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intomymindspace · 4 years

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Video Games ✰ Tendou Satori

Video Games covered by The Young Professionals

tendou satori x gn reader

Through the Summer and the Fall // Haikyuu!! Songfic Series

a/n: hi everyone, I'm sorry for a posting a week late! I’ve been really unmotivated as of late for personal stuff but also because I'm lowkey still a little bummed that my Bokuto fic (definitely totally am not plugging it rn - totally do not click the link, ahaha 🥺) didn’t do as well as I hoped it would. But no matter! Here is the Tendou insert, as promised! It’s not the best, and I definitely have a bit of writers block and am behind schedule. I wish I could write his character and for him better considering how much I love him. Next will up be flattykawa 😌 and I will be posting it hopefully soon to help make up for last week’s missed post. I've also changed up this blog and have given it hopefully a better look - there is a new theme on desktop!

Warnings: part 3 spoilers for jojo’s bizarre adventure that include character death, my bb tori being insecure about him and his body but I love him and his flat a$$ so much, and as always, we clown on flattykawa in this household but all in good favor

It was a rainy day, and Tendou was quiet and content as he sat on your bed, reading the new Weekly Shonen Jump magazine that he had just been mailed. He had let Ushijima read it earlier - but as always, he only read the advertisements. You sat beside him on the floor, his long legs dangled off the edge of your bed, his foot brushing your arm every now and then. You were playing the new otome game you had bought a week ago on your console. On days like this, the two of you often fell into comfortable silences when hanging out with each other - and today was no different. There was nothing to do other than school work and go to practice - but even then, it wasn’t necessary for the third years to attend anymore. Not since they lost in the finals against Karasuno.

He was pulled away from the panel he was reading when he heard you gasp - his crimson eyes flitting to your monitor to see what had happened.

“What happened?” You turned around to look up at him, an excited look on your face.

“Murasame Jinnosuke confessed his love for me! I didn’t expect it to happen so fast into the game.” He looked back at the screen to see a handsome samurai on your screen. Snickering, Tendou ruffled your hair.

“Good job, now just see if you can get a real guy to confess his undying love for you.” Squinting at him, you slapped his leg playfully.

“You’re supposed to be nice to me, Tori-kun.”

“When am I not?”

Ever since you had taken the place of Shiratorizawa’s volleyball club manager two years ago as a first year, you quickly bonded with the strange amalgamation of players. It had been a running gag between the third year players to find out what type of guys you liked. You could always be found on your phone during breaks playing otome games - and that was the beginning of the years of playful torment from your fellow classmates.

It wasn’t that you weren’t attractive or that you didn’t gain attention - every Valentines Day you always received several confessions and chocolates, but you always rejected them as kindly as possible. For someone who played as many otome games as you did, they were surprised to say the least when you had always declined the advances of many classmates, saying that they just weren’t your type with a kind smile on your face.

It was Tendou’s turn to squint as he turned his attention back to your screen as you continued to play through the game. He scoffed at some of the things the fictional samurai said to you - what was so special about him anyways?

This is my idea of fun

Playing video games

Tendou shut his manga volume, and he noticed your curious eyes looking at the cover. Smirking playfully at you, he poked your forehead.

“Suddenly interested in pirates?” You sat back, rolling your eyes.

“Maybe. Who’s the character on the front?” He stared down at the covered, humming.

“Shanks. Say, I never thought you were one to go for a tough-looking guy.” He held a mischievous grin on his lips.

“Ha! Sure. Keep thinking that, Tendou.” He feigned a gasp.

“You used my last name too? With no honorific? No nickname? The rudeness! I’m so hurt!” You couldn’t help but egg your friend along.

“Hmm, maybe I should start watching One Piece if he’s in it…” But before Tendou could clap back, Yamagata slid into the seat next to you, a teasing smile on his lips.

“Ah, so that’s your type, huh? Tough-looking guys with scars?” You rolled your eyes at the libero. “I’m pretty tough too, aren’t I?”

“As if.” But it didn’t stop them from the teasing.

So what if you maybe did prefer more muscular guys? Tendou didn’t understand why the thought hurt his feelings so much. He may not have the bulging muscles, but he was just as strong. He sighed to himself, watching you from across the table as you shoved Yamagata playfully. Why would you want to like someone like himself anyways?

It's you, it's you, it's all for you

Everything I do

Tendou entered your dorm room unannounced as he always did - but this time he was surprised to see you in tears as you huddled in your blanket, staring at the tv. The first thing you usually did was banter with him about his bad habit of not knocking, but all he could do is stand shocked in your doorway.

Instantly, his gleeful eyes turned blood red. Shutting your door behind him, he quickly made his way over to you, his eyebrows furrowed, a scowl on his lips.

“Who do I have to beat up?” A million thoughts were running through his head - were you made fun of? Did someone reject you? Did you receive a bad score on an exam? He wrapped his arms around you the second your tear-filled eyes looked up at him.

“Who did it? Who hurt your feelings?” His genuine care and questions only made you cry harder into his chest.

“Dio.” You said, but it was too muffled for him to hear. Pulling back, he gave you a quizzical look. You pointed at the scene that was unfolding on your tv.

“Dio killed Kakyoin.” Tendou immediately smacked a hand to his face. His eyes flickered to the screen to see a tall, muscular character slumped against a water tower, a hole in his torso with text on the screen saying “Kakyoin Noriaki has died.” He couldn't help but laugh.

“You want me to beat up the mighty and powerful vampire lord and stand user, Dio Brando? For killing the guy who licks cherries weird?”

Slapping his arm, you pouted at him through your ugly tears. “Don’t make fun of me! I really liked him.” Tendou kept on snickering as he rubbed your back.

“I know, I’m sorry. But it’s just too funny to just not tease you.”

As ridiculous as it sounded, Tendou wondered if you would ever cry for him the way you cried for Kakyoin. He smiled to himself as he stared down at your face that was still buried in his chest - he hoped you wouldn’t notice how fast his heart was beating at the notion of you coming to him for comfort.

Maybe your type was animated men.

I tell you all the time

Heaven is a place on earth with you

Tendou put his jump comic down and just watched your gameplay - he was too distracted by his thoughts of you to focus on the new chapter of My Hero Academia.

He couldn’t help but pine over you. You had been so open and kind to him from the first time you met him - he remembered that day with ease. You had looked so confident walking into the volleyball gym, introducing yourself to the players as their new manager.

He was genuinely surprised that you weren’t turned away by his quirks - and he was thankful that above all, you treated him just like you treated everyone else.

It seemed so easy for you to become friends with the other first years at the time. You found commonalities with each of them, and you even managed to break Ushijima out of his shell by the time you all first went to nationals. Tendou remembered the hours upon hours that the two of you spent together - whether it was hanging out in the dorm watching animes, giving him tips and encouragement on the court during timeouts, or quality conversations on long bus rides to and from games. If you had never joined as manager, Tendou would’ve never guessed that the two of you would become as close friends as you were now. And he had always been a good guesser.

As he stared at you, controller in your hand, he remembered why he realized he liked you so much - it wasn’t because you shared a strong love for manga and anime. Okay, well, maybe it was, but it wasn’t the commonality. It was because you understood and even empathized with escaping through these fictional stories.

He knew what it was like to want to escape - to want to find paradise away from everyday life. On the court, Tendou could sneak into the small slice of heaven that he visited when he played volleyball. Off the court, he wanted nothing more than to have you safe in his arms as the two of you escaped into the world of whatever show you had chosen to binge that day.

To him, you were just as heavenly as the defeated looks on his opponents’ faces that he craved to see - maybe even more.

Tell me all the things you want to do

I heard that you like the bad girls, honey, is that true?

You squealed excitedly as you waved the game in front of Semi’s face after practice had ended.

“Semi-semi! Look what just came in the mail!” He pushed your hand out of his face, scoffing.

“I can’t see it if you’re rubbing in my face like that, idiot.” The setter had a smile on his face nonetheless, making you laugh as he took a look at the game. His eyes widened.

“No way, Castlevania Judgement?!?!” You nodded proudly, smiling at Tendou and Ushijima as they walked over to see what the commotion was about. The middle blocker gawked at the game you held in your hands - the third years had been talking about the release of it for at least a few months now.

“You jealous? If you want, we can play after dinner.” Semi quickly nodded, and you looked at Tendou and Ushijima for their answers.

“What, when have I ever said no to wanting to play video games with you?” To his reply, the captain simply nodded.

“Thank you for your invite. I am happy to attend as well.”

Tendou and Ushijima sat on the edge of your bed as you and Semi sat in front of your tv, switching the controller after every chapter of the game. Ushijima had no interest in actually playing the game - and Tendou knew he would get a chance to play with you later. Semi was more excited for the game than he was anyways.

You couldn’t contain your excitement as you gushed over one of the main characters, Simon Belmont. From the looks of it, he was a powerful fighter - and Tendou sighed once again - he was super muscular and tough-looking too. You were too invested in the gameplay with Semi, that you weren’t paying attention to the conversation Tendou sparked with Ushijima.

“I don’t get what’s so special about him anyways.” The redhead had a pout on his face, his arms crossed. Ushijima was very aware of the middle blocker’s crush on you - his friend often coming to the captain for his advice. While Ushijima had almost no experience and knowledge at all in terms of dating, he was always observant of the people around him, and was very blunt.

“Tendou-kun, if you like them so much, it would just be better to ask. It is pointless to be jealous over every fictional character they like.” He couldn’t help but gawk at the monotonous tone and the serious look on his captain’s face.

“I’ll raise you a better one. It’s pointless to ask because their standards seem to be so high anyways.” Ushijima couldn’t help but stare at his friend.

“And why should that stop you? They’re not real.” Tendou sighed, exacerbated.

“I get it, I get it! I know they’re not just going to pop out from the screen or anything.”

“But?”

“But that doesn’t mean those aren’t their same standards to people they prefer in real life,” Tendou admitted, and Ushijima knew he hit the reason why. Tendou may be tall, but he was lean and lanky. The muscle he had was nowhere near that of any of the fictional guys you crushed on. What could you possibly want from someone way weaker - someone like him?

“They are not the type of person to go completely for the way someone’s body appears. If that were the case, they should’ve confessed their attraction to either myself or Yamagata by now, based on your logic. Besides, they told me they liked you.” Tendou couldn't help but roll his eyes, placing a hand over his heart.

“Wakatoshi-kun, you wound me. Of course they like me - they wouldn’t be my friend if they didn’t. Couldn't you at least sugar coat your advice sometimes?”

It's better than I ever even knew

They say that the world was built for two

Before the prefectural qualifiers in the fall, Shiratorizawa managed to snag a practice match with none other than Aoba Johsai. While there was clear tension throughout the entire time, the teams kept interactions outside the court lines as light-hearted as possible. Seijoh managed to snag victory during the first match, but Shiratorizawa hit back just as hard, winning the second match.

The boys were currently loading their bags into the bus as you supervised them, reminding them to triple check that they had everything. You were almost caught by surprise when a volleyball rolled towards you, hitting the back of your foot gently.

“Sumimasen.” You heard from several meters behind you, making you turn around. It was the Great King himself, Oikawa Tooru, that was slowly jogging towards you - it almost seemed like he was doing it in slow motion. Your fellow teammates heard the setter, their eyes sneakily following him as he got closer to you. They couldn't help but snicker at their so-called sworn enemy - it was obvious by the way that his aura sparkled around him and the smoulder on his face that he had rolled the ball your way to get your attention.

“I’m so sorry, could you get that for me?” You nodded, a polite smile on your face. The great Oikawa was definitely handsome, to say the least - and Tendou couldn't help the childish frown that filled his features. As you picked up the ball and handed it back to the setter, he flashed you a heart-stopping, pearly white smile.

“Thank you,” he said, taking the ball from you, brushing your fingers in the process. “You are the manager for Shiratorizawa, right? I didn’t catch your name earlier.” Oikawa ran a hand through his silky hair as you gave him your name.

“Wow,” he flashed you another smile, “such a beautiful name for someone just as gorgeous.” Semi couldn’t help but let a snort out at Oikawa’s compliment.

“Thank you.” You took the complement in stride, deciding it would be nice to say something back. “You played great today, Oikawa-san.” He laughed jovially.

“Thank you, you’re very kind. And cute. Would you be interested in catching boba with me sometime? I know a cute place that has good milk tea and milk bread.” Tendou rolled his eyes at Oikawa’s words. It probably was his plan all along - to try to bewitch the manager of Shiratorizawa. When Tendou saw a smile grow on your face, he couldn’t help but feel defeated. Were you actually going to say yes to him?

“I’m very flattered Oikawa-san. But I’m sorry, I must decline your offer.” Oikawa’s eyes widened in surprise. The Great King? Being rejected? “You’re not really my type.” You turned around, making your way onto the bus, leaving Oikawa with his jaw on the ground, the ace on Seijoh’s team as well as your teammates laughing their asses off at the scene that had just unfolded in front of their very eyes.

“That’s what you get, Crappykawa! You should’ve gone to Shiratorizawa!”

“Iwa-chan, that's not funny! I feel like my heart has been broken into thousands of pieces!”

“Well, if they’re gonna hit it, they better hit it til it breaks!”

“Pfft, I’m actually not surprised they didn’t say yes to him.” Semi commented, placing his duffle bag into the storage compartment. Tendou’s head quirked at the statement.

“Why’s that?” Reon asked, storing his things as well, making Semi and Yamagata snicker.

“Did you see how flat his ass was? I’m 100% sure their type is thicker guys. Like their ace, or something.” The three of them burst into laughter, Tendou only slightly laughing along as well. Ushijima only grunted in disagreement as he shut the compartment’s door.

“I believe their type is actually redheads.” All of the third years looked at their captain with wide eyes and dead silence - before laughing even harder. Semi slapped Ushijima’s bicep lightly, bending over. Tendou’s eyes widened - Ushijima was not the type to joke around, right?

“I didn’t think you actually knew how to crack jokes, Ushijima-kun!” The olive-haired man only looked down at his fellow third years in confusion.

“I am not joking. I simply just decided to ask them earlier, and I am only relaying the answer they gave me.” They couldn’t help but bend over, Yamagata even wiping tears from all the laughing.

“Stop! Your bluntness is only making it worse!” By the way the rest of his teammates reacted, Tendou believed Ushijima really must have been joking - in his own way. He had just picked a hair color different from Oikawa’s, right?

“Good one, Wakatoshi-kun.” Tendou let out a chuckle, giving his friend a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Only worth living if somebody is loving you

And baby, now you do

Tendou’s eyes widened as he relieved all the memories. Was Ushijima actually serious? He had never asked his friend about it - but perhaps it was because he was too scared to actually know the truth. Quickly, Tendou pulled out his phone and googled each of the characters - Shanks, Kakyoin, and Simon. The samurai was still on your screen, and he flipped through the tabs on his internet browser, trying to find the similarities.

Obviously, they were all built rather strong - but Tendou couldn’t get what Ushijima said out of his head. They were all redheads, after all. Why hadn’t he noticed this before? He looked back at you, your attention still on the otome game. Should he ask you? Would it be weird? Tendou thought about texting Ushijima, but he quickly decided not to. He already knew what his friend would say. Right after he called your name gently, you set down the controller and turned to look up at him.

“What’s up, Tori-kun?” He had never felt this nervous before - it wasn’t even like he was going to confess to you or anything either.

“Uh - what’s your type? Like, in guys? I promise I won’t tease you this time, I just want to know.” Surprisingly, you smirked at him. What were you thinking?

“You gonna brag to Eita and Yato that you finally found out after all these years?” The apparent blush on Tendou’s cheeks only spread further.

“What? No, I wouldn’t do that… Unless I had to,” he said, trying his best to come off as his usual teasing self. This only made you snicker at him.

“I’m surprised you guys haven’t beat it out of Toshi-kun yet. I already told him a few months ago.” Tendou’s eyes widened at what you said.

“Huh?” You rolled your eyes at him.

“Yeah.” He couldn’t believe how casual you were about it. You were always so hellbent on keeping it from them - but perhaps it was because they made such a big deal out of it in the first place. Tendou didn’t exactly know how to respond to you - he was still trying to process the realization. So he had guessed wrong this whole time?

After sitting in silence for a couple of seconds, you gave him a playful smile. “Redheads,” you said, turning around and picking up your controller. Ushijima’s words echoed with yours in his brain.

Besides, they told me they liked you. Tendou let out a choked noise.

“I’ve made a mistake!”

You burst out laughing at Tendou’s exclamation. Setting your controller down once more, you stood up and turned, leaning your elbows against your bed. “You guys really are that oblivious, huh? Even Toshi-kun saw that I liked you. He went so far as to ask me about it too.” You propped up your head with your hand, staring at him. Getting past his initial shock, Tendou settled back down.

“How shallow of you,” he teased, leaning his head closer to yours. “I can’t believe the only reason why you like me is because my hair is red, yanno?” In return, you inched your face up closer to his as if you were challenging him.

“I know,” you said smugly, your eyes flickering down to his lips, “I’m such an awful friend. I’ll only break your heart once I replace you with another redhead.” He smirked as he noticed where your eyes had glanced. Tendou may have been oblivious, but he wasn’t called the Guess Monster for nothing.

“I’m guessing that you want to kiss me right now, hmm?” He asked quietly, dangerously moving closer to you - your faces now only mere inches apart. A blush crept onto both of your cheeks. You answered back, your voice nearly a whisper.

“Why don’t you find out for yourself, Guess Monster?”

Immediately, Tendou closed the distance between the two of you. Your lips were warm and soft, making him wish he had at least put on chapstick earlier. His heart was beating so hard inside of his chest that he was afraid you’d hear it, but you said nothing as the two of you pulled away. Saying nothing, he only smiled as he traced his fingers up your neck, cupping your jaw. Pulling you into a deeper kiss, he sighed contentedly as he felt your hands trail up his torso.

Kissing you felt like paradise.

As always, thank you so much for reading!! please like, reblog, and follow 🥺

~ Crystal

through the summer and the fall masterlist

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buy me a ko-fi! (but only if you want to and can)

BONUS

The following day, Tendou met you at your door to walk with you to lunch. With your hand in his, the two of you took your sweet time making your way to the cafeteria to meet up with the other third years. Today, Coach Washijo had asked for them to play a practice match against the Miyagi first years he was holding a training camp for. You decided to tag along since you had nothing planned to do for the weekend.

As you talked about a weird dream you had, Tendou couldn’t help but gaze adoringly at you - he couldn’t believe that you liked him, or that you were actually dating him now even if it had only been about twelve hours. The two of you waited in the lunch line, his chin resting on top of your head as he held both of your hands from behind you - it felt so natural to touch you. He could tell that people were staring - but none of it mattered when all he needed was the sound of your excited voice and the blatant look of love in your eyes.

Stepping away from your back slightly, he moved forward to gently place a kiss on your cheek - and that's when he heard the yells. The both of you turned to find your fellow third and second years staring at the two of you with wide eyes and mouths catching flies. Goshiki accompanied the team as well, his face beat red. Ushijima was behind the flustered first year, a rare half-smile on his face.

“Afternoon guys!” You had said it so casually as you leaned back into Tendou’s arms, allowing him to place a cheeky kiss on your temple - making Semi gag and Yamagata nearly tear up.

“I did tell you all that they preferred redheads.”

#tendou x reader #Tendou Satori x reader #tendou imagine #Tendou Satori imagine #tendou reader insert #Tendou Satori reader insert #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu reader insert #through the summer and the fall #intomymindspace #tendo x reader #tendo satori x reader

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claymorecut · 3 years

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BABYSITTING A 26 YEAR OLD WOMAN IS NOT THE MAIN CHARACTER’S JOB!

A GINTSU FANFICTION

CHAPTER 1

The life of a main character is never an easy one. So much they have to look at, so many they need to motivate and inspire, their goals, aspirations and responsibilities- it’s like their job can never end, even if the series does.

