#like I saw him and two interaction in went “yeah I can see him donating his pronouns to the same people that stole mine”

[thepandalion]

was anyone gonna inform me that jax checks all the gender boxes or was I supposed to just watch the first episode of the amazing digital circus and learn that the hard way

[fics-n-stuff]

Full Kook

For @ginghampearlsnsweattea (sorry the tag won't work), see request here

Pairing: Pope Heyward × Reader

Summary: Pope gets some advice from Y/N on what to do now that he's a rich man, while also trying to figure out how to tell her that he has feelings for her. (AU where the Pogues got the cross and some of the gold don't ask me how, I skipped that part)

Warnings: Just some swear words

Word Count: 2.8k

A/N: I think the violent heterosexuality of OBX affects my writing, because I write gender neutral readers for everything else but for my OBX fics the reader always ends up female (but I only used she/her pronouns 4 times and they're all contained within 3 consecutive lines of dialogue, so they're pretty easy to ignore). This is the first fic I've finished since my bout of writer's block and it's not my finest work but I'm still happy with it, I hope you are too ❤

“So what are you gonna do with it?” You asked, staring down at the five-foot gold cross sitting on the floor of John B's house.

“I haven’t exactly decided yet.” Pope replied, arms crossed over his chest where he stood beside you. “I think maybe John B was right and I should put it in a museum.”

“Can you get paid for the things you put in museums?”

“I don’t know. Not if it’s a donation, but maybe I could sell it to a museum? Not for what it’s actually worth because that would be insane but, like, for a good chunk I’d hope.”

“And then what are you gonna do with the money?”

“Well, I agreed to a five way split with the Pogues; six ways now that Cleo’s involved.” He explained. “But with my share... I’m not sure. Something good.”

“Of course.” You smiled fondly. Pope would only ever want to do something good.

It was unclear what you and Pope had between you, and it had been for a long time. You weren’t in his circle of friends and he wasn’t in yours, but there wasn’t a day that went by that you didn’t talk or text. You smiled and said hi when you passed each other in the halls at school, you sat next to each other in English and French. Your dads were friends and work associates, so you had known each other for basically your entire lives. You had keys to each other’s front doors, clothes and toothbrushes in each other’s houses, and you shared practically everything that was shareable.

All of your friends knew that you had a crush on Pope, though none of them understood why. You’d had a crush on Pope for about as long as he’d had a crush on Kiara, and you were good at pretending that it didn’t sting. But he had told you about everything that had happened between them, that she didn’t feel the same way about him, and suddenly it felt like things had shifted between you a little. You figured that you were just imagining it.

Even before that though, there had been a change in your friendship. Something unspoken in the way that you interacted that you had no idea what the cause for was. Pope was a strange guy most of the time anyway, you were absolutely hopeless at figuring out what this particular type of strange was all about. So you just went on as usual.

“Well I have to say, your disappearance was definitely a cause for concern, but I suppose if this is the result then the stress was probably worth it.”

“You were stressed?” Pope asked teasingly, and you rolled your eyes.

“Yeah, dumbass, I was stressed. You dropped off the face of the earth for, like, two weeks.” You huffed. “And with this too.” You gestured at the cross on the floor. You saw Pope’s smile turn into a grin, and you quirked your eyebrow curiously.

“I haven’t shown you everything yet.” He said, stepping over the cross and starting down the hallway to the bedrooms.

“What else could there possibly be to show me?” You asked, following after him. When you stepped over the threshold of John B's bedroom, you faltered at the sight of three big green lockboxes on the floor beside the bed. “What is that?”

“Alright, well, it’s nowhere near all of what there was, but...” He pushed off the lid of one of the boxes, and your jaw dropped at the shine of gold inside. “We got a little bit of it back.”

“Holy shit, Pope! Why didn’t you tell me this immediately!?” You exclaimed, rushing forwards to get a closer look. “How much is this?”

“I don’t know, we haven’t done the math on it yet.” He shrugged, watching you with a smile as you picked up a bar of gold and spun it in your fingers. “What do you think I should do with my share of this?”

“Invest it.” You replied with a firm nod. “Turn it into assets, let it make you more money. Then you can put that money into something else, another good thing. You know, once you’ve done the mandatory spending of, like, college and a house. Can I have one of these?” You asked, staring down at the shiny bar in your hand. When you looked back up at Pope he was grinning at you. “What?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head with a chuckle.

You heard the front door open and the voices of people coming into the house, and you set the bar of gold back down in the box.

“Pope! You still here bro!?” You heard JJ call.

“Yeah, we're in John B’s room!” Pope called back. You listened with an amused smile as footsteps and chattering voices came down the hallway towards you, and John B and JJ appeared at the door.

“Sup, Y/N.” John B greeted, and JJ gave you a friendly salute.

“How’d it go?” Pope asked.

“Uh, it went.” John B replied.

“Sarah’s gonna stay with some Kook family, Cleo’s good – she’s an illegal immigrant so the state doesn’t know that she exists – and I’ve got you. But John B still hasn’t got a legal guardian.” JJ explained to Pope.

“Threatened with foster care again.” John B sighed.

“I could ask my parents if they’d take you.” You offered, and all three boys turned to look at you in shock. “What? I know you actually plan on just staying here anyway. It’d just be paperwork and a performance, I’m pretty sure my parents would be down for that.”

“That would be awesome.” John B sputtered with a nod, and you laughed.

“Okay, I’ll ask them when I get home.”

“I take it Kie's on lockdown?” Pope asked, and JJ nodded.

“Oh yeah, big time.” He replied. “Sarah and Cleo are out back though.”

“Oh, I wanna meet Cleo!” You exclaimed happily. “She sounds awesome from what Pope’s told me.” You pushed through the door past JJ and John B, hurrying to the back door.

The two of them watched you disappear down the hallway before turning back to Pope.

“You gotta tell her, man.” John B said, and Pope rolled his eyes with a huff. “She so obviously likes you.”

“Stop it. She’s been my best friend since we were literally in diapers.” He said.

“Yeah, and she’s put up with your weirdness all that time. Only explanation for that is love.” JJ argued. Pope scoffed, moving past them to make his way to the kitchen to grab a drink.

What was he supposed to say? That he was basically in love with you? That he probably had been for years but didn’t realise it because he was so focused on his crush on Kiara? How was he supposed to tell you that without sounding like a dick?

The boys all sat down in the living room around the cross, spit-balling ideas on what they should do with it while they figured out what to do with it. They agreed that they couldn’t just leave it on John B’s living room floor, but they also didn’t know where to put it.

“Just keep it simple, man. Cover it with a blanket and push it under the bed.” JJ suggested.

“And then what if someone comes snooping while nobody’s here?” Pope argued. “Even if John B gets a legal guardian who let’s him stay here, he can’t be here all the time or DCS will pick up on it.”

“But where the hell can we put it that’s safer? As well as moving it without being seen?” John B questioned. All three of them fell silent, letting out simultaneous sighs.

“Let’s pick this conversation up later.” Pope grumbled, running a hand over his face.

“Pope! I know what you can do with the money!” You yelled, coming running into the house. “It’s such a good idea, I know you’re gonna like it.”

“Okay, what is it?”

“A scholarship fund.” You stated with a grin. When no response came, you put your hands on your hips with a frown. “Are you kidding? No reaction? Dude, this is perfect for you!” He shrugged, and your face dropped in genuine concern. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re just struggling to make a plan.” John B supplied.

“The logistics of hiding a massive, diamond encrusted, gold cross are proving a little difficult to figure out.” Pope added.

“It can’t be left out for someone to find but we have to be able to move it without being suspicious.” JJ finished.

“What about the cellar at Heyward’s?” You suggested after a moment of thought. “Nobody would blink twice at his son carrying some stuff down there, they’d just assume it was a shipment of something. And your dad never even goes in that back corner, right? It's just empty crates and things.” There was a short silence.

“That’s... actually genius.” Pope nodded, and you smiled sweetly. “We could move it in after the deliveries come on Friday, make it look like it’s just a late shipment.”

“I can bring my dad’s truck. Put it on a pallet and cover it with a tarp, nobody would look twice at you getting that off the back.” You continued, the boys nodding along.

“Yeah, you run shit back and forth from Heyward’s for your dad all the time.” JJ agreed. They were smiling now; you had presented the perfect solution. “You’re good at this. Why are you so good at this?”

“I’m smart.” You shrugged. “And not everything my dad brings in is strictly legal, so I know how to hide things.”

“Wait, woah, your dad’s a smuggler? How did I not know this? What’s he smuggling?”

“None of your business, JJ.” You laughed. “Anyway, Pope, do you wanna hear about my scholarship fund idea now?”

You were interrupted by your phone ringing in your back pocket and you fumbled to answer it. It was your dad telling you to come home.

“Okay dad, I’m leaving now.” You said, snapping your fingers at Pope and gesturing for him to get up. “Yeah, I'll drop Pope at home first. Also, I have something I need to discuss with you when I get home, can I ask you both to be open-minded?”

The boys watched you curiously, the silence in the room stretching as your dad replied. You started in surprise.

“How did you know?” You asked, and the three of them straightened up in shock. “He wouldn’t be trouble, promise... okay, you know, let’s continue this when I get home? Alright, see you soon.” You hung up and looked around the boys, giving a shrug.

“Does that mean my prospects are good or bad?” John B asked.

“Not sure. I think good.” You answered. “Pope, let’s go. Your dad’s expecting you, I get in trouble if you’re late. John B, do you have a phone yet?”

“Nope, can’t afford one.”

“Ironic. JJ, I have your number. I assume you’ll be here?”

“Yes ma’am.” JJ saluted.

“Great, I’ll text you the result of the discussion with my parents.” You smiled. You said your goodbyes and left out the back door to say goodbye to Sarah and Cleo too. You and Pope climbed into your dad’s truck and headed off home.

Since Pope ditched his dad’s truck in Charleston – it had been a bitch to get back to the OBX, and incredibly expensive – he was officially banned from driving it, as well as Heyward’s boat. That made you his ride, and your dad had given you a very extensive warning before handing over his keys.

You had a CD in the player, the volume turned high, and you drummed along on the steering wheel as you drove. You didn’t notice Pope watching with an endeared smile, didn’t know that he was thinking about how much he liked you and how the hell he was going to tell you that.

“What was that scholarship fund idea you had?” He asked.

“Huh?” You hummed, turning the music down to hear him better.

“The scholarship fund, tell me about it.”

“Oh! Okay, well, I was talking to Sarah and Cleo about what they were gonna do with their share of the money. Cleo was joking about all of the luxury things she would get herself but eventually she conceded that she wanted to open up an orphanage back in the Bahamas. Sarah said she was undecided, they told me about how Kie wanted to fund renewable energy ventures and initiatives to clean the ocean, and I was just thinking about what kind of thing you were invested in.” You explained, mouth moving a mile a minute.

“I figured a scholarship fund would be perfect, what with everything you went through trying to get yours and then losing it and what all of that meant for you and your family. It would create more opportunities for disenfranchised kids, give something to people who deserve an opportunity but need a leg up to get there, like you. You could name it after Denmark Tanny.”

Pope stared at you, dumbstruck, his head shaking lightly in disbelief. Your eyes flicked between him and the road and you laughed awkwardly.

“What?” You asked.

“You’re... amazing.” He breathed. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion, smile still on your face. “I mean it, you... you came up with that idea for me?”

“Yeah, I mean, you want to do something good. I wanna help.” You parked the truck across the street from Pope’s house and leaned back in your seat with a sigh. “This is your stop.”

“Um, Y/N... I have something I wanted to tell you.” Pope mumbled

“What is it?”

“So, uh, I think you’re awesome. You’ve been my support system for literally our entire lives and especially recently. I mean, you came up with the idea to hide the cross, you offered to try and get your parents to take in John B even though you guys aren’t that close. With getting the gold and the cross, my head’s kind if been spinning but I figured, well I realised, I’ve kind of been pushing it away but-"

“Pope, you’re rambling.” You interrupted, grabbing his shoulder to get him to stop and calm down. “Make your point.” He took a deep breath and nodded.

“I really like you, Y/N.” He said softly. “The idea of coming into all of this money sends me reeling but... you pull it back into perspective for me. You understand things practically, you explain them logically, you keep me grounded. You always have.”

You blinked.

“What- what do you mean?” you stuttered.

“I thought- I always thought that you were just my best friend, and I’ve had a crush on Kiara for literal years but... after everything that’s happened, I realised that you’ve always been there for me and I don’t know why I didn’t realise how much that meant to me sooner. I think I just got caught up in the idea of liking Kiara that I completely just ignored everything else that my heart was telling me, but it was trying to tell me that I like you. As more than just a best friend. And I have for years, I was just too stupid to notice when my feelings changed. But I don’t want to ruin things between us if you don’t-”

You cut him off by surging forwards and pressing your lips to his, and you smiled into it when you heard the startled noise that Pope made.

“You were rambling again.” You said quietly as you pulled back. Pope huffed a surprised laugh. “I think I got the gist of it though, and I really like you too.”

“Wow, okay, cool. That’s good to know.” Pope sputtered. “Glad I didn’t fuck things up between us.”

“You could never. Now go before your dad crucifies me.”

“One more thing and then I’ll go.” He smiled, and you raised your eyebrows inquisitively. “You’ll help me out with all this treasure stuff, right? Because before we had it the idea of being rich was really exciting, but now that we’ve actually got it and we have to figure out how to actually handle it all, I’m really freaking out.”

“Of course I’ll help.” You chuckled. “I’m very much still excited about the idea of being rich, and I will be rich because what’s yours is mine and always will be.”

“Obviously.” Pope laughed too.

“What was it you kept saying this summer? Full Kook?”

“Full Kook.” He nodded. “Thanks, Y/N.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and began to open the door, but you quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back in for another kiss. This one was better because Pope was less shocked by it.

“I have been waiting a very long time to be able to do that.” You grinned. “Okay, see at school tomorrow.”

“Okay, see ya.” He smiled, and hopped out of the truck. “You’re the best.”

“I know.”

You watched him all the way to his house, and he turned to wave goodbye as he stepped in the front door, a huge smile on both of your faces.

[raindownforme]

Crush

Charlie Slimecicle x Reader [she/her used]

It had been hours since y/n had started her stream. At the beginning of it she’d been working on the origins SMP and grinding at gathering supplies and resources while everyone else was off doing other things. A few times someone had popped onto the VC she sat in, Niki had talked while eating dinner and Ranboo had came to recount his day, but otherwise she had remained alone in the beginning.

But it had been several hours since then. Now it was 3 going on 4 in the morning. She sat curled up on her gaming chair, her eyelids just barely staying open. She was exhausted, but she was determined to stay awake until someone else started streaming. To pass the time, y/n had been interacting with chat and reading aloud donations.

“Hello?” A voice came through her headphones and she jumped, nearly falling out of her seat. “y/n?”

“Oh! Philza!” He chuckled a bit. Her voice sounded light and she began to yawn halfway through her sentence. “How nice to see you. What are you doing up?”

“Well it’s roughly noon for me and I was about to start streaming.”

“Ah. Of course.” She began to tap at some buttons, readying to move around her audience.

“Have you been awake for long?”

“Yeah. But I had a few people visit me.” As the notification of Phil going live dropped, she sent everyone over with a wave. “Niki and Ran came by.”

“Aw you sound disappointed.”

“Well I wanted somebody to come by but I guess he was too busy.”

Philza laughed again. “Yeah? And who’s somebody?”

In her stupor she giggled and winked towards a camera that wasn’t on anymore. “I can’t tell you who I have a crush on.”

The man froze, watching his chat go by a mile a minute. They kept throwing names around, even if they didn’t make sense, and he knew this wouldn’t end up any where good if it progressed. “Is it alright if we talk about this later? Why don’t you get some sleep.”

She yawned and stretched. She slowly went to get out of her chair. “Alright dad. Goodnight. I love you.”

“Love you too.” The discord call made the familiar noise of someone disconnecting and y/n turned off her display. She went and slunk into her bed, nesting underneath the covers, and quickly drifted to sleep.

———

y/n woke up a few hours later. As she sat up the first thing she did was reach for her phone to see a missed call from Ranboo. She went to call back and he picked up almost immediately.

“You are so dumb.”

She groaned and wiped at the sleep in her eyes. “Can I be awake for five minutes first.”

“No actually. You’re trending on Twitter.”

She squinted, trying to recall anything. “Did I do something bad? Was it last night or....?”

“It wasn’t like. Bad. But it was last night. You told Phil on live that you have a crush on someone.”

She paused, feeling her face grow warm with embarrassment. “Did I say who it was?”

“No you didn’t.” She sighed and felt herself relax a bit. “But they’re trying to figure it out. You didn’t make it very hard.”

“Well I didn’t say a name.”

“Yeah so you let them pick from the six men your age who have been on this server. Like I said you’re dumb.”

She sat up and got out of her bed, letting Ranboo sit next to her on speaker. She went to her desk and booted up her computer. She pulled up twitch on one monitor and Twitter on another. Loading up the streaming site, she sorted through all of us Phil’s new clips to look for last night. She found it quickly and began playing it.

“Have you been awake long?”

“Yeah. But I had a few people come visit me.... Niki and Ran came by.”

“Aw you sound disappointed.”

“Well I wanted somebody to come by but I guess he was too busy.”

Philza’s laugh echoed through her monitor’s speakers. “Yeah? And who’s that somebody?”

“I can’t tell you who I have a crush on.”

The clip ended with Philza glancing wide eyed between the camera and his computer monitors. y/n sighed and looked over at her other monitor. Her twitch name was trending. She clicked on the tag and scrolled through countless tweets of clips of her and other boys from the Origins SMP. There were ones of her and Jack, her and Charlie, her and Wilbur, her and Sneeg, and even her and Tommy or Tubbo. She took the time to respond to ones of her and the younger boys, emphasizing that if anyone was going to speculate anything it wasn’t going to be with her and children.

“Ran, what do I do?”

“Ignore it? It’s not like you have an actual crush on any one right?”

She paused, chewing the inside of her cheek. “Ran..”

“Oh! Oh my god!” He started laughing and y/n could hear him fall from his chair onto the floor. He kept laughing as he got up. “Oh please tell me who it is-“

“No! I’m an adult! I don’t have crushes on boys.”

“Oh that is fake!” He kept laughing and y/n rested her head in her hands. “You know you might as well tell me who it is.”

“Yeah fucking right.”

“I’ll black mail you.”

“No you won’t!”

“I’ll show Tubbo your number and he’ll leak it.”

“To who.”

“The discord.”

y/n rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah yeah. When are you getting on.”

“An hour-ish.”

“I’ll see you then.”

“Alright byeeeeeee.”

Ranboo ended the call and y/n sighed. If she told Ranboo who she liked, he’d eventually tell Tubbo, who’d eventually tell Tommy, until he told someone and so on so forth. They were teenage boys. It wasn’t a very lucrative group. And Tommy seemed to record with Charlie almost every week. It seemed impossible to get by without disrupting something.

y/n went on to busy herself around her home for the next hour or so, doing some cleaning and other chores that had to be done. When she finished, she made her way to her pc to begin recording. She wasn’t planning on a live stream today, but a recording session would still do her channel good.

As she sat to boot up Mojang, she pulled up discord on her second monitor. She saw the kids already in a call; Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo.

“Hey boys.” She slipped on her headphones as she entered the call, but they were all yelling.

“DON’T YELL AT ME.”

“I’L YELL AT WHOEVER I WANT WHEN I KNOW I’M RIGHT.”

“ARE YOU TOMMY? ARE YOU RIGHT?”

“Hi y/n.” Both boys stopped yelling as Tubbo pointed out that she had arrived. “Ranboo’s live by the way.”

“Thanks Tubbo. Are you guys on origins?”

“Yep!”

“Great, I’ll be on in a sec.” As she opened the world, she spawned somewhere she didn’t remember. It was dark around her, like she was swallowed by obsidian. “Uhhh, boys? I might be stuck.”

“I told you! I told you I was right! Chat tell Ranboo he’s an idiot!” Tommy started yelling again as Ranboo tried to tell him to shut up.

“That doesn’t explain why I’m surrounded by obsidian. I don’t have a pick!”

“Well, y/n,” she looked over to her discord call to see all the boys had their cameras on now. They all sat with their hands crossed while wearing sunglasses. Ranboo had his full mask on. Meaning he probably had camera on for his stream. Tubbo cleared his throat as he kept talking. “We have some questions for you.”

“If I answer can I get out of here?”

“If you answer honestly.” Ranboo leaned forwards a bit. “You told Philza Minecraft you had a crush on someone, correct?”

“Yeah. Sure. Might I add you’re all immature?”

“Is this crush, a man? Hmm?” Tommy tipped his sunglasses downwards slightly.

“Yes. How many more questions?”

“You’re not done. Is it someone on this server?”

“Does that matter Tubbo?”

“YES.” All the boys shouted in unison.

“Jeez fine. He has played on multiple servers, this could be one of them.”

Tommy slammed his fist on his desk. “HONESTY.”

“YES. HE IS.”

Ranboo gave a fake evil chuckle. “So it’s someone we know. A man we know. A gamer we know. One of us.”

“Yeah yeah.” y/n quickly pulled up twitch on her third monitor, making sure that he wasn’t watching Ranboo’s stream.

“Now y/n. I’m muted on my stream right now. Is it Wilbur?”

“Uhh…” He was there. He was watching the stream. Whatever she answered, he’d know.

“Wilbur! It’s Wilbur!” The boys started cheering as she realized that she didn’t quite answer. But as long as Charlie didn’t know the truth.

“Yeah. Can I come out now?” She watched charlie’s name disappear from the chat. In her game, Ranboo’s character came over to set her free from the obsidian.

“Thank you for your honesty.”

“Yeah no worries. I’ll see you later boys.” She logged out of the server and scooted away from the monitors. She knew she made a bigger problem for herself.

She walked over to her bedside table, taking her phone off the charge, and went to face time Wilbur. He picked up quickly, holding the phone extremely close to his face.

“y/n!”

“Are you streaming?”

“No not at the moment.”

“Great because I fucked something up.”

“Oooooh tell me.” Wilbur propped up his phone in front of him and took a drink of something in a mug.

“So the children- did you see the clip from Phil’s stream?”

“Absolutely. Continue.”

“They went and cornered me into telling who my crush is. And they said you and I was distracted so they assumed you-“

“Is it me?”

“No fuck off. But now everyone thinks it’s you and even worse, the actual person was watching! He thinks I have a crush on you and I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”

Wilbur nodded. “Well who is?”

y/n pursed her lips, thinking for a moment before admitting the truth out loud for the first time. “Charlie.”

Wilbur froze, then scrambled to pick up his phone. “I have to go.”

“WILBUR NO.”

The line went dead from Wilbur’s end and y/n groaned, chucking her phone against her pillows. She rubbed at her eyes with her palms, deciding she might as well continue recording.

y/n logged back onto the Origins server, keeping herself out of the active discord calls. She could see that the three boys were still in a call, and Wilbur was talking with Philza. She rolled her shoulders back, getting into the mindset to record.

“Hey everybody!” y/n went on start the recording, talking mostly to herself about finishing construction on her house. It was quite a tall house, built of mostly stone and cobble, but she was still proud of it. The bottom two floors were reserved for storage and mining, and there was one room of entirely water for Niki. The top floor was a large spread patio frames in by dark oak fencing with a glass roof surrounded by dark oak half slabs. Her being a skeleton in the game, having a vantage point helped her snipe enemy mobs. It was also conviennent for attacking creepers to get music discs. She had quite the collection growing already.

“Okay so if I-“ y/n paused, looking over at her other monitor. In the main chat of the Origins SMP server, Wilbur had a sent a singular message.

WilburSoot: dress formally for an event in 2 hours time hosted at the Pubé

y/n took a breath, a bit nervous of what that meant, but still responded to let him know she would be there. In the meantime, she continued on her video, taking the 2 hour period to build herself a lovely garden area and an additional storage area deep underground.

“Thank you everyone! I hope to see you all soon.” She ended the recording and took a breath. There were 15 minutes until Wilbur’s event, and she supposed she had to dress nicer than her pajamas.

A moment later, she returned to her computer wearing her favorite sweater and a comfortable pair of pants. Looking over at discord, she could see most of the Origins SMP members in a discord call together, excluding only Schlatt, Technoblade, and SMajor. She took a breath, thinking for a moment, then clicked into the call.

“Hello?”

“y/n!!!” Jack’s voice screamed through her headphones.

“Sorry he’s a bit loud.”

“OI. AM NOT.”

“Come down mate.” Philza cleared his throat. “y/n. Lovely to have you.”

“Thanks Phil.”

“Before we start, no one’s live at all.”

She paused cueing up the game, her mouse hovering over the server. “Before we start what?”

No one answered. Quietly, she entered the server and made her way to the Pubé.

“Welcome to event of the century.” Ranboo’s character jumped up and down. Every one stood in the Pubé facing her.

“Alright. And what kind of event is this?”

“A ball! With food and drink provided by Philza and music provided by Tommy.” Wilbur’s character ran over to the jukebox in the corner to show her.

“That’s lovely, Will. Was I supposed to be more dressed up?”

“I think you’re perfect as is.” Charlie’s character jumped up and down. She paused, trying to swallow the giddy feeling rising in her chest.

“Let’s begin! Tommy, the music?” Wilbur turned the the teen as he placed the music discs. y/n watched everyone pair off, leaving her and Wilbur alone. Wilbur walked over to her, hitting her playfully.

“Hey Wilbur.” y/n looked over as the two went into a separate call.

“y/n!!! How are you doing? Enjoying the party?”

“Well I haven’t been here very long.” She held her hands closed over her lap. “Wilbur, I feel like there’s something going on here.”

“It’ll be fine. Trust me?”

She sighed, a smile playing at her lips. “Fine.”

“Good.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “Maybe dance around a bit. I’m going to talk with Phil.”

They both left the chat, Wilbur entering a call of just him and Philza and y/n entering the main room. The music was still playing. Everyone seemed to have split off into groups, leaving her alone. She sat by herself, watching everyone mingle about. It was only her in the main call, leaving everyone else in groups, but it was nice. She turned her head to watch her second monitor, seeing Charlie move out of the call with Wilbur and Philza to the main room with herself.

“H-Hey there.” She watched Charlie’s small character bounce over to her. “How’s it hangin?”

“Oh. Uhm. Good I guess. It’s nice to see you back on the server.”

“Yeah I guess I haven’t played in a while. I mean I haven’t streamed that much either but I’ve been recording.”

“That’s nice!”

“Yeah. I mean I’ve been able to watch other streams though.”

y/n thought back Ranboo’s stream earlier in the day, knowing full well Charlie had been watching that one. “Right.”

“We don’t have to talk about it. I mean I know how you feel.”

“Oh. Oh no please tell me Wilbur didn’t say anything.” y/n rubbed at her forehead with the heel of her palms. Convincing the internet she was in love with Wilbur Soot had been a problem in its own, but Wilbur telling Charlie she had a crush on him? “Look Charlie I’m sorry I didn’t want him to tell you it’s just- god you’re so nice and funny and really cute and it’s a stupid crush I never wanted to ruin our friendship. I’m so sorry Charlie.”

The other end of the call was quiet for a moment, but then she head Charlie almost laugh. “You have a crush on me?”

