#i would have drawn the masks on but the pose was making it awkward so let’s just say this is after the masks r taken off

[alphaclxwn]

uhm uhm uhm here is some art for my noaheather one shot - these assholes have me in a headlock <33

[wizzdot]

The Patron Saint of One Way Trips

Ch4

Description: chapter 4 - I’m not entirely sure if this is any good. I need to go through and edit it but I’ll do that when I’m closer to knowing what’s actually gonna happen 🤣 we will wait and see! I’ve posted this on ao3 as well - same username and title. I love Wes Anderson, hence the Isle of Dogs theme. Feel that it fits the theme of this fic too. Anyhoo..

I allow Gaz to lead me to a well lit room. It looks like some sort of living area. Comfortable sofas and carpeted floors. This was totally foreign to me after my time spent in the facility. I felt so out of place. I flit my gaze to Gaz who must notice my discomfort or awkwardness, and he beckons at me to sit down on the sofa. I am still zipped up inside his warm jacket, which smells of a warm vanilla scent mixed with some variation of citrus fruit.. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it is comforting and calming. I try not to make it obvious that I am taking in his scent.

The others are already situated in their seats. I feel all of their eyes itching into my skin. I shrink back into myself again. The pack Alpha, their Captain, clears his gruff throat before speaking. "We have received information from Laswell. She has found your file and is going to send it over as soon as it is secured in the system.. she has told us you are not a direct threat to us. Is this correct, Laika? Can we trust you?"

I feel like scoffing at him. Me? Can they trust me? It's almost laughable that a pack of four huge Alpha's think that I, a drugged, undesignated girl, could threaten them. Not to mention that I am not in the best of shape due to lack of nutrition and poor sleeping habits. "Well..?" he prompts. I met his gaze for the first time since they'd found me. "I pose no threat to you or your pack members, Captain" - I decide to address him officially as pack Alpha. He stands a little straighter than he was before, obviously happy with my answer. I feel a sense of relief wash over me before dropping my gaze back to the floor.

A growl echoes through the silence, the others all looking between each other to find the source of the sound. Their eyes land on me. I can feel my face redden under their scrutiny - my stomach is the source of the growl. "S-sorry" I stutter anxiously. Gaz steps forward slowly and smiles down at me. "C'mon, let's go and get some food. I could eat too." He nods towards the left and I follow the motion with my eyes and see an open door to what looks like a kitchen. I stand up nervously and follow Gaz, taking the widest possible route around the masked man and Soap, still not trusting them.

I step into the kitchen area and Gaz opens the fridge and inspects the contents. "What d'ya like?" he asks. I shrug. "Not really eaten much since- since I've been their asset.. I-I used to like soup though.." - "Soup? Let me check the cupboards. Think we've got tomato.." He moves around the kitchen smoothly, opening and closing cupboards when he doesn't find what he is looking for. I stand in the corner quietly, trying to avoid getting in the way. "C'mere" he beckons me over - "tomato or chicken?" he nods to a stack of four tins -two of each flavour- stacked neatly in the overhead cupboard. "J-just whatever is spare will be nice. Th-thanks" I whisper. "C'mon, love, try to stop being so shy with me.. you can trust me, even if you aren't sure about my packmates yet, yeah? I promise you they're good men underneath their tough exteriors.." he tries to convince me. "S-sorry.. I'll try harder" I murmur. I decide to try and be bold - I step closer to him and look over his shoulder into the cupboard to inspect the tins of soup. "Tomato would be nice.." I utter quietly. Gaz's smile is instant. It lights up the entire room, my eyes drawn to it. Wow - he had beautiful teeth. Sharp canines, gleaming white.. It reminded me that my teeth had been neglected - only able to brush them a couple of times a week when they allowed me to shower. I suddenly find myself feeling self-conscious. I haven't even properly looked in a mirror for at least a year..

I step back again, feeling a little anxious after my inner thoughts had caught up with me. Damn him and his big, perfect smile. And his deep, kind eyes. "How buttery do you want your bread?" The question snaps me out of it. "Butter?.. uhm.. same as you?" I question my own answer. "I've not had butter for ages. Just stale or mouldy bread.." I admit. He sighs sadly, but immediately tries to cheer me up. "You should see how Soap takes his bread. I swear he would use an entire block of butter per slice if he could. It's gross" he says jokingly. I release the smallest giggle at that. He is smiling so brightly now that he knows that he successfully made me laugh. My defences drop for a split second thanks to the growing comfort I am feeling in Gaz's presence, and my mouth blurts out before I can catch it "they scare me..”

Gaz snaps his gaze back down to mine - "What? Who? Soap..? He is harmless" - "and the masked one" I add blushing, anxiously. "That's Ghost - the masked one. He can take a while to warm up to strangers.. he won't hurt you though. Promise" he reassures me. My eyes follow his hand closely as he gently places it on my shoulder, attempting to comfort me, I assume. I try not to tense up or flinch at the soft touch. I just stare at his hand until he slowly withdraws it. I jump slightly when the microwave dings. Gaz pours the soup into a bowl and hands it to me with a plate full of buttered bread. I stand there confused, just staring at the food that I am holding.

"C'mon, hope you don't mind eating on the sofa. We usually just eat off our laps.." he shrugs. "It smells nice.." I compliment, following him as he holds the kitchen door open for me seeing as I had my hands full. I, once again, take the widest route around Soap and Ghost.. I sit down at the very end of the sofa and wait for Gaz to sit in the place next to me, subconsciously using him as a barrier to the outside room.

"What did Gaz make you for tea, lass?" the rich Scottish voice chirped. I jump in my seat slightly. I quietly respond "Tomato soup" without looking at him, remaining hidden behind Gaz's body. Soap leans forward and looks right at me "Smells delicious. Any leftovers, Gaz?" he asks. "Make your own... tins are in the cupboard" - "Awkt, but you made her some.." - "I'm not microwaving soup for you, Soap, piss of mate" - "Fuck sake, ya prick, though we were supposed to be packmates.." The duo go back and forward like this in a light hearted tone for a couple of minutes. "I - I don't mind letting you have this.." I offer anxiously, shakily holding my plate out towards Gaz, feeling guilty that I'd taken their food.

Gaz gently guides the plate back into my lap. "Don't be silly, bug, you haven't even started it and you haven't eaten properly for ages. Get eating!" He instructs, I listen - ever obedient. I gently lift the spoon to my mouth and slurp the soup into my mouth. I swear it's the best thing I've ever tasted. I hum quietly to myself. Unbeknownst to me, Gaz and Soap are watching me with a fond smile on their faces. I eat about half of the bowl, and a slice of bread before feeling utterly stuffed. I slowly lift my gaze from the food and glance at Gaz. "I can't eat any more.." I whisper. "You sure? You've not eaten much.." - "I'm full.." I reassure him. Soap suddenly sits forward in his seat again, making me shrink back slightly again. "Ya done, Lass?" - "mmhmm" I murmer shyly - "Here, hand it over then!" he says keenly. Before I can even process his words, he has leant over Gaz and stolen the bowl and plate from me and was groaning in pleasure at the taste. I blush slightly, embarrassed, that he hasn't even replaced the spoon I had been using. "For fuck sake, Soap, you know she's jumpy. Tone it down a bit - yeah?" Gaz suggests to Soap. "Aye, sorry just starvin' - Sorry wee'yin" he gobbles around a mouthful of bread. I just stare at the scene in front of me, lost for words.

With warm food in my belly for the first time in forever, I start feeling sleepy. I slowly unzip Gaz's jacket, now that I'm warm again, and hand it back to him. "Thanks.." I whisper, placing it on his lap. Gaz tries not to show his disappointment that you are no longer wearing his jacket - his scent. "Are you wanting me to show you to the spare room? Think it's set up ready to use.." he offers. "If that's ok.. I - I don't want to be a hassle.." - "None of that, now.. C'mon, follow me."

I stand and follow obediently again. I enter the hallway after Gaz. The walls are wallpapered with a white floral pattern. It's light and airy. Gaz walks up a set of stairs to an upper level, I follow him closely. He stops on the upper landing and points to the left hallway. "It's the second door on the right. You'll have your own bathroom too." I nod and hesitate before walking independently down the hallway, feeling a little insecure, but deciding to be brave anyway. I get to the door and slowly twist the door handle. I glance back at Gaz who just nods and turns to go back down stairs to join the rest of his pack.

I step into the room and take stock of everything in it. The walls are covered in blue and white striped wallpaper. There is a window on the back wall of the room. I check out the bathroom which is to the right hand side of the room - it has a shower, sink and a toilet, with another smaller window behind it. I step back into the main room and look at the bed. I hesitate before slowly lowering myself down on it. It's soft. I should feel comfortable, but instead I feel exposed. Unsafe. I decide to look around the bathroom again, digging through the cupboards to see what I could use. I find a few toothbrushes, still in the packs, so I remove one and hurry to brush my teeth. It's funny how such a small bit of self care can make me feel cleaner. I decide to strip from my filthy clothes and step into the shower. I turn the water on, accidentally blasting myself with freezing water before it started to heat up. I don't even squeal, being all too accustomed to cold showers. I do, however, moan when the water starts to heat up. I check out all of the soaps and products on the rack in the shower. It all looks like male stuff but I don't care. I absolutely lather myself in it. I repeat it several times over. Lather. Rinse. Lather. Rinse. And so on...

I finally step from the shower when my skin starts to wrinkle. I haven't felt this clean since - well - probably ever! The wall of steam floods the bedroom when I leave the bathroom. I get myself dry and search the chest of drawers for something clean to sleep in. From the looks of the contents inside, it looks like standard military style clothing. I find some dark joggers and a khaki t-shirt. I quickly dress, finding myself having to seriously tighten the drawstring around my waist of the trousers and roll the sleeves up of the long sleeved t-shirt. I climb into bed and pull the covers tightly around me. I toss and turn before finally dozing off.

*Gaz's POV*

I show her the directions to the room she is to stay in, deciding to stay back and let her check it out for herself. Soap had stayed in that room a few nights ago when he pissed everyone off so badly, Ghost decided to punish him by throwing him out of the pack bed for the night. I just hope he had left it clean enough for her. I walk downstairs to the rest of my pack. I sit back down in my space next to Soap, who immediately chucks his legs over me, to rest them on my lap. I massage his legs for him, making him purr. I smile softly at my pack mate.

Price speaks up then. "Kyle - what's going on with the girl then..?" - "She's scared.. terrified. Fuck knows what they've done to her but none of it has been good. I think she is warming up to me though" I reply. He nods in agreement. "Kate sent over her file. It looks like she's been tortured and drugged to comply. Her designation is unknown - but she has been the asset behind all four of the most recent Makarov hits. And several before these too, before we were called up, so she certainly isn't as harmless as she makes out." I find myself nodding too, trying to piece together what all of this means. "Who is she, then?" Soap asks. "Her government name is Y/N Y/L/N - they called her Laika - apparently she was always co-operative, or obedient, I think is the word they used. I guess she was thrashed into submission. They say she is of a gentle, anxious, nature but the drugs helped 'level' her - whatever that means" Price explains.

"Turned her into a puppet, that means. A puppet to do all of their dirty work" I spit back, disgusted and angry. "So the drugs, are they still in her system? Is that why she isn't giving off any scent or signs of her designation?" I ask. "That's something we are going to have to ask her, Kyle. The file mentions that she gets 'topped up' every couple of months when she starts showing resistance" - "Poor girl was trying to fight it" I interrupt Price.

"Don't start getting attached, Garrick." Simon grumbles at me. "Piss off" I snap back.

"I'm tired, let's go to bed, yeah, talk about it in the morning?" I suggest. "Yep, Kyle's right, bed - all of you" Price orders. We all stand and make our way to our room. I glance toward the door of Laika - Y/N's - room and all seems quiet. Hopefully she is sleeping, I think inside my head.

*Back to Laika (Y/N's) POV*

I wake, startled - seeing visions of pools of blood I had been the cause of. Seeing lifeless eyes of those I had killed. I leap out of bed and start feeling my arm for my handkerchief. Shit shit shit. I'd left it somewhere. I slide down the wall panicking, trying to remember where the hell I had put it. All this time at the facility and I'd managed not to lose it. It comes to me all of a sudden. Gaz's jacket. My handkerchief is in the pocket of his jacket. I sneak out of the room and try to quietly tip toe downstairs. The stairs are a bit creaky but being quiet is my speciality. I finally find my way to the room we had been sitting in when I had returned the jacket to Gaz. It wasn't there. My stomach sinks. A single tear falls from my eye. I slump on to the couch and try not to weep. I can't go rooting about looking for it. I will just have to calm myself down and go back to my room. I try to gather myself.

Five, or so, minutes later, I stand and start to make my way back up the stairs. I avoid all of the creaky parts of each stair and successfully make it to the upper landing. I turn toward my room and gently close the door. I fail to notice the dark, masked Alpha, watching my every move. He slinks back into his pack's room, not waking them.

I try to settle back in the bed, failing miserably. I find myself crawling under the bed with a pillow and blanket, feeling safer in an enclosed space. I finally settle into a restless sleep.

[awwishfulthinking]

Went to a really nice gachapon/gashapon shop yesterday and got some neat stuff!

There weren't a whole lot of anime series there that I was interested in, but they had some SpyxFamily stuff so I gave two of them a go.

In hindsight I wish I had gotten more of the sitting figures because that Yor is so cute and her paint job is really good! (She can apparently hold really teeny things in her arms too.) The Anya is… she's okay. What's with the pose (lol)?

I ended up spending the most cash on these CCS figures, which was surprising to me since I hadn't expected to be so drawn in by CCS merch. I got Tomoyo first, then the Kero/Spinel figure, and did one last try to at least get one of the Sakuras (there were four different types in the set). Might have tried for a Syaoran too but I didn't want to push my luck and potentially get a duplicate, haha. Looking closer at them today, the quality isn't the best and the stands are really flimsy and made of awfully cut plastic pieces. However I got all of these for $4 each so I can't complain.

Sylvanian Families mini toys! I got two because I really wanted the one of the ones with the little house case (I got the car set first). These would make good doll props. I just wish I could fit everything in the house case but the car and grass piece are unfortunately too big to fit in AND keep the plastic case closed.

The sole Sailor Moon gashapon machine in the store had mostly the outer senshi, along with Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask, Chibi Moon, and a random Sailor Jupitor(???). I wanted Sailor Saturn but got Neptune, which is fine. This is a really nice-sized and nice looking figure for a gashapon machine--it's just a shame about the random paint smudges on her face D:

This was from a $1 machine so I had to give it a go.

Inside the egg is a Transformers-esque My Little Pony toy. The novelty and the awkwardness of this toy is worth more than the $1 I spent on it. But why do I keep getting Twilight Sparkle from blind bags/boxes???

The shop also had claw machines filled with more toys and plushies (mostly pokemon stuff). I managed to get the Sylveon on my first try ($1), but I felt bad about leaving the Umbreon since it was the only plush left in the machine. Umbreon was. Significantly harder for me to grab but I managed it after five tries (plus some free tries from the shop owner who I guess felt bad for me and reset the plush two times). These are cute but they don't sit very well as their heads are so heavy compared to their bodies. Plus I think the Umbreon is missing the keychain attachment from its head (these are probably meant to be keychain plushies), but whatever.

The shop also sold Re-ment blind boxes and other fancier figures. I saw this and had to grab it:

A 50th Jump Anniversary Taikoubou (Houshin Engi) figure!!! I never expected to find a figure for such an old/obscure series in a random figure shop, so I immediately bought it.

I ended up spending around $85 in total (Taikoubou figure included). A little more than I expected to spend, but for what I got I think it was a good deal overall.

[metfell]

So. the butch hartman rant. i wanted to kinda just... talk about some of the weirdness of the dsmp artworks from an art perspective, cause we all know he does literally no research and its a shitty way to promote his stupid commissions. thats not what im talking about here. i want to talk about how the way he draws the characters either tells us nothing about their personality or actively hinders the audience from understanding who they are.

so, let’s start off with the first character he drew, Dream.

so without knowing anything about the character, what can we learn from this image butch has drawn? well, he’s got a really cartoony, almost silly gait to his run, and he seems like hes almost jumping excitedly, so at least what i am picking up from his pose alone is that he’s a fun, silly character, who is a bit of a fighter with his axe he uses. his mask looks cheerful, as if he’s just a normal looking young person- he looks 14 in this idfk why- who’s maybe a superhero? maybe he fights the bullies off at school or something.

and, as we all know, that is just the complete opposite of who dream is as a character. and that’s the start of how it can just completely shift who these characters are. how do we fix his posing to better reflect his personality? i feel like a slightly top-down angle, walking forward, holding the axe down towards the ground pose could show what an intimidating character he is. just an example though.

and i want to stay on dream for a moment longer to touch on the biggest problem butch has- because it doesn’t show up in dream’s art at all. it’s that his compositions cut off the characters at the weirdest spots and makes the drawing feel even more awkward than it already is.

we see this in technoblade’s fanart with one of his hooves getting cut off right at the tip, making you think he could have just sketched the character a little higher.

and we can see this in quackity’s artwork (im going to be pasting in the rant from earlier here so if youve read this already you can skip it)

in the video, he started from the head, and went down, so the waist up looks good, but he for some reason feels the need to try and fit a full body, even though the page doesn’t have room for it.

here’s a screenshot of it happening:

most people would just redraw the image to better fit the space of the page, but he doesn’t, and for an experienced person like him (i mean….. debatable but u know-), it shows just how fucking lazy he is and how much he just doesn’t give a shit about these characters. 

and now im going to touch on tommy because i want to culminate all of this with his latest (as of july 16th 2021) character.

so.... tommy.

tommy is the worst offender when it comes to his shitty designs (yes over wilbur) because sadly this one references a lot of things in canon but he fucks them up so that’s why his is the worst.

this design not only is just a terrible exercise in character design imo, but also just completely butchers everything about c!tommy all at once. 

let’s do the same thing we did with dream’s art. i see a very young, probably around 9-12 year old boy, posed very quietly and nervously, holding a sword he looks like he doesnt know how to use. he is dressed like a child playing pretend pirates in the backyard with his friends, and he has some bandaids on his face, probably from where he and his friends got into a tussle. 

and again, obviously this is just not tommy like. at fucking all. to accurately pose a character like this- when drawing them for the first time so we can get a read on their personality, WHO THEY ARE- i think he needs a pose more like dream’s or wilbur’s. 

he’s energetic and loud and bombastic (yes i know hes also a sweetheart and hes gentle and stuff but im talking about first and foremost what we see of tommy). give him a big shit-eating grin, have him hold a weapon like he knows how to use it, and make his stance something confident. because without the personality of the characters shining through- something butch hartman clearly knows nothing about- these are lifeless, shitty character designs.

and this has all culminated (thus far at least) with ranboo. my poor fucking boy. oh my sweet jesus [garfield speak to me meme goes here]. 

because god either hates me specifically or doesn’t exist at all, this happened. and we can use the things talked about above and see them here in this drawing. we have the complete misunderstanding of the character, to the point of him clearly just googling ‘ranboo’ and seeing the cc. 

we have the total lack of understanding how posing can show us things about a character- and i think ranboo’s is the worst because he’s not getting any information about who he is, BECAUSE he isnt seeing fanart. at least with characters like quackity he could pull at the very least a fucking expression from the fanart on google, but because he has nothing to go off of, the pose feels stiff and lifeless. 

we have the awkward cutoff of the drawing at the knees- which also have this weird shading applied to them that makes no sense unless we can see his feet? very odd choice. he does it on his back arm too, and it makes the arm look detached, almost prosthetic, because it’s one of the only parts of the drawing with that harsh shading- aside from the legs, which we can hardly see because theyre cut off. 

we have the fact that this is the sloppiest drawing of them all so far, with the glasses not even being set right on his face, the line on the black side of his mask not connecting at the cheek, and i am not even going to touch on how weird it is that he drew his thighs and crotch like that. not even touching on that.

and finally, we have the fact that ranboo and tommy are nearly the same age, and tommy looks 9 while ranboo looks 27.

i have no fucking clue if this was at all like. good. i just have a lot of fucking hatred for bitch fartman and i cannot believe- and it is a pure coincidence probably- that the first canonically not-cis character he picks to draw, he draws the fucking CONTENT CREATOR AND NOT THE CHARACTER BUTCH I HA- 

[honeyatsu]

Loner (Junpei x f!reader) 2

Warnings: whole lotta fluff. y/n being dense lmao.

summary: Junpei was suspicious of you. He always felt the world was filled with people who were naturally evil in some way, until you came into his life and challenged his theory.

masterlist

crossposted on ao3

unorganized sountrack

a/n: updates gonna be slow from now on until the semester is over!

Tatsu ramen wasn’t too far from the school grounds, taking your time walking would consist of a light fifteen minutes. The sun would be setting by the time you and Junpei would make your way to the restaurant, the streets being busy with those walking home after a long day. Tatsu ramen would never be too busy with the time you two went considering it was often school days that you two would go and eat after school hours and (sometimes) do homework. The two of you have become all too familiar with the place, the dim-lit yellow walls and red booths become a place of comfort, a place to rest and ease down after a long day of classes and spending time at your clubs.

Within a month, it was a routine for you two. After finishing your club activities, you would always wait for Junpei outside of the school gates, usually playing with the hems of your uniformed skirt and smiling widely as you would see him walk towards you. The first time he saw you waiting he didn’t know it was for him, until you grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the same place you took him to the day before without warning.

It was more you who would go out of your way to look for him, noticing him at school a lot more since meeting him in class. He would often walk with head down, so you would run to him while shouting his name, hugging him from behind to grab his attention. Within the first two weeks of you latching yourself onto him with your presence, he just wanted to ask why. Why did you run from your friends to be with him? Why did you wait after school every day with him just to go and eat after? Why were you so persistent in being his friend?

He would often wonder why with you, but he never asked.

“This assignment is sooo hard, don’t wanna do it.” You sighed while laying your head on the table. You reached your hands out across, grabbing Junpei’s fingers and playing with them lightly. You didn’t miss the way his face heated up at your sudden display of contact. You smiled softly to yourself before saying, “You still get flustered when I touch you. Does it bother you? I can stop.”

You tried not to display a look of disappointment of your face, fearing his answer would be to ask you to stop. You figured after a month of friendship with him he’d be used to it, but you wanted to respect his boundaries and his body language continued to display discomfort whenever you would practically breath near him.

“It’s, uhm, it’s just….always so sudden.” He said averting his gaze to his bowl to avoid the smug look on your face. “Do you just casually touch all your friends like this?”

You didn’t want to admit this to yourself, but you’d be lying if you said his small display of jealous didn’t stroke your ego. That and the simple fact that for the first time in a month, he finally acknowledged you as his friend. That extremely small, and most likely unintentional vocal announcement of friendship was a firm pat in the back for you. With the surge of confidence overflowing, you made the bold (yet not out of character) move of removing your fingers from his, now holding a tight grip on his hand.

“Why? Does me touching my other friends like this bother you?” you teased at him as you rose your head from the table, giving him a subtle smirk.

He quickly removed his hand from yours, turning his head to the side trying to hide his flustered face from you, “I didn’t say that!” he exclaimed shakily.

Your hand that was once holding his shifted towards the chopsticks to the side, picking them up and bringing noodles closer to your face, “If you want, that can be our thing. You’re my favorite friend.” You said as you began to stuff ramen noodles in your mouth.

Junpei continued to avert his eyes, trying to look anywhere but at you.

---------------------

The monotoned lecture echoed throughout the classroom, the words going in one ear and out the other for the room of students struggling to pay attention. Heavy eyes could be mistaken as contagious for those who were fighting to not have their heads hit the desk, each and every student feeling the same internal battle of focusing on their sensei’s words.

You couldn’t keep your glittered purple pen from lightly hitting on the desk, every tap being used as a source of focus to help your heavy eyes stay open. Your foot followed the rhythem of the pen, you felt as if you had to keep moving, had to have something going on other than the mundane voice of the lecturer in the front of the room.

“…and now class, time for a break.”

You sighed in relief as you plopped your head onto Junpei’s shoulder, his body stiffened for a few seconds before relaxing, he was still getting used to your constant physical displays of affection.

Junpei waited to hear your voice seep through his ears, usually when breaks occur during class you take the ten minutes of free time to talk Junpei’s ear off. After all this time, it took you to start a conversation and carry it as well.

The silence was now unfamiliar, sitting with you he became accustomed to regular conversations. He used to crave silence, most words directed towards him stung, but with you he was looking forward to it. Before he was able to ask if you were okay, he noticed you begin to nod off to sleep, until in a split second your eyes perked up when you noticed a movie poster sticking out of his notebook. Your hands slowly dragged it out of the book as you stared at it, it was a “Scream” movie poster.

His shoulder was free from the weight of your head, staring at you curiously as you grabbed his notebook and placed it on the opposite side of where he was sitting, writing in it with your head laying down facing the other side of the desk. He couldn’t see what you were doing, shuffling awkwardly in his sit waiting to figure out what to anticipate from you next.

Within seven minutes, you turned to him with a wide grin plastered onto your face.

“Ta-da!”

He looked down at the paper you slid to his side of the desk and saw a very detailed drawing of ghostface. It was the signature pose, his dark cloak covering his body, holding onto the bloody knife raised before he was prepared to slaughter his next victim. His drawn mask didn’t miss any shadows, even the small texture was visible in your quick sketch.

“I didn’t know you could draw!” Junpei said excitedly, mouth agape as he grabbed the picture with both hands, his eyes widened in awe, “Are you in art club?”

“No, I wish. I take advanced art as a class though. I’m in the athletic club department. I’ve done martial arts and gymnastics my entire childhood.” You brought up your arm and flexed your muscles. “Feel them, I’m pretty strong.” You said with a grin.

Pretty strong would be an understatement, Junpei thought to himself. He brought his hand and gripped onto your bicep, gasping once you flexed to show him you indeed were strong, your muscles putting his slightly-skinny ones to shame.

“I’m pretty strong compared to you, Junpei.” He winced at your comment, about to make his first slick remark towards you until –

“That just means I get to be your knight and shining armor then.”

--------------

Avoiding the pleas of your friends to stay with them, you finally managed to escape the group in search for Junpei. Bumping into other classmates, hovering over lunch tables, even going to more isolated areas of the lunch room, he was still out of sight for you. You gripped your lunch box tightly in frustration, just how hard was it to find the one person in your school that had such a distinct look? You cursed yourself, after a month of friendship and spending the amount of time you did outside of school, you still never managed to get his number.

