#fri: i have a meeting right after school and then that night i’m performing

[taylorswiftsongshowdown]

i’ve been a super busy girly today but hopefully i can get the next round out by wednesday night, if not then on sunday

[xpeachesncream]

back to you | drabble (jjk)

↳ drabbles masterlist

yours (ft. the bands!couple) | drabble one: you’ve seen jungkook get angry, but this is the first time he’s ever let it out on you.

word count: 2.5k

warnings: cussing, implied sexual content, more fluff than anything

tags: @thebeebi​ @miinoongi​ @ggukkieland​ @preciouschimine​ @bluesharksandfish​ @unicornbabylover​ @ayujaded​

Jungkook steps down from the stage after performing Euphoria, aggressively throwing his towel against the wall in anger.

"FUCK!" He yells loudly in frustration, startling some of the staff as hot tears starting to spill down his cheeks. It's been a long time since Jungkook felt unsatisfied with a performance. He was so, so unsatisfied because of a small mistake only he could notice, however, it was big enough to shoot him down. All he wanted was to put up a good performance for the fans, for the people that paid money to watch them here, and he felt like such a fucking failure not meeting his end of it.

"Kookie, what's wrong?" Hobi follows after him when he sees the anger clear as day on his face, tears still coming down as his nose was beginning to turn red.

"Nothing." He mumbles as he shuts himself into a private room backstage and slams the door loudly that it echoes through the hallway.

"What just happened?" You ask Hobi as you jog over, unable to catch Jungkook right away since you had been busy getting Jimin ready for his solo performance. "He needs to get ready."

"He's pissed. I think he messed up and he's taking it pretty hard."

"Messed up?" You were confused because you had no clue what he was talking about. You caught the performance as much as possible, and you didn't hear one fucked up note or see one fucked up step.

"You know him." Is all Hobi says, making you sigh.

"Go get touched up, I'll go see what's up with him."

"He's in there." Hobi nods towards a room before he's jogging back to the chaos in the group dressing room. You silently walk over to the door, giving it three soft knocks before leaning closer to listen for any movement.

"I'll be out in a fucking second, can you wait?!" He yells, which catches you by surprise because you definitely haven't see him this angry since the night him and Jimin fought at the dorm and to be quite honest, you're still learning how to handle angry Jungkook. You open the door and peek your head through, hoping he could simmer once he sees it's you.

But he doesn't, and that's what fucking sucks.

He looks at you, and it breaks your heart seeing him cry. Your face softens as you try to come closer but you jump back when he suddenly gets up to walk towards the other side of the room to create some distance. You stay put to watch him, his back is facing towards you with his hands pressed firmly against his hips.

"Not now, Y/N."

"Babe, I just—"

"Did you not just hear me? Not now. So please go." You almost flinch at his tone, the way he delivers his statement.

"Jungkook, please let me in. Let me make it better." You come behind him, hand gently grabbing at his shoulder. For a second, you feel him ease up, but it doesn't last long before his walls are coming back up. He moves out of your grip and walks away from you while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It was such a stupid mistake." He says softly.

"Baby, whatever it was, it was a tiny mistake because we didn't even—" I guess this was your first lesson in dealing with angry Jungkook— choose your words wisely. Jungkook is such a perfectionist that he's incredibly hard on himself when it comes to things like this. No mistake is ever tiny to him. It all becomes a huge deal because he just wants to keep people happy. He wants to make sure he can follow through.

"See, you don't even get it." He snaps at you.

"Excuse me? Are you serious right now, Jungkook?" You cross your arms and scoff at him.

"That wasn't just a tiny mistake Y/N!" His tone slightly raises. "It was a huge deal for me!" He sighs and shakes his head.

"I'm just trying to help."

"Yeah well, you really aren't making this any fucking better. So just go, okay?" As soon as the words leave his mouth, he looks at you and instantly regrets it when he catches a small frown forming at the corner of your lips. "Shit, baby—"

"No, you know what? I might not understand right off the bat but I was gonna do my best to try and do so because I wanna do what I can to be there for you." You throw your hands up in defeat. "But fine, Jungkook. If that's how you wanna be, then go ahead and fucking shut me out." You fire back, annoyed that he's giving you hella attitude when your only intention was to support him.

"Y/N—" He tries to grab your wrist but you yank it out of his grip.

"Get yourself ready, you have 10 mins before you need to be back on stage." You avoid eye contact and slam the door shut.

"Fuuuuuck." Jungkook groans and hits the chair before letting out a deep sigh and making his way back to the group. When he gets back to the room, he sees you assisting Jin, your bottom lip tucked under your top lip while you bit onto it. He can see Jin's mouth moving and your head nodding, but he can't really make out the conversation with all the noise and chaos going on.

Fuck, he fucked up. All he wanted to do was tell you how sorry he was for snapping at you and for letting his anger out on you that way.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Jin asks you softly, his eyes full of concern when he catches your wet lashes. He can tell you had just been crying, and has a good sense of why.

"Kook is being a meanie." Jin chuckles as you fix his shirt.

"He gets like that when he isn't happy with himself."

"I'm only trying to help though."

"I know, and I'll give him a good ass-whooping later for treating you like that."

"God, he's so mean when he's pissed like that. I've never had to personally deal with angry Jungkook like this."

"He pushes everyone away and doesn't know any better, but he'll learn from this. Let him. He needs to understand that he can't take his feelings out on you like that just because you're his girlfriend."

"Thank you." You softly say as you finish rolling the lint roller across his broad shoulders.

"Of course." Jin winks. "Cheer up." He gives your shoulder a good squeeze before he's rushing out with the rest of the boys.

The rest of the night is quiet between you and Jungkook, mainly because you're doing your best to 'let him learn' and avoid him even though it was the hardest thing to do. He had tried to subtly grab your attention every now and then, but you brushed it off and paid no mind to it. Halfway through, he had realized he just needed to give you space. Every part of you wanted to cling onto him like a koala and tell him how frustratingly and annoyingly cute he was, but there was also a small part that was still upset at the shit he said. You were still hurt at how easy it was for him to lash out on you like that, let alone push you away when he wasn't feeling his best.

Once the show was over and you and the staff had done a great deal of cleaning up, you finally headed home in one of the staff cars, the boys already back at the hotel resting up and eating. You quietly make your way to your room on the same floor as the boys, hearing their laughter erupting from one of the rooms down the hallway. At the front of your door was a small box of fried chicken wings and a bag of radishes, most likely from Jungkook. You normally ordered room service or grabbed Kook's leftovers, moreso cause you were too tired from the day to even think about eating a huge meal. You let out a small sigh, grabbing the box as you walk in and set it on the table. You take a quick shower, lathering up in some lotion before throwing on Jungkook's longsleeve.

Technically, you weren't allowed to sleep in Jungkook's room and he wasn't allowed in yours, but your boyfriend always does what he wants and never plays by the rules in the book [as we've learned]. He always finds a way to sneak over, texting you right as he gets to your door and slipping out bright and early the next morning. It was some high school shit, but you genuinely understood wholeheartedly why they tried to keep that rule in place during the tour.

Jungkook is just always gonna be stubborn though, which is why you hear him knocking loudly as if it wasn't getting late.

"Y/N." He keeps his forehead against the door. You sit still in absolute silence until he speaks again. "Babygirl, I'm sorry. Please let me in." You continue to sit in silence, a little torn on whether or not you should let him in or let him be for the night. Were you too quick if you were to let him in? I mean, the fight wasn't huge, but it was still enough to sting. "Baaaaby." He whines.

"What are you doing?" Taehyung whispers harshly. "You're gonna get in trouble." Jungkook keeps his forehead against your door and simply lifts a hand to Taehyung to prevent him from going on any further.

"Fuck it."

"Jungkookie, go back—" Kook points down the hallway, forehead still pressed against your door like a child on timeout.

"You go back. I'm fine here." Taehyung silently chuckles to himself before crossing his arms and retreating back to his room, listening to the repeated, soft "y/n's" and "baby's" coming from Jungkook.

When you realize he isn't going to leave, and you sure as hell don't want him to get in trouble, you sigh and get up from the bed to open the door for your man. You turn the knob and slightly pull back just enough to open your door and let him do the rest. You head back to your bed, not turning behind you when you hear him walk in and shut your door. He quietly comes into your view, but you continue to sit criss-crossed on your bed, scrolling through your phone while the TV was providing some background noise.

Okay, you might have been acting like a level 10 brat, but he hurt your feelings when you were only trying to help.

"Hmmm, baby." He whines and pouts as he climbs onto the bed and rests his chin on your leg. When you still don't pay him any mind, he sucks on his teeth and gently puts your phone down so you have no choice but to look at him. "Baby, I'm sorry." He sits up, his hand gently caressing your thigh.

"Do you even know what you're sorry for?"

"I was being mean. I didn't mean to take my anger out on you like that."

"You sure were being a meanie." You slightly pout, causing him to sigh in regret. He never, never wanted to hurt you. Yet, one quick moment of vulnerability and the first thing he does is hurt you.

God, he felt like a dumbass.

"Babygirl, fuck. I didn't mean to hurt you, I was just being stupid." He sits next to you and pats the open space in between his legs for you to fill. You quietly climb in between, allowing him to hug you from behind and plant kisses along your cheek, jaw and neck.

"Kook, are you always gonna push me away like that? Especially on days where you don't feel your best? When you don't feel satisfied with yourself? Cause if that's the case— how are we gonna work if you won't let me in?"

"No baby, no. I just— Fuck, honestly. I don't know. I felt so insecure over the smallest thing. I made it a big deal for no reason. I just wanted to look good for the fans. For you. I wanted you and everyone else to be proud." You slightly turn and cup his cheek, Kook leaning into it and pressing a kiss against your palm.

"They are so, so proud of you. Always. The fans, the boys, the staff. Me. You are so hardworking and dedicated to your craft. You are the most talented person I know." You sigh. "What really happened out there?"

"I messed up a note. It was subtle, but enough for me to notice and trip on the next dance move."

"There's always going to be room for improvement, babe. But that will never change the fact that your fans and the people around you adore you. They will love you, flaws and all." He looks at you before lifting your chin with his finger and placing a soft peck on your lips. He never used to care about how people looked at him, still doesn't. But when it comes to his performances, his singing, dancing— he's very particular and wants nothing but to please people. He just didn't know how to stop being so hard on himself, where to place boundaries. He didn't know how to differentiate between big and small mistakes.

"I love you." He whispers, thumb gently caressing your chin before placing another kiss against your lips. "I love you so much, and I'm so sorry for being mean to you earlier. I never meant to hurt you or push you away."

"And I'm sorry for being a brat back." He chuckles. "I love you, too."

"Deserved it, I'll let it slide." You giggle as he hugs you tightly, playfully kissing you everywhere that he possibly can. "I missed you."

"You saw me all night."

"I saw you, but you didn't come close to me."

"Which you deserved."

"Which I deserved." He nods in agreement. "Now I just wanna shower my baby in kisses." He continues to pepper you with soft kisses. "By the way, did you get the chicken?"

"Yeah, thank you." You smile at him.

"You have more?" Your smile instantly fades while you push yourself off of him and hop off the bed.

"You came here for my chicken?!"

"No! Obviously I came here to make things right and apologize." You bite onto your bottom lip to prevent yourself from smirking. "Just thought I could get a little bonus and snag your leftovers, you know?" His doe eyes were wide, lips slightly pouty. "Soooo, let me see what's in that box." He looks at the chicken box behind you and wiggles his eyebrows.

"Unbelievable." You joke as he lifts you up from the legs and gently [not really] throws you back onto the bed before running to your chicken box. "Jungkook! I will whoop your ass if you touch my chicken." He scrunches his nose, bunny smile coming into full view as he places a finger on top of your box. "Ugh!" You throw a pillow at him.

"Oh, so you wanna get fiesty? I'll show you fiesty." He rushes back onto the bed, tickling you into the sheets.

"You started it!"

"And I'm gonna finish it." He stares at you as you lay beneath him. "Off with your clothes, sweetheart." He whispers into your ear, causing you to squeal.

[blackbat05]

Day by Day

Shangqi x Reader 

A/N: My love for this man has hit an all time high so let me capitalize on it while I still can! If you read everything, I sincerely thank you for doing so!!! And holy cow 2 fics in 2 days have I gone back into my prime days? 

Genre: PG-13

Notes: As the title mentioned, I’ll probably set it some time after endgame. You could see it as a prequel to my first post! Reader is a social worker and she’s just dealing with all the mess that the snap bought back. The reader’s name as Jen Lee. I also apologize in advance for the potentially long fic. 

***

‘Excuse me, I’m looking for my child? Her name’s Wang Yiman and she’s seven.’ Another frazzled-looking parent fought her way to the front of the receptionist, approaching the helpless intern who looked like she was going to be on the verge of tears if another request came in. 

‘I got this,’ a hand calmly reassured the young intern as she beckoned the relief parent. ‘Mrs Wang? My name is Jen Lee and I’m the social worker here.’ I offered my hand for the anxious mother. ‘Oh thank god! Is Yiman ok? She must have been so scared!’ I slowed to a stop outside the room at the end of the corridor, gently sitting her down. 

‘Yiman has been a very brave girl Mrs Wang, but I will not lie to you. The sudden disappearance of their parents has traumatized a lot of kids. We’ve managed to explain to them what was going on but they will need a lot of support.’ I gave a glance over Mrs Wang’s shoulder, nodding to my colleague, Tammy who was holding the hand of a little girl in pigtails and a floral dress. 

妈妈! mā ma (mommy!)

The young girl ran into her mother’s open arms, allowing the floodgates to open from both ends. I turn to Tammy as we shared a silent agreement to leave the area. ‘That’s the last one for the day,’ Tammy unceremoniously plops herself onto the chair, letting out a groan. ‘Thanks for your hard work Jen.’ 

‘Right back at you.’ I entered the last bit of paperwork before uploading Yiman’s case file onto the portal. Yiman’s reunion with her parents meant the Children and Youth Centre were halfway in getting every displaced child back to their parents. Looking at the dingy television that was hung on the walls at the waiting room, despite not being able to hear anything, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. S.W.O.R.D was apparently in a stand-off against Wanda Maximoff? Reported rumors that Sam Wilson didn’t want anything to do with the shield? It’s been a crazy few weeks but that was utter- 

‘Bullshit! If anything it’s the government. They must have psyched him into giving up the shield.’ My chair swiveled to face Tammy who returned a nonchalant shrug. ‘What? You know I’m right. Doesn’t matter if half the world’s gone or our universe gets split into two - they’re the true evil here. I’m still struggling to find a place after I found a couple making out in my apartment! And you know what the global repatriation council told me? We’re only dealing with urgent cases right now. Well I say f-’

The incessant ringing of the bell interrupted our conversation, replacing Tammy’s tirade into a cheeky grin. ‘Look who’s here!’ 

Shangqi stands behind the counter, dressed in his usual red varsity jacket and jeans, holding bags of what I could only make out as takeout from the Chinese restaurant that was run by a friendly Singaporean couple. ‘Did I interrupt something?’ He scratches his head nervously. ‘Nope, in fact you just saved me from Tammy’s monologue, any further and she’ll explicitly tell me what she saw in her apartment when she got dusted back that day,’ I shivered in mock fear. ‘Still haunts me up till today.’ Tammy meets us by the door, bag in her hand. 

‘I thought you were staying? We got fried dumplings and 泡饭  pào fàn (poached rice).’ 

‘Last minute duty - A parent called, gotta run! Enjoy your dinner date.’ She waggles her eyebrows suggestively, much to our embarrassment. ‘What? It’s not...’ Shangqi stutters, trying to form intelligible sentences. ‘Get out before I throw a fried dumpling at your face Tammy!’ She winks at me, before darting out of the door. Once my nosy colleague was out, I turn towards a red-faced Shangqi. ‘I’m so sorry... just don’t mind her.’ 

‘Huh?’ The man was knocked out of his stupor. ‘Oh yeah... sure,’ in an attempt to forget everything that had just happened, he opened the packets of fried dumplings. ‘Ready for war?’ 

‘I was born ready.’ 

Thirty-five minutes later, all that was left were the remnants of fried dumplings and three empty containers. 

‘This should be illegal,’ I patted my stomach in satisfaction to his amusement. ‘Laugh at yourself! You lost track of how many dumplings you had and ended up taking my share!’ 

Raising his hands in defeat, Shangqi starts to clear the table up. ‘So how’s the center? Everything alright?’ I nodded numbly. 

The past five years had been a blur. Hazy, even. All I remembered was a kid running into the office telling me that half of the staff disappeared during a school holiday program that we were running with a dozen other kids. Parents who survived the snap rushed to our center, demanding to see their children. We couldn’t give them any answer as we too, were equally perplexed. Maybe the only thing that made sense was Shangqi and Katy bursting into the center to help us with the chaos. 

Coming back from what could be the 1000th phone call, I got a glimpse in the children’s playroom where the five years old kids were at, treating myself to an amusing sight. They all had red cloths draped around their neck, each holding a stick that was from the abandoned prop box. Katy wasn’t spared to as she was wearing her own red cloth that seemed a few sizes to small for her. Not that she didn’t seem to mind. 

‘Alright my warriors! Chargeeeeee!!!!!!’ 

In unison, little pairs of feet pattered across the room towards their ‘enemy’, a cardboard cutout of a monstrous creature who was really just Shangqi in disguise. 

‘RAWR! I’ll eat anyone who stands in my way!’ He stands up, mimicking a dinosaur that was about to trample an entire city. I decided that the paperwork could wait, standing near the door to watch an Oscar-worthy performance. With great effort and bravery from the kids, they finally managed to take down 5 foot 10 worth of muscle. 

‘Again! Again!’ 

I chuckled upon seeing Shangqi on the floor, about to drift off into wonderland. It was time for me to step in. ‘Alright kids that’s enough for today! Dinner’s here.’  As the kids dispersed with the help of Katy, it was just the two of us left to clear up the mess. ‘Thank you so much, both of you. I honestly can’t think of what would happen if you guys didn’t come to help.’ 

Perhaps my body language was screaming ‘I’m dead tired, please just knock me out’ as Shangqi takes a cloth from me, folding it back into the box. ‘It’s what we would have done, this place, it means a lot to us - to me.’ 

A small knock on the door diverts our attention away from the trash. Little Yiman stands at the door, as she stares at the both of us with big round eyes. 

‘Yiman, it’s late, what are you doing here?’ I squat down to her eye level. The little girl beams, ‘ 妈妈 said that I could give this to you!’ She passes me a juice box together with a handmade card with colorful scribbles. Maybe I was carrying too much on my shoulders, as I suddenly felt a boulder lifted off me. ‘Thank you,’ I smile at her sweetly, ‘I love apple juice.’ Happy with the response, she runs to Shangqi. ‘Shangqi 哥哥 gē ge (brother)!’ 

He breaks out into a smile, opening his arms wide. Yiman nuzzles her head into his shoulder before breaking out into uncontrollable giggles from his sudden attack of tickles. ‘Are you hear to help Miss Jen?’ I took the trash from his hands, giving him some time with the girl. 

‘Yes I am. Miss Jen needs some help so I’m here today!’ 

‘Are you her boyfriend?’ 

Shangqi freezes on the spot. He had undergone what could be the toughest training by his father, fought the greatest assassins in the world and here he was - stumped by a question from a seven year old. ‘Well... I’m her close friend since when we were very young,’ Yiman looks at him expectantly. ‘She helped me when I was in trouble so I had to be a good friend when she was in trouble too.’ 

‘Like how Ningning helped me when I injured my knee?’ 

‘Yeah... something like that.’ He breathes a sigh of relief, thankful to escape his first crisis. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure if he was telling himself the truth. 

‘Yiman! Your mother’s here!’ The little girl gives him one last hug before running to the waiting room. Shangqi takes a moment to recollect himself. ‘Here I am thinking that you finally managed to have some stamina while interacting with young children, maybe I was wrong.’ I teased as I sat beside him. 

‘Har har, hilarious.’ He tosses me a straw for our peach teas, as we were greeted by the amazing night view of San Francisco. ‘Enough about me, you good though?’ Looks like he didn’t forget the conversation that was cut off earlier. My mind goes back to a few minutes earlier, eavesdropping on the conversation.

‘I had to be a good friend when she was in trouble too.’

Life has been so unpredictable, I don’t even want to think too far into the future. With appearances from more superpowered beings, I don’t know what’s real anymore.

‘Yeah. To be honest, it’s been so crazy and overwhelming but I’ll get through it. I have you don’t I?’ Giving him a wink, I slowly sipped on the sweetness of the tea, savoring the pearls. He pauses for a moment, nodding thoughtfully. 

Life isn’t the same as it was before. But maybe, just maybe... if I had Shangqi, I’ll take each day on one at a time. Day by day. 

[END]

A/N: Hoho! I literally spent the whole afternoon writing because I just had to get this idea out and also because work was pretty slow today. I have no idea what is up with my first two fics hinting at unrequited love? I guess I got inspired by Shangqi’s and Katy’s platonic relationship because I thought it was so well written but I also love Shangqi so I guess is a compromise kinda thing. Again, do like and comment if you wish! Really thankful that y’all have been so kind to me so far! 

Perhaps I’ll try my hand at shorter ones like headcannons before this girl exhausts herself out and I don’t want to do that because I believe I have more to show! 

[thesoftdumbass]

somethin' to think about

Frankie Morales x reader (feminine pronouns)

word count: 3,800

warnings: caffeine dependency, cheesy movies, the beginning of one curse word but no more. platonic Santiago x reader and Benny x reader. very fluffy and kind of silly but that's how I like it.

summary: Frankie and his daughter have found a home in Stars Hollow, and the single father/diner owner has to admit that he's found a soft spot in his heart his favorite customer.

> my masterlist

Francisco Morales, a newly single father, wanted to settle down and start a new life for himself and his daughter. After stumbling onto Stars Hollow, a quaint and quiet, friendly little town just a little ways away from his hometown, he decided that it would be the perfect place to begin again. The old hardware store that closed down years earlier was priced well and had an apartment above the shop, so with some hard work, Frankie turned it into a diner to sell the food he grew up learning to make from his mother, as well as the stereotypical diner food that he and his brothers in arms missed while they were serving overseas. Life was good in Stars Hollow, Frankie and his daughter being accepted by the welcoming if not nosy townspeople, and now he and the diner had become a staple in the quiet hamlet.

The bell above the door chimes with the entry of another customer and Frankie looks up from writing in his order book to see you heading his way, already grabbing an overly large mug that he keeps on hand just for you.

“Coffee coffee coffee,” you demand lightly and Frankie huffs.

“You sound like you’ve had plenty today already,” he says, filling the mug anyways and sitting it in front of you at your usual seat along the counter.

“Oh nonsense, there’s no such thing,” your tone and face both hold a smile and Frankie can’t help the way his heartbeat jumps in his chest at this.

“One of these days I’m going to start slipping you decaf.”

A gasp leaves you, faux offended at the threat. “You wouldn’t dare!” Frankie’s affirming hum distracts you for just a moment before you start mixing your coffee just the way you like it. “You would lose a very loyal customer, Morales. I’d have to start getting my coffee at Weston’s.”

Frankie’s scoff brings the smile back to your face, as it’s obvious that neither of you will live up to your threats. “Besides, you know I can’t survive a day without the elixir of life, and yours is the best in town.”

“Of course it’s the best, I’m just saying that your heart may soon explode from caffeine intake.”

“And what a sweet, sweet death that will be, my friend. Keep’em coming.”

Frankie has to bite his lip to hide a smile, distracting himself by adjusting the cap on his head so it sits backward. The former pilot may maintain a grumpy exterior at times, but you’ve become a bright spot in his day and your bickering never holds any heat. Another customer needs a refill so he leaves you to your ‘elixir of life’ and heads over, making rounds about the diner to make sure everybody’s happy. When he comes back to the front of the counter, there’s a mop of curly brown hair sticking up behind the thing, a rustling noise being heard from beneath.

“Evie?” At her father’s questioning tone, there’s a bump against the underside of the counter, a muffled “ouch” making its way to his ears. A sigh leaves his lips as his daughter stands from her crouched position, brown eyes locking with his. “You alright, mija?” A quiet “yes” is his answer, so he has to ask the question on his mind. “And why were you crawling around on the floor of the diner?”

A quiet chuckle leaves your lips as the young girl looks shyly at her father, then at you, before answering. “I was looking for my book. I can’t find it, and I thought I might’ve left it back here.”

Evie has so many books that Frankie can’t keep up sometimes, but before he can ask which one she’s looking for in particular, you pipe up beside him. “I think I saw The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in the library at the inn. Is that the one you’re looking for?”

“Yes!” She brightens, eyes wide. “I must have left it when I was doing homework there the other day.”

“If you want you can come to the inn and grab your book after school, and I can make some homemade hot chocolate just for you. If your dad is okay with it, of course.”

Two sets of eyes turn to Frankie questioningly, and he couldn’t say no even if he wanted to. “Of course you can go, sweetheart.”

“Thank you, daddy!” She leans across the counter and kisses him on the cheek. “Thank you Y/N.”

“Anytime, sweetie,” you giggle, her cheery attitude infectious.

Frankie looks at the clock on the wall above the counter before addressing his daughter. “Why don’t you go grab your backpack and I’ll walk you to school?”

Evie hums in affirmation and makes her way into the apartment that she and Frankie live in above the diner to continue getting ready for the day. Frankie watches her go before turning to you, only to notice you down the rest of your coffee.

“Do you want one to go?”

“Do you even have to ask?” Your teasing smirk turns into a grateful smile as Frankie steps back behind the counter and pulls out a styrofoam cup with a lid, filling it with the caffeine that you crave. “You’re too kind to me, Francisco.”

“It’s not on the house if that’s what you’re gunning for,” he teases and you fake a pout.

“It never hurts to try, does it?” You stand from your stool, pulling your coat tight around you and reaching for the full cup in front of you. “I’ll settle my tab later. Do you want me to walk Evie back here, or do you wanna pick her up tonight?”

“You’re gonna be here for dinner anyways, I know you’re too tired to cook for yourself after the Friday brunch special. You can just bring her with you if it’s not too much trouble.”

"Your daughter? Trouble? Please,” you laugh it off. Evie was really a perfect child, you and her have gotten along famously since the beginning. Frankie chuckles, nodding along because of course you’re right. “I’ve gotta head to work. I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, have a good day,” he waves you away with a small smile, picking up a cloth to wipe down the counter as he waits for Evie to return downstairs.

A long sigh escapes you as you sink into your seat in the diner, your back relieved to sit after running around the kitchen most of the day. Evie settles into the chair across from yours, copying your sigh and both of you make eye contact before bursting into giggles, smiles on both of your faces. Frankie finds you like that, and he can’t help the way his lips twitch up at the sight.

He makes a show of pulling out his order pad and pencil, rolling up his sleeves in the process. “Ah, my two best customers. What can I get for you?”

You hum thoughtfully, opening the menu and observing it as if you haven’t eaten here multiple times a week for years now. “I’m not sure, what would the chef recommend?”

“Well, the daily special is-”

Frankie is cut off as you snap the menu shut, placing it on the table before folding your hands overtop of it decisively. “On second thought, I’ll have the lobster. What say you, madam?” You look toward Evie still across from you, an eyebrow raised and she plays along.

“I believe that the filet mignon and foie gras will do for tonight. And we shan’t forget a chocolate souffle for the table.” The eleven-year-old provides an astounding performance, a posh accent accompanying her words.

The two of you make eye contact for a split second, and your pretenses drop as you once again dissolve into laughter. Frankie only rolls his eyes, accustomed to your antics, though he doesn’t bother to hide the chuckles you elicit. “You two are ridiculous. Burgers and fries it is, then?”

“Why of course, my good sir. And a diet coke for me, please.” He nods and walks away, putting your order in the window and checking on his other guests.

When he comes back to the dining room after speaking with the line cook about another order, there’s someone occupying one of the seats at your table. Your laugh rings out through the diner as Benny, one of Frankie’s old friends, occupies your attention, and Frankie overhears the story being told as he approaches.

“-and suddenly we have to book it out of the river and leave our clothes on the bank. We end up stranded in the jungle, every one of us buck a-”

“Not in front of the kid, Miller,” Frankie chastises as he claps a hand on his friend’s shoulder in greeting.

Benny just laughs as you lean in and murmur conspiratorially, “but you’ll fill me in on the rest later, right?”

“You know it,” and he sends a wink your way as you lean back in your seat, a satisfied smile on your face.

Frankie hears a call go out from the kitchen window that order’s up, and after returning to your table with two plates of food, he takes the last empty chair. You and Evie dig into your food as he talks with his old friend for a few minutes. “When is Will coming in?”

“Tomorrow afternoon. I tried to get him to drive in with me tonight but he decided not to leave his new fiancee until he has to,” Benny rolls his eyes at his brother’s sappy attitude but you and Frankie can tell that he’s happy for him.

The pilot nods, “Pope texted me a little while ago, he’s on his way now.” With a thought coming to him, Frankie grabs your attention with an utterance of your name. “Are you still good with girl’s night?”

With an eager nod, you take a sip of your drink before answering. “Absolutely. I’m already set up for snacks and drinks, and I’ll be scouring my movie collection tonight to find something for us to watch.”

The boys hum in acknowledgment but Evie just laughs softly. “You know we’ll just watch the same thing as always.”

It’s sort of a tradition. Frankie’s best friends from the service don’t live that far away from each other, so every few months they meet up in one of their towns. While they catch a fight or simply hang out and get drinks, you offer to watch Evie, and your weekends together have evolved into binge-a-thons of junk food snacks and cheesy old horror movies.

“And what about it? You know we both have a soft spot for the classics.”

