#And then he gets there and Barts like hold on I’ll restart it ��� I just found out about horror movies wtf is wrong with the past??

[hijinxinprogress]

Whenever the JL starts complaining about YJs public image YJ just straight up gaslights them

[basketcase1880]

Thanks to @sherlollysecretsanta for organising the Secret Santa this year.

This is my gift for @4gap3, it’s called

Secret Santa Can Change A Life. 

Hopefully, it fulfils your wish. (It’s also over on Ao3). Also, this is my first Sherlolly work.

Summary: Sherlock and John are flatmates; however, their landlady doesn’t believe this, despite the fact that John has a girlfriend when he moves in with Sherlock. John’s girlfriend has a new flatmate too, who just happens to be a specialist registrar in the morgue at St Bart’s. John and Mary think that their flatmates would be perfect for each other, so start planning to set them up, not knowing that the pair have a history with each other.

“Would you be needing both bedrooms?” Mrs Hudson asked as John and Sherlock looked around the open plan layout of the kitchen/diner/living room of their new flat. “Mrs Turner next door has married ones…”

 “Of course, we’ll be needing both rooms,” John said, rather shocked at the insinuation of their new landlady. “I don’t think Mary would take too kindly to sharing with Sherlock if she were to stay over.”

 “Oh, you’ve got a girlfriend?” Mrs Hudson asked, shock evident in her voice.

 “Mrs Hudson,” Sherlock reassured the older lady in a monotonous tone. “Not everyone is as fluid as I am in who occupies my bed.”

 “Oh, very well, Sherlock,” Mrs Hudson scoffed as she pulled the tall young man into a brief hug, which, surprisingly, he returned. “It’s good to have you back. When your mum told me you were coming back to London I made sure the flat was ready for you. I don’t like you staying with your older brother.”

 “I believe the sentiment is reciprocated,” Sherlock replied before turning to face John, who was shocked at the camaraderie between the two figures in front of him. “I used to rent this flat when I was at college and Mrs Hudson and my mum are old friends.”

 “Less of the old,” Mrs Hudson laughed before beginning to leave the 221B. “And just remember, I’m your landlady, not your housekeeper. So, keep the place tidy yourself.”

 Sherlock just nodded as he made his way to the bedroom on the main floor, while Mrs Hudson left to head back down to 221A. John just gaped after Sherlock and followed behind him. He needed to ask where the other bedroom was.

 “I thought you didn’t want to share,” Sherlock commented as he lay on his bed with his fingers steepled under his chin and gazed up at the ceiling.

 “I, uh, don’t,” John stammered. “I was just wondering where the other bedroom was?”

 “You need to go back into the stairwell and climb,” Sherlock explained. “Your bedroom is on the next floor. It has a small ensuite so, you don’t need to wander down here in the middle of the night. Also, I work better at night. I don’t want you disturbing my thought process.”

 John just nodded his head and left Sherlock’s room, heading up to his new room. He had invited Mary over later for a take-away, so he wanted to make sure his room was set up to watch a film too.

 [LINE BREAK]

 When Mary came around that night, she was excited to tell John that she had managed to find her own roommate. Molly was a sweet girl who worked in the morgue at St Bart’s.

 “She’s a specialist registrar,” Mary explained. “You wouldn’t think it to look at her, though, she looks like a schoolteacher or something.”

 “St Bart’s, you say?” John asked. “Sherlock goes there to run some of his experiments and collect materials. Maybe they know each other.”

 “We can try and gauge if they know each other,” Mary suggested. “Maybe we can try and set them up together?”

 “Mary, you’ve known Sherlock a while,” John dismissed, shaking his head. “Why would you willingly submit anyone to spending time with him, let alone set them up on a date?”

 “Because underneath that greatcoat and cockiness has to lie a soft heart,” Mary smiled. “I mean you have seen him with his parents, haven’t you?”

 “Alright, alright,” John relented. “But don’t come running to me when it all fails.”

 “I’ll try and hold back on my ‘told you so’ dance,” Mary retorted with a smug grin. “You know, when Sherlock and Molly are getting married.”

 John just rolled his eyes before playing the movie on his laptop. He had a bad feeling about Mary’s plan, he couldn’t pin down the exact reason, but he knew there was going to be something to come out of this plan. If only he knew if it was actually a lot more complicated than they initially thought it would be.

 [LINE BREAK]

  "I need to go to St Bart's," Sherlock said suddenly, a few months after they moved in and John had been inducted to Mary's matchmaking plot. "They're letting me use their equipment to run some tests."

  "Do you work out of St Bart's a lot?" John asked, seeing the perfect opportunity to ask about Molly.

  "Relatively so," Sherlock replied. "It's the only hospital my brother could get me clearance to work with."

  "Mary's roommate works at St Bart's," John explained. "She's a specialist registrar in the morgue."

  " Young Molly, " Sherlock said with a small smile John was sure he had imagined. "I've seen her about; she seems like quite a smart young woman."

  "She must be," John agreed. "Mary said Molly knew in high school she wanted to work in the morgue. I remember from my time at medical school that hardly anyone wanted to work there."

  "Not everyone is as squeamish as you, John," Sherlock said in lieu of a farewell as he grabbed his coat and disappeared down the stairs.

 [LINE BREAK]

 "He's noticed her," John said to Mary as she came into his room. "He's over at St Bart's working on one of his experiments, so I said your roommate works there. He apparently also knows exactly who she is as I didn't have to say her name."

  "That's brilliant," Mary smiled as she kissed John's cheek. "Did he say anything else about Molly?"

  "Said she seems like a smart young woman," John supplied. "Has Molly said anything about Sherlock?"

  "Not particularly," Mary answered. "But she has appeared rather flustered when I've mentioned him, and she goes quiet when I invite her to come over for our weekly dinner with Mrs Hudson."

