#capitalism with warm fuzzy we care about you bow on top

[blushingtendertiel]

Pros of having my employment rehabilitation thing via computer: I don't have to go anywhere

Cons of having my employment rehabilitation thing via computer: I can just fucking fall asleep during class and sleep through it

[inotherverse]

I’ll Be Home For DedSec (Marcus/Wrench)

ONLY A DAY LATE FOR THAT GOOD CHRISTMAS FIC HERE WE GO

also I haven’t finished the game asdfghj I still have to play the last mission but I think this is still canon compliant???

also u can read it on ao3 if you’d like gimme a kudos hell yeah

thanks bl;pealse enjoy

“What’re you doing here, man? You know it’s Christmas, right?”

Wrench turned at the sound of the voice and saw Marcus coming down the stairs of the hackerspace, smiling playfully at him.

“Do I really seem the type to celebrate, M?” he said, turning back to his work, already comfortable with the second presence in the room. “Get drunk at somebody else’s party, maybe, but I’m not a ‘spend time with family, get all warm and fuzzy inside’ kinda guy.”

“Still, go home, take a break, watch a shitty holiday movie. It’s a holiday, use other people’s religion as an excuse to slack off like the rest of us,” Marcus said, coming to stand just behind Wrench at his workbench.

“Yeah, yeah,” Wrench looked at Marcus over his shoulder. “Hey, and what about you? Why are you here?”

“‘Cause I knew you’d be here,” Marcus said, with a smug smile playing at his lips.

Wrench laughed softly. “Yeah? And shouldn’t you be, like, with your family right now?”

“I’m going later,” He said, walking forward to stand next to him. “What’re you even working on down here?”

“Jumper upgrades, mostly. There’s not much else to do,” Wrench gestured to the guts of the jumper in front of him, spread out on the table, along with some other technological odds and ends. “Well, actually, I’m sure there’s a lot of rich and powerful people getting drunk in a room together somewhere...” the screen of his masked showed two capital O’s as he looked imploringly at Marcus.

“Eh, we’ll get ‘em on New Year’s,” Marcus said, dismissing Wrench’s suggestion with a wave of his hand. “Take a break, come with me,” He took a few steps backwards toward the stairs, ushering Wrench to follow him.

“Where are we going?” Wrench asked, looking for a stopping point in what he was doing.

“The garage.”

“Why are we going to the garage?”

“Because your Christmas present is at the garage.”

Wrench paused. “Oh. I—”

“It’s not a car.”

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

“I know, but. It’s at the garage. I didn’t want you to think it was a car.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Because it’s not a car. And that would be, like, disappointing.”

“Yeah.” Wrench was now facing Marcus fully, the jumper forgotten at the mention of gifts. “I was just gonna say—”

“You were going to say something like, you’re surprised, or ‘oh, I didn’t get you anything,’ or whatever, right? I don’t care, man, just c’mon!” Marcus said, turning his back on Wrench and going up the stairs.

“Alright, alright! I’m coming!” Wrench called after him, quickly crossing the room to catch up. “You’re way too excited about whatever this is.”

“No, I’m really not,” Marcus turned his smiling face on him, looking a little too mischievous.

“Sure,” Wrench gave him a small shove up the stairs. “And do you really need to wear a turtleneck and a coat in California? I get it’s Christmas, but you look like a love interest in a shitty Hallmark movie.”

Marcus sighed. “I’m sorry you don’t understand fashion. I’m sorry you can see art right in front of you and not even recognize it. It’s so tragic for you.”

They reached the door, and Marcus bowed, motioning dramatically for Wrench to go before him. He followed, and the sliding door closed behind them, sealing the hackerspace.

“Also, stop watching Hallmark movies.”

———————————————————————————-

“I can’t believe we made it all the way here and you’re still on this.”

Wrench threw his arms up in exasperation. “I’m just saying! I don’t actually watch them,” He argued, waiting as Marcus opened the door to the garage. “I just know what they’re like!”

“How do you know what they’re like if you don’t watch them?” Marcus taunted, clearly enjoying dragging out the argument despite his protest.

Wrench’s mask switched to ‘angry eyes’: two downward-slanted lines. “Because I just fucking know what they’re like! Everyone does! They’re like, a staple of—” he stopped short as he walked through the door, seeing Marcus’s handiwork.

Next to his workbench stood the chalkboard he kept there, giant letters in Marcus’s straight, thin handwriting read: “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” It was curved to arc perfectly over the box that stood in front, lined up with careful precision. The box looked huge, a tall rectangle coming to above Wrench’s middle, and was wrapped in red and green paper, complete with a ribbon running up the sides and forming a bow at the top.

“Whoa,” Wrench breathed, taking tentative steps toward the box. “It’s all wrapped up and everything.”

