#a mission to charge my phone and not even realizing for a few secs that i fainted like gurl... you kinda insane for this

[aria0fgold]

I think another crazy thing bout today is the fact that I'm really calm bout everything and my biggest takeaway from the experience is: I can finally accurately write characters fainting.

[star-birthmark]

Don’t Have Time: Mista x Fem Reader

To the anon that requested, “I hope this isn’t too complicated but would a red string of fate scenario with Mista be possible? Like one day there’s a sudden tug on the string and he follows it to find chubby fem reader at the end?”, we’re gonna chock this one up to me thinking I’m gonna make a small story, liking the request too much, and then making something that is longer than it should have been lol. This dumb and probably not what you asked for, but I think it’s funny so, hopefully you like it too. 

Anyway, Don’t Have Time: Mista x Fem Reader (2.2k words)

There is was. It was acting up again. Not now. Not in the middle of a mission. Holding the gun tighter, Guido Mista tried his damndest to ignore the tugging at his pinky finger, ready to pry his whole body away from his task.

Some people remain too skeptical to believe in the idea of soulmates. They marry someone for money, for status, or even for convenience. Matteo Mista, an older cousin of Guido, once stared down at Mista when he was just a little boy, his arm wrapped around his wife, a woman he’d known since elementary school, and proudly said that she wasn’t his soulmate. Guido remembered seeing the red string on both of their pinkies still intact.

When asked about it, Matteo muttered, “What do I care when she’s probably halfway across the world? I don’t have time for that, not when I’ve got Giuseppina by my side.”

The woman with him laughed at the loving words. The two of them divorced a month later. 

“I don’t have time for that.” Those words were what stuck with Mista about all else. He wondered how someone simply couldn’t have time to find the love of their life. Something so important. So intimate. 

That is until he felt the string begin to tug for himself. Then he understood not having enough time. 

The first time the red string at the tip of his finger tugged, Mista was in prison for his unjust murder charge. He remembered the day well. One moment he was sitting at his desk when all of a sudden, his body was jerked up by some mysterious force. Mista stood there, confused before his arm burst forward, and turned his whole body to face one of the walls. His erect finger traced a line from one end of the cell to another before flinging his entire body into the concrete wall, paining him. It was then he realized what was happening. 

You. You were nearby, near the prison, A nervous sweat washed over. Mista hadn’t expected you to live so near to him. He thought he’d be cursed to wander the Earth in search of you. But no. You were right there. And he couldn’t get out to see you. 

His heart crushed at the thought of being so close, yet so far, Mista sat back down once the pull of the string lessened. He closed his eyes, trying to picture what you looked like. 

On the other side, you got up from the sidewalk, groaning. The sudden tug of the string had caused you to trip and hit your head on the prison gate. You looked at your pinky, seeing the string taut and in the direction of the prison. Understanding the situation, you muttered to yourself a complaint. Just your luck, to end up with a criminal. 

One of the reasons Mista so eagerly followed Bruno Buccellati was because the man gave him his chance to find you. The man freed him from prison and gave him a new life as a sharpshooter. A new determination filled the now mafioso. You were close, and he just needed to wait for the string to tug again. 

But then he learned the true meaning of those words. He didn’t have enough time to look for you. 

The second time the string tugged, he was in the middle of a fierce stand battle. He and Abbacchio were out investigating, and an enemy gang member had intercepted one of their clues. Cornered in a busy street, Mista had to use all his focus not to hit any civilians. 

But then that damn string tugged. Mista was jerked to the side once more. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a nearby street lamp to steady himself. Looking around, he saw a sea of people, all walking their different paths, none towards him. 

Mista heard Abbacchio call out to him to help him take down the enemy, with Moody Blues struggling to keep his footing. The string tugged even harder; Mista had to make a choice. Gritting his teeth, he ran in the opposite direction as the universal pull. You were going to be safe, but he couldn’t let a friend die. The target was taken out, Mista noticing that the pulling of the string was gone as well. Damn, another chance lost. 

You had been pressed up against the wall of the taxi as you drove by that same street corner. Your soulmate was nearby, and you’d just missed him. 

We return to the present time. It was another mission, and Mista again felt that infernal tug. He stalked around the alleyway, alert for any sign of the enemy ahead. At the other end fo the string, you felt fate’s pull, waiting patiently in your seat at a cafe several streets over for your soulmate to approach. He hadn’t been ready to meet you the past two times, so you decided just to wait. In your mind, you had all the time in the world.  

Time kept passing. The enemy wasn’t showing, and Mista was getting antsy. He just wanted to end the mission and get to you. You, who were so slowly but surely getting impatient about all this. Where the hell was your soulmate?

A flash pasted Mista’s gaze, and he readied his pistol. However, the enemy managed to snake behind him, leaving Mista vulnerable. You kept tapping on the table, getting annoyed. 

The enemy stalked behind the unknowing mafioso, a dagger in his hand. A grin came to his face as he raised his arm, aimed at Mista’s head. 

“This is it. I’ll kill one of Buccellati‘s goons! Then he’ll know not to mess with my gang!” 

After another minute of waiting, with the damn string still pulling at your finger, you shot up from your chair, infuriated. 

“Alright, fuck this. Get your ass over here!” 

You grabbed the activated string, yanking Mista towards you, just as the man was about to kill him. The enemy missed, tumbling forward and losing his cover. “What the hell?!” 

His cover blown as well, Mista had to make a run for it before the man tried to kill him again. He’d regroup later, and there was no better direction he could have gone in than directly to his soulmate. Mista ran as fast as he could to get to you. He didn’t exactly know what to look for, but he had an angry mafioso twice his size on his heels, so he couldn’t stop for anything. He had called Narancia to come in for backup, but the idiot hadn’t shown up yet. 

The string was getting shorter and shorter, and you had started running towards your soulmate as well, excited to see what he looked like, who he was, what he was. The man still hot on his trails, Mista kept sprinting to you as his life depended on it. The guy was dodging all of Sex Pistols’ attacks, rendering his stand useless. The string was getting shorter and shorter. 

The two of you were pulled along, both of you running, in panic for one and jubilation for another. Neither of you was paying attention to where you were going. Mista swerved in and out of the streets, zooming past people, until finally, finally, he had come to you. Well, he had not exactly come to you, more fell into you. 

The moment he turned around to see if the man was following him, Mista collided into someone. He rushed to apologize, about to keep moving until he realized something. There was no tug anymore. He had just bumped into you, the one. Looking up from the ground, he saw your face for the first time, seeing you groan as you recovered from the collision. Guido Mista found himself speechless for a moment. You were beautiful. Everything he’s ever waited for. He saw your rounded face and couldn’t wait to see your smile. He eyed your soft, pillowy frame and couldn’t wait to hold you in his arms. Guido Mista’s heart beat fast in his chest, and not just because of the man chasing him. Oh right, the man chasing him. Mista was soon brought back down to Earth from cloud nine. 

You looked up at the man before you, immediately becoming lost in his void-like, black eyes. You felt your face heat up in a blush. 

“It’s you, isn’t it?” You asked, a small smile on your face.

Mista gulped nervously, standing up as straight as he could to make himself look tougher for you. “Yeah... I guess I am-W-wait a sec.”  

Mista turned around, seeing the man approaching at a fast pace. The mafioso turned back to you. Shit, you’ll be in danger if you’re spotted talking to him.

“Hey, listen, sweetheart, if you don’t mind. We gotta go.” 

“Go?” 

“Yeah. Like now!” With that, Mista grabbed your hand and began running, with you hurriedly running with him, confused. 

“What’s happening?!” 

“I’ll explain later!”

“B-but this isn’t how this is supposed to go! I don’t even know your name!”

“I’ll tell you later, babe! Come on!” 

The two of you kept running. Mista grunted, still looking around. Where the hell was Narancia?! Running out of options, Mista ducked into a small alley with you, you both now chest to chest in the tight space. Before you could ask any questions, Mista put a finger to his lips, telling you to keep quiet. You watched as he carefully pulled out a phone and called someone. 

“When the hell are you gonna get here?!” Mista whispered into the phone, spouting off a nearby street sign so Narancia would know where to go. The enemy was nearby. Easily detectable by Aerosmith, Mista was sure of that. The man was breathing heavily, perfect for the radar.

“Who are you?” 

Mista looked down at you, a cheeky grin on his face. Your heart fluttered, something innate in your body was attracting you to this man. Something in you knew he felt the same way about you at that moment. And you were right, Mista was, but he had to focus. 

Suddenly, a teen about your height showed up in your little hiding spot. Mista held you close, muttering to the teen details about the man, telling him to end the mission once and for all. The teen ran away, and in just a few minutes, he returned with a silver badge in his hand, proof the man was dead. 