You finish your dinner, fully entertained by the lively conversation, which is only heightened when Santiago arrives at the diner. He and Benny end up eating as well and keeping Frankie on his toes between tables with stories. You might have heard them a half-dozen times before over the years, but you still enjoy the hell out of them, the reminiscences getting even spicier after Evie goes to bed for the night.

Your long workday gets to you eventually and by the time you’re stifling your fourth yawn in five minutes, your company starts to notice.

“You look like you’re ready for bed,” Frankie points out softly.

You hum in acknowledgment, shrugging your shoulders. “I could just drink a cup of-”

“You are not getting any more coffee today, and that’s final.”

“Fine, fine,” you assent to his good-natured firmness.

“C’mon hermosa, I’ll drive you home on my way to the inn. You reserved a room for me, right?” At Pope’s question, you nod.

“‘Course I did, Santi. Can’t have you sleeping on the streets, now can I?”

Santi snorts and stands from his chair, grabbing his jacket off the back of it and tugging it on. “I think if it came down to it, I’d rather bunk with you for the night.” His comment is paired with a cheeky wink and you roll your eyes with a laugh.

“As if you would be invited to bunk with me, sweetheart.”

Santi clutches his chest with mock hurt. “You wound me!”

You smile before bringing a hand up to hide another yawn, and Santiago nods his head to the door. “Alright drama queen, let’s go before I fall asleep on my feet.” You turn to address the rest of your small group, “I’ll see you guys tomorrow! Benny, you didn’t forget your room key again did you?”

A momentary look of panic crosses the man’s face as he pats his pockets before finding the object. “Ah! Got it,” he says proudly, showing it to you.

You shake your head with a laugh at Benny and his forgetfulness. “Alright, goodnight everybody.”

Frankie makes sure the kitchen is clean and everything put away before sending the staff home for the night, the last remaining customer his sometimes-pain-in-the-ass friend. He’s just finished wiping down the other tables and grabbed the salt and pepper shakers to refill, taking a seat across from Benny when the other man looks up from his phone.

“So when are you finally gonna boss up and ask Y/N on a date?”

Frankie’s head bobs like a toy as he looks up at the unexpected words, his brow furrowing a second later. “Pardon?”

Benny stretches his legs out, leaning back in his chair in a relaxing stance. “You heard me. You two would be perfect together, and it’s not hard to see that you’ve got it bad for her.”

Frankie just stares at Benny, unamused eyes fixed on his face for a moment before he sighs, taking the cap off his head and rubbing a hand down his forehead tiredly. “I don’t have time to kill you right now Benny, come back later.”

“She’s got it bad for you, too.” Frankie’s head whips up at this, a hopeful gleam in his eyes, and Benny continues talking. “Look, you both have feelings for each other, you see each other every day, and her and your kid get along famously. And everybody knows you’re going to end up together. Last time I was here I even heard her neighbor and that Kirk guy making a bet on which one of you would make the first move.”

Frankie mutters something about “town gossips” under his breath.

“I want you to be happy, man,” Benny says genuinely, the mood shifting.

“I am happy,” Frankie defends gently.

“But not as happy as you could be. I just think you should go for it, tell Y/N how you feel.” Benny stands from the table, clapping Frankie on the back and pulling his friend into a hug when he does the same. “Somethin’ to think about. I’ll see you tomorrow, man.”

Frankie locks the door to the diner behind Benny as he leaves, flipping the old-fashion open sign to closed. Turning around to lean his back against the door, he closes his eyes, considering the possible outcomes for doing exactly what his friend said. It could end awkwardly with neither of you knowing how to act around each other and you avoiding his diner like the plague. Or, the more attractive prospect, it could lead to something he had only imagined, a life with you by his side.

“Somethin’ to think about,” he repeats to himself, making his way to the apartment upstairs to get ready for bed.

“Everett Amaya Morales, I cannot believe you just said that!” When she only shrugs at you, a brow raised with as much sass as an eleven-year-old can muster, you scoff and cross your arms over your chest in slight indignation. “So you would rather wax Bigfoot’s legs than give Frankenstein’s Monster a makeover?”

She looks at you as if it’s an obvious answer, but to you, it’s anything but. “Yeah! Aren’t you curious how much there is?”

“Oh, there’s twelve pounds of leg hair at least, but I would be afraid for my own safety! One bad rip and Squatch could rip my arm off. Frankenstein’s Monster, on the other hand, has daddy issues and no friends, and I for one think that doing his makeup would be a very good bonding experience. Besides, how do you know that Bigfoot wants their legs waxed?”

“How do you know they don’t,” is her rebuttal.

You sigh theatrically, shoulders deflating in defeat. “Ah, yes, the Sasquatch don’t live by societal gender roles.”

When Evie simply laughs at your reply, you stick your tongue out at her and she returns the gesture before collapsing back against the arm of the couch.

“How could I eat so much takeout and still want ice cream?”

“Well you’re in luck, my friend. I went by the ice cream section when I was at the market earlier, and since I know it’s your favorite, I happened to grab a tub of cookies and cream.”

She looks up at the mention of her favorite flavor. “Extra chunky oreo?”

“Only the best for you, dear,” you respond and laugh as she only throws her arms over her face dramatically.

“But I’m still so full!”

“Eh, the ice cream melts in your stomach and fills in the cracks between all the other food. You’ll be fine.”

Poking her head up from the couch, she looks at you disbelievingly. Or like you’re crazy. Or both. “Yeah...I don’t think the digestive system works like that.”

“Oh it definitely doesn’t, that’s just something my great uncle used to say so we wouldn’t judge him for eating ice cream after a big dinner. That side of the family is obsessed with frozen treats. I, unfortunately, inherited that gene.”

“So…..ice cream?”

“Ice cream,” you concur, getting up to grab some bowls of the sweet stuff for the two of you to eat on the couch as you resume the movie that was interrupted by your earlier disagreement.

You must nod off because you wake to your phone alerting you to a new text. It’s Frankie, telling you that he’s on his way to your place to pick Evie up. Door’s unlocked, you reply as an invitation to come inside when he gets here.

You’re only half paying attention to the television when Frankie lets himself in, shutting the door quietly behind himself so as to not disturb movie night. You meet his eyes and nod your head toward Evie, who fell asleep in a pile of blankets on the floor a little while ago, and in the dim light from the tv, you see his eyes soften with a smile.

“She’s out cold,” you murmur when he gets closer to you. You pat the couch next to you, noticing the way he seems a little tired after his night out. “Boys night end early?”

Frankie looks at his watch, squinting to read the time in the low light. “It’s two am.”

“Ah,” you yawn. “That must be why I’m so sleepy.”

Frankie chuckles quietly, accepting the silent invitation to sit down with you. When you scoot closer to him on the couch bringing your fuzzy blanket with you, he can’t help but breathe you in, enjoying this moment, Frankie reaches for your hand that’s now wrapped comfortably around his arm, rubbing circles across the back of it with his thumb.

You watch the movie in comfortable silence for a little while, only half paying attention, before you break it. “D’you have fun tonight?”

Frankie hums an affirmative, leaning his head over on yours against his shoulder as he does so. “Did my two favorite girls have a good time watching terrible movies?” Your comment about bad movies being the backbone for modern cinema dies in your throat when Frankie’s words sink in. His two favorite girls? Plural?

You look up at him, eyes soft, and you know that if he looked down at you right now he would be able to see the adoration on your face, so you press your head further into his shoulder. “The two of us always have a good time.”

Unbeknownst to you, Frankie is watching you with the same adoration on his face, as he can’t help but thank whatever higher powers that he and Evie found you in this little town. As he feels his chest swell with warm feelings, he thinks once again of what Benny said. If Frankie confesses his feelings for you and you don’t reciprocate, things may get awkward, but if you feel the same and he never finds out, he could hardly live with it. Besides, as he spends time with you, Frankie has a suspicion that your feelings may be on the same plane as his.

Frankie’s hand that’s been moving circles across yours stops, and instead, he grips your hand in his, surrounding it with warmth. You turn your face back to Frankie’s and meet his eyes, and the breath hitches in your chest at how close the two of you are. “I think you and I would have a good time too.”

His deep voice in your ear sends a shiver down your spine and your lips turn upward in a gentle smile. “Yeah?” Your voice sounds breathy to you, but you can’t find it in you to care when he’s looking at you like that.

“Yeah,” when Frankie’s nose brushes against yours, you can’t hold in the sigh that leaves your lips, your eyes closing in contentment. When he speaks again, Frankie’s breath ghosts over your lips, and warmth fills you.

“The guys were asking about spending the day with Evie tomorrow, they wanna have some time with their niece before they leave.” You hum softly, prompting him to keep talking. “I was thinking that while they do...it would be nice for the two of us to do something together.”

“Like a date,” you ask, your eyes opening once again. You’d hate to bring that up and be wrong, but your need for confirmation outweighs the risk of possible embarrassment.

When he nods, your fears dissipate and a smile lights up his face in the dark. “Definitely like a date.”

You bite your lip, looking down as your face warms, but Frankie reaches a hand to cup your chin, a silent encouragement to meet his eyes. The heat you find in them permeates you, and you find yourself nodding shallowly. “I’d love to go on a date with you, Francisco.”

“Yeah?” Frankie finds himself asking this time, his heart picking up speed at your affirmative repetition.

With a kiss placed oh so delicately to your forehead as if he’s reassuring himself that you feel the same way, Frankie turns back to the awful movie currently flashing across the tv screen. You follow suit, content to discuss the details of your date with Frankie later, a smile spreading across your cheeks even as you try to suppress it. With Frankie’s hand now back to holding yours and your head on his shoulder, you doze off, the presence of your two favorite people a comfort. And even in your dreams, you can’t wait to go on a date with your grumpy diner owner.

Me, writing another single father AU with one of my favorite characters even though I don't want kids? It's more likely than you think! This idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while (a la Luke and Lorelai except a little different) and I'm glad I finally let it out for y'all. If you enjoyed it, please let me know! And I'd love your recommendations for which Pedro or Oscar character I should write for next. Thank you lovelies for reading!

If you’d like to be notified when I post something new, message me or send an ask and I’ll add you to any one of my tag lists 💜 (I'll be reforming my tag list, so I'm not tagging anybody this time!)

[corvus--rex]

Semi-abandoned soulmate au. I actually started this one before The Sound of Color, although this is vastly different from that one. This particular au also doesn't have the requirement that soulmates are always romantic (ie Pidge and their soulmate). It jumps around a little, and those sections are marked with dividers. Soulmate strangers-to-lovers. . .

~*~*~*~

Soulmarks. Everyone had one. An indelible mark that bound two people together. Age 13 was when it would start. The mark “waking up” as some called it, and reaching out for its companion mark. Most soulmates were within a few years of each other, so the lingering tingle of a mark searching for its mate usually didn’t last long.

Lance was lucky that way. His mark sprang to life on his thirteenth birthday and quieted three months later. There was no way to know who or where his soulmate was at that point, but he knew they were three months younger than him. He had been getting ready for school that day when the constant tingle in his mark faded.

He’d always liked the quarter note-shaped mark on the inside of his left wrist. What confused him were the numbers that circled it. No two marks were the same, and Lance knew that his soulmate would have something different. But those numbers confused him. 1030211933. Trying to figure it out was a favorite pastime throughout middle and high school, but he never could get there. He hadn’t met his soulmate yet, but he hoped that it would make sense when he did.

Once two marks found each other, the secondary connection opened. The marks on the soul allowed for marks on the body. Words, doodles, full-blown artwork. Drawing or writing on skin would appear on a connected soulmate. Once Lance’s mark had connected, the first thing he did was ask his soulmate about the numbers. They didn’t know either. But he did find out that his soulmate’s mark sat on their right hip, it was a feather, and they didn’t have those numbers but they did have a series of roman numerals along the feather’s shaft that read:

X X X X X X I X I X X X X I I I

They continued to talk for years, learning about each other. They had decided not to share identifying information like names or location, but Lance knew that his soulmate had a twin and that their parents had adopted their cousin when their cousin’s parents died in an accident. They didn’t know anything about the accident because they’d been too young at the time and no one had explained it since. Lance told them that he had three siblings, that he was a twin, too, and that his older sister connected with her soulmate the same day he had.

He lay in his bed in the dorm he shared with his best friend Hunk, rereading the last message his soulmate had sent him about how college sucked and how they already had an in-class performance a month into the semester. He’d responded with a note about how trying to balance classes with rehearsals as the lead in his school’s fall musical was kicking his ass. Lance already knew that his soulmate was studying music at a college close to where they grew up. And they knew that he was majoring in theatre at a college a three-hour drive from home.

Hunk trudged into their dorm room and threw himself onto his bed. “Remind me again why I decided this was a good idea?” he groaned.

“Which part?” Lance asked in return.

“The part where I decided to be a pastry chef and subject myself to the hell that is the one professor I can’t get away from?”

“Because you love baking and always have and one asshole can’t make you hate doing what you love.”

“I swear she just likes to terrorize us. There’s that guy I told you about – Sal, the one I had a class with freshman year and he transferred to general culinary and now he’s back – she hates him. And I don’t know why. But then, she hates me, too. Pretty sure it’s that bun. It’s so tight she doesn’t need a face lift. But I’m also convinced that Chef Dayak is just evil.”

“Hey, at least you have Shay there with you. Not everyone gets to have their soulmate in class with them all day,” Lance pointed out.

“How’s it with yours?” Hunk asked.

“We’re working our way up to talking about meeting. I know I wanted to wait until after graduation, but I’m getting impatient, y’know? It’s been eight years and I don’t want to wait anymore. But I get that they do. So…yeah. Anyway,” he said, shaking himself out of that particular spiral, “You going to the Halloween party this year?”

“Dude! It’s a month away!”

Lance sat up, turning to his best friend, one eyebrow arched. “Seriously? You say this like there’s such a thing as too early. And no, it’s only three weeks. We need to start now.”

Hunk groaned again, this time in only partial exasperation, and sat up. “Fine. The fuck are you planning this year?”

Lance just laughed. Hunk threw a pillow at him, collapsing in his own fit of giggling when a startled Lance took the pillow directly to the face. Lance’s alarm sounded, loud and annoying. He groaned, throwing Hunk’s pillow back, and fumbled for his phone to turn the blaring sound off.

“Fuck me. I have to get to rehearsal.”

In an apartment just off campus, Keith stopped playing and pulled the pencil out of his hair, making yet another correction to his scribbled sheet music. He started over, again, ignoring the key in the door and his roommate coming back in. He ignored their slight form dropping their overpacked backpack on the floor and throwing themselves onto the other end of the couch with their laptop and notebook. Keith was too focused on his music to pay much attention to Pidge.

Except that Pidge wanted his attention right then. “Hey. Asshole,” they said, throwing a ball of notebook paper at him.

“Yes, hellspawn?” he asked casually, setting his guitar on its stand by the couch, “What the fuck do you want?”

“I’m on the committee for the party. You’re coming,” they said while typing away on their laptop.

“No. I’m not. I don’t go to parties, and you know it. Why the fuck are you so determined for me to go?”

Pidge looked up, fixing him with their stare. “Because I said so. And because Matt’s going to be there. His girlfriend’s going too. You actually like Neve. So you’re going.”

“Including you, that’s three people I’d be willing to talk to. Why should I bother?” he stopped, a dreaded thought sparking as to why they were so hellbent on his going to the party. “It’s because it’s a week after my birthday, isn’t it?”

“What? You mean that thing you ignore every year except for the proliferation of doodles from your soulmate? Why would that have anything to do with it?”

“I'm still not going,” Keith insisted.

“We’ll see about that,” Pidge answered cryptically. They went back to their laptop, typing furiously. They stayed that way, ignoring Keith’s death glare until he gave up and went back to his music.

Eventually, Keith decided that the music portion of his brain was fried and gave up for the night. Pidge was buried in their laptop, writing a paper for their robotics class at top speed. Ignoring them for the moment, Keith opened his own laptop, going back to the English assignment he still hadn’t finished. It was due by the next class, which was two days away, but he’d been putting it off for longer than that. He typed lazily at it for a while before a horrible thought hit him and he realized that his previous assessment had been wrong. He glared up at Pidge over his screen.

“She’s going, isn’t she?” he asked.

“Who?” Pidge asked back, pretending they didn’t know what he meant.

“You know who.”

“If you’re referring to your sister, then yes, she is.”

Keith sighed. “Just because she knows who her soulmate is now, that doesn’t mean that you’re right. Mine could be literally anyone.”

Pidge closed their laptop. “And you’re in denial. I can not believe that your twin sister happens to have a soulmate who has a younger brother who is also a twin and his soulmate has a twin. The odds of that happening are so small as to be inconceivable! Not to mention the part where Acxa’s soulmate and her brother both connected with theirs on the same day.”

“Ok, I’ll give you that it’s weird. But you don’t know anything about Acxa’s soulmate’s siblings, and neither does she. And not everyone’s met theirs yet. You haven’t! All you know is their handle on Steam!”

“So? I also know that Beezer’s on the other side of the country. I know that we won’t get to meet in person until after graduation. All I'm saying is that this is a little too weird to be a coincidence.”

“And I’m not going to let you harass my sister’s soulmate about her siblings on the day they’re meeting face to face for the first time. Leave it alone, Pidge.”

“Fine,” they said, going back to their paper.

Keith knew full well that Pidge would not leave it alone, but there was only so much he could do to stop them.

A few days later, Lance dragged his twin sister, Hunk, and Shay to the nearest Halloween pop-up costume store. None of them had found anything they liked, and Lance was getting bored. Shay had wandered off to the decoration part of the store, and Hunk was making sure the twins didn’t get into trouble. But Hunk had gotten briefly distracted and lost them.

“Jules no.” Ah, there was Lance.

“Jules yes.” And his sister.

“Are you two still arguing?” Hunk asked as he approached the twins.

“Hunk,” Lance said, putting his hands on Hunk’s shoulders, “She wants us to be the Wonder Twins again. I absolutely refuse. We did that once when we were like nine.” He felt something hit his back and whipped around to find his sister holding a Wonder Twins costume. “Ana Julieta Alameda-McClain, get that fucking thing away from me.”

“Oh, fine. You’re no fun,” Jules pouted. She put it back, then turned around, spotting something else. “Ooh! Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch?”

“What the fuck – no! I’m never going Halloween shopping with you again. You’re on your own,” Lance said, wandering off and taking Hunk with him.

Hunk was laughing. “Why do you keep letting her do this, dude?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, I say we go over to The Costume Company. I think I’m done with mass-produced crap.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll go find Shay and meet up with you two at the car,” Hunk agreed, heading in the direction he’d last seen Shay.

Lance reluctantly went back to his sister. “We’re going to The Costume Company,” he said without getting her attention.

“Hm? Ok,” Jules answered, not paying attention to her twin.

“Bye, then.” He started to leave without her, getting halfway down the aisle of the Halloween pop-up before she realized what he’d said.

“Lance! Get back here, you ass!” she yelled after him.

He ignored her as payback for her insistence on twin costumes and kept going. She chased him all the way to his car, where Hunk and Shay were already waiting. Lance finally lost his composure, cracking up when he reached his waiting friends.

“Leandro. Alejandro. Alameda. McClain. I am going to kill you,” Jules growled while out of breath from chasing him.

“No you won’t,” he said, “Mamá would kill you in return.”

Shay saw her opportunity and took it. “Shotgun!” she announced, hopping into the passenger seat.

“Shay, I love you,” Hunk said, getting in behind Lance, effectively separating the twins.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Acxa, just promise me you won’t give in to Pidge. They’re being totally insufferable with this,” Keith said. He lay on his bed, earbuds connected to the call he was on with his twin.

“You know me better than that. Gremlin won’t get shit out of me. And she’s not getting anywhere near V at the party."

~*~*~*~

Links to the rest of the series:

1 | 2 | 3* | 4 | 5* | 6* | 7 | 8 | 9* | 10 | 11 | 12* | 13 | 14 | 15* | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19*

[shirtlesssammy]

5x12: Swap Meat

At a bar, a woman sits alone, enjoying her margarita, when one Sam Fucking Winchester wanders over and asks the barkeep ---NOT at all awkwardly--for a banana daiquiri. He’s either deep undercover or something is seriously hinky. There’s a lot of sugar in banana daiquiris, Sam. Crystal introduces herself and Sam introduces himself as Gary! She then propositions him, much to his cluelessness. 

The poor dumb boy puts it together and “would love to have the sex with [her].” We then pan over to see Sam REALLY isn’t Sam at all.

Housatonic, Massachusetts

36 Hours Earlier

Sam and Dean visit Donna, an old babysitter --well, she was a maid at a motel they’d stay at while John went hunting. She looked out for them. It seems that her family house has a poltergeist problem. Bumps and broken items have led to the thing attacking their daughter, Katie. 

Katie lifts her shirt to reveal “Murderd Chylde” carved into her abdomen. I'd get some serious vaseline on those wounds if you don’t want scarring, Katie. Yeesh. Sam and Dean tell the family to skedaddle while they take care of things. 

They stop at a diner for food next. Dean picks up their order from the counter from Banana Daiquiri Gary! He’s not impressed with Sam’s salad shake, and neither is Dean (but when is he ever?) 

They talk about Donna and how she’s got a good thing going. Dean asks Sam if he’d want to settle down at all and have a family, and Sam answers, “no.” Dean looks contemplative about it. 

Sam finds lore on the house. A Samuel Pickett owned the house in the 1700s and hung a woman, Maggie Briggs, there for witchcraft. As the brothers talk, we watch Gary hyperfixate on Sam. 

Sam goes to check out the town’s archives for where Maggie Briggs was buried. As he’s walking back to the motel, he hears a noise and then gets shot in the neck with a dart. Lights out, Sammy. 

He comes to later, wearing Gary’s work uniform. He starts walking but the cops pick him up claiming his family is worried about him. “My brother called you?” Sam asks, incredulous. 

No. The cops take him to a suburban house where a worried couple pops out and hugs Sam in relief. He asks who they are and in return they want to know if he’s drunk. 

They keep calling him Gary. It’s then that Sam looks in the window of the cop car --and sees his reflection. He looks like Gary!

Meanwhile, Gary is checking out his hot new bod. Dean shows up and wonders where he’s been. Gary placates him with food. He also tells Dean that the maid saw all their weapons and they better get out of there. While Dean uses the restroom, Gary gets rid of all Dean’s phones. 

THEN he has the NERVE to ask to drive. He doesn’t get far. And quite frankly, Dean’s spidey sense should be spiking through the ceiling at this point. 

Sam keeps trying to reach his brother, with no luck. He calls the motel to learn that the two dudes in room 102 left in the middle of the night. So, Sam starts digging through Gary’s stuff and discovers items of witchcraft. Before he can dig too much further though, he’s called to the family breakfast. 

His “dad” starts grilling him about getting drunk the night before. Sam’s got better things to worry about than placating some dude he doesn’t know. He also needs to learn more about Gary, so he starts interviewing the family about what they've noticed in him lately. 

The dad wants to know if Sam’s “smoking drugs”. Sam then asks if they’ve ever seen him with a black book recently. His sister, Sydney, reacts to that question. The mom reacts to him eating toast --his allergy to wheat gluten!! 

Sydney later reveals to Sam that there IS a book.

Gary and Dean are still working the case. Dean informs Gary that they have to search graves for Maggie’s body. Nerd of Nerd’s Gary knows exactly where Maggie Briggs is buried: Isiah Pickett’s basement. He also reveals that he murdered her and her unborn child before burying them in the basement. Dean connects the ‘murderd chylde’ clue. 

Once in the car, Bob Seger starts blasting, and Gary tells Dean to turn it up. 

Sam continues to leave messages for Dean. He ALSO has to navigate the tortures of high school again. Sam meets two of Gary’s friends and asks where his locker is (he’s still drunk, after all). 

For This is a Look TM Science:

(And let’s pause for a moment to enjoy Sam’s striped hoodie. Definitely one of the top 5 wardrobe choices on this show.) 

He finds the book in the back of Gary’s locker. 

Gary and Dean find the grave in the basement of the Pickett house. Dean gets to digging while Gary aims his gun at Dean. Before he can shoot, the ghost comes out to play. It starts beating up the both of them but Gary’s able to burn the bones.

Gary’s extremely nosy friends follow Sam out of the school. While it looks like we’re gearing up for some good ol’ Ferris Bueller shenanigans, Trevor shoots Sam in the throat (GAH) with a sedative dart. 

Meanwhile, at a bar, Dean orders a burger with extra bacon and a fried egg on top. Excuse me...I need to go eat an entire branchbouquet of kale in retaliation. Mysteriously, Sam orders the same thing. “Who are you and what have you done with my brother?” Dean asks. But it’s just a lighthearted comment and they raise a toast to a successful hunt.

Gary’s over the moon overabout the day he just had. His joy makes Dean suspicious the way nothing else has. Oh, you sweet sad sunflowers. Gary lays out Sam Winchester’s happiness list: 1) gun 2) getting drunk 3) looks like Sam Winchester.

“You ever feel like your whole future is being decided for you?” Gary asks. OH YES, Dean tells him. I forget for a minute that I’m watching a season 5 episode as the Dean-Winchester-feels-trapped-in-the-narrative-sorrow threatens to overwhelm me. But there areis no time for FEELINGS when the narrative must go on! Cut to later in the night, when Gary gets picked up by the woman in the bar from the cold open. Dean puts his thinking face on while Gary ecstatically leaves the bar. 

Back at Kid Kidnapperz clubhouse, Sam’s tied up. Trevor calls Gary and asks him if he’s killed Dean yet. “I’m working up to it,” Gary replies while sitting shirtless under a leopard print bedspread in the cougar’s lair. (Just...no on SO MANY LEVELS.) Sam listens to this with great alarm.

Sam demands to know how these rando teenagers know Dean. “Everybody knows Dean. He’s Hell’s most wanted,” Trevor retorts. Sam puts two and two together and comes up with a coupla dumb kids who took a deep dive into witchcraft and started talking to demons. 

“You’re just kids,” Sam laments. Trevor and Nora fill in more blanks. They were messing around with a Moste Dark Booke of Witchcraftery, as one does, and suddenly Gary went into a trance and drew a fairly decent picture of Dean. Gary also heard a voice - it was setting a bounty on Dean’s head, and apparently broadcast through the witch trance network.

Gary heard a voice in his head - it was setting a bounty on Dean’s head, and apparently broadcast through the witch trance network. Nora now has second thoughts, so Trevor ups his stupidity game and starts to summon a demon. 

That night, Gary creeps into the motel room and grabs Dean’s gun up from a nearby chair. He cocks the pistol. . He aims it at the shape under the covers...and Dean grabs him from behind and demands to know who he really is. (Silly Gary, Dean stopped sleeping under covers after he got back from Hell.)

Back in Trevor’s basement, he finishes the demon summoning. Nora looks up with black eyes.

She’s very interested to learn that they’ve got Dean Winchester in their sights. Trevor tells her where Dean is immediately. She absorbs this and swings her attention to Sam. She realizes it’s Sam “Boy King of Hell” Winchester sitting there and is suddenly VERY interested. Trevor asks her where his reward is, and when he pushes for it she first taunts, then kills him. (All the while Sam is in the background GRINDING HIS TEETH.)

Gary weeps, tied up in the motel room while Dean listens to voicemail after voicemail from Sam. Gary babbles about Sam’s whereabouts but it’s too late. Demon!Nora saunters in and lobs Dean across the room. Wherps. She offers Gary a powerful future but first he’s got to meet “the boss.” All he has to do is say “Yes” and they can have a nice chat together! Very sneaky! Dean attacks her while she’s cooking up her big plan and then Gary and Dean tag team an exorcism, freeing Nora of the demon. Later, Gary performs the incantation to swap bodies with Sam again. (I shake my head yet again that THIS is the ONLY body swap episode we got in the whole fifteen season run. What a goddamn waste of comedy potential.

With Sam restored to normal (or as normal as a Winchester can get), Dean confronts Gary. He tells him that if he were just a little older, he’d be dead right now. With those comforting parting words, they bring Gary and Nora back to their lives. Sam tells Gary to quit his whining about his life. It’s possible to rebel in a “healthy, non-satanic way.” Furthermore, he tells Gary that he wishes he had his life. Once the kids are out of earshot, Dean comments on Sam’s kind words. “Totally lied. Kid’s life sucked ass.” The apple-pie family crap is stressful, Sam decides. 

Maybe they just don’t know what they’re missing, Dean rejoins, and I calmly tie an anvil around my ankle and drop it off a cliff into a dramatically large canyon. 

They head out into the rainy night...to fight another day!

Doppelquöter:

You ever think that you'd want something like that? Wife, rugrats, the whole nine?

No matter how much you fight it, you can't stop the plan. The stupid, stupid plan

Um, I wouldn't exactly call praying to our dark overlord “goofing around”

 Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

[oureuphoria]

Worst of You - JJK 01

You meet him under horrible circumstances but that doesn’t stop you from developing a very abnormal and completely unsolicited crush on your local hot police officer™. Too bad you have a bitch of a best friend, anxiety and an inability to learn from your mistakes which cripples your chances to be with the man of your literal dreams. Oh, and he has a lifetime’s worth of baggage at 23.  Or “I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong.” “Cool, I’ll let everyone know that you’re moving in then.”

Genre: fluff, angst, comedy 

Pairing: officer!jungkook X collegestudent!reader

Word count: 2.2k

Warnings: Mentions of violence (stab wound), mentions of anxiety, swearing

Note: I was watching B99 and I was like ‘Woah, Jungkook would be a hot cop,’ and now we’re here. 

| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 |

If someone had asked you to write a novel about the adventures of your life, it would be extremely thin. Not from your lack of experiences (although it is a pressing factor) but more so from your inability to think about yourself for longer than 3 minutes without feeling sick. You were not a particularly hateful person, especially not towards yourself, but you were an active and anxious thinker and your mind was often boggled with thoughts about what you could’ve or have done wrong and it was exasperating.