“...Yes.” Marcus said, as he closed the door behind himself. “That’s typically how these things go. Kind of a staple of the thing.”

“Damn, Marcus,” Wrench said, slowly circling the gift and ignoring Marcus’s jab at him. “This thing is huge.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“Shut the fuck up, stop ruining Christmas with your dick,” Wrench said, holding a finger out to silence Marcus while eyeing the present.

“Well?” Marcus urged, impatient. “You gonna open it, or just stare at it?”

Wrench still hesitated a moment. “I’m… just trying to guess what it is. It looks like there’s a fucking toddler in here.”

“Nah, too tall for a toddler. He’s eight, minimum.”

Wrench rubbed his hands together, then attacked his present. Marcus watched, hands clutched in anticipation, as Wrench first untied the ribbon and let it fall to the floor, then ripped away the first bit of paper, halfway down the side.

“Oh… my god,” More paper ripping. “It’s not.”

“It is!” Marcus replied gleefully.

“Fuck. Fuck! Holy fuck!” Wrench started bouncing in place, unable to contain his joy.

“Yep!” Marcus replied, smiling, matching Wrench’s energy.

“Fucking… Marcus!” Wrench screamed, reaching a higher pitch than he realized he was capable of making, the filter of his mask helping it reach ear-splitting levels. Through his excitement he ripped the rest of the paper away until it stood fully revealed: a huge box emblazoned with Haum’s logo. He pulled the front panel away, revealing his gift: a brand new security bot. “I can’t fucking believe it!”

“Merry Christmas, Wrench!” Marcus said, clapping his hand down on Wrench’s shoulder. “Your boy’s been reincarnated!”

“Marcus, how in the hell!” Wrench was still barely able to control himself, and not really making the attempt, looking back and forth between Marcus and the robot. “It was like, absurdly difficult to get one of these the first time!”

“I have my ways! Don’t worry about it, just get to work on ‘im. He’s severely in need of a paint job.”

“Oh fuck, Marcus, thank you so much!” Wrench yelled, throwing his arms around Marcus. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!”

Marcus laughed and returned Wrench’s hug. “You’re welcome, man.”

Wrench pulled back some to meet Marcus’s eyes with his own exclamation points. “You’re the best, you’re literally the best!”

Marcus laughed again. “Hey, I try.”

“You! You literally fucking..!” Wrench started, launching away from Marcus and toward the robot. “This is really the best thing, Marcus, I mean it.”

“Well, I mean, I know getting rid of Wrench Jr. was really fucked up, I mean even if it was the best thing to do at the time…” Marcus settled against the nearby table, watching Wrench excitedly pull the bot from the box, flitting around it like a hummingbird. “So, here he is! Look, your son came home for Christmas!”

They both laughed a moment, before Marcus said, “Hey, I got him, both times, doesn’t that make me like, his other dad?”

Wrench gasped. “Oh my God, it does.” He laughed, then spread his arms wide. “Hey, look at me, I’m spending time with family on Christmas, like a real person!”

They both laughed, bringing the initial excitement in the room down, replacing it with a calmer, comfortable moment of silence. Wrench stopped bouncing around the security bot, and came to stand in front of Marcus.

“I’m serious, M, this is really great. I wish I had something cool and amazing for you that illustrated that I understand you better than anyone else, but…”

Marcus laughed. “Hey, there’s always next year, man. And, I mean, you don’t have to get me anything, that wasn’t what I was going for here.”

“I know. Ugh, you’re such a nice person. I hate you.”

“Wow. This family is tearing me apart,” Marcus said, moving as if to walk over to the security bot. “Okay then, I’ll just take my son and leave.”

Wrench positioned himself between the two, putting a hand on Marcus’s chest to stop him. “Just kidding, I love you, do not touch him.”

Marcus held his hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright. Could’ve said it with more feeling, but I’ll accept it.”

“Oh! Okay, round two,” Wrench cleared his throat in dramatic fashion. “Marcus Holloway.”

Marcus burst into laughter, just at the way Wrench pronounced his name: deep and low like a love confession in a bad movie. “Don’t, don’t!”

Wrench, cleared his throat again, louder, as if protesting the interruption. “Marcus Holloway,” he began again, “Allow me to confess my admiration of you.”

“Stoooooop!”

“No! You must let me continue!” Wrench said, adopting an indistinguishable accent, lofty like a Victorian drama with the Victorian extracted, the effect only made more funny as it garbled through the filter of Wrench’s mask. “I have admired you from afar for too long! I can no longer bear it!”

Marcus threw his head back in laughter. “Stop, oh my God!”

