#its that thing some cats do where they climb into your sleeve or hoodie or whatnot

[winds-of-zephyr416]

Melkor and Mairon have a get-along robe, but it isn’t a get-along robe. It’s an oversized robe of Melkor’s that Mairon discovered he can crawl into one day and has since used as an excuse to snuggle his dark lord and hide from oversized dogs.

[liibrii]

Chapter 1 of Stillness || yokai hunter!Suna x fem!kitsune!reader || wc: 3.3k || 🦊

Synopsis: Arrival of an unexpected visitor promises your coming days to be interesting...

Genre: supernatural!au, enemies to lovers, angst & fluff, eventual smut

Warnings: reader is a nuisance, fire, mentions of blood

a/n: I'm no expert on Japanese mythology. I did my research but also took creative liberties so please keep in mind the information on yokai in this fic is lacking. Here are some links with basic info on yokai appearing in this series. 

as always feedback is greatly appreciated and if you want to be tagged let me know!

A streak of the new highway is planned to cut through your favourite part of the forest, the one you walk through when heading east to the river kappas inhabit. First trees have already fallen. You caress the bark of the mighty maple that once touched the sky and now lays at your feet, cut and bleeding from the wounds humans inflicted. You still remember when it was a sprout pushing roots into earth and hungrily reaching for the sun rays. Half a century later you fell asleep under its shade and hid in his branches from those chasing you. Why is this how you say goodbye?

Forest spirits peek out of their hiding places, their terrified chimes fill the air. They cling to you, your clothes, your tails. Some you have to convince to leave the branches of the fallen trees, the hollows in their barks that have offered them sanctuary for so many long years. They cry in pain.

And pain has a way of turning into anger.

It's searing and all consuming, spreading through your body as bright blue flames shoot from your hands. They burn all standing in their path. Equipment of workers, their machines and their boxes of metal go up in flames. Truck standing by the fence catches on fire. You transform back into your fox form, running away as it explodes with a bang echoing through the night.

It's a lonely existence, being a kitsune. With years most of your kind have hidden in the forest, many have moved to cities living together with humans, pretending to be them. As if they could ever be. You hold a bit of pity for them but mostly you just don't understand. Why do they go where humans live? Why do they want to live as humans live? Humans are interesting and fun to observe, that much you never denied, but they are also cruel and blind and they drove so many of your kind away. Empty lairs is all they leave behind.

You water the flowers around the temple as you do every morning before heading to bed. From your pocket a forest spirit you've rescued from one of the fallen trees peeks out. Morning sun makes it blink and rattle in confusion. None of your words reassure it so you leave the matter be. It needs time. Time to breathe and time to heal. As you pull out some weeds from between the cobble stones it watches and chimes, sorrowfully.

“I can't say.“ Weeds in your hands catch aflame and whither. You lay them down on the black soil. “We will find you a nicer home. There is a beautiful cherry blossom tree growing by the entrance. Would you like that?“ It gives a soft chime. “We can have a look at it later, alright? Careful!“ you catch it on your outstretched palm. “Stay with me, I'm almost finished with my duties. Do you have a name? Ah I see,“ you nod when it chimes. “How about I call you Koda? Would you like that? Now make sure not to fall off again, alright?“ You help it climb on your shoulder.

Koda turns it's head in all directions taking in the sight. It's probably its first time seeing anything but endless sky and branches. Not that the temple is anything special. It's small, with only two wooden buildings in need of repair and pond you hold particularly dear. No ducks live near it. You brought a pair once in hopes they'd have ducklings to keep you company but sadly before a month passed they became dinner to passing yokai. Ever since the only ducks at the temple are the ones on the edges of the roof.

Surrounding trees grow closely together, casting long shadows over the roofs and the small yard. In their shade a steep staircase leads towards the entrance of the temple. Every morning and every evening you sweep the leaves from the stairs, picking up and keeping the ones you find particularly beautiful. The golden, the deep crimson, and bright green, ones sprouting first when spring arrives, are your favourite. Moss has overgrown most of the steps. Koda chimes for you to put it on it and it sits on the soft green blanket seeming calm for the first time. Its home was taken but what said it couldn't make a new one here, with you? The temple has been your home for as long as you can remember and you doubt you'll ever know any other.

Your new friend still watches in amazement (At least you think it's amazement. Even you find spirits' expressions hard to read) and when you return to check on offerings you consider waking Chochin to help you reassure it. After a short consideration you decide against the idea. The stillness of the early morning is your favourite part of the day after all and you'll hear from your possessed lantern before noon rolls around anyway. Besides Chochin would only scare already rattled Koda. You'd like to spare the spirit further shocks, at least for a while. Luckily most days the temple grounds stand deserted. With each passing year less and less humans come to pay their respect to Inari. Less and less fields are to be found in the area so it's no wonder they forget how much depends on good harvest. They take it for granted and they forget. If centuries have thought you anything is that humans are incredibly good at forgetting.

You're just about to sweep the two fox statues by the entrance when you catch the sound of approaching steps. One person. Must be an early riser. You make your tails disappear and straighten the sleeves of your hoodie before instructing Koda to hide.

A young man steps through the tori gate. He's tall and lanky, a beanpole with dark hair. Most people pant and heave for air when reaching the top. He looks like he just took a pleasant stroll in the park. He takes in his surroundings then walks over to you. “Good morning,“ he greets with a polite smile that doesn't quite reach his slanted eyes.

There's an aura surrounding him. You can tell he's the kind of man people take a second glance at when passing him by. If you asked them why they'd give you a confused look. “I, I have no idea,“ they'd answer, “There was... something.“ If you asked them an hour later they'd be even more confused because they have already forgotten about him. But he is the kind of a man who wants to be forgotten. How else would he hunt yokai in peace?

“Morning,“ you return the pleasantries. Koda in your pockets shivers.

“I'd like to pay my respects. Can I offer alone or-?“ If he's embarrassed by being unsure of how to proceed you can't tell it from his face. You show him to the temple and excuse yourself, aware of how his eyes follow you as you walk across the small courtyard. You don't want him here. But you can't deny him entry.

He doesn't scare you. He's as green as sprouting grass, too young to have any real experience. He probably only recently accepted yokai are real and not just a folktale used to scare children. You might be the first he'd ever meet. At least one that isn't harmless. Still there is something about his calm voice and bored expression that keeps you alerted.

Koda peeks out of your pocket and chimes, worriedly. “We'll see,“ you murmur in response and head over to the pond. It's so empty. Should you get some koi fish? Or would they all too soon become dinner too? Many of those yokai who remain are growing hungrier. Wilder. Hearing approaching footsteps you wonder if that is what brought Mr Witch to your humble abode.

“I've heard there's a kitsune living around here.“

You straighten and turn to face the unwelcome visitor. Was someone else in your shoes they'd act smart and deny their nature. But you can tell he isn't asking. He's just confirming what he already knows. “There is.“

Visibly taken aback he hesitates. “Is it you?“

“I am.“ You don't like his eyes. They are too fox-like.

He bows politely. “I'm Suna Rintarou.“

“Good for you.“

He ignores the poison in your voice. “News of someone destroying the construction site has reached Inarizaki Clan.“ Ah, that explains the lack of fear. If he's here with the backing of a clan naturally he'd feel secure enough to directly challenge you. “I was sent to let the ones responsible know their efforts are meaningless. The road will be built no matter what you- What they do.“

“Ask? Your kind doesn't ask.“

“This might be the one for history books then.“ His face irks you. There's no fear, no nerves showing, no twitch of his mouth or fingers to betray what he's thinking. Humans are as easy to read as open books but the young man in front of you is a blank sheet of paper.

“Leave,“ is all you answer.

To your surprise he bows and obeys. Watching him leave you think he should straighten up.

As the sun rises higher you head to bed, newcomer so heavy on your mind he haunts your dreams. The sole presence of a yokai hunter is something to be worried about. First one comes, then a second, next your kind is being chased away. The only reason you're still here is because the humans can't seem to figure out a way to chase you away for good. Not that they haven't tried. If only they knew worst things live deep in the woods.

When evening falls you sweep the stairs and leave still rattled Koda besides Chochin who disapprovingly rolls it's one eye at you.

The town is only a short run away. It's small, at least you think so since there aren't many you've visited in your relatively short life. You know every nook and cranny, you know which tombstones are nekomata's favourite, you know which of the old street cats will soon join them. They can be a handful but they're the closest thing to friends you have. You pass the old house where teenagers like to gather. Its cellar has been home to keukegen for years now. You catch a glimpse of a few leaving. No doubt the fault of that damn visitor.

The place he's staying at is easy to find. How careless of him. All you have to do is follow the magic of protective charms scattered across the town back to its source. They're sloppy. Almost as if a child made them. But some of them are particularly well made. Work of another clan member perhaps?

You hide in the bushes of the garden surrounding a small house. Mr Witch left the sliding door open. Even in the garden you smell herbs meant to ward away evil spirits. He's sitting on the floor and watching a curious looking thin screen similar to ones you've seen down at the train station. He seems disinterested. When he stands up and leaves the room you silently creep closer to peek inside. The smell of herbs is stronger here. You don't find it unpleasant though many of your yokai friends would disagree.

On the screen you see a map of the town. More maps lay on the low table. Some have scribbles you can't quite read, arrows, and question marks. You hear him returning and scurry back in the safe embrace of darkness and bushes. He sits back down to continue his work, not noticing you were in his home. You lean your head on your paws and watch.

Following Suna around becomes a daily routine. You sweep the stairs in the morning and water the flowers then run the fastest your legs can carry you to the town. Luckily for you he likes sleeping in. His days are uneventful. Boring to be honest. He eats breakfast. Goes to town. Looks at historical monuments downtown. Sits on the only bench in the park and eats ice cream. Heads to library. From time to time he visits the construction site to inquire if there have been any more incidents. There were a few but none of them were your doing. Mr Witch doesn't actually think you're the only one enraged by the new road, does he? Honestly as much as you detest it you're also a little relieved humans haven't decided to build over the northern part of the forest. That would be a lot more troublesome.

You follow on a safe distance as he inspects the surrounding trees, no doubt to chase away the remaining forest spirits. For a very long time he inspects some footprints. You carefully step closer trying to see what caught his attention. Suddenly he stands up and continues on his way. As you follow you glance at the ground. Ah, of course.

He heads back to town after that, returns home and you return to your spot in the bushes. Sun hasn't set yet,  the day is still warm so he brings a low table out on the porch and pours two glasses of dark bubbly liquid.

“Are you going to keep hiding or will you join me for a drink? I have some tofu I can fry if you want. Kitsune like it, right?“ he asks without looking in your direction.

Crap. Well, no point in trying to be sneaky anymore. You step out, head raised high and your tails gracefully swaying with each step. A silver gem radiating light balances on the middle one. Once you reach porch you shapeshift to a human and hide the gem from Suna's eyes. You don't bother hiding the tails though and you take a sit across from him, carefully eyeing and sniffing the contents of the glass.

“Only three tails?“

“Are you judging my age?“

“Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude.“ That's not what his face says. “Thank you for leaving the construction site be,“ he chats on seemingly unbothered by your icy glare. “You must've noticed those footprints too, right? Have any idea where I might find the owner?“

“That sounds like your job Mr Witch.“

“It's Suna actually.“ He keeps talking like you're old acquaintances and it's making your blood boil. “Can I ask for your name? Don't want to call you Miss Kitsune.“

“Why are you here?“

Suna gulps down half of his drink before answering. “To make sure construction continues without any accidents. You seem to think yourself some kind of a yokai protector. Then I'm a protector of humans.“

You bark a laugh. “As if your kind needs protecting.“

“All the people getting sick from those keukegen would disagree.“

“Sounds like it's their fault for not staying away from infested places,“ you retort.

“Then one easy fix would be getting rid of those infested places.“

“An undertaking you have no doubt already started.“

“I'm just doing my job.“

“You can't chase them away for long you know. Your kind has tried before. They always come back.“

You've hoped your words would elicit a response from him. Anything. A trace of frustration, an arrogant grin. Suna pours himself another glass. “Do you want some ice?“

“What I would very much like is for you to leave.“

A grin flashes over his face. “Get used to my presence because I won't go away for a very long time.“

So this is how he wants to play. He isn't the tiniest bit alerted when you abruptly stand up. “We'll see.“

Your daily routine continues. The only difference is you no longer care to hide. Wherever Suna goes you're not far behind. He wants to stay, play the protector of humans, does he? Pathetic. He doesn't seem to be bothered by you following him around. Just slightly unimpressed. It makes you want to set his pants on fire. Just to get a reaction. Just to see his expression change.

“How long do you plan on following me?“

“Who says I'm following you? World doesn't revolve around you Mr Witch. Maybe I just wanted to buy myself some mochi. Have you considered that?“ You pretend to be interested in melons on the shelf. “Aren't these kind of expensive?“

Suna ignores your question. “I'm grocery shopping. There are no yokai here. And I haven't even harmed anyone.“

“Yet. Such a short word. Yet. Somebody has to keep an eye on your nasty tricks.“ You peek into his shopping cart. “Instant ramen and crab chips? Even I know humans need some you know,“ you wave your hand trying to remember what it's called but the word is buried too deep in your memory, “healthy food!“ you say instead and place the most expensive melon in the cart. “Like fruit for example.“

“Put it back.“

“It's healthy.“

“It's expensive.“

“I got money.“ You pull a bundle of bank notes from your pocket.

He puts the melon back on the shelf and grabs the cart with more force than necessary. You hum contently before putting the money in your pocket where it changes back to leaves you picked up last autumn.

The sheer number of different products on the shelves amazes you. And also makes you a little sad. All the offering humans bring to the temple are just rice and tofu and sometimes curry. Not that you don't like rice and tofu but why can't they bring one of all these colourful sweets? Or the chips Suna just put in the cart. Would he notice if one of the bags disappeared?

Walking past the vegetable stand you grab three cucumber packages and plop them down in his cart. You notice he added a bag of brown rice to it.

“Really? Three packages?“ he asks.

“They're a gift for kappas up the stream,“ you smile, innocently.

“Buy them yourself. You got money, don't you?”

“Why, would you like some? What's the matter Mr Witch, job doesn't pay well? Maybe you should consider a career that doesn't rely on destroying our lives.“

“Maybe you should live a life that doesn't harm others.“

You grin, satisfied. And so facade begins to crumble. A loud cough distracts you from throwing back another insult. An older man gives the two of you a disapproving look before returning to reading labels.

Suna grabs the cart and continues his way to the next item on the crumpled shopping list. You trail behind looking like a lost puppy peeking from behind him to see what the next item on the list is, adding new items to the cart Suna immediately puts back in their place. Even by the register you add one more package of chewing gum to the pile.

“At least take one with a fruity flavour,“ says Suna so you grab two more packages with watermelon on them. You think you see his eye twitch though it might be just your imagination. While he puts the groceries in a bag you snatch a chocolate bar from the nearest shelf, then follow him outside to take the cucumbers from the bag he's holding.

“You've been quite busy yesterday,“ you remark as you walk down the street.

“Since you followed me around the entire time I take it you weren't.“ He outstretches his hand. “Your stuff was 700 yen. Pay up.“

You give him a crumbled wrapper.

“Any particular reason you're interested in the old Nishikawa house?“ you ask, continuing to smile innocently when Suna glares at you and puts the wrapper in his pocket.

“I thought you were the local expert on all things paranormal in this town. I'll let you guess twice.“ He peels the sticker off the bananas and sticks it on your forehead. “See you around Miss Kitsune.“

Ch. 2: Red beneath the moon

tag list: @blurring-stars

[octania]

Icy summer explosion (part 3)

Bakugo x Reader

Shoto x Reader  

Genre: Romance, Drama, Comedy, Smut

Warning: Smut, Cursing

Type: Series

Words: 2666

Characters in this part: Bakugo, Shoto, Deku, Kaminari, Kirishima.

Short description: A tense summer love drama between you, Bakugo and Shoto. It all starts in summer paradise, but where will it end and how?

_____________________________________________________

The coast was clear. Y/N could finally catch her breath.

„That was one hell of a show..you are not so bad after all, mermaid.“- the first that came out of the darkness was Kirishima. He smiled at her with gratitude. The others came out as well, with an expression of relief on their faces. Only one of them did not share their momentary joy.

“What were you thinking? You literally could’ve killed yourself! What if you have landed on your head, breaking your neck?!”- Bakugo was now in her face. He gritted his teeth in anger.

“Ease up buddy, she is fine, she saved our asses, be grateful.”- Kirishima approched Bakugo, calmly putting his hand on his shoulder, but Bakugo wouldn’t have that. He shook him off.

“That was not the point asshole! She literally jumped down the rocks! It was reckless and stupid!”- he continued, pointing his finger on her legs.

“Look at her legs! I am surprised how you are able to stand!”- all of them now lowered their gaze on her thighs and knees. It was true, they looked pretty bad and painful. From all that adrenaline Y/N forgot about the pain for a moment. They skin was all starched and bleeding and bruises were already visible. She tried to move one leg, pretend that everything is fine, but the sharp pain prevented her from moving the foot more than a few centimeters. Her expression gave her state away, and it angered Bakugo even more.

“Damn it!”- Before she or anyone else could say something, he knelt in front of her. Having him this close once again and now staring at her legs on his knees, made her heart race and cheeks fire up. She thanked the Gods they were all in the dark, and could not see the  treacherous colors of her cheeks. His fingertips started to touch her skin, checking the damage carefully. She could hear him cursing under his breath.

 “It’s not too deep, but still is not good. We have to clean it before it infects.” – suddenly, she felt a grip on her writs. He pulled her hand slowly to his lips. He bit the end of her sleeve. Like and animal, with one pull , he tore the material with ease. He grabbed one part with his hand, pulling it all the way to her elbow, then again grabbed it between his teeth and pulled once more, until it didn’t break fully, leaving a long piece of fabric in his hand. They guys stared in shock.

 “What are you doing?”- Shoto asked with a husky voice that hid disapproval.

“What are you all staring at?! What?! What does it look like I am doing?! We don’t have nothing else here but this.”- and it was true, they were all in their bathing suits and flip flops. She nodded, looking away. His face remained furious, as he started to cover up the deepest cut she had, gentile as possible. She let out a quiet sound from pain, that almost made his hands shake.

 “Did he hurt you?”- Shotos voice was deep, filled with concern.   She shook her head.

“I am fine.”- she replied. Once he was done, he stood up. Turning to the guys.

“There you useless shits, I did what I could. And you call your selves heroees. We need to reach the apartment, and mend that wounds properly.” – once again, his words sounded like commands, but no one wanted to disagree. Except…

“Our room. Yes, five guys, one fucked up naked girl, with even torn clothes. Sure, does not look at all wrong. Not to say, nooottt at all suspicious.”- Kaminari said irritated.  The others wanted to slap him on the head as usual, but they didn’t, because as hard it was for them to admit, he was right.

“We can’t just walk around with her like this, if he get spotted, her effort to hide us was all in vain.”- said Deku.

 “Guys, its ok! I don’t need to come with you! I will go to my apartment and mend myself. Really, you have done enough!”- she said. She didn’t want to cause them no more trouble.

 “Do you have anyone at home who can help you? Come here to get you? Because Im not…”- he coughed, correcting his sentence quickly. “…we are not leaving you here alone or letting you go alone.”- Shoto stared in her eyes, making her realize he will not discuss this any further. 

“No..but..”-she started, but stopped when he turned his back to her, facing the guys.

“We are doing this, we will find a way. And I have a slight idea how.”- he started walking to the exit of the stone labyrinth.

“But first, I need to get my jacket. I left it on the one of the beach bars that we almost burned.”- he went out of the cave before anyone could disagree, but he can still hear Bakugos swears and nagging, but he didn’t care for that. He had other problems now. He slowly went to the surface, looking around carefully. No one was there. The teens were gone, and he could even see their footsteps in the send. He hurried, trying to stay in the shadows to reach the place they were at. He managed to miss the spot because how deep in  his thoughts he was. He didn’t understand why, but he was worried…too worried. It was normal to them as heroes to do everything in their power to protect people, but this didn’t feel like that. He knew she was never in some real danger, and even the thing that did happen to her could be easily resolved by just taking her to the hospital. Even now. But he didn’t want that, he didn’t want her to leave. Furthermore, he did not trust others when it comes to helping her.

“What the fuck..”- he said to himself. He only just met her. He literally knows her for about one hour. But…she impressed him more than any other woman ever had. Her modest behavior, her courage and intellect when she was trying to keep them hidden…her endurance when she was clearly in pain…how her hand fit perfectly in his when they were running on the beach. He didn’t even realize it, he was smiling. Warm feeling consumed him, and it was not from his fiery side. Once more he gave himself permission to think about her face. How the fire light played a game of dancing shadows on her cheeks, how the glow in her eyes were almost magical. And he possesses fire…that means he can recreate that enchanting moment once more.

“Y/H…”- he tasted your name on his lips once more. To see how it fits in his mouth, how it sounds in his ears. He was even a bit surprised to realize…it was a perfect match. 

                                        *                *             *

They were running now. The streets were empty but they didn’t want to risk it. They were fast, moving like cats, unseen. Y/N was so impressed she had a filing she was floating. Just 20 minutes earlier, Shoto managed to collect his jacket. They covered her with it, hiding the torn sleeve. It was long, looking like a dress on her, but still she was half naked. She didn’t have time to think about that, she had so much on her plate already. They agreed to reach the apartment with her, disguise her as one of them and walk in the apartment like nothing is wrong. They would put her in the middle, cover her head with the hood of the hoodie, to fool the cameras, and one of them will have to climb up to the apartment through the window. She wanted to disagree, but Shoto didn’t want to hear about it. He was determent they do this. The only one who was not happy about this plan was Bakugo, but he didn’t directly disagree.

“Fucking idiots..”-that was the only thing he said before they moved on.  Bakugo. She slowly turned her head to look at him with the corner of her eyes. Deku was carrying her on his back, and Bakugo was right next to them, just a few meters away. The anger on his face was gone, but the serious look remained. She questioned herself why he would want to risk so much just to help her. Was it because of  what happened in the water? Did he feel guilty? The look on his face all along was nothing even close to guilt. She could not reach a normal conclusion. Her thoughts were disrupted by a voice.

“You ok back there?”-Deku asked softly, with a friendly smile. He reminded her on her brother, his foolish face. It made her feel a bit more relaxed when she remembered her brother.

 “Um..yeah.Sure.”-she smiled, hiding her concern and fear of what might happen next.  They have reached the building where their apartment was. It the building was tall and lavish, very different from the old style of this island. It was obvious that this was intended for the upper class. The guys stopped just on the corner before the main entrance, as Deku slowly let Y/N go. Just when the pain was getting better, her standing made it all come back in a flash. She bit her lip, giving her best to hide it.

“Are you ok?”- that voice, again, sharp and direct, wrapped in concern. Shoto.

“Yes, I can do this.”- she said with determination . If they could this for her, at least she could walk for them.  Her answer didn’t satisfy Shoto, but he knew there is not much he could do before they reach the apartment.

 “Ok, we shall do this quickly as we agreed. No quirks, we don’t want to draw attention, so we need to do this the old fashioned way once more. Just one more thing needs to be decided.”-he looked up to the balcony on the third floor.

