finishes his food and begins stirring his tea, a random realization suddenly occurs to him.

“Something wrong?” Mikasa asks, noticing the contemplative furrow of his brow.

“No.” He replies, taking out the spoon from his cup and gripping it by the rim. “It’s just that I realized you actually used the ‘I’m going to tell my daddy’ card.”

Mikasa blinks at the remark. A beat of silence passes before she bursts into laughter.

Her shoulders slightly shake as hearty chuckles flow from her. She laughs in earnest at the absurdity and the truth of the statement.

Levi’s lips curve upwards at her open display of mirth, observing how her usually stern eyes crinkle at the corners and how genuine joy shines through her typically reserved expression.

“I’m sorry.” Mikasa says, still giggling as she adjusts her cravat around her neck. “You’re right, but it’s just so ridiculous.” She remarks, her smile wide. “Come to think of it, I’ve never used it before.” She muses out loud, her lips still twitching.

“At least you used it for a good cause.” He quips, sharing in her amusement.

She chortles at his joke. He also lets out an amused sound.

She eventually sobers down, though a small smile still remains on her lips.

But after a moment, her eyes suddenly become downcast, and her smile disappears.

Levi frowns in concern at the abrupt change in her demeanor. “What’s wrong?”

She takes a breath before directing her gaze towards the afternoon sky beyond the saloon’s window.

“Moments like this…” she speaks quietly as she raises her hand to gesture at their light-hearted conversation, “…don’t come by often.” A sad gleam then enters her eyes. “In a way, it’s… sort of unsettling.”

Levi’s lips press into a firm line at the reality of her words. Every soldier in the Survey Corps knows that every encounter with the Titans could be their very last. Danger, risk, and bloodshed are their constant companions. And the absences of the comrades lost will always be felt by those who live to join the next expedition.

The survivors know that it is their duty to honor the sacrifices of the fallen by carrying on with their mission. Yet, this knowledge hangs heavy over the heads of those who remain standing.

“I know what you mean.” He says, voice solemn. “Enjoying a moment of peace can be hard sometimes, considering the things we go through.”

They remain quiet for a while, the atmosphere suddenly tenser. Mikasa closes her eyes and sighs before speaking again.

“Sometimes, I wonder what my life would be like right now if I had stayed in the Capital or joined the clan’s Elite Royal Company.” She stares intently into her cup of tea, wistfulness underlying her tone. “I would probably be promenading with the other nobles in the parks. Or patrolling the grounds at the Fritz castle. Either way, my life would be simpler and less daunting."

A flash of resolve then enters her gaze. “But I already made my choice a long time ago.” She declares with a quiet certainty in her words. “And I’ve chosen to be a soldier for the Survey Corps.”

Levi quietly observes her profile. She sits with the graceful posture of a noble lady – a result of her upbringing. But her shoulders are squared with a soldier’s discipline. She holds her teacup delicately, but her fingers are calloused from years of wielding blades. Had she chosen differently, she could have been a socialite hostess.

The passing thought then prompts a question. “Why didyou join the Survey Corps in the first place?”

Mikasa half-smiles at that. It was a question she was often asked – the daughter of a noble joining any of the military branches was unheard of. Although, she never divulged anything apart from saying that she merely wanted to.

“I could ask you the same question, Levi.” She prompts back.

For all his fame, no one has ever known of his reason for joining the Survey Corps. Not surprising, since he would always brush off anyone who asks by telling them that it’s none of their damn business.

But Levi decides that he wouldn’t mind making an exception for her. “I’ll share if you share.”

Mikasa hums as if contemplating the proposition. “Fair enough.”

A moment passes before she continues. “I joined because of my Asian heritage.”

He raises a brow in confusion. But stays silent and waits for her to elaborate.

“The Azumabitos are the last Asians in the world.” She explains. “Our clan’s records state that our ancestors’ homeland, Asia, was full of rare creatures and mysterious fauna. Unfortunately, just like every other continent, it was invaded along with the rest of humanity by the Titans.”

“My parents gave me everything I needed while growing up. But they taught me that if I wanted something, then I should work to earn it.” Mikasa pauses as her lips twist wryly. “And since I wanted to see the roots of my Asian heritage, I decided as a child that I would join the Survey Corps to help eradicate the Titans.”

“It’s silly.” She remarks, more to herself, amused at her younger self’s reason. “But it’s what prompted me to enlist.”

Her expression then becomes more pensive, and she redirects her gaze to the table between them. “But after my first expedition, I realized that there are things which are bigger than my wants. I suppose you could say that it opened my eyes. Seeing first-hand the dangers and struggles made me understand the weight of the Corps’ mission.”

She looks up at him again. “I still want to see Asia…” she admits with a bashful look. “… and if we can eradicate the Titans during my lifetime, then I’ll be to do that.”

“But even if that won’t happen, I won’t have any regrets about joining the Survey Corps.”

With that, she concludes her piece. Levi remains quiet for a moment, feeling astounded and moved at the revelation.

“I’m glad that you joined, Mikasa.” He says softly.

She smiles at his remark. “Thank you for saying that.” A tinge of levity then enters her dark orbs. “Now, I believe it’s your turn to share.”

Levi tsks, but there’s mirth in the slight quirk of his mouth. “I suppose a deal’s a deal.”

He swirls the contents of his teacup before speaking. “When I was a kid, my great grandfather would always preach about upholding the clan’s tradition of being the Crown’s ‘Sword and Shield’.” He drawls out the last two words.

“Just like you and everyone else in our clan, I was trained to be the best fighter possible – because, of course, the royal family only expects the best to protect it.” He pauses to take a drink.

“Sure, it’s natural for the royal family to have protection.” He concedes. “But our clan’s talents are being wasted. The biggest threats are out there beyond the Walls, and our clansmen use their many years of special training to deal with problems that the Military Police pigs are supposed to handle.”

Levi lifts his gaze to hers. "So, I said to myself, ‘to hell with tradition’.”

She lets out a small laugh. “Of course, you would say something like that.”

He smirks before taking another sip. “So, I decided to enlist in the Survey Corps. Thankfully, my uncle became head of the clan even before my rite of passage. And since he isn’t as uptight and prissy as my great grandfather was, he let me go without much of a fuss. I wanted to put my skills to better use. And what better way to use them than to reclaim the lands stolen by the Titans from humanity?”

“And after everything I’ve seen…” he trails off, a more somber and pensive look in his eyes as he stares at his cup, “…I’m now surer than ever that I made the right choice.”

A quiet second passes before Mikasa speaks. “That’s very noble of you.” She says, her voice earnest.

Her co-captain snorts out a harsh laugh. “If it were anyone else, I’d say that they were kissing my ass.”

Remembering the incident with the two MPs earlier, she likewise smiles in good humor; his words can’t be any truer.

“But since it’s you…” his harsh smirk morphs into a gentler smile, “… thanks.”

Her smile remains as their eyes meet again.

“You know, it’s odd…” she begins off-handedly, “We’ve known each other for years, but this is the first time we talked about something like this.”

He raises a brow. “Is it? I wasn’t aware that there was a standard timeline for sharing things.”

Another light laugh escapes her, and Mikasa wonders if Levi realizes how humorous he can be at times.

---

Chatter fills the air of the communal dining hall of the Southern Division’s Cadet Corps Headquarters – with the main source of noise and talk being the long dining table where Eren Yeager sits with his friends.

“Eren, what you did was really cool!”

“Yeah, I don’t think that anyone else here would’ve been able to do that!”

From his seat at another table at the far right of the hall, Jean Kirstein watches as several trainees crowd around Yeager and pay him compliments for his incredible feat earlier this morning.

Connie sits across the green-eyed recruit with a wide grin on his face. “Eren, you were amazing earlier!” He exclaims. “Being able to balance yourself using defective equipment was incredible!”

Beside him, Sasha nods enthusiastically as she munches on a loaf of bread. She smiles broadly after gulping down her food. "You really did well, all things considered!" She exclaims while not so discreetly trying to take Connie's bread from his plate.

The shaved-headed boy snatches her wrist before she could lift the loaf to her mouth. “Oh, come on! You haven’t even finished your own bread!” He grumbles, exasperated as Sasha strains against his grip.

Eren chuckles at the display before scratching the back of his head with a sheepish expression. Even so, his green eyes seem to glow with pride and appreciation. “Thanks, guys.”

“Congratulations on a job well done, Eren.” Christa speaks from amongst the group that congregated around the table. “Your determination paid off.”

Eren's cheeks redden slightly at her smile. "Thanks, Christa. But I can't take all of the credit. Armin here gave me pointers, and Reiner and Betholdt told me to keep calm and not to give up." He then turns to the male blonde seated next to him. "Isn't that right, buddy?"

Armin’s lips quirk upwards. “It’s true that you got help, but all the work was you.”

“Armin’s right.” Reiner’s deep voice resounds from one side of the crowd. To his left, Bertholdt silently watches the interactions with a small smile. “At the end of the day, you were the one ultimately responsible for your success.”

Jean watches as more trainees give the brunette praises for his resolve and performance. It isn’t until he feels something nudge him in the side that he turns away.

“Just talk to him already.” Marco urges with a knowing look.

Jean scoffs at the comment. “Talk to Yeager? About what?”

Marco simply gives him a half-amused and half-exasperated smile. “You know what I mean.” He then picks up his glass of water. “It’s good that you want to apologize. It’s a mature thing to do.” He says before taking a drink.

Jean grumbles something unintelligible as he observes the sky through an open window. The last rays of sunlight are starting to fade behind the darkening sky. He can see some of their Commandant's assistant officers patrolling the grounds and inspecting the outdoor training equipment to ensure they're still working properly.

As his gaze lands on the row of 3DM gear simulators, Jean recalls how he, along with nearly everyone, laughed at Eren when he failed to steady himself using 3DM gear during his first attempt. He also remembers snidely commenting that Yeager was just "all talk and no bite" and how he brushed him off when he asked for pointers to improve.

Jean then sighs before getting up and walking over to the green-eyed recruit’s table.

---

Armin and Eren were in the middle of speaking with fellow recruits when the blonde sees Jean walking up to their table.

“Uhh… Eren?” He taps his friend on the shoulder.

At the prodding, Eren turns away from Mina and Thomas, who were standing behind him. His eyes narrow at the sight of Jean standing behind the other recruits surrounding their table. “What do you want, horse face?”

The entire room goes silent as everyone turns to Jean. The man in question averts his gaze as his cheeks flush at suddenly being the center of attention.

He stays silent for a moment before speaking. “I’m not here to fight.” He then finally raises his gaze to look at Eren. The crowd parts as he moves closer to the table.

Armin notes the sudden tension in the air as his childhood best friend stares at Jean with a cautious look – he deduces that Eren is not entirely convinced that Kirstein came in peace.

Jean halts when he’s near the edge of their table, just a couple of feet from where Eren sits. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“I’ll be honest. I still think that going after Titans is stupidly dangerous.”

Eren's eyes further narrow at the remark. He rises to his feet, but Armin pulls at his arm before he can move towards Jean. "Hear him out first.” The blonde half-pleads.

Eren frowns but nonetheless sits back down. His eyes are still trained on Kirstein, who instinctively took a step back at his abrupt movement.

Jean takes another breath before continuing. “But I now get how serious you are.” He admits, voice quiet but clear. “You have real resolve, and I respect that. And I’m…” He pauses, his pride momentarily stifling his next words.

“… I’m sorry for making fun of you before.”

Some trainees gasp lightly while some simply stare – all surprised at his gesture. Armin sees that even Connie and Sasha have paused their food-related grappling to gawk at Jean. The blonde also quietly muses that the entire room probably half-expected another fight to erupt between the two boys. All eyes are now trained on Eren, who looks astounded with his eyes widened and mouth slightly agape.

Armin then lightly nudges his friend’s shoulder. “Well, aren’t you going to say anything?”

The question shakes the green-eyed trainee from his stupor. He blinks once before rising to stand – more calmly, Armin notes approvingly.

“Thanks, Jean.” The hardened look in his gaze is now gone. “I appreciate you saying that. Apology accepted.” He says with a small smile.

“And for what it’s worth…” Eren trails off as his eyes dart downwards, a hint of shame in them, “… I shouldn’t have scoffed at you for wanting to go into the Interior. After all, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be safe.”

He then looks directly at Jean again. “So, I guess I also owe you an apology.” He admits with a half-smile, hoping that it would lighten the mood.

It seems to have worked as Kirstein offers him a smile. “Glad to know that you can see things my way, Yeager.”

Eren grins more naturally at the response. “So… friends?” He asks, voice tentative as he holds out his hand.

Jean looks at the offered hand in surprise for a moment before observing the other boy’s expression. There’s a mix of uncertainty and apprehension in his countenance – possibly wary of how he would respond. But the look in Yeager’s eyes tells him that the offer of friendship is genuine.

He eventually grasps the hand offered to him. “Friends.” He says while giving it a firm shake.

There’s a smattering of applause as the crowd gives a slight cheer at the show of camaraderie. Armin especially claps heartily at the sight of the usually hot-headed Eren making peace with Jean even as he hears Connie yelp when Sasha takes advantage of the distraction to take a massive bite from the Springer boy’s loaf.

“Well, it’s nice that we’re all finally getting along.” Marco comments with a smile from the sidelines, hands still pressed together from clapping.

Jean sends a slightly annoyed look at Marco, who only continues to smile in return.

---

End Note: So, the 104th gang finally appears! Since Mikasa is a veteran in this story, I wanted to play a little with the dynamics of the 104th's relationships with one another. On this, I wanted Eren and Jean to have a friendlier relationship in this story than in canon. I hope that I was able to execute this idea (as well as all my other ideas) properly. Lol.

In any case, let me know what you think! Critiques and comments are most welcome!

[padfootagain]

A Very Rose Mistake (I)

Part 1: How It All Began

 Here we goooo!! New series! This is from a request from my 4.7k followers event, with the prompts 22 and 23 (I won't put them here, cause I don't want to spoil too much… you can check them on my post for the event if you want by doing a quick research.) by @paniconthepitch .

It's a fake-dating AU with the best friends to lovers trope, and it's gonna be a wile ride!!! There won't be any warnings in this fic except for some angst and tooth-rotting fluff, as usual for me :)

So, I hope you like it! I'm gonna structure the fic a little differently compared to what I usually do (even if it's nothing extraordinary), so tell me if you like this first chapter, so I know if you like how I've organized the fic!

Tell me what you think, please! I'm very excited and nervous to share the first chapter with all of you!

Oh, also, I don't like talking about the whole covid crisis in my fics (I write to mainly escape from it), so even though the fic happens this year, there isn't any virus around, so no one is breaking distancing rules or anything.

Pairing: Harry Styles x reader

Word Count : 4516

                                                              I

                                                  Holmes Chapel

                                                         1999

 It was a warm summer in Northern England. Sun high and warm and skies bluer than blue.

Your parents were unboxing some of your stuff in your new home, but it was the afternoon, and the weather was way too nice for you to stay inside. Instead, despite your tiny body, you had managed to climb on top of the stone wall that enclosed your garden and separated it from the street. Just a little patch of grass on the front of the house, but it was nice. You looked at the cars driving across the street, a thin layer of sweat making your forehead glisten in the sun because of how warm it was. You could hear your parents' distant voices through the open window of the living room. The air smelled of gasoline and blossoming roses from your neighbours' house. From time to time, a dog barked in one of the tiny gardens further down the street.

You were eating an ice-cream, that your mother had prepared for you by putting it in a paper cup. Some of it was sticky on your chin, but you didn't mind. It was good, and you were having fun looking at the new neighbourhood.

A little boy pranced out of the house on your right, carrying a bag to put in the bin outside the house. He seemed to be around five years old, just like you.

As he saw you sitting on the low wall, a curious expression settled on his features, and he tilted his head in wonder. He had never seen you before, and it was very surprising, as he knew all the children living in the street, even the ones who were older than his sister.

He thus decided to walk over to you and investigate.

You beamed at him as he approached, hoping to make a new friend already. It was your first day in this town, you reckoned it would make a great start for the life in your new home.

"Hi!" You waved at him, and his cautious behaviour slightly faded as he smiled back at you.

"Hi. Who are you?" He asked bluntly, a frown wrinkling his round face, chubby cheeks turned pink by the heat, and a bundle of dark blonde hair getting messy as he pushed a few locks out of his green eyes.

"I'm Y/N. My parents and I are moving in this house. Do you live there?" You asked too, pointing at the house he had walked out of.

He nodded slowly, seeming satisfied with your answer.

"Yep," he answered, popping the p at the end. "Why are you alone?" he went on, a lisp making him trip over his words a little.

"My parents are cleaning stuff inside. And I don't have friends here yet."

Again, he nodded at your explanation.

You remembered your grand-mother's advice about making friends, and reckoned that if you wanted to make the little boy your first companion in the neighbourhood, you needed to offer him something. So, you handed him the rest of your ice-cream.

"Do you want some?" you asked with a bright smile.

The boy decided that he liked seeing you smile. You were missing a couple of baby teeth, and it was such a happy gesture that he wanted to make you laugh instead.

He remembered the joke that his sister had played on their cousin that had made the whole table laugh. He reckoned that it should do the trick.

So, instead of taking the ice cream you were offering him, he jumped up and pushed it against your face.

And indeed, your face covered in vanilla ice-cream was hilarious, and he exploded with laughter.

But you weren't laughing at all, as the boy laughed at you. Instead, hot tears started to form at the corner of your eyes, and you looked at the little boy with so much hurt and betrayal on your features that his laugh died in his throat as quickly as it had formed in the first place.

When you started to actually cry, he was panicking.

"Hey, don't cry," he said, as if asking for a favour. "I... I didn't want to make you cry. I thought it was funny."

But you just kept on crying, and he felt so terribly awful seeing you like this that he found himself on the verge of tears too. Your eyes were turning puffy and you were sniffing, and seemed so miserable... he didn't want to see that look on your face, ever. He liked your face too much, actually.

"I'm sorry. It was a joke. Don't cry. Is it because you dropped the rest of your ice-cream?"

You didn't answer, quietly crying still, and he rushed to his house, running as fast as his little legs could carry him. And you were even more miserable than before.

So much for making a friend...

You were about to go back inside, finding no fun in being out anymore and wanting to clean up your face when you saw him running out of the house again.

He was carrying what seemed to be a container full of ice-cream and a spoon.

"Here!" He handed you the two objects, struggling to catch his breath after his run. "You can have mine instead. I'm sorry you didn't find my joke funny. Please, don't cry anymore."

Hesitantly, you took the objects from him, awaiting a new trick, but none came. You opened the box to discover some chocolate ice-cream, as promised.

"I'm sorry. I don't have vanilla one. But maybe Mrs. Richard has some... she keeps this kind of stuff all the time for when her grand-children come visit... do you want me to check for you?"

He seemed earnest, and his green eyes were full of concern. But you shook your head, eating a spoonful of his ice-cream.

"It's good. Thank you," you quipped, making him beam up at you.

He noticed that you weren't crying anymore, but you were pouting still, and he didn't like that look on you either. He wondered what more could he do to make you properly smile again.

"Why did you do that in the first place though?" You asked, interrupting his train of thoughts as he considered running to his room to get his new toy, thinking that maybe if he let you borrow it, you would feel better. But only on the condition that you didn't put ice cream on the red plastic car, of course...

"My sister made that joke to our cousin once, and it made everybody laugh, so I thought it would make you laugh too. I don't know why you didn't think it was funny, I thought it was fun!"

"You're not the one who got covered in ice-cream," you answered with sadness in your voice.

He bit down on his lip, and sheepishly shook his head.

"No... You're right. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I like your ice-cream better," you admitted, and he beamed at you again.

"It's some very good ice-cream! My favourite!"

"Mine too. Want to share?"

He enthusiastically nodded. Climbing on the wall by your side. He handed you the tissue his mother always forced him to have in his pocket at all times. Maybe she was right, it was handy.

You took it with a quiet thank you, trading the tissue against the spoon and you cleaned up your face while he ate some ice-cream too.

And as you looked at him again, you reckoned that maybe it wasn't too late to make a friend, after all.

But you couldn't be friends if you didn't know his name. That would be rude.

"What's your name?" You asked.

He swallowed his mouthful too fast, making his brain freeze and you laughed at the silly face he made as a reaction. He had chocolate all over his mouth, but you reckoned that it made him look even happier.

"Harry. I'm Harry."

                                                            II

                                                         Malibu

                                                         2020

 "What do you mean lying to your family about us? What do you mean you need a 'plus one'?"

You heaved a trembling sigh. You knew that you were asking an awful lot out of your best friend but you simply had no choice.

