#Its giving a parents reassuring a teacher their kid will get in trouble at home

[oscarp81astri]

This is absolutely sending me

[minawakitten]

like,, , , Polnareff is Stupid [ and a trouble magnet ] but he’s also stupid packed with genuine love and care and so much pure emotions. Even if Kakyoin is totally a shithead to him, he would do anything to comfort any Crusader if they needed it, especially a kid like him who has WAY too many walls around himself [ even if these walls are very different from the ones Jotaro caged himself in ]

And Kakyoin genuinely appreciate it because, it's not condescending in any way. It’s just so real and genuine. Like, I Believe, his parents did/do love and adore him and comfort him if he ended needed it and sought it out from them, but there’s always going to be a wall because Hiero is a part of himself, but it’s a part his parents can't comprehend and thus has to hide because the last thing he EVER wanted to do was disappoint them, even more so when he overheard his teachers telling his mom about how concerned they were for him because of his self-isolation or all this discussion about Hiero. 

He doesnt have to hide his whole self from the Crusaders and, as much as he hates to admit it, Polnareff makes a very special case for that as someone who was also bud’d by DIO. They have a special bond in a fucked up way. 

manifesting visions of him just all curled up and small, leaning into polnareff’s hug, his face red and sniffling but polnareff gives him a reassuring hug and rambling about something to distract him. its . . . surprisingly warm and safe.

I am, , , , an incredibly strong advocate for Sadao being the one to instill the concept of ‘evil is someone who grinds the innocent and those who cant defend themselves under the heel of their boots.’ into Jotaro, even as a kid. [ A motto he’s held onto when his father cited it, again, on one of his visits back home when he saw a story on the news that disgusted him post Jotaro’s memory loss; the first time Jotaro heard it was after his father confronted some boys bullying him and he took it to heart. ]

so when he spots other kids pulling at Kakyoin’s hair and questioning if he’s really Japanese because a weird kid like him surely cant be with hair like this and Kakyoin himself is accepting that because it’s happened so much he’s already gray walling it -- Jotaro immediately goes in to defend him because THATS EVIL!!! He’s biting the leader of the bullies and scratching at his face after he's knocked over his henchmen [ who's def throwing some slurs and remarking he’s completely savage with how hard hes going on the bullies ]

Meanwhile, tiny Kakyoin is terrified that lil Jotaro is going to jump him next but lil Jotaro immediately climbs the tree to get Kakyoin’s backpack off a branch since those mean bullies threw it up there to get a reaction out of him, picks up his fallen school supplies and shoves it back into the bag and next thing tiny Kakyoin knows, he’s being hoisted onto lil Jotaro’s back, as he wears two backpacks, and carries tiny Kakyoin to his house [ fet Holly, who happily greets him and then shrieks in surprise over her little boy covered in scrapes and bruises with some unknown boy, who is also hurt, but Jotaro is just, I SAVED HIM!!! all proud about it ]

also Kakyoin being introduced as Tenmei as a kid because thats his birth name but people misread the kanji so much hes given up by the time hes into his teens [ tragically resigning himself to a fate where hes just always misunderstood from the start ] and Tenmei has become something of a special name to be used only by his parents and Ryouko in his teen years. 

also important tags i later added because i had more thoughts!!!

#manifesting visions of young jotaro huffing and simply saying they were mean when lil kakyoin asks why he helped him

#it's not much different from when they reunited as teens

as for Hiero [ or Emerald, as I like to imagine Kakyoin gave his Stand a very different name as a child because like a kid is gonna know tf a Hierophant is, and Emerald screams a name thats very ‘yes i named this as a kid, shut up’. So, as Star was named by Avdol, Kakyoin took that moment to rechristen his Stand with a new name. ]  Jotaro 100% believed it and was VERY amazed and curious about it.

[ Emerald is also me making subtle reference to how in the Weekly Shonen Jump serialization, Hiero was originally called Hierophant Emerald, which would be later changed upon officially joining in the group [[ this would be corrected in later rereleases of Kakyoin’s intro arc, so it was Hierophant Green the entire time. ]]

Lil Jotaro could not comprehend Hiero, but he was 100% behind Kakyoin’s belief that Hiero was totally real and told his mom all about it, Holly took it as an imaginary friend and thought it was precious that little Tenmei was sharing his closest dearest friend with her sweet precious Jotaro, thus gushing about how cute it all was to Joseph on the phone.

In the present day, Joseph is of course sobbing for his grandson. Joseph is an emotional man and to see his grandson like this would absolutely destroy him. It’s his family. He wouldn't ever want to see his family suffering in any way and this is a situation that no amount of experience could properly prepare him for. This isn’t something the master of bullshit can bullshit his way out of.

Of course Jotaro just berates himself for this. He’s caused his own grandfather to cry over all this stupid shit but Joseph assures him it’s because he loves him. He loves his grandson so much and seeing him hurt -- hurts him too. 

Despite that, Jotaro is still human, he’s allowed to feel these things, and if Joseph’s hunch is indeed true -- which is very much is -- Jotaro’s response to so much new and shocking information is completely valid.

Not that it doesnt make Jotaro feel any less like a fool for crying, and it’s. . . . comforting to be in his grandfather’s arms. A distant but familiar warmth. But Jotaro is so fucking MAD all the same. Like as soon as he manages to stop crying it’s just Rage. The very idea that DIO got Kakyoin to casually spill his whole life to him for fun and then exploiting that information makes him want to beat the man with his own goddamn bones.

[ fuck dio all my homies hate dio ]

[ then jotaro begins to question, oh fuck what do i do now, i left kakyoin alone back there. i probally shouldnt have done that. WHAT DO I DO NOW??? because honestly, how do you even handle that? does kakyoin even want to see him? should he keep a distance? maybe he should run away right now. as soon as joseph stops hugging him. just do it. jsut fuckign run into the hills. ]

hello, its me again, the self insert bastard

i have SO MANY thoughts about Jotaro and Kakyoin being childhood friends, it's only for a short time because Kakyoin's dad's job causes him to move around a lot; but they reunite in middle school only for Kakyoin to move away a month later AND THEN, Jotaro gets in an accident where he hits his head and forgets, along with him starting to show an aggressive nature [ due to said injury ] + combined with the harassment he faced because of Japan's xenophobia and then people suddenly wanting to be all over him one the Joestar Genes (tm) kick in

Which leads to DIO trying to take advantage of this bond between the two by sending Kakyoin after Jotaro in some sick mind game and Kakyoin expecting Jotaro to falter in their battle only for Jotaro to not have a single goddamn memory about Kakyoin and beating him stupid.

Which ALSO adds a layer to the scene where Jotaro pulls the fleshbud from Kakyoin's head and Kakyoin being near in tears as he cant understand why Jotaro saved him after very clearly not recognizing him and Jotaro is just, idk bro [ deep down his soul is like I GOTTA ]

theres like so many MORE layer to this when the self insert universe lore comes into play but i dont want to barf it up all at once because i want this to slap people in the face when its revealed in full [ when i can finally write this, i gotta finish the current project im on before diving into more ]

my brain is full of thoughts

*crashes through the wall* HEY I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND BUT FOR SOME REASON THIS SMACKED ME UP THE HEAD WITH BRAINROT SO PREPARE YOURSELF FOR EVEN MORE ADDED IN WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT-

so what if I just. what if I

*bonks Jotaro with more amnesia*

what if in the accident you mentioned Jotaro couldn't remember anything. Like, brain blank, had to relearn a lot of basic skills and is having to essentially start living life again from scratch

Holly is of course a god send through it all. She never expects anything from him even though he's supposed to know who she is, and despite the undoubted amount of pain she's experiencing seeing him like this she lets him get closer and comfortable at his own pace, never making him to do anything he isn't comfortable with. She does what she can to help him remember things, but also does what she can to help him keep the new memories he makes (another symptom of amnesia is having difficulty making new memories too which will honestly just adding more frustration). Maybe she gives him a small notebook and maybe even a video camera to help him out

she doesn't try to mould him into how he used to be and just..... lets him be who he wants to be

and honestly...... when he does start school it's no wonder he retaliates. He probably pestered Holly for months to let him go back to school, but when he does...... the world is crueler than he thought. It's not at all like his home with Holly's warm hugs and phone calls with Joseph's bad jokes and crazy stories and Suzie's gentle encouragement and advice. Instead, it's cruel with harsh gazes waiting for him to mess up and whispers he can just barely hear and rules he can't understand

it frustrates him and scares him but most of all it confuses him. And because he doesn't know how to respond to it all, he retaliates with anger. Anger was easy. It made sense, it was clean cut and knew what it wanted him to do and gave him quick, easy explainations of how to do it

(Holly hates it, he knows. He can see it in how the spark in her eyes dims a fraction every time she gets a call from the school, how her eyes will linger on every bruise and scrape when he comes back home long after the sun set, how she always looks so sad whenever he hangs out by himself without any friends)

((But she never says anything. She still keeps the first aid kit under the sink stocked up, she still makes him his favorite foods (new and old) every few weeks, she still helps him go over all his video footage and journal entries, and in those soft moments behind the wood walls and shoji doors that keep the harsh world out, Jotaro can't help but wish he could remember what to feel instead of anger))

but of course, Dio and Kakyoin have no idea about any of this. As far as Kakyoin's aware, Jotaro simply..... forgot about him. There was no recognition in Jotaro's eyes, so hesitation in his punches, no acknowledgment of the past they shared, of how much they'd meant to each other

And BOY that's painful to learn, that the one and only friend he ever made, who stubbornly stuck to his side no matter what he did to try and scare him off, who accepted Hierophant's existence without hesitation even though he couldn't see the spirit, simply....... forgot about him completely. Whether it was because he didn't care or because in the grand scheme of things Kakyoin really wasn't that important, it burns in a way he hadn't predicted it would

this definitely changes his and Jotaro's dynamic, with Kakyoin trying VERY hard to pretend he doesn't care and is completely unaffected and Jotaro who really has no fucking clue what's up with this red haired kid

and who knows. Maybe Kakyoin was a pinch familiar to Jotaro but he brushed it off since there were a lot of things in his life that felt vaguely familiar. Maybe they knew each other before his accident, but they probably weren't that close since the guy hadn't tried bringing up the past yet. Or even worse, maybe it was a one sided type thing and Kakyoin had no idea who he was at all

(Jotaro tries not to acknowledge the slight disappointment he feels at that thought. His knowledge who he is, who he was, was almost entirely limited to his mother and grandparents who lived across a whole ocean. No friends, no extended family, just the three of them left filling in the gaps. The idea of there being a fourth person who properly knew him, someone his age...... ah, but no matter, it probably wasn't anything)

also for some added angst....... just. when Jotaro starts getting more positive(?) attention at school, what if some people tried pretending they knew each other before his accident to try and get closer. Just to give this boi some ✨ trust issues ✨

and honestly, there are so many ways the reveal and reconnection can go and I don't know which one to pick. We could have the crack-y "Joseph makes a joke about it and Kakyoin's brain soft reboots" to the softer "in a moment of vulnerability Jotaro talks about the amnesia because he's starting to genuinely see the Crusaders as friends" to an angsty "Kakyoin reveals he knew Jotaro in a moment of stress/high emotion and Jotaro slightly flips his shit because This Guy Knew Him And Didn't Say Anything"

there's just. so much and it's so tasty

[ryosmne]

Three brats??

Dad!Sukuna x f!reader

So this is basically a comfort fic, featuring dad! Sukuna because the brainrot was too much. Ok so, the reader and Sukuna have a son together, yes their son is Yuuji, I know this is usually the single father Sukuna trope, but I wanted to give it a go, feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for brainrotting with me @likeab-o-s-s cause this is the reason this exists. That's all from me enjoy reading.

Warnings: none really, just family, heartwarming fluff.

The air was crisp and fresh, unusually refreshing for the beginning of summer. Parents were already gathered outside the daycare, Yuuji, y/n's and Sukuna's son attended, patiently waiting for their kids to run in their arms again.

Sukuna arrived a couple of minutes before the final bell on his motorcycle, he took off his helmet, leaned back on his bike and waited for the familiar little pink head of hair to come wobling to him.

The three mothers next to him, scooted a bit closer to him to get a better look nothing he's unfamiliar with and no one can blame them, Sukuna is a sight for sore eyes. Leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up, extenuating his board shoulders, exposing his tattoo covered skin, v neck white t shirt, allowing his toned chest and even more of his tattoos to show and a simple black pair of pants hugging his muscular thighs in the best of ways.

In the past some of the bolder ones had mustered the courage and asked him if he was a single father since they had never seen his son's mother, but with a laugh Sukuna brushed them off telling them how his lovely wife was a working parent and her schedule just didn't match the daycares. Maybe the very unconventional wedding rings they got weren't the best idea in this situation, even though they were extremely beautiful and unique.

"I really admire the work you put in the little guy" Sukuna's gaze met a woman who attempted to strike a conversation, oblivious to what she had meant by her statement he replied, maybe these three minutes would pass faster talking about normal things and not stressing about work.

"Don't we all put work on our kids?" He spoke calmly with a slight smile that he always wore when talking about Yuuji.

"Yeah, we do, but it still must be hard I can't imagine what you're going through" Sukuna's mind went to the worst scenario. Was Yuuji a trouble maker at school? He is a very well behaved child, both him and y/n made sure to teach him proper manners and how to be polite, that couldn't be it right?

The bell rung, and kids made their way out of the daycare, Yuuji in the blink of an eye was hugging his father's leg, exited to see him after the hours he was gone. In a swift motion Sukuna put Yuuji's little backpack on his own back and scooped the boy up in his arm.

"Yuuji's a pretty good kid, hes never been difficult" Sukuna smilled again resuming in the short conversation with the woman next to him. "Single father's like you don't get the credit they deserve". She spoke again smiling sadly down to the little pink haired boy who seemed too fixated on the earrings his father was wearing.

Sukuna finally understanding what this whole thing was about, chuckled, this had happened before after all, he should've known.

"I'm not a single parent, speaking of that your mom said she has a big surprise for you after dinner" he said directing his attention to his son again, the woman next to him quickly fumbled an apology for missundertanding, to which Sukuna replied to with a simple 'dont worry about it'. He placed Yuuji on his bike, put on both his and his boys helmet and drove off.

Y/n was still stuck at work, thankfully her husband would cook dinner tonight cause overtime was killing both her and her mood, good thing she finally had a day off tomorrow.

Y/n checked her phone to see how close she was to going home only to find a text that Yuuji's teacher had send her that was obviously meant for her husband.

Hello Mr Itadori, this is Mrs Laura from the day care. I was wondering if you wanted to get launch with me after school tomorrow, you can bring little Yuuji too, I'm awaiting your response, have a nice night.

What the hell was that? Well y/n's number was in Yuuji's contact information, she chuckled at the words displayed on her screen but she couldn't really blame the teach, Sukuna was a walking temptation, she knew that first hand, hell she fell head over heels for the dangerous looking guy who hid a heart of gold under his hard exterior, but the teacher could at least check who the number belonged to.

Y/n run her last errands and made sure to pick up Yuuji's surprise before heading home, she even tipped Sukuna off so their son wouldn't know what hit him.

Y/n made her way inside the family house, tossing her keys somewhere on the living room couch.

Yuuji immediately after hearing her car in the driveway came rushing down the stairs, jumping around her like he always did when she came home.

"Mom, mom you're home." The happiness was evident in the boys face, his smile was wide when y/n dropped to his level to pick him up and spin him around

"Yes I am little devil, did you give your father hell like we agreed?" She spoke in the happiest of tones with Yuuji still in her arms. Another set of arms engulfed her frame making her halt on spinning the little boy.

"So you're telling him to be a little brat now huh?" Sukuna's breath tickled the side of her neck and ear as he rested his head on her shoulder and wrapped his strong arms around her waist. "Welcome home love" he spoke again giving her jaw a ghost of a kiss.

"Daddy is the food ready" Yuuji spoke from y/n's arms, Sukuna only laughed at his son's appetite, and directed both him and y/n to the kitchen where he had already set everything up.

"Mommy, what is a single dad?" Yuuji asked in the middle of dinner in typical fashion of his, any question he had from something he heard through the day would always come up during dinner.

"Well Yuuji, single fathers are the fathers who raise their kids alone." The young boy seemed to think about his mother's words before speaking again. "So its just a daddy ?" Yuuji asked again with his eyes growing a bit sadder, his mother nodded, and Yuuji's eyes started to water.

"Baby what's wrong?" y/n asked. "Hey buddy what's going on?" Sukuna was growing quite concerned too. Yuuji burst in tears leaving his seat, climbing up his dad and hugging him tightly. Sukuna was rubbing his back to comfort the young boy and y/n's hand was stroking the kids hair in an effort to calm him down. "B-but why did that lady c-call you that, is m-mommy l-leaving?" Everything seemed to click for Sukuna, y/n was still confused but in the calmest sweetest voice said "Yuuji, baby look at me, I'm not going anywhere ok?" And the boy left his father's arms and clung on to her like his life depended on it.

Sukuna cracked a few jokes and lightened Yuuji's mood so he could enjoy the rest of his dinner, which went pretty well, he was his smiling adorable self very soon after his parents reassured him that none of them were ever leaving his side and the boy was now drawing with crayons in the living room. He seemed to have completely forgotten about the surprise his father mentioned when he picked him up.

Y/n and Sukuna were doing the dishes in the kitchen, each one talking about their day, Sukuna explained the awkward conversation he had at the daycare that sparked Yuuji's sadness, y/n took a turn in talking about how her son's teacher, basically asked Sukuna out on a date but messed up and texted her. "How about you set up a date and you show up? I mean it's you she texted right?" Sukuna joked "Babe, that's cruel" y/n chuckled at her husband's mischievous nature.

"So you've got everything ready?" Sukuna asked. "yeah who'll bring him over?"

"You do it I'll keep Yuuji busy."

Sukuna joined Yuuji on the couch. "What are you drawing little brat?" Y/n heard him ask their boy in the usual sweet tone he had with him. She made her way down the basement, where she kept the surprise since she came home. Yuuji was going to love this, Sukuna was too, she knew she was already in love as well.

Y/n climbed the stairs quickly, and snuck up behind her son, who was occupied by his dad, she gently tapped the boys shoulder.

"A PUPPY" Yuuji announced exited making sure his voice was still soft not to scare the eager dog that his mom brought to his arms. Yuuji gently held the puppy that was licking his face as he was in a fit of laughter and excitement. Sukuna was as exited as his son and y/n had a huge smile on her face too. Their son had begged and begged for a dog ever since his best friend, Megumi got a black German shepherd puppy. Of course y/n and Sukuna wanted to comply to Yuuji's request right away, but they took time to teach little Yuuji everything there was about the responsibility of owning a dog. They took him to dog cafes and shelters, so he would be the perfect little dog owner, they taught him patience and responsibility beforehand. Sukuna visited the local shelter and decided with y/n on a white Shepard puppy that Yuuji always pointed out in your visits because 'he looks like Megumi's puppy they can be friends like we are' who can say no to that little adorable devil?

The puppy momentarily left Yuuji's arms to lick Sukuna's face. "Now we've got two little brats and a big one in our house." He laughed, enjoying the moment.

Y/n was admiring her son and husband as well as the newest member of the family with a smile plastered wide on her face, life was indeed beautiful.

The next day, both Sukuna and y/n were waiting for Yuuji to finish school, since y/n had the day off. Sukuna had his arm protectively around her because this time, others were staring at what was his, but he was proud to show her off to everyone, even in a place as mundane as his son's daycare.

[getbacktoworknovice]

🐤Little Bird pt. 2 -(Hawks x Reader x Child)

[drummed up a sequel for "Little Bird" as I got super inspired to do another one~ I hope you guys like, its a bit lengthier than the first so I hope that's ok~]

Read pt. 1 here

Keigo winced a bit as he mended a cut on his abdomen, sighing a bit as he thought back to the fight he’d been in. He had been off his game that night and he had no idea why. Or maybe he did. He wasn't sure. Thinking about his family hadn't really distracted him that much before, so he didn't know why it had today.

It had been two days since he’d bid his family farewell and promised to try and be home that night. It must have been weighing on his mind more than he thought. You really did have the patience of a saint, he told himself every day that he didn't deserve you and he honestly wondered how you were still around.

He loved you and your child, there was no mistaking that, and he really wanted to spend more time together with you but it was hard being the number two hero. Normally he was able to push those thoughts aside and do his work but for some reason, his child was in the forefront of his mind.

After dressing his wound and putting his jacket back on, he left his agency to go on patrol, hoping that things would be calm enough he could sneak home afterward. He waved at a few kids who were playing in a nearby park and flew up, scanning the area for any troubles before heading off. His patrol led him to where he had just been a few hours ago, the street having been cleaned up from the fight he’d had with a villain, the one who had cut him.

The fight hadn't been too bad, only a storefront window had been broken but it wasn't the broken window that caught his attention, or even the people staring at him as he landed. It was the display in the window. Sitting atop a shelf full of stuffed animals there was a single, black and white stuffed panda. He actually laughed out loud to himself.

So that was what had him distracted? He couldn't believe himself, shaking his head as the store owner approached him.

“Hawks, thank you so much for your help earlier!” The man said and his workers behind him nodded in agreement, thanking him as well. Keigo rubbed the back of his head, assuring them it was fine.

“It was no problem, are you all okay?” He asked and they nodded, clearly excited that he was there. He smiled, glad that they were all right, and assured them he was fine as they saw him get attacked. “Oh I’m fine, no worries here,” He insisted. “But I do have a question,” He said, pointing to the stuffed panda. “How much is that?”

____________________________

You hummed to yourself a bit as you stirred the curry in the pot. It was almost ready and thank god because you were starving. It had been a long day at work but getting to come home with your child made you feel much better. You just wished you could make them feel better.

They had been sitting by the kitchen window since you got home, gazing up at the sky, their little wings folded around them in a little cocoon as they sat there waiting. You knew what they were waiting for but you had no clear answer for when he would be here.

“Sweetheart,” You said, breaking them from their skywatching, looking over at you owlishly.

“Yes, mama?”

“Dinner’s almost ready, would you set the table for me?” You asked and they sighed, hopping down from their chair to go over and do as you asked, mopey in their movements. You felt your heart break a little, seeing them so sad. You hoped you could cheer them up with a good meal. Or maybe a nice bedtime story.

It was sad that you couldn't really plan for Keigo to be there, seeming almost like a single parent at times as you had to plan everything and take care of them on your own most days. You knew it wasn’t Keigo’s fault, you had both known what you were getting into when you got into this relationship. You just hadn't planned for a baby at all.

You weren’t even married.

You had a feeling Keigo had some commitment issues, not that you could blame him, not with his job taking up ninety percent of his time. Not to complain, after all, you loved your little one, it was just hard at times and you knew Keigo knew it. That's why you couldn't stay mad at him. He was out there keeping the city safe, and that included the two of you.

You just wished you could convey all that to your child and get them to understand but they were young and just wanted their dad to be around. You sighed to yourself as you brought dinner to the table, spooning out rice and curry onto the plates your child had set out before returning to their spot by the window.

You let them look for a little bit longer, making them a cup of juice and bringing it over to their spot at the table before going over to gently stroke their hair. “It's time for dinner honey,” You said softly smoothing down their fluffy hair, but it popped right back up. You giggled to yourself at the sight. They were just as floofy as their father.

They looked just a second longer before they relented, coming to the table to eat with you. It was a quiet dinner, you asked about school and they said it was okay, taking peeks behind them out the window just to check but the evening turned tonight and there was still no sign of him. You washed the dishes after you had both eaten, your child returning to the window, head propped in their hand as they watched the moon rise, squinting at it.

“Mama,” They asked making you look over at them. “Is the moon made of cheese?” They asked and you snorted a laugh. You used to believe that yourself when you were little thanks to cartoons always making it seem so, but you had learned as you got older. It was such an out of nowhere question it caught you off guard but it made you laugh.

They puffed out their cheeks at you, blushing at your laughter at their question. “What?” They asked and you composed yourself as they looked annoyed at your laughing at them.

“Actually sweetie, it's not, but you’ll learn in school,” You assured them, and they “ahh’ed” and went back to their sky watching. After a few moments, they sighed deeply and rested their head against the window sill, fogging the window with their breath.

“Have I been bad mama?” They asked and you tilted your head at the question. Honestly, they were a wonderful kid, always kept to themself, liked to read, and were rather quiet on most days. Sure sometimes they were hyper or whiney but they were a child, it was to be expected. You wondered why they would ask such a thing.

“No sweetie, why do you ask?” You wondered and they turned to look at you, tears pricking at the corners of their eyes.

“Maybe that's why dada doesn't come home…” They said and you felt your heart squeeze at their little face in such distress. You put the dishes on hold to go over to console them, kneeling in front of them and taking their face in your hands.

“Baby, your dada loves you,” You reassured them as tears fell down their cheeks. “He’s just busy, he doesn't stay away because he wants to honey, he stays away because he has to. Your dada is a hero, he keeps the city and us safe.” You said and they sniffled.

“So you don't think he’s mad at me?” They said and you shook your head.

“Not at all, in fact, he always asks about you when he texts me, and when he can he calls to check on you like he did last week remember?” You reminded them and they perked a little at that remembering.

“Y-yeah…” They said, wiping their nose on their sleeve. “Your right.” you smiled and kissed their forehead.

“Don't worry, he’ll come right home the second he gets a chance.” You said and they nodded, wiping their eyes a bit. “Now, why don't we go get you ready for bed?” You said, patting them on the back to nudge them towards the bathroom.

