#I think they’d do like zoom calls and small gatherings once in a while. but he’s way more social than her

[puppyeared]

Lucky!! a weredog trail guide who accidentally gets tied up with a pack of (murderous) werewolves. He’s also Augusta’s twin brother!

[vannahfanfics]

Electric Love

Category: Romantic Fluff

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Characters: Izuku Midoriya, Ochako Uraraka

Hey, all! Here’s my story for the Izuku Big Bang! I had the pleasure again of working with my good friend @danyartime​, so do be sure to check out her adorable art too!

Izuku bobbed his head to the upbeat poppy tune bumping from the small speakers of his desk radio. Though the volume was low to keep from disturbing his dorm mates, the thumping bass in the background of the happy lyrics vibrated the pencils and pens in the ceramic cup beside it. The little tink-tink-tinks of the writing utensils hitting the side of the cup added pleasant harmony to the song. Izuku hummed along as he scrawled notes into his hero notebook, recalling everything he could from the joint training they’d conducted with Class 1-B that day. Just as he was musing that it may be time for yet another volume of his detailed notes, the song ended abruptly to be replaced by a particularly loud yell from the radio host. Izuku jumped and looked at the radio, turning it up in curiosity. 

“Thank you for tuning in this evening, folks! Today we have a very special offer for a lucky listener! Prepare to dial your phones, ‘cuz the tenth caller will win tickets to AKB48’s upcoming concert in Akihabara!” the host announced excitedly. Izuku wasn’t big into girl groups, but he’d often heard his female classmates discussing the idols. They must be really famous! He thought, pulling up his phone and typing up the radio station’s number as the host provided it. “All right, folks! Get ready to hit ‘dial,’ because time… starts… now!” 

Izuku waited just a brief second before hitting the dial button and holding the phone up to his ear. He honestly didn’t expect much— there were probably hundreds of people calling in with the hopes of securing the tickets— but he did get a little excited when he wasn’t immediately greeted with a busy signal or a “sorry” message. The phone rang for a second, and then, much to Izuku’s surprise, someone picked up. 

“Congratulations, Lucky Number 10! You’ve won yourself two tickets to AKB48’s concert next weekend!” 

“R-really?” Izuku stammered in shock, completely floored that a whim of a call had actually won him something. “Oh, wow! Thank you!” 

“Thank you for calling in today! What’s your name, Lucky Number 10?” 

“I-Izuku!” 

“Well, Izuku, we hope you enjoy seeing the dolls of Akihabara in action! Stay on the line so we can provide you with information on how to claim your tickets.” Izuku did as bid while the radio host switched to a private line, playing a song for those who had been unsuccessful in their efforts in claiming the tickets. They gathered his basic information and provided him with the address to the local radio station, stressing that he needed to bring a valid photo identification to verify that it was indeed him and not someone trying to make off with his winnings. They made an appointment to pick up the tickets the following afternoon, since it was too late in the evening for a student to be out and about. After hanging up the phone, Izuku found himself excited to attend the concert despite not really being passionate about the band— new experiences were always thrilling, after all! 

Now… The real question is, who should I take with me? 

By the time he had retrieved his tickets and returned to the dorm the next day, Izuku didn’t have the answer to that question. He perched on the couch eyeing the two cardstock tickets with a frown, debating who to invite. He didn’t imagine that any of the boys were that into girl groups, so he couldn’t take any of them. On the other hand, all the girls probably liked them in some capacity or another. I want to take the person who would enjoy it the most!, he thought with a sigh, flopping back against the couch as the riddle poisoned him from the inside out. 

Just then, he heard Ochako and Kyoka’s voice drifting out of the kitchen. The two girls came shuffling out in their pajamas and fuzzy socks, probably getting ready for their weekly girls’ night as evidenced by the massive bowl of popcorn tucked in Kyoka’s arms. Ochako stared wistfully at her phone, petulant about something. 

“Man… I really wish I could go to the performance next weekend, but the tickets are so expensive!” she moped. Izuku perked up, peering over the edge of the couch. 

“Ochako, I told you that I would take you if you really want to go,” Kyoka smiled wanly. 

“No way!” Ochako refused, shaking her head vigorously. “I could never ask you to spend money like that on me!” She stopped walking to look at Kyoka, then deflated like a balloon and looked back to her phone once more. “All I can do is hope that they’re still performing by the time I’m making money as a professional hero…” 

“Hey, Ochako!” Izuku hurriedly piped up as the two girls turned to head upstairs. She whirled around to look at him, eyebrows raised in confusion. Izuku flushed as he sat up on his knees to look over the back of the couch, suddenly aware that it would sound like he was eavesdropping. “I-I couldn’t help but overhear… I, um, I won two tickets to the AKB48 concert next weekend in a radio contest. You’re more than welcome to use the extra ticket and come with me.” 

“Oh my gosh, Deku, are you serious?” Ochako screamed and zoomed over to him faster than he’d ever seen anyone move, even Tenya. She grabbed his hands, clasping hers around his with the tickets still clutched in his fist. Her nut-brown eyes sparkled with delight as they bored into his emerald ones, which only made him flush darker. “You really mean it? Oh, thank you, thank you! I’m so excited; they’re my absolute favorite girl group! Oh, I’m so excited!” 

Her animated reaction made a smile stretch across his lips and a warm, bubbly feeling rise up in his chest. When she let his hands go to take the ticket, she gazed down at it like it was the most special gift in the world; tears of joy even bloomed in the corners of her eyes. “Thank you so much, Deku,” she repeated again, softly and choked with emotion. 

“Of course, Ochako! We’re gonna have a lot of fun!” He grinned widely. Ochako looked up at him shyly, batting her eyelashes to blink the tears away, before whirling on her heel to scurry back to Kyoka. Izuku leaned his cheek in his hand, smiling dreamily, as the girl jumped up and down giddily while showing Kyoka the ticket like it was nothing short of pure treasure. Cute, he thought, his smile growing more enchanted as Ochako’s own illuminated the room with the brilliance of a star. Seeing her so happy sent a light, fluttering feeling through his chest, and he couldn’t wait until next weekend so he could see that bright smile again. 

The next week passed like a blur, chock-full of hero training interspaced with general lessons and heaps of homework. Izuku busted his behind to finish the week’s assignments by the eve of the concert, determined to have no obligations so he could enjoy the outing as much as possible. After penning his last page of a small history report, Izuku slunk downstairs to indulge in some much-needed human interaction. He sank down on the common room couch with a heavy sigh, right beside Denki and Hanta, who were spending the evening playing videogames. 

“Well, well, well, look who decided to crawl out of their hole and join the world of the living!” Denki joked, nudging him with an elbow before returning his attention to the racing game he was playing. He cursed under his breath as Hanta’s car slammed into his side and sent him crashing through benches and trees on the sidewalk. “Hey, man! Not cool!” 

“Ya snooze, ya lose, Denki!” Hanta cackled, leaning back on the couch and clapping the soles of his feet together excitedly. “Anyway, Izuku, you and Ochako are goin’ to that concert tomorrow, yeah?” he asked, sticking out his tongue and leaning his body as if it would make the virtual car turn harder. 

“That’s right! She seems really excited!” Izuku nodded eagerly. He thought of that illuminating smile, of the joy simply radiating off her being, and couldn’t help but grin giddily. Denki caught his dreamy expression out of his peripheral vision and raised an eyebrow, then teasingly stuck out the tip of his tongue between his teeth. 

“So, does she know that it’s a date?” 

“What?” Izuku sputtered, throwing up his arms and curling his legs up on the couch in shock. His face had turned a bright shade of crimson in a mere instant, his freckles buried beneath the fiery warmth of his blush. “I-it’s not a date! I just had an extra ticket, that’s all, and it would have been such a shame for it to go to waste, so I was looking for someone to give it to, and I overheard Ochako talking about how much she liked the band, so n-n-naturally I would ask her if she wanted to go, because after all, I had the ticket and that’s the nice thing to do—” he babbled, his face reddening with each breathless phrase. Denki and Hanta just stared at him with matching expressions of pure skepticism, which only made his face more reminiscent of a tomato. Steam was practically buffeting out of his ears by the time he lost all semblance of words and just started gasping like a fish out of water. 

“Anyway, does she know it’s a date?” Denki repeated, deadpan. Izuku slapped his hands to his face, utterly mortified. He hadn’t intended to ask Ochako on a date; he was just trying to be nice! What if she did think it was a date? He had less than twenty-four hours until they were set to go to the concert, but if she thought it was a date, then he had to make sure it was the best date ever! After all, it would be her first date, wouldn’t it? Oh, he would hate for her to have a terrible experience— and with him, no less! What should he do? What should he do? 

“Now, Izuku,” Denki sighed magnanimously, chucking his controller onto the coffee table since his friend was clearly distressed. Hanta pouted, disappointed he could no longer clown Denki with the racing game, but paused the game so he could walk around the couch to plop down on Izuku’s other side and sling his lanky arm around his shoulders. Izuku’s emerald eyes, shining against his crimson skin, nervously peered through the gaps in his fingers. “Don’t worry! There’s still plenty of time to fix this sad, sad, sad situation you’ve gotten yourself into.” 

“There is?” 

“Indeed there is!” Hanta chimed in agreement, nodding his head and holding up his index finger confidently. “Rest assured, Izuku, the two of us are gonna transform you into the studliest of studs so that tomorrow you’ll sweep Ochako off her feet, guaranteed!” Izuku tentatively lowered his hands from his face, blinking uncertainly. Despite his misforgivings, Denki and Hanta were popular with the girls of the Hero Course; surely they at least knew something about taking a girl out on a date, right? Whether or not that was true, the two boys hoisted Izuku up to cart him upstairs, ready to give him a crash-course on wooing their adorable, bubbly classmate and taking her on the best first date ever… 

The following afternoon, after a night of feverish courting lessons and last-minute reservations, Izuku was standing in Denki’s bedroom, nervously regarding himself in the mirror hanging on the back of the blond’s closet door. He was dressed in a pair of tight-fitting, slightly torn jeans and a graphic tee— a much different look than his usual cargo shoots and simple tees. Denki fluttered around him, biting down on his lip as he suppressed excited squeals of delight. 

“Uh, Denki, are you sure about this?” Izuku asked, plucking at the white fibers of the shredded denim over his knees. “Shouldn’t I, like, dress for comfort?” 

“No!” Denki scolded and flicked him in the forehead, making Izuku whimper and press his hand over the pink mark on his forehead. “You dress to impress on a date, dude. Rule #1! Ochako’s probably gonna be dressed to the nines for this concert; you don’t wanna embarrass her! Sheesh.” 

Before Izuku could respond, Hanta descended upon him, spritzing him with cologne. Izuku hacked and coughed as the clouds of strong-smelling aroma wafted up into his face, stinging his eyes and throat. Hanta patted his shoulders and gave them an encouraging squeeze, grinning at him through his reflection. 

“You’re gonna do great, Izuku! Remember your training,” he encouraged with another squeeze. Izuku momentarily panicked, his mind flushing the last eighteen hours of grilling the two boys had subjected him to in the art of wooing women. Denki rolled his eyes and thwapped him upside the head with an encouraging smirk. 

“Relax, dude. You’re gonna do fine! Just remember to show Ochako a good time. That’s Rule #1!” 

“I thought ‘dress to impress’ was Rule #1?” Izuku blinked in confusion. 

“Every rule is Rule #1,” Denki tutted, but before Izuku could ask what good that did, Hanta steered him out of the room telling him that it was time for the show to start. They propelled him all the way to Ochako’s room, abandoning him there with no more than excited thumbs-ups and matching grins. Izuku watched them scurry back to the stairs, gulped loudly, and then nervously smoothed down his messy pine-green hair. He was already beginning to sweat; it beaded on the pads of his fingers as he smoothed them through his hair. 

Okay, Izuku! You can do this!, he encouraged himself with a roll of his shoulders and a determined sigh. He’d already informed Ochako that he intended to take her out for lunch today, and she should be ready for their outing by now. He took one more moment to steel his nerves before knocking on her bedroom door before he could change his mind. 

“Comi— oh dear!” 

Izuku winced as the cheerful call was interrupted by a loud thump and a startled squeal. He could hear shuffling and muffled whimpers and stomping around the room; just as he was about to inquire if Ochako was all right, the door swung open to reveal a breathless and red-faced Ochako. 

“Hey, Deku!” she grinned brightly as she swept a stray strand of her chestnut hair from her face, covering her anxiety with a nervous laugh. He could see her leaning awkwardly on one leg and the beginnings of a bruise forming on her other knee. “I’m ready to go!” she trilled, leaning in the doorframe and using her smile to try and hide the pained wobbling of her lips. He began to ask if she was really okay, but the words died in his throat when he finally took a moment to really look at her. 

She was wearing a pink sundress with a white ribbon around the waist, tied in a big bow in the back with lace accents. Shiny white sandals framed her feet, her pink painted toenails shining in the fluorescent lights of the hallway. A big pink-and-white bow was tucked into her hair, which framed her round face. A blush rose to Izuku’s cheeks as he stared at her, mouth opening and closing repeatedly. Ochako blinked perplexedly, eyes growing owlish. “Deku? What is it?” 

“Y-y-you look really cute today,” he finally managed. Ochako blinked again, and then her face flooded the color of her dress. She fisted the skirt shyly, swaying back and forth and trying not to let her happiness show on her face. 

“Thanks, Deku… You look nice, too…” She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger as Izuku continued to admire her beauty, her bashful little smile. After a minute of him just dreamily gawking, Ochako fluttered her eyes and politely pushed, “Um… Deku, shouldn’t we get going? We have a reservation at that sandwich place, don’t we?” 

“O-oh gosh! Sorry, sorry! Yes, let’s go!” In his flurry, he instinctively grabbed Ochako’s hand to begin pulling her down the hall. He heard her squeak in surprise and could feel the nervous sweat flood her palm, but for some reason, he didn’t feel the urge to let go. Her hand felt so soft and nice against his, which was scarred and calloused from the harsh use of his Quirk. She was careful not to touch his skin with her padded fingertips; they wouldn’t get very far with him floating off into space, after all! He did look at her briefly, however, silently inquiring if she was okay. She only grinned bashfully and gave his hand a little approvatory squeeze— and his heart rate shot into the atmosphere as that warm joy bubbled up inside of him. 

It was about a three-hour bullet train ride to Tokyo, where they would catch lunch before heading to Akihabara to attend the early evening concert before catching the train back. It certainly was a full day, but Izuku found himself excited as he joined the train with Ochako. Their curriculum was so demanding that it was rare they had a chance for an outing like this, and Izuku was happy it was with one of his best friends. Except… Best friends don’t go out on dates, he thought with a blush, looking down at where Ochako’s hand rested on the arm of the train seat. He’d let her hand go when they left the dorm, but his fingers had insistently itched to claim her soft hand once again. It felt like it had fit so perfectly in his own, like two puzzle pieces clicking into place. 

He looked away from her hand before she noticed, busying himself with the scenic landscape of Japan idling by through the window. He wasn’t sure how long he spent watching the buildings and roads and trees and hills roll by, but eventually he heard a soft thunk that pulled his attention away from the glass pane. He turned to see that Ochako had slumped over the edge of the seat to loll into the aisle, her mouth parted as she gently snored. The thunk had been her bracelet striking the plastic edge of the seat as her arm slipped off. She was bent awkwardly with the other arm of the seat digging into her side. It certainly didn’t look comfortable, evidenced by the way her face twitched in discomfort and she mumbled something unintelligible but laced with pain. 

I can’t let her stay like that, Izuku thought. Gently so as not to wake her, he leaned in to loop his arms around her and pull her back into the seat. She immediately began to slip to the side again, head bobbing, and he reflexively caught the side of her head with his hand. He flushed at the realization of just how big his hand was in comparison to hers, so easily cradling her skull. Tenderly, he guided her head to rest on his shoulder. Ochako’s face slowly became peaceful as she sought out his warmth, smacking her lips as she nuzzled into his neck. Heat flooded his body when the tip of her nose brushed his neck, but he fought the urge to spaz out because Ochako just looked downright adorable snoozing against him. 

Smiling sweetly, Izuku swept away a chunk of hair that had fallen into her face and tucked it behind her ear. Ochako hummed contentedly, her plump lips curling into a tiny smile. 

“Deku,” she mumbled sleepily. He tensed, afraid he’d actually woken her up; however, Ochako didn’t move, just continued to doze peacefully. He relaxed and then immediately tensed again when the realization struck him— Ochako had just said his name in her sleep. What does that mean? Does that mean something? Oh my gosh! Surely that means something, right? He used his free hand to nervously fidget, twiddling his fingers and jumping his leg up and down. His mind whirled for the remainder of the train ride, struggling to comprehend the implications of such a simple utterance. He was in such a whirlwind of confusion that he almost missed their stop as it chimed over the intercom. 

Izuku started with a gasp, then looked down at Ochako, who was still dozing peacefully. He gently shook her shoulder, looking up nervously as people began filing off the train. 

“Ochako… It’s our stop!” he whispered loudly. Ochako stirred, her eyelashes fluttering to reveal hazy, sleep-addled eyes. She looked up at him drowsily with a sleepy smile on her lips. Izuku couldn’t help but return it with a sweet one of his own, charmed by how cute she looked as she rose into consciousness. “Good morning, sleepyhead!” he joked. “Sorry to wake you, but we’re in Tokyo.” 

“Really?” she asked, looking around with her eyes still lidded with sleep. It took her a second to realize her head was propped on his shoulder, her short brown hair spilling over it like a curtain. When she did, however, she stiffened, and then bolted up with a squeak. Izuku only just managed to pull back in time before her head collided with his chin. Ochako covered her hands with her face, peering at him with appalled brown eyes. “I-I-I’m so sorry! How long have I been sleeping on you? That must have been so uncomfortable!” 

“N-n-no, not at all!” Izuku stammered back, waving his hands in denial. “It felt kinda nice, actually.” A split second of silence passed between them as they processed what he’d just uttered. Both of them then gasped and looked away from each other, both covering their bright red faces. The announcer pleasantly initiated the last call, making Izuku stand up stiffly. “W-w-w-we need to go! We don’t wanna miss our reservation!” 

“You’re right! Let’s go!” Ochako agreed, standing up and scurrying down the aisle while still covering her face. Izuku hurried after her, and they managed to hop off the bullet train just as the doors were closing. They stood awkwardly on the platform, heat radiating off them like a couple of steamed pork buns. They took a moment to recover from the embarrassing situation, with Izuku pulling up a map on his phone to navigate their way to the sandwich shop. He looked at Ochako, still slightly pink-faced, and coughed politely because she was still staring stressfully off into space. 

“Sh-shall we head off? I don’t think that the train station specializes in sandwiches,” he joked lightly and rubbed the back of his neck. Ochako smiled at his wisecrack, her opal-pink cheeks turning a pleasant shade of carnation as her discomfort was replaced with happiness. She nodded in agreement so Izuku turned around, standing on his tip-toes to hunt for the stairs over the sea of heads. The subway was bustling as those departing the train and those preparing for the next arrival blended together in a writhing, cacophonic mess. He and Ochako stared dauntedly at the tightly-crammed mass and the stairs hugging the wall beyond the great sea of people. 

“Um… Ochako… Would you like to hold hands?” Izuku offered shyly, looking at her with a sheepish smile. When her eyes blew wide like twin moons, his face blazed red and he hurriedly threw up his hands defensively. “I-I-I just don’t want us to get separated, that’s all! Th-there’s so many people, a-a-after all, and it would waste more time if one of us got lost!” 

“Oh!” Ochako blinked, the blush in her face fading with a sheepish smile. “Sure, Deku.” She offered him her hand and Izuku took it, careful not to touch all five of the cute little pink pads adorning her fingertips. As easy as floating over the crowd would be, it would probably present more problems than it would solve in the end. 

Clutching her hand tight and mildly self-conscious about the sweat that blossomed on his palm, he turned slightly to the side so he could shoulder his way through the crowd. He toted Ochako along, shouting “Excuse me!” and “Coming through!” over the chatter and mechanical din of the train station. Somehow, they wormed their way through the crowd and arrived at the base of the stairs, albeit a little breathless. He smiled at Ochako and moved to retract his hand, but surprisingly, she clenched down on his fingers. When he stared confusedly at her, she looked bashfully down at her feet. 

“It might be crowded on the street, so… maybe we should play it safe?” She peered out of her lashes at him, pink tinging her cheeks. Izuku’s eyebrows crept up his forehead, too stunned to even have the sense to blush, but the hopefulness in Ochako’s timid gaze chased away any inclinations of refusing. He just smiled sweetly and squeezed her hand, prompting her to look up at him. 

“Of course, Ochako. The last thing I’d want to do today is lose you.” 

She gasped lightly, then used her free hand to hide her face as it flushed bright red. Izuku, realizing how flirtatious the simple declaration could sound, did the same and looked over his shoulder. I didn’t mean for it to sound so lovey-dovey, but Ochako thinks this is a date, so I guess I should be a little flirty, right?, he thought, peering out of the gaps in his fingers at her. Though her hand covered most of her face, he could see the edges of her blissful smile poking out from underneath her fingers. The fact she was so happy at just a small comment made his heart flutter and a bubbly feeling rise up in his body. I want to make her as happy as I can today… he realized, a soft smile spreading over his lips. 

I’ll do my best to make this the best date ever for you, Ochako!

Finally, the two awkward teenagers gathered their wits enough to ascend the stairs to the street above. Like Ochako predicted, Akihabara was rather hectic; people streamed along the sidewalks, huddling close together as cars trundled by on the cobblestone roads. Flickering, bright neon signs towered over them advertising shops, deals, news, and— most importantly— the upcoming concert. Using his trusty map as a guide, Izuku weaved through the foot traffic toward the sandwich shop crammed in the small square space. 

“Wow! Look at all the cosplays, Deku,” Ochako piped up suddenly. He looked up with a confused blink, having been absorbed in following the map, before glancing around. Sure enough, a lot of the patrons moseying around were decked out in cosplay of their favorite anime characters. They flocked to the electronics and manga stores, coming out laden with goods. Others stood outside of maid cafés, chatting amicably with the girls in black-and-white dresses, thigh-high stockings, and cute bonnets trying to entice them in for an afternoon snack. Electronic music and chimes bled out of the door of a pachinko parlor as it opened and closed continuously with gamblers walking in and out, most of them defeatedly. 

“Wow! Akihabara really is as electric as they say,” Izuku praised. The air thrummed with energy; he could feel it vibrating under his skin, humming in his bones and sending a pleasant adrenaline pulsing through his body. He found himself with a prance in his step as he led Ochako on, both of them stopping occasionally to marvel at the eclectic displays that made Akihabara the haven for otakus and electronics enthusiasts. They paused so many times that they almost did miss their reservation, bundling into the shop with only a minute to spare and startling the hostess. 

Like the rest of Akihabara, the sandwich shop possessed an anime theme, specifically a popular magical girl anime that he knew Ochako liked to watch with Tooru. The waitresses strutted around in colorful, lace-laden dresses, playfully waving their ornate wands and punctuating their conversations with cute poses and sayings. Ochako’s eyes brightened immediately when they walked inside, and she looked at Izuku surprisedly as they were escorted to a table. 

“Izuku, did you pick this place because of me?” she asked as she eased into the booth seat, which was white and patterned with little pastel-colored hearts and stars. Izuku tried not to seem too proud of himself as he sat across from her, failing a little as the cheeky grin of satisfaction worked its way onto his face. 

“Yeah! They were really nice about working us in for the concert today,” he explained as he picked up the salt and pepper shakers, which were styled like fluffy alien mascots, to examine them with amusement. He set them down before smiling at Ochako, who looked like she was about to cry with gratitude. “I wanted you to have a good time, so I thought picking a restaurant themed after your favorite anime would make you happy!” 

She shrunk down a little in the booth. Her lips twitched as she tried not to smile too hard, but it broke free, stretching across her face until her eyes crinkled up into little half-moons. She played with the bow around her middle and shifted, her eyes trained shyly on the table. Finally, she murmured a soft, “Thank you, Deku. I really am happy.” 

“I’m glad,” Izuku replied, just as softly. She shifted again, her smile growing wider, though her face strained to fit the absolutely overjoyed beam. It made that fuzzy, bubbly feeling rise up within him again. He picked up the menu to hide his pleased smile. 

Everything’s going so well! 

They spent an hour or so in the shop, chowing down on scrumptious sandwiches and fraternizing with the costumed waitresses. Ochako snagged a photograph with every single one of them, and she broke down crying when the manager gifted her a free cosplay wand of her favorite magical girl because he was so charmed by her enthusiasm. She clutched it to her chest as they walked out of the shop, her eyes glittering like diamonds and her skin practically glowed with happiness. As Izuku pulled up his map again to find the concert venue, Ochako dramatically flourished the wand and bopped him on the head. 

“Am I a magical girl now?” He laughed while putting a hand on his head where she had tapped him with it. 

“Yep!” She giggled, tapping him again on his hand. “You’d make a beautiful magical girl.” 

“Thanks.” He laughed. “I’ll take that into consideration. Maybe I’ll make it my brand in a few years!” 

“Oh my gosh!” Ochako laughed, covering her mouth with an obscene snort. “I can just imagine you prancing around in thigh-high boots and a skirt with little plastic wings…” 

“I thought you said I would be a beautiful magical girl!” He whined. “What, is the image too beautiful for you to handle?” 

“Yes!”

They both began laughing hysterically at the image of Izuku waltzing around in a girly costume with his magic wand touting about the power of friendship and love. It certainly was amusing. They continued to joke about it while they strolled to the concert venue, a building tucked into the towering mish-mash of specialty shops. It proudly displayed “AKB48” in bright letters of purple, red, and blue on the scrolling neon sign, followed by a “SOLD OUT” in white. 

“It’s a good thing you won those tickets, Deku!” Ochako said when they filed into line. Izuku clutched the tickets in his hands; it would be a shame for them to come all this way only to have lost them at the finish line. They inched forward as the concertgoers were filed inside. 

“Yeah! I’m happy you agreed to come with me, Ochako. Truthfully, I don’t know anything about these idols,” he admitted while bashfully rubbing the back of his neck. “I just called in for the heck of it. I was so shocked when I found out I actually won!” 

“Really? This is gonna be so much fun, then! I can’t wait to see what you think of them!” 

“Yeah?” he said, finding himself growing excited from her infectious enthusiasm. She began to ramble about the origin of idol groups in Akihabara and the rise of the latest, AKB48. Though Izuku really didn’t understand much of what she was talking about, the way her eyes lit up and a smile painted her round face made him listen along anyway. He watched her dreamily, more watching her mouth move than paying attention to the words coming out of it. She really is pretty, he thought absently, marveling at the sheen of her glossed lips. He wondered what flavor it could be. She seemed like a strawberry or cherry type of person, but maybe she opted for something unique. 

“Tickets, please.” 

Izuku was startled out of his daydreaming by the attendant, who had apparently been asking him for the tickets for several seconds, based on his annoyed expression and demandingly outstretched hand. Izuku hurriedly handed over the tickets while sputtering apologies, but the greeter only dismissively waved them through. Ochako encouragingly patted Izuku’s back as he shuffled on, sulking with embarrassment. 

I just couldn’t help but get so engrossed in her talking, he thought with a light blush dusting his cheeks. His eyes were still engrossed with her, trailing slowly to watch as she scampered up to the merchandise table to ogle the band tee shirts. A dreamy smile automatically appeared on Izuku’s lips; she just looked too cute, her index finger pressed against her pursed lips as she carefully surveyed the selection. He moseyed up behind her, hands clasped behind his back and his eyebrows raised meaningfully. 

“There’s a little time before the concert starts… Would you like a shirt, Ochako?” 

“What?” she cried, jumping at his sudden appearance. “O-o-oh, no, I was just looking! You already paid for lunch, Deku. I couldn’t possibly ask for more!” she refused, waving her hands. She was still holding the wand from the sandwich shop, so she accidentally bopped herself in the head with it during her nervous flailing. Her face turned bright red, but she continued to insistently refuse his offer. “Seriously, Deku, don’t worry about it. I don’t want one that bad.” Yet, her eyes slid longingly back to the table. 

“Yeah, you do.” He laughed and pulled out his wallet. He danced away when Ochako tried to swipe at him, dodging her grabs while pulling out a few bills. It took a few seconds for him to get back to the merchandise seller, who was watching them amusedly, but once Izuku dropped the bills into his hand, it was over. Ochako slumped defeatedly and sheepishly slid the shirt she wanted off the table, while Izuku grabbed another that had caught his eye. Izuku slipped his own over the tee-shirt that Denki had loaned him, and Ochako followed suit by sliding hers over her dress. The fronds of her bow stuck out awkwardly underneath, making Izuku chuckle and bat at them. 

“What? Do I look funny?” she pouted, grabbing the hem of the shirt subconsciously. 

��No,” he chuckled while rubbing the soft, wilky fabric of the bow’s tail between his thumbs. “I think it’s cute how big of a fan you are that you’ll wear it over your dress.” Ochako flushed and ducked her head, the edges of her smile peeking out of her swathes of brown hair. He reached out to tuck it behind her ear, and as his fingertips brushed ever-so-softly against her cheek, she froze. Normally he would grow flustered and flail about, but… there was something about the electric energy of this place that made him bold, that made him act on the warm, fluttery feeling that had been filling him up all afternoon. 

Slowly, that bubbly warmth had become sharper, stronger, turning into volts of electricity that shot through his bones every time Ochako gifted him that beautiful smile and cute pink face. He wasn’t even sure that he wanted to make her happy simply for her sake anymore, but rather a selfish desire to fuel the electricity pulsing within him, those sparks of affection slowly coalescing into an electric storm. 

“W-we should go find our seats,” Ochako gulped after a few seconds of staring at him in stunned silence, as his hands were still resting in her hair. He hummed in agreement and pulled back, sliding his hands in his pockets as he led the way. They walked into the concert hall proper to find rows upon rows of seats surrounding a spacious stage. Large black speakers lined its circumference and purple-blue lights basked the area in a dusky glow. Thanks to winning the special promotion, Izuku and Ochako’s seats were near the front— not too far up to be deafening, but close enough to still provide a great view and ambience. They pushed past the other concertgoers to take their place among the throng. They were just in time, as the lights soon dimmed and a hush descended upon the crowd. 

The silence was instantly replaced by deafening cheers as a group of young women in school uniforms skipped out on stage, smiling and waving enthusiastically. Izuku and Ochako barely had time to jam in the soft foam earplugs provided to them before the crowd erupted into their roars; even still, Izuku’s eardrums rang with the cacophony. After greeting the crowd, the girls set up in formation, prompting Ochako to touch Izuku’s arm excitedly. 

“Ah, they’re starting!” she squealed over the cheers. “I’m so excited!” She jumped up and down, standing on her tip-toes to watch the idols with sparkling eyes, and that’s when Izuku stopped paying attention to anything but her. 

Really, if he’d paid for the tickets, they’d have been a waste. Izuku spent the entire concert gazing at the girl beside him. The strobe lights played over her form in hues of pink and purple and blue, the light playing over her round cheeks pink with exhilaration and glinting off her bright smile and shining eyes. Sweat sheened on her skin as she danced excitedly in place and belted out the lyrics to the songs as loud as she could. Every time she looked at Izuku with an expression of sheer elation, he felt his breath leave his lungs. How a girl could be so utterly breathtaking doing something so simple as having fun, he wasn’t sure, but Ochako was. 

The electricity coursed through him, simmering under his skin and filling him to the brim with his own sense of joy. I think I love her, he realized with an adoring smile, just watching her sway her hips and toss her arms as she danced to the beat. No, I know I love her. Maybe he always had. How could he not? She had been there for him from the beginning of his journey, supporting him and encouraging him. She was the perfect balance of soft and strong, a kind heart ready to harden like steel whenever she needed to. And, God, she was beautiful, so beautiful his heart ached looking at her. She was a masterpiece underneath these flashing lights, the shining sun, the glowing moon— a soft and natural beauty that was as pure as the rest of her. 

Izuku found himself reaching out to her without realizing it. He gently touched her cheek, a feather-light trace of her skin. She dropped her arms slightly to look at him in confusion, and that’s when he closed the distance to press a kiss to her mouth. He felt her tense and then melt into him with a soft hum. Her body molded against his like it belonged there, her arms winding around his neck like they’d found their way home. The poppy tunes of the idol band faded into the background as they kissed slowly, sweetly, passionately, in the thralls of a love so electric it could power cities for all time. 

Eventually, they pulled apart, a little breathless and pink-faced. Strawberry, he thought absently when he licked his lips. Ochako stared coyly up at him and batted her eyelashes. 

“I didn’t know this was supposed to be a date,” she admitted quietly, so much so that Izuku almost didn’t hear her over the blasting music of the ending set. He did, though, and his eyes went wide in shock. 

“You… you didn’t? But Denki and Hanta said…” He trailed off with a groan, realizing just how big a mistake it was to listen to those two clowns. Ochako laughed when he face-palmed. She reached up to pull his hand away, still chuckling. The show had just ended with the crowd erupting in applause around them, but the two of them made no move to leave. 

“It’s okay,” she smiled sweetly. “I had an amazing time, Deku, really. This is more than I ever could have asked for.” 

“I’m glad, but…” He chewed nervously on the inside of his check. “Are you okay with it being a date? I mean, I thought… Which is why I kissed you, but if you didn’t want it, that was totally not okay of me—!” Before he could descend into sputtering rambles, Ochako silenced him by putting a finger over his lips. He crossed his eyes to blink at the digit, while she chuckled warmly. 

“Izuku, do you think I would have kissed you back if I wasn’t okay with it?” she teased. He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling nervously. 

“Yeah, I suppose that’s true… So… does this mean we’re dating now?” 

“I suppose it does,” Ochako nodded bashfully, turning from side-to-side. Something about that made Izuku exceptionally giddy, so much so that he swooped in to press a kiss to the tip of her nose. She squealed in surprise and delight, returning his affections with a nose nuzzle. Filled to the brim with more happiness than he thought humanly possibly, Izuku just took a moment to admire his pretty new girlfriend, and her deep brown eyes that were staring at him, so in love. 

They were practically glued to one another’s side as they exited the concert hall. Dusk had descended, with the last rays of the sunlight spearing into the lavender-blue sky. Though Akihabara probably had much more fun to be had, they unfortunately had to return to the dorm before curfew. They headed straight for the station and boarded the bullet train. This time, Ochako nestled purposefully into his shoulder, watching with lidded eyes as he scrolled through his news feed on his phone. Izuku looped his arm around her waist to hold her close to him, enjoying her warmth blooming against his side with the nighttime cityscape basking them in streetlight.

It wasn’t long until she dozed off. Her shoulders rose and fell with gentle breaths. Izuku petted her soft hair with a smile, still on his phone as he idly wove the silky strands around his fingers. His phone chimed suddenly with a text message from Denki, asking how the date went. Smirking, Izuku raised his phone to snap a picture of them— Ochako dozing against him, held securely in Izuku’s grip. 

If Izuku had to say, it went very well indeed.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

[suituuup]

pieces - chapter nine

Five years ago, Chloe dropped off the face of the Earth. Beca didn’t expect to see her again dancing in a strip club, out of all places.

rated: E (drug use and emotional abuse in early chapters)

ao3 link

*

 “Chlo?”

 Beca called out when she came home that evening, pizza box in hand. She dropped her keys into the bowl by the entrance and toed off her boots, rounding the corner to the living room.

 She had noticed a definite shift in Chloe’s overall demeanor ever since Chloe decided to keep the baby.

 A light in her eyes that wasn’t there before, which reminded her of the Chloe she once knew, who was slowly coming back to life.

 It was weird and a little scary to think about how a newborn was going to be living with them in six months. She didn’t know how involved Chloe wanted her to be, but Beca was ready to help, whether it be with prepping the room, shopping for little Bean, or getting up at night to change diapers and feed them a bottle.

 “Hey,” Chloe greeted softly from her spot on the couch, clad in sweatpants and Beca’s Bellas hoodie she had kept since that night. “How was work?”

 “Good.” They’d just finished layering the song, but Beca chose to keep that to herself, as she wasn’t sure she was ready for Chloe to hear it, yet. “How was your NA meeting?”

 Chloe smiled and grabbed her purse, fishing for something in it. She produced a chip, showing it to Beca. The words      60 days clean and serene     were written on it, the NA logo on the other side.

