#cue POOLS of blood on the floor before even realized I’ve been injured

[platypusisnotonfire]

In an absolutely cartoon turn of events, my night has come full circle

[oneisallallisone]

All I Know, All I Know Greedling x Reader fic Chapter 4

In a land ruled by alchemy, there are some who would call you a sorcerer. You intend to understand what this means. Along your journey you end up getting mixed up with two strange brothers, a military conspiracy, a potentially world-ending event, and the avarice of something more than human.

Previous

Chapter 1

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All I Know, All I Know

Chapter 4: Drained 

tw: descriptions of violence and blood 

It was almost like a dance; Ed darting in to slash at Number 48 with his automail blade then pivoting away, allowing you to take aim and send bolt after violet bolt at the suit of armor. The amount of exertion was unlike anything you had ever felt. Sweat trickled down your brow, your limbs shook from the effort. You never seemed able to catch your breath. 

This will drain you, a tiny voice said in the back of your head. A louder voice in the back of your head snapped at yourself to shut up. You couldn’t allow yourself to stop your barrage here. Not when Ed was starting to bleed so badly. 

A few moments ago you saw him stumble backwards after blocking Slicer’s sword. The alchemist’s eyes widened and he rolled his right shoulder—his automail shoulder—a few times. Number 48 had advanced on him again, so you took it as your cue to intervene. Two arcs of purple energy hit the knight in both his knees, knocking him off his feet for a few moments. But it was enough time for Ed to regroup and decidedly shift back into a defensive stance. 

That was the exact moment from which the fight started to get worse. 

Ed’s attacks became sloppy. Your shaking limbs caused more of your attacks to miss. Number 48 had landed a fair amount of hits on the alchemist and now Ed was losing blood fast. There were particularly concerning wounds on his upper left arm and the side of his head. 

“Ed!” you called, “I really think we should—”

“End this fast, I know!” 

Despite his injuries, Ed seemed determined to fight on. 

“If we die here I’m gonna kick your ass in hell!” you screamed. 

Ed’s only response was a grimace as he parried another swing from Slicer’s blade. He back flipped out of the way and you moved in to take a shot. But your hands were shaking, your whole arm was shaking, and instead of sending the purple blast of vitality into Number 48 it soared wide and impacted the ceiling above you. A chunk of cement fell free and landed inches from Ed. 

“Hey!” the alchemist called. “Watch it! You’re supposed to be attacking him, not me!” 

“I’ve never exerted this much of my power before!” you yelled back. “My body can’t keep up with controlling what I demand from it!” 

“How courteous of you to admit your exhaustion, child,” Number 48 droned. “The swift end I’ll deliver you shall be a mercy.” 

The guard charged you. Sword poised to stab right through your chest. Your feet shifted back a few steps as if to run, but you felt your arms raising themselves up to produce your shield again. If you were going to die, it might as well be standing your ground. 

The impact never came. Ed dashed over to put himself between you and Slicer, grunting under the strain of blocking the guard’s sword with his automail. But within moments the alchemist’s strength failed. 

Number 48 knocked both you and Ed aside with a great, sweeping kick. The two of you tumbled across the ground and crashed against each other in a tangle of limbs. When your momentum stopped, you were flat on your stomach, looking up at your looming death approaching. Ed was on his knees next to you. 

Slicer approached slow, savoring his victory. 

You looked up at Ed. The blood streamed down the side of his face and you could see the clear pain in his eyes. But there still existed an unrelenting determination behind them. He turned his gaze back up at Slicer. Then you watched his eyes flicker to the threshold of the empty hallway across the room. The one behind the guard’s back. 

“Now, Al!” Ed yelled. 

Number 48 did not know the hallway was empty. When he turned to face the supposed new combatant, Ed leapt from his knees and knocked Slicer’s head from his body with one clean strike. The metal helmet clanged to the floor, and Ed stood catching his breath. 

“That was dirty!” Number 48 yelled. 

“There’s no such thing as dirty in a fight!” Ed shot back. 

You hauled yourself to your feet and walked over to where Ed was currently holding Number 48’s helmet by the hair. “There’s something I need to ask you about.” 

“The Philosopher's Stone?” the guard asked, his words almost laced with boredom. 

“Yes. Tell me everything you know about it.” 

“Sorry. Can’t.” 

“Oh come on,” Ed argued. “It’s only fair. I’ve beaten you at your own game, afterall.” 

“That’s where you are wrong. I’m not beaten yet.” 

You heard the shifting metal only after it was far too late. A quick, piercing sensation ripped through your skin. You looked down to see the tip of a sword jutting out from your lower abdomen, close to the right side of your body. 

Your eyes locked with Ed’s before you fell to your knees. 

“I forgot to mention something about the mass murderer Slicer,” Number 48’s head said. 

A new voice spoke from the armored body that was moving once again. “His crimes were committed by a pair of brothers.” 

Ed screamed and charged at the second brother. 

You collapsed forward onto your hands. This is bad this is bad this is bad—  

A red pool formed below you. Your arms were screaming for you to let them give out, just let yourself lie down, close your eyes. For a moment you thought you might. But then Ed cried out in pain again. 

You’d already won against one of these guard dogs. It’d be a shame if that was all for nothing. 

Your right hand found the bleeding in your lower abdomen. The warm fluid leaked fast and seeped through your fingers in a matter of seconds; pressure from your hand alone wasn’t going to be enough to stop the bleeding. Taking your hand away from the wound, you ripped one of the sleeves off your shirt and rolled the fabric into a plug that matched the width of the gash. Steeling yourself for the pain, you stuffed it underneath your skin. 

Returning your hand to the wound and applying pressure whilst the fabric of your shirt was soaking up some of the blood yielded slightly better results than pressure from your hand alone. Slightly. 

Shifting your gaze back to the wider room, you saw Ed slumped against a pillar. He was also holding his side tightly, a look of pain and exhaustion in his eyes. But the body of armor that had once been moving was on the ground in pieces. Low voices filled the air, and you stumbled your way over to the injured alchemist. 

“Aren’t you going to kill us?” Number 48’s head asked as you leaned on the pillar next to Ed. 

“No,” the fullmetal alchemist stated firmly. “I will not take the life of another human. And I know that my brother is a human being, so that means you guys are human too. I will not kill you.” 

The head laughed. “My brother and I have been lying, cheating, stealing, and killing for as long as we can remember. And now that we have these forms, we’re being treated more like humans than we ever have. For that, boy, I’ll give you a parting gift. I’ll tell you everything. The Stone—”

Razor sharp darkness leapt from the shadows across the room. Two obsidian spearheads punctured Number 48’s head, ripping through his blood-seal and killing him in a heartbeat. Ed gasped beside you, and you felt your heart rate quicken from a new sense of fear, or the toll your injuries were taking, or both. 

“My, that was a close call,” a feminine voice said. 

Two figures emerged from the threshold of the hallway; one of them wore a black off-the-shoulder dress, and the other was in an equally dark crop top and skort. The one in the dress had long, wavy black hair, pale skin, and eyes like wine. The other one had equally pale skin, black hair that hung in strands around their body, and eyes of the dullest, darkest purple. 

“Number 48, you should know better than to talk about things that don’t concern you,” the girl in the black dress continued. She retracted the spearheads that had pierced Number 48’s helmet, and, only when the sharp points settled, you realized with horror that she wasn’t carrying a weapon at all. The extendable and retractable blades were her fingertips. You wondered briefly if your loss of blood was causing you to hallucinate. 

But Ed’s gaze was just as fixed on these newcomers too. It had to be real. The one standing just slightly behind the girl grinned smugly and caught Ed’s eyes. “Well, well, would you look at that, what’s the fullmetal pipsqueak doing here?” 

Ed didn’t even shout back at being called a pipsqueak. 

“Such a troublesome boy,” the girl with the pointed fingernails sighed. “How did you find out about this place? And oh, who is this?” Her eyes landed on you. “Well this certainly throws a wrench in things.” 

“(y/n), run,” Ed whispered to you. 

You snapped your head towards him. “You can’t be serious.” 

“Go!” he hissed. “Your powers were as good as drained by the end of the last fight. If these guys are looking for trouble…”   

He didn’t need to finish his sentence. Dark spots were starting to dance at the edge of your vision now. But there’s no way you could walk out of here without Ed. 

As the girl shattered Number 48’s helmet in half, strangled cries erupted from the rest of the armor. “Brother? Brother! No! Brother!��

The one in the crop top sauntered over and picked up Number 48’s sword. They drove it through the blood-seal drawn on the neck of the armor again and again and again. “Quit your blubbering, you idiot!” they scolded the dying brother. “You were trying to kill one of our most important sacrifices! You could have messed up the entire plan! What would we have done then? Huh?” 

But the armored brother could not respond, as his twitching had ceased. 

“Go get Al,” Ed whispered to you in an urgent voice. “Please, (y/n). I’ll be fine. Just hurry.”

As the two figures in black stepped closer, you saw that on each of them was a tattoo: A red dragon eating its own tail. The girl with the wavy hair and wine colored eyes still had her gaze set on you. “We don’t need this other one. Only the fullmetal boy is required. Would you make it quick, Envy?” 

The one carrying the sword grinned and turned to face you. “Why, I’d be happy to, Lust.” 

Envy, as they were called, stepped over and pulled you close to them, holding the tip of the blade to your throat. You swore you caught a glimpse of your fearful face reflected in their dark pupils. The grin on Envy’s lips twisted wider. 

“(y/n)!” Ed shouted. 

You focused on your energy. If there was even a scrap of your power left over, you had to claw it out now or this would be it. You dug down, down down, and felt an inkling of something trying to flicker to the surface. 

When it erupted, it sent Envy flying across the room. 

The girl, Lust, looked back in shock as Envy hit the wall. Their back slammed hard into the concrete, and they were just barely able to catch themself on their hands before crumpling completely. “You brat!” their voice ripped through the air. 

“Go! (y/n), go!” Ed was practically pleading at this point. 

You aimed another blast at the ceiling between Ed and Lust, hoping that the falling cement would slow her and her companion down. With the roof on the far side of the room beginning to crumble, you limped back into the hallway you came in from. 

Al was staring back and forth between officers Ross and Brosh, and the other armored individual that called himself Barry. He had been surprised to learn that Barry was like him, a hollow suit of armor with a soul bonded to it, but this commonality hadn’t stopped Barry from trying to kill him. The arrival of Ross and Brosh was the only thing that gave Barry pause. 

In the relent of Barry’s attacks, Al turned his attention back towards the Fifth Laboratory just in time to hear a faint voice call out from the other side of the boarded-up front entrance. 

“Al,” your voice carried weakly. “Al, are you there?” 

The young armored boy startled and he rushed over to the boards. “(y/n)? Is that you?” 

“Yes. I can’t get through. Please…” 

With the wavering of your voice and the Central guard already having been killed by Barry, Al wasted no time creating a hole in the wall with his alchemy. Once there was an opening, you collapsed through it and fell onto the lawn. Blood seeped into the soft grass below you. 

“(y/n)?” Al said cautiously. 

“Ed…” you whispered. “In trouble. Go.” You attempted to stand as you pointed to the opening behind you. 

Al helped you up as gently as a suit of armor could, and then turned back to the officers. “Lietenant Ross, please look after her.” 

The woman stepped closer to Al, keeping her gun trained on Barry but nodding at Al’s request. 

“Of cou—” 

She was cut off by an explosion from the laboratory. Fractures ran up the sides of the building, large pieces broke off and crumpled to the ground. Al pulled you away as the windows burst, and Ross shouted for Brosh to take cover. 

“No…” you mumbled as Al shielded you. “No no no no no, this wasn’t…I didn’t… ” You couldn’t help but replay over and over the last thing you did before leaving Ed alone with those people: blasting the ceiling so a few pieces of it would collapse, just a few pieces to act as a shield for him. You’d never intended for this. And now Ed was— 

Being carried out by Envy? 

Past Al’s torso, through your ever-darkening vision, you saw them emerge from a hole in the wall. Envy had Ed slung over one of their shoulders and practically dropped him at Al’s feet. “Here you are! I brought a little present for you.” 

“Brother!” Al cried, crouching down to inspect him while still keeping you supported. 

“He’s not dead, but he has lost a lot of blood so I suggest you get him to a hospital as soon as you can.” Envy smiled. “Oh, and maybe start keeping a better eye on him too? He is a precious resource, afterall.” 

Maria rushed over and pulled Ed into her arms. “Who exactly are you?” 

Envy ignored her. Instead they grinned down at you. “And you…well, I’ll see you around.” 

The last thing you saw before passing out in Al’s arms was Envy’s twisted smile.

[emeraldwaves]

To The Skies

Part 5 (Ao3) Rating: M Summary: 

After Bakugou's disaster mission, the team tries something new, and find some familiar faces.

WC: 8,993

Full fic under cut.

She was dancing. Her long pink dress flowed around her body, and she twirled about the room, everyone watching. She was the princess, after all! The fabric was frilly and long, swirling about her legs as she moved, her body feeling free and open.

From across the golden floor, she could see her parents, waving to her, and she waved back, a large smile on her face. She loved them so much, loved them for throwing her this party in honor of her birthday. She laughed, and began to run to them, her fingers curling around the skirt of her dress.

But as she ran, she couldn't move forward, not fast enough. She panicked, reaching her hands out, flailing as she tried to propel her body forward, but her parents simply kept getting farther and farther away. She would never make it!

She opened her mouth to call for them, but her chest felt tight, trapped. No sound came out when she tried to scream for her parents, the words silent on her lips. The world grew darker and darker, her body trembling so hard. She slammed to her knees, and red began to pool around her body, staining the beautiful pink dress.

'No!' She tried to scream, but again her voice was silent. She clutched at her throat, when she realized in horror the blood was dripping down from her arm. She couldn't focus, the world slowly going black around her.

~~

Her body ached, and when her eyes fluttered open, Uraraka couldn't recall where she was. The bed she was on felt hard, and her arm throbbed painfully. "Ngh..." she groaned, her hand coming up to touch at the sensitive area.

"Ah! Don't do that!" Yaoyorozu hissed softly, and Uraraka suddenly remembered where she was. The airship, after they had attempted to retake their home island.

"M-Momo?" she mumbled. She vaguely recalled yelling at Katsuki, for being a complete idiot, but then she didn't remember much else. "What...happened?"

Glancing around the room, her eyes fell upon Katsuki. Sitting in one of the chairs, he was completely lost to sleep. His arms were folded over his chest, and they rose and fell gently with his breathing. His body looked peaceful for once. Normally, he was so tense, brow furrowed, mouth pulled tight in anger. But asleep like this, he looked beautiful, and calm. Uraraka wondered how long he'd been there.

"Ah yeah, the Captain hasn't left since we put you in here," Momo explained, as if reading Uraraka’s mind.

"Wait...how long have I been out?" she asked, glancing down at the bloody bandages against her arm. How much blood had she lost? She remembered the burning pain of the bullet searing through her skin. It had been so painful, she almost hadn't felt it, her mind going numb.

"A little over a day," Momo explained. "You did lose some blood, so I've been monitoring you."

"A DAY?!" she yelled, and quickly covered her mouth when Katsuki stirred in his seat.

Momo giggled softly. "Yeah, a day," she said. "Don't worry, I had someone bring him food. I forced him to eat," she winked.

"Yeah....thanks," Uraraka whispered, her eyes fixated on his sleeping form.

"I'm glad to see you awake though," Momo said. "Are you in pain?"

Uraraka's brow furrowed. "A little," she admitted. "My arm aches, but...it's not as bad as it was when we first got back on the ship."

"I took out the bullet while you were passed out," she said softly. "It thankfully wasn't lodged very deep."

With a sigh, Uraraka leaned back against the chair, details of the battle slowly returning to her. Iida had passed out, and he wasn't the only one who had been injured in someway. "B-But! What about everyone else?!" she said, jerking forward suddenly.

"Ochako!" Momo whispered. "Don't move!"

"Ah...sorry..." she whimpered.

"Everyone else is fine. Iida is resting. He's probably going to have a nasty bruise, but thankfully he didn't have a concussion or anything," she explained. "Everyone else had minor injuries. Nothing a little bandages and Momo magic couldn't fix!" she giggled.

"Thank goodness," Uraraka sighed, placing her hand on her chest. "I...I would've felt terrible if anyone had been seriously hurt trying to help me," she mumbled.

"Hey now," Momo said gently. "It wasn't your fault. Bakugou was the idiot who decided to charge in!" she chuckled. "But you've got nothing to worry about, everyone is fine."

As if on cue, Katsuki began to groan, and he moved his head to the side. Sitting up slightly, his red eyes blinked open as he saw Uraraka sitting on the bed.

"Hey Katsuki," she said softly.

"AH! What the fuck, woman!" he snapped at Momo, jumping out of his seat immediately. "Why the hell didn't you wake me up when she woke up!? I've been sitting here for a fucking day!"

"Bakugou," Momo frowned. "She literally just woke up. Calm down," she said, keeping her voice much quieter. She gently moved her hands in an attempt to get him to lower his voice.

"Tch!" he scoffed and plopped back down in his seat, completely dejected. "Fine, whatever. Glad you're awake, Princess."

Uraraka couldn't help but laugh, even as the memories of their fight slowly began to return to her.

Glancing between the two of them, Yaoyorozu stood up. "I'll give you two a moment," she said, nodding her head as she exited the room.

The silence between them was strange, and incredibly awkward. Uraraka's instinct was to apologize for yelling at him, but she knew she hadn't been wrong, and so there was no need for her to actually say sorry.

Katsuki wasn't normally the quiet type either, so she stared at him, waiting for him to say something. Anything. Biting her lip, she tried to push herself up, hoping to sit up and look at him better. "Ah..." she winced, immediately taking pressure off of her injured arm.

"What the hell are you doing, idiot?!" he snapped, jumping up to aid her in sitting up. "You can't put pressure on an arm where you just got fucking shot!" he yelled.

"It was uncomfortable!"

"Then ask me to help you!" he snarled, his red eyes glaring at her.

"Well you weren't saying anything so I was trying to adjust so I could try and talk to you!" she snapped back, frowning at him.

He sighed, taking her good hand, and wrapping his arms around her shoulders, careful to avoid any part of her bandages. Pulling her body up, he adjusted her pillow and helped her sit up. She turned towards him to thank him, only to realize how close their faces were, and her breath caught in her throat.

