#he better be glad he can still come close to the oven unlike T that can barely use the microwave

[luukka]

Z : Yum, smells good !

Maggie : Yeah, Jesse, you cooked ?

Tae Young : How did you know it wasn't me ?

Maggie : There's like seven people in this tour bus and you'd still be my ninth guess.

[some-dr-writings]

Kokichi, Hajime and Akane x Prince like Male S/O

Kokichi Oma:

·       You took your sweet time closing up shop that night. As much as you cared for your employees, at times it was nice to just be alone with nothing but the pitter-patter of rain to keep you company. After wiping off that last glass you sighed, placing it back on the shelf. It was time to go. Still you did one last walk around, making sure the ovens, grills, burners were turned off, the wines, sprites, juices and other drinks were in their places on the shelf behind the bar or in the refrigerator below, that every last table and chair was dusted off, and last but not least that beloved piano still tuned before taking your long coat and umbrella from the rack by the door and taking your leave.

·       It was a cold night to be sure as the rain came pouring down and the wind ran about. If you didn’t know any better, you would have sworn it was hailing by the sound of how hard those droplets crashed onto the ground. You shivered and chattered, huddling into your coat. One could likely get sick simply standing out here you thought to yourself picking up your pace. You hoped your employees were able to get to their homes quickly and safely in this downpour, perhaps you should have sent them away even earlier than you had. Though it seemed you were not the only one having similar thoughts, a figure just up ahead on the path sprinting along. A-and they tripped!?

·       You cradled the person close having caught them from their fall, wanting to give them some semblance of balance. “Goodness you’re soaked to the bone! You’ll catch your death of cold! Here, my pub is just up this street. Please come and dry yourself off. I don’t care how close your destination may be, you need to dry off now.” And so, still holding them close you dragged them to your bar. Upon entering the establishment, you immediately took them to the kitchen placing them before an oven, opening it and turning it on. “Wait here a moment while I get you a towel and some extra clothes.”

·       You rushed back as quickly as you could fearing the person being cold and wet for even a moment longer. “I apologize if these don’t fit. I currently only have one extra set of clothes due to the others getting spilled on, but hopefully we can me these wor-” So preoccupied with trying to be of assistance only now as you approached did you get a good look at your charge. “Kokichi!?” Aghast the man placed a hand over his heart, just starting at you in exaggerated shock. “What!? My own boyfriend only recognized me now!? How could you! I guess you had forgotten all about me!” Dramatically he began walking for the door that led back to the dining area, making exaggerated poses as he did so. “Ko-” “No, don’t say anything! I know when I’m not wanted! I’ll just be on my way!” “NO!” A ‘Nishishi’ escaped Kokichi as you lunged at him, wrapping your arms around him, clutching him closely. “I didn’t think to see who you were. I just knew you were in trouble and needed help. Please don’t leave! Not at least till you’re dried off. After you can stay mad as long as you want.” He so brightly smiled, hugging you back, getting you wet. “Ok! But only because I know you mean well!” You gently pushed him away back to the warming oven, and went about picking up the towel, white button-up shirt, and black pants off the ground, placing them on the counter. “Please dry yourself and change out of those clothes. As for the wet ones… turn off and close the oven and drape them over the oven handle for now. We can talk after.”

·       Leaving the kitchen, you shook your head wondering why your partner was out so late, well, very early morning now, but still. You knew pranks were the man’s lifeblood but doing so in such weather was simply ridiculous. As much as you loved him, it seemed to be it was not often you heart could be at ease. You were always fretting over him or being so excited with him. Though… you couldn’t say it wasn’t worth it, there were just times where you wished for more peace with him. These thoughts drifted though your head as you milled around behind the bar, taking bottles off the shelves, and going about making your concoctions.

·       “Aww~ Thank you.” Kokichi stood on a seat before the bar, leaning over it giving you a kiss on the cheek before eagerly taking the hot steaming mug of hot cocoa. “No need for thanks. Your smile is enough for me.” With that said you took a sip of your amoretto sour minus the amaretto before going to cleaning the puddles and… flower petals and bouquet from the floor? You kneeled down, picking up one. “What are these doing here?” “Well…” Kokichi trotted to it, tenderly holding it close for a moment before presenting the wilting, drowning flowers to you. “Happy anniversary?” “Oh, Kokichi… I have nothing to gift you! Well, I do, but it’s back at my place, and NO, we are not going out to get it right now!” Kokichi scoffed at your words, already telling him to not bolt out the door before he could even entertain you with the idea. You so gently took the flowers, examining each and every last bloom. “Thank you so much, Kokichi.” “… But they’re destroyed!” “Maybe so, but you still took the time to even think to do this, let alone picking these out, getting them, and coming to give them to me at midnight, as early as you could, even braving the storm for me. Even just the thought means so much to me. You took the time to think of me, which means the world, especially for someone as loving as you.” Kokichi just stared at you for a moment, as if unsure how to take in your words. “Wow… you need to raise your standards, Love! Demand more from me, not just this!” “Oh? This coming from the man who’d do anything to get his crush to simply think of him and find that to be enough?” A light blush dusted Kokichi’s cheeks and he quietly giggled, recalling those early days where he’d threaten you, or pull pranks on you, or just do anything to garner your attention for even a moment. This was just one of the many things he loved about you, even back then you told him how you appreciated all the time he placed into pulling pranks on you, because of all the time and effort he had placed onto solely you. You always so appreciated the efforts of others, and never let even the smallest thing go unnoticed and make everyone feel special. “Besides if my standards weren’t so low as you’d put it, I’d never have chosen to be with you.” “… Wait, what?” That chuckled bubbled up from you, simply unable to contain it. “I jest, I jest, but I could not resist taking that shot, you practically walked into that one. Have you caught a cold already? It’s unlike you to get played so easily.” You were confused, Kokichi having placed his hands on your cheeks. “I love you.” “I love you too.”

·       You lifted up Kokichi bridal style, humming and swaying as you strolled over to the piano. “Come, let us get lost till the rain lightens up.” As you played Kokichi sang, making up lyrics no matter how nonsensical or off key. Perhaps it was nice to have more company than just the sound of rain, after all, you could imagine no sound lovelier than the joy in your boyfriend’s voice.

    Hajime Hinata:

·       “Uh, excuse me, sorry to be a bother but I need your help again.” “No need to apologize, I’d be more than glad to be of assistance.” Though true, your shift had technically ended half an hour ago so you just wanted to take your leave, yet this customer seemed to not be able to go a few minuets without assistance… and you already knew they wouldn’t accept help from anyone else. “What might you need help with?” You kept your posture straight, hands holding one another as you listened. “I can’t reach the clothes up there.” They pointed towards the T-shirts that were hung towards the ceiling.” “I see, allow me a moment to find the hook.” You immediately made your way for where the long hook should have been laying against the wall, and yet… “Hmm, not here.” “Is something wrong?” “I apologize, it seems the hook is missing, I’ll have to look at a different section for one. I will be but a moment.” “Oh, that’s alright. Just take your time.”

·       And it started again. “You’re like, really cute though. You could be a model.” “Ah, thank you. I do try to stay fit, but the credit must go to my parents. They’re such lovely, beautiful people.” “Oh, you work out?” They hugged your arm, pulling themselves much too close for comfort, pressing their body against it. “I’ve been meaning to get into shape. Maybe you could give me some pointers?” “I can give you some assistance, but I’m sure the trainers at the gym would be better than I, after all, everything I know, I learned from them, and I’m sure their knowledge on the subject far surpasses mine. Truthfully, not being an expert, I’d be scared of explaining something wrong and accidentally getting you hurt.” “Aww~ You’re such a sweetie!”

·       If you weren’t at work, you would have asked this person to let you go by now. You loved being kind and respecting others, but that didn’t mean you didn’t know how to stand up for yourself, but this was work, you can’t upset the customers, and though you shouldn’t be, you were technically still working.

·       “Even in this uniform you accessorize well, I’m sure you’d look so handsome all dolled up for a date. I’d just LOVE to see that.” Though they were tracing your watch they just kept staring at you with moony eyes. “My watch…” Their eyes sparkled seeing how you so tenderly smiled, before lifting up you hand. You softly sighed, running your fingers across the face for a moment. “Then you should compliment my boyfriend. He’s the one who gave it to me.” “… oh, boyfriend.” “Yeah! I can’t go anywhere without it. Well, I suppose I could, but I would never wish it. No matter how far or how long we are apart, I may keep this close to remind me of him. I can even count down the seconds till I reunite with him. He is truly an amazing man, so smart, so kind, he has this uncanny ability to be able to befriend just about anyone and he’s so emotionally intelligent, being able to tell when someone is hurting, no matter how much they try to mask it, and he helps them. When I first met him, I knew he was special! Or it was just love at first sight.” You sheepishly chuckled as a heat rose on your cheeks. “Ah, I was such a stammering mess when I tried asking him out, he didn’t even know what I was saying at first. It… took a few days before he figured out what I had been trying to ask him. It was rather comical how he came running for me, tripping over himself, telling me he liked me to! The blush on his cheeks and his flustered demeanor was just so adorable as he asked me for a date and apologized for no-”

·       “Y/N!” “Hajime!” There behind you but a few paces away your boyfriend stood. “Yes, he looked just like that when he asked me out.” Hajime took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves and wash away the embarrassment he felt causing his heart to race. “Uh, your shift ended half an hour ago, but you still hadn’t come out. Are you getting overtime?” “Oh no! No, I’m sorry. I was just going to be of assistance one last time before returning to you. I’ll be but a moment, Love. Feel free to wait at the café next door, aright? I don’t want you going hungry and as an apology I’ll pay when I get there. Get anything you like!” You merrily skipped along, not even noticing that the customer had let go of your arm, too preoccupied daydreaming about your café date with Hajime.

