#sorry for prioritizing safety over going fast and doing shit without thinking !!!!!!!!

[llumimoon]

everytime i go out driving with my mom i consider crashing the car and killing the both of us lol

[unbelievableholland]

Love, Me: Part 3

(Moodboard/cover made by me. Pics from Pinterest.)

Pairings: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Warnings: Anxiety attacks

Words: 3,737

Summary: After the events of Endgame, and the death of the three people you cared most about, will you be able to move on?

A/N: Sorry this took so long! Our exams start tomorrow, so by next week I’ll try to be as consistent as possible with uploading fics because school would be over for me by then. As for the people who requested, they might take a while to make but don’t worry! I promise I’ll get them all done.

~Series Masterlist ~ Main Masterlist~

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When you woke up, you found yourself attached to multiple wires. You felt cold, hard metal on your back and a helmet-like thing on your head. There were thick cuffs attaching your hands, feet, and torso to the metal bed.

It was highly uncomfortable. Especially because the “bed” was slanted. You felt the wires digging into your skin and the metal structure of the “helmet” was pressed against your skull.

The scenario felt very familiar to you. It was always how Bucky had described them except, he had the luxury to sit on a chair instead of lying awkwardly on a slanted metal platform.

You’re not really sure on what they’re planning to do to you, but you had a slight idea on what it was. The obvious one would be mind control. Although, you’re not really sure because if they had kidnapped you for your tech, they wouldn’t be able to know how it worked without you.

And it wasn’t like they could turn you into some Winter Soldier, right? You were a really great fighter but your skills leaned more towards mechanical engineering. If they could somehow make you ten times better at fighting, mind control would make more sense. 

But they wanted your tech. If they controlled you or if they erased your memory, they wouldn’t have the advantage of knowing how to operate what they worked incredibly hard on to steal.

Your train of thoughts were interrupted though when you heard a series of footsteps getting closer to the room you were in. They sounded like heavy boots accompanied by several weapons of some sorts. By the way they sounded, they were most likely guns. 

Whoever these people were, they had been notified of your consciousness. And as much as you wanted to try and escape, you couldn't. 

Not only are you tied to the metal bed, but you’re also paralyzed. It wouldn’t help if you spent a lot of your energy trying to break free when it was clear that you couldn’t.

And for some reason, everything felt different. You couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was, but there was a slight difference in the way the air felt. It was like the atmosphere was suffocating you. Like you didn’t belong there.

The only logical reason you could think of was that you were still trying to adjust to being connected to a bunch of machines; and because you didn’t actually belong there. Maybe it was your brain going insane because of the situation.

When you heard the door open, you couldn’t see who the people were. Your head was staring straight forward and the door was out of your line of sight. They had entered the room and closed the door, then stopped walking.

They were most likely trying to hide their identities or mocking your paralyzed state.

From the right side of the room, you heard a man speak. It was commanding and emotionless, a voice you didn’t recognize. 

The words he spoke sent chills up your spine and dread to take over you as the first bead of sweat drips down your forehead.

“Miss Stark. I think it’s time we get acquainted, don’t you think?”

---

“What do you mean you can’t track her?!” 

Saying that Bucky was angry would be the understatement of the century. They couldn’t track you. Not even with the satellite you and Tony had created to scan the world for anyone who had the tracker implanted in them.

The satellite was to be used for emergencies only and the tracker was only activated when the satellite was. And now that they were using it, they couldn’t find you. You weren’t anywhere.

Bucky couldn’t bear the thought of you being in the hands of Hydra. Especially when they didn’t even have any clue on where to start looking.

“The satellite says that she isn’t anywhere, Bucky. This isn’t my area of expertise so excuse me for not knowing how to find her.” 

Bruce was rarely ever this stressed. He always tried to stay calm in these situations because he believed that panicking or fighting wouldn’t help and would only slow down whatever progress they had. 

But at that moment, he was at the brink of having a breakdown. If it wasn’t obvious enough, the young Stark meant the world to them. They had loved her ever since the first time Tony introduced you to the team and they had all made a silent vow to protect you.

The guilt coursing through them now was indescribable. They couldn’t protect you from your own self-destructive behaviours and they couldn’t protect you from Hydra. They failed to be there for you when you needed them the most.

Instead, you were the one to put on a brave face to prioritize their health and safety after the blip and the war.

All of them were scared, but no one was as terrified as Bruce, Rhodey and Happy. Tony had trusted them with Y/N and they had promised to take good care of her.

They loved her to death. Being as clueless as they are now only made them think about how there’s a chance of losing the kid they practically thought of as their own.

After a few minutes of pacing, Happy had had enough. He was breathing heavily and he was trying his best not to pull his hair out. But he knew that freaking out wouldn’t be a good way of handling the situation. The priority was to find you as fast as they could.

But they weren’t really succeeding in that. All they had was a hologram, a letter for Peter and a broken fucking satellite. 

“Ok, let’s think about this. Hydra could have stolen her tech. Why kidnap her? And where would they take her? They should obviously know better than to think that Y/N’s going to tell them how this dimension shit works, right?” Sam spoke. He was, by far, the calmest out of all of them. That didn’t mean he actually was though. 

“If they have someone like me, it would make sense why they’d kidnap her.”

Everyone turned to look at Wanda as she responded. Her head was hung low and her eyes were glazed over with tears as she tapped her foot against the floor endlessly.

As the realization dawned on them, they all released a shaky breath of worry. If someone were to read your mind, they would know how to take control of your tech and would possibly see the future plans you have for it.

But that’s not what they were afraid of. Once Hydra’s got what they wanted, what would they do to you? After all, you’d be useless to them if that’s the case. 

They needed to get to you. Fast. As long as you were an asset to them, you would surely stay alive. God knows what they’d do to you, but at least you wouldn’t be dead.

“Don’t worry too much though. I taught her how to detect and resist mind reading. I don’t know how good she is, but I hope she can at least fight them off for a while.” Wanda continued, nervously fiddling with her fingers. You were like a sister to her, and she was internally freaking out about your possible whereabouts.

Rhodey and Strange, on the other hand, were both quiet. Although Stephen hasn’t known you for a while, he has to admit that he’s grown quite fond of you. Taking care of you was his own way of thanking your father for his sacrifice, and that’s exactly why he’s around the compound a lot.

