#They'd probably sit in a meeting room like a week before they need to start producing the show and come up with the story on the spot.

[taldigi]

What would you say was the first sign that Miraculous was gonna became a bad show?

3D in the current style that it is. And no. I'm not talking about the anime. I'm talking about how it started to sacrifice style and substance for recognizability and cheap graphics. There are very strict guidelines on the style of the show and exaggerated expressions and genuinely good animation have been trashed or cut in order to not have to pay the most money. How do I know? I've seen it. I have seen things that I can never share but I know about. Shit that sits in a locked folder on a USB drive.

I've been very fortunate to speak to people behind the scenes and get some insight on development. I've poured over reports and surveys. I've read interviews. I've seen statistics.

There is a lot of company input that goes into miraculous. And you know how it is when CEOs and directors boards get involved with creative projects. You would be surprised at the amount of influence companies like Gloob have over the development of the show.

Miraculous wants to be a serious show. But it also wants to be a kiddie show- and miraculous wants to be a kids show because kids programming sells toys and toys are what have kept miraculous afloat for as long as it has.

[girlgenius1111]

that night was a mistake.

from a request for a childhood friends to lovers fic with Ona and reader :)

I had intended for this to be... significantly shorter and significantly less angsty but this is what I came up with and i'm rolling with it.

there will be at least one more part

tw. homophobia [not accepting parents]. panic attack. no smut... yet.

The news of Ona signing onto play at Barca should not have filled your stomach with butterflies, but it did. It should have just been an exciting piece of information to receive , but it wasn't. Instead, it sent you spiraling back to your youth, your confusing friendship with Ona. The way you'd left things. It had been a while since you'd seen each other, really seen each other. You'd stepped away from the national team like everyone else had, but unlike Ona, you had not gone back. Even then, you hadn't been around her much since you'd both played on the Barcelona B team. Since you'd so incredibly, so inexplicably fucked things up. The idea of seeing Ona again, not just for a week or two, but every day, was more than a little overwhelming.

Which is how you found yourself on Mapi and Ingrid's front porch at 10pm, the day Ona's signing had been announced. It only occurred to you that you probably looked like a mess, and your unexpected arrival would probably concern your older friends, once you'd already knocked. The door flew open before you could rethink your actions, and Mapi's surprised face stared back at you, quickly turning into one of concern.

"Are you ok? What happened?" Her voice was filled with worry, and you suddenly wished you'd come up with any other plan than the one you'd chosen.

"Um. I'm not really sure. Do you have a second to talk?" Your voice sounded shaky despite your best efforts to steady it, and Mapi's eyebrows creased even further, as she wordlessly stepped aside to let you in, putting a comforting hand on your shoulder, leading you to the couch.

Mapi looked at you with a searching gaze and asked, "Do you want me to get Ingrid?" after you'd perched on the couch, looking around for the defender's other half without even really realizing it. You paused, considering, before nodding your head, deciding that you needed to pull yourself together before you spoke again. Mapi disappeared into the bedroom, clearly taking a minute to explain that you were sitting on their couch and acting weird to Ingrid, as you heard muffled voices.

You focused on the little details of the room, attempting to force yourself back into the present. You loved Mapi and Ingrid's place. It was so them. So domestic. The comfy couch, the decorations that were clearly chosen by the Norwegian. The various items left strewn about on the counter, that could only have been left there by Mapi. You felt safe there, you reminded yourself. Ingrid and Mapi would never judge you. They'd do their best to understand, and maybe they'd be able to help.

Lost in your thoughts, you didn't realize the couple had walked into the room until you felt Ingrid's hand grab yours gently, her green eyes meeting yours, filled with so much concern, you felt yourself wilt a little.

"What's going on nena?" Mapi questioned as she took a seat on the couch next to Ingrid. You took a deep breath, deciding to launch into the story before you could change your mind.

It made sense that you were confiding in the older couple. You were young when you'd joined Barca, and Mapi had taken you under her wing. She'd become fiercely protective of you, and Ingrid had quickly followed suit when they'd gotten together. You told them everything. All of it. You'd never done that before, not with anyone. What had happened lived inside a little box in your head that you never let even yourself open.

You started from the beginning, how you and Ona had been really close when you'd played on the B team together. Best friends, before anything else. As you got older, things got different. The two of you got closer, until you were... confusingly close. Maybe it was only confusing to you; you'd been incredibly repressed back then. Staunchly convinced you weren't gay. Deep down, you had known, you'd always known. But that wasn't a reality you thought you could have, not with your parents being the way they were. Ona didn't seem to have the same problems that you did, always shrugging her shoulders at questions about the closeness of the 2 of you, as if she didn't care, when the same questions made you lose your breath, terrified of the implications.

Maybe it shouldn't have been surprising to you, then, when she'd kissed you. It was the obvious direction things were headed, but as she pressed her lips to yours in the dark of the club on her 18th birthday, all you could think was that this would ruin everything. It didn't matter how good it felt, how perfect her lips felt against yours, soft and tasting of cherry chapstick and tequila. It only mattered that you couldn't do this. Not you. Not with a girl, even Ona. It was fine if it was anyone else that was gay, it just wasn't fine if it was you.

So you'd pulled back, even though it killed you to do so. You watched the hurt flash across her face as you told her that you couldn't do this, as you backed away from her, out of the club, and walked all the way home. And even though you wanted to pretend that what happened had not mattered, it had. Because when you got home, you took one look at your parents sitting in the living room, at the crosses that hung on chains from their necks, the picture of fucking Jesus on the wall. And the words left your mouth before you could stop them. The kiss with Ona had changed something in you, and you couldn't go back.

"I'm gay." You had said, voice full of confidence, even as your heart pounded in your chest. They'd asked you to repeat yourself, and you had. They didn't seem surprised, only disappointed . Disappointed as they told you they expected you to move out the minute you turned 18, that they wouldn't support that kind of behavior. You hadn't fought them, hadn't yelled. You'd simply walked back into your bedroom, letting tears fall silently as you felt your family and your best friend, your Ona, slip away from you. She'd never really talked to you after that. She lifted out of your life like she'd never been in it. You never tried to explain yourself, determined that you could only be bad for Ona, that she was better off without you, without your mess.

At this point in the story, you were crying, tears streaming down your face as you admitted the truth for the first time. You lifted your gaze to see Mapi's face contorted in anger, Ingrid's eyes filled with tears. If you hadn't been so upset, you might have laughed at how typical their reactions were. Wiping your face harshly, you continued.

"I moved out the day I turned 18. Ona went to Madrid, and I stayed at Barca, and she never looked at me the same way again. I destroyed her that night, and I never told her why, never told her that I hadn't meant it. I'd just let her go. And now she's coming back, and I don't think I know how to be around her, how to talk to her like I haven't loved her with every inch of my soul for 6 years. And I just. Don't know what to do," your voice broke on the last word, and the sobs you'd been bravely holding in broke free, loud and filled with pain, filling the air.

It wasn't even a second before you felt yourself being pulled into Ingrid's arms, and you held on to her rather desperately, hand fisting into the soft material of her sweater, letting yourself fall apart completely against her. Her hands rubbed your back softly, and you felt Mapi scoot closer, pulling both of you into her arms. You cried until you couldn't cry anymore, and they remained a steady presence, holding you tightly until your sobs slowed to pathetic little sniffles you hated. You pulled away from them after several minutes, taking a deep breath, wiping the tears off your face, already knowing your breakdown would be evident the next morning.

Mapi handed you a glass of water that she'd seemingly procured from thin air and you gulped it down. You finally raised your head to meet their eyes, fearing the pity you would see there. You didn't find it; you only found empathy. You didn't miss the way Ingrid's hand was gripping Mapi's, or the way the sight of it made your heart clench, and your brain immediately fill with thoughts of Ona.

"Thank you for telling us that. I don't really know what to say, other than that you didn't deserve that from your parents." Ingrid spoke softly, as if she'd scare you away if she spoke in her normal voice. The two of them had always known something had happened between you and your parents, and between you and Ona, but you never spoke of it. Ever.

You nodded once, shooting Ingrid a weak smile, before looking to Mapi. She loved Ona, and you weren't really sure how she would act in response to your self perceived transgressions. She surprised you, as she often does, by taking one of your hands in hers. You focused on the tattoos littering her arms, instead of meeting her eyes.

"You can't beat yourself up for this, carino. You were just a kid, you were scared, and you were just trying to survive. It's been 6 years, maybe it's time you try to explain what happened to Ona." Her words were gentle, carrying a seriousness you rarely heard from the defender.

You shook your head. "She probably hates me. I led her on, and I ruined our friendship, and I didn't try to apologize or explain myself in the 6 years that have passed. It's not like I haven't had the chance, we see each other at national duties all the time."

"Well... then you just do what you do at camp. You be friendly, and you let her come to you. If she wants to talk, she'll tell you," she replied, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. That was one of your favorite things about Mapi. She always respected your decisions, even if they weren't the ones she would make. She never tried to change your mind when you were set on something.

"It'll take time to get used to her being here, but it'll work out," Ingrid chimed in. Suddenly, it all felt less intense than it had before. You could deal with this. Either you'd end up talking to her, or you wouldn't. Everything would be fine. Your friends were right, it would all work out.

"Thank you guys. Really. I'm sorry for bothering you with this, I know it's a lot," you tried to express your apologies, feeling like you'd maybe been a little dramatic, but they stopped you.

"No, y/n, you don't need to apologize. Both of us have told you to come to us if you need help; you did, and we're glad. We're always happy to help you." Mapi spoke firmly, leaving no room for argument. You nodded again, eyes a little watery again, mumbling another quiet thank you.

You yawned then, absolutely exhausted from the emotional ordeal you'd put yourself through. The other girls chuckled lightly, pulling you to lay down on the couch and covering you with a blanket. They left you to rest, with promises that everything would feel easier in the morning.

-----

Months passed, and you found yourself surrounded by reminders of the brunette defender you felt so conflicted about. Everyone was excited about her return to Barcelona, and the world cup she won only increased everything. You managed to keep your head on straight, not losing your mind and having a breakdown like you had in June. Your friends kept a close eye on you, Mapi hovering over you, the same way she did with Patri and Claudia in the weeks of the world cup, maybe a little extra concerned with you. Ingrid kept tabs on you through Mapi, and she called you often, asking searchingly how you were doing, as if she expected you to freak out again.

Your first interaction with Ona wasn't on her first day with the team. It came on your return from Mexico with the rest of the team that hadn't played in the final. Obviously, you'd seen Ona plenty over the past few years. She did her best to avoid you, which made sense, but total lack of contact wasn't possible when you played on the same national team. You didn't know what made today different, why your heart was pounding as you walked into the locker room on the first day back at training after the Mexico tour. It was different this time; more permanent. It wasn't just a few weeks of letting Ona avoid you; it was months of seeing each other every day.

You neared the locker room, and you heard loud voices echoing out of it. You weren't surprised, it was the first time the team was all back together since June, and there was a lot to catch up on. You entered, taking a deep breath, and walked to your locker, responding as the room echoed with greetings towards you. Your eyes immediately found Ona, sitting relaxed in her cubby, talking to Aitana and Mariona. She looked gorgeous. Even in the plain grey and black training top, her hair sitting loose around her shoulders, she was breathtaking.

She laughed at something Mario said, throwing her head back as she did. You couldn't pull your eyes off of her. She looked over at you then, still chuckling at whatever ridiculous joke Mariona had just told. She caught your eye, and you saw her smile fall slightly, an unreadable looking flashing through her eyes before she fixed her smile, raising her hand in a small wave. You returned the gesture, before forcing yourself to look away, walking to Ingrid's cubby, and wordlessly taking a seat on the ground in front of the bench. You handed her your hairbrush, avoiding the searching looks her and Mapi sent you, silently asking the Norwegian to fix your hair. She did, after giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Your first practice back was good, as were the rest of the practices leading up to your first game. The team worked well together, and it felt indescribably good to be back on the pitch with everyone. Especially Ona. The two of you played together just as well as you always had, her passes always miraculously finding you, and you miraculously finding the goal. Your chemistry would have been hard to miss, which is how you found yourselves paired up more often than not. She kept your conversations to small talk, but she was always kind, and if you hadn't known her as well as you did, you would have missed the way she always seemed to hold back around you. Not that you could blame her.

You congratulated her with a high five when she was told she was starting the first game, and tried to ignore how the feeling of her hand against yours sent electric shocks through your body. You guys kept your distance, until you couldn't anymore.

----

Your first game was an away game in Madrid, and you knew from the second you saw Ona on the coach on the way to the pitch that she was nervous. She sat next to Aitana, bouncing her knee, fiddling with her fingers, not saying a word. You'd never seen her this nervous before, and it had you worried. You must have been staring because suddenly the empty seat next to you was filled, and Mapi was plopping down next to you.

"Staring, are we?" she asked with a wry smile, making sure to keep her voice quiet.

"No," you responded defensively, "she just seems really nervous, I was just making sure she was ok."

"... by staring at her?"

"Fuck off. Would you just ask her if she's ok when we get there? Please?" Your voice took on a pleading tone, and Mapi sighed before responding.

"Of course. But you don't need to make sure someone is checking on her-- she has a lot of friends on the team, you aren't the only one who has noticed." she nodded to Alexia and Irene, who were both stealing glances at Ona every so often. Obviously. The captains would check on her. Not you. It wasn't your place.

You simply nodded in response, swallowing the inexplicable lump in your throat at the completely reasonable implication that Ona did not need you. You turned your attention out the window then, watching the cityscape pass you by, focusing on the game ahead, the music playing in your ears. Mapi got the message, moving back to her spot next to Ingrid with a soft pat on your knee.

You arrived at the stadium shortly after, and you forced all thoughts of Ona out of your brain. You got ready for the game, following all of your little rituals. You'd been successful in not thinking about Ona until you left the room with Pina to get tape for your ankles from one of the medical rooms. You were laughing about something as you pushed the door open, but did not find the room empty like you had expected. Instead, Ona was sitting on the floor of the room, knees pulled to her chest, as she frantically tried to catch her breath. You and Pina fell silent, taking in the scene in front of you. Ona was so out of it, she hadn't noticed you enter.

Thinking fast, you turned to Pina, keeping your voice quiet but firm. "Go get Alexia. Don't tell anyone else anything, or she'll be embarrassed. Just get Alexia." Pina nodded, face alarmed and pale, before dashing out of the room. You moved closer to Ona, taking a careful seat on the cold floor next to her.

"Oni? Can you look at me?" You carefully reached a hand out, placing it gently on her back, and she jumped at the contact, hand snapping towards you. Her face was streaked with tears, and she was gasping for air desperately, clearly in the throes of a bad panic attack. It wasn't the first time that you'd seen her like this, and you hoped that she still responded to the things that worked 6 years ago. You also hoped she wouldn't tell you to get out before Alexia could get there.

You started to rub soft circles onto her back, and she leaned slightly into you, resting her head back on her knees. You began to talk to her, trying to bring her out of her head.

"You're okay Oni, just take your time. Slow your breathing down. Everything is ok." You spoke as soothingly as you could, but before you could really tell if what you were doing was working, the door to the room opened softly, and Alexia slipped inside, brow furrowed in concern.

Alexia looked very official in her uniform, already with the captain's armband on, and as softly as she looked at Ona as she took a spot next to her, you knew she would bring the security and authority necessary to calm Ona down.

The midfielder guided Ona's head off her knees, speaking softly to her, taking one of Ona's hands in her own, and pressing it to her chest.

"With me, Ona. Breathe with me. You're fine, we've got you, just match my breaths." Alexia could have possibly the most soothing voice in the world when she wanted to, and Ona immediately responded, fighting to slow her breathing down.

She began to calm, and you decided to slip out, and give Ona the space you assumed she'd want. As you moved to stand, however, a hand reached out, grabbing yours tightly. You looked down in surprise, seeing Ona's flushed face looking up at you. Her deep brown eyes shimmered with tears, wordlessly pleading with you to stay, and without a second thought, you sat back down, entwining your fingers with hers, and squeezing tightly.

Alexia continued to talk to her softly, her eyes occasionally lifting to glance at you, an unreadable expression on your captain's face. Once Ona's breathing had returned to normal, she sighed heavily, leaning her head back to rest against the wall.

"Sorry." She croaked out, and you opened your mouth to assure her she had nothing to be sorry for, but Alexia beat you to it.

"No, I've told you before, you never have to be sorry for this. It makes sense that you're nervous, it's your first game, but we all have complete confidence in you." Her voice was firm, and left no room to argue, as Ona nodded once. Alexia rose to her feet, and you followed, each of you offering Ona a hand, pulling her to her feet. The two of you trailed out of the room after Alexia, who seemed to have the incredible gift of knowing when 2 people needed to speak to each other alone, as she sent you a look you couldn't decipher, before speeding up and heading back into the locker room.

Ona turned to you, coming to a stop, and you noticed the that you were still holding her hand. It had felt so right, so natural, you hadn't given it a second thought. You pulled your hand away, after giving hers another squeeze, forcing yourself to meet her eyes. The hallway was empty around you, though you could hear the faint sound of you teammates, and the crown outside, every molecule in your body was focused on Ona's eyes boring into yours.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it. Sitting with me, and getting Alexia. Thank you, y/n." Her voice was quiet, but her eyes were determined, and you felt like you were really speaking to her for the first time in years. You decided to speak freely then, hoping that some level of honesty would make her feel better.

"Of course, Ona. I know things got... weird. And we never talked about it. But i'm your friend, i'm always gonna be here for you." You said the words gently, hoping your voice conveyed the sincerity you felt. One looked at you searchingly then, as if contemplating . You kept your gaze on hers, not allowing yourself to get distracted by the freckles that covered her face, or the way her jaw twitched as she tried to decide what to say.

"Would you maybe wanna get coffee tomorrow? At the place we used to go to? We're gonna be spending a lot of time together, and it probably makes sense if we talk." her words were hesitant, as if she wasn't really sure she should be saying them.

"Yes! Yes. I... I'd really like that." Your voice came out embarrassingly earnest, and you tried to recover, but the look on Ona's face told you that it hadn't worked. She nodded, sending you a slightly more confident smile. She raised a hand to brush over your upper arm, and you had to work hard to keep your body from shuddering at the featherlight touch.

"Good. We should go get ready though." Her smile seemed genuine, and she turned to head into the locker room. You stood in the hall for a second, replaying the light touch to your arm over and over, before you shook your head, and followed her path into the locker room.

----

part 2 will be less horribly depressing and a lot sexier i promise.

[taomyou]

The Paradis Marriage Pact

Author: taomyou Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Reader Summary: Do you believe in soulmates? No. Do you believe that Jean's coding project can introduce you to someone special? Not really, but your mind can be changed. Word Count: 6.1k Tags: modern au, university au, strangers to lovers, fluff, meet-cute, matchmaking, one-shot

The Paradis Marriage Pact

"Hey, do you think Levi believes in soulmates?" Hange asks, looking up from their laptop at Erwin. The two friends are in a study lounge reviewing for midterms, but it seems that Hange's taking a break since they're asking weird questions.

"I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"

To that, Hange angles their screen towards Erwin so he can see what they're looking at. The website they're on looks simple enough: it seems just like any other standard testing site. "This second-year in my biotech lecture sent out the link to everyone! It's a matchmaking form for students here!"

Looking closer at the screen, he sees "PARADIS MARRIAGE PACT" in big, bold letters at the top of the page. What's this got to do with whether or not Levi believes in soulmates?

"You didn't answer my question, Hange. What are you planning?"

Hange dramatically leans back into the sofa, arms crossed and a sinister grin on their face. "I'm filling this out on our dear friend's behalf!"

"And does our dear friend know about this?"

"Of course not!" Hange laughs, "he'd skin me alive if he knew!"

"Well, you're right about that," says Erwin.

Hange nods at him before moving back to their earlier position closer to the table in front of them. "Wanna help me fill it out?"

With a laugh, Erwin shakes his head but starts putting away his own laptop and books. Once his bag is zipped, he scoots over to sit closer to Hange. "Sure, why not?"

"Really? I'll text Levi and ask about the whole soulmates thing, but we can just skip that for now!"

♡

"I don't wanna take it!"

"You can't not take it! The rest of us just did it!"

"Yeah, Connie's right," Sasha says, poking at your shoulder.

You groan and swat her hand away.

You and your friends have spent the last several hours in one of the library study rooms. Connie organized it as a "group study session," but you're sure you and Jean are the only ones actually being productive. You're not sure about Connie since you can't see his screen from where you're sitting, but Sasha's spent this entire time playing Overcooked! 2 in multiplayer mode with who you assume is him. Then, about 30 minutes ago, Connie started complaining about his engineering midterm, which prompted Sasha to complain about her physics midterm, which then prompted Jean to talk about his semester-long coding project.

"Could you guys fill this out? I need at least a thousand participants by the end of next week to get an A on this, and I already sent it to everyone I could," Jean asked, forwarding the link to the group chat.

You click on it and are brought to the website.

PARADIS MARRIAGE PACT: Fall in love today!

Leave it to Jean to choose to make a matchmaking website for his final project. Sasha and Connie found the premise to be quite fun, whereas you rolled your eyes at the page.

"Love calculators already exist," you criticized, exiting out of the tab immediately. Jean flipped you off from across the table, not appreciating your comment.

Which brings you to now, where Connie, Sasha, and Jean have been trying to pressure you into filling out the Paradis Marriage Pact. You don't really get why they want you specifically to do it, since you know Jean's popular and he could probably get enough responses, but it's probably more about annoying you than it is them actually wanting you to find the love of your life.

"If you need responses so bad, I can use my extra emails to spam random answers," you offer.

Jean shakes his head, tutting loudly. "You have to input your school email. Besides, if those answers paired you with someone who made the Pact honestly, they'd be heartbroken."

"So? Serves them right for taking some random sophomore's mandatory coding project seriously."

Connie and Sasha burst into laughter, which earns them a glare from Jean. You sigh dramatically and rest your head on your hand.

"Don't be mean! I put a lot of effort into this project!"

You never doubted that he did, him being a CS major, but it was still entertaining to poke fun at him.

"I have an idea! Why don't we fill it out for her?" Sasha suggests, and you see her open the link to start typing in your name. You immediately perk up and try to get her to stop, but she hurriedly picks up her laptop and rushes over to the other side of the table where Jean and Connie huddle closer to her. "Do either of you know her school email?"

"She forwarded me something a while ago, I can check," Connie says, opening his own laptop to find your information.

It's then that you know that you can either do it yourself or let these fools try to guess how you'd answer, and one of those possibilities is infinitely worse than the other.

"Okay, fine! I'll do it!"

All of them smile and immediately get up to crowd you, the sound of their rolling chairs filling the room as they push them to your side of the table. Sasha offers her laptop to you, and you place it on top of one of your textbooks. You type in your school email and some other information, and then you're brought to your first prompt.

It's okay that my partner drinks.

