the-ragingenby

[the-ragingenby]

For my first request, can you write a oneshot featuring Leorio and a male reader in an Aladdin AU with chastity and dub con please? In the fic, Leorio is a street rat and the reader is the captain of the palace guards. The reader captures Leorio and offers a deal to spare him from the dungeons. Leorio will be allowed to leave and be given special privileges on the condition that he wear a chastity cage and has to meet the reader in private for sexual services. So Leorio has to appear and please the reader while being caged. What do you think?

My first real attempt at something like this, but I hope you like it!

(To other readers, please note that this work is not suitable for people under 18!! Please keep that in mind before reading it!!)

Here’s the link:

[the-ragingenby]

Are we allowed to add details or ideas we want ti already submitted requests?

If it was your own, yes. Feel free to DM me if you’d like.

[the-ragingenby]

what about non-ship requests?

Yep! Also cool. Just tell me everything you’d want me to do with the characters and make it clear that you don’t want it to be romantic.

[the-ragingenby]

Are requests x reader only?

Nope! You can ask for a certain ship and/or an x reader if you’d like! I’ll decide which ones I do at my own discretion though :3

[the-ragingenby]

Request for @starboys-fictionkin-stuff

This was a joy to write, and I love these two so much :3 Hope you like it!

I Love You For You

Gon x Killua

~400 words

Killua found himself lounging on the couch, anxiety gnawing at him. It’s been over a year since he and Gon began their relationship after confessing their mutual feelings for each other. But ever since then, Killua felt he was…lying to Gon. 

Being born a girl wasn’t something he wanted. He hated it, hated himself, for years. But now, he was happy, with himself and his new identity. But Gon…he deserved to know. It just didn’t sit right with him to keep such a big part of himself from him.

Gon wouldn’t judge him or anything. He knew that, but he was still so nervous. So here he was, waiting for Gon to get back from…where did he say he was going again?

He was startled out of his thoughts when the front door opened and Gon skipped in shouting, “Killua!” Killua couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face when Gon dumped whatever was in his hands on the table. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Killua righted his position on the couch, sitting up and looking over at Gon. “Just, uh, thinking.” 

“About what?” Gon plopped himself on the couch beside Killua, leaning against him and humming contentedly. Killua hesitated for a moment, just a moment, but it was enough to get Gon’s attention. Gon fixed him with a slightly worried look. “Are you okay? Is it bad?” 

“No. Nothing bad, I just need to talk to you about something. Something important to me.” Killua murmured, nervously clearing his throat. Gon blinked at him for a moment before sitting up and turning to Killua, listening attentively. 

“You can tell me anything, you know.” Gon added softly, eyes wide and swirling with emotion. 

“I…know. I just…” Killua sighed, averting his gaze. “I was born a girl. But it just never felt right. I didn’t feel right. I’m happy with who I am now, but I just felt that you had a right to know. I didn’t want to…lie? I’m sorry.” 

Gon tilted his head, just a little. “Why are you sorry? There’s nothing to be sorry for. And you weren’t lying either. You’re Killua, right?” Killua, stunned into silence, nodded slowly. “Then that’s all that matters! I love you for you, Killua.” 

Killua felt a rush of affection flow through him, all of it culminating into tears pricking his eyes. “Thank you…Gon.” He whispered, fighting back the urge to start sobbing. 

“H-hey! Don’t cry…” Gon scooted closer, taking Killua’s hands in his own and pressing their foreheads together. “Look, I’m not going anywhere, no matter what.”

Killua could only nod. He didn’t trust his voice not to fail him. But, he was so glad that he had Gon. Honestly, he couldn’t imagine how life would be without him.

[the-ragingenby]

I posted this as a comment before realizing you probably wanted it in asks (first week on tumblr lol) If you don't mind, I'd like to see a Wriothesley x Jean fic. I think the "way too serious couple that learns to have fun together" trope is so underutilized but it would be perfect for them. I know it's kind of a tough rarepair, but I feel like they would meet during a chase for an international criminal that they help each other catch.

An interesting ship! Have I caught up with Genshin since the middle of Inazuma? No. So I had to do a little (a LOT) of research to kinda sorta make this sound okay? I hope you like it :,)

also, learning to spell his name. not fun. too many letters.

Darling

Wriothesley x Jean

~1600 words

Wriothesley let out an irritated sigh as he scribbled out a letter. He hated having to ask her like this, but there was no one else he trusted more to help him with this…problem. 

~

“Jean, you can’t possibly be serious.” Kaeya murmured from his spot in a darkened corner of her office. Jean had called him and Lisa to discuss how they would increase patrols and security now that a serial murderer was running around, fleeing each nation he passed through. “I mean, think about it. Sending the Acting Grand Master out to find some murderer on her own sounds like suicide.”

“Though I would’ve chosen a kinder way to put it, he is right you know.” Lisa added softly, waving a gloved hand. “We need to be on high alert. We can’t exactly ask the other nations for help. And with the Fatui still sniffing around, they may use this incident to try something.” 

“Well…” Jean hesitated, wondering if she should even mention that it was Wriothesley that asked her to help. That would probably make them even more adamant that she shouldn’t go. But…she had to. She did owe him one, after all. “You know what? Never mind. I’ll leave it to Fontaine and their leaders to figure it out.”

Lisa and Kaeya exchanged a suspicious look. “Jean, you never give up that easily. What’s going on? Seriously.” Kaeya finally quipped after a moment, looking her up and down with his good eye. “Did you get a boyfriend or something? Is he from Fontaine?” 

“Kaeya!” Lisa hissed, and Jean fought hard to keep her composure. Kaeya, for some ungodly reason, could always read people like an open book. She had to keep it together and not let him get to her. 

“No, nothing like that.” The words tasted bitter in her mouth, but she carried on, meeting his gaze as evenly as she could. “I’m just…very tired right now. Things have been busy, you understand. For now, we’ll double patrols and see how things go from there.” She gave a decisive nod and rose from her desk.

“Then, good night, Jean.” Lisa waved, her usual smile on her face. Kaeya simply nodded to Jean as she passed, shaking his head softly once she’d gone. 

“Things are going to get a lot more lively around here.” He snorted, giving an exaggerated shrug before slipping from the room. Lisa likely knew something was up, but at least she had the sense to keep that to herself. 

~

It was long past midnight when Jean snuck back into her office, opening a drawer and collecting a letter that sat hidden at the very bottom. Wriothesley…I’ll be there soon. With a sigh, she grabbed a clean sheet of paper and scribbled out a set of instructions for her knights, leaving Kaeya and Lisa jointly in charge. 

Would Kaeya and Lisa be alright on their own? Especially with Klee running around? Yeah…probably. Jean grabbed a cloak from a coatrack in a far corner, draping it over herself and slipping from the Knight’s headquarters, easily sneaking past patrolling knights.

With newfound determination, she made her way through Starfell Valley before finally coming to Starfell Lake. Jean paused, anxiety gnawing at her, and gazed around nervously, wondering if he would actually show. 

“There you are.” A gentle voice came from behind her, its owner shrouded in shadow. “And to think that I was starting to doubt you’d show.” Wriothesley revealed himself from within a tree, landing gracefully beside her. 

“Of course I did.” Jean replied easily, feeling herself relax by just having him beside her. “You said you needed help, so here I am.” Even as she said that, though, she knew deep down that Wriothesley could handle himself. But it made her happy that he called for her anyway. 

“Hm. So I did.” He smiled brightly at Jean, nudging her sofly. “Just wanted to relive old times, y’know? I mean, we did meet on a criminal chase after all.”

Jean let out a snort of amusement and just a smidgen of disbelief. “That was ages ago. And I didn’t think you’d remember all that. It’s not like we were the ones who caught the guy.” Wriothesley’s smile only grew brighter as he gazed at her, before leading the way towards the hidden beach.

“We only didn’t catch him because you distracted me.” He glanced back momentarily to stick out his tongue at her. “You were just too stunning, darling.” Jean sputtered, taken aback by his forwardness, and fought to maintain her composure. 

“You flatter me, Duke. Truly.” Wriothesley snorted at the use of his title. 

“I’ve told you about a million times that you don’t need to use those formalities with me. Besides, I love it when you say my name.” He suddenly froze, not giving Jean any time to retort or feel embarrassment. “Look, there. I’ve been tailing him for days now, but it looks like he’s finally taken a rest.” 

Jean looked towards the cliff that rested above the beach, noticing a small tent and fire set against its base. “Are we sure that’s him?” She whispered, keeping to the shadows to avoid being seen premptively. 

“Positive. I’d know that insignia anywhere. He’d stolen some supplies as he made his way out of Fontaine. My only assumption was that he was trying to make his way to Snezhnaya, since it’d be much more difficult to…retrieve him there.” Wriothesley growled softly, eyes focused on the convict’s tent.

“Please tell me you actually have a plan.” Jean hissed, realizing that Wriothesley was about to charge across the beach and maybe even tackle the tent, if he was feeling it. “How do we know he’s even in there?” 

Wriothesley opened his mouth to retort, but then slowly shut it again, giving a sheepish laugh. “You know what, how about you do the honors?” He gestured vaguely towards the tent, causing Jean to roll her eyes.

“He’s your convict, you know. I’m only here for support.” But even as she said that, Jean found herself aiming her hands towards the tent, sending a burst of anemo to shake it, startling the person inside.

“What’s happening? A storm?” A man poked his head out of the tent, looking out towards the sea. Deciding it was calm enough for his liking, he disappeared back into the tent. 

Wriothesley let out a breathy laugh, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “That’s him alright.” Without another word, he slunk across the beach and began using his cryo to freeze the tent and its windows into place, leaving only the main entrance available.

“What is going on? The weather here is so…weird…” His voice trailed off as he reopened the tent’s door only to be face to face with Wriothesley. “...Shit.” 

~

With nowhere else to run, Wriothesley easily wrangled his escaped convict and, at Jean’s insistence, tossed him into one of Mondstadt’s high security jail cells to be retrieved once it was a more reasonable hour. 

“You know, I didn’t ask you to come out here just for assistance with this recapture mission, right?” Wriothesley asked, sitting along the shore of Starfell Lake, staring into its clear waters.

“I figured.” Jean admitted after a moment, shifting her feet as she stood beside him. “Usually you can handle these things on your own. Not that I minded or anything. I’m…glad you did.” She tacked on quickly. Wriothesley looked up at her, then patted the grassy patch beside him, inviting her to sit. After a moment, she obliged. 

“You’ve just been working so hard lately. And I wanted to give you some reprieve from your work.” He sighed, looking up at the starry sky.

“You say that like you aren’t a workaholic yourself.” Jean snorted, though she felt a rush of affection for the duke. Wriothesley let out a laugh, turning to smile at her. 

“This is true. But I’m working on it, I promise.” He murmured, gently taking her hand in his. “I also just…missed you, so much. And I wanted to say it in person. Any way I wrote it just didn’t feel right.”

“Wriothesley…” Jean breathed, even as she felt her face grow warm with embarrassment. “I…missed you too. A lot.” Wriothesley gently flipped Jean’s hand, running his thumb along her palm. 

“I love you, y’know. And I hate that I can’t be with you all the time.” He admitted after a long moment, holding her hand marginally tighter. 

Jean lowered her gaze, unable to bring herself to meet his eyes. Even as embarrassment coursed through her, she gave him a gently nod, clearing her throat after a moment. “I love you too.” She whispered, her voice barely above the wind blowing through the valley. 

“Ahh, I love hearing you say that, darling.” Wriothesley practically purred, leaning against Jean and sneaking a soft kiss against her cheek. “It’s so good to hear it in person.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jean muttered, but she let him lean his weight on her, begrudgingly accepting his words, and his feelings. He made her happy, and that’s all that mattered.

[the-ragingenby]

Requests

I’m taking requests for some ships or x readers because I need practice but I’m out of ideas

These will generally be one-shots but can be multiple chapters if you give me lots to work with :3

Below are the games/shows/fandoms listed that I’m willing to write for, but feel free to ask for stuff outside of them!

When requesting, give a ship that you’d like to see and a description of what you’d like me to write! I may take some liberties here and there (especially if you aren’t specific) but I’ll basically write anything that isn’t problematic :3

Feel free to also give any other descriptions or things you’d like me to know/add to the request (like if it’s an x reader, whether or not it’s okay to make them gender-neutral or if you have a preference)

List of fandoms (in no particular order)

Ace Attorney

Criminal Minds

Honkai Star Rail

Genshin Impact

My Hero Academia

Haikyuu

Hunter x Hunter

Paw Patrol (just for good fun :3)

DC League of Super-Pets

The Goofy Movie (iykyk)

Warriors

Fire Emblem Engage (the only one I’ve played and still have yet to finish)

Legend of Zelda (BOTW mostly, haven’t finished TOTK)

Love and DeepSpace

Again, feel free to request outside of these things. I just listed stuff that I’m currently interested in :3

That list will probably expand as I find more things I like (or if I remember that stuff exists).

I’ll do as many as I can/am interested in!

[the-ragingenby]

guys don’t even ask me what this is, because I have no idea

Edit: AO3 Crosspost

My Kitten

Aizawa x Gender-Neutral Reader

You fought to keep your tail from twitching with annoyance as your last customer of the day decided to order one of every drink on the menu. “And will that be all for you today?” You ask, keeping your voice light. The customer, an older woman with long blonde hair, nods and pulls out her card to pay.

You bite back a sigh as she pays, handing her the receipt and turning away to make her drinks. All your other coworkers had long gone home; you had agreed to close tonight, but now you were starting to regret it.

You work as fast as you can, dropping ice into cups and pouring assorted mixes into each. For others, you had to brew some more espresso, or even just warm up some milk. She seriously wanted one of everything you had, which you still couldn’t believe.

About ten minutes later, you had handed her all her drinks and she loaded them into a small cart that she brought with her. “Took you long enough.” She muttered once she’d finished, waiting for you to open the door and let her out.

“Have a good night.” You gritted out, tail lashing, as you held the door open for her. Once she’d gone, you let out a heavy sigh, shoulders drooping. Every day was as exhausting as the last, with you having to get people to focus on their orders rather than your ears or tail.

At times, you hated your quirk. You had to be mindful of your tail, otherwise your coworkers would trip. And you needed to keep your emotions, and ears, in check or your boss would accuse you of being disrespectful.

After cleaning up and locking the door, you trudge out into the night. Slipping into your cat form, you trot down the street, tail swaying happily behind you. Being like this made you feel a little better, even if your day was pretty shitty.

You pause, nose twitching, as you notice a particular scent in the air. You had smelled it before, but over the past months, it’s become more regular around the area. You pad along more cautiously, ears swiveling to pick up any danger.