Your cousin's wedding was in two weeks, and if you went alone you would spend the entire day hearing about how sad it was that you were single, and everyone would try to plan a date fpr you with this cute colleague they had. It wasn't helping that you had decided to move back to England after you would complete your PhD in California. You could not even begin to think about the people at the wedding who would actually make a move on you as the night advanced and veins were slowly filled with more and more liquor.

No, you most definitely did not have the strength to go through this. And all you needed was a tiny lie to escape it all. One tiny lie that would last only for a day and you could actually enjoy the wedding instead of trying to escape from it. You liked your cousin, and knew she would be devastated if you didn't go, so you really had no choice at all.

And all your hopes of spending a decent day relied on your rockstar of a best friend.

Harry was frowning at you, sitting across from you around one of the tables of the Cafe Habana, his pink cocktail since long disregarded as he struggled to understand what was it exactly that you were asking from him.

It was unbelievably warm in Malibu, and your table outside was only salvaged by the weak breeze blowing from time to time. You were nervously fidgeting, your hands resting on the wooden table between you and Harry.

He rubbed his eyes and readjusted his sunglasses upon his head, his green eyes piercing right through you as you explained the situation one more time.

"I need you to accompany me to my cousin's weeding and pretend you're my boyfriend, so I will escape my family's disappointment and all the drunk single guests who will try to dance with me."

"You want us to pretend that we're together. Like... romantically together?"

"Yes."

"During your cousin's wedding. In front of your entire family?"

"Yes."

"And you think that I'm the best man for the job because...?"

"You're my best friend. You've known me basically all my life. You know me better than anyone else on this Earth, it won't be hard for you to pretend like you know all the useful details about me because you actually know them. You get along so well with my parents. Plus, you're an actor now too! Even if it's part-time... You'll do great! Consider it like a training exercise for your career in the movie industry."

"Absolutely the fuck not."

"Harry! Please! I need your help!"

"It's a terrible idea! No... no actually, it's worse than that. It's the worst idea I've ever heard! I can't pretend to be your boyfriend! In front of your whole family! I know your whole family!"

"Harry... please... I need your help, okay? You don't know how they are, it's going to be hell... Half of my family considers that I am a failure because I was not married by the age of 22, and the other half begins to think that the reason I am still single is that I am insane!"

"For their defence, you do sound a little bit crazy right now."

"HARRY!"

"Alright, alright... calm down," he mumbled, raising his hands before him in a gesture of peace. "I was just joking."

"Look, my family is... on that particular point, they're a pain in the arse. I need your help. I will not make it through the day without punching someone if I try to go on my own. And Cassie is so excited at the idea of me going to her wedding! And it's in Scotland! It's gonna be so pretty! Harry, please. It's just for one day."

He heaved a sigh, but you could read in the way that his eyes travelled back and forth from left and right and the way he tugged on his lower lip in between his fingers that he was hesitating.

It was all because of your cute little pout and sad eyes. He couldn't resist those. Never had been able to, even when the two of you were just five years old. Damn you and your adorable face…

"I'll let you eat all the cherries I get from my grandma's orchard this year," you offered, making him smile and shake his head at you.

But you read in his body language that you were winning.

"H, pretty please... just one day... one day... I'll go to all your shows for your next tour. I won't ever tell you again when I don't like one of your songs."

He laughed properly this time.

"Liar, you're too honest. You'll never manage to keep that up. That's why I like you so much."

"Okay... but I will go to your shows. And I'll give you cherries..."

He heaved a final sigh, but nodded this time.

"Alright, I'll do it," he agreed.

"YES!" you cried, jumping to your feet to walk around the table and hug Harry so tightly he could barely breathe. "I knew I could count on you!"

"I mean... if I get cherries..."

"As many as you want!"

You kissed his cheek, loud and ridiculously enthusiastic, making him force a wince to hide the way he longed to grin at the gesture instead.

"Alright, alright, calm down," he gently pushed you away and you sat back down into your own chair. "I have a few conditions though."

"Sure, fire away!"

"Rule number one: no kisses, nothing happens during the day."

"Of course! That would be frankly disgusting!" you teased him. "I'd never want to kiss you!"

"Hey! No need to turn it like that! Careful, or I'll change my mind!"

You rolled your eyes, but waited for him to go on, counting on his fingers.

"Rule number two: I won't sing or do any kind of performance at the wedding."

"She already has a band and everything, no worries. Besides, my aunt doesn't like your music, so she would never let that happen."

"That... was the second blow to my ego in the span of two minutes..."

"It's big enough, it can take it."

He playfully stuck his tongue out at you, and you replied with an adorable giggle.

"Rule number 3: if some elderly member of your family starts being all mushy about us, we drop the act and reveal the whole thing. This only stands as long as it doesn't hurt anyone's feelings."

"Sounds fair."

"And last but not least," he added, shooting you one of his annoyingly charming cheeky grins, "You can't fall in love with me for real."

You scoffed.

"As if! Don't get over yourself! You might have pretty dimples and a nice voice, but you're not half as charming as you might think."

"So… it's all safe! Deal?"

He offered you his open hand, and you shook it with a grin on your lips.

"Thanks, H. You're a real life-saviour."

 "HI!!!"

The sound of your cousin's happy shriek was so loud, you had to pull your phone away from your ear. It seemed safer to put it on speaker.

You were back at your place, alone, and had decided to call Cassie to let her know that you would attend her wedding, and would bring Harry along. You were cutting tomatoes to prepare a salad for diner whilst on the phone, the device set on speaker resting upon the counter by your side.

"Hi, Cass! How are you? How is the planning going?"

"It's almost ready! We've just found the flowers and they're perfect! But I wanted to call you actually, you haven't replied yet to the invitation. You're gonna come, right?"

"Of course, I'm coming. That's why I was calling right now. I just..." you cleared your voice before finishing your sentence, your heart rushing as you lied. "I just had to check if my boyfriend was available too, so I could come with him as my plus one. And he can come so..."

Cassie let out another cry full of excitement, interrupting you mid-sentence.

"Your boyfriend!? How come you've never mentioned him before?!"

"Hum... we like our privacy, let's say. But we'll have more time to talk about that at the wedding."

"Of course! We have a whole week to catch up!"

You frowned hard, feeling panic rise into your chest.

What did she mean by that?

"A week?"

"Well, of course! You're coming to the family event, right?"

"The family event?"

"Haven't you received my email?! For the whole week leading to the wedding it's gonna be our closest family members and friends in Scotland! We'll finish getting ready and have lots of fun! I've planned so many activities! You're coming to that, right?"

"I..."

"Oh dear, I can't wait to see you there! It's been ages! Did you really have to move to the States? I've already asked Amy to get your favourite pastries, I know how much you love those snacks. I can't wait to see you... so, you're arriving on Friday or Saturday then?"

You had to tell her the truth. Had to tell her that you had only asked Harry for one day and not a whole week. He was so busy these days working in the studio, there was no way he could clear a whole week for you being notified only a couple of weeks in advance. A weekend could be done but over a week?!

You heaved a sigh. You would have to spend the week on your own, but at least, the news of a boyfriend coming for the ceremony would ease your family's mind. You could still escape most of their terrible comments about your love life.

"I haven't booked my flight yet. Not sure if I'll arrive Friday or Saturday. I'll keep you updated. My boyfriend will be working though, so he can only come for the weekend of the wedding."

"Oh, of course, I understand. What does he do?"

"Hum... he's in the... music business."

She heaved a sigh.

"Oh, Y/N, please, tell me you didn't fall in love with a penniless drummer again, like you did in high school. Not again, sweetie."

You laughed at the memories, shaking your head.

"He's not a drummer. And he's not penniless either. It's Harry."

"HARRY?! Wait… You mean… HARRY HARRY?!"

"I don't even know anyone else called Harry," you laughed. "Yes, Harry Styles, from Holmes Chapel."

"I thought the two of you were just friends."

"Hmm… We… decided to give it a try."

"Wow… Oh. My. God… wait until your mum finds out. Have you told her yet?"

"No, not yet."

"She's gonna freak out."

"Why would she? She knows him! She likes him."

"As your friend, sure! As your boyfriend… Your dad will chop his head off."

"Yeah… I'm a bit worried about my dad."

"You'll have to tell me everything about it, but I have to run now... There is apparently an emergency with the napkins."

"Good luck with that. See you!"

"See you!"

"Hmm... H?"

"Hmm?" He looked up at you from the cup of tea he held in his hands, his long fingers encircling the porcelain to warm his hands.

It was a little chilly, or as chilly as an evening in early autumn could be in LA, at least. You were enjoying a quiet evening with him, spent in his garden. You sat in the grass, with stars and torchlights shedding just enough light for the two of you to keep on playing scrabble. You had stolen his multicolour cardigan when the sun had set and the breeze had turned colder. Harry wore one of his Treat People with Kindness sweaters.

In the distance, a siren rang and then passed Harry's neighbourhood. You could hear muffled laughter coming from children playing in a garden nearby.

It was quiet still, the whisper of the busy city shushed for the most part. Time seemed a little slower now, an effect of the night and the lack of constant busy flow of people around you.

"About my cousin's wedding I told you about the other day... have you booked your flight yet?"

He shook his head, blowing upon his too-warm beverage.

"I figured we should book the same flight," he answered.

"Oh no! I'll be going a week early."

"I thought you were only staying for the weekend," Harry frowned before taking a sip of warm tea.

You could have walked back inside to finish your game now that the weather was cooler. But it was such a precious moment you were sharing that you were too scared to break your bubble if you did move.

After all, evenings spent alone with Harry were too rare to be wasted away.

You didn't blame only his busy schedule and his numerous friends though, you were a busy bee yourself. Entering your last year of PhD and getting ready to write your thesis to become a doctor as an history major was a lot of work. You also had friends of your own that you enjoyed spending time with, and if Harry sometimes joined you at a bar, it just wasn't the same as spending time with only him.

So, you didn't ask him if you could move in the house when you shivered as the wind blew with more strength. Instead, you enjoyed the way his hands moved across the board as he placed his letters to form a new word, his fingers bare, for once not wearing any piece of jewellery.

"No, my cousin is actually inviting the close family a week in advance to spend a few days with us. She has apparently prepared tons of activities and stuff."

"Oh... shouldn't I go to that too, then? As your plus one?"

But you shook your head, a little embarrassed.

"No, I told her you might not be able to attend that but you would be here for the actual wedding. It's alright. You have enough work as it is."

"You're telling me that you're gonna get a whole week alone with your entire family?"

"Only the close circle but... yeah. It's alright though... they're not that bad. Just annoying with the whole 'being single and soon 30' thing."

Harry groaned.

"We're only 26, don't make me older than I am, I don't need a reminder."

He seemed lost in thought for a moment, before he would ask another question.

"Won't they bother you for that week if you go alone?"

"I guess... they're probably gonna pretend like I'm not actually bringing anyone, criticize you a lot for not coming for the whole week, especially as you're a musician and they consider that you don't have a real job..."

"For their defence… I don't have a real job."

You rolled your eyes at him but couldn't refrain a smile.

"Anyway... as long as you come to the actual ceremony, I should be fine."

"Nah... that sounds horrid. I'll come with you to the whole thing."

"H..."

"It's alright! It doesn't bother me at all! Besides, I haven't seen your mum in a long time..."

His eyes grew round all of a sudden.

"Wait... we're gonna have to lie to your mum..."

"And to my dad."

His worried expression turned into one of fear.

"Oh fuck... your dad is going to kill me."

You laughed at him, but it was hard to hide your own fear at the idea of the two of you facing your father.

"Of course not! He likes you!"

"Likes me? Have you forgotten the closed-door incident that summer when we were 14? Cause I haven't... I thought he was going to strangle me or something..."

"We're not 14 anymore."

"Yeah, but we're going to tell him that I am really fucking his daughter this time. It's much worse..."

You couldn't refrain a bright wave of laughter, despite the genuine fear in Harry's eyes.

"It's not funny!"

"It is. It is kind of funny. Don't worry, he won't hurt you. You know my dad, lots of barking but no actual biting."

"What about when we mysteriously break up right after the wedding?"

"We'll just wait a few weeks before I break the news to them. I can even pretend that I'm the one who called it quits, if you'd like."

"I better hope so! Or I'm going to earn a good old sermon from my mum."

"Anne can be terrifying at times."

"That's because she's the sweetest the rest of the time. It's too rare, we can't get used seeing her angry at us."

"Hmm... I agree."

There was a short moment of silence while you played, placing letters on the board too and counting your points.

"So... when is your flight?"

"Friday in two weeks."

"Alright, I'd better check if there's some room left for me too then."

"Harry... you really don't have to do that..."

"I said I'd be your plus one for the event, and I will. It's alright. I'll come to the whole thing. But know that if your father ends up beating the shit out of me, you'll be the one responsible! If you weren't a broke student, I'd make you pay for my hospital bills too, but I'm not that cruel. The weight of my suffering and broken bones on your conscience will have to be enough."

You laughed, and he soon joined you, enjoying the way your happy features made crinkles appear at the corner of your eyes.

"Poor chuckaboo..."

"Oi! Don't start with that, lambkin!"

"Why not? You've been teasing me with that stupid nickname since we were 12, I can tease you with your own too!"

"Actually, they're pet names, not nicknames. Terms of endearment."

"Oh, sorry, Mr. Dictionary."

"Well, I guess I should have the title, as I am properly kicking your pretty arse at scrabble right now, lambkin."

"Considering that my boxing skills are far superior to yours and that I could actually kick your pretty arse if I wanted to, I would tune the narcissist down a little bit, chuckaboo."

"You've always been a terrible loser."

"You're even worse than I am!"

"How could you know? I always win against you."

You threw a few letters at him in response, making him giggle in the most adorable way.

And as he struggled to calm down and stop his snickering, you reckoned that you truly were lucky to have a best friend like him.

And if he wanted to come with you to Scotland then... how could you say no? After all, you did need all the help you could get to survive this week with all your relatives.

After all, Harry would be there, pretending to be your boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong?

*********************************

Taglist : @emcchi @fishstick-knows @eldahae​

@ponycake27​​​​​ @horsesreign​​​​​ @xinyourdreamsx​​​​​ @jbluevelvet​​​​@notkeppeki @daynigt-dreamer-stuff @fudgeflyss​​​​ @stuckupstucky​​​​​@snek-shit​​​​​ @suchatinyinfinity​​​​​@i-padfootblack-things​  @buckybsarmy @heyohheyitsgabi​​​​​​@jigsawlover10​​​​​ @emyyjemyy​​​​ @addictedtofictionalcharacters​​​​​​ @staringmoony​​​​​​@madamrogers​ @cronias13​ @stylesfics-xx​ @mellamolayla​ @mariaenchanted​

[settersprouts]

꒦ ikanaide : chapter three ! ꒦

病欠

. . : iwaizumi gets sick and doesn't tell oikawa. oikawa notices he's not at school and skips practice for the first time to take care of him.

or, iwaizumi doesn't like to take medicine and oikawa can cook.

sniffles. coughs. that's all that could be heard through the iwaizumi household at five am, the time hajime iwaizumi was supposed to be getting ready for school. hanako iwaizumi sighed, not ready to deal with a sick hajime. reluctantly making his way out of the bed he shared with aiya, he got a bucket, a couple of rags, and starting the trek to his son's room.

``hey-`` hanako started, but was interrupted by a coughing fit. ``hajime. how you feeling?``

his son smiled up at him grimly, wiping at the snot in his nose. ``like shit.``

``language.``

``sorry.``

hanako let out another sigh, wringing one of the rags out and placing the damp cloth on his forehead. ``symptoms?``

``cough, sneezing, my nose is runny- and my throat hurts,`` iwaizumi managed, his voice dry and scratchy.

``that bad, huh?`` hanako set the bucket down on the floor, pulling out his phone and thumbing at his screen. ``i'll text your coach and teachers to let them know you can't make it.``

iwaizumi nodded, letting out a small groan. his eyes suddenly flung wide open, and he sat up abruptly, scaring hanako a little. ``don't tell oikawa! he's going to try and skip school to take care of me, i'm sure.``

hanako chuckled, giving his son a little thumbs up and pushing him back down. ``i got it. i'll just let him figure it out himself.``

his son sighed in relief, letting his entire body relax. ``thanks, old man.``

``i'm not old. want some oatmeal?``

``that'd be great. thank you.``

a smile pulled at hanako's lips. ``alright, coming right up, kiddo.`` he made his way out of iwaizumi's room, leaving the door open so air could filter through.

``don't make it sweet! i hate it sweet!``

``i know that!``

hanako made his way into the kitchen, almost running into his wife. ``whoa- oh, good morning, love.``

``morning, hanako.`` aiya yawned, her face contorting into an expression of confusion. ``where's hajime? he should be getting his breakfast ready by now.``

``the kid's sick,`` hanako replied, kissing his wife on the cheek. ``i'm getting him some oatmeal for breakfast.``

aiya nodded, opening a drawer and pulling out a thermometer. she handed it to her husband. ``make sure to take his temperature, too. i want to know if i need to have a doctor over.``

hanako deadpanned, letting out a gruff laugh. ``babe, that's a meat thermometer.``

``oh, is it?`` she smiled apologetically, putting it back and switching it with the other thermometer. ``here, take this, then.``

he reached out to grab at the cool metal, letting it sit in his breast pocket as he got iwaizumi's oatmeal ready. ``can you go get him some cough medicine, or something for his throat? hajime says it's sore.``

his wife nodded, and padded over to the fridge, reaching above it to open the medicine cabinet. she sorted through bottles and bottles of over-the-counter medicine, before finally reaching the cough and sore-throat remedies. pouring a little bit into a plastic cup, aiya put the bottle back and closed the cabinet, placing the cup onto the tray with her son's water glass and oatmeal on it. ``there. have you called hajime's school, yet?``

hanako nodded. ``mhm. already done. hajime doesn't want oikawa-kun to know he's sick yet, so don't tell his mother. knowing her, she'll spill the beans somehow.``

aiya let out a soft laugh, covering her mouth as she did so. ``i understand. he'll probably want to skip school and tend to hajime all day.``

``that boy is something else.``

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

oikawa tapped his foot impatiently, standing at the intersection where he and iwaizumi usually meet up. they were supposed to get there early so oikawa could grab something from the convenience store- it was his nephew's birthday, after all, and he wanted to buy some red velvet cake mix.

he let out a sigh, pulling out his phone to check the messages he had with the ace.

› Messages with : Iwaizumi, Hajime

[Sent:To Oikawa, Toorū] go to sleep already, you idiot

[Sent:To Oikawa, Toorū] i know you're up watching volleyball matches

[Sent:To Oikawa, Toorū] it's late, get some rest or i'll hit you

¹¹⁻³⁹ ᴾᴹ

[Sent:From Oikawa, Toorū] yeah, yeah, got it iwa-chan ಠ_ಠ

[Sent:From Oikawa, Toorū] you don't have to be so rude, you know

[Sent:From Oikawa, Toorū] and why r u so obsessed w hitting me ?

¹¹⁻⁴⁰ ᴾᴹ

[Sent:To Oikawa, Toorū] goodnight

¹¹⁻⁴⁰ ᴾᴹ

[Sent:From Oikawa, Toorū] goodnight, iwa-chan :D

¹¹⁻⁴¹ ᴾᴹ

[Sent:From Oikawa, Toorū] morning, iwa (*ﾟｰﾟ)ゞ

⁰⁵⁻³⁰ ᴬᴹ

[Sent:From Oikawa, Toorū] where r u 人´∀���) i'm @ the intersection

⁰⁶⁻⁰⁴ ᴬᴹ

[Sent:From Oikawa, Toorū] iwa we're gonna be late i need to go to the store φ(。。*)

⁰⁶⁻⁰⁵ ᴬᴹ

[Sent:From Oikawa, Toorū] iwa-chan i'm leaving you >:p

⁰⁶⁻⁰⁷ ᴬᴹ

[Sent:From Oikawa, Toorū] im gonna kill you when i see you

⁰⁶⁻¹³ ᴬᴹ

despite what the messages ensued, he still hadn't left without iwaizumi. he let out another sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. he really had to leave, but he didn't want the ace to be mad once he figured out oikawa had went on without him. oikawa inhaled through his nose, and out through his mouth. pushing aside the fear of a very angry iwaizumi showing up to first period with homicide on his mind.

the sun was rising and starting to shine brightly, slightly blinding oikawa as he glanced at the star. if iwaizumi were here, he would've already been geeking out about it to him, trying to annoy the vice. he wasn't really that obsessed with space and extraterrestrial life, oikawa just liked to annoy his best friends.