□ Agree □ Disagree

You check off the box for 'agree' and move on. The next couple of questions are easy enough, just asking what activities you're okay with, but your friends are still watching you intensely, and it unnerves you slightly.

After confirming that you are, in fact, not okay with your partner doing hard drugs, you're faced with the next question.

Do you believe in soulmates?

□ Yes □ No

You click on 'no,' but before you're able to tap the button to move on, Jean speaks up.

"What do you mean, 'no?'"

You turn to face him, completely deadpan and unamused. "You made this quiz, why would you even ask if you're gonna get butthurt about people not agreeing with you?"

"It's not about that! You just seem like you'd be into that sort of thing."

You hum, looking back at your screen. "Nah, I think soulmates are kinda stupid."

♡

Midterms came and went, but that "end of next week" deadline came even quicker for Jean. He managed to get the thousand answers he needed for the chance at an A, but he was stressed as all hell up until the very last day when he finally got enough participants. Unfortunately, it didn't get easier for him since he's been stressing about the next part of the assignment, so you, Sasha, and Connie decided to invite him out to dinner to try and help him destress. It's probably not working if all he's doing is complaining about his professor.

"Seriously, what kind of professor requires a thousand participants in that amount of time? This is a lower-division coding class, for fuck's sake, not Advanced Media Advertising!" He complains, taking a long sip of his soda.

"He sounds terrible, but, hey, at least you got enough answers," says Connie.

You and Sasha nod along while Jean takes another sip before speaking again.

"You guys don't get it! He's the actual devil! You guys are so lucky you'll never have to take his class!"

"What's left for you to do, anyway?" You ask.

"There's a report I have to write. I have to prove my project was successful, too, so I gotta find a couple that the program matched."

"And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"The program should've sent everyone an email with their match's name and contact information by now. I just need a couple to reply to it and agree to get interviewed."

"Man, good luck with that, nobody checks their email," Connie winces.

Jean buries his face in his hands, groaning in agony. "I know! That's why I'm still so worried!"

"Couldn't you just lie?" Sasha inquires.

Jean shakes his head. "The professor wants the audio from the interview and a picture of the couple together. It's so fucking stupid, what do either of those things even have to do with the class?" Suddenly, his face brightens, and now he's looking between you, Sasha, and Connie. "Can't one of you guys just go out with your match? Oh, I'm a fucking genius!"

The three of you awkwardly make eye contact with one another, mostly to avoid looking at Jean himself.

"Uh, dude, I don't really think any of us are up for that," Connie says.

"Yeah. Don't get me wrong, the questionnaire was fun to do as, like, a personality quiz, but I'm not down," Sasha adds.

Jean's face falls, and he turns to look at you.

By now, his hands are in a prayer position.

The likelihood of anyone getting back to the email Jean sent is slim-to-none, nevermind the likelihood of a couple replying.

You know how hard he works—the two of you study together practically every other day in the library—and despite his popularity, he's not one to go out often, instead staying in to work on projects or research. He really is adamant about doing well on this project and you know he could somehow make it out with a decent grade, but maybe you could do this tiny favor to help him out. It's not like it'd be all that hard, right? Meeting with your match and getting interviewed doesn't sound like too much of a hassle, especially since you're already close with Jean.

You can't really believe that you're choosing to help him, considering how much of a fight you put up when you were asked to take the Pact in the first place, but whatever. You smile at Jean and give him a thumbs-up.

"Sure, I got you."

Jean practically jumps out of his seat to give you a hug, laughing and smiling brightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

You give him a firm pat on the back before prying him away from you so he can go back to his seat. "Really, thank you so much! This makes everything so much easier!"

You blush in embarrassment, not really used to affection from Jean, but hey. He looks like a weight's been lifted off his chest, and that's why you're all out tonight anyway. "Yeah, yeah, let me check my email for a name, though."

Jean eagerly nods, a smile still on his face. Sasha and Connie don't look like they have anything to say, but they pay attention to you, probably also excited to know who your match is.

You don't have any sort of hopes for who it could be, not having your eye on anyone anyway, but you just hope they're understanding enough to agree to an interview. You open your mail app and tap on the "Search mail" prompt to type in "Paradis Marriage Pact." There's only one email related to your search, so you click on it to find your match's name in big, dark letters.

"Any of you guys know somebody named Levi Ackerman?"

♡

Somewhere in an empty lecture hall across campus, Hange, Levi, and Erwin are all lazing around after their last class. Levi's laptop is connected to the projector, and he's just scrolling through different streaming sites.

"Why the fuck are we even in here? We can just watch something at home."

"Because, Levi, tuition's too expensive to not make use of the grand halls at our disposal!"

"Imagine not being a scholarship student."

Erwin and Hange laugh, and the latter gets up from their seat to go over to Levi to help him choose something to watch. He refuses them at first, but they just shove him around enough to get him to give up and go sit where they just were. In the middle of some more aimless scrolling, they notice that there's a tab opened to Levi's email.

Hange did overhear someone last week telling that second-year that they got their results back from the Paradis Marriage Pact, so they get the stupid genius idea to try and look through Levi's email for his match. Switching tabs, they type in "Paradis Marriage Pact" into the "Search mail" prompt.

"Oi! What the fuck are you doing?" Levi exclaims.

Hange waves him off, not looking up from the screen. Erwin just has to sit back and watch it all unfold in front of him, the projector magnifying everything that Hange's doing. Finding the unopened email, they click on it and see a name printed in the same font as the initial title for the questionnaire page. Next to the name is a phone number.

Levi still doesn't really understand what Hange's doing, but whatever it is can't be good. He gets up again and rushes for his laptop, disconnecting it from the projector and closing it before Hange can try anything else.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Nothing!" Hange nervously laughs and looks past Levi's shoulder at Erwin for back up.

Levi follows their eyes over to the man as well. Erwin gets up from his seat, joining the other two at the front of the hall.

"Just forget it, Hange. It was already wrong of us to submit answers for Levi."

"Again, what the fuck are you guys talking about? And what the fuck is the 'Paradis Marriage Pact?' Did you sign me up for a mail-order bride or something?"

Hange extends out both their arms, frantically waving off the accusations and shaking their head. "No, no! This kid in my biotech programed some matchmaking site, so I thought it'd be neat to submit something for you," Hange explains.

Levi exhales deeply, pinching his nose between his fingers. "So you think I need help from a fucking website to find a girlfriend? Just how pathetic do you think I am?"

"You literally have not dated since, like, high school!"

"And? That's a problem how?"

Erwin puts a hand on Levi's shoulder, though it gets swatted away just as quickly. "It isn't, we just thought it'd be fun. We're sorry," Erwin says.

It's certainly frustrating that Hange acts this way, interfering with his personal life, but he knows they mean well (emphasis on "mean.")

Erwin does too, so as much as he hates this, he'll let this one slide. It's a Friday, and the week has been exhausting enough. Erwin and Hange look at one another while Levi reaches into his back pocket to take out his phone. He felt a buzz, so he probably got a text from someone. When he turns on his phone, however, he sees that the notification is a text from a number he doesn't have saved.

Unknown Number - 6:27 PM

is this levi ackerman? this is your match from the paradis marriage pact

He frowns at the text but doesn't say anything. He'll deal with it later.

"Just don't do this again, so help me, God."

Hange's eyes bug out of their head. "You're not mad at us?"

Levi scoffs. "I'm mad, but I'm too tired of your shit to beat you into the ground right now."

"Let's go back home now, yeah?" Erwin suggests, his body facing the door.

After Levi wordlessly puts his laptop in his backpack, the three head back to their shared apartment. Erwin occasionally greets people that recognize him on the walk over, but other than that, they travel in complete silence to avoid pissing off Levi any further.

Once Levi's in his room, he shrugs off his backpack to put near his door and takes out his phone, walking over to the chair he has at his desk. He sits down, turns on his phone, and stares at the message he got.

In the first place, he has no idea what the fuck this Paradis Marriage Pact shit is.

Yeah, sure, Hange described it as a matchmaking program, but it's not like that's much to go off of. He switches over to his mail app to find the email sent from the site.

There still isn't much information—just the match's name, phone number, and a message at the bottom: Please reply to this email if your match is successful and you'd like to be interviewed! He rolls his eyes—the email looks formal enough, but there's no way anyone's going to actually reply to it. He also compares the number that texted him earlier and the number listed on the email.

They match, so he replies to the text.

Levi - 7:33 PM

Yes, this is Levi

Unknown Number - 7:39 PM

sorry if this is weird but i need a favor

Levi - 7:40 PM

Sorry, not interested in dating

Unknown Number - 7:40 PM

me neither

...Doesn't make much sense to text a match from something called a "marriage pact" if you're not interested, but alright. Levi isn't going to question it; he's doing the same thing replying to this person.

Unknown Number - 7:41 PM

could we meet up?

Levi - 7:42 PM

I said I'm not interested You literally just agreed with me

Unknown Number - 7:42 PM

no its not like that!!

Levi - 7:43 PM

Ok, then what's the favor?

Unknown Number - 7:43 PM

my friend is the guy who made the paradis marriage pact program and he needs help getting data from a successful match

Levi - 7:45 PM

And you want me to help because the email asking for it was so pathetic that he needed to get help from someone he knows personally?

Unknown Number - 7:46 PM

exactly! so are you up for it?

Levi - 7:46 PM

No

Unknown Number - 7:47 PM

we'd just have to answer some interview questions together

Levi - 7:47 PM

I said no already

Unknown Number - 7:48 PM

i already told my friend that i'd help him :( please?? i can buy you a drink

Levi - 7:50 PM

Why not just make up the data?

Unknown Number - 7:50 PM

... they need a recorded audio file of the couple talking and a picture

Levi - 7:51 PM

That's an awful lot for just a project

Unknown Number - 7:51 PM

if it means anything, he has dr pixis

Levi frowns.

He had Pixis for Intro to Python in his first year, and it's the only class he's gotten a B in since enrolling at Paradis University. Pixis is notorious for being a harsh grader, but there's only one other professor that offers lower-division technology course requirements for CS majors, so everyone has to take him at some point. It makes sense now that whoever made the Paradis Marriage Pact is scrambling for data. It's stupid that whoever made this decided to reach out for information over email, nevermind over school email, but Levi knows it's too late in the semester to try something else.

Unknown Number - 7:55 PM

ik its asking a lot and i have no idea who you are but if we matched then maybe it wont be so bad

Levi - 7:56 PM

I didn't take it My roommates did it for me and they probably answered it differently than I would've

Unknown Number - 7:57 PM

even better!! we already know we arent a match so theres no expectations

God, she isn't going to stop asking, is she? Levi can't judge their dedication to the cause, though; it's admirable that she's willing to reach out to a complete stranger just to help her friend.

Levi - 7:57 PM

If we aren't a real match, doesn't that make your friend's project a failure?

Unknown Number - 7:58 PM

technically, that isn't his fault

Levi - 8:00 PM

You're not giving up, are you?

Unknown Number - 8:01 PM

i will if you say no again

Great, she's a good friend, and she's respectful.

Levi himself can't believe that he's seriously about to go along with this.

For all he knows, this girl could be a fucking axe-murderer, but, at the same time, he knows how fucking miserable it is to have Pixis for any class ever. She can't be that bad if she hasn't prodded him for any actual information, and she sincerely seems to not be interested in getting to know him.

Just an interview, some pictures, and he'd never have to cross paths with her again?

Yeah, he can do that.

Levi - 8:03 PM

Okay, but you're still buying me a drink

Unknown Number - 8:04 PM

deal!! thank you so much!! let me ask my friend when we can do the interview

♡

"What do you mean you can't come? You're literally supposed to interview us in," you pull your phone away from your ear to check the time, 1:55 PM, "5 minutes!"

"I'm so sorry! I forgot I had a midterm today, and I can't get to you guys and make it back in time!" Jean says.

You groan and change the hand your phone is in. "What the fuck, man, midterm season was over, like, a month ago."

"I know! But Shadis kept pushing it back because people kept asking for more time to study!"

"So what do you want me to do? He already didn't want to do this, and I don't want to inconvenience him even more by changing the date this late."

"I can text you the questions, and you can go through them together."

"What about the audio file?"

"Just record it on your phone, and I'll edit in my voice so it sounds like I'm actually there."

You roll your eyes. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I don't really have a choice."

"Well, you're right about that. Let's just hope this Levi guy is okay with this."

"Okay with what, exactly?"

Looking towards the voice, you see a raven-haired guy around your age dressed in a neat black shirt and dark jeans. Before this, you texted each other the details of your outfits so you could find each other in the café Jean picked out for the three of you to meet, so you know that it's Levi. He seems to have a frown on his face, but you just hope that it's not directed towards you.

Despite that, though, he's.. really attractive.

You try not to dwell on that as you motion him to sit in the booth with you. He does so wordlessly and takes out his own phone to busy himself.

"I'll owe you forever, okay?"

You sigh, putting your elbow on the table. "Damn right you will. I get it, though. I'll try to make it work." You can hear him sigh in relief on the other end of the line.

"Thank you! I gotta go now, but send me the audio after! Don't forget the picture too!"

"It's no problem, Jean. Good luck on your midterm, you got this," you say, then bringing your phone away from your ear to end the call.

Levi clears his throat from across you to get your attention. "Is your friend on the way?" he asks.

You nervously laugh. "Yeah.. so about him, he can't make it."

"Is he who you were just on the phone with?"

You nod, looking away from him. "He called me and said he has a midterm today," you say.

He nods in what you want to interpret as understanding, but he's probably just confused. "Bit late for midterms, no?"

You nod, anxiously laughing again. "I told him the same thing, but he said his professor pushed it back."

"Pushing back a test that far sounds like a fucking terrible idea, but okay."

You hear a buzz come from your phone, so you pick it up to see a text from Jean. Opening it, you see that it's the questions Jean's supposed to be asking you and Levi. You put your phone back on the table and slide it over to Levi to look at.

"He sent me the questions, if you wanted to look at them."

"Just send them to me," he says, ignoring your device. You nod and take your phone back, quickly copying the text and forwarding it to Levi. "I assume we're still going to do this without him?"

You smile sheepishly at him, bringing your hands together in front of your face. "If it's okay with you. I understand if it isn't, but let me at least pay for you to get a drink before you leave. I've bothered you enough asking you to come here in the first place."

He looks up at you for a second before looking back at his phone to skim the questions.

"I don't care."

Tough crowd, huh.

Before you start, a waitress comes to your table asking what you and Levi would like to drink. You tell her you'll have a grapefruit green tea while Levi orders a cup of black tea.

"I'm gonna record the audio on my phone, and then we'll take turns answering, yeah? Jean said he'd edit in his own voice." He hums in understanding, and so you go to open your voice-recorder app and tap the "record" icon before placing your phone between the two of you. "I can answer first, since you have the questions."

He sighs.

"'What's your name?'"

You answer, and he does the same. Easy enough to start.

"'What's your major?'"

"I'm a public health major. You?"

"I'm in CS," he replies. "'How did you find out about the Paradis Marriage Pact?'"

"You forced me to take it," you say, voice wavering as you're unsure if you're supposed to pretend Jean is there or not. Levi looks up at you, his frown now replaced with a neutral expression.

"Are we going to pretend your friend is here?" He asks.

You groan and put your head down. "You're right, it's probably stupid."

He shakes his head. "No, it isn't. It'll help trick Pixis into thinking he's actually here."

You bring your head up and nod slowly, bobbing your head.

For someone who said he didn't care, he sure is nice. Well, as nice as you can be to a complete stranger.

The waitress comes back with your drinks, and you both thank her. 

Levi glances back down at his phone. "'Did you know each other before the Paradis Marriage Pact?'"

"You didn't answer the last question."

Levi rolls his eyes. "I mentioned it to you before. My roommates took it for me, so I didn't even know what this thing was until one of them brought it up to me."

After reaching for your cup to take a sip, you speak up.

"Well, we gotta make something up. You could say they showed it to you, and you decided to take it," you reason. He sighs.

"Okay, then. My roommate showed it to me, and I thought it was worth taking," he says, taking a sip of his own drink. "This is good."

Having never been at this café before, you can't agree or disagree, so you just smile. You notice that he's holding his cup by the rim, which is a bit odd, but it feels fitting for him.

"And no, we didn't know each other before this. It's kind of late now, but it's nice to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to come."

"It's nice to meet you, too."

The two of you continue like this: answering questions, slowly making your way down the list. They're all pretty general—just asking about things like what careers you're aiming for and what hobbies you have. You find out that he's interested in tea tasting, and he finds out that you're interested in gardening. Quite a bit of time passes, and soon enough, it feels like you're just having a conversation with a friend and not recording an interview.

You notice that he hasn't taken a drink in a while, so you speak up to ask him about it.

"Are you out of tea?" You ask.

He nods, scrolling down to the next question. Looking around for the waitress, you call her over to your table.

"What can I help you with?" She asks.

"Could we get two more cups of black tea, please?" At the mention of the drink, Levi looks up at you and the waitress.

"Of course! Let me get that for you," and with that, she's headed off for the drink bar.

"You didn't have to get more, you know." Levi says. "Why'd you get two cups?"

You smile, bringing your cup back up to finish the last of your grapefruit tea. "If you like it, it's probably worth trying. You said you try teas a lot, so I trust that it's good." He rolls his eyes, but you can see the corner of his mouth twitch upwards into a sort of half smile. "Anyway, next question?"

"'Are you happy with your match?'"

"Well, since Jean's supposed to be interviewing a successful match, I'll go along with that. You've been good company too, so yes, I'm happy with my match."

"I feel the same, then." You're glad he goes along with your answer, so you smile over at him. "'Why do you think you were paired together?'" He reads.

"Could you answer this one first? I don't really know how we could lie about this one."

He hums, looking up at you again. "I don't know what kind of questions were on the Pact, but from our conversation so far, you seem like a good person."

You're taken off guard, so you avoid his gaze, looking down at your empty teacup. "You think so?" You can feel your ears start to get red, so you feign fixing your hair to try and cover them. You didn't expect any answer like that from him even with all the talking you've been doing, so you're flustered.

"You didn't know who I was, and you went this far to help your friend with his project. Even after I told you I'm not actually your match, you still wanted to get the data for him. I think most people in your situation would've let him figure it out on his own." 

You laugh good-naturedly, putting your hands in your lap. You look up to see him still focused on you, and the blush on your face feels a little hotter.

You want to thank him and try to answer Jean's question, but before you can say anything, the waitress comes back with two new cups of black tea and takes away yours and Levi's empty cups. The two of you reach for the cups set in front of you, and you take a sip together.

"You're right, this is good," you say. He nods in agreement, and the two of you put your cups down.

"Alright, this is the last question. 'Both of you selected 'no' when asked if you believed in soulmates. Why do you believe that?'" Levi recites from Jean's questions. He pauses, a new frown forming on his face. "One of my roommates texted me to ask this a while ago. No wonder."

You laugh at that, covering your smile with your hand. "At least we don't have to come up with another lie."

He nods. "Yeah."

"Well, there's not really much to say. I think the idea that there's only one person destined to love you is pretty limiting, and then the chances of meeting them would be slim-to-none," you answer. You see Levi nod from the corner of your eye, so you continue. "Falling in love with them would be even harder. It's not really worth believing in soulmates, in my opinion."

"I feel the same way, more or less," he adds. "The idea is there, though."

"Yeah, it'd be nice if there was a way to know someone's perfect for you. Ever heard of the Paradis Marriage Pact? I've heard it's worked wonders," you joke.

He looks pretty unamused, though.

"Yeah, sure. It's so successful that the person who made it has to ask his friend to pretend they've found the love of their life," Levi says.

You laugh, nearly spitting out your tea. "Well, at least we agree that soulmates aren't real! Besides, anyone can fall in love if you spend enough time together."

"I suppose you're right."

Levi did say that the question about soulmates was the last one, so you get your phone from the middle of the table and tap the "stop recording" icon. The two of you don't initiate any further conversation, so you both sit in silence and finish your teas.

The quiet isn't awkward. It's... nice.

You flag the waitress over when you're finished, and after you pay for everything, she asks if you need anything else.

"Actually, could you take our picture for us?" You ask.

She nods, taking your phone from you to snap a quick picture. You smile, and you thank her as she hands the device back to you.

"You guys are so cute!" She coos, waving goodbye to you both. You and Levi both make eye contact, but neither of you say anything.

You check the time on your phone: 3:45 PM. You have a class at 4, so you get up from your seat to start heading over. You look down at Levi who's still sitting and wave goodbye to him.

"It really was nice meeting you, Levi. Really, thank you for agreeing to get interviewed, even if my friend couldn't make it. I hope it wasn't awkward for you."

"It wasn't."

You smile at him, tucking a piece of hair behind your still-red ear.

"Well, that's a relief," you say. You turn to leave the café, but before you can take any steps, you hear Levi clear his throat. You look at him, but he doesn't meet your gaze.

"Did you mean it when you said you were happy we matched, or did you only say that because of your friend?" He asks, looking down at his cup. You see a bit of red at the tops of his ears, so you giggle. "What's so funny?"

Even though he can't see it, you smile at him before answering, ignoring the latter question.

"I think I meant it."

You walk away before you can see his face, but you feel a buzz from your phone as soon as you're out the door. When you look at it, your smile gets even bigger.

Levi - 3:50 PM

I think I meant it too

♡

Jean yawns, stretching his arms above his head. He's finally back home for winter break, the semester having ended a week or so ago.

Despite that, though, Pixis hasn't released his grade yet, and he's getting worried.

Did Pixis somehow figure out that he messed with the audio file? Jean swears he did everything else perfectly, so it's gotta be that if he hasn't gotten his score back. As far as he knew, everyone else in the class got theirs back already. He's been sweating it all winter break.

For the hundredth time that night, Jean goes to refresh his school email. In addition to an email from the university's gradebook, however, there's an email from Dr. Pixis himself.

"Dear lord, please let this be good." He takes a deep breath before opening it. Realizing what it says, he screams out in joy. "Holy shit!"

"Jean-boy, what's the matter?" His mom asks, opening his door to see what all the noise is about. He excitedly motions her over to his desk, a big, bright smile on his face.

"Mom, look!"

Hello Jean, I am very pleased with your project. What an inventive idea—a program to match up students. Easy A. Thank you for not turning in the same boring project as everyone else. This may be a bit out of the blue, but I would also like to extend you a position as one of my TAs for next year's fall semester. You have proven yourself to be highly proficient in the course material. Attached to this email is the paperwork to formally accept. I hope you consider it. Also, good job finding a couple to interview. I seriously doubted that you could when you sent in your first round of data. Actually, I saw them the other day at the ice skating rink downtown holding hands. They look cute together, makes me believe in love again. Consider launching a similar program for professors, will you? I look forward to hearing from you. Best, Professor Dot Pixis.