 Beca beamed. “Holy shit, Chlo! That’s amazing!”

 She knew some days weren’t easy, even if Chloe’s overall mood seemed brighter, and she was insanely proud of her friend.

 “Yeah, I’m... “ Chloe shook her head. “I honestly didn’t think I would make it that far, when I got out of rehab,” she paused, meeting Beca’s eyes. “Thank you. For believing in me, and supporting me. I honestly-- I don’t know where I’d be if it weren’t for you.” She fiddled with the chip and smiled softly. “Now let’s make it to six months.”

 “Six months,” Beca echoed, nodding. “That sounds like a great goal.” She tilted her head to the side. “Have you talked to your parents today? How’s your dad?”

 “Yeah. He’s good, I think. I feel like he wouldn’t tell me if he was in pain, though.”

 “Did you tell them about Bean?” Beca asked softly.

 “No, I… I really want to tell them in person, once I’ve… told them the truth. Which is why I wanted to ask you…” Chloe nibbled on her bottom lip, clearly hesitant. “Would it be okay if I borrowed some money so I could visit them? I hate to ask this with everything you’re doing for me, and I promise I’ll pay you back when I get a job.”

 “Chlo,” Beca said gently, smiling. “Of course it’s okay. I’m glad you’re visiting them. That’s the first goal on your list, isn’t it?”

 Chloe nodded. “Yeah. And I was also wondering if-- you’d like to come with me? I know you’re busy, so I totally get if you can’t.”

 Beca pondered on that for a few beats. She was touched that Chloe offered for her to come along, and she hadn’t taken a break in a long time. “I’d love to. When did you want to go?”

 “Ideally before I start showing to the point where I can’t hide it anymore,” Chloe answered with a cringe as she rubbed the small bump hidden under her hoodie. “I guess I should be good for another month and a half or so?”

 Beca hummed. “Memorial day weekend is in three weeks, I could take Thursday and Friday off so we have three whole days there?”

 “That sounds perfect,” Chloe murmured. “I also wanted to know if it was okay if I invited Aubrey over for dinner next weekend? Now that I feel a little better.”

 “Of course. I’d love to see her, too. But I can totally hang out at Sarah’s if you guys want a one on one evening?”

 Chloe shook her head. “No, no, you can stay here.” She cleared her throat. “Is Sarah… okay with the situation?”

 “I uh, I haven’t told her yet,” Beca said. “About the baby, I mean. I wasn’t sure if you were okay with me telling her, yet.”

 “Oh. No, you can tell her.”

 “Okay, I will when I see her tomorrow,” Beca said. “I bought a bacon-mushroom pizza with pineapple on one half. You hungry?”

     “Starving.     I don’t know what it is with Bean, but I can’t stop eating.”

 Beca chuckled and pushed to her feet, giving Chloe a boost up. She padded to the island and opened the box, then headed to the cabinet to get two plates out. “Are we watching      The Bachelor?    ”

 She froze in her motion when Chloe zoomed down the hall, the sound of retching reaching her ears next.

 “Shit,” Beca muttered, setting the plates down on the counter before following after Chloe. She knelt by her and gathered her hair in her hand, rubbing her back in slow circles.

 “Bean doesn’t like mushrooms,” Chloe mumbled once she was done, reaching up to flush the toilet.

 “Are you sure it’s not the pineapple on pizza thing? Now      that’s     gross.”

 Chloe threw her a playful glare as she rested her back against the wall. “It’s definitely the mushrooms.”

 “I’ll go toss the pizza and open up some windows to clear the air. Want some ginger ale?” She had stocked up on that since it seemed to help Chloe with her morning sickness, which was lessening now that she had reached the end of her first trimester.

 “Sure, thanks.”

 Beca came back a minute later with a can and offered it to Chloe, lowering herself next to her. “Are you excited for your appointment next week?”

 Chloe took a sip. “Yeah. And nervous. Less so now that I’m past twelve weeks, but I’m scared something bad might pop up on the screen.”

 Beca’s hand came to rest on Chloe’s thigh. She had read into the possible complications cocaine use during pregnancy could have on a baby: premature delivery, malformations, weaning at birth… cocaine wasn’t as bad as opiates, and Beca had read that only 3-5% of babies had birth defects, but it was still enough to trigger some worry.

 “Want me to come with you?” She asked, always cautious when it came to not overstepping.

 Chloe covered Beca’s hand with her own, a small smile curving her lips. “Yeah.”

 Beca smiled back, then reached for her phone in her pocket and pulled up the app she was looking for. She angled her screen towards Chloe. “Bean is the size of a lemon this week.”

 Chloe cocked an eyebrow. “You downloaded an app that follows the baby’s growth?”

 “Yeah.” Beca’s nose crinkles in awkwardness. “Is that weird?”

 “No,” Chloe says, shaking her head. “I think it’s sweet. Bean’s going to have the best auntie in the world.”

 Chloe’s words made Beca’s heart swell, and she cleared the sudden emotions rising in her throat.      God    , that baby wasn’t even born but she knew she was already a goner. Which was weird to think about, because she couldn’t      stand     kids. But this was Chloe’s, so it was bound to be adorable, even despite Marco’s genes.

 “Aunties,” she corrects after a while. “All twelve of them.” A smirk curves her lips as she shrugs. “I’ll just be the coolest one.”

 Chloe raised an eyebrow. “The one Bean will come to for dating advice?”

 Beca’s nose scrunched up. “Yikes. I’ll swing that one over to Stacie.      No    , Aubrey. Can’t trust Stacie with dating advice.”

 She looked down at her phone when it lit up with a text from Sarah, saying she had just got off work and asking Beca if she wanted to come over to her place and whether she had eaten dinner yet.

 “Is that Sarah?” Chloe asked softly.

 “Yeah… she asked me if I wanted to go over, but--”

 “I’ll be      fine,”     Chloe assured her with a soft chuckle. “I’ll probably pass out on the couch around 8:30. You should go.”

 Beca nodded. “Okay.” She pushed to her feet, sliding her phone in her back pocket. “See ya, Beale and Bean.”

 She smiled at the sound of Chloe’s giggle on her way out, sliding her boots back on and grabbing her keys before slipping out. Sarah lived a fifteen-minute car ride away on a good traffic hour. Beca parked in front of her building, having stopped on her way over to grab sushi from her favorite place.

 “Hey you,” Sarah greeted as she opened her door.

 Beca smiled, pecking her lips as she stepped inside. “Sushi?”

 Sarah groaned, plucking the paper bag from her fingers. “You’re the best.”

 Beca chuckled. “Long shift?”

 “Yeah,” Sarah breathed out as she padded to her living area, setting the bag on her kitchen counter. “Beer?”

 “Sure.”

 They caught up on their respective days while they ate, low music playing from Sarah’s speaker.

 “How’s Chloe doing?” Sarah asked as she cleared up their plates.

 “Pretty good, I think.” Beca twisted around on her stool, tracking Sarah with her eyes as she cleared her throat. “She’s uh, she’s pregnant.”

 There was a notable pause in Sarah’s movements, before she gently set the plates down on the counter. “Wow,” she let out as she turned around. “Is she… keeping it?”

 “Yeah,” Beca replied. “I didn’t tell you before now because she just reached twelve weeks and the risk of miscarriage was pretty high up to that point.”

 Sarah nodded slowly. “Is she okay?”

 “It’s a lot, but she seems to be adjusting pretty well. If anything, the fact that she’s pregnant is helping her stay strong against her cravings.”

 “Good, that’s good,” Sarah murmured. She nibbled on her lower lip, something she often did when she was nervous or irritated about something, Beca had noticed. “So um, is she going to stay at your place?”

 Beca furrowed her brow. “Well, yeah. She doesn’t have a job and barely just got back on her feet, I’m not going to kick her out.”

 “No, of course. I mean, long term,” Sarah corrected herself. “Because she isn’t going to move out when the baby is born either, I’m guessing.”

 Beca tilted her head to the side. “Does that… bother you? The fact that Chloe is around?”

 “I just--” Sarah sighed, glancing down. “I’m not sure where I fit in all this.”

 “What do you mean?” Beca questioned softly, sliding off her stool and taking the few steps separating her from Sarah.

 “I guess I was hoping we would move in together, somewhere in the near future.” She shrugged. “We’ve been together for over a year and we haven’t even broached the subject.”

 A soft sigh flitted past her lips.

 “And I feel like a jerk,      again    , because Chloe obviously can’t be on her own right now, and what you’re doing to help her is remarkable and it makes me love you even more, but… I want a relationship with a trajectory, not a flat line. Those sleepovers a few times a week, and having some of our clothes at each other’s place, it just doesn’t feel like enough anymore. At least not to me. I want us to start building something real, you know? Not… with your best friend and her baby living right across the hall.”

 Beca licked her dry lips, swallowing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know-- I had no idea that’s how you felt.”

 “Bec, is that what you want, too?” Sarah asked then, softly, almost shyly, as though afraid of Beca’s answer. “Because if it’s not…”

 “Yes,” Beca said, nodding. “Of course it is.” At least she believed so. She had always struggled when it came to commitment, and that was probably the reason why an uncomfortable feeling spread in her belly at the thought of moving in with Sarah. “We’ll figure something out, I promise.”

 Beca spent the drive home playing her conversation with Sarah over and over in her head. She understood where Sarah was coming from, and was even surprised Sarah had stuck around when Beca was so emotionally stunted when it came to expressing her feelings. She hadn’t given much of a thought to wanting to change things so soon, as she felt comfortable with the pace they were going.

 A heavy sigh puffed past her lips when she made it inside her apartment. She changed for bed, washed her face and brushed her teeth, settling in bed just past eleven. A knock at the door pulled her attention away from her phone.

 “Come in,” she called out softly, smiling when Chloe’s head popped inside. “Hey. What’s up?”

 Chloe shuffled in and sat at the foot of the bed, seemingly deep in her thoughts. “I’m-- I’m struggling.”

 Beca straightened a bit from her slouched position and set her phone aside. “Come here, Chlo,” she coaxed, patting the space next to here. “Cravings?”

 Chloe sat against the headboard, drawing her knees to her chest. She tugged on the ends of her hair, then started to bite at her nails. She was shaking. “I keep— finding reasons as to why I should— I should take something, telling myself one drink won’t hurt the baby and it would just be to—to take the edge off.” She reached inside the front pocket of her hoodie and handed Beca a twenty dollar bill, unable to meet Beca’s gaze. “I-I stole this from the bowl by the door to go buy myself a bottle.”

 Beca swallowed and plucked it from her fingers, making a mental note not to leave any money laying around either.

 “Thank you for telling me,” Beca murmured, imagining how hard it must be for Chloe to admit that she almost slipped up, and knowing how important for her recovery it was that she reached out.

 Among the many things Beca had read about addiction, one thing stuck with her: the opposite of addiction is connexion, something Chloe had lost for a long while when she let her job and her toxic relationship consume her. But she wasn’t on her own anymore, and Beca believed that was a vital step to her recovery.

 “You’re the strongest person I know, Chlo. What you’re doing is incredibly brave, and I’m in awe of you every single day. There’s no shame in thinking about it. It’s a normal part of the process. What is important is the fact that you didn’t let the addiction win.”

 Chloe shut her eyes and nodded, her shoulders slumping as she released a long breath.

 “Have you tried… singing it out? Or… dancing it out?”

 Chloe shook her head. Beca pushed to her feet, grabbing her phone and shuffling through her playlist. Florence + The Machine’s      Shake It Out     started to play from her built in speakers as she rounded the bed and extended her hands out.

 “Come on, Beale,” she coaxed once more when Chloe hesitated, holding out both hands.

 Chloe eventually relented, but she stood there, seemingly unsure of what to do. The carefreeness that once inhabited Chloe was nowhere in sight, and Beca’s heart broke upon realizing it.

 But she wasn’t giving up.

 She broke into her robot dance routine, knowing perfectly well it didn’t go with the music at all. Acting like a dork did make Chloe crack a timid smile, which prompted Beca to keep going, grinning when Chloe started swaying to the beat, slowly at first as she closed her eyes, taking it all in.

 “Shake ‘em out, Chlo,” Beca said, reaching out to increase the volume as the chorus hit.

 And Chloe danced. For real this time, without any chains holding her back as she let the music and the lyrics carry her, spinning around as she sang to the top of her lungs.

     “Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa  

     And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back  

     So shake him off, oh whoa…”  

[jwillowwolf]

Magic and Miracles - Prologue

Tag List: @sandersidesbigbang @thomassanderssidesbigbang2021 @theimprobabledreamersworld

First Chapter > | Masterlist

This is a multi-chapter fic I've been working on for the last couple of months as a part of the 2021 Sanders Sides Big Bang. The original idea came from this post by @remy-please-come-back [thanks again for letting me use the idea 💜].

Summary: Ever present, never seen. Feared and admired by all beings. The life that bursts from the earth, the secrets hidden in stone. It dances in the fire’s flames; it gives the wind its mournful tone. Here it is, this is it. Defined yet unexplained. In the depths of the ocean, and of your own mind. In the veins of all creatures, including humankind. For magic is in everything, yet unknown all the same.

For the longest time, Logan wanted to learn magic. So, when he was offered the chance to study it at a new magic school, he decided to follow his dreams. Along the way, however, he'll learn about so much more.

Warning/s: food mention.

Characters: Logan, Emile, Remy, OCs.

Read on AO3

0 | The Underdog's Debut

Ever present, never seen. Feared and admired by all beings.

The life that bursts from the earth, the secrets hidden in stone.

It dances in the fire’s flames; it gives the wind its mournful tone.

Here it is, this is it. Defined yet unexplained.

In the depths of the ocean, and of your own mind.

In the veins of all creatures, including humankind.

For magic is in everything, yet unknown all the same.

Perhaps this was why people found it so intriguing from such a young age. They wanted answers to what magic was, and while they didn’t find what they sought, they did learn how it could be used to their advantage. Spells were created to do anything that their caster’s heart desired. From creating a small orb of light for reading in the night to manipulating a tidal wave that could crash down on your enemies.

Magic was something not easily understood, which was one reason why the Council of Wizards evaluated all potential magic users. They wanted to gage that these young mages could safely use the power they were wielding. If not, then they needed to be properly dealt with before things got out of hand.

This was a good thing, but also not because to learn magic safely you would need someone else to teach you first-hand.

Now that doesn’t seem like much of an obstacle, except the only established wizards were of the nobility, and therefore only worked with nobility. The system was pretty much rigged to make it hopeless for average people to learn and use magic. Or it was until our protagonist came along.

He rose from poverty to royalty, became a hero among heroes, and faced off against one of the greatest threats to humankind that ever existed! But I’m getting ahead of myself -sorry- let's start from the beginning, shall we?

Oh, but where to begin? Ah! We’ll start from his first test with the Council of Wizards when he was only a young lad of 15. It was the beginning of spring, which is when the COW always held the learner’s test. This test evaluated your magical potential and gave the council a heads up on how many new mages there were. Yes, COW, don’t ask me why they went with that acronym.

The ceremony was being held in the grand hall of the palace, and it was open for anyone from the Srednas Kingdom to come and watch. The test itself was rather simple but the festivities that came with it made things feel like a special holiday. Nobility and common folk alike were gathered to watch and see what new wizards would be taking on learning magic. There was even a small market of sorts set outside the palace to take advantage of the crowds and sell foods, drinks, and commemorative merchandise.

Inside, people were everywhere, talking excitedly to one another and trying to find good places to view the proceedings. At the end of the room, there was a dais with two thrones where King Thomas and his husband, Prince Consort Nico, sat to watch. In front of the dais were nine chairs for the COW members, who talked with the royals and amongst themselves. Even they seemed eager for what was about to happen, and yet no one knew truly how monumental today was going to be.

The event had begun the same as any other year. Noble children from across the land showed off whatever three spells they’d learnt for the test. Most were common tricks like lighting candles or making plants grow. A handful showed off with advanced versions of these spells, such as holding the flames in their hands or making entire trees grow. Still, regardless of how many times these spells were cast, the crowd watched in awe with each new user who passed their test.

And then a young man in a simple navy tunic and black trousers stepped forward. He looked to be in his mid-teens, the same as most of the young mages and walked with an air of subtle confidence. He had a slender form and soft features that pronounced his youthful appearance. His hair was raven black, swept neatly to the side, and his eyes were such a dark brown that they seemed almost black.

“Please state your name and title.” Silvia, the eldest council member, said.

“My name is Logan Picani.”

“Title?”

“I don’t have any.”

Silence fell over the hall. “Pardon?”

“I don’t have any titles.”

“How do you not have any titles?”

“I’m not a noble.”

Some people audibly gasped and began whispering conspiratorially to one another.

“Young man, you do understand what this test is, correct?” Allen, another council member, asked with a thinly veiled look of disgust.

“Yes sir, I do. I also know for a fact that there are no rules against my taking the test because of being a commoner.”

Allen frowned and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Silvia. “I suppose not. Well then, let’s see what you can do.”

Logan took a deep breath and then held up his hand, “Ignyght.”

The tip of his little finger began to glow with golden light. The crowd watched on in silence as he carefully moved his hand to draw the necessary rune with the trail of light that flowed from his finger.

Once the rune was complete, he spoke again. “Solhart.”

The rune turned stark white and then disappeared. For a moment nothing happened, then a small white orb appeared where the rune had previously been floating. This earned a few excited claps from the crowd and an approving nod from two council members. But Logan didn’t stop there.

“Groh.” This time the light from his fingers was bright green. He made a different rune then repeated the sealing word, “Solhart.”

The orb multiplied until nearly fifty of them were floating in a cluster before Logan.

“Stahwynd.” A deep blue light flowed from Logan’s finger as he drew the final rune. “Solhart.”

The orbs burst apart from one another like birds flying off a tree in fear. Some people from the crowd shouted in shock as the balls of light zoomed off in all different directions until finally, they stopped. Now they were floating all around the room above the spectators who gasped as they realized what Logan had done. The hall’s ceiling was pitch black, so the lights looked like stars in the night sky. It was a breath-taking sight that inspired many to cheer and clap for the young mage.

“Alright, please settle down,” Silvia called over the noise before looking at Logan with a thoughtful expression. “Where did you learn this?”

“I taught myself.”

Silvia nodded then turned to talk with her fellow council members in hushed tones. Allen and two others seemed upset, while the rest of the council were neutral if not mildly impressed. After a few minutes, she looked back at Logan with a soft smile.

“Mr Picani, you are officially granted your learner’s license. I hope when we see you again in a few months time, you will once more surprise us all.”

The crowd cheered and Logan nodded before walking away with a look of pride. As he made his way through the crowd, he received congratulations from many strangers. And then he was tackled to the ground by an enthusiastic brown-haired girl.

“You did it! You did it! I knew you could do it!”

“Everleigh, my ribs.” Logan wheezed, causing the girl to release him.

“Oops, sorry. My bad. Is your chest okay?”

“It’s fine.” Both youths got up with smiles on their faces. “I did it.”

“Yep. In a couple of months, you’re going to be an official grand wizard.”

“Considering I just got my learners, I don’t think I’ll reach such a title that quickly.”

“You just created a night sky in the palace ballroom! I think you’re underestimating yourself.”

Logan smiled softly, “Come on, we should head back to the bakery to celebrate.”

Everleigh nodded in agreement and linked their arms so they could walk side by side. As they walked, Everleigh excitedly told Logan about how incredible it had looked from the crowd, and what kind of reactions the people around her had had.

Logan was uncharacteristically grinning by the time they’d reached the bakery. Walking inside only made his smile widen as the smell of fresh bread and sweet pastries filled his senses. It was after all the smell of home, so of course, it made him feel warm and welcomed. His father, Emile Picani, was standing by the counter helping an elderly customer when Logan and Everleigh walked in.

“Thank you, dear.”

“Oh, I should be the one thanking you, Mrs Goldstone. The brownie recipe you gave me has become a bestseller.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Have a nice day dear.”

“To you as well, ma’am. Oh, Logan, Everleigh, you’re back. And smiling,” Emile gasped, “did you get it?”

“He’s a wizard!” Everleigh dramatically announced.

“Not yet, I still need to finish the second test in a couple of months. I do have a learners’ license though.”

“Well, I think this calls for some celebratory tarts,” Emile said, ushering both youths into the back of the shop where the Picani’s sitting room/kitchen was located. “I’m proud of you logan. That hard work really paid off.”

“Speaking of hard work, you are going to take a break, right?” Everleigh asked.

Logan looked away from her sheepishly. “Well…”

“Come on, Lo. You’ve been working hard non-stop for months.”

“Yeah, kid, you work with me in the bakery all day, then study well into the night. And don’t think I haven’t seen you pull an all-nighter here and there.” Emile chastised.

It was true that Logan had worked long hard to get to where he was. it wasn’t exactly a simple task when books on magic were hard to find, and what knowledge they had was even harder to grasp. Figuring out pronunciation for the initiation/sealing words and learning to keep his hand steady as he drew the runes.

It had taken him many long nights of studying by candlelight to figure out the spells he’d performed. But with Everleigh’s library apprenticeship and his own persistent nature, he’d managed to learn a good deal about the basics. And now it was paying off. He officially had a learner’s license and would get a chance to become a genuine wizard.

Then he could use magic to help so many of the villagers who couldn’t afford the high-priced assistance of other magicians. Medicinal potions? Enchanted prosthetics? Transition spells? He would be able to give all this and more at prices his peers could afford.

Logan knew that what he was doing seemed near impossible, but he was going to do it or die trying! …okay, so maybe Emile and Everleigh were valid in their concern for his health, but this was his best and only way to study magic.

Before Logan could argue this, however, a stranger walked into the bakery. He was tall and slender, with a bronze tan and confident bearing. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a clean white tunic, black trousers, and dark brown riding boots. His short curly hair was the same dark brown shade as the boots, and his eyes were hidden by black tinted glasses.

“New customer, how do you how do?”

The stranger smiled. “Hey there, gorgeous. Sorry but I’m not a customer today. Is this where Logan Picani lives?”

“Yes, that’s my son.”

“Son? No offence honey but you look too young and handsome to be a dad.”

“Is there something I can help you with, sir?” Logan asked, taking over the conversation for his blushing father.

“Ah, yeah, I’m here to offer you a very special opportunity on behalf of the crown prince.”

Logan and Emile gaped. “The crown prince?”

The stranger nodded. “My name is Remy Animosni, and on behalf of his highness, I’m here to extend an exclusive invitation to the Srednas Magic School.”

Logan frowned. “I wasn’t aware that there was a magic school here in Srednas.”

“Well, that’s because there wasn’t, not until now anyway. It’s something that the prince arranged to start this year with a few students to show how good it could be to the council. You particularly caught his interest today with your starry spellcasting, hence the personal invite. You would learn alongside six other students under me about everything there is to know concerning magic, from the full basics of spells to how you can modify your own enchantments.”

“That sounds incredible,” Emile said.

Remy nodded. “Yep, and not only that but you will be given your own room at the school and anything you may need or want during your stay will be provided by us, free of charge. The location of the school is just an hour out of town, so you could visit home on weekends if you desired. So how about it, kid?”

Logan was gobsmacked. The crown prince had not only seen him but was impressed enough to send an invitation to learn magic at a special new magic school.

“Wait, what do I have to do for the prince in return?”

“Absolutely nothing. The offer is completely free of any fees or deceptive dealings. I promise. The prince even sent this with me to make sure you could have physical proof if so desired.” Remy stated, producing a scroll from inside his jacket.

Emile and Logan both looked over the document and found no problems. It was a straightforward invitation for Logan to study magic at the prince’s new school, with promises to provide anything he could need while he was living at said school, and nothing more. The father and son shared a thoughtful glance. It was definitely an opportunity.

Emile smiled. “Do it.”

“Really? You think I should accept?”

“A chance like this only comes around once, and I can always hire someone if I need the help. Follow your dreams kiddo.” Emile said with an encouraging smile.

Logan bit his lip as he considered things. He really hadn’t thought today could get any better, then this happened. He was worried about leaving his dad, but Emile had told him to take this chance. And he was right about this being a once in a lifetime opportunity. Besides, Remy had said he could still visit the town on the weekends…

“Okay. I accept.”

---

A/N: thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this. I'll be posting two chapters a day until the full fic is up, so if you want to be tagged, you can just ask. [Also, here's a link to chapter 1]

I'd love to hear what you thought about the chapter if you wouldn't mind commenting. Thanks again for reading! Here's hoping you have a magical day 💜

[sleep-i-ness]

My Saviour (Tony Stark x reader)

Blurb: Y/N is going to die. That she’s sure of. Now is the wait, ten feet under a collapsed building, waiting for it to finally give way.

Prompts: “I am being extremely clever up here and there’s no one to stand around looking impressed. What’s the point in having you all?” 

CW: Mentions of death and dying, injury

A/N: This is my entry for @thefanficfaerie​‘s writing challenge, I am so sorry it’s late! Back to school and all that

The ceiling’s about to go. You need to get out of there NOW. Everything changes the mission Y/N thinks she’s going to die. Sure, there had been a few close calls every now and then but never like this. Trapped under a collapsed 7-storey building, with dust still settling around her and ominous creaks echoing around the small space. And, how could she forget, with the team’s biggest ego for company.

The day started early, if she could even say ‘started’ when Stark had kept her up in the labs with him, well past her usual bedtime. Cap had tried to insist, yet again, that she joined him on his ‘invigorating’ morning jog, despite the fact that she had nowhere near the stamina of a super soldier and that she was running on eleven cups of black coffee (adding milk had ended up taking too much time when the exhaustion was kicking in again) and spite. Her spite, she decided, was what was going to get her out of this mess.

At the bright and early time of 10am, Stark had stumbled out of his bedroom, having actually gone to bed instead of being pressured into joining a training session. Well, he didn’t really need to train; the suit was his manpower. Unlike the rest of them, he didn’t need to keep in shape, other than to pick up women at whatever posh event he went to. Which was unfortunately never kept a secret from her, as for some reason, whilst her floor (why did she need a whole bloody floor?) was being decorated/renovated, she was in a room directly adjacent to Stark’s. One thing he’d apparently forgotten to invest in was soundproofing.

Soon after Stark had deigned to join them at their Team Breakfast, which, according to Rogers, was an Important Bonding Session, Fury had decided to give them a call. And with Fury it was never a catch-up call, which would be nice, once in a while, now that she thought about it. Or maybe not, she dreaded seeing the man for mission briefings, she wasn’t sure if he had the capability of acting like a normal human. Oh God. Imagine Fury having brunch. She wasn’t sure if her hysterical thought stream was due to the dust fumes, lack of oxygen, undiagnosed claustrophobia kicking in, or perhaps a torturous combination of all three.

Anyway, this impromptu call was due to a SHIELD mission that had gone sideways and so the Avengers were being called in to clean up the mess. Well, considering their track record, she had been betting that more mess would be made than sorted out. It was meant to be a smallish HYDRA base with few soldiers, but more than the agents already sent in were able to handle. All she could say was that wherever Fury got his information from was seriously wrong and he needed to reconsider his sources.

Stark had groaned when the mission had come up, already complaining that they weren’t the clean-up team. He had waved at the mission file onscreen, gestured again for dramatic effect and then settled into making snide remarks for the rest of the briefing. As usual. She had an inkling that Stark just really liked the sound of his own voice or was compensating for something with sarcastic comments.

At least Steve got to use his catchphrase, yet again. ‘Avengers Assemble!’ Which was quickly wearing old and she had tried to suggest something else. Like “Let’s Get Dressed!” or “Mission Muster!”, but neither had quite the ring and, to be honest, she’d just run the original through a synonym generator. God, if any of their fans heard her complaints, she was sure she’d be butchered alive in a riveting ‘debate’ on Twitter. Apparently, they liked the cheesiness.

The first spot of bother they’d gotten into, or, well, Y/N had gotten into, was when she’d found out that her suit hadn’t finished downloading the upgrades so she would have to use her original. Her original consisted of a latex and Kevlar suit that she’d hand-stitched together. That had been back when she’d first realised that she could actually make a difference in the shitty area of town she lived in. Spares weren’t a thing for the Avengers and Stark had made sure to mock its ‘home-made chic’ feel. Well, not everyone headed a multimillion-dollar corporation when they decided to become a ‘hero’.

She still wouldn’t describe herself as a hero. She was just a girl who, instead of getting a prison sentence for aggravated assault and destruction of property, had been picked up by SHIELD. They’d seen something in her that she’d never once seen looking back at her in the mirror. After months of training and little missions, she’d been chucked headfirst into the dark stuff, fucked up a psych eval and ended up being pulled from field duty. Barton had trained with her while they were both out of active duty and vouched for her once he’d been cleared, jeopardising his job as an agent and an Avenger, for her, which she couldn’t thank him more for. Fury, not knowing what to do for once, had shoved her into a team that was only just starting to bond with each other. They hadn’t needed a barely-adult, not psych-cleared agent pushed into their hands. But they’d taken her in without complaint all the same.

The second spot of bother was the hundred or so men who had been firing at them from all angles, not the expected twenty or thirty. Stark had flown in and gunned ten or so down in his bulletproof suit, but even that hadn’t been enough to make the fight easy. Barton was perched up a tree, true to his nickname as usual, and was taking out man after man, but one replaced the other as soon as they fell.  

And because all things come in threes, there had been a third spot of bother. It had been when the control room collapsed due to an exploding arrow that Barton had refused to admit to, and the central structure’s integrity had been compromised. She had gone in on the intelligence gathering mission and the stupid program had completed 84% of the download. So, she had assured her teammates that she’d wait for it to finish and then get the fuck out of there. But she hadn’t had time. And so that brought her up to now, in a tiny space, feeling more and more squashed by the minute. Rubble clattered down above her every so often and the space would gradually shift as the weight on top of it increased. She just hoped SHIELD found her before she was completely crushed. If they were even looking for them.

“Y/N?” Stark’s voice was hoarse from the dust, even his suit must’ve been unable to filter it all out. She frowned; she was sure that it had its own oxygen supply. Perhaps it had been damaged when he’d zoomed in as the building collapsed around them, professing that he would save her. Fat lot of good he’d been. As the floor had caved in beneath her feet and the ceiling collapsed simultaneously, he hadn’t even reached her before she’d fallen in the sinkhole that had opened up. She’d always said that constructing a tall building on top of earth riddled with secret passages was just asking for trouble.

“Yes?” Irritation bled through as she tried to keep her tone civil and sweet, but the circumstances were definitely not ideal for her mood. And she’d had barely any sleep. Which was arguably thanks to him, and no, she still hadn’t forgiven him for it.

“Okay, good, just checking you were alive.”

She rolled her eyes at that answer. What if she’d been unconscious? She’d still be alive. No need to pester her just for that. “Well, how are you going to get us out of here?”

Stark was silent. For once in his life, he finally had nothing to say. She would applaud herself on such an accomplishment, but she was busy trying not to lose her temper. He was meant to be the genius, the one with a plan for everything, and she knew that was a lot of pressure to put on him. But she’d really like to believe that she wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for him.

“I’m…” He hesitated, light flickering feebly through the rocks between them. “Having some difficulties with the suit. JARVIS, why don’t you tell her?”

The monotonous voice came through clearly, albeit a bit tinny over the speakers. Although she’d read plenty about the AI when creating her own suit and then promptly dismissed the idea that she would ever be able to do the same, it was still weird how omniscient he seemed. It made her skin crawl, the idea that she had no privacy, even in her own bedroom. “Suit’s capabilities are down by 62%. Weapons status – missiles offline, repulsors limited power. Damage has been sustained severely on the chest piece as well as the helmet and left shin pieces.”

Her mouth dropped; she hadn’t expected it to be this bad. Sure, a damaged chest piece she could’ve guessed, because that would have affected the suit’s oxygen supply, but the power source must have also been damaged. “Can you clear some more space, or get us into the same area? Maybe if we can access the equipment that was in the control room…”

“On it. JARVIS, scan the rubble for equipment and structurally sound areas.”

From where she was sat, nothing seemed to be happening. Even the lights from his suit had dimmed considerably, causing her to squint to try and make out various shapes in the fallen rock. The almost silent creaking around her were amplified in the darkness and she shivered, a cold trickle of dread running down her spine. She’d always hated just waiting for something to happen, knowing that it was going to but not when or how.

The raspy static of comms was incessant in her ear as she strained to hear of any movement or updates on their situation from Stark’s position. Nothing. God, she hoped he hadn’t been physically injured. She forgot that he was just a man beneath all that metal. Nothing superhuman or enhanced or specially trained from too sheng of an age.

“Y/N.” Stark’s voice was urgent and low, a light hiss through the dust filled air. “There’s someone else down here. JARVIS is detecting enough of a heat signature for them to still be alive.”

A gentle groan made her freeze, hair prickling on the back of her neck. She turned her head ever so slightly to the left, peering into the pitch-black darkness. Blinking furiously, she soon realised that there was no difference between when her eyes were shut and open.

“Hello?” A familiar voice called out and she sighed, face relaxing from its grimace.

“Barton?”

“Y/N? I thought you got out?” He coughed, wheezing dust and she winced at the harsh sound, chest clenching painfully in sympathy.

She chuckled bitterly, “Yeah, nope, Tony also got stuck down here.”

A loud thump startled her, rubble tumbling down as a metal support beam snapped under the strain of the weight. Inhaling and exhaling slowly to calm her mounting nerves, she curled her arms over her head, hoping that she’d survive this. Time seemed to slow as the seconds, minutes, possibly even hours ticked by. Nothing more to do than ponder the situation and any and every scenario that could come of it.

Crash. She jolted as the ground beneath her trembled, sucking in a quick breath. This was it. This was the end. Closing her eyes, she sent out a prayer to whatever god was out there, anyone who could help her. Hoping it would be swift and painless.

Cool metal brushed against her face, and her eyes flashed open. The icy white glow lit up the dust-filled air in front of her and she choked back a sob of relief, pressing a hand over her mouth. Tony shushed her softly as he heaved a large slab of stone out of the way, sending tiny particles of rock down onto her. They bounced off her face and she whimpered, biting down hard enough on her bottom lip to draw blood.

The shredded metal of his arms slid under her, catching at her clothes as he pulled her into his chest. Cradling her in his arms, he plodded into a spacious cavern, each step followed by creaking joints. The stone was cold against her back as he propped her against the central mound, her head lolling back.

He popped his visor open, eyes lit by a blue glow as he stared at her intently, a flicker of worry dancing behind his eyes. “Are you okay?”

She was sure that he’d already asked her that but couldn’t find it in herself to bite a remark at him. In fact, she couldn’t even remember why she’d been so pissed off at him before, her annoyance swept away by the pure elation of still being alive.

“I’m fine.” At his sceptical look, she sighed. Nothing was broken or injured too badly, although she hadn’t really had time to think hard enough about it. That was all that was necessary. “Don’t worry about me, Tin Man, focus on getting us out of here. You need to help Barton out first.”

Before too long, Tony had returned, placing Clint down beside her. She knelt over him, guided by the light from Tony’s suit and held back a gasp. Brushing hair off of his pale and sweaty face, her nimble fingers ran over the bruised and battered flesh of his leg and she grimaced. He hissed at the sharp stabbing pain, the ghostly touch still too much pressure.

“Is that what heaven’s like? What did I do right to get a girl as pretty as you looking after me?” Clint’s words were slurred as he tried to crack a grin and ease her worries. She chuckled, as Tony clomped round to see what was happening.

“Don’t be getting too comfortable, Barton. Anyone can get a squashed leg.” Tony’s words were snide, and she clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“Stop it.”

“I wasn’t doing anything,” Tony protested. She could hear the pout in his voice.

“Go work on getting us out of here.” For the first time since the beginning of the mission, she felt hope. She knew it was a dangerous emotion. It had been ingrained deep into her mind that hope was dangerous, that it should be stifled. But she wanted to believe that Tony would find them a way out, that they wouldn’t die with only each other for company in a deep, dark cavern, waiting for the ceiling to collapse on them.

The sharp scraping of metal against metal as he moved away was painful and she winced. His suit was in a bad state, but she hoped it would last the whole ordeal.

Clint’s rambling startled her from her thoughts. “You really look like an angel, Y/N. Maybe this is God’s gift for this injury.”