“Well, I didn’t think I’d see you out here again, Cat.” A smooth voice rumbled from the alleyway. You jump away, fur fluffed up with fear, before relaxing. It was that hero that started hanging around recently, though you didn’t know his name. He wore dark clothes with a long scarf on his neck. His eyes were tired as he watched you, but his expression was warm. You had taken a liking to him, especially since he gave the best head scratches.

Letting out a purr, you weave between his legs, looking up at him. You can’t talk in this form, but you meowed at him, hoping he’d know what you wanted. “Yeah, I know, Cat.” He huffed out, amused, as he gently picked you up and settled you in his arms. He quietly pet your head and ears as you purred contentedly. “Wish I knew your name, sweetheart. I’m sure you’ve gotten quite tired of me calling you Cat.”

You honestly didn’t mind, and there really was no way to actually tell him your name. Instead, you reached up a paw to bat at his chin, making him laugh. “Or I guess you really don’t mind.” He murmured, adjusting your position slightly so you’d be more comfortable. “I know I ask you this every time, but where’s your owner, huh? Won’t they be worried about you?”

You let out a huffing mew, smushing your face against his chest. The man rolls his eyes at you, but his expression grows more affectionate. “I’m glad I’ve been able to catch you out here all these times. You make the day more bearable.” He sighs, scratching gently under your chin. “Wish I could be with you more often, kitten.”

Your purrs grow louder in response, relishing in the affection from him. Being honest, you were hoping you’d run into him again. For the past few months, he’s given you the love and affection you were missing, even if you were a cat at the time.

How to explain that you were actually a human though…that you couldn’t figure out how to break to him. You didn’t exactly want to scare him off. You liked him. A lot. And if he didn’t like you in your human form too…you didn’t even want to think about the possibilities. All it sounded like was a lot of heartache for no reason. So, you stayed like this. It was better this way.

~

“Alright, Aizawa, spill.” Yamada demanded in the teacher’s lounge, leaning over the table. “You decide to ditch your friends for months and go to a town you don’t even know for what? To patrol? I don’t buy it!”

“Keep your voice down, Yamada.” Aizawa muttered, but made no attempt to answer his questions.

“Have you finally gotten yourself a partner? Are you shutting us out of your life because you’re in love?” Yamada wailed, slithering onto the ground and flopping there, clutching his chest. “I’m hurt. Truly.”

Aizawa rolled his eyes. “If you must know, I met a little cat. Love them with all my heart.” Yamada shot back up, fixing Aizawa with an unimpressed stare.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. Aizawa! It’s a cat. Please, I beg you. You need to get out more.” Yamada grimaced, but Aizawa proceeded to ignore him again.

“I’ll spend as much time with Cat as I please.” Aizawa snorted, almost a little defensively. “Besides, the area is a little overrun with villains and I’m doing my part to keep them at bay.”

“There is no way you named the cat…Cat.” Yamada gawked at Aizawa, still not fully understanding why this man would want to spend all his free time with some random cat. Aizawa manages a shrug, refocusing on the paperwork in front of him. “You are…unbelievable.”

“So I hear.” Aizawa quips, writing in the grade on one of the papers before moving to the next. Yamada let out a sigh of defeat before ambling away. As he worked, Aizawa found himself wondering when he’d see his little Cat next.

~

It had been another couple weeks and you had made it a point to see Aizawa every day. After finally figuring out his name over the walkie talkie he had on his person, you were even more intrigued by him. He spent more time with you each night, when he could. Although there were a few times when he had to rush off to fight a villain.

With each passing day, you could feel your infatuation for him growing, and it made you feel worse that you hadn’t revealed yourself to him. But honestly, maybe it was better this way. You could tell that just holding you made him feel better, even if the exhaustion never left his eyes.

“My coworkers keep complaining that I’m spending all my time with you, Cat.” Aizawa murmured, gently pressing his head to yours. “But I don’t care. You make me happy.” You can’t help but purr at that, kneading your paws against him. He laughs softly, pressing a soft kiss between your ears before he pulls away, his walkie talkie crackling to life.

“All units, please respond to a rogue villain. Quirk: unknown. Currently in pursuit down Main Street.” A voice announced, causing Aizawa to sigh. He hugs you a little more tightly for a moment before setting you down.

“Alright, kitten, I’ve got to go. Now, go straight home, okay? Don’t go sticking your nose into danger.” Aizawa murmured, running his hand softly down your back before launching away into the night, scarf wrapped tightly around his hand.

You can’t help but feel a little disappointed that your meeting was cut short, but you decide to head home. As you meander down the street, you pause to sniff the air, frowning as you realize rain is coming.

You barely make it a few more blocks before the downpour really starts, drenching your fur. Flattening your ears and squinting against the water, you push onwards, already thinking about how long you’ll have to spend drying yourself off when you get back.

You leap away, yowling, when lightning strikes a nearby lamppost, shattering its lightbulb and taking out all the power in the area. You wonder, briefly, if you can even make it back to your apartment in this weather.

You race down a nearby alleyway, darting into a box tossed on its side to hide from the torrential rainfall. Shivering, you attempt to dry your fur, shaking yourself off in the rather large box. You let out an annoyed huff, thinking about how you’ll stink of mildew if you don’t get dried off properly.

But all those thoughts go out the window when you hear fighting among the crashes of thunder. “You won’t get away with this. Killing a hero, they’ll come for you, y’know.” You stiffen as your blood runs cold. That was…Aizawa’s voice.

“Bahahah! Like I care.” A sharp, menacing voice snarls. You didn’t recognize this one, but it was hurting Aizawa! “Heroes are all scum, so making one disappear is doing the world a favor!”

You race out of the box, charging down the alleyway and plant yourself between Aizawa and some bipedal tiger you had never seen before. A flash of lightning illuminates the alleyway briefly, and Aizawa meets your eyes from where he was collapsed on the ground. “Cat…?” He breathes, his tired eyes drooping as he fights to keep himself conscious.

He was bleeding from somewhere, though you couldn’t quite tell from where. You flatten your ears, turning to face the tiger with a deep growl rumbling in your chest. Leave him alone! You arch your back, spitting and hissing, trying to make yourself look bigger. This was all you could do. If you shifted down, you’d be less agile and those claws would certainly make more of a dent in your softer skin, without the protective fur barrier.

The tiger simply looks at you, an amused smirk gracing his lips. “Oh, what, you wanna keep the hero?” He snorts, lashing his striped tail. “Sure, why not. Us felines have to stick together, eh?” With a harsh cackle, he stalks away into the night, leaving you and Aizawa in the dark alleyway.

Without a moment’s thought, you shift into your human form, leaning over Aizawa and looked him over for injuries. “Hey, are you awake? Can you hear me?” You question, wincing when you notice a cut on his leg.

“Angel…” He mumbles, looking up at you with wide eyes.

“...What?” Before you can ask anything else, he passes out in your arms. You quickly scoop him up and, after pulling him onto your back, you haul him to your apartment, determined to patch him up.

~

Now, Aizawa was always a logical person, that he could stand behind. But here, lying on his side in the pouring rain, he was looking up at the most stunning person he’d ever seen. No, it couldn’t have been a person. It was an angel. It had to be. There was no way anyone who shone so brilliantly could be looking at him.

His eyes fell closed as the sound of rain and thunder surrounded him. Something lifted him up, he thinks, but after that, he wasn’t sure what was happening.

The next thing he knew, he was now awake on someone’s couch with a blanket draped over him and a bandage around his head. A cat was pacing the length of the living room, and at his stirring, they paused and immediately perked up. “Wait…Cat? Is that you?” His mouth fell open as the cat’s form shifted, revealing you in your human form.

“Are you alright? You can hear me, right?” You ask, approaching him and holding a finger in front of his face for him to focus on.

“You were a human this whole time.” Aizawa whispers, mostly to himself, as he follows your now moving finger.

You nervously clear you thought, pulling away a little. “Yeah.” You could feel yourself brace for some sort of meltdown or outburst or rejection or something, but Aizawa simply nods to himself before running a hand over his face.

“I want to apologize for, uh, everything that happened.” He says, sitting up slowly, wincing in mild pain. “It wasn’t appropriate, at all, and I’ll be out of your hair soon. Thank you for everything.” He managed a polite bow of his head.

Gathering your courage, you gently shook your head. “No, uh, it’s okay. I liked it and you…a lot…” Your voice trailed off, turning your head away in embarrassment.

Aizawa blinks at you, in pure disbelief. You saved him, brought him here, listened to his rants about work and his friends, and were just…there for him. “Then…maybe we can start over?” He offered, reaching out a hand. “Hi, my name is Aizawa and I’m a pro hero. Would you do me the honor of maybe going out with me sometime?”

~

Despite everything, you let out a soft laugh, taking his hand in your own. “Of course I will.”

He breaks into a gentle smile, looking up at your ears. “I know you aren’t a cat, er, right now. But…”

You snort, crouching down and leaning your head towards him. “Go ahead. I like it when you rub them.” He reached up, rubbing them softly and you let out a sigh of contentment, leaning into his hand.

The two of you stayed like that for a long while, simply enjoying each other’s presence. Though you were a little anxious about it, you felt at ease with him by your side. “Thank you, kitten.” He murmured, gently pressing a kiss to your temple.

Yeah, you could get used to this.

[the-ragingenby]

umm…oopsies?

Edit: AO3 Cross-post

Dear Fellow Traveler

Epilogue

When Spencer opened his eyes, he was surprised to find himself in the hospital with bandages wrapped around his forehead. “Oww.” He groaned a little, sitting up in his bed and glancing around.

He was in a perfectly white room that was a little too far on the colder side. At least he had a blanket, however thin it was. And they were kind enough to give him some comfy socks. No one was around. Spencer felt a little pang of sadness. I’m all alone.

This was soon remedied, however, as his room’s door gently opened, revealing Derek gingerly holding a box. “Spence! You’re awake.” He looked so relieved, and made his way to the bed, gently placing the box by Spencer’s feet. “Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Just a little sore, I think.” Spencer hesitated for a moment before going on. “I thought I was all alone.” He added softly.

“You’ll never be alone, Spence. Not while you’ve got me.” Derek said with a decisive nod. “I just had to run a little errand for you.” Now Spencer was confused. He carefully eyed the box as Derek opened it up.

Out popped Mojo and Milo, who let out little mews of greeting and picked their way across the bed to snuggle against Spencer. “Y-you brought them? How? Pets aren’t usually allowed…” Spencer gasped as he took Milo in his hands, running his hand over the soft fur.

“Well, it turns out that if you bother a doctor enough they’ll eventually give in.” Derek snorted, setting the box on the floor. “Besides, they missed you a lot. And I thought that being with them would be good for you.”

“You’re the best.” Spencer smiled, allowing Mojo to clamber into his lap and settle in with loud purrs.

“Yeah, I know.” Derek sighed, settling into the chair beside Spencer’s bed. They sat in relative silence for a while, save for the soft purrs of the kittens on his bed. But it needed to be broken eventually, and Spencer didn’t want to be the one to do it. He didn’t want to talk about what had happened…it still hurt.

“I know you probably need to interrogate me for information regarding…what happened.” Spencer murmured, unable to bring himself to meet Derek’s eyes. “I don’t know much that’s useful to you. Gideon kept all his stories and secrets close to his chest. I had to catch him in his best moods to get even a piece of a story out of him. He knew Marcus way back when, but I’m not sure if he knew he was the one stalking me. Hell if I even knew it was him.”

“Spence-” Derek began, but Spencer continued, unhearing.

“I know I’m a suspect. It’s understandable, but you have to believe me when I say that I really knew nothing about all this. I wish I knew where Gideon went, but I honestly don’t know. I wish…I could’ve stopped this all somehow but…” Spencer stopped talking then, his voice cracking as he bowed his head in defeat. “Sorry for putting you through all this.” He added with a whisper, holding the kittens close.

“Spence, hey, listen to me, pretty boy.” Derek murmured, leaning a little closer to him. “We don’t suspect you of anything, alright? You’ve been through a lot, so there’s no reason for you to be apologizing to me. I’m the one who should be sorry. I promised that I’d protect you, take care of you, and I couldn’t even do that right.”

“Nobody’s perfect.” Spencer snickered, good-humoredly. “But seriously, don’t feel bad. I got myself into that mess. I’m just glad you got me out. I almost didn’t think you’d get what I was referring to, but it all worked out.” Spencer adjusted the kittens’ positions so he could reach out to tentatively take Derek’s hand in his own. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I’d give anything to stay by your side, so long as you want me, Spence.” Derek replied easily, flipping Spencer’s hand over to kiss his palm.

“Like I’d ever want to get rid of you, dummy.”

~

Spencer was in the hospital for another day and a half before being cleared to go back home. Derek was glued to his side the whole time, even when Spencer insisted he go back to work. “If you get to take time off from the university, then I can take a few days off work.” Derek mumbled, tugging Spencer ever closer from where they sat huddled together on the couch.

“Your job is much more important than mine. I can afford to take some time off. But your team needs you.” Spencer replied, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, but I need you. And I never get time off anyway. I deserve it.” Derek retorted, letting out a soft huff of laughter when Mojo and Milo skittered past, chasing each other down the hall.

“Alright, alright. But you’d better head back soon before Penelope starts blowing up my phone, wondering where you are and if I’ve kidnapped you.” Spencer decided, sounding mostly serious. Derek let out an amused snort, but eventually conceded to his demands.

“Won’t let nothing happen to you again.” He murmured, falling into a light doze against Spencer’s shoulder, not quite asleep just yet.

“Mmm. I know, Derek. And…thanks.” Derek simply responded by pressing a tender kiss to Spencer’s cheek and tugging him closer. Spencer couldn’t believe how he could be so astoundingly lucky. He’d always gotten the short end of the stick throughout his life and finally, finally, things were looking up.

He may have lost his mentor and spent years of his life constantly looking over his shoulder, but this…he would give anything to stay like this forever.

How could I have gotten so lucky?

[the-ragingenby]

AO3 Crosspost:

Super, duper short. But it’s pretty soft, so yeah.

@flufftober

Prompt: Cinderella Moment (Replaced with Wearing Each Others Clothes)

~200 words

You Little Thief

“Spence!” Spencer lifted his head a little at the sound of his name, though he didn’t take his eyes off his book.

“Yeah?”

“Have you seen my college sweater? I could almost swear I had it in the closet, but I can’t find it.” Derek appeared in the doorway of the living room before Spencer could even begin to react. He shot Derek a sheepish grin, remembering that he had maybe, sort of, taken the sweater. But it was so damn comfy! And smelled nice and safe. It felt like home.