 “Who will play the role of the Spiderman?”- once more, Kaminari could not hold in his bitch side. Seeing that the climb would be more then dangerous, Y/N turned pale, being certain she does not want to go on with this.

 “No, no way! This is enough! I am fine God damn it! And I am going home now!”- she said, not even looking at them anymore. She didn’t want to risk this, it was more than foolish. For one moment, she thought her legs were pain free, like nothing happened at all. But soon enough she realized, she was not even walking. Once more the feeling of being in the air. She turned furious, facing Kirishimas silly face.

“Excuse me Y/N, but I think it is better if he stick to the plan.”- his smile was filled with unbelievable warmth. Smile that exuded good intentions and friendship. The kind that is usually built over the years, but he was showing it to the complete stranger. She could not help but the melt and get sad in the same time. How the people were looking at them as meat, good for nothing but saving others or making a fool of themselves on the shows. She barely kept the tear in her eye, and smiled back nodding. 

“Thank you!”- he said with joy, turning back to face the guys, letting her go.

 “Move aside retards,like any of you can do shit without your quirks. Better yet, like any of you can do shit even with them.” – Bakugo pushed Shoto and Kaminari aside and started to walk to the wall.

“I hope you will make this as painless as it can be..Meet you up there.”- Shoto said in a low voice, ignoring Bakugos insults.  Bakugo said nothing, disappearing in the dark corner of the building.  They entered the hallways. Considering it was almost 2 a.m., guests were asleep or at least in their rooms. The plan sounded simple. Put her in the middle, surround her, make her unnoticeable as possible, just nod at the lady at the front desk, keep her head under the hoodie and dodge the cameras, enter the elevator and then straight to the room. But everything sounds easy in theory, because the little cracks in the plan are becoming more visible only when the plan is set in motion. They were half naked, she was much smaller than them, security in this place was high obviously because the guests were important people… But the guys looked like they were ready. It made Y/N wonder how many times they had to act just to get a little privacy. She was lost in her deep thoughts for a moment, trying to walk as fast as they were. To help her, Kirishima was right behind her, holding her elbow, giving her support. Shoto was in charge to get everyone to do their part correctly. As the tallest, he was in the front, covering her as much as possible. Soon enough , they were few meters away from the elevator. The only thing that was left was to fool the old lady in the front desk. She gazed at them with a smile. They smiled back, trying to continue without a word

.“Did you have a nice time?”- she said suddenly. Damn it…Shoto cursed in his mind. Without stopping, he replied.

“Yes, this island is beautiful.”- short and respectful. Just when he thought that was it, the lady said in a panic.

“Oh my God, is that blood on you?”- they froze. She saw her, it is over.

 “Izuku what happened?”- she pointed on his ribs. Little blood stains were on him, but the blood was not his. When he carried Y/N, her legs left bloody marks. Shoto exhaled with ease.

“He is fine, he scratched himself on a rock as we swam.”- Shoto replied as Deku nodded with a smile.

“I am fine really, just want to take a shower and rest.”- Shoto said and started walking, as the others followed. They said goodnight to the lady, entering the elevator fast. They all exhaled with ease. It was almost over, they just needed to reach the room. And they did, without any more distractions. When they entered and turned on the lights, Y/N had a feeling she entered a dream house. A huge white room with modern stuff, classy and clean. But the thing that occupied all of her attention and made her mouth open was the glass wall and the view it provided. She almost lost herself in that hypnotic view of a dark see in motion, but the unsettling thought crossed her mind and made her shiver.

“Where is Bakugo?”- she said, turning. The guys started checking the rooms and calling his name, but no one was there. The panic was slowly throwing its strings around them. Their hearts almost stopped as the sudden sound of thunder pierced the sky, making a blinding flash. The dark water reflected the light, crashing its waves in the same moment.

 “Bakugo..”- the sound escaped Y/N shivering lips as she saw his silhouette on the other side of a glass wall. He was holding himself on the edge of fence, with the rest of his body still hanging on the other side. The guys didn’t even manage to move, he twisted his whole body, jumping over the fence and landing on his feet. She watched him in shock. He stood there in the dark, as the rain started pouring. She could see his deep breaths, chest moving, making every muscle alive and visible. The water fallowed the shape of his tight jaw. He licked his lips to gather the water from the rain, exhaling once more, before he looked up straight at them. He ran his hand through his blonde hair, making the biceps twitch. His face held no emotion , it was cold as a stone. His eyes were barely visible, but the expression he had was anything but soft. 

[illdesigns]

3 H ☁ for mags/pickle? 8)

fic prompts - (jail cell, blackout, lipstick)

It hadn’t been Pickles’ first time in a cell. Or the first time he woke up in one completely unaware of how he had gotten there in the first place. It had just been the first time in a while. The fact that he hadn’t experienced that level of disorientation in a while threw him off. And the realization that he didn’t exactly have a ton of Snakes ‘n’ Barrels money or fame for possible bail set him on edge. He hoped that it was for something minor, just a regular public intoxication, not resisting arrest or armed robbery or some horseshit that might actually take him to court or prison. Again, the money that could help clear this up in a good out of court settlement was far, far from his fingertips at this point.

The sound of a different cell door opening had woken him up. Pickles rubbed his eyes and inhaled sharply. The conversation and lights and smells all flew around like little cartoon birds around his head before settling in his skull to nest painfully. The feeling of nausea and sluggishness associated with a hangover-inducing migraine made him lurch forward for a second, rub his face and smack dry lips.

He sat there for a moment, face in his hands, trying to focus. Phones rang. The distant sound of crying bounced off tile. Muted conversations he heard two words of at best. And right next to him, at his side, a snore. A thin, high one that ended in a click. A snore that was oddly comforting in its immediate familiarity - considering how Pickles would usually wake up to it at three in the morning. Usually accompanied by a nightmare of being eaten alive by a snake, or strangled by vines, only to find long limbs wrapped around him and hair that was not his in his face and mouth. And the source of the snore’s face pressed against him, breathing hotly on his skin and whining at any attempt Pickles made at prying himself free.

Pickles looked down next to him and saw the source in the flesh. Right now, it was a lump of curls with long legs stretched out the length of the bench, boot-clad feet dangling off the edge. He groaned and sat up against the concrete wall before reaching a hand out to shake the lump’s shoulder.

“Magnus,” Pickles muttered. “Magnus. Magnus? Magnus!”

“Five more minutes,” was the muffled response, Magnus’ face buried in the jacket bunched under his head in a makeshift pillow. A hand reached out from under his body to swat Pickles’ away in annoyance.

“Five fuckin’ nothin’, dude, wake your ass up,” he hissed in annoyance. “We’re in jail, dipshit.”

“What?” Magnus jolted awake, legs kicking out, head lifting up to look around at their surroundings. At the realization they were, in fact, in jail, he groaned. “Ohhh, fuck…”

“Yeah, oh fuck!” Pickles replied incredulously. “You know what happened?”

“No? You...don’t?” Magnus heaved himself up with a grunt, stretching his arms and cracking his neck. “Shit.”

Pickles inspected him for clues. He couldn’t see himself, but if he saw his apparent partner in crime, there might be a hint as to how they got here. A vivid bruise was forming on Magnus’ cheek but beyond that, he looked normal. His hair was wild and puffed out like an annoyed cat, his shirt was annoyingly unbuttoned three buttons too far and-

“The fuck’s this?” Pickles asked suddenly, jabbing an accusing finger at his chest.

Black lipstick. Everywhere. On his face, on his neck, leading down into his shirt. Magnus looked down at himself, rubbed one of the marks and looked at his fingers. Pickles rubbed his own lips and saw the back of his hand come back clean. That wasn’t his.

“Lipstick?” said Magnus with a cautious tone. Pickles crossed his arms and sucked his teeth, making Magnus roll his eyes. “We’re not arguing about this of all fuckin’ things right now! And you, you’re covered in the shit too!”

He dragged another finger across Pickles’ face and showed it to him. Red. Okay, fine. What’s good for the goose was good for the...other...goose. But that doesn’t negate the fact that there was an implication of two missing people in this equation. One of whom was wearing black lipstick and was going to get a thorough fucking talking to if Pickles got his hands on them. Pickles looked around at the slumped over drunks and surly faces that were their new roommates. None of them struck Pickles as his type and while Magnus had lower standards, their faces were bare too.

“Mag. Don’t fuck with me. If you remember anything, tell me, dude!” Pickles begged. He didn’t even care about the lipstick at this point. He just wanted some kind of answer. “Even if it involves you new lil’ girlfriend or whatever-”

“Man, if you don’t shut the fuck up about this I’m kicking a drum in when we get home,” snapped Magnus in turn. “Like, what if we had a foursome, lucky us! So drop it. We need to...call...someone…”

Pickles decided he was going to pout. That was an easier solution than trying to figure out how they got into this mess, or how they would get out. A hand found his knee, which he jerked away pettily, pulling a heavy sigh from Magnus. They sat like that in silence for a moment. For a long moment, it seemed, as Pickles found himself blinking and opening his eyes to someone being escorted out of the cell. It was cold. He still had a headache. He was sore. And now he was cold on top of everything.

The cold was okay. But the chills that his hangover gave him on top of everything was almost embarrassing, feelings as if everyone could hear his teeth chatter over the commotion going around them. But he sat and suffered and wondered where his jacket went. It was October, so he had to have worn it out. That was his good jacket with the fun patches. He was going to be so mad if he couldn’t fucking find it again. It was probably already lost forever.

The shivering was offset by the feeling of denim being tucked around his shoulders. Pickled was jerked out of his thinking and he slipped his arms inside the sleeves. They fell over his hands like a kid playing dress up, but it was warm. And smelled like cigarettes and sandalwood and sweat and...Magnus.

“Thanks,” Pickles said softly, cowed by the simple gesture into dropping his anger. Magnus grunted in response. “Thank youuuu.”

“Welcome,” was the reply. Magnus looked over at Pickles and cocked a brow. “You still pissed off at me for something you did too?”

Pickles blinked.

“No,” he grumbled. “Sorry.”

“Apology accepted,” Magnus chuckled as he spoke, nudging Pickles’ foot with his own. Pickles nudged in turn. Jail footsies wasn’t what he pictured when he said yes to the offer of dropping acid and watching Star Wars as a date a few months ago, but it somehow felt fitting. “Very grown of you, Pickles.”

Before Pickles could say something back, the cell door rolled up.

“Hammersmith? And…” the officer sighed. “Drummer? Bail’s posted.”

“Oh, thank fuck! Me! Us!” Pickles yelped, jumping up and waving awkwardly like it was a roll call.

“You call someone?” asked Magnus as they walked out. Pickles shook his head, slipping his arm in Magnus’ to draw him close. “I didn’t. Who the hell-”

“Me,” a voice rumbled next to them, making them both jump. “You uh...you called me. For some reason.”

The source and their savior was a very displeased, very sleepy Nathan Explosion. Who was standing trying to look stern despite his grogginess in a stained hoodie and pajama pants. Pickles started in surprise, looking up at Magnus for an answer, who shrugged.

“So, you thought drowing in a goddamn fountain was gonna go well, Pickles? Or spitting at a fuckin’ cop, Magnus?” scolded Nathan. “And don’t you two have any other friends? Shit, we’ve hung out three times, y’all.”

So that’s what happened. Why the kid they knew through their dealer was the first number in either of their brains was yet another question they didn’t have the answers for. Or why he posted their bail. Or why they both felt properly reprimanded by someone who was probably in middle school when they were graduating. But things just happen.

“We do, but! Thanks man!” Pickles said happily, reaching out to pat Nathan on the shoulder. “You’re a good one. Our new best friend.”

Nathan rolled his eyes, trying to tug the smile on his face back into a frown. Pickles chuckled to himself as he reached inside of Magnus’ jacket to steal his cigarettes, if he still had them, pulling out a piece of paper instead.

Had a real fun time. Call us. Staci and Luna. XOXOXO.

“Hey!” the call jolted Pickles from his thoughts before he could even process what he was looking at.

The three turned their heads to the source of the sound. Faces pressed against the bars of the next to where Magnus and Pickles had been, two women peered out at them with wide grins. And smeared red and black lipstick on their mouths. One shook her extended thumb and pinky against her head and mouthed “Call me!” while the other blew a kiss. Nathan whistled a sharp note, nodding his approval when Magnus and Pickles looked back at him.

“Good job,” he said before patting Magnus’ arm. “Let’s get you guys home.”

The cold night air was more than welcome when they stepped out into it. The smell of falling leaves, crisp autumn and freedom. Nathan jerked his head at the beat up pickup parked in front of the station and popped the seat back for one of them. Pickles climbed in the back, immediately regretting the decision when both seats were crammed against him to make room for two sets of long legs. But it didn’t matter. If he remembered right, their apartment wasn’t too far away, and it was made alright when a hand reached into the back and found his knee. He smiled and set his own hand on top of it. Nathan gazed into the backseat for a second, eyes scanning Pickles’ face before looking down at the obvious affection, and cocked his head before starting the truck.

“Ohhh!” he said after a few minutes of silence, making both Magnus and Pickles turn tired gazes at him. “Your apartment only has one room!”

They really shouldn’t have laughed. He did drive out in the middle of the night and bust them out. But it couldn’t be helped.

[mainly-kpop]

Jealous much?

hello! I’m sorry its literally taken me so fucking long to do this, but its here now and i hope hope hope it was worth the wait. 

Pairing: Jungkook/reader 

warnings: none to note 

wordcount: 3.4k 

You wouldn’t class yourself as competitive, not openly. Regardless, you had to be somewhat competitive in your line of work. Not with colleagues, no, it’s not like you were trying to climb the corporate ladder or anything. You had to be talented and smart, quick on your feet and have reflexes like a cat. Yeah, it was pretty hard being a competitive gamer, especially with a team like yours.

‘Dude I can’t believe you fucking did that. We are fucked, royally and truly fucked.’ You heard one voice speak through your headset, making you snicker at the defeated tone. Truthfully, your other team mate had fucked you, but it’s humbling to lose once in a while no?

‘What are you talking about Kook, I know how to play this game. This was a smart move for us!’ He protested, earning a frustrated groan from the other boy in the chat. Over your years of playing Overwatch, you had become quite good friends with a lot of players, some more than others. Some players were in it for the money, the audience and the fame that came with it. You found it hard to filter through the fakes, but eventually you managed, finding yourself two diamonds. Jungkook and Taehyung were your best friends, streaming more often than not with them. Sometimes though, Taehyung was a bit of a noob. He was good at the game sure, but only with the few characters he knew how to play, usually you would base a team around him. Today however he wanted to surprise the group, letting you both pick your characters first.

‘Tae, my love, have you ever played as DPS Moira before?’ You question, looking at your camera giving your viewers a “save us please” kind of look. You heard Taehyung stutter through his mic, trying to make up an explanation. A groan came from Jungkook once more, making you laugh as the game loaded in. Where you wouldn’t call yourself competitive, Jungkook certainly was. He took it hard when you lost, hearing more controllers broken than not. Taehyung on the other hand was so happy go lucky, he didn’t care if you won or lost, he just enjoyed the game. They were a terrible match, truly, but it made for some entertaining streams.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, wish us luck.’ You sigh, running through the game as usual, trying not to burst out laughing at how frustrated Jungkook was getting. Over the years you may have developed a slight crush on Jungkook. Slight may be an understatement, realistically you’ve had a massive crush on him since the first time you all met up.

Jungkook was tall, dark, and handsome, everything a girl looks for in a man. He had shaggy black hair parted in the middle. You’d love to run your hands through it the way he does, maybe tug on a handful every now and then. The tattoos up and down his arms were something to behold, if only he wore short sleeves more often…

‘Y/N, what are you doing?!’ Came a shout from your headset, startling you into pushing a random button. You heard a crash then a loud groan, followed by a little laugh. Your random button had been your shoot button, hopelessly friendly firing at Jungkook.

‘So, who was it going to be losing this game for us? Asking for a friend of course…’ Taehyung quipped, you could practically feel Jungkook running his hands through his hair in anger, trying not to throw the only controller he has left. The comments come flooding in on the stream, some rude, some funny. Your moderators were quick to remove the rude comments, not letting you see anything negative; you were quite lucky that way.

You wouldn’t brag and say you were a popular streamer, there was no way you were racking in 50k people a stream, but you weren’t a little channel either. You used cam, but you never did anything for people to thirst over you for, you didn’t show skin or dress scantily. Never one to gain attention for the wrong thing or say something you shouldn’t. It was always a dream of yours to be accepted into this community, but not because you’re a girl on twitch, because you were damn good at what you do.

‘Okay guys, I think we have tortured Jungkook enough, until next time!’ You say, signing off with a little wave and ending the stream.

‘You guys suck.’ Jungkook sighed, earning a laugh from both you and Taehyung. ‘I’m heading to bed, see you both tomorrow.’ He groaned, coming off the call. You pout at the fact he was gone, letting a little “awwh” escape.

‘What was that? Am I not good enough?’ Tae responded, laughing as you stutter through the call. ‘Do you have romantic feelings for Mr. Jeon?’ He questioned, not expecting any kind of response.

‘I didn’t think it was that obvious…’ You reply, thanking the lords no one could see you turning 3 shades of pink right now. There was silence on the other end of the call, almost deafening. Tae had guessed your feelings for him a long time ago, it was the same feelings he had for you.

‘You should tell him.’ He replied, words cutting his throat as he spoke them. Taehyung had a crush on you from day one, before you guys even met, before you even spoke to each other. He watched your streams before, falling for how relaxed you were in front of the camera while playing. You were never problematic or rude, you were just perfectly you. He had never seen that before, so he subbed to you that moment, watching you grow into what you are now. He fell for the way you told perverts to get lost, he fell for the way you laughed at your subscriber’s jokes, not because you had to, but because you genuinely found the corny jokes funny. He fell for you and everything you stand for; regardless of knowing he would always be invisible in that light to you.

‘Eh, I dunno Tae, that’s a big confession…’ You hesitate, tiding up your surrounding area, trying not to move too far from the computer. Taehyung sighed, leaning forward in his chair. Elbows rested on the desk, head in his clammy hands.

‘Do it tomorrow, if he says he feels the same way, then you’re good. However, if he says no, then you can move on, the sooner you get it over with, the better.’ You knew he was right, there was no use holding onto false hope that he may like you back, there was no use pretending you had just friendly feelings for him. You agree with Tae, telling him goodnight and that you will see him tomorrow.

You didn’t move from your chair after you turned the call off, too busy playing absentmindedly with the pencil on your desk. Your heart raced in your ears, the thought of telling him tomorrow made you want to throw up. Sighing, you put the pencil back in the holder on your desk, sinking back into your chair, staring at the blank wall. Taehyung hadn’t moved either, head in his hands slapping his forehead. How could he have suggested that? What possessed him to tell his crush to confess to her crush? He hit his hands off his forehead one more time before standing up to go to bed, kicking the bin in frustration.

You stood in front of him, words spilling out your mouth like vomit. The second you said the words, his face fell, almost deadpanned, and now you were trying to pull it back. ‘It’s not like it’s massive feelings, like maybe a crush, less than that even. I don’t want this to ruin the friendship though, because I know you don’t feel the same way and-‘His hand slammed over your mouth, startling you slightly. You frown at him, licking the palm of his hand. He pulled his hand away instantly, looking at you in mock disgust. It almost felt natural, or normal, then an awkward silence fell around you both, neither one sure what to say.

‘Listen, I’m flattered, but I really don’t think of you that way… I’m sorry.’ He spoke, trying not to make it more awkward than it already was.

‘It’s okay, I know you don’t I just wanted to get it out. It’s cool, we are still friends!’ You reply, smacking his arm in a friendly manner, that seeming more awkward than not too. You clear your throat, pointing towards the exit in the most unnatural way possible. ‘Anyway, I have to go, I forgot I have to give Taehyung something!’ You smile, running off. Partially, it was because you had to see Tae, you now had a bone to pick with him, but also because the awkwardness was really killing you. Honestly, you didn’t want things to be weird, and hanging around for any longer was going to do that. You knocked on Taehyungs door, walking in without letting him answer.

‘You’re a dick Kim Taehyung, the biggest prick of the century I’ll have you know!’ You shout into the empty room, looking around for him. Making yourself at home, you kick your shoes off, pulling your hoodie over your head. He came out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist, other towel in his hands drying his hair.

‘And how is that?’ He questioned, watching you look him up and down momentarily before snapping back. You scoff at him, throwing your hoodie at his naked form.

‘Put some clothes on before I even talk to you.’ You reply, faking a gag. He rolled his eyes at you, picking your hoodie up and smiling. He exited the main room, heading for his bedroom.

‘You know, if you didn’t barge into my house, you wouldn’t have seen me practically naked. What’s going on anyway? Didn’t I just leave you and Jungkook in that café?’ you sigh, sulking back into his couch, willing the fabric to eat you alive.

‘Yes, and I confessed, and his face looked like I had told him I had three weeks to live. No one has ever been that disappointed in the history of the world! Fuck sake, you did this to me!’ you scream, an instant backhand to his chest the second he sat down. He grunted in pain, coughing slightly at the force. Your hoodie covered his torso, which you were sure had no shirt under it.

‘You don’t realise right now, but its better like this. At least you know!’

‘I DIDN’T WANT TO KNOW!’ you whine, kicking your feet in a mild temper tantrum.

‘Want to watch a movie and order some desserts?’ He suggested, already turning the T.V on.

‘Yes please, and get me a hoodie since you stole mine.’ You pout, waiting for him to come back before cuddling into his side.

Jungkook sat on his couch, trying hard to get his head into the game he was playing. All he could think about was you though, and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. He didn’t have feelings for you, not enough for it to be a relationship. He didn’t think of you romantically, nor did he want to have sex with you, but why were you all he could think of right now? He put his controller down on the coffee table, slouching back onto his couch. His phone screen lit up beside him urging him to pick it up. An automated text from the local pizza shop, how typical. While it was in his hand, he opted for scrolling through some apps, catching up on all his notifications. He watched through snapchat stories, landing on your one, he frowned, sitting up in his seat.

The first couple weren’t too bad, some selfies of your outfit for today, you him and Tae at the coffee shop. The next one was what made him sit up straight, almost angry, but did he really have the right to be angry right now? You were cuddled up on Taehyungs couch, in his hoodie, arms wrapped around your stomach as you lay on his lap. He had your hoodie on, which he couldn’t understand. Why weren’t you wearing yours? Why had you switched clothes? Why did Tae’s hoodie look so good on you? You had Captioned the snap with “he bought me ice cream and churros, he’s the best!” Curiosity got the better of him, checking on Tae’s snapchat too, low and behold there you were. Cuddled into his side, a candid photo of you eating ice cream, hands buried in the sleeves of his jumper. You looked comfortable and relaxed, a different person to who stood in front of him before. He thought back to it, you nervously spitting words at him, hoping the floor would crumble beneath your feet. He was almost sorry he made you feel like that, sorry he couldn’t reciprocate your feelings. He clicked through the story, next was a video, you crying about how Ursula is just misunderstood and wanted to take Ariels voice because she was being naive!