“Okay mama,” They said and trotted off, going to brush their teeth and get their pajamas. You leaned back against the counter in your kitchen a bit, your face in one hand, tearing up a bit. You couldn't believe that they would think this was their fault.

Oh Keigo, where are you? You thought to yourself before composing yourself and going to help your child get ready for bed.

____________________________

“So the moons not made of cheese?” Your child asked and you smiled shaking your head.

“Nope.”

“You swear?”

“Of course,” You insisted. You were never dishonest with your child. Ever.

“I’m telling everyone at school.” They said in a huff, crossing their arms and settling back into their pillow. You giggled as you tucked them in, ruffling their hair a bit. “Can't believe it isn’t made of cheese! I’m gonna ask Mr. Hoshiko about it.” He insisted, mentioning the science teacher at the school.

You weren’t sure they would understand the answer, but hopefully, the science teacher could explain it to them. After all your child was only in first grade and the teacher mentioned taught fifth-grade science. You prayed he didn't say it was made of cheese.

“Well, are you all settled?” You asked and they nodded, laying back and you kissed their forehead, about to say goodnight when you both heard a voice from behind you.

“Can I get in on that?”

Your child shot up, almost hitting you in the head as they did so as you looked over your shoulder with a relieved sigh. It was Keigo. And he was holding something behind his back. “Dada!!!” Your child exclaimed excitedly, jumping out of bed to go and hug them as Keigo knelt to meet them. “You’re here!” They said happily, looking up at him with the biggest smile you’d seen in a while.

You were so relieved and glad to see him but you let your child have their moment with him as they had been yearning for it for a long time. Keigo picked them up with one arm, kissing their cheek and blowing a raspberry there making them giggle.

“How’s my little bird?” He asked and they snuggled into his neck.

“Happy~” They said honestly and he smiled, giving you a wink and you shook your head at him but smiled just glad he was there. Keigo snuggled the child a bit before pulling away, looking at them as they looked up to him.

“Hey, can you do me a favor?” Keigo asked and they nodded.

“Sure dada.” They said tilting their head at him curiously. “What is it?” They asked and Keigo pulled out what he was holding behind his back. You smiled warmly when you saw what it was. He remembered.

“Can you take care of this little guy for me?” Keigo asked your child and their eyes got wide and they gasped happily taking the stuffed panda from their dad.

“Yes~!” They insisted, hugging it tightly. “He’s so cute, what’s his name?” They asked and Keigo put his other arm around them to hold them more securely.

“Well, I thought you could name him,” Keigo said. “After all, he’s gonna be your responsibility.” He insisted and your child took the panda up, looking at it with a thoughtful face. They thought for several minutes before settling on one.

“How about Dandy?” He said and Keigo smiled.

“Dandy the Panda? I like it.” He insisted and your child beamed, hugging the panda again.

“I’ll take good care of him,” They promised and Keigo kissed their forehead.

“I know you will little bird.” He insisted, beckoning you over so he could put an arm around you and gave you both a big squeeze. “I missed my family these past few days, sorry I was gone so long.” He apologized and you pat his chest gently.

“It's okay, we understand, don't we honey?” You asked and your child nodded, looking up at him.

“Dada keeps us safe~” They insisted and you nodded.

“Exactly.” You said and they smiled, nuzzling back into Keigo’s neck. It was a sweet sight, especially when Keigo looked down at them with nothing but love in his eyes. You wished you could keep this way forever but after a moment you rubbed Keigo’s back and stood back. “We should get them to bed,” You said and your child pouted, hugging Keigo tight.

“No, I want to stay with dada!” They insisted and Keigo chuckled.

“How about you sleep with us then?” He offered and they nodded, holding him. You smiled and nodded, patting their head gently.

“Fair enough, let’s go get him tucked in,” You said as Kaigo yawned a bit and you chuckled. “And you apparently.” You teased leading them from the bedroom to yours. Keigo face planted gently onto the bed, rolling over to lift them up and down a few times before letting them crawl under the covers.

You went to change into your pajamas in the bathroom, leaving Keigo to tuck them in, tickling them a bit, and getting smacked with the panda bear. Keigo chuckled and went to change after you were done, the three of you settling into bed together once he returned, your child between you, snuggling into Keigo’s chest.

“Dada, I learned something today.” Your child said sleepily, hugging their panda to their chest.

“What’s that?” Keigo asked.

“The moons not made of cheese,” they said and Keigo laughed out loud.

“It's not?” He asked and your child nodded, too sleepy to be mad at his laughing. Keigo smiled and rubbed their cheek gently. “Well now, I guess that means we have no reason to fly up there,” he said and your child nodded, closing their eyes.

“Will you be here in the morning dada?” They asked and you looked at Keigo in an assuring way, as if you already knew the answer would be no but he surprised you.

“Yep, dada’s gonna be here all day tomorrow so we can spend time together, just you and me.” he promised and you looked at him in surprise before smiling softly at him and mouthing “thank you” to which he nodded and settled in, reaching an arm around the back of his child to hold you too kissing your head.

“Goodnight little bird.” He said to your child but they were already fast asleep.

[igotbulletproof-insomnia]

Adopting Bangtan 09

01 previous

AN UNLIKELY WEDDING

You bit your lip as you stared at your phone. You had an email from Jimin and Taehyung’s mother. Song Jieun was your old coworker who you had adored, but who also tricked you into taking care of her children so that she could get married without worry. Your respect and opinion of her had gone down significantly with that move, but you… didn’t exactly understand, but you did appreciate that she gave her children to someone who could properly take care of them instead of leaving them to fend for themselves which had seemed to be her original plan.

What’s wrong?” Seokjin looked up from the video game he was playing, ignoring the cut scene he had watched a dozen times before now to focus on you. You could hear the younger boys playing in their bedroom, the sounds of legos clattering and mouth-made explosions louder than what their closed bedroom door could block off. They were sounds that had become familiar in the past six months, sounds that used to be made by one child and were nowhere near this boisterous.

“Nothing,” you shrugged while you scrolled through the email a second time and tried to sort out your feelings. Seokjin’s stare burned into your cheek and rolled your eyes. “I mean it, nothing is wrong. Just…” You could feel your face twisting into a dissatisfied expression and tried to relax it back into something more neutral. There were times when you found you could rely on the eldest of your children, and times when you thought it was better to keep things to yourself, and you weren’t sure which one this was.

“Someone emailed me,” you hedge. “I’m just trying to decide how I feel.”

“That’s your worried face,” said Seokjin. “You only make that face about work and about us. But you also whine when you’re worried about work, so it’s about us, isn’t it? Which one of the kids is failing school?”

“No one is failing school,” you laugh. “Namjoon could be doing better, but I’m certain he just doesn’t care as much as his teachers want him to. Neither does Yoongi…. You know, as a teacher myself, I should probably be more concerned.”

“You’re appropriately concerned,” Seokjin reassured you. “Why should you worry about things you can’t control? You’re just going to age faster.”

“You’re going to stop calling me old one day.”

“Lying isn’t healthy,”

“Says the kid who lied his way into adoption.”

“I took advantage of my situation. That’s not lying, that’s cunning.”

“I didn’t raise you like this,” you say, standing.

“No, but that’s kind of the point, isn’t it? I’m raising myself, six kids, and my guardian. I can’t tell if I’m doing a piss poor job or not.”

“Language, Kim Seokjin!”

“Dinner, seonsaengnim!” he shouted back. The problem was, you aren’t sure if he successfully distracted you from your concerns or if you successfully distracted him from you.

===

Song Jieun’s email bothered you intermittently throughout the week. It’s not like you forgot she existed. You’ve received a hefty sum into your bank account every month for taking care of the boys, enough to make you wonder exactly why her new husband didn’t want to take care of them when he would probably be spending a lot less money if they were under his own roof. So no, Song Jieun wasn’t someone you forgot existed unlike like you could the rest of your kids’ parents, she just… wasn’t relevant. So it bothered you that she was trying to make herself relevant now, after six months of silence.

“You’re doing the thing again,” Seokjin poked your face. You startled, unaware that he had approached, but thankfully kept your coffee mug full. “What are you so worried about?”

“Nothing,” you say for the umpteenth time that week. “I’m not worried about anything.”

“You’ve been ‘not-worried’ since last Thursday,” Seokjin argued.

“So then why do you keep asking me what’s wrong?” You didn’t have to turn to see the weighted stare he gave you, you could feel it. That was the thing about your kids, all of them. They had a way of making you feel like you were the one in trouble, you were the one being raised instead of the other way around. Some days you were convinced that they were the ones keeping you around, explicitly for financial reasons.

“If you’re just going to insist on being stubborn,” Seokjin sighed. He poured two cups of coffee, one for himself and one for Yoongi, and turned the kettle on for Namjoon. The other boys would be zombie-walking their way into the kitchen for breakfast soon, so you and Seokjin set to work preparing leftovers from dinner a few nights ago.

“Song Jieun wants to visit the boys,” after a long, silent moment, you finally admit your concern. The kettle was puffing it’s pre-whistle warning, so you turned it off, sitting the pot on its wicker table mat until Namjoon made his way to the table.

“Who’s Song Jieun?” asked Seokjin. “Which boy? Not me, right?”

“No, of course not you, silly. You won’t even tell me your parents’ names. How am I supposed to know when they come to visit?”

“Trust me, they won’t,” Seokjin’s tone left no room for discussion, just a sad or regretful sort of resentment.

“If you say so,” you shrugged off your curiosity, familiar with how closed-off this kid got when it came to his home life before you. “Song Jieun is Taehyung’s mom and Jimin’s stepmom.”

“The coworker who tricked you into adopting them?”

“That’s what you got out of that?”

“Isn’t that what happened?”

“That’s besides the point,”

“That is the point.”

“What’s what point?” Namjoon shuffled into the kitchen.

“Our guardian is trying to decide if the twins should see their mother.” Seokjin answered.

“That’s not what I said,”

“That’s what you were going to say.”

“Everyone else gets nice, obedient, adoring children,” you grumbled. “I get sassy monsters who boss me around.”

“You raised us like this,” Namjoon said absently.

“I did not, you raised yourselves.”

“Same thing,” both boys speak in unison.

“I’m giving you two away.”

“Good luck living with Yoongi without us,” Seokjin shrugged. “You’ll be begging me to come back by the end of the week.”

“Joke’s on you, this is the end of the week.”

“My point still stands.”

“Okay, I quit, I won’t win this one,” you literally throw your hands in the air.”

“Good,” Jin grins at you in that cheeky way he’s mastered, taunting you.

“So what’s this about the twin’s mom though?” asked Namjoon. “I thought she…” he trailed off, but you understood what he was saying, or rather, what he didn’t want to say. I thought she didn’t want them.

“Yes and no,” you say. “She just… it’s… not exactly complicated, not if I were in her position, but… let’s just say, some people are stupid and not everyone has the same priorities.”

“Song Jieun chose to make herself happy over taking care of her kids?” Seokjin translated. “She didn’t want to take them to live with her new husband?”

“More or less,” You agree, taking note of the bitterness in his tone.

“You’re not allowed to get married,” Namjoon mumbled from the table.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re not allowed to leave us or get rid of us because you want to be married,” Namjoon repeated. He’s obviously still half asleep from the way he lays his head down in his arms, but your heart clenches just a little bit from the casual desperation he speaks with.

“If I were to get married,” you said, “my future spouse would know that they come in eighth place anyway. I’m not getting rid of you, even your original parents would have to fight me. God will have to fight me.”

“But you’re still not allowed,” said Namjoon.

“Drink your tea, you’re talking crazy,” said Seokjin. “Our guardian will have to actually date first, and we all know that won’t happen.”

“The disrespect, I tell you!”

It’s after breakfast and during the chaos of getting seven young boys dressed and prepared for school when Seokjin knocks on your bedroom door frame, wearing an anxious expression.

“... Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“What’s up?” you asked. Seokjin walked fully into the room and closed the door.

“About… the twins? I… I don’t know what you’re thinking about, and that’s valid, but… I think you should maybe let them see her?” Seokjin didn’t fidget like the rest of the kids did. He leaned against the door, arms crossed and focused his eyes fully on you. It was moments like these when you realized exactly how mature your eldest was, and you recognized that most of it wasn’t because of you. Namjoon and Yoongi were you. Seokjin had probably been raising himself for longer than he’s lived with you.

“Okay,” you said.

“I just… if it was me, I would want to know that she still cared, right? And she does, I guess. You mentioned that she sends them money, and she wrote you a letter asking forgiveness, so that has to mean something. I just don’t want them feeling abandoned like the rest of us. Not if they don’t have to.”

“I’m just worried that it will confuse them even more,” you admitted. “It took weeks before Jimin would talk to us openly. Jieun-ssi isn’t going to stay. She’ll come for an afternoon or a day, take the kids out, spoil them, and then bring them back here, and they’ll both be wondering why. And I don’t know how to answer that question.”

“With the truth, obviously,” Seokjin rolled his eyes. “You’re always straight-forward with us. Why should this be any different?” Because they’re younger than you were. Because they were given away, not abandoned. Because their parent still cares from a distance. Because I don’t like making you all cry. Because picking up pieces has never been fun.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” you said instead. “I’ll think about it.”

“Okay,” Seokjin nodded, and you can see him visibly deflate, relieved to be finished with the conversation. “That’s all I wanted to say. Don’t forget to take your lunch with you.”

“Make sure all the kids have theirs,” you countered.

“It’s funny because you thought I didn’t already do that,”

“I love you, Kim Seokjin,” was your response.

“I love you too, I guess.”

=======

Your talk with Seokjin gave you a new perspective, but you still felt apprehensive about everything. You just didn’t like the idea of hurting Jimin and Taehyung any more than they already have been. What type of guardian would you be if you just let them walk back into heartbreak? What if this was just a one-time visit and Song Jieun never came to see her children again? What do you do when the boys ask to see her again? You had been lucky that you only had to have one conversation about not being able to take the boys to see their mother in the last six months, but if Jieun could make the time and the trip to come visit, then what will be your excuse now? What if this visit was actually a prelude to taking the boys back home with her?

Oh.

Huh.

So that was the real problem then. You didn’t want the boys to leave you. As much as you groaned and complained about taking in so many kids -- usually just to yourself, but sometimes your stress got the better of you in front of the kids -- you loved them. Each one of them, you loved and adored them and the thought of any of them leaving you or being taken away hurt. Not only that, but where in the hell would any of those parents get off, what right did any of them have to come to you and even fix their mouths to ask you for “their” kid back? You had words prepared for each and every so-called “parent” of all seven of your boys, copies of your lost child police reports, drafts of parental rights transfer papers, the phone number for several NCPA lawyers, and a fist just itching to make contact.

But what if Taehyung and Jimin preferred to be with Jieun anyway? She is their mother. She raised them for years, even if she was Jimin’s stepmother. You’ve only had the “twins” as you and the older boys had taken to calling them, for six months. Why would they want to stay with you?

“Okay, but she didn’t say she wants to take the kids,” you told yourself against the slew of depressing thoughts. You retrieved your phone from your pocket and opened your emails. Finally pressed reply. “She just wants to visit. A visit is… safe. It’ll be okay.”

Probably.

=======

Later that day you received a new email. Song Jieun will be in town that weekend. Tomorrow.

It took a lot of effort for you not to swear and make plans to take the kids out of town.

=======

Song Jieun was pretty. She wasn’t particularly tall or “skinny” like what TV liked to portray, but she was hippy and had a cute face and short hair that she curled most days. She favored dresses with blazers or oversized sweaters and skinny jeans, with pale makeup and dark pink lipsticks. It was easy to pick her out at the cafe she asked to meet at. She sat alone off to the side, a coffee already in front of her, but two plates with fruit-decorated cakes were also placed nearby. You considered telling her that the boys weren’t allowed any sweets right now. It wouldn’t have been a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. They weren’t allowed sweet things like cakes until after dinner and only when they behaved well. Still, you decided that was just your frustration and jealousy talking. You didn’t want to punish the two boys because of their mother, so you bite your tongue and hold your bitterness and let it go.

“Jieun-ssi,” you greet uselessly, as the moment Taehyung and JImin saw her they sprinted across the room to tackle the woman in hugs. Jieun’s smile stretched across her face and she cooed and made cute noises as she greeted her sons in return. You felt something creep in your chest that felt a lot like jealousy. But you weren’t jealous. You couldn’t be. You just hugged them this morning when they tried to tickle you awake. You held both of their hands from your house to the cafe. You had nothing to be jealous of, they were your kids now.

“How have you been?” Jieun asked when you sat down across from her. Jimin and Taehyung were already seated and digging into the cakes she bought for them. You barely had a chance to answer before your chatterbox was rattling off every activity he’s done for the last six months to his mother. Jimin grinned and threw in his two-cent’s worth every few minutes, but generally let Taehyung carry the conversation for him. And you, in spite of all of the emotions pressing on your chest and clouding your judgement and making you really, really want to shake Song Jieun, you enjoy yourself. You watch your boys -- your boys -- smile and chatter and sing and show off for their mother. You wonder if they’ll be okay going home, if you’ll have tears to clean up later, or arguments to break up, or just pieces to sort out and glue, but right now the kids are happy, and right now, that’s what you’ll enjoy.

=======

Taehyung climbed into your bed that night. He should have been asleep an hour ago at least, you’re sure, but he’s seemed to have a lot on his mind since this afternoon, and you’ve been letting the kid have his own space to figure out his thoughts. As hyper as he normally is, Taehyung is also prone to moments where he just sits and fiddles and thinks and you’ve learned that it doesn’t do any good to bother him about it.

“Can’t sleep?” Taehyung shook his head as he slid across the blankets to bury his face into your shirt. You curled an arm around his shoulders and held him close.

“Mommy…” Taehyung started and trailed off. “Is Mommy happy without me?”

It felt like your heart stopped with the words of his question, but you continued to brush his hair with your fingers. It was a difficult question to answer. You wanted to be honest, but you also didn’t want to hurt him. Unfortunately, there weren’t too many ways to answer without hurting Taehyung one way or another.

“What do you mean?” Taehyung was quiet for another short moment before he spoke again.

“Mommy… didn’t seem sad. And she said she’ll see us another time. And… she got married, but she didn’t want to keep me and Jiminie… So I started wondering… is she happy now? Happier than she was before when it was just me and her and Jiminie? Did we -- I don’t think -- I --” And the kid seemed to break then, all of the tears that hadn’t been shed for six months seeming to finally culminate into an emotional outburst. You shushed him, holding him just a little more tightly, and the fingers in his hair moved down to stroke his back. This was the thing you had wanted to avoid, and while part of you felt satisfied to be right, most of you just fought your own tears. It hurt to see one of your kids so hurt. You aren’t a stranger to crying children, but this emotional distress was something that never got better. You thought that maybe Jieun had talked to the boys beforehand, maybe Taehyung had dealt with his emotions before he came to live with you and that was why he seemed so well-adjusted. Clearly, Taehyung had just been living in denial, or maybe with the belief that his mother would come back for him “later,” that you were only a temporary home.

“This isn’t your fault, Taetae,” you murmured. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Sometimes… sometimes adults make hard decisions. We think we’re doing the right thing and… sometimes it’s hard to see if we’ve made the right choice or not.” You sighed, picking through your words super carefully. “I think… I think that your mother made what she thought was the best decision for both herself and for you and Jimin. She believed she would be happy with her new husband. But she did not believe you and Jiminie would be happy. So she put you somewhere that you could be. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, but I’m still sad,” Taehyung cried harder.

“I know,” you said, “and that’s okay. I would be sad too.”

“I just want my mommy back,”

“I know.”

“I don’t want you to get married,” Taehyung said suddenly, long after his sobs had calmed down. Tears still fell, but slowly now. “I don’t want you to send me away too.”

“If you listen to your Jinnie-hyung, he says that won’t happen because I don’t date anyway.”

“Mommy didn’t date for a long time… and then she did. And then she got married.”

“I won’t get rid of you even if I did get married, Taetae,” you told him.

“You’re still not allowed to get married,” he argued. “Or date. You have to be mine forever and ever, okay?”

“No matter what, I will be yours forever and ever,” you agreed.

“Can I sleep here tonight?” Taehyung asked. “I'm comfy and you make me not sad.”

“Of course,” you said. “You’re comfy like a teddy bear, I don’t want you to go.”

=======

In the morning, Taehyung was bouncing off the walls, screaming as he chased Jungkook around the house. Jimin was curled into a corner of the sofa, giggling while he watched his brothers play and encouraging Taehyung in his antics. You could hardly tell that Taehyung had an emotional breakdown the previous night. You knew he was far from being “over” his feelings about his mother, he was only eight and the feelings were complicated. But he was happy for now and that made you happy. You’ll deal with the noise and the chaos and shout at the kids yet again about running inside where things were breakable including themselves as long as they kept smiling.

Surprisingly, it was Namjoon who came knocking at your door after bedtime that night. Similar to Taehyung, he didn’t speak or ask permission, just closed the door behind him and slid into your bed. Buried himself beneath the blankets and stuck his head beneath the pillow and tucked his gangly limbs into a ball. You were familiar with these moods, but haven’t seen one in years, not since you took in Seokjin. So you finished the chapter you had been reading, turned off the light, and sank down to lay your head on your pillows. Similar to Taehyung, Namjoon would speak when he was ready, when he found the right words to use to express his feelings.

“You really won’t get married, right?” Namjoon whispered beneath the pillow next to you. His voice was heavily muffled, but you’d been waiting for him to speak for some time. You just didn’t expect for him to continue a joke conversation from several days ago.

“What’s wrong with me getting married?” you asked.

“If you get married, you’ll have to get rid of us.”

“There is no world where I will give up any of you just to get married, Namjoon.”

“But that’s what happens, isn’t it?” said Namjoon. “Adults… if they aren’t married, but they have kids… they get rid of them so that they can date. Because kids get in the way. Because it’s stupid to take care of other people’s kids.”

“Why does it sound like you just called me stupid?” Your sarcasm probably wasn’t appropriate for the moment, but the words slipped before you thought about it.

“We’re really lucky to have you, we know that,” said Namjoon. “But that just means --”

“Namjoon, I’m going to stop you right there,” you cut him off before he finishes. You remove the pillow from his face so that he can hear you clearly, and card your fingers through his hair. “I didn’t create any of you. I didn’t ask for any of you. But I have you. And I love you. I adore you. I will tear apart skies, drain oceans, and vanquish God if it will keep you all safe and happy, okay? If your parents ever come back for you, I will press charges against them and make it so that they can never look at you, let alone hurt you ever again, do you understand me, Kim Namjoon? You and Yoongi and Jungkook and Seokjin and Hoseok and Taehyung and Jimin, you’re all mine. You’re my kids, all seven of you, and I will be damned if any lover or spouse, or anything at all, comes between me and you. I don’t say that because it sounds good -- although seriously, you have to admit that this is one of my better speeches,” -- at that, Namjoon giggled, the noise muted and soft, but a win was a win -- “but I say these things because I mean them. I will put a brick in the hospital for you, Joonie.” You hesitate, but continue anyway. “If it weren’t for you, I may have left the country at the end of that year. Teaching is fun, but I wasn’t super happy before. But then you asked me to take you home and you were so cute that I got attached almost immediately. I didn’t want to take you to the police and have them send you to your parents. I liked having someone to come home to. I liked taking care of you. Most people go get a pet or a lover when they’re feeling lonely, but here’s me, collecting kids like you’re pokemon cards.”

“No one collects pokemon cards anymore,”

“What, is Yu-Gi-Oh back in style?”

“What even is that?”

“The coolest card game ever. Period.” Namjoon laughs again, and you feel accomplished.

“It’s not that cool if I’ve never heard of it,” Namjoon argues.

“Joonie. I love you. But even I know you aren’t the coolest among your classmates.”

“I’m the coolest out of all my friends!”

“I won’t argue about that. I’m also sure that in your group of friends, ‘coolest’ means ‘knows the biggest words and has the best grades.’”

“You’re just jealous,”

“Absolutely. I wish I knew as many words as you do. Imagine how much fun I’d have fussing at you kids in Smart People language!”

“Why are you like this?”

“Please, other kids wish they had someone as cool as me taking care of them.”

Namjoon cuddled closer to you in the bed, laying his head on your shoulder and gripping your pajama shirt. You spend a few minutes massaging his scalp, a soothing gesture for you just as much as it is for him. After a few minutes, you begin drifting off, believing Namjoon is on the verge of sleep as well.

“Are you really okay?” he asks. “With taking care of all of us? You don’t… want to go back home?”

“I am home, silly,” you flick the side of his head gently. “I love you. And even if I wanted to go back to my home country, don’t think I won’t take each one of you with me. I said you’re mine. I mean it.”

“Okay.”

And it’s not that you don’t believe him, but you know your kid. You know he internalizes things and finds convoluted ways to take blame for other peoples’ problems, including your own. You know it will be a while yet before he truly accepts and believes you when you say you want to keep him and enjoy taking care of him. But you also know that he wants to believe you and he’s trying. You idly wonder if you’ll have to have some sort of discussion in the morning, an announcement over breakfast that no children will be displaced in the event of an unlikely wedding. You dismiss the thought, deciding it was more likely to incite panic and give you a headache more than anything else.

To find more of my child-bangtan fics, select the "Collecting Strays" tag at the bottom of this page ^_^

[goodlucktai]

enough here to survive

@natsumeweek 2021 day 3; seasons/change

read on ao3

(previous part)

x

It will take almost a full year to convince his father. 