Marcus’s laughter only urged Wrench to carry on, ready to take the bit as far as it could go. “Marcus Holloway!” his mask showed two pointed, smiling eyes briefly as Wrench couldn’t help but to laugh through his character. They lasted only moments, though, before Wrench tore the mask from his face, dropping dramatically to one knee, and holding the mask over his heart like a hat. “I must confess my undying love for you!”

“I regret—” Marcus began as his laughter began to die down. “I regret everything. Are you even doing a bit anymore? You’re a little too good at this!”

Wrench laughed at the jab, only taking everything Marcus said as encouragement. “My own love laughs in my face! How will I go on?”

“Stop, oh my god, if you go anymore I’ll have to think you’re serious, c’mon!”

Marcus kept laughing, but he felt the air in the room change. It was immediate, but subtle, as their laughter stopped and a strange expression flicked across Wrench’s face; the eyebrows previously knit in a fake severe expression rose in surprise for only a moment, before Wrench was standing back on his feet. He broke eye contact, and moved to put his mask back on, but hesitated, standing almost frozen, looking for an out.

Marcus looked over the other, trying to find meaning in the sudden change. “Wrench?”

“Uhh… yeah. Anyway,” Wrench looked everywhere but at Marcus, already half turned away from him. “What were we doing?”

Marcus began to connect the dots, and a flash of realization passed across his face. “Oh,” He stopped leaning on the table to take a half-step toward Wrench. “Wrench.”

“Oh, yeah, the present,” Wrench recalled, ignoring the knowing tone of Marcus’s voice. “It really is great— It’s a great present, Marcus, thanks.”

Wrench turned away to face the robot and moved to raise his mask to his face, but felt it stopped; he looked down, and Marcus’s hand was there, holding it in place. He looked up into Marcus’s eyes, which fell too softly on him, and he stood waiting for the worst, his anxiety written all over his face.

“Wrench,” Marcus said again, waiting for the other to turn his face away— happening at the sound of his name. “Wrench, man, I’m sorry, I wasn’t—” he stopped, fishing for words, and fast, before Wrench could cut in and say with a laugh that what he thought was happening wasn’t happening, that he misunderstood.

“Wrench, this isn’t— I di— ugh, this shouldn’t be so hard,” Marcus stopped a moment to look over his friend, who stood still, silent, like he was waiting for this to end, like he had already conceded defeat.

Marcus needed to respond quickly, needed to let Wrench know that whatever awful scene he was playing out in his mind wouldn’t happen, but at the same time he was at as much of a loss for words as Wrench was.

Marcus sighed. “Fuck it,” he whispered to himself under his breath. “Wrench,” he called, softly this time, like gently calling him to come home to him.

One hand came to rest on Wrench’s shoulder that faced him, that was trying to keep him away,  as everything in Wrench’s body language screamed that he was ready to run, wanting to run, but was tired of running. The hand that rested on Wrench’s mask came up slowly until it met the cheek that was farthest away, and gently urged it to turn toward him. Wrench complied, not resisting the touch, smoothly moving where he urged him like floating in the tide.

Marcus looked into Wrench’s eyes, which was a mistake, as he almost lost his nerve, but something in the shock he saw there pushed him forward; Wrench was surprised, scared, it was clear, but what wasn’t there was protest. The hand slipped from his cheek to his chin, tipping it upwards, towards him, and Marcus dropped his eyes down to Wrench’s mouth, steeling himself to take the leap.

The kiss was slow, uncertain, and it felt to both of them like it barely held onto life, like a dandelion trembling in the wind, knowing that one stiff breeze could whisk it away entirely. Wrench’s heart thrummed in his ears like roaring wind shaking the building, but the rest of him stood stock still, afraid to move and end what he barely knew was happening. His mind screamed to slow down, to enjoy the moment before he lost it, and it took some thought before he even realized he should kiss Marcus back.

The kiss was short, Marcus eventually pulling away. His own face felt hot, and he saw a pink blush running along Wrench’s cheeks, and even a splash of it across his nose. He studied it a moment while they both caught their footing, the sight of Wrench’s uncovered face still being a rarity.

Wrench was hesitant to open his eyes. “If I look up—” He started, “I swear to God, If I look up, and there’s like, mistletoe— or some shit— above me, I’m going to fucking lose it.”

Marcus laughed, relief apparent, as he read the still-persistent uncertainty in Wrench. “Nope. Nothing up there.” He smiled, amused, as Wrench opened his eyes, flitting them briefly to the ceiling as if his word wasn’t good enough. “Just a regular kiss. Sorry to disappoint.”

Wrench sighed like a weight was lifted from him. “Marcus, oh my God,” he breathed, closing his eyes again and covering half his face with his hand. “Oh my God. That’s— I’m— Oh my God.”

Marcus bubbled with laughter, suddenly feeling lighter than he was before. “Yeah, I agree.”

“I’ve been— I’ve been— fucking dreaming of that,” Wrench said, suddenly with a confidence he didn’t have before.

