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ggomos-maribat · 2 years ago

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Secrets, Thrice Divulged

Part 4 of Heirs Apparent | AO3

Masterlist

Words in bold italics are spoken in Arabic. CW: mild blood, violence, vehicle accident

Danny didn't believe in luck.

He'd grown up in the League, where he had been waltzing with death, where he had close calls and near-misses. Where he was taught that one slip-up, one gap in his skills made him doubt he was going to be alive in the next morning. He didn't entertain the idea of luck, not when he found his passion in astrophysics. Things didn't happen by mere luck; there was only probability and chance. Even in his transition into a halfa, he knew it wasn't completely random, not when his family had an entire ghost portal situated in their basement.

But if luck truly did exist, he knew he had the worst one.

"I can't believe they left us here, in a different city, just because they caught a strong ecto-signature in Gotham city in the middle of the night!" His older sister's voice of complaint pulled him out of his thoughts.

Danny only smiled wryly as he watched her scowl at the two bus tickets they had to purchase themselves. Origin: Atlantic city. Destination: Gotham. What could they expect from their parents except last-minute ghost-hunting trips?

"And it's not like there are tons of ghosts in Gotham---" Jazz stopped to look at him. "Are there a lot?"

"Considering that it's a breeding ground of death, emotions and obsessions, plus it's the home of one of the oldest ghosts out there, I'd say yeah," he replied, aimlessly noting the growing gray color of the sky. He recalled the rare times he was in Gotham; in terms of ectoplasm rancidity, it was just second after Amity Park.

"Still! They left one text! Didn't bother to wake us up or wait until morning." Jazz hiked her bag up her shoulders. People started to crowd around the bus in hopes of getting a decent seat. They followed along the back slowly.

Danny gave her a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. "Don't worry, it's a direct trip to Gotham. As soon as we get there, we'll find Mom and Dad, take a tour, and meet one of the Rogues or something."

Jazz said nothing but offered a weak smile, an attempt to assure him that she was trying to look at the positive side.

He looked around the area. Not a lot of buses seemed to be stopping by Gotham, so their ride seemed packed with passengers. The station was filled with the chatter of the crowd, and the air buzzed with a certain chill that made his core thrum.

Core . . . thrumming?

Danny whipped around the second he felt goosebumps trickling down his neck. His eyes met blue ones that mirrored his but he let his own gaze pass over her to avoid prolonged eye contact.

What is she doing here? Four thousand miles away from Paris? A quick discreet glance told him that she was with her friends.

His fingers twitched inside his hoodie pockets. A million questions flooded his head, but he knew he couldn't move or say anything.

Because around all these people, they weren't supposed to know each other. They were supposed to be strangers.

Before he could rearrange his thoughts, his attention zeroed in on familiar voices to his side, plus the large stocky figures brushing past him in the line.

"Take the B-mobile for a ride, he said. It'll be fun, he said."

"Okay, for the record, it was Jay who told us to take it out of Gotham---"

"Wow, selling me out right away, Dickie? Who was driving and crashed the car again? It wasn't me."

"Fools, I repeatedly said that this was a horrible idea." A huff. "I will make sure to tell Father that I had no part in this."

"One word out of you, Demon Spawn, and we're leaving you here."

Danny's mind blanked out again. His subconscious wasn't as clear-cut as his Ghost Sense, but he knew it was warning him of danger. All three of them somehow boarding one bus screamed capital D-A-N-G-E-R to him and he wanted to run, tell his siblings that this was asking for trouble.

He stepped one foot up the bus platform, holding onto the handle. What should I do? Should I turn back now? Catch the next bus? Send a signal to Akhi and Amira? Is there an assassin on the bus? His eyes darted over to the pair of tickets Jazz held. No . . . I can't do that to Jazz without a proper explanation. Not when she bought the tickets with her own money. That's not fair.

"Danny?" Jazz gazed up at him.

He swallowed, climbing up the bus. "Yeah, sorry. Just spaced out for a sec."

When they took their seats right behind the driver, he pulled up his hood to mask a part of his face. Tucker had once pointed out his resemblance to Damian Wayne but it had only been a passing comment that Jazz never heard. He didn't need her or the Wayne brothers noticing that during the bus ride.

He made a quick sweep as he noticed Marinette enter the vehicle, with a blonde boy holding her by the hand. Two of their friends followed behind with one prattling rapidly in French. Damian and his brothers were seated an aisle away from himself and Jazz, while the Parisian group took their seats at the middle of the bus.

No suspicious entities, living or otherwise, were in sight.

Danny clenched his fist inside his pocket. Both Damian and Marinette should know that the three of them were in the same ride. He figured they were trying to lay low and act normal while remaining vigilant for potential threats. Like he was.

He let himself recline on his seat as the engine revved to life and the doors folded closed.

He could only hope for the best.

---

Marinette followed behind Adrien as they walked to their bus seats, with Chloe and Alix trailing behind them. The blonde girl hadn't stopped cursing a certain classmate to hell since they found themselves stranded in Atlantic city.

"That witch! How dare she pull off something like this?" Chloe spat out. "And Bustier! How will she take responsibility in case something happens to us? Huh?"

Alix wrestled her down to her seat before she could alarm the other passengers. Meanwhile, Marinette tried to soothe the stirring feeling in her chest. Ever since she saw her two brothers in the station, her attention had been divided.

"Chloe, save that energy for later when we arrive in Gotham," Adrien said calmly. "We're fine, we're not in danger, and we got our tickets. Then we'll make sure our class will face the consequences."

He squeezed Marinette's hand as he said the words. She smiled softly in return.

Chloe folded her arms with a defiant huff, turning her head towards the window. Alix only side-eyed her, settling on the sear beside her as a silent promise to the other two that she'll keep Chloe at bay.

Adrien motioned to the seats in front of them. "After you, my Lady."

"Sorry—um," she cleared her throat. "Can you take the window seat instead?"

In case an emergency happens, a voice inside her uttered, in case I need to jump into action immediately.

She shook her head slightly. No, Mari, don't think like that. Nothing is going to happen.

Thankfully, Adrien let her sit near the aisle without question. He undoubtedly sensed her uneasiness but was opting to talk about it later.

"Comfy?" He squeezed her hand again.

Marinette scrunched her nose. The barely-cushioned seats and torn leather barely matched up to the luxury bus their class probably rode earlier that morning. Nonetheless, she didn't want to complain.

No, I'm worried. "Yeah, comfy," she mumbled.

Adrien hummed—bless him, he was still the sunshine he was even in the worst situations—and unzipped his bag to bring out snacks. "I bought these while you were lining up for the tickets. Eat up, princess."

Marinette's lips parted at the gesture. Princess. It had taken her a while to warm up to the nickname since it hit too close to home. But she grew to love the endearment. 'Amira' to her brothers and mother, 'princess' to her love.

With a small 'thank you' she accepted a packet of biscuits from him while he passed a couple snacks to Alix and Chloe. The biscuits placated her rumbling hunger but not her paranoia. Her gaze strayed towards the seats in front of them, spotting Damian's head lowered, seemingly occupied with his phone. Straight ahead of her, Danyal was buried in his hoodie, perhaps to draw less attention to himself.

No matter how badly she wanted to talk to them, she resisted the idea. If it really was a coincidence that they ended up in the same bus, she'd be exposing the three of them in more danger if she tried to communicated with either.

"Okay, I'll bite," Adrien whispered beside her, "What are you thinking about?"

She forced herself to look at the stretch of road becoming a blur as the bus sped. "Paris. I shouldn't have agreed to go on this trip . . ."

"You know Luka and Gami have it covered, right?"

"I know but," she let out an exhausted sigh, "I haven't been this far from home for this long, you know?"

His thumb traced the back of her hand. "What about that time an akuma trapped us in a pocket dimension for three days?"

She laughed. "You know that doesn't count."

"Does too." A teasing smile graced his lips which faltered when she yawned. "Hey, you can rest your head on my shoulder if you want to sleep. The ride will take a while."

Marinette rubbed her eyes. "I'll live, don't worry. I overslept this morning, remember?"

She was about to grab her water bottle when the bus suddenly lurched to the side. Her head snapped up to witness two things happen at the same time: the bus driver had slumped, unconscious, and Damian jumped to catch the man; and at the same second, Danyal himself slid to the front to steer the wheel himself.

Shouts and sounds of surprise echoed around her, but Marinette could only focus on her brothers. The bus was moving erratically, which meant that there was something wrong with the controls. She watched Danyal struggle to keep the vehicle in its lane, knuckles whitening and jaw clenched tightly. Damian was checking for the driver's pulse; his mouth was moving but she couldn't hear him over the commotion.

She had moved to the edge of the seat without her notice and the bus lurched again, this time throwing her forwards.

"—brakes! Step on the brakes!"

"I can't! It's not working!"

"Was it tampered with? Where's the emergency brakes?!"

Marinette caught her breath as she composed herself. Around her, passengers had been knocked from their seats, clinging to whatever they could get their hands on. She barely registered Adrien trying to reach for her arm—

"Shit!"

A loud screech rang out as the bus tilted, skidding through the road at an angle only to be stopped by the rails on the side of a cliff. A high-pitched scream sounded as she saw a toddler slipping from his mother's grasp, falling through the unhinged doors, leaving him to dangle at the edge.

The bus teetered a little.

Marinette released her breath, freezing in her position. She saw one of the Wayne brothers shuffle towards the child when he was stopped by Damian.

"Don't." Damian glared. "Don't or else we'll fall."

The hand was retracted. Marinette's pulse sped up as she heard the mother's whimpering sobs. Damian was still supporting the unconscious driver. Danyal had the dysfunctional breaks pressed to the floor as he desperately kept the bus in its balance.

Without thinking she spoke out loud in clear English. "I'll go."

Adrien gasped sharply. Chloe hissed her name. Her brothers turned to stare at her, along with some other passengers at the front.

"I'll go get him," she repeated in a louder tone. "I'm light enough—I think. I should be able to get him."

A soft sniff pulled her attention back to the dangling child. She was met with no disagreement (except from her friends), so she slowly began to make her way to the front, careful not to disrupt the bus. Marinette knew her actions were watched by piercing eyes and bated breaths but her instincts ignored the distractions.

The bus creaked and shook again the moment she stepped near the front doors. With one hand, she gripped the handle while the other reached for the little boy.

Marinette clenched her jaw. I can't reach him. She braved another step closer, making the bus tilt a little again. The boy's fingers were starting to slip. She took a deep breath. I have to get down there.

In one swift move, she swung herself down to hang from the bus, catching the boy at the waist before he fell. She lifted him back to the vehicle and he ran towards his mother, sobbing.

The passengers screamed as the floor shifted again. Now it was Marinette who was at the edge of her death and we she looked down, the fall did seem unforgiving.

She bit her lip.

Any longer they stayed there, the rails were going to break.

Her head snapped up, meeting her brothers' eyes. "Drive," she commanded. "Steer the bus back to the road."

Danyal was first to speak up,, his hands tightening on the wheel. "No . . ."

---

Danyal's response was faint, but was clearly heard by Jasmine behind them and Damian's brothers, who were now staring holes to the back of his head.

He knew it was uncharacteristic of him to jump to help in that emergency—it was more of Grayson's thing. But he'd seen Danyal rush to the wheel and he had felt himself jump into the action at the same time.

He looked at Marinette, feeling utterly helpless as he saw her hanging. Yet her eyes told a different story, passing on a message that said 'trust me', like she'd always silently say during their missions together.

And Danyal seemingly got the hint.

Damian watched as his brother floored the accelerator this time, directing the wheel to the far left to swerve them out of the edge of the cliff. Marinette had flipped with the perfect timing, propping herself back on the bus as the doors closed. The wheels were still moving erratically, but he could tell that Danyal had better control this time.

The bus jerked from side to side this time, rattling every passenger on board. Finally—finally—Damian saw the lever for the emergency brakes at the bottom of the dashboard. He leapt, pulled on it, and sent the bus skidding before it slid to a halt.

Damian released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

---

With the Wayne boys' help, the bus passengers immediately filed out the beat-up vehicle. Damian himself had help from Jason carrying the unconscious driver over to the side of the road while Dick and Tim checked the civilians for injuries.

If Jason kept burning his gaze into Damian, he pretended not to notice. Dick joined them not long after to help look over the driver.

The eldest Wayne put two fingertips at the man's neck. "Poison?"

"Possibly," Damian replied, "but no warning signs before the trip began."

"If he was poisoned during the ride, we would've noticed that," Jason said.

Damian looked back at the bus. Obviously, the accident was deliberate, one targeting him and his siblings if he could take his best guess. But knowing the League, the incident could only be the beginning. He forced himself to be more aware, observing each detail in his surroundings. They could be anywhere.

As his eyes scanned the people around, he caught sight of the mother of the child earlier, profusely thanking Marinette. In another spot, Jasmine was talking to Danyal, perhaps scolding him for the rash action while tapping through her phone to find another way to get to Gotham.

"What was that?" Jason's voice cut through his thoughts.

He raised an eyebrow. "What was what?"

"You know what."