“Maybe we can trace her suit?” Rhodey suggested. “Earlier in the lab, I didn’t notice her suit, so maybe she brought it with her and—”

“And the wall was closed.” Bruce interjected in realization. None of them knew about the new suit you were building or that you had built a new dimension behind your wall up until they saw the hologram you recorded. “The suit she built— it wasn’t there when we looked for Y/N. Her lab was clean and the wall where she hid the dimension she built was closed. They must have stolen it.”

“We already established that they stole her tech. Why is this important?” Bucky sassed. He wouldn’t usually be like this. Most of the time he was quiet so they were all trying to adjust to this version of Bucky they were seeing. The team understood him though. Bucky has always been very protective of you.

“They figured out how to surpass Y/N’s coding and they figured out how to break into her system. They managed to close the wall and they even broke into Friday.” Bruce takes a deep breath, knowing that the rest of the people there might not like what he’s going to say next. “Who else do we know who’s as familiar with Y/N’s tech as much as Y/N herself?”

“No!” Wanda yelled. “It’s not a good idea if we get Peter involved. Come on Bruce, give the kid a break.”

“I agree with Wanda. I don’t think Peter’s in the right state of mind to handle something like this.” For the first time since they got in the jet, Stephen finally spoke.

“We could try Wakanda? I’m sure Shuri wouldn’t mind helping us. Especially since it’s Y/N.” Happy said as everyone stared at him in surprise. A silent agreement being between everyone being made, determination clear on their faces.

---

Peter felt tears running down his face as he knocked on their apartment. He usually didn’t like it when aunt May saw him cry, but all he could think about now was how much he wanted May to hug him. 

He knew that May would be upset by the break-up. May thought of you as family and held you close to her heart so Peter didn’t know how to break the news to her.

May opened the door, the smile on her face disappearing in a matter of seconds when she saw Peter’s tear-stained face. It reminded her of when he had lost the “Stark Internship”.

Peter hadn’t even entered the apartment when he felt Mays motherly arms wrap around him. He instantly embraces May as well, his head on her shoulder as a new set of tears went down his face.

Pulling away, May held her nephew’s hand, leading him onto the couch and hugging him once more as Peter struggled to contain his sobs.

“She’s gone, May. I broke up with her.” 

She hugs Peter tighter after a slight gasp, burying her head more into Peter’s neck as she shed some tears herself. If she was feeling heartbroken by the news, she could only imagine how Peter felt.

They stayed like that for a while until she had heard Peter soft snores indicating that he had fallen asleep. A part of her wanted to wake him up to tell him to go rest in his room, but as she looked at his unconscious state, she thought that she’d let him sleep. 

Because she knew that when Peter was asleep, he wouldn’t feel the heartbreak. So she’d let him be, and she'd wait until he was comfortable telling her the reason for the break up. 

---

Peter woke up panting. His chest was rapidly going up and down and sweat was covering his body. And despite his sweating, the hairs on his arm and on the back of his neck stood upwards. 

His head frantically looked around the room, his eyes tearing up and rapidly looking at his surroundings. He didn’t know why, but his senses were heightened and his brain was going a thousand miles per hour. 

Everything felt very overwhelming and he didn’t know how to handle it. It’s never been this bad for him before. He felt like he was having a panic attack and sensory overload at the same time.

It was about 5 o’clock when he woke up on the couch with a blanket covering his body. The jolt of what felt like electricity spread all over his body and he was shaking and thrashing around on the couch.

At this point he tears were streaming down his face and his clothes were soaked in sweat. He was crying, and he was sure that he would wake up May.

His theory was proven to be correct when his aunt came rushing out of her bedroom shouting his name and repeatedly asking him if he was ok.

Peter barely felt May gently cupping his face so she could see him better because to him, everything was a blur. His whole body was on fire.

Even when May started slightly shaking him to get his attention, it didn’t work and he was still in pain. He couldn’t see May’s face properly through the tears in his eyes and May was starting to panic.

She didn’t know what was happening to her nephew and she was starting to tear up at the thought of Peter in this much pain.

So, she did the only thing she could think of. She sat down next to him and held his hand, gripping it slightly to try and ground Peter. 

She couldn’t do much because whenever she touched Peter’s arm or wipe his tears away, he would flinch back because of how overwhelming it was to feel a tiny bit of friction on his skin.

As May held his hand, she whispered reassuring words to Peter to try and calm him down. It was no ordinary panic attack. Peter had had anxiety attacks before but it was never like this. Whenever his senses would act up, it wasn’t ever this bad.

“Pete, everything’s okay. I’m here and you’re safe,ok? Nothing to worry about.” The tone is her voice was laced with fear as she whimpered those words and her eyes started to blur with unshed tears.

Slowly but surely though, Peter’s breathing was starting to become normal, and his loud cries were starting to diminish. Seeing him calm down put a smile on May’s face. She bit her lower lip to try and stop a sob from escaping her mouth. She had to be strong for Peter.

“Hey, Peter.” she whispered shakily as she squeezed his hand a little tighter to let him know of her presence. Warily, she inched closer to Peter to try and see if it was ok for him. When he didn’t flinch, she moved to pull him into a hug and smiling when she felt Peter’s arms around her as well.

“What happened, Pete?”

“I-I, I don’t know May. Everything just felt too much.”

“Is it your Peter-Tingle?”

He giggled at that, finally feeling his senses return to normal. “I honestly don’t know May. It felt...different.”

When he let go, May reached out to ruffle his hair, smiling at him sweetly before standing up. 

“Come on. Back to bed. Looks like you need more rest than I originally thought, Peter.” She put her hand out for Peter to hold on to, and pulled him up to stand.

“I’m not sure I can get back to bed, May.” 

“Well, you should. If you can’t, I won’t force you to. Just...call me if you need anything, okay? Let’s talk about what that was some other time. You need to get some sleep.” she smiled lovingly.

“Sure, May. Goodnight”

“Good night. You sure you don’t want me to stay with you?”

“I’m pretty sure I can handle myself.”

“Whatever you say, big guy.” May said before she walked over to her room, giving him one last grin and shutting the door.

Looking at the time, Peter noticed that he had a few more hours until he had to go to school. He didn’t know whether he had it in him to go back to sleep, so he decided to use his phone and mindlessly scroll through his social media until he eventually fell asleep. 

It hurt to see pictures of him and Y/N together because for a moment, he had forgotten about the break up. He had forgotten about what had happened less than 24 hours ago. It hurt more to be suddenly reminded of it.

