#apologies if some of this seemed OOC I wrote it while studying

[a-regular-ol-pill]

This might be out of nowhere but but Xavier x reader x Aamon threesome ( i mean they really are not that related but they're so hot like really really hooot so i just wanna be manhandled by both of em😭😭) fem reader if u may. Thank youu! xoxo

"Who are you to her?"

Mobile Legends; Bang Bang

Pairing; Xavier, You | Aamon, You | Xavier, You, Aamon.

!! NSFW 18+ !!

A/N: Apologies for any inconsistencies and the horrible layout. I'm getting the hang of writing again ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

Pronouns Used: You, She/Her

Warning(s): Slightly OOC Aamon and Xavier, Dubious Consent, Manhandling, Smut, Threesome, Possessive Smut, Marking, Double Penetration in one hole, badly written smut, kind of sexual tension, just really really filthy smut, Etc...

You and Aamon were acquaintances. Not because you and him were friends; but because you worked for him. Since you were a kid, you were expected to tend to his needs. After all; you were the child of the most high end butler in the entirety of the Moniyan Empire. You were pressured, forced to stay and cook while your peers played all day.

Sometimes, you sneak out to pet the cat litter that was just near the playground. That's when you met Xavier. Xavier and his family had gone out to deliver shipments of merch to the Empire. He was told to stay put as his father bargained, due to that, and his boredom, he snuck away as well. He saw the cat litter first; didn't even see you as he stared at the kits in adoration.

You noticed him instantly and saw that as a chance to make a friend. And make a friend you did! In that short time Xavier's father and yours didn't notice your absence, you two bonded over liking cats! Blissfully unaware of Aamon who was watching. Because he was told to find you, as you were his new playmate/butler.

He envied the carefree attitude you both had and told on you to your father. Big mistake. The moment Aamon had said that you were slacking, you were pulled harshly back to the Castle Aberleen. Much to the horror of Xavier who was then caught by his father and taken away. You were given a heavy punishment; Forced to lift heavy shipments that your young body could barely lift; Forced to stay up until late at night to study so you could teach Aamon.

You grew to resent Aamon for that. And in turn, Aamon grew to resent himself. He regretted tattling on you and tried to cheer you up. Through your childhood— to your adulthood. He tried. Though, his efforts only met a stone cold face and a cold thank you. Albeit, growing warmer at each attempt. Your relationship was on thin ice, though, it was growing stronger. Even if it could crumble at any moment.

A few members of the House Paxley were requested to discuss the rivalry of the Knights of Light against the Light's Order of the Moniyan Empire; Why the House Paxley? They didn't tell you; But still, you and Aamon went. The topic of discussion was one you couldn't understand. A contrast to Aamon, who very actively participated in the discussion.

You weren't allowed to leave Aamon's side. So, to keep yourself occupied, you took down notes— Wrote down their responses word for word. Your actions caught the eye of the Youngest Arbiter of Light; Xavier had noticed how familiar you looked. But couldn't pinpoint why you looked familiar. He watches you. Eyeing the way you felt the intricate linings of the fountain pen with your fingers.

You were so.. familiar.. It kept bugging him. Until the meeting was postponed for both parties to think over each other's points. Aamon tapped your shoulder, and you two headed off to the dining room. Was it inappropriate to do so? Not really. The dining room was lined up with food; So the Knights of Light probably expected some of the residents of the House Paxley to eat.

Xavier followed you. As creepy as it may seem— He knew Aamon. But he didn't know you. Aamon was picking one of the deserts as you made sure no one noticed; it was the only time Aamon could indulge in sweets without getting told to watch what he ate; Someone taps your shoulder, you turn to the direction of said someone.

Instantly, your eyes locked onto Xavier's sapphire ones. The familiarity struck you both like thunder; You recognize him to be your friend! Why you were excited was self-explanatory. You get to reconnect with someone who also likes cats!

"Excuse me, may I know your name?" He asks, and you realize that you may have gotten too excited. Wait- what was his name? Maybe it'll jog up your memory. So you tell him your name, and he seems to perk up at that.

"Did you-." Suddenly. Aamon clears his throat. "I don't remember telling you that you could approach my butler, Xavier." He says bluntly. He knew his name, only because they sort of interacted when they clashed points. The air around you grows cold, and you look at Xavier apologetically.

"I'm sorry, but last I remember, you didn't say anything about me not being allowed to talk to your- ah, butler." Xavier's tone was passive aggressive; annoying Aamon even more. "You don't see me talking to your superiors about your obsessions with cats now, do you?" He spat, and Xavier furrows his brows. How did he know?

"Aamon.." You start, but the two are at a stand off. "Oh.. I remember why she looked familiar now.." Xavier says in a low tone. "You tattled on us because you were a pitiful child, with an even more pitiful childhood." He continues. Yikes.. low blow.. Aamon clenches his fists, and you tap both of them down. "Okay. No. Aamon- this is for the Empire's sake, remember?" Your attempts were short lived as Aamon suddenly grips your hand and pulls you against his chest.

"This is personal now." Aamon tells you. Xavier's chest burns as he sees the way Aamon handles you. "Is this a good way to get on our good side, Paxley?" Xavier steps closer. You were sandwiched in between them. And fuck did it made your heart race. "It's stupid how you think I care about the Knights of Light." Aamon answers. His hand moves to hold your waist, catching you off guard. Xavier's eyes flicker towards your waist, he was furious.

"Such a bold action to do to your butler." — "Do you think I care? She's my butler." The way Aamon said that was primal; possessive. Aamon did always have a thing for anyone else interacting with his possessions but— you?? "Look around." Xavier mumbles. Both you and Aamon were reminded of the fact that you were in the dining room. Sure, no one was looking; but for what it would imply..

"You want her, and so do I." Your ears grow red when you hear this. What the fuck..! You were almost 100% sure that Xavier just wanted to get reacquainted with you. But now this just fucked up what you thought before. Xavier's gaze went to look at your face, before he looked back at Aamon. "Back at that cat litter, you took her away. You owe me at least the duration of this break to catch up with her, no?" Aamon clicks his tongue and pulls you with him. Xavier follows, and all three of you managed to get into a vacant room and locked the door.

The room you went in coincidentally had a bed, and before you could even have a say in the matter, both men had their hands all over you. Xavier was feeling your chest, and Aamon, who had surprised you a lot this entire.. situation? Began to kiss your neck. Well, kissing is too much of a light word. Aamon was biting your neck, leaving deep bite marks that won't go away for a day or two.

He licked, sucked, and did whatever things you thought he wouldn't do to you; he held your arms to your side as Xavier began to unbutton your uniform. His hands work quickly as he pulls off your bra and begins to suck on your chest. Moaning softly as he notices how shaky you've gotten over this entire thing. You gasp, both Xavier and Aamon had their mouths on you and didn't care about the marks and consequences it would cause.

"Not.. Aamon don't.." You were breathless. Trying to stop Aamon as he continues leaving marks on your neck. "It'll be seen-." — "Be a good butler and shut up." He practically growls. Xavier whined at the lack of attention, and thus pulled down your trousers. His hands pull apart your thighs as he pulls your underwear down with his teeth. The cold air makes you gasp, your head craning down to watch.

Aamon didn't like that. He didn't want you to look at Xavier. He takes your chin, turns it towards his face and kisses you deeply. Tongue and all. You squirm against his iron hold as Xavier licks at your clit. The sensation of his tongue, furiously flicking that small bud up and down made you tremble and shake. You moan against the kiss, and Aamon moans in return. Xavier lifts up your thighs and places it on his shoulders, he continues to lap at your core.

Clothes. Oh shit Xavier's clothes! He was getting it wet with all your arousal and if anyone notices-. The thought makes your head spin, and you let out a loud, yet muffled whimper. Face bucking up into Xavier's mouth as you come. Aamon pulls back from the kiss. Looking down at Xavier with a glare. Xavier didn't reciprocate, as he licks you clean and stands up, between your legs. You were being held up by Aamon, and was about to get fucked by Xavier.

Were you in heaven?? "Don't you dare put it in before me." Aamon warns. His hand loops under both your arms as the other moves down to remove his pants. Xavier was annoyed at that, but if he argued, he knows Aamon would just walk away with you, no further discussion. So he complied. Pulling his pants down a little to let his cock free. As you were distracted, Aamon guided his cock into your core and lowered you onto him.

You were caught off guard once again, and you let out a small whine of pain. "Shh.." Aamon buried his head in your neck as Xavier stepped closer to you and kissed you tenderly. Your heart, despite running a mile a minute, skipped a beat at the kiss. "I tried to find you.." He whispered. Aamon heard that. Out of jealousy, he began pumping his hips, pushing his cock and out of your pussy in a quick, but soft pace. The movement causes you to moan, and you throw your head back against Aamon's shoulder.

You couldn't see it, but Xavier was stroking his cock. His eyes were locked onto where you and Aamon were connected. He pumped his hand to the pace Aamon was holding and moaned. Aamon pulled back from your neck, seeing you were fucked out of your mind, he smirked. He then looked at Xavier, taunting him. "She's so tight. Can't fit another one in here." Aamon chuckles. Xavier stops and looks at him with a glare. "Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe." Without wasting any time, Xavier smeared his pre-cum over your clit, stimulating you even more as you whimper and cried. "Wh- what are you-" You began to stutter. Aamon pulls your face close to his, your eyes bulge out of your sockets as you feel Xavier push the tip of his cock inside of you. Aamon groaned, the tight space got tighter as Xavier bottoms out inside of you. How was that possible..?!

"Fuck.. good kitten, taking us both.." Xavier mumbles, you almost mistook it as dirty talk until you notice how fucked out he looked. He looked high. They both begin moving their hips; Xavier out—Aamon in.. the sensation, the pace, it makes you cry out in pure pleasure. They start to leave marks on your body again. As if competing to leave the most marks on you. Your hands were flailing around, you didn't even know what to hold onto as their pace began to quicken. They lost the tempo that they had and you were being stuffed— sometimes half full, and sometimes empty.

They were molding you to the shape of their cocks, and you didn't even know if you loved it or hated it. Aamon, whom you still somewhat hated but have now begun warming up to, was fucking you. And Xavier, whom you haven't met since you were a kid was rubbing your clit— wait. He was rubbing your clit!

The stimulation made you come a second time, and the moment you tightened up, they both bottomed out. Spilling their essence into you like you won't even get pregnant.

Silence filled the room, aside from the heavy breathing and the light smooching as they leave even more marks on your body. Aamon let go of you, now holding onto your waist as Xavier pulled out. Kneeling down to clean up the mess they made inside of you before standing back up. "Are you okay?" They asked at the same time. You were unresponsive.

Aamon sighed and carefully laid you down on the bed. Xavier pulls his pants back up and clears his throat. "Does she have anything else to change into?" He asks. Aamon shook his head. "We didn't bring anything else." He then looks down at you; you were now unconscious. He smiles a little and brings you to the bathroom inside the room.

Xavier went out to get some water for you. And to also find some clothes for you to wear. He didn't expect to have a threesome with you and Aamon when he had just reunited with you, but that wasn't the priority right now. The priority was to find you some clothes.

They might not be getting along now, but for you, they'll try.

[aneverydaysimp]

Hear me out. This could work with either Satan (Obey me) or Lucifer (obey me). But I think Lucifer since he's so prideful

So like University Au type thing where both Lucifer and MC are book-smart and tries to kill each other just so they could reach number one. Oh the jealousy they hold for each other that they'll never admit. The troubles they put each other through just so the other can tumble.

But lucifer thinks he's a genius with coming up with thr idea of dating her just to distract her. Obviously it doesn't work after a while because he ended up falling for her.❤️HEHE

Oh, the fake dating turned real trope. Ohhh, gotta love it! >:)) I hope it's alright I wrote this out as headcanons, because that's the way I interpreted this idea. My apologies if you preferred a one-shot! Perhaps if it gets popular enough and I have enough inspiration, I'll make a mini fanfic out of it, continuing where I left off~!

Apologies if this is a little ooc for our prideful boy! It's been a long time since I've written anything for him <33 hope you enjoy!

pairing: Lucifer x prideful!MC

pronouns for MC used as you/your, "MC" used as name

tw: mentions of a broken bone, obvious manipulation to a sense, but it's very mild, reader is implied to be shorter than Lucifer, but that's expected considering he's tall af, not proofread cause I'm busy :))

Lucifer's Distraction

You two despise each other wholeheartedly. Everyone knows it from the freshmen to the professors to the birds relaxing by the window. Of course, nobody understand the hatred between you two like, well, you two.

Of course, neither of you would never admit it outloud... or well, even to yourselves. No, no, you both just had academic differences, that's all! Nothing more, nothing less (denial ain't just a river in Egypt)

Everytime Lucifer thought he was there on top, doing the best on an exam or project, you were right there to remind him that he wasn't truly the best, and vis versa.

Finally, you both had had enough. What started as little, annoying pranks to make each other late for class quickly escalated to so much more. At one point, you had even broken a bone from one of his little schemes that included moving a wet floor sign and you slipping. Maybe he went a little fair with that one, but he wasn't sorry. Still, you got back up. Seems Lucifer would have to step up his game. And that's he did.

One night, he laid tossing and turning in bed, unable to rest easy, you there, plauging his mind. Your annoying voice piping up before his, your handwriting on your projects that always seemed to out do his-- ugh, it was beyond annoying. What could he do to get rid of you once and for all? Something to finally top you? Something that would finally make you just drop your--

And then it hit him. Just like that, at the snap of his fingers. What if he seduced you? Know thy enemy, and all that. He almost shot up right then and there. It was wrong, so very wrong, he knew that. But it was too good to pass up.

And so, the next day, after school, some studying for an upcoming exam, and a quick chat on the phone with Asmodeus, here he was, outside of your dorm, late at night, red roses in hand, with a little apology note-- which he meant nothing that it said-- attached to it. He gave the door a light knock, quickly sitting down the flowers and the note before scurrying off, trying to get around the corner before you walked out, if you did. It was late, so he wouldn't be shocked if you were asleep.

Well, as luck would have it, you decided to order a pizza a half hour earlier, and your delivery turns out to have arrived around the same time as Lucifer tried to turn the corner, and well... he crashed into your delivery man, ruining your pizza and his nice new, white shirt with pizza sauce. Karma's a bitch, ain't it?

And you? You opened your door just in time to witness the entire thing. Man, were you confused. Your rival and pizza man bumping into each other. Huh. You were confused, definitely, but more so disappointed your pizza was ruined. Though it did make you grin to see the disgusted look on Lucifer's face as the pizza sauce stained his shirt as the delivery man apoglized profusely.

Only then did you notice the roses and the note. Obviously, you weren't quite as focused on them at the moment, considering your dinner had just been ruined by your totally-not-rival. Hesitantly, you called out to the raventte, catching his attention. "You alright?"

"No." He replied stiffly, sending a glare towards the poor pizza man, who began to apologize to you, mentioning something along the lines of a free pizza next time you ordered. You were hopeful about that, thinking you could just order another, possibly get some extra toppings you like and all that... and then he said their kitchens were closed for the night. You were the last order. Shit. So now your dinner was ruined, you had an empty stomach, and you had loads of studying to do. And on top of that, your rival is standing right here, likely revelling in your misery.

Wrong. He saw this as an opportunity. Sure, his shirt was ruined, but he could easily buy another, just like he was going to buy you dinner tonight.

After the pizza man had been dismissed, and it was just the two of you standing there (awkwardly), you both began to speak at the same time.

"Would you--?" "Would you--?" Pause. "...You go first." He hummed after a moment, arms crossed over his chest. "...Right." You sigh, already regretting speaking in the first place. "Would you like to borrow a shirt? A friend left a shirt here the other night. May fit you." It definitely wouldn't, at least not very well, but considering it was your pizza that ruined his shirt, you felt inclined to at least ask so he didn't have to walk back to his own dorm covered in pizza sauce. You'd just buy your friend a new shirt. He definitely wouldn't mind.

"I'd... actually appreciate that. Thank you." He moved to pick up the roses he had gotten for you. "May I come in? I guess I can give you these first hand now." Your eyes widened. Oh. So it was him who'd gotten them and not some crazy coincidence. They were... pretty, you'd give him that.

You don't say anything, moving to the side to allow him in. You mumble something along the lines of finding that shirt for him before walking towards your dresser, looking for it. "You wanted to ask me something, too."

He hums. "Yes, I did. Considering I messed up your dinner plans, would you like me to make up for it?" You shot around to look at him, a suspicious look in your eyes.

"Plan to break my wrist again?" "...That was an accident." He replies hesitantly. "Sure." You scoff, turning back to the dresser. "What do you think the roses are for? They're an apology." Okay, you had no response to that. "...Fine." You hesitantly agree to his previous question, knowing you needed to eat so you could focus on studying. You can practically feel his eyes in the back of your head, that annoying smirk on his face. "Dick..." You mumble beneath your breath. "What was that?" "...Nothing!"

You turn around to throw the shirt at him, which he skillfully catches. "Thank you." He hums, sitting it aside, moving to undo the buttons of his shirt. You, flushed red by how outwardly he started to do so, quickly spin around, covering your face. Andddd you feel that smirk again. Fucking annoying.

After he's changed, the two of you head out. This late at night, there's only a few restaurants opened. You two head to a local diner, ordering some food. You were a little weird about this all, you had to admit, suspicious as to why he's suddenly being so... well, nice.

You two didn't talk at all aside from ordering, and you stubbornly fighting with him about paying. Unfortunately, he was more stubborn, insisting he payed. You finally huffed, saying something along the lines of "your money, not mine" before going quiet, beginning to eat your food. You didn't say a damn thing to him, or even look at him. But, oh, he was looking at you. His eyes never moved. It was awkward-- no, intimidating as hell.

"Do you mind?" You finally scoffed, eyes meeting his charcoal ones for a brief moment, quickly looking away. "I don't. You're actually not that sore on the eyes." He backhandedly comments to you, earning another scoff. "Is that all you're good for? Scoffs?" He scoffs himself, taking a bite of his own food. Oh, you can feel your eye twitching in annoyance.

However, you take a deep breath, relaxing yourself. "No..." You reply calmly. "Hm." He simply hums, which you copy, earning a raised eyebrow from him. His eyes, however, finally fell from you to your plate, emptied in a matter of minutes. It reminds him of Beel, how quickly you ate that, and he smiles briefly.

"What?" You asked, confused by the small change in attitude. "Oh, nothing." He replies, and it's your turn to raise an eyebrow. He sighs, seeing that look. "How quickly you ate. It reminds me a bit of one of my brothers." He shrugs. "Are you still hungry?" Hesitantly, you nod. "Well, go ahead. Order more." He doesn't seem bothered. "Since you're offering..." You mumble, asking the server for another menu, deciding to get something different.

After that, things feel less tense. As you're waiting for your next plate of food, the two of you slowly began to talk a little. Nothing more than idle conversation, something to make things less awkward. And it was just that, less awkward. Surprisingly, the two of you had more in common than your prideful attitudes, and that quickly sparked another conversation, even as you acquired your food. You asked about his brother-- which turned out to be brothers-- and he began to speak of each of them.

It was strange, seeing how different he was when he spoke of each of them. Though he seemed to carry an easily annoyed older brother tone and expression as he discussed them, you could see pride-- a different pride than he usually carried-- behind his eyes as he spoke.

"Do you have any sisters?" You suddenly asked curiously, and his expression seemed to fall in that moment, sorrow flashing through his eyes momentarily. "Yes." He replied quietly and plainly, moving right on the with the subject, proceeding to ask you of your family instead. You didn't push the subject. You two may despise each other-- again, you wouldn't admit as to why-- but you knew when to drop something. You still did have some form of basic respect after all.

Eventually, this time came to an end, and your stomach was full, and you were happy, ready to spend some time studying. You wished you could've been studying as you ate-- hence why you ordered the pizza-- but you actually... nevermind.

After he'd walked you home, you thanked Lucifer, and he thanked you as well, promising to return the shirt. You bid each other goodnight, and then you closed the door. For you, it was a nice night. For him, it was a good first step in his plan.

Over the next week, the two of you continued your usual antics, working up ideas to make each other late to class. However, you noticed Lucifer's seemed rather... well, lackluster, to put it simply. You'd give the man this, when he wanted to, he could usually come up with something good that would easily make you late. As of recent, though, they just seemed... lazy. Hell, you two were even chatting in class some, copying each other's notes-- well, you more so than him. As much as you hated to admit it, you got a little worried, and almost missed his rather cruel distractions.

Little to your knowledge, this was part of his plan. Well, him being easier on you. Not you showing up to his door one night.

When he opened the door and saw you there, he could only offer a confused look at your concerned one. "Yes?" He asked, hair wet and matted to his forehead, his shirt only half buttoned up. It was enough to make your face go red, quickly tearing your eyes from his partially exposed chest.

You completely forgot what you were going to say. Brain.EXE has stopped working.

"MC." He hums, catching your attention again. "Uh... I was just checking on you." You blurted out, accidentally being more forward than you wanted. His eyes widened slightly. "Oh. Why is that?" "No reason." Now it was his turn to scoff. "No reason? You're saying you walked halfway across campus for no reason?" "...Yes."

There's a silence between the two of you. It's awkward. Really awkward. "So, uh... you look like you're getting ready for something." You finally speak, noticing the nice shirt. "No." He replies bluntly, your smile falling. "Oh..." You look down, feeling embarrassed. You hear a low chuckle from him, looking back up, eyebrows furrowed upon noticing the amused look on his face. This fucking liar... "You're such a dick." You scoff. "A dick you walked halfway across campus for." Your face burns red again, and you turn to leave, but he stops you, grabbing your wrist and turning you back towards him.