On a whim you decided to step outside, the cool October breeze catching you by surprise. The autumn trees displaying colors of yellow, orange, red, and purple were the perfect scenario for those school couples wanting to be away from the rest of the school, you knew this. Yet, it was such an embarrassing surprise when every step you would take you would come in a – very awkward -encounter with a couple, whether cuddling or making out, you’d just turn on your heel and act as if you didn’t see a thing at all.

You scolded yourself for even considering looking outside, knowing Junpei he’d be a flustered mess even being near these couples. You didn’t know who his friends outside of you were, so there was no way of you going to ask where he could be for lunch, and you were on the verge of giving up and going back to your group. While taking a detour walking the long way back to the cafeteria entrance, you noticed a boy sitting on a bench under a tree close to one of the classroom windows, a familiar overlapping bang covering the ride side of his face. You grinned to yourself before making your way – of course he’d be in the most isolated place in the whole school.

You ran to him, frantically waving and shouting his name before he finally looked up, giving you a small smile and wave back. Once you got there, you plopped next to him as you let out a deep breath and laid your head on his shoulder.

This time he didn’t flinch.

“What do your friends think?”

“hm?”

“You’re always ditching them for me….” Junpei replied sheepishly as he turned his head to the other side.

“Hey.” You said ignoring his statement, you pulled out your airpods and put one in your ear and one in his. “Give me your number.” You said handing your phone to him.

After he added himself as a contact to your phone, he noticed you quickly send him a link before you quickly snatched his phone from his hand, saving your contact as ‘y/n <3’.

“I made you something.” You said before sending him a link. He checked his phone and the message read, ‘For Junpei.’ With a red heart next to it. “It was a bunch of songs I liked, and I thought you’d like them too. And songs that made me think of you. Let’s listen to some together.”

You were about to hit play before you heard him sniffling next to you. You didn’t miss the tear drop that fell on top of his screen that he was staring at intensely. He had a small smile and blush on his face. Instinctively, you took out a handkerchief that was in your school uniform pocket and bringing it up to him, wiping his slight tear-stained face as he was gliding his fingers through the screen softly. “Are you okay?”

“No one’s ever really...gotten me anything.…let alone made me something.”

A slight frown developed on your face as he continued to stare at the screen in awe, finally beginning to scroll through the songs you’ve chosen to compile together for him. Once his cheeks were no longer tear stained you went back to your original position, sneaking your hand on top of his, squeezing it to grab his attention. He slowly looked to the side to face you, eyes shifting from you and the screen.

“I guess this makes me your best friend.”

He smiles and nods at you, “Yeah, you’re my best friend y/n.”

Your eyes widened at the statement; your breath became rigid as you quickly averted your eyes to the ground. You brought your knees closer to you, wrapping your arms around them and laying your head on top of your knees. Junpei chuckled to himself, he never thought he’d be the one to finally make you flustered.

“Start with Frank Oceans songs.” You said in almost a whisper “I think you’ll like them.”

He started to play the music, sitting back against the tree, bringing his arm around your shoulder and pulling you closer to him.

Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.

It felt as if a drum was going through steady rhythm in your chest. The blood flow rushed to the tip of your fingers, your pulse feeling like a wave flowing throughout your body. His hug triggered a rush of adrenaline that shot through you like a drug. Taking three deep breathes you tried your best to compose yourself, finally lifting your heard from your knees to see him. His head was laid against the tree, eyes closed listening to the song that was playing.

The roles finally reversed, Junpei finding peace with his hold on you yet you couldn’t help but feel a nervous wreck at the situation at hand. You wanted to feel comfortable, you wanted to engulf yourself in the music just as he’s doing but for some reason unknown to you, you were just so damn nervous.

Finally bringing your knees down, you looked up at Junpei seeing a relaxed smile on his face, eyes still closed before he opened one after feeling you move around. He gave a slight smirk before closing his eyes again, not letting his grip on you go. Breathless, you couldn’t find it in yourself to relax in that moment, he’s never made that kind of face to you before nor has he ever looked that confident.

Twiddling your thumbs and avoiding looking at his face, you felt a slight guilt creep up on you. Junpei, your now declared best friend, finally looks confident and finally feels comfortable with you, so why did you feel so weird? You remember when you met him, he was easily embarrassed and insecure, even you could tell that, and you’ve just met him. He finally shows a bit of confidence and you felt a foreign feeling – your heart racing, palms sweating, feeling heat flow through your body, what reason did you have to feel so nervous about someone you were so used to be around, unless –

Oh.

Before you let yourself finish that thought, your eyes caught another movie poster sticking out from him bag. Seeing this as your chance to ruin this movement, you quickly reached over him, causing him to jump, as you took out the poster sticking out of his bag.

'Killer Klowns From Outter Space’.

“You’re a big fan of movies, aren’t you?” You said as you hesitantly looked him in the eye. Just because you were a nervous wreck internally doesn’t mean you had to act on it, you thought to yourself.

He gave you a closed eye smile before responding, “Yeah, are you? Do you like horror movies?”

“mmm, no. not really. My mom hates this movie actually. You should invite me over, then we could watch movies together.” You grinned noticing the blush form onto his face before he stuttered out an “okay.”

Finally, the roles going back to how they should be.

--------------------

Your ankle continued throbbing as you dragged yourself through the empty halls of your school. The halls that during the day are filled with laughter and voices became eerily quiet at this time of the day. Everyone occupied in their club activities there was no room for useless roaming within the halls.

Wincing in pain, you begin to regret saying you didn’t need help going to and from the nurse’s office. During cheer practice you fell from the top of the pyramid, hurting your ankles as you fell roughly onto the mat. ‘You’re lucky you didn’t twist your ankle, just rest and it should be fine in a few days.’ The nurse told you. The feeling of your pulsating ankle and how every step felt like needles seeping through your skin, you had a tough time believing that statement.

You began to regret taking the long way back to the club room, wanting to take a detour of the halls before having to be forced to sit and watch your club members until the end of practice, until you heard a voice that was all too familiar with you now.

Sneaking to the door labeled ‘movie club’ where the noise was coming from, you opened it slightly while peeking your head through it. In it, you saw a very excited Junpei speaking to two other boys. He was going on about the complexities of a plot to one of his favorite horror films, The Conjuring, you were guessing based on the plot, but you couldn’t be too sure, you hated horror films.

Then you saw it. His eyes bright with pleasure and contentment, the most genuine wide smile you’ve seen him wear since the moment you’ve met him. You couldn’t pass this up, you quickly brought your phone up and snapped a picture of Junpei smiling. You wanted to snap the picture and make your way back to your club, giving Junpei some free time from you and enjoy the first moment you’ve seen of him and his friends outside of you.

But this was you, and with your luck the flash from your phone was on and caught the attention of the three boys in the room. As all eyes made their way to the door you sheepishly opened it, giving a guilty smile followed by a small giggle.

“Junpei!” you said cheerily to mask the embarrassment you were facing at the moment. “Movie club, huh? It makes sense, you do love your movies.”

“(y/n), what…what are you doing..here..and did you just..did you just – ”

“Sorryyyy” you whined as you made your way to the table they were all seated at, pulling out a chair for yourself, “You just looked so happy! I don’t even think I’ve seen you that excited to talk to me. I wanted to remember that face, you should show it more.” You gushed out.

That caused a gasp from the two club members sitting at each side of you and a frantically embarrassed Junpei.

“Junpei, how do you know (y/n)?” the one with glasses asked shamelessly. His face was familiar, you couldn’t help but intensively stare at him, ignoring the blush on his face due to your gaze.

“You’ve been to my tournaments?” You asked, recalling seeing him in the stands holding a sign with your school name on it. All he could do was gulp and nod as you backed up from him, “thanks for your support!” you chirped.

“You told me you did martial arts….” Junpei tried not to stare at you, your uniform hugging your body tightly. The way your skirt was risen up due to the sitting position and how your top squeezed your chest, it left little to the imagination and Junpei didn’t want to feel like he was disrespecting you. He knew it was just a uniform, but the way it complimented your body, the way your hair was styled for the uniform, along with the sweat from your forehead that was dripping...the sight in front of him was dangerous, you were dangerous.

“Yeah and I got bored. This year I wanted art club, but my mom said my future would be more promising if I stayed in the athletic department.” You explained, “So I decided the sport with the cutest uniform. Don’t you think I look cute, Jun-pei?” you said batting your eyelashes at him, hoping he would look at you the way his club members were. His club members gasped at you of all people flirting with their club president, and all Junpei could do was nod his head as he glanced at you for a second, quickly switching his view from you to the movie he was holding on his hand.

“I should go. I bet they’re waiting for me. I wish I was in a club like this, you all seem so relaxed.” You brought your body up, stretching before you pushed the chair back into the original position. “I hope you don’t mind me crashing your club when I don’t feel like being in mine, Jun-pei.” You sang out before dragging yourself out of the room.

“How the fuck did you manage to get so close to y/n?”

-------------------------------

For the first time, it was Junpei who was waiting for you outside of the club gates. Normally if you weren’t already there, he would walk home alone and just see you in class the next day or you would chase him in the halls, whining about how he didn’t eat with you the day before.

He didn’t miss how the fresh colors of the sky brushed upon your skin as he saw your figure making its way towards him. It hits him – seeing you walk towards him with what’s left of the sun kissing your skin, this is what he’s been missing out on while leaving you to walk alone? You grin as you make your way towards him, your usual skip replaced with you wobbling to him. He noticed you coming towards him carrying a box of chocolates and a letter, you just got another confession. It would have been your tenth one this week, not as if he was counting or anything.

Every time he experienced you carrying gifts along with love letters, every time eyes would linger the two of you in the hall, and the dirty looks you seemed to miss when leaving your group of friends to be with him, his self-doubt would whisper harsh words in his brain: what did you even see in him?

“I think this is the first time you’ve waited for me! About time.” You said linking your arm around his.

“You got another one.”

“Yeah, this time from Shota.” You missed the way Junpei winced at the name you just said. His arm unlinked with yours, staying in place as you still walked forward before stopping. You turned to him with a questioning look.

“What..um..what do you think of him?”

“He’s kind of scary.” You admitted, “I feel like his personality is fake. His smile has a bit of a sinister undertone, don’t you think? I mean, we’re in the same circle so I tolerate him. I wouldn’t call him my friend though.”

“You deserve better friends. Yours are jerks.” He spat out, not even realizing the word vomit coming from his mouth. “You reject all these guys…you could have whoever you wanted. Why?”

You brought your hand to your chin, squinting your eyes deep in thought. You never truly thought about why you rejected the confessions you would get; you just knew that you didn’t want them.

“Most of the guys who confess to me are a bit much, I guess you could say. Too aggressive, too competitive, not really on the sweet side. Makes sense, I’m an athlete so naturally I’m surrounded by them and those are common traits in the most successful athletes, I guess.”

Finally, as if a light went off in your head you gave off a wide smile to Junpei at your new discovery.

The reflection of dawn hit you, Junpei saw you as an angel in the very moment. The orange-gold glow bouncing off your body, your eyelashes reflecting the light being given to you by the sky, you were glowing and your sweet voice sounding like honey as you said,

“I like very kind, considerate men…and of course, cute. Now that I think about it, my type sounds a lot like you, doesn’t it?”

prev | next

taglist; @loveinumaki

pls lmk in the ask if you'd like to be added.

[howtosingit]

Fic: And Every Birthday After

TK makes a decision about his relationship with Carlos.

*

AU after 1x05.

3K | Also on AO3

A/N: This is up a day later than I wanted it to be, but considering it’s the first thing I’ve written in two months, I’m still going to take it as a win. Happy reading!

- - - - -

TK climbs out from the car, his eyes on his phone as he shouts a quick “thank you” over his shoulder to his Uber driver before closing the door behind him. The car pulls away from the curb as he glances up at the glowing Austin Police Department sign before him, his bottom lip trapped between his teeth while he thinks about what he wants to do next.

With another look down at his phone to check the time, he nods, turning his back on the precinct to cross the street. It doesn’t take him long to find what he’s looking for: Carlos’s blue Camaro draws attention no matter where the police officer parks it. 

TK gently runs his fingers along the shiny, unblemished surface, his attention divided between the car in front of him and the building across the street. Carlos should be appearing any moment, fresh off his shift, and TK smiles as he leans back against the door, crossing his arms in front of his chest, trying to adopt a casual pose. He can practically hear Carlos’s laugh now, his brain supplying him with the memory of the last time he failed to casually lean against the Camaro, while they waited for Paul outside the 126. 

(TK thinks that just because Carlos has perfected the art of a casual lean, he shouldn’t get to laugh at those who are still learning.)

“TK?”

He’s so lost in his memories of that night - dancing close to Carlos in the club and sneaking kisses whenever the lights left them in the shadows - that he misses when the man himself appears right in front of him. TK jumps when he hears his name to find Carlos already halfway across the street, heading right for him.

“Hey there, officer,” he calls.

“What are you doing here?” Carlos asks, and TK’s eyes shift down just in time to see Carlos hide a giant green gift bag behind his back. “I thought we were meeting a little later.”

“We were, but I got out of work earlier than I planned and thought I’d surprise you.” 

TK waits for Carlos to come a little closer, maybe even give him a kiss the way he usually does, or at the very least a smile, but the officer does none of those things. Instead, Carlos stops a few feet away from him, his beautiful brown eyes wide as he presses his lips together in a tight line. TK notices the gift bag peeking out behind his back, fidgeting in his fingers. “Did someone get you a gift?” TK asks, breaking the weirdly awkward silence with his mounting curiosity.

Carlos freezes for a nearly imperceptible moment, looking like he’s been zapped by his own stun gun, before he lets out a sudden high-pitched laugh, his face morphing into a mask of forced normalcy. “Oh, this?” he asks, pulling the bag out from behind his back. TK watches as his eyebrows furrow - truly an adorable sight - as Carlos glances between the bag and TK. “This is from my boss, for Employee Appreciation Week.”

A smile suddenly appears on Carlos’s face as he steps closer, swinging the bag at his side before wrapping an arm around TK’s waist and pulling him in. TK goes willingly, his brain still trying to catch up to Carlos’s abrupt mood shift, and lets Carlos press their lips together in a chaste kiss. 

“Thank you for surprising me,” Carlos murmurs against his mouth. “Seeing you was exactly what I needed after today.”

“Long shift?”

Carlos hums in reply, stealing another quick kiss before backing away to pull his keys from his pocket. “Something like that.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“Maybe later,” Carlos admits. TK notices the way his eyes are twinkling under the streetlights. “Right now I’m starving. Did you finally decide on a place to eat?”

“What do you think of that Greek place on Lavaca?”

“I think,” Carlos starts once they’re both in the car, tossing the gift bag in the back seat before leaning over the console to invade TK’s personal space, “that if that’s what you want, then that’s exactly what I want.”

TK lets out a breath at Carlos’s claim, a feeling of contentment running through his body from head to toe. He feels Carlos’s hand on his cheek, his breath on his face. It’s overwhelming in the best possible way.

“You’re kind of sickeningly sweet, you know that?” TK teases, pressing forward to steal another kiss. 

“That doesn’t sound like a complaint,” Carlos fires back, his eyes crinkling as a cocky smile takes over his face.

“You’re far too confident.”

“Now I know that’s not a complaint,” Carlos smirks, his eyebrows practically dancing. 

“Shut up,” TK whispers, claiming Carlos’s lips again to ensure that he does just that.

- - - - - 

“No, I’m telling you, Paul actually said that, no hesitation whatsoever. It was pretty badass.”

“Sounds like it. Though, I’m guessing Marjan didn’t really appreciate it, did she?” Carlos asks, pulling the front door closed behind him as TK flips on the light before toeing off his shoes.

“Oh, she definitely did not. I kind of thought flames were going to shoot out of her eyes, she looked so pissed.” He flops down on the couch, pulling his feet up to get comfortable. 

“I know I’ve only met her on calls, but I can still picture that face so perfectly,” Carlos laughs, cutting through the room to the kitchen, where he drops his gift bag on the counter before opening the refrigerator. “I have cake for dessert, if you want any?” he asks, glancing back over at TK.

“Oh my god, yes,” TK moans, pulling himself off the couch and towards the alluring appeal of something disgustingly sweet. He drops his phone on the table before taking a seat on one of the barstools, watching as Carlos pulls out a small chocolate bundt cake before reaching into the freezer for a pint of vanilla bean ice cream. He flits about the kitchen with a casual ease that TK is more than happy to observe, his eyes drawn to his striking figure. There isn’t a single part of Carlos that TK doesn’t like, and he knows he could sit and watch the other man every minute of every day and never get bored. 

He gives himself a little shake, trying to clear his head, and his eyes land once again on the gift bag sitting on the counter next to him.

“So,” he starts, his tone laced with curiosity, “what exactly does APD give their best patrol officers for Employee Appreciation Week anyway?” He smirks, rolling his eyes. “I’m sure it’s got nothing on AFD, we all know firefighters have you badges beat.”

It’s not something he really believes in - the whole firefighters versus police officers rivalry - but that doesn’t mean that he and Carlos don’t like to joke about how they’re “sleeping with the enemy” every now and then. It’s even made for some very satisfying, competitive moments in bed, though they’re always followed by laughs and kisses and comments about how ridiculous it all is.

TK turns back to Carlos to find him completely frozen for the second time tonight, the ice cream scoop clutched firmly in his hand with ice cream melting down the sides as he looks from the bag to TK. 

This time, TK doesn’t let it go unnoticed.

“What is it with you and this gift?” he asks, reaching out to flick the bag with his finger. “You’ve been acting weird about it all night.”

Carlos swallows, his tongue darting out to lick his lips as he drops the scoop back in the carton. 

“I lied to you.”

TK stares at him across the counter, taking in the tense set of his shoulders. It’s been awhile since Carlos was this uncomfortable in front of him, and he really doesn’t like it.

“What are you talking about?” he asks, having no idea where this is going. 

“This,” Carlos says, pointing to the gift bag as he circles around the island to stand next to TK, “is not a gift for Employee Appreciation Week.” 

“Okay, what is it then?”

Carlos stares at him for a moment, his eyes wide, before nodding and taking a deep breath, looking like he’s about to jump off a cliff.

“It’s a birthday present.”

“I don’t understand what…” TK trails off, his confusion disappearing as his brain works to put all of the pieces together: the gift bag in front of him, the chocolate cake and ice cream sweating a few feet away. His mouth goes dry, his heart hammering in his chest. His gaze darts back to Carlos, standing in front of him looking a little terrified but also a little eager, like he’s waiting to see what happens next. “It’s your birthday?” TK asks, his voice tight and barely more than a whisper.

Carlos nods.

“Oh my god, Carlos, it’s your birthday!” TK exclaims.

“It is, it is, but it’s fine, it’s nothing, it’s not a big deal,” Carlos rushes to assure him, reaching out to take his hands in his own.

“Not a big deal? It’s your birthday!” TK cries, trying to figure out what to do with this new information. His brain unhelpfully supplies a detail he had forgotten. “Wait, you’re the one who said we should get dinner together tonight,” TK reminds him.

“Yeah, we both had the night off and I wanted to see you,” Carlos mumbles, staring down at their fingers, intertwined between them. TK feels his breath stutter in his chest.

“You wanted to spend your birthday with me?” TK hedges, the words uneven as his heart threatens to choke him from where it’s become lodged in his throat.

Carlos wordlessly shrugs, a complete inversion of his confident attitude from just a few hours ago. TK takes a moment to appreciate how layered he is, how he sometimes feels like a million people in one, but how he’s still always Carlos, no matter what. “I like spending as much time as possible with you,” Carlos states, still not making eye contact. 

TK lets the words roll through him, feeling the way they light up every single nerve ending in his body. He’s surprised to find that they don’t scare him like he thought they would. Ever since the failed dinner date, they’ve both been careful to keep things from getting too serious. They’ve been having fun, hanging out and exploring Austin before coming back to Carlos’s place to roll around in bed together. They’re friends - TK is sure that Carlos is his best friend - and they’re a little bit more than that. 

Maybe TK’s finally ready to face the reality of what that could mean.

He thinks about finding out about his dad’s cancer diagnosis a few weeks ago, and how Carlos was the first person he ran to with the news. He remembers how Carlos talked him down from his uncontained anger and hurt, how he held him tight when he cried. 

Carlos was there for him when he needed him. TK’s only known him for a few months, but Carlos has always been there, strong and steady and grounding. A beacon of safety and comfort.

And TK knows that he wants to be there for Carlos in the exact same way. He honestly can’t imagine being anywhere else, now that he really thinks about it.

“Come here,” he says, tugging gently on Carlos’s hands to pull him closer, opening his legs for Carlos to stand between them. Carlos lets out a sigh, moving to place his hands on TK’s waist when TK wraps his arms around his shoulders. They rest their foreheads together, taking a moment to stare at each other, truly open and honest for maybe the first time. 

“Happy Birthday, Carlos,” TK whispers, waiting for Carlos’s smile to break through his frown before leaning in to steal it from his lips.

His breath catches again as their tongues tangle, their bodies sinking into each other as they give into their embrace. Every kiss with Carlos is worth writing a poem about, if TK was the type of person to write poetry, but this one would definitely inspire TK’s best work. He has a feeling that it’s because of him; he knows that Carlos gives his everything every time, but it’s TK who is now meeting him there with his whole heart. It’s like the wall that he’s put up has fallen away, crumbled to dust in the blink of an eye. Honestly, TK can’t even be bothered; no wall stood a chance against Carlos Reyes anyway. 

Carlos pulls away much sooner than TK thought he would, and as his eyes blink slowly open, he finds the other man staring at him, his brows furrowed once more.

“Are you mad that I didn’t tell you?” Carlos asks, his voice tight.

“No,” TK assures him immediately, reaching up to cup Carlos’s face in his hands. He feels the way Carlos sinks into his hold, letting him take some of his weight, like he trusts TK to keep him upright. “I’m not mad, Carlos. Though, I do wish I would’ve known.”

“I know,” Carlos sighs, reaching up to grip his wrists, dragging his thumbs along TK’s skin. “I know, I should’ve told you. It just… I didn’t want to make it a whole thing, spending my birthday together. I didn’t want to freak you out, I know you’re not looking for that kind of thing, I know this is just us having fun and I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything…” Carlos trails off, his grip tight as if he’s scared TK will jump up and run out of the house again. 

TK feels Carlos’s fear as if it’s hammering against his heart, but he definitely can’t blame the other man for his thoughts. Their past mistakes are all the evidence he needs to understand why Carlos hid this from him. He nods, biting his bottom lip, trying to figure out how to make it clear that he feels differently now, that he actually wants this to be a whole thing. That they’re on this path together now.

The idea comes to him so suddenly that he almost barks out a relieved laugh. Instead, he smacks a quick kiss against Carlos’s lips before jumping up from the stool, watching as Carlos’s eyes widen in panic.

“Wait, what-”

“I think I know how to make sure this never happens again,” TK interrupts, continuing to hold Carlos’s face in his hands as he backs him up a few steps towards the dining table. He pushes Carlos against it, taking pleasure in the way the other man automatically widens his stance, allowing TK to step between his legs and press their hips together. Without a word, he reaches down to grab his phone, smirking as he brings it up between their faces. 

“There,” TK says a moment later, turning his phone to show Carlos, who has stayed silent and slightly terrified this entire time, if his face is anything to go by. He looks over at the screen. “Now I’ll never miss your birthday again.” TK can tell the moment that he processes what he’s seeing, watching as Carlos’s face softens and his arms come up to wrap around his waist. 

“You want to remember my birthday next year?” Carlos clarifies, and TK is surprised to see tears in his glassy brown eyes. He tosses his phone back down on the table, reaching up to run his fingers along the stunning features of Carlos’s face.

“Babe,” he says, testing out the word for the first time and thoroughly enjoying the way it causes Carlos to vibrate against him, “I want to remember everything about you.”

There’s barely any warning before Carlos is on top of him, their lips attached once again as Carlos lays claim to him like a man unleashed. TK gives it all back to him, the two of them speaking paragraphs in touches and tastes and sighs and moans. There’s no holding back, not anymore.

When they are finally forced to pull back for air, TK takes pride in Carlos’s disheveled appearance, his curls wild and his face flushed and his lips bruised. He knows he probably looks the same, and he loves seeing the proof of their want and desire and need for each other with his own two eyes. He drags his fingers along Carlos’s plump lips, realizing for the first time that they are his to kiss, for as long as Carlos will let him. 

“This is the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten,” Carlos sighs, and TK meets his eyes to find them blown black but fixed on him, his gaze never wavering. 

“While I am obviously very glad to hear that,” TK begins, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to his favorite lips again, “you should see what kind of birthday gifts I give when I’ve had time to plan them. I can promise you, you’re not ready for next year.”

“I’m ready for anything, as long as I’ve got you,” Carlos says without hesitation.

TK groans, falling forward to press his face into Carlos’s neck, feeling the vibration of his soft chuckle against his cheek. “You’re so sickeningly sweet, I can’t stand it.” Carlos merely hums, dragging his hands up and down TK’s back to soothe him. 

They stay like that for a few moments, just enjoying the way they get to hold one another, before TK pulls back to give Carlos a look.

“Speaking of sickeningly sweet,” he teases, his fingers dancing along Carlos’s thighs on either side of him, “what do you say we take that cake and ice cream upstairs and unwrap some other presents, birthday boy?” He finishes the suggestion with a raise of his eyebrows, watching as the blush on Carlos’s face deepens before he lets out a loud, bright laugh, the two of them falling into each other as they struggle to remain upright against the table.

And TK decides that this, right here, being deliriously happy in Carlos’s arms, is everything that he could ever want or wish for.

On this day, and every birthday they’ll spend together after.

[yaimlight]

Rating : 18+

Summary : Bakugou, Todoroki and reader have a bit of fun whilst the boys are supposed to be on duty.

Series : Twos Company, Threes a Crowd

Cross post on AO3. Find me under LokiLover89

“Thank you!” The young girl called as she ran away back to her friends, waving enthusiastically as she went. Sighing Shoto offered her a small awkward wave in return, the action causing her group of friends to burst into giggles. “Fucking finally. I thought they would never leave” Katsuki grumbled next him and Shoto had to agree. He knew that a large chunk of hero work was interacting with the public and building their image but he really could do without the seemingly constant stream of people demanding photos and his attention, snapping image after image as if he didn’t have anything better to do with his time.