His brothers' curious eyes told him of every unspoken question. Why'd you jump into danger like that? Who was that boy you looked like?

Why did it seem like you knew him and that girl?

"I do not know what you're talking about, Todd," he lied.

"Damian, is there something you need to tell us?" asked Dick.

Damian's jaw tensed. Can they not tell that I cannot talk about it at the moment? "There is nothing," he answered brusquely before walking towards the bus.

"Where are you going?" Dick called out to him. Damian saw no need to reply, picking up his pace towards the vehicle.

If it were the League that was after them, it was most likely the opposite faction. Talia's way of communicating was more discreet if she wanted to bring them back to base. So it was safer to assume that they were dealing with hostiles. He stepped into the bus, first inspecting the driver's side.

As he expected, the brakes had been tampered with, along with the other controls. Movement caught his periphery and he turned to see both Danyal and Marinette checking on the perimeter as well. He was about to join them when he heard a click and felt something cool pressed against the side of his head.

From the reflections on the windows, he could see his siblings in the same predicament, cornered by assassins. He made a quick check. Civilians were still in the area and they couldn't make the scuffle too loud. Not to mention, his brothers were probably headed that way.

But the three of them didn't need seclusion. They could make it swift and clean. On the right timing, Damian swung at the arm holding the gun as the others did the same. He quickly disarmed the man and kicked him out of the bus, immediately going for the other attackers. He didn't need to look to know that his siblings were retaliating in sync—with Marinette wielding her pocket knife and Danyal reusing the same gun he took.

Damian steadied his breaths as he spotted more assassins come their way. Where did they all come from? Slowly but surely, the three backed up against each other. As Damian blocked an incoming punch, he swiped the spare knife his sister offered behind him while she jabbed her own knife into an attacker's shoulder. He tsked, knowing their goal was to tire them out rather than actually harm them. If they didn't finish up on time, there was trouble waiting.

And his siblings knew that.

"We can't stay here for long," he whispered.

"No shit, Sherlock." Danyal leapt and kicked another assassin. "Should I overshadow them?"

"You know you can't," Marinette hissed, propelling another to pin down another.

"Stop!"

Damian whipped around at the harsh Arabic tone and they all halted. Approaching them slowly were their companions held hostage by one assassin each. His brothers were held at gunpoint while the others—Jasmine and Marinette's friends—had knives pressed to their throats. Simultaneous clicks echoed around.

He couldn't meet their eyes.

He shouldn't have gone on that bus.

"Let them go." Danyal's jaw clenched, looking at his adoptive sister.

"Drop your weapons," the same assassin ordered. "Hands where we can see them."

Slowly, Damian set his knife on the ground and raised his arms. Danyal dropped his gun and kicked it away. A livid Marinette threw down her blade.

"Now let them go," Danyal repeated calmly in their mother tongue. "Release them and you can take us."

"Quiet!"

"You only want us—"

"I said quiet!"

A gunshot sounded.

"Akhi!" "Danny!"

A second later, Danyal was clutching his side where the bullet grazed him. Jasmine was trembling with unshed tears as the knife lightly swiped her skin when she tried to move. Marinette, on the other hand, looked just about ready go pounce.

Damian stilled.

He hadn't seen Danyal bleed in years.

Of course he would let the bullet hit him. He couldn't turn intangible in front of their enemies.

"All of you will follow us," the assassin commanded. "Make one move and we kill one by one."

Dread gurgled at the pit of Damian's stomach. He could only guess where they were being taken to. He hated nothing else but having his hands tied in that situation. If their friends and family weren't held captive, the three of them would've obliterated the group in minutes.

Marinette moved towards Danyal and the gun raised again. She leveled the assassins with a glare rivalling that of Bruce's, spitting out, "Where is your respect to the amira and amir? He needs medical attention."

If not for their predicament, Damian would've laughed at how their captors shivered involuntarily. These assassins who belong to the other faction are not new, he pondered, they know us as the heirs.

He could only watch as Marinette tore a piece of cloth from her jacket and wrapped it snugly around their brother's wound. It was a practiced action, almost reminiscent of their childhood days. Danyal muttered a soft thanks, squeezing her hand after she finished up.

Damian only had a few seconds to glance at his brothers' reactions before the hostages were blindfolded, roughly led by the assassins.

Somehow, only the faces of hurt and betrayal were seared into his mind.

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#maribat fanfic #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #maribat #maribat fic #bio dad bruce wayne #danny phantom au #danny phantom crossover #dc x danny phantom x miraculous #heirs apparent #triplets dami danny and mari #dc x miraculous

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st0rybooked · 6 months ago

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an independent 𝓓𝓲𝓼𝓷𝓮𝔂 PRINCES & company multimuse with heavy headcanon influence & elements of fairytales & folklore. the author is over the age of twenty-one, preferring not to interact with minors. some content may be mature for some audiences. such posts will be tagged accordingly. read guidelines below before following. mobile friendly muse list.

some basics. no godmodding or meta-playing. i love shipping, but it will be based on chemistry. multiships are welcome and belong to their own separate verse. while some of the source material is chalk full of morally questionable behaviors, i'm not interested in writing about them beyond meta posts. any interactions that lead down dark themes must be discussed and mutually agreed on. i don't have triggers strictly, but i will be tagging things appropriately on my posts as best i can. please, please reblog anything not originally posted by me (memes, gifsets, etcetera.) from the source.

personals & following. personals may send in asks, but i won't carry on threads with non-roleplay blogs. non-mutuals shouldn't reblog any posts. i will be selective with which blogs i follow back because i don't want to become overwhelmed or clutter the dash with blogs i can't see interacting with. i am original character and crossover friendly. if i follow, i want to write with you!

interactions & activity. memes are a great way to begin interactions. if you want to continue one i've answered, please do! i'm fine with dropping threads that have lost their initial magic, and we can always start new things to keep it fun. i do work full time and have other responsibilities. if i queue replies, it doesn't mean i'm not interested in that interaction anymore. my goal is to keep things going while i can't always be online.

drama. i'm only interested in fictionalized tragedies and ic angst. leave all the outside stuff at the door. if someone is being a legit menace to the community, a friendly head's up is welcome.

preferences. my writing length depends on mood. i love multipara, novella, and a couple of lines of dialogue. quality over quantity. as long as it's not forced, i can go with the flow. which brings me to plotting. i can plot especially if there's motivation behind it, but i'm really more of a fly by the seat of blah blah kind of writer. please surprise me, and i promise i'm trying my best to surprise you! if an interaction develops into something where we should discuss things, then hit me up and visa versa. i will lightly format posts, but prefer not to use small text. mutuals can stylize however their hearts desire.

credit. psd color is by tigeredits. rp icon border by poohsources.

#ᆢ⸌ pinned ⸜𝅄#ode / 21+ / they.

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spockandawe · 3 years ago

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I feel like you have probably answered something like this before and i just cannot seem to find it for the life of me, but do you have somewhere you mention the kinds of basic supplies someone just getting started with bookbinding would need? Thank you! And thank you for sharing pictures of your projects! they're so pretty and inspiring to look at!

I probably do! Things are theoretically in my bookbinding tag or my spock replies tag, but tumblr can be a real dick about making those show up properly, especially on mobile. And I always like a challenge to see if I can present things better over time!!!

So, there are a couple of big-picture supplies you will need if you want to get started with printing fic in particular, and those are 1) a word processor, and 2) a printer. I'm mentioning these up front because they can be annoying accessibility speedbumps, but there are a number of inexpensive/entry level options if you're giving the hobby a try, but don't know if you want to commit. I'm working in Word and have Affinity to learn at some point, but LibreOffice is a classic freeware option that has most of the functionality of word. I have a laser printer I received as a gift, but if you have an inkjet on hand, you can learn there, or you may have access to a school/work printer, or office supply stores often do remote print jobs.

But, then it comes down to the books themselves! Let's start from the assembly of the text block, keeping it as bare bones as possible, then move to the cover. I'll start with an open-spined coptic binding, then add a few little bits for casebinding.

To make a book, you need 3) paper. I use cheap-ass white office paper, but there's art paper, paper friendly to fountain pens, or colorful papers if you want to have fun. I fold my signatures, then really set the creases with 4) a bone folder (or, like, the handle of my box cutter knife if I'm really lazy). For a coptic binding with an open spine, the covers are sewn with the block, so it's time for me to also get 5) two cover boards (chipboard is my go-to. corrugated cardboard is too thick, but like, cereal boxes can work in a pinch, etc). If I'm going to make the covers pretty, I cover them using 6) pretty paper (probably cardstock weight or so) and 7) adhesive (look for acid-free PVA, some elmers glue qualifies). These boards and paper probably need to be cut to size using 8) a craft knife (and a safe cutting surface and a straightedge to cut against). Then I measure and mark holes for sewing and punch them with 8) an awl (or a tack, or something sharp). I sew it up with 9) a needle, and 10) heavy-duty thread (waxed linen is heaviest duty and lasts longest, I've used upholstery thread or embroidery floss too). And there we go, the coptic book is done!

There are some accessories that make this easier, like having 11) a cutting mat to use your craft knife on, and to check that things are approximately square.

Now, for a casebound book! This has a closed spine, which means you're going to get in there with the glue and structure a LITTLE more Most of the materials stay the same, but constructing and covering the case structure gets a little trickier. Here, you're also going to want to set your spine with glue (and it'll be relevant to the case), so 12) a glue brush becomes pretty critical (I tried this out at first using the disposable craft foam ones, which still work pretty darn well for me). You can... technically cover a casebound book with paper, but the hinges are going to put stress on it, while a coptic binding avoids this problem. So you'll need 13) woven (non-stretch) fabric, and the most beginner-friendly method is probably 14) heat n' bond, 15) craft tissue paper, and 16) an iron. There are ways to do this by saturating your fabric with wheat paste, but I've never tried them, and this was/is so much less daunting to me. Sealemon's casebinding videos are very beginner-friendly in general, but the bookcloth video is still basically just... what I do. And finally, you want 17) a giant stack of heavy objects, preferably with something flat like a textbook on the bottom, because you'll want to compress your glued-up book and make sure it dries nicely.

This may feel like an overwhelming number of things to pull together. And... it kind of is. But hopefully a lot of them are things you already have on hand, and I'm SERIOUSLY a proponent of 'what ever gets you to the next step, go for it', especially when you're just learning. Don't have an awl? Just get those holes in place, however you can, and press on! There's an AWFUL amount of optional equipment out there that you can keep buying and buying and buying for days on end, but these little items will give you so much more flexibility than you think. I do definitely recommend trying a coptic binding first, not only because of the reduced amount of Stuff you have to juggle, it's a good way to feel out the key mechanics before really committing to GLUING things in place. I did a few before trying my first covered-spine book, and these days I'm trying to figure out a good project for a fun coptic binding, because they really are very pretty books just on their own merits. I hope that helps!!

#spock replies #bookbinding #crafts

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nidhoggs · 2 years ago

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#𝐍𝐈𝐃𝐇𝐎𝐆𝐆𝐒 ── independent &&. private / selective headcanon based portrayal of 𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑰𝑬𝑵 𝑾𝒀𝑹𝑴𝑩𝑳𝑶𝑶𝑫 from square enix's 𝑭𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑳 𝑭𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑨𝑺𝒀 𝑿𝑰𝑽. au &&. crossover friendly. multiverse / multiship. NOT SPOILER FREE (6.3 tagged). NSFW THEMES PRESENT. minors do not interact. loved by goose (she/they + cst + 29). 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐝. see mobile rules below.

𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬: @sanctivus , @eunoirous

i. this blog is private, selective, and mutuals only. i curate a safe space for myself to relax and write - and that includes keeping my dash clean. if i follow you - please be aware it's because i want to write and enjoy seeing you on my dash! additionally, i am multiverse, multiship, crossover, oc (especially given the nature of ffxiv), au, and duplicate friendly. i do not do exclusives.

ii. my activity can be a bit sporadic. i have a number of other blogs in a different fandom and also enjoy... playing the game so, at times i may simply not want to write. if it's been longer than two weeks since you've received a reply for me, or i have not liked/acknowledged something you tagged me in - feel free to poke me about it.

iii. i am a rather wordy writer, usually about 3-4 paragraphs in length. i also format my posts (small text, double to triple spaced, some colors here and there). i occasionally use icons as well, but not always. i don't expect my partners to match me word for word - but quality over quantity is always appreciated. and of course, i do enjoy the occasional bantering one liners as well.

iv. no art on this blog is mine unless stated otherwise. any and all resources (from art to graphics) will either be credited here or on my carrd.

v. i don't do drama. i don't do it at all. don't drag me into it. reblog call out posts to your hearts content but i'm old and tired and don't want to participate. that being said, standard DNIs apply to this blog. if you, as a mun, condone or write pedophilia (that includes sexual instances with lalafells), incest, rape, etc - begone. racism, homophobia/biphobia, transphobia, ableism, etc by muns is not tolerated here.

vi. i love shipping. i am weak for it. it's an excellent character development tool and lends itself to some great interactions. i am a huge shipper at heart and am happy to ship. toxic, romantic, platonic? as long as there is chemistry and it's not gross, i'm usually down. that being said - i do like to develop a repetoire with muns beforehand, and shipping IS NOT THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THIS BLOG. also, i feel like i shouldn't have to type this out - but i do not, under any circumstances, romantically ship estinien with minor muses/minor coded muses (lalafell), and this INCLUDES the twins.

vii. again - NSFW will be present on this blog. estinien and i are both over the ages of 25 and i don't shy away from writing smut, violence, gore, drug use, etc. i will always make an attempt to tag triggers and place sexual content under a read more.

lastly - my discord id is available to mutuals upon request, as is my character name. i'm always happy to vibe in game or just talk memes. please don't be afraid to hit me up i guarantee you i'm more afraid of you than you are of me.