Mista sighed in relief and stepped out from the alley, looking around; it seemed there were no other threats. Your heart was racing. Here he was. The universe had seen your boring, ordinary life, and had now handed you someone you could tell was neither boring nor ordinary. You quickly straightened yourself out, watching as Mista spoke with the other one. He then called up seemingly his boss to let him know the job was over. You bit your lip nervously, loving the authoritative tone in his voice.  The other teenager with him, Narancia, you supposed, turned to you. 

“Sorry, miss, about dragging you into all this. You can head home now.” He flashed a smile to you before Mista whacked him on the arm. “Hey! What the hell was that for dumbass?!” 

Mista’s face was bright red as he turned to you with a gentle smile. “No, Narancia, she’s not going anywhere. Not anymore.” 

With that, Mista approached you, taking off his cap. You saw his wild mass of dark curls, realizing fully just how handsome he was. 

“I’m sorry about that. I’d have hoped to meet you at a different time, but the string was a little impatient, I guess.” 

You nodded nervously, remembering you had pulled on it yourself. “Yeah. We couldn’t ignore it for the third time, I suppose.”

You both smiled, both too nervous to know what to do next. You cleared your throat, bringing a hand up to stroke the side of Mista’s neck. 

“I uh... I don’t even know your name. But it... it feels like I’ve known you for years. My whole life even.”

Mista felt his whole being lift in happiness as he kept his gaze on you. “You don’t seem very scared of me, considering what I just put you through.”

“Well, I figure if I’m meant for you, I should be able to deal with it. If it means I can have you as you are.”

Mista laughed, breathing a sigh of relief as he wrapped his arms around your waist, spinning you around. You, who had sometimes been self-conscious of your body, fell even more smitten knowing he could pick you up with ease. You could tell, he made you feel loved already, just as you were.  

Mista put you down. “Come on then. I’ll treat you to a meal, and you can meet my friends. All that running made me hungry.” You watched your soulmate walk out of the alley before you told him to wait. 

“Dummy, you forgot something. My name’s (y/n) (l/n). I still don’t know yours.” 

Mista chuckled a bit. “Sorry about that, baby. Guido Mista, at your service.” 

You smiled. “Guido, huh?”

“(y/n),huh? Now come on already, let’s eat. We can work all this soulmate stuff out later. We’ve got all the time in the world.” 

[lokis-lady-death]

Doesn’t Play Well With Others Episode 2

Loki x Reader

Lady Death: This is less of a series and more of a few snippets of of stories from Stark Towers in Brazil. Reader is an ice mutant that, when S.H.I.E.L.D. disbanded joined the Avengers. Months had passed since the defeat of Thanos and Loki has become a live-in member of the team. The problem? You’ve been put in charge of his training.

Episode 1 (part one has in-heat Jotun!Loki smutt, but this chapter can be read without reading it if that’s not your fancy)

Doesn’t Play Well With Others Episode 2

Paperwork. The bane of anyone's existence. Monotonous, repetitious, boring paperwork.

That was what your Wednesday had become consumed with, more specifically the finalized, typed up, official statement of the Avengers regarding a special mission you, Sam, Nat and Loki had undergone in Russia (codename:Operation MotherLand). The reason you were doing this tedious deed? Because while on the mission, a civilian was caught in the crossfire. Luckily she survived with only a few bumps and bruises, but (as a part of the deal Tony and Steve had made with Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross in construction of the new Sokovia Accords) there must be a detailed report of what caused the civilian to be injured during one of your missions.

It was a hassle, but a necessary one. Just a small price to pay to have the Avengers reinstated and everyone cleared of their past grievances with the legislation.

But the reason you yourself were tasked with this assignment was a bit more complicated: the woman hurt in Russia was injured due to Avenger-in-training Loki, who happened to be under your supervision. His mistakes, it turned out, were your mistakes.  

On Monday:

~”Oh, no, Loki was y/n’s responsibility in Russia,” Sam exclaimed when Ross informed Tony over the speakerphone that there would need to be formal documentation of the entire mission. “I’m not getting stuck with homework all because she couldn’t handle that green diva!”

“No one can handle him, that’s why he was dumped on me in the first place!” you argued. “Nat, come on, you can't agree with him?”

But the Black Widow only shrugged her shoulders. “Im sorry, y/n, but you are technically in charge of him. You knew the risks when you let him come on the mission with us.”

“He has to get experience in the field, you all know that…!”

“All mute points,” Ross interrupted, silencing the room. “I need this event documented or else…”

“Yeah, yeah, or else you’ll have us extradited out of Brazil back to the states and charge us with treason, lock up our loved ones, bla bla bla, evil government jargon. Yes, Rossy. We know the whole spiel, we’ll get you that stuff as soon as… oh no... you’re ….breaking up… Ross-ter?”

“Stark!” echoed in the room before Tony ended the call.

He rolled his eyes and sighed before he turned towards you. “So… about this report?”

“You’re really going to stick me with this? That was an eight month long mission, its going to take me days to write it all up!”

“Then I suggest you get to writing,” the man of iron suggested before patting you on the back. “And next time maybe keep a better eye on our little Shakespeare in the Park. This time someone got a little banged up, but what about next time?” ~

So here you were, writing out a novel’s worth of information to satisfy the governments of the world rather than doing any actual work or training. Which wasn’t too bad, you had to admit. After this past weekend, you could use a break from Loki’s contentious attitude. You hadn’t seen him since the two of you were locked together in the containment box and frankly you didn’t want to.

It had turned out Loki Odinson, declared prince of Asgard, was actually a frost giant. What's more, he had convinced Thor to lie to you while he hid away, going through some type of animalistic heat cycle that ended with the two of sleeping together. Suffice to say, things between you were a tad more complicated. You had an already stressful enough relationship since he had joined the Avengers, so much so that you didn’t need the added complication that would come from talking about what had happened: one time, didn't mean anything, never gonna happen again sex.

You typed away on the computer, trying to push Loki to the back of your mind as you turned up the music on your phone.

He had distracted you since Saturday when the “incident” occured. Afterwards you locked him and Thor in the containment cell to teach them a lesson about lying to you- and partially because you needed a moment to yourself before having to face the brothers Grimm.

You had even threatened to tell Tony about the entire incident just to “put the fear of God” in them. In reality, in the three days since Tony has been back at the tower, you hadn't had the slightest inkling to rat the Odisons out.

And they both knew it, too.

Though you hadn't seen Loki since releasing them from their makeshift jail, Thor had made it a point to find you once he realized you hadn't reported them.

~”I greatly appreciate you keeping this weekend a secret, Lady y/n. It means  lot to my brother and I that you didn't tell Tony Stark… though I know I should tell him myself, but you see…” The god of thunder paused, trying to feel out his words carefully. “You see, I don't know if you've noticed, but Loki staying here has been a bit…”

“Messy, chaotic,” you interrupted, “Dangerous?”

“Yes, admittedly all of those things. It's just that I am all Loki has left. He doesn’t feel accepted by the Asgardians, he doesn’t feel accepted by Midgardians. I know him being here is not ideal and everyone has their doubts,  but I cannot abandon my brother. So you keeping this secret for him, it really means a lot to us both. Even if he won't admit it.”~

There wasn’t much you could say to him at the time, just nod and go on about your day. Truth be told, you were keeping another secret for Loki (the two of you sleeping together) but you weren’t going to be the one to let him know.

“Shit, I’m never going to finish this,” you grumbled when you were STILL dwelling on Loki and things related to him. It wasn’t made easier that the report you were writing was practically about him.

Accepting you weren’t going to get anything done, you looked down at your mug. You didn’t know how long you had been working, but what was left of your coffee had gotten cold and you were starting to get hungry. Saving your work, you closed your laptop and ventured out of your room to the kitchen in your apartment.

You were walking through the hallway when you heard three distinct, short raps at your apartment door.

“Just a sec,” you shouted, peaking in the mirror that hung in the hall. You cursed yourself for not bothering with makeup this morning, less from the dark circles under your eyes and more for the sizable teeth marks embedded in the crook of your neck from where Loki had bitten you. You pulled your hair out of its tie and wrapped it methodically around your shoulders until you were sure it was hidden enough.

When you got to the door, you tapped the special keypad on the side to activate the two-way-mirror feature installed on all the apartment doors that allowed anyone inside to see who was at their door.

Your heart thumped extra hard at the sight of Loki standing with his hands folded behind his back, impatiently shifting from one foot to the other as he stared off down the hall nervously.

You couldn’t help but scoff, “Speak of the devil.”

Closing your eyes you tried to envision what could possibly come of speaking with him, until he knocked again in the same manner.

This time you managed to make out the squareness of his shoulders, the tightness of his lips.

He was in a serious mood, making you all the more apprehensive to answering the door.

You finally swung it open, meeting his grimace with a wide eyed and toothy smile. “Well if it isn’t everyone’s favorite My Chemical Romance backup dancer. Is there something I can help you with?”

He pulled a piece of paper out from behind his back. “We had training. We were scheduled at 0800. It is now 1200,” he told you pointedly. You couldn’t help but quirk you brow, confused that, of all things, this is what he had come to discuss.

