#and if anyone else wants to go crazy with me about chapter sixty seven well!!! you know where i am!!!

[pocketramblr]

I would do anything to save her.

This was supposed to just be drawing the Taoden siblings hugging a bunch but ah guess that Falin as the tower/princess/dragon post got into my head too much

[sanderssidesfanfiction]

If There’s a Place I Could Be - Chapter Sixty Seven

If There’s a Place I Could Be Tag

May 14th, 1998

“Hey, Toby?” Remy asked.

“Yeah?” Toby asked, glancing up from his homework. “What’s up?”

“You’ll still like me after you go off to college, right?” Remy asked. “Like, Vanessa left and she’s gotten way more distant. Not that we were close in the first place, but I don’t want that to happen to us. You’re my best friend.”

“Rem, I’ll never stop loving you, not for anything,” Toby said. “College is going to take up a lot of my time, but I can write when possible, and whenever breaks come around we’ll have plenty of time to hang out just the two of us. I won’t ever stop being your brother, understand?”

“Yeah,” Remy said. “Thanks, Tobes.”

  July 10th, 2002

Remy was walking down the street, humming under his breath as he wandered around. Work had let him off early, and rather than call Emile, he decided he would walk around and explore the city a bit. Currently, he was walking around the southwestern part of the city, which was maybe the farthest away from the college, so he hadn’t had much reason to be down here before.

As he was walking down the street, a familiar mop of curly hair caught Remy’s eye from the window of a small café. Remy slowed down and paused. Emile hadn’t said anything about what he was doing today, and Remy had no idea he might be in this part of the city. He was about to go in and say hi when he saw Emile’s expression darken and he looked...not angry, but certainly not pleased. Whoever he was sitting with placed their hands face up on the table at either side, clearly trying to placate him. Emile rolled his eyes and grumbled something, hands making wide gestures.

Remy felt frozen in place as he watched this person put their hand on Emile’s shoulder. Emile sighed and had a certain longing on his face, a longing that Remy recognized from when Emile talked about his crush on Remy. It was lovestruck crossed with melancholy. But why would he have that look talking to a random stranger?

...What if they weren’t a random stranger? Someone that Emile knew that Remy didn’t? That would make sense, because Emile had friends from before college and they sometimes came to visit. But that still didn’t explain the longing on his face.

Remy decided to investigate. He walked to the door and walked in, calling, “Emile! Hey!”

Emile jumped, startled, and looked over at Remy with wide eyes. He almost looked...guilty? “Hey, Rem!” Emile exclaimed. “Grab a seat!”

Remy walked over and sat at one of the free chairs at the table. “Who’s this?” he asked, nodding to the stranger.

“This is Dice. My friend from high school, remember?” Emile asked, glancing between Dice and Remy.

“Oh! What brings you here?” Remy asked, turning to Dice.

“Just visiting Emile here, giving him some updates as to what I’ve been doing, him doing the same, you know, catch-up stuff,” Dice said.

Remy nodded, keeping a neutral smile on his face, though something in his gut told him that Dice was lying. Remy turned back to Emile, who was looking nervous under Remy’s trained gaze. “So, Dice, you keep in touch with Faith, too?”

Dice froze for just a second before he nodded. “Well, yeah, of course I do. I travel all the time, but I make it a point to visit all my friends across the eastern coast. Faith included.”

But Faith wasn’t studying by the coast, Emile had told Remy as much. “What’s really going on here, guys?” Remy asked. “Because Dice, I know you’re lying, and Emile, you look guilty as hell.”

A pregnant silence hung over them. “Your friend’s sharp, Mister Thomas,” Dice said.

Emile scratched the back of his neck. “All right, Rem, you got me. Dice is...uh...” Emile looked at Dice. “Well, I’m a client of his.”

“A...client?” Remy asked, brows furrowing. “You’re not...like...sleeping with him?”

Emile choked on the sip of tea he was trying to hide behind, and Dice snorted. Remy turned to Dice, getting no response. “Look, I know you’re not his high school friend, so who are you?!”

“Not a prostitute, I’ll tell you that much right now,” Dice said with an irritated scowl.

“Well, how am I supposed to know who you are?!” Remy asked. “Emile lied about how he knows you!”

Emile winced. “Remy—”

“—No, Emile, you lied about who he was! I don’t want to hear another word from you if it’s not the truth!” Remy said, crossing his arms.

“I’m a private investigator,” Dice sighed. “Your friend here hired me to find someone; missing persons are my specialty.”

Remy frowned. “First of all, he’s not just my friend. He’s my boyfriend,” he corrected. “However pissed I may be at him, I’m sticking with him. Second of all, who are you looking for? From what I understand, Emile kept in touch with all of his high school friends the best he could. And those who he still emails have contact with his other friends, so they’re all still connected. It’s not some long lost flame, is it? Because Emile had that look in his eyes he gets when he’s struck with the love bug, and I get I’m not the best person in the world, but I would have thought that I’d be enough for Emile?”

“Remy!” Emile interjected. “I’m not trying to find anyone I’ve had a previous relationship with, and I’m certainly not trying to cheat on you whatsoever!”

“Then what’s with this clandestine meeting?!” Remy asked, throwing his hands in the air. “Because it certainly looks like something suspicious is going on!”

“You’re Remy Picani?” Dice asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

“...Yes?” Remy asked. He didn’t know why all his instincts were suddenly screaming at him to be on guard, but they were. “Why?”

“Any relations to a particular...Tobias Picani?” Dice asked, a grin slowly growing on his face.

Remy’s heart stopped, before leaping into overdrive. “Toby?” he asked softly. He turned to Emile in shock. “You’re trying to find Toby?”

“...Yeah,” Emile said. “I didn’t want to tell you yet because Dice and I haven’t gotten any leads, but—”

Emile stopped short as Remy wrapped his arms around Emile in a hug. Tears were coming to his eyes. “Well, now I feel like an ass,” he whispered, starting to laugh.

“You did get pretty worked up,” Emile laughed.

Remy pulled back and lightly slugged Emile. “So, no leads?” he asked.

“No,” Dice said. “I haven’t been able to find even a trace of an Internet trail. The best I have is a couple possible schools he went to. Honestly, I haven’t ever seen a case like this where there isn’t some sort of stalker involved.”

Oh. The pieces clicked into place and Remy groaned. “Jamie,” he breathed. “Of course. She fits that whole ‘stalker’ stereotype to a T. And Toby’s been having trouble with her since his freshman year of college.”

“This Jamie have a last name?” Dice asked.