·       As soon as you got the items you excused yourself, and swiftly made your way for the doors of the little boutique. “Hajime? Why are you still here?” “You weren’t going to take long, so I… just didn’t go without you.” “… You’re so sweet. Thank you. So, let us be off!” You took his hand, intertwining your fingers together before leading the way. “… You know I just won that watch at the arcade, it’s not that special.” “I know, but you still gave it to me, and that is enough to make it one of the most precious items in the world.” “You’re a goof.” “Well, I’m your goof then.”

·       “Love, wait!” “Huh?” You held your arm out before him, stopping him in his tracks. You looked to your reflections in the deep puddle in the street. “Allow me.” Without a second thought you lifted up your boyfriend, carrying him across bridal style, only your shoes and socks getting soaked. “……… Thank you.” It was a cloudy day, the rainy season coming to an end. The world was of a mute pallet, the only true splash of color was the bright red smeared across Hajime’s cheeks. It may not seem special to others, but to you, it was. More special than anything else in the whole world

    Akane Owari:

·       “Hmm, Akane?” Though your shift at work had just ended, Akana was no where around to greet you. Did she have another competition and just forget to tell you about it again? Though she usually walked home with you to make sure you ate something on the way back, it was not uncommon for her to not show up, in fact she could have just forgotten, or lost track of tiem when battling with Coach Nekomaru. And so you left for home on your own. Though… You didn’t want Akane to worry for you, so you decided to stop at a fast-food place to pick up something. After sending a picture you ate your share of the meal, having ordered extra knowing she’d want some.

·       Once at your apartment you milled round, doing your bills, watering the plants, doing the laundry and other such chores you had yet to finish that morning before work. Before you knew it, it was already Two hours till midnight. And yet, you still had gotten no response, not even one for your ‘good morning’ text after you had woken up. No matter what she was doing, she must have been finished with it and texted you back by now, right? If she had gotten into trouble, she could easily run away so it must be disastrous if even she couldn’t escape. Or perhaps she was hurt? You slapped your cheeks trying to snap yourself from those ever-darkening thoughts… But even without thoughts the pit in your stomach still grew with each passing moment. “I’m just being needy, there nothing wrong………… Fine! I’ll indulge this just to prove myself wrong.” After re-heating the fast-food in the microwave, with it in hand you threw on your coat before marching out.

·       It was not a long walk to Akane’s apartment, but it felt like a journey around the world. “be still my heart, she is fine. She is strong. You know it just as well as my mind…” Still, something just felt off, and it was something you could not shake off.

·       Just in case you sent a text in advance saying you were coming over for a visit. Yet by the time you had arrived still no response. “Hey, my Love. Not to be a bother but I’m here.” You placed the spare keys to the apartment in a small dish before closing the door. Carefully stepping around the piles of canned food you delved into the apartment, hearing groaning, and a stifled cough. “Akane! You’re as white as a ghos-AH! Sheet! White as a sheet!” “I-it’s nothin’.” With heavy breaths she tried pushing herself off the wall, only to immediately lose her balance. You immediately took one of her hands, while you placed one of your hands atop her forehead for but a moment, immediately flinching back. “You’re burning! Akane get back to bed, you need rest!” “No! I-I don’t… just… ugh… just a stomach bug, I can walk it off.” “Oh no. You are not. Please, allow me to care for you, you are not well.” “I’m not weak!” You could see that spark, the roaring flame you always found in her eyes, that determination. “No, you are from weak, but even the strong can get hurt and injured. Please, you may make your own choices, and I will respect them, but I must insist that you allow me to care for you now.” “… Y-you’re not even strong enough to beat Coach Nekomaru in battle.” “Neither are you.” “Yeah, and you can’t beat me either!” “True, but that need not mean I’m not strong enough to protect you for a time.” Before she could respond, she clamped a hand over her mouth, trying to hide that cough. She looked to you with what seemed to be a glare before turning around, returning to her bedroom. “I n-never said you were weak either…” “Yes, you did not.”

·       Akane collapsed onto the bed looking so ragged, sending a pang through your heart. “Here, at least give yourself some energy.” Her eyes sparkled and drooled rolled down her lips seeing the bag. “I’ll be back soon.” After exiting the apartment, you immediately sprinted for the grocery store.

·       You came back as quickly as you could, immediately setting to work in the kitchen. Thankfully you had learned quite a bit about cooking under time constrains when working in a restaurant, so you were able to make a soup rather quickly. After pouring it into two bowls you returned to her room. “Here.” “Yes! Thanks babe!” You sat beside her on the bed, to which she immediately kicked you off. “You’re too scrawny. You’ll catch this too. Wash your hands!” “Okay, I will. And once I’m done eating, I’ll put on a mask as well, aright?” She didn’t even notice, happily enjoying her meal. That had to have been one of your favorite aspects of her, how she always cared for others. It was likely something she picked up having to care for her siblings.

·       You wondered if anyone ever cared for her when she was sick as a child. Her life was so rough growing up, you wouldn’t be surprised if no one ever did. With renewed conviction you were determined to make Akane better as soon as possible with all your power!

[aimeelouart]

WHAT. oh my god diff anon but i loved the snippet with ur protag but also HOW CLD U THROW HER TO HOJO.. UR VERY OWN CHILD /j anyway very excited to see u talk abt ur setting and lora more i like the her

>:3c Shall we have a part two of this self-indulgent SSC crossover, then?

Lora wasn’t missing for long, but she was missing long enough. They found her in the labs, floating curled-up in an empty holding tank⁠. The glass and metal was all melted to slag around her, but she didn’t seem aware. Her whole body was glowing like liquid steel, eyes open wide and mouth slack as bluish-white light poured from the inside of her throat. The bodies of unlucky lab technicians littered the ground around the tank.

Science had finally tried to meddle in something truly beyond their grasp.

They found Hojo, too, burned to near unrecognizability and leaning up against a control panel. He was muttering deliriously to himself, breath rasping like sandpaper down his damaged throat. “Magnif...icent...like...the power...she’s…”

Sephiroth stared at him coldly. He couldn’t put Masamune through the wretch’s body without consequences⁠...but he could leave him to die. So he stepped over the body of his father and moved to the computer by the control panel, pulling up the information he needed. 

The radiation pouring from the little outworlder child was frankly staggering. If it wasn’t for the protective shields around this section of the room, Hojo would have been long dead. More’s the pity, though the shields were also protecting the Firsts at the moment.

“What do we do?” Genesis asked as he looked at Lora’s glowing form. “What did he even do to get her in that state?”

“Is there anything we can do without getting burned to a crisp?” Angeal said, looking between the temperature readout and the molten state of the holding tank.

“At a distance, maybe” Sephiroth replied, leaning away from the screen and tilting his head a little. “Let us start with the obvious.” He flicked on the intercom. “Ameliora Octavia Perdel,” he said, enunciating each name clearly. “Do you remember my voice? It’s Sephiroth. Genesis, Angeal, and I are all here. You are safe now, but we can’t reach you until you calm down.”

The radiation levels dipped slightly.

Genesis bumped Sephiroth away with his shoulder. “Princess,” he crooned. “Princess, what mess did you get into, hmm? That all looks quite exhausting. Why don’t we tone it down a bit more?”

This time, she blinked and uncurled a little, legs dipping toward the floor.

Angeal went next. Maybe hearing all their voices individually was the key factor. “Just listen to my voice, Lora. Can you see where you are? I know it must be scary, but we can’t come get you until you calm down.”

The radiation levels fell rapidly, matched by the way her skin’s unnatural luminance dimmed. Her mouth was moving, eyes blinking rapidly. Steam hissed off her cheeks as she started to cry. Delicately, her feet touched the melted floor of the cage. The second the radiation levels had fallen enough to be safe (safe for a SOLDIER) they left the shielded vestibule behind and ran into the room. 

The air was stiflingly hot, like an oven, and had an odd metallic tang to it. The hairs on their arms stood on end. Sephiroth darted forward as the last of the glow faded from Lora’s skin and quickly pulled her out of the molten tank. Her clothing was gone (taken or destroyed?) , and he wasn’t sure if her unprotected skin would burn against the metal. His boots left thin layers of melted rubber as he stepped quickly in and out.

Wordless, Genesis stripped off his coat and together they wrapped her in it. She still felt unnaturally hot, like a soldier pulled from the desert with heatstroke. Her eyes were wide and blank, irises glowing even when the rest of her didn’t. Odd green sparks danced within her pupils. Her lips were still moving as she murmured fretfully, but the language she spoke was incomprehensible to them.

Angeal glanced at the burned corpses. “Shhh, close your eyes for a minute, Lora.” When she didn’t respond, he frowned and held his hand over her eyes⁠, walking beside Sephiroth. He didn't cover them all the way⁠—didn’t block the light⁠—but he made sure she wouldn’t see the bodies.

