#oh and click to enlarge i guess

[sussysatann]

GRIM SSR GUEST ROOM INTERACTIONS SPOILERS!!!

(click photos to enlarge!)

HE'S SO CUTE LOOK AT HIMMMM MY SON

"I'm Hungry..."

"You've got some cans of tuna stashed in here, don't you? I can always tell."

"You wanna play with me? Oh, fiiine. I GUESS."

"You can take care of the cleaning. Hey, you're the hench-human here!"

"Mrah!"

"Studying? Nah, I'll do that before I go to bed."

[julibernardo]

Moodboard for “luminous beings” by kindclaws / @kindclaws

In a galaxy far far away...

Prince Wells of Arkadia asks his childhood friend, now a Jedi Padawan, to protect his Senator on a high-stakes mission to the galaxy's capital to demand an end to the siege on his planet. The first time Senator Blake and Padawan Griffin meet, it doesn't exactly go well: Bellamy hates Jedi, and Clarke hates his attitude.

But when their mission goes horribly wrong and pushes the galaxy to the brink of war, they realize they might have been brought together for a reason.

[kxhbee]

Love From You

Part Two

~ Rowan Laslow x Reader

~ Friends to lovers

~ Fluff, light angst

~ 1,913 words

~ You fell first but Rowan fell harder

~ Not my best work

Key:

~ Y/N: YOUR NAME

~ Y/L/N: YOUR LAST NAME

~ A/N: AUTHORS NOTE

God this is so awkward.

“Is it true?”

“What?”

“You don’t look like an outcast to me.”

“What?” He says again.

“Is your vocabulary limited?”

“No.”

“A new word!! We’re getting somewhere.”

Silence.

Why did I insult him what the fuck was I thinking???

“Sorry, that was rude.”

“No, it’s okay.”

More silence.

“Sorry again. The fall you took was pretty rough. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m okay. Thanks. You’re pretty strong.”

“You’re not here because of the fall, are you?”

“No! No, I’m here for a new asthma pump.”

“Oh, good. I’d feel bad if I sent you to the nurse.”

Even more silence.

“So… what brings you here? Are you just here for me?” He winces. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”

You laugh.

He’s so cute.

“Don’t worry, I’m here to get more pills.”

He raises an eyebrow. “What for?”

“Oh, the usual, getting high, penis enlargement, anti-anxiety.” You laugh again. “Just for headaches. nothing special.”

“Oh. Okay.”

More silence. It’s not uncomfortable silence, something about him makes the silence comfortable.

“Oh! right, introductions. I’m Y/N Y/L/N.”

“I’m Rowan Laslow.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Rowan Laslow.” You grin at him, and he shoots a smile back before putting his head down, almost as if he’s shy.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Y/N, Y/L/N.”

“So… back to the start of our conversation.” You sit down next him before continuing. “What makes you think you’re an outcast?”

He doesn’t answer straight away.

Did I overstep?

You’re about to apologise but he starts speaking again before you get a chance.

“I… don’t have many friends.” He begins. “The closest person I have is Xavier Thorpe, and he’s just a roommate. I’m not good at any extra-curricular activities and I spend my time in the library studying my subjects so I can at least be good at one thing. I’ve got asthma… which means I can’t even do fencing like everyone else. I’m an outcast no matter where I go, which I never thought would be possible in Nevermore of all places. I don’t live up to the standards of how I should be. Do you know what the name Laslow means?”

You shake your head.

“It means glorious ruler. I’m not a ruler nor am I glorious. I’m just… a guy in the background.”

You take this in. You weren’t expecting him to open up that much. You guess you took too long to respond, because he starts talking again.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I opened up to you that much…” He looks into your eyes. You’re so close that can see every detail in his. The colour, a beautiful green and blue mix that you can finally see. The way his pupils dilate slightly as you take in a shuddering breath, your face inching slightly closer to his. The mole underneath his left eye that’s oddly kissable, the way his glasses sit on his nose, a light red mark a little further down his nose from where his glasses sit, but you can tell that they were sitting there for quite some time.

This really isn’t the time to be admiring him, you do that enough in class. Right now you need to say something comforting instead of falling into a fantasy.

“I don’t know either.” Wait. No. That sounds mean. Say something else. This is really not the time to be stunned into silence. “But I’m glad that you did.” Would it be weird to pull him into a hug?

“Really?”

“Really. Listen… I understand where you’re coming from. It’s hard to feel like you don’t fit in, and it’s not an easy fix. I can’t just tell you to start thinking positively and then boom all your troubles are gone. But one thing that I know for sure is that you’re not as much as an outcast as you think you are.”

“What makes you say that?”

“It’s a school for outcasts, there’s no way you’re going to graduate from here without finding someone who you click with. Whether that’s your roommate or the stranger that you opened up to in the nurse’s office who has wanted to talk to you for months but never managed to find a time. There’s going to be someone.”

His eyes widen.

“You? You want to be my friend?”

Or more. Preferably more.

“Of course I do! I sit near you in nearly every class trying to work out what to say… I even wrote notes.” You remember that you have your bag with you. “Wait… do you want to read some of them?”

“…what?”

“The notes I wrote for you in class… I kept them all in my bag.” You unzip a small compartment in your bag and pull out a rather large pile of folded up notes. Each one has the name Rowan written on the front.

“Oh… so you weren’t lying just to cheer me up.”

“Of course not! here, I think this is the first one I wrote. Or one of the first ones.” You hand him a note that’s more crumpled than the others. Like the other notes, his name is written on the front, but the ink is smudged from the old pen you used to use that never dried properly and bled all over your history work.

“They started back at the beginning of Ms Thornhill’s class.” You fidget nervously with your fingernails, watching rowan unfold the paper.

God this better not scare him away.

Rowan

I think that’s how you spell your name. I only heard it on the roll so I’m guessing.

You look unbelievably cute nice attractive god just pick one, y/n. cool :)

My name is y/n, we’re in a few classes together but I never have an excuse to talk to you. So now I’m writing notes instead of listening to Ms Thornhill tell us very important information on plants. I’ll probably never end up giving these to you, but I want to write my feelings out as much as I can.

I’ve heard a few people say that you’re weird, and I know that you heard them, it shows on your face. Honestly I think they should all go suck a dick jump off a cliff fuck themselves. No one here has any place to call someone else weird. There’s fucking vampires and mermaids here. Everyone is weird. Don’t let it get to your head.

I’m running out of space, but I hope I can say this to you one day.

Love From y/n <3

Rowan folds the paper over again. He stares blankly at it, then, before you can say anything, he clears his throat.

“Can I um… can I please keep these?” He looks back into your eyes, and you can see that his are laced with tears.

“Yeah… of course you can. But don’t you wanna read the rest?”

He swipes at his eyes, looking away, flustered.

“I do, but I don’t want to cry in front of you.”

Fuck it.

Before you have time to overthink, your left hand reaches up and rests on his face. Before you can get a reaction, you turn his head towards you. His cheeks are flushed pink and he looks deep into your eyes once again. His hand grasps at something urgently at his side, not taking his eyes away from yours. He finally finds what he needs and he awkwardly brings his hand up, which you realise is holding his asthma pump, to his mouth, taking a few breaths before lowering it.

“That was fucking adorable.”

Shit. You just verbalised your thoughts. Rowan chuckles lightly and oh my god he is so kissable. That’s taking a bit too many steps though, so instead of jumping up 10 levels at a time in the first conversation you’ve ever had with him, you move your hands down his neck to rest on his shoulders before pulling him into a hug.

If we’re being honest, you could’ve easily hugged him without the subtle trace down the neck, but you wanted to see how he would react. And my god how he delivered. His skin shivered at your touch, and you couldn’t help but smile at it.

He’s tense in your hug at first, but then you feel his shoulders relax and his hands trace their way around your back, overlapping as he brings you closer to his body. He digs his face into the crook of your neck and you can feel him melt into your arms.

“You’re allowed to cry.” You whisper. “Don’t be scared to show your emotions. I’m here.” He shivers again at the feeling of your breath against his ear.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

So he lets go of the tight grip that was crushing his heart. He lets the tears fall from his eyes, landing on your uniform. They keep falling, and his body heaves with every shuddering breath he takes. You pull him as close as you can, using one hand to take off his glasses so he can get more comfortable.

Neither of you know how much time passed. You don’t care. All you care about is Rowan.

The crying starts to slow down. You try to find his asthma pump, getting ready for when he needs it. You don’t pull away. You stay hugging him for as long as he needs. He sniffs and brings his head up reluctantly. His breaths are still a bit off, so you bring the asthma pump up to his face.

“Thank you…” He mumbles, taking it from you and pumping it a few times. He looks even more disheveled than before. His hair is messy, his face is pale, the underneaths of his eyes are red from the tears and rubbing of his eyes, there’s faint tear stains running down his face, and his glasses are off to the side of the seat. Despite the lack of his usual up kept appearance, you can feel your face flush as he hurriedly puts the glasses back on his face. He looks really tired. Fair enough though, crying takes a lot of energy.

“I know we only just met… but this was really important to me. Thank you. So much.” He grins at you, and you can see the happiness coming into his face. He even fixes up his posture.

“Really, Laslow, it’s no problem. I’m just glad that I decided to come get my pills Today instead of Tomorrow.” You stand up from the seat, feeling the pins and needles all over your body.

“Are you leaving?” He asks, sadly. He’s like a lost puppy, you never wanna leave them.

“We’re leaving. Come on, you look tired. I’ll walk you to your dorm.” You hold out your hand and he reluctantly takes it, standing up and stretching.

“You can put these in your pocket or bag by the way. If you still wanna keep them that is.” You nod towards the pile of notes, and when you go to pick them up you stop. There’s an extra weight on your hand. You look down and Rowan is still holding onto your hand from helping him up. He looks down too and immediately lets go.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to do that I just wasn’t thinking properly and-“ You cut him off by tucking the notes into his bag and taking his hand in yours again.

“Don’t apologise.” You smile at him. “Now, where’s your dorm?”

[canirove]

Red & Blue | Chapter 2

Author’s note: First of all: thank you. Thank for reading that first chapter and for all the reblogs, likes and comments. Like, wow. I wasn't expecting it. At all. Especially because when I first shared this story with a friend to have a second opinion, I thought it was a weak first chapter 😅 So, again, thank you very much, and like I said yesterday on the new chapter of Declan's story, welcome to all the new people who started following me! 💜

There are things on this chapter similar to the ones we've currently seeing with both the men and women's teams at St. George's Park, but it is just a coincidence, I wrote this weeks ago. Did I manifest it? Maybe 👀😂 Anyway, thanks for reading, and hope you like it! 💜

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

(tap/click to enlarge)

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━    

“Hello there” Emily says, opening the door of my car.

“Hello” I reply, getting out and giving her a hug.

“It’s so nice to have you back. We missed you last time.”

“I missed you too. And hello everyone” I say to Eddie, the photographer, and the camera men who are filming the arrivals.

“Oh, someone else is here” Emily says, moving towards the car that just arrived behind mine. “One sec.”

“No problem” I say, focusing on getting all my things from the car and not forgetting anything.

“Mason!” I hear Emily say behind me.

“Fuck” I whisper, the bag with my boots falling from my hands as the driver gives it to me.

“It’s alright, miss” he says, helping me pick them up.

“Do you need any help?” Emily asks behind us.

“We are fine. Just clumsy” I reply with a nervous laugh. “Thank you very much, sir” I say to the driver, moving towards the door. But before I can ignore Mason, he is standing next to me.

“Hi” he smiles. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

“Yeah” I mutter, trying to smile and not look like an idiot.

“Ok, passports” Emily says when we are inside the building. “And you don’t know how things work now, do you?” she asks me.

“Leah has told me a bit about it.”

“Oh, good. You’ll see that nothing much has changed. And...” she says, looking out the door “someone else just arrived, I better go. Mason, why don’t you show her around?”

“Sure. I’ll be her tour guide” he says to Emily before she leaves.

“You don’t have to do it. You probably want to meet the others.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. I’ll have plenty of time to see them during these days” he smiles again. Damn it, he’s so handsome when he smiles. “Shall we?” he asks, gesturing towards the corridor in front of us.

“Wait, before you leave” Eddie says behind us. “Can I get a photo of you two together? You are two fan favorites.”

“For the fans then” Mason laughs while grabbing me by the waist, his touch making me feel things despite the layers of clothing.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━    

“Did you have the basketball court last time you were here?” Mason asks when we walk pass it.

“No, we didn’t.”

“Do you play?”

“I actually do, yes.”

“Then we must have a little game when we all are free. Let’s see if your hands are as talented as your feet” he says with a smirk.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━    

“I can’t believe Eddie made you pose together” Leah says, laying on my bed while checking all the photos from today, picking one to post on her Instagram. “I’m sure he also ships you.”

“Definitely” I say, rolling my eyes.

“I wonder what his fans will say when they see it. Will they go wild? Will they ship you? Will they hate you?”

“I guess we’ll find out soon. He just posted it” I say, showing Leah my phone.

“Let the games begin!” she laughs.

“Speaking of games” I say, putting my phone down and not wanting to look at it until tomorrow. “He asked me to play basketball with him later when we are free. Will you join us? I’m sure Declan will be there too.”

“Bffs vs. bffs? I’m in” she says with a mischievous smile.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━    

“Where did you learn to play like that?” Declan asks, lying on the floor.

“My mum used to play when she was younger and she taught me” I say, shooting another basket.

“And it goes in clean. Again. I can’t believe it” Mason laughs next to me.

“Annoying, isn’t it?” Leah says, sitting next to Declan.

“Very” he replies, still lying on the floor. “Let’s try again tomorrow. I’m not leaving St. George’s without winning against you at least once.”

“Good luck with that” I say, shooting again, the ball easily going in.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━    

“Wow, someone had a bad day yesterday” I say the next day, finally checking my notifications.

“Mason fan?”

“That’s what she says. Stay away from him, you filthy gunner bitch. Go suck Arteta’s ****. And yes, whoever this was, censored that last word.”

“No way” Leah laughs. “But why him? He isn’t your coach or anything.”

“Who knows. Maybe he is the only one from Arsenal this person knew” I shrug. “But whoever this is, just got blocked.”

“Good. Is anyone shipping you with Mason?”

“You are so funny” I say, throwing a pillow to her face as someone knocks on the door.

“I’ll answer” Leah says, throwing the pillow back at me.

“Hello girls” says Hannah, our team’s social media manager. “I’m afraid there’s been a change of plans and you won’t be having a free morning. There is some content that we didn’t have time to finish yesterday and that must be shot today. I’ll meet you downstairs in 5 minutes.”

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━    

“Leah, you’ll be doing a TikTok challenge with some others over there” Hannah says, pointing to a table set at the other side of the pitch. “And you will be filming a game for YouTube with Mason.”

“With Mason?” Leah and I say at the same time, she definitely more excited than me.

“Is there any problem with it?” Hannah asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Not at all” Leah says with a big smile.

“What’s the game about?” I ask Hannah as I follow her to where Mason is already waiting.

“Remember the one Chilly and Declan did, the one about the food?”

“How could I. That winner was an insult to everyone who loves food” I laugh. And it isn’t as if I’ve watched it way too many times because Ben looked stupidly handsome. Declan too, not gonna lie.

“This one is about Marvel characters, trying to pick the best super hero” Hannah explains.

“That sounds fun.”

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━    

“I can’t believe Wanda didn’t make it to the final” I say to Mason once we’ve finished the game. “She definitely was the most powerful one! And you chose Thor!”

“Because he is a God!”

“Wanda was able to destroy one of the infinity stones!”

“And then she went nuts. I wouldn’t put my life in her hands.”

“Ok, that’s rude. She was grieving”.

“Sorry” he shrugs. “But at least we agree on the winner.”

“Kind of” I say. “I still think it’s a tie between Spiderman and Captain America.”

“But if it was the end of the world, what could Captain America do for you? Spiderman could fly you away, take you somewhere safe. And he is as strong as Steve.”

“I know, I know. But only if there are trees or buildings around. In the desert they both would be equal.”

“Fine” Mason says, rolling his eyes. “You are a stubborn one, aren’t you?”

“She’s very stubborn” Aaron says, showing up out of nowhere.

“Where did you come from?” I say. “You scared me!”

“I was filming over there. If you didn’t see me, it was because you were too busy with Mason” he smiles. I give him my most murderous look in return, but his smile just goes wider.

“Anyway, I better go find Leah” I say, looking for an excuse to escape from them.

“Are we still playing basketball later today?” Mason asks as I leave.

“Yeah, sure” I say.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━    

When Leah and I go downstairs, Mason and Declan are already waiting. Them, and Aaron and Ben.

“What are you two doing here?” I ask them.

“We wanted to be part of the fun” Aaron says.

“Meaning that he wanted to see Mase and I being destroyed by you” Declan says.

“That too” Aaron replies with one of his smiles.

“So you are not playing?” Leah asks. “Cowards.”

“We play together all the time. Let them be the ones to suffer” Ben says, not lifting his eyes from his phone.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━    

“C’mon Mase, you can do it!” Reece says, cheering for his teammate. A little crowd has formed around us, most of them cheering for Leah and I and making fun of Mason and Declan. Eddie is taking photos while someone else is filming, already planning to upload this to YouTube.

“That was so bad, Declan!” Coady yells, he and Mings laughing like crazy.

“If this one goes in, we win” I say, looking at Mason.

“First you’ll have to get pass me” he smirks, already in position to defend.

“There she goes!” Aaron yells as I attack.

“And it goes in!” Leah screams behind me. Everyone around us starts cheering, while Declan dramatically falls to the floor, Mason standing with his arms on his hips.

“Sorry” I say, giving him my best smile. He just shakes his head while licking his lips, and I find myself staring until someone comes to congratulate me and bring me back to reality.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━    

The rest of the days with the national team go by quickly. It’s mostly training, playing the friendly games and enjoying our free time. Turns out that mixing both teams has been a great idea.

“My tagged photos on Instagram are all Mason” I say to Leah on the car back home.

“He isn’t that bad, is he?”

“He isn’t, he is really nice. You and Aaron were right about that. But look, it’s like I am on his account, not mine” I say, showing her my phone.

“That happens when you spend all your free time with him and Eddie is around” she says with a big smile.

“We are just friends” I say, rolling my eyes.

“For now.”

[parcequecestnotreprojeeeet]

Hi, it’s me, Fanfic Anon #2. Before starting my next piece, I think we all should decide on a date for EMT appreciation day. It could be your birthday, EMT, or a random date you really like. Who’s with me?!?

Ok. Now on to the real reason that anyone keeps me around, ha ha, my next piece. This is based on the reporting that Hollande and his now-wife had a mean nickname about Brigitte because I‘ve never really explored in a piece his relationship with his former boss, and I love protective!Emmanuel. Hope you all enjoy.

There are very, very few things that he finds truly unforgivable. But this? This, this was one of them.

He wouldn’t say he got along well with his boss on a personal level. Professionally, they got along fine. They were working towards the same goal, had the same ends, and even if they disagreed over the methods of achieving those ends, and that was enough to allow them to coexist peacefully, especially when he liked his job. He liked making a difference, helping the country, helping to leave a better world for their grandchildren.

But personally? On a personal level, these two men could not be further apart if they tried. Emmanuel distinctly remembers the moment when his view of his boss shifted irrevocably. It was a job ago, a lifetime ago, back when he was stationed in the Élysée rather than in Bercy. He was in a meeting, he can’t remember on what now, when his phone buzzed. He remembered wondering who was texting him - all his colleagues who would want to speak with him normally were at the big table with him, and his wife was supposed to be teaching a class, so he was stunned when he picked it up and saw a notification from: "Brigitte ❤️"

Smiling, he swiped open his phone, entering the passcode only to have a magazine cover pop up with an attached, "I wanted you to hear it from me. I have a break before my next class if you want to talk. I love you so very, very much chéri," that made his stomach drop as he clicked to enlarge the photo.

‘Oh, shit,’ he thought as he saw the photo of his boss, read the caption, and realized what exactly was happening, before rapidly getting into crisis mode.

He remembers that night holding his wife and talking about it, remembers telling his wife he could never respect a man who would cheat like that - only the lowest kind of men would publicly humiliate the woman they love, or loved, like that, remembers pressing reassurance into her skin as he renewed his vow of eternal fidelity (and remembers the way she reaffirmed to him her own).

So he has worked hard, very hard to keep the personal, the professional, and the political separate. But today, today, all that came to an end. His blood was boiling, and he was going to make him pay for this, even if he had to wait. (After all, revenge is a dish best served cold.)

He knew he wasn’t supposed to hear it. He knew the second he turned the corner and everyone’s face went pale the comment was never meant to reach his ears, it was meant to be a joke behind his back, at his expense. He had seen that look a time or two, or so many times really, that he can’t even begin to count, but he hadn’t seen it in a while, hadn’t seen it since the worst days in Amiens. It was the look that always accompanied seeing him after a nasty comment about him, his wife, or their relationship, so he wasn’t even going to sugarcoat his command when he asked the sick looking aides to "say that again to my face."

He shouldn’t have been surprised, he guessed in retrospect, that a man who would have cared so little about his partner would be capable of being so nasty about his wife, but he was. He was truly surprised that his boss, who knew his wife, who had been welcomed into their home for dinner through her kindness, her generosity; who had seen at meetings, dinners, in conversations or speeches her intelligence, her brilliance, the strength of her mind; who had eyes and could see just how drop dead gorgeous she was could have even thought that about her, much less actually say it frequently enough that staff in his office would feel free to joke about it.

Years later, he would hear all kinds of reasons reported, all kinds of things cited as “the moment” he decided to run for President. But the real moment he decided to run was the moment his wife broke down in his arms after he told her (as kindly as he could, knowing she needed to know, and he needed to be the one to tell her). It was the moment when he saw the light in her eyes dim just a little for the briefest second as she suffered yet another slight because of him. It was the moment she promised him she would be better, as if she was the problem ("Listen to me," he begged her at the time, holding her her face gently between his hands, forcing her to stare him in the eyes, "you are the best person, the best woman I have ever met and are the best thing that could have ever happened to me. You are the one who deserve so much better, Brigitte.”) He vowed in that moment he would avenge her. And so he did.

The moment knew that all of the fighting was worth it, though? Well, that was the moment he could kiss her in full view of the world at his inauguration. But he would never openly admit that to anyone but his wife, of course. After all, he’s not one to kiss and tell.

Hellooo fanfic Anon #2! ❤️

Hahaha you guys already show me your appreciation every day *blushes* ❤️

Oh. Hollande. This piece just reminded me of how much I despise that guy. And the fact that it’s said that he has a mean nickname for Brigitte makes me despise (trying hard not to use the word hate) him even more.

I love protective Emmanuel too! And no way he would accept that idiot to call her wife names. Not from anyone and most definitely not from Hollande.

The end warmed my heart tho... kissing Brigitte at his inauguration, in front of everyone and after everything, was his biggest victory!

Thank you so much, fanfic Anon #2! ❤️❤️❤️

[isolemnlyswear]

hello! can i request a modern marauder (you pick) x popstar!fem!reader (while they're still in hogwarts) to the song breathin by ariana grande as if it were the reader's song? <3 <3

breathin

a/n : this is the most specified request i've ever gotten, so it's kinda shitty ! i really have never wrote anything like this - at all - and i didn’t know if the reader was meant to be a muggle or not ????????? so i made them not one. bc you’re anon i cant ask you questions abt your request, so next time please specify!

continued a/n : wow, this is interesting. i dont like it, but !!! hope u enjoy????

warnings : swearing, bad writing

taglist : @oldschoolkiddo @amourtentiaa @anchoeritic @faeinorbit @tomriddleswifey @inks-and-jinx @jxsperhxle @punkrific @the-gazette-of-tea @krasivayadarling @orifortheweeknd @fallin-4-ya @incxndio @daisyyy2516 @hoe4cedricdiggory @vsawyer1989

Remus sighed, glaring at the raven-haired boy beside him.

“What, s’gonna be fun!” Sirius grins, and the lycanthrope who’s refuting him simply laughs.

“Fun? Your idea of fun is a packed concert - full of muggles, nonetheless - for this...popstar woman?” Remus says incredulously, and Sirius raises an eyebrow.

“Oh, ho, ho, this is not any popstar, Moony. Plus, what else are we gonna do over the summer? Sulk around at your parents’ house?” Sirius grins again, and Remus lets out a sigh.

“The latter I can agree with. But who is this girl, anyway?” Remus inquires, and Sirius reaches into his back pocket to acquire his phone. Although Hogwarts doesn't allow modern technology, both Sirius and Remus have their own each for the summers. With how phone-centered the modern world is, they couldn't not.

He swipes through to find a picture of you - one obtained from your Instagram, which has over four million followers - and holds it up to Remus.

“Merlin,” he breathes, eyes scanning the image.

You're wearing a brown leather dress, the shoulders poking up just barely. Your hair is framing your face, legs tucked under you in a half-crouch, and you're looking into the camera with lips perfectly parted. It was one you took for the shoot of your newest album, and a particular favorite of yours.

“Gorgeous, right? She’s really talented, as well.” Sirius grins, looking at his best friend, who is unresponsive, with eyes glued on the screen. “Moony?” he waves a hand over the brunette’s face, who snaps out of his trance.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sure.” Remus says, blinking a few too many times.

“So, you up for it now?”

“Alright,” Remus replies, nodding at Sirius, who pumps his fists into the air with a grin.