[cursedcupcakemaster]

This is a small series I made for nothing but enjoyment

Notes:I don't own twisted wonderland or it's characters this is just my interpretation of how they'd be they belong to Yana Toboso and Disney

Reader is gender neutral, some of these are kind of short

Type;vanilla strawberry cupcakes

How Heartslabyul helps their partner after a bad day

Riddle:

Riddle isn't really a stranger to bad days

When he heard you were having a bad day he decided maybe you needed some cheering up

A little teatime and maybe a cuddle session with the hedgehogs would do the trick

Riddle smiled to himself as he had everything ready for you asking Trey to tell you to meet him in the rose gardens for teatime

When you get there you weren't expecting what you found, your favorite snacks and tea waiting for you with Riddle smiling his face a bright red for once not from anger

He told you how he knew how it felt to be overworked and so tired from everything so he wanted to give you what he knew was a well deserved break

After tea you both went to the hedgehogs for snuggles with Riddle making note to maybe have things like this every week with you

Trey:

This man has seen his share of nuttiness throughout each day of every year but he knows one can only take so much

He knows just the thing to make you smile again, a nice batch of sweets

Trey always remembers your favorite desserts

When you come back from class and are clearly exhausted, the smell of fresh baked treats hits your nose

Trey will invite you to sit and talk about what happened that week that made you so down

He'll remind you that while things look bad now they'll get better and he'll be there for you so for now just have a cookie

Ace:

Ace knows bullshit when he sees it so he knows when you say you're fine despite the tired look in your eyes and your shoulders slumping, he knows you are far from it

He knows it won't be easy to get you to tell him but that doesn't mean he won't try to figure it out

Ace kinda figured out your day had to be horrible if you lost your homework, got pushed a few times, and almost got set on fire in alchemy

He decided maybe something simple would cheer you up

You weren't exactly expecting to find him in your room when your day was finally over much less him with a deck of cards

Ace had decided to perform a few magic tricks for you with the cards and within a little bit he had you smiling, card tricks were good for smiles after all

Deuce:

When this sweet boy noticed how unhappy you were he knew something had to be up

Deuce kinda followed you around for a bit and he figured out you were having a rough week because of a lot of things tests included

Deuce knew you needed to take your mind off of things at least for a little bit and it hit him

He decided to take you for a ride on his blastcycle

Deuce waited until after class before asking you to follow him

He led you to the beach where his cycle was helping you on and telling you to hold on tight

You two rode off for a while until the sun started to set

You hugged him thanking him for helping you and Deuce knew he had to go for rides with you more often

Cater:

He knows right away when you're frowning something had to have been bad, real bad

Cater is good at reading expressions so even if you weren't he'd know you needed a break from the crazy that school nonsense brought

Cater decided maybe his boo*you* needed a day at your favorite skate park

He'd text you to grab your board to meet him there

He knows this would at least make you take your mind off the hard stuff so you could smile again

Cater loves seeing your face when you skate because you look happy and free something he adores about you so he knows you'll probably need 3 or 4 skate sessions in the week he's happy to obilge you

[drhighhopess]

Similarities

A Claire x Leon fanfiction

Word count : 2.6k

Chapter : 1/1

Type : sfw

a/n : this was made for cleon week (may not be on theme.. but im still wanting of participation) currently i'll try to squeeze in a fic or two. If so they'll probably less in length. for this fanfiction my whole idea was to show how Leon and Claire relate to one another with past, with trying add who they are today with it! Advice is always appreciated <3, also if enjoyed leave a kudo on ao3. (All pictures from pinterest)

A few footsteps could be heard from the otherside of the door. Practically like a broken record, was he going crazy? Not like anyone could blame the blonde. Each time he went onto a plane just to know he may not come back. Why risk it all?

Only if I decided to not go to the RPD.

Those words ran in his mind more than he'd like to admit.

Maybe it was wrong, all of it. It wasn't like anyone cared. Since Leon was little he was alone. No five year old expected seeing the person who they looked up to killed in front of his eyes. He was only a kid, and didn't even start kindergarten yet. People took him, barely could even process what happened. Speaking to him in a language he couldn't understand. Where was his mom? The woman he loved dearly. He was always a mama’s boy since he could remember. He has a good memory of his childhood inside of Italy from how quickly it changed. There wasn’t even a full concept of life and death to him yet. Especially not at the ripe five.

He remembers his mom, his dad.

Would they be proud of what their son became?

It wasn’t his concern, at least wasn't for now. Why ask a question for a non existent answer. Or he was just meant to be selfish. He couldn’t see all he gave to everyone. If he had the choice to never plan to move to the RPD and stay in Pennsylvania. Simply take a job opportunity out there, never know the fucked up shit he does. He would take it, he hated that he knew how selfish it would be. Even knowing he would never meet Sherry or Claire. Maybe he only thinks like this when he thinks about his situation. Even then when he sees the smile on either girl's faces. He surely doesn’t regret it, or at least as much. Why lie, he's sure they both hate how they ended up in the past six years. He is sure they'd be perfectly fine without him. Who wasn’t anyway?

The apartment door opened, revealing a certain redheaded girl. The bags in her hands pushed against one another. Her back pressed against the door to close it.

“You still up for movie night?” Claire asked, the look on her face said everything. The small smile that crept on her lips. The gentle way they curved in his sight. A soft giggle left her mouth. placing the bags filled with snacks she picked up on her way on the counter of his apartment, before going to lock the front door.

“I'm not taking no for an answer, Kennedy” Claire made clear, her voice firm. Leon knew there was no way he'd get to convince her another night. Just for them to cuddle to sleep instead.

“..Assumed so,” He muttered, leaning his head against the couch. He sat onto the couch, his legs spread apart.

“What's up?” Claire asked, moving over to forget about the bags. She went to Leon on the couch. Moving over to him to take a seat.

“Sorry, just a shitty day.. my mood is fucked up.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Rather wouldn't”

Claire sat there, she looked into his eyes but it didn't even feel like she was inside the same room as him. He practically didn't include her in his space. Like being in an alone room. Just.. he was sitting right next to her.

“Can you not do that?”

“Do what?”

“Make me feel like I'm unimportant”

“Claire you're not, you know this.”

Claire paused, she usually didn't hear him say her actual name. Unless she's being difficult or something. There were a few exceptions, “So we're throwing Red out the window?”

“No, I never said that”

There was absolutely no need for a reply. The redhead couldn't even be bothered. He randomly wanted to treat her like this so be it. She gently got up from the couch. Moving over to their bedroom. Ignoring the bags on the table, meant for them to have some snacks. Lightly pressed the door shut, letting go of the door handle. Pulling her pants off, moving over to her side of the dresser. Finding a pair of shorts to wear. Then a drawer down there was a tank top she wouldn't mind using as pajamas.

.

A couple of hours passed, and a light but delicate knock could be heard. The blonde wasn't in his mood anymore. He felt slightly guilty for pushing his feelings onto her. She just wanted to hang out with him, isn't that what girlfriends do?

Sometimes it was mind blowing to Kennedy she actually loved him. Considering we were talking about Claire Elizabeth Redfield, he couldn't truly believe it. More so because everything he sees in her. A year ago that would have been his best friend living somewhere in California. Recently, it has been rocky. Claire at first was hesitant on moving to the other side of the country. It's a huge change, not to forget with the humidity in the east. Even then she was willing to make that sacrifice for Leon. She didn't expect for the change to hit her as hard as it did. She grew up in the east, inside New York. It wasn't much different from humidity wise.

Leon came from a mission a couple weeks ago, it's the main reason why he's so irritable. She knew he meant no harm, he's just isolating himself. It's a natural tactic they both use every once in a while. It's just.. hard. She just made a big change, now she's living with him. Plus she transferred departments.

Leon entered their room, after knocking, just to make her aware he'd be entering. She seemed awake, just faking being asleep. If anything, at least trying to actually go to bed. He slipped his way under the covers. Wrapping his arms around her waist from behind the woman. Her heat radiated to him. He didn't have to dream or fantasize Claire being his.

She was his.

Just like he is hers.

Leon had no idea that he'd be in a relationship again. He had hookups occasionally. If he was honest not many, he didn't like sex without emotional connection.

His breath caressed her neck, moving his lips to release a gentle whisper, “You up?”

“Yeah” Claire replied, her voice didn't seem sleepy if anything. The emotion coming from it was more hurt than anything.

“I'm sorry, for being difficult”

“Don’t worry about it” Claire mumbled, turning her body around to face him. Leaning over his frame, before going in for a soft peck. His hands moved over to her waist. Leons fingers rested on the soft skin they possessed under them. His hands guided her onto his hips, the movement encouraging the blonde to sit up against the headboard. Feeling her thighs wrapped around him, Claire remained in a straddling position. Her hand rested on his face, leaning in to kiss him once more.

First it was one kiss.

Then two.

And then three.

A soft groan left Leon's mouth. Any of the stress he built up from the couple past weeks was gone. The woman broke the kiss, moving over to pull off her shirt. The piece of clothing was discarded onto the floor with no ounce of regret.

She looked amazing with it, but even better without it

.

The thin piece of sheet that covered Claire’s body felt comforting in a sense. The feeling of being protected and held safe. It wasn’t something she got, since late childhood she was practically alone. When her parents passed away Chris made the choice at seventeen to go to the air force since he knew he had to be the one to support his little sister. In the meantime Claire was only in the 6th grade. The day before she had her mom and dad, she had her parents. They loved each other, and in one night it was taken away. At first she had denial, it was like a situation you'd see in movies. My mom and dad are dead? No way. They were just alive this morning. Once it hit that she’d never see either of them again it sunk. That she really was moving in with her aunt. At first it wasn’t a problem, she loved her aunt. Even then everything was different, so different it hurt and wasn’t fair. Waking up, not seeing her dad sitting on the couch. Neither could have seen her mom cooking breakfast once more. It was a memory she could have never imagined to be taken away so quickly. Afterwards she became angry, upset, mad, jealous, envious.

It wasn’t fair

Nothing is fair, Claire

Throughout the years she learned no one really cared. She only had herself to depend on. She liked taking care of herself. It made her feel powerful with an advantage. No one had the right to tell her what to do and what she should do. Picked the wrong group of friends, learned habits she wished she didn’t. It made her feel… better. She had a place to finally fit in, even if it meant at fifteen constantly being caught with alcohol.

I'm practically grown. Who cares?

Now she's a decade older and realizes how young she truly was to be fifteen. How she was making so many ridiculous choices for what? She had all the time in the world. She learned how much she truly was just a kid.

How she gave her aunt a hard time, she could tell the woman didn’t like her as much throughout the time she lived with her. In full honesty, shocked she held out until Chris came back. Allowing her to live inside her house until Chris arrived home. To Claire's surprise, he wasn’t even there his full time. They discharged him. There was no more back in forth notes. She would miss them in full honesty. Notes were like the one thing that kept her feeling like she had someone that cared for her. Still she knew there was no missing the letters if it meant seeing Chris again.

Claire noticed the absence of space next to her in the bed. Before sitting up, looking at the floor to find her clothes.

Weird, Leon's must've already got dressed.

Her feet hit the cold hardwood tile. Standing up from the bed. Picking up her clothes, before moving over to her closet. Putting them in the dirty clothes basket. Looking over to the bathroom. Opening the door, before turning on the turning the switch up. The light filled up the room. Before turning on the shower, waiting a couple of seconds for it to get warm. Moving over to grab her towel. Setting it on the bathroom counter.

After she got into the shower she closed the curtain. The redheaded girl felt the warm water on skin. She tilted her head back, letting her hair get wet in the process. A breath of air left her mouth. Showering was probably her favorite part of the day. The water caressing her skin, each drop ran down her whole entire body. Giving a sense of comfort, the action made her feel better each time. After fifteen minutes her hand went to turn off the water, each drop hit the tub. Before she grabbed her towel and stepped out of the bathroom. Putting on the clothes she set out for herself prior to taking a shower. Once dressed Claire went back into the bathroom do to what she usually did,

Brush her teeth.

Wash her face,

And put on deodorant.

This time she felt like straightening her hair. She's always had loose curls. It became a normal habit to straighten her hair. Even if she didn’t do it much for work. At least when she was on missions, there was not a need for her to just sweat her hair out. If there was an event or possibly a meeting she liked having her hair straightened, it made her look prettier in her own opinion.

Obviously Leon would have disagreed.

She was beautiful no matter what, one of the prettiest women he knew.

“You know what.. I'm still up for that movie?” Claire turned around, her body now covered in clothes. The tank top that stuck to her skin like glue, then the pair of shorts she put on.

“Really?”

“Yeah, your pick”

“..Okay there's this movie that came out a couple of months ago and I wanted to watch it with you.”

Claire smiled, before continuing, “Did you get the chance to see The Notebook?”

.

All the lights were turned off, the blinds were closed. Everything except the light from the TV. Including the reminder of daylight with the small bits of light seeping from the window. They sat together looking at the screen, having a moment just purely with one another. Leon was less focused on the movie itself, if anything he was focused on the woman next to him. Taking subtle glances at her face. Even if he wasn't a total big fan of romance he'd watch it if it meant making her smile. Just getting to spend some time with the woman he loved was enough, and truly all he could've asked for. Especially with how much he knew she loved spending time with someone. Not just that, but the people in her life she genuinely cared for intensely.

The redhead had her head on his shoulder, his arm rested around her waist. The blanket carefully draped around both of them. Every moment she was with Leon she learned how much they could relate to one another. Not only from the past, the feeling of losing a parent so young. Being failed by everything you knew and having to be there for yourself. Knowing the struggle mentally and emotionally. It wasn't an experience many could relate to.

As well with how they met, meeting in a time in life where everything went upside down. It was where they both needed someone to rely on and trust.

That there was a sense of trust they gave each other.

Leon would be lying if he said he didn't wonder how he would've met her, if not Raccoon City. There wasn't a doubt he wouldn't have met the woman he fell in love with. The same feeling he's never felt so intensely, the same one he never thought he could feel like he did today.

She made it possible.

He knew she could relate to him with childhood, the pain they both faced at the time. Not only that but understand how the Raccoon City Incident affected them both. How they went through it together. The emotional roller-coaster was difficult, but having someone else by your side makes it better.

Leon turned his head to the side to look at her face, shifting his body slightly so Claire would look up at him. Moving her head from his shoulder, her eyes moved to his face, curious.

“You alright?” The redhead asked, before being met with a warm feeling against her lips. Leon pressed his lips on hers once more, before letting go.

“Yeah, I'm fine.. I love you, Red.”

“Love you too, hotshot”

[julemmaes]

Night Pizza

Nesta Archeron x Cassian modern au

Set in The Seven Of Us au (masterlist)

A/N at the end of the post

Word count: 1.236

Cassian was standing shirtless just inside their bedroom, an irritating proud smirk lighting his face. He leaned back against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest, making his biceps grow in size.

Nesta was enjoying the view and contemplating asking for another ride while laying naked on their bed. After all, it was Saturday night—probably more like Sunday morning at this point—and their pretty little rule still stood after so many years.

He flexed his pecs and Nesta huffed a laugh, meeting his eyes right after.

Cassian's features softened at that look, "I really like you watching me like that, but we have a code red."

Nesta perked up then, sitting up in bed and covering her chest with the sheet.

"Who's crying?" She asked as she quickly put on a the pyjamas Cassian had so tenderly and slowly taken off of her hours before.

He walked into the room, that stupid pleased grin back on as he said, "Andra."

Nesta's heart clenched as she frowned. Their youngest had had the worst week ever in between mean classmates, school projects, birthday parties gone bad and tiring sport events. So her being mentally exhausted and crying at 3AM wasn't really confusing.

What she was perplexed about was her husband seeming genuinely happy about their daughter crying.

Nesta side eyed him as she bent to put on some socks. That satisfied expression on his handsome face was still in place.

"Did she tell you what happened?" She asked, standing up and walking up to him. Then, as if just then ntoicing, "also, why aren't you with her?"

Nesta was about to sidestep him, since he'd decided to just stand in front of the door, but he stopped her, placing a hand on her waist and pulling her to him.

"She heard you screaming."

Nesta stopped in her tracks and gaped, looking up at him.

Cassian smiled even wider, beaming at her reaction. "She heard your screams and thought you were hurt."

She blinked, a laugh bubbling up her throat.

"I was screaming?" She asked as she mindlessly brought a hand to her mouth.

Cassian nodded, utter male pride as he licked his lip and then bit it to control his own laughter.

"Yeah, sweetheart," he whispered, leaning down to brush his lips on her cheek. "So I really think you should go talk to her and tell her you're okay."

Nesta snorted lightly and shook her head, bringing a hand to her forehead before freeing herself from his grasp and leaving him behind, chuckling by himself in their room.

As soon as she stepped inside Andra's bedroom, the child's sobs and whines made her knees weak.

As funny as this story would be in the morning and when they'd tell their friends and family, their daughter had seriously thought something had happened to her and she needed to handle this the right way in order to not scar her for life.

"Oh, my baby," Nesta whispered in the dark, crawling on Andra's bed. She found the little girl right away—hidden under all those stuffed animals and pillows—and brought her tiny shaking body on her lap. "What's going on? What happened?"

They made it a point to always ask their children what had happened directly, always tried to make them talk directly to them instead of through the other parent.

Andra's muffled cries against her chest made Nesta tighten her hold on her daughter.

"I heard you screaming and I wanted to know what's wrong–" she sniffed, wiping her face on Nesta's shirt, "–but no one was answering me."

"Baby," Nesta coed, "I'm so sorry, Andra. Our door was closed and I couldn't hear you."

"I thought you were hurt or something," she sobbed, Nesta's heart broke along with her voice.

"No, I'm not hurt. I'm fine. See?"

Nesta pulled Andra's head back gently, swiping her hair from her sweaty forehead. She smiled reassuringly at her daughter and then started rocking her.

"I'm fine," she murmured again, kissing Andra's temple and bringing her to her chest. Nesta placed a hand on her back and started massaging it, to soothe her better, and feeling Andra's heart go crazy under her fingers made her feel a bit guilty.

It was a long ten minutes before she stopped crying, but by the time Cassian entered the room, Andra was only sniffing, wiping her nose on the back of her hand and on Nesta's shoulder.

He neared them and put a hand on Andra's head, "I told you she wasn't hurt."

His daughter only blinked at him, and Nesta couldn't help her laugh in front of that indifference.

"Are you okay now?" He asked her anyway.

Andra nodded this time and then pulled herself together, sitting in Nesta's lap and hunching tiredly. She yawned, putting up the parents' favourite cutest show, and then she eyed them both, going back to lean on her mother.

"I heard you ordering pizza."

Cassian barked a laugh and swept the girl from Nesta's arms, pulling her to him. She started giggling furiously as Cassian tickled her sides and covered her face in kisses.

Nesta smiled softly at the picture.

When Andra started screaming for a truce, Nesta poked a finger in Cassian's side, making him jerk and quite literally threw their daughter on the bed. The betrayed look he gave her only made her laugh.

Cassian got up, clapped his hands and said, "it should be any minute now. Why don't you go wake your brother up? He'll riot if he knows we had a pizza party without him."

Andra squealed and then ran off to her brother's room, but before she could reach it, Nesta whisper yelled after her. "Remember to knock first!"

Cassian nodded absentmindedly, staring at the floor, and then snorted.

"I'll go get Celia," he told her. Nesta yawned and Cassian didn't think twice before sticking a finger in her mouth.

When she frowned and slapped his hand away, he only raised his eyebrows and said, "Don't give me that look, I only got you back."

Not even fifteen minutes later, the five of them were silently munching on a large pizza, all sitting on top of the others, with Cassian being at the bottom of the weirdly shaped human pyramid.

With Ezra and Nora being elsewhere for the night, only the Trouble Triad was present, but it being the middle of the night, they all looked so calm and spent.

Nesta loved her family dearly, especially when they felt safe enough to just be themselves and act unhinged, but she couldn't lie and say she didn't enjoy these quiet moments.

After fighting over the last slice and Celia winning it like usual, they all went back to their rooms and while Nesta was questioning her abilities as a parent—because, let's be honest, waking up your children to make them eat pizza in the middle of the night wasn't the best—Andra's soft pitter patter sounded down the hallway.

Followed by a guilty Cassian, the little girl was clutching her favourite stuffed animal in a hand and her blankey in the other.

Nesta only smiled knowingly and lifted her side of the comforter, inviting Andra to join her under the sheets.

For tonight, she'd let her child hold her, hoping to chase away any fears and bad thoughts that might be lingering.

***

A/N: I. AM. SCREAMING. I found this tiktok here and let me tell you, the second I saw that man grinning like that woman laughing behind her phone, that kid crying? I KNEW I HAD TO DO IT. So, after literal years of me not writing anything in this au, I felt compelled to.

For those who haven't followed me for long, this is my most priced creation, and it's what brought me some of the best friendships I now have with so many people on here, so I do be really emotional about this. I really hope you can enjoy them as much as I used to and still do and even if I might never reply to those, feel free to send prompts and ideas, my ask box is always open.

acotar tag list (if you wanna be added or removed dm me or send an ask)

@my-fan-side @superspiritfestival @simpingfornestaarcheron @the-regal-warrior @princess-rumi-blog1 @live-the-fangirl-life @sayosdreams @rowaelinismyotp @swankii-art-teacher @ghostlyrose2 @bookstantrash @lordof-bloodshed @nahthanks @sannelovesreading @courtofjurdan @imagine-me @moodymelanist @dread3r @sv0430 @mariamuses @leiawritesstories @thewayshedreamed @duskandstarlight @letstakethedawn @perseusannabeth

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1134: The Boyz' Meeting Session (Epithet Erased)

4:45 p.m. at Crusher's Living Room.........

Boyz: (Chatting Among Themselves)

Giovanni: (Sits Down Next to Crusher and Spike in the Middle) Alright, everyone, settle down! The villainous meeting is now in full session.

Boyz: (Continues Chatting with One Another)

Giovanni: Boys? Booooyyyys?

Boyz: (Continues Chatting with One Another)

Crusher: EVERYBODY SHUT UP!!

Everyone quickly cease their talking, finally giving their boss his needed attention.

Crusher: (Shyly Lowers his Head Down a Bit While Twiddling his Fingers Together) S-Sorry. That wasn't too loud, was it?

Spike: (Smiles Brightly at her Boyfriend along with Their Boss) Nah, man. You did great!~

Giovanni: We couldn't be more prouder~

Crusher then receives two kisses on both his cheeks by his two partners respectively before the meeting could really begin.

Giovanni: (Turns Back to the Rest of His Minions) Now, as you all are aware, we have one more week and approximately ten more days of September left before the first day of October will be upon us. Which could only mean one thing..........

Dark Star: That Halloween Store across the street from here, is about to open again soon?

Giovanni: No!....I mean, yeah, that's true. (Grabs his Chin While Thinking) And it's been a while since we've done something special for Halloween this year.....(Snaps his Finger While Pointing at Dark Star) Remind one of us to go by there before the 31st, will ya?

Dark Star: (Casually Salutes to Giovanni) Sure thing, Boss.