“Yeah, well, next time you want my attention, you don’t have to go this far,” she laughed, wiping the grime that had settled into his skin. “My standards aren’t so high that I need a guy to have injuries severe enough to possibly warrant amputation.”

Clint groaned painfully, before trying to play it off. “You mean, I didn’t have to do all this. Well, darn it.” She laughed again, giving him a sympathetic grin as he winced yet again. His leg was a blotchy mess of colours and she swallowed harshly.

She jumped as Tony’s voice echoed around the cavern. “I am being extremely clever up here and there’s no one to stand around looking impressed. What’s the point in having you all?” She grinned up at where he stood. Under his blindingly-fast fingers was what had turned out to be the main console, and she assumed he was rerouting message signals and finding a secure escape route. “Well, I’ve found us a way out. But I’ll only take you if you promise not to flirt so sickeningly.”

“Stark, are you jealous?” Clint’s incredulous voice came from beside her, tinged with agony.

Tony scoffed, his face disappearing into darkness as the blue light from the screens shut off. “No. As if.”

“Well,” she piped up, noting with delight how Tony’s head snapped towards her. “Tony, let me just warn you that you don’t need to get your leg squashed if you want my attention. I don’t need another injury on my conscience.”

“Aw, no, there goes my plan on how to win you over. Come on, I’ll carry Robin Hood and you follow me.”

The route was a dingy corridor that was lit by flickering electric bulbs that looked as if they hadn’t been replaced since the 40s. “Soft light incandescent bulbs.” Tony had noted as she passed under the first ones.

By the time she had reached the manhole cover that signalled the exit of the seemingly-endless tunnel, she weren’t sure if her legs would be able to support her much further. The startlingly bright light streaming into the tunnel made her smile, a great beaming grin as she felt the sun on her face after what had felt like days.

“Come on, sweetheart. Up you come. I’ve already signalled the team, and they’re on their way. We just need to sit tight for a bit.” Tony hauled her up, next to where Clint lay, leg even more gruesome in the light. She stumbled on the uneven ground, falling forward as her foot caught on a loose stone.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist, hugging her into him. She grinned up at Tony and leant against his chest plate, relaxing into the arm that he slung around her. 

“My saviour,” she giggled, suddenly anxious at their close proximity. She didn’t know why. She’d never felt so antsy in his presence before, but something about the way he was looking at her made her heart beat faster and her breath stop.

“So,” Tony let out a nervous breath. “I know I didn’t get injured for you, but how about we still go on a date at some point?”

She smiled softly. “I’d love that.”

-

All Taglist:  @1marvelavengers1​ @neymarlionelmessi7​ @okkulta​

Tony Stark Taglist:  @holybatflapexpert​ @uglipotata72829​ @persephonehemingway​ @a-stressedstudent​ @bloodblossom73​ (if you would like to be added, please fill out the form in my bio - link is mobile friendly)

[lovelivingmydreams]

The blame game

@sanderssides-secretsanta for @averykedavra

Rating: PG

Pairings: whatever you want. Any actions can be read as platonic or romantic I’m not telling you how to enjoy this fic. Aka I couldn't pic.

Hurt comfort

Triggers: hospital, injury, pain, burns, coma, mention of abduction

Summary: A couple of years ago people disappeared. And then months later they started showing up again. Some escaping, some being freed. No one knew what exactly went on in those months. All evidence was destroyed before answers could be found and the victims were unwilling to testify. Until one group, the first to break free, showed up when a building collapsed and used incredible abilities to save the day. They spoke out about what had happened, and swore themselves to serve and protect the public interest.

Time went on and now the victims that all had gained some type of power are accepted into society. The team is still doing what they can to save others and protect each other. This story takes place during what should've been a routine mission.

“We have to finish up. Under current circumstances we have 3.4 minutes until the building collapses.”

“I did a sweep, I didn’t hear anyone calling out and no heartbeats. Pat can you feel anyone?”

“No kiddo, it seems all clear on my end too.”

“Marvelous. Jan how is our cover holding up?”

“I’m fine Roman. I can hold it for a few more minutes.”

“Remus do you have yourself together?”

“All bits and pieces accounted for Bro! Though Jan can always check later to make sure.”

“And that’s enough. I’m taking you first.”

“Virgin! So forward!”

“If you upset him Remus, I swear to god!”

“Relax RoRo…”

…

“I’m back. Come on popstar. They are getting closer, we have to hurry.”

“Maybe take Lo first… If I’m too far I can’t…”

“It’s just for a minute Padre.”

The connection fell away. Indicating Virgil had indeed brought Patton out of range.

“Two more minutes,” Logan stated as he joined Janus at the street side of the shop they were hiding in.

“I am sooo glad the looters came to cause extra chaos. I was just thinking that evacuating the citizens from earthquake shaken buildings wasn’t enough of a challenge,” Janus grumbled annoyed.

“We shall deal with them once we are all outside,” Roman assured him as he too joined them.

“Next passenger please,” Virgil announced as he came to a halt right behind Roman, making him jump.

“Stop doing that!” he demanded.

“Only if you stop being funny when I do,” he teased while picking up Logan.

“This never seizes to be mildly embarrassing,” Logan huffed displeased. Being carried out bridal style by their youngest member was a little awkward for everyone. Well except for Remus. But he wasn’t bothered by anything. “Do you prefer a piggy back ride?” Virgil teased.

The circumstances that led to the formation of their team had been far from pleasant. Virgil especially still had nightmares and flashbacks. But they all enjoyed the power sets they were given. Though if they could choose they’d do without the trauma. The only thing they wouldn’t give up for that was each other.

“And you all secretly like being held,” Virgil insisted before taking off. Roman and Janus exchanged a glance wondering if Virgil was just teasing or if he actually could tell that they appreciated the rare opportunity to have Virgil actually welcome physical closeness.

They all were pretty close after everything. And any awkwardness about being emotionally vulnerable around one another had gone out the window long ago. Still Virgil felt the need to act tough to make them not worry about him. It didn't work, but he still tried.

“I better get going. I’m not fond of Logan’s ticking clock,” Roman stated.

“Yeah, I’ll give us a little more cover. V only needs 10 seconds to get me out anyway.” Jan didn’t want to risk the rioters seeing them now. There was no telling what they’d do.

Roman nodded and started to sprint to the exit.

Janus turned away, but then his heart stopped when he heard a crashing sound and a pained outcry.

“Roman!” Virgil gasped behind him.

“I’m fine, get J. I’ll-” Roman cut himself off with a loud curse.

“You hurt your ankle,” Virgil concluded. Janus looked back and watched as the young hero gathered Roman in his arms. “J I’ll be back for you soon okay?” He didn’t wait for an answer.

Janus considered just dropping the illusion of an empty trashed store with faulty wiring and make his way to the back to meet Virgil halfway. But the rioters were hot on their heels now. He couldn’t risk anyone following them. Not that anyone would be able to once Virgil had him. But if anyone was inside when the building gave out…

Suddenly something flew through a window. A flaming bottle? Janus could see it heading to an isle with cleaning products. He realized what was about to happen at the same time that he saw Virgil return and hesitate upon detecting something moving in his peripheral.

Janus acted without thinking. He dropped the illusion and tackled Virgil to the ground.

Janus moved to cover Virgil’s body with his own. There was an infinite fraction of a second of blinding pain. He never even registered the sound of the explosion. Just pain and then darkness.

He heard the murmuring and the zooming and beeping of machines. He felt disoriented. What happened…?

“Come on J. Please wake up,” Patton? He sounded like he’d been crying.

“Patton I… I don’t think…” Logan’s voice. Not quite as steady and certain as he normally sounded.

“Don’t finish that sentence! He has to wake up! I don’t know what we’re supposed to do if he… If he…” Patton started sobbing, the sounds muffled by something. That wasn’t right. Janus tried to open his eyes but it was hard.

“I can’t… We are supposed to stick together… and he… And then Virgil…”

Virgil? Suddenly Janus remembered. No. Virgil had to be fine. He made sure of that right?

Janus forced his eyes open and found Patton clinging to Logan’s frame on his right. Remus sitting uncharacteristically quiet and still behind them.

He blinked a few times. Something was off. His sight… And why did his face feel weird… Everything felt weird.

“Hi,” was all he was able to force out of his throat.

Remus perked up, Patton and Logan nearly jumped at the unexpected sound. All of them had bloodshot eyes. He’d expected as much from Patton. He was in a hospital and something was going on with Virgil. But it took a lot for Logan and Remus to cry.

“Janus,” Logan breathed as they all gathered at his bedside. Logan grabbed his hand to squeeze it. Janus squeezed back and felt Logan relax instantly.

“Wha…” Janus tried, hoping he managed to bring across the pleading tone he intended despite the pain in his throat keeping him from saying much.

“You’ve been unconscious for the past month. There were several operations and you have only been breathing on your own for the past 21 hours and 28 minutes.” That explained the pain in his throat.

“Pat? Eyes…” he asked. He was burned. He was no idiot. He just wanted to know how bad and Patton could show him.

“I don’t know Jan…” Patton bit his lip looking at Logan for help. Their academic friend nodded in agreement.

“There is… Someone like us on staff. We were to alert her once you’d awoken so she could heal you up some more. It is probably best not to distress you until she has,” Logan urged.

So it was really bad. “Call…” he managed. Maybe then he would be able to talk better afterwards.

“Very well…” Logan pressed a button.

“Re… V…” Remus didn’t do sugarcoating. He would tell him no matter how bad…

“Roman is watching the Emo. We’ll all go to see them together soon,” Remus murmured. Now Janus was getting really worried. What was going on? Remus was never this… restrained.

“Remus. We have all repetitively told you, you did not delay Virgil in any way,” Logan insisted sternly.

“Yeah Rem. None of us think you did anything wrong that day. And I’m sure Jan and V would agree.”

Wait, why hadn't. Virgil told him to stop moping yet? Why wasn’t he here? Why did he need someone to watch over him?

“I should have sat still. I knew we had little time left. Instead I made Virgil slow his step to make sure he didn't drop me.”

“We all delayed him in our own way Remus. It was a collection of circumstances. If anything, I should have taken the violent nature of the rioters into account and adjusted my timeframe accordingly.

We all relied too much on my prediction and…”

“Don’t you start that again. I could have tried to get a feel of the crowd and told you. Then you might've known there was a risk too consider!” Patton protested.

“Patton you couldn’t have possibly…”

“It’s my job Lo! I should look after all of you guys. I’m the one who keeps us happy and together and now everyone is sad and… and…” Patton was shaking with sobs again. Only now did Janus remember that when Patton was tired (physically or emotionally) his empathic ability played up without him wanting to. His telepathic link on the other became much harder to establish under such circumstances. Which meant that while Patton couldn’t find comfort in linking with the others, his usual coping tool for anything bad going on, he felt his own feelings on top of everyone else’s unfiltered.

Logan seemed to realize this too. “Patton, I’m sorry. I should have realized. You need not burden yourself with our guilt as well as your own. Please, please forgive me this oversight?” he asked with a comforting hand on Patton’s shoulder, the other still holding Janus’.

Patton gave a small tired smile. “It’s not your fault Lo… You guys don’t have to repress your own feelings just for me. We are all a bit stressed out and…”

“Pardon me?” Everyone immediately looked to the door. Well everyone except Janus who couldn’t turn his head very well. But he got there.

His left eye still was not right but he could discern a figure at the door. Hopefully this person was the one who could get him out of this bed so he could finally get answers.

“Ah. Doctor Laffeye. Thank you for coming. As you can see Janus has woken up. Could you…?”

The figure came closer and seemed to look down at Janus.

“Hello. Elena Lafeye, she/her… Your eye isn’t doing so well it seems.” She sounded kind and disappointed by her observation. That wasn't good.

“No See…” he croaked.

“And your troath probably feels pretty painful too. I’m going to do my best to help the healing process along. But I find that I get the best result in several sessions rather than one go. You just tell me when it starts to feel painful. That might indicate that I am rushing some stitches or something like that. Sometimes the body just protests being forced to heal. It is important that you are honest, or it’ll be worse in the end okay?”

Janus felt frustrated, what was the point of a healing ability if it couldn't get him back to normal right away? But, if he could get well enough to get out of the room to wherever Roman and Virgil were... Then that was enough right?

“Kay,” he promised.

“Good. I have told this to your friends, but I’ll repeat it to you. Thank you. For speaking out about it all. You guys make life much easier for the rest of us. Thank you.”

Janus thought she sounded sincere, but he could not see her face clearly enough to be sure.

“No prob…” No, that was as far as he got.

“Top to bottom then,” she said. It was not a question.

Janus expected Remus to laugh or make a joke, but he didn’t and that was terrifying. Did he really feel that responsible? Or did he look so terible that even Remus couldn't make light of the situation?

“Here we go.”

It started with a light tingling sensation in his left eye. It became warm and then it was kind of like a static… “Stop,” he croaked as he forcibly shut his eye when the first sting occurred.

When he opened his eye though he could see improvement. It wasn’t as sharp as he was used to. But he no longer felt like he was half blind.

“Wow, it looks a lot better!” Patton exclaimed, probably trying to assure Janus. Sadly Janus could only think about how Patton didn't say he was back to normal.

“I am going to focus on your face now,” the doctor warned and the tingling started again.

“Stop,” Janus rasped again when it started to feel like a web of glowing hot wires was put against his skin.

“Okay. I’ll move on to your throat. This shouldn’t hurt as much considering most of the trauma from the accident has healed on it’s own. Any damage left now is from the breathing and feeding tube. This is just to make you more comfortable with speaking.”

This time the doctor stopped before Janus got even a little uncomfortable.

“How’s that?” she asked.

“Well…” That didn’t hurt. “Better. Thank you.”

“Good. Now… Let’s see if we can get you well enough to leave the bed alright? I’m sure you’d like to check in on your other friends as well.”

Yes! Please, let me see them. “Okay.”

The doctor took in a deep breath and the warm sensation kept traveling up and down the left side of his body. From his fingertips to his shoulder, through his torso, down his leg to his toes and back.

Up and down, over and over again.

“S… Stop please,” he gasped when the warmth started to burn.

“Okay… how does that feel? Can you try and sit up?”

Janus blinked. Right, he’d stayed put so far. To be fair even moving his head had been exhausting a few minutes ago.

“Um… Yeah,” he murmured as he carefully moved his arms. His left stung a bit, but it was manageable. He’d deal with it if it meant they’d go to see Virgil.

“Carefull Jan!” Patton pleads as he frantically flayed his hands around wanting to push him down but scared to touch.

“It’s alright sir. I think he’s got it,” the doctor stated soothingly. Once Janus sat up the doctor nodded satisfied and left with the promise of checking on them again in an hour.

“Patton. Will you show me now?” Janus asked as soon as they were left alone.

“I…”

“Please. I need to know,” he pleaded. He could feel something wasn’t right with his body. He was too much of a coward to simply look down though. He told himself he wanted to see the full picture. That he wanted to see what the public would see when he inevitably would be swarmed by reporters. But honestly, he hoped that if he looked through Patton's eyes he wouldn't hate what he’d see as much.

Patton once again turned to the others. Remus squirmed, avoiding his eyes. Logan sighed and squeezed Patton’s shoulder, encouraging him to turn to him.

"He will only get more stressed by not knowing. We can hardly keep him away from reflective surfaces. Best he sees it when he has a chance to mentally prepare." With that Logan's steady gaze directed itself towards Janus.

"You were burned on the entire left side of your body. There were many skin transplants performed to help save your life. Are you really ready to see yourself?"

Janus wasn't sure if he was. But he knew he had to see.

He gave them a firm nod.

Patton sighed resigned to the decision "Ok... 3, 2... 1."

Janus struggled not to scream out in horror. The man he saw trough Patton's eyes wasn't him. The left side of his body was an awful patchwork. It couldn't be. And this was after accelerated healing?

"Is... is this why Roman and Virgil aren't here?" he asked with a shaking voice. He wasn't sure how he'd feel if the answer was yes.

"No! No of course not!" Paton exclaimed. It should have been a relief. But if they weren't avoiding him...

"Then... why? What happened?"

Silence filled the room.

"Patton was linked with the rest of us," Remus started, his voice unnervingly... normal.

"When the explosion went of... you know how we sometimes link up subconsciously. We all blanked for a second due to the pain." So he'd sent out an SOS...

And everyone had felt what did this to him...

“But Roman… He shot in action. By the time we realized you two were in danger he was already back at the building. He told us he found you two buried under some rubble. You were on top of Virgil who wasn’t burned at all, but he was unconscious. Roman managed to wake him up though and… Well we finally found out what happens when ‘survival’,” their nickname for Virgil’s power set, “Is pushed to the limit. Virgil told Roman to pick you up and next thing Roman knew you were all back with us and Virgil collapsed from overexertion.”

Patton and Logan nodded. “The doctors say he pushed his muscles so hard that they broke a few bones. There were hairline fractures all over. And… He still hasn’t woken up,” Patton explained sadly.

“Roman aggravated his injury going after you two, but he couldn't be made to care about his own recovery. He has refused to leave Virgil's side unless he knew one of us took his place. We’ve been taking turns to let him freshen up and visit you. Well Patton and Remus have. Apparently my care was unsatisfactory. Who knows what is going on in his head,” Logan added. Clearly still a little hurt by whatever had led to that decision, and frustrated by what must have been countless fruitless attempts to get Roman to listen to the doctors.

Janus could easily imagine why their theaterloving friend might be acting that way. Roman had declared himself to be their leader. Despite not being the oldest or most experienced in anything. It had been his idea to save people thought. And they all understood that he felt responsible for putting them on this path.

His guilt must run deep.

“I have to go see them,” Janus stated. This time everyone nodded without even a second’s hesitation.

“You won’t be able to walk on your own just yet. Even without your injuries, your muscles haven’t been used in a month. They will have to rebuild strength through physical therapy,” Logan informed him while Patton pulled up a wheelchair.

“I have used the past month to learn how to help you get settled without hurting you. I assumed you would prefer that over a nurse,” he added.

Janus smirked. “Oh no, I was totally hoping some random person would be yanking my body around.”

The other chuckled. “We missed you Jan,” Patton smiled warmly.

And Janus could feel how sincere he was. He could only really smile with his right side, so even when he tried to do it sincerely it probably looked like a smirk. So he gave his friends more of the humor they’d been missing. “I’d say I missed you to. But… I didn’t.”

He could feel the chuckle vibrate trough Logan’s chest as he carefully maneuvered him into the wheelchair.

Patton put himself in charge of steering him while Remus and Logan walked on either side of him, like they were escorting someone powerful or famous. And technically, Janus was both. They all were. They just tended to forget that around one another.

But it became rather apparent when they left the room and there were two armed police officers stationed in front of the door.

“We are going to see Instinct now. You may try to stop us, but it’ll only waste 13minutes and 29 seconds of all of our time before we convince you to let us trough. At the most.” Logan stated. He said it so firmly that anyone who didn’t know him would assume he knew this as a fact thanks to his predictive reasoning. But Janus, and the others surely too, could tell that he was lying. Meaning the guards might be able to stand their ground if they chose to do so.

But as no one bet against Logan’s predictions the guards stepped aside and let them trough.

There were guards in front of the room next to them too. These two however stepped aside right away.

Remus opened the door and they could hear Roman’s voice.

“I’ll let you pick the movies for a month. I won’t ever complain about your loud music again. I’ll admit I’m a big idiot! You can even have that in writing. Just please… Please V… I can’t… We can’t lose you.”

Janus’ heart ached. Their friends had gone through hell the past month.

Patton rolled Janus inside and he felt tears jump to his eyes. Well at least his tear ducts worked.

Roman was holding Virgil’s limp hand in his own. His head resting in the crook of his arm on the bed as he gazed up at their friend’s sleeping face. He was sitting in what looked like a very uncomfortable chair and had yet to realize he had company. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair was a mess.

Janus and Roman were easily the vainest in the group. They knew this and accepted this about themselves. They often bonded over fashion and the sorts.

Logan came closest, though he did not care for fashion or anything like that. He just carefully maintained a professional appearance at all times.

The others didn’t seem to live in the same world when it came to caring for ones appearance. Except for Remus he was from a different universe.

And yet here both theatric, normally impeccably groomed men were. Absolute messes.

“You look terrible,” Janus drawled casually. Because there is no right way to draw attention to your presence in these circumstances.

Roman looked up, his eyes wide, a small ghost of a smile, a tiny spark in his eyes as he took him in.

Well at least his new look didn’t gross him out. Then again, he had apparently seen him look worse.

“I mean, so do I. But I was in a coma for a month. What is your excuse?”

Now the smile did break free, though the spark turned into silent tears. Janus would take it.

He could see Roman was struggling with the desire to come over and check on him and the need to stay close to Virgil.

Luckily Patton rode Janus over to be right in front of Roman so he wouldn’t have to choose.

He turned in his seat, switching Virgil’s hand from his right to his left so he could place his now freed hand gently on the scarred side of Janus’ face. Janus gasped in awe. Leave it to Roman to know, to understand, that Janus needed someone to treat his ruined half as if nothing had changed.

Roman angled Janus’ head and his own so that their foreheads touched.

“Welcome back,” he whispered.

“Good to be back,” Janus responded, feeling an immense weight fall of his chest.

Roman sat back up again, now holding Janus’ hand instead of his face.

“I hope, though I do not deserve such a gift, that you can find it in yourself to forgive me.”

And there it was. “For forgetting how to use a brush?” Janus scoffed.

Roman’s eyes flashed in annoyance. “This is no laughing matter! If I hadn’t tripped you and Virgil would have both been out of the building when that bomb went off! If anyone had ended up in the hospital it would have been me and rightfully so! I have no right to be left with nothing but a fractured ankle! It even healed over by now. Virgil however won’t be fully better for months! Even if he wakes up! And you… You could have died! We were told to prepare for… And the doctors don’t know why Virgil hasn’t woken up yet… and… and… I should’ve protected you both I…” Roman was full on sobbing now.

“Kiddo, no…” Patton whispered weakly.

“Don’t be stupid Romano. Anyone else would’ve waited for the V train and ended up caught in the blast as well or something,” Remus argued.

“Indeed. And there is always a chance that Virgil would have stopped to pick you up anyway and took a moment to tease you before taking you away. You know he likes carrying ‘the prince’ like a princess. You are his favorite to ‘whisk away’. There are an infinite amount of things that still could have gone wrong,” Logan reasoned earnestly.

Roman looked around at them in surprise. “But… I…” Then he stopped himself and allowed himself a chuckle.

“I guess… You all have some good points,” he sighed before letting go of Janus’ hand and turning back towards the bed. Switching his hands once more before dragging his left trough his hair and rubbing his eyes. “Now if only…”

“Tell me someone took a picture of the prince as a pauper.”

When they heard that everyone shot up in attention, except for Janus who didn’t have the strength to do more much more than hold his position right now. But he too turned his head to the bed where Virgil was blinking his eyes as he tried to take everyone in.

“You guys look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he chuckled. Then his eyes landed on Janus and widened.

Janus prepared himself. Last time Virgil saw him he didn’t even have so much as a freckle to tarnish his complexion. Now…

“J? Are you… Does it hurt?” he asked tentatively.

Well… No point in lying. “I’ve felt better,” but he didn’t have to be too honest either.

“Well… For what it’s worth, I think you look wicked. And anyone who has a problem is going to have to deal with me… umph!”

Roman had had enough of sitting around and was embracing Virgil.

“You are awake!” He exclaimed in relieve.

“Okay… Um… How long…?”

“A month,” Logan supplied as he came to stand at Virgil’s other side and ran his hand affectionately trough his hair. “You have a few broken bones that have yet to fully heal and a lot of physical therapy ahead, but now that you are awake, rest assured that you will make a full recovery.”

Virgil nodded in understanding.

“Princey? Can you let go of me now?” he asked.

“I don’t think any of us are ready for that kiddo,” Patton stated trough his happy tears as he sat down on Logan’s side of the bed and placed a hand on Virgil’s knee.

“Yeah! I finally have my creep and horror buddy back!” Remus exclaimed with glee, finally back to normal now that everyone was awake and together it seemed.

“Virgil, I… I thought….” Roman gasped as sobs threatened to overtake him yet again.

“Relax Princey. You don’t get rid of me that easily…” Virgil chuckled. Then he looked at Janus with some sadness in his eyes.

“Thanks. For saving me. I wish it hadn’t been needed though.”

Janus met Virgil’s eyes earnestly. “Of course Virgil. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“And you have nothing to be sorry over okay kiddo? You did nothing wrong!” Patton insisted.

“Indeed...” Logan started probably about to do the same rational breakdown of Virgil’s actions and possible consequences of other decisions on his part as he’d done for everyone else but himself.

“I know,” Virgil chuckled with a roll of his eyes. Surprising everyone. If there was one member of their group they could assume would find a way to blame himself for everything wrong with the world, it was Virgil.

“What? You all have been helping me with my negative thinking remember? Hindsight 20/20 in this case. There is no use in dwelling on what happened if in the moment you acted with the right intentions and to the best of your ability. No point in playing the blame game,” he droned off the last part with a fond smile to Logan, who stared at him for a moment and then let out a single laugh. Followed by another , and another.

Patton joined in with giggles. Remus started cackling and Roman finally had to let Virgil go in order to laugh fully with tears in his eyes.

Janus had to settle for a warm smile on half his face and a slight shaking of his shoulders.

“Um… What did I say?” Virgil frowned.

“Nothing. It’s just that we have all been playing the blame game ourselves without even realizing,” Janus informed Virgil. “And now you, out of everyone, have put things in perspective again.

We are all here. And everything else, we can deal with.”

Virgil smiled at that. “Yeah… Yeah we can.”

Many challenges were still ahead. But that didn’t matter. They were all together again and all was right in the world.

Virgil=Instinct

Survival: he can choose to heighten his senses and increase his physical strength and speed to super human levels. His tolerance for pain is also heightened. Usually needs a nap and food after missions. Occasionally he'll discover he has injuries once he deactivates his power.

Roman= Prince

Equip: Basically full metal alchemist. If he can imagine the object clearly he can make it using molecules in the world around him. But for, by example, a working radio he'd have to know how all the parts fit together and work. So he has only a few of these complex objects in his arsenal.

Remus=Ragdoll

Asemble: Mr potato head from toy story. He can disassemble himself like a doll and put himself together again. If he pulls of a hand he can still use said hand as if it were attached. He lost his right little toe once and since then they all make sure Remus is in one piece before leaving.

Patton=Father

Connect: Can establish a telepathic bond with others and feel their emotions. The better he knows you the stronger both powers work. The team often uses this for group discussions, Patton shares his empathic powers with the rest through telepathy and that usually calms everyone right down. Hard to be mad when you feel how loved you are by the one your fighting with. Everyone agrees that if Patton wasn’t the cinnamon bun he is he'd make for a master manipulator.

As mentioned in the fic, his empathic abilities flare up when he is tired while his telepathy becomes harder to handle. He can connect briefly to one person at a time under those conditions.

Logan=MasterMind

Predictive reasoning: he can basically tell the future. Short term predictions are more accurate than long term. You can ask him the most likely outcome if you do action a as opposed to action b by example. He is still learning to take emotions into account but Patton helps him with that.

Janus=Fantasm

Mirage: he can create illusions. They work better when sight is limited by darkness fog or limited thinking of the spectator due to high emotions or the like. It does require more focus the more complex the vision is. He also can't move if he wants to keep it up. He usually takes care of distractions or hiding them.

[shoryubug]

Charlatans:  Chapter 1: Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

As most of you already knew, I was updating the intro to this story to clear up some stuff...and because I wanted to just...get some information set up, since I really didn’t like the thoughts going on that Adrien might be an idiot, and that Marinette would leave without informing Chat Noir about what was going on. The two of them respect each other, and she treats him as a partner, a friend, and an equal. On top of that, some Gina sugar, before getting to the Lila and Mallory salt! Which while mild, is going to culminate itself in the next chapter.  I hope you guys like this redo, and that you like the ideas for the trip I’d set up for Gina and Marinette!  Also once again, the original idea of a fake ladybug au was never mine to start with, I’ve seen it done over and over again by various people my personal favorite one being Checking Sources but if anyone knows who originally came up with the idea, please let me know, I genuinely do want to give them credit for the idea!  Also for the most part, everything after Marinette getting back home is kind of the same, for the most part, save for the conversation with Tikki when Tikki makes her go to sleep.

It had come out of nowhere when Gina had decided to visit, and pull Marinette out of school, leaving the poor girl without any notice and without any ability to contact her friends about what had happened, instead just her parents had known, as it was a surprise for her after all, Tuesday night Gina came like the whisper of a breeze before a storm, powerful and fresh, but pushing all the right buttons to make a person comfortable and happy, and Marinette couldn’t deny it, being around her Nonna made her happy, so to go out and traverse Brussels, Vianden, and Milan, then come back home to Paris had seemed like a dream come true in a way. While Marinette knew she wouldn’t be able to spend as much time as she might have preferred with Gina, the small bit that she was being allotted for this trip was more than enough for her. Sending Marinette and Gina up to rest together for their early day, getting up at around the same time that Tom was to begin prep work for the bakery just to ensure that they’d make their seats on the train at Gard Nour station in order to reach Brussels effectively, Marinette let out a sigh of joy. 

Of course, her parents had been more than certain to pack up her clothing for this surprise, gathering as much as they could for her in a duffel bag, though now, they had no idea of the actual true necessities, a satellite phone that she’d been slowly paying off in order to keep in touch with the world about what was going on in France from nearly anywhere else in the world, all in preparation since her fourteenth birthday when Gina had made her the promise about taking her away for some time, and the horse miraculous glasses, which lay hidden inside the gramophone that Wang Fu had left to her after he passed the title of Guardian over to her. Softly she pressed in the combination to open the device, and with a nimble quickness her fingers softly opened each compartment until she found the correct one and pulled out the glasses, setting them in center of the neck hole in her shirt, ready to use should the time call for it, though now only appearing to be a cute accessory to anyone that asked. 

“I hope that I can actually have some fun on this trip, you know, without the usual Ladybug worries...” Marinette whispered to Tikki who zoomed out of her purse and nuzzled up to Marinette’s cheek. 

“I think you don’t have too much to worry about! After all, Hawkmoth has been a little slow lately, so maybe you’ll be okay!” Tikki offered as Marinette sighed. 

“Should I give Chat the number to my satellite phone in case anything goes wrong, or should I just keep updates from the Ladyblog and just let him know I’ll be gone for a bit?” Marinette asked as Tikki held a small hand up to her own face and gave it a small bit of thought, the anxiousness creeping through Marinette’s features. 

“You should definitely let him know you’ll be gone, but if you want to keep your identity safe, don’t tell him about the satellite phone, just tell him you’ll be keeping updated with the Ladyblog! He might be able to help you get information from there faster in case Alya is slow to update!” Tikki offered as Marinette nodded, calling on the transformation magic then ducking into her closet, in case her parents had chosen that moment to pop their heads in. Pulling her yo-yo out she set up the call feature and was sent straight to his voicemail, which...made sense, especially if he wasn’t exactly active at that moment. 

“Hey Chat! I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be going to be out of Paris for a while---” she began before she realized that if he had known her as Marinette...which he seemed to already, then that might complicate things from her own absence...especially if he was going to go to Alya at all to get her to update the Ladyblog in a timely manner. “Uhh...my family wanted to visit Lyon and I’ll be out of school and I can’t exactly avoid going with them, but if there are any problems here in Paris I’ll come in with the horse miraculous, so no need to worry about me! But I will be keeping tabs on the state of things from the notices on the Ladyblog, so as long as there’s a notice on there I’ll make an appearance!” she offered, before closing the yo-yo, hanging up the call, then detransforming. “We should get some rest Tikki...” Marinette offered as Tikki nodded in approval, letting loose a small yawn.

The trip with Gina had been more than Marinette had ever expected, getting to visit the Cathedrale St-Michel was amazing, the architecture of it alone was just so fascinating, and for all of her life Marinette had only really had interests in fashion due to Gina, she had never thought to look into buildings, but now it was as if an entire new world was opening up to her, giving her more room to explore, but then going off to the Place Royale had given her the same level of attraction and affection toward this new field of wonder, the various shapes, the way everything was held together, how something so historic could still hold so much presence in the lives of so many people, and how it alone could bring in people like her and Gina to envision and experience from it...it was like a fascinating and beautiful new avenue, and suddenly she was lit with excitement from every which way...and this was just the first part of the first day! 

The Belgian Royal Museum of Fine Arts was another avenue that gave Marinette a lot of inspiration, Gina following after her, a bit bored herself with the idea of a museum, though Marinette had all but ran through the area, her sketchbook in hand, sketching up a storm as she gazed longingly at each and every painting in the museum, her mind fluttering about. The only problem with all of it was that she had yearned to take photos with her normal phone, but knowing the roaming charges would be astronomical, she opted against it, and when Gina had remained too far behind, Marinette had taken a moment to give Tikki a small treat inside her purse, and allowed for Tikki to come out for a brief second to view her sketchbook and the painting she stood in front of, sharing a soft moment with her wonderful companion. Soon after though, due to Gina’s boredom, the pair had left to the Atomium to take many goofy photos together and get some lunch, ending the tour of Brussels at the Mont des Arts, before Gina rented a motorcycle and Marinette had stuffed the horse miraculous in her purse, practically chaining it across her front, as they rode the next three hours out to Luxembourg. 

Finding a hotel for the night, Marinette had been certain to check up on the Ladybug one more time, having absently checked it moments throughout the day as if it were second nature, still coming up with nothing she was overjoyed to find just that...there was nothing. Another day when Hawkmoth wasn’t going to make an appearance. 

The few days of exploring with Gina were absolutely wonderful, doing a tree climbing course in Vianden and proving to Gina that she was fitter than she might seem (though that was entirely thanks to her job as Ladybug!), going on the chairlift and looking down at the town below, visiting the bronze bust of Victor Hugo and taking photos with it, then visiting the Chateau de Vianden to close that day out...it was almost surreal, she couldn’t believe how small the world looked from above in the chairlift. She’d been in planes a few times before in her past, but to actually watch as something gets smaller below her without the benefit of her Ladybug suit was strange and exhilarating, and then to outdo her grandmother while climbing the trees was something else in itself. Gina had attributed it to all of her energy, but she and Tikki both knew better as they joked while they waited for the others in the tree climbing course to meet her up above. And throughout that day she also continued to check in on everything gradually, though before they had left the Chateau de Vianden and had taken a plane out to Milan, she had checked again, still coming up empty from the Ladyblog. 

The day in Milan had been strange...it dragged on for Marinette, she didn’t really like the city, because it had been too stuffy, there were too many religious things to visit, and she just wasn’t all that interested, but she stuck it out for Gina, as Gina had done for her back in Brussels, and eventually the two had gone to have lunch together, both agreeing that after visiting the Opera at Teatro alla Scala, they would make their way back to Paris, and then spend whatever time was left getting ice cream and cooling down with the rest of the family. 

When they had finally taken a plane back home to Paris and the two of them had gotten to the bakery, Sabine handed Marinette a packet of homework, with a note on it from Alya, which simply said “CHECK YOUR MESSAGES GIRL!” and Marinette waited on it, while she wanted to give her friend some attention, she was more interested in spending some more time with Gina and her parents, going off to have dinner with them, and when she was finally ready to get upstairs, she turned her satellite phone off, turned her normal phone on, put the horse miraculous away, and then went to check her phone for the messages Alya wanted her to read, and it was as if everything in the world had come to a screeching halt the moment that she read a single text from Alya.

>>>GIRL, YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT, LADYBUG IS A CONFIRMED STUDENT HERE IN OUR CLASS!

She felt her heart contract, no...no they couldn't be close to finding her identity. No. This wasn't possible, she was so careful!

As the panic set in she couldn't bring herself to respond to Alya. "Tikki...we might have a problem, Alya said someone in our class is Ladybug..." she whispered.

"What?!" Tikki's high-pitched squeal painted her ears.

"I don't...I don't know how this could have happened!" she whispered.

"Well...if Alya didn't say anything about Ladybug being you, maybe they don't really know yet!" Tikki pointed out and finally Marinette was able to breathe in relief, her heartbeat finally slowing to a more steady pace.