“She's American, but doing a show in London in a few weeks,” Sirius informs, smiling.

“American, huh? How old is she?” Remus asks, settling back into the couch they're perched on.

“That's the best part. She's our age - just turned eighteen.” Sirius grins again, putting his phone away.

“Oh yeah? You say that like she'd notice us. Never gonna happen, Pads.” Remus smiles, shaking his head.

“Expect the unexpected, mon amie.”

---

You're fiddling anxiously with your fingers, hands out of use as someone else is doing your makeup, rather than yourself.

“Almost done, Miss L/N,” Madelyn, your makeup artist, says, brushing a soft highlighter over your cheekbones.

“Mads, I told you that you can call me Y/N. You only do my makeup every day,” you say, closing your eyes as the woman pats highlighter into your inner corner.

“And...” she mists your face with setting spray, “...Done!”

---

About four hours later, your back is facing the crowd that's piled into the venue, stage lights shut off as only the sounds of quiet murmurs and shuffling feet hit your ears.

And then, the lights come on with a thumping click, and you begin the routine that you've practiced time and time again.

The music to your first song, the least vocally challenging of the set, begins, and you turn around with a sway of your hips.

Holding the mic to your mouth, you begin a one-step, two-step rhythm, one that's second nature to you; your eyes survey the crowd, left hand reaching to flip your hair.

The tune changes, and the beat is faster, now, as the lights begin to flash and your voice, in a habitual fashion, changes to match. You stride out rhythmically to the center of the stage.

You crouch in a fluid movement, thankful for the coverage your outfit gives you. It's a black sparkling jumpsuit, bottoms being a high-waisted, glimmering fabric with two side flaps, connected at your stomach to a matching corset-like top.

After a few minutes of usual song/dance routines, followed by cheers from the crowd, you decide it's time for a crowd interaction. It's difficult, resisting the urge to pull out your wand and cast a silencing charm to get the group's attention, but you opt for speech, instead.

"Alright, alright, everybody," you say into the mic with a laugh, eyes scanning the crowd for someone to converse with.

There's one man - his ebony hair is swishing as he speaks - who's bouncing up and down like an eager dog, and you laugh.

"We all excited to be here? In London!" you say, garnering numerous cheers and screams from the group.

"I can tell you are." You walk over to the raven-haired boy, who's in front row, and crouch down. He'd previously cheered extremely loud, confirming his excitement.

The boy makes a loud whoop'ing noise, getting a laugh from his friend.

His friend.

You continue to speak, walking over to someone else, but now your eyes are glued on him.

He looks about your age, with beautifully disheveled sandy brown hair and chocolate eyes. He has numerous scars littering his face, some new and red, some older and whitening.

You can't help but wonder what the scars are from, and you feel a strange attachment to the boy, though you've never spoken before.

And after a while, it's time for your final song. About a thirds of the way through, at your favorite part, you meander back over to the boys.

You lean over, disguising your position as a simple concert move, but you're really staring into the brunette's eyes.

"You remind me of a time when things weren't so complicated." The words fall from your mouth effortlessly, and you're able to search the boy's eyes as you sing. There's a spark in them, a glimmer of light that pulls you in.

"All I need is to see your face." You sing, still singing almost directly to the brunette.

You need to see more of him, you suddenly think. And you continue to sing the song, but all that swims around in your brain is a plan. A plan to erase the mystery behind the boy.

The show comes to a close, but before everyone has left, you pull your manager aside.

"Hey, Martin, this- this is an odd request, but could you ask these two boys to come backstage? That sounds, um, interesting, but would y'mind-"

"What do they look like?" Martin interrupts you, and you sigh in relief.

"One has longer black hair, and the other... sorta sandy brown hair, and some scars on his face. Can you find them from that?"

"I'll try."

You nod and thank him, running backstage to your small lounge and bathroom to await your mysterious visitors, changing quickly into clothes that are more comfortable; a simple silk dress, in a y/f/c hue, and a sweater to go over it.

You fiddle with your wand in your hands, mentally berating yourself.

It was quite a reckless decision, really. It's not like you had a valid reason for inviting these people to such a VIP space such as this. Just because you feel some weird connection to one of them didn't mean you could disregard everything. These boys are probably muggles, and you are not. Merlin, you're getting shipped off to Scotland next year after being home-schooled by your magical parents for eighteen years - just in time for your last year of school -going to a boarding school called Hogwarts (which would be a PR nightmare, but your parents insisted you needed some 'real-life experience').

But amidst your train of thought, you hear a knock at your door - two taps, three taps, your manager's code that it's okay to open the door - and you shove your wand into your (enlarged via Engorgio charm) pocket.

You stride over to the door, fiddling with the hem of your sweater, and open it to see Martin.

"Here they are, Miss L/N." He steps to the side to reveal the two boys, the darker-haired male standing in front, and you refrain from gasping when he steps forward, allowing you full view of the other boy.

The scars on his face are glimmering in the light, and his eyes are warm, pulling you in with every glance. His hair is perfectly tousled, and he's tall, over six foot two, or so you'd guess.

"Come in," you say, stepping aside to allow them entrance. You nod to Martin, signalling him to leave, and he does so, shutting the door and leaving you with the pair.

"Holy shit," the raven-haired boy says, and you realize he's only slightly shorter, about an inch less.

You laugh slightly, gesturing for them to sit down.

"Why are we back here?" the shorter one says, and you smile. He's made himself comfortable, seemingly the more outgoing, but the other one is still standing awkwardly beside you.

"You can relax, I'm not interrogating you," you say, smiling at the taller boy, who seems to let out a breath. "Why don't you introduce yourselves, and then we can talk, okay?"

"I'm Sirius, Sirius Black." The boy runs a hand through his dark hair, grinning.

"Ah, like the constellation? Brightest star in the sky," you say, and he nods.

"I'm, um, Remus. Remus Lupin," the other boy says tentatively, offering a smile.

"Hi, Remus," you say, nodding. "I don't want to assume you know my name, I'm aware you're not American, but considering you're at this concert-"

"Of course, we know your name, we're British, not daft," Sirius says with a playful scoff, and you laugh. "You're Y/N."

"That I am," you say with a giggle, and Remus grins. Your heart stops for a moment, the world coming to a halt as his eyes meet yours.

Sirius clears his throat, and a blush spreads onto the apples of your cheeks. You gulp, looking down.

"So, you didn't answer my question," Sirius starts, tilting his head, but Remus kicks his shin.

"Pads, chill," he whispers, shaking his head. Sirius shakes his head, looking at you.

"It's fine, really. 'M not that interesting, no need to be uptight," you say, smiling again.

"I'd beg to differ," Remus breathes.

After what feels like no time at all, but is really three hours, you've gotten any and all formalities out of the way. Well, all but one - you're still unsure if they're muggles, and they don't know that you're a witch, either.

That is, until Remus gets up to go to the restroom, and something tumbles out of his pocket.

Your first thought is how did something that long fit in a jean pocket, but then you see what it is.

It's a wand, about ten inches, cypress wood, with a small bulb at the end of it. You gasp, and Remus goes pale, stumbling to pick it up.

"Is that-" you start, but Sirius cuts you off.

"It's nothing," he says quickly, but you shake your head.

"That's a wand," you say slowly, and Remus is wide-eyed, nervously fidgeting.

"It-"

"No, no, no," you say, reaching into the pocket of your sweater and pulling out your own. Sirius and Remus simultaneously gasp as you brandish it in your hands, and you grin.

"You're a witch?" Remus asks, jaw slack.

"You're a wizard?" you return, raising an eyebrow.

"Fuck yeah we are!" Sirius says, and you grin.

"What school?" Remus inquires, and you purse your lips.

"I was home-schooled, but this year - for my last one - I'm going to this school called Hogwarts? D'you know it?" you explain, garnering another gasp from the pair.

"That's where we go," Remus says, and your eyes light up.

"Really?!" you ask excitedly.

"Yeah! I guess you'll have some friends when you get there, at least," Remus assures, grinning.

"I bet Remus wishes you had a boyfriend to greet you," Sirius says, disguised with some coughs, and you blush. Remus kicks his friend in the shin again, and turns to you with a sigh.

"Sorry, he doesn't know what he's talking about," he says, and you raise an eyebrow.

"Does he not?" you ask flirtatiously, and it's Remus's turn to blush.

"Uh-"

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" you say with a mischievous grin, one returned by the sandy-haired boy in front of you.

[avaritia-apotheosis]

Phantom Children Ch.4

In Which: exposition for exposition's sake exists, and Vlad looks way more suspcious than he ought

| AO3 | Prologue | 3 | [4] | 5

VLADIMIR MASTERS. Human male in his mid-forties, and most notably the founder and CEO of VladCo, a billion-dollar industry that mostly specializes in manufacturing weapons and technology. Graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin despite having to drop out due to a lab accident in his second year, landing him in the hospital. Despite being based primarily in Wisconsin, he made an unexpected move to Amity Park Illinois shortly after reuniting with his college friends Drs. Madeline and Jack Fenton.

Not even a year later, Masters ran for mayor of Amity Park and won the election by a landslide. Suspicious, considering Masters being an unknown and the former mayor Montez being quite popular. It’s during Masters’ tenure in office that reports of ghost attacks to the Justice League steadily died down.

“Why?” Damian asked.

Barbara shrugged, pulling up a few files on the screen. “I originally had a theory that related to VladCo’s buyout of Axion Labs—a technological research and manufacturing company that’s mostly local to Amity—being a factor. Within the last couple of years, they had been experimenting with highly volatile chemicals with hallucinogenic properties. Amity had always been known for being extremely superstitious with its ghosts, and if Axion Labs had somehow accidentally released that chemical into the city, well…” She leaned back into her chair, hand twisting in the air. “You could bet how that ended up. The hysteria around ghosts only grew worse in the last two years, with suspected sightings from once every few weeks to multiple in a single day. Early attempts to capture sightings were unsuccessful, and soon enough Amity Park was just written off.”

Much like the mass hysteria surrounding the urban legend of the kuchisake-onna in Japan in the late 1970s, Bruce thought. He pulled up some news footage from Amity Park dated a few years back of citizens being interviewed about their ghostly encounters. Beside these videos were a few photos taken by a shaky camera, showing bright blurs of light streaking across the sky or vaguely humanoid shapes rising from the ground.

“So VladCo., bought out Axion Labs, improved its security, and slowly helped detoxify the town?” Damian shifted his weight onto his other leg and crossed his arms.

“That’s what I thought, but��”

“But the ghosts ended up being real.” Bruce pulled up a video of a field reporter-slash-weatherman taking cover as a figure dropped from the sky, breaking through the walls of a building. The figure—features distorted by an eerie glow—shot out of the rubble just in time before a green blast hit it.

Oracle enlarged other news footage with a few taps on her keyboard. Beings zooming through the air. Massive plants erupting from the ground. Technology coming to life. Each video more worrying than the last, and most showing some footage of a figure bathed in a white glow. “I’d be hard pressed to call any of these faked.”

It begged the question as to how Amity Park survived this long unscathed. Since, if he remembered correctly, even the Dark Leaguers tended to avoid Amity Park like the plague. “They have their own heroes, then?”

“Think along the lines of vigilantes with unofficial support.” A few more files popped up on screen. One showcased a female in a full-length black and red body suit on top of a hover board. The other was a male; young, perhaps a teenager, with white hair and a black and white suit. Hazmat? “The Red Huntress and the Phantom of Amity Park.”

“Partners?”

“More like enemies working on the same turf. Sources place Phantom as appearing first, though it seems Red Huntress has more government support in the end despite there being no official statement. They seem to be the most effective ghost hunters in town, though far from the only ones. The Fentons of Fenton Works are also acting as ghost hunters, though their track record of success leans more towards their anti-ghost tech than any hunting. The town’s even attracted visitors from the Ghost Investigation Ward; a side branch of Cadmus though a now defunct organization.”

“This doesn’t make sense,” Damian said. “If anything, this should be more than enough reason for a League intervention. Why the Justice League didn’t come sooner is the real question here.”

Bruce’s lips thinned. “That’s because we were warned off it.”

“What?”

While there was no rule against heroes entering another hero’s city, there were certain unspoken rules that demanded that JL members avoid claimed cities or stay just outside of city lines until given permission to enter. Some were especially strict about it such as Batman’s ‘no metas or outsiders’ rule. Others were more lenient, simply requesting a warning before entering.

Amity Park, despite having no listed heroes in the database, was marked with heavy ‘Do Not Interact’ warnings for humans and metas alike.

“Justice League Dark said that under no circumstances should the League interfere in Amity. The situation was never explicitly laid out for us except to say that everything was being handled.”

“Oh yeah,” Oracle chimed. “Constantine even had it bolded, underlined, italicized, and in all caps. The occult community was very clear about everyone staying away—and apparently this decision had support from Amity Park too.” She pulled up another document. “That’s probably what led to the decline in their ghost reports, actually. Amity’s claims were considered bogus and brushed aside. No one outside their town—not even their sister town of Elmerton—believed them, so they simply stopped asking for help.”

Strangely, it reminded Bruce of Gotham. Both cities existed in its own isolated sphere, unwilling to let any outsiders interfere in its business.

“It’s safe to assume, then, that whatever Ra’s al Ghul wants with Amity, it has to do with these ghosts. Do we have anyway to contact the town’s vigilantes?”

Oracle shook her head. “Ghost attacks within the past few months have slowly died down along with sightings of Phantom and Red Huntress. Your best bet is asking Masters directly.”

Damian glowered. “Masters blatantly sent out an invitation for Batman to my father. How do we know that Masters hasn’t somehow found our secret identities?”

“Unlikely,” Bruce said. “Vlad Masters, despite his wealth, has done well to keep a low profile. He’s met Bruce Wayne a total of three times within the last decade and Batman not at all.” That, and with the kind of spyware Batman has, he’d be able to tell when, where, and who was trying to dig deep into Batman’s past. Masters hadn’t even registered as a ping.

“Besides, there’s always a few rumors of Wayne Enterprise’s involvement with Batman. All this tech has to come from somewhere, no?”

“How long is Masters staying in Gotham?”

“Umm…” Oracle leaned forward in her chain and flipped through a half-dozen windows. “Going by his reservations at the Gotham Royal Hotel, he’s leaving tomorrow.”

Bruce pivoted on his heel, heading deeper into the Cave. “We better make this count, then.”

------

According to Oracle’s intel, Vlad Masters was staying at one of the executive suites in the Gotham Royal Hotel. A titanic structure with forty-eight floors, two towers, and the gothic aesthetic that never seemed to leave Gotham’s architecture.

Scaling the building as well as entering the suite proved no challenge for Batman and Robin. But upon entrance, it was abundantly clear that the room was vacant.

“Are you sure you guys are in the right room?” Bruce could hear the clicking of Oracle’s keys through their comms. “Masters had reserved the suite on the west tower.”

“Yes we’re in the correct room, Gordon,” Robin hissed.

“Codenames only, Robin.”

Robin clicked his tongue, sweeping the common room for any hidden bugs or cameras as Batman scouted out the rest of the room. The bed was made to hotel standard and the bathroom towels all completely replaced. There were no clothes in the hotel closet or dresser.

The only thing left that indicated occupancy of the room was an unmarked manila envelope unsubtly tucked within a pillowcase.

Robin tensed at the sight of it. “A detonator of some sort?”

Batman rotated the package, holding it up to his scanner. “Doesn’t seem to be. Regardless, it might be better to take it back to the Batcave and locate Masters ag—” The envelope started ringing. A standard ringtone found in most phones. Quickly, but carefully, Batman opened the manila envelope and dumped its contents onto the bed. A ringing burner phone and a flash drive came tumbling out.

Batman threw the flash drive at Robin before answering the phone, holding it up against his ear but saying nothing.

Silence. Then, Masters’ voice filtered in through the phone with a strange echo-like quality. “Good evening, Batman! I’m so glad my invitation managed to get passed along.”

Batman growled into the speaker, “What do you want, Masters?” He signaled Robin to do another sweep of the room for any signs of Masters they might have missed.

“I sincerely apologize for not being there to meet you myself; incredibly rude of me, I know. But it cannot be helped, the shadows are growing ever bolder.”

“So, you are aware then, of the League of Assassins’ presence in Amity Park?”

“A league of assassins? What a terrifying notion that is.” Batman frowned. It was unlikely that they had misread his words at the gala, so why was he acting unaware now? Could he be watched? “Why such a group would appear in my little town, I wouldn’t even dare to guess.”

Robin came back into the room and signaled back ‘negative.’

“Why did you call for us, Mayor Masters?”

“Do you know what is so very tragic, Batman?”

“This is strange,” Oracle said. “I can’t pick up his signal. He’s not appearing on any of my cameras, either.”

“When someone so young dies much to soon.” A pause. “Could you even imagine such a thing? A parent burying their own child.”

Batman could. He had no need to even imagine it because he lived it.

“Some very close friends of mine have been weighed down by the shadows of death and I require help in providing them the closure they need.”

“Are the Fentons the targets, then?”

Masters paused. Then let out a breathy laugh over the phone. “Oh, if only it were that simple.”

“So a different target.”

“Everything you need to know is in the flash drive I’ve enclosed in that envelope Whether you take up the case is entirely up to you—though I do hope you take it. Regardless, if he is not returned soon then I assure you that a disaster unlike any you have seen before will arrive.”

Batman narrowed his eyes. “Is that a threat, Masters?”

“No,” He laughed. “That was no threat. That was promise.”

The phone line disconnected just as Oracle exclaimed that she finally found Masters boarding his flight back to Amity Pak.

[makeste]

BnHA 6th Popularity Poll Reaction Post - Risky Spoiler-Dodging Edition

hey guys, so seeing as the results from the 6th popularity poll were leaked today, I figured I would do a separate reaction + analysis post this year, rather than piling it in as an extra on top of the chapter reaction post tomorrow. I figure this makes more sense anyway, since they’re really two completely different things. also this way I can write as much as I want lol.

also, just fyi, I am still completely unspoiled for chapter 293. and probably the smart thing to do to keep it that way would be to log off tumblr and hold off posting this until tomorrow, but I apparently have no impulse control today so oh well. anyway, so I’m hoping you guys will keep this spoiler-free if you don’t mind! as always, I would prefer to just jump right in completely unaware tomorrow like Troy returning to the study room with the pizza boxes lol.

okay so this first part is just going to be my predictions. fyi I am writing this part on Wednesday night, and then I’ll add on the results part on Thursday or Friday (ETA: Thursday, apparently, since I am impatient.)

okay so first of all, just as a refresher, this poll was open to Japanese voters from Aug 3 to Sep 30. meaning chapters 279 through 285. meanwhile last year’s poll took place around the tail end of the MVA arc. so between then and now we had Heroes Rising, the Endeavor Agency arc, and the War arc up to the part where the 1-A kids took on Gigantomachia in Gunga, and started battling Tomura in Jakku. so technically only a couple of arcs, but a LOT of stuff going down in them. oh and season 4 of the anime as well

so! firstly, I predict that my truculent africanized honeybee son will hold on to his crown at #1, coming off a year in which he did some internship-boosted soul searching, borrowed OFA in movie canon, and finished out the voting period as the my-body-moved-on-its-own character development MVP. like CALL ME CRAZY lol, but I’m pretty sure his title is safe. and then after him will be Deku and Shouto as usual

Aizawa should hopefully also have a strong showing because the dude had a banner fucking year. reunited with his old dead friend, took on Tomura with his hopelessly inept hero pals, and then chopped his fucking leg off. he had better be in the top 10. his fucking leg died for this, idk what else he has to do

Endeavor also stands a decent chance of doing well given the internship arc and the final episode of season 4. which I’m sure will go down just swimmingly if that does happen lmao. especially if he somehow manages to rank higher than...

Dabi, which I don’t think he will btw, but you never know. anyways though, but I’m thinking Dabi’s going to have a stronger showing than in past years (in the last poll he only got 367 votes and was ranked 19th). mostly because of his fight in the Gunga mansion, and his cheekily censored name reveal to...

Hawks, who is also going to rank pretty high here, I think. might be he loses some points for killing off Twice, but his back was basically to the wall there. and he has always been very popular, and I think season 4 will also give him a boost, along with his heavy involvement in the first half of the War arc

Tomura was already in 6th place last year and I think he cracks the top 5 this year. he’s gotten exponentially more popular since the MVA arc, and got a boost in the last poll even though his flashback had only just barely happened, and he hadn’t finished Awakening yet and all that stuff. anyway, so he’s only gotten cooler and more tragic since then so I think he makes a big play here

Kirishima, Momo, Tokoyami, and Mina should also hopefully do well, since the poll opened right in the middle of all that Gigantomachia action, and Toko had just got done being an absolute badass and protecting his birb dad. I don’t think he’ll quite make it to the top ten, but he should

and last but not least, I’m hoping that Mirko will come out and take the polls by storm, although I have no clue how popular she is in Japan lol. she’s clearly Horikoshi’s favorite though. she SHOULD be everyone’s favorite, but I mean, we’ll see how it goes

anyway that’s it as far as predictions! and so now, through the magic of writing stuff at different times, we will fast-forward to the part where we actually find out the results!

OH MY GOD YES, STEAMPUNK KHLKSLLKL. HERE FOR IT. JOLLY GOOD SHOW. 5 STARS

Kacchan looks SO COCKY and SO HAPPY and SO ADORABLE, YES I SAID IT. he is adorable as FUCK. I don’t quite know what it is about this particular Kacchan that just screams “LOOK HOW FUCKING CUTE MY STUPID, LOUD SON IS WITH HIS BIZARRE WINDOWPANE-LOOKING CONVERTIBLE SUNGLASS GOGGLES and his POORLY TIED CRAVAT”, but I think it’s because he looks like if a Digimon character and a FMA character had a baby

anyway, so it looks like most of the people present here are more or less who we expected to see. except that I can’t tell for sure if that’s Dabi or Shindou, and if it’s Shindou I’m going to punch somebody in the face so you will have to excuse me

Iida wearing a TRENCHCOAT and a TOP HAT with ENGINE EXHAUST GOGGLE ACCENTS is my new favorite Iida of all time. take note how there is no possible way he can wear those goggles with them sitting on top of his hat like that. plus he’s already got glasses on. these are just purely for aesthetic and IF THAT AIN’T JUST THE STEAMPUNK WAY

Deku out here speaking softly and carrying a lead pipe. Kacchan you best look out. seems like he’s done watching you take first place year after year while he languishes in the number two spot. your only hope is that he trips while attacking you because his boots are unbuckled

Shouto’s standing over there with the rest of the non-first-and-second-place characters, but what are the odds his results are actually within spitting distance of Deku’s same as always. anyway he doesn’t mind, though. also his outfit is by far the most sensible one here, but if you look closely he’s got some sort of fire extinguisher/jet pack thing strapped to his back that’s got a control switch on his belt. Shouto are you jetpacking or putting out fires

Kirishima out here all “I’m not sure what steampunk is so I’m just going to take off my shirt and pose”

AIZAWA WITH THE EYEPATCH SKLKSDLKFJLSKJLDFKJSLDFFJLDKSJFL:KS. SIR. SIR. also, lowkey furious that Horikoshi refuses to show us the automail leg that he is clearly sporting here but which we just can’t see, SHOUTO MOVE GODDAMMIT

Endeavor has TWO fire extinguisher-slash-jetpacks. THE BETTER TO... WHATEVER. look at you here in the top ten again. you really live for that controversy

HAWKS OUT HERE WITH HIS STEAMPUNK BEATS BY DRE AND HIS WEARING A RING ON EVERY FINGER. nice to see you’ve still got your wings there, kiddo. then again Deku still has both of his arms too so who even knows what is going on

BUT SERIOUSLY THOUGH, IS THIS DABI OR SHINDOU. as if I don’t know the truth deep down in my heart. y’all I am gonna flip lmao. it’s not that I dislike Shindou, strictly speaking. but just... I can’t explain what it is, but if you put him and AFO next to each other and told me “you can only punch one”, I would be having a serious crisis. just, THIS FUCKING GUY, idek. STOP SMILING

Tomura looks like he just wandered onto the set here by mistake and has no idea where he is or what is going on. it’s because you’re wearing a bigass severed hand that’s blocking your entire view, Tomura. just take the hand off your face my sweet murder dumpling

anyway! so I managed to also find a link to the full poll results while somehow managing to avoid spoilers, and then I wanted to compare the results to last year’s poll, and so I made... this

hopefully you can all see this. if you’re on desktop you might be screwed, but on mobile you should be able to click and enlarge it. I mean, assuming you actually give a fuck about boring poll analysis spreadsheets lmao

anyway, so there were actually 13k fewer votes cast this year which is a bit of a surprise. is the series not still growing in popularity? do people apparently have better things to do during their quarantine lol

anyways but despite this, and despite getting 8k fewer votes overall, Kacchan still managed almost twice as many as his closest competitor. well fought, Deku. please put down that pipe

I somehow always underestimate the power of ship popularity to influence these things. but for example, it looks like Present Mic got that Vigilantes Trio bump. ride that wave for all it’s worth my man! hell, you got me on board

Iida fucking Tenya somehow got some sort of POWER BOOST out of NOWHERE which I can’t explain at all lmao, but I’m here for it. NOT BAD FOR AN OLD MAN

Sero managed to get the exact same number of votes in both 2019 and 2020. clearly the most loyal fans in the business

Mirko being all the way down at #20 is, of course, a travesty, and I hereby nominate her to be the one to punch Shindou in the face

ngl though, the lack of a single female character in the top ten hurts just a bit. it’s not overly surprising, but still. the worst part of it is that even if you kicked Shindou to the curb and moved everyone else up one slot, it would still be all dudes since Mic beat out Momo by a margin of a little more than a hundred votes. hard to stay mad at Mic for too long, though. ah well

Tomura actually lost a bunch of votes which is a genuine surprise to me. I know the villain standom isn’t as dominant in Japan as it is in Western fandom, but still. you can go ahead and punch Shindou too I guess

Tokoyami lowkey doubled his vote count over the past year while hiding down there at #18. he is slowly becoming more powerful. biding his time

anyway so I think that’s it! I mean not really, but I’m getting kind of tired lol. so just, you know, insert the usual gripes at Overhaul’s ranking here, although we can be happy about Magne making her way onto the list (r.i.p.), and Mineta and AFO taking a very satisfying slide down (all the way out, in AFO’s case; good riddance you bum). Hadou also got a huge boost which is awesome. Mustard’s persistent ownership of the #36 spot will forever remain a mystery to me, but oh well

anyways, this was fun. and I really do feel like everyone is looking away on purpose so that when Deku brains Kacchan with that pipe in about two seconds from now, there will be no witnesses, oh my fucking god

[quazartranslates]

Welcome to the Nightmare Game II - CH29

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

-----

Chapter 29: Star Death Reality Show (XII) {cw: brief discussion of menstruation}

This conversation between guys didn't last long. After all, Qi Leren and Du Yue weren’t too familiar with each other, and they wouldn't be as casual as with Dr. Lu. It was almost two o'clock in the middle of the night. It was time for Qi Leren to watch the speaker.