Giovanni: Now, for the ACTUAL answer to the question, earlier today, I've heard from a few sources that every first day of the new month, twelve boxes of Sweet Jazz's Pizzaria are scheduled to be delivered at the Planetary Workout Gym at roughly 5 p.m. sharp. So I figured, what better way to start off October this year.....(Forms an Evil Grin on his Face) Then to steal those boxes from right under their noses? (Notices a Hand Raise Up Before Pointing at Him) Yes, Four Eyed Sleeper Sheep!

Sylvie: (Has a Deadpinned Look on his Face While Lowering his Hand Down) Already not a fan nickname you've given me, Gio......

Giovanni: (Glares at Sylvie) Hey, that's MR. BOSS MAN to you too, mister. And it's a codename, not your run of the mill nickname! Learn the difference!

Sylvie: Alright, Mr. "Boss Man", if that's the case, then why give me a codename that's four words longer compared to everyone else in the room?

Giovanni: Cuz it sounds cool! (Starts Twiddling his Fingers a Bit) Plus, I came up with it a week or two ago, so it's work in progress kinda thing, you know?

Sylvie: (Squints his Eyes at Gio For A Bit Before Speaking) Sure.....Not that I'm completely against your ambitious schemes or whatever, but why couldn't you just order pizza to begin with?

Molly: Yeah, that probably would've save you the trouble from stealing boxes of them away from the gym.

Giovanni: Two reasons: One, the boyz and I were ban from ordering and ever stepping foot into the establishment a long time ago after the whole dinner escape fiasco. (Starts Squinting his Eyes at The Culprit) And we COULD'VE gotten away with it scott-free if weren't for certain SOMEONE whose name starts with a capital 'B'!

The rest of the boyz (with the exception of Nolly and Sylvie) starts turning their respective glares towards Ben.

Ben: (Flail his Hand Up and Down While Clicking his Teeth) C'mon, man. I said I was sorry! You know how I get when I crack under pressure!

Car Crash: Dude, all you had to do is keep quiet for a few minutes and let the boss do all the talking talking until the interrogation ends. It wasn't that hard!

Ben: It was for me damnit! I would've been more prepared if I'd known they'd be on to us the next day!

Giovanni: ('Sigh') Well, as dumb and unfortunate as that incident was, what's done is done, not like I wanted to back there in the first place now that charged most of their prices up. Did you know their medium pizzas cost $25.00 now?

Boyz: TWENTY FIVE!?

Spike: The hell kind of pricing is that!?

Giovanni: The greedy kind, that's what! Which is all the more reason why we need to give this Pizza Stealing Operation a fair shot.

Flamethrower: So what's the plan you have in store for us, Boss?

Giovanni: Simple: We hit the gym 5 p.m. sharp, maybe a couple minutes earlier than that just to be on the safe side, send our Ace in the Hole, that's you Beartrap, to sneak over to the other side of the room, grab at least two and three boxes, and quickly take them back to our getaway mobile without getting noticed, all while the rest of us are gonna have to at least spend an hour or two of working out.

Most of the Boyz starts groaning and rolling their eyes at the idea of working themselves out to the bone. It's like going to P.E. classes alll over again......

Giovanni: I know, I know, it's a tiresome plan on our part, but if we do this and play our cards right, it could give Beartrap enough time to sneak past by any nearby staff. (Shivers in Disgust) Darrel especially......

Dark Star: Wait, he works there now or something?

Giovanni: Yeah, and he won't shut up about it ever since! (Shows a Picture of Darrell Bragging About Working at Planetary Workout on his FaceTemplet Account on his Phone) Now that I think, it might be for better that I accompany Beartrap on the heist just in case.

Molly: (Nodded in Agreement) I agree. I can tell that Darrell guy is starting to put you on edge lately.

Sylvie On edge enough for you to wanna have yourself a mini therapy session on?~ (Smiles Brightly and Rapidly Blinking his Eyes For the Possibility)

Giovanni: Shimmer down a bit, Doc, I don't need any therapy. (Crosses his Arms) I just....REALLY hate that guy!

Spike: (Place a Hand on Top of Giovanni's While Giving Him a Reassuring Smile on her Face) We all hate Darrell, babe, but you don't need to get yourself worked up over that jerkwad all day.

Crusher: Yeah, you're WAY more hahdsome and cooler than he'll ever be!

Giovanni: (Heart Begins to Melt in Genuine Happiness as He Starts Blushing) You guys really think that highly of me, do you?

Spike: (Happily Hugs Giovanni Along With Crusher) Hell yeah, man. You're the coolest guy in this whole town~

Sylvie: That's highly debatable really.

Sylvie quickly gets shushed loudly by Crusher and Spike before forming another deadpinned look causing Molly to start giggling right beside him.

Giovanni: (Chuckles Lightly) Alright, alright. I'll try not to let him get me distracted for you guys sake. (Gives Crusher and Spike a Kiss on Both Their Cheeks) Hell, if this heist goes along smoothly, we might have ourselves a spooky movie night!

Flamethrower: You think we could watch something tamed, Boss? (Points at Ben With a Teasing Smirk on his Face) I don't think Ben here is gonna last a minute watching a horror flick in one sitting.

Ben: (Glares at Flamethrower) Excuse you!? (Crosses his Arms While Turning Away) I'll have you know that I can watch through a through an entire Horror, Halloween related movie just fine!

Sylvie: Just the other day, you started covering yours and shaking like a leaf over a Scooby-Doo movie.

Ben: (Turns to Sylvie) You would start to shake too if you're greeted by a creepy looking ghost flying around the room!

Car Crash: It was a fake.

Ben: AND!? It's still creepy looking!

Giovanni: (Sighs While Rolling his Eyes) Then we'll watch something that ISN'T Scooby related. (Turns to Molly) Got any suggestions, Beartrap?

Molly: Well....it has been a while since I've watch Scary Godmother.

Dark Star: Ah dude! Scary Godmother?

Spike: It's been so long since I've watched that!~

Car Crash: I know, right? It's so good!~

Crusher: I VOTE FOR SCARY GODMOTHER!

Flamethrower: Don't forget the sequel!

Giovanni: (Forms a Bright Grin on his Face) Scary Godmother 1&2 it is then!

Boyz: (Cheers in Rejoice)

Ben: Ah man, do we have to watch those movies? It used to creep me out when I was little.

Giovanni: Sorry, Ben, the vote is anonymous!

Sylvie: (Shrugs Casually) Gonna have to suck it and watch through, if you even have the small ounce of guts to begin with.

Ben: ('Groans in Pure Defeat')

@aprilbrowines

[libraviathanff14]

The First Relic pt. 1

Vynnie drove his bike out to the meet up spot; a large manor in the Shroud, nestled deep in the wood. Finn had made it to the gate first and waited for the hired miqo'te to join him.

"Vynnie, glad you could make it. We'll meet with the client first, as she's agreed to have some tea and then discuss the details of her particular haunting. We'll do some looking around and go from there." He said casually. He passed through the gate, fully confident and calm. It made Vynnie question the sanity of this man. He didn't deal with Voidsent often, but enough to know that most people weren't this chipper.

"Say, Finn. How long have you been doing this?" Vynnie questioned.

"Oh, probably a little under a decade or so. Hard to keep track, honestly." The viera adjust his attire, following the trail to the front door of a huge manor. The grounds were impeccably landscaped; with trees and flowers that Vynnie had not seen. A single gardener attended to the hedges nearby, whistling to himself. The doors opened before Finn could even knock, and a well dressed Elezen bowed at the hip to them both. Suddenly, Vynnie felt incredibly underdressed.

"Welcome, sirs. Madame DuPont will receive you in the library, if you'll follow me."

The staff all seemed to be in a good mood, yet we're almost robotic. Their tasks were taken care of with precision. Each step they took seemed preplanned and rehearsed, like it was all a dance. It started to creep Vynnie out, who had to brush down the fur of his tail to not show signs of his unease.

The two followed the well dressed man who opened the library door for them. Inside a tall room, lined with bookshelves was a fireplace with a couch and a couple chairs, and a polished wooden coffee table on which was a tray of tea and little cookies. In one of the chairs, sat properly in a floor length, bustled dress was the assumed Madame DuPont.

"Finnigan Seahart and his assistant, Madame." The Elezen announced before closing the library door. The elegant woman stood, taller than even Finn as she beckoned them over. She had a warm smile, that had an inviting warmth to it.

"Ah, my dears. Come sit. I have hot tea and sugar cookies for you both. Freshly baked."

Finn nodded along for Vynnie to join and both took a seat on the couch opposite the woman. Vynnie stared at the spread, unsure of how polite he had to be about it. Finn didn't even reach for anything.

"Help yourselves, please."

Finn smiled, "Madame DuPont. Could you tell us a bit about what exactly is going on that you need our services?"

The woman sighed and walked to the fireplace to add another log as she spoke, "Straight to the point, hm? Whatever happened to entertaining guests a little? Oh, nevermind. Mr. Seahart, your reputation precedes you so I expected as much. It started a couple summers ago, I'd say. My daughter, Amelie had fallen for a Wood Wailer. He was a sweet man, but my husband did not approve and pulled some strings to get the Wailer a job far from our daughter. They fought about it for weeks, it was terrible. It got better for a little while, though." She sighed, "I figured it was because I saw her sneaking out at night. I didn't tell my husband. I figured she'd either been meeting in secret with the Wailer or found some new person to fall for. My gardener had seen her meet with some man in a hood in our greenhouse one night when he was here late. But... then things got strange."

She slowly returned to her seat and that warm expression was far more somber and exhausted. It was like telling this story was aging her.

"My husband got strangely ill. Our medics couldn't figure it out. And while we were dealing with the stress of that, my staff reported that they'd find things broken around the house, or things falling from their shelves. Dead birds on our roofs and in our gardens. More staff became sick. I began to fear that Amelie was doing something. I figured she was tampering with the food, so I had staff keep her out of the kitchens and keep an eye on her, but they said she hardly left her room, the greenhouse, or the cellar. The last part perturbed me, so one afternoon, I followed Amelie down to the cellar. There, I saw a horrible sight. Amelie had turned our cellar into some... horrid ritual site. She didn't look like herself. Disheveled, unkempt. Dark circles under her eyes. There was a circle with some goblet in the center. I... I fled. I don't know if she saw me that day. But it was that night that my husband's illness got the best of him. And suddenly... everything was quiet."

The woman clutched a cup of tea in her hands, shaking as she looked inside. Finn's face was stern. He was just as unsettling as the story.

"I'm sorry, but what the fu—" Vynnie started, before Finn clasped a hand over his mouth.

"My condolences, Madame DuPont. May we see the cellar, or Amelie if she is around?"

"Oh, no, no. No one sees Amelie. She locks herself in her room. I've had the servants clean the cellar and lock it, but here's the key. If you find anything, do be careful? I fear for what my daughter has done." She pulled a silver key from her pocket and set it on the coffee table to slide to Finn.

"Will do, Madame. We won't take long, but might we take a look around as well? I'll need to thoroughly investigate everything."

"Certainly, Mr. Seahart. Just stay away from the West Hall. Amelie's room is off limits to guests."

"Please, just Finn is fine. We will avoid the area."

They nod as Finn stands and begins to walk to the door. Finn opens it for Vynnie and shuts it behind them as he pulls out a journal.

The hall was absent of servants, but Vynnie spoke in a hushed tone, "Finn, what the fuck? How are you so calm right now? This is weird as shit."

"Some Voidsent prey on fear, Vynnie. If I show emotion, I am an easier target for their tricks."

Vynnie gulped as Finn continued, "I don't think the daughter would've come into dark magic on her own so quickly. Let's investigate the cellar. Come."

Vynnie's tail swung low and he followed close by, trying to keep a cool demeanor to him. "All the servants are gone. Maybe staying out of our way to let us work?"

"Possibly, but something is definitely off. Stay on your guard."

The walk to the cellar was uneasy and silent. The cellar door was locked with a giant pad. Finn scoffed at it then pulled out the key. "Huh..."

"What's up?"

"The key is all rusty. I could've sworn it was polished silver when she handed it to me."

"Maybe you were mixing it up with the trays and silverware?"

"Maybe..." The key fit, though it did give some resistance before finally unlocking the padlock. However, the key snapped as Finn began to pull it out and all the chains fell to the floor.

"Uhhhh, Finn. It broke."

"Astute observation, Vynnie. Come on." He pushed the door open and the smell of a musty cellar wafted out of the door. "Vynnie, take a moment to light the sconces with your levin while I look around."

The miqo'te held his clawed finger to the wall sconces and sent a small spark to ignite the oiled wicks on top. Meanwhile, Finn walked around. The cellar was a single room, so there wasn't much to look through, and despite the cleaners' best efforts, the signs of a ritual circle were still somewhat present.

"There's still an ambient aether here. It wasn't properly cleaned." He rummaged in his bag for a vial of coarse salt and another of what Vynnie assumed to be water. "I don't recognize much of what I can see, but blood was definitely involved. Some is still dried along the circle."

"This girl was doing blood magic?! All because she couldn't date some guy?"

"Remember, there was tension between her and her father, too. But I don't think she came to this on her own. Remember she met with someone at night."

"Yeah, but didn't Madame DuPont say it was likely the Wailer or a new lover?"

"Likely, but not confirmed. It could've been a Voidsent that sensed her grief and used it as a tool to manipulate her. We'll have to find the girl to know more."

"But I thought she was off limits."

"Yes, well, things change, and my job is to cleanse the home. Just this circle won't be enough." He poured the salt and water where he could find marks and rubbed it out with his boot.

"We're going to the girl's room, come on."

Finn put away the vials and stepped out of the cellar. At the top of the stairs he stopped, causing Vynnie to nearly bump into him, "Hey, what gives? Why'd you—"

His question was answered when he took a look. The pristine home was a wreck now. Wallpaper peeled, what little furniture was left was either covered in cloth or busted. The windows were so grimey that the light that did pour in was tinted yellow, adding a sickly color to the place.

"Finn, what's going on?"

"I'll tell you as soon as I learn. But our task remains the same. Don't touch anything."

The viera picked up his page, coming to the end of the main hall and looking down the west one. Vynnie followed by, looking behind constantly. "I've got a bad feeling, Finn. I don't know that we'll like what we find in that girl's room."

Finn stopped at the door at the end of the West Hall. An eerie, dim light filtered from underneath the door, confirming enough for Finn to jiggle the handle. "It's locked."

"Here, let me." Finn moved aside as Vynnie knelt down before the door and stuck his claw in the keyhole. A spark of levin flowed from him until a click was heard.

"Magnetism. Clever. Now ready your spells."

Vynnie was way ahead of the viera. The door being opened got him to the height of his anxiety. The room was large and circular. All the furniture destroyed and used as part of some altar in the center. Atop was a goblet, polished and shining as an antithesis to the rest of the manor. At the foot of those makeshift altar was a skeletal like figure with pointed ears and frayed ashy hair. She was whispering some words desperately to the Goblet. But all the two could make out was, "Please, please, please..."

"Amelie...?"

[casspurrjoybell-26]

Too Old For This - Chapter 17 - Part 1

*Warning Adult Content*    

As early as six in the morning on Saturday Zachary was sitting in his wheelchair next to the full-length window in the sunroom.

The event of the day was Leroy coming over.

Since the man had asked if he was allowed to come over on the phone on Friday even, Zachary was barely able to catch a wink of sleep.

The past week of deep anxiety and crying over the state of their relationship, had molded into panicked pacing in his room and staring up at the ceiling deep in the night as he waited for the aforementioned Saturday to come around.

The whole week had been hard on his body.

Dehydration from crying and lack of sleep.

Forgetting to eat and being constantly on the edge checking his cell-phone even though the light hurt his eyes.

He didn't feel well.

In fact, that whole situation was something he'd probably need a week or two to recover from but he didn't want to turn down Leroy coming over.

The thought of seeing the man after he thought Sunday was probably their last day meeting made his chest tight and face warm.

So, he watched from the sunroom, patiently waiting for the lean man with thick eyebrows and a head of shiny dark hair.

"He's taking his time, isn't he?" Zachary said, turning over to one of the cats who had walked up to him and meowed.

It was only maybe nine in the morning now but Zach was impatient.

He tapped his feet against the floorboards and occasionally looked back to the sitting room area to look at the clock right about the sofa.

Time moved so fast and he wondered why he'd never noticed that before.

He wasn't sure what they were going to do besides talk.

They hadn't planned for anything besides meeting up but Zachary couldn't really care less.

They'd figure something out.

Leroy didn't text Zachary until a few minutes to eleven in the morning.

MESSAGE FROM: LEROY.   

I'll be heading out in a bit. Had to talk to my mum and sort some things out for work.

SATURDAY, 10:48 AM.

Zachary stared at the text, nibbling on his lower lip as he read it.

He sent Leroy a thumbs-up emoji as he tried to figure out when exactly Leroy might get there.

From how long it usually took Leroy to confirm he's gotten home after leaving his place, he would guess it was anywhere from a ten to twenty-minute walk and if Leroy wasn't leaving right away, he would probably leave at eleven on the dot, so Zachary started to expect him anywhere between eleven ten to eleven-thirty.    

Time continued to pass slowly and at a point, Zachary was even counting the seconds, he was so focused on that, that he didn't hear the knock on the door and the cat meowing from outside.

It was only when his ears picked up Leroy's voice did, he look up and was met with the sight of the man on the porch squatting and petting a cat.

His face flushed and he felt like there was something lodged up in his throat.

He got up as quickly as he could, making his way to the door and when it creaked open Leroy looked up at him.

The two men both stayed quiet for a bit, with Zachary staring down at Leroy and Leroy looking up at him.

They both seemed to be taking in each other's looks, as if much could change in five days.

They both looked exactly the same of course but the intensity of the emotions they felt had them looking for little changes in appearances and demeanor.   

For example, it was the first time Zachary noticed how long Leroy's bottom lashes were.     

'Fuck,' the older man scolded himself, blinking and then opening his eyes again.

"Do you want to come in?" he asked and Leroy blinked as if he'd just realized they'd been staring at each other in silence for what seemed like minutes.   

"Yeah, of course," the younger man said, letting go of the protesting cat, before standing up.

Zachary had always been taller than him but Leroy felt it more now that his eyes were in line with the man's lips.

He swallowed the spit in the back of his mouth before making himself stare at the floor.

It was plain and not as interesting as Zachary's face but at least he wouldn't be tempted to make out with it.  

"Err... I don't know what we can do... I guess we didn't figure that part out," Zachary said, laughing awkwardly as he stepped out of the way.

Leroy walked into the house, still avoiding Zachary's gaze as he made his way into the spacey bungalow.     

Leroy followed Zachary to take a seat on the sofa and they both sat in silence for a while, not saying much to each other.     

"So..." Leroy trailed, breaking the silence.

"I... I don't know where to start..."     

"You said you liked me," Zachary said, cutting him off.

"Are you gay? Or bisexual maybe?"

He'd been wondering about this since Sunday.

Trying to figure out if he had a chance or if this was something Leroy would run from when it all got too much.     

"I.... I don't know," Leroy answered honestly.

"I mean, I tried to date girls because I'm sure I like girls. I've not really had thoughts about men like that until you..." Leroy trailed.   

"Though, I think growing up people called me gay a lot because of my height, how I look like my sister, etc. So, I guess I never entertained the idea because I was too self-conscious about it," Leroy admitted and Zachary nodded.     

"I see," the older man said and Leroy sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

"I liked kissing you. I'd do it again and again, fuck," he said, closing his eyes briefly before letting out a sigh.

"When I'm with you, I overthink things because I want to touch you... I want to be with you that way, I think."

"You think?"

"You know what I mean..."

[aspenforest732]

Bello Licentiae Chapter 21: Dance Revolution

Summary:

tw: flashback mention, gang activity, police, missing person Tis the spoopy season :) 'text' JSL Text thoughts

"Hey Mori," Jiro started, twirling an ear jack as she crossed the common area. "I saw you put dancing and keys. Momo has us covered for keys since she's classically trained, but I was wondering how you dancing would work."

Akira made the last couple strokes copying over History notes before looking up. ' I also received classical training, but she probably got more. I would most likely be using my crutches, and I've gotten pretty comfortable with combat footwork in those. ' They pulled up one of the videos they'd found on the train rides to and from Hosu where a choreographer was demonstrating how to adapt popular moves for use with forearm crutches.

"That should work," Jiro watched curiously. "Can you forward that to Mina? She'll be doing the choreography."

' Of course, I've got a playlist I can send her. Have we picked a song yet? ' Akira asked before sending the link. ' If no one from our class is interpreting, Anii should be able to do it. She'll just need to meet with us a couple times beforehand to rehearse. '

"'Hero Too' by Yuki Hayashi and Ayapeta," Jiro paused her earjack twirling for a moment in thought. "Do you think we need an interpreter? Koda suggested it, but I don't remember seeing one at a concert before."

' From what I saw on HeroTube, deaf or hard of hearing people can request interpreters, and the interpretations are more about capturing the spirit and beats of the song instead of direct translation, ' Akira clarified.

"I think this is the longest and most civil conversation we've had," Jiro huffed as she took a chair across from them and started pulling out her own notes.

Akira raised an eyebrow and shrugged. ' Yeah, cause you were acting like a jerk for most of the first term. I'm glad you worked whatever that was out. '

Jiro stiffened but huffed an agreement before settling into her work. They studied together for a couple hours before Akira moved to their room for privacy. It still felt weird being alone with someone they weren't close to, and Jiro's periodic humming clashed with the music in their head.

That weekend, Akira stayed in the dorms for dance practice with Mina and the dance crew. Midoriya and Ida especially struggled at first to get the hang of rhythm, but they gradually eased into it. Akira also did a couple sessions with just Mina to make sure they could have a clone do the routine if they were wheelchair-bound that day.

"We could have a separate routine for if you need your wheelchair," Mina offered while they took a water break.

Akira shook their head, ' If we had more time, that would be great, but with midterms coming up, I don't think it's going to be practical. '

"So, your roommate..." Mina prodded with a glint in her eye. "What's his deal?"

Akira rolled their eyes and pushed off the wall. ' How so? '

"You've been sitting on the biggest gossip this whole time!" Mina pouted, drawing a chuckle out of them. "What's he like? Why do they keep attacking us? Did he join willingly? Is he single?"

Akira grew more exasperated with each question until they just gave her a flat look. ' He's gay. He's... kind of like a German Shepherd? Protective and mean to strangers but soft in his own way with people he knows. And it's complicated. Can we get back to practicing? '

"Oh! Like an older brother."

Mina started back into the routine, leaving Akira a little stunned. Oh .

The next week flew by between festival preparations, a new wave of self-destructing weapons popping up on the black market, and midterm prep. Exams were still a few weeks away, but this time Akira organized the same study group to help make sure they were ready. When Saturday rolled around, Aizawa brought Eri to school so she could see more of the campus when there were fewer people to overwhelm her.