He doesn't say anything for a moment, just looking down at you, flush against his chest. "...Yes?" You finally ask, swallowing thickly. "Would you like to accompany me tonight?" He asked, calm as could be. You're quiet for a minute, just looking at him. "Where are you going?" He shrugs. "Dinner."

And so, you go to dinner. Thankfully, you'd been wearing something decent enough to go to the place he had selected. On the drive there, he tells you his brothers are going to be there. Apparently they have this meet up sort of deal every few months or so, considering they all don't have time to meet up together very often, all of them spread out different places.

Lucifer, of course, was at college, was heir to their estate, and an assistant to a CEO by the name of Diavolo. Mammon and Asmodeus were both away on modeling tours a lot. Leviathan was a famous gamer and voice actor who traveled to conventions a lot to meet fans. Satan was traveling the world and writing a book about all sorts of different cats, Beelzebub was a famous chef and owned a couple restaurant chains, traveling often to keep an eye on them, and Belphie often traveled with him.

You had to admit, you felt a little out of place at dinner, and for a bit there, the brothers definitely seemed a little confused. One asked if you were Lucifer's lover-- *cough* Asmo *cough*-- and when you were confirmed not to, immediately tried to ask you out.

Of course, Lucifer shut that notion down quick. A little too quick for you not to notice.

Aside from that little stunt from the fifth born, things were rather relaxed. Everyone just talked, and relaxed, and soon enough, you fit right in.

During dinner, when everyone was quieter and eating, you noticed Lucifer staring at you. He appeared perplexed. However, the second you noticed he looked away.

To you, you simply shrugged it off. To him... his nice, simple plan started to fall apart. Distract you. Distract you... no, you were distracting him. And strangely enough, he didn't mind.

Once dinner was over, you said goodbye to the brothers, and he took you back to the dorm, just like last week. He bid you farewell just like last time, and turned to leave, but it was your turn to stop him this time. "Yes--?" He began to speak, but was cut off as he felt your lips press to his cheek.

"Goodnight, Lucifer. I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully." You said with a gentle smile before closing the door, a soft blush on your face.

Lucifer could only stand there, staring at the door for a minute. Eventually, he brought his hand to his face, pressing it against where you kissed him. It was confirmed. His nice, simple plan had fallen apart. You were his distraction now.

[theewrites-tf2]

‘Dad is Mad,’ AKA, Daddy Issues: The Fanfic

What does a reluctance to study, a wild desire to write about an OC, and coffee help create? 

This mildly edited fanfic, of course!

ENJOY, and let me know if y’all want more OC content!!!

—————————————————————————————————-

“It’s still bleedin’!!!” The whiney pitch from the backseat, combined with the thick Bostonian accent, made a grey-ice eye twitch violently again, as the driver gripped the wheel firmly. “Injuries tend to do that,” Spy growled lowly, keeping his eyes firmly on the barren road ahead of him, slick with the downpour of rain. “Your nose isn’t special, Scout, it will bleed like anyone else’s.”

“Especially when you pause to gloat, surely you saw that fist coming to your face?” Another eye-twitch as the silk-smooth drawl of the French woman in the passenger seat sounded,  as unmarred, perfectly manicured fingers procured a lipstick-ruby red, perfectly matching the blood that spotted the edge of her skirt-and she began to masterfully apply a fresh coat. “ ’Ey! I LET him take me by surprise!” Scout insisted, pointing an accusing finger at the noticeably uninjured Règine, whilst holding his bleeding nose in the other. “All the badasses take on injuries, I had to fill in my badass QUOTA!”

Patiently, she began to make a delicate swerve of red to match the arch of her lip, “Then I suggest you quit complaining, mon ami,  if you allowed yourself to be injured on purpose for glory-points.” She paused, grey-ice eyes narrowed in the mirror to meet Scouts, “It’s foolish and reckless, and you are lucky that I arrived in time to-” “Oh, don’t you start now, you didn’t HELP me!” Scout shouted back, eyes flaring indignantly, simultaneous with the crackle of thunder overhead, “You threw a gun at my hand and ran the other way, Ray, that’s not ’helping!’" 

"The point was for you to USE that gun, not whine and shriek when it brushed against you with more force than a feather-” “Feather?!  Bullshit, you CHUCKED it at me, felt like a goddamn TRUCK, least you coulda done was WARN me-”“I was on an espionage mission, revealing my position to the locals would have ruined the goal- ”“Nuh-uh, you could’ve stopped to help-”“-and we would’ve lost the files to the enemies. Apologies, but I think you can survive a mild BUMP to the nose in the eyes of our success-”“-how about YOU get bumped next time, Miss Not-gonna-help-I’m-just-gonna-do-my-makeup-and-save-the-day-without-lifting-a-pinkie- !” “ENOUGH!”

The roar from the older Frenchman was accompanied by the squealing of tires, and a Scout, as the brakes were slammed on and the car skidded to a halt. Scout nearly careened into the seats in front of him, while Règine patiently placed a hand on the dashboard to steady herself, sighing knowingly as the car came to a halt. Tense silence filled the air, with Scout swearing mutely as he righted himself, and Spy slowly, one by one, unclenched his fingers from the death-grip on the steering wheel… And Règine turned back to the car mirror, going to work on painting her lower lip. 

Spy turned, sharply enough for Scout to flinch back,  then tried to puff up indignantly, even under the glare of identical silver-blue irises shooting (metaphorical) daggers into him. Spy  pointed a leather gloved, blood-stained finger at the Bostonian, teeth gritted so hard they could’ve been beginning to crack. “YOU were practically a CHILD back there,” He nearly spat, and Scout actually reached up to wipe some spittle. “And acting like an utter, incompetent, arrogant, overconfident, whining FOOL back there, embarrassing not only our TEAM, but my FAMILY name. And if I ever catch you recklessly endangering a mission like that AGAIN, I WILL leave you to face the consequences ALONE. And YOU-”

Règine clicked the lipstick shut, eyes narrowed with chin raised challenging and already turned to meet his glare. Father and daughter stood in a nonverbal stand-off of eye-contact. A minute passed. Then two. By the third minute, Scout had stopped sputtering indignantly and angrily in the backseat, and was pressed back slightly, uncertainly glancing between the two angry French natives. A glance at the door, as if pondered if heading out in the rain and letting them have this… Thing in private, was the best choice-

“I won’t even give you the dignity of being associated with my family name.” Spy jerked his gaze away before finally growled this out, hands stiffly grabbing the steering wheel again as he restarted the car, leaving his estranged daughter still, eyes narrowed as chin remained raised in silent challenge. She finally lowered it, but not upset, or with a shred of quivering of her bottom lip. She turned back forward, and heaved an almost bored sigh as the car started forward again.

“Well, you succeeded disassociated me with the family name years ago. Really, you need to come up with better, fresher material, père.”

The car had barely moved a few yards, before the brakes slammed again, and Scout cut his stunned, shocked silence with a yelp as he fell forward again. “Get out of my car.” Spy ordered, voice cold and hard as stone as his eyes refused to move from the road ahead. Règine smoothed down her lightly blood-splattered skirt, unbothered, “May I remind you it’s raining?” She mused, not looking up at him, turning her attention to brightening her appearance. “You’d truly leave a young lady out in the middle of the desert, during a storm-?” “Oui. Now go, or I’ll drag you out with a bullet in your knee.”

Règine was silent, before she turned to the back of the car, offering a cool upward tilt of her lips to Scout, while her hand opened the passenger door. “I had fun, let’s do this again sometime, hm?” Scout could only gawk and with a sly, cool wink, Règine slid out smoothly into the downpour, and a crackle of red smoke,  from her cloaking device faded out into the night, slamming the door behind the form of smoke…

Really SLAMMING, so hard that the car reeled under the two remaining men inside, and Scout could’ve sworn that the outline of cracks in the window could be seen, as lightning crashed. Scout gawked, clambering over to his window and scanning the dark, thunder-lighted desert for a fading cloud of red-smoke, any sign of his sister…  But the car lurched under him before he could find her, and he cursed again, nearly collapsing as the car raced down the road again.

“Wh-what the HELL, Spy, turn back!” Scout demanded,  crawling up to smack Spy’s head-rest. “We can’t just LEAVE her out here-" 

"I just did, put your seatbelt on.” “It’s MILES from the nearest town-!" 

"Good, then we won’t have to concern ourselves with her until her return later… Hopefully, much later.”

 "SPY, seriously, turn around!  Why are you being such an asshole?!“

Leather creaked as hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, and Scout braced for impact of the brakes again. Instead, a different impact hit him as Spy growled out,  "Jeremy. Put on a seatbelt, or you can join her. If you can possibly find her.” Scout considered it, for a minute. It’d stick it to the old man, for sure,  Scout would KILL to see his expression as his kid walked out on him,  ’Really turn the tables on the jerk… Show him how it feels.’

But then a glance into the dark desert landscape outside, going by in a flurry fast enough to make his head spin, his chances of running back and finding a pissed-off,  invisible Frenchwoman in the dark, in the RAIN…  Well, to say such chances were SLIM was a compliment. Reluctantly, and with plenty of insults grumbled underbreath, Scout sat back in his seat. Though, in defiance, he refused a seatbelt, and went back to covering his sore, dried-blood-coated nose with his hand, glaring out the window until a handkerchief was thrust into his face. 

“Take it, and be quiet.” Spy ordered, more annoyed than the tense rage he had been filled with earlier, sounding more like the normal Spy Scout knew and tolerated, then whoever the asshole was took his place when Règine was around. 

“The doctor will take a look back on-base. And I expect that back, washed and ironed carefully by the end of the week.” Scout glanced at the fancy napkin in surprise, then eyes narrowed in suspicion before a sigh sounded in the front seat, “Scout, it’s not chloroformed. Just clean yourself before you make a mess of my vehicle." 

Scout glared for a moment, before finally reaching up to snatch it without thanks, pressing it to his nose. He didn’t hesitate to recoil from the overpowering stench of cigarettes that wafted off of it, but sighed grumpily, and pressed it again to his nose, tipping his head back to staunch the flow. ”… You’re still a dick. That was your freakin’ daughter.“ If Spy’s hands tightened impossibly further on the wheel, or if he closed his eyes for a heartbeat, Scout didn’t see it. 

He only heard the long, heavy sigh fill the car, stuffed with too many emotions for Scout to properly decipher. ”… You don’t need to remind me.“ Spy muttered under his breath, almost too softly to be heard as they sliced through the rain on the vacant highway. 

Almost.

But instead of pressing, Scout only gave an irritated sigh of his own, and slumped back in his seat with crossed arms,  thoughts trailing back to the golden-haired Frenchwoman, out there, all alone, in the rain, without a coat, or an umbrella… Left with nothing but… But…

”…Spy, wait, holy shit, she still has the files.“

[dropssofjupitter]

The American

Pairings: Fred Weasley x Slytherin!Reader [Platonic] , George Weasley x Slytherin!Reader [Semi-slowburn]

Summary: A new transfer student is welcomed to Hogwarts during the politically tense times that have befallen the wizarding kingdom. And despite their better judgement and the new (and frankly horrifying) DADA teacher, the twins can’t seem to get her out of their mind

Word Count: 2.5 k 

Warnings: Umbridge (I feel like that’s enough said for that one), anxiety mentions, swearing (light. maybe one f-bomb), Ron being a lil prejudiced against Slytherins

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A/N: I took a small liberty with the last name just to help the story flow better, so I’m sorry if that’s upsetting. I am also apologizing ahead of time if I wrote the twins ooc, it’s my first time writing a fic for them! [Not beta read, any mistakes are mine and mine alone]

You took a breath, hands smoothing down the sides of your skirt, twisting nervously in the folds. You could do this. Nerves ran throughout your body, making it feel like it was humming with energy as you shifted on your feet. You could do this. The professor next you, McGonagall if you remembered correctly, placed a comforting hand on your shoulder. You forced a small smile, turning your face back to the set of great wooden doors in front of you. You could barely hear a thing that was being said, you just knew that you would be introduced after the new teacher and then sorted into your house.

“In other news,” a voice raised from behind the doors and you looked up sharply. “We have a transfer student joining us this term. We have decided that it would be best for everyone if her sorting ceremony were as public as the first years, so please. Join me in welcoming Y/N Jones.”

The hand left your shoulder and you looked up, taking in another nervous breath as you watched McGonagall place her hand on one of the doors, nodding to you to motion that it was time before pushing the doors open. You forced your face to remain neutral, and straightened your back as you walked alone up to the Headmaster in the front of the room.

The sound of your shoes hitting the stone floor caused your anxiety to rise again, but you pushed it down, forcing yourself to keep your head high and act like you knew you belonged here. You stopped in front of the stool placed at the top of the steps and turned, sitting down on it and effectively silencing the whispers that had been floating around the Great Hall.

The headmaster (god, what was his name again?) raised a dusty old witches hat and placed it on your head. The brim of the hat slipped over your eyes, and an older sounding voice resounded in your head, mulling over where to place you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fred and George had fully expected this year’s welcoming feast to go like all of the others. Cheer when the first years were sorted (booing when it was into Slytherin, of course), boo again when the new DADA teacher was announced, and then gorge themselves as they planned the perfect way to sneak puking pastilles into Draco Malfoys food (it never worked). However, they were both pleasantly and utterly surprised when Dumbledore announced a new transfer student. Hogwarts had never really had a transfer student, at least while they were there.

Fred turned to George and elbowed him slightly, a half smirk on his face. “Maybe we’ll have another gullible second year to talk into insulting Snape, eh George?”

George grinned as he swallowed a quick swig of pumpkin juice. “Maybe so Freddie.”

However, as the doors to the Great Hall opened and you walked through, all thoughts of pranking left the boys’ heads. You carried yourself like you were the only one meant to be here, and like the others were new students embarking on your domain, and it drew the boys’ full attention. They only remembered to pick up their jaws when you sat down on the stool to be sorted.

Ron, who had noticed their strange reaction, tried to get their attention through a poorly hushed whisper, but to no avail. The twins were too focused on what house you were going to be sorted into.

It felt almost foolish to hope that you would be a Gryffindor, but hope they did. They waited with baited breath as the Sorting Hat took its sweet, sweet time. After what felt like an eternity, the hat had finally reached it’s verdict.

“Slytherin!” The voice rang out through the Great Hall, and the Slytherins cheered as their flag was momentarily displayed on the walls of the Hall. The twins felt their heart sink as they kept their eyes on your form, watching you as you walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down in between the first years and older house members.

“Oi! Fred! George!” Ron exclaimed, exasperated as he gave up on catching his brothers attention. “Bloody hell! It’s like I don’t even exist!”

Next to him, Hermione giggled knowingly, shaking her head at Ron.

“Oh? Have you got something to say now?” Ron asked, turning his face towards Hermione.

She sighed and shook her head again. “You really are incredibly dense sometimes Ron.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had spent the remainder of the feast politely talking to your fellow house members, answering their questions and asking some of your own. It seemed that they were all either in awe due to your transfer, or in disbelief once they found out that you were American. Quite honestly, you couldn’t blame them. Yet your anxiety kept you from speaking about it, and instead had you hesitantly picking at the comfort food that had magically appeared on your plate once you had sat down. 

After the feast was done, you were escorted to your room and introduced to your roommates by a prefect whom had asked you multiple times (despite your constant assurances) if you needed a tour of the castle itself. You settled into your room quite easily, introducing yourself to the girls and exchanging pleasantries before unpacking your trunk and getting your belongings situated. One girl, Pansy you believed, seemed particularly kind to you, and you made a mental note to get to know her better. 