The realization washed over like a tsunami. He’d been talking about the stream, Wilbur hadn’t said anything. “God no wait Charlie-“

“On me? You have a crush on me?”

“Okay now you’re just rubbing it in. I take it back.”

“You can’t take that back!”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want you to.”

y/n paused, a smile creeping on her face. “Are you telling me that you have a crush on me over a Minecraft server?”

“You said it first!”

She glanced over at the camera on her computer for a moment. “We could have avoided this the whole time?”

“I- yeah we could’ve.”

y/n giggled, resting her face in her hands. “Is this our first date then?

“No!” She could hear Charlie suck in a breath. “I mean, let me take you somewhere better. Just give me a few days?”

“Days? That’s speedy isn’t it?”

“Okay Maybe weeks. But I’ll take you somewhere. Anywhere. Trust me.”

“Of course.”

She could hear Charlie laugh on the other end of the call. “Until then, how much time do we have to make up for?”

She smiled, settling herself into her chair. “Charlie, more than you could ever think.”

[heyyyharry]

Deep End - Chapter 9: Closer

...in which Ezi has her first kiss.

Word count: 5.4k

AU: famous!harry, siren!mc, adult modern retelling of the little mermaid? lol, fake dating, enemies to lovers.

WARNING: MATURE THEMES

All chapters / Synopsis / Moodboard / Playlist

Wattpad link

A/N: Please tell me what you think about the chapter! Reblog if you could :)

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“Do you know why there’s a true love’s kiss and not a true love’s hug?”

“Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’? I was asking you.”

Harry sighed, his hands gripping the steering wheel. He had to keep his eyes on the road, but Ezi would keep distracting him with her shifting in her seat every two seconds and rambling on about silly topics he had no interest in. However, he’d promised to not be a dick whenever she talked to him, so he wouldn’t.

“Can’t you see that I’m driving?”

“So?” Ezi snorted. “Just answer the question.”

Harry sighed again. “I guess that’s because a kiss is more special than a hug...romantically.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“Why not not? You’re just exchanging saliva.”

“It’s special if you’re exchanging saliva with someone you care about.”

Ezi still wasn’t satisfied with that explanation. “Okay, but what if the person won’t let you kiss them? How will you know if it’s true love?”

“If they don’t want to kiss you, it means they’re not interested, and therefore, it’s not true love,” Harry said. He couldn’t believe he was actually giving this some thought, but oh well, it was a long drive to the manor anyway. “For me at least,” he added, “true love must come from both sides.” Then he stole a glance at her and did a double-take. “Are you taking notes on your phone?”

Ezi flinched and put her phone into her bag right when she made eye contact with him. “No.”

“Liar. You were.”

“I’m learning to be human.”

“Just say you wanna kiss me.” Harry smirked. “We’re the only people here. This is a safe space.”

“It’s never a safe space when you’re in it,” Ezi said.

Harry’s eyebrows went high. “Excuse me? Yesterday you almost attacked a child for cutting the line in the supermarket.”

Ezi gave a firm nod without showing any remorse. “And the child would have deserved it. You, on the other hand, are deadly with your words.”

“How?!” cried Harry. “I’ve been nothing but nice to you ever since we started fake dating.”

Ezi rolled her eyes and checked her watch. “Yeah, your new record of being nice to me is two hours. Congrats.”

Harry exhaled, his shoulders slumped. “Okay, I think we should go over what to do when we see my mum, because if we act like this in front of her--”

“Why are we seeing your mother again?”

“Didn’t Jeff tell you?”

Ezi shook her head. She seemed quite confused, so Harry guessed Jeff had forgotten. To be honest, Harry found it funny and a little concerning that she had no idea why she was in the car after having been in the car for two hours. Someone could just kidnap her one day, and she wouldn’t even realise until they told her it was a kidnap. Or, maybe she just trusted him not to drive her to a government lab and donate her organs to science.

“Well, Jeff wants some new PR content of you hanging out with my family,” he told her.

“Why?” she asked, face scrunched up.

He lifted his shoulders. “To humanise you.”

“Good luck with that,” Ezi scoffed, rested her elbow on the window on her side and twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “It takes a lot to humanise me.”

“Well, not literally. Just in the public eye, because a lot of people suspect that this is a PR relationship. We’ve only been seen together as friends or co-workers.”

“That’s not true. We’re not even friends.”

“Exactly!” Harry exclaimed. “So if we can convince my mother that we’re dating, we can convince the whole world. Trust me.”

Harry didn’t even exaggerate it; his mother could detect a lie from miles away. He could count the number of times he’d got away with a lie to her on one hand. However, he had never lied to her about being in a relationship. So hopefully, she’d be too happy with the thought of him not being a player like his dad to tell the whole thing was fake.

And so for the rest of the drive, he and Ezi tried acting out scenarios for when they met his mother again. They broke out laughing most of the time because Harry would say something too cheesy or Ezi would use some lines she’d learned from those Netflix originals that Harry had rated one star. Now that they were standing on the steps of the manor, they had to keep it together. Because no one would shout ‘cut!’ if they messed up their lines. This was almost like going in for a blind audition, and Harry knew his mother would be the toughest judge to impress.

“Harold!”

“Niall?” Harry’s eyes went wide when his best friend shoved the butler aside and embraced Harry at the door. Mikasa, Niall’s girlfriend, was standing right behind him, wearing a dark green satin dress that fell loosely to her knees. She gave Harry a lopsided smile, her black curls bouncing on her shoulders as she approached.

Harry hadn’t talked to her for weeks, but he assumed she already knew about Ezi. Hopefully just as much as his mother did. Unless Niall had broken the bro code and told Mikasa everything.

“Mimi, long time no see!” Harry said as he went in for a hug.

Mikasa eyed him up and down with her big smokey eyes. He always imagined those eyes having a special power that enabled her to stare right into his soul and read him like an unsealed letter. She was a psychiatrist and always making her friends feel like they were having a regular session in her office.

“So this is your girlfriend?” Mikasa asked, smiling at Ezi.

Harry’s gaze jumped to Niall, who subtly locked his lips with an invisible key and tossed it over his shoulder. Niall knew about the PR relationship, but Harry could always trust Niall not to tell anyone, even Mikasa. Especially Mikasa.

“Darling, you made it!” exclaimed Harry’s mother as she descended the stairs. Harry was just going in for a hug when he saw who were following behind her. And he froze.

Dawson and evil Aunt Beatrice. Dawson was wearing a simple black suit, completely made invisible by his mother in the tackiest neon orange sundress Harry had ever seen. He could hear his stylish crying just from seeing this outfit.

“What are they doing here, Mum?” Harry quietly asked his mother as they hugged.

His mother kissed his cheek and whispered back, “Since you invited Niall and Mikasa, I thought I should invite Dawson and his mother.”

“How is that the same thing?”

“Harry!” Aunt Beatrice said in her glass-breaking voice as she pulled him in for a suffocating bear hug. “Ah, you grew up so fast! I hardly recognise you!”

“It’s only been a couple of weeks, Aunt Beatrice.”

“I know, right? Kids these days.”

“I’m twenty-four.”

“Harry,” Harry’s mother reminded him, so Harry took a deep breath and went to stand beside Ezi. She looked at him like a deer in front of headlights. This couldn’t be good. His family must be overwhelming for her.

“Hey, Ezili!” Dawson waved at her with a smile, and suddenly, her face brightened, and she enthusiastically waved back. Traitorous little fish, Harry thought as he watched the two greet one another.

“Congratulations, you two,” Dawson said.

Ezi opened her mouth to reply when Harry threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her back to his side. He gave Dawson the best grin he could fake. “Thanks,” was all he said.

“Picture, everyone!” Niall interrupted the awkward interaction and pulled out his phone.

Everyone gathered together, and Niall winked at Harry. “Now, Mother Styles, could you stand closer to Ezili? Closer! Thanks. There we go. Looks like Ezili’s a part of the family.”

Once the picture was taken, he nudged Harry with his shoulder. “You’re welcome, asshole.”

Harry patted him on the back. “Send it to Jeff for me.”

“Boys, are you coming?” asked Mikasa, who was walking ahead, holding Ezi’s hand.

“Coming, lovebug!” Niall shouted at her and told Harry. “See? She likes Ezili.”

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“So what do you do for a living?” was the first question Harry’s mother asked Ezili when they sat down at the lunch table. They were eating in a glass house in the flower garden by the lake. There were people dressed in uniforms serving them tea and appetizers, and Ezili felt like she was Alice having tea with the Queen of Hearts and her courtiers in Wonderland.

“I work at a bookstore,” she said when one of the maids filled her cup with Jasmine tea.

She didn’t understand Harry’s mother’s appalled reaction and why Harry had to add, “Ezi owns a bookstore.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Harry’s mother said, sounding strangely relieved.

Irritated, Ezili leaned in and whispered to Harry, “Why did you lie?”

But he didn’t answer and only shushed her before smiling at his mother again.

“Can’t believe I get to live to see Harry bring home a young lady!” said Aunt Beatrice. Dawson opened his mouth to interject, but she didn’t give him a chance, “I always thought you were gay!”

At that, Niall choked on his tea, and Mikasa had to rub his back as he coughed violently into his fist. Ezili knew what gay meant, but why was it a bad thing?

“What if I were?” Harry asked his aunt. “I don’t see the problem with me being gay, which I’m not.”

“These biscuits are so nice, Aunt Annalise,” Dawson told Harry’s mother, probably trying to save the conversation from turning into a fight. But it seemed like Dawson’s mother was out for blood this morning.

“Harry,” Aunt Beatrice started again, and Ezili saw Mikasa and Niall sink into their chairs. “You’re a celebrity and the heir to this manor and your father's business. It’s so...unexpected of you to be dating some girl who works in a bookstore.”

Ezili wasn’t dumb. She might not understand a lot of things humans said, but she knew sarcasm like her mother tongue. It was her time to say something.

“What’s wrong with working in a bookstore?” she asked, making direct eye contact with Aunt Beatrice, who was shocked by the question. Everyone at the table seemed to be holding their breath.

“How much could you possibly do and make by owning a bookstore these days?” Aunt Beatrice laughed.

Ezili smirked and shook her head. “You could do and make a lot if you knew how to read.”

Harry kicked Ezili’s foot under the table, but she didn’t pay him a single glance. She believed she’d said nothing wrong at all. It was only the truth. Because why look down on people who worked at a bookstore unless you hated books because you couldn’t read?

Seeing his mother’s face turning red, Dawson burst out laughing. “Oh my God, she’s so funny!” Mikasa and Niall started laughing, too, and Harry’s mother awkwardly joined in.

“That’s what they call dark humour, Aunt Beatrice,” Niall told the angry giant lady. “Ezi’s a true Gen Z. She’s all jokes.”

Aunt Beatrice said nothing else. She shot a glare at a smiling Ezili and lifted her cup to take a sip.

“Oh, there’s my new cook!” said Harry’s mother as she waved at the door. “This is Dolores' first day at work. Come say hello, Dolores dear.”

“Good morning. I hope everyone’s having a wonderful time.”

Ezili’s entire body went stiff. Her eyes almost popped out of her head and dropped onto the plate in front of her. She knew that voice. Her heart was slamming against her ribcage as she held her breath. She felt the person’s presence beside her heavy like a weight ready to crush her bones into dust. Out of the corner of her eyes, she looked up.

Her sister Koa was grinning down at her.

“Ezili, are you okay?” Dawson asked, snapping Ezili out of her numbness.

Koa’s devilish grin remained as she circled the table after wishing everyone a pleasant meal, then disappeared out of the entrance.

Why was she here? Why did she have legs? How had she found Ezili?

“Okay, let's get straight to the point,” Aunt Beatrice started again, and everyone groaned at once. “How much did he pay you?”

“Mum!” cried Dawson.

“Excuse me?” Harry arched an eyebrow.

“It’s PR, isn’t it?” Aunt Beatrice said to him. Ezili was having a hard time paying attention to the argument while her heart was still pounding in her head. Her sister was here, either for her, or after her.

“You can’t do that to your mother, Harry,” Dawson’s mother went on. “She might be easily fooled but I’m not.”

“We should’ve gone for mini-golf,” Mikasa muttered to Niall, who exhaled into his hand.

Harry turned to his mother. “You’re just gonna let her disrespect my girlfriend like that?”

His mother opened her mouth to speak, but his aunt was faster. “If she’s your girlfriend then kiss her.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Harry scoffed and threw his hands in the air.

Ezili immediately stood up. All eyes fell on her.

“Excuse me,” she said, her voice trembling. “I must go to the bathroom.”

“I’ll take you--”

“No, Harry, you stay.”

Harry slowly sat back down as Ezili pushed her chair out and headed straight for the door. Thankfully, he didn’t follow her.

She crossed the garden and asked one of the employees where the kitchen was. As it turned out, they had a separate kitchen for when they served food in the glasshouse. Ezili couldn’t see the point of having more than one kitchen, but this was no time to question it.

When she found Koa, no one else was there but them. It seemed as if Koa had known Ezili would follow her here, so she’d asked everyone else to leave.

Ezili stood at the door while her sister stood by the counter with her back turned to Ezili. The first thing Ezili noticed was the knives within Koa’s reach. Ezili must be wise when confronting her sister.

“What are you doing here?” she asked Koa in Séren.

Koa slowly turned and leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “I’m a cook. Can't you see?”

“How did you find me?”

The corner of Koa’s lips curled as she unbuttoned the collar of her white shirt and revealed a gold necklace. Ezili sucked in a breath when she saw the shiny trident-shaped medallion on her sister’s chest.

“Is that--”

“Mother’s trident,” Koa sneered. “Yes, it is.” Then she buttoned up her shirt to cover it. “Now we can see who mother trusts more.”

“Why--”

“Aunt Nerissa came for a visit last week,” Koa said. Ezili knew that name could never be associated with anything good. “Mother doesn’t trust her, so she asked me to go on land to find you, but also to keep the trident away from Nerissa’s clutches.”

Ezili swallowed hard, her fists tightly glued to her sides. “What happened to the cook?”

Koa clicked her tongue. “She’s swimming with fishes now. Like the ones swimming in her pot just then.”

“You drowned her?!”

“In the lake.”

Ezili gripped her head and advanced towards Koa. “How many humans have you killed?”

Koa chuckled and took a few steps forward until she was dangerously close enough to hurt Ezili. She stood with her back straight and arms folded, her silver eyes flickering in the sunlight. “The important question is…” She stared Ezili down. “How many have you killed?” Ezili bit her lip when Koa poked her chest with her long nail. “Or are you too busy dating now? People are talking about it everywhere.” Ezili said nothing, so Koa went on, “It’s a fake relationship, isn’t it?” She leaned in, taunting. “Come on, Sister. Admit that you’ve failed. That you can’t make the human fall in love with you. Why so quiet? Is it because if you admit it, you’re an embarrassment and you lose the trident to me, and if you deny it, then it means you’re becoming way too human to kill him.”

At that, Ezili shoved Koa away and stabbed a finger at her. “Leave me alone. Mother gave me a year for this mission.”

“We won’t have that much time, stupid,” Koa snorted. “Narissa is onto something. The queendom is already in danger as we’re speaking. And you’re here having...brunch?” She clicked her tongue, shaking her head. “Pathetic.”

“Ezi?”

Both of them whipped their heads around and saw Harry, who stiffened in the doorway.

“Ezi?” Koa cackled, hugging her stomach. “Is that your human name? Are you his pet now?”

Though confused, Harry stepped into the kitchen anyway. “Ezi, you’re alright?”

“Harry, watch out!” Ezili shouted, but Koa was already on top of Harry on the floor. She sank her fangs into Harry’s arm with the rolled-up sleeve. Harry yelped in pain as Ezili dragged her sister off of him and slammed Koa’s head against the table. Hissing, Koa grabbed a knife on the counter and aimed it at Ezili, but Ezili was fast enough to kick it out of her sister’s grip and sent one more kick into Koa’s stomach. Koa was stronger than Ezili had thought as she plunged at Ezili again.

“Harry, run!”

But Harry didn’t run. He was back on his feet, grabbed a vase and smashed it onto Koa’s back. “Do not hurt my fake girlfriend!”

Koa rolled off of Ezili. The last thing Ezili could see was her sister’s bloodied face as she stumbled towards the door and ran off into the light.

Ezili lay there until her vision cleared again, and Harry helped her back to her feet.

“What the fuck?!” he yelled. “Who the fuck was she?!”

“My sister,” Ezili said, still holding her aching head.

“The one who tried to drown me? Why is she here?”

“To kill me, I think.”

“Why?”

“Harry--”

But Harry wasn’t listening. He was pacing back and forth like a mad man. “This isn’t good, Ezi. This is bad! Your crazy sister is gonna expose us!”

“Expose us?” Ezili grabbed him by the arm and spun him around. “She almost killed you.”

It seemed as if Harry had forgotten that his arm was bleeding until Ezili had brought it up. He suddenly winced and fell into a chair.

Ezili scanned her eyes around the messy kitchen, panting as she tried to make sure that Koa had escaped. Then, she got down on her knees beside Harry and reached for his wounded arm.

He stared down at her in confusion, then his expression turned horrified when she leaned in.

“What the fuck?!” he hissed and yanked his arm away.

She glared up at him in annoyance. “Let me help!”

“Hell no! You’re not gonna lick my blood.”

“You need to clean the wound!”

“With water! Not by sucking it!”

Ezili huffed and aggressively got up while silently cursing Harry in Séren.

“There’s a--” His voice cut off when she tore off a piece of her dress “--towel over there,” he trailed off. She ignored him and went to the sink to soak the piece of fabric in water. He shook his head and blew up his cheeks. “Nevermind. You do you.”

Still glaring at him when she returned, Ezili got back down on her knees and started cleaning Harry’s arm. The place her sister had sunk her fangs into had turned dark red. It would definitely leave a huge bruise tomorrow.

“Lucky for you Koa was distracted and didn’t aim to bite your whole arm off,” Ezili whispered and glanced up, meeting Harry’s gaze. “You sure you don’t want me to lick your wound?”

“Well, now that you’re already in this position, you could just lick something else,” he chuckled.

Ezili’s eyes narrowed. “Like what?”

To her confusion, Harry covered his face and shook with laughter. “Sorry, that was a dumb joke. I just couldn’t help it.”

“I didn’t get it.”

“Yeah, that’s how a joke loses its funny,” he sighed then snapped his fingers. “Ooh, maybe I should just pretend that I don’t understand whenever someone tells me a joke, so that they gradually lose their funny.”

“That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard,” Ezili remarked.

“What do you mean?” Harry pouted. “I don’t get it, babe.”

Ezili rolled her eyes at his childishness, still, she couldn’t help but smile a little.

Once she had wrapped the piece of her dress securely around his arm, Harry pulled down the sleeve to cover it as he got to his feet. “That should do. Let’s hope my mother won’t suspect that we just got attacked in her kitchen by her cook, who was your evil siren sister in disguise. Damn, that sounds crazy even for me.”

Ezili stood with her arms crossed. “Do you think your mother can tell we’re not really dating?”

“Nah, my mother totally believes it.” Harry shrugged. “Honestly, I think we’re doing a great job pretending we’re in love when we can’t even have a conversation without insulting each other.”

“I don’t get paid enough to call you babe so many times.”

“Neither do I. This PR relationship is harder than I tho--”

Harry’s sentence got cut off by a sound at the door. When they both turned to it, Dawson was standing there, his eyes wide with shock.

Ezili was hoping that was the reaction to the messy kitchen and not to what she and Harry had said. However, luck wasn’t smiling at her tonight. Dawson’s appalled gaze jumped from Harry to Ezili. “What do you mean by ‘PR relationship’?”

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“I can explain,” Ezi said, reaching for Dawson, but he backed away while staring at both her and Harry in disbelief. Harry believed Dawson wasn’t shocked that Harry could pull something like this, because Harry hadn’t been exactly the good kid growing up. What Dawson hadn’t expected was Ezi being part of this plan. Ezi must be an angel in Dawson’s eyes.

“So my mother was right,” Dawson said, flicking his finger between Harry and Ezi. “You were lying to everyone.”

“Dawson--” Ezi began, but Harry pulled her back by her wrist.

“Please don’t tell my mother,” he told Dawson and received stunned looks from both Dawson and Ezi. They probably hadn’t expected that coming from him. “This means a lot to her, and I don’t want her to be any more let down,” Harry continued. “Also, Ezi needs money, and I’m just trying to help. She’s also writing the next album with me, so it’s all good business.”

Dawson peered at both their faces for a long moment as if he was psychoanalysing each of them. Then, he breathed, “So you two don't have feelings for each other?”

“No.” Ezi shook her head fast and tugged at Harry’s sleeve. “Harry, tell him.”

Harry opened his mouth. Suddenly, he thought about how frightened he’d been when he’d thought Ezi’s sister was going to kill her. He could’ve run off and let her deal with it alone since he hadn’t asked to be part of her family drama, and he wasn’t brave, either. Nevertheless, he’d jumped in to help her.

“No,” he said, only to realise he shouldn’t have taken such a long pause to say only one word.

“See?” Ezi smiled at Dawson, who seemed less sceptical now.

“Okay,” Dawson said, his face relaxed as he put his hands on his hips. “Who else knows? Niall and Mikasa?”

“Mikasa doesn’t know,” Harry said. “Only Niall.”

“Alright.” Dawson nodded and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But you guys are really bad at pretending to be in love,” he told them after another moment. “I’ll try to tell my mum to stop being rude to you. But just to be safe, you should make it more convincing.”

Ezi heaved a sigh of relief and placed her hand on Dawson’s arm. Harry swore he saw Dawson hold his breath as if Ezi had the Midas touch, and Harry had to fight the urge to roll his eyes.

“Thank you, Dawson,” Ezi said in the softest tone Harry had ever heard.

“Your dress,” Dawson pointed out while eyeing her and then the kitchen. “What...what happened here?”

“There was a rat,” Harry blurted.

Ezi joined in, “Harry tried to kill it then it knocked over the vase, and I fell and pulled him down with me and ripped my dress on the glass.”

Dawson furrowed his brows as he nodded at the piece of Ezi’s dress in her fist. “That’s your blood?”

Ezi shook her head. “It’s the rat’s.” Then, she looked over at Harry, suppressing a grin. He stayed quiet and glared at her.

“Oh, God. That’s disgusting,” Dawson made a face. “Need me to help you clean up?”

“No, I’ll take care of it,” Harry said. “I’ll take Ezi upstairs to clean up. Could you distract everyone for a while?”

“Yeah, sure,” Dawson nodded, gave Ezi a tight-lipped smile and turned to the door. “Now, where the hell is the cook?”

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Harry could hear every single word of the Jonas Brothers song playing downstairs. It seemed like everyone had finished brunch without him and Ezi, and now Niall was turning the manor into a concert. Niall and Mikasa had met at a Jonas Brothers’ concert years ago, and they would not let people forget about it. What they had was cute, but Harry could not imagine being with someone for that long. A PR relationship was tiring enough; he didn’t think he could ever handle a real one.

Back against the wall, he stared at his watch and tapped his foot impatiently before he came to knock on the door to his mother’s walk-in closet. “Ezi, are you done?”

“I don’t know how to put this on!”

Harry tossed his head back and groaned. “Do you need help?”

“Yeah!”

“Goddamn it,” he muttered under his breath. “Cover yourself. I’m coming in.”

Just to be safe, he had his hand over his eyes when he opened the door.

You'll say my name like it's been on your lips

Familiar in ways I can't explain

You got a heart that I know I can miss

Hold me like that and pull me right back again

The music outside became muffled. Harry peeked through the gap between his fingers, and nearly had a heart attack when he saw Ezi standing there topless with only jeans on. “I told you to cover yourself!”

“Oh, please, there’s nothing you haven’t seen.”

“It’s different every time.”

“How? I’ve only got one body.”

“No, seeing you feels different every time. It’s weird.”

Time stands still and it's only us

What we feel started way before we ever touched

Just imagine only us

Yeah, you found me right before I'd given up

Ezi said nothing, and Harry lowered his hand, feeling glad that she was facing away from him now. She looked over her shoulder, frowning. “Help me with this shirt!”

He ruffled his hair and padded over to take the shirt from her hand. “You got the button stuck?! This is my mother’s favourite Chanel shirt!”

“It was like that when I found it.”

“Liar.” Harry shook his head and started examining the stuck button. Ezi turned around, hugging her chest so her breasts weren’t exposed to him. He was trying his best not to look. Maybe he shouldn’t have put her in a dress that didn’t require a bra. He guessed he’d played himself.

“Harry.”

“Damn, maybe I should get you another shirt and buy a new one for my mum. I don't know how to fix this.”

“Harry,” Ezi repeated and tapped Harry on the arm. He looked up, face heating when he saw her.

I just saw the lightning strike

Knew it right then when I looked in your eyes

And I said to myself, "It's no surprise we ain't strangers"

Strangers tonight

Still, he acted indifferent. “What?”

“I think we should kiss,” she said, making him flinch.

“Why?” He was already sweating through his palms. His mother’s shirt could no longer be saved now.

“To make it more convincing,” Ezi said as if them kissing wasn’t a big deal to her. “Maybe if there’s a picture of us kissing--”

“Have you ever kissed anyone before?”

She froze at the question and blinked at him.

I came here looking for another excuse

To run away from something beautiful

It's like it's driving me closer to you

Every step back pulls me right back

At this question, Ezi’s whole life up until that point flashed before her eyes. She had lost count of all the times she’d kissed sailors before drowning them. But she wasn’t going to kiss Harry to kill him. Not yet at least. He would still be there, alive, when she opened her eyes. He would still be aware of her lips against his. And she would, too.

“No,” she lied.

And he believed it. He cleared his throat. Suddenly, her standing there topless wasn’t weird anymore. “Okay, it’s pretty easy.” He put the shirt aside. His fingers were shaking so he opened and closed his fists a few times before beckoning her over. “Come here.”

She took a step forward.

“Closer.”

Another step.

Harry’s face reddened with a small smile. “Ezi, closer.”

He’d never talked to her in that tone before. It was soft and firm at the same time, and she completely forgot having sworn to herself that she would never let him tell her what to do. She came so close she could not tell his breath from her own. His eyelids fluttered, and his pink lips parted, yet no word escaped. Then, he leaned in.

Must be from a different life

Been here before and it just feels right

No, this ain't the first time for you and I, we ain't strangers

Strangers tonight

But it was her who took his face between her hands and kissed him first. He froze for a second, then started kissing her back, his arms circled around her waist, pressing her against him.

Harry’s entire body grew hot. The voice inside his head told him to stop, but it only made him bolder. He liked that she’d taken charge. Her hands were under his shirt as his roamed across her naked back. His eyes went wide when she unconsciously let out a moan.

Strangers

Strangers

Strangers tonight

“Ezi,” he breathed against her lips. But before he could say anything else, there was a knock on the door.

“Harry, are you in there?”

Ezi pulled away as Harry threw his head back and exhaled harshly. “Yes, Niall?”

“Is Ezili there with you?”

“Yes,” Harry answered in a croaked voice and quickly cleared his throat. “Yes,” he repeated, sounding more stable. “Why?”