  "So, do we move on to stage two of the plan?" John asked. "Because I think Sherlock might be sweet on Molly. I can't be sure of it, but I think Sherlock smiled when he said her name earlier, it was so fleeting, but I think there was definitely a smile."

  "Next week is Christmas and Molly isn't going home," Mary said with a smile. " I'm going to bring Molly along to dinner. I've already discussed it with Mrs Hudson, and she suggested we organise a Secret Santa and rig it so that Molly and Sherlock get each other."

  "Then you get me?" John inquired "And I get you? Sherlock would see right through that."

  "Not exactly, " Mary said, rolling her eyes. John could be so dumb at times. "You're forgetting Mrs Hudson. I thought you could get me; I get Mrs Hudson and Mrs Hudson could get you."

  "Still seems like Sherlock will see through it, but I'm in," John said rather doubtful. "What's your plan for allocating our recipients?"

  "I got Annie at work to put the recipients' names into envelopes," Mary began. "And the envelopes all have our names on them. The configuration of Santa and recipient is as we discussed, and I've given Mrs Hudson her envelope. Here is yours, and Sherlock's, you can inform him of the impromptu Christmas plans and give him his Secret Santa allocation. You may also have to explain the whole premise to him."

  "Thanks for that," John said rather flat, he knew explaining something like this to Sherlock would be a feat on its own. Never mind ensuring he bought the gift in the first place. "Want to go for a drink before I tackle Sherlock when he gets home?"

  Mary just smiled and began leading the way out the room. She knew John would need some liquid courage before he talked with Sherlock.

 [LINE BREAK]

 Sherlock loved spending time at St Bart's. Little did anyone know that he actually spent most of his time admiring a certain young woman whom he had known for many years. Molly had been in several of Sherlock's chemistry classes while at university and he had admired her thirst for knowledge, so it was a natural reaction for Sherlock to seek her out to be his lab partner. After they graduated, they had gone their separate ways, however, Sherlock had kept an avid eye on Molly's career from afar. When he found out she had become a doctor at St Bart's, Sherlock had almost begged his brother to get him clearance to work out of their labs for whatever reason Mycroft could devise.

 When Molly discovered her old university friend was working pretty much alongside her, she was overjoyed. But her mother's words of warning from her university days made her wary about restarting the friendship. Molly had confided in her mum one holiday she had developed feelings for her lab partner, but somehow word of Sherlock's notoriety had gotten back to Mrs Hooper, who had told Molly to forget about him and focus on her studies because 'boys' like him will only bring heartache', and so Molly decided to keep her feelings to herself.

 Sherlock had been the one to approach Molly when he started working out of St Bart's, so Molly gladly accepted Sherlock's friendship but told him they had to keep it quiet for the time being but didn't tell him why. Sherlock accepted this as he had made it known that he 'didn't do friendship'.

 So, here they were, two years later and still maintaining their friendship. Even if both of them were keeping to themselves that they held deeper feelings for each other than just plain friendship.

  "...You mean John hasn't clocked we know each other?" Molly asked as they are lunch in her office. "I think Mary knows something though. She keeps trying to get me to come over for your weekly dinner."

  "You should come," Sherlock assured Molly. "It would probably please Mrs Hudson to meet you. But I don't think John has realised yet, he only just mentioned that you are Mary's roommate and that you work here when I said I was working out of St Bart's today."

  "He's really that oblivious?" Molly asked. "I thought Mary was exaggerating when she told me the story of them getting together."

 “Oh yes,” Sherlock smiled. “For a doctor, John is quite dense. Not like someone else I know who is a doctor.”

 Molly blushed at Sherlock’s comment, but before she could say anything in reply, her phone pinged with Mary’s specific tone to let her know she had received a text message from her.

 Since you’re not going home for Christmas fancy spending it with me round at Baker Street? Mrs Hudson suggested I invite you since we’re doing Secret Santa. Mx.

 “Mary’s just invited me to join you all for Christmas,” Molly explained as she put her phone down. “Apparently Mrs Hudson suggested she invite me since you guys are doing Secret Santa.”

 “You should come,” Sherlock smiled. “No one should be alone at Christmas. I would be going to my parents’, but Mycroft has given them a cruise holiday for their Christmas, so I’m staying at Baker Street.”

 “Thank you, Sherlock,” Molly said thankfully. “Now tell me about Mrs Hudson, I might get her for my Secret Santa.”

 “She likes to bake,” Sherlock smiled, remembering the ginger nut biscuits she would leave in a box next to his bed some days. “But I doubt you will get her as your Secret Santa. Going on our earlier discussion about Mary and John and whether they know we know each other; I think they are trying to set us up with each other. So, we will probably be given each other.”

 “Oh?” Molly said, rather shocked at the idea. “And what do you say to that?”

 “I say we see how long it takes them to realise we’re already together,” Sherlock explained, deciding now was as good a time as any to let Molly know of his feelings. “We’ve been tip-toeing around each other for the past eighteen months, Molly, and who knows how much longer we’ve had deeper feelings for each other. So, why don’t we give whatever this is a chance?”

 “University,” Molly replied in a small voice. “I’ve had feelings for you since university, but my mum told me to forget them because ‘boys like you will just bring heartache’ so I decided to just focus on my studies.”

 “Is that why you withdrew?” Sherlock asked, thinking back to those years where Molly was his only friend and Molly nodded. “I thought my behaviours had pushed you away.

 “No, if anything I was more attracted to rebel you,” Molly said with a shy smile. “But word of your antics had gotten back to my mum and she warned me off you, so I withdrew.”

 “I wish I hadn’t gotten in with that crowd,” Sherlock replied sadly. “I got into some pretty heavy stuff, and Mycroft ended up having me committed to try and clean me out. Pretty much destroyed any trust he had for me; we’re still trying to get back to where we were.”

 “But he got you the permission to work from here,” Molly said with some confusion. “So, there must be some trust there?”

 “Mutual appreciation,” Sherlock explained. “If I have a lab I can work from, independent of any government or law enforcement agency I can work for him when he needs me to.”