For example, occasionally, your professors would allow students to spectate professional research experiments and that month, you were selected (out of pity because Alex was selected and the Professor knew she was your only friend). You knew this was supposed to be an “interesting learning experience” but it was a complete and utter bore. At first you’d convinced yourself it was only boring because you were hungry, then you began to realise it was boring because your singular braincell could not comprehend such complex material on an empty stomach.

So, you left the room to go to McDonald’s, for educational purposes of course. That was where you went wrong because instead of peacefully enjoying your McChicken you were dealing with your phone which was blowing up with messages from Alex about how you were missing ever so much from the research lab. However, it seemed to you that perfectly cut fries were more interesting than watching microscopic cells bounce around in a microscope for an hour.

It turned out that watching microscopic cells bounce around in a microscope for an hour was worth a lot of credits and you wallowed in self-pity for the mere 24-hours that followed that realisation.

You had fucked up once again, only three days after witnessing all 3 minutes of the splendid research experiment. It was a Saturday and you were standing outside your dorm building watching a student yell at a stray cat. It was around 2 in the morning and you were sneaking back from your late shift at the convenience store. Usually, you would have been terrified and confused but you were so tired that you violently pinched your arm and blinked rapidly, hoping it was just an illusion. When the peculiar scene didn’t disappear, you realised this was real but it was too late since the man was now sprinting after you across your quiet and empty campus.

Four years ago, if someone had told your 16-year-old self to participate in your P.E classes because you would later be chased by a crazy man at 2am then you surely would’ve listened. But unfortunately, no one had done such a thing and you were beginning to realise just how regrettable that was. Your running performance was mediocre at best, definitely not fast enough to out run this man across an extremely large campus and you were beginning to lose your breath.

Your only option was to quit while you were ahead and either find somewhere to hide or use your very non-existent combat skills to karate kick the man into the other dimension. Naturally, you hid behind the giant administrator building. As you were finally behind the safe confines of the old brick wall you moved to reach for your phone when you heard an alarming scream. As much as your brain wanted to relish in the relief that the scream wasn’t coming from you, you couldn’t shake the instant guilt. You called the police and tried to sound as reliable as possible but your voice was dripping with fear and you stuttered over your words like a toddler.

Once you were able to clearly see the student, lying on the lawn in pain with what appeared to be a stab wound the guilt completely consumed you but part of you couldn’t even believe this was real. Students woke up from the deafening sounds of sirens and it wasn’t long before this would become a commotion so the officers made quick work of the scene, the ambulance moving him to their van and the police officers continuing their reports. You were asked to go to the station where you would be further questioned by another officer and you didn’t quite understand the need for that escalation but you compiled nonetheless. You didn’t need the police and your conscience to think you were guilty.

You were seated in the backseat of a police car, behind two male officers. Their conversation fell numbly to your ears, your mind already submerged deeply in thought. You didn’t snap out of your trance until the officers repeatedly called for you. “Did you know the boy? The one who was, uh, attacked?” The officer was trying to find the right terms and you commend him for that much, but the last part felt more like an unsure question than a statement and that didn’t sit well with you. “No.” Your answer deadpanned the chance of a conversation, the silence after being the proof. The drive continued for about 3 minutes before you stood at the information desk where you were asked to join the secretary on a walk to the interrogation room. “The officer will be with you shortly. Would you like anything to drink?” She spoke curtly, the annoyed look on her face told you she’d already done this too many times. “No thanks, I’m fine.”

You were confused and guilty and scared. None of this made any sense, you - who never, ever, experienced anything outside your boring routine - was now being questioned for an attack? You were convinced you were borderline insane and that this was just a horrible dream. But, with every tic of the annoying clock on the plain wall behind you, you grew less convinced that this was anything but reality.

“Hello.” The officer walked in, and suddenly you felt like you were in some sick, twisted rom-com because that man might have been the most beautiful man you’d ever seen. You didn’t mean to become distracted but he looked like he’d just walked out of a magic mike production and you were frankly astonished because this had to be a dream. His eyes were dark but they shined in the light beautifully, however the furrow in his eyebrows scared you enough to stop staring at his eyes. His build was clearly very developed, he looked like you could bench press you 40 times over and not even break a sweat. Or maybe he was just really fucking hot.

“My name is Officer Jeon and I’m here to ask you a couple of questions, I don’t want you to feel afraid or pressured, just answer me honestly and you’ll be fine.” Although he’d meant to sound soft and reassuring his words sounded more like an indirect threat. A threat that you heard loud and clear. You gulped quietly, the dryness in your throat mocking you as you recalled rejected the offer for a drink. You nodded when you realised he was expecting an answer but it clearly wasn’t enough. “I need you to use your voice at all times in here, this could be used in court and we need you to be very clear so nothing is misinterpreted. Do you understand?” You wanted to cry. All you’d had in plan for the night was to get to your dorm, eat some 99 cent ramen and go to sleep yet here you were at 3 in the morning in an interrogation room for an attack you weren’t even sure you ‘witnessed’. “Yup.”

“Great, then let’s begin. Can you start by stating your name and age?” “Y/N, L/N. 20.” You nearly stuttered which would have been beyond embarrassing. You seriously couldn’t even manage your own name? “Alright, Miss L/N. Why were you out so late?” You paused for a moment to rehearse your answer but you couldn’t quite get it all out. “I work at a convenience store.” You gestured to your name tag for effect and he nodded, writing something down in his notepad.

“How often do you work there?” The question was irrelevant, unrelated and the first tell-tale sign that you were not a witness; you were a suspect. However, you were too tired to notice. “Twice a week. 4pm-2am.” “You live in the dormitories, correct?” You nodded but he gave you a pointed look that reminded you to use words. “Yes.” “2 shifts a week can’t possibly sustain you. How do you pay your dorm fees?” This was when your tired brain began picking up on the fact that you weren’t just a witness. “I tutor high school kids. It pays enough.” He didn’t reply, just wrote something down in his notepad again - an action which was beginning to make you anxious.

“When you were interrogated by the field officer you told him that you were hiding behind the administration building when you’d heard the victim scream, why were you hiding there?” “I was hiding from the uh, a-attacker.” “How did you encounter him before that?” “I already answered this…” You were visibly nervous which couldn’t have looked very promising. “Then you won’t mind answering again.” His tone was menacing and if you weren’t already very intimidated by his role and demeanour then his strikingly good looks would have done the job. You’ve always been very intimidated by attractive people which proved to an insane burden.

“I was returning to my dorm block when I saw him yelling at a cat, he saw me and began to lunge my way so I started to run but I’m not very good at running so I hid behind the building instead. I was in the process of calling the police when I heard the scream and I didn’t move until the police came.” He seemed unsatisfied with your answer but that was understandable. Your monologue wasn’t confidentially given, you stuttered and stumbled over your words consistently out of anxiety, but he didn’t know that and probably thought you were the very thing you had been running from.

“How did you know that the man chasing you was a student? You said he was in the initial questioning.” “I wasn’t sure. It was 2am and he was standing on a student campus, outside a student dormitory. So, I assumed he was a student.” Your tone was a little vindictive, possibly from the frustration of being labeled as a suspect for a crime you were positive you didn’t commit. “Did you know the student who was attacked?” “No. When can I leave?” The question came out rushed and on impulse but you didn’t care. You were far too tired to. “When I ask all my questions.” You nodded absentmindedly, focusing on the plain table instead.

“You think I did it, don’t you?” Tears were welling up in your eyes but you were too dehydrated to cry.  “Right now you’re only a minor suspect, these are routine questions we have to ask and I really don’t see the issue with them if you’re truly innocent.” That surely shut you up, and made you feel a little stupid. Normally a question like that would never come from you but your exhaustion was taking a toll on your patience, and it was a heavy toll at that. “I’m sorry.” His angry features softened at your shaky voice. “How about we continue this tomorrow. Is 2pm okay for you?” You spaced out again, which was probably why he wanted to continue the interrogation the next day. “Is that okay?” He repeated, this time more pressing, you nodded but were quick to once again correct yourself and mutter a quick “yes” before you grabbed your backpack and suppressed the urge to Naruto run out of the room.

You walked out of the double doors only to be met with the dark night sky and a creeping fear that there was someone following you. You walked home from your shift every Friday and Saturday night and until that day nothing extremely bad had happened. Yet here you were cowardly glancing over your shoulder with every chance you got. You hated walking at night because your paranoia constantly slowed you down and what should’ve been a 10- minute walk turned into a 23-minute walk. It didn’t help that your recent encounter kept replaying in your head, the image of the poor victim on the floor vividly appearing every time you blinked.

As you rolled yourself up in a blanket burrito to escape the dark amiss of the night (more or less your own thoughts), you began to lull yourself into a soft sleep before your roommate, Alex, rudely barged into your room with little concern for your sleep.. “What happened? Why did you leave with the officers? Everyone’s talking about it you know, you’re on everyone’s snapchat story and your clothes really aren’t that flattering.” “A student got attacked and I was the only kind-of witness. The officers wanted to do some further questioning and how many times must I tell you its the uniform.” She sighed in relief before crushing you with a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.” You suffocated under her grasp but you knew better than to try to fight Alex. She left the room to allow you to sleep but not before rambling about how she assumed you had turned into a rogue murderer.

[basicjetsetter]

Part IV

♡ Pairing: Peter Parker x Black!FemaleReader

▹ Warnings: Little angst, Lot of anxiety, Fluff if you squint

▹ Words: 2.8k

▹ A/N: This chapter’s a bit on the short side, but it establishes a lot. Happy reading!

You’re not exactly sure how you pull it off, but you somehow manage to elude Peter for five straight days.

Playing the impromptu game of hide-and-not-be-seen was touch and go for the first two days, mainly because you weren’t sure what time you’d see Peter in the diner’s entrance. All you knew was that he’d show up early, whatever that meant. Almost every chiming bell sent your heart into overdrive, and whenever you thought you saw him, your stomach performed painful somersaults as you mapped out all likely escape routes.

No place in the diner was safe. Hal’s has a pretty simple layout: front entrance, booths to the immediate right, and bar with barstools to the immediate left, all in a shotgun fashion. If one were to try looking for someone, especially from the front entrance, all they’d have to do is marginally widen their field of vision, which is why the first two days were tricky.

The next day after the first run-in, about three hours earlier than his initial arrival, Peter came in through the front door, buddying up with Chris and asking for you.

You were clearing off an unoccupied table, piling dirty plates, when Chris called out, “Hey! How’s it hanging, Peter?” With the stack of dishes still clenched in your hands, you dropped down and crawled under the booth, coming face to face with an unsavory assortment of chewed-up gum underneath the table, holding your breath for dear life. Peter stayed for about ten agonizingly treacherous minutes as Chris failed to locate you.

On the second day, a sluggish Tuesday morning with only four regular patrons at the bar and no one in the booths, Peter had just walked through the entrance as you were coming out of the back, hand-carrying three of Hal’s famous Thin Mint Milkshakes. Without a thought, you spun right around and dashed in the opposite direction, busting through the employee door and colliding straight into Wendy. You’d never seen someone throw such a fit, but then again, you’d be pretty pissed too if someone coated you head-to-toe in milkshake.

That day was… eventful, to say the least, but it gifted you with the best estimate for Peter’s arrivals. Early meant 11:30 a.m. on the dot. Lunch. You tested out the time the next day, waiting behind the employee door and peering out the medium-sized port window. At 11:30 a.m., right on cue, was Peter, dapping Chris and ordering a slice of Banana Cream Pie to-go while also asking for your whereabouts, staying for only half an hour.

He left you a note each time he departed.

Can’t seem to catch you. I’ll try again tomorrow :) – Peter

Is this not a good time for you? I’ll stop by later if you want – Peter

Is everything alright? Text or call anytime you need me. I’ll be there – Peter

From the second note on, you found yourself captivated by his neat little scrawl and the way he always signed his name at the end, as if you’d forget it was him. You’d read them on your way home and right before falling asleep, trying and failing not to picture him smiling at you while you absent-mindedly smiled at his words.

Your friendly boy-next-door is so easy to fall for, but you just can’t do it. You can’t allow yourself to fall. Nobody would be there to pick you back up.

Some nights, you lied awake drafting a message that would effectively convince Peter that things wouldn’t work between you, that you’re a lost cause, and he should probably find some other connection if such a thing exists. But then, unfailingly, you’d think about his concerned little notes and sadly acknowledge that he deserves more than a measly text. After showing up to Hal’s for almost a whole week just to get to know you, Peter deserves the truth.

Your heart is not ready for a Soulmate, and it might not ever be.

By the fifth day, you spend a good chunk of time pondering over the right words to say to Peter while simultaneously hiding in the kitchen, pretending to prepare more fries. You never looked forward to hiding from him, but what other option did you have? Going out there and letting your coworkers and boss know he’s your Soulmate? They wouldn’t shut up about it, especially not Chris, the open romantic.

When your shift ended that day, and you walked up to Chris so he could hand you Peter’s fifth note, he emphatically shook his head.

“On behalf of my new friend, Peter, I can’t in good faith give this to you,” he stated, tucking the folded paper into his back pocket and crossing his arms. “Not until you tell me why you’re dodging him.”

You frowned, crossing your arms too. “It’s really none of your business, Chris.”

“True, but it’s his.” The little dig got to you, making you wince. Chris continued softly, “Look, he won’t tell me what’s up with you two, either. And, trust me, I've asked. It's just... I’m kinda involved now, being the messenger and all, so shouldn’t I know some of the situation?”

“No…?” you hedged.

Chris didn’t budge.

You couldn’t think of a lie on the spot, and a half-truth would only further complicate things. Treading the fine line of what’s too much information and what’s not enough left you frustratingly tongue-tied. What’s specific enough to still be vague? Chris stared at you expectantly with a petulant little lift in his brow, ignoring a customer’s disgruntled calls for a refill in the napkin dispenser. 

In the end, you huffed out a resigned breath and hesitantly admitted, “Peter's someone I knew from high school—a really nice guy.” For Chris’s benefit, you added, “He just likes to check up on me every now and then. You know how I don’t get out that much…”

And in a heartbeat, Chris morphed from a tough enquirer to a softened pile of dough, sagely nodding his head as if he knew all too well how reserved you are and how much of a losing battle it is persuading you to venture out. Or maybe it was because he understood how difficult it is to reconnect with people you unwilfully lost touch with for five years.

How everything and everyone fell right back into step with everyday life, like five years was just five minutes, continues to boggle your mind. It’s not normal. You won’t ever pretend that it is.

The disgruntled man shouted, “Can I get any damn service around here?”

Chris immediately broke from the conversation and left you behind the bar, off to go charm the customer’s socks off and earn a nice $10 tip even though he clocked out ten minutes ago.

You went on your way home, the ever-present anxiety of confronting Peter growing by the second.

Hours later, dressed down to your pajamas and reading his words over again, you’re still thinking about it, dread now gnawing on your insides.

You couldn’t even enjoy your newfound peace of mind. Ever since the voice stopped, Peter twined into all of your thoughts: his notes, his visits, his smile, your connection to him. There had to be a reason why destiny paired you. Besides being your Soulmate, what is he to you? What are you to him?

Unrest barred you from sleep for most of the night, and when you woke up the next morning, showered and ready to tackle another day, it hit you. 

It’s Saturday—your day off this week—and you’re not scheduled to go back to work until Monday.

You could put off telling him… but what would be the point? It’d only prolong the inevitable. You needed to come clean today.

Picking up your phone, you steadily tap in his memorized cell number, then type:

-Hey Peter, it’s Y/N. Can you come by my place? We need to talk.

Three minutes later, he texts back.

-On my way.

✦ ✧✦ ✧

A nice, early summer breeze billows around you, doing its best to calm down your erratic nerves as you wait for Peter on the roof.

Are you doing the right thing?

Will Peter be okay with this?

What if he isn’t?

You jump out of your skin at the muffled Thwip and sudden appearance of Peter standing a few feet away.

His chestnut hair is windswept, and he’s wearing regular clothes, a faded blue Midtown High hoodie and denim jeans. You weren’t sure why you expected him to come dressed in his suit. It could be because you heard the sound of his web-slinger first and immediately thought of Spider-Man, but it’s more likely that your brain hasn’t connected that they are one and the same. You don’t see Spider-Man when you see him. All you see is Peter.

He’s tense, not moving an inch closer and keeping his shoulders pinched up like he’s on the defense. You can’t guess why he would be.

Gulping down a hard lump lodged in your throat, you stutter, “H-hi.”

He gives you a polite smile that doesn’t reach his sullen eyes. “Hey”

You both begin at the same time.

“Peter, I—”

“Look, Y/N—”

Ice floods your stomach, freezing your veins and squeezing your pounding heart. He has something to say to you? About what? You subtly jerk your head up, signaling for him to speak first.

Peter clears his throat, looks down at his shoes, then back up at you. “I know you’ve been hiding from me.”

“You do?” you squeak, eyes wide.

“Yeah, and it’s okay.”

Your voice hikes an octave. “It is?”

He nods. “Yeah. It’s fine. I get it.” He stops to scratch the back of his neck and dejectedly rambles on, “I’m not the safest person to be around, and it’s all super weird and a lot to take in. Like, a lot. My Aunt May freaked out too when she found out. Anyway, I… I get it if you don’t, y’know, don’t want me.”

“Wait, hold on,” you interrupt, trying to wrap your head around what he said. “You think… you think I don’t want you because you’re Spider-Man?”

“Well, yeah.” He says it like there couldn’t be any other possible reason.

You lower your gaze to the ground, unable to meet his curious gaze. “No, Peter, that’s not it.” Tears prick your eyes, but you fight like hell to keep them from falling. Steeling yourself, you quietly confess, “It’s me. I can’t be your Soulmate because…” A rebellious tear rolls down your cheek. “Because I’m not ready.”

As soon as you spoke the truth out loud, laying yourself and your broken soul bare, you dimly sense the previously severed string quiver deep down inside your chest. It’s the first time you felt it in five years, and it’s not how you remember it. It’s not severed, but it’s not whole either. Its presence only reminds you of what you can’t have, what you aren’t ready for.

In the ensuing quiet, you swipe the tear off your cheek and look at everything except Peter. Yellow tulips are blooming on someone’s balcony in the neighboring apartment building. A handful of fluffy clouds float in the piercing blue sky. An orange tabby cat is sun-bathing in a window.

It’s such a beautiful day. Yet, here you are, struggling not to cry on a roof.

Peter breaks through the silence, murmuring, “To be honest, I’m not ready either.”

“Really?” You ask, a little too hopeful, bringing your eyes back to his. They look so weary yet resolute.

“Yeah. I was actually freaking out that night we met.” He timidly grins, and your heart flips. “I didn’t know what to say, then I screwed up and forgot to ask if you were okay after I had literally just saved you from falling. Not really a glowing first impression.”

Astonishing yourself, you laugh. You couldn’t help it. There was absolutely nothing remotely hilarious about that night, but the way Peter described it, as if it were a blunder solely on his part, was so ridiculous that it was funny. Peter joins in, too, his laugh coming out airy and wondrously addictive. That smile you couldn’t stop thinking about for a whole week brightens his face.

When the laughs fade, Peter soberly says, “Even if we aren’t ready, maybe we can try being friends, just to see where things go? I mean, we were meant to be together for a reason, right? This could be it.”

You unconsciously nibble on your lower lip, considering his proposal. It hadn’t occurred to you that he might want to be friends. Would you want to do that? These days, you aren’t really open to platonic relationships, and Soulmate or not, being in a friendship would require some sort of connection. You don’t like those much.

Be that as it may, Peter seems like the type to respect your many boundaries, and that’s exactly what you would prefer in a friend at the moment. Someone who doesn’t pry. Someone who doesn’t uphold generic expectations. You could go for a diner talk every once in a while.

Besides, it’s just a little friendship. Most are surface level, and some don’t even last a year. What’s the worst that could happen?

You sincerely smile at Peter, wondering about the last time your smiles were sincere, and say, “Okay. Let’s be friends.”

His face radiates joy. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, I think we can do that. But I have a few terms.”

Peter eagerly nods, waiting.

You try not to focus on how his happiness thrills you. “One, don’t tell anyone we’re Soulmates. I don’t really want any of my coworkers to know.”

His smile drops into a sheepish wince. “I kinda already told Ned. But he won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

“That’s okay. It’s mostly my coworkers I’m worried about,” you reassure. You weren’t going to berate him for telling his best friend. If things were different, you’d have done the same. “Two, don’t ask me to hang out with your other friends. I don’t do big friend circles.”

“Got it,” he militantly nods again. “It’s mostly just Ned and me anyway.”

“And three,” your grin broadens. “If Chris asks you what’s going on between us, be super vague.”

“Done.” He smirks back at you, then extends his hand. “Friends?”

When your hand touches his, and you shake on it, the warmth of his palm thaws out all your remaining anxiety. “Friends.”

✦ ✧✦ ✧

When Monday rolls around, a tiny ball of doubt weighs you down.

It’s not that you were afraid of talking to Peter. You were actually looking forward to getting to know him now that you officially became friends. It’s the future you’re stuck on. What happens if you get too attached to this friendship and want more? What if friendship is all he wants? What if it’s the other way around?

If you were honest with yourself, you’d know which way the gage is leaning, and it’s not in your favor.

You’re cleaning off the bar top when Peter comes in, doing his usual greeting with Chris before settling down on a barstool in front of you. He’s a little high strung, leaning his chin on his hand, then thinking against it, only to do it again. It was oddly comforting to know that he was overthinking too.

The corners of your lips tug up in a soft smile. “Hi, Peter.”

Your face warms as he smiles back. “Hey, Y/N.”

Chris barges in, leaning his elbows on the bar top and gaping incredulously at you and Peter. “Woah, woah, woah! Did I miss something? Since when are you two speaking in public?”

Peter checks his watch. “About thirty-seven seconds ago.”

“Oh, come on, dude. At least tell me what happened.”

You and Peter share a knowing look like two conniving co-conspirators sharing an inside joke, and you giggle as Chris huffs in annoyance. He glumly storms off when you two stay hushed, muttering, “Fine, next time you need a middle-man, count me out.”

“Does he hold grudges?” Peter asks after Chris walks out of earshot.

You’re still shaking with giggles. “Not at all. He’ll be back to his happy self in less than an hour.”

Peter only stays at Hal’s for twenty-five minutes, but they were the funniest and most intriguing twenty-five minutes you ever worked.

The conversation began slowly at first, but each question loosened the formalities. Peter asked about easy things: when did you get into art, when did you start working at Hal’s, and when was your birthday, all while digging into his slice of pie. He caught on fast enough to know the topic of parents was off-limits, and he thankfully chose to stay away from any talk of the blip.

When you asked him questions, he was open and responsive, jumping at the chance to talk about his passion for bio-sciences and Star Wars, sometimes covertly mentioning some of the duties he has a Spider-Man. Not a minute was wasted. You talked while serving customers and cleaning tables, keeping up the joke of staying quiet when Chris tried to meddle.

It all turned out smoother than you expected. Almost too smooth, and you’re not sure if that’s good or bad.

You are sure about one thing, though. You like having Peter as a friend.

...

Part V

[with-love-anu]

Quills and Ink

Pairing: Sirius Black x Reader Summary: Sirius gets anonymous letters from someone really sweet and falls for her. Warnings: It’s just fluff, no warnings to give! Word Count: 1,903

Sirius sat grumpily eating his breakfast. His head was throbbing due to last night’s endeavors and he wanted to gobble in all sorts of grease he could get. He piled his plate with bacon and fried egg when a school owl landed in front of him. He furrowed his brows. Who would write to him? He carefully took the letter out and opened it reading.

Dear Sirius,

Charms’ not an easy subject. The summoning charm they taught us yesterday is no different. For performing a summoning charm, you must clearly, and I mean clearly visualise the object you are summoning, like your favourite cookie. You could see it in your mind the sandy coloured biscuit full of dark brown choc chips, some edgy some melting. You could practically sniff its sweet smell and you want it right now, you need it. You say accio cookie with a small hand movement, imagining it coming towards you. And there you go, you have it. You can practice it over and over again and I am sure you’ll get used to it.

I just, I have always seen you excelling in every single class, and when you couldn’t do the spell yesterday, I thought maybe I’ll help. The professors having taught the same things a million times already, aren’t enthusiastic and somewhat, vague. Anyways, happy learning!

A fellow student.

Sirius smiled at the odd letter. He turned it around to find a name but there was none. The owl had already flown away.

Sirius closed his eyes taking his wand in his hand. What’s the harm in trying again? Accio muffin! Sirius grinned as a muffin zoomed towards him. Finally. He had done his best yesterday, but couldn’t perform the spell. He munched on the little cake happily. He felt satisfied; thinking about the sweet letter reading it again. Who could it be? He smiled, he wanted to meet this anonymous helper.

***

Sirius was sitting on the quidditch stands when a school owl came in. He smiled and his eyes widened. The person wrote him another letter? Telling the owl to wait; he opened it. It hooted indignantly but did just the same. He smiled realising he was right.

Dear Sirius,

I know you love teasing the Slytherins, but you need to understand that the group you hate is rather small. My friend who is in Slytherin was exhausted ridding their supplies from the red paint and gold glitter which you drenched their common room in. You know, this friend I am talking about is so damn sweet and couldn’t even hurt a fly. They have been loyal to me since the first year and have gone out of their ways to make me smile.

I am not asking you to stop pranking, but make your targets specific. Let me be honest here, I hate Mulciber’s gut as much as I hate sardines, and that’s a lot. And you know, harmless pranks are good too; specially if they make the targets smile and laugh along with you.

A fellow student

Sirius quickly summoned a sheet and started writing. Whoever this person was, was funny, and seemed to have a great personality.

Dear fellow student,

Firstly I want to thank you for your help in charms. I could do it on the first try after reading your explanation. *wink*

Secondly, I am sorry about your friend, maybe we do take it too far at times. I’ll make sure me and my friends don’t allow our pranks to affect ~innocents~. Speaking about pranks, I would love to hear more about those harmless ones you were talking about.

And thirdly, don’t you think it’s bad that you know me well enough to notice how I do in charms and I don’t even know your name? You seem like a fun person, sign the next letter with your name?

Sirius.

Sirius tied the letter to the owl and said, “Give it to the person who gave this to you”

***

Time passed and Sirius and a fellow student continued to exchange letters. Sometimes they were short, sometimes long and there wasn’t one where Sirius didn’t plead to find out who it was.

He showed some to his friends, others he kept to himself as his own little box of pleasure. James never failed to tease him and Remus would give him a knowing smirk whenever he didn’t let anyone touch those pieces of paper which had somehow become very close to his heart. No one missed the crimson blush that coloured Sirius’s cheek whenever he was asked about this very adorable fellow student. He kept every single one of the notes, trinkets, and gifts in a shoe-box hidden under his bed.

An empty box of an exclusive collection of handmade treacle tarts shrunk in size with the note which came along with it was tucked neatly in the box. Sirius had received it when he had got a nasty letter from back home during one morning. He had thought no one noticed but apparently he was wrong. The note said-

Dear Sirius,

You can never change people, make them see you or appreciate you or love you for that matter. Nothing in this world is fair and we take what is given to us. I know you got a letter from your parents this morning and over the years I’ve come to assume that they aren’t the most loving ones. We need you to remember you are an amazing person. So, gobble up these amazing chocolates while writing down things that are great about you. Let me start-

1.     You are funny / sarcastic. I don’t know anyone who could make McGonagall crack a smile and the moment you did it, I knew you were special

2.    You’re VERY intuitive. I saw you damn so many times calming down or walking various students through breakdowns, anxiety attacks; you know just what the person needs.

3.    Smart, that’s one thing about you not everyone sees, but come on; people should know those mischievous ideas need a brainy person behind them.

Your turn now, be as selfish as you could be!

A fellow student

A bouquet of lavender on which Sirius casted an everlasting spell, and an empty bottle of Chamomile tea made by an American company had come with a short note- “Put those flowers under your pillow, they help”. He ran his hand through them remembering feeling so touched when he received; he actually shed tears because he hadn’t slept all week and was exhausted to death.

There was a pile of books too. They contained all the famous muggle comics, which he had received when a fellow student had rambled on about their favourite superheroes and Sirius had admitted not understanding a thing in the long write up. He had read every single one of them more than thrice. Along with them, there was a detailed magazine on different motorbikes; their prices, their quality, talks about their engine. Sirius had gasped when he received it. The small note on it had said- “Even though I am sure I am going to regret this; because these are dangerous machines and you are one reckless person; I know your fascination with them and always love to see you smile. Just promise me you’ll read everything on the safety precautions page.”

There was a small key chain with paws on it, he got on Easter. He had barked out laughing seeing it (pun intended). He didn’t think you would remember something he wrote so offhandedly about. The note had said- “Since you were so adamant that you would be a dog if you were an animal!”

It was becoming incredibly frustrating. He was cautious of all the people who noticed him in classes, trying to guess who it was, which was futile since a major part of school turned to him whenever he entered the room. He was desperate, he was falling, hard. If the love they all gushed about, wasn’t what he felt; then he didn’t know what was. And he didn’t even know who it was! All he knew that your nickname was (Y/n/n) and you were in (Y/h) house. He felt stupid wanting you.

He had tried and failed trying to follow the owl to find you. Halfway to reaching you the owl had turned and bit him until he was forced to stop stalking it. Yeah, that had hurt. He tried to cast a monitoring spell on it so as to track it on the marauders map. The owl had realised something was going on as it fluttered and scratched his face red with it’s claws.