And as they passed out of the room, Hojo’s rasping voice stuttered, stalled, and at last fell silent.

—

Cloud had fallen asleep almost as soon as the Firsts had gotten their hands on him again. He wasn’t too upset, actually—he’d accomplished all his goals this time around. But he was a bit miffed when he woke up with a little girl’s sleeping face just a few feet from his.

He sat up quickly, scooting backward a little. She didn’t wake, and after a few seconds he recognized her as the odd child who’d helped him escape. What the hell was she doing here in—he glanced around—Sephiroth’s bed? 

Gaia, was she here because he’d accepted her ‘help?’ He’d assumed they would just get her back to her parents.

The door opened and Angeal poked his head in, one finger raised to his lips. He gestured to the girl, then motioned Cloud toward him. When they were out in the hallway, Cloud harshly whispered, “why’s she here?” with a suspicious glare.

Angeal rolled his eyes a little and herded him away from the door, not responding until they were in the kitchen. “Her name is Lora, and she’s here for much the same reason you are. No one else could safely keep her.”

“Okay, first off I don’t need to be kept,” he said, glaring as he took a chair. “You just think I do. Second off, why?”

Genesis sauntered in and answered for Angeal. “Because she has strange and frankly inconceivable abilities, Cloud. Beyond that, we are not keeping her forever, merely waiting for her parents to find her.”

“Theoretically,” Angeal muttered, tending to the food on the stove. It smelled like stir-fry.

Sephiroth arrived to join the conversation as well. “Given what we have seen, do you really find it so unlikely that her Grandfather would be capable of similar feats? I am inclined to doubt nothing, at this point.”

Cloud was baffled. Feats? Abilities? He’d given the kid a chunk of his hair in exchange for her providing a distraction—she’d claimed something about ‘needing it for the spell.’ Had she...meant something real by that?

Genesis noticed his baffled expression. “Lora doesn’t need materia to do magic,” he explained succinctly. “There are some other things too, but that’s the gist of it.”

Cloud paled. Alright, maybe it really was better if they kept her here. He didn’t even want to think about what would happen if Hojo got his hands on her.

Sephiroth was staring at him intently. “Hojo is dead.”

Every thought went right out the window. “What?”

“Hojo is dead. He’s never going to hurt anyone else again.”

How? His lips moved, but he made no sound. The damned Professor had been at the top of his list of things to take care of, what could possibly have taken him out before Cloud could even try?

Angeal lowered his voice enough that no one but a SOLDIER had any hope of making out his words. “Lora killed him, and we are not going to tell her that, understand?” For the first time, a very serious, protective look was aimed at Cloud for someone else’s sake. “She’s not like you, Cloud. She was protected from the whole world until she came to Midgar.”

“...right,” he said numbly. “I’d never hurt a kid.”

All three of them gave him Looks at that, but he was spared the commentary by a distressed, high-pitched whine from the direction of the bedroom. Genesis vanished from the kitchen in the space of a breath. When he came back, it was with the girl bundled up in a blanket, sniffling into his shoulder.

“It’s alright, darling,” Genesis was...crooning. Cloud was vaguely glad that particular tone (in that particular intensity) had never been aimed at him. He might have bitten the man’s fingers off. It seemed to be working on the actual seven-year-old though. “Shh...you’re fine. You’re safe. Don’t you want to come out and meet Cloud properly?”

Still sniffling, she raised her head and turned to Cloud. She looked groggy and miserable, eyes red-rimmed and teary, but when she saw him her face lit up.

“D’you do it?” She asked in a sleep-roughened voice, smiling. “Your task?”

“Uh,” he blinked. “Yeah. I did. Thanks for the help.”

She beamed, forgetting her tears entirely. “Welcome. It’s important to always follow your Virtue.”

He had a feeling he was missing a lot of the context of that statement, but he thought he’d gotten the gist. “Yeah.”

When they ate dinner she sat in Angeal's lap, still bundled up in the blanket. Half way through her plate⁠—her proportions were hilariously tiny compared to the four enhanced SOLDIERs⁠—she made a face and pushed it away.

“What’s wrong, Lora?” Genesis asked.

“Hurts,” she said, rubbing at the center of her chest. “Can’t eat any more.” She looked like she was on the verge of tears again.

“Okay, that’s alright. Do you want to go sit on the couch and watch something until we’re all done eating?”

“Yes please,” she said, sliding to the floor and taking Genesis’s hand.

Cloud frowned thoughtfully at his plate as he listened to her settle down on the couch as Genesis turned the tv to some inane children’s cartoon. When the redhead returned, Cloud quirked an eyebrow at him. “Is she okay?” he asked, too low for her to overhear.

His expression sobered. He shook his head. “What she did to...survive the lab...it damaged her in a manner we simply have no way of understanding. She thinks it won’t be permanent, and I suspect she may be right, but for now the pain comes and goes. It would hurt her enormously to use magic as well, though she has yet to slip up in that regard.”

“Poor kid,” Cloud murmured.

That earned him a bit of an eye-roll from Genesis before the man continued. “Healing energy does seem to help her, however. If she’s in pain and we’re unavailable, can I count on you to cast a Cure on her?”

Cloud frowned at him and crossed his arms over his chest. “Listen, I know I fight you guys a lot, but do you really think I’d hurt a kid? Or ignore one in pain?” It made him very uncomfortable that they seemed to think he would.

The Firsts exchanged a glance between themselves. “Cloud, you are absolutely unpredictable to us,” Angeal said eventually. “But you’re right, and I’m sorry we insulted you like that.”

Cloud sighed and went back to his food. “It’s whatever.”

Ugh. He’d been a kid for too long if he was starting to use phrases like that.

⁠—

They watched a movie after dinner, some mindless family film with a plot that was about as substantial as cotton candy. Cloud didn’t much care, but when Angeal said it would make Lora happy he sighed and relented. He absolutely refused to share the couch, though, claiming one of the armchairs before anyone else could ‘accidentally’ maneuver him into arms reach.

To be honest, he spent most of the movie’s run time watching Lora anyway. She was just so...weird. For one thing, she did everything in her power to make sure she was being held at all times. If one of the adults had to move, or got tired, she shamelessly transferred herself to someone else’s lap.

Sephiroth ended up with her for most of the night, looking about as content as Cloud had ever seen him as he let her snuggle close to his chest. They only had to pause the movie once as she whined and curled around her chest. All three of the Firsts had mastered Cures on them, and it wasn’t difficult to see why they needed them.

“Are most kids like that?” he ended up asking Angeal once the movie had ended. Lora was fast asleep, knuckles curled into her mouth, as Sephiroth got up off the couch and carried her to bed.

“Like what?” the dark-haired man asked, cocking a brow.

“...touchy?” Because he couldn’t remember Marlene ever being quite so demanding, and Denzel certainly wasn’t.

In the kitchen, Genesis stifled a laugh. Angeal looked amused as well. “Ah, no,” he said. “I wondered too, but after asking around a bit it turns out you and Lora are just on polar opposite ends of the spectrum.” He grinned a little. “You…avoid touch and distrust everyone; she demands touch and trusts implicitly.”

Cloud frowned. He could get away with being extreme because he wasn’t actually what he appeared, but the way Angeal described the kid’s tendencies sounded downright dangerous. “That’s not safe.”

Angeal sobered abruptly. “She’s starting to learn that too.”

Cloud winced. Yeah. Hojo would have that effect, wouldn’t he. Poor kiddo.

⁠— 

Today was the first day since Cloud had gotten back that all three of the Firsts would be busy, which meant that he and their cross-dimensional princess house guest would be dropped off to be babysat (ugh) by the entire Turk department.

Yes, the entire department. That one was his own fault.

He wasn’t all that upset, actually. He had some snooping to do for his next task, and Veld was a very strange and accommodating person to Cloud’s...eccentric behavior. He swore the man was using him as a training program, but had yet to find definitive proof.

Lora, on the other hand…

Cloud walked straight into Tseng’s office and flopped down on the couch, pulling out his handheld gaming system. Sephiroth had to be well out of range before he could begin his kind-of-sort-of extended espionage battle with the Turks. Lora lingered half-behind the silver-haired man, clutching his hand with both of hers as she looked around nervously.

“Come on,” Sephiroth coaxed, looking down at her. “Don’t you want to go play with Cloud?”

“No,” she mumbled, pressing against his leg. She eyed Tseng, who was watching the proceedings with an expression of (to Cloud’s eyes) carefully curated warmth.

“Yes,” he countered. “Besides, you like Tseng. You’re going to have plenty of fun with him and the other Turks, and I promise they’ll keep you safe.”

She looked up at him and adopted puppy eyes that would have put Zack’s to shame, huge and pleading. “Can’t I just come with you? Please?”

Sephiroth visibly wavered, and Cloud had to press his lips together hard to keep from laughing outright. What was it about big, tough soldier-types being the weakest to little girls’ puppy eyes? He’d been an absolute sucker for Marlene’s before Barret had finally let him in on the secret to resisting (physically looking away, apparently).

But Sephiroth, to his credit, gathered his resolve and told her, “no, you can’t come with me on mission. It’s not safe.”

Her pleading stare turned to a pout. “But I have a lot of magic! I could help!”

“I’m sure you could,” he said, which was probably actually true though Cloud had yet to see a firsthand demonstration, “but your parents and grandfather would be very upset if they found out, wouldn’t they?”