“Uh...” Remy wracked his brain. “King. Jamie King. And Toby went to...some art school I don’t know the name of, but was pretty infamous in the area, you can probably find it. Toby got Jamie kicked out of the college when she threatened to stab him if they didn’t get back together, and continued to leave threats outside his door...daily, really. She wasn’t exactly the most sane person you would ever meet. Toby wanted nothing to do with her, and I don’t think she knows where he is...”

“But she’s a piece of the puzzle we didn’t have before, and it might help us find your brother,” Dice said. “I’ve been trying to get your boyfriend here to prod about Toby and pass on any information he gets to me, but according to him, you would have seen through any lie he told in seconds. And given this conversation, I’m inclined to believe him.”

Remy scoffed. “Yeah, Emile’s a terrible liar,” he said, shaking his head. “And Emile, you could have just told me you were looking for Toby in the first place, I would have been able to help!”

“I just didn’t want to get your hopes up,” Emile said. “Dice has been working on this for two months now and we’ve come up with nothing, until you walked in the door.”

Remy sighed. “Look, Emile, I respect that, but you’re still dumb as rocks,” he said. “And possibly in need of a reevaluation of your boyfriend, here? Because I’ve been mellowing out a lot more, and finding my footing way better over the past couple of months. I’ve had my moments, sure, but I’m not the surly, cynical crybaby you met in college. I’m still kinda cynical, sure, but I cry less, and I don’t think any of our friends would describe me as ‘surly’ at all. I’ve changed over the years; I’m not going to be destroyed if we can’t find Toby. It’ll hurt if we don’t, sure, but I think we could actually do it, with time. And I won’t ask to come to the meetings, because I know that would be hard on me, but if you guys have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask, you know? I’d answer any questions you have if it means finding Toby. Don’t hesitate to ask.”

Dice turned to Emile. “You really need to reevaluate your boyfriend, Mister Thomas. He seems vastly different than how you described him to me. Granted, I only asked how he behaved when you first met, and that’s on me, but if you think he’s at all fragile...”

“I know he’s not fragile,” Emile sighed. “Still doesn’t mean I won’t try and protect him if I think he’s gonna get hurt.”

Remy shook his head. “Emile...I’m glad you’re doing this. And I’m glad you were trying to look out for me. But do you think you could consult me next time you come up with a crazy plan like this one? Nothing against what you’ve done, but I’d be able to help you.”

“Okay, I’ll run future plans by you, even if I don’t tell you they’re future plans. I probably should have done that in the first place here, and it’s my bad for not doing that. But considering all this, is there anything else you can tell us about Toby that could help us find him?” Emile asked.

“He enjoys his creature comforts a little too much for his own good,” Remy said. “He’d rather stay in the same place he’s at if at all possible rather than packing up and moving, even if something bad happens, like a stalker figuring out where he lives. The only way he’d move is if he knows for sure he won’t be safe staying where he is, and even then, he won’t leave town. So you can probably find him around the art school he went to. He wouldn’t go cross-country for a job, and I think most of his work could be done on computers now anyways. Graphic design, and all that.”

“Would he be the type to file a restraining order?” Dice asked.

“I don’t know,” Remy said, considering. “He wants to give people the benefit of the doubt, but when it came to Jamie, he was really freaked when she started threatening him. So he might have ordered one. Not that she would listen to it, but...”

“If he filed a restraining order, it’s possible that I could find his city. From there, finding the man himself would be a piece of cake!” Dice declared. “I’ll put out my feelers, and with any luck I’ll have an update for you next month!”

Emile looked about as excited as Remy felt. “Awesome!” he exclaimed. “You’ve got this month’s payment, too, so is this meeting done?”

“Yeah, I need to get moving. I’ll let you know where and when next month, Mister Thomas!” Dice said as he stood and left the shop.

Remy watched him go, before turning to Emile. “I’m admittedly a little surprised,” he said. “I wouldn’t have thought that this would be how you’d use your inheritance.”

“Oh, no, I’m investing most of it, still,” Emile said. “I’m just using whatever I have after that to pay Dice. He gets good results.”

“I hope so,” Remy said. “I thought I’d never get to see Toby again, and even if this might not work, it’s a possibility that I could see him again, and my heart is racing and my stomach’s in knots. I hope he’s the same as he was before. I’d hate to find him only to realize I’m staring at a stranger.”

“I think you’ll be fine, Rem,” Emile soothed. “Even if Toby changed, I know he wouldn’t stop caring about you.”

[salt-warrior]

WHEN EARTH TURNS TO ASHES

Masterlist

Chapter Two: Angel of Hell

The crisp happy music thrummed in a chirpy harmony through Kai's ears. A smile lit his face as he opened his eyes and gently turned off his alarm clock. The smile remained as he turned on his favorite rock playlist and practically danced around his shared apartment, and allowing his hips to sway to the music. He even managed to smile as he read the morning news off his phone and ate his favorite breakfast of Cocoa Puffs.

It's not as though Kaito Crown was always happy; he just normally was. He loved going to school at the nearby university. He had aced all his business classes, due to the fact he had been trained since birth to overtake Beijing Empire. He was close with his dad and loved working with him. His life was great— no, it was perfect.

Kai had been raised in wealth; his father was the most proclaimed business man throughout the entire world. His mother had been a fashion icon that outshone all others. Kai himself was loved and known by everyone. The fact that he was smart and handsome didn't help his case.

A moan escaped the nearby room, and Kai laughed as he watched his best friend stumble out of his room and into the kitchen. Kai had known Carswell Thorne since they were in the first grade. Both came from well known families and had attended the same private academy in California.

"Did you rest well, Sleeping Beauty?" Kai raised an eyebrow. Thorne threw a laser beam glare back.

"Have you ever considered turning the music down? It's only seven in the morning for stars sake, and not all of us are morning people," Thorne retorted, plunking down in the seat across from Kai with his cup of coffee.

"Well, I'm sorry that you're cranky. Are you fighting with Kate again?"

Thorne tensed up at Kai's words. "Oh," Kai sighed. "I'm sorry, Thorne."

"It's alright, Crown." Thorne smiled, tight lipped. "It was bound to happen eventually. It's just like my father said: I'm 'toxic' when it comes to relationships," he air-quoted with a scowl, and Kai grinned at him.

"Hey, you've kept me around for what— sixteen years?" Thorne rolled his eyes at Kai's words.

"Yeah, that's only because I can't seem to get rid of you, no matter how bad of a friend I am."