He took a pen and paper and ran to the owlery. As he entered the owlery, he saw someone was already there. (Y/n Y/L/n). She was a fellow student. They attended various classes together. Her eyes widened seeing him, and she quickly turned to what she was doing. Wait a fellow student! Can it be?

“Hi (Y/n), what brings you here?” he asked noting her reactions.

She stumbled.

“I… Just posting a letter.”

“Oh, how’s Abernathy’s health?” Sirius asked nonchalantly. Abernathy was (Y/n/n)’s sister who had caught a bad case of dragon pox.

“She’s better. The healer said- “(Y/n)’s mouth opened in realisation. Sirius smiled. He had finally found her.

“I…I…” (Y/n) stuttered looking at Sirius’s wide grin.

“I’m gonna go.” She said flustered and turned to leave.

Sirius quickly ducked in and grabbed her hand. “Don’t go” he pleaded.

(Y/n) slowly turned. She looked everywhere but him.

“Why did you not tell me?” Sirius asked quietly making her look up.

“I was afraid. I am really shy and I accept it. I’ve had a crush on you since forever and was quite sure I wouldn’t be able to talk to you face to face. I- I thought that when you realised that it was me writing you all those letters, you wouldn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

“Why wouldn’t I want to talk to you?” Sirius asked frowning.

(Y/n) let out a scoff.

“Oh come on! I see the type of people you are always with. Tall, beautiful, smart. Why would you even look at me!” She said mirthlessly.

It was Sirius’s turn to scoff.

“Are you kidding me?” Sirius asked incredulously. “Do you even own a mirror? That little (Y/f/c) colour dress you wore last weekend. Darling, I am sorry to inform you but you turned heads. I’ve always noticed you. You just light up when you talk to your friends and have that brilliant smile on your face. Before, you started writing to me you were just pretty; now I know you’re beautiful. You’re so full of kindness and generosity. Your letters never failed to bright up my day. You’re funny, sarcastic and motivated. I love that you could make me smile at the worst of times. I love that you constantly talk about made up heroes and heroines who could take on the world. I love that you care so much about your family that you write to them every other day. I love everything about you. I love you.” He breathed.

“You what?” you whispered.

“I love you” Sirius repeated.

“Good, cause I don’t know what I would have done you hadn’t told me soon” you sniffed a little, smiling.

“Come with me to hogwarts this weekend, you know, on a date.” Sirius asked as you gulped and nodded. Sirius smiled widely and you were sure your own expression mirrored his.

A/N: Let me know what you think!

[lonelypond]

BETWEEN US

NicoMaki, Love Live, 3.6K, 1/1

Summary: Nishikino Maki and Yazawa Nico have many challenges ahead, but they get through them together.

Between Us

Is this what love is? Not a fire that bites painfully but two people laying so close to feel every breath, hands nearly touching, eyes on the brilliant stars opening themselves up suddenly, sure enough to share truths they speak into the night, this solitary space, this private moment between them.

Nishikino Maki spoke first, always the more impatient, curious about Yazawa Nico’s state of mind. “What do you want to do, Nico-chan?”

“Nico wants to show everyone that little and cute can be strong, sexy smart, talented, funny, hard working, successful….I’m tired of how the world treats cute girls like Nico. Nico is a star.” Nico flung her arms out, to encompass the sky. “They should be in awe.”

I am, Maki said to herself, and then thought, why not say it out loud. This was all new, why not be bolder.

“I am.”

Nico squeezed Maki’s hand, a reward for honesty. “What do you want to do, Maki-chan?”

No one said Maki’s name like Nico. It had been Maki’s anchor through the continuing craziness of Muse, Eli’s taskmaster torture, qualifying, Honoka’s collapse, then starting over, right as they discovered these new feelings, a gift from all they’d been through.

“I want to use the Nishikino fortune for new things, good things, to stop propping up out dated ways and awful people. I want to find new ways to help…” Maki was a person of specifics and she had a list. “Girls, gays, empaths, people fighting bigotry, neurodivergents, water protectors,” Maki thought of Rin and giggled, “furries, us, our friends, the world.”

“Maki-chan will do great things.”

“Once I’m 30.”

Nico Yazawa considered. This was so new and 14 years from now, when Maki was a doctor and her trust vested, seemed as distant as the nearest star Nico could see. But Nico knew naming goals was the first step to achieving them, even if it seemed a wild fantasy.

“Nico will be there.” Not flashy, just quiet determination.

Nico heard Maki gulp. She was probably tearing up and couldn’t speak. Nico didn’t really expect her too. Sharing was such a new trust. But Maki’s hand carefully kept precise palm to palm contact with Nico’s. That said everything.

“Marry Nico.”

Maki sighed. “No one can know.”

“Okay.”

YAZAWA NICO FINISHES FIRST INTERNATIONAL TOUR WITH SPRING SPLASH IN HONOLULU

NISHIKINO MAKI BEGINS RONIN YEAR SOLO WORLD TOUR SURFING IN MAUI

Sunrise. Quiet beach. Her own choices. Is this what contentment felt like, Maki wondered. Finally, moments of quiet to listen for the important things. Leaning against her duffle and board, dressed in a striped rash guard, bright lavender board shorts, and a faded denim “You Are On Native Land” cap, Maki stretched, watching the horizon as a lone speck appeared in the distance, jogging toward her, not actually growing much as the distance closed, Maki thought with a private grin. Nico, running in an oversized hoodie and bikini bottom, gasped dramatically, reaching a hand for the water bottle Maki held out as a lure.

“Still running 5Ks every morning?”

“10K when I don’t have a concert or rehearsal. Nico is a boss.”

“Umi would be proud.”

Nico dropped and did ten fast pushups in the sand next to Maki, “Not if Nico told her it was only to make girls swoon.”

“Girls?” Maki arched an eyebrow, hand sweeping through her hair.

“Girl.”

“Fiancee.”

Nico laughed, rolling toward Maki, pulling her down into a playful, sandy kiss. “Ready to upgrade to trophy wife?”

“Yes.”

But there was no hurry that morning. Both had put their other lives on multiple 15 plus hour flights and fallen briefly off the grid to sit side by side on this hidden beach, the tide surging, a rare treasured morning to share.

“Went to the symphony last night. Monica Mancini sang, Henry Mancini’s daughter,” Nico hummed the Pink Panther theme, “Nice voice, more your thing than Nico’s though. She sang a lot of Johnny Mercer. And some new stuff. Nico was taking notes.”

“You’re great on stage Nico-chan, but I guess you can always learn from other performers.”

“Nico is learning songwriting.”

Maki pushed against Nico, “Going to try to get me to put Nico Nico Ni to music again.”

Nico’s mood turned serious, “I miss watching you play.”

“I miss playing.”

“When Nico gets her penthouse, there will be a baby grand.” Nico let her hand settle on Maki’s, “Working with a portable keyboard now. And Umi’s giving me advice, so many books...I’m so busy reading, there’s no time to party.”

“Good.”

“Hey, do you have any plans tomorrow night?”

Nico stared at Maki for a moment, but there was only earnestness in the amethyst staring back, “Not since you got here.”

“I’ve been talking with some of the elders, volunteering on Maui, learning about healing plants, and aloha ‘āina.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s really cool. I’m going to get Papa to invite some of the teachers and doctors I’ve met to give seminars for us. Aloha ‘āina means so many things, but it’s mostly being determined to take care of each other by taking care of the land. It’s very land based and tradition based, here in Hawai’i,” Maki picked up a handful of sand, “but it’s caring and not soft...exactly...when you meet Kai, he’ll explain it better. We’ve been invited for dinner, his uncle plays the ohe hano ihu.”

“What’s that?”

“ A nose flute, not for big concerts, more personal...Kai says his uncle has so many stories about it being used in courting rituals.”

“Is Maki-chan taking notes?”

“Maybe.” Ah, Maki’s sexy, best musician in the world grin. Nico missed that one a lot on the road. A killer cute band was no replacement for the brilliant, lovely pianist who’d so boldly wrapped Nico’s heart in music.

They were in the teasing phase now. “Do you have to keep courting a cute girl after marriage?”

Maki shoved into Nico again, “Well, duh…”

Joint laughter, rolling out to meet the tide.

“We’re getting married.” Maki said quietly.

“Just need to take our passports to pick up the license and go to the shrine. We filled out everything else online.” Nico glanced at her bare legs, “And Nico brought a kimono. Although Maki-chan looks sporty cute just like she is.”

Maki had a far off look, not paying much attention to Nico. Happy to wait ‘til Maki drifted back to the beach, Nico was going to enjoy memorizing her favorite scenery, Maki’s beautifully expressive face, now relaxed and open, thoughts waves and clouds in constant motion. Nico knew the solitude here allowed Maki to relax, there was no family pressure, their phones were off, nothing on either of their schedules for at least the rest of the week. A rare moment to sit with each other, sharing this beauty.

NISHIKINO REAL ESTATE GROUP BUYS LARGE LUXURY TOWER NEAR NISHIKINO MEDICAL CENTER

SUPERSTAR REFUSES TO GIVE UP PENTHOUSE APARTMENT TO NISHIKINO HEIR

Fast food. School girls lingering from Otonokizaka. Two people shoved into the booth furthest from the door and windows, sitting on the same bench, hip to hip, back to the rest of the room.

“So many memories in this place.” Nico unwrapped her burger.

“So many french fries.” Maki dipped a sample french fry in her chocolate milkshake.

“Another meal Nico paid for. You got rich not paying for food.”

“Hey! You were too proud to let me pay.”

“Nico is still too proud.” Nico tapped her fingers on the table. This late afternoon, for this clandestine meeting, they’d allowed themselves the indulgence of wearing their braided gold and platinum wedding band, Maki added the simple diamond Nico had bought her for their engagement.

“Is this going to work? Us actually living this close together without rumors starting?” Maki had been worrying. So many comments in the press and on social media.

“Everyone already has us at war. Nico’s a selfish poser, Maki’s a spoiled brat. Enemies to lovers.”

“Not funny, Nico-chan.”

“Nico will throw a huge party before I leave on my next tour. My new landlord will threaten very publically to throw me out of the building. Everything will flare up, but Maki-chan will continue to do boring future doctor things and by the time Nico gets back, all anyone will be talking about is Nico’s new album.”

“They’re not boring future doctor things.”

“No, they’re smart, saving the world future doctor things and Nico is so proud.” A quick kiss on Maki’s palm.

“Meanwhile…”

“Meanwhile, Umi and Eli install a secret hatch above the decorative staircase centerpiece of your expensively designed main room.”

“I’m going to miss you, Nico-chan.” Sadness.

Time to change the mood. Nico dipped a french fry in her strawberry shake and fed it to Maki. “How’s studying going?”

Maki leaned, chin in hand, frowny. “I could be more motivated.”

“So B?”

“A minus.”

“Nerd.”

“ ‘s dull." Maki said, chewing slowly. "But have to stay on track with the family benchmarks.”

“Yeah.” Nico decided to talk about happier things, ���ooohh, did I tell you Eli’s setting up a foundation for Nico as her graduation project. We’ve already donated tickets to queer youth groups in every city on the tour and Nozomi’s setting up mentor programs.”

“Expect a large anonymous donation.”

“Expect a large not so anonymous thank you.”

“I’m just proud that you’re doing things to actually help people. I want to do more.”

“You’re studying to be a doctor, Maki-chan. That’s hard. Nico’s got it easy. All Nico has to do is” Nico went into her signature gesture, “Nico Nico Ni and everything gets brighter.” Nico suddenly remembered she shouldn’t have let her catch phrase out full voice during what was supposed to be a secret meeting, but this was a low traffic period so no one seemed to notice.

“I couldn’t get that out of my head, the first time I saw you do it. It was annoying.”

“But you loved Nico.” Nico snuggled closer, enjoying a chance to feel Maki next to her.

“But I loved Nico, all of Nico, the bold, brash, terrible liar, the kind, caring sister, the determined ally and friend, the hard working and talented performer.”

“Nico wasn’t a liar, Nico was an optimist.”

“Private chef,” Maki cough giggled.

Nico grabbed the french fries as Maki reached for another one, “Confiscated for cheekiness.”

“Give me those.” Maki grabbed, Nico dodged, french fries flew loose and they giggled their way through the next few minutes until Nico leaned forward to whisper in Maki’s ear.

“So are your parents still in New York City?”

Gulping, suddenly completely flustered, Maki nodded.

Nico bounced up, offering a gallant hand, “Nico will walk you home.”

“Fancy.”

“Only the best for Mrs. Yazawa.”

“That would be Mrs. Nishikino.”

“We’ll wrestle. Nico will win.”

“Optimist.”

Nico’s hand on Maki’s waist was a gentle guide into the autumn night, two hats pulled down, two collars pulled up, Nico in a mask to protect her voice. “Wait and see.”

Maki leaned into Nico. This night, unlike too many others recently, felt just right.

HEAD OF THE NISHIKINO MEDICAL GROUP COLLAPSES, HOSPITALIZED

NICO NI NEW YEAR’S CHARITY CONCERT SELLS OUT IN MINUTES

Nico had never been so sick. She’d lost count of the medicines she was taking to sleep at night, and then the additional ones added to get her through tonight’s concert. Then she could rest. Go to her Mama’s house and get babied for a bit. Maki had been so sad at Christmas, with too many family obligations to fly to Los Angeles. Nico had gotten through their Christmas Eve quick chat and then collapsed, barely moving until yesterday’s rehearsal, which wiped her out.

Pounding on her hotel room door. What the hell? Phone pinged, the Maki-tone.

“Open your door, Nico--chan.” Maki sounded angry. Was she pounding? Nico felt even fuzzier, slumping to the door, opening it to fall against a tall, angry Maki, beanie over her hair, sunglasses, and a mask.

“Nico-chan?” Now Maki’s voice sounded tearful.

“Hi, Mrs. Yazawa.” Nico croaked out, hoping to make Maki at least giggle.

Strong arms swept her up, Maki striding across the room, putting Nico gently down on the bed, Maki immediately examining every bottle by Nico’s bedside, “What kind of quack put you on all this?”

“Don’t know.”

“Don’t know? You don’t know.”

“Trainer found ‘em…recommended.”

“You should be in a hospital.” Maki’s voice broke.

“Concert, charity, millions. Nico Nico Ni.” Nico had no idea if what she was saying made sense.

“Cancel. Refund. I’ll make a bigger donation.”

“Nico is a trooper.”

“Nico is a zombie. What the hell kind of irresponsible moron gave you all this?” Maki crashed all the bottles to the floor. “Did they inject you with anything?”

“It’s LA, Maki-chan, the beautiful people never stop.” Nico coughed. It hurt like 50 Umi arrows to the chest, “Nico is a beautiful people.”

“Nico-chan…” Maki was kneeling next to the bed, desperation and weariness lining her face. She’d never travelled well, Nico realized.

Nico managed to flip so she was on her side, managing to smile at Maki, “Hey pretty girl.”

“I am going to sue that quack into despair and destitution.”

Nico blinked, suddenly aware that Maki should be in Tokyo. “Why are you here, Maki-chan?.”

“Hanayo heard a rumor…”

“Did anyone see you?”

“I don’t care.” Maki’s head dropped to the bed, “Papa collapsed...and you’re like this and hiding it from me…and letting some greedy idiot try to kill you...if anything happens to you, Nico-chan…” And the tears, Nico could feel them as she reached for Maki, hot, heavy, rolling off pale cheeks.

“Nico will be fine.”

Maki shook her head.

“Look at me, Maki-chan.”

Maki raised her head. Her eyes were bright. She was always so bright, so caring, her native prickliness a fortification against all the emotions Maki didn’t know how to process.

“I will be fine.”

Maki surged up, her arms drawing in Nico, whose heart was really not rested enough for tackled into bed by the redhead of her dreams. “Maki-chan, you’re going to hug Nico to death.”

“Don’t say that.” Maki’s arm twitched for a minute like she was going to shove Nico away, but then Nico found herself pressed as closely as she’d ever been against a clothed Maki, which would have been amazing if she could breathe. So Nico let a cough out and Maki loosened her hold.

“Let Nico sleep.”

“Okay. But I’m not going anywhere.”

Nico had closed her eyes, muttering, “...love you.”

“I love you too, Nico-chan.”

A-RISE STEPS IN AT LAST MINUTE FOR NICO NI

NISHIKINO MAKI CHECKING OUT STANFORD RESEARCH FACILITIES, POSSIBLE PARTNERSHIP

Nico is officially spoiled. Another morning waking up to Maki curled up by her side...She’d shipped everyone else back to Japan, tour over, a solid break until Nico’s doctor cleared her for rehearsal. Nico sat up, teasing tumbles of red hair, Maki had been very clear that Nico had to clear the steroids out of her system first. But at least Maki hadn’t banned other forms of exercise.

“I’m not asleep, Nico-chan.” Maki mumbled, sounding totally still asleep.

“Thanks for coming to rescue Nico.”

“Don’t make me do it again. I might have to go back to school.”

“I thought you were joining the Board Of Directors ahead of schedule?”

Maki opened her eyes, stretching, “Order pancakes. And bacon. And orange juice. And muffins.”

“Brunch in bed.”

“I’m not leaving until I have to.”

Nico reached down to kiss Maki’s forehead, “It’s been nice having you here.”

“Then come home.”

“Nico is working on it.”

Maki raised an eyebrow. Nico sounded excited. “Is there something I don’t know about?”

“It was supposed to be your Christmas surprise, but Nico’s agent was still negotiating.”

What could Nico’s agent be negotiating that would be a Christmas surprise for Maki?

“I’m going be the main character in a TV drama, based in Tokyo.”

“Really?”

“Really. I didn’t get to be there when your Dad ended up in the hospital and I’m so sorry…I knew you needed me, but...this is our life...” Maki nodded as Nico gestured at the hotel suite, continuing, “And I knew you were going to be super busy with family stuff so I pitched an idea and two production companies jumped on board. Nico is taking a paycut and ownership, but all you’ll have to do is come upstairs and Nico will be right there, at least for six months.”

“Nico-chan…” Maki sat up.

Nico put her arm and pulled Maki in, Maki dropping her head to Nico’s shoulder, “We get through the tough stuff together, Maki-chan. We always have. I love you.”

“Love you.” Maki was falling asleep again. Nico would add coffee to their brunch order. Maki had to be awake enough to sneak out and catch a plane.

YAZAWA NICO TO STAR IN DOCTOR SMILE

DOCTOR NISHIKINO MAKI TAKES OVER FAMILY MEDICAL PRACTICE

If she didn’t have Nico, Maki would probably just live with a grand piano, a huge bathtub, and a couch to eat take out on, Nico thought as she sank into lavender scented steaming water.

“It’s not funny, Rin. And I don’t need weekly updates about who Nico’s kissing on the show.” Maki sounded aggravated. Nico giggled. She’d come home early from a weekend meet the fans event and snuck into Maki’s luxury tub to recover. Candles were lit, Idol music popping.

“Wait a minute, Rin. I think…” Maki’s steps sounded hasty and she was suddenly in the door of the bathroom.

Nico winked. “Hi Maki!”

Maki made a grumbly noise and turned sideways, “No, I’m okay, Rin. There’s just a surprise in my bathtub…” Maki glanced at Nico, “Rin says hi. And you have to stop using my cases, Nico-chan.”

“Did Rin say that? And who says Nico does?”

Maki glared, “Where do you even get your information?”

Nico raised a finger to her lips and winked.

“And that red wig. It’s awful. People think you’re making fun of me.” Maki listened to her phone. “Shut up, Rin.” And the phone went in her coat pocket.

“What did Rin say?”

“Nvermind.” Maki muttered.

“Maki-chan…” Nico splashed at Maki.

“No one would ever call me Dr. Smile.”

Nico guffawed, slapping water everywhere. “I miss Rin.”

“If I had Umi’s bow, I wouldn’t.”

“You love her.” Nico leaned back, watching her wife, who had flopped on the nearby chaise. “So who thinks Nico is making fun of you?”

“Papa.”

“PFfffffff…who cares.”

Maki glared, ‘“We’re trying to keep his stress levels low.”

“Red headed doctors are the best.”

“But I like your hair; it looks like you.”

“But our daughter will look like Dr. Smile.”

That threw Maki’s train of thought completely askew. The closest she could get was imagining Cotaro when she first met him with bright red hair.

“I wonder if our children will look like you? All your siblings do.”

“And they’re cute. But our children will be NicoMaki cute. I’ve seen your baby pictures, you were adorable.” Nico leaned back, smiling up at Maki. “Nico can’t wait to have a family to come home to.”

“You have me.”

“And I love it.” Nico blew lavender scented bubbles at Maki, “But you, me, the cutest children ever in the universe, and Christmas morning.”

Maki couldn’t keep the huge grin back. “I can tell them all about Santa-san.”

“But we’re not spoiling them too much.”

Maki pouted at Nico.

Nico giggled, “That’s what our parents will do.”

Maki got up, taking off her coat, sliding out of her jacket, unbuttoning her shirt halfway and slipping out of her pants. Then she sat on the edge of the tub, feet in the water, toes teasing Nico’s legs. “You’re going to tour less, right.”

“Nico’s not touring now. You’re going to cut down your hours, right, Maki-chan.”

“Just started the search for an Executive Director. And put the LGBTQ+ Health Centers proposal on the fast track.”

Nico leaned over, her chin on Maki’s thigh, “We’ve worked really hard for this.”

“We have.”

“I think Mama knows.”

Maki laughed, “It was that morning she surprised us at breakfast, wasn’t it?”

For once, Nico was the one blushing. “Nico needs…” Nico’s arm slipped under Maki’s shirt, a casual touch on Maki’s back, “more elegant pajamas for entertaining company.”

“No you don’t.”

“You like it when Nico borrows your shirt.”

“No, I love it when Nico-chan borrows my shirt.”

“Nico loves your pajamas.” Nico’s fingers started tracing patterns.

“Ha!” Keeping her cool with Nico this close had always been impossible so Maki just lowered herself into the water, pausing for a messy, wet kiss, “Let’s skip dinner.”

NISHIKINO MAKI AND YAZAWA NICO: DETAILS OF THEIR WHIRLWIND COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE

The interviewer leaned forward as Maki ran a hand through her hair. She was relaxed in a light gray Tadashi Shoji corded lace sheath dress, and confidently answered her question, “It was a long day, my eyes were so tired everything was blurry and I got in the wrong elevator. Nico had just gotten pics of the Ayase twins and we started talking about high school.”

“Talking?” Nico snorted, standing behind Maki, hands in the pockets of bright pink Victoria Beckham trousers, the matching blazer falling open, “It was all Nico’s sex appeal. Nico is irresistible.”

Maki leaned her head back, a private smile for Nico, “Nico is irresistible.”

“Is it irresponsible to take so much time off from your responsibilities to take a world tour honeymoon and then start a family?”

Nico chuckled, her hands on Maki’s shoulder, “We’ve planned carefully. And they’re our businesses. Nico never understood people working themselves to death, not taking time for family. We want to change corporate culture.”

“You’ve always been ambitious, Nico. What’s your next project?”

Nico winked, “That’s just between us.”

“No hints for our viewers, Maki?”

Nico leaned down, arms around Maki’s shoulders, whispering something in her ear. Maki’s full, flaring blush could have been a picture from high school. The interviewer laughed.

“Nice to see you two worked out the Penthouse Wars.”

“Nico is a reasonable person.”

Maki threw back her head, laughing, “Sure, that’s why.”

“Well, Nico is certainly a top…”

“Nico-chan!”

“I love you, Maki-chan.” Giggling, Nico kissed her wife’s cheek.

Nico might have been the only one to hear Maki’s muttered, “I love you, Nico-chan.” But it had always been true.

A/N: Another AU Yeah August request, it started out as Married Rivals, but I was reading a Dolly Parton songwriting book and in the songs about love chapter there were these lyrics from "Between Us":

In our love let's share a friendship between us Always close enough to talk things out Let's be honest with ourselves and each other And our love will never know mistrust or doubt

So I just started writing conversations.

[hexalianrebel-blackfeathers]

Another Year Over

Panda's Notes: Happy Holiday Month! This is my Squealing Santa story for @rareficsnstuff . They asked for some ler All Might with Mirio and Eri. I admit I kind of fell in love with this idea when I got it, so I hope you guys like it too. Thanks so much to @ticklygiggles for hosting.

Read on Ao3

Mirio had flinched a bit when someone came knocking at his door. He rubbed his face with the heel of his hand, wondering how long he’d been lying there as he pushed himself heavily off of the bed. He nudged aside his curtain for a moment, cringing just a bit at the late morning light. He was about to check his phone for the time when they knocked again, and he took a soft breath before approaching to open it.

“Mr. Lemillion!” The room was suddenly filled with light as Eri leaned to wrap her arms around Mirio’s shoulders, her winter coat crinkling as she hugged him.

“Eri, hey!” He reciprocated immediately, moving to support her with one arm and smiling slightly up at the man carrying her.

All Might mouthed a slight apology, letting Mirio hold her properly as he rested his hands on his hips. “Good morning, Togata. Sorry to come calling on you without warning, but I was wondering if you’d be interested in joining us off-campus.”

“Oh, um, today?” Mirio asked hesitantly, setting Eri down and smiling softly as she bounced slightly at All Might’s side. “Today is… I mean, I guess I don’t have plans, but—”

“Please?” Eri called up to him, standing on her toes. “Mr. Yagi said we can go see all the stuff that’s left after new year’s!”

All Might chuckled softly. “A few of the food stalls from that festival are still up, and I thought we could stop into the stores for a few things.”

Mirio wrung his fingers for a moment, trying to catch a glance at All Might’s watch. “W-Well, I think I can be ready in half an hour.”

Eri cheered, and All Might nodded patiently. “We’ll wait for you in the lobby. You can take your time.” He said calmly as Eri took his hand, meeting Mirio’s eyes and waving slightly before they turned to leave.

Mirio laughed quietly as he closed the door, turning to rest his shoulder against it and closing his eyes in slight frustration. He convinced himself that he could do this. Staying cooped up in his dorm with all these feelings wasn’t going to do him any good anyway. He approached his desk, opening a drawer and smiling sadly as he reached into it.

Eri waved excitedly when he finally got down to the commons, her snow boots thumping softly as she hopped in place. Mirio put on a big smile, dashing toward them to scoop her up in his hands and relish in her laughter before they left.

“So, there was a festival down here this week?” Mirio asked as they finally made it down the hill from UA’s campus. “I can’t believe I didn’t hear about it!”

“Yeah, Mr. Aizawa and Mr. Yagi told me it was like the school festival, but I couldn’t go when it was bigger since we were studying and stuff.” Eri explained, appearing sad for a fraction of a second before she was shrugging off one strap of her little backpack. “But Mr. Aizawa got bought me this!” She presented a stuffed cat in a dapper little suit and hat, and Mirio couldn’t help a soft laugh as he poked its nose.

“Aw, that’s really cute. Maybe I can find one too?”

All Might chuckled as Eri put the cat away. “Perhaps we could try; it seemed like it was mostly just a few food carts.”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind; I haven’t even had breakfast tod—” He blinked as he realized he could smell a few different fried foods. “Oh, wow.” They rounded the corner and found the stalls set up along a short stretch of road; a few folks were up on ladders taking down the New Year’s decorations; and others were collapsing tent poles from where empty stalls once stood; but when the three of them approached, most of them waved with smiles. Eri lit up happily, and All Might waved slightly as he pulled up the collar of his coat.

“Well, I do have a recommendation in mind that I was told to act on.” All Might suggested. “How do you two feel about pork cutlet bowls?”

Eri seemed a bit confused, and Mirio crouched beside her to explain while All Might walked over to the stall. She nodded as he listed off ingredients, but he noticed her eyes wandering. He looked over his shoulder, noticing someone packing up what appeared to be a shop stall.

“Want to see?” Mirio asked, already standing back up as she gasped excitedly. She took his hand, leading him over to the cloaked vendor.

“Morning!” Mirio called a bit loudly, startling the vendor. “Ah, sorry.”

“Oh, hey, kids.” They paused as they folded down a leg of their tent. “Can I help you?”

“Just looking around, actually.” He admitted, smiling as they rolled their eyes a bit. “We weren’t able to come out during the festival the other night but—”

“Mr. Lemillion, look!” Eri called, peeking into an open tub of plush animals. “It’s the kitty Mr. Aizawa got.” Indeed, the bottom of the box was covered in small cat plushes in different costumes: cowboys, fairies, the cute tuxedo Eri had, and a few others, but Mirio found his gaze catching on a certain one.

“Ah, hey, how many of these could I get for…” He pulled out his wallet, thumbing through the bills. “2000 yen?”

The vendor turned to him, tapping their chin coyly despite a telling grin. “Well, you are awfully late, but I remember Eraserhead coming by the other night, so… How about ten?”

Mirio’s eyes widened a bit, and Eri cheered happily and insisted she could carry them for him. She giggled a bit as he let her help pick the new cats that he’d stash away for gifts later, but he made sure to pull three of the same cat up for the pile. They thanked the chuckling vendor as they tried to organize them carefully into the backpack, only to end up with Eri’s dapper cat zipped up cozily in her coat. Mirio also set one of his favored cats in his pocket as they zipped the bag closed.

“There you two are!” All Might called as he approached with two small paper bowls.

“Mr. Yagi! We got so many cats!” Eri announced as she ran to his side.

“More of them?” The hero glanced at Mirio a bit uncertainly.

He smiled a bit shyly, reaching back into his pocket. “Actually, they’re mine. I’m saving them for presents. Do you want to see one?”

All Might nodded, walking with them to a bench and brushing snow off of the seat before lifting Eri up onto it. As he was handing her the smaller of the two cups, Mirio pulled the plush out of his pocket to show him:

A white cat in a plain grey suit with a little briefcase held in its paws.