Before you knew it, you were fast asleep in your bed, wrapped in the comfortable blankets that had been provided and assuring yourself that tomorrow would yield only positives. 

~~~~~

The next day had indeed started out well. You woke up on time and were able to find your classes easily, and you were also praised by Professor Sprout for your extensive knowledge in Herbology. However, things took a small turn for the worst went you entered Defense Against the Dark Arts. 

The first thing you noticed was the teacher in the front of the room, watching with beady eyes as students casually found their way to desks and friends. Her monochrome outfit looked awful, having the likeness of a pattern you swore you saw on your grandmother’s couch once, and had given her a look that, quite plainly, reminded you of a toad. 

The second thing you noticed was the fact that the seats were filling up, and quickly. Scurrying towards the closest open seat, you ended up next to a girl with unruly hair and a red and yellow tie. She smiled kindly at you as you sat down, and you returned the action before returning your eyes to the front of the room. 

“Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations, more commonly known as O.W.L.S.” The teacher spoke, seeming to punctuate every word of her sentence with a pause as the blackboard behind her wrote what she had spoken.

“Study hard, and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences may be, severe.” She smiled, a tight lipped sort of smile that let everyone know she was faking it. With a wave of her wand the stacks of books behind her began to float down the aisles, distributing themselves amongst the students.

“Your previous instruction on this subject has been, disturbingly, uneven.” You looked down as a book placed itself on your desk, pulling a face as you saw the cover and began to flip through it. 

“But you’ll be pleased to know that from now on you’ll be following a carefully constructed, Ministry approved course of defensive magic.” The girl next you did the same, and raised her hand. 

“Yes?” the professor called on her. 

“There’s nothing in here about using defensive spells?” she said, the confusion evident in her voice and mirroring the confusion on everyone else’s faces. 

“Using spells?” The professor laughed, walking closer towards your table. “Well I can’t imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom!”

“We’re not gonna use magic?” a redhead boy piped up, turning the book over in his hands. 

“You’ll be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way,” the professor replied, her annoyingly ‘girly’ voice already seeming to get on your nerves. 

“Well what use is that?” A brunette boy who looked shockingly similar to Harry Potter asked. “If we’re going to be attacked it won’t be ‘risk free’.” 

“Students will raise their hands when they speak in my class!” The professor said, her nerves evidently already frazzled as she raised her voice. The brunette boy sat back in his seat (No seriously. He could make money as a Harry look-alike) , obviously on edge as the professor took a moment to turn around and address the class again. 

“It is the view of the ministry, that a theoretical knowledge would be sufficient to get you through your examinations which after all, is what school is all about.” 

“And how are theories supposed to prepare us for what’s out there?” the brunette boy asked again, sharing a look with his table partner who had spoken up earlier. 

“There is nothing out there dear,” the professor replied, and at this, you couldn’t hold back a scoff. The professor whipped her head in your direction, and a few classmates turned to look at you. 

You looked up and swallowed thickly, your eyes meeting the professors. “I mean, I could be wrong, but wasn’t there a basilisk within the school a few years ago? That kind of seems like something ‘out there’.” 

The professor stuttered, and a few eyes widened around the classroom. “Ex-cuse me?” she said, taking a step towards your desk. 

“I’m just saying that there are certain undeniable dangers. Especially around this school, it seems.” You paused, hands fiddling with your robes under the table in a nervous habit that you hadn’t quite seemed to kick just yet. 

“Lying, Miss Jones, will get you nowhere.” The professor fired back, a tight-lipped smile plastered on her face. 

“She’s not lying,” the brunette fired back. “There are present dangers out in the world. Like, oh, I don’t know. Lord Voldemort.” 

The entire class went silent at his comment, some turning to glare at him with barely disguised hatred and others suddenly finding their desks and books to be the most interesting thing in the room. 

The professor, after taking a moment to recover of course, changed directions in order to walk towards the brunettes desk. “Now that, is a lie.” She replied in a dangerously low tone. 

“Oh, so I suppose that Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord then?” he replied in an accusatory manner. Gasps rose up from the class, disgust now evident in most of your classmates faces. 

“Cedric Diggory’s death was an unfortunate accident-” 

“No it wasn’t! Voldemort killed him! I watched it -” 

“That is enough Mr. Potter!” The professor yelled, losing her composure suddenly. The dead quiet settled over the class again as she smoothed down her skirt. “Potter, Jones, please see me for detention after classes today.” She said simply, before turning around and starting the days lesson as if the entire exchange had never occurred. 

You sat at your desk, absolutely dumbfounded. You had had no intention of speaking up in class, much less saying something apparently so controversial that it warranted a detention. Yet here you were, in your now decidedly least favorite class with your most recently least favorite teacher. How did you manage to get yourself into these situations?

The brunette next to you looked over with a small look of sympathy whilst your fellow Slytherins shared a not so subtle haughty laugh in the corner of the room. You sunk low in your seat, making up your mind indefinitely that speaking in class was completely off the table now. 

Thankfully, the class passed without any further altercations, and you nearly sighed with relief when it ended. You gathered up your items, shoving the new (and frankly quite stupid) DADA book into your bag and turning to make a beeline for the door. 

The brunette who had offered her sympathy earlier in the class spoke before you could leave the desk though. “Thank you for speaking up. For Harry I mean. Not a lot of people would do that, especially now.” 

You looked up, slightly confused. “What do you mean?” 

She returned your look. “Did you not hear?” 

“Hear about what?” The two of you had slowly made your way to Umbridge’s door, lest you incite her wrath twice in the same day. 

The brunette was about to answer when the redhead who had spoken earlier wrapped his arm over her shoulder in a protective matter. “Is this Slytherin bothering you Hermione?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at you in what you assumed was his best glare (honestly it wasn’t very good). 

You furrowed your eyebrows and took a step back. “Excuse me?” 

“I said,” he stepped in front of Hermione and crossed his arms, “is this snake bothering you?”

“Oh honestly Ronald!” Hermione cried out from behind him, grabbing his arm and pushing him out of the classroom door. She threw an apologetic smile over her shoulder at you before turning back to Ron and smacking the back of his head. 

You stifled a laugh at the look on his face and shook your head as you headed the opposing way down the corridor, not entirely paying attention to your surroundings as you double checked your schedule for the third time that day. 

Moments later you were sprawled out on the corridor floor, having collided with two people who had apparently been running at breakneck speed. You groaned and picked yourself up to a sitting position, looking over at the other two boys currently thrown over one another. Great. More redheads. 

Despite your better judgement, you gently kicked one of them with your foot after picking yourself fully up off of the floor. “Hey, are you guys alright?” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fred and George were royally screwed. Fucked, if you will. 

They hadn’t planned to quite literally body slam you in the corridors whilst running away from Filch after setting off dung bombs in his office, it had just. . . happened. And quite unfortunately, at that. 

George rolled over and off of his brother as he felt your foot kick him, looking up at you with what he hoped to Merlin was a dashing smile as he suppressed whatever copious amounts of pain that he was feeling in that moment. “Barely, but I suppose we’ll manage. Right Freddie?” He asked, looking down at his brother who was still planted face first into the stone floor. 

“Speak for yourself oh brother dearest,” he sarcastically replied as he peeled himself from the stone. 

“Weasley’s!” Filch yelled from down the corridor, running full speed (or as well as he could) towards them, students wrinkling their noses in disgust and turning away as he passed them. 

“And that,” Fred said, offering George a hand up, “would be our cue to leave.” 

Both twins offered you crooked grins, George even going as far as saluting you, before they dashed off through the corridors, quite possibly traveling faster than they had when they’d ran into you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You watched them, thoroughly amused despite being tackled, and bent down to pick up the paper schedule that had fallen from your hands. As you reached down, you noticed a larger and much thicker parchment next to yours. You grabbed both and looked closer at the thicker parchment, watching with amazement as what seemed to be a map of the school faded away into nothing. 

You looked back up at the boys just in time to see them turn a corner and disappear from sight. It appeared as though you’d have to return their tricky map to them another time. 

Smiling at the thought of interacting with the chaotic individuals again, you headed off towards Divination. 

.

.

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Add yourself to my taglist here

[multisfabulis]

Wayfinder’s Voyage

Oceanic (Chapter 1 | 2)

Word Count: 5785

I hope everyone enjoyed reading this! I'm honestly super anxious while I'm typing this because, not only is this my first fic in the KH fandom, this is also my first ship fic so I'm feeling a lot of pressure.

I want to apologize if the characters seem OOC in this, I was mainly going off of memory and a Wiki because I didn't want to sit through an entire LP of BBS just to get a few details accurate. It already took me a month and a half to write all of this and I didn't want to take up more time.

I do have more Terraqua fics in the works, as well as a couple other KH fics in general, but those will probably be posted way later. I just wanted to test the waters with this fic and see how I do so...

So some things to note:

*Both Aqua and Terra's first scenes in this fic were made entirely for the purpose of giving them build-up while not diminishing Ven's importance to them. I was already going to be fucking with canon a lot but I also didn't want to leave Ven to the wayside so I created those scenes. You'll see Terra's in the next chapter.

*I feel the need to apologize for the second half of the second scene because that still feels like word barf, even when I know why I wrote it like that. I hope the intention behind those words is still conveyed clearly but I'll understand if it's not.

*As for the last scene, I completely misremembered the sequence of events leading up to the end. I already knew that scene was going to be changed somewhat just for the context of the ship but I think it's pretty clear which parts I changed on purpose and which parts I was winging it. It's been years since I last watched that scene, it was super late into the night, this was my third rewrite, and I felt satisfied with my work before realizing I fucked up and decided to go along with it.

Read on AO3 | Read on DA | Support me on Ko-fi!

     Today started out like any other normal day. Aqua woke up, did her morning regimen, and set off for the great hall to begin her studies. She and Terra, her friend/rival, were to train under the watchful eye of their master Eraqus in the hopes of coming one step closer to fulfilling their lifelong dream. They would one day surpass the rank of apprentice and become Keyblade Masters in their own right, something she wished would arrive sooner rather than later.

     Then came time for their daily duel. They would often spar with each other as a way of proving their capabilities in battle, seeing what areas they could use improvement in, and showing off the techniques they had learned from past fights. This seemed to be no different from their previous clashes.

     She was on the defense, blocking and deflecting each blow Terra threw her way with relative ease. He managed to find an opening she didn’t account for and all but jumped on the opportunity. He charged in, his Keyblade held high, and she only had a split second to raise hers in an attempt to guard against it. Yet, whether it was due to a miscalculation on his part or her just reacting too slow, he ended up hitting her unarmored wrist. She quickly backed away, letting out a cry of pain as both Keyblades were dismissed in a flash of light. Eraqus rushed over to check if she was okay.

     Terra was beside her with remorseful apologies spilling out of his mouth but she barely paid them any heed. Her eyes were focused on something much more alarming, something she knew Eraqus saw too. Emanating from Terra’s hand was an aura of Darkness, which vanished as soon as he noticed it. He tried to defend himself to Eraqus but the damage was already done.

     Their master had an almost zealous hatred for Darkness, believing it’d bring nothing but destruction in its wake, and sought to rid the Land of Departure of any, even if some laid dormant in his apprentices’ hearts. This was a constant problem for Terra, who always seemed to harbor enough to fall back on, be it consciously or not. For it to flare up during training, that drew Eraqus’s ire.

     It was hard not to feel sorry for Terra as he was being harshly scolded. It wasn’t like he was trying to use Darkness, at least not intentionally. She knew that it was only an accident but it wouldn’t help stop the shame he undoubtedly felt. He’ll probably curse himself for being too weak and letting Darkness in yet again once he thought no one was around, an occurrence she’s been privy to more than she had any right to be. She needed to talk with him once she had her wrist taken care of.

     With a hand on her back, Eraqus began leading her out of the great hall. She looked over her shoulder to catch one last glimpse of Terra before leaving. He hung his head in shame as he clenched his fists in what she believed to be anger. It was just as she expected. She turned her head back to face forward, hoping he wouldn’t blame himself more than he already was.

     They made their way over to the infirmary, where Eraqus gently took hold of her wrist to examine it. She could see now how bruised and swollen it was from the impact as she winced with every slight movement. He was able to determine she had a sprained wrist, which she regarded as a miracle. With the amount of force Terra had in his swing, she was thankful it didn’t result in a break. She was to keep it wrapped and iced for a couple days till it healed, something she had no problem with.

     After it was bandaged, she was told to take it easy until then. She asked Eraqus about Terra and he said he’d have a talk with him once enough time had passed for things to settle down. There was an undercurrent of regret in his voice, made even clearer by the expression on his face. Their master may be strict but he still cared for them, similar in the way a father would for his children. This gave her some hope in that he realized what happened was an accident and he’d forgive Terra. Time would only tell.

     She spent the rest of the day in the library. She figured she’d get some studying done if she couldn’t practice with her Keyblade for the next few days. Try as she might, though, she could barely focus on the words she was reading and that was if she didn’t reread the sentence to understand it. Her mind kept wandering to Terra, whether he was okay or not, and what he was doing right now. Worry gnawed at her heart until she couldn’t take it anymore. The sun was beginning to cast orange and violet hues across the sky when she decided and rushed out to find him.

     He wasn’t in the great hall or his room when she looked in. Searching all around the building yielded no results, either. She wondered where he could be, her anxiety growing as she saw night quickly approaching. He had to still be in the Land of Departure and the only place she hadn’t checked yet was the mountain. She ran out to the Forecourt and then beyond its boundary.

     Stars were twinkling into existence by the time she reached the winding path leading up to the mountain. If it weren’t for the lights set alongside the dirt road, she would’ve been stumbling about blindly in the dark. It was when she arrived at the overlook just before the summit she found him.

     His back faced her as she saw that he was sitting on the edge of the cliff. Taking a few steps closer revealed him to be looking down below the mountain with an indiscernible expression. It was troubling to see him like this. What happened earlier today had to be weighing heavily on his mind.

     Tentatively walking forward, she called out, “Terra?”

     He stiffened and quickly turned around to face her, asking a barrage of questions like, “Aqua, are you okay? How’s your wrist? Is it bad? It’s bad, isn’t it?”

     “No, no, it’s all right, see?” she replied, showing him her bandaged wrist. “Master said it was only a sprain and that it should be okay in a couple days as long as I took it easy.”

     He let out a sigh of relief, no doubt feeling some of the guilt be lifted off his shoulders. “That’s good. I don’t think I would’ve forgiven myself if I managed to break your wrist.”

     “Well, you didn’t, so don’t beat yourself up over it, okay?”

     Silence fell between them. She noticed him staring at her wrist with clouded eyes, despite her assurances of being fine. Before she could think of a way to broach the issue at hand, he spoke up.

     “Aqua, I’m…I’m sorry about what happened earlier. I swear, I didn’t mean to hurt you, it was an accident, and---”

     “I know, I know! You don’t need to apologize, I know you would never try and hurt me,” she interjected, trying to comfort him. “I’m more worried about you and how you’re doing after Master had those…words with you.”

     He averted his eyes from her. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen Eraqus scold Terra like he had before and those always left him feeling horrible with himself. She was used to being the one to get him back to normal but something told her this wouldn’t be as easy as previous times.

     Turning away from her, he said, “I deserved it. Master was right, I could’ve seriously hurt you.”

     “But you didn’t and that’s what matters,” she replied.

     “I was wielding Darkness, Aqua!” he exclaimed, taking her aback. He ran a hand through his hair before continuing on, “I thought it was gone. I thought I had it under control but I guess I don’t. Maybe it never left.”

     “Terra…” She walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be okay. You’ve gotten rid of Darkness before, you can do it again. You just have to---”

     He brushed her off. “What if I don’t? What if I’ll always have Darkness inside me?”

     “What are you saying?”

     “Maybe I’m not meant to be a Keyblade Master. Maybe I’m just destined to fall into darkness. It’s my fate to lose my heart and become a Heartless.”

     “That won’t happen, Terra. You’re strong enough to resist it and---”

     “What if I’m not, Aqua? How else would you explain why I keep having Darkness come out of me? You can’t, can you?”

     To her horror, he was right. There was no way she could explain why Darkness lingered inside him, even with the numerous attempts to rid himself of it. It wasn’t because he had a weak heart, that much she was certain. So what was the connection between the two? Was Terra right in that he was destined to fall into darkness, either by losing his heart or some other means?

     The thought rocked her to the core. She didn’t want to believe his fate was to be lost in a hellish abyss until he was put out of his misery. He was her dear friend and he deserved so much more than being reduced to a lowly Heartless. She refused to accept it, which was why she decided to do something about it.

     “You won’t fall into darkness, Terra,” she affirmed, stepping around him to meet his gaze. “I know it.”

     “How? How can you be so sure?” he asked.

     “Because I won’t let you.” She took hold of his hand in a gentle yet firm grip. “I promise I won’t let you fall into darkness.”

     He seemed genuinely shocked by her words. She meant what she said and she planned on upholding her promise. It may be hard and it may even be treacherous at times but it’d all be worth it if he remained in the light.

     “And, if you do fall, I promise to always guide you back home,” she added, giving his hand a squeeze.

     “...You have that much faith in me, huh?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

     “Why wouldn’t I?” She cupped his cheek. “You’re my friend, Terra, and I know you’re strong enough to resist its temptation. I’ll just be there to remind you every so often.”

     He said nothing, instead deciding to pull her into a hug. She was surprised by this, seeing as how he wasn’t a very affectionate person, at least in the physical aspect. She was about ready to question him on why he was doing this when she heard him whisper in her ear:

     “Thank you, Aqua, for believing in me.”

     Her heart fluttered in her chest from the sincerity in his voice. She could sometimes be slow on the uptake but this had to be a new record. It was only now she realized just how much her vow must’ve touched him and how badly he must’ve been feeling before she showed up. She was glad to have cheered him up some. Thus, she returned the hug and answered,

     “You’re welcome.”

     Terra wasn’t going to fall into darkness, not if she had anything to say about it. He won’t be led astray. She’d be his anchor to the realm of light. A promise is a promise, which she wholly planned to keep.

     Aqua breathed in deep and touched the tip of her paintbrush on the small piece of glass sitting in front of her. Drawing it upwards left the top half in a pretty shade of cyan blue. She continued to paint with delicate and meticulous strokes until she was satisfied with her work. The bottom half was then covered in a dark blue, which almost matched the ocean she imagined in her mind. Once the piece of glass was completely painted over, she gingerly picked it up and set it aside to dry. One down, four more to go before she moved on to the next phase.

     She was in the process of making her Wayfinder. She already crafted two others that happened to be sitting off to the side, one in amber and one in green. She hoped to give them to Terra and Ven soon once she was done creating hers. Seeing as how she and Terra were meant to have their Mark of Mastery exam in the near future, they were meant to be good luck charms and Ven was getting one simply because it’d be unfair if he was left out. They also had another purpose to them, something she thought was rather poignant and was the main reason she wanted them.

     Wayfinders were said to be designed after star-shaped fruit called Paopu, which were also said to tie friends together. If they carried these on them, nothing would drive them apart. They’d even help find one’s way back to them if they were ever lost. It may be silly of her to believe in this but it struck a chord within her when she first heard it and, in some ways, she wanted it to be true.

     The question of what would happen after she and Terra aced their exam had weighed heavily on her mind for some time. Eraqus had told them they could either travel beyond the Land of Departure and expand their horizons or succeed him and protect their world from Darkness. They hadn’t decided yet but she wondered what the aftermath of her choice would be. Would she choose to leave or stay? Whatever it may be, it meant Terra would have to contend with the other. Maybe the reason this was troubling her so much was because a part of her deep down was afraid of losing the two people she considered to be her best friends.

     She knew she had nothing to be scared of yet she worried all the same. It wasn’t like the bonds she shared with Ven and Terra were so weak, they’d break upon setting foot outside their home. Their strength would remain steadfast, even if the three of them were far apart from each other. She just needed to remind herself of that whenever she was lost in her thoughts.

     The last glass piece was painted and she put it beside the others to dry. With that out of the way, the next thing to do would be setting the five glass pieces into place and soldering them to the frame so they wouldn’t fall out when she held the Wayfinder facing up. It was too late to do it tonight but she would get straight to it after her training tomorrow.

     She glanced over to where the other two Wayfinders were sitting. She stood up from her desk, reached her hand out to grab them, and sat back down. They shone brilliantly under the golden light pouring in from her window. A lot’s happened over the last few years.

     She never thought Eraqus would take in another apprentice but it was at the behest of an old friend so that’s how Ventus came into the picture. Fragile was the best word to describe him when they first met, like he could collapse at any moment. It fit him even more when he actually did from Terra’s bombardment of questions, falling into an almost come-like state for several days. Her skepticism as to whether he was capable of becoming a Keyblade Master only grew when Eraqus said he was amnesiac and that was why he fainted. How could someone like him become Master when he was so weak, for lack of a better term?

     Yet he managed to prove her wrong. The more time he spent with the two of them, the stronger he got, to the point he was able to keep up with them in battle. He wasn’t as powerful as Terra or as magically gifted as her but he made up for it with swiftness and sheer tenacity. The only reason he wasn’t taking the Mark of Mastery exam along with them was because of his age, though she believed it was also due to him needing to outgrow some things, like his rebellious streak for example. He’d be a great Keyblade Master one day, she was sure of it.

     Terra’s changed so much over the years. He was no longer a child struggling to keep his head above water as he flailed his Keyblade about. He’s grown into a strong and capable man she was proud to call her friend and rival. He’d be her fellow Master in due time as well and then they’d stand together to protect both theirs and many other worlds from Heartless someday. At least, that’s what she envisioned before things somehow became different between them.

     She couldn’t quite explain what changed between her and Terra. It wasn’t like the way they interacted with each other was different from normal. They still met up every day to talk and train so that couldn’t be it. The only thing she noticed was…well, things she had never really noticed from him before. Not that they were never there but they were only starting to make themselves known to her.

     Before Ven, she’d only seen three sides to Terra. The dutiful pupil to their master, the reliable confidant to her, and the introspective self-doubter when he thought he was alone. It was only after Ven entered their circle she saw the kind and protective side of him, almost like he was an older brother to him. She always knew those qualities existed within him but it was different seeing them in action to someone other than her. It’s only now she’s really acknowledged them.

     He was still her friend but there was a deeper meaning now. Her feelings towards him were different than her feelings towards Ven and maybe that was because she’s known him practically all her life as opposed to the four years for Ven. Maybe all this was was her growing up and becoming an adult, which meant changing feelings and realizing that things were going to be different for her now, whether she liked it or not. Throw in the anxiety of potentially drifting away from him and she was left with a jumbled up mess of complications she struggled to put a label on.

     All this was doing was giving her a headache. She should be focusing on the road ahead instead of thinking herself into a corner and letting her mind run wild. She’s so close to accomplishing her dream and she couldn’t risk anything jeopardizing it. Whatever answers she wanted, she’d find them after becoming Master.

     She looked down at the Wayfinders still held in her hands and pressed them close to her chest. She let out a heavy sigh as she tried to calm herself. Different was new but it didn’t have to be bad. Change was a part of everyone’s lives and she and Terra were no exceptions.

     Things may be different between them but it didn’t mean they were bad. It could mean they were good and she just couldn’t see how yet. As long as they were together, nothing truly bad would happen. That’s what she hoped.

     Aqua sat at the end of the dock, watching the sun set over the horizon. A warm, pleasant breeze was blowing through, carrying with it the strong scent of salt. She could hear the ocean’s waves rolling along the sandy shore and leaves from the trees behind her rustling. This was everything she imagined a beach to be like. The only things missing from it were Terra and Ven.