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jaykayblr · 4 years ago

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And it went like ; Doyoung | One-shot

Pairing : Doyoung × Reader

Genre : fluff, strangers to friends to lovers au, college/university au, mutual pining, café is kinda main here.

Warnings : slapping, crying, teeny bit of angst, kissing. Don't worry it isn't anything extreme.

Summary : it all started with two cups of iced americano.

Word count : 2.7k

Taglist : @starrdustville @thechoppersan @cupidluvstarrz @ncvltrtchnlgy @jenoleemonade @bluejaem

Author's note : ahh, this is my first One-shot. Based loosely on request that @starrdustville sent in my previous blog. Leave a comment to let me know what you feel about this one. I have worked for this one for a week and I am kinda proud of my improvement but I feel I could have done better now that I have read it almost ten times, but lemme know what you all think!. I hope you all like it! If there are any mistakes, please let me know.

You glance up from the screen of the mobile to greet the orbs of the male who had entered the class. The brown eyes roamed through your face and then looked away, choosing a place in the class’s backward.

Mysterious brown eyes were the first thing you noticed about the new transfer student. He was aloof, remaining silent throughout the class. You could never find him chatting with anybody. He consistently preferred taking the last seat in the class. He was suave, with soft boyish qualities. You had been looking at him at whatever chance you received for the recent few days. It was challenging to not acknowledge him; the dude had silky soft hair through which he would run his hand occasionally throughout the class. The transfer student wore dark colors, which made him appear even more alluring than the rest of your class boys. He was lean and was taller than you.

Straightening yourself when the professor started the class, you forced your mobile away.

Focused, the educator went on about defining the antique architecture of Rome. It was an interesting subject - but you found yourself gawking at the new student. It looked as if he acknowledged your stare, because there was a slight smirk stretching on his cheeks when you continued gawking at him for two solid minutes. You glanced forward and tried paying regard to your lecturer.

Same routine, but different.

You are carrying two drinks of iced Americano in your hands. The route you picked was busy with the science graduates bustling out of their classes. You should’ve kept your eyes up to prevent what was about to happen. You soon knocked into a hard chest with your Americano staining the said man’s hoodie. Before you could lose your balance, a pair of sturdy hands holding your arms held you. You couldn’t speak. As you realized the situation, you backed away to bow towards the guy - to sputter an apology, until you hear that man’s voice.

“Calm down, woman,”

You couldn’t convey anything. You were so enthralled by the individual’s voice that you forgot your locations. His voice was deep and silvery. The phrase sounded unfamiliar to you, coming from him. His accent was mind-numbingly hot - even if you had heard only two words coming out of his mouth. You view up to examine the new guy from your class. His eyes have a playful glint at them, as he grins at your obvious staring. You quickly move backward and apologize to him.

“I am sorry. I am so sorry, oh god I am so sorry” you bow to him multiple times. You gain the attention of the surrounding science graduates who chuckle to themselves but keep moving. He catches you by your arms again and interrupts you from bowing to him again and again and instinctively makes your heart thump a thousand times faster than ever.

“It’s fine, I will clean it and it will be fine”

“At Least let me help you clean it, please?” you asked, and he nodded.

That was a year ago.

Currently, it’s the fourth year of your college and you and doyoung are two best buddies. In this one year, you both have turned into devoted friends who can’t live without each other. Sounds cheesy, yes, but that is exactly how it is.

[From doyoung; ]

WhErE ArE YoU?!

You chuckle seeing your mobile screen flash with his messages. Sitting in your economics lecture right now, learning something about marketing. You look around to see if anyone is looking at you. The half the students paying attention to the professor and the other half are sleeping or doing their own thing. You glance at your professor who was extremely focused on teaching the first benchers. You quickly type a reply.

[To doyoung; ]

In class! What do you want?

You hear the buzzing on your phone after a few minutes.

“Your boyfriend is texting you” your seatmate mutters beside you and you just chuckle - not at her but at the constant buzzing of your phone showing that your best friend is turning impatient.

[From doyoung; ]

Which one?

When will it end?

Ah, respond!

[To doyoung; ]

God! Doyoung!

Economics and in 15 minutes.

It wasn’t late until you heard three more buzzes from your phone. Your seatmate - somi wriggles her eyebrows at you.

[From doyoung; ]

So there is this new cafe near our college.

I want to go!

Please come with me?

[To doyoung; ]

Ok, fine.

Pick me up from the football court.

[From doyoung; ]

Yes, madam!

“You both are one weird pair” you flinch when you see somi snooping at your phone over your shoulders.

“Then stay away from us,” you say and put your phone inside your pocket.

“Just confess to him. His female admirers are increasing day by day. Only yesterday I saw Jasmine confessing to him.”

“Wait what?!” you almost shout, gaining the attention of the professor and a few students. The professor glares at you and goes back to teaching.

“Yes, and don’t worry, he rejected her” she rolls her eyes as you sigh in relief.

“But it will not always happen. Listen, if you don’t confess to him, he will eventually start dating someone else,” she says with a stern look, as if she is scolding you.

“I know, but can you please not scare me? I am just nervous! We have been friends for so-” somi cuts you off.

“You all have been friends for a year and you don’t Wanna ruin it and end this friendship by confessing, right?” she says and you nod while looking down. “Baby, if you don’t let him know your feelings, he will always think of you as a friend. Is that ok? He will eventually start dating some other girl. Is that ok with you? Are you ok with seeing him with another girl?”

You shake your head. She was right; has always been. Somi always told you to confess to doyoung, but you really didn’t want to ruin the relationship you had with doyoung. He was the most precious person in your life. And it has been like that for a year now.

Doyoung had shown no interest in any other girls - including you. So you never really thought about the possibility of him dating. But now as somi stated this possibility - it made your heartache. It made you experience a weird heaviness in your chest that you couldn’t exactly pinpoint.

Were you really ok with that? Are you ok with seeing him in the arms of another girl? Were you ok not taking up the chance to date him? Were you ok giving him up? Would he reject you? Or would he reciprocate your feelings? Are you really ok with taking up the risk?

These thoughts swirl your mind as the class gets dismissed.

You and somi get up and walk towards the exit when somi stops in front of you and looks you in the eye.

“Do it before it’s too late. Time doesn’t wait for anyone” and she leaves like that - provoking something in you.

Maybe it’s about time you do something about it.

Standing near the football court, you watch some guys from the foreign communications playing football. Their loud cheers surround the campus. You sit near the benchers thinking deeply about the risk of confessing to doyoung.

Somi’s words ring in your head. You feel a pang of jealousy in your chest when you imagine doyoung with another girl.

"Ha!" you flinch and look behind to see doyoung laughing like he won a trophy for scaring you.

"Ahh, you scared me!" he internally coos at the little pout you made without realising it.

"Lets go?"

The fragrance of vanilla hits your nostrils the moment you step inside the cafeteria. The little bell rang, alerting the barista of your arrival. A grey-haired barista looked towards both of you and grinned. You glanced around; the cafe was bustling with people. The chattering of young couples, friends, and teenagers filled in the shop.

Intertwining his hand with yours, Doyoung pulled you towards a corner seat. As you both settled, the same barista walked up towards you two.

“what can I serve this fascinating couple today?” she chirped in a very calm voice.

You were going to deny her assumption but doyoung cut you.

“so what are you having?” he inquired, propping himself on his forearms.

“um, I guess, caffe latte?”

“ah-ha! I was considering the same!” he looked towards the barista “two caffe latte please?”

“sure, anything else?” she asked, her eyes creasing at the sides as she beamed at you two. Returning the smile you looked towards Doyoung with a raised eyebrow as if asking him ‘do you need something more?’. he glanced at the menu card in front of him. “hmm, croissants?”

"coming up," she exclaims and goes back to her work.

"and oh, this time I’m offering to pay!" as soon as you announce that, doyoung’s expression changes to a frown, demonstrating his displeasure. Before he can say anything, you resonate "whenever we go out, you never let me pay! This time I’m paying and I don’t wish to hear any disagreements!"

"Y/nnnn" he whines and you shake your head at him.

Falling in comfortable silence, you both listen to the soft jazz playing on the radio of the cafeteria. After a few minutes, doyoung glances at you, hesitance apparent on his face.

“what happened?” you urge him. He just shakes his head and busies himself by looking at his nails. You want to question him further, but you see the same barista walking up to you with your orders.

Placing it on the table, she leaves while smiling at you both.

"I assume she likes us," doyoung whispers while slurping his latte.

"don’t change the topic, doyoung. what happened?" you urge him, with your voice stern.

“have you ever thought about dating y/n?” you freeze when he asks that. Luckily, he is looking downwards, so he can’t read your expressions cause he is good at that.

“mm, why?” you start feeling anxious when he doesn’t speak.

He sighs and shakes his head, mumbling a ‘nothing’. you grow more frustrated at that.

As you swirl your fingers around the brim of your cup. Your thoughts going insane, ‘does he love someone?’ ‘is he thinking of dating?’ ‘am I too late to confess?’ you feel your eyes brimming with nervous tears. You face away from him when he looks at you.

“Y/n, I wanted to ask you something?” you look at him in the eye, and wish that he won’t notice your wet eyes. He slowly takes your hands in his, his thumb gently brushing over your fingers. He looks down and takes a breath.

“I want you to keep quiet and let me finish, ok?” you nod at him, not speaking anything cause you know he will pick up your emotions from the tone of your voice. He sighs and moves closer to you.

“y/n, I have- I have, um, I realize we have only known each other for a year, but this one year has been the best year of my existence. I have never laughed so frequently in my life. I’m grateful for everything you have done for me and- and just- I am just grateful for this friendship. Listen, I hope this doesn’t sound too sudden. And I hope nothing changes in our relationship after this. But- I-” he halts and takes a deep breath. You instinctively hold his hand tight as you predict his next sentence. Your tears threaten to pour as you shut your eyes in order to hold them back. Your heart thuds in your ribcage and you pant. You glance at the ground to avoid breaking down in front of him as he tells you about his girlfriend. You hear him let out an unsteady sigh and-

“y/n I Love You!”

You couldn’t stop the tears that gushed out from your eyes. You sink back on the backrest and cover your face with your hands and cry your heart out. Your cries fill the cafe as everyone becomes silent and looks at you. You cry louder as you realize he likes you back, your best friend likes you back, doyoung loves you.

On the other hand, Doyoung panics when you cry, he loses his calm when you cry louder. His eyes swell with tears as he thinks that he fucked up royally to make you cry like this. He knew it was a terrible decision. He knew you didn’t like him back, but he still took the risk and ended up making you cry. You got emotional easily but never had you cried so loudly as you did now. He avoids the pointed stares of the people who scowl at him for making a girl cry like that and goes down on his knees towards your chair. He tries to hold your hand but you just tighten them on your face. His tears fall as he holds the armrest of your seat and turns you towards him. Gently but firmly he removes your hand from your face and his heart shatters when he looks at your tear filled face. He feels a pang of guilt in his heart. What was he expecting? you evidently didn’t love him back? He holds your hands and starts crying with you. The people around both of you watch this scene unfold, some looking annoyed and some watching with pity.

“I’m very sorry y/n,” he sniffs “I didn’t mean to make you cry,” his voice is heavy as he swallows hard. “I don’t know what I was thinking when I said that” he gulps again, “you clearly don’t love me-“ you cut him off as you slap him. His left cheek stings as his face falls. The people in the cafe gasp. doyoung looks down as the realization dawns over him. ‘he screwed up, he ruined everything’.

“stand up” your voice is small but commanding and he obeys. He looks down as he gets up.

“look at me” and he obeys but gasps when you kiss him hard on his lips. You are holding the collars of his black shirt with which you pull him closer towards you. A loud cheer fills the cafe and the people shout and scream while watching this dramatic scene unfold in front of their eyes. He comes back into reality and pulls you closer and kisses you back passionately, erupting an even louder cheer from the audience. You wrap your arms around his neck and his arms take their place on your waist. You both kiss as if you were waiting for this - which was also true.

You both pull away and break into laughter. The surrounding people are smiling, some are even taking videos. The couples peck each other, the old barista smiles widely and her eyes shine in adoration.

“so does this mean…”

“yes” you respond with a wide smile adorning your face. doyoung brings his hand to cup your cheek.

“from how long?”

“a year,” you say, making him smile. “what about you?”

“one year too”

“so I guess we both are idiots?” you ask, chuckling.