"Y-you're right! I shouldn't worry! I should go to bed...tomorrow we can figure this out!" she whispered as Tikki flew to her pillow and Marinette curled up in the bed herself. All that she had hoped was that whatever was going on, Chat hadn't heard about it...but that was wishful thinking, wasn't it? She had been absent from the city for a few days, which means that whatever Alya had said was probably on the Ladyblog...OH MY GOD IT WAS PROBABLY ON THE LADYBLOG! She thought, reaching for her phone she began to scroll upward before Tikki flew through it and huffed, glaring Marinette in the face.

"It's time to sleep!" Tikki stated as Marinette sighed.

"I know but I just thought we should check the Ladyblog in case Alya posted something on it!" Marinette rationalized.

"No! You can worry about it tomorrow! Besides, you've been checking the Ladyblog all week on the trip, and right now you need a clear and level head so sleep!" Tikki insisted, and with hesitation, Marinette relented.

For once, she hadn't slept through her alarm, and rolled off of her bed, rushing through her morning routine, and zipping off to school after she had finished. She had a lot of time to spare, which was a surprise, but as she made her way through the school doors and into her class, where she found Alya sitting, her best friend's eyes went wide for a minute before getting back to normal, as if a realization washed over her for a moment then faded.

"Hey, Alya! So what was with your text? I would have responded sooner but as soon as I got home I was just exhausted and kind of passed out, and this morning I forgot to respond! I'm so sorry!" she apologized before Alya's eyes perked up again.

"You are NOT going to believe the scoop I got for you! There's this new girl in our class, Mallory, and she's Ladybug! She even has the Ladybug earrings and looks EXACTLY like her!" Alya whispered. "She even knows stuff about the Miraculous that only Ladybug would know!" she whispered, which deflated Marinette's mood. Well...at least...it wasn't that her identity was outed.

"Oh...I mean...are you sure she's really Ladybug? It...seems a little too good to be true..." Marinette offered, which Alya rolled her eyes at.

"Are you going to get upset at this girl like you do at Lila because she's also spending time with Adrien?" Alya asked with a huff, and Marinette rolled her eyes. Of course, it always came down to jealousy, even if she didn't actually know that this Mallory girl was interested in Adrien.

"Alya...I don't know anything about this girl...I've been gone a few days, remember? Besides, if Ladybug is adamant about identities being a secret then why would she tell you before she told Chat Noir?" she offered, which Alya again huffed at.

"She didn't just tell me, she told the whole class!"

"Well then that makes it even less likely that she's actually Ladybug, don't you think?" Marinette stated flatly before a girl who could almost be her double walked up the aisle and let out an angry huff.

"You must be the girl Lila told me about, Marinette, right? Well you don't have to believe that I'm Ladybug, but you should at least not try to drag me into your drama!" she snapped as Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Then you shouldn't lie to the class about something so serious." Marinette countered as the girl scoffed and stomped up the stairs to her seat in the back. Whoever that girl was, she definitely wasn't even a good replica of Ladybug, all she had were similar looks to Marinette's own, nothing more, she clearly couldn’t replicate the way that she carried herself as Ladybug, she stood too straight and poised, and even as Ladybug that was something that Marinette struggled with, and if anyone actually believed that Mallory was Ladybug then they really were blind.

@sofmimis @tinyterror333 @xmenlov @calicokitkat @galaxykrystal123 @yin-390 @littleacecutie @draw-me-some-stories @im-a-useless-and-shitty-blob  @wild-lady-luck @siamxshade @lenamau @justafanwarrior @random-posts-and-stuff @gwennex @thezestywalru 

[saiilorstars]

Rise Up

Ch.11: Black Orchid

Previous Story: It Had To Be You || Current Masterlist

Pairings: Barry Allen x OFC

Chapter Summary: Following a tip from a time travelling friend, Belén starts the endeavor to find a way into the Green: a world for all botanist metahumans. She goes in search of a potential ally from another botanist metahuman, Black Orchid, who seems like she would rather work alone.

Pronunciation of OC: Bell-en. The last syllable has an emphasis so it’s not pronounced like ‘Helen’ would be.

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother​ @anotherunreadblog​​ @maaaaarveeeeel​​ @stareyedplanet​ @perfectlystiles​ [If you’d like to be part of this OC’s taglist, let me know!]

"So...Mom knows about you?" Maritza watched her sister's uncomfortable form on the other side of the glass. Belén gave a silent nod of her head. She'd told Maritza about her mother finding out, in the worst way possible, she was the Azalea. "Gosh, Belén...she didn't take it well, did she?"

Belén shook her head. "Nope. She's moved on from the 'I'm ignoring you' phase and she's onto full fledged anger."

"I think the word 'metahuman' is just tarnished for her after everything that's happened," Maritza said, though in no way did she mean to give their mother a pass on her behavior. "I'm sorry."

"No, this one's not on you. It's on me," Belén sighed. "I thought that maybe after telling her my secret, things between us might start getting better again, but…"

"I'm sorry," Maritza felt the need to say again. After everything Belén had told her, going from their mother's challenging personality to the metahumans hunting them down...Maritza could only say 'sorry'. She wished, wished, that she could do something to help Belén but her past choices have prohibited her from. "I really wish I could help you out there."

Belén found it in her to smile. She didn't know how, or when, but coming to see Maritza had stopped being a chore and more like...a way to relieve stress. She could tell Maritza everything that was going on and not be judged. She hadn't quite forgiven Maritza for everything she did last year, but...Belén could say she was getting there.

Feeling her phone buzz inside her pocket, Belén gave it a quick check and found a text from Iris. She had to say goodbye to Maritza in order to meet back at STAR Labs.

~ 0 ~

Iris had done her job as best as she could and when she wanted to, she could almost be like a spy the way she found information on people. She had pulled up a profile of a woman dressed in a black and magenta suit with an over-sized jacket. Soon as Cisco saw the picture he let out a wolf whistle, along with questions about her specific clothing choice.

"This is why I do the suits, just saying," he raised his hands to show he was just making a statement...a true statement.

"Who are we looking at, Iris?" Belén asked, brown eyes already scanning the woman's picture till it burned in her mind.

"She calls herself Black Orchid," Iris began. She rose from her seat and zoomed in on the picture of woman. "As far as anyone knows, she's a meta with - take a guess - plant-based powers who usually appears in the lower parts of the city."

"The slummy parts?" Barry figured that would be the best place to lay low and still make a name for themselves.

"She's not known for always appearing when needed, but she's still known enough to have search engine results," Iris scrolled through some of her pictures, stopping at a familiar tab. "This is actually from my old blog. People still send me stuff and take a look at the date for this post."

Belén walked up to the screen to find the date stamp. The picture was of Black Orchid holding up one, no doubt, petty thief in her arms in front of a crowd of people. "That's last month." She turned sideways, one finger pointed behind her at the picture. "She's an active meta, then."

"It's been weeks since her last appearance but do you know what's interesting about that too? It's right around the time Datura and you fought for the first time."

"Could it be that's she's scared of Datura, then?" Caitlin's theory made sense since pretty much everyone in the room feared the siphoner.

"It also means she's keeping up with the news and thus still very much in the city," Barry crossed his arms.

"So, why exactly are we looking for this girl?" Cisco made the question he'd been dying to ask ever since Iris made them gather in the cortex.

Belén walked back to the main desk and put her arms over them, nervous for some reason. It wasn't like her friends would call her crazy for what she wanted to do, after all. "Graciela mentioned a place to me - the Green - that I could use to contact other metahumans that are like me. It's a place like the Speedforce, if you will, where I could train and...meet metas like me. Meta who could help me get better so that I can fight Datura and actually stand a chance."

"And you think Black Orchid will be that meta?" Cisco languidly pointed at the picture on the screen.

"With any luck, she's got a better handle on her powers," Belén shrugged. "And I can pretty much use any help I can get."

"It's worth a shot," Barry agreed with her. "We just have to find her and bring her in."

"Like...here?" Caitlin blinked. She hadn't made that connection until now. "Do we think that'd be a good idea? Revealing where the Azalea and the Flash work?"

"She's obviously taking on crime already," Iris gestured to the pictures she'd collected. "She could be a good addition to the team."

"Black Orchid was a villain on my Earth before she disappeared," Harry startled the group from behind. He'd come in as quiet as usual and strode down the room with purpose. He came to a stop in front of the pictures on the screen and gazed at them for a few seconds. "You should be careful. She's as toxic as you, Belén."

"But she's not a villain here, clearly," Belén said. "And I actually need her to be toxic, okay?"

Harry turned sideways, giving them all a look that said 'you're all idiots and are going to get killed'. "Bringing in more metahumans into this is only going to blow up in your face. You want to take Datura down? You kill her already."

"Easier said than done," Belén folded her arms. "And I'm not exactly looking to kill her."

"She is with you."

"Okay," Barry cut in before Harry's imprudence got worse. "Thank you, Harry, for your input but this is something Belén wants to do. I support her and so does everyone else."

Harry scoffed lightly. "Course you do. Cos you're all idiots."

"Do you have a better idea?" Cisco called from behind. "No?" he let a few more seconds of silence pass by before saying, "Then hush!"

"Thanks guys," Belén sent her friends a warm smile. "And thanks Iris for searching. My head's been all over the place, so…"

Iris nodded at her. "Any time. I can keep looking if you want."

"I say we focus on Black Orchid right now," Belén glanced at the screen. "We need to find her, so...yeah. Let's focus on where she appears most."

As the group made plans to continue searching for Black Orchid, eventually dispersing from the room, Harry inched closer to the super suits left on display. He looked over his shoulder to make sure he was alone in the room then yanked off Belén's suit tracker. He then gingerly planted a decoy in its place. For Jessie.

~ 0 ~

Datura swiftly caught Belén's suit tracker with both her hands and squealed with genuine delight. "Finally!" She held the small device between her fingers and clicked her tongue. "Now the game can finally start!"

Harry stood across her in the alley, his face blank of any expression. "My daughter is safe, right?"

Datura lowered her hand and offered one sneaky smile. "Sure. I do remember to feed her once in a while." She waited for his reaction but he stood frigid. "Don't like my joke? Fine. So-" she tucked the suit tracker into her pocket, "-what's my dear Belén up to now?"

Harry stayed quiet for a few minutes. He hated this so much. A snitch. That's what he was reduced to by some 25 year old in a leather suit. Not just that but a thief and a traitor.

"Wells?" Datura's voice darkened, as did the part of her face Harry could see with her mask. "I need to know what Belén is up to. I might just forget to give Jesse some dinner today."

The mention of his daughter made the man finally move from his stance. "She's looking for the metahuman, Black Orchid."

Datura snorted. "Killed her off a while ago," she mumbled. Her dark eyes met his surprised gaze and caused another sneaky smile to spread across her face. "What? You didn't know that one? Offed her months ago."

"Why?" Harry asked wearily. He would love to finally know what she was planning, what Zoom was planning...but learning that would mean he'd die seconds later.

"She was in my way and I thought she would be the one," Datura's cryptic answer was almost like she hadn't answered at all. All Harry got from that was it just another fight between criminals. "Anyways," she played with one of her long curls, "Let Belén find the doppelganger. No matter how hard she trains she'll never be better than me. It's just impossible." She turned to leave but stopped to give Harry one more warning, "By the way, Zoom might be requiring something from you soon."

At that, Harry gulped.

~ 0 ~

"I think we got a pretty good location, don't you think?" Iris glanced back at Belén to see the woman staring down at the kitchen table that held all of their information on Black Orchid.

They were in Belén's apartment, scouring through every last detail they could find of their meta. Together, they'd found more pictures of Black Orchid, some even when she was in the middle of some pretty gruesome fights.

"She's pretty much all over the slummy streets but, if I counted right, she's appeared at this intersection more than the others," Belén picked up a picture of an intersection that happened to hold a pretty cruddy-looking bar. "I bet you that bar is where we'll find out more about her."

"You want to go there?" Iris made a face at the picture. It was only a picture and it already scared her.

"It's okay, I can go by myself," Belén's reassurance didn't exactly help Iris because she didn't want Belén going there by herself either.

But someone knocked on the door, preventing Iris from voicing these opinions out loud. Belén let the picture back on the table and went to go open the door.

"Mom?" she blinked in surprise to see Veronica. Of course, when the surprise faded she was pretty relieved - and perhaps partly excited - to see her. "Come in!"

Veronica, in her part, still looked pretty unsure of herself. She walked in and gave a brief, small smile at Iris. "You're busy…"

"Yeah, but, don't worry. You wanted to talk?" Belén's excitement did not go unnoticed by Veronica.

With a sigh, Veronica shrugged. "I would like to, but...I don't know if it'll change things." She walked towards the kitchen and noticed all the papers sprawled across the table. "Were you two working?"

Iris didn't know what to respond with. She looked to Belén for some help, or clues, as to what to say. Would Belén want to disclose what they were actually doing or keep it away from Veronica?

"Yeah, we're looking for someone," Belén came to stand beside her mother, looking pretty unsure herself.

"A meta?" the distaste in Veronica's tone was clear for anyone to pick up on. She picked up a photograph of Black Orchid and frowned. "So you're really deep into this metahuman world."

"I have to be, Mom. I'm one of them," Belén said quietly and with eyes boring onto her mother's face for a reaction.

"Don't…" Veronica seemed to shiver at the reminder of Belén's metahuman side. "I wish you wouldn't say that so openly."

"Why not? It's the truth."

"Yes, but…" Veronica stopped and glanced at Iris. Just as the reporter was about to announce her departure, Veronica caught her off guard with a question. "How do you let her do this? How can you just let Belén go into this dangerous world and be okay with it?"

"Mom!" Belén exclaimed disapprovingly, but Iris was good with quick responses thanks to her line of work.

"Because it's her choice and, to be honest, she's a perfect fit for the job," Iris crossed her arms. "She and Barry are the perfect people to protect us. And people like us-" she pointed at herself then Veronica, "-have a duty to help them wherever we can. That includes being supportive."

Veronica's face was indescribable. On some part, she seemed impressed with the response...but then another part was angry Iris wasn't taking her side. "Well...you would say that," she said in the end in a low mumble, "Barry's your brother...does Joe know about this?" Iris didn't have to say or do anything for Veronica to know. "Course he does because he's your father."

"Mom, I thought we were going to talk…" Belén inwardly sighed. She should've known that Veronica would not get over this so quickly. At least there was no shouting this time.

"Belén, I just don't understand why you are so fixated on this...this world!"

"Because it's my world, mom. And I can't abandon it when there's so many people that could get hurt if I do."

Veronica shook her head. "I-I think we need to continue this another day because…"

Belén didn't want to keep pausing this argument because every time they did, it just dragged on the feelings more. But she also feared that if they kept going in one go, they really would just end up shouting at each other like the other times. At least this case seemed to be so grave for Veronica that she wasn't shouting. She was thinking. She may be thinking the wrong things but at least she was thinking…

"I'm here...whenever you want to pick up on things…" she said quietly.

Iris sympathized for her friend while Veronica walked out. "Bells, I'm so sorry."

"No," Belén sniffed and turned back for the table, eyes flickering from one picture to the other. "I need to focus on this."

"Yeah, but-"

"-Iris, I have to focus on this first. Maybe my mom just needs some more days to process this." Belén wanted to believe this so badly.

~ 0 ~

The pictures of Central City's slum parts did no justice to its reality. There was a lot more graffiti on the walls, a lot more trash on the streets. A lot of people were ruder and definitely looking for something to pick-pocket. Belén kept her arms crossed over her chest as she walked down the street. She found the bar from the picture she and Iris were looking at and went directly inside.

There was a foul odor at the entrance that she wished she could forget.

"Take a seat with me sweetheart," she heard a man say as she walked in.

"Screw off," she spat without sparing him a glance. She came up to the bar counter, which was pretty empty save for two more customers at the end. She pulled her phone out and left it on the counter in front of her, just in case she needed to snap pictures or look at one of the ones she already have.

A tall Asian woman with long, dark hair came by a couple minutes later. "What can I get you?"

"Um…" Belén wasn't that big of a drinker, and much less during the day so she just asked for a mimosa. While she waited, she began to look around the bar with more searching eyes. She didn't see anyone that would necessarily stand out. Everyone seemed to be doing their own things, whether it was legal or not.

"Here you go," the bar tender returned with the bright orange drink in her hand. As she put the glass down, her eyes lingered on Belén for a few seconds. "You looking for someone?" her tough voice startled Belén. When the woman nearly fell off her stool, the bartender smiled. "You're not from around here."

"That easy to tell?" Belén bit her lower lip.

"Yeah. Don't walk alone in these parts."

"Is it really that bad here?"

The bartender nodded her head. She popped a bubble from her bubble gum and smirked. "Not if you know how to take care of yourself."

Belén saw some odd marks on the side of the woman's neck. She was sure there were some stitches poking up from her blouse. "Are you okay?" she pointed at the injuries, startling the bartender for a moment.

"Yeah. Just got into it with someone, no big deal." The bartender seemed to shift from friendly to brief. "My name's Shivhan if you want to leave a tip," she said before walking away.

Belén picked up her mimosa and had a couple sips from it. As she was putting it down, she heard a familiar voice behind her that nearly made her spill the glass.

"You are beautiful but crazy," Barry stood behind her and not too pleased.

Belén turned her stool sideways so she could see him. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Iris told me you were coming here! Belén!" he whisper-hissed as he sat down next to her. "This is a shady place to be at on your own, Bells. How could you come here alone?"

"Um, because I'm a big girl who can take care of herself?"

Barry deadpanned her. That's not what he meant and she knew it. "It never hurts to have backup. Besides, do you even know what you'd say to Black Orchid if you found her?"

"No, but...I'm a reporter. I'd wing it," Belén picked up her mimosa again and smiled.

Barry shook his head at her. "Alright, so what do have? Any clues?"

"Not really. I was just kind of scoping the area out," Belén shrugged and briefly looked back at the room. "But there's barely any people here and those who are, are definitely not Black Orchid."

Barry could agree with that since almost every customer in the building were men. "Maybe we should try later."

"I'm hoping something will happen that would make Black Orchid appear."

"Bit cynical," remarked Barry.

"Desperate." Belén sighed and forgot about her glass as she turned her stool to face the room. "I don't know, maybe we could speed things up or something."

"Like how?"

"Well...Black Orchid seems to appear whenever there's trouble, so…"

Barry was giving her a strange look. "You want us to stage a fight?"

"Something like that."

"I don't know about that Belén...I think we need to come up with a good plan and then-"

Belén was about to cut him off with the fact they didn't - or rather she didn't - have time to sit down and plan, when they heard a loud crash from outside. At once Belén jumped off her stool and tried to peer out into the street from her spot.

"Fight! Fight!" a crowd sitting near the door started to chant, prompting some delirious laughter from the room. It was only a matter of seconds before they rushed out into the streets.

"Creeps," Shivhan, the bartender, spat while she continued to wipe down the counter.

Barry got up as well and sprinted up to the window to see what was going on. Belén soon followed and saw with him that there were a couple of masked thieves making out of a shop with some valuables. Two of them had guns.

"We gotta do something," Barry rushed out the door but just as he was about to leave the sidewalk, Belén yanked him to her side.

"This is our chance!"

"Belén, someone could get hurt!"

"They won't because you'll intervene if she's not here in 1 minute," Belén promised then faced the street.

The thieves were trying to make an escape but there were being confronted with another group intending on taking the stolen valuables. Just as they were about to fire, something purple swooped down and punched the two gunmen from the first thief band.

"I told you…" Belén sounded breathless as she gazed at none other than Black Orchid. Barry had to hand it to her and her precise thinking.

Black Orchid was a feared presence by most of the people outside, judging how they stepped back. From what they could see, the meta had long, dark hair and dark eyes hidden behind a black mask that covered half her face. She wore a one-suit in the colors of black and violet. It was the same one Iris had shown them earlier.

Black tendrils sprouted from the woman's back and captured three of the men. She threw them halfway down the street without regards of where they hit or how hard they hit. She then ducked to avoid being hit by one of the men behind her. She jumped back up and kicked a leg up to knock the man down. As bullets fired towards her, she used her vines to create a shield where the bullets embedded themselves. Once she disbanded the shield, she sent the bullets right back and injured two more men. The last two remaining were from each of band and they both looked equally terrified.

"Drop it and go," she ordered in a rough voice.

The two instantly dropped their stolen things and made a run for it. Black Orchid raised three fingers and when she'd pulled them down, her arm did a boomerang action and released two different black masses that attached themselves to the men.

"Barry, we gotta get her alone," Belén spoke quietly to the speedster next to her.

"But how?" Barry looked around and saw that while the thieves had been taken down - killed, really - the crowd around them was still watching Black Orchid like hawks.

"I brought something with me," Belén admitted. Barry looked down at her and saw her reaching into her purse. She showed him the tip of a syringe. His eyes widened at it but before he could say something she said, "It's a sedative."

"Belén, we can't really do-"

"-I need her, Barry," she told him like this was already decided with or without him. "Datura is going to kill me if I don't up my game. Black Orchid can help me do that."

There was some questionable tactics Barry saw Black Orchid far too comfortable with, but he knew that he could stand there and argue with Belén without making a difference. "Fine." He took the syringe from her and disappeared. A minute later, so did Black Orchid.

When Belén felt a set of arms pull her as well, she smiled. She found herself in an alley where Black Orchid was already down with sedation. "Thank you," she said to the speedster.

Barry gazed down at the unconscious metahuman. "I don't think she'll be thanking us for this."

~0~

Team STAR Labs was never one for kidnapping. So when Barry and Belén brought in a guest, kidnapped and unconscious, they had much to say over the matter.

"This is not legal," Caitlin was the first to say, or scold, at the two metas. Barry and Belén stood in the middle of the cortex, listening to everyone having their go at them. "You kidnapped someone!"

"Well, if I asked she wouldn't have come," Belén argued. "You guys didn't see her out there. She's tough."

"And you think you need to be the same?" Cisco's doubtful stare made her roll her eyes.

"I need to change something and she can help me figure out what."

"Least she's taking initiative," Harry inputted his own opinion, surprising Belén that he was actually siding with her since he originally didn't agree with the plan of finding Black Orchid. "You can't always be soft. Especially when someone's trying to kill you."

"Uh, thanks Harry," she offered the man a small smile before looking at Caitlin and Cisco. "I'm not hurting her. I just needed to get her here so I could talk to her."

"And if she doesn't want to help?" asked Cisco.

"Let's hope she does."

"Well…" Caitlin has looked up from a computer, "... now's your chance. She just woke up."

~0~

Black Orchid was a woman who could be scary. Her balled fists repeatedly pounded against the pipeline pod. "LET ME OUT!" She screamed and screamed the same thing.

Cisco honestly thought the pod wouldn't last if this kept going.

Black Orchid only stopped when she saw someone coming into the pipeline. She straightened up and raised her head to judge if this person was going to help or not. "Who are you?" She didn't have to wait for a verbal answer since she saw clear as day who was on the other side. "The Azalea? Hm. That's a shocker. Would you let me go? I didn't do nothing wrong."

"You did kill people…" Belén reminded, though not as a way to punish her.

"They're thugs! It's kill or be killed!"

"Look, I'm not here to talk about who you killed or how many you killed. I need your help."

Black Orchid dropped her arms to her sides. Her chin raised again and though she had a mask on, Belén swore she was being judged. "Why would the Azalea need my help?"

"Because Datura is a dangerous metahuman that I cannot stop if you don't teach me how to get into the Green."

Black Orchid lowered her head. "Excuse me? The Green? You know about that?" Belén nodded her head. "But you don't know how to get in?"

"Have you ever seen me in there?" Belén made a good point.

Black Orchid crossed her arms and looked around the pod she was trapped in. "And you thought the best way to get me to help you was to lock me up?"

"Not my best idea but I really needed to have a minute with you."

"Here's the thing, I don't trust you. And, let's be honest, you don't trust me." Black Orchid inched closer to the glass wall. "I'm not training anyone. In this world, it's all about yourself. I need to look out for myself."

"Well, that's a pretty way of looking at life," Belén remarked. "But look, I really need your help. Datura is coming back-"

"-then you fight her off. She's your fight, not mine. Why do you think I've hidden for a month now? I'm not looking to get killed."

"But if you don't help me a lot of people are going to die!"

"Better them than me," Black Orchid said so plainly, so flatly, that Belén's mouth almost fell to the floor.

"How could you...how could you say that?"

"Because it's the truth. Self preservation."

Belén was flabbergasted to hear such a thing.

~0~

"I cannot believe she said that!" Belén stormed into the cortex, looking ready to kill someone herself. "How rude! How...selfish!"

"Sorry it didn't work out, Bells," Cisco meant as a true apology but she scoffed at him.

"Are you, though? You weren't even on board with the idea in the first place!"

Cisco made a face but, knowing she was just upset, he kept his mouth shut. He, did, however, give a look at Barry and Caitlin. Someone else needed to step in.

"Belén, maybe we just need to give her some time," Barry's suggestion was also responded with a scoff.

"I don't have time!" She groaned and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Caitlin called after her.

"Out! Don't follow!"

"She's m-a-d mad," Cisco whistled then quickly looked back to see if Belén had heard.

"She's upset, and with good reason," Barry rubbed his forehead. "Let's just keep an eye on her. She took the suit so-"

"-she's really mad," Cisco blurted and received a disapproving look from Caitlin. Barry just sighed.

"She turned off the tracker in her suit," Caitlin informed a few minutes later.

"Not surprising," Barry mumbled and moved over to see the screen himself. "She couldn't have gotten far. I'll go get her. See if I can talk to her."

He zipped out of the cortex with his suit, intending on finding Belén and bringing her back. However, it turned out Belén was very good at hiding. It'd been at least an hour of him scouring through the city before he gave up and asked for some additional help. Caitlin and Cisco were monitoring as usual, but, like Barry, they didn't have a clue where Belén went. It was like she disappeared.

"I've gone through all the places she usually goes to, I'm starting to get worried," Barry admitted. He stood at the top of a rooftop overlooking the busy streets of the city. It was fine that Belén wanted to have some time alone but two hours of no contact felt wrong.

"Uh, we got something, Barry!" Cisco exclaimed.

"Did you find her?" Barry quickly asked, ready to go as soon as they gave him a place.

"Yeah, um…looks like some warehouse off on Third and Carson street."

"That's weird," remarked Caitlin. "That whole block is for warehouses. What could Belén be doing there?"

"Don't know but we're going to find out," Barry said before speeding down the building he was on. He followed the instructions from the two and didn't bother coming in cautiously. He skidded to a stop and looked around the empty warehouse. "Belén?" he called out and received no answer. "Belén!"

"What's going on, Barry?" Cisco asked after the third failed call for Belén.

"She's not here," Barry ripped the cowl off his head and started walking down the left. There was something making a light noise coming from that direction. "But I...I don't think this warehouse is empty…"

"Belén's tracker says she's there, dude," Cisco insisted, though he was going through the tracker's ping just to make sure.

"Well, I don't see her," Barry kept walking forwards, now spotting something silvery round the corner. "Belén?"

"Barry, be careful," Caitlin warned. She was beginning to think there was something wrong with this entire situation. As if the world was reading her mind, she got a different type of alert on her computer screen.

Barry reeled back when a redhead swung from the side. "Hi there pretty boy," Poison Ivy showed off a smug smirk before firing at the speedster with a high-tech gun.

"Barry!" Cisco shouted as the computer stopped getting readings from Barry's vitals, his entire suit's actually. "Everything's gone offline." Cisco leaned back against his chair and heaved a heavy breath.

"Caitlin!" they both heard Belén's voice shriek from the other end of the line.

The two in the cortex did a quick double-take at each other before calling out their friend's name.

"Where are you!?" Caitlin demanded while she worked to figure out how the meta alert was coming from one part while Belén's tracker was pinging from another.

"Downtown! And I'm -" Belén shrieked again.

As it turned out, she was nowhere near close Barry's location. She didn't know how it happened, to be honest. She'd been sulking on her own for a while when she started to see some familiar red energy from a distance. Trained or not, she was not planning on giving Datura a pass. She chased after the energy until it led her downtown…

Datura had sucker-punched her from behind. She seemed to be on a different plan because even though she had a clear, open path to hurt Belén again, she walked past the woman on the ground and moved towards a street pole. Her eyes glowed an orange before shooting lasers at the street pole.

As Belén turned on her stomach, she saw the bottom of the street pole begin to steam as the acid from the lasers melted it away.

"Better, run, run, run!" Datura sing-sang to the people around when the street pole started creaking and leaning on its side.

"Oh, dammit," Belén muttered and scrambled to her feet. She started throwing vines to pull away the people in danger of getting squashed.

Datura boredly rolled her eyes as if saving people was a waste of time, and to her it was. When Belén pulled the last person out of the way, Datura rubbed her hands together and created a sword from her red energy.

"Uh oh," Belén had the good sense to back away. "Caitlin!" she started to call but for some reason, no one answered her. "Caitlin!"

"Where are you!?" Caitlin demanded so suddenly that, if Belén had been more focused, she would've picked up on the fact something was wrong.

"Downtown! And I'm -" Belén shrieked and ducked when Datura threw her sword at her. "It's Datura! She's back!"

"And ready to win," Datura said with a proud smile. Her eyes glowed silver, as did her hands. She radiated in Lunar energy, something Belén hadn't quite seen before and was therefore a little scared. "The power of Eclipsa-" Datura's smile widened, but Belén once again noticed there was a different voice speaking with Datura's, -is mine. Here's a little taste of what I can do!" She drew her hands back and started firing consecutively with lunar bolts.

Belén whipped her hands in front of her and tried doing what she saw Black Orchid doing earlier. She created a makeshift shield in front of her but Datura was going nonstop. "Caitlin, I really need Barry right now!"

"I - we thought he was with you!" Cisco exclaimed. "We lost contact with him!"

That made Belén automatically drop her shield in shock. "What!?" A series of lunar bolts hit her square in the chest, knocking her back on the ground. She shook her head in an attempt to rid her ears of the warped sounds. "Caitlin...where's...Barry?"

"We're working on it!"

"Oooh, are you looking for your partner?" Datura started walking towards Belén who was sitting up. "Yay-high?" She made a gesture of Barry's height over her head, "Red suit? Admittedly good looking?" Belén openly glared at her, making the woman laugh. "Don't be jealous. But, I do know where your Flash is."

Belén paused and gave Datura a look. "What?" She quickly got up and, to Datura's surprise, she swung a vine to throw the Earth 2 meta into a bus stop bench. "If you hurt him-"

Datura raised a hand and delivered a shock of electricity Belén's way. The brunette screamed as her body convulsed with the electric shocks.

Datura slowly got up and felt something over her lip. She took a drip of blood off her skin and scowled at herself. "Great." She walked towards Belén, admittedly feeling wobbly on her feet. "Listen up Azalea, here's the deal. I've got your Flash all nice and unconscious thanks to a speed gun I swept from Earth 2-" she bent down in front of Belén, smirking at the weariness in the woman's face from being attacked, "-and if you want to see him again...you're gonna have to drop this. Poison Ivy doesn't do patience."

Belén blinked rapidly from the electricity still lingering in her body. "I...want to...see him."

Datura smirked. "Thought you would." She raised a hand, making it seem like she was going to wave goodbye when instead she fired one last energy beam to knock Belén out.

~ 0 ~

In the cortex gathered at the cortex after realizing their two leading metas had been taken right under their noses.

"It was a trap," Cisco said quietly, and defeatedly, at his chair. He had his hands put together to the bridge of his nose. "It was a trap and we didn't see it."

"But it doesn't make sense how Datura got Belén's suit tracker in the first place," Caitlin hated the fact she couldn't figure that mystery out. "We didn't even realize it was gone."

From the corner of the cortex stood Harry, still and silent. His jaw was clenched with guilt but he still could not say anything.

"We know where they are," Iris reminded them. She looked at the screen on the wall, displaying the last known whereabouts of Barry. "Let's just go get them."

"First of all, we don't even know if they're still going to be there," Cisco pointed out, dropping his hand to his lap. "Second of all, even if they are still there...what the hell are we supposed to do?" he made a quick gesture at their members. "They'd kill us."

Caitlin set a hand on Cisco's shoulder and gave a smile at the rest. "I think what Cisco's trying to say is that we do not have the...meta-skills to take on Datura and Poison Ivy at the same time."

"Well, we have to do something," Iris walked up to the desk and set her arms over the top. "Can we call in Nina?"

"Even then, taking on these two metas…" Caitlin gave a shake of her head. "She'll need back up."

"Where do we get that from?" Iris looked at the trio expectantly.

Cisco looked up at Caitlin, both apparently thinking of the same thing.

"Wait here," he pushed himself up from his chair. He exchanged a nod with Caitlin before the two walked out of the cortex.

~ 0 ~

After hours of screaming to be released, Black Orchid resigned herself to the fact she may never be getting out of the pipeline. She picked herself up as soon as she heard the pipeline door opening.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded when she was face to face with Caitlin and Cisco.

"Manners," Cisco pointed at her. "We have a proposition for you."

"And why the hell would I care?"

"Because it involves your freedom, smartass," Cisco snapped. Caitlin inwardly sighed. This would definitely infuriate Belén but right now what mattered was bringing her and Barry back.

Black Orchid leaned on her hip. "I'm listening."

"The Azalea and the Flash have been kidnapped by Datura. We need you to help our friend, the Tempest, get them back."

Black Orchid unceremoniously snorted. "You want me to go up against the siphoner this entire city is talking about? She's the reason I stopped showing my face."

"What do you mean?" Caitlin's eyebrows knitted together.

Black Orchid didn't like the fact she'd unintentionally admitted that. "It's clear that this Datura wants to kill anyone in her path. I've seen what she's done to the Azalea. Imagine what she'd do if she found another botanist metahuman? No way!"

Cisco wasn't in a particular mood to remind the woman she was a human being. So, like Belén, he did first and would apologize later. "Fine, then I guess you'll stay here forever. Or at least until you die."

"You wouldn't let me die," scoffed the meta.

"Have you seen any other prisoners here?" Cisco's question made the metahuman pause. "Yeah. What do you think happened to the others in here?"

"You can't do that!"

"Then please help us," Caitlin pleaded. "C'mon. You're afraid and we get that, but if you don't do anything then Datura will kill the Azalea. And, if there's no one left to fight Datura...you're not going to be safe anywhere."

"If I go up against her I'll die right there and then," Black Orchid countered with.

"You said you were hiding from Datura so you didn't show your face," Caitlin reminded. "But the Azalea said you showed your face today after a store got robbed. That doesn't sound like self preservation to me."

"...that was my favorite store," Black Orchid rolled her eyes, attempting to make it all casual.

"Cut the crap, girl!" Cisco exclaimed. "Your freedom's on the table and you're gonna seriously waste it?"

"We can help you," Caitlin added. "We can make sure you're well prepared. We could even help you heal from your past fights." Black Orchid visibly stiffened. "The Azalea told us about some of the stitches she saw on you. And like my friend said, your freedom is on the table."

Black Orchid's dark eyes flickered from one scientist to the next. She knew what her position was and how far she could actually get. It wasn't good. "Fine," she huffed and reached a hand to the back of her head where her mask's tie was. "But I need some stitches to be re-done. So, who's the medical doctor here?" she tore the mask off to reveal a familiar face, though not familiar to Caitlin or Cisco.

Bartender Shivhan Jang stared at the scientists.

Author's Note:

So, first of all, this is a disclaimer for the fact that while I am writing in the character of Black Orchid, I am doing a different VERSION of the character. Black Orchid belongs to the DC world.

Now, the reason I decided to write this character in was because I felt it genuinely wrong she was written and barely got recognition. I never heard of Black Orchid until I started doing research on botanical metahumans for this precise arc. It amazed me she was such a complex character that I just had to write my version of hers.

And a visual reference of Black Orchid, aka Shivhan, would be the Korean singer Sunmi.

[unpopular-bishop]

If it’s me and if it’s you

It’s hard when Arthit is upset.

By no stretch of the word is Kongpob’s boyfriend laid-back, but Arthit - when not filling a specific role - is lowkey and willing to follow the path of least resistance. He goes along with suggestions surprisingly easy (provided that they aren’t suggested by Kong), and he’s often willing to make himself uncomfortable to keep the peace (provided that it’s not peace with Kong he’s keeping).

All of this is to say that when Arthit reaches the point that he’s actively making it known that he’s upset, it’s usually too late to do anything to fix the problem, which always throws Kong’s initial instinct right out the window. Worse, though, is when Kong is the problem. When he’s kept something to himself for too long, always looking for a perfect moment that never comes in time to avoid the blowout, or he’s pushed for too much too fast. When it’s something he can’t just fix.