His skin was surprisingly smooth, minus the very new scratch across his cheek, and instinctively, her fingers reached up and brushed it. "Did you get hurt, Katsuki?" she whispered.

He jerked his face back away from her touch. "It's just a fucking scratch," he muttered, turning away from her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, ignoring his prideful outburst.

"I just told you it was a scratch!" he yelled. "M'fine!"

"Alright..." she mumbled, and he sat back down, scooting his chair a bit closer to the bed.

"Whatever," he grumbled, the scoff huffing under his breath.

Pursing her lips, she clasped her hands together, rubbing her thumbs over her skin. "I...thanks..." she mumbled.

"For what?" he growled. His arms were back to being folded, and he had his entire body turned away from her. His lip jutted out ever so slightly, his brow furrowed in frustration.

"For...helping me out of there," she admitted slowly. "And...for waiting here, for me to wake up."

"What the hell was I going to do, Princess, leave ya?" he asked, shaking his head back and forth in frustration. "And I just fell asleep. It wasn't like I meant to wait around like a loser. I do have shit to do, I'm the Captain!"

She frowned. Couldn't he, just this once, accept what she had said and move on? "Fine. I won't thank you then. And I am still mad at you for taking us there in the first place!" she snapped.

"ALRIGHT THEN!" he snarled. "You've already made that fuckin' clear!" he grunted, standing up. "I'll let you decide where we go next, since you're such a fucking genius!" he roared.

"Good! I probably will come up with a better plan than you," she hissed, sticking her tongue out at him. It was childish, and she knew that, but it didn't stop her from doing it. Katsuki brought out this side of her, vaguely playful, but also childish, like two toddlers stuck in a fight.

"SURE. I'LL BE WAITING TO WATCH YOU FAIL."

"THANKS!"

The two were silent and Katsuki stormed over to the door, punching in the code to slide it over. He paused though, before exiting her room, and his eyes flicked back at where she sat in the bed. "But, I am glad you're okay or whatever," he snorted. "It would suck if this had done you in. You're stronger than a stupid bullet," he scoffed.

She felt her cheeks heat up, and she wasn't quite sure why. It wasn't like he had really complimented her or anything, but she supposed that was as close as he was going to get. "Thanks," she muttered again.

"When that shitty nurse lets you go, come up to the main deck and tell me where you want us to go," he snorted, his voice growling as he stormed away. She could tell he hated letting go of control, and admittedly, she didn't blame him. It was his ship after all, and she'd kind of taken over it without permission.

"See you soon!" she called out with a giggle, pleased she was going to be the one to decide where they went next. She could only hope it didn't blow up in her face.

~~

It took another day before Yaoyorozu decided it was okay to let Uraraka out of the infirmary, and while Bakugou was growing impatient, Yaoyorozu informed him multiple times it was for the best to wait. If they didn't, and they were for some reason engaged in another battle, Uraraka wouldn't be able to help, or could be put in more danger.

At the mention of putting her in danger, he shut right up.

Yaoyorozu's biggest concern however, was her boyfriend. Shouto had been acting strangely ever since they'd returned from the mission, and in typical Shouto fashion, he wasn't talking to her about it.

She'd asked him to talk to her multiple times, but each time he would lie and say everything was fine, or he'd deflect and kiss her, distracting her in other ways.

"You're being more quiet than normal, I don't care what you say," she said finally. They'd spent the night together, after Shouto had once again, avoided her questions. However, it was starting to make her anxious, and she couldn't stop thinking about it anymore.

He leaned in towards her, and brushed his lips against hers. "I'll tell you as many times as I have to that I'm fine," he mumbled.

"No, no. Don't even think about it, Todoroki Shouto," she scolded, pushing his mouth away from hers. "I know you, and I know you're trying to avoid talking about this by kissing me! Which really isn't fair!" she squeaked out. Her face turning bright red the more she spoke.

Shouto sighed, "Fine, I guess...you're right. But it's nothing we need to talk about. It's not going to solve anything."

She sighed heavier than he had, and rolled her eyes. "When are you going to realize, Shouto, sometimes talking about it just helps you sort out all those thoughts swirling around inside your head?!" she teased, gently poking him on the forehead.

"I take it you're an expert at these type of swirly thoughts?" he teased, grabbing her finger and pulling it to his mouth to nibble on. He wasn't wrong, Yaoyorozu was oftentimes a little on edge with...well, many things, but it didn't change the fact she wanted to hear about his thoughts. Sometimes she just babbled to him when she was anxious or furious at Bakugou.

"Yes. I am," she scoffed, folding her arms. "Which is why you should tell me yours!" she urged.

"You're really not going to let this go, are you?" he asked, and Yaoyorozu was quick to shake her head back and forth. Sitting up, Shouto finally began to speak. "They man we fought...he..." he looked down.

"What?" she asked softly, urging him to continue.

"He asked why I chose to fight for them. Meaning...our crew. It made no sense to me, and I still am trying to figure out what the hell it meant." She saw his fingers curl into fists, his hands trembling against the bed. "I hate not remembering anything..." he said softly.

She wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him close to her chest. "Oh Shouto..." she said, trying to comfort him, but really she had no idea what to say. Shouto had stumbled into her life with absolutely no recollection of who he was, or what he was doing there. It had been strange, but his injuries had been severe and Yaoyorozu had nursed him back to health, unable to turn her back on someone in need. Bakugou had always hated him though, for some reason Yaoyorozu could never place.

"I don't care if I was part of the Academy," he whispered, his hands wrapping around her waist. "I won't leave you. I'm different now."

"That's right," she giggled. "Even if you were, you can't go back now, not after everything you've seen."

"Yeah," he muttered.

"Now that wasn't so hard," she said, running her fingers through his hair.

"Guess not," he mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"We always knew there was a possibility you might be from the Academy," Yaoyorozu said. "And we knew it was a possibility they could have some control over you. We'll have to be on our guard," she said.

"I know. But if it were my choice, if it's nothing like that..."

"I know, I know," she said softly. "You'd choose to stay."

"You're right. I'll always choose you. I'll always stay if it means being by your side." he whispered.

She raised a playful eyebrow. "Even if that means having to deal with Bakugou?"

"Unfortunately." He leaned up to peck her lips. "I assume it's okay to kiss you now?" he chuckled.

"I guess," she teased, grinning her widest grin as she leaned down to kiss him back.

"There's going to be a meeting on the bridge, everyone please meet on the main deck!" Tokoyami's voice boomed over the loudspeaker, and Shouto let out a groan.

"Great. Now we'll see where that idiot is about to take us..."

"Shouto!" Yaoyorozu said, flicking gently at his cheek.

"You have to admit that last plan wasn't a very intelligent one," he grumbled.

"I guess not," she whispered. "Ochako got really hurt, if that man had better aim then she would've..." she trailed off. "I was thankful I got to her before she could lose too much blood. Bakugou...idiot," she scoffed.

"It'd be much better if he just let them decide. They obviously know what they're doing. Not that I want to argue with him ever again," he groaned, remembering the many times Shouto had spoken up, and Bakugou had gotten angry. Though usually when anyone said anything, Bakugou got angry.

"Good, just let him be. It's easier if you let him ride out the anger," she chuckled, pulling her long dark hair up into its signature ponytail. "Come on, let's get going," she said.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, Shouto pulled her in and kissed her once again. "Sorry I needed one more, for good measure," he smirked.

"Oh, of course," she rolled her eyes, and slipped on her jacket. "I'll see you up there," she giggled, waving as she stepped out of the room.

~~

The meet on the bridge was making Uraraka nervous. She had told Katsuki they had decided where to go, after she had spoken with Iida. Although Iida's head still hurt a little bit, it seemed like his plan of action was far better than Bakugou's ever would've been, and Uraraka was hoping this wouldn't cause any problems. Even though Bakugou had given his permission, she could see him getting all possessive about his ship and his crew all over again.

"Alright," his voice boomed. "After a few days to recover from our mission, we've decided it's finally time to move on. We're not going to fucking let the Academy make fools of us!" Bakugou snapped, clenching his fists. "And we're sure as hell not going to let them keep control of that island. Now that we know what's there, we can try again after we gather more information!" Bakugou explained, glancing at Uraraka. "In a way, we could say it's good we have the information we have now, because we can push forward."

"Dude, are you really going to call anything about that mission good?" Kaminari asked, tilting his head. Kirishima was quick to nudge him, especially when Bakugou's eye twitched in anger. As far as Uraraka had heard, the crew had agreed to not speak of the awful mission, especially in front of Bakugou, since the Captain wasn't too fond of discussing his mistakes.

"Anyway," he continued, and Uraraka could see his teeth grinding together as he spoke through his partially closed mouth. "I'll let the Princess tell us where we're going to be heading next," he grumbled, folding his arms.

"Thank you, Katsuki," she smiled, stepping forward with her hands clasped together excitedly.

"Bakugou."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes, knowing it would be impossible to call him by that. "As you now know first hand, the Academy isn't a force to be reckoned with."

"Do you really think we didn't know that before?" Kirishima barked out. "Why do you think we were pirates?" he chuckled.

"Shut it, and let her speak!" Bakugou snapped, gesturing his finger angrily in their faces.

Blushing, Uraraka found herself happy Bakugou was at least on her side this time. She cleared her throat, looking back over the crew members.

"Part of our problem is, we don't know enough about them. We don't know what islands have their bases, or what islands are like mine, taken over by a robot factory," she explained. "So Iida and I had an idea."

Iida smiled, looking very proud of himself.

"There's an island, Library Island, which isn't too far from the main Academy island," she continued. "That part, maaaybe makes this a little dangerous. But Library Island on the whole, if we can sneak in, shouldn't be dangerous," she explained.

"Sneak in?" Jirou asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "From all that you've seen, does this crew really seem like the type of people that can sneak?"

"...Well..." Uraraka said, looking around. "We'll call it a challenge?"

Bakugou slammed his hand down on the table in front of them. "We can do fucking anything! You're my crew, and we can do whatever we gotta to make this work!" Bakugou grumbled, pointing his finger at all of them.

"We will have to legitimately try to sneak, because I'm sure Library Island will be heavily guarded. This means we must stay quiet," Iida chimed in.

"Okay, okay, okay," Kirishima said, waving his arms about. "We get it, we have to be quiet. But what the hell is so important that we gotta go to this island anyway?" Kirishima asked.

"As far as we know, Library Island holds most of the world's information-"

"It's basically a giant floating library!" Mina giggled, cutting Iida off.

"Yes, exactly. There's nothing else on the island besides the giant library floating in the center. Apparently it contains some of the oldest books from earlier islands that no longer exist. It also, according to my sources, contains early information on the Academy. If we go there, there is a chance we may find information about the Academy so we can better our forces against them. The more knowledge we have the better armed we'll be," Iida explained.

"Sounds booooring," Kaminari muttered. "Who wants to go read a giant list of old books."

"I actually thought, if the Captain doesn't mind, we would only take a few of us on this particular mission. Since it's more about gathering information, and we need to slip in undetected it would be better if a small group went," Iida continued.

"After much talking, Iida and I thought it would be best if the two of us went and Bakugou. Iida knows the island the best, and Bakugou would be a good bodyguard. Hopefully, we will have a much easier time sneaking in." Admittedly, Bakugou was a risky choice, but Uraraka couldn’t imagine him letting her go anywhere without him. It was his ship, and if he hadn’t been chosen...

Stepping forward, Todoroki raised his hand. "I would like to join you three if possible."

Uraraka was surprised and taken aback. She hadn't spoken to Todoroki much, and he didn't seem like the type to ask for something so forwardly, but apparently she had been very wrong. Glancing towards Iida, Uraraka shrugged. "I don't see why not, it would probably be good to have two of the stronger people with us anyway-"

"Hell. No," Bakugou growled, interrupting. His whole body was trembling as he glared at Todoroki, like a lion about to attack its prey.

"Katsuki! Why not? It's fine we could really use-"

"Fuck no! I'm enough to be your bodyguard!" he grumbled. "You don't need him too." Uraraka still hadn't figured out why Bakugou seemed to hate Todoroki so much.

With a sigh, Todoroki folded his arms together. "Admittedly, I want to go for selfish reasons. I have my own research I'd like to conduct, and a place with all the books in the world sounds like a good place to start," he muttered. "I won't be in your way."

"See, Katsuki?" Uraraka urged. "Todoroki can do his own thing once we infiltrate the library. Plus, you made me the leader on this mission, and so what I say is the final decision, and I say, Todoroki can come!" she smirked, folding her arms over her chest.

Slamming his hand down on the table, Bakugou clenched his teeth together, as though he were ready to argue with her. "Fuck!" he snapped. "Do whatever the hell you want! Tokoyami, set the fucking course for Library Island and keep us above the first cloud layer so we're hidden!" he said before storming out of the room. "Dismissed."

"I'd say that went...surprisingly well," Uraraka sighed, watching as they all collectively released the tension in their shoulders. Yaoyorozu seemed especially relieved when Bakugou left Todoroki alone this time.

"Better than any of us expected," Jirou muttered.

"I'll have us there as soon as I can," Tokoyami bowed to Uraraka. "Please do something relaxing while you wait."

"Thank you, Tokoyami," she smiled. "I appreciate it." Her gaze turned towards the window and she prayed they were making the right choice.

~~

With the route Tokoyami was forced to take, it took almost two days for them to arrive to the point above Library Island. Bakugou had spent the majority of the time in his room, besides when he felt he had to eat. He didn't really want to look at the crew, after being completely undermined by Uraraka. Yes, he had been the one to say she could be in charge of this mission, but he hadn't expected her to completely disregard his opinion in regards to Todoroki.

He hated that guy.

He didn't really have a good reason, but there was something about him that bothered Bakugou, and Bakugou was the type of person who always trusted his instinct. Yaoyorozu was constantly sticking up for him, and while Bakugou trusted her, there was something about Todoroki that was off.

He'd spent the last few days contemplating choices he'd made, which he hated. Bakugou Katsuki was never unsure. He was the best goddamn sky pirate out there, and he normally wouldn't let anything like this bother him.

Really it was all Uraraka's fault. She'd showed up and completely thrown a wrench in everything Bakugou had set up for himself. He'd been thankful when Uraraka had been okay, mostly because he blamed his own dumb ass for her getting hurt. For some reason he felt so damn obligated to her, which he also hated. Her stupid smile, and her beautiful caramel eyes...it was so hard to resist when she talked about things...and after the disaster that was his mission, he knew he had to try and trust her this time.

The alarm rang, and Tokoyami let them know they had arrived, and Bakugou finally hopped out of bed. He had to look at this mission differently. Uraraka and Iida were going to do most of the research, and Todoroki could go do his own thing. All he had to do was keep his Princess safe, which of course, he wasn't the best at.

Pursing his lips, he grabbed his gloves and made his way to the main deck, where Uraraka and Iida already stood. "Where the hell is that Half and Half bastard!?" he growled. Of course they were waiting on him.

Admittedly, Bakugou was a bit concerned. Even though they were high in the air, above the main layers of clouds, he was still worried they would be caught. They were so close to the Academy's main island, and Library Island, as expected, was heavily guarded. It made sense, if all the Academy's secrets were located on this one island...it would have to be.

"Be nice, Katsuki," Uraraka frowned. "He'll be helpful! And he's quiet, so he'll probably go unnoticed."

Standing by the opened hatch, Bakugou attached his hook onto the large wire, ready to swing down.

"Remember be as quiet as possible!" Uraraka urged, hooking her own harness onto the steel wire.

The four of them took off, dipping below the clouds as they swung from the wire, following it down to the edge of the island. The four jumped off, landing much more gracefully than they had the first time. Uraraka brushed off her jacket and Bakugou watched as her hands smoothed over her clothes.

Sometimes, when he stared at her, he still couldn't believe she was the Princess he had rescued oh so long ago.

Slipping the hook into his bag, Bakugou slipped on his gloves, and watched as Todoroki began to load up his gun with his fire and ice magic spheres. "We ready?" Bakugou hissed, and the group nodded.

"As far as I can tell, we can sneak past the main guards by slipping through a side entrance. I have gained access to some door codes from the online information circuit. I only hope they're correct. Certain levels of the Library are open to the general public, but they have to be citizens with Academy IDs, obviously, none of us have any of that. Once we're inside, it shouldn't be a problem, we just need to slip past the the check points," Iida explained.

"Got it," Uraraka smiled, and the two began to lead the way.

As they approached the center of the island, Bakugou found it unsurprising to see how big the building was. It was a large cylinder, placed in the very middle of the island and looked to be almost 20 stories tall. "You know, they say there are levels which go deep underground too," Iida continued to talk as they made their way closer. "The more classified material is there, but those are just rumors."

"If they have classified material on this island, why do they not have more security measures?" Todoroki asked quietly.

Iida pressed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You see," he began. "It's because they want to look inviting to the general public. Since they publicize this place as a public library, the more military staff they have here, the more suspicious it would look."

"Fuckin' stupid," Bakugou spat. "Everyone who is part of the main islands knows that the Academy are all tyrants."

"Do they?" Iida asked, though it was clear he was questioning Bakugou's logic. "Some people know and suffer, especially those in the outer islands. But many people on U.A aren't fully aware of the situation, many of them think the Academy is doing good, and helping to educate smaller outer islands with less opportunities. Since this island is for main islanders, they don't want to seem too dangerous. Of course, it is highly possible there are no hidden documents or levels on this island, and any other information could be stored away elsewhere. There's only one way to find out," he grinned.

Iida was surprisingly fast, Bakugou noted, and the boy slipped in and out through the random shrubbery laid out on the paths leading to the front. Suddenly, he stopped, and held a hand up quickly freezing in place.

"What the hell, glasses?!" Bakugou snapped.

"Shh!" Uraraka hissed, pressing her finger to her lips to shush him.

"Uraraka?" Iida grinned. "If you would please."

"'Course," she said, pulling out her small mechanical orb. She pressed her fingers to the buttons and twisted it around, cloaking them with invisibility.

Bakugou looked down, unable to see any part of himself, and he jumped back. "What the hell, Princess?!" he snapped.

"We need to avoid cameras!" Iida explained. "We can’t allow them to see us sneaking towards a side door."

"Smart," Todoroki muttered, and Bakugou couldn't help but scoff again. They really had thought this plan through, and so far it was going way more smoothly than he expected. It wasn't that he wanted Uraraka to fail, but he had hoped her plan would have a few flubs, so he could at least have something to say about hers. The truth was, Bakugou didn't like losing.