When he saw your pictures together, it brought back good memories that only made him feel pain. He didn’t like how the happy moments of your past relationship brought him heartache. It all felt too much and tears once again filled his vision.

He had ended up crying himself to sleep, hoping that he wakes up to a much better day.

---

School turned out better than Peter thought. Yes, he was still heartbroken but Ned and MJ distracted him enough to get through it. Flash didn’t seem to pay much attention to him anyway as well, which is something Peter found weird but also something he highly appreciated.

He decided to take a break from his Patrols in order to cope a little better, but if he was being honest, he missed going to the compound. He even talked about it with May and she happily agreed, thinking that her nephew should take a well-deserved break.

After about a week, he was feeling good and he found himself getting over you way quicker than he originally thought. Of course, he didn’t ignore the fact that Queens seemed to have missed their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man but he’d be back to his duties after a few more days.

For the first time in a while he was actually having a really great time at school because he didn’t need to think about any of his superhero responsibilities. He guesses that he just forgot that this was life before the spider bite.

But it was also his life before Y/N.

It was weird for him that he seemed to have gotten over you in a matter of 2 weeks and it was especially strange for Ned and May. They knew how much Peter loved you, and his recent behaviors were something they didn’t expect.

They could obviously see his sudden interest in MJ and it was driving them up the wall. They supported him, but they didn’t support how he seemed to act like he was never in a relationship with you.

For Peter though, it’s been a quiet 2 weeks. Save for Flash’s annoying remarks towards him and the… attacks?

On and off for straight two weeks he would have some sort of anxiety attack or sensory overload of some sorts. After the first one happened at their apartment, it occurred almost every day.

He had noticed a pattern to it.

He always woke up in a cold sweat every 4 or 5 in the morning, then everything would get overwhelming at 7 or 8 at night.

But those weren’t the worst parts.

What he hated the most was the pain that he would feel at any time of the day. He once thought he burned his arm during History class and at times he would feel like he got punched. Whether it be on his stomach, his face, his side it would happen randomly. 

He hadn’t told May in fear of making her worry, but he had to tell someone. So naturally, he told Ned.

It was something he had been trying to figure out for the past weeks. Something was messing with his senses early in the morning and at night. 

It was something he made up to be withdrawal from almost every night patrol to none at all. 

But he didn’t know what to think about the body pains.

“Maybe it’s your spider powers evolving?” Ned asked. 

He had invited Ned over at his apartment to originally talk about MJ but he couldn’t hide anything from Ned. It was killing him to keep it to himself.

The random aches were getting worse so it might as well actually kill him if he doesn’t figure out what’s happening. 

After a few minutes of contemplation, he exploded and told Ned everything. And if Ned was being honest, he couldn’t take the MJ talk. He supported his best friend, but he didn’t think that moving on to someone else when his break up with you was still fresh was a good way to move on so he didn’t really mind the subject change.

“I thought about that, but I’m not even sure if that can happen. And if my powers are evolving, why would it make me have random body pains?” Peter argued.

“Maybe it’s part of the process.” Ned shrugged.

“No, Ned.” Peter slowly stood up from his place on his desk chair and began pacing, his hands gesturing wildly as he spoke. “It feels like… I don’t know! It doesn’t feel like my body’s changing. It feels like it’s coming from external forces. Like that time I felt like I was being electrocuted, or that time where my stomach felt like it was being punched. The worst was when… was when I would feel needles on my skin then my whole body would feel like it was on fire.” 

Neds stands up and places his hands on Peter's shoulders, making Peter look up at him with tears in his eyes

“Peter, calm down.” Ned began as he slowly let go of Peter’s shoulders. “Can’t you call Bruce Banner or something? Or— what about Doctor Strange? Maybe they’ll know what to do.”

“It’s not that easy Ned. I’d have to go to the compound and—”

“And see YN?” Ned interjected.

Peter could only look away in guilt. He’d take all of the pain as long as he didn’t have to see you. He opens his mouth to say something, but quickly gets interrupted by his phone ringing.

He grabbed his phone from his desk and looked at the caller I.D and upon realizing that it was Bruce, he answered.

“Hey Mr. Banner! I actually have to tell you something—”

“You can tell me when you get here, Pete” Bruce’s voice was stern. It was demanding.

“Where? At the compound?” He answers, his voice slightly wavering at the thought of possibly seeing you again. 

“No. Wakanda. We’ll send Strange and—”

“Wait, wait, wait. Wakanda?! Why??”

There was a moment of silence between the two. A worried sigh was heard through the phone after a few moments followed by two words that made Peter’s heart stop.

“Y/N's missing.”

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@inhumanwithpowers​

A strike through means I couldn’t tag you.

[redrobinhoods]

illicit affairs | Chapter 1, Buzzcut Season

AO3 Link | 4,000 words (approx) | Chapter 2

Story Summary: Commander Fox thought that his only love would be the Republic. He certainly never thought that a small blue senator would change that. But if the Republic wants to make him a martyr, it should be for something he believes in.

“They can’t do that.”

“I’m afraid they can.”

“I won’t let them.” Fox shook his head incredulously and Thire bit back a laugh.

“I don’t think you have the authority to do that, sir.” The Chancellor had made the request himself.

“We have a perfectly fine atrium here-”

“Sir, there’s still blast marks on the wall from the bounty hunters.”

“- I don’t know why we need to host it in the Galactic Museum. Do you know how many sniper perches there are in just the main hall?”

Thire thought back to the holomap he had been looking at five minutes prior, before Fox had commed him in practical hysterics. “Last I checked it was seventeen.”

“Seventeen.” Fox slammed his hand down on the device before him and a holomap of the Galactic Museum flicked to life before them. Thire noted that some light renovations had been done in one of the exhibition rooms, he would have to adjust his current plan. “Seventeen perches in one hall and they want to take over the entire museum.”

“I’m sure that the 501st would donate some of their ARCs to our cause if you asked.”

“Thire, I’m considering it.” Fox groaned and leaned into his hands. “At this point we may as well comm Cody’s Bad Batch.” He’d heard that they’d ended up with one of the 501st’s ARC Troopers and had an expert marksman on the team. But any of them would have different uniforms than the Guard and the Chancellor had been prioritizing the Guard’s visual conformity as of late.