However, the same cannot be said for our rather unmotivated MC here.

It was a pleasant morning and once again in the Sakata household, our main character seems to have been doing the same as always.

With his legs propped up on the desk and a JUMP in his left hand, Sakata Gintoki gulped down the last of his favorite strawberry milk from the carton as his eyes scanned the contents of his precious JUMP magazine. With Kagura travelling around the universe with her baldy father and Shinpachi handling the dojo, he found himself alone at home as he enjoyed his day off. It may come as a surprise but apparently, for the last two weeks, our lazy and nonchalant MC has been constantly handling all the work alone at the Yorozuya without catching a single break. And as much as he appreciated the payment from his clients, he really missed slacking off like this. There was no work today and finally in a few hours, he can visit the pachinko parlor and drink sake to his heart’s content.

Taking a day off after working so hard surely feels like an achievement. Gintoki leisurely thought as he put the magazine down on the desk and stretched his arms. Yawning, he stood up from his seat and walked towards the little TV. Switching it on, he flipped the channel to Ketsuno Ana’s news show and flopped down on the sofa as he patiently waited for his favorite weather girl to appear on screen. However, this didn’t last long as he heard the phone ring.

Gintoki groaned mentally as he stood up from his seat and walked towards the area where he was seated before. “Hello? Yorozuya speaking.” And his voice was as dead as ever.

“GIN-SANNN!” It was Seita screeching from the other side and with that heard, Gintoki slammed the phone down. Not to be presumptuous or anything but he had a pretty decent idea why Seita was calling him and that too with that whiny voice of his. No way was he going to listen to that brat’s pleas to help him with his studies while he complains about how strict Tsukuyo’s teaching methods are. It is not the very first time that the kid has called him up like this for the same reason but today, he was not falling for it. He is supposed to enjoy his day and relax a little, not teach a kid stupid history lessons. And especially with THAT lady.

Rubbing his forehead, Gintoki once again decided to forget about these shenanigans and enjoy his day to the fullest. But once again, his peace was interrupted with the phone ringing.

And Gintoki was in no mood to listen to ANY REQUESTS today.

“Listen here kid, I haven't taken a break for the last two weeks from work and the Yorozuya is closed today so, I’m not gonna tea-“

“But Gin-san, at least list-“

“No buts! I’m TIRED and I'm NOT helping you with your homework today!”

“But Gin-san it’s not homewo-“

“Oh then it must a stupid school project of yours! How about you ask that demon tutor of yours for some help and leave me alone for today!?”

“But it IS about Tsukuyo-nee-“

“Now don’t start your compl-“

“But Gin-san-“

“I’m hanging up kid, enjoy your day and let me enjoy mine.”

“TSUKUYO-NEE HAS TURNED INTO A KID!”

“……”

“H-hello?”

“……”

“H-hello, Gin-san?”

“…..I’m not falling for that crap.”

“GIN-SAN!!!”

Looks like our MC has something to do today after all.

*****

Gintoki had no idea what was going on anymore.

One moment he was at his house, relaxing and planning how he was gonna spend the rest of his day perfectly and the next moment he finds himself taking his scooter out and kick-starting it to visit Yoshiwara.

The phone call with Seita did not last long after that grand confession as he simply just heard Seita plea to him one last time again before hanging up. If he was being honest with himself, the kid did sound a little worried. Sure, regarding the situation he does not have much information or context and Tsukuyo turning into a kid sounded a little too ridiculous to him but he still thought maybe checking the situation there a little won’t harm him. Plus, he can always ask for free sake in return.

Parking his scooter in front of the teahouse, Gintoki observed the area within his vision and not to his surprise, everything looked normal. The streets were a little busy with construction workers carrying a few heavy piles of wood to their designated area but apart from that, Yoshiwara looked normal. Hinowa was standing right inside the teahouse, discussing some paper works with a Hyakka member and well, apart from looking a little more busy than usual, she looked pretty normal as well. Nothing looked out of ordinary and even though he did not see Tsukuyo around, he pretty much guessed that she was alright too and was working somewhere like the workaholic she is.

I knew that brat was lying damn it! He grunted, thinking how he fell in the kid's trap again.

Noticing the silver-haired samurai standing in front of the teahouse, Hinowa dismissed the Hyakka member as she smiled warmly to welcome him. “Gin-san, thank goodness you came.”

Gintoki walked inside the teahouse with his usual dead-fish eyes as he took a seat in one of the benches placed there. “I guess it couldn’t be helped.” He shrugged, speaking in his nonchalant voice.

Taking a seat on a bench in front of him, Hinowa apologetically smiled at the tired samurai. “I am genuinely sorry for the inconvenience, Gin-san. I’ve been busy with the renovation work and that’s why I told Seita to call you. He did tell me after calling you how busy you were lately but we really need your help right now.”

Surely, Gintoki was a little pissed about Seita lying to him but he really did feel a guilty for not accepting his request. On a closer look, Hinowa did look pretty stressed and there were dark circles under her eyes. Plus, he couldn’t find Tsukuyo anywhere. Must be out there working like always. “But I need you treat me with some really great sake later.”

“Of course!” Hinowa cheerfully replies. “I’m glad you agreed to it. I hope Seita has told you everything. I’ll explain the situation to you properly.”

Situation? “Um..okay. But don’t you guys complain later if something goes wrong.”

“Oh what are you saying, Gin-san! I have complete faith in you!”

They were talking about the same situation, right? Well, of course she wants the best for her child. Guess I’ll have to do my best as a tutor too. “Okay…so I’ll be going to Seita-kun’s room-“

Hinowa blinked confusingly at this. “Eh?”

“.....How am I supposed to help him with his project then?”

“……Project?”

Now Gintoki was sweating with extreme pressure. Did Gintoki just had a huge misunderstanding? Was what Seita saying…true? No way was he gonna believe in that lie. “W-well, of course. That’s why he called me and made up this thing about Tsukuyo so I can-“

“Yes, Tsukuyo! But Seita didn't made up-“

NO WAY has she turned into a child! “P-please don’t joke like that Hinowa-san-” he stuttered, confusion and panic clear in his voice.

“But Gin-san-“

"Love drug was okay but THIS!? No way am I gonna believe THIS!"

"But Gin-san! Let me ex-"

“Hinowa. What’s goin’ on ‘ere?”

....

......

.........

The voice came from right behind him but something was certainly very wrong with it. Even though he did not want to believe it, the voice was oddly familiar. Young, but VERY familiar.

“Everything’s fine. Don’t worry about it, Tsukuyo.” Hinowa turned to the voice’s direction, who was apparently Tsukuyo.

Gintoki didn’t want to freak out and fortunately, he succeeded in that. But this uncanny feeling he had made his stomach churn with uneasiness and soon, he too found himself turning towards the direction of the child-like voice. And to his utter shock, there stood a kid. A kid so unfamiliar yet familiar he could just look at her with disbelief. Her blond hair was tied into a little bun and she was wearing a yellow yukata with white checkered patters and to his guess, she was almost 10 years old. Maybe his eyes were just ditching him due to exhaustion and he was just looking at a kid who very much resembled Tsukuyo and even has somewhat of a similar voice like her but the moment they landed on the oh-so familiar scar on her face, he knew he was facing reality.

The black kimono was gone. The heels were gone. That confident and mature face was now replaced with innocence and the curves and the legs his eyes often followed innocently(?) were also gone.

However, the person remained the same.

It was Tsukuyo. But now turned into a child…

“Okay.” Tsukuyo replied, her eyes skeptically looking at the silver-haired samurai. “May I ask who he is?”

……And she did not remember him!?

“Oh he is the one I told you about.” Hinowa replied with a sweet smile on her face. “The Savior of Yoshiwara, Sakata Gintoki.”

“Oh.” And she did not even…….look interested.

“Now now, don’t worry about me so much. You should get inside and take some rest. I have a few urgent things to discuss with him so I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Her voice was reassuring but at the same time he could hear her voice shake a little. What is going on!?

“Hmm. Okay.” Tsukuyo nodded obediently and went inside the main house before giving Gintoki another skeptical look. As for the man himself, he felt his eyes almost exit his sockets.

Hinowa sighed in relief and turned back to look at the baffled samurai to explain the situation. “Please Gin-san. Let me explain.”

Gintoki wanted to yell so, so badly right now. Explain!? EXPLAIN WHAT EXACTLY!? THIS!? The little Gintoki was yelling inside his head but the only thing that came out of his mouth was a strained whisper. “What the hell happened, Hinowa-san!?”

Breathing heavily, Hinowa finally answered the long awaited question. “Three days ago, Tsukuyo was handling the construction work of a few abandoned store houses here and while emptying the rooms, she accidently knocked over a small bottle of drug and inhaled it which was once used by the courtesans to replenish their youth.”

The information has now left him completely baffled. “A WHAT!?”

Understanding his confusion, Hinowa continued to explain the situation properly to him. “Almost thirty years ago, this drug was smuggled here by the Amantos and even though Hosen’s influence kept most drug dealers away, this specific drug was here in high demand among the courtesans for its effects. Just a small sniff from the little perfume-like bottle and it would show its work in a few seconds. However, the side effects of the drug soon started to show as some women felt their body weaken and suffered from mild memory loss which affected the business of many here. Hosen, after learning about these incidents and how it might seriously affect the business later, took a strict step and banned this drug completely from Yoshiwara and whatever was left here was all thrown out. However, maybe some of it was still left over that storehouse and that is why…Tsukuyo…”

This information caught Gintoki’s attention as he silently now observed Hinowa’s exhausted face. Her voice was almost a whisper but Gintoki could clearly hear it quiver a little and now he had a pretty decent idea that this was not a very simple situation.

“So, you mean to say Tsukuyo’s life is in danger?” Gintoki asked after processing all the information in his head to which Hinowa shook her head.

“I’m….not sure.” Sighing, she lowered her head down. “When the Hyakka members brought her here unconscious, we immediately called the doctor and had all the check-ups done. Maybe it’s because the drug was quite old that it did not affect Tsukuyo’s health much apart from a little fatigue but when she woke up, except for me, she….remembered no one in front of her. Not even Seita. And after explaining the effects of the drug and discussing everything with the doctor, he told me that her mind has gone back to her ten year old self along with her body and now, she remember everything only from that time. The doctor did say that the drug’s effects will wear off in a few days and her body will be back to normal but….he was not so sure whether her memories will come back or not.”

And with that said, Hinowa broke down.

When he first heard this news, Gintoki literally did not believe it because it just sounded so absurd. But now that Hinowa clearly explains the entire situation and especially, Tsukuyo’s condition, he suddenly feels a strange pang in his chest. “….You mean….she may lose her memory forever..?”

Hinowa silently nodded as she wipes her tears with her kimono sleeves.

“Then why didn’t you guys call me when it happened three days ago?” Gintoki asked, his voice low but slowly losing its casual tone.

“I did want to inform you early on.” Hinowa replied immediately. “But the work load here was too much and we were in no condition to compromise Tsukuyo’s mental state in such a short period of time. When I discussed the entire matter with the doctor, he told me that Tsukuyo regressing back to her child self and losing her memories simultaneously might also be a result of her subconscious trying to delete some past traumas. And so for now, he told us that we fabricate a good enough explanation for her to convince. For the last two days, I nagged her to rest properly and it was only today that she finally looked healthy and so I let her help me with some regular chores.”

Hinowa's voice sounded more and more tensed as she contined to explain the problem to him. Gintoki understood both of them were in no condition to discuss about this sensitive subject by just anxiously talking to each other. Moreover, he understood how frustrated Hinowa must have been with all of this. Especially because he too at one point lost his memories and saw how desperately Shinpachi and Kagura were trying to bring him back. And except all this, she was now singlehandedly handling the work going on here. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his racing heart down. Like Hinowa, he too was scared; especially with the fact that Tsukuyo might never remember him. But it was not the time for him as to act all confused and most importantly, they called him for help.

She needed help.

And honestly, if he ever again tutors Seita, he would love to tutor him with her by his side.

“…..How did you guys explain everything about Yoshiwara?”

Hinowa wiped off her tears as she again took a deep breath to explain further. “We told her everything. About Hosen and his defeat. About you and how you became the savior of this city. And as for her memory loss, we told her that she had an accident which has temporarily affected her memories. At first, she was a little confused but fortunately, I was able to convince her and she calmed down. And like always, she did not question me…However, the doctor has warned us that we do not mistakenly trigger memories of any unpleasant incident which has happened in the recent past to her and” And she took another deep breath, her forever cheerful eyes showing a sense of fear in them. “…..that’s exactly what I’m worried about the most.”

Gintoki has never seen Hinowa this scared for Tsukuyo. Not even when she was abducted and the entire Yoshiwara was on the verge of burning down. However, now that he sensed the fear in her eyes did he come to understand why she was so anxious. Past trauma. Any recent unpleasant incident. “You don’t mean…”

"She was asking about Jiraiya.”

------x-----

A/N: And that’s all for the first chapter. I’m writing a fic after so long and this idea has been in my mind for almost a year now. I’m genuinely sorry for the lack of GinTsu in this chapter though but I promise I’ll make it up to you in the next one. Hope you guys enjoyed it and don't worry I’ll update soon enough! <3. Plus, please let me know if I should post it on ffnet and ao3?

#gintsuki #gintsu #gintoki x tsukuyo #sakata gintoki #tsukuyo #gintsu fanfic #gintama

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mostlycompetentwriter · 4 years

Text

Streetlight

F/M Pairing: OC x Seo Changbin (Stray Kids)

Warnings: Angst (this is kinda sad at the beginning); fluff; mild language

Genre: Family AU; Haven Sequel; Strangers to Lovers

Word Count: 7.8K

Summary: For a long time, Changbin’s priorities were centered around the need to take care of Y/N and the rest of his adopted family. However, as their dynamic has continued to evolve, he starts to feel like they no longer really need him. So, maybe Changbin feels a little bit lonely these days, but that all changes when he meets a mysterious stranger who wants to take care of him instead.

A/N: Like Haven itself, I really love this one. Special thanks to the anonymous user who requested this! I wish I could tag you.

Whenever Changbin found himself questioning why he was forced to endure the monotony of a 9-5 desk job with no reprieve, including outrageous weekend hours and overtime, he was always reminded of his family and a persistent desire to take care of them. It was a sound justification for putting up with the rude customers who took one look at his superintendent badge and immediately targeted him as the subject of their endless complaints. For example, they might say something like, “The packaging is all wrong!” or, “The shipment label should be 152 instead of 151!” and, his personal favorite, “Do you actually know what you’re doing?”

In those instances, Changbin would paste on his best fake smile and kindly tell those customers that, yes, he did have some inkling of what he was doing, even if he sometimes doubted himself. After all, his job wasn’t that hard, but it was demanding of his time and efforts, and Changbin was rapidly coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t meant for a customer service position. But quitting would mean jeopardizing the success and good-fortune that had befallen his family during recent weeks. It would mean risking their overstock of food and secure funding for Felix’s college classes. It would mean forcing the younger members to work, or exposing Minho to more hours at the warehouse.

That certainly wouldn’t be fair to Y/N who had come to form a very strong dependency on Minho, even if their relationship had been a major shock for the rest of the family when it was first discovered. The circumstances surrounding the revelation weren’t exactly ideal, and Changbin had been a little hurt that Y/N felt the need to hide something like that from him. She had come a long away from the shy pre-teen who would snuggle next to him at night and tell him about her dreams for the future.

His heart would sometimes ache for those days because it was nice to be needed. Changbin had a people-pleasing personality, and he often formed strong bonds with those that he cared about. But his love for Y/N was especially strong, and Changbin wondered if Y/N ever missed those nights when she would crawl into Changbin’s bed and ask him to protect her from those horrible nightmares.

It sometimes made him sad when he realized that Y/N didn’t need him like she used to when she first arrived at the house. In the same way that most of his family members had outgrown their childish stages, maturing into young adults who were starting to become independent. Even Jeongin and Seungmin had reached that stage where they could handle themselves, attending school during the day before coming home and isolating themselves away from the others.

In fact, when he really thought about it, most of his family members would spend the majority of their time according to whatever fascinated their current whims. Thankfully, Chan had decided that Friday nights would remain exclusive, and Changbin might be lucky enough to have Y/N crawl into his lap, or one of the other members cuddle close to his side - where he would like to have them for the rest of their lives because it felt nice to keep them safe.

“Excuse me, young man, but is this really the best you can do on stamps?”

Changbin sighed at the interruption, studying the elderly woman who had disturbed his thoughts. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said. “We don’t sell anything else.”

The old woman scoffed at him before walking away, and Changbin wondered what Y/N might be doing at that moment...

It was late when Changbin found himself trudging down the hallway, ignoring the sound of Jisung whining about how Changbin had bought the wrong kind of snacks. He really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Jisung, especially when the younger seemed to have forgotten that Changbin took the long way home just to buy those snacks for him in the first place. Instead, Changbin just wanted to curl up in bed and go to sleep because he had another early shift tomorrow, and it made him feel extremely unmotivated to endure another day of his shitty office job.

In fact, what Changbin really wanted was Y/N, but when he paused outside of the bedroom that she shared with Jeongin and Seungmin, he could hear the sound of laughter coming from the other side. Changbin took a deep breath, cracking the door open just enough to see Minho and Y/N lying in bed together, watching some sort of video on one of the laptops that belonged to the older members. Changbin swallowed hard, closing the door again before he walked up the stairs and found his room at the other end.

He paused for a moment, looking back at the empty staircase, and wondered what the others were doing since nobody else bothered to greet him when he came home except for Jisung. Consequently, there was an unpleasant sensation swimming around his heart, and Changbin tried to ignore it as he walked into his bedroom, shrugging off his jacket before falling into bed still dressed in his work uniform. For a moment, Changbin was perfectly quiet, even while his mind was loud and refused to give him a moment of peace.

But then he eventually identified what those unpleasant feelings really were, and he hadn’t felt it this profoundly since before his own father kicked him out of his house: it was loneliness. Changbin felt alone in a house full of 8 other people, and when the realization finally settled, Changbin felt a stray tear fall down the side of his face. Because it hurts to feel alone.

It was a struggle then, when he glanced at his alarm clock, vision blurry from the salty wetness that continued to steadily leak from the corners of his eyes, and he could barely perceive the time displayed on the screen. Nevertheless, Changbin had been experiencing a lot of trouble falling asleep in recent weeks, and tonight seemed like it would be another restless plight of tossing and turning. But when had this started? Changbin couldn’t really pinpoint the exact moment when his life started to feel like it was falling apart - like he was losing everything that he had once treasured.

Honestly speaking, even before his stupid job, Changbin had felt like shit because Chan was constantly on his ass about staying at home all the time. It wasn’t even his fault, but it felt like Chan was determined to break him - to pressure him so far that he would literally split in half from the constant push and pull. Then again, Changbin had always experienced moments when he felt like there was nothing he could to prevent his most depressing thoughts. Maybe it was really because of his past - his terrible childhood and his rotten excuse for a father who decided that Changbin didn’t deserve his love or affection.

Yeah, maybe he had some daddy issues, but he also had to watch his own mother die when he was eight-years-old. For a while after her death, Changbin felt like there were huge parts of him that was left empty, and it had taken an awfully long time to fill those places again. But his family living with him at their precious Haven helped a lot because he was able to occupy his time with taking care of others. But Changbin had also learned how to put on a mask of indifference and pretend that he was okay when he felt unusually sad. Maybe he had gotten so good at pretending that he had started to fool even himself.

Perhaps it was finally catching up to him.

Changbin shook his head, wiping away the tears as he rolled onto his side. His eyes explored the darkness of his room until they settled on his nightstand where he paused on the little stuffed Munchlax that sat next to his lamp - a gift from Y/N after he had stayed up with her for an entire week when she had the flu. “I’m beary grateful,” she had said, giggling with childish delight when she first offered him the gift.