With a muttered groan, he followed Iida to the door, watching as he punched in the code. The door swung open, and the group slipped inside with ease, though Bakugou had to let out one exasperated grumble, earning him a direct glare from Uraraka.

Once inside, the Library was surprisingly deserted. Bakugou kept looking for someone or something to jump out and catch them, but no one moved.

"Let's go talk to one of the librarians," Uraraka suggested, and Iida nodded in agreement.

"Hold the fucking phone," Bakugou said, his head whipping around in every direction. "I don't fucking know what's going on here but why the hell is no one coming after us? And you're just gonna waltz right up and talk to someone from the Academy?!" he exclaimed.

"Hush!" Uraraka said, placing her finger against her lips. "If you act like you're supposed to be here, it'll be fine!" she said softly. "The security is tight to get in, but once you're in, you're in! They're not going to question it!" she hissed.

"Alright fine," he huffed. He wanted to argue this plan was far less dangerous than his plan had been, simply based upon the place, but he had a feeling Uraraka probably wouldn't appreciate that. So instead, he puffed out his cheeks, and followed behind in the biggest huff.

They made their way towards the front of the library, and Bakugou kept glancing around at the large shelves of books. The books were placed in what seemed to be a giant cylinder. Circles and circles of stairs wove through the middle as shelves rose all the way up to the high ceiling of the building. Almost 20 stories of shelves of books. Peering over the railing, Bakugou couldn't even see down to some of the lower levels. The books seemed to span so far down, he couldn’t even glimpse the bottom.

"Ah, I wish we had more time," Iida sighed, pressing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "I wish I could read through all of these books."

"Right?" Uraraka smiled. "I bet you could find so many cool things!" she said, the two were looking at the shelves in such awe, as though they'd never seen a book before in their whole damn life.

"Fuckin' nerds," Bakugou grumbled, shaking his head as they continued to approach the desk.

It was then Bakugou saw a sight he never thought he would ever see again in his whole damn life.

"Fucking...DEKU!?" he screamed, and stormed over the librarian's desk, slamming his hands down. He yanked the shirt of the green-haired boy, who stared at him blankly while Bakugou began to shake him back and forth. "ANSWER ME! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!?" he yelled angrily. "Why are you working for the Academy?! After everything they DID!" he screamed.

"K-Katsuki! Stop!" Uraraka yelled, grabbing at his arm, trying to get him to stop shaking the un-moving boy. "Stop yelling!" she hissed.

"You're yelling too, idiot!" he growled, and lower his voice. "Answer me, Deku," he grunted, his tone low and angry in his throat.

"I am Midoriya Izuku, I do not know who this Deku is you speak of." He spoke flatly.

"Cut the crap Deku," Bakugou snorted. "I know it's you. Now speak up, what the fuck are you doing here?!"

"I am Midoriya Izuku. A librarian here at the Academy National Library, located on the very special Library Island! Here you can find books on any subject you may need! You may ask me any questions you have regarding any of the books here and I can point you in the correct direction!" he smiled wide, his hand gesturing forward.

Todoroki sighed. "Whoever this was before, he's definitely been brainwashed."

Bakugou grit his teeth, and glared at Deku, like hell he was going to let the old little shit just sit here. "You fucking moron," he growled. "I can't believe you let yourself get brainwashed!" he snapped. "So you really don't remember a thing?"

"I am Midoriya Izuku, a librarian here at the Academy National Library-"

"Alright, alright I get it." He shook his head.

"Katsuki," Uraraka asked, placing her hand on his arm. "Who is this?"

"This is fucking Deku," he growled, gesturing forward. "He was a servant with me when we were both...living at your palace," he muttered. "The night of the attack, he ran to get help and I never saw him again. Obviously these assholes kidnapped him," he grunted, gesturing at the boy in front of him.

Uraraka narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, trying to place his face. "He does look like a young boy I seem to recall, really sweet...smiled a lot."

"Sounds like 'im," Bakugou grumbled. "I'm not going to let him sit here for the rest of his life directing people to stupid books!" Slamming his hand down on the table, he moved forward. "Alright Half and Half, is there a way to break this?"

"Dunno-"

"Useless."

"-but you could try to jog his memory or something," Todoroki suggested.

"Yeah, alright. Listen up, shitty Deku," he said, pointing directly at him. "When we were kids we played together all the time! I always wanted to steal food, and your goody-two shoes ass would never let me!"

"I am Midoriya Izuku, a librarian here at the Academy National Library-"

"Yeah great, also we both would talk about who was going to get to marry the Princess! Obviously, since I rescued her, it was going to be me. But she's right here, so snap outta this so you can see what she looks like all grown up!" he growled. He didn't turn around, so he didn't see how red Uraraka's face was from that comment alone.

"I am Midoriya Izuku, a librarian here at the Academy National Library-"

"Maybe try something more specific?" Todoroki suggested.

"SHUT UP!" he yelled, slamming both hands down. "Alright Deku, you constantly called me Kacchan, even though I hated the nickname. It made me sound like such a fucking baby," he snapped, shaking his head.

"I am Midoriya Izuku-...Ka...cchan?" His voice stammered, and his strange eyes began to blink. "Kacchan?"

"YEAH!" Bakugou said, a laugh echoing on his lips. "Kacchan! I know I probably look way older and way cooler now, but it's me! It's me, Kacchan!" he cheered in his face. "You better fucking remember or I'm going to be really pissed off!" he snarled.

"K-Kacchan? I am Midoriya..." He grabbed at his forehead and shook his green hair around. "NO, STOP!" he yelled. "I am...Deku!" he called out and collapsed down behind the desk.

"De...ku?" Bakugou asked, leaning over the desk, and the green-haired boy popped up, his bright eyes shimmering as he practically leaped over the desk, wrapping his arms around the neck of his old best friend.

"Kacchan!!" he yelled, pulling back. "W-What...Where?" he tugged on Bakugou's cheeks, glancing around. "You...uh...look a lot older? And where...is this?!"

Bakugou slapped Deku's hand away, stepping back. "What the hell Deku?! Do you really not remember anything?!" he asked.

Deku glanced around the large library. "The last thing I really remember is running down the hall to go get help, and then...some men grabbed me." He shook his head. "I-I mean...I have flashes of this place...b-but...where are we? How did you find me?" he asked, glancing at the group.

"We weren't lookin’ or anything," Bakugou snapped folding his arms. "We're looking for some information, and this is Library Island which apparently has all this shitty information about The Academy."

Deku looked around, his eyes trying to focus on the different areas. "I have glimpses of memories about this place. I can remember leading people around but...I don't really remember why. I feel like I've been asleep for years."

"You basically have," Todoroki muttered, his face showing he knew all too well the frustration which came along with losing most of your memories.

"Kacchan," Deku said, looking at all the unfamiliar faces. "Who are all your friends?"

"This is Half and Half," he said, gesturing to Todoroki, who was quick to correct him.

"The Princess, Ochako, and her glasses friend."

"Iida," he sighed.

"T-The Princess?!" Deku stammered and quickly bowed. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize! Y-Your hair is so short now!" he said, shaking his head back and forth.

"O-Oh! Don't worry! I'm not really a Princess anymore, or well, not right now! I mean...there are so many islands that have been taken over by The Academy, which is why we're here for information. Apparently there are secret lower levels here with information that could help us."

Deku's eyes lit up. "Hey! I have a key card. It should have access to all parts of the Library!" he said. "I can probably take you down to the lower levels. I vaguely know when some of the more official looking men came in, I would always have to take them down there. If we head in that direction, maybe we can find what you're looking for-...ah what exactly are you looking for?" he asked.

"Mostly information about which islands the Academy occupies, also anything on any weakness they may have," Iida explained.

"Hm, yeah. Anything like that would be in the restricted area of the lower levels. Which...my key card should give us access!" he said, nodding his head.

"Perfect! Then lead the way!" Uraraka said.

~~

Uraraka happily followed Deku down to the lower levels of the library. It seemed like a stroke of good luck (finally) that they had found someone from her old island, who was able to assist them in ways they hadn't anticipated.

Todoroki had gone off to do his own research, after Deku had searched the database on android parts and android origins. Anything regarding androids was in the upper levels, and considered public knowledge, since most people in the Academy were happy to add synthetic parts to their body. Most of the leaders already were completely robotic minus their brains.

Uraraka, Iida, and Bakugou followed Deku to the private elevator which took them down to lower levels.

Iida however, looked concerned. "What's wrong?" Uraraka asked him quietly, as they stepped off of the elevator, walking down a long dark corridor.

"...It is strange. Why would the Academy use brainwashed people to run their system instead of their various bots...It seems...out of place."

Uraraka had to admit, it was very...odd. The Academy was constantly striving to achieve better technology and heighten their experience, and yet...they used real people to run their super secret Library? Something seemed off...

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Midoriya Izuku!" A cheerful voice called from the shadows. A strange girl with pink hair floated down from an upper level in her large boots. Her wide goggles covered her eyes, and she pulled them up, resting them on her head.

"U-Uh..." Deku's eyes widened as he stared up at her. Maybe in his brainwashed form, he would've remembered her name, but he certainly didn't now, which was possibly going to give them away. Uraraka could feel the panic rising in her chest.

"..." The girl titled her head, and slowly floated down to the ground, pushing her goggles up on her head. "Hatsume Mei! Don't you remember me?" she asked, leaning in towards him.

"H-Hatsume M-Mei!! Of course I d-do!" he stammered, holding his hands up, flailing a little bit.

"You...are a horrible liar," she giggled, placing her goggles back over her bright eyes. "Look, I know I work here, but I just like books, and building things. I don't really give a crap about the Academy, so if you found people to rescue you from this hellhole, good for you!" she chuckled. "I've been stuck down here for years."

"Stuck?" Uraraka asked.

"Oh yeah," she nodded. "I organize a lot of the books down here, and when librarians come down to retrieve a book, I'm usually the one who goes and grabs it. There's a force field between the upper levels and this one, so I'm basically stuck, gives me a lot of time to work on these cool inventions though!" she shrugged. "There’s a whole group of us convicts down here! We hang out, eat together, you know!” she giggled, casual about the odd situation.

"That's horrible..." Uraraka mumbled, staring at the girl. "If we took you up the elevator, would you be able to leave."

"Yeah! I just normally am not allowed on the elevator by the scrubs who come down here," she laughed.

"Well then you have to come on our ship!"

"Whose ship!?" Bakugou snapped, glaring at her.

"Okay, okay. It's his ship, but you should come with us! Both you and Deku!"

"Princess, I'm not certain this is the best idea..." Iida mumbled. "We don't know anything about them-"

"HELL, that's not the problem!" Bakugou snapped. "You can't just go inviting people on my damn ship!" he snarled.

"But...Deku is your best friend-"

"No."

"And Mei could help with fixing and tinkering the ship!" she said.

"An airship?!" Hatsume exclaimed, leaning forward, her eyes were twinkling like crazy. "I could TOTALLY help out on an airship! I'm the best mechanic around!"

"Then how the hell did you get stuck here?!" Bakugou snapped.

"Well, let's just say the Academy caught me poking around where I didn't belong, and this was my punishment. People down here don’t even get the funky brainwashing like your friend here!" she chuckled. "Anyway, why are you guys here even? If you let me come on your ship, I'll give you any book you want," she hummed, wagging her finger back and forth.

"Perfect!" Uraraka exclaimed, stepping forward as she ignored the protests from Bakugou and Iida. "We need any sort of books about the main island! Anything that would help us take out the leaders of the Academy!" she said.

"Princess," Iida hissed. "You shouldn't just trust anyone!" He shook his head and moved his glasses up.

"I really think both of them could helpful to us against the Academy!" Uraraka said, her brow furrowing.

"I don't know why the hell you think you can invite people onto my ship," Bakguou snorted again, though he was mostly grumbling to himself.

"Wow...uh...that's a really intense thing to be looking for," Hatsume said, tapping at her chin.

Sighing, Iida stepped forward. "If you know of any books or maps perhaps that show all the territories they own, or where robot factories are located, that could be helpful as well."

"Hmm no, no...I think your Princess girl here is your best bet! One second!" she said, her boots shooting her up as she began to swirl through the stacks and stacks of books.

"I really don't know if this is a good idea-" Iida muttered, tapping his foot nervously against the ground.

Uraraka smiled, and gently placed her hand on Iida's shoulder. "Sometimes you've just gotta trust your gut, and I really think she's gonna help us. Both of you," she murmured glancing back at Bakugou. "...need to be a bit nicer to people."

"A-Are you really comparing me to him?" Iida stammered, adjusting his glasses.

"Well, you guys are nothing alike, but you both are some of the most distrusting people I've ever met!" Uraraka laughed.

Neither had the chance to respond, as Hatsume landed back in front of them. "Here we go!" she smiled, holding out a book. "This is one of the Academy's oldest books. It explains how the mainframe of their system works. It was written by one of the first members to change their entire body to robotic form. They found a way to upload their thoughts and memories onto a mainframe. This explains how all that works," she said, handing the book to Uraraka. "It also explains how to shut it all down in case of an emergency. Since the plan was so new at the time, the author instructed that at least a few people remain completely human unless something went haywire. However, I'm inclined to believe they didn't heed that warning. If you shut it all off, you shut down the Academy."

Uraraka's eyes went wide. "Holy...wow... With this...we...could...legitimately end everything," she said, whispering.

"Most likely, yeah!" Hatsume laughed. "I mean this is the prototype, so it's possible they've upgraded since then, but it shouldn't be too different."

Uraraka lurched forward and grabbed her hands. "You have to come with us Mei! You could help us with this, right?"

"Of course!" she said, a smile wide on her face.

Turning towards Bakugou, Iida and Deku, Uraraka smiled. "Then what are we waiting for! Let's kick some ass!"

~~

After much arguing from Katsuki because he felt so undermined, he finally agreed to allow Hatsume and Deku onto the ship. He'd tried to argue leaving Todoroki behind instead, but Uraraka told him he would do no such thing, and they retrieved the boy.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Uraraka had asked, and Todoroki had nodded, not saying another word while they headed back towards the cables.

The group made their way back up to the ship, Hatsume freaking out when she had the opportunity to fly with her boots through the sky, and Deku screamed, clinging to Katsuki when they zoomed back up the cables.

Once they were safely back on the ship, Iida retreated to his room, the anxiety from the whole situation clearly getting to him.

Katsuki led Hatsume to an empty room, close to the engine area, demanding she fix it whenever they had any problems. She seemed happy to be able to tinker about on the ship, and really, Uraraka thought she was just happy to be out of the dark library.

After showing Deku his room, Katsuki sent Deku away telling him to "not be fucking useless." And Uraraka begged him to be nicer to his best friend.

"It can't be easy," she said. "He lost years of his life...I mean I'm sure it was great to see us again, but...there's a lot he has to process," she muttered. Deku's face had looked rather blank when they left him alone in his room. "Go check on him later, okay?" she asked, gently touching his arm.

"What the fuck ever," Katsuki snorted, as he stormed down the hall. Uraraka had quickly come to learn that was Katsuki speak for 'okay'.

At dinner, Katsuki spoke to the crew briefly, explaining about the book, and how if they were lucky, they had actually found a way to defeat the Academy. He mentioned he planned on calling a more official meeting in the morning, but for now he was ready to "kick some Academy ass." Everyone cheered and hollered, and for the first time since their disaster mission, Uraraka felt hope resonating in the room.

Uraraka knew she probably should've gone to bed, but when she saw Katsuki sneaking up to the upper deck, she followed him. He'd seemed so grouchy all day, and she felt she had to apologize. It was her mission, yes, but he was doing her a favor, and she wanted to thank him for being as cooperative as he was...or well as cooperative as Katsuki could've been.

Walking up the stairs, she saw him sitting by the window, staring out it. He looked so handsome like this, his red eyes focusing on the clouds in front of him. And he wasn't yelling, which always was a plus.

"Katsuki," she said softly, her hand rubbing at the railing. "Can I join you?"

He didn't even turn back to look at her. "Whatever, Princess," he mumbled.

Sitting down, she curled her legs under herself, as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm...sorry if you were upset today," she said gently. "I know this is your ship, and I know you have a specific way of running things, and I kind of...ruined that today. I invited people here and led the mission, which are things you usually do. And I know I've already thanked you for helping me, but I know today wasn't easy so...thank you again...for doing all this."

"Fuck," he snapped. "Don't remind me. It's done, you did it. Whatever. Just let me run shit from now on...at least when it comes to the ship," he muttered. "If you wanna...run the mission then fucking fine, be my guest," he hissed.

She bit her lip, trying not to laugh at him. She knew he was actually frustrated, but his anger was so cute, she couldn't help it. She laced her fingers around his, and he jerked his head to look at their hands, his cheeks flushing, and yet, he didn't pull away. "How about we run this last one together? I mean...it's pretty important," she giggled softly.

He squeezed her hand tightly. "It is the fucking Academy." He turned to stare at her, his red eyes boring into her skin. "We're gonna kick their ass, we're gonna kick their ass and get back your home island, just like I promised from the beginning."

She smiled, nodding with determination. "You're right, Katsuki. We are going to kick some ass!"

"Fuck yes!" he cheered with her.

"I can't believe we found this book," she said, shaking her head.

He laughed loudly, tossing his head back. "I can't believe the Academy didn't throw this shit away! Idiots. Saving the exact manual we need to shut them down!"

"It does seem pretty dumb," she giggled, trying to ignore the bad feeling tugging at the back of her mind.

Katsuki tapped his head. "Just shows we're smarter than them."

"I dunno about that," she laughed with him, the two sighing as they watched the clouds roll by. "Hey..." she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Did...you and Deku really argue about who was going to marry me?" she asked.

"Huh?" Katsuki said, turning to face her. But he huffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh yeah, all the damn time. It wasn't even an argument though, cause obviously it would've been me."

"Oh really?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, like you'd ever fall for a wimp like Deku!" he snorted.

"I guess you are a pretty fearsome leader," she teased, staring at his face. It was impossible to not glance towards his lips when she did.

Katsuki was uncharacteristically silent for a moment, and he stared right back. Bringing his other hand up to her cheek, he cupped at her face. "Yeah, I am a fearsome leader," he snorted, and pressed their lips together.