“You two do remember that we have authority over both the Senate Guard and the Red Guard, right?” Commander Stone walked in without knocking, carrying three mugs of caf. “Spread out the Senate Guard and our boys equally around the rooms and have a detachment of Red Guard at each of the entrances and around the Chancellor.”

“Yes, but the Senate Guard is incompetent and corrupt at best.” Thire gratefully accepted a mug from Stone.

“So are the senators.” Fox scoffed as he accepted the other mug from Stone. “Name an honest senator off the top of your head that’s not part of the Delegation of the Two-thousand, not that all of them are honest either.”

“Representative Jar Jar Binks of course.” Stone grinned as he leaned against the back of Fox’s chair.

“First, he’s not a senator. Second, don’t get me started, Stone.” Fox sighed and took a long sip of his caf, looking into it as if the answers would swirl to the surface. “We’ll mobilize the Blue and Red Guards. Thire, get me the optimal force placement by tomorrow morning. Stone, prep the bomb squad and get Sergeant Hound up to date. I want him on site. I’ll inform the Chancellor.”

“Another thing, Fox.” Stone brought out a holopad that he’d had tucked under his arm. “Chairman Papanoida has requested an additional security detail for the Pantoran Senator at this event.”

“Senator Chuchi, again?” Thire shook his head in amazement. “She’s going to give Amidala a run for her credits. Have you met the senator, Fox?”

“I’m about to. I’ll take three of the men and lead the security detail myself.” Fox took the holopad from Stone and placed it by his helmet on the desk.

“You’ll like her, she’s the one that dropped off those sweets last month.” Stone said, rising from the back of Fox’s chair. “Brilliant young woman, prime target for assassination.”

“I’m familiar with her file, Stone.” Fox closed the holomap and rose from his chair, followed shortly by Thire. “Let’s get this shit-show on the road.”

“Don’t let the Chancellor hear you call his gala a shit-show.” Thire said.

Fox shrugged. “Fine. Poodoo-parade.”

---

The members of the Coruscant Guard were fond of Senator Riyo Chuchi. She had always been nice to them, looked at them-not past them- when walking in the Senate halls, and took the time to remember their names and greet them. Commander Thorn had spoken very highly of her to Fox. But Thorn wasn’t here anymore. While Thire had risen to the occasion of his promotion, Fox was still grieving Thorn’s loss. The entire Guard was grieving all the brothers they had lost on Scipio. An entire squad, all because of one man. But that was how Fox ended up running the senatorial detail for Senator Chuchi. Thorn had usually been the one running the show on all protection details, but while Thire was adjusting to his heightened responsibility Fox had taken over some of Thorn’s duties.

Few senators would’ve been able to pick out the commander of the Coruscant Guard out of a line-up. Impressive, given that his was now the only truly unique armor in the Guard. Of course they’d heard about him, how could they have not? He was the most highly decorated clone trooper in the GAR. But the names and faces of clone troopers didn’t come easily to non-clones. That is why Commander Fox was surprised to be approached by an unfamiliar face as he walked from the offices of the Coruscant Guard to that of the Chancellor.

“Commander Fox?”

Fox looked up from the holopad that he used to avoid eye contact with the senators. “Ma’am?”

“Senator Riyo Chuchi, Commander.” She held out her hand and he took it. “I heard that you will be leading my security detail this weekend.”

“You heard correctly, Senator. Though very quickly.” Did he need to check his office for bugs? It had been two days since the last scan. Perhaps that was too long.

“I just passed Commander Stone.” She smiled softly and Fox understood why all of his guardsmen were charmed by her. He had been told that his and many of his brother’s eyes were golden in the right light, but her eyes were downright gold. He felt his breath catch in his throat and was glad that she couldn’t see his look of wonder through the mask. Fortunately, his training prepared him for high-stress situations, and he was able to regain his composure quickly.

“Of course, our local chatterbox.”

She chuckled. “Really?”

“No.” He smiled, and though she couldn’t see it he felt that his body language probably conveyed it to her. If she could remember the names of his men, then surely she could read their body language through the helmets.

She laughed again, then turned her eyes down. “I’m very sorry, but I must be on my way.” She looked up into the black visor of his helmet. “I look forward to seeing you this weekend, Commander Fox.” Then she was off before Fox could respond. Suddenly, the gala was not entirely a poodoo-parade, but a rather enticing event. It was Fox’s job to protect the citizens of Coruscant, but he had never really wanted to protect someone until now. He suddenly understood why beings owned pets or had children. He had now only known Senator Chuchi for a few fleeting moments, but he would give anything to ensure her safety. He didn’t set off again until her retreating figure was no longer visible in the crowd.

---

“How’s the crap-carnival going, Commander?” Jek asked as soon as the door closed behind Fox.

“It’s going well, Jek. Thank you very much for volunteering for Senator Chuchi’s security detail.”

“You ran into her didn’t you, Fox?” Thire was where he had been when Fox left. In the corner of the main office-space in front of a holomap of the Galactic Museum. Fox noted that it was now the updated one.

“Are you also volunteering, Commander Thire?”

“What did you think?” Thire leaned forward onto the table before him, eyes on Fox. Every guardsman in the room turned to look at their commanding officer. Fox look around at them and said nothing. “So, you too would throw yourself in front of a blaster bolt for her.” A light laugh, quickly stifled, broke out across the room. One of the men couldn’t muffle his laughter in time and found himself fixed by the blank stare of Fox’s helmet.

“Shut up, Thire. And thank you, Impulse, for volunteering. Thire you may surrender your position to another volunteer at any time if your presence is required elsewhere.”

“With all due respect, sir. I wouldn’t miss this for the galaxy.” Fox knew that it would be something that Thire was more comfortable with. Thire had yet to command event security and starting off with the entire Senate body was a little too much. Two commanders for a single senator’s security detail may have been overkill, but at least it would put them both on the floor.

The next few days were a blur. Commander Stone was placed in charge of event security, and while Commander Thire was part of Senator Chuchi’s detail he was also placed in charge of watching the floor. The Guard was rearranged, with more senior members being moved to the gala detail and more junior members being shuffled to fill the vacant positions for the time being. This was one of the upsides of the Chancellor’s new uniform rules. With an identical body they could rearrange themselves however they wished, and no one would know the difference. Thire, who had stuck with his regulation uniform despite the promotion, found it to be very convenient. He was becoming a fast favorite of the Chancellor, and the ability to swap himself in and out with his men as he pleased was agreeable to him. He still found it so even as he lined up with Jek and Impulse as they waited for Fox to finalize the Chancellor’s final security briefing. Without knowing his name or CT number, he looked like just another trooper in the detail. Tonight, it would allow him to run security on the senator and get a better feeling for the room than Fox would be able to, considering how his inverted armor would stand out from the trio of white. Though Fox would have a greater intimidation factor than he would. Altogether, Thire doubted that something could go wrong in the next few hours.