Kai stood from his seat, placing his bowl in the empty sink. "Cheer up, little toxin. You'll find love eventually." Kai picked up his backpack and began to walk out the door, just as Thorne called out to him.

"How'd your date go last night, since we're talking about my sad love life."

"Oh, you know," Kai shrugged, wrapping a scarf around his neck. It really wasn't that cold, as Thorne like to remind him, but Kai was a wimp. "She was nice— really nice, but not the one. Redheads aren't exactly my type."

Kai had a great record in school. He was great at making friends. He was seemingly the most outgoing person alive, but he could never seem to get a girlfriend. It wasn't like he didn't have dozens of girls stalking him and wanting to go out with him. He just had never found one that understood him.

"Don't worry, mate," Thorne bowed in front of him, looking goofy in his plaid robe. "You'll find her someday."

***

The December weather had brought ice to the roads, causing Kai to change his regular course to school to a backroad, but Kai was having a blast as he drove he path while belting "Sweet Caroline" at the top of his lungs. He was right behind a really old and rusty Chevrolet Cavalier the color of dirt and waiting for the light to turn green.

Finally it did, and the old Chevy began to move forward. Kai waited a second, before following behind it, not wanting any surprises from the piece of junk. The drive was nice and breezy, and Kai hardly hit any ice. The song changed, and on came Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benetar.

Kai sang along, enjoying the chorus. He loved listening to songs in his car. He thrived off the feeling of singing until his lungs burned, but his father had told him at a young age that he sounded like a dying peacock when he sang so he only belted out melodies when he was alone.

The chorus was playing a final time when, out of the blue, a red sports car slammed into the old Chevy. The crack of sound that cut through the air was deafening. Time seemed to slow down and Kai watched in horror as the Chevy in front of him tried to stop sliding. Tried so hard, but was no match for the ice and propulsion.

Kai slammed on his brakes, and came to a complete stop just in time to watch the dirt colored car fall off the road and roll down the hill. It tumbled for what seemed like a lifetime, and Kai wondered if whoever was in there would live. He finally understood the expression "watching a slow-motion car crash." It was terrifying.

An eternity later, the car came to a stop at the bottom of the slope. The red sports car had stayed on the road, but was crunched in the front. Kai got out of his car, and walked over to the red car, ears ringing.

The drivers side was a wreck, but the woman sitting there was alive. She had dark auburn hair, and a tearstained face. Her entire body was shaking horribly and her door was jammed. The airbag was deflating, and Kai could tell the lady was crying though he couldn't quite hear her. All the noise had become one high pitched note that seemed to forever echo throughout his head.

Kai walked around the car to the passenger's side. The door opened easily, and Kai began speaking to the woman. He motioned for her to climb out of her vehicle, before anything else happened, and she complied.

Everything seemed so easy. Sure, this woman was in shock but she was still able to get out of her car by herself. Kai had just pulled out his phone to call the police when a spark of light caught the corner of his eye.

Kai practically threw his phone at the red car woman in his haste to run down the hill. How could he be so stupid? Obviously the car that had rolled down a hill would need help first. Kai mentally cursed himself for his idiocy.

Kai threw himself down the diagonal slope in a sprint, attempting to get to to the old car. He ignored the cries of the woman behind him, even as she screamed and wailed. The flames had started small, but were quickly climbing across the surface of the old rust-bucket, the color brighter than normal flames. Kai could see that there was only one person in the car, but he couldn't tell if it was a male or female. They weren't screaming, which frightened Kai. Maybe they were unconscious, or maybe he was too late to save them.

The hill wasn't necessarily long, but it seemed so as Kai raced down at top speed. Flames danced farther along the car, and Kai had the sickening feeling that they were eating the driver alive.

Finally Kai reached the car. It was rolled onto the driver's side, so he knew he would have to get in through the passenger's side again. Kai tried to open the door, but it was jammed.

Cursing, Kai looked at the ground. He had his pocket knife with him, having been told from his boy scout master to “always be prepared.” He couldn't use that to open the door though. Still scanning the ground, Kai's eyes landed on a rather large rock. He smiled and knew that it would work.

Kai began hammering on the window with his rock. The glass began to splinter, and the sickening feeling hit Kai. How long would it take to break the window if rolling down a hill hadn't done it? He had to get that person out of there soon, or else they would either be engulfed in flames or choke on the smoke. Kai was that person's only hope; he had to save them.

The glass seemed almost indestructible, but Kai somehow managed to shatter it all into a thousand pieces. Kai whooped with joy, and began climbing into the car.

That's when he laid eyes on her. She was beautiful, with flames surrounding her, casting a dark, protective shadow. Kai wondered if Hell had angels, and he knew that if they did, this is what they would look like. Kai internally slapped himself for thinking like that during a crisis and tried to undo her seatbelt. It was jammed.

Not even checking to see if she was conscious, he pulled out his pocket knife. The blade was prime, seeing as Kai sharpened it once a month. He wasn't a crazy survivalist, or anything, but he wanted to be prepared.

Kai began sawing through the rough material, and it was much easier than breaking the window glass, though the smoke made it impossible to breathe. The threads came undone in less than sixty seconds and Kai began to wonder if they could ever actually keep anyone safe.

Flames fluttered across his skin, but Kai kept sawing. He had to keep going, even if it meant he got a few burns. Kai knew that the girl was going to have it worse than him, and he had to save her.

The final thread snapped, and Kai grabbed the girl, before she could fall into the windshield. He tucked his knife back into his pants, and began to drag the girl's limp body away from the wreckage.

Kai climbed out backwards, trying to keep both hands on the girl. Glass cut deep into his skin and he winced. The smoke was suffocating him, and he started to panic. Gradually, he pulled his own body from the destruction, and only had the girl left. As gently as he could, Kai hauled her from the car, trying not to let the glass scrape her.

Kai tugged at the girl, and she finally became free of the Hell she had been in. The girl had her chocolate eyes open, but Kai could tell that she was drifting away. He spoke to her. Telling her to stay with him—not to go to sleep, but stay awake— stay alive. He still didn't understand why, but he needed to save her.

He felt as though his life was connected to hers, and the only way to make it complete would be to save her. Her brown eyes locked on his, staring into what must have been his soul. He yelled, wishing he knew her name.

Her lids closed, and the finality seemed to hit Kai like a bulldozer. He ran up the hill, the dying girl still in his arms. He had never run so hard in all of his life—his lungs burning from smoke and exertion.

By the time Kai had climbed to the top of the hill, he could hardly breathe. The smoke was gone, but he knew that it would stay within him for a long, long time.