The temperature difference between night and day was not much in the polar region, and the sunshine of the polar day fell on the tundra, quiet and serene. If it weren't for the danger stirring, that was spying on these poor lambs, Qi Leren probably wouldn't be as uneasy as he was now.

When he came to the outside of the church, Qi Leren saw Janet’s bright clothes at a glance. She was breathing on her hands. After a while, she pulled thick gloves on her hands: "This damn weather is really enough to freeze penguins."

—It's cold enough to freeze penguins. Someone had once described a polar environment to Qi Leren like this. When Janet’s words, he couldn’t help but think of that. Qi Leren showed a smile: "There are no penguins here, and we have temperature-control suits. We won’t freeze to death."

"Hey man, this is just an exaggerated metaphor. Can you have a sense of humor?" Janet rolled her eyes at him.

Dr. Lu and Alex came out of the church. Both of them were a little sleepy. They went back to rest after the handover with Janet. Janet walked into the church, sat down on the couch, and chatted with Qi Leren boredly: "You and Lara have a good relationship?"

"Not bad," Qi Leren said perfunctorily.

"Uh-huh, I guess you’re being condescending now," Janet said with a smile.

"You’re not a worm in my stomach." Qi Leren refused to admit it.

"Come on, I still have self-awareness. I never wanted to be likable." Janet shrugged her shoulders and said casually, "Let’s change the subject. What do you think about the disappearances these past few days?"

"...It's hard to say, but I don't think this is a ‘script’. The situation has been somewhat out of control." Qi Leren frowned. "I feel that it’s dangerous. A great danger..."

"Interesting. What kind of danger is it?" Janet asked curiously.

Qi Leren glanced at her. He wasn’t sure what this woman was thinking: "In many ways. Although intelligent life on this planet is extinct, there are still large animals alive, the vegetation is well preserved, the air quality and temperature conditions are suitable for survival, and it may be used as a colony planet or sightseeing planet in the future."

Janet was suddenly taken with him and followed along his topic: "I don't want to come to this hellhole again. Unless some discerning producer invites me to be the heroine and let Lara play the villain, then I may think about it, haha."

"You hate her that much?" Qi Leren was surprised. He thought Lara was easy to get along with.

"It’s the war between women, men wouldn’t understand." Janet spread her hands. "Anyway, I just hate the way she carries herself all the time. She acts like she’s the smartest, most powerful, most understanding in the world. It’s hypocritical, but you men eat this up."

Qi Leren declined to comment.

When Janet saw that he didn't speak, she curled her lips in boredom and found a place to sit down.

It was getting late into the night, Janet complained about the importance of beauty sleep, and absently dozed off. Qi Leren had had enough sleep during the day, so now he was very energetic and wandered around the church. This church should be quite old. If it wasn’t in the polar region, it would have been overwhelmed by lush vegetation and become a green ruin.

Looking out from the church window, Qi Leren could just see He Yi's house in the southwest. He suddenly remembered that He Yi had talked about something. On the first night, he saw...

What did he see? Did someone enter the church? If so, who did he see?

Unless He Yi reappeared, it was impossible for him to know.

This night was calm, Janet slept for a while and woke up after a while. At 7 o'clock, she finally got up. She tidied up her hair and complained: "I have never lived so rough in my life, and I have never desired to before!"

Qi Leren was about to speak when he saw Lara coming with Xue Jiahui from the window, so he asked, "How do you feel?"

Xue Jiahui looked at him in confusion and shook her head: "I still can't remember..."

"It's good that we’re returning to our parent star when the program is over. It should be only temporary," Lara consoled.

When the contestants came one after another, Lara pulled the Qi Leren aside when no one was paying attention and whispered, "When you searched for materials a few days ago, did you find anything like cotton and cloth?"

"Yes, I did. What do you want this for?" Qi Leren wondered.

"I don't want it, it’s Xue Jiahui. I saw that she discarded a cloth in the bathroom with blood on it. I think she probably encountered the same problem as Annie," Lara said.

Qi Leren: "..."

"Even I don't think it’s very good. You may not know this, but this physiological condition can be contagious," Lara said embarrassedly.

Qi Leren felt that, as a man, he didn't really want to know this kind of thing. He was a little concerned that Lara didn't tell others, but instead had taken him aside to borrow necessities. Did he look like a "best friend"?

Probably seeing Qi Leren’s depressed expression, Lara added: "I asked Francis to look after her for a while yesterday and went everywhere to borrow something, but unfortunately none of them had anything."

"Then how did you deal with it?" Qi Leren asked.

Lara gave a complicated look and said, "Xue Jiahui cut up her pillow... The pillowcase was used as a liner."

As the two people whispered, the contestants had already arrived one after another. This time, the atmosphere was more dignified than the previous two times. It even faintly appeared somewhat strange, because this time, what would be announced by the speaker was not the person who had won the Best of the Day, but the person who had knocked out Xue Jiahui and left her in the church. And this man was among them.

Time passed, and at eight o'clock the speaker started. The answer they eagerly wanted to know was given in a mechanical voice: "Now broadcasting the voting results. The winner of the Best of the Day is: Mark."

"Mark?"

"How can it be him?"

"Isn't he missing?"

"It turned out to be him?"

They were all whispering in amazement, but Qi Leren was not too surprised. It had seemed like Mark had gone missing at the beginning, but he wasn’t really missing, he was hiding somewhere... He quietly glanced out of the corner of his eye at Annie who was standing in the shadows, and she was expressionless.

……

……

……

The discussion was still inconclusive, so they had to split up again. Qi Leren was in a faint hurry. Today was the fourth day. If there was no breakthrough, even if he risked being seen through by the audience, he would identify the dangerous creature "amphioctopus", or risk being parasitized or injured. He would forcibly enter Annie's house.

Although Annie's own fighting capacity shouldn’t be strong, Qi Leren strongly suspected that she was already a puppet of the octopus, and he doesn't know anything about the octopus’ fighting capabilities. He didn't have the confidence that he could kill an octopus without using a skill card. Fortunately, after listening to the broadcast results, Annie returned to her house and then left the house again with the axe to go look for materials.

After waiting for the opportunity for such a long time, Qi Leren immediately climbed into Annie's house through the window, focusing on searching for the attic. This time, they had a clear goal and had good luck. In less than ten minutes, Dr. Lu found a dark panel on the second floor ceiling, from which an iron ladder could be pulled down after it was lifted.

Qi Leren looked at the dark attic above his head and was excited. His guess was right. Annie's house did have an attic! Mark and He Yi didn’t disappear, but hid in the attic!

After entering the attic, it was dark inside. Under the illumination of the flashlight, the desks, chairs, and bookshelves here all looked grim. Qi Leren noticed that the attic was also like a laboratory, just like the basement in Jing Siyu’s house.

Dr. Lu also came up, looked around to search, and soon felt that there was something wrong with the floor in the attic. Du Yue came up to help and lifted the floor. It turned out to be a straight, dark passage below, leading underground!

"So the structure is like this," Dr. Lu said, looking at this passage "It's not that there’s a trapdoor on the first floor that’s used to enter the basement, but there’s a passage through the attic, which isn’t connected with the first floor or the second floor, but goes straight to the basement. Um... For example, it’s like an enlarged version of a sewage pipe embedded in the wall."

"Why would they have such a design?" Du Yue asked curiously.

"God knows, I don’t have a clue. Oh, it’s also possible that the owner was a hikikomori and hated to see the sun. His scope of activities was the attic and the basement, so when building the house, he simply made such a passageway," Dr. Lu said.

Although he didn’t hear any movement, Qi Leren was a little worried that someone could be in the basement, so when he grabbed the metal cross section and climbed down the pipe’s ladder rung by rung, his heart beat fast and he was extremely nervous. But after reaching the bottom, he found everything was normal and the basement was empty.

"Wow, what is this? Was there an explosion?" Dr. Lu also climbed down and was surprised to see that there was a pile of messy rubble deep in the basement and a big hole punched out of the wall.

"Do you remember that when we were in Jing Siyu’s basement, there was the sound of an explosion outside? At that time, I thought it was the church or something had collapsed, but now it seems that... It happened here," Qi Leren said thoughtfully.

Du Yue also came over. He was more active. He simply rolled up his sleeves and moved the rocks. However, several huge rocks blocked the hole and couldn’t be removed without tools: "No, I can't move them. Can I explode it again?"

Qi Leren looked at the rocks on the ground that had obviously been manipulated but still blocked their way. He could imagine what Annie and Mark had been busy with these past few days… Hey, but where had Mark gone? They didn't see Mark go in or out of Annie's house all day yesterday. Maybe he was here the whole time, or maybe he was outside the whole time.

There came a squeak sound, the hatch that connected the attic to the basement was lifted. Qi Leren immediately turned off his flashlight, as did Dr. Lu.

Deng, deng, deng, the sound of shoes stepping on the metal rungs came, and Qi Leren felt like his hair was about to fall out. He looked in horror at the metal pipe with its iron ladder. Someone was coming down!

"Did we close the attic door when we entered the pipe?" Qi Leren lowered his voice and asked.

"It was closed, I was the last one, I closed it," Du Yue replied nervously.

"Okay, don't make any noise, stick to the wall, I’ll handle it." Qi Leren said after a pause, guessing that the other party didn't know they were in the basement.

After turning off the flashlights, only pure darkness remained in the basement, almost opaque. Qi Leren closed his eyes, stroked the palm of his right hand with his left hand, and silently counted the sound of the steps on the rungs as he readied himself.

He felt as if he had returned to the sea. The sea water was cold, and the pressure from all directions became stronger and stronger with his dive. He forced himself to slow down his heart, because at this time, panic would only make his oxygen consumption faster and make him closer to death.

Just as Qi Leren constantly adjusted his own state and brought himself closer to his peak level, that person had already reached the bottom. When they were about to step off it, the person fumbled in their trouser pocket and took out a flashlight...

The flashlight’s switch gave a click, and in a moment the light lit up the people hidden in the darkness. It was at this instant that Qi Leren shot out like lightning and kicked their calf! Kicked their face down to the ground!

"Ah!" A woman’s voice let out a painful cry and the flashlight fell to the ground. She wanted to look up and see who it was, but Qi Leren swung his hand down like a knife on the back of her neck! The strength was so great that she passed out instantly!

Looking at Annie, who had collapsed to the ground and passed out, Qi Leren breathed a long sigh of relief. He felt that he had returned to the surface from the bottom of the sea and felt renewed life thrum through him.

Thank you Chen Baiqi, thank you diving training, and thank you three-headed hellhound.

-----

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

[mrsbarnes107]

Secret of the Widow

-part nine-

Summary: Post Endgame time period. The team is healing, trying to navigate this new normal they’ve found themselves in when Bucky and Sam bring home a stray with an attitude and a secret. Will the broken team take her in? Or is it too much to bare?

Warnings: language, *eventual* violence and smut, death, fluff, angst

Pairings: Bucky x OC

"Don't do anything stupid Sarge." I bumped my shoulder against his bicep as I walked past him. Turning around I continued backwards down the hall, "oh and take care of Big Bird, wouldn't wanna ruffle his feathers too much." With a wink at the scowling bird man and one last look at Bucky I turn the corner and head to my room.

Apparently there were two other bombings, both in separate parts of Europe, so Sam and Buck were heading to one location while Wanda and Banner took the other. There were far more casualties this time, and now we have to wait to interrogate the bombers from yesterday while the team is out.

"Friday can you let Peter know I'll meet him in the lab in thirty minutes please?"

"Of course Ms. Romanoff.... He says he'll bring the coffee Miss."

With a nod I enter my room and immediately strip out of my sweat, among other things, soaked clothes.

Trying to hide the messy hair and flushed cheeks during the meeting was incredibly difficult. Especially when Barnes waltzed in after me, lips red and eyes still filled with lust, roaming my body every once in a while as Sam gave out instructions.

With a firm shake of my head I walk to the dresser, throwing on a simple halter top and jeans. Walking to the mirror to put my hair into a messy bun I can't help but feel guilty.

I promised myself I wouldn't let Bucky get to me. It's not fair to him. He spent so long fighting to get back to who he is, and I can't just throw more missing memories at him. He deserves to find himself again. Without the pressure of our past.

Staying away and staying platonic is so much easier said than done. Especially when he looks like a rugged Greek sculpture and touches me like he's starving.

In the middle of tugging on my vans, a soft knock echoes through the room.

Looking up I see Clint poke his head in, "hey sorry, looks like you're going somewhere, I can come back later."

"No no it's fine, I'm meeting Peter in a bit, you can walk with me if you want."

I stand and lead him down the hall, letting the silence settle for a moment, only the soft sounds of shoes hitting linoleum to be heard.

There's a sigh to my left and a shift in the atmosphere. "So, I've been trying to find the right words. Nothing sounds good enough though."

I glance up and meet his eyes as we enter the elevator. "Do you have questions?"

"I do, but none you can answer most likely. I just- I wanted to-" a frustrated sigh is heaved from his chest as he meets my gaze and grabs my hand lightly. "Loosing Natasha almost killed me. I carry that guilt every single day, I see the ghost of her everywhere.... And knowing that she lost you, that you lost her, it just- I'm sorry, I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough. It should have been me. She deserved so much more than what she got and I-"

I squeeze his hand with a small tug. "Clint, you and I both know that nothing could have stopped her. She did it for you and your family, she did it for me. She would have brought you back and killed you herself if you had taken her place. You don't need my forgiveness because I don't blame you for anything, but you need to forgive yourself Hawky. She was a stubborn, sneaky woman and I know for a fact that she's been cursing up a storm at you for the amount of guilt you're carrying."

At that he let out a chuckle sob and pulled me into a hug. "I know you don't know me kid, but I'm here and I'm gonna look out for you like Nat would have wanted. I've got your back always, no matter what."

The elevator dings as the doors slide open.

I give the man another tight hug and exit, turning to give him a small smile. "You know, she'd write to me sometimes, not often but everyone once in a while I'd get a letter. In every one she'd mention my Uncle Clint. She'd say you were a cocky ass, but the most loyal and caring cocky ass she'd ever met. She really loved you, so I grew up caring for you too. As much as you have my back, I've got yours."

A small chuckle escapes his lips. "Hm Uncle Clint, I could get use to that kid."

With a wink a turn and start towards the lab calling over my shoulder, "You better, cause I'm not an easy one to get rid of."

Nearing the lab it was easy to recognize the classic rock playing from the speakers. Guess Peters feeling nostalgic today.

"Hey Petey, what'd you need help with?" I slung an arm around his shoulder and swiped a coffee from the table.

"Well I've been staying here while my school is on a break, trying to crack some closed files of Mr. Starks but the encryption is weird and I'm going back to Mays in the next day or so. Could you give it a try?"

"Yeah of course." I swiped across the hologram to move in front of me and began reading the coding surrounding the encryption. "Huh. This is weird, it looks more like a puzzle than a typical password. Why are you going through his files?"

Enlarging different sections I began to reposition them and break them apart.

"I don't know really, at first it was because I missed him I guess, but now it's just interesting, reading through his thinking process, seeing the projects he wanted to finish. It's cathartic in a really painful way I suppose, getting to be with him in a way."

I give his hand a small squeeze and hip check him softly. "I get it.. hmhm so there's discoloration in certain parts of the coding and there were clear breaks in the pattern, so I separated each break. It's definitely a puzzle or picture of some sort."

Reaching up to rearrange a few pieces, one of them aligned, the coding changing from shades of grey to black and white.

"I don't understand why this file is so different. Mr. Stark didn't use this on any of the other encryptions."

I just hummed in response, squinting at the hologram.

A laugh startled from my lips, "Oh Tony."

Reaching up I move the coding fragments, each one clicking into place. As the last piece sealed, the picture enlarged for a a few seconds and blinked.

"Is that- is that a PLAYING CARD? He encrypted a file with a picture of a poker card? Why would he-"

Suddenly the card disappeared, little hologram fragments buzzing the the center of the table, until eventually Tony's face was looking at us.

"Hey Ace, long time no see huh?"

"Wait.. Ace? Why does that sound so familiar.." Peter mumbled, however it was drowned out suddenly from the blaring alarm echoing through the compound as the lights went black save for the red flashing from the generators.

[nautiscarader]

Year of the cow, or how I stopped worrying and loved the meme (BBRae)

Beast Boy's and Raven's relationship is truly one of the most subtle and emotional ones I have seen. There are lots of fantastically written fics which dive deep into characterisation and their nuanced, complicated emotions, showing complex colours of the spectrum of love.

Unfortunately, you have made a mistake clicking on one of my fics.

This is a birthday present for my buddy, ZekkKiray, and it revolves around a meme which I really found irritating... And I wondered how other characters might have reacted to it. Happy birthday, man!

yes, still half hour till midnight in my time zone, made it.

BBRae, 4k, E, (Ao3)

==========

As the Sun slowly hid on the horizon, Jump City, just like every city and town in the world, was slowly preparing for a glorious celebration. People were ready to welcome the new year with dances, parties and optimism encouraged by copious amounts of alcohol.

But not everyone was interested in partying and throwing caution to the wind. Five superheroes traversed the town's rooftops, watching over many celebrations, and ideal breeding grounds for crime, big or small.

Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy set out to patrol the city, to ensure that this momentous occasion won't be disturbed by any wrong-doer...

And quite quickly decided to join the party. Well, some of them. Robin sighed when he realised that his team has disbanded to join the crowd of onlookers, cheering and applauding the band on the colorful stage, that would soon be replaced by another group, hired just to play one or two hits for some quick cash.

Raven stayed to the side as well, keeping her eye not only at her friends, but the crowd, though her attention was suddenly caught by the dancers on the stage. Three women, dressed in black-and-white horned costumes, performing a synchronised dance, much to the delight of the audience.

- Er, and what exactly is that? Some sort of fad...?

- Oh, no, friend Raven! - Starfire was eager to explain - Robin has told me it's a Chinese calendar! And the Chinese have chosen an animal to represents each year, and...

- Oh, yeah, right. - Raven interrupted her - And lemme guess, this year's a cow?

- Ox, technically. - Robin chimed in - And it's not even started yet, it's based on a lunar one, so it will be somewhere in February.

Raven looked at the women in their silly costumes, dancing and playfully jiggling their fake udders and cow-bells to the beat of the music.

- Meh, whatever, it's gonna be over soon. Oh, by the way, this guys was pickpocketing. - Raven spoke nonchalantly, her shadow coiling around a burly man's throat.

By January fourth, however, Raven was seeing cows everywhere. Television, billboards, the internet... especially the internet. She felt as if it was a single-themed Halloween party that somehow stretched to a week.

And the boys weren't helping. While Robin remained reasonably level-headed, Cyborg and Beast Boy were having times of their lives, enjoying every single appearance of the costumes in real life, or in any media.

The worst thing was, Raven wasn't even sure why the fad irritated her so much. There were much more asinine things out there. But something about that fad was driving her nuts.

At the very least, there was Starfire, who sometimes was able to understand her.... or so Raven thought until she returned one day from the market with plastic cow-horns on her head a bell around her neck.

Raven groaned at the sight of his friend and stormed out of the common room, pushing away few streamers, still lingering after the new year's party.

She closed door to her room behind her and embraced the darkness and silence that allowed her to meditate and focus her powers...

And then she heard the faint jingling of the cowbells from behind the wall.

The purple flames on the candles around her shot up to the ceiling, as Raven tried to control her irritation.

She barked and grabbed her mirror, disappearing into her private void that extinguished the flames she ignited.

Raven walked down the floating rocks that paved her dimension, encased in darkness, illuminated by just few stars and distant galaxies. The ravens flew away in fear, as she glided forward, hoping to find some peace and quiet here...

- Hiya!

But of course, in this realm, she was never truly alone.

A woman dressed in pink jumped from behind a nearby rock, causing Raven to cease her movement just for a while, before she promptly decided to ignore her own emoticlone.

- Oh come on, you haven't been here for ages! - the jovial embodiment of happiness continued - We've been having SO much fun here!

- Great. Leave me alone.

But before she could react, Pink grabbed her and steered her off-path, flying down a different route, loudly announcing their presence.

- Hey guys. looks who's here! - she shouted, waving the arm she wasn't using to maneuver Raven between rocks.

- Oh, great, our big sister... - the Orange mumbled from behind a couch-shaped rock

- Have-have we done something wrong? - the timid Graphite pulled over her cloak

- Judging from your prolonged absence, something extraordinary must have happened. - Yellow interjected, eyeing Raven with curious stare.

Raven let out another groan.

- It's nothing. Leave me-

- Oh, is it about you-know-who?

Violet's sly and suggestive voice prompted Raven to pause mid-turn. her eye twitched.

- Ooh, very brave of you to tackle the most common problem of your visits! - Green added at once. - He can be annoying...

- I've said...

A blast of energy erupted around her, as Raven turned away, but couldn't finish her sentence. There was one emotion left, and she knew very well what can summon her, and it was already too late.

- Come on, say it.

Red spoke, gleaming with a subtle, yet unmistakeable triumph in her voice.

- I'm done with you. - Raven answered and continued her walk, before being predictably stopped again

- Oh sure, is this why you have almost brought me back? - she sneered - And for such petty reason...

- Ooh, tell us, tell us! - Pink chimed in, before being brought aside by Yellow

- Let me do it...

Red spoke and spread her arms, giving the other emoticlones chance to glimpse into what little she have seen.

- That... that is quite an insignificant reason to bring back *her* - Yellow judged - Are you sure it's adequate?

- I'm just afraid this will backfire... - Graphite meeped from behind her

- But I was right - Violet added - It is about him...

- ENOUGH!

Raven burst with energy, silencing her living emotions.

- We just want you to say it, so we can... help you.

The Red emoticlone stood in her way, finally making her stop. Her presence cast a shadow of fear on the lesser creatures of this realm, and even some other emoticlones that dared not to approach her. Red's voice was strangely polite, though Raven knew she must have an ulterior motive behind it.

- And you know what the answer to your problem is.

Anger reached her arm and waited for Raven's response. She couldn't meet her eyes. She was right, of course, but at the same time, embracing the violent and unpredictable part of her nature, reminding her of her father's legacy filled her with disgust...

- But you will not be alone with it. - Violet suddenly joined.

- And while it may look odd, this might be an opportunity to broaden your horizons. - Yellow continued.

- And let's face it, you've done weirder things, but you never cowered away! - Green shouted.

- Besides, it's gonna be so much fun! - Pink smiled.

Raven lifted her hood and looked at the other emoticlones, all awaiting her decision.

Knowing she's delaying the inevitable, with a heavy sigh, Raven made her decision.

===============

Garfield knew better not to interrupt Raven. He has made that mistake a few times in his life, and he still had his life only because Raven was his friend.

Still, seeing her angry was painful, thought not as much as the silent treatment he was getting from her. Beast Boy hesitated for a moment, and just before he was about to knock on her doors, he stopped himself.

With a sigh, he turned around and returned to his room, finding someone already inside.

At first, Garfield thought he was dreaming. But after a few blinks, he realised that the marvellous, dreamy sight in front of his eyes was real, and it made his heart skip a beat.

Raven's trademark, dark-blue attire was gone, replaced by a white costume dotted with black-and-brown spots. Her long legs were covered in fishnets with the same pattern, and as his eyes travelled up, he realised what was exerting the gravitational force that was pulling him that way...

The skin-tight costume had changed his perception, perhaps, but even then, Raven' nipples were just a fraction of an inch away from slipping, as her breast were simply too big to stay hidden in any article of clothing.

And when he looked at her horned head again, he noticed a faint smile on her face, contrasting so much with her demeanour over the past few days. She shifted her legs, spreading them slightly, giving him just a small tease of what was to come, and with her eyes fixated at him, she spoke.

