#im glad i pulled over close to home to let my engine cool down

[google-searchhistory-official]

remember to check your car's coolant/antifreeze as well as buy an extra gallon just in case.

Also this is a cool engine only check. do not do this if your engine has recently been running. wait 30 minutes or more before adding in coolant

[captainjimothycarter]

I heard you were looking for prompts, what do you think it would look like if Steve were around during Agent Carter (s1), like maybe by the Iron Ceiling episode

So, it’s been a loooong while since I’ve seen the Iron Ceiling or any Agent Carter and I don’t have the spoons to watch the show, so we’re gonna improv. So not historically accurate because I am not researching stuff.

This is a full-fledged fic And probably not what you wanted either because this is so rushed out. Rip me

--

“You sound exhausted.”

Despite that Steve was over the phone and given the sound of it, somewhere where there wasn’t much insulation due to the wind in the background, she could tell he was giving that sappy smile. It was combined with a small laugh and the shift of the phone line as it crackled when he held it closer.

“What’s new?” He sighed instead of commenting on Peggy’s statement. It only made her worry more. When she remained silent, he sighed louder. “Pegs, I’m fine. Okay, yes I’m a little exhausted, but so are you on your end given everything. We’re both strained and I...miss you.” 

His voice dropped down to the last two words, how desperate it sounded, made her heart drop. She wanted to crawl from this warm bed and wrap her arms around Steve and tuck his cold face into her neck to let him warm up. She wanted to protect him from not just the elements but the aftermath of a war that the public had no idea was about. 

He whispered the last two words because he was forced to - not because he had anything to hide, so Peggy told herself this despite it tugged on her in almost a jealous means. They were both professionals, they could remain professional over the phone and in the rare times they got in person. It was the only few times they got to be in private did those veils drops.

Steve being rescued had been nothing short of a miracle, an act of God or whatever deity was out there that was looking out for them. She had been the one to pull him from the ice, one of the first faces he’d seen when he woke up in one of Howard’s private hospitals. She’d been by his side his entire recovery, from learning to walk again and to have some cognitive function. The fact she refused to leave his side [see here: Philips had ordered her under the SSR’s watchful eye to keep an eye on their prized specimen] had resulted in them getting much closer in their relationship. 

Not only that, but it had caused her to start the American Branch of the SSR later than she had intended. While the boys in the office had no idea Captain America was alive [as they would all see to it], they knew of her history with Steve and used it against her as much as they could.

Steve’s existence, his being founded was kept under wrap and key. The only few people who had known about it were her, Phillips, and Howard. And of course, by now a recently rescued James Barnes and the Howling Commandos. As soon as Steve was stable enough, they sent him straight back to work, and given his contract with the SSR, they figured him pretty much property of the government.

It sickened Peggy to her core.

She was used to hiding her relationship and being professional in other’s eyes, but keeping Steve at arm’s length so he could be the government puppet in a whole new meaning was not what she wanted for her beloved.

“Peggy?”

“Hm?” The woman blinked, aware Steve had been on the other end, breathing noisily against the cold climate he was in to stay warm. “I apologize, darling, I was lost in my mind. As I was saying, I think our earlier appointment of meeting up to compare notes will be scheduled earlier.”

Underneath it, she was by all legal terms, still his liaison. Not only that, but she had been tasked with collecting information from both the Commandos, and that included at least monthly meetings with Steve. They might’ve been professional where they could share longing looks behind professional’s backs, but at least it was something to look forward to.

Steve knew everything going on with Howard and the SSR and her recent suspicions that there was a mole within their sights. Not just that, but Peggy was suspecting her phone lines had been bugged due to her involvement and friendship with Howard.

“Is it now?” Steve asked, turning his head to give a strained cough. It tugged on her heart. That didn’t sound too good. “Should I tell the boys?”

“Please do. I’ll wire in the details you’ll need. Anything you boys need on your end?”

“Dugan would kiss you if you brought him his usual stash. Pinky needs more fuses if you could snag a few. Oh, Bucky needs another set of binoculars and some more gloves.”

Despite he wasn’t here, she was nodding. Her hand worked without watching what she wrote on the paper. Steve knew of her suspicion of being bugged and had agreed code talking would keep the guys on edge and keep their conversations safe. 

“I’ll see what I can do, no promises, darling. Please get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Peggy sighed as she got off of the phone, looking down at the pad of paper on her bedside table. Someone has been trailing us, be on the lookout and keep your weapon on hand. 

And Dugan? Dugan just wanted his alcohol.

--

“Peggy, Dugan forgot the password again.”

Knowing that voice anywhere, she smiled despite her reserve as the familiar faces of the boys she had called family appeared out of the bushes. If she was concerned about a missing familiar face, then it didn’t show. Instead, Peggy found herself suddenly staring at the gray sky above them. The ground was cold and hard beneath her, but the body colliding with hers to knock her off of her feet was not.

There was a split second of silence before the Howling Commandos erupted into a field of laughter much to the rest of the stoic men’s confusion. Well, not so stoic now that the shock had runoff. Including the face tinted pink above her.

“Hello to you too, James,” Peggy laughed, Bucky slowly getting off of her chest and smiling in that boyish way that made her both jealous and loving.

“I didn’t believe ‘im when he said it, but I’m glad to be wrong.” Bucky was still as Brooklyn Boy as ever despite not having been home in months. He climbed to his feet and pulled her to hers, brushing the snow off of them. He pulled her into a proper hug, finding the Howling Commandos hugging her.

“You served with Captain America.”

Her heart clenched at the awe in their tone, looking at Jack who looked at her still with disbelief, as if she had lied this entire time about her connection to the Howlies. She shared a look with Bucky who looked as if he’d swallowed a lemon, standing near her left side. Dugan looked down at her too and he nodded in her direction.

“Not as long as she has. You good, Carter? Ready?”

Jack’s mouth opened, perhaps to dismiss Dugan treating her of all people like she’s the leader of this mismatched band of guys, but it was well ignored when they started to march through the snow. She watched as Jack hesitated as if debating on not following them before he scrambled not to be left behind.

“Pegs, you’re with me. Barnes, you too because I won’t have you pouting again.”

Peggy laughed, despite herself as she pulled herself up into the jeeps with Bucky’s arm thrown around her waist to help assist her. Bucky, for all his childish needs, stuck his tongue out at Dugan before the vehicle rumbled to life and they started to roll out. The quiet didn’t stretch on long, just enough for the loud engine to cover up any whisper talking.

“How is everything?” Bucky asked, his silver eyes wide with worry. “Steve has told us...everything that he could.”

“Same as ever,” Peggy sighed, shaking her head slightly. She glanced back to watch Pinky distract the SSR boys with a quick history chat. Good. “Howard’s still in deep shit and every step forward feels like one back. How’s Steve?”

Bucky frowned because they both knew that’s not what he was asking. “Exhausted. He never knows when to admit defeat. He was denied again to be stateside. He was told again his presence is needed out here.” The man rolled his eyes with a huff. “He’s one more bad night away from going AWOL, not that any of us blame him, poor guy is doing the job for all of us, plus whatever shit ya’ll send him to do.”

His tone told Peggy that he didn’t blame her, he was as frustrated as she was. “Hopefully it doesn’t come to that. I’m sure some sense will be knocked into him sooner or later.” Her mouth opened to ask a question but a look from the jeep across from them caused her to close it.

Jack was watching her and closely.

--

“Carter!” 

Peggy heaved a heavy sigh as she repositioned her grip on the logs for their fire tonight. They were well enough hidden in the trees to ensure that no one should see the smoke with the light dusting of snow and gray skies around them. Stopping their conversation, she gave Jones a friendly smile and passed the logs off to him. She didn’t miss the annoyed look Jones shot Jack as he marched their way.

She wanted to snicker at how he was forced to walk, almost waddling like a toddler in this new environment. A comment was on her tongue, but to play fair, she bit it back and raised her chin. “Yes, Jack?”

“I don’t remember Dooley giving you command of our mission. You may disrespect his orders in the office but you will not disrespect me here.” He towered over her, a twitch in his jaw telling her that he’s been thinking about this far too long. She wanted to laugh, honestly because it almost sounded like he was jealous of her and her involvement with the Howling Commandos.

“He didn’t,” she replied in an equally cool tongue, shrugging her shoulders. “If you’ve been paying attention, Agent Thompson, I’ve been pulling my equal weight around here just as everyone else has.”

“Your involvement is this is only because of your pestering Dooley and your connection with the Commandos. Remember your place, Carter. You spent far too much time under Cap-”

A gloved hand clasping Peggy’s shoulder and making her knees buckle caused Jack to turn almost white as the environment around him. Despite knowing the situation, she had almost hoped the gloved hand belonged to Steve, but given how tightly it gripped her shoulder and the freehand that pulling on the strap of the rifle, she knew it was Bucky.

His lips were pressed into a thin line, eyes boring into Jack’s. He stood a little taller due to the boots, but it was enough for him to use his height over the agent. 

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Bucky mused, raising an eyebrow. “Peggy spent too much time where? Pegs, you wanna head back to camp, Pinky and Morita have a trick they wanna show you.”

Jack huffed, giving a roll of his eyes as Bucky’s arm pulled her closer to his chest. “Nothing, Sergeant. Carter and I were having a private conversation that you butted in.”

“If it’s nothing, then you won’t mind if I pull her away to help start the fire. You know us Howlies, too busy spending time worshipping the ground Steve walks on to know any survival skills. Only way we survived was cause of her.” He dug into his pocket and tossed Jack a small flashlight, nodding his head. “Go find us some more firewood, will you? It’s gonna be a long one.”

The look in Jack’s eyes told her that this conversation wasn’t over yet and honestly Peggy was looking forward to that.

“You know he’s going to think that you’re only protecting me because of Steve,” she sighed, shrugging his arm off as they walked back towards the distant camp. “Thank you, Bucky, but I can handle myself against Agent Thompson. It’s not the first time he’s been a right ass to me.”

“I know,” he grumbled, satisfyingly stomping on a branch to break it in half. “Steve has told us some things. He almost seems jealous of your connection to us - like you spend a whole war keeping our asses alive and you wouldn’t want to befriend us. Jackass. I think he’s waiting for us or you to slip up. They still think Steve’s a frozen capcicle?”

Snorting, Peggy gently smacked the sniper’s chest. “Yes but don’t let him hear you say that. Where is he?” She was used to being professional, keeping Steve at arm’s length in company but the fact he wasn’t around for her to assess with her eyes made her wary. If something had happened, they would’ve said something by now, especially Big Brother Barnes.

Bucky’s tongue clicked on the roof of his mouth, shrugging his shoulders. “He’s close by. He wanted to keep an eye tag tailing us, be sure we’re not being followed.”

That did sound like Steve, alright. He wanted to defend all of them, keep an eye on the stragglers, and be sure no one was planning an attack. Peggy got the feeling he kept distance because neither of them was sure this charade of professionalism could be kept up if he was here. Then there were the SSR boys and their belief Steve was dead. 

--

“So how are you here?” Li asks, breaking the soft chatter that had been happening around the fire.

Peggy swallowed the rest of the bourbon down, passing the canister back to Dugan. She didn’t need to see who Li was directing the question to, she could feel Bucky tensing up beside her. He’d been a little tense since Jack stomped back into camp, dumping the mood uncermonsely and sitting far back away from them.

“Yeah, Buck, how are you here?” Juniper snickered, nudging his friend with his elbow. “You kinda just showed up one day.”

“And you adopted me like the straggly, little pup that I am,” Bucky huffed, rolling his eyes. “Thanks for the scrap, Carter.”

He nudged her slightly but behind the bright silver eyes and the need to make jokes and defuse the situation, he saw the curiosity in Li’s eyes.

“It’s just...we all read the reports. You died. You fell off the train,” Li pressed, not reading the situation. “So, how are you here?”

Sharing a look with Peggy, Bucky shrugged again. He opened his mouth but Dugan spoke up before any of them could. He knew of Bucky’s time in HYDRA, they all did, they had pulled him out of HYDRA, but he didn’t need to relive the past because of some curious agent who couldn’t tell his left from his right. Certainly not one who didn’t bother to spend two seconds respecting Peggy. 

“We found him,” Dugan grunted. “What those files didn’t tell you was Phillip’s, Captain Rogers’, and Agent Carter’s insistence on finding Barnes’ body. No one can survive a fall like that, but God above decided Barnes was too annoying to let die. And the fact he still owes me ten bucks.”

They all laughed because it wasn’t far from the truth. She watched Bucky sigh in relief and Dugan clasping his arm in solitude as he passed by them to dig through the bags.

“He only fell because Captain Rogers couldn’t hold on. Bet that guy rather polish his shield and shiny belt buckle -”

“You want to say something?!” Bucky snapped, the almost relaxed atmosphere had turned tense as he turned to glare at Thompson who had been sulking on the edge of the camp. “If you got something to say about Captain Rogers, then say it.”

“James,” Peggy breathed, squeezing his arm. “Let Jack be if he wishes to express his dislike of Captain Rogers, that is on him. Not for you to fight everyone who sees’s fit to voice their negative opinion.”

Not that she didn’t want to sock Jack in the jaw for that comment. Bucky’s death had torn through Steve, it ripped out any part of him that remained human, that clung to humanity. He was a changed man from that day on. He was reckless, rash, and only survived because she interveined and made him see that he was human, serum, or not. 

Bucky grunted as he sat back on the log and shoved his half-eaten bowl of stew at Peggy’s feet. “Eat. I ain’t hungry. I’m gonna go take a piss and set up for the first watch.”

There was no point in arguing. Jack had sullied what had almost promised to be a relaxing night [as relaxing as they could get in this environment]. She laid out her bedroll after being sure the surrounding area was clear. She almost hoped she could see Steve. Almost. 

“If Barnes is alive, any chance of Rogers being alive?” She heard Rameriz whisper to Li as her head laid on the pillow. 

“A crash like that? There’s no tellin’. Barnes was extremely lucky but I dunno...fall from that height? You’ve seen the tracks…”

Their voices faded as Peggy listened to the sound of footsteps near her. She opened her eyes to see Bucky above her, thanking him as he laid an extra blanket over her before silently nodding and dawning his rifle. She would argue with him over him getting rest later, right now, she was exhausted and selfishly wanted to sleep.

--

In the morning, a fresh wave of snow had covered any tracks that surrounded the camp. It blanketed around them and put out their fire in the middle of the night. Despite the fresh snow, Peggy could see faint outlines of thick boots that stood near her bedroll and as she sat up, waking up before anyone else in the dark forest, she felt something heavier fall off of her than just the extra blanket.

A thick jacket that was too big for Bucky and even Dugan.

Steve had been by.

Unfortunately, the new jacket didn’t bypass anyone, not even a blurry-eyed Thompson. 

“Whose coat is that?” He grumbled to her as they packed their bags for the mission ahead. “I didn’t see anyone wearin’ that last night.”

“It’s mine,” Jones grunted, passing Peggy to take the extra layer from her shoulders with a small nod from her. “Does it matter, Agent?”

“No,” the man grunted, a frown still on his lips. She knew what he was thinking - she was far too comfortable with the Commandos. When they got back to the office, this would bite her in the ass, she was sure of it, not that it stops her. “Just curious, is all. Not like Carter to wear a man’s coat. Thought it might’ve been her sweetheart.”

Peggy made a face, throwing her bag harder than necessary over Thompson’s shoulder and towards the pile they made for the jeeps. “The only sweetheart I have is my gun, Agent. Now if you’re done worrying about my lack of love life, we need to get moving if we want to use the snow to cover our tracks.”

“Don’t blame me, you’re the topic of gossip when it comes to office blabber,” he snickered, raising his hands in mock defeat even when Peggy rolled her eyes.

“If you must know,” Montgomery spoke up as Peggy stalked away to join Dugan and Bucky pouring over a map. “She’s all our sweethearts. Try having that for Valentine’s Day.” His wink didn’t go unnoticed nor did Peggy slapping his hand away and arguing with Bucky over an advantage point.

Jack huffed out in annoyance. This was his lead and Commandos or not, he was taking back control.

--

Peggy could feel the tension building up in her jaw, resisting the urge to rub at it. She could feel it twitching out of tension from clenching her jaw so tightly her teeth might snap in half. It was the only way she could distract herself from not wanting to yell at Jack who ‘stepped up to the captain’s plate’ and started to give orders.

Any argument had been instantly shut down with the argument that he was in charge, reminding Peggy of an older kid in charge of his little siblings. Any argument was useless when Jack was determined that he was right and they were wasting precious time.

“Barnes, keep a distance with that gun. Carter, you’re in the rear. Keep a lookout.”

The order made her roll her eyes at the back of Jack’s head. No matter how much he tried to take control of the situation, to put on his best I’m in charge voice, he was no Steve and had very little regard for people’s safety. Just the end task ahead of getting them in and out with the Doctor in tow. 

It was a bad idea, but fine, if he wanted to stick her in the back to keep out of his hair, then she’d easily take this opportunity to keep away from him. Dugan and Jack lead them and despite Bucky was somewhere in the trees pretending to be a spider monkey, Jones fell into step beside her. Despite his larger size than her, he was quiet. He was the more reserved out of all of them.

“You could stay,” he mused softly, nodding his head to Dugan’s bowler cap. “We could always do with you back in our lead. Especially that one. God knows Steve misses you, Pegs. You’re much better off here than with these jackasses.”

A small smile twitched on Peggy’s pale lips, adjusting her hold on the gun. “I know, Gabe, thank you. I do miss you guys. It’s not against you or even Steve, I am needed back on stateside. Maybe I’ll consider the offer another time.”

He laughed, the laugh rumbling in his chest like promised thunder. “Perhaps that is best, hm? Steve needs to rest anyhow and if you were with us, he’d be far too worried about you, no matter how much he denies it.”

Peggy’s reply was lost to the sound of something falling in the forest. Something heavy. James. “Bucky!”

There’s no way Bucky could miss these branches, they practically made a sturdy bridge. He had sure enough footing but the sound of a bullet whizzing past her was enough to tell her he’d been shot at. “Gabe, disperse the others. Spread out. They’re-” She looked up when another flew past her, seeing movement in the trees. “They’re spread out. Treetops. Below. Take cover. I’m going after James.”

There was no point in arguing with her, the Commandos knew that well. She slid in the snow to avoid the flying bullets, using the shelter of the thick trunks to get to where the figure laid. He was breathing, grunting in that manner that told her he was in pain but he was alive. 

“James,” she breathed, dropping to her knees. “Hey, hey, look at me. Can you walk? We need to get out of here.”

The man’s eyes were glazed over, most likely a concussion but he was no stranger to those. He nodded his head and moved to sit up, moving his left arm to grab at the gun. They both watched as it just twitched, the arm not responding to his movements. In the limited light of the rising sun, she saw the nasty break in his arm and his green complexion.

“If you vomit on me, James, I will be very cross with you. I’m going to splint this best I can with what we have, then we need to move. You can curse me out on the way, deal?”

She’d take that grunting as a yes.

Using the strap from both her gun and Bucky’s, cut with a knife, she placed his broken arm between two sturdy pieces of branches. It wouldn’t do for a permanent fix but it was better than nothing. Bucky did his best not to curse or shout in pain, hearing him whimper and gag. By the time she was done, he looked like he was about to vomit up their cold breakfast. Throwing his good arm over her shoulder, she steadied his weight to lead them into the denser forest.

“Carter! Where the hell have you been?!”

Jack almost seemed worried, but Peggy didn’t have time to consider it, dropping Bucky down on an overturned log. She was sweaty and pissed, worried. The bullets had stopped coming. That never stopped unless ordered to. They’d been found. This was going to make it all the more difficult.

“Getting Barnes before we let him die from your carelessness. His arm is broken. Dugan, any casualties?” She breathed a sigh of relief when the man shook his head. “Good. They’re still out there. How long have they been quiet?”

Jack’s jaw gritted as he looked down at his watch. “Three, four minutes now. Why?”

“I’m going to handle them before they expose us any more. We’ll be lucky if we’re not met with retaliation at the door.” Snatching her gun back, Peggy stood up, taking Bucky’s and laying it in his lap. “You’re still a decent shot even without your arm.”

She got maybe two yards away, returning to the trail before Jack ran up to her.

Jack’s hand snatched her rifle from her, his temple throbbing now. “You will not! That’s exposing yourself and us to danger, letting them know we’re holed up here. We don’t even know where we are, we ran off the trail because of them. We need to spread back out, find the trail. We’re sitting ducks.”

“All the more reason for me to go into the trees, Agent.” 

Peggy tried to snatch her gun back, a bullet striking the trunk next to her head. Her breath lingered in the air for a split second, jerking her head back out of shock. She pushed Jack out of the way when she heard the next one, preparing to feel another bullet tear through her body. Her eyes closed, body tensed, but no pain came.

Her eyes opened when she heard the gasps, seeing a familiar figure dressed in a dark blue suit and holding up the end of a shield. He towered over her, using his larger body to shield her from the spray of bullets.

“Everyone out!” Steve snapped, waving his hand. “Agent Thompson, get your ass off of the ground and help Pinky with those explosives. One stray bullet and we don’t have to worry about who’s in charge. Dugan, Jones, get Bucky and get him on his feet. Dugan, give him a splash of your liquid courage. Buck, three, six, and nine o’clock, are the worst of our fire. I’ve taken most of what I could out. Morita, Montgomery, and Juniper, you get these SSR boys further in the woods. Thanks to your little leadership, Agent Thompson we will now have to wait for nightfall and pray we’re not found.”

If anyone had any questions about his skills, to what Steve wanted, no one questioned it. Everyone instantly charged into action.

Steve’s arm wrapped around Peggy’s waist, holding her close for a fraction of a second too long as he set her back on her feet. “You were hit,” he murmured, baby blue eyes that she’s forgotten how soft they were looking down at her shoulder. “Grazed.” He touched the wound and she flinched, having been unaware a bullet had been that close to her torso. “I’m fine, Steve. I can handle it once we can breathe.” She paused, watching Dugan pick Bucky up and raise the rifle in his direction before firing. They made a good team, odd, but good.

“We need to get going too, can’t be on Thompson’s bad side, now can I?” Steve mused, raising his brow in a way that told Peggy he didn’t care regardless. “I got my bike. We can lead them on a wild goose chase while they escape. You ready?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

--

“He’s alive?” 

The words were spat at her when she’d later arrived at their makeshift camp miles and miles into the dense forest. Peggy calmly dismounted from the bike with Steve’s help even if she didn’t need it. She wanted the excuse to feel his hand in hers while she ignored Jack’s bulging look.

“Thank you, Captain Rogers, for the assistance and ride,” Peggy hummed giving Steve a polite nod and a firm smile. She turned back to Jack while he started to unpack the bike, rolling her eyes. “Unless we are suffering from the same hallucination, then I will dare say that yes, he is alive. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get this wound looked at.”

At least the man had enough sense to let her brush by him, still standing and looking after her and Steve in shock.

Steve was ever the gentleman as he rolled Peggy’s sleeve down, enough for her to pull her arm out of the sleeve. It was cold in their little spot in the dense woods, not wanting to risk lighting a fire. Bucky was already asleep despite the rough ground beneath them, his head in Pinky’s lap. His arm was set in a better-made splint, but still rough for their situation. 

“This is going to burn,” Steve murmured, pouring a little alcohol on her wound. She hissed in pain and ignored the looks she and Steven were getting. This was strictly professional despite how she was straining to not jump his bones right then and there. “I warned you.”

“Seconds before pouring,” she huffed. “Though, I suppose a little pain is needed to be kept in my senses.” 

If Steve had anything to say, it was lost to Jack coming back into camp and sitting beside Li. He rubbed his hands together, blowing hot air between them. “It’s going to be a cold one,” he grunted. “We’ll need to watch in shifts, two per shift, we-”

“We’ve already planned that,” Dugan grunted, his mustache ruffled as he tossed his bowler hat on their bags. Or what was left of them. “Pinky and Li are taking the first shift while we all rest. Yes, that includes you, Steve.” He pointed his thick finger threateningly at Steve’s chest who just pouted at him. “You need to sleep. Pegs, tell him.”

“Yeah, Carter,” Ramirez snickered, “tell him.”

Rolling her sleeve back up and adjusting the gauze, she thanked Steve in a small voice. “Captain Rogers isn’t a child. He doesn’t need to be told what to do but if you’d like my advice, Captain, sleep while you can.” Her eyes told him the rest before I make you. 

She wanted to comment on his appearance, the rugged stubble from his lack of shaving, the longer hair that was starting to sweep off of his forehead. His eyes looked almost hallow, black bags underneath causing the blue to stand out. He looked like complete shit, a hallow version of himself and it ached at Peggy’s heart. 

“This stays between us,” Steve grunted to the SSR boys while their bedrolls were rolled out. “No one else needs to know I’m alive.”

“Did you rescue him?” Li asked, in awe, if not astonished whisper as he turned to look at Peggy. “Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“That’s above your pay grade,” she snapped back, watching Steve kneel by Bucky’s passed out form and tenderly hold his face in hands that seemed almost far too big. She wanted to say more, the more pity part of her that wanted to dig her elbow into the man’s chest and tell him she shouldn’t have to be involved with his hero to have some decent respect. 

“Hm,” Jack grunted from where he slouched against an overturned log, “I can see who was on top in this relationship.”

--

It was clear Jack wore a chip on his shoulder. He had some resentment out for Steve and maybe that’s because he favored her, despite how he tried not to show it. He turned to look at Peggy for advice, not Jack who was once again trying to say he was in charge. He asked Peggy about the situation or would ask Dugan or Li, literally anyone but Jack unless he had to.

This little petty game kept up for two days where they traveled under the cover of night. 

Steve had kept his distance as they planned, but they couldn’t help it when the Howlies left just enough room in their camps to sit side by side or when it was Peggy’s turn to take a watch, Steve would find himself awake even if it wasn’t his turn to watch with her. Or his bedroll would be close to hers. They’d find small ways to touch one another and even that got under Jack’s skin.

Due to Bucky being out of commission thanks to the broken arm, it was left up to Peggy. No one objected but Jack’s temple throbbed as Peggy easily took the rifle and lined herself up with a perfect shot of their guard. She silently laid on a few sharp and frozen rocks that were set above them, stomach pressed to the ground and breathing slowly.

One snide comment from Li or Jack had gotten to her, but not her aim. The bullet flew from the rifle and the man guarding the roof fell into a heap. Steve’s hand closed around hers as she was guided off of the icy rocks, the snow crunching underneath her feet. 

“Nice!” Bucky breathed, shrugging the left shoulder. “Though, you still twitch your foot when you’re about to pull the trigger.”

“I’ll show you where I twitch my foot if you start that,” Peggy snapped, much to Bucky’s grinning face. “Satisfied?”

The last words were said to Jack, his nose wrinkled just ever so slightly as if to say let’s see. 

“Everyone has their plan then?” Steve grunted, looking down at the map. “Three teams. Li, Jones, Montgomery, and Bucky to the west end. Double-check the boiler rooms, any nooks, and cranny. Juniper, Peggy, Pinky, Morita, and Ramirez to the east. Spread out. The rooms look to be larger and some have hidden doorways. Jack, Dugan, and I will take the top floors. We’ll meet in the middle in an hour. Jones, Peggy, and I have our radios, use it only if in trouble.”

“Yeah, Dugan, only if in trouble,” Morita laughed, elbowing the broad man. “Not when we think we’re hearing screaming.”

At Li’s confusing look, Dugan rolled his eyes. His cheeks flushed a soft pink. “It was a frog that I heard. Cap, can we go?”

Peggy caught Steve’s eyes as he rolled up the map. There was no bother hiding the fact that he did this on purpose, separating them to just get alone time with Jack. She raised an eyebrow at him and he sheepishly shrugged his shoulders.