The red car lady was sprawled across Kai's car, tears running down her cheeks. She was still shaking, though Kai was not surprised. He himself was in shock due to the event that had played before him.

She still had his phone in her hand, and Kai wondered if she had called the police. Kai marched straight for the woman. "Did you call the police?" Kai yelled. His hearing had come back to him, but his ears were still ringing slightly.

The woman nodded and then whimpered. She was she began sobbing hysterically, and Kai felt sympathetic. This woman had not asked for this— it was not her fault.

Kai then remembered the girl in his arms. She had also not asked for this, but look where she was. He set her down on the ground, not sure what to do.

That's when Kai caught sight of her body. She was burned along her entire left side. Her leg was charred black up to her knee, and the rest of her flesh was a raw red with angry blisters already converging.

Kai began dry heaving at the sight and had to look away. How was this girl even alive? Was she still alive? Kai dropped down on his knees and checked for a pulse. He was met by a light, slow thump, and knew they didn't have much time.

The snow on the side of the road was crisp, white and clean. Kai walked over and scooped up an arm full. He wasn't a doctor, or anything, but Kai was pretty sure that it wouldn't do any harm to try and cool her skin down.

White soon covered the charred black flesh, but Kai still felt hopeless. He wished he could do more.

About five minutes later, Kai heard sirens. He jumped up, lifting the burned girl with him. The snow had melted on her skin, and drizzled off in dark, flaking droplets.

Kai watched as the ambulances sped to a stop in front of all the wreckage. EMT's immediately jumped out of the vehicle, pulling two stretchers with them.

People rushed over to the burned girl first, pulling her away and into the first ambulance. They didn't even wait to check on her before loading her up and driving away. Kai stood, still shocked at how fast they had worked.

The rest of the attendants checked the red car lady, and pulled her onto the second stretcher. A woman came over to him, and began asking him questions. He couldn't speak. The world was going at one hundred miles an hour, and he couldn't grasp anything.

Kai fell to the ground, clutching his head, trying to get a grip, but he couldn't. The woman shouted over her shoulder, and hands lifted Kai up onto another stretcher. He began to feel dizzy, wondering where he was.

Medics rushed around him, pushing him into the ambulance. Kai smiled. He had always wanted to see the inside of one of these when he was a kid. The vehicle began to move, and Kai laughed. His eyelids began to droop, and Kai's last thought before drifting off were of the beautiful Angel of Hell.

Tag list: @cerenoya (Let me know if you want to be added!)

[heycallmeladytypewriter]

A Call of the Siren - Chapter Three

A/N: Hey this is a shorter chapter for now but chapter four is already in the works and much longer. We finally get more into the classes and more interactions with our favorite Lord Explosion Murder. I am also looking for a beta if anyone is interested! I don’t own My Hero Academia. I only own my own characters and the story I create within Horikoshi’s masterpiece of a world I’d love to live in.

Chapter One Chapter Two

__________________________________________________________

“Class 1-A...1-A...1-A...goddamn where is it?!” Delia whispered to herself, frustrated. She was never good with directions. She was already on edge today due to the fact she was almost caught by her mother with the wrong uniform on. She had bought her local school’s uniform and it was currently stuffed in her locker to change into before she got back home. She lightly pulled at the end of her braid while she tried to look at the school map again. 

“Oh, uhm hi! Are you looking for 1-A too?” A nervous voice said from beside her.

Looking up from the paper, she was greeted by a boy with messy green hair and a red face. 

“Hi!” She decided not to tell him she actually knew him. At least not yet. She didn’t want him to look at her like she was crazy and a stalker. “Yes! Any chance you know?” 

“I’m a little lost too but maybe two minds are better than one?” He was so flustered with his red face and jerky hand movements - it was adorable. 

They walked around the corner and found it down the hall. Walking up to the door, they both stopped.

“Why is it so big?” 

“Are there giants who go here?” He asked in response.

Before her nerves could get to her, she opened the massive door. She immediately heard two familiar voices. It was Angry boy and the guy from the entrance exam. They both stopped talking once they noticed her and Midoriya at the door. Actually, the whole class turned to look at them. She was pretty sure they both wore matching red faces at this point. The blue haired one straightened his back and marched on over to them without delay. 

“Good morning! My name is Tenya Iida-“

“Uh, hi! I know! My name is Izuku Midoriya. “ he said waving his hands. “It’s super nice to meet you.” 

“Midoriya, you realized there was something more to the practical exam, didn’t you?” 

“Huh?”

“You must be very perceptive. And YOU!” Delia was totally fine with watching the exchange before she realized Iida was gesturing to her. She blinked, “ uh, hi?” And did a small wave with a raised eyebrow.

“You also realized there was something more! I saw you as well run to the aid of that girl. You both are superior students!”

“Uhhh..well-“

“I know that messed up hair! Oh, and you too!” Another voice joined the conversation from behind her. Turning, she saw it was that small girl from the practice exam. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Angry Boy with clenched fists at his desk. His head was tilted slightly meaning he was possibly listening. 

__________________________________________________

Bakugo’s POV:

Oh course fucking Deku was here. 

The bastard ruined everything. He was supposed to be the only one from their school to make it to U.A. He was the best. It only made sense. 

His eyes slid over to the girl standing next to him. It took a moment for him to realize it was the girl from the park he kept running into every time he went to train. She had a puzzled look on her face as that Somei private school douche suddenly pointed at her.

He was used to her in baggy shirts and shorts with messy hair but today her hair was pulled back in a thick braid down her back. She wore the standard girl uniform but her tie was crooked. Her blue eyes were striking even from here.

… It annoyed the ever loving fuck out of him for some reason. 

Of course Deku and this brat would be in his class. 

_________________________________________________________

Delia’s POV: 

“If you're just here to make friends, you might as well pack up your stuff now.” A deep voice said from behind them. The class whipped their heads over to the giant yellow bag on the floor by the door. “Welcome to UA’s Hero Course.” 

What in the actual…?? Delia was just blinking while she could hear Uraraka and Midoriya were making nervous whimpers beside her. 

“It took eight seconds before you all shut up. That’s not gonna work. Time is precious.” 

This man looked so tired as he emerged from his sleeping bag but gave off such an intimidating vibe that had Delia nervous to speak. He is a Pro, of course. Who he was she didn’t know but knew she was going to find out real quick.  “Hello, I’m Shota Aizawa, your teacher.” Well that much she figured despite the class being shocked before a uniform was thrown at her face. 