 Eri had really liked the cup of pork cutlet and fired rice, spurring a conversation with All Might where she remembered that Deku had told her they were his favorite food. As they were talking, Mirio’s eyes were wandering between the stores they were passing.

“Mr. Lemillion?” He flinched when Eri squeezed his hand, smiling down at her. “Are you okay?”

“Heh, I’m fine, Eri.” He said, fixing his scarf as he forced a chuckle. “Sorry, I’m kinda distracted today.”

“It’s fine, Togata.” All Might said patiently. “We just have to stop right here; then we can get back to campus.” He pointed toward a general store with his free hand. “I should only be a couple minutes, but you two can look around again if you’d like.”

“Maybe we can find more cats?” Eri gasped, and Mirio couldn’t help laughing.

“I don’t think we should buy any more cats today, Eri.”

Mirio chuckled lightly as he chased Eri through a few of the aisles, not that she ever ran out of his sight, but it kept his mind content to hear her laugh. They had picked up a bit of speed, and he nearly tripped over her when she stopped abruptly.

“Eri, are you alright?” He asked automatically before crouching beside her. “Please don’t stop like that, I almost fell on you.”

“I’m sorry.” She said quickly, leaning on his arm with her gaze still on the shelf. “What are all these?”

She motioned to the line of heavily discounted firework sets before standing on her toes to reach a box of sparklers.

“They’re fireworks,” Mirio explained as she turned the box in her hands, “kinda like when we saw the light show during Deku’s performance. Oh, here…”

He slipped his cell phone from his pocket, quickly finding a short video from a couple nights ago of a family watching a firework go off.

“Wow… Can we get one, Mr. Lemillion?”

“Are you super sure? They’re kinda loud if you’re too close. Plus, it has to be dark to see them right.”

She seemed to think about it, but she also seemed to be trying to read something on the box. Mirio saw her face fall for a moment, and he glanced at the shelf before taking his own box to read. As he read it over, he felt his resolve wearing down; it was for a special occasion, after all.

“How about a small one, okay?” He suggested. “This one’s super colorful. And we can get sparklers, too, if you want.”

“Really?!”

Mirio nodded with a soft hum, although he gently took the box from her hands and traded it for a smaller pack. He stacked the small box on top of the firework, offering his hand for her to take as he led her back to the front of the store. He paused for a moment as they passed a line of small picture frames, unable to turn his eyes away until his hand touched one.

 “You bought fireworks?” All Might asked, laughing softly as they let Eri lead them back up the hill toward UA.

“Ah, w-well, just the one. And some sparklers. Do you think we’ll get in trouble?”

“That is a good question, actually.” All Might pulled his phone from his pocket, and Mirio could hear the keyboard clicking as the wind rushed past them. “But you probably would have asked for permission anyway since you’d need a lighter.”

Mirio’s palm found his forehead, and he laughed in disbelief. “I can’t believe I forgot a lighter…”

All Might chuckled, patting his shoulder softly. “Don’t worry, Togata. I got some matches while we were at the store. Just promise you’ll be careful, alright?”

“You can count on me!”

“Mr. Yagi!” Both men looked up at Eri’s call, and she laughed brightly as she ran through the gates onto the campus. “Look at all the snow!”

“Whoa…” Mirio gasped.

“Wow, indeed. Looks like almost fifteen centimeters.”

“Were we gone that long? It didn’t seem like it was coming down like that this morning.”

“Who can say? I certainly don’t hear anyone complaining.” All Might smiled.

As they got closer to the dorms buildings, they could hear trickles of shouts and laughter as dozens of the students were running back from school to their dorms, some inevitably stopping to throw snow at each other.

Eri was laughing again too, though she was thankfully closer, and she was throwing snow up over her head as she called for them to come and play.

“Well, go on.” All Might goaded Mirio gently, taking the bag from his hand. “I’ll watch the bags for a while.”

Mirio smiled softly, his shoes loudly crunching the snow as he ran off of the path. “Come on, Eri, let’s make snow angels!”

All Might sighed, watching his breath leave his mouth as he listened to Mirio and Eri clambering in the snow. The wind swept over him for a moment, flinging his hood and scarf up over his head as snow sprayed against his coat. He flailed a bit, managing not to spill the bags he carried as he pinned everything back down until the breeze passed. Eri had shrieked in surprise when the snow blew over her and Mirio, laughing brightly as she let herself fall back into it; and All Might found himself laughing as well looking over to them.

A world without humor didn’t have a bright future. Somehow, he couldn’t imagine not finding humor in the small things like this, but his eye caught on Mirio’s face as the student glanced off toward where the wind rushed off to. He thought back to that morning, when Mirio had seemed oddly quieter than usual. He supposed it wasn’t surprising at all. Mirio had every right to feel that way, especially today.

At the same time though…

He’d hardly realized he’d made the snowball until it was already leaving his hand, and Mirio jumped as it burst on his shoulder. “Ah, hey!” He laughed softly, turning toward the hero as Eri was trying to pack a snowball of her own.

“Ha, hey yourself, Togata. It’s a nice day; let’s have fun!”

“Yay!” Eri laughed, jumping up and tossing the snowball softly against his arm.

Mirio chuckled lightly, brushing a bit off of his sleeve. “Aw, but we are having fun, right?” He smiled, leaning to lift Eri up off of the ground for a moment.

“Hm, I don’t know, Togata.” All Might rested his hand on his chin a bit comically as Mirio set Eri down again. “Eri, what do you think? Togata is usually louder, right? More smiley?”

There was a hint of a pout on Mirio’s lip when the question was asked, and he wasn’t quick enough to avoid Eri’s gaze as she looked at him thoughtfully. “Yes, definitely.” She confirmed, tapping her chin matter-of-factly.

“I’m fine, you two, really.” Mirio groaned as All Might slipped an arm around his shoulders, smiling defeatedly as Eri squeezed his hand.

“Oh, I’m sure you are, Togata, but there’s no harm in a little pick-me-up, right?” All Might smiled as Mirio shrugged, dragging his hand up to catch the student’s neck under his fingertips.

Mirio flinched, realizing too late that he couldn’t slip away with his Quirk anymore. “W-Wait, hey!” He giggled, bringing his free hand up as he scrunched away. “All Might!” He squeaked out before starting to laugh as his teacher’s fingers crawled along the back of his neck.

“Let this be a lesson from an old hero, Lemillion: Always cover your weak spots!”

An interesting bit advice that he himself should have followed more often, but for now, he tried to focus on Mirio. Said student laughed loudly, keeping his hands close to himself as if he were trying not to hurt anyone.

“No fair; cut it out!” He protested as All Might gave him a bit of leeway to step backwards, only to shriek and trip over himself when the man’s hands shifted suddenly to his waist just under his coat. He yelped as he fell into the snow, leftover giggles spilling out as he hugged his sides. “Your hands are cold…” He griped, smiling brightly.

“Hm, maybe we should have made time to get you a longer coat if that one leaves you too exposed.” All Might teased.

Eri giggled lightly beside his leg, and he crouched as best he could to be eye level with her. “What about you, Eri? Should we check your coat too?”

“Heheh, yes!” She insisted, clapping her hands.

“I don’t know~ Aizawa always makes sure you’re bundled up pretty well.” All Might smiled, reaching to squeeze her side with one hand while the other tickled gently under her chin. She giggled and flailed a bit, clutching softly at one of his sleeves as she leaned into his hand.

“All Might!” The hero glanced up at the new voice, flinching as a snowball hit the back of his coat while he was distracted.

“Midoriya, hey!” Mirio supplied while All Might chuckled and pushed himself to stand up. “And Mr. Aizawa?”

The first-year student jogged over to them, embracing All Might in a hug while his teacher smiled subtly down at Eri as she burst into a recap of everything they’d done that morning.

“Togata-senpai, I’m glad to see you.” Midoriya said gently, offering him a hug as well.

Mirio scoffed softly at how hesitant he seemed, embracing him happily and sneaking a few tickles on his waist. “Ah, lighten up, Midoriya! I’m gad to see you too!”

The shorter boy giggled and squirmed away from him, smiling goofily and shrugging his backpack off.

“Thank you two for keeping an eye on Eri for me. I know you had plans.” Aizawa murmured as Eri reached to fix his scarf. “Did you have fun?” He asked her as he took her hands.

“Hey, wait;” Mirio interrupted. “are you guys going to leave? It’s still early!”

“Well, yes, but we’ve got to train. She’s been making a lot of progress.”

“Aw, but Aizawa, we, uh…”

“We do still have that firework.” All Might supplied.

Aizawa looked between them, rolling his eyes and glancing up at the sky. “We can’t just skip training today, you two.” He couldn’t help smirking as they seemed to scramble for another excuse. “But I think the clouds are thick enough that we’ll be able to see it fine.”

Eri cheered excitedly, and Midoriya shook his head. All Might pat his shoulder, and Mirio…

He just smiled.

 They coaxed a few extra minutes out of Aizawa’s permission by asking him to help set up the fireworks in the snow while the students opened the box of sparklers.

“Okay, ready?” Midoriya asked softly, crouching beside Eri when she nodded. “Stand back a little.”

Mirio struck the first match from the book, and Midoriya held three sparklers at arm’s length. Eri gripped Midoriya’s coat, feet crunching the snow as they watched the small flame catch. When the sparklers crackled to life, Eri gasped, her eyes lighting up as well at the jumping red and white sparks.

“Take your gloves off if you want to hold one.” Mirio suggested as he smothered the match in the snow. She hesitated just a bit, but she stuffed her gloves into her free pocket and carefully took the end of and offered sparkler. The boys chuckled softly as they all sat watching the lights. They didn’t last long, but Eri didn’t seem to mind, and Midoriya lifted up a handful of snow to help press down any remaining embers.

“Alright, you three; let’s get this over with.” Aizawa sighed as he approached them, sitting down in the snow. Eri moved to sit on his legs, and he gently took ahold of the dying sparkler.

Mirio handed over the book of matches when All Might offered a hand, taking his own seat between Midoriya and Aizawa. All Might drew a soft breath as he leaned over the firework, lighting the fuse and jogging away.

The group huddled together as the first shot fired, and Eri pressed her earmuffs tighter against her head. There was a distant murmur as bursts of color danced against the gray sky, and laughter was just barely heard as some of the students fired off colorful Quirks that fizzled into the air.

Mirio was quick to rub his eye with the heel of his hand, feeling his breath catching in his chest as he smiled.

Midoriya had taken the lead when it came to assaulting the spent firework with snowballs before they finally approached it.

“Okay, okay, the embers are probably out.” Aizawa huffed a chuckle as Eri dropped a snowball into the open tubes. “We should be going, Eri. I still have to make dinner for tonight.”

“Oh, Mr. Aizawa?” Midoriya called, flinching at the half-glare he got. “Just one thing, I promise!” He pulled his backpack off while Eri was doing the same, reaching inside to pull out two small boxes with their names printed on the lids. “I want you two to have these.”

Eri had handed off the pile of cats Mirio had bought earlier, and she approached to take the box with her name on it. Aizawa peeked into his own box, eyes widening subtly before he closed it again. Eri gasped as she opened hers, revealing a cupcake decorated with bright red frosting and sprinkles with a thin stick of peppermint and an apple-shaped decoration stuck in the top.

“Wow, Deku, you’re quite a decorator, huh?” Mirio teased a bit, giving his junior a pat on the back.

“Aw, heh, it’s a nice hobby. I made the apple piece out of colored chocolate, Eri; I hope you like it.” He leaned down to close the box for her, giving her a soft hug. “Happy New Year.”

Aizawa watched him with a sad sort of smile, reaching to lightly ruffle his hair. “Thanks. Happy New Year, kid.” He offered his hand to Eri as Midoriya pulled away from her, and she took it happily.

“Thank you, Deku!” Eri called as they walked away, and Mirio and Midoriya waved after her.

“Well, ah…” Mirio sighed softly, looking a bit awkwardly over his shoulder as he wondered if he should burden them with his feelings. “I guess I’ll head back, you know? I’ve got some… Something to d—” He flinched slightly when Midoriya tugged his sleeve.

“Why don’t you have tea with us, senpai?” He asked, smiling gently. “I have a cupcake for you too.”

Mirio glanced up at All Might, and the teacher nodded silently.

As they settled into the commons in Class 1-A’s dorm, the sun was already getting pretty low. All Might brought the kettle from the kitchen and set it on a potholder on the table.

“Are you ready?” Midoriya asked, seeming a bit hesitant now as he pulled four boxes out of his bag.

“Ready?” Mirio smiled bemusedly. “Sure, of course.”

Midoriya smiled, but he still seemed hesitant. He took a breath and opened the box, revealing a cupcake decorated with green and yellow frosting. A grey pair of glasses made of chocolate was nestled gently into the frosting.

Mirio’s eyes widened, his jaw falling slightly as his hands moved shakily to hold Midoriya’s under the box.

“Y-You…” He blinked a few times too many, tears falling as he leaned back. One hand moved up to his mouth as his breath hitched, shoulders shaking as soft laughter escaped around strictly measured sobs. “…You knew?”

“Well, um, All Might told me this morning. We were worried about you being alone, so…”

Mirio glanced up at All Might poured a cup of tea for him, sniffling faintly as the hero smiled down at him and set a box of birthday candles on top of another box. “Are they all like this, or what?”

“Yeah, I, um; I made Eri’s special because she didn’t know.” Midoriya’s hands flexed nervously around the box. “It was my idea; do you think it’s…in bad taste?”

Mirio brought his other hand back to his junior’s taking the box and pulling the cupcake out to look it over. “Honestly? I think it’s hilarious. I don’t think Sir would have it any other way. In fact…” He reached into his shopping bag, pulling out two of the business cats that he’d bought. “I wanted you two to have these. I wasn’t going to tell you why, but… heh, I guess it’s too late now.”

“Cat’s out of the bag?” All Might and Midoriya said almost at the same time, with All Might seeming uncertain while Midoriya was smiling.

Mirio gasped softly, looking between them. And all three of them laughed.

 The next minutes were oddly quiet. A comfortable sort of silence as Mirio rummaged through the bag and pulled out the small picture frame he’d bought. He smiled sadly to himself as he slipped in the photo from his pocket setting the frame on the table in front of the couch.

“Would you guys want to hear a story?” He asked softly, arranging the fourth cupcake and his own business-cat plush around the frame before he sat back down. “Since we’re here, I mean; I’ll keep it short.”

“Senpai, of course you can tell it.” Midoriya said, licking frosting off of his thumb.

All Might nodded crossing one leg over the other as he leaned back into the couch. “We’re here for you, Togata.”

“Well…” He began, fishing for a specific color of candle. “Sir scouted me when I was a first year, and I was working at his office when Bubble Girl just casually said: Happy Birthday, Sir, and just gave him a card. I’d been working there for weeks and they hadn’t even told me it was coming up!”

Midoriya chuckled lightly. “He didn’t seem like the type to celebrate much.”

“Yeah, he wasn’t, but still! What a way to find out. Anyway, I kinda just dropped everything and begged him to let me make him a cake or something. You gotta have a little cake, right? Or, your favorite snack at least.”

The others chuckled, and Mirio beamed as he pressed a yellow candle into the cupcake in front of them. “He didn’t say a thing at first, but he looked at Bubble Girl and Centipeder and just said: ‘Help him.’”

“Oh, dear…” All Might chuckled knowingly, smiling over the edge of his cup.

“Ah, heh. Yeah, they griped a bit about wasting time, but we weren’t really busy, so they got stuck helping the dumb first-year learn to bake.”

“You’d never baked before, senpai?”

“Hardly. Not on my own, and definitely not from scratch. But we bonded, y’know? Had some laughs even, and the cakes came out…edible.” Mirio laughed shortly, resting the back of his hand against his mouth. “They weren’t burnt, but they weren’t winning any awards; plus, they hadn’t stopped me from putting the frosting on too early, and most of it melted. We presented him with this plate of awful, sad cupcakes, and you want to know what he said?”

His listeners nodded, both watching him as they tried not to laugh too much just yet.

Mirio made a show of holding his own cupcake in an odd way. “He’d picked one up just like this, stared at it for a whole minute, and then looked me in the eye and said: ‘I can’t stand cake.’”

Midoriya snorted, nearly choking on his sip of tea as he laughed. “Oh, my God!”

All Might shook his head, sipping his own tea and sighing. “That sounds about right.”

“And Bubble Girl and Centipeder knew the whole time, too! Yeah, the look on my face must have been a sight because…” He paused, looking down at his fingers before reaching for the matches. “It was the first time I’d seen him laugh. Like, break his stoic character and laugh. I’m sorry you didn’t get to see it, Deku. Every time he laughs, it’s like he resists more, y’know?”

“I could definitely believe that. He was really stubborn.”

The boys laughed softly, and Mirio pat Midoriya’s shoulder before finally pulling out a fresh match.

“I might have a story or two from our old days, boys.” All Might called over to them, pouring another cup from the kettle. “I assure you he hadn’t changed much in terms of philosophy.”

Mirio smiled brightly, and Midoriya practically begged for his mentor to start. Mirio looked down at his hands again, striking the match and leaning to light the candle.

“Happy Birthday, Sir…” He sighed to himself, returning his attention as All Might started to tell a story.

 -------------

 Midoriya had fallen asleep first. They’d started a movie that All Might swore up and down he’d seen Nighteye laugh at even though it was boring as sin. Mirio had struggled to stay awake through it, having been looking back and forth between the screen and the flickering candle. Over the hours, the wax hadn’t so much as pearled as far as he could tell, but it was darker now, with the main lights off and the path lights from outside barely reaching through the windows.

Mirio’s eyes were hazy with sleep and tears, a faint string of snores leaving him as he sank slightly into the couch. All Might had taken the empty kettle to the kitchen to clean and rinse.

The candlelight moved, a hand turning the cupcake curiously as a chuckle just barely buzzed the air. The flame was blown out, and Mirio’s eyes blinked as someone’s hand rested on his head. He flinched as his mind processed the wisp of smoke leaving the extinguished candle, sitting up tiredly and glancing around. Midoriya giggled beside him, his hand moving to cover his ear, but otherwise, the room was quiet.

Mirio rubbed his face with the heels of his hands again, smiling out the window at the rushing snow.

[littlelittlebear]

Two Drifters | 3/3 Jeronica Secret Santa

@fangstomysweetpea oh my god.... its finally time!!! 

The moment i’ve been aching for is finally here and i am HYPE

Happy Christmas my dear Tumblr-friend, I hope you enjoy this jeronica playlist/au/riverdale rewrite.

A couple things first, the descriptions on each song are just an outline as to whats happening in that moment/what the song calls for. Also, this is like a story, so its not really something you can play on shuffle lol. I’m confident you didn’t really need these “instructions” lmao, just want you to have a bomb-ass jeronica experience XDD

Also, you don’t have to “follow” the descriptions when you think them out, you can completely take the reigns too if you’d like!

So.... here ya go!!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1MflcKtyBDRjnP0giX03X4?si=ZcsD0GfxR0KevhgDpTZVKQ

And here are the descriptions-

Oxford Comma-

Locking eyes for the first time… wow. Just- everything is in slow motion.

Baby Doll-

Slow dancing in Pop’s after the dance. (V goes to Pop’s instead of Archie)

Can I call you tonight?-

Jughead and Veronica’s moments of glee when they finally set up a date with each other. Veronica squeals and jumps up and down, Jughead punches the air, they both fall down on the bed with blissful looks on their faces. Two cinnamon rolls.

“So, I’ll call you tonight?”

“Yes! *Too enthusiastic- calm down Veronica* Yes. Call me tonight.”

*Que music*

Just Like a Movie-

Jughead calls this their theme song one day when they’re just hanging out in the student lounge as a joke.

Scrawny-

Veronica calls this Jughead’s theme song in response, they have a good laugh and Jughead rolls his eyes at the lyrics A LOT.

Space Girl-

Jughead calls this Veronica’s theme song- because she’s “oUt oF tHiS worLD!”.

She smacks his arm for being so cheesy.

Good Morning-

The morning after they do the “horizontal tango” with each other for the first time, they dance in Veronica’s kitchen, knowing all the words- only to be interrupted by an amused Hermione Lodge.

Unforgettable-

Their first Christmas together, spent snowed in at The Pembrooke. But honestly, they don’t mind.

Shake it out-

Jughead and Veronica cry together after her parents blackmail them/force them to break up. #parentssuck.

Your star-

Coping with the breakup, newsflash- they aren’t, or when they are... they don’t go the healthiest route. So. Much. Angst.

Rare-

Veronica changes up her style a little bit, which really is just lower cut tops, just trying to forget about Jughead- does a lil sexy performance singing to this at a pep rally.

Out the door-

Jughead never leaving the depressional stage of grief.                                

+ Exchanging broken looks that just scream “I’m not over you.”

I can’t get you off my mind-

Drunkenly hooking up at a party because their tension recently had just been… w o w

Drugs-

Sneaking around- sexy times ;)

Why Do You Love Me-

Having a screaming match, then a very angry/hot makeup session, then very angry sex XD

The Wind-

After some hOrIzOnTaL TaNGo at Sweetwater River, they admit that they can’t keep away from each other, saying that they love each other for the first time- followed by Veronica crying tears of joy cuz she’s never done that before- and that they’re going to work everything out, together. They just hold each other after that.

“I love you, Princess.”

Veronica props herself on her elbow to face him (they were laying down before)

Jughead sees her widened eyes. “Y-you don’t have to say it back, I know its ha-“

“I love you too, Jug”

You and I-

Montage of working at Pop’s for summer, ending with a jam sesh in Jughead’s trailer- Veronica just in his shirt and Jughead just in his sweats. FP comes in, surprised to see Veronica, but welcomes her easily. FP and Veronica bond, and he embarrasses Jug with some baby photos. While Jug’s probably beet-red, he can’t help but completely oggle at Veronica- happy that they don’t have to hide from his dad anymore.

Start a Riot-

Jeronica send a little message to Hiram through security cameras (they just make out lmao), showing that he can’t keep them apart. They then proceed to trash Hiram’s jingle jangle lab. :)

Moon River-

Slow dancing after having been crowned homecoming King and Queen. And of course, because Veronica is 1/2 of this relationship- this becomes their song.

“That’s us.”

“What do you mean?” Veronica asks, confused.

“The two drifters in the song. ‘Two drifters, off to see the world.’ That’s us”

Veronica’s eyes start to gloss.

“I absolutely love that. And you.”

Teenagers-

Being the badass power couple they are, being 100% team Serpent against the Bulldogs during the riots. Its all one long shot too- no cuts :))

A Sunday Kind of Love-

Looking at each other in slow motion (wow- I really love putting stuff in slow motion) when Veronica is officially named Serpent queen, they’re absolutely smitten with each other. Cut to them dancing in the Wyrm to the song, discussing how they’re going to make their big debut as Riverdale’s resident power couple… second to Choni of course.

“So… now that I’m your queen, I was thinking had a debut of sorts. Just to educate the public of this new order.” Veronica jabs, only kind of joking.

Jughead laughs, but it sounds more of a huff.

“Could you settle for a hand-in-hand entrance at school? Or would you be more comfortable with a red carpet event?”

Glory-

Veronica and Jughead walking into school as Serpent Royalty with matching Serpent jackets- no special colours thank you very much. You can bet your ass its in slow motion.

Worlds Apart-

Veronica crying at Jughead’s bed-side after the Ghoulies fuck him up.

Boss Bitch-

Veronica gets revenge on the Ghoulies and Penny Peabody with the help of the female Serpents, the River vixens, Hermione, Betty, and Alice.

Le Symbolique-

Veronica and Jughead reunite from his state of unconsciousness, this whole sequence is in slow motion, with a lot of white lighting/glare. Jughead almost died and just that thought alone KILLED Veronica.

“Jug I was so scared-“

“Shush Ronnie, let me look at you.” His teary eyes trace over Veronica’s face with a beaming smile, before he brings his girlfriend closer and kisses the top of her forehead.

Harmony Hall- 

Some core four bliss before it gets chaotic again, with a side of Jeronica and Barchie cuddles.

Not Your Barbie Girl-

A River vixen performance, Jughead is so fricken in love with Ronnie right now cuz she’s just RADIATING empowerment.

Therefore I Am- 

Jeronica sends Hiram to jail again after a bomb ass one liner from Veronica:

“Mija, you have no idea what you’re doing.”

“Only one thing’s false in that sentence Hiram, I’m not your Mija anymore.”

(HELP ME I CAN’T WRITE)

*Proud Jughead smirk*

This Life-

Veronica meeting JB and Gladys, them getting along great- just a wholesome Lodge/Jones get-together.

Don’t Call Me Angel-

Veronica changes her name to Luna, fully emancipating herself from Hiram, and this gets Jughead really turned on XD

Sway With Me-

La Bonne Nuit’s first successful night, Josie, Veronica, Toni, and Cheryl perform. Veronica somehow convinces Jughead to dance with her in public. Think Moulin Rouge’s Diamond Dogs type editing.

My Oh My- 

Getting screwed over my Hiram, Veronica is in a TON of debt and needs some “stress relief” with Jughead. He obliges. Happily.

HIP-

Veronica and Cheryl start their rum business, Jughead helps and oml he’s so proud of her. Btw, Cheronica are HUGE badasses right now.

Bury a friend-

Surviving Eversgreen Forest and Penelope Blossom…

Youth-

The core four are free from the forest, successfully escaping Penelope Blossom. Jughead and Veronica share a tearful but happy kiss, laying down on the back of a truck.

Don’t Take The Money-

The core four hang out at pops and promise to have fun this senior year, Jughead steals Veronica’s cherry from her milkshake, but being so vulnerable to Midget’s (He calls her Midget. Yup.) puppy dog eyes, he makes it up to her by sharing his fries. 

“And for a brief, shining moment, we were kids again.” all that good shiz

The Four Seasons: “Winter”-

Jeronica hangs with the Stonewall psychos.

(Online Love)-

Veronica and Jughead FaceTime and Veronica has this vibe like she’s the montage of the hero’s dead girlfriend in a movie. Like her hair is all splayed out on her pillow and she’s all smiley-

“You look like an angel right now- with your hair like a halo and how much you’re smiling.”

Veronica laughs

“Well it’s your fault I’m smiling you idiot.” Her voice softens towards the end of the sentence.

“I love you too, Ron.”

El Tejano-

Party at Stonewall, Jeronica are absolutely WASTED. Fun fact- Jughead get’s really into PDA when he’s drunk

Burned Out- 

Oh shit… I guess Jughead is dead now. (dw, Betty’s still the one who “kills him”)

Claire de Lune-

Just kidding, he’s alive, and he and Veronica have a really cute moment in the bunker. Veronica starts reading his novel, per his request, and he just starts playing this on the record player and she smiles but her eyes are still on the book. He just kind of watches her, and when she starts beaming at the book he can’t help but kiss her right there. Then they just cuddle and little bit, Veronica on Jug’s lap, reading the book some more.

Girls Like GIrls-

Veronica has to prove Jughead is dead, so she and Betty kinda sorta… make out. Like, a lot. Betty is dating Archie at this point, and he’s the one who gets “mad”. But basically Betty and Veronica end up making out again cuz they spot Donna watching them. Veronica is a bi con, and Betty might be too but everyones in denial so *shrugs*.

Dream Lover-

(Time skip, because I’m lazy) Jughead’s alive again, sadly, his spot at NYU was taken by well, Veronica. Luckily, after pulling some strings, she surprises Jug with a full-ride acceptance letter from NYU starting second semester.

Magic Moments-

Yay! Prom! Barchie gets crowned king and queen (Beronica was kind of forgotten about, but thats fine, because we’re here for Jeronica first). While Betty and Archie are totally lost in each other, Jughead and Veronica are just kind of joking around on the side. While it’s Barchie’s moment, Jeronica is still looking pretty damn cute rn. Also, this becomes Barchie’s song!!

Oxford comma-

The song comes through the speaker at prom, Jughead invites Veronica to dance. As they sway, they gaze at one another like they’re seeing one another for the first time, to the song that started it all. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And thats it! Thats Jeronica’s story from season one to season four, I hope you have a very merry Christmas and I hope you liked your presents! Also, if anyone feels like adding on to the dialogue or using any of the points in a fic or even making a whole ass fanfiction- please do!! I didn’t do this justice with my mediocre quotes so it would actually be preferred XD.

And again, happy Christmas :))

[z-iridest]

My Hero Academia: Ascension

Warning: Language

Chapter 1: Birds of a Feather-

The bitter cold winds of Japan’s early morning in the dead of winter felt crisply refreshing against a young woman’s skin as she soared through the air like her brother had done many times before in her childhood. Her white wings flapped up and down as she flew higher and higher still, eventually breaking through the clouds before she retracted her wings, releasing a deep breath out of her mouth as she stayed suspended in the air for a brief moment before her descent from the nostalgia of the past began, her feathery dark hair flowing upward as gravity dragged her down. She tucked her arms into her body as she allowed herself to twist in midair, pulling reckless mid-air maneuvers that she knew her brother would kill her for even attempting. At the last second, her amber eyes snapped open the same time her wings burst through her jacket, the young girl smirking as she effortlessly sped through Japan’s early morning air. Adrenaline pumped through the girl’s veins, her wings flapping up and down faster than before, allowing her speed to increase. She was headed toward a construction area, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes as she flew toward it, toward the perfect obstacle course to challenge control of her powers. She flew through the unfinished building, maneuvering pretty easily around the framework of the rooms that had not yet received windows nor walls, performing sharp turns in tight spots, loop de loops on the higher floors with no ceiling... Would her brother consider this dangerous? Possibly, but he was never a stickler for the rules, so who ever said she couldn’t be similar to her brother in at least that much of an extent? Coming up on the one spot she knew she couldn’t get through without hurting her wings, the girl quickly switched gears, flipping midair as she retracted her wings once more, this time running along the beams to get through the narrow path before somersaulting off again and activating her quirk for the third time that night to soar higher into the air. “WOOOHOOOO!” She yelled in excitement at the top of her lungs as she soared upwards once more, laughing as the excitement began to dwindle down and she began her flight home, allowing the tailwinds to keep her hair out of her face. Right on cue, her phone buzzed against her leg in her pocket. Unbuttoning the designated pocket, she pulled out the device and looked at the caller ID before grimacing a bit. It was her brother, and something in her gut told her he wasn’t going to be very happy if he ever found out about the type of training she was putting herself through this early... Reluctantly, she pressed the green button, answering the call from her brother. “Kei, before you say anything, I just went for a fly to warm up my wings, I’m on my way back right now.”