``hey, oikawa!`` the setter turned at his name being called, and was instantly greeted with someone running straight into him. arms wrapped around his torso in what he thought was a hug, but couldn't be sure, since all the wind was knocked out of him in the process. familiar tufts of pink-brown hair tickled his nose, and his lips pulled into a small, genuine smile. he wrapped his arms around the attacker's torso, too, breathing in the scent he considered a second home.

``hey, makki. morning.`` oikawa smiled, pulling away to see his friend's beaming face.

hanamaki linked arms with oikawa, pulling him along. ``c'mon, we're going to be late for class!``

oikawa looked down at his phone, checking the time. 06:19 AM, it read. ``makki, it's only six twenty. we have plenty of time.``

``but..`` makki groaned, making a big show of rolling his head back and exposing his neck to the sky. whether or not that was an impression of oikawa on one of his days, oikawa may never know. ``we can be early for once.``

``class doesn't start until seven thirty.`` oikawa sang, pulling away from makki's grip and dragging him along. ``plus, i gotta get something from the store for takeru's birthday.``

his companion made an 'o' shape with his mouth, succumbing to oikawa's charms and letting himself be lead to the nearest store. ``nice. what are you getting?``

``cake mix. red velvet.``

``red velvet? holy shit, can i come to the party?`` hanamaki gasped, giving his friend his full attention now. oikawa laughed, and nodded.

``yeah. i was planning on inviting you and mattsun anyways.`` he replied, scratching the back of his neck. ``iwa-chan gets a free pass, since my mom knows him.``

makki gasped in mock offense, holding his free hand to his heart. ``she knows me too! how come i don't get a free pass? does she not like me?``

oikawa shrugged. ``well, you're kind of.. how can i say this. um-`` he laughed nervously, ``-too energetic, for her taste?``

``this is atrocious. i even did her dishes for her, once.``

``key word, once.`` oikawa retorted, eyeing the store up ahead. ``oh hey, look, there's sakanoshita. think we'll find cake mix there?``

hanamaki shrugged.  ``probably. doesn't karasuno's coach work there?``

oikawa nodded. ``hopefully tobio-chan didn't stop by on his way to school. i think i might throw up if i see him.``

``how immature.``

the two of them made their way into the small store, muttering a little "pardon the intrusion!" to the staff, who turned out to be a short, older woman, not karasuno's coach. they both let out a sigh of relief- anything could've happened if it was ukai who was sitting in the little swivel chair behind the counter. possibly just them having to endure the shameless torments from the latter, but who knows.

oikawa and hanamaki glanced at the small signs labeling the aisles, quickly finding the one they were looking for and walked down to the middle, where all the cake mixes lay. the captain sifted through the red velvet mixes while the other eyed the brownie batter with starry eyes. oikawa skimmed the backs of four boxes he settled on, tossing them all into the little basket he had picked up as soon as they walked in. turning to his partner, he couldn't help but let the wide smile overcome his facial features. hanamaki was practically drooling at the pictures of the brownies on the boxes.

he padded over to the wing-spiker and picked up a box, tossing it into the basket as well and waltzed out of the aisle- hanamaki at his heels. ``whoa, are you seriously buying that for me?``

oikawa shook his head. ``for me. to make for you when you come over later.`` he stuck out his tongue at his partner, smiling at the laugh he was able to get out of him.

``sure, whatever you say.``

the captain turned to the lady at the desk, reading the nametag on her shirt. hana sakanoshita. ah. so she was the owner. sakanoshita smiled at him, taking the bag out of his hands and scanning the barcodes on the backs of the boxes. ``find everything okay, honey?``

``yep, great, thank you! could we also get two packs of that strawberry gum?`` he pointed, putting on one of his award-winning smiles. she seemed to melt at this and nodded, quickly bagging up his stuff and handing his credit card back.

``you have a good day, boys.`` she said, waving at them as they exited. the two smiled and waved back, turning towards aoba johsai and resuming their trek.

hanamaki checked his phone, letting out a sharp whistle. ``nice. we didn't take as long as i expected- we have fifteen minutes 'till first period.``

oikawa grinned. ``told you so.``

``yeah, yeah. oh- by the way, where's iwaizumi?`` hanamaki looked around as if he were looking for the teen, turning back to oikawa once he figured out he really wasn't there with them. ``he walks with you, right?``

the latter shrugged, pulling out his own gum pack and popping a strip into his mouth. ``dunno. he didn't show at the intersection where we meet up, so i just went along without him. he didn't answer any of my texts, either.``

``huh.`` hanamaki said, putting his index finger and thumb on his chin in a thinking pose. ``that's weird. maybe he overslept?``

``doubt it. the man sleeps with his phone on so loud, he'll wake up immediately as soon as he hears one of my texts. plus, he has like, fifty alarms back-to-back to wake him up.`` oikawa replied, shutting down makki's theory so fast, he didn't even see it coming.

makki sighed. ``ah. i see.`` he shook his head as to clear his mind of any stray thoughts, and extended his hand. ``i want some gum. hand it over, peasant.``

``yes, my lord.`` oikawa said jokingly, gracefully whipping out the pack of strawberry gum and placing it in his hands. he folded makki's fingers around it, never breaking eye contact with his teammate. ``here it is. do what you wish with it.``

the two snickered at their antics, slinging their arms around one another. ``we're so going to be late.``

``yeah, probably.``

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

``oh, yeah, we're so sorry ms. sato. we got stuck in traffic- there was an accident over by my house.`` makki sighed dramatically, shaking his head slightly. ``we would've gotten a late pass, but we didn't think we were going to be so late.``

ms. sato shook her head quickly, smiling at the teen. ``it's okay, hanamaki-kun. just try not to let this happen too much, okay?``

hanamaki nodded. ``yes, ma'am.`` oikawa mentally facepalmed at his antics, and the two walked to the back to sit down in their seats, next to matsukawa, who was struggling to keep a laugh in.

``jesus,`` matsukawa breathed, ``the amount of bullshit in that was immaculate.``

``right?`` he and hanamaki fistbumped, grinning widely like the idiots they were.

oikawa sighed, turning his head slightly to talk to iwaizumi, then stopping himself before he could say anything. iwaizumi's desk stood empty next to his own. the captain frowned, checking his phone for any recent texts from the ace. nothing popped up.

makki slung an arm over oikawa, concern lining his features. ``hey, what's up?``

``he still isn't here.`` he pointed to iwaizumi's desk, the frown growing by the minute. ``and he's not answering. makki, i'm worried.``

a head full of black, unruly hair obscured the view he had of his phone. matsukawa laughed, stepping back. ``so he didn't tell you guys?`` when hanamaki and oikawa looked at him with confused expressions, he chuckled, and continued. ``guys, he's sick. coach was talking about it with ms. sato this morning. if you got here earlier you would've known.``

the captain facepalmed. ``of course, that makes sense. why couldn't he have told me though?``

``dunno.`` mattsun ignored the small pout resting on his captain's lips, shoving at his shoulder a bit. ``lighten up. he probably didn't want you to skip school and take care of him.``

oikawa let out a puff of air. ``yeah, okay. you're probably right.`` he was about to continue but ms. sato had started class, and a comfortable silence fell upon them as they gave the woman their full attention. makki and mattsun glanced at oikawa, worry clearly etched on their faces. perhaps they shouldn't have told him what happened with his best friend.

``oikawa,`` ms. sato supplied, stalking over to his desk and setting two thick packets on the hard wood. ``here's iwaizumi-kun's work. i trust you'll be able to get this to him?``

the latter sighed, looking up towards his sensei with the fakest smile he could muster. ``yes, sato-san, i'll give this to him as soon as i see him.``

ms. sato smiled, patting the boy's head and walking back to the front of the class. ``alright, so, has anyone written down the notes on the board?``

oikawa glanced at the chalkboard, internally groaning as he noticed it was completely filled with notes. where the hell did she find the time to write all that?

he let out the fifth-hundredth sigh that day, picking up his pencil and getting to work. iwaizumi totally owed him.

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

``you want to, what?`` coach irihata stared at his pupil, shock painting his features. oikawa stood before him, fumbling with his practice clothes, a faint blush plastered over his cheeks and nose. ``you want to skip practice?``

``yes.`` oikawa nodded. ``it's only for today, so i can go home and take care of iwa-chan. he has a lot of work to catch up on,`` he added, holding up the many papers he had collected from his professors in each class, since his and iwaizumi's timestables were identical.

irihata stared at him some more, then shook his head quickly, smiling at him. ``alright. i don't see why not.``

oikawa brightened, clearly glad by the news. ``thank you so much! i promise i'll make it up to you!`` he chimed, switching his volleyball shoes for a pair of regular sneakers. ``all your meals this week, on me!``

``you don't have to- and he's out the door.`` irihata sighed, glancing at the now agape gym door. the warm afternoon breeze rushed in, leaving an unpleasant, humid feeling. mizoguchi came up behind him, watching oikawa sprint off into the distance. ``that boy is something else, isn't he?``

``definitely.`` mizoguchi laughed, walking forward to close the doors. ``iwaizumi's lucky to have a good friend like him.``

the older coach nodded. ``we're all glad to know him.``

dammit, someone's talking about me, oikawa thought, as he sneezed for the seventh time since leaving aoba johsai. he rubbed his nose, pissed off at the irritation of his sensitive organ. his legs already burned- he had sprinted all the way to the intersection, and was now leaning on a streetlamp, catching his breath. he probably should've put on his knee brace if he knew he was going to exert a little energy on running home, but he was in a rush.

pulling out his phone, he quickly navigated to his email, frowning at the lack of messages from his dear friend hajime iwaizumi. he hadn't read the texts either, so he probably was really exhausted. slipping the device back into his pocket, he started the rest of his trek home, popping another strip of gum into his mouth.

the grocery bag swinging on his arm contained all the contents oikawa thought iwaizumi would need : some cough and cold medicine, a couple of boxes of tissues, a mask for himself, disposable rags, and a heating pad. the materials cost him about ¥800 each, which wasn't that expensive.

finally, after what had seemed like forever, the captain had arrived at iwaizumi's house. there were no cars in the driveway, which meant his parents weren't home. what were they thinking, leaving poor iwa-chan alone while he's sick? oikawa frowned at this. what a silly idea.

he flipped up the doormat, grabbing the key that was strategically placed underneath and unlocked the door. pushing it open, he let out a little ``yahoo~ anyone home?`` to let iwaizumi know he was there. he wasn't expecting a reaction, so seeing iwaizumi come downstairs to greet him kind of scared him out of his wits a little bit.

``jesus! iwa-chan, can't you warn a dude first?`` oikawa panted, placing a hand over his heart. the ace deadpanned, walking over and snatching the bags out of his hands.

``what the hell do you think you're doing here? i'm sick, go home.`` he retorted, his eyebrows furrowing so much, they looked like they were attached to his eyes. he sifted through the bag, pausing once he realized what the plastic bag contained. ``what is this?``

oikawa rolled his eyes, taking the bag back and setting its' contents on the kitchen counter. ``it's for you. you're sick, so i decided to skip practice to come here and take care of you, and to reteach everything that you missed today.`` he replied nonchalantly, shoving iwaizumi towards the direction of his bedroom. ``go back to bed, i'll cook you some lunch, since i'm sure you didn't eat yet.``

iwaizumi didn't reply, because (a) he was right. and (b) he was shocked that the toorū oikawa skipped volleyball practice for him.

``anyways,`` oikawa said, opening his fridge and scanning its' contents. ``how do you feel about egg?``

``i can eat it. i don't feel nauseous or anything,`` iwa replied, sitting on one of the stools at the kitchen counter. ``and wait- you're going to cook?``

the setter turned around, tying an apron around his waist. ``yeah?``

iwaizumi blinked, shaking his head and leaning down on his forearms. ``nothing. continue. don't burn down my kitchen.``

oikawa grinned, having just been granted permission to make his best friend's food. ``alright! on it, iwa-chan!``

``shut up and start cooking.``

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

``you have to take it, iwa-chan!``

``NO! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!`` iwaizumi jumped onto his couch, holding a fork towards oikawa like a weapon. ``GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME.``

oikawa let out yet another sigh. ``jeez, if i knew you were going to be this bratty about taking your medicine, i wouldn't have came.`` he took another dangerous step towards iwaizumi, holding out a glass of water and a small cup of liquid cough medicine. ``iwa-chan, if you don't take this, you'll never get better.``

``so? that thing's disgusting.`` iwaizumi fake-retched, the look of disgust on his face almost believable. he should've taken the drama course at school.

another step. ``you seem to have forgotten that i have a kid nephew, who i always got to take his medicine, no matter how big of a tantrum he threw about it.`` another step. ``you're acting like a toddler. just take your medicine and get better.``

``assikawa, if you so as much take one more goddamn step towards me, i'll kill you.`` iwaizumi growled, clenching the fork tighter. of course he wouldn't kill him, he'd just said that to frighten him. somehow, oikawa didn't seemed phased, and took another step.

``hajime iwaizumi. if you don't come down off that couch and take your medicine right now, so help me god, i will bring my mother here and she will be furious when she realizes how much of a tantrum you're putting up right now.`` the setter mused, shaking the glass of water like he was calling him towards him, like a dog. iwaizumi gulped. the aura surrounding oikawa was downright terrifying. his eyes seemed almost lifeless, and it scared the wits out of him. ``on the count of three. if you haven't taken the medicine by then, i'm calling her. one.``

iwaizumi flinched, backing up slightly. could he make it out the front door without oikawa catching him? probably not. his legs were longer, so he'd cover more ground easily.

``two.``

how bad would the punishment be if he just didn't take the medicine? it's not like oikawa would actually call his mother, he wouldn't do that. right?

``three-``

``okay!`` iwaizumi jumped off the couch, grabbing the medicine and pouring it down his throat. he made a face of disgust, snatching the glass of water out of his hand and gulping that down too. he shuddered, trying to force himself to keep the atrocious liquid down. ``there. happy?``

``very.`` oikawa grinned, patting iwaizumi's head. ``good job.``

the ace burned with pride at the praise, letting oikawa's nimble fingers tread through his hair. ``thanks for coming over.``

``of course.`` his friend replied, giving the shorter a warm hug. ``don't mention it. i'll skip practice for you every time.``

``you better not.``

oikawa smiled. ``no promises.``

─── sick day.

chapter 4 !

[sagasofazeria]

The First of Many Journeys

Song of the Seven Suns, Part 4

Taglist (ask to be added/removed): @hellishhin @talesfromaurea @thelaughingstag

content warnings: slavery mention/discussion of slavery, descriptions of violence/murder

word count: ~ 5300 (it’s a long one)

“You in?”

Jetra, Faulkron, Fuego, and Shakari were standing around a table, under the shade of a large tree, Jetra’s map laid out on top of it with their destination marked. The bard was looking at Fuego and Shakari, awaiting their answer.

Shakari had already made up her mind. “I will go with you.”

Fuego looked at Shakari briefly, then back at the other two. “Same. Fuck those slavers, let’s do this.”

Shakari was glad to hear Fuego would be joining them, she quite enjoyed his company. Plus, she felt more comfortable in general traveling with people who didn’t like slavers. The ones she’d fought in the deserts of her home were always ruthless and violent, and they would fester like poison anywhere they went. She would be more than happy to stop such people from hurting anyone else.

As her mind wandered to her past experiences, her eyes caught one of the other mercenaries, Alejandro, leaning against a wall not far away. Shakari had seen him talking to Faulkron the previous day, and she assumed they knew each other. He was staring somewhere past the group, deep in thought. Shakari raised a scaled brow, watching him for a moment as he appeared to make up his mind about something, and strode forward, his eyes shifting to meet theirs.

“Buenos días, friends. I couldn’t help but overhear a little, have you found a contract?”

Faulkron’s eyes flicked over to Alejandro, surprise crossing his features at first, followed by a smile that was quickly smothered.

“Oh! Yes, we have. Ahem. Yeah, we’re headed to Koretion to deal with a group of slavers that are causing problems near there. Why?”

Shakari saw something in Alejandro’s eyes harden at the mention of the slavers, and his smiled faltered slightly. Something in his eyes she recognized, an immediate hostility, probably not unlike her own reaction. But there was something else there too, something deeper, a pain she could not decipher.

“I see.”

Fuego spoke up, grinning. “Yeah, we’re gonna fuck ‘em up. They don’t stand a chance.”

Alejandro chuckled slightly. “If it is not too late, I would like to come with you. I would take a great joy in getting rid of those assholes as well, if you’d have me?”

Jetra smiled, and Faulkron looked to the others briefly before turning back to Alejandro. “We’d gladly take another blade.”

Alejandro smiled at Faulkron. “Great. When are we leaving?”

Faulkron gestured around to the group. “As soon as we can. We’re already ready, most of us travel light.”

Alejandro smiled. “So do I. I do have to do one thing first, but I will meet you when I am ready.”

“Okay then, cool. I’ll be at the southern gate, once we’re all there we’ll go,” Jetra said as she grabbed her map.

“Fantástico. I will not be long.”

•••

Overall, Alejandro was pretty happy with how it all went. Was his decision impulsive? Yes. But he would be lying if he said it didn’t excite him. Now to finalize it, and be free of this city.

He strode his way toward Elikon’s quarters, dodging through the other stirring mercenaries as he went. He pushed aside the patterned curtain and walked in, attempting to hide the thrill he was feeling. “Elikon!”

Within a few seconds, the massive woman ducked through the doorway from her personal chambers. She smiled seeing him, and finished off a cup of water, placing it on her desk as she stood across from him. “Alejandro! Good morning, how are you?”

“I am doing fine, commander.”

“Good to hear. What did you need?”

Alejandro took a deep breath before he spoke. “I am leaving.”

“Leaving? Like on a contract, or leaving the company?”

“Leaving the company. With all due respect, I am in need of a change of pace.”

“Ah, that’s what it is. I understand. Ya know, you’re young, you got a lot of time to figure yourself out. Just make sure to take care of yourself, ain’t nobody been a hero without doin’ that.”

“Of course. I will.”

“Then may your road be gentle and the winds blow in your favor, Alejandro. Good luck, and goodbye.”

“Thank you, Elikon. You as well.” Handing over his medallion that signified his membership in the Icaon mercenaries, he walked out of the building and headed to pack his things, and then started for the south gate. It was time for something new.

•••

Faulkron didn’t realize he and Alejandro would be going to the same place after the little group meeting, so he waited for him to leave again before going into Elikon’s quarters.

As he pushed aside the curtain, still slightly sore from the fight the day before, he saw Elikon standing over her desk, closing a small wooden box full of medallions like the ones the mercenaries wore. She turned back around at the sound of his entry, grinning at the sight of him. “Ah, Faulkron. Did you sleep well after yesterday?”

“I did.”

“Good, good. What brings you visiting then? Did ya change your mind about joining up? There’s a new vacancy.”

“Unfortunately, no. I just wanted some... advice, I guess.”

“Oh, really now? What sort of advice do you need?”

Faulkron thought for a moment. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was here, but Elikon seemed to be a knowledgeable woman, and he was still very new here. It had seemed like a good idea to talk to her before he just ran off into a new land.

“Just general things. About mercenary work, or any dangerous monsters or people I should avoid here? I don’t know... what do you tell new recruits?”

Elikon paused for a moment, scanning his face. Faulkron started to wonder if he should leave, if this was a bad idea, but before he could turn around to leave she spoke. When she did, it was a lot quieter and less energetic than she had before.

“There are many, many monsters in this world. Some of them are just shitty people, some of them are terrifying behemoths that can rip you limb from limb. This profession is a dangerous one. No one just does this for fun. We’ve all got our issues, I see it in every person that comes through here. In the others who you spoke to, even in you. All I have to say, as I always have, is take care of yourself. No amount of skill can save you when you’re staring down death if you don’t take care of yourself. I’ve seen what happens. People don’t come back.”

Faulkron nodded, caught off-guard by the sudden intensity. He started to back away, still processing what she’d said. “Right. Okay. Um, thank you for the... advice.”

“Good luck wherever you’re going, Faulkron.”

“Thanks.”

As he walked out, he pondered Elikon’s words. In the end, he figured she was probably right. If he died from something stupid, what would be the point in all this? He knew it was dangerous to be a mercenary, he was ready for that. Taking care of himself wasn’t that hard, really. He didn’t need much. Food, water, sleep. Even then sleep wasn’t a big deal. He could skip on it if necessary. He could deal with all of those things. Other than that, all he needed to do was keep traveling and fighting and training, and he’d make a name for himself. He was sure of it. Now, he supposed, all there was left to do was to begin.

He made his way over to the southern gate, stopping by the market for extra food on the way. He had to admit, he already liked the fruits and new dishes in Leinos far more than what they’d had in the small town he’d grown up in.

When he arrived, he could see the others had already gathered, except Alejandro. Before very long, Alejandro came walking towards them as well, and they all gathered themselves a moment, before setting off on the dusty road.