So it’s hard. He doesn’t like when Arthit is upset, and he doesn’t like feeling like he can’t help.

Kong doesn’t like it at all when Arthit cries.

-

He and Arthit have never “broken up.” They’d had arguments, disagreements, Kongpob is (mostly) comfortable saying that they’ve even taken a break once. But they’ve never broken up. Kong worries a little more each month that that will change. That what Arthit was so scared of that night before his flight might come to pass.

The screen is blurry, but Kong is sure that’s because his eyes are so tired. He’s been writing and rewriting the same paper for three straight days and has probably slept a total of five hours since he started. He’s still, technically, supposed to be writing.

Instead, he’s thinking about exactly how long it would take him to pack a bag, jump on a plane, and taxi to Arthit’s apartment while he watches Arthit’s shoulders shaking through a Zoom call with a bad connection. They’ve not been able to really talk in nearly two weeks and now he’s had Arthit to himself for five minutes and he’s already messed everything up.

He can hear the quiet sounds of full-body weeping interspersed with the robotic static of a mic, and his own throat is closing up, his own eyes are getting hot just listening.

“Hey, hey,” He tries to cajole, blinking hard a few times, “I’m right here. Please don’t -”

He sees Arthit shake his head, and it hurts. It hurts, and he’s angry about it. Angry that he isn’t there, that he hasn’t been there for over a year now. That he chose to leave in the first place.

He wants to try to speak again, but he doesn’t know what to say.

“P’Arthit,” he rubs one eye, the burning almost overwhelming. The backs of his fingers feel wet when he pulls them away. His voice shakes. “Please.”

Arthit goes still and then Kong watches him take a deep, fortifying breath. His shoulders go up and roll back as he sits up, dashing a heavy hand across his eyes and rubbing fiercely.

“Sorry,” Arthit says through the speaker. His voice wavers, but the connection strips whatever nuance might have given some of his thoughts away to Kongpob.

“Don’t apologize.” Kong rubs his face again, feeling hot and itchy. “I should be apologizing. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Phi. I’m -” he starts to say the worst, and then worries he’s going to twist this into being about him instead of being about Arthit and cuts himself off. He wishes he could see more clearly, but Arthit is just a familiar set of lines and colors to him right now. What pixels have left behind for Kongpob to admire has also been washed away by his own body’s weakness.

He’s so tired.

“Don’t apologize, either.” Arthit interrupts, and then clears his throat. “It’s okay, Kong. It’s just...it’s hard.”

“I know.” Kong leans his face into one hand, digging his thumb and the knuckle of his index finger into his eyes to rub. They still haven’t dried out and he hopes that the camera doesn’t pick up on it. “I know.” He knows he shouldn’t say the words again right after Arthit’s regained his composure, but he can’t help it. “I just miss everything so much. I miss you. I want to go home.”

“I miss you,” Arthit says quietly. “And...and home will be here when you’re ready to come back.”

“Will you be?” Kong can’t help but ask, misery spilling into every word. He’s tried so hard to be the strong one, the sure one, through all of this. “Phi, I know things are awful, but I swear it won’t be forever. I’m going to make this worth it, I just -”

It should be humiliating, the catch in his voice, the way he has to breathe in sharply without being able to stop. But it’s Arthit, and Kongpob has done a lot of humiliating things to get and keep the attention of Arthit. He’d do a lot more than cry on camera, and happily. At this point, he wouldn’t be able to stop even if he wasn’t willing. He’s lost the battle and there’s wetness running down his cheeks, past the final barrier he’d been attempting to keep strong with his fingers.

“Kongpob, look at me,” Arthit demands in that listen to me right the hell now voice, and Kong has to take a second to gather himself before he listens, but he does because it’s instinct. He still can’t see the screen clearly - now there are tears in the way on top of not being able to focus his vision - but he knows Arthit is looking at him.

“Remember that interview we did?” Arthit says firmly. “With the Phi from campus?”

Confused, Kongpob nods. It’s been well over a year since that interview. He remembers that it had been fun. He’d been floating off the cute things his boyfriend had (willingly!) said (on camera!) about him, about them, for days after. Arthit had kissed his cheek in public. Held his hand, even.

“What would you do if I disappeared?”

Kong doesn’t have to think about it. His answer is the same now as it was then - he means it even more now, even.

“I’d look for you.”

“No matter how far I go, you’d look for me, right?”

Arthit is in his bed - their bed. Kong recognizes the sheets, remembers how much he liked how they felt on his skin. How nice they looked against Arthit’s. The feeling of homesickness is almost overwhelming him. He nods anyway, rubbing a palm against one eye. It does nothing to stymie the tears.

“And do you remember what I'd do?”

Kong sobs. He doesn’t mean to, but his heart aches. He wants to hold Arthit’s hand. He wants to feel his skin and his breath and their sheets and the warmth of his own sun. He wants the familiar street food and the campus grounds and his friends. He wants Arthit.

“Kongpob, answer me.” Arthit pulls out that voice again, “Do you remember what I'd do?”

He can’t speak, so he just nods. It’s his turn to feel his shoulders shake as he cries.

“I’ll stay still. I know that you’ll come back to me sooner or later. I’m still waiting for you. I’m staying right here until you find me again.”

Kongpob laughs wetly, sniffling. He feels like an idiot. In the end, he turned it into being about himself after all.

“I promised I’d hold you when you were sad, too. I’m sorry I can’t right now.” What he’d give to be able to touch Arthit again, even for only a moment.

“I said I’d stay by your side.” Arthit shoots back. “Stop arguing with me. This is your dream, Kong. I know it’s hard right now. You’ll get through it, and...and I’ll be here every time you need me. You get that?”

Kongpob nods. The crying is finally abating, and he scrubs at his eyes hard in an attempt to end it faster. When he blinks, the world is even more blurry than before. He’s still so tired. He only has two more days to finish this paper. He wants to stay up and talk to Arthit, hear about his, or talk about their friends or even just. Sit quietly with him.

“Stop looking so sad, you’re giving me heartburn.” Arthit wipes his face and it makes a small, weak smile slide to Kong’s lips.

“Sorry, Phi.”

“Stop apologizing.”

“Okay, Phi.”

“Kongpob!”

He laughs. His heart feels lighter, and it’s a little easier to slowly let his shoulders relax than it was only an hour ago. He still yearns, but it’s not washing over him, drowning him, as much.

“Thank you, P’i’Aoon.”

He doesn’t need to see well to know that Arthit’s cheeks flush, he can hear it in the way he clears his throat obnoxiously.

“Well. That’s what I’m supposed to do. I’m your boyfriend, aren’t I?”

Kong’s smile grows. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Say it again?”

“No.”

“Please, Phi? The connection’s bad, I couldn’t hear you.”

“Too bad.”

“P’Arthit...”

“I said it’s late there, go to bed!”

“We’re only an hour apart!”

“Stop arguing with me! I’m telling you to go to bed, you look like you’re about to fall over.”

“I want to talk to you.”

“We can talk more tomorrow.”

“I want to talk to you now.” Kong presses, coaxing. It’s sort of cheating, but he knows that Arthit is weak to it.

Arthit is quiet for long enough that Kong starts to think the chat has frozen and is ready to throw out some curses he’s not one to usually throw out, before breaking the quiet with a soft, fond, “You’re so annoying, Kongpob.”

“Just for you?” Kong offers and is gratified to hear a familiar, pleased laugh. His boyfriend is just so weird, so contradictory. Angry and stern one minute, soft and shy the next; a total nerd in the privacy of their space but a badass to anyone who doesn’t know him. Kong adores him.

“Go lay down. Take the laptop with you. I’ll talk until you fall asleep. Deal?”

“Talk even after I fall asleep,” Kong says, already putting his things away. He saves his drafts, makes a note about where he left off on the paper (and a doodle of Arthit’s name with a heart). He should shower, but he’ll do it in the morning. He’s too exhausted. He just wants to listen to Arthit and close his eyes and pretend he’s home.

“Don’t push your luck,” Arthit grumbles back, but Kong knows he’s won.

He ends up in bed, the blanket pulled up to his nose, just gazing as best he can at the screen where Arthit is doing much the same. The light hurts his eyes, but he can’t help but hold off on blinking just to keep that face within view.

“Let me tell you about this new employee.” Arthit starts, and Kong is asleep before he finishes the sentence.

[iggy-of-fans]

Finally there. The last chapter. The epilogue. The long awaited finale with a Raven redemption, Adrian's story, reactions and a lot of fluffy fluff! Over 3000 words for this.

LIFE GOES ON

Bruce stood at his window, overlooking the rose garden in the backyard, gathered with everyone except Damian and Marinette. There was a strong sense of anticipation in the room. As Bruce looked about him, some of the Kwami zooming around the room, he thought back to the events three years ago. Guardian Angel officially joining the Justice League, the great battle of Gotham, and returning of teenage renegade to Paris. He still got chills when he remembered Agreste's statement of events.

The room was quiet for a moment as Adrien tried to think of where to begin. He stared at the ceiling.

"It starts a year before Hawkmoth first appeared. My mother and father and I lived happily together, father was busy at work, but we were all very happy. Sometimes I would hear them shouting, but it would turn to moans not long after, and father told me when I asked once that mother just needed to be loved properly. Then mother disappeared and father searched furiously for her, until eventually she was proclaimed as dead. Father became distant, and I rarely ever saw him except if I messed up or something. So I tried to be the perfect son, but I wanted some freedom, friends, to fall in love like all my animes. I snuck out of the mansion to go to school, and almost made it in when I saw this old man needed help. So my father's assistant caught me and brought me home. But there was a box on my table, and with it I became Chat Noir. I thought Ladybug was my soulmate because how could we not be? Then my father agreed to let me go to school and I became friends with Marinette and Nino and Alya and my childhood friend Chloe was there too. It was perfect. I was a hero, I had friends, I had a soulmate. But Ladybug was always turning me down, and she was allowed to choose more heroes, and she refused to have any fun. And then Lila Rossi transferred and she liked to tell tall tales, but she wasn't hurting anyone. Marinette was just being too hard on her, too stubborn. If she'd just let it go, just played nice, she would've been fine. Lila would eventually get tired of it all. I always had her back and she knew that. Her 14th birthday, Lila told me about Marinette's love for me. Marinette was supposed to wait for me and we would have a magical night. I found her a ways away, and thought she'd just gotten sick of waiting for me, but I made it up to her and brought her home. But two nights later, the police swarmed our home, and were shouting about my father being Hawkmoth, which is impossible, because he was Akumatized! And I was taken in, because Chat Noir was being accused of rape! And Nathalie was supposed to be Mayura! And none of that made sense! So I tried to have them find Marinette, because she would be able to clear everything up. Three days went by when Ladybug showed up, carrying Marinette's dead body to the police. She had a video of my classmates hurting her, hurting Marinette. And she had the power to fix her and didn't. I was devastated. Then Marinette appeared to me. She was as real and bright as ever. She wanted to be with me. And I wanted to create the perfect world for her. Our class would all be friends, Chloe would be nice to her, and Lila would be her best friend, and Marinette would be Ladybug instead. My mother and father would be happy and together forever, and they would love Marinette just as much as me. Marinette was the one who planned everything and told me what to do. But I knew no one else saw her. But I did as she told me, because once I made my wish, nothing bad would ever happen to her again" Adrien spoke with passion in his voice, but his eyes never met theirs.

Batman and Wonder Woman's eyes met. This wasn't their first rodeo with the mentally unstable.

"Do you feel any remorse at all, knowing that those lives you took will forever remain dead?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Ladybug is the only one guilty. She could bring them back if she wanted to."

"The ladybug powers do not work like that. My mother was once a Ladybug. She needs to absorb the negative energy of a magical attack, like with the Demon, and she uses that to rebuild the world. She can not create or bring back life or heal, because when she does it, she is merely absorbing the darkness from their bodies. Otherwise there would never have been ill in Paris. The dead would have risen everyday. Can you not see that? " Wonder Woman asked.

" Marinette would never lie to me" Adrien stated. He was looking to his side, smiling softly. Wonder Woman was especially concerned that he saw her still, even while under the influence of the rope of Hestia, which should break through every delusion.

The interview concluded, it was decided that Adrien Agreste would serve life in a French Asylum, without bail. When his family was contacted, his father was emotionless, his mother just disinterested. She'd always known he'd be just like his father.

Bruce came back to the present when Damian and Marinette walked onto the scene below. Her 18th birthday was just around the corner, and they were planning a family party for her in that very garden. But Damian had asked for a sem-private moment with her. Knowing they'd all find a way to spy on them anyways, he'd told them to just watch from the office. Damian had grown up a lot since meeting Marinette. He was still chaos impersonate, still the calm before the storm and determined beyond anyone else his age. But he was also considerate of other people, he didn't lash out as quickly or as violently. He took the time to get to know his brothers better, and he showed his gratitude to them in small ways, like remembering their favorite bands and buying concert tickets, or simply sitting with them after a rough mission instead of dealing with it alone. The family was closer than ever before. So Bruce smiled with hope when he watched Damian kneel in the grass.

Dick watched as Damian walked into the garden, speaking quietly with his "Angel". She'd grown into a beautiful young woman, her scars had healed, both physically and emotionally with the constant presence of Damian at her side. He proved his love to her with every word he spoke, with every comforting hug. He truly always had her back and there was nothing the youngest Wayne wouldn't do for Marinette. Even forgiving Raven.

Nightwing and StarFire took Raven back to Star City, where they had built a special cage built in case Trigon ever sent his sons to do his bidding. Placing Raven inside, Nightwing paced. He still remembered Guardian Angel's expression as she fell, thinking that it had been Damian. More than that, he remembered watching as Raven ruthlessly ripped the earrings out of Marinette's ears, or the sick smirk on her face. He paced some more, ignoring Korri's worried looks. When Raven started stirring he walked in, expression cold as he stared down at the petite girl. Once, he would have been happy to call her sister. Now though.

"What happened?" Raven asked, looking at the cage around her. His frown deepened.

"How dare you?" he hissed, the snake miraculous still gleaming around his wrist. He was usually the one to enforce the "no kill" rule the strongest amongst the family, but he could feel the temptation to strongly. Raven furrowed her brow, trying to remember what had happened to get her locked up, but could remember nothing past Damian walking into the ballroom with a girl on his arm. She'd remembered feeling slightly crushed that her crush seemed to have moved on, but the next she knew, everything went dark. Now here she was, in a cage to hold her brothers. What had she done?

"What…. What have I done?" Raven asked, her voice pleading. Nightwing felt his anger rise even more. How dare she sit there, looking innocent. He couldn't believe anything she said or did, because really, who would turn so willingly on her teammates. Who would abandon their friends in mid battle and turn around and kill one of them. He didn't believe the innocent act at all. Korri placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to step in front of him but he wouldn't budge, glaring with all the hatred an older brother could feel.

"Damian had just walked in with the new member of the Justice League. I was sad, because… Well, you know I have a crush on him. But then things got dark, and I heard someone saying something, like a whisper. I thought I passed out. What happened?" she asked again. Nightwing was still not buying it. He felt his hackles rise, wanting to get her to confess.

"And you just expect me to believe that?" he growled, his muscles tensing.

"Nightwing! We know how powerful Trigon is! He only just escaped, we have no idea if he left a mark on her!"

"we also know that Raven is more powerful than that. She has him captured. Is it so wrong to believe she just snapped?" Nightwing snapped at Korri, the image would forever haunt him.

"What?" Raven was so confused. Korri wasn't much better, since she had been on the other side of the battle, and with second chance, no one else remembered anyways. Perhaps we should call WonderWoman here" Korri suggested calmly, trying to settle the tension in Nightwing's shoulders. Nightwing wanted to just throw the cage into a deep hole and never look at her again.

A Portal suddenly opened behind them and Robin stepped through. His fox transformation had long worn off, but Nightwing knew he still had it on him. However, instead of turning on Raven and tearing into her, he turned to Nightwing and held out his hand.

"Guardian Angel I'd worried about your emotional stability right now. Hand over the Miraculous before you do something that will haunt you as much as whichever image makes you so angry now. The ability to fix or change a situation can corrupt even the purest of souls, and you haven't been tested to be a permanent holder." Nightwing didn't even twitch, keeping his arms crossed and his face in a scowl. Nobody would even remember if he slid his finger over the bracelet.

"Please Richard. You do not want that on your conscience" Robin pleaded, his face softening into understanding. And really, who other than Robin, and maybe Red Hood, would understand better? He sighed and reached for the bracelet.

"Transform me" he mumbled, and a blue light went up under his other suit. Sass flew right through the portal, a blue blur trying to get away. Nightwings shoulders hunched. He was no better than that blonde idiot and his friends. Robin grasped the Miraculous and reached his other hand on his shoulder. "No one knows what you do about this battle, Richard, though Guardian Angel has a guess she won't share. What you saw was one outcome, one possibility of many, and you prevented the worst. But you are not all knowing about people, and the Justice League has wrongfully confronted Raven once before. Let Wonder Woman question Raven, and take comfort that no matter her answer, it is the truth."

" when did you get so wise, baby bird?" Nightwing whispered, finally relaxing his posture completely.

" Angel told me most of what I should say before I came through. The rest…. I've just had some good influences in my life, I guess"

Nightwing smiled and Robin stepped back through the portal to Gotham. A few minutes later, Wonder Woman stepped through her own.

"Agreste?" Nightwing asked.

"Still in surgery. Oracle said she'd monitor him for me and send me back in time for the questioning. Now, Guardian said you needed my help?" Korri nodded.

"I'm afraid we can't just accept her word at face value right now. We have no idea if what she's saying is true."

Wonder Woman nodded and sent the Rope of Hestia through a breathing hole. Raven easily picked it up and wrapped it around her wrist multiple times and looked up.

" What is the last thing you remember?" Wonder Woman asked.

" We were all in the ballroom, and Damian came walking in with the new girl. He looked so calm and happy and kept staring at her. I was choking a little bit. I'd had a crush on him since he first came to the tower, and… I just wanted to get some fresh air. I couldn't breathe properly and my head was starting to hurt. I kept hearing whispering, and I just thought some of the guests had noticed, but then I just blacked out. I came to and I was in this box" Raven stated, looking concerned. Oracle decided to find footage of the ballroom.

"Found her. Here come Damian and… Raven just grabbed her head. She is shaking it slightly. I'm picking up a rusty red glow from the jewel in her head. And she's back. She changes her outfit around the time Wonder Woman starts talking. But otherwise, there's no change" Oracle dictates over the comms.

"Can you please send Guardian through? We may need her to look at the jewel and drain it" Wonder Woman says. The comms are quiet for a while, before finally another portal opens. Guardian Angel comes through, followed closely by Robin with his katana drawn. Raven groans slightly and reaches for her head.

"Did I steal your sword?" she asks, her eyes wide and worried. Robin merely nodded before looking at his Angel. She takes a deep breath before walking up to the box.

"Please stand as close to grass as possible" she tells Raven. She's weary, and something is telling her not to, but Wonder Woman gives her a firm tug of the rope, and glares at her in warning. She crawls over to glass and shakily stands up, placing her forehead to the hold not with the rope through it. Guardian Angel raises her hand and places it over the glass on her side, and immediately a black aura tries to lash out at her. She flies back against the far wall, and Robin and Nightwing become defensive.

"NO! Get out of my head!" Raven yells, falling back to the ground and clutching her ears. Guardian Angel is on her feet immediately and rushes back, breaking the glass container. She clutches her hands around Ravens and whispers in an ancient tongue, the Guardian Language. A pink glow emanates from their forms and when it disappears, Guardian Angel is passed out, and Raven is barely hanging onto consciousness. The crystal that once held her father, a black diamond in her head, is now pink.

"He's gone!" Raven manages to whisper out, before passing out as well. Robin rushes to his Angel's side and quickly brings her through the portal back to Gotham, while the others all stare at Raven. Now what do they do?

Dick remembered how Raven struggled with her magic after that. It took her months to gain back control, as her father had been slowly corrupting it, and with it, Raven as well. But Marinette never held her in contempt, like Dick had. She forgave her and helped her heal, and Damian meditated with her to help as well. Raven was now Marinette's best friend, and she wholly agreed that she was better off with Tim, who had been by her side, analyzing her magic capability. Their family had grown so strong from her forgiving and kind nature. He smiled as he tuned back in to see Marinette throw herself into Damian's embrace.

Tim was so happy, watching his little brother and his future-sister-in-law on the lawn. The past three years had gone by quickly, with Damian growing up into a strong, pure force for good. He looked down to Raven's smiling face, and knew she felt nothing but content, watching her sister in all but blood be so overcome with joy. Three years ago, no one would've thought that this would be the outcome after the exhausting battle and aftermath.

The destruction cleaned up, the villains in jail, Raven cleansed and only waiting to hear Agreste's story, Timothy couldn't quite rest yet. He went to the detention centre and asked to see the Parisian boys, to hear what they had to say. He'd come alone, but saw no reason for them to lie or try to fight. He still had his transformation going under his Red Robin suit, so he was confident he'd be okay.

"Max Kantê and Nino Lahiffe. I've come to take your statements" he said, funnelling as much authority as he could into his statements. The boys' heads snapped up from where they sat. Max gulped audibly, while Nino just looked exhausted. He nodded and sat up a bit.

"Why did you come to Gotham?"

"I wanted to warn Marinette. Max wasn't given a choice" Nino stated calmly.

"I believe from video evidence that Marinette is dead" Red Robin said. Nino just shook his head.

"I think a part of me always knew, but I just didn't want to think, at first, that one of my best friends would go swinging into danger like that. Then, after Lila joined, it was just easier to believe her. And she hated Marinette, so she couldn't be Ladybug. Ladybug carrying Marinette's body into the police station would've fooled most, but I just always had a feeling she wasn't completely gone. I just… Assumed I guess… " Nino tapered off, looking at Red Robin hopefully.

" Marinette Dupain-Cheng is dead" he shook his head. Nino's face fell and he looked at his hands. He shook and cried. He'd been against Alya's plan to attack Marinette, and hadn't been there. Maybe he could've stopped it. He thought that maybe that was why he'd come. A second chance to be a real friend.

Max looked lifelessly at Red Robin.

"My family was murdered by Adrien. I… I have nowhere to go." He finally managed to choke out. Red Robin nodded, aware of the atrocities committed in Paris.

"What do you want to happen? You both were the reason the Justice League was able to mobilize so quickly. From evidence gathered and statements from Cesaire, we were able to gather that neither of you ever did anything against the law or of your own free will. Kantê, as you said, your family is unable to take guardianship of you, and if you choose to return to Paris, you may be held in contempt from the public. Lahiffe, your family has been made aware, but they are currently speaking to Social Services, as they're scared for their other son's health and safety" Tim said.

"And if we stay here?" Max asked while Nino broke into a fresh wave of tears. He'd never be allowed near Chris again.

"... The Teen Titans have long asked for an Oracle of their own…" Red Robin tapered off, leaving the rest for them to interpret and think about," you'd be under house arrest for a while at least. But… You could do some real good there."

Max nodded after a moment and Nino did too, still too emotionally distraught to do much else. Red Robin smiled.

"You'll be moved to your new residence in a couple of weeks," he said, and turned and left as abruptly as he came.

Max Kantê, now known as Le Donnèes and Nino Lahiffe, now Sécurise, became an integral part of Teen Titan operations and training, often conferring with Oracle on large Justice League missions. It was easy to say that they'd become amazing heroes. Nino and Max were in Paris now, in fact, for the first time since leaving. Nino had earned his right to see his brother again, but didn't want to go alone. They'd been quite emotional when Marinette came to them the first time, and they'd become close friends once again. Things were far from perfect in the world, but right this moment, nothing at all could ruin this.

And done. I hope you enjoyed! I've been reading a lot salt and angst, and I wanted to get this out of my system, and maybe write another, more happy, one soon. I'm afraid there's no tag list for this because like an idiot, I forgot to write it out, but I'll try to add it in post haste

[metaphysical-human-being]

Switcheroo

Pt1

Pt2

A/N- Okay so you all remember this headcanon, right? Well, anyway, I loved it so much that I decided to make it a series? I don’t know how long it’ll go but, yeah! Also, I’m not the best writer so sorry in advance!

Warnings- death mention, abandonment mention, guilt mention, nightmare mention, swearing. Tell me if I missed any others!

Summary- Roman and Remus reunite after four years…

It doesn’t go well

Remus zoomed down the hallway, smile on his face and madness in his eyes. He could hear the voices of a few of those dipshits chasing him but he didn’t really care. He knew they’d never catch him and if they did..

Well, let’s just say that he won’t be the one wobbling away with a busted lip and a broken nose. 

He turned the corner and looked around wildly. The voices were getting a bit closer and as much as Remus would willingly fight them, it was his first day and De would be really mad if he got expelled on his first day again-

“There he is! Get him!” He heard the “leader of the pack” yell. He snuck a glance behind him and shot them a crazed smile before taking off running once more. He ran up a flight of stairs and hopped over a few kids skipping class but they never caught him. They got close, but never got him. 

Turning onto a random hallway, he spot two large double doors. A sign saying Auditorium directly above them.

“Perfect!” He mumbled before opening them and closing them quietly. He waited a few seconds to catch his breath before pushing his ear to the door. 

“I think he went this way!” He heard one of the guys call from the end of the hallway. He listened to them run closer and closer to the doors. They stopped right outside the auditorium and Remus heard them discuss going inside. He backed away from the door and looked down the long rows of chairs. Velvety red and plush looking. Kinda comfy. Maybe he could come in here during free periods to nap…

He looked over to the stage before running through the aisles and hopping onto it. The doors opened and he heard the guys walk in. Remus ducked behind the curtains and crouched down as small as possible. 

Just then, someone walked onto the stage. 

“Garrett! And poise…what can I do for you fine gentleman on this beautiful January day!” The loud yet… familiar voice boomed. Something inside Remus seemed to stir but he didn’t pay attention. He only payed attention to the voices. 

“Roman, a pleasure as always.” The main guy, Garret, sneered. 

Remus felt all the air in his lungs leave his body and he had to uncurl from his crouched position to sit down instead. A dread filled his stomach and he kinda felt like throwing up.

Roman?! Roman?! Like, the twin he tricked, Roman? That one? Remus didn’t know he went to this school! Or…maybe he doesn’t? Yeah! Maybe he doesn’t and Remus is just overreacting!

He peaked his head out from behind the curtain, enough to look at the teen in the middle of the stage and…oh ever-fucking Zeus..

It was Roman. He hadn’t seen him since they were twelve and Remus…

At first Remus thought that it wasn’t him but then he saw that deep and prominent dimple on his right cheek and his fiery red hair. (“Just like the Weasley twins!” Ms. Malevolent would always say.  “I’m trouble!” Remus would say. “And I’m double!” Roman would always say after him and then they’d laugh and laugh. Hey…at least neither of them were dead).

Although the clothes were definitely strange to Remus. He had only ever seen Roman in rags and hand me downs, never anything new. Unlike the bright white t-shirt and…Remus guessed maroon pants and the bright Adidas, the only non-new looking thing was…was the sports jacket Remus found when they were ten. 

It was way too big for Roman but now that he was older it fit pretty well. Remus was surprised he still kept it 

“It usually is! Now, why are you here, exactly? I know none of you have drama as an elective and you all definitely aren’t trying out for the school play so…” Roman trailed off, a sense of confidence in his voice that Remus always admired. It didn’t surprise Remus that Roman was in drama either. His twin always loved being the center of attention and putting on little plays for Remus and all the other kids in the orphanage whenever the power went out or any of the kids were having a bad day. They always cheered everyone up and Roman, again, adored the attention. 

“Some new kid tripped my pal Ricky over here,” he heard, presumably Ricky, grunt out an agreement. Remus and Roman both rolled their eyes, although neither knew it. “ And we wanted to…. teach him a lesson! Yeah, teach him a lesson. We thought we saw him go in here.” All the other guys agreed and Roman huffed. 

“Well, I can assure you all, that no one ran in here. Virgil and I are the only ones in here and we didn’t hear anyone come in except you four.” He said, his voice almost song like but that was always Roman. Actually, the only thing Remus could pick out that was different was the deepness of the voice. It had definitely gotten deeper since they were twelve but…it suit him. Remus bet he sounded even better singing than when he did when he was young. Less whiny and more rich. 

Garrett huffed. “Yeah, okay. But if you see him, tell him that Garrett just wants to…talk. Yeah, a nice friendly little chat.”

“And if they don’t show up?” Roman asked, merely out of curiosity, Remus had to guess. 

“Oh, if he’s smart…he will.” Garrett answered before him and his gang walked out. Remus turned back around and let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He got ready to go until a voice stopped him.

“Okay, they’re gone! You can come out now!” Roman announced, still standing on the stage. Remus froze. 

“Oh, come on! I promise I won’t bite~” Roman chuckled. “Well, if you’re cute then I might.” Roman said. Remus gagged. He would have not said that if he knew who was behind the curtain. Still, Remus stayed silent. 

“Y'know I can see your foot, right?” Roman asked. Remus quickly pulled his foot to his chest and cleared his throat. 

“I think I’m comfy right here.” Remus replied, making his voice sound as different as possible. It’s only been three years, it would not take Roman long to figure out who he was if he used his normal voice.

He heard Roman chuckle, it was melodious and he felt tears gather in his eyes. God he missed that sound. 

“Oh, come on. I’m not gonna hurt you-”

“I doubt that,” Remus cut him off. He knew that Roman would probably beat the shit out of him for what he did and he really can’t blame the guy. He did kind of trick him and abandon him. 

“How are you so sure?” Roman asked. Remus let out a watery bark of laughter.

“Oh, I’m sure,” he said. He heard Roman walk closer to where he was. His footsteps were slow and light sounding. 

“Can I at least know your name?” Roman tried. Remus shook his head no but then realized that Roman couldn’t see him.

“Hey Roman, I’m heading out. Pat and I are going to lunch! You spending your free period here?” A new voice, presumably Virgil, said. Roman just let out a loud hum and then the doors opened and closed. 

“That was my friend, Virgil. Although, if you were listening, you already knew that. Can you please come out?” Roman asked once more. 

“I’m gay.”

“Haha. Very funny.” Roman responded, tone light. Remus chuckled slightly too. “I am too, if that makes you feel any better.” Roman said.

“It does, actually.” Remus whispered. A tear had streamed down his face but he kept his voice level. 

“If…if I show you who I am…do you promise not to get mad?” Remus asked after a few seconds of silence. He heard Roman back away to the center of the stage. 

“That depends…are you my long lost twin?” Roman joked, voice layered with a type of sadness that made Remus’ stomach twist with guilt. He rose to his feet and walked out from behind the curtain. 

“Actually,” he walked over to Roman who was now frozen to his spot, eyes wide and filled with a lot of emotions. “I am.” Remus said, spreading out his arms in a “here I am” type way. 

There wasn’t much to show though. They both had pretty much the same build. Except, Roman was a lot more muscular in the arms while Remus was more muscular in his legs( due to running a lot of track…and away from the cops sometimes)

Their wardrobe was a lot more different too. At first De had offered to buy Remus all new clothes but he liked the more raggedy and dirty clothes. (“They fit my ass-the-dick” young Remus had said. De chuckled. “You mean, aesthetic?” He had asked. “Yeah, that thing” Remus waved off, marching out of the random store.) His dirty and very ripped jeans and his old crop top that he found. The only decent thing he had was the army jacket De insisted he get when he first got adopted. 

The silence that dragged on through the air was as thick as Remus’ book of regrets and as sharp as his many knives.

The slap that rang out across the room easily broke that though. 

Remus fell to the ground, hands cradling his right cheek. He didn’t even realize Roman moved closer to him.

“I…I deserve that.” Remus winced, feeling the spot. Damn, how hard did Roman hit? There was definitely gonna be a bruise. 

“Damn right!” Roman yelled but Remus rose to his feet and held out his hand. 

“You said you wouldn’t get angry,” Remus reminded. 

“I said I wouldn’t get angry if you weren’t my long lost twin.” Roman corrected. Remus sighed. He did say that. 

“What are you doing here?!” Roman yelled. Remus winced at the loud noise and covered his ears. 

“Aye, quiet would ya? I don’t need the whole school knowing about this.” Remus muttered, fiddling with a loose piece of thread on his jacket. Roman quieted down his tone but it was still filled with the same venom as when he was yelling. 

“What. The hell! Are you doing here?! Roman seethed. Remus licked his lips before answering. 

“Well, I was on my way to second period but then I accidentally tripped one of those assholes and spent the next five or so minutes getting chased around the school.” Remus explained, attempting to ease the tension. Roman did not find it funny. 

“I’m serious, Re." 

Time seemed to stop. That nickname, the old nickname Roman used to call him. No one is allowed to call him that anymore, not even De! It made Remus feel something that he didn’t particularly like. 

"I-I mean, Remus." 

"Yeah..yeah I know uhm. I got expelled from my last school for….a certain incident and De and I moved up here, to NC, to be closer to his family…also because I got expelled from almost every school in a 100 mile radius.” Remus rushed through the last part but Roman still got it. 

“So…so what you just went to this school to-to- I don’t even know! Rub it in my face! Humiliate me more than you already did? Mock me for being tricked by my brother!”

“No! Of course not! I didn’t even know you went here!” Remus defended, although a bit weakly. It seemed to go unnoticed by Roman. 

“And then you show up here-of all places! You haven’t even bothered trying to get into contact with me once since I left!.” Roman said. It felt like a kick in the gut to Remus but Roman didn’t seem to see that. Or if he did, he didn’t care. 

“I know tha-" 

"Do you know how long I waited? Just waiting for you to contact me? Tell me that you missed me-that you regret what you did- that you loved me- that you were safe?! Cus I had no idea if you had died or anything!,” Roman continued. Remus looked across the large auditorium guiltily. The rows of seats and the box seats on top. They all looked almost brand new and very…regal.

Damn, this school was rich. 

“Oh, nothing to say? Well maybe you’ll say something when I tell you that I had to go to therapy because of what you fucking did to me!” Tears had started to stream down Romans cheeks but he kept going. “Think about it? How traumatizing that is? Knowing that my twin- my brother, my only family- had gotten rid of me and didn’t even feel bad enough to send me a fucking emai-”

“I do too,” Remus whispered. 

Romans paused. 

“What?” he sneered. 

“I do too.” Remus said, louder. “Go to therapy, I mean. The guilt I felt, the nightmares I got…I didn’t know if you were okay and your last name changed- I couldn't  find you- then I got adopted and we moved to Florida and I just-…I gave up. On everything, actually. De got me therapy not long after ….” Remus trailed off. 

A range of emotions swimmed through Romans dark brown eyes. The same eyes that Remus possessed but they looked…older. Like he’d seen the universe crumble and couldn’t find it in himself to care. 

Remus probably looked much the same. 

“I-I…I have to go!" 

"Roman, wait!” but he had already jumped down from the stage and ran through the double doors and straight into the crowd of students.

Remus collapsed into a crying mess in the middle of the stage. Tears mixed with snot as they met at his chin and he didn’t bother to wipe it away. He just pulled out his phone and clicked the first contact. He held it up to his ear and waited. 

“Remus? Wha-”

“C-c-can you p-pick me up…” Remus stuttered, voice low. 

“What? Why? And why are you crying? Remus what ha-” the concern seemed high in the man’s voice and Remus felt bad for putting it there. Not bad enough to continue through the rest of the day though. 

“I-I…I wan-wanna go h-…h-home!” He pleaded, curling into himself as tightly as possible. It almost felt like a comforting hug. Almost. 

“Of…of course, darling. We can go home. I’ll pick you up in ten minutes so gather your things.”

“O-okay….I love you D-De.” Remus whispered, wiping away a few tears. They kept coming but at least he tried. 

“Of course. I love you too, Rem.” De hung up with a click. Remus lifted himself up from his folded position, wiped a few more tears, and headed towards his locker to grab the few things he brought. 

God, he wished he kicked those kids asses after all.

[lonelypond]

AU YEAH AUGUST: Café Quarantine, Part IV

Love Live, NicoMaki, 4.4K, 4/5

Summary: Nico's feeling better and the quarantine is about to end, but will the Café continue?