It seemed inconsequential at the time, but Changbin had always treasured the little gift, and when he brought it next to him in bed, he could pretend like it was Y/N. He could remember the nights when she curled up next to him, sharing secrets that she never told anyone else. He could feel a little bit better when he was feeling down, and Changbin savored the beautiful moment of peace that the stuffed plushy brought him before he closed his eyes to sleep.

The next morning, Changbin slept through his alarm, and there was a small part of him that desperately wanted to just ignore his responsibilities for one day and remain warm beneath his bed sheets. But life had different plans for him, especially with Bang Chan in charge of the house. “Get up,” Chan said, and Changbin grunted when he felt the older pull the sheets into the floor. “I thought you had a morning shift.”

“I do,” Changbin grumbled, and he cursed under his breath when Chan finally left the room.

Changbin sighed when he realized that the potential for more sleep was completely gone, and he was forced to shower and dress himself before walking down the stairs. It was too early for most of the members, but Changbin greeted Chan and Minho as he dropped down into one of the kitchen chairs. “Coffee?” Changbin asked, looking over at Chan.

“Hyunjin broke the damn thing,” Chan said. “We’ll have to wait until this weekend to go shopping.”

“What an asshole,” Minho remarked, and Changbin nodded his agreement.

“We’re making a list,” Chan said. “I get my bonus check tomorrow, and we can decide on what needs to be replaced.”

“The hot water heater should be a priority,” Changbin said. “I only had enough for a ten-minute shower.”

“How long do you need?” Chan asked, and Changbin snorted because he knew that Chan would only agree to make expensive purchases when he decided that they were, indeed, absolutely critical. “What do you think, Minho?”

“Y/N and I usually take showers together,” he said with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows.

Chan immediately voiced his complaints, explaining to Minho that neither he nor Changbin wanted to hear about their exploits. Changbin especially was still not used to hearing Minho or Y/N talk about the explicit parts of their relationship. But Minho was always perfectly willing to share.

“Add condoms to this list,” Minho continued. “We’re almost out.”

“Come on, Minho,” Chan muttered, but he still wrote down the request. “I’ll think about the hot water heater.”

“You two decide,” Changbin said, rising from the table as he grabbed his keys off the counter.

“You’re not going to eat?” Chan asked with a worried tone, but Changbin chose to ignore him as he walked outside onto the porch, inhaling the fresh, morning air before approaching his car.

The old van was unreliable, but Changbin didn’t have much of a choice when it came to his preferred choice of transportation. They were lucky enough to find the van on sale at a price that they could afford, but it was still hard to find used cars these days that satisfied their budget. And Changbin spent ten minutes jostling his keys in the lock before he managed to open the driver’s side door, turning over the ignition three times before the van offered a half-hearted rumble.

On most days, Changbin was forced to cross his fingers that the old van would get him to work and back without falling to pieces. Changbin rolled his eyes at the thought of bringing it up to Chan because the least he could do was allow Changbin to bring it to a mechanic. There was definitely a problem if the check engine light stayed on 24/7.

“Please don’t leave me stranded,” Changbin said, easing backwards out of the driveway before gently navigating the van along the back roads that he had plotted out since he couldn’t handle the highway.

He briefly recalled when he first got the van because it was a “shiny” new toy for the younger members to savor, and both Jeongin and Seungmin used to beg Changbin to take them for rides at night. And he could never refuse them, gliding up and down the roads while playing their favorite music over the terrible sound system. But the younger boys loved those occasions, and they often talked to Changbin about any sort of worries or concerns that plagued their minds.

Like the time Jeongin had a problem with another kid in his class who picked on him for the clothes that he wore. At first, Changbin tried to satisfy Jeongin’s insistence that new clothes would solve everything, and he dug into his savings account to buy him new jeans and shirts. But, of course, the bully only found something else to tease him about, and Changbin couldn’t stand the way Jeongin would start crying when he told him about how much his feelings were hurt. Which is why, on an unforgettable spring morning, Changbin defied Chan’s orders to stay out of it and drove Jeongin to school only to confront the bully in person. Apparently, the kid was so upset by Changbin’s words, that he told the school officials, and Changbin and Chan had to apologize to the kid’s parents for the mishap.

However, that little shit certainly never bothered Jeongin ever again.

Changbin smiled at the recollection. Even if Chan had been furious with him, he had never regretted his actions. It was just one story that he had of many concerning the members of his family, and the lengths he was willing to go to ensure their happiness.

Even at the cost of his own.

“Excuse me, but I’ve been waiting for twenty minutes!”

Changbin sighed, shouldering aside the poor customer service aide who was clearly out of his league trying to help the middle-aged woman who was seconds away from demanding to see the manager. “Hi,” Changbin said, hoping that the frustration that he felt wasn’t evident in his tone. “I’m very sorry, ma’am. Can you tell me what you’re looking for?”

The woman crossed her arms over her chest, cocking out one hip in a posture that clearly screamed privileged. But Changbin didn’t have the authority to throw this woman out for causing a scene inside the post office; instead, he’s forced to listen to her complaints for another ten minutes before he finally offered a compromise that satisfied her audacious demands and allowed him to keep his rational sanity.

“Have a nice day!”

“We’ll see about that,” the woman muttered, and Changbin quickly made the decision to take one of his mandatory breaks even though he only had an hour left on his shift.

“Bitch,” Changbin grumbled, walking into the back room and sitting down on one of the chairs surrounding his office’s snack machine. “Who the hell ate all of the M&M’s?” Changbin whined, and he wondered, not for the first time, if the universe was conspiring against him.

He settled for a candy bar, checking his phone for any messages, but he wasn’t surprised to see that nobody had reached out. The only people who would try to contact him were his family members, but they knew that he was working. But it still made Changbin feel sad for reasons he couldn’t totally figure out, and he didn’t have enough time to wrestle with complex feelings that made him question whether he really wanted to go straight home after work.

However, when his shift finally ended, Changbin was driving down the same backroads that he always endured, shuffling through the three radio stations that the van managed to pick-up including some sort of EDM station, Country Music Today, and the Classical Hits. Yeah, it wasn’t the best selection, and Changbin distinctly remembered having more options when he first bought the stupid thing.

But he also should’ve known that having such negative thoughts would never lead to anything good, and Changbin was already cursing when he felt the van start to shake and refuse to budge over 25-miles-per-hour. Consequently, Changbin was forced to pull over on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere with questionable cell service. “Son of a bitch!” he shouted, slamming his hands against the steering wheel before he opened the door.

At that point, Changbin was fed up with everything, and his emotions were bordering on the edge of volatile as he kicked the driver’s side door, growling when he realized that he had left a dent behind in the metal. “Stupid fucking piece of shit!” he yelled, slamming his hands down on the hood before he unlatched the metal piece keeping the damn thing from flying into his windshield.

Immediately, a huge cloud of smoke erupted in his face, and he failed to waft the offending spray away from his eyes which started to burn as a result. “What the fuck?” he grunted, squinting as he tried to figure out where the smoke was even coming from. He wasn’t a fucking mechanic, and his limited knowledge made him doubt that he should be messing around with the little black lid that, perhaps, had something to do with the engine...

“Are you okay?” a gentle voice inquired from somewhere behind him, and Changbin turned around in surprise.

For a moment, Changbin was rendered speechless, looking the unfamiliar stranger up and down before he realized something quite profound: she was beautiful. “Uh...” Changbin trailed off, pointing at his van. “I broke down.”

“I can try to give you a jump,” she offered, and Changbin nodded his head while the woman smiled. “Has this happened before?”

“Not like this,” Changbin said, watching her return to her own car, and no, Changbin was not staring at her ass.

“It’s probably the radiator,” she explained, wrapping the battery cables around her arm. “But I can look at the engine for you.”

Changbin nodded, watching the kind stranger sit down behind the wheel, attempting to turn over the ignition with no luck. “It’s not the battery,” she said. “Believe it or not.”

Changbin shrugged. “I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

“That’s fine,” she said, giving him one of the most genuine smiles that he had ever seen. “I can help.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Changbin said, and he stood aside to allow her access to the van’s plethora of interesting offerings under the hood.

“My name is Sara by the way,” she said. “I’m a mechanic downtown.”

“Really?”

“My brother actually owns a shop,” she explained. “I can have it towed there for you. Free of charge.”

“F-free?” Changbin stuttered because he knew that those kind of services cost more than a pretty penny, but Sara seemed perfectly indifferent.

“Yeah.” She laughed, raising her arms above her head and exposing a sliver of skin at her stomach. “Is that okay? I can also take you home.”

“Oh!” Changbin remarked like the intellect that he was these days. “There’s no need for that, I can call someone.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, fetching her own phone from a loose pocket. “I’ll call the office and send for the tow truck. My brother does work for pretty low prices, and I think he can save your car for you. As long as you’re okay with that?”

“That would be great!” Changbin said. “I mean, it’s been a while since it’s had anything done.”

Sara nodded, holding out her phone for Changbin. “Just give me your number. We can call you and keep you informed, and we won’t do anything pricey without your permission.”

“Thank you,” Changbin said, quickly adding his phone number under the new contact option. “You’re literally a lifesaver.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” she said, leaning against the side of the van. “Do you live around here?”

“Just down the road,” Changbin said, dialing Chan’s number before holding the phone up to his ear. “But, seriously, I’m really grateful for all of this.”

“Please, don’t mention it,” she said. “You looked like you were having a rough day, and I know how that feels. Like, when the whole world seems like it’s falling down around you, the last thing you need is something like this to happen.”

Changbin chuckled, finding himself enamored with the way Sara liked to chew on her bottom lip as if in deep thought. “Yeah,” he said, hearing Chan’s voice reach out to him from the other end. “But it’s not always bad.”

Changbin called Chan to come pick him up after Sara made arrangements with her brother to tow the van to their shop downtown. She smiled at Changbin and reassured him that everything would be handled. “I just want to make sure that you’re okay,” she said, and Changbin didn’t know how to respond to that because it had been a long time since someone wanted to take care of him.

She eventually left after Changbin reassured her that Chan was on his way, but he could still see her lingering around her car until Chan finally pulled over to the side. “Hey! Get in already!”

Changbin closed his eyes, and quickly made himself comfortable in the passenger’s seat after Chan’s embarrassing comment. “Just drive,” Changbin muttered.

Chan obeyed, pulling back onto the road before letting out an irritated sigh. “You said on the phone that you took care of the van,” Chan said. “How much will it cost to have it towed?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing!?”

Changbin smirked. “I met someone who offered to have it towed for free. She’s bringing it to her brother’s shop downtown.”

“A mechanic’s shop?” Chan asked. “We can’t really afford anything outrageous...”

“She said that she would call when they found the problem,” Changbin said. “We don’t have pay anything unless we have the work done.”

Chan scoffed, reaching up to adjust his mirror. “If it’s something to do with the engine, then we might as well have the damn thing sent to the junkyard. We’d have more luck buying something else.”

“Yeah,” Changbin agreed absent-mindedly because he couldn’t stop thinking about Sara. “Did you buy the stupid snacks Jisung asked for?”

“I bought what you sent me,” Chan replied, and he sent Changbin a look that said: if it’s wrong, then it’s your fault!

“Thanks for helping out,” Changbin muttered sarcastically, and he resigned himself to looking out the window for the remainder of the trip home while Chan continued to talk on and on about possible options to replace the van. It wasn’t that Changbin was ignoring him, but he had heard enough about their troubles to last him a lifetime. Chan also liked to take everything to the extreme, and Changbin was usually left to deal with the repercussions.

In any case, the sight of the house was an enormous relief as Changbin all but threw himself out of Chan’s car, escaping another needless lecture. He could see his bedroom window from the front lawn, and he longed to escape to his room and pass out in the quiet darkness. However, Changbin should’ve anticipated that the rest of his family would all be downstairs after catching wind of his incident with the van on the side of the road. And the first person to speak out was Jisung, who called Changbin into the living room, eyes glowing with the reflection of the TV screen.

“I heard the van finally gave out,” Jisung said, sitting up on the couch and dropping the remainder of his potato chips into the floor. “Shit!”

“Jisung!” Chan snapped, propping his hands on his hips like he was some kind of middle-aged mom who was about to reprimand her son. “Clean up that mess!”

“Fine,” Jisung groaned, and he followed Changbin into the kitchen. “Ya! Are these my snacks?” he asked, snatching the bag from across the counter.

“That’s all I’ve been hearing about for an entire week!” Hyunjin remarked, and Changbin realized that the kitchen was almost completely full of his house mates.

Y/N smiled, standing next to Minho as she reached out to tug on Hyunjin’s sleeve. “You’ve been complaining just as much.”

“No, I haven’t!” Hyunjin protested, and Changbin despised how loud it was while he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Especially when Jisung’s displeased whine managed to overwhelm all of the other white noise.

“You brought home the wrong snacks again!” Jisung whined, and Changbin must’ve worn out the last reserves of his patience at the post office and on the side of that stupid back road when he abruptly turned around to confront the younger man.

“Why don’t you drive your own lazy ass to the grocery store and buy whatever the fuck it is that I can’t seem to find!”

“Changbin!” Chan gasped, and there was an immediate silence that followed his outburst as most of the members looked at him with matching expressions of shock.

“I’m tired,” Changbin excused himself, even knowing that it was a lousy thing to say in place of an apology. But he didn’t need to hear Chan speak another word, and hadn’t Changbin endured enough drama for one day?

Instead, Changbin walked upstairs, and he could finally breathe again when he re-discovered the solitude of his bedroom, and there were already tears forming at the corners of his eyes when he collapsed on top of his bed. It had been a while since he really cried, and Changbin rarely showed any kind of weakness around the other members because he was the second oldest - and there was an expectation that he should be strong for everyone else, even when he was screaming on the inside.

But there was only one other person in the entire world who had ever truly seen him break down - and she was standing in the doorway, looking at him with eyes that reflected her understanding. “Changbin?” Y/N whispered, closing the door behind her as she crawled into the bed next to him.

“Yeah?” Changbin murmured because his voice was muffled by the pillows. Even so, Y/N didn’t hesitate to lay down next to him on the bed, pressing herself as close as possible considering the limited space.

“You’re not okay,” she remarked, and Changbin shook his head as one arm wrapped itself around his waist.

“I didn’t mean to snap at Jisung,” Changbin said, and Y/N simply nodded as she held him even tighter.

“It’s not your fault, okay?” Y/N whispered, and Changbin nodded, looking at her fondly while he managed to prop himself up on the bed.

“It was a long fucking day,” Changbin said. “I hate that stupid van.”

Y/N smiled. “At least Chan has no choice but to fix it, right?”

“Or buy something else,” Changbin remarked, and they were both silent for a while. But Changbin didn’t mind the quiet. After all, it was everything that he wanted ever since Chan had picked him up on the side of the road.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” Y/N eventually requested, and Changbin’s stomach twisted at the thought of opening up and exposing his darkest feelings - the loneliness that he felt these days, and the stupid reason why he missed having the younger members want something more from him other than cheap snacks.

“I don’t know,” he said, deciding to settle on a different version of the truth. One that still made him look strong without having to reveal the weaknesses clawing away at his insides.

“Well,” Y/N said, “when you figure it out, you can always talk to me.”

Changbin nodded again. “Are you staying with me tonight?”

There was an intolerable level of desperation in his tone that made him wince, but Y/N wasn’t the kind of person who would judge. “Yeah,” she said, rubbing her hand along his stomach. “I’ll be here.”

Changbin sighed because Y/N would never understand just how much those simple words meant to him. Because sleep suddenly came much easier, and Changbin allowed his eyes to close while wrapped around Y/N.

Later on, Changbin woke-up without much warning to an empty feeling in his stomach, and he realized that he had skipped dinner. Subsequently, he managed to make his way downstairs to the kitchen, finding the leftovers from dinner waiting inside the fridge. His stomach growled, and Changbin reached for the bowl, examining the contents inside before he walked over the microwave.

“You want to tell me what your little tantrum was all about?”

Changbin sighed, glancing up at Chan as he stood behind him wearing a familiar scowl. “Not really,” Changbin replied, punching the buttons on the microwave.

“Jisung wanted me to let you know that he’s sorry,” Chan said. “But I don’t know why he’s the one apologizing.”

Changbin shrugged, sliding a hand through his hair while forcing himself to meet Chan’s stern gaze. “What do you want me to say?”

“Is it because of work?” Chan asked. “Do you need to take less hours?”

“No,” Changbin lied, startling when the microwave began to beep in succession. He grabbed his food and held it against his chest. “I don’t really think work is bothering me.”

Chan’s shoulder dropped as his expression softened. “Did Y/N talk to you?”

Changbin nodded. “Look, I’ll apologize to Jisung when I come home tomorrow.”

“He’s sensitive,” Chan said, even though Changbin already knew that. “Did they say when the van would be ready?”

“I think Sara said something about this weekend,” Changbin responded, and he took a bite of his food without really considering what he had just told Chan.

“Sara?”

Changbin winced. “Yeah, the girl who helped me earlier.”

“Ah!” Chan acknowledged. “I guess she made an impression.”

“She was really nice,” Changbin said, and Chan sent him a look that Changbin couldn’t quite decipher. In fact, it almost made the atmosphere between them awkward, and Changbin cleared his throat. “I’m going back upstairs.”

“Okay,” Chan said, and Changbin quickly retreated from the kitchen before he was asked any more questions.

On his next day off, Changbin received a voicemail from Sara that told him the van had been inspected. He was invited to the shop so that he could hear the full report for himself in person. It was a seemingly mundane business exchange, but Changbin found himself bursting with excitement when he walked inside the main office, discovering Sara standing behind the counter.

“Hey,” Changbin said, trying to act cool by stuffing his wandering hands into the pockets of his leather jacket.

“The van might not make it,” she replied with an apologetic look. “When’s the last time you had it inspected?”

Changbin cleared his throat, looking at the ground when he shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

It was a sheepish response, and Changbin expected to hear some kind of lecture about the importance of vehicle safety. Instead, she laughed at his disregard, leaning against the wall with a wide smile. “I kinda figured, but that’s okay.”

Changbin drew in his bottom lip, chewing on the raw skin as he thought about something cool to continue their conversation - maybe something that could allow him the rare honor of hearing that beautiful laugh again. “Its not something we prioritized,” Changbin explained.

“We?”

“The people I live with,” Changbin elaborated, studying the interesting way that the sunlight managed to form a halo of sorts around Sara’s soft brown hair.

“Oh? Kinda like housemates?” Sara asked, and she pulled a file from the heavy stack of folders waiting on top of the counter.

“You could say that,” Changbin agreed.

“I think it’s interesting,” Sara told him. “Do you wanna see the van? We can talk about it inside the garage.”

Changbin nodded without hesitation, and Sara led him out the side door which brought them to the attached metal building. It smelled like gasoline and rubber - plus an assortment of other scents that he could only associate with a place like this. And he spotted the van in the very last spot, looking worse for wear with its peeling paint and general abuse.

“So, you definitely need a new radiator,” Sara explained as they paused next to the van. “But I also found a lot of things that need replacing: tires, battery, back-up lights, windshield, and maybe some of the plugs inside...”

“Really?” Changbin asked, and he didn’t need to know a damn thing about cars to understand that all those repairs would cost way too much money.

“I can give you a discount,” Sara said. “I don’t know if it’ll help much.”

Changbin sighed, pulling up the sleeves of his t-shirt as a nervous habit. “I don’t think we can afford it right now.”

“Well, there’s always other options,” Sara said, perfectly understanding. “We actually sell used cars across the road. I’d love to offer you something at a good price. Maybe we could set-up some payment plans to help with your budget.”

Sara may actually be a literal angel, Changbin thought to himself. “Can I see them?”