Akira, Togata, and Midoriya eagerly led her about, showing her the rest of the main building while Akira kept an eye out for any signs of discomfort in the little girl. A few of the business courses handed out fliers for seminars and joint presentations with support course students, although Akira frowned slightly at Mei not being on any of them.

' Have you spoken with Hatsume? She's planning on going independent last I heard, ' Akira asked a student from 1-E.

He blanched, "Oh no one messes with her! She's got all these half-formed ideas that explode all the time. It's a good thing she was already planning on starting her own company. No one wants to be dragged down with her."

"I-I'm sure she-" Midoriya stuttered, smile falling as he hesitantly looked to Akira and Togata.

' Oh hell no, ' Akira glared at him while Togata interpreted. ' I have personally worked with Bubblegum on multiple occasions, and I'm telling you now she will make it big one day. Those half-formed ideas are the start of some of her best items, and they explode so often because they're innovative! ' They drew themself up to their full 140 cm and stalked closer to the agape student as he backed up. ' If I ever hear you or anyone else for that matter disparage her, I will personally make sure you never hear the end of it. Do I make myself clear? '

"Crystal," he gulped and sprinted away.

Akira took a calming breath and reset their posture before turning and checking on Eri. Her eyes were wide with curiosity and a little bit of fear, so Akira crouched despite their protesting knees. ' Hey Eri, how are you feeling? '

Eri scrunched her brow for a moment before signing, ' Good. ' At Akira's smile, she continued. "You're not usually mad."

Understanding flitted across Midoriya's face, and Akira nodded. ' I don't like when people say mean things about people I care about. That includes you, ' they slowly reached out to give her a head pat, which she leaned into. Akira stood up, knees popping and crackling in protest as they continued on.

At the festival grounds, Monoma and Tetsutetsu popped up with a silver dragon head. Akira bit back a smile at the reminder of Hitoshi and asked, ' What is 1-B doing for the festival? That looks neat. '

Monoma launched into an albeit boastful explanation of the ambitious play they were putting on as Awase approached, keeping an eye on him. Akira leaned towards Eri conspiratorially and signed with Togata quietly interpreting, ' Copycat gets really competitive with our class. It sounds like they're taking inspiration from some pre-quirk movies, which'll be interesting. '

Eri giggled, and Midoriya asked, "Where's Kendo? Isn't she usually with you, Monoma?"

Awase shrugged apologetically, "She got entered into the beauty pageant by Reiko, so they're figuring that out."

"Nejire's also entering that, shall we see what they're up to?" Togata asked with a twinkle in his eye. "I bet her costume is going to be really pretty this year."

As they slipped into one of the equipment room, Akira cocked their head at the odd pose Hado took in the air supported by one of her waves. "Hey, why is Eri here? How fun!" she asked cheerfully when she noticed the group.

As the others talked about the contestants and last year's champion, Akira wandered over to the clothing racks. They were filled with a variety of gowns and shorter pieces of a pretty wide variety of themes and sizes. Noticing the lack of masculine options, they turned to Amajiki, ' Is this a fem-presenting only event? '

"Eh, I guess we haven't had anyone want to participate who wasn't?" Yuyu responded when Amajiki looked lost. "Beauty pageants are more of a traditionally girl thing to do."

Akira shrugged, signing a loose ' thanks ' as they made their way back to the group. They noticed with some amusement that Eri seemed enraptured by Nejire and the assortment of pretty items. With a smile, Akira snapped a picture and sent it to Yamada, including a few of the details she seemed most taken with. In moments, they got a chaotic string of emojis to decode later as they headed to the last group, the support course showcase. ' This is where Bubblegum studies, ' Akira explained to Eri on the way.

"This is something that makes a splash every year!" Midoriya said excitedly as Togata covered his ears against the grinding and general workshop noises. Akira offered a pair of earplugs to Eri, but she was similarly taken with the busy room.

Akira grinned and gently maneuvered Eri to the side as Hatsume rounded Midoriya from behind. "That's right! The school festival is the support course's time to shine!"

Akira marveled at the much-improved robotic suit Hatsume had been working on as she continued. "This time, we've been given the spotlight! It's so I can get even bigger companies to look at my babies even more carefully!"

' Did you fix the... ' Akira paused as the suit started smoking. They winced and guided Eri back a bit, snapping their capture scarf out to grab the dome that shot off the top. Akira let the momentum carry for a moment before guiding it back to the floor a safe distance away. ' Good luck, Bubblegum! '

While grabbing a late lunch, Togata asked how Eri was feeling. She seemed thoughtful for a moment before signing ' happy ' and adding, "There are a lot of different people working hard, so I wonder how it'll turn out..."

"That's what people call 'getting excited,'" Nezu clarified from a few chairs over with Kayama. "I'm also excited about the school festival!"

Kayama added as they got up that if the alarm sounds, even a false alarm, they would have to cancel and evacuate. There would be significant extra security, especially in the wooded area around campus, to avoid that at least. Akira slid a look at Midoriya, knowing his tendencies, but everything was set up to be quiet for the time being.

On Monday, Akira was waiting for Mad Banquet outside the cafeteria when they saw a call from Haru. They quickly shot off a text as they answered saying they had to take a call. ' Is everything alright? '

"I'm sorry to do this, but have you seen or heard from Giran lately?" he asked, worry creasing his brow.

Akira shook their head as they thought back. ' No, and the League wouldn't have either. They're off-grid for the time being. '

"Shit." Haru called out their response to whoever else was in the room.

Anxiety spiking, Akira asked, ' What's going on? '

"He's been dark for over a week," Haru explained. "It was a week on Friday, but we didn't want to worry you if someone else had heard from him. We've already checked with his underlings. I know you can't do much from there, but..."

' I can always try ,' Akira replied, cycling through options. ' Probably best not to involve Eraser, right? '

Haru hesitated, glancing to the side before nodding. "Giran's a big step up from what he currently knows of your involvement in the underworld. Keep it in-house if you can, but don't actively hide it."

With a sharp nod, Akira hung up and headed back to the classroom to meet with their group since the weather was turning colder. They started searching for what they could on the internet, but there wasn't much to go off of yet. Akira waved off the others' concern when they stiffly walked in, not bothering with an excuse since Fumikage looked ready to call them out as it was.

For the next week, Akira stayed up most of the night, only getting two hours of sleep or three if they passed out while searching. Intelligence networks were shifting, and the media started to catch on that a major change happened in the underworld. No one had connected the dots yet, and Akira tried and failed daily to get in touch with Dabi.

"Is something going on?" Taishiro asked after quietly taking Akira aside on Tuesday before their shift. "You were off yesterday and look even worse today."

' I'm fine, just dealing with internal issues right now, ' Akira responded, plastering a small fake smile on their face. ' It might be nothing. '

Taishiro grew even more worried but nodded, "I'll hold you to it, kiddo. Just come to me when you're ready, okay?"

By Thursday, Akira was starting to fall asleep in class, only Dark Shadow keeping them from nodding off while their focus kept splitting between the lectures and Giran. Did the Wrens finally get a hold of him? They could be torturing him because of me . What if they out Dabi? Everything could ...

"Akira!"

Akira jerked back into focus as they saw an empty classroom aside from them and Aizawa. "You're benched for Heroics today," he frowned as they struggled to focus on him. "I don't know what's going on, but Shiro confirmed something was off on Tuesday, and you've only been getting worse."

' But- ' Akira protested, swaying slightly as they stood. Aizawa gently steadied them by their arm, drawing a sharp flinch and fresh wave of guilt. He patiently watched with now open concern. Taking stock of their state, Akira huffed and pressed their mouth into a thin line. ' Fine. ' They looked pointedly at their arm, and Aizawa let go after a moment.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" he eventually asked.

Akira sighed in exasperation, running a hand over their face. ' Someone very important to my group is missing. He's been dark for too long, and no one's been able to reach him. '

Aizawa's eyebrows crinkled as he surveyed them. "Why didn't you say something earlier? I can look at arrest records, at least rule that out."

' We already have, ' Akira waved him off. ' Giran would be too big a catch to keep quiet. '

Aizawa sucked in a breath. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, that answers the why. Undergrounds have noticed his absence, but we thought he was in a different area and his underlings got complacent. If he's missing , we can start looking elsewhere and help ease the fallout.

"In the meantime," he gave them a pointed look, "go back to your dorm and get some rest. Don't keep looking right now." Aizawa's gaze softened as Akira leaned against the desk, head swimming as they sipped on a jelly pouch. "Let me take the next steps, and I'll let you know what we find."

Akira reluctantly limped back to the dorms, barely remembering to let Haru know Aizawa and the undergrounds were now involved before crashing.

Around three, Akira jolted awake and groaned, waiting for the pain from the nightmare to abate. As the agonizing seconds passed, they realized it wasn't just from the nightmare. Pushing through the pain, they grabbed the pill bottle and shook out a couple to take with a jelly pouch. Hopefully that'll take some of the edge off . Akira grimaced at the burning the pills caused in their stomach, but at least sometimes they helped. They tried to go back to sleep after that, but the pain kept them awake. After a while, they turned on their chronic flare HeroTube playlist, a mix of podcasts and music they could zone in and out of without missing much.

Some hours later, Hitoshi checked in on them and mentioned he'd tell Aizawa they couldn't come to class. Dark Shadow burst in not long after with a heating pad, more blankets, and chocolate. Akira thanked them, although they weren't sure they could stomach anything that rich for a bit. Around noon, they dragged themself onto their wheelchair with a blanket and made their way downstairs using the touchpad instead of wheels to turn.

After putting the ingredients in the blender, Akira pulled the blanket a little tighter and started grounding themself as they turned the blender on. They quickly backed up their wheelchair, but their vision grew staticky as the noise blended with Sonic's pulsing, grating quirk. In two three four , Akira tried to focus, barely registering the difference in material of the wheelchair and soft blanket and the metal resonance chamber Sonic used.

By the time they were fully back in the present, the blender was long finished. Akira tiredly transferred the mix to their oversized tumbler and trudged back to their room, very much ready for the day to be over.

"Are you okay, Reaper?"

Akira smiled tiredly over to Eri where she had stopped coloring. They bookmarked the open investigations report and closed their laptop to turn to her. ' Just worried about someone I know. It's not someone you know, so please don't worry about it. '

Eri scrunched up her brow at that, "But I'm worried about you?"

Akira winced, knowing their eyebags were still pretty prominent. ' Leave the worrying to people older than you, okay? Kids shouldn't have to be worried about this stuff. ' After a moment, they added, ' I'm sorry I placed some of that emotional burden on you. '

After they explained a couple words, Eri lit up and slid off her chair. She ran down the hallway towards Aizawa and Yamada's bedroom as Akira watched in confusion. Did I say something wrong? Akira couldn't hear any crying, but then again, Eri would have learned to cry silently. They started to get up only to hear the soft patter of footsteps next to Yamada's longer strides.

"Sweetie, are you sure you want me? They usually prefer Shou for-"

"No!" Eri stomped her foot to Akira's amusement. "Daddy says you're oldest, so he would just go to you. Is anyone older than you?"

Akira stifled a snort as an affronted Yamada rounded the corner with Eri in tow. A blush spread across their cheeks as they realized why Eri had grabbed him, and they awkwardly waved. ' Sorry, I didn't realize she was going to get you. '

"You said kids shouldn't worry about this. Daddy says you're a kid. So logically, you need the oldest person!" Eri looked proud of herself, one small hand fisted on her hip.

' Ah, logic, my only weakness, ' Akira dramatically melted onto the table, leaving their head up just enough to make out color blobs. As the purple blob moved around the table into their periphery, Akira shifted to look at Yamada crouched a comfortable distance away.

"Hey, Shou told me a little of what's going on. You wanna talk about it, little listener?" he gently asked.

' Not much to talk about, ' Akira sat up enough to sign after they made sure Eri wasn't in line of sight. ' There's nothing. '

Yamada hummed, quirk activating slightly as the pitch dropped into what felt like a cat purr. Akira tensed but slowly relaxed as they watched the hero sit next to them. "Shou's really good at finding people, you know. Nezu, too."

Akira thinned their mouth and looked away briefly. ' This is different. If a rival did manage to rise up, they would've been disposed of by now. No one who's been in the underworld for any period of time would touch him. None of this makes sense! '

"Hey, you've got a lot going on," Yamada interrupted their thoughts as their head snapped up to briefly meet his gaze. They quickly looked away but not before seeing the open concern. "Shou and I are here for you if you want to vent or need some space, okay? If there's anything we can do from helping look to bouncing around ideas to making food, just let us know."

Akira hesitated, the request seeming silly in the moment. At his encouraging smile, they asked, ' Can we have yaki-udon tonight? ' Akira asked after a moment. Yamada brightened and started checking for ingredients, soon sending Aizawa out with a list. Eri even roped Akira into helping with the preparation. As guilty as they felt for not spending the time looking for Giran, Akira felt a little less wrung out when they started the search again after dinner.

On Monday, Taishiro confined them to desk duty, which they spent continuing the search when not putting calls through and exploring the system. A new set of fingerprints did show up in a country-wide search for the owner of a severed finger, so Akira sent that off to forensics. A few minutes later, they clicked back to the request and double-checked the found location. Maybe some kind of yakuza statement? They mused and put a note in the file to cross-check the prints with their own database if the police didn't turn up anything.

Notes:

"Hero too" was composed by Yuki Hayashi, Ayapeta wrote the lyrics, and Chrissy Costanza performed the song. Jiro mellows out in her treatment of other students in the anime at least, so figured Akira would give her another chance. Haru: don't actively hide it but y'know play it close to your chest Akira: got it, stay up all hours to find him and don't tell anyone Haru: ... Aizawa and Taishiro: wtf is going on

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[3katanas]

@mugglebrn asked: [ FIVE GLANCES ] send for five times the receiver watched the sender and the one time the receiver does something about it. 

His gaze slipped past those in the room, gathered for a meeting to determine just how fucked they were after losing the battle at Hogwarts. The answer was royally. Yet even here, surrounded by the survivors and the grim reality of what was to come, his gaze slipped to her. Noticing how even through the pain and grief and shock that still filled her gaze there was brilliance there as well. A mind that refused to be stopped even in the face of such overwhelming emotions. That mind and raw talent.....she was probably the reason her two best friends had survived many times.

They'd been assigned to several missions together now. Sometimes with others, sometimes just the two of them. Someone in the order apparently had decided that they were a perfect team, which was honestly true from the looks of it. Her quick mind and talent combined with his raw strength and defensive abilities made them a lethal pair. Yet his gaze lingered on her from across the fire, discreetly taking in what she didn't voice. The fear for her loved ones, the pain of her grief, and a riot of other emotions that she impressively kept others from noticing. It was only times like this. In the silence of the night he'd noticed everything starting to slip through the cracks when she thought he wasn't looking.

Glancing her way his breath was practically ripped from his chest. That single moment highlighted her as if in a halo as the sun crested over the mountain top upon which they'd aparated to in order to get a lay of the land. He'd always known she was beautiful. Had personally thought anyone who claimed otherwise was clearly blind. Yet as he'd gotten to know her over the past few weeks? Fought at her side and nearly died a few times, something had shifted. Something that had his heart stuttering in his chest as he quickly looked away before glancing back once more. Gaze lingered a bit longer this time before he turned his attention back to the valley below and answered the question that had been directed at him by someone else.

While they'd grown closer he was still distant from most. Only George and a handful of others seemed to be able to pull him from his solitude in large gatherings like this. Typically he preferred to just sit in the corner and perhaps take a nap. Unfortunately, Molly had insisted that even during War holidays should be celebrated. Thus he'd been dragged to the small table and shoved into a chair. Only once he was seated did he pause, glancing up to find Hermione sitting a few seats down on the other side of the table. Something Ron or Harry had said having drawn a small smile to her face. It had him wishing in that moment that he'd been the one to bring it there even as relief that she was able to smile filled him. If he'd been able to believe that wishing for anything would work, he'd have wished for her to be happy. Having realized about a month ago that he'd willingly give his life for hers.

Stealing glances of her had become like an addiction. His gaze unable but to stray towards the witch whenever she was in the room. Lingering when he thought she wasn't looking. Content to remain as someone on the sidelines, watching over her from there and trying to protect what little goodness remained in the world a little bit longer. If only so she would smile. Now his glance was heavier. The memory of her body thrown against his, her lips suddenly upon his and the all-consuming need they'd both seemed to have felt when he'd climbed from that rubbled house thrummed through him. Was it the heat of the battle? Had it just been panic and fear of losing someone on her behalf? This time when she sensed him looking he didn't look away. Fuck he barely even breathed as she came towards him. Every inch of his being focused upon her as the world vanished around them when her fingers took his. Following her gently pulled silently until they were around a corner and out of sight. Then...it was as if they both broke whatever silent enchantment had been placed upon them. Bodies and tongues tangled as they stumbled through the door.

[luxmaeastra]

Orsus stiffened, they'd spent weeks with just Natalia and Sebastian traveling back to their children. They stood in the doorway, watching the reunion. They looked to be the boys age, or a year younger. Zimri stilled, stepping in front of Xaden.

Orsus stiffened, hating that they couldn't call any magic. They'd tried over the last few weeks but their body felt like it burning. Sebastian said it was probably Burning Up, that they'd been pushed beyond their limit.

"Zimri. Stop that. This is Orsus, your sibl -"

"No it's not."

Orsus lifted their chin, stepping into the room. They could survive if they had to. They knew that but they'd fallen asleep with their head in Natalia's lap. They'd listened to Sebastian and Natalia's whispered conversations. They'd had let Natalia slowly wash them, run a hand through their hair. They'd never had that touch before. Even back then, Phos and the others had always needed things from them.

A star, a planet, more quintessence, more attention.

They could survive but something fluttered in their chest hard. Was this hope? Was this want?

It was softer than the anger that had carried them this far.

They could survive but they didn't want to. They didn't want to loose this, these moments of peace.

They remembered Zimri, his nightmares in Kavalla. The pain of so much suffering has done to his soul. They could feel it, an awareness even if they couldn't see it now.

They stepped toward Zimri, the lightning crackled along the floor. The lights flaring and bursting above them. Sebastian and Natalia didn't intervene, just watched.

"I'm sorry for what I did. I wanted your parents to suffer. Your grandfather promised to free me from that place but lied to me."

They couldn't feel that rage, it was there. It was a burning ember now. They were so tired of it, of anger and violence. Zimri blinked, scanning their face. His eyes narrowed, ignoring as Xaden tried to step around him.

Orsus tried again.

"Do you still have the nightmares?"

Xaden hissed, shadows looking at his feet. They lunged for them, trying to Cut, to hold them down.

Orsus exhaled, focusing on Zimri. They understood what was happening. Sebastian and Natalia could only do so much. They'd protect their children over them every time. Perhaps this was more than righting a wrong on Sebastian's part. Maybe Natalia spoke true when she wished to help them heal.

But none of that mattered if they didn't try. Even just these few weeks of peace had cleared some of the haze. It wouldn't be enough, but it was a good start.

Zimri raises his chin, meeting their eyes.

"Why do you care?"

"Because I can take them back."

Sebastian gasped, Natalia didn't speak simply watched. Zimri frowned and stepped back, not in fear but in confusion.

"No. They're bad, I don't want you to -"

They tried to smile, they didn't know if they did it right. They moved, touching his chest. They could feel it, it would hurt but this would be worth it.

They didn't want to be collared again, the didn't want to go back to what they were. They didn't want to be used again, they didn't want to make Natalia and Sebastian regret this decision.

"It's okay, a couple more nightmares won't hurt me."

They pulled the mass from them, down into themselves. The magic took their breath, their vision blurred. They heard someone call their name.

------

Xaden and Zimri hadn't been allowed in their room. Zimri said he felt lighter, like he could finally breathe. Xaden watched their new sibling sleep. Their parents said whatever magic Reshaye or Orsus had had was gone. That the Daglan had ripped it away to stave off their own death.

Orsus couldn't die, but they were functionally mortal. They'd age like them, and maybe one day they'd be able to do magic again.

Orsus opened their eyes, they didn't cry out. Xaden watched them, Zimri asking if they wanted water. Orsus shook their head, slowly sitting up.

Orsus looked at them both, it was their eyes that Xaden finally felt ease. This must have been why their parents trusted them.

There was pain there, exhaustion too, and a fragile hope.

"Are you going to tell them to get rid of me? I understand, I'm sorry, but sometimes that isn't -"

"We were going to ask if you wanted to play tag with us."

------

Orsus stared wide eyed at the palace. They looked to their parents. It was nice to have parents, to be cared for. Zirmri has already wandered away to look at the plants. Xaden stood with them though, it was nice to have brothers too.

To be taught their games and protected. They'd never been profectd before, and other kids were mean.

"Do we really need our own rooms Papa?"

Sebastian opened his mouth but Xaden touched their shoulder.

"We don't need to, Zimri and I were thinking we could all share anyway -"

"Yes! We could create our own wing together!"

Orsus furrowed their brow.

"What's a wing?"

Zimri gripped their wrist, dragging them inside. This was nice too, the touches that weren't hurtful. That didn't lead to pain and nightmares.

They didn't know they liked this type of affection till they'd come here.

They pulled free from Zimri looking between their brothers.

"I'll race you to the bridge! Loser has to sleep with the scratchy sheets!"

------

Sebastian leaned against the doorway watching the children run. He smiled at Natalia, pulling her into a slow kiss.

"You did wonderful my love. Look at all the blessings our family has now."

Sweet blessings, ones the will need to protect and keep safe. She could feel the concern coil around her heart, she could feel the sleepiness nights ahead. Yet, it was all worth it. They all were, they all deserved the life they could give them.

She sighed, sagging in his arms as she rested her head upon his shoulder. “I hope we are able to give them all the life they deserve, they are blessings who deserve the happiness and joy we can give them.”

[radiant-reid]

NO BC IMAGINE HER COMING IN WITH THEIR KIDS (we all know spencer can't stop at one so they'd have 3 max) AND EVERYONE IS LIKE. "whos goddamn wife is that.."

(I'm talking at least spences slick back hair era)

him >>> this is in my top 5 hairstyles, i wish he wore it more

Spencer had been out the door early that morning with the usual kiss on the forehead for his kids and a minute's worth of chaste kisses for his wife.

Friday nights are dance classes which usually works well with Spencer's schedule since their cases start at the beginning of the week and wrap somewhere in the middle.

He didn't take his car to work, figuring they didn't need two, especially since they were going out afterward to get ice cream and celebrate the girls' recital.

Morgan had distracted Spencer while he's waiting for a message from Y/n to tell him she's there, and when his phone chimes, he doesn't hear it.

So the four of them make their way up to the sixth floor, the girls bouncing up and down while Y/n holds their youngest.

Spencer doesn't notice them until the girls squeal and run across the floor to where he's standing in the kitchenette. He knows those sounds well and turns from tipping out the rest of his coffee to greet them.