---

Riyo stepped back from the mirror to cast a final look over her appearance. Padme had been the one to pick out her dress, a full length light blue gown that fell over her skin in soft pillows of fabric. The folds that appeared to be formfitting concealed thick plates of body armor that covered her torso. Very practical, very Padme. Riyo tucked a stray hair back behind her ear, not that it would matter after the speeder ride to the gala, and ensured that she’d grabbed the right tube of dark purple lipstick for her purse. She felt very regal.

Her doorbell chimed.

Checking over the contents of her purse one last time, she nearly ran to answer the door. Opening it she found four clones standing before her.

“Commander Fox, Commander Thire, Impulse, and I’m not sure I’ve ever caught your name.”

“Jek, ma’am.”

“Nice to meet you, Jek.” She stepped out of the door, closing it behind her before setting off towards the apartment complex landing platform. “Thank you all for your protection. I believe that Chairman Papanoida is merely being paranoid, but I feel much safer with you here.”

“Always a pleasure, Senator.” Said Thire, falling behind her in the escort. “If you don’t mind my saying so, you look stunning tonight.”

She giggled. “Thank you, Commander. I didn’t know that clones ever considered looks.”

“You wouldn’t know if you only knew Fox, ma’am.” Jek said, looking to the right at his commander. “He’s regulation cut, a good boy. No tattoos or fancy hair.”

Fox looked left at Jek. “Tattoos are the mark of a clone with too much spare time. Are you trying to tell me you’re bored, Jek? I can pass that on to the janitorial staff if you like.  You wouldn’t imagine the things that they find in bathrooms. Could be useful to have a Guard member on the team.”

“With all due respect, sir. I’d rather lick the ground of the Undercity.”

From behind Riyo, Impulse spoke up. “I’m sure the commander could arrange that too! He could prepare your medical papers ahead of time.”

Riyo shuddered, though she was still grinning. Maybe having an escort for the night wouldn’t be as boring as she thought. “I’m sure medical would be preferable to cleaning up after one of Senator Orn Free Taa’s parties.”

Fox scoffed. “No comment.”

When they reached the speeder, Jek was the first one in. He held out his hand to Riyo and she took it, accepting the boost up into the vehicle. Impulse immediately followed her and the two clones took a seat on each side of her in the middle row. Thire and Fox still stood next to the speeder, and she watched Fox take off his helmet and hand it over to Thire before he ducked under the vehicle.

Thire caught her stare. “Additional anti-theft devices, ma’am. Makes placing undercarriage bombs harder, but you also have to turn the damn thing off.”

“Does the benefit outweigh the trouble, Commander?”

Fox popped back up, running a hand through his regulation hair, loosening a few curls. “Not at all, Senator.” She took in his face. As Jek had said, he had no tattoos, visible ones at least, but a few white lines of scar tissue crossed his throat. He looked tired. Fox took his helmet back from Thire and vaulted over the speeder door into the driver’s seat, taking a drink of water from a small canteen at his hip before putting his helmet back on. Thire sat behind her, facing backwards. Shielded on all sides, she relaxed. She had a feeling that the commander of the Coruscant Guard was what many beings called a ‘defensive driver’.

“Buckle up or be bucked.” Jek kicked the back of Fox’s chair lightly.

“That was one time.” Fox mumbled, pulling off the landing pad to join the lanes of air traffic.

“One time?” Riyo exclaimed.

“I saw our target and went for him, Senator. I assumed that any of my men would have the good mind to buckle up before going on a high-speed chase for a bounty hunter.”

“I almost died, Fox.”

“But you didn’t.” Fox made a sound as if he was going to say more, then turned his attention back to the traffic.

“Commander Thorn saved me, grabbed my ankle just in time.” Jek mumbled, the helmet vocabulator barely picking up the sound.

“I heard about Scipio, I’m sorry for your loss. He was a good man.” Riyo remembered him as the man who had once fully taken over her apartment with troopers after a threat on her life and personally installed security sensors on all her windows and doors. She’d ended up sleeping on the couch that night while he secured her bedroom. Afterwards, she had run into him often in the Senate halls, and always with a crack about how her window frame had never been the same.

Fox sighed. “He was the best of us.”

Thire was the first one out of the vehicle when they arrived at the Galactic Museum, followed shortly by Impulse and Riyo. She gratefully accepted his hand as she exited the speeder, heels and speeders never seemed to get along, and was followed shortly afterwards by Jek and Fox.

“You know the drill, Senator Chuchi. Enjoy your evening and pretend that we’re not watching your every move.”

“Thank you, Commander. I have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy your company tonight.”

The gala was a beautiful event. Held in honor of the founding of the Republic, all of the Senators and well-to-do of the city had been invited. Riyo spotted many beings who she knew only by name or by reputation amongst the crowd. She was not the only one with an escort, and she found a little comfort in that she wouldn’t stand out for being accompanied by the clones. Though the clones themselves stood out. She caught more than one being staring at the red-armor commander at her right side, and she couldn’t help a small twinge of jealousy. She wondered if she could convince one of the boys to dance with her. Perhaps not Thire or Impulse, they seemed busy scanning the floor for threats, but she was sure that Jek wouldn’t mind and she wondered if she could even convince Commander Fox to take her out on the floor. Then she realized how much she would stand out for dancing with a clone, red or white, and how that could negatively impact their positions in the Coruscant Guard. Many of the beings here were the type that didn’t like to be reminded of the humanity of the clones and she didn’t want to bring their outbursts down on her companions. She stuck to the edges of the rooms instead, where she could find many more senators who were not comfortable with mingling with the rich in the middle of the floor. Here she found solace in discussing some of the exhibits with those she considered to be her allies in the Senate, and occasionally with the clones if she noticed something intriguing in passing. They wouldn’t speak to her unprompted but would gladly respond when spoken to.

Towards the end of the night the crowds thinned out and she and her escort walked freely through even the middle of the rooms.