“What a surprise. All the times I’ve had to hunt you down and drag you to training and the one day I forgot, you actually hunt ME down?” You took a moment to appreciate the poetic irony of the moment before declaring, “Yeah, I’m not doing that. I’m busy with paperwork. But I appreciate the enthusiasm, keep it up and I’ll be ready to get right on that training as soon as I’m done. Okay bye,” and you tried to shut your door.

Loki shoved his heavy boot in the doorway in time to stop it from closing.

“No, that isn't all. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you avoiding me. First you didn’t even tell me of the meeting with the man of iron Monday and, counting today, you have missed three training sessions.”

Your eyes narrowed up at him but you didn’t say anything.

What could you say, he wasn’t wrong. Even now, being this close to him, you felt an ache begin to form in the pit of your stomach. An ache you didn’t quite know how to place.

Loki cleared his throat, looking away when he told you, “While I appreciated the peace and quiet at first, now I am quite curious as to whether or not we should discuss what happened…”

You begged your heart to stop pounding in your chest, but failed. “Absolutely not, there’s no reason to do that. We can go back to our regularly scheduled bickering sessions when I’m not knee deep in this report.”

“Report, what report?” There was a height in his tone, perhaps concerned over the linguistics of your report.

“Don’t worry, it’s not on THAT. It’s about the mission in Russia last week.”

“Why?” he asked incredulously. “If I remember correctly, the mission was a success.”

“You realize you caused a woman to get hurt?”

At that Loki let out a scowl, realizing what particular moment you were speaking of. “I diverted a weapon from hitting a teammate- you, actually, if I remember correctly. I thought that’s what Avengers did was save people? Is that not what you heros are always going on about? Saving lives?”

“Not teammates lives, you greased up Link-wannabe, you’re supposed to protect civilians! Not help a building to fall on them!”

In the midst of Operation MotherLand, while coming under heavy fire from several assailants, Sam and Nat were split up from you and Loki. You had instructed Loki to maintain the four civilians with you while you tried to get the upper hand in the situation. You had managed to radio Nat and could make out a clearing to get through behind the shooters. Unbeknownst to you, someone had come up behind you with the intention of ending the stand-off. Loki instinctively grabbed hold of the man and threw him. Fortunately for you, the assailant hadn’t had time to take the shot. Unfortunately for one of the civilians, Loki had thrown the man into a column supporting the roof over your heads, crumbling the the already damaged structure. The building began collapsing around you all and, while all four civilians weren’t killed, one woman’s leg had gotten pinned under some rubble.

“I promise I’m the first one to acknowledge what you did was... helpful. But the fact remains that our job was to secure the terrorists and help any innocents who got in the crossfire. My safety, your safety, anyone else on our team, it all comes after. There is only the mission and ensuring civilians make it out.”

Squaring his jaw, Loki clicked his tongue before responding, “I’m sorry, Lady y/n. Next time I’ll simply allow the enemy to shoot you.”

The two of you locked eyes as you opened the door enough to step up to him. “I’m only going to say this once, so listen up: I didn’t join the Avengers to be saved, Loki. I’m not some damsel in distress. I joined to SAVE lives and while I love every single member on this team, I know, and they know, that if it comes to an innocent or one of us,” you shrugged your shoulders. “It’s called sacrifice. Everytime I go out, or Steve goes out, or Nat, or Sam or even Thor, we know there is always that chance that we may not come back. We do what we can to be smart about it, but the fact of the matter is innocents come first.”

“Oh! Please!” Loki snorted, pressing a finger to your chest and making you step backwards into the apartment as he moved forward. “You expect me to believe you’re so self righteous that you believe sacrifice to be the only way? The midgardian was hurt, but she lived. And you lived. Yes, she may have been worse for ware, but you would have died. I don’t see that as a bad trade.”

“Yep. Self righteous. Okay, Loki, I think that concludes this week’s episode of Days of our Lives, you can leave now,” you strained to say, no longer looking at him. This wasn’t the first time you had this fight. The two of you argued the entire flight home from Russia about this very same thing.

Letting out a sigh, you shook your head. “I’ll pick up our training when I’m done with this report. If you’re so broken up about missing training, you can go play with Tony’s simulators until then.” When he didn’t make a motion to move, you glanced up. “This is the part where you leave.”

You were stunned when, rather than turning to leave you in peace, the god of mischief stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

“Loki?” you spoke softly, feeling a rise in your chest. “What are you-”

“Why didn’t you tell Tony or the others?”

The change in subject was unexpected, and honestly you wondered if he was talking about him being a Jotun or the sex you had. “Maybe I did?” you lied.

Loki snickered at the suggestion, tilting his head to show you the smirk on his face. “Please, darling, lying to the prince of lies?” He tsked. “Really. Why didn't you tell them? I know you have all been itching to cast me out, so why ruin a perfectly good opportunity?”

“Cast you out?” you repeated. You backed away, needing some distance and hoping he wouldn’t notice how tense he made you. “We don't want to cast you out, you hard headed asshat. We want you to FOLLOW DIRECTION. And NOT LIE! Two habits that CLEARLY seem to be a foreign concept for you.”

When the god of mischief only  narrowed his eyes, you went on with a sigh. “Look, I already told you I won't tell anyone about you turning into Smurfette and as far as everything else,” despite yourself you blushed thinking about it, “It's really not a big deal. So much so we don't have to mention it. Ever.”

Loki watched you, no longer smiling, but deep in concentration as he mulled over what you said. “So you would keep all of this a secret?”

“What's a secret between teammates?” And in a bold action, you held out your hand. “I'll make you a deal, right now. I won't tell anyone about you being Frosty.” Loki reached out to take your hand, but you retracted it before adding, “BUT you have to promise you won't lie to me anymore cause that shit is getting real old real fast.”

The poker face the god of mischief wore was enough to make you second guess yourself, contemplating just how much risk you were taking in keeping his true Jotun bloodline from the rest of the Avengers. You had never had to keep a secret from your team and the feeling was bitter. You knew after the falling out between Steve and Tony that secrets didn’t make friends, but Loki and Thor were both right: the team didn't care for the raven haired x employee of Thanos. Any reason to discredit him would most likely result in his expulsion from the team.

But if you could train him to not be such a liability on missions, the new development might prove easier to wave off.

Before you changed your mind, Loki took your hand, wrapping his fingers tightly around your hand. “I accept.” He offered you a sly smile that only made you feel more uneasy. You hastily pulled your hand away to reach for the door’s handle.

“So now that's all cleared away, you can go play with the simulators and I can get my report….” as the door clicked out of its lock, Loki reached over your head and pushed the door back shut. You turned, looking up at him as you pressed your back to the door. “I take it there's more?” you tried to say in your normal bemused tone, when really your chest was fluttering. He was so close.

There was a darkness to his face you couldn't quite read, just different enough from his normal brooding manner to make you hold your breath.

It was the same look he had in the containment cell, minus the red eyes.

“Loki, you're sorta freaking me out, you’re not about to tell me frost giants lay eggs that burst out through people's chest right?” It was a half joke half serious concern.

“I haven't slept in days, y/n,” Loki confessed. He pressed a hand against his forehead as he went on, “Ever since I changed back -I cannot explain it- but I haven't felt… myself. Normally once a cycle is complete I feel fine but these past few days...” His eyes left yours just as you felt his hand come up and swipe through your hair. It wasn't until you saw his eyes widen that you realized he was looking at the bite mark he had left on you. “Did I...” His brow creased.

“It’s really no big deal,” you forced out, trying your damnedest to convince him so he would drop it.  

His jaw clenched while he tried to read any hidden messages you may be concealed. “Y/n, are you afraid of me?”

“Excuse me? Don't be ridiculous, of course I'm not-”

“Really?” he pressed, closing the space between you before leaning down into your ear. “Because I can only imagine how terrified you must have been-” His fingers traced up your arms, sending goosebumps all over your body. “-trapped alone in a cage with a monster...”

A hard set of knocks vibrated through your back, instantly making you go quiet even before Loki’s hand came down over your mouth. You didn’t know if he did it out of reflex or because he honestly believed you would scream, but you furrowed your brow at him before smacking his hand away.

“Yes?” you called out, noting the distinctive flaring of Loki’s nostrils as he waited for you to give him away.

“Hey, it’s Nat!”

You backed off the door and shoved Loki to the side, cracking the door just enough to not be rude but also hiding the god of mischief. You smiled at your neighbor from across the hall, beaming, “Sup! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Actually, I need a favor. I got a call to go back out to run more surveillance in Russia.”

“That job has really become a shit show hasn't it?”

“You don't even know the half of it. We are all due back out after we get a bit more intelligence on the overall operation. Turns out it's a little bigger than we originally thought.”

“Isn't it always?”

She huffed in agreement before asking, “Anyway, d’ya mind feeding Maleficent for me while I’m gone? Should be back in the next day or two.”