 “Well, I’m grateful for that,” Molly smiled. “I got to reconnect with one of my best friends, and maybe explore something deeper…”

 “I second that, Molly Hooper,” Sherlock smiled in return before leaning over to press a chaste kiss to Molly’s cheek. “Now, I suggest we get back to work before we have to face our respective flatmates and face the music that we have been allocated each other for this Secret Santa. Have your interests changed much since you were in university?”

 “Nope, still the exact same kooky girl you knew back then, only slightly older,” Molly assured Sherlock over her shoulder as she exited her office. “And I’ll think of something aptly appropriate for you, don’t worry.”

 “I could never worry about anything you give me,” Sherlock muttered to himself as he and Molly went their separate ways. He fully intended on texting her later to discuss how their evenings went.

 [LINE BREAK]

 When Sherlock arrived home, John was in the living room typing away on his laptop. Sherlock could see the intense concentration on the doctor’s face, so he couldn’t resist the opportunity to mock him.

 “Some mystery illness puzzling you there, John?” Sherlock asked.

 “No, I’ve got Mary as my Secret Santa,” John explained. “I’m trying to find her the perfect present. Oh, that reminds me, you’ve got someone for Secret Santa, too. Mary’s invited her roommate to spend Christmas with us next week since she’s not going home for the holidays, so, I don’t know what one of the five of us you’ll have.”

 “Obviously I won’t be given myself,” Sherlock said as he walked over to the envelope John was indicating to. “And you have Mary, so I will either have you, Mrs Hudson, or Mary’s roommate…”

“Molly,” John injected. “She has a name, she’s not called ‘Mary’s roommate’. God forbid you get her as your recipient. Do you even know how Secret Santa works?”

 “Thank you, John,” Sherlock said, rather disturbed with his roommate’s current attitude to him. “And yes, I do know how Secret Santa works, John, I’m not an idiot,”

 Sherlock sulked off to his room, John’s dismissal of him and his intellect really irked him at times. So, he was glad to have reunited with Molly. When she confirmed she was still the same girl he knew back in university, he knew exactly what to get Molly. She had been a right history buff, despite the fact that she was a science nerd, and she loved musicals. There was many a night Sherlock would play some of her favourite musical songs on the violin because they were too poor to afford to go and see the shows themselves. Of course, Sherlock had insisted that he could afford to pay for them to go, but Molly had told him no. They should live their lives like real students, unable to afford the finer things in life unless they saved like crazy. So, Sherlock reluctantly agreed, but made a promise to himself that when they were finished with university, he would treat Molly to a night at the theatre and now he had the chance, he knew exactly what show he would take her to see.

 [LINE BREAK]

 When Molly arrived home, Mary was desperate for her answer since she never replied to the earlier text.

 “So, what do you say?” Mary asked as soon as Molly sat down on the sofa. “Are you joining us on Christmas Day?”

 “Yes, but be aware, I am on call,” Molly answered. “So, if an urgent case comes in, I will need to leave. Especially since ‘on call’ now includes medical examiner for the Metropolitan Police.”

 “That’s fine,” Mary smiled and pulled out an envelope from behind her back. “This is your Secret Santa allocation. I had Annie at work put someone’s name in each of the named envelopes I gave her, so, you can’t even call foul if you get someone you didn’t want…”

 “It’s fine, Mary,” Molly smiled reassuringly. “You and John have spoke enough about Mrs Hudson and Sherlock. I’m sure I will be able to figure out a gift if I have either of them.”

 “You won’t have Mrs Hudson,” Mary supplied. “I’ve got her, just trying to work out something for her now.”

 “Well, you better be quick,” Molly reminded her friend. “You’ve only got a week to buy her something. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to have a bath to wash off the smell of the morgue off before I settle down to sleep. I have tomorrow off, so I can go and shop for whoever is in this envelope.”

 “Lucky you,” Mary called after her friend. “I’m not off until the weekend, so lots of last-minute shopping will be done.”

 “Well, behave yourself,” Molly called back. “I don’t need you going on a murder spree right before Christmas.”

 Molly laughed as she began running her bath and took the opportunity to open her envelope, smiling as she saw Sherlock’s name. It may appear Sherlock was right, but Molly knew exactly what she was going to get him. Molly had always had a fair interest in the arts and was particularly skilled in drawing. There was one night in university when Sherlock had been playing the violin for her, so Molly began to sketch him. Over the next few days, Molly devoted her time to perfecting the drawing and finishing it off with colour. Unfortunately, that was around the time she began to withdraw from him, so, she had been unable to gift it to him. She had kept it safe and secret all these years. Molly had decided on the way home from work that she was brave enough to gift it to him now and she was willing to let their friends know exactly what the story was between them.

 Settling into her bath, Molly smiled when she received a text from Sherlock.

 They’re trying to set us up. -SH

 I know, but it means I have the perfect Secret Santa gift for you 😉. Molls x

 Oh, do tell? -SH

 No chance, Sherlock. Molls x

 But it does mean we would have to tell them our history. Molls x

 Don’t worry, we would have to explain ourselves with my gift to you too. -SH

 That’s good. I have tomorrow off and was planning to go and see It’s A Wonderful Life and White Christmas. The Regent Street Cinema is showing a double feature. Want to join me? Molls x

 I think I will. -SH

 I will text you tomorrow to agree on a time. Sweet dreams Molly Hooper. -SH

 Sweet dreams Sherlock Holmes. Molls x

 Molly enjoyed the rest of her bath with a smile on her face. Not only were she and Sherlock tentatively dating, their friends had no idea they knew each other, let alone were dating, and were trying to set them up with each other. She had the perfect gift for him without having to worry about buying it, and it appeared that they were going on a date tomorrow to see her favourite Christmas film.