Aizawa had led them out to a large practice ground rather than the orientation that everyone was itching to attend. He quickly nipped that in the bud with dictating how he will run class as he saw fit and that the Ministry of Education needed to catch up on how we are not created equal (something she was sure her family would have an opinion on..) before she heard him address a classmate. “Bakugo, you managed to get the most points on the entrance exam.” Delia looked over to who he was possibly talking to and saw it was Angry Boy.

So that's his name. Bakugo. It was kind of nice to finally have an answer to that question. 

“What was your farthest distance throw with a softball when you were in Junior High?”

“Sixty-seven meters, I think.” Bakugo replied. Wow. He actually can speak in a normal tone. Delia had only ever heard him yelling at her like a psycho no matter what tone of voice she used. 

“Right. Try doing it with your Quirk.” Aizawa instructed as Bakugou stepped into place. “Anything goes, just stay in the circle.”

“All right, man you asked for it.” What a cocky way to talk to our teacher on our first day, Delia thought, Kid’s got some balls.  

“DIE!” With that, he blew up the sky. A massive explosion sent the ball flying until it was no more than a small dot in the air. Delia couldn’t believe the sheer power Angry Boy - no, Bakugo - had all this time. 

As he commented on knowing the limitations of our quirks, Aizawa turned the device towards the class: 705.2 meters. 

How was she going to compete with that?

The 50 meter dash was a bit difficult as she couldn't see how to use her quirk for that so she just full on sprinted. Thankfully, she had spent the last year running on the beach and it gave her some decent speed. 6.7 seconds. Okay, not great but she’ll take it as Uraraka ran slower than she did.  

The strength test was difficult and pathetic.

As well as the long jump. 

The side jump felt fine. 

Finally, the softball ball test. 

“Bell, your turn.” Aizawa tossed her the ball which she nearly dropped as she walked to the base. Delia was getting nervous and fed up with her performance. She made it this far only for her teacher to kick her out the very first day. 

No, not today. 

“Sometime today, Extra.” A lazy, smug voice called out. She didn’t have to turn to know who it came from. Blowing the hair out of her face, Delia squared her shoulders. Well, fine then. 

In a quick motion of her hand, she pulls all the water out of everyone’s water bottles to form her signature water whip and shoots the ball into the sky before she had lost her nerve. 

“Finally.” Her sensei mumbled while showing the number. 567.3 meters. “ Learn to apply yourself and stop acting like you don’t have a quirk.”

Delia nodded stiffly and walked back to the group as Midoriya replaced her in the circle. She felt a nudge on her arm. “ That was pretty awesome!” The boy with the spiked red hair whispered to her with a giant grin. She couldn’t help but smile back, “ Thank you. Sorry for stealing your water.” He shrugged and waved her off, “It was a worthy cause. Can’t have you getting kicked out on day one with a power like that!” Delia started to tug at her braid, not used to any positive attention for her quirk. 

“My name is Delia Bell, by the way.”

 “I’m Ejiro Kirishima.”

She smiled again before turning back to what was happening just in time to see Midoriya throw the ball with outstanding force. “Mr. Aizawa.” He curled his hand with his newly injured finger into a tight fist, “ See? I’m still standing.” 

Delia was impressed but unsurprised since she’s witnessed it before from the entrance exam. And considering who his mentor has been. 

Everyone was flipping out but she noticed one person was not a happy camper about this at all. Bakugou was hunched and practically steaming with anger as his hands started blowing off mini explosions. Then he rushed towards him, “DEKU YOU BASTARD! Tell me how you did that or you’re dead!” 

Aizawa immediately threw out his scarf and stopped Bakugou in his tracks. “Back off.” 

Delia rolled her eyes at Angry boy still fighting against their teacher over what she was sure was an over dramatic reason and reached down to her water bottle before pouting. She used up her water with everyone else’s. Frigger frick. 

Aizawa had them go through a few extra tests before finally showing their rankings. Delia clenched and unclenched her fists at her side as the projection popped up. Her eyes were scanning as quick as they could..Bell..Bell..Bell..Bell! 

Delia Bell : 21st place out of 22. 

She felt defeated but relieved all at once. She wasn’t out but she had some serious work to do. Delia sadly looked over to where Midoriya was standing. Biting her lip, she went over to him quietly and put her hand on his hunched over shoulder. She figured words weren’t the best in this scenario. 

“And I was lying, no one is going home.” He clicked the screen away along with all of our ability to blink or move for a minute. Somewhere in her head, Delia heard a record being scratched. Aizawa grinned (if you want to call it that) before continuing, “That was just a rational deception to make sure you gave it you’re all in the tests.”  

You ABSOLUTE motherf- 

_______________________________________

Delia was putting her school shoes in her locker when Uraraka bounced up to her side.

“Oh. Hi?” 

“I just wanted to say thank you for helping me out in the entrance exam when I was stuck!”

Waving her hands at the smaller girl, “ Oh my god no stop that. I wanted to thank YOU for trying to talk to them into giving me points afterwards. That was so nice of you!” 

“How did you- never mind. It was no problem because you deserved it. I mean you ran to me when everyone else was running away. I could’ve been squished!”

“How about we call it even then?” Delia laughed as she saw them going back and forth over this for a while. They started to walk out of the building when Uraraka grabbed her sleeve and started running towards Midoriya and Iida. 

“Oh, it's the infinity girl!” Iida exclaimed before seeing Delia catch up next to her. “ and the girl who stole all of our water!” 

Feeling her face heat up, she laughed a bit. “I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t thinking about the after effects.” 

“Oh, it was totally worth it! I’m Ochaco Uraraka and this is Delia Bell.” Uraraka gestured to herself and then Delia before pointing to the boys. “Let’s see. You are Tenya Iida and your name is Deku, right? Midoriya?” Midoriya damn near choked when he heard that. 

“Uh, well...My name is actually Izuku. Deku is what Kacchan calls me to make fun of me.” He anxiously explained. Delia scrunched up her nose and squeezed the books she held lightly against her chest so hard the edges of them bit into her hands. Delia promised herself to make sure to trip Angry Boy the next time she interrupted one of his runs. Maybe even drop one of his weights on his foot or maybe just a good old fashion punch. 

“Oh! I didn’t realize that. I’m sorry. But you know what? I like “Deku.” It could make a great hero name!” She threw her fist in the air before she smiled at him sweetly, “Plus, I think it's kind of cute.”

“Deku it is!” 