Chapter IV

Maki paused in the door of the kitchen. A masked Nico was prepping what looked like lasagna. Maki grinned. Nico had started objecting to takeout, insisting she could make better, healthier food.

“How were the donuts?” Nico asked, aware of Maki even turned away.

“Perfect.”

Nico snorted.

“Hey Nico.” Maki had woken up with an idea.

“Mmmm hmmm.” Nico hummed as she spread another layer of sauce.

“Why don’t you have your Mom bring your siblings over?”

Nico spun, sauce spilling across the counter.

“I mean, you can use the media room. I’ve got controllers enough for everybody to play MarioKart or something. I bet they miss you a lot. You shouldn’t be contagious.”

“You want to be beat at MarioKart by more people?” Nico aimed the spoon at Maki and flicked her wrist.

“Ha! You beat me once.” Then Maki shrugged, “I’d stay out of the way. I might still be asymptomatic.”

“Maki will be fine.” Nico said fiercely, surprising Maki.

“Probably.” Maki agreed, “Anyway, ask your Mom. She doesn’t work on the weekends, right? It’ll give them something to be excited about.” Maki zoomed off, while Nico was still processing the offer.

###

“No!!!” Maki roared at her phone while Hanayo’s not in any way innocent suggestion blinked there. It was time to pick another theme after three days of “Dames.” And Hanayo, probably with Rin giggling in the background had just sent a group text with the word “Kiss.” Sure Maki might have thought it to herself, maybe imagined singing “Prelude to A Kiss” or “Give Me A Kiss To Build A Dream One” but her private conversations in her own head were private, never to be shared or discussed in the same house as Nico.

No, no, no...this had to be stopped before Nico agreed. She typed quickly.

M: I thought Nico’s friend was going to dance. So wouldn’t dance be good? “

M: Or weather, I’ve been wanting to play “A Foggy Day in Londontown.”

N: Dance is good.

H: ಠ╭╮ಠ

Maki got a non group text from Rin.

R: Chicken.

M: This isn’t helping me, Rin.

R: (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ))

R: (っ˘зʕ•̫͡•ʔ

Maki stormed out of her own bedroom, hoping to avoid Nico, slamming the music room door, and settling down to play. Time to Beethoven the annoyance at nudge-y friends out of her system.

###

The Yaazawas were in the house. Maki had decided to stay upstairs, listening to music in her room, but the need for a snack and something to do drew her out. She was positive that the extra games she’d downloaded would keep them occupied all afternoon.

A quick cold slice of pizza for refueling and Maki decided to sneak past the media room to the music room. There were yells and laughter and Nico trash talking. She sounded happier than she had since the quarantine started. Soon, maybe tomorrow, she’d go back to her place. Maki moved away from the door quickly before anyone noticed her, but it wasn’t quickly enough.

“DR. MAKI!!!!!” A voice Maki didn’t recognize screamed and a small weight slammed into her before she reached the sanctuary of the music room. “You saved Nico. You’re the best doctor.”

Maki froze and looked down. She’d seen pictures of Nico’s siblings. This was the middle one, a girl, Cocoa. Nico said she was constantly in motion. Maki believed that because as light as Cocoa was, she’d started dragging Maki back down the hall, “C’mon, Nico says you love MarioKart. Play with me. Cocoro only wants to play dancing games.” Cocoa let go and looked up at Maki eagerly. Did Nico look like that when she was a preteen, she definitely still had that much energy now.

Maki stepped back, “I can’t. I still have a couple days before I can hang out with people.”

“Nico said you’re probably fine.” Cocoa kept bouncing.

“I don’t want to take any risks?”

Cocoa’s expression turned serious, “Are your parents making you? Nico said they were really serious about quarantining.”

Did Nico tell her siblings everything? What had she said about Maki? Maybe Maki should have lingered in the hall and eavesdropped.

“I have to go. Go have fun with Nico.”

Nico’s voice saved her, “C’mon Cocoa. Nico approves of Maki being extra careful. We’ll come back sometime when she’s not quarantining, right, Maki?”

“Sure. Any time.” Maki wondered what games Nico’s little brother was enjoying and if Nico was really into dance games and had never mentioned it. Rin and Hanayo could come over sometime and…

“Have fun.” Maki headed for the back door, thinking about too many things for music..

“Thanks, Dr. Maki!” Cocoa waved, Maki nodded.

###

No moon yet. Maybe Maki would stay out here until dark. Nico’s mom would be taking the littler ones home soon and then Nico would probably nap and then there was Café Quarantine. Dance. Hanayo had finally agreed to the dance theme and Maki had practiced “One Note Samba” late last night. Nico would be singing “I Won’t Dance” while Maki played. Maki was not in a duet mood. Not really in a music mood, but…

Nico’s voice again, “Are you all right?”

Maki shrugged.

“Nico made you masks with music notes. They’re in the laundry.”

“Thanks.” Maki closed her eyes, refusing to look at Nico, hands behind her head, “Can you get Cocoro and Cocoa to stop calling me Dr. Maki. I didn’t save you.”

“So it’s all right if Cotaro does?”

Maki ignored that. She heard Nico sit in the chair to her left, “Nico is really grateful. All the pizza delivery saved Nico cooking. And the acoustics here.” Nico whistled.

“It was the right thing to do.”

“Nico feels special.” A nip of sarcasm, Maki grinned.

“When are you leaving?”

“Nico is going to make sure Maki is well.”

“I’ll be fine. You don’t have to stay for me.”

“You’ll have to swing by Nico’s apartment. We can do a Café Quarantine from there, but Nico doesn’t have a piano. I could borrow a keyboard. We could set up a little corner, it won’t be as fancy as your house, but people will…”

“This isn’t my house.”

Silence.

Nico was great at reading a room, at sensing what her audience, whether a customer or a drinking, dancing crowd wanted to hear, wanted to share. But not this one single person. Not Maki. If her knowledge of Maki was a mansion, Nico had only spent time on the ground floor and Maki had fled to the roof or the yard, having conversations with the stars in long silences that Nico watched from a distance. Nico knew there was a key, a way to understand Maki, but right now, her only guess was more time and Maki relaxing enough to trust her. So Nico went back to practical. And the thing they’d had in common at the first.

“Nico will almost be glad to get back to the coffee shop. Nico hasn’t slept this many hours since she was a baby, a very cute baby, but it’ll be nice to have…”

“I’m glad for you.” Maki tried not to snap, then opened her eyes, Nico was watching, almost too near, her expression curious, worried. Questions Maki didn’t want to hear gathered. Maki stood, “The samba needs more work. I’m glad your family’s having fun.”

“Maki?” Nico sounded hurt at Maki’s rush to leave. Maki wondered how she’d feel when Maki stopped showing up at the coffee shop. Would it be a relief? An answer Maki didn’t want right now. Scowling as a puzzled Nico stared, Maki didn’t acknowledge the invitation to talk, instead she fled upstairs, crushed a pillow to her chest, and buried tears before anyone could hear them.

###

Maki had lost the argument. Nico was back in the music room, in a tight, tight so so short little black dress that was going to interfere with Maki’s ability to read music if she glanced Nico’s way at all. And Maki suspected Nico knew that, from the teasing, take no prisoners twinkle in the ruby cannons. Which led to their first disagreement, Nico finding Maki’s trousers and open lilac linen shirt not nearly dressy enough.

“How does it look when the pianist doesn’t meet the dress code?” Nico pouted.

“There are no customers, Nico. We’re not sticking people in ties when they show up at the door. It’s just us.”

“And the camera. And the principle. Nico runs a classy place.” Nico spun, she was still wearing her mask, “Didn’t you say you enjoyed Hanayo harassing you. Well, now that I’m feeling better, you get in person service.”

“I didn’t ask for” Maki sneered, “In person service.”

“Nico knows what people want.”

“I want comfort.” Maki rolled up her sleeves. “It’s been a long day.”

“And you weren’t chasing kids around, which is tiring, if you didn’t know, so give Nico a break. And a perq,”

“A perq?”

“Nico is eye candy.” Nico waved her hands, showcasing her very well put together aesthetic, Maki completely caught by the curve of a calf. “Where’s Nico’s treat?”

Maki sat at the piano and the opening notes of “I Won’t Dance” filled the room.

“All right, that is a treat. And Nico appreciates it. But why don’t you match the music.”

Maki set her jaw, pivoted so she was facing Nico, who was now taller than her, which was very weird when you’re used to towering over the tiny tempest and now this set of stellar, torn from distant galaxies gems was dangerously close for the molten lava temps they were throwing off, “So I have to pretty up to be appreciated?”

Nico’s mouth opened and closed, like chewing gum was happening instead of speaking, and then a flood of charm and apology rushed Maki as Nico’s hands seemingly tried to sculpt the gown she wanted Maki to wear in the air between them. “Nico didn’t mean that at all. Maki’s doing Nico so many favors and you’ve had so much fun dressing up, Nico can tell, Maki’s so classy, surely there’s a little black dress in your closet…

Maki raised a hand, “That is a lovely dress.” She fidgeted with her collar. “I may, just may, be slightly underdressed so I’ll see what I can find.”

“Ooohh, Nico can help.”

“No.”

Nico sat on the piano bench, wondering if Maki was going to go for a gown or a cocktail dress. Most of Maki’s gowns were off the shoulder, so that would definitely be...Nico sighed, pointless fantasies unless Nico spoke up. Obviously, Maki was losing interest in the audience she had here.

Maki came back with a tuxedo jacket and a fedora, her smirk daring Nico to say something. Nico pulled a rose out of the floral arrangement in the hallway and handed it to Maki, who blushed so adorably Nico wanted to kiss the tip of her nose.

And then without any more talk, the evening’s Café started.

This is just a little samba built upon a single note Other notes are bound to follow but the root is still that note Now this new one is the consequence of the one we've just been through As I'm bound to be the unavoidable consequence of you

Nico was singing, showing surprising verve and vigor in the quick steps of her dance as she swayed into "the unavoidable consequence of you” That summed up Nico nicely, Maki thought. The Brazilian songs seemed to suit her, maybe that was why Maki kept coming back to them. Lively, vibrant, 24/7, a bossa nova beauty of complex harmonies twisting through an irresistible rhythm that was beginning to be the constant, too rapid default beating of Maki’s heart. “Estou com saudades de você” the Brazilians said. “I miss you soon” Maki thought, an inexact translation, but one that carried the feeling of the ease with Nico that she’d barely had and the loss of proximity that would derail any chance their connection would grow.

Nico came up behind Maki, the sudden proximity a fever of its own, and Maki felt fingers stroke through her hair, stealing her fedora, and then quicksilver Nico was back at the camera, for her audience. It was growing every night, Nico’s recovery spiking viral likes and comments. Hanayo was about to start selling branded masks and fuzzy socks.

Nico said something, then the camera was off, and Nico’s complete attention was on Maki. So Maki ducked, taking cover in the samba again, singing

There's so many people who can talk And talk and talk and just say nothing Or nearly nothing I have used up all the scale I know And at the end I've come to nothing Or, nearly nothing

Nico laughed, “The unavoidable consequence of Nico, huh?”

Maki grinned, “I didn’t say it.”

“No.” Nico was behind Maki, her hands sliding down Maki’s jacket, playing a quick, almost right chord as she softly sang in Maki’s ear.

So, I come back to my first note as I must come back to you I will pour into that one note all the love I feel for you Any one who wants the whole Show-Re-Mi Fa-So-La-Ti-Do He will find himself with no show Better play the note you know

Maki in a daring move, slid her hands under Nico’s and played the finish.

Now was the time, “I’m quitting the coffee shop, Nico.”

Nico risked a quick, loose hug, “Yeah, your parents probably would not like you being that exposed. You’ll be in Princess in a Tower mode.”

“I’m an adult, Nico.” Maki could have cried for the wavery betrayal of her voice, “I’m going to turn 21.”

“Don’t drink your way through Chicago. Trust Nico.” Nico stepped back.

“Why? What did you do?” Maki spun to face Nico.

“You’re still too young for that story...when’s your birthday? Nico will bake you a cake.”

“Next week”

“What’s your favorite flavor. Besides pizza.”

Maki shrugged.

“What are you going to do when you’re not working? Coronavirus kinda closed colleges. Did you pick a major?” Nico had settled into the farthest corner of the couch. Maki took a quick look, but the legs were too distracting, and Nico’s exquisite profile looked even sharper with the weight of serious thought shadowing perfect angles. Maki thought she might swoon.

“I have a plan.”

“Tell Nico.”

Maki shook her head, turning back to the piano as she blushed.

“C’mon tell Nico."

Maki began to play. A random song. Maki had been listening to the NYC Jazz Quartet and Vocalist Naski Young Cho. “Paris Match” had been looping. Maki could hear the lyrics in her head so she started singing.

As I tread the boulevard floor Will I see once more; Because you've clouded my mind 'Till then I'm biding my time I'm only sad in a natural way And I enjoy sometimes feeling this way The gift you gave is desire The match that started my fire Empty nights with nothing to do I sit and think, every thought is for you; I get so restless and bored So I go out once more; I hate to feel so confined I feel like I'm wasting my time

Maybe not so random a choice. Maki pushed back from the piano, shaking her head. Too many fever/fire/heat analogies. Good thing she wasn’t a painter or there would be rubies and lava and flames licking every wall she could put paint to. Instead, she put that excess in every note she had the energy to play and then hoped to collapse into dreamless sleep.

“What was the name of that song?” Nico’s voice was quiet.

“Paris Match.”

“That’s on the playlist with that NYC Jazz quartet Korean singer you’ve been listening to, what was her name?”

“Naski Young Cho.”

“Her style works for you?”

Nico wasn’t going to ask about the lyrics. General music questions were safe. Maki yawned, starting to relax. “She’s all right. Had to get used to her voice a little.”

“Did you have to get used to Nico’s?”

“No.”

A hand was suddenly gentle on Maki’s shoulder and Nico’s voice was stripped of all affectation, caring, honest, “You’re not wasting your time with music, Maki.”

Maki’s shrug was the smallest of gestures, but Nico’s hand squeezed gently in response. Another yawn.

“C’mon, Chopin, let’s get you to bed.”

“Satie.”

“The weird French guy? Okay, Ms. Surreal, tell Nico your melting clock dreams over breakfast.”

Not if they were anything like the last ones she remembered, Nico in a costume stolen from Cabaret or Chicago. Should anyone think about fishnets that fondly? Maki let Nico push her toward the stairs. When had she last actually slept for longer than a couple of hours? Maybe, giving in to the weariness closing her eyes, would reset her mood. A mood reset, to one less incendiary, was essential.

###

Maki was eating cereal, watching SheRa, and not thinking about Nico or anything. Chewing. Just chewing. She’d been ignoring Rin and parent texts all morning. Nico would probably be leaving soon and then it would be time for Maki to take that step. But right now, this was a pocket of time when she was living in a space where Nico’s voice could be heard and she was going to treasure every minute of that. Netossa...Maki grinned as the character teased and challenged her wife.

“Hey Maki!” Nico fell over the back of the couch, a controlled trajectory, startling Maki and causing her cereal bowl to spill onto the table. Nico dropped her head on Maki’s shoulders, eyes mischievous, “This is too much fun.”

Maki stood up, but Nico pulled her back down, leaning forward with a dish towel, “Nico came prepared.”

“Um...we shouldn’t be…” Maki started.

“Nico is fine. And chock full of antibodies so Maki couldn’t give it to me if you tried.”

“No one knows how it works, Nico.” Maki slid further down the cushion.

“No, but that’s a pretty good guess. Nico did research, talked to her doctor.”

“Papa told you…”

“Well, I didn’t ask your father if it was okay if I made his daughter jump off the couch, squealing, no, but we went over the basics.”

“Oh.”

Silence and then Nico sounding nervous, “Nico’s going to go back to her apartment tomorrow. If you come over, Nico will cook dinner and we can duet.”

Maki didn’t know what to say. Nico was leaving. No more nights like last night. Maki alone again. Nico off with her friends, her family, doing all the thousand things, without Maki, that Nico had done before this quarantine.

“Maki? Did you hear me?” Nico poked Maki’s shoulder, her expression comic hurt.

Maki shook her head, forcing herself to look more thoughtful than morose. “I can’t just put the piano in my pocket.”

“Eli has a keyboard we can borrow. Since dancing didn’t work out last night, we’ll try it when we’re all in one location.”

Maki fidgeted. “I’m not comfortable with…”

“Eli’s been careful. Nico has windows.”

Maki shut off the screen. “There’s so many variables. And no way to know if anyone’s been exposed.” Maki rubbed her forehead. “This was the easiest part, wasn’t it.”

Turns out Nico had a not smiley tone. “Not for Nico.”

“Sorry. I guess it got pretty rough”

“It was. Don’t catch it.”

“You seem so much better. I’m glad. ” Maki smiled, reaching for her bowl, put the dish towel in it, “I’m going to make coffee. Want some?”

“Sounds good. And then we have to decide on tonight’s songs.”

“I’m tired of themes.” Maki announced as she left the room.

“Well, then talk to your cute, pushy friend who texts Nico 100 times a day about them.”

“I think I lost her number.”

Nico snorted and hurried Maki down the hall.

##

“Are we moving Café Quarantine to Brazil” Nico sounded exasperated. “If you really want to play this “Desafinado” tune, Nico’s choice doesn’t really go. What’s the title mean?”

“Out of tune.” Maki completely concentrated on her piano, hoping Nico’s questions would end there. She didn’t really want a discussion of lyrics.

“Nico is not out of tune.”

“That’s not what…” Maki played several chords, “Anyway, I’m going to play the instrumental, you don’t have to worry about it.”

“But Nico wants to keep the mood,” Nico was flopped on her stomach on the couch, staring at Maki, “It’s a good mood. Nico likes it, but Nico knows Brazilian coffee not this…why are you in this mood?”

“Samba smooth...it makes me smile.” Maki stopped playing, staring at Nico. ”Might work really well for you too, the melody’s playful, simple, I’d be doing most of the work…”

“The accompanist underestimates the amount of personality Nico adds.”

Trust me I don’t, Maki thought, but she rolled her eyes at Nico

“There’s a few more I’ve been practicing...I could print out lyrics for you…” Maki paused, “It would be a challenge to learn it before tonight.”

“Not for Nico.”

Maki chuckled, “Give me 5 minutes.”

Nico flipped, laying on her back, “Then you’ll have to keep up with Nico. You’re used to Not Well Nico. Full speed Nico is going to knock you out.”

Maki could only hope for a soft landing.

###

Maki had played “Desafinado”, with Nico fidgeting and gleaming like she was up to something. As soon as Maki was finished, Nico was in front of the camera, applauding madly.

“Maki’s just the best, right. Nico’s been so lucky to have in house music like this while she was healing. Nico’s been spoiled.”

Maki watched suspiciously as Nico continued to bounce. They were supposed to go right into the duet but Maki got the feeling improvisation was about to happen.

“Mak’s obviously been missing coffee and Nico so she’s been playing all these bossa nova songs for her beautiful boss”

Maki snorted.

“But Nico’s about to head home,” Nico paused, “Don’t worry Café Quarantine will continue, Nico would miss it too much, and Nico doesn’t want anyone coughing like…” Nico’s energy dipped for a moment, then Nico recovered, “But we’re all going to take care of each other and be fine, Nico insists.”

“Can I start playing?” Maki drawled.

Nico turned and GLARED, “Nico is giving a pep talk.”

Eye roll.

“Maki’s nicer than she pretends.” Nico announced to the camera, “but you’ve been watching her play, you know that.”

“Nico.”

“Since our piano genius has been in a Rio mood, Nico recorded Maki playing this song and will now add words.”

The intro to "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" began and Nico sang with a gentle longing that surprised Maki, who would have loudly disagreed that Nico knew anything about quiet anything.

Quiet nights of quiet stars Quiet chords from my guitar Floating on the silence that surrounds us

Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams Quiet walks by quiet streams…

### Maki wanted to just sit and inhale the mood in the room after the last note, the quiet, calm, the connection, but of course, it didn’t last for long. “And now we have one more song for tonight.” With a wink and her soon to be patented not quite devil horns gesture, Nico tossed the audience back to Maki, which caused Maki to fumble for a minute. She’d been sitting, caught up in this rare glimpse of reserved Nico.

But now she had to focus, roll her shoulders down, dash into the first verse Someone to hold me tight That would be very nice Someone to love me right That would be very nice Someone to understand Each little dream in me Someone to take my hand And be a team with me

And then Nico joined in. So nice, life would be so nice If one day I'd find Someone who would take my hand And samba through life with me

And Maki dropped out, the rhythm making her think that perhaps she should be dancing with Nico rather than the piano. This song seemed to cry out for more responsiveness than resonance. Someone to cling to me Stay with me right or wrong Someone to sing to me Some little samba song Someone to take my heart And give her heart to me Someone who's ready to Give love a start with me Oh yeah, that would be so nice I could see you and me, that would be nice

What the hell Maki thought, stood up and offered her hand to Nico. So nice, life would be so nice If one day I'd find Someone who would take my hand And samba through life with me

Nico was a sure, steady dancer, obviously hearing the song in her head as she and Maki stepped quickly around the music room, laughing. Nico slowed down when they passed in front of the camera.

“I think we’re sambaing down to Rio. Good night!”And Nico stopped recording without really interrupting the flow of their dance.

“It’s too bad you didn’t listen to Nico’s ‘wear a bikini for the full Brazilian effect’ suggestion.” Nico smirked.

Maki started to stiffen, but just kept moving to the music in her head. She didn’t really need to answer Nico, did she?

“So can we start the ‘Kiss’ theme week tomorrow?” Nico had pulled Maki closer. “Both your pushy friends keep telling me it’s the only thing to do next.”

“Are they?”

Nico nodded.

“They are pushy.”

“But cute. And Nico doesn’t really mind.” A hesitation, Nico was glowing, Maki suddenly wanted a room full of candles and a pianist sensitive to the mood ready to slide easily into the next song. It was so easy with music, to build the mood, to know the next note, the next step, the next song. “Do you?”

Had Maki dropped out of the conversation again. “Do I what?”

“Mind if it’s Kiss?”

“You don’t mean the band, right? Hanayo’s a little too fond of metal for me. But Rin just headbangs along.”

Nico stopped. “You’re terrible at mood. How do you play the piano so well?”

Maki shrugged.

Nico almost threw up her arms, but Maki caught them and pulled Nico closer, “I don’t mind.”

No candles, no music, no warning, but Maki suddenly knew what was next. And Nico was just close enough, just looking up enough, deep banked embers glowing in her eyes just inviting enough. Maki blanked, and then Nico was a blurry warmth, close enough that Maki could feel the smoothness of a cheek, and Maki was going in for a second kiss before she even noticed the first.

A/N: There will be a brief epilogue.

And @auyeahaugust is almost finished. Thanks again for the inspiration. And now to get back to my fics in progress. 

[theawkwardterrier]

things left behind and the things that are ahead, ch. 41

AO3 link here

Although it doesn’t exactly happen often, Tony isn’t taken totally by surprise when his uncle Steve calls and says that he’ll be in the city next week and would like to have lunch. Steve makes it up to New York every few months to visit Rose or Bucky and Layla, to spend time with Maria. Sometimes he comes through on his way to visit Her Honor and family in Boston or on the way home again. He and Tony are more likely to see each other at bigger group occasions like holidays and celebrations (or funerals, though Tony puts that out of his mind; his mom still lives on her own, takes elegant care of herself, and is spry and sharp as hell despite being past her eightieth birthday) but Steve’s always been a family man, committed to keeping in touch with everyone. Tony and Pepper just received a hand-illustrated card from him on their anniversary a couple weeks back, and the one he sent Jude, decorated with multicolored trumpeting elephants, still has nightstand pride of place even though most of the actual birthday presents have been relegated back to the toy chest.

He tells Steve this as they sit down to lunch together in the cafe on the ground floor of the Stark Industries building, and it actually brings out a smile. Ruby and Trent from VR are passing by the table and double take seeing it, both automatically smiling back. It’s on the tip of Tony’s tongue to say something about how ol’ Steve’s still got it, but that’s a particular sort of smart remark that belongs to a time before Peggy passed.

(Although it’s been several years now, no one has even suggested that Steve look for some companionship or try one of those senior dating sites. The man talks about filling his days with gardening and book club and volunteering, regularly spending time with Emma and Nate and whichever of the grandkids and great-grandkids live locally, but he doesn’t or maybe can’t hide the crater left without his wife by his side. When Tony pictures Steve in the Maryland house these days, he has to stop because he somehow always imagines a single plate at the kitchen table and a tick-tick-ticking in the background: the hallway grandfather clock that he can’t remember ever actually paying attention to, overwhelmed as it always has been by conversation during family gatherings hosted there. The whole thing makes him sad as hell.)

As they start in on their first course, a butternut squash bisque - yes, there’s a first course; this place is damn classy - Steve asks about Tony’s kids, and he’s only too happy to whip out his phone and show off pictures (and then video, but who’s keeping score?) first of Jude all dressed up as a chef in the When We Grow Up-themed kindergarten end of year play, then of AJ’s science fair display, zooming in on all the aspects including the bright blue second place ribbon. He even shows off Morgan’s latest choice for their two-person book club, which he has in ebook and audio. The whole time, Steve watches him with a strange sort of expression, clearly taking in the information, asking questions, smiling at Tony’s stories, but with some odd barrier up.

“It’s Wednesday,” Tony mentions as they take the first bites from their slices of cake. “If you can stick around until 3:30, I’m sure they’d love to see you.”

He’s continued the tradition from his youth, bringing his own kids into the office at least once a week starting even before they could walk. Those are some of his best childhood memories, sitting on lab stools with his father and brainstorming ways to make interesting explosions, his feet dangling two feet above the floor, having his dad look over at him in meetings and say, “So, what do you think, Tony?” Walking home, lunch bag swinging, his small hand clasped in a larger one to help him safely across the streets, waving to Jarvis as they went upstairs to build block towers together. Sometimes he’d do his homework when there was paperwork to take care of, and it was always a laugh to ask for help with history or French (“Call me when you’re learning about Newton or Tesla,” Dad used to protest. “And don’t even tell your mother that you asked me about anything in French.”) He hopes that he’s passing on the same type of memories.

“I think we should see how today goes,” says Steve. He smiles again and Tony wants to squint at it, hold it beneath the microscope, it’s such a complicated looking thing: that pure, good-hearted happiness, but with pain and nostalgia and something that might be doubt quirking at the edges. Not entirely unusual for him over the last few years, but Tony’s starting to suspect that Uncle Steve has more secrets than just the Captain America thing and that he might be about to find one out.

The Captain America thing: even though it’s put to bed now, if Tony thinks about it, he can still feel the...not even irritation, but hurt, from when he’d found out.

It had been Pepper who started it, after they’d dated for a bit, when he’d suggested starting to bring her to family things. She’d met his parents, the Barnses, Steve and Peggy and their kids, at various functions or at the office over the years, but when it had been time to introduce her as his girlfriend, she’d wanted to prepare. She’d asked questions and gathered information, profiled everyone, and the more she’d delved, the fewer answers he’d realized he had. He remembered that Peggy and Steve got together five years or so after the war, but had also grown up hearing their stories - and Bucky’s, and his dad’s - from working together during the war. He could trace Howard and Peggy between the SSR and forming SHIELD, but Steve and Bucky were completely off the map.

Finally, on the Fourth of July, after he’d had a couple of drinks and watched Peggy kiss Steve’s cheek and hand him a cupcake with a single candle, the way she did each Independence Day Tony had been with them for no reason he could fathom, he’d just asked. His mother had placed a hand on his arm, and Peggy said, “Ah.” But he’d watched Steve, took in the way he’d leaned forward and clasped his hands together before he said, “Listen, Tony.”

When the words were finally in the charcoal-scented air around them, he wasn’t exactly surprised by them, they added up, but he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t been told. It had grown even worse when he’d cornered Drea asking about it and she’d said that her father had sat them down and told them all decades before, while Tony was still in high school, and that Tony hadn’t been a part of that. As if everyone had just decided that they didn’t need to tell him. As if there had been the whole family, knowing this, and then him, alone.

Steve claimed responsibility, apologized right. He always did: “I handled it badly. I should have told you earlier, personally. I know it made you feel excluded.” And Tony had forgiven him, had even forgiven the rest of the Carters after talking more with Drea and then the others. After he’d heard how hurt she’d been, too, finding out that her father with whom she’d shared so much had this part of his life about which she knew nothing, as if she’d barely known him; how she’d burrowed in with the information, trying to puzzle through it, come to grips with the way it changed and didn’t change her whole past. They told him the story of how Rose shattered her wine glass in the middle of the restaurant when Steve had first said it and that every time she spoke to her parents for the next month, she’d interrogate them and wind up yelling. All these years later, Emma still seemed to let the fact of it slide out of her mind. Her life is picket fences and politics, and it is as if she doesn't want it to sink in, this other and simultaneous identity of her father.

(Tony’s actually seen Nate bring it up casually - “Oh, is that the time when you and the Commandos were in France?” or asking about growing up with a host of chronic conditions - but there are plenty of reasons why Nate Carter and Tony are different and that’s just one.)

Even though the splinter of the secret has been removed, healed over, there’s still an odd reminder of it, a feeling of trepidation, as he and Steve take the elevator up. He almost stops at Pepper’s floor to say hello, push off a little longer whatever might be coming, but he knows that she has a meeting, and he’ll have to handle whatever it is anyway.

The lights flip on as they walk in, and Tony absently says, “Thanks, TESLA,” as he gestures Steve over to one of the work benches. He does have an actual desk and the old computer parts he has spread out aren’t repair priorities, aren’t really anything more than something to play around with, but he has the feeling he’s going to want to do something with his hands while they get down to business.

“So,” Tony says as Steve brings over a chair, “what’s going on?”

Steve sits before he speaks. He touches the cool top of the table with the tips of his fingers. He says, very carefully, “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Ten minutes later, Tony has pushed the broken computer away and rested his hands flat on the table. “Time travel,” he says flatly. “You need help with time travel.”

“The time travel I have worked out,” Steve says, infuriatingly calm. “Or, it was worked out for me. It’s the reality hopping part in particular that I thought I’d ask you about. And I might need you to dip into the old lab storage for some Pym particles.”

“Pym—” Tony starts disbelievingly, then shakes his head, adding, “And of course you want to go to Greenland,” like the teacher’s pet giving a reminder about the homework assignment.

Steve actually glances down before he forces his gaze back up. “I don’t have to go - I have the coordinates, and the land is yours - but I’d like to...It feels wrong to just send someone without any ceremony.”

“Course it does,” Tony mutters, almost laughing. It doesn’t even occur to him that Steve’s not telling the truth - Steve’s not a liar, and nowhere close to senile - but the whole thing is ridiculous. He picks up an old Starkbook and a screwdriver again, cracking open the back in rapid twists. “You’re telling me that you’re actually a version of a Steve Rogers from another reality who traveled back in time seventy years ago, that the original Steve Rogers is still frozen in an iceberg while you lived an entire life, fiddled around with the timeline, and now you need to pop back over to where you came from for what? A quick chat? Sunday dinner?”

“To say goodbye.” Steve doesn’t say it as an admonishment. His words are quiet, almost internal. “I have people there who meant a lot to me, who mean a lot to me, and even if I’ve run into versions of them here, accidentally or on purpose, it’s not the same. They deserve to know what happened.” He doesn’t even meet Tony’s eye. Tony somehow feels chastised anyway. He swallows.

“Who knows about this?” he asks, a little more softly this time.

“Bucky knows some of what might have happened.” Tony almost starts to demand what exactly the some of it might be, but then Steve adds, “Your father knew that I’d come back. I’m not sure whether he told your mother.”

Tony twists the screwdriver hard enough that he almost strips the screw. “Seventy years ago, you showed up and told my dad you’d come from another time, but what, you didn’t trust him enough to tell him more than that?” His voice drops, fierce and low, as the next screw is released too quickly and with too much force, pinging off the table and getting lost beneath. “As if the two of you were perfect, as if you could be objective about everything, take care of it all. Saint Steve and Blessed Peggy. It must have been you and her, you would have told her everything so she could have worked it from the inside—”

Steve barks, “Tony,” suddenly on his feet, and it occurs to Tony that Steve might actually be able to beat him up, despite being...God, he can’t even track how old at this point, but certainly old enough for it to be embarrassing.

“Don’t talk about Peggy like that.” Steve’s voice is softer now but bitten to the quick. “I know I’ve just put a lot on you, and you can yell at me all you want for being arrogant or dishonest, whatever you’d like, but just...Not about her, alright?”

Aunt Peg would have given him that quiet, cold, imperious look if she were with them now. Tony pushes back on his heels thinking of it. And if his dad were here...he’d probably say that he trusted Steve and Peggy and didn’t trust himself enough to know these things. There had never been any sign that Howard Stark had been unfaithful in his marriage, and Tony hopes that his mother would have left if there had been, but Tony remembers the unconscious, appreciative way his father’s eyes would follow a pretty woman across the room at a party, his head turning quickly there and back again in the street, a habit he couldn’t seem to break, like his cigars and his whiskey, all those late nights, those flares of temper. If you couldn’t avoid those little weaknesses, you couldn’t let yourself be in charge of knowing the future, much less changing it.

“Wait,” says Tony, something catching up with him, snagging in his throat. “Wait. Why wouldn’t you have warned him about the heart attack? If you knew, if you’d already been changing stuff, why didn’t you tell him to go to a doctor, get imaging, just eat better, shit.”

“There are things,” says Steve, “that even I don’t know. I didn’t know that he would die that way, Tony, I swear. The first...In the other timeline, he died earlier, and differently.” He slides his hands into his pockets, and the quiet strength of him is obvious as he meets Tony’s eyes instead of glancing away. “But I did tell him to eat better anyway.”

Steve had been a statue at the funeral, Tony remembers that. He’d thought that it was because of the suddenness, Howard grappling to host that year’s Thanksgiving dinner one minute and gone the next, or because the guys from the war had started to pass recently and it hurt to see your old friends going, the ones who had been there for so long, who held your youth, shared your memories. Later, he’d even wondered if Steve had held himself so still and silent because Tony was trembling and needed someone to lean on; Steve had certainly let him do that, no matter what else was going on. But now he peers differently at the memory of the tight clutch of Steve and Peggy’s hands, the way Steve had said, “I’m so sorry, Tony,” at the graveside, not only condolence but apology - he sees the guilt in it now, the burden.

Tony hooks a chair with his foot and drops into it. “Okay,” he says, scrubbing both palms over his face. “Okay. Tell me what you can.”

And as Steve begins to speak, he starts to understand not only how deep this one man’s collapse might have been but how deep the world’s too. War and the lightly done destruction of the planet, Bucky taken and tortured, Hydra - Hydra, which was from history textbooks, which was a sidebar in history textbooks - beneath everything, and then...

“Half the universe,” he says, turning over the words in his mouth. A minute ago he didn’t even know for sure that there was more than their little corner to consider (and he definitely has a few more questions for Steve about aliens). Now he tries to picture individual blades of grass on other planets, all the disappeared foxes and ferns and pets and coral, animals he doesn’t know and can’t describe. The people, even if he might not recognize them as such right away. The parents and children.

For just a second he imagines Pepper and their kids, the idea of one or two or three or all of them disappearing, but has to cut off even the conjured thought; the shrapnel gasp of it is too much and he rubs his knuckles over his chest to try to erase the horror of it. He tries to think through just the logistics of it all: what if he’d gone and after three years or four Pep had married someone else? Who was she really married to and who was she expected to divorce? What if someone adopted your kids? Jesus, the therapists would have full schedules if nothing else, because even if it was reversed, it had happened. Somewhere out there, all that had happened.

He shakes his head, twitchy. “Even with what you came back knowing, how could you be sure that the strings you were pulling on were the right ones, the ones that would help things?”

Steve gives a single-beat laugh. “I’ve spent nearly twice your lifetime wondering.” He shifts his body and the light - not the bright lab fixtures but that high, brilliant sun coming through the windows, a reminder that it is still only midafternoon - edges onto his face just so, revealing the sharp cut of time landscaping his cheeks and forehead, running beside his eyes, tied tightly around his mouth.

“Peggy and I talked about it all forever. I think we did what we could, did well enough even if it sometimes didn’t seem like it. But I also think that there’s probably a world out there where we did it all better.”