“Steve, let’s go,” Bucky grunted, smacking Steve on the side with the splint and regretting it with a whimper. 

Pinky’s arm threw around Peggy’s shoulder as their groups dispersed, leaning far too much into her frame. Not that she minded. Pinky always had a lingering smell of gunpowder on his fingers. “How much you wanna bet he’s gonna make Jack’s death look like an accident?”

“If Steve isn’t rash? He won’t. But then again...I’m afraid he’s never made a not-so-rashed decision in his life.”

--

Watching the love of your life fall to the floor in front of you seconds after he’s sacrificed himself yet another time to save you changes a person. There’s no radio this time. No radio, no signal blocking them, no interference, no cut-off, and left wondering. She’s staring down at Steve, her heart in her throat. It all happened in a split second, but the second he hits the floor, she’s in action. 

A hand is tearing off the bottom of her uniform, pressing it over the bleeding wound where the bullet has embedded itself into Steve’s thigh

He groans at the contact and grits his teeth. “Is this revenge from the alcohol?”

“You wish,” Peggy grunts, keeping her eyes focused on the bleeding wound. She steadied her breathing despite the anxiety welling up inside of her. She wanted a second chance at keeping Steve safe and god damnit, she was going to take it. 

The forces of God would not take Steve from her. She’d be damned if they did.

“Dugan,” she snapped into the radio. “We need to extract. Now.”

Her head snapped up at the sound of thundering steps, snatching Steve’s discarded shield to block his body, still pressing on the wound with all her might. She’d never thought she’d be so relieved to see Jack’s pale face. The man looked sick.

“You-you-shit.” His eyes nearly bulged out of his head at the sight of the bloodied rags in Peggy’s hand. “Carter, you’re hurt.”

“No,” she huffed. “But Steve is.”

“Fuck.” As if that was somehow worst and yeah, she had to agree it was, even if Steve wasn’t agreeing with it. He was still gritting his teeth and trying to sit up, trying to catch his breath.

“Come here, alright? I need you to put pressure on his wounds.” The guy was in shock and any amount of distraction to keep his hands busy was better than him standing in shock.

With Jack putting pressure on Steve’s wound and the Captain finally stopping his fight, Peggy got back on the radio. She was starting to become frantic, watching Steve’s face pale and Jack was starting to fluster. “Dum-Dum if you don’t answer me right this instant - Steve is hurt. We need extra-”

Her answer came in typical Howling Commando fashion - an explosion on the far wall. The ground shook beneath her, the ceiling threatened to cave in right in that instance. Everyone was piled into the back of the jeep, a crowd of people rushing forward to help her get Steve up to his good foot and rush him back towards the jeep.

“Get Jack,” she snapped at Pinky. “Make sure he doesn’t hurt himself. He’s in shock - have Montgomery give him those tabs.” 

Getting a groaning Steve laid out on the floor of the jeep, Peggy laid Steve’s head in her lap. She didn’t give a damn who saw. She was tired, grungey, sick to her stomach with worry for the shivering Captain.

The fact he wasn’t speaking, arguing with her told her the amount of pain he was in. 

Bucky and Jones were already on the wound, Steve’s face pinching as his pants were ripped open.

“Steve,” Peggy whispered, stroking her hand through her hair with a soft smile. “Look at me.” Her hand cupped his jawline, the pad of her thumb stroking a scar he’d earned from a shaving incident a few years ago. His blue eyes fell on hers, gritting his teeth and holding her hand when Jones started to dig the bullet out.

“This is r-revenge for...for something,” he grunted, gripping the floor of the jeep tightly. “Fuck, you coulda just talked to me, Pegs.”

Peggy chuckled, only to keep herself from crying. Stress. The strain on them. She was thankful when the jeep emptied once they’d reached their pickup point. An abandoned airport where a plane waited for them. 

“Sometimes it’s easier to let others talk for me.” She bent her head down, pressing a soft kiss to Steve’s lips. His felt so cold against hers. 

Hearing a clearing of a throat, she looked beyond the pair at Steve’s feet, to Jack. He was still pale and shaken, but there was life back to his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “I didn’t see anything,” he mumbled. “I was just warning you that wheels up in ten.” He hesitated around the jeep, frowning before he was gone.

“Want me to go hunt him down?” Bucky grunted, pulling back from Steve’s bloodied thigh with alcohol in hand. “For sport?”

A fond smile tugged on Peggy’s lips. There was that Big Brother Barnes quality. “As much as that would solve many of my problems, darling, I can handle myself. Jones, you heard the man, what’s the verdict on Steve’s leg?”

Gabe’s small smile tugged on his lips as he pulled back, wrapping the gauze tighter around the wound. “You’re...rather lucky, Steve. There’s no permanent damage, but given your exhaustion and our lack of supplies, you will be slow to heal. You should head back stateside to get some proper R&R, have the wound properly treated. We did what we could, but no promises.” He clicked his tongue, his fingers pointing to Bucky’s chest. “And you are going with him. You got a broken arm.”

Bucky’s full lips pulled into a pout but underneath it, Peggy could see him vibrating. “What a shame that I broke my arm from a jackass’s decision.”

“Are you sure you guys can afford to lose them?” Peggy asked, gently laying Steve back down as she climbed out of the back. “We can send extra men to make up for them.”

“If you staid we wouldn’t need to worry about it,” Dugan mused, tapping on the side of the jeep. “But you’re needed elsewhere to keep those jerks in line. And make sure this one doesn’t try to run a marathon through Brooklyn on that leg.”

“Not much of a runner,” Steve grunted, letting himself be pulled up. He set his weight on his good leg, letting Jones and Dugan pull him to his feet. 

As Steve was being put onto the plane, Peggy heaved a soft sigh as she turned back to Dugan. The hug from him was everything she missed - the bear hug that reminded her some things were worth savoring. Pulling away, he patted her cheek and grinned under that thick mustache.

“You keep our boys in line, won’t you? We can’t lose ‘em again,” he grumbled, shrugging his shoulders slightly. “And keep yourself safe. We’ll get to the bottom of this. We’re just one call away, Pegs.”

“Of course I will,” she mused. “Someone needs to. And thank you, Dugan. You’re a life savior. Literally. I’ll miss you.”

Sitting back between Steve and Bucky, Peggy could feel like she could breathe for the first time in a while. Steve was going to be okay. He might need longer rest than others, but he’d be okay. Dugan was wiring the information to Phillips as they spoke. Her head rested against the wall, feeling Steve’s hand tighten in hers in his light slumber. Against her shoulder, Bucky was snoring. 

“Marge.” Her name made her eyes open to see Jack in front of her. Her body tensed, coiled, and posed, ready to fight because her boys were in her lap and exhausted, hurt. What more could he want? 

“Yes, Agent Thompson? I was hoping we could get some shut-eye before we touched land.”

“I won’t keep you long. You’re...busy.” His eyes fell to Steve, watching the man’s face twitch in her lap. “I wanted to thank you for...assisting me back there. Any other person would’ve left me to my own devices, especially after the decisions I’ve made. You didn’t, you were the bigger person and I’m...thankful.”

Well, that’s the last thing Peggy expected to hear from Jack’s lips. An apology and him expressing how thankful he was for her? Well, that was rare. “It wouldn’t be fair for you to die because you were in shock. I’m glad you’re okay.”

His head bobbed, Steve grunting making him flinch slightly. He still wasn’t 100% okay. “I’ll leave you to it. What I saw...I won’t tell anyone.”

“Good,” Peggy huffed, letting her head rest on the wall and close her eyes. “Because I’d hate to have to kill you because you decided to be stupid.”

[turtle-steverogers]

I can’t write for shit but I know you are really talented ,so what about an angst about Spot going to war and he doesn’t make it back and Race and their 1 year old son go to visit his grave and talk to him? Idk you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to but I thought it was a really cool idea

hi! so this is a pretty on brand prompt (especially for a certain upcoming Thing, but...,,.,) but anyway yeah here’s a fic. hope i did your idea some justice!

warnings: lots of talk of death, but nothing graphic.  my shitty, caffeine muddled writing (truly, not my best work, sorry)

ship: sprace

word count: 1529

editing: nein

Just Out of Reach

“Aye, Sergeant, need some water up there?”

“Yeah, thanks man.”

A water bottle is passed up to Spot, and he takes it, taking one hand off the M2 machine gun that’s deadbolted down in front of him and using his teeth to unscrew the cap.  He hadn’t realized how goddamn thirsty he’d been, but it’s fairly easy and not at all uncommon to lose touch with yourself during the methodical cycle of a mission.  

Really, it’s just reconnaissance.  Mapping out the desolate land that surrounds base- cataloguing the unknowns and the possible threats.  It’s the simple stuff.  The required bits that make the more strategic missions possible.  But they still take long as hell and Spot’s willing to bet that he’s sweat through his fatigues by now as he bakes in the desert sun.  His helmet is scratchy and the army-issued goggles are digging into his skull, squeezing his brain and making his head throb.  The water helps a bit.

His vehicle is at the front of the convoy, and somehow, he found himself perched in the turret, calculating gaze scanning around for anything amiss.  They near an Iraqi village, vacated looking buildings lining either side of the sandy, dirt road.

Spot thinks he sees a few windows shutter closed and when he looks to his left, there’s a little girl (she can’t be more than five.  Christ)  sitting on her stoop, knees pulled up to her chest.  She’s staring at the convoy, eyes wide and fearful and fingers plugged into her ears.  Spot feels a pang of...of something.  Guilt, maybe.  Sympathy.

Really, none of these people asked for this.  They never wanted big, scary men in big, scary vehicles shouting out foreign remarks and invading their space- their homes.  

Spot forces his gaze back to the front, willing himself to focus back on the task at hand.  But he can’t help his mind wandering back to that little girl.  There was something about her.  The innocence, maybe.  The simplistic look of discernable fear in the face of something scary.

He thinks of Teddy.

His son’s own wide, brown eyes and chubby, five year old cheeks.  Really, they’re not so different- that girl and Teddy.  They’re lives are so drastically diverse from one another, but they share that same, innate naivete.  The all prevailing look of curiosity that only kids can convey.

Spot misses Teddy.

Granted, he always misses him and Race.  The feeling isn’t mutually exclusive to any one moment, but sometimes the ache will grow into more of a pain, gripping his chest with longing to kiss his husband and hug his son.  Maybe dig his fingers into Teddy’s sides as he picks him up and swings him, planting an exaggerated kiss on his cheek.  It’s a foolproof way to make him laugh.  And if Race is there, he’ll laugh too.  There are some things in life he can count on to be constant, and his family is one of them.

He comes back to himself as he nears a stoplight and suddenly, something in the world seems wrong.  He’s just about to secure himself around the gun when there’s a shout from down below and then the humvee is jerkily rolling to a stop and that’s when Spot sees the wire and that can only mean someone’s going to die if they don’t fucking stop right fucking now and--

Nothing.

-

“Papa, can we go see Daddy today?”

Race freezes halfway through screwing the cap off a carton of milk.  He turns to look at his son and finds him staring at him in all his six and a half year old glory.  His hair is a mess of bedhead and sleep and even though Race had gotten him up and dressed in a decent amount of time for a Saturday, he still looks rumpled.  But that’s just how kids are, Race guesses.

It had been a year since Race’s life took a tumble into the realm of his worst nightmare.  A year since Lieutenant Kelly and Sergeant Jacobs had shown up on his doorstep, clad in Army Service Uniforms and wearing twin, somber looks. 

It hadn’t taken long for Race to piece together why they were there.

That day was still hazy, a jumbled mix of numb shock and things like, “we regret to inform you” and “killed in action” and then there was Teddy pulling at his pant leg and asking him with those wide goddamn eyes why “guys dressed like Daddy” were there and Race didn’t know how to tell him that Daddy’s gone, because how the hell do you explain that to a five year old and he wasn’t equipped to deal with something like this and he still isn’t and-

Yeah.  A nightmare.

Race still isn’t sure if Teddy knows exactly what happened.  He seems to understand that Spot is gone and that fundamentally, he isn’t coming back, but he doesn’t think Teddy understands death yet.  The finality of it- the weight behind the concept.  

It was inexplicably haunting to see Teddy not crying at Spot’s funeral.  Race was crying.  Hell, Race was a mess.  It was so bad that Albert had to take over his eulogy and Jojo had to watch Teddy for a few minutes while he lost his shit in the bathroom.

But Teddy hadn’t cried.  He’d just clung to Race with a tight grip and wide, bewildered eyes, not saying a word.  

“Sure, bud,” Race says, shaking himself and pouring the milk into Teddy’s bowl of Lucky Charms, “we can go see Daddy.”

He takes Teddy along to Spot’s grave fairly often, but he never really knows how much of it he processes.  Like at the funeral, he’s always quiet and subdued when they go, never really saying anything.  Just sitting in Race’s lap, head bent into the crook of his neck as he stares at the headstone.  

“Yay!” Teddy bounces a little in his seat, grinning as Race sets his breakfast in front of him, “I want to tell him about my dance recital!”

Something in Race’s chest cracks open, making him feel simultaneously warm and cold and entirely overwhelmed. 

On their way to the cemetery later, they pass a man selling custom bouquets on the street.  Brilliant mixes of orchids and roses, gardenias and anemones, bleeding color into the cold grey of winter, and when Teddy sees them and turns that pleading look on Race, well, who is he to say no?

-

“Hi, Daddy!”

For once, Race stays a little off to the side, watching his son sit cross legged in front of Spot’s grave.  He’s talking, words spilling out at about a mile a minute, but Race tunes them out.  This is their private moment and he doesn’t want to get in the way of that.  

“I kinda wish you coulda seen it, but…” Teddy shrugs, mouth grimacing in a way that’s so strikingly Spot that Race has to close his eyes for a moment, “That’s okay.  I know you woulda come if you coulda.”

And, well, ouch.

“Anyway, I brought my scarf for you, Daddy,” Race opens his eyes to see Teddy carefully wrapping his little Thomas the Tank Engine scarf around the headstone, just over where he’d placed the flowers they picked up earlier, “‘Cause it’s getting cold and Papa always tells me that scarves help make you super warm.”

Race has to bite his lip to keep from crying or doing something stupid to ruin his son’s moment and, like, breakdown in front of him.

“Anyway, I’ll let you talk to Papa now, ‘cause I know he always likes to talk to you a little,” He smacks a kiss onto his palm and presses it to Spot’s engraved name, “Bye bye, Daddy, I love you.”

When he turns to look at Race, he’s smiling.  It’s big and unyielding and Race fucking melts, because this is all he really wants.  Sure, when Teddy gets older, Spot’s absence will ring loud and daunting, but hell, if he can have any ounce of peace with it then, well, Race...Race is fucking ecstatic.  He can handle this. 

“Your turn, Papa!” Teddy says, beckoning Race to sit down and climbing into his lap when he does.

“Thanks, little man,” Race hugs Teddy close, “Did you have a good time talking to Daddy?”

“Uh huh,” Teddy says, squirming a little in Race’s tight hold, “I know he was listening super good, I could feel it.”

Race swallows, “Oh yeah?” Teddy nods, “I’m super glad, Teds.”

And maybe, really, that’s what this is about.  Spot’s death was a curveball thrown with the wrong hand, jarring a perceived reality and shifting everything Race had known a little too far to the left.  And no, it isn’t okay.  Maybe it’ll never be okay, but it doesn’t have to be.  Spot’s still there, lingering somewhere in their hearts and made real by his memory- their memories of him.  He’s still palpable, still reachable, and if Teddy can feel it, maybe Race can too.

Race takes a breath, fortifying and fond, then smiles.  It doesn’t feel so strained and Race feels just that much lighter when he clears his throat.

“Hey, Spottie…”

-

it wasn’t very good don’t clown me please my brain said ‘sorry bud’ today

thanks for reading, chiefs

hmu to be added to my tag

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[kopikokun]

also omg besides the dy ask maybe u could do a ship 😣 with nct i'm an estp, really loud and open, i like making new friends but its hard for me to be close to people. i love physical affection and cookinh for other people. i am really smart, and quite good at languages doh im majoring in bio-engineering. im not sporty but im quite active (my balance is bad so im quite clumsy) i draw a lot and its one of my charms, i still watch adventure time everyday like a kid but 😛

— :: 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃.

Wow babe, bio-engineering? So, you smartsmart, huh? And you still watch Adventure Time? What do you mean, like a kid? You mean like an absolute ICON! Right? Honestly, I didn’t watch Adventure Time a lot as a kid, but I know that I went NUTS for Marshall Lee. Like absolutely INSANE. Anyway, enough about my weird childhood crushes (because I could go on for ages about that), I think you and Winwin would be amazing for each other!

»» ──────　[*:. ☁︎ .:*]　────── ««

— GETTING TO KNOW DONG SICHENG.

Unlike you, Sicheng isn’t someone who’d like to be the center of attention.

At a party, he’s more the type to teeter along the edge of the room, sticking close to those he’s already familiar with.

You, however, are a completely different story.

Being an ESTP, you’ve just got a natural charm which people gravitate towards.

Wherever you go, there’ll always be at least a few people surrounding you, finding themselves drawn in by your witty humour and eccentricity.

So when Sicheng first meets you, he’s quick to try and distance himself from you.

Honestly, at the beginning, he thought you were just way more than he could ever handle.

You start to gradually integrate yourself into Sicheng’s friend group.

You start to especially click with Ten, since he’s so similar to you.

Despite what Sicheng had first thought, even Kun seems to warm up to you.

He had been the most reluctant to open up to you, but you’d been persistent, whether you had realised it or not, which you probably had.

There were times where he’d be irritated by you.

But once he finally gave you a chance, just like everyone else, he was absolutely enamoured.

You just had this undeniable air about you, and Sicheng was weak against you, like a moth to a dancing flame.

He grew fonder and fonder of your personality, your wit, your personality, your vibe.

He finds you to actually be someone with depth.

You’re smart, like really smart.

He thinks it’s impressive that you know such a wide range of languages since he knows first-hand how challenging learning a foreign language is.

He didn’t think he’d fall for you.

You two are complete opposites.

You’re a free soul, unbound by traditional rules, wings spread as far as the eye can see, while Sicheng is grounded, a fish in a bucket, unable and unwilling to adventure any further than the confines of his plastic home.

He knows that he’s fallen for you.

He won’t try to convince himself he hasn’t.

But he is hesitant to tell you about it since you two are polar opposites and Sicheng feels like he’d only hold you back (aww poor baby).

At first, he thought you and Ten maybe had something, so one day he pulls Ten to the side, face tense and asks him if you two are a thing.

Ten laughs at him, saying that no, you two could never be into each other like that, you’re just too alike for that. He’ll smilefondly and tell Sicheng something along the lines of, “Go get her.”

Sicheng will confess by buying you something you’d like, (courtesy of Ten after he’d badgered him about it for ages) a resolute edge in his eyes but a shy lilt in his voice. He’ll bring you out for a picnic, basking in the sight of you enjoying the view and smiling to himself.

— DATING DONG SICHENG.

Ten is the only person who’s caught on so far (and Kun has a gut feeling) since Sicheng isn’t very obvious about his feelings towards you.

So when the two of you show up, Sicheng holding your hand in his, a timid smile playing at his lips, the rest of the members are shocked.

Actually, shocked is an understatement.

Lucas is very obnoxious about it, letting out exaggerated gasps and, “What????????”

Hendery is all smug, acting like he’s known from the very start although he had practically no idea.

Xiaojun is patting Sicheng on the back and happy that you two are together.

Yangyang is so soft for you guys, like “Aww, that’s so cute.”

Kun is just a whole ass proud dad, yet he still is a bit protective over you and warns Sicheng that if he does anything stupid, he’s gonna get it. Though, Kun knows that Sicheng could never do anything to hurt you, not on purpose anyway.

Ten’s just smirking slyly in the background, teasing Sicheng about the way he was so serious the other day.

Sicheng is just so happy you accepted and reciprocated his feelings for you.

Once you two start dating, his favouritist thing ever will be your cooking.

If you cook him a little meal, he’ll be so happy.

He’ll get that signature Winwin smile, as his eyes glimmer in pure adoration for you.

He’ll pass out if you pack him a cute little lunch/bento box for practice.

He’ll lowkey show off to his friends, but he won’t be loud about it. That’s not who he is.

He’ll just munch on what you’ve made for him, feeling his chest bubble with warmth as he imagines you over the stove, humming softly or grinning toothily as you cut his sandwich into cute shapes.

Is very much teased about it, especially when you make he food in the shape of little animals or a heart.

Makes him feel like a little kid, but also really appreciated.

He’s the type to just subconsciously be the sweetest boyfriend ever.

He doesn’t even think about it, it just happens.

When you try to steal his food, he’ll just feed you it instead.

Holds your hand as you cross the road and wipes off your makeup if you accidentally fall asleep in it.

Isn’t into PDA, he doesn’t like flaunting you too much and he’s a private person, so he prefers to be intimate behind closed doors without any prying eyes.

He doesn’t mind if you initiate contact, but he’s not shy to do it first either. He likes to kiss or nibble your ears. He thinks it’s cute when you squirm.

But it’s not like he doesn’t get shy either. If you find his sweet spot, he’ll definitely crumble and give into you easily.

Since he’s not an extroverted person, he won’t be keen on going out in a large group too often, so he doesn’t mind if you’re out with your friends for long.

He trusts you, and why should it bother him? You’re not doing anything wrong and he doesn’t want you to feel like you’re being trapped in a cage.

Which relates back to that initial fear of his that he’s holding you back.

So, make sure to reassure him that he’s not.

Thinks it’s really cool that you’re studying bio-engineering (though he doesn’t know a single thing about it).

He understands your schedule can be hectic and he respects that sometimes you need time to yourself.

Sicheng is not a clingy boyfriend. He respects your space and hopes you respect his too.

Since he’s quite active, he’s glad you are too. If you’re down, he’ll invite you to work out together.

Likes to look at you draw, though once again, he doesn’t know much about it.

Is glad that you and Ten can vibe over that since he can’t, so he likes when you invite Ten over since Sicheng can talk to him too. Overall, just glad that you get along well with his friends.

Honestly, Sicheng’s a little rigid around your friends at first, but he tries his best to warm up to them.

His favourite routine with you is watching you study or draw as you nibble on the small bowl of fresh fruits and nuts he got for you and cuddling until you two fall asleep while you watch Adventure Time together.

He will subconsciously murmur the songs :)

»» ──────　[*:. ☁︎ .:*]　────── ««

— 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧. | 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬.

[today-we-will-survive]

meet me in the tree house

Moodboard made by @snowflakeu25

BTS au-imagine

Yoongi x Reader Y/N

fluff, romance

Word Count: 3.5K

A/N: This was a request from @snowflakeu25 💜

Three knocks on his studio door.

A gruff voice, muffled by the walls enters your ears and you twist the knob and push into the room with your hip since your other hand is preoccupied carrying a shallow box of takeout containers. A boy sits in a computer chair facing a mountain of recording equipment. Speakers jut from the two corners of the ceiling. Three large monitors sit atop the mountain, an expanse of panels, keyboards, knobs and sliders filling the valley below. At the sound of you entering the room, he turns around, his mouth twitching into a quick smirk before his eyes fall to the food in your hands.

“Hey,” you say.

“Hey,” Yoongi replies spinning around fully to face the coffee table as you set the box down on its surface.

“Working hard?” you ask and take a seat on the leather couch that sits adjacent to him.

Yoongi stretches, arching his back and raising his arms in the air with a groan. “Always,” he says. “Chinese?”

“You know it.”

The two of you are quiet for a while as you work at getting all of the take out containers open and onto the coffee table. Then you pass him a pair of chopsticks before taking your own pair and grabbing the closest container. You’ve watched Yoongi become a big time producer, his songs winning award after award. You’ve seen him on tv, standing on stages, making speeches, wearing designer clothes and being adored by people that don’t know him.

Yet every Wednesday, you come to Bighit, the security guard giving you a smile and a nod of recognition and you take the elevator up to the fourth floor, carrying take out, walk down that hallway lined with albums that have gone gold and platinum before reaching the studio. And there you find him, in his baggy sweats and baggy shirt, sometimes a beanie to keep his hair out of his eyes and he’d turn and greet you with that same tired smile. He’s never treated you different. He’s never let the fame get to him. Probably because he knows how far of a fall it would be back to the bottom where he started if he were to let it all go to his head.

You moved to the city not long after Yoongi got the job at Bighit. The two of you have been best friends since you were in fourth grade, when he moved into the house next door to yours. He had a tree house in his backyard that you had been eying for a while and when his mom had forced him to come over and ask you to play, you’d been ecstatic to finally be able to see the inside of it. It was as cool as you’d thought it would be, and that was where you’d spend a lot of late nights during the summer.

As you got older, the tree house transformed from a playhouse to a safe house. If your parents were fighting or lashing out at you, you’d send a quick text to him asking him to meet you there. And by the time you climbed up the rope ladder, the hatch would already be open and Yoongi would be waiting for you, his ears open to listen or his arms open to hold you, whichever you needed. Usually, it was both.

Once he moved away after college, there wasn’t much left for you in your small town, so you followed him, getting a job in the city and hanging out whenever he was free. Which wasn’t as often lately.

“So what have you been working on?” you ask before shoving a piece of orange chicken into your mouth.

Yoongi perks up, swallowing his mouthful of food before spinning to face his desk again. “Tell me what you think of this. Then with a couple clicks of his mouse and a press of a button on one of his keyboards, the room fills with music.

You close your eyes so you’re not distracted by anything and listen to the steady rhythm as it builds. After a few measures, Yoongi’s familiar voice starts in, delivering the deep lyrics he’s become so well-known for. You can feel the smile spreading your mouth as you listen, your head automatically bobbing to the beat. You’re really enjoying the song when suddenly it cuts off and you open your eyes to find Yoongi looking at you, his hand poised on his keyboard. You frown.

“What did you stop it for?”

“I just wanted to give you a sneak peek. You can’t hear the whole song until the mixtape is done.”

“Mixtape?” you ask as your smile returns.

Yoongi smiles back and looks down at his hands shyly. “By the way, I’m making a mixtape.

You let out an excited squeal, reaching out to hit his arm over and over, his smile growing bigger with every hit. “Are you serious?” you finally ask when he’s rolled out of your reach. “You’ve been wanting to do a mixtape forever!”

“Yeah,” he chuckles and scratches the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’ve finally gotten some time to work on it so I’ve been kind of messing around, writing some stuff.”

You pick up the container of pork fried rice, poking at it as you shake your head. “I’m really excited for you, Yoongi. It’s going to be amazing.”

“I hope.”

“It will be,” you say. “You’re crazy talented.”

Just then you feel your phone vibrate in your back pocket and when you reach for it and look at the screen, you can’t help but smile. The room is silent as you type a response to the message you received.

“Who has the audacity to interrupt our Wednesday night dinner?” Yoongi asks jokingly as he wheels back over and swipes a container off of the coffee table.

You send the message and set your phone onto the table before taking another bite of rice. “Just a guy I’ve been talking to,” you say. “Sorry.”

Yoongi blinks, obviously caught off guard by your response. “Oh, no, it’s okay. I didn’t know you were talking to someone.”

“Yeah,” you say with a shy smile. “I met him at a party last weekend and, I don’t know. We got to talking and now we’ve been texting each other a bit.”

Yoonig lets out a grunt, suddenly very interested in the container he’s holding.

“I don’t know,” you say again. “I think I’m finally in a place to start wanting to date again…you know, after everything that happened with—”

“Y/N,” Yoongi says cutting you off. “It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about him. I’m glad you’re able to move on now. I’m happy for you.”