 [LINE BREAK]

 So, the days passed much too quickly for Molly. Yes, she was desperate for her friends to learn about her history (and hopefully future) with Sherlock, but at the same time, she was happy for it to remain just between the two of them.

 They spent most nights texting each other, although when it was safe for ream (read: Mary and John were out of their respective flats) Sherlock would call Molly just to hear her voice. He could feel himself becoming more and more like his younger self who yearned to be near Molly, to hear her voice and see the light shine in her eyes.

 Sherlock actually surprised himself on Christmas Eve when he found himself slipping into the pew beside Molly at the church service. Yes, he accompanied her in university, but he had never darkened the doorstep of a church since they went their separate ways years ago. Molly was surprised to see Sherlock there, too. But she just gave him a small smile and entwined her fingers with his.

 After the service, Sherlock and Molly walked for a while hand in hand, just enjoying the silence of each other’s company. The only thing that would have made the scene any more perfect would have been snow. Reaching the end of Molly’s street, Sherlock stopped and pulled Molly in closer to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

 “I wish I could walk you right to your door,” he whispered in Molly’s ear. “But I fear we may be rumbled if I were to come any closer to your flat.”

 “Yes, Mary has been trying to get hints on what I’ve got you for Secret Santa,” Molly smiled into Sherlock’s throat. “But we only have to wait until tomorrow, I can’t wait to see their faces when they learn the truth.”

 “I’m looking forward to that too,” Sherlock agreed as he noticed Molly try to supress a shiver. “But for tonight, I must insist you return to the warmth of your bed.”

 “Okay, Sherlock,” Molly agreed, but before she could walk away, Sherlock cradled her head in his hands and pressed a soft kiss to Molly’s lips. The kiss was both passionate and soft at the same time and it stole Molly’s breath she had spent most of her time at university imagining what Sherlock’s lips felt and tasted like, and here she was, finally getting those answers.

 “Merry Christmas, Molly Hooper,” Sherlock smiled when he broke the kiss. “Until tomorrow.”

 “Merry Christmas, Sherlock Holmes,” Molly returned when she reluctantly pulled away from his touch. “Until tomorrow.”

 [LINE BREAK]

 Around lunch time on Christmas Day, all five gathered in Mrs Hudson’s flat where Christmas dinner was being prepared curtesy of Mrs Hudson and Mary. John and Molly were discussing the latest edition of the Lancet, while Sherlock was struggling to keep his eyes off Molly. This, of course, did not go unnoticed by the other four occupants of the flat.

 Mary and Mrs Hudson chatted quietly amongst themselves in the small kitchen about how smitten Sherlock appeared, while John was struggling to keep his smile to himself. Molly just kept glancing at Sherlock and every time she caught his eye, they exchanged sweet little smiles that they thought the others wouldn’t catch.

 Once everything was cooking away, Mrs Hudson encouraged everyone to gather around the Christmas tree to exchange their gifts. The rule was that everyone had to place their gift inside the Santa sack when they came in so that it would be harder to guess who had gifted to who. Of course, everyone knew who had gotten Sherlock and Molly. Even if they weren’t supposed to know.

 “Right, here we are, my dears,” Mrs Hudson said as she handed over each present. “On the count of three we’ll all open our presents. One. Two. Three!”

 Everyone suddenly began tearing into their gifts. John was the first to open his, and found a new stethoscope inscribed with his initials and the year he graduated. Mary was next and hers was something similar, only this time it was a fob watch for her to wear at work. Mrs Hudson then opened a gift voucher for a fast car experience at Knockhill, she may be an older lady, but Mrs Hudson could be a speed demon when she wanted to be. This left Molly and Sherlock staring at their gifts from each other.

 “How did you know?” Molly asked at the exact same time Sherlock asked: “When did you draw this?”

 “What is it?” Mary asked as she moved between the two of them to look at the gifts. In Sherlock’s hands was a framed drawing of what appeared to be a younger Sherlock playing his violin with a passion, while Molly held two tickets to see a musical, Six, she had been trying to get tickets to for ages. “Wow, these seem really personal gifts guys. Anybody care to explain?”

 “We’ve known each other for years,” Molly began to explain. “We were at university together.”

 “The best lab partner ever,” Sherlock smiled.

 “But we drifted apart after we graduated,” Molly continued. “We met again two years ago when we both started working at St Bart’s at pretty much the same time. And we’ve been building a tentative friendship since.”

 “Decided to keep it quiet,” Sherlock added. “Mrs Hooper isn’t my number one fan and Molls didn’t fancy a lecture about how ‘boys like me only bring heartbreak’, but last week we decided since we were doing this, we would give a relationship a go.”

 “And here we were trying to set you two up all along,” Mary said shaking her head. “I’m just glad that you both saw the light and have decided to consider things other than your work at times.”

 “Of course,” Sherlock smiled as he held out his hand for Molly to take. “Molly is worth more than all my work. Now, who would like to hear the stories behind these gifts?”

 Mary, John and Mrs Hudson all nodded in agreement. So, Molly decided to take the initiative and start.

 “I love musicals,” Molly began. “But being a poor college student in London, I couldn’t afford to go to the theatre every week. Of course, Sherlock offered to foot the bill, but I would tell him ‘no, he needed to experience life as a struggling student if he wanted to hang about with me’. So, instead, he offered to play some of my favourite songs from musicals on his violin. One particular night, I was in an arty mood and I had my sketch book out while he was playing, and I began drawing him. I had intended to give it to him as a Christmas present that year, but we drifted apart after my mum’s warning and Sherlock got in with a bad crowd. I kept the sketch to remind me of happier times with my best friend.”

 Everyone was smiling at that story, but soon all eyes were on Sherlock for his story.

 “As we’ve already established, Molly loves musicals,” Sherlock began. “What you may not know is she also really loves history. Particularly the Tudors. I don’t know how many times we watched that TV show, or even the film Carry on Henry. Over the past two years I’ve been able to see that Molly hasn’t lost any of these interests, and I’ve also heard her complain about not being able to get tickets to see this particular musical. So, using my connections, I was able to organise the tickets for the two of us to go and see Six, which incorporates both of these topics, what with it being a musical about Henry VIII’s six wives.”