‘Having a voice is so much more important than looking like every other bitch out there. That’s what she’s trying to tell her, albeit in the wrong way but- TAE STOP VIDEOING ME!’ You screeched out, hand coming up to smack the phone out of his hand. He laughed at that, enjoying the way you see things how others don’t. He laughed at your whining voice as you tell Tae to stop, then he stopped laughing. Angry at how he wished that was him, angry that he couldn’t understand his feelings.

Jungkook could feel the jealousy brewing inside of him, but why? He didn’t have feelings for you, or so he thought, so he assumed. Clicking on Instagram, he punched in your username, clicking onto your profile. He had a flick through your photos, trying to figure out how he felt, what he truly felt for you. Looking at your face in depth, he could see you were pretty, could see that you knew how to carry yourself and dress well. Your button nose and the way your hair fell, honestly, he could admit you were very beautiful. Most guys would think it was a dream, someone like you had feelings for them, so why did he turn you down so easily.  

Was it an initial shock? Did he not know how to react? Honestly, he couldn’t pin point it, but right now he really wished he could. Without thinking, his thumbs typed out a message, a sharp one, that he was sure to regret the second he hit send.

‘You and Tae look cosy, guess it must really be nothing more than a crush huh?’ You read out loud to Tae, unable to process the words completely. Taehyung frowned, taking your phone out of your hands to read the message himself. His eyes squinted at the screen, as if he could make it change to something else, something nicer. Something you would rather read from him, but he couldn’t make this better.

‘What the fuck?’ Were the only words he could think right now, to busy trying to wrap his head around his friend’s reaction. He knew he would never have you as his own, he had come to terms with this a long time ago, but for Jungkook to be acting like such a child, he knew exactly what the problem was.

‘He’s jealous. I know he said he didn’t like you, but he clearly does.’ Taehyung spoke, passing your phone back to you. He watched as your thumbs danced over the keyboard at lightening pace, he had never seen you this ridiculously mad before. Taehyung could not thank his lucky stars hard enough that it was Jungkook on the receiving end of that heat and not him.

‘What the hell? Jealous much? I came over to see Tae about something and he offered me dessert and a movie, he’s my best friend am I not allowed to cuddle up to him while eating ice cream? Last time I checked you weren’t my boyfriend Jungkook, back off. Oh, or better yet, come back when you’re ready to fucking apologise for snapping at me.’

He sighed, throwing his phone down on the couch cushions. You were right, he knew that much, you had every right to go off at him for that stupid comment. He should go over to Tae’s, say that he’s sorry. Standing up from the couch, he moves towards his shoes, picking one up to put it on, he stops. You wouldn’t even want to see him, collapsing against the wall, he let out a frustrated groan, running his hands through his hair. He pulled on a few strands out of anger, banging his head against the wall. Truly unable to understand why he was so pissed off about you being around Tae so much, he decided to just head to bed. Maybe if he slept on it, he might be able to figure somethings out.

Weeks passed, and you still had heard nothing from Jungkook, your followers kept asking for him. You had to keep making up stories that he wasn’t well, or was really busy. Honestly, you were getting sick of covering up for him, why were you lying to your followers for him?

‘Just give him time, he will come round.’ Tae spoke through the phone, trying his best to comfort you from a distance. For the past few weeks, he had been your only constant, your level head if you will. Anytime you go to apologise to Jungkook he reminds you that you did nothing wrong. That you had nothing to apologise for what so ever, and if you did, he would kick your ass.

‘I just don’t know what is so hard about saying sorry? He was so rude and can’t even admit it?’ You sigh, slouching down into your couch cushions. You heard him hum on the other end, unable to find something to say to make this better for you. You go to give him some sarcastic comment about being helpful, but a gentle knock at your door interrupts you. So light if you were doing anything other than sitting here, you wouldn’t have heard it.

‘Tae, someone’s at the door, I’ll call you back.’ You speak, hanging up the phone the second you hear him say bye. Without looking through the peep hole, you swing the door open, face to face with a bunch of flowers. From behind, Jungkook poked his face around the side a weak smile on his face. Rolling your eyes, you step to the side, letting him come in.

‘Why are you here?’ You ask in the most bored tone you can muster, he puts the flowers down on your counter, turning around to look at you. Trying to not look pleased, or flattered, you fold your arms over your chest.

‘I came to say sorry. I know I snapped for no reason, but seeing you cuddled up to Tae like that really pissed me the fuck off.’ He spoke, getting angrier the more he thought about it. He thought he had dealt with it these past few weeks, but clearly the annoyance was still sitting at the back of his brain.

‘Why though? You told me you didn’t like me like that so why should it piss you off? Why should you feel obligated to be annoyed?!’ You raise your voice, not entirely meaning to. He ran his hand through his hair, turning away from you for a second. Silence fell while you waited for him to reply, but nothing came. You let a sarcastic laugh slip through your lips, rolling your eyes at the back of his head.

‘Just leave Jungkook.’ You sigh, stepping through to your living room, allowing him to see himself out.

‘I don’t know why it pisses me off so much okay? I want your attention, every last fucking drop of it, and knowing Tae has even some of it pisses me off. Seeing you in someone’s arms that aren’t mine pisses me off. Knowing someone else is comforting you, or making you laugh, knowing you’re not thinking about me, it pisses me the fuck off. Maybe I am into you, maybe I do want you to be mine, I don’t know what that feels like. You’re beautiful, so fucking beautiful, and funny and so damn genuine, I don’t know how I feel, but I know for fucking sure I don’t want anyone else to have you.’ He confessed, stopping to breathe and stare you down. Your face softened at the confession, making your heart beat a little faster at the hope.

‘Sit, I think we need to talk.’

[ctoastwrites]

light pollution

light pollution was annoying. alex knew this to be true- on late nights where he's go out to throw the trash in the bin or just sit and relax, he could hardly see the stars. he could see lights in the distance, some sweeping across the sky (although the city's casino was not all that close, it made a point of being showy) and some just staying still- lights from apartments, and offices, and things of the like that illuminated the night sky. and while the city had its moments where it was beautiful, that didn't stop alex from sometimes wondering where the stars were. although, there was one other person who thought about it much more often than he did.

-  robin groaned, sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front of them. it was plain black coffee, which was (in their opinion) the worst kind of coffee. it was bitter and wasn't much fun to drink, especially when they just wanted something nice to wake them up. they typically put some sort of creamer in their coffee- vanilla and caramel were their favorites -but today, they had woken up from their restless sleep to find there was none left. they put their head down on the table and sighed, closing their tired eyes for a moment. it had been a rough week- not for any particular reason, robin just wasn't having a good time. alex walked in moments later to have breakfast. "good morning!" he smiled, running a hand through his messed-up hair as he opened the fridge. robin's response was muffled by their sleeves, but alex could tell they said "mornin'." he pulled out a carton of eggs and sat it on the counter, going over to robin and gently messing with their hair. "i'm making eggs- do you want any?" he asked softly, knowing a raised voice would not make robin's sour mood any better. "mhm." they nodded, but didn't move much else. alex took their mug from the table and set it on the counter to get them a glass of apple juice instead of the coffee. robin finally sat up when alex was halfway done making scrambled eggs, taking a drink of the apple juice and thanking him. breakfast went by quicker than expected- both pastel and jemma came into the kitchen soon after, dressed in uniforms for their jobs.  (both alex and robin were silently grateful they didn't have to work that day. alex had other things he needed to do, and robin felt like they should go back to bed.) they ate and left for work, and alex and robin tidied up the kitchen. - robin found themself laying on their floor, zoning out as they stared up at the ceiling and counted the plastic stars. they had become dim over time, and didn't glow much at night anymore. it "y'know, i tried to go outside and look at the stars last night." robin said when they noticed alex standing in the doorway, looking at least a little confused. "i couldn't see any." alex sighed. "it's a little hard to see them, with all the lights from the city and stuff." he thought for a moment and had an idea- but he wasn't sure if he should bring it up now. it's not like it would do much good at the moment anyway, so he decided to save that one for a little bit later. the day was rather uneventful. both alex and robin quietly worked on their own things through the afternoon, alex mostly working on an assignment and robin cleaning up random things. pastel and jemma came home at around five, and the group stayed together in the living room for a while before heading off to their rooms for the night. before alex even realized it, it was nearly one in the morning. he looked out his bedroom doorway and into the hallway and saw the house was dark, so he assumed everyone had already gone to bed without him realizing. then he saw movement by his window, and felt his heart rate pick up a bit. was it just a stray cat- or a fallen branch? maybe a bird? surely that was all that could be out there... he got off his bed and cautiously approached the window, moving the curtain enough to see out onto the roof. alex nearly laughed when he put together his guess at a bird being out there and what actually was. robin sat in the corner where the two outer walls met, having come outside through their own open window. they were sitting up, but had managed to curl up in a way that let them put their knees and arms in their sweater. they were fixated on the empty sky, and alex could almost feel their disappointment from his spot inside his room. he opened the window and swung his legs over the opening, shivering at the sudden rush of cold air. alex understood why robin was sitting the way they were, but for a moment he wondered why they even came outside at all with their strong dislike for cold temperatures. alex wasn't sure if they actually noticed him come outside- but he assumed not after they jumped when he spoke. "hey." he smiled and sat down next to them, pulling his hands in his sleeves. "what are you doing?" "waiting." they sighed in return, turning their gaze away from the sky and alex. "i can't sleep, and i thought maybe..." they trailed off, but their intentions were clear. alex scooted closer and draped an arm around robin's shoulder. he knew how they felt; they were upset they couldn't do one of their favorite things. the two sat in silence for a moment before alex spoke up. "do you want to watch a movie?" "...yeah." - the next day was as uneventful as the last. it was quiet again, but this time neither pastel or jemma had to go anywhere. most of the day was spent with the four watching tv, but at around seven alex suddenly decided he wanted to do something. he walked into the kitchen and took note of some things they needed. cereal, bread, dish soap... he got distracted by a note on the fridge that said "SHOPPING LIST: GOLDFISH BOX. please :)" with a laugh, he took the note down and added more to it before sticking it and his wallet in his pocket. he went to put his shoes on and caught the attention of robin, who wasn't very focused on the tv show. "where are you going?" they turned around in the chair to watch alex. "the store." he put his shoes on and began to tie them. "do you want to come?" robin thought for a moment and nodded. "yeah- let me get my jacket though." "you already have a sweater on..?" alex mumbled, watching them get up and head off towards their room. he made sure to tell jemma and pastel where they were going, and then went outside to warm up the car. robin soon followed, sitting in the passenger seat with their egg hoodie over their black sweater. "hey- i'm cold!" they huffed when they noticed alex looking. he laughed and shook his head. - it was now around eight-thirty- and robin and alex were at a gas station. robin stared up into the empty sky through their window while alex filled up the gas tank. when he got back in the car he noticed their staring, and remembered what he had wanted to do the day before. "do you mind if we stay out longer? there's somewhere else i want to go." alex looked over, hopeful they would say yes. it was the only way he could think of to try and make their somewhat sour mood at least a little better. robin looked over and while they were confused, they accepted. staying out of the house for a bit longer couldn't hurt. after all, the past few weeks they hadn't left very often, usually only if they needed to or for short trips. alex nodded and pulled out of the gas station, turning in the opposite direction they would if they were going home. - 💃 it couldn't have been longer than thirty minutes, but in that time robin managed to doze off. the soft hum of the car as it moved forward and the quiet christmas music were comforting in that moment for a reason they couldn't explain. alex softly tapped their shoulder and whispered a "we're here." they made a quiet noise and opened their eyes, moving to undo their seatbelt and fumbling with the buckle for a few moments. eventually they got it and exited the car to join alex outside. they noticed multiple things all at once. there were trees, and it was dark, and cold- oh god it was cold (not really, but robin wasn't a fan anyways) -and if they looked up, the moon was bright and... and they could see the stars. robin looked to the top of the car where alex had seated himself, patting the spot next to him with a smile. he held a blanket in his other hand ( "where had that come from?" they wondered, but decided not to ask ). they climbed up and sat down, and alex quickly covered the both of them with the blanket. it was soft and warm, and robin finally assumed it had been on the floor behind alex where one of the vents was. "y'know, a wrong turn brought me here the first time." alex said in a soft tone after a minute or two of silence. "i got lost in some traffic and suddenly i was here." he laughed. "can't believe i missed the giant sign telling me which way was which..." robin smiled and chuckled, glancing to alex before back up at the sky. "good job." they sarcastically mumbled, getting a scoff from alex. "i'd like to see you try getting your way out of traffic at 9 pm! actually, i don't even know why there was traffic..." he trailed off trying to recall if he was ever given a reason for it or not. "anyways.. what's been up with you lately?" alex said casually, leaning back onto his arms. robin, who had started to lean as well, sat up fully. "what do you mean?" they didn't quite understand what he meant- didn't they live in the same house? they usually said where they were going, or what they were doing if they were asked... "i mean, what's going on with you." he stressed the word you in a way that made robin immediately understand what he meant. "something's been a little off, hasn't it?" while he didn't need confirmation on his own thoughts and observations, he did want to hear what robin had to think about it. maybe he was looking at it wrong, or maybe... "uh.. yeah, it has." robin was quiet. "i dunno how to explain, it's just... ah, it's not a big deal." robin scratched the back of their head, nervously trying to dodge the question. when they thought over the sentence they were going to say, it felt silly. "you don't have to tell me, but i'm right here if you want to." alex offered. robin noted his expression- he wasn't just saying that, he really did want them to know he meant well. they thought for a moment and sighed, picking up with a random thought in their mind. it was the only way they knew how to start. "i... i guess life finally caught up to me? like, i haven't realized how much things really mean to me. i feel bad." the last part was muffled as they had pulled up their knees and hidden their head. they'd accidentally slid out of the blanket in the process and alex gently draped it over their head. they chuckled and readjusted before sighing. "i hadn't realized how lucky i was to get to see the stars when i was younger. i wish i could still, but..." "but you can't." "mhm." alex understood what they meant- the stars were something robin truly admired, and they weren't able to see them anymore. they hadn't realized how good they had it until it was gone- even if it was just stars. and then robin spoke again. "alex, do you think i care about you?" the sudden yet heavy question hit alex like a rock, and he had to think about how to properly word his answer for a moment. the answer was yes, and it would always be yes for as long as he continued to be friends with robin. (which- he hoped would be for a very, very long time.) they turned their head to look up at him. he inhaled and robin's eyes suddenly grew wide. he immediately realized that alone was a bad move, because robin quickly turned away and he could see the slight shake in their body. "wait- no, i'm sorry. no- wait, i mean yes-" alex stumbled, trying to get robin to turn back to him. "ack- robin. i do." he finally managed to get out, running a hand through his hair. they slowly looked back, a hopeful look in their eyes. "i know you do- even if you show it in ways that people wouldn't usually show it sometimes." he smiled and put his hand on their head. "you do." robin smiled as well and nodded. it was only one sentence, but it was all robin needed to hear. they wiped their watery eyes and sat up to look at the sky. "i missed the stars." they whispered after a few minutes, leaning back again. "i thought so." - both alex and robin had spent a good couple hours just sitting, looking at the night sky. robin quietly rambled about the stars ("they're all just gas, hydrogen and helium especially-" and "my favorite is delphinus, which translates to dolphin, which is kinda close to a shark!" were two quotes alex remembered clearly). the two didn't get back home until late, but neither of the two's sleep schedules were very disturbed by this fact. (both jemma and pastel were awake still too, finishing the show they were watching.)

robin woke up the next morning with a bright smile.

[lyorofthequill]

The Runaways

                                                 Chapter 1.                                               The train stop.

''Hey Mam, I know that was a lot. But please, when you get on Lunch, please respond. The train comes soon and the others come sooner.''

''See ya soon Mama, I love you. Even after everything.''

She tapped the hardened finger against the side of the Broadcast Transmitter. A small device, like a holigraphical-pad. It was a communication device, a small rectangular cube, that acted as a phone, yet could also send digital letters, it was called texting. She kept her head down as she walked to the train station. The sounds of currus's were distant. This part of Nihon, of Osaka had currus's. Large, metal vehicles that had seats on the inside. It was engine driven, by Flectomancy and Aeromancy. It had these metallic semi-circles that would push air out to the direction that you would want to go in. She once had been in one, when she was helping Hiroaki and his parents when they were bringing supplies in to their shop. Currus would be used mostly for heavy transport or for the elite that could afford the sleek ones that had lounges on the inside. He chewed her lip, reading the texts. There was only one check-mark to show that her mother did not have the B.T.P on, but the messages were delivered. She paused as she felt the smack of cold metal hit her forehead. Tears welled in to her eyes as she stumbled back and looked straight up for the first time. The metal pole next to the door, she sighed as she took a step to the left and entered the large railway station. A retail shop was on the left, it had tourist trinkets, children's toys, books and hats as well as magazines and a shelf full of snacks beside a wide drink refrigerator. On the other side, was a small coffee shop. She came to the barriers and put her ticket in. It came with the letter. It let her in as it walked behind her and simply jumped over the machine. She smiled as she walked in to a small cafe, that had a view of the other platforms, it was up some stairs. It was like a cafe and dinner mix. She ordered a sweet tea and a toasted cheese and bacon sandwich. She paused as the woman frowned and looked over her shoulder. ''No animals allowed Ma'am.''The cashier sighed and gestured.

''Oh! No! It's a familiar and a Yokai.'' She smiled. The cashier stood slightly on her tippy-toes and looked down at it. Before nodding and picking up her ticket, ''Sorry about that. Does it shed?'' She paused and looked down as she felt it climb up her head and then sit on her bag. ''No, fully spirit.''She explained, the woman nodded as she took her money and placed it in the till, then handed her, her change. She placed it in the side pocket of the duffel bag, her make shift purse. She paused as the woman cleared her throat, ''I'm sorry. Can I get your name for the order? First and second name, please.'' ''Oh! Charna Dracul,'' She smiled as the woman paused. Charna spelt out the first name for her, then sat down in the corner and window seat. The Yokai joined her. It had the body of a ferret, yet the head and front legs moved about like a cats. Its grey fur ended with a black triangle at the end of its tail, which looked like a fluffy beaver tail. The back legs had hooves at the end for when they climbed trees and rocks in their natural habitat. Four, dark red wings with dark grey on the top, while the wings could not fly, they were there for them to float and from branch and ledge. The wings were connected together at the stumps. It had two more legs, in between the front ones and back ones. They were the same dark red and had two massive claws either side for them to hook on to prey and berries. The front legs were sort of like cat or raccoon paws. Its head had four wide eyes, fully black as it stared up at her. The ears were like foxes, and they also had some black markings on the  top. It's three horns were used for jousting, two were hooked slightly at the side and the other was like a unicorn horn, and they all sat on the forehead. It had a dark red mane around its neck, to  indicate what diet it has, like a flamingo. The red marks mean it has mostly being fed on meat. Which it was. They got a more pink or blue-ish purple colour when its berries. Shorei was her Uncle's Yokai, one he had picked up on his own journeys. Yet Shorei was always more fond of Charna, so it was coming with her to Qnao Academy. 

Hiroaki was coming to say goodbye, he was always up early since he did have to help with the shop, she wondered if she should have ordered a drink for him. But, it would have probably cold by now. So it did not bother her to much.

She paused as she looked at herself in the reflection of the glass. Her dark purple eyes stared back at her as her dark, almost crimson hair flopped from side to side. She still remembered her Uncle, Corvus Dracul, reaction to her saying she wanted her hair cut this short. Most of it barely reaching the nape of her neck. He had taken out his sword and said that he should do it to save money. She managed to get Hiroaki's mum to do it. Her large black hoodie slumped over her frame, she frowned as she saw her wrist. The bone sticking out, she was quick to pull the sleeve over it. Hiding it, that was why she wore hoodies so much. To hide her body. Mostly from herself. She paused as footsteps tapped against the floor, heading her direction. She raised her head and a smile spread across her face. 

Hiroaki Genkei, son of two local shop owners. He was chubby and had his square glasses on. Those were his new glasses. He was wearing his school uniform, as his blue eyes scanned her. He pulled a chair to the table and sat beside her. ''Charna! Excited?''He chuckled, she smiled and nodded as he stretched. Yet he frowned, ''And the hoodie.'' He leaned down on his arms as they were crossed on the table. She looked down, her eyes drifted along the hoodie. He, never did approve of her hiding her body so much. He was quite in to body positivist. Even if it meant he got hit a few times for calling a girl, ‘The perfect type of roundness’. Charna laughed, she remembered that so clearly. ''You know how I feel about my body.''She muttered, he nodded as he sat back and then laughed, ''Still! So what? A little hard skin and some bones are showing. Not like we can see your spine and rib-cage! You just have a quick metabolism, so what?'' He paused as Charna's name was called. Shorei sat on the table and Hiroaki was quick to give the creature affection. He tilted his head as she returned with the toasted sandwich with cheese leaking out and the sweet tea with ice bobbing up and down in the cup. ''Treating yourself are we?'' Charna paused before laughing, Hiroaki smirked at the success to make her smile. Her laugh faded as she sipped at her tea, just as she liked it. Could be colder she supposed, but it wasn't homemade so she would not argue. A thought came to her, she slowly placed the cup down. She supposed this was the time to tell him, they had been friends for years and she would feel guilty if she left without telling him. She felt her nerves build a ball up in her throat, a lump jiggled as she spoke. ''Hiroaki? Can I admit something to you?''She asked. He narrowed his eyes and sat up straight as he readied himself, ''What is it?'' She swallowed as she took a swig out of her tea. Letting it roll down her tongue as Shorei jumped on to her lap. ''We never talked about my Discipline did we?''She asked, he nodded as he scanned his eyes up and down her. He opened his mouth, and then closed his mouth, he raised a finger. She nodded as he laughed, ''Don't tell me! You are a Double?''He joked. Hiroaki laughed.

To be a double was a unique affliction. For humans usually they stuck to one Discipline. They had to. They did not contain, their soul did not the magic needed to diverge. Magic could be dictated by your ancestry. Seeing how Umbramancy, was a part of her ancestry, she had an easier time learning it. To be a double wasn't unheard of it. But it was rarer then being left handed. So that was fun. All you needed was strong enough magic and the right genetics. She felt her heart go hollow and her heart beat go fast. Hiroaki's eyes went wide as he sat up fully, almost jumping out of his seat as he saw her nervous and ashamed look, ''Charna! What!?'' He paused, before going in to a quiet whisper, ''Your a Double? That is so cool!'' He exclaimed. She smiled faintly at this. That was not what she was going to tell him, but it wasn't far from the truth. He stared at her as he smiled.