“I should hope so...And don’t stop anywhere else like you did last time, okay? It’s bad enough that you go on these night flies, but staying out as long as you do leaves more opportunity for a villain to see you, chickadee... You do realize those wings don’t exactly hide you in darkness, right? With how white your wings are, you’re practically a target day or night..” 

“Oh, please, like your bright red wings would hide your dumb butt any better? And that one time I didn’t come straight home, it was to grab breakfast for both of us, because if I didn’t, we’d be eating friend chicken for breakfast again.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with fried chicken? It’s my favorite...”

“Yeah, I know it is, bird brain. But the problem with it is that it’s all you ever wanna eat. Chicken and waffles is one thing, but nothing but fried chicken every night? You’re gonna make us both fat.” A laugh left the male on the other end of the phone.

“Oh come on, with all the extra flying you’re doing at night and considering that I work hard as a pro hero, we both burn it off pretty damn fast.” The statement from her brother caused the girl to deadpan.

“Kei, you literally do nothing but walk around and send your feathers flying to do the work. It’s me burning off the fried chicken you always feed us both.” 

“Hey! Hasn’t no one ever taught you to respect your elders, young lady?”

“You’re my big brother who’s nearly 8 years older than me, you don’t count as an elder when you’re not even that old.” A sniff from the other line caused the girl’s eyes to go skyward.

“Hinaki, why are you always so mean to me?” Her older brother whined. Hinaki sighed heavily in response, pinching the bridge of her nose in partial annoyance. ‘Why do I even bother with him? I swear...’  She asked herself.

“I’m almost home, Keigo, and please, for the love of God, no fried chicken for breakfast this time.” Hinaki told him.

“Okay, that was uncalled for, I haven’t even...” 

“Keigo Takami...”

“Fine... Ugggh, you’re so mean, I swear.”

“You mean just like how you’re annoying at times? Damn straight, and I love your bird brained dumbass anyways.”

“Love you too, baby bird.”

"Okay, when are you going to stop calling me that? I’m not a baby anymore.”

“Yeah, I know you’re not, but you still are my little sister, Hina.”

“Not so little anymore, but...”

“I know, I know... See you in a minute, birdie.”

“See you in a minute, bird brain...” Came Hinaki’s soft reply before the siblings hung up the phone. A sigh left Hinaki’s lips before she glided down to the front gate of the home she shared with her older brother...

Since childhood, Hinaki knew of the hero world, having been raised within the Hero Public Safety Commission only because Keigo had refused to train if she hadn’t been with him, kept safe and protected from potential threats. Not too long after she turned four, she gained her quirk: Steel Wings, and she still had the scars on her back from the first time she found out why her wings needed to go back to normal before retreating into her back. Wings that she could use to fly as fast as Hawks, if not faster, and feathers she could use as weapons or just use the entirety of her wings as a sturdy shield. The white wings had grown with her as she had gotten older, relying on her big brother to teach her how to control her newfound power of flight and the rules of combat in order to defend herself in his absence... Training that came in handy in more ways than one, as she came to realize. The first time she watched Keigo fight as a pro hero, she knew exactly what she wanted to use her quirk for... Though telling her brother that she wanted to become a hero hadn’t exactly gone smooth as silk at first....

Keigo was waiting in the kitchen with a protein shake waiting for Hinaki when she set foot in the house. “Hi, birdie.” He greeted her as he took in the wide awake eyes that were identical to his own in shape and in color. Both Takami siblings shared the same golden brown, triangle shaped eyes with two little triangles just below their tear ducts. Though, while both siblings had feathery hair, Keigo’s was ash blonde in color, while Hinaki’s was darker, closer to chocolate brown like their mother’s had been. At 22 years old, Keigo was known to the rest of the world as Hawks, though in the current moment, he was just Hinaki’s laid back for the most part, but protective, older brother.

“Hi, Kei.” Hinaki greeted her brother back, stretching her arms a bit before accepting the protein shake and taking a gulp of it. 

“Drink up and replenish those muscles, kiddo. After morning training, you’re hitting to books and studying today. The entrance exams for UA are just a few months away, you know.”

“I know, it’s not like I’ve been training for the past nearly 6 months now for nothing... I know the deal, Kei. Train hard, study hard in order to get into UA. I’ve been working really hard...”

“So you can have the choice I never did in becoming a hero... But not just that. You’ll be learning from pro-heroes that had been students at the school years before you. You might even get to make new friends and be able to interact with new people your age.”

“Oh, goodie...” Hinaki’s voice dripped with sarcasm, making Keigo give her a look. He knew why Hinaki had made that comment, meeting new people was not one of her strong suits, tending to hide away and allow him to do the talking more often than not. Deciding to attend UA alone was a huge step for her, not only in becoming a hero, but also in conquering the anxieties she felt about meeting new people before it hindered her as a pro hero.

“Hey, none of that, you’re gonna be fine, you’ll see.” He firmly reassured his sister. The look she shot him told him she wasn’t exactly convinced of it herself. Before she could walk away from him, he made her turn back around to face her and cupped her face in his hands. “Hinaki Takami, you’re one of the most incredible people I’ve ever known. You’re quiet, sure, but you’ve got a heart of gold. You’re quick on your feet, and even faster in the air, you’re talented, smart... I might be your brother, but trust me when I say you’re going to become one of the best heroes in the world if not the absolute best and I’m not just saying that. You. Got. This. Baby. Sister.” The grin on his face made Hinaki giggle, the sound making Keigo’s grin grow even wider. With the final words of encouragement, the two Takami siblings went their separate ways, the younger counterpart heading to her school: Jakku Jr. High. Due to her silent nature, Hinaki didn’t have many friends, preferring to eat lunch on the rooftop, where she could be alone and think. But, as she ate lunch that day at school, all she could think about were the upcoming exams. What kind of tests would U.A. put her through? She knew there would be a practical exam and a written exam, but she was more worried about the practical part of it. How would they test the students quirks? The only thing she knew she could do to prepare was study for the written and train so she’d be ready for anything when it came to the practical.

Over the next four months, that was exactly what she did... She trained hard the nights she couldn’t sleep and every chance she got after school, she studied hard and aced every test she was given in school. Her hard work didn’t pass by her brother, who came home to a plate of food in the microwave and his sister either studying, training outside in the backyard or fast asleep on the couch. He smiled every time he caught sight of her and ate his food before either training with her, studying with her or carrying her to bed in his arms. A couple months before the entrance exams, after carrying his exhausted sister to bed, Keigo decided to do something he knew Hinaki wouldn’t like... But, hey, it was for her own good. 

The morning of the exams, Keigo had to leave early for work, but left notes of encouragement by Hinaki’s beside, in the bathroom, and next to a plate of warm and nutritious breakfast for her. When Hinaki woke up to her alarm clock going off, she noticed the little note her brother had left on her bedside. She picked it up and read it: Hey chickadee, sorry I couldn’t see you off, but I know you’re gonna do great. I’ll see you after work, kiddo, and I love you.

- Your Big brother, Keigo

Hinaki shook her head with a smile before gathering a backless high collar top, a pair of black shorts and other things she needed before going into the bathroom and kick starting her morning routine. In the bathroom, she found the note Keigo left for her on the mirror.

Take a look at the mirror, chickadee and you’ll see the hero I’ve always seen in you. By the way, there’s a plate waiting on the table for you, don’t skip giving your brain and body power, ‘kay?

Hinaki glanced at her reflection in the mirror, shaking her head as her brother’s written words echoed in her mind as if he had spoken them to her just before he had left. He had always seen a hero in her? How? She shook the doubt out of her mind and continued getting ready. 

As she descended down the stairs just a few minutes later, she pulled her dark, feathery hair back into a ponytail, her hair swaying as she headed toward the food waiting for her on the table. Next to the plate was the third and final note.

Eat up, chickadee, you’ll need to feed that smart brain of yours. I won’t tell you good luck because I know you got this. I believe in you, kiddo, more than anyone or anything... And that’s saying something, because you know how much I look up to Endeavor. 

By the time Hinaki left, she couldn’t remember what she was so nervous about... With a brother like the one I have, who has time for insecurities? Hinaki asked herself as she flew toward U.A. High School. Though it was early in the morning, her bird’s eye view was able to pick up a few people commuting to work and or school, including a green haired boy training on Dagoba Municipal Park Beach below her. She notice him look up for a second and gave a friendly wave to him as his eyes landed on her. 

As she touched down in front of U.A. High, however, the confidence she’d had earlier dissipated. The school was HUGE. She blinked for a second before shaking it off, forcing herself to walk forward and shoving down the doubts that threatened to make her turn on her heel and run away. Her body slightly trembled as she walked through the doors of U.A. for the first time, but she steeled her mind against her fears. If she was going to be a student at U.A., let alone a pro hero, she couldn’t let her fears get to her, no matter how nervous she was... She took a seat in the designated area, looking around. Not many people were there, and a quick glance at the clock on the wall told her that she was actually early. She sat silently for a moment, observing everyone else as more and more people entered the room, talking among themselves. The hushed whispers of the first few slowly turned into a buzzing noise as it grew closer to the time appointed for the entrance exams to start. Hinaki closed her eyes, letting her ears not focus on one single voice or conversation, but allowing herself to block it all out. If her wings had been out, she knew they’d be vibrating like crazy from the noise, thankfully being tucked away for the moment...

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” A voice interrupted Hinaki’s thoughts, causing the winged teen to open her eyes and turn her attention to the source. A girl around her age was standing near her. Her hair was jet black, tied up and out of her face in a high ponytail, her eyes a charcoal grey color. Only shaking her head in reply, Hinaki silently gestured for the girl to sit down next to her. The teen next to her bowed. “Thank you.” She replied before sitting down next to Hinaki before taking out a thermos and a mug, unscrewing the cap as she continued to speak. “Would you like some tea? I noticed you were looking a little nervous earlier, and since tea always calms my nerves, I figured I’d offer.” Straightening up a bit as the girl poured the tea into the mug, Hinaki nodded, murmuring a small,

“Thank you.” As the girl gave her the mug of tea. Keeping her hands warm around it for a moment, Hinaki watched as a part of the girl’s stomach began to glow before another mug appeared, making Hinaki’s eyes widen. Noticing the look on Hinaki’s face, the girl giggled.

“It’s my quirk: Creation. I can use the lipids in my body to create anything non-living... That is, as long as I know the chemical makeup of it. The more I eat, the more I can create.” She explained.

“That’s a pretty cool quirk.” Hinaki commented, making the girl blush in embarrassment. 

“Oh, please, you’re too kind... I’m Momo, by the way. Momo Yayorozu.” She introduced herself. Hinaki smiled softly in response.

“I’m Hinaki. Hinaki Takami... It’s nice to meet you, Yayorozu-chan.” Hinaki replied, an identical smile spreading across Yayorozu’s face.

“Same to you, Takami-chan.” Yayorozu responded cheerfully, the girls talking a bit more while drinking tea. After a bit, all the chatter in the room was interrupted by the intercom going off. 

“YEEEEEAH! HELLO, LISTENERS AND WELCOME TO THE U.A. ENTRANCE EXAMS!” The voice over the intercom boomed. The girls exchanged looks.

“Was that Present Mic?” Hinaki asked.

“I believe so...” Yayorozu trailed off before Present Mic continued.

“ALL RIGHT, YOU COOL CATS ARE HERE BECAUSE WE RECEIVED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALL OF YOU! HOWEVER, AS YOU’RE ALL WELL AWARE, ONLY SIX OF YOU WILL BE TAKING UP THE RECOMMENDATION SPOTS, SO I HOPE YOU’RE ALL READY!”  

“6 spots, huh... That sure is a lot of pressure...” Yayorozu murmured, meanwhile Hinaki’s mind was racing to figure out why she would be part of the students who were recommended to the school faculty. But, her thoughts came to a halt on the one person she should’ve guessed the first time around and deadpanned at the thought of her brother sending in a recommendation into U.A. for her. Really, Keigo? She thought, making a mental note to talk to her brother when he got home.

“ALL RIGHT, SO THIS IS HOW IT’S ALL GONNA GO DOWN. ALL OF YOU WILL BE DIVIDED INTO GROUPS, AND EACH GROUP WILL HAVE THE WRITTEN AND PRACTICAL EXAMS AS WELL AS AN INTERVIEW! TO ENSURE THAT NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT, THE PRACTICAL EXAMS WILL BE DIFFERENT FOR EACH GROUP!” Present Mic finished explaining the entrance exams before a different voice came onto the intercom.

“We’ll start with the interview. When your name is called, you will be interviewed by one of the teachers here before the written exam. Good luck.” With that, the intercom shut off.

“Not exactly words of encouragement...” Hinaki mumbled under her breath, her nerves returning.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do just fine, Takami-chan.” Yayorozu encouraged her new friend, Hinaki giving a small smile back.

“Thanks... With any luck, we’ll both end up getting into U.A. and be in the same class.” Hinaki grinned at her new friend, making the other girl smile back in response. 

“I hope so too.” Yayorozu replied before Hinaki felt a chill in the air and shivered slightly, glancing around the room before noticing him...

The boy looked around 5 foot 9, 5 inches taller than her, with red hair on the left side of his head while right side of his hair was white in color, and Hinaki's sharp eyes caught that his eyes were the same way: His right eye was a grey color while the left eye was a turquoise blue that looked familiar to her for some reason... Over his left eye, however, Hinaki noticed a huge scar and wondered what happened to him to cause a scar like that...

Just as her thoughts started to run, he turned his head, the cold look in his eyes making her feathery hair ruffle before she quickly looked away. "What's wrong?" Yayorozu asked, noticing the look on her face. For a moment, Hinaki considered telling Yayorozu about the boy, but chose to keep her mouth shut, shaking her head.

"It's nothing, don't worry." She gave her friend a reassuring smile before it dropped as soon as Yayorozu looked away. What was with the cold look in the boy's eyes?

"Hinaki Takami." A female voice on the intercom called Hinaki's name. Hinaki swallowed before standing up, feeling Yayorozu gently pat her back to silently wish her luck. Hinaki smiled at Yayorozu in thanks before walking toward the closed door to the office. She paused at the office door to take a deep breath in order to keep herself calm before opening the door. She was greeted by a female hero, one she recognized as Midnight. “You must be Hinaki Takami, correct?” She asked. The younger girl nodded in response.

“Yes, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Hinaki politely responded with a bow, Midnight smiling at her.

“Go ahead and have a seat and we’ll begin.” Midnight told Hinaki, the younger woman taking the seat across from Midnight, her back straight as the interview began. It went on for a good hour or so, and Hinaki found herself more relaxed the longer she talked with Midnight. “All right, Hinaki, I only have one question left for you at this time.” Midnight said as she adjusted the papers on the desk before looking at Hinaki once again. “Every hero has their reason... Some are in it for the fame and fortune, others simply want to do what’s right. I guess what I’m asking is, what’s your reason for wanting to be a hero?” Midnight asked. The question caused Hinaki’s eyes to look away in thought. It was certainly something she didn’t think about too often, the training she went through with her brother was bonus time with him whenever she could get it while learning how to defend herself. After a moment, Hinaki’s amber eyes returned to Midnight, the woman’s eyes showing her eagerness, yet patience, to hear the answer to the last question of the interview. The young girl’s reflected her determination.

“I want to be a hero to protect people. My brother didn’t react well at first when I told him I wanted to be a pro hero, and who can blame him? The line of work itself is dangerous, but I can’t sit still on the sidelines anymore, especially not when I have the power to help... Not with my brother risking his life as a pro. I’d give anything to be a hero and protect people, even my quirk. I’d rather be quirkless in a world safe from villains rather than have a ton of power in a world where innocent lives are constantly put at stake. I’m risking sounding like Hawks here with this next part, but I think the goal should be a world where pro heroes have too much time on their hands.” Hinaki answered, Midnight smiling at the girl’s response. 

“Thank you, Hinaki. That’s all the time we have, but I wish you the best of luck in the written and practical exams.” Midnight told the young girl as both women stood and bowed to each other. 

“Thank you.” Hinaki replied before she stepped out of the office. Hinaki caught glances with Yayorozu on her way to the area for the written test, giving her new friend a smile and a thumbs up before entering the designated area for the written exam. Now that the interview was over, she knew it’d be a piece of cake for her. She’d studied pretty damn hard to ace the written test, and it didn’t hurt that she had grown stronger from the training with Keigo either, but the nagging question of whether or not it’d be enough kept tugging at the back of her mind. That one insecurity kept rearing its ugly head like a parasite no one could get rid of. Sitting in a seat near the back, Hinaki shook it off once more. No... She could do this. Keigo believes in her, and he’s the 3rd ranked pro hero in Japan, as he had been for the past 4 years. She just had to have confidence in herself, no matter how difficult it was for her...

Before Hinaki knew it, the written exam was complete, and she was lined up with her group at a pair of giant gates, dressed in her workout clothes. She looked around at the fellow examinees around her before her eyes landed on a familiar head of jet black hair. Hinaki smiled and once Yayorozu’s eyes caught sight of her, Hinaki waved in greeting, gaining a smile and a wave back. “Takami-chan, how do you think you did with the interview and written exam?” 

“I feel like I did good with both, hopefully it was enough to get in.” Hinaki replied, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “What about you? How do you think you did?”

“Honestly, I feel like I did well, but that just leaves one test remaining...” 

“Right, the practical.” The girls faced the gates. “What do you think the practical exam's gonna be?” Hinaki asked.

“I’m not sure... It could be anything, from endurance to strength tests... Honestly, that just means we have to be ready for anything." Yayorozu told her, the other teen nodding in agreement.

"Right." Hinaki replied. Before either girl could say anything more, the intercom turned on.

"Right, then... Group Gamma, your practical exam is simple: Defeat as many faux villains as you can. There'll be certain targets that are worth a certain amount of points, but the biggest targets are worth zero. Try to avoid the biggest targets as much as you can. You'll have 10 minutes to gain as many points as you can. Good luck." The girls exchanged glances.

"Faux villains?" Yayorozu asked.

"Sounds like they'll be robots.... Least, that's my guess. I doubt they'll put us against the faculty when we're not even students yet." Hinaki responded, speaking what was on her mind.

“That’s true.” Yayorozu stated before the gates slowly began to open. The girls stood at the ready.

��Here we go.” Hinaki told her friend. Just as she finished her sentence, an air horn sounded off, sounding the start of the practical test. Hinaki’s feet automatically moved, running through the gates with the others. Once she was clear from the others, her wings sprouted from her back, allowing her to take off into the air as she pulled two feather blades the size of swords from its sheath on her back, flying straight for the robots in her path. She sliced through them both with ease, taking a sharp turn to encounter more. She sliced through them, at the same time, keeping a watchful eye on the other examinees as she took down faux villains. She sliced through robot after robot, all the while, a few of her feathers left her wings to help the fellow examinees in harm’s way. Yayorozu paused for a moment as she watched the way Hinaki fought... Something about the airborne female’s movements reminded her of Hawks... But why?

Just as the thought entered her mind, a few white feathers flew past her to dig into the faux villain that had snuck up on her, allowing her to follow up with an attack that destroyed the faux villain all together while Hinaki flew by several feet above her, the feathers she had sent out returning to her wings. “Might wanna pay attention to the fight, Ponytail.” Hinaki teased from above her head. Yayorozu rolled her eyes at the smirk on her face. 

“Thanks for the assist.” Yayorozu thanked her, ignoring the joking comment and gaining a salute in reply. One by one, the number of smaller faux villains shrank more and more in size. As Hinaki sliced down yet another, she heard a scream. Turning her head, she saw one of the students frozen in fright as one or the bigger faux villains headed toward them. Judging by the looks of those scratches on the robot, they had tried taking down the faux villain only to realize that their quirk didn't have enough power. She looked toward the other smaller faux villains before ultimately reaching her decision and diving for the student. While she sent a few feathers to get the student to safety, she somersaulted in mid air, pulling her wings into her back for a brief moment to let herself fall, slicing the robot in half as she fell before landing nimbly on her feet, her feather blade held out to one side as her wings reemerged from her back, straightening out behind her. Her wings flapped a little as she stood up straight, her snow white feathers returning to her as she turned to the student she had helped. "You okay?" She asked the student, holding out her hand. She noticed it was a female around her age, with crimson eyes, pale skin and ebony black hair that hung in her face slightly. The girl glared at her before smacking her hand away and standing up on her own.

"I'm perfectly fine, you shouldn't have helped me." She snarled in response. Hinaki blinked in surprise before her eyebrow went up and she placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh, so I was supposed to let you get crushed by that thing? What kind of hero would that make me?" She asked.

"You're not a hero, you're nothing but a wannabe trying to copy her big brother." The girl snapped in retaliation.

"Oh, really? Then why are you here? You talk about how I'm a wannabe hero, but you're here for the same exact reason, aren't you? I know you want to be a hero too. If the opposite was true, you wouldn't be here right now." Hinaki pointed out, the girl pausing before growling.

"Just stay out my way, bird brain." She snapped before hesitating a minute. Just as Hinaki opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, the girl manipulated some water from the pouch that was slung across her shoulders. The water covered the girl's hand and made it glow aqua blue as she touched a deep cut on Hinaki's right wing, a cut that the winged teenager herself had failed to notice. The wound itself glowed aqua blue itself before disappearing entirely as the girl lifted her hand. "There, bird brain. Now, we're even." The girl told her, not meeting her eyes before runnning off, not giving Hinaki a chance to thank her. Hinaki blinked as she watched the girl go. What the hell was that about? She asked herself before shaking it off and continuing to fight.

Before she knew it, the airhorn blared once again, marking the end of the practical exam. Hinaki once again sheathed her feather blades and relaxed so her wings once again retreated into her back. She spotted an old woman hobbling toward her. She noticed that the old woman looked like a nurse and smiled, recognizing her as the healing hero, Recovery Girl.

"Are you all right, dearie?" She asked the younger woman. Hinaki checked herself over and nodded.

"I have a couple scratches, but it's nothing I can't take care of myself. You'll need your strength for those who truly need it." Hinaki told her with a smile. Recovery Girl smiled back before nodding and walking away toward the next examinee. Hinaki's amber eyes searched the area for her new friend, the smile dropping and her brow creasing when she didn't spot her. She was about to release her wings out of her back to look for her when she heard a shout behind her.

"Hey, Takami-chan!" Hinaki turned at her name, relief flooding her face as she spotted Yayorozu behind her.

"Yayorozu, glad to see you're okay." Hinaki replied.

"Same to you. I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out together sometime. Even if one of us doesn't make it in, I still want to keep in touch and be friends... If you're willing to, that is." Yayorozu replied. Hinaki smiled.

"I'd like that." Hinaki replied, making Yayorozu excitedly squeal before creating a pen, taking Hinaki's hand and writing down her phone number. "This is my cell phone number. Call me when you get home, okay?" She asked. Hinaki nodded before taking the pen and writing her number down on Yayorozu's hand.

"Here's mine, just so you'll know it's me." Hinaki replied with a smile, causing her new friend to smile back before the girls left the arena together.

A few hours later, Hinaki was studying at home for the finals to wrap up her 3rd year at her junior high. She was listening to music with one earbud in while twirling her pencil in her hand, her golden eyes scanning the pages of her textbook. But, for some reason, she couldn't focus... Why had the boy in the hall looked so familiar to her? She sighed and shook her head, rubbing her eyes a bit and glancing at the time on her phone. 9:30... Kei should have been home by now... Hinaki thought to herself. She had made dinner a couple hours before, and had already eaten. Keigo's plate had been left in the microwave for him like always, and yet here she was, studying on the couch just to wait up for him. She shook her head once more to keep herself awake. However, her eyes kept sliding shut despite her best efforts to stay alert long enough to continue studying. She felt tired, but she couldn't sleep now. She had a test to prepare for....

She jolted awake a while later to a pair of arms slipping under her and lifting her from the couch. She automatically lifted her fists before the soft hushing from her brother caused her to relax against his chest, fatigue taking over the young woman. "You gotta stop staying up so late, chickadee. I know you were studying, but you're gonna end up brain fried if you don't give your all-star brain time to rest too, you know." The 22-year-old's voice rumbled in his chest as he told her, his comment earning a small grunt in response as the pro hero carried her with ease up the stairs and into her room, setting her down on her bed and tucking her in. By the time Keigo had kissed her forehead and left the room, Hinaki had already gone back to sleep.

The following week was nothing short of torturous waiting for Hinaki. Between studying for the upcoming final exams plus training, she had very little free time to worry about the results... "Hey, you know, rumors have been flying around that All Might's gonna be teaching at UA this year." Keigo told her one night during dinner.

"Oh, yeah? That'll be interesting. Wonder what subject he'll end up teaching." Hinaki replied, her head tipped to one side in thought. Though her voice and face didn't show any of her excitement, her mind was bubbling with the possibility of the Number 1 Hero teaching her.

"Probably the Heroes 101 if I had to guess... He is number one, after all. If you're gonna learn how to be a hero, you might as well learn from the best, right?" Keigo asked before smiling a bit. "By the way, I can tell you're excited just by that news, you can hide it from anybody else, but forget it when it comes to me. I can read you like an open book."

"Kei, I'm not exactly holding my breath here, it's just rumors for now... But, the thought of being taught by All Might is really cool." Hinaki answered her brother with a sheepish smile before blinking, her smile dropping. "Don't get me wrong, training with you is just as awesome too..."

"Chickadee, calm down, it's okay. Besides, I know we haven't had much time to train together especially in recent years... I taught you as much as I could from a big brother stand point. Now, it's up to the teachers for the boring but essential part of it." Keigo told her.

"That is, if I get in." Hinaki replied, glancing off to the side.

"Hey, what did I say about that? Stop it. You're gonna get into UA, and you're gonna be freaking awesome because you're Hinaki Takami, damn it. You're a badass through and through, on the ground and in the air. You're gonna be an amazing pro hero because you've got the heart and the drive that every great pro hero has. If I'm wrong, I'll never eat chicken again." Hinaki stared at her brother. Those were words that she thought he'd never utter in his life. "What?"

"You're that serious?" Hinaki asked.

"Hell yeah, I'm that serious. Kiddo, I've been watching you since you were little. You've always worked hard to become a pro since you first got your quirk and I'm proud as fuck with how far you've come. You've got just a bit further to go, but I can already tell that you're gonna help so many people, birdie." Keigo told her. Hinaki smiled.

"If I am, it's only because I had the best big brother anyone can ever ask for growing up." Hinaki responded to her brother's praise. Keigo grinned at her counter praise and winked, shifting so he was close enough to wrap his arm around her.

"And as your big brother, I'll always be here to continue helping you. Always." He promised, giving her a side squeeze that made her giggle. He grinned in response before letting her go and the two continued to eat together.

"By the way..." As soon as Hinaki spoke again, she watched as Keigo stiffen slightly. "I was told a certain little bird sent in a reccomendation letter for me. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Hinaki asked before her brother laughed nervously. "Keigo..."

"Okay, so I did, but come on. You deserve it. The kids that train under the wing of the Hero Safety Commission? They don't do half the shit you do when it comes to training, let alone have to go to school at the same time like you do. Besides, if I can give you a hand in becoming a pro, I wanna do as much as I can." Keigo pointed out.

"Yeah, but the whole point of me training was so that you wouldn't have to." Hinaki told him.

"I mean, it's already been done, what'd you want me to do?" Keigo asked with a shrug and a slight smirk. Hinaki rolled her eyes. "Hey." Hinaki looked at her brother. "I love you, birdie. I was only trying to help, you know."

"I know, and I love you too." Hinaki replied as the two finished their food, bringing their dishes to the sink.

Just a few days after the conversation, Hinaki sat motionless on the couch, staring at the envelope addressed to her. The seal on the back indicated that it was from UA, more than likely with her test results. Should she wait for Keigo to open it? Or just tell him what the letter held for her? She blinked a couple times before shaking her head. Better late than never... She ultimately decided before she broke the seal on the back, her hands trembling from the anticipation. But, instead of a letter, was a little metal disc. She raised an eyebrow, turning it over and over in her hands. What the? But, just as she set it down on the coffee table in front of her, it lit up, coming to life. A loud, boisterous laughter filled the room before a muscular figure came in view. His eyes had been sucken in over the years, but his bunny ear like blond hair and bright grin were more than a little recognizable. "Hello, young Takami! I am here to give you your test results!" Hinaki blinked in surprise.

"All Might? So, the rumors about you coming to teach at UA were true, then." Hinaki answered.

"That's right, young Takami! However, I'll be only one of the teachers at UA High this year! Now, before I get too ahead of myself, onto your results! You passed the written exam at the top of the recommended students, and the practical allowed you to shine brightly, only coming in second to one recommended student. But, young Takami, you didn't just gain Villain points in the practical. You see, there was a secret point value we were looking for... After all, what's the point in being a hero if you can't rescue those in danger? You didn't hesitate to help one of the fellow examinees in trouble, earning you 50 rescue points. But, there's one more thing I want to show you before we move ahead." All Might stepped off to the side as a small video popped up, showing a video of Midnight.