She narrowed her eyes a little. “Papa’s taken me on campaign before.”

He arched his eyebrows. “On the front lines?”

Lora’s scowl was answer enough. Sephiroth released her hand and plucked her up off the floor, carrying her over to the couch. Very, very reluctantly, she released her grip from around his neck and let him put her down beside Cloud.

“You’ll be fine,” he promised, patting her head briefly. “Tell Tseng or Veld when your chest starts hurting, alright?”

She nodded sullenly, curling up into a ball on the couch, and he left. She huffed sulkily when he was out of sight. Eventually, she leaned over to watch Cloud play his game and he obligingly tilted the screen so she could see easier. He kept half an eye on her and half an eye on the clock.

Maybe thirty minutes after Sephiroth left, around the time Cloud was certain he had also left the Tower, Lora crossed her arms over her chest and hunched her shoulders up around her ears. He was familiar with that tell by now⁠—her chest was starting to hurt. But instead of asking Tseng for a Cure, she shot him a single nervous look and didn’t say anything.

Aw, kid, he thought.

Lucky Tseng wasn’t an idiot. “Lora,” he called with a deliberate gentleness.

She looked up, lips pressed into a wary line. “...yeah?”

“Does your chest hurt?”

“...no.” She curled up into a ball, mumbling the denial into her knees. “Doesn’t hurt.”

It was a bald-faced lie. Tseng looked, for a second, genuinely sad, then his expression shifted as he considered how to respond. Cloud paused his game, curious how this would play out. Would he call her on the lie? Trick her into being honest?

“Alright,” he said eventually, “tell me when it does.”

“‘Kay.”

Cloud scowled at him. Lora would have to say something eventually, once the pain grew too much, but that also meant letting her hurt until she caved. He would have accepted that tactic against himself, but Lora was little. She didn’t deserve that.

When Tseng quirked a brow at his glare, Cloud rolled his eyes and heaved an inaudible sigh. Why was it he had to do everything around here?

He switched the game off and set it aside, pulling his legs up so that his position mirrored Lora’s, then lowered his voice to a level that Tseng would still be able to hear, but Lora would think was too quiet. “Hey,” he said. “I know your chest hurts.”

“Doesn’t,” she said, raising her face just enough so that her eyes peeked over her knees.

“What are you scared of?” he asked. “Sephiroth said you could trust Tseng, right? And you trust Sephiroth. They wouldn’t hurt you. It’s safe to tell them.”

She narrowed her golden eyes a touch, spine straightening, and Cloud suddenly remembered youth and naivete were not the same as stupidity. “You don’t trust them,” she accused. “You don’t trust anyone.”

He bit back a groan. “I...don’t,” he agreed. “But you should.”

Lora looked outright irritated now, one hand rubbing absent-minded circles over her sternum. “Why? Why, if they wouldn’t hurt us?”

“You and I are...different,” he said slowly. Gaia, he very much regretted getting into this conversation, but it was too late now. "They wouldn't hurt me, but they don't understand what I am, and that means that even if they mean well...I can’t trust them to do what’s best for me.”

The look she gave him was highly skeptical, so he sighed and added, “I would definitely trust them to cast a Cure on me, okay? So you should too. Everyone is sad when you’re hurting.”

“What if I’d rather hurt?” she snapped. “This hurts less than⁠—” she cut off, blinking rapidly against sudden tears, and yeah, he knew that feeling. Poor kiddo. At least he’d been almost an adult when Hojo had gotten him into the lab.

“No one wants to hurt, Princess,” he said, patting her knee. “C’mon, it’s not that big a deal. I’d be right here the whole time.”

“You want to hurt,” she said, but it looked like he was finally starting to wear her down. “You hurt all the time and you never tell anyone.”

Cloud blinked at her in surprise. “What?”

Lora looked uncommonly serious in that moment. “You hurt all the time. I can tell. I can’t look at the Strings without hurting⁠—” she was still rubbing at her chest “—but my pa...passive? My passive sight still works and you’re like…” She brushed her fingers against just over his heart. “...jagged. Jagged black and purple thread, fraying all over.” Her voice dropped to barely a breath of sound. “It hurts to look at.”

Cloud jerked away, startled and alarmed, and brought his hands close to his chest. “I⁠—”

She sniffled, the pain finally getting to her. “If you get to hurt, I get to hurt,” she insisted stubbornly. He suspected it had more to do with sticking to her guns by this point than any actual desire to endure pain.

“I...Lora, you don’t...have to hurt. They can help you. That’s...that’s why you should ask.”

“But you do?” she fired back, swiping at her eyes. “You have to hurt? They can help you too!”

“No,” he whispered, briefly shutting his eyes against her innocent, righteous indignation. How had the argument shifted around on him, especially given that he was a twenty-three-year-old gown-ass man and she was seven? “No, Lora. They can’t help me.” He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Too much dangerous information to be discussing while in Tseng’s office. He was stupid to have let it get this far. “Would you let me cast a Cure on you?”

She looked at Tseng, who was going his level best to fade into the paperwork and pretend he wasn’t even there. Then she looked back and narrowed her eyes at him. He recognized that look as the ‘I’m going to dig in my heels until you give in’ look that Marlene was so fond of. “No,” she said. “Not unless you stop hurting too.”

This time he did groan aloud. “I⁠—Princess, that’s not…” She folded her arms across her chest, knees shifting to sit criss-cross on the couch cushions. He tossed his hands up. “Fine, I’ll let Tseng cast a Cure on me too, okay? Would that make you happy?”

She offered him a watery, triumphant smile and immediately flopped over to curl up in a ball. “Yeah.”

He got up, jaw clenched, and stalked over to Tseng’s desk. The man looked up, expression betraying nothing. “What is it, Cloud?” he asked, as if he hadn’t heard every single word.

“Lora will let me cast on her if you cast on me first,” he ground out, irritated. “Not that it’ll do anything since I am fine.”

“Of course,” Tseng agreed, that lying motherfucker. He pulled a Cure out of his desk, then checked to make sure Lora was watching before casting...a full Curaga. Overkill. Cloud snatched the materia up and went back to the couch, irritation cooling as he saw the way the kid was shaking and trying in vain to blink back tears.

“Here,” he said, laying a hand on her head of wild red curls and casting a Curaga of his own. “Better?”

She rolled onto her back and smiled at him. “Yes. Thank you.” Then she frowned. “But...you’re still…?”

“I told you, kiddo,” he said with a shake of his head. “They can’t help me like they can help you.”

⁠—

Cloud got up shortly after that exchange and said “I’m going to the bathroom,” which everyone except Lora knew by now was the opening salvo of their espionage battle. He handed his gaming system to the Princess so that she’d be entertained and left, several Turks following after him.

Here we go, he thought, a little smirk curving his lips up.

Except, less than thirty minutes later, when he was squirming through the vents, he heard Reno yelling, which was...not usually part of their game. Puzzled, he stopped and listened.

“Hey! Cloud! Listen, I know you’re having fun, but little Princess is freaking out and you need to get to Tseng’s office ASAP! She’s⁠—listen, she thinks we did something to you and we’re all worried she might try to use her magic and hurt herself. Please.”

Cloud groaned and let his head thunk down onto the metal beneath him. He should have anticipated this. With a sigh, he squirmed around and quickly reversed course, popping out of a vent near but not right in front of where Reno had been shouting.

“Alright, I’m going” he called, loud enough for the redhead to hear, and ran for Tseng’s office.

He burst in to find Lora perched on the back of the couch, staring down Tseng, who was sitting on the floor trying to placate her. She gasped when she caught sight of him and promptly lost her balance, falling onto the cushions with an oof!

“You’re okay!” she said, scrambling up and launching herself at him.

“I’m fine,” he said, staggering a little as she cannonballed into his torso. “What, were you worried about me?”

“Yes!” she said, upset. “Where were you? I thought they’d...that they’d…”

Cloud sighed, unable to hold on to his irritation in the face of a little girl on the verge of tears. Damn his daddy instincts. He picked her up and carried her back to the couch, well aware of how ridiculous that must have looked. He had to deal with this now, for her sake and everyone else’s. Hopefully the conversation wouldn't veer into dangerously exposed territory this time.

“You were scared I’d been taken away, right? Lora, I’m...very hard to take. By anyone. I got away from Seph and Ange and Gen the first time you met me, remember?”

She looked uncertain, keeping hold of one of his wrists. “I...know,” she said. “Where were you?”

“I was⁠—” inspiration struck. He knew exactly how to fix this, or at least begin to fix it. “Well, I was breaking the rules.”

Lora’s eyes widened. For a second, he saw exactly what he was hoping for: curiosity and longing. A split second later it was eaten away by anxiety, but now that he knew it was there, he could draw it out again. “You shouldn’t break the rules,” she said. “What if they’d taken you?”

“I’m hard to take,” he repeated patiently. “And you know what? If you broke the rules, Lora, it would be okay, because you’re hard to take too.”

She blinked at him, uncomprehending. “But...no, he...it was easy to take me,” she whispered, trying to blink back tears.

“Only because you didn’t know you couldn’t trust him,” Cloud said. “Look, you trust Gen and Seph and Ange, right?” She nodded. “Okay, why?”

“Because...they got me out,” she said slowly, tense and miserable as she re-lived that memory.