“Of course,” Sara said. “It’s just across the street, and if you want, we can stop inside the convenience store for some drinks. My treat, of course.”

Changbin looked at her like she had just solved all of the world’s greatest problems. Because he couldn’t remember the last time someone had treated him, nor could he think of a moment in time where he felt the peculiar tugging on his heartstrings. Almost like something completely novel was opening up right in front of his eyes.

“Sure,” Changbin agreed, and that’s how he spent the rest of the day next to Sara’s side, perusing a wide selection of perfectly suitable replacements for the van while talking about anything and everything that had nothing to do with cars or the predicament of Changbin’s financial situation. Instead, Sara surprised him by asking about the things that most people wouldn’t care about - which do you prefer? Long walks on the beach or an overnight stay in a mountain cabin? What do you fear the most? Do you have an opinion on the toxicity of celebrity culture?

That last one surprised Changbin, especially when he realized that Sara was basically a living and breathing genius. It made him realize that they were a lot alike in that regard - judged because of their occupations, but they were actually so much more than what people might perceive. He was only rapidly coming to the conclusion that he really liked Sara. A lot. More than he ever thought possible considering their brief introduction.

Maybe it was some kind of fated connection - the type that everyone wanted to experience. It wasn’t exactly love, but then again, Changbin knew that love could be felt in different ways. For example, the love he had for Y/N wasn’t comparable to these foreign feelings that he only expressed around Sara. In the same way that Changbin’s love for his mother was nothing like what he had for his family members.

Ultimately, Changbin thought that there was, at the very least, a possibility of something with Sara, but was he willing to pursue it? Because this something might take a lot of his time and attention, and would his family be okay if he wasn’t giving them 110% of his effort and dedication? More importantly, was he brave enough to even try? Did he deserve it?

There was too much to think about, and Changbin left Sara at the mechanic’s shop with a simple promise that he would talk to Chan about buying another used car to replace the van. In the meantime, Changbin could only think of one person who might help him sort through these confusing feelings.

Likewise, Changbin made sure that he beat Minho home, finding Y/N in her basement bedroom reading alone. He knocked once on the door, alerting Y/N to his presence. “Hey,” Changbin said.

Y/N smiled. “You were gone a while.”

“There was a lot to discuss,” Changbin said, schooling his expression before meeting Y/N’s gaze. “Will you take a nap with me?”

Y/N glanced up in obvious surprise - because she wasn’t used to hearing Changbin ask for things like this, especially after the revelation of her relationship with Minho. “Okay.”

Changbin was relieved by her easy, and unquestioning, compliance. But that was one of the best things that he liked about Y/N - she always knew when she needed to ask questions versus when the moment called for contemplation. And in this moment, Changbin needed Y/N to have a lot of patience with him, curling up together on their sides as he met her gentle gaze somewhere in the middle.

“I met someone,” Changbin said, looking over at Y/N as she gazed at him with a complete look of understanding. “We’ll, we’ve met before, but today was different.”

“Binnie,” she cooed, leaning in close so that their foreheads were touching. “Do you have a crush on the mechanic?”

Changbin scoffed, moving away while Y/N giggled at the rosy color decorating his cheeks. “I don’t have time for crushes.”

“Why not?” Y/N asked, and her smile was gone in exchange for a far more serious tone.

“I don’t know,” Changbin said. “I’ve got to help take care of the house.”

Y/N was quiet for a moment, and Changbin closed his eyes because he was suddenly exhausted. “Changbin,” she finally said. “I hope you don’t mean that you can’t have someone special in your life just because of us.”

“No,” Changbin said, but there wasn’t much conviction behind that one simple negative, and Y/N definitely knew that he was lying.

“Hey,” Y/N said, forcing their gazes to meet. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

Changbin shivered. “Noticed what?”

“You look really sad these days, Changbin,” Y/N whispered. “I don’t know why, but you keep trying to hide it from us.”

Changbin studied the raw intensity in Y/N’s gaze, and it was a powerful force - capable of knocking down all those cruel walls that he had built around himself. “I just want to keep you safe,” he said, feeling the promise of tears sting the raw skin around his eyelids. “But nobody really needs me anymore.”

“Changbin,” Y/N said, but it was just a simple intonation of his name, free of judgement. It said so much with so little, and it let him know that Y/N was shocked by Changbin’s confession, but she wanted him to elaborate and explain himself without interruption.

“For most of my life,” Changbin said. “I was pushed aside and treated like shit. It happened with my father, and I’ve had to face criticism from my bosses and those assholes I lived with before coming here.”

Changbin sighed, closing his eyes. “I just wanted to be accepted, and I never felt that until Chan let me stick around. Instead of being pushed away, everyone welcomed me with open arms, and they genuinely liked having me around because they needed me. I didn’t even have to pretend to be someone better.”

Y/N nodded - her only acknowledgement - before Changbin continued. “I knew you guys would grow up one day, but it started to feel like I wasn’t really needed anymore. I guess it might sound stupid, but I really do feel lonely sometimes when I come home from my shitty job and there’s nobody around to really say anything.”

And there it was - his true and honest feelings were exposed for Y/N, and he laid perfectly still as she ensured that he was finally finished with all that baggage that he had been carrying around on his shoulders. “Binnie,” Y/N finally said. “I’m sorry that you felt that way because you don’t deserve it, and I would never invalidate your feelings and tell you that you had no reason to feel a certain way. It actually makes sense to me, which is why I’m really glad you said something. Because you like to keep your feelings bottled inside, and I hate to see you suffer when you do.”

She sighed, reaching for his hand to connect their fingers. “Just because we’ve grown up,” Y/N said, “it doesn’t mean that you suddenly matter less. I mean, without you, we wouldn’t be this happy, and you contribute so much to that happiness. And I’m not just talking about your job.”

Changbin swallowed, placing his hand over his chest because his heart was suddenly beating so fast. “I miss the people that I live with,” he said. “How is that possible?”

“You’re feelings don’t have to make sense,” Y/N said. “But they matter because it’s you, and I want to do everything to help, and I’m sure the others would feel the exact same way.”

Changbin nodded, slowly, and he wasn’t sure what to make of all those feelings just sitting out there - raw and vulnerable, but he was also quite certain that he could trust Y/N. “I’ve never felt like this while living here,” Changbin said. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Let’s just start by talking like this whenever we have problems,” Y/N whispered. “You might think I’m pushing you away, but you’re still one of the only people who understands everything that I went though before I came here. Nobody can replace the level of comfort I feel with you.”

Y/N’s words were heavy, but not in a suffocating kind of way. Instead, it felt like a warm embrace, and Changbin just managed to hold back his tears at the sincere expression. “Thank you, Y/N,” Changbin finally said. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“I might know something,” Y/N said, and her voice suddenly took on a teasing tone. “Is she pretty?” Y/N asked, and Changbin couldn’t fight his smile.

“She’s beautiful,” Changbin said, and Y/N laughed with her usual playful inflection as she leaned in closer.

“We could go on double dates,” Y/N whispered, and Changbin laughed at the innocent smile stretching the corners of her lips. “But, seriously? Don’t hide these feelings from any of us, Changbin. We all care about you, and maybe it’s time we return the favor after all those years of letting you protect us.”

Changbin nodded - it was all that he could manage. “That might be nice.”

“Yeah,” Y/N agreed. “I think so too.”

And then they were both quiet after that - resigned to these new and confusing feelings. But they had each other to figure them out, and that was enough for Changbin to feel completely unburdened.

Changbin called Sara on a Sunday afternoon - the only day of the week when he wasn’t required to work at the post office. He knew that the mechanic shop was closed, but Sara was perfectly willing to meet him. “I think we’re interested in the SUV,” Changbin told her over the phone, and Sara was just fine scheduling an appointment.

That was over an hour ago, and Changbin hesitated at the sight of Sara waiting near the entrance to the main office. Because, unlike what he suggested over the phone, there was something else that Changbin planned to ask her, and it was scary to think about what might happen. Especially if she told him no.

But Changbin was an adult, and he didn’t plan to spend all day cowering in Chan’s car, so he met Sana outside with a smile that he hoped wouldn’t give away his nervousness. “Hi,” Changbin said, holding up a hand in greeting.

“There you are,” Sara said, and she looked nothing short of elegant in her dress pants and blouse - like she had gotten all dressed up for this occasion. “Are you ready?”

Changbin nodded, and he spent the time that it took for them to make their way across the street to reorganize the chaos of his rampant thoughts. Meanwhile, Sara had grabbed the keys to the SUV that he wanted to buy, and she was busy opening all the doors to air out the stuffy interior. “It’s fairly updated,” she told him, demonstrating the power windows and bluetooth radio system. “What do you think?”

“It’s better than the van,” Changbin admitted, and it was nice that there weren’t stains all other the leather upholstery.

“I think it’ll make a worthy substitute,” Sara agreed. “We’re selling it for $4,500, but I’m willing to negotiate the price, especially for you.”

Changbin glanced up at that because his heart had skipped several beats at the idea of Sara doing something for him. “It would really help us out,” Changbin said. “You’ve been amazing considering everything that’s happened.”

“Yeah, well, I can tell that you’re worth the extra effort,” Sara said, and Changbin couldn’t believe his ears because it sounded too good to be true. Almost like Sara was flirting with him.

But maybe this was the opening that he had been looking for...

“I’d really like to make it up to you,” Changbin said, and he hoped that those words sounded sincere instead of something akin to a business deal.

“Really?” Sara asked, flashing him a warm smile. “What do you mean?”

“If you want,” Changbin said, pausing for a moment to exhale. “I’d like to take you out sometime.”

“Oh?” she grinned, leaning against the SUV next to him, and Changbin could feel her soft breath since they were suddenly very close together.

“I’d really like that,” Sara replied, and Changbin’s shoulders fell at his relief upon hearing her confirmation.

“Are you sure?” Changbin asked because he was always doubting himself. “I mean, you don’t have to-”

“Changbin,” Sara interrupted, taking another step closer to the point where it felt like they were sharing the same air. “I want to be with you, and I’m glad that you asked me because I don’t want this to be nothing more than a mechanic helping out a customer. Do you understand?”

Of course, he did, but that didn’t stop Changbin’s stomach from doing somersaults while he desperately tried to compose himself. “How do you feel about double dates?”

Sana laughed at that, and, for the first time since before he could remember, Changbin felt completely at ease.

#stayverse #stray kids #stray kids fanfic #skz #skz fanfic #stray kids changbin #stray kids changbin fanfic #seo changbin #seo changbin fanfic #seo changbin fluff #stray kids fluff #stray kids angst #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #stray kids writer

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amphtaminedreams · 4 years

Text

COVID-19, Negligent Manslaughter, and a Timeline of Tory Indifference

“I feel sorry for Boris Johnson. He is doing the best he can in the situation and I don’t think anybody else could have done a better job.”

[exhibit A: a gem somebody that I’m Facebook friends with reposted earlier]

It’s a sentiment that I cannot quite wrap my head around. I sit here hopeless and furious and trying to hold back tears because it’s been almost a year since England first went into lockdown and yet here we are, almost 100,000 dead, in an even worse position than we were before whilst other countries begin to slowly return to normality. It is clear to me who is to blame for this, however there are a large proportion of people who don’t want to “politicise” the actions of the PRIME MINISTER with regards to his approach towards handling a virus sweeping the country he GOVERNS.

Typically, these kind of posts making the rounds on social media will be accompanied by some kind of photo of Boris Johnson looking somber as if to suggest that the way things have played out were beyond his control and that he is some kind of broken man beleaguered by the suffering he has, despite good intentions, inadvertently caused.

This one in particular of Johnson with his head in his hands is a staple. In reality, this is a photo taken back in 2018 whilst he was receiving flack from party members for comparing Theresa May to a suicide bomber (for her handling of Brexit, ironically) as well as from the papers due to his rumoured (now also proven, in a completely non-surprising turn of events, to be true) affair with his former aide, Carrie Symonds.

So let’s shut this narrative-where we should feel for Boris because he’s doing his best, and apparently a better job than anybody else could’ve done in his situation- down right here. In a supposedly developed country with one of the world’s largest economies, if we’re talking by proportion, our COVID-19 death toll is up there with the worst of them. It seems that every other state figurehead (bar a small handful), and I mean almost every single one of them, is doing a better job. People love to throw figures out there about how densely populated we are to combat damning statistics as if we haven’t got just as many factors playing to our advantage, as if it’s unfair to compare our response to Germany’s or Japan’s or Singapore’s (both of which are far more densely populated) or New Zealand’s or Vietnam’s, but we are an ISLAND with world-leading technology and infrastructure and healthcare equipment and professionals and a relatively high standard of living. In what world is almost 70,000 dead in a country with abundant time and means to prepare a response reflective of said country’s leaders doing a good job?

Apparently we’re supposed to believe that Johnson feels some sense of moral responsibility for this astronomical failure. A man who refuses to acknowledge the multiple children he has fathered outside of his marriages and who has had repeatedly engaged in affairs and one-night stands throughout said marriages. A man who continued to cheat whilst his most recent wife was receiving treatment for cervical cancer, for fuck’s sake. Yep, a real stand-up guy.

So where does this idea that Johnson must feel remorseful for this catastrophe come from? We haven’t seen a second of remorse or a hint of accountability for the lives lost from him nor any members of his cabinet. That much is really no surprise; I have this hypothesis, and it’s not a stretch, that these people do not have an ounce of empathy in their bodies. These ridiculously privileged, privately-educated individuals who have had everything handed to them their entire lives simply cannot put themselves in the shoes of the average working person and that is the problem. Unable to recognise that what distinguishes them from most others is little more than the luck of being born into wealth and the abundance of recourses and connections that has entailed throughout their lives, they see us as beneath them-as less intelligent, less driven, and thus less deserving of the status and respect they enjoy. They see us as a bunch of whining, unmotivated idiots who do not recognise the chokehold they have over our media nor the fact that everything they do is a desperate grab to keep money and power within the hands of a select group of people, an exclusive members club from which most of us are barred (just take a simple Google search and watch Jacob Rees-Mogg’s opinion of the Grenfell victims or the buried Johnson speech where he talks about how inequality is essential). They know that we will squabble amongst ourselves about who is to blame rather than wising up to the truth which is that every decision they make is fuelled by cronyism and the inability to make and follow through with difficult choices, the pandemic being no exception. The supposedly self-made elite see the life of the average working class person as having far less value than their own, and their parties actions over the last 10 years have made that very clear.

It was in December 2019 that the first case of COVID-19 was declared to the World Health Organisation and on March the 11th that they announced they considered it as a pandemic. In Wuhan, people were dying of pneumonia in their clusters. And what was Boris Johnson doing in this time? Well for starters, here in the UK we didn’t even have a pandemic committee-Johnson had scrapped it six months before. If years of benefits cuts and defunding of the NHS in favour of funding nuclear weapon programs, keeping British troops on other people’s lands, and tax breaks for the mega corporations that donate to their party didn’t convince you that the Conservatives have little regard for human life, them getting rid of this committee-whilst a pandemic has been declared year after year as the greatest threat to mankind-should have been the first sign of trouble. As if that wasn’t enough, he also skipped five of the COBRA (meetings are made up of a cross-departmental committee put together to respond to national emergencies and PMs routinely attend those pertaining to crises on the scale of COVID-19) meetings addressing the situation. Whilst other countries were closing their borders and stocking up on PPE, Johnson and his ministers were selling PPE abroad and simply telling people to wash their hands to the length of the tune of happy birthday. Their only policy was one of “herd immunity”, which was in fact not a policy but just an abandonment of their party’s public duty disguised as one, intentionally obfuscated with pseudoscientific jargon.

Even thinking the absolute worst of politicians you would hope that when it came to the point where the UK’s non-response to COVID-19 was becoming an international disgrace, Johnson and his ministers would take proper protective measures if only to save face. But when they eventually seemed to do so, it became clear that the priority was not the safety of the ordinary people affected by the virus. Outsourcing their test and traces system to companies such as Serco, Sitel, Deloitte and G4S rather than public health services, Conservative ministers could not resist attempting to line the pockets of their friends and benefactors in the process. According to the Guardian, instead of reaching out to the experts or using publicly funded services to handle COVID containment measures, the Conservative party has awarded a disgusting £1.5 BILLION WORTH of contracts to businesses with explicit connections to its MPs and donors, the majority of which lack any relative experience of the tasks they’ve been trusted to carry out. Unsurprisingly, the National Audit office found that when awarding contracts relating to the production of COVID-19 protection measures and treatment needs, there was a “high-priority lane” for suppliers referred by senior politicians and officials; companies with a political referral were 10 times more likely to end up winning a government contract than those without. On top of this, it is not hard to draw a link between the late initiation of lockdown measures and preemptive openings of pubs and restaurants against scientific advice to the interests of frequent donors such as Wetherspoons owner Tim Martin. Even if one chooses to ignore the blatantly obvious correlation between the owners of the businesses whose profits were prioritised over safety concerns and the number of those owners who donate to the Conservatives, party officials at the very least were reluctant to follow the lead of many other countries in financing furlough schemes themselves and instead avoided this responsibility by using loose lockdown measures to leave it down to the discretion of small business owners, who couldn’t themselves afford to furlough staff, whether or not to stay open.

Time and time again, as the government flounder and fuck about, favouring personal desires to keep their powerful, high-paying jobs and to satisfy the corporate allies who make this possible, blame has been shifted from the public to care homes to NHS workers and back again whilst we, the public, make the biggest sacrifices of all under the illusion that we were being guided out of this pandemic rather than lied to and thrown under the bus. Whilst the elite continue to pick and choose what rules apply to them, it’s students and the elderly and the vulnerable paying the fines and scrabbling to afford basic living costs and hoping that they don’t lose someone dear to them.

Don’t get me wrong, a large proportion of the public have contributed to the spread too with their selfishness and entitlement and the arrogance it takes to develop a sudden refusal to acknowledge basic science from experts who have studied in the field their whole lives so that they can justify their need to go to the pub (speaking of, it’s absolutely HILARIOUS how many “mental health advocates” are suddenly coming out of the woodworks on football avi Twitter after they’ve spent years calling people on mental health Twitter attention seekers). And don't get me wrong, there were inevitably going to be casualties of this pandemic. But it didn't have to spread to this many people, and there didn’t have to be so many deaths due to a lack of preparation, and this wouldn’t have been the case if it weren’t for the inherent apathy of the Conservative party towards the lives of people of lesser status than them, the reluctance to put those lives before party interests. I wish I felt like there was an end in sight, I wish there was some positive takeaway from all of this, but even now, we continue to see corners being cut with the vaccine lauded as our saving grace and anti-maskers gathering outside hospitals to chant about how “oppressive” it is to be urged to wear a bit of cloth over their faces for the short periods of time in which they leave their houses and all I can think of is the selfishness that runs like poison through our country. It makes me sick and leaves me to question desperately where we go from here. I don’t like unanswered questions, I don’t like feeling politically directionless, and I don’t like the growing fear I have about the state of the world which seems to intensify every single day. In the UK at least, it’s starting to feel like nothing will ever change-we’re told we live in a democracy and yet mainstream media is owned by the people whose interest is to keep their Conservative friends in power. The stronghold they have over print media in particular allows them to continually get away with smearing and defaming every person who comes along and seems to want to actually help ordinary people, without being challenged, to the point where the only kind of “opposition” we’re left with promises nothing but a big boss approved tactical reshuffling of the status quo (which they call “electability”); it doesn’t feel like democracy when the majority of the country are being fed misleading information and convinced against voting in their best interests.