Uraraka felt her face heat up, as she stared into his intense red eyes. She of course found him attractive, and it wasn't like she hadn't thought about kissing him! But it had been so unexpected! She never thought he would reciprocate. Honestly, he didn't seem the type to think about anything romantic, like a little kid who found romance 'yucky'.

But when he kissed her, Uraraka kissed back. She let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him softly. His lips were rough, slightly chapped, and he tugged on her lower lip, letting go with a pop.

"And you're my damn Princess," he whispered, tucking her hair back behind her ears. "So don't you ever forget that."

[monster-apartments-au]

Fade (TomTord Backstory for MA AU)

Eddsworld fic, 17610 words, tom/tord + paul/patryk

Chapter 3/3: Aftermath

Ao3 Mirror

Whoever said that love conquers all has clearly never been with a demon before.

(Prequel story for the TomTord relationship in the Monster Apartments AU)

Warning for possibly triggering content, including character death, brief depictions of torture, and body horror (monster transformation)

Humans are fragile. It’s been ingrained in Tord since he was just a small Impling, being reared like a child by his superiors. Don’t bother relying on humans, ‘cause they die on you whenever you seem to need ‘em. It was a joke; the older Demons would laugh and so would he. He didn’t know any better.

But he wasn’t laughing when Tom was lying in the aftermath of the explosion on that big heist months ago. Wasn’t laughing when he held onto his limp, injured body, and certainly wasn’t laughing when he watched the blood pool into his terrified eyes.

He didn’t ever fully realize just how fragile humans were until those moments, when he thought for sure his most precious person was done for: when he realized that he could lose Tom to just a bomb, or a bullet.

Tord wasn’t able to sleep for days. Every time he closed his eyes he could see the blood, hear Tom crying out over the radio- He was pathetic and he knew it. Matt and Patryk threw him pitying gazes while he sat outside Tom’s hospital room, staring in and keeping watch whenever the small, broken human was sleeping. It seemed like if he ever looked away Tom could be dead and it was driving him to exhaustion.

But a conversation with Matthew gave him the spark of hope he needed. It was a little over an hour after Tom had woken up, rambling about the police and tearing out his IVs. Matt had to rush in to sedate the poor man and hook him back up before any real damage to the human was done, and Tord watched on, helpless in the situation.

“Humans,” Tord said later on. “Are far too fragile.” Matt nodded, patting the demon on the back and sighing lowly.

“You’re not wrong. Just wish there was a way to help them,” Tord grunted, so the vampire kept talking to fill the silence. “Maybe ceasing to risk your lives while robbing banks is a good way to stop being in so much danger…?” He tried, but Tord simply grunted again.

“I just don’t know how to actually help him,” Tord muttered, bringing his legs up to his chest. “I’m so exhausted mentally I just… Wanna figure out something for the long term. Even if we stop the heists we’ll still find a way to get into trouble: that’s practically Tom’s middle name.” He sighed tiredly, putting his forehead to his knees in defeat.

Tord felt Matt pat his back once more. “Well, things happen, things change.” Matt muttered, trying to find something to say that would pick Tord’s spirits up.

The demon just raised his hands up in frustration. “Unless there’s some way to change Tom from a human to a-” He stopped himself mid-sentence, mouth agape as he realized the easiest answer to his problem. To Tom’s problem. He stared, big, wide eyes turning directly to the Vampire who sat beside him.

“No,” Matt stated flatly, narrowing his eyes before Tord could even get a word out. “I know what you’re thinking and no. I wouldn’t wish this fate on anyone.” A protest started from the demon but he knew he couldn’t argue this, and he definitely couldn’t turn Tom into a vampire on his own. He supposed he could get Paul or Patryk to turn Tom into a werewolf, but the chances of that working were low, and Weres were still pretty fragile in comparison to vampires and demons.

But Tord couldn’t stop his mind from racing, continuously going back to that train of thought if he let it wander for more than a moment. He knew that changing a human into a monster should be- was possible. He had the resources, the time… He just needed a starting point. It’s a couple days later when Tord’s flipping through a magazine and sees an advertisement for a B-List horror movie. He was about to turn to the next page but his eye lingered on the words. ‘Nuclear���. ‘Mutation’. Tord grinned wildly.

He had found his inspiration.

His hands scrambled through his pockets in search of his phone, and as soon as he had the device he was dialing a number he’d thought he’d forgotten. A gruff voice answered on the other end with a tired, “Hello?” Tord smirked, already doing quick calculations in his head.

It didn’t take long for him to explain his entire plan to Eduardo, an esteemed researcher who specialized in nuclear physics and was, of course, someone who owed Tord a favor. Once he was done elaborating, gasping for breath, the man on the other end laughed. “You’re asking me to do something that’s impossible!!” But despite the incredulousness that was in his voice at the time, Tord could make out the intrigue, and he knew he had his partner for his next biggest project.

For the next few months Tord and Eduardo worked together on the plans, locking themselves away in his lab or Ed’s apartment for days on end while working on all sorts of calculations and serums. Even after Thomas had been discharged, Tord brought his work home and poured over notes, spending many sleepless nights working on every possible variable.

It took weeks for their research to take off, but the two were diligent and eventually ended up with a concoction that should, in theory, work. They encapsulated the ‘medicine’ in small pills that were meant to be ingested along with each meal. Tord held the bottle in his hands and considered the dosage they had planned.

“What’re you so worried for?” Eduardo pestered while filling each pill. “Tom will be fine; we’ve worked the science out loads of times.”

But Tord shook his head. “Worked it out or not, we’ve been unable to test it. We can't use it on any humans,” Tord muttered, rubbing his forehead in thought. “Or animals, for that matter.”

“Don’t want a super-dog?” Eduardo chuckled and the demon just glared, dumbfounded.

In exasperation he asked, “What kind of dryad are you??” But Ed laughed more and Tord sighed. “Anyways, we have to be completely sure that this will work. There’s no room for error. The minute radiation exposure over time, as well as the other components, should be enough to mutate him... As long as I’m careful.”

Tord began to stress but of course his assistant piped up, slapping him on the back encouragingly. “Jeez, don’t worry so much, you’re gonna make the smoke alarm go off.” Eduardo laughed at the fierce look he received.

…

When Tord handed Tom the bottle of pills, the human was confused. “What’s this?” He inspected the jar in his hands, reading the label for the information. Tord shifted anxiously.

The demon scratched at the back of his head. “Some meds you gotta start taking; remember how you were complaining about your eyes hurting a few weeks ago? These should help.”

Tom’s jaw dropped. “You made a medicine for me? All by yourself??” He was wide-eyed and amazed, and Tord, trying to not let the admiration get to his head, gave Tom a small shrug.

“An acquaintance of mine helped me develop it, and it should be just the thing to help your eyes,” Tord pointed out. “It’ll be best for you to start taking it as soon as possible, but big differences might not be noticeable for a few weeks or maybe even months.”

“Something is better than nothing at this point,” Tom sighed in relief, looking up at Tord with an earnest smile. “Thanks, Tord, this means a lot!”

It took some effort but Tord smiled back, staring pointedly at Tom’s nose instead of his happy eyes. “Don’t worry about it.” He murmured and ruffled the shorter man’s hair, walking away with his shoulders a little slumped. He knew it was ultimately for Tom’s own good, but fuck, Tord thought. I’ve got to be the worst boyfriend.

...

It didn’t take long for Tord to notice Tom was changing. It started with minor behavioral changes, then a slight change in sleep schedule and food habits: nothing to Tom’s physical appearance but that was the point. It was supposed to be a secret.

Tord let himself get caught up in research again, in order to stop thinking about what he was doing to the human. He hardly slept, never giving his mind that time to fill him with worry and doubt. Paul had suggested before that something paranormal was running a rival gang, and they sabotaged them, but Tord never really put any faith in the thought. Nevertheless, it was something to put his mind to. He didn’t actually expect he’d find something, and even worse, he never expected it would be someone so bad.

It was fucking Balis.

Tord shivered as a wave of dread and nausea hit him at the sight. Memories of the brutish demon filled his head and in a fit of fear and rage, he flung all of his books to the ground and shouted. He couldn’t deal with that piece of shit again and he couldn’t put anyone he cared about through that literal fucking Hell.

“Tord?” Almost on cue Tom piped up, waking from a dream. Tord felt a pang of guilt at waking his boyfriend but pushed it aside. “‘S wrong, babe?”

The Demon attempted to calm himself down. “Fine,” He assured the human. “‘M fine. Sorry for waking you.” Tom did his best to assure him and comfort him, but Tord wasn’t able to get the images of his past with Balis out of his head for the rest of the night.

…

After that, Tord got careless. He tried to get to Balis before he could get to them, but it was the other way around, and he was snatched up from the family he created for himself. Balis kept him in a big penthouse style meeting room with a bunch of other demons, but all of them were serving him and making his life on Earth comfortable.

While the rest of the demons ran free, so to speak, Tord was bound down by a copper ring nailed to the floor. There was no way he could get out of it without probably killing himself, so he stayed put and dealt with whatever Balis would throw at him.

And Tord meant that quite literally. Despite being trapped to the spot he would constantly chastise the demon that kept him prisoner at every chance he could, even going so far as to spit on his boots whenever he walked by. Every transgression was met with a punishment. Balis’s favorite was throwing salt down on Tord, to cause a searing hot pain on his flesh wherever the salt landed. Occasionally he would also be subjected to religious symbols, holy water, the works.

Despite all the torture, though, Tord remained resolute in his quips and jokes, and he could tell Balis was at his wit’s end. “Why don’t you just shut up?” He’d demanded while Tord was currently writhing in pain but still managing to get jokes in about being salted like a french fry.

“Infuriating, isn’t it?” He panted out in between body spasms. He’d learned how to be an annoying asshole from the best, after all.

Tord wasn’t sure how long he was held there, but he’d have to guess a few days. He managed to see the sun set a few different times, but he slept most of his hours away, trying to conserve what energy he could, so it was hard to tell regardless. The Norwegian tried several times to slyly get out of Balis what he actually wanted with him, but every time he caught on and every time it ended up in the demon walking away or kicking him in the face.

So all he was able to do was bide his time, and try and find an escape route whenever he was left alone, which wasn’t often. He secretly hoped that Tom and the Werewolves were looking for a way to save him, but it wouldn’t be easy and he didn’t want to count on it. Not that he doubted them. He’d never doubt his boys.

When he catches word of them infiltrating the facility, it’s like Christmas morning.

He first hears about it from a little Imp that comes bouncing in the room, screaming its little head off. It used some kind of demonic language and if Tord’s honest he tried to block as much of that out as he could when he ditched, so he could only make out a few words: “Guns” and “Big Death”. It had to be his boys.

Tord did his best not to look giddy and eager from his little spot on the floor, especially when more demons came pouring into the room all followed by Balis, who, despite a straight face, it was easy to tell he was pissed. The demons gathered around the main table in the room, all conversing with one another in hushed tones while they waited for Balis to give out some orders.

“Where are they?” Balis spoke evenly and slowly, sounding out every syllable so everyone could hear. It was clear to see he was pissed, and it took everything in Tord not to smile, because he’s pretty sure Balis would’ve actually killed him. Nobody in the room attempted to answer Balis’s question, and there was a beat of silence before the leader slammed his hand down. An uproar of voices started from all around the table, everyone trying to talk over each other in an effort to figure out where the infiltrators had gone.

In the middle of the conversation one of the demons cried, “The elevator!!” Everyone turned to Balis who angrily barked out some orders, trying to regain his composure. It didn’t take long for everyone to be able to hear the elevator coming up, everyone going into high alert, talking only in hushed tones while they shuffled crates and set up in positions.

Tord ended up hidden from view by most of the crates, but thankfully he was able to see most of the room through a small crack. It felt like an eternity, waiting for the elevator to come to the top floor, but when it did it gave off a small *ding* and everyone silenced, watching the door with wide eyes.

The elevator opened slowly, and it took a lot for Tord to not shout with relief when he saw his boys. “Hey!” Tom shouted. “Release Tord and nobody has to get hurt.”

“Tord?” Balis said, mocking surprise. Tord rolled his eyes as he continued. “And what would a simple human want to do with a runaway whelpling like that? Does he owe you something, or..” He trailed off, as if realizing something. “Oh, I see, you're his pups and his snack, right? You lot can call me Balis, I-”

The gunfire kicked off immediately after Balis said his name and Tord gave a small nod in appreciation. He used the commotion of gunfire, screams, and shouting to cover him looking for a means of escape, seeing if he could pry up the copper ring from the floor with his claws. He worked the entire time on it but he was getting nowhere fast, and the sounds of the fight were starting to die down.

Tord heard someone moving closer to him, so he curled up and feigned sleep, trying to get them to leave him alone so he could get back to work on escaping. The shuffling sound made its way towards the Demon, causing him to tense in case a lesser Whelp decided now is a good time to douse him with salt again. A hand was gently pressed to his face. His eyes snapped open while he hissed, baring his teeth and fangs. As soon as he recognized Tom though, he allowed a wave of relief to wash over him.

“Tom!” He shouted excitedly. “How did you find me??” Tom smiled weakly, shrugging.

“Looked through all your books, found a way to port to you. But, Tord, how can we defeat Balis? He heals from aggression, how can we stop him and save you?”

Tord thought frantically for a moment before gesturing to the copper ring on the floor. “Break the circle, I can’t move until it’s gone. I can stop Balis if I get out.” Or at least, he thought he could. Despite Balis being a bit bigger than him they were evenly matched in a fight as long as he could get up close. He just had to keep a level head.

Tom was sawing away at the copper with his knife and getting through it a good way, but Tord saw the hazy look in his eyes and worried. “Tom, are you alright? You look like you’re wavering, babe.” But right as he said it, Balis was behind the human helping him escape, grabbing him by the hood of his shirt.

“I’ll give you this, Tord: you’ve certainly landed yourself a loyal crew, as well as a stupid one. Why would beings as determined as these try and save a pathetic little whelp like you?” He surely would’ve gone on if Tom hadn’t whirled around and punched the Demon right in his ugly fucking face. Balis roared in pain, snapping Tom’s arm in half and smashing his horns into the human’s head. Tord watched on in horror as Balis threw him to the ground, turning away from Tom as he writhed on the ground.

“Tom!” Tord cried out, trying to soothe his boyfriend in some manner, but as Tom laid there, screeching in pain, Tord noticed he was starting to... change. His eyes moved and settled in the middle of his face, becoming one big black void. The bones underneath his body cracked and shifted and grew, stretching out his skin in a grotesque manner. Spines came up from his back and elbows, and two horns pushed their way out from his forehead. Tom’s body cracking and shifting caused Balis to turn back at him, but right as he did he got a huge purple claw right in his face, pushing him down into the tile.

Balis was lifted up and slammed back down repeatedly by the monstrosity that was now Tom, roaring and screaming the entire time that he beat Balis down. Either the demon was too shocked at the change or he was unable to do anything as Tom threw him into the wall and chased after him, tearing into him with sharp claws.

With renewed vigor Tord snagged the knife that Tom left in the circle and worked away at the copper, finally getting it fractured. Once broken, Tord stood, no longer bound by the copper, and he snuck around to look for his wolves. Sounded like Tom had Balis covered.

They were right around the crates, tired and whimpering, but alive and starting to regain consciousness. He moved to help them both, slowly regaining his own energy by holding them and pulling them to their feet.

“Where’s Tom?” Paul spat out, but when Patryk gestured to the big purple monster that continued to pound Balis into the wall, Paul nodded in understanding.

The three rushed over towards the monster that was mauling the demon on the ground, not quite sure of what to do.

But Paul pointed at the monster. “He’s slowing down!” And he was. Tom’s claws were coming slower and slower as he tired himself out.

“We need to act fast,” Tord hissed, edging himself closer to Tom so he could get at Balis as soon as the beast that was his boyfriend passed out from exhaustion. It didn’t take too long before Tom slumped to the side with a loud *thud*, and Tord took to action quickly.

He dragged the beaten Balis over to where all the torture equipment was and got to work, pulling out chalk to draw a big circle around the demon, then dousing him with salt and holy water. Balis started to come to as the holy water burned him, but Tord was too far along in the ritual for him to do anything other than scream as he was being banished back into Hell. A few words that Tord had forgotten the meaning of later, and Balis was fading out of existence in flashes of light.

There was a beat, before everyone let out a big sigh of relief, glad that the worst of it was finally over.

…

Tom didn’t remember a thing, and Tord was grateful. He needed more time to figure out how to explain the monster thing to him, but until then he’d bide his time, just grateful to be happy again with Tom.

Time passed. Tom’s transformation went along smoothly, and aside from a few close calls of his secret being exposed, nothing went wrong. Sure, there were ups and downs, but that was how Tom and Tord had always been. They’d get through it and everything was good.

Until Matt confronted him again.

“Have you told him yet??” He hissed next door from his apartment one night when Tord was about to leave for a late night walk. He’d been taking more of those, lately. At Matt’s question the demon slowly shook his head, avoiding the vampire’s disapproving gaze. “Tord.”

“I know,”

“This is getting out of hand,” Tord tried to make some sort of protest but Matt pressed on, upset. “You can fucking smell it on him; he’s changing.”

The Norwegian scoffed, opening his mouth to protest. He really didn’t want to hear this now that they were done with all the tests, all the time, all the effort. What happened happened, and they couldn’t change it. Matt grew angrier though, shutting his own door and taking a step towards the demon. “You’re doing this to him, Tord.”

He’s just trying to cut deep, Tord. The demon reminded himself in his head before he could say something he’d regret. “Look, Matt. I know what you’re trying to do, but I don’t give a shit,” He said briskly. “I’m doing what’s best for him; I’m giving him a way to protect himsel-”

But Matt stepped forward again. “Tord, I’m telling you right now that you have no fucking clue what you’re doing. You may be older than me, by a few centuries, but I’m telling you right now, Tord, that you don’t know shit about humans…You haven’t ever been human.”

That set Tord off. Out of frustration he slammed his palm against the wall and leaned close to Matt, whispering out his rage as if he were letting out steam. “Well as a fucking demon, I know the worst of what’s out there. I lived in Hell for two of your fucking lifetimes and I have seen every possible horror you can imagine. I could’ve killed him so many times,” He took a breath but continued scathingly. “And so could you. Any fucking person in this complex could’ve. But I’m helping him, I got him involved in our world and now I'm saving his fucking life. So tell me I’m wrong one more fucking time, Harvest.”