"For someone so young, I have to admit, it surprised me a little that Hinaki has a level head on her shoulders. She shares the same idea as Hawks in that we should aim for a society where heroes have too much time on their hands, yet in contrast to Hawks appearing relaxed no matter the situation, Hinaki looks more than ready for even the worst case scenario, which is something we need in more heroes if I'm completely honest... I can't wait to see the hero she's going to become."

"That's right, young Takami. Though Hawks was the one who recommended you, he's not the only pro excited to see how you'll continue to grow as a fledgling hero. With that in mind, young Takami, it's my pleasure to officially welcome you to the Hero Academia. You've made it in, welcome to U.A." All Might congratulated her. Hinaki smiled brightly back.

"I can't wait to learn from you, All Might." Hinaki replied before All Might signed off and the Holographic disc went quiet once more. Hinaki trembled with excitement before a holler of joy left her, her wings flapping hard and fast in excitement to lift her up into the air slightly before she touched back down. A laugh left her as she ran her fingers through her feathery dark hair, her golden amber eyes lit up in joy.

Wait till I tell Keigo....

Taglist: @bisexualmattholtstan @lirinstaalem

(Message me if you wanna be added to the taglist! Hope you enjoy the first chapter of MHA: Ascension! ^.^ )

[aarcanechaoss]

3. Strength

We learn some more about our outstanding team and we find that Ryoko is a strong girl... she just lifted Dazai over her shoulder with ease.

Okay Bokuto was actually very funny Ryoko found. Akaashi was a seemingly less dead inside version of Fyodor and she appreciated that greatly.

“Fukami Aoba Johsai’s captain wants to talk to you.” Higuchi said, venom lacing her words. The pinkette rolled her eyes making Akaashi giggle quietly.

“Alright blondie where are they?”

“Don’t call me blondie you hoarder.” She snapped. “Over there in the light blue t-shirt.”

“Yikes someone didn’t get their daily dose of Aku today. Nice chat boys talk soon.”

Oikawa wasn’t stupid enough to say he wasn’t nervous to talk to the pink haired girl, he’s a confident man, stupidly cocky and competitive but he knows when he needs to back down from the alpha dog. Ryoko being the Alpha dog. She was terrifying, even mad dog stared towards their team in awe. They looked friendly enough but Toru Oikawa was astute enough to figure out something was up with the Yokohama team.

Strong

Fast

Incredibly keen

He needed to know and he was going to ask each and every player on that team.

Hirotsu fiddled with his monocle and watched as the students mingled, called parents or friends and generally did their own things, the Fukurodani coach stepped beside him.

“Takeyuki Yamiji.” He says. “Your team is something.”

“Ryuro Hirotsu. Yes they are.” He smiled. “Fukurodani is quite strong too.”

“In comparison to your lot I’ll definitely take that compliment.” The man laughed. “I’m sure you know half the reason Yokohama was invited was so we could learn your plays.”

“We know.” Hirotsu said smugly.

“Then I must ask why agree? Some of us definitely aren’t near your level we were surprised you agreed to join the camp.” Yamiji wondered.

“Let’s just say our lot needs some normalcy. Our school is very much performance based they need to be good at everything they set their minds too. They can do it they are strong kids but a misstep would... uh... anger them. We don’t pressure them to be perfect in any way- we want them to do well... and they enjoy teaching others. The third years like being mentors, the second years want to show off just a little and the first years want to be seen outside of Volleyball. A training camp gives them freedom.” Ranpo interjected.

“Very well said Edogawa.” Hirotsu laughed. Yamiji nodded in understanding.

“Shiratorizawa’s coach needs to be more like you, he’s stuck in his old ways- should have seen his face when your girls weren’t managers.”

“Ugh.” Ranpo sneered. If only they all knew what the Yokohama team really was they’d change their tune.

“Ugh indeed.” Yamiji laughed. “I should go make sure Bokuto isn’t planning on kidnapping Fukami from you he looks so sad now that she’s gone over to Oikawa and their Ace.”

“Perhaps, she has that affect on people.” Hirotsu smiled. She carries a warmth about her that gets hidden by a stone like shell with cracks running through it. The warmth would be a raging fire if not held back.

All of the Yokohama team was like that- they weren’t normal the school made certain they knew that, no one at that school was. Could you even call it a school? Principal Fukuzawa wasn’t entirely pleased by the governments methods of teaching.... non of the teachers were... it’s not teaching if the kids pass out.

Speaking of Hirotsu should go with the other coaches to check on the food Ranpo will be alright alone.

“Oikawa and Iwaizumi right? Blondie sent me over.” The pinkette said lazily. She could see the side eyes of her teammates it’s not like she was going to attack anyone that only happened once and she wholeheartedly believes Twain deserved it.

“Just wanted to meet you. We’ll play against you tomorrow and since we’ll be stuck together for a while maybe become friends?” Oikawa answered. Ryoko snorted at his tone.

“If you have no intentions of being friends don’t pretend I don’t like liars. You seem like a smart guy just ask your questions.”

“Okay fine you got me what gave me away?” Oikawa laughed, genuinely laughed.

“Iwaizumi’s face.” Said Ace went to speak before noticing the quirk on her lips, she was teasing them. “But seriously what’s up milk bread.”

Oikawa spluttered, Iwaizumi snorted and all else who heard snickered quietly. Okay maybe not quietly Tendo found that comment extremely funny.

“Well I was offering a branch of friendship for volleyball note swapping but after that comment.” Oikawa huffed.

“In other words what kind of training do you all do?” Iwaizumi asked.

“Oh- you should talk to Oda and Chuuya on that stuff. I just show up and hit things.” She chuckled. It didn’t seem genuine if the Aoba Johsai players were honest. Her fiery eyes darken slightly, “Honestly we just work well together, like all of you we train each section, play and style to near perfection but again those questions are best for the Captains milk bread.”

“I’m not going to live that down now.” Oikawa grumbled.

“No way milk bread.” Iwaizumi teased. Ryoko twitched and pulled on her braid watching them with an awfully calm watchful gaze, like an animal studying something new. “Let’s let Fukami go back to her team I think her manager wants her.”

Ryoko nodded abruptly and walked back towards the dark haired man she was near attached to.

Fyodor had been watching, as had most of the Yokohama team or at least the Akutagawa’s, Ranpo, Junichiro and coach- who knows what the others were up to... Atsushi was making friends, Chuuya was grumbling to Dazai and Oda with the Karasuno and Nekoma Captains and vices. Ryoko had been with Bokuto and Akaashi but Higuchi had soured her mood (she was now as motioned before speaking with Oikawa and Iwaizumi).

Fyodor often watched, he had no reason to interact unless necessary and no one was coming over to him just yet thankfully. His pale bony fingers played with the silver band on his wrist, it wasn’t a nervous tick or anything just caution. Ryoko and Chuuya wore one too and stupidly many people just assumed they were friend (they are but that’s not the point) ship bracelets. Nope just some spectacular silver bands to keep the three of them controlled.

Purple eyes caught stark grey ones, Chuuya had been thumbing his own bracelet but had made a motion towards Ryoko with his eyes. Fyodor followed till he caught her tense shoulders. The pinkette’s head jerked quickly and only just noticeable to those who knew it was a tick she gained while trying to keep herself controlled- one Chuuya shared. Fyodor didn’t have ticks, he had intelligence and poise... he had a terrible habit to mumble not that anyone would tell him less they face the wrath of their stoic volleyball manager. Ryoko looked uncomfortable, like she wanted to itch at her skin and pull her hair, she was tugging on her braid is that close enough. Her chuckle fell through the air as Iwaizumi called Oikawa milk bread again, more mutters, then the pinkette was soon by his side again.

“Are you alright Ryo?”

“Fine. You? You’re playing with the band again.”

“You noticed?”

“Chuuya is too.” She said pointedly. “I hate wearing it.” She muttered.

“Alright Burnabitch how about we go get dinner.” Fyodor raised a thin brow waiting for the pinkette to get his joke.

“Oh fuck you Rat Bastard it was one time and Kaji deserved it.” She snorted pushing him out the door.

Sakusa watched too, less sternly than Fyodor but definitely more than Atsumu and Osamu were. The trio was off to the side, Atsumu searching for his favourite short ginger (Hinata where are you?).

“You think those two are together?” They heard Lev ask. Yaku hummed in response watching the two Yokohama students walk towards the cafeteria.

“They most certainly aren’t.” Akutagawa scoffed.

“Sound jealous.” Dazai snickered.

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not Dazai.”

“Are too Akuuu!”

“Is the Yokohama team normally this... chaotic? Their energy off the court is so different to their energy on.” Sakusa grumbled.

“It’s like they get to act like kids off the court or something. They aren’t getting in trouble so maybe it’s normal.” Osamu shrugged.

“Maybe. They just were so scary when we played against them.” Atsumu shivered. “Especially their setter... pretty sure he was going to set dunk my face.”

“You were flirting with the female middle blocker.” Sakusa droned.

“HE DID WHAT!”

“That’s you’re cue to run!” Oda yelled gripping what he could of Akutagawa with the arm that wasn’t in a sling.

“Running!”

The evening seemed to go by stagnantly. Everything moving either slowly or too quick bouncing from person to person.

Dinner was nice, sushi and soft drink with some fried chicken if anyone wanted some. Desert was some ice-cream. Pretty simple thankfully. Now everyone was in their designated rooms chatting and messing around until lights out

Atsushi and Tanizaki were bumbling around chatting quietly, Hinata attempted to join but to no avail the two apologised saying their coach sent them a message and ran off. The poor small ginger he was so confused.

“Uh it’s basically bed time man?” Tanaka said as Akutagawa stood to leave.

“Not for me. Good night.”

And with that the door was slammed.

Again the evening felt odd.

“Gin? Ryoko? Higuchi? Where did they go?” Yachi wondered noticing the three empty beds. With hands on her hips she sticks her head out the door but either girl were in sight. “Have any of you seen them?”

“Not since showers.” Kiyoko answered. The girls brows furrowed- where did they go?

“Dazai you can’t go to bed yet.” Oda sighed.

“But I’m tired.”

“No you aren’t dumbass.” Chuuya kicked him.

“Hey what’s going on guys?” Kuroo and Daichi asked.

“We must go coach needs us.” Fyodor answered cryptically. A knock on the door startled everyone.

“Why does this feel like the start of something bad?” Asahi asked quietly before Sugawara whacked him on the head with a mighty negativity be gone.

“Oi Dazai get up lazy ass.”... Ryoko?

“Ryoko?” Bokuto asked with innocent confusion.

“Sup Owlking.” Ryoko grinned with her hands on her hips. “Dazai get up before I make you everyone else has headed over besides you four.”

“I’m going.” Chuuya and Oda said rushing out the door.

“Don’t wanna.” Dazai sung. Fyodor sighed, Ryoko’s eye twitched.

“Don’t say she didn’t warn you.” Fyodor said.

The third years watched as the pinkette strolled into the room slowly towards the seemingly unmovable Dazai and lifted him up.

No struggles or tugs just picked him up and threw him over her shoulder.

The third years sat gobsmacked.

“How?” Oikawa managed to get out.

“I work out.” She winked before sashaying out the door with Dazai swaying and grumbling over her shoulder. Fyodor just sighed again and followed out.

What the hell is up with that team?

[saltskinandasociopath]

a very earthling question (onkey, 2min - teen)

summary: 'their names are jinki and minho. minho's the one in blue. jinki's out back trying to fix the ship. they crashed.'

'you talked to them.'

'no, they're telepathic. just - beamed it. right into my head,' taemin says, his eyes sparkling with mockery. 'yeah of course. i even introduced you too.'

(earth girls are easy, onkey (and 2min) style.)

pairing: onew/key, taemin/minho

notes/warnings: some fluffy alien romcom for this valentine’s day.

can be found on ao3 here.

———————————————————————

there is a spaceship outside of kim kibum's salon. it was not there last night, and it has no right to be there now.

this is, coincidentally, the least of kim kibum's problems. he is a colored-in shade of human misery, from breaking up with his on and off (permanently off) boyfriend, and ritualistically categorizing all the places in his life he has yet to cleanse of his presence; to the impending foreclosure of his business; to the sniffing bloodhounds of the other competitors in the area, ready to acquire his, frankly, absurdly sizeable space.

(it is absurdly sizeable, to taemin's key observation, because there's hardly ever customers. it's a hard market to break into, temperamental and not temperamental enough, in equal measure.)

the apartment he occupies above the space is tiny, made tinier with taemin's form crowding the couch, and kibum is mulling the utter dead end that his life has become, when a great collision rocks the dumpster.

and. it is a spaceship. it is definitely a spaceship, almost cartoonishly so. it's about the size of a parade float.

it's probably a parade float, is the second thought. some idiot drunkenly taking it for a joyride down an alley. look, there's an opening, light beaming out before it's blocked out by one body, then another. two figures that are probably human, beneath their bobbled helmets, their thick, stuffy jumpsuits.

this neighborhood gets all sorts of characters. it's why kibum chose it a little over a year ago, taking a chance on the already crowded area, the unfriendly lease agreement, the questionable landlord. these are just two more characters, talking in a garbled tongue that kibum just isn't hearing right.

it's 4am, anyway, and kibum doesn't have time for this. so he throws on his headphones, viciously tugs off taemin's socks in a pique of spiteful vengeance, and heads to his bed to mull over ways to make his bank account stretch even thinner.

--------------------------------------

'hey kibum, there's someone banging on the door. hey. hey, kibum.'

kibum is sleeping, he would be horrified to recognize, halfway on his laptop, lodging a canyon of a line across his cheek. when he scrambles up, his joints aching from the unnatural position he had dozed off in, he finds the time on his phone - 7:17 am.

'do you mind? i'm trying to sleep.' taemin says, nonchalant.

'god you are just the worst,' kibum says. he is looking down at his phone, checking his email when the reminder comes up - bank visit 730.

FUCK. SHIT. goddamn it. the bank, his loans for the space, seeing if he's using the space as intended and isn't secretly - something? insolvent? incompetent? kibum is certainly something, something sharp and biting and near-poisonous in proximity, as he throws on his clothes and tries to arrange his hair into something presentable. taemin holds up his bar of deodorant as he passes and kibum grabs it and pauses to apply it, unwilling even in his panic to let the stink of body odor be his signature scent.

he hurtles downstairs, his shoes sliding off at the heel as he careens down the stairs. in the salon he can see the banker (? is that even the term - auditor? realtor? pain in the ass, really) standing outside the door. whoever it is, is an actual asshole, because it's only 7:27 and he's been at the door for 10 minutes, chomping at the bit to rob kibum of his pride and joy. what a miserable bastard.

he is flipping on the lights, and taking one last duck into the bathroom when he spies them. the aliens. the parade floaters. whoever. they're just standing there, one of them a good 4 inches than the other, helmets still on like they're robbing him. one of them has a device in his hand that looks halfway between a smartphone and a gun.

holy fuck he's being robbed. he has literally negative to give, and he's being robbed.

or

or

he's desperate, is his excuse. he puts his hands together, and extends them out.

'look. i will give you anything you need, if you can just let me pretend you are customers for 15 minutes. just to get his asshole off my back? alright? just - ' he nods, looking between the two of them. the shorter one on the left, clad all in yellow, makes a jerky motion that might be a nod? he'll take it, especially when he moves to put away his gun phone. kibum makes a reckless motion to grab his hand and lead him out. the other one in blue is following when kibum glances over the top of the yellow-tinged helmet. the one whose being tugged along, his grip is loose, almost skittish, but kim kibum is not a quitter. he maneuvers both of them into chairs and holds out his hands again.

'just - stay there. and play along. please.'

before they can respond, or decide kibum's meager wealth is worth the charade, he turns away and schools his features as he strides to the door, popping it open with a cool, professional 'good morning'.

'mr. kim,' the bank asshole says, like he's the one being inconvenienced in every aspect of his life. 'am i interrupting?'

'actually, you are,' kibum replies, opening the door wider. 'i had some urgent client requests to handle this morning, so we'll have some company. i hope that helps you make an informed determination on our operations.'

he's impressing even himself with his handling. the asshole is looking at the two, weird as they are, like they aren't random intruders. which, no, of course not. of course. kibum moves forward to make the case more persuasive.

'i think we're ready to take that off now, sir,' he says to the one in yellow, whose gripping the ends of the chair like he's terrified. still, he doesn't make any motions when kibum moves towards the - neck latch? of the helmet - where it clicks into his get-up. when kibum fumbles with it, he gently moves his hands aside to do it himself, releasing the catches and lifting it up off his head in a smooth, practiced motion.

and, well. shit. kibum doesn't really have time to dwell on how gorgeous one of his assailants is, with sweet, expressive brown eyes. there's a discoloration to his cheeks, a yellow blush brought out by the vibrant tones of his clothes. his nose is thick, straight, and sharp cheekbones and jawline that together are really affecting his ability to make this whole thing believable. he clears his throat and meets those eyes with his own eyes wide, encouraging and asking for forgiveness as he moves to run his fingers through his hair.

his purple hair. it's one of the nicest dye jobs he's seen in a while, perfectly and naturally applied like it had grown out of his scalp like that. if his robber is from one of his competitors, coming in here and scaring the hell out of him, he's going to be monumentally pissed, but at that point he'll have to concede he's outskilled. it's not even fried out, it's almost inhumanely soft. perfect styling, too, framing his face - jesus, that face - like art.

he plays with it for a moment - a half-second - too long, but hides it with a murmur of consideration.

'excellent, i think this is about what you were expecting?' he turns the chair around to face the mirror and the man growls, like he's surprised, or scared, by the motion - like he's never been in a spinning chair? goddamn everyone loves these chairs, it's weird. but it tapers off when kibum steadies it at the stop, his black-painted fingernails resting at his shoulders.

(he can feel them shift slightly beneath his touch, and he's keyed up on panic, chalking his noting of that up to panic)

the man is just staring, silent now, at his reflection, and the asshole is still watching them. his (gorgeous, awkward) robber must have stage fright, so kibum smiles wide in the mirror, meeting his eyes. after a moment he follows the silent instruction, crinkling his eyes, breaking his face into an all new level to kibum's panic, with a wide, warm smile that feels like sunshine. he looks like sunshine, all in yellow, like a lavender flower blooming.

'great!' he says, chirpy in a way that sounds unbelievable to his own ears, but he's moving onto the other one, who is already moving to take his helmet off.

well, fuck, they're both good-looking. this one is a hell of lot less tolerant of kibum's performance, spinning himself around, moving away from his hands as he goes to check out his hair (black, surprisingly close to standard, especially in comparison). it's short in the nape of the neck and when he makes a motion to get up, kibum pinches, hard, giving himself a moment of surprise to push down, his hands full-weighted against his trapezius muscles.

at that point, he goes with the program; his smiling motion is a little quicker, but kibum has already picked his favorite and it's too little, too late, robber asshole.

'we can settle up after we're done, okay, guys? thanks again!' he hates his customer service voice - he doesn't even use this voice for real clients - but bank asshole seems like the type of guy who says 'the customer is always right' so he rubs it in extra sweet. he takes his time settling in, setting his shoulders down and back, lifting his chin high as he plays the part.

'these were just two of the clients we have booked today. actually - they were multi-day appointments, follow-up to ensure all their services were to their exact requests. performers, you know?' he knows he doesn't know. and he knows that bank asshole knows he doesn't know, that he has no idea what's trendy, or stylish, or experimental. helmets for protecting hair? why the fuck not. he'll sell that line all day long if he has to.

he doesn't have to. bank asshole is taking photos - without even asking! - and making notes on his phone. he made the case that he could make, and it was better to have someone here than not. even if they were a little difficult and a little criminal.

'well, thank you for your time,' bank asshole says suddenly. he moves to stand and shakes kibum's hand. when he turns, the two - instead of waiting in their chairs - are standing shoulder to shoulder, their helmets at their hips, expressionless, like a low-rent daft punk. he squares his shoulders like everything's normal here, and sees the asshole out with a cool nod.

as soon as he leaves -

he exhales, letting his shoulders and his head drop, releasing a moan to start, and then turning it into a yawn as the adrenaline starts to settle. the lack of sleep, the push to herd his brain into performative professionalism, on top of negotiating his own robbery.

oh. right. he's being robbed.

giving less than a fuck (but not zero fucks), he turns and resigns himself.

'thank you,' he says firstly, pointing it towards the one in yellow. 'ironically you probably saved my ass.'

the one in blue rumbles, like a whiny drunk, before it turns into a questioning 'ass?' the one in yellow turns to him, sharp, an obvious look of dismay on his face. he gestures, hurky, at his gun-phone - kibum tries to take a look at it, but suddenly takes several steps back as the one in yellow - not blue, it would have been easier if it were blue - raises it and aims it at him.

'whoa whoa, just - wait, i can get you - i can get you whatever money, i just have to go upstairs - ' and he squeezes his eyes shut as the one in yellow squeezes his hand, and it fires -

nothing happens. well, not nothing - there's some odd, light noise, like chimes, like the rounding noise of a balloon being blown up, and kibum dares to open its eyes and there are bubbles, iridescent in a way that doesn't quite look right, black and purple and green and red, stringing from one color to the next in a rhythm that's shifting, like it's looking for the perfect hue to settle on, shrinking and expanding out with little explorative tones that feel, inexplicably, like sticking your tongue out to taste the air, except with sound.

it doesn't look real, so jury's out if he's now suffering visual hallucinations, but he glances at the other two and finds the one in yellow is looking at him, with increasing levels of horror.

he opens his mouth and shrieks, incomprehensible syllables that make kibum want to cringe in on himself, but he's also still looking at him long enough to see his eyes shift, from the human brown to an alien orange.

alien.

spaceship.

he's not proud of it, but he passes out. at least in unconsciousness, he doesn't have to worry about dignity.

--------------------------------------

when he comes to, he's propped up in one of the salon chairs. across from him, taemin is sitting on the counter, playing with a pair of scissors. honestly, it's one of the most disconcerting things he can think of, and that's before the blue alien walks into view. taemin beams at him, and gets a smile in return, more tentative than earlier, more genuine.

'taemin,' he says, urgent and undecided about whether or not he needs to risk his life for his worst friend. 'what are you doing?'

'waiting for you to wake up. eating cereal.'

he doesn't have cereal. he ignores this discrepancy and slowly starts to get up. the one in blue doesn't stop him from steering taemin away so they can have this conversation slightly more privately. he still doesn't know where the one in yellow is.

'this is going to sound crazy. but these guys - they're not human - i don't think so, anyway.'

taemin puts his finger on his lips to shush him - to actually shush him, like he's a child and not the most rational, most human individual in the building.

'i know. they showed me their ship outside. it's pretty cool, actually.'

he turns to retrieve a box of cereal from behind the nearest mirror. this would explain kibum's ant problem. his arm goes elbow-deep as he takes a handful and starts eating it dry, talking around it.

'their names are jinki and minho. minho's the one in blue. jinki's out back trying to fix the ship. they crashed.'

'you talked to them.'

'no, they're telepathic. just - beamed it. right into my head,' taemin says, his eyes sparkling with mockery. 'yeah of course. i even introduced you too.'

'kibum,' says a new voice behind him. taemin keeps munching his cereal. kibum turns.

jinki looks infinitely more composed from earlier, which is impressive considering he looks like he's been actively rooting around in an engine, dark smears across his forehead, his gloves covered in something undeniably gooey. unfortunately nothing has really changed the actual look of him, and kibum - who will need therapy - chokes around his first 'hi' like an idiot.

the second one comes out a little smoother. it's hard to hear himself over taemin's chewing.

'kibum,' jinki says again.

'what?' he asks.

'that's all we've managed so far,' taemin says from behind him. when kibum turns to look, he shrugs and puts the box down, licking his fingers clean. 'but it's impressive, right? i'm probably going to be in history books.'

'lucky us,' he hisses. 'you don't even know they're peaceful.'

'um, you've been passed out for at least 30 minutes. and they left you alone and put you in that chair. i was up for leaving you on the floor. they're better than me.'

'low. fucking. bar.'

minho has moved to their side, looking between them like he's unsure whether to intervene or not. kibum turns away in a huff. so now he gets to handle aliens. he can't just leave them to taemin.

with a start, he realizes how much brighter it is outside, and, checking his phone, realizes he's near to the opening hours. he can't afford to leave the little he has, to take up recreational alien-babysitting. he also has, like, an obligation as a member of the human race to not have their ambassador be taemin.

he takes what he thinks is a discreet glance at the other three, and finds jinki looking back at him, patiently waiting. he flashes a nervous smile and looks back down to his phone.

ok.

plan.

small kernel of a plan. jinki is working on their ship. he can keep an eye on him from the salon, with the back door popped open. and he'd rather keep both aliens handy, but if he has them both down here, then taemin will undoubtedly lurk around too. so.

'go back upstairs,' he orders the pair of them. minho doesn't understand him, but he jabs his finger up to communicate the general spirit of it. taemin shrugs, but grabs minho's hand all the same.

his human-looking hand. he must have taken off his gloves at some point, which means that jinki's hands are probably similar.

it's traitorous or selfish or maybe just horny if he wonders what the chances are of the rest of their bodies being human like.

anyway.

jinki turns to follow them, but kibum reaches out to grab him by the sleeve. jinki looks at him, confused, and then takes his own gloves off - and, yes, they are human-like too. he clips them to his belt and grabs for kibum's hand, his grip still as light as earlier. outside of the glove, his hand feels terribly small and delicate, easy to dwarf in kibum's.

'your ship,' he starts, then falters. taemin has already disappeared up the stairs. he starts moving back towards the alley, prattling about taemin's ability to preoccupy people, for lack of anything else; jinki keeps pace beside him, his eyes kept trained on kibum's face, dipping down to watch his lips move. kibum tries valiantly to ignore what that does to him.

he pushes out into the alley, where the ship is opened up, a couple pigeons perched on its antennae.

'you can work on it,' he says, semi-helplessly gesturing towards the ship with their still-joined hands. 'and i'll be inside - ' he puts his free hand to his chest and then nods his head towards the path they just took. ' - if you need anything.' he lets go of jinki's hand and tries to reiterate with slightly more smooth motions.

jinki seems to get the gist of it, at first, but he grabs kibum's hand again and brings it up between them. bizarrely, kibum thinks he's about to kiss the back of it, he just has a gentle, warm look in his eyes that doesn't belong at all - but he doesn't. instead he meticulously opens his fingers, one by one, and then puts his gun-phone against his palm, and wraps his hand around to close it again. he maneuvers kibum's fingers into a series of motions, clicking a switch here, and there, until one of the screens lights up, with a series of lines running seamlessly from left to right.

jinki meets his eyes seriously and brings the device to his mouth. he speaks, clear and decisive: 'jinki'.

then, he moves it back to kibum and nods encouragingly.

'um, okay,' he says. he leans in, and clears his throat. 'kibum.'

jinki nods again and releases his hold. he clutches his hands together in mimicry of kibum's own posture, and mouths silently.

'you want me to talk into this,' he holds it closer to his mouth again, and, in doing so, notices the lines from earlier spiking with each syllable. oh. okay. translation device. or recording device. or... communicator? either way, it's not like it can do any harm. probably, anyway. his life is suddenly full of probabilities, when he had felt dead set on the certainty of failure.

'okay,' he says, deliberately slow, into the device, and is granted with a wide, happy smile from jinki.

he starts backing away from jinki, out of his own preservation instincts and the need to get the salon opened on time. he keeps his eye on the alien, on the off chance he has misunderstood, but jinki is also turning away, casting one last glance back at kibum, and nodding encouragingly when kibum clicks the button and says 'goodbye' into it. if it sounds a little sappy, well, there's no one here to call him out on it.

when he steps back into the building, he takes a few deep breaths and buoys himself up to start the day. everything else before this moment won't count for a good 10 hours.

--------------------------------------

he can't hold it the entire time, it's just not possible. but he does keep it on whenever he has one hand free, from greeting customers and employees as they arrive to clock in. he puts it aside when he's intent on a cut, or a wash, conscious at all times of when he's left it alone, peeking more often down the back way. occasionally he catches a glimpse of yellow, and once he saw jinki staring upwards towards the sky, lost in thought.

it twangs something in his chest, that he has to push aside.

he manages to get through the majority of his day like this, when his stomach suddenly and angrily growls. one of his stylists is nearby, and quirks an eyebrow at him.

'don't even start,' he says, and she sticks her tongue out, making him laugh. why not, he has to take a break at some time. he'll run upstairs and make sure minho and taemin are fine, and drag jinki along with him, and make sure he has something to eat to.

the question of what aliens eat is a good one, and kibum doesn't know, but he can at least ask. they're aliens, they can probably figure out if something will kill them.

'jinki,' he calls as he heads outside. there's a great clatter from the spaceship and jinki pops up, his lips parted and he lets out a pleased bark. kibum, fighting his own smile, motions for him to come down and simultaneously says 'let's eat some lunch, okay?' into the device.

'okay,' jinki repeats amiably, and kibum is positive he doesn't know what he's saying, but he isn't about to object to his sweet agreeability. especially considering they're going upstairs.

he waits semi-patiently for jinki to come down and then sneaks them both inside after looking, shooing jinki up the stairs.

'taemin, minho, have you guys eaten anything yet?' kibum calls out as he turns the key - there's no click, taemin didn't even bother locking - and enters. he waves jinki inside and takes a quick scan to make sure everything is in order. it looks like there's plates in the sink, the TV is loud from around the wall, but neither taemin or minho are anywhere to be seen. but, if they ate, then that speaks positively towards jinki being able to eat something. he clicks the button and starts talking.