Delia burst out laughing and shook her head. Boys are so simple. As she listened to her new classmates bicker, she smiled at them. “This is going to be an interesting year.” Delia hooked her arm through Uraraka’s arm, who practically bounced at the gesture, and followed the boys down the hill towards home. 

Oh, how she would eat, get sick from, and violently throw up those damn words later. Baka.

[gotta-save-your-ass-for-a-change]

Who Would Have Thought?: Chapter 5

Chapter Title:��Something in the Sky Fandom: Shameless, Mickey/Ian Rating: M Summary: Mickey and Ian start planning for their wedding, and Fiona makes some big decisions with Mickey’s help. Notes: I’m taking some liberties with s7 here. Kev, V, and Svet are still good. Monica never came back. And the timeline’s probably a little messed up, but overall, I’m using s7 as a base and going from there.

Also, if you couldn’t tell, I really love Fiona. Like really, really love Fiona. And I absolutely think she was 100% justified in every action she took in s7.

Title from Darren Hayes’s “Something in the Sky.”

Ao3 Link

Chapter One * Chapter Two * Chapter Three * Chapter Four * Chapter Five * Chapter Six * Chapter Seven * Chapter Eight * Chapter Nine * Chapter Ten * Chapter Eleven * Chapter Twelve * Chapter Thirteen * Chapter Fourteen * Chapter Fifteen

“Hey, Mickey,” Fiona greets as he wanders into Wendell’s looking for her, “How’s it going?”

Mickey shrugs and leans back against the nearest machine. “Not bad. Not the biggest morning rush, but steady. How’s it going over here?”

“Pretty good,” Fiona admits, handing him a cup of coffee. “It’ll be a while before I start seeing any real profits, but that’s normal, from what I’m told. Family hates me, though. Thinks I’m a screw up.”

“You?” Mickey questions, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. “They hate you for buying a laundromat?”

“Not exactly,” she explains, sipping at her own coffee. “They hate me ‘cause I asked them to start chipping in their share for bills. Ian seemed okay with it before he moved in with you, but Lip and Debbie are pretty pissed.”

Mickey scoffs. “Like they’ve got any right to be. You sacrificed your whole damn life for those kids. Raised ‘em when Frank refused. They’re grown now. It’s your turn. Nothin’ wrong with wanting to make something of yourself, Fiona. You shouldn’t feel sorry for that.”

Fiona stares at him for a moment in disbelief. She and Mickey had been getting on well since his return, but she hadn’t necessarily expected the direct support. “Wow,” Fiona continues to watch him for a moment, arms crossed over her chest and shock written across her features, “Not sure I expected my only line of support to come from Mickey Milkovich.”

Mickey laughs at that. “Yeah, well,” he offers, downing the last of his coffee with a shrug, “if it helps, you’ve got Ian’s support, too. He’s just trying to stay out of the way to avoid pissing off the entire family. We’ve been really happy lately. He doesn’t want to jeopardize that by starting shit with the family, you know.”

Fiona sighs and gives him a nod. “I get it. I’m glad you guys are so happy. Think it’s good for him, being with you.” Mickey smiles at that but doesn’t say anything, so Fiona continues. “So, you need anything in particular, Mick?”

“Uh, yeah,” Mickey nods, and suddenly he feels a little nervous, unsure about where everything stands. “Ian and I talked about it, and we think we might want to try for a real wedding. Figure you’re the only one who’s ever really planned one of these things, so we thought maybe you could help us out with that end of things. Don��t want anything crazy, you know. Just friends, family, and a bit of a party.”

Fiona lights up at the request, moving to pull Mickey into another uncomfortable hug. He’s still not used to the affection, and he’s tentative when he tries to hug her back. After a moment, he hears Fiona laugh. “Of course I’ll help,” she tells him with a smile. “You better get more comfortable with the hugging, though. You’re gonna be gettin’ a lot more of this now that you’re officially joining the family.”

Mickey rolls his eyes and pulls away with a laugh. “Yeah, yeah,” he shrugs, gesturing back toward the diner, “I’m gonna head back to work before things get busy. We’ll talk soon about the wedding plan.”

Fiona nods with a bright smile and gives him a little wave as he heads out the door, excitement seeping in for her little brother and the soft-hearted thug he’d fallen for.

“Hey, babe,” Ian greets as Mickey comes through the door. Ian had worked an early shift, and he’s been waiting impatiently for Mickey since he got home an hour ago. “You talk to Fi?”

Mickey presses a gentle kiss to Ian’s lips in greeting before tossing his jacket onto the nearby arm chair. “Yeah,” he affirms, making himself comfortable beside Ian, sitting close as Ian loops an arm around Mickey’s shoulders. “She’s happy to help. Seemed kind of excited actually. Your sister’s a shark, man. If anyone can get us the prices we need, it’s gonna be her. How we doin’ on the budget, anyway?”

“Not bad,” Ian shrugs. “It’s gonna be tight, but I think we can swing it. Depends on locations and stuff, but I figure if we go with the Alibi for the reception, we can probably get a decent ceremony space. Bet Kev’ll let us use the Alibi for free. Just have to pay for the booze.”

Mickey nods. “Yeah. Sounds like a plan.” After a moment, he continues, glancing up at Ian curiously. “You excited?”

The corners of Ian’s lips tip up in a little smile. “Gettin’ there,” Ian admits, pressing a kiss to the side of Mickey’s head. “Starting to feel more real, the longer we plan, you know? I feel like we might actually pull this off.”

“We will,” Mickey grins and pats the hand Ian has draped over his shoulder gently. “I’ll make sure of it. Gonna marry you, Ian. Not a damn thing on this earth is gonna stop me.”

A few days later, Mickey and Ian are hanging out at the Gallagher house, and Ian and Lip have stepped outside for a smoke, while Mickey and Fiona are sitting on opposite ends of the couch, nursing a couple of beers and trying to find their way out of the awkward small talk they’ve stumbled into. They’ve been unsuccessful so far, so they’ve fallen into quiet for a few long moments.

Finally, Fiona breaks the silence, avoiding Mickey’s eyes. “Thinking about selling the 'mat,” Fiona confides, giving Mickey a look of uncertainty. “Etta’s not doing well. Not sure how much longer she can take care of herself. Think she needs to be in assisted living. Plus, I was offered double what I paid to sell the place. Hundred and sixty thousand. Not sure I can turn it down.“ She pauses for a moment, staring down at the bottle dangling in her hand. "That make me a sellout?”

“Fuck, no,” Mickey counters from where he’s sitting beside Fiona. “That’s just fucking smart, Fiona. You’re Southside, you’re Southside. That doesn’t change just 'cause you make a little money.”