     The Destiny Islands was what this world was called. She only stopped by with the intention of taking a short rest but it was after reality began to sink in she had to give herself something more than that. She needed a moment where she could think clearly, decompress, and just breathe. She needed this before going back out there and starting the whole process over again. That’s where she was now.

     Where did it all go wrong? She finally managed to achieve her dream of becoming a Keyblade Master but it felt like a hollow victory when it turned out Terra failed the exam on account of his Darkness flaring up again. Then she was asked by their master to keep an eye on him in case he strayed too close to darkness, which she didn’t agree with but knew it was out of concern for him so she followed. It was through that she learned of the questionable acts seemingly committed by Terra and it caused her to doubt him and his resolve. When she met up with him and Ven at Radiant Garden and she revealed the truth of her being there, their trust in her was shattered.

     Then she found out Ven was being hunted down by a masked boy, who had ties to Master Xehanort. He’d been pulling strings behind the scenes and he was dragging Terra along for the ride. An encounter with the masked boy in Neverland left her exhausted yet she still trudged on before arriving here. All she was trying to do was make things right so why did it turn out like this?

     Maybe she wasn’t cut out to be a Master. They were supposed to keep the balance between light and dark, protect the worlds from malevolent forces. If she couldn’t even protect her best friends, the two people she treasured above all else, then what good was she? Eraqus was wrong in making her a Master, much less his successor. She never should have become one.

     She took out her Wayfinder and just held it. The orange hue of the sunset washed away the once vibrant blue into something dull and dark. Her heart grew heavier the longer she looked at it, running her thumb over the token in the center. Nothing would drive them apart, huh?

     It was never that she thought of Ven as weak or doubted his capabilities. It was never, ever that. She just wanted him to be safe, to be unharmed because she knew she couldn’t always be there to save him. There was a part of her that still viewed him as the fragile boy she first met who fell comatose from one too many questions. Sure, he’s grown much stronger since then, but she felt the need to protect him regardless. He was her dear friend and she wouldn’t know how to live with herself if he got hurt and she wasn’t there to help him. She’d rather have him hate her for being overbearing than risk losing him because she wasn’t cautious.

     She wished she could express how sorry she was to Terra. She vouched for him to Eraqus, swearing he was strong enough to resist the dark temptations, yet hearsay was all it took for her to lose faith in him. Xehanort’s machinations framed him as someone he wasn’t and she fell for it so easily. It honestly pissed her off that he was manipulating and taking advantage of Terra and his trusting nature. While he wasn’t exactly innocent in this, it was clear as to who the real mastermind was. She wanted so badly to apologize to him, to tell him she should never have doubted him.

     Her grip on the Wayfinder tightened as she felt her eyes beginning to burn. Did they have theirs still, she wondered. She wanted to believe they did but was it childishly naive of her to cling to that narrow hope?

     She was a horrible friend to them. She caused one to lose faith in her and she may as well have betrayed the other. She may have pushed Ven too far away for him to come back and drove Terra further into the darkness. She wouldn’t fault them for wanting nothing to do with her anymore. She wouldn’t, either, if the roles were reversed. Were their bonds now severed?

     No, they couldn’t be. The magic she placed on each of their Wayfinders was still active and she could still feel Terra and Ven’s hearts through hers. That had to be her silver lining in this. Even if the cord connecting the three of them together frayed till it was only a thread, that thread was unbreakable.

     She needed to protect them. She couldn’t let Xehanort and that masked boy do whatever they wanted with them. They wouldn’t hesitate to save her if she were in the same position so she shouldn’t, either. They were precious to her, she’d do anything, even give her life, if it meant they’d be safe.

     She stood up from the dock, Wayfinder still in her hand, and looked up at the now starry sky. She didn’t know where they were but she didn’t need to. Her heart was going to be her guiding key.

     They needn’t worry much longer. She was going to find them and the three of them were going to stop whatever Xehanort had planned. Then they would share one more night under the stars, like they had all that time ago.

     May they find a way to each other once more.

     Aqua watched on in horror as the man in front of her stabbed his Keyblade into his chest. She wanted to cry out his name but she couldn’t find the strength within her to do so, having thoroughly exhausted herself from their fight earlier. His body went slack, his Keyblade vanishing into thin air, as a portal of swirling darkness opened beneath him. He fell back and, quickly realizing where it led to, she dove in after him.

     She had to save him. It may not have been Terra, not completely, but his heart was still in his body, she just knew it. Why else would he have let her go when he was so close to finishing her off? She couldn’t leave him to wander in the Realm of Darkness for all eternity. Even if it meant bringing Xehanort back, she’d never forgive herself for doing that to him if he was still in there. She made him a promise and she was damn well going to keep it.

     The first thing she noticed was how cold it was. It wasn’t freezing but it was still too chilly for her liking, evident from her shivering. She felt like she was stuck in an empty black void as she searched around for any sign of Terra. She was eventually able to find a dim light just a few meters below her, a light she recognized as his. Summoning her Keyblade, she changed its form to that of her Glider and raced towards the light, not once taking her eyes off it.

     It didn’t take long to reach him. The light grew dimmer and dimmer the closer she got before dimming completely upon seeing him. He looked to be just sleeping, even when he was plummeting straight down to what she considered to be hell. She grabbed onto his arm and struggled to lift him onto her Glider, only managing to accomplish that feat by sheer force of will. Giving him a quick once-over revealed no visible wounds and he seemed to be breathing normally. Relieved that he was physically all right, she turned the Glider around and began heading back up.

     She had him and he was going to be okay. They would be back in Radiant Garden soon and she was going to fix him. She and whoever else could help her were going to find a way to get Xehanort’s heart out of him. Then she and him would go home and wake Ven up, like she said they would. They’d be together again. Their master may be gone now but they’d have each other to lean on and support. The hope of them being reunited again was the only thing keeping her going at this point. After everything that’s happened, she needed this to come true. She almost wanted to pray to whatever power there be to grant her wish, to give her this.

     Well, a deity or some other higher being there was heard her and sneered. Her heart dropped once she saw the portal they came in from starting to close. They were still so far away and it was shrinking with each passing second. It would be gone by the time they reached it, leaving them stuck in the Realm of Darkness with no way out. She looked over at Terra’s unconscious form and, knowing what had to be done, made her choice without any hesitation.

     That was when it hit her. She finally found her answer and she wanted to scold herself for taking so long to realize it. She finally knew what Terra was to her and it was so easy, so simple to understand that there was really no excuse. He wasn’t just a friend to her, he was more than that, he deepened beyond that. It was only natural, in some ways, for her to have fallen for him.

     She loved him. She loved everything about him, from his ability to want to see the good in people to his devotion to her and Ven. She can scarcely remember a life where he wasn’t a part of it nor did she want such a life. He was irreplaceable, someone she confided in, a man she could talk to about anything without fear of judgment. He was her rock, her dearly beloved. She loved him, which was why she was able to decide on her fate with little regret.

     She was going to take his place. Her promise came out of a love different from what it was now but she planned to uphold it all the same. Her love for Terra was stronger than her hatred of the man possessing him and she couldn’t bear to leave him behind to die in a hellish wasteland. It only hurt to know she wouldn’t be there to help guide him back home, to her and Ven.

     She disembarked from her Glider and went around to the side. Terra appeared to be holding onto the handles somewhat, which seemed to be the only reason he was staying on it instead of falling. She brushed the back of her hand against his cheek before resting it on his, giving it a gentle squeeze. She was going to miss him when she was gone but this was for the best.

     “We’ll meet again someday.” She squeezed his hand again. “Even if so much time has passed, we’ll meet again.” She was giving both him and herself false hope. “I’ll always be with you, okay?” She didn’t believe she would find a way out. “Goodbye, Terra.”

     Then she let go and began falling. She didn’t take her eyes off him once as she fell, even when it became too dark for her to see him clearly. She wanted him to be the last thing she saw if she were to possibly die in the next few moments. She only wished she could’ve amended things between her, Terra, and Ven before their grand battle in the Keyblade Graveyard but she was resigned to contend with this. She’d be okay with taking that regret to her grave.

     Tears rolled down her cheeks but she smiled through them. She saved him from a fate of wandering the dark realm alone. She hoped Terra would win out in his fight against Xehanort and reclaim his body as the image of him finally disappeared from her sight. Maybe, just maybe, they’d meet again in the next life.

     She closed her eyes as she let the darkness overtake her. It was then she heard herself say those three little words that carried with them so much meaning. Whether she said them aloud or she only imagined she did, it didn’t matter. All she wanted was for those words to reach Terra’s heart, to let him know why she did what she did. That was her last thought before succumbing to the cold.

     “I love you.”

[babuis]

Countdouwn [BokuAka]

Genre: Hurt no Comfort, Angst, Soulmate AU

Word count: 2k words

Parings: Bokuto x Akaashi (For x reader, use interactive fics and sub out Bokuto)       

Authors note: Have bad 3 years ago angst writing hehe... I wrote this for one of my classes ad used different names. Bokuto is probably OOC... whoops. I didn’t edit this, please don’t roast my immature writing.

Synopsis: Akaashi knew what Bokuto had done in order for him to be where he was now. He let his tears fall silently as he let the harsh reality hit him like a stack of bricks. Bokuto had given him his life, but to live it without him… He wished he hadn’t.

It was a cold December day. The sky was a dull grey-blue with wisps of clouds blocking out the little warmth the sun had to offer. People on the streets of the city had rosy blushes on their cheeks and noses so red, Rudolph would be jealous. 

Among the red nosed crowds, a couple was walking down the riverbank while holding hands. Their free hands held warm drinks from the cafe a block away. As they talked, their breaths formed white, fluffy puffs in the air. Looking quite in love, they made the people without their soulmates green with envy.

Noticing the jealous stares directed at him and his boyfriend Akaashi, Bokuto frowned. Why would they be jealous?  

They still had time while he didn’t.

 When someone found their soulmate, the timer on their wrist would reset itself to counting down the time they had left together instead of counting down the time until they met. As time ticked away, the soulmates would have to decide which one of them would die. When the decision and time was done, the person who would die would laser their timer off. 

If they chose not to decide, they would both be separated and die excruciatingly slow and painful deaths the moment time was up. Having only one pass was the solution made when the human population was close to extinction. Then, there would at least one soulmate left to produce an offspring. Some soulmates were lucky, having many, many years left with each other. Some even grew old enough to have kids together, but Bokuto and Akaashi were not as lucky. 

Although happy with Akaashi, Bokuto thought living life without being pressured was a blessing. 

Sitting down on a bench, Bokuto unconsciously glanced down at his wrist.

0 years/ 8 days / 12 hours / 53 seconds

He winced, his mood dampened. Noticing the change in behavior, Akaashi looked at the silver haired man’s face with a worry on his delicate features.

“Are you okay?” he inquired, taking his hand away from Bokuto’s to touch his forehead, “You're not sick are you? We can go home if you want.”

The Ace’s heart swelled at the male’s offer. Although Akaashi had to practically beg him to go on a date, he was perfectly okay with canceling. Bokuto almost felt bad. He was never was very flexible in making plans with Akaashi due to his job as a Pro Volleyball player while the latter had done quite the opposite; always bending to what he wanted. But Akaashi wouldn't be his soulmate if he didn't understand right?

Bokuto shook his head, his unstyled falling over his yellow eyes, “No, I'm alright.”

Akaashi didn't believe him, his eyes filled with uncertainty, “Are you sure? We can go home and I can make some soup.”

Bokuto flashed a large smile at Akaashi, he had such a kind soulmate, “I’m sure! Now, where were we?”

Akaashi hesitantly returned the smile as he took Bokuto’s hand again to continue the date, “Well, you remember how we met right?”

The owl like man chuckled to himself, recalling the memory fondly. And if he remembered correctly, it was in the exact spot they were standing at.

They were in their first year of college back then. Akaashi spilled his coffee on Bokuto while they both rushed class. The apologetic look on Akaashi’s face made him look like a kicked puppy and Bokuto’s anger had dissolved as he further studied the tall, good-looking male. 

Akaashi, on the other hand, was so embarrassed that he spilled coffee on a devilishly handsome stranger, that he was about to cry. His desire for the ground to swallow him up heightened as he realized that wow- Bokuto’s face was sculpted by the gods. After standing awkwardly for a moment, Bokuto realized that he was still running late. Glancing down at his wrist to see how much time had past, Bokuto almost started choking on the air… his clock had restarted!

Akaashi had still not stopped being embarrassed and in habit, he stared at his timer. He dropped his jaw as he noticed the same exact thing had happened with him. What an awkward way to meet his soulmate!

“I remember,” mused Bokuto, “you apologized so much, I had to kiss you.”

Akaashi laughed, “Yea, I remember that too. We were so young back then.”

And we had time, Bokuto thought, biting his lips, How will I live without him now?

A week later, Bokuto found himself staring at their shared bedroom. He had noticed something was missing in the room but he couldn’t put a finger on what. As he eyeballed the room, realization finally hit him like a slap in the face- Akaashi had been packing his stuff.

HIs heart swelled; even after death, Akaashi was thinking of how Bokuto would feel if he saw his stuff. He was too pure and kind for the world. Maybe the only up side of dying was that Akaashi would finally be the angel he already was. 

Now sad, he scrolled through his camera roll to cheer himself up. A quick blast to the past would bring his mood up for sure.

He smiled seeing a picture with them and their friends in jerseys, profusely sweating. In the picture, Akaashi was giving Bokuto his water bottle although sweating the most. 

Bokuto swiped to see a picture of them eating popsicles. Although he had a perfectly good one, he was taking a bite out of Akaashi’s as he just laughed.

The next picture was of Akaashi holding out food towards the camera. Although not shown in the picture, Bokuto knew he was offering it to him who was off screen.

Continuing to swipe, Bokuto realized that in most of the photos, Akaashi was giving something to him. There was one where Akaashi was holding the umbrella over Bokuto’s head to prevent his gelled hair from deflating. There was one where Akaashi was hugging Bokuto to give him warmth from the cold. There was one where Akaashi was helping Bokuto up aft her had fallen while receiving a ball. There was one where Alaashi wrapped up Bokuto’s injury. There even was one where Akaashi was taking a picture of Bokuto for his Instagram.

Bokuto felt his stomach drop when he saw a picture where Akaashi was pouting as he ate the last chip teasingly in front of him. He knew he was joking but, he never realized how much Akaashi had given him. And it was never just physical things that Bokuto took from Akaashi either, Bokuto always seemed to be on the receiving end for everything.

Why was Akaashi even with him? He pondered. He had done nothing for him. And now that he really thought about it, he was a failure of a soulmate. 

The pictures were supposed to lift his mood, but it just worsened it in the end.

Click

“Hey, Kotaro,” Akaashi walked into the room and hugged him, “I’m home.”

Bokuto tried to rid his sadness in order to not worry Akaashi, “Hey ‘Kaashi! How was work?”

“Oh, it was great!” the male said, untangling his limbs from his soulmate, “I got a new patient, His name is Kenma and his soulmate Kuroo died not too long ago. Anyway, he wasn’t coping well. He was a wreck when he came into my office; it looked like he hadn’t slept or eaten in days. I was able to help him feel better though. I’m really glad that this is my profession; it’s really helped me realize that the people who live are the strong ones because they have to deal with the pain and the aftermath.”

Akaashi hesitated as if he was going to say something else but said nothing. 

In the silence, Bokuto’s thoughts ran wild. As a soulmate therapist, Akaashi had such a big impact on people. He did so much to help everyone and what did Bokuto do? What would he have left to do in the world after Akaashi was gone? When Akaashi died, there would be so many people to mourn his death. Who would miss him if he was the one who died other than Akaashi? He was so kind and selfless… so why was he, on the other hand, being selfish when there was nothing to be selfish for? 

“I-” Bokuto choked on his words, “I don’t say it often but I love you. I don’t know how I’m going to live without you. I need you. When you’re gone, I don’t know what to do. I’m not strong, I’m just scared. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to be alone.”

Akaashi stared in shock as his normally strong soulmate burst into tears. As the tears fell, tremors shook Bokuto’s body like an earthquake. He finally let the reality of their situation settle in as he cried. Hearing Akaashi sniffle and hug him, made his heart ache. Akaashi was always strong, but Bokuto never stopped to consider how he really felt. 

Later, when Akaashi let out his steady breaths of peaceful sleep, Bokuto finally pushed his selfishness aside and made a decision.

Akaashi was not going to die tomorrow.

Coming home the next day, Akaashi found it odd when Bokuto didn’t greet him. He had been uncharacteristically touchy that morning so it was strange when Bokuto hadn’t been there like promised. Although many things, Akaashi’s soulmate wasn’t a promise breaker.

“Bokuto?”

Akaashi started to get nervous after a moment of silence. Where was Bokuto? They agreed to spend their last moments together. And the clock was getting dangerously close to 0. He didn’t want Bokuto to have a painful death. Hell, Akaashi didn’t want to go through that pain either.

“Bokuto!?” he called out his name a few more times. But still, nobody answered.

Now panicking, he ran through their house in search of the silver haired male. He wasn’t in the bedroom. He wasn’t in the kitchen. He wasn’t in the dining room. He wasn’t in the living room. Not in the attic, or the backyard, or the study either. 

Where could he be? 

Akaashi trembled as his call was sent to voicemail.

“I’m not going to see you again before it happens… please remember that I love you. Please remember all the happy times. Please don’t be sad, I love you so so much. Please stay strong. Please don’t make this all for nothing. Bokuto, I love you.”

Akaashi;s voice cracked at the end of recording his message in despair. The world was too cruel. Why did such a fairytale story have such an unhappy ending?

1 minute

Akaashi cried as he ran to the bookshelf to get the laser gun. It wasn’t there.

45 seconds

He threw the books off the shelf desperately searching for it. But he still found nothing.

30 seconds

Where the hell was it? Oh my god, they were both going to die.

15 seconds

He wasn’t going to make it. He sank to his knees in despair, covering his face with his hands.

10 seconds

I didn’t get to say goodbye.

5 seconds

I’m sorry Bokuto.

4 seconds

 I should have done it earlier.

3 seconds

I love you.

2 seconds

I hope we’re soulmates in our next lives.

1 second

Akaashi screwed his eyes shut.

0Why was he still breathing? 

0Why was he still alive?

0Where was the pain?

Akaashi opened his eyes and looked down at his wrist, maybe they had more time. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe it was just a nightmare.

Nothing was there.

His deep blue eyes widened. Bokuto... He didn’t. He couldn’t have. 

Please, tell me he didn’t, Akaashi pleaded to the gods, Please tell me it’s fake. I don’t want this to be real.

But he knew.

He knew what Bokuto had done in order for him to be where he was now. He let his tears fall silently as he let the harsh reality hit him like a stack of bricks. Akaashi had chosen to die because he wanted to be selfish- he didn’t want to live in a world without Bokuto.

Bokuto had given him his life, but to live it without him… He wished he hadn’t.

[typicalmidnight]

right in front of you

a/n: apparently this fic got deleted so here i am like a year later posting it again. and yeah this was my first fic, so here’s some shitty writing and something that i meant to put into a series that i never did.

pairing: peter parker x reader summary: Peter Parker has always been your best friend, but he can't see that you like him as more than just a friend. You're getting upset because he can't see that his true love is right in front of him. Based on the song Right In Front Of You by MattyB. characters: reader, Peter Parker, MJ, Ned Leeds, Liz Allen includes: angst, not really any fluff sorry, hurt!reader, my terrible writing, possible ooc peter, mj, and ned, idk im new sorry! word count: 1, 215 a/n: AHHHHH THIS IS MY FIRST FIC!!! i feel like my first fic shouldn't be a multiple parter but oh well. this sorta feels like it shouldn't just be in one so ya. i'm not sure if i wrote the characters correctly, i'm new at writing and also new to the fandom. i really only have other fics to go off of so idk how good this is. also HUGE THANKS to @celestial-parker and @so-many-freaking-ships for their tips about writing. they are both super awesome writers so check them out! other writers who are better than me you should check out: @celestial-parker @so-many-freaking-ships @galaxy-parker @marvelousheroes @delicately-written

~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey Y/N! What's up?" Peter exclaimed, seeing you in the hallway a Midtown.

Peter. Peter Parker. He had been your best friend, for as long as you could remember. Ever since he had moved into the apartment beside you, you two had been fast friends. He told you everything, and you told him everything. You knew about him being Spiderman, how Flash bullied him, Uncle Ben, and how much he loved Liz.

The last thing was the hardest. He was head over heels for Liz Allen, oblivious to how much you liked him. It was extremely obvious to everyone, including your other best friends, Ned Leeds and Michelle Jones. Obvious to everyone except for Peter Parker himself.

"Hey, Peter. I'm super tired, I was up super late last night studying for that biology exam we have. I'm kind of worried about it, I don't think I'm going to do that well." you replied.

"Don't worry, you got this. You're smart." Peter said, smirking.

You smiled back. "Thanks, but I still think I'm gonna fail."

Peter rolled his eyes in response. He opened his mouth to say something, then stopped. You followed his gaze and glared. Of course, he was staring at Liz. You did have to admit, she looked really pretty that day. She looked pretty every day and you could see why Peter liked her. And while you never wanted to actually be her, you always wondered what life would be like if you were more like Liz. Maybe Peter would like you back. Maybe it would be you he stared at and obsessed over. Maybe life would be perfect.

A sharp voice snapped you and Peter out of your dazes.

"Hey. Hey! Losers? Whatcha staring at?" MJ questioned.

"Oh hey MJ. Hey Ned. Just... um..." Peter stuttered.

"Liz?" Ned asked, a grin on his face.

"Uh... ya," Peter admitted.

Ned glanced at you, and you shook your head slightly, warning him not to say anything. The four of you stood there for a moment before MJ broke the awkward silence.

"Y/N, we should get to homeroom," she announced. "See you guys later?"

The two of you walked off, and you turned around and made eye contact with Ned. You sent him a look that you hoped he would understand to mean 'don't you dare say anything to Peter'. He winked back, and you groaned. Ned was infamous for being one of the worst secret keepers in the school. Looking back at Michelle, you saw that she was smirking, watching you.

"Oh shut up." you groaned.

"I didn't say anything," she replied, still smirking.

"Well, I know what you're thinking."

"Oh really? And what's that?"

"You're mentally teasing me for having the biggest crush on Peter Parker."

"Actually, I'm... No that's true. I am mentally teasing you. But I'm also thinking that you should either tell him or move on. You can't waste your life on him."

"You think I'm not good enough for him, don't you." you sighed.

"Of course not!" your best friend replied. "He obviously likes you back, you just don't see it. I'm just saying that if neither of you does something about it, you're both going to be miserable."

"He doesn't like me MJ."

"Ya right," she scoffed. "You two are both just blind idiots who don't have a clue."

"Thanks," you replied sarcastically. "You're nice."

"And that's why you love me!" she joked.

You rolled your eyes at her, turning into the classroom. The rest of the morning, you couldn't stop thinking about what Michelle had said. Did Peter really like you? And was MJ right? If you didn't tell him, would you just live your life chasing someone, and never knowing? You just wished things were the way they used to be. When you were younger, and everything was much simpler.

'I’ve been thinking back on the first time You walked up and said, “Wanna play around?” We were both just kids We ain’t ever been in a relationship'

By the time lunch rolled around, you were still immersed in your thoughts about Peter. As you walked into the cafeteria, heading for your regular lunch table with Peter, MJ, and Ned, you spotted Liz, looking perfect, as usual. She was taking selfies with her friends, and as you sat down, the first thing you noticed was Peter staring at her. He paid no attention to you, still captivated by Liz's beauty.

"Hey Y/N! How was your morning?" he asked.

"Oh, it was fine. You know, just a regular day," you replied, glancing at Peter to see if he had moved.

"Hey Peter," you said. "You there?"

"Huh? Oh, hey Y/N, I didn't notice you there." Peter apologized. "I was just... wrapped up in my thoughts."

"Uh huh, I noticed. So how was your morning?" you asked.

"Good I guess," Peter shrugged, turning back to watching Liz. "Isn't she just perfect? I wish she liked me back."

You groaned. Peter couldn't see that you were right there, and you liked him. You decided that you needed some time to clear your head and just get away from Peter. You decided to try and flirt with him one more time, hoping that he would respond.

"Maybe she does. You don't know. You're a great guy Peter. I don't see why she wouldn't like you. There are other people who do." you replied, trying to make it as obvious as possible that you liked him, without explicitly saying it.

"Thanks, Y/N. Maybe she does like me. I guess I AM extremely likeable." he joked.

You sighed. Even when you were practically waving a sign in front of Peter's face with the words 'I LIKE YOU' on it, he took no notice and was still focused on Liz.

"You know what, I'm actually going to head to the library. I have to return a book, so, I'm just gonna go... do that..." you said, fed up with Peter at this point.