This is the result of that. The state we find ourselves in is the inevitable result of being manipulated into helping the elite build their protective wall whilst the rest of us scrabble to get in and step on each others heads along the way, the people inside shouting over that it’s those even more vulnerable than ourselves that are taking our places. Outside the wall, the earth is falling from beneath our feet, and instead of throwing over the ropes to help us out, the people inside are stockpiling them so they can secure their firm place above ground and then later flog the rest. How many more people have to die before we reach some kind of widespread realisation of that? Where do we go from here and what do we do? Well for one, we can stop spreading those god-fucking-awful textposts on Facebook and get our heads out of our arses. Wear our masks over and wear them over our fucking noses. Have some fucking consideration for others. Don’t wait til an issue affects you personally to give a fuck about it. AND START HOLDING THE FUCKING PRIME MINISTER AND HIS MINISTERS AND HIS ENTIRE PARTY AS WELL AS THE OPPOSITION MPS THAT HAVE SAT BY THE SIDELINES AND ALLOWED THIS TO GO ON WITHOUT PROTEST ACCOUNTABLE. That would be a good start.

I’m so tired. Things didn’t need to be this way, and yet because of the selfishness of the few, thousands upon thousands are dead. It’s not about “throwing around blame”, it’s not about “throwing around” anything, it’s about expecting a leader to do his best to protect lives. If that is “throwing blame”, let’s get things clear, I have no issue with hurtling it torpedo style at those who handed out a death sentence to so many in this country rather than do anything that might compromise their own privilege. Honestly, pass me the shovel after and I’ll happily bury the wreckage in the ground. Who wants to join?:-)

#rant #politics #anti capitalism #anticapitalist #covid-19 #covid #england #labour #socialism #fuck the tories #fuck the torys #fuck boris #rant post

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martiestudies · 3 years

Note

Academic asks: 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 22, 24, 25, 30, 32, 35, 40, 42, 46, 50. that's so many I'm so sorry but they're such cool questions that I wanna hear the answers too! of you don't wanna do that many you can just cut out a few (or more than a few!)

omg don’t apologize i looooove answering these kind of things

2. what’s your major?

ngl i still don’t get the college system they use in the usa lmao but i’m studying to become a chemical engineering!! it’s uhhhh 5 years but absolutely no one graduates in that time so..............

4. do you think you picked the right major?

yes!!! the pandemic unmotivated me a lot and i questioned very hard if i wanted to do this but i always ended up at the same answer: i really love what i’m studying and i wouldn’t change it

6. career goals?

uhhhh i don’t think i have many tbh because i’m trying to focus on short term goals? but. graduating with a good average and find work quickly in an interesting field, hopefully researching. OH and i want to study abroad too like do one of those exchanging(?) programs

8. what classes are you taking right now?

just two! because i fell a little behind last year so i’m slowly catching up (most of my classes are correlatives so). this semester i’m taking math-B and general chemistry.

9. favourite class out of everything you’ve ever taken and why?

hands down the physical-chemistry one on my second year of high school because it’s the one that made me fell in love with science

10. least favourite class ever and why?

i don’t think i’ve ever had a class i hated? if i did it was because of the professors, not the subject. the one that comes to mind is my 4th year’s technical mechanics class because it was basically applied physics (WHICH I LOVE) but the professor was the worst person i’ve ever met and i still have mild trauma bc of it

12. current least favourite class and why?

out of the ones i’m taking? math lol but because i love chem with burning passion and my math class can be kinda boring sometimes. i still like it tho

15. class you’ve always wanted to take but never had the chance?

languages’ classes like i wanna study italian properly and maybe german and recently i really really really want to do a korean curse. also an astronomy/astrophysics class !!!! the german and astro ones are actually offered as classes for my degree’s credits but i haven’t taken them yet.

22. what’s your preferred writing implement?

i love this question lol my mechanical pencil with 0.5 B2 mines is my bestie and also i like to use filgo lighter fines for writing anything and everything

24. describe your perfect study environment

i think the one i’ve been lately it’s ideal? it’s quiet because i’m in my apartment alone and i have really good natural lightning and my kitchen like 2 meters away so i can spend the day drinking teas. i could do with a bigger table though lmao

25. are you procrastinating right now?

absolutely yes

32. describe your favourite teacher/professor and why you like them

OHHHH MY PHYSCHEM HIGH SCHOOL PROFESSOR!!!!!!!!!!!! he’s one of the best teachers ever and he motivated me (and still do kinda) to be the best student and person i can be. he teaches other classes too in my high school so i’ve had the pleasure to have a few other classes with him and i absolutely ADORE him tbh all my love for science is thanks to him and his classes

35. most profound thing ever said to you by a teacher/professor?

something that stuck with me is how the prof i mentioned before always made a point of letting his students know that EVERYONE has the capacity to learn things and be smart we just don’t have to give up

40. write the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog and post a photo

42. a lot of notes or the bare minimum?

i always do a L O T of notes for everything so i’m trying to tone that down but yeah i prefer to have a lot instead of not enough

46. do you have pre test rituals and what are they?

uhhhh i never review/study the day of an exam. my last revision is always the night before so that day i can keep a clear head and that’s always worked for me.

also,,, lately i’ve been lowkey praying to a religious card (? like estampita) of kim seokjin from bts (aka San Jin) made as a not-really-a-joke from a store here in argentina. it’s really cute. and if you’re an army you just KNOW seokjin radiates good luck (also i’ve never failed an exam since i started doing that so)

50. what’s something more important to you than school?

oh a lot of things !! i don’t think school is the most important thing in my life by far even though i do think it’s really important. i’m gonna say, for example, my cat

woooo this has been fun :)

ask me something!!

#answered #long post #filgo pls im BEGGING you to sponsor me i would literally sell my soul for you #they released 12 new colors and im DYING to get them

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ill-go-with-that-then · 5 years

Text

ERASERMIC AU WRITTEN FOR SPITE

So @ladycakepops told me I couldn’t make a cute AU where Aizawa worked in a factory and Mic was a dog-walker. I’m 99% motivated by spite always, so this is the result of that. I’ll leave it to you all to decide if it’s cute or not! :D

Aizawa never made it into the hero course. He graduated from General Studies without distinction, and tried for a few years to get an internship with a hero agency, ANY agency, but none would accept him. So, unmotivated and low on resources, he took the first job that became available, just to get his feet under him while he made a new plan

He lives in a shitty, one-room apartment in an awful neighborhood. He likes it though - he doesn’t care where he lives, and the neighbors are quiet. Until one day the old guy in the apartment next to his moves out, or dies. Aizawa doesn’t know and he suspects the guy stole his mail, so he doesn’t care, either. But he starts to care a lot when his new neighbor moves in. His new neighbor who loves music and apparently hasn’t realized that the walls here are thinner than paper thin.

He tries to live with it. He knows what kind of people live in this neighborhood and he doesn’t want to start any trouble - he can’t afford to move right now. But he works second shift, four to midnight. So he really doesn’t appreciate it when the guy starts blasting his music at 6:00am, an hour after Aizawa finally falls asleep. The third time it happens, his rage propels him out the door of his apartment, down the hallway that’s probably never been cleaned, and to the guy’s door, where he bangs on it furiously.

The music stops instantly. And a few moments later, the door opens to reveal probably the best-looking guy Aizawa has ever seen in real life. It suddenly occurs to him that he’s wearing ratty pajama pants, and only ratty pajama pants. His feet are bare. And his words are gone. “I… Uh…” is all he manages to say.

But the guy’s face instantly crumples in apology. “Oh my god, did I wake you? I am so sorry. I have the music down low, can you still hear it?”

“I-“ Aizawa tries to collect himself. To rally. “Uh… the walls are… really thin?”

The guy closes his eyes. His face is pink, Aizawa figures he’s embarrassed. That’s fine, Aizawa is also mortified. “I’m so sorry. It will never happen again. I swear. Headphones only, from now on.”

“…Thanks,” Aizawa says, because he is amazing at socializing. A champion. Is it okay to ask someone for their number when you’ve just disturbed them at six in the morning? He doesn’t know, and he’s only running on a single hour of sleep, so he just stands there while his brain sluggishly tries to process what’s happening. It’s awkward.

“Are you hungry? I’m making breakfast. It’s the least I can do since I woke you,” the guy offers.

“Thank you. That sounds good,” Aizawa says, suddenly understanding how a drowning person must feel when they’re thrown a life preserver. The guy steps aside, and Aizawa follows him into the apartment. It doesn’t look much like his own, but after a quick look around, Aizawa realizes that the differences are only superficial. Where he has his sleeping bag, a phone charger, and a single box of possessions, this guy has actual furniture. It’s cheap, old and scuffed, but it’s homey. There’s a colorful blanket draped over the worn couch, and an attempt at curtains in front of the single window. There’s even a plant on the windowsill. Aizawa knows he’s well out of his depth.

“I’m Hizashi Yamada, by the way,” the guy - Hizashi - says as he walks over to the corner of the room that’s as close to a kitchen as this place gets. “And I hope you like eggs.”

“I like anything,” Aizawa says truthfully. His favorite food is free. “And I’m Shouta Aizawa.”

“Welcome, Aizawa!” Yamada waves an arm towards the couch. “Make yourself comfortable!”

For lack of anything better to do, Aizawa does as he’s bid, dropping onto the couch and looking around the room uncomfortably, trying to avoid staring at Yamada, who’s whistling as he sets a pan on a hot-plate. He wracks his brain for something to say, but Yamada beats him to the punch. “So, what do you do, Aizawa? Are you some kind of personal trainer or something?”

“No,” Aizawa says, slowly. “I work at the crab-processing plant down the street.”

“Ah.” Yamada glances at him. “Sorry, I just assumed.”

“What do you do?” Aizawa asks, because he’s curious but also because if he has to sit there in silence while his hot neighbor makes him breakfast he might actually perish.

Yamada throws him a grin over his shoulder. It’s pretty. Aizawa would give a lot to be wearing a shirt right now. “I’m a musician! Well, by night, anyway. By day I’m your trusty neighborhood dog walker!”

“This neighborhood has a dog walker?” Aizawa asks, skeptical. This building doesn’t allow pets, and he’s pretty sure no one who lives on the entire block could afford the fees for them, let alone pay for that kind of service. But Yamada just laughs.

“No, the ritzy neighborhood five subway stops away has a dog-walker. This neighborhood has an asshole who plays his music too early in the morning.”

Aizawa snorts. “Pretty sure anyone who invites their rude neighbor over for breakfast loses the right to call themselves an asshole.”

“Hmm, would you accept dick then?” Yamada asks so innocently. It’s not his fault Aizawa’s filthy, tired brain has taken his harmless question and skidded completely off the rails.

“I’d have to get to know you before I decide,” he says, automatically. He doesn’t slap his hand over his mouth afterwards, but it’s a close thing.

Thankfully, Yamada takes his statement at face value, “Hey, great idea! I don’t know many people around here yet. Wanna come over and watch a movie later?”

“My shift is from four to twelve,” Aizawa says, regretfully.

“Too bad!” Yamada says, looking more put-out than Aizawa would have expected, all things considered. “Maybe on your next day off.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Aizawa mutters, already planning how to tell his boss he’s swapping to third shift. But Yamada seems to mistake his hesitance for reluctance.

“No pressure!” He says brightly, as he flips eggs out the pan onto a couple of plates. “You want ketchup on these?” He grins at Aizawa’s nod, finishing the plates and crossing the room to hand one to Aizawa. “Sorry there’s no rice. If I knew I’d be having company-”

“It’s fine,” Aizawa interrupts, staring at the eggs. The ketchup on top is shaped like a smiley face. He’s never thought of himself as the marrying kind before, but he’s reevaluating his five-year plan anyway. Things change. “And I’d like to hang out. Soon.”

Yamada’s grin softens into something quieter, more vulnerable. “Great, that’s great! Anytime!”

Mercifully, the food diverts their attention from the conversation for a few minutes. Until eventually Yamada says, “In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that I practice my guitar kinda often.”

“That’s fine,” Aizawa says. He’s feeling a lot more charitable towards music at the moment. “It won’t bother me.”

“I’ll keep it to reasonable hours, I swear!” Yamada goes on, like he might still need convincing.

Hoping to distract him from the memory of their less then pleasant introduction, Aizawa asks, “What kind of music do you play?” It was a good question. Yamada brightens immediately, and starts talking rapidly, and with a lot of musical terms Aizawa is unfamiliar with. But he nods along, trying to figure out how to keep the happy look on Yamada’s face. As the words wind down, Aizawa goes for his finishing move: “I’ll have to hear you play sometime.”

It’s a win. Yamada looks delighted. “Yes! Absolutely! I mean, you’ll probably hear me a lot if the walls are as thin as you say, but I’d be glad to play something for you! Or you could come to one of my shows!”

“Sure,” Aizawa shrugs. He’s never been to a music performance in his life, but he finds he’s suddenly willing to do a lot of things for someone who makes a breakfast as good as this. “Sounds fun!”

Yamada opens his mouth to say something, but gets distracted by the clock on a side table. “Oh shit! I gotta roll or I’ll be late for work. Hey, it was great meeting you, Aizawa.”

Aizawa brings a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. “It was… nice meeting you, too. I know it wasn’t the best first impression…”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Yamada says, off-hand, and Aizawa would swear he saw the man’s eyes flick down to his chest. “I think we’re going to be great friends. It’s fate!”

“Yeah,” nods Aizawa, who doesn’t believe in fate at all. “Must be.”

#erasermic #My writing #my ramblings #spite spite spite spite spite #jk LCP knows I heart her

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xxx-cat-xxx · 5 years

Text

Settle our bones (like wood) over time, over time

Tony is down with the flu, so Rhodey helps out by looking after Morgan (and her dad).

Seems like Endgame has turned me into a fluff writer. This is probably one of the softest things I’ve ever written. Contains fever dreams, vomiting, some angst and light spoilers, but nothing too grave.

A million thanks to @whumphoarder for putting so much work into beta-reading.

Rhodey has just finished showering and is fixing himself a sandwich when his custom-made StarkPhone starts blaring the unmistakable melody of Black Sabbath’s Iron Man (The phone was a belated gift from Tony for his last birthday - subtlety has never been his best friend’s strength).

“Hey man,” he greets.

“Rhodes?” Tony asks, sounding slightly off.

“Yes, it’s me. You should know this, seeing as you called.” A bit of worry starts gnawing in Rhodey’s gut.

“Listen...I might need your help here.”

Rhodey sighs internally. This is the same sentence he heard a year ago, when Tony’s bots managed to blow up a pyramid of paint buckets in the nursery and both of them spent the next seven consecutive hours hurrying to clean up the mess before Pepper came home. Rhodey’s just returned from a rather arduous week with Nat in Morocco and was looking forward to an afternoon spent entirely with himself, his food, and his TV remote.

“Sure,” he replies, trying his best not to sound entirely unmotivated. “What’s the mission?”

“Just, Morgan,” Tony says. “I, I guess I caught a flu bug, and I can’t - Pepper’s in L.A., and I can’t even open these stupid baby food jars without puking. Pep will kill me if I have Dum-E feed the kid.”

He breaks off and Rhodey hears a muffled cough from the other side.

“I know you just got back, but-” There’s a clatter, a muttered curse, and then the sound of a baby crying in the background. “I’m sorry, dude,” Tony continues in a hoarse voice.

Rhodey frowns. If Tony is calling him for help - hell, if he is actually apologising - things must be pretty desperate.

“On my way,” he confirms, getting up with a groan but already feeling his own fatigue fading into the background. “Be there in ten.”

The cabin sits at the lake, calm as ever. Rhodey smiles a little to himself when he thinks that his Tony, the former party king of New York, has chosen a lonely place in the woods as the site for his retirement. The front door opens automatically as soon as the hidden scanner has examined his face, and Rhodey steps into the warm interior.

“Welcome, Colonel Rhodes”, Friday’s voice greets him.

“Hey, Fri. Where’s Tony?”

“Boss is upstairs in the nursery.”

“Thanks.”

Giving Morgan the bedroom under the roof was probably one of Tony’s more selfless deeds (well, apart from saving the universe multiple times), considering the breathtaking amount of stars that are visible through the window directly from her bed.

On the other hand, Tony is understandably not very fond of stars anymore.

Rhodey makes his way upstairs, avoiding the building bricks littering the steps as well as the heap of washing on the first floor landing that needs to be ironed.

Tony is sitting on the floor in Morgan’s room, leaning heavily against the bed frame, the eight-month-old baby on a blanket next to him. She’s not exactly crying, but the noises she’s making definitely express discontent. Tony is trying to capture her attention with a screwdriver that he circles above her face, but he seems barely able to keep his own head up. There’s an unopened baby food jar and a spoon on the bedside table next to him.

“You look like crap,” Rhodey assesses. “What’s your temperature at?”

“I called you to babysit Morgan, not me,” Tony rebuts hoarsely. “If you’re fussing, I’ll ship your ass straight back home.”

“Sure you will.” Rhodey bends down to stroke the girl’s hair, noticing that she is swaddled up in multiple blankets like a baby-burrito.

“Is the little hobbit sick, too?”

“What?” Tony’s head shoots up. “No, I hope not.”

“Then why’s she wrapped up like this?”

“‘t was freezing this morning...Her skin felt cold…”

Rhodey frowns and checks the kid’s temperature. If anything, she’s a little overheated and clearly uncomfortable in too many layers. “That was probably the fever messing with you.”

“Oh.” Tony shifts uncomfortably. He is entirely too pale, with a hint of green on his face.

“When is Pepper coming back?” Rhodey inquires as he unwraps the blankets around the unhappy baby.

“’s Wednesday today, right?”

“Thursday,” Rhodey corrects.

“Ah,” Tony rubs his hand over his eyebrows in an exhausted gesture. He looks about ready to keel over. “Tonight, then. Probably late. You can, you can stay over in the guest room if you want to…”

“I know, Tony, don’t worry about it,” Rhodey reassures. “I’m gonna feed her now. You should move to your own bedroom, try and get some rest.”

“Yeah,” Tony nods, glancing at his feet for a moment as if not sure whether they will carry his weight. “There’s an idea.”

He hoists himself up and strokes Morgan’s hair out of her face with slightly trembling fingers before shuffling towards the staircase.

When the baby is fed and asleep, Rhodey makes his way to Tony’s room, hoping against better knowledge that his friend would be following the baby’s example. But of course that’s not the case. The sounds of dry heaving are carrying clearly over to the staircase from the first floor bathroom.

“Tones?” Rhodey knocks on the door.

“’m good, don’t come in.”

“Sure…”

Rhodey pushes the door open and takes in the scene. Tony is slumped over the open toilet bowl, his cheek resting on the seat. His face is showing an unhealthy pallor. Towels and discarded bottles of Gatorade are strewn around him, and the smell of sickness hangs thickly in the air. It’s obvious that Tony has been ill for a while already.

“Dude,” Rhodey starts.

“I said don’t come in. Not pretty,” Tony rasps.

“Well, I’ve seen you worse.”

“Yeah, don’t remind me…” Tony coughs again and retches drily, not even bothering to lift his head anymore. Rhodey can see the muscles in his back contracting when he throws up again, the ribs visible under his shirt. Hs still hasn’t gained back his full weight after the three weeks in space.

“Oh, fuck this.” Tony reaches up weakly to flush, then crashes back against the giant bathtub. Tiredly, he looks up at Rhodey, his dark eyes glazed over from fever.

“Okay. Back to bed,” Rhodey orders.

“Not sure if I’m done,” Tony admits.

“I’ll get you a bucket.” Rhodey grabs Tony under the armpits to pull him up and steadies him until he is sure that Tony’s own feet can take his weight. Then he hands him a glass of water to rinse his mouth.

“Do you want some Tylenol?” he asks, scanning the medicine cabinet.

“Nah,” Tony shakes his head. “Tried. Didn’t stay down.”

“At least drink a bit of water. You must be getting dehydrated.”

Tony obeys, sipping at the glass while supporting himself on the wash basin. His hand is shaking so hard that water is spilling over the edge, even though the glass is barely filled two-thirds.