“hmm”

“you are late. But I will forgive you for that if you agree to be my boyfriend.” he chuckles at that.

“deal” he asks and pulls you closer.

You bring your palm to cup his left cheek. “does it hurt?” you ask, and he nods whispering ‘badly’ near your cheek. “I’m sorry,” you say and pull away to look in his eyes to show your honesty.

“It’s fine. You can make it up to me,” he says, pulling you closer again.

“how?” you ask.

“kiss me,” he says and you don’t waste a single second more to kiss him feverishly.

the cheers roar loudly, again.

love...

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coquelicoq · 4 years ago

Text

oh i keep forgetting to ask this question!

important background: i only ever use tumblr on a PC, in a browser. that is, i'm not talking about tumblr mobile/tumblr apps, which i have never used! so if i'm describing something that doesn't sound at all familiar to you, that may be why.

so for posts with images, i always want to reblog a version with an image description, if one exists. (to read a bit about why this is important, see this short post about what good even simple IDs do and/or my image descriptions tag.) it is fairly straightforward, though sometimes annoying, to find out if someone has added an ID to the body of the post - i just open up the notes and scroll past all the replies and whatnot until i see a reblog that starts with a square bracket and then "Image description". if i don't find one, sometimes i write an ID myself, but i prefer not to duplicate effort if it's already been done.

i learned fairly recently that tumblr also has a built-in "Image Description" field which the person uploading the image can access by clicking on the three dots in the bottom right corner of the image (in the beta post editor, anyway). the uploader can then write in this field a short (200 characters max) explanation of what the image is.

you know when you're scrolling the dash and there are all those blocks of color gradient because the images haven't loaded yet? in the top left corner of each block, it'll simply say "Image" if the uploader didn't write anything in that Image Description field. if they did write something in that field, it'll appear in the block. it's pretty handy because it lets you know what the image is when it's not loading, and it's accessible to screenreaders used by visually impaired people and others.

the problem i'm running into is that, when an image loads properly, i can't figure out how to tell if it has this kind of image description! the description doesn't appear as hover text, nor does it show up if i right-click the image and click Inspect Accessibility Properties. i can only ever see it when the image isn't loading, and usually images load for me and i don't know how to make them...not do that.

this means i go looking for an ID in the notes, or write my own ID, when maybe i don't have to. (sometimes 200 characters isn't sufficient to describe the image, but sometimes it is! and it's always better than nothing, if i can't find anything and can't write an ID myself for whatever reason.)

here's an example. i wrote a short description in the Image Description field associated with the image below. can you find it?

i can't find anything about this in the tumblr help index. is it super obvious or something? what am i missing??

#driving me up a wall #tumblr! why do you make this so difficult!!!#they should also make it REALLY obvious that this field exists when you upload a photo. i only know abt it bc i stumbled across it one day #like after you upload a photo there should just be a field right underneath it. you shouldn't have to click on anything #maybe this already exists on mobile idk #but on desktop they just hid it! why!!!#and i hate how long this post has to be because there's like ten different tumblr interfaces and people aren't gonna know what i'm talking #about unless i get really specific #there's tumblr mobile web. the ios app. the android app. whatever you call how i use it (tumblr web...non-mobile idk ugh).#with xkit. without xkit. beta post editor. old post editor. maybe different browsers work differently too i don't know!!#image descriptions #accessibility #tumblr #my posts #links

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sagegreensage · 4 years ago

Note

"ay yo tell us all the reasons that Pirate is the top-tier most smoochable boi in your eyes"

(me, if I were a deep sea telescope fish, upon seeing this ask in my inbox /pos)

OKAY. SO UH. To save all who read this, im going to do this in bullet format so to minimize the risk of there just being a Humongous Wall Of Text. Also, I don't know how to add a 'read more' on mobile, so I'm sorry about how long it is regardless.

Reasons That Pirate Is The Top-Tier Most Smoochable Boi In My Eyes

Okay, so why is he so goddamned cute?????

I'm nearly in literal tears everytime i see a picture of him... He's so fricking cute.

I smile everytime I see or read that he's smiling.

And he has such a beautiful eye color! A warm, rusty red, his iris is black, and his pupil is white. Oh, gorgeous... So gorgeous.

I want to cup his face in my hands and tell him that in doing that, I'm holding my world in my hands.

He just looks so soft and holdable. I want to hold him. Not just his hands (which, btw, are so very cute~!) but all of him. I want to be the big spoon and cuddle him and hhhhhhh. he is so cute and soft lookingggg! Me want hold. (update: *hand. If he'd like, I can design him a hand. Or hook, if he wants. Or both! he can interchange 'em :) For the material of it, I was thinking an arsenic-free alloy consisting of cold-cast bronze and aluminum.)

i bet his lips are soft too... Really soft,,, I would very much so like to smooch him 👉👈 idc if we kiss and his lips are a little dry because of the beach air or the salty sea. I just want to kiss him. Above water and under water. (actually he likely uses chapstick... What flavor of Chapstick does he use..?) (Update again: mwah mwah >3<. yeehaw. he was not wearing Chapstick because he had just woken up so... Next time. but hhhhhhh. the rp. kissie kissie in rp :D)

I would literally swoon/happy panic (is it a gay panic if I'm male But Also female?... Pansexual panic) receiving his good morning and goodnight texts. Or just almost any text from him for that matter... Basically, it'd go like this. Every time.

[over text]

Sweetie Pie (Pirate): Good morning 💖

Me irl, before replying: ASDFGHJKL bro he so cute,,,,,!?

No but, for real: he so cute. How so cute?

The way he shows his trust... Being around someone with his gloves off and or his eyepatch off. An unspoken, subtle show of him trusting that you won't judge or think less of him.

I love his interests asdfghjkl. I've been hyperfixated on marine life and the ocean since 2nd grade. idk how long I've been interested in pirate stuff. It started before Pirate101, which was made in 2012, that just helped me express it. My grandma used to tell me she wanted to be pirate, so I think it was around when i was 4 or 5 that I began thinking pirates were awesome. hhhhhhhhh me want ramble about nautical stuff with him.

me want ramble with Pirate pls.

And Please. Please, let me introduce him to Pirate101. It was the center of my pirate phase when I was younger, which by the way, never died and Pirate just nursed it back to health. I'll pay for his Pirate101 membership. We will co-op fight our enemies together. The big bad stands no chance.

his aestheticccc. fucking Superb!!! Aw, man.... Seeing him dress in his pirate attire gives me Confidence. I would like to dress up a bit more extra. My aesthetic is either tired nerd with a decent closet or near full on steampunk techwear depending on how I feel. He makes me want to dress in more steampunk techwear.

lkjhgfdsa ANYWAYS. His aesthetic!!! I love seeing art of him wearing his aesthetic. Everytime I show my friends his drip they're like, "wow, he looks so fancy," and like, yes he do. His drip is fancy in that old way, which has then been stolen and worn by a pirate. And basically, that's the pirate drip. Except, unlike your average pirate wearing fancy vintage clothes, Pirate isn't dirty. Pie's clean and they smell very nice.

And the reason he likes pirate paraphernalia is just,,,, yessir! Yes! You love that ocean, bro! The ocean loves you too :) and so do I.

and he's a trans icon :) and not only that, he goes by he/him and they/them pronouns. Amazing!!

iiiii would die and revive for a trip to a store with candles/perfumes/colognes just to look for what I imagine Pie smells like. Odd? Okay, perhaps. but listen. I would die and revive for someone irl to love me like Pirate would. If i buy that scent, you best believe im either spraying the perfume/cologne on some of my pillows and clothing or lighting that candle whenever wherever. Anxious? Lonely? Sad? Empty inside? Pirate's scent fixes all, my friend. a lifehacc, if you will.

I know he has a slight accent, although he suppresses it: i would love to hear it. And when he just wakes up or is drunk, man, oh man. pls, me want hear his accent. (WAIT. when he woke up after he got his arm fixed and i came in the room, was his accent more prevalent at that time? 👀)

I want him to trust me someday enough to not suppress things about himself, like his accent and his purring.

why does he suppress his purring, btw? that's so fricking cute why suppress that? Well, I mean, I know he's ashamed of the fact that he isn't human, and that most humans wouldn't want to be involved with a monster, much less, love and date one. but he's so cute tho. seriously, he could for real just be a scallop with sapience, but if he still was himself I would still fucking love him.

he allegedly gets some of his things out of the trash? yesss. (insert (non)gendered word of choice)boss, this is me: "bb, let's go dumpster diving imma get a ring out of there and use it to be engaged to u someday " terrible no-good very-bad date idea: let's go to the dumpster of Dunkin Donut's. (no but they actually throw away hundreds of perfectly fine donuts every damn night. mind-boggling.)

celebrating Spooky Month together would be great. I would wear whatever he designed, heck yessiree. Man, it would be so cute.

Maybe I'll add to this list later but I think I kept you waiting long enough :3

didnt manage to get all the flustered pansexual panics he gives me or how my thought-process goes everytime I fricking see him but this was a list more for reasons Pie is a total cutie. not me, my butterfly-filled tummy, and my incessant simping 👉👈

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vanilla-bean-buttercream · 5 years ago

Text

I Might Have Adopted Two Ten-Year-Olds

Pairings: N/A (There is some Sleepmas, but it’s not the focus) Characters: Virgil, Remy, Thomas, Janus, Roman, Logan, Emile, two very annoying OCs you will probably never see again Chapter warnings: This chapter talks about religion a lot so if that bugs you tread carefully, implied child abuse, parents using their religion as an excuse to denounce neurodivergence, guns, gunshot wounds, blood, attempted kidnapping, threats of violence, intrusive thoughts, antisemitism, like a lot of antisemitism, this is long so mobile might not like reblogging it Word Count: 8,838

Summary:

“Don’t make me change my mind.” Janus paused. “I’m going to need to do some digging. Perhaps it’d be easier to pay off the foster care system Remus is currently in. That way, I can remove him from the situation and get those two back together.”

“And then what? Throw them out into the streets?”

Janus didn’t answer. Virgil watched Janus for a while before his brain finally connected the dots.

“Wait, you’re going to adopt them, aren’t you?”

Ao3 Link

The last bit of sunlight disappeared as Virgil sat inside the limousine. He kept an eye on his target and searched for any sort of opening that would make any of this easier. So far, from what he could gather, a man and a woman lived there, and there were no other kids besides his target.

“So, what are you waiting for? Go in already.”

Virgil let his head slowly tap against the window as he heard Remy’s phone texting behind him.

“You know, you’re always welcome to actually help me instead of judging me.”

“Babe, please, do you even know who I am? Judging people is like 100% of my life.” Remy put his phone in his pocket. “But seriously, kidnapping is not as hard as you think it is. Well, at least, it’s not if the parents don’t have a gun.”

“Greeeeat.”

“And besides, we have Roman. Use that to your advantage to make the kid come willingly.”

“This is so wrong.”

“Uniting two twins who were separated is wrong?”

Virgil didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “But what if they’re keeping them apart for a reason? What if Remus is actually like this monster of a kid and hurts Roman, and Roman makes excuses for his behavior all the time, and the reason they separated Remus from Roman is because the two of them were better off apart and-”

“Whoa, someone was reading up on foster care.” Remy shook his head. “Yeah, babe, I don’t think that’s the case. I think it’s something else.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“People are shitty.”

“Well, yeah, but like… nevermind.”

Remy lowered his sunglasses. “I have excellent intuition, babe, and you know I’m right 99% of the time.”

“Yeah, I don't know why else Janus would keep you around, shorty.”

“Fuck you.”

Virgil couldn’t hide the smirk on his face. He waited until the last light downstairs flipped off, and the whole house went dark. Well, at least it did, except for the flicking light upstairs, which was conveniently Remus’s bedroom.

Remy opened Virgil’s car door for him and motioned for Virgil to step outside. Virgil sent him a glare before he exited the car and scooted across the lawn.

Searching for an open window was a lot more difficult than Virgil thought. In fact, all of them were locked. Great. How was he supposed to get in now? Virgil groaned as he realized he’d probably have to pick the lock on the front door.

Kneeling down and using his flashlight, Virgil inserted the bobby pin and maneuvered it around. It wasn’t the first time he picked a lock, but this lock gave him nothing to work with. With a light curse, Virgil pulled out his tools and stared at the knob.

“Whatcha waiting for?”

Virgil jumped out of his skin and turned around. He hissed through a whisper, “God damn it, Remy, don’t sneak up on people like that. You almost gave me a fucking heart attack.”

Remy didn’t respond. Instead, he took the tools from Virgil’s hand and stuck them into the keyhole. In two minutes flat, he had the door unlocked, and he pushed it open with that stupid shit-eating grin on his face.

“You gonna need my help for the rest?” Remy asked. “Janus never said I couldn’t help. Just that you had to do it.”

Virgil hesitated. He looked into the dark house and sighed through his nose. “Well, I mean…”

“Say no more, babe.” Remy walked into the house like he owned the place. Virgil followed him in, and he gently closed the door behind them.