Shuuichi has to throw around words like “recruitment” and “investment” and “contingency” that taste like ash in his mouth, feeling like some kind of sleazy salesman. 

But that’s what it takes to get the man’s flat refusal to move into reluctant consideration instead. 

Explaining Takashi’s situation at home—describing his bruises and the way he flinches when someone raises their voice—isn’t enough to make his dad think it over, but his own family’s health and safety certainly is.

Shuuichi paints him a picture of a potentially powerful protector, should those vengeful spirits they’re all so afraid of come knocking someday; and, if that fails, a fall guy. A patsy. Someone to take the blame.

This is as much as Shuuichi can do for now. 

In the meantime, he picks Takashi up from school, as promised. 

Sometimes they end up in the park where Shuuichi will help him with his homework, and sometimes they end up at a combini where Shuuichi will cajole him into spoiling his dinner with expensive ice cream. Sometimes Takashi will have marks on his arms from human hands, but at least there are none left there from random yokai anymore. 

He comes out of his shell more and more every day, like a brave little hermit crab. It’s amazing the difference it makes just having someone around who sees the same world he sees. It makes a difference to Shuuichi, too. It peels him out of his bitter, angry armor, piece by piece.

Now and then, they encounter some of Shuuichi’s classmates around town. He doesn’t talk to much of anyone at school—and no one goes out of their way to talk to him, either—but apparently he’s much more approachable when there’s a little kid clinging to his hand. 

“Is this your brother, Natori?” Hinata, a girl from his homeroom, asks one day. They ran into her outside the convenience store and her eyes lit up when she saw them. Crouching in front of Takashi with bright eyes, she coos, “Oh, he looks just like you! You both have such fair hair.”

Takashi glances up as if to gauge Shuuichi’s reaction to this assessment, but at that moment, apparently, the lizard chooses to slink across the bridge of Shuuichi’s nose. Takashi dissolves into giggles, and Hinata clearly thinks he’s the cutest thing since Cinnamoroll. She refuses to let them leave until she’s bought Takashi some candy. 

After that she seeks Shuuichi out in class to ask about his brother—and then somehow that evolves into heated discussions about a TV drama they both follow religiously—and within a month Shuuichi ends up with her cellphone number and a standing invitation to watch new episodes with her and her boyfriend every Sunday. 

“My life has gotten a lot weirder with you in it, kid,” Shuuichi tells Takashi one day, only half-joking. 

He’s sitting in the grass with his arms spread out in front of him while Takashi conducts an experiment with the lizard tattoo, asking yes or no questions for it to respond to—right arm being ‘yes’ and left arm being ‘no.’ So far nothing much has come of it, the lizard curled up in the hollow of Shuuichi’s throat instead, but it seems to like the attention. It keeps wagging its head or tail when Takashi talks to it. At one point it appears to roll over. This is a magical development as far as the kid is concerned. 

“Good-weird?” Takashi asks hopefully. 

Rolling his eyes, Shuuichi says, “Obviously. You don’t have a bad bone in your body, Takashi.”

Takashi beams, as delighted by that as he is by the stupid tattoo. 

“You should give the lizard a name,” Takashi adds a beat later. 

“Absolutely not.”

Then one day in late September, Shuuichi stops by Takashi’s school only to find out he never showed up that morning. Takashi’s homeroom teacher recognizes him and seems to have made the same assumption everyone else has made. 

“Your parents called him in sick today,” she says, looking faintly worried. “I hope it’s nothing serious.”

Shuuichi doesn’t even remember to say goodbye. He just spins around and starts running. Sasago appears beside him, and he says, “Find him!”

For a shiki that doesn’t truly belong to him, she obeys swiftly. Takashi just has that effect on people.

Sasago has never had any trouble finding Shuuichi no matter where he goes. It’s not something he’s ever thought to test, it’s just something he counts on. He doesn’t know how he knows that she’ll be able to locate one little human in a city of about one million humans, but he knows she will. 

And she does. 

She returns to Shuuichi not even five minutes later and guides him to a nearby hospital.

He’s almost fifteen years old and entirely frantic, and if everyone is going to take one look at them and decide they’re family, then Shuuichi is going to make that work for him. 

“My little brother is here,” he says, his words coming out in unsteady lurches as he gulps for air. He doesn’t even have to fake the plea in his tone. He really doesn’t have to act at all. “Natsume Takashi, where is he?” 

Later on, he’ll scoff about the thin veneer of patient confidentiality, but he’s hardly going to complain about it now, as he’s almost immediately ushered down the hall. He outpaces the nurse when he sees Takashi’s name on a temporary door placard, and lets himself into the room without waiting for permission or approval. 

Some adults are lingering in the corner, talking in low voices, and they barely glance at Shuuichi when he barges in. Whatever, Shuuichi doesn’t care about them either. His eyes fly straight to his shiki, where she hovers protectively over a tiny figure huddled in the chair next to the window. 

Takashi has two black eyes and his arm is in a short cast. He doesn’t even lift his head when Shuuichi stumbles over to him.

“Oh my god, kid,” Shuuichi whispers. “Hey, look at me. Takashi?”

It takes a minute, but Takashi finally glances up at him through his fringe. Shuuichi sinks to his knees in front of the chair. It almost feels like the moment they first met, except it’s a different manner of monster that hurt him this time. And it’s not just cuts and bruises.

There are shadows in his face that have never been there before, ones that look as though they’ll cling to him permanently if no one does something about them. He seems so vacant and forgotten. None of the adults are even looking at him. It’s like no one sees him. He might as well be another ghost. 

“There’s nowhere else to send him,” one of the strangers by the door is saying grimly. “We might have to look into an institution.”

“Actually,” Shuuichi blurts loudly, “he’s coming with me.”

It turns out they have a lot of opinions about that but he doesn’t care. He scoops Takashi up and sits down in the chair Takashi was sitting in and holds him in both arms. Just refuses to get up or let go. His heart is rattling in his chest the whole time, but this is important. 

And Sasago is right beside them, where she always is. She’s ready to attack in whatever direction Shuuichi points her in. He won’t let it come to that, but it’s reassuring to have the option. 

Eventually, when it’s clear he won’t be reasoned with, someone calls his father. 

His father takes one look at Shuuichi and sighs. Shuuichi lifts his chin. His father calls the family attorney. 

Afternoon passes into evening. All the adults are having a heated, complicated-sounding conversation behind a closed door. When it becomes clear no one will be home in time for dinner, a receptionist stops by with sandwiches and sports drinks for Shuuichi and Takashi. Her eyes look ancient with sadness when she takes in Takashi’s battered little face. 

Takashi’s guardians finally show up when the supervising doctor and the Natori attorney start making noises about getting the police involved. By now, Takashi is asleep, but Shuuichi is still wide-awake. He glares at them with all the hate he keeps saved up in his heart for monsters. They don’t even glance at the boys on their way past.

“He’s a clumsy kid,” Shuuichi overhears the woman saying frantically, through the door she and her husband left cracked open behind them. “He fell down the stairs.”

Bullshit, Shuuichi thinks, and is surprised to hear his father say it at the same time. 

“Apparently the child has made quite the impression on the staff here,” their attorney says amiably. You’d never guess how blood-thirsty he actually was from his tone. There’s a reason the Natori family keeps him on retainer. “We’ve got quite a few people willing to come forward if this situation goes to court. Maybe there’s a way we could settle this peacefully.”

By midnight, all the papers are in order. Bureaucracy moves quickly when you have enough money to throw at the right people. Takashi’s guardians sign him away like he’s a used car they don’t want anymore and arrange a time to drop off all of his possessions, and that’s it. 

Shuuichi is no longer an only child. 

It might not stand up if a long-lost relative comes along and presses for custody, but relatives like that seem to be in short supply in Takashi’s family. 

“He’ll be your responsibility,” his father says on the ride home, as if he’s not talking to a teenager who shouldn’t even be responsible for himself, let alone a five-year-old. 

Shuuichi nods anyway. Takashi is asleep against his side again, a heavy reminder. Shuuichi will do whatever he has to. He’ll be whatever he needs to be. 

He promised Takashi he would keep the monsters away, and that’s what he’s going to do.

[notchesandbullets]

Saving Her (Ojiro Mashirao x Wolf!Reader)

A/N: dedicated to the anon who wanted me to write a oneshot about ojiro giving the reader a gift, this fanfic is for you 💖💖 this is incredibly self-indulgent and ive been working on it for over a month now. its almost done but i’ll post what i have so far, i hope you like it!!

Contains reluctant Aizawa to soft Dadzawa, annoying brother Shinsou, pure Eri-chan, bakugou's notorious cursing, sweet and innocent fluff between reader-chan and Ojiro. First friend Ojiro to best friend and then lover. Featuring the rest of Class 1-A and them acting like hooligans.

Part 1: Crashing into Ojiro, Room Competition, meeting Class 1-A and Aizawa, who has some bad news for you when you’re discovered.

Word Count: 7k 

The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the busy city of Musutafu.

Ojiro had planned on taking Tokoyami with him, but his friend was still in the middle of unpacking as he was leaving.

He was on the way back to the dorms from the grocery store with a bag of ingredients and sweets as per Sato's request. It was a bit longer of a walking distance since he was so used to coming from his house and would take some getting used to, now that Heights Alliance was his home.

The streets weren't any busier than usual, but when he saw something flicker out of the corner of his eyes off to the side, he couldn't help but feel as though something was wrong.

Maybe it was his hero blood or something stronger but he didn't waste any time diving into action.

As he rounded the corner, his eyes widened as someone crashed into him, nearly toppling him over. He caught his balance just in time, steadying the person that had collided into his chest but not before he saw it.

Blood matting down your hair had his heart dropping in horror. You were trembling in his arms, positively terrified and it didn't take long to figure out what the cause of your stress was when two more figures slinked out of the shadows.

Ojiro acted quickly, using his tail to whisk the two of you higher until you were out of sight. He curled his arms tightly but carefully around your waist, making sure that you wouldn't fall.

Thanks to Ectoplasm's guidance, he had refined his skills and learned how to be unpredictable.

It wasn't until you two were safely on top of the nearest roof did he loosen his grip. Leaning over the edge cautiously, he watched the strangers bolt off in opposite directions, presumably to look for you. He was pretty sure they didn't see him take you away but he wasn't completely certain. Pulling back, he released you from his hold. But he didn't take any offense to the way you practically flew from his touch.

He could see it in your eyes. Fear as deep as yours shouldn't ever be allowed to get that far, for anyone.

You hugged your trembling body with your arms, desperately willing the anxiety to die down so that you could think straight. All you could think about was running. Far, far away where no one could get to you.

"Ah... sorry to take you away so suddenly like that, but it looked like you seemed to be in trouble." Ojiro apologized.

His sheepish tone made you finally break out of your thoughts and for a moment, the two of you didn't say anything, both of you enamored with the other as you got a proper look.

He didn't think he had ever seen anyone as beautiful as you before. Round orbs blinking up at him curiously, your fuzzy ears perched on top of your head perked up as you met his gaze, bushy tail twitching behind you.

As for you, your mouth dried at the sight of your savior. His golden hair and kind smile made your heart skip a beat for reasons unknown to you. You couldn't stop your tail from thumping excitedly against the rooftop when you saw his tail.

It was much bigger and looked much stronger than yours was and you couldn't stop from bounding over to it eagerly, stretching out a tentative hand to touch it.

But you halted at the last second and recoiled, expecting to be punished for your behavior.

Ojiro frowned, taking notice of your trepidation and offered you an encouraging smile. "It's okay, you can touch it if you'd like."

He lifted his tail slightly, inviting your curiosity forth and a bit nervously, you reached out your hand once again. A wide smile split your features as you felt the soft, short fur underneath, your other hand going up to pet your ears, as if to compare the softness.

Ojiro couldn't help but match your smile at that, finding it adorable. Tucking his legs underneath him so that you could still play with his tail, he breached the topic sensitively.

"What's your name?" He asked quietly. "Who were those guys that were after you?"

At first, you seized up and for a minute there, he was worried he went about asking you the wrong way. But a deep sigh left your lungs and testing the waters, you timidly introduced yourself and began to explain in a concise way, your current situation.

You honestly weren't entirely sure how you got there.

But one bad thing after another landed you in a pretty rough neighborhood notorious for Quirk Traffickers. They looked for people with unique abilities that would sell well on the black market. People paid a lot of money to own those they deemed exotic, particularly kids and teens with quirks that had an effect on their physical appearance.

You were no exception, having been cursed with an extremely rare wolf quirk. All it ever brought you was trouble.

You had heard that quirks were hereditary but yours definitely wasn't. You don't know which ancestor it came from when it appeared out of the blue.

Tiny fangs, fluffy ears and a tail emerged one day. But your excitement of discovering it was short-lived when you were abandoned by your parents the very next day. They had found it disgusting.

Young and innocent, you wandered the streets, not sure what you were supposed to do. That's when they caught you.

You bounced from one owner to another, never staying in one place for very long. You had been brought back to their base of operations in Japan, your last master less than satisfied with you since all you did was hide out of fear of everyone, lashing out when he tried to approach you.

You may or may not have bitten a guest when they tried to touch your ears.

Back in your homeland, that's when you saw your opening.

You didn't know what propelled your legs to start running from the men but pretty soon you were out of breath and out of options. Alone in the alleyway, but not for long, you frantically scanned for an escape route.

And that's when you crashed into him.

A shadow fell over Ojiro's face as he heard you explain your past, hands balling into fists at his sides. He wouldn't stand behind while someone was tormenting you. No hero would allow something like this to continue.

Coming to his decision instantly, he stood up, extending a hand out to you.

"Y/N, will you come with me?" He asked, gaze unwavering. "I think I know where you'll be safe, at least for now."

You paused, skeptical. "I-I... I don't know."

He squatted down beside you, patting your head gently. If there was more time, he would've been more patient but he couldn't help but feel uneasy the longer you guys stayed out in the open. Even if you were out of sight, a rooftop wasn't a permanent place for you to hide out in.

Your eyes went wide but you didn't shrink away. You didn't know why. Anytime someone reached for your head, they always had this glint in their eyes, but this time, he looked desperate.

Desperate for you to believe him.

"You must have a hard time trusting people after all you've been through." Ojiro empathized before urgency seeped into his tone. "I really don't want to leave you alone. My sensei might be able to help you but only if you come with me."

You still didn't look entirely convinced but he didn't blame you.

"If you don't like what he says, then you don't have to listen." Ojiro reassured you easily. "No one's going to force you to do anything. You can make your own choice but let me at least give you more options."

That was what finally made you drop your guard, still wary but choosing to trust him for now. After all, he did save you earlier.

You put your hand in his, cheeks warming as he squeezed it slightly.

"Okay."

The two of you traveled to Heights Alliance, the dormitory for Class 1-A of UA High School. He immediately found his teacher, Aizawa, and told him of your circumstances. The man's rough and rugged appearance caused fear to flash through you but only for an instant.

He concealed it well but he seemed kind. Not outwardly like Ojiro, but it was enough to reassure you for now.

All throughout Ojiro's explanation, you hid behind his broad back, shivering at the way his tail curled around your waist to keep you close to him.

It was weird. It didn't feel restricting like you expected it to, it almost felt protective. You kind of liked it. You giggled as the furry tip of his tail tickled your nose playfully and you batted at it, eyes shining as you momentarily forgot where you were.

Aizawa was silent as his student finished explaining why he had a wolf girl attached to his side, scratching the back of his neck as he racked his brain to come up with a solution that wouldn't land you back in that same place again but also without compromising the safety of his students.

Since you were an orphan and a minor, the police would most likely take you to an orphanage, in which case the people looking for you would certainly find you. Aizawa called Principal Nezu and got permission from him to house you at the dorms until the threat hanging over your head was dealt with by the authorities.

You blinked when he asked you if you wanted to stay with them for the time being while they ironed out all the details and see what could be done for a more permanent residence but accepted his offer with a shy and grateful smile.

Then was the matter of actually carrying it out.

The two wanted to settle you in a room of your own but your ears flattened against your head in distress at the suggestion so they quickly dropped that idea.

Aizawa ran a hand tiredly through his hair, unsure of how to resolve this when you clearly were in danger but didn't want to be left alone. The less people that knew of your whereabouts the better and even though he knew Yaoyorozu would probably do a good job looking after you, you clung to Ojiro's side like glue.

You seemed the most comfortable with him and he figured they could use that for now.

Needless to say, Ojiro was surprised when Aizawa suggested he take care of you until the man could figure out a way to accommodate you without you having an anxiety attack but he readily agreed with a slight blush on his face.

He just wanted you to be safe and happy and he was stunned that his sensei trusted him enough to be responsible for you.

Aizawa promptly handed him a small first-aid kit to take care of the blood smeared on your forehead after ensuring that it wasn't anything serious. It was just a slight nick, shallow enough not to need any stitches since it would heal relatively quickly. He told him to clean it before it got infected and his student nodded seriously.

"You can count on me, Aizawa-sensei!!" Ojiro said, bowing respectfully to thank him for all he had done before leaving.

With Ojiro guiding the way, the two of you snuck through the back door and up into his room for you to get settled in. The other students in his class were bustling around the common floor, moving all their things into their respective rooms, hoping to get it done before dark.

It was loud and chaotic, or maybe that was just your sensitive ears picking up on it more. Curiosity peaked, you peeked around the corner after you ensured you were out of their sight, gaze falling on the activity going on below from the second floor.

Ojiro softly pointed each one of them out, telling you their names as they talked over each other.

"I can't believe we get to live together!!" Ashido exclaimed happily, doing a little dance in front of Hagakure and Uraraka. "This is so exciting!!"

"I can't believe my parents agreed to it!!" The invisible girl commented, undoubtedly puffing out her cheeks.

The red-haired and yellow-haired boys who were wrestling in the corner paused for a second to join in on the girls' conversation.

"Did you have a hard time convincing them?" Kirishima asked, only to be smacked upside the head by Kaminari. "Ow, what the heck man?!"

"Why are you asking such a dumb question?" The electric boy retorted, kicking up his feet and smirking. "She could've always just snuck out of the house if they said no. You know, invisibility quirk and all."

He leaped up with a yelp as something shocked him from behind, whirling around to glare at Jirou, who was twirling her earphone jack around a finger nonchalantly.

She sighed, retracting the other one from where she had send an electric pulse through him. "What an idiot."

Kaminari gripped his hair, nearly tearing it out in frustration. "That's what I'm saying!!"

Sero, who was passing by with a box full of his things, stopped and raised an eyebrow. "You know she's talking about you, right?"

"That's not true!!" Kaminari shouted incredulously.

"It's true." Jirou retorted flatly.

The others in the vicinity burst into laughter and you couldn't help but giggle a bit along with them, muffling the sound behind your hand in fear that they would catch you spying on them.

Ojiro's tail twined around your waist gently, steering you towards the elevators. "C'mon, this way."

That contraption alone was the most nerve-wracking thing you've experienced so far. Luckily, the ride wasn't long but that was the only upside. Your tail swished nervously behind you and you didn't relax until the door to his room on the third floor softly clicked closed behind you.

Ojiro breathed a sigh of relief, glancing up at you. You had made it without being spotted by anyone. Thankfully.

He didn't have many things, so moving in wasn't a problem for him and it didn't take too long. He was one of the first ones to finish, along with Shoji, and helped Sato unpack his things until his friend noticed he needed some more ingredients for the cake he wanted to make later on.

The plastic bag crinkled as he took out the snacks he had found while he was getting Sato more flour and sugar. Your nose twitched cutely and he had to refrain from poking your cheek, lest he scare you off.

Your tail was less frazzled now and he took it as a sign that you were getting accustomed to your surroundings.

His eyes softened as you took in his room, pawing at the neat collection of books on his desk before your attention flitted up to the high shelving above your head.

This time, Ojiro couldn't contain his fond smile as he reached over you to grab what you were longingly looking at.

Your eyes went wide as his chest pressed against your back, he easily reached it since he was taller than you. A small giraffe plushie landed in your hands not long after.

He tilted his head, eyes crinkling at the edges as he smiled at you. "Cute, right?"

His little sister, Holly, gave it to him as a going-away present when he moved into the dorms. He missed her so much already but the presence of this little stuffed giraffe soothed his heart.

You held it so gently, as if you were scared you would destroy it.

"Yeah..." You trailed off quietly and he beamed.

It was his first time hearing your voice so unrestrained and free from the fear that gripped you earlier but nothing could have prepared him for how pure and precious it was. He ruffled your hair gently, being mindful of your fluffy ears and looking out for any signs you were uncomfortable with the affectionate gesture.

But his heart skipped a beat when you closed your eyes at his touch, clearly enjoying it and even going so far as to butt your head against his hand in a silent plea for more pets.

You flushed when he chuckled, obliging you for a minute longer until you were like putty in his hands.

The both of you jumped when a loud crash came from downstairs, accompanied by a flurry of enraged shouting and colorful insults even through the many floors. Ojiro casted a worried glance at you but all his concern melted away when a little giggle left your lips.

Relieved that you didn't seem to be too shaken by the noise, he offered the snacks he bought earlier, taking the package and ripping it open for you when you fumbled with it.

Thanking him quietly, you nibbled on the food gratefully. The flavors exploded in your mouth and you positively beamed, radiating the same pure energy you emitted earlier when you had spoken to him.

Ojiro maneuvered around you, finding what he was looking for pretty quickly.

You looked up curiously when he came back, shifting your weight on your knees, unsure of why he was holding a water bottle in your field of vision.

"I need to treat your cut, is that okay?" He asked, unscrewing the cap and pouring a little bit on the cloth he got from the first-aid kit. He didn't want to startle you, so he narrated what he was doing.

You nodded, setting down your half-eaten cookie carefully and brushed back your tangled hair as much as you could so that it wasn't in the way.

Your breath caught in your throat when he moved closer to you. He angled your chin up, gazing into your eyes as he wiped the blood away first to assess the damage done.

"It's going to sting a little bit." He murmured, preparing the antibiotic.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you gripped onto the lapels of his blazer, practically ripping it as your claws came out when he dabbed the cut. You whimpered in pain, tears leaking out of the corner of your eyes at how much it hurt.

Ojiro faltered, your whimper sending a spike straight through his heart and he hastened, not wanting you to be in pain any longer. But he was thorough, well aware that if he didn't do a good job now, there was a chance you would have to endure it again. As soon as he disinfected it, he applied a couple butterfly closures to aid the healing process.

It wasn't bleeding anymore and he sighed in relief.

You panted heavily when he was finally done. Rubbing your eyes furiously, you blinked through your blurry vision, frantically scanning the room as his warmth suddenly disappeared.

"Y/N-chan?"

The voice was close by but not close enough. Your breathing started to pick up, hands clammy and tail fluffed out. An obvious sign you were stressed.

"Y/N-chan!!"

This time, it was a lot closer and you sank back, relieved beyond belief as the familiar sensation of his tail encircling your waist returned.

You stammered out his name, blindly reaching for him.

"Where did you go?" Your whispered, fingers trembling uncontrollably as he pulled you into his chest.

"Just had to put away the bandages." He reassured you, concerned with how quickly you were to losing it. "Are you okay?"

Your ears flopped back and forth at how vigorously you nodded, as if you needed to convince him like your life depended on it and his mouth twisted into a small frown.

"You don't have to do that." He said, going to pet you once more, smiling in relief as your tail finally stopped lashing behind you.

"... 'm sorry." You mumbled sadly, clutching onto the front of his jacket.

"It's okay." Ojiro replied, stroking your hair to calm you down. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Just how much pain had you endured?

This time when he stood up, you were okay. Somehow comforted that he wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon, you polished off your snack as he got something else from the closet.

"Here."

You perked up at the sight of the blue hoodie in his outstretched hand.

Ojiro laughed at your expression of awe as you accepted it and ran your fingers over the material. "You seemed cold so how about you hang onto this for now?"

It was one of his lounging hoodies that he didn't wear too often but it was rather warm and would hopefully stop you from shivering. That tattered dress you were wearing looked like it was about to go any second. He didn't want to know how weak your immune system was to be freezing cold in the middle of August.

You beamed happily, bowing repeatedly. "Thank you, Ojiro-san!!"

It had gotten stuck over your head when you tried to pull it down though and with a muffled squeak that gained his attention, he tugged down the hem, smiling when your ears and flushed face popped through.

Just when I thought she couldn't get any cuter... He thought to himself as you began to run around the room, climbing on anything and everything once he told you that he didn't mind.

His clothes swallowed your smaller frame and he found it incredibly endearing with the way you would flap your arms around, claiming you had sweater paws. It fell just above your knees, keeping it modest.

He steered you away from the balcony for now, wanting you to stay where he could keep an eye on you.

After a few more hours of you getting adjusted, you had tuckered yourself out and curled up into a ball on the floor at the foot of his bed.

Ojiro frowned once he noticed you taking a nap on the hard surface, abandoning his studying at his desk to take you in his arms and placing you in his bed.

You stirred, heavy eyelids struggling to open as you croaked out, "W-What? Ojiro-san, what's going on??"

"You can't sleep on the floor, Y/N-chan." He chided lightly. "It's not good for your back."

Sleepy haze diminishing, you bolted upright, nearly smacking him in the face when you realized where he had put you.

"I can't sleep in your bed!!" You burst out incredulously.

Ojiro hushed you, worriedly glancing at the door as if his friends would come barging in without any warning but luckily they didn't. He didn't put it past them but this was one time where he didn't want them to do that.

He tried to ease you back down but you wouldn't obey.