“Then there’s probably a world out there where you did it worse,” Tony offers, and somehow it makes Steve smile.

“From what I’ve seen, I’d bet that there’s a version for every decision you can imagine. One where I didn’t go back, or one where I went back and only told Peggy where to look in the ice but didn’t stay. One where I never went into the ice at all. One where I died as a kid, or from the serum, or in the war, or during the crash. A whole bunch, probably, where Dr. Erskine decided to give Peggy the serum instead.” His voice grows quiet; he seems to hold the words close. “One where she wore blue to our wedding instead of white, and one where she wore red. One where she became president, and one where she decided she’d finished with meetings and went back to being an agent. One where we decided not to have any kids, and one where she was able to carry them, and one where we adopted some other kids who some other me loves just as much as I do mine.”

They sit in silence for a moment, then: “Have you told them about this?” Tony asks. “Will you?”

A sigh, and Tony remembers with a strange, electric chill that this man - Uncle Steve, Grant Carter, Captain America, Steve Rogers - this man will one day die, lifetime strung against lifetime finally at an end.

“Your life,” Steve says, “turned out in many ways the same. Here or there: smart and wealthy, philanthropist, father. I can’t say for certain that it would be the same for my kids. And I know that they’re strong people, and I hope that I’ve helped them find solid foundations, but I don’t know that I can torture them with the idea of what might have been, of what might be, somewhere out there.”

Tony thinks suddenly of standing with Rose at some family thing, probably three or four years back. He’d asked if she ever considered what might have been if she’d been made a judge. Fairly insensitive, he realized now - it had been pretty soon after they’d found out that Drea had been on the shortlist to replace Justice Ginsburg - but Rose had just cackled gleefully. He remembers turning his head at the sound: her mother was already dying - truly dying, not only the sort that starts the day someone is born - and it had been a while since he’d heard one of the Carters laugh freely like that. Her eyes had a delighted razor’s edge to them, and he’d sort of understood how opposing counsel must feel when Rose Carter showed up for a meeting.

“They’d have to have stopped caring about judges keeping any claim to objectivity,” she had said. “But think of how I’d run my courtroom, all those acidic opinions I could write!” She’d cackled again. “Imagine that sort of alternate universe.”

One part of Tony, a part that sounds quite a lot like Steve himself, considers rigorous honesty, the lies by kind omission that can poison things just as easily as those meant maliciously. But another part, the side of him that sneaks dollar bills beneath the pillow for each lost tooth, that smooths sweaty, rumpled hair and says, “I’m here, don’t worry, I’ll always be here” during storms or after nightmares, the part that hesitated before placing Morgan, not yet two weeks old, into Steve’s arms, even as he felt that he might remember being held securely there himself, the part of him that’s a parent...that part understands.

She’ll turn seventy in a couple of years, Rose Carter. What purpose will it serve to tell her this, to have her wonder not only about worlds where she might have been a judge, but those where she never became a lawyer, never found her career or her family, where she might have been raised by people with different ideas about how to handle an incandescently angry child or a young woman who had no interest in romance, worlds where she was never taken in at all? What need is there to tell her, to tell all the Carters, if it meant turning those thoughts from something coming across the brain for a second, easily brushed aside, to true possibilities, if not for them than for some other version out there?

Finding out that their father had once upon a time gone by another name, that he had been more than the average soldier during the war, those things might require some adjustment, but this life, their life together, their memories, remained largely the same. This could turn the entire universe to quicksand.

Tony clears his throat. “I’m guessing whatever—” He waves a hand. “Your supersuit, or your time machine, the TARDIS...it’s not with you here?”

“No,” says Steve. “I didn’t want it to get misplaced on the train.”

As if it’s just another piece of luggage and he didn’t want to set them up for some sort of hijinks. “Okay, well, I’m coming down to meet with the NSF in a couple of weeks. I’ll swing by to take a look then.”

“Thank you. That sound goo—”

Steve is cut off by TESLA’s voice, bright and warm and synthetic. “Reminder: it is 3:20. Please cease working and prepare to greet the children.”

“I can go before they get here,” Steve offers, standing.

“What, you’re gonna scale the side of the building, old man?” The words arrive without Tony thinking about them. Even as he has a sense of unreality, trying to let himself have both the life he did two hours ago and this new concept of everything, he shrugs into the familiarly smart remark like an old coat that turns out to still fit.

Tony stands too, comes closer, places a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “I told you, the kids’ll love to see you.”

“Alright,” and even though it sounds a little shaky and sad, Steve’s smile looks real.

As TESLA reports that the kids are in the elevator on the way up, accompanied by their babysitter, Pepper’s niece Callie, Tony thinks to ask, “How did you know that I’d help you?”

Steve’s smile turns deeper, somehow more amused and more sad at once. “You helped me then, over there,” he says. “And you’d punched me quite a bit more than you have here.”

“Wait,” says Tony, turning toward him. “What?” But the doors open just then, Jude and AJ racing each other in, shrieking in endlessly delighted purposelessness, Mo coming more sedately after them, eyes big and observant behind those new glasses, and Tony just opens his arms to them all.

More chapters here

[jungcupid-archive]

miraculous, the luckiest! (but not up to the test, like at all)

pairing: jungkook x jimin

summary: in which they’re both superheroes (ladybug and cat noir, to be exact)

a/n: in the show, ladybug has the power to call on a lucky charm to conjure an object and cat noir has cataclysm which enables him to destroy anything he touches with one hand. they’re both powers used towards the end of a fight. the fight is against civilians who have been “akumatized” (their negative emotions have drawn butterflies called akumas towards them and they turn into supervillains). ladybug also has this yo-yo that helps her swing from place to place like spiderman. cat noir has a metal baton that extends. to defeat the villain, the pair must destroy the akumatized object and purify the akuma. 

+

   God, it was embarrassing enough having to wear a bright red spandex leotard with black spots while trying to save Seoul from complete and utter destruction, but now that Jimin has a fucking hard-on it seems that it’s not going to take long until his face blends into his outfit.

    Who even makes a super-suit out of spandex? Jimin doesn’t know, but he wants to find them and be his own hero for once by wrapping his fingers around their neck.

     A huge crowd of people have gathered below his feet, and although he has more pressing matters he should probably request divinely assistance for, he prays that they don’t notice his boner first. Oh, and that they don’t find a way to film it. You can never be too safe with advanced zoom-in technology, Jimin had discovered after someone had snapped a picture of his leotard bunched between his ass-cheeks. He’d been swinging through the city and someone had still managed to capture that in high definition.

    Voyeurism knew no bounds, or distances, Jimin had concluded. It’s safe to say that he’s never forgotten to wear underwear (before transforming) again.

    He’s a couple stories up, and the wind is strong, but he can still hear the muffled laughter from beside him. He turns to his partner (but not too much – his boner is still very prominent, thanks god!) and narrows his eyes behind his mask.

    “Do we have a problem?”

    His partner’s eyes emit a greenish glow, and Jimin can clearly tell that they’re crinkled up behind the mask. He clasps a hand over his mouth, trying to stop his giggles, and the bell around his neck tinkles in the process.

    “Cat got your tongue?” Jimin spits out, keeping from body-slamming into his partner because he is a prestigious superhero who is a role model to many young children, a lot of which are watching him from way down below as of this very moment.

    Violence is not the answer, Jimin inhales deeply and then refines his thought, at least not in public.

    The villain they’re facing today – some sort of weird pigeon-man, don’t ask, he’s got a big enough headache as it is �� is slowly regaining consciousness. Unfortunately, Jimin’s co-hero (more of a sidekick, really) doesn’t want to let this issue go.

    “Who? Me? Never! Although, it’s pretty hard being in the presence of such a monster,” Cat Noir says cheekily from beside him. Jimin is about to reassure him because his heart is just that kind when Cat Noir continues, “Oh, and the pigeon dude is pretty bad too.”

    His cat-eyes flick down to Jimin’s No-No Spot and then back up, he grins. Jimin is about to demonstrate what all those kids he’s a role model to should not do when tempted by a bully when he hears the villain groan. He rolls his shoulders and shakes everything off, getting ready to fight. He’s got to stay focused on the mission at hand. It’s fine, he’s fine. It’s completely natural. He shouldn’t be ashamed.

    “Although, it’s kind of small, this monster. Almost cute.”

    He shouldn’t be ashamed. He should be enraged. Jimin runs a hand through his blond hair and takes in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He turns to his partner and shoots him a sickly sweet smile.

    “Careful, kitty. This monster can cause a lot more damage than you can handle. Not that you’ll ever find out,” and with that, Jimin leaves an indignant Cat Noir behind, using his yo-yo to swing over to the villain. Of course, Cat Noir is right beside him within a minute. They’re partners, after all.

    “Okay, Mr. Choi, it’s time to stop now. Give me that whistle and resist Hawkmoth, you know it’s for the best.” Jimin taps Cat Noir’s hand and he slowly starts inching sideways while Jimin holds out his palm. It seems that their villain is still recovering, as he blinks his eyes continuously and doesn’t notice Cat Noir.

    “No! Your miraculous! I can’t disappoint him. Hand your earrings over, Ladybug. You know it’s for the best.” Pigeon-dude is fairly well-spoken for someone who just got knocked unconscious from being dropped from 20 feet above the building. Jimin really wishes he hadn’t used his own words against him. Or called him Ladybug when he’d specifically asked everyone to call him Misterbug. Stupid Hawkmoth and his stupid commands.

    “I hate this part, but it gives me some sort of sadistic pleasure,” Jimin withdraws his hand and grabs his yo-yo instead, “Cat Noir! Now!”

    As soon as the words leave Jimin’s mouth, Cat Noir is in action. He’s a blur of black leather and since he’s been inching towards Mr. Choi, it doesn’t take long to get behind the man. Cat Noir takes the whistle from around Mr. Choi’s neck and, bless his soul, puts it on the end of his metal baton before extending it over to Jimin. The gesture is almost enough to make Jimin forget about the comments he made earlier about his dick (which is slowly retreating back towards Jimin’s body, thank god). Almost.

    “And here I was thinking you’d just throw it to me. I guess you do have some brain cells rolling around in the kitty litter in your head,” Jimin smirks and throws the whistle to the ground, stepping on it to crack the plastic.

    “In this wind? Please, I’m more than just a pretty kitty.” Jimin laughs despite himself and drags his finger down his yo-yo, opening it to capture the Akuma that escapes from the broken whistle. He quickly seals it inside and opens it back up, finding the once dark purple butterfly now transformed into white.

    Jimin watches the butterfly fly away and grabs the Lucky Charm he’d called on earlier, a bag of bird seed – again, don’t ask, it’s getting late and Jimin really doesn’t have the patience to explain anything anymore – and throws it into the air. Immediately, red wisps of sparkling images of ladybugs fill the sky. They zoom through all the destruction their fight had left behind and restore everything back to its original state. Mr. Choi loses his costume and looks dazed. Jimin doesn’t have the energy to bring the victim back to his home, so he turns to Cat Noir (proudly, now, because he’s boner-free).

    “Think you can take care of this for me, Cat?” Cat Noir nods and grins at Jimin, his cat ears being blown along with his hair back and forth because of the wind.

     “Until next time, bugaboo,” Jimin makes a face at this and recoils, very much hating what just came out of his partner’s mouth. Cat Noir, unfazed, doesn’t let the grin drop from his face as he helps Mr. Choi up.

    “Alright,” Jimin manages, already feeling the fatigue taking a toll on him, “Bug out.” Jimin steps onto the ledge of the building and throws his yo-yo into the city, feeling it cling onto something before he lets himself fall over the edge. Once he’s got enough momentum, he releases the yo-yo and lets it catch onto another building. His arms protest, searing with pain, but he doesn’t have a choice. Walking would be impractical and way too chaotic (and he’s a broke college student, remember?). Not only are his arms killing him, but Jimin feels like he’s been socked in the stomach. With every strained use of his upper torso, Jimin has to take 10 deep breaths. Jimin hears the cheers from below as he swings through the city but the smile on his face barely stretches to his eyes.

    Jimin is tired and, apparently, horny, so you can understand why defeating the latest villain in what was a line of 5 akumatized victims in 3 days has him completely drained. God, either he needs to get laid or eat more vitamin gummies. Maybe get laid while eating vitamin gummies. Does Jimin have a food kink? No. Probably not. Unless…?

    Letting his thoughts wander, Jimin swings through Seoul until he finds a hidden corner to transform back into himself. As soon as he utters the words ‘spots off’, his supersuit (because leotard is just such a horrible word) develops holes in it before it disappears entirely. Where to? Jimin doesn’t know.

    Now you might be wondering, why is Jimin so fucking clueless? Listen, he’s not in it for the knowledge. He just wants to kick ass, get validation from complete strangers and maybe find a way to channel his anger in a healthy manner along the way. And if he had to say it, yes, he’s in it for the free anonymous friend as well. Cat Noir may be a major pain in the ass, but he’s a good partner and friend. For instance, him taking the victim back because Jimin was too exhausted to do it himself.

    More than that, Cat Noir knows how to read Jimin effortlessly. They’d talked about the whole gig when they’d first gotten their powers. Jimin had found a pair of earrings sitting neatly on top of his desk and Cat had found a ring. Once they’d put the items on (because from the little Jimin knows about his friend, he is also a broke college student and wouldn’t dare pass up the opportunity to obtain free things), they’d both felt this sense that a part of them had been opened up to someone else.

    Along with a ton of other information that entered their brains so fast and hard that Jimin had gotten a migraine that lasted for a week and Cat Noir hadn’t been able to stop throwing up every hour for 3 days, of course. Because life is pain, but superhero life is, like, Pain pain.

    It didn’t take long before the world’s first supervillain had unleashed his minion on Seoul and the world’s first superheroes had to step up to the batting cage. Jimin had been scared shitless, rightfully so, and although Cat Noir boasts about never having any hesitation, Jimin knows he’d been pretty lost as well. As soon as they’d started fighting, though, it was like nothing else mattered. They clicked instantly, knowing exactly what the other wanted to do and why they wanted to do it without either having to exchange words.

    Not mind reading, but something else. Something that allowed for a constant stream of rightness between them and intuition so strong that often, when Jimin moved to do something, Cat Noir would already be waiting with assistance. It was nice, except for when Cat decided to make bad jokes and flirt with Jimin in a way that made him want to cry and laugh at the same time. His partner is a dumbass with a good heart, and it’s absolutely infuriating (okay, fine, it’s endearing). In another world, Jimin can see how he would even fall for those antics.

    Jimin walks into his apartment building and takes the elevator up. Sometimes, he feels bad about leaving Cat Noir hanging so many times. They’re good friends, but Jimin knows that’s all they’ll ever be. Because his heart belongs to someone else, whether that someone knows it or not. The elevator comes to a stop and Jimin steps out, reaching for his keys. Cat Noir seems too genuine about his feelings towards Jimin sometimes, and yes, he uses his own name because he knows that Cat Noir would love him with or without the mask. It was Jimin who had decided not to reveal each other’s secret identities, while Cat Noir had begged him to reconsider.

    It’s unfair to Cat, but Jimin’s not leading him on, and he can’t blame himself for letting someone else capture his heart. Jimin sticks the key in the lock and turns it, wondering if his roommate will be inside. A large thump and something that sounds like a bell tinkling confirms that he’s home as Jimin opens the door. Before he can step into their living room, he hears a voice.

    “Jimin! Don’t come in! I’m, uh, naked! Give me a minute to get dressed, yeah?” Jungkook calls out from the living room. Jimin, despite himself, blushes and calls, “Sure. Um, take your mime! Shit, I meant time! Haha... okay.”

     Ladies and gentlemen, the Miraculous Ladybug (unfortunately, Misterbug just isn’t catching on) in all his bumbling glory.

    Jeon Jungkook, the only man alive that can make Jimin, a literal superhero, shy and would probably make Cat Noir, the pettiest person alive, extremely jealous.

    Jimin is technically supposed to be morally superior as a superhero, but you’d have to be inhuman to not want to sneak a peek at Jeon Jungkook putting on clothes. He was built to be stared at for hours on end, if Jimin were to be honest, and who was he to deny god’s intention? Just as he is about to stick his head around the corner, he hears Jungkook’s voice telling him that it’s “all clear”.

    Great.

    Jimin steps into the living room and is greeted with an (unfortunately) fully clothed Jeon Jungkook. He grins at Jimin while walking to the kitchen and Jimin honest to god nearly pees himself from how fucking attractive he is. Weak-kneed and the vague thought of buying adult diapers on his mind, Jimin slips into his room and sheds his clothes, taking a look at himself in the mirror. There are bruises running up his ribs (probably from when his graceful partner had extended his baton without realizing it was pointed right at Jimin`s midsection) and more scattered across his legs. His suit was pretty good at deflecting anything that could potentially give him cuts and scrapes but this time around, he`s got a couple of scratches on his arms.

    Jimin, surprisingly, is a pacifist. He really is. Violence should never be the primary solution, but as a superhero, more times than not, he`s had to abandon this philosophy. Sometimes, he wonders why – because seriously, he’s still not cut out for this shit – but he knows that if he’s had to abandon his philosophy, he might as well stick to his morality. That is, to save people from harm (seeing people naked not inclusive). It’s days like these when he’s burned out and aching from a particularly difficult fight that he wonders what it would be like to give it all up.

    Jimin opens a drawer and takes a handful of pain relief patches, sticking them carefully onto his body one by one. It’s not like he gets any bonuses. If anything, it just makes life harder. Classes take three times the effort to attend, relationships take half of his week’s worth of energy to maintain and crushes are basically out of the question. To get into a relationship meant to endanger a loved one or, possibly, leave them grieving if worst came to worst. So why didn’t he take off his camouflaged earrings and leave them on someone else’s pillowcase or dressing table or pant pocket?

     Jimin will tell you why. Because being a moron runs through his bloodstream. Because his brain cell bank balance is in the negatives. Because at the end of the day, if he were to give up this life, Jimin knows that he’d regret it.

    Being a superhero is tough, Jimin’s not going to sugar coat it, but not being a superhero after having been one would tear him apart. He has a need to help people in bigger ways than his 8-year program in clinical psychology (yeah, his brain cell bank balance isn’t the only one in the negatives right now) will.

    A knock at his door alerts Jimin, and he quickly pats down the patches all over his body and pulls on his clothes. He opens his door and tries not to drop dead from how cute his roommate looks. Jungkook is standing there with a sheepish smile, a tube of muscle-pain relief cream in his hands.

    “How bad?” Jimin squeaks out (shut up, he knows he’s pathetic), letting Jungkook into his room. Jungkook winces as he sits on Jimin’s bed, already tugging off his shirt. Maybe it’s some sort of syndrome that he should get checked out but suddenly, Jimin’s mouth is a lot more dry.

     “A little worse than usual, you know how it is,” Jimin feels concern washing over him as soon as Jungkook’s shirt is off completely, all traces of his hypothetical medical condition have left. Jungkook’s back is littered with purple and blue bruises. The streetlights from outside his window cast a yellowish hue on Jungkook’s skin and it makes the mark look that much more sickly.

    “Jungkook,” Jimin breathes, “is your coach insane?”

    About two months ago, right when Jimin had received his earrings and became Ladybug, Jungkook had joined a boxing club. Jimin hadn’t even heard of this kind of torture disguised as an extracurricular activity before, but he got to know it soon enough. Jungkook started coming home looking really beat up, and when Jimin said this, he meant really beat up. Sometimes, he’d have bruises and cuts to the degree that Jimin would – and Jimin was a goddamn superhero. One night, Jungkook had come to him and asked if he’d rub some of the muscle-pain relief cream on his back and when Jimin had learned just how much it helped with the tension, he started doing it every night. It was routine at this point.

    “Maybe,” Jungkook lets out a laugh that quickly turns into a hiss when Jimin’s finger makes contact with one of the darker bruises, “he’s just really passionate about turning us into full-fledged fighters.”

    “Still, you need to tell him to chill or something. You’re too perfect – I mean too pretty – shit, okay, no, what I’m trying to say is that you don’t deserve this. Every night, it’s like you’ve come out of a fight with an akumatized person or something.” Jimin feels Jungkook tense under his fingers and he panics, taking back his words at once. “I mean, of course, I know you love that club. You’re free to do whatever you want! I mean, obviously. Plus, you’re good at everything so… yeah… ha…”

    A mental face-palm isn’t enough anymore, Jimin physically smacks his face with his hand. Of course, right after that he starts screaming because he had the fucking cream on his hands and it’s in his eyes and fuck it burns it burns it BURNS.

    Jungkook has to help him wash it all out of his face. Jimin doesn’t think he’s ever been so ready to die.

    God, he pleads silently as he’s trudging back to his room with a squeaky-clean face, if you have any mercy, please wipe the events of today from Jeon Jungkook’s mind. If you turn out to be merciless, please note that I will be going to hell and becoming best friends with Satan himself so that together, we can make your life in heaven a non-living hell. Amen.

    One day, the big guy upstairs is going to get tired of Jimin’s bullshit. How does Jimin know this?

    Because he’s been tired of his own bullshit for the past 19 years.

-

    Jungkook watches as Ladybug throws his lucky charm into the air and tells the voice in his head to shut up when it starts telling him that he would be useless without his partner.

    It’s true, but it doesn’t mean Jungkook has to take it.

    “Think you can take care of this for me, Cat?” Jungkook perks up at this, nodding with a grin on his face.

     “Until next time, bugaboo,” He calls in a saccharine voice, making Ladybug’s face go sour. Jungkook knows he doesn’t mean it, though, he could never hate his beloved Cat Noir. Well, that’s what he tells himself. Jungkook helps Mr. Choi up and adjusts his footing so that he’s able to carry all of the other man’s weight.

    “Alright,” Ladybug says with a tired smile , “Bug out.”

    He’s fallen over the ledge before Jungkook can respond, and he has to stop himself from calling out his name. It’s not like Jungkook is in love with Ladybug or anything (DEFINITELY NOT) but he cherishes his time with the other, wanting to milk every moment for what it’s worth. Ladybug is purr-fect (Jungkook is clever, he knows) in every way possible and Jungkook just wants to bask in his glory like a cat in sunlight.

    Alas, Ladybug doesn’t seem to reciprocate his feelings. Jungkook throws a mental hand to his forehead in distraught and acts out a quick 7-second drama in his head before addressing Mr. Choi.

    “Let’s get you back home.” In an instant, they’re soaring across the sky on the baton while Jungkook most definitely is not ranting about his feelings to this literal stranger they just fought. Nope, definitely not.

 -

    The window is wide open and Jungkook berates himself for leaving it open this morning. Not that he’d have much trouble taking down any intruders, he’s rather claw-lified that way (Qualified? Claw-lified? Get it?). Still, he doesn’t live there alone. If Jimin were to come home and be put into danger because of an intruder, Jungkook wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

    He slips into the window stealthily and then, of course, fall flat on his face when he hears the front-door unlocking.

    Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit-

    “Jimin! Don’t come in! I’m, uh, naked! Give me a minute to get dressed, yeah?” Jungkook cries in desperation. He hears the footsteps cease and Jimin’s words ring out clear in the apartment.

    “Sure. Um, take your mime! Shit, I meant time! Haha.. okay.”

    Jungkook smiles and thanks the gods above for giving him such a kind roommate.

    “Claws in,” Jungkook mutters under his breath, letting his suit slowly tear and stretch before it disappears completely. His ring loses its black colour and the neon green pawprint. Jungkook, out of habit (although he knows he’s never going to find anything), pats his hair and makes sure his cat ears didn’t accidentally stay on his head or something. Hey, freak accidents were a thing and you could never be too careful.

    Especially if you were a superhero.

    “All clear,” Jungkook says, heading to the kitchen. Unfortunately, his suit is not equipped to carry a water bottle. Jungkook blames the lack of hydration for the acne that has started popping up on his jaw but honestly, he’s probably just really stressed out. An enormous mental toll came with this whole superhero gig. unfortunately.

    Jungkook was disappointed, but not surprised.

    After a quick drink of water, Jungkook heads to his room to evaluate the damage but can’t even manage to turn his torso to take a look at his back. His sides are so sore that Jungkook wonders how he’s going to sleep tonight. His back was out of the options entirely, so were his sides, and his stomach wasn’t looking too good either.

    Jungkook winces as he bends over to grab his tube of muscle-pain relief cream from the bottom drawer of his nightstand, but it’s not just from the pain. If his stomach was hurting this bad, he wonders how bad Ladybug is feeling. He’d been stupid and had managed to extend his baton right into his partner’s ribcage.

    Which was just great, you know? Really did a lot for his non-existent love life.

    Jungkook walks to Jimin’s room and pauses at the door. He hopes that Ladybug is alright, he doesn’t know how he’s going to make it up to him, but he has to. He just has to. Without really thinking about it, Jungkook raises a fist and knocks on Jimin’s door. He hears a bit of rustling inside and in a matter of seconds the door is open and Jimin is facing him.

    “How bad?” Jimin asks in a high voice. Jungkook can’t help but feel relief and gratitude flood through him as he sits on Jimin’s bed (that, on the other hand, only floods him with pain). Park Jimin has only known Jungkook for 2 months or so, but he’s been so accommodating and is probably one of the only friends he has. When Jungkook had left his hometown, he’d most feared the possibility of not making friend, but Jimin dispersed his worries almost right away. The boy is too kind for his own good and fills Jungkook with pride to be able to call him his friend.

    “A little worse than usual, you know how it is.”

     Jungkook pulls his shirt off in a swift motion and clenches his teeth when his pain shoots through his shoulders. It’s never been this bad and he knows that Jimin is concerned when he says, “Jungkook, is your coach insane?”

     He tries to laugh it off but can’t help but suck in a breath through his teeth when Jimin’s finger makes contact with his back. “Maybe, he’s just really passionate about turning us into full-fledged fighters.”

    Jungkook doesn’t believe himself, and he’s the one making up the stupid lie. But Jimin has been buying it for 2 months, so he can’t be as bad of a liar as he thinks he is. A lot of the times, Jungkook contemplated telling Jimin. His roommate is too sweet to be duped like this, plus he’d really like having someone to talk to about superhero stuff (okay, yes, and his crush on Ladybug, are we happy now?).

    But Jungkook would never risk his friend’s like that. Never.

    “Still, you need to tell him to chill or something. You’re too perfect – I mean too pretty – shit, okay, no, what I’m trying to say is that you don’t deserve this. Every night, it’s like you’ve come out of a fight with an akumatized person or something.”

    It’s times like these when Jungkook finds it especially hard to keep his identity a secret. He involuntarily tenses, Jimin’s breath making goosebumps rise on the back of his neck. In the mirror, Jungkook catches sight of Jimin’s face and observes how it goes from concern to flustered to panicked and he has to stop from laughing. In a different reality, and Jungkook will freely admit this, he could see himself with Jimin. Jungkook could picture himself falling in love with this literal angel, but in this reality, they’re just really good friends – and Jungkook is really happy about that (especially since he already has Ladybug).

    “I mean, of course, I know you love that club. You’re free to do whatever you want! I mean, obviously. Plus, you’re good at everything so… yeah… ha…”

    Jungkook is about to assure Jimin that he didn’t say anything wrong when he sees the boy cover his face with his hand in the mirror. Jungkook turns around immediately, wide-eyed, and grimaces when Jimin starts screaming and using an extensive vocabulary Jungkook wasn’t aware he had.

     Jungkook ends up helping Jimin wash it all out. He offers running out and buying an icepack but Jimin refuses, profusely red in the face and mumbling something about god as he stalks off to his room.

    Later on, as he’s moving his body over and over again to find a comfortable position to sleep, Jungkook pictures a certain superhero in red and becomes pliant, coming to a stop on his bed. A smile spreads across his face.

    “It’s all worth it if it’s for you,” Jungkook whispers through his smile. He falls asleep that way, moonlight streaming in to coat his skin and make his smile shine brilliantly.

 -

    “Cat, I don’t think we’re qualified to be superheroes.”

    “Unsurprisingly, I completely agree my, purr-ince.”

    “I can’t believe she managed to actually trap us.”

    Ladybug and Cat Noir are sitting back to back, their hands joined at the wrists by a rope made of indestructible fibers. Ladybug had tried calling on his lucky charm earlier but it had skittered far away from him, leaving him unable to reach it while he was still tied to Cat Noir (whose Cataclysm had also failed him, they decided that indestructible really did mean indestructible).

    “Well, I don’t see how we’re getting out of this one. Unless, you’ve got a plan, bugaboo?” Ladybug laughs and doesn’t bother hiding it.

    “Nope, but we’re going to have to put our heads together and really think. I’ve got someone I want to be able to get back to.” Cat Noir pushes his head back against Ladybug’s and smiles, ignoring the hundreds of questions his partner’s words incite.

    “Yeah,” he says fondly, “Me too.”

 +

did everyone enjoy that? yes? no? want more?

[rkevent]

MGA SEASON 5: EPISODE 2 STARTS NOW!

The first thing to come on the screen is a quick replay of the most important parts of the first episode. However missed it could get an idea of what has gone on, and also what is about to happen. From the initial 100 hopefuls, only 50 of them got the chance to become real contestants on the fifth season of the Mnet Global Auditions. After winning over the CEOs, it is time for them to prove that they have the talent to be where they are.

You’re welcomed by the same set as the week before, contestants walking inside like small ants with the sped up effect. Unlike before, however, there are half the chairs from before. Some of the contestants stop at the start and take a moment to decide where to go before moving along. SOHN YOUNGJAE stands behind one of the many, staring at it as he appears to be seriously contemplating something. The boy glances around, and then lifts the chair, walking away with it. He puts it down in a more faraway place, away from the other chairs, and the hurriedly returns to the one he had claimed as his.

As the other seats got taken, soon enough the options would run out. CHOI YENA is the unlucky contestant standing still and looking for a chair she’d never find. “My chair is gone!” The girl exclaims, but no one seems to know where it’s gone. The only help WANG JACKSON offers her is that she could sit on his lap, but instead, SON HYEJOO is the one to pull her closer and Yena ends up using the girl’s lap as her seat. “Woah, such charisma…”

The fun times are quickly taken on a stop when the CEOs make their way to the five big chairs waiting for them. As they’re greeted by the remaining contestants, the cameras give each of their faces a moment to shine on the screen.

“Welcome, all, to the second episode of the Mnet Global Auditions!” Hyun Bin is the one to give the announcement. “Today’s challenge revolves around each of your main skill of choice. This means that singers, dancers, and rappers will have each other as your rivals. Eliminations will be made at the end and will take out each of the weakest members of each skill group. So, let’s start!”

With the brief introduction and reminder, the camera moves away from the CEO and welcomes the viewers to the latest episode of the MGAs!

The first one to show up is one of the male contestants who clearly came dressed for the occasion. DO KYUNGSOO bows and introduces himself, the pair of glasses sitting on his nose not being there on the previews week. Its reasoning becomes clear soon enough. As the famous song he had chosen starts to play, the man gets into a sexier character than it would have been expected to him. He takes off his glasses and throws it over his shoulder. When the camera zooms in on it, the thing is clearly broken. The rest of the performance is about just as interesting as its start, and, before he ends, the boy takes his glasses from the floor and puts it back on his face. “I hope I didn’t scare anyone but I was trying really hard to get in character,” Kyungsoo says in his interview. “These will be on sale as ‘Do Kyungsoo’s smashed glasses during MGAs 5 performance’. I was thinking about charging an insane amount of money.”

Soon appears a pretty girl who came prepared with a signature introduction. “Do you see me? I’m SIA KIM!” She’s another singer, and one who decided to decided to bring a keyboard with her. “I’ll be performing a song that I wrote today about a friend from my childhood.” It’s an emotional song, and as she sings, the girl eventually closes her eyes, pouring every type of emotion into her words. She’s also talented with the instrument, which makes up her full performance. The one after her is someone you’ve already seen, CHOI YENA.

The girl who always gets herself in trouble walks to the center of the stage to start her performance. “Today I wanna aim to make y’all have sweet dreams and feel super relaxed from listenin’ to my smooth vocals!” Her song choice is something relaxing and smooth, just as the girl had described. She eventually puts her hand up in the air, asking people to sway their hands while she sings. Following by comes HEO YURIM. Her song of choice is the one from a movie and she tries to pour her emotions into it. She ends with a smile. “Thank you.”

“I really hope we get some good dance performances.” Katie Lee whispers over to Tiger JK, who nods. “I hope so too.” And in comes the first dancer of the night, BAE JOOHYUN, who is called on stage next. She starts powerfully, grabbing the audience’s attention with her energetic moves. However, there’s a sudden change in everyone’s face as she visibly stumbles when landing from a jump. The girl manages to finish her performance, but tears prick at her eyes as she steps off the stage and returns to her seat. From the other side of the stage, it’s KANG DANIEL who hugs and comforts her. “You did the best you could.” And the girl hugs him back. “Thank you.”

KANG DANIEL appears seated for his interview. “You were grimacing watching JOOHYUN before she even stumbled. Why was that?” He looks surprised but replies anyway. “Joohyun is injured, actually, so I was worried for her while I was watching. It’s still… a shame.”

Next, HWANG YEJI appears with her signature high ponytail, introducing herself briefly. “I’m Hwang Yeji, please enjoy,” she smiles, bowing in the panel’s direction. Once again, the girl puts on a powerful performance. Just as strongly as her song blasts through the entire set, she makes her movements big and precise, passing on the emotions her performance would require.

“Hello again, I’m PARK WOOJIN,” the next contestant introduces himself. “Thank you for the opportunity to stand on this stage again.” The song starts fast and the choreography follows the fast rhythm. It allows him to show the best that he’s got, a smile appearing in the middle of his performance and aimed right at the camera. His well-executed upbeat routine doesn’t let anyone feel bored. “PARK WOOJIN is a very good dancer.” LEE NAKYUNG shares her thoughts on the performance. “At first, I thought they were giving him screentime because he was part of the DANIEL, SUNGWOON, and friends, but he can actually hold his ground.”

The next dancer to appear is KIM YUGYEOM. “Oh, it is Jun’s.” Katie Lee doesn’t fail to recognize the song from one of her senior artists and looks a bit skeptical. It’s a tough act to follow, and they’d all keep strong eyes on him. His choice was bold, but the expression on the CEO’s face is unreadable to any impression. SHIN RYUJIN’s choice this time contrasts with the previous one, allowing the girl to show a different side. Her movements are smooth, and she manages to follow the beats well.

“I think that maybe Yeji is the most technically talented, but Ryujin she has that stage presence, you know?” CHOI YOONA adds her own thoughts to the table.

The first rapper of the episode takes on the stage. She’s been talked a lot before, and this was the time to prove her worth. “I’m CHOI YOONA — and I’ll be performing a song I’ve written and produced — and remixed for this very show. I hope you enjoy.” Just as before, the girl gets to show off her skills, both in rapping and in songwriting. There’s a good flow, and she finishes her performance successfully. After her is a boy who starts off with strong energy.

“Hello,” he greets with a polite bow. “LEE HOHYEON present and ready to go!” The boy brings his feet together and gives the CEO a salute. While he performed, he couldn’t stand still. He was either doing gestures with his free hand or bouncing on his feet. Hohyeon managed to show off his fast rapping skills, probably impressing some of the people at home. And so another boy takes on the floor. NA JAEMIN starts by whistling, which gathers some attention. His lyrics are lyrical and filled with wordplay, mostly talking about himself.

Returning to the vocalists, HA SUNGWOON is the one next. “Hello! This is the still-growing sprout Ha Sungwoon!” He says his introduction cheerfully. “I hope you enjoy my performance.” It’s a pretty ballad and also a complete contrast to the performances that had just aired. While it starts calm and controlled, the boy eventually gets to show off his vocals as the song progresses further.

Another singer arrives, ready to introduce himself. “Hello, again I’m KIM HYOJIN with the healing voice.” He smiles, clearly trying to hold back a slight laugh. “Today, I’ll confidently perform a song standing up. I hope you enjoy and find comfort in this song like I do.” Hyojin plays the keyboard during his performance, singing softly and soothingly into the microphone. He wipes away a little at the corner of his eyes when he’s done, bowing before leaving.