He and Katsuki had just spent the last twenty minutes with the group of girls that couldn’t be no more than a year or two younger than them, taking photo after photo with them in various poses and positions until they were satisfied. He was surprised Katsuki hadn’t snapped at them, demanding they get lost but after he tanked two points in the last hero ranking Shoto assumed he was probably trying to improve his image somewhat, though he may be regretting that decision now. Shoto had come close a couple of times though, growing impatient and wanting to just get on with his job. Not that there had been much of that to do tonight. All the villains and criminals seemingly deterred by the cold November night and the threat of snow that hung over the city.

Now the group of girls had moved on the street had fallen quite, not many people still out this close to midnight and that was how Shoto liked it. He was always suspicious of people wondering around in the middle of the night, especially now that most places were closing down. “Fuck its cold” Katsuki grumbled.

Shoto turned his head slightly to look at him, raising an eyebrow as the other man rubbed at his arms. He looked good in his winter costume, the fabric pulled tight across him and clinging to all his muscles. He had ditched the normal black and orange tank top in favour of a black long sleeved top. It still had the orange x across the chest but it now had two orange bands wrapped around his biceps that seemed to make the muscles look bigger. His collar was high, the black fabric covering the bottom half of his face so Shoto couldn’t see the permanent scowl of his plush lips.

“What?” Katsuki growled, turning to glare at Shoto. He had be caught starring and if it had been anyone else Shoto would feel embarrassed but this had happened enough times now that neither of them cared much and even if he did deny it Shoto knew Katsuki liked the attention. Shrugging slightly Shoto turned back, looking at the street ahead of them as they continued on their patrol. “I thought your new suit had heaters built in”. He knew it did, Y/N wouldn’t stop gushing about how warm he was and was constantly cuddling up to him. Not that Shoto was jealous or anything.

“Don’t change the fact it’s fucking cold” the blonde grumbled and Shoto’s lips quirked into a soft smile. Shoto didn’t mind the cold, being able to regulate his temperature with the different aspects of his quirk but Katsuki hatted it. He said it interfered with his quirk, the cold making it impossible for him to get the sweat he needed to use it and Shoto knew that much was true but it didn’t hide the fact that he would bury himself under a mounting of blankets at home, his scowling eyes and blonde spike sticking out. It was adorable but Shoto would never say that to the other man, not wanting to end up with an explosive hand in his face.

They walked in companionable silence for a while, both of them watching their surroundings. The streets were mostly empty though and the few people they did see were too preoccupied in their own lives to bother the heroes and that was fine. The rumble of traffic was low and as they turned the corner onto a new street the faint hum of idle chatter died off and they were plunged into almost silence.

Katsuki’s phone chimed loudly for what felt like the hundredth time this evening and Katsuki cursed, yanking the thing from one of his many pockets. He yanked a glove off, hissing as it was exposed to the cold air. Shoto continued on, expecting the other man to follow along behind him like he had done every other time this phone had gone off tonight but when Shoto couldn’t hear his steady footsteps any more he stopped, turning to find the other man a few steps behind. He was stood still, staring down at his phone and Shoto knew he was frowning just from furrow between his brows. “What’s wrong?” He called out, taking a step back towards Katsuki, concerned as to what had him suddenly stopping.

Shoto’s words seemed to jerk him back to reality, Katsuki’s head snapping up to look at him with wide eyes. He looked startled and Shoto could see a light blush just underneath his mask but it was hard to tell if it was from the text or the cold. “It’s nothing” he rushed out quickly. Shoto frowned, tipping his head slightly and his brow drawn down in confusion. It clearly wasn’t nothing if the other man was acting so cagey all of a sudden. Shoto hadn’t said anything every other time Katsuki had revived a message but this one felt different somehow and Shoto wanted to know why.

Katsuki seemed to regain his composure, shrugging his shoulders and turning his attention back to his phone. “Just Kirishima checking to make sure him and the shitty extras are still allowed over Friday” he said offhandedly, sending off a quick text before shoving his phone back into its designated pocket. Shoto highly doubted that was true but Katsuki didn’t have any reason to lie to him, yet it definitely felt like that was what was going on and he didn’t like it. “A little late for him isn’t it?” Shoto said, his tone questioning with a hint of suspicion. He knew for a fact that the redhead was on early shifts this week because he had swapped with Ochaco so she could go wedding dress shopping with Momo.

Katsuki must know he had been caught out in his odd little lie because he wouldn’t meet Shoto’s eyes. Instead he was scowling, eyes darting around his surroundings as if he was looking for something in particular. “Yeah. Look I’m fucking freezing my dick off here. I’m gonna go grab a hot drink from that shitty stand back there. You want anything?” Katsuki said gruffly, finally looking at Shoto with his normal perpetual glare. His red eyes were piercing and Shoto felt pinned beneath them.

Still confused Shoto shook his head, offering the other man a ‘no’ as answer. The blonde grumbled something under his breath but Shoto couldn’t work out what it was apart from the odd curse word. “Stay here” Katsuki yelled at him over his shoulder as he stomped back the way they had come, still grumbling about something under his breath. Shoto watched him go until he disappeared around the corner, leaving him alone on the quite street. Well that had been odd and sudden.

Sighing Shoto rubbed at his eyes. Katsuki had been acting odd all evening, almost texting constantly for the past hour. That in its self was strange, normally he would shut his phone onto silent and ignore it until patrol was over then proceed to bitch and moan about the amount of unanswered messages he had from his friends. There was only one person Shoto could think off who Katsuki would answer straight away but she was supposed to be knee deep in a new project at Takahashi Enterprises with Hatsume and she never normally bothered either of them when they were working anyway. It was the only thing Shoto could think of though and it stung a little that she would be so focused all her attention on Katsuki instead of engaging them both on their shared chat.

A small thud and the sound of glass rattling had Shoto’s head snapping to the side, his eyes narrowing as he looked down the alleyway he had stopped in front of. The street lights only just illuminated the mouth of the alley, maybe a few feet but after that it was just shadows. He waited, staring into the darkness, expecting something to come charging out at him but when nothing did Shoto shrugged, assuming it must have been just a stray cat or something.

Turning back round Shoto huffed, glaring in the direction Katsuki had gone. What was taking him so long? The stand was only about a minute or two back the way they had come and Katsuki should have been back by now, his large hands wrapped around a stupidly oversized cup of coffee and with a content smile of his face. If the coffee was good enough Shoto may even be able to convince Katsuki to share it, the blonde grumbling as he handed it over like he wasn’t smiling behind his collar.

A loud crash had Shoto whipping back round, everything on alert as he stared into the darkened alleyway. That sounded a lot bigger than a cat and Shoto wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t go and investigate. He should probably wait for Katsuki to get back but Shoto was confident enough that he would be able to handle himself for a minute or two. Tentatively he stepped forward, left hand raised and fire dancing to life in his palm. He kept his footsteps light as he slowly ventured further into the darkened alley, his eyes darting around as he looked for any sign of threat.

His fire provided sufficient enough light for him to see but the flickering flames made the shadows seem to almost dance, giving the appearance of someone moving around him. The alley was small, wedged between two tall buildings that seemed to be using it as a dumping ground and Shoto was having to carefully make his way round broken bottles and rubbish bins. There were no windows looking down into the alley, no cameras either that he could see unless they were high up on the walls but even then it was too dark for them to capture anything. It was a good spot for an ambush and he probably shouldn’t have come down here by himself.

He was just about to turn back when movement just on the edge of his ring of light caught his attention. That was defiantly something, a person shaped something. “Who’s there?” Shoto called out into the darkness, stopping where he was to search the shadows for any sign of movement. Silence greeted him, the air around him feeling incredibly still. Shoto’s skin was prickled the distinct feeling of being watched making him uncomfortable. He was far enough away from the main street now that Katsuki would not be able to easily hear him if he called out.

Suddenly a light flickered on toward the end of the alley and Shoto spun to face it, the flame in his hand growing. It looked to be some sort of security light but there was no door or anything that would warrant one being there. The space was empty the person who had set it off seeming to have melted into the shadows. Shoto got the distinct impression he was being toyed with and he didn’t like it. “Show yourself” he called, his voice tinged with anger as he took a few steps forward towards the pool of light.

He toyed with the idea of setting off a large spurt of fire, sending it hurtling into the darkness to flush out whoever was hiding but he couldn’t chance it. He didn’t know what kind of crap had been stored down here and didn’t want to start a building fire, nor did he want to potentially kill whoever was screwing with him. Maim maybe but kill, not so much.

The hairs of the back of his neck stood on end at the sound of gentle laughter behind him and Shot was turning quickly, arm raised and ready to blast someone in the face only to find no one there. His heart was racing, his eyes darting around the shadows that seemed to be getting darker, pushing in on him until everything outside of his ring of fire light was pure darkness. This was bad, very bad. Shouto couldn’t tell what way he had come from, couldn’t even see the night sky above him. He felt trapped, cut off from the possibility of help. All he could do was hope that Katsuki would activate Shoto’s tracker when he wasn’t where he had left him and come to his aid.

The air behind him shifted and Shoto held his breath as a hand curled around his shoulder. In one quick move he turned, knocking the hand away from him and shoving the person back with a shoulder to the chest, the person grunting in pain. He wrapped his ice coved hand around their neck and pushed them back, pinning them against the wall, his left hand level with their face and the ball of fire pulsing in his hand.

“Love it when you throw me around like that, gets me all tingly”. Shoto jerked back at the familiar voice, his grip on his attacker’s neck lessening. Suddenly the world around them shimmered and the shadows vanished, everything else coming back into focus with a jarring burst of colour. Y/N smiled up at him, head tipped to the side slightly and eyes sparkling with mischief. They were stood under the security light, Shoto practically plastered against her as he used his body to keep her pinned against the wall.

He quickly stepped back, flames dying and ice melting as he realised what he was doing. She lifted a delicate hand, rubbing gently at her neck and never taking her eyes off of him. Shoto ran a shaky hand through his hair, his body humming with adrenaline from the fight he had been expecting. It wasn’t the first time he had her pinned against a wall, his quirks bursting to life but that had been during sparring and she had been giving as good as she got not during some weird shadow attack thing.

Frowning Shoto turned his full attention back to the women, narrowing his eyes at her. “Was all that you?” It had too of been, it was the only explanation for it all suddenly stopping when she had made herself known. Her smile widened as she shrugged dismissively. “You looked bored so I thought I would bring you a little excitement. Get your blood pumping”. She dragged her eyes down his body as she spoke, biting down on her lip as he eyes lingered on his crotch.

Frowning Shoto crossed his arms over his chest. She was lucky he hadn’t seriously hurt her and sure he knew that she would heal but that wasn’t the point. He always hatted having to watch her grow he skin back afterwards, it always reminding him of how he had gotten his own scare and he really didn’t want to associate the women he loved with the horror of his childhood.

“I thought you were spending the night at Takahashi’s with Hatsume”. Shoto sounded a little angry as he spoke and he wasn’t sure at who. Angry with Y/N for being so carless with her own safety or at himself for not realising it was here sooner. Either way he was angry and he didn’t appreciate her toying with him like that. Sighing she tipped her head back, her smile shifting into something softer, “She said I was distracting her so she kicked me out for a bit and I haven’t seen you for a few days so I thought I would come say hi”. Her voice was just as soft as her smile and Shoto felt some of his anger fade.

“So hi” she said giving him a little wave and with that sweet little smile still on her bitten red lips. Sighing Shoto unfolded his arms letting them fall to his sides. “Hello” he said in return, his voice low and a little bit stiff but she didn’t seem to care, her smile getting that little bit wider as she let out a little laugh. “Was that all you wanted?” Shoto asked, eyeing her expectantly. As nice as it was to finally see her Shoto wasn’t so stupid to think that was the only reason she had trekked halfway across the city.

She let out a huff of laughter before giving him her best puppy dog eyes, pouting a little to help finish the look off. “Cold. Warm me up?” Shoto raised an eyebrow at her, shaking his head in exasperation. “If you dressed in weather appropriate clothing you wouldn’t get so cold” he reprimanded, his eyes darting over her as he finally took in her outfit.

She was dressed all in black, with a high waisted pleated skirt that came down to just above her knees, Katsuki’s black t-shirt with a skull printed on the front tucked into it and a black pair of sneakers on that came all the way up to her knees and laced up the front with bright white laces. She had a black leather biker jacket on with two pins on one of the lapels. One was of one of Katsuki’s gauntlets, a little explosion coming from it that looked like one of his fins and the other was of a flame and ice twisted together. She looked good, leant across the wall and smiling enticingly at him.

“I could but then I wouldn’t have an excuse to do this” she teased as she leant forward, hooking her thumbs in his belt and tugging him forward until they were pressed against one another again. Shoto went willingly, letting out a huff of laughter. “You need excuses now?” he asked, cupping her cheek with his left hand. Y/N hummed in answer, her eyes slipping closed as she nuzzled against his palm. He could feel her cold skin heat up under his hand as she absorbed his fire quirk, her skin flushing a light red as it spread out through her body.

Shoto placed his other hand against the wall next to her head and leant in slightly, unable to resist now he was so close to her. Her eyes fluttered open as his hand slid back into her hair. As he slowly leant forward Shoto kept his eyes open, watching as hers widened when she realised what he was going to do before they closed again, Y/N tipping her head up towards him.

His dry lips brushed gently across hers, his tongue darting out to tease at the crease of her lips, just pushing inside ever so slightly before he pulled back, smirking at her annoyed whine. He didn’t get far, her hands darting out to grab at the front of his costume and yank him back down to her. He let out a surprised umph as their lips collided, Shoto’s eyes slamming closed as her lips moved demandingly against his.

It got out of hand quickly, the hand that Shoto had been supporting himself against the wall with going down to her leg instead, dragging his hand along the back of her thigh to grip at her knee and hoist her leg up as he pushed tighter against her. Her hands slid up his chest so she could drape her arms over his shoulders, one of her hands sliding into his hair and curling around the back of his skull. The kiss its self was hard and demanding, their tongues battling for dominance as they tried to devour one another. Shoto hadn’t realised how much he wanted this, how much he had missed it until the moment their lips connected. It had been days and he felt like a starving man who had just been given a steak.

She nipped at his lip before soothing it with her tongue and Shoto moaned, grinding his half hard dick against her. They should stop, needed to stop before things went too far and he couldn’t. It was one thing to be caught making out down a dingy back alley but it would be something entirely different if they were caught having sex because that was where Shoto knew this would end if they didn’t stop in the next few seconds.

“What the actual fuck” came an angry call and they both stilled. With a sigh Shoto pulled back, just enough to rest his forehead against Y/Ns and turned to look at the angry blonde who was glaring at them, his collar folded down so you could see all his face. How had neither of them heard him approaching? “Knock it off” Katsuki growled, eyes narrowing and Y/N laughed, shoving at Shoto’s shoulders to get him to move, her out line seeming to shimmer slightly.

Scowling Shoto reluctantly stepped back, letting her leg go as he moved to the side. He slumped against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest and defiantly not pouting. Y/N stepped in between them, smiling widely as she spoke. “Shoto was just helping me warm up” she explained and Katsuki grunted. His eyes moved past Y/N and dragged over Shoto’s body, his red eyes narrowing when he saw that bulge in his jumpsuit. Shoto had to fight the shiver that wanted to run down his spine at having the other man’s eyes on him so intently.

“Is that what he was doing?” Shoto turned his head to the side, feeling the slight flush forming on his cheeks. Katsuki was teasing him, Shoto could hear it in his voice but it didn’t change the fact that he still felt like a school kid getting caught behind the bike shed by a teacher. Katsuki didn’t like it when he wasn’t included, Shoto had learnt that the hard way.

Katsuki stepped forward and Shoto’s head snapped back to him, watching as he crowded in close to Y/N a wicked smirk on his lips. “Maybe I should help with that” his voice was full of amusement as he took the final step forward into Y/Ns space. His hands darted out, grabbing at her arm and yanking her forward as he dived for her lips in what looked like a bruising kiss.

She let out a moan, her body arching into the blondes as he wrapped an arm around her waist, the other going to her hair. Shoto could do nothing more than watch as Katsuki dominated the kiss, their lips moving fast and hard against one another’s. He could feel his dick hardening, pressing against his zipper but he couldn’t help it. He had always found the two of them incredibly enticing and loved watching them together, almost as much as he liked Katsuki watching him and Y/N together.

His eyes darted down to Katsuki’s gloved hand as it slowly slid down Y/Ns back, gently brushing over her arse and sliding down her thigh. His fingers played with the edge of her skirt, twisting the fabric between his fingers before he slowly started to slide his hand back up, pushing the fabric up with him. Shoto let out a small moan as he exposed her arse to the cool air, his hand curling around her plump cheek and squeezing. Y/Ns moan had Shoto’s head snapping up, wanting to see the blissed out look that he knew would be on her face but what he found was Katsuki smirking at him, red eyes practically glowing.

“I think someone is feeling a little left out” He mumbled into Y/Ns neck, never taking his eyes off Shoto as placed a kiss under her jaw, nipping gently at it and dragging another small moan from her. Shoto barley had time to react as Katsuki stepped forward, pushing Y/N back until her back was pressed tight against Shoto’s chest. Out of habit Shot’s hands went to her waist, holding her still as her arse pushed against his hard dick. His head tipped forward as he let out a low groan, burying his face in her neck.

He lifted his head as Katsuki pushed forward, sandwiching the smaller women between the two of them, his smirk wide and hungry as he looked down at them. “Wouldn’t want you sulking now, would we?” Shoto scowled at him, wrapping his arms around Y/Ns waist and pulling her tighter against him. He hadn’t been sulking, just feeling a little left out.

Groaning Y/N tipped her head back, resting it on Shoto’s shoulder. ”Less talking more doing. Some of us have a time limit” she demanded, rolling her hips and making both men groan. It was an odd thing to say and Shoto was about to ask what she meant when Katsuki growled, a gloved hand slinging over Shoto’s to grip her hips. “So fucking needy” he growled, rolling his hips and pushing her back against Shoto. He let out a gasp, his grip on her hips tightening and holding her in place as her arse pushed flushed against his dick.

He watched as her lips spread in a smirk, her eyes finding Katsuki’s. She lifted one arm, her fingers slipping in to Shoto’s hair and tugging gently whilst the other curled around his thigh. “So why don’t you hurry up and come satisfy me” she challenged, lifting her head to look at his properly and sucking her bottom lip between her teeth. Katsuki snarled at the challenge, diving forward and kissing her hungrily.

Katsuki’s hands split, one staying on Y/Ns waist whilst the other slid back to curl around Shoto’s hip, gripping it tightly. Shoto gasped at the sudden contact, muffling the sound in her neck as his hips jerking forward to grind his hard dick against Y/Ns arse. She moaned in the kiss, her grip tightening in Shoto’s hair and he groaned loudly, placing hot and cold kisses along her neck and loving all the muffled sounds she was making that Katsuki was swallowing greedily.

This was wrong. They shouldn’t be doing this in such an open place. It didn’t matter that it was the middle of the night, someone could walk past and see them at any minute and they would all be done for because they were stood in the light and there would be no mistaking what pro heroes Ground Zero and IcyHot were doing to Noir. They would be able to see him grinding and groaning against her like a desperate slut and Katsuki dominating the both. The thought shouldn’t send pleasure zinging through his body, shouldn’t get his dick twitching but it did and Shoto found his mind fogging over with lust as he bit down on the sensitive skin behind Y/Ns ear.

She tore her head away from Katsuki, her head falling against Shoto’s shoulder as she gasped, eyes closed and cheeks nicely flushed. Shoto lifted his head just enough to smirk at Katsuki over her shoulder and slowly started to slide his hands up along her stomach, his long fingers tickling at her sides and causing her to squirm between them. He didn’t stop until he cupped his hands over her breasts, squeezing gently. He didn’t take his eyes off Katsuki as he kissed and nipped at her neck, deft fingers pinching at twisting at her hard nipples and causing Y/N to make these sweet little gasps and whimpers that they both loved so much.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at him, folding his arms over his chest and Shoto instantly missed the weight of his hand on him, his grip tight and keeping Shoto pinned in place. “So that’s how you wonna playing huh bastard?” Katsuki growled and Shoto felt the shiver of excitement and anticipation that rolled down his back. Smirking he bit down hard causing Y/N to cry out loudly. There was no way people hadn’t heard that, the sound cutting sharply through the quite night air but none of them seemed to care much, Shoto enjoying the annoyed growl that Katsuki made.

“Fine” Katsuki snapped and Shoto only had enough time to lift his head before Katsuki was grabbing Y/Ns hips and spinning her. Shoto let out a hiss of pain as her hand was jerked from his hair and she let out a squeak of protest as she found her chest pressed against Shoto’s. Her hands fumbled, bracing herself against the wall so she didn’t smack her face into Shoto’s, his own going to her waist to help steady her. “What the actual fuck” she hissed, head turned to the side and glaring daggers.

Katsuki snarled, stepping in close and pressing his chest against her back. He leant forward, placing one hand in the wall next to Shoto’s face and gripping her chin with the other, turning her head back towards him just a little bit more. “Blame the half ‘n’ half bastard. He seems to think he has some sort of control over what’s happening here” Katsuki growled before he lent in and sealed his lips over hers in a quick but hard kiss. Y/N smirked turning her head to look at Shoto, her eyes dark and gleaming with lust and amusement. “How unfortunate for him”.

Shoto’s eyes widened, his mouth flapping like a fish as he tried to think of something to say but nothing was coming to mid. They were ganging up on him and Shoto didn’t quite know how to handle that. Y/N pushed her hands against his stomach, her fingers spread wide and dragging across his muscles as she slowly slid her hands up his chest, mimicking his movement from just moments ago.

Katsuki let go of her chin, his hand going back to Shoto’s hip, gripping it hard and keeping him pushed back against the wall. Both of them were smirking as Y/N lent up, her lips going to his neck. Groaning Shoto tipped his head back, giving her more room to run her hot lips across his cool skin. He could feel her smiling against him as she nipped at his throat, her hands squeezing at his pecs.

He was breathing heavily as she pulled back, just enough to get her hands between them and undo the metal clasp that held the two sides of his collar together. She tipped her head back, Katsuki nuzzling against her neck, his red eyes watching Shoto and smirking dangerously. Shoto let out a little whimper, feeling like prey caught in the other man’s gaze, like he was about to be devoured and he would welcome it with open arms and a desperate please tumbling from his lips.

Y/N lent forward her warm lips going to the newly exposed skin, biting and sucking along his collar bone. There would be marks left behind, proof of what they would do to him and Shoto loved it. Loved to see all the dark and angry marks in the mirror when he got dressed. Loved it when people would question what animal he had let maul him when he changed into his hero costume, always refusing to tell them anything but most of all he loved to push his fingers against the tender mark on those lonely night, having nothing but his own hand and half formed fantasy’s mixed with memories to get himself off.

Katsuki’s smirk got wider, his perfect white teeth flashing in the hazy yellow light and Shoto was reminded of a shark about to rip its prey apart. He shivered in anticipation, hips rolling forward as he tried to get some kind of friction on his neglected dick but Katsuki’s tight grip kept him firmly in place. Y/N laughed as he let out a pathetic whine, his hands gripping at her hips as he tried to pull her against him instead. She shifted slightly as she moved forward, sliding her thigh between his legs and ground against him.

Shoto was gone, hips rolling forward as he chased his own pleasure, his hands gripping at Y/Ns waist to keep her against him. He didn’t even feel Katsuki let go of him, not until he felt two gloved fingers gently rubbing at his lips. Shoto’s eyes fluttered open, completely unaware that he had even closed them and looked at the other man with hooded eyes. “Open up” he growled and Shoto obeyed without a second thought. Katsuki slid his fingers in, pushing down on Shoto’s teeth until he bit down on the fabric. He kept his jaw tightly closed, biting down hard on the sweet tasting finger tips as Katsuki pulled his hand back, tugging his hand free of the glove. As soon as he hand was free Y/N reached up, tugging the glove from his mouth.

“Good boy” she murmured, letting the glove fall to the floor and Shoto preened. She lent up, sealing her lips over his in a slow and gentle kiss, a complete contrast to the hard and fast roll of her hips as she worked her thigh against him. Shoto was moaning and gasping into the kiss, his hands sliding round to grab at her arse. The back of his hands dragged against Katsuki’s thighs, his knuckles brushing dangerously close to the other man’s dick and it took all his considerable self-restraint to not cup his hand over him and squeeze the sizeable length. They weren’t there yet and Shoto really didn’t want to ruin what was going on here.

Y/Ns hands were back on his chest, fingers playing with the zipper of his jumpsuit, her delicate fingers teasingly dipping under the fabric to brush against his over sensitive skin. He could feel Katsuki’s hand pushing between the two of them, his knuckles digging into Shoto as he squeezed at her breast and she moaned into his mouth. Shoto took the opportunity, pushing his tongue between her parted lips and rubbing it across hers.

Shoto’s eyes snapped open, jerking back from Y/N with a startled and choked off moan as Katsuki slid his hand down lower, the back of his hand pushing against Shoto’s dick as he worked his hand between them and slid his hands between her legs. She shifted back slightly, her head falling to rest on Shoto’s shoulder and hands gripping at the fabric of his suit. He watched with wide eyes as Katsuki pushed himself tight against her back, trapping Shoto’s hand against her arse with hips, his hard dick pushing against the swell of her arse and the back of Shoto’s fingers.

He could feel the other man’s fingers as they slid under the edge of her skirt, skimming across her thigh. She gasped against Shoto’s neck, her hot breath making his cold sling tingle as Katsuki slipped his fingers under her underwear and along her folds. The way they were with Y/N straddling his leg Shoto could feel every move of the other man’s hand. Could feel him gently dragging his fingers against her, Y/N letting out these sinful little whines against his neck. Shoto felt helpless, gripping tighter at her arse as she rolled her hips forward to get more but Katsuki just moved his fingers away, laughing darkly.

He lent in closer, mouth by her ear and eyes level with Shoto’s. They stared at one another, close enough that if he wanted Shoto could just lean forward and seal their lips together. Katsuki’s eyes flickered down to Shoto’s lips as he licked at his own and Shoto let out his own needy little whine. Smirking Katsuki turned his head, keeping his eyes on Shoto as he nipped at Y/Ns ear. “You know what I want”. His voice was low and rumbling, a teasing edge to it and Shoto could feel him just gently brushing his fingers against her.