 “That’s so sweet, both of you,” Mary gushed. “No wonder you got flustered whenever I mentioned Sherlock. You wanted to keep whatever was going on between you special. I completely understand.”

 “Seriously, you guys are good,” John said. “Managing to keep this to yourselves, especially with Mary and I being your roommates.”

 “That’s just because you are oblivious, John Watson,” Mrs Hudson chastised. “Now, who’s for some Christmas dinner? I think it must be ready by now.”

 The rest of the night went by with all five of them enjoying good food, good wine and good company. All while enjoying the splendours of Christmas TV. Who would have thought a little thing like Secret Santa would bring the most joy to two long lost friends newly reunited?

[gold-from-straw]

Backstage of the Universe - final chapter!

A chapter of just fluffy fluff!! Lots of cuddles, and Mona turns into a duckling ^_^ Thank you guys for supporting this, I hope you enjoyed it! Especially @flightinflame who should be basically listed as co-creator because she came up with so many of the plot points and cheered me on endlessly <3!!

Read from the beginning on Ao3 if you like ^_^

“Would you have let him do it?” Raven asked softly. “If it hadn’t, well…” she gestured at Charles, lying still between them. “Would you have felt differently?”

She and Erik sat across from each other, holding a vigil over Charles’ still form. Hank and Wakti had both checked him over and assured them that he was simply exhausted, but Erik couldn’t leave his side. He kept remembering Charles’ face as the power tore him apart, the way the strange patterns in his eyes had seemed to tear, rend themselves apart and colour his whole eye black.

He was quiet for a long time. Raven shifted in her seat, but held her tongue.

“No,” he said at last. “I wouldn’t.”

“He could have taken away so much bad from the world. People like--”

“Don’t,” Erik said sharply.

“Sorry,” she murmured, her head dropping. She leaned forward and took Charles’ hand, and he knew she’d leave it there if he didn’t say any more, respecting his privacy in this.

Erik cleared his throat. “It’s got to be free will,” he said. “I’m not naive, you know that. I don’t believe in the inherent goodness of people. But I also don’t…” He took a deep breath and rubbed his face. “I don’t know how to explain it,” he said, frustrated. “It just doesn’t count if people don’t choose to do the right thing by themselves.”

“There’d be a lot less pain if people were forced to do the right thing, though,” she said wryly.

He snorted. “Yes, because they would all be Charles. Everyone in the world would be Charles Xavier. Does that seem right to you?”

She frowned down at her hands.

“This world is cruel and fucked up, because some people see no consequences for acting horribly. But it is our world. We have the freedom to choose. That’s what happens. If Charles were to take away our free will, it would be a different world, one occupied only by a single man’s mind, making puppets of us all. And I love Charles. I…” He swallowed and clenched his hands into fists. “I love him more than anything else. But he’s not God, and he shouldn’t have to be.”

Raven looked up at him, her amber eyes soft and shimmering in the low light. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “Yeah, I see what you mean.” She smiled suddenly. “Charles always did think he knew best, it was only a matter of time before he started playing God, really.”

Erik didn’t smile back, choosing to watch Charles’ face as he frowned in his sleep.

“So what now?” Raven asked. “I suppose we just go on as we always have.”

“The children won’t be getting any more impulses from the Universe. Not until they’re adults in any case, which I appreciate isn’t that long for Martin. I suppose Charles will want to restart the school. And the world will go on pretty much as it was, with people choosing good and evil as they always have.” He gave her a sharp grin. “Although certain people might find their hearts aren’t as strong as they were. The Universe said something about Charles holding their lives in his hand for long enough that it affected their bodies.”

Raven snorted and shook her head. “Only my brother would try to take over the world to make people be nice to each other.” She stood and stretched. “I’m going to turn in. I’ll leave you to watch him in his sleep like a creeper.”

“Goodnight, Raven,” Erik smirked.

“‘Night, Erik.”

As the door shut behind her, Erik shifted closer to Charles’ bed, linking their fingers together, bringing his hand up to his mouth to kiss. The shadows on the wall moved slowly, and Erik seemed to slip into a dream without closing his eyes, the world turning beneath him, and the balance in his soul leaning further towards serenity, towards acceptance, than Erik had ever felt.

It might have been hours before he felt Charles’ hand tense beneath his, before his body shifted and his face contort into a grimace. “Erik?” said Charles softly, pressing his hand to his eye socket.

“Charles,” said Erik, startling out of his meditative state and reaching out to caress Charles’ cheek. “Stay still, Hank said you’d have a terrible headache when you woke up.”

He reached over to the drawers to fetch the telepath-grade painkillers - now that Charles was properly conscious and feeling pain, it was leaking out around his shields, throbbing in Erik’s temples in a ghost of what Charles must have been feeling. Erik lifted him gently, supporting his shoulders while he drank down the pills with a glass of water.

Erik smiled at him as he slumped back onto the pillows, unable to contain the sheer relief and joy at seeing Charles awake again.

“I’m sorry, my friend,” Charles said, peering at him out of one eye, the other pinched shut. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Erik kissed him on his forehead, his temples, his dry, cracked lips. “I would rather be fighting at your side and afraid, than away from you and ignorant of your pain.”

Charles closed his eyes and turned away. “I don’t know how you can even stand to be near me,” he said, the tremor in his voice poorly hidden. “I tried to… I tried to take over everything. I did take over everything. I nearly killed… so many people.”

“Yes, it’s terrible, you’re stealing my world domination role,” Erik quipped.

Charles didn’t reply. Their bond was tightly shut, or would have been if the pain of Charles’ migraine wasn’t piercing holes all over his shields. Erik could feel Charles’ shame and self-loathing seeping out of the gaps. “Charles,” he said softly, taking his hand.