“You don’t know any of this, Tord!” Matt whisper-shouted and raised his hands up in exasperation. “You don’t know if he would’ve died from that stuff! These are all could-be’s and would-happen’s. I can get hurt if I’m exposed to a fucking cross for too long, do you know how many people wear crosses in the hospital?? A lot, but I’m still fucking here, Tord,” Matt was choking back tears and Tord felt a pang of guilt. “All he needed was you to protect him.”

Tord narrowed his eyes. “What about me getting kidnapped, huh? How the fuck do I protect him when I’m the one who needs saving?? I’m constantly a fucking target, and now he is too. So what do I do then?” Matt shrugged angrily at the question. “What do I do then, Matt?!?” A shrug again. “What do I-”

“Look!” Matt cut him off, mad and tired of the bombardment. “I don’t have all the answers! But you can’t keep going on like this. Tom needs to know the truth; for fuck’s sake, Tord, he doesn’t even know what’s wrong with him!!”

Tord groaned in frustration. “Nothing is wrong with him!! He turned out just like how we thought he would, he can protect himself and I’ve-”

Matt narrowed his eyes. “You’ve turned him into a fucking monster.”

Before the demon could retaliate, the sound of the dog yelping from inside the apartment started up. Immediately Tord opened the door poked his head in. “Tom? Is Ham alright?”

Tom nodded and rubbed his head, muttering something about the dog needing to be let out. Tord couldn’t stop himself from being concerned so he asked: “You got another headache, babe?” The human nodded some more.

“Just need some air.” He mumbled, stepping out with the dog and moving down the stair well. Matt settled his hand on Tord’s shoulder, who begrudgingly nodded.

“I’m not trying to make you feel bad, Tord,” Matt promised, sounding just as sad as the demon felt right then. “I just want you to understand: this only gets worse the longer you wait.” The demon understood, he just didn’t want to admit it.

But he sighed, letting a single hot tear fall. “I know.”

...

A little more time passes. Tord promises to tell. He keeps putting it off but he promises himself, over and over, that he’ll make sure Tom knows before anything can happen.

It's his phone's ringtone that wakes Tord up. He grunts out of discomfort, the dog lying on his legs, keeping him pinned. Not minding the insistent buzzing, Tord let's his eyes drift closed again, not wanting to be up yet. Just as Tord feels unconsciousness creeping up on him once more, his phone starts going off again. With a sigh of frustration, Tord sits up, carefully picking up Hamilton to set him on the floor, setting him down on his way to the phone.

Tord picks it up on the third ring. “Hello, this is Tord Luvhart. May I help you.” If it's Paul and Pat calling to see if he wants to hang with them, Tord's going to be pissed.

However, that thought is dashed away when he hears the frantic voice on the other end. “Tord? What the fuck, Tord, are you there? Listen to me; turn on the fucking news!”

“What?” Tord is still in a bit of a daze, having not expected Eduardo’s angry voice on the other end. “Eduardo? Friend, what is the commotion about? What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering, Eduardo hangs up. Shrugging, Tord lies back down, figuring it’s nothing. However, just as his eyes slide closed, his apartment door is broken off it’s hinges and thrown to the floor. Tord startles, shifting in a heartbeat with wings unfurled, ready to take flight if need be. Eduardo stands livid in the doorway, looking for the life of him ready to bite Tord’s head off. Tord, again, startles somewhat, hesitating as he tries to keep his shift in check, not knowing whether to attack, run, or unshift. Eduardo doesn’t have time for this, as is made apparent as the dryad storms into the apartment and turns on the tv, not even looking at the screen as he turns and gives Tord his angriest glare possible.

Tord blinks a few times, eyes focused on the television. His blood runs cold.

“And here we are on Durdan Lane as what appears to be a monster straight out of a horror movie reeks havoc on the local community. The authorities have reported that the monster is simply a robot for an upcoming movie, but the locals aren’t convinced,” A reporter on tv, amazingly enough, keeps her composure as a monster in the background is shot at repeatedly, the police struggling to keep the beast at bay. “Due to the potential danger of the situation, we will soon be evacuating the area while the police deactivate the machine. We insist that all passerby and families stay in their homes until the problem is resolved.”

Eduardo shuts off the television set, glowering at Tord with eyes so fierce they could kill a god. “Your boyfriend’s outta control,” He growls, pointing to the window. “We gotta get down there!”

Without waiting for anymore instructions, Tord nods and allows Eduardo to climb onto his back before busting out the window, his wings carrying him to the street below.

…

Tord lands with ease on the sidewalk, his lithe demon body curling slightly as he settles on the ground. Eduardo climbs off at once, struggling to hide his initial nausea from the fall. The demon bites back a snicker, mentally noting that he probably shouldn't take Eduardo flying again anytime soon. The enjoyment dissipates quickly, however, when a roar erupts from nearby. Tord turns, getting a good look at the scene in front of him. Tom’s fully shifted, the large, dragon-like beast gnawing on a nearby car, sinking it’s teeth and claws into the metal. Good; it looks like Tom’s pretty calm at the moment. Save for a few smashed cars and a caved-in road, there doesn’t seem to be any civilian casual-

A crippling sense of dread fills Tord’s insides once he catches sight of a corpse poking out from under a car, the body curled in on itself in self defense. Eduardo, apparently recovered from his nausea, seems to notice it too, looking disturbed. “Aw, fuck, looks like he got somebody,” He mutters, before he pauses, looking more scared than Tord’s ever seen him. “Hold up… is that… Oh God!” He bolts for the body, ignoring Tom entirely.

Tom looks up, blinking as he stares down at Eduardo, curious of the newcomer. Thankfully, the corpse isn’t too close to Tom, so Eduardo doesn’t set Tom into a frenzy when he runs for the body. Gently, Eduardo crouches by the corpse, before ever so carefully rolling it over. Tord pales. It’s Jon. Eduardo hugs the lifeless body to his chest, crying into Jon’s chest with muffled sobs. The scene tugs on Tord’s heartstrings, but not enough to make him try and comfort Eduardo- not when Tom’s still very much a threat. Slowly, Tord stalks towards Tom, gaining the beast’s full attention as he saunters over, wings taut against his back in anticipation, ready to take flight.

There’s a moment of silence, as the two monsters lock eyes. The police and civilians have long since fled, too afraid and outmatched to do much more than hide and pray the monsters go away on their own. Tom lets go of the car, never looking away from Tord as he uses his tail to knock the car away, the car crashing haphazardly into the side of a building. The noise triggers Tord to attack, unable to hold back any longer. While Tom easily outranks Tord in size, weight, and mass, Tord is far more nimble and quick, making it difficult for the one-eyed monster to keep track of him. Tord uses this to his advantage, catching Tom off-guard as he takes off into the air.

Tom tries desperately to get at Tord, roaring and pawing fruitlessly in his direction, yet Tord manages to keep a good distance from the beast’s claws. Suddenly, however, Tom goes onto all fours, clacking his teeth as he tries to do… something. For a split second, Tord thinks he sees smoke coming from Tom’s mouth, but he chalks it up to the smoke coming from himself instead. While Tom’s busy, Tord swoops down and grabs an abandoned motorcycle, flying it up in the air before tossing it at Tom’s head. Tom tries to dodge, but the motorcycle clips one of his horns, causing the monster to grunt at the impact.

The demon tries this a few times, but Tom’s caught onto his little trick, and every time Tord tries to swoop, Tom goes for a swipe. Soon, it’s apparent that Tord can’t get low anymore, as Tom’s gotten enough speed and momentum to almost keep up with him. Tord clacks his jaws together, unsure of what to do. Although he inadvertently created Tom and should know all his powers, he’s still somewhat of an unknown entity. For all Tord knows, Tom could sprout wings and take off after him. It’s terrifying, but Tord has no choice; he has to take him out now or he’s screwed. He can’t afford for this to drag out too long, lest the military get involved.

Making his decision, Tord flies as fast as he can back into his apartment, ignoring the broken glass that cuts into his flesh when he forces himself through the window. He shifts back into his human form, scrambling to the fridge in an attempt to find his emergency tranquilizer gun and it’s ammo. He has no idea how well it’ll work on Tom, but it’s not like he has any better ideas going for him. Meanwhile, he can hear Tom trying desperately to knock the apartment complex over, but unfortunately for him, the building has been enchanted with enough magic to survive a nuke, much less a monster throwing a temper tantrum.

It doesn’t take Tord long to find the darts and his tranq gun, although he feels immense guilt as he loads it. “I’m so sorry, Thomas…” He says under his breath, before positioning himself towards the open window.

Tom’s right outside, trying and failing to stick his clawed hand inside the window. With no other option, Tord fires three clean shots into Tom’s paw. The beast howls, losing it’s grip on the building before collapsing onto the ground outside. Tord rushes to the window ledge, poking his head out to see the aftermath. Tom’s still shifted, but he’s beginning to mellow out, the beast visibly starting to shrink in size. Tord sighs with relief, forming wings on his back before fluttering down to the ground. By the time he lands, Tom’s back in human form, although his clothes are almost all completely shredded, leaving him in nothing but a tattered t-shirt and boxers.

Ever so gently, Tord positions himself to kneel on the ground, Tom’s head in his lap. It takes a few seconds, but Tom soon becomes at least partially conscious. “Wha…” He struggles to speak, voice groggy and tired. “What happened?”

Good. He doesn’t remember a thing. “Easy there, Tom,” Tord keeps his voice low, barely above a whisper. “Just sleep… you’ve had a long day.”

With no energy left in him to argue, Tom falls asleep in Tord’s arms. Tord scoops him up at once, wincing when he sees the damage all around him. The landlord’s gonna be pissed, but fuck it, it’s not like Tom’s the first monster to lose his cool around here. Given a few days and a bit of magical influence, this will all blow over like nothing ever happened. If only the same could be said for Tord and everyone else. Just on time, Eduardo joins Tord in front of the apartment building, holding his own friend in his arms. They share a look, before walking back into the complex together.

…

By the time they make it back upstairs, word has spread of the so-called earthquake outside and of what really happened, resulting in Tord coming home to Paul and Patryk in his living room, looking rather distressed. “Oh, thank God you’re alright,” Paul’s the first to speak, looking like he wants to run and hug Tord, but he holds back. “What happened out there? We heard the earthquakes, and some rumors, but…”

“What? You thought it was nothin’, dumbass? Tord’s boytoy fucking destroyed this whole street!” Eduardo snaps, setting Jon’s body in a chair so he can yell at Paul in peace. “If it weren’t for Tord’s crazy experimenting-”

“-Don’t go putting this all on me,” Tord orders, lying Tom on the couch, though his glare is focused on Eduardo. “You helped me with the serum! You helped me with the radiation research! You’re as much to blame here as me!”

“Oh, don’t give me that crap. I was just in it for the research! It wasn't my plan to turn your boyfriend into a goddamned abomination.” He stops, clenching his fists in pent up rage. “Because of you and that freak, Jon’s dead! You hear me? D-E-A-D: Dead!”

Tord can just feel the smoke pouring out of his ears at the word ‘abomination’. “Do not call him that, you piece of shit,” He hisses lowly, struggling to hold back all of his anger. Right now he just wants to lay down with Tom and rest for a few years, he’s had enough stress to last him a century.

“I’ll call him whatever I want! He killed Jon!” Eduardo shouts, stepping closer to Tord. He puffs his wide chest out and shoves it against Tord’s lithe figure and the demon falters, not willing to deal with any of this right now.

“Eduardo-” But the dryad’s past listening at this point, and he angrily swings at Tord. Before any contact is made though, both Patryk and Paul have him pinned down, snarling in his shocked face.

“Stop!” Tord puts every ounce of his ‘I’m the Boss’ voice into the command, causing Paul and Pat to go stark still, the werewolves hesitating. “That’s enough, boys. Off of him,” As much as he wants to tear into Eduardo, he understands what he’s going through. This isn’t easy for anyone. Slowly, the wolves back down, leaving Eduardo to glower as he picks himself up, dusting himself off. “We need some space for awhile… you should take Jon and go.” The demon looks away, ashamed.

Eduardo bites back a curse, before collecting Jon and making for the door. “This isn’t over, Luvhart,” He threatens, voice hushed. “You and I will settle this.” With that, he storms out of the apartment, slamming the door on his way out.

…

Tom stays unconscious for almost twelve hours, not that Tord’s surprised. First time monster transformations are extremely wearing on the user, and although it’s been several millennia since Tord first shifted forms, he still bears the scars. He wonders, while Tom’s recovering, how long this adjustment period will last. Will Tom learn to control it over time? As frustrating as it is, Tord somehow doubts Tom will be able to without some sort of at least minor medical intervention. Maybe Tord should make a hamper to Tom’s abilities? Perhaps, but that could cause another outburst as soon as the hamper is removed, and Tord can’t risk another incident like this. He sighs, head in his hands as he remembers Jon… God, what’s he going to tell Tom?

Tord jolts when the poor Brit finally comes to, though he can tell Tom won’t be able to stay conscious for long.

“Tord?” Tom’s at least alert enough to talk, so Tord figures that’s a good sign. “Oh God, my head… what the Hell happened?” He sits up, then winces. Tord makes a mental note to get Tom a heating pad for his back soon.

“There was a… car accident. You got hit while crossing the street,” Tord lies. He knows full well that stacking lie on top of lie will only end in pain, but until Tom can handle his transformations, Tord can’t risk putting Tom through that level of guilt. “I was so scared when I heard… I thought for sure that I’d lose you.”

Tom chuckles, giving Tord a half hearted punch to the arm. “If I can survive an explosion and fighting a demon, I’m pretty sure I can survive a freaking car accident,” He pauses, trying to pull his thoughts together. “Was I, uh, with someone? Was it you?”

Goddammit, Tord’s been hoping to avoid this, no matter how fruitless it is. “N-No, Tom. It wasn’t me,” He struggles with the words, before swallowing and steeling himself. “It was… Jon. I’m so sorry, Thomas. The paramedics did all they could, but it was too late.”

Tom swallows, his lip quivering as he tries to keep it together. Not bothering to try talking it out, Tord lies down with Tom on the bed, cuddling the Brit close to try and comfort him. As soon as Tord’s arms are around him, Tom sobs, rolling over to cry into Tord’s chest. The incubi pets Tom’s back in response, beating away his own guilt for lying to Tom. It’ll be better this way, he thinks. At least, until Tom’s ready for the truth. But until then, he’ll settle for comforting his boyfriend until the pain goes away.

…

It’s really late when Tord gets home, the demon feeling drained from a long day’s work. As expected, the landlord has been mildly pissed off at him for the last couple of weeks, causing Tord to have to earn back their trust by doing odd jobs around the complex, whether it be fixing leaky pipes or repairing damages, he’s been taking care of everything. He groans at the memory of today’s job, it having been to clean up after a pixie party on the fourth floor. If Tord ever sees another pixie, he’s gonna grind it down into a spice and season it on some family’s Thanksgiving dinner.

Figuring that Tom’s likely fast asleep by now, Tord’s quiet once he gets to his floor, footsteps unheard as he approaches his apartment’s door. He fishes for his keys, struggling to find the right one, when he hears a muffled conversation from the other side of the door. The demon pauses, feeling uncomfortable. Who’s in his apartment? Forgoing his keys, Tord uses his powers to release the lock and open the door, using a low level spell to keep the door from squeaking. Inside, Tom’s on the couch, staring at the tv in the dark, his eyes unable to look away from the screen.

Tord automatically relaxes, making a move to walk inside and turn on the light, but he stops, recognizing the news story on tv with dread. “-we will soon be evacuating the area while the police deactivate the machine. We insist that all passerby and families stay in their homes until the problem is resolved.”

Slowly, as if sensing Tord’s presence, Tom stares up at him, tears rolling down his face. “It… it wasn’t a car accident,” He mumbles his words, looking shocked and afraid. “That monster… that’s me, isn’t it?”

Tord swallows. He knew that Tom would find out someday, but… he didn’t want it to be like this. “Yes,” He says, swallowing the bile in his throat as he begins to lie through his teeth. “That’s you, but… you couldn’t have known, Thomas. You’ve likely had this power your whole life, never having known it. It’s not uncommon for paranormals to develop their powers later on in life, although you are a particularly late bloomer.” He moves in to hug Tom, to try and make it all better, but Tom’s up in an instant, expression petrified.

“G-Get back!” Tom orders, visibly struggling not to shift as a tidal wave of emotions overtake him, throwing the man into a panic attack. “I’m too dangerous!”

“Oh, Thomas…” Tord tries to keep the worry and panic out of his voice, but it’s hard when Jon’s death is still fresh in his mind. “It’s true that you are rather formidable, but I can help you. I’ve been trying to help you. All those medications? They’re to help you get a grip on your powers. I’ve known since the day we met what you were, and now I’m going to help you through this. It’s going to get better, Tom.”

The words seem to get Tom to calm down a bit, his shift ending before he can change into a monster. Without much encouragement, Tom’s in Tord’s arms, trying hard not to cry as he tries to deal with this new revelation. Tord, in the meantime, feels like the real monster. He’s lying over and over again to Tom to save his own ass, but he honestly believes that lying is better than the harsh truth. It’s better this way… Tord keeps repeating that to himself internally as he hugs Tom close, willing away his guilt as much as he can.

…

Tom keeps to himself for the next few days, preferring the dog’s company over Tord’s. Tord accepts this as well as he can- he starts stressing over it like hell. He can’t help it; he’s scared that Tom could shift again at any moment and there’s jack he can do about it. He’s thought of tying some meds to Hamilton’s collar, but the dog has been glued to Tom’s side since the rampage, so Tord can’t exactly get ahold of him. He’s also considered just breaking into Tom’s room and forcing him to take medication, but there’s too high of a risk that Tom will shift. So Tord’s been forced to bide his time, taking a break from working around the complex to help his boyfriend through all this.

It’s only after a few days of occasionally eavesdropping that Tord starts to hear Tom talking to himself. At first, he chalks it up to Tom talking to Hammy out of boredom or desperation, but that’s soon dashed away when it becomes apparent that someone’s talking back to him, although Tord can’t tell who it is. For all he knows, it could be another resident, but there are only a handful of paranormals in the complex that can teleport/materialize through walls/floors, and none of them have taken an interest in Tom or Tord before, so why should they now? Tord just can’t wrap his head around it.

Deciding that there’s no other way to find out, Tord makes Tom dinner and waits outside the man’s door, listening in.