"Don't worry, the sheets are new." He reassured.

His eyebrow furrowed when you shook your head violently from side to side, wondering what you were so worked up about. You tried to climb out and he let you but didn't let you go too far.

"What's wrong?" He asked quickly, the possibility that he had offended you coming to light. "I didn't mean to—"

"I'm not allowed to!!" You suddenly blurted out.

He did a double take and you looked over his shoulder, your eyes darting everywhere else besides him.

Crouching down to your level, he soothed you gently. "Hey, it's okay. What do you mean you're not allowed to?"

You absentmindedly picked at the wound closures on your forehead, swallowing thickly when he took your hand in his to prevent you from messing with the bandages.

"Y/N-chan?" He prompted.

Your mutter was so quiet he had to strain himself to hear you right and when he did, he asked you to repeat it because by All Might was his blood boiling if he heard you correctly.

You gulped, intimidated by the brazen anger in his eyes, fiddling with the hem of his hoodie.

"They said we're animals and called us dirty. We're not supposed to sleep where humans do." With each word, you got quieter until his face was right in front of yours. "They were right... weren't they?"

Squeaking as you got engulfed in a hug, you tensed up and he broke it, apologizing profusely.

"I'm sorry, I just," He ran a hand through his hair, conflicted. "They couldn't be more wrong."

He didn't touch you but he didn't need to for you to feel his warm presence extending out towards you and covering you in the most love you've experienced since your parents left.

"You might have an animal quirk but you're human just like the rest of us and don't deserve to be treated any less than that by anyone." He emphasized, then pounded a fist to his chest. "From now on, I'll look out for you and show you what it's like to be treated like an equal, as a friend, if you'll let me."

Ojiro held out his hand. "Deal?"

You sniffled, unbelievably moved by his kindness after only knowing you for less than a day. "Deal."

You sealed it with a handshake and he gestured to the rumpled bed behind him.

Waving his hand grandly, he proclaimed, "Your napping space awaits."

He internally winced at how corny that sounded but hearing your laughter ring in the air more than made up for it. As he helped you settle beneath the covers, he reassured you constantly but patiently that you really were allowed to sleep in a bed and no, you weren't bothering him or being a burden.

After that, you couldn't fall asleep right away and he really didn't want to study anymore so the two of you talked.

He told you about his family, how he got into UA, stuttering nervously a couple of times only to shoot you a grateful smile when you didn't judge or make fun of him. He told you about his little sister, a cute, precious little girl who was growing up faster than he liked to admit. Retelling and entertaining you with stories of his classmates and their adventures, his tail flicked up excitedly when you started to chime in with experiences of your own.

Things you could remember from your past. Foods you liked, hobbies you had, friends you liked to play with, and he listened attentively through it all. When you started to drift off, you sleepily mumbled offhandedly how you liked it when he patted your head or rubbed your ears.

And you especially liked it when he would hug you with his tail.

Ojiro just smiled softly, tucking the blanket around you before brushing the hair away from your face. You looked so peaceful. He got to his feet and stretched his arms over his head, jaw dropping in surprise when his gaze landed on the bag discarded on the floor. He had completely forgotten about that.

Shaking your shoulder to rouse you from your tranquil state, he whispered apologies when you finally opened your eyes.

"I'm so sorry I woke you up but I have to go to Sato-kun's room really quick to give him the flour and sugar I bought earlier, okay?" He rushed out, tripping over his words to get it out faster so that you could go back to sleep.

"Can't I go with you?" You mumbled, still half asleep.

Ojiro shook his head, remembering what Aizawa said about exposure. Sure, he trusted his classmates but there was a big difference between what he wanted and what was logical. Your chances were better off with the less that people knew you of your whereabouts so he refused, even though it nearly broke his heart when you trained your wide orbs on him.

Pushing out your bottom lip slightly, tears collected at the corner of your eyes. "You don't want me there?"

He was quick to kneel down by your side, unable to stop himself from pressing his forehead to your temple in a desperate attempt to make the sadness in your voice fade away.

"No, no, princess, it's not that at all." The pet name slipped out faster than he could stop it but he didn't even stop. "You're safer here for right now. And I'll only be gone for a minute."

He rubbed the back of your hand with his thumb. "Okay?"

You mustered up a wobbly smile for him. "Okay..."

He wanted to text Sato to come to his room to pick it up so that he wouldn't have to leave you but that would stir up questions, especially since he wouldn't allow his friend inside and that would undoubtedly create a mayhem within his peers at what he was hiding. For aspiring heroes, they were still teenagers after all. And they loved to bug each other like it, too.

Ojiro sighed as he forced himself to detach from you, tucking the blanket securely around you before he stepped quietly out the door.

For once in his life, he kind of wished he wasn't living with his classmates.

After he left, you tried to quell the anxiety and insecurities. Twisting and turning, your mind raced, spiraling out of control. He didn't abandon you, he was just returning something to his friend. He would be back soon. He promised you.

But as the minutes ticked by, it felt like hours and you couldn't wait any longer. Throwing off the covers, your legs shook as you stepped towards the door. However, you froze in place and your ears twitched, picking up the sounds faster than the average human which normally would've given you an advantage but you couldn't move in time.

The door flew open with a bang, slamming into the wall and making you jump nearly five feet into the air. On the other side stood the girl with pink hair and skin that you had seen earlier, along with the electric boy and a few others you didn't recognize.

You shrunk back as the group exploded into chaos, directing questions towards you faster than you could process or fend off on your own. Your panic rose as they flooded in, clutching your hands tightly to your chest at the overwhelming amount of people in the cramped space.

Then, your eyes widened as someone shouted frantically for them to move, shouldering his way through until he came to you. You willed your feet to move but they wouldn't obey no matter how hard you tried, your body still frozen in fear. It didn't matter though because he reached you within seconds.

"Guys, seriously, back off!!" Ojiro shouted above the clamor, his tail pulling you close and tucked you under his arm. "You're scaring her!!"

At the strain in his usually light tone, his friends started to quiet down one by one and he turned his full attention on you.

"You okay?" He murmured, cradling your jaw and inspecting your face for any hint that you might've been hurt.

You didn't say anything, just threw your arms around him and brushed your nose against the crook of his neck, scenting him. His warm scent eased you and brought you back down bit by bit until your feet were planted firmly on the ground.

Even though he had no clue what you were doing, it was making the tension wound in your body disappear fast so he didn't have any issues with it. But his breath hitched as a soft rumble emitted from the back of your throat in contentment, squeezing you once before letting you go. He didn't detach his tail from you though, using it as a wall to keep his overeager friends from coming too close.

Ojiro let you do what you needed in that moment and in the minutes that followed, his friends began peppering you with questions. He let you keep your face nuzzled into his chest as you shyly answered them but he answered for you whenever you hesitated so that you wouldn't be put in an uncomfortable position of refusing them.

He had already seen what you were like when something that was normal for them went against what was ingrained into you and his arms curled around you tighter in an effort to protect you.

You were thankful for him taking most of the pressure off of you, timidly straying from his side when he encouraged you to talk to the girls a little bit more. You warmed up to them much faster than the rest, your eyes brightening up excitedly when they told you there was a girl among their friend group who had a frog quirk.

He sighed as Yaoyorozu and Ashido led you away from the boys with the rest of the girls in tow to go to a space where the environment would be better for you. Feeling bad that the secret had gotten out already, he winced as he thought of the penalty he would face once he told Aizawa.

Kaminari smirked, leaning against the doorframe after you exited. "Man, where have you been hiding her?"

Ojiro shot him a look that told him to keep quiet, not in the mood for playing around. "That's not funny."

"C'mon man, we're just teasing." Kirishima added on, not picking up on the tense energy of the room. "You could've at least told us you had a girlfriend, she's really cute."

"If not a little shy." Sero grinned, elbowing him in the ribs teasingly. "Don't worry, it's not like we're going to steal her away or anything."

"You should not have a girl in your room, Ojiro!!" Iida declared, chopping his hands in the air to emphasize his point despite the inconsiderate snickering occurring on the other side of the room by the three of them. "It is not appropriate!!"

Shoji, Sato and Koda all elected to remain silent, studying their friend's shadowed expression as their other classmates relentlessly teased him.

Forehead creasing in annoyance at the continuous jabs, Ojiro blurted out, "Guys, stop!! It's not something to joke about!!"

He sank to the floor, head in his hands and for the first time since they burst in, the guys finally took notice of the way his shoulders shook and how anxiety seemed to roll off of him in waves.

"She's in real danger." Ojiro told them quietly. "There are bad people looking for her so you guys can't talk about her, alright?"

"Please." He begged, not caring how desperate he sounded.

All he wanted was for you to be safe. All he wanted was for you to live the life you had been robbed of without having to look over your shoulder to see if someone was following you or not.

Shoji uncrossed his duplicate arms, stance broadening. "We won't."

"Yeah," Kirishima inserted, rubbing the back of his neck, ashamed of his behavior earlier. "Sorry man, had no idea."

Scattered apologies followed his and reluctantly, Ojiro raised his head, mouth set in a determined line. He didn't answer too many questions about your situation, wanting to keep as much of it as he could private until he knew how you felt about telling them and stood up. Now that damage control had been dealt with, all that was left was to tell Aizawa.

Piece of cake.

Back with the girls, you were dragged back to the elevators to get to the girls' side. Since Jirou's was the closest, you guys went there. Your expression filled with awe at the many instruments that hung on the walls, wanting to touch them but you didn't want to get in trouble so you kept your hands stiffly by your sides.

Ashido enthusiastically led you to the plushiest spot on the floor and for a second, you were reminded of the little stuffed giraffe Ojiro let you play with when he caught you looking at it. A smile tugged at the corner of your lips and you jumped when the girls squealed.

"Who are you thinking about?" Ashido pried, eyes glimmering with mischief. "It's Ojiro-kun, isn't it?!"

Your mouth opened and closed, unable to form a response to that. You covered your ears when she shrieked excitedly, taking your silence as your answer and dancing around the room.

"Mina-chan, calm down, you're a little too loud." Yaoyorozu told her gently before reaching over to pat your shoulder. "Where did you come from?"

Mouth parting in shock at how blatant she was being, you twiddled with the strings of Ojiro's hoodie. "Um, well, they told me that my breed is mixed so I don't sell as well as a purebred but I'm fast and—"

"Oh goodness no!!" Ashido interrupted, eyes widened in horror and if you looked around you would've seen all the other girls wearing that exact same expression. "That's not what she meant!!"

Tilting your head to the side clueless, you frowned. "It's not?"

"No!!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed, horrified by what you had to have been through to respond like that on instinct. "I meant how did you get in the dormitory, in Ojiro-san's room nonetheless!!"

"Ah, well... that, um... I—" You cut off your stammering with a frustrated sigh. "I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to tell you."

"That's okay." Uraraka reassured you easily.

Her energy reminded you of Ojiro.

"Is it true that you're in danger?" Jirou spoke up for the first time since the gang of girls invaded her room.

Your jaw dropped in shock but your expression cleared when she waved her earjacks around pointedly. That must've been how she could hear and judging by the timing of her question, you concluded that Ojiro must have been the one talking about your circumstances. And since you didn't feel like he would knowingly put you into danger, you told them what you told him.

Their expressions crumbled before you, losing all semblance of their happy-go-lucky personalities as disbelief took over.

Yaoyorozu's eyes filled with tears. "You had to endure all of that alone?"

"That's horrible!!" Ashido cried out.

"I'm so sorry!!" Uraraka and Hagakure shouted simultaneously.

"I can't imagine what that must've been like." Jirou said, her eyes sad. "You're here now though, so Aizawa-sensei must've given you permission."

You nodded, knees tucked under you as you gripped the hem of the blue sweatshirt. "Yes, but it was only supposed to be a temporary solution and no one else was supposed to find out."

Hesitating, you gulped. "If... If this gets out, I—"

"Don't worry, Y/N-chan!!" Ashido exclaimed, shooting to her feet and pumping her fist in the air. "We'll definitely protect you."

Jirou nodded, fueled by her friend. "Yeah!!"

"You can count on us!!" Hagakure jumped up beside her.

"They won't be able to touch you anymore now that you've got us!!" Yaoyorozu declared determinedly.

"Let's go!!" Uraraka cheered. "Plus Ultra!!"

You burst into sobs at their overwhelming support despite only having just met them and the girls crowded around you in the best group hug you've ever received.

After that emotional roller coaster, they were going to bring you back to Ojiro's room since that's where you wanted to stay for the night but they heard your stomach growling and collectively decided to feed you with whatever they could find in the kitchen.

Yaoyorozu was pretty sure there was some leftover pizza that the guys had bought earlier that day.

Your protests fell on deaf ears as Ashido and Uraraka dragged you all the way there, Jirou trailing behind as Yaoyorozu and Hagakure ran ahead.

"You don't want your own room?" Jirou questioned when they finally released you.

You shook your head. "I... I don't really like being alone and Ojiro-san is my first friend I've had in a long time, so I... I trust him."

She nodded understandingly. "I get it."

"That is soooo cute!!" Hagakure swooned, balancing several boxes of various packaged Japanese snacks in her arms.

You blushed beet red, flushing further when the girls cooed at how cute you were. Pulling the collar of the hoodie up to hide your smile, you pleaded for them to stop embarrassing you. Tea kettle whistling on the stove as Yaoyorozu prepared some jasmine tea, Uraraka brought out the pizza box she had just found from the industrial-sized fridge, handing it to you after heating it up.

"Isn't this someone's food?" You questioned, not touching it. You didn't want to eat it if it belonged to someone.

Jirou pushed it towards you encouragingly with her earphone jack, smirking. "Trust me, Kaminari won't miss it."

You decided to take her word for it.

You had barely finished half a slice when the front door opened and the chilly night air blew inside. Turning around, you hopped off of the stool you were perched on and ran to Ojiro, who had an extremely exhausted Aizawa in tow.

Ojiro caught you easily, wrapping his tail around you out of instinct. It was getting to be a habit by now.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he checked you over.

You giggled, prying his hands away from their dutiful inspection. "I'm okay."

He breathed a sigh of relief but the two of you stiffened when Aizawa cleared his throat from behind him.

"As much as I don't want to interrupt whatever that is," He droned monotonously. "This has gotten a lot more serious."

You shared a worried look with Ojiro and gasped when his tail tightened around your waist ever so slightly.

"You can't stay here." Aizawa told you, fixating his eyes on the students who moved to object, more flooding in as their sensei's voice carried clearly. "You need to come with me, I'll find you a place to stay for the night."

Taglist: @katsukis-sad-angel​

[sepublic]

Luz, Emira, and Edric

           Clearly the twins gave Amity a lot of unnecessary flack themselves, but… I’m really loving the idea/concept of Emira and Edric ALSO being like her, having a mask they constantly put up, and it’s just less obvious because they’re seemingly more charming and confident, and their abuse manifests in different ways?

           Again, we never see the twins interact with anyone outside of the family besides Luz… And Eda that one time, but that’s mostly because she’s already there, and even then their interactions are pretty minimal as-is. I imagine that as charming, flirty, and confident as the twins are, seemingly beholden to no rules…

           …They’re actually really lonely? Like, Ed and Em are actually low-key insecure, or at the very least, they make a point to hide whatever ‘dork’ tendencies they have. I think it isn’t out of the question that Emira and Edric make a big deal of putting up the façade, the illusion of being confident twins who always know what they’re doing, who are too cool for school…

           And, while they’re definitely not fans of school- I really love the idea that Luz has earned an implicit, yet powerful trust from them after Lost in Language??? Like she’s someone who’s willing to get into trouble and dumb antics with them, but at the same time, she’s an outsider who can tell whenever Ed and Em go too far with their sister. She’s someone who can make it clear to them that disregarding Amity’s personal rules and boundaries is NOT the same as, say, rebelling against their parents’ strict rules or against generic authority in general. Mostly…

           I think of Luz as someone who the Blight kids can be comfortable around, all of them! She’s someone who doesn’t, and never judges. Around Luz, the Blight kids feel safe- Like they can drop the masks and façade and just be who they are, without fear of retribution, without fear of someone spreading the ‘truth’, without fear of anyone judging them or thinking lesser of them for it… I love the idea of Emira and Edric, these seemingly cooler twins and upperclassmen, allegedly out of Luz’s league… One day admitting to Luz that to THEM, she’s the one out of their league! That they’re amazed by her ability to just unapologetically be herself, out in the open, while Emira and Edric feel the need to hide that.

           They’re still rebels in a sense, but in other ways the twins hide who they are, how they feel, because they don’t want to be seen as ‘soft’, because despite their best attempts the abuse of their parents DID really affect them! And I love the idea of Luz finding out after Lost in Language that the Blight kids all are actually really open in affection or would like to be, that they’d rather be down-to-earth… Adventures in the Elements was a different glimpse to ‘another side’ of the twins, in the sense that this was a more genuine part of them. It was how the Blight kids interacted with one another at home, whenever nobody was watching them…

           After all, it IS the Knee, which is a pretty secluded location as-is, and the Blight kids didn’t expect anyone else to be there. The only ‘exception’ to this open trust is Eda, whom Amity clearly has some reservations towards… But while Ed and Em keep their interactions minimal, they’re also very open-minded to the Owl Lady’s ‘weirder’ ideas. Or at least, Edric is, but Emira is at least operating from a sense of safety rather than prejudice. They don’t bat an eye at Eda, probably because they’ve heard stories about her as someone who doesn’t care what others have to think, and it’s low-key inspiring to them… And they figure, if Eda doesn’t care what others think of her, maybe the same applies to how she thinks of others? LUZ seems to be open around the Owl Lady and trust her at least…

           Plus, given how Odalia and Alador witnessed Eda’s first transformation, almost immediately after she rejected the Emperor’s Coven to its face- You can’t tell me they didn’t fill their kids’ heads with stories, ‘cautionary tales’ of Eda the Owl Lady, who defied the sacred will of the Titan by rejecting its messenger’s coven… And right on cue, was personally punished by the Isles itself by being transformed into a horrific owl creature! Knowing Ed and Em, they probably figured out that if their parents hated Eda THAT much, then Eda was actually a pretty cool person after all! There IS a lot of trust to the twins and Amity heading over to the Owl House during Enchanting Grom Fright, after all…

           And while there’s no open interaction, Eda definitely appreciates their giant illusion of her! You can tell that through Luz, the Blight kids are getting to know and open up to Eda, or at least trust her to a degree because of Luz’s own opinion… And in turn, this lady is helping these kids find a home where they can be themselves, and maybe some other new connections and relationships along the way. Luz isn’t the only one who won’t judge, Eda is willing to let these kids be the goobers and doofuses they’ve always wanted to be, and it’s just sweet to me… Eda would trust these kids because that’s what Luz said, not to mention she likely knows how messed-up Odalia and Alador can be, as she may have interacted with them back at Hexside.

          I can see her brushing it off as her trying to ‘stick it’ to Al and Odalia by getting their own kids away from them… But let’s be real, Eda’s mostly doing this just for the sake of the Blight kids, to give other people room to actually be themselves because she knows how much that means to them. And it’s touching to the Blight kids, to see an adult who’s seemingly closed-off, but provides so much more affection and unconditional love to them than their own parents ever did…!

           But, back to Luz and the Twins- I think Luz would be very surprised to hear from them, be it implicitly or not, that they actually trust the girl… Because Luz is someone who was conditioned to under-value herself, to underestimate her own worth and importance to others. She’s pretty good at hiding it, but it’s still there, and it always blows her mind and makes her world when people openly tell her that she means a LOT to them!

           I can just imagine a scene, where Emira and Edric show up to Luz, and Luz is excited, trying to play herself off as being really cool… And then they just swoop in for a mutual hug with her from both sides, because they’re really not feeling it, they’ve had a bad day and they just feel crummy… They really missed Luz and they want some emotional validation and affection for once, these kids are touch-starved even around each other! And Luz is just SURPRISED, that these out-of-her-league upperclassmen would choose to be so vulnerable with HER, of all people…

           But then just as quickly, she takes it in stride and hugs them back. And then Luz and the Twins are silent like this for a long time, before Ed and Em choose to let Luz go, and without blinking or referencing what happened –unless they WANT to talk about it- Luz asks Emira and Edric how their days were, what antics they’d like to get up to, etc.! I love the concept of Ed and Em lowkey having self-loathing, wondering what anyone could see in the TRUE Emira and Edric… and then Luz just confidently reassures them, that they don’t need a mask to be so cool to her! And it’s both embarrassing and dazzling to the twins, that this girl seems so eager to impress THEM when it should be the other way around…!

           And I can see Emira and Edric taking a LOT of cues from Luz, especially since she’s more of a rebel than they are, without being harsh to others- She’s an open criminal, she changed Bump’s mind on multi-track learning… She even managed to convert Lilith, their little sister’s former teacher and a contributor to her indoctrination, the Head of the Emperor’s Coven, to her side! Luz foiled a public petrification at the Conformatorium, personally overseen by the emperor himself- And wounded Belos!

           I can imagine Emira and Edric maybe becoming insecure. Thinking Luz is too cool for them NOW, but she reassures them that’s never the case… Even as Luz inspires them to more openly defy the system in a different, more productive way. They’d probably follow Luz when it comes to a revolution, and convince Amity to do the same. They’re like Eda, in a sense- They learned to survive against some horrific abuse and indoctrination by becoming open rebels and troublemakers… But there was always that distance, that sense of loneliness, that feeling that they never accomplished anything and that their lives were wasted. That they could only ever be a nuisance to others, even if they weaponized and embraced this- And that deep down, there was an insecurity over who they were as they questioned if their own judgment was enough to say that they were lovable people.

           But then comes Luz- And she tells Ed, Em, and Eda that they’re all great people. That their lives aren’t meaningless… She tells them they ARE lovable people, but she’s also someone who can help rein them in, teach them a thing or two! And it’s so reassuring to actually learn from someone else, instead of having to figure it out all on your own… And maybe with Luz’s guidance, these E-named troublemakers CAN make a difference! That they can be even more than what they already were, and learn how to help other people when that was always something they wanted to do, but were never sure how to accomplish!

          Especially since Eda, Emira, and Edric both share that situation of having a sister they’re concerned for, a sister who’s too indoctrinated into the Coven System, and a feeling of failure at not being able to lead that sibling down the right path… Messing around with that sister, but ultimately lamenting the loss of their sibling’s personhood. So how inspiring is it, then… That Lilith, who is Eda’s sister, Head of the Emperor’s Coven, and also one of the people who influenced Amity into this same indoctrination… Changed her mind, that with Luz’s help, Eda managed to rescue her own sister! Maybe it’s never too late… Or at least, Mittens is DEFINITELY less indoctrinated than Lilith was. So if Luz can help, then I can see the Twins being willing to openly beg for her help, and Luz just reassures them that they neither need to ask nor get on their knees- She WANTS the best for Amity!

          Obviously that leads to the twins being the OG Lumity shippers, in-universe! Luz is just SO cool, they’d LOVE her as a part of the family, they love what she does for Amity and vice-versa, because Luz means the world to them and they know that Amity makes her happy- And it’s the least they can do for Luz given all of the stuff she’s done for them, to engage their little sister with her! Luz has GOT the siblings’ approval, all right! It’s the two people they care for most, Luz and Amity, being together and happy… So Emira and Edric want to contribute.

           And while Ed and Em like to joke a lot about flirting with Luz, about thinking she’s cute, and all that stuff… Really, I don’t necessarily think they actually see her in that romantic light? Not that it’s entirely out of the question if that’s what Luz wants, because they love this girl and want to give her everything- But not only is she with Amity and the Twins are not letting ANYONE jeopardize that relationship, least of all themselves… In general, they’re just grateful for Luz? They’re not looking for any romantic relationship in her, not necessarily? They love her as-is. Luz is someone they can be open around, someone privy to the Blight kids’ more open and vulnerable moments…

           Luz is like family to them, and not just in the in-law sense! Emira and Edric may joke about flirting with Luz, but I don’t think they actually see her like that… And no, it’s not just me making room for Lumity, Vinira, and Jedric, nor is it JUST me acknowledging the age-gap. In-universe, even if that’s another reason… I think Emira and Edric just see Luz not as a romantic interest, but as someone they’re already close to and open with. And it’s incredibly sweet to me, honestly… Like Luz is an adopted Blight, a little sibling in a sense! One Emira and Edric of course respect and provide autonomy for, and they’d never force this relationship on her… But in general, I do think Ed and Em see Luz as like a kind, younger sister! So obviously that would not only make a romantic relationship weird to them, even if all three got a bit older later in the future; But Luz is nevertheless someone that Emira and Edric want to take care of and vice-versa, in the familial sense! And I can see them being concerned of becoming too clingy to Luz… But honestly, Luz has no issues, and hey- She gets to be with Amity more!

           Maybe Emira and Edric become convinced that they can only ‘hold onto’ Luz, or at least justify their relationship with her, through Amity’s romantic relationship with Luz… But Luz reassures the Twins that just as she’d always love Amity, even if Amity wasn’t romantically interested- The same goes for the Twins, that she cares for them as their own people, and NOT just as Amity’s older siblings! And to be seen, recognized, and loved for themselves as their own individuals, not defined solely by their familial relationships or status as Blights… It’d mean a lot to Emira and Edric, I feel.

[ultimate-distaster-material]

-Saiouma Oneshots- Kindergarten Teacher! Kokichi x Parent! Shuichi

>Quick Disclaimer< In this story, Monaca is nice- Her legs are actually disabled as well. I tried to mention everyone who is in the actual story's POVS. The adults are 22 whereas the kids are 5. Kirigiri and Shuichi are childhood friends too.