All at once, Rhodey vividly remembers the week after Tony had returned from Titan. True to his word, the first thing he did when he was able to stand again on his own was try to shave. His hands were shaking so much that Rhodey had to help him, steadily clearing the stubble that was more gray than black, deliberately not talking about Steve and space and the child whose absence was so present in each of Tony’s words and actions.

It still is.

Rhodey gets Tony settled into bed. The engineer lies down on the mattress gingerly, as if his whole body hurts. Within minutes, he falls into an exhausted slumber, looking entirely spent.

He is undeniably older now - a fight in space, a lost child, and another one born having taken their toll - but something about the way he keeps his forearm curled protectively around his face reminds Rhodey of college, of watching over him while he slept off his highs, an arrogant, vulnerable, entirely too-young kid in a world that didn’t care enough.

Rhodey carefully pulls a blanket over his friend. He goes to the kitchen to fetch some crackers for himself and a basin in case Tony gets sick again and checks once more on Morgan, who is sleeping peacefully, hugging an Iron Man plush toy, then settles down in an armchair in the corner of the master bedroom. He picks up Tony’s tablet, scrolling lazily through the news, before setting out to ruin his friend’s Netflix viewing history.

Twenty minutes later, Tony starts moaning quietly, his face scrunched up and slick with sweat. He rolls to and fro, hands balled into fists, his eyeballs moving rapidly below his eyelids as he mumbles something unintelligible.

Rhodey sighs and stands up to wake him. Before he can do so, Tony snaps upright. “Peter,” he croaks breathlessly. His eyes dart around the room, taking it in with a mixture of confusion and fear.

Rhodey just shakes his head. “No, Tony. I’m sorry,” he says quietly.

“Oh.” Understanding settles in Tony’s features, disappointment, sadness. He slumps back against the pillows, brushing an arm over his face to wipe away sweat and maybe more. So much pain. So much guilt. “Is Morgan—?”

“She’s fine. Go back to sleep,” Rhodey advises.

Tony grunts in response. He closes his eyes, but opens them again a few seconds later, looking paler than before. “I need- ” he clasps a hand over his lips, sitting up, and tries to get his feet under him.

Rhodey takes the basin from the nightstand and pushes it into his hands, silently ordering him to stay in bed. “Here. It’s okay.”

Tony eyes the bowl and takes a few shallow breaths, closing his eyes. Rhodey can see his throat working as he tries not to be sick.

Upstairs, Morgan starts to cry.

Tony reflexively makes to stand up. “I got her,” Rhodey reassures, already half out the door. He feels his heart go a little warm. The one man whom nobody ever would have thought would be a father has turned out to be a pretty good one.

He hears Tony retch behind him and the sound of liquid splashing into the bowl when he climbs the stairs. Rhodey makes a mental note to keep an eye out for signs of dehydration since the only thing Tony could possibly be bringing up at this point is the few sips of water he had earlier.

Morgan is crying at a volume louder than should reasonably be possible for someone of her size. Rhodey changes her diaper and carries her around the room, talking nonsense to soothe her. It takes a while to settle her back down. She knows Rhodey well, but it’s clear that she wants her parents.

When he returns, Tony is still in the same position as he left him, but now slumped over, holding his head in his hands. The half-filled basin is sitting in between his knees.

“Hey.” Rhodey takes the bowl out of his lap gently and sets it on the floor. Tony barely reacts. He’s malleable, radiating heat, the fever evidently much higher than earlier. He barely opens his eyes when Rhodey helps him to lean back against a heap of pillows in front of the headboard. Rhodey goes to clean the evidence and returns with a wet washcloth that he uses to wipe down Tony’s face and then cool his forehead.

Tony is too feverish and uncomfortable to actually fall back asleep, so Rhodey starts the TV for some white noise and settles into the bed next to him. Tony watches with half-lidded eyes and heavy breaths, his hands clenching the blanket. He keeps shifting his weight against the pillows until his head lands on Rhodey’s shoulder, the sweaty hair hot and damp through his shirt. Rhodey adjust his position a little to make him more comfortable.

“So that’s what it takes to get you into bed with me,” Tony slurs.

Rhodey rolls his eyes. “You wish.”

There’s a pause as the weak smirk fades from Tony’s features and he lets out a tired sigh. “I…” He struggles to form words. “Just…thanks, dude.”

“It’s okay, Tony. I know.”

And he does, he’s always known. During the nights at MIT, he understood the way Tony sought distraction in parties and wine to quiet his thoughts and how he brought people home to bed to keep the loneliness at bay. He was there when Tony OD-ed on his graduation day, after Howard hadn’t shown up and Tony had worn an AC/DC shirt instead of a suit, insisting he didn’t give a damn about his summa cum laude. And that other, horrible night, after Tony’s parents died and he stood on Rhodey’s doorstep, high and silent, with red-rimmed eyes and traces of tears on his face.

After he’d returned from space, starved and broken, when he was too weak to cry and water just seemed to flow out of his eyes like from an overfilled pond, Rhodey understood that those tears were for Peter Parker. And the day Morgan was born and Tony was more afraid than ever before, Rhodey had quietly waited at the hospital all the way until the door opened and Tony stepped out with his daughter in his arms, smiling like the proudest man on earth.

Now he just sits there, feeling Tony shiver when the chills run through him, doing what he always does - being there.

He stays until Morgan starts up again and he has to extricate himself from the bed. She’s clearly awake this time, and it seems she’s had enough time without her parents, so Rhodey takes her to the master bedroom.

Tony is too out of it to even move much, so he just lets the baby crawl around him and numbly plays with her hair while she tries to grab his fingers.

“Yeah, kiddo. Daddy’s not much fun today,” Rhodey comments. Tony just shoots him a tired glare.

“You up for some toast?” Rhodey asks.

“Please don’t.” Tony’s face scrunches up with nausea.

Rhodey gets him to very slowly drink half a glass of water during the next fifteen minutes before Tony lies back down fully while Morgan is on her stomach, playing with a War Machine doll that has inexplicably found its way into the bed. After a while, Rhodey wets the washcloth again and drapes it over Tony’s burning forehead, receiving a grateful sigh.

Tony’s breaths eventually even out again and Rhodey gently picks up Morgan. He takes her outside and feeds her dinner, and she stares at him intently with the dark, warm eyes Rhodey knows all too well.

When Pepper comes home late that night, Rhodey is on the porch, carrying a crying Morgan in his arms who has decided a few hours ago that she was definitely done sleeping for the day.

“What happened?” Pepper asks, a crease appearing between her brows and worry set in her eyes. It’s been almost two years and the fear is still there, always lingering below the surface, ready to materialise upon the smallest provocation.

“Hey, everything’s okay. Tony’s got the flu, but it’s under control. He was very well-behaved - called me earlier today to help out.”

Pepper raises an eyebrow. “He told me he had a cold when I called him up last night.”

Rhodey sighs. He’s never seen Tony ask for someone to be around when he was sick, thanks to Howard Stark, and he’s sure that he wouldn’t have done it this time if it hadn’t been for Morgan.

Pepper takes the child from his arms and greets her with a kiss before entering the house and making straight for the master bedroom, not bothering to remove her shoes or jacket. Rhodey follows her upstairs, but stops just outside the bedroom door. He watches Pepper step in softly, Tony warily blinking his eyes open and then struggling to sit up when Pepper settles down on the side of the mattress.

Rhodey can’t hear what they are saying, but he sees Tony mumble something and warmth filling his tired eyes. The tension bleeds out of Pepper’s body when she ghosts a kiss on his cheek. Morgan giggles upon seeing her father, not understanding the words, but fully able to feel the completeness, the love, the rightness of it all.

It’s an impossible life they lead, Rhodey thinks, but something right has come out of it after all.

@badthingshappenbingo - This is the fill for the square “Big Brother Instinct” on my Bingo card.

Link to all my fics

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luobingmeis · 5 years

Text

okay so bc i need to vent and also bc we all know the old song and dance of “jords is unable to vent post anywhere else,” i’m just gonna rant under the cut and i apologize to mobile users if mobile fucks up the read more :/

also i’d appreciate it if this wasn’t reblogged

also also feel free to ignore

i feel like i’ve kinda just officially hit a point in my life where, for the most part, things are not good or, at the very least, stagnant

like, it’s so easy for me to get sad and stressed and it’s, like, almost every day. like, i think the only day that i haven’t gotten down was wednesday bc it was my birthday, but even then, i kinda had to Work On It

and, like, beginning of september, things were alright!! but then, u know, all good things must come to an end

and i feel like i’ve been like this for months but honestly idk (tho, tbh, i think may and june were iffy, july was bad, august was exhausting [i think idk i can’t really remember but i also know parts of august were bad], the first two weeks of september were good, and now things feel consistently bad)

and like. things so easily set me off now?

and i feel tired and a bit sad and stuck and suffocated and, honestly? really lonely, and like it’s my own doing. like, i feel like i’ve just completely isolated myself

and tbh i think that’s why found family tropes always make me a bit sad underneath all the love bc i feel like i dont have that like everyone else does. like i have friends and best friends but i feel like i’ve just been pushing some of my closest friends away bc i rarely have the energy for shit anymore??? like idk, just last weekend, two of my best friends were home and i love them so much but i was so tired and so bad last weekend that, like, within an hour or two, i’d be ready to go home. and i still had fun!!!! but there was a part of me with this underlying exhaustion

and swim is kinda fucking me up bc i do love swimming and i love being on the team but i never want to go to practice anymore and the season only just started and i’m already waiting for january to come and for the season to end which is Bad bc i don’t wanna rush swim season and ik that i love it but i’m just,,,, so tired and unmotivated all the time and idk

and then with schoolwork, i feel like i just can’t do it anymore. i procrastinate on everything that i do. last year, i would be doing homework for hours every day to get everything done early and, last night, i nearly had a breakdown over having to do a discussion post (for readings that i did not do) and almost emailed my teacher at 10pm to ask for an extension

and, like, once i get my work started? i’m going!!! i’m doing it and it’s decent!!!!! but it’s the getting there that sucks, bc it takes me so long now

and i feel so pressured to do well and get a 4.0 again and just do everything perfect but i can barely bring myself to do shit anymore that i just feel like i’m going to let everyone down and people are going to realize really quickly that i can’t do all that i’ve wanted to

also my memory has been so bad lately and like!!! shit’s wild

and my sleep schedule is so fucked and i need to fix it bc i’m getting, like, on average, 5 or 6hrs a night, which isn’t enough for me, but like!!! i can’t get myself to be going to bed before 11 or 12. sometimes it’s bc i don’t want the next day to happen, and sometimes it’s bc i say that i’ll go to bed earlier and then i just don’t

also i have so many fun things coming up in the next week and being excited is so hard. like tm i’m going out for a very nice dinner w/ my parents for my birthday and, in my mind, it’s just like another Task i have to do. i have the taz and mbmbam shows next week and i am excited for those but my stress is currently outweighing my excitement

and like, all in all, things feel so shit rn like it feels like every day i’m making dumb posts like “ahaha time for sad o’clock” or whatever bc i can’t take myself seriously even tho i so badly Want To be taken seriously but!!! idk

like basically i’m at the point where if, like, every single week is like this, idk what i’m gonna do bc i’m not gonna be able to handle that

and also i feel stagnant and stuck and isolated and i feel like it’s all on me but like. idk how to fix that!!

anyways this is my rant post and it’s very embarrassing and i’m sorry if you stuck around to read all of this bc this basically became a pity party for myself bc i can’t talk to the people i care abt in my life abt my issues but i sure can scream into the ether as strangers read on. so, like, yeah.

#i wish i had a vent post tag so that u guys can blacklist it i feel bad bc this is an every day occurrence now ajkskjdjk

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reasonswhyimaginesmatter · 6 years

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Why Oh Why (Scott Reed x Reader)

•6/16/18•

Summary: Scott Reed and Reader used to be the IT couple, but broke up. He moves on to a new girl fairly quickly.

I walked into school, greeting the few people I actually like. I saw Jessica, Clay, Alex, Justin, and Zach together., They’re the only people that are really there for me after my public breakup with Scott 3 weeks ago. I honestly don’t know how I could’ve coped without them here for me.

“Hey, guys,” I say walking up to them.

Justin was the first to speak up, “Hi Y/N, how are you feeling today? Are you okay?”

“Meh, I could be better. I’ll be alright though” I concluded.

They nodded understanding. I was with Scott for almost 2 years and he ended up breaking up with me out of nowhere.

“Hey Y/N, can we talk?” Scott stammered as he approached me.

I looked up at him worried, “Yeah, babe. What’s up?”

“You know I loved you. A lot. We can’t be together anymore, It’s not you. You’re amazing, but I don’t think we’re a good couple. We can still be friends though, however, us being together won’t work” he confessed sadly.

I felt my heart break in two as he told me this. I would’ve never thought that he would hurt me this way. Our relationship was nothing but happiness to me.

“You said you loved me. You said you would stay. Why are you doing this to me?” I started crying to him.

He looked at me sadly and scratched the back of his neck, “I’ll see you around, Y/N.”

Jessica snapped me out of my flashback by hugging me. I hugged her back feelings bummed all over again. I really love him more than anything and probably always will.

Alex looked at me, “I promise, you’ll be okay. He’s an asshole and really didn’t deserve anything you gave to him.”

I shrugged and looked over to my right. I felt my heart drop, Scott was with another girl. The worst part is that it’s Natalie, a girl I’ve been jealous of since 7th grade. This is embarrassing. Everyone already knew I was jealous of her, now my ex is dating her.

I threw my head back and groaned, “The bell’s about to ring. I gotta go.” I began walking away.

“Y/N! We have 7 minutes until the bell rings” someone called out to me.

I kept walking, wanting to get away from Scott and Natalie as soon as possible. I just walked into the bathroom to check and make sure my appearance was still in order and okay. I refuse to cry in school. I won’t give anyone the satisfaction to talk about Scott being over me, but me still reminiscing about him.

I hear the door open, “Y/N? Are you alright?”

It was Jessica. As much as I appreciate her being here for me, I really wanted to be alone at the moment.

“What?! I’m fine” I snapped looking back at her.

She looked really taken aback by my demeanor but still approached. I could feel her studying my face and my body language to figure out what she could say to make me feel better.

I felt tears welling up in my eyes, “Jess he’s gone. Please tell me, why would he leave? I was dumb to believe anything he ever said to me, he never loved me. I cried so much since he left me, I can’t even tell you how much… Why did he leave me?”

Jessica just brought me into a hug without saying anything. She just let me cry on her should.

“I loved him so much and tried so hard to let him know. Now he’s gone and with someone else. Please tell me what did I do wrong, Jess” I pulled back and looked at her with a tear-stained face.

She cupped my face in her hands, “He didn’t deserve you. You did nothing wrong, this was on him. You gave your virginity to him, went to all his games, took care of him when he was drunk and was there for him overall. This is not your fault in any shape or form. It’s his. He left you for someone else, not the other way around.”

I wish her words helped me. I really did. I felt nothing when she finished saying anything. I still feel like this is my fault in some way. He wouldn’t even tell me the reason why he decided he woke up one day and didn’t want me anymore.

“Thanks, Jess. I gotta go to class now.” I mumbled walking away from her.

I began my journey down the hall to my class. I avoid ever looking up in school just in case I see something I don’t want to. I checked my snapchat messages and collided with someone, sending me to the ground.

“Sorry,” I mumble looking down, “I guess I should pay attention more”

I look up, my heart skips a beat. It was him. The kid that broke my heart before anyone ever had the chance to.

“Scott” I whispered studying his face

He reached a hand out, “Hey, Y/N. Are you alright? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Physically? No. You just ripped my heart out and stomped on it like it was nothing. That pain was worse than any other physical pain.

“No, I’m fine. I was just pretty distracted, that’s all” I reply, grabbing his hand to which he pulled me up with.

I get goosebumps just by touching him. I really love this guy, I do. I couldn’t have gotten through anything without him being by my side.

“Can we talk?” I plead nervously.

He hesitated, “Y/N, I don’t think-”

“Please?” I cut him off before he could finish.

He shook his head at me, “Y/N, you need to get over me. I moved on and you should too. Now get to class, the bell is about to ring”

He looked at me one more time, before walking away. Leaving me in an empty hall, once again. I just want some type of reason why he left me. I never got one and it wasn’t fair, I didn’t even get a warning or a heads up.

I sigh and walked the rest of the distance to my history class. I took my seat next to Justin, my best friend. He has tried to help me through this, but he’s bad at it. Now, he just allows me to rant to him whenever I feel like expressing my feelings.

“You okay?” he asked looking at me worriedly.

I groaned. I’m so tired of that question, “Yes, Justin. I’m fucking fine. I wish everyone would quit asking me that. I’m going through a breakup. You’ve really been irritating me lately. I’ll be okay soon, but asking me the shit every 8 seconds is not helping. At all.”

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m just trying to help” He apologized, looking at me with hurt across his face.

I rubbed my hand over my face, “I know, I know. I’m sorry. This is just all so hard and I feel so lost right now. I didn’t mean to take it out on you, I’m sorry”

He looked away from me and to the board. He was still hurt, I could tell. I feel really bad for blowing up on him. Everyone is just trying their best, but I feel like a porcelain doll when I’m around them.

I sigh and pay attention to the lesson my teacher is giving me. It’s really been hard for me to concentrate on anything lately, and I feel unmotivated to do anything. I won’t even sit up and act like it’s Scott’s fault. It’s not. Sure, he contributed some way to this, but I always get like this around Winter and Spring.

Lunch rolls around and I go sit with Justin and the others. Justin is still mad at me, so I don’t sit next to him. I sit between Clay and Alex and instantly feel more comfortable around my friends.

“Where’s your food?” Clay asks looking down confused at my lack of food.

I shrug, “I’m not really hungry right now”

“You should still eat though, here Y/N” Alex insists on trying to give me a cookie.

This is what I mean by them treating me like I’m glass. I can’t even make my own choices anymore. I already had a big breakfast, so I really wasn’t hungry. Nevertheless, they still want to force feed me.

I glared at Alex, “I said I wasn’t hungry”

“And I said you would still eat” Alex snaps at me.

I scoff, “Quit treating me like a child, Alex”

“Maybe quit trying to make everyone feel bad for trying to cheer you up. You’re always a bitch, yeah, but this is not fair for us. We’re trying to help you get out of your heartbroken state, while you snap at every single thing we do” Justin barked at me from across the table, glaring at me.

I feel offended, so I get up and walk to where he’s sitting. He stands up too and glares down at me.

I look up at him, “You’re being an asshole”

“Maybe, but come on. Scott’s over you, he’s with Natalie. You’ve always been jealous of her and now I see what you do. You act like a slut sometimes Y/N. You always flirted with Natalie’s boyfriends. Even more priceless, you dated Scott even when you knew she liked him. It sucks that you fell in love with him on the way. He probably realized what a bitch you truly are” Justin insulted me harshly.

I feel my nose burning and tears well up in my eyes. Yeah, Justin and I get into a lot of arguments, but this was our worst one. He has never insulted me, and vice versa. He just called me a bitch and a slut. I felt hurt all over again.

I slap him. Hard. The whole cafeteria went silent. Everyone looked at us shocked. Even Scott, Natalie, and the rest of the baseball players. I began hitting his chest, crying out. He just stood there taking it. Clay finally ripped me off of him. He held me tight against him so I wouldn’t escape.

“Fuck you, Justin” I sobbed as I pushed Clay off and ran out of the cafeteria.

He said he loved me. He said he would stay, but now he’s gone.

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owl-o · 6 years

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15 Questions

I was tagged by @crimsonbluemoon hi. You surprised me.

To play, you answer 15 questions and tag 15 people. Fuuun. I don't have 15 people to tag. I don't know anybody's tumblrs.