- Moo, I guess.

- Oh, momma!

And before she knew it, Beast Boy leapt onto her with the grace and agility of a frog, diving between her enlarged breasts, and feeling the delicate, cushioning texture engulf his head almost entirely. And at the same time, with his fingers digging into the material, he freed Raven's breasts, hungrily kissing each square inch of her body as if his life depended on it.

- Gar... - Raven moans, feeling her boyfriend wriggling against her bosom

- I see someone has changed her mind...

- You can say that... - Raven replied, hiding the moan that was about to escape her lips.

- I guess you took Starfire's approach and visited the market? - Beast Boy joked, between his kisses - Or, wait, no, you ordered it online so no one will know, right?

- Let's just say I didn't have to order it...

For a moment, Beast Boy pondered the meaning of her words, until he realised that he has seen her outfit once before. Well, without the black-and-brown blots. And as the realisation dawned on him, he let out a gasp, as Raven's eyes glowed white.

Only one of the spots was brown. There was a pink, yellow, green one...

Her most powerful form, the combination of all of her emotions sat on his bed, emanating raw magical, warm energy that could easily vaporise him if she wanted to. Beast Boy suspected the horns weren't plastic either, and that he has just made a few snarky jokes to a demonic sorceress orders of magnitude more powerful than him.

And yet, she was still smiling.

- I just... - Raven swallowed - Couldn't stand you ogling all those cartoon anime girls on-line, in their stupid cow costumes. So I had to fight fire with fire.

- Aww... - Beast Boy cooed - Is my Raven jealous?

- YES. - the demon spoke in deep, rumbling voice that shook some of the objects on the shelves.

The spots on her White costumes suddenly glowed with ominous, red aura, as blood in Garfield's veins froze.

Her face was inches away from his, and only when she felt his hastened breath, she calmed down, and her spots returned to their original colours, just as the red aura disappeared from her eyes. She reached her hands and cupped his face, glad that he did not back away, as her anger overtook her. Their lips met, and Raven poured her apologies into him in a long, delicate kiss.

- And you will have to pay for it. - she smiled, giving Garfield clear sign she was everything under control, including him.

- Rae... - Garfield whined - You-you know I'd never... they... they don't mean anything...

- Then prove it.

Raven used the moment of hesitation to engulf him and with one sharp move of her hands and her magic, she ripped his clothes to shreds and brought her lover closer to her. With his shorts gone, Raven's eyes fixated on his cock, and had to restrain herself from licking her lips, as its head came closer and closer to her face. But of course neither of them would settle on just a blowjob, given the magic Raven cast upon herself.

Beast Boy jumped onto her breasts again, peppering them with plethora of hungry, ravenous kisses. Knowing already her bosom by heart, he know had a whole new territory to explore, and he did that with impeccable dedication. But as his lips closed around her nipple, he received a taste of something unexpected. His eyes widened, and met hers, as sweet substance made contact with his tongue. The sly smile on her lips remained, but as Beast Boy began lapping her milk, her face was torn with a new grimace he hasn't seen yet, and Raven was more than eager to experience.

Garfield moved from one nipple to the other, wishing he could transform into some creature with two heads. As Raven squirmed and moaned underneath him, he wondered what will happen soon, and with his hand manoeuvring between her thighs, he was determined to discovered that.

Her back arched, as his fingers reached her wet spot and slipped underneath her costume, just as his tongue coiled around her nipple again. Though she was trying to contain her emotions, the spots on her costume glowed in violet with each kiss and delicate move of his fingers against or inside her sex, and soon, Raven was thrashing underneath him, ready to burst.

And when she did, it was not with energy, but with milk that filled Beast Boy's mouth, in an act that surprised both of them.

Raven quaked for a few more minutes, coating his fingers with her juices he now lapped as eagerly as the new one she produced for him. Beast Boy made sure to wait until she was looking at him when he licked his lips, tasting both.

- Come'ere, I'm thirsty too... - she huffed, and settled herself amongst the pillows, ready to invite him.

Beast Boy let out a dreamy sigh, as his cock slid between her breasts, engulfing him completely with the delicate, heavenly texture only her breasts could provide. And when Raven gently pushed her mounds together, she added the missing part of friction, making Beast Boy throw his head back, even though he hasn't moved an inch.

But as he looked down at his girlfriend, he met her unusually frisky eyes, and with that, he flexed his muscles. Next thing she knew, his hands were on her horns, and he pushed his hips forward, diving deep into her bosom.

His action was a bit sudden and Raven's eyes opened wide when she realised that her head was pulled forward and that his twitching tip was now a fraction of an inch from her lips. And as she was about to open them, he pulled back and began his thrusts, mewling and moaning with each one, as pleasure slowly engulfed him.

He was in trance, brought by the alluring sight of his girlfriend and her magically enlarged bosom and thge reward they were leaking. And as Raven promised, she wanted one of her own: now, with every rapid thrust, her tongue lapped a drop or two of his pre-cum, in turn only generating more samples of what was to come. Raven was pretty sure what was his plan, but she opened her lips wide anyway, hoping to catch at least some of his oncoming climax.

- Rae...Rae... I LOVE YOU!

And with that proclamation, beast Boy dived balls-deep between her magically enlarged breasts, letting her warmth and size cover them as well, which only strengthened his orgasm. Raven yelped when the first stream of his seed flooded her mouth, and closed her mouth just in time to suck a bit more, even though she knew what was the sight he wanted to see.

As he pulled back, his cock was still twitching, spurting more and more of his virility in the valley between her mounds, until it slowly started to spill down, glazing her breasts with the sticky proof of his devotion.

And just as he thought he has seen it all, Raven dragged her finger across her breasts, hoping to catch as much of his cum as possible before it all drips to the bed. she parted her fingers to show the sticky strands between them before she closed her lips around them and made him collapse to his back from the simple act of tasting him.

- That was fun - she spoke, as most of his seed made it to her lips. - But you know what every cow needs, right?

Raven asked, lapping the last bit of cum from her tits. She leaned forward and with the same low, salacious tone as before, whispered the words that Beast Boy already had on his mind.

- Her bull...

His green body grew in a split of second, transforming him, but not in the form of the animal Raven expected. While his head became elongated and grew bovine horns, his torso and arms remained human, though much more muscular, and only the addition of hooves on his legs and a tail truly made her realise what he was now: a minotaur.

But of course, hooves and tail was not what piqued Raven's interest the most, as her eyes looked down at the figure towering over her.

This time, she could not stop herself and her lust; Raven licked a small droplet of drool that formed on her lips, and reached her hand to experience the enormous, throbbing organ whose glistening head was now once more inches away from her lips.

But her lover didn't want another blowjob. As steam-like cloud escaped his nostrils, Beast Boy grabbed her and effortlessly slammed her onto his cock, watching as the sorceress lets out a silent moan.

When he went down on her, Raven tried to maintain at least some dignity. But now, as her sex was filled completely with his monstrous cock, she threw all of the pretence away and babbled her lover's name, while the blots on her costume pulse violet each time his cock reached her depths, time after time, depraving her of common sense, as bliss slowly overtook her mind.

But not until she has managed to speak one last wish.

- D-Do what you are supposed to!

Raven screamed, her voice vibrating with the erratic thrusts her entire body was subjected to.

- Mate me! Breed me!

Another roar escaped his mouth, and Raven took a gasp of air just in time to expel it, as Beast Boy shoved himself deeper inside her throbbing pussy that before, firmly positioning himself as far as possible, right against her core, he now bathed in first deluge of his seed. And with his thick, monster cock forming an air-tight seal, not a drop of his virility could leak out, and was forced up into her womb. What would have been impossible for any other man became a child's play for him, letting Raven experience the impossible.

And with the flood of his warm seed filling her, came her orgasm, making Raven thrash around his cock, as if she was a puppet on his mercy. With each wave that flooded and promptly overflowed her sex, came a new sensation of being filled and claimed, and in turn, each simultaneously extinguished fire in her loins, and set it anew...

At some point, Raven fell back to the bed, feeling her pussy pulse with each after-wave of her climax, while Beast Boy's seed oozed onto the bed. She wasn't sure how long her after-glow lasted, but she knew what brought her back to her senses.

Her breasts were kissed again, with the same tender and care the minotaur would never learn. Beast Boy was his regular self, taking care of her body his monstrous form has neglected, listening to her breath slowly becoming less and less erratic.

She looked up and their eyes met, while Garfield locked his lips around her nipple again, drinking her orgasm.

- Hey.

- Hey. - she replied - I guess people were right, those cow costumes do work.

- Rae, you could dress like a platypus and you'd be sexy.

Raven smiled, and her hand reached to her lover's cheek, prompting him to leave her nipple.

Their lips met again, and though she thought she would be tired by now, she welcomed him again, especially as his hands now roamed her thighs and ass.

She let out another moan, seemingly far louder than a moment before, but maybe it was because her voice wasn't drowned by the beast's low grunts, but Garfield's borderline cute huffs.

And even though he was now much shorter and thinner than before, somehow Raven felt fuller than when a giant minotaur ravaged her. Maybe it was his kisses, dotting her breasts and lapping her milky fluid, maybe it was his delicate, but steady grip of his hands on her thighs... or maybe it was the unspoken promise they mentioned...

As they kept coming closer, the empath suddenly grabbed his cheeks and pulled him against her, not to kiss, but to find emotions raging in his mind. And she found them - those of love, protection, dedication and responsibility, which easily pushed her to the edge...

She cried out his name just as he flooded her again, this time with his essence, and even though Raven knew it was impossible, she somehow felt the difference in warmth that filled her sex.

As the two breathed in the same air, Raven gently moved her hand between her body, feeling the warmth of his body above her, and his cock and seed inside. She could undo the spell right now, and change their lives forever... And she had to admit, it would be a very apt moment... but then again, she would rob them of many, many heated moments like these.

It's a good thing she buddied up with Yellow as much as with Violet for this ride.

The two lay ion each other's arms for quite some time, savouring each other's scents and warmth, until Raven found strength and motivation to speak.

- So, got any more silly internet memes trending?

Beast Boy smiled and reached for his phone.

=============

Winter this year was snow-less, rainy and mild, like for the past half a decade or so. But that only made the New Year's eve less cumbersome, as it meant less time traversing through mounds of snow. Plus, it meant the Titans' Tower rooftop wasn't off limits.

- I thought this place, at this time would be the worst to meditate. - Beast Boy spoke - The whole sky's gonna be on fire in five minutes.

- Yeah, but maybe I wanted to watch.

He sat next to her, listening to far-away sounds of concerts and premature celebration. He scooted a few inches closer to her, and let out a short meep when her cape covered him.

- I wonder what this year will bring us. - he spoke, ruining the quiet, charming moment.

- I do - Raven answered quickly. - This year is gonna be of the tiger.

Raven spoke and undid a button of her cape that joined the two, freeing her breasts. Beast Boy swallowed loudly, seeing the moonlight shining onto her skin, and making her bosom look bigger with no additional magic required.

- Why don't we practice, kitty?

And with that, the night's air was filled with a powerful roar of a predator cat that has just found its very willing prey.

[the-shiftshop]

Hey Diary - Part 2

PART 1 of the Hey Diary Series

Monday came and I can finally experience my new life at school. It’s been about 3 days since my transformation from a total nerd into this campus crush, and my last usage of that Diary App in this phone. My heart is beating fast at the thought of how people would think of me in this new body. I’m super excited yet nervous of what may happen.

You see, I may have gained this heavenly figure and this new reality, but I did not get any memories for it. I have no idea who my new friends are. Still, I need to get to school and I should at least try and keep an act until I know what the heck is supposed to happen, but before that, I need to keep my online fans updated. I took a snap of myself in the mirror and posted it on my feed, then I went straight to school.

Stepping into the gate already gave a new feeling. Everyone was looking at me and every time I look back, they would shy away. There were other people who waved at me but I have no idea who they were.

I went to my locker to grab my stuffs for our first class. As I do so, I saw Keith on the other end with his friends, Peter and Tom, glaring back at me.

He have my phone in his hand. It’s still the same bully but without his daily routine of pushing my face to my locker door.  He walked pass me taunting me with my phone, then proceeded into our room.

I bit my lips in annoyance. Guess, I still have to deal with this guy.

“Heeeeeeey, Felix.”

Someone tapped my shoulder and I jumped on my place. “Ah-” I almost screamed.

“A little jumpy today, aren’t we?” The guy asked as I turned around.

I was kinda expecting it was Keith but when I looked, It was Alex, my new friend. Well actually, he’s supposed to be my friend since the first day in this school, but in this new reality. I remembered his name because he was the one who kept bugging me last Saturday night in my DMs. He has a bit stocky body, but its not that bad. He wears thick square glasses that enlarges his deep black eyes. If I could comment, I’d say he’s almost the same level as my old body but that’s only basing on his looks. As for what I saw in his timeline, he’s not really that kind of a nerd. He barely even studies and complains on his feed too much. He’s a very friendly guy in my class, actually, but that didn’t make him an easy target for Keith.

He smiled at me and was sucking in air as if he’s trying to pull some question out his chest.

“You’re bout to ask something?” I raised my eyebrows and he nodded.

“Well... Apparently there’s this thing online... It’s uh...” He kept cutting his words, hesitating to ask me something.

I guess I know what it was. I gritted my teeth and looked away.

“Lemme guess. There’s a rumor spreading about me, right?” I said.

“Well... Yeah...”

“Damn, dude. Whatever that may be, do you think I’ll do that?” I said. My body cringing when I tried to act cool and say “dude”. “Anyway. Let’s just get in class”

We started walking to our classroom door. He kept on talking to me, mostly about trying to workout to get rid of his belly. I also learned that he happened to befriend me because he thought I could give him a few advice in working out.

When we entered the room, everyone was also looking at me. Not with disgust but admiration. Everyone said hi to me except Keith and his crew who were laughing to themselves.

“Yo faggot.” Keith called me. “Did you get your morning suck today?”

He and his crew laughed louder. Where did they get that from? I never wrote that in my old phone? I furrowed my eyebrows at that thought. They’re probably just making things up without really basing on my old diary.

“Hey idiot. Do you think anyone’s gonna believe that?” A girl raised her voice at Keith.

“Well, I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Felix himself if what I’m saying ain’t true.” Keith laughed, making everyone look more annoyed than myself.

I sat down to my chair with Alex now sitting beside me. Our first professor went in and began his lectures. As for me, I was busy tinkering with the Diary App. If the Diary App helped me last time, I bet it can help me more today.

With my eyebrows still furrowed, I began to stealthily type without the teacher noticing.

Monday

Hey Diary,

I wish whatever that thing about me that Keith and his crew tried to spread would backfire to them.

I tried to save this in hope that the changes would happen immediately, but a pop up appeared.

ALERT: Input too short

I tried to type again but this time, I tried to lengthen my sentence. Still, the alert kept appearing.

I heard our professor clear his throat and my attention jumped to him. He caught me using my phone. I smiled and chuckled.

“Phone.” He said, pointing to me.

“Yeah, I’m sorry Mr. Dew. I-”

“Put it back to your bag, now.” He ordered and I quickly followed.

I was lucky enough that it didn’t get confiscated. I put my attention back to his lectures and jotted down notes.

Why wont my log work though? What does it mean by “Input too short”? Whatever it is, I might need to fix that when I have free time. I shouldn’t go back to that in class or I might lost my new phone too.

--

Lunch break. I was with Alex in the cafeteria. Some other girls wanted to sit with me but Alex kept on telling them that he seats are taken. He would eventually chuckled at me and ask if I never get tired of people following me anywhere I go. I would just laugh back, remembering that this is my first day in this new life. As I tried to take a bite on my food, I saw Keith his friends across the cafeteria. He was still looking at me. Glaring at me. I then looked away, showing a bit of annoyance again. I then pulled my phone out my pocket and came back to my Diary App.

Input too short, huh? Well let’s put all our hearts in this log.

Monday

Hey Diary,

Keith and his friends are spreading fake news about me again, although I have no idea on what that is about. They might’ve been spreading news about me being gay or a cocksucker. Whatever that may be I don’t think I can’t stand them this time. I’d be fine if they spread something real about me, something I’d be too guilty to fight back, but if they spread something I never did, I might not get a grip of myself.

I wish whatever they told everyone would backfire to them. I wish Keith and his friends would live the rumor they had spread.

I clicked saved and went back to my food, but as soon as I try to bite, my vision started to blur once more. Alex seemed to notice what’s wrong and tried to shake my shoulders while calling my name in panic. I tried to shake my head and blink fast but it made me lost my sight much faster. Soon, I blacked out once more.

--

I groggily opened my eyes and rose up where I was lying. Then I realized I was back in my bedroom. It was night time and my lights were dim. I looked to my right and saw dad sitting on my chair.

“Dad?” I called.

“Oh you’re awake! This friend of yours called me to school telling me you passed out. The nurse said you probably ate something bad and passed out. You were puking hard in the clinic this afternoon and I was super worried. I thought I’m gonna lose you too...”

“Dad. I’m okay. Don’t worry.” I tried to comfort him.

“I’m glad you are...” He came to me and gave me a hug.

“Is Alex still here?” I asked.

“Alex? Oh, well... It wasn’t Alex who helped you. He probably coward out when you fainted and-”

“Wait? Then who-”

Before I ended my question, someone entered the room.

“Keith?” I looked at him with confusion. He was carrying a glass of milk and some cookies which were probably from my dad.

He looked at me back with this dumb grin on his face and put his glass on my table. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m just gonna leave you two be. Enjoy that cookie, Keith.” Dad went out my room, leaving me and Keith alone together.

My eyes widened at the sight of Keith. Out of all people, Keith was the one to help me? I puffed out air in disagreement. I just looked away from him as he munch on his cookie. He then pulled a chair and dragged it near my bed. He first finished his food before he talked to me.

“Dude. I just can’t leave you dying there. I saw everyone just standing around you. Admiring you instead of actually helping you.”

“Like I should believe you. Alex could’ve tried to help me.”

“Alex? Dude was so paranoid he can’t even dial your dad.”

We were silent for a while as I try to ignore him. I grabbed a schoolbook from my nightstand and pretended to read, wishing him to go away.

“Felix. I know I did a LOT of bad things that not only affected your physically, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t help you when you need it.” I noticed that his tone was a lot different than how he used to talk to me. “And... I just wanna say I’m sorry.”

I closed my book hard at those words. He’s actually apologizing...? He grabbed my arm and shook it slowly.

“Could you take my apology?” I pleaded.

“What do you want? Is this some sort of a prank? What? Are you trying to film me and use this for blackmail? Where’s your camera?”

“Felix can you just listen to me? Do you think I’ll go this far just to bully you?”

“Yeah? Why not? Just tell me what you want and let me go for fuck’s sake.”

“Let me suck your dick.”

My eyes widened. Bigger than what I did when I saw Keith enter my room. Did he just ask me to let him suck me off? I whipped my arm to make him let go. I looked at him with my face clenching. What he said just made me mad.

“Fuck off Keith. I’m not gonna be a part of your show. Get rid of your camera and get out.”

He shook his head and laughed. His laugh isn’t those typical sinister sounding one that you’ll hear when villains get exposed for their crimes. It was more of a sad chuckle when someone gets rejected. He reached for something in his jacket’s right pocket. From there he pulled out my old phone and gave it to me.

“If there was a hidden camera here, what would I use it for? To stain my reputation too? I’m sucking you off then what? Tell everyone that: Hey guys! Felix let me suck his dick! Dude... I'm the one desperate here.” He tried to convince me. His eyes looked different from before. There were stars in his them. There’s seriously something wrong. “Do you still think I’ll go this far just to ruin you more? I’m sorry if I spread false rumor about you. I’m really sorry... Now if you still can’t accept my apology, I guess this would make you feel much... much... much better.”

Before I knew it, he was already grabbing my crotch as he tried to unzip my jeans with his other hand. I moaned and my cock is already hard. He unbuttoned my jeans and proceeded to caress my pole. His eyes are locked with mine. He was so close and I can feel his hot breath on my cheeks. He’s too near and it looks like he’s about to kiss me. He pulled the garter of my boxer and without any second thoughts, he pulled my rock hard cock out and started jerking it off. I realized that I wasn’t stopping him at all. I then moved my hands to his arm, trying to get it off.

“Keith... Stop.” I moaned when he squeezed it hard. My back tried to arch forward but he pushed me back by diving his lips onto mine. He removed his jacket off, probably because he was in heat.

Keith moved on top of me. My legs in between his. His right hand was still stroking my shaft while his left hand is under my shirt, moving it from my abs up to my chest. When he reached my chest, he pinched my right nipple which made me open my mouth. He took the chance to push his tongue in my mouth, trying to intertwine with mine.

My hands are still trying to stop him, but this time I placed them on his chest. I tried to push him away but he’s too strong. That’s when I noticed how muscular his body was. By some chance, my body was moving on its own. My left hand slowly moved down to his abs, feeling his cobblestone collection. My body start to relax as he continued to kiss me. There’s something therapeutic about what Keith’s doing to me. I can’t stop him anymore. My body already gave in as if it wants Keith without my own accord. Before I knew it, I was already kissing back with my tongue, although a second after that, he broke our kiss and proceeded to stripping my shirt off. He started worshiping my body. Giving each muscle a peck from my neck, to my arms, to my chest, to my abs, then finally to my crotch. Without any hesitation, Keith placed my cock on his mouth and started sucking me off. My hips responded by thrusting into his mouth. My hands on his shoulder. My breath became heavy. My arousal skyrocketed. Every time my cock grinds on the wall of his mouth was euphoric. This made me realize that my body is very sensitive. Every time he pulled and dove back down made my body twitch in every direction.

“Faster.” I can’t believe I’m saying this. My body is enjoying Keith so much. I can feel my balls starting to churn.

“I’m near.” I whispered. My hands migrated to his hair, pulling it as my body tensed.

“I’m gonna cum.” I said.

I released my load into Keith’s mouth. I came with what seems like a much bigger load than what I can originally do. He then swallowed them all and took a a big exhale as if he just took a soda. He smiled at me and placed my softening cock back in my pants. He zipped my jeans back up and buttoned it. He left me topless, recovering from my euphoric phase.

He gave me one last kiss and I kissed back. He chuckled and moved back.

“Guess you forgive me now?”

He then got off me and picked his jacket from the floor. He walked back to the door and grabbed his glass of milk.

“Thanks for the milk. See you tomorrow.” He opened my door. “Oh and... Can we still go back to me being your bully? But I guess this time... We can call ourselves frenemies.”

With that, he went out my room. He didn’t grab anything else. That means he meant that... He meant that!?

My new phone suddenly pinged. I grabbed it and saw the notification from the Diary App once more.

Wish was completed. Please take a picture and attach to the log to confirm change and to keep the new reality.

I didn’t know what to do aside from standing up, going out my balcony and aiming my camera to Keith who was already walking away from home, but I wasn’t able to take a picture of him since he was already too far to be seen.

Maybe tomorrow, unless this all reset when I sleep. This might be a problem.

[fandomlife-giver]

Bedewed Maid - 1

Summary: My young master’s soul emites a heady aroma. A scent that intoxicated demons, drives them mad, impels them to battle. Music shall play, captivating all...And secrets shall be revealed.

Next time, “Bedewed Maid”

Surely I can resolve a prickly situation without Sebastian in 5 minutes, master. Otherwise, what kind of maid would I be?

Pairings: Sebastian X Demon!Reader X Claude

@wintersdoll @naniky @danabuggxd​ @redryderdesigns​ @inumorph​

Word Count: 2572

Warnings: Mild language, Implications of sexual themes

“An archangel…”

Your words breathed out in disbelief. Although still in your attack position, you were caught off guard at what you had heard.

Your eyes narrowed at his carefree smile. “Why are you here? You have no reason to be mingling with demonkind.”

He sheepishly shrugged. “Well, actually, I originally came here many centuries ago to rid of the rogue angel, as I was ordered to. But then...something came up.”

He locked eyes with you. “A certain half-breed of a demon was spotted by the angel I was hunting. And at that point, my mission was changed.”

He didn’t notice when you gulped at the memory.

“See, Abigail, as cliché as this sounds, I was assigned to be a watcher over you, you know?”

When he took a step closer, you raised your hand, your pointer finger signaling him to stop at his own risk.

You licked your lips as you straightened up and lowered your hands. “Let me get this straight...you’re saying that you are supposed to be my ‘guardian angel’?”

A grin broke out on his face as he suppressed a laugh. “Oh, no. Nothing like that.” He crossed his arms behind his back. “Just a watcher. I was only allowed to ensure you stayed out of trouble and where you belonged.”

The laugh you let out made him pucker his lips. You side-eyed him and the smile you momentarily had dropped. 

“You’re my warden.”

He tilted his head back and forth and raised his eyebrows, confirming what you knew. “I guess you could say that.”

You sighed and outstretched your arms in a questioning manner. “If that’s true then why were you working with my king? Why did you come to me on the boat? Why should I even believe you?”

He rolled his eyes, growing annoyed with your many questions. “Look, I’m sure you want to know a lot of things. But for now, I think we have bigger problems to deal with. Trancy.”

You jerked your head back and scoffed. “We? Did you really expect to earn my trust just by telling me the truth? What we are up against is purely an enemy of my master, no one else.”

He loudly groaned and walked up to you. “Okay, you know what? You are way too suspicious for your own good. We need to hurry up and I told you the truth because I need your help!”