“Yeah?” Marcus said, listening to Wrench as if this were the first time he had heard his deep, unaltered voice, husky now in the fading heat of the moment just before.

“Yeah.”

“Since when?”

“Since I fucking saw you, first of all, and then I got to know you, and fuck, it got so much worse than I fucking thought it would.”

Marcus smiled, and another comment to urge Wrench on played at his lips, but at that moment his phone sounded, breaking through the air like a hammer on ice. Wrench looked almost startled, like he had forgotten that there were other people in the world, and felt their eyes on him. He moved toward the security bot.

“‘S my family,” Marcus mumbled, reading his text. “I should probably leave, if I’m gonna make it.”

“Okay.”

“Okay. Yeah,” Marcus watched as Wrench looked for something to do. “But, hey, this was—”

“Wait,” Wrench said, suddenly freezing in his tracks.

“What?”

“Wait a fucking second.”

“I am.”

Wrench let out a pained sigh, rested a hand on top of the security bot, then laid his forehead on it. “So you gave me, like, a perfect Christmas gift.”

“I’m not looking to brag, but, yes?”

“Demonstrating that you understand me really well.”

“...Sure?”

Wrench sighed again, full of exasperation. “And you look so stupid handsome in your stupid turtleneck.”

“Thank… you?”

“And we had our first kiss. On Christmas.”

“Yes.”

“Marcus, we’re living a fucking Hallmark movie. I’m a fucking Hallmark movie protagonist,” He ignored Marcus buckled over with laughter in the background and started to pace back and forth. “I’m the fucking workaholic boss or whatever the fuck and you’re my sprightly coworker who showed me the true meaning of Christmas or some shit, and I just stood here and let that happen.”

Marcus reined in his laughter long enough to respond, wiping a real tear from his eye. “I don’t think Hallmark makes movies about hacker anarchists with queer, interracial romance plots.”

Wrench perked up. “That’s the only thing that saves us,” he pointed an accusatory finger at Marcus. “Only thing.”

Marcus laughed again. “Thank God. Now, go work on your son, give him a cool paint job, inappropriate catch phrases, the works,” he headed toward the door as Wrench settled in to work on the robot. “I need to go now, but… later? We’ll talk?”

“Yeah,” Wrench said with a lopsided, content smile, as he replaced his mask. “You know where to find me.”

[lumiolivier]

Chapter Fourteen:  Follow the Post-Its

Word Count:  4022

Chapter No. 14/36

Notes:  This chapter kind of takes some weird twists and turns.  Just a side note.  Any and all feedback would be appreciated, too, by the way...

Chapter Thirteen:  Meet Me on the High Dive

Another morning to begin at four-thirty.  Oddly enough, I was completely prepared to go back to Julian’s and make him Russell again. However, when my phone beeped, it wasn’t my usual alarm beep.  It was Sebastian saying “a letter from the queen, my lord” and that only played when I got a text message.  A part of me wanted to ignore it, but the screen was too bright.

 Stay in bed, Mimi.  I got this.

Julian

 Bless this boy.  I needed that extra half hour of sleep. Even though this half hour would last an entire hour.  And I’d have almost no time to get ready.  I did a quick skim through my closet.  Who was I yesterday?  Ciel Phantomhive.  Did I want to do Black Butler two days in a row?  I kind of wanted to make myself Grell Sutcliff, but opting against it.  Instead, I’d be Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail.  Lucy’s a doll and I loved her.

 And she was so easy to casually cosplay.  All it took was a white tank top, my long, loose, chiffon skirt in the brightest blue to ever exist, a brown braided belt, and some keys to go around my neck.  And some black boots, too.  Granted, I had found some casual cosplay online that suggested jute wedges, but I liked the boots better.  They were more Lucy.  I put half of my hair up in a ponytail, tying it with a blue bow, did a bit of brown eyeliner and some brown mascara and I was out the door.  Damn, I looked cute!

 I got to the café in the nick of time.  Never in my life had I ever been that almost late.  Sure enough, though, standing behind the counter was Russell waiting for me. Shit, Julian did a nice job.  For not playing with special effects makeup often, he was a natural.  I don’t think he even realized I had come in yet.  He was still making sure everything in the pastry case was perfectly aligned. Obsessive compulsive, maybe? Going by his closet, I wouldn’t dispute it, but something tells me bringing up any mental illness isn’t a good idea with him.

 “Good morning, Russell,” I chimed, giving him a hand, straightening the tables.

 “Ah, Miss Heartfilia!” Julian sang out, tossing me my apron, “Good morning!  Enjoy that extra half hour I was so kind to give you?”

 “Oh yeah,” I nodded, blushing a little,” So much that I thought I’d extend it.  And when I say a little, I mean I doubled it on accident.”