The house itself looked normal enough. There was a couch, a television, a set of stairs, a bunch of pictures with that phrase “live, laugh, love” on them, and-

Oh. Oh wow. Those were a lot of crucifixes.

“Do you think they’re Christians?” Virgil asked.

“I don’t know, babe, because Jan’s Catholic and even he’s not that cross obsessed,” Remy said with a shrug, “but I’m not religious so-”

A door opened upstairs, and Remy and Virgil held their breath. A light flipped on, and the two of them darted behind the couch. To their relief, however, the footsteps traveled down the upstairs hallway and didn’t notice there were two kidnappers in their living room.

“Remus,” a gentle voice spoke. “Remus, honey, stop playing with the lights.”

There was no answer for a few seconds.

“Remus! Stop.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

“No, I can’t.”

There was a scuffle, and then an ear-splitting scream. Remy flinched, and Virgil covered his ears. A bang, the sound of something falling and smashing, and the sound of a bed heavily sat on followed suit.

“Remus, stop! Control yourself.”

“NO! Let me go! Let me go! I have to- Only ten more flips! Please!”

“You can’t let him control you. You have to let it go.”

Remus started screaming at the top of his lungs. Remy shared a look with Virgil, who wondered how the neighbors didn’t call the police for doing whatever the hell they were doing to Remus because it sounded like the poor kid was being tortured.

After about ten minutes, Remus either tired himself out or got over whatever made him upset. The hissed sound of someone in pain followed a low growl of a voice.

“Don’t let the devil into your head, Remus. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Remy let his head thunk against the back of the couch. He mumbled, “Well, I guess that answers the religious question.”

Virgil chose not to comment.

Eventually, footsteps walked from one side of the house to the other side, and the light in the hall extinguished. Virgil and Remy held their breaths and waited for their cue.

“Oh, John-” a woman’s voice- “are you alright?”

“I’m fine. He didn’t get me that bad.”

“Your arm is bleeding! Don't tell me it’s not that bad.”

“I know. I know, but it’s going to be worth it. Eventually, we’ll chase the devil from him, and he’ll be a normal kid on the right side again.”

Remy hissed, “Yeah, I don’t know what the fuck’s going on, but I don't’ think it’s the devil.”

Virgil couldn't help but nod his head in agreement.

For a moment, the house settled into silence. Only if you listened carefully could you hear a child’s crying. Remus was either very good at hiding his emotions or chose to do it so he’d be left alone.

Slowly, Virgil and Remy moved from behind the couch to the stairs. They made sure not to disturb the adults in the house and headed straight to where they assumed Remus was.

Remus’s door was closed, but they didn’t miss the way the light clicked off just as they reached the top of the stairs. The bed bounced like someone took a flying leap onto it.

Silence.

Remy motioned for Virgil to open the door. Virgil swallowed, controlled his breathing, and slowly opened the door.

The room itself was practically spotless and very, very white. White walls, white carpet, white bedspread, a white curtain that flapped in the breeze of an open window. The only bit of color was the brown furniture in the room, which was a nightstand, a table, and a dresser. A lamp with a lopsided lampshade sat on the nightstand, and a table with all sorts of art supplies neatly stacked on top of each other stood by the window.

Remus must’ve covered up his head because all Virgil could see of him was the lump of his body under the blanket. He could hear the kid’s harsh breathing, and for a moment, he wondered if he was really doing the right thing.

Slowly, Virgil tiptoed into the room. His hand shook as he reached out and gently shook Remus’s body. He didn’t miss the way Remus flinched at his touch.

“I stopped,” came Remus’s small voice. “I’m sorry. I stopped.”

Virgil looked over his shoulder at Remy, who looked like he was using an abnormal amount of self-control right now. Virgil’s head turned back to Remus. He chewed on his lip, formed his words several times in his head, and opened his mouth.

“It’s okay.”

Remus sucked in a breath. He let out a low whine, and Virgil swallowed hard.

“Go away,” Remus spat.

Virgil replied, “I want to help.”

“No! Go away. You’re not real.”

“Remus-”

“I said go away!”

Virgil shushed him. If Remus kept yelling like this, his foster family was going to come in and see what was going on.

“Come on, Virge, what are you waiting for!” Remy hissed. “Grab the kid and let’s go!”

Virgil didn’t think before he pulled Remus’s blanket away. In a moment, he had a ten-year-old kid latched onto him. Remus scratched, bit, hit, and kicked everything he could find. Virgil fell backward with a yell and crashed into the wall.

Remy leaped forward and grabbed Remus around the chest. As if he already knew Virgil was going to screw up, he pulled a cloth presoaked with chloroform from his pocket and shoved it over Remus’s mouth. Remus continued to flail and kick wildly.

The hall lights turned on.

“Shit,” Remy hissed. “We gotta go.”

“Go where?” Virgil whispered.

“Remus? Remus, what’s going on in there?”

Remy motioned toward the open window. Virgil stuck his head out, and his head spun as he spotted the ground below. He drew his head back and hit it off the top of the split window.

“I can’t go down there,” Virgil snapped.

“Why not?”

“I don’t- heights.”

“Or for crying out loud, Virge. There’s a roof below the window. Use it.”

The sound of a gun clicked behind them. Thankfully Remus stopped struggling enough for Remy to move. He shoved Virgil out the window.

Virgil screamed as he fell onto the slanted roof. His body rolled, and he barely had enough time to grab the gutter as he fell. The gutter gave way from the roof, and it slowly lowered Virgil enough that he could drop down. Virgil landed on the ground with a soft grunt.

Once Virgil realized Remy nearly killed him, he snapped, “Remy, what the-”

The lights to Remus’s room turned on.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my house?”

“Oh my word, Remus!”

“Drop the kid. Now.”

Virgil couldn’t breathe. Remy's silhouette still stood in the window. How he hell were they supposed to make it out of this?

“Hey, easy pops. I just wanna help,” Remy’s voice said.

“Help? Abducting a foster child is helping? I don’t know what kind of help you think we need, but I think it’s you who needs help. Back away from the window before I shoot.”

“No! You’ll hit Remus!”

“Mary, get out of here and call the police.”

“Wait, Mister, can’t we just talk about this?”

Virgil didn’t know what to do. He paced back and forth on the front lawn. Did he leave Remy? Did he call Janus and tell him what happened? Did he go into the house and help? Would he even be any help? It was his fault Remy was trapped inside with a man who apparently had some sort of gun.

Virgil spied the open door. He saw a woman coming down the stairs, the same woman that pushed Roman out of the doorway the other night. She caught eyes with Virgil on the front lawn. Virgil made a mad dash to the door and stopped it right before she could close it.

“John! John, there’s another one!”

Virgil cursed. The woman pushed equally as hard on the door as Virgil was, causing a stalemate that would probably break the door before Virgil was allowed inside.

“Mary, are you alright?”

“No!” she grunted as she pushed on the door. “He’s hurting me!”

“Bullshit,” Virgil snapped. He got a burst of strength that forced the door open. The woman screamed as Virgil got the upper hand. She bolted for the phone. Virgil chased after her. The two fought for control of the poor electronic device caught in the middle of a life or death game of tug of war.

Remy’s voice called out, “Look I don’t wanna hurt you, so why don’t you just drop the gun and let me go.”

“Don’t shoot!”

Wait, what was Remy doing? Virgil froze long enough for the phone to slip out of his hands. The woman slammed the phone’s end as hard as she could into Virgil’s head. Virgil let out a sharp yell, and he staggered backward. The woman pushed him, and he fell into the couch behind him.

“You stay there or I’ll hit you again!” she threatened.

Virgil rubbed the sore spot on his head. He could already feel the lump forming. He heard the woman dialing 911 before he could react.

A gunshot sounded above them, as well as a grunt in pain. Virgil and the woman both jumped.

“John!”

“I’m okay! We’re both okay.”

No. NO.

Virgil tried to stand, but the woman used her foot to kick him back down. He heard Remy quietly hiss a curse above them.

“Hello, this is Mary Johnson at 1320 West Tammy Street. I have two burglars in my house trying to kidnap my son.”

“We’ll have someone down there right away to help,” he heard the other end of the phone say. “Is anyone hurt?”

“I don’t know, but my husband has a gun, and I think he already shot one of them.”

Virgil cursed under his breath. How the hell were they supposed to get out of this?

A minute later, Virgil heard police sirens outside the house. That was insanely quick. These people must have the police department wrapped around their little finger, or maybe it was because she mentioned her husband had a gun. Still, whichever it was, they were fucked. Completely and utterly fucked.

The police car stopped outside, and a single officer came to the door. They caught sight of the woman practically sitting on Virgil to keep him still.

“Oh thank goodness,” she sighed in relief. “Please, help my husband. He’s upstairs with my son.”

“Will do,” the officer spoke. He hurried up the stairs and disappeared. Tears of fear pricked the edge of Virgil’s vision as his entire body started to shake. He wished he knew what was going on.

A minute later, the officer came down the stairs with a rather complacent Remy in handcuffs. Remy walked with a slight limp in his left leg. Virgil caught the officer’s eye as he helped Remy down the last step.

“I’ll be back in a minute for the second one,” the officer said.

Virgil watched Remy carefully. Why did he give up so easily? Where was that scrappy ball of terror he watched take down several people on the sparring mat?

Virgil caught Remy’s eye from behind his sunglasses- wait was that a wink?

The officer took maybe a minute to come back for Virgil. He readied a pair of handcuffs, and the woman moved off Virgil’s chest. Virgil sprung to his feet, but the officer grabbed him by the wrist and pulled.

“Now, kid, please don’t make this hard on yourself,” the officer spoke. His grip was surprisingly light for someone who was about to throw Virgil in the back of his car. Virgil twisted, but the officer grabbed his other arm and locked it behind his back. He grabbed the top of Virgil’s left arm and gave a light pull.

“Thank you so much, officer,” the woman said. “And you, I’ll pray that you find Jesus and let Him into your heart.”

Virgil had enough time to scowl at her before the officer pulled him out of the house. Virgil did his best to try and struggle to get away, but the officer kept him going. Either it was Virgil’s imagination, or the officer picked up his pace when he heard more police sirens.

The officer put Virgil in the back of the car and slammed the door shut. With Virgil’s hands behind his back, he couldn’t stop himself from losing his balance. Thankfully, Remy caught him.

With both hands.

Wait.

The officer closed his door and sped down the road with his sirens flashing.

“That wasn’t bad for your first try, Virge. Could’ve gone a lot worse,” Remy said. He twisted Virgil’s shoulders and moved Virgil’s wrists so he could see the cuffs. “Thomas, babe, watch the corners. We’re both not wearing seat belts right now.”

“Sorry, Rem. I just wanna get off this street as fast as I can.”

“What are they going to do, arrest us?”

Virgil heard a lock click behind him, and the cuffs fell from his wrists. Remy pulled the metal away and put it into his pocket.

“You know I can’t blow my cover.”

“I know, babe. Sorry about all this.”

“One of these days, I’m going to make you fill out all the paperwork.”

Remy waited until the officer stopped at a stop sign, stood, and leaned between the seats. The officer turned his head just in time to catch Remy's lips.

Virgil found his voice as the two parted, and he mumbled, “Okay, what the fuck is going on?”

Remy fell heavily into his seat, and he leaned his head against the headrest. He answered, “Virgil, I’d like you to meet Officer Sanders.”

“Please, just call me Thomas,” the officer- Thomas- answered.

“He’s been working for Janus for years now covering up our shit. In my opinion, Janus doesn’t pay him nearly enough.”

“Wait, so you’re a corrupt cop?” Virgil asked.

Thomas shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“Corrupt and sexy. I love bad boys.”

Virgil caught Thomas’s blush in the rearview mirror. He looked from the mirror to Remy, who had this stupidly lovestruck look on his face.

“Wait, are you two-”

“Dating? For the past two years,” Remy answered. “Though Thomas and I knew each other for a while. He's been saving my ass since I started playing for Janus’s team.”

“Hey, you’ve got me out of a few scrapes as well.”

“Don’t be modest, Thomas.”

“I’m not being modest. It’s the truth. Remember when I was bleeding out at that jewelry store robbery? Or the time when Smith found out I was dealing with Janus? Or the time when-”

“God, shut up before I make you.”

“Is that a promise or a threat?”

“Both.”

Virgil hid his face in his hands. Thomas let out a light laugh, and Remy hissed. Virgil caught sight of Remy’s leg, which was sluggishly bleeding onto the backseat.

“You okay back there?” Thomas asked.

Remy let out a light laugh. “Just a flesh wound. He only shot my leg.”

Virgil snorted. Only.

Remy continued, “It’s not even that deep. It was a fucking BB gun. You would think if he’s going to protect his family that he’d have something more deadly, not a weapon you give a kid.”

“Remy-”

“I’m just saying.”

Thomas let out a long, exasperated sigh.

Remy turned to Virgil, “And what the hell were you doing, babe? What, was she babysitting or something?”

“Shut it, Remy.”

Remy giggled. He stared up at the car ceiling and continued, “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

“I will end you.”

“A middle-aged woman with a phone gets attacked by a sixteen-year-old streetfighter. The ending will shock you.”