“They saved you, which is proof that they don’t want you hurt and proof that you can trust them,” he summarized. She nodded again. “But they told you that you can trust Tseng, right? Why don’t you trust him too?”

Lora stared at him helplessly. He knew this was a lot to ask of a seven-year-old (a real one) but she was smart. She would get it if he helped her along a little bit.

“Is it because you don’t have any proof that they’re like our Firsts?”

“Yeah,” she whispered, throwing a glance at Tseng, who was holding absolutely still and carefully not looking at them.

“Do you want to trust them? Because Seph said so?” He suspected she did, at least. He suspected she wanted to go back to trusting everyone, but didn’t know how.

“...yeah.”

“Okay. You want to trust them, but you don’t have any proof, so you feel scared because they might try to take you. Lora, what if I told you that they couldn’t take you even if they tried?”

She blinked at him, head tilting in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“If you had known that the Frog-Faced Bastard⁠—” she cracked a little smile at that “—was going to take you, would you have gone with him?”

She recoiled. “No!”

“What would you have done?”

“I would have⁠— I would have frozen him solid and ran away!”

“That’s right. You would have defended yourself. So if Tseng tried to take you, would you defend yourself?”

The light of realization dawned in her eyes. “It...it would hurt,” she said, rubbing her chest with her free hand.

“But you would do it?” he prodded. “And you have a lot of magic, Princess. Magic that they don’t understand. Even if it hurt you could get away, couldn’t you? And then Seph and Gen and Ange would come kick Tseng’s butt, right?”

He smiled as he watched the anxiety drain out of her eyes, a kind of relieved joy taking its place. “Yeah,” she said, smiling back at him. “Yeah!”

“So you don’t have to trust the Turks yet,” he said. “You can just act like you do until they prove that you can trust them, because even if they tried to hurt you they couldn’t.”

⁠—

Angeal was the first back and thus the one to pick up Cloud and Lora from the Turks. He was directed to Veld’s office, which was something of a surprise, and was told that Cloud was currently out ‘playing’ with some of the others, which was not a surprise. Tseng had been keeping them all more or less abreast of the kids’ activities, including two very interesting and concerning conversations.

Despite hearing about the progress Cloud had made in teaching Lora about trust and self-defense, Angeal still found his eyebrows arching when he entered Veld’s office and found the little princess dozing in the Turk’s lap. That wasn’t just progress⁠—that was nearly a full recovery back to the fearless child they first met.

“Hewley,” Veld said without looking up from his work. He was writing with one hand, the other arm wrapped around Lora.

“Veld,” he said back, smiling. “I hope she wasn’t too much trouble?”

The Turk didn’t smile, but something in the corners of his eyes gave him away. He was pleased. Very pleased. “Oh, I’m afraid she was,” he said. “Very troublesome. She and Cloud raised quite a ruckus before he tricked her into coming here and pinning me down.”

Angeal laughed. “Did he? That does sound like Cloud.” He grinned, knowing that they⁠ (and the whole of the Turks, probably⁠) were both pleased by the knowledge that Lora had been a handful. Cloud was just...Cloud, and he would always do what he wanted.

He rounded the desk and Veld passed Lora off to him. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t wake⁠—the girl slept like a rock, even after the lab when her hours asleep far surpassed her hours awake. “How many times did she need a Cure.”

“Twice,” said Veld, looking at his PHS. “Cloud cast one this morning, I cast the other near lunch.” Which meant she would probably wake up hurting again before dinner. Angeal nodded, shifting her on his hip. “Cloud’s back with Tseng,” Veld added before he could ask, checking his PHS.

“Of course. Well, thank you.”

“My pleasure. Really.”

[iamnotbrianmay]

The A Experience

Hey boys, Im back! So not really a maylor centric chapter but yeh, I love this story so much and I’m so excited cause im getting so close to finishing it! 

the taglist goes as follows: @seven-seas-of-why, @twotitsjohndeacon, @dancindeaky, @gee-uloser, @mozzarellamazzello, @mozzie-s, @deracine-dogma-deux, @shutupanddontjudge, @warping-reality, @demianhill , @zodiacal-dust-and-curls

so, on with the chapter boys. 

One Month After the Incident;

‘3 queens and one (1) old lady’

The Impostor: u said eggs, milk and what else

The Impostor: ?????

Melina: sugar

Melina: really darling, it’s like the fifth time you’ve asked me

Melina: get a grip, taylor

The Impostor: Fuck You

Diqi <3: Bring some cereal too

Maggie: And some chamomile tea, please. -Bri.

The room dissolved into laughter at the thought of Roger reading the message and angrily cursing at Brian for his texting habits. He and John were shaking with laughter while Brian sat, smiling smugly, on the chair closest to the fireplace. A book in his lap and his cellphone in the other.

‘3 queens and one (1) old lady’

The Impostor: Fuck You, too.

Freddie was comfortably nestled in the sofa, a pen in one hand and the other tangled in his boyfriend’s unruly hair, while a cheesy love song streamed out of the old turntable John had managed to fix up. Their single Billie Holiday record had been playing on repeat for the better part of the afternoon, yet none of them seemed to mind.

These were Freddie’s favourite days, when the rain was pitter-pattering lightly against the window panes, the house smelled of the cinnamon rolls which were baking in the oven, and his boyfriend was draped over his lap.

The only thing that was be missing from the happy scene at the moment was their drummer.

Roger had almost instantly fit in perfectly in their small family, a contrast to Brian and Deacy’s calm and a counter balance to Freddie’s much more animated personality. They had found that in the short months that Roger had joined their group they had grown so used to his presence that not having him there was jarring, to say the least. His absence was a tangible thing, yet in this case it was their own fault that he wasn’t there with them.

They had kicked him out the night before, when the small amount of clothes that he had in Brian’s closet had all been deemed dirty, and all of his contact lenses had been used up.

They had told him to go to his flat, get clean clothes, buy new contact lenses, and get some groceries on his way back. It had started to get ridiculous as he stumbled around wearing Freddie’s old Rolling Stones t-shirt, tripping on the hem of Brian’s too-large pyjama pants. Then there was the day he’d tried to justify a Star Wars shirt and Deacy’s old ripped jeans as the wardrobe of a respectable pre-med student. In fact, it was getting so ridiculous that Freddie had seriously considered just asking Roger to move in with them.

Not that it would make much of a difference except that the rent would be split 4 ways instead of 3.

He had been trying to find the right moment to talk about it with the two other occupants of their flat, but always found himself being cut short by Roger’s arrival or his fear of the request being met badly. Which was quite unlikely, given that they had all become quite smitten with the blonde drummer.

A particularly loud clap of thunder was accompanied by a flash of lightning; the lights in the flat flickered slightly and the record skipped a beat or two. It only lasted a moment, then Freddie looked down and resumed running his hands through Deacy’s hair.

John sat up suddenly, closing his book.

“We should ask Roger to come live with us” he said, as if he had read his boyfriends mind.

Freddie smiles and sighed in relief, “Oh, I’m glad we can agree that it’s about time!”

“It’s just ridiculous not to,” John continued, “We like him, he likes us, and selling furniture and splitting expenses could really help towards recording our first album.”

Freddie frowned, “Selling our furniture?”

John nodded, as if it was the most logical thing in the world, “He has furniture, we have furniture too, we could just see which is in a better and sell what we don’t want.”

“That’s brilliant Deaks!” Freddie took the chance to give John a quick peck, “You’re brilliant. What do you think, Maggie?”

Brian made a pained face, “I like the idea, it’s just—”

“Oh, come on!” Freddie interrupted, “It’s not like he doesn’t pretty well live here already!”

“I know, but—!”

“But?” John asked, “He sleeps in your bed every night Brian! It’s not like you have a problem with him being around!”

Brian made a frustrated noise, “Will you just let me finish?!”

That shut them up, and soon they were both expectantly waiting for Brian to explain himself. Freddie felt especially confused, fully knowing that Brian was currently head over heels for Roger, and couldn’t imagine what possible objections he could have to him moving in. Brian muttered something softly and Freddie frowned.

“Speak up, Bri we can’t hear you.”

Brian nervously tucked his hair behind his ear and cleared his throat, “If he moved in we wouldn’t need to share a bed anymore.”

“Oh,” Freddie’s felt his heart melt a little for his awkward friend, “oh, Brian. That is so cute.”

“You’re utterly fucked, mate ” John added.

Brian glared at Deacy, which lost its effect somewhat when combined with the blush spreading across his cheeks. “Like you two are any better!”

‘3 queens and one (1) old lady’

The Impostor: bri there is no chamomile tea! :((

The Impostor: I’ll bring you some other types of tea to make up for it

The Impostor: sorry <3

“I feel like Roger won’t be keen on sleeping alone either,” Freddie commented as Side B of the record came to an end and Deaky got up off of the sofa to change it, “you could always talk to him about it.”

“Freddie.”

“I know, I know, you’re giving him his time, but you also have to think about how it’s hurting you.” There was a beat of silence, before ‘I’ll be Seeing You’ started to play softly, “This waiting is hurting you, too Bri.”

Brian let his eyes drift over to his phone, which was still displaying Roger’s message on the screen. Freddie watched as his friend’s eyes softened and his shoulders dropped; he couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him, not to mention a little guilty.