“Oh, wow!” A somewhat familiar voice exclaims, sounding excited. “You’re really good on guitar! I wish you would play more!”

“I can play another song, if that’s what you want. I don’t know much more though; I’m so out of practice.” Tom almost sounds relaxed when he talks to the unknown entity, but Tord can still hear the hesitance in his tone.

“Aw, that’s okay!” The stranger promises, not even noticing Tom’s discomfort. “You’re so good either way, Tommy! You need to give yourself some more credit!”

“Thanks,” Tom still sounds upset, but he quickly dusts it away. “I don’t know why you’re being so nice to me, man… after all I’ve done to you. I ruined your life.”

Ruined his life? Was this the spirit of a bank heist victim? Tord can’t see how, as most casualties had been done without any other options, and Tord figures no dead cops will be happy with Tom or the other crew members anytime soon. His thoughts are interrupted, however, when the unknown entity responds to Tom. “Oh, you never ruined my life, Tommy. If anything, you made it so much better! Now I get to be a monster too, and it’s all thanks to you! I can’t wait to finally tell Eduardo!”

Eduardo!? Oh god, it can’t be… “You don’t have to lie to me, Jon,” Tom says, voice somber and guilty. “I know what I did, and now I’m paying for it. But I’ll make this up to you somehow; I’ll learn to control my powers and I’ll never hurt you or anyone else again.”

Tord sits down outside Tom’s room, head in his hands as he absorbs the information. Jon’s a ghost? How? Well, his death WAS rather traumatic, but plenty of humans have died of car accidents and not stayed chained in the spirit realm. Did Jon have unfinished business? Sure, he hadn’t been able to live a full life, but plenty of souls die young and move on. And how was he haunting the apartment complex without any inside help? It was extremely difficult for spirits- especially newly deads- to haunt an already magically influenced area, so for Jon to do so was quite impressive. That, or Tom has inadvertently bound Jon’s spirit here through his own guilt.

Actually, that does make a lot of sense, now that Tord thinks about it. Tom may’ve killed Jon, but the two share a bond regardless, and it’s not hard for loved ones or friends to bind their dead friends/significant others to themselves, creating a tether around themselves to keep the dead from leaving. Also, it seems that Jon’s a very willing prisoner, causing him to not become a violent spirit or poltergeist. With this in mind, Tord slowly gets out of earshot of Tom’s bedroom. This is big news! If Eduardo finds out, maybe he’ll finally let Tord off the hook for this mess, and then Tord won’t have to worry about Eduardo spilling the beans to Tom. Sure, he still has a few other residents to worry about, but since when has keeping secrets been hard around here?

Not wasting any time, Tord takes off out of the apartment and downstairs, banging on Eduardo’s apartment door in excitement. After a while, Mark answers the door, looking somber and depressed. “Oh… it’s you,” The zombie mumbles, looking neither mad nor happy to see Tord, just… sad. “What do you want?”

“I need to talk to Eduardo! It’s a miracle!” Tord promises, positively beaming. “Jon’s back!”

That gets Mark’s eyes to widen, the zombie looking horrified, then even happier than Tord. “Jon’s alive!? Where is he!?”

From inside the apartment, Tord hears a tired grunt. “What’s with all the racket? Mark, I told ya, don’t mention him or I swear I’ll-” He stops mid-sentence, spotting Tord in the hallway. “Why you son of a- What’re you doing here? Here to pour salt in the wounds, hotshot?”

Tord pushes past Mark, unafraid of Eduardo’s obvious aggression. “Eduardo! I have excellent news!” He assures, almost hugging Eduardo, but he holds back. He can’t risk getting a punch to the face, after all. He can save the merrymaking for when he tells Eduardo the good news. “Jon is back from the dead! Well… not really. He’s still very much dead. But he hasn’t moved onto the afterlife! He’s not bowling with the angels! Your little friend has abandoned his body to become a spirit, and he’s haunting the building!”

Eduardo just stands there, stunned, before his face twists in rage. “He’s WHAT!?”

“Eh…” Tord’s confused. Why isn’t Eduardo jumping for joy? Shouldn’t he be happy? Maybe he just doesn’t get it- he’s probably been soaking in too many rads lately. “He hasn’t kicked the bucket entirely? Come now, friend, you should be happy that he’s still here! Now there’s no need for a silly little funeral- unless he had loved ones, in which case he most certainly should have one, as to not raise suspicions. But forget all that; your friend is back and very, very happy about it!”

Eduardo only looks more enraged, before he calms down enough to actually speak to Tord. “Silly little funeral? You asshole- we already had it! He’s already been buried! I had to hold his weeping ma the whole time, and you’re tellin’ me to let that all go? To go back to normal?” He advances on Tord, livid in every sense of the word. “How long have you had him? Were you hiding him from me? I swear, I’m gonna-”

“Eduardo, please calm down,” Mark insists, coming to stand between Tord and the dryad. “Judging by Tord’s words, he only just found out! Not all spirits come back right away! And I know things have been hard, especially for you, but with Jon back, you can finally let all this unnecessary anger go.”

“You have no right to say how hard it’s been! You weren’t there! You weren’t home when he left, or home when he died! You don’t GET to tell me how I should feel!” Breathing through clenched teeth, Eduardo calms down from his angry high just a bit, before training his eyes on Tord, neon green tears in the dryad’s eyes. “You know this ain’t fixed, right? Look, Jon’s back, and that’s… I dunno yet. But what I DO know is that Tom’s still a fucking threat, and he’s gonna get somebody else if you don’t do something about it! And if you don’t, I will.”

Tord growls, glaring at Eduardo predatorily. “I won’t let you hurt him…” He threatens, tone deathly calm considering how protective he is of Tom. “Besides, none of this is his fault. You were right; I’m the one to blame here. I’m the one who decided to turn him into a monster. I’m the one who injected him with all those serums. If you want someone to blame, blame me.”

“You… you what?”

Everyone freezes, turning to the open doorway. There stands Tom, with Jon hovering by his side, baby blue and see-through. Jon’s got his hands over his mouth, while Tom just stands there, horrified beyond belief.

Tord pauses, trying to come up with a good excuse for this. “Now, Thomas, that wasn’t what it sounded like…” He lies, but he knows it falls flat. He doesn't even sound convincing to himself.

Tom’s face scrunches up in anger. “You dirty fucking liar.” Tom mutters, before taking off to the complex’s stairwell.

Without a second thought, Tord follows after him.

…

They don’t talk for days.

Or, more accurately, Tom doesn’t talk for days and Tord tries and fails to resolve the problem.

It’s not like there’s much he can say, though. After all, he made himself into a Frankenstein and Tom was the end result; a fucked up monster who never asked for any of this. But instead of fearing and hating his creation, Tord still loves Tom to death, and would give anything to undo this. Really, he’d give anything to undo ALL of this. He almost wishes he’d never met Tom- then Tom would’ve gone on to have a normal boyfriend and normal neighbors and a normal fucking life. But now all of that’s gone. Tom can never escape this Hell, and it’s all Tord’s fault.

Tord spends most of his time at home moping, ignoring phone calls and refusing to leave the apartment. He can’t risk leaving Tom on his own, not when he’s still unable to take proper care of himself. He can’t even focus on research, not when he’s so guilt-ridden and worried for Tom. It feels like it’s been so long since he’s held Tom in his arms, and the lack of regular physical contact is making him unbelievably antsy, the demon beginning to build up tension and anger in his body, almost always staying half-shifted as a result. He knows full-well that this can only end horribly, but whatever- he’s had just about enough bullcrap, and enough is enough. He can’t take anymore of this. He’s settling this, whether Tom’s ready or not.

He stands up from the couch, ready to storm into Tom’s room, but before Tord can go for the hallway, he hears Tom’s door open ever so slightly. Holding back, Tord hides behind the couch, keeping hidden in an attempt to attract Tom out of his room. There’s a pause, in which Tord can hear every slight sound as Tom considers his options. He apparently comes to a conclusion, as the man soon tiptoes out of his bedroom, Hamilton right on his heels. The brunet’s careful to keep quiet as he approaches the kitchen, and Tord follows his example, covering his mouth with his hands until Tom’s got himself inadvertently cornered in the kitchen.

Tord rises slowly, not wanting to give Tom the chance to run for it. “We need to talk, Thomas,” The demon explains, ignoring the way Tom jolts in surprise, the man shivering out of fear of what exactly Tord will do. It absolutely breaks Tord’s heart. “I’m not mad… you have to understand, I never wanted to hurt you. I just… wanted to make you stronger. To keep you safe. But I understand that what I did was wrong, and while it didn’t go quite as planned-”

“Not quite as planned?” Tom repeats Tord’s words, before turning to meet his eyes, his own void-like and harsh, though he still appears somewhat cautious. “You ruined my life,” He corrects, vicious and unforgiving. “You think you can just… manipulate me? Drug me and pretend it’s for my own good? I was plenty strong before, in-case you forgot. I’ve gunned down police by your side, for Christ’s sake! I thought you respected me, but now I see that I’m just a toy to you; a toy you can play with and alter on a whim. One minute we’re like newlyweds, the next, I’m a science experiment.”

“Now hold on,” Tord can’t hide his anger anymore, the aggression in his voice showing, yet it doesn’t cause Tom to back down, to his surprise. “You have no right to say that. I did my best! I was protecting you. I am protecting you! If I left, Eduardo or someone else would kill you!”

“Is that a threat?” Tom snaps, unimpressed by Tord’s anger. “You think you can scare me into being a good little boy? Well guess what, asshole, I ain’t afraid anymore! I’m not gonna let some goat demon tell me what I can and can’t do. You’re so full of crap, Tord!!”

Just as Tord opens his mouth to shout back at Tom, Hamilton let’s out a scared little whimper. At once, both men pause, glancing down at their puppy. “I should go,” Tom bites out, scooping up an abnormally quiet Hamilton into his arms. “I’m gonna crash at Matt’s… don’t you dare follow me.” With that, he storms out, leaving Tord to wonder how in the world he could’ve messed up this fucking bad.

…

Despite trying his hardest not to, Tord falls into a depression. He’s had depression before, but it’s been years since it’s been this bad. Not since before he met Paul and Patryk. Not caring to stay home any longer, Tord goes back to working on people’s apartments, fixing everything he can as a way of distracting his mind from thinking of Tom. ‘He hates you he hates you he hates you he never wants to see you again you really fucked up this time, Tord’- All Tord can do to ignore the endless chanting is work, using his brain for anything but feelings. It’s not until a few days have passed that someone intervenes.

“Oh, leader…” Patryk mutters, his voice sounding far away to Tord’s ears. “What’s happened to you?”

“Whuzat?” Tord’s groggy as he comes to, realizing too late that he’d passed out from exhaustion while fixing someone’s toilet, his knees soaked in water from having slipped into the toilet’s seat. “Pat? What’re you doin’ here?” He asks, mindlessly using his hands to continue working on the toilet.

“Sir, we’re here for an intervention,” Paul deadpans, looking very concerned for his leader. “We’ve been trying to contact you for days, but you’ve failed to respond. As your packmates, it’s our duty to protect and help you.”

“But… I’m a monster… literally,” Tord explains, his voice depressed and hopeless. “There’s no hope for me, boys. You should go help Tom… and that’s an order.”

Paul and Patryk share a look, before, in one swift movement, Patryk scoops up Tord rather effortlessly, visibly cringing in sympathy when the demon leans heavily into the other, starved of physical contact. “I’m sorry, sir, but we’re…” Paul hesitates, before shaking it away. “Fuck it. We’re disobeying orders whether you like it or not. And that’s final.” He looks very uncomfortable saying all that, but regardless, Tord’s rather impressed by the display.

“He’s right,” Patryk confirms, able to disobey pack dynamics much easier than Paul, who’s been raised on those beliefs since birth. “Look at yourself, sir. You’re an absolute mess, and Tom already has Matt to help him. Someone needs to help you right now.” With that said, the werewolf carries him out of the bathroom.

They get a few stares going by, but no one questions the werewolves as they take Tord out of the complex and buckle him into the backseat of their minivan. The wolves make careful banter between each other, leaving Tord to mope and scowl in the backseat, feeling like a toddler being driven around by their overbearing parents. However, Tord doesn’t have long to brood, as they soon arrive at their mystery location. Tord blinks in confusion once they park, giving the outside world a curious look through the window. They’re at a public park, but it’s nightfall, meaning there’s no one around, save for a handful of couples and teenagers.

Paul and Patryk immediately pile out of the car, Patryk getting out and stretching while Paul gently pulls Tord out, ignoring the demon’s small hisses and glares. As angry as Tord is with being kidnapped, he’d never dream of laying a hand on Paul or Patryk. Once he’s out of the car, Tord takes a closer look around, seeing that there’s a number of playscapes, jungle gyms, swing sets, and picnic tables in the shadow-covered park. If Tord were a feral demon, he might have at one time considered this place as optimal hunting ground for fresh meat. Yes, with so many careless teenagers and couples around, this would be the perfect time and place for a kill.

Those thoughts are interrupted, however, when Paul grabs his forearm and leads him to a picnic table, sitting him down in front of Patryk before taking a seat beside him. “I hope you like BLTs, boss,” Patryk says, giving Tord a big, encouraging grin. “I tried to make the bacon just how you like it. We even brought a doggy bag with extra in-case you wanted a snack for our walk later!”

Tord just stares at Patryk in confusion, before a BLT sandwich is pushed in front of him, looking to have extra bacon. Just how he likes it. The demon hesitates, not knowing whether he’s hungry or not. However, he soon swallows his anxiety and takes a bite, much to Paul and Pat’s obvious relief. He gets about half the sandwich down before he taps out, but that doesn’t seem to upset the werewolves. They just seem happy that he ate anything at all. The wolves eat quickly, barely fitting in any smalltalk before they’re done, already whisking Tord away before he can run off on them. Tord would be impressed by their resourcefulness to keep him around if he weren’t still struggling to not dissociate.

The only thing that stops Tord from completely leaving the station is Paul's sudden Dutch accent in his ear. “The air is so nice tonight, boss,” Paul murmurs, barely biting back a howl when he sees the moon overhead, not yet full but rather close. Tord gives it a skeptical look; it should be full within a week or so. “I’m glad we have you here… it’s been forever since we’ve been able to spend time with you.”

Tord hesitates on responding, but he can’t resist Paul’s bright-eyed smile. “Yes it… has been a rather long time. I forgot how much I missed this.”

Tord’s words cause Paul to light up, and if Tord wasn’t already head over heels for Tom, he might’ve found Paul’s smile attractive, but such a thought is dashed away when he sees Patryk grinning at Paul with lovestruck eyes. God… they’re so in love. It honestly makes Tord a bit jealous, seeing them like this, but he still smiles, keeping up a steady pace behind the couple while they walk through the forest, the wolves holding hands as they go. The entire time, Paul and Patryk stay in half-shift, pointing out everything to each other while discussing the things they see in excited voices.

Out of nowhere, Tord’s reminded of ‘the good old days’. Of the days before he met Tom, of when it was just Tord, Paul, and Patryk as a gang. He remembers how he’d gag when they kissed or flirted, and how he’d roll his eyes when they held hands in public. It had been so grating to Tord… How had he ever believed that he’d never feel like that for a person someday? It makes Tord feel all the guiltier for ruining his relationship with Tom, and yet… He stares at the couple in front of him, gut twisting as he sees a vision of himself and Tom in their positions, all heartfelt and romantic and together. It fills Tord with… determination.

“Boys, um, can we talk for a moment?” Immediately, both Paul and Pat come to a halt, turning to give Tord their full attention. “I think I have an idea on how to fix this mess, but I can’t do it alone. I need your help. I know I have no right to ask for your assistance- not after all I’ve done- but even if it won’t fix my relationship with Tom, it might just save him from… himself. I can’t let him live like this.”

Without even sharing a look or hesitating, both wolves run to Tord and hug him, filling the demon with warmth as he revels in the physical affection. “We’re with you, Red Leader. Until the very end.” Patryk promises, nuzzling into his packmate’s chest.

Paul nods eagerly in agreement. “We’ll help in any way we can. Just say the word!”

“Oh, boys… what did I do to get such loyal friends such as yourselves?” Tord murmurs, holding back thankful tears, as corny as it is. Back as a whelpling in Hell, there’d been no such things as ‘friends’ or ‘trust’. There had only been your name and rank. Nothing else. It feels amazing to have so much more than that now. “I promise you both, I will fix this mess, and we’ll all be a family again.” He assures, petting both wolves in earnest.

He’ll find a way to fix this. He’ll get Tom back. Even if it takes a thousand years, he’ll find a way. After all, he’s got his boys by his side. Nothing can stop him now.

…

Within a couple of days, Tord absolutely trashes Paul and Pat’s apartment, the living room floor becoming his own Fortress of Solitude, at least to a certain degree. Patryk and Paul occasionally join him, whether it’s to recharge him with physical contact, to supply more books, or to help him with research. Despite their best efforts, however, Tord’s mood swings up and down, unable to find a place to stay while he drowns in his books and papers. He has a basic idea of what he needs to do; create some sort of cure or handicap to help Tom get ahold of his newfound powers. It’s easier said than done.

As much as Tord prides himself in his tinkering and inventing skills, he’s no God- Tom’s serum to make him what he is today took months and months of hard work, but Tord’s working against the clock here. At any given moment, Tom will shift again, and they might not be able to stop him this time. Besides, if that weren’t stressful enough, Tord feels like he’s struggling on all fronts. As closely related as they are, science and magic are hard to use together, and that alone is enough to drag Tord’s research back by months.

“This is impossible,” Tord growls under his breath, chucking his book across the room so that it hits the opposite wall, leaving a dent in the drywood. “No man can solve this!”

“Not to state the obvious, sir, but you aren’t exactly ‘man’. I’m sure you’ll get it sooner or later,” Patryk says, crouching down by Tord to give him an encouraging pat on the back. “All you need is a little time and patience.”

“Which I have neither of,” Tord snaps, before his gaze softens, the demon giving Patryk an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, friend… I don’t mean to take this out on you. I’m just under much pressure. Tom is a loose cannon, and we have no idea when the fuse will be lit.”

“That’s dramatic,” Paul comments from the kitchen, washing the dishes in an attempt to at least keep his kitchen clean. “Why not rest for a minute, leader? You could use the sleep.”