"Hey." He grins, bending down to their height and holding out his arms so he can catch the three-year-olds. The twins attack him with cuddles, excited to see him after so long. He effortlessly picks them up, carrying one in each arm against his sides as he looks at his wife. "Why are you guys up here?" He asks.

"I texted and called." She tells him, and he looks for his phone before realizing he left it sitting on his desk.

"Oh, I was in the board room. I'm sorry." He apologizes, knowing it can't have been easy to lug three kids out of the car.

She shakes her head, stepping closer to kiss him. "Don't worry. Are you nearly ready to go? These two are pretty excited."

They agree, kicking their ballet-shoe-clad feet up and down. "I can tell. You both look so pretty." He tells them, looking at their identical white tutus and slick back buns. "And yeah, we should probably go." He spins around, carrying them to his desk to skillfully pick up his stuff while holding them.

Y/n follows him with the baby carrier, helping put his (thankfully closed) files into his satchel while Spencer chats to the girls about their days.

While they stand in the middle of the bullpen, they're viewable from the boardroom where Morgan, JJ, Emily, and Penelope are sitting.

Morgan catches them in his peripheral vision first. "Uh, guys, who's that with Reid?" He draws everyone else's attention to the happy family outside.

"Spencer's got kids?" JJ asks as they all make their way to stand closer to the glass where they can see the mysterious visitors.

"Spencer's got a wife?" Penelope echos her confusion.

"A hot wife." Emily jokes, getting hit on the shoulder by Penelope as punishment.

Morgan seems to agree with her, though. "That can seriously not be someone's mom."

"Should we, like, leave them?" JJ wonders, although she really doesn't want to.

"No." Penelope shakes her head. "We've got to meet those adorable children."

It's Morgan's voice that draws Spencer out of the bubble of their happy family, reminding him he was never out of eyesight. "Hey, pretty boy," Morgan smirks, out of the room and leaning on the railing.

JJ, Penelope, and Emily all stand next to him, watching Spencer's reaction."What is going on?" JJ asks.

Spencer's speechless about their secret coming out, so Y/n steps up. "Hi, I'm Y/n Reid, and I'm his wife." She introduces herself. The four of them make their way down to shake her hand, except for Penelope who can't resist hugging her.

"You have a wife?" JJ asks.

"And three kids?" Penelope adds.

"A beautiful wife, too." Morgan flirts playfully.

Spencer chuckles slightly. "Surprise?" He offers. "This is Belle." He turns to the side, showing them one twin. "And this is Bea."

"Daddy!" 'Bea' complains with a giggle. "I'm Mabel."

He's been mixing them up on purpose since they were little, amusing them to no end which was his goal as a parent. He just grins at her. "And that's Beau." He nods to the 6-month-old boy still in his seat, still asleep. Y/n turns his car seat around so they can see the baby.

"I'm sorry you guys never knew." She apologizes. It would have been nice for both parts of Spencer's life to overlap, but he was paranoid about something happening to them.

"Wow." Morgan verbalizes for the rest of them. "You really can keep a secret."

Penelope places a hand over her heart jokingly. "Even I didn't know."

"It won't make you feel better, but Gideon, Hotch, and Rossi all know." Spencer tells her menacingly. He knows she's going to go look them all up when they leave. As little people as possible knew since he was terrified about someone bad getting to them, but it feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulder now that his two lives have overlap. "We do kind of have to go." He remembers, looking at his watch.

"We'll just send you a list of questions when we finalize them." Penelope settles as they say farewell to each.

Morgan waits until they're just out of earshot to make his next comment. "Number one, how did you get such a hot wife?"

[ottiliere]

have you mentioned where you think wageslave hospital dirk would work? because I think he'd work at home depot or something like that and the only reason why he doesnt get fired is because hes forklift certified. whenever customers ask him where something is he looks at them weird and walks away. he was hired for millworks but switched over to being a loader when everyone realized he sucks at customer service. (OR. i just thought. perhaps hed be one of the ppl at walmart that collects the stuff for online orders)

hello dear anon from jun 22. the thing about dirk is that I think he often bounces between jobs due to a combination of many different factors, including but not limited to: poor attitude, awful work ethic, no collaborative spirit, arrives late, leaves early, steals odds and ends that he feels he can be making better use of...more than staring and walking away I think he’d get outright aggressive with customers! he's hostile, he's pent up, and he does not like being around anyone. he's best avoided, and people probably try to for the most part. so it’s possible that he worked a job like this before, and then got fired for his attitude or walked out. he does not have the fortitude for staying at one place doing the same thing over and over again for an extended chunk of the calendar year. he gets restless.

anyway here's an awesome fic my dear friend dane @davestriderdeathcult4568 wrote of dirk committing job abandonment after he starts to involuntarily regress at one of his many nightstocker positions.

dane notes directly for once instead of throwing paragraphs into a blender with lucys -> to someone outside of his own perspective, he isn't empathetic or cool or anything like that. he isn't even really properly tragic. he's your asshole coworker who sits in the back and barely finishes his portion of the work, if that. he's starting shit with you constantly for no reason, taking the most bizarre shit way too personal, saying weird things with the obvious specific intention to be making everyone in the room deeply uncomfortable....he sucks and it's a nicer place to be when he's gone.

the big screaming problem being exemplified here of course is that it doesnt matter how much sense shit makes in your head or how justified (by merit of humor pain whatEVA) you feel in saying or doing anything; people will be out here making their own calls on you for it. desire to communicate and interact with the world around you becomes overgrown and tumorous when the ability to meet people on their own terms never fully forms. theres just something wrong with him i guess.

It's 4 am, you're in the freezer, and you're past giving a shit. Beyond it. Beyond beyond it.

On good nights, you realize you're fed up at some point in the middle of the night. On most nights, you're at a breaking point before you clock in.

Lately, you've taken to ducking out before you're even finished putting up your tags. This location is short staffed, so everyone else is obliged to put up with that much more of whatever shit you can hand them before they stop putting you on the schedule. You've got it down to a science at this point; you're not in the habit of sacrificing any more time or energy to these people than you absolutely need to.

Tonight, though, they're doing inventory, and the other overnight guy hasn't shown up yet. You're stuck here, unavoidably, for your entire shift, and it's not a good night. You've been grinding your teeth for at least the last hour and a half and you're starting to feel it.

You considered leaving anyway, but you've only been here a few weeks and they'd almost definitely fire you for it. That doesn't bother you on principle, but you spent the last month and a half between jobs and you've about had your fill of it.

It's cold enough back here to warrant a jacket, but you left yours in the car. Or maybe it's at your apartment? Who knows. You're not going out for that shit. You wouldn't go back for that shit if they had you working in the freezer all night. And maybe you will be. Maybe you'll stay back here. Fuck 'em. Fuck literally everyone in this building.

The bare minimum. That's all. The bare minimum, and then home. Your hands are on your elbows, you're bent forward a little, and it's the sound of your own choppy breathing that brings you back out of your head. Embarrassing, embarrassing, sitting in the dark back of the store bitching and hunching over like some whiny chick, hugging yourself. When you exhale you do it forcefully through your nose, straightening yourself out and turning on your heel sharply, with the conviction you typically exert.

You almost slam into your coworker; he hadn't said anything as he'd entered the room, probably only a second or two ago. Almost twice your size, definitely at least twice your weight. He's looking down at you and he's going to say something; your forehead was only a few inches from colliding with his collarbone.

How hard would it actually be, right now, to claw this asshole's throat out. Like, it can't be that big a deal, right? It can't be. It fucking can't be. You're wound up right now like something you've never seen, coiled back like a snake set to spring like a trap it is literally only a few scant percentages of centimeters preventing you from reaching up releasing all that pressure -

Really, it's not even funny how your night's been going. The lights are buzzing and it's just you and him back here. Big fucking deal. It's nothing. This is nothing. He's nothing. Who gives a shit. You sidestep him before he can get a word out, carrying the motion of your stride in your shoulders, it's nothing, this is nothing, you're beyond giving a shit, and then you hear him make a derisive little noise through his teeth and you don't even think about turning around, it just happens.

"What the fuck do you want from me fucking walking up behind me asshole you're the one fucking sneaking around showing up late bitching about me?! You want shit from me!?"

He's looking down at you with genuine surprise that you are equally genuinely incapable of detecting at the moment. You're drooling.

"You're fucking stupid, fucking actually retarded if you think I'm going to run around fucking whining apologizing to you you're a fucking, fucking, complete asshole, you've got no idea what the hell you're even fucking talking t-about, I -"

Out of breath, not out of steam. You inhale quickly, shallowly, lips pulled back over your gums.

"Fucking shut UP!"

Your shoulders are raised and your fists are balled up, nails digging into your palms as you turn again, quickly, on your heel, and tear out of the freezer.

You only remember to breathe again when you're in the considerably more open area of the main store, and it's about that time that you realize the true extent of just how little you want to be here anymore.

Fuck it. Fuck it. Fuck 'em.

Out the main doors and into the parking lot, you don't even bother to clock out when you go. You're going to punch the dashboard of your car so hard the plastic fucking cracks.

Across the parking lot and up to your car, you fumble with your keys for a second before you get in. You don't even turn the car on when you shut the door. You just sit there.

Your hands, both of them, fly absently to the top of your head, burying your nails in your skin and tugging against it. You're working your jaw against itself still, glasses knocked crooked when you got in the car, when you turned to leave, when you bumped into him; it doesn't matter, really. You feel almost covered by something, some intangible force compressing you into a different shape.

It goes without saying that you're not crying, but you're breathing like you're crying. Shoulders drawn up again, hunched forward, the muscle fibers in your chest and your stomach twitching without your permission, drawing you together like the strings inside a hollow doll. Face pulled back, contorted, you're still showing your teeth as if it's an expression that means anything.

Tilting your body to the side, you can only manage to draw one of your legs around the steering wheel far enough to hold it to your chest. It's instinctive, and it doesn't make you feel any better. You're lightheaded now, wheezing audibly, clear saliva bubbling on your lips, enough of it to drip visibly down onto your shirt as you stare straight ahead, no longer fully capable of making sense of what's in front of you. You're still not crying.

It's so much more quiet out here than in the store, and so much warmer. Hotter, even, hot, even now in the middle of the night. The sun has been down for hours and it's still hot. You've spent so much time packed into hot cars, and if you were only a little less aware of yourself you might be able to mistake that familiarity for some kind of comfort. You can't, though.

You settle without realizing it into the position you're in, closing your mouth and sniffling to clear your nose, wiping it on the bare skin of your forearm when that isn't enough. Staring ahead, you register neither the dark parking lot nor the dashboard in front of you.

Being here is as bad as being anywhere else, but the idea of leaving is something you can't seem to scrape together right now. You dropped your keys when you got in, on the passenger seat next to you they're sitting reflecting headachey orange-tinted parking lot lights. They may as well not be here at all, though; the concept of driving a car is, right now, too foreign to conceptualize as an option. Even getting out of the car, walking back to the store, to the sidewalk, anywhere...all more terrifying, more definitively punishable in the long run than it is to sit here, alone in the cramped heat.

And it will only get hotter. You can feel yourself sweating; it's dripping down your back, your forehead, your hands are shaking still, no longer from the cold. You're waiting for something, you can feel it, you can feel it, you can hear the heel-toe crunching of boots against gravel, can hear voices, that great oppressive, invisible force keeping you still in your seat, keeping you quiet, keeping you still...

They're getting closer. Dirt driveway stepped on in rhythm, one set of footsteps or more, no definitely more, you're priming yourself now to jump out, run around to the backseat before you're even told to, palms sweating as much as the rest of you is, unable to remember if you're even supposed to be in the front seat right now, unable to remember why you're here, the voices of approaching men getting closer, men more than twice your size, more than twice your weight, more, so much more than you...

You hear the doorhandle open and your whole body twitches reflexively to leap out, but there's nowhere to go. The door isn't open; the men outside on the sidewalk pass by your car without so much as a glance. You watch them go by, shaking. Staring out the window, some great tension returns to you, and you grit your teeth again, wiping the slobber away from your mouth and reaching out for your keys in the passenger seat.

Starting the car, you're rewarded with hot air in your face, a nearly two-decade old air conditioning unit fighting another awful sweaty summer. It'll cool down when you get on the road. Not that you care. You're getting out of here.

The headlights come on and you shift gears, step on the gas, stare ahead at the pavement. Fuck 'em. What a waste of time.

[oro-e-diamanti]

The one with the matchmaking

My masterlist

Description | Victoria is desperate to set you and Thomas up... Might there be a spark already?

Content | Fluff

Pairing | fem!Reader x Thomas

Word Count | 2663

Taglist (add yourself here!) | @mywritingonlyfans @damianodavide @lizstans @its-afucking-mess @ethaneskin @dont-let-me-drown-in-you @vampirtet @lividisuigomiti @tabi-toast @ethan-torchio-angelo @cheese-toastie-11 @thewitchinthemountain @ethanesimp @sofckinelectric @man3skin @daddydamiano @finelinejpm @superchrystaldrug @ginny-lily @nientedaridere @shaunthesheesh @damianodavidhands @teatrodellavita @coven-daddy @solasullabarca @foryourllove @makapaka11 @slave4yourlove @geklutst-ei @marriedwithmarktuan @bookish0918 @mehrmonga @ginny-lily @ohtorchio @messyhairday-me @bidet-and-legolas @maybanksslut @katyldamusic @fuckim-so-gay @demoiselle-en-detresse00

***

There had been an unspoken thing between you and Thomas from the first day you met. It was one of those right person, wrong time scenarios. Both of you were happily taken by other people, loving your partners, and leading healthy relationships. It simply hadn't been meant to be and both of you had gladly accepted it. Nothing had ever happened, despite the others insisting there must have, neither of you was like that. So you stayed friends with him, the same way you stayed friends with Victoria, Damiano, and Ethan and it didn't take long for the five of you to grow into a loving group, a chosen family. That was until both you and Thomas happened to have broken up with your respective partners within the same week. It was safe to say that it didn't take long for the meddling to start.

***

"I just think they'd make such a good couple!" Victoria said, pushing the empty beer bottles around on the table in annoyance. "They're basically made for each other."

"Leave it, Vic," Ethan said. The dark of the bar was hiding his features and the fact he was slightly rolling his eyes. "They both literally just got out of relationships, I don't think they're interested."

"But they both ended them so it's not like they've been broken up with," she insisted. "I'm sure they'll get over it quickly enough."

"Yeah I agree with Vic," Damiano added. "It's not like either of them seems all that heartbroken."

"Exactly, which is why we need to act now!"

"I still don't think it's a good idea," Ethan sighed. "Just let them figure it out on their own."

"But they're idiots! They'll never figure it out!"

Damiano couldn't help laugh out loud. He knew his friend was onto something, both Thomas and Y/n tended to be hilariously oblivious when it came to things like these.

"Maybe they just need a little push," he agreed.

"Fine." A deep sigh escaped Ethan. "But don't say I didn't warn you if it doesn't work out."

***

The moment you stepped into the vintage second-hand store you decided it was heaven on earth. It didn't take long for you to sweep through the place like a whirlwind, picking up pieces left and right, leaving Victoria and Thomas standing at the entrance still. You didn't care, this was one of your favourite places and you were not going to be held back because those two were slow. You tried on a dress that looked like an absolute mess on you and you quickly took a picture to laugh at later with the others, before trying on some trousers that you really took a liking to. You were still in them, trying to figure out if you had also grabbed a top that would match when someone knocked on the wood of the changing room. Confused and not certain if the noise was directed at you, you pulled back the curtain to come face to face with Thomas. He noticed you were in your bra before you did.

You raised your eyebrows, overly amused at how he was nervously looking around to figure out if anyone else would be able to see her, but no one seemed to be around. As he turned back, he tried not to let his gaze fall into her chest again, but failed miserably. You laughed heartily, "It's fine, stop blushing, Thomas."

He grinned, more relaxed not that he knew you didn't mind. He shouldn't, this being far from the first time he'd seen you like this.

"Vic told me to give you this dress to try on."

You looked at the piece of fabric he handed you, a gorgeous, velvety black, knee-high dress with a dangerous slit and a plunging neckline. It wasn't something you would have chosen yourself, but you trusted Vic's judgment. The curtain was quickly closed again, removing the trousers you had already decided on and slipped on the dress. It fell in a much nicer way than you had anticipated, easily smoothing itself over your curves and settling perfectly in place. The mirror agreed with your sentiment - you looked gorgeous. Okay, so this dress would do with a bit more makeup and without a bra, but it was a no-brainer that you were going to buy it.

You ripped open the curtain, now facing both of your friends. As soon as Vic saw you, she seemed as smitten with it as you were. Thomas looked stunned in his own way but stayed quiet.

"Fuck, I knew that was your dress!" Victoria shouted, obviously proud of herself for picking it out.

"Where am I ever going to wear this?" You asked, spinning to muster your reflection once again.

"When I take you out tomorrow night," Vic grinned. "There's a gorgeous new restaurant in town but it's fancy fancy, so this will do just fine."

You couldn't help but squint your eyes at her through the mirror. Her suggestion sounded just fine, but the way her eyes flickered made you feel like there was something more to the story.

***

"Wait, so how will you going out with her to dinner help, exactly?"

"Oh, Damiano, stop being so dumb. Obviously, I won't go."

"I don't get it."

"I'll have some sort of last-minute emergency, and since both of you will be out of the house, Thomas will have to step in."

Ethan sighed, shaking his head at his friend's plan.

"Why do you have to meddle so much, Vic?"

"Because those two don't get it. But once they see each other all dressed up, romantic dinner, candles, good wine, it'll click."

"Whatever you say."

***

"Oh my god, Y/n, I'm so sorry!" Victoria burst into your room, Chili cradled in her arms and an apologetic look on her face. "I know we said we'd go to that fancy restaurant tonight, but Chili's been coughing and the vet told me to come in immediately."

You side-eyed the little white dog, looking as happy as can be, but there was no reason for you not to trust Victoria. Right? You briefly petted Chili's head.

"Don't worry about it, we can always go some other time."

"No!" Her outburst surprised you. "I mean, it's so difficult to get a reservation there and you should wear your dress out. Damiano and Ethan are out, but I'm pretty sure Thomas is free, please ask him, he'd probably love to go with you!"

You wanted to scold Victoria, tell her this wasn't happening, tell her you'd be fine just staying home, but she didn't give you a chance to do any of it. Instead, she left your room, immediately shouting for her bandmate. It was the reason you found yourself at a candlelit dinner with the blond man mere hours later.

"You look amazing, by the way," Thomas said. Well, he actually kind of mumbled it into his pasta rather than proudly state it. You felt like blushing.

"So do you, love. But you know I love you in a suit."

Your eyes met, just for a moment, before both of you found yourselves awkwardly staring back at your plates again. You didn't know why you were behaving like this, or why he was, you could only attribute it to the fact that this felt like an overly romantic date and the waiter had referred to you as his girlfriend multiple times already. Neither of you had corrected him. You hadn't minded the single rose that had been placed between you on the table, accompanied by a little wink and a smile by the waiter.

"You know, you make a lousy boyfriend, not even bringing me flowers for our date, " you teased, watching as a shy smile appeared on Thomas' face, his eyes travelling down the table for a second before looking at you again with more than a twinkle.

"I did take you to the nicest restaurant in town, surely that gets me some points?"

The giggle bubbled over your lips easily. Everything came easy with Thomas. He made the troubles disappear with one look, one touch of a hand, a single word, a gesture, his existence. He was your own personal cure to everything.

***

"No, I'm telling you, it worked," Victoria excitedly gasped and she gathered in the kitchen with Damiano and Ethan, trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible. "You should have seen them when they came back!"

"Did you actually wait up for them?" Ethan asked, slightly disbelieving, slightly amused.

"Well, they didn't know obviously! I just cracked my bedroom door open a bit. But they were all giggly and happy and they hugged when they said goodnight!"

"Vic, we all hug all the time," Damiano threw in.

"Not the way they did. I'm serious, this is working and you'll see soon enough!"

"So what's the next idea then?"

"I'm... I'm not quite sure," she admitted. "But I'll figure it out and it'll be perfect."

***

The thunderstorm hadn't been predicted by any of the weather channels. You found yourself standing in front of the patio doors with Thomas, watching the heavy rain disturb the surface or the pool, trees swaying in the wind, a flash of light illuminating the garden in regular intervals. It had only been the two of you home when it had started, everyone else out to meet friends or sitting in a bar with a drink in their hand. You had been having a lazy day, unwilling to leave the house at all, while Thomas had slept for so long no one had bothered trying to wake him so he could join in on plans.

"Do you want to compare our favourite records?"

You had been so focused on the happenings outside of the glass that you almost flinched in surprise at his question. Still, a slight smile, the right kind of look, and you were nodding enthusiastically. Hasting up the stairs, barefoot and in nothing but shorts and the shirt you usually slept in, you went through the little collection you had brought to the summer house, already hearing the first notes of Led Zeppelin's Black Dog echoing downstairs. With a smile on your face, you grabbed a few records and bolted back down to Thomas.

"I still prefer Led Zeppelin III," you giggled, only to be greeted with Thomas' shocked face. "Anything that has Immigrant Song on it is a hit, really."

"Blasphemy! Nothing tops IV, and you clearly have no taste."

"You clearly have no taste considering you think anything Led Zeppelin has put out is better than Fleetwood Mac's Rumours." You barely waited for the first song of Thomas' album of choice to finish playing before interrupting it with the sound of Second Hand News.

It didn't take long for the conversation to get heated. Still, you kept playing your record in the background, effortlessly dodging his effort to change it, even though the whole thing had been his idea in the first place. He was still complaining, explaining, talking to a wall basically, as you danced around the living room, as the music flowed through you, singing along, thunder only happens when it's raining, as the weather outside did its worst.

"I just think it's much too sad, most of it," Thomas finally concluded.

"Doesn't that just make it so beautiful though?"

"No, it just makes me sad," he pouted.

"Maybe you just never listened to it the way you should. In the arms of someone you love."

A heartbeat passed as both of you looked at each other, but then your smile returned and you motioned for him to get on the sofa with you, lying on your side as he slowly but surely moved in front of you. Your arms wrapped around him, spooning him, making you feel safer than you ever have as Songbird played in quiet tones.

Your nose buried itself in his hair, letting his smell fill your every pore, taking over your whole being as you pressed into him, singing along in nothing but a whisper.

"And I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before."

***

"Guys, guys, guys, look at that!" Victoria called out to her friends as they quietly made their way into the house. "I knew it would be such a good idea to leave them alone in the house!"

"Vic, it's not like you made a thunderstorm come along, I'm pretty sure this was not your doing for once," Damiano whispered.

"Doesn't matter! Look at them spooning! We're on the right way, guys!"

"We're not on any way," Ethan threw in. "You keep trying to meddle and the two of them are going their own ways."

"They just need another push. I just gotta think of something."