“Yeah, sure, no problem. Her food’s in the fridge, right?”

“Yup. Alright, I’ll see you when I get back, keep the satellite phone on hand for when I get bored of listening to Sam and his invincible move on Mortal Kombat.” You were jealous Nat always got paired off with Sam on these missions; he always had the best handheld games to make the time pass.

“Most definitely,” you agreed, leaning through the doorway to hug her shoulders. “See you. And stay safe.”

“I’m so safe my codename should be Safety Nat.” She shot you a look before you began pulling your door closed. You knew when she didn't start walking that she had something else she wanted to say, only opening it back up when she came out with, “Y/n, are you okay? You’ve been kind of quiet since the meeting the with Ross. You missed our wine date.”

“We had a wine date?” you laughed.

“Every weeknight is our wine date. So you've missed two.”

“And here you are, blowing me off for tonight's date. What a terrible pair we are.” Shaking your head with another chuckle, you clarified, “I’m fine, just been working on this stupid report.”

“How much more you got left?” But she didn’t let you answer. Instead, Nat reached out and took your hand in hers. “I’m sorry you’re kinda getting drug through it because of Loki, but it’s just like that with new recruits. Sometimes you luck up and get trainees that want to give it their all, follow the rules, and always know just what to do. But sometimes you get…”

“You get someone who wants to be a solo act and doesn’t understand how to be a team player,” you finished, feeling Loki’s eyes burning on the back of your head. “But it’s fine now. We’re working on some team building skills… ya know, something to help get him ready for our next mission. ”

“Well, I wish you all the luck in the world,” she told you honestly, giving you her signature smolder before waving her fingers at you, finally heading off.

You watched her disappear into the elevator down the hall until suddenly Loki's hand caught the door and pushed it closed, nearly clipping face. “Now, where were we?“

You pressed your hand to Loki's chest, forcing him against the door, making sure he saw you didn't flinch. “Let me take this opportunity to make this perfectly clear: I am NOT afraid of you. You think just ‘cause you turn blue and have freaky eyes you scare me? Please. I've gone head to head with the Hulk after Bruce flipped out in the middle of a covert mission in Argentina. Blue, green, purple, I dont give a shit what color someone is, i’ll kick anyone’s ass that breaks off from a mission.” Loki inhaled sharply and you could tell you had made your point to the god of mischief: that he, in fact, didn't frighten you in the least.

After a long moment of the two of you trying to stare each other down, you let him go.

“You lied to your friend,” Loki grumbled under his breath while he straightened his cloak,, his eyes never once leaving you. “You said we were working on team skills.”

“We are,” you snapped back, aggravated by his relentlessness. “1800 hours. Meet in training room 7b. And don’t bring this shitty attitude.”

His jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed, all while he thought on the suggestion. “Alright. 1800 hours, 7b. I’ll see you then.” Retreating, he glanced over his shoulder at you one last time before closing the door behind him.

Leaning your back against the door and letting your body slide down, you couldn’t help but breath out in relief that he was finally gone. Regardless of how good your straight-face game was from years of training in special ops and concealment, you were beginning to waver. Putting your hand on your chest, you willed yourself to breath, trying to calm down enough to think straight.

How were you going to be able to train with Loki if simply looking at him made your heart race? When touching him made you breathless?

You ran your hands over your face, letting out an UGH as you remembered you still needed to go finish the report.

Like my garbage? Read more of it! Master List

LOKI TAGS: @socialheartbreak @kcd15 @maladaptive-ninja-returns@nephalem67 @jessiejunebug @woodyandbuzz20-01@bambamwolf87   @kitsuneharo12 @yzssie@macbetheliza@lokilvrr @lokixme @li-ssu  @j-u-s-t-4  @letskillthefuhrer

[writinghq]

omg i love you guys so much my heart’s going to burst any moment 💖💕. may i request for oikawa, iwaizumi, kuroo, and kita meeting their soulmate? i hope this is not too much! thank you and have a nice day 😊

Hey! I hope this isn’t too much, I’m sorry. But it was fun to write! Darian hopes to make a scenario from one of these someday hm 🤔We hope you enjoy! also we love u so much too our heart hurts

OIKAWA TŌRU

“If you haven’t met your soulmate yet, but end up in the same area on a certain day, that day will repeat itself until you meet each other.”

Oikawa was on his way to school that morning when he noticed that something about the day was off

It wasn’t that something was different about today, no, it was that everything was so much the same

The fact that his usual train was cancelled so he had to a different route to school, the little kids passing by singing their nursery songs together, the flower seller dropping their gardening tools, the vendor selling tissues, the middle-aged ladies running into the supermarket for the 2-hour sale, and bumping into Iwaizumi on the way

“Iwa-chan! Today’s so strange!”

“Oikawa?? What are you doing here?”

“Why are you so surprised, Iwa-chan? I was here yesterday!”

Iwaizumi furrows his eyebrows

“What are you talking about?”

“I came by this route yesterday too, but anyway, that’s besides the point, everything today feels just the same as—“

Before Oikawa finishes, he grabs his phone from his pocket and checks the date

His phone showed the date of yesterday

“Iwa-chan! What day is it today?”

Iwaizumi tells him the date corresponding to his phone and Oikawa claps his hands together

“Yesterday has repeated itself!”

Iwaizumi’s eyes widen at Oikawa, a hint of seriousness in his expression

“The aliens are finally coming to get me!”

“No, Shittykawa!”

Iwaizumi immediately clobbers Oikawa

“Ow! What was that for?”

“You don’t understand what it means when a day repeats itself, do you?”

Iwaizumi then explains to Oikawa about how people meet their soulmate as they proceeded to go to school

“I thought this was common knowledge, but then again, you’re Oikawa.”

“Hey! I’m sorry I pay more attention to volleyball than love!”

“That has got to be a joke!”

“Mean, Iwa-chan, mean!”

Oikawa and Iwaizumi then had a little wrestle, but they end up bumping into someone

Iwaizumi immediately apologizes and the person accepts it and walks away

Oikawa then taunts Iwaizumi

“Look what you’ve done!”

“Me??”

For the rest of the day, Oikawa ponders on the fact that he’s going to meet his soulmate

“So how does this loop end?”

“You meet your soulmate, or that’s what they say, at least.”

“And how do I know they’re my soulmate?”

“You just know. I don’t know, as if I’ve ever gone through it before, Crappykawa.”

A “week” passes, and Oikawa is still repeating the same day

He has already started memorizing the day

The trains, the kids, the flower seller, the tissue vendor, the middle-aged ladies, then Iwaizumi

But still no sign of this loop ending

Oikawa was starting to lose hope that he would ever find his soulmate

The children run past him, singing the same old nursery rhyme, and Oikawa scratches his head in frustration

“But they’re supposed to be here! How could I have kept missing them?!”

Just then, he hears the oh-so-familiar sound of the flower seller dropping their gardener my tools

Oikawa just always walked by, but since he might be repeating this day for he rest of his life (he was over exaggerating) he might as well live it differently

He headed over to help them pick up the tools, but then before he reached them, someone else bent over to help

Oikawa stops and decides to just continue on

“So someone helps them after all.”

After getting a pack of tissues from the vendor and waiting out the swarm of middle-aged ladies, he greets Iwaizumi

“Good morning, Iwa-chan.”

“Oikawa?? What are you doing here?”

“Yes, yes, I am here, my usual train was cancelled so I’m taking this route today.”

He then lets out an exhausted sigh

Iwaizumi immediately notices the unusual lack of energy in Oikawa

“Yes! Very! I’ve been trapped in this day for what feels like forever!”

“Trapped?? You mean your day is repeating? Meaning your soulmate is here?”

“Yes! But I have no idea where! And I’m getting tired! Little kids here, flower seller there, get a tissue, ladies charge into the sale, meet you on the way, bump into someone here—“

Oikawa stops

“That’s strange.”

“What is?”

Iwaizumi was still struggling to absorb all the information that was just given to him

“I’m sure there’s usually a person here.”

“Whatever you say, Oikawa. Well, you better find them soon.”

“What do you think I’ve been trying to do?”

“If you’re frustrated having to live this day over and over again, how do you think they feel?”

The next day (which was the same day, honestly) Oikawa had even more determination to find his soulmate, making it like a video game mission to save the princess

“Today, I will not fail!”

He was reviewing the usual happenings in a day while he was on the way to school

“So first the kids, then the flower seller, then the tissue vendor, then the sale, and then Iwaizumi.”

He stops in his tracks

“And then that person—“

He then hears the usual sound of the kids singing

And then he hears something else

“Hey, wanna learn a new song?”

Oikawa immediately whips his head towards the direction of the new voice

He watches in amazement as he watches them teach the kids a new song

The simple melody sung so sweetly that Oikawa’s heart clenched a little

“Uwa! Thank you!”