'i'm going to give you some water. food...normally i'd just run out to GS25 and grab something, but i should have some packets here...taemin! what did you eat, i'm trying to feed for four here....'  he trails off as he realizes he hasn't heard much of anything since coming in except the TV. he abruptly turns and jinki senses the sudden change in his mood, setting his shoulders back and walking with more caution into the underlit apartment.

it's a small place, with a hole of a bedroom and a bathroom split off from the hybrid kitchen/sitting area. there's only so many places for people to lurk. kibum throws open the door to the bedroom, half-expected taemin to have taken over his bed, and minho resigned to the small desk in the corner, his helmet a pillow. but no such find waits for him there. which means they've either left, and they're altogether fucked, or -

jinki, following kibum's example, apparently is already turning the handle on the bathroom, and when he opens it he jumps back with a noise kibum can't even properly describe - it's like a gasp, gurgled through a mixer of soju and rock salt. when kibum takes the three steps necessary to arrive at his vantage point, minho is turned away, shoulders hunched in, his right arm in an all-too-human motion, and taemin is wiping his mouth and looking exceedingly - exceedingly - unapologetic.

'tell me you did not just suck an extraterrestrial dick, taemin, jesus!'

jinki makes some more noises that kibum trusts has the same energy.

kibum has always known about taemin's hobgoblin-esque exploratory promiscuity. he only asks that his friend be safe, perfectly unbothered that his metaphorical line in the sand is the human race.

he, understandably, never expected to have that sanguine understanding stress-tested.

while he's been busy engaging in a one-sided staring contest, jinki has pulled minho out into the hallway, and is having a furious conversation that sounds halfway between static and muzak. kibum has to consciously tune them out, has to do something to communicate that this cannot happen again, and also - how the fuck did this happen?

'how the fuck did this happen?' he yells. 'i left you alone for a morning, and you put him in your mouth? you don't know where he's been!'

'space,' taemin says. 'and this apartment.'

'you don't even speak the same language, you - you asshole - how can you even call that consensual?'

'hey,' taemin looks genuinely offended. 'i gave him some porn first and showed him how to turn it off and turn it back on. he found a blowjob one and had a boner. i asked and made sure he was good with it. c'mon, hyung, i'm not that guy.'

'fine. you are still the guy who just sucked a dick without having any idea of what it could look like, or what - what it was like when he came - or if the - if it was okay for you to swallow.'

'i didn't swallow,' taemin looks incredibly pleased with himself for his foresight, and holds his hands up in the universal sign for obviously. 'it's fine.'

'it is no way fine,' kibum hisses. 'you are such a dumbass.'

as he lets out the invective he turns and faces the other pair, who have stopped their own discussion and are now looking at him with expressions of apology and confusion - jinki - and...resolve? consternation? whatever. minho doesn't look nearly apologetic enough for kibum's mood.

'you're a dumbass too,' he hisses, stabbing a finger at minho.

'dumbass?' he parrots tentatively, pointing at himself, and then taemin. kibum rubs his temples.

'yes, exactly. both of you. glad we're all on the same page.'

'dumbass?' jinki asks, quieter, and pointing at himself.

'....no,' kibum responds, shaking his head. he can't even be bothered to try to explain, he just heads back to the kitchen. 'c'mon let's eat something. taemin, you are gargling and brushing your teeth first.'

'ok, but that means i have to use your toothbrush.'

the only respite kibum can take is that jinki helps him as best he can in the kitchen, monitoring the water he sets to boil and handing out the chopsticks when the convenience store ramyeon is done cooking.

--------------------------------------

he doesn't have much of a choice except to leave minho and taemin again. jinki seems much more opposed to it, pausing in at the bottom of the stairwell. he gestures towards kibum's pocket, where the edge of his device is poking out. at the motion, kibum pulls it out.

'sorry, i forgot to use it upstairs. don't think you'd want to remember much of it, to be honest.'

jinki shakes his head, and silently holds his hand out. kibum passes it over, watching as he holds it up to the side of his head, and presses a smaller button. the device says 'jinki', then 'kibum', and the rest of all the little pieces of conversation kibum has had throughout the day, speeding up until it's completely unintelligible, spitting noise into jinki's waiting ear. when it finishes, jinki nods, a small smile.

'thank you,' he says, clearly, carefully watching kibum's face.

'oh,' he replies faintly. 'you're learning? that helps you speak?'

jinki narrows his eyes in effort, and kibum realizes it's limited just to what has been recorded. has he talked about learning today, with the elderly mrs. park, or the chatty server from down the street? probably not. 'thank you' is thrown around so much in customer service, no wonder it's the first thing he picked up.

'you're welcome,' he says back, and jinki's smile is a quickly blooming thing that smacks kibum right across the face. he takes a step closer and presses it back into kibum's hand.

'use it more,' he asks softly. 'please.'

--------------------------------------

it's stupid, but he does. he memorizes the feel of pressing it just enough so it activates, and what it's like when his finger slips. he finds a little clip and fashions an attachment to his apron, so it's sitting on his collarbone. when there's an odd question about it, he says he's taking better notes of his day for record-keeping, and that seems to work well enough, though one or two stylists keep giving him odd looks. he doesn't acknowledge them.

at the back of his mind, he knows he's doing this for more than just improved communication, that he likes the way jinki smiles at him, the cadence of his voice when he says his name - the proud look in his eyes when they managed to exchange just a few words. he likes his steady, reserved presence. he has a sweet temperament that smooths down kibum's rough edges, just by being.

it's a crush. kibum brooks no self-deception. it hasn't been a week since he's broken up with his last boyfriend, and jinki is an alien, an actual alien, preparing to leave the planet, that he's known for all of nine hours. and he has a crush on him.

maybe when they lift off, he'll get burned up in the rocket fumes. frankly it's the only satisfiable outcome kibum can see from this.

he has one last appointment for the day, an older lady of the neighborhood who likes to talk, even when kibum doesn't. for once, this anticipated division doesn't bother him much, because it can be put to good use. he makes sure the button is pressed down and secure and leads mrs. choi to the chair, nodding along as she starts laying out her day, her impending anniversary, her entrenched drama with the other salon down the street (the cause for her patronage of kibum's location). it's all much formless noise to him, to be certain. luckily for him she doesn't need a partner to have a conversation, and he's lost in the focus of trimming when there's an unmistakable 'kibum?' from his right.

both he and mrs. choi turn to find jinki standing there, lavender hair a stringy mess, coated through with goop. kibum almost swears in dismay, stopping himself only in the nick of time. he looks down at mrs. choi and, before he can say anything, she swats up at him like they're friends. important to note that they are not friends, but kibum needs the money, and also needs jinki to stay undiscovered.

'jinki,' he says cautiously. 'what's wrong?'

visibly uncertain on how to proceed, jinki raises his shoulders, and lets them drop.

'it's a mess,' he says, and, yes, kibum did call a few things a mess today. 'i need to clean up. upstairs. okay?'

'oh honey,' mrs. choi says, feigning an unwarranted level of camaraderie. 'you really do. are you kibum's boyfriend?'

'friend,' kibum hastily corrects. he doesn't need to get himself into a fake-boyfriend scenario for further emotional torture. he looks square at jinki and nods. 'okay. take my key and go upstairs. wash.'

jinki nods, and kibum is grateful, glad that he managed to phrase it in a way he could understand. he excuses himself to go to the desk and pulls out the key ring, wiggling out his apartment key. jinki saw him use his key earlier, right? he should be able to figure it out. he takes a moment to send a text to taemin too to warn him.

'thank you,' jinki says again, and kibum dips his head back, oddly formal, and familiarly warm with pleasure when jinki turns with a small smile.

mrs. choi should go back to her old stylist, he'll lose her business gladly, because she greets him with a loud 'how handsome your friend is! you must be close, to let him use your shower.'

she says the last part with a relish to her voice, and god, kibum could kill her so easily. he laughs, hollowly, and she continues on.

'he's very polite too. have you known him long?'

'no.'

'mmmm, well. if you don't mind me saying, you shouldn't let him get away. and he seems to like you too!'

'well it doesn't matter who we like. can't really help that he's leaving town soon,' he says tightly.

she lets out a hiss of disappointment. he could give her a terrible asymmetrical cut in return.

'well, that's too bad. he seems to like you well enough, and well enough could be, well, enough to get him to stay!' she laughs gaily.

'ha ha,' he says.

--------------------------------------

'hey, it's me,' he calls through the door. knocking on his own door is just the way to end this day, tired and more emotional than he ever cares to disclose. 'let me in already.'

he hopes taemin hasn't gotten so far as to fuck minho. or let minho fuck him. or let minho suck his dick. if there's any chance they're incompatible, then spitting could hardly have been the apex of protection. taemin could be rotting from the mouth in, or minho from the dick out.

a small, tiny part of him thinks they'd deserve it. a larger part says if that happened, his crush on jinki would have the shit topper of misfortune it deserves. just to round it out perfectly.

he knows jinki must still be up there - because he checked out back before locking up, and the ship was half-dissembled, with jinki nowhere to be seen even when kibum called out - but he did not expect it to be jinki opening the door. he also did not expect jinki to be wearing some of his clothes, an oversized sweatshirt that makes him look like a college student.

'hi kibum,' he says, and he beams when he says, 'welcome back.'

it's so cute, is the thing, so exceedingly domestic and homely that kibum may not survive its cruelty, knowing it won't last.

'i washed,' he continues as kibum sets down his things blindly. 'taemin gave me clothes.'

'good,' he croaks. he fishes out the device before he can forget, hands it over to jinki's obvious pleasure. he holds it up to his ear, and kibum just watches his face, his eyes closed, as he learns. it's not fair, is it? life's not fair, is what they always say, but they're talking about things like losing your job, being left behind by the people you thought were you friends. not being teased with happiness, with love, and having it literally leave for the stars.

well, maybe there's an astronaut or something who can relate. whatever. kibum isn't about to argue technicalities with his own feelings.

'where's taemin and minho?' he asks, instead, when jinki has finished and is setting the device back down in the table. kibum presses the button before he asks, leaning back against the couch. he might as well keep giving his words, it's all he can do.

'they went out,' jinki says. 'for food.'

'okay,' kibum says. he's tired, but jinki looks like he's on the precipice of a question, and kibum knows he's going to have to say goodbye, so he doesn't wave it off.

'earlier,' he starts. 'taemin and minho. what are they doing?'

trust him to ask the hard question.

'sex,' he says. he hasn't said it at all today, it's not something you talk about with your customers. he's open, but he's not that open. he casts his mind back to some of the idle chatter from the afternoon. 'they kissed. taemin was making him happy.'

'oh,' jinki says. he sounds unfinished. he brings his fingers to his lips, and asks in confirmation. 'kissed?'

kibum nods.

'okay,' jinki says, then repeats it to himself. 'kibum?'

'yes?'

'does kissing make you happy?'

he snorts.

'sometimes.'

jinki tilts his head, his brows gone quizzical. there isn't enough vocabulary between them to explain it, but something in his eyes feels compassionate, and - kibum is just sunk. there's no way he's getting out of this without some damage.

'you're good,' he says, plain and honest. kibum flushes and turns away, but jinki continues speaking. 'you're good to us and to others. you should be happy.'

'i want to be,' kibum confesses to his hands. 'i want to be happy.'

jinki moves to his side, the couch arm between them.

'"sometimes"', he says back to him. he touches his lips, and then reaches out, stopping short of touching kibum, but pointing towards him all the same. 'tonight?'

kibum looks at him, and considers a thousand things that don't matter, because he's already saying 'yes', already watching jinki go down on one knee, then the other, folds his arms across the couch until his hands are resting on kibum's upper arms. he smells like his soap, but in this light his brown eyes spark orange once more, and there's a buzzing beneath his touch that hasn't been there before, and then he can see every star in his eyes, can see countless worlds in every freckle, and he surrenders at the first brush of jinki's lips against his.

it's only a momentary touch, but it lives past its occurrence. isn't that a thing? like the light shining down well after the sun had exploded, kibum can still feel his lips after he moves away.

jinki asks.

'are you happy?'

the light is blinking out.

kibum shakes his head, manages to smile a little.

'not tonight.'

--------------------------------------

he closes the salon the next morning, contacting the few appointments by phone call to make sure they get the notice. minho and taemin both slept on the couch overnight, wrapped up in each other, while jinki slept on the floor. the blanket kibum had lent him wrapped tightly around his form. it turned out his bathroom was hosting their suits, the helmets on the floor of the shower, so kibum just washed up the best he could with the sink, brushing his teeth with his finger on the recollection of taemin's earlier use.

apparently minho had also lent his device to taemin for a similar purpose, so the morning was filled with a lot more korean than he was used to, most of it full of minho's innocently profane conversations.

'you had to corrupt him,' he had wearily warned taemin after minho had given an enthusiastic definition of a rimjob to jinki.

'it was educational,' taemin retorted, and in a way, it was. it was certainly more straightforward than anything kibum had given jinki. but still, jinki had cast him his own looks, alternating between amusement and confusion. kibum shrugged helplessly and tapped their shared device reassuringly.

for now, it was much of the same as yesterday, minho and taemin keeping each other company while jinki worked on the ship. kibum was stewing over his business, trying to think past today, or tomorrow, to the return to his regular life.

it was much easier when jinki wasn't calling him out, excitement laced through his voice.

'kibum! come here!'

he gets up and heads out to the back. the ship looks great, with jinki perched atop the cockpit, half his body hidden inside.

'good news?' he asks, careful to have the button clicked.

'yes! very good!' he yells joyfully back. 'come here!'

'how?' he asks, because he doesn't feel like possibly cracking his back from falling onto the pavement. jinki laughs, the slightly alien rhythm of it, and extracts himself, climbing down with no problem at all. when he meets kibum, he turns to present his back and leans forward slightly.

'get on,' he says.

'it's called a piggyback ride,' kibum says uncertainly. he reaches out to touch the broad expanse of his back, before retracting. 'are you sure?'

'yes!' jinki says.

well, when it's said like that, kibum does his best, hopping awkwardly up and wrapping his legs around his hips. jinki grabs at his ankles and starts up, so that kibum is sitting further up on his back. he still smells like kibum's soap, even back as he is in his suit, and it's making the whole experience that much more surreal as jinki clambers easily back up to where he was.

'um, jinki, it's a little small,' because the entry is. looking into it, he's not sure how jinki expects both of them to fit, when he must have just had enough room to squeeze his lower half into the porthole-sized space. jinki shakes his head.

'it's not small,' he explains, without explaining. 'watch.'

he starts squeezing himself in, getting to his earlier position of being cut off at the waist. when he moves to slide down further, his upper half disappears in a blink, leaving the gap empty.

'what the fuck - jinki!' he yells, looking down and also watching his own step, now paranoid about being transported god knows where.

'it's okay!' comes his voice from - inside? kibum peers closer and can't see him at all. anxiously, he dips one toe into the space, but nothing happens. as though entering a cold pool, he starts to clamber in, toe, foot, knee, then the other. all of the sudden he can feel a grip around his ankle and shrieks in fear, starting to kick out before jinki's voice calls out again.

'it's me, i'm here.'

'okay,' he says, chanting it to himself, once, twice - on the third time he bends his knees to go lower, and just as the metal siding brushes his belly button he can feel something wrap around him, like a squeezing flash of warmth, and then he really is being squeezed, by jinki's solid arms, the alien smiling at him reassuredly.

'not small,' he says, and releases him so kibum can see he's now inside a spaceship a good three times bigger than it was on the outside.

'yep. you're right,' he concedes. 'not small.'

'i want to show you something,' jinki says, and he takes him to the front. out of the window he can see the entry into his salon, and beneath it is an expanse of controls. on the far left, there's a screen with another alien, his helmet off, pink hair almost cartoonishly bright.

'jonghyun,' jinki says, with clear affection in his voice. 'kibum.'

'hi,' kibum says, waving. jonghyun waves back, but doesn't speak, clearly turning to look at jinki to translate.

he's gotten so used to jinki talking in korean that it's disorienting to hear him let out those indiscernible noises again, and to hear jonghyun respond back in kind, but he doesn't want to interrupt the clearly happy reunion. jinki is smiling wide, and jonghyun's a bit softer, but obviously genuine.

they're talking about his coming home. kibum wraps his arms around his torso and waits, because what else can he do? this was an accident, after all, and accidents get fixed.

they are talking for a while, it seems, their tones shifting into something more serious - as best kibum can tell - so he takes a step back and begins looking around. the ship is bigger than outside, but clearly was only ever meant for two - two seats, two beds towards the back. there has to be some food for their journeys, kept somewhere, or maybe they were fed nutrients, like in the matrix, until it was time to wake up. it's a big universe, and jinki is meant to be somewhere else in it. not here. not with kibum.

'done,' jinki says, cutting through kibum's thoughts. when he turns back, jinki is looking at him, so he comes forward. from the screen, jonghyun looks pleased to have jinki (and minho, but - you know - fuck him, he goes in the same bucket as taemin) coming back soon.

'done?' he asks and jinki nods, pleasure evident on his face. he performs a complex little signal with his hands that jonghyun reciprocates, and then reaches out to turn it off.

'can we go outside?' kibum asks, because he doesn't think he can stand to be in this ship anymore, with its two seats, two beds, and engine ready to leave. he moves aimlessly back towards where jinki caught him, and jinki lets out that alien laugh, richer for having talked to jonghyun, high off of his happiness.

'there,' he guides kibum to one of the circles decorating the floor, hand gently clutching at his elbow. 'wait.'

that bright, warm flash and kibum is on top of the ship, with taemin and minho looking up at him from the blacktop. before he can make an excuse for his expression - because he can feel it - he can feel the pressure of tears at the corner of his eyes, jinki appears as well. he turns and leans forward again, inviting kibum to ride his back once more, and kibum - he's not proud of this at all - he clutches jinki in a hug from behind, before jumping up into the piggyback.

they climb down together, kibum burying his face in jinki's neck. he's sure he can feel a snotty tear or two, and wipes it across his yellow suit before sliding off.

'ready?' minho asks, anticipation evident in his voice.

'ready,' jinki says. in unison they make that hand signal jinki just shared with jonghyun, and kibum clears his throat.

'thanks for - thanks for crashing into our planet,' he offers, with a respectable command of his voice.

'it was our pleasure,' jinki says.

'literally,' taemin interrupts, elbowing at minho, and the taller alien blushes with a greenish tint. he steps forward to be side by side with jinki, and they each bow forward to taemin and kibum, from their waist, in perfect form.

then, jinki turns to minho:

'i've spoken to jonghyun about the return, and he is prepared,' and he turns to taemin, who - kibum is now noticing - has a bag over his shoulder. 'i have marked all foods that can be eaten. do not stare at the stars too long; you will burn your eyes out.'

'what,' says kibum.

'i brought sunglasses,' taemin argues.

'that's not enough,' minho says, and jinki is handing him his helmet, and minho is moving to place it over taemin's head, and jinki is taking off his suit, revealing one of kibum's old t-shirts, and some sweatpants, and -

'what,' says kibum.

'i want to stay,' jinki says. as he steps out of his suit, he stumbles, and minho catches him with long practice. he moves forward and kibum instinctively turns away from minho and taemin's gazes, trying to find some privacy, to find some equilibrium, because jinki is talking like -

'i like you,' he says.

'you don't know what that means,' kibum says, but jinki smiles.

'yes, i do,' he says, gentle, always gentle. 'i'm not leaving town.'

mrs. choi, and kibum's fingers on the button, keeping it on. jinki pressing the device against his ear, listening carefully and telling kibum he should be happy.

'it's not fair to you,' kibum says again, because he is selfish, he has always wanted more for himself, and in his experience what he wants, doesn't agree to be had. 'your planet - '

'my planet doesn't have you.'

jinki closes his hands over his.

'kibum,' he says. 'will kissing make you happy today?'

'yes,' he whispers, and jinki smiles. there are stars in his eyes.

the space between them closes, their lips pressed together, the world is shaking, rumbling like it never has before and jinki is holding him close as the ship lifts off, taemin pressed against the window like a bug. behind him, minho waves, the light bouncing off his helmet.

jinki is pressing another kiss to kibum's hair as he watches the ship become smaller and smaller, until it's little more than another dot of white among the clouds.

and kibum -

he's happy.

[derireo]

Okay hear me out, Izumi was a babysitter for Masumi when he was young and one day she tells him how lonely she is too due to her dad leaving and her mom working constantly. So lil Masumi then promises to marry her so they can no longer be lonely anymore. Cue Act 1 where he finally meets her again but she doesn’t remember him. Masumi then promises himself to make sure she’s never lonely, even if it means hooking her up with another guy (whoever you want it to be) and losing his first love/crush.

the inevitable

"Then let's get married when we're older." Masumi said, serious. He was sitting across from Izumi on the large sofa in his living room, both of them on either side.

Izumi was quietly explaining to Masumi how she enjoyed his company, despite their eight year age gap; him being eight while she was sixteen.

She spent most of her days taking care of Masumi in his home. It would be school and then babysitting, school, babysitting, school, babysitting—you get the gist.

It's not that Izumi had to do it. She could have easily said no. Even now, she could just stand up and leave if she wanted to, just as long as she called an assistant or a maid or another worker who would watch over Masumi until they found someone new.

But Izumi liked it here. The silence in her own home was far too quiet and she didn't really mind filling in the empty space at a lonelier kid's house.

He was easy to take care of, a quiet child who liked to do things on his own which allowed Izumi to do her school work. She'd play music for the both of them to relax to as they did their own things, Masumi more often than not asking her who the artist was or what the song was called.

Masumi was a cute one, too. Izumi liked to pinch his chubby cheeks whenever it was time for Masumi to eat his lunch or his dinner for the day and he let her, when normally he didn't like it when others approached him this way.

She'd been taking care of this kid for a while, and she saw him like a little brother.

"I– what? Why?" Izumi laughed in surprise and leaned back into her corner of the sofa with a smile. To receive such a sudden proposal from a kid was amusing, but what was funnier to her was that Masumi didn't look like he was joking.

There was an indignant frown on his face as he crawled across the sofa to sit closer to Izumi.

"I don't want you to feel lonely anymore." He murmured shyly, reaching out with his small hands to envelope one of Izumi's own. She smiled at his sincerity and ruffled his hair with her unoccupied hand, offering up the empty space in her arms for the child to crawl into to comfort him.

It looked like he had accidentally brought his own mood down.

"I'm used to it, Masumi-kun." She soothed, gently petting his hair.

"I, for one, don't want you to feel lonely. That's why I always pick you up from school and stay with you in your house until you go to sleep."

"I don't feel lonely. I don't care." Masumi grouched unhappily at Izumi's words and sulked into her side, his rest resting on her shoulder while she cradled him in one arm, a manuscript balancing itself on her thighs.

"That's not something you should say." She scolded him, looking away from the child's grumpy face to skim over the text on her lap.

"Whatever. I'm going to marry you once I'm old enough, and I'm going to always be by your side." He vowed for the both of them and dug his face into the crook of Izumi's neck while she let out another laugh, flipping through the pages to her book.

"Okay, kiddo."

After that day, Izumi continued to take care of him for a few months until the devastating news that Masumi was going to be living abroad for the next few years surfaced. Even worse was that, Izumi's mother was set on moving away too as they had found a new home to live in; a home for just two people.

Masumi was in tears when Izumi decided to say goodbye to him at the airport before he and his small family left, and he clung onto her desperately when he was told that they needed to head to terminal.

"Izumi, I don't want to go." He sobbed into her chest and clutched at her as she was the only thing that tied him down to this world. It broke Izumi's heart.

"I don't want you to either, but it'll be hard for me to convince your parents to stay." She explained to him; trying to avoid words like 'can't'. If she used a word that had negative connotations like that, it would only hurt Masumi more and make him confused.

'Why can't you?' She could hear him ask.

Before the two could say anything else, Masumi was pried away from Izumi by his father, the young child letting out another sob that nearly ripped Izumi's heart out.

And that was the last time they saw each other until another eight years had passed.

God, when Masumi saw her again.. it felt like he had ascended to Heaven.

He moved back to Japan once his parents deemed him old enough to live on his own in their old house, sending him home at the age of fourteen.

It had been two years since he came back and not once did he see her until today.

He was walking around Veludo Station when he saw Izumi and Sakuya performing a street act; and when he saw her all grown up and pretty, it felt like a truck had hit him.

His heart was stuck in his throat when she noticed him staring, and he quickly hopped down to where she stood with Sakuya, effectively startling the two.

"If you're a part of the troupe.. I'll join." He muttered, much to the joy of Izumi, Sakuya, and that old looking dude.

He smiled a little when he saw how her eyes sparkled with relief, but wasn't sure what to make of it when she gave him another glance and didn't seem to recognise the little boy she used to care for.

So it was a bitter feeling as time dredged on at Mankai with Izumi still not realising that he was Masumi Usui, the Masumi Usui that she babysat when they were younger.

That bitter feeling would turn impossibly more acrid when he'd watch her interact with the other men in the company, but it was even worse when he would notice her working alone in the dining area or the lounge room; piles of papers seemingly neverending as she silently worked into the night.

It was an image he never wanted to see.

She worked tirelessly to keep this company afloat and on top of that travelled around the city to help with other theatres, never giving herself a break nor the time to just eat and recharge, let alone spare any time for anyone to have a conversation with.

Watching her from areas she wouldn't figure out he was hiding in, Masumi would feel his heart sink whenever she finished for the night, picking up her materials to leave for her room.

There was no one to sit beside her or come and fetch her. No one to kiss her head and tell her that she did well. No one to hold her hand and tell her that she shouldn't be working so hard when there are others that she can rely on.

Masumi wanted to be the person to do that; wanted to be the person who took hold of that special finger on her left hand to be able to do all of those things.

But how could he when their promise to marry was left in the dust? Her memories of him forgotten and pushed all the way to the back of her mind?

...and then there was Sakyo.

That good for nothing Yakuza piece of crap who dared to even insinuate that he would use Izumi's body to pay off the debt.

Masumi was seething in his bed when he found out that that man would be joining their company.

"I don't like him." Masumi said one morning while eating his breakfast with Sakuya and Itaru, scooping a spoonful of fried rice into his mouth with a glare.

"What, 'cause it's obvious he likes the Director?" Itaru chuckled and took a sip of his coffee, tapping away at something on his screen while Sakuya looked over to see Izumi and Sakyo discussing something important in the lounge area.

"Well– yeah. But he's mean to her too." Masumi muttered glumly, poking at his egg with his spoon. Sakyo would always be caught glaring or staring at Izumi, as if waiting for her to do something wrong so that he could clean it up right away.

Masumi didn't like how Sakyo did that, but Izumi never seemed to mind.

"'Cause he cares?" Itaru scoffed, coffee spoon hanging from his mouth while he let a grumpy Masumi steal some of his breakfast.

"You ever experience tough love, kid?"

"Only Izumi's." Masumi sighed, resting a hand on his chest to calm his running heart. Then Masumi paused. “Wait. Does that mean Izumi loves me?”

“Uh.” Itaru tapped his spoon against his tongue. “Yes and no.”

Sakuya smiled at the gentle answer Itaru gave and looked at Masumi with a gentle look in his eyes, reaching out to pat his junior on the shoulder. “I’m sure Izumi’s in good hands with Sakyo, Masumi. I think...he has all the things that the director needs.”

“What do you mean?” The young boy frowned, to which both Sakuya and Itaru shared a brief glance.

“Well. He’s mature.” Itaru listed off.

“I’m mature for my age.” Masumi argued back.

Itaru ignored it. “He’s responsible.”

“Me too.” Masumi gritted.

“And he’ll always be there for Izumi. Right by her side.” Itaru finished off, talking as if he knew what he was talking about as he took the last sip of his coffee and stood up from the dinner table to put his cup in the sink.

“There’ll come a day when you leave with everyone else, Masumi.” The adult warned gently, patting the kid’s hair while lazily shrugging his business coat on. “But it’s quite obvious that Sakyo has his reasons for being here.”

And it was then, that Masumi felt his heart drop. Because Itaru was right. He could very much well be taken back overseas by his father again if he so choose to; reminded of the time when he had to part with Izumi when they were younger.

Would she forget him again if he had to go? Would he be removed from her memories again? Would he have to experience meeting her for the first time all over again if he came back?

Masumi wasn’t sure if he wanted to go through that again. If Masumi had to leave; he wasn’t sure if he wanted to come back at all.

The pain he felt when she looked at him with no sign of recognition was almost unbearable.

He didn’t have a viable enough reason to stay here. He knew his father would drag him back to his own home anytime, and Masumi wouldn’t have a good enough reason to keep him from doing that.

But Sakyo did. Sakyo was here because he was indebted to someone, and because he held a history in this very theatre.

What did Masumi have?

Nothing.

“Don’t think too hard about it.” Itaru consoled the silent child who sat with Sakuya and left the pair with a solemn bow. He saw how the light slowly left Masumi’s eyes and heard how loud the cogs in his head were turning.

Itaru was sorry.

“Hey.” Sakuya prodded, lightly patting Masumi on the back to make him snap out of it. “You can stay home today. I’ll ask the director if she can call the principal to report your absence.”

“Okay.” Masumi murmured, picking at his egg once more before eating whatever was left on his plate. Izumi always told him never to waste his food.

He hated how Itaru was right, but he didn’t have the power to do anything about it.

But just because he’s leaving Izumi in Sakyo’s hands doesn’t mean that he’s going to leave her be. He’ll still be there for her when he sees that nobody else is. He’ll still stay by her side until he has to be ripped away from her.

He knew he wasn’t going to be here for long, so could you really blame him?

She was just going to forget about him when he left anyways.

But at least he’ll leave knowing that she isn’t alone anymore.