''Calm down. But yeah. I am...'' She watched him fall back in his chair, processing the information, ''It is a bit weird. And before you say anything, I ain't doing Hyrdomancy,'' Little white lines, that would do, ''I don't like that whole. Pyromancy and Hydromncy thing. I'm doing Umbramancy and Pyromancy. A little odd, I know.'' He lifted up a hand, stopping her. She nodded and gave a nervous giggle as he facepalmed. ''Okay, Mrs Edgy.'He sighed in disappointment. She frowned before realizing something as the biggest smile stretched across her face, ''You just mad I'm not doing Hydromancy.'' He frowned as he rolled her eyes. ''I don't care. Is Umbramancy and Pyromancy even good together?'' He raised an eyebrow at her. She frowned as she looked down, thinking about the question. A minute of silence filled the table. Hiroaki wasn't surprised. ''Shut up!''She snapped. He laughed as she ate her sandwich, Shorei eating crumbs that would fall on to the table. Hiroaki paused as he was about to start to talk, but stopped when Kira Senshi appeared, her footsteps soft as she smiled at them. Kira had Vitiligo, its when certain parts of your skin don't have pigmentation. Her skin should have been this soft, almost light chocolate skin color. The parts where the Vitiligo affected her skin was still pretty. She had very pretty clear skin. She was also every pretty. Charna looked down as that crossed her mind. She shrugged it off, it was just appreciation of a close friend. She had a long strip that went over her eyes, it went just above her nose and a bit above her eyes. There was also a line that went up her cheek, with pointed end. There were two lines that wrapped along her right arm like rings they were just below her shoulder. On the other arm the lighter shade was like a glove that went a bit below her elbow.Just below he shoulder on the left arm, there was a another line. It was like the spike on her cheek, but it was smaller and had two ends both curved and spiked. She had a almost exact copy of that patch on her right leg. But it was surrounded by spots. Below that patch was a few bumps of the light shade that poked out of her boots. On the opposite leg was a ring like the left arm had, it went right across her knee. On the back of her right leg was a heart shaped patch with spots surrounding that as well. She was wearing her usual outfit. Her pinkish, wine tank-top and ripped jean shorts with long brown boots. Well they weren't supposed to be shorts. But Kira made them that way. Charna had a special kind of respect for Kira because of her outfit. The fact she wasn't afraid to show her skin despite of her condition. Also because they were friends for so long and Kira had escorted Charna to her Uncle's house when her parents kicked her out. Kira was raised by her Granddad, he and Corvus were good military friends when they both served in the army. Hiroaki raised an eyebrow, a silent question which Charna nodded. Kira knew the full truth. Of course Kira already knew, she had partially taught Terramancy to Charna. Her lank, dark purple hair fell down to her shoulder blades as her dark, rusted yellow eyes scanned them both.

Hiroaki eyed Charna. Kira nodded, yet did not stand. Instead looked on to the counter, obviously she had ordered some food. ''Hiroaki, I've known Kira for longer. Don't be butt-hurt that she knew before you.''Charna pointed out. He shrugged as Kira walked up to the counter and collected her food and drink. She had two sweet teas, two water bottles and some sandwiches. She sat down beside them. Placed two of the sandwiches in front of Hiroaki and Charna. Hiroaki paused, ''Oh! Kira, you didn't need to buy me food.'' She ignored him as she placed a water bottle in front of him as the two sweet teas were placed before Charna. She smiled as she devoured all the food in front of her. Hiroaki opened the cap of the water and flicked up his finger, blobs of water moved up and in to his mouth. ''So, what is the hardening skin then?''He asked. She paused as slowly she rolled up her shirt. Revealing a patch of hard skin, Hiroaki paused as they were parted, a crack in it. Kira pulled Charna's  shirt down, grunting as she eyed the other people. Charna could see why Kira did not her to show off the hardened skin.

''So where is Riku?''Hiroaki asked. Kira looked up, before shrugging and then eating her food. Riku was the last of the friend group. While Hiroaki was not going to Qnao Academy, Riku was. Charna took a sip out of her tea as she thought. ''He'll come when the train comes. He always shows up exactly on time.''She reasoned. Hiroaki nodded as they all ate. Shorei was purring as they moved from lap to lap. Getting the attention it wanted. Hiroaki paused as he sat up, ''Oh yeah!'' He turned to Charna, ''My friend! Kaito! He's the Captain of the swimming club and Hydromancer at club. I told him he can join you guys.'' She paused. She had heard of Kaito, his mum always made pies and crumbles for the school bake-sale. Now that she thought about it, when Kira once hit Charna in the face a dodge ball during gym class once, it was Kaito who had brought her to the Nurse's office. ''Oh, yeah. Him. Cool, but you really should have asked first.'' Charna said. Hiroaki shrugged as they ate.

A half hour went by. Hiroaki was saying his goodbyes, hugs and tears were had. Charna and him had to be pried away by Kira. They waved goodbye as they walked away. Kira hand rested on her back, leading her as Shorei sat on Kira's shoulder. Charna frowned as she asked, ''Do you think I'll have to keep it a secret as well in Qnao Academy?'' Kira paused as she thought for a moment. She sat them down on a bench next to the platforms. Finally she shook her head, Charna knew that was her answer. She smiled at that thought, of not having to hide anymore. She smiled as Kira ran a finger along her hairline, stopping at the scar. She became stiff at that. She pushed Kira's hand away. The other nodded as Charna pulled out the panflet. Checking the time table. The train for Qnao Academy was called 'The galactic frontier', a little cheesy for both their tastes. The name was on the board, on its own special one at that. The platform would be open in a few minutes. It was like a building of its own, black glass and black heavy doors. No one could see the train enter or exit, nor the platform itself. ''Do you want to wait outside the doors?''She asked, Kira nodded and stood up. Shorei in tow as Charna scrambled to get her bags and ran after them. Kira frowned as a crowd was already gathering in front of the door. Charna could hear all their voices, asking each other about themselves. She froze as a girl smiled at her, ''Oh! Whats your Discipline!?''Her two friends smiled at Charna as her throat tightened. 

She found it hard to breath as she stared at nothing. The girls frowned as her body went rigid. Kira pushed Charna behind her eye and grunted at the girls. Who got the message and stepped away. Kira wrapped her arm around her shoulder as Shorei hissed at people.

''Kira. I'm fine!''Charna smiled as she took a step away from her friend and in to the boy that was running in to the crowd, in a panic. She yelped as a shoulder hit her back and they fell down, on to the cold floor. She gasped as air were pushed out of her lungs. She rolled on to her back, as people stared. Kira stared in horror, and tightened her hands in to a fist. The boy clambered up to stand as he stared down at Charna. He had peach coloured hair and bright yellow tips at the end, with yellow eyes that complimented him well. He was wearing a soft yellow shirt, and dark pink cargo pants. He was quick to help her up, she laughed. She paused, his shirt was for the swim team, a uniform, like a jersey. As he turned to grab her bags for her, the name 'Kaito' was on the top with 'Junpei' on the bottom with a number one in the middle. ''Oh! You're Kaito! Hiroaki's friends.'' He scooped up her bag and smiled.

''Yep! Nice to fall in to you! You must be Charna.''He shook her hand and then handed her the bag. She smiled down at him, ''Oh? How do you know I'm not Kira?'' She joked. Kira eyed everyone else. Her gaze burning in to all of them, moving the crowd away from the three, ''Because your not scary as Hiroaki described her to be! Heh, also because he told me... Well.'' ''Hiroaki told me that your a...'''His voice trailed off. Charna's eyes widened as Kaito continued, ''He was just rambling on about it.'' He smiled, before pausing as he saw the horror on Charna's face and Kira hitting her fist against her open palm. ''B-But don't worry! I think it's cool! I... I actually really want to be your friend because of it! I want to see what it's like to combine all those two things in to one fighting style!''He explained. She paused. The words not reaching their target. It took her moment to think, she had never used more then one type of magic in a fight before. So the thought of using combinations was not something she really thought of. ''Yeah... I suppose.'' He smiled and then he stared at Shorei. ''Is that a spirit!?''He exclaimed, Shorei seem to be taken back by the excitement. Charna nodded as it eyed him, ''I love spirits.'' He muttered an almost whisper. Charna laughed and nodded as she spread her arm out and Shorei twisted and crawled along it, till it reached her wrist.

''A well trained one, the carnivorous spirit! Shorei of the cherry tree forest! Familiar of Corvus Dracul, and companion of Charna Dracul!''She announced like a ring master announcing the next act of a grand circus. Kaito clamped his hands together, excited as the other children stared. Charna paused, she had an audience as an idea came to mind, she smirked. ''Shorei?''She called, the creature knew what to do as Charna threw her arm up. Shorei spread it's wings and twirled in the air like a ferret-dolphin hybrid. It dropped down, floating as it landed on to one of the low rafters. It strutted along it, one paw in front of the other. Once it reached the end, the middle limbs came out and struck the column. It used the claws to throw itself up and backwards, doing a cartwheel as it flew along the side, about to do the landing on to Charna's wrist, and then dangle by the tail. But before it could, it's tail was grabbed as it fell limp with a squeak. Everyone look and saw, the boy with the black glasses and sleek black hair. He was wearing a white button up shirt and black business shoes and trousers. His watch was rested tightly on his wrist as he brought the creature down, to eye it.

''Charna?''His stern voice called. She laughed nervously as Kaito took Shorei from him and cradled the creature, ''We are to be getting ready for one of the most prodigious school known on Gaia, not some slum circus training!''He snapped. She nodded slowly as he adjusted his glasses.

''Hello to you too, Riku.''She looked down, Kira eyed him with distrust and a strong dislike. Riku eyed everyone, ''The door opens now.''He walked to the front, and as he said. The door opened up when he placed his ticket against a scanner. Charna froze and was quick to copy, Kira gently pushed Kaito forward, letting him do his ticket first and then hers before the rush started. The inside was surprising. A lounge, with large chairs and a pool table. Even vending machines and some arcade games. All the other kid's sat down, or started to play the games. Charna stared as she turned back, you could see the outside from in here. One way glass she supposed. Kaito was quick to grab Kira and drag her to the air hockey table. Charna laughed as she joined them. She wondered if all the train stops would be like this one. She hoped it was way. Yet, she also hoped that Kira was right, and she wouldn't have to hide. As she watched the others, even some showing off their magic.

She decided there and then. Charna Dracul, would hide no more.

[savage-rhi]

Could you write a sick Higgs x Gene. Higgs feels like he's dying, but it's just a cold?

Of course you awesome gray face :D! Some cutesy shit coming right the hell up!

“Gene.” Higgs weakly croaked aloud, his eyes rolling into the back of his skull as he groaned and writhed against the pillows of the bed. Despite his ears and nose feeling plugged, Higgs could hear Gene trailing down the stairs to see what was the matter. Needless to say, she didn’t look impressed. 

“Higgs, how am I supposed to get anything done around our home when you’re moaning like a porn star?” Gene joked, albeit her tone was slightly exasperated. Higgs had come down with a horrible cold. It had been two weeks and he was getting better yet he had been quite childish. After being with Higgs for so long, Gene knew when he could up the dramatics for effect. 

“Pay attention to me. I’m fucking dying down here while you’re up there hammerin’ and shit.” Higgs whined, his voice high pitched and stereotypically feminine as Gene tried her best not to laugh. Doing so would be giving in. 

“If you hate it so much, maybe you should climb out of bed and help me. We got a whole roof to board up on the top level.” Gene said as Higgs scrunched his face and waved her off flamboyantly.

“Bitch, the lies you tell.” He once more said in a high tone, coughing soon after.

Higgs was quite the impressionist when it came to voices. Over time since the start of their relationship, Gene discovered his hidden talent while they had become quite playful after drinking far too much. 

“Do I need to call the whambulance?” Gene asked in a patronizing voice. Sighing she sat down on the bed next to him. Higgs leaned up from the pillows, wrestling Gene while engulfing her in his arms as she laughed. He used the last of his strength to pepper her face in sloppy kisses as she struggled against his grasp. Even in a weakened state, Higgs was surprisingly strong to her. 

Higgs’s body gave out, he coughed a few times as he collapsed with Gene onto the bed. His arms still holding onto her protectively as he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. 

“Jesus you’re such a beast to everybody.” Higgs said using a different voice this time, sounding sassier than before. Gene started cracking up, getting Higgs to smile like a fool. He tried to suppress his own laughter out of fear he’d be coughing up a lung. Higgs never got tired of her laugh. He was very much tempted to climb on top of Gene and take things a step further had his body not been so tired and aching. She had that kind of power over him.

Eventually, Gene’s laughter simmered down. She propped herself up with her elbow, looking down at Higgs as he closed his eyes feigning he was going to sleep. 

“I’m here in bed with you. Better tell me what you want before I leave.”

“Woman, don’t you dare.” Higgs murmured in a groan, his voice returning to normal as he turned his head and looked at Gene with his worn-out eyes. Gene carefully pushed back some of his hair, feeling his forehead. Concern made its way on her features as she sighed. 

“You still have a fever.” Gene murmured as Higgs nodded. 

“Told you I was dyin’.” 

“Stop it.” Gene gently slugged him as Higgs smirked. The way his lips moved reminded Gene of the Cheshire Cat. 

Higgs stared at Gene for a moment as he debated with himself. He hadn’t been up and about in days. Not to mention Higgs knew he reeked, even if Gene was too kind not to say anything. Then again, he learned Gene had quite the appetite for how he naturally smelled. Higgs closed his eyes, trying not to let his mind wander too far into the gutter when it came to his beloved. Being sick, there wasn’t much he could do about arousal. 

“Couldya’ help me walk?” He asked sincerely opening his eyes, his tone no longer mischievous as Gene nodded.

“Where do you want to go?” Gene asked.

“I want to go to the swimming hole by the river, and I’d like you to join me if you got a clear spot on your schedule.” Higgs said playfully as Gene sighed and shook her head. He knew very well Gene was hooked on the idea given how her pupils seemed to expand. It was a little quirk of hers he had come to watch out for to gauge how excited she was to do something. 

“Higgs, we gotta get the rest of the floor done before the rains come. Aren’t you tired of living in the bunker area of our house?” Gene protested even though her tone betrayed the fact she was very much going to play hooky. Higgs leaned upward, giving Gene a small kiss to her lips as he nuzzled against her face, she returning the gesture with a grin. 

“C’mon. You’ve been playing construction worker for days. Come hang out with me darlin’.” He gave Gene the most sincere look he could muster, eyes teetering on the edge of watering up as Gene felt her heart thud deeply against her chest. Higgs always had a way of playing up his looks to get her to comply, having a magnetic pull to him that swayed her. That was part of the reason why Gene loved him so much. 

“Fine.” Gene murmured, biting his lower lip playfully getting Higgs to groan as she got up. There was a high chance Gene was going to get sick anyhow. She didn’t see the use of suppressing herself of physical affection when it came to Higgs. 

Getting up from the bed, Gene positioned herself so Higgs could use her body for support while he hoisted himself up. Once he steadied, he couldn’t help himself but give a playful lick to the side of her cheek. Gene stifled a giggle, feeling her spine shudder from the contact as she flicked Higgs on the nose causing him to sneeze. She made a bit of face, some of his spit having gotten on her. Despite it being gross, she didn’t complain as she wiped down. Gene took it as a sign that they had trusted each other so much that bodily things like that didn’t bug either of them now. There was no embarrassment on their ends. 

“My bad sweetheart.” Higgs said, rubbing his nose with the sleeve of the hoodie he had been wearing as Gene snorted.

“No biggie. C’mon, let’s get going you asshole.” Gene said playfully and lead him upstairs, all the while Higgs was doing whatever he could to mess around with her. 

[jpat82]

Fall

A/n: I think I’ll be turning this into a set of one shots, it stucky x reader.

     You skipped through the fallen leaves twirling, your loose curls bouncing around the deep mahogany scarf that was wrapped around your neck. The start of the sun setting casting its firy glow down the street sending the changing leaves on fire. You loved fall, everything about it, from the cool evening and warm days. The ever changing colors of the leaves as the trees prepared themselves for winter. Hot apple cider, and cozy warm clothing.

    Autumn, it was your season. And with it came the decorating for Halloween the one holiday you adored, yeah Thanksgiving was cool and Christmas was amazing but you lived for Halloween. As you hit the bend on the corner of your street, shoving your hands deep into the pockets of one of your boyfriends hoodies you smile. Your grocery bags hung from your elbow, swing slightly as you went. The house you shared with the two of them was expertly decorated and only a week before October this year.

    You may have cohersed Steve into helping you since the over dramatic James Barnes refused to lift a finger till the first of October. It made you giddy seeing the gravestones and skeletons adorning the yard as you pushed the gate open, heading up the steps to the two story Victorian style house. You looked at the haul of pumpkin sitting off to the side on your wrap around porch, your eyebrow raised, bales of hay propped up behind them.

    You fished out the key to your home from your pant pocket, noticing both boy's modes of transportation were missing from the drive way. After stepping over the threshold, you pulled your scarf off hanging it on the coat rack next to the door. You pulled off Bucky's hoodie next and hung it nicely next to your deep gray pea coat.

     Making your way to the kitchen, the heels of your boots clicking lightly as you crossed the cherry hard wood floor. You set the bags on the island center of the enormous kitchen, almost giggling with delight when you saw the large bowl of fresh apples on the granite counter. You skipped over pulling one out and took a deep refreshing inhale, the tart scent hitting your senses perfectly. A note stuck out the under side of the bowl, neatly folded and written in beautiful scrawling penmanship, no doubt from your brooding boy.

    Doll,

      As I'm sure you noticed out front are about ten pumpkins and six bales of hay. Seeing you and Steve decorate 'may' have gotten me in the festive mood. Do what you will with them, still not helping till Oct 1st. And I got you some fresh apples, hoping for pie or Carmel apples when I get home.

      JBB

      You smiled as you read the note, you'll get him some day. You set about pealing the apples, and getting everything ready to make fresh apple pie, using your grandmas recipe. A year and a half, that's how long the three of you had been together, sharing your joys and sadness together. It wasn't easy, then again who said relationships were easy.

    As you pushed the pie in the oven, the heat of the stove spilling out over your face you could hear the unmistakable sound of a rumbling motor. It was Steve's truck, his made a slight tin sound in the rumble where as Bucky's truck didn't. You closed the oven door, pulling the owl oven mits off and placing them on the counter.

    "Babe? You home yet?" Steve called out as you heard the front door close.

    "Yeah, I'm in the kitchen." You called back, taking a second set of apples to the sink to scrub down.

    "How was the store?" He asked as he entered, the sleeves on the red plaid shirt rolled up.

   You looked over your should at him, looking more like a farm hand then Captain America these days. Between his beard, longer hair and the beat up jeans he wore these days you wondered if he ever wanted to clean up. Not that you minded, you loved this version of him just as much as the clean cut icon everyone had come know.

    "Remarkably unbusy this time, it was nice." You replied, looking back to the apples, setting the clean ones a side. You heard him come closer, and slowly his arms wrapped around your midsection, melting his body around yours.

    "Mmm, what'chya makin'?" He smiled into the crook of your neck, placing a soft kiss on the soft skin.

    "Well, Bucky requested an apple pie, which is in the oven and I was going to make some cider, or try at least." You giggled, trying to shrug him off of you. "And you sir, are impeding on that."

    "Hmmm, can't have that." He sighed, releasing you and stepped next to you.

    Steve leaned his hip against the counter, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

   "Did you go help the Sanderson's at the end of the block?" You asked, looking up recipes on your phone.

     "Yeah, those crazy ladies, you wouldn't believe the things they talk about. Plus that black cat of their was on the roof making it hard to clean the gutters." He replied, pushing himself from the counter. "Noticed all the pumpkins and hay bales on the porch, Guessing it was Bucky, since you were on foot. Thought he wasn't going to help."

     "He's not." You replied grabbing everything you needed to make the cider. "His note said he refuses to help but he's the spirit of it." 

    "Still think he'll break and help out before the first?" Steve asked, you could hear him settle down in one of the bar chairs behind you as you went about your business.

   "Yep, he's almost there, doesn't want to give me the satisfaction of winning this year." You grinned to yourself. "Give him two more days, he'll be decorating."

    Two hours later, cider done, pie resting on the stove, the house smelling of freshly baked goods, you were on the porch. The porch lights were on as darkness had taken its hold. You had arranged the bales in two groups of three at either corner of the wrap around. Pumpkins placed perfectly, you had stepped back to look at your handy work when you heard the rumbling of Bucky's truck coming down the street.

     You pivoted to face the vehicle as it pulled in the drive way next to Steve's. Bucky hopped out the driver seat floodlights from the garage turning on illuminating him. His chocolate locks pulled back, loose strands falling in front of his eyes. His deep blue Henley had the sleeves push back, and crisp dark denim. He grinned when he saw you, pushing the gate open. You greeted him at the steps, wrapping your arms around his neck as he climbed up them to you.

   "Thank you for the pumpkins." You stated, giving him a quick kiss. "Though I'm not sure if I like the placement."

     "Why's that doll?" He asked, grabbing your hand as you let him go.

    "Cause I can't tell if I like that small pumpkin at the base or switch it with the larger one at the top." You explained. "What do you think?"

    "I think, you're trying to trick me into helping." He smirked, but released your hand and swapped the two anyway. "Small on the top, big on the bottom."

    "If you knew I was trying to trick you, why'd you do it?" You asked him curiously as he opened the front door.

    "Cause I got about thirty corn stalks coming into tomorrow, and it's your fault." He sighed after taking a deep breath.

   "Yay!" You exclaimed clasping your hands together with excitement, bouncing slightly.

    "Apple pie?" He asked, excitedly turning to you.

   "And cider." Steve stated, coming out the kitchen with two mugs.

@kitkatkl @octobermermaid @ajosieface @instantnoodlese @crystlblu @thisismysecrethappyplace @coffeebooksandfandom @the-wayward-robot @lokilvrr

[thelifepartners]

Cheyenne Morse

Small Ghosts 

Photo by Patty Sue O’Hair-Vicknair 

Nathan cried when the witch caught him burying his cat in her backyard. It was late evening and he had hoped to quietly rebury his friend there because he thought Smokey would be happier. Smokey had been grey and mottled black and had been Nathan’s friend the whole ten years of his life. The two weeks since Smokey had passed had been hard on Nathan. He was quiet and didn’t talk much to the other kids at school. He felt very alone.

Nathan could still hear Smokey crying to be let into his room at night. There was a familiar scratching at his windows. Lost cat cries would wake him from sleep. Try as he might he couldn’t see Smokey, didn’t know how to help him. Nathan wasn’t sure if Smokey was alone and scared or if he was just trying to stay with him.

He got in trouble with his mother when she found him outside at two o’clock in the morning calling for Smokey. She demanded he come inside at once. There was no explaining to her that he could still hear his friend out in the dark.

“Smokey is dead,” she’d said, harsh enough that she felt the need to apologize for it in the morning. Her nerves still sizzling from finding her son’s bed empty in the middle of the night. So his thoughts had turned to Ms. Agatha. That was what the neighborhood called her. There were many theories as to whether she was good or bad witch but there weren’t a lot of facts. People mostly left her alone and she returned the favor.

Nathan overheard a girl in his class telling her friends that all witches could see ghosts and he thought perhaps she could comfort Smokey. He didn’t know much about witches but he knew they were supposed to like cats. It seemed like an easy solution. He dug the shoe box Smokey was buried in out of his own back yard and carried it wrapped in an old bed sheet two blocks over to Ms. Agatha’s house. He hadn’t asked her permission because he’d been too afraid to ring her doorbell. Even if she liked cats that was no guarantee that she would like little boys.

Nathan stayed at the very edge of her property, back where it ran into the woods, in the hopes that he would remain unseen. He almost had the hole dug deep enough for the shoebox when she found him. Her silver hair shimmered in the moonlight. She wore no shoes and a long night shirt the color of an old bruise.

“You sure are working hard out here.” Her voice was calm but her sudden appearance frightened Nathan badly. His explanation caught in his throat. If she was a good witch he didn’t know how to explain what he was doing and if she was a bad witch she would surely curse him. Nathan stared at her in mute horror and then burst into tears.