“You missed all the fun stuff. Your mother scolded your aunt for what she’d said to you and Ezi, and Dawson had to take his mother’s home.”

Harry looked over at Ezi, expecting her to be thrilled by the good news, but she only gave a small smile, her arms still tightly wrapped around herself to cover her breasts. Was she...shy?

Yes, yes she was. Ezi didn’t think she could ever be shy. But here she stood, blushing all over from a stupid kiss.

“Are they in there?” Harry’s mother’s voice outside the door made Harry and Ezi jump.

They looked at each other, scared when Niall told Harry’s mum that they were in the closet together.

“Not in my closet, Harry!”

“I’m just helping Ezi get changed, Mum!”

“You better!”

And then their footsteps faded down the hallway, along with his mother’s laughter.

Ezi and Harry made eye contact with each other and looked away at the same time as silence ensued. Suddenly, Harry started sniffing.

“What is it?” Ezi asked, worried.

Harry leaned in and started sniffing her neck, and she pushed him away. “What the hell?!”

“You smell.”

“Excuse me?!”

“No.” Harry shook his head fast. “You smell good. But..you didn’t have a smell before.”

Ezi quickly lifted her arm to smell herself. “I smell nothing.”

“That’s because it’s your own smell, so you don't recognise it. But--” Harry cut off midsentence and picked up a strand of her hair and brought his nose to it. Then, his lips curled. “Aww, my kiss turned you a little more human.”

“Shut up!” Ezi shoved at his chest. “I’m not turning more human! That’s not true!”

“It is true! Kiss me again. I’ll prove it.”

She said nothing, only glared at him as he burst out laughing and tossed her a t-shirt.

[pinkhairedlily]

Chapter 10 - Student Council President Sakura

SCPS AO3 | PREVIOUS CHAPTER

To Sakura, world still revolved normally; nothing changed between them, nothing mattered enough for her to behave differently. To Sasuke, the world shifted in its axis, having revealed a glimpse of his true feelings to her however falsely convenient she deemed them to be; everything changed between them, everything mattered enough for him to behave differently.

Like flinching at her slight grazes on his skin or his ears picking up her voice in the middle of the crowd noises or his eyes following the trail of her rose hair tied up in a ponytail, bewitched by the sway of the strands as she tousled to get to the front of the fray, her fingers burning a hole through his sleeve.

“HOMERUN!” The announcer screamed through the microphone, the feedback running through ripples in the throng of people. “Uzumaki Naruto nails a clutch win in the last inning for his team in their first ever nationals!”

Screams erupted around them, and as others jumped and cursed and hugged each other, she stood there frozen in time, her hands on her mouth. “He won. He won, Sasuke.” Her voice quivered, and he knew then that she was crying.

“Yeah, the blonde idiot won.” He allowed himself to smile, picking the blonde among the ruckus that enfolded below.

An hour and lesser filled stadium after, the two went down to congratulate their friend with open arms despite the sweat and the grit. Sasuke went with the flow, jumping up and down and circling about in the middle of the pitcher’s mound. They broke away from each other’s hold after several minutes, breathless in the undertaking, and flushed with all the gleeful screaming.

Two firm pats on Naruto’s back and a ruffle on his porcupine hair. “You did well, idiot.”

“Ah I earned a compliment from grumpy. This truly is the best day of my life!” His teammates broke in laughter in the background.

“I’m so proud of you. I’m so glad we took the bullet train to watch your game,” Sakura said through tears. Perhaps it was the height of the celebration or the ride of her emotions; she reached for Naruto’s face and placed a kiss on his cheek.

Sasuke turned away just in time, thankful for the screams, hoots, and whistles that possessed the student body. In his aversion, he also saw another face who kept looking anywhere but at the two. Hyuga Hinata, his ironic comrade in heartbreak.

Haru was in the group of spectators earlier, a pseudo-coach and mood-raiser for the team, his undercut prominent against his cap. Sasuke guessed him and Hinata were civil enough to be enclosed in a common space. He walked towards her, hands in his pockets.

“I’m gonna confess to him in the cultural festival,” she told him before he could reach her side.

He leaned against the bleachers, shutting out the continuing noises from the student body. In the midst of it, he can hear Sakura scolding all of them for misunderstanding. “And you’re gonna get rejected.”

“At least I told him what I felt,” she replied. “Did you already?”

He shrugged, unsure himself whether he got the point across or not.

“You better make it clear. You berated me for giving mixed signals after all.”

“You don’t hold your punches, Ms. Hyuga.” Sasuke sighed. “I think she rejected me already.”

Hinata let out a small laugh, the first in his vicinity. “Well, I’m just giving back your advice. If you think it so, you should ask again.”

“A second heartbreak won’t do me good.”

“The future has a lot in store.” She finally landed her gaze on Naruto and Sakura who separated now and were engaged by Haru in some funny exchange. “Good luck to us, Uchiha. I’ll take my leave.”

Sasuke detached himself from the bleachers. “Without saying congratulations?”

But Hinata continued on her exit without giving him a reply. To his surprise, it was not only him who caught her leaving; a pair of blue eyes also followed after her, mouth agape, hesitant to call her name not when he was in the presence of her ex-boyfriend and ex-captain. Ah, we’re all stuck in this complex hell, aren’t we?

His phone vibrated against his pocket. On normal days, he would ignore the call, but today wasn’t normal and he had to act nice for the favor he asked.

“Did your best friend win?” Itachi’s voice greeted him.

Sasuke didn’t correct him on the terminology. He just grunted a small yes, and somehow, he can hear his brother smiling on the other end of the call.

“Glad my donation helped fund their team’s expenses. I take it you also spent some for the bullet train?”

Again, another small yes.

“That’s nice.” It was the first time he heard Itachi chuckle again after the accident. “I’m glad you have friends.”

They’re not my friends fell silent on Sasuke’s lips. All he wanted was to consistently rank first, have uninteresting interactions…but all of those foiled because of the two. “Yeah, something like that.”

He heard the beeping pager in the background. “Gotta run, little brother. See you.”

Little brother. Sasuke swallowed back an unfamiliar sound.

It was a sob.

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

Sakura tried to look at anything but him – the titles of books on his shelves behind, the heads of other faculty members bobbing, the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock. Kakashi clucked upon seeing her career sheet.

“Haruno, you’ll be graduating salutatorian, just points away from Uchiha Sasuke and yet you haven’t listed a university or a job listing. It’s referral season, and you’ve done a lot of good in this school.” Kakashi held his eyes steady on her, a firm line on his lips. “Don’t you want help?”

She mustered a smile, if that was what they call it nowadays, and handed him a filled out form. Whether he could see that it was written with wavering hands, she’d never know. “I settled on fashion design. I’ve always wanted to be a seamstress myself.”

That was a lie, and she knew Kakashi knew judging by how the firm line stayed. He briefly nodded and let her go.

Sensing the bubbling anxiety, she traversed the noisy hallways and almost sprinted to what has also become her safe space – the hidden spot of the boys behind the library. It wasn’t lunch time yet so Sasuke and Naruto wouldn’t be here. She slumped against the wall, sobs racking throughout her body.

Aimless was what she would describe her direction, untethered her depth, and a black hole her emotions.

“I wish you would let me help you.” Kakashi’s voice made her jump. She scanned her surroundings but cannot find a telling strand of silver in the hedges. He was probably standing on the entrance, just before the canopy of vines. “I didn’t follow you. I just knew the three of you went here for lunch and after-school chats. I’m a faculty, Sakura.”

“Please go away.” She never heard her voice sounded so small…and vulnerable.

“Sometimes, talking it out would make the burden feel lighter.”

She didn’t respond, and he didn’t wait for it. His audible footsteps were an indication he was moving away so she took the bait. If this was one way to be near him, why couldn’t it be in the guise of her pain?

She emerged in the hedges, eyes bloodshot red and strained, only to find him leaning against the wall, waiting with a handkerchief for her.

In an ironic turn of events, he brought her to the program she initiated. When he turned to leave to give her the privacy she needed, she asked him to stay. And that simple silent gesture gave her the courage to face her reality.

That her parents were divorcing, and in a futile attempt to cope, she made herself scarce, almost invisible.

Perhaps she was too much work for a middle-class couple with a lot of bills and unemployed siblings to feed. Maybe if they didn’t have a child that hindered their defining career opportunities to relocate or get promoted to an overseas position. Her outstanding community work and numerous distinction medals just weren’t strong enough to warrant a reconsideration of their decision.

And maybe it was a wrong move to get a part time job and dissociate from the pink-haired, studious Sakura and be the adult black-haired, funky cashier Sakura because it only gave them the idea she can live just fine on her own without any of them worrying about her instead of seeing the whole thing as a call for help.

“If you’re ready, you should share your problem to the two,” her sensei said when they finished with her therapy consultation.

“They have heavier baggage,” she simply replied.

“They’re not comparable. Naruto has an empty baggage, a kid with no past, yet he drags it around. Sasuke has sand for load, it’s leaking at the seams but he refills it. And for you, it could be air or water. It’s because you’re compressing them all inside that they become heavier.” He laid a hand on her head, an action of a sensei to a student. “Thanks for sharing some of those with me, Sakura.”

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

Cultural festival was an amalgamation of confessions, last clinchers, and stolen moments. Whoever snatched a dance with someone they liked would be blessed with good relationship – that was how the saying went among the ranks of students.

It was the reason why Sasuke and Naruto hid throughout the day in their spot, content to eat instant ramen, batches of onigiri, and packs of orange and tomato juices. Throngs of freshmen and second years were on the hunt for their feet as dance partner.

“If only they knew I have two left feet,” Naruto grumbled. “I can’t even enjoy the day with Sakura. It’s pathetic to think I’m stuck with you.”

“I second,” Sasuke said. “Do you think she’ll confess to Kakashi later?”

“She hasn’t made a move yet?”

Sasuke shook his head.

“Wait what do you mean you second?”

Minutes of silence ensued. Sasuke put a whole onigiri in his mouth, too flustered to say it right at his face. “I like Sakura.” The words were jumbled with his chewing, and he was sure Naruto didn’t catch it.

But the idiot grinned and laughed maniacally. “The great pretender finally admits! When did you realize it? Did you have the fireworks in your head too?” He even mimicked a rainbow with his hands.

“That’s a rainbow, you idiot.” Sasuke scratched the back of his head. “When she was busy looking at Kakashi playing the piano.”

“Ah, will we ever have the chance?” Naruto snickered. “Let’s confess tonight, grumpy.”

“Already thought of that and already prepared for it.” Despite the seemingly downfall trajectory of their common affections, Sasuke still managed a smirk.

Not to be one-upped, Naruto pulled out his phone and flashed a small bouquet of dahlias. “Ready to be picked up tonight.”

A Greek tragedy, that was them; two best friends falling in love with and being rejected by the same girl.

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

Majority of the school population have gathered around the giant bonfire on the campus grounds, but Sakura knew Kakashi would be stuck in his cubicle in the faculty lounge, nose-deep in a novel, headphones in to drown out the noise, and feet propped up on his desk.

Tonight was the night she would bare her other truth naked to him.

But before she could even step foot in his space, she already heard the voice of his favorite book drifting across the nooks and partitions.

“You should be with your students.” Giggling and a sound she would only assume was a string of kisses.

“I don’t have much time with you. Let me be greedy just this time.” Hearing her sensei say that painted him in another light. So there was this very attached Kakashi, far from the laidback and chill professor she knew.

Sakura should turn her heels and join the rest of the student body. She should act like a good student model, ignore her teacher’s affairs, and pretend she was never here. Except she tripped while running, and that summoned the two of them to her aid.

“Sakura? Did you need something?”

She side-eyed Rin Nohara and shook her head, her one only good chance blown to bits by her own recklessness and stupidity. She muttered an apology and starts to walk away with limping feet when Rin stopped her.

“I’ll get a drink in the vending machine. I’ll be back in five minutes Kashi.”

Thank God for women intuition, Sakura thought.

But inevitably she was left alone in the corridor with her heartbeat far stronger than the noise of the band outside around the campfire and the unknowing subject of her admiration. She held tightly to his rubber tie around her wrist, the mark etched deeper by each day she leaves it there mangled with her pulse.

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, a smile etched on his face, the soft moonlight falling on his features only to highlight his beauty mark. It was unfair seeing him like this only to have him break her heart.

She knew she didn’t stand a chance, but even then, she had to hear it clear and loud.

“I like you.”

Were three words ever enough to encapsulate the three years of affection she held for him? One word for each year she felt content with glimpses of him, may they only be passing shadows in the halls, an echoing voice in the adjacent room, the silent arbiter in council meetings or a silver strand she could easily pick out in a sea of black of white.

Kakashi looked at her, his smile still etched, his face still immaculate. “That wasn’t a question.”

“And that wasn’t a reply.” It was nature to look away when one was too scared to face truth, but for the many times he helped her, even without him fully realizing the extent, she owed it to him to be brave.

“But you already know the words.” A head pat, the same gesture that gave her comfort in the past was the same gesture that broke her heart just now. How easy it was for the breaker to give and take minute and mindless affections, but what right did she has to think they were special to begin with?

It was the end of an illusory conception.

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

A bouquet of dahlias and a bouquet of daffodils were hidden behind Naruto and Sasuke. It was dark, already past seven, the bonfire in its final vestiges, its sputtering flames waiting for last-minute lovers to dance in their splendid light.

Within the shadows came the girl of their dreams, hair untangled and morose emerald irises dipped in pools. Sasuke first noticed the bare wrist, the rubber tie gone, and he knew then that she confessed, and she was heartbroken.

He didn’t need to say anything to the blonde beside him. Her stance was enough to convey her present state of being. What she needed right now were her friends, not aspiring lovers stupid enough to break the friendship label.

And so they hid the bouquets on their backs, safe in the clutches of the dark, and when she reached out to them, their free hands already grasped her trembling fingers in waiting.

There they were, three broken-hearted people, wallowing in their own respective pain, sitting on the dewy grass that would leave stains on their clothes the next morning. When the school band started the last song, Sasuke stood up, abandoning his bouquet on the side, and pulled the other two up.

“Would be a shame to end our last cultural festival like this.”

Ten steps later, they were in the middle of the crowd of couples, three awkward friends holding each other’s hands and stepping on each other’s foot.

“For the love of God, you really can’t dance Naruto. Can’t you do a simple turn to the right?” Sasuke complained.

“Why are you putting all the blame on me? You’re the one who can’t differentiate the right from left!” Naruto spat back.

She laughed, and it somehow stopped their bickering for a moment. Bent at her stomach and eyes clinched shut in crinkles, that was their Sakura.

AO3 LINK | NEXT CHAPTER | CHAPTER 11

[emy-loves-you]

The Prince, The Knight, and The Assassin Chapter One

The Assignment

Inspired by the amazing @kawaiikat54

Here’s the summary I wrote for AO3 bc I’m very proud of it:

Janus has never had a good life, raised to be a perfect assassin for the Dark Kingdom. Even though he hates his life, he follows all of his orders and does what he can to protect his little family. But what happens when he's given an order he can't follow through?

Patton is the Prince of the Light Kingdom. His family sees him as just a pretty face, a bargaining chip for peace between the two Kingdoms. He's given up everything for his Kingdom, even his chance of being happy with the love of his life by being forced into an arranged marriage with the High Queen of the Dark Kingdom. But what happens when he's kidnapped by someone who's lived through more horrors than Patton could ever imagine?

Roman is the personal knight and lover of Prince Patton. At least, he WAS Patton's lover, until they broke up so Patton could marry the High Queen. He hates having to pretend that he no longer feels anything for the Prince. But what happens when Patton disappears in the middle of the night?

What happens when the stars align just right? When a tortured soul refuses to kill? When family and duty are abandoned over love? When pain and anger override all thought? When three men, destined to be apart, fall in love?

Masterlist | Chapter Two

Warnings: Child assassins, child abandonment, I’m pretty sure this counts as child slavery, mentions of murder, mentions of torture, these characters will suffer

Two steps to the left.

Clash!

Feign a jab. Step to the right.

Clang!

Opponent is leaning heavily on his right foot. Most likely hurt his left. Jab near his right, make him lean back on his left. Swipe your leg out from under him-

“Oof!” The small figure fell to the floor, going to roll out of the way only to be stopped by the tip of a sword against his neck.

Janus glanced out of the corner of his eye to see the instructors leaving and relaxed minutely, stepping back. Evaluation over. Must have passed if we're not punished already. He put his sword away and held out his hand for his smaller opponent to grab. "Acknowledging your weaknesses will get you killed. Even if your foot has been crushed to a pulp, you need to put just as much weight on it as you would your right. Ignoring your pain, if only for the few moments of your fight, could be the difference between killing and dying."

His pupil nodded, grabbing the offered hand and pulling himself up. He dusted the dirt off his clothes and followed Janus back to their room, doing much better to hide his injured foot than when they were sparring. The room was small, more comparable to a closet than a bedroom in terms of size. But because of Janus' status, the room only houses three instead of the standard seven, so they wouldn't complain.

His pupil, Virgil, stepped into the room and immediately sat down on his cot, cradling his injured foot. Janus sighed and pried open the moldy floorboards, grabbing the small medkit hidden he’d stolen months ago. Virgil saw the medkit and shook his head "m fine."

Janus frowned, kneeling in front of him. "You obviously aren't, now let me take a look at it." He lightly grabbed Virgil by the calf and carefully removed his sock and shoe. He took note of Virgil's wince as he examined his limb. His foot appeared to be in perfect health, but his ankle was swollen slightly.

Virgil huffed softly, turning away. "See? I'm fine. No use in wasting supplies." He yelped when Janus poked his ankle, trying to jerk back but his leg stuck in Janus' firm grip.

Janus rolled his eyes. "Just let me wrap you up and give you a painkiller, Vee." He grabbed the roll of bandages, not waiting for Virgil’s response as he wrapped his ankle. Virgil huffed and grumbled under his breath.

Knock knock-knock knock

Janus tensed up before he recognized the knock pattern, relaxing. “Come in.” He didn’t bother turning back to look as he meticulously wrapped Virgil’s ankle. He heard the door open and closed followed by a sigh.

“I knew you twisted your ankle yesterday.” The person behind him drawled. “If you had let me tend to it yesterday-”

“Yeah, I know.” Virgil flushed and looked away. “But it felt fine yesterday, and if the supervisors had seen the bandages-”

“It would’ve been a risk we were willing to take.” He finished wrapping his foot and sat up, making deliberate eye contact with Virgil as he spoke. “We would’ve hidden them under your clothes, and if they still somehow saw it I would’ve taken the blame, not you. I’m the only one here with potential access to medical supplies.” Janus was the only one who went on unsupervised missions, the others too young so they were heavily supervised.

Virgil frowned, his gaze flickering to the left half Janus’ face as he remained silent. Janus ignored it, used to people staring at the scar. It started at the inner corner of his eye and trailed just under his cheekbone, ending at his jaw just under his ear. He’d gotten it when he was 8, a warning for hesitating in the middle of a mission. The only reason he wasn’t killed on the spot was that he was a prodigy at what he did.

Janus put the bandages away and searched for some pain medication. “Did your evaluation go well, Lo?”

Logan, or ‘Lo’ as Janus had so eloquently put it, sighed. “They changed the assignment as soon as I arrived in an attempt to throw me off guard. I still managed to pass, if barely.” He knelt down next to Janus, and Janus resisted the urge to frown. They’re being a lot more strict on evaluations now. Have they forgotten that they’re doing this to children? Or maybe they want them to fail so they can be broken down more. Janus mentally shook away the thought as he handed Virgil a pill, trying not to seem too obvious.

Virgil noticed though. He always noticed the little things. “That’s the last pill. We should save it for when we need it.”

Janus shook his head. “I’ll go smuggle some more on my next mission.”

Virgil scooted back, looking away. “I told you I’m fine-”

Logan crawled over to Virgil’s side, grabbing his hand and squeezing. “Just please take the pill, Virgil.” Janus watched as Logan and Virgil stared at each other, their mini battle-of-wills adorable to watch when you ignored the context. Virgil eventually sighed, taking the pill and swallowing without water as Logan rubbed his hand soothingly. Janus watched out of the corner of his eye as he put the medical supplies away, smiling softly at their interaction. It was moments like these that reminded Janus why he kept himself alive, why he kept listening to the High Queen’s demands.

No one in the Dark Kingdom could remember a time before the High Queen’s rule. She ruled the land with an iron fist, though most of the citizens were left unaware of the true horrors that lied behind the castle walls.

Janus was one of those horrors. Raised by birth to do the one thing that he was good at anymore: killing. Janus was an assassin for the High Queen.

“Jan?” Janus looked down at Virgil, snapping himself out of thought. “Are we busy today?”

Janus sighed. “I have to go receive my new mission from her highness at sunset, but you have nothing to do until training tomorrow.”

Virgil nodded and snuggled into Logan’s side, making grabby hands towards Janus. Janus smiled, rolling his eyes fondly as he crawled onto the tiny cot. His two pupils adjusted themselves accordingly, one on each side as they used his shoulders as pillows, their hands linked together over his chest. Janus watched over them as their breathing slowed, their grips on each other and Janus refusing to go slack as they drifted into slumber.

Janus frowned, starting up at the ceiling above him. They didn’t deserve to suffer through this type of life. Hell, if it wasn’t for the High Queen’s order for the older assassins to train the younger ones as mentors, Janus was sure that they wouldn’t have lasted. They were good at what they did, but not good enough for her majesty.

Virgil whimpered softly and Janus was quick to shush him, petting his hair and wiping away his fresh tears. The kid had nightmares almost every night, and Janus learned that it was best for him to just sleep through them. If he woke up there was a chance he would still remember what he dreamed about in the morning, and Janus refused to put him through that.

Janus sighed, his mind going back to the documents he had found and read years ago. It had included information on all of the children operatives in this program. Janus had only read the information on himself and his two pupils, not having much time and deeming the rest irrelevant. Before then, they didn’t even have their real names to go by, just the codenames that the higher-ups gave them.

Virgil, codenamed Widow. Ten years old, will turn eleven near the winter solstice. Was neglected in an orphanage and later ‘donated’ to the Kingdom’s cause at almost four years old. An odd case, especially since operatives were usually initiated at 1-2 years old. Specializes in stealth and poisoning, and can blend in with almost any crowd. Can climb and run quickly, but quite weak in terms of hand-to-hand combat.

Logan, codenamed Sparrow. Turned nine near the spring equinox. Was sold to the castle at 14 months old. A natural prodigy, second only to Deceit, but tends to lose any form of stealth without Widow or Deceit by his side. Prefers to use a throwing knife and call it a day over making it look like a natural death. Is usually partnered with Widow to keep him in check.

Janus, codenamed Deceit. Turned nineteen near the summer solstice. Son of a noble who ‘donated’ him to the cause the moment he was born. First child to be entered into the program, and the oldest one in it. Raised to be the perfect killer. Completes every mission perfectly, other than the instance where he got his scar. The High Queen’s ‘favorite.’ Assigned as Logan’s mentor when he was 11, and Virgil’s a little over a year later. Can kill someone with almost anything, but specializes in swords.

Janus sighed, carding his hands through his pupils’ hair. He saw them as something akin to younger brothers, someone that he needed to watch over and take care of. But that was quickly changing. They were already so big, and Janus was dreading the day that the higher-ups would notice and kill the youthful light in their eyes. They still laughed and smiled, even if it was just in the comfort of their little room. They still cared about eachother and trusted the other to catch them when they fell. They didn’t have the same cynical view on the world that Janus did.

But that wouldn’t last forever. Janus knew they could take care of themselves now, but Janus still dreaded the day they would be forced to do so. The day that Janus was given too big of a task and didn’t come home. The inevitable day that the higher-ups noticed how close they were and started using them against each other.

Janus shook his head. It wouldn’t do good to dwell on such thoughts. He needed to live in the moment while he still had a happy moment to live in.

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

When the sun just started to set along the horizon, Janus carefully pulled himself out from under his pseudo-brothers. They immediately latched onto each other, and Janus smiled softly before schooling his features. He quickly stepped out of the room, ignoring the chilly hallway as he walked through the castle, past the dozens of rooms filled to the brim with child soldiers.

He reached the throne room just as the sun disappeared below the horizon, not bothering to glance around the room as he walked down the familiar path towards the High Queen’s throne. He knelt down at the base of the throne, his gaze down towards the expensive silver-lined shoes in front of him. “Your majesty.”

A hand carded through his hair and he stopped himself from flinching or tensing up, already expecting it to happen. “Deccceit… my preccciousss sssnake…” The hand tugged, not quite harsh but definitely not gentle, and Janus looked up at the High Queen. She reminded Janus of a dragon, her old, wrinkly skin reminding him of dragon scales. She tended to speak softly in low hisses, but Janus was used to straining to hear what she said. “I have a tassssk for you.”

He kept his expression neutral, not showing any emotion as he droned out his response. “Anything for you, my Queen.” He bit back a shudder as she kept carding her fingers through his hair. She had once claimed to see Janus as a son to her, but Janus would never see her as a mother. She was cruel and manipulative, and only saw people as pieces to her own master plan.

“The Light Kingdom hasss deccccided to negotiate peacccce with ussss.” Janus inwardly relaxed, already knowing what she would say. This wasn’t the first time they had tried to negotiate peace, and this wasn’t the first time she had sent Janus out to deal with it. The High Queen didn’t wish for peace, or even to win her battle against the Light Kingdom. No, she craved the violence and war between the two kingdoms, the constant pain and suffering that everyone around her was forced to endure at her expense. So, she would order him to kill the light side’s politicians before they reached the meeting point, make it look like they all disappeared out of thin air-

“They offered the Princccce’sssss hand in exchange for peacccccce.” Janus barely held back his shock. Prince Patton was eighteen, and the only heir to the throne. Either the King and Queen wanted to fully merge the kingdoms (which was highly unlikely) or they weren’t wanting the Prince to rule. But that also left a much more concerning matter at hand. The Queen didn’t want to establish peace, which meant Janus’ task-

“Your tassssk isss to kill the Princcccce.” The hand kept carding through his hair, her voice calm and light, as if she was discussing the weather and not murder. “You’ll leave tonight. I’ll have sssssomeone bring you to the border. The wedding isssss ssssscheduled to occur in two and a half weekssss. I expect to hear about hissssss death long before then.”

He nodded, ice flooding his veins. He had only killed corrupt politicians and men with no morals. He’d never killed someone so young, and the thought made his stomach churn. But he had no choice. “It will be done, my Queen.”

She laughed a cruel wicked laugh and dismissed him to grab his weapons. He left, feeling numb as he traveled through the halls, the task finally sinking in. He had to infiltrate the Light Kingdom’s castle and assassinate the crown prince. An impossible task for most, and highly improbable for Janus. If he was caught or failed his task, he would be killed or worse. And he would never see Logan or Virgil again.

Janus swept into the room, knowing that he didn’t have much time before he had to leave. He packed his weapons and gently shook his charges awake, his dread momentarily paused by their sleepy expressions. “I’m assigned to leave tonight. If everything goes according to plan I’ll be back in less than three weeks.”

The children said nothing as they wrapped themselves around Janus, holding him tight. The fact that he said ‘if everything goes according to plan’ meant that he wasn’t confident about this mission, and they immediately held on for dear life.