You tilt your head as you study your best friend. His words sound genuine but the sentiment doesn’t seem to reach his eyes. “Thanks,” you utter. You hear your phone vibrate against the coffee table and you watch as Yoongi’s gaze falls to it for a split second before focusing back on poking his chopstick into his food.

*

*

Y/N: So Chinese again tonight or something different?

Yoongi: Ive got a lot of work to do tonight. I dont think I can hang out.

Y/N: Oh ok. See u next week then?

Yoongi: Sure.

*

*

Y/N: Hey, did u want to go out tonight instead of me bringing something? Theres a new ramen place I wanted to try.

Yoongi: cant hang out tonight. Busy.

Y/N: …ok. Next week then? I miss u.

Yoongi: Sure.

*

*

Y/N: ok. Im kidnapping u tmrrw night. I kno u dont rlly like going anywhere on Wednesday nights since u hav to work but we havnt hung out in like 3 weeks and I want to take u to see this new horror movie with me. And I kno that telling u Im kidnapping u kind of negates the whole “kidnapping” thing but I kno u dont like surprises.

Yoongi: cant.

Y/N:…really?

Yoongi: Sorry. I have to work.

Y/N: man…ur working a lot lately, arnt u?

Yoongi: its my job, Y/N. Maybe next week.

Y/N: Next week Im going to be back home to visit some family.

Yoongi: oh ok.

Y/N: Whatever, Yoongi. If u dont want to hang out anymor, just say it.

Y/N: Or dont. Whatever.

*

*

Yoongi: hey

Yoongi: Y/N

Yoongi: I know ur mad at me but please respond.

Yoongi: Y/N I was just being an idiot.

Yoongi: Y/N

Yoongi: Please talk to me.

Yoongi: look, I kno ur reading my texts and I kno u probably wont respond but if u end up seeing this, please meet me in the tree house in like twenty minutes. Alright? Thats where Ill be. I need to talk to u.

*

“The tree house?” you utter as you re-read his last text. As in the one at his parent’s house? The one that’s over an hour away from the city the two of you live in now?

You’re at a family dinner at the moment but you’ve all already eaten and now your parents are just talking to your aunt and uncle and though you’re a bit reluctant to actually meet up with Yoongi (since you’re still pretty pissed at him for ditching you for the past three weeks) he’s the perfect excuse for you to duck out early. And you do just that, saying goodnight to your extended family before telling your parents that you have to run but you’ll see them back at home later. Then you head out before anyone can argue.

It’s about a thirty minute drive from the restaurant back to your house. You can’t even bring yourself to pretend to feel bad for making him wait those ten extra minutes wondering if you’re even going to show up. It serves him right. The two of you have been best friends for as long as you can remember and have been doing Wednesday night dinner together ever since he got the job at Bighit. After all this, he decides he’s too busy to hang out? He’s never been too busy. Has the fame finally gotten to his head?

A terrible thought occurs to you as you pull into the driveway at your childhood home. What if he wants to meet you to break things off? To tell you that he doesn’t have time for friends anymore. That you shouldn’t come around anymore because it’s interfering with his work. That he’s outgrown you.

With an angry jerk of the stick shift, you jam your car into park and turn off the engine, yanking the key out. You can already feel yourself getting worked up as you slam the door and stomp across the yard to Yoongi’s house. When you get through the gate and enter the backyard, your eyes trail up to the tree house where it resides in the tall maple in the middle of the lawn. The sun is almost all the way set and the sky is already turning a medium shade of blue. It’s getting dark fast and you can see golden light filtering out of the windows in the tree house. He’s there. Good.

You take a deep breath then make your way up the rope ladder. This was a lot easier when you were younger, and smaller, and you can’t help but wonder how much longer this rope will even hold. With that thought, you scurry up the last few rungs, hoping the whole time that it won’t snap on you. Then, when you poke your head up through the hole, your eyes fall on Yoongi.

He’s laying on his back, hands on his stomach and his eyes fixed on the ceiling. At the sound of your arrival, he turns his head, his gaze locking with yours.

He sits up quickly. “I thought you weren’t going to come.”

You back away from the hole in the floor until your spine rests against the wall. “I wasn’t going to but it was an excuse to duck out of dinner early.” You cross your arms. “What are you even doing here, Yoongi?”

Your best friend gets to his feet. “I wanted to talk to you about…everything.”

“Well?”

Yoongi sighs, bringing up a hand to scratch behind his ear. A nervous tick you’ve always thought was a bit endearing. “I guess I just got kind of…jealous.”

Um…

You stand there against the wall blinking for several seconds, not really sure if you heard him right. “Jealous,” you finally say. Yoongi nods. Your brow furrows and you let out a humorless laugh. “I’m sorry, Mr. Big-shot producer, what the heck would you be jealous of?”

As if on cue, your phone chimes in your pocket and Yoongi’s eyes fall to the outline of it against your thigh. You’ve still been talking to that other guy from several weeks ago and now it kind of dawns on you, just what Yoongi is jealous of. The two of you lock eyes again.

“Yoongi…”

The apples of his cheeks dust a light pink, contrasting against his pale mint hair and he shifts on his feet. “No, it’s stupid. I shouldn’t have been like that. Not when I’ve never even told you how I feel. I just wanted you to meet me here so I could tell you that I’m sorry and I want to keep doing our Wednesday night thing and you can text that guy all you want. And I know you don’t need my permission but I’m just letting you know that I won’t be a jerk about this. And I won’t start acting all weird. Date him. Marry him. I’ll still be your best friend as long as you want me to be. And if you don’t, I understand that too because what kind of person freezes their best friend out over another guy? You’re more important to me than that and…Y/N?”

His words finally trail off when he looks up and realizes you’ve been standing there gaping at him the whole time. Your heart is in your stomach and your breaths have become shallow. Are you having a panic attack? Here? In Yoongi’s tree house? In front of Yoongi?

“Y/N?” he asks again.

“What did you say?” you utter.

“What?”

“What did you say?” you ask louder. “Just now. What did you say?”

Yoongi fumbles with his hands for a second, running his fingers through his hair and switching his weight to his other foot again. “Uh…that you’re my best friend?”

“Before that.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Before that.”

“I was being stupid?”

“After that.”

Yoongi bites his bottom lip, the pink in his cheeks becoming darker. “…that I haven’t told you how I feel?”

“Yeah,” you say. “How do you feel, Yoongi?”

“I feel like…” he takes a tentative step toward you, keeping his eyes locked on yours even as the blush spreads down to his neck. “…like I’ve been in love with my best friend for the past five years.” He takes another step toward you. The tree house isn’t very big so even after just these two steps, there’s only about a foot of space between you now. “How do you feel, Y/N?” he asks, his voice much lower than it was before. You peer up at him, heat creeping up your own neck to settle on your cheeks.

“I…uh…I—” your phone chimes in your pocket again and Yoongi sucks in a sharp breath. “Give me two seconds,” you whisper then pull your phone out of your pocket with trembling fingers and check the screen. Yoongi leans in a bit to peek too. “It’s my mom,” you say and you hear him chuckle under his breath. “She wants to know if I want them to pick up ice cream on their way back.”

“Do you?” he asks leaning in more, his dark eyes now drilling into yours. You’d back up if you could but you’re already pressed against the wall.

“Do I what?” you ask him.

He hesitates for just a moment, a smile quirking the corner of his mouth. “Want ice cream?”

You both know that’s not the question he’s really asking and for a split second, your eyes dart down to his lips. You pull your own into your mouth as you try to conjure up the words. You’re already a flustered mess with this boy so close to you, looking at you the way he is, his body heat radiating across the small space between you.

“Of course I want ice cream. I frikin’ love ice cream.”

The tension in the small space seems to burst as Yoongi falls forward, his head landing on your shoulder and laughter bubbling up out of him. You can’t help but laugh too as you feel his shoulders shake against yours and then he’s wrapping his arms around your waist to keep either of you from tumbling to the floor. The room is filled with your giggling and tears have sprung to your eyes and finally, once the muscles in both of your stomachs are good and sore, he lifts his head back up.

The laughter dies down as the two of you lock eyes again. You watch with bated breath as he reaches up to brush the hair back from your forehead, his fingers sliding down the side of your face and lingering on your jaw. “Can I kiss you, Y/N?” he utters.

You don’t even hesitate to nod before he closes the small gap, his lips moulding to yours along with the rest of his body. His one hand tightens on your waist and the other slides to the back of your neck and then he’s tilting his head to kiss you deeper. Of course, then your phone chimes AGAIN causing him to jump back with a small gasp.

“Sorry,” you mumble, your head swimming as you look down at your phone still in your hand. You look back up at Yoongi again. “Flavor?”

Yoongi stands there breathing hard for a second, staring at you as he processes your question. His tongue flicks out of his mouth for just a second. “Chocolate,” he finally says breathlessly.

You type the word as fast as you can, getting frustrated when you keep screwing up, before hitting send and dropping your phone onto the rug. Then you reach out to grasp Yoongi by the shoulders, pulling him to you once again.

*

*

“Just listen to this one,” Yoongi says as he pulls you back down into his lap.

The computer chair creaks under the weight of the two of you and you grip the arms to keep from toppling over. “Yoongi, I have to go. I have to get up early for work tomorrow.”

“Just this last one,” he says and slides the headphones back onto your ears. You’ve tried taking them off for the last five songs but every time you do, he wants you to listen to just one more. This is the last one, I promise.

“Yoongi, you’re really making me seem like a jerk of a girlfriend that doesn’t want to listen to your music.”

“But you do want to listen to my music, right?”

You smile and reach up to touch your palm to his cheek. “Of course, I do,” you say. Yoongi’s mouth lifts into a gummy smile as he nuzzles your hand. “You know I’m your biggest fan.”

“I know,” he says with a contented sigh.

He’s too perfect for his own good. So talented and so soft lately. Yoongi has always been more on the reserved side. Never cold but a bit closed off, even to you. But ever since the two of you talked—if you can even call it that—in the tree house, everything has changed. He’s revealed a different side of himself to you. A softer side. A happier side. You can hear it in his music, too. How happy he’s become.

“Alright,” you say. “Just one more.”

Yoongi claps excitedly before pressing a button on his keyboard and then settling back in under you, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his cheek against your arm. He loves watching your expression as you listen to his music. Loves seeing how it affects you, loves seeing the uncensored reaction. He knows you’ll always be honest with him, because you want him to give his best. Besides his colleagues, you’re the only one who’s opinion he trusts.

As you listen, Yoongi starts playing with your fingers, pressing the pads of his own against yours so you mirror his movements, and then when he glances at the screen and sees that the song is almost over, he slides his fingers through the gaps between yours and locks your hand in his. You knew he wouldn’t let you go after this song.

You shake your head until the headphones slip from your ears. “Yoongi,” you say.

“Just one more,” he says quickly and releases one of your hands to pull the headphones back up.

[spectrumscribe]

brothers = den mothers

a rottmnt ficlet, set directly after Repo Mantis. word count 3,510; rating Gen. pure & sweet family fluff, banter, and caretaking. :”)

AO3 link

“Three of hearts?”

“Go fish.”

“Aw, come on. It’s been go fish the past five times.”

“’cause I don’t got your cards, genius. That’s how the game works.”

“I have ten cards in my hands, I’ve asked you about half of their matches- no way you don’t have any.”

“Nope.”

Leo narrows his eyes. Raph avoids them.

“You’re cheating,” Leo exclaims, and lunges forwards to look at Raph’s cards. His brother just catches him with one hand and holds him down, lifting the four cards out of his reach. “Raaaph.”

“Just ‘cause you’re bad at cards don’t mean I’m cheating.”

“Lemme see and then I’ll believe you.”

“No.”

“Then you so are cheating-”

A distant sound of something exploding echoes through the walls, and they both go still. Nothing else explodes after a few beats, and Raph and Leo exchange looks.

“Wanna bet that was a Donnie related explosion?” Leo says.

“I would put good money on that bet,” Raph replies. He lets go of Leo and stands up; dropping his cards on top of the other scattered ones.

Leo glances at the cards as he stands too, and splutters. “Hey- you were cheating!”

“Please, Leo, we got priorities right now.”

Leo scowls at the back of his brother’s shell, but grumbles and follows along. They both grab their weapons as they head to investigate- mildly wary of the chance it’s not a Donnie related explosion (for once), and someone’s somehow found their home and busted in.

“What was that?” Splinter calls as they pass the living room.

“Probably Donnie,” Raph replies offhandedly, “maybe a human militia here to kill us all.”

“Well tell them to keep the explosions down; I can hardly hear my gameshow.”

“Will do, pop,” Leo promises with a wave, and keeps pace with Raph as they leave the lair at a jog. “So what do we do if it’s not Don and Mike?”

“Raph’ll kick their asses back to where they came from, that’s what. You can help, too.”

“Oh, I get to help?” Leo says sarcastically. Their conversation comes to a halt as they do; both of them staring at the collapsed portion of a tunnel wall. What looks like the rear end of an unusual vehicle is stuck through it, covered in dust and stray brick.

Leo sticks the tip of his sword in the stone under his feet, leaning on its handle. “Huh,” he says mildly. “Yeah, no, that’s not supposed to be there.”

“Ey! Wall breakers!” Raph bellows at the vehicle. “Who the hell are you, and what the hell do you want?”

“We really don’t have anything decent to steal, if that’s what you’re here for,” Leo adds, cupping his mouth to get his voice to carry. “Well. Donnie’s lab has some okay stuff. You can have that.”

A disgruntled green and purple head pokes around the corner of the broken wall. “Excuse you,” Donnie says irritably, “we do not offer my lab’s contents to hypothetical robbers, Leo.”

“Hey, guys!” Mikey cheers, popping out next to Donnie. He beams at them, covered in dust and band-aids. “We’re home!”

Raph makes a delighted cry and Leo does much the same. Both their weapons are sheathed as they hurry over and give their siblings welcome home hugs. Ten days apart is a lot longer than they’ve ever done before, and it feels better all-around to be back together.

“Man, I missed you guys,” Raph says, squishing all three of his brothers in a hug. “It’s been totally boring, and I was runnin’ out of ways to cheat cards with Leo.”

Leo gasps and thrashes in the hug, pissed enough that he’s hissing. “I knew it! You’ve been cheating this whole time!”

“Awww, we missed you guys, too,” Mikey says, looking pleased as peach despite being squished against an exasperated Donnie and irate Leo. The goofily happy smiles he and Raph are both wearing prove their relation.

“I’ll concede to having missed you two, too,” Donnie admits, craning an arm to hug Raph back. “Even if you’re all crushing me right now. Raph, if you would.”

Raph lets them down, but not before one more firm hug. “Sorry, just- I’m glad you guys got back safe. You kinda ghosted us bunch of the time. But, you got all your limbs still, and,” he says, glancing at the mostly obscured vehicle his siblings brought home, “came back with some serious booty! This is the surprise you talked about?”

“Sure is,” Mikey chirps, grabbing Leo- the closest brother- and dragging him towards the wrecked wall, “and you’re not gonna believe how cool it is!”

They do not believe how cool it is. The two brothers who’d stayed home also cannot believe they somehow didn’t recognize what the surprise was, even semi-buried under rubble.

Raph and Leo quickly become intensely jealous they missed out on the adventure that led their brothers to not only hang out with puppies all week, but also resulted in them coming into possession of the Jupiter Jim moon buggy.

“I mean, we kind of stole it,” Donnie admits as they’re all fawning over the buggy, “but that was only after Repo tried to back out of the deal. Also we’ll fix the wall later, and considering I’ve only ever driven in controlled environments and not during a high-speed chase in rush hour traffic, this is a decent parking job.”

“He forgot which was the break,” Mikey explains from up on the buggy; draped over the lip of the cockpit, head on his arms.

“I only forgot for a moment.”

“A moment too long, according to the wall,” Leo says with a grin, jerking his thumb at the wrecked structure. Mikey laughs, but it turns into a yawn halfway through.

“And it seriously has all the weapons from Return to the moon 3?” Raph asks, touching some of the oil slick that’d splattered the buggy mid-fight.

“It does,” Mikey confirms, nearly in a mumble, though his smile remains bright. “I bug-zapped a guy an’ everything with ‘em. It was awesome.”

He yawns again after that, long enough his eyes water a little. Mikey settles more comfortably on his arms, eyes hooded as the others keeps talking.

“They’re not too shabby for a movie prop, buuuut…” Donnie rubs his hands together, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “I have full intention to overhaul them all and increase not just their efficiency, but the diversity of attack options and double the firepower output. Maybe triple it. Depends how many compatible parts I can get my hands on in the next twenty-four hours.”

Leo walks around the top of the buggy, nodding in approval. “Awesome, awesome- please tell me you’ll re-do the upholstery inside, too? Old pleather sticks when you sit on it too long.”

“Uh, a-duh?”

“Sweet. Classic fuzzy dice gonna be included?”

“I have some!” Raph offers excitedly.

“Are they the ones that went missing from my room a few months ago?” Donnie questions dryly.

“Maybe.”

Donnie rolls his eyes. “That- figures.” His words are interrupted by a wide yawn, and he gives his slightly bloodshot eyes a rub. “We can start with them as a base for the colors scheme of the interior. Mikey, I’m guessing you’ll want to handle that?” No answer. “…Mikey?”

They all glance over to their youngest sibling.

Mikey’s eyes are shut and his mouth slightly open; soft breaths coming from him as he sleeps.

“Wow,” Leo says, coming over to crouch by Mikey. He gently pokes his brother’s cheek, testing for any chance of wakefulness, and gets nothing. “You know, you’d think he’d be bouncing at the walls right now. This is the coolest thing we’ve ever stolen. Besides my sword, obviously.”

“Eh, give him a break,” Donnie says, stretching his arms above his head and yawning again. “He’s been- been working with about five or less hours of sleep per day. Puppy paradises don’t build themselves, after all. Let ‘im sleep.”

His battle shell extends its spider legs, and Donnie goes scuttling up the sides of the buggy to start poking at machinery. Raph watches him for a moment, and then follows him up. Not for the same reasons, though.

“Alright, c’mere, Mike,” Raph says quietly, scooping up his brother. Mikey starts a little, eyes opening briefly, but then he sees Raph’s familiar red bandana and settles again. He’s asleep a second time around before Raph’s even dropped back onto the ground; tucked in close and held in one arm.

Leo is watching Donnie start pulling apart the engine, taking note of the slight jitter to his brother’s movements and the amount of dust and unbandaged cuts on his limbs. If Mikey has been running on five or less hours of sleep per day, then without a doubt Donnie has been running on even less. And, given how Mikey has medical care to his small injuries and Donnie doesn’t- Leo’s technical twin has only paid any attention the needs of their brother, rather than the both of them equally.

Leo and Raph share a look; Raph having been eyeing their genius sibling with a concerned expression, and holding Mikey a little closer to himself unconsciously.

Raph gestures at Leo, then at Donnie pointedly. Leo nods, moving into position as his big brother does.

“Hey, Donnie,” Leo says, crouching right in front of his twin.

Donnie looks up, goggles down over his eyes and a distracted frown on his face. “What?” he says shortly.

Leo shoves Donnie backwards. His brother tumbles off the buggy with a strangled shriek.

Raph catches Donnie with ease. Their sleep deprived sibling is startled enough he actually stays still for a whole minute; which is enough time for Raph to bundle him up, and start carrying both his little brothers back towards the lair.

Leo hops down, grinning smugly and skipping over to aim that grin at his brother. Donnie scowls, flipping his goggles up to get the full look across.

“I sense that was plotted,” Donnie says.

“Closer to spur of the moment ambush,” Leo corrects. “You know how Raph works.”

“It’s called getting shit done now, not later.”

“Like I should be doing, with the moon buggy-”

“Uh, no?” Leo cuts in. He clicks his tongue. “What you an’ Mikey are gonna be doing is sleeping, obviously. We’ll go patch the wall and haul in the buggy later.”

“I can keep working,” Donnie protests, twisting to get out of Raph’s grip. “I’ve got to assess the engine, and then the undercarriage, and-”

“Quit wigglin’,” Raph snaps mildly. “You’re gonna wake Mike.”

“’m ‘wake already,” Mikey mumbles faintly, but his eyes don’t even open fully. Leo and Raph both stare at Donnie until the guilt of disturbing their youngest brother’s sleep sets in, and Donnie stops protesting. He allows Raph to carry them along without further interruption, and with the last of the fight going out of him, Donnie sags under the weight of his exhaustion.

Raph is more than happy to carry that weight, right back into the safety of their home.

…He’s a little less happy to carry Leo’s, though, as their red striped sibling hops up on Raph’s shell and demands to be carried, too.

“You can’t play favorites with your little brothers, bro,” Leo chides as Raph growls. He sets his chin on Raph’s head, looping his arms around his brother’s neck and making himself comfortable as he hangs there.

“Watch me,” Raph grumbles, but makes no move to dislodge Leo from where he is. Leo smiles to himself all the way back into the lair, hardly even mad anymore that Raph had been cheating all week at cards.

Inside again, they’re met by their dad. Splinter is waiting in the main atrium, hands in his robe’s sleeves and a mild expression on his face.

“So I’m guessing you weren’t worried about the militia of killer humans?” Leo asks dryly.

“There would have been many more explosions if that was what happened,” Splinter sniffs, whiskers twitching. “You, my boys, are many things. But stealth fighters you are not.”

“Thanks, pop,” Donnie says sarcastically, as Mikey quietly, sleepily laughs.

“Purple, Orange. You’re home.”

“Hi, pop,” Mikey says, smiling at their nicknames.

Splinter takes one arm out from his sleeves and extends a claw, crooking it in request that Raph bend down and let him see the exhausted turtles in his arms. His nose twitches as he sniffs, eyes squinted and careful as he examines his sons. Other than being dusty and a little banged up, Donnie and Mikey are perfectly healthy.

“Hm,” Splinter mutters, still casting a dubious eye over the both of them. Then, he nods, expression calmly accepting. “You two have been gone quite a while. Welcome back.”

“Happy to be back,” Donnie replies easily, not minding the scrutiny of his father. It’s comforting, being back in an environment that’s completely and truly safe. Splinter, satisfied with the brief checkup, pats Mikey’s cheek and goes to wander back into the living room.

“Seeya later, pop,” Mikey says, waving. “Love ya.”

“Yes, yes, I love you, too- and remember to fix whatever you blew up!” Splinter scolds over his shoulder, tail flicking irritably as he disappears through the doorway.

“I think he really missed you guys,” Raph says, resuming his trek to their rooms. “He asked like, four whole times if we’d heard from you.”

“Aw, I missed him, too…” Mikey says softly, words trailing off into a yawn. His eyes are heavy as their journey continues, and when he halfway wakes again, Donnie has been dropped off along with Leo and Raph is setting him down on his bed.

“Gear off,” Raph reminds, fingers going for the buckles of Mikey’s weapons holster. Mikey brushes them away, fumbling with them himself.

“I got it, I can do it myself…” The holster comes undone and Raph sets it on the chair by Mikey’s easel and paints. Mikey yawns, but feels awake enough he can manage the remaining steps to get to bed. “Go wrestle Don into bed, Raph,” he says, starting to shove his kneepads off. “I can brush my teeth n’ stuff on my own.”

“You sure?” Raph questions, hovering a little.

Mikey makes shooing motions. Raph goes, but silently promises to swing through again just to check in one last time. A few rooms over, voices are mingling in Donnie’s bedroom; the sources the two turtles flopped over each other on the bed and procrastinating one of them getting to sleep.

Raph knocks on the doorway, drawing their attention. “Ey, Leo. You’re supposed to be helping him into bed, not schooling him on Jupiter Jim lore.”

“Can you blame me?” Leo says haughtily, sprawled across Donnie’s stomach to keep him from wandering back to the buggy. “He mixed up Return to the moon 8 and Return to the moon 10. I couldn’t let that stand!”

“I am more than half asleep right now, Leon. Gimme a break.”

“You might as well have mixed up Lou Jitsu and Bruce Willis, you heathen.”

Raph rolls his eyes at both of them. “Donnie, either you get up and brush your teeth or I’m just kickin’ Leo out right now and turning off the light.”

“Gingivitis is a very serious condition to treat. I’m going right now.” Donnie doesn’t move for a moment, then reaches over and flicks Leo’s skull. “That means you get off of me, Leo.”

“Ow, god, you coulda just said you wanted me to get up.”

“It was strongly implied between the lines.”

They heckle each other a little more, but Leo does eventually roll off Donnie’s stomach. Raph steadies their second eldest sibling as Donnie stands, wobbling a little as low blood pressure puts sparks in his vision. Food will be the next step, after he and Mikey get at least a few hours of sleep.

“I can put that away,” Leo offers, tapping Donnie’s battle shell. Donnie mumbles something of a thank you and a yes please at the same time, unlatching the protective shield from himself and handing it off. He stretches, groaning as his shoulders ache.

“Glad I wore one with solar power options,” Donnie tells Raph, once Leo has headed back to the lab to tuck the battle shell into its charging station. He rolls his shoulders again, grimacing as the extended use of the false shell comes back to bite him. “Though, ugh, I wish it’d been a lighter model, too. I think I’ve got bruising, and not just from dropping wood planks on my foot three fuckin’ times.”

“Klutz,” Raph teases, but then adds, “You want some painkillers?”

“Please. God please.”

When they make it to the bathroom, Mikey is there slowly brushing his teeth; mask and gear all left in his room, leaving him bare and visibly dusty everywhere the equipment hadn’t been. Donnie is equally dirty, but neither of them have the energy or willpower to clean themselves properly at the moment. Baths, like food, will come later.

Mikey mumbles a greeting around his toothpaste and brush, and then makes an annoyed grunt as all three of them crowd around the sink and cabinet. Donnie going for his toothbrush and Raph reaching overhead to rummage in the mirror cabinet for necessary drugs. There’s some squishing and shoving involved, but everyone gets what they need done with minimal grousing or paste spat on each other.

“Hey, Raph?” Mikey asks, stopping in the doorway as he’s leaving.

“Yeah?” his brother answers, still leaning against the wall. He’s holding a waiting cup of water and two Tylenols for Donnie, and also making certain their genius doesn’t try anything ‘smart’ and sneak off to look at the buggy. Donnie knows this is why he keeps being watched by his brothers, and is tolerantly accepting the den mother attitudes.

“Come rub my shell afore I sleep?”

Raph smiles warmly. “Sure. Go get in bed an’ I’ll be there in a minute.”

Mikey rubs his eye, nodding. He disappears as Donnie spits in the sink; the second eldest sibling wiping his mouth and holding out a hand for the painkillers.

Raph drops Donnie off in his room again, just as Leo comes strolling back from his trip to the lab. Raph  leaves them both to their own conversation as Donnie flops onto the bed; Donnie rambling a little about some kinks in his battle shell he’d found through its overtime during the week, and Leo listening from his comfortable sprawl at the foot of the bed. Raph will shoo Leo out of the room again when he comes back through one last time, so Donnie puts a pause on the science for a while and actually sleeps.

Mikey is set up in bed when Raph gets there; his side table lamp the only illumination and a battered but loved comic in his hands, reading it absently while he waits. When he sees Raph, he puts the comic aside and rolls onto his front.

Raph sits on the edge of the mattress, hearing it squeak under his weight as he moves the covers off his brother to expose the patterned shell. Placing his large palm against its cool surface, Raph starts a firm but soothing rub of the scutes. It only takes a few passes for his littlest brother to start a gentle purr; Mikey wholly happy to have the indulgence of a shell rub before bed, especially after a long week of hard work.

“Aight, g’night, Mike,” Raph says after a bit, finishing the rub with a few pats to Mikey’s back.

“G’night,” Mikey says, mostly asleep and face buried in his pillow. Raph reaches over and turns off the lamp, and shuts the door quietly behind himself as he leaves.