Are you named after someone? No. I made sure that my name wasn't taken by someone I know/know of. I eventually remembered I share a name with a cowboy in a video game. Too late. And I like the cowboy....and the video game. I play it too much....OW. Oh wow. I'm off topic. Not a surprise.

When was the last time you cried? I can't remember. I usually can't remember.

Do you have kids? If characters count as children then...YES. If Skittles counts then her too. (This will probably make sense at the 'pet' question.)

Do you use sarcasm a lot? Pfffffft....nooooo. Why would I ever use sarcasm? Hahaha. That's funny.

What's the first thing you notice about people? Well, if it's in real life (which never happens...what's outside?)...I notice how tall they are. I think. Most of my meetings with people are over the internet. Faceless meetings. Over text, whether or not they use proper grammar. Over voice, how deep their voice is or accents (if they have strong ones).

What's your eye color? Brown. Sometimes their hazel, or an amber color (which is cool) and sometimes one is different than the other. In reality, they probably aren't changing. It's just surrounding colors and lighting...probably. I don't know stuff.

Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings! I don't like scary movies. I don't want to be anymore scared or paranoid about things than I already am.

Any special talents? I don't know. I can...kinda sing. I guess. I don't really know how it sounds to other people (and the quality does go down when I try nto sing to other people), but I like how it sounds when it's just me by my lonesome...like it usually is. Haha. Does this even count?

Where were you born? Ehhh....wellllll....no exact places...but on the western side of Canada...Mountain time zone...that narrows it down quite nicely.

What are your hobbies? Playing videogames, drawing (both of which are accompanied by listening to music), watching YouTube, singing, reading, writing...sending random scenes of characters to my friend.

Do you have any pets? Haha...DO I? Yes. Yes, I do. Three dogs, five cats, and a bearded dragon. Dogs: Jake (giant clumsy oldman), Daisy (has injured back legs and really likes tipping over the garbage can), Chewy (Chewbacca...he does a higher pitched version). Cats: Skittles (my baby), Marbles (fluff ball), Bubbles (demon), Taffy (Taffeta is what my mom calls her), Odin (he has a cool mustache pattern on his face.) Lizard: Yoda (don't know the gender, 55% sure it's female).

How tall are you? ...5'3"...

What sports do you play/have you played? Uhh...I don't know if it counts...but I did gymnastics when I was a kid. I also played soccer...alone...when I was younger...and at my brothers soccer practices....

Favorite subject at school? Art, drama, science (specfically chemistry, but physics is cool too).

Dream job? I don't know. I want to help people. So...like...an EMT. Or a Forensic Scientist...or a Police Officer (they have a bad name, though, huh?). None of those will happen, probably because 1. I am squirmish and blood and wounds make me all paranoid. 2. Forensic science is cool, but...yeah. 3. They have a bad reputation with that last one...and I don't want people to hate me. 4. I have a bad course with schooling. I don't even know if I will be able to graduate. I'm not dumb, just unmotivated. I'm also not physically fit. I'm a noodle. I'm also trans, so, being accepted in a work place is difficult.

I have time, though....two years is a lot of time...

Tags. Hi. First of all: if you want to do this and you weren't tagged...you can still do it! Just say I tagged you or something!

@applecannibal @un1dent1fi3d69 @cloverink56 @poptart-puppy @stillnotjack @thatonemexicannerd (I know you two were tagged, but I don't know anyone else. So...sorry?) @applecantbebothered (suffer)

That's it. I'm done. Thank you...and goodnight.

#hahahahahhahaa #i really dont know anyone #my answers were also really long and probably went into more detail than y'all would care to know #but all well

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justoneday-namjoonii · 6 years

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Killer Killer. teaser

⌲Genre: SerialKiller!au | Thriller!au | Detective!au ⌲Pairing: Namjoon x Yoongi x OC ⌲Summary: She’s pulled from her dull assignments as a medical/crime investigator and put on a case with two peculiar fellas. The case gets more and more complicated as they try to unravel it’s mysteries..

a/n: Should I give this oc a name? I was thinking about it...

“Ah ha!” A young child with wonder-filled eyes gasped happily, holding a broken toy dog under the playground slide. Instead of playing duck-duck-goose, the little girl was determined to find out who broke Camila’s toy dog and left it here. She ran to the teacher, presented her evidence and found the culprit. That one day shaped the path of her life as a whole, she wanted to solve murder crimes. Quite the profession for a little girl. But that’s what she did. When she went to college, she had one goal, solve mysteries and crimes.

***

“As you can see,” Medical examiner, Amanda Baker, pointed to the horrific burns on the deceased body, the eager M.E’s to be were watching as she determined this corpses cause of death “he was burned, yes. But that’s not the cause of death. I found traces of a deadly amount of arsenic in his liver, a case like this is one the detectives would love.” She was all suited up so she wasn’t worried about the disease-ridden body she was displaying. With the soft click of your shoes, you peeked into the room to see your colleague giving her students raw training with the less than appealing deceased.

You swallowed before entering the room, being that you’ve dealt with graphic crime scenes many times before, this shouldn’t phase you. “Excuse me, do you have a minute?”

“Sure, we were just finishing up. Class, feel free to take notes on the board.” She dismissed the students and went to the sink to wash up and discard the mask.

"What’s up?”

"There's a case that the corporation has been really hush-hush about and I was wondering if you knew anything about it.” You two walked side by side through the spacious hall on the way to her office.

“I wouldn’t know Y/L/N, I haven’t been out in the field for a while. I’ve been teaching more than anything these days.” She pulled off her coat with an exhausted sigh, idly she took her multiple hairpins out of her ear-length hair.

You sat in one of her designated relaxation chairs for when she had to work late and you unbuttoned your uncomfortable collar shirt a bit. “Aw...”

“Why are you trying to snoop on someone else's case anyway? You’ve got assignments almost every week.” Baker knew your tenacity, you always looked for the case that would put you on the map.

“Yeah, but those are mostly local cases about break-ins and it’s been slow lately...” You exhaled.

“You should be glad, that means fewer people are getting murdered, less body for me to examine.” She laughed, skimming through her files to make sure she has her to-do list aligned for the next workday.

“I don’t only do murders, sometimes I do missing person cases...I don’t know, I guess I’m feeling like a private in an army full of generals.” You confessed. “Everyone on the 3rd floor are snobs and take all the good cases.”

Not like you’d really know what went on up there.

“What’s so special about the 3rd floor? We go up there all the time for briefing sessions and it seems pretty normal to me.” She knew that what went on up there was ‘Top Secret’ and people like you, weren’t qualified enough. You thought that was preposterous, not qualified enough? That’s B.S. You knew the reason behind not being allowed in the cases, your supervisor was a butthole and that was the only sensible reason.

“You know they’re lying to us, that's what corporations like this do, they lie to everyone except the inside man. I didn’t go to school to be a reporter but that’s what they have me do!” You got up and buttoned your blouse. “I signed up for this job to be out in the field, with the big league. Not behind a desk, in an uncomfortable chair and conducting research on crime scenes that have already been picked over. I’m a forensic scientist, not Lois Lane.”

“Take it easy, y/n, you’ll get your big break, I’m sure of it.” She put on her jacket, grabbed her bag and keys and began to walk out to the lobby. “Just hang in there, goodnight.” She bid you farewell.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Amanda, goodnight.” You waved goodbye and walked to the elevator with a plan in mind.

You pressed the dingy arrow button and waited. Most people were headed home since it was around 7 p.m and people had families to get to. Ding. The elevator opened and quickly got in and started pushing the close button in case someone was trying to catch it, you didn’t feel like awkward silence right now. When you stopped at your intended destination you saw that some of your co-workers were still here but just a few. You turned to your right and began walking towards your little office. Just as you were about to enter the room, you heard hushed whispering coming from the office across from yours—of course, you had to eavesdrop a little. Since it was fairly vacant, you got on your hands and knees, put your ear to the side of the door and listened.

“I can’t take it anymore.” You heard a low voice say through presumably clenched teeth.

“The hours are ridiculous, I wasn’t trained for work like that and I don’t work in the field! I won’t do it. Why don’t you ask someone else?”

That was Amir Perez doing all that whining...

“Because you’re my nephew and I want you to succeed. It’s not every day that we let Unit 2 people in on cases like this.”

You knew he wasn’t here because of his ‘fine set of qualifications’, he’s here because his uncle AKA your boss, is doing the family a favor. It was a bit of an understatement to say that you’re pissed. He’s been giving that guy all the good cases and he doesn’t even want them!

“I'm sorry, but I’m going home.” He suddenly slung the door open and you stood up in a frenzy to get to your office without being seen, not that they were paying any attention to you.

“Amir, wait!” You watched your boss scramble to follow the unmotivated 21-year-old take the stairs down but when he realized he wasn’t stopping he cursed.

“Damn it, that lazy kid.” He began to massage his temples, what was he going to do? He told the team he’d get someone from this unit, his first pick just walked out the meeting is in 5 minutes. Meanwhile, you stood in your doorway as if to see if he was going out or not.

“You.” You looked wide-eyed when he pointed directly at you with a hesitant expression, this is my only option.

“Me?” You wanted to make sure he was talking to you.

“Come with me.”

He started walking and you didn’t hesitate to follow him, this might be what you’ve been waiting for since you started this job. You looked around to see where he was taking you and he went opened the door to a flight of stairs that you’ve never even seen before. He went up to a large white door and pressed his hand to a tablet on the wall. When you saw that you were about to unload a million questions. But when that door opened, your heart fell straight into your stomach.

“Woah...” You knew the facility was huge but this was massive. It looked like a completely different place in here. There was state of the art computers, file rooms that were being skimmed through by the file organizers, there was even a large vault all the way across the room that you couldn’t even imagine what was in it. You looked around and saw that every office had a stately looking name on it, the more experienced detectives must work up here.

“Sir, what is this place?” You followed him around like a kid in the candy store, eager to find something to get into.

“This is Unit 5, it is not to be disclosed to anyone under Unit 5 clearance, you’re the exception.” He dreaded saying that. “I brought you here because you are now taking Amir’s position in this case.”

You couldn’t believe it. “Seriously?” You nearly squealed with excitement. “I get to work up here with-”

“Don’t get too excited kid.” He cut you off.

“Hey,” He went up to some guy working at a desk, “Get her a badge with all Unit clearance.” He left you standing alone after the command and the guy gave him a speedy ‘yes sir.’

“Okay, follow me to that room over there.” The guy got up from behind his computer and followed you to the room. “Stand in front of that background and in five seconds it will automatically take the photo.” He adjusted his glasses and waited for you.

“Okay.” You scurried over to stand in front of the wall and in seconds the picture was taken with a flash.

“Alrighty then, I’ll get this laminated and you just wait at my desk.” You went to his desk and waited for maybe a minute or so and he was back with two badges; one being a card and the other being a lanyard.

“Here you go, Miss.” He handed them to you and you stared at them in awe, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for...

“Thank you.” You put one around your neck and the other in your pocket with an uneasy exhale you went to find your boss. And on your quest to find him you saw a room with a bunch of pictures and evidence and you smiled as if it fed your inner investigator.

“Gather around everyone.” He spoke loudly and people scattered like ants to the middle of the room. You didn’t know where to stand or who to stand with so you tried to stand next to him but got booted out of the way—you settled for the far right of the circle of people you can’t say you’ve seen before.

“As you all may know, we have a sensitive case that needs the assistance of a Unit 2 member.” He made eye contact with you. “This is Y/F/N, she’ll be working with Min and Kim on this assignment.”

“Hello...” You gave a tight-lipped grin to those around you but you looked around for the two he called Min and Kim but they were nowhere to be seen.

“As for everyone else, resume what you were doing and have a good night.” He left through the main exit and you stood there excited but slightly lost. You inhaled and exhaled—stay confident, introduce yourself and do what you do best—that’s what your parents would say. You were still a bit confused about who to talk to but at this point, you were just happy to be here.

Some random guy with prominent dimples and a soft face came out of nowhere and extended his hand, “Kim Namjoon.” He smiled. “Nice to meet you, partner.” You returned his gesture with a firm handshake and boy, was he tall and handsome—you checked off your mental career-list, sweet coworker—check.

“Nice to meet you too.” You smiled. “I hope you don’t mind but, could you fill me in on what all of this is? I’ve never seen this place before and to be honest, I don’t know what my job is in all of this.”

“Unit 5 is the highest level in the corporation, we deal with everything from serial killers to speculated alien abduction, you name it, we’ve done it. For our case, we don’t have all the details yet, but we do know it was across town and we’ll be sent out there bright and early tomorrow morning.” He explained as you followed him to his office, he was wrapping up for the day. “The location is in this file, don’t lose it.” He opened his drawer and handed you the beige folder.

“Alright, sounds good.” You nodded in agreement. “By the way, where is um- Min?”

“Min Yoongi? He left earlier than normal today, he’ll be at the site in the morning.” He pulled on his jacket and left with a smile. “See you tomorrow.”

“See you.” You waved goodbye as your other hand loosely held the folder. You watched as he walked out of that door and you wanted to scream in excitement, but you kept your cool. There were still some people working on their important cases and some of them glanced up at you curiously—that was your cue to go. Even though he said there wasn’t much on the case, you knew he was being secretive about some of it. So, like the skilled professional you are, you decide to go get a little more information. When you looked around, you saw the file room was unoccupied, so you made your way into the dimly lit room. You opened up the file and saw there was no identified suspect yet, the case explicitly stated that visiting the site was required to finish the case file. It read file 19382, not an actual name, that was test file title so it wasn’t that relevant. He gave you an unofficial file.

“Of course.” You had a feeling that he was a bit too welcoming. Besides that, you knew how to find an undocumented file. You dug through the drawer that was basically empty, the file in the very front was the most recent. To find the one you’re looking for, you just needed to look a few files from it.

“Bingo.” You made sure no one was watching you before pulling it out to look it over, it was a thin file. It read, Woman reports erratic banging on her door in the middle of the night. She fears she’s being watched. Police have inspected the area and waited to see if the culprit would reveal themselves but that was unsuccessful.

“Interesting...” You read further, The next day, the woman was sent to the hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning caused by an unknown source. In critical condition. You heard shuffling outside the door so you took that as a sign to beat it. You snapped a quick photo of the file and stuck it back in its rightful home.

The fire has been ignited in you and this case will consume your life for as long as it takes to solve it.

#bts fanfic #bts detective au #bts scenarios #bts xfiles!au #namjon #yoongi #Yoongi detective #namjoon detective #bts angst #BTS au #Killer Killer #this is like a teaser #i don't know if any of you watch xfiles but it's got some of those themes #detective!au #horror!au #xfiles!au

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goldenstarsrpg-blog · 7 years

Photo

This is my app for Aspen Buchanan, the taken character for Saturn. You can feel free to refer to this while filling out your own app, and also by taking a look at Meg’s character for Moon as Vega Churchill! Everything from Personality - Headcanons will be posted on the main.

→ OOC INFO.

Introduction:

Hey, I’m resident admin vera! I’m almost 22 and I use she/her pronouns!

Timezone:

EST

Activity level:

6/10 - I am also admin of another lovely rp, so I spend my time at both equally!

Trigger warnings:

Redacted.

→IC INFO.

Desired skeleton: Saturn

Name: Aspen Paris Buchanan

Aspen. It is a name that comes very poetically, and it fits Aspen’s personality very well. It is translated from the English tree whose nickname was commonly the trembling Aspen. For someone like him, who has always trembled in society and found reason to pause, it’s very fitting.

Paris. A sudden surprise to his parents when he decided to pop out early on an extended stay in Paris. His mother had a complicated pregnancy, causing them to stay much longer in their holiday home in the romantic city. His middle name reflects the miracle of his survival.

Buchanan. This is just amusing to me, because the 15th president of the USA had this last name and he remained a lonely bachelor his whole life. Aspen… is forever alone.

Pronouns: He/him

Age: 24

Faceclaim: Jordan Fisher

Personality:

Aspen Buchanan was born autistic. The clinical diagnosis of this caused him to have little social interaction with others for a long time, and into his adulthood, Aspen as stayed pretty quiet and reserved, distant from the rest of the world. Many would describe him as… odd, to be fair. The Buchanan kids typically are seen that way, but Aspen stands out with his quiet nature and strange little gimmicks.

He is not the first to ever say hello, goodbye, or sorry. He is prideful, emotionally distant, and very trusting of others after the “initial getting to know” you phase. He is wise beyond his years and has a very strong wanderlust. The world, culture, and travel means everything to him. Aspen is also very pessimistic, but he plans ahead for everything, and may panic if these plans change. Change is his enemy.

History:

Nothing about the Buchanan family was normal, and this was especially so for Aspen. He was born with plenty of problems, complications, and difficulties around the pregnancy and it was clear that something was off about him, even as a kid. His parents were busy, both hard-working to continue their excessive wealth and budding empire. So Aspen and his sibling were left to their own devices more often than not, and he embraced the quiet and isolated in a way that no normal should.

School was difficult for him growing up. He was bored, lack-luster, unmotivated, and unchallenged. He was smart but couldn’t apply himself. Classmates bullied him relentlessly, but gave up after a couple of years when they realized that Aspen wouldn’t care no matter how hard they tried. He was one of the rich kids, but he never ran around with that crowd. Instead, he stuck to the misfits, the loners, the other quiet ones. It was the drama group he finally found his place inside, but not on the stage. No, instead he was placed in the important role of stage manager, ensuring the smooth success of each show.

After Highschool was when Aspen felt the most free. His time was his own, and he was able to dedicate himself to his passion for exploring and learning about the things he cared about. After months of negotiating with his parents, they allowed him to take out 50% of his inheritance and use it for a trip around the world, which took 2 years. It wasn’t until he was 21 that he finally arrived home, and when he, Aspen Buchanan was a changed man.

Once home, he took a position in the G3C, settling in as a slightly unmotivated member, mostly to be there as support for their sibling and to make his parents proud. Now, 3 years after returning to his hometown from touring the exciting world, Aspen is realizing that his inheritance money is running low, and it may be time to start doing something to keep that cash flowing in to support his luxury lifestyle. His parents were always hard on him, expecting him to do more than the average spoiled rich boy. Aspen is not a golden child, and he never was. Now, he is lost within the ranks of the world and the G3C.

Analysis:

Star sign: Capricorn

Despite Saturn being the ruling planet for Capricorn, I felt that he related very closely to that sign. He is materialistic, dedicated, and hard-working. Though he does take his money for granted, there is a willful drive in him to propel forward. Unfortunately, this makes Aspen a bit emotionally distant and hesitant to try new things. Because of his autism, there is, at times, a divide between his reality and fantasy, which another a thing that Capricorn signs have trouble differentiating.

MBTI type: INFJ

Considered to be the rarest type, it makes sense such an odd person as Aspen would be born with this personality type. They are known as the Advocate, and Aspen is a very passionate person dedicated to the social good. Even if he doesn’t really fit in. They are soft-spoken with strong opinions and difficulty expressing them properly.

Moral alignment: Chaotic Neutral.

This alignment lets Aspen follow his own, ever-changing whims. Despite being very much dedicated to rescuing humanity as a whole, he is very firm in the idea that his own well-being comes first. He has spent too long at the mercy of others to ever choose someone else before him.

Vices: Aspen is an avid stoner, and has enjoyed drinking much more lately at parties. He isn’t prone to sexual behavior, but does have a bit of a romantic streak, and considers himself to be polyamorus, despite never really having a relationship. He is excellent at ruining good things.

Virtues: He is very loyal, prone to be truthful, and values honesty. Betrayal and deceit hurts him more than anything, so he is very against using that in his own control. He also is very smart, despite doing poorly in school.

Headcanons:

Aspen always followed in the shadow of their sibling, Uranus. He looked to them for advice, leadership, and direction. Most of his childhood, even into his teen years, was spent attempting to hide behind them and learn from them. He, to this day, does frequently still look to Uranus for confirmation for the things he does. Their relationship could have been close or not, but deep down, Aspen admires them more than anyone else he knows.