Y/N let out a shaky breath and lifted her head. Her face was flushed, her lips bitten red and her eyes blown wide with lust. She looked beautiful and far enough gone that Shoto knew she would probably agree to anything right now to get some sort of relief. She licked at her lips and both men tracked the movement, entranced as a small smile pulled at her kiss swollen lips. “Please” she said, her voice low and breathless and the tension snapped.

Katsuki growled, his lips going to her neck as he pushed his fingers into her. Shoto pushed his lips hard against hers, only just managing to muffle the sound of her cry as Katsuki set as fast a rhythm as he could with Shoto’s leg in his way. She was gasping and moaning into the kiss, her hips rolling forward onto Katsuki’s fingers and pushing her thigh against Shoto’s dick. They both pulled away from his kiss gasping, Y/Ns head tipping back to rest against Katsuki’s shoulder.

Katsuki lifted his head to nuzzle behind Y/Ns ear and Shoto got a look at what the other man had been doing. The bite mark on her neck was large and angry looking, the clear indent of Katsuki’s teeth visible through the red and purple splotch where he had been sucking at it. The mark was low enough that her jacket would hide it and if it was anyone else the mark would be there for days for all to see but this was Y/N and Katsuki would be lucky if it was still there come morning.

“I though half ‘n’ half was supposed to be the perv but look at you, fucking dripping around my fingers” Katsuki growled, pushing his hips forward as she sunk onto his fingers and stopping her from being able to move. Shoto couldn’t feel Katsuki’s fingers moving any more but from the breathless gasp Y/N made Shoto knew he had to rubbing over her clit with his thumb.

“Stop teasing” she whined, turning her head to glare at the blonde as best as she could. Katsuki laughed lowly, his fingers shifting slightly and causing her breath to hitch. “I would but someone isn’t holding up their end of the deal”. Shoto frowned, confused as to what Katsuki was talking about. Oh. This had been planned, the two of them deciding how this was going to go before Shoto had even took his first steps in the alleyway. He didn’t know whether he should be angry or impressed.

Y/N rolled her eyes and pouted, clearly unimpressed she was being denied what she wanted. “Fine” she huffed turning her attention back to Shoto. He sucked in a breath as her hands dragged down his chest, her pout turning into a smirk. She made quick work of his belt, letting it fall to the floor with a thud before going back up for his zipper. As soon as her fingers curled around his zipper Katsuki started to move his fingers again, fucking them into her as fast and hard as he could. “Fuck” she moaned, her head tipping back and her hands stilling. “Not if you don’t get on with it” Katsuki teases, winking at Shoto as he nipped at the bite mark, making her moan once more.

Grumbling she yanked down the zipper of Shoto’s jumpsuit, her hands warm as she slid them under his suit. She pushed the two sides of fabric apart, her nails dragging along his muscles and causing him to hiss at the sudden sting of pain. Everywhere she was touching felt like electricity was dancing over his skin, sending sparks of arousal through him and he wanted more.

Katsuki stepped back slightly, tugging Y/N back with his free hand wrapped around her waist and putting some space between her and Shoto. He wasn’t proud of the noise he made, his hands gripping tight enough at her arse that his nails were digging in as he tried to keep the pressure on his dick. “Don’t worry love, I have something much better for you” she purred, leaning up to place a delicate kiss on his lips. Shoto’s eyes fluttered closed as he kissed her back, losing himself in the gentle movement of her lips and the little moans she was making, so much so that he barely noticed her hands sliding down his abs with intent.

Shoto’s eyes flew open, a loud moan tumbling over his parted lips as she plunged her hand into his underwear, wrapping it around his straining dick and pulling him free of his confines. Slowly she dragged her hand over him, rubbing her thumb over his leaking tip and smearing precum across his red and swollen head.

She was smirking at him, her chest heaving as Katsuki continued to work his fingers in and out of her, digging his knuckles into Shoto’s leg every time her pulled them out. Shoto stared down at her, wishing she was in her own hero uniform so he could actually see the swell of her breasts, watch as they rose and fell with every breath she took. He would be able to duck his head down and get his lips on the soft and unblemished skin, kissing and sucking his way across her chest and adding his own bite marks.

Y/Ns hand tightened around him as she focused her movements on the head, sliding it through her fingers and dragging them down his shaft. His moan was loud Y/Ns own mixing into it. Katsuki hooked his chin over her shoulder, dark eyes watching Shoto as his breathing picked up, mouth hanging open. “If you don’t shut your mouth I’ll take it as an invitation” Katsuki growled, eyes narrowing. Shoto tried, he really did. Licking at his dry lips before biting down on them, muffling his little gasps and moans but Y/N was good at turning him into a pathetic, desperate mess and it wasn’t long before his mouth was falling open again on a gasp as she twisted her hand on the down stroke, dragging her thump along the sensitive vein.

“I think he wants something” Y/N said breathlessly but still managing to sound teasing and Shoto wanted to tell her to shove off but it turned into a groan as she dug the thumb into his leaking slit. “It would be rude to refuse such a blatant invite” Katsuki mumbled, turning to kiss Y/N and all Shoto could do was watch as he pushed his tongue into her mouth, swallowing her moan as he twisted his fingers.

They broke apart, both of them breathing heavily and Y/N nipped hard at his lip. It was the first time since this had started that Shoto saw the other mans controlled exterior crack just a little, his eyes dark and hungry as he growled at her, the sound low and threatening. She whined as he slipped his fingers from her, Katsuki glaring down at her with a satisfied smirk. He lifted his glistening fingers to Shoto’s lips, both of them turning to watch him as he opened his mouth wider.

He eagerly sucked the two fingers into his mouth, moaning as his mouth was flooded with their mixed taste. “So fucking tight” Katsuki growled, spreading his fingers and pushing down on Shoto’s tongue. “Bet you would be a good little cock sucker”. Shoto hummed eagerly, nodding his head as best as he could and curled his tongue around his fingers, sucking hard. He had never sucked dick before, had never wanted to but Shoto knew that should Katsuki ever ask him to he would be on his knees in seconds.

Y/N leant forward, kissing up his neck and jaw, her hand slowing to just a gentle glide across his aching member. She placed a gentle kiss on the corner of Shoto’s stretched lips, her tongue flicking out to lick along where Katsuki’s fingers pressed in. Katsuki chuckled as he slipped his fingers free from Shoto’s lips only to push them into Y/Ns waiting mouth. “Don’t worry kitten, you always suck me best” Katsuki practically purred, red eyes watching intently and licking at his lips.

She locked eyes with Shoto, her lips spreading into a smirk around the other man’s fingers as she started to bob her head. She matched the movements of her hand to what she was doing with her mouth, her thump swiping over the head on every up stroke just like she would do with her tongue if her was buried in the warm, tight heat of her mouth.

Shoto tipped his head back, resting it against the wall as he panted. “Fuck” he hissed, his hips jerking forward into her hold. His hands slid down her arse, pushing up the fabric of her skirt so he could finally get his hands on her bare flesh, his nails digging into her cheeks. She moaned around the fingers, sinking her mouth down as far as it could go. Shoto knew the moment she swallowed, Katsuki hissing a quite ‘shit’ before quickly pulling his fingers free.

She licked at her lips, winking at Shoto as she slowed down her hand again. He groaned, the pressure that had been building slowly easing as her hand loosened and it became just a gently brush of her fingers against his shaft. She pushed up, pressing her chest against his as she slid her other hand into his hair, pushing his head down towards hers. “Can’t have you ruining our fun too soon” she whispered, lips brushing against his as she spoke.

Glaring Shoto thrust his hips forward, trying to get more friction but Y/N tightened her grip in his hair, yanking his head back and exposing his neck to her sharp teeth. She bit down hard, right by his adam’s apple and he cried out, eyes slamming closed. He felt her laugh against the saw spot, her lips brushing against it before she sucked it into her mouth. It was too high up and there would be no way he would be able to hide it when they got back to the office. People were going to know what he had been doing, would probably think Katsuki had put it there and that was one rumour they could do without at the moment.

Y/Ns hand started to move again, still slowly but her grip a little firmer. Shoto kept his eyes closed, losing himself to the feel of her hand working his dick and her warm lips leaving a trail of burning kisses along his cool skin, the grip on his hair keeping his head pulled back. Vaguely Shoto was aware of the sound of a belt being unclipped, a zipper being yanked down and Katsuki letting out a loan groan. There was the rustle of foil followed by a groaned out curse and Y/Ns soft laughter against his neck.

Large hands grabbed his, sliding them round to Y/Ns hips. Shoto opened his eyes, frowning at the other man but Katsuki just winked. “Hold her steady for me” he growled and Shoto swallowed, nodding his head slightly in understanding. Y/N whined against his neck as Katsuki grabbed her hips, pulling her bottom half back a little and kicked at the inside of her legs to get her to spread them a little more. One of Katsuki’s hands disappeared between them whilst he pressed the other one flat against the wall next to Shoto’s head, his muscles flexing as he steadied himself.

Katsuki was too close to Y/N for Shoto to see what he was doing but he knew the minute the other man pushed into her. She tensed against him, her open mouth pressing against his collar bone as she moaned, her hand stilling on his dick. Katsuki groaned as he pushed into her in one quick thrust, his head falling forward to rest against her shoulder. “Always so god damn tight” he groaned, his hand curling around Shoto’s on her hip. They stayed like that for a moment, everyone trying to calm their racing hearts.

Groaning Y/N shifted, her hand slipping from Shoto’s hair to brace herself against the wall. Shoto felt trapped between the two of them, their arms bracketing him and keeping him in place. “Move already” Y/N grumbled, pushing her hips back and causing Katsuki to let out a grunt, lifting his head to look at Shoto. “Hold on” he growled and Shoto tightened his hold on Y/Ns hips.

He watched as Katsuki slowly pulled back, his brows knitted in concentration, looking down to where they were joined and Shoto wished he could really see it to, wished he could watch the other man fuck into her properly. Y/N cried out when Katsuki slammed back in, her hips pushing hard against Shoto’s hands as Katsuki pushed her forward. He set a bruising pace, hips snapping into her hard and face, the two of them moaning. Y/N tightened her grip around Shoto’s dick as she moved her hand over him, her hand stroking down him every time Katsuki fucked into her.

It didn’t take long for Shoto to feel the muscles in his stomach twitching, heat pooling low in his belly as he raced towards his end but Y/N stopped, her hand gripping tight at the base of his dick to stop him from releasing. She did this twice more until Shoto was a pathetic desperate mess, his body vibrating with the need to cum. “Please, I need to cum” he begged Y/N, his voice rough and desperate. Katsuki was the one to answer him though, growling his words through gritted teeth as he continued to fuck into Y/N. “You can cum when she does you little slut”.

Y/N let out a breathless laughter and Shoto whined. He didn’t know if he could take much more of this teasing, being driven to the edge only to be denied relief. His eyes were starting to water and his dick was throbbing with the need to cum and it had been so long since he had felt her hands on him that he was surprised he had made it this far. Soft lips brushed gently across his and Shoto sighed, the tension easing in his shoulder as he kissed her back just as softly. “I need more” she whispered, nipping gently at his bottom lip. “Will you give it to me Sho?”

Groaning he nodded dumbly, staring down at her with longing. “She means use you’re fucking fingers dip shit” Katsuki snapped when Shoto didn’t move, grabbing tightly at his hand and moving it round to press against her pussy. “The quicker we get her to cum the sooner you can” Katsuki said, winking at Shoto before letting go of his hands. He gripped tightly at Y/Ns hair, yanking her head back and she gasped at the sudden action, her hand squeezing tightly at Shoto’s dick as she dragged her hand up.

Katsuki leaned in until his mouth was next to her ear, his hips stilling. “Beg for it” he growled, Y/N whimpering as he gripped her hair tighter. “Please give it to me” she gasped as she tried to roll her hips but they had a tight grip on her and she couldn’t get the movement she wanted. She let out an annoyed groan, her brow creasing as she frowned. “Please. It’s been so long and I want it so badly. Please let me have it, make me cum so hard they hear me screaming your names a block away”. Her voice was desperate as she begged, the sweet words tumbling over her lips and Shoto’s heart stuttered as his dick twitched.

They moved as one, Katsuki growling as he started to snap his hips into her fast and hard. At the same time Shoto ducked forward, sealing his lips over her neck as he slid his fingers down, rubbing hard at her clit. She cried out at their assault, her eyes squeezed shut and nails scratching along the stone. The sound of her cry was ringing in Shoto’s ears but he didn’t care, it was the best sound he had heard for days and he would still be hearing it ringing in his ears come morning. Her hand starting moving over his aching length again, her movements fast and uncoordinated and he moaned, biting down over the mark that Katsuki had already left behind.

He was speeding towards his climax quickly, all of them racing towards the finish but Y/N had to cum first. Shoto wouldn’t put it past Katsuki to punish him somehow if they didn’t get her off first, probably tie him to a chair and make him watch him reduce Y/N to mumbling mess. It wouldn’t be the first time he had done it and it probably wouldn’t be the last, the blonde liking the control it gave him too much. Shoto never complained though.

Taking a deep breath Shoto tried to concentrate, covering his fingers with ice as he pressed down against her sensitive clit. “Shoto!” She called out her rhythm stuttering and Shoto would swear that the alleyway seemed to shimmer for a second, the image destroying before snapping back into place. “Would you fucking focus” Katsuki growled, tugging at Y/Ns hair until she hissed. “I’m trying but it’s hard when you’re....ahhh” Y/Ns irritated words cut off into a cry as Katsuki slammed into her particularly hard, his smirk wide and dangerous.

Confused Shoto leant back against the wall, trying to figure out what they were talking about but all other thoughts left his mind as Y/N sealed her hand around his leaking head and squeezed. He moaned her name as she set up a fast pace, his head squeezing between her fingers only to be sucked back in. “You were saying” Katsuki teased, dragging his nose along her exposed neck before biting down in the same spot again. “Just hurry the fuck up. I can’t keep it up much longer”.

Shoto barley heard the other two bickering, his ears ringing as he tried to keep himself from exploding. Her hand was so warm and tight around him, squeezing and rubbing in all the right places to have his heart slamming against his chest and his body tingling. He could barely stay focused enough to remember to move his fingers, rubbing hard and fast against her. They were all breathing heavily, their moans mixing together. Shoto could feel the heat building, his stomach muscles tightening as he got closer to the edge. He had been on the edge for so long now that if Y/N didn’t stop he wasn’t going to be able to hold it back.

“Scream for use” Katsuki growled, yanking her hips back against him as she thrust forward and sank his teeth into her neck. Y/N didn’t disappoint, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open as she called out Katsuki’s name, her body going taught as she came. She looked beautiful, caught in rapture and it was enough to send Shoto tumbling after her. Shoto arched off the wall, his shoulders digging into the hard stone, moaning loudly and gripping tightly at her hip, his fingers stilling against her. His vision went white, his fingers tingling as release finally found him.

Pulling his hand away from her Shoto curled it around her hip, holding her tightly as Katsuki slammed into her, losing his rhythm as he chased his own release. Y/N moaned, panting as Katsuki thrust a couple more time’s before stilling, groaning loudly as he came. Shoto felt the heat of Katsuki’s palm sparking as well as heard the crackling and pop, the blondes’ fingers curling against the wall.

They stood there for a few moments, leaning against one another and trying to even out their breathing and calm their racing hearts. Katsuki slipped his hand from Y/Ns hair, his fingers gently rubbing at her scalp and she hummed in pleasure. Katsuki was the first to pull away, the muscles in his arm rippling as he pushed himself away from the wall and slipped out of Y/N. As soon as he was far enough back Katsuki yanked the condom off and chucked it away, wasting no time tucking himself back into his pants and righting his uniform.

With a sigh Y/N stepped back, Shoto’s hands slipping off of her as she moved and he instantly missed the closeness. He set to sorting himself out, tucking his now soft dick back into his pants and tugging the zip up. Shoto groaned as Y/N lifted her cum covers hand to her lips, sucking and licking every trace of him off of her, his spent dick giving a valiant twitch at the sight. “You are disgusting” Katsuki growled, watching her with a frown as he zipped his trousers up and fastened his belt. She moaned loud and exaggerated around her fingers and Shoto let out a snort of laughter as he finished doing up his jump suit.

She popped her fingers from her mouth, turning so she could look at Katsuki. “Would you rather I wiped it on your face” she said in all seriousness, smirking widely and raising an eyebrow at him. Trying not to laugh as the blondes eyes widened in surprise for a second before he went back to scowling at the women, Shoto bent down, retrieving his belt and Katsuki’s glove from the floor. “Try it and I will kill you” Katsuki growled, snatching his glove from Shoto’s outstretched hand.

Y/N rolled her eyes as she turned back to Shoto, taking his belt from him and leaning forward to loop it around his waist. “Enjoy yourself?” She asked smugly, looking up at him through her lashes as she clipped the belt in place. “I did, though I get the feeling I was missing something” Shoto looked down at her expectantly, a small smile on his lips. Smirking she stepped back, shrugging her shoulders and waving her hand dismissively. “I had to try out some new quirk related tech and we were horny, didn’t think you would mind coming along for the ride”. As she spoke the dark alleyway around them shimmered and then seemed to snap out of existence.

They were nowhere near as far away from the street as Shoto had believed and the security light they were under wasn’t the only one dotted along the walls. Oh god, they had been so loud, so brazen about what they had been doing and anyone could have heard them, seen them. What if someone had? They were going to be over all the papers and most definitely getting fired for having sex not only in public but on duty.

His panic must have shown on his face because Y/N was speaking again, smiling reassuringly at him. “We’ve been working with the hero Mirage to help keep her allusions up whilst distracted and you two are the best distraction out there to test it with. Don’t worry no one saw or heard anything other than an empty alley and a few stray cats”. Shoto felt the tension ease, relieved that no one had been able to see anything. That did explain some of the things the other two had been saying.

Growling Katsuki wrapped his arms around Y/Ns waist, the women laughing as he lifting her up of the floor. “You’re a pretty good distraction yourself” he growled, placing her back on the floor and pressed a kiss against her cheek. Frowning Shoto crossed his arms. “So you misused someone else’s quirk for your own entertainment” he chided. She was getting paid a lot of money to do this job and these heroes were trusting her to help develop items to further their carrier, not to go around finding all the different ways she can apply their quirks to their sex lives.

Katsuki looked up from where he had been nuzzling at Y/Ns neck, scoffing and rolling his eyes. Y/N raised a delicate eyebrow at him, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t remember you complaining when I had that vibration quirk for the night”. Katsuki laughed as Shoto felt himself blushing. That had been different. It belonged to a pervert who told her to make use of it and try it whilst having sex because it felt amazing. They had the guy’s permission and he had been right. It had felt really good with her two fingers shoved inside of him as she swallowed him down. He had cum in a matter of minutes and screaming so loud that Katsuki had heard him when he got out of the lift on their floor of the apartment building they lived in.

Knowing she had won the argument Y/N turned in Katsuki’s arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I better go, let you two hard working heroes get back to work” she said reluctantly, pushing up on her toes to places a quick kiss on Katsuki’s lips. He growled into it, pulling her closer against him and it soon became heated, Katsuki’s mouth hungrily devouring her. When they pulled away Katsuki looked smug, stepping out of her arms and spinning her round to face Shoto.

She licked at her lips, placing her hands on Shoto’s shoulders to steady herself as she pushed up. He met her half way, their kiss soft and gentle as he cupped her cheek. When he pulled away her eyes fluttered open slowly with a gentle sigh and Shoto wanted to spend the rest of the night kissing her, slow and softly, savouring the feel of her lips against his. “Text me when you get in?” she whispered and Shoto nodded not trusting his voice not to break if he opened his mouth.

She stepped back from his hold, trying to put some distance between the three of them. “Right. Okay. See you later” she said quickly turning and running from the alley. As she went her outline shimmered then suddenly they were looking at a smiling Kirishima, waving at them enthusiastically. Katsuki growled, taking a step forward. “I told you to knock that shit off” he yelled angrily after her but Y/N just laughed louder, disappearing around the corner still looking like the redhead.

“Something the matter” Shoto asked casually, eyeing the blonde out the corner of his eyes. Katsuki groaned in annoyance, shoving his gloved hands into his pockets and glaring at the floor as if it had offended him. “It’s what she was fucking doing when I found you” he grumbled as he started to make his way back to the street. Shoto’s eyes widened in shock, mind scrambling as he tried to process what the other man had said and stumbling after him. “She was shitty hair and had you looking like fucking Denki”. Shoto blinked once before he burst into laughter.

Katsuki’s shoulders tensed, his jaw clenching as he ground his teeth together. “It’s not fucking funny asshole” he yelled and Shoto had to bite down on his lip to stifle his laughter. No wonder he had looked so angry when he turned up. “I’m never unseeing that shit” he grumbled, looking down at the floor as they stepped out into the street. They both looked back down the way they had come earlier before turning and heading down the other way, starting their loop to take them back to the agency in silence.

It was a comfortable silence even if Katsuki was still sulking, though Shoto could sympathise. He would probably be acting the same way if he had walked round a corner to find Tenya and Izuku making out. He shivered at just the thought but that didn’t change the fact that Katsuki was seeing his two friends in just a few days and Shoto couldn’t wait to see the horror on Katsuki’s face when they undoubtedly did something to remind him of what he had seen tonight. He would have to make sure to have his phone on hand to capture the moment in glorious high definition.

[dragonoffantasyandreality]

Kamen Rider Thunderbirds Chapter 3 (Bit 5 End)

Prologue, Bit 1, Bit 2 Updated, Bit 3, Bit 4 

Finaaaly! I finished Chapter 3! :D

Big thank you for @janetm74 for the beta read, thank you @myladykayo for helping me through the story. Tagging @willow-salix, @katblu42, @gumnut-logic and @dreamycloud)

So let’s end this chapter, right? :)

-0-0-0-

“So you are saying that you’ve been attacked by some unknown monsters?” Jeff asked, his fingers gripping the paper. The bandaged up boys nodded.

“Yeah. And we believed it was a set up." Virgil pointed out.

"It seemed like deliberate sabotage by those… things, so we came in and fell into their trap." Scott theorized. He continued explaining: in fact, the way the fires started was suspicious, the flames appeared in random parts of the building, according to the recent investigations. And according to the testimonies of the rescuees who were trapped underground, the humanoid fire-monsters appeared out of nowhere and they are the ones who started the whole fires, and then… they were simply waiting. The field commander finished that the poor fellas acted as bait for the monsters to finish him and his brothers off.

"Long story short: they were after our heads apparently." Gordon concluded.

Their father had a look of extreme concern. To think those threats with impossible yet fantastic power to bring down a building were after his sons was very alarming and pose a threat to their lives and security. Here he thought that time where they had to save the world from a mind-controlling alien sphere was a close call!

"Thank heavens the Kamen Riders came and saved us!" Alan chirped, his ocean eyes sparkled like stars with memories.

"Yes. You guys are very lucky. And those rescuees as well." Agreed Jeff, "However, we don’t know if we could trust those bug-eyed warriors.”

“But dad! They saved us!” Argued the youngster, “They saved us from these creatures! I am pretty sure they are our allies! Friends even!”

"Alan! We don't even know who they are!" Pointed out Gordon.

The young blonde crossed his arms and gave the most dramatic pout. Jeff sighed, gently shaking his head with a slight sympathetic smile, “They may be on our side now, but we still don’t know what their intentions are. Especially when they got those… other-worldly powers. So take their alliance with caution.” he said sternly.

The brothers nodded in agreement, including Alan who simply cocked his head to the side. They did tell John about the whole thing, in which the middle brother had mixed feelings. Concerned, relieved and interested. But mostly worried.

After the debrief, the atmosphere was a lingering silent worry.

“Hey kiddo, don’t be upset.” Gordon smiled optimistically.

“You sure?” Huffed his youngest brother.

“Yeah. As much as I am suspicious about them, I am also curious.” his innocent smile turned into a cheeky smirk.

Alan’s grumpy face slowly transformed into that of an excited gremlin that the redhead knew and loved, “Alright! How about we go talk to Brains? See what he thinks of this rescue.”

Gordon grinned, “Right behind ya, Sprout!”

And soon enough, the terrible two vanished through the door of the lounge, their excited feet echoed through the halls.

“What do you think of the Kamen Riders, Scott?” asked Virgil, placing a gentle hand on his older brother’s shoulder. 

Scott shrugged, “I don’t know.” He was mostly worried about those monsters. Those… things. What are they after? Why do they want International Rescue dead? Of course it was only one time, but what if they do it again? He was beginning to feel dread. Being possessed by an alien was bad enough, but almost getting burned alive by monstrous animal-headed gladiators with powers to control fire was out of the question!

“You know, I do have a hunch that our bug-eyed acquaintances are on our side.” admitted Virgil, “But, I also have a feeling that we’ll meet them again, considering the circumstances.”

Scott looked back at his brother. Sky blue meets earthly brown. There was a silent conversation. An understanding. And then a nod from the eldest brother. They sat there in compassionate silence.

The quiet must’ve been killing his brother, because all of the sudden the mechanic asked, “Say, would you like to play the piano again?”

“Why’s that?” Scott raised a brow.

“My fingers are sore from fixing the Mole in a rush back there.” Virgil smiled with a little embarrassment, as he revealed his bandaged hands.

Scott gently tapped his brother’s shoulder with a chuckle. He got up from the couch and walked over to Virgil’s beloved white piano. He sat on the stool once more, opened the lid and stretched his fingers, “What should I play?” 

“Anything, I don’t mind.” His musical brother shrugged, standing beside him.

As Scott thought which song to play, his mind drifted back to the moment when he looked into the eyes of the golden Rider. It seemed to him that there was something warm behind those bug-eyes… something human. Scott wondered if there's a sensitive soul behind that mask.

Maybe it was just in his mind, maybe it was not true, but it made him relax. Pressing the keys, he began playing a familiar, jazzy beat as he remembered that moment. After a few repeats of the rhyme, he went to the main part of the song.

“Ah, my favorite! Take Five!" Jeff exclaimed, "Just like you guys.” he chuckled.

Scott smiled at his father as a response. There were some remnants of his stress, but it didn't bother him as much as he was in the morning. Jeff gave him a relieved nod before continuing doing paperwork, quietly humming and tapping his foot to the beat. Virgil smiled widely at his brother before humming as well and snapping his fingers along with the melody of the immortal piece of Paul Desmond.