Leo is still hanging out in Donnie’s room when Raph comes by, but their brother’s tech and gear are in a pile by the bed and Donnie’s eyes are shut. Leo is just choosing to remain on top of his brother’s feet a while longer, eyes hooded as he himself wonders about a catnap.

He also sincerely missed his brothers, like Raph did, like their brothers missed them. It’s not the time for grilling them on details of the puppy RV and moon buggy shenanigans, but they can spend a few quiet moments with their siblings before they drop into slumber. It sets the undertone of being off kilter, with their pairs having been apart so long, back to rights again.

Still, Leo leaves Donnie’s bed as Raph whispers for him to, and the family genius is left in his dark room to get much needed rest.

“Feel like another game of cards?” Raph asks as they hop back down to the bottom level.

“Not in your god damn dreams, you swindling asshole,” Leo hisses without heat.

Their father’s gameshow plays an ambient soundtrack to the lair as they search for something new to amuse themselves with. Other than their good natured banter and padding feet on the stone floors, there’s no other noise to disturb the turtles sleeping in their beds.

Commission info & Kofi link.

[loftyexecutor]

clean slate (10/?)

Pairing: (eventual) addcest [LPDE] & elsain [LKATh] WC this chapter: 2600 Rating: T+ TWs: (past) abuse, talking about it, ptsd flashbacks, anxiety attacks AU: modern/single parent Lusa (with his tiny son Arc) + runaway Esper (hah) Notes: shoutout to @bitgaram-mu for flinging themself out of a window after the last chapter rip

ao3 link

“I’m sorry, but it seems you should come back to meet Esper some other time,” Lusa says, holding a hand over the phone so Arc wouldn’t hear him. His adrenaline is spiked so high he feels his arteries will pop one by one.

Asker stands up from the armchair, having not budged at all until now. “Unfortunately, that is not possible. After all, I won’t be returning here, and neither will Esper. That insufferable child needs to be put back in his place.”

Lusa frowns, staring the man down with a mixture of shock and nausea brimming in his stomach. “You should go,” he says, unnaturally level, “Now.”

“Very well, looks like my unchecked tongue resulted in me overstaying my welcome. It’s not like Esper is here anymore, anyway. Now where could that brat have hidden? Surely yours has an idea?”

The phone screen crackles under the force of Lusa’s grip. It’s only one, two steps before he’s close enough to the man to wind his arm back. There’s a sickening crunch as his fist makes contact with the man’s jaw and sends him backwards with sheer power.

“I will not repeat myself,” Lusa mutters, all too ready to send another punch. “Leave.” His breathing is shallow; he sees red when he stares at the primly dressed man, now bleeding from his probably broken nose.This man is the reason why Esper ran away, why Arc is crying into the phone. Esper had call him his father, so that means…

His heart beats frantically, and the more pieces his brain puts together, the less he can think about, save for ‘this man deserves to die’.

“I won’t let you lay a hand on Es ever again,” he hisses. The reason for Esper’s fear is right there before him; Lusa isn’t about to pass up an opportunity to break more than just his nose, especially since best case scenario, it’s never presented to him again.

“Now, now, let’s not get hasty here—”

Too little, too late. Lusa is throwing another punch already, enjoying the pained noise that leaves Asker a little too much. It’s all too easy to yank that crisp collar up and drag the man out of the house.

Arc’s sniffles are still audible through the phone. Lusa needs to get to them yesterday.

He throws Asker to the ground without a shred of mercy. The blood splatter on the cobblestone path is like a trophy. Lusa shouldn’t feel accomplished seeing it there, but to hell with it now, he does.

“If you ever show your face here again… You’ll end up with more than a few punches. Trust me when I say I have no qualms about taking a pathetic life like yours.”

Asker coughs, picking himself up with obvious difficulty. Duly noted, he groans “Don’t know what you see in that stupid child anyhow. He’s about as useless as a broken TV.”

Lusa is kicking out before he can stop himself. Right in the stomach, heel driving into the soft meat there. “Not another word, you asshole!”

Asker is writhing on the ground like the worm he is and Lusa would love to keep watching him, add a few more kicks to the tally, but he’d already wasted more time than he should have.

“I’m coming, Arc, hang in there, okay?” he tells Arc, “I’ll fix everything.”

Maybe he shouldn't’ drive in a state like this, but he doesn’t care much, already peeling off and heading into the town. He’s lucky no police cars patrol that day, because he breaks no less than five traffic rules within the four minutes it takes to get to the correct shop. He even leaves the engine running while scavenging the alleys.

Arc provides half-helpful, half-choked tips that lead Lusa into the correct place.

“Dad!” Arc cries as soon as Lusa rounds the corner, out of breath.

“Oh, thank god,” Lusa sighs, dropping to his knees in front of his family, ignoring the sting of concrete. His heart aches at the sight; Esper is curled up in a corner of the dirty spot, staring down and holding Arc close to his chest like his life depended on it.

Lusa reaches out slowly, so as not to startle Esper, but he doesn’t seem to even notice him.

“Es, c’mon, it’s me,” he cooes, but still nothing. “Gimme Arc, we can’t stay here. Let’s go home.”

He tries to pull Esper’s arms away from Arc and pull them up, and that's when Esper finally reacts, snapping back to himself, though Lusa isn’t sure he’s happy about it now.

Esper jumps up, hugging Arc so he doesn’t fall. “No!” he cries, voice breaking painfully, “I won’t let you hurt Arc!”

“Es, that’s dad!” Arc tells him, but Esper is acting more like a startled rabbit than anything. He even backs up until his back hits the wall, effective trapping himself further in the corner.

“Esper…” Lusa grits his teeth, fighting back tears that threaten to fall from his overflowing eyes. “It’s me, c’mon… I won’t hurt you, I’d never…  I’d never hurt you or Arc… Please, let’s go home now…”

“Home…” Esper echoes, shoulders slumping from their tense position. His eyes gain a panicked glint, brows arching up and scrunching together. “It’s not cleaned… Father will come home, he’ll see… Hurts… Stop it, Im— I’m sorry… Please, I’ll clean it—”

Against better judgement, Lusa listens to his instinct and wraps his arms around both Esper and Arc, holding the shaking man while he bawls, muttering apologies and incoherent descriptions that only further break Lusa’s heart, or what’s left of it right now.

Oh, how he regrets not breaking more than Askers nose!

“Esper, it’s fine… He’s not here anymore. He can’t hurt you, I won’t let him. C’mon now, let’s go back to our home, not his. No cleaning, we’ll order take out and watch a ninja movie, how’s about it?”

Esper sniffles. “Lusa,” he mutters, stopping his rambles as if he just notices who he is with, who is holding him.

“Yeah, it’s me. Let’s get out of here, put Arc down, I’ll hold you.”

Reluctantly, Esper puts Arc down, and the kid runs up to Lusa to hug him, hiding his face in Lusa’s thigh. “Dad, what’s going on?” he asks, clinging to his pant leg. Lusa leans down and scoops him up, perching the kid on his hip as he wraps an arm around Esper’s shoulders.

“That man who was at our house was very, very bad. He hurt Es before,” he tries explaining, watching as Esper stares at him with a pained expression. “Don’t be mad at Esper, Arc, okay? He wanted to keep you safe from that man.”

“Uh-uh… Is the bad man gone now”?

“Yeah, your dad beat him in a fight. He was gonna hurt us all, but I kicked him out!” He looks straight at Esper as he says that, trying to smile reassuringly.

“Is he really gone?” Esper asks, quiet, raspy. All the crying had taken a toll on his voice. “What if he comes back? He knows where you live—”

“Where we live, Es,” Lusa corrects him. He rubs Esper’s upper arm through his shirt. “I won’t let him hurt you again. That’s a promise. A swear.”

Esper nods numbly, leaning into the touch with only slight reluctance. Lusa leads him back to the car and seats Arcin his seat. Esper clambers into the passenger seat in silence. In fact, the whole ride back is silent, not even Arc piping up with the usual banter. The radio is still off from when Lusa turned it down to hear Arc more properly when searching for them.

It’s Asker’s grace that the Sedan is no longer sitting in their driveway when they get home. It’s nowhere to be seen, actually.

Lusa parks and gets up, but when Esper doesn’t move, he circles the car and opens the passenger door for him. “C’mon, Es,” he prompts.

Esper looks up at him, as if snapping out of deep thoughts. He nods, very stiffly, and slowly gets out. His eyes flick back and forth, obviously ready to bolt again. With how he’s acting, Lusa is surprised (though not unpleasantly) he even agreed to that the car ride.

Arc runs inside as soon as Lusa opens the door, rushing down the hall and picking up a plushie from the ground. It’s a dark cat , one that Lusa doesn’t recognize. “Hey, who’s that?” he asks, making sure Esper actually comes inside before he heads to the kitchen with Arc.

“Um, this is Miss Meow,” Arc says, dusting said Miss until she’s clean enough for his standards. “Esper got me her um… earlier.”

“Oh, did he?” Lusa motions for Esper to join them at the dining table. “You should show me all you got at the store!”

Arc wastes no time to launch into a tirade about his new backpack — which he’d been wearing this whole time and would probably need a quick wash, not just dusting — and the super cool blow pens that everyone is gonna be jealous of’. Lusa had thought it’d help take his mind off of what happened, so he didn’t even comment that he said ‘no’ to those same pens a few days prior.

Esper, though… still looks out of it, glancing out of the window every few minutes to check the driveway. Okay, Lusa is being generous, Esper is actually snapping his head around all the time, to the point where Lusa is worried he’ll tear something in his neck or something.

He wants to talk to him about what ha happened, apologize for not knowing — not recognizing the man. He wants to fic today, restart it and prevent it from ever happened. But he doesn’t possess time powers and Esper still looks lost in his own kitchen.

Plus Lusa wants to give him his all when they actually tackle this issue. For now he gives his  all to his son,holding back every single comment about Esper soiling Arc too much r buying him too many things. He’s glad Arc can still be positive, at least.

Wishes Esper would too, but he knows it’s too soon.

—

They order takeout as per Lusa’s suggestion — they being Lusa, if we’re being honest — but when the delivery boy comes, Lusa can see the fatal flaw in his idea.

The doorbell ringing makes Esper almost jump out of his skin. He hides in the kitchen, pressing himself against the wall by the door, hidden from sight. Lusa’s heart aches at the sight and he rushes to answer the door.

The poor guy is so confused when Lusa just hands him thirty bucks and yells to keep the change.

“It’s okay, Es, just the food,” he says, setting the warm containers onto the counter. Esper is still pressed into the wall, dangerously close to tears.

Lusa walks up to him and pauses. “Esper?”

“Yeah?” Esper’s voice wavers and Lusa feels helpless.

“Can I touch you?”

Esper nods, choppy and slow, so Lusa takes a hold of his hand and pulls him to the living room to sit on the couch. He sits close to him, but still far enough so it doesn’t feel claustrophobic.

“Es, I want to talk about what happened before,” he says, and doesn’t hesitate to continue even when Esper curls u. “I want to apologize. If I’d known that’s your father, I— wouldn’t’ve let him in. Hell, I’d punch him sooner.”

“You punched him?” Esper asks, wide eyes staring at Lusa like he’d just grown a second head.

Lusa’s chest fills with pride and he grins at Esper, mimicking punching the air with one hand. “Fuck yeah I did! Twice, and then kicked him some. Prolly broke his nose, too. I would’ve done more, but I wanted to get to you and Arc as soon as I could.”

Esper frowns, hiding a grimace behind a hand. “What did… he do?”

“Oh, he laid there and took it like the scum he is! I told him I’d have no problem getting bloody if he ever showed up again.”

“He’ll… he’ll be back… Even angrier, probably, he’ll… he’ll hurt you and Arc and— and he’ll… drag me back— home—” Esper babbles, tugging at the longer strands of his hair. His eyes stare at nothing and he almost rips the hair out, but Lusa wraps his fingers around his hands, gently pulling them away.

“Hey, I was serious when I told him I’d have no problem getting rid of him I won’t let you get hurt anymore, I swear. You hear? I swear, he’ll never get to you again.”

Esper hiccups a sob and leans onto Lusa (read: falls onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes), shoulders quaking. Lusa wraps an arm around him, enveloping him in a n embrace, holding him as close as humanly possible, warm and safe.

“He knows where I live,” Esper says, and though it’s muffled in the crook of his neck, Lusa has no trouble making it out. “Where you live.”

“And if he shows up again I have the police on speed dial,” Lusa coos back, stroking a hand through Espers hair, massaging the tender scalp.

“How long do you think he’s known…? He must’ve been stalking us! What if he hurts you or— or Arc!”

“I can take care of myself. And Arc is always around us or someone we know.”

Esper doesn’t have a retort to that one, but he can’t stop crying either. Lusa holds him as he wails, staining his shirt with tears. It's not like Lusa minds; it can just get thrown into the laundry later. Esper is more important than a piece of fabric. 

“I’m sorry,” Esper says, still half-muffled.

“Why’re you apologizing?” Lusa asks, also still playing with Esper’s hair in hopes of calming him.

“He could’ve hurt you,” the lankier man answers quietly. “He only wanted me…”

Lusa shushes him immediately. “But he didn’t. And he won’t get you.” He stops carding through Esper’s hair in favor of brushing the tear streaks etched into his cheeks off. “You feel up for some dinner? You’ll feel better with a full belly.”

“Dad? Es? Is everything okay?” Asks, peeking into the living room, small fingers gripping onto the doorframe, only his head visible behind the corner.

Esper pulls away, wiping at his face. He motions Arc over and helps him sit in his lap, trying his best to make a normal smile.

“Sometimes, when something bad happens,” he says, sniffling, “you can’t do anything. Crying helps you feel better, so I had to cry it out. Hugs also help,  and your dad was here to provide. Everything’s fine now, Arc. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

Arc nuzzles into Esper’s chest, squeezing him with all the power of his small five-year-old frame (which is not much). “I’ll hug you too, until you’re all better. Please don’t run away again.”

Esper chuckles, the sound hollow to his own ears. He chuckles, “Of course I won’t,” but his mind is running hundred miles an hour, as if to make up for the time he’d been out of it.

Maybe it’s a bad idea to stay here. Asker could come back at any time… Lusa doesn’t know what he’s capable of, how many shady connections he has. How he always gets what he wants, no matter what. It’s not fair to put Lusa and Arc in danger needlessly.

Esper grins, setting Arc down. “Now, how about that dinner? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving and the food is just sitting there getting cold.”

There’s already a plan in his mind as he plates the Chinese from its boxes. ‘Sorry, Arc,’ he thinks somberly, ‘but it looks like I’ll have to let you down this once.’

[mattyslittleworld]

love doesn't mean it'll last

I went for a walk a few hours ago to listen to some music. I got caught in a thunder storm, hiding like Tom Hanks with a volley ball, under some hangover at a school near my crib. I had to sit there for mad long. A cop drove behind it and asked if I had a warrant, wanted my name and address and all this shit I was like you’re bugging. Then drove away without giving me a ride back home like a typical trash middletown cop. But I was forced to sit down and listen to music and relax, it was actually amazing. I listened to The National’s new record Sleep Well Beast. I listened to City and Colour’s new live album. Ben Howard records. Owen’s cover of American Footballs “Never Meant”. I know from my IG and the public perception im very heavily into Hip Hop and shit but I don’t think anything can touch my heart soul and interest level like these records and artists do. Indie / Folk music really cuts deep. Some of my favorite bands are Thursday, Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service, Bright Eyes, Elliot Smith, Dylan, all that shit. I came up on that shit. Bands like Mae, or even Metalcore that crossed over into clean jazz parts like Misery Signals and 7 angels 7 plagues. Their piano ballad jhazmynes lullaby changed my life and I got that name tattooed on the tops of my wrists. I think that was the first time I realized you can be into hardcore, create hardcore, have the stereotypical lifestyle and look, but still be emotional. They’d go from the heaviest breakdowns right into clean pedals delay and beautiful soundscapes that you could really get lost in on a night like tonight stranded out to sea. 2 nights ago Albee played his first show back in New Jersey since the D.A. unbanned him. It was crazy. I pulled up solo and met up with them and it was crazy to see how many people fuck with that dudes movement. It was also crazy to see how famous and embraced Fetty Wap is. He was mad cool. Anyone who’s family to Belv is family to me. The crowd freaked the fuck out when he came on stage it was so sick. There was like 50 of us on stage it was such a good time and im glad I went. Makes me so stoked on all the work me and Belv have been putting in. We both got albums on deck for 4th quarter 2018, first quarter 2019. The new Mozzy came out and im sitting here just vibed out listening to the song “Blackhearted”. The beats this dude picks are so beautiful. Like piano ballad beats with soul samples, he seems very intelligent because these bars are insane. Tonight I met up with Jeff because he have this weird tradition of just going to as many shows as possible. We saw Brian Fallon again at Count Basie in Red Bank. First off - ive been working so hard lately that ive been feeling extremely extremely extremely alone. I don’t hangout with anybody 1 on 1 these days, I don’t really go out side. I literally don’t even have a social group. I travel everywhere alone, and I just in general move by myself. Im at a point now where some people have tried some fuck shit to get to some of the people ive been working with. Before this I was so busy recording so any social time to myself and “friends” was basically engineers, collaborations, and music related. The whole “go to the movies” type of social life or any normal shit has just kinda been erased from my life. Sometimes when Im out, in passing, ill see a group of like 5 or 6 kids just laughing passing me. Bonding in the simplest way and it makes me choke up. I love it. I haven’t felt that in mad long but when I think back on when I did have that - in the back of my head all I wanted to do was get a shot at music. So now that I have that shot I have to bite down. Im foaming at the mouth for this shit. Anyway tonight with Jeff was the first in awhile where I put shit aside and hung out and caught a show outside of some business shit. I appreciate that dude probably more than he realizes. He saw something in me, a fight, a fire, and linked me with Jesse - who literally spun my life in a 180. Brian is probably one of my favorite songwriters these days. I know thats a cliche thing to say but I really was there from the jump, like Myspace days. Ive met him a few times and he has a tattoo of a band I Sang for and we chopped it up and he was a really nice dude. After his show there was an immediate standing ovation. Im talking like within a second the entire sold out count Basie theater jumped to their feet and roared. It literally scared him. The look in his eyes was so unreal. I could see him thinking “how did I get here?” For kids like us its a dream to play that room. I cant imagine 10 years from now being blessed enough to sell that bitch out with a standing ovation. Within that moment I can tell he went right back to being a kid walking past that shit with “one day” eyes. I really had a good time tonight though. It was so nice to get out. After I caught up with my boy Joe who booked the show and runs The Basie. The shit he was saying to me put me on cloud 9. So encouraging. He mentioned my work all across the boards, in all genres and told me to keep going. Its hard sometimes to hold the faith but times like this when a dude who used to book your hardcore band and is now booking these crazy concerts says keep going for said reasons….damn man. Makes me wonder. Its 4:30 am and I had food and watched Ebro / Genuis interviews and passed out so im probably up for the day. This Mozzy record really is amazing. Now that im getting older im finding myself wanting to settle down with a girl and spend more time with my family and hers. That aspect of my life is creeping up. Ive never felt that. Every relationship ive ever been in was shit and stagnant with people who switched up. Ive never felt true bond. True companionship. True love. True strength. True ride or die I got you till the end marriage type shit. My hearts been empty for so long. My hearts been closed. But tonight I walked from Starbucks in red bank to the Basie, with a cup of coffee, felt the breeze of October…..and I just felt my heart being open again. Its still empty, but at least its open and I felt warm and excited for one day hopefully having the opportunity to meeting somebody that will let me make them coffee. I know that I have met her. Ive known her for about 10 years. I feel her deep in my soul….but sometimes love aint enough so ive been faced with the crossroads and I had to move forward. Hopefully one day it’ll pan out because my fists are bloody from fighting. You know who you are. I know you’re reading this. Im looking forward to halloween, and the holidays and the cold weather. Spending time by the fire, having good coffee, with good people that ive neglected over the past couple years due to tour and life and me being a dumb kid. I feel the energy shifting. I feel the industry shifting. I feel them watching. I feel her, I think of her everyday, I hope she thinks of me. -1-

Mozzy - Black Hearted 

[kwonhozhi]

So Let The Love Tear Us Apart

this is a gift 4 my life partner @alrightevans as a congratulations for getting through her exams im proud of u, u dickhead xxxx

( love also to @prongsyouignoramus for her help )

Word Count: 3200

AO3

It’s been two weeks since Mr Evans’ funeral, James’ mum informs them sombrely she clicks on her left indicator to leave the train station carpark. Sirius shoots James a look, but James just stares out the window and counts the number of garden gnomes they pass.

(Nobody has garden gnomes in London, except Notorious Nick from halls in first year, and even then, he’d stolen them.

He’d let James help him go at them with cricket bats in the courtyard after exams. Smashing a ceramic gnome with a swing that would’ve scored a six was one of life’s finer pleasures, he’d decided.)

“How long are you boys staying for?” Euphemia asks, and this earns James another look from Sirius.

“Not sure yet,” Sirius says, but he’s still giving James that look, the one that tells James when he’s being too depressing, or too melancholy, and Sirius is this close to calling his mum about it. It’s a look that says why are you keeping secrets from us?

“A while, I think,” James says.

“Oh?” Euphemia tries to make eye contact with James through the rearview mirror, but he stares steadfastly at the back of the headrest in front of him.

“Is it alright if we go to Pete’s before dinner?”

She pauses, trying to weigh the situation. “Of course.”

James sits back and starts on the gnomes again.

Fleamont is there, at the end of that long gravel driveway, ready to haul their bags out of the boot, but James takes one look at his father’s grey-laced head, and thinks of Mr Evans, and races around the car to get there first.

He trudges up the stairs, and Sirius heads toward the garden, or the bathroom, or the library. Euphemia follows James, and when he pushes open his bedroom door, she puts her arms around his middle, and rests her chin on his shoulder. They survey the room together for a second and there’s something off about it, but he can’t–

“Awful boy,” she says, and it’s the stripped bed that’s the issue, “not even giving me enough warning so I could have fresh sheets for you.”

“It’s okay,” he says, and he means it. He pats his mum’s wrist, and then he pulls free to dump his duffel next to the dresser.

Sirius knocks on the doorframe, and they both jump a little. “Pete’s expecting us. We’d better head.”

James nods, and kisses his mother on the cheek. “We won’t be ages.”

Peter’s street looks exactly the same as James remembers, except that all the curtains are drawn on the Evans house as they pass it. Lily’s light isn’t even on.

(He threw enough rocks at her window during sixth form that he’ll never forget the sight of her, in one of her dad’s old t-shirts and pants, silhouetted by the - and he’d made fun of her for this - soft pink light of her lamp.)

That window is a void space now, silent and nothing. He wonders if she’s in there.

“Hurry up, you sad fucker - if you start pining over Evans again as well, I’m going back to London.” It’s an empty threat, they both know it, but James looks away from the sleeping house anyway, and half jogs to catch Sirius up.

Peter hugs them both rather bodily, considering he was only in London to visit three weeks ago.

Mrs Pettigrew fusses over them for a few minutes - “My, James, how gaunt you look - it’s that city air, I’d bet my life on it, it’s no good for you!” - before Pete cuts her off with an exasperated mum, and leads them into the den.

“Smash?” Peter asks, and James nods his approval, and Sirius grunts in a way that seems to indicate yes.

Sirius and James fight over the only beanbag–

(There had been two, once upon a time, then Sirius had gone through his punk phase, and the flimsy fabric had been no match for his safety pins.)

James is the victor, but that doesn’t mean much, because Sirius just sits on top of him anyway while Peter turns on the PlayStation, and then Sirius says, “Why didn’t you tell mum we’re moving back?” and James is in a foul mood, just like that.

“Because,” James says, giving Sirius a shove that leaves him sprawled unceremoniously on the floor, “if I tell her that, then I’ll have to tell her I quit my job, then she’ll ask why I quit, then I’ll have to tell her I fucking hate engineering, and that she and dad paid for a degree in it for nothing because I’m never going to use it. And then she’ll ask what about Elenore, then I’ll have to tell her that Elenore cheated on me with a guy who looks a lot less like Harry Styles than she’s been telling everyone he does, and she’ll get this knowing look like didn’t I tell you white girls are no good for you? And I just don’t want to deal with that, yet.”

“Christ,” says Peter, and hands him a controller.

Two rounds in, when Peter is changing the settings from six stock to one, because he reckons it’s more fun that way, James’ phone chirps, and he gets this weird, apprehensive feeling when he sees Marlene McKinnon’s name in the notification, so he ignores it.

(It’s a video, shared to his timeline. He’d been young, and drunk, and in what he thought had been love, and it was the best night of his life, the night that he and Lily had lost their shit to a fucking Joy Division song at the roller disco that’s been sans roller since 1981.)

James says, “Are the Evanses away?”

Peter goes stiff for a second, and then, “Nah. I’ve seen Petunia around. The curtains have been shut since Papa Evans passed.”

“Did you go to the funeral?”

“‘Course,” Pete says. “Whole town did, just about. No-one’s seen Lily since,” he adds, because he knows James can’t bring himself to ask. “Let’s play - look, it’s sudden death, oh no don’t Sirius! Don’t just throw yourself off the edge, you’re spoiling it!”

Dinner is a funny affair, not in that it’s actually funny, but that it’s completely silent, which is the strange sort of funny. Euphemia keeps looking at James when she thinks he can’t see, but he knows what it feels like to have his mother’s eyes on him, knows the weight of it better than anything.

“I think I’ll go to bed,” he says, when he’s only halfway through his food, because he can’t stand it anymore. He hasn’t been alone in a week and a half, hasn’t been alone since he came home from dinner with Elenore and not-Harry Styles, hasn’t been alone since Sirius climbed  into bed with him that night.

“Remus gets in tomorrow,” Sirius reminds him, and he nods as he kisses his mother’s cheek, and takes his plate to the kitchen.

He sets it down quietly, and chokes back a sob, and lets his feet carry him into the back garden. He can see the whole town from here, but suddenly he doesn’t want to, so he takes off his glasses, and that solves that problem.

He lets his feet carry him further, and his fingers brush over petals, over leaves, over petals. He finds his hands full, somehow, and he lets his feet carry him further, past the back of the property, and down the hill, and out, and out, and away. He wonders when he’ll stop needing to get away.

Sirius is curled up on James’ bed when he gets back.

“Told Mum you were in the bath when she came to check,” he yawns when James shakes him softly. “Remember Remus gets in tomorrow.”

James stands, itching to cross the hall to Sirius’ empty bed. “I know,” he says quietly.

She intercepts him on the footpath outside her house. She looks like hell, and he wishes all of a sudden that he’d gone with Sirius to pick Remus up from the station because he doesn’t want to face her alone.

“Did you leave flowers on my father’s grave?” she asks, and it’s almost a challenge, an accusation. He nods, meekly. “Why?”

“Because he was a good man, and I’m glad I knew him, even if it wasn’t as well as I,” or you, “might have liked,” he says, and it’s the truth. He knows it’s the truth, because it makes her cry, and then somehow she’s sobbing into his shoulder, and he’s rubbing her back, and neither of them quite remembers how they got there.

“You weren’t at the funeral,” she says, quietly. “I needed you at the funeral,” she doesn’t, loudly.

He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t try to give her any excuses - no “I didn’t know” (false), or “Elenore would never have let me” (true), or “I was afraid” (truer) - and she seems relieved by that, almost.

“Come in?” she asks.

“I can’t,” he says. “The boys are all waiting at Pete’s.”

She has this half smile on - the one that always meant that she thought it was so cool that they were all so close, and loyal, and in love with each other, and she says, “Come ‘round tomorrow, then?”