The kids thank this teenager whole heartedly before they head off to their destination

This person walks forward, and in all this Oikawa had just been standing there in awe

It was something different

And then it finally hit him

“W-wait!”

Oikawa immediately runs forward, almost stumbling in the process

As he regains his balance, he looks up to see them quite far away already

He bolts forward, and the flower seller’s gardening tools fall right in front of him

“Oh! I’m so sorry!”

Oikawa looks back and forth between the flower seller and the person up ahead before bending down to help pick up the fallen items

“Thank you very much!”

“No problem!”

Oikawa gives the flower seller a bow before dashing again

“Tissues—“

“Sorry! Not today!”

Oikawa runs ahead, dodging the few people up and about that early morning

The person was in his view

And then they weren’t

Oikawa was immediately stopped by the huge crowd of ladies waiting for the 2 hour sale

He inches his way through, looking up every now and then to see if they were still there

They were getting farther and farther by the second

Finally, Oikawa found his way out and was on his way again

“Iwa-chan!”

Iwaizumi whips around, the same amount of surprise on his face

“Oikawa?? What are you—“

Oikawa pats Iwaizumi on the back as he runs ahead

“I found them!”

“Found who?? What?!”

Oikawa starts closing in on them

Could this be it? Was this person his soulmate?

“Wait!”

The person stops, and slowly turns around to see Oikawa, who was now very out of breath

He was slowed down until he finally came to a stop behind them

He took a few seconds to catch his breath

Then he looks up to look at the person he had been running after that morning

“H-how may I help you?”

“Have you been repeating the same day too??”

The excitement of finally having found his soulmate hindered him from finding the right words to say, so he ended up blurting out the first thing that came into his mind

Their eyes widen at Oikawa, and Oikawa then realizes the strangeness of his statement

“Ah, wait, for a sec!”

He then gives out a cry of frustration

“Argh! I’m sorry! This isn’t going so well! Let’s have a redo!”

He then hears a small laugh

“Well, if this isn’t right, then we should both be having a redo tomorrow.”

Oikawa’s eyes widen at the comment

At the same time, his chest tightened as he watched this person’s smile

He extends his hand to them

“I’ll try to do this properly. Hi, I’m—“

Their hands meet, and there’s a small static, a chill down their spines, a feeling that this really was the one they were looking for

At the realization that he had finally found them, Oikawa lips spread into a smile

His soulmate’s heart flutters at the sight

“I’m Oikawa Tooru. What’s your name?”

IWAIZUMI HAJIME

“If you find your soulmate, the timer on your arm, which is always counting up, will stop the time you meet them. But if you don’t find your soulmate by your 18th birthday, you will die by the end of that year.”

“Come on! I know this beautiful place where we can watch the fireworks!”

It was 30 minutes until 12, 30 minutes until the end of December 31st, Iwaizumi’s last day

Both of their last day

Iwaizumi wasn’t able to meet his soulmate, and as the year was coming to a close, he had finally accepted that he never would  

There was an app designed to connect the youth with different people near their area that would be dying the same year they would and Iwaizumi tried it out

As ridiculous as it may seem, you die if you don’t find your soulmate by the deadline of 18 years old, and that’s just how things were

It wasn’t uncommon, teenagers who were never able to live beyond 18, so this was just a way for them to cope with it

And this was what brought Iwaizumi and this person together

Iwaizumi took one last look at that timer etched on his skin, counting up to his last hours, before meeting the person the app had set him up with

It was 8:04 am

This person, like him, wasn’t able to find their soulmate, and was also going to die

“You must be the last person I’ll be seeing before I die.”

“Let’s not think of it like that. Let’s just drop the formalities and think of it as some weird blind date. Call me Hajime.”

The polite smile transformed into one much more genuine

The fear of death was no longer relevant to them both, it was coming, and soon, so might as well enjoy the last day while they could

“Then you can call me ___.”

They sat together in the park and put together the biggest bucket list they could think of

It had anything they could do last minute: human slingshot, piercings, horror houses, restaurant hopping, spicy food challenges, temple visits, sushi restaurants, kimono renting, canoeing, lantern painting, and so much more

And they did everything, well, almost everything

They sat together at the top of the secluded hill, admiring the messy and almost completed bucket list

“Too bad the tattoo salon was closed today, eh, Hajime?”

“Nah, I think the pain of the piercing alone is enough to last me a lifetime.”

The person seated beside him gives off a careless laugh, a laugh that Iwaizumi had been admiring throughout the entirety of the day

“It will, Hajime. It will.”

Iwaizumi’s companion lies down on the grass, stretching their arms out

“I have a question for you.”

They’ve been exchanging questions the whole day, to learn more about each other, just a fun game they came up with to keep the conversations going

“Alright, what is it?”

“Why did you decide to spend your last day with me? What about your family? Or your close friends?”

Iwaizumi breaks eye contact and faces forward as he processes the question

“… I didn’t want to burden them with this. The fact that I’m going to be gone. My family… They won’t be able to handle it, so I thought it would be for the best if they started the new year with happy feelings instead of mourning.”

“And how about your friends?”

“They all found the one they needed. It’s just me.”

Iwaizumi pauses for a moment, imagining scenes of how upset his friends would be when they find out he was out here on his own

He snaps out of it, and tries to shake off the sudden sadness he felt

“And how about you?”

“Same as you.”

They then sit up to meet Iwaizumi’s eyes

“I don’t want the last thing I see to be the sad look they have when they see me go.”

Iwaizumi’s companion stands up and walks a little, looking down at the glittering lights of the shrines down below

“Don’t you wish that things weren’t this way? That there was another system? Or no system at all.”

They sigh and continue to stare down at the town

Iwaizumi stands up and heads over to stand beside them

“As much as I hate it, I don’t think it’s that bad.”

He sweeps their hair away from their face

“I was able to meet you after all.”

“Very smooth, Hajime.”

“Shut up.”

They laugh

“Back at you. This was the best last day ever. Thank you.”

Their lip quivers, and the smile they had just given Iwaizumi was starting to lose shape

They tried to fight back their tears, but were failing terribly

Iwaizumi pulls them into a hug, letting them cry into his chest

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me, I—“

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

They cry a bit more, Iwaizumi comforting them

He had forgotten the fear of his own death

All that was on his mind was how he could help this person

He wanted them to live on

Iwaizumi’s companion separates themselves from him, bringing Iwaizumi back from his thoughts

Their eyes were still glassy, but they were able to muster a smile

“It’s almost time.”

It was only then that Iwaizumi was made aware of the sound of restless chatter from down below

They were getting ready for the countdown to midnight

Iwaizumi’s expression was painfully grim

His companion cups his cheek and gives him another smile

“It’s okay.”

It was finally ending

Iwaizumi could feel his eyes burning, but he fought back his tears

His companion gingerly caresses his cheek with their thumb

“It’s okay.”

They both lay themselves on the grass, side by side

They stare at the stars for awhile

Suddenly, his companion takes a hold of his hand

Static sparks in between their fingers, causing Iwaizumi to whip his head towards them

His cheeks started to burn red

“May I?”

They then reveal a toothy grin

Iwaizumi smiles back

“You may.”

They both turn back to the sky

His companion lets out a large sigh

“Where could they be?”

“Who?”

“Our soulmates! Are they happy? Are they dying too? What are they doing wasting time right now?”

Iwaizumi could only laugh at the amusing amount of energy his companion still had in them

“I wonder.”

He lets out a small laugh again

“If I had a say on who my soulmate would be, I would choose you.”

Now it was his companion’s turn to laugh

“Then we wouldn’t have to die now, would we?”

“We wouldn’t.”

They both laugh

Iwaizumi tightens his grip on their hand

“But still. It would’ve been nice.”

His companion tightens their hold on his hand too

“Yeah. Think of how much more adventures we could’ve gone on.”

“No tattoos though.”

“Alright, Hajime, whatever you say.”

They can hear the faint sound of people counting down

“___, thank you for today. It really was the best last day ever.”

“Same, Hajime, same.”

They hear the sound of cheering, and the whistling of fireworks

Iwaizumi looks at the bright flash of glitter in the sky one last time right before slowly closing his eyes

He braced himself for the death awaiting him

How would it be like, he wondered

He waited for the sound of the fireworks to fade away, for the darkness to turn to light, for the timer etched on his skin to disappear, for the warmth in his hand to go cold

But it didn’t

Iwaizumi lied there for a few minutes, long enough for the sound of the fireworks to die down

Immediately, he sits up, and frantically looks around

Did something go wrong? Was he still alive? Or was he dead? And this was just some weird kind of afterlife?

He whips his head towards his companion, who was still lying on the ground

Their eyes were wide open, staring at him, with the same amount of confusion as his

“We’re—?”

“We’re alive?!”

Iwaizumi’s mind was a mess

He had prepared himself the whole day for what he didn’t want to come, but now that it didn’t come he didn’t know what to feel

“This makes no sense.”