Peter seemed like he could care less, but MJ and Ned had a look on their faces that was a mixture of confusion, exasperation, and pity. As you exited the cafeteria, you thought about MJ's words again. 'You should either tell him or move on. You can't waste your life on him.'

'She's right.' you thought. 'If Peter can't see that I like him because he's too obsessed with Liz to notice, then he doesn't deserve me anyway.'

'I ain’t gonna wait much longer If you can’t see that I’m right in front you When I’m standing right in front of you'

Again, you let your mind wander, and it landed back on when you were kids. You couldn't help but think 'what if?' 'What if I told Peter how I felt earlier? What if Peter didn't like Liz? What if Peter liked me? What if I had just been open to Peter how I felt from the start, instead of hiding away my feelings? What if?' If only you could just go back to when you were younger, and change everything...

'And we laugh and we cry And we dream we could fly And we play like we’re tough And one day we grew up and oh If it were yesterday I never should have let you walk away'

[dekatsu]

Pulitzer for the writer ask!

pulitzer: tell about/link a piece where you felt your writing was the best.

It’s a story I wrote for my old fandom. One really close to my heart and so I deleted it when I left and took it with me. Cause it’s mine, you know… I pulled an all-nighter for it and it’s really close to my heart since I wrote it when I was rather down. It makes me happy so I go back and read it whenever I’m feeling bad. 

I know you didn’t ask for it but I posted it below and made it bkdk cause I can. Bkdk might seem ooc though and I changed a little here and there to make it fit more but not much, since I like it the way it is. It’s kinda long.

~

There are times when Katsuki feels tired. It’s a bone deep exhaustion that pulls on him like nothing else, leaving him staring off into space as he tries to find out exactly why he feels like this; like an empty vessel. It is a feeling that comes and goes, leaving trails of sadness behind.

It’s not depression, Katsuki knows. He’s too young for that. He feels too young for this feeling, really. He shouldn’t feel like this, lost and just… just somewhere between where his body is and where his mind drifts to.

Katsuki tried consulting the Internet. It’s his first source for information and enough research with the right method always gets him answers. And all he found out about this was “It’s adolescents. Being at an age where one is not quite aware where they stand anymore: if kid, teen or adult. It will pass when one finds their way in life or a purpose. A dream, some call it. And some are stuck in that space forever, almost always accompanied by depression.”

Katsuki doesn’t like that. But then he doesn’t have a better answer either. He doesn’t think much about the drifting though. All he knows is that music helps. He likes playing the piano. While his fingers meet with familiar black and white tiles, he can lose himself to music he produces. It’s soothing.

But he hasn’t been able to play lately. Exams are around the corner and if there is one thing Katsuki priorities, it’s his grades. He’s a straight A student, his dedication for studying born somewhere between his mom’s constant pressure and his own interest for knowledge.

People would probably call him a nerd. Katsuki frowns at the terminology. It sounds so underwhelming for all his intelligence. But then again, he doesn’t hang around with others much, so that’s not something he is confronted with. Which is good, if you ask him.

But then that leads him to whatever this emptiness is born because he lacks contact with other humans. He’s not stupid, in fact, he can deduce that some of it might just be loneliness. But he’s got a few selected - he would call them friends, but then he’s not really that close with anyone - people he likes to be around every now and then. That’s all he needs to meet his dosage of human contact.

But bugged with this feeling, he can’t help but make his way to an old classroom-turned-storage room, where the piano is placed until it’s needed for whatever event. One of the ups of being a good student is that he’s got the teachers’ trust. Getting the key is no problem at all.

His fingers already itch to play when he gets to the door. Surprisingly though, it’s unlocked. Katsuki hesitates for a moment before pushing the door open just a crack. Usually he’s alone, never disturbed even.

He steps in, looking around. Katsuki sees him lying on the old couch of the theatre club, arm across his face and spread out casually. Well, if this isn’t surprising. Izuku, Katsuki thinks his name was. Not someone he associates with. If anyone could be described as his opposite, it probably would be this guy.

He’s the attention seeker, and always the centre of all. To see him alone for once, it’s something new. Katsuki stands there in the doorway, contemplating whatever to stay or turn around. In the end the piled-up stress wins out and he closes the door, moving to his usual chair in front of the piano.

Izuku is free to go whenever he wants. It’s not like Katsuki can move the piano. And this room is somewhat soundproof, for one. The sound doesn’t carry too loud into the hallway so that anyone who isn’t standing in front of the door, or close enough, won’t hear.

And then his fingers move. It’s a slow thing, his body easing, his shoulders going limp and he feels relaxed for the first time in weeks. God, he missed playing.

Studying is fine, exciting even for the right subjects. But this, this is so much better.

He plays a slow tune, moves his hands over the tiles, loving the way they give under pressure.

By the time he’s done playing and massages his hands, fingers going stiff after the exertion, he feels better. The feeling is not gone but not quite as suffocating anymore.

He stands up to open a window when he catches movement to his left. Turning around he sees Izuku watching him. Now that he gets a look at Izuku’s face, he can see a similar exhaustion on his features. But he thinks he may see slight traces of wetness as well. He can’t tell.

Katsuki goes for the window, opening it and turning to lean his lower back against the sill.

“You played the piano.”

It’s not really a question, more a statement but the following silence makes Katsuki feel awkward, so he nods. “As you just heard.”

“I don’t mean now,” Izuku tells him, pulling his arm up to drape it across his face again. “You played it before. I’m not sure how often but sometimes I would come by and just listen outside. It’s nice.”

Katsuki stares at him, not sure what to say, so he doesn’t say anything. Instead he turns around and enjoys the fresh air. The room is covered in dust, so this really helps.

“Why did you stop?”

“I didn’t.”

“You weren’t here for a while.”

It hits him then what Izuku means. He came to listen, deliberately seeking out time to stand around in front of the door. Katsuki frowns. “Exams,” he says. And then because he can’t help himself, he asks, “do you care?”

Izuku doesn’t reply for a while and when there is the sound of shuffling, he turns around. Izuku is sitting up and rolling his shoulders. “Like I said, it’s nice.” He gives Katsuki a smile before going for the door.

Katsuki knows a fake smile when he sees one. But he doesn’t say anything.

Before Izuku leaves though, he turns around and stares at him. “What?” Katsuki asks, suddenly feeling uneasy.

“You playing tomorrow again?”

“I don’t know. Whenever I feel like it.”

“Mind if I join you?”

Katsuki shrugs. He doesn’t really care. Izuku nods at him before leaving. It’s weird, seeing someone who is always surrounded by people like this. Somewhat vulnerable but tightly closed off. It doesn’t fit with the other image he had of Izuku.

There is a sudden strong breeze which makes Katsuki shiver. He hurries to close the window and moves over to the piano. He trails his fingers over the tiles one last time before tidying up and leaving.

He feels better. Not good but better.

~

Katsuki hadn’t quite expected it but Izuku does in fact attend his little piano sessions. He does not quite know how Izuku does it, but the few times he wanders there during exam period, Izuku is always lying on the old couch and listening. At the end of each session he just stands and says a thanks before walking out.

It is weird because Katsuki doesn’t appear on set days but irregularly.

Katsuki doesn’t reply or acknowledges his thanks because he doesn’t play for Izuku. He would dwell on it but with his mind on exams and exhausted otherwise, he doesn’t have the time for it.

It’s after the exams that he turns up to an empty room for the first time in a while. He had grown used to Izuku’s presence in the room but it’s nothing he requires. After all, he plays for an audience of one: himself.

He’s halfway through a new melody he had learned on YouTube when the door cracks open and Izuku comes in, cheeks flushed and panting. He’s got two bags and Katsuki concludes that he was busy with club activities. Soccer, if he remembers correctly.

Katsuki’s hands falter over the tiles slightly, losing the melody. He furrows his eyebrows as his hands come to a halt. When he turns, he sends Izuku a glare.

“Sorry,” Izuku mouths back, wincing.

Katsuki tries to play the melody again but he doesn’t get it quite right anymore. He gives up, sighing. No use in trying for the day anymore.

“You are stopping?” Izuku asks, a note of disappointment in his voice.

Katsuki just shrugs. “I can’t get it right anymore. I need to look it up again. You disturbed the flow.”

“I didn’t mean to. Sorry,” he apologizes again and Katsuki shrugs. Might as well open a window. “Soccer?”

“Yes. We were on halt for exams but kicking again now.” His excitement is shining through his eyes as he beams a smile at Katsuki.

It’s almost too much for him but he nods in reply. “I’m bad in sports.”

“And good in everything else.”

“Exactly,” Katsuki deadpans.

Izuku laughs at that, body shaking. It’s a weird sound somewhere between wheezing and laughing, more air than sound. Katsuki catches himself smiling in return, and then frowning.

“I wish I had your grades,” Izuku tells him after his laughter fades.

“Study harder.”

~

Katsuki realises soon that something is wrong with Izuku. They have been each other’s company for a while now, exchanging small talk but mostly just sitting in silence as Katsuki plays his music. So Katsuki can say he knows Izuku, somewhat.

Only he really doesn’t. The Izuku he knows is not the Izuku he sees with others. Loud, annoying, big in his movements and talking. A whole lot of talking. This is the Izuku he knew before seeing him in his space, on the couch and looking like he just cried.

He observes it carefully. At some point, he starts to differentiate between his Izuku and Izuku. Not that it means anything. It’s a way for him to keep them apart and then find out - not now, they are still strangers to one another - which the real one is. Sometimes his eyes meet Izuku’s as he stares and sometimes Izuku is staring at him.

Katsuki silently compares himself and Izuku to two animals, carefully observing the other in their territory and trying to figure out if it’s threat or prey.

Maybe both, maybe neither.

~

“When did you start playing the piano?” Izuku asks. He’s in one of his better moods today, not lying on the couch but sitting and staring. At least he is always polite enough to wait until Katsuki is done playing before he starts small talk.

“I started at six. But stopped half a month later. My mother wanted me to concentrate on school.” Katsuki stands, going for the window. It’s his routine. Play and then air out. “I mostly taught myself everything after. Learned new things from YouTube. But I can only try it here, with this.” He nods at the piano.

Izuku hums in thought. His eyes roam the room before they settle on something and he moves. “I taught myself the guitar. YouTube as well. I’m no master but I can play easy cords.”

Katsuki huffs. “Why am I not surprised?”

“What do you mean?” Izuku looks genuinely lost when he asks.

“It fits your character. Guitars are flashy, and so are you. At least when you are not in here with me,” Katsuki adds. He feels a need to, since there is obviously another Izuku outside of here.

There is a small flicker of emotion across Izuku’s face, but he hides it fast. Just nodding in acceptance. Katsuki turns to look out the window. If he pushes too fast, Izuku will flee, like a scared animal.

“If you,” Izuku starts but then hesitates for a moment. Katsuki turns to see his conflict but remains silent, waiting. “If you teach me the piano, I will teach you the guitar.”

Well, Katsuki thinks, this is unexpected. He nods, carefully observing Izuku to work out a motive. Why would he want this?

Izuku stares back at him, expressionless before he gives him a tentative smile. Whatever he saw in Katsuki’s expression, it was enough for him not to flee.

He thinks Izuku is testing this. And he thinks Izuku is this, reserved, unsure and hesitant. He enjoys silence and is careful to choose his words, and sometimes up to cry. So, the other one must be a front? An adaption into society maybe?

Katsuki doesn’t know but maybe he will find out.

~

Katsuki learns the guitar, his fingers fumble with the strings and start throbbing when he pulls too hard. He’s clumsy. But Izuku is patient, teaches him and sometimes holds his hands in place to make his muscles familiar with the movement.

Katsuki thinks he prefers the piano. And that’s why he compromises with Izuku to only learn one piece. Otherwise his fingers will be too sore to play the piano after hours of holding his pen up.

“There we go.” Izuku smiles at him, clapping his hands when Katsuki finally finishes a successful try. It was a hard climb, took him one week and now he can say he plays the guitar. It’s only one melody but that’s all he ever needs.

Izuku learns the piano much faster, taking the order of tiles in and pressing them accordingly. He lacks the speed, fingers cramping up every now and then but he’s getting there. With enough practice, he will nail the timing as well.

And then they play the melody together. Izuku wanted to try it and Katsuki shrugged. So here they are, each playing with one hand and Katsuki must consciously hold back from using his other.

It works, mostly, until Izuku hits two tiles at once and the tension that had been building up between them crumbles into a heap of laughter.

Izuku strains his finger and comes back with a small bandage around it the next day. Katsuki looks at him, impressed. “Wow.”

“If anyone asks,” Izuku says, “this happened in a fight, where I played the hero.”

Katsuki snorts at him. But when Izuku asks he still signs the white thing for him. His name is the first, and it shouldn’t mean anything, but it does because Izuku didn’t gather any signs during all their classes and maybe waited until now for the first.

The next day the white is colourful and ugly. Izuku listens to his piano and when Katsuki is done, smiles at him.

“At least I don’t have to skip on soccer.” He kicks his feet up.

~

Sometime between their time spent together and his observation of Izuku, Katsuki thinks he figured it out.

It’s not a matter of what’s real and what’s fake but a matter of balance. The need for attention and then the need for isolation. It’s part of how Izuku functions, how he keeps up with his social circle.

Katsuki is probably the only one who knows both sides of the coin that is Midoriya Izuku. He shouldn’t feel special or smug, but he does. There is a fluttering sensation when he thinks the other Izuku is a secret only for him. And maybe that realisation makes Izuku’s presence in his space more important.

Katsuki carefully stuffs these thoughts into a small corner and decides not to linger on them.

~

He doesn’t know how much time passed since their first encounter in his room - months probably -

but now he knows that Izuku was in fact crying.

Because when he walks in, Izuku is lying on the couch, tears bypassing his hands to leave wet traces on his skin. Katsuki closes the door and goes to his piano. His fingers fly easily, filling the room with sounds and drowning any Izuku might make.

He plays for far longer than he usually does, not looking back at Izuku at all. Only when he hears a shuffling from behind somewhere, he stops. Izuku is by the window, opening it now and taking a deep breath. “Thanks,” he mutters but doesn’t turn.

Katsuki hums as reply and that’s it until they go home.

~

Katsuki learns to distinguish between Izuku’s fake behaviour and his real.

His smile and laugh right now are fake. His eyes don’t wrinkle around the corners, there are no wrinkles on his nose and his freckles stay unamused. Katsuki frowns. He’s fast becoming aware of Izuku’s habit to pretend when he is uncomfortable or isn’t really in the mood. Or just doesn’t find something funny.

He continues to observe Izuku across the classroom. Observe, not stare, he tells himself. Whatever Izuku’s friend told him, it isn’t funny but Izuku laughs something polite. And then he looks back, as if sensing Katsuki’s stare. Their eyes meet and Izuku knows he knows. And shrugs.

Katsuki knows a flutter when he feels it and this time there is a skip accompanying it.

“You faked that smile,” Katsuki tells him later when they meet.

Izuku stares at him for a long time and then nods. “I don’t like mom jokes.”

“Why not just say so?”

“Sometimes it’s easier to laugh along rather than sour the mood.”

Katsuki doesn’t understand that but he doesn’t say anything more either. He’s far from social, Izuku obviously the better one between them.

“Don’t do that around me,” he says later.

“I won’t,” Izuku promises.

It feels like triumph, somehow.

~

It’s a bad day. Katsuki isn’t quite sure why but then, he never is. The feeling hits him fast and hard, more so than usual. He’s suddenly exhausted, sad. And it piles. The itch returns to his fingers and he can’t wait to just play. He thinks about Izuku being there, and what he might think.

But then, he saw Izuku at his weakest, too. And Izuku trusted him enough to come back.

Katsuki doesn’t think he would judge him.

When he enters the room, and plays the piano, it’s nothing unusual.

But then he starts drifting, mind going places his body can’t follow but his fingers move steadily over the tiles. When he’s calm again, there again, he stops playing. It took him longer than usual but that’s ok.

The feeling is back under until another time. Katsuki sighs.

When he turns around, Izuku is staring at him. He looks worried, face hard and eyes serious.

“I called out a few times,” Izuku tells him, licking his lips. He’s nervous, and maybe doesn’t know if he’s allowed to ask.

“It happens, sometimes.“ That’s all Katsuki will say.

Apparently, it’s enough for Izuku because he smiles back, something like understanding crossing his features. “I see,” he says.

They don’t talk about it. Or about why Izuku cries. But that’s ok. Maybe they will get there someday but for now a steady presence and comfortable silence is more than enough.

~

It doesn’t take long for them to grow familiar. Maybe it’s the knowledge that they each have a secret of the other. Or maybe it’s the slow acknowledgement of what lingers in the air between them, Katsuki isn’t quite sure. What he knows though is that there is something more, something that could be nice, if explored.

There are touches and traces of gooseflesh, long moments of staring or just sitting back to back while thinking and sometimes doing homework. Izuku asks him for help in math and Katsuki teaches him. It’s easy, really. It’s so easy, that Izuku falls into the habit of laughing around him a lot more. Really laughing, with wrinkles and lines. And his green eyes glow with joy under the fake light of their room.

Katsuki likes that look on him, and one afternoon when they are huddled up together and Izuku smiles at him, he blurts out something stupid.

“Your face really blooms.”

Izuku looks at him, surprised and confused.

“You know, when you smile. It’s like,” Katsuki brings his hand up to his face and curls his fingers together before expanding them. “Or something,” he says, feeling stupid for his inability to describe in words.

So much for eloquence.

But Izuku snorts another laugh and Katsuki finds the courage to continue. “You go from hard edges and features to soft all over. Your eyes get huge. It’s cute.”

“It’s really not,” he denies but avoids Katsuki’s eyes for the rest of the day.

And then it’s all game. A careful game of keeping close but cautious. Because they don’t compliment each other. But Katsuki broke that with his weird outburst and now Izuku got the go ahead and Katsuki knows he has it, too.

Finding their feet in this shifting thing is hard but they will get there, eventually.

For now, Katsuki is happy to note that they are on the same boat. Izuku feels the same. He can read it in every freckle on Izuku’s face and so smiles behind his books, anticipating the future.

~

“So, what’s your type?” Izuku asks. He looks completely earnest. So much so that Katsuki has to choke back an amused laugh. He doesn’t want to let Izuku think he isn’t taking this seriously when Izuku obviously is.

It’s a fight not to let his amusement show through as he contemplates how to answer Izuku. If this isn’t straight forward, Katsuki thinks. He decides not to say anything and just stare back at Izuku. They are sitting across each other, Izuku on his couch and Katsuki on the chair.

Izuku meets his gaze for quite some time, apparently determined to see this through. When Katsuki still gives him no answer he makes an impatient gesture with his hands. “Come on!”

Katsuki just shrugs. “I don’t really have a type.”

“Don’t pull that one on me.” Izuku leans forward, elbows on his knees as he observes Katsuki. “Everyone has a type, and so do you.”

“You would know.”

Izuku nods.

And then Katsuki thinks he can be straight forward, too. He’s mostly confident about Izuku’s feelings but for a small voice in the back of his head, whispering a silent “you are reading too much into it.” Katsuki ignores that voice.

“Right, so?” Izuku presses and Katsuki relents. Apparently, he, too, had enough of this circling each other’s. Izuku made the first step and Katsuki will take the leap.

“First,” he starts, holding his fingers up to count on them. “Short hair preferably. Freckles, a lot of them. Big green eyes, to complement my small red ones. Outgoing, since I lack social skills. Someone needs to cover for that. But someone who enjoys silent company as much as I do. Laugh lines, I would like to trace those. Good at soccer because I suck at sports. Someone who likes my piano and is interesting enough to hold my interest.” Katsuki holds his fingers up, not looking at Izuku until he adds, “oh, and a blooming face.”

When he does look up, he can’t help a small smug smile. Smugness isn’t attractive, he tells himself, but the colour on Izuku’s cheeks is.

He doesn’t say any more and waits for a reaction. But when Izuku just continues to stare at him, he holds his fingers further up into Izuku face.

Izuku reaches out with his hands, folding his fingers together and holding his hands down. Izuku’s touch is warm against his own and Katsuki just waits. When Izuku does react, all he gets is a nod.

And then Izuku is leaving the room.

Katsuki can wait for Izuku. He’s got time. And Izuku would be worth it. But the whisper gets stronger somewhere back there, so he stands up and goes for the piano.

Nothing better to drown out voices than music.

~

Izuku ignores him for most of the day, careful to avoid him throughout all classes and never meeting his eyes. There is a new feeling Katsuki discovers. Something between being denied and being wrong.

He knows he isn’t wrong but Izuku’s behaviour is peculiar. It’s strange and unsettling. Katsuki tries to ignore it and reads the same paragraph five times before finally giving up. He can’t concentrate.

When he’s in their room, he sighs, deflating. Waiting is hard, harder than he wants to admit. It brings a feeling of helplessness along, which Katsuki is starting to hate.

So maybe he can’t wait.

He sits down in front of the piano, tracing the tiles. And then he starts playing. A slow tune, one he taught Izuku. Izuku is good at this one, even if slightly stiff. He’s getting there.

He doesn’t stop when the door creaks, and silently wills his nerves to calm down. He stares determinedly at the tiles, his movement growing clumsy. Izuku pulls up a chair and sits next to him, just watching.

When Katsuki drops his right hand, Izuku picks up with his own and joins him.

He lets out a breath he doesn’t remember holding. Nothing to worry about, after all. Small voices be damned.

Izuku gets some notes wrong, but otherwise they finish it well, the melody flowing and ending. And when it’s gone, Katsuki doesn’t know what to do with himself. He thinks Izuku would know but he suddenly lacks courage to look at him.

He is still staring at the tiles when Izuku finally speaks. “Who told you your eyes are small? Not that they aren’t but it’s kind of hard to imagine anyone having the courage to do so.”

Katsuki clicks his tongue, glaring at Izuku. “Yours are as small, too, if you don’t laugh.”

“You wish.”

“Do you not look into the mirror?” Katsuki asks him. The uneasiness is gone, Izuku’s behaviour during the day forgotten because they still have this. And maybe more

“That’s not true!” Izuku’s protest is weak though because he tries to glare and squints his eyes. Katsuki just looks at him for a long moment. And then Izuku is smiling, and his eyes get huge and he looks beautiful. “Ok, ok, whatever you say.”

“Blooming,” Katsuki repeats because he thinks Izuku needs to know.

“Of course. So, who told you?”

“My mother.” Katsuki frowns. “Though hers are as small, if not smaller. She just uses makeup, which is cheating.”

“Of course, it is.”

“Definitely,” Katsuki agrees. But then he realises Izuku used sarcasm and rises an eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Spit.”

“I use it, too. Eyeliner, I mean. Sometimes. It’s great, makes the eyes more prominent. And it looks good.” Izuku stills when he realises Katsuki is staring and shifts suddenly. “What?” he asks.

“You always look good,” Katsuki tells him honestly. And he means it. Even when Izuku stinks up the room after practice, all dishevelled and hair somewhere between bird’s nest and thunderstruck.

Izuku gives him a look. One he’s fast coming to realise means this is a significant moment. A moment between them.

And he takes a chance when he leans forward, into Izuku’s space. At first, Izuku doesn’t react and continues to stare but then he leans forward, too, and Katsuki thinks this is it.

He closes his eyes on the first touch, lingering long enough for his lips to prickle against Izuku’s before he pulls back. Izuku presses against him, not allowing him to stray far so that they are forehead to forehead.

When Izuku sighs, content, he feels suddenly. The blood rushes to his cheeks, settling there. Izuku chuckles at him, the sound more pleasant than ever. “Now you blush.” It’s teasing and Katsuki allows it.

“You ignored me for the whole day. I was nervous. Anxious,” he explains. His hand moves, cups Izuku’s cheek and traces the hints of laugh lines and freckles.

“I’m sorry.” He says it sincerely, looking Katsuki dead in the eyes. And Katsuki thinks he knows why Izuku didn’t come to him immediately. This is new, and maybe a little scary, certainly overwhelming. But he’s here and willing to take this on with Izuku. He vows to tell Izuku as much.

But then Izuku sees his acceptance and nuzzles into his hand. Katsuki sucks in a sharp breath, and his body moves before his thoughts catch up, inhaling Izuku’s next breath before he kisses him again.

Izuku stills, surprised, but then he turns into the kiss, hands on Katsuki’s shoulders and sinks into it. Katsuki’s hand leaves his cheek to slide into his hair.

This, he thinks, this is it.

The next day, much to Katsuki’s displeasure, Izuku takes out his eyeliner and tries to persuade Katsuki to try it. Katsuki strongly denies him, until Izuku says he would look good. Curiosity mixes with the sudden want to indulge Izuku and he sighs, long suffering before finally giving in.

When Izuku starts on his other eye, Katsuki speaks. “What happens here, stays here.” He will not admit to this, ever.

And then it’s over, Izuku holding up the offending object as he takes in his work. The smart smile across his lips thins out suddenly. Katsuki waits and observes. There is a hint of amusement, thanks to Katsuki’s comment. And adoration, which Katsuki still tries to get used to. It’s something new, something Izuku wears for him and it makes his chest swell. He will get behind why, sometime. And then there is a note of amazement and something else.

Arousal, he would place it.

And suddenly he feels wrung up, and moves, not able not to react. It’s not something they can try now, not when they are still learning each other’s. But there is another thing they know already.

He takes Izuku’s hand, the one holding the eyeliner and says, “you like it.”

“I do,” Izuku confirms.

That’s all Katsuki needs as he leans forward. And this time, Izuku doesn’t hesitate, pressing into Katsuki and parting his lips. Katsuki stills shortly but accepts the invitation.

We will figure this out, is Katsuki’s last thought before all he can do is feel Izuku’s tongue against his own.

Later, the eyeliner becomes a much-adored friend. He pointedly ignores Izuku’s I told you so look.

~

The feeling of emptiness doesn’t disappear, but the exhaustion lessens. He still drifts sometimes, especially while stressed but Izuku’s silent company is like an anchor and when he’s ready to be back, Izuku opens a window for him.

Izuku, too, still piles it up. When it hits, it tears him down and Katsuki likes to sit by and play his music as Izuku takes his time and calms down.

When the time comes, they will talk about it. But for now, this is good, this is enough.

It’s company, he thinks, and could be home.