He smiled sadly, rubbing their backs soothingly. “I need to leave now. Go back to sleep, you have training in the morning.” He didn’t promise to come back. These were the only two people that Janus swore never to lie to, and he wasn’t going to do it now just to give them a moment of false hope. They soon fell back asleep on the cot, holding each other tighter than before, and Janus slipped out the door and into the night.

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Taglist: @bisexualdisaster106 @self-taught-mess @arodynamic-enby @sanderssides-angst @kawaiikat54 @artsy-enby09 @irritating-lady-knight @girl-who-reads @larrymalecsolangelo

[tf2-headcanons-and-scenarios]

How would the mercs react if their s/o were to faint in front of them (from something relatively non dangerous)? How much would the reaction differ if it was a friend? p.s love your blog, always brightens my day

A/N: I’m glad I can bring a smile around, hope you enjoy these!!

Scout:

- The first time Scout ever saw someone faint was from blood loss on the Battlefield, so whenever someone faints he usually starts acting childish

- Think of his reaction like poking a dead rat with a stick

- The first time he saw YOU faint, however, was from the sight of a big fat Spider during Halloween

- Now because of how he always reacted to fainting spells, everyone kind of assumed to hear him laughing and poking at you

- They were surprised to see Scout freaking out and asking if you were alright

- You bet your arse that he was asking Medic all the dumbest questions, from if you were dead to if you were losing blood somehow etc.

- He feels a bit foolish overreacting when you eventually tell him you had a fear of spiders and seeing that monster of a spider just didn’t sit well for you

- If you guys were friends, however, he would laugh at you and poke at you until you wake up

- Tell him you’re fearful of spiders and he’ll always put spiders in your room or on your gun

- Yeah he’s a massive dickhead about it if you’re just friends

Soldier:

- Fainting was not something that Soldier understood. AT ALL.

- An enemy faints on the battlefield, he just blows them up and moves on

- If someone on his team faints, he scolds them for sleeping on the job or being a big fat coward

- The first time Soldier sees you faint in front of him is when he comes towards you with a smile on his face and shows you his box full of heads

- Now in-battle, you were fine with gore. Outside of conflict? NOPE.

- Soldier was just sitting beside you the entire time, poking your cheek with a finger and asking if you got enough sleep last night etc.

- Medic found himself walking into this sight and Soldier has grown worried after you didn’t wake up for a while

- Medic then talked some reason into Soldier that fainting wasn’t as he originally thought

- Soldier panicked but he calmed down when you woke up. From then on he doesn’t show his his head collection

- If you guys were just friends, he’d lecture you about it once you woke up and he would keep insisting on showing you his head collection

- You avoid that specific interaction like the plague and he calls you a coward. You can live with that so long as it means not seeing the heads again

Pyro:

- You and your team’s Pyro were just hanging around an abandoned building one fateful day

- You were both exploring and playing in the area with them, and you were having the time of your life

- At some point in time, both of you began to mess around with the roofing of the building, occasionally jumping to grab onto the beams above

- Eventually you managed to lose them somewhere in the building, so you went to look for them

- You found them doing something to something else, and you went to have a look

- You immediately regretted it as you saw them butchering an unfortunate enemy Spy who somehow crossed paths with them

- You fainted from seeing what remains of the Spy, and you wake up seeing Pyro PANIC about you and your health

- When you tell them you’re fine, they pick you up and give you a piggyback home, apologising and reassuring you they won’t do something like that again when you’re around

- They do keep to their word, they don’t do it outside of battle but in-battle? Hell has literally been manifested into one creature

- If you both were friends, Pyro would just shrug and continue doing what they were already doing to the poor Spy

Demoman:

- Your team won a round and were going out to celebrate

- Medic, Pyro and Heavy opted to stay at the base, while Spy went to go to a theatre

- Everyone else went out to the local pub to drink their hearts out

- Demo invites you as his romantic plus one, and you both went together to the same pub

- You guys started drinking and having fun, laughing as it was revealed that Scout was a light-weight very quickly

- Your last memory of the evening was feeling tipsy and sitting in Demo’s lap as he was starting to get drunk

- You wake up feeling terrible, your head pounding, your throat dry and feeling sweaty all over

- You eventually realise you were still in your evening attire in another person’s bed, and you were worried until you saw Demoman walking into the room with a tray in his hands

- He was very relieved to see you awake, and explained how you passed out drunk, and how he was worried for you and everything

- You tell him you’ll be fine and thank him for bringing you a glass of water, some painkillers and a hot plate of breakfast for two people

- You spend the morning eating breakfast together with Demoman nursing you better

- If you guys were friends? He’d laugh at how much of a light-weight you are and then wake you up forcefully with a nice bucket of ice-cold water

Heavy:

- It was right about Flu season in the Badlands and you were the unfortunate one who managed to get sick with the Flu

- You were relatively fine dealing with it on your own, but Heavy stepped in wherever he could to help you out

- Eventually you managed to infect Spy and Soldier with the Flu, and Medic has to send you three into isolation to prevent further contamination

- Scout thought it was wise to mess around with Spy’s medication and decided to switch out his medication with sleeping pills

- Unfortunately for Scout, he didn’t put the sleeping pills in the right container. Unfortunately for you, you ended up with the bottle of sleeping pills

- When Heavy went to check up on you, he had the biggest panic attack known to mankind when you were unresponsive

- He begged Medic to save your life, and was immensely relieved when it was discovered that you just took some Sleeping Pills that knocked you out like a light

- When you woke up, Heavy was right there with your proper medication, a bowl of warm Chicken Soup (his mother’s recipe) and a glass of water

- He gave you kisses on your forehead to check your temperature every now and then

- He would not care if he got contaminated, he isn’t letting shit like that happen to you again

- Yes He did discover Scout was responsible for the sleeping pills. Yes Scout’s week was absolutely miserable

- If you and Heavy were just friends, he’d make sure you were alright, but would leave you and the others in isolation until you guys were better

- He would still make Scout pay for such a potentially dangerous prank though

Engineer:

- Engineer has just finished working on a nifty little invention one day and he asked you and a few other mercs to test it out for him

- You were the only one willing to do it, everyone else was promised a full crate of booze to share if they participated

- There was an even number among the group of volunteers, and you were left to test the invention out with Soldier

- It was going well at first until Soldier got the brightest idea to start fiddling around with his end of the machine

- Despite the warnings Engi gave him, Soldier kept on doing his thing until he managed to loosen something up that made the machine malfunction

- Both you and Soldier fell unconscious from the electric shock you both received just as Engineer turned it off

- He was worried sick about you, and gently carried you over to Medic’s lab to get you checked

- He was a lot less scared for you when Medic told him the shock was nothing too serious, and you didn’t have any serious injuries anywhere internally and externally

- When you woke up, you swore you’ve never seen him more relieved in his life, and he apologises immensely to you

- As another way to apologise to you, he took you into town for a quiet evening out, spoiling you with dinner and romantic tunes from his guitar

- If you guys were just friends, he’d make sure you were alright and apologise for the accident with your own crate of booze

- In both scenarios Soldier would not get his share of alcohol and he would be banned from using any of Engi’s buildings on and off the battlefield for at least a week

Medic:

- Medic doesn’t usually invite someone in to help him with medical experiments as an assistant. Usually he invites someone to BE the medical experiment

- However, it was one of those days where Medic wasn’t opening up the torso of a team member, but it was the day he got a new fresh shipment of human transplants

- Said human transplants were harvested, cleaned and revived into working condition from the corpses of respawned mercenaries

- Thanks Saxton Hale

- Medic invites you to help him unload his new medical supplies along with Heavy and Sniper, and you happily agree

- You guys did your thing unloading the crates and putting them into Medic’s lab, but you guys were called to look at something Medic found

- Apparently his request for a large pile of blood bags went through (said blood was hijacked from a blood donation van that had conveniently crashed)

- Catching an eyeful of blood in bags did NOT sit well for you, and you fainted from the sight of it

- You woke up to Medic apologising and Heavy returning with a cold glass of water Medic asked him to fetch for you

- Medic still brings you into the lab to help you out, but he will warn you if there’ll be blood involved in his work

- The blood bags in question are carefully stored in a place where you won’t be able to find them

- If you guys were just friends he’d literally not care and ask Heavy and Sniper to finish unloading the supplies

- He would take advantage of your unconscious state to probably experiment on you though. Hey, saves him the trouble of sedating you!

Sniper:

- You had been visiting Australia with Sniper and the rest of the team for an assignment Miss Pauling sent you on.

- At some point in time you and Sniper were tracking someone down in the Outback and it had been a hot day and you were dying from the heat

- You both wanted to conserve as much water as possible but hot damn you were feeling lathargic

- You both stopped to sit and rest for a moment to have a sip of water, but you fainted at the sight of a very large snake sitting right next to you before you could even open your flask

- You woke up with a cloth over your forehead and Sniper sitting beside you looking relieved

- You began apologising for fainting at the sight of the snake but Sniper cut you off saying that it wasn’t your fault and you shouldn’t apologise for it

- He will give you his flask to drink as much water as you’d like, and he will cuddle you better

- If you guys were just friends he’d set you in the back of the team truck and take the driver’s seat. He knows you’ll be fine

Spy:

- It was a quiet and tense night out, you and Spy had been assigned to assasinate a growing enemy of Mann. Co and so far it wasn’t going well

- One good thing was that you both managed to eliminate the target at a high-class restaurant but now you both are utilising utensils and metallic pans to escape from the security guards and body guards

- You had been doing fine up until you were unsuspectingly caught with a frying pan to the back of your head, rendering you unconscious

- When you woke up, you were in Spy’s arms travelling in the back of the pick-up truck Miss Pauling was driving. You had not seen him this uneasy in a while and you had a feeling as to why

- Pauling caught you up on what happened after you got knocked out. In short, Spy got thrown off his game and almost captured trying to rescue you. Needless to say Miss Pauling got her hands dirty cleaning up Spy’s sloppiness but thankfully promised to keep this between you three

- The rest of the trip has Spy cuddle you in his arms as he carefully nursed your injured head

- One could say he was overreacting over your concussion but you allowed him to fret over you

- If you guys were friends he would have finished the job yourself and scold you for being so careless

- It would also be a very long time before you were even considered to accompany him on another mission

[skygirl5]

12 Prompts of Christmas - #10 Santa

TEN - Santa

 Standing on the New York City sidewalks wearing jeans and an oversized red Santa coat, Richard Castle gathered together the group of pre-teens trailing behind him and lined them up against the side of the building to address them. They were all festively dressed in some way: one girl had a headband that also mimicked elf ears, another had a hair clip fashioned out of a Christmas wrap bow, and a third wore a festive sweater beneath her purple coat. Rick’s own child was fully decked out with a green ribbon in her hair, Christmas tree shaped earrings, and bells tied onto her shoes with red ribbons.

Smiling down at them, he asked, “Okay ladies, are we ready?”

“Yeah!” they chorused back to him.

“Great. Then we’re all ready to go but remember: stay close to me while we’re inside. You wouldn’t want someone to accidentally think you’re a police officer,” he told them with a dramatic wink.

“Dad,” his daughter, Alexis, groaned.

Rick held up a finger signaling for her to hold on a moment. Then, he donned his red Santa hat and from his pocket he pulled out a white fake beard which he hooked on using loops that went over his ears. Once it was in place, he reminded her, “Not Dad—Santa.”

Now fully outfitted, Rick led the parade of kids into the police station, proud he was getting to spend his afternoon not only helping the hard-working members of the NYPD, but also teaching impressionable young girls an important lesson about giving back and being kind.

Inside the police station Rick walked up to the welcome desk and pleasantly said, “Good afternoon.”

The cop at the desk eyed him a bit suspiciously and asked, “Can I help you, sir?”

“Yes, I called ahead. Richard Castle. The elves and I are here to deliver Christmas cards to the brave officers of the NYPD,” he said, stepping aside and gesturing towards the four girls clustered around him, who each held a shopping bag filled with goodies.

Now smiling, the female officer nodded and reached for the telephone on her desk. “Ah, right. Hold on, I’ll call an escort for you.”

“Thank you very much.”

The group waited patiently for about five minutes before a woman dressed in a black business suit approached them and asked, “Hi, I’m Denise from PR; are you from Spenser Academy?”

“That’s us!” one of the girls exclaimed.

The woman smiled at her, then addressed the group as a whole, “Well on behalf of the NYPD I’d like to thank you for your generous gifts. What have you brought us today?”

“We have about three dozen holiday cards and some handmade ornaments and decorations to hang up if that’s okay,” Rick said to Denise.

“Absolutely! We appreciate everything you’re willing to give to us. Let’s go to the third floor, okay? they haven’t had any Christmas visitors yet.”

“Have you had many other schools visit this year?” Rick asked as they shuffled their way towards the elevator. He knew there were several other groups from Alexis’s grade as well as the one above hers participating in the holiday cheer project, though some were donating décor and cards to fire stations and hospitals as well as the NYPD. He also believed other private schools in the city were participating in similar projects.

“Just one other one here so far, but I’ve had several others at other precincts.”

“That’s nice. It’s such an important time of year to give back.”

“I agree. You’re a teacher at the school?”

Rick checked and put his hand on Alexis’s shoulder. “No, no—parent volunteer. This is my daughter, Alexis.”

“Hi,” the young redhead said demurely.

Denise smiled down at her. “Hello. Well, we do appreciate your time.”

Rick nodded in appreciation. He had always enjoyed volunteering at Alexis’s school and never really thought of it as a chore or even an obligation. As someone who loved children, he found it a joy. Plus, as his career enabled him to be both a full-time writer and a full-time stay-at-home Dad, he always felt a duty to volunteer for what he could because he knew that many of Alexis’s classmates had two working parents, and it was not always possible for them to chaperone field trips or organize bake sales like he could.

When the elevator’s doors opened again and Denise led the way out into the hall, Rick asked her, “What department is this?”

“The homicide division.”

“Ah,” Rick said hesitantly. While he wouldn’t have minded poking around that floor, he wasn’t sure it was entirely appropriate for ten- and eleven-year-old girls. Nevertheless, their visit was not intended to be a long one, so he stepped forward and turned so he could address his group. “Well, okay ladies, here we go. How about…Paige and Hannah hand out the cards while Alexis, Ryder, and I hang up some decorations, okay?”

Their girls swapped their shopping bags around to match up with Rick’s duty assignments and then the two with the holiday cards scampered off. Meanwhile, Denise directed Rick and the remaining two girls to a room centrally located on the floor. “You can hang your decorations here in the break room.”

“Perfect. Thank you,” Rick said to her and led the way inside the room. It was empty save for an officer talking on a cell phone, who walked out the opposite door when they entered. Rick led the girls over to one of the tables in the room and they opened up their shopping bags and began to unload the decorations. From the bag he carried, Rick pulled out a few rolls of tape. He handed one to Ryder and told her to hang up the snowflake decorations they had on the break room windows. Then, he turned to his daughter and asked, “Do you want to hang up the snowmen?”

She nodded. “Yeah, let’s put some on the cabinets,” she said, pointing towards the kitchenette in the room which had a sink along with a counter that had a coffee maker, toaster oven, and microwave. Off to the side was a refrigerator, all of which was surrounded by cabinets.

“Sounds good.”

Alexis put a snowman centrally located on each of the doors to the bottom row of cabinets. Then Rick brought a chair over from one of the tables so she could climb up on it and reach the upper cabinets. She was still too short, though, so he had to help hang the last row of snowmen.

He was about halfway done when he heard the breakroom door swing open and a female’s voice say, “Oh! I didn’t realize anyone else was in here.”

“Yep, sorry; we’ll be done in a minute,” Rick said as he struggled to get the sticky tape out of the dispenser.

“We’re decorating!” Alexis said.

“I can see that,” said the female voice.

With the last snowman tacked into place, Rick stepped back, helped his daughter off the chair, then quickly grabbed it so it was not in the way if the woman wanted to access the kitchenette counter. “Sorry about that,” he said again, only glancing briefly in her direction, “Alexis, what else do you want to hang up?”

“Let’s put the stars on the refrigerator,” she suggested.

Rick hesitated and glanced over his shoulder to see what the woman was doing. When he saw her at the coffee pot, he agreed with, “Okay, but let’s make sure not to stand in this nice lady’s way.”

“Oh, it’s fine; I don’t need to get into the fridge,” she assured them. With her mug now full of coffee, she turned to face them and Rick finally met her eye. Immediately, he felt like he’d been smacked in the chest. Her face…he knew her face, but from where?

“Are you a police officer?” Alexis asked the woman as she hung up the stars.

“A detective, actually.”

“Ohh!! I’m in fifth grade, but I might want to be a detective when I grow up—a private detective, just like Sherlock Holms!”

“Oh wow, that’s neat!” the detective said.

“Santa, I finished hanging the snowflakes. Santa? Santa!”

“Wha—oh, sorry Ryder,” Rick apologized, when Ryder tugged on the sleeve of his coat. He’d been too busy staring at the female detective wondering where he’d seen her before. “What do you want to hang up next?”

“Um…maybe some of the garland chain along that window ledge?”

“Sure thing.” Rick walked over to the shopping bags and pulled out the long chain of “garland” the girls had made, which consisted of round circles of alternating light and green construction paper all stapled together to form a chain. “Alexis why don’t you come and help Ryder once you’re done with those stars?”

“Okay, Da—Santa!” She grinned at him then ran past him to help her schoolmate.

When Rick turned back around, he was pleasantly surprised to see the female detective was still in the breakroom, eyeing him curiously. “Sorry, ah, this is our first year as a decorating committee; we’re a little rough around the edges.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I think what you’re doing is really nice. Are you…are you also associated with the two girls running around giving away Christmas cards?”

The writer frowned behind his Santa beard. “Oh no are they running? I told them not to run.”

She laughed and said, “It’s fine,” but the words barely registered in his mind because with her laugh came the solid recognition he’d been seeking. Yes, he definitely recognized her, but he could hardly believe it was her—her—the woman he’d encountered so briefly their interaction felt more like a dream.

So caught up by the sudden recognition, Rick failed to realize he’d gasped, “Oh—it’s you!” out loud until her brow wrinkled and she asked, “Excuse me?”

“Sorry, sorry. I mean—you’re Kate, aren’t you?”

Her brow crinkled further. “Do we know each other?”

“Yea—oh, sorry. Crap! Sorry!” he grunted as he tried to strip off his fake beard and hat, which until that moment he had forgotten that he was wearing. No wonder she didn’t recognize him!

With his face fully exposed her confused expression melted into one of surprise. “Oh! Rick. H-hi.”

“Hi,” he echoed, his grin a bit dopey. Once again, he had run into this mysterious, beautiful woman by chance and he could not say he was remotely disappointed about it. Since they’d first met, five Decembers prior, he’d thought about her occasionally over the years, mostly over the holidays, but occasionally during trips out to his beach house since the water combined with the vacation atmosphere connected it and the lake cabin in his mind. He’d never gotten to the point of actually trying to find her, but he’d thought about it several times. Now, it appeared fate was nudging him and he wasn’t going to deny it.

“We’re done!”

His daughter announcing the completion of their task pulled Rick back to the present and he stammered a bit. “Oh, um, ah, yeah—is there anything left to hang up, girls?”

“No,” Alexis said. She gazed around the room and frowned slightly, adding, “I guess we didn’t have that much to decorate with.”

“Oh no—I think it looks much more festive in here,” Kate chimed in.

Rick gave her a grateful expression then turned back to the girls. “Okay, ladies, why don’t you gather up the bags and tape dispensers and then let’s go find the others, okay?”

“Thank you for decorating our break room,” Kate said to them before heading towards the door. Before she could open it, Rick stepped towards her.

“Wait! I mean, um, how are you?”

Looking slightly amused she said, “I’m okay, how are you?”

“Good, good. Um, I was just…well, wondering if I might be able to take you out for coffee and, um, pick your brain a little bit about the NYPD. Always doing research,” he confessed with a little shrug. In reality his heart was racing, and he felt like a teenager again. God, what was he doing? He wasn’t even trying to ask her out on a date as his romantic situation was…complicated…at present.

She arched an eyebrow at him. “If I recall correctly: you already did that.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “But you weren’t a detective then.”

She chuckled lightly and then waited about seven seconds before agreeing, “Okay, sure. Coffee.”

“Great!” Rick said, elated. He fumbled for a moment, trying to get his wallet out of his back pocket when the bulky Santa coat hung down over it, but he managed. Then he handed her a business card and said, “Call me, please? we’ll set something up.”

She took the card with a nod. By that time, the girls had collected their bags and had joined them at the breakroom door, so Kate pushed it open and let them all walk out. As they did so, Alexis wished her a merry Christmas and she reciprocated with, “Merry Christmas to you, too; and thanks again for the decorations.”

“You’re welcome!” Alexis said cheerfully.

After giving Rick a head nod, Kate walked off. He watched her disappear into the crowd of her coworkers until the high-pitched squeal of a ten-year-old girl drew his attention and he knew he needed to get back into chaperone-mode before the girls caused too much more chaos for the homicide floor.

[holidaywishes]

Undercover

  Requested: 👍

  Summary/Request: i was wondering if you could write one where the reader and freddie are in a secret relationship but then the team find out at a gala and freddie and the reader kinda like «make love» when they get home?

  Warning: Smut (as per request), little bit of fluff because why not?, maybe some angst but I’m not sure yet.

  Author’s Note: I hope this is kind of what you were looking for when you made the request @all-time-fanatic. It’s a little bit different but kind of the same idea, I hope anyway. I’m sorry it’s a little late but I was pretty tired after the birthday party shenanigans, so, here it is. It’s a little rushed and a little short but it’s kinda cute so I was happy to be able to write something like this again!

  masterlist

  the other masterlist

xx

  At first, Freddie would show up at your door at 2 am and you’d give in to his dark eyes and strong hands. He’d hold you and kiss you and act like he loved you but he’d never stick around until you finally told him you deserved better or at least more than the girl he called for a hookup.

  “I don’t think you’d want my lifestyle” he whispered to you as he kissed your neck

  “How do you know?” you replied

  “Can’t this just be simple? Just fun?” he said

  “I want more than fun...” you sigh, pushing him away as you did so, “if you don’t, then fine, but I can’t do this booty call thing anymore.”

  “Do you know what the guys would think?” he yelled

  “Since when does it matter what they think? You’re your own person!” you shout back

  “I don’t think you understand...”

  “Then help me understand!”

  “I’m not the relationship type. At least not to them.”

  “Does it have to stay that way?”

  “Yes!” he shouted and you stepped back in disbelief.

  “Well...” you shook your head in shock, “I don’t know where to go from here then...”

  “I really like you, (Y/N),” he said, sweetly and intently, “but these guys... they’re young and they don’t care about relationships. They expect me to be as available as they are”

  “And you expect me to be even more available...”

  “(Y/N)...” he sighed

  “I want you, Freddie. But I want all of you. Not just the 2 am version of you that I only seem to get.”

  “Okay, well... what if we kept it a secret?” he suggested

  “A secret? Seriously?” you scoffed

  “It could be fun?” he continued, “this way we can be together but not have the judgement from all the prying eyes of the Maple Leafs”

  “How would that even work?”

  “Simple. We go to restaurants in parts of the city where the guys don’t go. Go to plays and movies during the week. Stay in and catch up on Ozark or Game of Thrones or Will Ferrell movies.”

  “And I just never interact with team functions or games or anything?”

  “If you can keep your hands and eyes off me, you can absolutely go. But if you’re going to do anything to give yourself away, then it’s best if you stay away.” His smirk at his final statement made you fall for him all over again and you found yourself agreeing to his terms. This arrangement lasted longer than you expected yourself to allow it but at the end of the day, you couldn’t imagine not spending your time with Freddie; so, it had to be a secret. So what?

xx

  Christmas and New Year’s had come and gone; you and Freddie were still playing your games behind everyone’s backs. You’d thought you could keep this going as long as possible until your friend handed you an invite to the Leafs annual MLSE fundraising gala.

  “Are you going to this?” she asked and you furrowed your brow

  “I don’t know... I don’t really have anything to donate...”

  “Why are you getting an invitation?”

  “My internship. I’m probably still on the list of employees.”

  “That was years ago?”

  “I don’t know, Mads,” you sighed, trying to come up with lies on the spot, “I made some friends in the organization. Maybe they remembered me and thought I’d like to go?”

  “Do you get a plus one?” she asked cheerfully and you sarcastically examined the invitation

  “No.” You stated bluntly and she rolled her eyes before scoffing at you. When the night finally came, you arrived at the hotel where the gala was being held; making your way to the ballroom where you were met by all kinds of glamour you didn’t expect.

  “Hello..” a woman’s voice greeted you as you stood in the doorway, she smiled at you when you finally met her stare, “can I help you find your table?” She asked politely and you nodded shyly, giving her your name so she could find where you were sitting; she outstretched her arm to direct you to your table where you saw a few familiar faces

  “Thank you” you said with a smile, sighing as you made your way over to the table

  “(Y/N)!” Mitch called out while Freddie sipped his champagne

  “Mitch!” you greeted in return while Zach pulled out your chair for you to sit down, “thank you.” You said shyly to him and he smiled before taking his seat next to Alannah

  “When we sent out the invitation, we didn’t think you’d show...” Auston added

  “You guys sent me the invitation?” you asked, glancing at Freddie who’d barely made eye contact with you yet

  “Of course!” Morgan exclaimed, “we liked having you around and we thought you’d have fun!”

  “Well, I guess I owe you all a thank you,” you smiled, “but I probably mostly owe it to Steph, don’t I?”

  “Yes. Yes you do” she laughed. The rest of the night, you tried getting Freddie’s attention. “Accidentally” losing control of your fork and flinging food in his direction, laughing loudly at Auston’s jokes (which were awful and not funny at all,) getting up to go to the washroom and brushing your arm against his shoulder as you walked by; nothing. He wouldn’t budge or acknowledge you and it was driving you insane. His words from when the arrangement began echoed in your mind, ‘If you can keep your hands and eyes off me, you can absolutely go. But if you’re going to do anything to give yourself away, then it’s best if you stay away,’ and all you could think was that this was some kind of test.

  “Would you like to dance?” Willy asked from behind you and you turned to him before smiling in agreement. Making your way to the dance floor with Willy felt strange, like your younger cousin had asked you to dance to appease his mom, but you still hoped that Freddie would see and get jealous.

  “How’s it going, Willy?” you asked awkwardly and he smiled at you before dropping his eyes to the floor

  “Good, good. You?” he replied and you furrowed your brow. It was then that you realized something was going on and you smirked to yourself

  “What do you know?” you sighed

  “What do you mean?” he answered your question with a question, forcing you to roll your eyes

  “Willy... Why did you ask me to dance? What’s your angle?”

  “No angle. Just wanted to dance with you...” he was avoiding eye contact now and you knew he knew something so you watched where his eyes went and followed them back to your table

  “WILLY!” you whispered to grab his attention and he jerked back to you, “tell me what you know!”

  “I-- I really don’t know what you mean...” You huffed as he spun you once, bringing you close to him again

  “I know you’re hiding something. What I don’t know is why...” you tried not to give yourself away but you feared you’d already failed at that.