And against his better judgement, he says, “Okay.”

She smiles softly, or, no, she looks at him softly, and maybe the smile is just a side effect. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands, or his  face, or himself, so he says, “I have to go,” and goes.

“Where’ve you been?” Pete asks when James appears in the doorway to the den, and Remus stands to greet him. Sirius does not.

“Ran into Evans up the street.”

“How is she?” Remus asks.

“How would you be?” James says, and Remus concedes that. “She wanted me to come inside.”

“Grief sex,” Sirius says, loudly.

“Man, shut up, my mum’s here!” Peter hisses, punching Sirius in the thigh.

“Peter, you’re almost 23,” Sirius deadpans.

“We don’t all have shitty parents who don’t–”

“Pete,” James warns, because he’s not in the mood to cross that line right now. “Anyway I told her I couldn’t so she asked me to come over tomorrow.”

“Grief sex,” Sirius says again, quieter. The look on Peter’s face says it’s still not quiet enough.

“Do you think?”

“Well, you have a history, don’t you?”

Even Remus seems to be on Sirius’ side now.

“Oh come on, that was once!”

“Once is enough,” Remus says sagely.

“Oh, fuck off, then. Are we going to do something or what?”

Peter rolls his eyes and puts on Stardust.

There are seventeen IKEA candles burning in Lily’s room when she lets him in. He counts them because she lets him in, and then sits down in her desk chair and doesn’t say anything. He sits down on the edge of her bed, and they avoid looking at each other for a while.

Mrs Evans brings them tea, after what seems like an eternity of studying the blutack marks on the walls. “I guessed that you still take your tea the same way,” she says. He doesn’t, but he thanks her and takes it anyway.

Lily gets up to close the door behind her mum, and then she surprises him by joining him on the bed. “How is, um, what’s-her-name?”

“Elenore?”

“Yeah, her.”

“No idea.”

“You broke up?”

“Yeah. It’s a long story, and not a clean one.”

“That’s why you’re back,” she says. It isn’t a question. He’s barely seen her in four years, but she still speaks to him like she knows him, better than anyone. Better than Elenore ever did. Fuck, he thinks.

“Doesn’t seem so important, in retrospect.”

She sizes him up, looks at him like she can’t believe he could be this daft. “It’s important, James. Shit things don’t invalidate other shit things. There’s more than one type of heartbreak.”

And then, because he hasn’t said it, and they both need him to, “I’m sorry I couldn’t come.”

“It’s okay. I mean, no, it wasn’t - I was so angry with you. I was so angry right up until I say you yesterday, and then I remembered you’re just a guy, and you can’t make everything better.” She takes a sip of her tea then, so he does too, just so he doesn’t have to respond. He doesn’t know how. “I’ve missed you.”

“You should have come to London,” he says. “To visit.” To live.

“I could never afford it.” I could never afford it. “You’re back now, anyway.”

“Not forever.”

“Are you going to go back, then?”

He thinks of Elenore and not-Harry Styles, and their facebook engagement announcement, and about how Elenore’s stopped posting instagram photos from the waist down, and he says, “No, I don’t think so.”

“Where are you gonna go, then?” she asks, and she’s playing with the corner of her quilt, worrying at the wool like he does when he feels like the world is too much.

“Dunno. Dublin, maybe. Prague, or Budapest, or I think Sirius wants to go to New York.”

“It’s like you don’t want me to visit,” she jokes, or doesn’t joke as she fixes him with a stare that feels like she’s thinking about jumping out the window.

“Maybe I don’t,” he jokes, or doesn’t joke, and she swallows, hard. “Of course I do.” He links a finger with hers, drags her hand away from the quilt. “Hey. Of course I do.”

She takes her hand back, takes an improbably large gulp of tea. Leaves her heart behind.

She puts on an episode of the IT Crowd, the street Countdown one, and they watch it without any particular emotion, and when it’s over, he leaves.

“What happened between you and Elenore?” Remus asks, when James has sat down, and flagged the server over, and asked for a pot of English Breakfast with soy on the side. He already has a coffee, the rude git.

“Nothing good,” James says tightly.

“C'mon, James. You have to tell us eventually.”

“What’s there to tell?” James sighs. “She started coming home smelling like smoke, and then she stopped drinking, and then she took me out to dinner and Ben fucking Adams was there too–”

“Ben Adams? The guy on her instagram who looks like Harry Styles?”

“He doesn’t! He doesn’t look like him! In like, that one photo, kind of.”

“Sore spot?”

“He doesn’t. He was there too, with his hand up her skirt, and she leans over and tells me that he’s in our relationship, tells doesn’t ask. And I say, isn’t this something we should discuss? And she tells me that he’s in, or I’m out.”

“So you were out.”

“So I was out.”

“Alright then. And what happened between you and Lily?”

“Ah,” James says. “That.” It’s been three days and, “I don’t really know,” is still the only thing to say.

“It’ll work out,” Remus says, as the waitress comes back with James’ tea. “Frank Longbottom’s DJing the roller disco tonight,” he says.

“Where’d you hear that?” James asks.

“His floor is my ceiling. I hear everything he says.”

“I forgot about that.” The waitress puts down the pot, and his saucer, and his cup, and the little jug of milk, and he thinks that they probably went to school together now that he looks at her properly.

“So are we going?”

“Going where?” James asks, looking back at Remus.

“The roller disco. Are you even listening? Like, listening to the words I’m saying?”

James throws a sugar packet at him. “Why would we go?”

“Because we know Frank.”

“It’s going to be full of seventeen-year-olds.”

“Yeah, but we know Frank.”

“You already said that.”

“We can get him to play like, actual good music. Music from this century.”

James thinks about the video on his timeline, and frowns. “You know Sirius will…”

“Make him play Gasolina seventeen times? Yes. I already foresaw that. And I decided it’s worth it.”

James stares at Remus, stares and stares, and then says, “Okay. Let’s go to the roller disco.”

He calls her on the busride home, which surprises them both. She picks up, which surprises them more. “Hey,” she says.

“We’re going to the roller disco tonight.”

“I can’t,” she says.

“Alright,” he says.

“I just…”

“It’s okay. That’s where we’ll be, if you need us.” He hangs up, and he’s missed his stop, and he wants to kick a hole in a fence, any fence. What the fuck are you doing, he thinks. He flips off a garden gnome, then he flips off the one next to it. He flips off every single garden gnome the whole way home.

Sirius takes forever to get ready, and by the time he turns up to Remus’ house in holographic shorts and a mesh shirt, the session’s already started. Frank laughs and laughs when they walk into the roller disco, but about what exactly, they can’t be sure.

(Maybe it’s just the sight of them, familiar and iconic even after four years, or maybe it’s the mesh top. Maybe it’s Peter’s flares. Maybe it’s Remus pulling a flask out from under his snapback. Maybe it’s the way James leaps up and latches onto the edge of the DJ booth to give him a quick kiss.)

James’ phone buzzes halfway through I Believe In A Thing Called Love.

He picks up on the second ring. “I’m in a taxi,” she says.

“Where are you going?” he asks.

“The darker side of town. Will you wait for me?”

“Of course,” he says, and she hangs up. “I’m going outside,” he tells Peter, who nods, “to wait for Evans.”

“I take it Sirius is here,” is what she says as he pays the taxi driver for her, and they take a moment to feel the bass from Gasolina through the closed hall door.

“Yep. C'mon.”

He takes her hand, or maybe she takes his, or maybe they meet somewhere in the middle. He pulls open the door and leads her through the dance floor, up to the DJ booth.

“I don’t know what to ask for,” she shouts over a ella le gusta la gasolina.

“Really?” he shouts back, over dame más gasolina.

She gets this look on her face, all mischief and excitement, and she ushers him back to the boys with an, “It’s a secret!”

He watches her catch Frank’s attention, and him lean down to hear her, and then Frank looks over at James as he nods, which sends a shiver down James’ spine.

She takes both his hands and drags him into the middle of the dance floor, and it’s just in time, because-

“Holy shit!” he shouts, and she grins at him as she starts dancing, and it’s such an inappropriate song for the mood of the place, and some seventeen-year-old is shouting what the fuck is this, but he joins her, and everything is going wrong but they’re so happy, and maybe he is in love with her, and–

Love, love will tear us apart, 

Again 

[elliotthezubat]

DEATH CITY DAYS CHAPTER 65

calm before the storm...