“Really?” Fiona questions with a raised eyebrow. “'Cause I seem to remember you calling out Lip for goin’ to college.”

“Lip’s an ass,” Mickey shoots back, and Fiona shrugs in acquiescence. She’s certainly not going to deny that one. “Plus, that wasn’t really about Lip. That was back when Ian had that bad break. I was struggling with it, too. Took it out on Lip. But seriously, Fiona. You deserve to make something of yourself. You’re good at this stuff, and yeah, you put a lot of work into that place, but you also deserve to get something out of it. For you.”

Fiona looks at Mickey for a moment, and she can’t help but smile. “Damn,” she finally says with a little huff of a laugh, “never thought you and I would get along so well. Second time you’ve offered your support in a week. Startin’ to feel like I got something to live up to.”

“Yeah, well,” Mickey shrugs and crosses his arms over his chest at the discomfort he feels at the affectionate smile Fiona’s throwing his way, “you raised Ian. Plus, you’re his favorite. Means I kinda gotta get along with you, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Mick,” Fiona mocks with a smile as she bats at Mickey’s shoulder playfully. “You’ve got a soft spot for me.”

Mickey lets out a little laugh at that. She’s not wrong, he knows. Fiona’s strong, stronger than most, and he admires her for that. She’s got a big heart, and she deserves to make something of herself after devoting such an important chunk of her life to her siblings. Mickey’s not going to deny that.

“Hey,” Ian calls as he re-enters the room, shucking his coat on the way and leaning down to press a kiss to Mickey’s forehead from over the back of the couch. Mickey smiles and closes his eyes at the affection, leaning back against Ian. “What’re you guys chatting about,” Ian asks as Fiona’s fond smile catches his eye.

“Nothin’,” Fiona covers with a smile. “Nothin’ at all. Should probably talk about the wedding, though. Get the plans started.”

Ian nods at that, and Mickey raises a brow at Fiona. Part of him regrets the big wedding decision. Seems like all they do now is plan. Which would be okay, except since they’ve brought Fiona in on the planning phase, they haven’t had a whole lot of alone time to spend together, especially with work interfering. Mickey still smiles fondly, though, when Ian hops over the back of the couch and starts discussing dates and colors and whatever the hell else with his sister. Because as much as Mickey wants Ian all to himself, he’s also finding himself beginning to get excited about the whole thing, and he appreciates the help Fiona’s providing.

Later that night, Mickey’s fallen asleep on the couch, and Ian and Fiona have settled themselves in the kitchen in an attempt to avoid waking him.

“Mickey seems excited,” Fiona offers with a little smile. “It’s nice seeing him so happy. How’ve you guys been doing?”

“Good,” Ian confirms. “Happy. Past few weeks have been a little rough with the schedules. Haven’t had much alone time, you know? And I don’t even mean sex. Just, you know, not a lot of time to be with him. We’ve missed each other a little. We’ve managed to spend a decent amount of time with Yev, though, which is good. I can’t wait to be his step-dad officially. Mick has already taken to calling him our son, which I love. Be nice when it’s official, though.”

Fiona smiles softly. She knows everything that had gone down a couple of years before with Yev. Knows the story of his conception. And she’s impressed with Mickey’s ability to move past it all and love the little boy despite the circumstances. “Mickey really loves that little boy,” Fiona observes, catching Ian’s eye. “Impressed with the turn around there.”

“He always loved him,” Ian confides. “Just had trouble showing it around most people.”

“Let me guess,” Fiona gives Ian a fond little smirk with a raise of her eyebrows. “You’re not most people?”

“Thought you already knew that,” Ian jokes, “‘m about to be Mr. Mickey Milkovich.”

Fiona laughs at that, and her smile matches Ian’s, big and carefree. “What’re you guys thinking on your names, anyway? You gonna change ‘em? Officially become Mr. Ian Milkovich? Or is Mickey gonna become a Gallagher?”

Ian shrugs, uncertainty written across his features. “Not sure. We’ve talked about it a little. Our families are both a fuckin’ mess, though.” Ian laughs at that, but there’s mostly irritation behind it. And Fiona gets that. Neither family has a stellar history, that’s for sure. “Not sure we want to pass along either of the family names. Considering hyphenating. Gallagher-Milkovich. At least then it’ll be ours, right? Less negative history or some shit? Or maybe double. I don’t know. We haven’t really settled on anything yet.”

Fiona nods and she’s silent for a moment, eyeing Ian closely. “Talking about passing on the family name, huh?” Fiona questions. “You guys thinkin’ about having more kids?”

“Nah,” Ian denies with a shake of his head, “don’t mean it like that. I mean, it might be nice someday. But with Yev, it’s, uh, it’s tough, you know? Considering the circumstances of his conception. Mick’s just starting to learn how to be a dad to him. He wants to be, but it’s hard sometimes.” Ian’s silent for a moment, thinking back on that horrible morning when Terry had caught the two of them together. After a bit, he breaks the silence with a harsh laugh, no real humor behind it. “Guess on the bright side, we both got to be there for our son’s conception, huh?”

Fiona doesn’t laugh, just watches Ian carefully, eyes holding sympathy she knows Ian doesn’t want. “Terry was really a piece of work, huh?” she asks, voice gentle as she watches Ian with soft eyes.

“Understatement,” Ian tells her with a scoff, trying to hold back the tears that come to his eyes at the memories. “And I was shitty to Mick back then. Pushed him, you know? More than I should have. And I think part of it was the beginnings of the bipolar, mania, whatever. But part of it was just me, refusing to understand, unwilling to hear him. He was trying to protect me as much as he was himself. But I didn’t really get it because I grew up here. And as shitty as Frank and Monica may be, they never cared that I was gay. Everyone in my life has always been okay with it, at least peripherally. Mickey never had that. Didn’t have anyone supporting him or loving him for who he was.”

Fiona reaches out to squeeze Ian’s hand. “He had you,” she offers, and it provides a little bit of needed comfort for Ian.

“Just wish I’d loved him better,” Ian admits quietly.

Fiona smiles. “You’ve got the rest of your life to love him the way he deserves. He’s trusting you with that. Mickey loves you, Ian. He’s marrying you. You must’ve done something right.”

Ian smiles at that. She’s right, he knows, but it doesn’t stop him from regretting some of those choices. But then, Ian thinks, maybe they wouldn’t be here without all the tough times, and maybe that makes it all worth the suffering. Ian’s not sure, though. Still wishes he’d done better by Mickey. He resolves then to do exactly that for the rest of their lives together.