This story is very long, it was made to show my appreciation for all of the support. Sorry it took so long for me to update.

!TW!

Family Issues

Mentions Trauma

Mentions Dead Bodies

kIsSinG (Ok I'll stop)

KOKICHI POV

“So, Nagisa. I heard you’re getting a new caretaker?”

I looked at Nagisa, pitying the poor boy. He never had good parents. They would always force the youngling to work, days over days, sometimes hitting him to help him stay awake. That’s his reason for being very smart at a young age.

I would always stay here with him in the afternoon, occupying him so he doesn’t have to go back home.

“Mhm! I heard he’s a boy, I hope he’s nice!”

I smiled at the small boy. Even with all the despair he has been through during his life, he still had a glimpse of hope resting in his heart. I admired him for this, he was very strong for pulling through all the drama, especially as a child.

“Y’know, I’m gonna miss going here when I grow up. Will I ever see you again?”

“I mean, I could probably get in contact with your new caretaker, and could visit you once in a while…”

“I don’t wanna leave this place…”

I comforted him as his tears threatened to fall from his eyes, tracing random designs on his back, listening to his troubles. I suddenly heard a knock on the door. I energetically got up from my seat, Nagisa following close behind me, and then opened the door.

There was a man with teal blue hair and a detective uniform standing at the door. He looked kinda sexy-

“Hello, Mr. Detective~ You here for something?”

He stared at me before handing me a few slips of paper. Adoption papers? Wha-

“Who are you?”

Nagisa was a little scared, as he was a detective. The poor boy probably thought that the man was here for something serious.

I hushed Nagisa as I pulled him infront of me, giving him a good view of the man.

“My apologies…I’m Shuichi Saihara. Nice to meet you.”

I nodded at him and decided to introduce Nagisa and myself/

“I’m Kokichi Ouma, and this is Nagisa. Judging by the adoption papers, I’m guessing you’re here for Nagisa?”

He nodded and shook the hand I held out to him. He had such a calming voice…

“Are you mean?”

“I promise I’m no-“

“You smell like coffee.

“Wha-“

“Nagisa, it’s not ok to interrupt people y’know.”

Nagisa muttered a small ‘sorry’ to me and the man before getting his bag. He peered up at me with teary eyes. I could tell he didn’t want to go with a new parent, due to trust issues. I sighed and pat him on the head.

“You better take care of him.”

Shuichi smiled at me, reassuring that everything was going to be fine. I held out my phone with my contacts open.

“Phone number?”

I asked him as he took my phone (and ran off with it) and he handed me his, and we both entered each other’s phone number. Nagisa smiled as I showed him my phone, his eyes gleaming with hope and joy. I couldn’t help but smile back at him. Shuichi even grinned at us placing his hands gently on Nagisa’s shoulder. I waved them goodbye as they waved back, Nagisa ranting to Shuichi about me. I’m glad I was able to make him happy. I walked around the small room, arranging everything back into its normal places and counting all the items to see if they were still there. 10 paint brushes, 2 art easels, 20 pencils, 5 paint palettes, 40 books and 7 whiteboard markers. Looks like I’m running low on markers, I’ll grab some in the morning. I smiled and locked the door behind me. I strolled down the street under the glowing sky, showing colours of orange, yellow, red, and peach. I sat calmly at the bus stop, taking off my painting apron and stuffing it into my bag neatly. I placed earplugs into my ears and started playing my favourite playlist.

Soon the bus arrived, squeaking its brakes as it parked into the bus stop. I sighed and planted my feet onto the ground as boarded the bus. It didn’t take long to get home.

||Time Skip Cuz Lazy||

I jingled my keys as I brought them out of my pocket, slotting them into the lock and opening the doors to the kindergarten. I walked in, turning on the fans by a little, and the lights. I began to write whatever was happening onto the big whiteboard and restocked my pens. I smiled as children and parent sprawled into the room, yet keeping an eye out for Nagisa. If he had any new scars or bruises, or darker eyebags, Shuichi won’t be waking up the next day. I waited about five minutes, everyone was here, but the two people I had been waiting for.

Suddenly, the doors swung open, and I spotted Shuichi giving the small child a piggy-back ride. I smiled as they both grinned back at me, Nagisa climbing off the adults back and running over to me.

“Kokichi! You won’t believe it! He let me use his magnifying glass and we went to the park. He even pushed me on the swing! I love my new dad!”

I grinned wider, glad Shuichi was giving him a good treatment. He even said he loved him.

“That’s great Nagisa! I’m grateful that Shuichi has been treating you right.”

Shuichi lovingly hugged Nagisa.

“I better go, or I’ll be late for work! Bye, have a good day you two! I love both of you!”

The young boy I waved goodbye as the detective briskly walked out of the kindergarten building, waving us goodbye, blushing. Wait, he loved both of us…?

||POV Change||

SHUICHI POV

I walked out the door, blushing crazily. I can’t believe I said that. I’m so embarrassed…

I hopped into the car, driving down to the detective agency. When I had first met Kokichi, I thought he looked a little cute, but I just ignored my thoughts. I’ll just tell him I was talking Nagisa and his non-existent imaginary friend…yeah I’ll just do that.

I arrived at the agency, closing the door gently behind me and taking in a deep breath. The aroma of coffee wafted around the area. No wonder I smelt like coffee…According to Nagisa anyways.

“Good morning Mr. Saihara. You looked like you’ve slept well!”

My partner, detective Kirigiri. I grinned at her, starting to tell her about Nagisa. She nodded at me while I spoke, thankful that I finally had something to cheer me up. I had been so busy with work lately that I was so tired to even show much emotion.

“So, Shuichi. We have a new case to work on.”

“Hm? What’s it about?”

“Just a new murder case, the usual.”

I nodded at her getting my file reports organized and ready. She gave me some evidence, suspect reports, reports of the victim and the time and place of the murder.

“It seemed to be planned too…”

I muttered as she passed over a small picture which showed the room.

“Huh?”

I pointed at the picture, spotting a nearly invisible ‘escape route plan’ peeking out of the screen. You could only see half of it though.

“That’s new…”

“Wait…How did you know this wasn’t there? Weren’t you at the crime scene?”

“It was a photo in the victims camera roll. You were correct, I was there, but it seems like the killer needed this to escape.”

“That makes sense.”

“So, the killer must’ve either been scared they would mess up, has a bad memory or had minimum time to figure this out…”

She agreed with me and pointed to the wall again, pointing back to the photo.

“There seems to be something white in the vents that we never checked.”

She stated bluntly while narrowing her eyes to get a better look.

“You’re right! Why didn’t you check the vents though…?”

“Rats.”

“Wha-“

I shrugged it off and looked back at Kyoko, then the picture again. She smirked at me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“You wanna check it out, don’t you.”

“Kinda-“

“Well, what are you waiting for?”

I followed her out of the building, and we entered the car park, halting to a stop right infront of a shining, neon purple motorcycle. It gleamed in the sunlight and Kyoko continued to smirk at me.

“Chickening out?”

“N-No..”

“Good.”

She grabbed a helmet off the dark purple handlebars and gave it to me, claiming to have a spare one in her bag that she could wear. Which she did.

She hopped onto the motorcycle, gesturing for me to do the same. I gulped and lifted my leg over the seat and sat down, trembling.

“Hold on tight!”

I didn’t hesitate to do exactly as she told me. She revved the engine, and we took off down the road, her purple hair flowing viciously in the wind. I was petrified. We were going veryfast. I gulped as I felt the wind blow in my face. I rested my chin on Kirigiri’s shoulder, avoiding her purple hair flowing into my face as we raced around the city. The city lights were blurred, and people looked like smudge marks. I peered down at the road, barely able to adjust to the distorted white line and concrete. I felt a sickening dizziness, and my head just couldn’t keep up with my blurry surroundings. Yet, I felt like I was in heaven. The glorious wind blowing in my face, the soothing noises of the motorcycle engine, and the feel of Kyoko’s warmth. I closed my eyes, loosing touch with everything around me. I was in my own little world. That was, until I sensed the motorcycle slow to a halt and Kyoko’s small weight lift off the motorcycle. But since I was laying on her, she lifted me up too without realizing, and my body went tumbling forward, Kyoko’s doing the same.

“Sorry…”

I sighed and apologized, staring at the ground. She arose from the ground, dusting off her uniform and patting me delicately on my back.

“No worries, Saihara-Kun. Just be careful next time.”

I nodded as we barged into the murder scene, nobody being there.

“Watch out. We cannot predict anything. Expect the unexpected.”

I remembered her wise words and examined the room, Kirigiri assisting me by lifting me up, since I weighed less, and I unscrewed the vents to see a rat. Great. I sneakily snatched the paper and Kyoko lowered me back down to the ground, peering over my shoulder to see if anything useful was written on the small piece of white paper. It read,

Sorry, my dear friend.

“So, the victim was the culprit’s friend….

“Seems so.”

“Wait, why wasn’t it near the victim then?”

“When we arrived, the fan was on, making it completely possible to blow into the vents, in which the paper could slip through, and the rats could’ve possibly taken it.”

I nodded to show my agreement and we inspected the room a little longer. I spotted her typing on her phone a few moments later, sighing.

“Saihara-Kun.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Are you gonna leave your kid at kindergarten or…”

Shuichi blankly stared down at his wrist, reading the time.

2:12

Nagisa’s kindergarten ended at 2:00. He was over the other side of the city. He would be very late, as they had no car.

“Take my motorcycle. I want to stay a bit longer anyways.”

“Really? Thank you Kirigiri-San!”

I rushed out of the building, grabbing a sleek blue helmet and boarded the motorcycle. The wheels screeched as I raced across the city, my hair spasming in the wind. The motorbike’s wheels whirred as they rolled along the road, forcing the motorbike to drive faster. My hands gripped the handlebars incredibly tight, fearing the vehicle would stir out of control if I didn’t have power over the handlebars.

There it was. The kindergarten. I zoomed towards it, halting to a stop in the parking lot. I rushed inside, panting heavily as Kokichi and Nagisa were staring at me. The small, blue-haired boy ran over, enveloping me in a tight hug. I lovingly hugged back, patting his back in the process.

“Where were you? Parents shouldn’t be late, y’know.”

I gulped and peered up at the kindergarten teacher, mentally scolding myself. I knew I shouldn’t have been late. If it wasn’t for my partner, I would’ve left Nagisa there until I suddenly realized that he wasn’t anywhere nearby.

“Kokichi, don’t blame Dad! He had a really important case today!”

“Alright, just tell me next time.”

I muttered a sorry, and nodded, showing my understanding. The kindergarten teacher walked up to me, swiftly patting Nagisa’s head for a short period of time, then shifted to face me. I gulped, fearing I would get in trouble for not being a ‘good parent’.

“Why’d you call both of us cute.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about-“

“Why.”

I looked to the side, shivering a little and sighing. I soon peered back at him.

“Look..”

My ahoge resembled a deflated balloon. It was deformed, bent at every inch.

“It just slipped out, okay…?”

He looked at me, unamused, rolling his eyes and sighing.

“Totally…”

“Well, Nagisa and I have to go…”

“Alrighty! See you Nagisa!”

“What about me-“

“What about you?”

I rolled my eyes as I watched Kokichi ruffle Nagisa’s hair. He looked down at the boy expectantly.

“Nagisa has wanted to ask you something, but he’s clearly too shy…”

He nudged Nagisa knowingly, as the small boy stuttered out words.

“Well…I was wondering if some of my friends could have a sleepover…I’ve never had one, and…”

There was an awkward silence as my mind scanned over what I had planned next week. Nothing.

“Or not! T-That’s fine t-too!”

He looked sad and embarrassed at the same time, fiddling uneasily with his fingers, making eye contact with the ground.

“No, its fine! I was just trying to remember if I had anything scheduled next week…We can have one!”

Nagisa’s eye lit up, sparkles glimmering in his blue orbs. He shined so brightly as he bounced around the room excitedly. Then I realized something.

“Wait-“

“What?”

Kokichi looked up at me, clearly waiting for an answer.

“How am I gonna get Kyoko’s motorbike back to her-“

“You drove a motorcycle.”

“Yes-“

Kokichi jingled the keys on his short fingers, swaying them from side to side. He stared into my eyes, smiling.

“Want a ride then? I could pack the motorbike in the back of my car and drop it of to ‘whatever her name is’.”

“Kirigiri.”

“Right.”

The three of us strolled out of the kindergarten, after Kokichi had tidied up all the mess and checked up on everything, locking the doors behind us as we exited the building. Hopping into the car, we all drove off down the road, me directing the other adult towards the crime scene. Leaving the car, I unpacked the motorbike as Kokichi and Nagisa followed me in. I shifted to look back at the others.

“Uhm, I don’t think Nagisa should see this…”

“Why?”

I leaned into Kokichi’s ear and whispered to him.

“Dead body.”

He bobbed his head to show his agreement, Nagisa looking back and forth at us, confused. He held an arm infront of Nagisa, restricting him from going further, as I entered the building.

||POV CHANGE||

NAGISA POV

I watched as Dad entered the house, a bit worried. Why couldn’t I go in there? I decided to ask Kokichi.

“Why can’t I go in? What’s even in there?”

“Something you don’t want to see.”

I gave him a look of uncertainty, waiting for Dad to come back. I was a little worried, so I decided to start a conversation.

“I think you like Dad, am I right?”

“He seems pretty nice, probably would be a good friend.”

“No, you like Dad in that way. Not friendship, love.”

His eyes widened as he blushed furiously.

“W-Why would you t-think that, N-Nagisa?”

“So, you do like him.”

“N-No! I don’t!”

I rolled my eyes a little. It was so obvious. The whole time Kokichi and I were waiting for Dad, he was talking about him. Literally the whole time. I remember our conversation, word for word.

||Flashback||

“Alright! Time to go everyone!”

Kokichi opened the doors, the young children flooding out of the kindergarten. He sighed as he looked around after all the young kids were safely returned to their parents.

“Nagisa, where’s Shuichi?”

“He told me he was investigating today, apparently it was really serious!”

“Right…”

Kokichi sat on one of the chairs, relaxing his legs and leaning against the table. I did the same, and looked at him.

“Y’know, Shuichi is kinda hot.”

“Wha-“

“His hair is pretty, don’t you think?”

All I could do is agree. Kokichi peered down at his watch. 2:10. He sighed.

“I’m just going to text him-“

“Don’t.”

“Why not?”

“He never answers when he’s at work…”

Kokichi fiddled the phone in his hands, clearly annoyed. Probably wanted to see Shuichi. Who knows?

“I know someone who does answer their phone though.”

He peered at me and handed me his phone. I cheerfully took it and tried to memorize their number. Typing it in, I quickly added the number to Kokichi’s contacts and texted the person. I had seen their number when Shuichi and Kokichi exchanged phone numbers.

‘Hello, do you know Shuichi Saihara by any chance? If so, do you know where he is?’

‘Yes, Shuichi is my work partner at the detective agency. We are currently investigating together. Who is this?’

‘This is Nagisa, his adoptive son. I’m texting him on my kindergarten teacher’s phone. I just wanted to tell him that kindergarten ended 12 minutes ago.’

‘Thank you Nagisa. I will have Shuichi know. He sure is forgetful.’

‘Thank you! Can I please know your name?’

‘Kyoko. Kyoko Kirigiri.’

‘Wait, how do you know my number?’

‘I memorized it when I saw Shuichi and my teacher exchange numbers. Sorry if that’s creepy or anything…’

‘It’s fine. I have to go now. Goodbye Nagisa!’

‘Bye!’

I turned off the phone, the glowing screen fading into pitch black darkness. I peered at Kokichi, telling him that Shuichi should be here soon.

||Present Time||

We were still waiting for Shuichi when I spotted Kyoko and himself exit the huge building. Kyoko stared at me, grinning slightly.

“Are you Nagisa?”

I nodded as she walked up to me, ruffling my hair playfully, then glaring at Shuichi. I could see him gulp and look away.

“And you are…?”

“I’m Kokichi, Nagisa’s teacher.”

“Nice to meet you.”

They shook hands, smiling at each other joyfully.

||POV CHANGE||

KIRIGIRI POV

I’m a little disappointed in Shuichi if I’m being honest.

Leaving your kid who’s in kindergarten with his teacher?

I mean, me and Shuichi have known each other since we were kids and happened to get into the same agency. I know Shuichi. He is forgetful, but not this forgetful. I mentally facepalmed at his previous actions and shook hands with Kokichi.

Nagisa and Kokichi look like they have a close relationship.

I disconnected our hands, watching as Kokichi signalled for Shuichi to enter the car. The two closed the doors behind them, waiting for Nagisa to say goodbye. The younglings hand reached for the door handle, struggling to open the car door. I went to assist him, just to realise it was locked. Shuichi and Kokichi strained to unlock the doors from the inside.

How did this even happen-

“D-Dad!”

Nagisa panicked as he saw the two people he seemed to be the closest to stuck inside the black and white car. I sighed as I saw the trapped kindergarten teacher flirt with the parent. Shuichi literally looked like his parents were a combination of a tomato and strawberry. I watched them as they continued to flirt together. I mentally facepalmed and refocused on the incident infront of me.

I saw Nagisa’s confused face as he walked up to peer through the window, prying into their business. I gently tapped the window, catching their attention.

“Are you two lovebirds done?”

I yelled from the other side of the window. They both were facing me, furiously blushing. In full honesty, they look like they dyed their faces bright pink.

“I’m going to break the window- “

“NAGISA DON’T- “

Too late. Nagisa had grabbed a rock off the ground and pounded it against the window.

“Really- “

“Sorry I was panicking…”

“It’s fine…”

“I guess we’re driving back with a broken window.”

“I guess they call you a detective for a reason!”

Kokichi laughed at his own joke as Shuichi giggled as well. It was so obvious they liked each other, they were so blind and dense. I could tell they liked each other, yet they were uncertain the other loved them back. I sighed and grabbed my purple helmet, putting the blue one Shuichi used in my sleek black bag.

“I’ll be going now.”

I waved goodbye as I hopped onto the motorbike, smiling as my purple streaks of hair flowed relaxingly behind me as I sped down the road. Out of the corner of my eyes. I could see the Kokichi pull Shuichi into a quick kiss through the car’s windscreen, Nagisa just staring in horror. Poor innocent thing.

-BONUS SCENE-

||TIME SKIP||

||W.O.H SLEEPOVER PLANNING||

||3RD PERSON||

“Hey Nagisa…Hey Jataro…I was thinking, I really want to get away from my parents…Do you know anything I could do?”

Kotoko raised a finger to her chin, in deep thought, looking a little depressed. Jataro looked sad as well.

“I just want to get away from everyone…”

Nagisa peered down, sad from seeing his friends loose hope. Monaca wheeled herself over to join our conversation.

“I just want someone to notice me…”

Masaru sat on the ground soon after, despairful.

“I just want to have a peaceful household…”

Nagisa peered down at the ground, wanting to encourage his friends to be joyful. Sure, he had trauma as well, but there is still happiness. He just began to spit out words of reassurance to his small group of friends.

“Jataro, why would you want to disappear from everyone? We are all here. We want you to be here. What’s that point in leaving everyone if everyone needs you here?”

He peered up at Nagisa, who was staring at him, the boy’s wise words causing a smile to form on his face.

“Monaca, we are your friends We notice you. Stop acting like nobody does, because if you haven’t already guessed, you are our friend. We notice you. Why would I be talking to you if I didn’t know you were here?”

She smiled at the blue haired boy, watching as some of the other kindergarten teachers came over. Komaru, Toko and Nagito stood there, watching their students, along with Kokichi who the whole time had secretly been there, unnoticed.

“Masaru! Kotoko! I think I have a solution to your problems!”

Nagisa shouted as the teachers watched, inspired by the boy’s acts of hope. Nagito especially. Toko had to slap a hand over his mouth so they wouldn’t interrupt the kids. Nagisa thought of the time where he was talking to Kirigiri while saying his goodbyes. She had told him these exact words.

“Shuichi has been so happy since he adopted you, y’know. I’ve been thinking about what my future would be like if I had a child. Say, did you know any that need a better home? I do want more than one though…”

“There is a solution I might have, but I need to check. Also, my Dad agreed on the idea to have a sleepover!”

“Sounds great!”

Everyone cheered in unison as they started planning what they would do, also deciding what snacks to bring. Monaca was spinning in her wheelchair in excitement, Masaru pushing her around in circles while Jataro inspired them to continue. Kotoko and Nagisa were drawing each other with crayons, Kokichi sitting on the other side of the table, spreading conversations.

Soon enough, it was time to go home. They all wished each other goodbye, as Kokichi drove Nagisa back to their house. They parked in the driveway, to see Shuichi waiting for them on their front porch.

“Good afternoon you two! How was your day?”

Kokichi ruffled Nagisa’s hair as he explained his day to Shuichi, also asking if he could tell Kirigiri about what I had found out.

“Ah- Sorry, Kyoko wants to see me. I will tell her the news as well Nagisa.”

“Bye!”

The small boy and Kokichi cheered and waved in unison, watching as Shuichi peered back at them, about to leave.

“Bye! I love both of you. And this time, I mean it.”

[volleyball-dontknowher]

Those damn kids Daichi x reader NSFW

Summary: You have a bad week with the kids and Daichi helps you... relieve some of them stress

Words: 2.5k 

Warnings: NSFW 

Characters: Daichi 

A?N: SORRY FOR BEING GONE I LOVE YOU ALL, I JUST HAD THE BIGGEST EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN I AHVE HAD IN A WHILE AND I JUST NEEDED TO MAKE MYSELF OKAY BUT I LOVE YOU 

You had never been one to yell at your kids or really even punish them more than just a couple minutes in the time-out chair but when you got the third call this week from the head of the preschool you about lost your mind.Your son had pulled a girl’s hair on Monday, then your daughter refuses to nap on Wednesday and today, oh boy today was frustrating You could not believe that you received a call about both of your kids today, at the same time. Your son had pulled his shirt off and started yelling that he was “the baddest bitch in the land” after he had won in a game of hide and seek. You had no idea where he learned this (you had an idea, his name was Tanaka) but you couldn’t help but feel humiliated by his actions when she went on to say that your daughter had gotten into an argument with the teacher because she didn’t want to nap for the third day in a row you about lost it. You told the principal that you would have a talk with them this weekend before you sent them back to school. Immediately after you called Daichi almost in tears, you had no idea why your kids (who had never ever had a call home before) decided to act like hooligans and raise all layers of hell this one particular week. Daichi was as calm and understanding as always, when you called he didn’t hesitate to calm you down and reassure you that it wasn’t your fault that they were being like this and that you were an amazing mother and he would pick them up from school, you needed to take a shower and relax when you got home. Daichi was the absolute best dad, firm when needed but also goofy and fun. You could tell that nothing made him happier than making his babies laugh and smile everyday, he was naturally good at parenting in a way that you could never be.

When you got home from work you couldn’t help but sigh and throw yourself on the couch for a couple minutes of mindless social media to destress before going and taking a long shower. You washed your hair with your favorite soaps before taking the time to shave your legs and do a face mask, enjoying the little bit of time you had by yourself. It was relaxing and perfect, all you needed now was to figure out what you were going to say to your kids when Daichi got back with them. You had a rule that you would handle all kid problems together so that nothing was said or taken away without the other one knowing. He usually didn’t get home for at least another hour so you changed into joggers and a tank top and did some quick tidying up before taking a few minutes to yourself.

“Hey superwoman, wake up,” you hear a smiling voice whisper in your ear. Prying your eyes open you quickly realize that you had fallen asleep on the couch and Daichi had you wrapped in his arms clearly amused by your tired state. You smiled happily at him and his warm embrace, but you quickly realized something was wrong.

“Daichi, the kids,” you panic, “did you get them from daycare? They have horrible late fees, they’ll think we abandoned them.”

“No they wont,” he smiles gently, “they’re with my mom for the weekend.”

“WHAT?” You practically shout, “why would you do that, they were in trouble.”

“Yeah and no one can put them back in place quite like my mom,” he smiles, “besides, I figured we could use some kid-free time to destress before the week. So what do you say, get dressed and we’ll go get dinner.”

Sure your kids going away for the weekend wasn’t the best form of punishment, sure grandma could be strict but she always spoiled the two of them rotten, but you couldn’t lie, this was an amazing relief. You were getting a whole weekend alone with your amazing husband which hadn’t happened for far too long. Getting dressed and going out with him was so easy, you had a favorite restaurant that had seen the two of you at your best and at your worst. You went there on your first date, told your parents that you were engaged there, told Daichi you were pregnant there, to say the least this place had seen everything. This place had seen you dolled up and literally in pajamas and it was perfect every time. You settled for something cute but comfortable, a pair of jeans and a green sweater with some tennis shoes were the perfect outfit matching Daichi’s jeans and sweatshirt as well. Hand in hand you went to the restaurant and had a great night sitting and just talking about literally everything that had happened this week. There was nothing that made you feel more loved than when Daichi smiled at you as his eyes were locked with yours and he held your hand as you told him some ridiculous story about your week and he listens to every word attentively.

After dinner the two of you made your way back home happy together after your night out. Sitting inside you couldn’t help but feel Daichi’s dark eyes boring into your side as you rehung your jacket and reached your arm out for his. Instead of his jacket he grabbed your hand and pulled you flush to his chest, placing a quick kiss down on the top of your head. You smiled up at him before grabbing his jacket from him and turning back to the shoe closet and hanging it up for him. Before you could close the door Daichi had wrapped his arms around your waist and snuggled himself up against your backside quickly kissing the back of your neck.