Fitzgerald: *glances at a sealed envelope on his desk* "...This looks important." louisa: sir? *The envelope has a government seal on it* louisa: oh, i think that's from city council. Fitzgerald: *removes a letter opener...* mary: what do you think it is? bram: we're probably being arrested for tax evasion. louisa: i doubt that. Fitzgerald: *opens it, starts reading* "..." *smiles* mary: *peeeeek* OH! louisa: *examining* Fitzgerald: *slams his hand down onto the table* "LOUISA!" louisa: EEP! s-s-sir? Fitzgerald: "We have work to do! Get going on a plan with this new piece added to the gestalt." *hands her the letter* louisa: ?? *reading* Fitzgerald: "Anticipate a plan that involves some...new players." -elsewhere- Ponera: *looking over a map* milia: when are we gonna hit land? *CRASH* milia: OOF! shaula:....iim gonna go with 'now'. neian: *crying* Medusa: "Shh...It's okay..." *looking around* "!!!" -they have arrived at an abandoned shipyard near new orleans...- Ponera: "We're here..." *folds up the map* "Get your coats and luggage." -morning- ochako: a girl's sleepover? Mina: "Heck yeah! Who's up for it!" jirou: sounds awesome. we could host at my place. momo: that sounds wonderful! tsuyu: sounds good. Hagakure: "Woot! Food! Scary stories! Pranks!" ochako: yeah! -elsewhere- Izuku: "Oh! Shinso!" shinsou: ....yo. yuuji: hey. Izuku: "H-Hey, Yuuji." ^^; "You two hanging out?" yuuji: yeah. you? Izuku: "Just passing by." *holds up a manga* "Was getting this at the bookstore." yuuji: oh, cool. that's one of the new editions of 'my hero, my salaryman' right? Izuku: "Y-Yeah. It speaks to me." ^^ -elsewhere- Akutagawa: *holding his coat* Q: ?? Akutagawa: "It's getting colder..." naoya: yeah... Akutagawa: "I will need a second coat...and a sweater..." -elsewhere- yana: <oi boss. you got a plan B, right?> FD: *holds up a folder: "Plan X"* yana: *glances*....hmm. FD: <I am always ahead.> -elsewhere- Dazai: "Howdy!" *takes a stapler off Ango's desk* ango: D.8< Dazai: "Pretty red! Oh, by the way, I got something for you..." *puts the stapler in his pocket, and pulls out a folder* ango: ?? Dazai: "A little birdy got some info for me...before the cat ate him." ango: um.... *examines the folder* *Inside is a map of subway tunnels, burn marks along the walls...and a Rat symbol* ango: !! Dazai: ^^ "Happy with this info? And take a look at this--" *pulls back the map to reveal--a picture of Dazai in kitty underwear* o\\\w\\\o "Whoops! How did that get there..." ango: ....... -elsewhere- Takehisa: "..." *staring at a smashed engine* Vulcan: "I fixed it!" Takehisa: "..." Vulcan: "Proud of me?" miwa:....sure? Takehisa: "..." *puts a hand on Vulcan's shoulder* Vulcan: ^^ Takehisa: *slides his hand down to Vulcan's neck--and starts strangling* Vulcan: O____O Takehisa: "DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH THAT COST?" -elsewhere- Chuuya: *closes a book* sonia: *yawn* Chuuya: "Still tired?" sonia: just woke up... Chuuya: "Well, I'm still working on breakfast. Maybe a shower will wake you up?" sonia: i guess. -elsewhere- Tsukiyo: *rubbing her hands together* "It's colder..." fang-hua: mmhmm. Tsukiyo: "I just want hot ramen, a dip in the water, and a cozy blanket..." *shivers* fang-hua: let's see what we got. Tsukiyo: "S-sounds good..." *rubs her arms* "Freaking cold..." -elsewhere- katya: <you guys are all babies, complaining about the cold.> Ivan: >__< <I just want to be held in Master's warm arms...> pushkin: <and you stole my parka...> katya: <where's your damn pride?!> >3< <WE'RE RUSSIAN! WE'RE BORN IN THE COLD WE DIE IN THE COLD!> *ACHOO* .... Ivan: <My pride is in Master's heart...> =////= leo: ...... -the intercom turns on...........playing darude sandstorm- katya: <OH GOD DAMMIT YANA!> yana: *snickers* <hey, gotta deal with the bordom somehow, right?> Ivan: T\\\T leo: ........ Ivan: <Maybe some hot soup...> leo: .... <perhaps> Ivan: <I'll cook some up...add spices...> *walks to the kitchen* leo: ......... Ivan: *opens the cupboards, pulls out the can of soup and a bowl* leo: *getting the water out* Ivan: <Thank you.> *sets up a pan and some spices* <...I miss cooking big meals.> leo: ....<i'm not very good at this. usually, our maid staff handled this...> Ivan: <...Were they good cooks?> leo: *she nods* <father always went all out for us. he wanted only the best for his family...........> Ivan: "..." <What was your favorite dish?> leo: ....<stuffed bread> Ivan: <Oh! I know a recipe for that...> leo: ....*faint smile* -elsewhere- Joker: *making coffee* scarlet: .... Joker: *sets down four mugs* "Coming right up...You look exhausted." scarlet:...long night. Joker: "You run into anyone?" *pours a mug* scarlet: nah. Joker: "...You feel any better?" scarlet:...i slept fine, if that's what you're asking. Joker: *pours coffee into the other three mugs* "...That's good." *sits down, sips his mug* "...Wonder when the others will get here." -elsewhere- Anya: "Thank you for your patronage." *smiles* mio: mweeeh, so tired. miranda: it's only first shift. *sweatdrop* Meme: ^^; "Maybe just look forward to tea later?" mio:... 7////7 maybe. Meme: ^^ *pats her hand* "Keep going--you're doing great." mio:... ./////////. r-right. -elsewhere- Poe: *wearing a mask and apron, dusting* lana: *polishing furniture* it was nice meeting your brother and his family. rowena: *scrubbing the floor* Poe: "It-It was surprising..." ^^; rowena: hard to believe emilia is 7 already...last i saw her, she was still in a crib. Poe: "..." *nods, shaking slightly* lana:...edgar? Poe: "Y-Yes...I'm surprised she has aged so much..." *wipes his eyes* lana: ... Poe: "I missed a lot..." rowena: well, i guess you can start making up for lost time now. Poe: "...Where do I begin? They went home..." rowena: im sure they'll visit again someday. Poe: *nod nod* "...Maybe I should go out more..." lana: *smiles* and if you feel uncomfortable, we're right here, ok? Poe: *nods* "R-Right..." *weak smile* -elsewhere- Lucy: "Ready to go?" atsushi: *nods* yep. Lucy: *offers her hand* atsushi:....*kiss on the cheek* Lucy: >\\\< "Th-That's really sweet..." atsushi: *holding her hand, smiling* Lucy: "...I hope the play is good." *small squeeze of his hand* -elsewhere- Relan: *walking nervously down the street* ryuuko: hello, relan. mikami: glad to see you. ^^ Relan: "H-Hi..." *smiles* "How are you?" mikami: doing good. ^^ Relan: "You're both looking well...The Commander treating you well?" mikami: *she nods* commander hibana's actually really nice once you get to know her. ryuuko: you'd be surprised at her....maternal instincts. 7-7; Relan: "???" Hibana: "Sweeties! I got your crepes!" mikami: thank you! Relan: ._. Hibana: "Oh, Relan! Hey there! Want a crepe?" *hands one to him* Relan: "..." TTWTT gabriella: ^^ ryuuko:...oh, hello rino. Rino: *struggling to hold a stack of boxes* "H-Hell..." ryuuko: here, let me. *carrying a few* Rino: "Th-Thanks..." *sighs* "My arms is going to fall off..." Relan: *takes a few* "Can't have that happen." ^^; mikami: you're getting a lot better at this, miss tamiya. ^^ Rino: -\\\- "...Thanks. I just wish I had more muscle mass..." gabriella: there's always the gym. Rino: "If I only had the time...and wasn't worked to the bone." *glares at Hibana* Hibana: "..." *nom into her crepe* -elsewhere- Gin: *wiping blood from her mouth, pants* grunt: dat all ya got? Gin: "..." *holds her switchblade* grunt: *charging* Gin: "..." *stands still* -BANG- grunt: AGH!! higuchi: ... Gin: "..." *walks to the Grunt* "I had backup..." *stabs her blade into the Grunt's hand* grunt: AHHHHHH!!!! Gin: "Now, name." grunt: vincent...van go-fuck-yourself. Gin: *stamps her heel on his other hand* grunt: FRK- Gin: "Now, 'Vincent,' about that money..." grunt: i payed up! really! Gin: "The check bounced." *digs her heel in deeper* -elsewhere- Hyde: "Tickets, please." Lucy: *holds them up* atsushi:....*blinks* wait, werent you at the festival? Hyde: "Yeah, probably? I have a lot of jobs." atsushi:...oook? Hyde: "Your seats are center section, Row 10, seats 8 and 9." atsushi: thanks sir. Hyde: "The usher in the whale suit will take you to your seat." atsushi:...whale? Lucy: o_o; "...If Herman got a load of this..." atsushi:....only in death city, i guess. Lucy: *holds his hand, walking to the whale-suited usher* "Um...Seats 108 and 109?" whale: *leading them over* licht:... Lucy: "??? Wait...Isn't that...Doesn't that guy play the violin or something?" licht: *glaaaaare* atsushi: O_O;; Lucy: "..." *meets the glare* "And he looks rude, too." atsushi: OuO;;;;; Lucy: *leads Atsushi past Licht* "Excuse us--we're going to our seats." licht: im not stopping you. Lucy: *turns up her nose, pulls Atsushi along and sits down* -elsewhere- Victor: "I'm here!" *sets the muffins and napkins down* nozomi: *smiles* shinra: heck yeah! *nom*...so rel, heard you hung out with the 5th for a bit today, how was it? *smiles* Relan: "S-Surprising...Commander Hibana was...nicer." *looks at Iris* iris:....*smiles* shinra: i...guess. ^^;;; Relan: ^\\\^ "M-Maybe...the 5th and 8th should do something..." shinra: we did have a barbeque a while back after....an incident... *cough* iris:.....*touches her scar* Relan: "..." *looks down* "Oh." iris: it's in the past now, right? all we can do now is move forward. shinra:....*holds her hand* Relan: "Th-That's a mature way to look at it..." -elsewhere- Medusa: *sets down her child in her crib* neian: muguu Medusa: "..." *passes a hand over her head* ("...I see him...") neian: ^o^ Medusa: *small smile* ("Her smile is kinder...") shaula: *slams the door open* GET UP LOSER WE'RE GOING SHOPPING! neian: *crying* Medusa: *picks up Neian, holding her* "Shh! You just woke her up..." shaula: yeah, cool, now come on! new orleans awaits! Medusa: -_-; "I have a baby...Can't someone else go with you?" shaula: =3= laaaame. Mad!Kid: "I caN Go wiTH yoU..." shaula:....you're gonna need a disguise. *hands him a mask* Mad!Kid: "..." *puts on mask* "...Does it obscure my identity sufficiently?" shaula:...*thumbs up* and now.... *snaps fingers, and magically undoes her braid into two ponytails* ta-ta-ta-ta-twintails mode! Medusa: -_-;;;;; "You're an adult--have some self-respect." -elsewhere- Anya: *walking home* bailey: hiya! mizuki: 7-7; Anya: "EEP!" *leaps up* mizuki: hey, relax, we're not mugging you. Anya: "I-I know that...Hmph...Why are you out so late?" -elsewhere- Chuuya: "Have a good day?" sonia: *nods* Chuuya: *smiles* "You were behaved today. Ready for dinner?" sonia: *nod* mmhmm. Chuuya: "...Something on your mind?" *scoops up mashed potatoes* sonia: ....*staring at the empty chair* ..... Chuuya: "..." *looks* "...Oh." sonia: ...... Chuuya: "...I miss her, too." sonia: .... Chuuya: "...Should we set a plate at her chair?" sonia:....*nod* Chuuya: *smiles* "Right away..." *sets a plate and utensils at Rain's chair* -elsewhere- Joker: "Zzz..." *passed out next to two full coffee mugs...they're freezing* scarlet:....*holding the mugs, heating them up* *The window is pulled open* scarlet:...*sigh* fuckin... *closes it and looks out* *A small whimper is heard...as she closed it onto someone's fingers* scarlet: ?!?!? what the fuck?! Victor: QWQ scarlet: oh....it's you. Victor: "Hello, Daddy. Can I have some ice?" scarlet:................ -and so- Victor: *a slap mark is on his cheek, too* "I almost lost my digits...I need them for work..." *looks at Joker* "...How's he doin'?" scarlet: asleep for one thing. Victor: "..." *pokes Joker's nose with a pen* Joker: "Zzz..." Victor: "...You put something in his coffee?" scarlet: no, i just reheated these. Victor: "Thanks..." *tries to pick his up* "...You two okay without me around?" scarlet: 7_7; define 'okay'. Victor: "??? ...Did he do something wrong?" scarlet: well, i guess things are kind of the usual.....i dunno, im tired. Victor: "...Well, I'll head out soon so you can rest. Just waned to pass along this." *pulls out a file* scarlet: ?? *examines it* Victor: "He asked for a dossier on the brigade members I met." -elsewhere- Poe: *humming a lullaby* rowena: *asleep* lenore: .... karl: zzzz Poe: "..." *puts a blanket down over Rowena* rowena: =w= Poe: *smiles...* *picks up Karl, sets him in his bed* karl: =w= Poe: *smiles...closes his door, locks it...unbuttons his shirt* *changes out of his clothes into his pajamas* -elsewhere- Kid: "Zzz..." stocking: zzzzz Kid: *hug* stocking: =w= mocha: *mrew* Kid: "???" *looks* mocha: ^^ Kid: *pet pet* mocha: =w= Kid: *picks her up, sets her in bed* -morning- kenji: happy birthday, kyouka! Kyoka: .\\\. "...Thanks?" aya: ^^ atsushi: so how did you want to celebrate today? Kyoka: "Food." atsushi: sounds like a plan then. Kyoka: ^^ *hug* -elsewhere- Arthur: "Zzz..." tamaki:....*looks over at the window* .... *A bird has been making a nest for her eggs* tamaki:.....*remembering how she climbed through that window long ago*......*leans against arthur* Arthur: "..." *hug* tamaki:....u////u i love you, dork. Arthur: =w= "I...*yawn* love you...my kitten princess..." -elsewhere- chie: morning, yohei. *smooch* Yohei: =\\\w\\\= *yawn* "Good morning, love." *smooch* chie: sleep ok? Yohei: "Hmm..." *wavers his hand* "More or less. You?" chie: *nods* -elsewhere- Mori: "Zzzz..." miura: ....sir? Mori: "Nnnn..." *opens his eyes* =_= miura: it's morning, sir. Mori: "...Help me up." *sits up* miura: -.-; *lifts him up bridal style* you're getting old, sir. Mori: =\\\\\= "Not that old...My, you're strong..." miura: ... Mori: "What's your max?" *rests his head against her chest* miura: a truck at least.....sir? Mori: "That is a lot of weight...You can set me down at the breakfast table." miura:.... -_-; Mori: =w= -elsewhere- Mad!Kid: "..." pandora: is something the matter, child? Mad!Kid: "I did not have 'fun' last night with the witch." pandora: unfortunate....i see the voodoo arts have advanced in the past few hundred years... Mad!Kid: "...I saw enough of it that I can share it with you..." pandora: hmm, hmm.... Mad!Kid: *starts writing and drawing items-- Medusa: "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" pandora: hmm? something the matter, snake witch? Medusa: "Shaula! What did she do last night?!" *drags Shaula in* shaula: the fuck are you yelling at me for?! Medusa: "Money is gone, your room is a mess--and what did you paint on the walls?!" -elsewhere- barkova: oWo FD: "..." *pet pet* barkova: =u= FD: <You want food?> barkova: *bark* 8D FD: <Very well...> *slices some meat and cheese* barkova: *pant pant* 8D FD: *sets down the plate* <Enjoy.> barkova: *nom nom nom* FD: "..." ("What a mutt.") {barkova: <am i in trouble, fedya?>} {FD: <You are...getting what you deserve.>} {barkova: <im sorry, i-i wont mess up again, promise!>} {FD: <...No. You won't.> *grabs her by the neck, holding a screwdriver to her eye* } {barkova: <ah->} {FD: <...I am sorry you made a mistake.> *STAB* } {barkova: *screaming*} {FD: "..." *stands still*} FD: "..." -elsewhere- Chuuya: *washing dishes* sonia: *watching TV* Chuuya: "Sonia, not so close." sonia: ok. Chuuya: *smiles* "After this, I'll drop you off with Grandma." sonia: ok. Chuuya: "Maybe go to the park, or play games..." sonia: .... Chuuya: "...I'm sure she'd be up for whatever you want." sonia: i guess. Chuuya: "...Okay." *dries his hands* "Well...please put on your coat and shoes." sonia: ok papa. -elsewhere- ango: *examining files* Taneda: "Progress, Sakaguchi?" ango: well, herman has made contact with a security company to assist us. Taneda: " 'Security company'? Have you vetted them?" ango: *nods* it seems they have a rather high tec system known as 'the eyes of god'. it may come in handy. Taneda: "Hmm...Wasn't there a case involving the creator of that system?" ango: i think there was..... o_.o; oh goodness. -elsewhere- Fitzgerald: *giggles* daisy: you seem to be in a good mood, mr fitzgerald. Fitzgerald: "I am...for good reasons..." *holds up a coupon sheet* "There's a sale on mini figurines!" daisy:... -_-; -elsewhere- Poe: "...Do you want to go out for lunch?" ranpo: sure. Poe: OWO *squee* ranpo: if you're payin, im buyin. Poe: "O-Of course!" OWO; ("Please let me have enough money...") -elsewhere- Joker: *groans...sits up, a blanket falling off his shoulders* "Wha...?" scarlet: *watching tv* Joker: "...What time is it?" scarlet: noon Joker: "Well, woke up early enough then..." *stretches* "Anything in the news?" -elsewhere- Kid: *sighs* liz: you ok? Kid: "Just feel...uninspired." liz: maybe a short vacation is needed? Kid: "Maybe...Where to?" -elsewhere- metsu: thank you for your patronage. Jeje: "Ssss..." metsu:... *smiles and small strokes under his chin with her finger* Jeje: ^\\\\^ *happy snake noise* metsu: ^///^ Jeje: *slides up her arm to her shoulder* -elsewhere- Hyde: *holding 30 paychecks* "Time to deposit!" kyouko: ._.; Hyde: "You work as many jobs as I do, you get a lot of these--in small amounts." *waves a check* "Want me to buy dinner?" kyouko: -_-; licht: -___-; Hyde: "We can do it at that place with the pizza and the video games!" kyouko: meowkies? Hyde: "And I'll win cat ears!" -elsewhere- Anya: "Dah-dah-dah-dah..." rowena: hello. ^^ Anya: "???" *takes off headphones* "Oh, hello. I haven't seen you around as often." rowena: i do apologize. i've been helping my brother out with a few things. Anya: "Oh? Is he okay?" rowena: *she nods* our other brother and his family visited for a while. Anya: "Was it an okay family visit?" rowena: *she nods* Anya: "Well, it's good to meet...some family." rowena:...?? miss anya? Anya: "...Just...I don't see my family." rowena:....*hug* Anya: .\\\\\. "...Thank you?" rowena: you looked like you needed it. Anya: "..." *pat pat* -elsewhere- Tuhl: ._. io: uh-oh...hehe.... *she's covered in flour* saki: what happened, sweetie? *recording* io: i mayda mess, hehe! Tuhl: "At least you're honest. And what did you make a mess with?" io: flowers! Tuhl: ^^; "Yep. Flour! Good thing you didn't get to the eggs, or you'd be a cake..." io: cake? OuO Tuhl: "Flour, eggs, and icing would make an Io cake." io: yummy! ^o^ Tuhl: "Hee...Say 'bye bye' to the camera before you get your bath." io: babai! -elsewhere- PlushFix: "Got them!" hina: oh? saku: ?? PlushFix: "You'll be in for some surprises...Heh heh heh..." saku: ......*glances out the window* PlushFix: "I got the beer, the mags, the videos, and some fun toys..." saku: *exits* PlushFix: -3- "Spoil sport." -elsewhere- Ponera: *looking at the skyline* *sighs* grimoire: a beautiful sight... Ponera: .\\\. "Y-Yes..." grimoire:...*hug* Ponera: o\\\\\o "G-Grimmy?" grimoire: yes? Ponera: "...What are you doing?" grimoire: im hugging you. it's called a 'hug', remember? Ponera: "...I'm just...surprised, I guess." >\\\\> -elsewhere- Spirit: "Dinner's ready!" izumi: thanks dad! Spirit: ^^ "You're welcome. Let me know how the vegetable dish turned out...Mom still napping?" izumi: yeah. sachiko: *passed out on the couch* Spirit: "I'll put her meal in the fridge...Must've been a long day." izumi: seems like it. Spirit: "At least you survive your day." *smiles* "Looking forward to the weekend?" izumi: *nods* Spirit: "How about we do something nice for your mom? Maybe breakfast in bed?" izumi: *nods* Spirit: "Okay. I can even show you some recipes I used to make..." -elsewhere- ochako: ok, truth or dare? Mina: "Hmm...Truth!" ochako: ok. what's the dumbest thing you've ever seen someone do in public? jirou: this outta be good. Mina: "Hmm...Okay. I saw someone at a restaurant order bay leaf soup--then spend 10 minutes yelling that there was a big-ass leaf in his soup!" jirou: wow. some people. momo: ^^; Mina: "Okay, my turn! Momo, truth or dare." momo: um...truth? ouo; Mina: "What's your weirdest habit?" momo: hmmm... im not sure. Hagakure: "Pfft. Boring! What do you think of Iida?" momo: O//////////O um...well..... .////////////////.;;; tsuyu: you seem pretty flustered about it. momo:...i-i have my reasons! they're...kind of awkward to talk about... Mina: "Ah ah ah! Truth or dare! You need to tell the truth, girl!" momo:....ok. but this NEVER. leaves this room, got it? Hagakure: "My fingers are not crossed!" momo:.....*sigh* well...both our parents know this, and i know this, but i dont think he know's it.....*inhales* iida and i have an arranged marriage. ochako: HOLY PLOT TWIST! jirou: *SPITTAKE* Hagakure: "...I-I can't even--Just--What?!" Mina: "...Dude." tsuyu: you seem pretty happy with him though. momo: i really want to make it seem natural. is that selfish? tsuyu: you like him, dont you? momo:... .///. y-yes- tsuyu: then there's no need to worry, right? momo:...r-right... jirou:.....so hagakure, truth or dare? -elsewhere- Mad!Kid: *huddled in the corner* milia:....mr clone? Mad!Kid: "...I am not a clone..." shaula: well, you kind of are?....ish? Mad!Kid: *glares at her* "I am the perfected form...unlike you, witch, hiding in the shadows of your sisters..." shaula:.........i dont fucking like you. Mad!Kid: "Watch your tongue, if you don't want to be left a crying, quivering mass of tears and broken bones, you flat-chested ugly hag." shaula: *twitch* pandora: now, now, child. you need your rest. Mad!Kid: *removes a coin from his pocket, flips it at her* "Take that, pay some rat to gnaw that sneer off your face." shaula:...... ok? Mad!Kid: "Good. Now, if you have nothing good to say, go away." *turns, falls into the fetal position* -elsewhere- Kid: *shudders* stocking: easy, kiddo, we’re here, ok? lord death: what's wrong, kiddo? Kid: "J-Just...feel nauseated...and itchy..." lord death: do you need to lay down? Kid: "Y-Yes--" *stumbles* stocking: !!!! lord death: easy now. liz: that's it, im calling a doctor. Kid: *curled in the fetal position, breathing heavily* "Gn-Gn..." stocking: *worried* kid, you're going to be ok, just breathe. lord death: *hugs him* you're alright kid. just hold onto my arm. Kid: *sniff* "I-I..." *holds onto his arm* lord death: *rubs his back* you're here kid. you're here and you're alive. Kid: *crying, bites his lip* lord death: *humming* Kid: *closes his eyes, holding onto his father* stocking:... Kid: "...Zzz..." lord death: *carries him back to bed* Kid: "Zzz...M...Ma..." lord death: ....... *tucks him in* Kid: "Mama..." *turning in bed* lord death:...........*hug and kiss on the forehead* Kid: "Zzz..." stocking: u///u Kid: *shivering, but sleeping* stocking:.... Yumi: "...What could have brought this on?" lord death: im not sure... Yumi: "...The doctor should be here..." lord death:... !! hello nygus. he's in his room. Naigus: *nods* "What has happened?" *sets down medical kit* -he explains the situation- Naigus: "This could be a seizure...His heart rate is elevated..." *looking at her medicines* lord death: !! stocking: no.... Naigus: "This is...rather strong, Lord Death--but it would have to be for a Shinigami, to let him sleep..." lord death: ...... Naigus: *takes the syringe, prepares the shot* -elsewhere- Mad!Kid: *strangling Shaula* shaula: GRK- WHAT THE FUGHK- Ponera: "Let go of her--!" Mad!Kid: *knocks Ponera back with black blood* shaula: ?!?! Ponera: "AH!" *hits the wall* milia: !!! Mad!Kid: "IT HURTS! WHY DOES IT HURT?! MAKE IT STOP!" *grips harder* grimoire: !!!! *going over to her* you monster... Mad!Kid: "THAT'S ALL I'LL EVER BE!" *raises a black blood spire at Grimoire* *VECTOR STAB* Mad!Kid: "..." *coughs up blood* Medusa: "..." *approaches* Ponera: *unconscious* shaula: *cough* oh thank fuck. Medusa: "You woke my child..." *twists the Vector more* "I should--" Mad!Kid: *whimpering* Medusa: "...???" Mad!Kid: "Ma..." pandora: i think the child has had enough... Mad!Kid: "Mama..." Medusa: "..." *pulls back the blade* {Crona: *crying*} Medusa: "..." shaula: what do we do with this thing? Medusa: "..." *picks up Mad!Kid* "We get him to bed." -elsewhere- Yohei: "..." *looking in on Toru* toru: zzzz Yohei: "..." *strokes his head* toru: =w= Yohei: *smiles* ("Stay safe...Please...") -morning- mina: this match is gonna be HYPE! ochako: *antsy* Iida: "??? Uraraka? Are you okay?" ochako: just excited for the match, ^^ momo: ... Iida: "Yes, this is going to be a surprising battle...Midoriya continues to surprise, but Todoroki is so powerful." *Mineta's seat is empty* jirou: looks like grape juice is sick at home. tsuyu: that's nice. Bakugo: "Small victories..." *staring at the field* Izuku: *looking out at the field...starts walking* announcer: the second round of matches has begun! first round, IZUKU MIDORIYA VS SHOUTO TODOROKI! Todoroki: *approaching the stage* Endeavor: *watching from the audience--standing in the back* All Might: *gulps* ochako: ...*nervous*....*glances over at endevour*......*glares at him* Endeavor: *his eyes are on Todoroki* ("Shouto...We will see whether you have what it takes to be a worthy successor. Surpass Midoriya. Surpass All Might. Surpass me.") midnight: alright. BEGIN! Todoroki: *ice wall immediately appears* Izuku: ("As expected--gotta make it!") *aims two finger--* *SMAAAAAASH* *FOOM!* announcer: WOAH! HE SMASHED RIGHT THROUGH IT! Iida: "!!!" *hair blown back* Monoma: *rubs his arms* "F-Freezing..." hitoshi:...c-cold....*twitch* Todoroki: *knocked back to the edge--until an ice slide appears, allowing him to slide back and avoid the ring's edge* Izuku: *holding his arm...his middle finger is broken* ("It's okay...") All Might: "!!!" ("That was...100 percent!") Todoroki: *glares--summons another ice wall--* *SMAAAAAASH!* *Drip...drip...* eijiro: woah! it's already starting? sorry im late guys, my alarm clock broke, haha. Bakugo: "Shut the hell up." eijiro: hey bakugou, we're gonna be in the next match, cool right?! itsuka: *chop* that was terrible. Monoma: *looking over the barrier* "No, the match is cool! Eh? Eh?" Bakugo: "I'm going to leave you beaten and crying." eijiro: i'd like to see you try! ^^ Monoma: x3x Bakugo: "Hmph. Idiot. Sit down and shut up--I'm watching..." mina: you and todoroki could fire off as many of those attacks as you want, right? Bakugo: "Wrong, stupid. Quirks are like physical abilities--you can hit a limit and over-exert yourself." Iida: "...Oh, my--he does know the science behind Quirks--impressive!" eijiro: i guess that makes sense... tsuyu: so then that means... Bakugo: >_<# "SHUT UP, YOU LANKY, FOUR-EYED RUNNING JERK!" Iida: "...I'm not lanky." Izuku: *staring at his fingers* ("I only have six shots left...Got to plan...Make it count...") Todoroki: "You are going to stretch this out? Try to expend all my ice abilities? Not happening. I will put you out of your misery quickly..." *ice floor* Izuku: *SMAAAAAAAASH* *crack* "AH!" *his right hand is completely broken* ochako: !!!! Todoroki: *sliding along the ice floor, then stamps down, kicking up a sheet of ice that he rides at Izuku* Izuku: "!!!" *leaps back* Todoroki: *slams the ice sled onto the ground--then turns it into a spire of ice that consumes Izuku's leg* Izuku: "!!!" ("I was too slow...") Todoroki: *summons more--and the spire increases--* *FOOM* *Ice explodes--the cold air hits the audience* Arthur: *in the stands--now covered in snow* ._. tsuyu: Q~Q t-too cold.... Iida: *teeth chattering* "Am-Amphibians do have a harder t-t-t-time adjusting to cold..." Bakugo: "Wimps." *shakes the snow off his hair* Todoroki: *knocked to the floor* "...Stronger than before. Were you holding back, Midori--!!!" Izuku: *standing, panting...his entire left arm is broken* inko: IZUUUUUUKUUUUUUUU!!!! Q_Q All Might: "!!!" ("What the hell are you doing, kid?! This isn't...This isn't worth it. Not like this.") Izuku: *coughs up blood* Todoroki: *frozen...* ochako: !!!!!..... (thinking: this is bad....) ?? Izuku: "You...are amazing, Todoroki. Brilliant...fast..." Todoroki: "...This dodging and defending is taking its toll on you. S-Surrender..." Izuku: "...!!!" ("He's...cold? He's shaking...Why are...") ochako:.....(thinking: todoroki.....) Audience Member #1: "He's so good at this! Better than pro heroes! I guess it pays to be the Number 2 hero's son!" Todoroki: "..." ("That's not it...Not it at all...") audience member 2: i bet endevour's proud. Audience Member #3: "Lucky kid. He just inherited his dad's Quirk." Audience Member #4: "He doesn't use it, though." Audience Member #1: "Well, maybe the training?" ochako:.....*gripping her fist* *remembering what todoroki had told her* ... Endeavor: "..." ("Pathetic. Are you just going to be a one-trick pony, Shoto, or are you going to unleash the fire?") Todoroki: "...You tried, Midoriya." *looks at Endeavor* "But he's not happy." announcer: TODOROKI IS GOING ALL OUT, WILL IT END HERE? OR WILL MIDORIYA KEEP ENDURING IT?! Todoroki: "Your hands are destroyed. Please, let's end this, with honor--" Izuku: "What honor is there...if you are only using half of what you have?" Todoroki: "?!" Izuku: "WHO SAYS I'M DONE?!" All Might: "!!!" ochako: !!! *SMAAAAAAAAAASH!* Bakugo: "?!!!!" announcer: HE'S STILL GOING FOR IT!? Todoroki: *knocked across the floor, tearing his shirt--until an ice wall stops him, crashing into his back* "AH!" hitoshi: !!! Izuku: *panting...his broken hand is steaming...* Todoroki: *sits up, shivering* Izuku: "Y-You're shivering...Todoroki..." ochako: .... Todoroki: "...You did that, with broken fingers...Why?" Izuku: "Q-Quirks have limits...We have to find them...You have a limit, how much you can go with that ice before it freezes you...kills you...But you can always pull back, by thawing yourself...So tell me, Todoroki...If you really don't use your father's ability, THEN WHY DO YOU THAW YOURSELF OUT EACH TIME?!" Endeavor: "!!!" ochako: !!!! Izuku: "Are classmates...our friends...were at full power. You saw them..." momo:.... ochako:..... hitoshi: .... {Todoroki: *watching Ochacho* "..." ("Why are you still going?")} Izuku: "H-How can you say you have given it your all, if you're just going to win here with half your power? ..." *looks up* All Might: "!!!" *Izuku is smiling* Izuku: "You haven't...put a scratch on me." ochako: .... All Might: QWQ Izuku: "COME AT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU GOT, TODOROKI!" Endeavor: ("This kid...") Todoroki: "..." *shivers* {????: it's alright...} {Shoto: "I don't want to be a hero! I don't want to be like him!"} Todoroki: *holds his head* ("What happened next...What happened...") Todoroki: "Did...he pay you off? That's beneath you, Midoriya--" Izuku: *smiling* Todoroki: "..." *clenches his teeth* "You're pissing me off!" Bakugo: "?!!!" ochako: !!! Izuku: *clenches his teeth, preparing for impact* ochako: (thinking: he's slowing down....is it because of the frost?) Superhero Security Guard: *not even watching the match, just playing a 3DS* guard: D8< dude! Guard #1: "Huh? What? I got my magic points depleted, and I needed this potion..." ochako: (thinking: so it's like that? ....) Hanta: "Hang on...Todoroki was able to make way-bigger ice prisons when he fought me? Why is he slowing down?" momo: he must have over exerted himself.... Bakugo: "I WAS ALREADY THINKING THAT!" Monoma: "No, you weren't." Izuku: *running at Todoroki* ("Be the microwave, be the microwave, don't explode, don't explode, don't--" Todoroki: *ice melting off of him as he summons frost along his arm, grabbing Izuku's--* Izuku: *his right arm glows--and jabs Todoroki in the chest, ripping at his shirt* *BOOM* Todoroki: *knocked through the air, landing just in front of the ring's border* announcer: A DIRECT HIT! THINGS ARE REALLY HEATING UP NOW! Izuku: *holds up his hand...it's covered in blood* All Might: "!!!" ("He can't...If he keeps going, he'll never survive the next match!") *holding a towel, wringing it in his hands* ochako: !!!!! Izuku: *stumbling* Todoroki: *holding his side...he has put ice along the injury* "Gah..." *coughs* "...Offensive..." Todoroki: *slams his left foot down--ice blasts along the floor at Izuku, who just barely dodges* Izuku: "You're too slow. Your ice is weaker, too." midnight: how does it look, cementoss? Cementoss: "Midoriya thinks he can be healed...but even Recovery Girl can't heal this much damage at this rate. He's just pure adrenaline, not realizing how much pain he is in...What do we do, Midnight?" midnight: ... Aizawa: "...That crazy kid." yuuji: they’re gonna get killed this way... Aizawa: "...What is he thinking? What's the point?" Izuku: *shaking his hand* ("I can't make a fist...It hurts...") Todoroki: *running, summoning more ice on the floor* Izuku: ("I wanna be like him...I have to be strong...") *bites his thumb--with a loud crack* *SMASH!