“Sorry.” He snickered, finally closing his book and setting it on the small coffee table. “Your clothes are comfier than mine.”

Derek sighed, though there was nothing but amusement written on his face. “You little thief. I’m only letting you keep that since you look so cute in it.” Spencer stuck his tongue out at him.

“Yeah, and I’m too cute to say no to.”

“You’re a quick learner.” Derek plopped onto the couch beside Spencer, tugging his boyfriend close. “And you’re always so damn nice to cuddle.”

“You aren’t half bad yourself.” Spencer replied, a teasing smile on his face as he pressed into Derek’s touch.

I want to stay like this forever.

[the-ragingenby]

AO3 Crosspost:

As much as it behooves me to do these prompts out of order, the thing I got planned for the second one is like an extra epilogue thingy for the fic I gotta finish. So. It’ll come out when it comes out.

Anyway. Here it is. 20 minutes late.

Don’t ask why, just enjoy.

@flufftober

Prompt: “Wait, you love me?” - “I always have.”

~3350 words

“Wait, you love me?” - “We always have, you dork.”

“Did you hear that Mic and Eraser are together now?” Thirteen announced from their desk in the teacher’s lounge. Midnight rolled her eyes.

“That’s old news. Anyone with a working pair of eyes knows that by now.” Midnight snickered. “Though, it was kinda funny watching Ms. Joke flirting with Aizawa.”

“Well, I felt rather sorry for him, the poor guy.” Toshinori murmured, mostly to himself. He’d known about Hizashi and Aizawa for ages, which still surprised him a little. He didn’t think they trusted him much, especially with something as personal as their relationship status, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

“You are just too sweet, Toshinori!” Midnight gushed. Toshinori felt his mouth twitch, but he kept his polite smile. He wasn’t sure if she was just joking around…or maybe it’s at his own expense. “You’re a much better person than me. I’ll be making fun of him for ages.”

That’s not necessarily true. Toshinori sighed softly. I’m not that great of a person at all.

“I wish you people would find something better to do than just gossip all the time.” Eraser grumbled as he stalked into the teacher’s lounge, fixing them with his usual glower. His glare eased slightly though, as he caught sight of Toshinori. “Oh, good morning, Toshinori.” There was the faintest ghost of a smile on Aizawa’s face before he turned away to get what he really came in here for: another cup of coffee.

“Toshinori,” Midnight whined, draping herself over his shoulder. “How’d you do it? You got him to smile. He won’t even acknowledge the rest of us, that jerk.” She directed her words mostly towards Aizawa, who was pointedly ignoring her now.

Toshinori shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure.” He really wasn’t. He, Aizawa, and Hizashi had started hanging out together after school when they realized they lived in the same apartment complex.

At first, it was just out of politeness, but once Hizashi started crashing his place to insist that Toshinori makes the best bento boxes and Aizawa tagged along, he knew he wouldn’t be able to shake them.

Which has now resulted in the predicament he’s currently in. He may have, perhaps, developed a little crush on the both of them. Just a small one that’s totally not eating up his remaining brain cells. Of course I couldn’t settle for just one, but I just had to want both of them. Maybe I’ve lost it. “It’s because he’s just a big sweetheart. I mean, look at him!” Present Mic piped up, materializing in the doorway and skipping over to Toshinori.

He nudged Midnight away, taking her place draping over Toshinori’s shoulder. “Booo. That’s such a basic answer. Everyone knows that.” Midnight huffed, twirling her whip in her hands. Present Mic stuck out his tongue at her.

“So childish, the both of you.” Eraser chuckled, heading over to plant a gentle kiss on Mic’s cheek before escaping from the lounge.

“Awww. Gross.” Midnight pretended to gag, laughing as Mic fixed her with a halfhearted glare from behind his shades.

“See you later, Toshinori?” Mic asked, pressing his cheek to Toshinori’s own. Toshinori felt himself grow warm with embarrassment.

“Uh, y-yeah. Sure.” Mic smiled and tapped Toshinori’s nose with a finger playfully, before darting off to pester Eraser.

Toshinori pressed a hand to his mouth to contain the little scream that threatened to escape. Sometimes, he wished he could be part of what they had. The little affections the pair gave each other throughout the day, Toshinori could admit he was just a little jealous. But that isn’t right. You have to be happy for your friends. Even if it hurts.

“You okay?” Midnight interrupted his thoughts, her head tipped gently with concern. Toshinori tugged his hand away, pulling on his usual smile.

“Yeah. Never better.”

~

“–and that’s how far I’ve gotten with my training for One For All. I’ve gotten a little better at using Air Force, but I’ll need a little more practice with the gloves. Oh, and I’ve been able to keep One For All consistently at thirty-percent! I think that’s a pretty good accomplishment and…All Might, are you listening?” Izuku blinked, wide-eyed, at Toshinori, who was jolted from his thoughts.

“Oh! Um, of course, young Midoriya. I was just thinking about…something.” Toshinori tried to smile, but it faltered as Izuku stared at him. His eyes were bright, searching and trying to figure out how to help. How to save him.

Toshinori felt a newfound fondness for his successor wash over him. Young Midoriya is really doing his best. This time, though, there isn’t anything he can do. I’d better not worry him. Toshinori smiled brightly, reaching out to pat Izuku’s head. “Not to worry, young Midoriya! It’s nothing All Might can’t handle!”

Izuku smiled. He believed him. Of course he did. Now if only I could believe me.

After listening to the rest of Izuku’s updates, Toshinori let him go, encouraging him to enjoy his lunch with his friends. “Are you sure? I can stay, if you’d like.” Izuku murmured. Toshinori could only laugh.

“Go on, young Midoriya. Enjoy yourself.” Toshinori insisted. With a bright smile, Izuku nodded and left the room, leaving Toshinori alone with his thoughts.

“Geez.” He whispered, rubbing a hand over his face. “I really need to pull myself together.”

“Toshi! This is where you’re always hiding, huh?” Toshinori froze, slowly turning to see Hizashi and Aizawa peeking in through the doorway.

“Ah, um, well…” Toshinori looked away, a little embarrassed. He wasn’t sure why, but even the pair just being near him made him feel all fluttery.

“Don’t mind him. Think he’s had a bit too much coffee today.” Aizawa sighed, sitting a respectful distance from Toshinori on the couch. Hizashi quickly took the spot of his other side, leaning gently against Toshinori as he began nibbling at his lunch.

“Sorry.” Toshinori felt the need to apologize. I don’t want them to feel like I’ve been avoiding them or anything. Even if I kinda am. “I just wanted to give you guys your lunch time together, at least.”

Hizashi snickered, shoveling a ball of rice into his mouth before thoughtfully pressing his chopsticks to his lips. “We get plenty of time together. But we wanna spend time with you too.”

“If you don’t mind.” Aizawa quickly tacked on, eyeing Hizashi reproachfully. Hizashi stuck out his tongue in response. Toshinori blinked, a little surprised at the sentiment, but managed a mild smile.

“I appreciate it.” He murmured, leaning back on the couch a little, with Hizashi moving with him, only shifting a little to get more comfortable.

“Have you eaten yet?” Hizashi asked once he’d finished most of his lunch. Toshinori hesitated for a brief moment before replying. I mean, I didn’t but I’ll do it later. I don’t want to worry them.

“Uh, yeah.” Apparently his hesitation gave him away, because now they were both eyeing him suspiciously. I forgot how hard it is to lie to them. Without a word, Aizawa took one of his lunch containers, which happened to be empty, and portioned out some rice and sausage from his own lunch.

Hizashi dragged the newly filled container over and slid on a few assorted vegetables and sacrificed one of his sushi rolls. “Toshi, you need to take care of yourself properly.” Hizashi chastised playfully, booping Toshinori’s nose with his chopsticks.

Aizawa pulled out a disposable set of chopsticks and placed them beside Toshinori’s newly obtained container of food. “Here. Eat up, okay?” He encouraged gently, glaring fiercely when Hizashi was about to subject the poor guy to another prod, seemingly freezing him in his tracks. “And, if you want, we’ll take you out to eat later. My treat.”

Toshinori didn’t know what to say. He was already having a hard time holding back his tears. Why are they just so damn perfect? “U-um, no, t-that’s alright. You two have done so much for me already.” Toshinori opened the chopsticks and took a mouthful before he could make more of a fool of himself. I’m an idiot. But I don’t want to interrupt their date either. Hah, why is this so hard?

“Toshi, you’ve gotta say yes.” Hizashi whined, putting down his now empty container to cuddle himself more snugly into Toshinori’s uninjured side. “Shota’s been mean and has been depriving me of sweets. You’ve gotta come and bully him into getting me something. He’ll do anything for you.”

“Hizashi, behave.” Aizawa grumbled, though he did not refute anything his partner was saying, Toshinori realized after a moment. He closed his eyes to take a moment to collect himself, and stop himself from spontaneously combusting. When Toshinori reopened them, Aizawa met his gaze with a soft fondness, before his eyes quickly darted away to look elsewhere. I want to but I can’t. They’re together, plain and simple. I don’t want to get in the way of that.

Toshinori plastered on his best smile. “I don’t want to intrude on your, uh, outing? Date, maybe?” He looked away, not wanting to see whatever expression was on their faces. “But thank you for the meal. It…means a lot.” He added more quietly.

That evening, Toshinori was dragged out of his apartment by Aizawa and Hizashi to go out for dinner anyway. He could find nothing to complain about, which in turn made it even harder for him to keep his feelings bottled up, pushed into the bottom of his being to make sure it would never see the light of day.

~

It had been about two weeks since that dinner outing, and if anything, the couple seemed to be growing even closer to Toshinori. Not that he was complaining in the slightest, but now he was acutely aware of every one of Hizashi’s teasing touches or Aizawa’s reassuring pats. It was a little overwhelming to say the least.

“Oh, Toshi!” Hizashi called, lounging on Toshinori’s couch as he walked into the room. “There you are! I’ve been missing you.” Toshinori rolled his eyes.

“I saw you less than an hour ago.” Toshinori chuckled, settling into the small space Hizashi had left for him on the couch. He immediately shifted to rest his head in Toshinori’s lap, humming contentedly.

“Still wayyy too long.” Hizashi huffed, huddling closer. Toshinori couldn’t help but reach his hand down, carefully running it down Hizashi’s back, sort of like petting a cat or a small dog, now that he thought about it. “Your hand feels nice.” Hizashi murmured, a little sleepily, after a few minutes.

“Uh, I’m glad?” Toshinori hesitated, unsure of whether he should take his hand away or–

“Nooooo.” Hizashi whined, arching his back a little into the touch. “Don’t stop, you meanie.” Toshinori swallowed hard, closing his eyes for a brief moment to gather himself. Calm down. This doesn’t mean anything. Just think of him as an oversized, yellow haired, sunglasses-bearing cat.

Shakily, Toshinori continued his massage, if you could call it that. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but the bell soon rang, signaling the start of classes. Toshinori nervously cleared his throat. “Um, I guess you’ve got to go now.” He said, gently shaking Hizashi to wake him up fully.

“Mmm. I knowww.” Hizashi stifled a yawn, sitting up just a little. “I’ll see you later, Toshiiii.” Before Toshinori could react, Hizashi planted a soft, chaste kiss on his cheek. Toshinori sat, stunned, as Hizashi got up properly and managed a drowsy wave before slipping from the room.

“W-what??!”

~

That evening, Toshinori left the school grounds without bothering to say goodbye to anyone. He headed straight home. What am I going to do? Is Hizashi…cheating on Aizawa? With me?? I’m so confused. But I also don’t want to talk to him, because I know I’m going to do something stupid and just make things worse. But then again, he was super sleepy so maybe he didn’t know what he was doing? Maybe it doesn’t mean anything? But what if it does?

Toshinori fiddled with his keys for a brief moment before pushing them into the lock and stepping into his apartment. I just don’t know what to do. When do I ever know what to do? With a heavy sigh, he collapsed onto his couch in the living room. On the bright side, it’s the weekend. So all I need to do is just avoid them until school starts again. That sounds easy enough.

~

It was not, in fact, easy enough.

~

Toshinori opened his door the next afternoon to find, lo and behold, Aizawa standing outside. “Toshi…hey.” Aizawa blinked at him, his tired eyes alight with worry and concern. “Hizashi and I were wondering if you’d like to come over to our place for dinner. We’d like to talk, if that’s alright.”

Toshinori froze. Shit. I knew this was gonna happen. Maybe I should’ve gone on an impromptu trip to Europe or something. “Um…”

“And before you say anything, I want you to know that we aren’t mad at you or anything and both Hizashi and I have things we’d like to admit to you.” Aizawa continued before Toshinori could outright refuse. “...Please. We, I, really want you there.”

Toshinori let out a soft sigh. These guys really make it hard to say no to them. “Alright.” He relented. Though maybe it was all worth it to see that brilliant smile Aizawa had, even if just for a brief moment.

“Come by in a few, okay?” With that, Aizawa bowed a little before leaving. Toshinori closed the door with a soft click, running his hands over his face. I’m in too deep now. I’ll probably be losing some of my closest friends, but that’s okay. I want them to be happy, even if that means I can’t be around to see it.

Toshinori fixed himself up the best he could and made his way over to Aizawa and Hizashi’s apartment, which was only just down the hall. Shakily, he managed to knock once before the door swung open, revealing a Hizashi with his hair down, resting at his shoulders. A black and white cat sat at his feet. “Toshi! Hi.” He greeted warmly, though his smile looked a little tense. “Uh, thanks for coming. This is Cat.” Hizashi gestured to the ball of fur that turned and made its way farther into the apartment.

“Your cat is named Cat?” Toshinori asked, his apprehension momentarily forgotten. Hizashi laughed.

“Yeah. Well, it was all Aizawa really. He’s like super bad with names. I tried changing it, but Aizawa said he’s got custody or something. It’s grown on me a little though.” Hizashi stepped out from the door frame, motioning for Toshinori to enter. “Please, come on in.”

Toshinori carefully made his way through the couple’s apartment, eventually coming to a dining table that Hizashi encouraged him to sit at, before taking a seat next to him. Toshinori couldn’t bring himself to talk about anything else, instead waiting with bated breath for Aizawa to appear.

Hardly a minute had passed when Aizawa came into the room, setting bowls of rice in front of each person, including the chair he had claimed on Toshinori’s other side. On top of each were neatly sliced pork cutlets. “Hope pork cutlets are okay.” Aizawa murmured. “I can’t make them as well as you can, but they’re edible. So.”