“Come on doll lets go upstairs,” he coos at you before turning you around to face him. Your face was bright red, you loved when he called you that. You tried hiding your head in his chest but he grabbed your chin and made you look up at him as his other hand snaked down and rested on your butt, “I need you to be a good girl for me,” he purred as his hand went from your chin to wrapping around your neck giving it a little squeeze, “got it?”

You nod vigorously and he seems to back off before his hand comes down harshly once on your ass making you let out a surprised squeak.

“You better be naked by the time I get up there,” he says seriously as he goes to the kitchen.

You don’t want to find out what would happen if you weren’t so you raced upstairs to the bedroom dropping your clothes along the way. If you knew anything for sure it would be that when Daichi told you to do something in that voice you needed to do it or else it would be a long night. It had been forever since the two of you had had enough alone time, let alone the energy to have sex and you were practically dripping already in anticipation. You raced to the bed and laid there excitedly waiting for him, wondering what he was possibly wasting his time doing, especially because you know that he was just as excited for this as you were. After a minute or two Daichi entered the bedroom slowly as his eyes raked up and down your body happily watching your form squirm under the bed in embarrassment. Approaching the end of the bed Daichi pulled his shirt off and kicked his pants off before you pulled him down into a deep passionate kiss, your bare chest pushing up to meet his as you laced one hand into his hair and one around his broad shoulders. Daichi let out a little moan as he pushed you back on the bed and towered over you taking full control of the kiss, his tongue exploring the inside of your mouth as one hand cupped your breasts giving them each the attention that made the little peaks hard. He then ground his hips down harshly    ` causing you to let out a whimper as you tried to push your hips up against him. He pushed your hips back flush against the bed before attaching his lips to your breast and began nipping and biting at it. There was a long whine that left your lips before you could help it as your hands pulled at his hair encouraging him to continue, but he had other ideas. His lips trailed down your abdomen and stopped right before the spot you wanted him to touch most. You were desperate as you spread your legs for him and pushed his head closer to your core, trying to stop his teasing. Instead of giving you what you wanted he licked up and down your heat once, spreading your wetness everywhere then pulled his head back and gently blew on your wetness. The cool air hit all of your most sensitive spots and made you clench your legs together. Daichi pulled your legs apart by wrapping both of his arms under your legs and holding them wide open for him.

“Close them again and we're done,” he stopped everything to warn you.

“I won’t, I won't, I won’t,” you repeated in a mantra to him, hoping to get something out of him. He took this as satisfactory and began quickly flicking your clit with his tongue, he began sucking on your clit and pulling on it harshly as you felt yourself wanting more. You let out a desperate whine as he took his attention away from your clit and straight to your core, his tongue quickly pumping into you as you began seeing stars. One hand let go of your legs and made its way up to your breast and began harshly rolling your nipples between his fingers and grabbing harshly at your breasts. He knew you were getting close and wanted nothing more than to taste you all over his face. He shifted once more to your clit as two fingers began pumping in and out of you. Your moans had become uneven and shaky as he touched every part of you that sent bolts of pleasure straight to your core. Feeling his hot breath against your core as he pushed you so close to your orgasm. With his thick fingers curling perfectly inside of you it only took mere moments before you were coming undone practically screaming his name. He continued pumping his fingers quickly as you came all over them and when he was trying to get you close to your second orgasm, your walls were clenching desperately around his fingers hoping that he would give you the pleasure of another orgasm but instead he got you right up to the edge and pulled away.

“Daichiii” you whined at him as he pulled away from you to take off his boxers.

“Have I ever left you unsatisfied,” he smirks down at your desperate figure. You knew he was right but you didn’t want to admit it. Daichi had always made sure that you were completely satisfied and worn out every time you and sex and this would be no different. “Now, face down ass up, arms above your head,” he muttered as you scrambled to flip yourself over. He licked his lips appreciating your beautiful body before smacking your ass twice harshly as he lined himself up with your desperate hole.

“Beg.”

Without a second thought you began begging for him, “Daichi, please, fuck me, pound my pussy please, make me scream, choke me fuck me anything please I just want you inside of me, please please please cum in me daddy.”

You knew that he would have fucked you anyway but that last part made him practically growl in anticipation as he slammed into you, quickly setting a fast and brutal pace. He hit every part of you so perfectly that you couldn’t help but let your eyes roll to the back of your head as you let out a string of moans and curses. On a particularly hard thrust Daichi took the opportunity to smack your ass at the same time causing you to see stars as you clenched even harder around his hardened member.

“Daichi” you called out loudly.

Before you knew it Daichi had a handful of your hair and had pulled you up so your back was meeting his chest, grasp on your hair pleasurably painful as his other hand went to squeeze your neck harshly as a warning. “What did you call me?” He whispered into your ear, his hot breath sending heat straight to your core.

“Daddy, I called you daddy, you’re my daddy,” you cried out as his hips slowly slammed as deep as they could into you, each thrust feeling somehow deeper than the last.

“That’s what I thought,” he muttered before letting go of you and pushing you back down onto the bed, his hands gripping your hips harshly as he began increasing pace. You were so over-stimulated that you couldn’t do anything but repeatedly chant “daddy please” as he brought you both close to release. His pace began getting sloppy and you could tell that he was getting close. Your moans push him even closer to the edge. He suddenly pulled out and flipped you over before thrusting back into you at the same desperate pace, the sight of your breasts bouncing and your face flush and desperately calling out for him was enough to make him almost finished immediately but he was determined to get you to finish first so he ran a finger down your front and began quickly rubbing your clit. This was exactly what you needed and before you could say anything you were coming around Daichi’s cock moaning desperately as he continued pumping into you.

“Daichi, daddy please, Daichi please cum in my pussy, please fuck another baby into me, please daddy please,” you begged him. His thrusts instantly stopped as he pushed himself as deep into you as possible and finished deep inside of you. You both had to take a moment to catch your breath before he pulled out, his eyes focused on your throbbing core. He watched for a moment as his cum began seeping out of you before pushing it back inside of you and lightly fingering your sensitive core to keep it inside of you for as long as he could. As he did that his lips locked with yours in a passionate kiss as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled the covers over you both.

“I can’t wait to see you pregnant with another gorgeous baby, you’ll look stunning,” he whispered after a long moment, “I’m hoping for another girl,” he smiles.

“Oh shut up, we have to get the kids we have under control,” you smirk.

“They are, they’re amazing kids and you’re an amazing mom, it was one bad week, we all have them, when I told them mommy was upset they almost started crying in the car, they won’t do it again,” he lazily smiled as he drew mindless shapes onto your chest as you both drifted off to sleep.

[crossroadsfossil]

Fake titles!!!

"Giving matches to paper dolls"

"Making wishes out of Airplanes"

"For wheat is still wheat when mistaken for grass at a distance."

" you've got time to grow"

"Letters to myself"

"I begged god to spare you, 10yrs later he got the memo and knocked my front teeth."

-im sorry this^ title is so long-

"You and have a long walk home."

"We decided not to cry."

send me a made-up fic title and i'll tell you what i would write to go with it

"Giving matches to paper dolls"

OTGW fic. 

When Wirt was finished with high school, he decided to take a gap year, encouraged by his stepdad, who also offered to help fix up an old car. Wirt chose a moped. 

His stepfather held up a hand when Wirt wheeled the moped into the garage. Wirt stopped and waited, his stepfather massaging the bridge of his nose before turning around and entering the house. Less than three minutes later he returned with a photo album, an almost manic grin on his face. Wirt ended up learning a lot about his stepfather’s own gap year, and his moped. His stepfather suggested he go south. 

Looking back on it, Wirt realized that was probably not a great choice. He might not have ended up going through the kudzu covered wall in the rain and ending up nursing what he hoped wasn’t a broken ankle. 

The woods were dark, and oh so familiar. 

plot: return to The Beyond. World hopping Wirt and Greg. Eventual Beast Wirt. 

"Making wishes out of Airplanes"

Plot: The thing about living in large cities was that light pollution drowned out all stars. The heavens could be raining down wish bearing stars and no one in the city or its suburbs would be able to see them. 

That’s alright. Izuku was used to taking terrible situations and transmuting them into success like an alchemist of old. He did it when he was young, he would do it again. 

He just hadn’t counted on Tomura being sent back in time with him. 

"For wheat is still wheat when mistaken for grass at a distance."

Inko Midoriya could once move mountains. If you gave her enough time and a spoon, she would show you a new valley where it used to be. Marriage and the birth of her son had provided her the opportunity to retire - something she took with both hands and would refuse to give up. 

Or it had been until she had seen what Izuku was being sent into, what even the top ten couldn’t prevent from happening to her son. She was... disappointed. She had expected more of them and, well. There were few things that could prompt her into leaving retirement. Izuku was always one of them, and when he asked how to save a person, well. 

She pulled out the small black book with her cyphered contact list and began to call in favors and upon old friends. 

" you've got time to grow"

One of the first things he was told after being taken in by the commission was that he was to be called Hawks. Which was fine. He liked it. It sounded cool. It sounded badass. 

The second thing he was told was that he was being placed in a home. A pair of foster parents, carefully vetted. His mom had always told him to slow down, to not go as fast. Clearly, he didn’t listen to her. He didn’t regret it. Now, now he was forced to slow down. Bandages pulling at his back and shoulders, the echoing pain dulled by creams and medication. That wouldn’t stop him normally but the driveway that was half a kilometer to the road hindered him. The fact that the nearest town was an hour's drive beyond that was another factor. Until his wings grew back, if they grew back, he was stuck at his parent’s retirement home. 

“Hawks, honey, the farmhands are almost here.” His mother said, phone in hand. “Your mom says they picked up lunch on the way back. From the glee in her voice, I think she got several buckets. I swear.” She sighed fondly and left. Minutes later he heard the front door open, and the tromping in of several sets of feet. With a sigh, he got up and limped down to the dining area. 

At the threshold, he froze, seeing people he didn’t want to ever see again, and especially not with his mothers in the same room. 

“Hawks.” Spinner said, surprise written over his face. The heads of the rest of the league snapped hard toward him, surprise and creeping dread over everyone’s face.  

"Letters to myself"

If Phalnex could have written a letter to his past self, he would have encouraged another post. Any post. Any position would have been better than where he was currently. Yes, there were benefits but he would not consider this one of them. 

A large feline purred as he entered the hanger. It was the largest of the lions- that was what the humans were calling them. He wasn’t sure what their fascination with comparing wildlife to creatures they had on their homeworld. He saw where they drew the comparisons, but still. 

“Oh thank fuck.” A familiar voice said. His ears swiveled to pinpoint where the holder of the voice was and he spotted her held between the lion’s front two paws. 

“Vin.” He greeted. The Midoan smacked the paws until they loosened enough for her to wiggle out from between them. She offered him a sympathetic look as she sped by him. As soon as she cleared the door, he was being picked up, scruffed as if he was a kit. 

Gods, he couldn’t wait until that pilot returned. This lion was ungodly clingy without him. 

"I begged god to spare you, 10yrs later he got the memo and knocked my front teeth."-im sorry this^ title is so long-

This would actually be a series, a trilogy to be exact. Age/roleswap. 

I begged god to spare you, - 

If there was one thing Izuka was worried about, it was this year’s UA internships. Tokoyami was doing his best to reassure him, but even the antics of darkshadow (who was doing her best to imitate an overly fluffy utahraptor) weren’t easing the twisting in his stomach. Something felt wrong. He wasn’t sure what it was, but when the interns had left with his sidekicks, something trilled at him to go with them, even though Recovery Girl had assured him that between herself, Apex and Ravine, they would be fine. There was a knock and then Ochako stuck her head in. She had that look she got when dealing with Bakugo and paperwork in the same room- a mix of exhausted and simmering annoyance. 

“Guess who found trouble?” She said. Izuku groaned and let his head thump the table. 

10yrs later he got the memo - 

The two children before him were pale-haired, short, and one of them was looking at Izuku like he dared the hero to come closer. Toshi was letting Recovery Girl look over his arm, inspecting her work before moving on to Enji. The fire-user was giving a glare towards Toshi that, were his flames capable of shooting from his eyes, his classmate would be ash already. 

The smaller of the two children clung to, what Izuku assumed was his older brother. Both were too skinny, and the smaller (younger?) of the two looked several minutes away from toppling over. 

“I’m Izuku.” Midoriya greeted. The kid that bit Toshi snarled and reached out a hand, only for it to be grabbed and pulled away. 

“Shigaraki.” The smaller sibling interrupted, shooting his brother a look. A silent conversation passed between them, and Izuku let them. No one knew what their quirks were, but judging by the fact that the yakuza had them, he was sure it was powerful and dangerous. Worst case scenario, he asked for Miss Eri and got Tenko in here to provide a pep-talk. 

and knocked my front teeth. - 

“Babysitting?” Touya asked, dropping his bag and removing his shoes. Tenko nodded. Around him, there was what appeared to be the entirety of Tenko’s comic collection. One child was eagerly engrossed, chattering excitedly at his brother. The brother glared at everyone, tracking their movements. He hoped Tenko had told his boss that he wasn’t keeping the brats overnight. Being roommates with a hero-ling was one thing. Being dragged into a literary trope was another, and as much as he enjoyed his college courses on such books, he didn’t want to live one. 

Tenko got up and pulled Touya into the hallway, just far enough that they could talk but not far enough that Tenko couldn’t lean back and keep an eye on them. 

“Midoriya-san is working on placement, but well. He was of the opinion that our apartment was the safest place for him. The yakuza are after them.”

Touya snorted. Of course Tenko got dragged into this. 

“Well, Deku isn’t wrong. We’ve got what, four heroes and an almost doctor here? If Himiko can make it, we can add one spy to the list.” 

“She’s not a spy.” 

“Uh-huh. And Iguchi hasn’t adopted half his class.” Tenko opened his mouth to negate that statement but a pale-haired child peered around the corner. 

“Who’s a spy?” of course that was what interested the angry child. 

"You and I have a long walk home."

This would be a FMA fic, mostly because I want to just have shenanigans as Ed and Al get kicked off a train and have to walk back. Post the end of the series and they go through a town they’ve been through before. Very soft and very sweet. Some Teacher!Edward and alphonse getting to do a lot of things he couldn’t the first time around, like pet all the barn cats and fondle the freshly washed wool and being buried in cuddly sheep. 

"We decided not to cry."

"The tears of a mermaid.” Ginko set the small bottle on the witch’s desk. She picked it up, tilting it before leveling a skeptical glare at him. 

“These certainly aren’t.” She set the bottle down, but stopped him as he went to put them back in his pack. 

“It doesn’t mean I don’t want them. I do want the story. What happened to the real tears?” 

Ginko smiled, sitting down. The witch leaned over and lit another stick of incense. He voiced his thanks before launching into the story. 

plot: mushishi episode basically. Will contain mermaids, mer-other things, and some potential murder. 

[inkwell1013]

Uncle Tony - MCU

Pairing: Tony Stark & Peter Parker (familial), MJ & Peter, Ned & Peter (both platonic), Tony Stark / Pepper Potts (background)

Genre: Oneshot, hurt/comfort, angst, found family, a little fluff at the end.

Word count: 1.7k

Warnings: Death of a parent (referenced).

Summary: Something about Tony reminds Peter a lot of his uncle and all the memories, good and bad, that he associates with him. Even after everything their relationship has been through, it only takes one slip of the tongue to ruin everything. Tony has never been good with kids, but he is determined to help the boy he sees as his son, even if it means making himself vulnerable.

Notes: I have this head canon that Peter sees Tony more as an uncle than a father figure, because he's never had a father that he remembers and instead associates fatherly people with his uncle. Thus, this fic was born. I hope you enjoy!

- - - - -

Tony fetched a cup of coffee from the machine, getting ready to pull another all-nighter. It was a bad habit - he knew that - but one that he was having trouble kicking. If Pepper were here, she would give him a lecture about how staying up all night was bad for his health and drag him off to bed, but she was on a work trip so he was free to do whatever unhealthy things he wanted.

While he was waiting for the machine to relinquish its delicious contents, he took a quick glance out the window. It was starting to go dark. How long had he and Peter been working for? It only felt like a little while but had probably been a lot longer.

Working with Peter was a fun experience, all things considered. He was always coming up with new ideas and different ways of looking at things, making him an asset to Stark Industries.

And strangely enough, Tony didn’t mind his presence.

He had never been good with children – most of his interactions with them ended with somebody bursting into tears and a disappointed frown from Pepper – but Peter was easy to get along with. He was the exception to the rule.

The machine dispensed the coffee and Tony picked up the mug. Faded paint spelled out the letters ‘Fe’ followed by the word ‘man’, a statement halfway between a pun and an inside joke. He was a little annoyed that the paint was already wearing away; the mug wasn’t even that old.

Peter had given it to Tony for his birthday a few months prior. He had looked so proud as he handed it over, that Tony had to use it. As much as he hated to admit it, he found the joke amusing.

Tony went back into the lab, and found Peter asleep at one of the workbenches. He looked so peaceful that Tony almost didn’t want to wake him. Regardless, he gave Peter a small shake, causing him to stir.

‘Five more minutes,” grumbled Peter, making Tony smirk. He was such a kid.

“Come on Peter,” said Tony. “You’ve got to get home or May will have my neck. Have you got your things?” Peter gave a little nod, as he fetched his backpack from underneath the table.

“I’ll walk you to the lift.”

It was quiet in the hallways, which Tony expected. Most of his employees had gone home hours ago. And here he was, walking through the deserted corridors with a random fifteen-year-old, who really should have been home hours ago as well. He had no idea why May let Peter stay so late.

“Do you want a ride home?” he offered. “Happy can drive you. It’s what I pay him to do after all.”

“Nah, I’ll just walk. It’s not that late.”

Tony’s mouth twitched halfway into a frown. “Okay,” he relented. “But make sure you look both ways before you cross the road, stay on well-lit streets and hurry straight home. New York isn’t the safest place to be at night. Are you sure you don’t want a ride?”

“I can handle it Uncle Ben,” scoffed Peter. “I’m not a little kid anymore.” He pressed the button to call the lift. His movements screeched to a halt as he realized what had come tumbling out of his mouth.

He stared at Tony with wide eyes, scarcely moving a millimeter. Tony was similarly frozen in place, as he waited for his brain to catch up with him. Before he had quite figured out what had happened, Peter bolted down the corridor. Tony could do nothing but run after him.

Peter blinked back tears, as he slammed open the door to the lab. He grabbed a beaker from the cupboard and threw in some chemicals – not really caring what reactions might take place. He just needed to do something with his hands, something familiar. Something reassuring. He had no idea what he could do or what to say to fix this colossal fuck up. All he could fall back on was what he knew, which was science.

Science never lied.

Science was absolute.

Science made sense.

And it wouldn’t leave him like everyone else had.

Tony grabbed ahold of Peter’s arm. “It’s okay that you’re upset but you need to—”

Peter tightened his grip on the beaker and pulled his arm from Tony’s grasp. “I’m not upset. I’m fine,” he gritted.

“Come on kid. You’re doing biochemistry. You always do biochemistry when you’re upset.”

“I’M NOT UPSET!” roared Peter, slamming the beaker down on the workbench.

“You’re going to break that,” said Tony. “Why don’t you put it down so we can talk this out?”

Peter shook his head.

Tony sighed. “At least put on some goggles if you’re going to stress science.”

“I don’t stress science,” snapped Peter, continuing through the motions of his experiment.

“Don’t lie to me,” said Tony. “You always do this when you’re upset and I get it – I do the same thing. When Steve and I had our big fight, I stress solved physics equations for a week straight. Pepper tells me that I was found by a cleaner, unconscious and half draped across the lab table. I had been subsisting solely on coffee – not eating or sleeping either – whilst working on an unsolvable physics problem. I had to be hospitalized for three weeks to recover.”

Peter paused. “But did you solve it?” he asked.

“That’s not the point. I was hurting myself. I think, deep down, I believed I deserved the pain. I blamed myself for everything that had happened, even when it was out of my control. It was a way to punish myself.”

Tony couldn’t believe he was unloading his trauma onto a fifteen-year-old. Way to go douchebag.

“I’m sorry kid,” he said. “I know it feels like no one understands but… you’re not alone.”

Peter gave him a long glance, setting down the beaker. “It was my fault,” he muttered.

“Uncle Ben died because of me. I was mad at him for… something - I can’t remember what – and I ran away. I just wanted him to feel bad, I wasn’t planning on staying out that long. He texted me a couple times, just wanting me to come home, you know? But I ignored him. He kept telling me that it was dangerous and that I would get hurt, but I insisted that I wasn’t a little kid anymore and if he really cared he would come and find me.

“He… He was murdered. He came to find me just like I wanted him to, and this guy shot him – just pulled out his gun and killed him. If I hadn’t run away like that, it never would have happened.”

Tony was startled. He knew that Peter’s uncle had died, but he didn’t know it had happened like this. Crap. What could he do? What could he say? How could he fix this?

He found himself wishing that Pepper were there. She would know what to do. She always knew what to do. But he was the only person Peter had right now, so he would have to do his best.

“Kid, that wasn’t your fault,” he said, “You couldn’t have known it would happen. It was out of your control.”

Peter went silent, choosing his next words carefully. “I think I’m scared history is going to repeat itself,” he said. “I’m scared I’m going to lose you too.”

Tony couldn’t resist the urge to hold Peter tight. “I can’t promise nothing bad will happen to me and I know the universe can be cruel, but I plan to be around for a long time. I’m going to do my best to be here for you, from now until you no longer need me.”

Somehow, being this kid’s mentor turned him into Shakespeare. If only his ninth grade English teacher could see him now.

Peter buried his head into Tony’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

“Do you want to stay over?” offered Tony. “I could text May and ask her to bring over some pajamas and some clean clothes for tomorrow. It could be like a sleepover.”

God, he sounds pathetic. What kind of kid would want to have a sleepover with a grown ass man, much less him? He was being ridiculous. This was a stupid idea anyway. Peter would never-

“Can Ned and MJ come?”

Tony smiled. “As long as it’s okay with their parents.”

Ned and MJ arrived fifteen minutes later, and changed into their pajamas in the bathroom. Everyone settled down on the couch and Peter flicked through some channels until he found reruns of some shitty sci-fi show from the nineties. In a stroke of genius (those only seemed to be getting more and more frequent these days), Tony decided to order pizza.

They ended up watching the show into the early hours of the morning. Peter had fallen asleep on Tony’s shoulder and Tony didn’t have the heart to move him, much to Ned and MJ’s amusement. Because of this, they had both ended up sleeping on the couch. MJ and Ned woke up of their own accord, and got themselves ready for school. Once the sun peeked over the horizon, Tony knew he’d have to wake Peter or he would be late.

He gave him a little nudge and Peter stirred. “Uncle Ben?” he mumbled. “What time is it?”

“It’s not Ben,” replied Tony. “It’s me. And its seven thirty. You’ve got to get ready for school.”

Peter groaned and threw himself back down onto the sofa. “But it’s so early and I’m so tired.”

“You were the one who insisted we all stay up for the finale,” retorted Tony. Peter rolled his eyes, but smirked nevertheless. “Come on, rise and shine,” said Tony.

“Come on!” shouted MJ from the other room. “Get up already or we’ll be late.”

Peter grumbled every step of the way, but did eventually comply. Right before he left, Peter turned to him and said meekly, “I’ll see you after school Uncle Tony.” He left with his friends just shy of eight o’clock, with barely enough time to catch the bus to school, leaving Tony to mull over his words.

Tony never thought he’d be an uncle, biological or otherwise.

[fire-the-headcanons]

Follow the Beacon Ozpin—Truth

[Link to Masterpost]

[A lot's changed since the first version of this story—for example, Summer and Tai's entire storyline was added in—so this part ended up a little different]

Ozpin watched on the monitor as Ms. Rose and Mr. Branwen stepped from the elevator into the waiting room on the floor below. Both of them looked ill—he was probably still recovering from the day before, and she was afraid of this meeting going badly.

Maybe we should have spoken to the twins sooner. Qrow sagged in his chair, face buried in his hands, pale and withdrawn. It looked like he'd slept in his clothes. If they were sent here as spies, it was clearly under duress.

We still don't know what his Semblance is, he countered. If it's anything like his sister's, the two of them could vanish at any moment. We'll have to be very, very careful.

Speaking of which— Ozpin sealed the balcony door with a thought and a wave of his hand. ... just in case.

Just in case, he agreed with a twinge of pain in his chest. The intercom clicked as he switched it on. "Thank you both for coming. May I speak to Mister Taupe first?"

Qrow didn't respond, but shuffled to his feet as the secure elevator slid open. Summer watched his back as he entered, arms folded tightly around her stomach, and only looking away when he turned to face the doors. He was preoccupied, however, staring at the controls.

It wasn't uncommon for the Vault button to catch a student's eye—there were only three, and it was mysteriously unmarked. Though, it was rare for anyone to reach out and deliberately press it. Nothing happened, of course, it only worked with the correct password entered into the emergency phone.

Was he told to do that?

He may just be looking for a way out…

He stepped carefully from the elevator, eyes darting around the room before returning to a spot somewhere over Ozpin's shoulder. Finding no one else there seemed to calm him slightly.

"Yes, quite the view, isn't it?" Ozpin stared out the window for a moment, allowing a longer search while his back was turned. "You'll notice I have my desk turned away from the window. Hot cocoa?"

"Uh…thanks," Qrow said, accepting the mug.