Scott jumped into improvising like he was here to woo the girls at a party. As he was playing, he thought back of their victory. And his tension melted away. Outside the villa, the soothing music echoed through the beautiful nature of the island and into the night sky.

-0-0-0-

The moon shone in the night sky and the cold was a constant companion. The sounds of distant cars driving through the streets could be heard from the top of the skyscrapers. On one of them stood four figures, taking their time enjoying the view from above.

The Kamen Riders were resting after the heated fight. Gills was leaning on a wall next to the entrance, between his legs lay his loyal dog. G3-X was finishing writing a report of the fight on his custom laptop. Kuuga was laying on top of the entrance, admiring the stars. And Agito was standing near the railing, staring into the lights of the city.

"Oi, Agito!" called Kuuga all of a sudden. The golden Rider turned to his best friend.

"Nando(What is it)?" asked Agito.

"Why wouldn’t you come up here and watch the stars?” suggested the red Rider, "It's beautiful up there."

"How can you see stars from here?" objected G3-X, "Ya can't see Shiitake with all those slagging city lights!"

"They can see them through their visors," scoffed Gills, making the robocop Rider whistle a sound of realization before turning back to his computer. 

Raider looked up and tilted his head as if trying to see them, but after a few moments he gave up as he put his canine head back to the ground.

Agito had taken a moment to stare at the city, then moved towards the entrance, climbed and sat next to Kuuga.

"Not too cold buddy?” the red Rider asked, only to receive a shake of the head from his golden companion. The two took a moment to appreciate the stars in the cold night sky. Few stars faintly glowed in the dark sky.

"Man, can't believe we just met with International Rescue in person!" excitedly said Kuuga, "I gotta say, they are quite tough guys, ne? Especially Noodle, he looks quite young!"

"Noodle?" asked the golden rider in confusion.

"The blond kid! The one I saved from falling into a ravine and returned the gun to?" Kuuga sensed Agito raising an eyebrow that cannot be seen from the cover of his mask. "We should give them nicknames. To… you know, to know who's who we're talking about?" He explained, shrugging.

A sparkle of mirth could be faintly seen behind the faceted eyes of his friend, a warm smile could be felt radiating from his breath. "Sure...But why the blond kid 'Noodle'?"

"Because his blonde hair reminded me of noodles. And to be honest, 'Noodle' sounds kawaii~! Don’t you think he looks kawaii, ne?” A big grin was radiating from behind the mask of the red Rider. Agito laughed wholeheartedly. Kuuga continued, "The auburn hair guy; I think we'll call him 'Kuma'! He looks so serious, strong and tough, like a bear! Remind me of someone…"

The golden Rider laughed again as he nodded. "So um… shall we call the leader 'Sky Eyes'?"

Kuuga rubbed his silver chin for a bit, "Hmm…the one who pilots that big-hyper-speedy-rocket-jet thingy? Why's that?" he asked.

"Because… his eyes reminded me of the sky...” The red Rider saw the sparkling human eyes behind Agito’s red bug-like lens. Kuuga nodded, agreeing that the name was well suited for the blue sashed commander.

"What about the redhead guy? What should we call him?" asked G3-X as he looked up at the two Riders, seemingly curious.

"Clownfish..." Gills dropped the answer. There was an awkward pause. "He smelled fishy..." He deadpanned. Everyone laughed, acknowledging his typical 'I don't care, deal with it' attitude as they accepted his answer.

"Noodle, Kuma, Sky Eyes and Clownfish. Sounds good for our mystery gang of rescuers!" Kuuga clapped and rubbed his hands excitingly

Agito chuckled softly before looking back at the stars once more. The more he stared at the little faint glistening lights, the more the made him think of sky… sky eyes… the man whose eyes were always drawn to the sky.

He felt a warm feeling as he remembered those cobalt irises. He wondered why he felt like that. He barely knows that man, let alone the fact that International Rescue seemed to keep themselves secret. Maybe he'll never know. But one thing for sure, they'll cross paths again. Because of those things...

Those kaijins… they were new. He had never seen them before. And they are as aggressive and dangerous as disasters. Agito… Yuuki sensed that whatever they were, they seemed to be after International Rescue. But for what? And why?

The answer will remain unknown, for now...

-tbc-

[for-ests]

Hey, not sure if you do smut but I think this request can work without a lot if you’d prefer😁 reader’s an art student and needs to sculpt a full body nude sculpture and Tom offers but gets a bit cheeky

thanks for the request dear! this was fun to write :-) i literally know nothing about art so if I get something wrong just ignore! i hope you enjoy!! i went a diff +route but I still think it fits! [ mlist ] 

Word count: 3, 273

Warnings: slight nsfw,, nudity 

Pairing: Tom Holland x art student reader!

“The issue is… I have no idea who to ask.” You sighed deeply, embarrassment washing over you as you talked to your best friends about your upcoming project. 

Everyone knew you were a talented sculptor. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was that your professional sculpting internship at (your school) was currently learning about Ancient Greece. One of the requirements to pass the semester was to recreate a modern sculpture of someone you knew, and to make it as realistic as possible. Nakedness and all, which was a huge distinction of Greek statues.

There was a big problem though. You were incredibly shy, and you didn’t know who to ask to model for you.

Nudging you with a laugh, your friend flashed you a mischievous smile. “You know a lot of cute guys, why don’t you ask one of them?”

“Cute guys?” You scrunched your nose. “I know like three guys and I would cry if I had to see them naked.”

She sighed. “Fair. Does it have to be a guy?”

*-You nodded regretfully. “It has to be the opposite sex. It’s annoying but I u

erstand why. It’s important to be familiar with both sexes.”

Your best friend air quoted ‘familiar’ with a ridiculous smirk.

“Shut up.” You huffed, trying not to laugh at how dramatic she had become.

“I think I know a guy, he’s an aspiring actor and model.” Your best friend added casually.

Groaning, you shot her a glare. “Why didn’t you say that right away?”

She shrugged. “I like listening to you talk about your art.”

Her compliment almost worked, but you already knew that was partly the reason she was teasing you so hard. The other reason was because she had been trying to set you up with multiple friends for months. According to her, you had been single for far too long.

Her offer made you ponder deeper about your situation. You were slightly awkward when it came to getting to know someone, but you couldn’t imagine asking someone to strip right away so you could sculpt every curve your eyes grazed over. Whoever it ended up being had to be incredibly confident. Shallow yes, but that’s why you were hoping to find someone insanely attractive. Attractive people were usually confident, and responsibly so. “Maybe a stranger would be worse than someone I know.”

Snorting through her nose, your best friend stared at you like you were crazy. “Definitely not. If it’s awkward you never have to see him again. And if it’s not, well you can get cozy with a cutie.”

Taking a deep breath, you rolled your eyes. “I hate you sometimes.” You mumbled under your breath. You knew she was right, but you would never inflate her already enormous ego like that.

“You love me.” She sang sweetly.

“I do, now give him my number and tell him it’s of the utmost importance.”

❀∙∘✿∘∙❀

Days later, that conversation was on your mind as you nervously organized your sculpting tools. Trying to relieve some tension, you slapped a pound of clay against the table, and it echoed throughout the workshop.

Reality was the fact that this so called model boy was on his way to your studio. His name was Tom, and from the pictures you saw–he was incredibly handsome.

You couldn’t believe you had agreed to this, but alas, you needed this experience to pass your class. You just hoped and prayed that Tom was a lot more outgoing than you, and could keep the conversation flowing as you stared intently as his erect… penis.

Your cheeks flared up at the thought. How the hell were you going to do this?

Y/N: help (Y/B/F/N) I cant do this!!! im freaking out

Y/B/F: is he even there yet? lmfao

Y/N: noooooo :((

Y/B/F: if it makes you feel any better, he’s excited and thinks ur pretty

Y/N: why didn’t you tell me that before??!

Y/B/F: do u feel better now tho?

Y/N: no

Y/B/F: ik ur smiling ;) u aint slick

Giggling like a schoolgirl to relieve some of your anxiety, you set your cell phone on the table. Truthfully, your best friend had made you feel better. If anything bad happened, it would surely be a wonderful story to tell everyone in the future.

Your eyes naturally glanced across the room to the clock on the wall. 7:00pm. Tom would be here any minute as scheduled.

You took a deep breath and studied your surroundings. All your tools were in place, and the entire studio was tidied up as if you hadn’t worked the space in weeks. Next, you walked to the wall and glanced at your reflection in the mirror.

With your hair in a bun and your shabby working clothes, you looked suitable at best. You did have a little bit of makeup on to help yourself feel more confident. If you felt good, you could make your client feel good in return.

At least it looked like you didn’t try too hard. You didn’t want this man to get the wrong idea.

Then, snapping you out of your trance, there was a knock on the door.

You straightened out your shirt one last time, and tucked your baby hairs back behind your ears. Scoffing immediately after, you shook your head. Why were you trying to look cute? Who cares!

You rushed to grab the front door, afraid that you were making him wait too long. You flung it open, eyes locking with his right away.

You froze.

He was even more dashing in person.

“Judging by your cute outfit, I think I’m at the right place. Y/N right?”

And a British accent?

“Y-yes!” You flashed a smile to mask your obvious hesitation. You could easily play it off by opening the door and keeping your gaze averted. You were the master of smoothness.

“Thank you for coming, it’s about time I got this project done…” You tittered, locking the door behind him for privacy purposes. “You can set your things on the couch over there.” You pointed, eyes meeting his again when he glanced to the couch and then back to you.

“Awesome.” He nodded, holding your gaze for a moment longer than necessary.

“Do you want anything to eat or drink?” You offered, nodding your head back to the small kitchen in the back of the studio. You wished the studio apartment was yours alone, but you shared it with multiple other college students in your program.

“Water… or beer if you have any?”

You threw your head back in laughter, causing Tom to smile at your genuine reaction.

“Yeah, I can get you one.”

“In the meantime, should I just strip?” He smirked, not trying to be sly with his flirtations. Though your cheeks were dusting with pink, you were able to match his energy. Your best friend definitely set you up with someone she knew you’d like.

“Do whatever you want, love.” You mimicked his British accent. “You’re the guest after all.”

Walking past him, you gave him one last look when he was fully-clothed. Tom was certainly the player type, practically the perfect embodiment of the muse you had in mind. This wouldn’t be awkward for you, and it would be even better for him. Men like him thrived off of cheeky discomfort in their female counterparts.

Yet, truthfully, you were enjoying it as well. It felt nice to be complimented so soon into an introduction.

As you cracked open a can of beer for Tom and yourself, you could hear him shuffling around with his items. The sound of his buckle falling against the floor made you suddenly nervous to turn around.

Inhaling sharply, and gulping down a few more sips of beer, you finally gained the courage to walk back to the studio setup, where Tom had already wandered over to, completely naked.

“You seem to be in your element.” You noted, trying to keep your eyes leveled with his. Now that you were thinking about it, remaining calm and professional was excruciating in front of such an attractive man. And it certainly wasn’t helping that he was enjoying your embarrassment.

And least this was exciting.

Thanking you, Tom took the beer and pressed his lips against the cold aluminum. “I would definitely feel a lot more comfortable if you were naked too, darling.”

“Hey now,” You nose scrunched in a form of mock distaste. The man caught on immediately, holding your gaze with a sort of amusement that was masking desire. “I might think about it if you sit nice and pretty for me for more than five minutes so I can sketch you.”

“Your wish is my command.”

Shaking your head in disbelief, you walked over to your crafting desk. You decided you were going to start with the hardest part, the part which your grade depended heavily on- from the waist down.

But first, you quickly sketched Tom posing in multiple poses until you were satisfied with one. You had him mimic a sculpture you couldn’t recall, where one hand was pointed forward and the other was rested casually on his hip.

“Can I see what one you want to do?” He asked curiously from the stand you had him propped up on for a better view.

“Sure.” You flashed him your finished sketch. The lines darted all over the page, making it hard for him to picture what was going on in your head. The picture you had drawn would not make sense to anyone else but the artist. But apparently you were talented, so he would trust the process.

You were also trusting the process. The situation you were in could only be awkward if you allowed it to be. And so far it was moving along smoothly. You had your favorite music playing softly in the background to fill the silence, and Tom seemed to be relaxed and unbothered by how quietly you worked.

“That’s cool.” Tom whispered, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

Giggling from his sudden proximity, you tried to tease him. “It’s fine to not understand it.”

“I definitely don’t know what’s going on but it’s still interesting.” He admitted.

You set the paper back down on the table, and decided to attempt and sculpt the base. Moving past a still naked Tom, you tried to immerse yourself in your work, or at least make it seem like you were focused. “This takes hours you know, weeks and months- it won’t make sense for a long time.”

“Perfect.” He grinned. “I’ll get plenty of time to know you better.”

Laughing through your nose, you kept your attention on the clay you had dropped on the floor. “You can put your clothes back on.”

“Oh!” He chuckled. “Yeah.”

As you carefully trimmed the base clay with a heavy frame, you lifted your head to find Tom slipping a robe back on. He definitely came prepared. Had he done this before?

“Come here.” You gestured. “I need you to set your feet down on the clay.”

“I didn’t think this would get dirty so fast.”

“Shut up.” You huffed, grabbing his foot and pressing it down hard until the clay took shape to the size.

“Cold.” Tom commented in discomfort.

“I know.” You released your grip on his calf, looking up at him with a sheepish smile. “All part of the process, but good news for you- you’re done for the night.”

“Really?” Tom raised his eyebrows. “That’s it?”

You nodded, standing back up to normal height. “I’m experienced enough to sculpt the feet and legs tonight.”

“When should I come back?” He sounded a tad too eager, but it caused your smile to reappear.

“Tomorrow night if you’re available.”

“And maybe next time you can bring your own alcohol?” You gestured to the multiple beer cans poking out of the recycling bin.

The man flashed you a smile. “Sounds like a date.”

“It’s definitely not.”

Despite your rejection to his amusing advances, Tom’s expressions and mannerisms remained hopeful. Was it possible he was truly enjoying himself?

“I’ll leave my robe here. I’ll see you tomorrow at the same time?”

“Same time.” You confirmed, nodding him off. It was about time you started to really focus. Attractive man or not, you always got the most and best work done alone.

Because after the first night, the dynamics between you and Tom changed. He became incredibly invested in your process, asking you questions left and right, asking if there was any way he could help, and practically just lounging next to you hours after he would have been free to go.

“What do your sculptures usually look like?”

“Since this isn’t my own studio, I don’t have any of my pieces here. But I can show you a picture when I get my hands wiped off.”

“What do you build your sculptures with? It’s hard to imagine that a replica of me can come out of that much clay.”

“My sculptures are built with water-based clay and are fired in a gas kiln to cone 4, about 2150 degrees Fahrenheit… “ You nodded towards the back wall that had an installed kiln for you and everyone to share. “Trust me, there will be a lot more clay. Hundreds of pounds worth.”

“Can I help?”

“No.”

There was no lying that you enjoyed his presence. Whether he was talking your ear off or napping to the peaceful beat of your jazz music, there was never a dull moment when Tom was in your studio.

Weeks passed, and so did the process. Your sculpture of Tom had progressed to week three, and that’s when you started to grow nervous. When you finished, which you were almost done, would you ever see him again?

You had barreled through the awkwardness of replicating his genitals and chiseling his six pack perfectly into the hardening clay- but you still felt like something was missing. You knew even when you finished chiseling away his jaw line and chocolate brown eyes, there would still be something missing. Him. His presence.

Maybe it would have been better if you partnered up with a man that had zero personality.

Since it was just you and Tom for hours on end, your conversations gradually grew deeper, they stretched into new lengths, so much so that you eventually felt like you had known him for years.

When Tom claimed he wasn’t looking for a relationship, you felt your heart fall. That’s when you realized you were developing stronger feelings for your model. You hardly had time to think about trivial things like that, but you couldn’t deny your disappointment.

And you were sure he saw the brief tears glossing over your eyes when you turned away. Yet, he didn’t make light of it.

That’s when you knew it was useless.

It seemed useless until the sixth week, when you finally finished the head. You were too afraid to attach it. Tom had spent the last couple hours with you in the studio. His legs kicked back and occasional whistles streaming from his lips. He had practically memorized your playlist to the extent you had.

“Tom.” You called. “Your face is done.”

He cheered excitedly, pushing himself off the sofa and racing towards you. Tom had learned to give you your space while you worked, but in moments where you summoned him, he barely stood inches from you. The man would constantly touch you in ways you couldn’t deny sent shivers down your spine.

Like he did as he rounded the tabletop, planting himself by your side and placing his hand on the low of your back. As if it was natural.

“Wow,” He breathed. “Y/N,” Your name upon his lips sounded as blissful as the music. “It’s.. it’s wonderful. It looks just like me... wow that’s scary.”

“I’m happy you like it.” You bit your lip, wishing you felt more satisfied with your project. You wanted to impress him, but you didn’t want him to go.

“All I have to do is attach the head, and fire it up in the furnace one more time. Then it should be good to go.”

You moved to do so, wanting to remove yourself from his grip. It hurt your heart to know the bond you had formed with him would come to an end. Why did you even let yourself get to this point? Was it because he was good at flirting?

“Wait-” His sentence faltered when you whipped around to face him- looking somewhat hopeful.

“What?”

Tom paused, his throat tightening with the words he never thought he would admit. But he couldn’t leave tonight with at least trying. He needed to know how you felt. Because he could either leave with you in his arms, or he could leave never having to see you again.

He had been thinking of confessing to you for days now, but now that the time came, his mind was blank. “You really are beautiful, you know that right?”

“Why do you feel the need to flatter me?” You blurted, still unable to decipher the truth behind his words. You didn’t know how to accept such a compliment. Tom had claimed you were beautiful before, but this time it felt different.

His eyes spoke volumes. The beauty his eyes held was something you would never be able to replicate in a statue. It was a sight you found yourself never growing sick of.

Averting your eyes, you tried to move again. Yet this time, Tom gripped onto both of your arms.

“Look at me.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I won’t let you play me.”

“I was never playing you, darling.” The tenderheartedness intertwined with his words caused you to slowly turn your head back. Your lip quivered, and suddenly you felt like a schoolgirl all over again. You felt childish and unprepared for the intensity of your emotions.

“I don’t want to leave tonight without knowing if you feel the same.”

You blinked, hand reaching out to grip onto his. “And that is?” 

“I don’t know if it’s love, but it could be.” 

“That’s all I needed to hear.” You said, incredibly softly. 

Tom released your arms. And before either of you could process what to do next, your lips interlocked. 

You gripped onto him tightly, balling his white t shirt into a fist to keep him from leaving your side again. 

“Tom-” You breathed. 

The kiss you shared was laced with a fervent need, one that you had never experienced before, and one that you craved again and again. 

After the passion you felt, the skin prickling desire, there would be no turning back. 

“Fuck, you’re everything”’ He mumbled against your lips. 

You pulled back slightly to gaze at his expression. He had looked so afraid before, but now he was smiling from ear to ear. Much like he did the day he arrived with a teasing attitude, ready to get under your skin and provide entertainment. 

“How long have you felt like this?” 

“Since the first day.” He kissed you again, his hands cupping your cheeks. 

You whimpered against his muscular frame, trying to ignore the fluttering in your core, fluttering that begged and craved for more. 

“How did you wait so long?” 

“I wanted you to finish.” 

You chuckled, cheesing at his straightforward, simple reply. 

You were positive from that moment moving on, that Tom was not what you had thought at first glance. This entire time he had put you and your project first, letting his own desires sit and warm on the back-burner. That was something you would hold close to your heart, something you would cherish. 

He cared for you in the same way you cared for him. 

“Stay with me tonight, Tom.” 

“I would love nothing more.” 

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #407

“sugar pop, sugar pop, baby here i come, straight to #1″

Do you follow any special diet? (dairy free, vegetarian, gluten free etc.) No. What’s your favourite summer activity? Swimming is all I really enjoy about summer. Who was the first person to break your heart? It wasn't in a romantic sense obviously, but my dad. First band you obsessed about? I've only ever *truly* been obsessed with Ozzy Osbourne as a band, haha. First place someone took you on a date? I want to say a local skating rink. It was a group thing. How many doors are in the room you’re in? Two, if you include the closet door. Has anyone ever drawn a picture of you? Yes. Do you have any nieces or nephews? Quite a few. Which movie villain do you find the most terrifying? Well, if you've seen the scene where Pyramid Head literally rips a woman's skin off like a sheet in Silent Hill... u kno. I genuinely do find him to be a terrifying monster though, all bias aside. Humanoid monsters with ambiguous faces unsettle me. I wouldn't want that knife swingin at me, either. Do you get grumpy when you’re hungry? Yuuuup, I sure can. Do you stick your tongue out often in pictures? I have done that maybe twice in my whole life. Which one of your family members are you closest to? My mom. If chocolate was an illegal drug - would you be a drug addict? Nah. I'd be able to survive if it was illegal, but it would suck. Are you proud of your parents? Yes in some areas, no in some others. There are things both have said and/or done that I can't say I'm proud of them for, but overall, I am. Do you say “soda” or “pop”? "Soda." Are you shy about singing in front of people? YUP. I just don't do it. If you could get backstage tickets to ANY concert - which would you pick? Ozzy. :') It'd be fantastic to tell him thank you for his music that has always brought me joy and comforted me, and also let him know for sure just how strong he is and that it is absolutely not overlooked to still be nailing out an album while fighting Parkinson's. I'd probably start blubbering like a baby while rambling at some point, haha. Which is better: orange or grape soda? Orange. I don't like grape soda. Do you sleep with a sleep mask? Well, you could sort of call it that, ha ha. I have to wear an APAP mask to subdue my sleep apnea that causes wild nightmares/terrors. Do you like techno music? It's actually grown on me the past few months. Have you ever been drunk? No, I've never quite reached that point. I've only been tipsy. Are you mad at your best friend right now? Nope, got no reason to be. Do you know anybody with a pet snake? Yes, including myself. Is there any drink that you absolutely MUST drink cold? WATER. ABSOLUTELY WATER. I canNOOOOOOT do room temperature water anymore. It's gotta be pretty damn cold for me to drink it like it's nothin'. Have you ever painted anybody's nails aside from your own? No. Do you ever donate to the less fortunate? Mom likes to donate our old clothes and stuffed animals. Did you buy an American flag after 9/11 to put on your car/house/ whatever? I was a little kid when this happened, so. I don't know if my parents did. Honestly, do you have any Hilary Duff on your MP3 player? HA, I do. I love "Who's That Girl." When was the last time you had an ice cream sandwich? Wow, probably years... I really, really want one now, ha ha. Have you ever caught a friend cheating on their bf/gf? Well, my sister's friend, anyway. I was just sitting on the computer in the living room and there they were on the couch just casually making out. Do you enjoy doing math? Fuuuuck no. Do you think your mom has secrets she’s never told you? Oh, I know she does. There are things she's done that I know I have plenty of missing details from, but I don't ask because I know they're sensitive subjects. Do you own anything you don’t want your parents to know about? No. Do you pose in your pictures or just smile? I usually just smile. Do you use scented soap in the shower? Yes. It smells like cinnamon rolls and it is HEAVENLY. Did you ever want to be a fashion designer? No. Who was the last person you danced with? Enjoyable? Ha, Sara. Yeah. Dark or light colored jeans? Dark, 100%. I never wore light jeans. Can you take apart a computer and name all the parts? No sir. Can you take apart a car and name all the parts? That's an even bigger "no." Have you ever purchased a lotto ticket? No. What is the longest amount of time you've spent playing Monopoly? Idk. Have you ever witnessed a tornado first-hand? Thank fucking Christ I haven't. I am terrified of them. Have you ever colored your eyebrows? No. Have you ever taken another person's prescribed medication? Pain medicine, yes. Have you ever played golf (not miniature golf)? No. I'm not interested to, either. Have you ever gotten dressed with the windows open? I definitely don't believe so. Have you ever taken a shower outside? At the beach, yes. If you could call it a "shower." Have you ever been to a junkyard? No. Have you ever watched the History Channel willingly? No. If you could get the cell phone of your choice - what would it be? Probably a current iPhone. Apple is such a rip-off, but damn is the camera good lmao. Do you hand out candy to kids on Halloween? This will be my first Halloween in this house, so I really don't know if trick-or-treaters happen here. Do you like huskies? Love 'em, but I could neeeever own one with all that fur. What do you smell like? I'm always self-conscious over if I smell like sweat because of my hyperhidrosis. I hope not. Do you take your dog for walks? I don't have a dog. I used to take Teddy when he was younger, though. He loved those, but I stopped when I noticed his arthritis kicking in. Have you ever went paintballing? No. Seems stupid to me, honestly... Like that shit seems painful, so like, why??? What kind of movies are you drawn to? Horror and fantasy, mostly. I don't watch movies often. How often do you update your Facebook status? Just about never because I either just have nothing to say or am afraid of saying something stupid. I only ever share posts or pictures that appeal to me. What type of pet would you like to have? A Brazilian Black tarantula. :( I will whine about that until the day I get one, ha ha. I would also really, really like a plains hognose and a woma python. What breakfast are you most likely to have? Cereal. When you're starting to feel sick, you: It depends on what kind of "sick," but odds are I'm heading for the medicine cabinet. What colors are you most drawn to? Pastel ones. :') Light and pretty. What deadly sin are you most likely to commit? Sloth. When you're away from home, what makes you feel at home? "Having my stuff with me, like my laptop." <<<< Same. Do you prefer to lounge in a hot tub or swim in a pool? Swim. How many books do you have out in the public areas of your house? None. Who makes a better burger, in your opinion? Sonic. @_@ What do you like best about the holidays? Seeing my niece and nephew so excited. You think your eyes convey: Boredom, probably. Besides screaming for ice cream, what else do you scream for? If a bug surprises me by being on me. Well, depending on the bug. Do you like fried chicken? Noooo, it is so gross to me. What do you think of belly button piercings? They are SO cute imo. I want one, but I think it would look hideous on me. Maybe if I was actually thinner. Not saying bigger people can't wear belly button piercings, I just don't think it would look good on me. Do you like plain Lays potato chips? They're my favorite! I especially like the ruffled kind. Is there a big screen television in your house? In the living room, yeah. Would you rather no heat in winter or no A.C in summer? No heat in the winter, EASILY. I can't handle no A/C when it's hot. At least if you're cold, you can bundle up with tons of blankets. Have you ever had braces? I did for a long time because we couldn't afford to take them off. Do you do your own laundry? No, honestly. Mom likes to just do it all together, so I let her do it. Which do you prefer: English, Irish, or Australian accents? Irish. Is there anything on your bedroom door? Yeah! I got a "Meerkat Lover St." sign for my door. :') What is the best vegetable? Broccoli. Guys in eyeliner: Hot or not? That shit is h o t. Have you ever seen your favorite band live? No. :( Do you drink water or soda more often? Ugh, soda. Did you collect Pokemon cards back in the day? I didn't deliberately, but only because I was awkward about asking for Pokemon stuff because I thought people thought I was weird for being a girl and being obsessed with it. I think I got one pack. I really, really wish I'd been less self-conscious about that passion. Pet turtle: yay or nay? I'm personally not interested. Did anyone famous come from your town/city/school? Yeah, but I'm not sharing who. Have you ever seen a celebrity on the street? No. Have you ever pretended to be sick? To avoid school sometimes, yes. Can you ice skate? Never tried, too scared to. The blades terrify me. Do you have your nose pierced? No, but I want to have it redone. Do you loooove Tim Burton movies? I sure do! What arcade games do you like to play? I haven't been to an arcade in forever... but I liked the racing ones. What's the most expensive gift you've ever gotten for someone else? I'm not sure. Would you rather spend a whole day with your mom, or your dad? At this moment, probably my dad. We haven't hung out in a long time. What would you say if you found out your last ex was in a relationship? I'd be happy for her and tell her she'd better let me know if the person ever fucks up so I can kick some ass, ha ha. Are you easily confused? Very. I'm slow to understand things. Where was your MySpace/Facebook default taken? My bedroom. Can you whistle with your fingers in your mouth? No. I've never understood how that works. Do you like peanut butter? Love it.