Charles turned back to him, wiping the tears that escaped. “I’m so sorry, Erik.”

“Do you know what I saw, when you took over the universe?” Erik said, kissing the back of his hand. “I saw such incredible power and conviction, and all you wanted was to bring goodness to people, to take away their pain. But that’s not your job.”

Charles had given up on stemming his tears. He pressed his face to the pillow, gripping hard to Erik’s hand as though afraid he’d be taken away.

“Anyway,” Erik said, combing his fingers through Charles’ hair. “You’re needed right here. We’re back to seven children again, and although they still have their powers, they won’t be receiving instructions from the Universe until they’re adults. We also have a comatose young man who is apparently dreaming an entire world into being, and that world would like him back - Wakti Wapnasi has an idea for bringing Francis into Wendimoor where he will… what was it again? Oh, where he will ‘reign for a thousand years of peace’.”

Charles tugged Erik close enough to kiss him properly, lips parting gently around each other in the quiet of the night. “And are those the only reasons I’m needed here?” he asked.

“Fishing, are we?” Erik grinned. He stroked Charles’ cheekbone with his thumb. He bit his lip and took a leap of faith. “I think, now, that we do want the same things,” he said. “And I still want you by my side. Always.”

Charles smiled and pulled him close. “Then you’d better stay with me.”

When Erik next woke, curled up next to Charles on the narrow bed, it was to Vogel and Mona rushing into the room. “Charles! Charles, you’re awake!”

“Shhh, I am, but Erik’s… oh. Never mind,” Charles sighed, and kissed Erik’s forehead as he stretched.

Erik sat up and slipped off the bed onto the chair so Charles could shift himself upright. Mona was sitting in Charles’ lap talking at high speed about how a hole had formed right in the fabric of space and time in their living room, and dumped Bart, Vogel and Martin on the carpet at Raven’s feet.

Erik turned to see Bart standing in the doorway, her head low, kicking at the doorjamb with the toe of her shoe. His heart twinged.

Go talk to her, Charles said in his mind.

Erik looked up. Charles had two small children snuggled up against him, Dirk was just starting to look like he might be about to climb onto the bed too, and Erik smiled fondly. Are you sure you’re OK with all of them?

I think I’ll be fine, Charles said wryly. Cuddled to within an inch of my life, poor me.

Erik chuckled as Mona beckoned Dirk up onto the bed and turned into a rabbit to make space. Vogel shrieked and picked the rabbit up. “Mona, you’re so soft! I wanna put you on my head, be my hat!”

“Oh, goodness, Vogel, don’t do that, if she falls she’ll be hurt,” Charles said.

Mona simply turned into a fluffy Davy Crockett hat.

“Yes, I suppose that’s fine,” Charles sighed, and put his arm around Dirk, who’d tucked himself close against Charles’ chest.

Erik shook his head and walked over to Bart, feeling almost as awkward as she looked. “Are you OK?” he asked at last.

Bart shrugged.

“Did he hurt you?”

Bart glanced up at him, then shook her head. “He smacked Martin, though,” she mumbled. “I told him not to, but…” She shrugged again.

Erik clenched and unclenched his fists then dropped to his knee. “Bart, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I was scared, but that’s no excuse - I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

“So… you don’t wanna send me away?” she asked in a very small voice.

“No, I don’t. I’m so sorry, Bart.”

She stared down at her feet, her riotous hair covering her face. “I don’t… I didn’t.” She cleared her throat. “I didn’t know you wouldn’t… like it. I’m sorry. I’d’a tried to fight the Universe if I’d known.”

“Bart,” he said, his voice hoarse, and reached for her hand. It was so small in his own, her fingers delicate and fine-boned, but rough with violence. They froze on the precipice for a moment, then Bart launched herself into his arms, pressing her face into the crook of his neck and trembling with the strength of all her repressed emotions. Erik hugged her tightly to him, kissing her temple. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t understand, and I’m so sorry I didn’t try harder. I’ll do better… please give me another chance?”

“I’ll always give you another chance, Mr Erik,” Bart sniffled. “You’re the best.”

Erik closed his eyes and didn’t bother to pretend he wasn’t crying.

***

Raven looked up from the book she was reading to Gripps as the rest of them trooped into the kitchen. She burst into laughter.

“What?” Erik frowned. He shifted to adjust Bart, who was really just a little bit too heavy and a big bit too tall to be carried on his hip, but exceptions just had to be made sometimes.

“You two,” Raven grinned. She nudged Hank, who was cooking and reading a journal at the same time. “Look at these two actual dads and their four baby ducklings.”

Erik blinked at her. He looked down at Charles, who had Dirk and Vogel on his lap, Mona draped over his neck as a scarf - she turned into a duckling and sat on Charles’ shoulder with a little peep noise. Charles looked back up at Erik, his mind shocked into blankness.

“Awesome! Can you be our dads? Please?” Vogel begged, jumping up and down on Charles’ leg. Duckling Mona peeped indignantly and slipped onto Charles’ lap, where Dirk caught her and petted her head gently.

Charles lips twitched, and that was it for Erik. He burst out laughing, barely able to hold Bart on his hip. She grinned and slipped down to stand as Erik leant on Charles’ old wheelchair, still slightly hysterical.

“Calm down, Daddy,” Mona said, turning into a child again and patting his back.

Erik picked her up and spun her around so she shrieked. “Oh, Daddy, is it? And what are you going to call Charles, then?”

“Dad! Dad! Dad!” Vogel yelped.

Charles rolled his eyes and grabbed him to hold him still, but Erik could see the blush forming across his cheeks as he glanced up at Erik. “I suppose you’re going to have to stick around for the long term, then.”

Erik bent down and kissed Charles softly. “That was the general idea.”

“What happened to ‘peace was never an option’?”

Erik smiled and brushed his thumb along Charles’ cheekbone. “You have a habit of changing my plans, Charles.”