His fashion sense is horrible. Very indie-grunge, almost hipster in a more hard-ass way. I’m talking aviator jackets, scuffed boots, bracelets. Plus, since he traveled the world, most of his clothing is from all over. It’s not uncommon to find him wearing a graphic t-shirt with a different language printed, or foreign brands, or very strangely exotic jackets and jewelry. Aspen just grabs whatever and throws it on. He could really use a stylist.

Pansexuality is what Aspen identifies with, though he feels a stronger connection with males than he does females. They are so majestic to him, and he admires them so much, yet never seems to have much luck. No, he is much more inclined to grow closer with a male, though sexually he is very demi-sexual. It’s hard for him to have a desire for intimacy in that way, and it isn’t something he finds to be a priority.

Barcelona was Aspen’s favorite city to visit when he took his 2 year world tour. The colors, life, action, culture… it was all incredible to him. Japan was a very close second, because he loved anime as a younger kid, but something about Spain was very compelling and he hopes to visit again.

Extras:

I have a pinterest board made here, and I am sure in the course of the roleplay before opening I will have come up with more things that aren’t listed!

#sample app #lsrp #skeleton rp #small rp #new rp #faq

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itsomgitsgreenblogging · 7 years

Text

Break My Heart: Chapter 4 (A Solangelo Fanfic)

I’m back! A bunch of real life stuff happened, I got unmotivated, yada yada all that stuff. But here’s a new chapter so I hope you all enjoy it! This is mostly a set up chapter, but it was still fun to write. This one goes out to my buddy @gatesofember.

You guys are going to hate me for this cliffhanger though, haha.

Enjoy!

Previous Chapters on Tumblr: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three

Read it all on AO3

Preview:

“I’m still angry at Cecil. He made a pun, while he was getting carted away to the infirmary, and it wasn’t even clever,” Lou Ellen said with a roll of her eyes. “Alright, seriously though, what’s up?”

“I’m an emotional wreck over something that hasn’t even happened yet,” Will groaned as he heavily plopped into his seat at the table. Many of the other Apollo kids had already eaten and were working on packing their things for the trip back, true to their morning-bird natures.

“You and everyone else I’ve ever met, what makes this problem so special?” Lou Ellen asked as she sat beside him, fielding a look from the scattered campers and waving it off.

“Is there a reason that you’ve been a perpetual sad boy or do I need to have another chat with Austin about playing the 1975?” Lou Ellen asked as she leaned against one of the pillars of the pavilion. Will gave her a weak glare before wholly giving up and just letting himself mope.

“I’m surprised Cecil hasn’t blabbed to you already,” Will commented, gazing at the Hermes table. Recently released Cecil was back there, and with his siblings were currently working on daring their Roman cousins to bet increasingly higher sums of hash browns over an obviously rigged poker game. If he noticed Will’s accusatory gaze he did nothing to signal it.

“You and everyone else I’ve ever met, what makes this problem so special?” Lou Ellen asked as she sat beside him, fielding a look from the scattered campers and waving it off. There wasn’t much room to spare anywhere, even with the ever-increasing addition of tables. Except the Big Three tables, that were all empty at the moment. A couple people looked like they were about to make a run for them just for the space, especially Butch, who looked like he had just about had it with his Roman cousins’ ukulele and kazoo rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Will didn’t really blame him. It was quite the musical marvel…in its own way.

“Ugh, alright, fine, come here a second,” Will said, grabbing Lou Ellen’s hand and tugging her out of the pavilion. Once they were clear of nosy campers, Will turned back to her. “You have to swear you won’t say a word to anyone else. Cecil already knows, but that’s already a liability.”

“You want me to swear on the river Styx or something?” Lou Ellen asked suspiciously, tapping black nails on her arm.

“No, nothing that serious…just…” Will struggled before giving up and shoving his hands into the pockets of his cargo shorts. “I had a prophetic dream that Nico di Angelo broke up with me.”

“You’re going out with Nico di Angelo?” Lou Ellen asked, penciled eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Though Aphrodite and Apollo cabins often prided themselves on grooming and makeup, Hecate cabin had a sense of aesthetics that anyone could appreciate.

“No, and that’s the problem,” Will hissed. “I’m not dating him, nor do I like him that way…I think.”

“How can you not know whether you like a person or not?”

“I don’t—Lou you are focusing on the wrong thing here!”

“Well I don’t know and I don’t really get it, but okay. But that must make things awkward, huh?” Lou Ellen observed thoughtfully.

“Yeah, I don’t know, I mean, I don’t want to get my heart broken, but I also feel like I’m unfairly holding myself back or something. Which is crazy, and Nico seems like a nice kid too—“

“Nico di Angelo? Nice kid?” Lou Ellen scoffed and Will gave her a withering look.

“He’s a nice kid. I just think he’s…he isn’t socially adjusted. Or at least, he hasn’t adjusted well. And who could blame him?”

“Maybe that’s how you got to approach this, Will. Nico needs your help, just treat him like you would treat any of your siblings or your plants. Water him and make sure he gets plenty of sunlight,” Lou Ellen said with a shrug.

“I guess that’s all I can really do at this point huh?” Will asked as he nudged the ground with his sandals. Lou Ellen gave him a smile before reaching up to pat his head, not unlike she might’ve if he was a dog.

“It’s alright, everything will work out. I promise. There are always paths that you can take that will take you to where you are meant to be, even if they aren’t obvious right away. But I have an idea, I’ll perform a spell tonight—“

“Oh gods, like that’s ever a good idea. Last time you did that my hair turned grey and grey is not my color,” Will groaned.

“Oh shush, it’ll just be a simple candle spell. I’ve been dying to work with my moon water too—anyways. I’ll entreat Mom to provide you emotional clarity and guidance,” Lou Ellen said as she moved her hand from his curls to squish his cheeks, her green eyes were alight with humor. “You’re Lou Lou has got you covered. So don’t look so down, okay? I like you best when you are smiling.”

“Thanks Lou Ellen, you’re the best and you can tell Cecil I said that,” Will said as he leaned down to kiss the crown of her head. Lou Ellen smiled up at him brightly, teeth white and glinting against cream.

“Oh shoot we’re kissing Lou Ellen let me in on that!” Cecil said as he bounded up and pressed a kiss to Lou Ellen’s temple. Lou Ellen laughed fondly and pulled them both in.

“Look who’s feeling better today,” Will said and Cecil stuck out his leg and pointed his toe.

“I could dance all night if I had too, if you were going to pay me that is,” Cecil said with an exaggerated wink as Lou Ellen elbowed him under his arm before spotting the Aphrodite cabin making their slow, sleep-addled walk to the pavilion. Aphrodite Cabin had a penchant for staying up late whether that be from gossiping or high-risk make up experimentation. Thankfully no one had ended up in the infirmary since the lash-curler incident of two months ago, but there was a second time for everything.

“Good morning Lou Ellen!” the always pleasant Lacy greeted as she nearly skipped up to meet Lou Ellen, her blonde curls bouncing in time. Her half-brother Mitchell offered a meek greeting wave, before yawning and revealing a splash of glitter across his cheek. “Good morning Cecil, good morning Will.”

“Good morning,” Cecil greeted in turn. “You guys heading for breakfast? We’ll join you—“

“Yeah, right,” Drew Tanaka’s voice came, harsh and annoyed. She stood off to the side, avoiding all of their looks as if their attention was cumbersome and out of season, twirling one of her dark curls around her finger. Will couldn’t help but wonder how she wasn’t cold, after cutting her CHB tee until it was midriff baring and off the shoulder, and if she hadn’t been Drew he would have offered her his sweatshirt, and only didn’t offer it because Will knew he was the last demigod in the camp besides Piper McLean that she would accept anything from. Instead Will placed his hands on his hips.

“Just because you’re in a foul mood doesn’t mean that we all have to be,” Will reminded her calmly.

“Whatever, Solace,” Drew scoffed before strutting away with purpose, if she had been wearing heels she would have probably slayed some people. Piper walked up to him, looking in Drew’s direction before back at him apologetically.

“I’m sorry Will, she’s being especially difficult today,” Piper commented, multicolored eyes sliding back to where Drew had disappeared into the pavilion.

“Don’t worry, I’m kind of used to it from her,” Will explained with a sheepish laugh. “I’m sorry if you’re going to get an earful later from Drew, I know how she is.”

“What? Why?” Piper asked, confused.

“You haven’t heard?” Will asked in return, surprised. “You mean they didn’t tell you?”

“Didn’t tell me what?”

“Well, if they didn’t think it was a big deal, I wouldn’t worry about it,” Will said before clearing his throat awkwardly. “Let’s just get to breakfast then, alright?”

Piper’s odd look didn’t fade away, Will felt certain that it was following him through the pavilion. Thankfully his cabinmates and Roman cousins had returned, and helped to distract from the certain feeling of being watched.

The Romans all left after breakfast, with a final parting word from Reyna. Hazel gave Will and a few of the Seven a friendly wave, which Will and the rest returned. Will accepted a hug from Phoebe and a few of the other Apollo legionaries and wished them will on their journey through the Labyrinth. He couldn’t help but feel lonely after saying goodbye, not that his cabin wasn’t usually bursting from campers, but he had gotten used to their company.

He was just making his way back to his cabin to dump his sweatshirt off when his half-sister Violet ran up and nearly knocked him over. Violet was tiny thing at barely pushing eight years old, with dark curls and a wide puppy-dog eyes. She could also play Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor with her eyes closed but that was somewhat besides the point, though bragging about his siblings was something Will always aimed to do regardless of the situation.

“Nico’s trying to get the drain taken out. Antonio’s told him no but he’s not listening and then Emma’s trying to back him up but it’s not working I don’t think, I’m sorry Will I promised I would watch after things,” Violet said, probably in a single breath, the mouth that Will knew was identical to his wobbling. Will leaned down and quickly pulled out Violet’s hastily thrown together pigtails and quickly redid them. Violet smiled a watery grateful grin at him.

“It sounds like Nico is being very bad, I’ll go have a word with him,” Will promised the little girl and help out his hand. Violet smiled a gap-toothed smile and slipped her hand in his as they walked to the Big House together.

When they finally made it in, the infirmary was in the kind of chaos that Will had expected it to be in. Antonio and Emma were hiding behind an empty cot, intermittently throwing packets of Band-Aids with deadly accuracy at Nico di Angelo, who was hissing at them as he kept getting smacked in the face by cardboard boxes with happy faces on them. The only reason he hadn’t escaped was because obviously one of Will’s siblings had managed to buckle in Nico’s left arm with one of the magicked straps, and Nico currently had the magical ability of a potato and could only flail a broom around in annoyance as if he were trying to sweep Will’s siblings out of existence.

“What is going on here?” Will ordered, obviously having hung out with Lou Ellen and Cecil too much because he immediately planted his feet on the ground and propped his hands on his hips. He was also well aware that there probably wasn’t any sensible explanation for any of this, considering it was his siblings. “Antonio, Emma, I’m not sure this is what Hippocrates had in mind for that oath of his.”

“He started it!” Antonio said as he pointed at Nico.

“Yeah, we were trying to stop him from doing something stupid, Will, promise!” Emma groaned, tugging her blue-dyed hair nervously in its French braid. She had managed to convince Kayla do it three days ago as a reward for improvement in archery class. “Don’t be mad at us!”

“Get this thing off me!” Nico demanded as he pointed to the strap that was holding him. “So I can go over there and give you something to stop!”

“No one is doing any of that on my watch! I just managed to get everyone better I am not dealing with putting people back in this infirmary again without need!” Will told both sides. “Nico, sit down and put the broom down. Antonio, Emma, clean up the supplies. We need those, we can’t be wasting them. Scat!”

His siblings scrambled off to collect the fallen tributes to their siege, leaving Nico and Will mostly alone. Will gave Violet a gentle smile.

“Go make sure those bozos do it right? You are the best at organizing. And when one the dryads come with a package that’s for me and my buddy here, bring it please,” Will told his little sister as he crouched down who just reached over and gave him a hug before scampering off to do exactly what he asked with her pigtails bouncing after her. When Will looked up at Nico, he was still holding the broom halfheartedly, and had followed Violet and his other siblings out with a strange look, the fire of annoyance seemingly put out. Still, Will didn’t want to risk it. “I’m sorry. They mean well, but it doesn’t help to prove the point I tried to make about people wanting you here, huh? I’ll talk to them later, I promise.”

“It’s…” Will got the impression Nico was about to say something ‘nothing’, but then decided against lying. “Can you please let me out of this thing?”

Nico held up his bound hand, and Will took note of his general rumpled condition. Will could let him go easy, but for some reason Will also thought it might be good to let Nico sweat for a few moments longer. Will knew he wasn’t at all scary, but he also knew that it was important for Nico to take him seriously. So instead of moving, Will met his gaze evenly and tapped his fingers on his hips, channeling his sisters.

“Seriously, get me out of this!” Nico demanded after a few more moments of quiet that must have stretched out for an eternity. Will resisted the urge to grin.

“I don’t know, did you try to do something really stupid like…oh…I don’t know…take the drain I put in you to stop infection out yourself and without waiting until I got here to take care of it for you?”

“It was—“

“Ah?” Will stopped him and Nico immediately fumbled.

“No really—“

“Uh-huh?”

“Okay, okay. It was dumb…I…I shouldn’t have done it,” Nico groaned before throwing the broom down and once again pointing to his wrist. “Let me out of this now!”

“There you go, was it that hard?” Will asked him as he walked over and undid the buckle, flexing his magic to make it go slack. Nico rubbed his redden wrist and glared at the restraint as if he would start hissing at it.

“You suck, Solace,” Nico told him flatly.

“I happened to think that’s one of my charming qualities,” Will said sweetly, with a saccharine grin that might have rotted his teeth out before pointing to Nico’s cot. “Now sit, and let’s see if you messed up my perfectly good stitches.”

Nico gave him a suspicious look before taking off his shirt as he was directed to do so. To Will’s immediately relief, he hadn’t busted any of his stitches nor had he pulled the drain out from his wound. The wound that was no longer draining fluid, so thankfully he could do what Nico wanted. Will got to work pulling out the drain and restitching the rest of it closed. Nico rolled his shoulder, not caring about Will’s wince.

“Doesn’t that hurt you?” Will asked him, concerned.

“No, not really,” Nico said in return. “You did a good job with my stitches. Much better than I’ve ever done.”

Will couldn’t help but feel his cheeks flush, and immediately he swiveled on his chair. The compliment, whether actually intended or not, made Will feel oddly giddy. Which was dumb, because Will had been complimented on his skills plenty of times and he had never felt like his heart was skipping to the beat of a jazz quartet. So instead of focusing on that, Will allowed himself to calm down before even attempting to respond.

“I’ve got some practice,” Will said with a shrug before noticing Nico’s very suspiciously empty bedside table, the tray upon it completely empty of everything—even crumbs. Remembering how Nico had picked through all the meals Will had seen him eat, Will was immediately suspicious. “Were you given any breakfast?”

Nico didn’t immediately give up anything within his expression, and Will looked at him with wavering patience. Nico didn’t move, remaining stoic and still on the bed as Will popped open the bedside trashcan to reveal completely uneaten French toast and a fruit bowl. Will sighed and threw his used gloves in there with the breakfast.

“I don’t think the bread insulted you, why did you treat it that way?” Will asked him with a quirk of his brow. Nico just grimaced, obviously unamused by his joke. “Did you try to eat any of it before it ended up unceremoniously tossed?”

“It was either it or me,” Nico grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly, as if the barrier of his arms would provide proper defense.

“And by that you mean…?”

“I can’t eat so early, I would throw up.”

“Do you ever eat breakfast?” Will asked him, and Nico’s dark expression just made him sigh. “For Gods sake Nico, I’m not trying to torture you—“

“Oh really—“

“I’m trying to help you, you little gremlin,” Will finished sternly. “It’s important for me to know these things so I can…you know…help you. Which is the point of you being here in case you forgot.”

“Oh really? I thought the point of me being here was for me to be cooped up away from the other kiddies in time out,” Nico sneered, the expression terrifying, intimidating, and attractive. One of those things was not like the others Will thought wryly.

“Cute, real cute,” Will muttered under his breath. “Gods give me strength, I’m surrounded by numbskulls.”

Will quickly made his way over to the minifridge where they kept the snacks in this part of the Big House. Healing took energy, and often times healers pulled double shifts and needed pick-me-ups between meals. Will pulled out a bottle of chocolate milk, thinking that Nico seemed to be a like chocolate milk kind of guy, before tossing the bottle to him.

“Nico, meet calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. All things that you should become well acquainted with,” Will told Nico. “Now, chocolate milk isn’t a full meal obviously. But it’s a start. If you miss eating important nutrients at breakfast, you’re less likely to get them throughout the day. Also it’s good for cognitive function and energy. So we’ll try to get you used to eating in the mornings, at least a little bit. Do you think you can handle chocolate milk?”

Nico took the chocolate milk bottle as if it might bite him, and slowly opened it and took a pensive sip. Just then, Violet came almost sliding in, holding a bucket filled with questionable looking goop.

“Apple dropped this off for you,” Violet reported, and Will immediately popped open his first aid kit and produced a lollipop for her. Violet squeaked in delight before popping the confection in her mouth and skipping off and promising to tell him all about music lessons later.

“You bribe your help?” Nico asked sounding bemused.

“One man’s bribe is another man’s payment,” Will said as he planted the bucket next to Nico’s bed. “Alright Nico di Angelo, meet your new experimental treatment, curtesy of Coach Hedge.”

“Ugh, no, once was enough, I am not putting that…that stuff on me again!” Nico said as he pointed at the offending bucket.

“Just think of it as a mud facial. Besides, even if it doesn’t work to absorb some of the darkness, it’ll at least absorb excess oil and leave you with clear exfoliated skin,” Will pointed out brightly, attempting to kill Nico’s resistance with kindness. However, today that resistance was at a cockroach level of hardiness. At this rate he would need to take up exterminator as a secondary profession.

“How do you even know that?” Nico asked him, looking legitimately disgusted. “I thought you were a son of Apollo not Aphrodite—“

“HA! GAY!” Antonio shouted playfully from the desk.

“Good grooming habits should be universal, and besides, don’t hate me because I’m bi and too fine,” Will argued loudly enough for Antonio to hear before blowing him a kiss. Antonio pretended to duck under it to Will’s further amusement. “You’re stalling—woah, Nico, you okay?”

Nico had gone as white as a sheet, all the good color he had managed to gain draining out like he was a popped water balloon. He blinked rapidly as if trying to remember where he was before looking at Will in confusion and alarm.

“Um…uh…yeah—fine—I’m fine. Bathroom, I’ll put the gunk on in the—“ Nico stood up and grabbed the bucket with little grace. The weight of the bucket was obviously surprising to him, and Nico almost toppled over with the momentum of the swing. Will immediately grabbed Nico’s wrists and steadied him by quickly pulling him close. Nico immediately flushed a dark red, yanked himself out of Will’s grasp, before marching himself to the bathroom and slamming the door closed.

“What the…?” Will asked, rubbing the back of his head. What had that been all about?

He was really going to need Lou Ellen’s candle spell to work at this rate, Will thought as he wandered back up to the front desk, giving Antonio and Emma their promised talking too before letting them switch with Kayla and Austin. He was waiting for Nico to be done, listening to the occasional swearing in the bathroom, when suddenly the door opened to reveal an uncommon face.

“Hey Will,” Percy Jackson greeted. “Is Nico around?”

#Solangelo #Solangelo Fanfic #Will Solace #Nico di Angelo #Lou Ellen #cecil markowitz #Piper McLean #SPECIAL GUEST #GUESS WHO

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