He couldn’t imagine what it would be like for Brian, finding someone like Roger, having to pretend for god knows how long, before getting smacked in the face with the reality that they wouldn’t be able to get together because of what Freddie had done.

Yes, he most definitely still felt very guilty for that particular incident.  

The younger man’s eyes drifted from the phone to the single photo that had been left on their wall after Tim’s true nature was revealed. It was a snapshot of the three of them, huddled together in the snow, drinking hot chocolate.

Freddie could still remember that afternoon quite clearly. It was back when they weren’t a group yet, back when Deaky was just his friend, and Brian was just a nerdy guy with a strong personality and flair for the guitar. For a second Freddie wondered what their life would have been like if Roger had been a part of that photo.

Would they have already released an album? Would Brian and Roger be a couple? Would they be rich and famous by then? Or would their band have fallen apart before things even picked up?  

“I can’t do that to him.” He was taken out of his thoughts by Brian’s voice, “I can’t tell him to hurry up because I no longer want to be single. It doesn’t seem fair. Even if it hurts me to know it was so close but seems so far away.”

“Brian—”

“Let him finish, Fred.”

The guitarist shot Deaky a grateful look, “He needs his space, so I will give it to him. He needs time to get his thoughts in order, so I will wait for him. I can do that, I don’t mind. I’ve survived this long haven’t I?”

Freddie could see the reasoning behind his thinking, but couldn’t help but feel a tug in his heartstrings on behalf of his friend. Brian May, his soul brother, his Maggie deserved the world and more. He did not deserve to have to wait for a love that in the end might not come to be.  “Does he knows this?” He asked.

Brian bit his lower lip, then shook his head, “Well, sort of? I told him that I wanted to be his friend and give him time but...” Brian shrugged.

The thought left unfinished, Freddie let it hang in the air until it became clear that Brian wasn’t going to add anything more.

“I think you should tell him.” In the end it wasn’t him who spoke, but Deaky, “Tell him that you are willing to wait for him. Make it clear you aren’t going anywhere if he doesn’t want you to go.”

Brian frowned again, “That’s what I was planning on doing.”

“And what exactly is stopping you?” Deaky pushed.

“I guess..” Brian paused. “I guess I just don’t want to say that and end up pining for someone for years and never getting anything in return.”

That hit Freddie where it hurt, mainly because he knew it was partially their fault that Brian was feeling this way. All of the teasing, in their minds, was always just that, teasing. But on more than one occasion Freddie found had himself wondering if they sometimes took it a little too far.

Clearly they had, far enough for Brian to feel so ashamed about his lack of love life that he had decided to find a fake boyfriend Tinder, of all places.

“Maggie, darling, you have that drummer wrapped around your pinky finger. I’m pretty sure he would wait a thousand years for you, too.” He smiled reassuringly.

Private Chat

The Impostor: freddie

The Impostor: m8

The Impostor: brian likes cheesecake right?

The Impostor: i want to get him something nice

“And if he isn’t willing to wait a thousand years for you, then I guess we’ll just have to kill him,” Deaky said ,with a straight face.

That made Brian laugh, and Freddie took the opportunity to text a quick, ‘yeh’ back to the blonde, before continuing with the conversation at hand. “ I don’t think we have to plan his murder just yet. First you’ll  have to talk to him, invite him to move in, and then declare your undying love for him. If all that doesn’t convince him, then we can start planning his murder.”

Brian laughed again, only this time it sounded more like a nervous kind of laugh, and Freddie just wanted to wrap a blanket around Brian’s shoulders, to keep him safe from all the things that affected his sensitive friend so deeply. Finally, the guitarist turned back towards his friends and smiled softly, “Thanks guys.”

“Don’t thank us yet,” Deaky said, “Thank us on your wedding day!” He winked.

Brian chuckled, “Okay Deaks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

The song changed from Billie Holiday’s soft crooning to a long trumpet solo, before Brian spoke again.

“Do you really think he’d wait for me too?”

There was a soft ding from the kitchen, announcing that the cinnamon rolls were ready to be taken out of the oven, and both Freddie and John ignored it in favour of finish their talk with Brian.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Brian,” John said, he might have been the youngest, but he was often the most sincere, “he’d wait an eternity for you, that ridiculous satsuma boy.”

That seemed to reassure Brian, he seemed to relax somewhat at the mention of the nickname and of the ridiculous story they had crafted for the sake of his grand deception.

“Brian, darling, come take my place. I’ll go make sure the flat doesn’t burn down with the cinnamon buns.”

The younger man did as he was asked, crawling over the sofa to lean against Deaky’s back while Freddie went to the kitchen to take care of the baking. He took meticulous care when it came to baking; carefully spreading the icing on every single treat, and lovingly sprinkling them with what little cinnamon and sugar they had leftover. Once they were done he came back to the living room, only to find that the record had finished and his two boys had fallen asleep.

Smiling fondly at them, he placed the treats on the tea table, and turned the vinyl over yet another time. A lovely melody filled the apartment once again and Freddie couldn’t help but wonder how people could possibly prefer phone speakers to the heavenly sound of a record player. Then soft rattling came from the front door as Roger stepped into the flat. Freddie went over to help Roger with his backpack or the shopping bags, and found that Roger was only carrying only one of them.

“Liz, darling, where are your clean clothes? You did do laundry didn’t you?” He gave Roger the serious eye.

Roger smiled at Freddie shaking his hair lightly to rid himself of the few raindrops that hadn’t soaked through his hair. He left the bags on the kitchen counter and smiled at Freddie as he began undoing his coat, “Of course I did laundry! But don’t worry, I’ll go home tonight. Even I know when I’ve overstayed my welcome, Fred.”

Freddie crossed the few steps in between them in the blink of an eye, and started buttoning up his coat. The younger man just stared at him in bewilderment. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t be daft, dear,” he chided Roger, “I’m buttoning your coat again.”

“What for?” Roger asked, still clearly confused.

Freddie smiled brightly, “‘Because we are going back out to get your clothes, lovie. Why else?”

The smile Roger gave him was enough to make the singers chest fill with warmth. He could only imagine how he’d look once they asked him to move in— Freddie couldn’t wait.

[emptywires]

Gifts

Pairing: LPMM

Genre: Fluff

Rating: T (Language)

Word Count: 2015

Special thanks to @cherryswordvomit for helping me make this fic better! Please go and check her awesome writing!

Summary:

  “Don’t tell me that you don’t know the special occasion for today?”

With a bit of struggle to turn his face, Psyker leaned to kiss the scientist’s cheek.

“It’s Valentine’s day, you dummy.”

“Wake up sweetie~”

 Mastermind groaned as he turned his back at the berserker, it was still too early in the morning, and he wanted to get as much sleep as he possibly could. He heard Psyker’s laugh, a pair of lips softly kiss his template. 

“Come on Sleeping Beauty, today’s a special day!”

“Is it special enough to wake me up?”

The scientist mumbled against a pillow, the words coming out muffled and unclear.

“Don’t tell me that you don’t know the special occasion for today?”

With a bit of struggle to turn his face, Psyker leaned to kiss the scientist’s cheek. 

“It’s Valentine’s day, you dummy.”

Another ghostly kiss to the corner of Mastermind’s lips, the other completely unaware of the way Mastermind’s body tensed.

“Now get out of the bed. I’m gonna prepare breakfast.”

Psyker left their bedroom, back turned towards him so that he had missed the shock frozen on Mastermind’s features.

“Fuck.” Was all he could muster as he scrambled out of bed.

  When Mastermind got dressed and went downstairs, he could smell the sweet aroma of pancakes in the air.

His suspicions were confirmed, once he had reached the doorframe of the kitchen. Psyker was cooking with ease, a pile of readied pancakes were already next to him on the counter.

“When did you had the time to get ready?” Mastermind leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed.

“Unlike you, I wake up early to get ready.” Psyker smiled a shit-eating grin as he flipped a pancake in the air to catch it without problem in the pan.

Mastermind scoffed at the comment and turned his head to the side.

“Come and help yourself. I already put coffee in the coffee maker, it should be ready by now.”

Psyker turned the stove off and served a couple of pancakes for Mastermind, the syrup and butter already on the table.

Mastermind walked to the coffee machine and looked for his cup on a shelf.

“Do you want some?” he asked, already anticipating the response and taking both of their cups from the shelf.

“Of course!” Psyker answered as he served pancakes to himself.

After both were finished with their appetizing breakfast, Mastermind stacked the dishes and got ready to wash them.

Psyker commanded his dynamos to come downstairs with him, getting ready to leave.

“Are you going somewhere?” Mastermind asked without taking his eyes off the plates. If Psyker wanted to go, then who was he to question?

“Yup!” Psyker got close to him and pecked his cheek.

“I’m going to get your gift. It should be ready by now, so I’ll go pick it up.”

Mastermind tensed again.

���I’ll back in less than three hours, I hope Velder’s streets are not that crowded.” Psyker grimaced.

“Anyway, see ya~”

Mastermind was left in the uncomfortable silence once more.

He started walking circles around the kitchen table, Apocalypse watching its master from the kitchen counter. 

“What am I going to do, Apo?!”

Mastermind pinched the bridge of his nose, disappointed at himself.

“I forgot it was Valentine’s day, and now Psyker is going to bring me something while I don’t have anything to gift him!”