 “Mimi,” he scolded, “I’m disappointed in you.  You shall be flogged at dawn.”

 “Is that a promise?” I shot him a wink.

 “That is sexual harassment in the workplace,” Julian gasped, “You’re two for two this morning.  That extra half hour must have done something.”

 “You’re the one that mentioned the flogging,” I threw my hands up, “You started it.  I finished it.”

 “Fair enough.”

 “Now,” I stared a hole through him, “Here it is, a Saturday morning.”

 “We should turn some cartoons on,” Julian suggested, “There’s a TV in here, right?”

 “Yeah,” I nodded, “Nice attempt at a diversion.”

 “I aim to please.”

 “So,” I asked, “What’s the reasoning for my free Saturday night?”

 “You’ll find out tonight,” Julian shut me down, “Hey, Kyle!  You got the rest of the cinnamon rolls frosted or did you beer bong the frosting again?”

 “I got it, Julian,” Kyle came out with a tray on his arm.

 “Kyle,” I squeaked, “You’re here on time.  And weirdly productive.  Julian, what did you do to him?”

 “I have good news,” Kyle announced, “I quit.”

 “Quit what?” I wondered, looking in his eyes.  His oddly clear eyes, “Kyle, are you straight right now?”

 “Crystal clear.”

 “I’m so proud of you!” I threw my arms around him.

 “Thanks, Mimi,” Kyle gave me a look, “Is this what you’re going to be like from now on?”

 “Every day,” I promised, “I will never bitch at you again.”

 “Because I won’t be giving you a reason to?”

 “That’s right,” I nodded, “So, what made you stop?”

 “I woke up in the kitchen around two this morning,” he explained, “I was covered in frosting and some kind of jelly.  I don’t know how I got here.  My dealer laced my last batch without me knowing and I came here to come down, I think. Not fun.”

 “Scared you straight?” I assumed.

 “Yep,” Kyle confirmed, “Never again.”

 “Good for you, sweetie,” I praised, “You need anything, let either me or Julian know, ok?”

 “I will.”

 “Hold on,” Julian stepped in, “Since when does Julian not have a say in whether he’s available for that kind of thing or not?”

 “Since Mimi said so,” I put my foot down, “Come on, Julian.  You can do that, can’t you?”

 “Of course I can.”

 “It’s settled then!” I chirped as the bell at the door dinged, “Boys, get to work.”

 “Well-oiled machine, Mimi,” Mr. Griffin joined us, “Nicely handled.”

 “Thank you, sir.” Maybe this was going to be a rare good day.

 “Hey, Mr. Griffin,” Julian caught his attention, “I have to bow out of work early today.  Is that ok?”

 “Sure,” he allowed, “What for?”

 “I have a thing,” Julian explained, “It’s kind of a special, delicate thing.”

 “You can tell me, Russell,” Mr. Griffin assured, “What is it?”

 “It tickled me when Griffin called him Russell.  Julian’s name wasn’t Russell.  But I listened anxiously, “Yeah, Russell.  What’s the special, delicate thing?”

 “I have to go to the clinic, ok?” he murmured.

 “Is everything ok?” Mr. Griffin worried while I knew damn well he was lying through his teeth.

 “Booster shot…” Julian kept his voice down, “I got a call from this girl the other day…And I usually get pretty dizzy after shots, so I’m going to be rendered useless.  My appointment’s at three.”

 “Oh,” Mr. Griffin cringed while I did all I could to keep myself from rolling my eyes, “I’m not going to ask.  What you do in your down time is your own business.”

 “Thank you for understanding,” he put on a hell of a performance.  I had to give him that much.

 “Make me proud!” Mr. Griffin turned on his heel and started heading out the door.

 “Hey, boss!” Julian stopped him, “Since it’s Saturday and the news is so depressing, do you mind if I put on some cartoons?”

 “Why would we have cartoons on?”

 “A lot of moms come in here on Saturdays with their kids,” he pointed out, “Something to keep their screaming to a minimum.”

 “Capital idea!” he approved, “Go ahead.  See you Monday!”

 As soon as the boss left, Julian jumped the counter and thumbed through the channels.  I turned around and grabbed the open sign, “Well played, Julian.  Well played.”

 “You like how I did that?” he grinned from ear to ear, “Like a fiddle.”

 “You don’t have an appointment, do you?”

 “Nope.”

 “Then, what do you have to leave early for?” I wondered, “If it’s not for a booster shot.”

 “It’s because of a girl, though,” Julian told, “So, I wasn’t completely lying.  I have to take care of some things.  Run some errands.  Oh, hell yeah!”

 “What?”

 “It’s six o'clock!” he sang along with the TV, “Fighting evil by moonlight!  Winning love by daylight!  Never running from a real fight!  She is the one named Sailor Moon!”