As he brushed by you, you suddenly grabbed his arm. He looked back at you and his eyebrows drew together.

Your eyes suddenly felt heavy, your skin feeling as if it was on fire. You began to gag as the familiar sensation of your blood boiling came over you.

“Abigail?”

When you glanced down at where you felt it originating, you spotted a small arrow in your shin. Hurriedly, you reached down and pulled it out. When you sniffed the end, your heart dropped.

“Dead man’s blood…”

His eyes widened when you collapsed, but he still managed to catch you.

“Abigail? Abigail!”

Your vision grew blurry as you managed to make out a person behind him. Within a few seconds, he was kicked to the ground and you thought you saw a woman standing over him, placing what looked like handcuffs on him.

And then the ringing in your ears drowned out everything else, and your eyelids slowly closed to blackness.

●●●

“Abigail! Wake up!”

The moment the sound of his whispered voice hit your ears, your eyes snapped open. He sat beside you, chains around his ankles as a pair of cuffs were around his wrists. They had strange markings on them, in a language you had never seen before.

Your face was cold to the touch due to it being against a steel metal beam connecting the roof and the floor. Your entire body was still on fire but you could tell the blood wasn’t gonna keep you weakened for much longer.

He sighed when he saw your eyes met his. “Well, glad you could join us finally. Did you have a nice nap?”

You narrowed your eyes, choosing to ignore his sarcasm. “Us?”

An amused smile spread on his face as he nodded his head in your direction, his eyes landing on something behind you.

You twisted your neck to look and when you saw the image of the prisoner you had identified not too long ago, still wearing the bag over her head, you seethed through your teeth.

“Oh, how perfect. She’s here.”

But after a few seconds of looking at her, a thought crossed your mind. “Hold on, they said they were taking her to the room the device was in. If she’s here, then where is it?”

He puckered his lips and glanced around. As he did, you focused your attention on the very heavy chains keeping you in place.

You were bound differently from them, for you had a leg chain so long that it was wound all around your body, and two rings on your neck, one attached to the chain, the other to what you believe they call a "keep-friend" or "friend's foot," from which hung two irons reaching to your waist with two manacles fixed to them in which your hands were secured by a big padlock so that you could neither raise your hands to your mouth nor lower your head to your hands.

“This seems a bit excessive…”

You eyed his own restraints and scoffed. “You can’t seriously tell me those handcuffs are keeping you in place?”

He exhaled through his nose and looked back at you. “Not only do they hold me here, but they drain my super impressive archangel powers as well.”

Your nose scrunched up. “How troublesome. What is that written on them? I’m not familiar with it.”

He forced a smile as he raised his hands. “Enochian. They’re specifically designed to keep archangel’s locked tight. I had heard Trancy got a hold of them somehow and that is the only reason I’m even here. Our deal was he’d give them to me so I could add it to my collection if I handed over my instrument.”

You have a short chuckle. “Well, I guess this means your deal is off then?”

He dropped his hands as he clenched his jaw. “I guess so…”

“You’re very chatty, aren’t you?”

The two of you immediately moved your attention to the woman that had entered, wearing a revealing black gown. You tilted your head in confusion. She looked extremely familiar, but you couldn’t put your finger on it.

“My master ordered me to subdue the two of you. He wasn’t very pleased with you talking to our enemy, I’m afraid.”

Uriel rolled his eyes at her. But the more she talked, it finally clicked who she was. The maid. “That’s strange...I thought I saw you bump into me earlier...your outfit is hardly appropriate for your position.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You are certainly one to talk.”

You glanced down, remembering you were still in Lau’s ridiculous monstrosity of an outfit. “Oh. Right.” 

Your head shot up at her when she turned towards the back of the room. “Hold on, you’re the only maid in this estate. If that wasn’t you earlier than who…”

Slowly, your eyes enlarged. “Oh no...Ciel!”

●●●

”Good show, you’re all exceptionally skilled.”

Sebastian mockingly smiled down at the three identical servants that had attempted to decapitate him just moments ago. They stared up at him, jaws dropped when he jumped down from the tree he had been in, and ran passed them.

Ciel, who was in Sebastian’s arms, was holding on for dear life as Sebastian charged full speed ahead toward where Claude and Alois stood not too far away. One of the servants swung a blade at his head, which he easily avoided. 

As he continued to run, he stared down at Ciel. He muttered to himself as he thought back to a few weeks before when you and he escaped the Trancy manor with Ciel’s body in a briefcase. 

“It was like carrying a doll...running virtually unburdened.”

Ciel’s head moved up at Sebastian, as he caught what he had said. “Did you say something?”

Sebastian only smiled and looked away from him as he ran, a hint of laughter coming through his words. “Only that it would be far, far easier to carry you if you were in some sort of container, like a trunk, I’d say.”

Ciel’s eyebrows furrowed. “Is this any time to be joking?”

His laughter ceased instantly. “My apologies, master.”

His eyes locked onto Alois and Claude, who stood with his arm out in front of his master, protecting him. Alois watched in absolute joy as Sebastian spun around in front of them, his foot kicking the bangs in front of Claude’s face before he did a backflip over them, landing on the other side and continuing to run.

Ciel noticed the smirk of triumph on Sebastian’s face as he ran. “Sebastian, we need to get the guests out of there. What Trancy said has me worried. We must hurry and get to them.”

Sebastian only chuckled at him. “I wouldn’t worry much, sir. The servants are capable enough to handle whatever is thrown at them.”

He didn’t really believe that, though. He was truly only thinking about you as he said it.

Ciel only glanced down as his grip on Sebastian’s coat tightened. 

“It’s not those three that I’m worried about...we need to get both Elizabeth and Isabella out of there, they aren’t skilled enough to handle this. Their safety is the top priority.”

Sebastian glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “Isabella? She’s only a servant, master. I’m not sure that she’s worth your worry.”

Ciel nearly slapped him with his glare. “You may not understand it, but she is important. A human to you, but family to me.”

Sebastian began to slow down, his eyes narrowing at Ciel. 

“If you say so, master.”

●●●

Uriel sighed as he watched you attempt to stand up, only resulting in you falling on your side for the 50th time.

“Honestly Abigail, this is getting old. You aren’t going anywhere whether you like it or not.”

You growled at him as you managed to sit up. “Well, it would be nice if you’d help out a bit. And stop calling me that damn name!”

Your sight landing on the maid as she walked over to the nun with the bag over her head. She smirked at you before removing the bag.

The moment the girl’s eyes adjusted to the poorly lit room, her eyes landed on you. She froze in an instant, her eyes growing bigger. And not even a few seconds later, she let out a blood-curdling scream and scooted her feet to back away from your direction. Only, it was muffled by the rag in her mouth.

Your eyes never left her figure, only making her more afraid as tears pricked her eyes. The maid reached over and removed the gag from her mouth, but not before giving her a slap across the face, silently warning her to not make another sound. 

Her lips quivered as she never let you leave her sight. “You...you’re the monster that tried to kill me!”

Your lips pursed together, making a duck face. “Actually, I’m a demon. Kind of. I don’t even know anymore to be honest. But you don’t gotta be so loud about it.”

She pointed a finger at you, her face in pure shock. “You are...a d...demon? They exist?”

You waved your bound hand back and forth. “Unfortunately, yeah.”

Her eyes moved on Uriel, who had been intently watching your back and forth. “Then are you one as well?!”

He raised his cuffed hands, shrugging. “Angel, actually. Or archangel to be exact.”

Her eyes widened in admiration. “An archangel? Oh my...it is an honor to grace your presence, soldier of the Lord.”

He made a face of exasperation. “Yes, yes. You’re welcome. I know, I’m amazing.”

He yelped when you kicked him with your feet before shooting you a glare. You focused back on the girl. 

“Oh, and I hate to break it to you, but the man that, uh, massaged you, he’s a demon too. And my mate. So keep that in mind if you ever think about him again. Cause It’ll probably be the last thing you ever think. Cause then I’ll kill you. Just warning you now.”

She loudly gasped and sat up on her knees. “He is?! So you’re saying I...I laid with a demon?!”

You rested your forehead against the metal beam again. “Well, technically, I guess. If that’s what you call massaging you, then yeah.”

She cocked her head, a deep blush coming on her cheeks. “Massage? That wasn’t like any massage I’d ever had then…”

Your eyes slowly moved to her, your head coming off the beam as you leaned in her direction. “Watch what you say. You’re lucky you got even as much as a massage before I killed you.”

She gulped, holding her hands up in defense. “I didn’t mean any ill intent, your demon-ness. It’s just that he didn’t ‘just’ massage me…”

Your back straightened up as your words spat with venom. “What are you on about, slut? Spit it out, I know you wanna say something.”

She looked at you in fear as well as curiosity. “I don’t know why you’re so into it, but…”

“He didn’t just massage me. We fornicated. He penetrated me.”

Uriel’s eyebrows shot up, a grimace coming onto his face. “Oh boy. This isn’t gonna go well.”

Her heart began to beat faster as she caught your stare. Your eyes had completely darkened over, all light draining from them. 

You felt your body begin to shake uncontrollably with anger, tears pricking your eyes at what you had just heard. 

Uriel looked at you, growing fearful of what you might do. “Abigail?”

Your jaw tightened as tears finally spilled over, falling down your cheek.

“He...cheated on me?”

Your nostrils flared as your eyes changed color to their terrifying blackish-blue.

“And he lied to me about it?”

Uriel sighed at the frightened face of the nun and scooted closer to you. “Hey. You need to get a hold of yourself. We have more important things to worry about.”

“Are you all done with your melodramatic moment?”

Your inhuman eyes snapped to the maid, who was still in the room, watching all of you. You immediately sat up once you noticed another person beside her, his body encased in a black bag.

Uriel noticed it as well. “Oh, great. Another hostage? Aren’t you getting a little overboard with it?”

She only smiled at him as she tossed the bag on the ground in front of you. It let out a whimper as it hit the ground.

Its head moved around a bit until a small hole broke out through the material. It thrashed around until it completely turned around and you saw a head poke out. It was a man.

The man completely ripped the bag apart and his full body emerged from it. And it made the nun’s face heat up. Because the man was naked.

At this point, your tears had dried up and your eyes returned to normal. Your eyebrows drew together in confusion.

“Pluto?”

[timextoxhajima]

I Wish (Part IV, Continuing from When You Love Someone)

Group: DAY6

Genre: DAY6 TRILOGY CONTINUATION (What Can I Do, I Loved You, When You Love Someone)

A/N: After like 4 years of people trying to get me into Day6, I’m finally here with What Can I Do playing on repeat in the bg to help me vibe with what I’m writing. Biggest thank you to the person who got me into this mess, I might just cry with how many things I have up my sleeves now.

"3... 2... 1... Younghyun! I'm coming to find you!”

!Younghyun covers his mouth with glee, listening to his best friend run down the hallway and right past the cabinet he was hiding in.

"Jieun, please be careful down the stairs!" He heard his mother calling out from downstairs.

"Okay!" Jieun's voice rings through the house as her footsteps trace back down the steps. Younghyun closes one eye to look through the gap between the two doors, watching Jieun return up to the second floor.

"Younghyun!" The eight year old boy covers his mouth, preventing himself from laughing. Hide-and-seek is an important game ans he cannot lose to a girl.

"Younghyun~!" She shouts in a sing-songy voice, closer to the cabinet than he would like her to be. Then Jieun suddenly turns to the cabinet, catching that little glimmer in her eyes when she realised he could be hiding in there.

Younghyun's mother can hear the excited screams and yells from the second floor when she assumes Jieun has found her son hiding in his favourite hiding spot, the sound of their laughter only bringing her joy and comfort.

In the night, Younghyun's mother leaves two waterbottles outside the tent they were sleeping in (that was pitched in Younghyun's room) before leaving, turning off the lights before closing the door behind her. Younghyun crawls out, grabbing a torchlight and shining the bright beam at Jieun's gameboy as it beeps to life.

Little did they know it would be the last time they could do that, or even fit into the tent.

Younghyun was a quick-witted child, understood things faster than normal kids would. Jieun's pink-blushed face was looking down at him through the window of the passenger's seat infront as her father thanks Younghyun's parents for the three-week-long babysitting.

"Where is she going? Why is she leaving? Is she coming back? Did I do something wrong?"

Jieun's father squats and pats Younghyun's head, offering the child a look of apology that he will not understand for the next five years or so.

"We'll come back to visit, okay? Thank you for taking care of my Jieun for me."

It's like the adult thinks he can replace Younghyun's best friend when he hands him a toy robot. Jieun's eyes are unable to peel away from Younghyun when the car jerks after her father shuts the car door. Younghyun's mother is desperately wiping her son's face and holding him in his arms while he watches the car drive off.

"We'll come back to visit" is one of the biggest lies an adult can tell a child.

Younghyun jerks awake from his sleep, the alarm jolting him out of his nightmarish memory. Slamming a hand down into the alarm clock, he shuts it off and sits up, fingers running through his hair with his eyes still closed.

Kim Jieun... do you not remember me?

Park Jaehyung and Kim Jieun look a little too close for Younghyun's liking, but what can he say? They had sleepovers when they were 8 years old -- had her father not dragged her halfway across the country then, he would be in Jaehyung's place right now.

Funny how all three new students were all dumped in his class though. Kim Jieun, Yoon Dowoon and Park Jaehyung. Yet, while Jieun and Jaehyung looked like they were having the time of their lives, Dowoon seemed like he'd be better off dead.

"Hi, are you three doing alright in school?" Jieun looks up to Wonpil, eyes halved into crescents as he does his job of being the class president. Younghyun watches Jieun and Jaehyung nod and thank him, but Dowoon's earpieces were shoved so far into his ear canals, Wonpil goes unheard.

"Yah," Younghyun is surprised when Jieun drops honorifics when she calls out to Dowoon. "He's talking to us."

Dowoon gives her a side stare, and proceeds to continue ignoring her.

"I'm sorry, he's been going through a hard time since the move. He'll be up and around in due time." Looking over at Dowoon again, she tries once more to get his attention.

“It’s okay,” Wonpil shakes his head, gently blocking her from reaching out to him. “I get it. He just needs time.”

Wonpil nods, giving Dowoon one more glance before returning to his seat. At the end of the day, Younghyun and Jieun had been rostered to clean the classroom, so he feels nothing but discomfort when she exhibits the diligence she was already known for back then. Picking up the mop and the broom, she starts cleaning the floor without hesitation, without giving Younghyun a second look.

Does she not remember me or--

"Kang Younghyun."

It feels like his heart had just been stabbed by an electric rod, and it takes mountainous effort for him to contain the shock and surprise he was about to barf out.

"Can you do your job?"

The boy rolls his eyes, frustrated and frankly, a little hurt that she doesn't remember him. A painful wincr of a smile shows up on his lips when she comes over, handing him one of the mops.

How many ‘Kang Younghyun’s are there anyway? Do I even look that different? Just what is keeping her from--

"When were you ever this useless?"

His eyes dart up from the table to hers, face blank but eyes full of meaning.

"I'll admit that I didn't recognise you the other day when we bumped into each other," Younghyun's heart is about to lurch out of his chest. "But it clicked so..."

The world is silent for some seconds. Younghyun's heart is yearning to reach out and hug her for he had lost the one thing he would have rather had for the rest of his life. But Jieun would probably take it the wrong way... or rather -- his replacement might not like it.

"How are you?"

The question takes Younghyun by surprise. Why did it take her so long to finally ask this? He, unfortunately, cannot swallow his pride and take her into his arms the way he wants to. 

“I’m fine,” He spits, grabbing the mop and moving off to mindlessly paint the floor with water that he wasn’t even sure was clean. Jieun's eyebrows flatten against her features, confused but silent in understanding. She can only imagine how angry he was, and when a child’s anger goes unanswered, unfixed for a decade... it turns into something of a grudge that she isn’t sure she can undo. 

Younghyun carelessly flings the mop around the space, the water sprinkling on all kinds of surfaces before Jieun runs over, nearly wishing to shove the mop into his face. 

How immature can he get, over something that wasn’t in my control?

“Younghyun--”

“I’ve done my job,” Offering her the most nonchalant smile he can force onto his lips, he raises a fist in a bid to ‘encourage’ her. Jieun huffs in disbelief, hand running through her hair as he leaves the classroom. “Have fun.”

Jieun: i can’t believe he was such a jerk about it

You: doesn’t he know you couldn’t have done anything about it anyway

Jieun: i don’t know

Jieun: i just wish he knows i was just as sad as he was when my dad brought me away

You: maybe you need to give him time, like dowoon does

Jieun: sigh

Jieun: you’re right

Jieun: you’re there already, aren’t you? 

You: yeah, what’ya want?

Jieun: nah, i’m okay. i’ll be back a little later though, had to clean up whatever younghyun didn’t

You: alright

Jieun: see you later!

Pausing right outside the cafe, Jaehyung locks the phone and sucks in a deep breath, the transparent glass providing him with a flawed view of the barista. Failing to remember the last time he had such a huge crush on someone he doesn’t even know, he gathers his courage in the palms of his sweaty hands as he pushes himself into the cafe.

“Welcome!” Her voice sounds like wind chimes and bells. “Oh! It’s you!”

“Right, hi,” Get your shit together, man. 

“I’m guessing two milkshakes?” My God, that smile should be illegal.

“Uh-- just one today, actually.”

“Oh?” Her eyes widen, enlarging all the sparkles in her eyes. “Do you want to try something else?” Leaning forward over the counter, she points to the menu board stuck upright. “You can try the cold brew coffee. It’s a new item and I’ve tried it myself, pretty refreshing.”

“Okay, sure.”

That was too quick a response, man. 

“Alright! Just give me a few minutes.”

I’ll give you all the time you need.

There was a struggle to contain all that admiration and envy for just a single person. When she brings the cup of coffee over, it looks like an angel serving you a cup of heaven.

She smiles not with her lips, but with her eyes, and Jaehyung cannot help but to purse his lips in a bid to contain his happiness. 

"I'm sorry, he's been going through a hard time since the move. He'll be up and around in due time."

Younghyun shifts his weight to the side, brain empty of thoughts besides thinking of the way Jieun spoke to Yoon Dowoon, spoke of Yoon Dowoon. The arcade had an occasional jingle sound to it due to the bell hung on the door, coupled with the rapid shooting from FPS games and then there’s the incessant smashing of game console buttons--

“Get out of my seat, cunt.”

Younghyun’s ears are drawn to the familiar voice -- a big burly dude who didn’t do much but torment the kids in the arcade. He knows better not to interfere so he plasters his attention back to the motorbike racing game he was on. 

“But I don’t see your name on the console.”

The voice wrings Younghyun out of his virtual competition, an instinct telling him to get up and stop the impending disaster. He couldn’t decide if it was because he knew the big guy was a bully, or if he’s figured out that Yoon Dowoon must be related to Jieun of some sorts.

“You little--” Yoon Dowoon braces himself for impact, arm covering his head, until he hears a thud right above him. His eyes travel up, logic taking awhile to settle around his saviour’s facial features as the bully’s wrist is held tightly in someone else’s palm. 

“He’s got a point. Console doesn’t have your name on it.”

Dowoon frowns when he connects the dots, suddenly more agitated that he needs another boy to help him out of his misery. Out of annoyance, and of the many options he could’ve chosen to carry out, he chooses to storm off.

Younghyun smirks to himself, letting out a chuckle of disbelief.

Dowoon finds himself stranded along the roadside after he’s bought himself a little bottle of milk, the kind that his father used to get for him when he was a kid, before his mother had chosen to remarry one of the richest Kims in the country. 

He fiddles with the ointment and the single hard-boiled egg in his pocket, silently hoping that if his classmate wouldn’t appear from the corner and beat him into a pulp the way he probably had been, Dowoon could show some kind of gratitude. 

Speaking of the Devil, Younghyun turns round the corner, slight frustration overwhelming his eyes when he spots Dowoon candidly sipping on his milk.

“You really know how to run away from a fight, don’t you?” He grabs the chair and plops himself down, already ready to shove that bottle of milk down Dowoon’s mouth for ditching him. Licking the corner of his bottom lip, he manages to restrain himself from wincing.

Dowoon pulls out the ointment and hard-boiled egg, gently pushing it across the table. The gesture catches Younghyun off-guard, a second smile of disbelief surfacing on his lips.

“Were you just waiting for me to show up so you could hand me these?”

Dowoon mischievously raises a brow, taking a loud sip from his milk. “Mhm.”

Younghyun cannot help but snort at Dowoon’s daring nature before he picks the egg up and rubs it across his cheekbone. 

“So,” Dowoon doesn’t hesitate to start. “What’s your relationship with Jieun?”

The smile falls from Younghyun’s face, and Dowoon isn’t an idiot. Contrary to his silent demeanor, he used to be known for being able to read people easily. 

“I see the way you look at her, and when you were rostered to stay back to clean up the classroom today... I heard a bit of it.”

Refusing to admit that he’s just been exposed, Younghyun cracks the egg on the tabletop. Begins to peel the shell of the milky white interior. The last few sips of Dowoon’s milk becomes particularly loud when he puts in the extra effort to suck it up, then he throws it in a nice toss into the nearest dustbin.

“You don’t have to hide anything, you know,” Dowoon says with calm in his voice. “It’s not like I’ll tell her anything. We might live in the same house but I know to protect a man’s pride.”

He can feel his saviour’s eyes pierce through his skull as he says those exact words. Good, I got it spot on.

“Same house, huh?” Younghyun takes a bite from the egg. “I’m guessing this is why she moved away ten years ago.”

It was Dowoon’s turn to fall silent, simply because he must’ve been crying about his father leaving him somewhere on the other side of the country too. 

“Why’d you guys move back here then? Only recently?”

“Mother invested in some new apartments nearby, got the suite and dumped us there.”

Younghyun hums, chewing on the egg yolk. “And... Jaehyung?”

Dowoon studies Younghyun’s inability to look at him in the eye. He’s jealous of Jieun’s best friend.

“You’ll find out when you ask Jieun yourself.”

[jeranasblog]

Let your guard down

Notes: Welcome to my first Tumblr post ever. I’ve only used it for messaging before but decided to share one of my works. It’s basically 25k words of fluff and smut. Enjoy <3

A huge thanks to @twokinkybeans who encouraged me to share my work here.

Click here to read it on Ao3

Summary: Tony had long ago accepted that he had no soul mate. When a moment of weakness forced him to search for his perfect match, he found Peter Parker, a young man from Queens. Tony is horrified that the universe paired him with a boy, not even old enough to drink. Resisting could be so easy for Tony, if only Peter wasn’t so tempting. Now it was up to Peter to convince him that he deserved some happiness.

Chapter 1

 Tony Stark was a busy man. It wasn’t unusual for him to work more than twelve hours a day, his best friend Rhodey even jokingly claimed that he lived in the lab. Although it was meant as a joke, Tony needs to admit there is some truth behind it. More than once he has spent his nights on a sofa next to his workspace, going so far that he bought a sleeping couch at the end of his most elaborated project. But Tony is happy this way, at least he tried to convince himself.

 He had always been a workaholic, but after his divorce from Pepper six months ago, it had become only worse. The marriage between the two of them hadn’t worked out and the only thing Tony regrets is that he didn’t see it from the beginning. They were too different.

 Tony loved to work and travel, looking for a spontaneous partner who could keep up with him. Sometimes he would decide to fly to Europe the next day or to start a new project which takes hours of his sleep. He wanted a partner who wasn’t insecure in the relationship, who didn’t blame himself when Tony left the bed in the middle of the night only to work on another project.

 Pepper, however, was looking for a father for her children. She needed a man who was responsible and supportive. Someone willing to start a family in the next few years, and therefor Tony wasn’t the right one. Maybe, it would have worked out if they had met a few years later, but for now Tony wasn’t ready to give up his independency.

 Both had decided that they would remain friends. Although it didn’t work out, they had had a lot of fun together, and Tony was happy to call her a friend.

 He was still feeling bad about the divorce. The problem wasn’t losing Pepper, it was more about being alone. Tony had enjoyed spending time with someone, telling another person everything about his day or the progress he had made in the lab. Pepper wasn’t so much into engineering, but she was a good listener.

 Of course, Tony could start dating again. He loved meeting new people, taking them to expensive restaurants and learning about their lives. But Tony’s money made it complicated. He had met his fair share of gold-diggers only interested in his wealth or reputation. There had been a couple of young women trying to use his fame to start a model career. He had even dated a young man once who was only interested in Tony paying off his depts caused by his gambling problems.

 Sometimes Tony enjoyed such company, even though he knew they only go out with him because he was famous. It amused him to see their attempts to extract money from him. He had never paid more than the food of the evening, but they kept trying. Nevertheless, he wasn’t interested in a fling right now. He wanted to keep someone by his side and spoil him without being asked for.

 Tony sighed. Being alone sucked, but at least there was no more Pepper complaining about his hours of work in the lab. So he took the chance and locked himself in there, knowing he could work for hours without being interrupted.

  He was currently working on a new improvement for his Iron Man suit. Last time he had been on an Avengers mission, a drone had destroyed the chip that connected F.R.I.D.A.Y. to his suit and he had been unable to communicate with his AI. Although the suit had still been working, Tony preferred to rely on her when his life was at stake. Therefor he tried to connect Friday to every particle of his nano technology. It would take a lot of time, but he thought he could make it work.