“There was an exhibit on the ice formations of Hoth that I would like to see again. Would that be suitable, Commander Fox?”

“Yes, ma’am. If you take a right before the mock mythosaur there is a shortcut that we can take if it pleases you.” Of course he knew the layout.

She weaved her way through the remaining guests, noting that it was mostly senators in this room, and passed through the small passage that Fox had recommended. This hall, Natural Formations of Wonder, was mostly empty save for a small crowd gathering around the volcanic glass from Mustafar. Across the room, there was a temperature-controlled case containing the formations she wanted to see.

“I didn’t see ice until I was thirteen, you know.” She spoke as they crossed the room. “Pantora is marshy by nature. My father took me to Scipio with him when he served as the Pantoran Senator. I’d never seen anything like it before.”

“We can relate, Senator.” Thire spoke up. “Kamino, our homeworld, is oceanic. Fox thought that the Kaminii were lying about trees for the longest time.”

A huff of air that could have been part of a laugh escaped Fox’s vocabulator. “I’m still not too sure about forests.”

“You need to get out more.” Jek reached over Riyo to give Fox’s shoulder a light shove. “Breathe the fresh air.”

“Never heard of it.” Fox shook his head lightly and went back to scanning the room. Riyo felt a stab of pity for the commander and made a note that she would have to find a way to get him off-world with her somehow, if only so he could experience fresh air.

“Do you miss Kamino?” She ventured, keeping her gaze on the ice crystals before her so that none of the men felt that they were being put on the spot.

There was silence around her until Impulse spoke. “I don’t think any of us have that option, Senator.”

“Well, if you could be on any planet in the galaxy right now, which one would you choose?” More silence greeted her question.

“Naboo.” Thire said, breaking the tension. “It’s nice there. I don’t think that we clones view Kamino as you view Pantora, Senator Chuchi. It’s the closest thing we have to a home, but it’s not ours. Personally speaking, my home is my brothers. It’s not tied to a place. I don’t miss my homeworld because my home is always with me, waking up at the ass-crack of dawn.”

Riyo laughed, turning away from the ice. “I believe I am ready to depart, before dawn finds us here instead of in our beds.”

“As you wish, Senator.”

They started back across the room the same way they had spent the evening, Fox and Jek at her side, Thire and Impulse behind her. But now there was no crowd to push through, and no chance of one as the group admiring the Mustafarian glass had departed. Riyo let her gaze wander around the room, taking in the natural marvels one last time. Her attention was grabbed by the sudden turn of Fox’s helmet as he looked up into the catwalks of the vaulted ceiling. She followed his gaze, but saw nothing.

“Senator!” Fox stepped back, grabbed her by the elbows and pulled her to the ground. The force brought her to her knees, and her head was pushed down as Fox covered her body with his own. He pulled her in with his left arm so that she was pressed against him, fully shielded from behind. Jek knelt in front of them, rifle drawn over Fox’s shoulder as he scanned the room around them. It was silent. Riyo watched Fox slowly bring a pistol out from its holster with his right hand. Thire and Impulse swept through the room, with the former going up into the catwalks. They gave the all clear minutes later as Thire rejoined the group. Fox and Jek eased away from Riyo, and she sat up straight. Fox didn’t move from behind her, and she stayed put as the four guards continued to visually scan the room. Then there was a flash of movement on her right. The sniper was fast, but Fox was faster. His hand had never left her side, and now he brought her close to himself as he twisted his body down to shield her.

The was a whistle and a crack. Fox’s grip around Riyo’s waist faltered and the two crashed into the ground. Riyo couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her lips, and Fox pulled her closer to his body to continue to shield her, curling around and over her tiny form. Another shot rang out and Fox clutched her even tighter to his chest. Her hands clung to his arm as if the touch would save her life. Perhaps it would. Two of the men, she couldn’t tell their boots apart, moved to stand over her and Fox, rifles raised towards where the shots had come from. There wasn’t a third shot.

One of the men standing above them raised his comm. “This is Commander Thire requesting a medic in Natural Formations, Commander Fox is down. Activate Contingency Theta.”

“Get her out of here.” Fox mumbled. She could feel the vibrations in his chest against the back of her head as he spoke. His grip on her waist relaxed. Riyo realized that he had been hit.

“Yes, sir.” Jek said. With Impulse and Thire standing guard Jek reached down and pulled Riyo from Fox’s grip.

“No, we can’t leave him!” She protested. She tried to pull away, but Jek’s grip on her arm was strong and soon she was surrounded by plastoid as she was taken away. Between Thire and Impulse she could see the motionless form of Commander Fox behind them, a black hole burning between his shoulder blades, another at his waist. She let out a quiet sob at the sight.

“He did his duty, Senator; you must do yours.” Thire said as the three men swept her away from the room.

[ourkarlanicoleuniverse]

Sweet Nothing (MHA Staff AU Fanfiction)

Chapter 4

Warnings: sfw, some angst, slight spoilers to MHA

Lily and I were getting ready for our meeting while Aizawa and Vlad were talking about how they were splitting the USJ for today. Lily and I spent the whole week preparing to discuss our concerns about how the school really handled the students and really wanted to vocalize how all the staff has to be held accountable if anything occurs with the students. It wouldn't matter if it were an on-campus or off-campus issue. So far, the Pro Hero Hound Dog, Ryo Inu, the head of the UA's counseling department, seemed very behind our school plans. We just needed to discuss it with the rest of the counseling staff and Nezu.

"I'm sure they'll agree with it. I mean, they agreed to your idea about a counselor per class instead of one counselor per year." Lily patted my back while I mumbled over my speech. It was a bad habit I gained from All Might, and I'm guessing Midoriya got the hang of it when I hung out with the class yesterday. Love that.

"I know it seems like I have Nezu wrapped around my finger, but I am literally going to go up to my boss, and ex-principal, who practically raised me, and tell him that I think he sucks at his job when it comes to students' mental health." I scratched the back of my head. Maybe I should've opted to wear my hair up instead of curling it for this meeting. On the other hand, Lily was wearing a creme pants suit with her hair wrapped in her signature bun. "I feel like I am being ungrateful and a huge hypocrite." I pushed my hair back and wiped my palms on the shorts of my suit.