Virgil back slapped Remy’s arm with his hand, and Remy laughed harder. Thomas shook his head and slowed to a stop at a stop sign. Virgil put his cheek in his hand and stared out the window. For a while, the ride died down into a comfortable silence.

Remy clicked his tongue and mumbled, “Though, you know, Janus is gonna be mega pissed when he finds out what happened.”

Virgil sucked in a harsh breath through his teeth.

How was he supposed to tell Janus he screwed up this bad? Worse, how was he supposed to tell Roman?

Virgil let his forehead rest against the window glass.

“Yeah, I’m screwed.”

The office held no noise as the three entered the building at 1 in the morning. Remy looked over at Thomas, who stared back. The two of them seemed to have a conversation Virgil couldn’t hear.

That’s okay. Virgil was having too much of a screaming match in his own head to worry about them.

“So, you think Janus is awake?” Remy asked. “Bet he went to sleep with the kid.”

“You think he would?” Thomas asked.

“Mmm yeah. He wouldn’t just let Roman run around by himself. And besides, you should’ve seen them earlier when they were watching Disney movies together.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Remy unlocked Janus’s door. The quiet office was dark save for the computer light. Huh, Janus usually turned that off.

“You two go up and tell Jan what happened. I’m going to shut down his computer.”

Thomas gave Remy a look but didn’t argue. Virgil swallowed hard. His entire body started to shake as he walked up the stairs. Thomas put a hand on Virgil’s shoulder, making Virgil jump.

“One step at a time, kiddo,” Thomas said.

Virgil scowled. “I’m not a kid.”

Thomas answered with a smile. The two of them continued up the stairs. Hopefully, Janus was asleep and Virgil would have to deal with this in the morning.

The door at the end of the stairs towered over Virgil. All the blood ran out of his face, and it started to tingle. He couldn’t move his hand from the railing to turn the handle. Lucky for him, Thomas did. The door cracked open. Now, if only Virgil could get his legs to move.

Thomas moved around Virgil and went in first. Knowing Thomas was in there alone gave Virgil enough courage to follow him in. What was Janus’s room going to look like? Were there going to be trophies from his victims all over? Would there be a blood-stained carpet? Would there be people tied up in the corner begging behind a gag to escape? Virgil squeezed his eyes shut as he climbed the last step. Slowly, slowly, he cracked an eye open to peek.

Well, whatever Virgil expected to see when he walked into Janus’s room was not… this.

Piled on the bottom of the bed was a group of pillows. Two people were curled together, and it took Virgil a moment to realize it was both Janus and Roman. Their foreheads were pressed together, and Janus had one arm wrapped protectively around Roman's waist.

For a moment, Virgil forgot how scared he was, the feeling of awe taking over his heart.

“Maybe we should come back later,” Thomas whispered.

Virgil nodded his head in agreement. He and Thomas backed out of the room. Thomas closed the door, and Virgil practically fell down the stairs trying to get as far away from Janus as he could.

“Hey, Thomas, come here,” Remy whispered.

Thomas walked down the rest of the steps, his brow raised in curiosity. “What’s up, Rem?”

Both Thomas and Virgil stood behind Janus’s computer chair. Remy leaned back, his eyebrows lining his sunglasses.

“Anyone at the precinct hear of a virus called “Unknown” in people’s inbox?”

Upon closer inspection, the email that Janus was using had three different emails, all with sender “Unknown” and no subject.

Thomas hummed before he replied, “No, nothing that I’ve heard.”

Remy gave a hummed reply before he hit delete on all the messages. “Better safe than sorry. I’ll tell Jan about it when I get back.”

“Back?” Virgil rose a brow. “Where are you going?”

“Thomas’s house.”

Thomas’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Wait, you are?”

Remy stood from the computer chair. He pushed it in and slowly walked over to Thomas. Thomas didn’t back away.

“You roughly locked me in handcuffs earlier today and you think you’re going to get away with it?” Remy grabbed Thomas’s tie and pulled Thomas down to his level. “That’s unacceptable babe. You can’t tease me and then expect me to sleep peacefully tonight. At least, not without your permission, sir.”

Thomas smirked before he closed the gap between them in a kiss.

Virgil gagged before he hurried toward the exit. He could hear Remy and Thomas laughing at him as he headed toward the third-floor elevator.

Virgil never felt so thankful to have a bed. He collapsed onto it, not even bothering to get out of his clothes. He did, however, kick his shoes off.

Within moments, Virgil forgot he even had shoes.

Virgil woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He groaned. What time was it? Virgil flipped over onto his back so he could grab the phone in his pocket. Virgil blinked at it.

6:30 in the morning. He only got like 5 hours of sleep. Great.

However, seeing Janus’s name on the screen made Virgil wake up pretty quick. He hit the answer button and brought it to his ear.

“What?” Virgil’s tired voice mumbled.

“Hey Virgil-” Oh, Roman- “did you sleep well?”

Virgil rubbed a hand over his face. “Not really, no.”

“Oh. Did you have a lovely evening?”

Virgil stifled a yawn. “Eh.”

“Can you come up to my office? There’s something I’d like to discuss.”

Virgil blinked. What?

“Wait, no, can you come to Janus’s office? We need to discuss.” Roman giggled.

If Virgil listened closely, he could hear Janus talking to Roman on the other side of the phone.

“Aren’t you a little young to be practicing to be a crime boss?” Virgil asked as he sat up a little straighter.

Roman didn’t reply. Virgil narrowed his eyes. The other side of the phone crackled, and Janus’s voice spoke next.

“I know you’re probably tired from your endeavor last night, but I believe you have something to report to me.”

“Oh,” Virgil’s stomach filled with dread.

“And I know Roman wants to hear all about it.”

Virgil’s stomach flipped. “Uh-”

“Good to hear. I expect you in my office within the next fifteen minutes. Don’t be late.”

The phone clicked off before Virgil could argue. Virgil stared down at the phone. Did Janus already know? He wouldn’t put it past him. Janus had an odd way of finding out everything that went on in his ring.

Virgil looked in the mirror, realized that “tired” was just how he was going to present himself today, and walked out of his room. As he was leaving, he turned the corner and bumped into someone. Paper scattered everywhere.

“Shit, sorry,” Virgil mumbled.

“It’s alright, Virgil. I should’ve watched where I was going.”

Virgil swallowed hard and scampered to help pick up the papers thrown all over the floor. That’s right. Emile would be way more active today. Great.

“You okay there, Virge? You look awfully tired, and-”

“I’m fine,” Virgil growled. He shoved the papers into Emile’s arms and hurried down the hall.

“Oh, okay,” Emile’s voice called out. Virgil didn’t wait around to hear the rest of Emile’s statement. He pressed the elevator up button at least five times before the doors finally opened.

Virgil let his whole body fall against the elevator. How the heck was he supposed to tell Janus about everything that happened?

The doors opened, and Virgil walked out. He headed toward Janus’s office, his body going numb once again as he headed to the door. Virgil’s hand shook as he rang the doorbell.

“Enter,” Roman’s voice called through the intercom. At least he was having a fun time.

Virgil slowly opened Janus’s door. Roman sat in Janus’s chair once again, and Janus hovered over the back of it. However, Roman leaped out of the chair as soon as Virgil closed the door. He looked around, then deflated.

“Where’s Remus?” Roman asked.

Virgil swallowed hard. “Uh, I… he’s…”

“You didn’t get him, did you?” Roman asked.

Virgil couldn’t look Roman in the eye. He slowly shook his head no. There was a pause before Janus's voice spoke.

“Roman, would you go upstairs for a moment?”

"Um, I’d like a witness,” Virgil argued, but Janus’s cold glare cut him off. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

“But I want to know what happened,” Roman whined.

“I’ll tell you all about it when I get upstairs. Virgil and I need to discuss an adult topic right now, okay?”

Roman crossed his arms. “I’m not a little kid anymore.”

“I know you’re not, but I promise I’ll tell you all about it when I get upstairs.”

Roman held out his pinky with an irritated scowl on his face. Janus sighed, his lips pulled into a soft smile, and looped his own pinky finger around Roman’s finger. It seemed to satisfy Roman for now, who climbed up the stairs. All sound silenced.

“And no sitting on the top stair, you sneak,” Janus called out.

A high pitch squeal answered before Janus’s door slammed closed. Again, all sound silenced.

Janus’s harsh sigh followed seconds later. He sat down in his computer chair and cracked his knuckles. Janus looked over his computer monitor before he gave a strict, “Sit.”

Virgil didn’t realize he sat down in the chair. His whole body tingled, and he couldn’t swallow the lump in his throat.

Janus pressed his fingertips together. All he did was stare. Virgil wasn’t sure what he wanted more: Janus to get it over with and kill him already or keep staring just so he could have a few more seconds to live.

“So, the job went well, I’m guessing?” Janus asked.

“I can ex-”

Janus held up a hand. Virgil blinked. He couldn’t believe Janus could stop people just by holding up a hand until he experienced it himself.

Janus spoke, “You don’t need to explain. Thomas forwarded the police report he filled out to me for my approval at four-thirty this morning. I’m guessing you know who Thomas is by now. Apparently, you not only alerted Remus’s family that you were in the house, which is going to make it more difficult for us to get Remus out, but you also got Remy shot. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Virgil swallowed hard. He opened his mouth to reply, closed it, and tried again. “I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing. How the hell did you expect me to pull this off? You should’ve just had Remy do it.”

“Maybe I should have.” Janus rubbed small circles on his forehead.

Virgil got a burst of courage in his chest before he shot back, “I don’t know what else you were expecting. I don’t have training in this. Did you really think I could just kidnap a kid?”

“You had no problem picking that money out of my pocket.”

“Kidnapping a real-live-fighting-back human being is not the same as pulling a wallet out of someone’s pocket. I have a shitton of practice at pickpocketing. Do you know how many rich fucks I’d pickpocket every week?”

“I can only imagine.”

“And besides, I didn’t make it out of there without being injured either. The kid attacked me like a wild honey badger.” Virgil lifted his jacket sleeve up to show the multiple scratches and broken skin underneath. They weren't deep, but a few teeth marks were red and visible. Not to mention, his head still hurt and probably had a huge bruise on it from where the woman hit him on the phone.

“Alright,” Janus said and let out a long sigh. “Alright, Virgil.”

Virgil’s head snapped up. He watched Janus deflate into his chair as he held up his head with his thumb, index, and middle finger.

“I’ll fold. Maybe sending you in was a bit harsh on my part.”

“You think?”

“And then what? Throw them out into the streets?”

Janus didn’t answer. Virgil watched Janus for a while before his brain finally connected the dots.

“Wait, you’re going to adopt them, aren’t you?”

Janus’s eyes snapped over to Virgil. His eyes were neither cold nor warm, and he let out a giant huff. Virgil couldn’t help the small crack of a smile that pulled at the edge of his lips.

“I’m right, aren’t I? You’re thinking about adopting Roman and Remus.”

Janus snapped, “Don’t think this means I’m going soft. I don’t see an option where the two of them can be together unless I pay the police department to free their father. However, it’s not like I know the kids are going to be safe after it happens. All it would take is one more wrong glance, and he’d be thrown back into jail, and I don’t want to keep paying bail for someone they keep throwing into jail on purpose.”

“Can’t you just get Thomas to do something about it?”

“Thomas can’t be everywhere, Virgil. Besides, while he’s not the only officer I have wrapped around my finger, I can’t control them all, or else this city would be run a lot differently.”

Virgil quieted at that. He stared down at his knees and let out a long sigh through his nose.

Janus thought for a moment before he continued, “Do me a favor and watch Roman for the rest of the day. I’m going to be terribly busy, and I don’t… you know what, why don’t you introduce him to Logan and Emile?”

Virgil’s head snapped up at that. His mouth must’ve opened in shock because Janus walked over and gently closed his jaw with a finger. His finger kept tipping Virgil’s head back until they were staring at each other straight in the eye. Janus studied Virgil a moment before he spoke.

“And, if you think this means I’m going to go easy on you the next time I give you an assignment, I’d start writing your will now.”

Virgil swallowed hard, but he had to admit, the familiar feeling of dread didn’t carve as deep into his stomach as it had the first few times Janus threatened him like this. Perhaps he was just getting used to it.

Janus let go of Virgil’s jaw, and he walked toward the steps. He continued, “Wait right there. I’m going to get Roman now.”

Virgil did as he was told. The clock ticked the silence away. Eventually, Roman slowly stomped down the stairs, a disheartened look on his face. He glared over at Virgil, and Virgil shot back a glare of his own.

“Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Janus instructed.

Virgil glanced from Janus to Roman and back at Janus again. He stood, and after following Roman out of the room, Roman bolted toward the elevator.

“Hey!” Virgil yelled. Roman didn’t look back. Virgil took off after him, leaving some very confused gang members staring at the odd sight. Roman crashed into the elevator doors and repeatedly hit the down button. He squealed as Virgil grabbed him around his waist.

“Let me go! I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you. You lied! You lied to me!”

“Roman-”

“You told me you were going to get him back!”

“I know! Don’t you think I tried? Remus beat the shit out of me when I tried to grab him, okay? It’s not like I didn’t try here.”