“You’re an excellent cook, Aizawa. No need to sell yourself short.” Toshinori insisted, opening up a new pair of disposable chopsticks and taking a small bite. As I thought. It’s very good.

They ate in silence for a while, with Hizashi finishing the food first, as per usual. Once the dishes had been cleared, Toshinori began to excuse himself, half hoping to escape without having to really talk. “Hang on, Toshi. We…gotta talk now. If you’ll let us.” Hizashi said, strangely serious. Toshinori hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Whatever will be, will be.

“‘Zashi told me about what happened in the “secret” teacher’s lounge, where we normally have lunch together.” Aizawa began, meeting Toshinori’s eyes. “Although I didn’t mind, I’ve told him a million times not to be so forward. That he needs to work up to things like that.”

“But that’s not how I roll.” Hizashi snickered, clamping his mouth shut when Aizawa fixed him with his usual glare.

Carefully, Aizawa took one of Toshinori’s hands, holding it gently. “Although we’re in a committed relationship, and have been for ages, we also have quite a soft spot for you. We’re, uh, enamored, to put it in other words.”

“What he’s trying to say is,” Hizashi continued, taking Toshinori’s other hand. “Is that we like you a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. And we wanna date you.” Toshinori’s mouth hung open in shock. I must be hearing things. Maybe I’m going mad.

“Sorry?”

“We wanna date youuu, Toshi.” Hizashi dragged out the words, pressing his lips gently to Toshinori’s hand.

“I…but why?” Toshinori finally found his voice.

“You are…extraordinarily kind. Working one on one with students, encouraging them to push themselves, while always taking time to hear about their problems. And you’re one of the most caring, empathetic people I’ve had the pleasure of working with in a long time.” Aizawa let out a breathy laugh, squeezing Toshinori’s hand just a little tighter. “Is it any wonder why we like you so much?”

Toshinori couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s what anyone would do. I’m not special.”

“For being such a great teacher, you sure can be dense sometimes.” Hizashi sighed. “We don’t want anyone else. We want you.”

“Please.” Aizawa added softly, pressing forehead to Toshinori’s hand.

Toshinori doesn’t know what to make of it. Maybe they’re just messing with me. It just doesn’t make sense otherwise. “I don’t really think you guys would want someone who looks like he’s aged 30 years in the span of a few months.”

To his surprise, Hizashi started laughing, shoulders trembling with the effort to stifle his snickers. Aizawa fixed him with an even sharper glare before returning his attention to Toshinori. “We are truly serious about you, you know.” He whispered. “We don’t care about your looks or anything like that. We care about you.”

Toshinori opened his mouth to give them something, anything, to just refuse him and let him wallow in self-pity. Stop getting your hopes up. “Hey, no more self-deprecating talk, yeah? Otherwise, we’ll have to shut you up ourselves.”

“And how do you intend to do that–" Toshinori was cut off when Aizawa, shockingly enough, moved forward to press a soft kiss to Toshinori’s lips. Without even thinking about it, Toshinori leaned into it, following Aizawa’s lead before he pulled away.

“Sorry.” He breathed, still just a few inches away from Toshinori’s face. “I just couldn’t restrain myself anymore.”

“And you’re always telling me to behave myself.” Hizashi muttered, huffing. “I wanted to kiss him too!”

“You already got to, so it was my turn.” Aizawa shot back, before hesitating for a moment. “I’m really sorry. Was that too much? I probably should’ve asked first.”

“See? You’re just as down bad as me.” Hizashi teased. Aizawa pointedly ignored him.

Toshinori blinked, still a little stunned. “No, no. Um…that was perfect. You were perfect.”

“So does that mean you’ll date us?” Hizashi flashed his best puppy-dog eyes at Toshinori. “We promise to treat you super duper well, and spoil the shit outta you. You deserve it.” Maybe, for once, he can be selfish. Just once.

“Alright.” Toshinori breathed, and was then immediately engulfed in a tight, but careful, hug on both sides.

“Love you.” Aizawa murmured against Toshinori’s shoulder.

“Love y’all more.” Hizashi shot back.

“Wait, you love me?” Toshinori was a little stunned. Love is certainly a step up from like.

“We always have, you dork.” Hizashi was quick to reply, with Aizawa voicing his soft agreement.

[the-ragingenby]

AO3 Cross-post:

It’s like a day late, but oh well. Better late than never :3

@flufftober

Prompt: “I Got You” (replaced with Hot Chocolate)

~850 words

Hot Chocolate (Just for you, you addict)

“Alright, Spence. This is an intervention.” Derek announced with a sigh, snatching the coffee mug off Spencer’s desk before he could protest.

“Hey! Stealing my coffee is a new low for you.” Spencer huffed, glaring at Derek. Derek rolled his eyes.

“Be honest. How many cups of coffee have you had today?” He raised an eyebrow as Spencer looked away, laughing nervously.

“You know, who really keeps track of those things…”

“You do.” Derek frowned a little. “Come on, pretty boy. I know you know exactly how many.”

“Seven…and a half. If you’d just let me finish that one.” Spencer reached in vain for the mug that Derek held just out of reach.

“Yeah. No. I’d better tell Hotch we’re heading out early. You need to get some proper rest and not rely on sugar saturated coffee to stay awake.” Derek decided with a nod, ignoring Spencer’s whisper-shouted protest and made his way to Hotch’s office.

“Sorry to bother, Hotch. But Spencer isn’t feeling the best, so I’m taking him home.” Hotch looked up from his work, his hardened expression softening just a little.

“Go right ahead, Morgan.” Hotch gave him a little nod. “We all know how our resident genius is. Take care of him.”

“Yes, sir.” With a respectful dip of his head, Derek slipped from Hotch’s office and made his way back to Spencer who, to his credit, started packing his stuff.

“Now where are you two off to this early?” JJ asked from her desk, eyeing the pair suspiciously.

“Being taken against my will.” Spencer huffed, slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder.

“You’re being dramatic.” Derek chuckled, nudging him in the general direction of the elevator. “I’m just making sure he gets some rest, that’s all.”

“Living off of coffee again, Spence?” JJ snickered as Spencer rolled his eyes at her. “See you guys later then.”

Derek thanked her with a laugh and followed after Spencer to the elevator. He had only just pressed the button when there was a yell from somewhere behind him.

“Wait a second!” Derek turned to see Penelope racing down the hall, the best she could in heels. “I know I say this every time, but I think it’s an obligation at this point.” She drew herself up and cleared her throat. “You’d better take super good care of him and better not do anything I wouldn’t do. Also, spoil the shit out of him. Spence, let me know if this hunk for brains tries anything.”

Spencer smiled devilishly. “Of course, Garcia. Glad to have someone on my side.” He shot Derek a glare, though it was more playful than anything.

“Let’s go, pretty boy.” Derek waved to Penelope and nudged Spencer into the elevator, watching the doors close behind them.

Although the BAU knew that Spencer and Derek were a thing, they didn’t know that the two of them were living together. “I’d rather have some time to prepare myself for the inevitable teasing I’ll have to sustain from those guys.” Spencer had admitted when they had first discussed just how much of their relationship they’d like to disclose to their co-workers, their friends.

Derek understood. Even if they meant well, their friends can be a bit much sometimes. Especially Garcia. He sighed, smiling. He still cared about them though.

When Derek unlocked the door, he quickly ushered Spencer to the couch, draping a soft blanket over him. “Now stay put. I’ll be right back.”

“Boooo.” Spencer grumbled, cuddling deeper into the blanket until he was little more than a mop of curls.

Derek could hardly suppress a chuckle as he disappeared into the kitchen, soon returning with a pair of steaming mugs and setting one in front of Spencer, who eyed it suspiciously. “Here.”

“You dragged me home for drinking too much coffee to give me…?”

“Hot chocolate, dummy.” Derek pushed it a little closer, allowing Spencer to gaze down at the mug more easily. It was then that he noticed the swirling whipped cream and handful of marshmallows floating on the surface. “To fuel that sugar addiction of yours.”

“It’s not an addiction, just a preference.” Spencer snorted defensively, though he gratefully took the mug in his hands and took a sip. “Thanks, Derek.” Spencer murmured after a moment.

“Anything for you, pretty boy.” Derek replied easily, settling comfortably beside Spencer as he sipped at his own mug of chocolate. Spencer leaned against Derek, humming contentedly.

“Maybe I should drown myself in coffee if this is what I can get out of it.” Spencer teased. Derek rolled his eyes.

“Try it and I’ll hide all the creamer. Only bitter coffee for you.” Derek retorted easily.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would. Try me.”

“Ugh. You’re so mean.” Spencer grumbled again, setting down his now empty mug on the coffee table.

“Mm. But you love me.” Derek planted a sneaky kiss on Spencer’s forehead before he could dive back beneath the blanket.

“Blehhh.” Spencer stuck out his tongue at him before disappearing under the blanket.

Derek rolled his eyes. “Love you too, Spence.”

[the-ragingenby]

erasermic is eating my brain :,)

(Also still taking requests/prompts for fanfics, by the way. I’m totally not running out of ideas or anything…that’d be crazy…)

Edit: AO3 Crosspost

SHIT I FORGOT

MY HERO ACADEMIA ANIME SPOILERS (SEASON 6) RAHH

You Worry Me

Hizashi bit back a laugh as Nemuri and Sekijiro started going at each other again. It’s become a somewhat regular occurrence in the teacher’s lounge, with Sekijiro being snappy and Nemuri returning his quips with even more enthusiasm. “Is there really a need for you guys to do this every day?” Toshinori sighed, though even he had a ghost of a smile on his face. 

“What can I say? He’s a bum. Totally deserves it.” Nemuri snickered, dodging gracefully when Sekijiro made to give her a playful smack. 

Hazashi pressed his hands to his mouth, trying to stifle his giggles. Although things were looking bleak a few weeks ago, I can always count on these guys to make me laugh. It still hurts…but I think it’s manageable now.

Everyone froze when the teacher’s lounge door swung open suddenly, revealing an exhausted Aizawa. He barely spared anyone a glance, purposefully turning his back to them and making himself a cup of coffee. After a few more moments of tense silence, Toshinori, the ever helpful, spoke. “Good afternoon, Aizawa.” His cheeriness sounded forced, even to Hizashi, but the older man pressed on regardless. “How have classes been going?” 

Aizawa didn’t reply for a while, taking a long sip from his coffee. “Fine.” He answered flatly. His usual sass was nowhere to be found. Nemuri frowned, looking just as worried as Hizashi felt. It’s been over a week now, and Aizawa hasn’t spoken so much as a word to him. Now how the hell is that possible when we’re roommates? He was frustrated, but he really didn’t know what to do. He’s even been purposely timing his arrival home so he doesn’t have to see me. It hurts…just a little.

Toshinori nervously cleared his throat. “Oh. Well, that’s good.” He smiled at Aizawa, who finally turned and met it with the dead expression that seemed like it was permanently etched onto his face. Aizawa gave him a halfhearted glare before slipping from the room, mug still clutched in his hand. 

“What the hell was that?” Nemuri growled, whipping around to point accusingly at Hizashi. “I bet you pissed him off or something.”

“Hey, I’ve got nothing to do with that! He hasn’t even spoken to me for at least a week now.” Hizashi was quick to defend himself. “I’ve tried asking, but he won’t tell me what’s wrong.” 

“If he’s not talking to Mic, something’s definitely up.” Sekijiro huffed out. “Honestly, he looks like death.” 

“Thanks for the keen observations, Vlad.” Nemuri rolled her eyes. She made her way over to Hizashi, whispering in his ear. “My best advice, corner him when you guys get home. If he’s not talking to you here, there’s no way he can avoid you at home. Use the cat for leverage.” 

“You think that’ll work?” Hizashi asked blandly, already doubtful. Using our own cat against him. It’s so evil that I almost wish I’d thought of it first. 

“Have you really got a choice right now?” Fair point. With a sigh, Hizashi nodded. 

“Alright, alright. But if things get worse, I’m blaming you.” At that, Nemuri smiled. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Thank me later.” 

“Do I smell secrets?” Snipe eyed the pair from the other side of the room. “How amusing.” 

“It’s like they think we won’t find out.” Sekijiro sniffed, turning away. “Not that I’m curious or anything.” 

“Right. And you don’t have overgrown chompers either.” Nemuri teased, leaving Hizashi to mess with the Blood Hero again. 

“You dissing my teeth, Midnight?” Sekijiro growled, curling his lip in mock anger. Nemuri just stuck out her tongue at him, darting away when he began to chase her. 

Toshinori shook his head. “Those two…” 

~

Back at home, Hizashi waited patiently for Aizawa to arrive. Okay, so maybe patiently was a bit of a stretch. Being perfectly honest, he was anxious. He didn’t want to feel this way, he practically never feels this way, but with Aizawa, things are different.

He had long since changed out of his hero costume, and was now comfortable in his loungewear. Hizashi also made the executive decision to let his hair down, since he didn’t intend to go out again for the rest of the day.

With a sigh, Hizashi leaned back against the couch, allowing Mochi to clamber into his lap, purring loudly. “I know, Mochi. Aizawa’s been in a crummy mood. But you’re gonna help me cheer him up, right?” Mochi blinked up at him, her green eyes wide. After a moment, she let out a soft mrow of acknowledgement. “I knew you’d understand.”

It had been less than an hour, and Hizashi found himself lightly dozing when Aizawa returned, leaving his boots and capture weapon by the door. Mochi flicked Hizashi with her tail, startling him out of his gentle slumber. “Mochi, you jerk, I know you did that on purpose.” Hizashi paused, looking up at Aizawa. 

The long-haired man looked a little worse for wear and more exhausted than usual. Mochi twitched her ears, eyeing him before turning back to Hizashi. “Uh…welcome back.” Hizashi murmured, suddenly feeling very unsure of himself. 

Aizawa hesitated, fixing his gaze on Mochi’s black-and-white form in Hizashi’s lap. “You’re a real traitor, cat.” He huffed out, his voice holding just the slightest hint of a rasp. Hizashi lifted Mochi gently, waving her little paws in the air. 

“She said she’ll cuddle you if you talk to me.” He chided. Aizawa finally met his eyes, just for a brief moment, before turning away. “Come onnnn. Please? How can you say no to this sweet little angel?”

“Are you talking about yourself or the cat?” Aizawa finally gritted out, a hint of his usual self shining through his suddenly, and quite unnecessarily, rough exterior. Hizashi couldn’t help but smile. 

“You wanna come over here for a bit?” Hizashi patted the empty cushion beside him, staring hopefully at Aizawa. Aizawa looked conflicted, eyes darting to focus on everything except Hizashi. He frowned as Aizawa started inching away towards his bedroom. “Aizawa. We’re going to talk, whether you like it or not.” 