[letgraysonsheart]

(me: googles acrobatics, realising i know nothing, writes yogaposes instead. I’m not perfectly happy myself with how it turned out, and its probably not exactly what you had in mind buut i really wanted to finish and post this for you @sassydefendorflower​ since ive been very slow asfkjdl)

Jason stares up at the cave roof, consciously having to refrain from biting his nails. Digging them into the palm of his hands instead, where no one can see, he lowers his gaze to the rocky wall instead. Having yet to grow comfortable in the manors downstairs, even if he’s visited multiple times since coming back alive, the jitteriness that’s quickly spreading in his body doesn't come as a surprise.

It’s so very different from how he used to feel before. Before everything besides Robin. The cave had been the only place where he felt really alive. Now just the memory of it makes him feel a little sad, but that's an emotion he'd rather pack up in a quaint little box, stove away and never look at again.

He’d rather focus on how his nerves are on high alert, not that he has any choice, and how he’s going to deal with that without having a meltdown. All he wants is to book it right out of there. But he can't. He needs the intel the cave-computers offer, and to access it he has to wait while Tim updates... something. He isn’t sure. The replacement was already doing it when he arrived and Tim had insisted that he couldn't quit now that he had started.

For a few seconds, he watches Tim enter and leave windows, typing a little here and there, too fast for Jason to catch what he’s doing from where he's standing a few feet behind him. Not that he’s actually interested.

It’s forcing him to be in the cave longer than he planned, which is really fucking annoying. For every sound his ears pick up he fears that it’s Bruce descending down the stairs from the manor, and he really doesn't have the spare energy to deal with that.

“He knows you’re here,” a voice rings out, and he looks towards the gym-part of the cave. Dick’s standing there, looking at him, dressed in sweats and a tank top, his hair tied into a very small ponytail with a few wild strands stuck to his forehead with sweat. “Bruce won’t come down, you can stop glaring at the stairs.”

Jason shrugs, not confirming nor denying Dick’s suspicions.

“You’re so tense I can feel it from here,” Dick continues. Jason glares at his brother, which receives him a very immature eye-roll back.

“I’m just waiting for the brat to finish whatever he’s doing so I can get outta here,” Jason answers, a little protective, “The bastard refused to send it to me.”

“Sensitive information,” Tim comments, not even turning to look at them but apparently listening in to their conversation.

“Hey, less listening, more working,” Jason barks at the younger, and he sees the muscles in Tim’s back tighten, the rhythmic tapping on the keyboard coming to a halt.

“Stop yelling at Tim, Jay, get over here. I need help with something,” Dick butts in, probably to stop Tim and his conversation before it escalates.

Jason doesn’t particularly want to do anything. Then again, he’s also rather tired of standing right up and down being stressed. So a little reluctantly, he finds himself walking over to the gym mats. When he over, Dick’s sat down on the mat, hands pressed against the ground behind him as support.  

“What’d ya need?” Jason questions, looking Dick up and down. The older looks funny, placed so far down, and looking up at him with his big blue eyes. Way too trusting. It makes Jason feel a little uneasy.

There’s a new scar, Jason notes, just under Dick's hairline and barely healed. He can't remember hearing anything about Dick getting hurt, so it probably hadn't been serious. Then again, they rarely bother to tell Jason about what's going on if it doesn't directly affect him, so who knows.

“Could you help me stretch? I just need a little bit more of a.. force,” Dick says, grinning, bringing Jason out of his thoughts. “I can help you afterward, you seem to be in desperate need of it, with how pent up you’re looking.”

“Hah, no,” Jason replies with a dry laugh, even though he doesn’t turn to leave. Watching Dick jump up onto his feet, Jason figures the older is looking much too bright for someone working out in the cave.

“Come on, at least help me out. I’ll need it before patrol tonight,” Dick argues. Jason wasn't even aware Dick was there because of a patrol. He'd just figured the older was there to hang out or something, seemed like a Dick-thing to do.

Before he gets the chance to ask about any of it, Dick has already bent down and grabbed him by the middle. Jason almost gets hit in the face by the back of a stray foot, coming against his face much too fast. Only because of his trained reflexes does he manage to grab Dick’s leg, just above the ankle, but he still startles a little.

“Now, come on,” Dick says, and Jason can feel the back of the older's head pressing against his underarm, thankful Dick doesn't mention anything about his reaction. Keeping their peace, for now. “Drag my leg towards you.”

Jason does as told, careful not to pull too hard or too fast. He’s almost a little disgusted by how flexible Dick is, and how easy he makes it look.

“Is this another one of your yoga moves?” he finds himself asking, his thoughts drifting to a different time, years ago. He feels Dick’s muscle stiffen a little, his leg almost jerking out of Jason’s hold.

“Didn’t think you remembered that,” Dick says, making a move to wanting to be let up, and Jason lets go, watching Dick straighten. The first Robin is looking at Jason with something in his eyes Jason isn’t sure if he likes or not.

Shrugging as an answer, because he does remember, no point in lying, he lets Dick study him. It hadn’t been a regular occurrence, but sometimes when Dick showed up at the cave while Jason was Robin, they’d work out together. Dick had been happy to show him some moves, lecturing him on the importance of stretching and strengthening your agility with glee.

The two of them would always end up doing wacky, very unserious, poses. All of them were always surprisingly hard and had them laying on the mats laughing, toppled over in a pile of limbs, more often than not.

Sometimes Bruce would come over and study them from the side, and Jason could remember spotting what he had suspected was fondness on the older man's face.

It had been nice, even Jason could admit that, but it’s also something for the past. It won’t be like that again, ever. Not between him and Dick, and certainly not between him and Bruce. There's been one too many deaths for that. Now the memory just leaves him with a bitter aftertaste, and the thought of Bruce studying him as he trains.. just- no.  

Dick bends down again, and this time Jason is prepared for the leg coming up, helping Dick stretch his other side too.

“Come on,” Dick grins when they're done with the stretch, any weird look from before hidden behind a mask again. "Let’s do one, just like we used to.” He’s already grabbing Jason, pushing him down on the mat, leaving little room for argument. Jason, because why the hell not, he's already there just waiting around, kicks off his boots and drops his jacket on the floor by the side of the mat.

“What about the one where we both bow down, and one leans their feet against the other ones back? Like a double bridge. That’s fairly easy,” Dick suggests, then looks Jason up and down, as if he’s judging whether it will work or not.

“I am not leaning my whole weight on you,” Jason states deadpan, “you’ll break like a twig.” He can feel Tim’s eyes on his back and pushes down the urge to yell at him again.

Sighing, Dick rolls his eyes again and plants his hands on his hips, “honestly, does everyone think I’m all flexible goo and no muscle?”

Sending a glare in Dick’s direction, Jason is already starting to regret his decision. He won't dignify the golden boy with a response either. There is no doubting Dick is strong, Jason knows that, but he is still quite a few more pounds heavier than Dick. And bulkier. They’re of very different body types, see.

“I think it would have been great, defying gravity and all that, but I guess I can let you be the foundation,” Dick relents. “Do you remember how to stand?”

He tries to ignore the itch he gets from Dick watching him as he bends down, feeling a definite pull in some of his muscles.

“Remember to keep your back straight,” Dick says, but it’s not a reprimand, just encouragement. No ill tone.

Jason feels rather ridiculous, standing there, like a human triangle. The blood is rushing to his head, and his socks are threatening to slip against the mat. Should’ve ditched them too.

He hears Dick move, and soon enough there’s a pair of feet resting on his lower back, basically his hip. “I assume you remember the importance of breathing?” he hears Dick say, and it makes him take a deep breath, almost without thinking.

Dick’s feet move, the pressure disappearing from his back, and Jason sits down on his knees.

“Okay, let’s sit down in front of each other,” Dick commands, not even asking if Jason is interested in continuing, but he does as Dick says. Might as well humor him, now that he’s started, and the sound of Tim's fingers on the keyboard is still going strong.

It’s a little awkward, he finds, suddenly sitting so close to Dick and looking right at his face. He busies himself copying Dick’s pose, his knees drawn up against his chest, so he doesn’t have to look directly into the other's eyes.

“Now, reach out your arms like so,” Dick stretches his hands out, waiting for Jason to do the same. Biting his lip he hesitates for a second before lifting his arms.

“Mirror my hold,” the older continues, grabbing Jason around his wrists in a secure hold, watching as Jason copies it.

“Okay, now we’re going to press the bottom of our feet together, and then move them while keeping them together,” Dick says, already starting to move his feet toward Jason's.

“We’re gonna what?” Jason asks, already fearing for his legs and knees. There’s no room for them to stretch their feet straight forwards, which can only mean they’re going to go upwards.

He doesn’t even know if his body does that anymore.

“Let’s do one foot at a time,” Dick suggests, pressing the bare toes on his right foot against Jason’s sock-clad ones. Dick then starts pushing both their feet upwards, and Jason lets him. He finds himself grateful that he’s wearing agile pants because man, it pulls more than he wants to admit.

Their feet are about face-level when Dick starts moving his other feet, forcing Jason’s up with it too, their knees still slightly bent.

“Let’s just try to get them as straight as possible, the feet don’t have to be completely straight lines, it’s not supposed to hurt,” Dick says, voice calm and comfortable. To his own surprise, and perhaps Dick’s too, Jason lets the older press their feet further up, again much like a triangle made up of their feet and the floor.

Their hands are still clasped together, he can feel how Dick’s are slightly clammy from having worked out, but still, the older's hold is strong and not suggesting that he’s about to let go any time soon.

“Now, we’ll breath,” Dick says, and Jason watches Dick close his eyes momentarily, taking a deep breath. Jason himself tries to let go of the still nagging itch to bite his nails. His back is towards the stairs now. Bruce might come down and Jason may not hear it. The elevator is behind him too, out of eyesight, he might miss the sound of it arriving in the cave. Bruce might suddenly be standing right behind him without Jason having any time to prepare.

He has no idea what he would do if that were to happen. Probably punch something or more likely; someone. And then run.

Just as Jason is about to break his hold on Dick's arms, his fear almost becoming too much, Dick opens his eyes, bringing their feet down again and releasing their arms. He watches his older brother opens his mouth to speak -

“Now, for the n-”

“I’m done now,” Tim exclaims, interrupting Dick, whose face turns into a scowl directed over Jason’s shoulder.

Jason hears the sound of the wheels on Tim’s chair squeaking against the floor as the younger pushes away from the computer. When Jason turns to look Tim is already up from the chair, looking much like he’s planning to leave the cave.

“As I said for the next-” Dick tries again.

This time it’s Jason who interrupts, already pushing himself up off the mats.

“No way, Goldie, I just humored you because I was sick of standing around,” he huffs, brushing away imaginary lint from his pants. “I’m gonna go get my intel now, and then head out."

Suddenly hit with what the hell he is doing, where he is, almost forgotten in sappy nostalgia, makes him feel jittery to leave again. It’s like a sledgehammer to his heart, kick-starting his anxiety.

He ignores the look on Dick’s face, something he can’t properly decipher, as the older man also gets up on his feet again.

“Come on Jay - it’s almost like old-”

Once again, Jason stops him. “Don’t,” he states, feeling anger blossom in his chest, prickling like he swallowed a cactus. “Don’t say that. Don’t even try.”

“Jason,” Dick tries, voice too soft.

“No, I’m getting my intel, and then I’m leaving,” Jason tells him, already throwing on his shoes again, pulling his jacket up off the floor. “I thought I’d made my distaste of this place perfectly clear,” he continues as he turns towards the computers, refusing to meet Dick's eyes.

From the corner of his eyes, he can see Tim getting into the elevator, not sparing either of them a second glance.

Jason stomps over to the computer, falling heavily into the chair Tim had been using only seconds ago. With a huff, he turns it on, slightly irritated that Tim even turned it off in the first place. His fingers tap impatiently against the table as he waits for it to boot up.. Freaking replacement, always trying to be as annoying as possible.

There is the sound of someone moving behind him, maybe Dick continuing his workout. As he types in his login, that for some reason Jason would rather not dwell on Bruce never removed, he tells himself that he couldn’t care less. Sending it to himself, Jason finds he doesn't give a shit about what Tim or Bruce says about sensitive information and security risks. Fuck that.

He needs to get out of there, asap.

So he hits send, deletes all traces of what he's been doing, and shuts down the computer as soon as all that's done. For a second, he stares at the dark screen, contemplating leaving a surprise for the next person who tries to use the computer. Then the sounds of Dick moving around remind him that he’s not alone which sets him in motion again.

The walk over to his bike is barely controlled, he’d much rather prefer to run, but that would be a little embarrassing. Grabbing his helmet laid abandoned by the front wheel he presses it over his hair. Thankful for the security it gives him, he climbs onto his self-built Red Hood bike.

As he starts it up, the rumble of the motor fills all of the cave, hopefully so loud that they can hear it up in the manor. The u-turn he takes as he starts up is so fast and hard his tire screeches against the floor. It's bound to leave marks, and that is so worth burning the expensive tires for. He's sure it'll annoy Bruce to no end.  

Jason never glances at Dick through all of it. He can feel the older’s eyes on his back though, following him as he speeds out of the cave. Even as the weight on his shoulders lessens with every meter he puts between himself and the cave, there is a new weight in his heart that he can't quite pinpoint.

Figuring it’s best to ignore it until it disappears, he presses the bike to go a little faster. He hopes it’ll be a long time until he has to go back to the cave again. For now, getting the hell out of there has to be enough.

[britishassistant]

But I Like One Piece (13)

There’s a lot of adults outside the compound.

There’s Ino’s dad, who’s fussing over her a lot, and Chouji’s dad, who waves at her, and a guy with spiky hair and a white chevron on his nose who leaps down from the roofs with Kiba, Akamaru and Sakura under his arms, placing them down before leaping away again.

Bigger Shikamaru then makes a face and pulls the hand on her back away to reveal spots of blood. “What happened here?”

“A trap got set off.” She says. “It was gonna hurt Chouji, so me and Ino got in the way.”

Bigger Shikamaru glances at her suspiciously. “Right. And how did this trap get set off?”

She decides discretion is the better part of valor and shrugs, wincing at the movement. “Lots of tripwires. Hard to tell.”

Bigger Shikamaru gives a slow nod, like he doesn’t quite believe her. “Uh huh. And why were there so many tripwires?”

“Because Uchiha’s scared.” She says, looking the man dead in the eye. “He’s really, really scared of that man coming back to finish the job. And he has no one to look after him, so he’s trying to protect himself. And us. By fighting us to make us stronger, or something. He didn’t explain it well.”

Bigger Shikamaru appears inscrutable during her tirade, but he looks away when she keeps staring pointedly at him, with another muttered “Troublesome.”

The click of a camera shutter has her looking over to see Lee taking pictures of the spiky haired guy and another guy with floppy hair, who are posing dramatically for photos. Kiba’s attempting to photobomb them with little success as Shikamaru watches.

“Right.” Bigger Shikamaru hitches her higher on his hip, raising his voice. “Chouza, can you get the rest of them home? Inoichi and I need to get these two to the hospital.”

Lee insists on coming along with them.

Once they realize what’s going on, Sakura and Chouji beg to come along too. It sort of snowballs from there, so they end up with a gaggle of children and Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji’s dads causing a bit of a stir when they all enter the hospital’s reception area.

She sees the same nice doctor from when she bit her lip last time, with the blond hair and pink eyes.

The nurse is nowhere to be seen.

She tells the nice doctor she didn’t bite her lip at all, even when it really hurt, while he’s doing something with the green glow to her shoulders that makes them stop hurting.

He pats her head and gives her a lollipop, and then gives extra ones to Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and Sakura with a wink and vague compliments to the mysterious medical experts for their good work.

Kiba doesn’t stop grinning for the rest of the afternoon, Shino’s insects buzz gently which she thinks means he’s happy, and even Hinata seems quietly pleased.

Chouji’s dad walks her, Lee and Sakura home after they get the confirmation that Ino’s going to be fine, while Shikamaru’s dad takes Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Uchiha.

Sakura’s quiet and subdued the whole way home, lollipop in her cheek, rubbing her fingers together every so often. She gives a weak little “bye” when they drop her off at her house.

Okaa-san looks particularly harried when she opens the door and takes note of the newly-healed marks on her back and the state of her blood-stained and dusty dress.

Her mother sends her upstairs to have a wash and get changed while Chouji’s dad has a talk with her and Otou-san.

By the time she comes back down, Chouji’s dad has gone home and her parents are sitting around the dinner table as Lee shows them his photos.

“Mayu-chan.” Otou-san says, holding up a picture of her and Ino crouched over Chouji with silver streaks soaring past them like deadly shooting stars. “Not that we aren’t proud of you for looking after your friends, but could you work a little harder to avoid getting hurt too please?”

“I’ll try, Otou-san.” She choruses guiltily.

It seems like what happened has become the talk of the village by dinner time.

Though she could be biased because that happens to be the time Gai-sensei bursts in, babbling on about explosions and grievous wounds and youth and her being sick on Anko’s shoes.

This earns her another week-long cooking ban, on the grounds that it might be a bug and not evil chakra that made her throw up.

Even Iruka-sensei brings it up at Ichiraku’s the following night.

“I heard you had an eventful day yesterday.” He says politely while they’re waiting for their noodles. He seems a bit more at ease now Naruto and Lee aren’t there.

“Yeah.” She sighs, tracing the woodgrain with her finger. “It’s just—ugh.”

Iruka-sensei is nice, so he doesn’t chuckle at her little exclamation of disgust and waits for her to explain herself.

“It’s just—” She throws her hands up at not knowing what it “just” is and decides to start over from what she does know. “Uchiha is not a bad person. He’s dumb and awkward and— whatever, but he’s not bad. He’s just scared. And alone. And everyone thinks he knows what he’s doing because the teacher keeps saying he’s a prodigy and that he’s the best at everything—but he has no shi–blooming clue.”

Iruka-sensei nods seriously, brows furrowing, so she continues. “But he doesn’t know that he doesn’t—or he thinks that since everyone’s calling him a prodigy that he’s supposed to. So when he got scared about the man who murdered his clan coming back because of the thieves, he tried to protect himself with the wires and traps, because there’s no adults who’ll defend him. And then he tried to have everyone over to defend us too, because he’s not a bad person, he’s just kinda dumb and paranoid, y’know?”

“I...think I do know, yes.” Iruka-sensei says slowly, like he’s realizing something.

“Yeah—and before me and Naruto went over and cleaned his kitchen, his kitchen was a tip, because he had no idea what to do with all this food people were giving him!” She turns to Teuchi-sama. “I mean, he was just eating white rice and uncooked tomatoes everyday! It was like when I met Naruto, except he had all this food when Naruto had nothing, but he didn’t know what to do with it, so it was all rotting and going to waste!”

Teuchi-sama winces.

“That must’ve stunk something awful!” Ayame-sama chirps.

“Sanji as my witness it did.” She groans, covering her face while Otou-san carefully pats her back.

“Nobody was feeding Naruto?” Iruka-sensei interrupts, brows drawn down.

“Not from what we could see.” Okaa-san replies, daintily sipping at her water. “He’d be chased out of the market. I think Ichiraku’s was the only place he could get a square meal, until Mayu-chan started feeding him.”

Teuchi-sama nods. “He was our favorite customer. Still is, in fact.”

“Mayu with her little lunchboxes.” Otou-sama smiles nostalgically. “Up at the crack of dawn, carrying around those sheets of paper with what he liked and didn’t like on them.”

She squirms, cheeks heating up. “I didn’t know him then.” She complains. “But he was hungry. I couldn’t leave him hungry.”

Teuchi-sama nods approvingly as he slides a bowl of miso ramen in front of her.

Iruka-sensei is quiet while he eats.

“What did you tell him.” Uchiha growls at lunch on Monday.

She blinks in confusion, about to bite into her onigiri. “What did I tell who?”

Uchiha looks pained, his grilled sandwich leaking tomato juice and pesto in his grip.

“The Hokage,” He grits out. “Has determined that I am not suited to living on my own because of something one of you said. So I now have this chunin living in my house and leaving his stupid porn everywhere.”

She winces. “But I haven’t seen the Hokage all weekend. He was with Naruto, and Naruto wasn’t with us.”

“We did hear the explosion.” Naruto pipes up unhelpfully. “It really freaked his mask guys out—we thought the village was under attack or something when we heard it, believe it!”

Sasuke glares at them all, taking a mutinous bite of his sandwich.

“Mayu.” Shikamaru says. “Do you know what my dad does?”

She frowns as she swallows and takes another bite. “Tactician?”

Shikamaru’s smile is slow and spiteful. “He’s the Jounin Squad Leader of Konoha. Second only to the Hokage himself.”

She stops chewing.

Oh. Oh.

Whoops.

Uchiha looks between the two of them, growing redder and redder with each passing second.

“TRAITORS!!!” He howls finally, and flings himself across the table at Shikamaru.

They all get detention again.

She’s really not sure how long the teacher expects to keep justifying things with “you’re friends and supposed to control each other” when he’s the authority figure here.

Though maybe her telling him this wasn’t the best idea.

“Well, you weren’t wrong.” Chouji says loyally.

“Thank you Chouji.” She replies.

“Still a dumb thing to say.” Naruto adds.

She places her hand over his mouth. “Sssh.”

He licks it again.

While they’re wrestling, she hears Sakura ask Uchiha, “Are you gonna be okay, Sasuke-kun?”

Uchiha snorts. “I’ll be fine. I just have to convince the Hokage that I’m strong enough to live on my own. And to do that, I need to get rid of the trespasser in my home.”

“...How are you gonna do that?” Ino asks, sounding a lot more wary than she has in previous Uchiha conversations.

He grunts in a way that conveys indecision, or maybe constipation.

“What if you pranked him?” Naruto suggests from where she’s almost managed to force her spit-contaminated arm to touch his cheek. “I know some pretty good ones that the jerks in the market never saw coming!”

Uchiha pauses.

His lips curl into a slow, cruel smirk.

She’s not privy to all the details, because Naruto is sworn to solemn secrecy by the prankster’s code.

What she does know is that the chunin who leaves his porn everywhere is subjected to potent itching powder in every fabric item he attempts to use, and somehow becomes convinced that the ghosts of the Uchiha clan would curse his family with pimply skin for every generation thereafter if he did not vacate the premises immediately.

Sasuke’s victorious mood is dampened when the Hokage apparently sends a new chunin to live with him the very next day.

This chunin apparently has a bad habit of talking down to children, no matter whether they’re the last remnants of their clan or not, and abusing his new position to bring home “friends”.

Uchiha takes this as a declaration of war.

He ends up mobbed by every cat from here to Kusagakure thanks to a potent mixture of valerian, catnip, and a secret ingredient that Uchiha refuses to divulge which was mixed into his shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in small enough increments to be unnoticeable until it was too late.

The Hokage sends a jounin.

Kiba ends up recruited to the cause.

The jounin somehow ends up ingesting enough laxatives to put a small monkey out of commission, and then has his all-black ensemble and glasses forcibly dyed many colors thanks to the liberal application of industrial-strength paint.

The Hokage sends Anko.

The ensuing carnage results in the statue of the Niidaime losing its nose and has Uchiha lying low for three weeks, alternating between hiding in her and Sakura’s houses and Naruto’s apartment.

A few days before their finals, Uchiha comes in looking oddly...defeated.

“The Hokage and the Council say that unless I accept the next caretaker they provide for me, I’m going to go into the Orphanage and the Uchiha lands will be forfeit.”

Hinata covers her mouth with her hands. Ino and Kiba sit there, silent and slack-jawed. Chouji pushes away his food and Shikamaru actually sits up. Shino’s insects stop buzzing altogether.

“They can’t do that, can they?” Naruto says, looking around for confirmation. “I mean, that’s your home, right? It’s yours.”

“But Sasuke-kun’s technically a ward of state and has to do what they say.” Sakura says slowly. “Until he becomes a genin or comes of age as a civilian.”

“And that’s eighteen or something, right?” She adds with a heavy heart.

Uchiha puts his head down on the table.

“Hey, that’s rough man.” Kiba says, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

Akamaru strides down the table and settles himself next to Uchiha’s head, gently licking his cheek until the boy turns and buries his hand in the puppy’s soft fur.

“Did they say who it’ll be?” She asks gently, pushing her BLT over to him.

He shakes his head slowly, lifting the sandwich and taking a bite. “The Hokage only said they’ll be there to greet me after school.”

“Well, whoever they are, they can’t be worse than Anko, right?” Ino says, trying to be upbeat.

Everybody at the table shudders.

They stand with him in solidarity at the end of the Academy day.

The other parents and children look at them strangely, a group of clan kids and a few civilians bunched together around the last Uchiha like a protective barrier, but no one comes forward to try and take him.

It isn’t until the last of them are leaving that someone arrives.