“There is no need to be afraid.” She said as she knelt next to the dirt pile he’d been shoveling. She rested a hand on the shoe box. “You may bury Smokey here but only because he says you were always kind to him.” Nathan rubbed his eyes on the sleeve of his hoodie.

“I know I should have asked. I’m really sorry.”

“Can you still see Smokey?” Ms. Agatha ran her other hand through the grass.

“No, but I can hear him.”

“That’s something special. You must have loved him very much. Would you like me to teach you to see him?” She asked. The question surprised Nathan and he nodded before he remembered how afraid he’d been of her only a moment before.

“If you want to learn come back tomorrow. I should warn you that Smokey won’t be the only thing you will see. There are a lot of little ghosts in this world. They will become your responsibility. Little ghosts don’t have very many caretakers.” Agatha did not wait for him to reply. She patted his shoulder and then turned and walked back toward her house.

Nathan stared after her until she was out of sight in the semidarkness. Then he set about burying his friend.

The next day Nathan told his mother he'd promised Ms. Agatha that he would help her rake her yard. His mother looked surprised but allowed him to go over after he finished his math homework. He felt guilty about lying to his mother, he just didn't know what to say. Nathan felt so bad that the first words out of his mouth to Ms. Agatha after hello were asking if he could rake her yard. She nodded. She had two rakes and they worked on the yard together. While they worked they spoke. 

"Most people only see what is right in front of them," Agatha explained. "But some things can only be seen out of the corner of your eye." She held open a large black garbage bag and he scooped armfuls of leaves into it. 

"So I have to learn to see out of the corner of my eye with my whole eye?"

"Yes, I suppose that is about the trick of it." She smiled at him. After they finished raking the front yard they went inside for lemon poppy seed cookies and tea. Then they practiced finding ghosts. Nathan spent most of the rest of the afternoon frustrated but trying not to show it. Standing and squinting in her kitchen. It was hard to look at something without really looking at it. 

Nathan was near to giving up when he saw Smokey’s tail disappear around a corner.

“I saw him! I saw him!” Nathan shouted. He scampered after the cat into the other room, hoping to get a better look. The living room was neat and organized and Smokey was nowhere to be seen. Nathan let out a disappointed breath. Agatha came out and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Why don’t we stop here for tonight? You’ve made good progress but I’m sure your mother will want you home soon. I’m very proud of you. Smokey will be here tomorrow. If you are still interested.”

“Yes!” Nathan turned. “Yes, I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Agatha wrapped up some cookie for him to take home to his parents. She stood in the doorway and waved him goodbye until he turned a corner and vanished from sight.

He did come back the next day and the day after. Once they finished raking the yard they moved on to organizing the attic and preparing the garden for winter. It went on like that for weeks. He would come over and they would work a project with Agatha and she would teach him her secrets.

 One morning Agatha was kneading bread while Nathan poured a thin glaze over the cookies they’d made. The morning had been mostly quiet, rather than a whole army of small questions Nathan had been pondering a large question that he’d had for some time.

“Why do little ghosts stay? Why did Smokey stay? Is he stuck?”  Nathan paused and look over at his cat curled on one of the kitchen chairs. “Does he need help to move on?” This last question was much quieter than the others. Agatha smiled and paused what she was doing.

“Little ghosts are like any other spirit. They stay when they feel there is something left to do. Sometimes it’s because they are holding on so tightly to that last desperate moment of trying to stay alive, they don’t realize they’re already lost. Those are the ones who need help. Smokey isn’t like that. When you were born you were small and made noises like a kitten. Smokey promised to protect you all the days of your life. When you pass on, so will Smokey.”

“Oh,” he said, almost too quiet to be heard. Nathan wept quietly to himself as he continued to work. Agatha didn’t say anything more, she knew by now that he liked time to himself when he needed to cry. She gave him some time alone with his Smokey while she went to prepare him something hot to drink. He was mostly silent for the rest of the day but before he left he hugged her. Something he had never done before. She rocked him back and forth as she embraced him. After that he always hugged her goodbye.

 Every day he got better at seeing Smokey. By the time spring came Smokey and Nathan were constant companions again.

The first ghost he saw besides Smokey was a baby bird. It had fallen out of its nest. It had happened some time ago. It was late spring but the nest was long abandoned. A mess of sticks and bits of cotton wood who had drifted on the wind until they had stuck fast on a sharp twig. All that remained of the chick was a pile of small white bones almost lost among the tree roots. Like with Smokey he’d heard it before he saw it. A quiet chirping.

He looked at the small ghost for a short while, uncertain of what to do. Smokey just acted like Smokey but this was different. It cried out to him in a small voice.

“What do you need?” He asked. Only chirping in response. He wasn’t sure what he expected. He tried to imagine what it would feel like to fall away from home and never be able to get it back. It was a scary thought and if something like that happened to him all he would want would be to go home.

So he knelt and gently gathered the bones in one hand, the pale image of the chick looked like it was nestled in the cup of his palm. He climbed one handed as best he could. It was slow going but he set his feet carefully and was able to make it up the tree without dropping the bones and with only a few scrapes.

When he set the bones in the nest the chick chirped again, this time a lighter happier sound.  Nathan smiled at the bird even as it began to vanish. All of its restlessness done. The climb down went much faster now that he could use two hands. By the time his feet his the grass he couldn’t hear the chirping any longer.

 Nathan got better at finding little ghosts and he continued to care for them as promised. He set free the ghost of a spider that had drown in a broken flower pot. The motion of it flailing legs caught his eye. Pale and translucent it was hardly there at all but its panic was real. Nathan didn’t care much for spiders and the idea of ghost spiders made his skin crawl but he couldn’t leave it there.

He carefully tipped the pot over and it crawled free. He wiped his hands nervously on his pants and smiled in relief when the spider vanished.  

Nathan was often seen picking up litter along the back road and burying small animal that had been caught by a passing vehicle.

Over the next few years Angela taught him how to fix all the different parts of her house. They studied together, baked together, worked together. Though he was careful never to forget his smaller charges it wasn’t unusual to see him helping people as well.

Nathan still kept mostly to himself and sometimes people would ask for his help but usually he was there to fix it before people realized anything was broken. Mrs. Bloom had the phone in her hand to call a plumber to fix her leaking sink when there was a knock at the door. Nathan was standing there holding a tool set his parents had given him as a graduation present. He mended the Johnson’s fence. He often happened to be nearby when the widower Mr. Heath needed help carrying his groceries.  

As he got older he wasn’t able to spend as much time with Agatha but he visited as often as he could, to fix a broken shingle, to help plant herbs in her garden, or just to have tea and poppy seed cookies.  

As Agatha got older he started to visit her more frequently to help care for her and the house. Every so often she would have him walk her around the city. Carefully holding his arm for support so she could tend to the protective spells she had set up around town. Smokey darting around their legs chasing after bugs and dust motes. No one questioned whether she was a good witch anymore.

“Let me tend these for you,” he always told her.

“I only have a little time left. I’d like to do what I can while I can.”

 Nathan was with her when she died. He could feel it coming. He left work early and spent the rest of the day by her side.

“What can I do, what can I do?” He asked her.

“Just be here.” She squeezed his hand. It’s the little things that matter most. Just be here.”

 She left him her house when she passed on. Her spirit lingered a while. All the folks around town all thought they saw her. Sometimes walking in the woods but most often sitting on her porch, a cat in her lap. Nathan heard the creak of the floorboards as she walked through the house. He always made her a cup of tea and set it by her old chair so she would know he was thinking of her.  

There was talk around town wondering if he was or was not a witch but everyone agreed that whatever he was, he was good.

[virmillion]

Taxi Cab

Ok so this is a one-off thing, not related to As Above So Below, but I got the idea and couldn’t not write it. Also I’m not seasoned enough on tumblr to know the rules of tagging, so at the end I’ll put a tag list of some people I hope see it, but it won’t be the AASB list because I don’t know if you guys will actually care to read this

Ship(s): Logicality, Prinxiety (but with some of that good angst), platonic Moxiety

Warning(s): Swearing, intrusive thoughts (?), I’ll tag it as that and OCD anyway just in case because I know that’s how it is for some people, if you need anything else tagged hmu

Word Count: 8051

    The rain pours down in sheets, soaking me to my core, drenching my socks through the holes of my worn-through tennis shoes. A good twenty feet behind me, a large house seems to pulse with party music, warm light glowing through the shuttered windows and casting a bright yellow through the curtains inside. I turn up the volume in my own headphones, drowning out the house music with the sad sounds of Amber Run. Drown. What a funny word, if you think about it. Traditionally just meaning to die by over-inhalation of water, but it’s come to mean so much more, since English as a language can never just leave well enough alone. Drowning out sound with more sound, drowning in water, drowning in too much work to do, submerging anything in something else. Drown. Drroooowwwwwn. I mumble the word a few times to myself, admiring the way it boomerangs through my mouth, from teeth to lips back to my molars and jaws, then forward to lips and behind my teeth.

    The next song comes on, oddly appropriate in its name—“Waves”—only a whisper in comparison to the other one. I lift a hand to turn up the volume, ignoring the immediacy of cold and wet against the black glove encasing my hand. Vaguely, I hear someone yell something in the house, too muffled to be coming from outside. The voice clears and separates into two distinct ones, a boy and a girl, as the door opens with a bang. The pair carries on cursing at each other, until I hear angry footsteps heading away from me in either direction—the telltale clicking of high heels to my right, shuffling sneakers to my left. The door opens again, creaking and obnoxious, carrying the sounds of even more people having a good time. Without me. Not surprising. A sound of shattering glass, and the door closes.

    I suppose I should probably figure a way home from here, or at least to a place that isn’t a stupid house full of stupid people who don’t want to stupid talk to stupid me, stupid stupid stupid! On my stupid phone, I pull up the stupid uber app and request a stupid driver to take me to an unspecified stupid destination, pausing to marvel over the word stupid. I remember in elementary school, that was the sort of word to be giggled over on the building wall, watching a game of four square and whispering ‘stupid,’ praying the teachers wouldn’t notice and scold us. Well, not so much scold us as scold them. No one ever really seemed to notice me on the building wall, watching the same four square game as them, repeating the same word as them, but somehow still miles away. Stupid. Stu pid. Stew pit. Pit pit pit pit pit puh-pit puh-pit pit puh-pat puh-pat boom boom clap buh-boom buh-boom clap. I shut my eyes and hold my headphone cups, letting the rain beating down absorb into the song’s bass, nodding my head along with it. My lips stumble over the rap verses every time they come back, not trained enough to know how to keep up with the words as they trip over themselves, alliterating running sprinting bouncing everywhere.

    Beep, beep. I open my eyes, ripped from the trance of the music as a car rolls up. Bright blue, a stark highlight in the night and lit further by the house pulsing behind me. The passenger side window rolls down, and some guy in glasses leans his head across the seat to wave at me.

    “Hey buddy, I’m your uber,” he says before letting the window close. I nod, climbing in the backseat while maneuvering myself through the air above it to avoid the water. He didn’t close the window fast enough for the rain. “So where are we goin’?” I hesitate to answer, distracted by both the song change in my headphones and the sweater tied around his neck. Why doesn’t he just put it on if he’s wearing short sleeves anyway? It looks like the makeshift kilts people would wear in third grade, tying sweaters around their waists and pretending they thought it looked lame. If they really didn’t like the aesthetic, why didn’t they just wear them like normal?     “I kind of need a destination before I take off, pal,” the driver prods, turning around to look at me for a second. I wonder what he sees first. My slouched posture to disguise my height, while also avoiding a collision between my head and the ceiling? The bags under my eyes from staying up too late listening to music? Maybe he notices my sopping hoodie and hat, or my refusal to take them off now that I’m somewhere dry. If he can see really well in the dark, maybe he’ll see the tiredness behind my face, the exhaustion with daily tasks and relationships and people and thoughts and fears and—

    Wait, he asked me a question. I’m supposed to answer those, that’s a rule of being social. Or if not a rule, at least a generally required etiquette. I pull my wallet from the pocket of my hoodie and peer inside at all the money I’ve saved specially for tonight, for that party, for that party’s host. It’s not a small sum. “Anywhere. Just drive.”

    The driver clicks his teeth with a wink and a head tilt, pressing his foot on the gas and pulling away from the curb and the party and the noise and the lights and the person and everything. Just get me out of here.

    For a few treasured moments, the car bounces over potholes in silence, the only sound coming from my headphones and the car radio. Headphones, headphones, sound, I’m supposed to be doing something with these, I know it. Etiquette, something, something, rules, something, my mom, something, take those off, and I remember, pulling the headphones down to hang around my neck, the cat ears on top gently prodding into the back of the seat. As I switch off my music, descending further into the quiet, the driver cuts in over the soft sounds of Ed Sheeran on the radio.

    “So I know most people typically like to sit in silence on these things unless they’re drunk, but you just pulled down your headphones and aren’t wobbling, so I’m guessing you’re sober,” the driver says, “and I’m rather lonely tonight so I’d prefer to have more noise in this car than someone singing about perfection.” I press my lips together, tempted to pull my headphones back up and drown out his conversation. Drown, drown, drown, the word returns.

    “Anyhoodle, my name’s Patton,” the driver continues. Or Patton continues, I guess. Would it really be guess? It’s not a guess if he told me as much. Maybe it’s a guess because I don’t know if that’s really his name. I mean, if he uses words like ‘anyhoodle,’ how reliable can he really be? What kind of name is Patton, anyway? Pat on? Pat on the back? An overly enthusiastic dad looking to encourage his son with a back pat after a sporting game? “What’s yours?”

    What’s my what? My sporting game? My dad’s enthusiasm? Of its own volition, my mouth replies, “Angel,” somehow understanding the question before my mind does. Not entirely, though. Angel isn’t my name, why did I even say that? Not like I can correct it now, that’s the polar opposite end of the alphabet from my actual answer. It’s not even the right number of letters. It’s got the right number of vowels, though, and the last letter matches. Convenient, perhaps, but wrong? Absolutely. Maybe I could correct myself if I’m quick enough, but no, the driver, Patton, he’s saying more.

    “Nice to meet you, Angel. Want to tell me anything about where you’re coming from tonight?” This is it, I could redeem it, I could say my real name, demand he stop the car, apologize, walk back to the party, pretend this whole thing never happened. “It doesn’t even have to be true,” Patton says. “Just make up a story to fill the silence, or at least to drown out the radio.” Drown. Why that word? Why drown, why that word, drown drown drrooowwwwn drowning.

    He said something, asked for something, a story, make-believe, something imaginary, something not real, something I can supply. A story, a bundle of words, a stream of letters that have no real reason to exist without me stringing them together, string string strung string stirring strrriiiiiiiinging ringing bells string string drowning pull on a striiiiiiiinnnnng.

    “A made up story,” I mumble, rubbing a sore spot on my shoulder. “I can do that. Any preference?” Goddamnit, why can’t I say more than four words in a sentence? This bull from someone who took a college level English class their freshman year? Get it together.

    “How about tuh tuh tuh,” Patton says, rolling the t back and forth across his tongue, “something involving a hedgehog, a balloon, and a peacock. Any stories like that?”

    I’ve had worse prompts, most of them from myself. Maybe out of a desire to please, a shared distaste for the silence, or a sheer need to prove I can, my lips part, and a story spills from my lips, not even passing the barrier of my mind to ensure it makes sense.

    “Okay, so there’s this hedgehog, right? And he’s got this crush on this really pretty peacock, we’re talking gorgeous and stunning, but the peacock doesn’t know the hedgehog exists. They just go about their day, showing off their feathers and being great without even knowing it, but the hedgehog knows, and the hedgehog has this plan. See, it’s the peacock’s birthday, okay? And maybe they’re gonna have this party or something, I don’t know, but then they worry that they’re taking too much attention, so they cancel it, so no one has to go through the trouble of showing up to the party. And then there’s like, an internet crash or something, so the original invitation doesn’t go out for some reason, but the hedgehog doesn’t really use the internet, so he gets the invite on paper in the mail from the peacock, and he’s like, ‘this is my chance!’ So he drops by the party store and gets a balloon and asks that it’s put in a box because, y’know, spiny things that could pop the balloon, quills or whatever, and off he sets for the peacock’s party, but the peacock isn’t at the address. And so the hedgehog is like, ‘aw shoot, I know why they’re not here! It was a fake invitation, and everyone is probably laughing at me or something from behind some bushes! Ha ha, look at hedgehog, he can’t even tell when we’re making fun of him, what a loser!’ So he opens the box up and away from him, letting one of his quills poke it so it deflates slowly, in a way that he knows that somehow it won’t get to the ocean and choke a turtle because it will deflate too early, and he watches the balloon drift away. At this other fountain in the middle of town, the peacock is just chilling out, watching the clouds go by, when the deflating balloon lands on their head, so they peel it off and it’s a peacock birthday balloon! And they’re all excited and see their friend the hedgehog walking by looking all sad, so they run over to show him in excitement, their rainbow feathers all bouncy from their happiness, and the hedgehog smiles, not telling the peacock that the balloon was actually from him because he’s certain that the peacock wouldn’t be as excited if they knew it was from him. The end.” I blink, recentering myself for a second, realizing how many words I just spouted to a random stranger. Not a stranger, Patton, but still. Stranger. Strayyyyngerrrr. Stray stray cats stray dogs stray stray strayyyyy stray away stay away hey stray stay stray bay day ssstraaayyy.

    “That wasn’t a very happy ending at all!” Patton exclaims, again shaking me from my head. “Why didn’t he tell them it was his! They could have lived happily ever after with the balloon and opened a flower shop and at least been friends forever if not gotten together!”

    “I guess you could tell that story, if you wanted,” I offer with a shrug. I’m admittedly not the best at writing happy ending. A bit of a flaw, given how often people criticized my works in school for exactly that reason.

    “I’m no good at telling stories, but I really liked yours,” Patton answers, rolling the car to a stop as a light in front of us turns yellow. I watch out the window as the rain pours ever heavier, some of the droplets racing to be the first one to reach the door. Dripping down, washing away the dirt on the window, cleaning what wasn’t tainted to begin with. “Speaking of like, I love that hat you’ve got on.” I reach up to feel the still-soaking beanie on my head, a little crown going around the outside. “Isn’t that the one Jughead kid from those Archie comics?” Simply put, I don’t have the heart to tell him that it’s actually more from the overly dramatic Riverdale remake, so I just nod to placate him instead. Is it too personal to tell the guy I just met that a lot of my friends call me Jughead, too, since I never take the hat off?

    “I guess since I just made you talk so much, maybe it’s my turn to share,” Patton admits, fidgeting with the radio dial. “Are you sure you’ve got nowhere you need to be going tonight?”

    “I’m sure,” I affirm, thinking back to the house of too many brights lights, too many people, too much sound. Sound. Ssssoowwwwwwwnd. I wonder who made up the word sound, with that little ‘ow’ in the middle. Was sound too much for them, too? Did they wear a hat to help block out some sound? Ow-t, S-ow-nd, ow ow ow, pain and suffering from something everyone else can tolerate perfectly fine? A word of soft noises, small vowels and close consonants, save for the one ‘s’ at the beginning, clipped and harsh and loud. Loud out sound vowel ow ow ow ow.

    “In that case, we’re stopping at a coffee house. Don’t worry, I won’t run this against your costs,” Patton decides, jerking the wheel to get in the left turn lane. My heart leaps into my throat, immediate terror at the thought of the car careening off of the road, spinning over a chunk of winter ice, made slick by the rain, a flipping car over road barriers setting grass ablaze with yelling and sirens and crying and only thoughts of hedgehogs and peacocks and balloons left to linger behind with no words to bring those thoughts to life only sounds and drowning drown ow ow too damn loud too damn fast and too much and spinning flipping tumbling whipping—

    “Hey, Angel, you okay?” Patton asks, twisting around in the driver’s seat as cars whiz by on the left, no openings to turn in sight. I flash him a thumbs up, shaking my head a little bit to force the image of a smashed car out of my mind. What seems like eons later, as the car fills with tension and the sound of rain thumping the roof and Kesha singing about prayers, an opening finally reveals itself, allowing Patton to pull the car into a drive through at some coffee place, where he orders himself some long and complicated drink before looking back to ask what I want.

    “Oh, no, that’s okay, I don’t really need—”

    “I insist.” Judging by the look in his eyes, I’m pretty sure this is a non-negotiable request on Patton’s end.

    “Just a black coffee.” Patton repeats the order to the little black box, not seeming to mind how wet his hair is getting from the rain slanting into the car. He pulls forward, paying at the window and tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel to the music while he waits for some underpaid barista to bring our drinks out. With the lights shining down from the building’s roof, I can see a slight tint of purple to Patton’s hair, while the sides are still brown. Funny, my hair is done almost the same way, just with longer bangs. Honestly, so many people downplay the pros of bangs, and how well they work at blocking out others when you want to be alone. Especially when those others don’t understand what a raised middle finger and loud headphones mean.

    “Here you go, Angel,” Patton says, passing back a large cup with steam drifting from the opening on top. I take a large swig, relishing the feeling as my throat burns in protest, the heat passing all the way down, so hot it’s almost cold, but still bitter enough to sting. Bitter enough to remind me I can still feel something.

    “So anyway, I said it was my turn to tell a story, right?” Patton maneuvers the car through an overcrowded parking lot and onto a back road, considerably less traffic-heavy than the one we took to get in. “I’ll be honest, I’m not great at imagination, so I guess I’ll just tell you about my day, sound good? I mean, if you don’t really want to talk anymore, that’s fine, but I can’t stand sitting in silence, so if I’m bothering you too much, feel free to listen to your headphones. Those are really cool, by the way. I love the cat ears, and how the ears and cups both glow.”

    “Thanks,” I reply, leaving the headphones around my neck to admire the color flashing from them. “The ears are actually speakers.”

    “Shut up, that is so cool!” Patton exclaims, actually slamming the breaks to whip around and look at the headphones again. The relief I feel that we aren’t on a main road is indescribable. “Show me!” I smile a little, pressing a button to switch the output from the ear cups to the cat ear speakers, letting a song about battle scars play from them. “That is so much better than the radio, and I am absolutely on board with having your speakers as the music for the rest of the ride if you don’t mind.” When I don’t turn the volume back off or make a rude comment about it or something, Patton smiles bigger before pressing on the gas again.

    “Anyhoodle, so my day. So I woke up bright and early this morning to make breakfast for my partner, Logan, who is just fantastic, let me tell you. He’s got these glasses like mine that he refuses to get resized, so they’re always falling down his nose, and this one tie he wears all the time that’s really nice that he’s always adjusting, so I got him this present that’s like chapstick but you rub it on your nose so your glasses don’t fall down! Cute, right?”

    “Cute,” I agree, half listening as I toy with the word. Cute. Half of those letters don’t even belong there like that. Cute. Kyoot. Seventy five percent of them, even! A single direction word, too, from the back of my mouth to my lips. Direction, like a vector. Vector the villain, because he has both direction and magnitude. Vector. Vvvectorrr, with di-rection, and mmmag-nitude! Vector isn’t cute, but vectors as objects can be kyoot, or used to create something kyoot cute boot noot doot snoot. Why do ‘oot’ words get to be cute things? What about other sounds? Like lamp, or elbow, why don’t those words get to mean cute? Who decided that? Maybe words like bounce and blanket feel left out, underappreciated.