HWANG MINHYUN walks to the stage. “Thank you for having me back,” and he smiles. “That’s better than before, right?” Hyun Bin comments to his fellow CEOs. A quick flashback shows the same man on the stage from last week, ready to say his introduction. “Hello, I’m Hwang Minhyun, and I hope everyone remembers to recycle on the daily.” In return, Hyun Bin is the one to comment in the past as well. “What did he just say?” Back to the current episode, Minhyun starts to perform his chosen song. It’s a slow and charming song, fitting for a guy like him.

It’s KANG HYUNGGU’s turn next, who manages to show off his skills with an american song until his song fades out and something seems wrong, leaving both the panel and the dancer with a confused frown on their faces. It’s proven to be part of his plans when they are surprised by the popular song from Tooice “TT”, showing a different side of him. “It’s ya boy Eric Sohn ready to dance. Please take good care of me!” SOHN YOUNGJAE introduces himself, making a V sign before his eyes with his fingers. He also performs a popular girl group song, mixing gymnastics with the original choreography.

JUNG EUNJI lays down to start, closing her eyes. When the music plays, she sits up immediately. She surprises bringing different elements to her performance and good facial expressions. It’s a story that she’s telling except completely through the power of dance. In the end, she lays back down again, the same position as she had started.

“YO!” The loud greeting comes from LEE SUWOONG. "Ah, sorry ‘bout that. But hi everyone. It’s me again, Lee Suwoong, contestant #5032. It’s a bit intimidating to go after everyone that just went, but I will do my best, so please remember me.” After his unique performance last week, everyone seems curious to know what he would bring to the table tonight. His decision to dance to a Psy’s song adds a humorous tone to his performance. Once he’s done, Yeji appears during her interview. “I liked his performance but– having fun is important but he isn’t showing how good he is. He’s showing how much fun he has? I wonder if he can dance or if he is taking it as a joke,” Yeji felt pensive thinking about it.

"Of course, I’m taking this seriously.” The boy says in his own interview. “It would be an insult to the other contestants if I wasn't.” He tilts his head slightly. "I think it’s important to enjoy yourself, even if you’re doing something difficult. That’s how we make it through things, right? So just because i’m having fun, that doesn’t mean I’m not working as hard. Besides!“  He breaks into a grin. "If you stress too much over these things, you’ll get wrinkles quicker! You wouldn’t want wrinkles, right? They’ll age you ten years. So don’t stress, okay.”

A girl walks from her seat to the stage. It’s CHOI YEWON, and when she reaches the center, there’s a new flashback to the week before. A staff member announces that those who want to may change their categories for the coming episode. So the screen splits into three, showing CHOI YEWON, SON HYEJOO, and KANG DANIEL, with the categories they changed from hovering over their head. The two girls went from dancers to rappers, while Daniel left singing to go for rap as well.

“Why did you leave the dancing category?” They ask Yewon. “Well,” she hesitates at first. “The dance field was so… saturated? Like there were just so many people, and I realized I was just another tiny fish trying to stand out in a pond. I just thought my chances were very slim. It made sense to switch to an unfamiliar skill with less competition.” Daniel is the one who appears next. “I don’t think I could compete with the singers,” he puts it simply. “It’s not that I thought I could really compete with the rappers either, but I thought that with less of them, I might have a better chance. I got eliminated last year during the round where we had to show our best skills. I know that could still happen again, and I… don’t want it to.”

And so CHOI YEWON is back on the stage again, trying to make her change worth it. “Hello, judges!” She offers a cute wave. “I am so happy to be back. This week I plan to dazzle you with my rapping ability. I hope you all enjoy it.” She starts by walking around the stage while the song starts before throwing a heart sign up towards the judges. It’s a song that matches her image, and also allows her to show off her skills. SON HYEJOO goes next, the second of the ones who switched. It’s apparently a self-made song and she promotes it well.

The last of the three arrive, KANG DANIEL. “I’m Kang Daniel,” he introduces himself. “And I’ll be rapping for you. Ah- you already know that” he laughs at himself. “This is an original rap, and I… apologize in advance.” Baek Jiyoung turns to Tiger JK to say something. “Oh, original?” And the man slowly shakes his head. “He already said not to expect much.” And then the song starts, and the boy raps. The lyrics are direct and easy to understand if you’re only a person watching at home. He ends his stages successfully, and Tiger JK simply nods as he walks the stage.

“It’s not my place to judge,” PARK JINYOUNG says in his interview, “but I just wish KANG DANIEL used his clever writing skills for something else. I’m not sure if he’s a dancer, a singer or a rapper yet and his performance didn’t convince me.”

Her name sounds across the room, and when the camera zooms in, SHIN YUNA stands up and flips her hair, marching down to the stage and waving at the camera. “Hello, again. Please take care of me!” She sings to a popular american song. The girl also manages to fit in a rather quick dance move, playing with different strengths. A man goes after her, NAM JOOHYUK. It’s a self-written song, putting as much emotion as he can onto the performance.

YOON JEONGHAN walks to the center of the stage to perform his song. It’s a slow, interesting song, and it allows him to show off his singing abilities. He’s followed by KIM MYUNGSOO, who prepares for something most won’t be prepared for. “Today I’m planning on doing something a bit different.” He starts by simply singing, placing a hand over his chest. The lyrics of the song are in japanese, and most wouldn’t be able to understand it. In the middle of his performance, he collapses to his knees, eyes close as he tried to reach the high notes. When he stands up again, there were tears freely flowing down his cheeks. He bows to his audience once he’s done.

“Hello, I’m contestant #5025, KIM SEUNGHUN.” He bows to the panel with a soft grin. “I’ve prepared an emotional song to perform, so I hope you enjoy it.” The boy sits on a chair and prepares himself for his performance. It’s a known song, famous with covers done by many. As the song goes on, his voice gets more powerful, and he stands up. He shows off his voice before sitting back down again, finishing his song.

It’s time for a dancer to take over the stage. This time, she had no coat to hide her outfit. “Hello, I’m the 18-year-old LEE NAKYUNG and I’ll be dancing for you today! Thank you for having me.” Instead of surprising people with her outfit of choice, the girl uses a prop in the form of a fabric, using it as she dances. A few moments in, though, and she throws it away. “Does she need to throw everything away?” So Jisub questions it, and a short flashback shows her previous performance with her throwing her coat away. The girl dances along to what she prepared successfully, and, once she’s done, needs to crouch down and pick up the fabric she had thrown earlier.

The next contestant takes off her shoes before stepping on stage. It’s KIM JUNGEUN, who decides to show off a lyrical choreography, her expression taking a huge part in her performance. She acts as if she’s lost, following the feelings of the song. It’s at the end that she smiles, bringing in some hip-hop elements along with the song’s distorted voice. And then she ends her routine on the floor. “Jungeun was a trainwreck.” SHIN YUNA decides to add her own thoughts. “Even her dye job couldn’t help her performance.”

LEE CHAERYEONG’s choice to cover a summery song, also by Tooice, refreshes the judges after another batch of performances. Her cute summer dress helps settle the mood. Even if girl group choreography weren’t famous for being hard, if you were a good dancer, then you’d know how to make a good performance out of anything if you truly wanted. The girl executes it well and doesn’t crush their expectations. The sunny vibe stays in the atmosphere a little longer as TAKADA KENTA performs his calming and bright routine. He starts by simply standing there and, just when the time is right, he does a ‘nose flick’ right towards the camera. There’s quite a bit of footwork, but the boy manages to execute it well.

It’s KANG YEOSANG’s turn, and he takes the microphone given to him. “I’ll be performing original lyrics and a remixed arrangement.” And she does as said, delivering what he had prepared. He paces back and forth across the stage with a firm tone and unbothered expression. It’s JANG MOONBOK who goes after him. “Please watch over me.” He asks. While he moves a little, he doesn’t take the microphone from the stand and paces back and forward as he sees fit. The boy holds his position when he’s done and then bows before he leaves.

The rapper who appears next stands at the center of the stage, waiting for his music to start. CHOI MINHO had prepared a self-written rap, and this was the time to perform it. It’s powerful and in many different ways emotional. The lyrics are just as powerfully personal, and anyone who knew who he is would probably feel something inside of themselves, be it positive or not. When he’s done, the man places the mic back on the stand, bows deeply, and then leaves. “I wanted to be honest,” Minho says in his interview. “I think I did that. This time, I hope to show more of what I didn’t in the past.”

Coming up next is someone with a bit of a different image. JEON HEEJIN is the next one to challenge, the same girl who had softly played her guitar in the first episode. “Hello, it’s nice to see you all again. Please enjoy this performance just as much as you enjoyed my last performance.” Unlike her previous stage, uses of a less girly image. Her expressions changes accordingly as the song carries on. Even with a change, the girl manages to show off her powerful vocals well and leaves the stage proud of herself.

After her is another girl, someone else who was known for her vocals. “Hello again,” JO YURI greets. “I hope you all enjoy my performance.” A smile curls the corners of her lips as she sings. Her voice grows as the song grows, belting out the longer notes. It’s yet another musical tune that she’s chosen, and she uses it well to show what she’s got. When she’s done, her expressions return to what they’re used to, and the girl returns to her seat.

KIM JOOYOUNG goes next, another singer. “Hey, what’s up? It’s me, ya boi, Kim Jooyoung. I intend to show a different side of me today. I hope you like this side, too.” The song starts with mostly adlibs, allowing the man to show what he’s got. Once he’s done, it’s LEE SEOYEON’s turn. She shuffles on her feet after introducing herself, waiting for her song to start. It’s a song in english with the tone of a ballad. The girl finishes her song successfully, and it’s time for the next person to go. 

The next contestant bows to the judges before starting his song. PARK JINYOUNG’s song starts very slowly, and he sings the first part acapella, hand on the microphone instead of the guitar now strapped around him. From the chorus, he starts to play the instrument, also moving his head along to the beat. When the song ends, he takes a deep breath and then goes back to his seat.

Last but not least, the remaining dancers walk up to the stage. First, they show YOO TAEYANG with his energetic routine. His moves are sharp yet smooth at the same time. He keeps a grin throughout the entire time, even during the hardest of the footwork. The highlight is how he ends everything with a b-boy stance on his one hand, holding it until the song fade into an end. 

“Hello, again!” She greets in Chinese, smiling brightly at the camera before her gaze crawls up to the individual faces of the judges. “This is ZHOU JIEQIONG, and I hope you enjoy what i’ve put together!” The one who had done ballet last time, she pops against the beat precisely this time around, gliding across the floor when needed. With a powerful routine, she proves she can fit different concepts and images. She’s out of breath when she ends, her signature smile following after.

Next, come the last few rappers of the round. CHWE HANSOL starts them off. “This song… really came to mean a lot to me and I hope you all understand this feeling. Freedom. Thank you for giving me that.” He goes through the lyrics naturally since, after all, he wrote them. It’s MIYAWAKI SAKURA who follows. She puts up two fingers to show off a ‘peace’ sign as she introduces herself. “I’ll be showing you guys something else!” The song goes at a faster pace and a high tempo. She’s jumping on the stage, smiling but with a serious expression.

“This is SEO CHANGBIN again. I prepared a more intense performance this time, so I hope you listen closely.” He starts his song pronouncing the words clearly, even if these are in english. The song keeps with a fast pace, and Changbin keeps up with the rhythm of the wordplays that require a bit of technique. He gestures throughout the song as well, following the song. By the end, the song gets even quicker, but he manages to complete it successfully.

The final rapper steps up for the challenge. “Hello again everyone! It’s SONG YUQI again,” she says cheerfully with a smile. “Please watch me well!” When the song starts, she immediately moves, bobbing to the beat. She’s also not scared to move around the stage and make use of it. The song is fun and charismatic. Once the girl is done, she takes a bow and thanks the CEOs before leaving.

Onto the last stretch, comes the last contestants and also the final few singers. PARK JUNHEE goes ahead first. He sings with measured breaths a song that fits his voice well. The tall WONG YUKHEI goes next, bowing to the judges with a bright smile. During the intro of his song, the boy does something behind his back which leads to the revelation of his floaty pants that stop midway down his calf, below which he has long socks. His shirt is the print of a man’s bare chest and abs. His song of choice is highly unexpected, but he does a good job of singing it while he uses a stick as a sword around the stage. “I don’t know what happened but I was entertained.” Tiger JK admits.

“Hello, it’s number 5046, JACKSON WANG.” With that, his smile widens. The original song that was sung by a trio had to be sung by only one man, and he makes it work. He goes a bit higher than he usually goes. With that, the song finishes, and Jackson bows, smiling widely yet again. “Thank you!” And so it’s the last of them all, KIM MINKYUNG. It’s the ballad version of a classic and her voice has power as she sings through it. She stands still, simply singing her song of choice. Minkyung drags the last note out until her two minutes are up, and then she gives another now before stepping from the stage to find her seat.

“Who do you think did the best under each skill?” SOHN YOUNGJAE is the first one to appear. “I have to comment on DO KYUNGSOO! That performance was interesting to say the least.” A girl shows up next, MIYAWAKI SAKURA. “HYOJIN has a pretty voice too, I can’t forget about him.” SIA KIM shares her opinions as well. “I think CHAERYEONG-ssi would probably be one of the better ones.”

KIM SEUNGHUN appears on the screen. “First, I want to say the girls are really cool. They are doing amazing! I’d say YURI. Mm, YEJI is an outstanding dancer and as for rappers, girls too! YOONA is the best. You know… I told you… the girls are the best!” Seunghun gives a thumbs up to the camera with a sheepish smile on his face. “Fighting!”

With every performance over with, Hyun Bin is the one to pick up his microphone and kickstart what is about to be the end. 

“Congratulations to all of you who managed to get this far. From the initial 100, you were the contestants we saw the most potential during the first episode.” The man pauses for a moment before continuing. “Today, however, some of you will have to leave the competition for good. Separated between singers, dancers, and rappers, only the best in these categories will get to move on.” When he’s done, a different voice starts to speak. It’s Baek Jiyoung at the other end of the table. “Today, we’ll start with the rappers.”

Tense music starts to play as the camera gives a second for each of the contestants under the category to appear on the screen. “Before eliminations are due, we’d like to call the top 3 of the category onto the stage. Please, CHOI MINHO, SEO CHANGBIN, and SONG YUQI, join us on the stage.” With editing magic, the three are already standing at the center as the other contestants clap for them on the sides. “From the performances today, we all came into agreement that the three of you delivered the best when it comes to rapping, but only one of you will get the title of the best. And that person is…” The woman’s head moves in slow motion to meet the contender’s eyes. “CHOI MINHO. You have more experience than most here, and it was clear to see when you were up on the stage today. You’re not only a good rapper, but also a good performer. It’s good to see you on the stage again.” She gives him a smile, and the scene changes to a new empty stage so that she may continue with the following announcements.

“And now, to eliminations.” The tense music returns, reminding people that there aren’t only good results in times like these. All of those under the category, except for the top 3, make their way to the stage, leaving only an empty space at the front. “From the 13 rappers that performed today, we decided that 2 of them will be eliminated.” Jiyoung pauses and, even if she hadn’t, the screen takes its time showing reactions from the different contestants. “The first person to go home today is… KANG YEOSANG.”

The man is made to walk to the front of the group. “We believe… we saw a better performance of you last week. Compared to the others, it got boring very quickly. While we do appreciate original lyrics, a performance must be more captivating than that. We wish you the best of luck in the future.” While the others clap, the camera focuses on the woman’s face once again. “And the second person to be eliminated today is… JANG MOONBOK.”

He’s also sent to the front, standing beside Yeosang. “Your performance followed the same line as he did. We weren’t sure if you thought you were already safe for this week, but you didn’t get to show much of your skills at all. This fell right below our line of expectations, so you’ll have to go home today.” She nods along to her words and, with this, the first part of the eliminations were completed. “Congratulations to the rest of you. You’ve all shown a good performance, and we’ll be seeing you again next week.”

The next person to pick up the microphone is Tiger Jk, the one sitting beside Baek Jiyoung. “Now, we’ll move onto the dancers.” As the stage gets emptied again, the man prepares himself to call new people onto it. “From all of your performances today, we’ve chosen three that we agreed were the best under this category. Please come to the stage HWANG YEJI, LEE CHAERYEONG, and LEE SUWOONG.” As they make their way to where they’re told, some of the other contestants cheer for them.

“All three of you put on great performances, but one of you was the best. We’ve agreed that this person is… HWANG YEJI.” The man nods with a simple smile on his lips. “You’re not only a good dancer on itself, but you also use your expressions well and manages to pass on the feelings of the song. Congratulations.” He nods again, but this time his smile isn’t there anymore, a sign of what’s to come. “From the 16 contestants under the dancer category, 2 of them will be eliminated.” It’s the same number as the last category, and people may be wondering how many will be eliminated from the last one.

Like magic, the dancer contestants stand on the stage, except for the top 3. “The first dancer to be eliminated today is… BAE JOOHYUN.” He looks directly at her as she walks to the front before continuing. “It’s clear that you made a mistake and, to be part of this, we can only allow those who did well to move on and, well, you didn’t. We look for contestants that are reliable, and if everybody else had the time to practice then so did you. So, today is the end of the line for you.”

Tiger JK lowers his head to look at his notes before proceeding. “The second dancer to be eliminated today is… JUNG HOSEOK.” He waits for the boy to walk to the front before continuing. “The choreography you chose seemed very complex and also too complex for you. While you have high energy with you, there’s no point in having that if you can’t deliver what you promised as a dancer. Since this challenge is all about skill, you’ll have to go home today.”

With this, the CEO puts his microphone down so that the next one can proceed with the process. It’s So Jisub, ready to deliver the last batch of news regarding this week’s episode. “The last category was the one regarding singers. This was the one with the most contestants involved, so it was a tougher job for us to choose who was the best. But, we’d like to call the top 3 contestants up to the stage: DO KYUNGSOO, JEON HEEJIN, and SIA KIM.” The three contestants make their way to the center, all eyes on them, and teh man continues speaking.

“You all showed impressive performances, but the one we chose as the best was… JEON HEEJIN.” The man nods in her direction. “You managed to show a very different image of yourself this week and when doing so it didn’t make your performance any weaker. To be a flexible performer is a special asset not every single has and that will be usual to you. Apart from that, of course, you have a great voice and managed to impress us. Congratulations.”

Jisub gives each of the the three singer a nod in their direction and then proceeds to the next part of the process. “In total, at the end of this episode, there’ll be 10 eliminations. This means that from the 21 singers today, unlike the other categories, 6 contestants will leave the show. Since there were more of you, to balance this out, more of you will be eliminated as well. Those who changed categories managed to survive this round, but, had some of them not done so, they could have been sent home today. In turn, some of the people who were and will be eliminated might have had another chance.”

The camera pans over the three contestants who changed their categories: CHOI YEWON, KANG DANIEL, and SON HYEJOO, their change choices hovering over their head. “Now, we’ll head onto the final eliminations of the episode.” And just like that, the 18 remaining singers make their way to the stage, the empty space at the front waiting to be filled. “The first two singers to be eliminated are… KIM JOOYOUNG and LEE SEOYEON.” The two make their way to the front at the same time, the staff trying not to waste too much time going through 6 different announcements.

“Both of you showed a lack of skill that we could associate with practice. This means that had you receive more appropriate classes, perhaps, you would have sounded better. It felt like you were trying too much to sing your lines rather than singing them. That’s why you’ll be going home today.” The man nods in your general direction before taking a look at his notes. “The next singers to be eliminated are… KIM MYUNGSOO and CHOI YENA.”

Jisub for them as well. “As for Myungsoo, while we do appreciate when people try to pass on the emotion of a song, at some point you cross that line and go a little overboard. It’s one thing to act, or express those feelings, and another is to lose yourself to the song. Your performance was mostly remembered as that than your actual voice which, of course, also had to suffer through the performance. And Yena, your voice was nothing much that would leave us impressed. Since your song choice was very simple too, we agreed that there were a lot of other singers that had done better, so we chose to let you go.”

The man twists his head for a second, contemplating on the final results he was about to deliver. “And the last two contestants to be eliminated today from the show are… HEO YURIM and SHIN YUNA. Both of you lacked in skill as well. Your song choices may have been a bit too bold, especially for Yuna. There’s still a lot for you two to grow as singers before you can make a name for yourselves. I’d recommed for you to keep working hard if this is your dream, but now your MGA path has come to its end.”

Once he’s done, the camera pans over the set once again, this time the scene showing that those eliminated had left the set with only their chairs left as a memory. The last of the five picks up her microphone, Katie Lee, with one of her famous smirks on her face. “Congratulations to all the contestants who managed to move on to the next challenge! This only means that there are new hurdles to go through and that we won’t stop until a winner is decided. There’s no time to rest, so let’s get onto our next mission, shall we?”

To see all the of this season’s contestants, click here!

And now, let’s see what’s in store for our third episode!

Now that the contestants managed to prove their worth in this competition, it’s time to move on to the next challenge of the season. For this round, contestants will be separated into duos and will be told to prepare a performance together to perform next week. Both of the people involved should show at least one of their performance skills. The theme is to impress and to manage to show your colors even when sharing the stage with someone else. A list of the duos can be found below:

#5002 - CHOI MINHO #5030 - LEE NAKYUNG

#5004 - CHOI YEWON #5023 - KIM MINKYUNG

#5005 - CHOI YOONA #5046 - WANG, JACKSON

#5006 - CHWE HANSOL #5026 - KIM, SIA

#5007 - DO KYUNGSOO #5027 - KIM YUGYEOM

#5008 - HA SUNGWOON #5034 - NA JAEMIN

#5010 - HWANG MINHYUN #5044 - SONG YUQI

#5011 - HWANG YEJI #5037 - PARK JUNHEE

#5013 - JEON HEEJIN #5017 - KANG DANIEL

#5014 - JO YURI #5029 - LEE HOHYEON

#5015 - JUNG EUNJI #5022 - KIM JUNGEUN

#5018 - KANG HYUNGGU #5039 - SEO CHANGBIN

#5020 - KIM HYOJIN #5025 - KIM SEUNGHUN

#5028 - LEE CHAERYEONG #5035 - NAM JOOHYUK

#5032 - LEE SUWOONG #5047 - WONG YUKHEI

#5033 - MIYAWAKI SAKURA #5040 - SHIN RYUJIN

#5036 - PARK JINYOUNG #5049 - YOON JEONGHAN

#5038 - PARK WOOJIN #5050 - ZHOU JIEQIONG

#5042 - SOHN YOUNGJAE #5043 - SON HYEJOO

#5045 - TAKADA KENTA #5048 - YOO TAEYANG

Eliminations will be made in duos which means that if a performance is considered sub-par, both contestants will be eliminated. Therefore, make sure to work well together and choose something that fits the two people involved. Or not! Take your risks if you’d like to.

All contestants are supposed to make their own way to the recording studio prepared specially for this episode. The set will be modified for this new round and will look something close to this. On each side, 20 chairs will be prepared for the contestants to sit on and watch each other’s performances. The duos should sit together and, to ensure so, the seats have been marked with their numbers. Starting from the first chair on the left and going all the way to the last one on the right, the numbers will follow the list of duos found above. Just because most eyes will be on the performance doesn’t mean no one will be paying attention to you. A set of cameras will have their lenses ready to capture any sort of interesting reaction from those watching (beware of the evil editing) while a couple more will allow different angles of the main performance to be captured.

Sitting on the higher ground, much more comfortable chairs are lined in front of the stage — five in total. This is where the CEOs of each big company will be sitting to make sure only the most captivating contestants will continue their journey to make this the best season yet.

                          Tune in next Saturday, the 13th, for our third episode!

MGA Season 5 episode three preview: Now that their skills have passed the test, it’s a battle of the greatest to go up to the number one spot. To get there, however, they must pass through the new wave of challenges prepared for this season. The duos are back, and the pairing is as unexpected as ever! Will your favorites movie on, or will they be brought down by their own partners?

[ None of the performance were aired in their entirity. Cuts from the show itself were uploaded to Mnets’s Officil Youtube Channel, but the full performances cannot be found else. ]

If you made it this far, either if you were eliminated on this episode or not, you may add +3 POINTS IN YOUR MAIN SKILL to your points tally. Make sure to link back to this post for verification.

Contestants have until midnight EST at the end of Friday, the 12th, to post their 200+ words solos about the duos challenge in front of the CEOs. Please tag all related posts with #rkmga5 and #rkmga5duos. They’ll have two minutes to perform their chosen skill to capture the attention of the CEOs (as long as it doesn’t break any laws). Good luck! Song choices should be submitted to the rkevent inbox. Two duos performing the same song will not be allowed and this will be chosen on a first come first serve basis.

After the last performance is done, the CEOs will leave to discuss their thoughts privately. While this happens, the contestants will be taken one by one into a small room to be interviewed on their thoughts of the current state of things. They will be asked a variety of questions and some may be included in the list found below! Feel free to come up with your own questions if you think they can be fitting.

What did you think of the results last week?

How was it like working with your duo?

How do you think you did?

Were there any performances you liked?

Were there any performances you didn’t like?

What did you think of ___’s performance?

Which duo do you think complemented each other the most?

Was there anyone you think that brought their partner down?

Is there anyone you are certain will move onto the next phase of the MGAs?

Is there anyone you are certain will be eliminated today?

Once they’re done, they’ll be taken back to their seat to wait, or may go to the bathroom if needed.

You may also write an extra 200+ words solo about your muse’s interview, as explained above, to also be posted until midnight EST at the end of Friday, the 12th. For doing so, you may earn +2 CHARISMA OR CREATIVITY POINTS and these can be added to your points tally as soon as it is posted. Please tag all related posts with #rkmga5 and #rkmga5duos. Please link this post as verification.

[yourdreamscenarios]

When your relationship gets revealed by dispatch

∙ Request ♡ ∙ Word count: 2,768

Emergency meetings were only planned during drastic moment. The last emergency meeting you’d had was when one of your songs had been leaked and someone had been bashing you on social media. You knew something bad was about to happen, since your manager had asked the six of you to gather up at your company so you could go over something. He always tried to handle it lightly, but you could just hear by the sound of his voice that something was wrong. And so the six of you were now gathered around a table, sitting in one of the conference halls to discuss everything. You weren’t quite sure what they expected from you, but if they were planning on testing your patience much longer you would drag the story out of them. You wanted to know what you were up against, even if it was bad news. Could it be worse than that one time Jessica’s nephew had passed away? You still remembered the cold silence which had filled the room around that time. You’d all been in shock, even her, it had taken her two hours before she’d been able to believe what had happened and she had bursted into tears. 

This room had a very double feeling to it. It wasn’t like you only came here for bad thing, no this was the room where they had told you that you’d be debuting with a girlfriend. This was where you had signed your contract and this was where your manager had told you he was getting married to his lovely girlfriend. This was where he had asked you to become aunts of his twins and where you had celebrated your first win after a life show. Many happy and sad memories had been made here, but somehow you could tell that whatever was coming for you today, it wasn’t going to be good. “Thanks for coming out this quickly, I know it wasn’t ideal since some of you had a schedule, but I really think we ned to discuss this matter as a group. It affects all of you and even though I have no hard feelings towards the person who’s caught up in the middle of this, I still believe we should be able to talk about this as a group and all give out own opinions, in all honesty.” Your manager said, placing both of his hands down on the table and leaning forward while he stared each and every one of you in the eye, one after the other. It made you feel nervous as you moved from side to side on your seat. 

One by one you studied each of your fellow band members. They all looked serious, but none of them seemed to know what this was about. You could hear the sound of your phone vibrating inside of your bag, but you ignored it. Whoever was calling you right now would have to wait until this was settled. “Just tell us.” Amanda urged when the tension seemed to rise inside of the room. Everyone’s shoulders were set because he made it sound as if one of you had done something wrong, as if one of you had committed a crime. The thought of any of you going to jail right now would be too hard to handle. Yet, you could actually feel your heart rate picking up as soon as your manager focused himself on you, his priming eyes locking with yours. The look he gave you was supportive, but somehow you figured that it didn’t made you feel that way. What had you done now. “We all know Jungkook and _______________ have been dating for a few weeks now.” He started and as soon as he brought up your love life, realization crashed into you. Of course, it had only been a matter of time before they’d find out. Yet, you hadn’t expected it to happen right now. You had hoped to tell people yourself, once your careers allowed you and Jungkook to openly admit to your fans that you were dating. But your busy schedules had kept you from speaking up, and from finding the right time. 

Still, reporters had been tracking you down for a while now, thinking that your band was being way too clean. The six of you barely caused any scandals and it seemed to be something they couldn’t accept. They dug into your private lives in the hope to find something which would make things seem less perfect than they were. The truth was that things had never been perfect and they were only trying to ruin things for you. “They know.” Elena stated from the other side of the table and your manager sighed deeply before nodding. You leaned back against your seat as six pairs of eyes pointed themselves on you. You couldn’t believe you hadn’t caught up on this before now. How come you hadn’t read any of the articles yet? How come no one had called you or texted you to ask you about your point of view? But then you recalled not answering your phone because you thought this way way more important. Little had you known that your phone held all the information you needed to know. “How?” You asked, suddenly feeling really small. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. You wanted to be the one to tell your fans, to let them know that you didn’t want to stab them in the back by running of with one of their favorite idols. You wanted to be the one to let them know so they wouldn’t think you’d keep something from them. But now, that was all too late. 

Your manager handed you his phone, and Amber, who was sitting beside you, leaned forward so she could check it out as well. “They spotted the two of you wearing the same sweater and linked your bracelets. Also, Jungkook was seen near the environment of your dorm last week.” He summarized the article, sparring you the energy to read through the whole thing and involving everyone into the conversation. You stared down on the little screen and looked at the pictures they had fit together of the two of you. It first set was one of you and Jungkook individually. Yours was taken at the airport almost two weeks ago, when you’d been traveling back home after a concert overseas. Jungkook’s picture must have been taking a bit before that because his hair was brown on the photo and not black, which was his current hair color. The two of you were both wearing the exact same sweater, the one he had bought for you since you’d once opted that his looked so cosy. You hadn’t meant to wear it that day, but you’d been in a hurry and you had thrown on the first thing you’d been able to grab, which had seemed to be this sweater. 

You hadn’t thought anyone would be able to figure it out, especially since Jungkook didn’t wear his sweater in public that often. Seemed like you’d been wrong. The next picture was one of Jungkook himself, or at least the person they assumed was him. He was wearing a cap and a mouth cap, but even in the dark you were able to recognize him as he walked towards his car after visiting you at your dorm. If you were able to figure out it was him, his fans surely would. “All of those things, combined with the fact that the two of you have been linked with each other in the past before they’d collected enough evidence to proof it, caused them to seal the deal. Dispatch revealed your relationship this morning, it’s all over the internet.” He continued, and you handed him back his phone without actually reading another word of the article. All this time you had thought that you were being careful and that you weren’t being too obvious. You tried staying away from each other when you were at mutual events and you’d been meeting each other at places no one would have been able to see the two of you together. It was true that the two of you had been suspected to be dating in the past. Apparently you had kind of a staring competition going on even before the two of you had made things official. It seemed like you had been bad at hiding towards the public that you were interested in each other. 

“But it hasn’t been confirmed yet?” Samantha asked while Amber seemed to notice your disheveled state beside her. Her hand landed on top of your shoulder and she gave you a gentle squeeze. You knew that your members would never be mad at you for this, if any, they were the ones who’d had your back during the entire situation. As soon as you’d realized that you had feelings for Jungkook you had told them about tit, because this wasn’t the sort of thing you wanted to keep from them. You weren’t the only one who’d be getting into trouble when this thing went southwards. And when you and Jungkook had started dating, they had been by your side. You’d all known this would happen one day. “Big hit already confirmed Jungkook’s relationship status and told everyone he’s been dating for two months. I guess we should do the same, so they can’t use it against us.” Your manager said and you sighed while the zooming of your phone resounded inside of your bag once more. This time you reached out and quickly unlocked it as soon as you’d found it. You had six missed calls, and all of them were from your boyfriend. 

“How about the comments? How did people react?” Jessica asked while you scrolled down the texts Jungkook had sent you. The first ones were simple, asking you if you’d heard what had happened, if you’d seen the news or read any of the articles online. It seemed like he’d been quick to notice something was up. At least he’d been smart enough to figure all of this out on his own. “As usual when an idol gets stuck in a dating scandal which ends of to be true. People are feeling betrayed and hurt and they’re working it out on the both of you. The comments aren’t pretty but of course there are those who’d seen it coming and who are supportive. I guess we’ll have to prepare ourselves to take legal actions against those who push things too far. You know the company will try its best to protect your private lives.” You barely listened to what he had to say when you scrolled past the latest texts. ‘Never mind, I’ll just come by. You can’t keep ignoring me, we need to talk about this.’ It said and you realized a little too late that Jungkook was actually here right now. He’d sent this at least ten minutes ago, and if he’d guessed where you were by now he should have been able to get here by now. 

You cleared your throat as you looked up into the understanding looks of your friends and your boss. It felt good knowing you weren’t alone in this, no matter how bad things got. “I need to check on someone for a second.” You stated and you shoved back your chair as you got up. You were yielded with expressions which told you they knew exactly who you meant with that someone. But no one said a word as they let you sneak out of the room. You knew that once you were gone the real conversation would start. What did all of this mean, how were they supposed to handle this when it got worse? It were those kind of questions they didn’t want to ask in front of you because they didn’t want to hurt your feelings, but you knew they would be asked. Walking down the hallway you tried to surprise the nervousness you felt. What would Jungkook’s reaction be to this entire situation? You weren’t in this by yourself, it always took two to get into a relationship scandal. This would influence his career just as much as yours. Maybe this would cause him to figure out that it wasn’t worth all the drama and that this wasn’t a good idea. The thought that your relationship could end right now terrified you because no matter how badly you tried denying it, you really liked that guy. 

There was something about him that intrigued you and you knew you wouldn’t just be able to give that all up. Your steps slowed down slight as you rounded the corner, your eyes stuck on your phone. Perhaps you should be the one to end things, that way you wouldn’t be the one to get dumped and he wouldn’t have to feel bad about leaving things this way. Wouldn’t this only cause trouble? It made things much harder for your band members and his. You didn’t need to read those comments in order to know what they said. You weren’t even sure if you’d be able to see them without getting scared to death. If you’d thought that you had some people hating you right before than you surely had a dozen of them now. This was doomed to fail. You almost got knocked off your feet when all of a sudden you bumped into someone and your phone clattered onto the floor with a painful crash. “God, I’m so sorry.” You muttered as you crouched down in order to pick up the device, yet, before you could reach it a hand snatched it up before you. Blinking in surprise you lifted your gaze, only to be met by Jungkook’s. Your breath actually got caught inside of your throat as you stared at him. Was it even illegal for him to look this handsome. He shot you a shy smile as he pressed the phone inside of your hand and helped you get back onto your feet. 

“Were you running from me?” He asked, tugging up an eyebrow as he gave you a funny look. Things were still quite awkward between the two of you, since you were still discovering all of this. He snatched himself in his neck while you looked up at him innocently. To be honest you had no idea what to say. You were always nervous when you saw him, but somehow today seemed to be different. Right now he was’t just your secret anymore, by now everyone knew what this guy meant to you. “I guess you found out what’s going on.” He stated and you let out a big sigh as you walked over to the small couches which stood against the wall. He followed you as you flopped yourself down on one of them. “I just can’t believe it happened.” You muttered, playing with your sleeves by twisting them in between your fingers. For a moment he remained silent, as if he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say, and you guessed that was normal. This was the first dramatic thing which had happened between the two of you, you’d never dealt with something like this before. 

“We both knew it could happen.” He mumbled, watching the way a strange woman walked past you without saying anything. Still, she eyed the both of you before getting out of sight. Of course he was right, you had both been aware of the consequences from the very start. “Now what?” You asked, as you straightened up and forced yourself to look him in the eye. He still looked the same as before all of this. That little smile was still there and he seemed to be at ease around you. “What do you mean now what? This doesn’t change anything. We’ll just have to figure out how to deal with this, that’s all.” He assured you and you weren’t even able to describe how relieved you felt to hear those words coming from him. You shouldn’t have expected anything different, after all he was a great guy and you knew he would never dump you just like that. But still the fear had been read. It was as if he’d seen something in your facial expressions because his hand slowly reached out for yours before giving it a gentle squeeze. “We’ll get through this, we’ll figure it out.” He convinced you and you found yourself smiling at him. What had you done to deserve someone like him? 

∙ BTS Masterlist ♡ ∙ Masterlist ♡