He groaned, plopping himself heavily on a chair.

“He’s going to get so upset.”

The scientist leaned his head on the table. How could he have forgotten? It was unacceptable for him to have silly memory slips like those…

Apocalypse tilted its ears.

“Why don’t you prepare him something, Master?”

“Like what?”

Mastermind turned to face his drone.

“Something sweet.” It purred robotically.

The scientist blinked once, twice, then turned to hold Apocalypse in his hands. “Apo, you are a genius! Search for cookies recipes.” Something hand-made, for Psyker. How romantic! Surely it would be the ideal gift.

The drone beeped as it searched for the recipe on its database.

He had all the ingredients to make chocolate chips cookies, there were more than enough chocolate in the kitchen to make the cookies. From what he had read so far of the recipe, it shouldn’t be that hard to prepare them.

Yet he managed to mess up the cookies.

Mastermind managed to prepare the dough for the cookies without problems. Of course, he just had to make a mess of the kitchen, but nothing that he or Apocalypse couldn’t clean.

The real mess stared when the cookies were getting ready for the oven.

The recipe explained that the dough portions should be separated from each other to avoid problems when the dough melted, and that it was crucial to put parchment paper over the baking sheet so the cookies won’t stick on the plate.

Mastermind wanted to make as much sweets as possible for Psyker, so he had put the dough portions closer to each other than it was supposed to be.

And since they didn’t own any parchment paper, he simply decided to put the dough directly on the plate.

Besides, it is not as if the recipe must be followed to the letter…

After he put the cookies in the oven, he thought he had some time to give a little maintenance to Apocalypse (not that the cubic drone especially needed it, but a little maintenance never hurts).

Mastermind was busy rebuilding Apocalypse, until the smell of burnt cookies caught his attention.

“Oh no.” He swore under his breath, rushing downstairs to turn off the oven.

When he opened the oven’s door, he paled at his results.

“Are you kidding me?” Mastermind put on an oven glove and took the tray out of the oven.

All the cookies were burnt and stuck together. There was nothing that could be saved from that mess.

Mastermind turn to look at the clock, it was not long before Psyker returned.

“Now what am I to do?!” He groaned as he passed a hand over his hair frantically.

He glared at where Apocalypse stood in the kitchen table, restarting. Next to it laid a couple of spare chocolate bars. A small idea began to form, as Mastermind sighed and passed another hand over his hair.

“Well, it’s better than nothing.”

Just as expected, the streets of Velder were crowded till the point that he couldn’t walk without bumping into someone every two minutes. Psyker sighed as he waited in the row of the bakery with a dozen roses in his hand, tapping his foot to distract himself. He knew (not from experience, of course!)that every Valentine’s day, if you tried to buy something last minute you would find absolutely nothing.

That’s why this year, he asked the florist for the roses two weeks in advance.

Now here he was waiting for his turn to get the cake he ordered a week in advance.

“Next!”

The baker exclaimed while delivering a cake to the person in front of Psyker.

“Good afternoon, I came to pick up the cake I asked in advance.”

Psyker sighed quietly, glad he finally got his turn.

“What is your name?”

The baker asked as he moved to see the tags over the cakes that were ready.

“Lusa. It’s chocolate cake with strawberries on top of it.”

Psyker resumed tapping his foot.

“Hmmm… Oh, this one!”

The baker got the cake and handed it to the berserker.

“Thank you for paying in advance, it makes my job much easier. Have a good evening!”

“Thank you.”

He answered, and made his way to their house.

He was curious if Mastermind got him something. Not that he cared honestly, he only wanted to see Mastermind’s face when he saw his gift.

Psyker opened the house door trying to not make any noise. He was on his way to Mastermind’s lab, thinking the male was there with his research, yet when he passed by the kitchen the smell of something burnt made him turn that direction instead.

He fell silent at the sight. Mastermind was pouring what looked like hot chocolate into their respective mugs while Apocalypse used its laser to separate something eerily black from the oven tray.

“Mastermind?” Psyker mumbled as he entered the kitchen.

The scientist shrieked in surprise, spilling some hot chocolate over the table in the process.

“I-I thought you would come home much later...”

Mastermind lowered his gaze to the floor, refusing to look at Psyker.

“I got your gifts sooner than I thought I would.”

He chuckled.

“Here, happy Valentine’s day.”

Mastermind saw movement from the corner of his eyes. When he looked up, he felt a gasp escape his lips.

“It’s your favorite, chocolate cake with strawberries.”

The berserker smiled.

“Some roses on the side as well, because why not?”

Mastermind flushed an alarming red as he took both gifts.

“Why twelve roses? Aren’t these expensive?”

“Oh you know, it’s a rose for every month that I have loved you.”

Psyker leaned to give a quick peck to the scientist’s lips.

“I love you, Mastermind.”

Mastermind’s gaze lowered once more as he tried to hide the blush that he was positive ran from his hairline to his neck.

“I-I love you too, Lusa.”

“Now, what were you doing? Apocalypse seems to have a bad time with that oven plate.”

Psyker patted the scientist’s back, tone teasing.

“I tried to bake you some cookies, but as you can see…”

Mastermind gestured where Apocalypse hovered.

“…I’m terrible at baking. And since I didn’t get anything for you, I thought I’d prepare us some hot chocolate.” He held onto his arms, wrapped around himself with a bitter laugh.

“I’m the worst, am I not?”

He decided to take a seat on a chair and hid his face with his hands.

Psyker frowned lightly, and took a seat next to the scientist.

“You are not the worst, Masi. Hey, look at me. I think it’s really sweet from you to try to prepare me something.”

He pried Mastermind’s hands away, before giving him a reassuring kiss on top of his head.

“Aren’t you mad because I forgot Valentine’s day?” Mastermind’s voice quivered, as he struggled to face the berserker.

“Of course not, darling.” Came the light and loving response.

He gave another kiss to Mastermind’s forehead.

“Now why don’t we just enjoy this cake with your delicious hot chocolate?”

Mastermind chuckled.

“You haven’t tasted it yet.”

“Nope, but since you made it for, I know for a fact that it will be delicious.”

He gave a peck at the scientist lips, a playful smirk beginning to form.

“Just like your lips.”

Mastermind’s flustered attempts at pushing him away only earned an earnest laugh from the berserker.

After they finished with their cake, it was Psyker who washed the dishes this time.

Mastermind kept him company, sitting on the counter nearby.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help with the dishes? It was my mess, after all. Not yours.”

Psyker turned to face him, the most stupid and widest grin on his face.

“Nah, you have already done enough, let me help you with the dishes at last.” 

He grew silent for a moment as he stared at Mastermind’s hair, coupled with a chuckle.

“What?” Mastermind asked, visibly confused as to why the berserker kept looking at his hair.

“It’s nothing, you have chocolate on your bangs. You should take a bath.”

Mastermind passed his hand over his bangs. Just as the berserker said, he had chocolate over it. How did it even end up here? What…

That gave the scientist an idea.

“Hey, Lusa.”

The berserker hummed to signify that he had his attention, but Mastermind waited for him to turn to look at him.

“What is it?”

Psyker turned to face him, curious.

“Are bubble baths romantic?”

The berserker grew silent again before laughing.

“Only if I take them with you.”

Psyker teased, and turned, intending to continue the dishes… but he froze when he felt Mastermind leaning on his back. A shuddered gasp escaped his lips when he heard Mastermind lick his lips next to his ear.

“Then it’s settled, I have the perfect gift for you after you finish with those dishes.”

[writeawayharry]

The Nanny (Daddy Harry)

“Seriously, Y/N, I think you’d be stupid not to give this job a chance.”

Phone tucked between your shoulder and ear, you rolled your eyes as you continued chopping carrots for your dinner.

“I don’t know, Melissa. Child care? It’s so far from anything I’ve ever done before.”

“That’s why I think this will be perfect for you,” your cousin said earnestly. “Maybe it’s what you need; a little change of scenery. Take the company downsizing as a sign.”

You bit your lip. “I guess,” you said unenthusiastically.

“Y/N, I can hear it in your voice, you’re not convinced. But you’ve always been looking for an adventure. You’ve been stuck in a rut lately and you know it.”

You didn’t even bother to argue—she was right. You heard her shuffling in the background.

“My dad’s friend works with the man who needs the nanny. He’s a single dad with a young girl. How bad could it be?”

You leaned against the countertop, abandoning your cooking for a moment. This really was an opportunity.

“Fine. Send me the details.”

…

You emailed the address Melissa texted you and got an almost-immediate reply. He was interested in interviewing you, and wanted you to come in. You spent the next half hour Google mapping the interview location. It was a music studio? How odd. Maybe he worked there and wanted to interview you during his work time.

You arrived at the interview a few minutes early. Taking a deep breath, you smoothed your white t-shirt and straightened out your denim skirt. You walked through the large double doors of the studio and were met with a dark-skinned woman behind the desk.

“May I help you today?” she asked sweetly.

“I’m here for an interview with Scott Ryan. About the nanny position.”

“Ah. Right this way, Ms. He’s right here.”

With a kind smile, she gestured for you to enter a room that had the door propped slightly open.

“Mr. Ryan, this young lady is here for an interview.”

“Wonderful, thank you Andrea.”

Mr. Ryan shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “Please, take a seat right here. I promise we won’t be too long.”