***

"Hey, they let you feed the goats here!" Victoria squealed as everyone around her let out a groan. The zoo was bustling with people, the five friends surrounded by families, and Vic easily fell in line with the children's excitement.

"Vic, I really really don't like goats," you complained. "I'd rather not get their attention because I got food in my hands."

"Fine. How about you go see the owls over there with... Thomas, and I go feed some adorable goats with Ethan and Damiano?"

The both of you allowed yourselves to be pushed away easily, chuckles on your faces as you walked away from the rest of the group, dodging running toddlers as you went.

"So, this is a set-up, huh?" Thomas grinned next to you as his arm slid around your waist, pulling you closer.

"Oh, as if Victoria has been doing anything these past weeks without hidden intentions." You let yourself mold into Thomas' side, leaning in closer until your bodies were touching as much as physically possible. "She's not half as subtle about this as she thinks. I'm sure she's watching right now."

You didn't turn around, but you felt her eyes on the pair of you, watching your every move and trying to figure out what was going on between the two of you.

"Do you wanna give her a show?" You playfully pinched his site, looking at him from the corner of your eyes just to see a smile appear on his face that was surely mirroring yours. "Make out a little bit?"

"Wouldn't that give it away?" He stopped walking, now wrapping both of his arms around you as you leaned on his chest, looking up at him.

"I'm sure she'd still think it's just a first step in the right direction."

Not waiting for his response, your hand reached up to his face, slowly stroking along the soft skin of his cheek, thumb running over his lower lip as his smile grew, then reaching around, tangling them into his hair and pulling him down to you. His lips met yours in a sigh, warm and lovely, a tingling feeling spreading through you immediately, pressing yourself into him. You could feel his thumb stroking your back ever so slightly as he held you. He wanted more, slowly moving his lips, trying to deepen the kiss, but you pulled away. Close enough to still feel his breath on you, close enough that whispering would be enough.

"Now, we don't want Vic to figure it all out immediately," you grinned before putting more distance between the two of you. He groaned, making you giggle, before taking your hand and pulling you along.

"How much longer are you planning to keep this up?" Thomas asked, shaking his head, but still amused. "We've been together for two weeks."

"Pretty sure she already bought tickets for the cinema for me and her for Wednesday... which she'll inexplicably have no time for so you'll have to come along, obviously. I can give you a hickey in the dark theater, she'll freak."

Thomas laughed out loud, pressing a single kiss to the top of your head.

"Fine. One more date, that's it?"

"One more date."

[spideyspeaches]

Roller-coaster ↬ p.p

gif’s not mine

A/N: My take on What if Peter was in Wandavision? But with a twist ;) Beta read by my wifey @stars-aligning​ 🥰🥰

Warnings: canon typical voilence? mentions of death. Also the timeline doesn’t really make sense, just pretend everyone is of the same age. OH and Wandavision spoilers :)

WC: 9k (longest one shot I’ve ever written 😭)

Pairing: Peter Parker x ex!Reader 

Masterlist || Taglist

"Ben? What's wrong? Why are you looking at her like that?" 

"I- I don't. I don't know. She seems familiar." 

"Familiar? Familiar how?" 

"Like her and I don't belong here. Like we're from another world." 

Working with Tony Stark as his intern, then head of the R&D and now working in the labs as the head of the department felt surreal, a fresh breath of air every time he looked at his desk, with his name written on it. It had been Peter’s dream to meet Tony Stark, maybe work with him too.

And then he got bit by a radioactive spider, giving him super strength, super eyesight and apparently super luck too, because though he liked to think that he was working in SI due to his intelligence, the spider bite did play a role in becoming his mentor’s favourite intern, without which he might have not had a chance to meet him hands on.  

Tony kept reminding him that even if Peter had not been bit by the spider, he would have still secured a high position in Stark Industries, with his disarming intelligence that rivaled Tony’s own and charmingly trippy personality. 

Peter begged to differ. But then again, he wasn’t one to look a gift horse in it’s mouth. Ever since he was a bushy haired, rosy cheeked jittery teenager, he had always worshiped the ground Tony walked on. 

Peter remembers the day he got an anonymous letter, which turned out to be SHIELD's handiwork, asking him to join them in their base in New York, even if he insisted that he wasn't interested in being a superspy wannabe. He was skeptical at first, why would the most paranoid of paranoid agents send him a letter in mail? Him, twenty three years old Peter Parker, who lives in a shitty one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn with termite issues and smokes weed like the government is going to ban tobacco and is barely able to take care of himself with the overload of work. 

Maybe it was just his Parker luck, or the fact that he was a freelance vigilante who looked after New York in a skintight spandex suit, because the safety of the people was apparently second in priority to the government. They'd rather have people die than have an illegal protector. 

Yeah so Peter was salty, and what about It?

Slinging his satchel higher, he saw the sleek black car in confusion, trying to get a look at the number plate before the lift binged on arrival, walking into the open door. He swore he was either hallucinating or in midst of an intense flashback of the events that lead to what people dubbed as the 'Civil War', back to when he had been shaken out of his mind watching Tony Stark eat his aunt’s homemade walnut date loaf that had more salt than sugar.

His thoughts were put to a halt when he entered his and his aunt's old apartment in Queen’s after a long week of Spidey on mission and nearly getting (illegally) fired, footsteps coming to a pit stop. It's not like it's everyday you come face to face with Agent Coulson, Nick Fury and your ex not- really- girlfriend, somehow all in one day all together. 

"So… um. What are you- What are you guys doing here again?" he asked, folding his hands on his chest defensively, leaning into his aunt's side as he whispered, "how long have they been sitting here?" from the corner of his mouth.

Fury raised a non-existent eyebrow, looking at him with a dagger for eye, making Peter shift nervously. Agent Coulson looked uncomfortable and You, You looked strangely in your element, sitting on the couch with one leg over the other, a neutral expression on your face. 

Back when he was still in high school, when he'd first met you, he used to be in awe of how outgoing you were, seemingly adjusting in whichever situation you were thrown in. You had always accommodated to your surroundings, but with a start he realised that he had never seen you so… You in a while. 

Not during your visit to the Avengers tower, not during the first time you came into his bedroom, all alone. Not when he had seen you take down a mugger on your way home from your first date without even as much as batting an eye.

"They were here ten minutes or so before you came home. It's creepy, as if they knew you were visiting," May answered with a whisper, wearily eyeballing them before moving towards the kitchen, leaving Peter unattended to Your and Fury's piercing gazes. 

"I'm sure they know my monthly schedule before I do," Peter said, turning to look at the aforementioned agents. "So... you like, work for SHIELD, too?" He asked, wringing his hands to abate the tension in them. 

"Yes, she does, but that's not what we're here for, Mister Parker," Fury said in his gruff voice, sitting back with a sauve expression. Peter gulped as Agent Coulson looked him in the eye, finally noticing the thin file he held in his hands. 

"Well what are you here for?" Peter asked, mustering up some confidence as he tried not to look at You or the eye that Fury had that wasn’t covered by the patch.

"We need you to come to Westview, New Jersey with us," You said, a final no nonsense undertone in your voice. He shuddered when he heard you, remembering how soft and sweet you used to be. But that was before you disappeared out of nowhere, and apparently that nowhere was with SHIELD. 

"Me as in Peter Parker or Spider-Man?" he asked, looking behind his shoulder to make sure May wasn't listening. It's not like she didn't know about his… nightly whereabouts, he just wasn't comfortable with making her worry. She already had too much to deal with, with the nephew by day and vigilante by night thing he had going on.

It was also a little concerning that the three in front of him knew that he was visiting her today. He wondered if his apartment was bugged (well, more than the daily roaches and ants) or if SHIELD had been keeping an eye on him after he had denied their offer, instead opting to stay in SI.

It was probably the second one, although the first one was entirely a possibility. He was going to need to talk with Mister Stark about debugging his shitty one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. 

"We need Peter Parker and his tech skills for this one," Fury said, before shoving the file in Peter's hands and crossing his own, “and my offer still stands.”

"For the last time, I'm not joining your little murderous boy band," Peter grumbled, scrunching his eyebrows as he looked at your twitching lips, as if holding in laughter. "I'm perfectly content with working with Dr. Connors in his little laboratory in SI." 

Fury didn’t look convinced and opened his mouth to probably threaten Peter, when Aunt May came in with a tray of cookies. They smelled amazing, too good to be made by her, she probably brought them from Delmer’s.

“Oh- Were you…? I just thought you guys might want to eat something,” She said awkwardly, looking at Peter with pleading eyes.

“That’s very thoughtful of you, May! I would love to eat some of those, I’m famished,” You butt in, taking the tray from her with a smile.

“Um, May, you can um- you know?” Peter gestured, shifting on his legs, hoping that May would get the message before she stood for a minute too long. He didn’t like the way Nick Fury’s eye was looking at him, his tranquilizer gun suddenly visible from his leather jacket.

“Don’t be rude Pete, here May, I’ll help you get that.” You smiled, winking at him and dragging May by her arm, who was mouthing “she’s such a sweetheart” behind her shoulders. 

"What if I told you that his man accidently got evicted due to some legal issues? And that now you're legally unemployed with severe financial issues that need to be looked after because the government suspects something illegal brewing?" Fury continued, looking him dead in the eye.

"Are you seriously blackmailing me? Threatening to unemploy me after all that shit you put me through with Mysterio?" Peter defended, raising a disbelieving eyebrow, watching you strutt back into the room, distracted by the sway of your hips in your mom jeans. He tried to shake the image, rolling his head to crack some tension that had built at the base of his skull.

"Mysterio was a mistake, Parker. This one is not; and we really need you for this one. Besides, remember that you're still a vigilante that hasn't signed the Accords of Sokovia." 

Peter stiffened that the mention of the Accords. He thought the government was over it after the second amendment after the arrest of Thaddeus Ross, but apparently not.

"You said that last time and I almost died! My ex-girlfriend almost died, my best friend nearly died, heck half of Europe almost died because you Director Fury, apparently trust some superhero wannabe in a green and purple costume and overlook facts that could potentially harm someone. So the answer is clearly no!" he retorted, flopping the file on the table as he resisted the urge to sit on the floor flat on his back. 

The three agents were looking at him with an unreadable expression, making him uncomfortable in his skin. 

"Well, it's all up to you then." His voice had a finality to it, one that irked him to no end.

"Do I have a choice?" He sighed after a beat, looking at the three of you with a forlorn expression. 

"Get your equipment ready, Mr. Parker. We'll be leaving for the camp tonight. You can read the details in this file." He heard Agent Coulson say (he was pretty sure his name was Phil), trying to make sense of how fast everything was going past the chronic tinnitus in his ears.

"It's Dr. Peter Parker," he muttered fruitlessly, blushing under your raised eyebrow. 

***

"So, I didn't know you got a PhD. I knew you were smart, still are, considering that you're a PhD at twenty two," You said, sipping on your virgin mojito, and placing the mug in front of you. 

Peter had taken you to a cafe after the confrontation, wanting to know more about your whereabouts and how he had not noticed that you were a superspy all of his high school years. You had retorted with a simple "I'm a spy, that's why,” which he found pretty badass.

"Well, yeah, I did my undergraduate and PhD together." He shrugged casually, looking out of the window to avoid looking at you. 

You had always been beautiful, but somehow, you had become even more beautiful than the last time Peter saw you. 

"That sounds brutal. Only you can manage that," You joked. You weren't going to admit it, but you had missed being with Peter, joking with him and watching his beautiful side profile as he blushed under your scrutinizing gaze.

"So, um. This thing, what is it about?" Peter asked, snapping you out of your daze. 

"Huh? Oh it's a long story. Like really long, if this was a TV show it would take five episodes for me to explain." You gestured, dismissing his scowl. "Okay, so you remember that time when that super high security facility was broken in back in december 2019?" 

"Which super high facility? There are a lot of break ins happening in high security facilities in America, and it's more than concerning, considering they're supposed to be super high security." He said, fiddling with his own drink. 

"Okay, Yeah that's true. It was a S.W.O.R.D facility, and long story short, Wanda Maximoff kidnapped her corpse husband to reenact the dad-knows-best suburban lifestyle with an entire town held as her hostage." You said, looking over your shoulders to make sure no one was listening. 

"Wanda stole Vision's corpse? Wait, is this about Westview? 'The Town that ceased to exist'? Is that what happened? Is this some sort of mind control thing? Cause I know she can make people believe what she wants them to..." Peter whispered, leaning in to show that he was interested. You took a moment to admire his front profile, his broken nose and dimpled chin, rosy lips and sharp cheekbones, accidently zoning out on his theories.

Leaning forward, you brought a hand up his face, pushing a stray curl behind his ears, cutting him short of his rambling. 

"W-what?" He stuttered, his breath hitching, making the table shake with a wince. 

"You have nice hair." You commented with a smirk, caressing his hair one more time. 

"You said that in the senior's party too, and well, there's no sex happening anytime soon." He said, rolling his eyes, sitting back in his hair with his hands folded on his chest.

"I like being optimistic." You rolled your own eyes, heart beating a mile a minute at the reminder of your relationship- ex relationship with Peter, "so what were you saying about Westview? I kind of zoned out." 

You watched him roll his eyes again, trying not to let your eyes wander around his biceps and the little bit of his collarbones peeking from his shirt, unbuttoned from the top, also exposing the thin chain that he always seems to be wearing. With a start you realised that it was the one you had gifted him on his eighteenth birthday.

"So this town, Westview, it just disappeared right? Behind a barrier of sorts? Is it like, coming from an energy source? Was it created by Wanda?  " he asked, ever his inquisitive self.

"Yeah, apparently she's created an alternate reality, sitcom style, with the people of Westview trapped in it." 

"So she's basically starring in a fanfiction alternate reality of sorts but a sitcom format? Wouldn't blame her, poor woman's been through a lot." He nodded, shifting in his seat. He could feel your eyes burning a hole in his skull, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "Are you staying in a hotel? Or a shield facility?" 

"Nope," You answered, leaning back on your chair. "Am I still allowed to stay in your room? With the doors open?"

He watched you with narrowed eyes, tilting his head with a smirk, replying to you with a nod, "alright." 

*** 

"Did you pack your mittens? The extra warm ones with a built in heater? You know you're susceptible to frost bites-" 

"May! I packed my mittens." Peter murmured, ducking his head in embarrassment as he raised an eyebrow at your amused smile. 

"Okay, okay, that's great. Socks? Painkillers? Extra pair of glasses?" she asked, fumbling around the room like she did whenever he went on field trips. 

"Yes, May!" 

"Great. Stay safe, okay?" Her eyes softened, holding his cheeks in his hand like he was a seven year old, living with them with a knowledge of death no seven year old should have. Sighing, he leant into her palm, holding his own hand encompassing her small one. Giving her a smile, he kissed her cheek. “Ti amo, May. I’ll call you once I get there, okay?” 

She nodded, pulling him into her embrace, though she knew full well that he’s going to forget to call her, too excited to be in the vicinity of multiple certified geniuses and other figures of authority. 

***

"Is there anything I should know about? Like anything unexpected?" Peter asked, looking at the camp in awe as the jeep pulled over makeshift gates, a bunch of soldiers surrounding them. 

Peter was used to seeing the hustle and bustle of camps, considering all the missions he had gone through with the Avengers, back when Steve wasn’t retired and the newer generation of avengers hadn’t entered. 

“Your blood’s radioactive, right?” You asked, turning to face him with a smile. 

“Yeah. Why? Is that relevant?” he replied, raising an eyebrow as he saw someone carrying his bags before he could protest. 

“Well, Dr. Lewis found out about this hexagonal anomaly, no one really knows what it is, but the source seems to be emitting huge amounts of radiations,” You said, getting off the jeep, pulling Peter out with you. Walking towards the crowded camp, you came face to face with the tent where everything was set up.

“Doctor Darcy Lewis?” Peter said, looking at the place in awe. It wasn’t extravagant, but the technology surrounding the tent, the vans and what seemed to be a broadcasting antenna were all way beyond the regular one used in tech companies, which is funny, considering he’s been working with Mr. Stark his whole teenage life. 

“Yup, that’s her, nerd.”

“So, what exactly is this Hexagon? Is it, like, a barrier of sorts? Can everyone go in?” He asked, looking around with glinting eyes, lips twitching in a smirk as he saw the barrier in question. His super hearing caught the static sound it emitted, wincing at the sharp noises. His boots crunched under the snow as he felt the thing pull him towards it, your voice muffled by the noises of the hex. 

It was something he had never seen before, like the static of a TV with a lost signal, glowing red in places as if reaching out to him. His senses seemed dull, the world greying around the way it had before he was bit by the radioactive spider. The spider bite had enhanced his vision in a way that he saw colours not visible to the human eye, a technicolour wonder that even Bruce couldn’t solve. 

He felt a tug, looking down at his shoes, wondering if he had just imagined it. 

“Mom and dad have been, not fighting, just like different.”

He swore he felt a white light flash in front of him, his spidey sense buzzing at the base of his skull, tingling all the way to his spine as he straightened up to dissipate the feeling, shifting awkwardly.

“Only Captain Rambeau has gone in and come back intact so far. It’s emitting a colossal amount of cosmic microwave background radiation, also known as CMBR, and once you get into it, your mind doesn’t really stay your own, so no one has volunteered other than her. Everyone knows the risk,” You said, startling him, a sharp contrast to the voices that seemed to have suddenly accumulated in his brain. 

“If you’re going to break the sound barrier, please just take your brother with you!”  

‘Sound barrier?’ he thought, looking back at the hex as it flashed red, the tug strong enough to make him stumble in his place. You looked at him weirdly, asking if he was okay, but he wasn’t listening, turning to ask you what the red flash meant, distortion evident in the barrier.

“Captain Rambeau? The daughter of the director of SWORD?” he asked instead. 

“Yeah, that’s her.”

“Damn.” He sighed, running a gloved hand through his hair, and dragging it down his face. 

Walking inside the tent, Peter was hit with a face full of cold air, and the hundreds of monitors nearly gave him a sensory overload. The people running around didn’t help, either. “Where do I keep this?” He asked, pointing to his bag full of equipment that Fury had asked for. 

“You can set up over here, newbie,” A new voice said chirpily. Turning around, he came face to face with the Darcy Lewis, eyes widening as he took in her smiley presence, another human who he didn't recognise standing behind her. “Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself! I’m Doctor D-”

“Darcy Lewis, I know- I’m a fan!” 

“Aw look at you, you have a fanboy at your hand,” Captain Monica Rambeau said, strutting in and keeping a hand on her shoulder, confidence radiating off of her every pore. 

"And… You are?" he asked awkwardly, looking pointedly at the FBI agent. He saw Darcy hide a snicker behind her hand, patting his shoulder and shoving him forward. 

The man fell forward, steadying himself on the table before he flicked a card seemingly out of nowhere. "Agent Jimmy Woo, FBI,” he said proudly, a smile on his cute little baby face. Peter was left staring in awe, wondering how he had done that.

"Wait, can you do that again? How did you do that?!" 

"It's cool, isn't it? I could teach you if you want." 

"Yes, of course, but how did you do it? It appeared out of nowhere and if you take in consideration the law of conservation of mass, it can neither be created nor be destroyed and it just seemed to have accumulated-" 

"It's a trick of illusion. You see, when I opened my palms, I-" 

"Peter, let's set things up shall we?" You interrupted their session, a smirk on yours and the other women's faces, shaking your head.

Ditching the bag on the counter, he nodded, willing his heart to stop beating out of his chest. This was the coolest thing that had ever happened to him next to Tony Stark sitting on his aunt’s old futon. And the magic trick.

“This is the coolest day of my life,” he whispered, shrugging when you chuckled at his excitement. “Ned’s going to freak out.” 

“Wait until you see the schematics and control panels.” You smirked, making him raise an eyebrow as he blushed, the flush apparent from his neck to his ear. The others scattered just as he finished setting his station up, fidgeting with the radio, when the voice of Hayward boomed across the cubicle. 

“Ah, Mister Parker!” he says, a faux smile on his face as he looks at the station, making Peter shift uncomfortably. The weird tingling of his spidey-sense came up again, his hand automatically reaching there to scratch at the itch.

“Here we go again,” Darcy muttered, patting Peter’s back, her eye roll loud enough for him to glance at her. 

“It- It’s doctor,” he muttered, hearing a “he gets me” from Darcy.

“Very well, Doctor Parker it is, then. I’m Hayward, welcome to SWORD.”

“SWORD? I thought this was a SHIELD thing?” 

“...Fury didn’t brief you?”

“He did! He was just very vague, hence why I’m asking. What exactly have I been called here for?”

The silence that took over was palpable, with you shifting awkwardly as Hayward eyeballed them all, looking at the five of them morosely before saying, “Brief him Monica,” and leaving.

“God, is every higher official such a dick here?” Peter grumbled, watching him retreat, shaking his head as he threw the ball of paper he hadn’t noticed he had been fidgeting with.

“See? He agrees, I like him.” Darcy nodded, pulling him with her towards the briefing table. 

“This all started when the town of Westview disappeared after the second blip,” Monica said, pulling up holographs that showed the image of people reappearing from the snap, his breathing increasing in pace as he remembered vaguely of his own reappearance. 

The whole situation was fucked up. After stealing Vision’s corpse, Wanda had basically resurrected him, holding and controlling thousands of people, an entire fucking town. Looking at the list of all the missing people, his eyes zeroed on to one particular face. He racked his memory to remember who exactly it was, mouth hanging open when he realised who exactly she was.

“Is that… is that Agatha Harkness?” Peter said, pointing at the woman who had no name written under her photograph.

“You know her real name?” Darcy asked, looking at him with raised eyebrows as he nodded, wringing his hands around.

“Yeah, Wanda told me about her, she’s the witch from the Salem trials!”

“How is she significant to the plot, though?”

“She... she mentored Wanda, before she went to the dark side." 

In the time he knew Wanda, she had been the sweetest person ever. She was like an older sister he didn’t know he needed, empathising with him on a cosmic level. They had come close before the events of Thanos happened. She was his person, and they shared a lot of secrets, this one being one of them.

“That’s one connection to her. What about the others? She keeps telling Vision that she doesn’t know what’s happening, but when the drone strike happened, she looked straight at the camera, like she knew,” Monica intervened.

“He tried to deploy a drone strike? In front of her children, after knowing very well that she saw her parents die in the Sokovian attack when she was ten? Is he fucking insane?!” Peter seethed, nearly crashing his fist on the table hard enough for cracks to appear on it. 

“Peter, hey, calm down! You breaking things is not going to make the situation any better, okay? He already tried to chuck us out of this, you don’t go around breaking things now!” You said, holding him still as his body shook. You had never seen him this angry, and frankly, you would never want to see it again. 

Peter was a sweet person, respecting people’s boundaries and always so understanding. He was the embodiment of good, even after living a fucked up life, he never projected his trauma on the other. He wore his emotions on his sleeves, and your heart clenched every single time, seeing him in pain. 