Charles smiled and leaned his forehead against Erik’s, and through their bond he felt the warm, soft glow of love, spreading out across their family. Three teenage boys, two eight-year-olds, a five year old shapeshifter and a five year old chaos monger. A blue furry uncle, a blue scaly aunt, and two idiot men who’d taken over a decade to admit that their love for each other was strong enough to keep them together through anything that the universe could throw at them.

Tagging everyone who interacted with last chapter - thank you so much!! @fullmetalcarer, @akasanata, @bbareilles, @misti0usly, @galaxyrise489, @butterflywithwritersblock <3

[musicprincess655]

“Arsenal, Wonder Boy.” Miyuki and Sawamura looked up as Ryou strode into the room. They were trying so hard to look like they hadn’t just been cuddling that they’d obviously been cuddling. “We have to move out.”

“Move out where?” Miyuki asked, already getting to his feet.

“Central City,” Ryou told them. “The speedsters should have it handled, but we’re backup just in case.”

Miyuki and Sawamura were really the only ones he could spare, along with himself. Everyone else had moved on from scouting missions to actually taking out Krolotean bases, or keeping up their normal lives. In any other situation, Ryou wouldn’t even send the three of them out for something like this, trusting Kuramochi and his family to handle it.

But something about the look of terror on Bart’s face had shaken him, and Ryou was willing to go the extra mile to make sure Kuramochi was okay.

By the time they got through a zeta tube to Central, the fight was mostly wrapped up. Bart zipped into a smoking crater, too fast to be tracked. Ryou turned his attention to Barry instead.

“What’s the verdict?” he asked.

“He’s got something like radioactivity going on,” Barry said. “I’m almost sure he’s not doing this on purpose, though. It’s possible that he’s the victim in all this.”

“Is it handled?” Ryou asked.

“Impulse seems to know what he’s doing,” Barry said. “I’ll go keep an eye on him, just in case.”

“And where’s…” Ryou trailed off as he focused on Kuramochi, just in time to see Kuramochi’s face screw up in pain, his hand fisted over his chest, falling to his knees. “Kid Flash!”

Ryou moved without thinking, reacted on instinct. He slid into Kuramochi’s side, gathering Kuramochi to his chest like he could stave off disaster just by holding him close.

Kuramochi’s eyes fluttered, focusing for just a second on Ryou’s, before they dropped closed and didn’t move again. Ryou scanned his chest frantically, but he couldn’t see any evidence of Kuramochi breathing.

No, no, please no. Kuramochi was his best friend, his partner, his…

Ryou couldn’t bear to lose him.

“Wonder Boy!” His voice nearly cracked on the scream. Sawamura was at his side in a moment, face pale. “Get him up to the Watchtower. Get him help.”

Sawamura gathered Kuramochi into his arms, taking off. He couldn’t fly much, but it would be enough to get Kuramochi to the Watchtower faster than anyone else. Sawamura just had to get to a zeta tube and then he’d be up there, and then Kuramochi would have the best medical treatment Earth had to offer.

“Arsenal.” Ryou brought Miyuki’s attention back to himself. “Stay here. Update the Flash and Impulse.”

Miyuki looked desperately after Sawamura.

“Please,” Ryou added. Miyuki took a deep breath in and let it out.

“Yeah, okay,” he said. “Get going. Make sure he lives.”

Make sure he lives.

Ryou barely felt the burn in his muscles as he ran, legs and arms pumping smoothly. He couldn’t feel the gasps for air, although they had to be there, with how hard he was sprinting. The only room he had in his mind was for thoughts of Kuramochi.

He didn’t catch sight of Sawamura all the way to the nearest zeta tube. That was a good thing. It meant Sawamura was moving. None of them were technically supposed to have access to the Watchtower, but they’d gone up so often that no one tried to keep them out. Ryou didn’t even have to try and hack his way in before he was stepping out into a lobby.

Sawamura stood in the middle, looking, somehow, very small and very young.

“Where is he?” Ryou demanded. He didn’t bother to try and soften his voice.

“Doctor Light took him back,” Sawamura said. “She’s taking care of him.”

That wasn’t good enough for Ryou. He located the nearest person that could potentially be medical staff and didn’t bother pretending it wasn’t an interrogation.

“Where’s Kid Flash?”

“I...I don’t know.” If Ryou was doing anything but panicking, he might have felt bad about terrifying innocent bystanders.

“Then find out,” Ryou said, voice silky and dangerous. “Or find me someone who knows.”

The woman stumbled back, breaking into a run as she went looking for anyone that could help.

“You shouldn’t scare them like that,” Sawamura said. “They’re just doing their jobs.”

“They’re doing them badly.”

In the end, though, there really wasn’t much Ryou and Sawamura could do but sit and wait. Terrifying more medical staff wasn’t going to get them any more answers. Eventually Miyuki showed up, face ashen as he collapsed next to Sawamura.

“I called Jun and Tetsu,” Miyuki said. Ryou wracked his brain, trying to remember where they were supposed to be today. It should have bothered him more that he couldn’t immediately remember. “They should be here too.”

And then the three of them sat in silence until Doctor Light came out. Ryou was on his feet and moving before he made the decision to do so. Doctor Light didn’t flinch, probably used to this.

“How is he?” Ryou demanded. He hadn’t seen what had happened, didn’t even know why Kuramochi had gone down. One minute he’d seemed fine, the next he’d collapsed.

“Fine,” Doctor Light said. Ryou breathed a sigh of relief. “We restarted his heart. He’s resting now.”

“What happened?” Miyuki asked. “I didn’t see anything hit him.”

“Well, no.” Doctor Light gave them a strange look. “He hasn’t told you?”

“Told us what?” Ryou demanded flatly.

“Explains why he was in the field,” Doctor Light muttered. “He’s been having heart problems for over a year now. We’ve been trying to find a solution, but so far, no luck.”