Iwaizumi then quickly pulls back his sleeve to check his arm, only to find his timer still there

But it had stopped

“8:04…”

He read out the time and looked to his companion to see them slowly sitting up

They were staring at their own timer, their face stuck in one of awe

“… 8:04.”

Iwaizumi’s eyes widen and his companion looks up to meet them with theirs

“You’re—?!”

“It was you?!”

They stare at each other, frozen in their seats before bursting into laughter

Iwaizumi then pulls them into a hug

“So it was you.”

Tears started to form in his soulmate’s eyes, and they rested their head against his chest

“Yeah. And so were you.”

KUROO TETSURŌ

“Everyone is born with a unique number only they and their soulmates have.”

The school day was over, and Kuroo was on his way home from school

Kenma got dragged away by his teacher, so it was only Kuroo today

On his way out, he could hear the excited chatter of a couple nearby, their arms linked together, their faces this close to each other, and their numbers replicating each other’s perfectly

Kuroo always rolls his eyes at these “perfect” couples, those people who found their soulmate, but that’s also because he didn’t know how it felt to find his soulmate

Your soulmate was the person who was born with the same number as you

If you found them through the millions of different number combinations in the world, that was it

Kuroo subconsciously scratches his left collar bone, where his number lied underneath his shirt

Kuroo would sometimes wonder how the unknown force that ran their world thought of such a weird way for people to find their soulmate, and how this unknown force was immature enough to give him the number he had

Only his family and closest friends knew what his number was, and they’d have a laugh about it every now and then

Kuroo was thinking about how he was going to go about his homework when something caught his eye

A person walked past him, and right on the back of their palm, Kuroo could see three digits resembling his own

His heart jumped, and he acted the way that any reasonable person would do at the possibility of their soulmate

He hid behind a bush

He peeked over to see this person again, to make sure that those does three digits really were right

They were, but now he had no way of confirming the other two, that were hiding under their sleeve

“Cursed blazers”

“Kuroo?”

His heart jumps for the second time today, and he whips around to see a classmate of his standing behind him

“What are you doing—“

“Quick! Hide!”

He immediately pulls their arm, making them hide together with him behind the bush

“Why are we hiding??”

Kuroo immediately shushes them

“Today might be the day I meet my soulmate.”

“What?! Who?”

They peek stand up straight, looking around to see who this person was

Kuroo pulls them back down

“Are you crazy?!”

“You don’t know when a chance like this will ever come back up again! The first digits that person has is pretty hard to find, so are you going to sis around or hurry up?”

Kuroo takes a peek from the side of the bush

His possible soulmate was already quite far away

“Alright. But I’ll have to see what their full number is first!”

He quickly stands up and dashes after them, pulling his classmate along with him

“Why am I coming along too?!”

“Come on! I need back up!”

They both follow Kuroo’s soulmate candidate for awhile, not missing any opportunity to see those last two digits, but failing each time

They finally follow them to a cafe, and the both of them decided they would take a break there too

They sit themselves at a table not too far away, Kuroo’s back turned against his possible soulmate

His classmate asks the server for the menus, and Kuroo watches as they do

“Why are you always wearing that?”

“Wearing what?”

“That sports jacket. Aren’t you hot in there?”

His classmate responds to him without looking up from the menu

“It’s not about the temperature. I’m just more comfortable this way.”

“Why?”

They look up to Kuroo to reply, but see his attention already to the person behind him

He quickly whips around after taking a little peek, a glitter of joy in his eyes at the possibility of this person being the one

It was this side of him that his classmate rarely saw

He immediately puts his attention to his classmate

“Hey! ___! Can you see their number from here?”

His classmates snaps out of their trance-like state they were in staring at Kuroo and tries to have a look at this person’s arms

Kuroo whispers to them excitedly

“So? What is it?”

His classmate slowly reads out the first three numbers on the back of this person’s hand

“I know that already! What’s the rest of them?”

“I don’t know! Why am I the one here anyway?! I don’t even know what your number is!”

“J-just tell me what the number is!”

“I can’t! It’s hidden, moron!”

Their next few attempts in the cafe brought the same results: a lot of bickering and a whole lot of nothing

They were still arguing as they left the cafe

“Seriously, usually we work so well together. What’s happening today?”

They follow Kuroo’s soulmate candidate to a rowing park, where they got into a boat and started to row with a friend

Kuroo and his classmate proceeded to get a boat of their own and went out into the lake

“Well, this is nice.”

“It is actually.”

“And Kuroo is being such a gentleman right now, rowing us all by himself.”

“Aren’t I always a gentleman?”

Kuroo gives off a laugh as he rows them further into the lake

“Hey, Kuroo.”

“Yes?”

“Does what you’re doing right now make you a stalker?”

Kuroo then narrows his eyes at his companion

“I don’t think so, as you said, a chance like this may not come again, and if this person really is my soulmate, then this is it.”

“I know that’s what I said, but I can’t help but feel that—“

They pause to think of how they could phrase what they wanted to say

“Feel that what?”

“Well, if this soulmate mumbo jumbo is true, then maybe you’ll end up together without this much effort put in? Like, it’s really meant to be.”

Kuroo himself was starting to doubt what he was doings but he was already determined to see if this person was the one, and he had done too much to stop now

“Well, I honestly wished that was the case for me. That my soulmate was someone with me all along. But we just can’t help that some things in life have to be worked for, right?”

As his classmate opened their mouth to answer, they caught a glimpse of the person they were tailing rolling up their sleeves to make it easier to row the boat

Kuroo’s companion bolts to their feet, causing the boat to shake a little

“Hey! Sit down! The boat is gonna—!”

“They rolled up their sleeves! I can see the number now!”

Kuroo’s eyes widen, and he rises to his feet as well, excitedly asks them what it is, his attention no longer on the fact that they were standing on a boat in the middle of a lake

His classmate squints their eyes at her arm

They call out the first three digits

“We know that already! What are the last two numbers?!”

They squint their eyes to look at their arm one more time

“0… 1! It’s 01!”

They excitedly look at Kuroo only to see his face frozen

“01, huh? That’s not my number?”

“Huh?! It’s not?!”

“Nope…”

They pause for awhile

And then Kuroo’s classmate lets out a laugh

“Then what was all that for?”

Their laugh infect Kuroo and he gives off a laugh of his own

“I can’t believe it didn’t turn out to be them!”

“And you were so sure you’d be finding your soulmate today too!”

“Oh, shut up!”

Kuroo reaches out to ruffle their hair and they dodge

“Hey, wait—!”

They tip over the balance of the boat and both fall into the lake

They both just laugh together as they scramble back onto the boat and row back to shore

“Hey, ___.”

“What is it?”

“Thank you for going along with me today.”

They give Kuroo a punch on the shoulder

“Don’t worry about it. It was fun.”

They were both dripping wet from head to foot

As Kuroo was squeezing the water out of his blazer, he catches his classmate taking off their jacket in the side of their eye

“What a legendary moment! ___ is actually removing their jacket!”

“Oh, shut up, it’s not like it can be helped.”

Kuroo goes closer to them, ready to pry

“You never were able to tell me why you keep wearing that.”

They frown at him before facing away

“I’m embarrassed about…”

“About?”

“My number.”

“Your number??”

“Y-you’re not allowed to laugh, moron!”

“Alright, alright.”

They take off their jacket, Kuroo waiting in anticipation to see just what kind of number was waiting for him

They pull of their sleeves to reveal their number marked on their forearm

Kuroo inches closer to look at the number, ready to tease, but as he sees the number, all plans of making fun of them disappear

“69…420…”

“Yes, yes, lay it on me. ‘___’s number itself is a joke!’”

But Kuroo didn’t laugh, and Kuroo didn’t tease

He stayed silent

His classmate turns to him, confusion evident in their face

“Kuroo? What’s wrong? Where’s the mockery?”

Kuroo stays frozen for awhile

“Kuroo?”

In his silence, Kuroo starts to unbutton his shirt

“Woah! Kuroo, what’s going on—“

Kuroo reveals his own number, the one sitting on his left collar bone, and his classmate goes silent as well

“… 69420?”

“69420.”

They stare straight at Kuroo, their cheeks slowly burning red

Kuroo then bursts out laughing, causing his companion to get flustered

“What?! You think this is some kind of joke—“

“You were right! We really did end up together! Who knew that you were my other half that had this ridiculous number on them too!”

“Shut up—!”

He then gives them a tender smile while sweeping their wet hair away from their face

“For some reason, I’m glad that it’s you.”

“What do you mean ‘for some reason,’ huh?”

They give him a punch on the shoulder, but all Kuroo does is laugh

They look away and mumble softly

“I’m glad that it’s you too, moron.”

KITA SHINSUKE

“Your soulmate leaves colorful footprints only visible to you.”

Kita stared down on the pavement

The roads were lined with a trail of footprints, alternating between a few of the most beautiful colors he had ever seen

He was distracted by them the whole way home from the grocery

“Grandmother, is there going to be an event soon?”