You sat down and clumsily adjusted yourself. The nerves were starting to show.

“So, Y/N, what makes you want to be a nanny? I read the resume you sent. It doesn’t look like you have a lot of experience.” He looked at you beneath his glasses.

You gave a small shrug. “I don’t, but do I need it, exactly? I mean, wouldn’t I just be taking care of one child? Darcy, you said her name was? Someone can have all the experience in the world, but if they don’t connect with that one kid, it won’t matter. I, too, read what you sent me. Darcy seems shy, inhibited. I was like that, in fact, I still am. I think I can connect with her.”

Scott looked at you with a pleased smile. “Okay, that’s that. I only have one more question for you.”

He noticed your look of shock.

“Like I said, I keep these interviews short.”

You nodded.

“Y/N, who is your celebrity crush?”

Your eyes widened. “Pardon me?”

“Who is your celebrity crush?” he repeated.

You thought for a moment.

“Oh goodness, I have no idea. I haven’t had one of those since the ninth grade. I guess the only crush I have now is on my boyfriend,” you answered sheepishly.

Scott nodded enthusiastically, like he was on to something.

“Okay, I lied. I have one last question. Do you know who Darcy’s father is?”

“Um, yes. You?” you answered nervously. Was this a joke?

Scott Ryan stood up and headed for his door quickly. “Come with me please, Y/N. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Slightly confused, you kept up with Scott’s fast pace as he led you down a long hallway. He winked at you before he opened a door. Your eyes took in a recording studio. You had never been in one, but you knew immediately what is was.

There were several people in the room, all men, but your attention was drawn to one in particular. He was leaning back in a swivel chair, feet perched on a stool in front of him. His black jeans were tight and his white button up shirt was comfortably loose. His curly brown hair curled beautifully over his ears. You recognized the man.

“Harry,” Scott began.

Holy shit. It was Harry Styles.

“Mmm?” he said, looking up, appearing stressed.

“I think I found you your nanny,” Scott smiled.

That was when Harry noticed your presence in the room. His eyes widened as he took you in. From your practically makeup free face, ponytail, and white sneakers, you felt his eyes roam. Heat flared in the pit of your stomach.

“Yeah?” Harry asked rhetorically. “What’s your name?” he directed at you.

You felt your face flush. “Y/N Y/L/N,” you answered nervously.

Harry nodded and looked back at Scott. “She’s really young,” he said disapprovingly.

Scott sighed. “She answered all your questions flawlessly. Come on Harry, we’re trying to get you back on tour, Darcy needs someone.”

Harry leaned further back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. “I know that! Y/N, Scott will send you my details. Please be at my place tomorrow at 4. Consider yourself hired.”

…

You were texting your boyfriend Andrew as you took the elevator up to Harry’s floor. He lived in the penthouse of a luxury condominium downtown. Andrew knew how nervous you were, and was trying to calm your nerves. Things had been sort of rocky between the two of you lately, so you were glad he was being supportive.

You knocked on the door of 174, Harry’s apartment and waited for an answer. Within seconds, Harry opened it.

Holy Toledo.

You didn’t follow the tabloids or gossip sites, but you knew enough that Harry Styles was in his mid-thirties now. And unlike most men, he only seemed to be getting better with age. His shoulders were broader, his eyes were kinder, and his face was always covered in a shadow of facial hair.

He was wearing an outfit similar to the one you saw yesterday, and you pretty much just stared at him.

“Y/N, come in,” he said cheerily.

Already, you could tell he was in a much better mood than he was in yesterday. Clearly, there was work stress.

“Hi, Mr. Styles,” you said shyly.

“Oh, call me Harry. Or boss,” he winked.

Jesus.

“Daddy, is this her?” a little girl said quietly.

“Yes, Darcy, this is Y/N. She’s really nice,” Harry told his daughter.

“Hi, Darcy,” you said, stepping inside.

She was situated by the corner, safely away from the door.

“I’m so excited to be spending some time with you,” you said, leaning down to her eye level.

Despite her shyness, she met your gaze steadily.

“I brought you something.” You reached into your bag and pulled out a stuffed animal. “It’s a teddy bear. His name is Mr. Patches. I had one just like him when I was your age.”

Darcy appraised the teddy and reached out for him. As soon as he was in her arms, she pulled it in for a hug. “Thank you, Y/N. I love Mr. Patches. I’d like to show you my bedroom now, if you’d like to follow me.”

Darcy turned on her heels and you followed her, giving Harry a quick glance. His lips were slightly parted in awe.

…

Three hours later, Harry gently knocked on the door and called the two of you for dinner. You were wearing a boa and princess crown, having a tea party with Darcy. He failed to hide his smirk.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Darcy continued to talk like an adult and Harry made small talk with her. You mainly just observed.

Shortly after dinner, Harry tucked Darcy in to bed. When you were playing with Darcy earlier, he must have brought your suitcase to your new bedroom. One of the perks of this job: you were going to live with them.

“Your stuff is in your room,” Harry explained needlessly as he closed the door to Darcy’s room.

“Yeah, thanks,” you said quietly.

“Look, Y/N,” Harry continued. “I didn’t mean to be so rude yesterday. Finding a nanny has been literal hell. Honestly…”

“I understand,” you smiled.

More people were probably more interested in Harry than Darcy.

“Well then goodnight, Y/N.”

“Goodnight, Harry.”

…

It had been three weeks, and things were going very well. You and Darcy had taken a liking to each other and your friendship was growing. Harry didn’t tend to be home very often, but he was a loving and attentive father when he was. He was also incredibly hot.

So far, all of your dinners had been ordered in. Tonight, you wanted to cook and treat Harry and Darcy to a roast chicken.

But his oven was so damn fancy. You used as much common sense as you had to figure out how it worked. You didn’t want to ask Harry in fear of not looking competent.

You were flipping through a magazine on the kitchen counter when you began to smell something burn. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Harry enter the room.

“Something smells…” he began.

Just as he was speaking, you opened the oven and a flame angrily escaped.

“Careful!” Harry roared.

Within seconds, one hand was wrapped around your waist as he pulled you away from the oven. Then he slammed the oven shut.

His body was pressing yours against the island and your heavy breaths were rising and falling rapidly. Lips parted, Harry was staring heavily into your eyes. Everywhere his hands were was tingly.

“Daddy, is the chicken almost done?” Darcy asked, holding Mr. Patches.

“Um…actually,” Harry said, still looking at you, “we’re going to order pizza.”

…

“Would you like a glass?” Harry asked as he poured himself a second glass of red wine.

Darcy had just been put to sleep and the apartment had a dark, cozy, calm. Despite being the pent house and immaculate, it was relatively small. Harry had said he wanted a place that no matter where he was inside of it, he would still feel close to Darcy.

“Yes, please,” you answered. You weren’t much of a drinker but after the dinner disaster, you needed one.

Harry’s eyes were twinkling as he poured it and already seemed tipsy.

“Thanks,” you mumbled, taking a sip.

“You know, Y/N, Darcy really loves having you here. She’s never taken a liking to someone before. And the same goes for me.”

You hid your blush as you took another sip. “Well, I like being here.”

Harry smiled and turn on the TV. There were some reruns of the Most Extreme Elimination Challenge on, and you and Harry were laughing so hard tears were forming in your eyes. Sometime during the show, the two of you had scooted closer to each other. Suddenly, you were practically on his lap.

It was now past midnight, and you were feeling giddy and light.

You were saying something and Harry was turned toward you, listening. Then you noticed his eyes travel to the corner of your mouth.

“What?” you asked.

His thumb pressed onto your lip. “You have a drop of wine there,” he said, eyelids heavy.

Then he leaned in and pressed his lips softly into yours.

And then they were gone.

“I am so sorry,” Harry exclaimed, backing away from you immediately. “That never should have happened. It was so inappropriate and I didn’t mean to do it!”

Well that stung. Kissing you was a mistake.

“It’s fine,” you said curtly, leaving him alone.

…

The next night Andrew was over. Darcy was going to her aunt’s house and Harry had to be at the studio late. So it was just you.

The two of you weren’t doing much talking. Andrew just wanted to make out, evidently. His hands kept groping your body despite your protests. His tongue was halfway down your throat when Harry entered.

“Excuse me?” He said, voice sounding seriously ticked off.

“Harry…” you began.

“You can leave right now, young man,” Harry said.

Immediately Andrew got up and left.

Your eyes narrowed at Harry. “You didn’t have to embarrass my boyfriend like that.”

Harry walked to the kitchen. “This isn’t part of the arrangement, Y/N. You keep that boy and his wandering hands out of here!”

“Oh, only you are allowed you to kiss me?”

He froze.

“I told you, that was a mistake.”

“Yeah, I got that. Loud and clear. Maybe this entire thing was.” You felt like crying.

“Y/N…” Harry began tenderly.

“Goodnight Mr. Styles.”

…

Harry found you on the couch the next night, sad and alone. The cushions dipped as he sat beside you.

“Y/N, I’ve been as ass, and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so hard about you and Andrew. Just seeing him…I just got, jealous.”

You shook your head sadly. “You don’t have to worry about Andrew anymore. We broke up this afternoon.”

“Really?” Harry asked.

You nodded.

“Good.”

Before you could form a coherent thought, Harry’s hands grabbed your face and he pressed his lips into yours for the second time.

Thanks so much for reading! x