According to Jetra, it was about 7 days’ travel south to Koretion.

As the sun traced its path across the sky that first afternoon, it found the five companions lost in thoughts of the path ahead. Before too long, however, a conversation was struck up, and the long hours became that much more bearable.

With the sun beginning to set, the 5 stopped for the day, setting up a small camp off the side of the road, within a copse of small trees. As they all settled down, the two moons and distant worlds became visible in the clear night sky, shedding a dim light across their resting forms.

Once the other three had gone to sleep, leaving Faulkron and Alejandro on watch, Faulkron began to brush his hands through the long grass. As he looked around, he could see the vibrantly colored flowers and grasses let their hues show even in only the soft light of the night. He’d always been able to see through even the thickest shadows, a benefit of being a dark elf, and so he always found the night far more striking in its beauty than the day. As he looked around, many of the plants and flowers were unfamiliar to him, but he would be lying if he said feeling land again wasn’t comforting after long months at sea.

As the night went on, a question began to form in the back of his mind. It was silent, and he let himself think for a while. However, not having an answer, he decided he’d rather talk about something than nothing, and so he quietly shifted himself over to Alejandro. Alejandro was staring down in the direction of the road and out to the horizon, absentmindedly stroking his chin as he stoked the gently glowing embers of their fire.

“Hey, Alejandro.”

“Hola, ¿qué tal?”

“I was only wondering... what made you come with us? You didn’t have to, you know.”

“Ah, I was wondering when you’d ask. It... let’s just say I find you interesting and I hate slavers. It was convenient.”

Faulkron studied his features in the dim light. He couldn’t tell what to think of being called “interesting” whatever that was supposed to mean, but he liked it, and he certainly wasn’t complaining that Alejandro had come along.

“Well, I’m glad you decided to join us.”

“So am I, Faulkron.”

There was a twinkle in Alejandro’s green eyes that caught Faulkron’s gaze. This was something more to him, that was for sure. Their eyes stayed locked, perhaps a little longer than they should have, but with his question answered, as well as some new questions to boot, Faulkron thanked Alejandro and turned his eyes back onto the surrounding landscape.

With the dawn of the second day, the group continued their journey along the road . As they got further from Corias, the road began to wind and branch, until it was barely a path through the high grasses and brush. Jetra was confident in her navigation, though, and so they followed her onward.

The third day came and went, heavy and hot with sun. It was unfortunately timed, as the road passed through miles of plains that day, and few trees were there to offer their shade.

Faulkron was fine with a bit of heat, the summers in the dry hills and steppes of the Unterras weren’t exactly mild. What he did resent was the brightness of the sun. He found that as he traveled more and more, he was left with headaches when the days had been too bright. It wasn’t enough to keep him down, but it was certainly annoying. He suspected he might have to suffer such a headache today.

Among all of them, even Fuego, Shakari seemed the most comfortable as they traveled that morning. Their gaze seemed unaffected by the blistering sun, and they strode through the heat as if it were a cool breeze.

Seeing the struggle of the others, she seemed to realize her oversight, and explained, “Oh. Oh no. My apologies, my people have lived in a sweltering desert for thousands of years. These—“ she pointed to obsidian-black scales that lined her eyes “—help me see regardless of sun. And my scales release heat far easier than your skin. We have many ways of keeping cool, including for outsiders. I can help you all, if you wish.”

Four sweaty faces eagerly nodded back at them. With Shakari’s help, the rest of the day was far more manageable.

Hours passed, the orange sun dipped down past the horizon, and another day came to a close.

The fourth day of travel on the path was a little more comfortable, and the sky was painted with colorful clouds that broke up the sunlight as it shone down on the five travelers. The trees began to increase slightly in frequency, occasionally crowning the hills the group crossed with their roots and canopies.

In between navigating with her map and leading the group, Jetra occasionally looked to the sky, humming a tune as she looked to the heavens.

Faulkron, walking beside her, became curious after hearing the same notes a few times. “What song is that?”

Jetra was startled out of her reverie. “Oh! It’s just something my parents taught me. I always think of it when the sky’s like this.”

“That’s cool. What’s it about?”

Jetra laughed, smiling fondly. “It’s an old song about an angel who became enamored with our world. She fell in love with the beauty of the sky especially, and eventually gave up her home in the celestial realms to live here. It’s a favorite of mine.”

“Oh. Interesting. I’ve never heard of something like that before.”

“Yeah, it’s quite the story. Do you want to hear it?”

“Sure.”

Smiling with barely constrained excitement, Jetra handed off the map to Faulkron, grabbing her lyre. As they all walked, Jetra began to play a soft melody, and then she began to sing. The words rolled off of her lips with practiced ease, and her eyes closed as she sang, her voice echoing around them. She sang with a deep passion and energy, and the other four fell silent as they listened, enraptured by the performance, almost like magic.

That night, as they all stared at the stars, they felt a comfort in their hearts. Faulkron swore he could still hear the gentle sounds of soft music lulling them to rest. They all slept soundly that night, as if they were lying on the softest of blankets.

The sun’s light cast through the clouds and tree branches the next morning, and fell across the rocks and hills like liquid gold.

As the companions continued their journey that day, the ups and downs of the hills got steeper, and the rocks and trees got bigger and more frequent again. The road got even rougher, but Jetra assured the others this meant they were getting closer, and so they continued forward. With the onset of evening, the clouds that had streaked across the sky collected, and the smell of rain pervaded the air.

As the summer storm rolled in that evening, most of the companions hurried to find cover. For a while though, Shakari simply stood in the rain, taking deep breaths and letting the water run down her scales. Before too long though, she too huddled around Fuego’s magically fueled flames. In time, the pattering of the rain soothed them all to sleep.

What little could be seen of the dawn on the sixth day shone down in rays of light across the dew-coated landscape. Alejandro and Faulkron woke up lying against one another by what remained of the fire. There was a brief moment of awkward realization before they scrambled away from each other.

Faulkron cleared his throat and started grabbing for his things. “Ah. Well. Better get ready for the day, you know? Gotta be, um, prepared.”

“Sí, sí, of course.”

Faulkron stayed extra focused on where they were going that day. Suddenly, studying the rocks was preferable to focusing on the man walking a few paces back.

They kept up their trek, and by afternoon the clouds had cleared from the previous night. As the sun began to set, it illuminated a lone cart coming up the path toward the group. A merchant was heading in their direction as night began to fall.

She raised waved as she approached their fire, calling out to the group “Hello there, adventurers! Mind if I share your fire?”

As she stepped into the light, she pulled her horse & cart along behind her. She was short and dark skinned, her hair shaved close to her head. She had long pointed ears draped with thin chains, and shimmering irises, belying elvish ancestry.

There was a shared look among the group, but before anything could be said, Fuego waved his hand to the fire, causing it to burn slightly brighter. “Of course!” he beamed. “We’d be glad to have you.”

“Wonderful!” said the woman, her ears rotating downward with elation as she smiled.

They spent the rest of the evening getting friendly with the merchant, who revealed her name to be Aranya. While Fuego and Shakari admired the jewelry she sold, Jetra, Alejandro, and Faulkron entertained her by the fire.

Eventually, as the night wore on, the adventurers began to head to sleep. When only Fuego and Faulkron remained awake for their watch, Aranya’s demeanor changed. She looked to the dark woods and hills with suspicion and fear. Fuego and Faulkron exchanged a look. Fuego walked over to Aranya, standing in front of her as she sat against her cart wrapped in a blanket, concern on his face.

“Hey. Is everything alright?”

“Yes, yes. I’m just... worrying. I mean, you’re adventurers, right? I’m sure you know about the bandits.”

Fuego’s mouth split into a grin. “We do! We’re here to get rid of them.”

“Oh, oh that’s great! Thank the gods. I’m sure you already know, but... they are not good people. Dangerous. Vicious. Greedy. I left Koretion because I was worried they would come for me. That’s half of why I wanted to camp with you all, it seemed safer than sleeping alone. They prowl these hills all the time, especially at night. And, ah, my thanks for your protection, of course.”

“Well, ya know. Least we could do.”

“Thank you.”

As the merchant laid down to sleep, Fuego made his way back over to Faulkron.

“Damn, these people are bad. We gotta get rid of ‘em.”

“Yeah Fuego, that’s why we’re here.”

“I know, I know. She just... she’s terrified. These slavers are no joke.”

With the final shreds of sunlight long gone, the night wore on, and the fire died out, leaving them in darkness to await what the next day would bring.

When the group had awoke and Aranya had headed on northward, Faulkron and Fuego shared what the merchant had told them.

Alejandro, after hearing of Aranya’s fear, set his jaw and gripped the hilt of one of his blades. “We’ll just have to keep a keen eye,” he said, his eyes scanning the surrounding scenery.

“Agreed,” Jetra nodded once to the group, strapping her sword on her back. “Be ready to kick ass.”

Weapons sharp and at the ready, the five companions pushed on through the rocky hills. As the hills got steeper and more crags of rock began to block their path, the trees began to thicken. All Faulkron could think was that it really was a perfect place for bandits to operate, with all the places to hide and set up ambushes.

Later that afternoon, as the group followed the road, it began to lead down between two rocky hillside outcroppings, craving through the terrain like a miniature canyon. Jetra and Faulkron looked at each other briefly, the meaning of their expressions clear. Now this was the perfect place for an ambush. Before Fuego could march forward without care, Faulkron put a hand in front of him. “Wait! Not yet. Rushing in there looks like a great way to get killed if we’re not careful.”

Faulkron scanned the trees and rocks, looking for any signs of movement. Jetra seemed to be doing the same, and it seemed as if everyone was holding their breath. As Faulkron kneeled closer to the ground, he thought back to his time wandering the wilder lands around his home in his spare time, or tracking down missing livestock. Searching the brush and rock, he found what he was looking for. With a bit of cautious satisfaction, he pointed it out to the rest of the group. “Multiple somethings have come this way, and recently. Hard to tell, but they’re big enough to be bandits.”

“Well, if they’d seen us already, I think they would have reacted, so we might still have the element of surprise,” Alejandro whispered, drawing one of his swords.

“True. So what’s the plan then?” Faulkron asked, looking to Jetra as he drew his own blade.

“I can sneak around and help take them out before they see us,” Fuego offered, grinning as he drew his scimitar and his fingertips began to glow with heat.

Jetra scanned the area another time before responding, “Good idea. Careful with the fire though, I’d rather not be burned alive before we even get there.”

Fuego, suddenly solemn, paused. “You have my word.”

Faulkron raised an eyebrow, but now wasn’t the time.

Taking a deep breath, Jetra turned to the rest of them. “I can be a distraction. I’ll pretend to be a cheery singing traveler. My music is my also my magic, but they won’t realize the difference ‘til it’s too late. Fuego can go along the hillsides, and once he gives me the signal, I’ll head in. What about you three?”

Faulkron thought for a moment. “I’ll go around the other side from Fuego and wait to surprise them. Ambush them before they can ambush us.”

Shakari hummed a low growl, “I will accompany you, Jetra.”

“And I will join you,” Alejandro said, looking at Faulkron.

“Great. Let’s do this.”

•••

As Fuego crept forward, he couldn’t help but feel a little worried. He had to be very careful with his aim. The last thing he wanted to do was start a forest fire and let his new friends down.

Before long, he spotted the first bandit hiding in the brush. They were waiting with daggers in hand, ready to leap down onto any unsuspecting travelers. Well, surprise surprise, the travelers were suspecting, and this bandit had no idea.

As Fuego moved closer, he could make out more of the details of the bandit. They wore a helmet with a gray crest on top, and they even had a length of chain around their torsos. Fuego nearly scoffed. Seemed like a bit much for a bunch of bandits to him.

He quietly climbed up into the treetops, blade out and glowing hot as he charged it with warmth. He was once again glad for his size, as he wasn’t sure what he’d do with himself if he was as big and unwieldy as the others. As he crept over the bandit’s head, he turned back to where the others were waiting. He lit a small fire in his hand as he perched on the branch, willing it dimmer so it was barely more than a candlelight. He hoped it was enough for them to see.

He watched with a smile as within seconds two figures began walking down the path. Fuego watched the bandit’s head turn, and took his chance. He dropped from the trees, landing in front of the bandit.

“Boo.”

The surprised expression on their face never turned into a shout, as Fuego’s blade slashed across their throat. Before the bandit could try anything, they collapsed to the ground.

At the same time, music began to echo through the trees.

As Jetra and Shakari walked along the path in false obliviousness, Fuego could see about 8 more bandits peek out from hiding spots along the road, weapons ready.

He felt a thrill rush through him at the realization that they had no idea what was about to happen, and let loose a woop as he leaped up, swung from a branch, and launched himself over the road next to the nearest bandit, blasts of fiery magic screaming from his hand into their chest as he soared, sending the now smoldering bandit tumbling backwards, unmoving.

At the sudden noise, all the bandits turned in Fuego’s direction. This proved to be a mistake, as before they could do anything, two more figures rushed them from the foliage. A swing from Faulkron’s sword sent one tumbling down onto the road, blood scattering on the rocks. There were two quick flashes of Alejandro’s blades as he danced through the trees, and one more bandit collapsed, blood pouring from their neck and stomach.

On the road below, Jetra’s music changed. She began to hum, and the tone amplified, and became deeper until it was barely audible. Fuego could feel the vibrations in his bones, and then beneath his feet, as the ground began to tremble. The rocky side of the road began to rumble, and a mini landslide tumbled down into the path, crushing the bandit who’d been lying there and sending 3 more of the bandits after them. The bandits who had just fallen started to get up, but as they looked up, their gazes were met by blue draconic eyes. Shakari looked down on the bandits as they started trying to run away, and the smell of storms filled the air. Lightning crackled along her teeth, scales, and horns, before blasting out of her mouth with a roar, blasting two of the terrified bandits onto the ground, lightly smoking. Fuego only grinned as his hair fell back down after the static, having seen the Shakari’s draconic nature in action before.

The one bandit who had avoided Shakari’s dragon-breath scrambled for the rocks in a desperate attempt to get back to the cover of the forest, climbing desperately up the newly made rockslide. Before they could get anywhere, though, Fuego threw a bolt of fire that knocked them back off the rocks, their leather armor burnt and charred as they cried out and then fell silent.

Faulkron ran towards the final two bandits, bringing his sword around toward the closest one. The sound of clashing metal rang out as the bandit, scared shitless as they were, managed to block his strike. Unfortunately, that left them vulnerable to Alejandro’s blades. The first sword pierced the armor of the bandit’s back, and the bandit looked at Faulkron with a shocked expression, before their throat was slit from behind, and their body tossed to the ground. Alejandro flicked blood off of his blade and winked at Faulkron, before turning to face the final bandit.

The bandit looked around at their fallen fellows, pissed themself, and promptly turned tail and fled. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t get very far.

Shakari leaped up onto the outcropping, climbing over the rockslide. They began chanting under their breath as arcane lightning charged along their blade and magical symbols began to swirl in the air around them. As they swung, an arc of lightning lashed out, and a boom of thunder like the crack of a whip sounded, sending the bandit flying into the underbrush. The symbols that had swirled in the air around Shakari faded, and the forest quieted once again.

•••

Faulkron suddenly felt far smaller than he had a few minutes ago. As he had watched the others unleash their magic, he realized the power he’d just witnessed. He didn’t fully know what to make of it yet, but these were good allies to have, judging by what just happened. He hadn’t seen this much magic happen at once, and certainly not in combat. It was... new.

Quieting his mind, he followed as the group navigated through the cascaded rocks, down to the path once more. As the group started to move the bodies off of the road and search the area for further clues, Faulkron stopped to look at Alejandro.

Alejandro had been silent since the battle, his face contemplative and his eyes intense. When Faulkron turned to him now, he was searching one of the bandits’ bodies in an almost frantic fashion. Faulkron watched for a few seconds as Alejandro searched, before Alejandro found whatever it was and quickly grabbed it from the corpse. Faulkron watched as Alejandro’s face fell, then steeled. Before Faulkron could get any closer, Alejandro stood up, his grip tight on his blade and holding the thing in his other hand. Either not noticing or not acknowledging Faulkron, he dragged the body further into the foliage, dropped it roughly, and walked off.

Gathered once more in the road, the group paused for a moment, looking at each other.

“That was great, guys. What a fight! We got them good,” grinned Fuego, breaking the silence.

“That we did,” Alejandro agreed.

“Well, we can celebrate the first step to getting rid of these guys tonight when we camp. I brought booze,” offered Jetra, a wide smile on her face.

Faulkron laughed despite himself. “Good idea. Let’s, you know, actually make camp first, though. There might be more nearby, so we should probably leave.”

Shakari nodded, gesturing to an area above the road. “I found some tracks up there. Might be from these ones or others. This place is probably an ambush hotspot. Regardless, it’s a bad place to be stuck in.”

“Exactly. Let’s get going, shall we?”

For the rest of the afternoon, they moved gently along the road, keeping a careful eye for any further ambushes. By the time night fell, Jetra assured them all that Koretion was only about half a day’s travel away. She was also significantly buzzed by the time night fell, having busted out the wine an hour or so beforehand. As they sat around their fire that night, flasks of wine in hand, Jetra grinned and stood suddenly.

“A toast... to kicking ass!” She shouted, raising her flask into the air.

Fuego smiled as well, standing and raising his cup, sloshing a bit out in his eagerness. “To kicking ass!”

Faulkron raised his cup as well as they all joined in.

As he lay his head down to sleep that night, he felt strange. The warmth of the fire was washing over him, and he felt his guard crumble just a little. It was scary. He wasn’t sure what this feeling was, with these people, but he suddenly trusted them that much more. It was an odd and unexpected connection.

While he laid there, waiting for sleep to come, he heard a movement and a shuffling. Opening his eyes slightly, he watched as Alejandro stood up from his watch with Shakari, walking past Faulkron and to the edge of the firelight. He stood there for a bit appearing to be thinking or mumbling to himself, Faulkron couldn’t be sure. A few minutes later, Alejandro took a small bag from his pouch, taking what looked like... coins? It was something similar at least, and as Alejandro looked down at the objects in his hand, Faulkron almost couldn’t see it, but his eyes caught the hint of light against the dark, a few tears rolling down Alejandro’s cheeks. Alejandro wiped them away quickly before turning around, his face stoic, but eyes filled with fear and anger. In the glimpse Faulkron had before he closed his eyes again, he saw a toughness, but not that of a warrior. It reminded Faulkron far more of a cornered animal.

Sleep took even longer to reach him that night, his mind once again full of questions.

Part 3 | Part 5

[mojavehearts]

Fallout 4 Companions react to being given a unique weapon that sole made for them

(IHSJS I suck but finally here it is! <3333) ( left out Codsie and dogmeat as they cannot hold guns (well in game at least, I could just imagine the chaos if they had one dhjhajfjjdh)

With not much to do in the wasteland at this very moment, the companions were all at their respective places, MacCready patrolled Sanctuary along with Strong, Curie was down in her own science space Sole had made for her at the Sanctuary Hot Springs (its a mod and omg is it beautiful and worth it for extra junk) X6 was in Covenant clearing out some stuff to make way for sole to build new things and bring in settlers and Hancock was back in Good Neighbour doing his mayoral duties. Cait was at the NEW combat zone that Sole had gotten fixed up, now it is a pretty little hang out spot where people can practice their combat skills and take on people in friendly duels. Piper was at Publick Occurrences and Danse had also taken up shelter in Diamond City at Home Plate, Nick Valentine was browsing through files in his office. Last that leaves Preston who was held up at the castle trying to do repairs...And lets just say all them being busy...Left Deacon to his own devices...