“I’m good.” 

“Shouta.” Hizashi said firmly. He almost surprises himself with just how serious he can sound sometimes. Aizawa froze. Hizashi almost never uses his serious voice on him and he very rarely calls him Shouta. After a moment of deliberation, Aizawa reluctantly sits down on the couch, close enough to steal Mochi away but still keeping a respectful distance. 

“Happy now, cat?” Aizawa sighed, letting her butt her head against his hand. She shook her head, purring ceasing as she glanced over at Hizashi. “You’re so expressive that sometimes I forget you’re a cat.” With a shake of his head, he meets Hizashi’s eyes once more. “So what is it you want?”

Hizashi frowned. “What’s been going on, Aizawa? Seriously. I’ve hardly seen you eat a thing and you don’t want to talk to me.” Hizashi drew in a shaky breath. “Did I do something wrong? Because if I did, I’m sorry. You know I’d never want to hurt you on purpose. I don’t want to hurt you at all.” 

Aizawa stayed quiet, gently stroking the cat that perched precariously in his lap. “No.” He cleared his throat a little. “It’s my fault. I just–” Aizawa bowed his head, hiding his eyes with his shaggy hair. “After everything that’s happened, I just feel so useless. And I’ve been taking you for granted. I was just afraid that I’d lose you too. Everyone I get close to ends up dead and I–”

Aizawa cut himself off with a quiet sob. Hizashi pulled Aizawa into a tight hug, careful not to squish Mochi in the process. “Shouta, I didn’t know…” Hizashi murmured, carefully running his fingers through Aizawa’s hair to try and comfort him. “But I’m not going anywhere. Promised that a long time ago.”

Aizawa nodded, still hiding his tears from Hizashi the best he could. “...Okay.” He whispered after a long moment. Hizashi smiled, planting a sneaky kiss on Aizawa’s head. Aizawa let out an annoyed huff, but he didn’t move away. “I’m sorry.” 

“Nothing to be sorry for, Shouta. We’ll work through it, together. Alright?” Aizawa bobbed his head in another nod, pressing himself against Hizashi and making himself more comfortable. Mochi splayed herself out across their laps, thoroughly pleased. 

~

Hizashhi glared at Dr. Kyudai Garaki through his now cracked sunglasses, keeping him firmly by his side. The bastard had revived Shigaraki and now Hizashi had to stop him from doing anything else that might cost the Pros this battle. 

Aizawa had run off to support the others by canceling the multiple quirks those Nomu had. Hizashi felt a swirling feeling in his gut that he could only describe as anxiousness. Explosions and shouts surrounded him, and he almost wished he could go and help Aizawa and the others, but he had a job to do. 

“Present Mic, over here!” Hizashi looked up, sagging with relief as the police arrived to take the doctor into custody. Grabbing the doctor with both arms, he hauled him over to their armored vehicle, pointedly ignoring all the nonsense spewing from the guy’s mouth.

He spent what felt like eons giving them a statement before dropping the doctor off in their capable hands. Now that that’s done, I gotta go help everyone else. Hizashi raced away, heading towards where the explosions were now dying down. 

When he arrived at the battlefield, Shigaraki was nowhere to be found. “Manual!” Hizashi called out, heading over to the hero. “What’s happening?” Upon seeing Hizashi, Masaki winced. 

“Well, Shigaraki got away. There was only so much we could do.” He explained, looking away. “Eraser and Endeavor did their best, but…”

“Where’s Eraser…?” Hizashi asked after a moment. Masaki shook his head. 

“He sustained some terrible wounds, but he still fought hard to protect the work study students. Those kids are lucky.” Masaki frowned. “I did my best. But they took him to the hospital. Last I saw him, he was unconscious.”

Hizashi froze, growing tense. “Do you know where they took him?” He asked. Masaki nodded. 

“The hospital in the next town over. You can’t miss it. I think it’s the biggest one in town.” Hisashi nodded, thanking him before moving to figure out how to get to him as fast as possible, all without breaking too many laws.

~

Hizashi burst into the hospital, eyes wide with worry. “I need to see Aizawa Shouta.” He said as he approached the front desk. A lady looked up at him through her glasses, looking thoroughly unimpressed. 

“Are you his husband? Only family members are allowed to see him right now.” She sighed. 

“Yeah, yeah, I am.” Hizashi was quick to agree. Although it wasn’t true, per say, he just had to see Aizawa, damn it. She sighed again and gave him to room number, belatedly reminding him not to run in the halls as he darted off.

When he came to Aizawa’s room, he let out a quiet gasp at the sight. Aizawa was laid on the hospital bed, head bandaged and his leg was…missing? “What…happened to you, Shouta?” Hizashi breathed, pulling a small chair closer to the bed. 

He carefully took Aizawa’s uninjured hand into his own, holding it like he may never see the man again. Hizashi let out a soft breath, pressing his forward against Aizawa’s hand. “Damn it, Shouta.” Hizashi gritted out. “You…worry me.”

[the-ragingenby]

erasermic kinda has a chokehold on me rn

so if you wanna gimme some prompts/requests to write about ‘em

please

i’ll literally write anything lol (anything REASONABLE)

i’m good at romance and angst though >:3 (sorta)

i just love them so much 😭

[the-ragingenby]

I'm finishing this monstrosity no matter what >:3

(One more chapter left! The epilogue :) )

Edit: AO3 Crosspost

Dear Fellow Traveler

Chapter 6

TW: Vague gun violence and injuries.

Morgan clicked his phone shut, turning to see where Spencer had wandered off to. “Spence?” He paused, noticing the door in the back had been opened. “Spencer?” When he got no response, Morgan frowned, carefully inching towards the door. 

He stepped inside cautiously, listening for any small sound while keeping one hand on his holster. “Spencer, are you there?” Nothing. Morgan could feel anxiety starting to bubble up, but he pushed it down, focusing on trying to find Spencer. He couldn’t have wandered far, right?

Inching into the room, he noticed a particularly dark corner and fished out his flashlight. Stairs? Shining his flashlight around, he finally spotted a black rectangle tossed nearby. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a phone. Spencer’s phone. 

Shakily, Morgan picked it up, staring at the now cracked screen. A few new messages had been received. Morgan stared down at them in horror. 

[12:02 pm]

uN0wN: You have really got to take better care of “your pretty boy”. He was…stupidly easy to get. All because of you.

[12:03 pm]

uN0wN: He takes after Gideon. Always caring too much about the people around them.

[12:03 pm]

uN0wN: I’m not sure what my Spencer sees in you. But you’ll never get him back. After all, he’s mine. 

Morgan felt his heart sink. This was his fault. He let Spencer get taken by that bastard. “Damn it all!” He spat, taking every ounce of his willpower not to crush the phone in his hands. Carefully slipping it into his pocket, he pulled out his phone. 

“Garcia,” He gritted out. “Tell Hotch that I’ll need the team’s help. It’s urgent.”

~

Morgan paced in Gideon’s office as Hotch and the others assessed the crime scene and messages on Spencer’s phone. “He was right about it being a dud.” Garcia muttered through the phone. “A burner. Changes numbers every two days.”

“We’ll need to investigate that staircase.” Hotch decided. “Rossi managed to get the blueprints for the school from the dean.”

“No one really knew about this staircase except for Gideon and the dean.” JJ sighed, shaking her head. “The last time it was even mentioned was in a small campus gossip column that wasn’t even published before being taken down by Gideon himself.”

“So what you’re saying is that the people involved with that column are persons of interest?” Garcia chimed in. 

“They would be, but Spencer mentioned that this guy’s been following him around since high school. So cross-check that with anyone Spencer might’ve had contact with back then.” Prentiss added, sparing a glance towards Morgan. “You okay?”

“Yeah, sure. Just peachy.” Morgan paused in his pacing to glare at her, but he faltered when he noticed her pitying expression. “I just…should’ve been able to protect him. I promised him that I could. And I failed at that one thing.”

“Morgan, it’s okay.” JJ assured him. “We’ll get him back. Both of them.” Morgan tried to stay optimistic. Really, he did. But…what if he never saw Spencer again? No, don’t think like that. You’ll get him back and obliterate that bastard. 

“Hey! I’m getting a feed here!” Garcia cried, typing frantically to share the broadcast on Hotch’s tablet. Morgan rushed over to see, with the rest of the team following quickly. 

There, in that broadcast, sat Spencer and Gideon tied back to back in two chairs. Spencer was slumped over, his hair falling into his eyes, obscuring his face. But Morgan could tell. That was Spencer. No doubt about it. 

“I figured you lot would wanna see what I do with these guys.” A voice murmured from behind the camera, its cadence slow and monotonous. Like it was bored. 

“Let Spencer go!” Morgan practically growled, though he knew that the unsub probably couldn’t hear him. 

“Since our little Spencer seems to be out of commission at the moment, let’s talk to our pal, Gideon.” The voice yammered on, chuckling slightly. “Why don’t you tell your old buddies just how you got into this mess?”

“T-that’s Jason Gideon!” JJ gasped. “What the hell? I thought he was dead!” Hotch looked away.

“He just disappeared one day, so he was presumed dead. That much is true.” Hotch admitted through gritted teeth. “But he contacted me a few years later requesting I keep his status a secret. I apologize.” 

“I know that old coot was too smart to just die.” Rossi snickered, attempting to diffuse the otherwise tense atmosphere. “Though I don’t know how he went and got himself kidnapped.” 

“You leave them out of this.” Gideon wheezed, glaring at the camera defiantly. “It’s me you wanted all this time. Not Spencer, not my old team. Why must you torment him so?”

“You know, as adorable as he is, this is all just a game for me. The pieces have been in motion long before you were even aware you were playing.” The voice let out a harsher laugh, perhaps on the verge of tears. “The fact that you haven’t even realized that is painful, Gideon.”

“Like I give two shits about your pain.” Gideon huffed before letting out a cry of pain as the unsub smacked his side harshly with a cane. A sickening crack rang through the otherwise quiet room. 

“We’ll see if you change your tune soon enough.” The voice said flatly, decisively. After that, the connection was terminated.

“Garcia, could you trace the broadcast?” Morgan asked, every muscle in his body tense. 

“Sort of?” She let out a sort of wail, typing furiously. “I’m trying, I’m trying! But it’s starting to look more and more like you’ll need to go down those stairs. The signal is coming from underground.” 

“I’ll get SWAT.” Hotch said, pulling out his phone. Morgan forced himself not to start pacing again. Once we find Spencer, I’ll need all my strength to beat that bastard into a bloody pulp. 

Within the hour, SWAT arrived on the scene and they all made their way down the steps. Morgan willed himself to focus, but it was growing harder with each minute that Spencer was still in the unsub’s clutches. And Gideon too, Morgan had to remind himself.

They walked in the dark for a few minutes, the area only lit by their flashlights. The staircase opened up into a long hallway with stone flooring and brick walls. “Why does a university need a secret tunnel? It’s not like it’s an old stock broker’s house or something.” Garcia muttered in Morgan’s earpiece as the group continued down the hallway.

“Beats me.” He managed to whisper, before hesitating. “Is that a…wall?” Hotch paused, inching forward to examine it more closely. 

“Looks like it was put in recently. The bricks are significantly newer than the ones in the wall.” Hotch observed, slipping his gun back into his holster. One member of SWAT stepped forward and pushed against the wall.

“Maybe we could bring in the battering ram. Might be able to knock it down.” He said. Hotch gave a half nod.

“While it could work, it might take too long and give our unsub a chance to escape.” Hotch explained. 

“Then maybe a couple of us could go and find another entrance.” JJ suggested as the team headed back to the surface. “With underground tunnels as intricate as these, there must be another way in.” 

“Agreed.” Hotch decided. “Morgan, take Prentiss and explore around campus. See if you can find anything that might lead into those tunnels.”

Morgan wanted to argue, he really did, but he knew just standing around here wouldn’t find Spencer any faster. “Right.”

~

“Of course we don’t find anything.” Prentiss sighed, laying her head against a desk in the Richmond Police Department. Morgan stood nearby, leaning against the counter, nursing what felt like his thirtieth cup of coffee. It was four in the morning now and they still haven’t found anything. And the first twenty-four hours are the most important. We haven’t gotten another broadcast. I don’t know what’s going on. They could be dying and we’re just sitting here!

Rossi marched into the conference room they had set up camp in, looking just a little miffed. “Talked to the dean for hours, but he insists he didn’t know about the wall and doesn’t know about any other entrances. Anything that’s not on the blueprints, he doesn’t know about.”

Morgan let out a grunt, taking a sip of his coffee. “Maybe we’ll have to drill a hole through the floor.” 

“I wish it was that simple.” Prentiss groaned, sitting up to peer at him. “How are you holding up?” Morgan nearly crushed the styrofoam cup in his hand. 

“You’d better keep the unsub from me once we catch him.” Morgan grumbled, newfound anger washing over him. “Might commit a felony if he’s within arm’s reach.”

“Right. Somehow, better than I was expecting.” Prentiss gave him a crooked half-smile. “But no committing felonies. It’ll be too much work to get you out of jail.” Morgan couldn’t help but crack a smile, just a small one. As much as he was worried about Spencer, which was a whole damn lot, he felt that deep down, Spencer was much stronger than probably anyone gave him credit for. He’ll be alright. I just know it. 

“There’s been no updates.” Hotch sighed, stepping into the room. “But I’ve had Garcia run some checks on anyone that might be of interest. So far, nothing’s sticking, but she’s still working on it. She’ll also continue to monitor the channel our unsub had broadcasted from. For now, we’ve had some sleeping arrangements set up for us by the hotel a block over. We’ll all be heading over there and getting a good night’s rest.” Hotch looked at Morgan pointedly, daring him to argue.

He didn’t. 

The group had only slept a few hours before Garcia called them all, yelling, “There’s a new broadcast! Hurry up!” They all congregated in Hotch’s room to watch the broadcast on his tablet.

“Good morning, sleepyheads!” The voice greeted cheerily, poking Spencer in the side. All he did was sit up a little straighter, eying the man carefully. “Gideon, come on. Stop being a poor sport. Passing out from a few smacks is actually kind of embarrassing. Even the little one here took more than that.”

He hurt Spencer. That little bastard hurt Spencer. It was now that Morgan noticed blood trickling from Spencer’s head. His face was otherwise unscathed. “He’s got a head injury. W-we’ve got to find him!” Garcia wailed.

“Just breathe, Garcia. Focus on getting those exact coordinates, okay?” Prentiss assured her, not taking her eyes from the video feed. Garcia made a determined noise of acknowledgement before her typing kicked up again. 