    Patton hasn’t stopped rambling, maybe not even noticing my derailed train of thought, as he blathers on, “I made him toast this morning with coffee, and he didn’t seem too impressed, but then I brought out the Crofter’s jelly for him to spread on his food, and you would have thought I’d given him the remains of the Library of Alexandria! He talks about that a lot too, but don’t worry, I love hearing anything he has to say. He had this big research deal he was supposed to finish tonight and said I had to be somewhere that wasn’t near him for tonight, but that’s okay because he’s just really blunt, so I got on uber so I could talk to someone else!” I give a nod to confirm that I’m still listening, at least for the most part. Still most listening. Why doesn’t ‘st’ get to make a sound in listening? Why is the ‘t’ silenced there, but not in the other two? Maybe it’s because listening stays centered, it only moves once, from the middle of my mouth to the back for the quiet ‘g,’ but even that isn’t true—I could fade out on the second ‘n,’ and it would still be understood what word I was saying.

    “Do you have anyone special you might see tonight?” Patton asks, evidently done gushing about Logan. Frankly, I could listen to it the whole car ride. I’ve never seen anyone so enthusiastic about something as Patton is about this guy. They must really care for each other. Gosh, I hope they do. One source of shining light in this dreary rain is all I’m asking for. “I know you said you don’t have anywhere to be tonight, but I don’t want to send you to an empty house alone or anything. At the very least, maybe you could come hang out with Logan and me?” Before I can politely decline, Patton rescinds the offer. “You know what, that’s a bad idea. I’m just some uber driver, that’s probably really suspicious, and I’d hate to make you uncomfortable or nervous. Truthfully, I just like to be able to see someone’s face when I talk to them. Would you mind terribly moving to the front, just for my own sense of security? I know that’s not the typical arrangement in this sort of car service, but still.” Rather than answer as he stops the car, I undo my seatbelt and pull the door handle twice, slipping around quickly to the front seat. Despite my speed, I’m still soaking from the three seconds I spent outside, leaving my to wring the hem of my shirt over the floor as I buckle myself in.

    “There’s your face!” Patton exclaims, smiling brightly. “I love the hair, by the way.” He indicates my matching mop with a laugh, before sipping lightly at his frozen coffee. I glance to the backseat, where I forgot my own cup of black coffee. Not worth it anyway, it’s already almost empty. I’ll grab it when I get out to throw it away. I wonder when I’ll decide to tell Patton where to take me. I wonder where I’ll tell him to take me.

    “Now that that’s settled, you can’t expect me to believe there’s no one expecting you tonight? No family, no dates, no nothing? I saw that party behind you when I picked you up, don’t tell me you wandered to there by coincidence?” I avoid most of Patton’s questions, deciding to share the happier parts of myself with him. Besides, it’s not like I’ll see him again, so what’s the harm in sharing? With any luck, most of my words will get drowned out by the music drifting out of my headphones.

    “So there’s this guy,” I begin, already interrupted by Patton’s squeals.

    “The peacock?”

    “The peacock,” I confirm. “So the peacock—”

    “Oh come on, what’s their name?” Patton pleads. For some reason, I suddenly don’t want to tell him that much. I never told him my real name, why would I share this person’s?

    “We’ll just call him Russ,” I concede. Just like his name, another empire, only shortened. “So I met Russ in elementary school—we had the same last name, super common, so we were put next to each other on every seating chart. That’s how I met most of my closest friends, actually.” All two of them. “He was one of those cool kids, the ones that stuck to the building’s wall at recess, so I hung out over there, too, trying to look cool with them. Didn’t really work, but I got to watch him from afar more because of it. He was pretty easy on the eyes, but his English skills were shit. I wasn’t very good either, but I studied it like crazy so I could help him with it.” I smile a little at the memory, five year old me frantically reading every wikipedia article and big textbook I could find to extend my vocabulary and grammar skills, just to impress one guy. I’m not surprised he never really liked me, looking back on it now.

    “Funny, Logan’s kind of like my own Russ,” Patton admits. “He’s really into anything to do with learning, but he really loves astronomy, so I always try to find more fun facts about it so we have something to bond over. Sometimes, he’ll even come into the kitchen while I’m baking or cooking or something, and talk about all the origins and uses of each of the ingredients. It sounds like utter gibberish to me, but he’s really trying, and I love that about him.”

    “That’s really nice, actually,” I say, watching my thumbs chase each other in my lap. “I don’t know that Russ has ever returned my attempts to connect with him, but that’s okay. One time, he said that my shirt looked nice, which was cool, I guess. My mom had just finally ripped my hoodie away from me, so I didn’t have anything to cover up.” Remembering, I pull my sleeves down further to cover my palms, ignoring the slight lingering dampness. “It seemed a little backhanded, like he thought the hoodie was silly, but I didn’t mind. He never really said anything else.”

    “Oh, kiddo,” Patton mumbles, glancing sideways at me with pity in his eyes. I hate pity, but I’m just pathetic enough to still crave the comfort without the embarrassment. Just a simple hug, even a little acknowledgement, but not here, not from Patton. “Listen, if you need me to—”

    The car swerves suddenly, the front end wrenching to the left, as the wheels skid across the road. Black ice from the rain over the freezing ground. I squeeze my eyes shut and clench my jaw, inhaling sharply as the world spins around me, coffee flying, a yell, air hissing over teeth, a cried name. When everything stops wobbling, finally at a standstill, I hesitantly open my eyes, terrified of what I might see—a flipped car, animals, Patton, no Patton, a partial Patton—but it’s just the windshield, rain still beating down, and and outstretched arm—wait, two arms. Somewhere beyond my consciousness or will, I whipped out my arm to hold Patton against the seat, to try to protect him, which he’d evidently also done, as I look at the hand pressing against my chest. We both pant softly, slowly glancing around us and outside the car. The only damage done is Patton’s spilled coffee—the rest of the road is empty, and we both appear unharmed.

    “Are you okay?” I ask, turning to face him. The last thing I need is for him to be hurt, one more problem that I caused, one more thing I can’t fix, oh God this is my fault what do I do—

    “I’m fine, I promise, but what about you?” Patton pleads, “are you okay? I can’t believe I didn’t see that ice, with all this cold weather and now the rain, I should have been more careful, I’m so sorry—”

    “Patton, hey,” I say, trying to calm him down. I press a hand to his chest, lifting it lightly to indicate when to breathe. “We’re good, yeah?”     “We’re good,” he sighs. “We’re good.” Finally, he looks me in the eyes, and something in his face, the trembling lip, the wobbly eyes, that little bit of snot trying to fall out of his nose, makes something bubble inside me. I open my mouth, about to reassure both him and myself, but the something rises, growing and filling from my stomach past my heart and into my throat and over my tongue and I’m laughing, gut-wrenching laughter, uncontrolled and spilling out and filling the car and I can’t stop and Patton joins me and we’re just two weirdos on an abandoned road in a bright blue car in pouring rain laughing our butts off as some cat headphones sing a song of drops in oceans. Through his laughter, Patton manages to eek out, “maybe we should get going, before someone else shows up.”

    “Maybe,” I agree, leaning back into my seat. “Tell me more about Logan. How did you meet?”

    “He was arguing with some barista at the coffee house I always went to. He showed up every day, three in the afternoon on the dot, asking for a medium black coffee. I don’t think I know when he started, he was always just a fixture. One day, there’s this new guy working there, and he doesn’t get what Logan means. What kind of nut orders plain black coffee when you can have a bunch of special fixins like caramel and hazelnut and vanilla?” Patton laughs again, smaller this time, wiping a hand across his eyelid. “I guess I should’ve known then, when they called him a nut, right in front of everyone there. To myself, I whispered, ‘a hazelnut?’ but I guess he heard me, because he storms on over after placing his coffee order and slams a hand down. He goes, ‘did you seriously call me a hazelnut,’ and of course I admitted to it. ‘Explain,’ he said, so I did, that it was a dad joke. This guy, something in his eyes wanted to laugh, I swear it, but he just stared at me for a second before heading back to the counter where his plain black coffee was ready, and out the door he went.

    “The next day, he’s back in the same outfit at the same time, but I’m ready today. As he passes by my counter table with his plain black coffee, I poke him on the arm and hold out a closed fist. Into this guy’s hand I drop a hazelnut, then return to my fancy iced drink and people watching. He says nothing, just vanishing out the door to wherever he goes, and I do the same thing the next day, and the next, and the next. After maybe a month of me giving him hazelnuts, this guy finally takes a seat across from me at the counter.” Patton smiles as he recalls it, running his thumbnail over his fingers while keeping the other hand on the wheel. I smile back to myself, enjoying Patton’s story as it fills the car, battling with the rain outside. The car radio, silent, informs me that it’s almost midnight already. Hm.

    “He sits down and says, total deadpan, ‘why.’ So of course I say ‘because you’re a hazelnut.’ He didn’t seem to love that. ‘My name is Logan,’ he tells me, fixing his glasses to sit higher on his nose. ‘I am not a hazelnut.’ ‘Neither am I,’ I tell him, ‘but here we are, anyway.’ This Logan guy kind of looked at me for a second before leaning back in his chair. I ask the obvious question, ‘why have you never sat down before,’ and he goes, ‘today is my day off, so I decided to do something interesting. Talking to you is more than sufficient.’ Let me tell you, that absolutely sold me on this guy. I gave him the hazelnut, and he was off on his merry way, but for every day after that, he kept sitting down with me. I loved it. We got to talking a little more—he knew a lot of fun facts about everything—until one day he gave me a hazelnut! And this one had a piece of paper taped to it with a phone number, so of course I texted it, expecting it to be his number, right? But no, it was to this free subscription number that sends out a random fun fact every day! Adorable.” I grin, already pulling out my phone to enter the number as Patton recites it from memory. “One thing led to another, I finally got his actual number, and here we are now, happily ever after.”

    “That sounds awesome,” I admit. “I wish I could talk to Russ that much, but I don’t think he knows I exist. Your story sounds perfect.”

    “Not perfect,” Patton sighs.

    “A lot better than mine.”

    We wallow in self pity like that for a while, letting the drumming of the rain take over again. Drum buh bum, hum duh dum, drum duh-duh dum bum bum bum bum. Boom buh duh dum bum bum bum bum, boom buh duh dum bum bum bum bum. Maybe if I’d ever pursued something outside of English, he’d actually notice me. Music, maybe, so I could be his backup in all those musicals he does. But no, just English, and here I am now, years later, and no closer to him than I am to finished one of many incomplete books. Just wasted potential that no one asked for, and no one wants to keep.

    Patton starts with a whisper, slowly crescendoing as the music from my headphones picks up. “I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad,” he mumbles. Without my consent, my voice joins him, an undercurrent lifting his own up to carry over the tides of the rain, calling out into an empty night of clouds and rain and memories, “the dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had.” Soon enough, a tear spills over my eye, angry and sad and lost and alone but with Patton but still gone unwanted but unbidden and hopeless and missing but just a little bit found, and I’m yelling and Patton is yelling and we’re both drowning out the world in singing that neither of us asked for but both of us needed, “I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take, when people run in circles it’s a very very,” and our voices are screaming and my throat is running ragged and tears are streaming down my cheeks and I want to stop but I can’t but I don’t mind as we carry on pitying the “mad world, mad world.”

    The song’s piano taps out, drifting into silence and allowing the ringing of our voices to fill the car, a feeling that neither of us wants to break as the rain beats louder, louder, louder, and I’m in a car with a stranger dumping all of my feelings for no reason but it doesn’t matter because we both did and I might not know his life but that’s okay because maybe I don’t know my own.

    “Sorry,” we both mumble, before rushing to say, “no, don’t be sorry, really, I just, stop copying me!”

    “Why don’t, um, why don’t you tell me more about Russ?” Patton asks, gripping his hands on the wheel and not looking at me. I nod once, twice, before starting far beyond elementary school.

    “It wasn’t the complete truth when I said that he never noticed me,” I breathe out, wiping a tear stain from my cheek with the sleeve of my hoodie, which only serves to make it more wet as I realize too late how drenched the jacket still is. “We both did marching band in high school, him in the saxophones and me in color guard, so we got to see each other a little more there. Not too much, since the winds were separated from the guard were separated from percussion a lot, but still. I didn’t get made fun of too much for being a guy in the color guard, but I was definitely the only one. Anyway, he messages me one night for relationship advice, asking if it was weird to always be thinking about the same person he liked all the time—a girl, mind you. I replied something like ‘that isn’t weird, that’s how it is for me sometimes,’ which was the wrong thing to say, let me tell you.” I still have that conversation on my phone, actually. I look back at it sometimes when I’m feeling particularly masochistic. “Usually those conversations go away after opening them—it was on snapchat, by the way—but he’s one of those people that saves everything in the chat. Anyway, he moves over to text messages, which are, y’know, more permanent, and he’s like ‘wait who do you like?’ So of course I stall because it’s not like I can tell him, but I’m weak so eventually he gets it out of me and by some miracle he asked if I wanted to be his boyfriend.” I sniffle a little, remembering how happy I was for that one moment. Everything seemed right, we were finally together, I had finally gotten my happy ending. “Not a lot changed after that conversation, we just had an empty title full of empty promises. We’d walk back from the football field after practices together and hold hands and I was actually happy for once, but then school starts, so football games start, so the marching band goes to play at halftime, and as someone in guard, I had to do basic eyeliner eyeshadow stuff to match the uniform, right? So I go in the bathroom before one game, and Russ is in there, and I wave hi with a big smile because I love to see him, and he asks to talk to me outside the bathroom, which everyone knows is a bad sign, so he takes me outside and he’s like ‘look I just don’t think that you want what you think you want’ and now he’s like ‘oh actually it’s not gonna work’ so my only thought is that I can’t start crying or else my makeup will run before this football game and that’s not the end of it because then he goes ‘also I got tickets to this concert for my birthday do you wanna go’ and obviously I say yes because I’m weak and have no willpower and then my pathetic self goes ‘can we still be friends’ and he’s like ‘of course’ but then he leaves without a hug or a reason or anything and he still thinks it’s normal what our so called friendship is but every night I cry myself to sleep because I had the one thing I wanted most but I had to go and fuck it up.” I let out a shuddering gasp, my hands shaking and the car suddenly silent. The rain rushes down from the sky, pouring out everything as it beats against the car of the roof. I wish I could beat it back.

    “Hey, Angel, buddy, look at me,” Patton says. In spurts, I take in my surroundings, grounding myself in the present again. The car isn’t moving, the moon is peeking nervously over a veil of clouds, the rain is never ending, Patton is here, and Patton is real. “It’s gonna be okay, buddy. I’ll go beat up that stupid Russ kid if you want.” Stupid again. Stupid stupid stuuupiiiid stew pit.

    I give a vehement head shake, no, knowing without reaching up that my cheeks are a burning shade of red. What kind of loser can’t keep his stupid emotions in check enough to not give his entire stupid backstory to a complete stupid stranger? Stupid me, that’s who. This guy probably doesn’t even care about me, he’s just the unlucky uber driver that got stuck driving me around the whole city just because I’m an indecisive, whiny little snot.

    “Well, it’s not exactly as good as me punching that kid in the face,” Patton begins, “but I could tell you how I’m not perfect either. Just today, in fact, I told you that Logan asked me to leave, but it was less of a friendly agreement than him yelling at me for interrupting his work with cookies I made.” He laughs a little, tapping the steering wheel with his palm. “I think he was so preoccupied, he didn’t notice that I wrote ‘good job’ all over them in different languages.” I glance over at Patton, still sniffling heavily, but grateful for the distraction. This random person, who didn’t even know me before a couple hours ago, is baring his soul and personal life just for my own comfort and security. “One time, he had this really big project to finish that he was talking about at the coffee place, and he showed it to me and was talking about how nervous he was, so the next day I brought him cookies baked with hazelnut. I don’t think he’s ever smiled as big as he did when he took one and told me about how well the presentation went.” Patton bites his lip and looks back at me, and seeing that I’ve finally calmed down enough to make intelligible conversation, invites me to share some happier thoughts to pass the time.

    “One time, he took me to this roller coaster park, and his first demand upon hearing that I’d never been before was to take me on the biggest, fastest coaster,” I start, letting the story warp me away from this car, from the rain, from everything now that seems to be getting worse. “I wasn’t very nervous or anything, but he must have mistaken my discomfort with so many people for being scared of heights, so he leans over and tells me to count how long it took the car to get to the top while we watched in line. Then, when we boarded, he said to count to the same number but slower this time, so that by the time I reached it, we were already at the top, so I wouldn’t have to worry about how much longer it would take to speed up.” That was a really fun day, actually. Maybe worth a few more tales for Patton before I tell him where I should really be tonight. “At one point, he could tell all the crowds of loud people were getting to me, so he takes me over to the games and wins me a giant stuffed elephant, one of the good soft ones, not the kind that’s really stiff and cheap.” That elephant is still on my bed, given as a prize when I couldn’t beat the game myself. “I know it’s really cheesy and lame, but I actually did have a lot of fun just being his friend that day. He still thinks everything is cool between us, and talks a bunch about his latest crushes, like he doesn’t know how much it hurts. I don’t think he realizes that every word out of his mouth is a dagger to my heart.”

    “Aw, kiddo,” Patton sighs, at a loss for any better words of consolation. “Look, I know you said to just get you away from that house, but are you sure there’s nowhere you need to be tonight? With today being so special as it is—”

    “I’m sure,” I cut in. Even if he’s just trying to help, I don’t need him to be worried for me. I’m perfectly fine as I am. “I mean, if you need to be home tonight, you can just drop me off anywhere and I’ll walk back or something, or find another uber person. I won’t rate you down or anything.”

    “That’s not what I’m worried about, Angel,” Patton says. “I don’t care about my driver ratings, I just need to make sure you get somewhere safe tonight. You really can’t be certain of anyone’s trustworthiness out there on a night like tonight. In the pouring rain, any trace of you might vanish with the water.” Vanish. Vaaaaaanissssh. Vaaaaain. Vaaanityyyyyy. Vaaapid. Vaaague. Veeeengennnnce. V. V. V. V. Vvvvvvv.

    “I won’t vanish,” I mutter, turning to look out the window. The rain hasn’t let up at all. Maybe if I stand outside in it without moving, I’ll melt and drown and wash away into the sewers and live on as water that no one has to bother with and I won’t have to see him anymore and everything will be the way it’s supposed to be without a glitch in the system like me screwing everything up.

    “I can’t be certain of that until I see you inside of a house safely with someone I know you trust, even if it’s that Russ loser,” Patton insists. I want to argue that Russ isn’t a loser, that he’s amazing and gorgeous and all of that, but if that’s true, why can’t I tell him as much? Oh, right, because I’m stupid. How do I keep forgetting that?

    “Okay, just, just turn right up here,” I say, pointing to an upcoming light. Another car waits to turn left, the first we’ve seen since stopping for coffee. I’d almost forgotten this wasn’t just a special world of a car, Patton, and me, sealed off from everyone else who could pop our bubble of solitude.

    Patton complies, following each of my directions as I lead him around the city, back to where this whole mess started. Too quickly, but also not soon enough, we’re back at the house of bright lights and sound and people and partying, but it isn’t the same house, either. The harsh yellow lights are all out except for one, glowing a soft golden in the night and illuminating the raindrops, seeming to freeze them in the air. The sound is gone, the party and people have cleared out, just the one window framing the door, inviting me back in. The light is splintered through as the door opens a little, allowing someone to slip outside. A boy, dressed in red and white, his hair shot through with purple, and even from here, I can almost see the warm light reflecting in his brown eyes.

    “The peacock?” Patton asks.

    “The peacock.”

    The peacock spreads his arms, stepping further out of the door in a show of peace, an unmet embrace.

    “If you don’t want to stay here,” Patton begins, but I shake my head, sliding my headphones around my neck and pulling my beanie lower over my ears. With no small amount of awkwardness, I give Patton a one-armed hug before pulling the door handle twice and stepping into the torrential downpour outside. He rolls down the window and leans out with a wave as I back up to the sidewalk, my phone already out to pay him.

    “It’s on the house,” he calls, tapping away on his own screen. I don’t know how he does it, but my phone shows the ride having been paid for. Huh. “And Angel?”

    “Yeah?” I say, halting on my way to the door.

    “Merry Christmas!”

    “It’s Virgil,” I correct with a smile and wave. “Merry Christmas. I hope the thing with Logan solves itself.”

    “Virgil. I like that. You too, with that Russ peacock guy.”

    “Roman,” I sigh, looking back at the offending figure at the door, his arms still open wide.

    “Virgil,” Roman murmurs at the door, wrapping me up tightly. “I thought you’d been kidnapped or something, I sent everyone home and was about to send out a search party, you weren’t answering your texts or calls or anything—”

    “I blocked you,” I admit, showing him as much on my phone. “Sorry.”

    “I don’t care,” Roman replies, hugging me closer and pulling me inside, out of the rain. I turn back for one last glance as Patton drives away, and I don’t think I have to imagine the smile on his face. As the door clicks shut, I remember.

    I forgot my coffee cup in the backseat.

Tag List (basically just some people that I hope see this and don’t hate it):

@asexual-trashbag @princeyandanxiety @prinxietys @tinysidestrashcaptain @notafeeling @the-prince-and-the-emo

[writerzuniverse]

Northern Lights

LEVEL ONE

Characters: Madaline North (OC), Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugou, Koushi Sugawara, Daichi Sawamura, Keishin Ukai, Makoto Shimada, Yusuke Takinoue, Asahi Azumane, Yuu Nishinoya, Chikara Ennoshita, Ryuunosuke Tanaka, Kinnoshita (mentioned), Narita (mentioned)

Chapter Title*: if someone wakes me up one more time, they’ll be found in the dumpster

Warnings: Violence (non-graphic)*, Name-calling, A little bit of angst but not much. If you spot anything else, please tell me!

[NOTE: Normal is Japanese and Bold is Spanish]

Quiet beeping jumped her out of her thoughts, making Madaline turn on her side to look at the phone-esque gadget. Sighing at the screen, she grabbed her hoodie and brown combat boots and left, keys and the gadget in her hand.

[CELESTIAL DETECTED: PORCUPINE: MUSTAFU]

One day, that’s all I want. An aurora* fox trotted along next to her silently, looking around at his fellow spirits as they followed her as well. The dot on the gadget (called the Celestial Detection Phone, or CDP for short) was in an alleyway, thankfully. Turning into the said alley, the blonde immediately hid behind a dumpster, seeing a group of thugs trying to tug the poor spirit out from its hiding place.

“C’mon, you little shit, we just want to know what you look like.” A scowl grew on her face at their words. There were three, I believe. Taking out her collapsible staff, Madaline spun around the corner of the dumpster she was hiding behind and threw it like a javelin. It hit the side of one guy’s head, and by the time the trio looked over, there was a stumbling blonde in front of them, swinging yet another staff into their stomachs. They ran away like little bitches.

“I hope they don’t report you.” The kind girl held out her hand, waiting for the animal to come out. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” The porcupine, who looked way too small for an adult, crawled out shivering. “Oh no, you must’ve died young.” Madaline frowned, then smiled weakly. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.” The baby porcupine, currently completely white, climbed up on her hand, nuzzling her fingers. Madaline closed her green eyes, taming the baby, making it turn an aurora color.