~~~~~

[cynicalkairos]

Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting

CHAPTER FOUR

Word Count: 3178 (i’m sorry in advance)

Warnings: Language, Yelling, Angst, Mentions of Painkillers

Summary: Emma helps Henry deal with his emotional, mental, and physical devastation and work through it.

A/N: Wow, okay. And I said the last one was long. Anyway, I apologize in advance if Ted or Henry seem ooc, but, again, this is how I perceive them dealing with emotions and sadness.

Previous || Next

“Fucking piece of shit!” The sound of glass breaking resounded into the hallway. “How the fuck can someone make a pair of fucking tongs flammable?”

When Emma heard these loud exclamations of profanity, she sprinted to the lab, fearing that something horrible could have happened. She found Henry standing in the middle of glass shards and spilled liquid, cradling his hand in pain. She stepped carefully around the glass and examined the mess, asking, “Professor? Are you okay?”

“What kind of fucking question is that?” Henry asked through gritted teeth. His jaw was clenched together tightly and the wince in his eyes disclosed the extent of his pain.

“Just calm down. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not! The shitty mechanics in my hand cause a fucking firework show every time it moves.”

Emma held out her hand and placed a hand on his wrist gently, trying to appease him. “Can I take a look?”

Henry looked up at her and sighed after a moment, averting his eyes back to the ground. “Yes, fine, whatever. As long as you don’t make it hurt a shit ton more.”

Emma nodded absently and brought it closer to her. After looking through the many survival books that Henry had, they found a book about medical care with limited resources. They managed to figure out that the bone in Henry’s hand and pinky was, in fact, broken and required a cast. One cast and a splint later, the only thing left to do was hope for the best for proper healing without medical professionals treating the injuries. The cast was made of paper mache and made rather crudely, while the splint was just a couple leftover popsicle sticks and some tape.

The cast, despite all the gloom and despair that permeated from the professor, was signed by the various occupants of the house, wishing the best of luck for recovery or taking up spaces by doodles. Charlotte wrote down the routine for taking the pain medication for Henry to serve as a reminder for the professor. Emma wrote a note, reassuring him that everything would be fine and whatnot. Bill wrote down some inspirational quotes from musicals that he knew Henry would appreciate. Alice drew a pretty drawing with flowers and butterflies. Paul just wrote his name with a small smiley face.

Even though the people around him tried to alleviate the sadness within him after his fight with Ted, the hole of blank space left a void where he knew Ted’s name would be. Henry tried focusing on the positives like the rest of the drawings on his cast or what Ted would write on his cast, but every time he thought about it resulted in him thinking about the fight and what he said.

Emma saw nothing unusual with the professor’s injuries and carefully let go of his hand. “Did you take any painkillers?”

“I took some on Tuesday.”

“Professor, it’s Thursday.”

“Ah, that must be why it’s being a little bitch.”

“I’ll go get you some,” Emma assured him and left without staying long enough for him to deny her help. When she returned, she handed him the pills and a glass of water. “Take these. It should help.”

Henry didn’t bother to look up and nodded through clenched teeth, downing the pills and the water effortlessly. His eyes darted back and forth as if he was scrutinizing each shard of glass. He then checked his splint and cast again, dissatisfied with the results. “The painkillers will dissolve soon enough. I need to clean this mess up in the meantime.”

“No, I got it,” she said, stopping him from moving past her by placing her hands on his shoulders. Emma saw how Henry gripped the counter beside him tightly with his good hand and leaned on it to support himself. After seeing this happen before, she recognized one of the professor’s spells of dizziness from exhaustion and steadied him. “You— sit down before you collapse.”

“No, I’ve got to—”

“Professor, please, just take a break.”

Henry looked up at Emma and nodded weakly, walking over to the nearest chair to sit down. On the way, he was mumbling incoherent phrases probably cursing the millennial generation or something of the sort.

As much as it hurt her, the Henry Hidgens sitting there now was different from the man that she thought of as one of her closest friends. This version of him was easily irritable and cursed frequently, traits that never appeared in Henry before or, perhaps, around her. Even though he tended to forget to sleep or eat, Emma noticed that this characteristic was only amplified after the fight. When she would wake up during the night because of various reasons, she often ventured to his lab to check on him. Previously, Henry’s sleep habits rooted in his continuous working, but now, he barely worked. He simply sat in the corner of the room either crying or nursing his hand. Whenever she tried to bring it up to him, Henry would brush it off with a dismissive comment or answer vaguely. Either way, he was in pain, both physically and emotionally.

Emma hated seeing him in this state. The combination of pain, sleep deprivation, and regret took a toll on him in the form of disregard for himself and taking his frustration out on others. Previously, Henry was subtle when expressing or dealing with his frustration, but the only difference now was that he did not hide his annoyance from anyone. He snapped at anyone when he left the confines of his lab, but the other people in the house knew that he never meant any words that he said. If he started to get too out of control, Emma would help him calm down, but even then he would apologize and then retreat to his lab for another long period of time.

They sat in silence as Emma pondered the last week and cleaned up the floor. When she was done, she studied him. Henry sat with his head in his healthy hand, dozing off from the sudden stillness, but every time he was almost fast asleep, he woke up with a jump. This sequence of events happened over and over again until Emma sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at her slowly, his age truly settling in his face. He just looked uncharacteristically… old. The man that she witnessed do graceful leaps into the air with perfect execution looked as if he would fall apart at any second with the softest touch. Henry then took his free hand and placed it on hers, before reassuring her by saying, “I’m fine, my dear. It just hurts.”

“The painkillers haven’t kicked in yet?”

“Yes, but it’s not that,” he said grimly, a bitter smile spreading across his face. “I feel like shit for saying those things to Ted. It was selfish of me to accuse him of not doing anything. In fact, I realized that he performs the most important task out of us all… and willingly as well.”

Emma furrowed her brow, thinking of what that was for a moment. “Really? What’s that?”

The bitterness in his smile morphed into fondness, shifting his glance from her to the wall. “He keeps me sane, Emma.”

“What the hell does that mean?” She asked incredulously. “I practically stopped you from kicking Paul’s ass a couple of days ago when he drank the last of the coffee.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” he replied, shaking his head. “Yes, you do a lot for me and you mean a lot to me, my dear. I thank you for that, but… Ted’s effect on me is like a painkiller that works far better than all the fucking morphine in the world combined. All he could do is smile and I forget all of my worries about the potentialities of the apocalypse. In all sincerity, Ted’s one of the reasons I fight to stop the shit that happens out there.”

Emma watched as Henry’s eyes lit up when he talked about him in a way that she hadn’t seen since he talked about him before they were together. He seemed to zone out into the fondness of his memories, but he snapped out of that mindset with a few blinks, before looking at Emma once more.

“And despite how much of a bastard I was toward him, Ted— fuck, I’m so fucking love with him and I hate myself for being such a goddamn fool for not telling him before. I lost him and I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

Emma pursed her lips and took in a deep breath. “Well, I know what you’d do.”

“You do?” Henry looked up at her in surprise. “And what would that be?”

“All of this. Exactly what you’re doing right now. You’re sitting here alone when the person you love is out there probably blaming himself for the exact same reasons you are.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do,” Emma said with confidence. ‘For the past week, I’ve watched him empty every bottle of liquor that he can. Now, I know you had a lot of alcohol in this place, so I think you can do that math about his alcohol intake.”

Henry sighed and nodded slowly, running his uninjured hand over his face as an attempt to wipe away the tears. Before he could reason with her, Emma continued, saying, “Don’t you give me any bullshit, Professor, but tell me one thing: why were you fighting in the first place?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“I think it’d be good to get out.”

“Well, if you must know,” Henry started, breathing in as he felt the painkillers begin to work.

———

Henry woke up that morning with a jump, startled by a nightmare that disturbed his sleep. He felt the sweat on his forehead and his body and his lungs gasping for air. By this point, he couldn't recall exactly what the nightmare was about, but he knew that it was bad. Most of the time, he could tough through nightmares, but after looking beside him, he knew the rest why.

Ted was not there.

Once the initial shock disappeared, the confusion settled in. Ted never woke up before Henry and even then, left the bed. His lover was the type of person not to leave the confines of the bed unless either Henry was getting up or the world was ending. Finding his bed without Ted caused him to leap out of bed the best he could and rush to get somewhat decent, before heading downstairs.

Henry knew Ted was down there by the smell of the coffee brewing. He followed the scent and found Ted, not only drinking coffee but even making breakfast. This action only piled onto the preexisting confusion. Along with not waking up early, Ted never made breakfast simply because he’s a horrible cook and other people woke before him to do it.

Henry walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee, then walking over to Ted. He pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and leaned against the counter next to the stove.

Ted looked over to him and smiled, reaching over and taking his hand. He gave it a squeeze while saying, “Morning, babe.”

“How’d you sleep?” Henry asked after taking another sip.

Ted shrugged and resumed his cooking. Henry glanced over at the pan and the eggs did not look burned. It looked…almost edible, perhaps good, surprisingly. He chuckled quietly, shaking his head. Henry then put his mug down and picked up the spatula next to him, pointing it at Ted. “Who are you? What have you done with my Teddy bear?”

“What the—” Ted said, glancing up at Henry. He then pointed his own spoon at his partner. “Is this how it’s going to be?”

“It’s only a question, love. Answer and everything will be fine.”

Ted slowly turned off the eggs so they didn’t burn and approached Henry, spoon still directed at him. “Make me.”

———

“Woah, Professor,” Emma interrupted him, looking at him with wide eyes. “If you two fucked, I don’t want to hear about it.”

Henry looked like he was experiencing a mixture of horror and amusement and caused Emma to burst out laughing. She watched as the professor turned from pale to a deep red and attempted to formulate a reply.

“Geez,” Emma tried to placate him. “I was just joking.”

Henry rolled his eyes, annoyed but relaxing again. He sighed, before saying, “To address your concern, we didn’t. Get your mind out of the fucking gutter.”

Emma tried her best to stifle back the laughter, but a small chuckle escaped her lips. She couldn’t help it. Anyway, go on.”

Henry nodded and looked back down at his injured hand, playing with the frayed edges once more. He took a deep breath, continuing, “Yes, well, we just had a little fun—”

“That sounds like you fucked, Professor.”

“Okay, we messed around—”

“Still seems like you fucked.”

“Good god, Emma! Stop talking!” Henry snapped, gripping his cast with such strength that he pulled a small chunk of the paper mache out. They both were silent momentarily before he calmed himself down. He mumbled curses at himself for acting in such a way to Emma, while standing up and tossing the piece into the nearest garbage can.

Emma watched him sadly. She wasn’t mad at him or blamed him for yelling at her, but she was certainly shocked that it happened. Then again, Henry, especially now, could be very unpredictable. Emma wasn’t trying to rationalize his uncontrolled anger. She knew that he was trying to do better and he’s in a lot of pain, blaming himself for everything around him. Thinking back, Henry was always like that. Even when he was just her teacher and she was just his student. Before they were friends. Before everything that happened.

Henry returned and sat down, clutching his hand in pain. It hurt and Emma knew that it did, despite the pain medicine taking effect. “I apologize for yelling, Emma. I raised my voice and it was completely uncalled for. I—”

“I know, Professor. It’s fine,” Emma said, placing a hand on his shoulder and feeling him place his on top of hers gingerly. “I know, but you need to talk to him. The guilt, regret, whatever it is— it’s destroying you.”

Henry looked up with wide eyes and paused. He gulped and began toying with the ends again, saying, “I know, but I can’t talk to him.”

“Why?”

“I have reason to believe that he wouldn’t want to see me again after all I said.”

Silence rose again and Emma felt Henry squeeze her hand gently, before putting it on his lap. For the first time in a while, Emma noticed how truly tired he was. The darkness under his eyes appeared darker and emphasized the shadow of his eyes. His cheekbones and jawline were more prominent, but not in a healthy way. The lines on his face seemed deeper than usual, especially the one around the grimace forming on his lips. Based on his appearance, she knew that one thing was for certain, despite how sad or depressing it was: Henry Hidgens had given up.

She didn’t know what exactly, but the drive and the passion that he once had disappeared. Emma remembered the times when she all but dragged him out of the lab to eat or sleep and the times when she would go to check on him and not find him in there but with Ted watching a movie on the couch. Regardless of where that drive was or what it was aimed at, the idea remained simply that, at this particular moment, Henry had no reason to do anything without Ted.

“Professor, what makes you say that?”

“I might have…run into Ted once.”

Emma, who was currently focused on a piece of glass that she neglected to pick up on the floor, sprang up and looked at him with wide eyes. “Hold the fuck up. What?”

“You heard me,” he replied dejectedly, averting his gaze to anywhere but where she was.

“Are you serious? Did you talk to him?” Emma asked, only for Henry to respond by opening his mouth to speak, shutting it, and then finally shaking his head. “Well, what happened?”

Henry hesitated for a moment, before saying, “It was the day after the fight happened. I was going to get some more medication from the kitchen when I saw him in the living room, retrieving alcohol. To put it simply, I froze. I wanted to go talk to him, apologize to him, make everything right again, but I couldn’t. Something was holding me back. Looking back on it, it was the dread that Ted would break up with me and never talk to me ever again, which quite frankly is impossible due to the status of the world right now.

“Anyway, I figured that if I was fast enough, I could get the medication and tried to move as quickly as I could. On my way to the kitchen, I accidentally slammed my bad hand into the cabinet door, making a loud noise and a lot of pain on my part. Ted turned around and looked at me. It felt like forever that we were just standing there, looking at each other. Then he picked up the alcohol and ran back upstairs.”

Henry looked at Emma and put his hands in his lap, sighing. “Before you get on my ass about not talking to him, I couldn’t face the fact that he could reject me. If I marched up to him at that moment, I don’t know what I would’ve said. I could have made the situation worse for all I know. I’ve never had a good reputation with…emotions and relationships, so processing our fight was something that deprived me of sleep, stalled my experiments, and halted my life at the same time. All I wanted to do at that moment was kiss him until both of us forgot everything, tell him how much I love him, and ask for his forgiveness. But, by the way, he looked at me, I think he was in the right state of mind for any of that either.”

The tears began to stream down his face again and he quickly apologized, before standing up and leaving the room hurriedly. Emma wanted to follow him, but she just watched him leave, knowing that he needed some time to think.

Once he left the room, their conversation solidified to Emma that Henry was spiraling downward at a rapid rate and it wasn’t going to be long before he made a rash decision and her fears would come true. At this point, the only person that could prevent him from doing anything irrational was Ted and, even then, Emma dreaded the possibility that Henry was too far gone.

———

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed reading this. I probably edited this chapter maybe three to five times. I just like making Henry suffer a bit.

Also, I know I had to cut the backstory about the initiation of the fight short in the story, but I’ll just tell you the rest for fun.

So basically, they stop play fighting making out and they have breakfast. Then when Henry went down to the lab, he saw that his specimen that he went out and retrieved earlier was gone. He found it in the trash can in an unsalvagable state and knew it was Ted’s doing. Henry then confronted Ted about it and things escalated from there.

[prettypityprincess]

tuesday (part three)

titled: tuesday, part three in the ‘there’s something about tuesday trilogy’

flash tries to fix things

previous parts: part one and part two

warning: very small amount of angst, if any. characters may seem a bit ooc, and for that, i apologize. 

“so, i did what you said.”

michelle glances up from her book and at the brown skinned boy lazily. he’s standing with his hands stuffed in his pockets in front of her table in the library.

a few students that were studying around her glance up to give him a dirty look.

slowly, she leans forward and takes a small whiff

“clearly it wasn’t wear less cologne.” she pauses to frown, “do you bathe in it, or something?”

flash wants to say something, but he decides to ignore her, “i went to a doctor.”

the frown is replaced with a look of confusion, “seriously?”

“seriously” he confirms with a nod, “apparently i have anger issues”

he waits for mj to say something, but she doesn’t, she only keeps looking at him and with the confused look. “and anxiety” he adds, thinking it might help.

it doesn’t’

“I um-“ flash pulls off his backpack, digging through it until he finds what he’s looking for.

a small, black journal is pulled out. his fingers skim through it to the page he wrote on this morning.

going to school with flash for most of her life, MJ has gotten to see many different sides of flash thompson.

bitchy, whiny, and super genius flash have made an appearance more than once 

but nervous flash is a new one

she’s never seen him sweat this much (even in gym class) and his lips part to read aloud, but a hopeless stutter comes out instead.

accepting defeat, he closes the journal

“thank you”

mj’s eyebrows shoot up, “seriously?”

flash chuckles, “seriously”

his hands shake as he pulls out the chair across from her, “i don’t know, if you never said anything to me, i probably would have kept on thinking that I was going crazy. i mean, i felt like I was going crazy.”

mj looks at him with apologetic eyes

“t-this doesn’t change anything, im just letting you know. im gonna leave everyone alone, and then you can all go back to hating me”

“i don’t hate you.” she corrects, brows furrowing.

flash doesn’t believe her. he’s hated by them, and he knows it.

and maybe he deserves it

“i hate how you act, how you treat my friends, how arrogant and annoying you can be, but I don’t hate you”

flash doesn’t really know what to say. everything she said is the truth, but it feels different hearing it to his face.