Sighing softly with a bag full of guns and ammo, Sole stands and begins their journey to each and everyone of their beloved companions dogmeat happily walking behind them

MacCready:

Seeing Sole walk up to him as he squinted his eyes down into the old road of Sanctuary he smiles softly, lowering his gun he walks towards them as well Sole smiles at him and pulls a bag from off their shoulders ‘’here, this is for you, I mean, you don't have to use it...But I hope you like it’’ He raises an eyebrow at sole before looking down into their hands, it was a sniper that he had never seen before in all his days, even when running with the gunners he had never come across something so...Personal. ‘’I made it’’ That answered his question, he smiles and slowly places his old gun onto his back and grasps soles gift firmly ‘’Wow...Sole, I don't know what to sa-’’ ‘’Don't say anything, its a token of appreciation!’’ Sole was already running off somewhere, as always. Mac starts loading up the gun shaking his head endearingly ‘’Thanks Sole, you’re welcome RJ’’ he chuckles out trying to impersonate Soles voice

Strong:

Strong was stomping his feet around holding an old bat in his big green shrek hands, he was patrolling the outside of Sanctuary, his usual rounds. there was gates,traps and defences everywhere, but sole had a lot of enemies so he couldn't take the chance. Soles legs wobbled softly as his foot steps shook the earth slightly, Strongs ears perk up and he turns sharply to sole and stomps towards them, dogmeat whimpers slightly and decides to just lay down ‘’Master! Strong has killed so many mutt dogs!’’ Dogmeat would have coughed awkwardly if he could ‘’That's...Really great Strong!, but here I have something to give to you’’ Sole slowly and with very small struggle pulls out a machine gun, but not just any machine gun. It made strongs eyes twinkle and his muscles tense up it was glorious, he immediately grabs it from soles hands and steadies it ‘’Strong put this to good use, getting rid of dogs and anyone who dare try to get into Sanctuary’’ Sole sighs contently and nods at Dogmeat to finally stand ‘’Ill see you later Strong!’’ and they were off again

Curie:

Curie was very much in her own world, she didn't even hear sole and dogmeat come in, she didn't even notice them at all until sole came right up behind her and asked what she was up to, with a short squeal and a heavy breath Curie softly apologises and asks Sole what they needed ‘’Don't sweat it Curie I should have...Knocked?...Well anyway here! I wanted you to have this’’ it was a Syringer Rifle? Curie was confused at first as it looked very unique ‘’Ah yes I assume you made this?’’ Curie asks in wonderment studying the rifle and the different types of ammo sole had given her ‘’I did, I had you in mind’’ This made Curie blush, a stutter starting to form ‘’Oh my...Thank you, I will always put it to good use, but not too much use! ...yes’’ Sole smiled softly and gave her a small wave as they made their way out, curie sighed deeply in embarrassment but then smiled warmly to herself

X6:

It was quite a walk to Covenant, but it wasn’t too bad for Sole and Dogmeat. They have walked much greater and harsher lengths after all, but as they finally reached the gates Sole couldn’t help but to sigh out a ‘’Thank god’’, walking into Covenant Sole could see that Deezer was still selling lemonade, thanks to Curie it was now....Well...Better and that X6 was brooding off to the side of a building, his way of ‘passing time’ he actually notices Sole first and walks up to them ‘’Sir/Ma’am good to see you’re well, what brings you here today are the settlers coming ahead of time?’’ the same formal tone as always struck sole with a small laugh ‘’No X6 I actually have something to give you’’ x6 watches through dark glasses as sole reaches into their bag and pulls out a very peculiar energy weapon ‘’I made it for you, thought it could do you well’’ X6 was very flattered Sole thought of him ‘’You didn’t need to strain yourself making this’’ Sole shakes their head ‘’I didn’t its fine, I wanted you to have something’’ X6 takes it slowly from their hands and nods ‘’Thank you sir/ma’am’’ even though it was quite a stern thank you Sole could tell he did appreciate it and smiled at him before heading off

Hancock:

‘‘Alright Dogmeat, we’ve made it to Good Neighbour...Tell me why I decided to do all this today?’‘ Dogmeat woofs back at sole and they sigh softly in agreement ‘‘You’re right’‘ Sole walks all the way up to the top of the Old State House and searches around for Hancock ‘‘He must be on the balcony’‘ Sole opens the doors and there he is, Hancock looks over his shoulder and gives Sole a smile ‘‘There ya are, decided to visit this ol’ ghoul how nice’‘ Sole smiles back at him ‘‘Actually I come bearing gifts’‘ Hancock raises an eyebrow and smirks slightly ‘‘Oh didya? lets take a look see then’‘ Sole pulls out what seemed to be a double barrel shotgun but it looked a bit different than others Hancock had seen ‘‘This is for me, you shouldn't have’‘ hancock takes it in his hands and shines it softly ‘‘To show my appreciation’‘ Hancock chuckles at Soles words ‘‘Ill treasure it, truly. Thanks Sole’‘ ‘‘No problem Hancock, ill see you later’‘ and then Sole treks off again, dogmeats tail wagging happily. Hancock takes a drag off his cigarette and smiles into the sky

Cait:

Cait huffed and panted heavily as she boxed a punching bag, she was happy to be active again after ...All that mess. she felt like she owed Sole the world but sole just kept giving her new things to add to the bill one day Cait would pay them back but for now she was content back in the bettered combat zone, Cait hears a particular bark and knew Sole was there as soon as she heard it, she turns and sees dogmeat woofing happily and sole walking towards her with...quite a big bag ‘’Cait!, I see you’ve gotten a workout in huh?’’ Sole said with pointed eyes, Cait snorted roughly ‘’yeah you got that right these guys don't know what they’re in for’’ Sole smiles and shakes their head digging into their bag, Cait was confused at first until Sole pulls out what Cait thinks is some kind of powerfist ‘’Whats that?’’ Sole holds it out towards Cait and smiles ‘’THAT is for you’’ Cait was shocked, as always at Soles kindness ‘’I cant- I cant accept this you’ve already don-’’ Sole shoves it towards Cait a bit more ‘’I made it for you Cait, think of it as...A Christmas present’’ Cait snorted at the phrase but slowly took it and tried it on ‘’See! looks great on you’’ Cait smiles at Sole a bit sadly ‘’Thank you...Really Sole’’ Sole pats her on the shoulder and chucks up a thumbs up as they walked away ‘’Save me a fight alright!’’

Piper:

‘‘I think my legs are gonna give out soon, should we rest up after seeing Piper what do you think boy?’‘ Dogmeat barks in agreement as Sole opened the door to the Publick  ‘‘Blue! its so good too see you!’’ Piper hugged sole gently and then pulled away with a smile ‘’wow you been lugging that bag around all day?!’‘ Sole laughed softly and sighed, a bit flustered ‘‘Yeah I guess so, but its been worth it honestly, hey I got you something I hope you like it P’‘ Sole digs their arm into the bag and starts searching around, after a while they pull out a small pistol, but it wasn't just any pistol, actually it wasn’t quite like anything Piper had seen for me ‘‘Oh Blue...You didn't have to do this’‘ Piper was almost teary eyed, it probably took sole quite a while to do this ‘‘Its alright, I wanted you to have something special from me’‘ Piper and Sole smile at each other brightly and Sole goes to open the door ‘‘Thank you Blue’‘ ‘‘No problem P’’

Danse:

Sole and Dogmeat enter Homeplate and immediately flop onto the couch, Sole moans out at the comfort her sore limbs felt and something clanks loudly alerting dogmeat causing him to jump off Sole on the couch and onto the ground to take a fighting stance, Danse slowly peeks his head out from the corner and sighs once he realises its sole, Sole slowly turns their head and smiles at Danse ‘’Heyyyyyy’’ Sole groans out slowly stretching out their body Danse sighs and slowly puts a palm to their back and then another, cracking their back for them ‘’god....Thank you, I’ve been walking all day with basically no rest, but god is it worth it’’ Danse raises an eyebrow at them and they slowly sit up and pat the spot next to them excitedly Danse takes a seat beside them as they ruffle through a bag and pull something out ‘’You remember the day we met’’ Danse was confused by the question but still decided to answer ‘’of course I do why do you ask?’’ Sole turned to smile at him and put something in his lap ‘’well that day you had given me a gun of your own, and now today, I’m giving you something I made for you personally’’ Danse picks up the unique energy weapon and then looks at Sole in disbelief, their eyes were big and full of energy Danse smiles warmly at them then down at the gun ‘’Thank you...’’ Sole pats him on the back and slowly stands, stretching further ‘’You deserve it’’ Sole chucks him a small smile and wave as they make their way out ‘’Outstanding’’

Nick Valentine:

‘‘OH NICKYYYY’‘ Nick jumps up slightly at the sound of Soles voice and sits up in his chair ‘‘God Sole, you gotta scare the old bot huh?’‘ Sole laughed softly and placed a bag on his desk taking a seat on the edge of it ‘‘What’s this? you bring more wild animals in here...Wait don’t tell me’‘ Nick started looking around for any sign of Deacon and Sole laughs ‘‘No no! I came with gifts!’‘ Nick slowly relaxed and sat back in his chair ‘‘Ah so you’re the common day Santa Claus’‘ Sole nods at his statement and pulls out a revolver pistol of some kind ‘‘i made it myself for you, blood sweat tears and-’‘ ‘‘You had me at blood Kid/doll’‘ Sole holds back a chuckle and slowly stands ‘‘what do ya think?’‘ Nick turns back to sole and smiles ‘‘I love it, you really went all out didn’t you?’‘ Sole nods triumphantly ‘‘Yes i did!...Oh and if you see Deacon anywhere...Don’t tell him I’m looking for him’‘ Nick snorts out ‘‘You got it’‘

Preston:

Sole sighed out softly it was getting real dark now ‘’I guess Deacon will have to wait till tomorrow, lets bunk up at the castle buddy’’ Dogmeat woofs and trots off to Soles bedroom there already Sole scans through everyone and their eyes finally land on the familiar hat of Preston Garvey sole with all their willpower made it over to him, softly poking his shoulder, preston turns slowly and then smiles at Sole ‘’sole, its good to see you! actually there’s a settl-’’ Sole places a finger to his lips ‘’No no...No, Preston I will deal with it I promise but can it wait until tomorrow? I’ve had the LONGEST day and I have something to give you’’ Preston blinked rapidly and then nodded Sole sighed contently and slowly pulled out a laser musket ‘’Sole this is...Quite spectacular’’ Preston was awestruck ‘’I’m glad you think so...Because its for you’’ Preston was quite shocked by soles words ‘’What? me? why?’’ Sole laughed softly and brought him into a small hug ‘’Because I care about you, and I wanted to do something special for you’’ Prestons heart swelled at their words and he grasped the gun firmly ‘’Thanks, General’’ sole giggled tiredly and made their way to their room

Deacon:

It was around 3 am when Sole woke up to soft footsteps, but ignored them right after checking their pipboy, suddenly they felt eyes on them and opened their eyes to reveal a creepy bald man wearing a red sparkly dress Sole screamed out and jumped up in bed, knocking their heads together they both yelp in pain and Sole runs to turn the lights on and points a gun at the man ‘’Sole!’’ the familiar voice helped them realise it was deacon and they grumbled tiredly ‘’Deacon what were you doing watching me sleep!...and why the tutu...WAIT have you been following me all day! I knew I felt eyes on me’’ Sole rubbed their temples as Deacon slowly got onto his knees and held out his hands, doing a grabby action at them Sole sighed deeply and bit their lip, walking over to their bag they slowly pulled out Deacons gift and laid it in his hands, he smiles widely as he pulls his hands down to look at it his eyes sparkled behind his sunglasses, it was a pistol with a silencer at the end like the deliverer ‘’Sole...You shouldn’t have’’ Deacon fake cries out and hugs onto Soles leg Sole cuts their eyes to Dogmeat and rolls them with a smile down at Deacon. with a sore body and a pulled muscle in their legs they sigh softly

‘‘It was worth it’‘

(finally finished it!!! I hope yall like it sjdihsaj <3333!!)

[strange-destinations]

Hey Kitty, due to your stories I've started to seek out Benny & Brax stories. So far, I've simply picked a few boxsets (Legion and New Frontiers) where I spotted the fabulous Miles Richardson on the cover. I was wondering, is there a better way to go about this? Do you have any recommendations and/or a listening order you would suggest? Thanks in advance and I hope your wrist is getting better :)

Legion is... a bit of a tricky place to start in, all things considered. It’s kind of like throwing yourself in at the deep end, because it somewhat relies on knowledge of the previous few box sets (Epoch and Road Trip) and the characters that were introduced in those. Those, in turn, follow off the end of the Collection stories, but to be honest if you just want to jump in at the box sets that’s perfectly fine - Epoch’s made to kind of be the ‘jumping-on’ point. All you have to know is that at the beginning of Epoch, the universe has been sort of ‘reset’ and Benny’s looking for her son, Peter, who was lost in the resulting chaos. The rest kind of explains itself.

Brax isn’t in Epoch or Road Trip, but Ruth is and Ruth’s a darling, and there’s some pretty good stories in both of them all things considered, so!

EDIT: OH OH GOSH PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS BIT IT’S SO IMPORTANT all of the Benny stories from Epoch to Missing Persons are available for free on Spotify!!! like, completely free, no strings attached and in fact there’s a lot of Big Finish stories legally free to stream via Spotify, here’s a full list

Two alternate points to jump into the Benny stories, since you’re looking for benny-brax dynamics:

1) The Virgin books. There’s plenty of places to find these online (since the original publishers don’t get revenue from it, it’s generally considered Okay to download them, although I’m sure you can find physical copies if you searched for a while).

Benny and Brax first meet in Theatre of War, which is part of the VNA Doctor Who books (Benny’s still Seven’s companion, Ace is also there) and also is honestly a really really great book. There’s also a Big Finish adaptation of this story if you prefer that!! it’s a bit different to the book but still a really good spin on it. This one’s pretty much standalone.

Brax’s next cameo is in Happy Endings, and it’s very very brief although rather sweet. Happy Endings is the Benny Gets Married To Jason book and it’s honestly genuinely just a lot of pointless fluff.

...and then he comes back in the Benny solo books! These are a mixed bag but Dellah!Era Benny is a lot of fun and a particular favorite of mine. All you need to know (if you skipped the rest of the VNAs) is that Benny has retired as the Doctor’s companion, got a depressing divorce with Jason (f in the chat) and is now working as a Professor of Archaeology at St Oscar’s University.

Dragon’s Wrath is where they meet for the first time - good good book! Their dynamic is peak here. 

Brax does show up in a few other books but I can’t for the life of me recall a lot of them. I’ve still got to sit down and read through all of them in order some day, there’s a coherent overarching plot and everything. Where Angels Fear is definitely one where Brax shows up, uh. someone else help. it’s so late

anyway anyway Tears of the Oracle - best book. i first read it way WAY out of context and i still loved it. they’re best friends and it makes me sob every time. ‘she’s like family’

anyway yeah, Bernice Summerfield New Adventures - find a zip file of them somewhere and read them, they’re p good! and this is the era that Sepelio is set in, in case you didn’t realize this (i know at least one person didn’t)

2) The Collection-era audios (and tie-in books). Okay, I’ll be honest, I haven’t listened to this particular era in... nearly five years. And it’s a headache to get your head around, because some of the audios are closely interlinked with the books, and the books are hell to find, and there’s some Very Iffy Content for some of the stories and. I know y’all come to me for Benny Advice a lot but my memory’s so dreadful. half the time when writing i just operate on gut instinct for canon events and rely on the fact that this fandom’s so small nobody’s going to call me out on being ridiculous. Or I can also blame it on timeline shenanigans.

can... can someone jump in and give a guide to the collection-era stories and which ones to listen to/read for Plot Purposes? I know someone with knowledge is out there. it’s honestly an amazing story arc, I just wish I had the time to lay everything out properly.

The following, however, are pretty standalone and feature Brax heavily.

The Extinction Event - first audio ft. Brax. nothing especially special but it does establish some of the basework for some of his later Questionable Stuff.

The Mirror Effect - delightfully creepy, beautifully effective characterization, benny & brax & adrien & jason trapped in a creepy haunted mirror location and trying to get out. 

The Crystal of Cantus - maybe not entirely standalone BUT how can i not put this one down. very funny and very horrifying. benny and jason and brax go on a fun field trip and find out the True Meaning Of Cybermen. benny gains a fuckton of trauma.

...and then after Crystal everything gets plotty and complicated. not that it wasn’t before, but... oh well.

There’s also some books/short story anthologies in this era that are standalone/don’t require much context. Their names all escape me. Once again, help?

BONUS: Many Happy Returns - the Benny anniversary story which is more like a framing device for a fuckton of other stories set within pretty much every era. Cameos from everyone. Delightful and heartwrenching. Really really good, but maybe get some basis in various parts of canon before you check it out. Or maybe check it out and then start jumping around to find bits that interest you? I don’t know. I went through everything in painstaking chronological order from the tender age of 14 and now here I am, writing gory cannibal fanfiction about an emotionally repressed theatre professor and his disaster archaeology best friend.

...anyway, hopefully this helps at least somewhat! It’s past midnight and i’m wracking my brains as I try to remember what bits of an extremely extensive canon I enjoyed the most. let me know if there’s anything you need clarification on, I’m aware this is a bit of a disaster post.

[yukiwrites]

A Cute, But Loving Mistake

Thank you for the support as always, @soffie101!! I hope you like this ;v;)

It’s a C-A Support chain between her OC Lisette (info here!) and Raphael

Commission info HERE and HERE!

______________________________

C SUPPORT

At the Marketplace.

Lisette: I do wonder if there was a new shipment of Angelic tea, it has been much too long since I’ve shared a cup with-

Raphael: *sniffs*

Lisette: Goodness, is that you, Raphael? What troubles you so, young man?

Raphael: O-oh, Lisette? Hi there! Thanks for the handkerchief, let me just *hoonks* there, thanks.

Lisette: Uh, yes, you are most welcome. Has something happened?

Raphael: *sniffs* Nah, it’s just that I saw this merchant and- look at all this baby stuff! Man, it brings me back to the days my little sister was THIS small and she- *sniffs* she was so cute and tiny and fragile…

Raphael: It just makes me wish to be stronger so I’ll get hired as a knight to protect her even more! Good stuff, this.

Lisette: Oh, my, that IS rather adorable, this baby-sized bib...

Raphael: Right? And those over there even have the Crest of Seiros sewn into them!

Lisette, frowning: Well, that is rather blasphemous, and as such…

Lisette: I do not think my daughter would ever enjoy such things, surely.

Raphael: Aw man, that’s a pity-

Raphael: Wait, your what?

Lisette: Oh.

Raphael: Your daught- MAN, she’s picky for a kid, huh?!

Lisette: No, you have got it wrong-

Raphael: No, no, Big Bro Raph here is an expert in this kinda stuff! Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to find something your baby will LOVE! My sister never complained when I got her new stuff, you know?

Raphael: Well, maybe that one time, or that other time. Maybe that other time too, but- the thing is that I’m gonna help you find something she’ll love! C’mon, let’s go to that spot over there, there are some simpler things like toys and stuff.

Lisette: As I said, it is a misunderstand-

Lisette: Well, perhaps not entirely, however-

Raphael: OH, I get it, you don’t want people to know, right? Don’t worry, we can say I’m looking for stuff to send to my sister! All the merchants here know me so it’s gonna be a walk in the park. Leave it to Big Bro here, alright?

Lisette: *sighs* Perhaps this is going to be harder than I expected...

B SUPPORT

Raphael: Oh man, wait ‘till Lisette sees all this! Her kid’s GOTTA be happy with some of these!

Raphael: Good thing I caught that merchant right before he was leaving. Since Lisette wasn’t near, I just grabbed everything I could, Haha, I can’t wait to see her face.

Lisette, on her own: ...

Raphael: Oh, there she is! Heeeey, Lisette!

Lisette: Hm? Raphael- goodness! What is all this you carry? There are so many bags and boxes and-

Raphael: I know right? I couldn’t stop once I saw all this cute stuff. Look, I’ll show ‘em.

Lisette: W-wait, you’re stacking these boxes on the floor. We’re in the middle of the corridor, there is no need to- oh. Goddess preserve me.

Raphael: Hah! I knew it’d take the words outta you! Isn’t it cute? This here is the box of toys and that one there; I fixed an old lady’s wagon back at the city and she gave me a lot of her daughter’s old baby clothes! You woulda thunk there would be only a few, but the kid had so much stuff! Look at those frills and ribbons, your kid’s gonna LOVE it.

Lisette, blushing: R-Raphael, I beg you to lower your voice, I am rather troubled.

Raphael: Oh! Oh yeah, you never told anyone ‘bout your kid, right? *whispering* Let me just carry this stuff to your room, then.

Lisette,blushing: N-no, please, listen to me: this is not an appropriate gift for a man to give to an unmarried woman, can you understand? Besides, this is too much to-

Raphael: Not appropriate? Really? But I just wanted to help make your kid smile… 

Raphael: Then, can you tell me where I can put these without anyone knowing? I promise I won’t do this in an open spot again, but I can’t help but wanting to help you and your kid!

Lisette: I cannot- this isn’t- *sighs* v-very well, Raphael. Thank you for wanting to be of use in such a heartwarming way, I am very touched.

Raphael: Great! You can just tell me where to go so people won’t see us together! I can, oof, carry all these in one go!

Lisette: P-please do not overexert yourself, yes? There is no need for us to walk our separate ways, at least for now. Do come with me to my study to drop all these crates off. Mayhap you can stay for tea? I finally found the Angelic blend for sale last week.