Ian nods at Fiona then and gives her a little smile. “Guess you’re right,” he agrees. “Now, how can we make this wedding perfect without breaking the bank?”

Fiona laughs at that, and pats Ian’s hand gently, accepting the change of subject happily. “Good question,” she offers, pulling out a frilly little notebook she’s insisting on using for the wedding planning. Ian rolls his eyes, but there’s a gentle fondness behind it, and he smiles at Fiona’s eagerness. She’s good at this stuff, he knows, and he trusts her to help them make the right decisions.

It’s been a couple of weeks, and they’ve been making some good headway in the wedding planning. Mickey’s starting to think they might have it all together, and he’s looking forward to making it all happen. First, though, he wants to get home to Ian, and spend some time just being with his husband-to-be.

Fiona stops him, though, when Mickey’s about to head out for the day, cornering him just before he reaches the front of the diner. “I called Ian,” she tells him excitedly. “He’s here, and we’re gonna talk about the wedding for a bit. I had some ideas I wanted to run by you guys. Will you stay? Help with the planning?”

Mickey smiles at her. He’s tired, worked a double shift and all, but all he wants right now is to be with Ian, so if Ian’s here, Mickey’s not going to argue. “'Course,” he agrees gently, shifting around her to move to the front of the diner to find Ian. Fiona sees right through him, he knows, and he can nearly feel the smirk she sends his way, but he doesn’t let it deter him. Just heads straight for Ian and kneels in the booth beside the redhead before leaning down to capture Ian’s lips in a quick kiss. Ian laughs a bit at the way Mickey’s fingers linger in his hair as Mickey slides down into the booth beside Ian. Ian loves the affection Mickey’s learned to show in public, and Mickey knows, so he offers those affections whenever he feels safe, and the diner does that for him now.

“Missed you,” Mickey murmurs, resting his head on Ian’s shoulder. They’ve both been picking up extra hours where they can, and Ian’s been on some early, early morning shifts with Mickey covering the late mornings and afternoons at the diner, sometimes staying on for a double like today and getting home late to a sleeping Ian. They’ve been trying to spend as much time together as possible, but they’re also working hard to pull off the wedding, and it’s all starting to weigh on them—especially the separation.

“Missed you, too, Mick,” Ian agrees as he wraps an arm around Mickey’s shoulders and kisses to top of his head, fingers stroking over Mickey’s upper arm as he tries to soothe the tired man in his arms.

“All right, lovebirds,” Fiona interrupts with a playful grin, whipping out her notebook and settling herself on the other side of the booth. “Time to get to work.”

Mickey groans and Ian laughs as he pulls away from Mickey just a touch so he can lean closer to the table to see her notes.

“Now,” Fiona starts, “we’ve got a decent plan started for the ceremony, and we’re doing good cost wise so far, but we need to get on a plan for the reception.”

“We can just potluck it,” Ian offers with a bit of a shrug. “Set up at the Alibi, you know. Kev’ll let us do it for free, I bet.”

“Yeah, but the Alibi’s a hike from the ceremony spot,” Fiona counters. “You ever think about doing it here? In the diner? Could give you a good price. Might even be able to get it free, 'cept the booze, but I bet Kev would comp you that. Wedding gift and all. We’ve got good food. Could open the whole menu, not worry about rsvp meal cards or whatever. Not a lot of room to dance, but we can make it work. Done it before, with the launch party. And your guest list isn’t crazy, only about thirty people, right? We could do that easy. Bet the girls would be happy to chip in and waitress. I’ll pay 'em extra, and once everyone’s fed, they can join the party. I mean, I get it if you’re not interested—diner’s not exactly a traditional party place—but we could make it happen if you’re into the idea.”

Ian and Mickey are both staring at her with wide eyes, brows drawn together at Fiona’s enthusiasm, and neither of them can help the smiles that tug at their lips as they watch her.

After a moment of silence, Fiona drops her eyes back to the notebook. “You hate it,” she blurts, worried that they’re uninterested and feeling a little insecure but waving it off. “It’s all right. We can just go with the Alibi. I’ll talk to Kev tomorrow, and we’ll nail it down, and—”

Ian reaches out then, laying a hand over Fiona’s gently to stop her from crossing out the notes she has scribbled on the page in front of her. “Fi,” he offers gently, calling her eyes up to his, “we love it. It sounds amazing. Can we really pull it off?”

Fiona stops, looking up at them with soft eyes and a touch of question. “Really?” she asks quietly. “You like it? Both of you?” She’s looking at Mickey now, unsure but hopeful.

Mickey gives her a genuine smile. “I think it’s perfect,” he confirms, and he means it. “You can make it happen?”

“Absolutely!” Fiona confirms excitedly. “I can make it happen.”

Ian smiles and shoves at Mickey’s shoulder until he groans and lets Ian out of the booth before Mickey collapses back down into the cushioned seat dramatically and Ian rolls his eyes. “Make it happen,” Ian tells Fi happily as he leans down to kiss her cheek. “Thanks, Fi.”

She smiles proudly and waves him off. “No problem. I’m gonna make sure you two have the perfect wedding. Just leave it to me, okay?”

“Will do,” Ian agrees. “Got any more ideas you want to run by us today, or can I take my drama queen of a fiancé home to sleep it off.”

“Yeah. Sleep. Sure,” Fiona laughs with playful sarcasm, as she waves a hand in Ian’s direction. “Go, go. Take your man home and spoil him. I’ll let you know when I’ve got more for you to approve.”

“Thanks, Fi,” Ian repeats as he grabs at Mickey’s hands and tries to pull him up. “Okay asshole,” he chastises, “get up so I can take you home.”

“Fuck off,” Mickey shoots back. “This is my home now. I’m not fuckin’ moving until I’ve gotten at least six hours of sleep.”

“I will leave your ass here,” Ian threatens with a raised brow, and it pulls a heavy sigh out of Mickey.

“Fuckin’ fine, man,” he agrees begrudgingly. “But I’m fucking sleeping when I get home.”

“Whatever you say,” Ian rolls his eyes in Fiona’s direction as she smirks at the two of them as Ian steers Mickey out of the diner after dragging him up from the booth.

Chapter One * Chapter Two * Chapter Three * Chapter Four * Chapter Five * Chapter Six * Chapter Seven * Chapter Eight * Chapter Nine * Chapter Ten * Chapter Eleven * Chapter Twelve * Chapter Thirteen * Chapter Fourteen * Chapter Fifteen