The unsub poked Gideon a few times with the cane from yesterday. Finally, Gideon shifted, tugging a little at his restraints. “Aren’t you growing tired of this? Just let Spencer go and you can do what you want with me.” 

“Don’t you think that’s too easy?!” The voice cackled. “I’m here to make you suffer. And to do that, I need to use this one here.” The unsub reached out to Spencer, tugging his chin so he faced the camera. “Here, why don’t you address our audience, hm? I’m sure Morgan misses you so much.” 

Despite his injury, Spencer met the camera’s gaze steadily, his eyes bright with determination. He cleared his throat before speaking in a rasp. “Season 4, episode 8.” 

“What are you babbling about?” The unsub laughed, tapping Spencer’s forehead. “You could’ve said anything to your boy toy and that’s what you choose to say? Something about some show?” 

Spencer didn’t reply. He continued to stare into the camera, trembling ever so slightly. His eyes were desperate now, pleading with them to understand and come save him.

“Let him go.” Gideon huffed, jerking to jostle both Spencer and the unsub’s grip on him. The unsub let go, a little reluctantly before heading back to the camera. 

“Say so long to your old team, for now.” The unsub decided, ending the broadcast once again. 

“Garcia, anything?” Hotch snapped. 

“I’ve got an approximate location, but I couldn’t narrow it down!” Garcia cried. “All I know is that it’s somewhere on the northern part of campus. Underground like last time. He’s using some sort of blocker to keep me from getting his exact location, but I’ll keep trying…”

Morgan paused for a moment. What could Spencer have meant? He knew I would understand…wait a second. 

“Morgan?” Prentiss asked, looking perplexed. “Do you know what Spencer meant? It has to be some sort of show, right?” 

“Doctor Who!” He exclaimed after a moment. Of course! How could I not see it? Doctor Who is always the answer! Well, not really but whatever! “In the 2008 reboot, that episode is called ‘Silence in the Library’. He’s probably trying to tell us he’s stuck in a library!”

“And there’s only one on the north side of campus!” Garcia added cheerily. “It’s within my approximate coordinates.”

“Then let’s go. I’ll have SWAT start on the battering ram as soon as we find that entrance.” Hotch decided with a nod. At that, everyone shot up and started racing to their rooms to get changed into proper clothes before making their way back to the campus. 

~

“I’ve got a name for our potential suspect.” Garcia announced in the teams’ earpieces as Morgan, Prentiss, and Rossi made their way into the library. “Marcus Warner. He was a massive fan of Gideon with a surprisingly large internet presence, analyzing all his cases and such. Then he disappeared from the web suddenly. It lines up with him meeting Spencer as a substitute teacher at his high school. From there, I think we can all see where it’s going.”

“Ew. He’s a pedophile or something isn’t he.” Prentiss groaned, wrinkling her nose. 

“Plus a couple rape charges on top of that. But he managed to get off with a year and probation.” Garcia made an exaggerated gagging noise. “Why do I always have to research such gross people? Bleh. Makes me feel icky.”

“Sorry, baby girl. But thanks for the info.” Morgan sighed. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” This one I can keep.

“You’d better.” She huffed playfully. Morgan carefully led the group through the library, poking every suspicious looking book and wall, but to no avail. 

“Man, this is going nowhere.” Prentiss groaned, leaning back against a wall. “This is so-” She let out a squeak of shock as she accidentally nudged a small painting and the wall pushed inwards. Prentiss leapt away, eyes wide as a new staircase was exposed in the floor. 

“Well. Damn.” Rossi barked out a laugh. Morgan led the charge down the stairs, gun raised and the others quickly followed. 

“We’re in, Hotch.” Morgan called in through his radio. There was silence for a moment before Hotch acknowledged and prepared SWAT on the other side of the wall. 

They slunk through the semi-darkness, flashlights lighting the path. There was nothing for a while, save for the giant wall, but the group eventually came to a door off to the side. Morgan could hear voices coming from inside. “When Derek finds me, you’ll really regret this.” Morgan froze. That’s Spencer!

“Man, this Morgan dude has really made you bold. How annoying.” The unsub groaned. “Well, how about this? Either Gideon dies, or you do. Take your pick.” 

“Hotch, now!” Rossi hissed into his radio. SWAT bashed into the wall, sending a resounding bang through the tunnel. 

“I choose neither.” Spencer sounded relieved, maybe he heard Hotch and the SWAT team breaking down the wall. “After you tormented me for years, all to get at Gideon, I won’t give you the satisfaction of finishing your so-called mission.” 

“You little-!” The unsub began, then there was a gunshot. Then silence. Deathly silence. 

“Spencer!” Morgan couldn’t wait anymore. 

“Morgan, don’t!” Rossi ordered, but it was too late. Morgan burst the door open, gun raised and prepared to shoot. He froze then, realizing the unsub was collapsed on the floor, bleeding from his abdomen. Spencer was still tied up, but Gideon was free and the gun was in his hands. 

Gideon looked up, meeting Morgan’s eyes with a dullness that was almost startling. “He had wanted me to kill Spencer. Or myself. The arrogant little prick didn’t think I had it in me.” Gideon smiled wryly. “He thought wrong.” 

“Drop your weapon and put your hands up.” Prentiss ordered shakily. Gideon hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. 

“I’ll drop the weapon, fine. But I’m not going to the police.” He slid the gun over to the agents before inching backwards. “I’m finally free. And…so is he.” Gideon jerked his head towards Spencer, who was staring, wide-eyed. “This is my fault. All my fault. I can admit that. And I’m sorry to do this to all of you, after everything we’d been through together.” 

SWAT, Hotch, and JJ appeared in the doorway, but it was too late. Gideon dropped through a hole in the room, not giving anyone time to react. Rossi raced over and peered inside. “It goes into the sewers.” He gagged, backing away. “Not sure how we’ll find him now.” 

Morgan holstered his gun, moving quickly to untie Spencer. “Spence? Spence, can you hear me?” Spencer’s head bobbed in what could pass as a nod. “Good. Can you stand?” Another nod, and Spencer shakily gets to his feet, trembling hard in Morgan’s hold. 

Spencer stared down at the bleeding, broken body in the center of the room. It was only after Morgan gently nudged him that he started moving again, like he was on autopilot. “Get a medic down here now!” One of the SWAT members yelled into his phone.

“You’re safe now, Spence.” Morgan murmured, gently brushing his hair aside to take a closer look at the wound. It was caked with dried blood, but didn’t look too serious. But then again, he wasn’t a doctor either. “I won’t let anything like this happen to you ever again. I promise.” 

Spencer leaned against him, letting out a soft, relieved sigh and burying his face into Morgan’s chest.

[the-ragingenby]

I literally have no excuse for how long this took except that I’m lazy 😅

Edit: AO3 Cross-post

Dear Fellow Traveler

Chapter 5

It’s been almost two weeks since Derek came to visit Spencer. As much as it hurt to admit, Spencer really missed him. “And I bet you miss him too, huh?” Spencer murmured to Milo, who purred happily in his lap while Spencer read. “Yeah, I know.”

Classes would be starting up again tomorrow (the school delayed reopening due to public backlash), but surprisingly enough, Spencer hasn’t heard anything from Gideon. A bit odd, but it also isn’t unlike him to go technology-free for extended periods of time. Hopefully he’ll be there tomorrow.

Spencer spent the rest of the evening playing with the kittens and trying to do anything to distract himself from his phone and waiting for Derek to text him. He let out a sigh as Mojo leapt up, trying to catch the piece of string Spencer flung this way and that. He hasn’t been gone that long and I’m already wishing he were back. He shook his head firmly. No, Spencer. It’s not like you to get so attached. Remember, that’s how you get hurt.

Not long later, Spencer’s phone buzzes. He flings the string down the hall, watching Mojo and Milo scamper after it as he reaches for his phone. Glancing at the message, he can’t help but smile.

[9:42 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Hey, pretty boy. Hope you’re doing well.

[9:43 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Oh, and the little furballs too.

[9:43 pm]

throughthe_Reids: They’re doing great! They’ve settled in really well and are as affectionate as ever.

[9:44 pm]

throughthe_Reids: But they really miss you though :(

[9:45 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Aw, and it’s just the kittens missing me? Then I’ll have to give them lots of kisses once I come to visit again.

[9:46 pm]

throughthe_Reids: And none for me? Wow…breaking my heart over here.

[9:47 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Haha, don’t worry, pretty boy. I haven’t forgotten about you.

[9:48 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: I’ll give you all the love and kisses you want when I see you next. Promise.

Spencer let out an uncharacteristic (and frankly quite embarrassing) squeak, not having expected that response. God…he’s gone and stolen my heart again. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

The pitter patter of little paws drew Spencer’s attention as Mojo and Milo returned, triumphant over the vicious piece of string, bringing an end to its reign of terror. As Spencer gently pet Milo’s ears, he tapped out a reply.

[9:52 pm]

throughthe_Reids: I’m holding you to that <3

Spencer sighed, mentally smacking himself. You really can’t keep doing this. As much as I want to believe him, I just…I don’t know. Maybe I’d feel better about it if I had Gideon’s support, but he’s been…vocally against this. It doesn’t feel wrong though. Maybe…it’ll be different this time around.

~

The next morning, Spencer walked into Gideon’s lecture hall fifteen minutes early, as per usual. What was surprising, though, was that the older man wasn’t here. “Gideon?” Spencer peered into Gideon’s office, but there was no sign of him. He stifled a sigh. “Guess I’m teaching again today. Would it have killed you to give me a little warning before you disappear?”

Spencer continued to mutter to himself as he quickly wrote up some notes and familiarized himself with the assignments and objectives for today’s class.

Before he knew it, students were spilling into the classroom, taking their unassigned-assigned seats. He quickly stepped up to the podium, addressing the students while making some last minute touches to his notes. “Unfortunately, Professor Gideon could not join us today, so you’ll have me. My apologies.”

A couple students groaned, but otherwise there was no protest. Good. Makes it easier for me. Spencer briefly addressed the incident from a few weeks ago and assured the students they had nothing more to worry about before diving right into the lesson.

After a couple hours, class was finally dismissed. With homework assigned and no students hanging back with questions, Spencer considered it a victory. He hung around in Gideon’s office for a while, just in case anyone came back with questions.

He pulled out his phone, eventually settling on checking his messages from Derek. I was gonna wait until I got home, but…damn it, I just wanna talk to him.

[12:49 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Heyy.

[12:49 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Prettyyy boyyyy.

[12:50 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: School’s starting again today, right? How’s that going?

[12:51 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Well, it’s going. The teacher I’m an aide for didn’t show up.

[12:52 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Actually, I haven’t heard from him for two weeks.

[12:52 pm]

throughthe_Reids: I’m slightly worried.

[12:53 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Slightly???

[12:53 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: If I don’t hear from someone for a day, I get worried.

[12:54 pm]

throughthe_Reids: I normally would be. But this person is a little different.

[12:55 pm]

throughthe_Reids: They often go off-the-grid and are less than thrilled with technology as a whole.

[12:55 pm]

throughthe_Reids: So when they wanna have a break from modern life, they just kinda disappear for a while.

[12:57 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Wow. That sounds a lot like a guy that I used to work with.

[12:57 pm]

throughthe_Reids: In any case, they haven’t told me where they were off to. And I don’t know when they’ll be back.

[12:58 pm]

throughthe_Reids: They’ve never been gone this long.

[1:01 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: How about you give them a call?

[1:02 pm]

throughthe_Reids: They might kill me if I do, but at this point, I’m too worried not to.

[1:03 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: I hope that they’ll be okay.

[1:05 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Me too. But they’re the toughest person I’ve ever met.

[1:06 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Even tougher than me D:

[1:07 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Okay, okay. They’re ONE of the toughest people I know.

[1:08 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Happy now, you big baby?

[1:09 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Very :p

Spencer shook his head, letting out a soft huff of amusement. He’s supposed to be law enforcement, but he’s just so childish sometimes. I love it.

After a few hours of waiting around during Gideon’s office hours, Spencer finally headed home, practically collapsing into bed, suddenly feeling drained. Before he drifted off, he attempted a call to Gideon, which rang and rang before going to the pre-recorded voicemail that the older man had never bothered to set up.

Slightly more concerned, he called the emergency number Gideon had provided him with and threatened to smack him if he called when it wasn’t an emergency. But this is! I’m worried and you’ve never been gone this long without notice.

Again, it rang and rang before going to a pre-recorded voicemail. Spencer sat up, frowning, before typing out a text to both numbers.

[6:09 pm]

Spencer: Sorry to bother you, Gideon, but are you alright? You have me a little worried.

Spencer stared down at his phone for a few minutes, but no response came. He sighed, setting his phone aside and laying back down. I’ll give him until tomorrow. If he doesn’t answer, I’ll have to go to the police. I hate to do this to him, but I’m just worried!

He turned on his side, letting out a laugh when he felt tiny paws prodding him. “Hey, Milo. And Mojo too. I forgot you guys are practically attached at the hip.” Carefully, he made a little space beside him to allow the kittens to snuggle up next to him.

Soothed by the soft purrs, Spencer allows himself to fall asleep, letting his concerns melt away, even if for a little while.

~

Spencer woke with a start, quickly stilling himself to not wake to soundly snoozing kittens beside him. Carefully, he reached for his phone, blinking blearily at the bright screen. There were a few messages, but only one really caught his eye.

[6:57 am]

uN0wN: Typically, if someone doesn’t answer their phone or texts, maybe they just don’t want to talk to you.

[6:58 pm]

uN0wN: Of course, you know better, right? He would never ignore you in an emergency, right? I wonder what happened…

[6:59 am]

uN0wN: Use that beautiful brain of yours and figure it out. I’m sure you can do it. I believe in you, after all.

Spencer could scarcely breathe. That…that monster has Gideon. He took Gideon. Why? Why would he take Gideon? He felt tears welling up but quickly blinked them away, dropping his phone and pressing his face into his hands. “I’m so sorry.” He whispered to himself, feeling the tears come rushing back.

He lets out a quiet sob, not sure what to do or feel and he just wanted Gideon back. He was supposed to be the one suffering, not…the one that did everything to protect him. He had to save Gideon.

After however long, he managed to pull himself together. Gently rubbing Milo’s ears, Spencer shakily picked up his phone to check the rest of his messages, pointedly ignoring the ones from that bastard.

[7:02 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Hopefully you’re resting, like you should be. Talk to you later <3

[8:19 am]

De-Reel_Morgan: Good morning, pretty boy.