 “Oh my God!” I squealed, “Yes!  That was one of my favorites when I was younger!”

 “Every otaku had to start somewhere,” Julian was just as excited as me, “I got so much shit for liking Sailor Moon.  Why do you like a girl show so much?  Because magical girls are awesome!  And magical girls that kick ass like the Sailor Scouts are even better!”

 “And being born when I was,” my eyes were glued to the TV, “either got their introduction to anime from Pokémon or Sailor Moon.”

 “What about Digimon?”

 I glared daggers through Julian’s soul, “How dare you come into my house and disrespect me?”

 “I was joking,” he settled me, “Digimon didn’t really do much for me either.”

 “I remember coming home from school,” I got nostalgic, “I got off the bus.  Four o'clock rolled around.  My ass was in front of the TV watching Sailor Moon.”

 “I didn’t get to discover Sailor Moon that way,” he told, “Gather ‘round, kids.  Uncle Julian’s about to tell a story.”

 “You’re not my uncle,” I giggled a bit, “But go on.”

 “After my parents split,” he spun the tale, “I ended up around a lot of strong women.  My grandma and my aunt had to put my mom back together. She was kind of touch and go for a while.  But nonetheless, my mom had fallen in love with the art style of manga and anime and she wanted to duplicate it.  And that led to her finding Sailor Moon.  Of course, I was usually right by her side, so we ended up watching it together.  One day, she had gotten a little emotional after a date gone horrible.  Little Julian crawled up on his mommy’s lap and told her that one day, she’d find her Tuxedo Mask.”

 “Julian,” I got a little emotional myself, “Can I hug you?”

 “You have to ask?” he squeezed me tight, “Even then, I was adorable.”

 Yeah.  This asshole was making it really hard not to fall in love with him.  Before Julian could see them, I wiped the tears out of my eyes, “We should probably get to work.”

 “Probably,” Julian changed the channel, “The warm, fuzzy childhood memories were nice while they lasted.”

 I started taking orders and Julian made them as we went along.  The two of us ran the hell out of this little café dead center of BFE.  It was only a matter of time before the hipsters in Kansas City started making the twenty-minute trip here.  Sure, we were good, but we weren’t that good.  Then again, on that same token, Julian did go that same twenty minutes to get us bento boxes.  Regardless, we had things well handled here.  And to make my day even better, a sweet, little face popped up at the front counter with her boyfriend on her heels.

 “Hi, Mimi!” Veronica sang.

 “Hey, Mimi,” Luke matched his girlfriend’s enthusiasm.

 “Hi, guys,” I beamed, “What brings you two in here?”

 “It’s lunchtime on a Saturday afternoon,” Veronica said, “Do we need another reason?”

 “Usual order then?” I assumed.

 “You know us all too well,” Luke confirmed.

 “You two are creatures of habit,” I punched their order in, “Julian!”

 “Yes, Mimi?” he sang back to me.

 “Get me a chicken spinach wrap and a BLT,” I requested, “I can get their coffee orders.”

 “Hi, Veronica,” Julian chirped.

 “Julian?” Veronica gave me a look, “I thought you said his name was Russell.”

 “It is Julian,” I confessed, “But remember?  He’s incognito?”

 “That’s right,” her lightbulb turned on.

 “So, that’s Julian?” Luke looked over my shoulder, “That’s the guy?”

 “That’s the guy,” Veronica nodded.

 “Hold on,” I stopped them both, “What are you two going on about?”

 “When you were at Julian’s,” Veronica said, “Ten minutes after we got off the phone, Luke came over. I had to tell someone!”

 “Guess this is a small town,” Julian grabbed their food from the window, “I didn’t realize I’d be the shiny toy around here.”

 “Just wait until the Red Hats meet you,” Veronica grinned.

 “The Red Hats?” Julian gave me a look.

 “They’re a group of older ladies,” I clarified, “They’re like book club, only instead of wanting to bang you senseless, the Red Hats just want to feed you until you can’t move and send you cards on your birthday with three dollars in them.”

 “Aww,” Julian clutched his chest, “Flattered.  They just want to be grandma.  I love them already!  Old ladies are so cute.”

 “Yeah,” I smiled, “They are. Especially the local Red Hats. They’re precious.  If you’re lucky, when Christmas rolls around, they’ll knit you booties.”

 “Seriously?” I had never seen Julian’s face light up so much.  I was waiting for sparkles to start forming around him, “I want to actively meet these women.”

 “You’ll find them at bingo on Tuesdays at the First Christian Church,” Veronica directed him, taking hers and Luke’s respective coffee orders.

 “I need me some of them booties,” Julian got all excited.

 “Dial it back, Julian,” I settled him, “You’ll give yourself a nosebleed.”