Raphael: Sure! I’m starving after lugging these around, anyway, so we could instead go to the mess hall! I gotta feed my muscles.

Lisette: Heehee, very well, then. I shall ask for the cook to give you extra helpings for being such a thoughtful companion.

Raphael: Oh yeah!

A SUPPORT

Lisette: Mrhm, these texts Seteth summarized are a great source of information…

Lisette: My eyes grow tired, however, so I shall stop here- goodness! It is already this late? I should tidy up these books and place them in their shelves.

Raphael: Oh, there she is! Lisette, heey!

Lisette: Raphael, good day to you. Or rather, good evening. I have completely lost the track of time as I was studying.

Raphael: You’re always going ‘round with a book or the other, right? Here, lemme help you with these ones that go high up.

Lisette: Why, thank you, Raphael. I would have needed to fetch the ladder for those.

Raphael: No problem! Hey, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while, but I think now that there’s no one around, I can.

Lisette, sweating: Very well. Go on.

Raphael: How old is your kid? ‘Cause I’ve been bringing you baby stuff since you’re young and all, so she couldn’t be that old, right? But I wanted to give her stuff for her age since my sister sometimes complained that I got stuff for her that was ‘too babey’, so I don’t wanna get it wrong for your kid.

Lisette: Ah, that...

Raphael: By the way, did anything happen to the dad? I haven’t seen anyone dad-like around you so I was wondering if he’d died or something, so that must’ve been really hard for you, right? So young and already with a kid to raise without any dad figure to her.

Raphael: I know what’s like to raise a kid alone -- even though she’s my sister, I was kinda her parent for the most part of her life before we moved in with our gramps, so I wanna help you in any way I can to make sure your daughter doesn’t want for anything!

Lisette, sweat, blushing: I, ah, that was a very sweet and thoughtful declaration, Raphael, however, I, well. There has been a deep misunderstanding for a long time that I have not been able to clear, but… My daughter, as I called her before, was simply a… yes, it was simply a baby wyvern I have been caring for a long while, so I have gotten attached to it- to her- like she was my own daughter.

Lisette: Do forgive me for the misunderstanding, but I have yet been able to find the right time to clear it...

Raphael: Pfft, hahah! Oh man, I got it all wrong, huh? *thud*

Lisette: *gasp* M-my back-

Raphael: I’m glad you don’t have to carry that responsibility all by yourself, then! Raising a kid is tough, especially when you don’t have anyone to lean on.

Raphael: I was about to ask if I could be the father figure your kid would need, but I guess wyverns don’t see men as dads, do they? Haha!

Lisette: Haha… ha. Yes, t-they do not. Indeed.

Lisette, blushing: *ahem* However, I am delighted about your offer and touched by your kind heart, Raphael. I feel that it would be a shame to stop meeting with you now that this misunderstanding has been cleared, so if you would have me, I would love for us to keep strengthening our bonds as allies.

Raphael: Sure! Heck, I wasn’t gonna stop being your friend because of THAT. Besides, I’m sure you’re gonna need me to put more books on high shelves from time to time, right? I’m not leaving you alone!

Lisette, smiling: Thank you once again, Raphael.

Lisette: The mess hall is long closed, but I do have some confectionaries stashed away in my room… Would you care for a cup of tea and some delightful sweets? As a thanks for all that you’ve done up until now.

Raphael: You got it! 

[poisonedapples]

The Core Four

The beginning of the Core Four AU

Summary: There’s trouble going on at Quinn’s Jewelry Store in downtown Midbay. So clearly, the solution is to have a group of four superheroes come to the rescue.

Pairings: Familial LAMP

Trigger Warnings: Guns, shooting (but no one gets shot), injuries (especially burn and head injuries), a car almost crashing, robberies, death talk, unconsciousness, capslock, slight blood mentions

Notes: Remember that project I’ve been mentioning these last few months? With the superheroes? It begins >:P

Also, big thanks to @hanramz-the-fander for editing it but you really didn’t need to do it at midnight dsjkhjkfldskljkfls

Taglist: @romansleftshoulderpad @jynxlovesluck @aro-patton @dr-gloom

Josie Quinn knows the probability of having a store with expensive goods like hers being robbed, but usually when she feels anxious about going to work, the day proves her fears to just be meaningless anxiety. A calm day describing rings to men and women alike possibly looking to have a fiancé soon, people complaining about prices, it’s a routine at this point. Robbery isn’t something she’s experienced before, even on the days a suspecting pit was in her stomach.

But this day, Quinn really wished people in modern times could go back to robbing banks.

She was restocking in the back since the store was empty, doing meaningless tasks just to let the day go by. It took a few seconds after hearing a strange click from the store and a male voice yelling “GET OVER HERE NOW” for her to realize what was happening. Walking slowly out of the storage room with her hands up, Quinn was met with a large man dressed in all black pointing his gun directly at her. The alarms were already blaring loudly in the store from his other men busting the cases and putting anything shiny in the large sacks they were all holding. 

The man aimed his gun closer to her. “Gimme all the money you have in there, now.”

Quinn ignored her shaky hands as she placed everything she could offer right into the bag, the cash adding up to hardly anything considering most people pay with credit cards. When the man realized how little there was in the bag, he scowled and slammed his hand on the counter. Quinn jumped.

“Go in the back,” he growled, “If you bring me everything then you might get out of here alive.”

She wasn’t able to speak, only taking quick but careful steps into the back room again without saying a word. In a frantic haste on deciding how to take all the boxes to the man as quick as possible, Quinn ended up shakily grabbing as many of the padded boxes as she could carry, piling them on top of each other. With a few larger boxes and some small ones previously wrapped neatly for pickup, she walked back to the counter to set them in front of the man.

And when she did, her heart stopped.

The robber was confused and growing impatient at her sudden stop, but Quinn couldn’t help it. Her eyes were blown wide in disbelief when two men suddenly appeared behind the robber out of thin air, both of them wearing similar costumes besides for the different shades of blue, one was obviously more decorated than the other. They both had the same dark skin color only visible on the slight slip of skin where the bottom of their mask couldn’t reach, their faces covered entirely and eyes impossible to see. But even so, Quinn could still tell based on one of the man’s body posture that he was giddy.

And to be fair, so was she. Staring ahead in awe despite the circumstances, eyes blown wide. Because she’s never been this close to the Colored Spirits before.

Quinn knew exactly who they were. Two superheroes of a local group that were known for always being close together, always working in perfect synchronization. The giddy one in the lighter blues was Maya Spirit, his cooler companion known as Navy Spirit. She’d seen all the talk shows and online articles about their powers before; connecting so closely that one couldn’t use them without the other. People observing how they could only disappear if they were making physical contact with each other in some way, most commonly by holding hands. They would touch and disappear, then reappear when they separated once more.

And they were right here, in her shop!

All these thoughts and observations raced so quickly through Quinn’s head in just a second, but the robber wasn’t patient enough for even that. “I literally have a damn gun at your face, are you stupid!? Go to the fucking back, get me more shit!”

Her eyes finally snapped back at him, the robber’s gun getting closer to her face as he grew more impatient. For a second Quinn thought the last thing she was going to see was this very scene; a gun in her face with two superheroes right behind her killer.

But right before the trigger could be pulled, Navy grabbed the arm of the man and twisted it up, Quinn flinching back a bit at the loud noise of a gunshot going off right into her ceiling. The man frantically looked around the store for whatever grabbed his arm, but no one was there.

“What…?” He whispered to himself, turning back to Quinn with her hands on her ears and her heart pounding. He opened his mouth to speak, to let out his confusion with rage and impatience, but then a hand grabbed at his hair and smacked his head right into the counter.

Oh my God oh my God oh my God oh my God oh my-

“Fuck!” The robber stumbled to the side and almost fell to the floor from the impact, gripping the counter before he could fall and pointing his gun at the Colored Spirits. The two of them disappeared again the moment the gun went off, reappearing behind him and punching him right in the back of the head. He groaned as he fell to the floor with his eyesight spinning, shooting his gun off frantically in an attempt to get just one hit. Just one. 

Quinn screamed and took a duck for cover with her hands shielding her head. Loud bangs continued to go off, but the robber didn’t even realize his targets were gone again.

But through the gunshots there was a loud, over-dramatic battle cry right before the bangs finally stopped, followed by the sound of someone getting smacked right into the brick wall. A groan was the only new noise in the silence after the gun was dropped, the alarm from the broken glass long forgotten in the background.

Quinn slowly took her stiff hands away from her head, staying on the ground but looking up at the superheroes on the other side of the store slowly and carefully. There were three of them now.

Oh my God, Quinn thought, Is the entire team here for one robbery!?

She recognized the third person immediately as well. His skin was dark but not as dark as the Colored Spirits, and he was much shorter than them too. His costume had a hood with a stitched on piece of cloth covering his eyes completely, but you could still tell they were shining bright with how wide the boy’s smile was, the bottom half of his face still showing. Red, gold and white was all over his suit, a red cape that only reached to his knees and was covered in yellow stars, and a cloth crown attached to his hood so it stayed on the top of his head. The Royal Guard.

“Did you see that!?” He yelled, bouncing up and down on his feet with unrelenting energy. “I smacked that dude right into the wall at the best time, and I think there’s an indent in the wall now but I’m sure it’s fine, that was just really great timing!”

Maya’s voice sounded light. Lighter than in the clips Quinn had seen before. “You did great, Kiddo.”

The Royal Guard’s smile only grew bigger at the praise, but Navy Spirit seemed to have noticed something suddenly. “I just realized,” he said, “The store’s empty. Where are his other friends now? They have the majority of the store’s goods on them.”

“Oh, remember how Nightmare and I were gonna wait outside to jump them? They took off down the road in some black cars before I came in here.”

Navy sighed. “...And you didn’t chase them.”

“No, cause Nightmare already was, and I heard like, a bajillion gunshots coming from inside. I had more pressing matters to attend to, thank you very much!”

Royal Guard’s smile beamed with pride, his hands on his hips in a superhero pose. Navy and Maya seemed to share a look before Navy caved in. “Alright then, understandable. However, I think your assistance will come a lot more in handy on the road now. You’re the one with super speed, so you can catch up to the cars easily, and if the people driving them are logical, chances are they’ve split in different directions by now. Maya and I can take care of things here, but how about you contact Nightmare and see if you can help him with the cars?”

“Sounds easy, hardly a task at all! Later, nerds!”

And just like that, Royal Guard had sped out the front doors leaving nothing but a blur of himself behind him.

Quinn slowly lifted her head from the back of the counter. “...Can I get a picture with you two?”

***

“There’s two black Ford Focus ST’s on the roads right now. I’ve got one that was down on 67, but if SLEEP’s radar is right, the second one is going down Lincoln Avenue and heading to the highway. That’s the one I want you to catch, got it?”

Roman nodded before realizing that Virgil couldn’t see him, his voice going through the phone call system Virgil had installed in each of their suits. “Got it, I’ll head over there now and give them a firsthand look at Artemis!”

“Just don’t chop off any faces, we don’t wanna kill the guys. Get them away from the wheel but don’t crash the car, you’ll cause a pretty damn deadly pileup. Pull it over safely-” Virgil paused for a moment as Roman jumped roof to roof trying to search for the car with the directions he was given. “...You do know how to drive, right?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You’re barely fucking sixteen and poor as shit, that’s why!” Virgil suddenly seemed slightly panicked on the other side of the line. “God damnit, do you need me to drive over there? I can call Navy or Maya to come take this one to get back all the loot and shit and I can help you over there with the driving. I know you don’t have a license, so don’t even try that one!”

“Relax, Robert Downer, I’ll be just fine!” There it is, Roman thought, spotting the car matching Virgil’s description perfectly. Just before it got on the highway too. “Navy taught me how to drive his car plenty of times before, which isn’t exactly legal, but I know what I’m doing! I’ll call you if I need anything else, but I spotted the car, so it’s too late now!”

“...Fine, fine, but don’t cause a fucking massive crash in the busiest street in the entire city. I’ll find a way to kill you, don’t test me.”

“Bye, Nightmare!” With that, the call finally ended, Roman jumping across three more buildings before coming perfectly in line with the car. He sheathed his sword Artemis from its place around his waist and jumped from the roof, landing straight on the hood of the car so hard his feet dented into it enough to give Roman a balanced footing. He saw the driver of the car’s eyes widen before trying to jerk the car back and forth to shake him off, Roman burying his heel into the hood for balance.

“Get off, you fucking freak of nature!” The driver yelled, and for once in his life, Roman decided to listen. But not in the way the guy wanted.

He quickly jumped off the hood of the car and stabbed Artemis right through the roof, cutting open a slit that he could slip through to enter the car. Another robber in the back of the car punched Roman square in the jaw, smacking his head against the window with force the moment he jumped in. Well that wasn’t very nice.

Roman grabbed Artemis’ hilt and went for an aimless swing while his vision danced, but despite Roman’s powerful speed, his hand was stopped right in its tracks with a strong grip.

Suddenly, the robber was right in his face with a broken scowl, full of anger and hurt alike. “You really want those damn human’s approval so bad, don’t ya?” His grip on Roman’s hand tightened, grabbing his face as well. “Even after all they’ve done? You’re one of us, you know exactly what they’re fucking guilty for! But we want a little cash to get by and suddenly we’re the fucking bad guys!?”

All Roman could feel on his body was the unusual heat on his wrist. Scalding heat that felt like a burning iron plate was wrapped around his arm, leaving Roman’s only reaction to be to scream. Artemis hit the ground as he struggled to get away from the burning, his eyes slowly focusing in his haste. When he looked down at his wrist to see the problem, the first thing he saw was the robbers hand a lava red. Steam came from between his fingers.

Of course he has powers.

Roman’s head went into the back of the window once, twice, three more times as the robber slammed his head back continuously, saying his lament through gritted teeth. “Traitorous little bastard is all you are! It’s all your friends are! You’ve experienced the pain they cause first-hand and you’re still on their side! Boot-licking pieces of shit!”

The side of his face where the man was gripping started to burn too, a scalding, unbearable grip, and Roman’s body went limp from pain. His vision was dancing and his mind could only think of the heat, the unbearable burning like his hand and face were taped to a gas oven.

The robber smiled. “You’re about half as strong as they make you seem. What, you don’t like pain? Don’t like being left without your little buddies to come save you? Are you scared?”

“Dennis, just fucking kill him so I can drive straight!”

“Not yet, I wanna see the face behind the mask.”

That phrase brought adrenaline through his veins, sheer panic being able to give him strength. Oh no, Roman’s mind yelled, Do something focus just get him off of you!

Roman screamed louder when he bent his burning wrist to grab the burning robber’s hand in his, adrenaline rising as he bent his arm back in one swift motion. Before the robber could even processed what happened, Roman grabbed his face with his now one good hand and bashed his head into the window, shattering the glass entirely. The man fell to the floor when he let go, faint breathing the only sign he was actually alive.

Oops, too much strength.

“Denni-” The driver didn’t even finish his sentence before Roman grabbed him by the collar with his one good hand and threw him to the back of the car, grabbing Artemis and piercing the blade right in the side of the man’s pants, pinning him to the seat and switching places as the driver. The only conscious robber yelled from his place as he tried to get free, but hey, he should be grateful he wasn’t bleeding like the other guy.

“Alright, time to get us off the road!” Roman grabbed the wheel with his unburnt hand in the 2 position like Logan had told him before purposely ignoring the “two hands on the wheel” rule just this once. He pressed his right foot down to step on the gas and-

......And-

...Oh no.

Roman scooted down to where his head was at level with the bottom of the steering wheel, only then finally being able to step on the gas and stop a pileup, the car behind him honking its horn loudly. No matter how much Roman tried to maneuver himself, he couldn’t see through the window and press the pedal at the same time. He frantically tried to search for a lever to pull the seat up, but he couldn’t seem to locate it anywhere. In a sudden panic, Roman called into the air: “NIGHTMARE!”

The gadget in Roman’s mask started to ring, and the phone was picked up in a matter of seconds. “What’s up, Princey?”

“So, I might have a, uh...a slight dilemma?”

Virgil went quiet. “And what would that be?”

“You know how I said I could drive the car off the highway?”

“...Yeah?”

“...I can’t reach the pedals.”

The screeching of tires was heard in the background as well as the voice of another man yelling, Virgil yelling back, then the slamming of a car door. “You can’t what!?”

“I can’t reach the pedals! The driver’s tall and I’m short!”

“Oh my God, Jesus fucking Christ what the fuck are we gonna do—I’m coming over there, I’ll summon a couple signs and shit and direct traffic and I can come get you before you kill someone-”

“But won’t they figure out you’re lying about your powers that way? You’re supposed to make monsters, not stop signs!”

“I think my damn ‘my-creations-aren’t-real’ secret is less important than you killing twenty people!”

Roman’s heart was beating, turning sharply at a turn he didn’t see until it was too late and almost blowing out the tires. He was frantically looking around to have some kind of visual on where the road was, catching a glimpse of the right side mirror. Roman sighed in relief when he could see the street slightly, where a simple iron rail kept the cars from falling down ten feet into a little pit.

If this moment was in a cartoon, a lightbulb would have gone off above his head.

“Wait, I think I have a plan! You have me on a tracker right?”

“Duh, have you met me?”

Roman ignored him, “How much longer do I have that rail-thingy on the side of the road?”

A slight silence over the phone. “For about half a mile or so.”

“Perfect! See you in a bit, bye!”

“Princey don’t you fucking dare-” The call was ended before Virgil finished his sentence. Gotta make this quick then.

Roman pressed down the lock on the door and opening it up. Roman looked at the rearview for a moment and sped up to get away from the car behind him, hoping he wouldn’t slam into someone in front of him in the process. He counted to three. One...two...three!

He made the car do a sharp turn and drove right through the metal rail.

The conscious robber behind him yelled “You’re fucking nuts!” as the car went over the edge, Roman rising in his seat as they did a free fall. He stumbled over himself for a slight moment when he tried to push himself back up, slipping when his burnt hand touched the leather seat and set his nerves on fire. He pushed open the car door completely, tripping as he used his feet to leap out of the side, the conscious driver still screaming in the back. Metal thumped under his boots when Roman jumped back on the hood of the car, running off and scraping the car with the speed of his feet as he did so. He fell down to the ground and stumbled to get his footing as quick as possible, then, the car was falling straight toward him.

Roman grabbed the front of the car with both his hands, stopping 700 pounds of metal from crashing right into a ditch, gently setting it down.

And he did it all in seven seconds.

However, the adrenaline of the moment did eventually disappear, and the sharp pain in Roman’s hand returned just as bad as before from using it to stop a car. He jumped up and down while shaking his hand around to help with the pain. “Ow, ow ow ow, okay, that hurts.”

“What hurts!? What the fuck did you do, Princey!?”

Roman looked up and saw a taller man with a black, purple and steel suit on, his face covered with an iron mask full of gadgets, but he could still sense the franticness in his eyes. To anyone else, Nightmare would have been the most intimidating man to have swearing at you, but Roman knew better now. He just smiled widely at his mentor. “I stopped the car from crashing all on my own!”

“By crashing it!?”

“Hey, you’re the one that told me to get it off the road, not my fault you didn’t specify how.”

“I’m gonna kill you. I’m well and truly going to murder you.”

“I’d like to see you try, honestly.”

“I’m gonna slap the shit out of- Holy fuck what happened to your face.”

Roman’s right eye was throbbing as the skin under it looked very unnaturally white and charred all at the same time, peeling a little. “Well that’s not a very nice thing to say.”

Virgil stood there stunned for a moment before clicking on the phone button of his mask and letting it ring. “Navy, Maya, we caught all the robbers. Let’s head back to our place and let the cops handle the rest before I blow a fucking fuse.”

“On it, Nightmare! Just hold on a bit, we’re kinda...caught up with a fangirl.”

***

“...So then I caught the car when it fell and nobody got hurt! We’re not counting that one fire-dude that burned my precious face, though.”

“Another individual with superpowers fell to the corrupted end, I see…” Logan looked down at the ground for a moment, processing. He eventually shook his head when he sensed Patton’s worried glancing his way, instead handing Roman a large container of Gatorade. “Drink this.”

“Aren’t you supposed to give him water through the IV?” Patton asked.

“In a normal case of third degree burns, yes. However, Roman’s enhanced resistance abilities make it so he can drink it himself just fine. If he can speak, he can drink a bottle.”

“It’s really not all that bad!” Roman took a breath after drinking a third of the large bottle, “Sure, my hand wants to fall off and run away, but I’ll be fine tomorrow.”