[8:20 am]

De-Reel_Morgan: Better be taking the best snooze in the world. I’ll call you later.

Spencer couldn’t help but smile. Even though he was feeling horrible, just seeing that Derek was worried about him made him feel a little better.

[8:39 am]

throughthe_Reids: Hey, Derek.

[8:40 am]

De-Reel_Morgan: You alright?

[8:41 am]

throughthe_Reids: Well, yeah, I am.

[8:42 am]

throughthe_Reids: I think.

Spencer hesitated. He wasn’t sure how much to explain to Derek. He might not believe me. And maybe there’s nothing he can do. I’d just be bothering him. He’s probably at work already. He might even have a case lined up.

[8:47 am]

De-Reel_Morgan: Pretty boy. You can tell me. It’s okay, I promise.

Spencer drew in a deep breath. Come on. This is Derek we’re talking about. It’ll be fine, right?

[8:47 am]

throughthe_Reids: Long story short, I think the teacher I help out got kidnapped by my stalker.

When he didn’t get a reply, Spencer was quick to appease whatever questions were surely coming up.

[8:48 am]

throughthe_Reids: I haven’t told anyone else about this yet, and I’m sorry for keeping it from you.

[8:48 am]

throughthe_Reids: I just had to be cautious for obvious reasons.

[8:49 am]

De-Reel_Morgan: Are you home right now?

[8:50 am]

throughthe_Reids: Well, yeah, but I’m not sure what that has to do with this.

[8:51 am]

De-Reel_Morgan: Good. Stay put. I’m on my way.

[8:52 am]

throughthe_Reids: What are you talking about?

[8:53 am]

throughthe_Reids: Please don’t tell me you’re actually coming over here.

[8:54 am]

throughthe_Reids: Derek. You really don’t need to do this.

[9:02 am]

throughthe_Reids: I guess there really is no stopping you.

Spencer groaned, feeling his chest grow tight with anxiety. I made him so worried that he felt he had to come over here. What…what do I do?

That was quickly answered when Penelope called him. “Hey, Penelo-”

“Spence! What’s happening?” She yelled, a mixture of worry and curiosity. Spencer could hear her heels clicking faintly in the background. So she is at work. That means Derek was too. “Morgan just jumped up and said he’s taking a few days off before running away! He said something vaguely about needing to save someone he cares about. Are you in danger?!”

“I’m…okay.” Spencer finally said, not really believing it but maybe if he repeated it enough times it would be true.

“I don’t like how you said that.” Penelope huffed. “So something is going on over there!”

“Yeah, you could say that.” Spencer laughed dryly. He could practically hear Penelope frowning through the phone.

“What’s going on, Spencer?” Penelope asked after a moment, her voice soft. Spencer hesitated, then sighed.

“I’m still trying to figure that out myself.”

“Is it…y’know. That guy again?” Penelope was basically whispering now.

Spencer could feel the tears threatening to flow again. “Mhm.” Penelope let out what could’ve been a snarl of anger.

“No one is gonna hurt you, Spencer. I can promise you that.” She sounded resolved, like she was determined to help despite Spencer not exactly asking her for it yet. “Send me anything you get. I’ll make sure you get the help of the whole BAU. I refuse to keep letting you be terrorized.”

“Thanks, Penelope.” Was all Spencer could muster to say, letting her hang up. He laid back on his bed, kittens snug against his side. Maybe if I wasn’t here, Gideon would still be around. If I hadn’t dragged him into my mess…

A couple hours later, there was a knock at the door. Spencer and the kittens carefully went to go inspect, the pair spying out the window at the visitor while Spencer spied through the peephole. Derek…

He opened the door and was immediately enveloped in a tight hug. “I’m sorry, Spence.” Derek murmured, gently rubbing Spencer’s back. “I’m so sorry.”

Spencer cried then. Really cried. Derek soothed him, guiding him inside and sitting him on the couch. “I just…I could’ve saved him.”

“It’s okay, Spence. Just breathe. Can you do that for me?” Spencer nodded, forcing himself to calm down. It took a tremendous amount of effort, but after a little bit, he was finally ready to talk.

“My mentor, Gideon, uh, used to work for the BAU but quit years ago.” Spencer explained. “He started teaching at the university he had occasionally done guest lectures at. He was more or less comfortable with the school. He often goes off to do his own thing and took my under his wing about five years ago. I won’t give the specific date since that doesn’t matter right now.

“What does matter is that I’ve had a stalker since high school who texts me and follows me around and Gideon was doing his best to protect me from him but now he’s gone and taken Gideon and I don’t know what to do.” Derek blinked at him, as if he wanted to ask a question, but eventually shook his head.

“I see.” He paused for a moment, thinking, before continuing. “If possible, I’d like to see the messages this stalker sent you. Maybe we’ll get a clue.”

Spencer frowned but handed over his phone, letting Derek thumb through the various messages from…that guy. “It’s nothing useful, I’m sure.”

“You’re right.” Derek sighed. “And the phone is probably a burner but I’ll have Garcia run it anyway.”

“She already has. It’s probably a waste of time.” Spencer muttered.

“Then…” Derek pulled on a smile that made Spencer just the slightest bit uneasy. He’s got a horrible, horrible plan. I can smell it.

~

Spencer takes Derek to the university to investigate Gideon’s office. “This place is trashed! I was just here yesterday and it was fine.” Spencer gasped, staring at the strewn papers and books.

“Our unsub might’ve been here. Maybe he was looking for something?” Derek offered, stepping carefully to not disturb any of the evidence.

“It looks more like stuff tossed in anger, rather than a search. But maybe that’s just me.” Spencer observed after a moment. “Have you contacted the police?”

“They’re at his apartment. I’m not sure if they’ll find any leads though.”

“He’s got another place, but I don’t know where it is. He said it’s a secret.”

“Well, there’s gotta be a way to find it. Maybe I’ll try and get those phones tracked.” Derek decided with a nod, stepping aside to make a few quick phone calls. While he was busy, Spencer eased his way to the back of Gideon’s office, eyeing the door that always peaked his curiosity, but he was never allowed in.

With a sigh, he slipped on a glove and carefully turned the knob, surprised to find it unlocked. Inside could be described liberally as a dungeon, but really it looked more like a sort of cellar? But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would Gideon have access to something like this?

He turned to call Derek and tell him what he’s found, but a sudden noise had him whipping back around, gazing into the half-light. Shakily, he pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight. “Hello? Is someone here?”

Spencer was about to turn back and run out of the room when a hand snakes around his waist, with another pressing hard against his mouth. “Well, this was much easier than I anticipated. It’s like you were begging for me to come find you.”

Spencer knows that voice. That damn voice that’s been haunting him for years. He yelled against his hand, but he was sure no one would hear. This…this is it. I’m so sorry, Derek…Gideon.

“Now, be a good boy and come along.” The voice ordered, nudging Spencer towards a flight of stairs in the darkened room. “You’ll make this so much easier for the both of us if you just cooperate. After all, you don’t want your little Derek Morgan getting hurt, now do you?”

Spencer froze at that. Don’t you dare hurt Derek! With a few tears, Spencer bowed his head a little and allowed himself to be led away into the darkness, making sure to toss his phone into a far corner.

I’m so sorry.

[the-ragingenby]

This took longer than expected, but I finally finished it! I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for your requests! This is a sort of mishmash of all of them.

(Quick little note before you read: I'm not from the UK, but I did my best with Hobie's dialogue :'). I hope it's accurate enough)

(Edit) AO3 Cross-post:

~4000 words

"Never Web Me Go"

Miles ducked down, narrowly avoiding the dumpster that flew at his head. “Come on, man! Let’s just talk about this!” He had just managed to get home, after a long, tedious, journey of hopping from world to world trying to find his way back to his true home. And now I’ve got to deal with another villain. I just…can’t catch a break. “I’m really not in the mood.” 

This villain, who called themselves Purple Urple (For some odd reason Miles couldn’t quite figure out. Their suit wasn’t even remotely purple anyway), was dead-set on robbing a small laundromat, of all things. 

“You just don’t understand me!” Purple Urple spat, pointing an accusing finger at Miles while they dug around in the quarter machine they had dragged into the alleyway. “Just let me grab some quarters and I’ll be on my way.” Miles clenched his fists, fighting back a whirlwind of insults. Just breathe, man. Breathe. 

“Listen, I’ve got things to do, so let’s wrap this up, yeah?” Miles huffed out. He actually didn’t have anything he really needed to do, other than sulk in his room. But this villain didn’t need to know that. And they’d have no reason to care. 

Snapping out of his thoughts, he quickly cocooned them with his webs and rolled him back out onto the street. Ignoring Purple Urple’s screeches of protest, Miles leaned his immobilized body against the building and quickly scribbled a note for any passersby to deal with. 

“Screw you! I hope you die, you little brat!” Purple Urple hissed. Miles stared at him blankly for a moment before taping his mouth shut with another piece of web. 

“Hah, yeah. I know. You’re not the only one.” Miles laughed dryly, rolling his shoulders before swinging away. 

As he flew through the city, lit by hundreds of dazzling lights as night fell, the adrenaline wore off and he was finally alone with his thoughts. I really…shouldn’t be here. I didn’t deserve to win. I should’ve had to suffer like everyone else. Otherwise, am I really Spider-Man? 

He was so lost in his thoughts, he nearly swung right past his apartment. Shit. Miles quickly recalculated and landed on the far wall of his apartment building, carefully peering into the window in the living room. There was no sign of his parents, but he couldn’t be too careful. 

Slowly sliding open the window, he turned invisible and climbed across the ceiling, pausing as he noticed a note on the kitchen counter. 

Miles, your father and I know you went out with a friend, so we took some time to visit ours too! We’ll be back in a couple days. Much love, Mama. 

Miles fought back a smile, turning off his invisibility as he lowered himself from the ceiling. They still believed me. I gave them such a half-assed lie and…they still chose to believe me. Miles felt his eyes begin to water, but quickly blinked the tears away. 

He pulled off his mask and trudged to his room, pausing suddenly as he sensed someone else was in the apartment with him. And they’re in my room. 

Tensely, Miles pulled on his jacket hanging on the rack to hide his suit and kicked open the door with a loud cry, fully prepared to tackle the intruder. “Oi, no need to be so violent! It’s just me.” There sat Hobie, perched on the edge of Miles’ bed, jacket and all. 

Miles forced himself to relax, though he felt his hands shaking as he shoved them in his pockets. “What the hell are you doing here? Scared the shit out of me!” Hobie smiled at him, but it quickly turned to a frown as he took in Miles' state. 

Miles realized belatedly that his jacket was trying its hardest to fall off his shoulders, showing off his mangled suit, torn in a few places. “You’re hurt.” Hobie said it in a manner that left no room for argument. Not that it matters. I don’t know if I have anything left in me. 

Hobie leaped to his feet, carefully but firmly ushering Miles to sit on the bed. “I’m fine, really.” Miles tried to convince him, but even he wouldn’t believe himself with the way his voice was shaking. 

“Where do ya keep the first-aid kit?” Hobie asked, ignoring his previous protest. Miles let out a sigh. 

“In the bathroom. Down the hall, first door to the right.” With a nod, Hobie disappeared from the room, leaving Miles to his thoughts. Why was he here? Did Gwen send him? I knew she was busy dealing with stuff; we all were. But… He looked up, startled, when Hobie reappeared in front of him. “Ah-” Hobie dug around in the small red box, setting out some gauze and bandages. 

“Take off the jacket. Suit too, at least part way.” Hobie turned around, keeping his back to Miles. “Won’t look ‘til you’re done. Promise.” Miles felt his body move as though on autopilot. He didn’t even register what Hobie said, really, until he had undone the top of his suit, leaving his battered shoulders exposed. 

“You really don’t need to do this. I’ll be alright on my own.” Miles began, clearing his throat. Hobie took that as a sign that he’d finished, and whipped back around. His frown dissipated when he realized none of Miles’ wounds were particularly severe. 

“I’m ‘ere ‘cause I wanted to be.” Hobie replied, his voice soft, and shockingly tender. “I knew that things would’ve gotten rough but…” He paused, carefully dabbing a cut on Miles’ shoulder with some sort of ointment before covering the wound with a bandage. “I should’ve been here sooner.” 

Miles' eyes went wide. “It’s not your fault or anything, Hobie. Honestly.” He waved off Hobie’s words, wincing as Hobie applied the ointment to another small wound. “So you never told me what you’re doing here. Did something happen?” 

Hobie pulled away with a satisfied nod before meeting Miles’ eyes. “Well. Just didn’t think ya wanted to be alone right now. Unless I’m wrong. Then I can go.” Miles froze as Hobie inched towards Miles’ bedroom window. 

“N-no!” Miles exclaimed, much more loudly than he’d intended. He cleared his throat. “Um, please. Stay. If you want to, I mean. I don’t wanna force you or anything-” God, I’m such a mess. 

“Ay,” Hobie gently interjected, a soft, barely there smile on his face. “I’ll stay. But get changed, yeah?” He reached out and gently patted Miles’ head before stepping out of Miles’ room, closing the door behind him.

Miles sat there, stunned. Hobie cared. Miles felt a wave of affection roll over him, but he just as quickly pushed it away. You always do this. He’s just being a good friend. There’s nothing more to it. Miles felt tears welling up, but blinked them away. Just gotta keep my head up, or some shit like that. Don’t wanna keep Hobie too long. My heart probably couldn’t take it. 

He pushed himself up from the bed, pointedly ignoring his embarrassment from his half undone suit, and quickly changed into some sweats and an old shirt, carefully sliding them over the bandages. 

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Miles slunk out of his room, eyeing Hobie who made himself comfortable on the kitchen counter. “Welcome back, love.” He greeted with a little wave. Beside him sat two steaming mugs. Hobie pushed on towards Miles as he approached the counter. “Wasn’t sure what kind of tea you liked, so I dug around some and found lavender. Ya family’s got good taste.” 

“Careful you don’t scuff up the countertop. My mom’ll kill you.” Miles attempted at his usual humor, gratefully taking the mug and taking a few sips. “And lavender? Are you trying to put me to sleep or something?” Hobie let out a huffing laugh. 

“Think that’s chamomile. But sure, love. And I took off my boots, didn’t I?” Hobie’s playfulness died away, his face donning a more serious expression. “You've been through a lot though. Do you wanna talk about it?” Miles’ mouth twitched, and he chose his next words carefully, unsure of what Hobie had planned. 

“I, uh, jumped from world to world and fought a few villains in each of them. It, uh, was more difficult than I expected, but I’m here now. So.” Miles explained as shortly as possible, not wanting to give Hobie an opportunity to prod further. 