 “You’re the only one that gets nosebleeds at work.” Shots fired.

 “Hey!”

 “Did you not?”

 “Yeah…”

 “Score one for me!” Julian chalked up a point for himself.  And to think I was falling for this dork.

 “Well,” Veronica tweeted, “We’re off.  See you later!”

 She and Luke skipped out the door and I was left with the baby at heart.  But not for long.  I couldn’t get a thing out of him all day about whatever he had planned for tonight. And I was completely clueless.  I only wanted to know what Julian’s scheme was. Was that too much to ask?  Any time I’d bring it up, he’d just yell at me. How the hell am I supposed to let things happen when they’re happening regardless?  I had no control over them!

 “Wish me luck,” Julian crossed his fingers, “Here’s to no more gonorrhea.”

 “You don’t have gonorrhea, you moron,” I rolled my eyes, “And don’t say that too loud!  We have customers!”

 “I wouldn’t be calling me a moron if I were you,” he warned.

 “Go get your booster shot,” I shoved him, “And run your errands and do whatever it is you need to do.”

 “Yes, ma’am!” Julian threw his apron back under the register and left me with Kyle.  What were you planning, Julian?  I didn’t know if he was the type for the grand gesture or the type for the little things.  Or even worse.  The type for both.  I was going to work myself up into another nosebleed over this.  The anticipation had a stranglehold on me!

 Although it felt like an eternity had passed, six o'clock had finally rolled around and the magic of closing time washed over the café.  Now, I could see why I had to keep my Saturday open.  Whatever it was, I hoped we wouldn’t be out too late.  Julian and I were still doing Death Note shots in the morning. We needed poses and scenarios.  I never took pictures before.  I just made my cosplays for something to feel cute in while I was watching whatever series.  That means…Eww…I had to be Misa tomorrow.  There goes my IQ.  

 When I got in my car, I had found a pastel green post-it note on my steering wheel.  Be still, my pastel addicted heart.  I was a sucker for the lighter colored things in life. Call it weird.  Call it a curse.  I loved them.  The post-it looked so sweet and sugary and I loved it!

 So, it wasn’t a booster shot.

 No shit, Sherlock.  I could’ve told you that.  I had to be a complete idiot to think Julian had a doctor’s appointment.  He even told me he didn’t!  Alright. If this was how he was going to do this, I guess I had to follow the post-it notes.  I guess I could chalk that one up to being adorable.  I still held my firm belief that Julian was a giant dork, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t changing any time soon.

 Once I got home, a pastel purple post-it waited for me.  This time, instead of the gold letters like the first one, these were silver:  

 Welcome home, my lady.

 I wasn’t sure what he was trying to get at here, but I’m sure it’ll all make sense in the end. However, for now, it was confusing the shit out of me.  I unzipped my boots and left them at the door.  Huh.  Empty house. I went into the kitchen and found a note on the counter from my mom saying that she and Dad were going to be gone until Tuesday.  Cool. House to myself.  Run around in my undies.  Fun weekend for me!

 At the foot of the stairs, right on the wall was a light blue post-it now.  Oh, Julian.  You’ve outdone yourself, haven’t you?  His gold sharpie must have died on him.  This one was written in silver, too:

 Lovely day at work?

 He’d know.  He works there, too.  This was going from cute to creepy really quick.  And the post-its kept on coming as the purple notes lined the staircase, alternating sides.

 You had a hard day.

 You deserve to relax a little.

 Or maybe…

 You’d like an evening out?

 Julian, what did you do? A light pink post-it was stuck to my bedroom door.  And the gold letters came back.

 Ah, yes.  The bedroom. Go on.  Relax a little.  You worked hard today.  You deserve it.

 Ok.  This was officially into weird territory.  I kept checking my phone, thinking Julian would’ve texted me eventually.  Nope. Nothing.  No text.  No phone call.  Nothing but pastel pieces of paper stuck all over my house.  Another green one was stuck to my computer monitor.

 No, no, Mistress.  Not there. Why don’t you try checking your closet?

 I couldn’t believe I was taking orders from a damn post-it note.  Mistress?  I opened my closet doors, hoping for a little more clarity.  But instead, I got a blue note on the bar.

 Notice anything missing?

 Immediately, my brain went for my underwear drawer.  I didn’t think Julian was a creepy pervert, but one could never be too careful.  Was he weird enough to steal my underpants?  I didn’t understand why he would.  It’s not like we slept together, so he couldn’t keep them as a souvenir.  And he really didn’t strike me as the type to wear ladies’ underwear.  But of course, he was one step ahead of me.  This time, in the form of a yellow note.

 Really?  Did you really think I was that disturbed?  Honestly, my lady, I’m disappointed.  Go back through your closet.  I’m sure you’ll find it.  Or won’t, in this case.