"There's no need to be nervous." Ozpin smiled. "I was looking over your course records earlier. I must say—for someone of your background, your marks have been exemplary. Your parents must be very proud."

"No parents, sir."

It was incredibly rare for bandits to claim their children. The misdirect did its job, and Qrow relaxed a tiny bit more. "Ah. My apologies. Have you enjoyed it here in Vale so far?"

"It's…" he glanced to the left, down at the hazy skyscrapers. "Different."

Ozpin chuckled. "Yes, I'd imagine it can be a bit much after growing up in pastoral Anima. I was born in the city, myself," he said wistfully, "though it didn't take me long to leave it." He leaned back in his chair, settled in, unthreatening. "Tell me, what made you want to become a Huntsman?"

Qrow buried his face in the mug, taking a long sip. "I…liked the comics," he stammered, turning ever so slightly pink. That was difficult to fake. "As a kid. What can I say, they made an impression on a dumb farmhand from Anima."

"That is why the kingdoms keep printing them. Though, it doesn't explain your current dedication."

He scowled into the cocoa, hands tightening on the mug. "...I wanted to do some good in the world."

"An admirable goal." Ozpin took a sip from his own cup. "And I must say, I've been impressed with your efforts with that scythe of yours. You seem to be making great strides despite your lack of a proper teacher."

"Professor Carmine's been a lot of help," Qrow said quickly. "Professor Mesánychta, too."

"And all of it on top of your normal coursework, and your practice with the broadsword form of your weapon. Even without taking your lack of prior education into account, you are one of the top students in your class." He leaned back, opening a drawer in his desk. "Which is why I was so surprised to hear that you had brought alcohol onto the school grounds."

Qrow sagged with relief as he set the flask on the desk.

"I'm aware the legal drinking age in Mistral is eighteen. And outside the kingdoms…well. But you understand, while you are in Vale you must abide by the kingdom's laws."

He tensed, eyes widening, with a half-glance at the elevator doors. "Summer didn't have anything to do with it. It-it's mine, I smuggled it from home, she didn't—"

"Please, Mister Taupe, it is all right," Ozpin said, holding up a hand. "Seeing as this is your first offence—and Miss Rose made me swear that you wouldn't get in any trouble—I see no reason to involve the police."

"...Summer… told you?" He sounded confused, but not hurt. A good sign.

"She confessed to me that she was concerned. That you've been isolating yourself, losing interest in your work. Have you been drinking more as well?"

He swallowed, averting his gaze. "Maybe…maybe a little."

"Please don't be angry with Miss Rose. She agonized over the decision to come to me for help, I assure you. But Beacon has a number of health services available to students if you are feeling stressed." He got to his feet, circling the desk to offer his hand. "My door is always open, as well."

Hesitantly, Qrow accepted it. "Um… thanks… I-I'm fine, really."

"Mister Tau—" Ozpin stopped himself. The boy needed to hear his own name. "Qrow. Please. I can help you."

A shadow fell over his face, and he remained silent.

"No matter what it is," he pressed, squeezing his hand lightly. It was shaking.

"...I'm fine."

Magic welled in his fingertips, ready to channel if Qrow ran or tried to open a portal.

Don't hurt him.

Of course not. But we can't allow a possible lead to slip away, and he needs help. Gently, they ran their thumb over Qrow's palm. "You have remarkably smooth hands for a farmer."

He jerked his arm back, shaking even harder than before. "I… I was kinda lazy." After a moment of hesitation he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Mister Taupe, this is exactly the kind of behavior that has your team leader so worried."

Qrow sagged, his hands slipping down to hang limp at his sides, head bowed so low Ozpin couldn't see his face. "...Stop it."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Stop pretending."

Carefully, gently, Ozpin took his hand again. "Mister Branwen, why did you come to Beacon?"

He flinched at the sound of his name, and voice cracking as he answered. "I wanted to be a Huntsman."

It was not the answer they expected, but certainly a welcome surprise. "What is holding you back?"

"I— I— I couldn't—" He wiped at his face angrily, trying to hide the tears, and Ozpin quickly passed over his handkerchief. "I didn't want to keep hurting people and they all hated me but if I ran they'd beat me to death— R-Raven's Semblance— T-there— I— she—"

"Shh," he soothed, rubbing Qrow's back but staying an arm's length away, giving him space to escape. He still flinched. "Deep breaths."

He half-turned, trying to hide his face, wiping his eyes again. "I couldn't run away because Raven c-could bring them right to me."

"Do you really think she would have helped them find you?"

"I-if she didn't then they would have just killed her first."

"So you convinced her to run with you."

"Our—our l-leader just died and everyone was scared. He was the one who… who protected us."

Ah. Yes. Bones Branwen's death had been toasted at more than one gathering of Huntsmen in the past year, and that was only in Vale.

"I convinced Raven and V—the new leader we should sneak into an Academy so we could take his place and protect the tribe," he said dully. "I thought if we had four years away from home then maybe I could convince her to… that we didn't…" his voice petered off, and when he spoke again it was nearly too soft to hear. "It doesn't matter."

"Let me help with your sister," Ozpin said, and Qrow slowly raised his head to stare, open-mouthed. "I'm sure a little extra responsibility around the school and a few careful nudges in the right direction couldn't hurt, but it's important that you know this kind of healing takes time. It will—"

"You're not…throwing us out?" his voice rang with disbelieving hope.

"Good heavens, no. Banditry would be a terrible waste of your talents." Ozpin chuckled as if the idea were absurd and squeezed his hand again. "Why don't you get some rest. Tomorrow is Saturday—come back in the morning and we can discuss your sister with clearer heads. And I hope you will allow me to refer you to one of the campus counselors."

Qrow nodded absently, staring at one of the desk legs.

"Then I'll see you at ten o' clock." Ozpin smiled. "It's all right if you're a little late. Eat something and get some rest."

He hesitated. "...Are you going to tell Summer and Tai?"

Ah. That was a tricky question. Now that the air had been cleared—with one twin, at least—Ozpin wasn't sure if Claret would continue allowing Summer to remain ignorant of her teammates' past.

"Not at present," he said. "And I would certainly consult you before doing so. ...But I believe you should tell them, before too long."

Qrow's eyes widened in something approaching horror. "What?"

"The truth has a way of coming out eventually. And it would be better to hear it from you."

"...I don't…" he wiped at his face again. "...They'll hate me."

"I very much doubt it," Ozpin replied. They had left Anima at a young age and were unlikely to have inherited their parents' prejudices. "Though it will probably be something of a shock, and they may not understand immediately."

Qrow didn't seem very reassured by that answer. Slowly, his eyes wandered toward the flask still sitting in the center of the desk. "…I know you have to pour out the moonshine, but…can I have my flask back?"

Brothers above.

"I'll give it back as a twenty-first birthday present," he said firmly.

Should we?

They knew all too well where that road could lead, and bandits did not have good habits to begin with. "Though... Mister Branwen, I do wish to warn you…Hunting and drinking do not tend to mix well."

"Uh…Thank you, Professor Ozpin."

He squeezed Qrow's hand once more before letting go. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Qrow slumped against the elevator wall as soon as the doors were shut, almost ducking out of the camera's view. Well, it's reasonable to assume that she didn't send them.

Yes, he agreed, only slightly disappointed that this hadn't turned out to be a lead. Much better for the twins that she wasn't involved. Though I'm not sure that will entirely soothe anyone's fears.

"Qrow!" Summer squeaked, leaping to her feet as the doors slid open and hastily drying her eyes on her cape. He stepped out, back into the next camera's view, still slouching and withdrawn in posture. "Qrow, I'm so sorry, I— I didn't know what to do, I—"

"Thank you, Summer." The camera barely picked up his words.

She sobbed and yanked him into a hug. After a moment he reciprocated, leaning his cheek on the top of her head.

Despite their earlier concerns, it seemed nudging team STRQ together had been the right call. Ozpin shuddered to think what might have happened if Mister Branwen had a team leader less capable than the one Miss Rose was growing into.

Next Chapter: Taiyang—Fair Grounds

[percywinchester27]

About a boy (Part-8)

Word count: 4.7K

Warning: Suspense, feels, physical abuse, child-trafficking and bullying

Characters: Dean, Cas, Gabriel, Benny, Michael, OCs and… Sam?

Summary: Dean Winchester has a secret. A secret that could really land him in trouble. He never expected to connect with anyone when he walked into the ‘Blue Stone Orphanage for Boys,’ but even then, the walls he has put up are slowly coming down. Now, a series of strange events are threatening to expose him. When everything starts falling apart around him, will he still be able to save the one person that matters the most?

A/N: I’m sorry this part is so delayed. Life got to me in a not so nice way. I will try my best to be better from now on <3

All my love to @thing-you-do-with-that-thing​​​​​ and @deanssweetheart23​​​​​ for beta reading this story <3

About a boy masterlist

“Sometimes I think that some of these kids dye their hair,” Will muttered, kicking a stone out of the way. “There can’t possibly be that many brown haired boys.”

“You have brown hair,” Cas pointed out mildly, feeling sympathetic towards the boy.

“But my name isn’t Sam!” Will exhaled, attacking another stone. 

The two of them were walking back from school. Dean had waited back for some extra class, and on the way out Cas had bumped into Will, who had been in a dark, brooding mood. Only now did he know that it was because of an abundance of dark haired boys.

“I feel like I’m disappointing Dean,” Will admitted. “But I swear there isn’t another Sam on the floor, unless some kid is hiding his real name for whatever reason. The only other thing Dean gave me to go by, was that Sam has brown hair. But that is most boys.” His voice was full of despair. 

“You’re being harsh on yourself, Will,” Cas soothed, placing a hand on Will’s shoulder. “There isn’t much to go on here and Dean knows that. He isn’t going to be disappointed.”

“I had to do this one thing, and I’m wretched at it,” Will moaned, seemingly not having accepted a word of what Cas had said. 

He is used to always having a solution, Cas thought. Will attempted math Olympiads for fun. He was smart enough to fuse out the fire alarm system. He was the sort of boy who was used to getting solutions for his problems, answers for mysteries, and now that he couldn’t figure this one out, it was bothering him. But there was also one other thing. Will was probably used to being self sufficient. He had always made his own bed and clapped his own back. Now, there was Dean.

Cas realised, Will looked upto Dean. The way he hung on to Dean’s every word like it was a gospel. How he glowed when Dean lightly made fun of him, teased him or even called him a dumb-ass. Behind Will’s disappointment was his inherent desire for praise, and not any praise, but Dean’s praise.

Cas felt a deep pang in his stomach, a swell of empathy. He had seen so many kids yearn for attention, for a drop of love in this place where everyone was lonely together. Will was no different. He’d never had anyone to appreciate his intellect. Lots of parents would have sold their souls for a prodigal child like Will. But here he was looking for acceptance from a boy who was looking for something else, someone else.

With a heavy heart, he said, “We’ll keep looking, Will. We’ll find Sam.”

The boy looked up, hazel eyes round, the question in them clear as the day. Who is Sam? But he didn’t ask. Maybe something about Cas’s expression made it clear that he wouldn’t answer. It wasn’t his secret to tell anyway. Besides, he had no business dragging a kid into this. Especially a kid residing on the 4th floor. Cas shuddered.

Will cast another look, but didn’t talk for the rest of the way back.

*****************************

“Damn it!” Dean cursed as he stumbled over a rough patch of land. It had been three days since the fire alarm incidence and he could only barely manage to walk by himself. Of course today had to be the day when the calculus teacher extended the class. Ordinarily, Dean would have ditched in favor of having a steady support in Cas to walk back, but he paid attention in calculus. After all, he had promised to help Will out with it. So much for that crazy kid’s expedition to champion math! Which was why Dean took meticulous notes and for that, he had to wait back.

Apart from having to stumble all the way back, Dean didn’t really mind walking alone. Cas had been hovering over protectively over Dean at all times, worrying that if he was left alone, Michael’s goons might ambush him and finish what they started that night. As it turned out, Cas needn’t have worried at all. All his fears had been put to rest when the Principal had called Dean and Cas and asked about their bruises. Apparently, the nurse had made a formal request to the principal to look into the matter. Dean hadn’t given names, but the word got out and the said gang of goons started skirting him. It had still taken a quarter hours reassurance to get Cas to leave without him. 

Now his legs ached, his lungs screamed in protest. I’m experiencing old age at fifteen, Dean thought wryly as he pushed the gate of bell stone open. He heard the voices before the scene around the corner met his eyes.

A woman’s voice was echoing in the yard, high and poignant and authoritative. The familiarity and hope of just seeing someone he knew had Dean running despite the pain shooting up his foot. He wasn’t wrong. 

There she was standing tall and thin, with short brown hair, and the sheriffs uniform crisply cutting a formidable figure before him. Even though her back was to him, Dean knew it was her.

Jody.

He started rushing towards her, then abruptly stopped, the realisation hitting him like a block of ice. No one knew that he knew Jody. He couldn’t just barge in like that and blow his cover and their plan. The sight of her induced such homesickness, Dean staggered to the tree next to him, falling back against it for support. He felt like his legs might give out anytime. 

Even if he did meet her, what was he going to tell her? He’d made no progress when it came to the Stynes. Jody had put all her trust in him, risked arguments with authoritative people to get him in and he had nothing for her. He had no clue about where all the kids were disappearing off to. Shame and guilt flared up inside him and he lowered himself on the ground, disappearing completely from her line of vision.

He had disappointed her. 

“Officer,” someone cleared his throat. Dean recognised Andy. He sounded uncomfortable and scared. “It wasn’t really my fault, you see.”

“Not your fault?” Jody thundered. “Locking up kids like that on floors? And don’t you lie to me, I saw the grills myself.”

“They’re old, rusted and just there, doesn’t mean we use them,” Andy stuttered. He was much taller than Jody, but right now she seemed to tower over him.

“Do you take me for an idiot? I rolled one of those down, and for iron so rusted, it sure slid down smoothly.”

Despite the reeling shame, Dean wanted to whoop out loud. Jody was one of the smartest people he knew, and badass. Andy was in for it.

“We searched the whole place thoroughly, and those kids live in horrible conditions,” she said. “This place is a living hazard. You call it a boys home?” And what of the left wing?” she pressed, disgusted.

Dean dared to raise his head above the shrubbery just a little bit to peer into the opening. Jody was standing along with two other police officers, all of them in uniform. Andy was just a few feet away, visibly displaced, and Garth was hovering in the background, for apparently no other reason than to provide staff support to Andy. Garth seemed disinterested in the exchange and was fiddling with the dials on his walkman.

“The left wing is not in my jurisdiction. It’s always locked up. It doesn’t belong to the orphanage.” Andy’s voice was reedy.

Jody put her hands on her hips. “Really?” There was a dangerous edge to her tone. “And you don’t have the keys.”

“No,” Andy lied through his teeth. That asshole. 

If Dean had had any reservations about whether or not Andy knew what was up in this place, they were shattered right then and there. He was in this with the Stynes.

Jody turned to the police officer next to her. “Alright, Andrew, we’re breaking in.”

“Do you have a warrant to search the place?” Andy questioned. Dean swore under his breath. This man actually had the audacity to act superior. Dean tried to raise his head further to get a better view, to see the expression on Jody’s face. His foot slipped and fell back on the ground with a crash.

“Who’s there?” Andy said sharply.

“Shit!” 

“Get up,” Jody ordered, and Dean, after muttering a few more choice words, staggered to his feet and raised his hands. “It’s me.”

Andy’s face turned red, the suppressed anger making its appearance. “Winchester!” he bellowed, “What the f-... hell are you doing there?”

“I-I fell down,” he said hurriedly. “Was coming back from school.”

“From behind the bush?” It was Jody. “Higgs, what’s this boy doing here?”

Dean noted with detachment that he’d actually never known what Andy’s last name was. He avoided meeting Jody’s gaze.

“Look up!” Jody ordered, and Dean did so; slowly.

It was there for a split second, but Dean saw it in her brown eyes as they widened. A complex emotion; a mixture of relief, tenderness, pain… and then horror… anger.

“Higgs.” Jody’s voice was low, but it was so full of anger, loathing, that Dean backpedalled. “What the hell,” she said, seething, “happened to his face?”

Andy looked at Dean properly for the first time and paled. The angry red patches on his cheeks disappeared quickly. “I-I don’t know,” he said, running a hand across his face nervously. “You know how they get sometimes. Boys will be boys.”

But Jody was having none of Andy’s shit. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled his face to her level. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t drag your ass back to the station for allowing child abuse.” She looked dangerous, and Dean truly understood why everyone with ill-intent back home ran in the opposite direction when they saw her car. 

Dean knew she couldn’t actually haul Andy to the station. This wasn’t her area of jurisdiction. This was just part of her case. And even if she could get the local PD to do this, it threatened their whole operation. Sniffing police interference, the Stynes might completely move their base. Children would keep disappearing and Dean would lose his only chance of finding Sam.

Andy stammered a mumbled explanation as Jody pushed him roughly. Dean didn’t hear a word of what Andy was saying, for Jody had turned to look at him, and Dean braced himself for the disappointment in them. Not only had he failed her so far in the operation, he’d managed to get his ass kicked spectacularly, too. In fact, his bruises were better now, light purple to yellow in some parts and the swelling almost gone in others. 

When Dean looked up, Jody had squared her shoulders to face only him. Her eyes were blazing, though not with dismay or any hint of let down. There was only regret and pain there and so much worry that Dean felt he would drown in it. 

He was reeling. Suddenly he was standing in the front space of Bobby’s house, Jody looking down at him not with anger but worry when he’d first rigged a car. The day when he’d caught Bobby and her sitting on the porch steps and how hastily she had withdrawn her hand from Bobby’s when she’d seen Dean walk towards. He remembered the sun light squinting off the wooden table and how she had been nervously running her fingers along the edge of the table when Bobby told him they were seeing each other. Jody who was never nervous, only scary, had cared about what Dean, who wasn’t even Bobby’s son, had to say about their relationship. 

Dean remembered all the times she had driven by early so she could drop Dean off at school when Bobby was out of town. he had hated being driven around in the sheriff’s car. It was like announcing ‘don’t be friends with me, I know the sheriff.’ He’d barely ever spoken a word to her then. Suddenly there had been casseroles on holidays and real food on the table on Sunday mornings, instead of whatever mix Bobby put on the table in his hungover state.

All the sneaking around, whispers that were quieted too quickly so it wouldn’t make Dean awkward. The hope in her eyes when he sipped the coffee that she had made on mornings that she’d stayed over. She would almost always get it wrong by adding sugar, when Dean liked his black. Only now, after he had lived in this hell hole, did he realise the sort of luxury he’d had. He was no different from all the boys living in the orphanage. His parents were as dead and cold in their graves as the others’. But unlike them, he’d always had a room of his own, no worry where his next meal came from. He’d had gruff ‘good mornings’ from Bobby and shenanigans in his garage. And unexpectedly, softness from a woman who made her living by being firm.

Tears burned at the back of Dean’s throat and he blinked rapidly, still unable to take his eyes off of hers. Of course there would be no disappointment in those eyes… only care and… love. Jody’s eyes shone with unshed tears of her own, and he could see her desperately trying to get a grip. 

“I got punched at school,” Dean said through a thick throat. “It wasn’t anybody’s fault.” He fervently hoped that behind his words, she heard what he truly wanted to say. It wasn’t your fault, Jody. None of this is. Please don’t pull me out of here. For the both of us.

She had wanted this one win in that male dominated department where she was better by ten times than any idiot. And he wanted… no, he needed to find Sam. He stared intently back at her, willing her to understand. At long last, she nodded. A quick jerk of her chin.

“Alright,” she said hoarsely. Dean hoped that the others interpreted it as anger. “Get going then. Next time I hear of you breaking into fights, I’ll admit you to a juvie myself. You get that?”

Dean nodded.

“Off you go,” she ordered in what was supposed to be a stern voice. Then, she very deliberately raised her hand, as if to shoo him off, and pointed it to the side of the orphanage. Even though the main door was right in front. Something glinted off her finger as it caught the Sun, and Dean caught his breath. It was a thin gold band, plain but solid, resting on the second finger.

He had to bite his lips so as to not betray a reaction.

She widened her eyes. GO.

Dean turned on his heel and headed towards the side she had pointed towards, completely bypassing the main door. In the distance he could hear Jody ordering Andy and the others off towards the left wing, even if just for the heck of it. Leading them away, he realised, away from him.

He increased his pace and turned around the corner. Dean rarely visited this part of the ground. Mostly because there was an old barnhouse there that totally creeped him out. Once upon a time, when the orphanage hadn’t actually been an orphanage but a handsome, inhabited manor, the barhouse used to house actual animals- poultry, horses and pigs. Now it was just as dilapidated as the manor house if not more. The timber girders were sagging under the dead load of the disrupted roof. The planks that made up the walls had been eaten into by termites, and cobwebs adorned the facade extensively. Of course it gave Dean the creepers. Of course he’d never even been slightly tempted to go in. But as he inspected the barren building, he noticed, to his surprise, that the door was ajar.

Dean knew the barn-house was used as a storage for things so old that even the Orphanage didn’t want it inside, which was saying something. Dean and Cas often joked that the only use it would be would be if they used it as kindling and set it on fire. At least one night wouldn’t be so cold anymore. The trepidation he felt as he stepped inside the threshold now, was very real. 

Inside, everything was at least five times dustier than what he thought it would be. And so much darker. Silhouetted against the broken furniture and wardrobes was a man. He was wearing plaid underneath a thick flannel jacket and a baseball cap. Scruffy beard covered his face. A face with all too many frown lines, but laugh lines around his eyes. A face that was more familiar to Dean than any other.

Before he knew it, Dean was bounding forwards till his face was pressed against the soft cotton of the man’s shirt.

“Bobby!” Dean let out a strangled dry sob. 

It was too much. The weeks and weeks of living in this hell house, the constant fear for Sam, of not finding Sam, all came crashing down. Then there was that other feeling, one that almost made him feel ashamed. If Dean didn’t know better, he’d say it was a feeling of… belonging. But how could he belong to this place? He hated every brick of the orphanage. A place that caged children. His Sam... Cas and Will. Maybe the belonging wasn’t with the place… but with the people.

“Hush,” Bobby said gruffly, patting Dean’s shoulder. Dean noticed that his voice was thicker than usual. Bobby cleared his throat. “It’s alright, my boy.”

Dean didn’t want to let go of Bobby. Not just because he had missed Bobby terribly, but because he’d never actually ever hugged Bobby like this. He didn’t know what to expect when he pulled back. 

When he did, there was only fierceness in Bobby’s eyes. Fierceness and fear. Not unlike Dean’s own fear for his brother and friends. A disjointed part of his mind wondered if love and fear were always this connected. And how it had taken him a trip to this goddamn place to feel both of those emotions so viscerally.

Bobby was still looking down at him, his lashes were wet. Dean had to look away.

“What are you doing here?” Dean asked.

Bobby shrugged. “I heard about the fire from Jody. I-I was worried.” he hesitated, then added. “I needed to know that you were fine. I know you’re… well, you’re scared of fire.”

Dean had never said it, but Bobby was there in the early days when Dean even flinched from the stove fire. 

That still didn’t answer the question.

“I mean, what’re you doing here?” Dean gestured to the out house.

Bobby cleared his throat once more. “Sneaked in. Had to see you. I had to beg with Jody so I could tag along. Her only condition- no one could see me.”

“Jody!” Dean suddenly remembered, then threw a finger towards Bobby. “You’re getting married?”

Bobby shuffled from one foot to another, almost looking nervous. “Yeah. I had that ring made for a while now, since before you left. And I meant to ask you before asking her… but she found it in the back pocket of my pants and well, the damn cat was out of the bag.”

Dean stared. 

Romantic proposal was one thing. He hadn’t really expected Bobby to put on fairy lights around the house and fill the front yard with rose petals, but the proposal could have been more than her accidentally stumbling upon the ring. Dean wanted to shake his head indulgently at Bobby’s complete and utter lack of romantic timing. Maybe Jody liked that sort of spontaneous thing. Who knew? 

There was something in Bobby’s words that stopped Dean from acting upon his amusement.

“You said you wanted to ask me?” Dean asked flatly.

Bobby looked even more nervous if that was possible. “It is your home, Dean. I wanted to ask you if it was alright with you.” He looked at Dean with a worried expression.

This time Dean really did shake his head. “Bobby, you crazy old man,” Dean laughed. “Of course I’m happy for you. Jody is a badass.”

Bobby’s eyes softened, and his shoulders relaxed. “She wanted you to know, too. Said it didn’t count as engagement if you weren’t in on it.”

The tears had just subsided, but Dean’s throat burned with them again. 

“Bobby,” he said, his voice rough. “You getting married to Jody would be the best damn thing to happen to our home.”

Bobby beamed. His whole face lit up, and for a second Dean could almost feel the homely warmth of Bobby’s kitchen in the cold, dusty barnhouse. Then Bobby’s smile slid.

“What’re you doing here, kid?” Bobby asked, his face screwing up in his classic frown. He always tried to look annoyed when he was feeling something, Dean remembered fondly. “Come home. The place feels just like an empty car dump without you annoying my gourd,” he said pointing to his head.

Dean wanted to smile at Bobby’s attempt to lighten the tone, though it didn’t take a keen eye to see the wetness of his lashes, hear the gruffness of his voice.

“Sam…” Dean started.