 Tony turned on ACDC on a volume that would scare off any neighbours if he had any. After his divorce with Pepper, he had left their house in Malibu while he had kept the company and Stark Tower. Pepper could have insisted on a fair share of Stark Industries, but she understood that it was important for him. He still owned most of the company, while keeping her as the CEO. To be honest, she always did a better job than him.

 Tony had decided to move into the Stark Tower. It was empty anyway, except of a few Avengers who come and go as they please. He had enlarged the lab and had brought all the suits so he could work on them. He felt much more at home in the tower than he did in the Malibu house anyway.

 Five hours later Tony was still working in the lab. He hadn’t eaten all day, something Pepper had complained about very often. Sometimes she had ordered food for him so that he wouldn’t starve, but now with her gone there was no one but F.R.I.D.A.Y. to take care of him.

 That’s when he felt it for the first time. It started with a metallic taste on the back of his tongue. He was confused but kept working. When dizziness set in, Tony blamed the lack of food and ordered Thai from his favourite restaurant. Half an hour and a meal later, the nausea started and he could no longer work. He took a break and dropped onto a chair. When his vision began to fade he knew something was very, very wrong.

 Before he lost consciousness, he managed to get F.R.I.D.A.Y. to call Rhodey. After that everything went dark.

 ~*~

  When he opened his eyes again, everything was bright. He blinked and tried unsuccessfully to shut out the sun light that was burning in his eyes. It took a few seconds to get used to it, but then he began to see.

 He was in a hospital room. Everything was white and sterile and on his left side there was a huge window front. He lay in a bed that was set up in the middle of the room. It was untypically large and comfortable for a hospital bed, so he concluded that he was in a private and expensive room.

 The room was sparsely furnished with a TV, a closet and two chairs. He wasn’t alone in the room, Pepper and Rhodey sat by his side. Pepper sighed in relief when she saw that he was awake.

 “Where am I?” Tony’s voice sounded raspy, like he hadn’t used it in days.

 “Tony, I’m glad you’re awake. You’re in a hospital.” Rhodey explained and Tony had to suppress a snort. Of course, he could see that for himself. He wanted to know which hospital he was in, but there were more important questions.

 “What happened?” He didn’t really remember much. He’d tried to call Rhodey, and a second later everything went dark.

 “Oh Tony.” Pepper’s voice was shivering, and he could see she had been crying. “We don’t really know what happened. Rhodey and I were working when F.R.I.D.A.Y. called. You weren’t answering, so Rhodey asked her what was going on. She told us you were lying on the floor. Rhodey called 911 right away and then called me after. They took you to the hospital in a helicopter and here we are. Don't you remember anything?"

 Tony tried but shook his head after a few seconds. “I remember getting dizzy and then passing out, but I don’t know why.”

 Rhodey looked at him worried. “Maybe the doctors know more? We should've called them anyway, as soon as you woke up.”

 Tony nodded uncomfortably under his best friend’s gaze. He liked having attention, he didn't want to be the object of worry. Rhodey pressed a red button to call the doctor.

  A moment later, a middle-old man dressed in a white coat entered the room. He held a clipboard in his hand and approached them.

 “Mr. Stark, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

 “I’m okay, I guess.” Tony answered. “My head and my chest hurt, but I guess that’s normal, right?” He looked at the doctor who wasn’t answering his questions.

 Instead, he turned to Rhodey and Pepper. “I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I need to speak with Mr. Stark about his medical condition, but you're welcome to come back tomorrow.”

 Pepper and Rhodey nodded and said goodbye to Tony. Then they left the room, leaving him alone with the doctor.”

  “Well, doc. What’s up? Am I gonna be alright?” Tony was joking to cheer himself up.

 The doctor looked at him seriously. “I’m really sorry, Mr. Stark, but I think we have a problem.”

 “A problem?” Tony looked at him confused.

“I’m afraid your collapse wasn’t caused by your bad eating habits.”

 “It wasn’t?” Tony knew he sounded stupid at that moment, but he didn’t care. A bad feeling spread through his chest.

 The doctor took a deep breath. “Have you looked at your arc reactor lately?”

 Tony shook his head and slowly lowered his eyes. The blue glowing tech in the middle of his chest was familiar to him, but as soon as he became aware, he noticed the change. When he first built the arc reactor, it had emitted strong blue light. Now it glowed only weakly.

 “I never noticed it.” He really didn’t. Even though he passed a mirror every day, he never paid attention to the tech in his chest. He hated this part of his body because it reminded him of his time in Afghanistan. A time he wanted to forget.

 “Do you know what’s happening, doc?” He looked at the man, unsure how he should feel.

 “We've run some blood tests. Your body seems to reject the arc technology. If you keep wearing it, you’ll poison yourself.” The doctor sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

 Tony’s blood ran cold. He knew what it meant. “But if I don’t wear it, the metal in my chest will slowly kill me.”

 “I am really sorry, Mr. Stark. If you continue wearing the arc reactor, the plutonium will poison your blood. You need to give your body time to break down the toxin. We can cut down the amount of plutonium to stop the poisoning process, but then the magnet won’t be strong enough. The metal will start to move towards your heart again.”

 Tony swallowed, he understood. “How much time if we reduce the amount?” He sounded cold and composed, even though fear was raging inside his body.

 The doctor couldn’t look him in the eye. “A month, maybe two.”

 Tony winced and went pale. He had expected the poisoning to be severe, but one month was a very short time. He took a deep breath. “What about a surgery to remove the metal from my heart?”

 The doctor’s face was filled with pity and the billionaire couldn’t even look at him. “There is an option, but the survival rate is about five percent.”  

 His emotions threatened to surface, but he fought them off with everything he had. He didn’t want to cry in front of the man.

 Fuck, he wasn’t ready to die. He was Tony Stark, he could have anything he wanted. He had more money than he could ever spend in his whole life, his friendships with Rhodey was better than ever and he was close to coming to good terms with Pepper again. His life had been better lately, but typically for Tony it couldn’t stay like that. Something had to come up to ruin everything.

 The doctor tore him away from his ugly thoughts. “There might be a way. Have you ever heard about soulbonds?”

  Of course, Tony had heard about soul bonds before, well everybody had. He was living in a world where the universe paired each individual with a counterpart, a soul mate. Almost every adult has a name written in black ink somewhere on their body, marking them for their soulmate. It appears as soon as your partner turned twenty-one.

 They say that such a relationship is a perfect one, that soulmates are meant to be together. There is a whole bunch of crappy romance novels out there about people finding the right one and living happily ever after. They say you know you are destined for each other as soon as your mate touches your mark.

 Tony didn’t believe in that shit. He couldn’t deny the lower divorce rate of soul bonds, but there were very few people out there who actually meet their soulmates. Your other half could be living in another country and it is possible to never meet them in your whole life. If the universe really intended a soulmate to be the only one, it would at least make sure you meet your other half.

 On top of that, there are many happy people in other relationships. Your soulmate may be a perfect match, but there are other good matches out there, other possibilities of happiness.

 Over the years Tony had received many letters from people claiming to be his soulmate. He had paid no attention to them; they were fake anyway. Because Tony Stark didn’t have a soulmate.

  When he was younger, he had hoped that one day a name would appear on his body, showing him his other half. Close to his twenty-first birthday he had spent days in front of the mirror hoping his body would reveal the name of his soulmate. But it never did.

 When he turned thirty, the first doubts came. Still no sign had appeared on his body, his soulmate had to be at least nine years younger than him. Now, just over ten years later, Tony was convinced there was no other half for him. There were a bunch of people who didn’t have a soulmate, or the mate had died before his twenty-first birthday.

 Knowing that he was not sharing a bond with anyone, his hope faded.

  “I don’t have a soulmate.” Tony said dryly. “There is no tattoo on my body. There never was.”

 The doctor remained silent as his fingers tapped against his clipboard. After several minutes he started to talk again. “It might be possible that your soulmate died, but it is also possible that he is not yet twenty-one.”

 Tony looked at him in disbelief as anger seethed in his chest. It was the first moment he was unable to conceal his emotions. “Excuse me, I’m over forty. How could my soulmate be younger than twenty-one?”

 The man tried to calm him down. “There have been cases where-“

 Tony interrupted him. “I don’t care about that. I won’t molest someone not even old enough to drink.”

 “So you prefer to die?”

 Suddenly all the anger disappeared. What remained was a feeling of emptiness. It took him a couple of minutes to think about his situation.

 “You see, Mr. Stark. Having a soulmate beside you will increase the chances of survival. The human heart is weak. It’s no problem to remove the metal in your chest, but your heart may be too weak to withstand the strain Having your soul mate by your side would give your body strength to endure the surgery.”

 Tony suppressed a snort. That sounded more like a shitty romcom or advice from a horoscope, but he didn’t want to die. He pulled himself together and looked the doctor in the eye. “All right, I'll give it a shot. Just tell me what I have to do to find out if I have a soul mate.”

 The doctor smiled, appreciating his decision to fight. “There is a possibility to find out the name of your potential match without him being twenty-one.”

 Tony raised his eyebrows.

 “It’s all about magic.”

 Tony groaned, he hated magic. He’s sick of all the sparkling magic shit. He is a man of science, always trying to solve a problem using knowledge that people can understand. But he had learned firsthand from Doctor Strange that sometimes it takes more to survive. He swallowed his stubbornness and looked at the doctor again. “All right, I need another sample of your blood. I know a magician who can help you with that, but it won’t be cheap.”

 Tony shrugged; money wasn’t important. “How long will it take?”

 The doctor smiled. “For you? One days.”

 After he took a sample of Tony’s blood, the doctor left his room. Suddenly Tony started to feel alone. He tried to hold on to the hope that there might be a soulmate for him out there. Still, as soon as he closed his eyes, he began to cry. He wasn't ready to die yet. He decided he wanted to fight.

  ~*~

 When Pepper first heard about the possibility that he might die, she started to cry. She was sitting on a chair next to his hospital bed when he told her what the doctor had said.

 “But there's a five percent chance, isn't there?” She asked between ugly sobs. “And maybe you do have a soulmate.”

 Tony who had been crying all night, felt drained. There were no tears left for him, but he still felt the full fear. He sighed. “Yes, Pep. But five percent is very low.”

 “But your soulmate-“ She tried to protest, but Tony cut her short.

 “I’m forty-two years old. What are the odds I have a soulmate who isn’t even allowed to drink?” It hurt, but he needed her to focus on the situation. There was no more room for hope, he had to decide what to do.

 “Pepper, I need you to promise me one thing.” He looked at her forcefully.

 She replied immediately. “Anything.”

 “Take care of the company in case I die, okay?”

 She started crying harder and shook her head. “You’re not gonna die.” She didn’t sound sure.

 Tony sighed. “It’s possible I’ll survive, but I have to make sure SI is in safe hands in case I don’t make it.”

 “Let’s wait for the stupid magician.” He decided. “If he doesn’t give a name, I’ll sign the company over to you.”

 Pepper accepted, even though she was still trying to convince herself he would be fine.

  She was still there, when his doctor entered the room followed by a tall, skinny man who was covered in black tattoos. Tony assumed he was the magician, what a cliché. He hated the man instantly.

 “Hello, Mr. Stark.” His doctor greeted him. “I'd like you to meet Mr. Lewis. He’s the magician I told you about.”

 Tony hid his distaste for anyone involved in magic and nodded at the man.

 “If you want the result to remain private, I have to ask your friend to leave now.” The doctor pointed at Pepper, but Tony shook his head.

 “It’s fine. She can stay if she wants to. I’d tell her anyway.” His trust made Pepper smile.

 “All right, Mr. Lewis. You can start now. Mr. Stark, I’m recording your vitals during the test.”

 The magician who had been quiet, turned to Tony after the request.

 “Good afternoon, Mr. Stark.” His voice was soft and friendly. “Let me tell you briefly what I intend to do. Your doctor gave me a sample of your blood yesterday. I will perform a small ritual to reveal the name of your soulmate. It won’t hurt much.”

 The billionaire tried to be hopeful, though he doubted he had a match. With a deep breath he dispelled the bad thoughts. “Is it a common to test for a match with magic?” Tony was proud of himself, there was no sign of sarcasm in his voice.

 “Of course not, Mr. Stark.” His doctor replied. “It’s only allowed when someone is facing death. On top of that, not everyone can to afford it.”

 Tony sighed. “Can we get it over with?”

 The tattooed man nodded and asked Tony to give him his wrist. Then he drew a symbol on the inside of his arm. He was disgusted to discover that the colour was a mixture consisting of his own blood.

 The feeling that flowed through him was strange. It was like a hundred tiny pinpricks on his skin. He shivered, not really hurt but uncomfortable. Slowly a part of his right forearm turned black, revealing a name written in intricate writing: Peter Parker.

  Tony was shocked and stared incredulously at his forearm. He had never expected to really have a soulmate. Fuck, he was bound to a child who wasn’t even allowed to drink. All those years, he had wished a name would appear on his body. Now, when he was forty-two years old, he found out that he actually had a soul mate long after he had accepted that he didn't have a partner. He waited for it to turn out to be a joke, but when he looked up he saw three bewildered faces.

 The doctor was the first to get a grip and he smiled at Tony. "Wonderful news, Mr Stark. Your chances of survival have increased dramatically in the last few minutes. Congratulations."

 Tony still couldn’t believe it and looked to Pepper for help. She understood right away. “Gentleman, would you be so kind as to leave us alone for a moment?” It was her business voice.

 Tony breathed a sigh of relief when the two man had left the room. “I really have a match.” He allowed himself a first glimmer of hope. “What am I going to do now?”

 Pepper grinned at him widely. “Tony, that’s great news. Be happy first.”

 He smiled carefully. Although he didn’t really want a soulmate who could be his son, he was relieved to know he had a better chance of survival.

 He pondered for a second before turning to Pepper. “Did I have anything with me when they brought me here? Anything that might have access to F.R.I.D.A.Y.”

 “I brought your watch. Would that work?”

 Tony smiled relieved and nodded while Pepper rummaged through her purse. After a couple of seconds, she took out his gold watch.

 “F.R.I.D.A.Y. look for a boy called Peter Parker. Limit the matches to possible soulmates.” Tony demanded. “Leave out everyone above the age of twenty-one and if there are more than one hits left, look for the one most likely to be my match.”

 “There is one Peter Parker who matches your description, Sir.” The familiar voice of his KI answered.

 “Great, give me information on him. Age, family, friends, profession.”

 Tony prayed that the boy was at least eighteen years old. It would be a scandal anyway, he could not hide his tattoo forever, but he did not want to be accused of child abuse.

 “Peter Parker is twenty years old.” Tony felt the tension of the last days taken away from him. When he looked at Pepper, she showed signs of relief in equal measure. At least his match was an adult. “He lives with his aunt in New York, Queens. His parents died when he was younger. Peter is currently pursuing a PhD in biochemical engineering at NYU.”

 Tony looked impressed. However bad the soulshit is, his soulmate and he seemed to share the same interest. That was something he could work with.

 “Anything else I should know about him?”

 It was a short pause before F.R.I.D.A.Y. responded. “Peter Parker is going to start an internship at Stark Industries next Monday.”

 Tony suppressed the urge to hit his head against the wall. Fuck, he was the boss of his soulmate.

  ~*~

   Peter Parker wore Anthony Stark’s name for everyone visible on his left wrist since his birth. Normally nobody was interested in a soulmark tattoo, it was a common occurrence that people have the black ink on body parts that everyone can see. Peter on the other hand tried to hide his mark as well as possible.

 The first time he had been bullied because of the tattoo was even before he had been in primary school. Not only was it unusual for a small child to have a soul mark on him (his partner had been over 21 when he still needed diapers), but the name on his wrist was Anthony Stark, billionaire and tech genius. Everyone thought Peter’s family had tattooed it there to marry him off wealthy.

 It wasn’t uncommon for parents to fake soul marks. There had been a couple of celebrity scandals where fans younger than twenty-one claimed to be the soulmate of the famous person. It turned out to be a lie when the celebrities touched the soulmarks without feeling a spark and they discovered it was just a normal tattoo. That leads to rich and famous people being more careful about soul propositions, usually waiting until their match turned twenty-one.

 Peter knew it, so he didn’t even try to contact the billionaire, he wouldn’t believe him anyway. Instead, he ignored all the stupid comments of his peers and got accustomed to wear a watch every day to cover his left wrist. The only three people who knew the truth about his tattoo were his aunt May and his best friends Ned and MJ.

 Although Peter had never met Tony Stark before, he already knew they had something in common. The love of science. While the billionaire was a successful owner of the tech company Stark Industries, Peter was studied biochemical engineering at NYU. He was almost finished, which is why he applied for a Stark Industries internship. Peter had hesitated in the beginning, afraid to work for his soulmate, but in the end it was what he really wanted. He would never meet Tony Stark anyway. Well, maybe after his twenty-first birthday.

  “Peter.” His aunt interrupted him from his thoughts. “You’ll never guess what I just got.” Peter who was sitting in the middle of his bed shrugged when she shouted from the kitchen. He hadn’t even noticed that she had come home from work.

 “What happened?” He asked as he sat down at the kitchen table with her.

 With a broad grin May, took out a letter. It was plain white, but in the upper left corner was the logo of Stark Industries.

 “Gimme.” Peter ordered and saw that she hadn’t opened it yet.

 May laughed and pushed the letter closer to him. Peter had no patience, so he tore it open.

 “Read out loud.” His aunt commanded.

 He cleared his throat playfully. “Dear Mr. Parker, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”

 May only started to groan. “Peter, stop the Harry Potter references. You’re such a nerd.”

 “All right, all right.” Peter giggled before he got serious again. “Dear Mr. Parker, Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted for an Internship at Stark Industries starting Monday, the…” Peter looked at the words twice. “May, it starts in five days.”

 “Well, that’s great I guess.” She starred at him questioningly. “Monday’s not gonna be a problem for you, is it?”

 Peter thought for a second but then shook his head. “No, the semester is almost over. Won’t be a problem for me.”

 May stood up, walked around the table, and gave him a big hug. “Peter, I’m so proud of you.”

 He felt happiness bubbling in his chest. He was proud of himself, too. Knowing that one day Tony Stark will find out that he was his soulmate he wanted to achieve his goals before the billionaire did. He couldn’t stand people accusing him of being successful solely because the universe had matched him with Tony Stark. He wanted to show everyone, including the billionaire, what he was capable off.

 Maybe an internship at Stark Industries was not a symbol of independence from his soul mate, but Tony could not know anything about him yet. The tattoo of his name will be revealed on his twenty-first birthday, which was three months away. No, Peter had been accepted because of his abilities and qualifications. It was a satisfying thought.

  "Let's celebrate." May made a spontaneous decision, even though it was Thursday night and she had to work early the next morning. "How do you feel about pizza? You can call Ned and MJ and ask them over. How does a Harry Potter marathon sound?"

 Peter looked at her with big eyes. "But, May, you have to work tomorrow."

 She laughed and waved his hand off. "Don't worry about me. I'll leave you alone after the second movie so I can get some sleep."

 It didn’t take him twenty minutes to prepare for his friends’ arrival. The pizza was ordered, the couch was transformed into a blanket fort and the stack of his Harry Potter DVD’s was draped in front of the TV. The movie night could come.

Chapter 2

 When Monday came around, Tony was restless. He had been discharged from the hospital last Friday and had spent the whole weekend in the lab. Although his chances of survival were increased because of Peter Parker, there was still the risk that the surgery could go wrong. Therefor he had prepared everything necessary in case he died.

 First of all, he had instructed Pepper to destroy all his Iron Man suits in case he didn’t make it. He didn’t want the government to use them as weapons. Then he had documented his projects for Stark Industries in such a way that his company's engineers could continue his work even if he couldn't do it himself. On Sunday night he had called his lawyer to amend the will he had written a few years ago.

 During the weekend he had kept himself busy, but on Monday morning nervousness returned. He needed to talk to Peter Parker and put his future in the hands of a stranger. Death or trust. He didn't want either one.

  His mood was terrible when he started his working day. His employees avoided him; Pepper had probably warned them beforehand. He’s obnoxious when he’s having a bad day and she knew it. He carried an extra-large espresso while he went looking for her.

 Tony felt guilty and that was his biggest problem. He was never very good at dealing with guilt. He still blamed himself for selling his father’s weapons all those years and he thought he was responsible for everyone he couldn’t save during an Iron Man mission. On top of that, the divorce from Pepper was on him. Of course, they hadn’t worked out together, and there are always two people in a relationship, but it was his unwillingness to change that had led to an end. At least Pepper had tried to cope with him.

 And now, he was looking for his soulmate, who was practically a minor, just to save his own life. Tony didn’t want to involve more people in his mess and definitely not in Peter-college-student-Parker who wasn’t even allowed to drink. There was no other choice, but he swore to himself that he would keep his hands of the boy until he was twenty-one. He was convinced that it couldn’t be so hard to keep it in his pants.

  Trying to keep himself together, Tony knocked on Pepper’s office door. It used to be his office before he made her CEO.

 “Hi, Peps.” He greeted her with a fake smile on his face. “How’s the plan for today?”

 Pepper sat behind her metal desk and looked up from a pile of documents as he opened the door. “Tony, good to see you. You’re not even late. Everything ok?”

 “Never better.” Tony lied and sprawled himself on a chair opposite her. He took a big sip of his extra-large espresso and enjoyed the triple shot caffeine. Closing his eyes to savour the taste Tony put his legs up on her desk. She looked at him reproachfully but didn’t say a word.

 “Are you even allowed to drink that much caffeine? Not that it worsens your… condition.” She sounded truly worried.

 Tony snorted. It was an unspoken order not to mention his health and mostly Pepper and Rhodey complied with his request. Seemed that he couldn’t always be so lucky.

 “Peps, dear.” Even Pepper understood that his cheerily voice was fake. “I’m dying of plutonium poisoning, not caffeine.”

 She slapped her hand on her desk and the sudden sound made him jump. “You are not going to die.”

 Tony raised his hands defensively to calm her down. “Ok, ok. Just kidding. I’m not gonna die.”

 She looked at him, anger written on her face. “This is not a subject for jokes.” A few seconds later she started crying, rage completely forgotten. “I’m sorry, Tony. I didn’t want to lose my temper. I’m just worried, all right?”

 Tony got up, walked around the table and took her in his arms. She clung to him as if he would vanish in the next few seconds. “I care for you, Peps. And I’m not planning on dying anytime soon, all right?”

 She nodded, took a deep breath and composed herself. “Tony, Peter will be arriving any moment for his internship. I will head him off and bring him to one of the conference rooms. You can just wait for him there.”

 The mention of the boy soured his mood a bit, but he knew he couldn’t avoid Peter. “All right. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.”

 Pepper smiled encouragingly before she left him alone with his thoughts.

  Waiting for Peter Parker turned out to be one of the most uncomfortable situations of his life. If there was one thing Tony was afraid of, it was his thoughts, and when he was alone in the room, he had plenty of time to give in to them. He started to go crazy until a knock tore him from his thoughts.

 “Come in.”

 The door opened to reveal a vision of a boy stumbling into the room. Tony had seen many beautiful people in his life. He had dated a whole line of up-and-coming models. You'd think he'd seen everything, but nothing could have prepared him for Peter Parker.

 The photo of Peter on his driver's license that Tony had seen because of F.R.I.D.A.Y. didn’t do him justice. The boy was gorgeous. Milky white skin, high cheekbones and plump lips people would murder for. His brown hair was curly, and his brown eyes looked as if he was a reincarnation of Bambi himself. Tony was enchanted.

 The boy was wearing fitting dress pants and a white shirt, suitably dressed for an internship. Tony unconsciously licked his lips. The shirt emphasized Peter’s slim waist and broad shoulders and the pants did nothing to hide his muscular tights. To the billionaire, he looked like a boy straight out of his wet dreams. Shit, so much for keeping out the inappropriate thoughts until his soul mate turns twenty-one. Just great.

 “Good morning, I’m Tony Stark. Pleased to meet you.” Tony couldn’t smother the flirtatious undertone. He moved a few steps closer to the boy and hold out his hand.

 Peter stared at him somewhat confused and did not move for an uncomfortable period of time. His innocent eyes were huge, taking in Tony’s appearance. Luckily, the billionaire wore one of his best tailored suits. He couldn’t stop the warm feeling spreading inside him when the boy looked him over.

 After a few heartbeats Peter realized that he was supposed to shake the outstretched hand and he started to blush. Tony grinned smugly; the boy was wonderful.

 “I’m sorry M-Mister Stark, Sir. My name is Peter Parker.” His voice was trembling, and he squeezed Tony’s hand slightly.

 Nobody could have prepared the billionaire for this innocent touch. As soon as his fingers brushed against Peters, he felt a pleasant shiver run down his spine and his hand started to tingle. On top of that, he noticed a faint spark of arousal that startled him a little. How could a simple touch cause such feelings in him? Tony could tell by Peter’s hazy eyes that the boy felt the same.

 Tony quickly pulled back his hand, taking a deep breath to get a grip on himself. He remembered the boy’s age and the upcoming surgery. It was no time for him to lust after Peter.

 “Mr. Parker, nice to meet you. Mrs. Potts picked you up in the lobby?”

 Peter nodded, still with a confused look on his face.

 “And did she tell you why I wanted to talk to you?” Tony prayed she had already told the boy part of it, but according to Peter’s questioning face, she hadn’t.