Roman froze at that. He panted in Virgil’s arms. The elevator door dinged, and the doors slid open. Neither Virgil nor Roman moved.

“You probably scared him,” Roman mumbled.

“Yeah, I know I did.”

“He didn’t mean to hurt you. He just didn’t want to be taken away again.”

Virgil didn’t answer.

“I should’ve gone with. I should’ve been there. He would’ve come if I was there.”

Virgil let out a long sigh. The elevator doors slid closed, leaving Roman and Virgil alone to talk this out. Virgil answered, “I know, but it was too dangerous.”

“I’m not a little kid anymore. I can handle myself.”

“I know.” Virgil bit his lips, “But Roman-”

“You’re still going to get him back, right? You’re not just going to leave him with those villains, are you?”

“No, Ro, we’re gonna get Remus back. I promise. I’m just… not going to be the one to do it.”

Roman sighed through his nose. Virgil let his grip slip bit by bit until he was sure Roman wasn’t going to run. He hit the elevator down button, and he waited.

Once the elevator doors opened again, the two of them stepped inside to meet the rest of Roman’s new family. Hopefully Roman would be satisfied with them for now.

It took a while, but Janus eventually found the information he was looking for. After paying off the foster care organization a bit more than he would’ve liked, he was now strolling toward Remus’s foster family house to give the “good” news.

He knocked on the door and respectfully pulled his hat off his head, placing it on his chest.

The front door opened, and the woman at the door smiled.

“Good evening, Mrs. Johnson. My name is Samuel Summers, and I’m here to speak to you about your housing of our dear Remus Cooper.”

The woman’s eyes widened, and she swallowed hard. Her finger tapped on the door frame as she asked, “Is this about what happened seven nights ago?”

“I’m afraid so,” Janus responded.

“But, there’s been no incidents since. Remus has been adjusting well, and my husband and I have made sure to make sure no more evil can enter our house.”

“With all due respect, ma’am, I’m sure you are doing everything in your power to keep Remus safe. I do, however, need to come in and present to you with another issue that is connected to here.”

The woman curled her lips. “Oh, this is about Roman, isn’t it?”

“It is. Can I come in? I feel I should probably be speaking to you and your husband instead of just you.”

The woman thought for a moment. Janus was sure she’d slam the door in his face, but to his surprise, she opened the door a little wider and offered him a spot inside. The first thing Janus’s eyes settled on was all the crucifix in the house. He raised a brow. Well, these people definitely weren’t Mormons.

“Can I get you any tea?” Mrs. Johnson asked.

Janus shook his head, a small smile on his face. The woman asked Janus to wait there as she climbed up the stairs to get her husband. Janus checked his phone.

Footsteps came down the stairs, but they didn’t belong to either of the two adults. Instead, Janus came face to face with a young boy who looked just like Roman only with straightened hair, most reminiscent of those kids you saw in old movies. He even wore a sweater vest and tan slacks.

“Hello, Remus,” Janus greeted.

Remus stared at him for a moment, looked down, and climbed back up the stairs. A few seconds later, Remus came back down the stairs, only this time, he came the entire way. He still stared at Janus with a distrustful look.

“How do you know my name?” the kid asked.

“Roman told me.”

The kid’s eyes widened. Before he could say anything, however, the two foster parents came down the stairs. Janus rose to his feet to shake Mr. Johnson’s hand. Mrs. Johnson caught Remus’s eye, and she pointed toward the stairs.

“Remus, go back to your room. The adults are going to have a little chat.”

“No, please, Mrs. Johnson. I implore you to keep Remus here. I want him to be part of the decision as much as the two of you.”

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson shared a look. They sat down on the couch, sandwiching Remus in the middle, and Janus took the single rocker on the other side of the table. Leaning forward, Janus folded his fingers together and gathered his words carefully.

“Now, I have read Remus’s file since I came. Remus, you suffer from something called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, don’t you?”

Remus blinked at him and looked at his foster mom for confirmation.

“That’s what the doctor told us, yes,” she answered, “but we don't’ think that’s the case.”

“Remus has these ticks,” Mr. Johnson continued, “where he thinks something bad is going to happen if he doesn’t do something a certain number of times. Usually, it’s just flipping the lights or fixing the buttons on his shirt six times. Nothing harmful really.”

“As compared to OCD which is a cleaning disorder?” Janus deadpanned.

“That’s right. Heck, I’m a little OCD myself sometimes,” Mrs. Johnson laughed.

Janus sucked in a calming breath through his nose. “So, if it’s not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, like the doctor said, what do you believe it is?”

“Obviously the devil has gotten inside Remus’s head,” Mr. Johnson explained. “Flip this light switch 30 times so your brother doesn’t get shot like your mom. Mental images of raping Mary while sitting at the breakfast table. Pick up this knife and stab someone with it. What else could they be?”

“We think it’s because his mom was,” Mrs. Johnson whispered, “you know.”

“Not a Christian?” Janus asked with a raised brow.

“Exactly. Thank goodness we’re on the same page.”

Janus monitored Remus, who grew more uncomfortable as the conversation went on. He wished he could give the child some comforting words. No amount of “not all Christians” was going to make up for this mess.

“Alright, so what about Roman? How does he fit into all this?” Janus asked.

Janus didn’t miss the way Mrs. Johnson glanced down at Remus from the corner of her eye or the way Mr. Johnson put a hand over Remus’s to rub circles onto the back of Remus’s hand with his thumb. Remus didn’t look at either of them or acknowledge the touch. In fact, he pulled his hand back slightly.

“Roman was very emotionally manipulative,” Mr. Johnson explained.

Janus raised a brow. “Emotionally manipulative how?”

Mrs. Johnson continued her husband’s line of thought. “Not only did he tell Remus it was okay to have these thoughts, but he would start spewing that Jew nonsense-”

“With all due respect,” Janus said through his teeth as he leaned forward. He took another calming breath. “I would prefer if you didn’t refer to it as “Jew nonsense” when the whitewashed man hanging above your head was, in fact, Jewish.”

That seemed to shut the two parents up. Remus’s eyes widened, his shoulders perking a bit at Janus’s support. Janus pretended to look over the bullshit papers that Emile helped him compile, and he sighed through his nose.

Janus continued, “It’s come to our attention that this household may not be the safest environment for a black Jewish child, and we regret to inform you that Remus will be relocated into another environment that will help him grow into a-”

“Now wait just a minute here,” Mr. Johnson said as he leaped up from the couch. Janus followed him with his eyes, but nothing in his body posture suggested intimidation. Mr. Johnson wagged his finger as he continued, “How dare you come into our home and tell us that we are not doing everything in our power to help Remus? You know nothing about us. You don’t even know that Jesus saw Jews as incomplete and-”

Janus pulled the crucifix out from under his shirt, successfully shutting the man up.

“I go to Mass every Sunday, so please, Mr. Johnson, don’t preach to me,” Janus cooly replied.

Mr. Johnson sat back down on the couch, his fists shaking. Mrs. Johnson’s mouth was wide open, her hand raised to her chest like she was going to pull out her own crucifix but had none. Remus, on the other hand, looked like he was just given a million dollars.

Janus addressed Remus as he spoke, “Go pack up your things if you have any. We’ll be leaving as soon as you’re done.”

“Wait,” Mrs. Johnson said, his eyes filled with tears. “Don’t we get a say in this? I don’t want to give him up. I took him in when no one else did. I-”

“You do agree that Remus deserves love and support, don’t you?” Janus interrupted.

“Of course.”

“And you became a foster parent to give him the best chance he could have, correct.”

“That’s right.”

“Then you know, as a foster parent, that it’s your job to do everything in your power to give Remus the life he deserves. That’s what foster parents are, Mrs. Johnson, and if this environment isn’t suitable for him, surely you above all else would know it’s your job to place Remus in a home that works for him, and clearly, this household is not working for him.”

Janus turned his attention to Remus and continued, “But I did say this was Remus’s choice too. That’s why I wanted him here. Remus, what do you want? Do you want to stay here or go somewhere else?”

Remus was out of his seat before Janus could finish his sentence.

Mrs. Johnson broke into hysterics on the couch, and her husband sent a dirty look to Janus. Janus stood, and he took a deep breath. He put his hat on and straightened out his suit.

“Even the Devil can quote scripture, but that doesn’t mean he understands it. I’ll pray for God to grant you understanding in the fullness of His word,” Janus said as he tipped his hat. With that, he followed Remus up to his room with the smuggest smile on his face.

Remus would’ve bounced all over the back seat if Janus didn’t strap his seatbelt on. The kid didn’t shut up since the minute they got in the car. He talked about anything and everything, from his mom to Roman to his dad to his interest in art to his love of trains. Janus listened intently. He couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

It’s amazing what a little support would do to bring someone out of their shell.

The only time Remus stopped chattering was when they pulled up to the “insurance” building. His mouth dropped open, and his nose pressed up against the window.

“This doesn’t look like an adoption center,” Remus said.

“You’d be correct,” Janus responded.

Remus turned to him, his eyes wide and mouth searching for any sort of word to say. Janus opened his car door.

“If you’d like me to get Roman and you wait here, that’s-”

Remus was out of the car and running up to the rotating door before Janus could remove a foot from the car. Janus watched Remus run around and around and around the rotating door. A few people on the street watched the child and shook their heads. Janus sighed through his nose.

Well, he signed up for this.

Janus waited until the door let him in and jumped in with Remus. The two of them went around in a circle before Janus pulled Remus out of the doorway, who giggled the entire time.

“Can we do that again?” Remus asked.

“Another time. Right now, there’s someone who wants to say hello to you.”

Remus gasped, and he took off toward the elevator. Janus chuckled before he pointed Remus in the right direction, toward the hidden elevator in the locker rooms of the pool. Remus bounced so much the elevator shook.

Suddenly Remus stopped, and Janus watched as the once bouncing kid bit his lip.

“What’s wrong?” Janus asked.

Remus scratched both hands through his hair before he answered. “Thought.”

“What is it?” Janus asked. Remus looked hesitantly at Janus and turned his gaze back to the elevator doors. Janus continued, “It’s okay, Remus. You can tell me.”

“I just thought about the elevator crashing and we both die before I can see Roman.” Remus looked up at him expectantly, as if waiting for Janus to shame him for his thought.

“That would be unfortunate, wouldn’t it?” Janus answered.

Remus nodded his head. He started buttoning and unbuttoning the shirt under his sweater vest. Janus didn’t comment. He’d have to speak to Emile about what to do about that. Or better yet, Cassie. Surely Remus would benefit from a black therapist.

The elevator doors opened, and Janus motioned for Remus to walk out. Remus entered the hallway. A few people having a conversation in the middle of the hall stopped and turned to face them. Janus put a hand on Remus’s shoulder, and he led him down the hall. The people moved to the side. Remus didn’t miss the way the people weren’t watching him. They were watching Janus.

“YES!” a voice shouted down the hall, followed by several other voices.

“Roman,” Remus whispered. He snapped his head up at Janus, as if to make sure he was right. Janus gave a nod of the head. The two of them hurried down the hall (well, more like Remus ran and Janus walked fast to keep up with him) and stopped when they came across a cracked open door.

Janus pushed the door back. On the floor sat Emile, Virgil, Roman, and Logan, all playing the board game “Sorry.” Roman had his back to them, his hands raised in the air. According to the four red pieces in his home, he just won. Emile, Virgil, and Logan all looked up at Janus and Remus, all with varying expressions of shock and interest.

“Hey, Ro, turn around,” Virgil said, a smirk on his face.

“Oh, no, I’m not falling for that trick. You’re going to switch the board and say you won or something,” Roman growled.

“Roman,” Emile coaxed, “please. You’re going to want to see who just walked in the door.”

Roman rose a brow and twisted his head as far as it would go. When he caught sight of Remus, his jaw dropped, and his back straightened. Remus charged forward, and Roman squealed in delight. Remus hugged Roman so tight they fell over into a ball of giggles rolling on the floor.

Janus would deny his eyes teared up at that, even if the others were just as awestruck.

After Roman and Remus calmed themselves, they sat side-by-side, practically melted into each other. Their hands never left each other’s palms.

“Thank you,” Roman said as he beamed up at Janus. “Thank you for bringing Remus back to me.”

“I do keep my promises,” Janus said. He caught Emile’s eye and mumbled, “usually.”

Emile rolled his eyes.

“So, now what?” Remus asked. “Are we going to go to a home together? You’re not going to separate us again, are you?”

“Of course not,” Janus answered. “I was… actually, I was going to speak to Roman about this when I got back, so I… Roman, Remus, I have a question for you.”

The two boys held their breath. They didn’t take their eyes off Janus. The curiosity in the room piqued, and everyone’s attention hung on Janus’s next words.

Janus continued, “I want the two of you to stay here, with us.” He paused. “With me.”

“You mean, you’re adopting us?” Roman asked.

“Only if you want me to. I did say this was your choice, and-”

“YES!” Roman and Remus both shouted at the same time. It startled Janus, who blinked his shock away. Both boys stood and barreled into Janus’s legs. Janus held onto the doorframe to keep his balance. His lips floundered as he searched for an argument to play devil’s advocate.