Ryou barked out a humorless laugh that rippled in the air around them.

“That’s ridiculous,” he said. “Kid Flash would have told us if he had something that would affect him in the field. He wouldn’t keep something like this from us.”

And he and Kuramochi didn’t lie to each other. He’d known Kuramochi since they were kids, and that was always how they’d operated. Kuramochi was an open person, and even though Ryou didn’t always want to share, he’d respected that rule as much as Kuramochi did.

“It’s true,” Doctor Light said, looking supremely unimpressed. “We’ve connected all of his incidents with using his powers. It used to just be when he pushed too hard, but now, the limit for triggering it is getting lower. If we don’t find a solution, he might get to the point where he can’t use his speed at all.”

“You must have missed something,” Ryou snapped. He pushed past her. “Where is he?”

“Wait!” she called after him. Ryou ignored her. Kuramochi didn’t have...what, a heart condition? One triggered by using his speed? Even if he wanted to keep this to himself, he wouldn’t hide something that could affect him in the field. It could put everyone around him in danger.

There was another explanation, and Ryou was going to hear it from Kuramochi himself.

Kuramochi wasn’t hard to find, especially for someone as good at looking as Ryou was. He sat up in bed, looking healthy despite all the wires attached to his chest, and Ryou felt the last bit of tightness gripping his chest loosen. Kuramochi was fine.

And then Kuramochi looked up, and the guilt on his face told Ryou everything he needed to know.

“No,” Ryou said. “No, it can’t be true.”

Kuramochi sighed as Sawamura and Miyuki caught up with Ryou.

“So, I’ve been having some medical issues,” Kuramochi said. His attempt of adding some humor with his tone fell deathly flat.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Miyuki asked. Kuramochi snorted.

“Why didn’t I tell you I was outgrowing my usefulness?” he asked. “That using my speed is starting to kill me? That I was gonna have to leave the team?”

“Yes to all of that,” Miyuki said. He sat beside Kuramochi on the bed. “We could’ve figured out a way around you collapsing in the field.”

“What, by treating me as an invalid? Making sure I was on fewer and fewer missions until I couldn’t go on them at all? That’s not what I want.” Kuramochi tilted his head back. “You know, I’m the only one that has this problem. Barry got his speed as an adult, and Bart was born with his. The running theory is this is the result of going through puberty in a body that wasn’t designed for it.”

“So your heart is giving out?” Miyuki asked.

“Kind of,” Kuramochi said. “As Doctor Light explains it, using my speed causes electricity, and that’s messing up the rhythm of my heart enough to stop it. It used to just be when I tried to run too fast, but now, it’s if I run long enough even at my normal speed.”

“So you have to stop using your speed!” Sawamura piped up. “We don’t want you to die.”

“So I can just be a normal person?” Kuramochi asked, voice going almost hysterical. “I’ll still have the speed, but I won’t be able to use it? I just...I wanted to stay on the team for as long as possible. I wanted to be a hero for as long as I could, I wanted to do this the same way I’ve always done it until I couldn’t anymore.”

Ryou sat frozen. There were other speedsters, but there was only one Kuramochi. Even if Kuramochi could never run again, Ryou would never kick him off the team. He could never lose Kuramochi, especially not like this.

“I’ve always been slower than Barry and Bart, but I made my peace with that,” Kuramochi continued. “But I thought I could still help in my own way.”

“There are other speedsters,” Ryou said, voice coming out weird and flat. Kuramochi looked at him, eyes going wide. “There are other speedsters, so we don’t need you risking your life in the field.”

Kuramochi’s jaw dropped. Miyuki’s eyebrows rose, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Hey, Onii-san, maybe don’t-” Sawamura put a hand on his shoulder, but Ryou shook him off. He wasn’t done.

“What did Doctor Light say?” he asked. “I want to hear everything.”

“She doesn’t want me using my speed at all.” Kuramochi had gotten over his shock, and his eyes were narrowed in a surprisingly angry expression.

“Then listen to her until further notice,” Ryou said. “I’m going to go ask her myself.”

He left just as Jun and Tetsu showed up, but he didn’t turn around. He wasn’t sure he could stand hearing it all a second time. Before he could find Doctor Light, though, a hand on his elbow stopped him. Ryou almost threw whoever it was off, but when he turned and saw Miyuki’s expression, he backed down.

“I know you’re upset, but he’s in the hospital. Did you really have to call him replaceable to his face?” Miyuki demanded.

Ryou stared. He hadn’t said anything like that. In fact, he’d been trying to impress on Kuramochi the fact that he wasn’t at all replaceable, and that he shouldn’t play so fast and loose with his life.

“That’s not what I said,” Ryou protested.

“‘There are other speedsters’?” Miyuki made sarcastic air quotes around the words. “How was that anything but calling him replaceable?”

“It was saying he isn’t!” Ryou took a deep breath. “We have someone else who can do his job. We don’t have another him.”

“That’s so far from the point,” Miyuki said. “Also? That’s not what you said. And that’s not how it came across.”

Ryou glanced back towards where Kuramochi was probably explaining his situation to Jun and Tetsu.

“Don’t go back in now,” Miyuki sighed. “Go back when you’re not both upset and apologize. And maybe try explaining yourself next time.”

Ryou was almost surprised Miyuki had gotten in his face like this. They had never gotten in a fight, even when Ryou had deserved it before. Part of the reason they worked as friends was because they didn’t antagonize each other. They knew when to leave each other alone.

So if Miyuki was angry enough to ignore that...Ryou had really fucked up.

“Give him time to cool down,” Miyuki said, and his voice was already softening. “And then apologize. That’s all you can do now.”

Ryou nodded.

“I’m still going to find Doctor Light,” he said. “Make sure nobody else has a heart attack while I’m gone.”

“You’re not funny,” Miyuki said, but the corner of his mouth quirked up. They were fine.

Now Ryou just had to make sure he and Kuramochi were fine too.