Iruka-sensei comes out of the Academy building, carrying a suitcase.

“Ah, Ketsugi-chan, Lee-kun, Uzumaki-kun!” He says, smiling brightly. “How are you doing?”

“We are well, thank you Iruka-sensei!” Lee says. “We are waiting with Uchiha-kun for his new guardian!”

Iruka-sensei’s eyes soften and he kneels down. “So you’re Sasuke-kun, huh? My name is Umino Iruka. It’s nice to meet you.”

Uchiha averts his eyes and stares stubbornly at the floor.

“I don’t want you in my house.” He says. “But the Hokage says if I don’t I have to go to the Orphanage.”

Iruka-sensei winces. “I heard about that. Do you want me to stay in one of the branch houses then? I just cancelled my apartment contract with my landlord, but I’m sure if I begged hard enough, she’d let me stay there for longer until we sort out what you’re comfortable with.”

Uchiha peers at him suspiciously. “...Okay. Do that.”

Suddenly Iruka-sensei’s stomach gurgles.

He blushes. “Ah, do you mind if we get some food first? There’s a pretty good ramen place I know.”

“Ichiraku’s?” Naruto bursts in eagerly.

“We’re not feeding you.” Uchiha says dismissively, ignoring Naruto’s cry of betrayal.

He begins to stride off down the path, only to turn when the teacher doesn’t follow. “Well? It’s annoying if you’re hungry.”

Iruka-sensei’s mouth quirks into a smile.

Somehow, she thinks as the teacher and boy disappear down the path, discussing one of the pranks that befell his hapless predecessor, this might turn out alright.

It’ll certainly be better than Anko.

[recklessrex]

216 - Macavity & Chaos Twins

First of all trigger warning: violence, abuse, injury, blood, child abuse

This story involves descriptions and discussions of violence. I wouldn't call it super graphic, but it's enough for me to caution those with triggers. Blood and injuries are mentioned, but not in detail. An adult causes mild physical injury to a minor. If any of these things are potential triggers for you, you may want to skip this one.

Sorry it's quite a bit longer than I'd intended. I'd put it under a cut but I'm stuck using mobile and it won't let me. Just rapid scroll if you'd like to skip.

---

Okay so if you're still reading

This takes place some years before the current timeline, when Mungo and Teazer are in their early to mid teens. Bomba is in her early 20s, Demeter hasn't met her or Macavity yet (which is why she doesn't appear in this story), and my OC, Sullivan, has known him for about 5 or so years.

(Note: "mot" = "adult or teenage woman" A word I first saw in a fantasy novel, I use it where many other Cats writers might use the word "queen." Just a personal preference of mine. I find it less awkward, plus I think it's neat that it's "tom" backwards)

Beware: Long Fic

---

“You know how you can smack something to get it to work? I wish I can do that to people.”

Macavity eyed the two kits chattering away before him as he lounged in his favorite chair. He wasn't sure what to make of them, or their little presentation. He was torn between annoyance and amusement.

They were certainly bold, he had to give them that. They couldn't have been more than 15 or so, the girl perhaps even a bit younger. Two nameless, no-account brats with, as far as Mac could tell, no existing connection to his gang whatsoever.

Yet here they were, stood fearlessly in the middle of his lounge, explaining to the most feared gang leader in the Junkyard how they wanted in on a heist they had no business even knowing about. Mac was sorely tempted to be impressed just by the sheer figurative balls of these two, but he'd wait and see how this went.

At Mac's side, seated on the ottoman that went with his chair, his chief "henchrat," Sullivan, grimaced under his elaborate Rat-mask. Sully had little patience for these young intruders or their antics. He just wanted the little punks gone, so they could get back to business. But Mac had so far said nothing, and so Sullivan would say nothing. As long as Mac wanted to hear them out, they could speak. But they'd better hurry it up…

Several other Cats in the gang, mostly in Rat-masks like Sullivan's, were scattered around the room, some seated around a table covered in maps and other papers, others stood against the walls or lounging in other pieces of furniture strewn about the room. Some listened to the intruders' speech with mild interest, some glared, others quietly mocked or rolled their eyes at the duo, or muttered to each other. All kept an eye on Macavity, and on Sullivan. If their boss and their captain were fine with these two idiots trespassing on their turf for now, then the rest of the gang was fine with it too. But the moment either on them gave the signal, the little brats would be outta there, and probably more than a little worse for the wear.

A large Rat-masked Cat called "Hoover" leaned his back against the door with his arms crossed. He glowered menacingly at the talkative teens' backs. He wasn't sure how they got in, but if the nosy punks tried to escape while the boss still wanted them here, they weren't getting out through Hoover.

A Cat that was not in a Rat-mask leaned against the back of Mac's chair on the opposite side of Sullivan, occasionally reaching down to stroke the fur of his head, chest, or shoulders. She was the newest mot in the gang, a tall curvy young bombshell with the boldest, most beautiful red fur Mac had ever seen. Her name was Bombalurina, but Sullivan called her "Bombalicious." Mac called her what most people called her: "Bomba."

Bomba wasn't sure where she'd seen the girl of the pair before, but she was quite certain she had. She watched the girl with keen interest, but tried to keep her expression something close to boredom. She didn't want to arouse anyone's suspicions til she was sure what she was dealing with.

Normally only "the rats" and a few other people relevant to a particular job were allowed in the lounge while plans were going on, but Mac… sort of knew Bomba… sort of. He remembered her from when they were kits, though they never interacted much since he was 8 years older than her, but she used to play with his kit brother sometimes. Even though his brother had been a couple years younger than her, she still let him hang out with her and her friends, and Mac had once caught her scolding some girls more her age for picking on the younger boy.

Mac remembered Bomba's kindness to his baby brother, and found himself trusting her, despite the insistence from at least one of the other mots and a few of the rats that she must be a spy. As far as he knew, Bomba had not been living with the Jellicles for at least a couple years now. He wondered if she even remembered him from her youth.

When she'd first arrived, he'd asked Sullivan what he thought. His short, stout friend had shrugged and said he'd keep an eye on her, but that she didn't come across to him as having an agenda. Mac trusted Sully's opinion.

"And that's why we like to respectfully ask you to include our services in your upcoming endeavors," concluded the boy, using words Mac would never have guess were in his vocabulary. He hadn't seemed like the brightest bulb. Neither of them had, but the boy especially gave off major airhead vibes. Macavity raised an eyebrow, maybe there was more to them then he'd realized.

Then again, maybe the dumb kit had just memorized the line.

"And what exactly do I get out of this?" he drawled in his deep, silky, menacing voice.

"Uhhh…" said the boy, looking worried for the first time, though Mac wasn't sure if it was because of the question or just Mac's tone.

"You've told me why you want in, but why should I want you in?" Mac elaborated. He was starting to lose his patience. Surely some advantage to the gang had been part of their plan? Surely they hadn't taken such a huge risk by invading his heist meeting just to tell him why they feel they have a right to take part? Surely they didn't think he gave a shit about where some no-account kitten gang had drawn their turf line against other no-account kitten gangs? Surely they weren't that stupid?

"Right," started the boy, "well you see, uh…"

"You see," the girl took over, indicating herself and her companion with a couple jerks of her thumb, "we're a notorious couple of cats!" The boy, recovered from his brief bout of nerves, nodded sagely.

"Yeah, that's right!" he piped proudly. "Notorious!"

Mac raised an eyebrow and looked down at Sully. His loyal friend looked up at him. Mac couldn't really see Sully's eyebrows through the mask, but he knew Sully was as amused as he was. Or, well, maybe "amused" wasn't the right word…

"You, uh.." Sully said to the pair, fighting back a dry chuckle that wanted to rise from the back of his throat, "you do know what 'notorious' means, right?"

"Uhhh…" the teens chorused, looking at each other.

"Well known," explained Sullivan, not waiting for them to come up with an answer. "Famous. Renowned in dis-reputation."

"Oh yea we know that," claimed the boy, nodding.

"Yeah!" echoed the girl.

"Really?" asked Sullivan flatly, crossing his arms over his husky chest.

"Oh yeah! Sure we do!" exclaimed the girl.

"Pfft of course," said the boy, posing arrogantly.

"Pfft," echoed the girl, making a show of rolling her eyes.

"Then why have I never heard of you?" Mac asked slowly, dropping an extra degree of ice and menace into the words. He liked watching them squirm. At his side, Sullivan smirked.

"Well uh.." stammered the boy, "erm…"

"Ahh well, uh, you see, uh…" tried the girl.

Macavity grinned wickedly, allowing the expression to serve as an implied threat. The pair squirmed more. The boy gaped, wide-eyed, at the crime boss. He tried to speak, but couldn't make a sound. He looked rather entertainingly like a fish, repeatedly opening his mouth to start speaking and then closing it again. The girl, meanwhile, blinked, shook her head, and cleared her throat.

"Ahem, well, I suppose we aren't notorious enough to reach the ears of such an illustrious Cat as yourself," she said, trying some flattery, "but we're a damn good team."

The boy snapped out of his fish-trance to nod proudly and seriously.

"We can do all manner of things for ya!" he announced.

"Like what?" Mac asked. He was getting bored.

"Like everything!" the boy boasted.

"We're the sneakiest sneak thieves," the girl elaborated.

"And burglars!" added the boy, who obviously couldn't be prouder of this fact.

"And acrobats!" the girl practically sang. She did a cartwheel as demonstration. Mac wasn't sure how she thought cartwheels would be of service to him, but at least he was slightly less bored.

"And Teazer 'ere can pick a lock like nobody's business!" The boy jerked a thumb at his companion.

"And Mungo can creep quieter than a Mouse!" added the girl, who was apparently called Teazer. "And so can I o' course, Mungo's just even quieter."

Bomba's ears had perked up at the name Teazer. Hadn't she known someone named Teazer as a kit? She was more sure than ever that she knew this rambunctious girl, but she couldn't place where…

"And we're tougher than we look," continued the boy, apparently called Mungo.

"Yeah, especially together," Teazer agreed, puffing herself up to try and look intimidating. It wasn't very effective. "Nobody crosses us."

"Yeah nobody," echoed Mungo. They seemed to echo each other a lot.

When they were finished, Macavity sat silent, regarding them. Sullivan watched his boss and waited. The gang watched Macavity, and Sullivan, and waited.

Bomba watched the duo as they resisted the urge to start squirming again under the silence. She vaguely remembered a much younger kit in her tribe, at least 6 or 7 years younger, that was called "Teazer." But that kit had been a boy. It must have been a different Teazer. She remembered it had been short for something…

Finally, after a full minute of silence, Macavity spoke.

"I have many other Cat's that can do all of these things." he said slowly. "What makes you special?"

"Can any of em do it all at once?" Teazer retorted immediately. Mungo looked worried though, glancing around the room at all the masked criminals that were surrounding him as though seeing them for the first time.

"Probably," answered Mac. It was a lie, but he suspected the kits were exaggerating too, and besides, he wanted to see how they reacted. "What else ya got?"

The girl hesitated, but didn't squirm. Her eyes darted to her sides, and Mac knew she was resisting the urge to glance nervously around the room like her friend. The boy pulled his attention away from the sneering, glaring thugs and addressed Macavity again.

"Look you need us," he said plainly.

"Yes, so you say," Mac drawled, "but why?"

No answer. The kits exchanged glances.

"You've yet to explain this to me." Mac layed the ice on thick, but the kits didn't squirm.

"Well?" demanded Sullivan. "You heard him! Either come up with a decent answer, or get lost! Quit wasting our time!"

"We can go anywhere," Teazer said suddenly, her voice calm and confident. The boy nodded quietly at her side. "We can get into anywhere," she went on, "and I do mean anywhere."

"Don't matter where," Mungo continued, his voice as calm and serious as his friend's. "Don't matter the security. If we want in, we find a way in. No one and nothin' can stop us."

They were both suddenly in serious business mode. No squirming, no nerves, no arrogant posturing, no showing off or silly antics, just two very serious kits, staring him dead in the eye, perfectly calm. Macavity suspected this was more than a boast, and it would make them quite valuable if it were true. But he was no fool. He would make them prove it.

"And you expect me to believe that?" he drawled.

"We got in 'ere, didn't we?" Teazer said, still calmly, but with a touch of teenage attitude, staring at him sassily as if challenging him to argue. Mungo raised an eyebrow and smirked, but said nothing. Neither of them broke eye contact.

Sullivan looked up at Mac. He waited. The gang waited. Bomba waited. The kits waited. Seconds ticked by. Sullivan, and only Sullivan, saw the smirk fighting to take form on his friend's face.

Finally Macavity, the most feared gang leader in the Junkyard, chuckled a low chuckle that rose into full hearty laughter. Sullivan joined him, chuckling his own nasally chuckle, then wheezing in laughter. They were finished before the rest of the gang were recovered enough from the shock and surprise to join in. Most of them didn't get the joke anyway, didn't understand what was so amusing about these punks to their fearsome boss and his fearless second-in-command.

"You're in," Macavity told the kits, who had started to squirm slightly again when he'd started laughing. He couldn't fault them that, he had a very intimidating laugh, even when it was genuine.

Now they grinned wide, and launched into speeches of gratitude, promising he wouldn't regret it and so on and so forth. The much of rest of the gang murmured to each other, unsure of how they felt about this new addition, except Hoover, who stood silently by the door, and Bomba, who was still contemplating where she'd seen this kit before, and of course Sullivan, who wrinkled his nose at the talkative little brats but said nothing, waiting for his boss.

Mac said no more, but waved a signal to Sullivan. No one else looking would have known what the signal meant, but he knew it was his cue to take back control of the room.

"Shut up!" said Sully, standing up and stepping forward. Everyone shut up. Mac's chief henchrat may have been the shortest guy in the room, but his bulk, his mask, and his crisp, commanding voice made up for what his height lacked in intimidation. He pointed a clawed finger at the two grinning kits.

"You're in, but you ain't big fish yet. You're at the bottom of the tank, eating algae off the dirt and gravel. That's your place. Don't forget it." He paused for a second to let that sink in. They nodded their understanding.

"Now sit down and shut up!" Sullivan finished, "You've wasted enough of our time."

"Do we get a cool mask like yours?" one of them asked as Sullivan returned to his seat.

"No! Sit down!" he shouted, gesturing angrily at them with one meaty arm. Mac chuckled at his irritated friend and rested a hand on his shoulder.

Still grinning, the kits tried to find seats on the nearby sofa but found it was suddenly full, the thugs that were seated in it stretching out and spreading their legs until there was no room. Looking around they saw similar things happening around the room. Single, unoccupied chairs were now taken up by people that had previously been standing. Only Hoover remained standing, still guarding the door. The runts were no skin off his nose. As long as they stayed out of his way.

Undaunted by the lack of seats, the duo found a spot close to the table where they would be unlikely to be stepped on and obediently sat down on the floor. They smiled up at Sullivan, who nodded his approval. At least they could follow instruction.

Meanwhile Bomba was too distracted trying to remember where she knew Teazer from to sit down at first, though she did plant her rear on the arm of the Mac's chair when he gave her thigh an encouraging tug. The brat couldn't be the little boy named Teazer from her old tribe, unless… nah she would have needed surgery, and she looked way too young for that. How would she even afford it? No it couldn't be. Bomba gave up, crossed her legs, and leaned against Mac, wrapping her arms around his maned head and running a hand along his collar bones.

The gang didn't settle so easily. A few of the higher players tried to stay focused on their planning, but the majority the gang (minus the somber Hoover, the now contented Bomba, and the annoyed but faithful Sullivan) gradually broke back into murmurs amongst each other. They apparently had already forgotten their captain's anger, or had mistaken it as being for the new brats only. The brats in question, meanwhile, weren't paying attention at all, not that there was much to pay attention to with the state the room was in. They were playing some kind of game where they pretended to slap each other's hands, but didn't make any noise.

Sully itched to get them all back on track, but, as always, he stoically waited for Mac. Sometimes his boss liked letting a room run out of control. He found it entertaining, in certain mood. But a glance up at his old friend told him he was not amused. Even sat in the loving arms of the hottest mot in the gang, he had clearly fallen into a considerably bad mood. Ignoring Bomba completely, he glowered darkly at his very, very distracted gang. But still he said nothing, made no signal.

Sully hesitated, then laid a comforting hand on his friend's knee. Mac looked down at him, his face unreadable, then looked back out at the room again. Sully followed his gaze, keeping his hand on his knee. He waited.

Finally Mac sighed. He lifted arm to rest his elbow on the arm of the chair not occupied by Bomba's very fine rear end, and let his head rest against his fist. His glower softened.

“You know how you can smack something to get it to work?" he said.

"Yeah?"

"I wish I could do that with people.”

When Sully didn't reply, Mac looked down to see his loyal masked confidant staring up at him. Half his expression was obscured by the Rat-mask, but Mac could see the straight, seemingly unamused line his mouth was making, as well as the tiny almost undetectable little twitch in one corner of his mouth.

"What?" he asked, fighting a smirk of his own.

"Boss," Sullivan said flatly.

"What?"

"Boss."

"What?!" Mac couldn't hold this in much longer.

"You do that all the time!"

Mac threw back his head and howled with laughter, and Sullivan doubled over laughing as well. Neither quite knew what it was about this they found funny, but they couldn't help it. They laughed together, Sully wheezing and snickering alongside Mac's deep rolling chuckle. The rest of the gang fell silent, then some of them nervously tried to chuckle along to a joke they didn't understand.

"Shut up!" Mac roared and jumped to his feet, nearly knocking poor Bomba off the arm of the chair. Sullivan swallowed his laughter, put on his best stony face, and stood just behind Mac at his right side. His place.

Everyone stared at Mac, who glared and showed his teeth, a growl rumbling deep in his throat. His hackles were raised, making his red mane stand up like a fiery halo around his head. Suddenly he swung his right arm out in a wide arc, over an unflinching Sullivan's head, to strike the face of an unmasked Cat at the table with the back off his hand. The Cat, a safecracker they were outsourcing for this gig, tumbled backwards off the bench. Bomba, new enough to be shocked and surprised at this outburst, got up from the chair and quickly put it between her and Macavity.

The furious ginger tom then charged to the other side of the table, where the masked Cats that sat there and nearby shrank away, putting their hands up defensively and shaking their heads to ask for mercy. Finding their body language suitably submissive, Mac turned away from the table to take in the rest of the room. Near his feet were the new brats, staring at the floor and trying to make themselves as small as possible. They had shifted a bit away from the table, and the boy, Mungo, had placed himself between Teazer and Macavity. He briefly glanced up at Macavity, then snapped his eyes back to the floor.

On the sofa across the room two masked thugs looked at each other, then back at Macavity with frowns and narrowed eyes.

That would not do.

Macavity snarled and swiftly crossed the room to the sofa, giving Mungo a sharp kick in the stomach along the way. He took his claws out and swatted one thug across the mouth, where his mask didn't protect him, and with the claws of his other hand, slashed the other thug from shoulder to sternum. Both cried out. Mac let out a bellowing growl to silence them. The thugs cowered, whimpering and holding their wounds. A third thug seated on the sofa turned his head away and lowered his gaze to the floor. Suitably submissive.

At the door, Hoover was watching this unfold, seemingly unbothered, staring unblinkingly from beneath his mask. Macavity turned and spotted him, and in three steps he was upon him. He grabbed the much larger tom by the side of the neck, using just enough claw make it smart, and dragged his head down level with his own, snarling and baring his clenched teeth.

"Sssitt" ordered Macavity in a low, soft voice that promised pain it if not heeded.

Hoover obediently lowered to the floor. Sitting crosslegged with his back against the door, he broke eye contact by turning his head slightly and staring at his boss's left knee. Suitably submissive. Macavity let Hoover go.

Sullivan had watched it all impassively, but when Mac had gone after Hoover, who was never a problem, he had shifted slightly on his feet, fighting his discomfort.

It's good for show, he told himself. Biggest tom in the room. Reinforces his dominance with the whole gang. He knows Hoover would submit easily. The others don't necessarily know that. It's good for show.

He allowed himself a tiny sigh of relief when his boss had let the big tom go. If Mac had held on to him for much longer he would have had to try to gently remind him to chill the fuck out, without undermining his authority.

Unfortunately, Macavity had turned around in time, and was familiar enough with his chief henchrat's body language, to see his reaction. He growled and glowered and bared his teeth. Sully didn't flinch, but sent a pleading message with his eyes.

Easy, boss. It's enough. Please calm down.

Only Mac was looking at Sully. Only Mac saw the troubled, almost sad look in his eyes. Neither of them were telepaths, and so Mac couldn't know exactly what Sully was trying to tell him, but he knew that look. It was the look Sully always wore when Mac's temper flared hotter than was safe for either of them. It was a look that Mac associated with a calm, comforting voice.

"It's okay," his friend would tell him, "it's alright. Take it easy, you're alright."

Though Sully was silent now, Mac could hear those soft, soothing words in the back of his mind when he looked in his friend's eyes.

It was a look Mac associated with the gentle weight of an understanding hand on his shoulder, or his arm, or his knee. It was a look that made him feel strange, unfamiliar, but not unpleasant things. It was a look that awakened a protective instinct in him, though he was only mildly aware that it was himself he was protecting his best friend from.

It was a look that calmed Macavity's heart.

It was not a look of fear, nor was it truly one of submission.

But it was suitably submissive. For his purposes. He told himself that as his glower softened, his lips curled back down to cover his teeth, and his bristling mane smoothed back into it's normal wild shaggy state.

In truth it wasn't submissive at all. Macavity had been soothed. With one gentle look, the most feared gang leader in the Junkyard had been subdued.

The whole exchange, from growling at Sully to silent plea to dampening fury, had taken no more than five seconds. No one else in the gang had noticed. They were too busy not making eye contact. Mungo was doubled over on the floor, holding his stomach and trying not to make noise, while Teazer knelt beside him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders protectively, her head layed against his back. Only Sullivan was looking at Mac, and no one was looking at Sullivan.

Except Bomba. She was watching anxiously from behind Mac's chair. She had seen her new lover lock eyes with the obnoxious little fatass that was in charge of the rat squad. Had seen his rage melt away like nothing. Now she looked from Sullivan to Macavity and back again, trying to make sense of what she'd just witnessed.

Macavity sneered his annoyance at her, but did not bare his teeth. She offered him a small nervous smile, just trying to stay on his good side. He did not return it. His temper was under control, but his mood had not improved. He stalked silently back to his chair, giving Sullivan the tiniest of nods on his way. Sullivan knew his cue.

"Alright listen up!" shouted the rat captain, looking around the room at the nervous eyes that looked up at him. "No more chit-chat! No more bullshit! Let's get back to business!"

Sullivan didn't look at Macavity as he passed him, and Macavity didn't look at him either. He silently glided by and flopped hard into his chair. Bomba, to her credit, didn't flinch or back away at his approach, but she didn't come around to sit on the arm again. Nor did he encourage her to. Instead, she leaned one arm against the back of the chair with as much an air of nonchalance as she could muster.

A minute ago, literally one minute, he would have been annoyed and probably offended at her behavior, but in this moment he admired and respected her for it. Macavity's thoughts tended to run like that, all over the place. Increasingly so, these days.

Despite Sullivan's firm orders, it was only when the boss was seated again that the room cautiously started reorganizing itself. The safecracker was helped to his feet by a masked Cat, and returned to his place on the bench. Teazer quietly helped Mungo sit up and the two sat in silence as other Cats nearby returned to the table and started ruffling through papers. Hoover, already where he was supposed to be, didn't move.

"You two," Sullivan pointed a claw at the two bleeding thugs on the sofa, "get yourselves cleaned up, you're bleeding all over the upholstery!"

They didn't need to be told twice. They scrambled from the sofa and made for the door, finding it blocked by Hoover.

"Let 'em out." ordered Sullivan.

Hoover stood, opened the door, and slammed it closed again after they had exited, nearly catching one of them by the tail. Then he crossed his arms and leaned against the door once more. Macavity glared a warning from his chair, and Hoover silently slid his back down the door until he was again seated crosslegged on the floor.

"Everyone else, get focused!" Sullivan continued. "And stay focused! No more games! We have work to do!"

Sullivan looked around the room, and, satisfied they all would behave themselves for now, returned to his own seat at his boss's side. From his chair, Mac quietly and gently reached out to stroke the short, sweaty, taupe-grey fur on the back of Sully's neck with his fingers. Sully's shoulders relaxed. He leaned into the touch.

"There's other ways to get shit to work you know," he muttered softly. Mac took his hand away. Sully looked up at him.

"And smacking it might not do anything but break it."

Mac said nothing. His attention seemed to be on the Cats at the table, who were discussing a blueprint. Sully sighed and patted Mac's arm, which was now resting on the arm of the chair.

"But you do you, boss..."

"Hnm," grunted Mac.

"… just…"

Mac's head didn't move, but his eyes flicked down to regard his loyal companion, his expression blank, silently granting him permission to say whatever he was hesitating to say.

It's okay, Mac tried to tell him with his eyes, I won't get mad.

But still Sully hesitated, finally he sighed again and said "We can talk about this later."

Sully had wanted to tell his boss that he thought he should reign it back a bit, for his own good as well as the good of the gang. But this wasn't the time or the place. Anything that could be taken as arguing with him, including questioning his methods, should be done in private. Undermining him in front of everyone, right after they had just gotten the room under control again, was a very bad idea. He didn't know how Mac would respond to it, but more importantly, he did know how the gang would take it, and Sully reckoned it wouldn't go well in the long run. Just not a good idea.

So he waved it off until later, when they could talk in private. He patted Mac's wrist again, letting his hand rest there a moment before taking it away, and turned his attention back to the discussion over the blueprint.

Bomba, the only Cat within earshot of their conversation, watched the two is them with interest. She had no idea what to make of these two, or their strange relationship.

Well, she thought, at least the tall one's hot.

From the door, Hoover had seen the quick gentle touches between the boss and the captain. He paid it no mind. He knew the two were close, that it wasn't like that, and that it wouldn't matter even if it was. He also knew better than to assume a little bit of sentiment (or even intimacy) made either of them weaker somehow.

And it wasn't any of his business anyway.

On the floor near the table, Mungo and Teazer tried to focus on the discussion, but it was difficult seeing how they couldn't really see the papers being discussed. Not to mention Mungo's very sore abdomen, and the fact that they suddenly had a lot to think about. They each wondered to themselves, had they gotten in over their heads?