“I don’t need sleep, Paul. I need a solution,” Tord corrects, before picking up another book, this one labeled ‘An Alchemist’s Guide to Unforgivable Crimes Against Nature: Now in Russian’. He hasn’t dug into this book since he first started working on Tom’s initial serum, but perhaps he kept his notes…

Luck seems to favor Tord, as all of his old notes are still there, save for the few sketches he had made of what he THOUGHT Tom would look like. Boy, had he been wrong. Pushing those thoughts aside, Tord rapidly rereads the papers, at times struggling to make out his own sleep-deprived, senseless scribbles. It’s a miracle he even got this to work. There’s not much there, save for a list of ingredients that Tord doesn’t remember making. Did he write this? It’s most certainly his handwriting, but he has no memory of the list. There isn’t even a title. However, Tord soon spots something on the list that makes him pause, eyes going wide in astonishment.

‘In-case of over-exposure, treat the poisoning with direct injection of zeolites to negate the radiation.’

“Eureka!” Tord jumps up in a flash, spooking Paul in the kitchen and accidentally throwing Patryk off of him in the process. “I have it! I can fix this!”

“Wait!” Paul practically stampedes out of the kitchen, looking confused and more than a bit shellshocked. “What’s going on? Do you have the cure already? Sir?” But it’s too late; Tord’s gone before Patryk even hits the ground.

…

He’s not sure what to do with himself, or rather, he’s not sure what to do with his concoction. The demon is in the final stages of creating it when he realizes he still needs to get Tom’s approval.

He can't go back and give it to Tom secretly. No, this time Tom needs to agree to it: give his full consent. He sighs, rubbing his aching head. Like Tom will agree to this after what I've done. He knows that it can work, and given enough time, he’s sure that within a few years, Tom will be happy that Tord did this. Yes, if all goes according to plan, then Tord’s life can finally get back to normal again. Just the thought lights his insides up, but everytime he makes his way to Matt’s apartment, he loses his courage and goes back to his own place.

What if Tom won’t take it? It won’t be that surprising to Tord if that happens, but regardless, he hopes that Tom might listen to reason. ‘Like you should have?’ A voice mocks from an unknown location in Tord’s mind, causing the demon to growl inwardly- ‘It’s your fault you’re in this mess to begin with’. Tord punches his head in anger, successfully pushing back his nagging conscious, although the pain leaves him with an almost unbearable migraine afterwards. This is getting him nowhere. The incubi sighs, giving his feet a thoughtful look. He has to get Tom to drink it- he just has to. It’s the only way to start fixing this mess.

It’s not until Tord’s out the door that he’s again having second thoughts. What if Tom doesn’t answer? Is he even home? All of these worries overflow Tord’s brain while he struggles to beat down his own anxiety, though it’s about as successful as trying to put a forest fire out with half a cup of water. Tord’s halfway through an internal rant when the door to Matt’s apartment swings open, Tom looking like an absolute wreck on the other side. He’s half-shifted, and his face is pale and sickly.

“Hey, Tord,” Tom interrupts the self-deprecating monologue without even his realizing it, voice sounding groggy and tired. He hasn’t been sleeping well lately, if at all. “What’s up?”

Well, he isn’t yelling yet. That’s a good sign. “Can I, um… can I come in?” Tord asks, not feeling very comfortable with talking about this in the hallway.

Tom hesitates, before nodding and stepping aside for the Norwegian. Tord hurries inside, giving the living room a quick onceover. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary, save for Matt’s usual bad taste in furniture, but Tord can’t see any obvious signs of damage. However, Tord feels an uneasiness wash over him. He looks around expectantly, not really sure where he’s looking for. Didn’t Tom take something with him? Something important? Tord paces through the kitchen and hallway, Tom right on his heels, sipping from a canteen of what smells like alcohol. Alcohol? Since when did Tom drink during the daytime?

Just as Tord thinks to ask Tom about it, his eyes land on an empty dog dish on the floor, and it all adds up. “Where’s Hamilton?” He asks, crouching by the couch to look around for the corgi. “Hammy? Pupper? Thomas, have you seen-” The demon cuts off his speech when he sees Tom’s face, his expression blank and depressed.

Tom shrugs, not looking very interested. “Dunno…” He admits, looking around a bit, though he doesn’t seem to think finding Hamilton is very important right now. “Took him for a walk, then I got a headache… the rest is kinda blurry,” He scowls at the floor, appearing angry with himself. “I think he… wanted off the leash. Seemed scared. Didn’t wanna hurt him so I just sorta… let him off the leash.”

Tord stares in horror at Tom, before his gaze softens. “Oh God, Thomas… I’m so sorry,” He whispers, pulling the short Brit into a tight hug, ignoring the contact-high in favor of focusing his attention entirely on comforting his estranged boyfriend. “I should’ve been here, with you, but instead I let my own feelings scare me away. I’m so, so sorry.”

Tom seems partially confused, further confirming Tord’s theory that the poor boy’s drunk as all Hell and beyond. Regardless, he leans into Tord, humming in contentment. “I’ve missed this,” He admits, running one of his hands over Tord’s hoodie, enlarged nails catching occasionally on the fabric. “I’m sorry that I’m a mess.”

“You’re not a mess, Tom. I am. I’m the one who’s done this to you,” Tord says, petting Tom’s hair. “I’ve made your life worse than Hell.”

Tom pauses, pulling back to give Tord a weird look. “... Guess that makes you kind of a jerk, huh?” He states rather unabashedly, the alcohol in his system cutting off his brain-to-mouth filter in favor of just saying whatever’s on his mind.

Tord laughs, tears building up in his eyes until they’re overflowing, dripping onto Tom’s shoulder once he hugs him close again. “Yeah… I guess I kinda am, huh? I’m just a big, horrible jerk.”

Tom softens visibly, before hugging Tord even tighter, secretly pressing a kiss to his chest. “Well, even if you’re a jerk, I still love you.”

That just makes Tord cry a bit harder, momentarily forgetting about the serum. He’ll talk with Tom about it later- for now, he’s perfectly happy with just holding Tom until all this bullcrap fades away.

…

“Hey, you up?”

Tord grunts, giving his waker a grimace. After his earlier breakdown, he crashed on Matt’s couch while Tom took the spare bedroom. After all, he doesn’t want to force himself onto Tom, not while their relationship is still so obviously damaged. Slowly, the incubi sits up, biting his lower lip in pain, a headache making itself known. He must’ve dehydrated himself with all that crying, as embarrassing as that is for him to admit. As if realizing this, his waker walks off momentarily, before returning to his side with a glass of water. Tord takes it gladly, chugging it down in an eager rush.

“You alright?” It takes a second, but Tord quickly recognizes his waker as Tom. What’s he doing here? Shouldn’t he be sleeping?

“I’m fine,” Tord mumbles, voice still tired and craving sleep. He shakes it away though, much more eager to talk with Tom instead. “How about you? Holding up?”

Tom shrugs, taking a seat on the end of the couch, placing Tord’s legs over his lap so that he can sit down better. “I guess I’m alright,” He says, though he doesn’t look convinced. He glances at Tord, trying to figure his words out. “... So what are you doing here, Tord? Finally ready to explain this? ‘Cus let me tell you, I kinda wanna know what kinda fucked up monster I am.”

Tord nods in understanding, secretly reveling in his legs being on Tom’s lap. Sure, Paul and Patryk’s touches have been plenty rejuvenating these last few days, but to be touched by his significant other… it’s almost enough to lull Tord back to sleep, but he resists the urge. “In all honesty, I’m not sure what exactly you are, classification-wise. Yes, many mad scientists have created Frankenstein-like creatures, but nothing like this has happened in recorded history. You could be classified as a kind of changeling, but most changelings have several different forms, therefore I’m not sure-”

“-Not like that,” Tom interrupts, unimpressed by Tord’s response. “I mean, am I safe to even be around? Am I like Balis?”

Tord softens, biting back his urge to shift and nuzzle Tom’s cheek. “Of course you’re safe, Thomas,” He promises, before brightening, all at once remembering why he even came here. “In fact, I‘m working on a new serum in my lab that shoul-!” He starts off excitedly, eager to gain Tom’s favor again.

But Tom immediately reels back, looking very visibly scared and upset. “No. Fuck no. I’m not letting you experiment on me anymore!” He explains, shivering at the idea of it.

It takes every bit of Tord’s self-control to not break down right there. He’s made Tom afraid of him now- dang it dang it dang it- but… he knows that this can help him. That this can save him. He just needs Tom to trust him one more time. “Look, Tom… I’ve been a real piece of shit for the last few months. I’ve made your life so much more complicated. But I know that this can help you. It’ll be like a deterrent- it will lower your radiation levels and keep you from transforming until we can find a way to safely train you in your abilities, or better yet, find a way to cure you. If you have any trust in me left, then please… give this a shot. All I want is to keep you safe, and this is all I’ve got left to do that.”

Tom glances between Tord and the floor, weighing his options with caution. Slowly, Tom nods while bringing his gaze back up to Tord, inky black void meeting bright red. Tord can see the terrified hesitation in Tom’s eyes, but he can also see that deep down, after all this, he trusts him.

“When do we start?” Tom questions, giving Tord a nervous glance.

“I’ll get to work on it right away. I should have a finished chemical solution within the next day. For now, though-” He sits up and hugs Tom as tight as he can, almost going limp as the tension leaves his body. “-I’m just glad you’re finally safe, Thomas.”

Tom rolls his eyes, but still ruffles Tord’s hair, giving the demon a lopsided smirk. “Yeah yeah, quit the waterworks, drama queen,” He orders halfheartedly, running his fingers through Tord’s light brown locks. “... You wanna watch a movie? One with a cheesy ending?” He offers, picking up the remote to the TV off the coffee table.

Tord nods eagerly, smiling in contentment as he leans on Tom. Finally, he can rest peacefully. He can relax after all this worrying. As a result, he’s out cold within the first ten minutes of the movie, yet he never feels Tom leave his side. Not even once.

…

“That’s it?” Tom asks, suspicious of the green liquid. They're still getting back to that complete trust they had before, but right now, Tord’s willing to take what he can get.

Tord nods, kind of proud of the serum he’s made. “It should be a sort of ‘nuclear suppressant’. It should make you less likely to transform at first, but over time, I’m hoping that it will cure you of your, uh… Affliction.”

Tom snorts at Tord’s word choice, but decides to just ask about the serum. “So how does it work, like- Do I just drink it?” The demon gives a small noise in affirmation.

“Drink it and it should reduce your headaches, symptoms, etcetera. If something happens like you’re actually shifting, I have a stronger concoction that is meant to be injected,” He supplies the pen-like injector to Tom. “You can use it on yourself if you’re quick enough, but if not I’ll be keeping one on hand as well, just in case.” Tom nods slowly.

“Lots of fail-safes, huh?”

Tord shrugs sheepishly. “I just doubt myself a lot these days.” The slight change in the human’s facial expression at the words gives off pity, but Tord ignores it, smiling tiredly. “Go on, though, give it a drink, tell me how it is!”

Tom hesitantly takes a sip after sniffing the liquid once more, and pulls a face once he’s done. “It’s certainly not tasty,” He quips, scrunching up his nose. Tord laughs a bit at that, taking the solution back.

“I’ll see if I can improve the taste any. If all else fails I’ll increase the potency and you can just mix it with your drinks.” He pauses though, going over the chemical components in his head. “Probably not alcohol, though.

The human lets out a long, dramatic sigh. “What even is the point, then?” The two share a chuckle and shy smiles.

This can work, Tord thinks.

…

Tom’s on the serum for about four weeks and he reports back every day how he’s been feeling. Tord marks it all down and goes over the data, excited and giddy. It seems to be working; whenever Tom remembers to drink the proper amount of serum he has remarkably less headaches, mood swings, and bouts of intense hunger. He still gets his craving for meat, but Tord expected a few permanent changes, not to mention there was still time for some of the symptoms to fade.

In all honesty, Tord thought it would be impossible to change Tom back to completely human, but the results from his research don’t lie: his boyfriend’s getting better. The news has been uplifting everyone’s spirits, so, in an effort to keep them high Tord surprises Tom with dinner reservations at the local fancy restaurant.

“We normally don’t do ritzy,” Tom manages when Tord tells him the news.

“We can do ritzy.” The demon tries to say but even he knows the statement falls flat. A pause, then, “You have a suit, sweet boy?” The human groans at the nickname.

“I think I do somewhere,” He gets up, scratching his side while he looks around. Tord notices that he almost pats his thigh as if to call the dog, but he hesitates and lets the arm fall to his side. Tord feels a pang of guilt but tries to take his mind off it by helping him look.

After looking around the closet, some (still) unpacked boxes, and anything else that opens, they manage to find a pair of dress pants, a tie, and a pair of nice shoes that all seem to fit Tom, but none of it matches and the tie has a big stain on the front.

“Guess we’ll need to go suit shopping,” Tord mutters, scratching his head.

“Do you have a suit??” Tom demands, trying to feel at least a little better. Tord smirks and snaps his fingers, and in a flash of flame he has a handsome dark suit on, with a bright red tie to match his eyes. The human narrows his eyes and mutters, “You asshole.” Before stomping off to find his wallet.

Things are finally getting back to normal.

…

They go out and find a perfect suit for Tom: it’s a dark grey, just a few shades lighter than Tord’s, and it already fits him perfect. They also find a pair of smiley face cufflinks, which after a few minutes of bickering while trying to decide if it’s even appropriate, they end up buying them. Tord can tell that Tom is already quite fond of them.

The pair visit a few more shops and browse, remarking on anything they can to try and get a laugh out of another. It’s too soon when Tord realizes that their reservations for ‘Ritz Central’ (as Tom has been referring to it for the last few hours) are fast approaching, so they swing back by the apartment to prep and then make their way to the establishment.

Five minutes in and it’s already at a rocky start. It takes them forty minutes to be seated, despite the reservation (there was a mistake in the books or something, Tord was fuming). They finally sit down and Tord tries to make a joke but Tom is straight faced, impassive, unmoved.

Tord thinks he’s going to actually die.

The waiter comes, he’s kind of rude about how their hair is styled and Tord has to bite back an insult in fear of embarrassing Thomas. He takes their orders and shuffles of and the demon sighs.

“Sorry this hasn’t been great so far…” He starts with, trying to make amends, but Tom just shrugs. Tord starts fiddling with his napkin. “At least the mall was fun...?” Another shrug.

“We don’t do ritzy.” Tom states flatly and Tord does his best to not look crestfallen right away.

“Guess not,” He mutters, turning away to avoid showing Tom he’s disappointed.

They sit in silence for a while, Tord floundering to find a way to save the night. He ultimately orders more wine, which seems to make Tom a little happier. It’s the small successes. They drink and do their best to make small talk when they can, sipping during awkward silences. At one point Tord swirls his glass and Tom mimics him, just more exaggerated. It ends up in a wine swirling contest which ends with lots of people staring.

Tom falters, not liking all the faces on him, and Tord frowns deeply. He sends a hot glare at all the prudes who turn their noses up at the pair, but the damage has been done, and Tom’s back to silent and anxious.

The food finally comes, and they start eating the fancy meal. Tom ends up not really liking his, Tord can tell from the expression shift, but still the human chooses not to say anything and he shovels the dissatisfactory food in his mouth.

“Ha, you think a place this fancy would at least know how to cook a steak?” Tord jokes, but apparently it’s the wrong thing to say, because Tom stops mid-chew and throws the demon a look so fierce it should’ve killed him. It kind of does, in a way.

Tord looks down at his plate, deciding he’s not very hungry, and Tom sighs, pushing his food forward. “Maybe we should just get this to go.” And Tord nods sadly. They’re waiting for the waiter to come back with the check when someone next to them gets champaign, and the bottle is so loud it startles everyone in the room, including both Tom and Tord.

Tom jumps so far, though, that he bumps a waiter behind him, who drops a dish of something hot onto a lady’s lap. She starts screaming, the waiter starts apologizing furiously, and worst of all: everyone else starts laughing.

Thomas looks like he’s about to cry.

He sits down, eyes looking directly at his lap and hands stiff at his sides. Tord wants desperately to comfort him, but also not make more of a scene in front of the entire restaurant. He fumbles with the check once the waiter returns, but when he tells Tom they can go, he realizes that the human’s eyes have moved to become one big cyclops eye in the middle of his face.

Without a moment’s hesitation Tord takes off the jacket of his suit and throws it at Tom, who is already starting to stand to catch it. The shifting human pulls it over his head and runs towards the bathroom and the demon follows, pulling out the tiny gun he always keeps around his ankle. He summons his mask just like he did with his suit, and then he gets started evacuating.

“Everyone listen up!” He shouts, unloading a bullet in the ceiling. Everyone gasps at the sight. “I want all you obnoxious fuckers out of here before I tear every one of you apart. Get out of here single file: kids first, then adults. Take what you need, I don’t want your purses or wallets. I just want everyone out of the building NOW!” Tord punctuates the last word with a bullet and people pour out, more confused than terrified.

It seems like Tord doesn’t have a second to think before a spiny, purple monster pushes its way through the brick wall to his right, Kool-Aid Man style.

“Oh yeah,” Tord says under his breath, quickly shifting into his demon form and flapping out of the way when Tom’s huge fist plows its way into the ground, smashing a table in half on its way down. The demon figures his best bet for surviving is to just dodge each hit as he can, rolling or flying out of the way while Tom tires himself out.

Except he doesn’t. The beast is relentless as he slashes and bites at Tord, roaring in fury the entire time. In a fit of anger, Tom grabs a table and hurls it at him when he least expects it, hitting him square in the chest. He hits the wall with a choked out “Oof,” and immediately starts scrambling to move the table as best he can, remembering when Balis got thrown at the wall and Tom tore into his prone figure.

Instead of chasing, though, the monster sucks in a big breath and clacks its sharp teeth together, somehow managing to create a big gout of fire. Tord manages to get free in time, but the spot he was just at is engulfed in flame in a matter of seconds.

“You can breathe FIRE?!?” Tord exclaims, completely unaware of the fact. Monster Tom doesn’t respond but takes advantage of the demons shock to ram him with his huge horns. It was growing obvious that not only was Tom not tiring out, he was getting angrier as the minutes passed. Tord needed to find a way to sedate the monster immediately.

“The serum!” The demon shouts, in a moment of realization. All he had to do was get back to their table and find his jacket. Tom attempts to charge him again, but Tord flies above his head and past him, heading back to where the table they sat down at was. His jacket is nowhere to be found.