Lily looked more concerned about the other staff members watching us, "Okay, I know I'm a counselor but please pull yourself together. Aizawa and Vlad look like they're about to run and get you water and a ventilator." I spinned in my seat towards the two men to see them staring at me. Welp this is embarrassing. I simply waved awkwardly and turned back to Lily, "We're not talking about you, we are talking about the current students. Nezu will understand that. And you can always use your time in the U.S. as a way to back up our argument and not have to bring up your time living at U.A. It is as simple as apple pie."

I just blinked at her. "You did not just use, 'It is as simple as apple pie.'" I motioned my fingers as air quotes and made a high pitched North Carolina accent to emphasize the phrase. She simply nudged me and laughed. "I hate baking. Whoever thought baking was easy needs to reevaluate everything." I shook my head, my nerves finally dissipating once the topic switched over.

I checked the clock to see if I still had time to spare. Sadly I didn't so I packed up my stuff and told Lily to start walking over to the meeting room. I passed by the two teachers, Vlad gave us two thumbs up and Aizawa just nodded. "So, explain to me why all the male staff at U.A. are so attentive to you." She smirked.

"It's mainly Present Mic. But since you asked, most of them we're U.A. students at the same time I was. So they knew me before I became the self-confident pro you see before you today, that is still afraid of their mouse principal that is like two feet shorter than her." I gave a fake chipper tone.

"Why are you so intimidated by Nezu anyways?" Lily's honey brown eyebrows scrunched creating a crease between them.

"Simple answer. He took me in when my mom couldn't take care of me. The real answer, he thought it was funny to be the staff member in charge of my final exam in my first year at U.A. and it wasn't fun." I visibly shook in my suit.

"Wait, is it that time where you thought you and Iris were up against robots but instead it was..."

"YES! And I don't want to talk about it." I looked over at her with pleading eyes. "I mean it. I can talk about a lot of things, that is not one of them."

"But it's not even the worst thing to..."

"Doesn't matter, I don't like talking about it." Lily just shrugged and kept walking without pressing me further. She's right, it isn't the worst thing to happen to me; it's more just an embarrassing story that I don't like because I seriously underestimated Nezu that day. I really hope he hasn't done that to any other students after that. Once we hit the door to the meeting room, we were met with Hound Dog and no Nezu.

"Where's Principal Nezu?" Lily asked as she opened the door for us.

"He's giving All Might a lecture about how a teacher needs to prioritize his students." Ryo rubbed his eyebrows, "So, the meeting has to go without him."

I raised my eyebrow, "Wasn't the point of the meeting for him to not be here? What did All Might do?"

Ryo looked just as annoyed as we did, "He went around saving people this morning so he ran out of time and needed to recharge. So Nezu wanted to talk to him because he felt that it was more important."

I smirked a little despite being annoyed at the slight hypocrisy, "I can see it now, All Might on the couch at the teacher's lounge while Nezu brings out the tea and starts talking about the meaning of being a hero and a teacher." I did a slight impression of Nezu's mannerism causing them to laugh along. "If anything, he could've just passive aggressively brought All Might along to the meeting so he can hear us lecturing." Then it hit me. Aizawa asked me and Thirteen is we wanted to join him in training the students at the USJ tomorrow. "Shit. Aizawa is going to piss when Toshi isn't in class. Let me text him really quick since no one else is here yet." They simply motioned me to do so while they got seated. Lily even grabbed my bag with my laptop and tablet for me.

Hey, Aizawa.

Toshinori went out using his quirk this morning and wasted his energy again. He might not be able to come in for the beginning portion of class. I'm sorry, I barely found out because Nezu is with him and not at the meeting. Tell the kids I said, "Hi." and that I wish them a good day! Please don't be mad at the big guy okay, I'm sure he feels really bad :)

Message not delivered

That's weird. Maybe he has his phone off or something. Oh well, Thirteen will probably catch him up to speed about Toshinori. I noticed the other counselors were showing up so I made my way inside quickly and let the meeting start.

Things were going smoothly until all of a sudden the internet connection stopped working and Lily's powerpoint froze up on the screen. Ryo and I were struggling to fix it when all of a sudden, Iida ran into the meeting room gasping and slightly heaving. "Iida? What are you doing here, this is strictly for U.A staff..."

"There are villains attacking the USJ! I ran into All Might and he told me to go and alert as many heroes as possible." The tall boy flailed his arms in chopping movements despite needing to catch his breath. "I am sorry for the interruption but I am assured that you understand the importance."

Hound Dog stood up and ordered everyone to head to different school areas to make sure it was just the USJ that was infiltrated. I put my hands on the boy's armored shoulders, "Hey, hey, its going to be okay, take deep breaths. Did you tell other staff?"

He nodded finally catching his breath, "I told Nezu and some of the teachers, they are heading there as we speak."

I nodded with him, "Okay, relax; we're a school full of pros; we'll make sure everything turns out fine." I pulled off my blue blazer and my heels.

"What are you doing, Ms. Montoya?" The boy looked bewildered.

"I'm heading to the USJ and I can't really run in heels." I smiled and held my shoes up and then started rushing over there with Iida following close behind.

"But what about your suspension?"

"To hell with it, you students are more important." I kept straight ahead when all of a sudden I was lifted off the ground, "Um, Iida what are you doing?"

"Sorry, Ms. Montoya, I am not trying to be inappropriate, it's just that I'm faster and they're attacking my classmates and my teacher." If it weren't a dire situation I would've told him to put me down but this boy was running on pure adrenaline so he probably was going to be a lot faster anyways.

I simply nodded, "I admire your determination about helping but once we're at the USJ I want you to just get as many of the students out without running into any villains. Your safety is most important." I honestly don't think the fifteen year old heard me while he was running.

We finally met with the other staff with Nezu at the USJ. The bright relieved faces on Class 1-A's face made my heart sink. "Sorry we were late students." Nezu spoke up. I turned to Iida and the boy looked so proud of himself that he was able to help get us here. I observed the whole place and saw every inch of it in shambles. I couldn't really see where Toshinori was, but I guess it was where the smoke was located. Great that means he's running out of time. Sero and Sato were holding up an injured Thirteen. I looked down to see Asui and Mineta carrying a broken Aizawa. Fuck. I turned to Mic, and he looked almost as furious as I was feeling. Directions were given to the student while the teachers began to fight. First to step up was Snipe shooting all the way to where All Might was. Guessing he was shooting a villain that was fighting him. After that it was Mic with his voice quirk. The villains didn't know what they had coming in for them. I went down as fast as I could to the kids and Aizawa as the rest of the staff followed in suit of Snipe and Mic. I grabbed Aizawa out of their arms and laid him down for a second to analyze him. His face busted in, and his arms and legs were broken. How are you going to recover from this one, Sho? I looked up and the students, "Shoji, you think you can carry Mr. Aizawa out of here?" He nodded and moved his six arms to situate Aizawa comfortably on him. "Okay, all of you start heading up now into safety, okay? Is anyone else injured?" For the students that were with me they all seemed fine. "Okay, good. I am going to help the other staff and find the rest of the class. Please get out of here and try to be safe. You guys did phenomenally, and I'm extremely proud at how well you are handling this situation." I smiled and gave them a quick nod before following in after the chaos. I have to go find Toshinori before he loses his time.