It cooed ‘smiling’ up at its new owner. She smiled back, putting him on her shoulder. Walking down the alleyway to leave, she checked the time. 5:53 am already? Pouting, she felt the porcupine climb up to her head. Putting her headphones in so as to not look like a lunatic, she continued her way down to her home to get ready for school. “What should I call you?” The animal on her head cooed again. “I’ll call you Tiny, then.” Her other Celestials joined the duo, excited to have a baby among the group. Hera, a black panther spirit, beckoned Tiny to go onto her back, to which he complied, snuggling into her coat. The fox from before climbed up onto his owner’s shoulders.

“What do I need to do today, again?” Rolling her right sleeve up, she read the writing.

School

Work

Don’t forget to update the Celestial files

Nodding to herself, Madaline walked into her home, dropped Felix off and got ready for school. I also have the reminders on my phone.

I have a few assignments due today, I also need to talk to Midoriya about his workout routine. The green haired boy’s visage appeared in her mind as she brushed her teeth. He obviously became stronger, it’s a wonder how nobody else saw it. After putting on her black Converse and grabbing her satchel, she paused at the doorway, groaning as she doubled back to grab her lunch. I hope I’m not forgetting something.

Once again, the class was too rowdy and loud, making Madaline turn up her music and continue to read her book, masking her presence even more. This is how it usually went, she would ignore most of her classmates, and they would ignore her. By the time they left, her ears were still ringing from their chatter. Getting up, she knocked on Midoriya’s desk, smiling at him when he looked up skittishly.

“Hey, Midoriya-kun.”

“N-North-san!” The fellow freckled boy screamed, making her flinch at his volume. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine, I was just wondering what’s your workout routine?” The blonde tilted her head.

“Oh, I just found it online, I thought it would be useful for Yuuei.” Izuku stuttered out.

“Ah, alright, thanks!” She cheered, jogging out.

“Hey, spirit bitch, what did Deku tell you?” A familiar bomb quirked boy growled behind her.

“Why should I tell you of all people?” Madaline hissed back, turning around to look at Bakugou, eyes narrowed.

“Because I can make your fucking life a living hell.” The ash blonde suggested.

“What a coincidence, so can I.” The sarcasm seemed to throw him off. The duo stared at each other, in a temporary standoff.

“I heard you’re going to do homeschooling after this year.” Bakugou finally spoke.

“Wow, you spoke a sentence without cussing!” She tried to avoid the topic by using sarcasm.

“I’m taking that as a fucking yes.” He grumbled, brushing past the short girl. “Just stay out of my way, spirit bitch.”

Madaline just watched as he left before leaving herself. Geez, he acts as if the world is out to get him, the pompous fucker. She huffed, her hands tightening around the satchel straps, letting a cat spirit rub against her, taking away most of her frustration.

As she walked towards The Elemental Crows’ Hero Agency, she kept a hand on her CDP, waiting for a notification to interrupt her calm walk. Nothing, thankfully. Getting her ID out, she scanned it as she walked in, immediately being greeted by a few sidekicks and interns, sending her own greeting back, she called through the agency. “I’m here!” More sidekicks and interns smiled at the teen’s antics.

Calmly walking up the wide stairs to the elevator, she called to a friend of hers, who was an intern. “Hey, Suga, are any of the Crows here?”

“I think Mizu, Fire, and Chikyu are here. I can text them if you want.” The kind senpai answered.

“Nah, I want my entrance to be a surprise.” The duo laughed then said goodbye to each other. Daichi walked out the elevator as she went in, they shared a high-five. After she walked back out, now on the top floor where the heroes that own the building and their interns offices are, Madaline trotted right upto the door with a flame that had crow wings sprouting from it, hearing the three heroes Suga talked about. Knocking, the blonde waited.

“Yes?” A gruff man with piercings answered the door, only to get a tick mark when he saw who it was. “And where the hell have you been?!”

Ukai roughly placed his hand on her head, rubbing. “Hey, watch the hair! I was at school y’know!”

“Keishin, stop teasing the poor girl.” Takinoue finally stepped in, smiling as he hugged her.

“Yeah, Keishin, she’s a third year now, remember?” Shimada threw his two cents in.

“Hmph, I guess I’ll let it slide.” The trio of heroes looked at the newcomer, a small, aurora porcupine. “A new Celestial, huh?”

“It’s cute!” Shimada cheered petting the happy animal.

“Yep, meet Tiny.” The men deadpanned, making Madaline pout.

“Has it’s quirk appeared yet?” Takinoue held his hand out for Tiny to climb on.

“No, but it’ll take a while to show, I believe he died when he was three or early four.” The freckled girl smiled mimicking the baby’s coo.

“Alright, you know where your lab is, go on.” Ukai gestured for her to leave. “Oh, and can you check on Asahi real quick? We gave him a lot of paperwork.”

“Yeah, totally!” Letting Tiny come back to her, Madaline jogged off, going to the office down the hall and to the right with two theater masks, one looking scared, the other being transparent. “Asa-kun! Can I come in?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, come on in North-chan.” A soft but deep voice answered.

“I’m going to make some drinks after work, do you want something?” The green eyed girl peeked in, her bright eyes meeting his timid look.

“Can I get some peach tea if it’s not too much?” He looked back down at his work, a pile of paperwork next to him.

“It’s not, do you need help with work?” Madaline sat in the seat in front of him, grabbing a pen.

“No, I can do it on my own, thank you though.” The brunet smiled at her focused look. Cute. He went back to work, the girl’s almost non-existent presence calming him. He frowned, remembering the fight he had with Nishinoya earlier that month.

“It’s not your fault, you know.” Madaline spoke, writing peach tea just below her list of things to do. “The loss and the fight. Many heroes have lost battles, don’t let it define you, okay?”

Asahi was silent for a few minutes, the words getting soaked in his heart. “Alright.” He looked at his letter of resignation. Looks like I’m staying a hero. He went to shred it, but the short girl already grabbed it.

“Give this to Noya, he would love to burn this.” The duo laughed.

“You’d be a great hero.” Asahi grabbed the paper, getting up from his desk to go to the elevator.

“Nah, I have animals to take care of.” A frown bit at her lips, but she brushed it off.

“They’re in the meeting room, and I’m coming with you to take pictures!”

“It’s not to get out of work, is it?” They got in the elevator as they spoke.

“No!” A few seconds later, she was running out the elevator to throw up aurora colored mist. “Yes.” Madaline pouted.

“Okay, you can come with, but we are going to watch over you, alright?” Asahi chuckled.

“Fine.” They walked into the Senshi Unit: Karasuno ‘meeting’ room. Everyone was, surprisingly, there.

“Heyo, everyone!” Madaline smiled, speeding up so she could Will Smith meme Asahi. He only covered his face with the paper, as everyone stood silently.

“Um, Nishinoya, wanna burn this?” Everything was silent for a few minutes, but the mentioned boy cheered, excitedly taking the paper. Lighting crackled around it, and everyone watched it burn with wicked eyes, making the poor ‘ace’ shake.

“Alright, I’m going to work now!” She tried to run to her lab, but was caught by Daichi, who held her up like a cat caught by the scruff of their neck. Felix, the fox spirit, snickered, putting Tiny on his back, while Nina, the cat, shook her head in disappointment.

“Asahi told me that you need to be watched, again?” He smiled ‘kindly’.

“Maybe.” Madaline smiled nervously in response.

Ennoshita stepped in front of her, giving her his chastising glance, tearing another response from her. “Fine, you guys can come.”

“Thank you.” The Karasuno captain nodded. The group walked alongside her, talking animatedly, and Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita had to go do some paperwork, so it was just the six of them. Getting into her lab, which was on the third floor, they immediately stood on the sidelines, watching her work.

Madaline placed Tiny on the island in the middle, tapping the surface with two fingers, making a touchable hologram pop up. Going over to the ‘Celestial Files’ box, she expanded it, the other boxes moving away. Pressing the ‘+’ button, she directed the new spirit to a small pad, letting him off after scanning him.

Name: Tiny

Type: Small

Quirk: Unknown

Animal: Porcupine

Age: 3 or 4

Notes:

Coos when excited and loves attention. Found in the alleyway near the Seijoh Hero Agency, three thugs around him. Do not leave alone.

Most likely could have developed social, separation, and normal anxiety if he was allowed to live longer.

“How many applications have you guys gotten?” Madaline said as she typed.

“Four, applications close tomorrow.” Suga called, looking over the applications. “We got that ‘King of Shadows’ guy.”

“From Kitagawa Daiichi?” Tanaka leaned in.

“Man, I wish I didn’t get suspended.” Nishinoya pouted, crossing his arms.

“It’s okay, Noya! You’ll be able to make a grand entrance when you meet the first years!” Madaline cheered him up.

“Yeah!” He cheered. Madaline uploaded the file to the folder.

“I’m done, can we get something to eat?” She jumped up to Daichi, looking like an excited child.

“Yes, Tanaka, can you text Ennoshita what we’re doing?” The buzzcut haired boy nodded, following as the group left. Suga helped her lock up.

The day continued like that, just hanging out with her friends and trying to avoid the topic of future heroes.

Hero, huh? Madaline thought that night, laying down in her bed. There’s no way! I have the celestials and all the work I have to put in to protect them. With a huff, she turned on her side and fell asleep.

“You’d be a good hero.”

--

*: There won’t always be a chapter title, so be on the lookout for that!

*: The violence scenes will become more graphic the further I get into the story.

*: You guys know the Northern Lights down in Norway? That’s what I mean when I say “aurora”.

Small note, not very important, Madaline is part Latina, so she speaks Spanish, but as I, the author, don’t, the parts where she speaks in Spanish will be in bold to avoid conflict and butchering words. Thank you for understanding!

[bnhainsert]

Sound Out

Chapter 4: Aria Parlante

____________________________________________________________

Hado fidgeted with her costume, waiting for Jiro to give the okay to get going. She was incredibly anxious, wanting to not only do well enough to help, but also figure out what the hell was going on. Jiro put her hand on Hado’s. “It’s alright. You’re going to do great. Deku is also going with you so you are probably one of the safest people out there” Jiro reassured her. Hado nodded but didn’t stop playing with the flowing sleeves of her costume.

“I just want to make sure that I actually do help. I want to save those people” Hado said softly. Jiro noded. She wondered how she could possibly help Hado calm down at least a little bit. 

“Hey did you want to hear more about class A?” Jiro asked, hoping the change in topic would get Hado’s mind out of it’s funk. It worked because Hado visibly perked up and answered “oh yes please!”

Jiro smiled and began to tell her of her first year at UA. She mentioned how Ingenium became their class rep which was of no surprise to Hado. She talked about how Aizawa threatened to expel the student who did the worst in their first quirk test. Hado shuddered. She continued on to the USJ incident, the training camp fiasco, and added the bits and pieces she knew of the yakuza gang her classmates had fought. At the center of almost every incident was Deku and Ground Zero. Jiro talked about how to rivalry between the two heroes really lit a fire under everyone else to train even harder.

Hado liked hearing all of the talk of heroes before they were pros. It was interesting to see where they came from and how they came to be. It helped explain their motivations and weather or not she would actually trust them with her life. To be fair pretty much everyone in class A was someone she could trust.

“What about you? What was your class like in the hero course?” Jiro asked. Before Hado could answer, Jiro received a message through her headphones. She nodded and looked over at Hado. “It’s time to head out”.

Hado took a deep breath in as she waited for Deku to show up on location at a residential park. She had arrived about 5 minutes before 11:00 trying to calm her nerves. About 2 minutes later Deku came flying in and landed next to her. “Hey Vocaller. Are you ready for this mission” He asked with a determined smile on his face. He kind of reminded her of an underclassman she used to see with blond hair and deep blue eyes.

“Um yeah sure. I’m pretty nervous but I think we can do this” She answered. Deku nodded. They looked around the park for a spot with densely packed foliage to sit in. Vocaller could deafen the rustling of any of the leaves to keep them as quiet as possible. 

Not many people were out and about at the park this late. There was a couple that looked like they had just come from a night of dancing. There was a man jogging, and there was a very tired looking woman walking her dog. Four people to watch. Hado slipped into people watching mode and watched how they interacted with each other and the environment. The couple looked very enamoured with each other. The man’s coat was resting on his shoulders, his face was sweaty and his hair was a mess, sticking to his face. The woman stared up at the man with a bright smile on her sweaty face. They looked like they had had a great night. It made Hado smile.

“See anything yet?” Deku asked. Hado jumped slightly. “Oh sorry no. I was just kind of watching that couple over there. They look really happy” She mentioned. “Oh...you’re right they do” Deku replied. “I really like to people watch. I love seeing how they interact with the things around them. I do it all the time in my town” Hado explained. “So you must be pretty observant. It’s a pretty good skill to have”. Hado sighed. “Yeah I suppose so” She trailed off.

“Hey I’ve asked Ji-...Earphone Jack this, but I want to know what you think of your old classmates in class A” Hado said, still watching the couple closely walk together. “Oh? How much has Earphone Jack told you about our class?” Deku asked. Hado told him everything Jiro and her had talked about before they had to leave for the mission. “Yeah a lot happened to us the first year..”Deku said looking down at his hands. “That all happened in just your first year?!” Hado asked absolutely dumbfounded. “Oh yeah. There was just a whole lot of things going on at the time that became catalysts for all of those incidents. They were rough, but we got through them as a class. It really did bring us all closer together”

“So what were you all like though? Personality wise?” Hado pushed. Deku scratched the back of his head thinking back to his high school years. “Well um... Ka-Ground Zero and I had known each other as kids. Believe it or not he used to be a lot meaner than he is now. He’s calmed down considerably” Deku started. Hado looked with squinted suspiciously at Deku. “I know that doesn’t sound possible, but trust me it is. Um Ingenium was our class rep and he did an amazing job of not only leading our class, but being a wonderful friend to me. He’s saved my life on a few occasions. He’s just as earnest as he was when we first met” Deku smiled.

Deku continued to talk about his old classmates. He told Hado about Uravity and how he had a bit of a crush on her for a while. He talked about Shouta who he helped come out of his shell and begin to help him with his own insecurities. Hado thought about how heroes don’t always have to physically save someone. It seems like Deku really reached a lot of people. Especially his classmates. She smiled and hoped that she could reach people the same way Deku did.

After about 30 minutes of no activity Hado suggested they split up to cover more ground, just in case the settled location was a bit off from the detective’s estimate. “Okay we can split up, but you have to keep an open comm with me. I don’t want you to get into too much trouble. We still don’t know exactly who we are dealing with yet and I don’t want you to end up hurt” Deku told her. She nodded in agreement.

The two heroes split up. Hado pushed herself forward with the force of her soundwaves. She moved closer to the residential area where she heard a bit of shuffling and rustling. It was faint, but it was there. She made her way close to the house she heard it coming from. She pushed herself up into a tree in a yard to the right of the house. She looked closely into the side window into the kitchen. She listened even more intently

A bit further in the house she saw 2 people strapped to chairs, a man and a woman. They had their mouths taped and their hands were bound with rope. A man with slicked back black hair stood in front of them smiling. Next to him was a person with a hoodie hiding their face holding a tablet. They were clicking away furiously trying to figure out something on the screen. Vocaller could hear all of the finger taps against the screen. The man with the slicked back hair ordered someone just out of eyesight to look around to double check there was no one around.

Hado’s breath hitched in her throat but she concentrated on deafening the sound around her so as not to have the rustling of the leaves be a distraction. She sat as still as she possibly could as she watched a buff man in a mask and hoodie walk around the house. He didn’t seem to notice her so he went back inside to report to the other man.

As soon as the man with the slicked back hair heard from his henchman, he pushed his hand into the chest of the man strapped and bound to the chair. His hand disappeared into the man’s chest, not creating a hole, but going straight through it. The man then tensed his arm and suddenly things around them started to change. Hado noticed a couple of house plants started to wither, the house itself look like it was deteriorating from years of wear. 

Hado then realized the tree she was in started to wilt and lose its leaves. She started to panic. She kept up the deafening around her and tried to move to an area that was better hidden. She climbed quickly and quietly out of the tree desperately searching for another hiding spot. “What was that?” She heard someone from in the house say. She closed her eyes and sat on the ground trying to concentrate. She tried to make the sound of a cat happen on the other side of the building but she couldn’t focus, her anxiety dragging her down. “This is it. This is how I die”. 

The henchman went through the backdoor of the house and looked around the yard as well as the neighboring yard. He only noticed some dead plants and a slight breeze blowing by. He went back in to the house to report that it was nothing. 

Hado opened here eyes to see Deku carrying her through the air. “Damn it” she cursed in her head. She didn’t want to die, but she wished she had the power to actually do more. She realized she would’ve been useless in a fight if they had seen her. Tears started to spill down her face.

Deku set her down on the ground, a few blocks away from the house. She looks back at the house and through her tears sees the house revert to it’s previous state. The villains had done what they had come to accomplish. Hado tried to run to the house knowing there was still a woman in there who was either dead or still struggling .

She abruptly stopped as Deku firmly gripped her arm. “You can’t go back there. What were you thinking?! I asked you to simply communicate with me and I got radio silence for at least 30 minutes! I tried to contact you but you wouldn’t respond! If I had been any slower, what would you have done?” Deku scolded her. Hado slumped down, shoulders shaking, hiding her face that was now overflowing with tears.

“Vocaller! Hey! Look at me!” Deku turned her around to see her face an absolute mess. “There were two people in there! They used one of them. We have to go back for the other” Hado cried. Deku’s face softened realizing what she was dealing with internally. He had been through something similar a while back.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes “We can’t go back there without backup. You are in no condition to fight in such an emotional state. We have to wait. I know how you’re feeling. I know you want to help those people. I was in your shoes just a few years ago. None of this is your fault. I need you to trust me” He tried his best to calm and reassure her.

Hado’s crying turn into small sobs as her knees hit the ground. She wasn’t fast enough. She wasn’t strong enough. She wasn’t Good enough. Her fears were coming to fruition. She had let a villain escape because she was too afraid to do anything.

Deku got onto one knee to bring himself to her level. “I’m going to tell you what an incredibly smart person told me just the other day: ‘None of this is your fault. We will figure this out’” He said warmly. Hado’s sobs subsided just a bit. The tears kept coming but she had better control of her breathing. She stood up and quietly, with a cracking voice, thanked Deku.

The police showed up about 5 minutes after the incident had happened. The house looked perfect and untouched. The only weird thing on the outside was the dead plants in the yard of the house they were investigating, as well as that of the houses next to it.  They entered the house cautiously only to find a woman sat in a chair at the kitchen table. They checked her pulse and her breathing. She was gone.

Hado followed them and her fear was confirmed. More tears came rolling out over her cheeks. Her face felt so very warm and she was starting to have trouble actually seeing anything. Deku propped her up on his shoulder. “You can’t go passing out on me now. I know you saw things that are important to this case. You can still help these people by telling the police what you saw”

Hado tried to calm herself and at least bring the tears to a slow down. The police chief walked over to her and asked her about what she had seen. She described the man with the slicked back hair and the person next to him with the tablet that they furiously tapped away on. She told them about how he put his hand into the chest of the man that was kidnapped and how everything around started to slowly deteriorate. The people themselves were fine but everything else looked like it was aging. 

The police weren’t able to identify the man who lived in this house. They were going to wait until the morning to talk to neighbors about the man and woman living here and if they knew anything about them personally or if they had quirks and how they worked. They were still missing chunks of information but with Vocaller filling in some more important questions, they were able to devise a new plan of action.

“Thank you Vocaller for your help. I think we may have finally had our first big break in this case. We are now that much closer to saving those people” the detective who had run the meeting earlier that day told her. Hado nodded and gave a sort of crooked smile.

“I know you may be beating yourself up over this, but you just helped us take a big step in this mission. These kidnapped people are going to be saved thanks to you” Deku spoke. Hado gave a small sigh, agreeing with the sentiment. She was hoping that they weren’t too late to save those people like she was with the woman laying dead in the house.

_____________________________________________________________

In an underground facility on the outskirts of the town, a man with slicked back black hair stood in front of another man who had been tied and sat on the ground. He was passed out from energy exertion. 

“Sorry about the scare boss....I could’ve sworn I saw something moving outside” a buff man apologized to the man with the slicked back hair.

“Oh don’t worry about that Driver. Our percentage of success was so high it doesn’t really matter now does it? And our percentage of succeeding in our goal is still just as high as it was before we picked up this guy” a person with a hoodie and glasses responded while tapping away at the tablet in front of them.

“Let’s just beef up security to be safe” a smooth confident voice came from the man deemed “boss”.

“Yes sir, right away” Driver replied.

The Boss smiled eerily at the man they had captured. “You are going to be just the man to help our little transfer plan go quicker. Go throw him in the back room with the rest” he ordered.

Another henchmen came buy and slumped the man over his shoulder. He took him through a long hallway leading to a small room. He opened the door and threw him inside with several other people and bodies. Some of the people were passed out, some of them were trying to squirm out of their restraints to no avail. Dead bodies also rotted away near those that were still lucky enough to be alive.

“Oh man this next part is going to be so much fun”

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3   Chapter 5   Chapter 6

[goodlucktai]

the world is full of magic things (2/2)

i’ve seen lots of “natsume grows up and finds a child who can also see yokai and adopts them” and i love it and i’ve decided to toss my hat in the same ring, sorry

continuation of this series, which started with “never mind the bus fare” and might never end apparently ;;

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” ― W.B. Yeats

previous

x

Satoru has witnessed Takashi get angry before, or so he thought.

But the look on his face when he hears what Satoru has to tell him about what led to a phone call from Susumu's teacher—when he sees Susumu sitting on the sofa with his head hung low, arms curled tightly around his knees—is almost unfamiliar.

He's never seen Takashi's eyes go quite so cold.

“He's pretty shaken up,” Satoru adds unnecessarily, sotto voce, as he glances toward the living room. “He was worried what you would say.”

“I see.” Takashi's voice is next to normal when he says, “Sensei? Would you mind?”

“Finally you get around to asking,” the fortune cat replies, climbing to its feet with a lot less fight than Satoru is used to when a chore is involved. Its eyes gleam a cold green, like the hard edge of a jewel. “I haven't gone hunting in quite some time.”

“Find out what it's doing here. It if it meant no harm, leave it be,” Takashi says, opening the kitchen window for Nyanko-sensei to climb through. “But if it tried to hurt my child, then I'll let you decide what should be done with it.”

Nyanko-sensei's feline grin stretches into something meanly pleased. He pauses on the sill, looking over his shoulder at the sad figure the youngest member of their household makes on the sofa, and says, “I'll take care of it, brat.”

“Be quick.”

Takashi leaves the window open just a crack when his cat is gone, watching it go until its out of sight.

And because Satoru knows him, he scoots a step closer to Takashi and reaches for his hand. Takashi turns in surprise, glancing down at their hands as Satoru winds their fingers together, and Satoru tells him, “You've probably already come up with like twelve ways to make this all your fault, but we literally don't even know what happened yet.”

Takashi has the good grace to look a little abashed. Heartened by the reaction where part of him was worried he'd be met with an emotional recluse, Satoru walks backwards towards the living room and pulls his husband with him, smiling crookedly.