Tord smacks his forehead. “I gave it to him when he ran into the bathroom!” He recalls, spreading his wings to take off. Before he propels himself forward, though, Tom comes up from behind, roaring and grasping his right wing, yanking it back with intense force and breaking it like a twig. Tord cries out in pain and Tom shouts in victory, throwing the demon at the far wall.

Tord struggles to stand and shake himself off. Deciding now is probably not a good time for wings, he shifts all the way back to his human form, running as fast as he can to find some cover. Tom spits another fireball at him but luckily he dodges, jumping out of the way and over a table. He rolls for a bit, tucking in his limbs and skidding under another table.

Tom seems to have lost him because the loud roaring is replaced with a contemplative clicking, as well as a series of annoyed tail-slaps. Tord uses this moment to ready himself: he can summon the suit to him just like before, but it would create that flash of fire and Tom would know where he’s at. He needs to do it at the perfect time.

The monster sniffs the air loudly, slowly making its way towards Tord’s hiding spot. The demon readies his fingers, and holds perfectly still. 1… 2...

3!!

As soon as he snaps Tom resumes roaring, furious and beastial. Tord fishes through his pockets as quick as he can, trying desperately to find the injector that will knock Tom out- But the monster is back on him, grasping his entire body with one claw and squeezing down. Tord cries out but manages to pull his arms free, serum held high so he can bring it down hard enough to pierce Tom’s leathery flesh.

“Sorry about this one, babe!” He gasps, plunging the needle into Tom’s skin as hard as he can. Monster Tom howls in pain, dropping Tord immediately. The demon scampers away but stays close, watching Tom slowly and drowsily lie himself down with a *thud*.

Before Tord’s very eyes, Tom shifts back to his normal self, body shrinking and morphing. The transformation back isn’t as grotesque, Tord realizes when he doesn’t hear the bone snapping and shifting into place. It also takes a lot less time, because before he knows it, the small human he’s in love with is lying on the ground, groaning in exhaustion.

The Norwegian advances towards Tom slowly, making his way through the rubble and wreckage of the restaurant. He falls to his knees and inspects the human’s body to see if he’s gotten harmed, but there’s not a single scratch on him.

“Hey,” He says, trying to roust his boyfriend. “We gotta go before the cops get here.” Tom grumbles in response, shifting on the floor so he’s lying on his back and looking up at the ceiling. The human refuses to speak, eyes just staring upwards and blinking slowly. Tord looks outside nervously but settles that the police haven’t arrived so they still have time. He lies down beside Tom and looks up with him, worried, tired, and anxious.

They don’t talk for a while. Just stare up at the claw and scorch marks that managed to get all the way up there. For once, Tord can’t even imagine what Tom’s thinking.

It isn’t until police sirens can start to be heard that Tom pipes up. “Tord,” He grumbles out, voice scratchy. The addressed demon turns to look at the human, watching the red and blue lights from the cops flashing across his tired face. Despite how loud the commotion is from outside, Tom’s next words are all Tord hears, and they ring in his head for hours afterwards.

“I think we should break up.”

…

They broke up. After managing to get home unbothered from the police and getting back into comfortable clothes, Tom packed up what he could and left to Matt’s apartment, promising to come back and talk to Tord when he could. He doesn’t take his medicine.

Tord goes through the week dazed, not doing much else other than repeating Tom’s words in his head, over and over again, and then going to bed when he can’t stand to hear it anymore. After a week Tord wakes up to Tom in the apartment, making breakfast for himself.

“Sup,” Tom says cooly. Tord doesn’t say a word, just sits down at the table and waits for the human to keep breaking his heart over scrambled eggs. “Don’t look so hot.” The demon doesn’t even respond and Tom sighs.

“Tord. We can’t keep doing this,” No response again, so he just keeps going. “Every time we’re separate you mope and it’s all you can focus on. How many times is this going to happen before I can just make you forget about me?” Despite the obvious frustration Tom must be feeling, he speaks calmly and evenly, just trying to make Tord understand.

But there’s no forgetting Tom, not after all they’ve been through. They’ve spent the last few years or so together, in every sense of the word. They’v heisted together, lived together, slept and ate together, made decisions together… Though, Tord supposes that he kind of did start making decisions for Tom in the end there. Really, after everything he put Tom through the human should hate him, but he can’t expect Tord to just forget and move on. It just couldn’t happen.

Tord conveys all of this by letting his head drop to the table, and Tom sighs.

“I guess I feel you there,” He mutters, putting two plates of eggs and bacon down before the pair. He sits next to Tord and starts shoveling food in his mouth. Tord manages to take a few bites of the bacon, finding satisfaction and comfort in the crunch as he chews.

“If you can’t forget me then we need to stay together,” Tom says and Tord freezes, shocked. “Not like how we were. We’ll probably never be like that again, but, like it or not, we rely a lot on each other. The money we share is all I have to my name, and it’s impossible for me to get a job now. Not to mention I need you to keep making my meds.” He sighs, obviously having worked all this out in his head and not liking the answer he came up with.

“So I’ll stay.”

It takes a while for Tord to process it all. Tom is staying, but things can’t be like they were. He’s not sure if he’ll be okay with that, in the long run, but he can do his best to put up some walls. After all, they don’t have a choice, like Tom said.

Tord nods, voice cracking out a small, “Okay.” Tom tuts and rubs the demons back slowly. Tord leans into it and sighs, appreciating the comfort.

The human chuckles softly. “Even though I want to so much I can’t hate you,” He sounds defeated but presses on. “I could never hate you, Tord.”

The demon nods, weary and nervous. “And I could never forget you.”

…

Months pass. Tord puts up his walls. He falls back into his old personality, defaulting to snarky and condescending when he can and just plain mean when the first two don’t work. Tom builds his own, too. He’s mostly quiet now, choosing not to speak much to any other denizens of the complex when he doesn’t have to, keeping to himself and drinking the day away. The two carry on like that for a while, and fall into the old pattern of: arguing, refusing to speak to each other, then making up sometime a few days (or even just hours) later. It’s not the healthiest pattern but it’s theirs.

They work through their issues together as much as they can, even if part of the process of ‘working through it’ involves lots of shouting and arguing. They become known as the loudest residents on the fourteenth floor.

“You guys might want to start keeping it down in the future,” Matt says to the pair over lunch one day. He’s been spending more time with them when he can, knowing that they’re less likely to argue when they’ve got company. “I’m looking to get a roommate as soon as possible.”

Both Tom and Tord look surprised. “Rooming isn’t cheap, and not all of us have bank-robbing money,” Matt points out and the other two nod. “I’m thinking about putting an ad out on Craigslist. I won’t be able to enchant it or anything but the charm on the building should be enough to keep non-paranormals away.”

“It’ll be nice to see some new faces here,” Tord remarks, yawning lazily. “Not to mention that you could use some company that isn’t us.” Tom digs a knuckle into the demon’s rib but agrees.

It’s a little later in the evening, when Tord is scrubbing at the dishes from dinner when Tom brings up the idea of new people in the complex. “What kind of person do you think Matt’s new roomie will be?” The demon hums in thought.

“Hard to tell before they get here.” He pauses, putting the dish he’s working on down and turning to look at Tom. “Why do you ask?”

The human shrugs but looks down at the table in thought. “Just curious.” Tord nods in understanding. “I’m sure whoever it is will be good if Matt approves of them. He’s a good judge of character.” Tom nods as well and gets up to grab some ice cream. Tord trusted that whoever Matt found and accepted would be someone they could get along with as well. After all, Matt was always trying to find other people for Tom to get along with so he could get some days out of the house.

Yeah, the new resident would probably be pretty swell.

[abangtansymphony]

ROOFTOP DELINQUENT CHAPTER 1

I closed the rooftop door behind me and sagged against it.  

Finally, somewhere quiet.

It was my first day at the school and I had been super nervous but so far everything seemed to be going okay.

I looked around and was startled to find that there was someone else up here. A boy with purplish coloured hair was leaning against the wall. He hadn’t noticed me yet which meant I still had a chance to leave unnoticed.

That was something I’d noticed about this school, there seemed to be boys, boys and more boys everywhere. In my class, there had only been another two girls besides me. But maybe there were more girls in other classes – maybe there was even a class with just three boys and twenty odd girls.

I was about to turn and leave when I noticed the blood on the floor. It was dripping from his hand.

‘Oh, my God! Are you okay?’ I said walking towards him.

He looked up and stared. He was ridiculously attractive and tall too…  

‘You’re hurt! You should go to the infirmary. I could take you there,’ I offered, realizing a second later that I hadn’t the foggiest where the infirmary was located.

‘I’m fine. It’s just a scratch,’ he said with a shrug.

A scratch!? I looked down at his bloodied and torn knuckles dubiously then back up at his face.

‘But…you can’t just leave it like that.’

He gave me a weird look then said abruptly, ‘I don’t remember seeing you here last year. Are you one of the new girls?’

I didn’t know why but something about the way he phrased it made me feel uneasy but I brushed it aside.

‘This is actually my first day,’ I said ruefully.

‘Of course it is,’ he said under his breath.

‘My name’s Lizzy, by the way,’ I said trying not to be put off by his less-then-encouraging-attitude.

He looked me over and his brow furrowed. ‘You’re going to have a hard time here. It’s not too late to transfer.’

My jaw dropped. ‘Excuse me?’

He looked away then down at his hand with a slight frown.

‘Let me have a look at that,’ I said.

I stepped forward and took his hand in mine. He didn’t move which I took as a sign that I could proceed. It was weird but, even though he’d said that I should transfer, I didn’t feel like he’d said it in a malicious way. Maybe he just really didn’t like this school. Maybe he was bullied (that would explain why he was hurt).

‘Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just go to the infirmary?’ I asked him hopefully.

‘No need,’ he said, pulling his hand away and sitting down with his back to the wall.

I sat down next to him.

‘I think I’ve got something in here that can help,’ I said, rooting through my bag.

I pulled out a bottle of water, a packet of tissues and some band aids.

 ‘You carry band aids around in your bag?’ he asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘I didn’t know what to expect today, so I thought I better be prepared for any eventuality,’ I said matter-of-factly.

He gave me a long look, the intensity in his hooded eyes made my cheeks heat up and my hand tremble slightly. He was incredibly attractive and I was only human, after all. Just as I was starting to wash his hand with the water, he spoke up quietly, ‘My name’s Taehyung. Kim Taehyung.’

I nodded and carried on what I was doing but I couldn’t quite hide the smile from my face. After I had treated his injured knuckles, and plastered them to my satisfaction, he thanked me.

‘Do you mind if I eat? I haven’t had lunch yet,’ I said, already pulling a lunch box from my bag.

‘There’s a cafeteria here, you know,’ he said, staring at my food.

‘Like I said before, first day and all that.’

‘Right, of course,’ said Taehyung, and then he smiled.

I almost dropped my lunchbox at the effect his smile had on me. It was as radiant as the blooming sun. It completely changed his face – he went from brooding bad boy to adorable in less than a second.

‘You okay?’ he asked (no doubt concerned by my slack jawed expression).

‘Huh, yeah. Of course! Why wouldn’t I?’ I said, taking a hasty bite off my sandwich.

He gave me a strange look but let it go.

‘Want some?’ I asked him.

‘Sure,’ he said.

Before I could pull out the other sandwich, he wrapped his hand around mine and leaned forward. I watched in some shock as his face came within inches of mine and he took a huge bite out of the sandwich I’d already been eating.

‘Nice,’ he murmured, licking his lip.

I looked down at what was left of my sandwich then back up at him. I didn’t know whether to be angry that he’d just swallowed half of my sandwich or flustered at how close his face had been to mine. I settled for a disapproving frown as I took another bite.

He laughed. ‘You offered.’

‘Do you want some more?’ I asked holding up the other sandwich.

‘Let’s halve it,’ he said taking it from me, his fingers brushed mine.

We were halfway through my lunch when the door to the rooftop swung open violently. I jumped and looked up to find three guys striding towards us.

Everything about them screamed trouble, from the way they swaggered to the contemptuous smirk on their faces and right up to the bat one of them was carrying over his shoulder.

I stood up quickly shooting Taehyung an uneasy look but he wasn’t looking at me as he stared up at the group with a bored look on his face.

‘Well, well, well! If it isn’t V,’ said the guy in the middle with a smirk. ‘And who’s this?’ He raked his eyes up and down my body in a way that made me want to punch him in the face. The other two boys leered.

Taehyung sighed and gave him an annoyed look. ‘Haven’t your boys had enough for one day, Choi Seung Cheol? I’m really not in the mood, right now.’

I felt my alarm levels sky rocket as I shot him a look – was he crazy!??

He was outnumbered three to one…well, and me. But I was NOT going to get involved in some crazy gang fight for some guy I just met (no matter how cute!). Of course, even if I did, I wouldn’t be of much help anyway. I tried to communicate all of this with my eyes but the idiot only winked at me. YES, HE ACTUALLY WINKED, DAMMIT!

Seung Cheol’s face went red and he glared at Taehyung.

‘Your pals are not here to help you out,’ he spat at him then smiled (which was even scarier), ‘I think it’s time you were taught a lesson.’

Taehyung shrugged and cracked his knuckles. ‘Okay, if you insist.’

He stood up leisurely and stretched. Seung Cheol carried on smiling in a way I didn’t like one bit and smirked, ‘Oh, you think it’s only us three – that’s cute.’

As if on cue, another four guys stepped out from the shadows of the doorway. For some crazy reason, I imagined them planning this incredibly dramatic entrance and before I could stop myself a snort of laughter escaped me.

All eyes swung in my direction. My mouth dropped open in horror at what I’d just done. WHAT THE HELL, LIZZY!?! WHAT HAPPENED TO KEEPING A LOW PROFILE??

‘You find that funny, sweetheart! Well, why don’t you come over here and I’ll give you something that’ll put an even bigger smile on your face,’ said Seung Cheol taking a step towards me.

I took a step backwards. ‘I laugh when I’m nervous - it wasn’t personal, I swear,’ I babbled.  

He narrowed his eyes in a predatory way as he looked me over - again. Which pissed me right off!

‘Fine! It was personal!’ I shot at him. ‘But don’t you think this is a bit much for one guy?’

‘You must be one of the new girls,’ said Seung Cheol with a gleam in his eye. ‘You probably don’t know the rules, yet. It’s about time you got a taste of the induction ceremony. I’m going to have fun with you.’ He strode forward.

I let out a very undignified squeak (I could beat myself up over it later) and stepped back hastily but was brought up short by the wall.

Rules!? Induction!? What the hell was he talking about!

Before he could come any closer, Taehyung stepped in front of me.

‘Enough!’

‘I don’t think you’re in any position to be barking out orders,’ smirked Seung Cheol and I hated the fact that I had to agree with him on that one.

‘You make a good point,’ muttered Taehyung.

He grabbed my hand and yanked me forward with him. ‘Run!’

We were running but it seemed pretty pointless as we were only getting closer to the edge of the roof and the only way out was blocked by a bunch of delinquents. We came to an abrupt halt near the ledge.

‘Do you trust me?’ asked Taehyung urgently.

‘What? No! No. Definitely not!’

He smiled. ‘In that case, I’m sorry.’

‘Why are you-?’

Before I could finish my question, he’d jumped up on the ledge and pulled me up beside him. He wrapped his arms around me and…jumped.

I’m not gonna lie! I might have fainted sometime during the fall – or just screamed hysterically throughout the whole thing.

But before my life could flash before my eyes, we hit the freezing cold water. Obviously, I proceeded to swallow a gallon of it before resurfacing. He pulled me out of the swimming pool effortlessly as I gagged.

‘…kill…I’m…kill you…going…,’ I choked.

‘Are you okay?’

I grabbed his collar. ‘O-okay…? OKAY!? ARE YOU CRAZY!?? YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME, YOU BASTARD!’

‘I saved you,’ he said in a petulant voice accompanied by a serious case of puppy eyes.

I tried to glare at him but ended up stomping away in frustration.

‘Hey! Where are you going?’ he called after me.

I ignored him. I had only taken another couple of steps before I felt him wrap his hand around my arm and the next thing I knew I was hanging upside down from his shoulder.

‘Sorry, but they’re not going to give up that easy,’ he murmured.

I was stiff with outrage but I hung on for dear life as he took off at a run. I imagined strangling him in incredibly vivid detail.

Taehyung unlocked the door to what looked like a shed and shut the door behind us. He dumped me on top of something soft and stepped away (smart move). I stood up, brushing my wet hair off my face, and looked around the room in order to avoid looking at him just yet. It seemed to be the gym storage room and I was standing on top of a bunch of mats.

‘Before you kill me, I think there’s a few things you should know about this school,’ said Taehyung, calmly.

I turned to glare at him and my breath caught in my throat. He had stripped out of his jacket and his white dress shirt stuck to him like a second skin. His hair was plastered to his face and rivulets of water ran down his face and neck…

I swallowed and realised my mouth might have been hanging open. I remembered that I’d left my jacket on the roof which meant…

I looked down and realised that my shirt was as see through as his – and I was wearing my black bra (the horror!). I crossed my arms over my chest as casually as I could and met his eyes.

‘What things?’ I asked as haughtily as I could.

He gave me an amused look and moved closer to me.

‘Come here,’ he said, stretching out his hand to me.

‘Why?’ I asked not even trying to hide the alarm in my voice.

‘There’s a heater over here,’ said Taehyung and this time I was sure he was trying not to laugh.

I brushed past his hand, making sure to glare at him as I went to stand next to the heater. He made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort - which I decided to ignore.

He took a step closer to me stretching his hands in front of the heater for warmth. He was so close to me that our arms were touching.

I cleared my throat. ‘So, er, what did you want to tell me about the school?’

‘I don’t know if you know this, but this used to be an all-boys school,’ said Taehyung.

‘Yeah. So?’

‘Well, even though it’s co-ed now, there’s still only a handful of girls,’ he said giving me a sidelong glance.

I felt like I was supposed to get something - I didn’t.

‘Okay,’ I said slowly.

He sighed and looked away.

‘The student council came up with a rite of passage for any new girl that starts here,’ he cast me a pitying look. ‘They named it “The Hunt”.’

I did not like the sound of that one bit!

‘What exactly is…that?’ I asked with a distinct sense of foreboding.

Somehow, I felt like my school life was about to get very complicated.