Virgil in the background made some vague hand gestures in Roman’s direction to symbolize his grumpiness as he didn’t have his mask on. Without one of the two masks Virgil always wore around the place, he didn’t have the technology in order to communicate. The masks he built from scratch were meant to analyze his mouth movements and put them into words, a few other complicated controls allowing him to also add the correct tone to his voice. But Virgil just sat in his suit with his helmet on the seat next to him, leaning his head in one hand and looking around the room. He wanted to seem tough, but they all knew Virgil was panicking a little from Roman’s recklessness.

Logan looked back at Virgil on the other side of the L-shaped couch. “He will be fine, however I think that’s enough patrol for one day. Right, Virgil?.”

Virgil nodded slightly and kept looking at the massive TV on the other wall, focusing on some commercials about washing products to keep himself from staring at Roman’s face and hand. Logan continued tending to the wounds as best he could with only a nursing degree under his belt, the burn already starting to slowly mend itself back together like Roman’s powers often did.

“SLEEP?” Logan called, “Could you maybe turn up the heat in the penthouse? Burns need warmer rooms in order to heal.”

Virgil’s handmade AI SLEEP peered out from the corner of the hallway, flicking down his sunglasses slightly as he processed what Logan asked. “Penthouse temperature’s going up to 89, babes.”

Virgil snapped to get SLEEP’s attention and started to sign at him. Get my other mask and a pair of shorts or something, then. It’s already hot as shit in this suit.

“I’m a security system, not a maid, but since you asked so kindly…” SLEEP stared right at Virgil. Virgil didn’t move. He moved closer to him. “Since you asked so KINDLY…”

...Please. He signed unenthusiastically.

“...Then I’ll be so happy to!”

Virgil didn’t even look back at SLEEP to flip him off as he walked away. The only reason Virgil didn’t do more than that was the disapproving dad glare Patton was giving him from the other side of the room.

“Alright, that’s all I can do.” Logan said, taking one last look at Roman’s burned hand and face. “You do not need surgery considering your face is already starting to heal on its own, and since your enhanced resistance makes you immune to sickness, antibiotics and a tetanus shot would be unnecessary. However, I highly recommend you stay here for the night so that no one wonders what happened to your skin before it recovers.”

“Staying a night at multi-millionaire and emo Virgil Raine’s penthouse for a night? My, the horror! How will I ever recover from such a difficult task?! Sleeping on a comfortable guest bed and eating all the food he has? Cruelty I tell you!”

“Ah yes,” Virgil spoke and everyone looked over at him, slowly slipping out of the remainder of his suit with his other black mask covering his mouth again, SLEEP leaning on the back of the couch behind him. “It’s totally not like you basically live here anyway.”

“Your penthouse is comfy and as long as I check into the shelter once a week I still live there. It’s not my fault I know how to get through the window.”

“Yes it is!”

“It’s SLEEP’s fault for not warning you I’m sneaking through your window.”

“I’m supposed to warn him of threats,” SLEEP smirked, “a baby with a star cape isn’t that threatening.”

“I’m not a baby!”

“Virgil, your baby is whining.”

“Oh wow, would you look at the time,” Virgil looked at an invisible watch on his wrist, grabbing the clothes he also told SLEEP to bring and standing up. “I’m gonna go change and let you all fight this ou-”

“Hey look!” Patton pointed to the expensive TV excitedly. “The news is talking about us!”

Everyone looked over to the previously ignored TV, showing a woman in front of the jewelry store they had just been at not even three hours ago. The news lady was with the same fangirl that had stopped Logan and Patton earlier, lending her the microphone. “It was definitely crazy I’ll admit, I’ve never seen any of them up so close, and they did manage to get all my stuff back! I’m definitely really grateful The Core Four showed up when they did.”

“...The Core Four?”

“Core Four?” The news lady repeated, tilting the microphone back to the woman. “Yeah! That’s what I’ve seen the four of them be called anyway, on website formats and stuff. It’s less of a mouthful than their full names, even with the Colored Spirits being shortened. Oh! I actually got to talk to both of them-”

The five of them tuned the woman out after that point, focusing on the apparent team name they never knew they had. Eventually, the banner at the bottom of the screen changed to Core Four Saves Quinn’s Jewelry.

“Huh,” Virgil said, “I guess we’re called The Core Four now.”

Logan pouted slightly. “I thought I was coming up with the group name?”

“The news beat you to it. Rip you.”

Logan glared at Virgil, and Virgil just shrugged. “Plus, it’s kinda catchy.”

“I like that it rhymes!”

“We are the center of this very city, keeping it safe and protecting all that inhabit it! The core! Core Four! I love it!”

Logan caved in. “I must admit, it is...an acceptable name for a team like us.”

“It took them a year to decide on that?” SLEEP said, “Step up your game, missies!”

“Nightmare, Royal Guard, and the Colored Spirits altogether.” Virgil looked at everyone else. “That official? Core Four?”

The other three nodded their heads, Roman smiling brightly. “Core Four!”

[clowndaydreams]

Yan!Marvus x Reader

I hope you all like it!

“Can you pass me the potato chips?” You looked over to your companion. Marvus nodded and reached over to get said bag from his side of the couch.

“here ya go.” You grunted a quick thank you to the clown and started to dig in. You had been hanging out with Marvus all day. You still couldn’t believe how friendly you’ve gotten with the superstar since you met him at that concert you went to. It had been a few perigrees since then, but the clown had since made a habit of inviting you over randomly when he was free. You were just happy that he remembered you at all.

Currently though, you were both relaxing on the couch and watching some Slam or Get Culled episodes that he was in. Right now, a season finale was playing. He was the final challenge for that season’s top 2. They had to rap battle him and whoever fared better was the winner.  You glanced over at him. He was in his usual facepaint, but was casually wearing a neon yellow ripped tank top and matching pajama pants with some designer troll logo and ‘JUICY’ all over them. How he managed to look so hot in that would forever elude you. You snapped out of it when he started speaking again.

“u kno, i thought ricard was the better 1 outta those 2.” You pretended to glare at him.

“SPOILERS!” You jokingly huffed, lightly shoving his arm. It didn’t move, as you’d expect.

“LOL! XoD sorry fam, seen dis crap 1000 times alreddy.” Wait, then why did he let you pick this episode? Or even agree to watch this with you? If this was boring you could do something else. And as if he could read your mind, he held up a hand.

“dun worry bout dis. is chill or w/e. butt srsly, u kno who gunna win.”

“Still! I wanna watch it!” You giggled. You both watched on in silence as Marvus was brought on to surprise the contestants.

“How were they behind the scenes?” You asked as you watched the confessionals for both of the contestants.

“ricards moirail b a clown, so me n him knew each other alreddy. he wuz p chill i guess lol.”

“What about Krayaa?”

“turns out she wuz a fangirl. foamin at the mouth n erythng.”

“Really?!” You turned to him to try and see if he was lying. He looked almost bored about it all. Like you were both talking about the weather or something. You wished you could be so relaxed about meeting a rabid fangirl and somehow living to tell the tale. Seadwellers were supposed to be stronger and more durable than landdwellers. At least, that was according Polypa anyway. Huh, you had to remember to check on her later after you got home too.

“ye. she wanted 2 pail after the shoot.” Your jaw dropped. Krayaa was a seadweller! Did he have to listen to her? She could have killed him for not listening!

“Nahhh, no worries,, the contract she signed for the ep woulda had her disqualified and mah bodyguards woulda whooped her b4 she had a chance. ;op” He chuckled. “If she managed 2 get thru them, I aint no wimp.” He added, flexing his arms a little to prove his point. You almost couldn’t stop staring. He had to know what he was doing to you…right? Granted, this was a crush you had no intention of pursuing. If you were speaking honestly, Marvus was a guy who probably didn’t want commitment due to his lifestyle. Even then, he had people throwing themselves at him constantly. People his own species. People who were a lot better fitting with his general aesthetic and not some poor wandering alien that he would DM when he was high when they both should have been sleeping. Your own concepts of relationships and types of love were different. But you could dream, right? You were content with just having him as your designated hot friend anyway. …That did mean you were allowed to drool over him in your mind. As long as it doesn’t get creepy to him. Yeah. You were fine.

“u gud (Y/N)? u tryna lure snacks into ur mouth or smth?” You snapped out of your stupor.

“Ew! Gross! I don’t eat bugs like you weirdos!”

“it aint gross. literally free snacks u can catch. :o)” He laughed.

“Where I’m from they’re gross!” Granted, there were places that did eat crickets and the like on Earth, but you would never tell him that.

“dun knock it till ya try it.” He got up and left the room, returning after a moment with a small box.

“…What is that.” You had a sinking feeling you knew what it was.

“chirp grubs.” He opened it and there they were. Disgusting caramelized crickets.

“I can’t.” You shook your head.

“more 4 me lol.” You looked away as he ate a few of the crickets. You looked back at him when his palmhusk rang. It sounded like a clown horn version of one of his songs. Fitting, honestly.

He glanced at it and rolled his eyes before silencing the phone.

“Who was that?”

“thottie.”

“Oh…” He looked bored again. Not good. What could you talk to him about to keep him interested?

“Uh…You ever get tired of the fans trying to aggressively pail you?” Ok, that wasn’t the best choice for conversation. Your bad.

“i meannn….in the beginning yeah. now its kinda the norm 4 me ufeelme?”

“Yeah, I guess. Does it ever make you feel like you can’t have a relation-er, quadrant?” You assumed it would, but that would also come with fame in general, wouldn’t it? You weren’t sure. Then again, if he didn’t want-

“kinda. i think its kinda funny how i can attract psychos, fans and thots, but not my crushes.” You sat up straight. Marvus had a crush?

“Wait. You…uh…are pale or um….red? for somebody?” You didn’t have the best grasp on quadrant terms.

“lol sumtimes i forget your an alien.” He leaned back onto the couch.

“butt yeah, i have a few crushes at the mo.” He smiled, staring at the ceiling.  Few. He has more than one crush right now. That soft smile said it all. He had it bad.

“…Can you tell me who they are?” He looked over at you and looked sheepish.

“i…dun think is a gud idea.”

“Please? I have to know who the great Marvus Xoloto has a crush on.”

“u kno 1. itll be awk af :o(“ Now you had to know. Now you were thinking about whether or not Marvus had a type. What if they were all mega hot models? Wait! Did he have a crush on Chahut? They would totally have to know each other. Who else did you both know??? He heard of Cirava, but you didn’t think they talked. Who???

“…kk fine. only if u slam a faygo tho.” You gave him a look.

“Isn’t Faygo…not for non-clowns?”

“is just us. whos gunna kno?”

“You promise nobody’s gonna know?”

“on my life. u slam a faygo, n ill tell u who my flush be.” You thought it over. You remembered tasting the stuff at clown church when you went you went with Chahut that one time. Just a sip left you a bit tipsy. A whole bottle may have rendered you unable to be coherent enough to even process who his flush crush was. Would it be worth it? You felt a choice coming on. Either way you had to drink a certain amount in order to maybe try and learn this random troll’s identity. The question was, do you try and counter his offer or just slam the entire bottle and hope for the best?

…

It would be better to respect your own limits. A bunch of your friends had lectured you a few times over putting yourself out just to potentially make a friend. This would piss them off and would probably not end in your favor even if you did decide to just go with it anyway.

“How much faygo do I have to drink?”

“hm…” He got up, went to the kitchen and got a small can of Grape Faygo, a normal bottle for one and a whole 2 liter bottle. “imma b nice. u get a choice. u gotta try 2 finish the can. u get 1 q with the name if u finish the can. Smol bottle gets u 2 qs and the name n the 2L gets u as many qs as u liek. fair enough 2 u?”

…Now you wanted to chug the 2 liter. You haven’t even seen anyone try to down that other than the Grand High Blood once when you took Karako to clown church for the first time. But that guy was a clown and he is HUGE. You, not so much. But, you chose to respect yourself for once. You’d see how you felt after the small can and go from there. You picked it up, opened the can and took a deep breathe. Powers that be, let this not wreck you and let this answer be worth it. If he cops out with his answers, you would try to hurt him. You started chugging. You did your best to try and treat it like a shot like Cirava taught you so you wouldn’t taste the overly sweet flavor too much. After a moment of light agony and attempting to not drown in the soda, you reached the end of the can. You slammed it onto the coffee table and started panting. Ok, you weren’t feeling woozy like before. Maybe those tiny sips when you went to clown church helped your body get used to it.

“u gunna try the otha bottles?” You managed to shake your head. You weren’t gonna do that again. Your head started hurting. You looked over at him. Were his eyes always so vibrantly purple? Woah, now they’re flashing purple. What the heck? Was this Faygo high? You now understood why all the other clowns were so goofy after drinking a cup of this stuff. Crap, now your head was starting to hurt.

“Wh-Who….who is it..?” You started feeling like you were gonna pass out. You laid down on the couch. You needed to close your eyes. That was way too much for you. You felt Marvus pick you up into his arms.

“ye…after u wake up bb.” Wake up? Wait, did he just call you a pet name?! You were about to question him when he tilted his head.

“dangg,, u managed 2 stay awake with chuckles and faygo? ur stronger than i thought. Soz bout this babes.” His eyes became blindingly vibrant again and you blacked out.

[shawtygonemad]

What Is This Feeling: Chapter 3

Fem!9th Doctor x Male!Rose Tyler

WITF Masterlist

The room was lit green from the time rotor.

"Right then, Ross Tyler, you tell me. Where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time? It's your choice. What's it going to be?" The Doctor smirked.

"Uh…forwards."

The Doctor hit a button, and flipped a switch before turning back to Ross.

"How far?"

"One hundred years."

She turned to the console and rolled the time rotor one hundred years. She flipped a lever, and twister a knob, setting the TARDIS into motion. Once they've landed, she smiled and pointed to the door.

"There you go. Step outside those doors, it's the twenty second century."

Ross looked at her in amazement. "You're kidding."

"That's a bit boring though." She grinned at him. "Do you want to go further?"

"Fine by me."

The Doctor rolled the rotor once more, and they traveled through the time vortex. Seconds later the TARDIS stopped.

"Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the new roman empire."

"You think you're so impressive," he grinned at her.

"I am so impressive," she feigned being offended.

"You wish," he laughed.

"Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go. Hold on!"

The TARDIS once again travelled through the vortex. Once they arrived, the Doctor dinged the bell for effect. She stood back smiling.

"Where are we? What's out there," he asked excitedly.

She just gestured to the door. Ross slowly walked over to the door, and stepped out. The Doctor followed him out and walked over to the wall. She soniced a panel causing the observation shield to lower. She stepped down to where Ross stood.

"You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty six. Five billion years in your future and this is the day-" she looked at her wrist watch. "Hold on…" The sun suddenly flared and turned red.

"This is the day that the sun expands." She turned and looked at Ross. "Welcome to the end of the world." She bumped his shoulder with hers. "C'mon, let's go join the party."

The Doctor led him out of the door of the gallery, and into the hallway. They both began to walk towards the main area.

"Shuttles five and six are now docking. Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. Earth death is scheduled for fifteen thirty nine, followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite," the computer announced.

They continued walking down the hallways.

"So, when it says guests, does that mean people," Ross asked.

"Depends on what you mean by people." The Doctor continued to walk without a care in the world.

"I mean people. What do you mean?"

"Aliens," She said, as if it was the most obvious thing.

They turned a corner. The Doctor stopped in front of a door, and took out her sonic.

"What are they doing on board this spaceship? What's it all for?" Ross continued to ask.

"It's not really a spaceship, more like an observation deck," she explained. "The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn."

She began to sonic the panel on the wall. She smiled to herself as the door opened.

"What for?"

"Fun."

They entered the observation gallery. A massive window stood at the other end of the room, displaying the Sun and Earth.

"Mind you, when I said the great and the good, what I mean is, the rich," the Time Lord informed her new companion.

"But, hold on. They did this once on Newsround Extra. The Sun expanding, that takes hundreds of years."

"Millions," she corrected. "But the planet's now property of the National Trust." She pointed to the satellites around the Earth. "See down there? Gravity satellites holding back the Sun."

Ross shook his head, confused. "The planet looks the same as ever. Thought the continents shifted and things."

"They did, and the Trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over."

"How long's it got," Ross asked, sounding almost heartbroken.

The Doctor checked her wrist watch.

"About half an hour and the planet gets roasted."

Ross looked at the Doctor almost admiringly.

"Is that why we're here? I mean, is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save the Earth?"

"I'm not saving it. Time's up," she stated, and popped the 'p'.

"But what about the people," Ross asked concerned.

"Oh, it's empty." She reassured him. "They're all gone. No one left."

"Just me, then," he spoke quietly.

The Doctor was about to comfort him when a blue-skinned person with golden slit eyes strode towards them.

"Who the hell are you," he asked rudely.

"Oh, that's nice, thanks," the Doctor shot.

"How did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way any second now."

The Doctor took out her psychic paper, and showed the blue man.

"No, that's me. I'm a guest. Look, I've got an invitation. Look. There, you see? It's fine, you see? The Doctor plus one. I'm the Doctor, this is Ross Tyler. He's my plus one. Is that alright?" She placed the psychic paper back into her pocket.

"Well, obviously. Apologies et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy."

The steward walked away and over to the lectern. The Doctor quietly spoke to Ross.

"The paper's slightly psychic. It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time."

"He's blue," Ross stated.

"Yeah."

"'Kay," Ross answered, accepting the fact.

"We have in attendance the Doctor and Ross Tyler. Thank you. All staff to their positions," the steward announced.

A bunch of tiny blue staff members hurried to their positions. The steward continued to announce names.

"And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest? Representing the Forest of Cheam, we have… trees. Namely Jabe, Lute, and Coffa."

A shorter bark skinned man entered the room with his two larger escorts. He was beautiful… in a manly tree way. They started to walk over toward the Doctor and Ross.

"The gift of Peace. I bring you a cutting of my grandfather." Jabe gently handed a potted twig to the Doctor. She grinned and handed it off to Ross.

"Thank you. Yes, gifts!" She patted herself down, quickly thinking.

'They're trees. They should like air, yeah?'

"Er, I give you in return air from my lungs."

She gently blew on Jabe's face.

"How intimate," Jabe spoke, slightly surprised.

"There's more where that came from," the Doctor grinned, internally laughing that that actually worked.

"I bet there is," Jabe smiled before continuing on.

This continued on for a bit. The Doctor couldn't help but laugh when Ross got spit in the face by the Moxx of Balhoon.

"And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last Human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen."

A face in piece of thin skin stretched in a rectangular frame was wheeled in. Her escorts were two men hidden in top-to-toe hospital whites. The Doctor grinned, silently laughing.

"Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am! Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me. Moisturize me." She spoke that last part quietly to her escorts. One of her them used a pump spray on her skin.

"Truly, I am the last Human. My father was a Texan; my mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honour them and say goodbye. Oh, no tears, no tears. I'm sorry."

Ross slowly walked toward the 'last Human' to investigate more. The Doctor watched, slightly concerned. She hoped he wouldn't react badly.

"But behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining Ostrich egg." One of the blue workers brought it out and presented it. "Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils. Or was that my third husband?" The Doctor stifled a laugh.

"And here, another rarity." A 1950's juke box was wheeled in. "According to the archived, this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!"

One of the little attendants pressed a button, and a 45 was selected. The strains of Tainted Love by Soft Cell started to ring out. The Gallifreyan laughed and bobbed her head to the music.

"Refreshments will now be served. Earth death in thirty minutes," the steward announced.

The Doctor watched as Ross ran out of the gallery. She started to go after him, but was stopped.

"Doctor?"

She turned around to be flashed by a camera that Jabe was holding.

"Thank you."

The Doctor continued on. 'That was weird,' she thought to herself.

She was halfway down a hallway when an announcement was made.

"Would the owner of the blue box in private gallery fifteen please report to the steward's office, immediately. Guests are reminded that use of teleportation devices is strictly forbidden under Peace Treaty five point four slash cup slash sixteen. Thank you."

"Opps! That would be me. Better go make sure they don't break my TARDIS," she spoke to herself.

The Doctor went off towards private gallery fifteen to see the tiny attendants starting to lift the TARDIS onto a cart.

"Don't break it now! She's older than your entire race!"

One of the tiny attendants approached the Doctor with a clipboard.

"Name?" It asked in a high pitched voice.

"The Doctor."

"Your ship will be taken to Dock three."

The Doctor saw the attendants roughly wheel the TARDIS away.

"Oi, now, be careful with that. Park it properly. No scratches." The Doctor told them.

The attendant with the clipboard handed the Doctor a ticket that said 'Have a nice day'. She shoved it into her pocket, and continued back on her search for her pink and yellow human. She didn't have to go far. Ross was in the room they took the TARDIS out of.

"What'd you think, then?" She asked as she took a seat on the stairs.