Sullivan listened to gang discuss routes and patrols, the safecracker piping with helpful information such as how much time he'd need and so on. Tension had crept back up into Sully's back and shoulders. He didn't like jobs like this. He didn't like outsourcing. He didn't like new faces. And he especially didn't like when his boss was in a mood. He knew (or rather he hoped) Mac would never hurt him, not even in a mood like this. But it wasn't all about his own personal safety. He just didn't like his friend's dark moods. Not one bit.

Brooding, frowning, jaw clenched, sweating under his stupid mask, and trying his hardest to stay focused (set a good example, dammit, he thought to himself) Sullivan leaned against Mac's chair. He felt Mac's fingers lightly stroke the back of his neck yet again. They lingered there, just for a moment, just enough to relieve some of his tension, then returned to the arm of the chair.

Sully shifted so that his elbow brushed his friend's leg, letting it rest there a moment, as a return gesture of affection. Then both returned their attention to the business at hand, both in an ever-so-slightly better mood.

[fiadhaisteach]

New York Times: text under cut

What Lockdown 2.0 Looks Like: Harsher Rules, Deeper Confusion    

By Damien Cave

_________________________________________________________

Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, is becoming a case study in handling a second wave of infections. There are lots of unanswered questions.

Credit...William West/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, is grappling with a spiraling coronavirus outbreak that has led to a lockdown with some of the toughest restrictions in the world — offering a preview of what many urban dwellers elsewhere could confront in coming weeks and months.

The new lockdown is the product of early success; the country thought it had the virus beat in June. But there was a breakdown in the quarantine program for hotels. Returning travelers passed the virus to hotel security guards in Melbourne, who carried the contagion home.

Even after masks became mandatory in the city two weeks ago, the spread continued. And now, as officials try to break the chain of infections, Melbourne is being reshaped by sweeping enforcement and fine print. A confounding matrix of hefty fines for disobedience to the lockdown and minor exceptions for everything from romantic partners to home building has led to silenced streets and endless versions of the question: So, wait, can I ____?

Restaurant owners are wondering about food delivery after an 8 p.m. curfew began on Sunday night. Teenagers are asking if their boyfriends and girlfriends count as essential partners. Can animal shelter volunteers walk dogs at night? Are house cleaners essential for those struggling with their mental health? Can people who have been tested exercise outside?

“This is such a weird, scary, bizarro time that we live in,” said Tessethia Von Tessle Roberts, 25, a student in Melbourne who admits to having hit a breaking point a few days ago, when her washing machine broke.

“Our health care workers are hustling around the clock to keep us alive,” she said. “Our politicians are as scared as we are, but they have to pretend like they have a better idea than we do of what’s going to happen next.”

Pandemic lockdowns, never easy, are getting ever more confusing and contentious as they evolve in the face of second and third rounds of outbreaks that have exhausted both officials and residents. With success against the virus as fleeting as the breeze, the new waves of restrictions feel to many like a bombing raid that just won’t end.

For some places, risk calculations can change overnight. In Hong Kong, officials banned daytime dining in restaurants last month, only to reverse themselves a day later after an outcry. Schools in some cities are opening and closing like screen doors in summer.

In many areas where the virus has retreated and then resurged, the future looks like a long, complicated haul. Leaders are reaching for their own metaphors to try to explain it.

Image

Credit...William West/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has compared his opening and shutting of businesses to a

“dimmer switch.”

Dan Andrews, the premier in Victoria, the state of which Melbourne is the capital, has repeatedly referred to “pilot light mode” for industries like construction and meatpacking, which have been ordered to temporarily reduce their work forces.

Whatever the metaphor, the situation is bleak.

In Melbourne, a city of five million that is considered a capital of food and culture, the pandemic has come raging back even after a so-called Stage 3 lockdown began in early July — until recently the highest level of restrictions.

Officials have been flummoxed at every turn by the persistent complacency of just enough people to let the virus thrive and multiply.

Traffic data showed people driving more in July than they had during the first Stage 3 lockdown, in March and April. Even worse, almost nine out of 10 people with Covid-19 had not been tested or isolated when they first felt sick, Mr. Andrews, the state’s top leader, said in late July. And 53 percent had not quarantined while waiting for their test results.

“That means people have felt unwell and just gone about their business,” Mr. Andrews said.

Sounding the alarm, he made face masks mandatory the next day, on July 22.

Still, infections have continued to rise. They peaked at 753 new cases on July 30, and have hovered around 500 a day ever since, with the death toll in Victoria now standing at 147, after 11 deaths were recorded on Monday.

Those figures, while far less troublesome than those in the United States, have paved the way for a Stage 4 lockdown — what officials are calling a “shock and awe” attack on the virus — that will last at least six weeks.

Image

Credit...Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Overwhelming force, with precision, seems to be the goal. The chief modelers of the pandemic response in Australia have found that the virus can be suppressed only if more than 70 percent of the population abides by social distancing guidelines and other public health rules.

Mr. Andrews said the new restrictions would take 250,000 more people out of their routines, in the hopes of reaching the necessary threshold.

So retail stores will be closed. Schools will return to at-home instruction. Restaurants will be takeout or delivery only. Child-care centers will be available only for permitted workers.

Those restrictions are already well understood. The rules requiring more explanation are tied to the curfew and industries that have to cut back.

Large-scale construction projects of more than three stories, for example, will have to reduce their on-site work force by 75 percent, and workers will not be able to work at more than one location. Small-scale construction cannot have more than five workers.

All of which sounds clear. But does a bathroom renovation, for example, amount to home building in an apartment with one bathroom? And what about fixing things that break, like Ms. Von Tessle Roberts’s washing machine?

Some businesses, like cleaning services, are already emailing customers to say they think they can do some work, for people who pay through welfare or who need help for mental health reasons. But, like many others, they are still seeking official clarification.

Image

Credit...David Crosling/EPA, via Shutterstock

Mr. Andrews, a Labor politician sometimes described as awkward and paternal, has become the dad everyone needs answers from. He now oversees, under the lockdown rules, what may be the country’s most intrusive bureaucracy since its days as a penal colony.

The Coronavirus Outbreak ›

Frequently Asked Questions

Updated August 4, 2020

I have antibodies. Am I now immune?

I’m a small-business owner. Can I get relief?

What are my rights if I am worried about going back to work?

Should I refinance my mortgage?

What is school going to look like in September?

As of right now, that seems likely, for at least several months. There have been frightening accounts of people suffering what seems to be a second bout of Covid-19. But experts say these patients may have a drawn-out course of infection, with the virus taking a slow toll weeks to months after initial exposure. People infected with the coronavirus typically produce immune molecules called antibodies, which are protective proteins made in response to an infection. These antibodies may last in the body only two to three months, which may seem worrisome, but that’s perfectly normal after an acute infection subsides, said Dr. Michael Mina, an immunologist at Harvard University. It may be possible to get the coronavirus again, but it’s highly unlikely that it would be possible in a short window of time from initial infection or make people sicker the second time.

The stimulus bills enacted in March offer help for the millions of American small businesses. Those eligible for aid are businesses and nonprofit organizations with fewer than 500 workers, including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and freelancers. Some larger companies in some industries are also eligible. The help being offered, which is being managed by the Small Business Administration, includes the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. But lots of folks have not yet seen payouts. Even those who have received help are confused: The rules are draconian, and some are stuck sitting on money they don’t know how to use. Many small-business owners are getting less than they expected or not hearing anything at all.

Employers have to provide a safe workplace with policies that protect everyone equally. And if one of your co-workers tests positive for the coronavirus, the C.D.C. has said that employers should tell their employees -- without giving you the sick employee’s name -- that they may have been exposed to the virus.

It could be a good idea, because mortgage rates have never been lower. Refinancing requests have pushed mortgage applications to some of the highest levels since 2008, so be prepared to get in line. But defaults are also up, so if you’re thinking about buying a home, be aware that some lenders have tightened their standards.

It is unlikely that many schools will return to a normal schedule this fall, requiring the grind of online learning, makeshift child care and stunted workdays to continue. California’s two largest public school districts — Los Angeles and San Diego — said on July 13, that instruction will be remote-only in the fall, citing concerns that surging coronavirus infections in their areas pose too dire a risk for students and teachers. Together, the two districts enroll some 825,000 students. They are the largest in the country so far to abandon plans for even a partial physical return to classrooms when they reopen in August. For other districts, the solution won’t be an all-or-nothing approach. Many systems, including the nation’s largest, New York City, are devising hybrid plans that involve spending some days in classrooms and other days online. There’s no national policy on this yet, so check with your municipal school system regularly to see what is happening in your community.

On Tuesday, he answered questions from reporters about dog-walking (allowed after curfew, sort of, only near home) and other subjects of great confusion at a news conference in Melbourne.

Thanking those who complied with the new rules and scolding those who did not, he announced that no one in self-isolation would now be allowed to exercise outdoors. A door-knocking campaign to check in on 3,000 people who had Covid-19 found that 800 of them were not at home.

All 800 have been referred to the Victoria police for investigation. The fine for violators going forward, he said, will be 4,957 Australian dollars, $3,532.

Working, even legally, will also become trickier. Other than, say, hospital workers with formal identification, everyone traveling for a job deemed essential during the lockdown must carry a formal document — a work permit signed by the employer and employee.

For Cara Devine, who works at a wine store that closes at 8 p.m., that means carrying a government form with her everywhere, and hoping that the police recognize her task as essential when she heads home after the curfew. But she also worried about the Uber drivers who take her back and forth.

Image

Credit...William West/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

“Even before the newest restrictions, I’ve had two Uber drivers being really late picking up from the shop because they got stopped by the police, taking about an hour out of their work time,” she said.

The police are already confronting opposition. On at least four occasions in the last week, they reported having to smash the windows of cars and pull people out after they refused to provide a name and address at a police checkpoint. The Victoria police commissioner, Shane Patton, said a 38-year-old woman had also been charged with assault after attacking a police officer who had stopped her for not wearing a face mask.

Some criminologists are questioning whether the harsher enforcement will help. Mostly, though, Melburnians are just trying to endure.

Walking to get groceries, Peter Barnes, 56, said he welcomed the stricter rules, though he admitted his city was starting to feel like George Orwell’s “1984,” with the heavy hand of the state around every corner.

Those focused solely on the economics, he said, should remember the obvious: “You can’t hire a corpse. Very bad employment prospects for people who are dead.”

By Monday night, the city seemed to be in listening mode. The streets were emptying out, silent in hibernation.

“It’s like a Sunday in the 1950s,” said Mark Rubbo, the owner of Readings, Melbourne’s largest independent bookstore. He also noted that people were stocking up again on books through online orders, with a memoir called “The Happiest Man on Earth,” about a Holocaust survivor, becoming a runaway hit.

Ms. Von Tessle Roberts has found another solution, perhaps just as likely to grow in popularity: Stand on your front porch and scream. That’s the name she has given to an event she posted on Facebook, set for Friday at 7 p.m. By Tuesday afternoon, 70,000 people had expressed an interest in joining her collective shout in anguish.

“Yelling is great,” she said. “It’s less dehydrating than crying.”

Image

Credit...Erik Anderson/EPA, via Shutterstock

_________________________________________________________

Besha Rodell and Yan Zhuang contributed reporting from Melbourne, and Livia Albeck-Ripka from Cairns, Australia.

Thanks for reading The Times.

Expand your horizons with a Times subscription.

Thanks for reading The Times.

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

Ansem’s Angels

I’m watching Charlie’s Angels rn. Old school version and boy was I inspired. 

Warnings: Violence

1,708 words

“Wait, wait, he spilled his entire glass of wine?” I pressed, with my mouth hidden by my coffee mug trying not to outright laugh.

“No.” Kairi shook her head and took a sip of her own drink before setting the glass down, “He spilled the entire bottle of wine.”

This time I didn’t hesitate to burst into laughter and Xion and Namine followed my lead. Kairi chuckled to herself and lifted her hand to rub at her reddening cheeks. Her freckles nearly disappearing from the deep blush that matched her hair.

Xion slapped the table then pointed at her, “He spilled the entire bottle of wine and you liked it!”

“It was just so adorable.” Kairi argued. “Sora was so flustered and nervous, and he was doing his best!”

Namine leaned against the palm of her hand, her long blonde hair resting against the metal grate table, “Kairi, we’re so happy for you. It sounds like the date went really, really well.”

“The waiter slipped on the wine and fell into the puddle. Sora felt so bad he tipped him like $100.” Kairi laughed again at the memory. The two of them had hit it off after meeting randomly in town, and I was happy for my old friend. It had been ages since the last time I saw her with such excitement in her blue eyes after just a simple date.

Xion leaned back into her seat and pulled her knees up casually to her chest. The flannel tied around her jean shorts brushed the ground, “Does Mr. Clumsy have any friends?”

“You’re in the market?” I raised an eyebrow at the bob cut, dark-haired woman in curiosity.

Xion scoffed, “Oh hell no, I’m asking for you.”

The table burst into laughter again and I scoffed. Dating hadn’t been a priority for me in a long, long time. There were other things in my life that had higher priority than finding some guy to cuddle up with at the end of the day. Especially, since the last guy to fill that role was such a dud.

“Well, speaking of”, Namine straightened her back and ran her hands down her white sun dress, “I know a guy in HR who is single and looking for a date. He’s a cutie too.”

“HR? Every guy in HR is a weirdo.” I argued. “Do you remember Toby? Like, no. I’m perfectly happy where I am in life right now.”

Namine shook her head, “You’re not wrong, but this guy is new, [Name]!”

Kairi snapped her fingers, “Actually, Sora does have this one friend-”

I downed the last of my coffee in one swig and slammed the mug down onto the table making the metal rattle, “It’s 4:00. If we don’t get a move on now, we’re going to be late.”

“That’s a distraction from the conversation at hand.” Xion pointed at me, but stood up anyways, “But, you’re not wrong.”

Kairi and Namine stood as well and I stepped away only to pause, “Wait, when’s that manicure appointment?”

“Next week. I can set up a date for you after?” Namine replied without missing a beat. I rolled my eyes and they all chuckled before following me away from the small, adorable coffee shop that we regularly frequented. Who needs a date when you have a job that keeps you busy nearly 24/7?

I slid some cash into Hayner’s hand as we passed him, then offered him a wide grin, “Thanks again! Keep our seats open for next week?”

Hayner shoved the cash into his shirt pocket, “You got it, ladies.”

                                                          ++++

I ran my fingers through my hair with a smirk, “That’s so amazing. A banker? Wow, you must be like so good with money.”

The guy in front of me, middle aged and chubby, grinned wider and continued to boast more about his 9-5 job. Namine spoke through the communicator in my ear, hidden by hair, and at her voice my eyes drifted across the socialite party to where Kairi, in her bright pink club dress, dragged a gray-haired man through a back hallway. Thank God, for cues.

“Hold that thought.” I pushed my finger against his lips stopping him from talking about whatever the hell he was talking about, “I’m gonna go…powder my—my nose and things.”

I gave him the most sultry look I had and turned to leave him standing there alone. Xion cackled through the communicator, “Powder your nose and things??”

“I’m rusty, ok?” I bit back and checked the knife hidden around my thigh, “There’s a reason Kairi was on the target and I was not.”

As I slipped into the back hallway, Xion saddled up next to me wearing one of the server’s uniforms. She held a silver tray tucked under her arms and a smile on her lips, “Don’t worry, I think we can find a guy who thinks awkwardness is adorable. I mean, this Sora guy found a woman who thinks clumsiness is cute.”

“Can we go punch people? I’d like to go punch people now.” I replied.

We jogged down a small flight of stairs into a the back lot behind the hotel the party was being at. As we turned the corner we were greeted by the sight of Kairi standing there, arms crossed, with four guys scattered around her in various degrees of unconsciousness.

“You didn’t even wait.”

Kairi shrugged and walked toward us, “You guys were taking way too long. It was a dead end. Low level mobster didn’t know shit. We’re back at square one.”

“You hear that, Bosley?” I sighed.

Namine answered quickly, “I did. Hurry back for debrief. We’ll go from there.”

Before we could move another step, a figure strolled into the lot clapping his hands. His bright red hair was loud and spiked high, his skin tan and marked with purple marks under his eyes. He was the kind of guy who was noticed in a crowd, and that didn’t even include the black cloak, gloves, and boots he wore. There was a casual, smug smirk on his lips that didn’t seem to fit the situation we now were faced with.

“The Angels. Wow.”

Kairi and Xion slid back a step to my side with arms up ready to fight. I stood in the middle, with my knife drawn now as ready as them for this mysterious threat.

“Jophiel, Gabriel, and Raphael.” He spouted out our codenames without hesitation. His bright green eyes lazily dancing over our figures. This felt like the start of a fight, but his body still stood lazily at the edge of the lot. No concern whatsoever. “You know, you guys are even prettier in person. I’m amazed. Aren’t you amazed, Saix?”

A man in the same outfit as him stepped out to stand beside him. He pulled his hood back to reveal long blue hair and gold eyes separated by an ‘x’ shaped scar between them. He didn’t seem to acknowledge the question posed to him, and chose rather to stare at us with bored eyes. Along with this guy, came eight henchmen of sorts all wearing black helmets, and a matching black uniform that looked just like pants and armored long sleeve shirts.

“Bosley?” I asked.

“I—I have no information on these guys. I don’t know who they are, treat as a threat.” Namine replied quickly. I could hear the clacking of the keyboard she was working with on the other side of things. “Be careful!”

“Ten versus three? Hardly seems fair for you guys.” I called out.

“Now you guys are pretty, but I’m thinking you’re more talk than action. Got it memorized?” The red head tapped the side of his temple. At his words, the henchmen raced toward us and the fight began. Xion leapt into the air wrapping her thighs around the neck of one guy bringing him down to the ground while slamming her elbow into the glass face mask of his helmet. Kairi flipped the first henchmen to reach her over her shoulder and spun her leg out to kick her heeled boot into the face of another.

I ducked under the attack of the first to attack me and slammed the butt of my knife into his kidney as hard as I could before flipping the knife and digging it into the shoulder of the guy in front of me. The knife got stuck and he used this opportunity to try and punch me. I blocked his fists and activated the shield built into my bracelet to slam into his helmet knocking him backwards. It dissipated and the guy behind me tackled me forward, but I was able to flip us around and dig my heel into his groin making him release me. Quickly, I rolled back over my shoulder to get back to my feet.

Kairi and Xion still fought while I spun around to face the next opponent. Rather than coming face to face with a black helmet, I met green eyes.

“Cute and feisty.” He chuckled. I went to attack, but he blocked my every move with ease. In a desperate attempt, I tried to flip him onto the ground, but he grabbed my arm tightly and yanked me around to pull me into his chest. He had my arm held so tight behind my back that a single movement would have it broken with ease. I knew that from experience. His other hand was wrapped tightly around my throat keeping me in place. His lips were suddenly against my ear, “This isn’t personal, I’ll have you know. I’d like to think we’d get along in another life.”

“Who the hell are you?” I snapped and tried to tug myself free again only to flinch when pain shot through my arm.

“Name’s Axel. Don’t forget it.” He chuckled before releasing my throat. I tried to take advantage of this moment, but the sharp sting of a metal needle in my neck froze me in my tracks. Warmth and burning spread down my neck and back and my vision began to blur. Xion and Kairi called out to me, Namine was yelling in my ear, but the world was spinning and getting darker by the second. “Sorry, sweetheart.”

Things went black and my body went limp, but not fast enough for me to not feel my skull bounce off the concrete floor.

[ducksanta]

Freefall

Summary: Della discovers Duck Avenger’s true identity and confronts him. Comicsverse

for @callme--starchild (sorry for taking this long)

Word Count: 1500

Once she had somewhat settled in, Della Duck had gone into research mode. She had lot of catching up to do. She had after all lost 10 years in the time she had been in space. She would spend the days when her sons were at school reading and going through the Internet. Absorbing everything she could.

Donald popped his head into the guest bedroom she was staying in. ”Do you need anything?”

Della bristled at the tone. Something about it, like she was fragile-

”It's fine. I am just going through the old news. Gonna get caught up. Then get a job. Move out of your way.”

”No hurry.”

”Hm.”

Donald yawned. ”I should head off. I'm exhausted.”

And Della was left alone. Absentmindedly she leafed through the old newspapers. Duckburg had sure gone through lot of things while she had been gone. Calamities. Superheroes. Duckburg had always had its fair share of odd events but it felt like everything had just ramped up when she hadn't been there. Ten years. In what had felt like a week to her...

Some people kept popping up in these news. Uncle Scrooge, of course. Occasionally she'd spot Donald or Fethry or her sons on the background of some pictures.

And there were others.

Gyro.

Rockerduck (who was either a family friend or an enemy she couldn't tell yet)

Weird people, like a supposed witch called Magica or the Duck Avenger...

Della stopped. It couldn't be true. Her fingers traced over the grainy image of the superhero.

Donald Duck's friend.

She looked over her notes.

The superhero who had started his career taking revenge on Uncle Scrooge...

But it was impossible! So obvious but impossible!

She immediately felt guilty over thinking so. She knew her brother was courageous. And a good man.

Better than she was, in so many ways...

But a superhero?

She let out a laugh.

Nonsense.

But it made sense.

But surely someone would have noticed by now? He kept wearing the same hat!

Maybe they did, but no one had told her. Maybe they thought it would shock her. Maybe it was a one big joke where everyone knew but pretended not to and hadn't gotten around to letting her in on it yet.

But how did he get these gadgets?

Gyro. Of course. That much was clear. In fact even if it wasn't Donald it might be the most likely source of this superhero technology.

Della sat there, wondering about it.

First things first. She'd have to be sure.

…

”Donald?” Gyro looked up from his work. ”He hasn't been around in days.”

”I see,” Della nodded. Awkwardly she looked around the workshop. She had known about Gyro before leaving. He had been the weird kid hanging out in his father's workshop.

He had come a long way...

He smiled again, in that awkward way Della had gotten so used to ever since she got back.

It was like no one knew how to deal with her.

For her things had stayed the same. Everyone else had moved on.

Ten years.

Ten years had been stolen from her.

Her sons had grown, and her baby brother was now older than her.

She had been left behind.

And no one would look her in the eye.

…

Once Della had been sure her brother was the Duck Avenger it was relatively easy to figure the rest of it out. She knew the times Duck Avenger would be patrolling, so it was just the matter of keeping an eye on her brother. So if he was indeed Duck Avenger he'd have to be able to change in his room.

So for the first night Della had camped outside his window.

And nothing had happened.

Next morning she had checked the Internet and sure enough, Duck Avenger had been seen getting someone's cat from a tree.

She had wondered for a moment if she was wrong.

Maybe.

But she wasn't convinced just yet.

So the next night she had knocked on Donald's door at 4 am.

She could hear him snoring...

Eventually she forced the door open and stepped inside.

Her brother was deep asleep.

Wait-

She pulled away the covers. A fake head.

So now she was sure.

Della started her search of the room. There were not too many places that could hold a secret door so her attention was quickly drawn to the closet...

She ran her fingers on the wood paneling and detected a part that was slightly elevated.

She pushed.

The closet plunged downwards.

Della staggered out of the disguised elevator and into a small base with masks and gadgets...

And the Duck Avenger.

Della stood straight and said with the tone she had been practicing a lot lately. Self confident. Mature. ”Donald Duck.”

The masked duck looked at her. ”I don't know what you're talking about.”

He didn't sound like him.

He stood straighter, and was so much more than her brother... Donald always seemed like he was either at the edge of exhaustion or too full of energy. The duck in front of her was so much more...

Competent.

Suddenly she could see why no one had believed the two to be the same person.

But she recognized him.

She recognized her little brother who had played pirates with her as a child, striking a pose like that as he pulled out his sword, ready to face Pirate Queen Della, the Dread Lord of at least Eight Seas.

”Come on, bro, how dumb you think I am?”

To her surprise he removed the mask. He stared at her, his expression unreadable.

”This is cool, dude!” Della gestured at the secret base. ”This is like- remember the old well at Grandma's farm?”

When he didn't reply she continued.

”You know, it was all dried up and overgrown, so we dug it out and made a secret base there-”

”And one time the rope snapped.”

”It was fine- we got out- There was enough vines to climb up-”

”No it was not fine,” Donald snapped.

Della nodded. ”I see.”

”What do you see?”

”I see that when you do this- this kind of a childish- childish mistake it's fine, but when I do it- when I make a mistake it's- no one will talk to me about it! Everyone says they're happy to have me back but no one really looks me in the eye!”

”I have no idea what you are talking about.”

”Yes you do! You always knew, we are- we used to be close.”

A silence fell.

Della decided to keep pushing. She didn't recognize this calm and collected man in front of her. If she got him to yell at her-

She would know how to deal with that.

”How could you do this?”

”Della...”

”How could you put yourself at risk? I know what you were doing! I- when I started to suspect you were the Duck Avenger I studied! I looked up things! You have gotten involved with so many dangerous things- How could you!”

”Della, don't- don't say things we will both regret.”

”Stop pretending to be the adult here! I am not the one dressed like batman! How could you- What if something happened to you? What if you died? The boys would be all alone!”

He gritted his teeth.

But still he didn't take the easy bait.

”I think we should go and get something to eat, calm down, sleep on this-”

”SAY SOMETHING!”

”What do I have to say?” For the first time there was anger in his voice.

Della watched him pull his mask back on.

”What would make you happy?” he asked.

”This isn't about me! This is about you running around playing a super hero like a child.”

”You know nothing about what I do,” Duck Avenger informed her.

She didn't recognize that tone.

”Don't...”

She stepped forward, setting a hand on his shoulder.

”Why didn't you tell me? I mean... I have read enough superhero comics to know you gotta protect your family but I think I do good enough job ruining my life all on my own. Might as well know my little bro is a cool superhero.”

”You didn't ruin your-” Donald stopped. ”If I start to talk about this I might say something I shouldn't.”

”That's what everyone is doing,” Della said. ”Not talking. Dancing around the subject. Just go on-”

She poked his chest. ”Let it all out.”

”Della... How dared you! To leave me!”

He pulled her into a hug. ”I was so bad at it! Being a parent!”

”You're great! What are you talking about?”

”I had no idea what I was doing! I sucked! I suck!”

”Nonono!” Della pointed at herself. ”I suck!”

”I missed you so much! I have tried so hard- I worried!”

There was true pain in his voice.

But it felt like finally things have started to move forward.

”I think we should talk,” Della said. ”About this, about... everything.” She swallowed. ”Just talk.”