“you’re a special kind of person. like, an acquired taste.

he tilts his head, “thanks, i guess?”

she shrugs her shoulders, “anyway, im glad you got some help dude, you’ve been not yourself for too long”

flash smiles, a little.

then gives her a small wave, exiting the library

it isn't hard to find peter, they have economics together and normally he and ned come in a few minutes before class to chat, or finish up homework.

just as flash thought, when he walks into the classroom, he finds ned in a heated discussion with his friend.  

“no, that’s what I’m telling you dude! rey is obviously the daughter of palpatine, all of the signs are there, she- what?”

peter is giving flash a distant glare, and when ned notices, he stops, so he can glare at flash too.

“can we talk?” flash asks, attempts to make his voice strong failing when peter’s eyes narrow at the quiver in his tone.

the brunette boy looks confused for a while, but eventually, his shoulders shrug, “okay”

ned leaves, surprisingly without objecting to peter’s decision.

“what’s up?” peter asks, jaw clenched and eyes hard.

“im sorry.” flash exhales.

peter blinks

“I really am, parker, i don't think you can ever know how sorry i am. and i- im not playing a trick on you, i know i’ve done it before, but this...i-isn't that.”

peter looks away from him, eyes focused on his desk in confusion and shock.

“I want you to know, that i feel terrible about what happened. not just on tuesday, but, everything before that. Im sorry, peter. and, im never gonna bother you again, i swear. I just hope one day you can forgive me for all the bullshit i’ve put you through.”

peter sighs, blinking one more time before his eyes meet flash’s once again. “It’s already forgiven, dude.”

flash doesn’t know what he expected, but it certainly isn’t this. peter isn't angry, he didn’t yell, peter smiled at him, he forgave him. and flash knows he should be relieved, but it only frustrates him, because of course peter parker is too perfect to hold a grudge.

thankfully, the bell sounds and prevents him from having to reply. Students fill the classroom, and the desks around them, and without another word, flash goes to take his seat.

students glare at him as they walk down the aisles, but he acts like he can’t see them.

their eyes burn holes into his back, and their whispers are loud and clear.

but, he keeps it together.

even when he starts to hyperventilate and clench his fists to calm himself, he keeps it together 

and at the end of the period, when his teacher announces a project that needs a group of three, he keeps it together

flash is just gonna have to work alone on this one, it’s no big deal, but, he’s never had too before.

a kid who was his friend a week before, bumps into his desk on the way to join his other group members

people snicker

and flash is just about done, about to raise his hand and run to the bathroom, when the voice of an angel stops him 

“hey” 

flash turns around to find peter parker and ned leeds sitting at a table together, already paired for the project. 

the brunette boy shrugs his shoulders, “you wanna be in our group?”

ned’s brows furrow in confusion, but it doesn’t matter

flash lets out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, and picks up his backpack, “sure”

things aren’t magically fixed 

flash won’t wake up tomorrow a better person, cured by his medicine and turned new 

he won’t be having sleepovers with the boys, they don’t join his discord anytime soon, and he’s keeping his netflix password to himself 

but that’s okay, those things take time 

flash has a lot of it

and there’s always gonna be more tuesdays 

published on a tuesday night (:

[weeb-writes]

Haaaaa, I love any chance to write about Akaashi!! I do hope you like these :) I’ve actually never played Twister before so I hope I wrote it believably :) And THANK YOU!! (Also this is my first time writing Yaku so I apologize in advance if he seems somewhat OOC!) - A

Akaashi Keiji:

This was it. It was finally going to happen. After all this time, Akaashi was going to kill Bokuto.

Because somehow, for some reason, while hanging out after school, Bokuto had convinced everyone to play Twister. Akaashi wasn’t sure why Bokuto would insist on such an asinine pastime, until you walked through the door. He had no idea Bokuto had invited you to hang out, but Akaashi had already said yes to the activity and knew that if he backed out now, his crush on you would be out there for the world to see.

Of course now, he was more than slightly miserable.

“Left hand, red!” Bokuto called out. Akaashi didn’t want to turn his head to look at the Fukurodani captain. He could hear the grin in his voice, and it irked him.

You were trying not to laugh and not fall on your butt. You were bent backwards in an uncomfortable position, with your hands beneath you planted firmly on blue and yellow circles. Each breath you took made your body shudder, but you were determined to win. You hadn’t played Twisted since you were a kid, and you were always a master.

Akaashi took one look at the red circle that was his next move and frowned. I’m definitely going to kill him.

Akaashi’s feet were planted on circles directly in front of you, but his next target was situated directly beside your hand.

“Hurry up, Akaashi!” Bokuto taunted from the couch.

“Quiet.” Akaashi muttered, taking a breath. He leaned forward, placing his hand on the circle and trying to ignore the sudden warmth that washed over him. He was directly above you now, his face inches from yours. With each breath you took, your chest brushed against his, and it made the room feel 10 degrees warmer.

“You’re getting off easy,” You muttered, your face twisting in slight agony thanks to your current pose.

“Mmhmm.” Akaashi hummed. If you only knew…

The sound of the spinner filled the room before Bokuto’s boisterous voice spoke up. “(y/n), left foot, green.”

You tried to look down, your forehead pressing against Akaashi’s chin as you did so. You gave up, letting your head fall back in frustration. “I can’t see!” You whined.

Akaashi glanced back, noting the nearest green circle near you. “It’s between my feet,” He told you, his voice huskier than it had been the last time he spoke. Being this close to you was spelling trouble for him. Not just for the feeling of your body as close as it was, but the overpowering scent of you that was making his head swim. Did you even wear perfume, or were you just naturally that sweet smelling? And was that strawberry he smelled in your hair?

“Oh geez.” You muttered, chewing your bottom lip in concentration as you began maneuvering your foot from one spot to the next, being careful not to knee Akaashi in the stomach. You slid your foot around the mat, nudging Akaashi’s toes in the process. It made him jump slightly, and you suppressed a giggle.

“Sorry.” You apologized before continuing your mission. You slipped your foot between his and then breathed a sigh of success, looking up at Akaashi’s face. He was looking at you with the strangest gaze, his cheeks flushed and his lips parted slightly. Before you could ask him if he was okay, your body finally decided it had had enough. You crashed to the floor, your foot slipped and knocking into Akaashi’s.

Akaashi had been having enough trouble holding onto his stability, but the minute you knocked his foot out from under him was the last straw. You hit the ground, and he came crashing down seconds after, landing directly on top of you. “Ah!” He exclaimed.

The weight of him was crushing, but not entirely unpleasant. You felt the definition of his muscled torso even through both layers of your shirts and felt your cheeks grow warm.

Akaashi was stuttering as he scurried to raise himself off of you. “Are you okay?!” He asked, louder than you had ever heard him speak before. Worry was etched on his cute features, and it made you smile.

“I’m fine! You’re not as heavy as you look,” You assured him. “Besides, I could think of worse places to be.” You hadn’t meant to voice that last part, only think it, but you had failed miserably.

Akaashi’s face turned the deepest shade of red you had ever seen, a faint trace of a smile touching his lips.

That smile was quickly replaced with a snarl when Bokuto slammed the door shut and ran down the hall. “Success!” He was yelling in the distance.

Suga and Yaku are under the cut! 

Sugawara Koushi:

“Why does Tanaka have this game?”

“I think the better question here is why are we playing this game?” Sugawara muttered as he struggled to keep his foot in the correct place.

You giggled at his reply. “Good point.”

You were supposed to be studying along with Tanaka, Noya, Kageyama, and Hinata, but somehow the books had been put away long ago and instead replaced with games. After a game of Uno that had gone sour when Hinata played a Draw 4 card on Kageyama, Tanaka had suggested Twister, which nearly started a fight before it began when Noya asked if Saeko would be playing.

So far, the positions hadn’t been too painful. Sugawara only had one hand on the mat, and you were still on both feet. However, your round had only just started.

“(y/n)-chan, left hand, red!” Noya announced, before loudly slurping at his box of juice.

You glanced over your shoulder, sighing. The nearest red circle was behind Sugawara.

“Good luck.” Sugawara told you, flashing you a sweet smile that held a hint of mischief to it.

You glared playfully before assessing the situation, figuring out the easiest way to hit your mark. You carefully reached back, slipping your arm beneath Suga’s and leaning back to plant your palm firmly on the correct color.

Sugawara grew stiff at the contact, but managed to keep his head. You were trying not to lean against him, but it was hard considering the positions the game had put you in. Your butt was pressed firmly against his thigh, and it was making things difficult.

No one seemed to notice, however, and seconds later, Tanaka was announcing the next move.

“Sugawara-senpai, right hand, blue!”

Suga did a quick glance at the mat beneath them and stifled a groan. Taking a breath, he reached around you, bending you over in the process of reaching for the blue circle.

His chin was resting on your shoulder, and you could feel his breath against your ear. The heat of his body against yours was making you weak, even though you would never admit it. Sugawara was technically your senpai, and you couldn’t help but feel like this game was disrespecting that. Your reaction to the current predicament certainly was.

When you noticed the sudden sensation pressed against your backside, you realized his reaction was as well. You felt heat rush to your face and you were unsure how to react, not wanting to embarrass him, but not wanting to make it worse.

It was Hinata’s turn to announce the next movie. “Alright, (y/n)…”

“Oops!” Sugawara muttered as he moved his hand off the mark and fell on his side, laughing nervously. He hurriedly moved to sit on the side of the mat, crossing his legs and grabbing one of the books he had been studying earlier. He laid it in his lap, avoiding your gaze entirely. “Oh well, looks like (y/n} wins!”

Noya frowned. “How did you mess that one up, Suga-senpai?”

“I…just lost my balance, I suppose.” Suga replied, clearing his throat nervously. “How about we get back to studying before it gets too late?”

You suppressed a smile as you took a seat across from him. The boys around you offered various groans and mutterings of displeasure, but gathered their studying materials nonetheless. Suga was still avoiding your gaze, but you made a mental note to talk to him in private later. He had no reason to be embarrassed. Besides, you thought with a smile, you had a feeling it wasn’t just biology that caused the reaction – it was you.

Yaku Morisuke:

“(Y/n), right hand yellow!”

You glanced at the nearest circle and swallowed. Oh well, I’m no quitter, you thought.

You were standing over Yaku, with one hand on the circle beside his head, and your next target on the opposite side of him. Your feet were planted on side by side colors that just so happened to be directly between his legs.

“Hurry up, (y/n)!” Lev sang from the sidelines of the game mat.

“Yes, hurry up or you’ll lose your turn.” Yaku said, smirking up at you. You could have sworn there was a glint of devilishness in his eyes, and it worried you slightly.

Glaring, you swung your arm over and pressed your hand to the mat. You were now directly over Yaku, who was somehow still steadying himself despite his hands being on circles behind his back. All that volleyball certainly wasn’t for nothing, you guessed, as your eyes slowly took in the sight of his defined arms, the muscles bulging slightly thanks to holding up his own weight.

“Gah, was that fast enough for you?” You asked with a smirk.

“You’ve got it easy, (y/n)-chan, I’m the one currently suffering.” He reminded you.

“Yaku-san! Right hand, green!” Lev called out.

Your eyes darted to the nearest green, and opened your mouth to alert him to its location, but he wasted no time. He slid his hand across the mat to the correct spot, which was directly next to your left hand. He adjusted himself slightly, breathing a sigh as some of his torture was relieved. He took you by surprise as his fingers brushed against yours, making you gasp softly.

“Sorry, (y/n), did I startle you?” He asked quietly, and you knew for sure that he was being devilish. The smirk on his lips proved that to be true.

“I’m fine.” You muttered through gritted teeth. He made you nervous and you hated it. Right now, in particular, you hated him.

Actually, it was quite the opposite, but you liked to pretend.

Yaku’s eyes held your gaze for a moment before he let them wander briefly. The way you were positioned over him gave him a more than perfect view of your chest, and he quickly averted his gaze, staring in the distance past your head. It was tempting to stare at you and your body all day, but he didn’t want to risk you thinking he was a pervert. Besides, a quick glance was only fair – he had seen you ogling his biceps a moment ago.

“Left hand, blue!” Lev called out, and you suddenly remembered it was your turn. You slid your hand towards the nearest blue circle, realizing a little too late that it was further than you had previously thought. A pain shot through your arm from the sudden unnatural movement and you cried out as your arm gave out. You braced for your face to connect with the floor, but you felt an arm wrap tightly around your waist as a hand shot out and carefully grabbed your hand.

“(y/n)!” Yaku exclaimed as he looked down at you. He had sat, forgetting the game, and you realized you were practically nestled between his legs with his strong arm still around you. “Are you alright?”

You blinked as you stared up at him. “Yeah, I’m fine,” You assured him. “I just…moved too fast, I think.”

“Way to scare me,” He chided you, but his tone was light. His gaze found yours and he offered you a smile. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Sorry, it looks like we both lost.” You replied sheepishly. You had both moved off your marks, and wasn’t that pretty much the point of Twister?

“Well,” Yaku murmured, tightening his arm around you slightly. “I wouldn’t call it a complete loss.” He grinned.

[rookieskrp]

RK’S FOURTH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS CONCLUDE

What better way to celebrate four years of Rookies than with a bit of a makeover, right? Yes, those of you that noticed the change in icon and/or that the main was private for about an hour probably guessed it. Check out our lovely new theme, courtesy of the amazing Mod Razel! Those of you that were around in December 2013 may feel a little familiarity in some of the graphics, because this theme drew inspiration from the first theme Rookies ever had. The new acceptance graphics will kick in next week, so please look forward to it! Pardon our dust as we clean everything up and apply the necessary changes to our numerous sideblogs, too. We had intentions of getting all of this finished yesterday at the end of the queue, but what can we say, sometimes high quality work takes a little bit more time!! We hope it was well worth the wait.

To conclude the celebrations of this incredible landmark, we, your staff team, wanted to share our feelings on all of this beyond just a blanket announcement-- in a little more of a personal way. We always enjoy reading all the posts from you guys when you reach an important benchmark on your characters, be it a year anniversary, a certain number of posts, or more, so this is our version of that as mods. If this compels you to embrace your feelings of nostalgia and fondness, feel free to make an OOC post to let it out. We’d love to hear what this anniversary means to you! Tag any relevant posts as #rkfourth so we can see them all. If you’re inspired to make graphics or start any other projects, too, feel free to! Now, onward with our feelings!!

bianca:

the fact i'm writing this right now is pretty surreal (especially since i forgot about it and had to do it while lying in bed ready to sleep). i was one of the last additions to the admod team and sometimes i still need to stop and think about it to remember that actually happened. i had been a member of rookies for less than a year when i was given the chance to become a mod and even if at first i wasn't sure if i was ready for the job i'm glad i took it! rookies has become something close to a second home to me and i often find myself choosing to write something instead of studying for an exam. during my time here i actually graduated from high school and got into an university which sounds crazy to me!! now debuts are happening and i can't wait to see what more this rp has in store for us. i truly do hope rookies continues going for many more years and that i can help it grow into something even better that can bring joy to whoever wants to join us (or is already part of the family)! watch out for events and see you next year, rookies!

razel:

ahhhhhh it’s already rookies fourth birthday *wipes tears* y’all grow up so fast i can’t believe we’re here four years later and rookies is still as alive and accommodating as it had began. i just want to thank the original admin team, julie and jaiden, for bringing to life a roleplay that’s both brought happiness and excitation for many of our muns. shoutout to piper for doing her absolute 100% best taking over and giving us a foundation to continue on after her leave. my fellow mod team who are literally THE BEST team y’all could ask for in running a roleplay. BUT ALSO who could forget our beautiful muns and muses we’ve seen come and go (as well as who are still here) without your participation, anticipation and love for rookies — none of this could really be possible. thank you for being so patient and hope everyone is excited for the future of rookies and the expectations of debuts in the new year! (i think we can all say this was a long time coming and i’m happy for those who have overcome this wait with us! rookies has always been my home away from home. from the very start, back in 2013, i had already known it would be hard to leave this place behind. with the countless muses i’ve created, rkqri has made a deep impression in my heart with her relationships as well as her development in the rk-verse. i honestly don’t know what i would have done without her or rookies to distract me from the stress irl had on me. it’s been my safe haven since 2013 until now and i’m happy to continue being here to see it til the very end! aghhhh i’m getting emotional but i’m super happy for rookies, it’s fourth birthday and for all the muses and muns who are still here and have made rookies their home as well. i Love ya, rookies 💓

sera:

hello, it’s your bandaid mod here! i still remember when i first joined rookies when shannen (former rkmyung) brought me over during the mgas2 season. i thought this place was amazing then (my first tumblr rp!) and i still think - despite the ups and downs i’ve felt as a member - that this place is incredible for lasting as long as it has! i’m beyond grateful to the current head mods for hiring me on within the last year because it was definitely a leap of faith on their part!! it’s even more of an honor to get to work on debut tier along with mod kyle (how y’all gonna trust me with these big tasks idk???) so i just want to say... thanks!!! to everyone for making the rookies community as fun, as stressful, and as rewarding as it is. i love it here more than i can possibly express. i’ll keep working hard as your mod from now on and as hyeri & joohyun for as long as i can! ♡

kyle:

Happy Birthday, Rookies!  As a lot of you know, I’ve been here since the first day Rookies opened, four years ago!  I’ve really enjoyed my time here and the opportunities I’ve had to bring my muses to life and to write with so many talented people over the years.  I just want to say that Rookies has been a major part of my life for a long time now and I’m very grateful for that.  

Over four years, I’ve played several characters, though probably Taeyeon is the one I’m best known for, having played her for every single day of the four years I’ve been here!  My other two current muses are Seulgi and Sejeong, and I’m quite happy with how both of them have progressed so far!   I’ve also played the actress Kim Jiwon, After School’s Lizzy, GFriend’s Yerin (who became Seulgi), APink’s Eunji, & Pristin’s Minkyung.  I’ve enjoyed writing with all of you that I’ve had the chance to and even if I haven’t, I’ve enjoyed seeing you all here over the years, building your own characters in this world we share.

We have a lot more coming up in the future of Rookies, including debuts! (Finally, I know some of you are saying, myself included lol)  I just want to say thank you for all of you that have been here, no matter how long or short of a time you’ve been here.  Rookies is an amazing rpbecause of each and every one of you that takes the courage to put your writing out there.  So really and truly, thank you for being here and sharing your lives, and your muses lives, with us.  Here’s to more fantastic times in the future!

The only advice anybody can give is, if you wanna be a writer, keep writing. And read all you can, read everything. – Stan Lee

mira:

i remember feeling both excited and super nervous while writing my app to become a mod for rookies over two years ago - those who were close to me at the time can confirm that i wrote about six different versions for it, and ended up changing to a seventh one last minute because i STILL wasn't sure of what to send! i also remember the day mama piper told me she picked me as events mod as one of the happiest days of my life; i love her and rookies more than i can explain in this tiny little message and it means the world to me to have been chosen into such an important and special role in it. i know i've been lacking in my job and i would like to take the chance to apologize to all my members for being absent. i would also like to thank everyone for letting me be here and helping me grow both as a mod and as a person. please, know this: if i haven't been around as much as i should have, it's because i now finally have the strength and courage to take care of myself properly. i have accomplished many, many things this past year, and i know that i couldn't have done it without all that i've learned while being your events mod and your head of development. rookies is a part of me that i dearly love, and i promise i won't ever give up on it. it's not everyday you get to be a staff member of a rp that shares your own birthday, after all. ♡

carly:

i really honestly can’t believe rookies has been around for four years (people have entered and graduated HIGH SCHOOL in the time rookies has been open!!) but at the same time, i can. rookies always seemed like a special rp, and once it got through the original bumps, i’m really glad nothing stopped it. i think the most unbelievable thing is that i’m here, talking about this as a mod (admin???) those of you that have been around for a while have heard the story before. i joined rookies a few days before christmas 2013, and i was so overwhelmed by everything-- back then, my health was even worse than it is now, and i had no idea that i even had lyme disease, i was just sick allll the time. i thought for sure i would end up dropping in the first two weeks. i don’t actually remember how or why i stuck around, but by february, i was really invested and attached. over time, i started reading and liking every solo and sns post anyone ever posted, and kept up with what was going on in the lives of all of the characters here (i was inspired by our now former admin piper, who did the same thing before i did!) and i’m sure that’s what got me my dash mod job at the end of 2015. in my mod app, i said “i love rookies and rookies has helped me so much in the near two years i’ve been here, so i’d love to give back even half as much as i’ve gotten from it,“ and i think that sums up why i became a mod really well. rookies has been here for me when i didn’t know what all of my health issues were, when i got my diagnosis of lyme disease, and through all of the (continuing) ups and downs of treatment for it, and i can’t honestly express enough how wonderful it’s been for me to always count on rookies to be here as a creative outlet, and something to enjoy, and to always count on you all for your support. i like to think in the two years i’ve been a mod, that i’ve done a good job of giving back some of what i’ve gotten from rookies, though i think i still have some work to do before i reach giving back half as much, because you guys are always giving a lot to me every day, too. i should probably cut myself off before this gets EVEN LONGER so all the other mods can talk too (joke’s on you carly your message is so long that it got moved to the end) but i feel really blessed to be here in this exact moment, with the exact role i’ve had. i hope that my being a mod has made rookies a bit better of a place, and that your lives have been a little brighter because of it. thank you all for talking to me about your muses, and trusting me to sort out things that bother you, for choosing to spend your time and energy here, and for helping me learn and grow into a better person every day. in good times and bad, rookies has always been some of the good for me. i love you all dearly and i’ll keep working to make rookies a place you can enjoy for an even longer time  ♡♡♡

[shintorikhazumi]

Phone Snippets #4: "Heal me, Love"

Snippet #4: “Heal Me, Love”

TAWOGfan2000: Akko broke her leg and is in the infirmary. I ADORE this idea. This stuff is the kind I bury myself into.