  “I’m not hiding anything,” he smiled, “this is just my face.” he replied and you laughed at his choice of words as the song ended; he kissed your hand before walking back to his table and you made your way to the bar

  “Can I just get a Gin and Tonic please? Thank you”

  “You’re going to blow our cover” Freddie said, walking up to the bar and standing as close as he could to you

  “He speaks” you whispered as the bartender handed you your free drink and you put some cash in the tip jar

  “I told you that we couldn’t give ourselves away...”

  “If you think not talking to me is helping keep this a secret, you’re wrong. You’ve talked to me before in front of these guys. You not acknowledging my presence here is just going to catch their attention.”

  “What did Willy say?” he asked suddenly

  “Nothing. Does he know something?”

  “I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you what he said”

  “This is ridiculous Fred...” you whispered, turning your body to him while he continued to face the bar, “they don’t care. They’ll care that we tried to hide it but come on. They don’t care that we’re together. So just hold my hand and dance with me...” He rested his arms on the bar top, taking a second before finally turning his head to look at you, letting out a sigh when he saw the pleading in your eyes; choosing to walk away instead of say something. You grabbed his arm before he got too far away and he wrapped his arms around you to dance so you didn’t garner the wrong kind of attention

  “Don’t do this...” he whispered

  “Are you embarrassed of me? Is that what all of this has been about?” you whispered back, leaning your head on his chest lightly before he made you look up at him

  “I could never be embarrassed of you. I just didn’t want you to get hurt.”

  “This is hurting me,” you said, gesturing to the two of you and the table, “not telling them is hurting me. Hiding is hurting me. I don’t know what you want from me. You say you like me but you’re too scared to actually be with me.”

  “I’m not scared...” he countered

  “Prove it then! Tell them”

  “(Y/N)...”

  “Or kiss me.” The words left your tongue quickly and you couldn’t take them back. Freddie didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Didn’t look away. You weren’t sure what he was going to do or how he was going to act, so you braced yourself for whatever reaction would come next, surprised when he smirked at you and leaned down to capture your lips. Your table broke out in cheers and applause as they watched you and Freddie finally embrace, leading you to laugh against Freddie’s lips.

  “We were wondering when you would finally do that... or something like that” Auston laughed as the group walked over to you two

  “What?” Freddie questioned

  “Oh come on, Fred,” Alannah smirked, “did you really think we didn’t know?”

  “I see (Y/N) regularly,” Stephanie added, “she went from moody and tired to... well, happy.”

  “Yeah and we saw that you were happy, almost giddy, too. When I would talk to Steph,” Mitch said, gesturing between him and his girlfriend, “it didn’t take long for us to put the pieces together. But you two were just... never public”

  “We thought we’d respect your privacy,” Zach added, “if that’s what you wanted.”

  “It’s not like any of us had any proof anyway” Willy chimed in from behind you

  “But we never thought you’d keep it a secret for this long. So, we never got our proof and we didn’t want to say anything in case it would...” Morgan said, “ruin everything”

  “Well well well...” you said triumphantly, “who was right all this time, Andersen?” He growled at you

  “You’re never gonna let this go are you?”

  “What? That I was right?”

  “Yeah that...” he sighed and you smiled, wrapping your arms around his waist and he kissed the top of your head. You spent the remainder of the night attached to Freddie, with his big arm hanging over your shoulders or wrapped around your waist, the two of you barely separated. With all the commotion of the night, no one seemed to notice that the two of you slipped away or they just didn’t care enough to stop you, “let’s get out of here...” he whispered and you smiled before popping yourself up on your tip toes to kiss him

  “I’d love to”

  “I wanna get you alone” he smiled, making you laugh. He had been grazing the skin of your inner knee with his thumb the entire ride home and you had been imagining the many ways he’d make you moan. You held onto his waist as the two of you walked to his apartment but the anticipation was almost too much to bear. Once you got into the elevator, Freddie pushed you against the back wall, placing sweet kisses along your neck and you giggled at the feeling of his beard ticking your skin.

  “Freddie...” you moaned, “did you press the button?”

  “Hmm?” he said absentmindedly

  “Are we moving?” you giggled and he seemed to snap out of it. Stretching his arm back to press the button while still keeping his lips attached to yours, groaning when you moved to remove his suit jacket. 

  “We’ll be there soon, love, just wait” he teased, lips trailing your neck as he spoke

  “Too long. Can’t wait.” You replied, moving his face up to yours so you could kiss his lips. He quickly moved you to the elevator doors so he could pull the emergency stop button on the panel, the small space soon filled with heavy panting from the two of you. You pushed Freddie’s jacket off and you proceeded to undo the buttons on his shirt before the fabric hit the ground; moving from kissing his lips to marking his torso with little bites as you made your way down to his belt. Undoing the buckle without taking your eyes off of his, watching him bite his lip as you pulled down his pants and began pumping your hands up and down his shaft before taking him in your mouth. He lobbed his head back against the wall where he stood and moaned at your ministrations, encouraging you to move your mouth faster as your hand followed in sync. 

  “Fuck, (Y/N),” he growled, “that feels so good.” You smiled to yourself as you took him out of your mouth, messaging his length with his precum, taking care to catch his gaze as you licked his tip. It didn’t take long, after you took him back in your mouth, for his warm juices to fill the back of your throat; you wiped the corners of your mouth as you swallowed and he stood you up. You thought, for a minute, that he was going to trail down your body and take his time moving his tongue across your folds but when he crashed his lips onto yours, you knew he had other things in mind. He lifted you up and you wrapped your legs around his hips as he pressed you against the wall, his fingers slowly trailing down your chest until they reached your core. His lips feverishly connecting with yours distracted you from his finger entering you quickly but once you noticed it, you melted into him; moaning his name as he worked his finger inside you, adding another when he wanted you to moan louder.

  “Freddie!” you moaned, panting into his mouth when you tried to kiss him once more, “oh god, fuck!” Your arms fell over his shoulders and you leaned to whisper in his ear, “fuck me Freddie.” Your words were met by an unflinching Freddie, who didn’t need to be gentle with you today. He entered you swiftly, his thrusts harsh and fast, your body hitting the wall forcefully with each thrust and you could feel bruises forming on your sides. You lobbed your head onto his shoulder, whining his name as he bit your shoulder to stop himself from being too loud

  “Fuck!” he finally let out and you scratched his back as his movements became deep and your whole body begged for friction

  “Freddie...” you whined but he didn’t move, only kissed your jaw as you moaned into the air, “fuck, baby. Fuck... Fre-eh-ddie...” When your breath hitched in your throat, he began moving again but this time he was slow and stayed quite deep in you. His moans overcame him and he began to pump into you faster than he had before, bringing him closer to his orgasm with every move he made

  “Fuck” he whined, capturing you in a kiss to contain himself

  “Scream, baby,” you coaxed, “I want to hear you scream my name.” You bit his ear lobe as the words exited your mouth

  “Fuck, (Y/N)! God damn, shit, fuck, baby.” He practically chanted, forcing a smile to make it’s way onto your face. He moved his hand back down to your core to bring you to your climax, Freddie biting your jaw as your body writhed underneath his powerful frame. He made sure you came first and he kissed you as he came down from his high, putting you down gently so you could fix yourself. You knelt down to pull his pants up for him, reversing the order that this had all happened in, and he laughed at how duteous you were being.

  “What?” you giggled

  “I just think you’re cute” he admitted as you button his shirt for him and handing him his tie

  “You’re not too bad yourself” you smiled, stumbling a little when you went to pick up his jacket from where it had been thrown; not realizing how little feeling you had in your legs at the moment. Freddie caught you as you made your way back to him, “thanks” you laughed, kissing him deeply as he hit the emergency stop button once more to allow the elevator to move. You helped him put on his jacket just as the doors opened and you were met by an older couple who gave the two of you a sly smile; leading Freddie to push you out of the elevator and hold you in front of him the entire way to his door.

  “Do you think they knew?” he asked, kissing your cheek as he got his key out

  “God, I hope not.”

  “He sure seemed like he knew.” You hit his chest and scoffed at his remark, crashing onto the couch after he’d let you in.

  “I’m glad I’m not a secret anymore,” you admitted, drifting off to sleep, “I like you too much.”

[shianhygge-imagines]

Playing the Game {Devil May Cry} x {Among Us}

AN: So, I’ve been playing a lot of Among Us in my down time. My old coworkers from Uniqlo (haven’t worked with them for around a year and a half now, love them to bits though) have been inviting me to play full games. And because everyone else seems to really love the Among Us content on Tumblr now, I figured, why not? It’s easy enough to write something for it.

So, anyways, this is actually a one-shot instead of a headcanon. And there are technically no pairings. Reader was written Gender Neutral as well.

If you like the content I create, please consider donating to my Ko-fi! Please help me feed my tea addiction!

|Masterlist Link|

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27th September - 04:58pm - Devil May Cry

It’s a miracle that everyone happened to be in the same place at the same time when Patty barged into Devil May Cry with a cart full of laptops. Dante had gone to hide as soon as his Patty senses tingled, practically pulling off an acrobatic feat just to get to the second floor in time. Curious as to what the young lady wanted, you put your book down and stood to help the blonde mortal with her burden.

“It’s good to see you, Patty. Dante’s currently expelling his stomach lining in the bathroom.” From behind you, both Vergil and Nero snorted at your comment while V quirked a brow at your antics. “Were you looking for him?”

“Yeah! I found a new game we call all play!” Patty lifted a small laptop, presenting it to you. “We can all play it if we have enough players… but um… I can wait until Dante’s out of the bathroom. Is he okay?”

Taking the laptop, you waved nonchalantly with a grin. “Oh, he’ll be fine. It was just a week old pizza. He’ll be down once he’s done! Until then, take a seat at his desk!” You take your seat between Vergil and V on one of the couches, opening up the laptop to glance blankly at the only desktop icon on the screen, then at the bar at the bottom showing that was connected to the internet already. “Is the game called ‘Among Us’?”

Patty nods with a hum, opening her own personal laptop up. “It’s an online multiplayer game. You play as a space crew, walking around the map completing tasks in the form of mini games. All crew members have to complete their tasks to win the game.”

“There’s a catch, isn’t there?” Nero scoffed, peering over your shoulder at the computer screen when you opened up the game. Kyrie and Nico also joined him in taking a peek.

“Yeah! Each game has anywhere from one to three imposters.” Patty informed, nodding her head as she explained, beyond ecstatic that you were seemingly interested in playing. “The imposters look like crew members, but their job is to sabotage or kill the crew, preventing the crew members from winning. Imposters have a little menu that they can use to turn off lights, or shut doors. They also have an advantage of being able to enter vents to escape an area. Imposters win when they’ve cut down crew member number enough. To weed out the Imposters, crew members can report any bodies they find or press the emergency button on the map once per player to have a meeting. From there, players can present evidence of a player being innocent or guilty of being an Imposter, and the crew can vote whoever they think is ‘Sus’ or suspicious off the ship.”

“So it’s a game of skillful assassination and deceit.” Vergil summarized, now slightly interested in participating.

“Perhaps a bit of patience and being able to read others.” V interjected, closing his book to shoot a judgmental expression at Vergil… one that the elder Sparda twin gladly returned with a haughty smirk. It’s nice to know that even if V was once a part of Vergil, they still feel disdain towards one another.

Patty thinks for a moment, her blue eyes observing your group by the couch for a moment before nodding, “Yeah, I guess it is! Gotta be careful though, because Imposters can self report their kill… but they also have a kill countdown… but even if a crew mate is killed, they can still roam the map completing their tasks as ghosts. Obviously though, if you die, you can’t tip off who the Imposter is to people who are alive. Once Dante’s back, we’ll have a few practice rounds before doing an official round.”

“Count us in.” All heads in the downstairs area turned as Dante descended the stairs, Lady and Trish behind him. “Bunch of hunters like us? It’ll be a piece of cake.”

Official Round Start

When the first official game started, you were all seated in various locations of Devil May Cry’s first floor, laptops in your laps and noise cancelling headphones on. The front door was locked, sign flipped to read ‘CLOSED’ so that nobody interrupted the series of unfortunate events unfolding within the shop.

There were ten players in total: You (Purple), Dante (Red), Vergil (Blue), Nero (White), Kyrie (Cyan), Nico (Green), V (Black), Trish (Yellow), Lady (Orange), and Patty (Pink).

When the countdown finished, and your screen went black, you schooled your face until it was carefully blank. Well, well… this will be fun. You decide when the screen informs you that you and Kyrie are the Imposters. Discreetly, you and Kyrie glance up to look around the room before winking at one another and directing your eyes back down to the computer screen.

The map that Patty had chosen was the Skeld with two short tasks, two normal tasks, and one long task.

Starting off in the Cafeteria, you moved down to Admin, following as Vergil, Dante, and Nico went to do their tasks in the room while you sat at wires, watching until one of them moved. Walking out just as the task bar went up, you headed down and right until you were in Shields.

You watched as Nico and V passed you before moving up towards Weapons, where you saw Trish downloading files. Quickly, you walked behind her and clicked the Kill button before venting, popping up in Navigation just as Kyrie knocked out the lights.

Deciding to take the risk, you went into the other vent in Navigation and popped out at Shields again, moving out of that hallway to Storage, pretending to empty out the trash just as Vergil passed you by with Dante at his tail, making deliberate and erratic movements. Just as you are about to Sabotage Comms, a meeting is called, and you notice that V was killed along with Trish. Shrugging, you take off your headphones with everyone else.

“VERGIL’S SUS!” Dante pointed at Vergil with a grin.

You could practically see Vergil’s last thread of patience snap, “If anyone’s suspicious, it was you!”

“Kyrie and I found V’s body in the Cafeteria right after the lights were fixed.” Nero announced, interrupting his father and uncle to look at V, who just sighed heavily and took out a book, refusing to make any facial expressions to help the Crew… and ignoring the superior stare that Vergil aimed at him. Well, this is going to get tiring really quick, isn’t it. You deadpan at their interactions, hoping that they would just warm up to one another already.

“Well, I can account for Lady, Dante, and Y/N.” Vergil sighed, lips thinning in displeasure that they were two down already. “Lady was already fixing lights, and Y/N was coming from the east side to do the garbage… Dante has been following me the entire game.”

“Did anyone happen to see where Trish’s body was? Or where she headed off to from the start?” You asked.

“Trish headed to MedBay while Kyrie and I went to the Engine and Reactor.” Nero piped up, “I didn’t see her for the rest of the round.”

“Okay…” Lady mumbled before her heterochromatic eyes landed on Patty, who jolted from the older woman’s intense stare. “Patty, where were you?”

Patty paused to think, “When the alarm was sounded, I was with Nico in Security.”

“Can confirm!” Nico nodded with a ‘humph.’

“But before that, I went to Weapons to shoot asteroids, looped back into Cafeteria to go down to Storage to do a task there. I was just behind Y/N as they headed off to the right side… and then I went left into the Lower Engine before meeting up with Nico.” Patty concluded.

“Are we going to vote this round?” Vergil wondered, eyes fixed upon the timer countdown. “Or should we skip?”

“Hold on, Vergil.” Lady raised a hand before continuing to stare down Patty. “So you were the last one in the Cafeteria?”

“Um… that I know of?” Patty raised a brow, “But that was like at the beginning of the round.”

“So, you could have killed V at the very beginning.” Lady’s eyes narrowed, “That’s a bit suspicious.”

“So… voting out Patty?” Nico asked, seemingly convinced. “We could wait, but…”

“I voted already.” Lady chimed.

“Done.” Vergil confirmed.

“Well, if we’re sure…” Nero shrugged.

“Wait! That’s jumping wayyyy too into conclusions!” Patty protested. “There were a lot of people near the Cafeteria. They could have done it during the black out.”

“Nah, a lot of us were accounted for.” Dante clicked his tongue before turning to look at Patty. “Sorry, Patty.”

You and Kyrie had already voted. The only one who didn’t vote for Patty had been Nico.

Patty screamed in frustration before falling silent, “You all suck!”

Patty has been ejected.

“Nico, why didn’t you vote?” Nero questioned his mechanic, “You’re the one who asked to vote Patty out.”

“Sus-pi-cious~~~” Lady sang quickly before you all put your headphones back on.

The next round, you watched as Vergil, Dante, and Lady headed off to the right side before dancing back and forth in front of Nico and Kyrie, asking them wordlessly to follow you to the MedBay. When Kyrie followed me, Nero followed after her.

Once all four of you were in the MedBay, you pretended to complete a task while Nico got a med-scan. Almost all at once, you Sabotaged the MedBay doors as well as O2 within a few seconds before you and Kyrie got a double kill, getting Nico and Nero both at once. Both of you took the vent into Security before killing the Lights, walking down together to Electrical, where you turned the lights back on. Just as you were about to exit the room with Kyrie, you two encounter Dante, Vergil, and Lady.

Noticing that the cooldown had ended for the Kill button, you clicked on it, watching as your character stabbed Vergil’s in the back with a knife. It seemed that Kyrie had the same idea, as Dante was dead once the animation was over.

The screen went black and you and Kyrie cheered, throwing ‘air-fives’ at each other from across the room.

Everyone took their headphones off, shocked as their eyes trained upon you and Kyrie.

“What… the hell.” Nico muttered.

“I TOLD YOU GUYS IT WASN’T ME!” Patty screamed at everyone in the room, slumping in her seat and pouting.

“That was scarily efficient.” Dante groaned, staring at you and Kyrie with a new light.

Nero groaned and buried his face in his hands, “I knew there was something odd going on when we lost one another by the upper engine when the lights went out.”

“Hehe.” Kyrie laughed sheepishly, patting Nero on the shoulder. “Oops?”

“Y/N! I trusted you!” Nico wailed, looking as if cartoon tears would be streaming down her face if possible.

Raising a single hand up, you grinned and made the sign for ‘Victory.’ “I guess you guys just can’t underestimate us, then!”

“Another round.” Vergil demanded, glaring at you with a challenge in his eyes. “If I’m Imposter, you won’t be able to escape me. And if you’re the Imposter… then you won’t get the drop on me twice.”

You all grinned, and clicked on the ‘play again’ button. “Challenge accepted.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[the-curious-butterfly]

A Little Bit of Happiness

Based on u-look-beautiful-today’s Soulmate AU. Basically you have a chart on your arm that shows you the happiness of others close to you as well as your own.

We’ve all known pain. Pure agonizing pain and sorrow. That void of nothingness where the darkness feels as thick as black tar and no amount of light can shine through. It is a feeling that even the most optimistic and hopeful of us have succumbed to. Especially those with big hearts. If depression could speak it would tell you that the big ones were the most delicious. And there was no heart bigger, or weirder, than Luz Noceda’s. 

Luz was a thoughtful girl filled with hope, determination, kindness, and a love for the strange things in life that left her quite ostracized for most of hers. 

As a child she didn’t like the typical things kids liked or acted in the typical way kids should act so she was bullied and what other reason do kids need to bully someone. She was different, and different was bad, and bullying her for being different was fun. And if something was fun how could it be wrong? If it was fun what did it matter?

And you know what the best way to bully Luz was? The way that was the most fun. It had to do with her lack of a Soulmark, the mark on your body that showed you the first words your Soulmate would say to you. Luz didn’t have one. Not a single letter or even the most generic of greetings marked her skin. Isn’t that just the funniest thing? 

“Wow, looks like you’ll be alone forever.” 

“No one loves you.” 

“Even your soulmate doesn’t want you.”

Oh how they laughed, and when one laughs everyone laughs. After all you didn’t want to be thought of as the weird one, as a freak like Luz. So why not laugh, it’s all in good fun. And besides even Luz would laugh. 

She’d laugh so hard that tears would spill from her eyes and more deafening then the laughter was the sound of glass being chipped away into pieces. But she was only 12 and this just the way things were when you were 12.

~~~

Now I wonder what you would imagine when you hear the term “perfection.” The term itself is rather subjective isn’t it? What one person finds perfect isn’t always what another would agree with and yet it’s often commonly used in the wrong way. 

So I’ll admit to coming off a bit biased when I tell you that Amity Blight was as close to the definition of perfection as one could get. Her skin a flawless porcelain and her eyes a mesmerizing gold. With short aquamarine hair tied up and not a strand out of place. It wasn’t just her appearance too she was incredibly intelligent, driven, and talented. Especially when it came to magic. At school she was the top of her class, incredibly popular, and very loved. 

She was no princess but she lived the life of one for her home was a mansion and while she did live with two very annoying siblings they mostly liked to have harmless fun and never truly made her life a living hell. 

So you can see why I say she was perfect, her life was perfect all the way down to the most minor of details.

Well there was one little thing that wasn’t exactly great but what was one little thing compared to everything else. As long as she did what was asked and kept up her image then she had nothing to worry about. 

Except today was the day she’d turn 13 and when she awoke she found there was something to worry about. Soulmates weren’t a common thing on the Boiling Isles, this place where she’s from. It was very rare to hear of someone having such a mark like those in the human realm but it did happen. And while it does happen she had never expected it to happen to herself but when she woke that day she was greeted to a word being added amongst the names of her chart. 

Soulmate

Oh...

No 

No no no no, Amity Blight could not have a soulmate. She tried rubbing at it with her other hand hoping with ever growing despair that it was a prank from her siblings but the mark would not come off. If her parents knew she had a soulmate, someone that was not preapproved by them, the amount of disappointment she’d receive. The thought alone was enough to have her shiver though the house was never cold. Never in that way at least. 

Though like I said she was intelligent, this mark wasn’t a prank nor would it go away, understanding at the moment she had no choice but to accept it. She’d figure out what to do when she’s met them but for now. Amity looked again at the word, and this time really looked for she noticed something she hadn’t earlier. Her soulmate’s happiness was only at 9%. Amity herself has never gone below 80% she couldn’t imagine being so low. 

Just seeing the number on her wrist was painful enough to have her 98% be brought down to a 95%. What brings a person down to 9%? What kind of life could her soulmate be leading? The distress from earlier turned into curiosity and she found herself wondering these things and more as she traced a finger over the word Soulmate and the number beside it. What should she do? 

Perhaps. 

Perhaps her siblings would know considering now was the time they decided to barge through her door yelling “Happy Birthday Mittens!” while using illusion magic to make their words form a banner that suspended in mid air. And no she did not squeal or nearly fall off her bed. 

“Can’t you two ever knock?!” even if she made up her mind to talk to them about it, Edric and Emira may be pranksters but they weren’t tattlers, and while them showing up here made it easier she still couldn’t help yelling at them for their blatant rudeness. 

“Awww, Mittens, where would be the fun in that?” 

“Yeah, especially on your birthday?” 

“Besides, look at this thoughtful display we made for you.” 

“One of these days you’re just gonna have to accept that you love us.” 

They spoke one after the other, beginning with Emira and ending with Edric. Amity sighed as she went quiet for a moment looking back down at her wrist. Still just 9%.

“Is everything okay, Mittens?” Em asked, always being the first of the two to notice when something was amiss.  

Amity bit her bottom lip before responding with partial confidence. “I have to show you guys something that I’m not sure what to make of yet.” The twins nodded urging her to continue, and after a moment she relented and finally showed them her wrist. 

If they were shocked at all they hid it well, their faces blank as they no doubt saw that word and just when Amity was about to worry that she had broke her siblings the two gave a very audibly excited gasp. 

“Mittens!” 

“You dog you!” 

“How long have you had this?” 

“Just since this morning.” Their reaction taking her so much by surprise that she could do nothing but answer their questions. 

“Do you have any idea who it could be?” That was Edric.

“Not really.”

“What about that one guy who always had the biggest crush on-” 

“Emira! Ew, no!” 

“Why ew? He doesn’t seem so bad.” 

“I just don’t feel like it’s him okay. Plus I doubt his life is that bad.” 

“What do you mean?” They asked in unison, and that's when they saw it. The 9%.

“Damn, your soulmate is depressed.” 

“Edric don’t even joke about that!” Amity and Emira warned, despite Ed and Em being twins her and Amity were still sisters. 

“I wasn’t! Like how else do you want me to say it. What if they decide to kill themsel-”

“EDRIC!” 

“I’m just saying!” 

He’s right though, Amity knew he was. She may not know who they are but no one deserves whatever it is they were going through. Whatever it is that has them at a measly 9%. So Amity made up her mind to donate half of her happiness. 57% might not be high but it’s at least better than 9%. 

Never having been below 80% she felt the effect immediately. Something formed inside her, something small and hollow that she just could not take her mind off  even though today was her birthday, it was suppose to be a happy day. But it felt so wrong and she was only at 48%.

She hoped she’d never have to know what 9% felt like. 

~~~

For some reason, despite the horrible day she had yesterday, Luz woke up feeling better than she had in awhile. Looking over her chart, which only consisted of her and her mom, she saw she her mom was at a good 79%  and she was at a 57% which was not bad. She remembered going to bed with a 9% so perhaps getting a good nights rest coupled with the fact it’s the weekend was enough to improve it significantly. 

That was the only explanation she could come up with anyway. She even managed a small smile when her mother came into the room. “Buenos dias, Mija, are you feeling better?” 

“I’m feeling much better, gracias mama.” 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Camilia asked sitting at the foot of Luz’s bed. 

“Maybe another time, I’m fine right now though te lo prometo.” She managed to make her smile bigger and her mother nodded. Luz had come home in tears yesterday, actually the third time this week, and while Camilia was desperate to know what was hurting her baby so much she knew when to not push. Instead she found other ways to help.

“Then hurry up and get out of bed, yo eso sancocho con arroz blanco para desiuno.” 

Luz smiled with glee as she got up and rushed out the door leaving her mama behind. 

“At least get changed first!” 

“But it’s the weekend!” 

“Mi Luz!” 

“Okay, okay.” 

She didn’t notice but the interaction was enough to bring her up to an even 60%

~~~

Since that day it seemed like no matter what happened Luz would bounce back.  It got to the point where she didn’t feel anything else anymore. They could do their worst and she’d smile, laugh, and be her adorable silly self. Not only that but she also grew more bold and unafraid to stand out or fight back. Something had completely changed that day, perhaps it was her outlook on life that changed, or that all of a sudden she found emotional maturity. Either way it was like her happiness never went below 90% and she, literally, could not be happier. Although she could do without having her mother feeling like she needed to send her off to camp just because she liked expressing herself differently. She understood where her mom was coming from but Luz was a big girl, she can decide things for herself can’t she?

~~~

Amity, on the other hand, had gone through her own changes. She’s been constantly donating her happiness for over a year now. Many times most of it, sometimes all. That hollow feeling never left, it only got bigger, colder, as if it would swallow her whole any second. And as she grew colder on the inside she also grew colder on the outside, more bitter. Her once close friend, Willow, now hated her. People who once loved her for her big heart now only loved her for her beauty, talent, or because she was popular. She became friends with one of the meaner popular girls, Boscha, and you better give them a wide berth or risk social and emotional damage. 

Even Ed and Em noticed their darling little sister didn’t laugh or smile anymore, no matter what they did. They really did try too, but things that use to get an annoyed yet warm sound out of her now only elicited hisses and growls. It didn’t help that their parents also recognized her change in behavior and became much harder on her albeit in their messed up way where they praised her for her actions. She was a Blight and had a standard she was expected to keep after all. Not keeping it meant she was a disgrace and a failure. Things that Amity never wanted to be so she drowned herself even more in her studies and preparing for the future. Further shutting herself off from the world. 