 “No, Sir.” The boy replied overwhelmed.

 Tony took off his suit coat leaving Peter with mixed feelings of confusion and arousal. He saw Peter’s gaze linger on his chest where his shirt was stretched across his muscles. The marvellous starring made it difficult for Tony to focus on the conversation.

 Tony fixed his gaze on Peter while he was rolling up his sleeves, revealing his tattoo to the younger man. He could see how shocked Peter was as his eyes moved across his exposed forearm.

 “How is this possible.” Peter asked confused. “I’m not twenty-one yet. You shouldn’t be able to see it.”

 The boy came closer, slightly tracking his name with his fingers. Tony shuddered and clenched his hands into fists. Every touch of his soulmate set of a wave of arousal running straight to his neglected cock. The billionaire felt it stir in his pants and he bit his tongue to regain his control.

 The boy seemed to share his feelings, Tony could see his dilated pupils, drowning his brown eyes in black. He pulled his arm back abruptly. When Peter realized what he’d done, he blushed a deep red and stumbled an apology.

 Tony tried to distract himself from the sexual tension by focusing on explaining his tattoo. “Have you ever heard about magicians revealing soul marks?”

 The boy watched him expectantly. “Yes, it’s possible, but really expensive.”

 Tony nodded affirmative. “Well, there was an incident that forced me to look for a potential soulmate.”

 “An incident?”

 Tony cleared his throat. He didn’t want to tell the boy everything about his dizzy spell, but he had no choice. He leaned against conference desk and crossed his arms as a barrier between the boy and himself.

 “A few days ago, I passed out in my lab. Turned out I have a few problems with my arch reactor.” He unconsciously touched the middle of his chest. “Well, there’s no other way but surgery to remove the metal from my body that’s wandering towards my heart. Unfortunately, the chances of survival are slim unless I have a soulmate who’ll keep me company during the surgery.”

 Peter was at a loss for words. He was gaping at Tony like a fish and if Tony wasn’t so afraid of rejection, he would have called it cute. “Does that mean you could die?”

 Tony shrugged. “Possible, but unlikely when you stick by my side.” The billionaire sighed, swallowing his pride. “Peter, I’m really sorry to ask this of you, but there is no other choice.”

 Peters eyes widen before his face turned determined. He threw himself into Tony’s arm, clinging to him like an octopus. None of them noticed that a hug between them might be weird, considering they haven’t even met before today. “Of course, I’ll help you. I've waited all my life for this. Your tattoo was on my skin since birth.”

 Tony flinched at the words, reminded how young the boy was, but soon his emotions were taken over by relief. He relaxed in the embrace and began unconsciously stroking the boy's back. With Peter's help, his survival would be very likely.

 Tony rested his chin on Peter’s head, the gesture way too familiar for two people who had just met, but none of them cared. Tony felt as if gravity was pulling him towards Peter. He buried his nose in Peter’s curly hair, enjoying the sweet smell of the younger man. It made him dizzy with want.

 The boy pulled back a few inches from the hug and tried not to look at Tony. “I’m sorry, Mister Stark. I shouldn’t hug you like this. I just can’t control myself around you.” Shame was written all over his face.

 Though Tony knew he should leave it at that, he grabbed the boy’s chin forcing Pete to look into his eyes. “Shh, Pete. I guess, you feel it too. No need to run from me, my sweet boy.”

 Peters eyelid fluttered due to the pet name and a small moan escaped his pink lips. Tony couldn’t resist glaring at them. They looked pink and luscious and Tony lifted a hand caressing the lower lip with his thumps. They felt wet, probably from Peter licking his lips because of his nervousness. His cock twitched from the delicious sight.

 Slowly he pressed his fingertip into the wet heat, causing the boy to whimper his name. “Mr. Stark, please.” The boy didn’t even know what he was pleading for.

 Tony growled and lost his patience. He buried his other hand into the boy’s curls, tugging him closer until the smaller body touched his. Then he forced Peter’s head back and pressed his lips against the younger ones.

 He couldn’t stop the deep moan at the contact, swallowed by the boy’s mouth. Tony hadn’t believed in the soul shit before, making fun of all the shitty romance novels and the descriptions of the loss of control. But here he was, kissing a barely legal boy, unable to think about anything else than the wet hot mouth. His body was no longer listening to his command.

 Tony intensified the kiss greedily, sucking and nipping on Peter’s plumb lips until the boy moaned. When the boy’s lips parted, Tony sneaked a tongue inside. He explored Peter’s mouth inch by inch, caressing the boy’s tongue and encouraging him to kiss back.

 Peter wrapped his arms around Tony’s neck, leaning into the older man for support. He started to move his lips, kissing the billionaire back. Tony enjoyed all the small noises the boy made. He whimpered when Tony moved his lips and moan when their tongues touched. Peter was a vision straight out of Tony’s wet dreams, a responsive little minx.

 Tony wanted to bend the boy over the conference table, rip of his pants and burry himself in that tight little ass. He imagined how wrecked the boy would look, how he would take Tony’s cock and suck him in, clenching when he reached his climax. He had never felt so out of control, barely able to stop himself from fucking the boy in a room that wasn’t even locked.

 Tony pulled back from the kiss, lips wandering lower to suck bruises on the boy’s neck. He felt a possessive urge building up inside him, wanting to see more of his marks on the boy’s body additionally to his tattoo. Peter moaned as he sucked and offered his throat to him. It was tempting to lose himself inside the boy, getting Peter to call him daddy when he split him open with his cock.

  At first Tony didn’t notice when Peter started to move. He was too busy marking his skin to pay attention to the rest of the boy’s body. But when something hard was pressed against his legs, he saw Peter rubbing himself all over him. The boy was marvellous trapped in his arousal, his shyness long forgotten. The boy only listened to his instincts and soothed the pain in his middle by seeking friction from him.

 Tony pressed his leg against Peter’s clothed dick, giving him more room to satisfy his needs. He felt his own cock hardening in his jeans. Peter’s head had fallen back, his throat bared to invite Tony to leave more marks. He couldn’t resist.

 As the boy’s breath quickened up, he knew Peter was getting close. Although he enjoyed their little encounter, he was way too old to come from a little bit of friction. As alluring as Peter was, year of experience helped him to hold himself together.

 Peter, however, didn’t seem to heave much stamina. Tony needed to admit that he liked that his baby boy could come from rubbing against his leg. His effect on the boy was flattering. Peter’s movements became more and more uncoordinated as he came closer to the end and Tony grabbed his hips to prevent the boy from falling.

 After a long stroke, Peter cried out, his whole body tensed. He shook uncontrollably, slumping against Tony’s body with a content smile on his face. Tony watched the boy falling apart under his hands, looking perfect while he came. His cheeks were red, eyes blissfully closed, and his mouth formed a perfect o. He wanted to keep him in his bed forever.

 When the boy had clamed down, the billionaire kissed him on his forehead and helped him to sit down on a chair. His own erection hurt, but he ignored it. Peter grimaced when he felt how sticky his pants were.

 There was silence between them, only disturbed by Peter’s fast breathing. As the boy came down from his height, Tony’s remorse returned. Fuck, not only had he made out like a teenager at work, he had even taken advantage of his barely legal soulmate. Pepper would kill him.

 He felt the guilt returning, consuming him as it always did. The familar panic rose in him, leaving him with a sudden urge to leave. What had he done to Peter, to the sweet innocent boy? Only the fact that he hadn’t come or bend the boy over made it a little bit better. At least he hadn’t crossed the last line.

 He could not look Peter in the eye during his next words. “Mister Parker, I’m deeply sorry for my behaviour.” He saw the boy flinched out of the corner of his eye.

 “I’m really sorry, but I have to go. Work.” His voice sounded cheerful although he felt like crying. The excuse was horrible. “I’ll contact you about the surgery.”

 And then Tony left the room, still struggling with a hard one, and leaving a hurt boy behind. He really was a monster.

  ~*~

  His day had actually started quiet well before everything went south. May had woken him with a large cup of coffee, nothing better to start the day with. He had woken up early so there was plenty of time left to get ready unhurriedly.

 The subway had been on time, and twenty minutes early Peter had entered the Stark tower. The letter told him to report to the reception when he arrived. The secretary had called someone, leaving Peter to wait on a comfortable couch in the lobby.

 Ten minutes later, a beautiful blonde woman had approached him, and he had recognized her as Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries and Tony Stark’s ex-wife. He had unconsciously straightened his back. Surely, she wasn’t here to pick him up, that would be highly uncommon for someone in a position like hers, but she had walked over to him and had hold out her hand. She had told him something about a meeting that had left him deeply confused and had ordered him to follow her.

 Peter had been completely overwhelmed, following her like a biddy until they had reached a double wing door. Then she had knocked and left him alone, standing in an unknown building without a clue about what was going on.

 When an oddly familiar voice had told him to enter, he had stumbled into the room, greeted by the sight of Tony Stark, billionaire, sexgod and his soulmate. He had gaped like a fish, unable to form words and overwhelmed with attraction for the man.

 Before he knew it, he was confronted with Mr. Stark’s potential death and his own mind breaking arousal. His personal highlight of embarrassment had been him rubbing himself all over the billionaire until he had come in his own pants, leaving them sticky with his release. And then Mister Stark had left him alone in the room, probably disgusted by his slutty behaviour.

  Here he was now, sitting in an empty conference room with ruined pants and no clue how to get back to the lobby. He couldn’t stop the tears spilling from his eyes and he sniffled slightly. How could a day start so well and end so horrible?

 He wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on them feeling like a small child. The only thing he wanted right now was going back to his bed, but he was trapped here on the first day of his internship.

  A knock on the door ripped him out of his thoughts. He looked up just in time to see Mrs. Potts opening the door.

 “Tony, Mr. Parker?” She asked, entering the room and her gaze fell on the lonely boy crouched on the chair.

 She sighed and closed her eyes at the sight of him, taking a deep breath before her face was filled with pity. “Mr. Parker, can I call you Peter?”

 He could only nod.

 “Let me guess, the conversation with Tony wasn’t that good.” She handled the situation as if it wasn’t the first of it’s kind. “He was an idiot, right?”

 Peter looked at her with wide eyes, but he relaxed a bit. “Well, yeah.” His voice was hoarse from crying.

 “Don’t take everything the man tells you serious, Peter. Tony has a good heart, but he makes terrible decision. Did he explain you the situation with your soulmarks?”

 Peter starred at her in surprise. He didn’t expect her to know about the shared tattoos but being the CEO of his company and his ex-wife, she was probably informed about what was going on.

 “I’m glad he has a soulmate, even though you’re much younger than he is. Aside from the surgery, he deserves to be happy. But I could hit his head seeing him fucking it up again.” She looked him straight in the eye. "Peter, Tony is a complicated man, he's consumed with guilt. He doesn't like that you're so young, but it's not about you, it's about your age. You understand that?"

 He raised his head and smiled at her, relieved that Tony’s doubts weren’t about his behaviour. When he spoke, his voice was soft. “I understand Mrs. Potts. Don’t worry, I’ll help with the surgery. I also understand that I’m very young compared to him which is one reason why I’ve never reached out with my tattoo. I’m willing to keep up with him, but I’m also a human being. I don’t want to deal with rejection. Apart from the surgery, he can contact me when he feels ready.”

 She smiled at him after his words. “Peter, you seem like a good young man with a lot of patience. Maybe you’re exactly what he needs. You can go home today if you want. Your internship can start tomorrow. And besides, call me Pepper.”

 “Thank you, Pepper. I’d really like to go back home.”

 She smiled and walked him back to the lobby. She even called a cab so he didn’t have to take the subway.

  ~*~

 After a shower to clean the mess in his pants, Peter was restless and didn’t know what to do. He flipped onto his bed trying to get work done for his PhD, but he couldn’t focus on the equations. His mind seemed to wander back to the events of the day. Although he knew now that Mr. Stark’s behaviour was caused by his own guilt, he was still a little embarrassed by his own behaviour.

 He had jumped the man as soon as possible, couldn’t resist the temptation. The feelings had been intense, way stronger than anything he had felt when experimenting with a couple of college boys. Mr. Stark hadn’t even touched him under his clothes, and he had already messed up his boxers. He blushed at the memory and felt the familiar feeling of arousal rising, but he gripped the base of his cock, willing the erection down. Although his body didn’t seem to listen to him, he was still hurt from the man’s rejection and didn’t want to give in to the pleasant feelings.

 Instead, he picked up his phone and called MJ and Ned via video chat. He could at least get rid of all the anger by talking about it with his best friends.

  They both picked up after the second ringing.

 “Hey Pete, what’s up?” Ned answered first, laying on his bed just like Peter. His phone was on his desk, showing Ned’s bed and his wall, which was full of the familiar Iron Man posters. Today, it made Peter cringe.

 “Shouldn’t you be at your internship?” MJ was sitting at her favourite coffeeshop, phone probably leaning against an empty cup. She had her headphones plugged in.

 “Well, Pepper Potts send me home.” Peter answered casually.

 There was a second of silence before his best friends started talking at the same time. “She did what?” MJ shouted, while Ned responded dreamily. “You met Pepper Potts, like the real Pepper Potts?”

 “OMG, Ned. I can’t believe it.” MJ sounded angry and in the background of her video, Peter saw a costumer in the coffee shop turning his head towards her. MJ didn’t care about the angry looks. “She is his soulmate’s ex-wife. Don’t worship her.”

 “But she’s hot.” Ned answered defensively which made MJ groan.

 “Ned, she is like a hundred years older than you.” Now all the heads in the coffee shop were turned to MJ.

 “She can still be hot, though.” Ned whined. “Besides. Tony Stark is older than her and you don’t complain about the age difference between Peter and him, either.”

 MJ took a deep breath, clearly calming herself. “First of all, Ned, he is Peter’s soulmate. That’s something else. And second, Peter is at least not fantasizing about him.”

 “About that.” Peter interrupted their bickering. “I might have made out with him today.”

 Ned gasped loudly while MJ slammed her head on the table.

 “You can't just drop something like that casually.” MJ complained. “I need details, like now.”

 Peter needed a second, not sure how to explain the mess of today. “Pepper Potts picked me up in the lobby today and walked me to a conference room. Mr. Stark was waiting for me. He had my tattoo on his forearm.”

 His best friends looked at him confused. “How is that possible.” Ned asked. “You’re not twenty-one yet.”

 Peter swallowed. “Have you ever heard about magicians revealing soulmarks?”

 He looked at his friends expectantly, but both shook their head. The concept wasn’t very common. “Under certain circumstances a magician is legally permitted to reveal a tattoo earlier.”

 “Which circumstances?” She seemed to have a hunch about the situation, looking at Peter as if she wouldn’t like the answer.

 “Death.” Peter answered shortly. “He needs a surgery to remove the metal from his chest. Something about his arc tech not functioning properly anymore. And without a soulmate who strengthen his condition, he might die.”

 His friends were unusual silent after he revealed everything and looked at him concerned. “But he’l make it with your help, won’t he?” Ned asked.

 Peter shrugged. “I think so, but we haven’t talked about it much.”

 “Busy with something else?” MJ scoffed, smiling at him filthy.

 Peter blushed violently and hid his face in his pillow. Why are his friends so embarrassing? “I wasn’t like that.” He explained himself before he really thought about the situation. “Well, okay. I was, but that's not why we didn't talk to each other.” It sounded like a lame excuse.

 “Of course, Pete.” MJ talked to him like a child, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “Tell me, how far did you go?”

 “I might have creamed my pants.” Peter admitted quietly.

 MJ were laughing so hard that tears were streaming from her eyes. Peter heard someone asking her to be a little bit quieter, but she ignored the man, too captured in mocking Peter. Ned, on the other hand, looked slightly nauseous.

 “Pete, please.” He groaned. “Don’t tell me about this.”

 “Stop being such a prude.” MJ bickered. “You’re no better with Pepper Potts.”

 “I didn’t bang her, though.” Ned looked outraged, but Peter knew it was just for show. He was used to that kind of behaviour from his friends.

 “Only because you couldn’t.” MJ was joking. Even though Ned tried to keep up the façade, after a few seconds he stated smiling too.

 “You still didn’t tell us why you didn’t talk with him.” Ned asked curiously.

  Peters mood sank. His friends were good at cheering him up and he clearly needed advice from them on how to handle the situation, but Mr. Stark’s actions had hurt him. His friends could tell something was wrong because they were quiet once.

 “He might have left immediately after I’ve rubbed myself all over him.” Peter confessed quietly.

 “He did what?” MJ fumed.

 “After I…, well you know… Let’s say when I was done, he apologized and left. Some lame excuse about work. He didn’t explain anything, didn’t tell me how to contact him, he didn’t even look at me. He just left me sitting alone in an empty conference room. He hadn't even come yet.”

 In the end, his voice became more and more quiet. He could no longer look at his phone, busy drawing patterns with his fingers on his bed to keep his emotions in check. He fought against the tears which threatened to fall.

 “Pete, I’m sorry.” MJ said softly. “Do you know why he left?”

 Peter sniffed. “I talked to Pepper afterwards. She said Tony felt guilty about me being so young. He wouldn’t have contacted me if his life wasn’t on the line.” He took a short break to get his thoughts in order. “It’s just…, I don’t care that much about the soulstuff myself. I don’t want him to marry me or change his whole life. It was just… so intense. All I want is to get to know him and not being tolerated to save his life.”

 “I understand you. It sucks.” Ned had never been very good in cheering up. Still, Peter smiled a little.

 MJ seemed to be thinking about something, tapping her fingers on the coffee table and choosing her words carefully. “Peter, I’ll only tell you this once, before I continue insulting Tony Stark. It’s obvious his life hadn’t been easy and someone must force the man to be happy. Wait for the surgery to be over, wait until he's no longer afraid for his life. And then fight.”

 Peter looked at her confused. “You think so?”

 She sighed, took a big sip of her coffee and started to explain again. “Let him first think you're angry with him, prove to him you don't worship him like the rest of the world. After that, show him what he’s missing. And when you have him trapped in his feelings, force him to talk. Explain your feelings but let him explain his too. Just don’t give up your one perfect match only because he’s an ass.”

 Peter was silent. MJ was rarely so serious and her words had reached him. Was Tony Stark worth it? Of course, the man was intelligent and handsome, but was it enough? Was he willing to find out if it would be enough?

 “I’m not sure I want to fight.” Peter confessed. He wasn’t sure if he and Mr. Stark were a perfect match, they were living in different worlds.

 Unusually, it was Ned who finished the discussion. “I guess it’s on you to find that out.”

  ~*~

  A few hours later, when Peter tried to fall asleep, he decided that it would be worth it. It might go wrong, but he would always regret not having tried. His uncle's death had taught him one thing: Never miss an opportunity.

Chapter 3

 A week later, Peter was sitting in a private jet on his way to Switzerland. He had never left the country before, and it was the first time he had ever travelled by plane. His uncle Ben had died a few years ago and even before that, they hadn’t had enough money for vacation. He’d always thought his first flight would go to Mexico after he got his PhD and saved some money. He would have bought a cheap economy seat and would have probably been seated next to a family with children crying the whole time.

 What he hadn’t expected was him flying with Tony Stark’s private jet to a hospital in Switzerland before his twenty-first birthday. Pepper had told him that the best surgeons in the world were working in Europe and that they would therefore have to leave the country. She accompanied him during the flight, while Tony had already left a few days earlier. He had to be prepared for the surgery.

 Peter hadn’t seen Mr. Stark since the incident in the conference room, and he really tried not to get upset about it. The billionaire was avoiding him, but it was the wrong time to call him out on it. Peter promised himself to keep his emotion in check until after surgery.

 Pepper, on the other hand, had spent a lot of time with him. She had called him into her office almost everyday after the internship to talk about Tony. She had explained his actions once again, told Peter everything about the upcoming surgery and tried to get to know him better. She had asked him about his intentions with Mr. Stark, and he had told her all about his decision to fight.

 “I’m glad to hear that, Peter.” She had said smiling. “He deserves to be happy, although he’ll do anything to sabotage himself. Not many people in his life have tried to fight for him. Prepare yourself for a draining battle.”

 He had just nodded and promised to be as patient as possible.

  “What are you thinking about?” Pepper Potts, object of his thoughts interrupted him from those.

 He blinked and looked at her. “Just thinking about all the luxury.” He lied. “I’m not used to it; it makes me feel uncomfortable.” It's true he wasn't very fond of the display of money, but he was more concerned about the situation with Mr Stark.

 Yes, Tony had been a dick, but he was still Peter’s soulmate. Additionally, he was also a superhero who had saved a million lives, not only as Iron Man, but also with his clean energy. It was Peter's duty to save him and he was afraid that his presence would not be enough. There was still a small chance that he would die.

 Pepper had no clue what he was really thinking about. “Peter, you need to get used to the luxury. If he ever opens up to you, he'll spoil you terribly. Tony's way of showing his love is money and gifts.”

 Peter just shrugged at the thought. Having grown up without much money, he was uncomfortable with expensive gifts. “But to start everything with a flight to Europe, my first flight by the way, where I know nothing more about Tony than that he is in mortal danger is a bit much, don't you think?”

 Pepper only laughed. “With Tony Stark everything will be much. Sometimes you won’t know whether to punch him or hug him.”

 Peter grinned too and banished the bad thoughts from his mind. Maybe he should just enjoy the luxury and be optimistic.

  They arrived late in the afternoon, and a limousine picked him and Pepper up. They drove to an expensive-looking hotel, five stars of course. The lobby was designed in a marble look, with black curtains next to the windows. The stuff was dressed in shiny suits and even the guests wore fancy clothes. Peter felt uncomfortable in his plaid shirt and his worn out converse. He certainly stood out.

 Pepper smiled encouragingly at him and led him to the reception. A minute later he was holding a black card in his hands, probably the key to his room. She walked ahead and led him to the other end of the lobby towards the elevators.  

 “Guten Tag, darf ich Ihnen ihr Gepäck abnehmen?“ A pageboy approached them halfway and said something in German. Peter didn’t understand a word.

 “I am sorry, Sir. May I take your bags?” The man repeated and Peter gave him his suitcase with a grateful smile. He thanked him and Pepper tipped the pageboy. He’d never been to a hotel where he didn’t have to carry his own luggage. To be fair, he had never been in a hotel before, except for a school trip a few years ago.

 After the elevator door closed behind them, Pepper picked up a conversation. “Peter, the surgery is tomorrow morning. Happy will pick you up at seven am to drive you to the hospital.” Peter confirmed with a nod that he understood. “Do you want to eat dinner together?”

 He thought about it but shook his head after a few seconds. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Potts, but I’d like to go to bed early. Can I order something up to my room?” He was tired from the long flight, and the only thing he wanted to do before he went to bed was call MJ and Ned and tell them everything.

 “Of course.” Pepper replied. “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” She smiled at him the last time before she left the elevator on her floor.

 When Peter entered his room, a big and fancy one of course, he couldn’t really appreciate it. Even though the bathroom looked like the cover of an interior design magazine, and the television was twenty times bigger than the one May had at home, the only thing he was interested in at the moment was the bed. He managed a quick call to MJ, Ned and May, but he fell asleep before he could call the room service.

  ~*~

 Peter felt anxious when he entered the hospital the next morning. It didn’t look like any hospitals he’d ever been to before. Everything looked more expensive, but also more comfortable. Instead of the typical white walls, the halls were painted in a warm beige and plants made it look livelier. The smell, however, was the same.

 He didn't even have time to look around properly until a man in a white coat approached him.

  “Good morning, Mr. Parker. I’m Mr. Stark’s personal doctor. If you would be so kind as to follow me.”

 Peter didn't have time to answer anything or he wouldn't have been able to keep up with the doctor. As they left the lobby and turned into a less crowded corridor, the man slowed down.

 He smiled warmly at Peter. “I apologize for the hectic greeting. Mr. Stark asked me to keep his condition under wraps. I didn't want to risk having other patients listen to us.”

 It made sense, of course. Even though Peter wasn’t very interested in business, he knew what a life-threatening illness of Mr. Stark could do to SI’s stock prices. On top of that, the billionaire probably didn’t want to deal with the media.

 “It’s all right.” He assured the doctor. “Can you tell me what I can do today?”

 The man turned right at the end of the corridor and instructed Peter to follow him through a door. They entered an office and the doctor offered him a seat. In the middle of the room there was a big wooden desk and when the doctor took a seat behind it, Peter felt as if he was back in school talking to the principal about his absence in class. He had skipped school a few times after Ben had died.

 “Peter, I need to tell you something about Mr. Stark’s condition. Are you familiar with arc technology?” Peter nodded, he had heard a lot about it during his studies, though he had never had enough money for plutonium to build one himself. “Tony has metal splitter in his chest that are wandering to his heart. The arc reactor works like an electromagnet, holding the metal in place. Unfortunately, the plutonium is poisoning his blood and we have to remove the arc reactor.”

 Peter was shocked. He knew Mr. Stark’s life depended on the tech in his chest, but he hadn’t known anything about plutonium poisoning his blood. He knew from his studies how dangerous the substance can be. Additionally, switching off the electromagnet would kill the man too. “But then the metal will wander to his heart again.” He concluded, fear in his voice.