“Sam’s… Sam’s a ghost story, Dean!” Bobby almost gasped, as if he’d tried too hard to not say those words, but they had escaped him anyway. Dean’s heart seemed to crack just a bit. He could see that Bobby loved him. Like his own son. But for Bobby, Sam was still his friend’s son, who was lost. He had no connection to Sam whatsoever. 

All these years, through hot grizzly afternoons and through cold shivery winter nights, that blood bond was what had kept Dean awake, picturing horrors that might have been happening to his brother who was still out there somewhere. Who knew? Maybe waiting for his older brother. Dean had held on to it, steadfast, never giving up. But somewhere through the years, Bobby had.

Dean didn’t begrudge Bobby the non-attachment, but if only he understood that finding Sam was the purpose of life for Dean, especially now that there was a ray of hope, now that he was so close to discovering the truth.

Perhaps Bobby understood too well, because he put his hand on Dean’s shoulder. “Shouldn’t have said that,” he sighed. “I’m sorry. I just worry about you.” His eyes roved over Dean’s face. “Look at all of his,” he gestured vaguely at the bruises. 

“It’s nothing, Bobby,”

“Exactly!” Bobby pointed out. “It could get so much worse.” But something about Dean’s look made Bobby’s shoulders slump. It was clear that Dean wasn’t going to give up on this.

With a resigned gesture of his arms, Bobby turned around and produced a wooden box from behind. The box wasn’t ornate but, the rosewood exterior had a pristine quality to it, as if the box had been in existence since a long, long time.

“Here.” Bobby’s voice was heavy, and his eyes had that look… the one that made him look older than he was. “Take it.”

“What is it?” Dean asked, running his fingers over the rough exterior of the dark wood. 

Bobby didn’t answer, and Dean clicked the lock on it. The lid opened easily enough. Inside was a collection of mismatched things. There was a small knife, a little charm bracelet, a figurine of a peaceful looking baby angel and among other things a bundle of photos. Images after images of his family… of faces that he was afraid he was beginning to forget. Photographs from his parents' wedding, in front of their lawn, from his childhood, dad hugging mom in front of a sleek black car.

“Your dad loved that thing,” Bobby murmured, but Dean barely paid attention. He was hungrily flipping through the bundle, his hands shaking. At the very end, there were pictures of a small baby, clicked in a series. Small chubby hands held out, rosy cheeks, light brown hair and a laugh that seemed to reach out of the picture itself. 

Dean didn’t know whether to simply keep looking at the picture- because at this point his eyes were simply devouring it- or shut the box, just so he could control his feelings, get a grip on his wildly failing heart.

“Where?” he stammered, shutting the box as the later instinct won. “Where did you find these?” Even to his own ears, Dean’s voice sounded strangled.

“I’ve always had them,” Bobby said, then gauging Dean’s outrage quickly added, “I wanted you to move on, Dean. When you first came to live with me, you didn’t talk for half a year. It was like living with a shadow. I didn’t want you to get lost in the past and never resurface from whatever goddamned dark depth you had fallen into. And then when you started talking, and it looked like you were finally going to get a childhood, I didn’t want you to lose yourself in a false hope.”

“So you never gave these to me?” Dean glared. He could feel the blood rising to his face, his fingers balling into fists.

Bobby squared his shoulders. “Damn right I never gave you those. And I won’t feel sorry for hoping that you’d give up on the crazy mission to find Sam. You were just a kid, Dean. You still are, and from what I knew, I truly believed Sam was lost.” His voice cracked.

Just like that Dean felt all the anger leave him, his body deflating. Suddenly he felt tired, bone weary. His legs gave out from under him and he collapsed onto a dusty trunk. What was the point of being mad? It was not like Bobby had kept his childhood from him. Dean still had his mother’s picture by the side of his bed. His dad’s first sawed off and baseball glove on the wall. He’d always had mementos to remember his parents by. The only things new were Sam’s pictures. And what was even the point in blaming Bobby. All he wanted was to help Dean. Besides, Bobby had left no stone unturned in his time to find Sam.

“Why are you giving this to me now?” Dean asked, head bent low, all energy simply draining out of him.

Bobby lowered himself to Dean’s level, hand back on his shoulders, “Because now it might actually help you.”

Dean couldn’t help himself. He flung his arms around Bobby once more. This was more hugging than maybe all of their time together, but Dean simply didn’t care. “I can’t wait to be back,” he admitted, his voice muffled against Bobby’s shoulder.

Bobby chuckled dryly. “Can’t wait to have you back either, kid.”

After a moment he let go, patting Dean’s back in quick succession. “You still remember about the pager, right?”

Dean nodded, now slightly awkward. “I’ll send out a flare if there is ever an emergency.” Secretly Dean knew he wasn’t going to do it until he found Sam because that would mean an immediate rescue and permanent goodbye to this place.

Bobby gave him one more hard look, then nodded and walked out of the barnhouse. Goodbyes weren’t really his thing.

Dean knew that they couldn’t have left together, too much risk, so he waited for a few minutes, then slipped out, too, the box clutched tightly in his hands. He felt both lighthearted and also awfully homesick at the same time. So lost was he in his own feelings that he never noticed the shadow move from the side of the barnhouse where it had been lodged for a while now, and come face to face with him.

Dean ran headfirst into the wall of black, then staggered backwards.

“Benny!” he said, surprised as he looked into the shadowed face.

Benny’s face looked impassive, his eyes however were narrowed. “That police woman looked like she wanted to smother you in hugs.Your old man looks pretty solid and caring and alive. Care to tell me who is this Sam you’re looking for, Winchester?”

******************************

A/N 2: Please do tell me what you thought of the chapter? I live for comments!

If you wanna be tagged, please send me an ask

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[unlockthelore]

The First Meeting

Chapter 1 of From the Far Shore, With Love. For more updates, follow the from the far shore tag. 

Yashiro sighed heavily, her hands swinging at her sides as she shuffled through the hall. Attempting to delay her inevitable return to the bathroom for and her Cinderella-esque tale would only result in more heartbreak. Though she wasn’t sure why Hanako wouldn’t just give her a little time off.

She’d earned it after all that they went through lately, hadn’t she? A pout tugging at her lips as she set it in mind to try and ask him for a day where she could go home and relax. Even if that meant that she wouldn’t get to see his face for a little while, distance made the heart grow fonder, didn’t it?

Her steps slowed with a light tap as her foot fell and she stared forward in a daze. W-What was that thought?! Pressing her hands to the sides of her heads, Yashiro shook her head vehemently, trying to dispel the thoughts before they sank deep into her mind.

Her barrettes pressing uncomfortably against her palms as she mused up her hair. Of course, she was trying to do this to honor her deal with Hanako and if not she might turn into a mermaid but why didn’t that feel like a solid excuse anymore?

What’s going on?

Pressing her back to the wall, she sank down and tucked her knees close to her chest with her arms resting atop of them, her cheek pillowed against her forearm. The evening sunlight slanted through the windows painted the floors and walls of the old building in a honey gold, and Yashiro was sure that the sky was beautiful.

It would be even prettier from the girls’ bathroom where the mosaic would catch the lighting just right making all the colors in the stained glass shine. And he would be sitting there as he usually did.

It’s been so strange around him lately.

Ever since they returned from that fake world, she felt it. This shift between them. His downcast expression and trembling voice, the chill from his hands on her skin, and it was simply —

Heartbreaking.

But something changed there. The length that he would go for her and the assurance that he was doing it for her. She wanted to say that he was wrong, that he was just doing what she had, but she was wrong. Her life was dwindling day after day, and they didn’t know what to do to stop it.

So doesn’t that mean I should spend every day with him?

Regardless of what these feelings were?

Yashiro’s head bounced off the wall as she tipped it back and she sighed, burying her face against her arms. All she needed was a few minutes to gather her thoughts before she went to see him. Then everything would be as it normally was, and they would talk as they usually did. That’s all there was to it.

Absolutely.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there but the sound of shuffling feet and a humming marching tune caught her attention. Slowly lifting her head, she blinked up at the sight of a line of Mokke being led down the hall with candy between their ear(s) and humming that tune in time.

The ones leading them, a boy with his fist pumped in the air as he called out another marching tune. Stopping short when he crossed in front of her, staring down at her with rose-gold eyes.

Yashiro stared up at him and he returned the gaze with wide eyes, a hand clutching his sleeve as another boy leant forward at his side. They looked identical down from their hair to the clothes that they were, collared shirts with black overalls, and long white socks. Unruly dark hair shy of their shoulders, and rose-gold eyes, sun-kissed skin dotted with freckles across their noses and the cutest faces she’d seen since Mitsuba.

Blinking away her confusion, she frowned and tilted her head. They seemed to be around elementary school age. What were they doing here by themselves? Maybe their parents were near by?

“Uhm…” Yashiro muttered, glancing back at the procession of Mokke who seemed confused that their leaders stopped. Peering around the boys with a long stare and hum at her. “… Are you two lost?”

Both boys looked at one another as if for confirmation of whether or not they were lost then down at her before shaking their heads.

“I see…” Yashiro slowly stood to her feet, feeling a bit embarrassed at being caught sulking by kids of all people. Their eyes followed her and she tried to tell them apart at a glance. There was the one clinging to the other’s shirt, and the one in front. And it was difficult to put her finger on what set them apart.

“… What’s your names? I-I’m Yashiro Nene, I go to school here.”

The boy standing in front glanced to the one hiding behind him then looked up at her.

“Hikari,” he shouted, punching his fist in the air.

The Mokke cheered from behind and Hikari grinned, rubbing the back of his neck, his sleeve falling giving Yashiro a few of the dark pattern of freckles on his wrist.

Looking toward the other boy, he tensed up and shuffled behind Hikari, peeking out from over his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” Yashiro said, crouching with her hand on her knee, the other resting against her chest. “I won’t hurt you.”

Hikari glanced back at his twin and tilted his head, his hair obscuring his left eye as he tried to get a look at him from where he hid. Although he didn’t say anything, Yashiro couldn’t help but think they were having a conversation in their own way. The boy tip toeing from behind his brother, Hikari’s sleeve pinched between his forefinger and thumb while his other hand was fisted in the fabric of his shorts.

“… Tsukiko,” he uttered so softly that Yashiro nearly missed it. The sunlight’s honey gold washed over them, illuminating them both and his cheeks, stained with a scarlet red, reminded her of Hanako when he was blushing.

Wait, Hanako-kun!

“Ah! I totally forgot!” Yashiro shouted, startling both boys and the Mokke. She waved her hands frantically. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you but I really have to go uhm… Make sure that you find your way home safely, okay? A-And if you get lost, just tell someone to call me and I’ll come, okay?”

She started running down the hall, lamenting the lecture that she might get once she stepped into the bathroom.

“Miss!”

Yashiro glanced over her shoulder, seeing Tsukiko waving to her while Hikari led the Mokke down the other hall.

“Good luck!”

She smiled and waved back to him. “Thank you!”

The smile he gave her was warm and he hurried after his brother, Yashiro turning around and running off. Prepping herself with an apology as she pushed the door open, the last thing she expected was Tsuchigomori sitting on the sill with Hanako. The two of them looking at her when she came in.

Ah, well this was good timing to ask and possibly save herself from one of Hanako’s rants.

“Tsuchigomori-sensei, did some of the teachers bring their children to school with them today?” She asked, going to pick up her tenugui and tie it on her head.

“There’s no other teachers on the grounds but myself,” Tsuchigomori said, and Yashiro froze up. What? “And the custodians… None of them have family they brought to the school grounds today.”

“A-Are you sure, Tsuchigomori-sensei?”

“Mm.” Tsuchigomori glanced at Hanako before tapping his pipe out on an ashtray sitting between them. “Often when an older figure brings their child here, they speak about them potentially going to school here.”

He waved his hand, smoke curling lazily in the air and though the scent could be a little overpowering, Yashiro was overcome by the looming dread and realization of what she saw.

“Lofty expectations but it starts hope and the child is prone to exploring,” Tsuchigomori glanced down at the Mokke making their way from beneath one of the stalls. “The Mokke would have told if there was a child, they’re taken to them because of their appearance.”

“I-I see..” Yashiro shivered, walking over to grab the cleaning supplies that Kou must have left the time before. Her hand gripping the mop tighter than necessary but her stomach was turning and her legs trembling.

“What’s wrong, Yashiro?” Hanako asked, a cold chill racing down her spine. He must have been close because it almost sounded like he was talking directly in her ear. “You look pale.”

“I think I saw…” Yashiro swallowed thickly, peeking up at him. “A ghost.”

The concern in Hanako’s eyes shifted to a narrowed-eyed stare. “Yashiro, you remember that I’m—“

“N-Not like that, Hanako-kun!” She interjected before he could finish those words. It still pained her that he is dead. She didn’t need him reminding her of it. “They’re two ghosts that I’ve never seen before!”

Hanako blinked at her owlishly then glanced back at Tsuchigomori. The latter humming thoughtfully, his shoulders hiking in a half-hearted shrug.

“Well, it is getting to be about that time where the gap between the Far Shore and the Near Shore is at its shortest,” he pointed out, and Hanako nodded in agreement.

Looking back at her, despite his easy-going smile, his eyes were sharp with attention and almost cold. “Were they causing any trouble?” Hanako asked in that sweet unassuming voice.

Thinking back to Hikari and Tsukiko, the reassurements, their cheer, how small they were and their laughter — Yashiro shook her head vehemently.

“No… but…”

They were so young. Maybe, they were just kids that wandered onto the school grounds and decided to play around. But if they weren’t —

Did they die when they were that young?

“Yashiro,” Hanako called, easing her from her thoughts with a hand against her cheek. “Are you sure you’re okay..?”

She cupped the back of his hand, the chill from his fingers and palm making goosebumps rise on her arms but she held onto him nonetheless. Somehow, the feeling that something was wrong wouldn’t leave her be.

“Mm, I’m fine.”

[merakiaes]

Clocks And Numbers - Tony Stark

Pairing: Tony Stark x reader

Requested: By @its-the-tear-in-my-heart

Warnings/notes: Everyone’s dyscalculia is different from the other’s, so I’m sorry if this wasn’t what you where looking for. I wrote this out of my own experiences and difficulties. I really hope you like it! 

Wordcount: 2716

Summary: You have dyscalculia, which is a kind of learning issue that makes it hard to understand concepts related to numbers. Tony, being the sweetheart he is, tries his best to support and encourage you!

You knew something was off when you first started school and started getting taught how to read the analog clock. While most of the kids your age had learnt it by heart two weeks into it, you were still stuck in a corner struggling to differ the number three from the number eight. So it was safe to say you could not even begin to understand a circle with twelve numbers and a countless of combinations.

Your parents and teachers just blamed it on math anxiety, they told you that only if you wanted to, you could do it. You just had to put your mind to it, right? Right.

It wasn’t until you got sent home with your first math homework that your parents understood that you needed extra help. This wasn’t just anxiety. They could see so clearly on your face that you, in fact, didn’t understand a fucking thing of the things written on the paper in front of you.

But it took more than a pair of insistent parents to convince the school of getting you extra help. So you struggled. For years, you struggled to get through the different grades. At one point, you just stopped going to math class, resulting in getting failed every year.

Not that it mattered if you went there, anyways. Every time you looked into your assigned math book, the numbers seemed to come alive, switching places and turning left and right and hanging upside down. It was impossible to read.

Now, in your other classes, like English, Biology and Theatre, you got praised constantly. Reading was one of your biggest passions. You had gone through school with straight A’s in English. But when reading a math problem, you couldn’t even read the letters. The number completely and utterly screwed them up.

You could count addition and subtraction without too much trouble seeing as you learned them with hands-on props and they were reinforced from toddlerhood throughout your entire childhood. It took a long time to learn, but you got a hand of it, eventually.

But multiplication, division and fractions were practically impossible. You didn’t understand quantities, you couldn’t sort fractions from smallest to biggest. You couldn’t estimate numbers, you couldn’t count backwards. Not remember basic facts, and it was practically impossible for you to learn and perform calculations.

You couldn’t count in your head, always relying on counting with your fingers, which of course, made it a nightmare for you when you got called up by a teacher to solve a problem on the board. Almost every time, it ended up with said teacher losing their patience and yelling out something in the likes of “Oh, for God’s sake. It’s not even that hard, everyone else can do it. You need to study harder!”

Study harder. You wished it was that easy.

Not until you were fourteen did the school finally realize that you needed extra help and resources to be able to graduate high school. However, to do that, you needed to re-take all of the previous math classes you had failed in, which in turn resulted in her having to read  more than double the amount of math than your peers during the rest of your time in high school.

It was hell, but you got through it, and graduated. But your problems with math didn’t end with school.

When you turned twenty, you had finally settled down enough for yourself to be able to get your own apartment and move out of your parents’ house. But even then, math haunted you; apparently, paying your own bills was an important thing to be able to do when living alone.

You got through two weeks until you had to call your parents for money after miscalculating the amount of money in your bank account and buying a non-refundable bag when mistakenly thinking you could afford it.

Spoiler alert, you had done the calculations all wrong and entirely overestimated the amount of money you would have left after paying your bills. So, long story short, your parents had to lend you money in order for you to be able to pay your electrical bill. And after that fiasco, and after paying them back, of course, your mother had taken over the billing.

Now you were twenty-five. Your mom no longer took care of your bills, but that was just because Tony took over for her when you moved into the Avengers Tower. You avoided math as much as you possibly could.

You never went to the store alone, not being able to keep track of bills and change and getting anxious to the point where you felt you were about to faint when having to hand the cashier the right amount of money.

You didn’t cook, as you always misread the numbers in the ingredient measurements. You couldn’t handle anything in the likes of budgets or finances. Still at this age, you didn’t have a single multiplication table memorized. You could never trust yourself enough to write out numbers by hand, chances being high that you would accidentally write a three instead of a four, or a one instead of a ten. You couldn’t even look at a Rubik’s cube, and time zones baffled you to no end.

And your hands, man, there were two of them. Left and right. Which was which, again? You still, to this day, hadn’t learnt your lefts and rights. If you wanted to give someone directions, you had to look down on your hands and think about which one was your dominant to be able to figure out if you wanted to tell the person left or right as a direction.

You couldn’t plan to save your life, which caused you to go about your days minute by minute, taking them as they came. But, realistically, as a known given, you did understand that, sometimes, making plans and being on time was crucial.

At times like these, you had your phone notify you several times. And every time, you had to check, double check, reassure yourself, and check again, to make sure you had the time correct.

Why? One might ask. Well, because you still hadn’t learnt to read a fucking clock. And this was the exact source of your frustration on this very Thursday morning.

Peter Parker had waltzed in in his pajamas a while ago, how long ago exactly you didn’t know. How could you? He asked you for the time seeing as you were face to face with the clock on the kitchen wall, the very wall he was behind.

He was new to the tower, so he couldn’t have known not to ask you for the time.

You had kindly explained the situation to him, and he had instantly started apologizing. After spending at least five minutes assuring him that it was fine, he had left for school, and you were left alone at last.

You had stared at the clock, annoyed beyond words as you picked on your scrambled eggs. The rest of the team members were either out on a mission, or still sleeping. Sighing, you had finally pushed your chair back and walked across the room, reaching up on your tippy toes to take the clock down from the wall.

Bringing it back with you to your seat, you had sat yourself down again, putting the clock in front of you on the surface and positioning your body so that you could see it better.

You weren’t sure how long you sat there, just staring at the clock and trying to piece together the clock pointers with the different numbers. You couldn’t even differ the minute pointer from the hour pointer.

But before you knew it, you were crying and flinging the poor, innocent clock across the room, the clear plastic at the front cracking and shattering onto the marble floors. You groaned in frustration, your hands coming to pull at your hair as you leant back into your chair.

“Good morning.” A voice suddenly came from somewhere else in the room, startling you. You turned your head to the hallway leading to all the bedrooms, watching as Tony casually strolled into the kitchen quarters, hand motioning to the broken watch on the floor. “What did that clock ever do to you?”

You didn’t answer, only grabbing your fork and moving it about in your, now cold, eggs. As Tony got closer, he noticed the wet streaks adorning your slightly puffy cheeks. Instantly realizing his mistake, Tony came up to your side.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have joked about it.” He apologized gently, carefully moving to touch her shoulder as an act of comfort.

You shook your head. “It’s fine, I’m just really tired.” You sighed, your hand coming to rest on top of his, squeezing his fingers with your own.

Tony knew more than well what a hard time you had when it came to numbers, and despite being his cocky, boastful, genius self, he never once judged you for it, always offering you the support and encouragement you needed to stop feeling sad.

You looked up to meet his eyes, gentle as ever as he stared down at you with an equally as gentle smile. His hand came up to touch your cheek gingerly. “You know it’s not because you’re dumb, right?” He mumbled, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear.

Your heart swelled at the absolutely sincere and deep gaze he was giving you, your entire body getting warm at the fact that he was able to read you like an open book, being able to tell exactly what you were thinking just with a glance at your face.

He knew your struggle with the numbers made you feel like an idiot many of the times; he probably knew you better than you did yourself. And he always knew how to make it better, just by looking at you.

“It feels like it. Which twenty-five year old doesn’t know how to read an analog clock?” You muttered, leaning into his chest as he moved closer behind you.

You could just picture him raising his eyebrows in thought at your words, his hand moving from your shoulder so that he could wrap his arms around you. “A lot of them. You’re not alone, (Y/N). You’re not stupid, or mentally challenged. You just need a little extra time to learn, alright?”

You didn’t answer, instead just taking in what he was saying. You knew he was right, but you still felt stupid. Noticing you weren’t going to answer, Tony left you at the kitchen island briefly to walk across the room towards the clock, picking up the broken piece of plastic and bringing it back over.

He put it on the surface in front of you, before leaving the room, coming back only seconds later with a roll of bright pink tape, a notepad, and a ballpoint pen in his hand.

“Here.” He took a seat next to you and pulled the clock closer to himself, breaking off the rest of the broken plastic on the front of it and grabbing the tape, pulling out a long stripe. He began wrapping it around one of the pointers, until it was fully covered, and then bent his head down to cut it off with his teeth.

You watched him while he did whatever it was that he was doing, and once he was done, he pushed the clock closer to the middle where you would both be able to see it clearly, before grabbing the small notepad and pen and putting them in front of you.

“The pink pointer is the minute pointer, and the black one is the hour pointer.” He explained as you carefully moved to grab the pen. “Now, you know in which order you write the hour and minute in digital clock, right?” He looked to you for confirmation.

You nodded. “The hour goes first, and the minutes go after.”

“Right.” He confirmed with a nod of his own. “Okay, so the black pointer shows what hour it is. And the pink one shows what minute it is. Now, if you were to write down the respective numbers, the hour first and minute second, what would you get?”

“Uh…” You thought to yourself, eyes moving over the clock in concentration. Frowning, you spoke. “The black one isn’t at any of the numbers.”

Tony only hummed. “If it’s not at any exact number, you pick the number the pointer went past last. So, if you look at the black pointer now, it’s between the nine and the ten. What number do you pick in this situation? What’s the hour?”

You let your eyes glance between the nine and the ten a few times, the frown on your face deepening, still not sure of how It worked. “Nine?”

“Yes!” He clapped his hands together before pointing at the pink pointer. “And what’s the minute?”

Shifting your gaze from the black pointer to the pink, the smile that had come to rest on your lips briefly at Tony’s praise, fell once again. “There’s only twelve numbers, and there’s sixty minutes in an hour.”

You slumped in your seat, and let your eyes fall shut as they were aching from the amount of time you had been staring at the damned clock. Noticing your exhaustion, Tony pushed the clock and notepad away, grabbing the pen out of your hand and wrapping his arm around your shoulders, pulling you up with him as he stood.

“Alright, that’s enough numbers for today.” He reassured you, starting to steer you out of the room, you following behind without asking any questions and just easing into his side. “How about we take a bath?”

You didn’t answer, tired and irritated. You just mumbled out an agreement and let him steer you out of the room and towards your shared bedroom.

The next day, you were up bright and early like the day before, catching the rest of the team all gathered in the kitchen, probably getting ready to go out on another mission. Something was different this morning, though.

Something you noticed, courtesy for your absolute hatred for analog clocks, was that you always picked up on their ticking sound. No matter how far away the clock in question was, or how much noise that surrounded you, you always heard it.

But not this morning. The only thing you could hear was the quiet chatter of your friends and colleges as you pattered into the kitchen area, along with the all too familiar sound of the brewing coffeepot.

And your suspicion of your greatest enemy having gone missing proved to be very true once you looked around the room and noticed that all three of the kitchen’s clocks, including the one you had broken the morning before, had been replaced with digital clocks.

You couldn’t contain the warm, fuzzy feeling bubbling up in the entirety of your body at the sight, and you wasted no time in walking over to Tony where he was sitting at the kitchen table with Steve and Rhodey at each side of him.

When he noticed you approaching, Tony instantly pushed his chair back just enough for you to slide into his lap. Taking him slightly by surprise, as you were usually not one for PDA, you took ahold of his face and pressed your lips to his in a long and hard kiss without speaking a single word, right in front of the other Avengers.

When you pulled away, you could see that he was confused, but visibly pleased, nonetheless. “What was that for?” He asked you quietly as he pulled you closer, a fond smile resting on his coffee-stained lips and crinkling at the corners of his still sleep ridden eyes.

You only smiled at him, keeping both of your hands on his cheeks and leaning your forehead against his. “Thank you.” Was all that you said, and all that was needed for him to understand.

His face lit up into an adorable smile, realization flashing through his eyes. “You’re welcome.” He nodded, and with that, he leant in to kiss you once more, not wanting to waste this grand opportunity of a breakfast make out.