I shouldn't be using my quirk, but I don't really care right now. I decided to channel some of my energy into my legs and make a huge leap into the middle of the USJ in between All Might and some blue haired villain with hands all over his body. There was a purple ghostly figure behind him with glowing gold eyes. I pushed Midoriya out of the way while I noticed that Kirishima, Bakugo, and Todoroki were all a few feet away from the scene. "Who are you? You don't look like a pro? You don't even have a suit." The blue haired villain croaked out, he was bleeding from Snipe's shot.

I gave him a simple smirk once I started hearing more bullets flying through the air, "You don't need to know." I used an old quirk I gained years ago that I had so much trouble wanting to use it. I created a large amount of clouds to hide All Might, Midoriya, and I while the villain was failing to dodge the bullets coming at him. The clouds were dense enough to protect all of us from any last minute chances of an attack. The ghostly figure wrapped around the boy as he fell to ground, I tried my best to come after it but I just flew threw while they both disappeared. So much for being useful. I groaned as I watched the borrowed cloud quirk start to fade as well as All Might's muscular form. He was telling Midoriya that he saved him and kind of praised him for nearly getting himself killed which I didn't really appreciate but I couldn't really say anything about at the moment.

"Midoriya!" We all turned in the direction of the sound, it was Kirshima in his Red Riot suit running towards us. "Are you okay?"

I was getting ready to use the cloud quirk again when Cementoss came to the rescue and blocked the redhead for me with his cement quirk, telling him that everything was okay and that to go with the other students. I admire the compassion the student had to go check on his classmate, and I was able to tell that Toshinori was impressed by it as well. I sighed, "You really need to just let me and the other heroes handle things, Toshinori."

Midoriya looked stunned. "AAAAhh... IIIIII... ahhhh?"

I walked up to him and rested a hand on his shoulder, "News flash kid, all of us teachers know about All Might's situation. I actually knew for the whole ten years. I also know you have One For All. Congratulations and my condolences, because that quirk is going to be hell to learn." I chuckled, "It's okay, though; you'll have me to help you with it though. Now I am going to go help other students get escorted out of here, you want to help while Cementoss sneaks Toshi out of here?" I raised my eyebrow. The boy still stunned with his mouth hanging just simply nodded and followed my lead.

We managed to grab the rest of the students and I was about to escort them out when Kayama stopped me. "I'll get them out, you need to go to the hospital with Aizawa."

I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean I have to go?"

"Nezu lied and said that you two were engaged so that way you can have access to his room and keep the students updated with his condition while he's recovering."

I blinked. He couldn't have just said that I was a colleague from the same agency as Eraserhead? I just nodded and she pointed me in the direction of the ambulance. "Please make sure my kids are okay while I'm gone."

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

Beep. Beep. Beep. Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop. Sitting in the hospital room with a just barely stabled man laying unconscious in bed was starting to eat away at me. I had to stay in the waiting room as both Aizawa and Thirteen were in the ER undergoing surgery. Thirteen was out first and was conscious, so I was able to talk to them and check on them while waiting for news on Aizawa. All I had to do was tell them that I was from U.A. and show them my hero license and school I.D. and they let me in. I don't understand why Nezu had to lie about my relationship to AIzawa. Toshinori's friend Detective Tskauchi had a partner of his come in and watch over the both of us and another cop to look over Thirteen. "Yeah, no they're both stable, the students have nothing to worry about. Hey, you want to say 'Hi' to your counselor while you guys have me on the phone?"

I gave a short hello and told them everything was fine and explained that I was made Aizawa's emergency contact since we're partners at the school and how I would keep them updated. Afterwards, the detective left the room to continue talking to Tskauchi about the case. I just stayed sitting beside Aizawa's left. The poor guy was practically mummified. The doctor told me that his quirk might have been affected by the attack. But aside from that the rest of him should be perfectly fine after a period of resting and healing. I'm just relieved that he's alive. I had to go straight to the hospital, I didn't even know I left my phone in my blazer back at the meeting room. Given that Lily doesn't actually fight as a pro and is only allowed to use quirk due to her counseling job, I'm hoping that she got my stuff while she was calling the police and ambulance. I chuckled. Really that's what I'm worried about right now?

I never really felt comfortable in hospitals. Just never had a good memory with them. Which is ironic considering my mom is a doctor. Hospitals reminded me of all the times I thought I was going to die. And now, I'm here seeing one of my first friends ever almost die. My grandfather must be laughing in his grave watching me right now. Heck, I'm laughing at myself right now. I tried hard to be a symbol of hope for people, and I'm not even doing that because of my stupid suspension and I'm holding back on my quirk. If I was... no. Nope. I will not be blaming this on myself. I was having a normal day, I couldn't have expected this. Scanning over Aizawa, I kept following how his chest rose and fell and matched my breathing to that to calm my thoughts. You would think you would be over all that, Mai? I am over it. Today was just a setback.

What would happen if Aizawa couldn't use his quirk anymore? Would he even be upset? When he was a kid he was always insecure about his ability to be hero because his quirk was a combat based quirk. But even so, his quirk gave him an advantage against villains because he could stop their quirk and be able to make it an equal fight. So without his quirk... would he go back to that insecure kid, or would he just make his peace with it?

I didn't know I was crying until the detective came back and gave me the tissue box from the table next to the window and I felt the tears repeatedly hit my hands in my lap. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry about your fiance. At least he's alive though." I simply nodded. At least he's alive. "Do you need to use my phone to call someone for you? In case you need clothing or anything?"

I shook my head and sniffed, "Detective Tsukauchi is a friend of mine. I'm sure he'll grab some stuff before he comes to the hospital to talk to you in person. But thank you."

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