* Todoroki: *knocked back, but on his feet* "Why are you doing this?!" Izuku: "A smiling...hero...is who I want to be!" All Might: "!!!" Todoroki: "!!!" {???: shouto...} {Shoto: *smiling, a light glowing along his face* "So cool..."} -....- Izuku: "I do this for more than me! I do this for everyone! For everything!" *rushes at Todoroki, flinging both arms, broken, throwing Todoroki back* Todoroki: *wobbles, but still stands...* Izuku: "Who can be...the Number 1 hero...when someone like you will not give it your all?" Todoroki: ………………………. {Endeavor: "You can't even give it your all! Get up!"} {Shoto: *vomiting, sobbing*} {mrs todoroki: please, stop it! he's only five years old!} {Endeavor: "He's _already_ five! Get out of my way!"} {*slap* *thud*} {mrs todoroki: *screams in pain*} {Shoto: "!!!" *crying*} Todoroki: *the ice is melting off of him* "Shut up...Shut up..." {mrs todoroki:....} {Shoto: "I don't want to be a hero! I don't want to be someone like him! He's a bully!"} {mrs todoroki:....*pets his head* but you want to be _a_ hero, right? it's alright, you arent....} Izuku: "For them...I have to win!" All Might: "Kid..." ("This isn't some after school special...You don't have to do this...You could win...But you want to save him..."} Izuku: "I have to surpass you!" {-three kids are playing in the yard and one of the boys falls-} {boy: hehe, careful #####} {Endeavor: "If you're going to surpass your siblings, you've got no time for this childishness." *pulls Shoto along*} Shoto: *pulling back*} {Endeavor: "I said come on!" *pushes Shoto ahead, in front of him*} {Shoto: *sobbing*} Todoroki: *knocked down to the floor again* {Shoto: *alone in the hall, wiping his eyes, passing the kitchen*} {mrs todoroki: i dont know what to do mom....i dont want to abandon them, but they look more like him every day....and shouto....his left side....i hate looking at it...} {Shoto: *his eyes widen...he looks horrified* "M-Mommy?"} {-the kettle is boiling-} {mrs todoroki:......*looks at him, horrified*} {-CRASH-} Todoroki: ("I'll...") {Shoto: *his face is bandaged* "Where is--?"} {Endeavor: "She hurt you, so I had to put her away. That stupid...at this time in your development--"} {Shoto: *shaking* "...It's your fault."} {Endeavor: "???"} {Shoto: "It's all your fault! I hate you! I hate you!" *sobbing, punching Endeavor's shins*} {Endeavor: "Ow! Shoto, stop this at once!"} Todoroki: *on the floor* "I'll...show my father--" Izuku: "That this power is yours!" Endeavor: "?!" Todoroki: !!!!! {???: "Yes, quirks are passed down from parent to child. But..." *nervous laugh* "That's not the only thing that matters."} {mrs todoroki: *smiles*} {Shoto: *shiny eyes*} {???: "It's not just blood--it's the ability to look at oneself, be all you can be--appreciate yourself! And what you can do, your full potential. What's what I mean when I say, 'I am here!'"} Izuku: "It's not just blood...You decide...who you want to become." {mrs todoroki: it's alright. you're not bound by his blood. you decide who you want to be, shouto.} *FOOOOM* Izuku: *stands still--as the heat hits him* Iida: "!!!" ochako: !!!! All Might: ("You were saving him, Midoriya...") Endeavor: *twisted smile* Todoroki: *his left side is covered in flames* momo: h-his left is- Todoroki: "I...want to be a hero, too." *tearful smile* ochako: .... !!! GIVE IT YOUR ALL YOU GUYS!!!! Todoroki: *wipes his tears* "It-It's so hot..." Endeavor: "SHOOOOOOOOOOOTOOOOOOOOOO! You have accepted my power! Excellent! With my blood pumping through your veins, you--" guard: sir, you're going to have to back up, we dont let people this close to the field, too dangerous. Endeavor: *DEATH GLARE* "Do you know, who I am...and the monologue you just interrupted?" guard: aaand tazer. Endeavor: "Taz-what?" -ka-tazer for endevour- Endeavor: O_____X *movements before collapsing and twitching* -elsewhere- Hibana: *watching TV* Announcer: "And it looks like a pro-hero has been tazered--* gabriella: oh...my god. this is amazing. Hibana: "!!!" *flips the table, screaming* "YYYYYEEEEEESSSS!!!!" -elsewhere- Izuku: *smiling* Todoroki: "...Why are you smiling?" Izuku: "???" Todoroki: "Crazy...You're insane, fighting with those wounds...Don't blame me for what happens next." Cementoss: "!!! Midnight!" midnight: on it! Cementoss: *lifting the pavement* Izuku: *running* ("Give it your all...Give me everything you got!") "Come at me!" Todoroki: "...Thank you..." *FOOOM* -BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM- ochako: !! midnight: GAH! Monoma: "!!! EVERYONE! DUCK!" pony: WHAT'S GOING OOOON Q~Q itsuka: *BIG OL HAND SHIELD* Bakugo: "Shit!" *throws up a blast ahead of the cement-rainstorm* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* ???: "...Are we dead?" yuuji:....aizawa....what the fuck is with these guys... .___.; hitoshi: ?!?! Aizawa: "The cold air, followed by hot air, caused the rapid air to produce an explosion..." *he has a bit of fire at the top of his head* *Izuku's shoe is seen on the floor* hitoshi: !!!!! midnight: ow...im ok......eh? *looks* All Might: "!!!" tsuyu: !!! Izuku: *slammed against...no..._into_ the wall* Izuku: "..." Todoroki: *stares...stunned* midnight: m-midoriya's out of bounds......the round goes to shouto todoroki! All Might: "Get a doctor!" Todoroki: *he is now shirtless* Bakugo: "..." -later- Todoroki: *walking to the locker room--* Medic: "Sir, please lie down. Your are--" *shoved* "Rude!" Endeavor: "Hee heh...Shoto..." Todoroki: "..." Endeavor: "...Not going to tell me to get out of your way? Good. Because you can't have that power if you don't know how to use it. I didn't give it to you to abuse. But now you have set aside that childish rebellion and can surpass--" Todoroki: "I have put nothing aside." Endeavor: "..." Todoroki: *stares at his hand* "It's just that, in that moment, when I used _my_ power...I forgot about you." *looks up...smiles* "And that's something I have to think about." *turns and walks away* Endeavor: "..." -in the medical room- All Might: "..." recovery girl: his right arm's shattered, this wont be easy to set back to normal. Izuku: "Ugh..." All Might: "Kid..." recovery girl: i'll have to remove the bone splinters from his joints, then the healing comes after. *looking at all might* this boy admires you so much, he's willing to get himself nearly killed. _you_ are the one who drove him to this. All Might: "...I--" recovery girl: you're overdoing it, so you better not praise him for it... All Might: "I'm not. I'm just--" -knocks on the door- recovery girl: it's open. All Might: "!!!" *looking around* ochako: deku! tsuyu: izuku! hitoshi: ... Iida: "Midoriya!" Izuku: "Guys...the next matches..." tsuyu: they've been delayed because the arena got destroyed.....again. Mineta: *panting, following* "I...Missed it...Darn it..." *looks* "HOLY CRAP! YOU LOOK TERRIBLE!" Iida: "??? Oh, Mineta, hello." *looks* "Oh, hello. I am Tenya Iida. Are you a friend of Izuku's?" All Might: ._.;;;; "Um...family friend." ^^; Mineta: "...You look familiar. You used to be a superhero or something?" All Might: .___________.;;;;;;; "...Nope! Just a...grocery store manager!" ^^;;;;;; ("HIDE ME.") hitoshi: ......*writing something on the white board* Izuku: "??? Shinso?" -midoriya, you almost died out there- Izuku: "Ha ha...Yeah. D-Don't make me laugh--it hurts..." recovery girl: shoo shoo! he's about to have surgery! ochako + tsuyu + hitoshi: !!! Iida: "Surgery!" Mineta: "We'll get you a care package! It'll be--" *pushed into a wall* "OUCHIE!" Izuku: "A-All Might..." All Might: "!!!" recovery girl: SHOO SHOO! *tosses them out* hitoshi: ... tsuyu: huh... Izuku: "I had to say it for Todoroki...I'm sorry I could not tell the world I arrived..." All Might: "..." ("Kid...You already showed the world: you have arrived...") Izuku: "I lost myself...I should've minded my own business...but I had to make my point..." *passes out* recovery girl: ...calling you a fool wont change what happened...however, giving help that wasnt asked for....that's what makes a true hero... All Might: "..." *nods* -outside- hitoshi: .... Mineta: *smushed against the hallway wall* Iida: "Midoriya...Why did he do that?" ochako: .....i got to go somewhere, brb! *runs off* hitoshi: ?? Iida: "??? That was fast." tsuyu: what's got her all frizzed up? Mineta: "Maybe she's got a date?" tsuyu: hmm... hitoshi: ...? Iida: "...I guess we can start planning a get-well gift for Midoriya..." tsuyu: sounds like a plan. -elsewhere- ochako: *looking around* (thinking: where is he?) *The door to the locker room is open* ochako: *looks inside* Todoroki: *taking off his ripped shirt, putting on a new one* ochako: OuO;;; um....oops. i'll wait out here... Todoroki: "??? Ochaco? What are you doing here?" *pulls on his shirt* ochako: IMJUSTGONNAWAITOUTHERE OuO;;;;;;; Todoroki: *finishes buttoning up his shirt, steps outside* "...Hi." ochako: um... g-great job on the match! ^^;;; (thinking: ididntseeanythingididntseeanythingididntseeanything) Todoroki: "Thank you...Have you seen Midoriya?" ochako: yeah...he's in medical right now... Todoroki: "...I..." ochako: ....you really went all out today. Todoroki: "...So did he..." *shudders* ochako:.... Todoroki: *tries to smile--and just covers his left side* ochako:...... *hug* Todoroki: "..." *hug, sobs* ochako:....do you want to go home now? Todoroki: *nods* ochako: ok. i'll go with you. *small smile* Todoroki: "Th-Thanks..." -elsewhere- Bakugo: "That idiot..." eijiro: well, looks like we get more time to train for our match buddy! *pats his back* Bakugo: "Stop touching me." -elsewhere- Kid: "Zzz..." stocking: ....... Kid: *yawns* *opens his eyes* "..." stocking: how are you feeling? Kid: *sudden realization* "I had a nightmare." stocking:.....*holding his hand* Kid: "..." *small squeeze* "I think...I was hurting someone...but it wasn't me..." *holds his head with his other hand* "What happened?" stocking:.........they told me you had a seizure.....but....*crying* i-i dont know what it was.....i was so scared for you... Kid: "...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to..." stocking: *holding him* Kid: "..." *hug* "I'm here..." stocking:....*crying into his chest* Kid: "..." *cries silently, stroking her hair* -elsewhere- Sakuya: "..." *folds clothes* naho: *under the kotatsu* =w= Black Star: *peels an orange* lavender: that time of the year again. *wearing a window cleavage sweater* Higan: *thumbs up* Belkia: *writing a letter* "--and a new magician's wand--" otogiri: -.-; shameless as always. lavender: yes i am. Higan: "How things are..." Sakuya: *puts shirt into hamper* "..." -elsewhere- yumikage:....*grooooans* so booooored. Touma: *sigh* "Go...play a board game." yumikage: -_-# tsurugi: oh, so yumi-chan has his time of the mon- yumikage: *GLARE* Touma: -_-# "Some of us are busy. I could give you paperwork or an errand--" mafura: *staring at the fishtank* .... o.o Touma: *lightbulb* "Go to the pet store, get fish food." -slamming on the door- gil: OOOOOI! LET US OUT! WE KNOW OUR RIGHTS! tsurugi: no one cares, jill! gil: IT'S G-I-L!!! ray: yeah, get the spelling right. Touma: *hands Tsurugi a taser* -SHOOOOOCK- gil: FNKJJFKJSIFLNDJLK ray: D8 Touma: "The next person who speaks loses a limb." gil + ray: OxO;;;; gil: TTxTT (thinking: this place is a nightmare! una honey, boss lady, please be ok) una: *asleep in another cell...........laying on her dresser* Touma: *smirks, turns his back* -elsewhere- Todoroki: "Thank you..." ochako: *smiles* fuyumi: shouto! i saw the whole match! Todoroki: "!!! O-Oh?" fuyumi: *hugs* are you ok? Todoroki: "..." *sniff* "Y-Yes..." ochako:...well, im just gonna....mosey on home then. Todoroki: "Th-Thank you for walking home with me, Ochako." ochako: ^^ no problem. take it easy tonight, ok? Todoroki: "You too. Good night." fuyumi: ....so there's this clip of endevour getting tazered by security. it's already trending. Todoroki: "...Wait, what? When did that happen?" fuyumi: *pulls up the clip on her phone* Todoroki: "..." *snort laugh* -elsewhere- fang: gubu? twice: you seem....pretty happy to see this, dabster. Dabi: "..." *sneer* twice: not every day a pro hero gets tazed. LOL! XD Dabi: "Yes...Play it again." -elsewhere- Mori: "Quite impressive abilities..." miura: indeed. Mori: "Now, if those could be duplicated..." *stares at Miura* miura: that could be quite the force to be reckoned with. Mori: "...You ever play Mega Man?" miura: -_-; sir the robot jokes are getting old. elise: just like you. Mori: -_-;; "Ability duplication..." miura: are you going somewhere with this? Mori: "I think you're due for an upgrade, courtesy of Motojiro..." -elsewhere- Chuuya: *looking at battle footage* "Holy-..." naoya: daaaang. Gin: "Hmm. Destructive." -underground- katya: now that match....was lit. pushkin: oooh! good one! *high five* Shousaku: "..." katya: oh come on, discount sasuke. you got to admit that was good. yana: oooh. -elsewhere- Mad!Kid: "Zzz..." pandora: .... Ponera: "..." *shifts* "Ow..." -elsewhere- Fitzgerald: *signs a contract* "We will have your security improved upon rebuilding the stadium..." nedzu: excellent! we greatly appreciate this, mr fitzgerald. Fitzgerald: "The pleasure is all mine." ^^ Mr. Tsubaki: *staring at Nedzu* ._. -morning- Kid: "..." liz: come on kid, eat up. Kid: "..." *nom* "...It's good. Thank you." liz: ...... Kid: "...May I have more milk?" stocking: of course.... Kid: "..." *stares down at his toast* "..." *nom* kirika: ....shit... Kid: "???" kirika: we need to find out what the hell's gotten into you, dammit. i know, you have some stuff going on in your head...but this doesnt feel like that. Kid: Q_____Q liz: what the fuck kure?! kirika: call it instinct or whatever, but this isnt like his normal breakdowns... lord death: .... Kid: "Sh-She's right...That nightmare I had...Usually, I would be traumatized. But...it wasn't me. It was...not me." lord death: .....what all do you remember from the nightmare? Kid: "...A face. Her hair was tied to each side...Her eyes were...swirls? Maybe curves? I can't remember...Not symmetrical, though." lord death:.... Kid: "..." *takes out a sheet of paper, starts drawing* "Does she look familiar?" lord death: !!!!!!!! Kid: "???" lord death: isnt that...shaula gorgon? Kid: "..." *shaking* "I-I didn't..." lord death: *hugs him* breathe kid, breathe. Kid: *holds on* "I...don't know where it was..." -elsewhere- Ponera: *holding ice to her head* grimoire: how long will it be until we arrive? Ponera: "...Four, five days?" grimoire: hmmm... Ponera: "...We need to do something, to keep...him...preoccupied." -elsewhere- Aizawa: "...How is the kid?" recovery girl: he'll need some time to heal. Aizawa: "Well, we wanted to drop off the gift when he wakes up. He'll get the cookies I baked when he gets out of the hospital." -elsewhere- Relan: O_O;;;; "...Commander Hibana seems...happy?" shinra: it's almost terrifying. iris: ^^; Hibana: ^_^ "More sweets, everyone? I'm very charitable today..." ("So happy that stupid bastard got what he deserved...sort of.") nozomi: that sounds wonderful. ^^ Hibana: "Glad to hear it! Gorilla?" Akitaru: -_-# "I'm fine." hanako: *nom nom* Hibana: "Now, onto serious business." *lays out the subway map* shinra: .... Hibana: *circles* "These are the spots surveyed. And these are the ones Licht found for you...So you can see that the only spot without an escape path is here." shinra: ..... Hibana: "...Will you need back up?" -elsewhere- Yohei: *looking over schematics* "...'Eyes of God'?" nea: looks like a pretty sound system....but then again, this is you and kepuri's deal. saki: oho, seems you have technical competition. mono: *rolls eyes* Yohei: "Hmph. Just got to get better then." *looks at the plans* "Photo-recognition, clouds, ID photo tracking--Man, this is a privacy advocate's nightmare." *rolls up plans* "Mono, we got work to do." -elsewhere- Chuuya: "Be good today." sonia: *nod* Chuuya: *hug* sonia: *huuuug* Chuuya: TTWTT *pat pat* "I'll be home this evening." sonia: ok. be safe, papa. Chuuya: *pat* "I will." -elsewhere- Todoroki: *adjusting his jacket* fuyumi: heading out? Todoroki: *nods* "Want me to pick up groceries?" fuyumi: sure. *hands him a list* Todoroki: *looks over it, nods* "Are you cooking something?" -elsewhere- Izuku: "Zzz..." {Izuku: "...Hello?"} {*eyes appear*} {Izuku: Q___Q } {-something is on the roof-} {Izuku: *looks up* "Wh-What..."} {-the figure grins at him-} {Izuku: "Who are you?} {-the figure lunges at him-} {Izuku: *screams, runs*} -THUD- Izuku: "...Ow." nurse: mr midoriya! are you alright?! Izuku: "...I fell." nurse: well do be careful... Izuku: "O-Okay..." *sits back on his bed* ("Who was that...?") -elsewhere- Bakugo: *staring at Eijiro* "...That is the worst 'get well' worst flower arrangement I have ever seen." eijiro: .w.; Bakugo: "Seriously, these daisies are wilted, you got no hydrangeas...Where's thorn girl?" eijiro: i dont think she can produce flowers, though. Bakugo: "Well, shit. At least water them before you give them to Deku." -elsewhere- Medusa: "..." *strokes her child's hair* neian: zzzz Medusa: ("At least your less of a handful than that insane boy...") *looks out the vehicle's window at the passing trees* neian: zzzzz Medusa: "...Can we stop at a rest station soon?" grimoire: soon. keep the replica contained. Medusa: -_-; "Fine..." shaula: dont you mean _reap_lica? *Something hits Shaula in the back of the head* shaula: OW! >3< Mad!Kid: *smirk* Medusa: "...You said 'contain' him. Is striking Shaula still acceptable?" grimoire: as long as he doesnt get loose, it's fine. shaula: you prick! Mad!Kid: "It is not long before I tear the flesh from your body to form a new floor rug, and grind your bones for my soup--" Medusa: *ties an arrow around his mouth* "Quiet." -elsewhere- Vulcan: *stretches* yu: zzzz Vulcan: "..." *puts a blanket over Yu's shoulders* yu: -u- Vulcan: *walks to the kitchen* "Oh, hey, Maki." maki: mornin' karin: or afternoon, rather. Vulcan: "Jeez, late night..." *pulls out a can of cola* "So, doc, got those blueprints..." -elsewhere- Kid: "..." stocking: *stroking his back* Kid: "...Thank you." stocking: im right here, ok? Kid: "R-Right..." *curls up* stocking:.....*still holding him* Kid: "...I don't understand..." stocking: ?? Kid: "Lucid dreams...of that witch." stocking:....im not sure either....but you're here, and you're ok... Kid: *nods* "I'm sorry..." stocking: *hums* Kid: *closes his eyes* -elsewhere- Shotaro: "Candy striper!" Izuku: ._. mana: not so loud, showtaro. Shotaro: "Right, sorry..." *holds up vase of flowers* "For..." *reads the card* " 'You damn nerd.'" Izuku: ^^; "Thanks..." -elsewhere- Poe: "Oh, look, Karl--another raccoon!" Jacqueline: ._.; kim: *in tanuki form* OwO;;; Poe: "I didn't know you had a pet raccoon too, Jacqueline!" Jacqueline: "It's...a tanuki, actually." ^^; Poe: "Oh! Those are rare." *pets the tanuki* "What’s his name?" kim: OwO;;;;;;;; Jacqueline: "Um...She's a she...named...um...Kim!" Poe: "...Isn't your meister's name Kim?" kim: OwO;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; *INTERNAL SCREAMING* Jacqueline: owo;;; "I-I wasn't very creative! And she kind of looks like Kim, doesn't she?" Poe: *nods* "Yes. Kim does have tanuki-esque features." *scratches under the tanuki's chin* kim: >~w~< *trying not to freak out* Jacqueline: ^w^;;;;;; Poe: "Say 'hi,' Karl!" karl: *chitter* Poe: "Aw, he's friendly!" Jacqueline: ^^;;; "Well, we have to be going." *picks up Kim's paw* "Say 'bye-bye,' Kim..." kim: =n= *wave* Poe: *waves Karl's paw* "Bye-bye!" -w- Jacqueline: *fast walking away* *whispers* "I am going to owe you so big, aren't I?" kim: yes. yes you are. =n= Jacqueline: >_< "Sorry...Let's get home..." *pets her head* -elsewhere- Shousaku: "..." *curled up* keek: ...... Shousaku: "..." *shivers* "Stupid cold..." keek:..... Shousaku: "...Need actual blankets. Not these hole-y things..." keek:...... Shousaku: "...You cold?" keek:......*small nod* Shousaku: "..." *takes the blanket off, puts it onto her* keek:......thanks... Shousaku: "..." *nods* "You're welcome." *rubs his arms* keek:.....*drags herself over to him* Shousaku: "??? H-Hey..." keek: *leans against him* ............ Shousaku: "...Warmer?" keek:....*nod* Shousaku: "...Good..." *awkward arm around her shoulder* keek:.....zzzz Shousaku: "..." *stares at the wall* -silence- Shousaku: *sniffs...closes his eyes* -elsewhere- Kyoka: "..." *wipes her eyes* kenji: ?? what's wrong? Kyoka: "Just...thinking about how long I've been here." kenji: it feels like you've been here a long time. ^^ Kyoka: "...I suppose. ...This doesn't feel right." kenji: hmm? how so? Kyoka: "...I have done awful things." kenji: i guess, but that doesnt make you a bad person. ^^ Kyoka: "...I don't know that I believe that all the time." kenji: *huuuug* Kyoka: "...You're hugging me." kenji: you looked like you needed it. Kyoka: "..." *pat pat* "Thank you………You can let go now." -elsewhere- Dazai: *holding a tissue to his bleeding nose* "Ow..." yosano: -_-; Dazai: "How did she kick that hard..." ranpo: you musta really made her mad, dude. Dazai: "Well, how do I apologize?" -elsewhere- Fitzgerald: "..." *staring at the photo frame on his desk* eckleburg: sir? Fitzgerald: "Hmm? Eckleburg, you say something?" *sets the photo down* eckleburg: ... ^^; nothing, sir. *exits* Mr. Tsubaki: *in fox form--bumps into Eckleburg as he exits* "???" eckleburg: hmm? oh, hello toby. *picks him up* Mr. Tsubaki: =_= *sniffs his face* eckleburg: ?? Mr. Tsubaki: *lick* eckleburg: ^^; Mr. Tsubaki: *spots Louisa, leaps down towards her* louisa: oh! Mr. Tsubaki: *wags his tail, sits down* owo louisa: are you hungry, toby? Mr. Tsubaki: *stomach growl* -elsewhere- Todoroki: *carrying groceries--and gets a reporter flashing a light with a photograph in his face* "Gah!" anne terveau: yes, hello, mr todoroki, care for an interview? Todoroki: "No." *keeps walking* anne terveau: D8 Todoroki: "...Why do you _want_ to interview me?" anne terveau: after your astounding match the other day, are you looking forwards to the next round? Todoroki: "..." *sighs* ("What a hero has to do...") "I look forward to showing my abilities, including how I measure up against my classmates." anne terveau: we also noticed you used your fire abilities the other day. is that part of a quirk, or is it a flame being genetic? Todoroki: "...It is my Quirk." anne terveau: hmm, i see. your father was tazered by security after getting to close to the arena during the match, how do you feel about that? Todoroki: "...I am sure security and my father will ascertain whether such action was warranted." anne terveau: hmm. -elsewhere- Yumi: "??? May I help you?" aya: delivery to city council, ma'am! ^^ Yumi: *looks at the return address* " 'Armed Detective Agency'?" aya: *salutes* yes, ma'am! ^^ Yumi: "...The one with a certain individual who asks women to commit suicide pacts with him?" aya: mr dazai? Yumi: *eyeglasses glint* "That's the one...Can you send a message to him?" aya: sure thing! Yumi: *writes out a note, folds it, hands it to her* "Thank you." *smiles gently* aya: you got it! *walks off* Yumi: *smiles as she walks off* "...He's going to shit bricks when he reads that." -elsewhere- FD: "..." *taps the table* -the thieving magpie plays over the radio- FD: *closes his eyes, listens* -outside the door- zoey: *leaning against the door* ahh...i bet that stringy bitch is getting all up close and personal with master fyodor...ahhh it pisses me off so muuuuch... Ivan: owo <I have finished dusting.> FD: *yawns* "Hmm?" <Oh, good.> Ivan: <Anything else, my master?> FD: "..." *tracing his finger along the table* <I should be coding...> zoey: ahhhh..i wish i knew what they were saying right now.....*mutter mutter* pushkin: ._.; <that nurse freaks me out.> katya: <no kidding.> Ivan: owo;;; <I-I could help you--> FD: <Alphabetize my...> *yawn* <...books. By author.> Ivan: <Yes, master!> zoey: haaa...i want to be next to him....i want to be at his feet....i want him to step all over my back <3 pushkin: ._____.;;;;; *backing away* -elsewhere- Chuuya: *looking at the corpse* "...Horrible." hirotsu: well, we did manage to get information out of them. Chuuya: "Oh? About whom?" hirotsu: *handing him notes* Chuuya: "...Anything on the Rats?" hirotsu: sadly, no. just recent drug and weapon deals scheduled for the next months. Chuuya: "Anything we can sell?" -elsewhere- Kunikida: "Aya? Any reply from the office?" aya: yep. the lady there had something for mr dazai. Dazai: owo "Oh? Maybe it's an offer..." *takes the note, opens it...and all color fades out of his face...and body...* o______________o Kunikida: "..." *small smile* atsushi: ??? *looooks* *There seem to be very graphic descriptions of bodily harm* Dazai: Q_____Q "...I don't want to die just yet." atsushi: .______________________________________.;;;;;;;;;;; meep Kunikida: *takes the letter from Dazai's hands, folds it* "I think I'll frame this." Dazai: "Don't give it to Yosano...It'll give her ideas." *passes out* -elsewhere- Wes: "Feeling okay?" liz: i guess... Wes: "...Worried about Kid?" liz: hard not to be... Wes: "...You had been talking with him about a vacation. I think now may be a good time for it." liz: where to? Wes: "Well, maybe somewhere new? Ever try India? Or Egypt?" liz:....*excalibur face* Wes: "..." *realization* "Oh. Right. Sorry." ^^; "Um...Australia?" -elsewhere- Tanizaki: "Yo, doc--your package arrived." yosano: nice! Tanizaki: "More clothes? Instruments of destruction? Medicine?" yosano: you'll see~ Tanizaki: ._____. *backs away slowly* -elsewhere- juria: *chewing gum* Commander Arg: "Doing well?" juria: yeah yeah. selim:....hehehe.... Arg: "??? Is there something amusing?" -elsewhere- vivian: *humming* Kishiri: "Guess who?" vivian: torry~!<3 *huuuug* Kishiri: ^\\\^ "How's it going, babe?" *pat pat* vivian: better now~<3 Kishiri: "Glad to hear...What you been working on?" *cheek smooch* -elsewhere- Tokoyami: "Momo? Hello." momo: hmm? oh, hey tokoyami, what's up? Tokoyami: *waves* "I was on my way to the hospital." momo: i see... Tokoyami: "Are you running errands?" -elsewhere- Izuku: *staring at his dinner* nurse: how are you feeling? Izuku: "As best as can be expected." ^^; "My arm still hurts..." nurse: well, do try to eat up, rebuild your strength. Izuku: "I will. Thanks!" *takes up the fork, takes a bite of food* nurse: *exits* -elsewhere- Jacqueline: *staring into her empty wallet* TT_TT "I think we're even now..." kim: ^^ ~<3 Jacqueline: TT\\\\TT *sigh* "Well, that takes care of dinner." *gets out of her chair* -the phone rings- Jacqueline: "???" *answers* "Hello?" EF: hey jackie, a letter came for you at the dorms. Jacqueline: "Oh! Sorry about that--I guess change of address didn't work. Was it junk mail or something I should pick up?" EF: it's addressed from France. Jacqueline: "...Oh." *quieter* "Okay...I can come over tomorrow." kim: ?? jackie? Jacqueline: *hangs up* "...I think I'll...lie down or..." *rubs her hands, shaking* kim: jackie? what's wrong?! Jacqueline: *shakes her head, covers her face* kim: .....? Jacqueline: M-My parents..." kim: .........*holding her* Jacqueline: *shaking, crying* "I-I don't want to see..." kim: it's ok....im right here... Jacqueline: *holds onto her, shivering* "L-Letter to pick up..." *shakes her head* kim: we can throw it out. Jacqueline: "...I can't...What if it had bad news or..." kim:..... Jacqueline: *shakes her head* "Tomorrow. Not today. Can't..." *hyperventilating* kim: breathe jackie, breathe. Jacqueline: *trying to steady her breath...falling limp* kim:....*carrying her to bed* Jacqueline: "Zzz..." *still breathing heavily* kim:.....*making a phone call* Free: "Yo." kim: hey, could you come over and look after jackie for a while? Free: "Sure thing. Something wrong?" -she explains what happened- Free: "Oh, dude...On my way..." kim: thanks. Free: "No prob. Should I bring anyone?" -later- Jacqueline: "Zzzz..." Free: "...She looks exhausted." kim: im back. *she has the letter* Free: "??? ..." *sniffs* kim: ?? Free: "The envelop smells...flowery?" kim: .........*opens it* Free: "!!!" *whispers* "The heck you doing?! You want to go to jail?!!" kim: i dont think you can go to prison for opening someone's mail. -_-; Free: "Oooooh, I've seen things...And what's so important about that letter?" kim: .....it's from jackie's parents......from what she's told me...they're not exactly...the nicest people. Free: "...Is it bad news?" kim:.......... -they want her to come home asap- Free: "Like, something that she has to respond to now?" kim:....i dont know...i have a bad feeling.... Free: *not looking at the letter* "...You going to tell her?" kim: .... -elsewhere- Kid: "..." stocking: *holding him* Kid: *rests his head against hers* "..." stocking: im here, kid.... (thinking: i want to get you out of this funk...but i dont know how to make it go away.....all i can do for you right now is be here...) Kid: *nods* "Thank you...I appreciate it..." *holding onto her* stocking: ...... Kid: "...Just..." *yawn* "Let me..." stocking: get some sleep, hun. Kid: "Okay...Love you..." stocking: i love you too, dont ever doubt that, ok? Kid: "...I won't. Thank you..." stocking:.....please....get better soon.... Kid: "Zzz..." -morning- rowena: =~=;;; *sick in bed* Anya: "I have your soup ready..." rowena: t-thank you. lenore: ... Anya: "...Your doctor said to get rest and water, yes?" *sets out a bowl of water and a cloth* rowena: *she nods* Anya: "...Do you want the soup now?" *spoons out some of it* rowena: yes. Anya: *holds a hand under the spoon, bringing it to Rowena's lips* rowena *sip* thank you. Anya: ^^ "I made it myself...It's full of broth to help your throat and fill you up." rowena: i appreciate that. Anya: "You're welcome. Would you like the cloth?" rowena: *nod* Anya: *soaks the cloth, wrings it to remove water, and sets it on Rowena's forehead* "Is this okay?" rowena: yes, thank you. Anya: *smiles* "More soup? Or maybe some rest?" rowena: good idea. Anya: *tucks her in* "...Feel better." ef: *from downstairs* sir! please calm down- ???: "ROWEEEEEEENA!!!" Anya: "?!!!" *walks to the door--* *The door slams open--smashing Anya into the wall* rowena: ._.; um...brother...you squished my friend. Poe: "Rowena!" *fidgeting, looking at her* "I-I came as soon as I could! I brought you books! And medicine! And--And--" ._. "...What squish who when?" Anya: "...Yngling..." Poe: "???" Anya: "CHOP!" *BOOM* rowena: D8 lenore:...ouch. karl: O.O;;; Poe: *Josephine the Tanuki has now crushed his spine* @_____@ "...Ouchie." -one yosano visit later- Poe: "Is-Is she okay?" *shivering, wrapping a blanket around himself...