At first Edric and Emira tried to help, it wasn’t Amity’s fault, there was someone else she was trying really hard to keep happy. She didn’t even know the person yet she was willing to suffer so much for them. That fact alone meant their sweet little baby sister was still in their somewhere didn’t it? They even tried to donate their own happiness to get her back but she refused to take it. Eventually even they gave up. 

First thing she did when she woke up today was give all of her happiness away. It was slowly becoming routine now, to give everything. ‘But why?’ Her thoughts would plead with her. ‘Why for someone you might not even know? You don’t even look to see if they need it anymore, what about our happiness?’ 

What about it?

‘Don’t we deserve it?’

We have everything we could ever want or need and succeeded in becoming a protégé of Lilith, leader of the emperor’s coven and a powerful witch in her own right, just like we wanted.

‘Just like you wanted, or your parents wanted?’ 

She hissed to silence the voices inside, after all what difference did it really make, as she got ready for the day. They were given a project that Amity intended to pass with flying colors. Not that it would be hard, no one else in that class or the whole school had half the skill she did.

Especially not Half-A-Witch who she had the pleasure of bumping into on the way to school. Oh this will be fun, Willow had no talent for magic and her parents always did say that people with no talent were pathetic in their eyes. They were right of course, she did not regret the loss of that friendship at all. 

Speaking of eyes, Amity never did notice the pair of disappointed brown orbs watching them from the bushes. 

“Willow! Wow you’re so unnoticeable I almost rolled into you.” 

“Hi Amity.” 

“Shouldn’t you get to class early to prep your-” Before she could finish Willow’s wheelbarrow shook and her abomination spilled from the pot like sticky purple liquid on the ground. “Oh Willow, you don’t have anything to show do you.” 

It doesn’t feel good to put people down, it doesn’t make her feel superior or strong. It doesn’t do anything for her but her parents would be proud and what’s wrong with that? Isn’t that what every child strives to do?

Willow looks really hurt though. 

“...Except much smaller and meaningless.”

I’m sorry Willow.

“...Even you can get a passing grade some day.”

I’m sorry. 

There go the unwanted thoughts again but those kinds of thoughts were slowly getting easier to ignore. It should have disturbed her how use to the cold she had become.

~~~

Okay so I thought this was getting a bit lengthy so I figured I’d do it in parts. Besides I’m really excited by what we’ll learn from the episodes coming out tomorrow and I may change stuff based on what we’re shown of Amity’s history. 

Gosh, I can’t sit still with how much I can’t wait for it. Anyway for those who managed to read through this whole first part thanks for taking the time to read it. See y’all tomorrow ^u^

[spider-pxrkers]

replacement pt. 2 || peter parker x stark!reader || tony stark x stark!daughter!reader || series

i do not own any gifs used. all credits go to the original creator. 

 summary: After your mother’s death, your father, Tony Stark takes you in. Your heart breaks as you realize he’s already found a child in the broken kid with spider-like powers.

word count: 1884 words

a/n: as i wrote this, i was watching jacksepticeye’s livestream on his youtube channel. he, and several other youtubers, are currently doing charity livestreams for covid-19 (corona virus) relief for the next few hours, so if you can, please head over there and donate!  if you can’t watch, head over here to donate:D

warnings: none. please let me know if there are!

masterlist || series masterlist

i do not own any gifs used. all credits go to the original creator.

 It’d been a couple days since you first met Tony. Calling him your ‘dad’ seemed out of place since your first interaction. You hadn’t seen Peter since either; not that you cared.

You honestly didn’t know what you expected when you’d first meet your father. You built a fantasy of him in your head ever since you were little. In your head, he’d be a middle aged man with graying hair and an irrational love for baseball who’d enjoy the occasional beer while sat in balcony of his townhouse. Not the billionaire philanthropist with hundreds of estates and his Iron Man suit inside a room in the building you lived in.

You barely got to get to know Tony, it all seemed like such a big let down. On the day you first met him, he shortly had to leave to attend to some ‘Avengers Business’, however insisting Peter show you around the tower. 

The entire tour felt like repeated slaps in the face. 

You realized just how close Peter was with man who was supposed to be your father. The boy appeared to be rather quiet when you first met him, however, he never refrained from going on minutes long rants about certain memories he had associated with each and every room in your new home. His expression was almost childish while he recalled encounters he’d had with Tony and other Avengers, his hands moving as if animated. 

It was almost cute, listening to the boy rather excitedly jump from topic to topic while walking you around the compound, but the entire time you couldn’t help the resentment growing for Peter as he spoke about the memories he had which you, Tony Stark’s real daughter, should have had instead. 

 Anger seeped through you with every word Peter let out the entire hour of the tour, describing the life you had missed out on, and instead the one he got. You couldn’t help but let out a groan as he took you to yet another floor of the building, the one that you were supposed to stay in but still, another floor filled with probably half a dozen new rooms for Peter to go on and on about.

 You decided to take it until you reached one of the kitchens and Peter’s eyes lit up, about to tell you a story about something to do with Tony making him try a new brand of coffee as they worked on his chemistry homework together, which made you realize you had enough.

 “Peter, you know what?” you cut him off, your temper rising, his wide smile faltering a bit as he lowered his arms that were in the middle gesturing to the coffee grinder. 

 “What?”

 “I think I’ve had enough of you-” you paused and looked up, your hard stare meeting his softer gaze on you. For a small moment, you didn’t want to blame him, you didn’t want to blame him for living the life you were supposed to have. But as you saw his hand lower onto the coffee grinder, you shook your head slowly, any forgiveness you had for him draining away. “I’m pretty tired after the flight, I’d rather finish the tour up myself.” 

 Your words were standard, your tone however much harsher. Peter’s breath hitched as he stood, confused as to why you seemed so offended, but he wasn’t going to pry. “That’s okay,” he began quietly. “I-I gotta go anyway.” He gestured to the watch he had on his wrist before letting out a small smile at you. 

 Should he apologize? He felt like he should, but apologize for what?

 Maybe you were just tired.

Without saying anything else, he made his way to the elevator, giving you one last smile, before the elevator door closed between you two, and he began to descend.

 You sighed as you sat on one of the bar stools at a kitchen island, your head finding your hand as you tried to calm you breathing. You peered your head up, your eyes wandering your floor. It was big, for one. Bigger than any other house you’d lived in. It was spacious, minimally decorated, probably for you to fill in with what you’d like. The elevator Peter left in opened directly into the kitchen on one side and a sitting area with a television on the other side. By the sitting room, was a small study area, with a desk and empty bookshelves, leading to a corridor that connected to a bathroom and bedroom probably. As your eyes scanned the kitchen once again and landed on the red coffee grinder, you wondered if Tony had any one else stay here before you.

You stood outside the large building of Midtown High School. your hands curled around the bag resting on your shoulder. You took a deep breath, everyone’s nervous on their first day of school, it was normal. But your case was different. As you pushed your feet underneath you to head inside, you felt multiple eyes on you, all eager to see who Tony Stark’s illegitimate kid was.

 Tony wasn’t keen to send you to public high school. You didn’t know why, you hadn’t talked to him about it, in fact you hadn’t spoken to him at all since your brief encounter on your first day in New York. But you made it clear to the man, Happy Hogan, who spoke to you about it that you wanted your life to be as normal as possible. He seemed nice enough, but he too had already been acquainted with Peter Parker. It couldn’t help but make you feel Tony couldn’t care less sending the same man to tend to you that tended to Peter.

 You pushed the thought away, recalling Tony having called you earlier this morning, letting you know he was going to take you for lunch after school. You found yourself smiling after he hung up, things looking up

 You walked through the crowded halls of the school, your hands desperately clasped around your class schedule and school information. Just as you turned to the school map, you heard a familiar voice calling your name.

 “Y/N!”

 You eyes closed as you silently pleaded to yourself, turning around. You looked up and saw Peter Parker standing by a locker, another boy next to him, a smile on his face, waving at you. You looked between the confusing paper in your hand and the two boys in front of you, debating your options before figuring you were better off with help than without.

 You made your over to the pair, silently greeting the boy you didn’t know before he stuttered out something about having to head to class, 

It was quiet after that, you refused to make eye contact with Peter as he explained the map to you. After your call with Tony this morning, you felt a little ashamed to be mad at him. You probably were tired and took it out on him that day.

Peter seemed to notice you averting your gaze at him as the two of you headed to your shared homeroom, but he didn’t say anything, probably understanding you were sorry, though you didn’t say it.

 As the day went on, you felt more and more uncomfortable with people’s gazes on you. You found yourself sticking to Peter because somehow, you shared your first four classes before lunch. You got to know Ned a bit in your English class who you learned was going through a little bit of shock after meeting the Y/N Stark. It made you feel uneasy at first before Ned changed the topic and began a rant about the new Star Wars movie, making you laugh as your teacher glared at him.

 During lunch, you sat with the two and was later joined by a girl named Michelle. The next thirty minutes was filled with Peter softly chuckling at Ned who could not stop talking about some comic book and Michelle occasionally looking up from her book while passing sarcastic comments. You felt almost content for the first time since you arrived in this city. You looked up at Peter, who you severely misjudged, silently thanking him for bringing you into this group, before you noticed his gaze instead on Michelle, who sat by you. 

 You looked between the two, his eyes almost pleading as he looked at the girl who instead stared at the book in front her. You found your lips tugging into a light smile, as you connected the dots, realizing Peter had a crush on the girl next to you.

 A few minutes before lunch ended, Peter’s phone on the table began to vibrate. The conversation seized as he grabbed his phone, his light eyes crinkling as he looked up and shared a look with Ned.

 You found you eyebrows furrowing, “What is it?” you quietly asked.

Peter’s gaze snapped to you as he hurriedly stood up, as if something clicked in his head while looking at you. “I-I gotta go do something.” he rushed to grab his things before he left the table, almost sprinting out the cafeteria door.

 What was going on? You turned your head to look at Ned. “What was that about?”

Ned looked at you, his face flushing as he if he was choosing his words carefully. “Peter has an- he has an internship. Yeah, an internship, and he has some work to get to.” He quickly nodded, before shoving a juice straw in his mouth.

“What internship?” you turned to Michelle this time, hoping she’d give you a more straight forward reply.

She still had her eyes in her book, not even looking at up before saying, “I don’t know man, some internship at Stark Industries.”

You face fell and your smile faltered. “Oh.” you breathed out before your gaze inverted to the table. Of course Peter had a Stark Internship, that probably explained how he knew Tony so well. It still hurt, knowing he was probably headed to the place that was supposed to be your home.

Both Ned and Michelle shared a look with each other, Ned silently scolding her as she just shrugged.

 By the end of the school day, Peter still hadn’t returned. It left you to spend your classes alone, sharing one with Michelle, but still. You figured with him attending to his internship, Tony would probably be busy after school, but that didn’t stop you for waiting. You sat on a bench outside the school gate, your bag on the seat beside you. You played a game on your phone for a bit, as you waited for Tony to pick you up. Minutes eventually turned into an hour, and you typed a quick a text to Tony, asking him where he was. After a few minutes, when he didn’t reply, your heart sunk.

 You stood up, slinging your bag over your shoulder as tears brimmed your eyes, making your way to the nearest bus stop. You connected the dots together, realizing your father was probably with Peter. That’s why Peter hadn’t come back, why Tony didn’t bother to get back at you. It stung, it stung knowing Peter had intruded on another moment in your life with you father.

 It stung knowing that Tony picked Peter Parker over you.

Taglist:

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@iguessweallcrazyithinktho​ @mylittle-peach​ @potter-head-phanatic​

@the-greatt-perhaps​ 

get added to the tag list by contacting me here.

[bichlordstories]

6: Early release

Today was the day class 1A would head off to the USJ. Not class 1B.

You could feel envy crawling up your spine as you saw that Midoriya brat in a ridiculous looking costume waiting with some other unimportant kids for the buses to arrive.

As if he could feel your eyes, the boy turned to look at you before flinching in surprise and looking away.

“Heh? They get to go?” A voice beside you spoke.

You didn’t have to turn to know that it was Monoma, the class sadist. You let out a ‘tch’ and turned from class 1A and stared at the entrance of the Highschool.

“We don’t go until next week. A waste of our time if you ask me.” You said.

“Something we can both agree on.” Monoma said.

“It seems as though class 1A is getting more attention for some good heroes, like All Might. It’s crazy! We only got a visit, but he’s been around class 1A the most! What is it that they have that we don’t?” He asked mostly himself.

For once he wasn’t sadistically joyful, he was bothered. Almost as though he has some sort of anxiety.

‘So he’s not a complete psychopath.’ You thought.

“A favorite.” You answered his rhetorical question.

That favorite being the shrimp the teachers pitied enough to let in the school.

Midoriya Izuku.

Monoma turned his head and raised an eyebrow to you.

“Oh? Who would that be?” He asked, mildly interested.

“One of those kids have to be something promising to him. Or maybe a lot of them. Maybe it’s their quirks or their lack of personality. Whatever it is, it’s got him invested in this school, and it ain’t any of us.” You said.

“So... you think he visited us during the battle trials because he wanted to see what we had?” Monoma said before his eyes widened.

“But... after the trials, he just didn’t pay us much attention... (L/n), as much as I hate to admit this, you are the best out of all of us in terms of strength and speed. Was that not enough for him?” Monoma’s fist clenched at this.

You said nothing, instead closing your eyes and exhaling slowly.

“Hm. There’s nothing we can do but do better than them. While they have it easier with All Might giving them his attention and teaching them, we have to figure it out on our own. Think of this as earning something through hard work instead of being given things on a silver platter.” You said.

The blonde turned away from the class, still bothered by the fact that 1A was getting more than him and his class despite working hard on the first few days.

For once, you were both on the same page.

Entering the classroom, you both sat in your respective spots. Immediately, the foreign exchange student, pony, waved at you enthusiastically.

You glanced at her, hesitating, before nodding your head in acknowledgment.

Apparently, you came in on time, as Sekijiro came in a minute after you and Monoma. The man placed a stack of paper down and began telling the class about a pop quiz they were about to do, earning groans from the class.

“Hey, (L/n)-san!” Somebody whispered next to you.

You and a few students were done with the quiz, and your teacher wasn’t in the room at the moment. You turned your head slightly to stare at the silver-haired guy next to you.

“What do you want, Tetsutetsu?” You muttered into your fist.

“I wanted to...” he grumbled under his breathe.

“What?” You furrowed you’re eyebrows.

“...sorry about what I did.” He said with an embarrassed blush.

“For what?” You asked genuinely confused by what he meant.

“You know what I mean, when I yelled at you on the first day of school?” He whispered while covering his head with his arms and slouched over his desk.

“The first day of school.” You muttered incredulously.

That was days ago, and it made no sense to you that he apologized now. You didn’t even remember how your interactions went down.

“...It’s whatever.” You waved him off, dismissing his apology.

“H-hey! I’m trying to apologize! I know I may not be in the right but what I did wasn’t horrible!” He shot up from his desk and pointed at you.

Your eyebrows rose halfway to your hairline at this.

Did this brute not understand the meaning of an apology? And did he not hear you say that what he did didn’t matter? How this eccentric guy got into UA, you had no idea and you didn’t have enough of an imagination to think of a scenario where he got in.

“-I ain’t taking your shitty attitude, thinking your better than me-“

“Tetsutetsu, stop, you’re being loud and an idiot-“ Ibara started but was too late.

You shot your hand forward and grabbed his pointed finger before pushing it back. He immediately kneeled on the floor while letting out a surprised squeal.

“Ah, please! No please!!!!” His voice went into a high pitch while he grasped your wrist with his free hand. You gave him an irritated and disappointed look while pushing his finger back a bit more, making him press his head against his arms.

“No more, ple-“

Just then, the door opened, revealing a stone faced Sekijiro. You immediately released Tetsutetsu, believing to be in trouble, but the man didn’t acknowledge you.

“Class, follow me.” He said sternly.

The students looked at each other with concern. Kendo raised her hand before asking him what was going on. As the students got their stuff, the man stood there silently before answering her (and everyone’s) question.

“There’s been an attack.”

While you didn’t know what happened to class 1A exactly, as the details haven’t been released yet, you silently sent your regards to the class as a villain attack wasn’t something anyone would ask for or wish upon others.

You were met with greetings from the hospital staff and was led to the room where you usually pump out blood. It had windows, revealing the beautiful sky and buildings outside and was usually reserved for dying, mentally unstable and in very special cases, you. The doctors and nurses were hesitant about bringing you there, but you insisted on the room. Why? You liked feeling not trapped in a small room.

It was oddly empty save for a woman and a nurse, but that was it. You sat down at the far end away from the woman and the nurse and stared out the large window, waiting for your nurse to set up the objects used to withdraw your precious blood.

After the nurse placed the needle in your arm, she attached a bag to the other end and began the process. Time was passing by quickly for you, and you got done filling 3 bags before someone came rushing in.

“Doctor Joy needs you, Hannah. Bring one of those blood bags, now!” The male nurse said in an urgent tone and rushed out.

Hannah quickly grabbed a bag and rushed out, but not before quickly apologizing.

You didn’t bat an eye as this had happened before. This was a hospital after all, those don’t sit in cities for nothing.

You could hear hushed tones from the woman and the nurse before the nurse nodded her head and quickly walked away as if to grab something.

The whole room fell silent after the door opened and shut, leaving just you and the woman.

The said woman scanned the room and caught your eye and smiled warmly.

You felt the hair on the back of your neck raise in embarrassment and you quickly turned your head away, scowling to yourself.

“Donating blood again?” A soft voice chimed.

You side glanced the woman, who wasn’t looking at you anymore but was instead staring out the window.

“...Yeah...?” You said with caution.

You never met this woman in your life, but you were well-known in the hospital.

The woman smiled brighter at this.

“I’ve seen you a few times, even heard of how your blood saved lives. You’re quite the celebrity here.” She chuckled out the last sentence.

You grunted in response, having nothing important to say.

“You know, you remind me of my husband.” She said as an unreadable look glazed over her eyes.

“He’s not a very kind man, and I didn’t love him-“

Your eyebrows raised at this.

“-and while I still don’t love him, he has tried. Unlike him, however, you show your selflessness more through your actions. You’re even more in touch with your emotions, too.” She said before turning to you with a smile.

“I’ve seen the way you treat people here. Not like victims, weak burdens, or anything of the sort, but as people. My husband could learn a thing or two from you if I’m completely honest...” she said with amusement.

You didn’t really know what to say, just exhaled in exasperation and hit your head against the back of the plush leather seat.

“Sorry, that must have been weird to hear out of nowhere.” She said apologetically.

“...eh... not the craziest thing I heard today... my school got attacked by villains, so...”

Why did you mention that? You didn’t know, maybe to get it off your chest?

“Oh dear! I’m so sorry to hear! It must have been terrifying! Which school was it?” She asked in concern.

“It’s UA.”

“...what.” Her tone turned cold, grey eyes locked onto your (e/c) ones.

“Yeah, apparently class 1A got attacked during a school field trip.”

You didn’t think it was possible for the pale woman to get any paler. Her eyes almost seemed to bulge as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

“...Shoto!” She cried, leaping from her chair and running to the door.

On cue, the door burst open and a bicolored kid ran in, eyes wide.

“Mother, what is it!? I heard screaming-“ the teen was embraced in a tight hug by the dainty woman, who weeped into his shoulder.

You felt awkward hearing the woman cry, having a near mental breakdown and just sat stiffly in the chair.

This was why you never talked to people.

As the two walked back to her original spot, completely forgetting you, nurse Hannah came in with an exhausted look as if she had an adrenaline rush.

“You wouldn’t believe how scared I was when this scruffy looking man came in with a smashed up face! I mean, it looked almost caved in!” She said before sitting by you and continuing to draw blood.

“That blood of yours sure does give people a boost! The man practically shot out of his bed when we managed to clean off his face. It was a good thing you came by today.”

You were mildly aware that the scarred teen and the pale woman could hear what was being said, but you didn’t care all that much.

All you wanted was to head home, sleep, eat, and train in that order.

It was 3 days after the USJ incident and it was Monday. It was as if the villain attack never happened.

You held onto the egg sandwich with your mouth while holding your backpack and checking your watch, noting that you had 5 minutes left before Sekijiro would start class.

You flinched when something hard and big thumped onto your shoulder, making you drop your egg sandwich.

You turned to yell at whoever whacked you on the shoulder before a you let out a sound no human could ever make.

The mummy-er man before you raised his eyebrows at your reaction but winced when his injured face reminded him that it was at one point fractured.

“H-Heh? Who are you???” You said while regaining your composure.

“I’m Aizawa Shouta, I’m class 1A’s teacher.” He said simply.

“Why are you covered in- oh. USJ.” You said, feeling utterly stupid.

The man sighed, closed his eyes, and smoothed his hair back with his least injured arm before opening his arms.

“I wanted to thank you.”

“Huh.”

You blinked at him and then narrowed your eyes at the strange man.

“Nani?”

“If you hadn’t donated any blood last week, I wouldn’t have gotten out of that hospital, which would have been a pain in the neck.” He said and bowed the best he could.

With that, he left you without another word, leaving you with your dirty egg sandwich and a lot of confusion.

~~~~~~~~~

(Y/n) finally meets Aizawa!!!! And there will be some more in the future with these two!

Boy, do I have lots to do! Next chapter will kinda be (SPOILERS) a bonding chapter between Mc and Sekijiro.

What? They both have blood related quirks, and Mc really needs a father figure! Like, bad.

[nishinoya-is-baby]

🌸Restoration🌸

🌹Hi!!! This is dedicated to @yamagucji and our shared love of plants and nature! Go check their blog out and give them some love!🌹

🌺(Yamaguchi x GenderNeutral!reader) {TW: Mentions the death of reader’s cousin} Angst (this is my first angst, please be nice)->fluff (The italicized word/words after a flower are what the flower symbolizes, and the reader isn’t saying it!)🌺

🌼**Please be aware of the fact that flowers have different meanings based on your sources! My source is from a book where the author did research on the flowers and chose either the most common definition or the definition that made most sense to her!**🌼

Everyone knew of the garden. The massive 3-acre garden. The garden that had flowers, succulents, and various other plants. The garden that was open to all visitors on Saturdays. The garden who’s owner memorized the meanings and history of the flowers that graced it. The garden that held various activities for families and the elderly. The garden that gave so much, but took nothing. Everyone knew of the garden. The garden that closed it’s gate four months ago. The garden that was filled with dead plants. The garden that no longer had visitors. The garden that stopped holding events. The garden that had cracks in the once moist and rich soil. The garden who’s owner’s heart felt the pain of every fallen petal and every bug-ridden leaf.

The owner, Y/n, hadn’t had the mental or physical energy to tend to the large garden. Not after their cousin had passed away four months ago. Their cousin had been the co-owner of the garden, tending to the look of the garden. Had Y/n had it their way, the garden would be unruly, the pathways non-existent as the plants took over the land. Their cousin, however, knew that couldn’t happen. How would they hold all their activities if there was no place to sit or walk? Y/n’s cousin had died without warning, crushing them. After the news had reached Y/n, the garden was immediately closed, a sign taped to the gate saying, “Closed until further notice”. As Y/n’s mental health declined, so did the wellbeing of the garden. Before Y/n could even think about the garden, it had already died. Their beloved plants nothing but dried up scraps that blew around in the gated area. This broke their heart even more.

The garden incident happened two months ago. Four months had passed in total, and they knew they couldn’t live the way they were anymore. They knew their family was running out of excess money to give them. They knew the garden was calling to them louder and louder every day. They knew the innocent plants didn’t deserve the neglect they received. However, when they had tried to walk through the barren garden, they were hit with a wave of nausea. Memories flooding down from their brain into their throat, pushing into their lungs, forcing their way into their stomach. Y/n laid on a random path, shaking and gasping for air until they eventually fell asleep. They woke up two days later, the sour taste of stomach acid on their tongue, a pounding migraine, and an ache in their bones that would last for at least two weeks. After that, they stayed in their house, sleeping during the day and crying at night.

One thing did bring them joy, though. That thing, or rather person, was Yamaguchi Tadashi. They called him Dashi, per his request. He brought them groceries once a week and read to them every 3 days. He was also the one to convince their boss to not fire them and to just give them time. They met a couple of years ago when he came to the garden with a tall blonde boy. He soon became a regular at the garden, often following Y/n around, asking them questions about the flowers they memorized. They became friends quickly, hanging outside of the garden. Y/n remembered the time their cousin told them to ask Dashi out every time he came to read to them. Every day when they woke up to a text from him, they felt their heart heal just a little bit. He gave them the inspiration to keep going. The way he showed them soft and tender care, made them feel like the chills in their bones was slowly going away. They knew he loved them. The only issue was that they didn’t know how long it would take for them to get back on track and know that they truly loved him back. That was why Y/n was currently at a floral shop, about to design a personalized bouquet meant for the sweet and quiet boy. They had already practiced their speech in the morning and texted him to meet them at their local coffee shop.

“What would you like to be in your bouquet?” the nice florist asked. “May I have White Jasmine amiability, Hibiscus delicate beauty, Angelica inspiration, Aster patience, Bellflower gratitude, White Carnation sweet and lovely, Flax I feel your kindness, and Lily of the valley return of happiness, please?” they asked. After the florist gave them their bouquet, Y/n made their way towards the coffee shop. When they got there it was 12 in the afternoon. “Right on time,” Y/n thought. They saw Dashi sitting at a two-person table in a pretty empty corner. When he saw them walking towards him, he quickly got up and gave them a firm hug. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you inviting me places again!” he exclaimed. “Yea, it’s nice to be out again,” Y/n said. When they both sat down was when Y/n noticed a cup of (favorite hot drink) sitting on their side of the table. Yamaguchi noticed their gaze at the cup and let out a quiet, “I thought I’d order it early. I know this place makes their drinks too hot for you.” “Thank you, Dashi,” they said. “Of course! Who’s that bouquet for? You haven’t talked about flowers for a while now? Is everything okay?” Y/n smiled at the way his words were laced with both care and concern. “Well, this bouquet is for you, Dashi,” they said, handing the delicate flowers to him. “Oh! That’s really sweet of you, Y/n. Do you want to explain the flowers to me?” he asked, a blush gracing the soft skin on his cheeks. “The Jasmine means amiability, and it’s there because you’re so friendly to not only me but others, too. The Hibiscus means delicate beauty because you’re beautiful inside and out. The Angelica means inspiration because you inspire me to wake up and at least try to make things better. Aster means patience because you’ve stuck with me throughout this whole ordeal. Bellflower means gratitude because I’m grateful for you. White Carnation means sweet and lovely because that’s exactly what you are. Flax means I feel your kindness because anyone and everyone can feel your kind and loving heart from a mile away. Finally, Lily of the valley means return of happiness, because every time you talk to me, I feel the cracks in my heart feel a little less deep. Listen, I know you like me romantically. I would have to be blind to not see it. As much as I want to say I like you too, I can’t. My brain and heart are still feeling so many things, and I think I should focus on myself before I focus on if I have feelings for anyone in general. Thank you for being there for me. Maybe, when I’m better, we can go out on a date and see how things go. I guess I did all this just to ask you this question. Will you restore the garden with me?” Y/n asked. There was a silence between them for a few moments, but Y/n knew it was needed for him to process everything and arrange his thoughts. They both drank their drinks for a few minutes before Yamaguchi spoke up, saying “Thank you for the bouquet. It’s probably the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a long time. As far as my feelings go, I respect your decision and maybe we can talk more about it when you’re ready. Hell yeah about the garden. I wouldn’t want to do anything else than to restore that place with you!” “Sounds great!”