@laulink DianAkko healing. I hope you got some too. XD

Btw, thanks @silverteresa @alexdadawg @xswordeyesx @theniceacefriend and @mrs-kagari for reblogging these too ^~^ And a whole lot of other people that I can’t mention. I’d like to meantion you all, but I wrote it in pencil really bad and an’t read the rest XD. But I know who you guys are and I’m so happy ^-^ Thanks for supporting this XD

Oh and @blookity-bloke coz you wanna read this?

Longest snippet.

OOC warning

Enjoy?

~Shintori Khazumi *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“AKKO!”

Diana ran as fast as her legs could carry her, not caring for the rules for once in her life, which was a great shock to many as she was Diana.

The Diana Cavendish.

Finneran, who had been walking the halls at the same time, stood with mouth agape, blinking in disbelief, wondering if all that was a dream.

And no one could really recover fast enough to scold Diana for breaking these rules, and she wouldn’t have listened either way.

Because no matter what, she needed to reach Akko. Why?

“I didn’t catch her.”

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Luna Nova Academy. Four years dedicated to intense magical improvement. In the first two years, it was chock full of basics and lectures. The fourth year was for focusing on a chosen specialization. But the third year…

The third year of Luna Nova had a requirement under the rule of ‘Application’. Students should apply all that they learned in their studies and do so through assigned missions.

Of course, it was a given that these missions be done by team, thus Diana had been separated from her dunce-like lover for the time being.

Sure she had been worried at first, especially after hearing the girl’s team had, by some odd stroke of fate, been assigned one of the worst missions, recovering the poisoned feathers of a cockatrice found in the Arcturus forest. Diana clearly did not like the arrangement, but Akko had insisted she’d be fine, even joking about it, telling Diana that she and her team had already done such a thing, just as they entered the academy, possibly the reason for their assignment.

Besides, Sucy was an expert on all things poison and was very capable in magic. Lotte would be there as well. The level-headed voice of reason. And Diana consented because she had faith in all of them.

However, a week later, the day for all teams to return from their assignments, Diana had found it hard to locate any of the red team members, which was puzzling as their leader alone could create such ruckus to be noticed.

But now… It was strangely tranquil.

The blonde approached the arrival staff, inquiring of the returnees, but among the names on the checklist, the red team’s box had yet to have a tick.

She frowned, concern ever growing…

-Then she heard her name in a strained, frantic voice.

“D-Diana!”

“Lotte? Sucy?” They had grown close enough to address each other by name.

Diana caught the teary-eyed girl, trying to soothe her enough to tell her what was wrong, and also…

“Where is Akko?” Diana said, more worried than ever, still not spotting her girlfriend.

Her stomach churned as Sucy looked away, Lotte grim as she tried to muster enough strength to speak.

“In-infirmary… It…. Was.. It chased us. I fell… She saved me and…” Lotte cried again, shaken up.

The next words made Diana’s heart imitate the action of her girlfriend.

It dropped.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The door swung open, Diana rushing through every curtained section of the clinic, flipping the silk cloths aside in search of her brunette love. Reaching the last one, she stood there by the window, sweaty and panting.

There, lying on her back, groaning and covered in bandaged scratches- and scratches exposed, was Akko in all her battered glory.

At the sound of heavy breaths, and a yell of her name, Akko brightened up and forgot all her pain at seeing Diana, and couldn’t help but grin sheepishly, joking about her failure, falling like before, and laughing as she pointed at her freshly bandaged leg being placed in a cast by the nurse who was just leaving, clicking her tongue at the piece of work.

“Pretty Stupid, huh?” The brunette chuckled mirthless.

Before she could react, the heiress had thrown herself onto her girlfriend, crying tears of relief.

“I’m so glad you’re alright! ” Diana wrapped her arms around Akko, squeezing tight.

“Di-Diana, I’m fine!” The girl said in slowly disappearing surprise, patting the heiress back. “Really, I am!” She reassured with a small laugh.

Diana pulled away shortly after, maybe realizing that she had just thrown her entire weight on the injured Atsuko Kagari.

“Are you absolutely certain you are alright ? I know I just said it, but you aren’t in any pain are you?” She inquired, more calmly this time around.

Akko sighed fondly before nodding, smiling widely, crinkles by her eyes. “YES, Diana. I am perfectly fine.”

The heiress didn’t seem the least bit convinced, moreso as by simply sitting on the bed and shifting Akko’s position the smallest inch, the girl immediately winced as the weight moved her hurt lower body.

“Ngh- No-! D-don’t say sorry!” Akko noticed the way Diana’s eyes widened as she sat down and sprung back up to her feet, seeing the pained look on Akko’s face, mouth forming in apology. “S-sit back down.” The brunette tried to get out with less of a grunt that held back her breath as she tried to hide her pain.

“I am so sorry.” Diana spoke wearily, stepping closer to Akko’s face as she caressed her cheek, too scared to sit again.

“Like I said, don’t be.” Akko smiled reassuringly, grasping Diana’s wrist as she shifted for some space for Diana, and the heiress wanted to protest against Akko’s movements if it weren’t for the finger on her lips shushing her. “Sit.” Her girlfriend commanded, patting the spot next to her.

With no other choice, Diana complied. The pair stayed that way in silence for so long, they felt time to be unmoving.

“What… Happened, exactly?” Diana asked after a while, wanting to know the full tale of how the brunette ended up in such a state.

Akko tried sitting up, making little sounds of struggle and Diana grimaced as Akko was taking far too long simply doing such an easy task.

“Sorry for the wait.” She said, now turning to the concerned blonde. “Would you prefer the child-safe version or the graphic one?” The troublesome witch asked, still jesting all the way despite the air of seriousness her counterpart donned.

“Akko…” Her voice held warning, and the aforementioned sighed, relenting.

“Alright, alright.” She looked down, searching for Diana’s hands to play with them as she told her story; a way to hopefully keep them BOTH calm and the heiress certainly appreciated the gesture, nodding for her girlfriend to continue.“So… The three of us were finally deployed and we managed to get to Arcturus forest just fine.” Akko began relaying her tale. “Sucy somehow did some weird call, and BAM! Cockatrice outta nowhere trying to nip at us.”

The brunette turned to her companion, checking for any signs of lingering resent or worry, but was glad to see Diana listening intently, trying to understand everything.

“We tried doing what we did last time it happened. I acted as bait while leading it to a mandrake to trap it while Lotte and Sucy grabbed the feather. The plan was working pretty good…” Akko trailed off, recalling events she might not have wanted to. “Sucy packed the feather away and we were just gonna head back early. Like, just second day into mission early.”

“Then?”

“But then, the chicken-dragon escaped and Lotte didn’t see it trying to get her… So it managed to snag her broom and she fell. And…” Akko scratched the back of her neck. “I tried to save her, but when I tossed her to Sucy, that thing snapped at me and I lost my balance and just…. Whoosh, splat.”

Diana knew Akko worded it that way so as to not worry her, but it did not help at all. It only enlightened her already fearful mind.

“Before you ask, It all happened so fast I didn’t get the timing right to cast any spell. It was pretty late when I managed to start. Sucy was too busy trying to catch Lotte so she saw me late too. It’s not their fault. More likely, it’s mine, but really, no one is hurt and I’m glad.”

“NO one? Akko! Look at you!”

Akko tried to explain more. “Lotte did first aid, and we got back three days earlier cause I made travel longer, so the nurse tried to patched me up. I’m fine already, really. Maybe kinda sore… And…” The brunette actually looked melancholic for a moment. “My leg’s just… Getting there.”

That sad voice grew a lump in the heiress throat, and somehow she knew Akko’s broken leg hurt more than just physically.

Diana freed a hand, looking down and rubbed the limb, drawing circles on the knee with a sad smile. “Sorry.”

“For what?” Akko asked, laughing the slightest bit. “You didn’t do anything, Diana.”

“Exactly. I did not do anything.”

The way Diana said it worried Akko so much. She was troubled quite often because of the mischievous witch, but Akko was trying to change that. But right now, Diana’s gloom was enshrouding her for a reason Akko could not comprehend.

So, she asked.

“Diana, Love…” Akko cupped the face of the blonde, willing her to speak to her not only with her mouth, but with her eyes and whole body. “Look at me. Hey. Tell me, what’s wrong?”

Diana only looked sadder and Akko could have been the one to cry for her, if only to lessen her sorrow by letting it out. The brunette did not feel her pain, but Diana’s as the heiress felt her own.

“I regret not being there to catch you this time around.” The heiress finally admitted, eyes not able to look into Akko’s for much longer.

Akko looked at the resentful state of the Love of her life, patting her on the head before kissing the spot.

“It can’t be helped, can it?” She smoothed out the rebellious hair strands on Diana’s head brought on by all that earlier running.

Diana no longer replied, simply allowing Akko to spoil her a bit, relaxing significantly.

By accident her hand went to Akko’s leg and as her body lost tension, she placed weight on the injured leg, immediately retracting her hand as Akko hissed in pain.

“Akko! I… I apologize. It wasn’t my intention-”

“It…s… Hah… Fine.” The patient desperately tried to put on a smile, but all she wore was a pained grimace. She hated how she was far too sensitive. A little mass and hurt would jolt up her system. She didn’t like it. Immovable and weak. And now Diana…

“I… I apologize.” The heiress was close to tears as Akko had her eyes deeply shut, trying to breathe out the pain slowly.

“It was an… Accident. Fine…” Akko got out through gritted teeth. Diana still couldn’t accept it, but she knew their were better ways to resolve this than with arguing with Akko.

“Let me at least heal you myself.” “That way I can rest assured that you are perfectly fine and patched up.” She said. “And I can make up for what happened. I know you are far from healed properly.”

Akko laughed at the statement, feeling as though she were recovering already. “It’s like you’re saying you don’t trust the nurse.”

“I don’t.” Diana replied bluntly, wiping the tears from her eyes as she begins her healing.

Akko spluttered. The answer was that surprising.

“At least, when it comes to you.” Diana inserted, a light pink dusting her features in a blush. “Honestly, the woman always sends you away indifferently.”

Akko smiled at the concern, warm and bubbly inside as she was now giggling, the magic flowing pleasantly through her battered system. “Well, with how often I’m here, why not?”

“A forty-one degree fever, accompanied by a migraine and vomiting.” Diana growled, recalling a particularly bad incident. “And all she did was send you off with tea and cold medicine?!”

“She must have been busy. Relax, Love.” Akko chuckled, leaning over to plant kisses along Diana’s jawline as she pulled her lover into her lap despite the taller girl’s protests.

“Akko, your leg-”“Wasn’t that all I needed to get over the fever?” Akko asked as Diana shifted her body off Akko’s leg, opting to sit beside her instead in close proximity.

“No. Absolutely not! You need care, help, affection. You need-”

“You?”

Diana froze for a while, mind ticking in thought until red exploded all over her face, ears and neck.

“Wh-what-?!”

“I mean… You are my 'Love’, after all.” Akko chuckled as she wrapped her arms around Diana. Happiness was consuming her and she would believe that part of it was just Diana being a magical existence in her life. “I love you~”

It wasn’t intentional, but Diana’s hand moved to slap Akko’s shoulder out of embarrassment, gasping as she realized it.

“O-ow.. You sure have a lot of strength.” Akko joked, eye closing.

“S-sorry!” The heiress rubbed the spot soothingly, casting a minor healing spell there before placing a kiss on the affected area. Akko hummed, pleased. An idea entered her head.

“You know…”

“What is it?” Diana asked, now focusing on Akko’s little scratches and bruises as she would get back to the broken leg later. Bones were hard to heal no matter the magic.

“There’s something you do that seems more effective than your healing spells.” Akko wagged her brows, grinning as she loved her idea.“Huh? What could possibly be more-” Diana was confused, after all, the Cavendish lineage had the best repertoire of healing spells available.

“Your kisses alone make me feel sooooooo much better.”

Diana’s whole body, this time, was covered in a blush. For a few moments her jaw hung slack, but then she took back her composure, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she stopped her spell a moment, leaning forward.

“I see.” She looks away for a moment, thinking, before cupping the back of Akko’s head, fingers massaging it lovingly. “Then I have no choice but to utilize that skill, yes?” She smiled as her lover mirrored her actions.

“Yes.” Akko grinned, unabashedly. “I love you, doctor~!”

“Don’t call me that.” Diana said, stopping mere inches from Akko’s lips. “I love you more.”

“Is that a challenge?” Akko akko chuckled, brow raised.

“No.” Diana leaned the last bit forward, gently bumping their heads together, noses nuzzling, lips lightly brushing. “It’s a fact.”

Akko grinned, leaning in first to claim those soft lips. “That, it is.”

And they shared one of many healing kisses for the day.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

OMAKE:

Akko groaned as her legs ached from the strain and weight she put on them sitting up and when she insisted Diana sit in her lap earlier, even if they were feeling way better than before.

“I’d say I told you so, but I love you for that.” Diana sighed, shaking her head before giggling. “It serves as consequence and warning for your next mission.” The heiress rubbed the sore muscles, a new healing spell at her fingertips. “I hope this was a good lesson.”

“And what would I even learn? Be careful? Practice my skills more?” Akko scoffed good-naturedly as Diana sent her a loving smile, shaking her head no.

“You should learn to take me along with you.”

And Akko died a little inside from the cuteness.

A/N: Too LONG!!! XD Welp... reblog? Hahahahaa.... tell me how it is!

[bertievi]

Mun ramble and it's a biggie! Sorry!

I woke up and had this strange twisty time thing where I was convinced that I was still part of that group I've mentioned before on here and was mad at myself for not having left already. It was a wired ass feeling! 

Until that hand over of power from the first admin onto the new plot, everything felt like it had been fine and dandy. We were all friends, sent Christmas cards, talked on whats*app and sk*ype until the early hours, you know the general rp experience after years of writing together and helping to build a world and develop characters so much that I was convinced my muse would remain a pernament muse. He's since gone, alas but he truly was my best developed muse because I played him for hours on end in realtime chat, night after night after night. He had so much backstory, elements the show didn't explore that were fundamental parts of his nature, it was great fun! 

Thinking back though, while the IC was five years worth of pages and pages of rping every night, the OOC was horrendously toxic. I was in this group through my uni years, I worked in retail through uni too which left me limited time as it was to actually do university work, but I felt like I needed to rp for my sanity’s sake. Unfortunately this sort of dependency on the group meant I was the coward who turned a blind eye when the admin, who I thought of as a close friend, turned on fellow group members viciously. She would vague about a characters actions that were, well in character and rage out when her victim picked up on it. 

Her plot was a good one, don't get me wrong she was a brilliant writer, but when things didn't go her way or someone disagreed with something she said in the OOC she would disappear for a couple of hours or even days, which is just a no-no for an admin of a realtime group. When she returned, she would sulk with this person, ignore all attempts of their apology and then after a few days say she was sorry herself and insist that the whole thing be dropped without discussion, which naturally deprived the other person of even defending themselves.

She was matriarch of the group and it was probably a missed opportunity to study the psychology of an online hierarchy because damn did I fall into that mentality. I was beta and didn't want to risk losing that position in the group. What's terrifying, it's only in looking back do I realise this even happened at all. I'm mad at myself for not seeing it sooner or doing something about it! 

As the years went on though, she had turned on me once or twice, she and another of her favourites would discuss my character’s actions in the public chat in full view of me and everyone else, making up reasons for his behaviour that I did not agree with but spent too long going without saying a word for fear of this sulking retaliation. Lord, if you did argue it out she would do all she could to guilt trip you into believing that it was you who was at fault, not the character or her for not allowing you to defend your characters actions. We lost over ten people to this retaliation and quite often at points in the plot where it would impact on how things would work out. If the other Mun beat her to the vanishing act, she would post some gabble about how she was upset and had to step back for a bit before doing so. This seemingly turned her into the victim and people, including myself, were on her side when this happened. 

Those that did leave, she would then claim they had been abusive to her in private messaging, demanding even in texting or generally a psycho that she was glad to be rid of and that the group was now a safer place to write in. I didn't notice at the time but quite often those that she argued with the most didn't actually announce they were leaving. It was only after getting admin passage in the chat itself that I could see they had since been blocked, though even in messaging them via whats*app they did not respond to me. Which in hindsight was completely understandable since it seemed as if I was entirely on the admins side. But these accusations of abuse would last for the duration of the chats life, convincing people after years of talking with them that these stories had to be true.

Of course as time passed, I became wise to this act and when I saw the tension building between her and another Mun, I would warn them and then message the admin privately. This allowed her to rant about this other Mun via a private message instead of in the main group for all to see, this prevented OOC drama so often that people just seemed happier and we seemed to grow closer as a group. We lost no one during this time, people could come to me if there was an issue and I would offer them advice on how to fix it or confront the admin myself and make it seem like I had noticed it before the other Mun had said anything. Though by happy accident, this was the start of a shift in power. 

When I was online, others felt as if they could talk more about their characters, what they were doing and how they were reacting. As an admin to the chat, I gave all of them the power to delete their posts, to re-write them, and as the original plot drew to a close, I was nominated to run the next plot, all of which I ran by the original admin (without revealing method) to which she agreed. My plot needed certain things to happen in order to work, but they were things I could put in the daily starters and when I retired to bed, the plot could easily continue without me while the characters worked on putting the pieces together. I had a muse in the ‘good guys’ group to pick up on things they missed when they consulted with him if they were really stuck on the clues and puzzles. The chat was never quiet, people were writing near constantly but there was always time to catch up on what had happened, things at least felt to me like they were much less pressured.

As my plot got to what was basically the the first major turn in events though,  one brave soul the former admin turned on publicly while I was asleep, told her she wasn't the admin anymore and didn't get to throw her weight around about how a character that wasn't hers should behave... well things took a serious turn in the wrong chat! 

The plot took off with eight people, one of which was a new comer to the group. After this incident, I began to notice that there was much less discussion in the OOC chat, that what was said was more about solving the puzzles of my plot rather than anything it used to be regarding personal things be they good or bad. The new comers character was a little problematic with the plot but I tried to adapt to allow them to play, though they wined OOC that I was hindering their muse... but they couldn't just find my villain because they were an angel... no one even knew who the villain was. I started to notice that the former admin and the afore mentioned favourite would be online together in the chat at ungodly hours, the chat silent but informing me of activity on the page regardless, which was informing me of private messaging. I could sense a tension and a shift. One person which used to bubble with excitement when she had cracked part of a code stopped talking to me altogether, chatting in the group but not to me. 

Two of the others said they were involved in another plot on tumblr and left suddenly and together. Another stopped interacting in the OOC chat completely, just focused entirely on the IC and nothing else until she stopped signing in too. Down to five members I wondered what had gone wrong and asked the remaining what they thought. Apparently the main concern was that my mastermind villain was human and therefore couldn't possibly be best their inhuman muses in a game of cat and mouse, that regardless of the muses intelligence, a power to locate anyone existed and they would use it even though they didn't actually know who they were looking for... and that's was it, that was their reasoning. I explained that they were up against Moriarty, that the NPCs they had met were all former muses of mine adapted to the plot and that Moriarty had buried himself in a hierarchy and hidden behind his reputation, they had actually met him several times and confided in him which of course he had used to cover his tracks. This was not liked at all and an argument erupted over  Moriarty as a character.

Now... I have always been fairly good at spotting a writing style. I used to be able to identify an online user by how they wrote very easily, less so now because there are soooo many people. But in a group of five, including myself noticing that two of the four I was talking to were the same person was... well, startling. The admin had created another identity, a new muse and had joined the group, the false Mun had been invited in by the former admin so really I should have put the pieces together sooner. I can't think why she would have done it, I allowed for multiple muses from the same Mun so there was no reason for IC purposes, which meant there was only OOC reasons.

I'm not that much of a wiz at computers but given the resources I had as admin of the group, I could look up an IP address and low and behold! I was right. Bizarrely the former admin defended me against her alter ego but I had already seen it was her behind both names. The two others, the afore mentioned favourite and the Mun which used to message me about cracking the codes were what were left. I was falsely outnumbered. I warned the code cracker what was happening and then set the plot up to finish in the IC before walking away. Years worth of writing wasted and gone because of one poisonous person.

I'm not proud of what I allowed to happen in the past, I don't like that I never confronted the former admin head on and I hate that I let her beat me. I know for a fact the chat is still open, likely I am another name on her ‘psycho’ list and will be discussed for years to come by people who don't even know me and are going on the admins words alone. I had once considered her a friend but if I have advice for you all it's that some people are simply looking to control not just your character but your online presence too, even friends are selfish and it is SO EASY to fall into a mentality that what's happening is normal. 

If this sounds familiar, don't make my mistake, stick up for yourself and walk away from that crap. My experience changed me, I'm less trusting but I sure as hell am determined never to let that happen again,  not to me nor anyone I see on the dash.