 I kept digging through my closet, wondering what the hell Julian was talking about.  And why he was wording these notes so strangely.  My closet may have been chaotic, but it was organized chaos.  I had my system.  Sorted by series, but not much else.  Maybe Julian was being uncharacteristically clever.  We were doing our Death Note shoot tomorrow.  Maybe there’d be a note on Misa.

 Dammit.  Nothing.  And my Misa cosplay was still there.  He said there’d be something missing.  I looked through my accessories, my wigs, my props.  Still nothing.  Until I noticed my Black Butler cosplays seemed a bit thin.  Staring me right in the face was a note on my Grell Sutcliff. I knew exactly what was missing.

 If you’re looking for the young master’s dress.  You won’t find it here.  Perhaps at Julian’s?  He did say pink was his color.

 Alright.  Now, it was getting personal.  Julian stole my Ciel dress.  And its coordinates!  What the fuck, man?  I put a lot of love into this project.  I put a pair of black flats on and drove over to Julian’s.  His car wasn’t there, but I was greeted by yet another post-it note. What a fucking surprise…He took my Ciel. How dare he?  Also, how did he get into my house?  Unless he got there before Mom and Dad left.  At least, I hope so.

 So, you are listening to me.  In that case, you will, in fact, find the young master’s dress in the bedroom. You needn’t worry, Mistress.  He’s not home right now.  Just be sure to lock the door when you leave.  I can do many things from a distance, but locking doors isn’t one of them.

 I opened this idiot’s front door and went inside.  By the looks of things, he hadn’t been here in a while.  Nothing seemed amiss.  Although, it did look like he got some more unpacking done since I was last here. This place was starting to look like home.  Good for you, Julian.  I found a post-it on the wall by his katanas.  I’m sure he was intending this to be fun, but it’s almost starting to piss me off.

 By the way, have you figured out who I am yet?

 Wait a minute…Were these not Julian?  I didn’t know what his handwriting looked like and I could’ve sworn he was the one doing all this.  Now, it went from cute to creepy to downright terrifying.  I didn’t know if I was being stalked.  I didn’t know if Julian was ok.  I didn’t know if whoever had him tied up in their basement, dripping hot candlewax on his back or doing some weird Silence of the Lambs shit.  

 The best thing to do at this point was to see this through to the end.  Maybe if I comply, Julian will be ok.  I’ll be ok.  And we’ll get off easy.  I found Ciel’s dress on Julian’s bed with another note on it.

 I want you to get dressed for me.  Everything else you will need is in the bathroom.

 This was giving me a really uneasy feeling.  I dropped my skirt around my ankles and took my tank top off, lacing up my corset.  If only I had Sebastian here to tighten it for me. Mmm…I could hear him now…Please hold on a little longer…Mmm…Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.  now was the time to not panic and keep a level head.

 I went into Julian’s bathroom and found my corkscrew pigtails on the counter.  I ran a quick braid through my hair and went from blond do dark gray in almost seconds.  I had to admit.  I looked real adorable when I cosplayed Ciel.  Even when I’m not Ciel crossdressing, I made a really cute Ciel.  The post-it wasn’t lying.  Everything was here.  From my wig to my eyepatch to my lashes.  I finished getting ready and found another couple post-its on the bathroom door.

 My, my.  Positively stunning, Mistress.  Then again, I should expect nothing less from you.  And after your struggle with that corset…Ahem.  Excuse me. Whenever you’re ready, go to the park. I’ll be waiting for you at the gazebo. Please be careful and make sure you’re wearing your seatbelt.

 Huh.  A stalker with a concern for my safety and gives little boosts to my ego.  Ok.  This was starting to get kind of cute again.  These damn post-its have been such a roller coaster. First, I think they’re Julian.  Then, they’re not Julian.  But that last one sounded like something he’d say to me. Especially that last part.  I got in my car and headed toward the park.

 A part of me was still debating whether or not to go through with this.  I may have been walking right into a trap, but I didn’t have any enemies. And I didn’t use my real name when I posted fan fiction.  I was smart and picked a pen name.  They just called me by my username.  Nobody on the internet knows that SenshiTenshi’s name is actually Mimi. And that was to keep the creepy stalker types away.  Some of my readers could probably hack like a mother fucker.  I’d be ok.  If all else fails, I can bite really hard.

 I sat in the parking lot by the playground for a minute or two with the gazebo just on the other side of the tree line.  It was kind of tucked away in the woods near the pond.  Very serene.  A perfect place to kill someone or skin me alive and keep wearing my skin as their skin, wondering how long it would take my relatives to notice it wasn’t me.  I was going to be ok.  I got out of the car and found one more note stuck to the swing set.

 Do you remember telling me your ideal man?

 I guess it was time to meet my stalker.