He laid the grocery bags on the kitchen table right next to where his grandmother was at work

“I don’t think so, Shinsuke. Why? Did something happen?”

“Well, the streets were decorated with colorful paint so I just thought that there was going to be an event.”

His grandma looks up from her cooking and turns to Shinsuke

“What kind of decoration, dear?”

“Footprints left around. I didn’t see them yesterday, maybe the painted it last night—“

Before he could finish that thought, his grandmother went over to him and held both of his hands

“Shinsuke, why don’t you go out and follow that trail? Was it going somewhere?”

“Yeah, it was, but—“

“Follow the footprints and it will lead you to your soulmate.”

Kita stared at his grandmother, his expression still monotonous

“Grandma, is this another one of your stories, or…?”

“Your soulmate leaves footprints that only you can see. Now go!”

She pushes her grandson to the door, and Kita was unwillingly off

He was still a bit skeptical about the whole thing, but his grandmother told him to follow the trail, so that’s what he was going to do

Fortunately, he didn’t have anything planned for the rest of the day

He went back to where he first saw the footprints

As he followed the footprints, it seemed to be true that he was the only one who could see them

He dodged his way through the crowds, which were getting bigger as the day passed

He followed the footprints back to see that it led back to the supermarket he was just in

He goes along the trail to see that this person had walked almost the whole supermarket, it was a wonder that he didn’t notice the footprints before

A clutter of the footprints was found in the canned goods section

Kita then remembers a big crash he heard earlier that day when he was shopping

His lips curve upward ever so slightly

“So that was them, huh?”

He continues to follow the footprints out the supermarket and further into the shopping district

The footprints made a few stops, Kita dropping by each one

He went in a pet store, the footprints covering the floor, passing each and every animal carrier

He went in a bookstore, tracing the shelves of classic novels and poetry books, and maybe a few in the manga section too

He went in a bakery, and he might’ve laughed a little at the fact that their steps ignored all the other baked goods and sweets and only trailed along the section with bread

He passed by a lot of food stands, the number of how many they visited shocking him

He walked through the park, noticing the little skips in their steps and occasional walks on the grass

Kita became so intrigued by what kind of person they were, that he forgot all about the fact that they were his soulmate

He took a little break to sit on a bench to look out at the lake

After a couple of minutes he got up again and followed the footprints back to town

It was then that he noticed the footprints slowly fading away

He looked back to see that the trail he had followed just awhile ago were also gone

He sped up his pace, the pressure of a time limit seeping in

He followed the colorful footprints, all the way through town

He was so absorbed in them that he only noticed the trail was leading to his home when he was at his door

The footprints made a U-turn and were headed back to the shopping district

Kita was a bit confused but decided to continue following the footprints to see where they led

The supermarket, the pet store, the bookstore

Was he just tracing his own footsteps now? Was this a wild goose chase after all?

As he was contemplating whether to continue this quest or not, an old woman who was carrying a grocery bags caught his eye

She was struggling to cross the road

Kita goes over to offer help

“Excuse me, ma’am. Do you need any help?”

The old woman agrees, calling Kita a “cute boy”

Kita carries her bags for her and helps her across the street

He politely says his goodbyes to her and bows as she leaves

Just then, he hears a voice from behind

“Um, excuse me.”

He turns around to see someone behind him

At the sight of him, the person immediately gets flustered

“Ah! Um—! Well, this is awkward. How do I go about this—?”

They take a step towards him, and underneath their feet, Kita sees the colorful imprint that he had been following around for the whole day

He walks towards them as well

The person in front of him takes a quick glance at his feet before looking into his face

Kita worried that his facial expression was too stern, but this only made his face tense up more

The stranger breaks the silence

“Do you see them too?”

Their expression immediately breaks to one of distress

Kita quietly thought to himself that it looked kind of cute

“As creepy as it may seem, I have been following a pair of footprints the whole day, and well, it turned out that they were yours. So, I was wondering if you saw them too.”

Kita shakes his head

“Nope.”

The person’s expression dampens

“Oh—“

“But I see yours.”

Their eyes widen at Kita

“I‘m sorry if it’s creepy, but I also have been following your footprints all day.”

His expression softens, thinking back at all the places he had been to

“Are you alright? Seems like a bunch of canned goods fell on you.”

“How did you—?”

They then bury their face into their hands

“How embarrassing!”

Kita steps closer to them and extends his hand to them

They lift up their heads to look at him

“I’m Kita Shinsuke. Nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

[aristocratlegacy]

Chapter Seventy (!): Night Out

Chloe: “And you’re sure you’ll be ok? Your birthday was only a few days ago, sweetie- I don’t want to make you feel like we’re making you grow up too fast!”

Pierce: “Chloe, she’s been able to speak in full sentences since she was literally a toddler, I think she can handle it.”

Chloe: “But you don’t know that! Maybe she’s just putting on a brave face! I was a big sister- I know what the pressures are!”

Roswell: “You’re still a big sister, Aunt Chloe.”

Chloe: “I know! And it’s a lot!”

Roswell: “No need to worry, though. My father is right! I’m complete ready to take care of my cousins, we’ll juts hang out like always, but now I can use the stove!”

Chloe: “No!”

Pierce: “Chloe, I taught her how to cook, it’s fine.”

Chloe: “No stove! Microwave only! No alcohol, just watch cartoons until we get back and eat the leftovers in the fridge.”

Roswell: “Got it.”

Chloe: “I left a list with everybody’s phone number, and if we don’t answer right away, dm me on every single social media platform. Even LinkedIn.”

Pierce: “We trust you completely, Kiddo.”

Roswell: “Thanks, Dad!”

Vivien: “Who’s ready to party, babes?”

Walter: “Okay, Roswell, I wrote down everybody’s number and-”

Pierce: “Chloe already covered the overbearing mom thing.”

Vivien: “By cuties! Take care of my baby!”

Pierce: “If we don’t follow her, then she’s gonna just take the car and go without us.”

Chloe: “Bye babies! Call me if you need me!”

Roswell: “Bye guys!”

Barbie: “Byyyye!”

Chloe: “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

Pierce: “The three of us have literally not gone out since Barbie was born.”

Vivien: “Maybe you guys haven’t.”

Chloe: “But when was the last time that you stayed out past nine?”

Vivien: “.....I don’t answer to you, Chloe.”

Pierce: “Why are you so freaked out? Antonio is just gonna go to sleep, and Roswell will just do like a science experiment with Barbie and then they’ll post mean comments on videos saying the moon landing didn’t happen.”

Chloe: *Deeeeep breathe* “You’re right. There’s no reason that they’d do anything that they wouldn’t normally do. Let’s go.”

Barbie: “So…can we build that rocket you’ve been telling me about?”

Roswell: “The rocket is really more of a...long term plan. I don’t think anybody is gonna sell a couple of kids the kind of materials we’d need for it, and I don’t think it’s safe for us all to check out the dumpsters.”

Barbie: “You’re not a kid anymore, though.”

Roswell: “That’s...a very good point. Hmm,”

Barbie: “Ros?”

Roswell: “I’m thinking. Our parents trusted me to take care of you two, an taking you to go dumpster diving for the parts would be irresponsible.”

Barbie: “We’ll be fine! We’ll split the work and the responsibilities, that’ll even it out! You’re in charge of me, and I’m in charge of Antonio! Right Antonio?”

Antonio: “Bah?”

Barbie: “Exactly. We’ll be fine!”

Roswell: “I guess it’ll probably be fine.”

Roswell: “Alright, let’s go, we just have to keep an eye on the time and be back before our parents are.”

Roswell: “Agh! Ew!”

Barbie: “You okay?”

Roswell: “I’m fine! Just touched something wet- you two behave out there!”

Antonio: “Art…”

Barbie: “I’m loving that, Ants. You’re a genius. Like the big sticky mess guy, who’s that guy? Who’s the one with the big sticky mess?”

Antonio: “Ross…...well”

Barbie: “Pfft. Burn.”

Barbie: “Hey Ros did you hear what he said?”

Roswell: “I’m not stuck!”

Barbie: “No- he said you’re a big sticky mess!”

Antonio: “Burnd!”

Barbie: “Hah! Nice.”

Roswell: “Phew. Okay. I’m fine. I’m grown up. I’m the baby sitter. I did not get stuck.”

Barbie: “We already know all those things. Did you find it?”

Roswell: “Yes, actually, I think I have enough spare parts to make the fabricator run properly.”

Barbie: “Hell yes! What’s next?”

Roswell: “Crystals. Lots of them. And some kind of flying apparatus. We have a few options for that but I think I know our best bet.”

Barbie: “What...is this place?”

Roswell: “Spellcaster’s alley.”

Barbie: “Are we floating?”

Roswell: “Yup!”

Barbie: “Where’s the earth?”

Roswell: “It’s another dimension, I don’t know everything. Wait here for a sec, don’t let Antonio wander away. Sir? Hi, can I see your crystals?”