“And I think we've left Susumu hanging long enough, huh?”

Hearing his name, Susumu lifts his head when they come in. His eyes are wide and wary as his guardians sit down on either side of him, little fingers digging into fists in his jeans, but he doesn't shy away.

“Where's Nyanko-sensei?” he whispers.

“Takashi sent him on an errand,” Satoru says easily, smoothing a hand through Susumu's tousled hair. “He has to earn his keep somehow, right?”

Susumu blinks, unsure what to make of that, and looks up at Takashi tentatively when the man puts an arm around his skinny shoulders. Takashi smiles down at him with a warmth that seems to soften the whole room, melting the tension out of Susumu's body like magic.

“I heard about what happened,” he says gently. “That must have been really scary. Are you alright?”

Satoru has been on the receiving end of that smile and that tone before, and so he knows it's relief or gratitude or a desperate desire to be deserving that's filling little Susumu's eyes with tears now.

“I really saw it,” he says earnestly, abandoning his white-knuckled grip on the knees of his jeans to reach for Takashi's hand where it rests on his own shoulder instead, “really. It sat in the back of the class for hours and watched us play. No one believed me, but it was really there.”

“I know it was.” Takashi trades a weighted look with Satoru over Susumu's head, and says slowly, “But this was the first time you've seen it, right? Did something happen on your way to school? Did you see something odd, or—have a strange conversation with someone?”

Susumu blinks wetly, considering the question. He starts to shake his head, then pauses. “My arm started to hurt, but only for a little bit.”

That has both the adults' attention instantly.

“Where on your arm, buddy?” Satoru asks, already reaching for the zipper of his hoodie. Susumu reluctantly leans away from Takashi's arm to help get rid of the sweatshirt, pulling his left arm free of its sleeve a little gingerly.

“Up here,” he says, reaching for a spot on his upper arm squarely between shoulder and elbow. “When I saw that monster in the classroom I forgot about my arm, but it kind of feels like a bruise.”

As far as Satoru can see, the length of Susumu's arm is unblemished, but Takashi goes stiff the moment the long sleeve of the boy's T-shirt is pushed up out of the way

“What do you see?” Satoru demands, used to picking apart the minute nuances of Takashi's expressions and stringing them into meaning. “What's there?”

Susumu is twisting his arm to see, and gives a little gasp. “There is a bruise. But where did it come from? I didn't bump my arm on anything on the way to school.”

A clatter in the kitchen draws Satoru's head up sharply, but Takashi doesn't look away from the boy between them, gaze furrowed. “Sensei,” he says, “come here and look at this.”

The cat waddles in agreeably, not a whisker out of place, and Satoru has to wonder just how well his 'hunt' went if he returned so quickly. With a scowl, he says, “You better not be slacking, cat.”

Nyanko-sensei gives him a narrow-eyed glare, and jumps heavily into his lap just to elicit a winded oof.

Takashi ignores their antics and Satoru's wounded wheezing to direct the cat's attention to Susumu's arm. “Tell me what this is, please.”

“That's a curse,” the cat grumbles, back arching as he presses his nose to Susumu's arm. Susumu jumps in surprise, probably more at the very human voice coming from the fat cat he cuddles with every night than the touch of a wet nose, and stares at Nyanko-sensei with wide eyes. “That rotten ayakashi must have gotten a whiff of your power while Suchan was walking to school and decided to leave a mark on him to get your attention, Natsume. It probably wanted to lure you out to eat you.”

“What's the point?” Satoru demands. “What's the curse do? Is he going to be okay?”

“I feel okay,” Susumu chimes in, enchanted by the talking cat. His fear is largely forgotten in favor of wonder, a delighted smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he reaches to pet the fortune cat in its favorite spot behind the ears, and that's probably what Takashi had intended all along. “I didn't know you could talk, Nyanko-sensei!”

“I can do anything, brat,” the cat says gruffly, leaning fondly into the child's small hand. “And the curse is a weak one—it's already breaking beneath the barrier, and my light will finish the job.”

The barrier was one that Nyanko-sensei created in the weeks before Susumu came to live with them permanently, one that left him drained for days after its completion. It's strong enough that Takashi has to go to the rooftop to return names, and maybe they took for granted that sense of safety.

“But what's the point,” Satoru stresses, hands folded into fists. “What does the curse do?”

“It makes him see, obviously,” the cat snaps back. “The intent of a curse like this is to make the victim go mad, but it was the wrong one to inflict on Suchan, here—whose family is composed of the least likely people in this city to call him crazy for seeing impossible things. An upper class yokai, a fool with remarkable spiritual power, and an even bigger fool who could have lived a mundane life and instead chose to marry into this mess.”

Takashi splutters something that sounds like “we aren't technically married, sensei, honestly” but Satoru didn't miss the grudging affection in the yokai's haughty tone.

Susumu pulls Nyanko-sensei into his lap, with what looks like no qualms about cuddling even now that he knows it can talk. Children his age are generally more excepting of strangeness, Satoru knows from experience. Even children as disillusioned as Susumu.

“When the bruise goes away, I'll be all better?”

“Yes you will,” Takashi says immediately. There's a faraway look in the back of his eyes that Satoru hates, one that speaks of self-recrimination that it's going to take Satoru ages to undo, but his smile is present and warm. “I promise.”

Susumu pets the family cat for a moment, thoughtful. “But there will still be monsters, even if I can't see them?”

“We'll ask Uncle Tanuma to make you a new omamori,” Satoru assures him. “He's a big fancy priest now, he knows what he's doing.”

“And Nyanko-sensei will go with you to school from now on,” Takashi adds, with a meaningful look at the cat. It sighs, trying to look put-upon, but Satoru thinks it probably would have followed Susumu to school after this on its own, anyway. “We'll keep the monsters away.”

Susumu hugs the fat fortune cat, and leans back into Takashi's side, and smiles widely at Satoru—a far cry from the shaken, tearful little boy Satoru picked up from school earlier. An even farther cry from the silent shell of a person Satoru first met almost a year ago, battered and betrayed and by no means broken.

“Okay,” Susumu says, with only a small idea how big a gift he's giving them. “I believe you.”

[atanih88]

FIC: Piece by Piece - Chapter 10 (Marvel MCU, Tony/Peter)

Title: Piece by Piece Pairing: Tony Stark/Peter Parker Rating: Explicit Chapter: 10/13 Summary: Three years after the end of the Infinity War, the world prepares to celebrate its third anniversary of freedom. The world doesn’t realize that the heroes who fought for them are a little broken. But hey, maybe broken together, is better than broken and apart.

Notes: Written for Marvel Big Bang 2018 and originally posted on my AO3. Go there for full fic. Will be posting one chapter a day here.

CHAPTER 10

‘How does it feel?’

Peter turns to find Tony standing at the entrance to the workshop.

Tony’s panting as he takes a drink from the water bottle in his hand. He’s got the hoodie over his head. Sweat dampens the dark navy t-shirt he’s wearing down his chest in a V and beads of sweat pepper his face. Peter’s not sure if he’s come back from a run or if he’s been at the ring getting some training in. Peter hadn’t seen him since the previous night, each of them going their separate ways after they’d returned from Tony’s version of a “walk”.

The thing is, Peter can’t look at the guy that’s been mentoring him since he was fifteen without thinking about how he’d sucked his thumb into his mouth and how Peter would’ve gladly sucked more than just that.

It’s not that Peter has been oblivious to his attraction to Tony all this time. He knows his gaze has always lingered too long on Tony, that he’s always looked too impressed with whatever Tony accomplishes, always defended Tony that bit too hard when people decide to be dicks about him—okay, so sometimes they have a point? But Peter figures if people have something to say, then they should say it to that person’s face, you know? Jerks.

‘Um,’ Peter flexes his wrists, not realizing he’s frowning as he tests out the flexibility of his newly adapted web shooters. He’d spent all night working on it. ‘It’s okay? I think I might need to just make it more giving? It’s too stiff.’ Of course, the word stiff seems to echo in the silence. FRIDAY had offered to put some music on for him, but Peter likes silence now and again.

The sanctuary that Tony Stark’s home had initially provided against sleeplessness has disappeared. Although Peter isn’t blaming that on night terrors.

‘You’ve done a good job with it. Is the force field activating like it should?’ Tony walks further into the room, tilting his head back and squirting more water into his mouth.

Peter can feel the web shooter’s frame pressing awkwardly into the gland on his right wrist and makes a mental note to adjust the tightness of the band. ‘It works but something’s still not right, it’s creating the force field but it’s not sustaining it? So I need to figure out what’s going wrong.’ Peter makes himself look at Tony, fixes his eyes to Tony’s face and doesn’t let it stray. ‘But if I can get it to stay up just a few seconds longer then I can get it tomould the web—I just need it to stretch a bit more, make it so that when the web fluid hits the forcefield it’s taut enough to not cave around the objects.’

Tony’s mouth curls into a smug smile, almost as if he’s the one who’s worked it all out. ‘Sounds good. Alright!’ he finishes chugging down the rest of his water, slaps a hand on Peter’s shoulder and turns to leave again. ‘Gonna call Pepper before she comes back down here to bust my ass. She’s trying to get a hold of Thor for the reveal and not having any luck,’ then in a mutter, ‘plus those damn papers. Oh. And that cat of yours? Getting a little too comfortable in my bed. Talk to your animal, Parker. Get it a ball of yarn or something. You owe me a new set of silk sheets. In Ocean Blue.’

‘Uh. Mr. Stark I can’t really afford silk sheets? In any color.’

Tony just waves a hand over his head and keeps walking. ‘Don’t over do it, Parker.’

~

Peter’s wrists throb.

Of course, he overdid it.

He grimaces, holding them under the rush of the cold tap.

Alley Cat watches him from the closed toilet seat, face buried half underneath her tail.

‘You have a call Peter,’ Karen’s voice says, echoing in the room, ‘MJ Jones.’

‘Uh, thanks Karen, put her on!’

‘Hey. You busy today? I need your genetically modified freak genes for something.’

Peter frowns. ‘Nice. Thanks. I’m great by the way.’

‘Sure, sure. Focus, Peter. The shelter’s moving to its new location tonight and we need more hands on deck.’

Peter hisses as the cold starts to grate too much on his skin and yanks his wrists out from underneath the water, flicking drops everywhere. He snatches up the towel draped over the skin and dabs at the sore glands with them. ‘Um, sure. I mean I can do that. Oh! But I need to speak to Mr. Stark—’

‘Yeah, sure. Bring him too. Billionaires should do more for their community and we could use the PR.’

‘No, that’s not—’

‘And why do you still call him Mr. Stark?’

‘What? What’s wrong with that?’

‘It’s weird.’

‘It isn’t weird! What?’

‘Peter. It’s weird. It’s like you’ve got a daddy fetish or something.’

Peter’s mouth drops open and he stands there, like an idiot staring at the bathroom wall.

‘Ms. Jones has ended the call,’ Karen says.

‘Sure,’ Peter says weakly, ‘thanks, Karen.’ He finishes dabbing his wrists dry and tosses the towel in the hamper. ‘I don’t have a daddy fetish,’ he mutters under his breath and stalks out of the bathroom.

Tony’s standing by his bed.

Peter stops, one hand around his wrists protectively. ‘Uhhh…’ he can feel the color climbing up his neck as his whole body runs from hot to cold and back again. The embarrassment is swallowing him whole.

Did he hear that? Had he heard any of that—

Tony’s got his hands tucked into his pockets and he’s rocking back on his feet. It’s been a few hours since he left Peter down in the workshop and he’s showered and changed. The sleeves of his long-sleeved t-shirt are pushed up past his elbow and the top three buttons of the row that runs halfway down his chest are unbuttoned.

‘Didn’t I say not to overdo it?’

Peter looks down at the wrists, skin still cool to the touch from the cold water they’d been under for so long. ‘I didn’t?’ He licks his lips and clasps his hands together. ‘Mr. Stark, MJ didn’t mean anything by it she’s just—it was just a joke, um, sorry. I’m gonna head over there later to lend a hand with the—’

‘The shelter. Moving. Yeah, I heard,’ Tony says, voice wry. ‘What time are we leaving?’

‘We?’

‘This billionaire is supposed to do more for the community or so I heard.’

Peter closes his eyes. He’s going to kill MJ. He’s actually going to use his powers for evil. Because evil can only be countered with evil. May will understand. Ned will back him. Ned’s his bro. Peter almost wishes he could disappear. Except that’s happened to him and it wasn’t so fun.

The embarrassment is yanked out of his system as the recall comes to him without warning, intruding on a moment where it isn’t welcome—it’s never welcome—and leaving his stomach warped and unsteady. The world tilts around him and he opens his eyes quickly, panic elevating his pulse as his eyes dart all over the place before settling on the hands he’s holding out for himself. It takes him a moment to focus. To realize that they’re there. Not fading, not disappearing. Those are his hands.

Fingers snap in front of his face.

Peter jerks his head up, eyes wide. The air leaves him on a gasp.

Tony’s in front of him. Peering into his face and there’s a small sharp pain on the swell of his calf. Peter lowers his hands and finds Alley Cat staring up at him, standing on her hind legs, one paw clawing into the muscle of Peter’s calf.

‘Hey, hey.’ Tony’s voice is soft, coaxing. Strong calloused fingers curl gently around Peter’s wrists, drawing back his attention. His hands are warm.

‘Sorry,’ Peter says. The breath he lets out comes out shaky. He steps back, dislodging Alley Cat who hisses at him before turning her back on him and jumping up onto his bed. ‘I’m okay. I’m okay, Mr. Stark.’ He tugs his wrists away and starts walking backwards. ‘And you don’t have to come tonight, MJ was just being…MJ. I’m uh, gonna get dressed and head over there now.’

‘I don’t mind—’

But Peter just smiles brightly, clasping his hands tightly together. ‘I’ll see you later Mr. Stark. Don’t wait up.’

Tony doesn’t move for a while, his eyes narrowed on Peter’s face. Then he clucks his tongue once. He nods. ‘Alrighty. Guess I’ll leave you to it, then.’ He stops by the bed to run his fingers over Alley Cat’s head, dragging a reluctant purr out of her. Then with one more look over his shoulder at Peter, he makes his way out of the room.

Peter’s eyes are fixed on the point where Tony’s just disappeared. He lets his hands fall back to his side.

They’re shaking.

He’s not sure if it’s from experiencing his nightmare like this, or if it’s because he’d been so close to throwing himself at Tony.

Yeah. Peter’s screwed.

And the least MJ can do since he’s going to be carting around boxes for her, is listen to him.

Peter might get punched in the face tonight.

~

When Peter finishes setting down the fifth one of the boxes from the last batch that he’d been helping transfer from the truck to the back room of the new shelter, MJ is standing there, arms folded across her chest, glare pinned on Peter. Her hair has escaped the knot she’d put it up in, falling over her eyes in curly kinks. She blows at at it, tossing her head back to get it to move but it doesn’t work. She just huffs in annoyance but doesn’t bother to shove it out of the way.

‘What’s wrong with you?’ she asks.

Peter toes at the corner of the box he’s plopped down and shoves his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

He feels warm, loosened up. The work has helped to distract him so far and as the boxes dwindled so had his temporary peace because it meant that he’d have to think about everything. Kind of like how he’s doing now. Yeah. He’s definitely thinking about it now.

‘Spit it out Parker. We still need to finish putting these in the back before we can close up,’ she says.

And because she’s MJ and lying to her is pointless and telling her he doesn’t want to talk about it is pointless—and also a lie because Peter needs to talk to someone else about it and although Ned is like, the world’s coolest best friend, Peter’s not sure if he’s the one he’d want to get advice on this from. Although. That gives him pause and eyes MJ. It’s not like the three of them are good at these sorts of things so she’ll probably be as bad at this as Peter or Ned.

Huh.

‘Okay. Let me guess,’ she rolls her eyes, ‘it’s Stark.’

Oh god is it written on his face?

‘Oh, please,’ she waves her hand at him, ‘yeah. Hate to break it to you but I’ve seen you make that face multiple times already. It’s pathetic actually. You need to work on your poker face. For a superhero it’s really problematic.’

‘What? How? I wear a mask—‘

‘Yeah. That’s a good thing.’

‘Hey!’

‘I don’t mean,’ she waves at his general self, ‘you’re pretty, okay? I’m sorry I hurt your feelings,’ another roll of eyes, ‘alright. So what is it?’ She hitches herself up onto what’s going to be the new welcome counter for visitors to the shelter.

Peter sighs and then goes over to hop up next to her.

They both stare out the windows looking out onto the quickly darkening street outside. The streetlights are starting to come on further down the road. At least this is a better location than the other shelter, more traffic noise but more visibility and the noise won’t be so bad that it’ll unsettle the animals. Plus, Peter’s seen all the space in the back and MJ had said that this place would be able to hold more strays as well. The even better part is that this one also has a bigger room for the in-house vets. They have a rota for the volunteer vets that means they have someone to cover each day of the week. It hadn’t been an easy thing to do, but MJ had volunteered for the task of securing that part of it. If MJ ever tries to leave this place, Peter’s not so sure the manager won’t sabotage every attempt she makes just to keep her here.

It’s not perfect but Peter thinks they made a good choice with the relocation and that the shelter will benefit from it.

‘Well?’

Peter groans and rubs his hands over his eyes, digging the heels of his hands in until dull stars burst against the black of his eyelids. Then he pushes his hair back from his face, blinking when his eyes smart against the lack of pressure and the bright lights blaring down from the shelter’s ceiling.

‘Mr. Stark…’

‘Yeeees?’

‘I—with Mr. Stark, I mean, I want—I think—‘

MJ is staring at him, an unimpressed curl to her lip, eyebrow arched as she watches him try to get the words out. ‘Okay. So, basically you’ve realized what the rest of us have known all this time, which is, that you want to fuck Tony Stark.’

Peter’s mouth drops open.

‘And call him daddy.’

Peter splutters.

‘I’m joking, relax.’

Peter doesn’t look away from her. He can feel how tight his jaw is as he gnaws on on his lower lip. ‘I did. I do. Uh—not the part about calling him daddy—’ MJ gives him a doubtful look which Peter ignores because yeah okay, it’s not like it wouldn’t turn him on to do it—anything with Tony would turn him on at this point, ‘but I guess I’ve always had some kind of feelings for him? It’s just…it’s just…’ he thinks about the time he’s been spending with Tony.

He’s spent time with Tony before. But not like this. Not so intimately. Not with Tony so tactile and transparent in his concern. Emotionally. Because Tony has always told him when he thinks Peter is trying too hard.

Peter drags in a deep breath and then shrugs. ‘There were these moments that were so—so—you know? And, I mean nothing happened. But I felt like it could? And he pulled back. I’m not sure if he—if he feels the same way. He calls me a kid all the time.’

‘I doubt Tony Stark is under the impression that you’re still a fifteen year old. Not when you’ve had,’ she pauses there and makes air quotes, ‘moments.’ She gives him a long look. ‘So. What are you gonna do about it?’

‘What? Me? No! Nothing. What am I supposed to do?’

Yeah. She does not look impressed with him. At all. ‘Tell him. For starters. I don’t understand why you’re this nervous. Hasn’t he had his AI stalking you forever?’

He huffs. ‘That’s different, that was because. Because.’ He turns away, starts to swing his feet, bouncing his heels off the counter. ‘We almost died.’ Trepidation rolls over him whenever he gets close to even thinking about it. But he doesn’t shy away from it this time. ‘I did die. And he was there. It was so bad. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it. If any of us will, you know?’

Beside him, MJ sighs, soft this time, no irritation in it. She scoots until she’s sitting close to him, their arms pressed together. ‘Peter.’

He looks over at her. She’s looking at him, eyes soft and the smallest of genuine curls to her mouth. ‘Tell him.’

‘Right,’ he nods, faces forward again and watches the cars go by. ‘Tell him.’ He thinks about that morning. About all of those almosts that he’s sure weren’t felt by him alone. ‘Okay. Yeah. Sure. I can do that.’

‘So, tomorrow is the big night right?’

‘Huh? Oh, yeah. May already picked out this sweet tux for me and everything,’ Peter smiles. ‘I like it. I’m picking her up before we head over to the ceremony.’

‘Pictures. I want pictures, Parker.’

‘You know you could just come with us, right? Ned can’t make it either.’

‘Well, all the more reason for you to try and bang Stark tomorrow, right? Seduce him with your epic tux and non-existent charm.’

Peter shoves her—gently!—and can’t help but laugh when she flips him off.

‘Seriously, though,’ MJ says as she straightens and leans on the counter, really grinning at him now, ‘you suck at seduction.’

And yeah, Peter loves his friends.

[kutee-boutique-fan-blog]

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When you rescue one it’s their house not yours and cats are very clean animals. Free The Orcas Shirt I used to be mad mine jumped on my counters now it’s just the norm. In fact if they didn’t I would think something was wrong with one of my 8 babies. They know not to steal food but it’s nature for them to be curious of what is happening in their surroundings.  Ever heard about these things called Lysol wipes or cleaner and paper towels? The cat will jump up there regardless if you tell it no or not, as soon as you go out it’s jumping right up there.

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Human beings are more disgusting and creepy than animals. At least they know how to live life. We are all just working and wasting away slowly and painfully. I may be allergic to cats and not like them that much, but you cannot just apologize after insulting somebody’s pet preference the way that you did. Assuming that cat-lovers are unsanitary. Grow up. I bet a cat would say the same thing if they saw you,”gross!its creepy!”I’m pretty sure this is why we having cleaning supplies.

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If you’re more concerned about a cat being in a kitchen and not be concerned of what is humans do that is actually gross anddisgusting,then idk you might have to look around and see how disgusting we are sometimes.dont forget,some of us do some pretty dirty stuff in the kitchen,probably more dirtier than this cat probably will ever do just sitting there meowing.idk though,im just a cat lover.  Rather have my cat touch my counters than a dirty human. You realise you can wash the counters, right? Cats like to climb and they’re certainly not dirty animals.

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You would know that if you weren’t so ignorant.  Why would it matter if they were on the stove? Everything you cook on a stove doesn’t come in direct contact with your stove, it goes in a pan or pot lmao. Same thing with a table, like are you not civilized? Do you not use plates? I think this lady is just triggered by cats . This cat is finishing up washing all the dishes in the house because his humans broke the dishwasher. He’d be happy to fix you a nice tall glass of shut the hell up just as soon as he is done.

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Why are you up in arms about the cat on the counter? If it’s not your counters, what does it matter? Maybe he doesn’t mind. They’re HIS counters. He can have an entire litter up there if he wanted to. Honey every inch of that cat is going to be cleaner than any of your kitchen surfaces. Cats’ saliva is a natural cleaning agent and they clean CONSTANYLY. Your kitchen is a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Unless you’re bleaching your entire kitchen multiple times a day, it’s the kitchen that’s dirtying the cat.

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I reckon the look on old Dorenes face will be priceless once she reads all these comments haha. Free The Orcas Shirt Shouldn’t have made such a rude bold statement and maybe she wouldn’t have gotten so much backlash.I’m more of a dog person but id never call another animal creepy or disgusting, especially domestic ones owned by millions of people around the world – on a social media site where millions of people will see. Did you know that feces is the most common nasty thing on human hands? So remember.