* tsugumi: i think so. Poe: "G-Good...Thank you for taking care of my sister." Anya: *turns up her nose* ao: it's not a problem at all, sir. if it were my sister, i'd want to make sure she's alright as well. Poe: *nod nod* "I-I just want her to be safe..." Meme: *pokes Anya* "Don't you owe him an apology?" Anya: *glares* "My face hurts, you rude lanky man." Poe: D8> tsugumi: anya! >3< Anya: >\\\\< "I-I'm so-so-sorry..." Poe: Q_____Q "A-Apology accepted...Sorry." *covers his head in the blanket* ao: now that wasnt too hard, was...it? tsugumi:....sir? are you ok? Anya: "It was one of the most painful experiences I have ever had." >3< Poe: "I-I'm not used to being stared at..." *gets on his hands and knees* "THANK YOU FOR TAKING CARE OF MY SISTER!" Meme: ._. karl:...*pap pap* -elsewhere- Chuuya: "...I'm back." sonia: *hug* Chuuya: *hug* "How are you, Sonia?" sonia: good. Chuuya: "I'm glad." *looks up* "Thanks for watching her." mafioso: any time, boss. i have a few siblings back home i look after, so im pretty good with kids. Chuuya: "..." *looks at Sonia* "Is he telling the truth about that?" sonia: *nod* he was really nice. *small smile* Chuuya: *smiles* "Well, say thank you to him." sonia: thank you. mafioso: *smiles and exits* Chuuya: "So, hungry?" sonia: *nods* -elsewhere- Kunikida: "Aya, your milk." aya: awesome! *siiiip* ah. Kunikida: *nods* "Drink up, and you'll have strong bones." *sips his chocolate milk--leaving a milk mustache* aya: hehe. Kunikida: "???" aya: milk-stashe Kunikida: "?!" *wipes with a napkin* "D-Darn it..." -elsewhere- Ivan: *collapsed* leo: D8> *helping him up* zoey: *laughing* Ivan: "M-My head..." leo: <it's alright, vanya, im getting you to bed...> Ivan: <And medicine...> leo: <of course.> Ivan: Q_Q <It hurts...> leo: ..... Ivan: <My head...heart...Need rest...> leo:....<of course> (thinking: vanya.....) Ivan: "...Zzz..." leo:.....*softly strokes his face* Ivan: =w= <Master...> leo: *heart cracks*.................. Ivan: *cuddles* leo: o////////////////////////////////////////////o Ivan: <Your chest is so comfy...> leo:...........*FAINTS* Ivan: "Zzz..." leo: X///////////////////X Ivan: =w= "Zzz..." -elsewhere- Fitzgerald: *brewing tea* Mr. Tsubaki: *resting in bed* bram: *shivering* c-cold... Fitzgerald: "??? Maybe a warm cookie?" bram: i suppose- *coughing up blood* Fitzgerald: "...And a blanket. And orange juice." Mr. Tsubaki: "???" *grabs a napkin, holds it up to Bram* bram: *accepts it* thank you, toby. Mr. Tsubaki: ^W^ Fitzgerald: "How did he get that as a name?" -elsewhere- Victor: *drops marshmallows into hot chocolate* "Here you go!" nozomi: thank you. ^^ Victor: "You're welcome. Sorry I've been behind on work--whole lot going on before the trip..." *moves some dirt samples off his work station* nozomi: mm Victor: "How are you feeling?" nozomi: nervous. Victor: "...You ever scared of the dark when you were a kid?" nozomi: sometimes, but my father always let me have a nightlight so i wouldnt feel scared Victor: *nods* "I guess...that'll be useful for those with fire abilities." ^^; "Wish I had that..." karin: oh~? ^^# Victor: owo;;;; "N-Not like wh-what those weirdos have done with the bugs--I just meant, you know, light up or something? May-Maybe like a Quirk or something? Ha ha ha ha--" *inching away* karin: is that right~? ^^# nozomi: o.o ??? Victor: *now on the other side of the room* "Uh-huh." *nods* owo; -elsewhere- Yohei: *shirt is burnt, hair blown back, soot in his face* ._. Shotaro: "..." *hands him a towel* *GOOD DEED* Yohei: "Thanks...Stupid program blew up my computer..." mono: yeah, i can see that. Emine: "This bad luck usually happens to you, tiny girl." mono: >3< i didnt ask you, m'n'm's! Emine: "I don't wait to be called to speak, flat-chest. And M&M's are delicious. I am bitter." mono: shut up! >n< Emine: *staaaaaaaare* mono:.....what?! Shotaro: ^^; "Okay, let's get you out of here, buddy--for ice cream!" *pushes Emine out of the room* mono: 7n7 *grumble grumble* Yohei: "...Why don't you get ice cream, too, Mono. After Emine is back in his room..." nea: i'm driving~ <3 Shotaro: "Woot!" Emine: "...Shotgun." mono: =_= -elsewhere- Todoroki: "...Sister?" fuyumi: hmm? what's up? Todoroki: "...There are only a few rounds of the competition...I'm...trying to think...How do you apologize to the person you put in a hospital?" ._.; fuyumi: i dont know. maybe just be up front about it? Todoroki: *nods* "It's worth a try. I know Midoriya likes goofy superhero memorabilia..." *holds up an All Might Pez dispenser* fuyumi: !!... *small chuckle* Todoroki: *small smile* "Thank you." *picks up the plates* "I'll wash." -elsewhere- Vulcan: *shivering* "Why's it so cold in here?" *he's not wearing a shirt* maki:.... >->;;;; shinra: *COUGHING* Takehisa: -_-; Relan: .\\\. Akitaru: "...Vulcan, it's fall. Put on a shirt." Vulcan: "??? I work better without--" Akitaru: "Put on. A shirt." tamaki: it's distracting. Arthur: -_____-# Vulcan: "..." >_> "Fine..." *grabs one from his chair, puts it on* "Damn body-shaming..." iris: im sure the commander just doesnt want you to freez-.... .................................. ._.; tamaki: D8 !!!! Vulcan: "???" Arthur: .___. "..." *offers a sweater to Tamaki* tamaki:.......thanks...... Arthur: ^^; Akitaru: "...Maybe we can have more hot chocolate--" Victor: *in the hallway, away from everyone, shouting* "Good idea!" -elsewhere- Medusa: -_-# "...We couldn't afford a hotel room for each of us?" shaula: would ya rather room with hairless? Medusa: "...This is preferable." *shudders* -elsewhere- Dazai: *sipping his tea* -w- "This is better...Away from...that." kirako: ^^ Dazai: *shudders* "...New haircut? Looks good." kirako: ^^; i just put my hair up, that's all. Dazai: ^^ "Good look." *adjusts the blanket* "Chilly." kirako: yeah.... *gets the wine out* well, here's to the weekend. Dazai: "Cheers." ^^ *sips* -elsewhere- Lucy: "How was your day?" atsushi: it went pretty well. you? Lucy: *shrugs* "Could use better tips at work. Oh, and a customer tried to touch me--" atsushi: !!! did you beat him up? Lucy: -_-;;; "...I didn't hurt him _that_ badly..." -elsewhere- zoey: *giving fyodor his anemia medication* FD: "Thank you..." zoey: of course, master...<3 FD: "..." *lies down* zoey: *crawling into bed next to him* FD: "..." *puts an arm around her* zoey: ah~<3 FD: "Have you finished all I assigned you?" zoey: *she nods* FD: *leans to her ear* "You sure..." zoey: *shudders* FD: *smiles, kisses behind her ear* zoey: *soft moan* FD: *kisses down to her neck...his hand rests on her hip* zoey: ah~n FD: "What do you want..." *crawls on top of her* zoey: i-ah....i want to be at your mercy <3 FD: "..." *slams his mouth against hers* zoey: mmn~<3 FD: *pins her wrists down, licking down from her lips to her chin* -elsewhere- Poe: "R-Rowena is recovering..." Q__Q lana: that's good to hear. ranpo: dude, it's just a cold, it's not like she's got something bad- *CHOP* lana: behave. ranpo: >3< Poe: Q_______Q "...I just want her to be safe..." *rubs his head* "Ow..." lana: *hug* i know. Poe: -\\\- *hug* ranpo: do you two need a moment? Poe: o\\\\\o lana: o/////o; ranpo:....what? if you two want to like, make out or something, i can go. it's called common courtesy, jeez. Poe: "...Well, that's too much for me. Good night." *lets go of Lana--and falls back onto the fainting couch* lana: .... ^^;; Poe: "Zzz..." lana:... *small kiss on his forehead* Poe: =w= -elsewhere- Anya: *lying in bed...staring up at the ceiling* "..." tsugumi: you in, anya? Anya: "Hmm? Yes. Come in..." tsugumi: *enters* how you doing? Anya: "Oh, you know...Just thinking. How is Rowena?" tsugumi: she's napping. Anya: "...That's good." -\\\- "Will you be getting some sleep?" -elsewhere- Black Star: *snoring* tsubaki:.... *puts blanket over him* Black Star: =w= -elsewhere- Chuuya: "Zzz..." {Chuuya: >_< "Stupid pain in the ass..." *mutter mutter* } {kouyou: is something bothering you?} {Chuuya: "...Dazai made fun of my height. Again."} {kouyou: *pats his head* you're still a growing boy, chuuya.} {Chuuya: TT_TT *sniff* "What if I don't get any taller than this?"} {kouyou: well, you'll just have to keep drinking milk, i guess. ^^} {Chuuya: Q___Q "..." *opens the fridge, grabs the entire carton of milk*} Chuuya: *wakes up with a start* ._. "..." *gets out of bed, opens the fridge door* mito: *mew* Chuuya: "???" *pours himself a glass of milk, pours some into Mito's bowl* mito: *mlem mlem mlem* Chuuya: *smiles...sips his milk* -elsewhere- {???: "Shinra..."} shinra: ??? Relan: *yawns, shifts in bed* "Zzz..." shinra:.... *tucks him in and goes to the bathroom to wash his face* Relan: =w= *Something...appears in the corner of Shinra's eye* shinra: ??!! *turns* *Nothing is there...but is that...ash on the floor?* shinra: ??? *examines* *The 'ash' blows around his face* shinra: ack! *falls back* *The ash is gone...everything is quiet* shinra:... ._.;;;; *Knock knock* shinra: yes? Arthur: "You done in there?" shinra: um. yeah. *exits* ._.; Arthur: *sniffs* "...You smoking in here?" shinra: -_-; i dont smoke....i thought i saw something but......ugh, maybe im just tired... Arthur: "Mm...Well, get more sleep. Maybe that'll clear things up." *scratches under his arm* shinra:...right....good night.... Arthur: "Night..." *shuts the door, turns on the sink faucet* -elsewhere- Shotaro: "That was some good ice cream!" Emine: "..." -\\\- "It was fine." mono: =n=; Assi: "??? Mono?" mono: gyu-! O-O !! Assi: "Eeep!" *steps back* mono: did you follow me here?! Assi: "N-No! I-I was...um...Looking for Zuno. He gets lost easily." Zuno: *waves* "Hello! I'm Zuno." mono: yeah, i know that. -_-; Zuno: "???" Assi: "So, um...Which ice cream did you get?" -elsewhere- Spirit: "Zzz..." sachiko: zzzz Spirit: *hug* sachiko:....*small smile* {sachiko: *on a plane with a younger izumi} {izumi: mom.....is dad gonna find us?} {sachiko:...it's ok sweetie. we're going to a safe place} sachiko: ....*hug* -morning- Kid: *yawn* stocking: mmn...kid? Kid: "..." *small smile* "Hi." stocking: how're you feeling? Kid: "Better...thanks to you." stocking: *smiles* Kid: *sits up* "...Want breakfast?" stocking: sure. Kid: *gets out of bed--and his knees wobble* stocking: easy...*holding him up* Kid: ^\\\^ "S-Sorry..." stocking:.....kid.. Kid: "I'm fine. Really." *smiling...with tears in his eyes* stocking:....*holding him* Kid: "..." *cries* stocking:...come on, lets get you back to bed. you're obviously not ok... Kid: *shudders, lies down* stocking: .... Kid: *shaking* stocking: im here kid.... Kid: *nods, hugs her* -elsewhere- Jacqueline: "...That's what the letter said?" kim:...*she nods* Jacqueline: "...Damn it." kim: if you dont want to go, you dont have to. Jacqueline: "...I have to..." kim:...then im going with you. Jacqueline: "But your job--" kim: right now, you need me with you. Jacqueline: "...I-I don't know how to explain that to my parents." kim: hey. *puts a hand on her shoulder* you're gonna be ok... Jacqueline: "..." *sniff* TT_TT -elsewhere- Giriko: "Hey, little one..." anna: hehe! ^o^ Giriko: *smiles, picks her up carefully* "Happy to see me?" anna: ^u^ Giriko: *hugs her* "Daddy's happy to see you, everyday." arachne: ^^ Giriko: *sits in the rocking chair, rocks with Anna* anna: =w= Giriko: *hums lightly...* anna: zzzz Giriko: "...Zzzz..." -elsewhere- Kyoka: "..." *hug* kirako: oh? Kyoka: "...I think your face looked like someone needing a hug. At least, that's what I'm trying to figure out." kirako: oh, well thanks. ^^; Kyoka: *pat pat, steps back* "...How long have you had glasses?" -the next day- Jacqueline: *staring at airplane web site* "..." eruka: are you sure about this? Jacqueline: *nods* "I can't put it off...It'll get harder." eruka: ....scared they wont accept you? Jacqueline: *gulps* "Y-Yes..." eruka:....did you want to ask a teacher to go with you? Jacqueline: *groans* "Like any would..." eruka: im sure there's someone right? Jacqueline: *shrugs* "Kim? Anyone you can recommend?" kim: how about spirit? Jacqueline: "...That could work...Could you ask him?" kim: *nods* he helped me with my family trouble, im sure he could help you with yours. Jacqueline: "Okay...If he's willing, I'll get him a ticket..." -elsewhere- Kid: "..." *sips ginger ale* lord death: nygus said she'd be here at noon to do an evaluation. Kid: *nods* "I'll be ready. Thank you." -elsewhere- Relan: "...Any better sleep?" shinra: i dunno... Relan: "..." *pats his back* shinra:....*smiles* thanks, rel. Relan: *small smile* "Go take a shower. I'll make you some breakfast." shinra: *nods* iris: *smiles and hugs them both* Relan: ^\\\^ "I-Iris? What do you like in pancakes?" -elsewhere- Shinoda: *caressing an apple* "Who's a cutie? You are! Yes, you are..." nea: *trying not to laugh* Motojiro: -_-;;; "Some people at the grocery are just awful." *looks at a lemon* "Isn't that right, sweetie?" miura:.... -___-; -elsewhere- Spirit: "...And Jackie's that worried?" kim: *she nods* Spirit: "...Let me talk to Sachiko, but I think I'll be able to go." kim: ok. Spirit: "...Has Jackie ever reacted this way before about her parents?" kim:....yeah. Spirit: *sighs* "Yeah, I think you had the right idea." kim: so you'll help us out? Spirit: "I don't see Sachiko saying no--but you know how it is with her job and a kid..." kim: well, she's handled well for as long as she has, right? Spirit: "True...Heh. Too bad a trip to France isn't in the cards for her right now." -elsewhere- Dazai: *looking around* "..." *crosses the street--* -a car stops just in front of him- yumikage: DUDE! WATCH IT!! D8< Dazai: "?!!! I had the right of way!" yumikage: on green light?! Dazai: "I'm walking here! You should've paid attention!" *wiggles* "My fragile bones could've been broken by your giant motor vehicle, crushing me to death...How would that look for your car insurance rates?" yumikage: i was! you could have died, idiot! D8< Dazai: "You are the idiot! And I am walking away from this before I have my lawyer sue you!" *rubs his neck* "Oh, dear--I think I feel pain in my shoulder..." yumikage: *vein pop* grk- you're almost as bad as tsurugi! tsurugi: *pokes his head out from the back* myyeeeeeeess~? <3 Dazai: owo;;; "...Weirdos." -elsewhere- sonia: ?? papa, who's that cowboy man? Chuuya: "??? What cowboy man? The one with--...Is he playing with a doll?" sonia: *she nods* jeje: *in snake form*.... ?? Mikuni: "Abel, look at the tiny little girl!" *waves Abel's hand at Sonia* Chuuya: ._.;; "...Stay behind me, Sonia...We got weirdos here." sonia: *clinging to chuuya's leg* >~< Mikuni: owo; "...Why are they weirded out by me? I'm just a grown man with dolls and a snake--" sonia: o.o Chuuya: "You're not helping your case, creeper. And if you get any closer, I'm going to stick you to the ceiling." Mikuni: -_-; "...Really, shorty--" Chuuya: >_<# sonia: *staaaare* Chuuya: "...Sonia...Stay behind me..." *removes his glove* Mikuni: "...Jeje, get ready..." sonia: *clinging to him, scared* Chuuya: "It'll be okay. I'll--" kouyou: is something wrong~? ^^ Chuuya: owo;;; "F-Fine." ^^;;; Mikuni: "??? Who's the older lady?" kouyou: im his mama ^^ Chuuya: ._. Mikuni: "...Huh. You look good for your age." kouyou: hmhm, why thank you, young man~ ^^ sonia: hiya gramma. kouyou: *smiles* hi, sweetie~ Mikuni: ^^ "You're son's a bit rude, though. I had this doll, and he started making fun of me for it and my snake." kouyou: oh? Chuuya: ._.; "Look at the guy! He's a creeper!" Mikuni: *gasp* "Sir! I am offended." kouyou: i do apologize, my little chuuya can get a bit rowdy. ^^ Chuuya: -_-;;; Mikuni: "Well, apology accepted. And hey, if you ever need some antiques, feel free to stop by my shop." sonia: .... *still hiding under chuuya's coat* Chuuya: *pats her* "It's okay..." -elsewhere- Todoroki: *looking at the leaves in the park* ochako: hey todoroki! Todoroki: "Oh. Hey, Ochako." ochako: how's it going? ^^ i got some baked potatoes! Todoroki: "...I...was looking at the trees...Baked potato?" ochako: *she nods* there's a stand selling them by the north entrance to the park. Todoroki: "Oh. ...Looks delicious." ochako: want one? *she hands him a second one* Todoroki: "...Thank you." *takes it* "...Want to sit down?" ochako: sure. Todoroki: *sits* "..." *nom* "...Maybe some butter..." ochako: im sure they have them at the stand. Todoroki: "I'll get some. Want anything?" -elsewhere- Yohei: *sets a photo on his work desk* -it's of him, chie, and toru- Yohei: *smiles, opens his email* -elsewhere- Kunikida: "Ranpo, open a window..." ranpo: *watching funny videos on the computer* uuuugh. *rolls his chair over and opens it* Kunikida: "Thank you." *waves a fan* "Wonder why it's so stuffy in here..." naomi: and in november too... Kunikida: "..." *sniffs* "...Is that something...burning?!" ranpo: oh sweet! the popcorn's done! Kunikida: "IT'S PROBABLY OVERDONE!" *throws open the door* -elsewhere- Vulcan: *lying in the backyard, looking up at the clouds* nayumi: arent ya cold out here? Vulcan: "Dad always said I was hot-blooded..." nayumi: ^^; Vulcan: "Was just looking at how the clouds look like animals...That one's an Alopochen mauritianus." nayumi: o....k? ^^; Vulcan: "...It's a goose. Extinct." nayumi: oh. Vulcan: *points* "What does that one look like?" -elsewhere- Spirit: "--and that's the problem." sachiko: i see. well, if it's your duty as a teacher, you should go. Spirit: ^^; "To a former student...Will you be okay?" sachiko: of course. we managed this long, right? Spirit: "Right...I'll be back, as soon as I can." sachiko: i know you will. Spirit: "..." *hug* sachiko: *hug* Spirit: "I'll call every day...I mean, the time zones will be confusing..." -elsewhere Kuro: *pawing at a laser light* "...I can't stop myself." mahiru: ^^; Kuro: *leaps at the laser beam* "...This is humiliating." *bats at a catnip toy* -elsewhere- Izuku: *shifts in bed--and groans* "Ow..." nurse: mr midoriya? Izuku: "Ow...My arm still hurts..." nurse: do be careful Izuku: "R-Right..." *looks at his arm...and out the window* -looks cloudy out- Izuku: *sighs* ("Not a lot of sun...") nurse: i'll go bring you lunch now. Izuku: ^^ "Thanks." -elsewhere- Chuuya: -\\\\- kouyou: well, that was quite eventful. sonia: *eating her crepe* Chuuya: "No kidding...What is with this town?" kouyou: even after living here for so long, it's still full of surprises, ufufu~ Chuuya: "One way of putting it..." *angry nom* sonia:...he reminded me of the mackerel...how gross...*nom nom* Chuuya: *crying tears of joy as he pats Sonia's head* sonia: ^^ Chuuya: *wipes his tears* "Now, Kouyou...Um...Any business to discuss?" -elsewhere- Anya: "How are you feeling?" rowena: a little better now. Anya: "That's good...You had us worried." rowena: ^^; i can see Anya: "???" *she looks a bit exhausted* rowena:...are you alright? Anya: "Fine..." *yawn* "Just tired, I guess..." rowena: i see. Anya: *sits back in the chair* "...I could get you more water..." rowena: thank you. Anya: "Zzz..." rowena: ?? Anya: "Zzz..." *small mutter* -elsewhere- Ivan: =____= *yawn* leo: *folding laundry* Ivan: <Oh, hey there. Finishing laundry?> leo: <yes.> Ivan: <Want some help?> *looks in the basket* leo: .///. <i-if you wish...> Ivan: <Maybe I can fold Master's unmentionables...> =\\\w\\\= leo: <vanya!> o///////o;;; Ivan: <???? What? Is it wrong to tend to his every need?> leo: !!... 7////7; <w-well...not necessarily, but...> Ivan: *reaches into the basket--grabs some items* -elsewhere- Bakugo: "Just got to aim...and it's inevitable." mina: what is? denki: i think he's talkin' to himself again Bakugo: *his hands are sparking as he faces the targets* "The blast...does not stop despite whatever is in ITS PATH!" *he sends a blast at the targets* mina: .... ._.; eijiro: woot! you baku-go! Bakugo: "...Um...Okay. That pun was corny..." -elsewhere- Poe: *groans* karl: o^o~? Poe: "I feel like I ran a marathon..." karl: *pap pap* Poe: TT_TT "Maybe a bath will help..." karl: *nod* Poe: *opens the bathroom door, turns on the hot water* lana: *humming* Poe: *unbuttoning his shirt* lana: ...... .///////////////.;;; Poe: .\\\\\\\\. "...H-How long w-were you--" lana: just passing by! ^///^; Poe: .\\\\. "I-I'll just close this, then..." lana:.... .//////. Poe: *shuts the door between him and Lana, alone in the bathroom with Karl* "...Oh!" *turns off the water in the tub* -elsewhere- Patty: "Is he feeling any better?" stocking:....*sigh* i think so. Kid: *eating his cereal* "..." lord death:....how ya feelin, kiddo? Kid: *nods* "I'm...eating?" lord death: ... Kid: "...I guess I'm getting better..." lord death: that's great! Kid: *small smile* -elsewhere- Fitzgerald: *monitoring cameras* "All these angles?" eckleburg: *nods* mmhmm. Fitzgerald: "How many people have you _not_ recognized with this software?" eckleburg: very few. -elsewhere- yana: *checking cameras* FD: *looking over her* yana: ....hmm? <ya need somethin'?> FD: <Status report on your surveillance?> yana: <same as usual.> *sigh* <aaah, i hope something interesting happens soon> FD: <How about you make something interesting happen?> *holds up a spray paint can* yana:....*smirk* <where to tag, though....> FD: <Maybe somewhere a little close to home...> yana:...*grin* FD: <Let them ponder just where we are...and how close we can get.> -elsewhere- Gopher: *stare* kotone:....? Gopher: *picks up the fallen tree branch* "...I wonder what made this fall down." kotone: ??? Gopher: *looks up at the tree* "...It is pretty old, but it looked sturdy--" kotone:.... Gopher: "..." *pulls some of the leaves off, hands it to Kotone* kotone: oh? Gopher: Pretend it's like your own sword." ^w^ kotone: .....*swinging it* Gopher: "Yay! Just like that..." kotone:....brother, you're unarmed...you could....get hurt.... Gopher: "Um..." *holds out his hand, summoning some feathers into a shield* kotone: ah. kirika: oh, i see ya got yourself a new trick there. Gopher: owo; "I-I was keeping it a secret..." kotone: *looks up* kirika: *in the tree* yo. *jumps down* -nice landing!- Gopher: "..." *claps his hands--sending the feathers flying everywhere* kirika:...*ptooie*....thanks for that. -_-; Gopher: Q^Q "I-I'm so sorry..." *passes a hand over her hair to get a feather out* kirika: hey, no skin of my nose, right? Gopher: ^^ "I suppose not...What brings you here? Did you want to...see me?" kirika: just thought i'd get out of the house. kid's still pretty fucked up...maybe your teacher knows something? Gopher: "!!! R-Right this way..." kirika:.. ?? you alright? Gopher: "O-Of course! Jus-Just bringing you to him pretty you--PRETTY QUICKLY!" .\\\. kirika: dude, its obvious you have a crush on me. -3-; it's been obvious for, like, years now. Gopher: .\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\. "..." *covers his face* "I-I should've known...You're so observant..." *keeps walking--into a tree* kotone: D8 kirika:...there's a tree there. Gopher: *muffled voice* "Thank...you..." *falls back, his face having left a Q^Q imprint on its bark* kirika: ....*soft chuckle and helps him up* come on. you're the tour guide here. (thinking: feels like so long since then....) {kirika: *parkouring roofs*.... ?? the fuck?} {???: *whimpering* "I-I'm sorry..."} {kirika: *looks over the edge* ?!} {*There is a small boy, his face bloody*} {???: "N-No more, s-sir--"} {*PUNCH to the gut*} {kirika: !!!!!} {Gopher: *coughs up blood*} {Noah: "Pathetic...You were never worthy..."} {kirika: HEY! what the fuck are you doing?!} {Noah: *looks up* "None of your concern, girl."} {Gopher: *can't see, his eye swollen shut*} {kirika: *jumps off onto a dumpster, then onto the ground* looks like your just beating up on some kid! tell ya what, why dont you fuck right off, and i wont have to break your fuckin kneecaps, sound good?} {Noah: "..." *throws Gopher over his shoulder--into the wall*} {Gopher: "UMPH!"} {kirika: !!! *takes a broken bottle and stabs at noah*} {Noah: *dodges--barely...there's something...tattered coming off of him...Did she hit his shirt?} {kirika: tch- that was a warning shot. you better just walk right off now before you regret it!} {Noah: "..." *smirks* "Child, you have no idea what you're going to get yourself into..." *picks up Gopher by his neck--and tosses him at her*} {kirika: grk-! why you-} {*He has already escaped*} {kirika:...fuckin...*getting up, looking at gopher* oi. he's gone. you can get up now, kid.} {Gopher: *whimpering, getting up...and vomits*} {kirika: !!! shit... he really fucked you up, huh?....anything broken? can you walk?} {Gopher: *holding a hand against the wall...nods*} {kirika:...beating up on some kid, honestly...this world's too fucked up sometimes...} {Gopher: "I deserved it."} {kirika: nyeh?} {Gopher: "I-I displeased my master..."} {kirika: .......i guess this isnt the first time you've had the ever loving fuck beaten right outta you, huh?} {Gopher: *shakes his head no*} {kirika:.... alright kid, im gonna need you to listen the fuck up here for a sec. if you keep hanging around people that treat you like dirt, you're gonna be miserable. but i dont think he's coming back for you.} {Gopher: "...He left me."} {kirika: big deal, you know what this means? it means you're free to go where you fucking please. you're still breathing right?} {Gopher: "..." *whimpers* "I have nowhere to go..."} {kirika: do you wanna die, kid?} {Gopher: *shakes his head no* "B-But I have no life..."} {kirika: *grabs him by the shirt* if you wanna die, then drop dead! but if you're too scared to die, THEN GO OUT THERE AND LIVE WITH EVERYTHING YOU FUCKING HAVE, GOT IT?!} {Gopher: Q^Q *nod nod nod nod* "O-Okay, ma'am--"} kirika:....heh. Gopher: "??? I-I did something amusing?" kirika: nyeh? nothin', just remembering something. kotone: we're here... Eibon: "Welcome back. And hello to our guest--!!! Child, are you okay?" Gopher: "Y-Yeah..." ^W^ *has leaves sticking out of his hair* eibon: *brushing them out* there you go, good as new. ^^ kirika: yo. you know what kid's deal is? eibon:....pardon? Gopher: "H-Her brother?" eibon: oh, i know who he is. i've spoken with him a few times before. kirika: yeah, he's been really fucked up the past few days... -she explains what has been going on- Gopher: "Oh dear..." eibon: my my, this is quite troubling. inori: ... Gopher: "...Maybe there is something else going on?" eibon: perhaps..... -a small mechanical bird flies in- eibon: ah, our scout has returned. kirika: ?? Gopher: "G-Good news?" eibon: perhaps. bird: *saying something in lunarian* eibon:...... !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gopher: "Wh-What?" eibon: no... no no no that cant be right.... kirika: seriously, what the fuck is going on? Gopher: "S-Sir?" eibon: i need to contact lord death right now. Gopher: *shudders* eibon: there's a caravan coming this way. the rogue witches, Ponera, Medusa Gorgon, Shaula Gorgon, and Milia Papillion....the sorcerer Grimoire.....and something that had escaped the book of enoch. kirika: what the fuck is it? Gopher: *covering his mouth* "Oh no..." eibon: a manifestation of madness that was born inside the book......which has taken the form of death's son..... kirika: what the fuck?! eibon:....and with it......pandora. -and so- lord death: have we contacted the sages? marie: we've only gotten to contact felisia and zubaidah. lord death: and we have eibon. im sure three will be able to handle it. Spirit: "Maybe not the best time for heading out of town..." nedzu: seems we will have to postpone the festival until this blows over. lord death: we'll need all possible hands on deck for this. Spirit: "Maybe call in some heroes, too." DWMA member: we're already making contact. Yumi: "Fire users...Other forces..." DWMA member 2: special ability users department is online! DWMA member 3: true cross has been contacted! Yumi: "...That won't be enough without coordination." lord death: eibon said they'd be here within a few days... Yumi: "Then we get our forces organized." *opens up a playbook* -elsewhere- Ponera: "..." grimoire: we should be there within two days. milia: i cant wait! that death scythe who killed mommy.....i wanna make him hurt. Ponera: "Good...It's getting monotonous in here..." Medusa: "Calm yourself, child..." shaula: you know, you could die in there. what's gonna happen to your brat? Medusa: "...Not leaving my _child_ with you, brat..." shaula: then what _is_ gonna happen to the kid? Medusa: "...I have plans." -elsewhere- Joker: "..." *sneers* scarlet: a citywide lockdown... Joker: "A new player on the field...I don't think that's going to stop me from getting around town to see what's up." ivy: and risk getting arrested? Joker: "Like they'll find me..." -elsewhere- mitsuba: so we're fighting witches now? hyakuya: seems it. Touma: "Witches have varied abilities, and their powerful souls can get in the way..." tsurugi: .... yumikage: .... Touma: "You'll be meeting some weapons who have had some experiences with witches." -elsewhere- sonia: papa, im scared. Chuuya: *hugs her* "It'll be okay..." sonia: are you gonna fight those bad people? Chuuya: "..." *smiles* "I have to protect people I love." sonia: promise you wont die? Chuuya: "..." *holds up his pinky* "Promise." sonia: *smiles and links her pinky with his* Chuuya: "And you'll be safe..." -elsewhere- Dazai: "...They paying?" ranpo: seems like it. yosano: it's all hands on deck. Kyoka: "..." *holds up her taser* aya: time to put my martial arts to the test! *fighting stance* Kunikida: -_-# "You are staying home, Aya." aya: but kunikiiiidaaaa =3= Kunikida: "You are a child, and these are threats that have killed adults with 10 times as much experience as you. You. Are. Staying. Home." aya:.....fiiine. 737 Dazai: "Jeez, a bit rough, huh?" Lucy: "..." atsushi: *fast breathing* odasaku: breathe in, kiddo. you got this. -elsewhere- twain: ooooh this is gonna be the hypest of shiiiit! oscar: oh dear. he's certainly excited. ebie: what's the plan, boss man? Steinbeck: "I'll be mission control with the plants. Twain will be air support." twain: YES! ebie: what do you want me and oscar to do? Steinbeck: "Surveillance. Get in close..." oscar: and me? Steinbeck: "Same--only you'll be in disguise." oscar: ohoho, sounds like fun <3 Steinbeck: "That's one way to put it...Just can't have causalities right now." oscar: pehaps once this blows over, we'll have to recruit more. Steinbeck: "Yes..." *sighs* "I miss Lovecraft." oscar: *pats his shoulder* i'm sure he's somewhere, hun. Steinbeck: "Yeah..." oscar: ^^.... ah! phone call. brb~<3 Steinbeck: "???" oscar: it's family~ *exits* steinbeck: right.....family..... *pulls out stationery* oscar: *walking to a secluded area*...............*answers phone* i take it you've seen the news then? ????: indeed. death city under lockdown. sounds quite serious. oscar: shall we proceed? ????: give it more time, dear. let us first allow the rats to take the cheese. ????? 2: ah~ im sure the city has a handsome gentleman for me there, aaaah~ i cant wait` ????? 3: yes. sister anne.... ???? 4: ....is becoming restless. ?????: in due time, ladies. in due time~ -elsewhere- Gin: *counting her blades* naoya: first that incident with Q, now this... Tachihara: *picking out his weapons* Motojiro: *setting down his bombs* Gin: "It never stops." hirotsu: *takes a long drag* war never changes. Tachihara: "...Are we the heroes now?" naoya: ..........we're just following orders, remember? higuchi:.... *loading her gun* Gin: "...If we're the heroes, then this city is in bigger trouble than we thought." -elsewhere-