After that interaction, the two immediately got to work. To say it was hard work would be an understatement. The first step was to get rid of all the dead plants and weeds that were still in the garden. It took about two weeks to get a majority of the junk out. He held them every time they started to break down. Whether it be sadness about their plants or memories of their cousin. When they were in a happier mood, they would chase Yamaguchi with a rake, both laughing their asses off. The second step was to remove the old and nutrient-deficient soil in the planters. this was probably the hardest step. Digging 3 inches into the soil of all the places designated for plants was a hard job. As the days went on, Y/n’s mental health improved. They knew that if their cousin was there, they would’ve been happy, and that made Y/n happy. Not only that, but as the restoration went on, Y/n and Yamaguchi became more flirty and comfortable with each other. He started staying the night at their house. His excuse being that he wanted to be there so he could jump straight into work in the morning. It took about 3 weeks of daily work to get all the soil out. Word had gotten out that there was something going on at the town’s beloved garden. People started a donation page for the garden, wanting to help out Y/n with the finances. The third step was to get new soil in the places where plants were going to be planted. This was the easiest step, as all they had to do what pour soil into the planters. This took about 4 days to do. Some might say that’s a long time to just pour dirt in certain places, but the whole garden was 3 acres with a majority of it being planters filled with flora. The fourth and final step was to choose the plants that would be put into the planters. This was Y/n’s favorite step. When choosing the plants, Y/n let Yamaguchi choose the succulents, vines, and other plants. Anything that wasn’t flowers. Y/n went on their own to get the flowers, knowing they had to get meaningful flowers. They ended up choosing the same flowers that were in the bouquet she made for Yamaguchi, Allium prosperity, Alyssum worth beyond beauty, Baby’s breath everlasting love, Pink carnation I will never forget you, Chervil sincerity, Coreopsis always cheerful, Cosmos joy in love and life, Everlasting pea lasting pleasure, Fennel strength, Feverfew warmth, Freesia lasting friendship, Hawthorn hope, Wisteria welcome, and a bunch of other flowers that had lovely meanings.

When they were putting in the last flower, their hands patting down the soil, getting closer and closer until their fingers interlocked. The earthly smell of the soil contrasted the sweetness of all the flowers. Bees had already found the gorgeous once more. Once they had both showered up, Y/n walked Yamaguchi toward the gate of the garden. Y/n delicately placed Yamaguchi’s hand on one side of the “Closed until further notice” sign and then placed theirs on the other side. All it took was a nod and smile from the two, and the sign fell to the ground. With the extra funding they received, they were able to advertise the reopening of the garden.

Both Y/n and Yamaguchi were ecstatic, beaming as people passed by them at the front gate. The day went perfectly, families were bonding, kids admired the beauty of the flowers while their parents simply basked in the calming aura of the garden, and elderly people enjoyed watching the insects and birds from the comfort of various benches. That night was when Y/n decided to have a serious talk with Yamaguchi. They had him sat down on their couch, sitting on the other side themselves. “So, you wanted to talk?” he asked, concerned that they weren’t happy with how the day went. “Yes. Let me go get your gift,” they said. When they returned, they held a bouquet in their hands. “Another bouquet? What’s the occasion?” asked Yamaguchi. “Well...I believe I’ve taught you enough for you to know the meanings of these flowers,” they said. It was true. Throughout their friendship and the time restoring the garden, Y/n taught Yamaguchi all they knew about plants. Specifically flowers. Yamaguchi stared at the bouquet before saying, “Agapanthus means love letter, Baby’s breath means everlasting love, Clove means I have loved you and you have not known it, Heliotrope means devoted affection, Jonquil means desire, Lilac means the first emotions of love, and Myrtle means love. If you’re trying to say what I think you’re saying, I’d love to hear you say it.” Y/n let out a deep sigh before saying, “Dashi, I love you. I realized it slowly as we rebuilt the garden. I feel as though the garden represents my heart, somehow. When my cousin died, the garden died too, along with my heart. When you helped restore it, though, you also helped restore my heart. All while finding your way into it. I’ve never been happier. Seeing the garden in full swing again is what my cousin would’ve wanted.” “Y/n, will you go out on a date with me?”

~Time skip 4 years~

“Y/n, do you take Tadashi Yamaguchi as your lawfully wedded husband?” “I do!” “And Tadashi, do you take Y/n L/n as your lawfully wedded spouse?” “I do!” They stood in the middle of their garden. Flowers representing love and devotion surrounded them. Family and friends applauded as the two kissed, sealing their marriage. When they stopped, Y/n saw butterflies flying around everyone. Somehow, they knew it was their cousin.

🍄Thank you for reading!🍄

(2.2k words)

[theundercovermarvelfan]

Whumptober 2020 - Day 8

Boom! Caught up! 

Whumtober Challenge @whumptober2020

Where Did Everybody Go? “Don’t Say Goodbye” | Abandoned | Isolation

Clint would never take physical touch for granted again. 

Being sick was bad enough. Getting doused with a dangerous bioweapon in the middle of a mission was worse. Being confined to complete isolation on the medical floor of Avengers Tower was just plain miserable. 

Clint had been dangerously sick for the first five days after his exposure. He honestly didn’t remember much of those days, having spent the majority of his time either unconscious or in a fevered delirium. Tony and Bruce had finally been able to synthesize an antidote of sorts, and Clint was finally on the mend, though it was still too risky to expose any of the other Avengers to the manufactured virus. 

Clint still felt rundown with a nasty cough -- mostly he felt like he had a bad strain of the flu at this point -- but being stuck alone in this painfully sterile hospital room was starting to get to him. It honestly took a few days to figure out why he was feeling so restless. He had a television that Tony had hooked up with basically any movie or tv show he could ever watch. He had a StarkPad loaded up with games. Every Avenger had donated a handful of books for him to read. The rest of the team would also drop by usually once a day or so to stand on the other side of the large window that took up most of one wall of Clint’s isolation room and chat with him for a bit, though it was difficult to keep up significant conversations with his persistent cough. He had plenty he could do to fill his time, in theory he should be well occupied.  

But as the days went on, he became more and more focused on the thick paine of glass between him and the rest of the world. 

Doctors and nurses came into his room periodically to check his vitals and administer medications, but every person had to put on a biohazard suit and go through a decontamination chamber before and after entering the room. It only added to Clint’s feeling of disconnect from the world. 

It was a week and three days after Clint’s initial infection. Clint was curled up on the bed in a nest on blankets that Natasha had brought him when out of the corner of his eye he saw a group entering the decontamination chamber attached to his room. This wasn’t anything out of the ordinary and he didn’t pay the group much attention as they entered the room. 

Because of the biohazard suits, it took Clint until he was practically leaning over him to recognize the familiar face. 

“Hey Clint,” Bruce said with a warm smile. 

Clint felt the corners of his mouth tugging up weakly. “Hey, Doc,” he rasped, his voice especially rough from disuse. He curled in further on himself as he coughed hard. 

Bruce gave him a sympathetic look. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay, I guess,” Clint mumbled with a small shrug as he automatically held out an arm to the doctor and nurse who had come in with Bruce so that they could take their usual blood sample. 

Bruce frowned though. He glanced over at the television in the room, which was off. “Have you watched anything good recently?” 

Clint glanced over at the tv as if to confirm that it was still there. “Hm. Not really.” He coughed, wheezing in a labored breath. “Nothing really good on tv I guess.”

Bruce nodded, though he looked unconvinced. He watched quietly for a minute as the doctor continued to take Clint’s vitals, Clint moving along mechanically, used to the routine. 

“Are you reading anything?” Bruce asked, eyeing the books that were still stacked neatly next to Clint’s bed. 

Clint stared blankly at the stack for a moment. He swallowed thickly. “I started that… that James Patterson book Steve brought,” he mumbled, waving a hand vaguely as he coughed weakly. “Couldn’t really get into it though.” 

“Yeah,” Bruce said distractedly. “Is there anything else you need? Anything I can bring you?”

“No, I’m fine,” Clint mumbled. Because what he wanted was to get out of this room and be able to interact normally with other people again. And he knew that Bruce couldn’t help with that. 

“Your vitals have dipped a little bit since yesterday,” the doctor reported, concerned. “Your fever went up a few degrees, your blood pressure dropped a bit.”

Clint blinked as he tried to absorb that information. “I’m getting worse?” he asked, his voice small. 

“It’s probably just a minor setback,” the doctor said briskly, though Clint couldn’t help but notice the uneasy tone in his voice. “We’ll reevaluate your medication and will likely just have to make an adjustment to get you back on track.”

Clint nodded vaguely, though his heart twisted in his chest. He had at least thought that he was getting better. But this news meant that he might have to have an even longer isolation that they had originally thought. Clint blamed his fever for the fact that he couldn’t stop tears from gathering at the corners of his eyes. 

“It’ll be okay, Clint,” Bruce assured him. “Tony and I will take another look at the antidote, see if there’s anything we can do to strengthen it, maybe be able to focus it to be more effective.”

“Yeah,” Clint murmured hoarsely, barely listening to Bruce at this point. 

He had every faith in Bruce and Tony’s ability to cure the virus. But the thought of spending any more time secluded in this room clawed at Clint’s sanity. 

“I’m going to check in with Tony,” Bruce went on. “But how about I come back and visit again in a little bit?”

At that, Clint’s gaze finally shifted to look directly at Bruce for the first time since he had first recognized him. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon then.” Bruce reached out with a thickly gloved hand and gently patted Clint on the shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile before he turned and headed back out of the room. 

Clint watched him go, staring at the empty decontamination chamber for a long time. He must have dozed off at some point, because when he woke up something was different. He was painfully aware of every detail of the room after spending so much time staring at these walls, so it didn’t take much for him to notice when something was different. But even if he hadn’t, it’d be difficult to miss the overstuffed armchair that was now pushed up in the cover next to the large window that looked out into the hallway. 

Clint stared at the chair in confusion for a long time. Then, movement outside of the window caught his eye. Bruce walked into view, smiling and waving in at Clint before he reached over and activated the intercom into the room. 

“Hey,” Bruce said. “How are you feeling?” 

“‘Bout the same,” Clint rasped. 

Bruce nodded, looking at him sympathetically. “Tony is taking another look at the antidote that we create. In the meantime, I thought I might have something else that could help. Do you feel up to moving over to the chair?”

Intrigued, Clint nodded and he carefully sat pushed himself over to the edge of the bed, wrapping a blanket around himself more securely. It took an unusual amount of concentration from Clint to coordinate his movements with dragging the IV stand he was hooked up to, but he managed to cross the few steps to the chair. 

When he finally got himself situated, he looked up to find that Bruce had been arranging something in the hallway next to his window. There was now a chair and a small table sitting just on the other side of the glass. 

On the table, Bruce was setting up a chess board. 

“Do you feel up to a game?” Bruce asked. 

Clint felt the first honest to goodness smile since he had gotten sick crossing his lips. “Yeah. You might actually have a chance of winning with me off my game.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for,” Bruce said with a broad smile as he settled himself into his own chair. “White has the first move.” He indicated the white pieces that were on Clint’s side of the board. 

“Pawn to d-4,” Clint directed. Bruce reached out and made the move on the board. He paused and then moved his knight. Clint quirked an eyebrow. “Bold move.” 

“I’m feeling lucky,” Bruce said with a grin. 

Clint coughed as he thought over his strategy, his mind much more sluggish than usual. “Pawn to c-4.” 

Clint lost the first game, immediately demanding a rematch. He won the second, but he suspected that Bruce had gone easier on him. He demanded a best out of three. The third game dragged on much longer than usual, with the two remaining neck and neck most of the time until finally Clint was finally able to corner Bruce’s king. 

This quickly became a routine. Bruce came back at least three times a day in order to play chess with Clint. Natasha and Steve quickly started joining in the gameplay as well, and even Tony got in on it after a full day in his lab working on the antidote. They soon had a continuous tournament going on that only took breaks for Clint to sleep. And as the games continued, the glass between them started to seem thinner and thinner. And soon Clint found that despite the fact that he was still isolated, he was finally beginning to feel connected with the world again. 

Two days after Bruce started the chess games, Clint fever finally broke. Three days and his vitals were almost back to normal. Five days and the door to his room opened to allow Bruce, Tony, Natasha and Streve to walk into his room without biohazard suits. 

Clint eyes widened at the sight, momentarily panicked that his friends were risking getting sick. 

“Good news!” Bruce said quickly. “With your vitals improving, it seems like the original antidote was able to finally clear out the rest of the virus. It’ll still likely be a few more days until you feel fully recovered, but as of right now we’ve confirmed that you’re no longer contagious. We can officially end the isolation.”

Clint grinned widely. “Really? I can really finally leave this damn room?” 

“Yes,” Natasha confirmed, smiling. “We figured you’d want to get out of here as soon as possible, so we’ll help you pack up and move back to your room while you finish your recovery.”

“Thank you,” Clint said sincerely, glancing around at all his friends but then focusing on Bruce. “Thank you for bringing the chess set here.”

“Sometimes our own mind can be our worst enemy,” Bruce said soberly. “I could tell you felt depressed, and it could be the reason your vitals weren’t improving. I’ve always thought that when your mind is in a better place, your body is able to heal easier.”

Clint reflected on that. He had initially improved a lot when he had finally gotten an antidote, but then he had seemed to level off. It was only when Bruce had brought the chess set that he had finally started to improve again. 

Everyone was busying themselves with gathering all of Clint’s things that he made their way into the room over the last two weeks. Bruce was helping Clint up out of bed, since he was still a little unsteady mostly due to lack of moving around the last couple weeks. And feeling Bruce’s bare hands helping to support Clint, it finally hit him. 

It was over. 

“Thank you, Bruce,” Clint said quietly, leaning into his friends, just reveling in the first real physical contact in weeks. “Thanks for everything.”

[something-tofightfor]

He’s Not Here -Part 22

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader

Word Count: 9070

Rating: M (language, violence, blood... you know the drill)

Parts 1-21 + the interludes and NSFW alphabet can be found on my Masterlist (link in bio)

Summary: In the aftermath of the Anvil launch party, you have no more reason to speak to Billy... but is this the end? How can you go back to life without him, even though you know he’s only a few miles away? And what happens as more time passes?

Author’s Note: We’re winding down. I initially thought that there would be one more part after this + an epilogue, but the epilogue turned into a 12,000 word MESS so I’m splitting it into two more chapters + the epilogue. 

(banner by @the-blind-assassin-12​) 

You’d been wrong to think that the Anvil party would be the last that you’d hear from Billy, and even though it shouldn’t have surprised you, it did. When you returned to the office Monday morning, there was a large floral arrangement waiting at the reception desk with your name on it, a card attached. What is he doing? You carried the vase to your office and closed the door, not wanting to open the card in front of anyone else, but at your first glance at the tiny rectangle, you realized that it didn’t matter. The arrangement had been addressed to you, but the card was made out to your entire work group, and it wasn’t signed from Billy - it was signed from Anvil. He didn’t even sign it himself. Fighting the urge to throw the card away, you instead propped it up against the vase, took a picture and logged into your company email account, sending a quick message to Billy, image attached. 

 Mr. Russo - 

So glad that we were able to help make Anvil’s launch party a success. Thank you for the flowers, we appreciate you thinking of us. Thought you’d want to see what we received on your behalf. 

 You read it over, cringing at the impersonal nature of the few lines. That’s what it has to be, though. No more… no more anything. Before you hit send, you remembered one final thing, adding it before your signature. 

 We’ll be going over the guest list today in order to mark off the attendees, and the ‘thank you’ cards will be sent before the end of the week. I’ll confirm when this is done. 

 You hit send without another thought, tucking the card into your top drawer before you stood, carrying the flowers into the lobby again and setting them on the table in the entryway. “Who are those from?” Erin stepped into the office, a coffee in one hand. “They’re gorgeous.” 

 “They’re from Bi- from Anvil.” You swallowed. “To thank us for the event. I thought that they should be out here where everyone can see them.” She leaned in, lowering her face to smell the blooms. “It’s really nice.” 

 “You know,” Erin remarked as she straightened up, turning her head to look at you. “These might be from Anvil, but…” She grinned. “They’re your favorite flowers.” Stunned, you looked back down, noticing for the first time that  she was right, the arrangement featured a few different types of flowers, but the majority of them were your favorites. I didn’t even…the color, too. Erin walked away, toward her office and you stared at the vase for a few seconds longer, trying to process what you were seeing. Why would he? He wouldn’t. It’s coincidence, that’s it. 

 Heading back into your office, you sat back at your desk, opening your email again to begin work for a new client, and saw a response from Billy using the Anvil account. 

 No need to confirm. I trust you to get them sent. Thanks again. It was almost perfect, from beginning to end. 

 Lieutenant William Russo, CEO, ANVIL 

 Despite the formality of the email, you knew that Billy had chosen his words deliberately again, and even though you tried to keep from feeling anything, you read the last line over and over, heart pounding. Beginning to end. Does he mean… his office and the hallway? I… You forced yourself to close the email, moving it to the folder you’d created as a record of all of your dealings with the contract. Enough. It isn’t happening. It’s over. That kiss was… You stared at your inbox silently, replaying the last kiss with Billy - the look that had been in his eyes, the way he’d touched you, apologizing for the way he’d left your apartment. Almost perfect? It doesn’t matter. Nothing changed. Scrubbing your hands over your face you tilted your head back, staring at the ceiling. “Get your shit together. It’s just a breakup.” 

 But it wasn’t, and you knew that no amount of convincing would make you believe otherwise. 

--- 

 The weeks passed, and while you didn’t hear from Billy again personally, you did hear from Curtis occasionally. The man stopped by your office every now and then on his way to and from the church where he held a veteran’s support group, providing updates on Frank when he had them, giving you small pieces of information about Billy every so often - even when you didn’t ask. The days lengthened and spring turned into summer - a hot one, causing brownouts throughout the city - but you kept busy. It seemed that your work with Anvil had put you on the radar of some important people, and your workload nearly doubled, requiring you to hire a new planner so that you didn’t have to turn anything down. Staying busy was nice, the extra money in your bank account was nice, and even getting to mingle with the New York upper class was nice, but you were lonely. 

 You knew that getting over Billy would take time, but you didn’t expect to feel as empty as you did when you thought of him, and it wasn’t until late July, when you showed up to another event with your new hire Marissa that you realized just how empty you were. He’s here. You saw him from across the room, dressed in a suit that the Billy you knew wouldn’t have been able to afford, and immediately froze. Luckily, he hadn’t seen you, and you took a few moments to watch him, noting that his face had thinned out slightly and his beard was trimmed with precision. His hair was back to how it had been before he’d shaved it off prior to his deployment, and you felt yourself smile as you watched him. He’s so confident. Even though the event wasn’t as upper crust as some of the ones you’d planned in the past, you were slightly surprised that he’d gotten an invite to it, since it had nothing to do with security. He’s good, I shouldn’t be shocked. 

 You’d just decided to walk over and say hello, proving that again, you could interact with him without making things awkward, when you watched as a redhead walked up to him, stopping at his side. You froze mid-step, eyes widening, and saw him move an arm, winding it around her body, his hand pressed against her back. No. He still hadn’t seen you, and so as she tilted her head up to look at him, her smile growing even though he didn’t look down at her, you turned on your heel and walked away, fighting back tears. I guess it really didn’t matter. --- 

In August, there was a pounding on your door one evening, after you got home from work. You’d already changed, and were relaxing on your couch, Netflix playing in the background. Who the hell? You opened the door, surprised to see Curtis standing at your doorstep, his hand still raised like he was going to knock again. “Curt? Is -” He shook his head, pushing past you and into your apartment, which wasn’t like him at all. “Curtis, what’s -” 

 “Frank’s awake.” You gasped, following the man deeper into your apartment and stepping into your kitchen to grab two beers, popping the caps off of the bottles. “He’s... thanks.” Curtis took a bottle from you, settling down onto the couch and you sat across from him in your armchair, leaning forward. “I went to see Billy first, to tell him, and then I came to you because Frank’s… he’s got no one else.” You had tried not to think of Billy, not wanting your most recent memory of him to be with his arm around another woman,  but let your mind wander to him then, choosing to remind yourself of the way he’d been with you at the church, his hand holding yours tightly, eyes full of emotion. 

 “Is he… does he know? Wh-” Curtis laughed, but the sound wasn’t humorous, and your heart immediately dropped. 

 “Yeah, he knows.” Curtis took a long drink of beer, meeting your eyes. “I only know that he’s awake because he came to see me.” What? 

 “He’s out of the -”

 “Not supposed to be.” Curtis ran his free hand over the top of his head, shaking it back and forth. “He ah, he woke up, I guess, a few days ago, and when he remembered? He went nuts. Broke himself out of the…” Curtis shook his head. “He’s weak, but Frank’s never... He’s never let that stop him before, he... “ Curtis met your eyes. “He’s gonna go after ‘em, after ‘em all, and he doesn’t care what happens to him.” You leaned back, your hand over your mouth. After them? Does that mean… “He needs a couple days, just to get his bearings, and then… I don’t blame him, you know? If that was my family? I’d be…” Curtis trailed off. “He came to me because he trusts me, and I’m tellin’ you because I didn’t want you to…” Curtis looked down. “I don’t know what happened between you and Billy. It’s none of my business, but he’s different now. I see him once a month when he drops off a donation check for my group, but he… he won’t talk to me anymore.” Curtis swallowed the last of his beer. “He can’t help Frank, not publicly, and I don’t even think Frank would think to go to him, I don’t even think he knows Billy’s still in town, but… shit.” Curtis stood. “Don’t be surprised if Frank Castle shows up at your door’s all I’m sayin’.” 

 “Thanks, Curtis, I…” You stood too, reaching out to touch his arm. “You didn’t have to tell me, so I …”

 “I knew Billy wouldn’t.” Curtis smiled sadly. “And seein’ someone you think is a ghost? That shit’s never fun.” He left soon after that, leaving his bottle on the counter and squeezing your shoulder before he stepped back into the hallway. Frank’s… he’s… You wanted to call Billy, wanted to talk to him, wanted to know what to do next, but couldn’t, the image of the redhead flashing before your eyes along with the way his hand had looked against the black material that was stretched over her back. He used to… You refused to be that woman - the one that didn’t get the hint, the one that wouldn’t let things go, and so you didn’t call Billy, instead looking around every corner for Frank’s face, keeping your ears trained to the hallway of your apartment building for his heavy footsteps. But Frank didn’t show up at your door - and then, one morning, you saw him on the front cover of just about every newspaper in New York City … and they were calling him The Punisher. 

 --- 

 You kept your distance but monitored the case as his team of lawyers built it. You didn’t recognize the two men that appeared on camera with Frank, talking about his trial and what they hoped to accomplish, but Curtis told you all about them, and about the woman that was also working on the case with them, a young blonde named Karen Page. Curtis smiled as he talked about them, and you could hear in his voice that he believed they’d get Frank off, or at the very least, be able to reduce whatever sentence he was given if he was found guilty. “Billy offered to pay his legal fees, but ... “ Curtis shook his head, and though you winced, you had no other reaction to the use of Billy’s name. Good for me. “Frank said no, said he didn’t need a handout.” That’s not what it is, he’d do anything for Frank, anything to help, and… 

 But you knew that like Billy, Frank was a proud man, and even though Billy’s intentions were good, he’d never accept the help. Stubborn, those two. You smiled at the thought, and as Curtis left you alone in your apartment again, you thought about reaching out to Billy, seeing how he was taking the media accusing Frank of being a murderer… but again, stopped yourself. If he wanted to talk to me, he’d reach out. The trial continued, and you followed the reports - Frank’s old war buddies and superiors - including Schoonover - testifying on his behalf. Will Billy? Will he… they were together, he can vouch for how much he… You waited and watched, but Billy never took the stand, his name was never associated with Frank’s publicly.

 It was a shock to you when the trial ended with Frank being sent to prison, and though you cried on your couch for a long time after you heard the news, you knew that there was nothing you could do. That poor man. Loses his family, gets shot, has to relive it when he wakes up, goes through a trial... You couldn’t imagine Frank - a decorated and competent Marine - wasting away behind bars, living with the pain and guilt of what he’d lost for the rest of his life, and yet when you heard that he’d escaped, you were in disbelief. It wasn’t that you didn’t think that Frank was capable of breaking out of prison, but you didn’t know what he’d do next. 

 You hadn’t had to wait long, and when, in November - only a few days before his birthday - the papers reported that Frank had been killed in an explosion down on the docks, along with a bunch of other men, you felt relief. I shouldn’t feel this way. But you did - relief mixed with a numb feeling at the thought that Frank was no longer suffering, that he wasn’t chasing after ghosts or missing his family. You got drunk by yourself on your couch that night, drinking for Frank and Maria and the kids, for all of the other people that had died, and for Billy, who you knew would be taking it hard. He’d lost Frank over and over, and you knew that Frank’s confirmed death wasn’t just Billy losing a friend - he’d lost a brother, too. Hope you’re OK, Billy. 

 --- 

 It was strange to you to think about the holidays, but you didn’t want to let yourself wallow in the thought that you’d be spending them alone, so you’d set up your tree, spending a few hours stringing lights and ornaments on it, the actions reminding you of the year before - when you’d decorated, knowing Billy was thousands of miles away in the desert, and the year prior, when he’d been there to help you, hanging a few of the ornaments with his long fingers, holding the tree in place while you tightened the screws into the trunk. And he’s only a few miles away now. Even the thought sounded bitter in your head, and you shook it from side to side, trying to let it go. People get broken up with every day. You’re not special. You’re not… he had someone else with him a few months later, get over him. But you couldn’t help yourself - attaching a thin chain through the hole of Billy’s dog tag and hanging it front and center, thumb rubbing over the bottom of it, the embossed NO PREFERENCE taking on an entirely different meaning to you. 

 Thanksgiving passed - you spent it with Erin and Jack, and actually enjoyed yourself - and then you started the final push into Christmas, four events in the span of a week and a half before things slowed down, giving you a chance to catch your breath and finish up your shopping - gifts for cousins out of state, coworkers and friends … but nothing big, nothing flashy, nothing like the previous two years. You hung up the cards you’d received, placed the wrapped packages beneath your tree and remembered, trying not to think about the fact that if you were alone, it meant that Billy was, too. He doesn’t spend holidays with women, doesn’t… It was a small comfort, because you didn’t think that he’d been lying to you about it, at least not then. But you don’t know him now, you don’t … it’s been six months. 