Wizard: “Ooohh-hoo-hoo! Naughty children out past dark unsupervised! Careful, or I’ll cast a spell on you! Wheee!”

Barbie: “Ahh! He cast a spell on me!”

Wizard: “I got your nooooose!”

Barbie: “Roswelll!!!!”

Roswell: “Whoa- what’s wrong?!”

Barbie: “He stole my nose!”

Roswell: “Who? Antonio?”

Barbie: “No! Him- the wizard- oh.”

Roswell: “Barbie, there’s nobody else here”

Barbie: “He disappeared! Now I’ll never get my nose back!”

Roswell: “You still have a nose, Barbie.”

Barbie: “Oh thank god. He must’ve given it back before he vanished.”

Barbie: “Can we ask one of those fools to teach us magic so we can get back at them?”

Roswell: “I mean, I can’t. I’m an alien, I guess you could in a few years, though.”

Barbie: “Hmm….interesting. Is there anything else you need?”

Roswell: “Uh...yeah, I gotta get a radar and a few other things.”

Antonio: “Whaa!”

Roswell: “Oh, shit. Antonio! Press the down button on the broomstick!”

Barbie: “Sooo...when you finish your spaceship, where are you gonna go?”

Roswell: “Uh, I can’t really...say it out loud?”

Barbie: “But you promised not to keep secrets from me, Ros!”

Roswell: “It’s not a secret! I just can’t say it in english. It’s more of a glowy mental thing.”

Barbie: “Can you try?”

Roswell: “Uh, sure….”

Bssssszzzt

Roswell: “You getting anything?”

Barbie: “Uh...I kind of smell pancakes?”

Roswell: “Yeah, that’s probably the best way for me to describe it.”

Barbie: “What do you think the pancake planet is like, Ants?

Antonio: “May-pull.”

Barbie: “Yeah that’s what I was thinking. I bet it’s really cool.”

Vendor: “You should obviously check out the lab if you want more information, but-”

Barbie: “What’s that?”

Roswell: “It’s a weird fruit. I think it came from my planet and it’ll help me triangulate it’s location.”

Barbie: “What’s that?”

Roswell: “A hat that will transmit my brainwaves out into space.”

Barbie: “What’s that?”

Roswell: “Codes to get into the abandoned laboratory outside of town.”

Barbie: “Are we...going to the abandoned laboratory outside of town?”

Roswell: “Yup, I just have to grab a few things there, and then one more thing, then we can head home.”

Roswell: “Hff, hnggg, shoot. I can’t get it open.”

Barbie: “I can help.”

Antonio: “Help!”

Roswell: “I’m not sure you guys are gonna be able to do any better than me.”

Barbie: “Won’t know unless you try. Ok- Pull!”

Barbie: “Ok, yeah, that bad boy is shut-shut.”

Roswell: “Maybe there’s a key somewhere?”

Antonio: “Color it in!”

Roswell: “Oh- Antonio, no, you probably shouldn’t mess with that.”

Barbie: “Why not? Somebody already drew lines all over it.”

Roswell: “Yeah, because it’s redacted, not because it’s art.”

Barbie: “That makes more sense, it was really bad art.”

Roswell: “Hmm, maybe I can look at these papers more closely and figure out how to get in there later, I don’t think we’ll be able to now.”

Barbie: “Did you get what you were looking for?”

Roswell: “Yup! Well, mostly. It’ll do for now.”

Barbie: “When you go to the pancake planet- are you gonna take all of us with you?”

Roswell: “Um...maybe? I don’t know if I can make a ship that fits seven people.”

Barbie: “Can me and Antonio come?”

Antonio: “Space!”

Roswell: “If Dad and your parents say it’s okay, I don’t see why not.It’ll be pretty cramped, though. We won’t get our own rooms anymore.”

Antonio: “Nooooo...thanks!”

Barbie: “Fine, then you don’t have to come to space!”

Barbie: “You promise you’ll take me with you?”

Roswell: “Of course. I hadn’t even really thought about it, I guess I just assumed that you’d come with me.”

Barbie: “Are we gonna come back ever?”

Roswell: “Of course! I think…”

Barbie: “You think?!”

Roswell: “I mean- I’m pretty sure. It might take a while to get there.”

Barbie: “How longs a while?”

Roswell: “Uh, a few years I’m guessing? Even if I bundle up a bunch of brooms together I don’t think that it’ll really go that fast.”

Barbie: “YEARS?!”

Rowell: “Are you okay?”

Barbie: “I don’t want to leave everybody for years, Roswell!”

Roswell: “Oh. Hm. I guess...I could go alone. That makes the most sense, right?”

Barbie: “I don’t want you to leave for years either!”

Roswell: “I mean I...kinda have to. Literally the whole reason I exist is so I could find my way back and tell my people about humans.”

Barbie: “Aren’t we your people, though?”

Barbie: “Is some quest from people you’ve never met really more important than your family?”

Roswell: “No! I mean…I….”

Roswell: “I’m not going anywhere yet, Barbie. Can we just...talk about this later?”

Barbie: “Fine. Can we go home yet, or do you have more stuff to get?”

Roswell: “I mean, I have one more big thing to get, but it’s kinda complicated. We can go home if you really want to. I’m kinda tired.”

Barbie: “Ugh. Fine. What is it, we can do one more.”

Roswell: “Okay, this is gonna be a little tricky but I think we’ve still got time before our parents come home, but I think if we ride these broomsticks we’ll be able to get there and back fast enough. Hopefully.”

Barbie: “Okay, when you said one more thing I didn’t think you meant cave-diving in El Salvadora!”

Roswell: “I said it was kinda complicated!”

Barbie: “Why do you always downplay everything when you talk to me?!”

Roswell: “I do not!”

Barbie: “You do! You do! You act like everything is simple and normal and then act surprised when we’re not all on the same page!”

Roswell: “Don’t act like I’m lying to you just because you didn’t have enough critical thinking skills to be able to realize that going on a mission into space would be more than a family vacation!”

Barbie: “I...I..mmm.”

Roswell: “Oh. No nonononono Barbie don’t cry! I’m sorry for yelling! You can yell at me back just stop crying.”

Barbie: “Jerk!”

Roswell: “Barbie come back! It’s not safe!”

Rowell: “Barbie!”

Barbie: “Ahhhhhh!”

Roswell: “Barbie!!!!

Antonio: “EEEE! BONES!”

Roswell: “Aah! Kids, get behind me, I’m the babysitter- I’ll protect you!”

Barbie: “Roswell it’s too dangerous!”

Roswell: “Hiya! Take that! Aaand that!”

Skeleton: “Waa!”

Barbie: “Are you okay Ros?!”

Roswell: “Oof, eyup, just a little winded.”

Barbie: “You saved us! I was so scared!”

Roswell: “And you’re squeezing a little tight there, Kiddo.”

Barbie: “Sorry!”

Roswell: “It’s okay. I’m really sorry for being a jerk before. I didn’t mean it.”

Barbie: “And I’m sorry for running off, too. That was a stupid thing to do, I was just upset because…”

Roswell: “I know, Barbie. I...I’m gonna miss you too.”

Barbie: “You’re my best friend, and I don’t want you to go away without me.”

Roswell: “I’m not going anywhere yet, and...maybe there’s another way. I’ll figure it out, because you’re my best friend too.”

Antonio: “Friend!”

Pierce: “Hah! And did you see the bartenders face when we-”

Vivien: “Yesssss!! Ahh…”

Chloe: “Shh- the kids are probably asleep!”

Chloe: “Hey, Ros...sorry we came home a little late.”

Roswell: *Yawn* “Oh, I didn’t even realize”

Pierce: “Were the kids okay?”

Roswell: “Oh yeah, no trouble at all. We just watched a few movies, they’ve been asleep for a while.”

Chloe: “Why don’t you go to bed, Ros. Thanks for being such a good babysitter and letting us have a night out. You’re becoming a very responsible young woman and I’m very proud of you.”

Roswell: “Oh, uh, thanks, Aunt Chloe.”

Chloe: “And Pierce- you’ve become such a good father, even though you were scared at first, and I’m proud of you.”

Pierce: “Uh, oh-kay?”

Chloe: “And Walter- you overcame your fear of being boring and asked out Vivien, and I’m proud of you too.”

Roswell: “Not gonna lie, that made mine feel less special.”

Pierce: “Yeah.”

Chloe: “And Vivi- oh sweet, baby Vivien! You’ve grown up so much and-”

Vivien: “Ooookay- it’s been so long since you’ve been wasted I think we all forgot how...supportive you can get. Go to bed, Chloe.”

Chloe: “Okay. Good night, kids.”

That’s it for now! I can’t believe I’m finally on generation 9- it’s been a long...5 years? Is that possible? Oof, anyway, we’re nearing the end, with one of my favorite generations yet. Thanks for reading and leave a comment if you liked it!