"Listen, that's my sister in there, and she has no idea what she's doing. She needs our help and I'll do anything to help that woman and if you guys even think of hurting her I will make sure each of you regret it," Peter hissed, staring daggers at the silent team members of the room. 

“Is there any way to reach there?” he asked, more softly than before. Darcy exchanged a look with Agent Woo and Monica, opening her mouth before knowing better and shutting it. “What?! Is there a way to communicate with her?”

“Follow us,” the brown woman said, breathing deeply as she looked at the other two silently. 

"Where are we going?" Peter asked, fidgeting with your fingers. He hadn't noticed himself holding your hands, your lips twitching when you realised he had done that unconsciously.

“Trust me, I don’t know half the things these ladies do,” Woo whispered, and Peter nodded along seriously. 

“Whoa, I feel like there’s a secret underground base here! Is there a secret underground base?” 

“Well, it’s not underground, and not really a secret anymore,” Captain Rambeau said, unravelling a curtain, revealing a small space with a million monitors and a wooden desk littered with laptops and too many empty coffee cups. 

“This is so cool,” You whispered, watching in awe as Dracy lit up the screens, revealing various codes and stuff you didn’t really understand. Peter was already invested, babbling about codes and addresses and hidden files within hidden files, things that flew over your head at the speed of Darcy’s fingers on the keypad.

Leaning on the table with one hand, Your eye caught a flat round metal looking thing on the ground, picking it up and tracing it with your fingers. “Is this… a bullet?!” 

“Yeah, it was hit on that suit, which turns out to be 87% kevlar. That happened when Captain shot at it,” Jimmy answered, giving you a smile as you dropped your jaw. 

“She went in wearing a bulletproof vest right? Wanda just… manifested a dress made of kevlar?” You wondered, your words interrupted by Peter’s yelp.

“So, remember how Director Douchebag ordered a drone strike on Wanda?” she said, contemplating her words next as everyone turned towards her. “Turns out he’s been planning something else.” 

“What’s that?” Jimmy asked, pointing at the screen, which displayed two boxes full of what seemed like cells.

“That’s Monica’s blood work, he’s been tracking it the whole time. The first time you travelled to the hex? It changed your cellular structure on a molecular level, twice.” She said. 

A sombre expression took over the older woman’s face, pursing her lips. “He thinks I’m gaining powers.” Monica nodded.

“I may not be a genetic engineer, but from what I’m seeing here, he’s most likely right,” Peter interrupted, a silence taking over everyone. “He’s keeping track of the enhanced, if I’m not wrong.” 

Shaking his head, he clenched his eyes when he heard another voice. You watched him weirdly, reaching to ask him if he was okay, before retracting your hand.

“Chill out sis, it’s not like you can kill your dead husband twice.” 

“You’re right. He’s been tracking everyone who’s enhanced, including Vision.” Dracy said, typing something on the screen to show you the map of Westview, pulsing red and blue dots appearing in your sight.

“Do you know what his endgame is?”

“Yeah. Rebooting Vision.” 

Peter inhaled sharply, trying not to let his face show the anger inside him as he looked at Monica with wide eyes, both of them looking at each other dangerously, both of them realising same thing.

“Then, I’m going in. Someone needs to tell her,” he said, looking at the others for affirmation.

You took a step back, gulping in anticipation of his words. Reaching out with a hand, you stared at him, hoping he wouldn't lash out. "Peter, you have to know, the hex is a dangerous place. You won't even remember who you are so there’s no point in you going in. You won’t be able to convince her to magically leave her hostages, she’ll just see you as an outsider and throw you out-" 

"Captain Rambeau went in and she was able to get out!" he argued.

"Peter, I was tossed out because she saw me as a threat. She might not do that to you but going in that thing is dangerous, especially with your mutations-" 

"I don't give a fuck about my mutation! You of all people should know how it feels like to lose family, Monica," Peter said, looking at her. The fire in his eyes spoke volumes. No one dared to intervene. 

"Peter, your mutation could potentially kill you. You know the risks of going past the barrier due to your enhancements. The radiations are altering DNA to a molecular level, your cells-”

"-are already metastasizing! My spider DNA is going to get me killed some day because my body won’t be able to handle it anymore, so I don't care, I'm going and that's final." He nodded, puffing his chest to show that he wasn't going to step down. 

"Fine, I'll come with you then," You said, looking at him as you said that. A lump formed in your throat as you realised that he was so willing to sacrifice himself, and blood pumped in your veins as determination set in along with a rush of adrenaline. 

"Do as you please." He shrugged, pursing his lips, but his eyes were a different story. You felt sick, insides tearing themselves up as you took a good look at him and his pallor, the artificial lights illuminating the scar tissues on his face. Ones that you knew were inflicted by his years of being the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. 

***

“Maximoff is never gonna negotiate with us,” Hayward said, circling the table as Monica looked at him with disbelief in her expression. “We’ll need all the guns we have here to stop her.”

“We can’t outgun her, but what we can do is try and talk her out of this. Antagonising her is only making things worse. If Wanda is the problem, she has to be our solution!” Monica argued, looking forward.  

“She’s already killed thousands during the Sokovian attack. How do you guarantee that she won’t kill another person she finds threatening?!”

“She was guilty about it. It wasn’t her fault, do not bring that into this.” 

“Yeah? Well, the guilt isn’t going to bring back the dead children is it?” 

"The dead children aren't coming back, but those people trapped in Westview? They can, if you fucking let us!" 

"Fine. But someone will be monitoring you."

Negotiations with your boss and commanding team of SWORD concerning the ship was a tough feat. you had finally convinced them to let you and Peter go across the border, but Darcy and Monica were to be on the radio in case everything went amiss.

Sitting in the (illegally acquired) van, you watched Jimmy, who was trying to teach Peter the card trick, invested in the trick yourself. Leaning forward to get a better view, you tried not to let the rush of blood in your cheeks get to you at the close proximity with Peter, heart pounding with every step you took closer to the hex. 

“I did it! I finally did it, Y/N, look!” Peter said, showing you the trick, smiling at his childlike enthusiasm. 

“That’s great! You should show it to Morgan, she’ll like it.” 

“How do you know about Morgan?”

“I know everything.”

You may have been bluffing, but he seemed to have caught on your cue, the awkward tension reappearing as he shifted in his seat, twisting and turning and going back to the magic trick. You tried not to smile, but your mouth never did coordinate with your brain. 

“We’re here,” the driver said, parking the van. 

“Okay let’s go through this again: Captain Rambeau and Dr. Lewis will be on the radio while you try and get in, stay near a radio as much as you can so we can try and communicate, and do not try to meddle with Wanda,” Jimmy said, going over your checklist. 

You were skeptical of the plan, thinking about how successful your mission was going to be, considering how powerful she had become in her own little sitcom. You had heard of her expanding the borders just after you had started driving near it. 

“You ready?” Peter asked, taking your hand as you nodded, and wrapped your fingers around his knuckles, before taking a deep breath.

“I’m ready.” You nodded, looking over your shoulders to see the FBI agent giving you a thumbs up, muttering something into the comms. Looking back at Peter, you felt dizzy with the buzzing anxiety, the pull of the barrier strong. 

Stepping close to it, you felt electricity buzz in your veins, shuddering at the chilling sensation and sudden exposure to stimuli, your gut twisting the more your hand went in the hexagonal anomaly. You swore you felt your physical being tear apart, your life flashing in front of you in a white hot light, your brain was practically mush with how much force you needed just to get in. 

"I thought we would be able to get in easily!" Peter shouts, his screams echoing in your eardrums, mixed with your own screams. 

"She's becoming more powerful the longer she stays inside, and so is the hex," You replied, gasping for a breath as you tried to move forward.

With a final scream, you closed your eyes at the static sound bombarded your ears, you couldn't fathom how loud it must be for Peter, sending a look towards him. His eyes were scrunched, hands curled around his head and ears to stop the sound. Before you could comment on his state, your own vision doubled, bright green and magenta lights appearing out of nowhere, the coiling of your gut intensifying, and before you knew it, the strong force pulled you inside, throwing you off on the hard concrete of the road, and everything went dark.

***

“I’m okay. I’m okay. Everything is alright,”  Wanda said, repeating the phrase like a mantra as she sat on the couch. 

She repeated the phrase like clockwork, just like being a mom to two half synthezoid pre-teens and the gatekeeper of Westview. Snapping out of her daze, she felt something in her brain stir, realising with a start that something had been messing with the barrier-- or, rather, someone.

Closing her eyes, she willed her powers, similar to the ones Tommy had, to look past the barrier, opening her eyes with a flash when she saw a familiar face.

“Peter,” she muttered, the brown eyed boy who she had come to think of as a brother materialising in front of her, dropping on the carpet with a thud as his unconscious form fell on top of Yours. Wanda remembered you from all the stories Peter had told her about. 

Crouching down, she reached out to touch you both. Her eyes glowing red as she held a finger to your and his forehead, scrunching her eyelids as she navigated both of your heads.

A lonely young girl was seen sitting on a rock, the wind blowing wisps of her dark hair along with her dress. Suddenly, the noise of clucking of horseshoes could be heard, a woman coming into view as she got off her horse. 

“Feeling lonely and afraid at the middle of the night when you’re a young and beautiful teenage girl?” the woman in the cowgirl shoes said, holding her hip as the girl nodded. “Well, don’t worry, every young girl must have a sword at her disposal!” 

“A sword?” the young girl asked, tilting her head as she took the object in her hand.

“Yes, a s.w.o.r.d, my dear. Fear not, for the sword will protect you from all the hexes around you.”

The girl smiled, looking at the camera with the cowgirl’s hands on her shoulder. “A sword to protect the young!” 

Buy now at your nearest convenience store, terms and conditions apply.

“What are you two doing here and not at school?” Wanda chortled, startling the two who were now very much conscious. The boy moved, fisting his eyes, and he curled his hands to stretch the kinks that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, the varsity jacket scrunching underneath his fists. 

“Babe?” the boy groaned, messing up his hair, looking at the general direction of the girl. 

Putting on a smile, Wanda folded her arms, biting her lips at how adorable the two of you were.

“Ben? Is that you?” the girl asked, looking at her disheveled frock with a confused expression, finally noticed the woman standing in front of her. “Oh my god, babe, I swear we were at the bleachers not long ago. Did you manifest teleportation powers now?” 

“Miss Maximoff! You’re Billy and Tommy’s mom! Babe, we’re in Billy and Tommy’s house!” The guy, Ben said, his voice rising up an octave as he looked at his surroundings. 

He couldn't remember much about the Maximoffs, except that his neighbours talk about the weird mom and dad almost everyday in the gossip sessions. Whatever, he wasn't interested in them.

"She turned them into teenagers." 

"Well there goes our plan. Do we still have back up ready?" 

“That’s right, kids. Now, what were you two naughty children doing out of school?” Wanda asked, helping the two kids get up as the boy blushed, stuttering an apology.

“We- we weren’t ditching, I swear, Miss Maximoff! We were just-”

"-Doing homework! Because… because Ben's a nerd and he doesn't like that he gets behind because of the baseball team!" the girl said, stuttering as Ben nodded along with her.

“Yeah! We weren't making out or anything! Even if we're totally dating." 

Their relationship wasn't exactly your normal relationship. It was more of a… mutually beneficial relationship. 

Well, so far they had the entire town fooled, having them all think that a guy such as Benjamin Fitzpatrick would ever date a girl like her, who liked her books more than her siblings. 

"Hmm, well, thankfully, I'm a cool mom and I will not tell your parents about this… thing. Whatever it was. Anyone want cheesecake?" Wanda smiled, clapping her hands once as she looked at the two teenagers. 

Ben's stomach growled at the thought of food. "You don't have to do it, Miss Maximoff, but I would love some," he said, sheepishly looking at the ground, and wincing at another growl. 

Wanda chuckled, patting the boys back kindly. "Oh honey, it's alright. Come on, don't be shy, the both of you!" she said, looking over her shoulder and saying, "and it's just Wanda! Miss Maximoff makes me feel old, you know." 

They followed her to the kitchen, taking in the interior of the house. Ben's eyes caught something from the corner, it was almost as if it was… flickering? Shaking his head, he dug his fingers in his eyes, wondering if he was still feeling the effects of the time he had hit his head during the baseball practice. 

"You okay?" the girl asked, keeping a hand on his shoulder to steady him. 

"Yeah, probably the aftereffects of a concussion." He nodded, burrowing his brows in confusion. 

"Hmm, should probably get that thick little noggin of yours checked by the nurse." She snickered, hitting his shoulders playfully. Her heart was beating fast, he noted, wondering how he could hear it so clearly. The thought that he would have to leave her after she gets a date for prom made him sad. 

They may be faking their relationship, but he had caught on very fast and realised that he wanted it to be real. As real as the town of Westview.

Wait, what?

"You know we don't have to pretend anymore, right?" Ben said, looking at the girl as she came to a halt. Miss Maximoff was nowhere in sight, the house eerily silent with her heartbeat echoing in his ears. 

"This is the best ship SWORD could ever make." 

The awkward silence was interrupted by the opening of the front door, a loud jingle as Agnes came strutting in, a big smile on her face. It made Ben's neck sting weirdly, slapping his hand at the base to nullify the feeling. 

"Hello, children! What are you doing, skipping school like the little troublemakers you are?" She grinned, pinching each of their cheeks as her voice took a baby-like tone to it. Ben took a step back, grimacing as she continued pinching his cheeks. 

"Um, we weren't- we have no idea actually-" 

"Agnes! Oh, what great timing! Were you here for Billy and Tommy?" Wanda came in, a plate full of cheesecake and crackers in her hand. 

"Oh, Wanda, Wanda, Wanda! Your little troublemakers are already in my house, or did you forget?" She chuckled, the sound of her laughter taking a higher pitch. 

Wanda furrowed her brows, opening her mouth to say something, before closing it, a grin taking over. "Right. Yeah, of course! They really love it there with you, huh?" 

"That's right, everybody loves Auntie Agnes!" 

Ben looked at his girlfriend again, feeling strangely out of place between the two women. 

"Um, Miss Ma- Wanda? C-Can we go now? I feel like-" 

"Oh, Ben, don't be ridiculous! Why don't you sit down and take a breather? You look pale, hon." Wanda smiled, setting down the plate and ushering the two kids on the table, both of whom looked at the table with hunger in their eyes. Well, it had been long since lunch break. 

"Thank you for the cheesecake Mi- uh, Wanda, we appreciate it," the girl said, promptly digging in after the affirmation. 

***

Vision knew something was wrong the moment Agnes showed signs of knowing what was going on. The first time it happened, he was sure his paranoid wife would do something, but she had continued to act as if nothing was wrong with Agnes' behaviour. 

Walking down the road in his ridiculous costume, he nearly sighed in resignation, before he realised that he wasn't capable of such human actions. 

One more thing that perplexed him to no end was his strangely human behaviour. It was as if someone was forcing him to act more human, some weird force that was so unlike Wanda's warm presence, something more foreign and way out of his realm (like the gum incident. He sure did remember Wanda chastising him for doing this atrocity, surely she couldn't have been the one controlling him? Right?).

His mechanical heart ached for his wife. She had gone through a lot, from what he had read from her thoughts; losing a brother (twice, if the absence of Pietro was anything but a confirmation), and then him (it didn't bother him much. He was a synthezoid, there was entirely a possibility that he could be revived). 

He just really missed her, he realised. Their relationship had been strained ever since the boys were born. He didn't blame the drift on his boys, of course. He loved them to no end, would sacrifice himself for them, but he couldn't help but notice the change it brought in Wanda. 

The arrival of Pietro 2.0 didn't help either. 

His thoughts were interrupted as his feet halted their movements, and with a snap he realised that he had somehow made it to Ellis avenue, the border's static buzzing through his entire being. 

"You look lost, buddy," a strange man said. 

Looking at the man, Vision tilted his head, looking through the database of Westview to see that the man seemed to be nowhere in the records. How had he made it here? 

"I- I'm sorry, who are you?" He asked, leaning against the car door to peer inside, the man sitting rigid. It was only then did he realise that the man's eyes seemed… glazed, almost like he wasn't aware. Looking back at the barrier, Vision gaped at the view in front of him. 

The man's car was half inside and half outside the barrier, the slow moving particles seemed to be disintegrating the vehicle, watching in awe as sparks flew the closer the barrier came to the man. 

"Listen, you have to get out of here before that thing destroys you." Vision tried shaking the man, but to no avail. His attempts were in vain as the man simply grunted. "Listen! Can you hear me? What's happening? Why is the barrier moving?" 

He tried opening the door, but it was shut firmly. Groaning, he punched the door, nearly falling to catch the falling man, who was mumbling some incoherent mumbo jumbo. 

"Wanda, what are you up to...?" Vision muttered to himself, realising with a start that the barrier was expanding and the man had come from outside the barrier. 

Looking at the muttering man, he quickly moved them both away from the barrier, propping him up against the grass.

"I'm sorry," Vision said, his hands gliding yellow as he touched the man's forehead, his own circuits being bombarded with incoherent noises. 

"Oh god! I'm sorry, please save me! Please, this hurts, this- you- you're the Vision!" the man screamed. 

"Yes, I'm the Vision! Now, can you stay still? I'm trying to help you!" 

"-Please! She's in my head!" 

His hands lit up again, the yellow light smothering the man's forehead as he went still again, as Vision retracted his hands regretfully. Opting to leave the man there, he stood up again, startling once again that day when he heard a shrill cry, the body of… Geraldine? Appearing out of the barrier. Shaking his head, he was convinced that he was hallucinating, if that was even possible for a droid, and turned around to walk back home. 

(Agatha gave a satisfied chuckle, purple sparks erupting from her fingers as she turned back to Wanda, pretending that that didn't just happen.) 

***

"Do you think our school is a little… solitary?" Ben asked, inhaling a puff of smoke from the blunt in his hands. His girlfriend and him were sitting on the rooftop of Westview high, their feet swinging against the edge as she clutched at Pe- Ben for dear life. 

Peter? Who was that?

"Did you see that?? Peter was right, that was Agatha Harkness and she's been the one manipulating the people, it never was Wanda! It was meant to be a plot twist, but I totally predicted it."

"Um…"

"What? I'm invested." 

Peter? 

Y/n? Can you hear me? Please say yes if you can hear me.

She noticed the static sound of the radio speaking to someone. The static noise increased, and Ben didn't seem to have noticed the small portable radio malfunctioning. Shrugging it off, she went back to passing the blunt from her boyfriend. 

Boyfriend. The word ignited a flame in her chest. Ben, who she faked her dates with once upon a time, now was her actual, real boyfriend, who she was ditching homework to smoke a blunt with, uncaring of her nearing curfew. Her parents would have her head if she found out.

"Do you hear that?" She asked, exhaling the stale air from her lungs. She knew it was more of the deep breathing than the weed, but it made her feel serene. 

"I've been hearing a lot of things lately." He croaked, clearing his throat, sniffing the air as he leaned back, his Adam's apple bobbing with every gulp. His glasses were sliding off his face. She reached to push them back up, smiling at the flush of his face.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, slipping her fingers through his, rubbing a hand on his back. His life had been difficult, she knew about him being an orphan, but she didn't know he was having a hard time with life at the very moment, her heart aching for the poor boy.

"I don't know, I keep hearing these voices in my head. Children screaming, people crying, and this… this buzz at my neck, I can't ignore it anymore! I feel like I'm going insane and I can't keep them quiet! I've tried, but it's like they're trying to communicate with me." 

Her eyes softened, hands running through his thick, straight hair as he leaned his head on her shoulder. Suddenly, the height at which they were sitting on didn't matter, she had him in her arms. 

"He broke the fourth wall. He's been hearing things, just like Billy." 

Wiping away his tears, she kissed his forehead, rubbing her hands gently on his back. 

"It's gonna be okay. You're okay, they'll go away soon." She reassured, folding her legs to get up, and pulling him up with her. "It's getting late, and mom will have my head if I'm later than curfew." 

"You've broken curfew before." He chuckled, stepping closer to Her, his hands on her hips.

Moving forward, she enclosed her hands around his shoulders, intertwining her fingers at the nape of his neck. Standing on her highest tip toes, she crashed her lips into his, their bodies swaying with the cold wind. 

"Awww, they're so cute! Exes to lovers, I like it."

"I agree. Didn't see the fake dating coming though." 

"Right?! Wanda should start a production company." 

"If Agnes lets these people go." 

***

Meanwhile, Monica had managed to find an abandoned shack in the backyard of Wanda's neighbour's house, her body buzzing with a familiar tension. 

Opening the shack, she saw the trails of purple, vein like thing running their tracks until they reached somewhere she couldn't see. She didn't notice another person creeping up on her, too busy looking at the trails. 

"Snoopers gonna snoop," the voice said, making her jump out of her skin, and keeping a hand on her heaving chest to stop her from hyperventilating. 

"Pietro?!" She startled, looking around to see if anyone had heard her. The neighbourhood was eerily silent, leaning against the wall, before deciding against it and squared her shoulders, looking at the man in front of her. 

"Yeah, that's me. But who are you? And what are you doing in Margie's backyard?" he asked defensively. She would have found the expression comical if it wasn't for her racing heart and adrenaline filled brain. 

"I could ask you the same thing," she said, folding her arms to show a defensive stance. 

"I'm here because… I live here?" he muttered, borrowing his brows as his eyes glazed over again, "Yeah, wait, no... I live with my sister! Who lives two houses from here! What am I doing here?"

"I don't know, you tell me." 

"God, this is so weird. First Wanda was being weird, now I am." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Nothing." 

***

Billy was afraid. He knew that he should be stronger and braver, if not for himself, then for Tommy. His momma always told him that the only thing to fear was fear itself, and he didn't know what that meant, but he knew that he had to be braver to get back to his mom and dad. 

"Billy, I'm scared," Tommy whimpered. "I'm hearing voices again." 

"It's gonna be okay, Mom and Dad will be here soon," he reassured, just as scared as his brother. They were only twelve minutes apart, but he still felt a responsibility for him.

Mom said that they both reminded of her own brother- Uncle Pietro. 

Hearing the door open, he felt a chill crawl up his spine. 

"She's here! Billy, she's here!" 

"I know! I know! Shh!" 

Her footsteps came closer, the cackling of her laughter making his heart pound. His brother buried himself in his shoulders, both of them huddled next to each other, as if the inevitable could be avoided. 

"How are my best boys doing?" Agnes' shrill voice rang, making Billy breathe faster.

"We want Mommy," Tommy whimpered, sounding as small as Billy felt. 

"Oh, I'm sorry honey, that's not happening anytime soon." She tsked, sounding as apologetic as the villains in the action movies his mom forbade him from watching.

"Why's that?" Billy asked, squaring his shoulders as much as he could. 

"You didn't hear? Mommy's dead." 

And his world crashed, his brain crowding with darkness.

A/N: Lemme know what you think! 😁😁