 You kept yourself busy for Christmas, going to the movies on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, stopping in for takeout on your way home from the theater, but on New Year’s Eve, you couldn’t help yourself, taking  a cab the short distance from your apartment to Billy’s, bundled up because this year, it was snowing. This is it. Say goodbye to him. He doesn’t get to come into the new year with you. It was a nice thought - in theory - and while part of you hoped that Billy would be sitting on the top of the building in his chair, or at least standing in the shelter of the doorway, the top of the building was deserted, the snow falling around you in thick flakes. He’s not… You felt your eyes fill with tears as you stepped away from the door and toward the wall where you’d first stood with him and then had stood by yourself, again taking your place, gloved hands resting on the brickwork. It was quiet, the only sound the wind that was blowing around you, and even though you’d gotten there a little after 11 and it was much colder than it had been the two previous years, you vowed to stay until midnight - for Billy and for yourself. I hope wherever you are, Billy, you’re… You didn’t know how to finish the thought. Happy? It had likely been one of the worst years of his life, so you doubted he was happy. Not alone? You thought that he likely would be, but if he wasn’t up on the rooftop - something he’d said was tradition for him whenever he was home - you didn’t know where he could be...or who he would have been with. Curtis? You hoped that’s where he was, but didn’t know if Curtis even knew that it was Billy’s birthday. You shivered, leaning against the wall and pulling your scarf tighter around your cheeks and chin, looking out over the city. You could make out the lights through the snow; it seemed like the flakes were decreasing in intensity, and when you checked your watch, you were surprised to see that it was only a few minutes to midnight. 

 Setting an alarm, you stuck your phone back into your pocket. Ten minutes. Ten minutes to say goodbye. And you did - lowering your head and thinking about all of the moments that had led you to that night - seeing Billy from across the room, looking out of place and bored next to Emily, the way the two of you had spoken easily at The Crown that first night, the way he’d kissed you before you left him on the sidewalk, steadfast in your hesitation to go home with him. You remembered rescuing him from the bad date, remembered taking him home when he’d been drunk, sleeping next to him for the first time and waking up to his scent and the feel of Billy’s weight on the mattress next to your body. You remembered the date at the zoo, remembered going home with him and knowing that something had changed. It didn’t, though, not that day. 

 You knew that you’d been just another girl at that point, even though you’d been his friend too, but you remembered the months leading up to his first deployment after meeting you, the way you’d finally bared some of your emotions to him on the morning he’d left, the way he’d called and written to you while he was gone. You felt your knees give out and you sunk to them, the snow soaking through your jeans quickly as you remembered him surprising you at the bar, nearly dragging you to his place, the way you’d had to ground him and keep him in the present - the way he’d sounded scared to ask you if you wanted him. All of them - all of the memories overwhelmed you, but you couldn’t stop, the tears rolling down your cheeks as your body shook, hands pressed flat against the brick wall in front of you for support. Memories of Billy taking care of you while you were sick and talking about Carla, posting the picture of you to his Instagram, visiting him in the hospital after he’d been shot,  telling you about his birthday and then telling you that he loved you, the way you’d worked on opening Anvil throughout almost the entire time you’d been together, the way he’d made you feel in the days leading up to his last deployment. 

 You remembered how empty you’d felt after he walked out of the apartment, how relieved you’d been when you heard from him, the way he’d promised you things - all of the things you’d wanted to hear, telling you that it would be OK, that he’d be there for you when you needed him - just like you’d be for him. You remembered how he’d changed as he got closer to his return date; his gaunt face, the bruises, the vague answers… the way he’d scared you half to death when he called you, bloody and broken - and then showed up in your apartment again less than a week later, the changes in him forgotten as he held you again, telling you that he loved you, that he’d found a way to open Anvil, that you were about to have everything you’d ever wanted, things becoming more real when he’d shown you the facility and held you close to him for long hours against the surface of his desk. 

 But you also remembered the look in Billy’s eyes as he’d ended things with you, the way he’d clung to you in the hospital and then again at the funeral. You calmed yourself down slightly as you remembered the Anvil party, the way he’d been honest and open with you, questioning you - and then kissing you goodbye for the last time, apology and anguish and finality in the action. This is how it has to be. You opened your eyes, not even feeling the cold anymore and straightened up, eyes fixed on the wall in front of you. I won’t stop loving you, Billy, but this is how it has to be. I can’t do this to myself anymore. I won’t. You took a long, deep breath and blinked, pulling a glove off to wipe at the skin beneath your eyes. “I love you, Billy Russo. And you might not be here, but… you’re not alone on your birthday. I can still give you that.” The words were ripped away from you by the wind, and you closed your eyes, standing slowly. “Happy birthday, Billy.” Falling silent, you stared out over the city, snow still falling, and a moment later, your phone’s alarm went off, followed by the booming of fireworks across the city, the colors cutting through the clouds and the snow. 

 You stayed where you were for a few minutes after the celebration ended, slipping your hand back into your glove before you turned around, ready to head back down the stairs and catch a ride home when you froze in your tracks. Stopping only a few feet behind you, a second set of footprints was visible in the freshly fallen snow. You stepped forward, again dropping to your knees. Billy? He was? It could have been anyone - and knowing that someone had been so close to you should have scared you, but it didn’t, especially when your eyes landed on a single empty beer can stuck into the snow next to the prints. I didn’t even hear him, how did he… But it was Billy, and you knew that he was quiet when he needed to be. Why didn’t he say anything? You stood again, covering your face with your hands, and thought. I said goodbye to him tonight, I need to… he didn’t want to talk to me, he would have… 

 But you’d made up your mind and as you hurried back down the stairs, heart thudding in your chest. Taking the elevator to his floor, you exited it, knowing that you looked like hell, and not caring as you hurried toward his door, knocking quietly. There was no answer at first, and you knocked again, breathing hard. The door opened and you felt your breath catch as you saw a man’s face peeking out from behind the door. “Where’s… where’s Billy?” The man blinked, shaking his head. 

 “Who?” You furrowed your brow. “You’ve got the wrong apartment, lady.” 

 “My friend lives here, Billy? Billy Russo? He -”

 “It’s after midnight, lady. I moved in here in September, you’ve got the wrong place.” He rolled his eyes. “Your friend musta moved without tellin’ you.” Without another word he shut the door, and you heard the lock click as he turned it back into place. Billy’s… he moved? But then… You backed away from the door slowly, turning back to the elevator. Guess this really was goodbye. 

--- 

 Billy no longer living in his old building meant that aside from knowing his phone number, email, and the address for Anvil, you had no way to contact him. You had no reason to email him for work, wouldn’t show up at the warehouse unannounced and knew that calling him would do no good, so finally - with reluctance, you pushed him as far into the corner of your mind as possible. You still thought of him occasionally, but it was good memories, and the first time you’d seen an Anvil ad splashed on a billboard in the subway, you’d actually smiled, pulling your phone out and taking a picture. Billy’s face wasn’t on that one - but there were others  that you saw too, ones that were used on the company’s social media accounts that featured him prominently. You saved some of those, adding links to your portfolio so that other potential clients could see what you were capable of - and what you were proud of. 

 Billy made public appearances, too, and was on the guest list for a few of the events your company worked on, mostly for politicians, but you knew that most of their contracts were overseas, so hearing about him working jobs in the United States was rare - but you knew that it happened. As the one year anniversary of the launch party came and went - marking the last time you’d seen Billy in person - you finally felt something that wasn’t loneliness when you thought of Billy. You’d stopped waiting for his call, stopped hoping that you’d hear from him, stopped wondering if you were going to see him somewhere … and while it felt disloyal, it didn’t feel like anything you could change, and so you stuck to it. You still loved him, sure, and were reminded of that love each time you opened your storage locker and saw the box of his things that you’d scrawled “B. Russo” on in black permanent marker before tucking it away, but it had been months since you’d pulled it out and looked through it, months since you’d cried over the man that had once told you he wanted a future with you. 

 It’s just clothes. Clothes and books and… “It’s all bullshit, right Billy?” His words to you echoed in your ears, but you still didn’t think he’d been correct in saying that - though the clothes that were in the box certainly didn’t fit in with the image you knew that he preferred for himself as CEO. The pictures of the two of you and Billy’s dog tag were still in your apartment, where you felt they belonged, but as summer turned to fall again - the second one without Billy in your life, you looked at them less and less. It wasn’t that you cared any less about Billy, or didn’t want to remember what it had been like with him in your life, but the more you thought about it, the more you just didn’t see the point in trying to hold on. 

 There was no hope - he would have contacted you if there had been. There was no chance he was going to waltz back into your life in any capacity, especially not after being out of touch for almost 16 months, and while you still felt a pang when you remembered the feeling of his lips against your skin in the hallway of Anvil, or thought about the way he smelled, or heard his voice in your head in the moments you did think about him, you didn’t let yourself dwell on things. You knew that it was just a matter of time before you broke down, but you almost looked forward to it, because you’d feel something again - and aside from the happiness you felt when it came to work, your emotions had been in short supply post Billy Russo. 

 In November, your office was evacuated after a series of bombs went off in nearby buildings, sending ash and smoke throughout the rooms you occupied, and you rushed home, wanting nothing more than to lock yourself in your apartment and watch the news. You were scared - that wasn’t up for debate - and you spent the next day glued to your TV and the radio, listening as Karen Page went toe to toe with the suspected bomber on a radio show, only answering your phone when Erin called in a panic. “Hey, so I just got a call from some senator that said he got our name from... “ She paused. “From William Russo.” You felt your heart rate quicken, but Erin continued to speak before you could answer. “He wants to throw a fundraiser at the Roosevelt the day after tomorrow, and wants us to -”

 “Erin, we can’t. We don’t have the time, we’re not equipped to…” Why is Billy involved with this… why would he recommend… “We’re not even in office until they get it cleaned up, and we don’t… you’ll have to tell him no, I’m…” You swallowed, picturing Billy’s long fingers handing your card over to someone else, your name leaving his lips. No, don’t do that, don’t… “I wish we could do it, Erin, but…” You trailed off as the image on the TV screen changed, and your jaw dropped. What the fuck… “Erin, turn on the news, I…” You reached over, pushing the volume button up. “Frank Castle is…” 

 Holy shit. You hung up, leaning forward and staring at the TV, watching as a short dashcam video showed a man that appeared to be Frank Castle sliding over the hood of a car. Frank’s alive? Thoughts jumbled, you spent the rest of the day in a haze, alternating between watching the news and searching for more information online. But as darkness fell that night, you swore out loud again as you thought of Billy. What does… Does Billy know… did he… did Frank… why… Thoughts completely scattered, you paced your living room for an hour, thinking. Frank being alive changed a lot of things, and while you were almost positive that he hadn’t had anything to do with the bombings, you didn’t know what kind of state of mind he’d be in, especally if the other rumors you’d read about were at all true. 

 You slept - fitfully - and when you woke up the next day, it was more of the same, watching the news, trying to get work done from home, and wanting desperately - for the first time in months - to call Billy, if only to hear his voice. You can’t do that. You knew it, but it still wasn’t easy to stick to it, and when, the following day, the news of another bombing - this time at the Roosevelt Hotel - made the news, you collapsed onto your couch, TV remote clutched in your hands. We would have been there. We would have… Eyes wide, you leaned back, covering your face. This is fucked. You slept that night with Billy’s dog tag in one hand, fingers closed around it tightly, and dreamed of his eyes, of his voice in your ear telling you everything would be OK. 

 Late the next afternoon, there was a knock on your door, and even though you didn’t want to see anyone, you moved to answer it. It only took you a few seconds to make it from your kitchen to the door, but the knocking continued. With a frown, you checked the peephole, seeing an unfamiliar woman standing in front of your door. Who the hell? You cracked it, making sure the chain was still attached, and peeked through the opening. “Can I help you?” The woman said your name, her dark eyes locked on yours and you nodded, confused. “Yes?”

 “My name is Dinah Madani, I’m the acting Special Agent in Charge with New York’s Homeland Security department… may I come in?” She held up a badge and offered you a tight smile. “I just have a few questions.” 

 “About Frank?” You spoke without thinking and swore to yourself, trying to keep your face neutral. “I haven’t seen him since before his last deployment, so -” The woman laughed, but it was a bitter sound. 

 “No. Not about Frank. About Billy Russo.” The numb feeling returned as soon as the woman said his name, but you heard in her voice that this wasn’t just a job for her. What did you do, Billy? “May I come in?” You stepped back, closing the door without saying anything, and removed the chain, reopening it to see the petite woman’s full body. “Thank you.” 

 “Can I get you something to drink?” You turned away from her, stepping toward the kitchen. “I have -”

 “Water would be great.” You heard Dinah’s voice from behind you, and after grabbing two bottles from your refrigerator, you returned to your living room, seeing the woman standing in front of your bookshelves, where a picture of you and Billy was still displayed. “When was this taken?” You knew what picture it was - could have given her the exact date, but chose not to. That’s my memory. “It was…” You stepped closer to her, holding the bottle out to her. She took it and then you reached past her, picking the frame up and looking down at it. “Before he deployed the last time, so… January...the year before last?” You shrugged, setting it back down on the shelf. “It was a long time ago.” 

 “If it was such a long time ago, why do you still have it out?” She turned to face you, her eyes narrowed. ‘Are you and Russo -”

 “No.” You lowered yourself onto your chair and gestured toward the couch, taking a long drink of water. “No, Billy and I aren’t anything anymore.” You watched her face for a reaction but there wasn’t one. “He and I split up last spring, pretty close to when he got back home from…” You closed your eyes. Don’t lie to her, but don’t tell her anything, either. “My company - we plan events - did the party for Anvil’s grand opening, but that was the last time I saw him in person, and that was a year and a half ago.” 

 “Were you two together long?” Dinah leaned closer to you, lips pressed together lightly. “You and Russo, how’d you meet? Did you -”

 “With all due respect, Agent Madani, I have no problem answering your questions about my past relationship with Billy, but I’m curious as to why you’re asking.” You frowned, tilting your head to the side. “I haven’t seen or talked to him in more than a year, and I don’t know what you think I can help you with now.” You shook your head. “He’s got his company and I’ve got mine, and he’s referred clients to us, I know that for a fact because they’ve told me, but it’s been -”

 “You knew Frank Castle, too?” She cut you off, setting her shoulders. “Did you know he was alive?” What? 

 “I saw him on the news the other day, if that’s what you mean, but I… I thought he died last year, when that boat exploded, and…” You shook your head. “Billy and I broke up, and then Frank’s family, and…” You heard the tremor in your voice, fighting to keep it under control. “Actually, I’d rather not talk to you about how Billy and I met or go into details about how long we were together, but it was a serious relationship.”

 “To you, at least.” She scoffed. “I know Billy Russo, and I know that…” No you don’t. She turned her head, looking toward your balcony. “He’s a good liar.” You sucked in a breath, unable to stop yourself, and Dinah smiled, the look in her eyes cold. “You know it’s true.” In that moment, you knew that her visit was personal, that something had happened between her and Billy, and from her interest in your relationship with him, you could guess what that something had been. “And you haven’t seen him?”

 “Billy?” She nodded. “No, I already told you that, I haven’t seen him since Anvil’s launch party, except on TV and on those billboards.” Your words were guarded, and you stared at Madani, eyes moving over her. “Did he do s-”

 “He’s done a lot of things.” She stood, setting her unopened bottle of water down onto your table. “And he’s about to pay for them.” What? What does that mean? “You’re lucky that he left you when he did, otherwise…” She paused, smiling at you. “Otherwise he would have gotten you involved in all of this.” All of this? What? “I wonder how many lies he told you.” She scoffed, shaking her head, brown curls bouncing with the motion. “Everything he says is a lie, did you know that?” 

 “Agent Madani.” You took a drink of your water, pausing before you swallowed, never taking your eyes off of her. Don’t give her what she wants. “When Billy and I were together, I never had any reason to believe that he was lying to me - about anything.” Except what he was doing over in Afghanistan. “I knew what his reputation was, I knew what he was like, and I…” You glanced down and then looked back at her. “It didn’t matter to me. And it still doesn’t. It wasn’t a bad breakup, it wasn’t a fight, it wasn’t… we’re just not together anymore, and that’s it.” You stood, noting the frustrated look on her face. What, did she think we were going to bond over things ending with him? “I know nothing about whatever he’s got going on now.” Deciding to be honest with her, you took a deep breath. “I loved him, and I thought that… I thought a lot of things, I guess. But we broke up, Agent Madani, and that’s all I can tell you. I have nothing bad to say about him, so if there’s nothing else, I’ll ask you to leave. I can’t help you.” And even if I could, I wouldn’t. 

 “I’ll leave you my card.” She looked you up and down before reaching into her back pocket for her wallet, holding out the thin, white placard to you. “If you think of anything, or if he calls you or comes here, let me know.” She smiled at you, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “We both know a thing or two about what it feels like to be -”

 “Have a good day, Agent Madani.” It was your turn to cut her off, stepping to your door and pulling it open. “The elevator on the right is slow, so if that one comes first, you might want to wait for the other one.” She chuckled, wrinkling her nose as she walked past you and to the door. 

 “He’s not a good guy.” She turned to look at you after taking a few steps into the hallway. “You don’t need to protect him.” You bit your lip, shaking your head. You’re wrong. 

 “There’s nothing to protect.” She stared at you for a few seconds and then turned and walked away, her heels clicking against the floor. Shutting the door, you turned the lock and then pressed your back against it, closing your eyes. What are you doing, Billy? What’s going on?  You moved through your apartment for the rest of the night, restless and wondering why Billy would have jumped into bed with someone like Madani, and ended up dragging out your tree and Christmas decorations, staying up until early morning decorating before you fell into bed and passed out, the thin piece of metal held in your hand again. 

 You met with Erin at your office the next afternoon, surveying the damage and the cleanup, and it was decided that you’d be able to return at the end of the week at the latest. Some time off will be nice. You’d still be planning the events that you were working on, but you had nothing scheduled until the beginning of December, and could work just as well from home as you could in office. You were kidding yourself, though, when you said that you were going to get work done, because all you could think about was Frank and Billy, about Madani, wondering what exactly was going on. I’ll never know, I won’t… they don’t… You got another night of fitful sleep, spending the day napping and trying to focus on work, but when there was another knock on your door, you welcomed the distraction, even though you had no idea who it was. Sighing, you pulled the door open without checking first, the chain only allowing you a few inches of visibility. “Yeah?”

 “Can I come in?” Your hand froze on the knob and you raised your eyes to look into the hallway, your breath catching. Billy. “I-” You shut the door all the way and undid the chain, opening it fully. It’s been too long, he… He was carrying a box, his arms wrapped around it and without saying anything else, he stepped into your apartment, moving over to your kitchen table and setting it down, shaking his arms out and letting the duffel bag he had over his shoulder fall to the floor with a dull thunk. You watched him flinch, your eyes moving over his figure without shame. I’ve missed you so much. He seemed taller and leaner than you remembered, his hair messy and slightly overgrown, beard thick. He looks so tired. “I know I shouldn’t be here.” He turned to face you, looking you up and down. “But I had to…” He closed his eyes. “I needed…”

 “It’s been…” You stopped, hearing how strained your voice sounded. “How…” You could feel your heart pounding in your chest as the two of you stared at each other, Billy’s eyes wide but focused, and you fought to stay in place, to not run the few feet to him. Why are you here? “Billy.” You finally said his name and the single word drove him into action, Billy taking a few steps toward you but stopping before he actually touched you, his arms hanging by his sides. Up close, you could see that he was, in fact exhausted, but the look in his eyes didn’t match the rest of him; you saw regret, an agony that you’d never seen before from him. “Are you... ?” He smiled at you, lowering his head, but didn’t answer for long moments, giving you a chance to make the first move. Fuck it. 

 You reached forward with both hands, one of them automatically going to his cheek and the fingers of the other hand pushing through his hair and urging it back into place. It was as soft as ever, but instead of looking up at you, Billy kept looking down, his hands not moving. You were both quiet, the hand in his hair moving slowly through it as a thousand thoughts ran through your mind, questions that you wanted answered. He’s here, but it doesn’t mean he’s staying. “I missed… missed you touchin’ me.” He finally looked up, meeting your eyes. “I wanted to…” He stopped again, turning his head to kiss the palm of your hand, and you sucked in a breath at the feel of his lips against your skin. “Goddammit.” He swore quietly but didn’t move. 

 “Do you want to sit, Billy? We don’t need to -”

 “If I sit, I won’t want to get up, and I need to… I got somewhere to be.” He drew his lower lip into his mouth, eyes shining. “Somewhere important to be, an’ my word… it still...” He took another step forward and you didn’t back away, your hand dropping to his shoulder and the other one curved around the back of his head. “I got so much I want to tell you.” So tell me. Tell me, Billy. “But I can’t, there’s no time. There’s no more goddamn time, and I…” He reached up, fingertips hovering over your cheek and you nodded once, never looking away from his eyes. With your permission, he touched you, his right arm wrapping around your waist and the left pulling your head toward his, urging your bodies to meet. 

 He held you tightly and you clung to him, trying to make up for seventeen months of no contact in the span of a few seconds, but he didn’t pull away when you expected him to, instead tightening his hold on you. “Billy, what -”

 “I couldn’t come until I knew it was safe…” He spoke the words without moving away from you, his chin moving against your shoulder. “You don’t… you were… I couldn’t risk it, I needed to know…” You didn’t understand, but didn’t interrupt him either, trying to commit every second of him to memory. “None of it was…” He straightened up, saying your name. “Look at me.” You did as he asked, your hands moving to his arms, sliding down and over the material of the black quarter zip he wore. “None of it mattered. None of it was… none of it was what I wanted, do you understand me? None of it.” You didn’t, not fully, but you nodded. “I did a lot of bad shit, but you weren’t - they weren’t ever supposed to be a part of it, and then they were, and I had to…” He shook his head. “It’ll all make sense soon enough, I promise, but you gotta know that I had to do it for you. There was never any other choice for me, not even…” Billy was talking quickly, as if the words pained him to say them, but he was staring into your eyes, the look in them serious. “They’re all dead now, none of ‘em can get to - that’s why I came here.”

 “Who? Dead? I don’t -”

 “Schoonover. Wolf. Morty Bennett. Rawlins.” Billy said the last name as if the word was poison and you gasped at the word, grip on him tightening. “All of ‘em, and it’s just me. Just me an’ Frankie left, and…” What? “And that’s...that’s it.” You stared up at Billy, waiting, but he didn’t say anything else. 

 “I missed you, Russo.” It was the only thing you could think to say, and it was the truth. “I didn’t want to admit it, wouldn’t call or come to find you, but I... “ He watched you silently. “I went to your building last New Year’s, Billy, for your birthday, and I, I said goodbye to you, because I didn’t…”

 “You were wearin’ your blue coat and that gray scarf.” He smiled at you, his fingers sliding along your hips, thumbs extended upwards on your sides. “I saw you, I watched you - watched you kneelin’ on the ground and crying.” You felt the tears fill your eyes as you nodded at him. “I heard you tell me you loved me, tell me happy birthday.” 

 “Why didn’t you -”

 “I wanted to. I should have.” Billy wet his lips. “But I couldn’t. It wasn’t… I shouldn’t have even gone there, after movin’, but I couldn’t help it. I knew you’d be there, knew you’d… you’ll understand, soon.” Billy’s grip on you tightened. “I’ve lied about a lot of things, you know?” Confused, you nodded. “But the biggest lie? The one I regret havin’ to tell the most? It’s you.” 

 “What?” He blinked down at you, waiting, and you watched as he collected his thoughts. 

 “When I said I never loved you? We both knew - both know that was a lie.” He sniffed, never looking away from you. “I loved you too much. And they figured it out, and they…” He cut himself off as he heard the beeping of his watch. “Fuck. God-fucking-dammit.” You heard the anger in his voice. “I have to…” Billy took a deep breath, shaking his head. “All I ever wanted was to give you… an’ now all I have to give you is the truth, even though it’s…” His eyes flicked over to the table. “I gotta go. I gotta go and…” But he didn’t move away from you, and you moved first again, your arms going around his neck so that you could hug him tightly, Billy’s hands sliding beneath your shirt and against your back, his touch filling you with warmth. 

 “Billy, whatever’s going on, you can, we can, just…” You knew what you wanted to say to him, but couldn’t get the words out, not wanting to pull away from his chest to look at him, even though that’s all you wanted. “I know, I know, Billy, you…” He said your name again, looking down at you with a sad smile on his face. 

 “You gotta let me go, alright? That’s what I need now, because…” He leaned in, breath warm on your cheek. “I need to know you’re gonna be -” Gonna be what, Billy? His watch beeped again, and Billy froze. “You gotta let me go.” You kissed him first, rising onto your toes to press your lips against his, and it was everything you’d hoped it would be. The kiss at Anvil had been quick and hard, but this one was different. It started with a gentle touch to his lips, his short nails scratching over your lower back as he touched you, but it quickly intensified, you tilting your head to the side and parting your lips when you felt his tongue moving against them, his slow sigh causing his body to relax under your grip. I can’t let you go, Billy. I won’t. 

 You didn’t know how long you stood there with him, wrapped up in his arms in your living room, but every second was worth it - the taste of him on your tongue, the feel of him beneath your fingers, the way that he was kissing you as if there hadn’t been any time since the last one. You still knew each other well physically, the kiss growing more intimate by the second, and when Billy finally pulled away, he was breathing hard, hair hanging over his eye again. “You’re leaving.” It wasn’t a question, and he nodded as an answer, still staring at you. “That was… goodbye?” He nodded again. “How many times are you gonna -”

 “This is it. The last time. I promise.” Billy leaned in again, taking your lower lip between his teeth and biting down. “You didn’t deserve what I did to you, but I had to do it for you. No matter what they say about me, you need to know that.” Who’s going to say anything, Billy? I don’t understand. “I gotta go. I can’t…” He stepped back, bringing one hand up to run his knuckles against your cheek, one side of his jaw twitching. “I …” He turned away from you, walking back to the table and bending over to pick up the bag, slinging the strap back over his shoulder. You were stuck in place, staring at him as he moved. Say something, don’t let him go, don’t let him walk out. He stepped closer to the door and then paused again, turning to look at you over his shoulder. 

 You took the few steps necessary to reach him, hands clenched into fists in frustration. Billy said your name, the expression in his eyes softer than you’d ever seen it. “Yeah?” 

 “What were… what were you gonna say to me if you called me? Or if you came to my place? Or if I’d said somethin’ to you on the roof?” 

 “That I loved you. That I missed you, that whatever was going on -”

 “Do you still?” You answered him with no hesitation. 

 “Yes. Yes, Billy, I still love you.” He lowered his head, but you saw that he was smiling - and it looked genuine. “I always will.” He looked back up at you, and you were startled at the expression on his face, the pain you felt at seeing it flooring you. “Billy…” He said your name one more time and then he was gone, the door slamming behind him. You stood in place for a few seconds and then moved, reopening the door and looking for him, though you knew that he��d already be long gone - like he was never really there in the first place. 

 But as you closed the door gently, a smear of red on your left hand caught your attention, and you brought it closer to your face, catching a whiff of copper. Blood? He was bleeding? You glanced down, seeing that there was more blood on your shirt, likely where his arm had wrapped around you. Oh, Billy. What did you get yourself into? Turning away from the door, your eyes landed on the box that he’d left on your table, causing you to take a deep breath. What the fuck is in that box? Stepping over to it on your way to the sink, you placed your clean hand on top of it, thinking. No. I won’t open it yet. He came back to me… maybe he’ll… I’ll give him a chance to do it again. 

 But Billy didn’t come back that night - even though you sat awake on your couch, staring at the door for hours, long after you’d washed his blood from your skin and changed into a clean shirt. 

---

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