“Roman, don’t you think you should think about this first?” Janus coaxed. “I mean, you’ve only been here for a week. Is this really what you want?”

“Yes,” Roman answered without hesitation.

“And Remus, you’ve only known me for an hour,” Janus argued. “You don’t even know me. Don’t you-”

“I know you’re good,” Remus answered. “I can just tell. Besides, if Roman likes you, then I like you.”

Janus opened his mouth to argue further, but he closed it soon after. He glanced up at Emile, who didn’t say a word. Instead, Emile pretended he was more interested in shuffling cards. However, Janus could see the wide grin on his face.

“So, do I call you daddy or sir?” Remus asked.

Virgil burst into hysterical laughter. Emile snorted and bit both of his lips to keep from laughing. Logan raised a brow as he glanced between Emile and Virgil, as if waiting for either of them to explain what was so funny.

Janus let out a long, tired sigh. He looked down at both Remus and Roman, who looked up at him like two lovestruck puppies.

“Janus,” he answered. Even he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “Please, just call me Janus.”

#sanders sides #janus sanders #virgil sanders #remy sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #dr. emile picani #logan sanders #totally not despicable dee au #janus is a very tired catholic #virgil has no idea how to kidnap kids #remy does but he's not helping #not all cops- you're right Thomas Sanders would Never #roman really wants his brother back #remus really doesn't like his family #emile's not saying a word just side-eyeing the heck out of janus #and logan is confused please help this poor child #i projected a lot more onto janus than emile because my salt towards these types of parents is heavy #June 2020

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livthelazywriter · 4 years ago

Text

Quirkless Hero

Bakugou x f!reader

Chapter 2: A different perspective

Words: 2317

"Alright settle down. Class is starting." A pair of sleepy eyes looked to to the class in front of him. A deep sigh escaped his lips as he continued.

"As a reminder, mid next week you have a quiz in both English and Hero History." The class groaned. Murmurs were heard throughout the class.

"Aww man I forgot."

"I'm gonna fail."

"Psst, Iida, can we study after school today? I'll ask-"

"Quiet." Aizawa looked to class 1A with red a eyes and floating hair. Instantly the the class quieted down. Aizawa sighed again.

"If you don't pass your Hero History test you won't be allowed to go to the Hero History Museum that you'll be going to here in a couple weeks." Aizawa bent down to the floor and pulled up his yellow sleeping bag cocooning himself. "That's it for announcements for today. I'm going to take a nap till your first class starts so don't be too loud." With that he laid down on the floor and took his nap like he does about every morning.

Kirishima let gravity take his head to his desk. A loud thunk came in the process. He groaned. He had a quiz in both classes he struggled with the most. If only he had someone to stu-

The boys head shot up and looked across the classroom. His eyes locked on his grumpy ash blonde friend, who had his usual scowl on his face as looked to the front of the class.

Bingo!

Kirishima quickly stood up and walked over to the scowling blonde. Sitting in the now vacant seat in front of him, Kirishima turned to look at Bakugou. Barely opening his mouth, Bakugou interrupted him.

"What ever it is, no. So buzz off." Bakugou interjected with his usual grump expression. Kirishima's lip jutted out and his eyebrows scrunched together.

"Aw come on man! You didn't even know what I was going to say!" Kirishima said with a pleading look hoping his friend will hear him out. The ash blonde looked at him with a slightly annoyed look. Knowing Kirishima, he wasn't going to give up till hopefully Bakugou gave in.

Bakugou let out a small grumble. "What do you want?" He asked obviously still annoyed. Relieved, a hopeful smile spread on Kirishima's face.

"I want you to help me study."

"No." Bakugou deadpanned. The red heads face dropped.

"Please?" Kirishima whined.

Bakugou raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I want to help you weird hair?"

"Please Bakugou? You helped me with midterms last time and it really helped." Kirishima pleaded. "And plus, your like the smartest person I know." He added hoping it would help convince him. It did. It got into his head, causing a cocky smirk to replace his annoyed one. Leaning back he put his hands behind his head.

"Darn right I am."

"Does that mean you'll help me study?" Kirishima asked excitedly. A glint of hope still in his eyes. Bakugou face reverted back to it's original state.

"Meet me at the front gate when's schools over. We'll go to the same place as last time."

Kirishima's eyes sparkled. "Thank you so much Bakubro!"

~Time-skip~

Stepping out to the chill air, Kirishima let out a content sigh. Fall had to to be his favorite season. Not because of the colors, or cool temperature, but because of the few memories he could remember. Before moving, him and Y/n would bury one another in leaf piles and rescue each other.

"I'll help you Ejirou!" Y/n said with a giggle as she ran towards the large pile of leaves in the yard.

"Ahhh! Help! The leaf villain got me!" Kirishima's faked cried for help as he 'struggled' against the leaves that covered his body. The sound of feet hitting the ground got closer and louder as the small h/c came closer. Letting out a battle cry, she jumped in the pile.

"Aaaaghhh! Let go of my cousin you mean villain!" Y/n struggled through the leaves as she made her way to Ejirou. Pushing off the leaves, she grabbed the boy's wrist and began he pull him to safety. Both fell to the ground once away from the so-called villain.

Looking at each other from on the ground, they both got into a fit of giggles. Crawling over to Y/n, Kirishima plopped on top of her to give her a hug. This only caused the giggles to grow.

As their giggles died down, Kirishima spoke up. "We are going to be the best hero's ever!" His head laid on Y/n's belly and arms wrapped around her sides as he gave her a small squeeze. Y/n gave him a squeeze in return, tightening the hug.

" Yeah we are!"

Kirishima smiled softly at the memory. He looked up to the sky and let out a chuckle.

"Heck yeah we are." Putting his hand in his pocket he pulled out his phone and unlocked it.

I wonder what she's doing right know. We do end school about the same time.

Pulling up the his texting, he tapped on his cousins name, opening their conversations. Typing on the small keyboard of his phone, he typed the usual when ever he wanted to talk.

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Hiiiii

As he pushed the send button, a gruff voice came from behind him.

"Oi, weird hair lets go!" Bakugou quickly stomped ahead of Kirishima. Phone still in hand, he quickly caught up with Bakugou. Once he caught up and was now walking beside the blonde, he felt his hand vibrate. His head snapped to look at his phone, as his arm snapped up to rase the mobile device.

Quirkless wonder:

Hiiiiii👋

His face lit up once again. Bringing his other hand to his phone he typed away at the keypad. Kirishima did his best to text Y/n everyday ever since he got her number. Let's just say if Y/n never moved, the two would be impossible to separate. From video calls to text messages, they kept in contact the best they could when ever they could.

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Whatcha doin?

After pressing send, three little dots in a bubble showed up on screen, indicating that Y/n saw the text and was now responding. Ejirou had a skip in his step as walked. Texting his cousin always brightened his day. It's sometimes got him a little too distracted and caught up in his own little world. Every now and then he would end up running into furniture, walls, or sometimes almost walking into busy streets.

Like now for instance.

But as always he never made one foot on the road. A hand grabbed his the hood of his jacket and pulled him back, slightly chocking him in the process.

"Hrrk!"

"Watch were you're going you moron!" Bakugou yelled as he yanked Kirishima's hood. Kirishima fell on the ground landing in his bum. Landing, he fell to his back from the momentum of falling and being pulled. Instinctively, Krishima brought his empty hand to his throat and rubbed it. Turing his head up and to the side, he looked at the boy next to him.

"Ow man, that hurt. You could've-" before he was able to finish, the fiery blonde interrupted him.

"If you nose wasn't glued to your stupid phone and didn't almost nearly walked into traffic, it wouldn't have hurt!" Bakugou yelled once again down at the red head on the ground. The veins on his forehead popped and steam was practically fuming from his ears.

It drove him crazy when people didn't pay attention to their surroundings. It wasn't even that hard. You had two eyes, you might as well use them. I mean what else are they for.

Kirishima let out a nervous chuckle. He stood up and dusted himself off. Looking over to the blonde, Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck and let out a meek thank you.

"Thanks man."

Bakugou let out a low grumble. "Yeah well don't expect me to do it again."

That's was a lie.

He would. As much as he hated to admit it, he cares about red head. He cares about the rest of his class as well. He pride and ego get to much in the way that he would never admit it. He's not completely heartless. He's still human after all.

Standing at the cross walk of where he almost met his demise if it weren't for his friend, the red head reopened his phone. During the whole fiasco, Y/n responded back.

Quirkless Wonder:

Walking home with Kenji

Kirishima's facial features softened to a smile. He loved knowing that Y/n had someone there for her in person since he couldn't. He wishes that he could be there with her every step of the way like how they promised.

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Ooo romantic

Feeling some bump his shoulder, Kirishima looked up. Bakugou walked past him to walk across the street.

"Let's go." huffed the blonde. Catching up to him, he felt a familiar buzz in his hand. Just as he crossed the street, he looked down to

Quirkless Wonder:

How's this?

[1 attachment]

He snorted. This earned an upturned eyebrow and a confused look from Bakugou.

"What are you laughing at?"

Kirishima slightly turned his head towards his friend with a small laugh. "My cousin sent me a goofy picture of her and her boyfriend." Turing the phone to give Bakugou a look, he smiled. "See."

"They look like idiots." Bakugou deadpanned as he kept walking. Kirishima sweat dropped.

"Harsh much?"

Bakugou just grunted in reply. Turing back to his phone, he gave a sarcastic reply.

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Ahh yes, very romantic👍

Quirkless wonder:

What are you doing?🤔

Kirishima gave a side glance to his friend and contemplated on sending a picture back. But a quick scenario ran through his head. A drop of sweat ran down the side of his face.

‘Yeah, I really don't feel like dying today.’

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Going to do some studying with Bakubro

Quirkless wonder:

Didn't he hit you on the head with a newspaper last time???

Kirishima let out a nervous chuckle. Taking his empty hand he rubbed the top of his head and gave a side glance to his friend. He sweat dropped. He just about forgot that.

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Yeah

Even though he wasn't there, he could vividly visualize her facepalming in his head.

Quirkless Wonder:

Then.....why are are you studying with him????

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

It help surprisingly helped

Ejirou let out a short chuckle. Bakugou wasn't the brightest person on the planet or most calm, but he was his friend. Since the beginning of the school year, Kirishima has done his best to befriend the aggressive boy the best he can. He doesn't know why he wanted to be friends with him, he just did. As their relationship has slowly grown, Kirishima doesn't find him all that bad as people think.

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Plus, the rest of the squad aren't much for studying and he ranked 3rd in midterms. So I don't have very many options.

"Oi, come on." Bakugou’s gruff voice brought the red head out his texting spree. “We’re here.”

Bakugou opened the door to the small cafe they stood in front of and walked in. Before Kirishima could follow him in, the door closed in his face. An annoyed look painted over his smile.

“Thanks man.” He grumbled quietly. Grabbing the handle, he opened the door. Barely taking a step in a wave of countless smells flooded his nose. Fresh brewed coffee, fluffy sweet pastries, and dozens of flavors of tea hit him all at once like a truck. The smell was calming and peaceful. He took a deep breath through his nose and let a breath out with a sigh. Yeah, it smell amazing.

Breaking his trance, he scanned the tables for spiky ash blonde hair. At the other end of the building, he saw his friend take out his books and paper from his bad with his usual scowl. Kirishima maneuvered through the maze of tables and people walking to their seats.

‘Dang it’s busy today’

Upon arriving at the booth Bakugou was sitting at, he felt another familiar buzz from his phone. Setting his bag on the seat, he sat down and reopened his phone for the millionth time today.

Quirkless wonder:

Well then, I wish you the best of luck with your study session with the grumpy explosive boy

Don't die

He chuckled at the response. Looking at the boy in front of him, he told him what Y/n called him.

“My cousin called you a grumpy explosive boy.” He told him with a snicker. A vein popped on Bakugou’s forehead. Kirishima avoided his eye contact and start to type back a response.

“The heck?! I ain’t explosive!” Bakugou argued.

Kirishima let out another snicker. “I mean yeah you kinda are. Both with your quirk and your atti- uh, personality.”

Bakugou just grumbled and crossed his arms as he slouched in his seat.

Favorite cousin ❤️🪨:

I won't lol

We just got to where we're going to study so I'll talk to you later

Love u

Three dots in a bubble piped up.

Quirkless wonder:

Love you too

A faint smile spread to Kirishima’s face. He missed her. Some days he wish he had a quirk that would allow him to teleport to her. But he didn’t. He was stuck with calling and texting. He didn’t mind as long as he got to keep in touch. His thoughts were interrupted with snaking against his head.

“Quit smiling like an idiot and let’s get this over with already.”

Looking up, he saw Bakugou with a packet of papers rolled in his hand. He face scrunched with a scowl. Kirishima groaned and rubbed the top of his head.

‘And so it begins’

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#mha #bakugou x reader #bakugo katsuki x reader #bakugou katsuki #Bakugou #katsuki #Quirkless Hero #quirkless reader #bnha x reader #x reader #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bnha

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