“Surely that’s not it?” Hobie said, tipping his head ever so slightly. (And damn did it only add to his charm. Not that Miles thought he was charming. Not at all.) 

“Uh, yep.” Miles nodded quickly. “That’s all.” Hobie pursed his lips for a moment, formulating a new tactic. 

“Then, tell me about the big chase. Ya know what I’m talking about.” Hobie leaned forward and- when did he get so close? Miles swallowed hard and nodded again, hoping he didn’t look too nervous. I don’t want to explain the reasoning behind that. 

“Miguel wanted me dead.” Miles started, trying his damndest to focus on the heat of the mug in his hands instead of Hobie’s face. “That much was clear from the moment I wanted to leave. He told every damn Spider-Person in that place to chase me down. I…really thought it was the end for me.”

Miles set down his mug, pressing his clenched fists against the kitchen counter. Hobie sighed softly, reaching out to gently rub Miles’ uninjured shoulder, soothing him somewhat. “That’s why I quit.” He huffed out. “The bastard was taking things way too far. Couldn’t be told to hunt down someone I care about and be okay with it.” 

Despite himself, Miles let out a laugh. “Yeah, but then again, you don’t take orders, do ya?” Hobie finally smiled once more. 

“‘Course I don’t.” He puffed out his chest a little. “But I’d be willing to make exceptions on occasion.” At that, Miles perked up. 

“Oh yeah? For who?” He inquired, surprised that Hobie would be willing to take orders from, well, anyone. In response, Hobie just patted his head. 

“That’s a secret between me and myself, love.” Hobie teased, sticking out his tongue when Miles pouted, disappointed but unsurprised by the half-answer. “But hey, listen to me, yeah?” Slowly, purposefully, Hobie took Miles' face in his hands, forcing him to meet his eyes. “Don’t listen to them, alright? They’re all idiots. ‘Cept your Peter, and Gwendy, and Pav. They’re still idiots, but they’re your idiots and- I’m getting distracted.” 

“Yeah, I tend to have that effect on people.” Miles teased, sticking out his tongue as his cheeks were still held captive. 

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” Hobie cleared his throat a little. “But you mean a lot to loads of people, yeah? ‘Specially me. I…don’t really know what things would be like without you, Miles.” 

Miles sucked in a breath, unsure of what to expect and focusing his gaze everywhere but on Hobie’s face. “I-” At Hobie’s playful glare, Miles quickly clamped his mouth shut, instead accepting Hobie’s words with a nod. 

“Feeling better?” Hobie released Miles’ face, pulling away to finish his tea before it got too cold. 

“Yeah, actually.” Miles took the opportunity to quickly finish his own tea. He set down the mug, making a mental note to wash it later. “Thank you for, y’know, being here for me. I know you did have to, and you were probably busy.”

“Miles, love, I’m never too busy for you. Of all people.” Hobie hopped off the countertop and set their mugs in the sink. He hesitated for a moment before pulling Miles into a tight hug. “I’ll always be ‘ere for you.” Hobie whispered, pulling Miles ever closer. 

Miles felt his heart skip a few beats. How does he keep managing to do this to me? I feel like a little kid with a crush. “Thanks, Hobie.” Was all he could muster without tumbling and tripping over his words. With a hum, Hobie pulled away, patting Miles’ uninjured shoulder. 

“Right. Now ya better get to bed.” Without another word, Hobie ushered Miles back to his bedroom. He settled himself in the windowsill as Miles tucked himself into bed, staring up at the ceiling. 

“You really don’t have to stay the night, y’know.” Miles murmured. Hobie huffed a laugh.

“I’ve told you ‘bout a thousand times now.” Hobie replied easily, “I wanna be here. With you. So come off it.”

“But why?” Miles sat up, desperate to know why Hobie, the coolest, most charming, and charismatic guy around wanted to hang around Miles. He was a mistake. He wasn’t supposed to be Spider-Man, hell, he wasn’t even supposed to meet Hobie.

“Because I love you.” Hobie said it so softly that Miles was almost sure he had misheard him. It had to have been a mistake, right? Hobie didn’t love him, of all people. Why would he have any reason to? 

Lost in his thoughts, he was startled when Hobie appeared beside him, plopped down on the floor, abandoning his spot in the windowsill. “Sorry, w-what did you say?” Hobie chuckled, resting his head against Miles’ bed. 

“Said I love you.” Hobie repeated, a little louder. “And I know ya gonna ask why, so I’ll tell ya now.” Miles didn’t know what to say, his mouth hanging open in shock. “And close your mouth, you’ll catch flies.” And like that, Miles snapped his mouth shut. 

“I just don’t understand.” Miles breathed, pressing his hands to his face as he let out a little scream. He loves me? How? When? Why? Why me? 

“You’ll get it once I explain it, darling.” Hobie teased gently, reaching up to tug Miles’ hands from his face and hold them in his own. “I knew I liked you from the start. Anyone cool with Gwendy is cool with me, y’know? But then, you started to do things no one else could or dared to. You were so quick to jump in and save someone you didn't know, and to help out a new friend you’d barely met.” Hobie took a deep breath. “You’re just…so amazing, Miles.” 

Miles gasped as Hobie delicately kissed his hands before placing them back in Miles’ lap. “Oh.” Was all Miles could think so say, with his thoughts whirling a mile a minute. “Didn’t think you were a romantic, Mr. I-Kill-Cops-For-Fun.” 

“Oi. That was only once. Or twice.” Hobie retorted playfully, poking Miles gently. “Oh, uh, and I don’t expect you to reciprocate or anything. If you were worried about that. Just something I needed to get off my chest.” 

At that, Miles smiled. If he could do it, there’s no reason why I can’t. Makes it less embarrassing for me. “Well, I, uh, love you too, Hobie.” Miles rushed out, ending with a cough to try and cover up his words. Nope. I take it back. Still embarrassing. 

Hobie looked a little stunned, then began to laugh. “Guess my charms worked on ya after all! I was starting to wonder if I was reading things wrong.” 

“Yeah, right.” Miles rolled his eyes. “I’m pretty sure we’re both just super oblivious.” Hobie raised one hand in defeat. 

“Alright, alright. You caught me.” Hobie admitted, as though it pained him to do so. “Might've been just the slightest bit worried about what you’d say.” 

“Hobie? Being worried about what others might say? I don’t believe it.” Miles teased, dodging Hobie’s playful smack. 

“Yeah, well, it’s just you.” Hobie muttered, though his tone was still light. “Just didn’t want to disappoint, is all.” He’s fucking adorable. 

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, with Miles scooting farther down the bed to let Hobie pet his hair. It was when Miles was almost asleep that he realized Hobie was probably uncomfortable down there. “Do ya wanna come up?” Miles asked, stifling a yawn. 

Hobie stared, wide-eyed, before replying. “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose-”

“You’re probably not comfortable down there and there’s plenty of room.” Miles was quick to say. (Maybe it was the sleep talking. It had to be. Miles would never say that normally. Probably. Actually, maybe he would. But he knew he wanted this, and he needed to go for it before the opportunity slipped by.) 

Hobie offered him a lopsided smile, hesitantly pulling himself up. Miles rolled to the far side of his bed, making room for Hobie to shuffle beside him, keeping a respectful distance. Miles let out a snort, in slight disbelief that cuddling was where Hobie drew some sort of boundary. He had no issues smooshing Miles’ face in his hands or anything. “Sorry.” Hobie whispered, realizing how tense he seemed and forced himself to relax. “Didn’t wanna push my luck, is all.” 

“Would it make you feel any better if I said I didn’t mind?” Miles murmured, eyeing Hobie carefully. Hobie hesitated, then gave a quick nod and inched towards Miles, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. Miles let out a gentle sigh, feeling as though everything that had happened over the last few days was far, far away. All that mattered was being snug in Hobie’s arms, just for a little longer. 

“Sleep well, love.” Hobie whispered, gently petting Miles’ hair as he drifted off to sleep. 

Miles woke the next morning wrapped in Hobie’s arms. He let out a chuckle as the taller man snored softly, still asleep. After glancing at the clock, Miles wriggled an arm free and flicked at his nose. “Wake up, dummy. It’s already past nine.” 

“Whazzat?” Hobie blinked, stifling a yawn as he fixed his sleepy gaze on Miles. “Five more minutes...” He pleaded, burying his face into Miles’ uninjured shoulder. Miles rolled his eyes, but gave in to Hobie’s request. 

Five minutes became ten, and soon Miles was dragging Hobie out of bed. “Come on, Hobie. If you get up now, I’ll make you breakfast.” Perhaps it was the promise of food or that Miles would be cooking, but those words were what managed to coax Hobie out of bed. 

“Why didn’t ya say so sooner, love?” He hopped up and bounded from the room, presumably heading to the bathroom to wash up. Has he always been calling me love? Am I just blind to these types of things? Or maybe I was reading so deeply into every little thing that I missed the obvious stuff right in front of me. Miles sighed. Damn, I really am an idiot. 

Too lazy to change into new clothes, Miles padded to the kitchen, digging through the refrigerator, trying to decide what to make. He eventually settled on eggs and toast, and went about preparing it when a weight settled on his back, leaning over his shoulder. “Y’know, you’re kinda heavy, man.” Miles huffed, carefully cracking a few eggs into a pan, eyeing them as they cooked. 

“And you’re comfy.” Hobie replied easily, spying into the pan as Miles cooked. He followed him to the toaster, watching lazily as he dropped in a few slices of bread. It was when Miles pulled out the mugs that Hobie froze. 

Miles tried to ignore Hobie who stood frozen in the center of the kitchen as he filled them with water and put them in the microwave. “What’s the problem, Sir Brit?” 

“Tell me that water isn’t for tea.” Hobie whispered, shakily pointing to the microwave as the mugs spun round and round. Miles rolled his eyes. 

“What else would they be for? Taking a bath or something?” Miles laughed, watching as Hobie collapsed over the counter, letting out an exaggerated wail. 

“I’m in love with a guy who wants to microwave tea! I think I’m feeling faint.” Hobie gasped sliding down the counter and plopping onto the floor. “It’s the end. I’m doomed.” 

“Get up, you big baby.” Miles suppressed another laugh at Hobie’s antics, returning his attention to the eggs, making sure they’re cooked to perfection. 

After plating everything and setting up a makeshift dining table using the countertop, Miles looked down at Hobie, who still lay sprawled out on the floor. “I’ve passed away. Hobie is no more.” 

“Guess that means I can take your jacket then, huh?” Miles teased. Hobie shrugged. 

“All yours. Knock yourself out.” Miles grinned at that. 

“Then I’ll have to eat all this extra food I made myself.” Miles sighed, nibbling at the eggs on his plate. At that, Hobie shot up, materializing beside his own plate. 

“Naw, this food’s mine, love. After all, didn’t you make it ‘specially for me?” Hobie batted his eyes innocently at Miles, who rolled his own and ignored his dramatics. 

After they ate, Miles convinced Hobie to, begrudgingly, help wash up before his parents got back. So. Are we dating now? I don’t know, and I’m afraid to ask. Why am I afraid? There’s literally nothing bad that could happen. Except if he says no. But why would he? We talked about a lot over the past, like, thirteen hours. But what if it wasn’t enough? What if-

“Alright, what’s on your mind, love?” Hobie had dragged him to the couch, forcing him to relax instead of rushing off to do more cleaning. “I can hear you thinking in there.” He gently poked Miles' head for emphasis. Miles drew in a steadying breath before replying. 

“Are we, like, dating?” Miles asked before he lost his nerve. “I just…we didn’t exactly discuss it.” Hobie laughed gently, pressing a soft kiss to Miles’ cheek. 

“Well, Hobie Brown doesn’t do labels.” Hobie huffed, though a playful smile tugged at his lips. “But it would be an honor to call you my boyfriend, Miles.” He leaned closer, his voice just above a whisper. “Besides,” He added. “Thought we already were, darling. Doubt we’d be doing all this if we weren’t, yeah?” Hobie practically purred, moving to pet Miles’ hair again.

Miles hesitated, then nodded. Hobie offered him a reassuring smile, one that finally put Miles’ restless heart and mind at ease. 

He was jerked from his reprieve when the front door unlocked and his parents waltzed in, announcing their arrival. 

Miles pushed himself from the couch, Hobie following closely behind. “Listen, you’d better behave yourself. My parents are no-nonsense kind of people.” Miles stated as he walked through the kitchen towards the front door. 

“I always behave myself, thank you very much. When I choose to, anyway.” Hobie replied with a playful laugh. Miles sighed. They’re gonna kill him. 

“Miles!” Mrs. Morales called, capturing her son in a tight embrace. “We missed you so much.”

“Sorry if I worried you, Mama. Got caught up with my friends.” Miles apologized, wheezing as he was squeezed even tighter. 

Miles’ dad eyed Hobie suspiciously. “And who’s this?” He asked, crossing his arms as Mrs. Morales finally released her son. Ah. 

“This is Hobie. One of the friends I’d mentioned before.” Miles explained. 

“‘Ello, Missus Morales. Lovely to meet you in person.” Hobie reached out to shake her hand. “Miles sings plenty of praises about you.”

“Does he?” Mrs. Morales pinched her son’s cheek affectionately. “Well, as long as they’re all good things.” 

“Oh, of course.” He assured her, pointedly ignoring Miles’ father. 

“Hello, Hobie.” Mr. Morales said loudly, trying to make his presence known. Hobie’s gaze slid over to him, looking him up and down with unmasked distaste. 

“Hello, Mister Morales.” Hobie nearly spat out the words. Miles’ kicked backwards, hitting his shin. 

“Behave!” He hissed as Hobie let out a quiet yelp of pain. 

“Lovely to meet you as well.” Hobie huffed out, plastering on a tight smile and extending his hand for Mr. Morales to shake. Mr. Morales did so, begrudgingly. 

“Well, you’re welcome to stay anytime. Don’t be a stranger.” Mrs. Morales added with a nod before pulling her husband along, deeper into the apartment. 

Once they’d gone, Miles broke into a fit of giggles. “They totally think you’re in a gang or something.” 

“I mean, does a gang of one count?” Hobie snickered, dodging Miles’ playful flick. 

“I think the word ‘gang’ is inherently plural, in the sense that it would have more than one person involved.” Miles explained. Hobie rolled his eyes. 

“Ugh, stop with the smart and stick with the cute. You’re making my brain hurt over here.” Hobie groaned, collapsed over Miles’ shoulder. 

“You’re insufferable.” Miles huffed. Hobie just laughed. 

“Mm. But you love me.”

“I do. I really do.”