"Good. Yeah, fine. Once you get passed the slightly psychic paper." There was a small awkward pause before Ross spoke again. "They're just so alien. The aliens are so alien. You look at 'em and they're alien."

'That's not racist at all,' she thought sarcastically.

"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South," she commented.

Ross leaned back and started to take in the Doctor.

"Where are you from," he asked.

"All over the place," She said quickly.

"They all speak English," Ross went on.

The Doctor relaxed a bit, knowing Ross didn't pry on where she was from. She wasn't ready for that.

"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the TARDIS. The telepathic field gets inside your brain and translates."

"It's inside my brain," Ross asked, annoyed.

"Well, in a good way," she reassured.

"Your machine gets inside my head. It gets inside and it changes my mind and you didn't even ask," Ross fumed.

"I didn't think about it like that…"

"No, you were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South. Who are you, Doctor? What are you called? What sort of alien are you?"

'Not this again,' she internally groaned.

"I'm just the Doctor."

"From what planet?"

She scoffed, "Well, it's not as if you'll know where it is!"

"Where are you from," Ross demanded.

"Why does it matter," her voice started to rise.

"Tell me who you are," yelled the Human.

The Doctor was beyond livid at this point. "This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me."

"Yeah, and I'm here too because you brought me here, so just tell me!"

The Time Lord quickly got up and descended down the steps to stand in front of the observation window. She needed a minute to breathe and control her emotions. The Time War was still fresh in her mind. Just thinking about it physically brings her pain. She wasn't ready to talk about it. Let alone to Ross who can hardly handle these prissy rich aliens.

Ross slowly stepped down beside the Doctor. He approached her like he would a frightened animal.

"All right. As my mate Shane says, don't argue with the designated driver." Ross then took out his phone.

"Can't exactly call a taxi. There's no signal. We're out of range. Just a bit."

The Doctor took a breath before turning towards him.

"Tell you what," she grabbed his phone, and began to take it apart. "With a bit of jiggery pokery…"

"Is that a technical term, jiggery pokery," Ross grinned.

"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery. What about you?" She gave him a small smile.

"No, I failed hullabaloo."

The Doctor placed a universal signal device into the back of the phone. She knew buying an extra one in the year 5023 would come in handy. She passed it back to the boy.

"There you go."

She watched as Ross stepped away to call his mum. She spoke again once their conversation was over.

"Think that's amazing, you want to see the bill."

"That was five billion years ago. So, she's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead."

"Bundle of laughs, you are," she commented.

Just then the space station began to shake. Once it was over, the Doctor paused for a brief second before smiling.

"That's not supposed to happen."

She knew this wasn't going to be a vacation. Something dangerous and exciting seemed to happen everywhere she went. The Doctor absolutely loved it.

***

Thanks for reading! 💙

[artificialqueens]

Girls Interrupted, Chapter 1: The Institution: 1, Katya: 0 (Vatya) 1/2 - Maeve

AN: Hi, everyone! I suppose this is my debut as a fan fiction author, and I’m super nervous. I never thought that I would be a writer, myself, but when I suggested a Vatya fic outline, some of you lovely people encouraged me to give it a try. ConCrit is always welcome! I tried my hardest, and I hope you enjoy! EEK!

August air is like a woman in heat: wet, warm, and not in the mood to do favors.

The short walk from her baby blue Beetle to the cafeteria doors left Katya sweating like a hooker in church. “Part-time-clown working a corner in the Red Light District” was a solid look, but Katya was beginning to doubt that it was the right choice for the first day of the new school year. The fabric of her long-sleeved dress clung to her skin uncomfortably.

If the funfetti doesn’t cover my sweat stains, I’m suing, Katya thought.

She tried to smooth down the sheer fabric out of habit. Katya took a deep breath before throwing open the glass door and bracing herself for a head-on collision with nostalgia. White floors, harsh light, kitchen clatter—too much for a Wednesday.

It’s an A/B day. First period: English, room 316. She repeats the mantra again and again in her head. If she loses the thought, she’ll never be able to find her way back.

Pussy, she chastised.

Katya’s bright red combat boots plunk across the linoleum and up three flights of rubber stairs. She might apologize for shattering the silence if anyone else were around, but the English corridor remains silent.

She, In her loud dress and noisy shoes, looked very out of place.

Mother, I’ve breached a sterile environment.

The white walls and white floors seemed to stretch for miles in either direction. Katya had forgotten how sad the white looked without students against it.

Mrs. McPhee’s door, like all the other doors, was an unremarkable brown. Katya stared into it and tried to reconcile the empty canvas with the image of the imp of an english teacher described by the upperclassmen . No dice. Perhaps her friends were exaggerating their hatred for the woman behind the unassuming door. It would be nice to think the best of  people, but she knew she lived in a time when that didn’t happen often. People suck; get with the program.

An eternity later the bell rang and Katya got to her feet before the horde could pull a mufasa on her. The unremarkable door swung open, revealing a short woman with a tight face and copper hair.

This could be trouble, an alarm flashed in her mind.

However, her body did not have time to trigger a fight or flight response. The older woman flashed Katya a bright smile, taking in her first student of the year. Mrs. McPhee enthusiastically extended her hand for Katya to shake.

“Hi there! I’m Mrs. McPhee! It’s so nice to meet you!” She all but chirped.

Katya snapped out of her thoughts and accepted the gesture. “I’m Katya. It’s nice to meet you too,” the teen delivered the customary response before Mrs. McPhee ushered her inside.

“Feel free to sit anywhere! I need to run to the copy room and grab a few things for class today. There’s an ice breaker activity on the tables that you can get started on,” she said before ducking out into the hall.

Someone’s had their morning coffee, Katya quipped, the corners of her mouth turning up in a small smile.

Familiar faces began to fill the chairs at the tables, but Katya had yet to find one she’d spoken more than a sentence to. The presence of her long time crush, Trixie Mattel, in the seat across from her did nothing to quell her growing anxiety, either.

A frantic Mrs. McHale returned with arms full of papers shortly after the end of the passing period. Katya could hear the eyes rolling at the sight of her. Cue the secondhand embarrassment.

Copies of the syllabus made their way around the room. Katya tried desperately not to wince as her English teacher introduced the “phone spa” where phones would live during class.

It wasn’t hard for Katya to become lost in her own thoughts once again.

Is there going to be a project on the summer reading? Is my copy of All the Light We Cannot See—which I’ve annotated the crap out of—going to be of any use to me at all?

The blonde was fucked if they were going to have to do an in-depth analysis of the text. The only thing she could remember about it was that the girl, Marie-Or-Something, was blind. And that only stuck with her because of the cackling fit she had on the floor when her mom asked her why she chose the book. And, of course, it was stupid. It was too hilarious that a book with a title about not being able to see the light had a protagonist who was blind, and thus, literally could not see the light.

The thought brought a smile to Katya’s face even now. It was unlikely that Anthony Doerr intended to make an ironic joke about a blind girl, but Katya liked to believe that humor wasn’t dead. Was it terrible? Yes. But come on, she literally couldn’t see the light. Because she was blind. Katya snorted at the mental picture that formed and immediately covered her mouth. Scanning the room, Katya determined that she hadn’t drawn any attention to herself. That was, until she caught Trixie Mattel’s unimpressed gaze.

Go figure, Katya scowled, I bet she thinks I’m keeping squirrels in the space between my ears. The teen could feel her cheeks flush beet red in embarrassment. She darted her eyes down to the syllabus, suddenly finding classroom procedures intriguing.

Fuck! Shit. She thinks I’m a freak, and she’s going to tell all her friends. Everyone will stare. You’re an embarrassment, a fool a—

Lady luck chose the opportune time to smile down on Katya, for it was an A/B day, and that meant classes were much shorter. The shrill bell sounded over the loudspeaker and silenced her pleas to be wished out of existence.

Katya’s second period was library aide. It was the perfect opportunity for her to get ahead on homework when she wasn’t needed. However, she knew full well that she’d spend the hour and a half people watching and reading obscure works.

The library was empty this morning and she cou;d take a moment to compose herself. Mrs. Slay, the librarian, gave her a brief runthrough of her duties and explained library procedures. Afterwards, she released Katya to her own devices.

Katya had never actually spent much time in the school’s library. The harsh, fluorescent lighting did nothing to make the room look cozier. Dozens of tall wooden shelves framed large areas along with some extra shorter shelves of books.

Katya trailed her fingers along dusty spines, hoping that a title would catch her eye.

Her third period class, theater, was on the first floor. A lot of people found it weird that a self-identifying technician was still involved in normal theater classes. Katya began her career on the stage, though. Her stage fright and lack of singing and dancing abilities were not about to stop her from growing as a performer. She promised herself that she’d audition for the play this year.

Ginger was waiting for Katya in their usual seats when she entered the black box. The blonde smiled at her best friend, taking a moment to look over the other faces in the space before joining her long-time companion.

Unfortunately, another year had not flushed out the riff-raff. Katya scowled, new year, same bullshit. The blonde shared a knowing glance with Ginger.

Rolaskatox—the inseparable trio of  Roxy, Alaska, and Detox—remained front and center. Sharon and Jinkx camped out in the back, and Tammy sat awkwardly on her own with Raja and Manila nearby. Pearl and Trixie gossiped to their left.

After Ms. P, the theater teacher for juniors and seniors, passed out the syllabus, they gathered in a circle. Playing stale warm-up games never failed to put the majority of the class in a pissy mood. It was no secret that half of the room hated the other half of the room; times when they were all forced to work together were toxic.

The second activity Ms. P had put on the agenda for that morning was not any better: duet scenes. The oblivious woman thought it would be a fantastic idea to assign partners at random for the scenes. Katya’s heart jumped in her throat when their teacher called Alaska Honard’s name along with hers.

Alaska had long, silky golden hair, soft pink lips, and big doe eyes. She was easily the tallest girl in their grade (and quite possibly in their school). She had legs for days, and they looked stunning under that short green cheer skirt in Katya’s opinion. And most of the student body’s opinion. Alaska might have been the nicest girl on the cheer squad, but Katya was sure that this encounter could still be fatal.

Katya hesitantly approached Alaska, who had yet to stop chatting with Roxy and Detox, and cleared her throat.

“Um, Alaska, I have our scene…If you want to go work on it…” Katya trailed off, digging the toe of her boot into the black floor.

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at her. She could feel the eye roll and once over from tweedle dee and tweedle dum. Instead, she focused on the tight smile the blonde in the middle gave her. Alaska nodded and followed her out of the black box.

The two girls made their way to the anti-lobby in without a word. Neither of them knew how to break the silence between them.

It was Katya who bit the bullet “Look, Alaska, I know you’re not thrilled about being my partner. But I care about the work I do in this class, and I know you do too. So can we just—”

“I’m sorry about them,” Alaska cuts her off. The confusion and shock is visible on Katya’s face, and Alaska feels the need to further elaborate. “Rotox…they’re rotted cunts sometimes. I think you’re a great actress, and I’m actually pretty glad to be working with you,” Alaska confessed . She ducked her head, and a long, golden lock fell into her eyes. Katya had to clutch the fabric at her thighs in order to resist the urge to brush it behind the taller girl’s ear.

“Okay then,” Katya breathed a sigh of relief, “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Katya could not believe the success she’d had on her scene with Alaska in theater. Maybe cheerleaders—well, certain cheerleaders—weren’t so bad after all. Katya was feeling optimistic as she made her way back up to the third floor for biology.

Are all biology classrooms supposed to reek of formaldehyde? Katya wrinkled her nose in disgust. There were tables made up of four desks clustered in front of the whiteboard at the front of the room. The back half of the room contained lab tables and equipment. Katya figured they would not be spending the majority of their time in there. Again, not wanting to draw attention to herself, she slipped into an empty desk near the back of the room. Their teacher, Mrs. Yates, shuffled around marking students present—to save time, Katya supposed. She finished moments before the tardy bell rang, and the students quieted as she took her place at the front of the room.

Mrs. Yates opened her mouth when the door slammed open. The culprit was captain of the cheer team, Violet Chachki, or what Katya swears, must be the devil in high heels. Satan made eye contact with a startled Mrs. Yates and lazily flashed her a small slip of paper. Hot pink: Coach Calhoun’s signature color.

“You must be Violet Chachki!” The friendly woman greeted. “Why don’t you take a seat next to Katya in the back?”

The gentle instruction wasn’t an option for Violet. The only empty seats left were at Katya’s table. Katya felt as though Mrs. Yates had just declared it open season on quirky blondes with questionable fashion sense. Dread pooled in her stomach; she was too young to die.

Similarly, Violet visibly recoiled at the idea of sitting next to some theater clown. Violet’s withering gaze focused on Katya, but she was certain it wasn’t her that the fuming brunette was plotting to crucify. Katya pitied whichever of her bimbo cheerleader friends forgot to save her a seat.

Violet chose the desk across from Katya. The blonde didn’t resist the opportunity to take a magnifying glass to the untouchable girl, herself.

Violet chachki was stunning. If looks could kill, the school would be a cemetery by now. She was a dark horse, a vixen, a black widow, the kind of beautiful that hurts you if you get too close. A girl like that did not belong here. Katya watched in awe as Violet’s manicured hand brushed long onyx strands back into place.

Unfortunately, Katya was no Double O Seven, and it didn’t take Violet long to pick up on the attention she was getting. The same painted fingers removed themselves from dark, silky waves and ventured closer to Katya’s face. They snapped suddenly, and Katya almost fell out of her blue plastic chair.

She only had a second to recover when Violet spat venom at her. “Hey, Bozo the Cunt, has the lack of oxygen in your tiny car affected your ability  to function, or are you just simple?”

“Bozo the Cunt”? That’s new. Mother, I’ve made a name for myself. Katya brought her eyes up to look at Violet. Her failure to provide a timely response did her no favors and the she-demon’s ruby red lips curled into a snarl. If Katya could feel her legs, she would be running to the nearest place of worship.

“Quit staring at me, freak,” Violet hissed. Katya met violet’s piercing eyes with her own sheepish blue ones.

“I-I uhm…Sorry. You look nice today?” Katya offered with shrugged shoulders. She wouldn’t buy her excuse either.

The brunette rolled her brown eyes, fishing her sparkly red phone from her bag and leaving Katya to pick at her hands.

Mrs. Yates saved Katya’s cuticles when she passed out materials for the students to make makeshift nameplates for their desks. Katya was a sucker for crafts. She wasted no time in writing her name in thick, red letters. A large, yellow sickle and hammer ran through the center of the page and black Russian characters accented her work of art. Katya was proud of herself. Capping the black marker, she took a risk and peeked at Violet’s handiwork.

Violet chose a clean and classical look for her own sign. V I O L E T was spelled out in deep purple, looping script.

Katya sighed. It was going to be a long year if the ice queen froze her out completely. At least Katya enjoyed biology.

After everyone was finished with their nametags, Mrs. Yonkin passed out an ice breaker activity designed to help the students get to know everyone at their table. Unfortunately, it was an activity where you had to interview a partner, and Katya’s partner was clearly unwilling.

“I don’t see why we have to talk,” Violet complained. “Trade papers with me so we can fill out our own answers. I’m tired of working with people that are not myself.”

Katya couldn’t help but feel a bit insulted. It wasn’t like she had herpes or something. They didn’t even have to share their entire life stories with each other; a favorite color is as generic as it gets. If the bitch wanted to be difficult, Katya sure as hell wasn’t going to make it easy for her.

“Look, Princess, I don’t know anything about science other than it’s really good for you,“ Katya bit back, “But I haven’t done enough crack to melt my brain. Do you honestly think people would believe that you could produce chicken scratch like this?” The blonde gestured pointedly to the top of her own page where she had scrawled out her name. Violet pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Oh and I’m also not bad at science. It was a joke, A bad one,” Katya tried to assure the frustrated girl in front of her. Her words of comfort did little to change her new partner’s mood, though. She tried again, “What’s your favorite color?”

[youwerenevermeanttofeelalone]

A Sweet Baby | Cliff Booth

Pairing: Cliff Booth x Plus Size Reader

Word Count: 1k

Request: Could you write a holiday fic with Cliff Booth, and its the first Christmas the two of them have together, and he surprises her with a pet as a gift to cheer her up after her previous pet died? (It can be a bulldog, but whatever you prefer).

Warnings: mentions of the loss of a pet, a little bit of fluff

A/N: —

Gif credit: Cliff @glouriousone — the dog @nousinsanity

Cliff had been secretive for the past few days, he looked nervous all the time which wasn’t normal for him. You assumed it had to do with this holidays being the first you two were spending together, and to be fair you couldn’t blame him.

It was also your first Christmas without your beloved pet. You tried to not show how much you missed your furry companion, but in those dates their absence was more prominent. You missed the sound of their paws against the floor, how effusively they would greet you when you got home, feeding them first thing in the morning while you brewed coffee, rewarding them with treats, cuddling with them, having their head on your lap— you really missed them and there was nothing you could do about it.

The night had gone great, part of it had been spent with your family and other with Rick and his family. The company eased your sadness enough for you to enjoy Christmas Eve, the food, the games, the gift exchanging, you had even tipsily sang Christmas carols with Rick while Cliff and Francesca laughed. As per tradition Cliff and you would wait for the next morning to open said gifts, but the exchanging was nice either way.

Taking your spot on the bed, you snuggled closer to Cliff who had already been waiting for you with an extended arm. Said arm pulled you closer as soon as your head was placed on his chest, a kiss being plastered on your forehead in the process. A happy sigh escaped your lips, the warmth of his body and the steadiness of his breathing lulling you to sleep.

In contrast, you woke up feeling cold on Christmas morning. Cliff wasn’t under you anymore, he wasn’t even in the room actually. With a groan, you sat up on the bed. The heel of your palms rubbed your eyes for a few seconds before you could adjust to the natural light entering from the window in a proper way. Once you were awake enough, you slid your feet into your slippers.

Dragging yourself to the kitchen to prepare some coffee, you considered going back to sleep. It was Christmas, you would be alone probably for an additional hour, and you deserved to get some more of your beauty sleep. The thought went out of the window when an arm circled your waist.

You leaned back onto Cliff’s chest, enjoying his natural warmth. “I thought you would get home later,” you commented, placing a hand on top of his.

The rumble of his chest as he chuckled gave you brief goosebumps. “I had to make sure your gift was perfect.”

You turned around to smile at him, suddenly fully grasping the fact that it was Christmas and you had gifts to open. “What is it?”

“Coffee first, darling.”

You whined, “Cliiiiiiiiff, tell me!”

“Nu-huh, you have to wait.” He opened the cupboard to fetch a couple of mugs, ignoring your adorable pouting face. Cliff couldn’t wait to see your reaction, he also needed coffee after how much he drank the night before.

You impatiently waited for the coffee to be ready, tapping your foot against the floor as Cliff teased you for said impatience. You were so excited you would’ve skipped on the coffee, but Cliff’s coffee was great.

He carried the mugs to the living room, allowing you to lead the way. By the time he placed the mugs on the coffee table you were already sat on the floor in front of the Christmas tree.

Ripping wrapping paper like a kid was fun, hearing Cliff’s endeared laugh was heartwarming, and most of the gifts you had received were fucking amazing. He disappeared for a moment, telling you he would finally give you his gift.

You took a couple gulps of coffee while you waited, jokingly making grabby hands at him when you spotted the box in his grasp. As he got closer you fixed your eyes on said box, was it your imagination or was the box moving?

He put the box down exactly next to you and you let out a gasp. A small head was peaking from the opening of the box, heavy breathing echoing inside it. You looked up at Cliff, beaming when he nodded upward for you to take the puppy out of the box.

The puppy grunted as you picked them up, their chubby body fitting on your hands perfectly. You cooed at them, giggling when they answered with another grunt. You put them down onto your lap, scratching behind their ears with your fingers.

Cliff watched you spoil the puppy with a soft smile on his face, genuinely happy to have made you happy with the gift. “You like it, then?” He teased, rounding the table to sit down on the floor too. It didn’t matter how quiet you remained the past few days, he knew you missed having a pet at home, he also knew it was healthier for you to not close off to the idea to another pet so the soon he got you one the better you would react to other presence around the house.

You nodded, craning your neck to peck his lips. “It’s the best Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten— as an adult at least.”

“Can I train it?”

“Absolutely not, they’re a sweet baby” you laughed, looking down at the puppy once again. They looked up back at you, their short tail wagging happily. Cliff laughed too, extending a hand to pet the puppy’s small head while you beamed at how cute the difference of size looked.

Putting your head on Cliff’s shoulder, you two continued playing with the puppy the entire morning, choosing names for him, planning to buy a few toys and even searching for a veterinarian to take them as soon as possible to get their shots. You couldn’t say it was your first Christmas without pets anymore, and although you would always miss your last one, you had enough love for them and the new one.