 “That is correct, which is why we must perform the operation. We want to finally remove the metal. We're going to cut open his chest under an electromagnet and remove the shards. But the operation will be exhausting for his body. And that's where you come in. A side effect of soulbonds is the power one soulmate can give to another. You can imagine that not only Tony's soul, but your soul bound him to life.” The doctor remained calm when he explained the problem to Peter and he was grateful for the professionalism. Peter had to stay focused, he needed to understand what he could do for Mr. Stark and he was on the verge of losing it.

 Even though Peter wasn’t very fond of magic, the doctor’s explanations made sense, well, at least a little bit. He hated not understanding things and magic was definitely part of that. But binding Mr. Stark to live, well, that was something he was truly grateful for. Everyone knew what the billionaire had been through in Afghanistan and what he sacrificed for being Iron Man, Peter just wanted to give something back.

 "If a person's life can be bound to two souls, why can soulmates die when the other is still alive".

 It took the doctor a second to answer. "First of all, if someone is really dead, no soul-bound being in the world can bring him back or stop death. You can only give the body a little bit of strength to endure strain longer. If someone is stabbed or a disease kills him, a soul mate cannot do anything. And if soulmates have never met before, even their presence cannot save the other. There must be a connection between the two".

 Peter felt himself getting cold. Shit, there needs to be a bond? But Tony and he didn’t have a bond! He felt the fear rising in him. “You need to stop the surgery.” Peter pleaded. “We didn’t initiate a bond.”

 The doctor laughed, reached out and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. “Peter, can you show me your tattoo?” Peter was confused for a second, what did his tattoo had to do with this? But he still nodded and exposed his wrist to the man’s touch. “Do you notice any differences?”

 Peter stared intently at his tattoo. It was familiar to him, a part of him that he had worn since birth. But once he paid attention, he noticed that the lines of the name were thicker than before.

 “It’s thicker, isn’t it?” The doctor asked. “A bond is formed when soulmates touch each other. It can be a sexual touch, or a friendly one. t's the intention of the couple that counts. If they truly want each other, a bond is formed. It doesn’t matter if the feeling is sexual or loving.”

 Peter blushed. He remembered how much he had wanted Mr. Stark, his fingers on his body, his lips everywhere. His thoughts stopped for a second. If the bond was formed successfully, Mr. Stark must have wanted him too.

 “Can a soulbond c-create…” He stammered shamefully. “Can a soulbond cause a-arousal?”

 The doctor knowingly laughed and winked at him. “It can increase the pleasure, but it cannot create feeling that weren’t there before.”

 Peter swallowed, relieved that Mr. Stark seemed to find him arousing, but also ashamed by his own behaviour. The had blamed the bond for his shamelessness, but apparently it was on him.

 He tried to change the topic. “What happens after a bond is formed?”

 The doctor looked at him forcefully. “Peter don’t be afraid. I know how Mr. Star is. If one of you decides to stay away from the other, it won’t be painful. There are other people out there, other good matches. It's just never gonna be as perfect as the soul bond.”

 Peter took a deep breath. He wanted to fight for Mr. Stark, wanted to fight for the privilege of keeping him happy. But if the billionaire truly didn’t want him, he could stay away.

 The doctor took one look on his watch and stood up. “I’m sorry, Peter. I have to cut the conversation short. It’s time. If you would be so kind as to follow me?”

 Peter's nervousness came back with a vengeance. Now it was time to fight for Tony Stark's life.

  ~*~

  The second time Tony woke up in a hospital, he was not alone again. This time only Pepper was sitting next to his bed and it wasn’t bright but dark outside. The felt a dull arch in his chest and tried to touch it gently. A heavy bandage was wrapped around his torso, making it difficult to breath. He assumed he was on heavy painkillers because he didn’t feel as if he had been cut open just before.

 Tony didn’t remember much about the day. The doctors had knocked him out in the morning and after that everything was black except for a faint memory of a beautiful boy. Had he dreamed about Peter?

 “Tony, you’re awake.” Pepper shone at him. “I’m so happy everything’s fine. You’re going to be okay, no need to give me Stark Industries.”

 He sighed in relieve. He’ll be okay, he’ll live, and the first time in years he didn’t have to worry about the metal in his body. The only unsolved problem was Peter.

 “Have I been awake before?” He asked curiously and Pepper nodded. “I remember Peter sitting next to me and holding my hand. Was it a dream?”

 Pepper looked pitifully at him and took his hand. “Oh Tony, yes, he was here when you first woke up. Guess you don't remember much since you were still recovering from the anaesthetic."

 He swallowed heavily. Hopefully, he didn’t say anything he’ll regret now. “Did I… did I say anything to him?”

 “No, Tony, you didn’t. You didn’t talk at all. Yet Peter is out there, waiting for you to wake up. Give him a chance and let him talk to you. Let him see you’re fine.” She pulled the chair closer to his bed and looked at him vividly. “You’ll like the boy. He is not only handsome but intelligent. You have so much in common. Don’t let yourself be unhappy again.”

 Tony couldn’t look at her. How could he give the boy a chance? There are a million better man out there, better matches for Peter. He didn’t want to tie the boy to an old man like him. “Pepper, he isn’t ever allowed to drink.”

 “Then wait for him.” Her voice got frustrated. “He’ll be twenty-one in three months.”

 He closed his eyes, guilt and desire battling inside him. He wanted to get to know the boy, but he didn’t want to load all his problems on someone else’s shoulders.

 “He is so young Pepper.” His last doubts were coming to the surface.

 “Peter is young but clever, Tony.” Pepper replied fiercely. “He is a gentle soul who wouldn’t even take your money. He wanted to pay for his own hotel, a small one near the hospital.” She laughed bitterly. “Tony, he wanted nothing in return for saving your life. Yes, you’ve made mistakes in the past, but it’s time to let go. Just try to be happy for once, okay? Peter is perfect for you.”

 Tony pondered, knowing he would be gone on the boy if he decided to let him in. Peter was so innocent but beautiful. He wanted to challenge the young man, see if he could keep up with him in the lab. He wanted to hold him, protect him from life. And he wanted to bend him over his work desk and fuck him until he screamed Tony’s name.

 You know what, fuck it. Fuck anyone who’d think Peter is too young, fuck the media and the moralists. He wanted to be happy, he didn’t want to be alone anymore. He promised himself to protect the boy and to spoil him rotten. He would keep him in his arms and buy him everything he would ever want. He will listen to the soulshit for once, maybe Peter really was the right one for him.

 “Okay, let him in.” His voice was hoarse but determined.

 Pepper smiled brightly and pressed a kiss on his forehead. “I’m so happy, Tony. You won’t regret it.”

 Then she left the room to call the boy and leave them alone.

   Peter looked insecure, almost scared, when he entered the room. He was even more beautiful than Tony remembered. Although he looked tired as if he hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before, Tony had never seen someone more beautiful, more tempting.

 Peter stopped in the middle on the room, unsure if he could sit down of if the billionaire would throw him out soon. Tony winced at the sight, he had really fucked up.

 “Peter, you can sit down if you want.” Tony soothed the boy and pointed to the chair next to his bed. Peter smiled carefully and took the seat. He was closer to Tony than the billionaire would have liked, it was just so difficult to concentrate while he was near the boy. He smelled the faint vanilla note of Peter’s scent and the only thing preventing him from getting aroused again was the slight pain in his chest.

 “Mr Stark, how are you?” The boy asked cheerfully. Tony could see that the boy was happy about him being awake and well.

 “I’m fine. My chest still hurts a little, but I’m sure it’ll heal.”

 The boy smiled at him so brightly that Tony felt as if he was looking at the sun. Being happy, Peter looked like a vision. Tony didn’t have much brightness in his life, and he was determined to hold on tight.

 “Peter.” Tony looked intensely at the boy and took his hand, making sure he was listening. “I am truly sorry for our first encounter. I didn’t mean to throw myself at you. You are so young, it’s better if we keep our distance for a while.”

 The moment he saw Peter’s hurt face, he knew he’d chosen the wrong words. The boy pulled back his hand, attempting to get up and leave the room. “It’s alright, Mr. Stark.” The boy tried to get a grip on himself, but Tony could see the first tears falling. “I get it, I’m just happy you’re fine.”

 Peter’s sadness broke Tony’s heart and he grabbed his arm before he could walk away. “Wait, Pete.” He pleaded. “I’ve said it all wrong. I didn’t mean to take advantage of you or get in your pants, but I want to get to know you better. Let’s just try to keep our pants on.”

 Peter starred at him with a mixture of relief and frustration on his face. “You mean as friends?”

 Tony laughed bitterly. “God Peter, no. Even if I tried, I couldn’t stop myself. You're so alluring, every second I see you, I want to fuck you senseless.” The boy blushed under his blatant words. “I just want to get to know you better first, is that all right? I want to wait for your birthday.”

 The hesitation on Peter’s face vanished and his beautiful smile returned. Tony felt his tension subside when the boy stopped crying. He became too attached to the boy far too soon. He would already do anything for the boy, how would he act after he’d got to know the boy better? Tony pushed aside his fear, it would only lead to him running away, but this time he wanted to do it right.

 “Tony, can I kiss you?” The billionaire shrugged after the unexpected question. He knew he shouldn’t do it, he knew how hard it would be to resist the temptation once he touched Peter’s lips, but he was a weak man. So he nodded, allowing the boy to get close.

 The attraction was the same when their lips touched the second time. Tony felt the boy shaking, arching into the kiss. The angle was awkward, Peter bent over him, carefully so as not to touch his chest. Tony was uncomfortable, his neck stretched to reach the boy’s lips.

 He growled in frustration, wanting to feel the boys weight pressing against him during the kiss. He wanted to touch the boy everywhere, but his stupid bandage was in the way. Peter climbed over him, settled on his lap and kept his hands away from Tony’s chest. He supported his weight with his arms and pressed another kiss on his lips.

 Tony opened his mouth, allowing the boy’s tongue to enter him for a second before taking control and pushing it back. One hand got tangled up in the boy’s soft curls, the other slipped under his t-shirt. He caressed the soft skin of Peter’s back, drawing patterns on his skin. He boy shivered under his touch and started to squirm. His ass was pressed against Tony’s clothed cock and he got hard under Peter’s movement.

 The boy was a vision, losing control from a simple kiss alone. His cheeks were rosy, the blush spreading across his neck. Tony wanted to undress him to know how far down the blush went. He wanted to pinch his nipples, kissing them, biting them, while the boy was riding his cock.

 “Fuck, sweet boy. So good for me.” Peter was so responsive to his touch, he moaned when Tony stroked the waistband of his jeans, slipping a finger under it. He couldn’t reach his ass properly, but Peter arched his back as if Tony had already pressed a finger in his tight little hole.

 Tony felt that he was losing control. He knew he was going too far. Not only were they in a hospital, and Pepper was waiting outside his room, he had also promised to keep his hands to himself until the boy turned twenty-one. But he was too far gone to stop now.

 Tony brought his hands to the front of the boy’s jeans while his tongue was thrusting in the boy’s mouth. He imagined what it would feel like to have Peter spread out under him, licking into his tight little heat and luring every sound out of the boy’s pretty pink mouth. He imagined how Peter would moan and cry, how he would beg him to feed him his cock.

 When he pressed his palm against Peter’s clothed cock, the boy bucked into his touch. Even though Tony would normally appreciate the responsiveness, the boy’s groin pressed against his chest for a short time and a sharp pain ran through his whole body.

 Tony groaned, but not out of arousal this time. It took Peter a second to realize Tony’s pain, but then he backed off immediately. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Stark.” He apologized while he climbed back into his chair.

 Tony smiled painfully. “It’s all right, sweet boy. I guess it’s better this way or we would have gone too far. I didn’t mean to touch you before your birthday, I just couldn’t stop myself.” He realised once again that he had no control over his urges when he touched the boy. He closed his eyes, willing his erection away which was leaking in the sweatpants he was wearing.

 It was difficult to regain control, and according to his heavy breathing, Peter felt the same way. The boy’s lips were swollen, and his hair dishevelled, he looked just so fuckable right now that he wanted the boy back on his lap. He concentrated on the dull pain in his chest to get a grip on himself.

 “Seems the only thing we can do is jump on each other.” Tony joked and Peter blushed with embarrassment. “You know what boy, when we get back home, I’m gonna take you out. Won’t be possible to strip you when we’re eating in a restaurant, right?”

 Tony knew his decision was right when the boy’s face lit up after the suggestion of a date. “I would like that Mr. Stark.” He answered and smiled so brightly at the billionaire that all those unwanted feelings came back. Tony groaned and fought his arousal once again. Will this go on forever now? He would die of frustration while he was close to the boy.

 “Tell me about yourself.” Tony tried to distract himself from his leaking cock.

 Peter looked at him thoughtfully. “What do you want to know?”

 Anything, Tony thought. Anything to distract me from the urge to fuck you senseless in a hospital room. “Tell me about your studies. You’re getting your PhD right?”

 Peter’s face lit up with the question. “Yes, I’m currently working on a project of prosthetic arms. My supervising professor knows some soldiers who lost their arms in the war. A couple of them have simple metal ones, but I’m working on better arms that can be controlled by their minds.”

 Tony was enchanted. The boy talked with a passion that made the billionaire thrilled. He gesticulated wildly while his eyes were sparkling with excitement. Tony wanted to know more about the project.

 “How far have you progressed?” He asked interested, forgetting the pain and his burning arousal for the first time.

 Peter shifted on his chair, tugging his legs under him to sit comfortably. Then he took out his old phone, opened an app and gave it to Tony. The billionaire scrolled through the app, seeing everything Peter had already done. He saw blueprints of arm prothesis, equations calculating the right amount of the component parts and a thousand measurement values. He saw Peter’s progress on the screen, his own mind racing with ideas to improve the project.

 At the end of Peter’s notations was a black question mark. “What’s this about?” Tony ask, pointing at the end of the document.

 Peter shrugged. “Well, I’d like to start the testing phase with a few people, but there’s still one problem left I couldn’t fix.”

 Tony was interested. “Which problem?”

 Peter took his old phone back, and Tony planned to buy him a new one, a better one. Probably he’ll give him a Stark phone. The boy showed him a video.

 Tony could see a man in a lab, probably at NYU, wearing an arm prothesis while sleeping in a bed. The setting of the room indicated that it was a test experiment Peter had conducted. In the upper left corner, the vitals of the man were on display. As time continued, Tony could see that the pulse was changing. The man was probably in REM sleep. Suddenly, his arm prothesis started to twitch, moving in a ridiculous way while the man was still sleeping. After a few seconds, someone entered the lab, waking the man up and the movements of the prothesis stopped.

 “What happened?” Tony asked curiously. He already had a presumption, but he wanted Peter to confirm it.

 “The prothesis is controlled by the subject’s thoughts and intentions, thus driven by electric impulses of the brain. During dreaming, electrical impulses are emitted that set the human body in motion. When dreams trigger strong emotions such as fear or excitement, the prosthesis reacts with unpredictable movements.”

 “Like when you lash out in a dream and then it happens in reality?” Tony asked him. “But doesn't that also happen with the normal body?”

 Peter smiled at the question, visibly enjoying talking about his project. “Kind of.” He answered. “But the reactions are stronger. When someone feels distressed in their sleep, they usually just toss and turn in bed. The simple feeling of a normal nightmare is enough for the prosthesis to react like soldiers with PTSD. You can imagine what a person who feels anxious would do at night.”

 Tony swallowed. He knew first hand how it was like to live with PTSD, how draining nightmares could be. He also knew what could happen when mind-controlled tech reacts to the dreams. He had similar problems with his Iron Man Suits once.

 “Peter, do you mind if we look at your prosthesis in my lab when we get back home?” Peter looked at him buzzled. Tony wanted a chance to get to know the boy better anyway and combining it with his favourite pastime sounded great. “I once had a similar problem with my Iron Man suits, maybe we can work on a solution together.”

 Peter beamed at him and tried to jump at him for joy. Tony liked the impulsive character of his soul mate, he always preferred partners who show their feelings. In bed and out of bed. He wanted to make the boy happy all the time, showering him with gifts and seeing the smile every day.

 Sadly, Peter held back before he could touch the billionaire. After losing control through the kiss earlier, it would be wise to keep their distance until his chest had healed. To top it off, the boy was still not twenty-one.

 “Peter, lets limit the time spent together to lab work until your birthday, all right?” Tony suggested. “We can talk, we can work, and on your birthday, I’ll take you out. I’ve promised you I’d take you on a date afterwards.”

 The boy didn’t look happy, but nodded anyway. “Fine.” He replied. “But don’t push me away afterwards.”

 “I won’t.” Tony promised. He won’t be able to keep his hands of the boy much longer anyway. “Let’s call it a day.” The billionaire suggested. “I’m tired from the surgery and your flight will leave tomorrow morning. I need to stay a few days longer to make sure everything is healing. I’ll be back at work next Monday. Can I pick you up Monday at five in the intern lab?”

 “Of course, Mr. Stark.” Peter replied happily. “Guess I’ll see you Monday.”

 He hugged Tony carefully before he left the room. Even one hour later, Tony imagined he could still feel the boy’s weight in his arms and the faint smell of vanilla in the air. Monday couldn’t come fast enough.

  Chapter 4

 After his first two weeks, Peter had almost settled into a routine at Stark Industries. In the morning he always went to the kitchen on the second floor first, brewing himself a cup of coffee. He needed his daily dose of caffeine to start the day, and although he preferred the perfectly brewed cappuccino from the bakery across the street, making his own was much cheaper. He brought his own mug and took it with him to his working space.

 Then that he went to the intern lab, a large room with a dozen workbenches. He shared the room with eleven other interns, all university or PhD students like himself. They got paid for their work, which is why they were included in SI projects. Everyone had to sign a confidentiality agreement to keep the company’s secrets safe.

 Peter and one other intern named Flash worked on a new Stark phone, assisting a couple of engineers to improve the older model. They were still having problems with the camera, it wasn’t as good as Tony Stark expected it to be and SI was known to bringing out only the best products.

 Peter hadn’t seen Pepper all week. She was relieved the matter with Tony and him was settled and that the billionaire was getting better after the surgery, but she had spent a lot of time worrying about him and now she had to get work done. Peter thought it was a pity. He was amazingly fond of her, even though she was Tony’s ex-wife. He felt her friendly love for his soulmate, and he was happy Tony had such an amazing woman in his life.

 All in all, his internship was the dream he’d hoped for, except for one thing: his lab-partner Flash. Flash was older than him, twenty-five by now, and he hadn’t finished his studies yet. Although that wasn’t a big deal, Flash was envious of him already doing his PhD, and every day he showed Peter how little he thought about him.

 It had started with a few comments. Parker, what is a kid like you doing in a grown-up world. Parker, how many dicks did you suck to get this internship? Parker, how many did you pay to get your PhD? But it just kept getting worse and worse.

 One day, Flash had destroyed a laptop, claiming it was Peter’s fault. He told their supervisor Peter had thrown it on the floor only to frame him. Peter denied it, but Flash had been working for SI for two years now and they all trusted him.

 Peter tried to ignore Flash, he didn’t answer, didn’t report anything, because his supervisor wouldn’t believe him anyway. But it only got worse. Flash had stolen his phone while he was going to the toilet, it was a mistake not to take it with him. He had read a pop-up message from MJ, telling him her hot new neighbour is exactly his type. As soon as Flash knew he was gay, he started calling him Penis-Parker, slapping his butt as he walked by and accusing Peter to try to gay him up too.

 It was a nightmare, but Peter didn’t say anything, too afraid that no one would belief him. On Monday, when Tony came back to work, things escalated.

  He had been late for work because a subway train had had an accident, blocking the station where he was waiting. Without a coffee, he entered the lab after his supervisor had glared angrily at him. Flash snickered, clearly enjoying his distress.

 The lab was empty except for Flash and him, all the other inters were either on vacation or attending a congress where a new SI product was to be launched today. But Flash and he had to stay in the lab because the new Stark phone would be launched soon, and the camera still wasn’t perfect.

 “Why are you late, Parker?” Flash sneered. “Busy dropping your pants for all the gay men on the streets?”

 Peter took a deep breath and tried to ignore him. Flash wasn’t worth the trouble, he wasn’t even worth the anger Peter was feeling, but the words hurt anyway. Yes, he was gay, so what? They were living in the twenty first century, nobody should care about sexual orientation anymore.

 His silence seemed to make Flash even angrier. “Penis Parker, I’m talking to you. Are not only a faggot but deaf, too?”

 Peter could feel anger bubbling up inside him, threatening to surface, but he fought it off. He was better than that, he wouldn’t start an argument about any of this. It would only come back to him, his supervisor wouldn’t belief him anyway.

 “You’re so pathetic, Parker.” Flash snarled and grabbed his forearm tight. Peter flinched; Flash had never touched him before. He could handle mean comments and insults about his sexuality, but he couldn’t stand violence. But Flash was bigger than him, stronger than him, and although he tried, Peter couldn’t get his arm free.

 “Please, let me go.” He begged, struggling against the grip on his forearm, but Flash only cackled.

 “Look at you, Penis Parker. One touch and you almost cry. I thought you like being touched by men, don’t you? Never had a real man touching you before?”

 Peters anger turned to fear. He’d been convinced Flash wouldn’t do anything serious to him, that he’d only let out his anger through words, but right now he wasn’t sure anymore. He struggled harder against the grip, afraid what the other man would do to him.

 When he heard the fabric tear, he was unaware of the seriousness of the situation for a few seconds. Flash stopped insulting him and that should have been the first warning sign. Still, it took him a little longer to understand why Flash was quiet.

 His wrist was turned upwards, the tattoo clearly visible. Normally, Peter wore a watch to cover it, but he had forgotten it in the morning, thinking the tight sleeves of his shirt would stop anyone from noticing. They had, though, but his shirt had ripped while he had been struggling against Flash’s grip. And now what he wanted to avoid at all costs had happened. Someone else had seen his mark.

 “Omg, you are really pathetic, Parker.” Flash said stunned. His scornful voice had turned to hideous. “How can you be so dumb to tattoo Tony Starks name on your arm.”

 Peter was finally able to pull his wrist back and hid the tattoo against his chest. His eyes prickled and he fought the tears with everything he had. He wouldn’t cry in front of Flash; he couldn’t stand the satisfaction that would be visible on the other’s face afterwards.

 “You are disgusting Peter Parker, do you really thing you can turn the Tony Stark gay with your little tricks?” Flash came even closer, grabbing his hips so tightly that he couldn’t escape. “Someone like him would never even look at you, faggot. I’m gonna show you what happens to arrogant kids like you, Parker. Guess you only got accepted for the internship because you had sucked a million dicks, hoping that one day Tony Stark would fuck your mouth. I tell you something Peter, that will never happen.”

  “Enough.” An icy voice interrupted them, and Flash jumped back startled. In the doorway of the lab stood Tony Stark, and Peter sighed with relief.

 “What do you think you’re doing there?” The billionaire asked Flash, rage all over his face. Peter could see that he was clenching his hands into fists, so his ankles turned white.

 “Mr. Stark, good thing you’re here.” Flash smiled at the man in awe. “I just had to teach the faggot here a lesson, he had your name tattooed on his wrist. He thought he could turn you gay by pretending to be your soulmate.” Flash’s loud laughter echoed across the room.

 Tony’s control snapped. He burst into the room, grabbed Flash by the throat and slammed him into the nearest wall. Peter could see that Tony was wearing a part of his Iron Man suit so there was no way for Flash break free. Tony’s face was full of hatred when he looked at the intern, Peter had never seen him like that before.

 “I’m gonna say this once, and only once.” The billionaire threatened. “No one has the right to attack anyone, even if they’re lying, even if they have tattooed my name over all of their body. Do you understand that?”

 Flash looked at him in fear, paralyzed and unable to answer because Tony clasped his throat tightly.

 The billionaire loosened his grip, he didn’t mean to kill him, only threatening him a bit.

 “Did I make myself clear?” He repeated, slowly this time.

 Flash couldn’t nod fast enough, and Tony let him go. He slumped to the ground, touching his neck, and looking like a little kid scolded by a father.

 “Although it’s none of your business, I want to show you something.” Tony grinned evil and rolled up his sleeve to reveal his soulmark, Peter’s name. Flash looked at it paralyzed.

 “If you ever bully my soulmate again, if you so much as look at him wrong or, god bless, touch him, I will kill you. And don’t you doubt I wouldn’t even go to jail for that. I have enough money so everyone will belief you attacked me first. Peter is mine.” Tony growled.

 Peter swallowed. Although the threat was directed at Flash, he could feel the billionaire’s anger anyway. He was so dominant, protecting Peter in a way no one had ever done before, and a warm feeling spread in his chest. That was everything he had ever wanted, someone to loved him, to take care of him and protect him if necessary.  

 Flash didn’t talk anymore, he sat on the floor, looking miserable and frightened, but Tony showed no pity. “Leave now.” He ordered. “Leave, and don’t think you could ever come back here again. Your resignation will be sent to you by mail.”

 Flash didn’t look up when he left the room and avoided Peter’s gaze. He looked like a kicked puppy, but Peter didn’t feel pity either. He could deal with comments, with harassment, he was used to it by now, but he couldn’t accept any form of violence. When Flash was gone, Tony turned to him.

 “Are you all right, Peter?” He asked, reached out and pulled him into an embrace. Peter hid his face in Tony’s thousand-dollar shirt, felling safe for the first time that day. Tony smelled good, save, like home and he let himself be held. When his tension dropped, he started to cry. Tony soothed him, kept him in his arms and stroked his back. He was waiting patiently until everything was out.

 After some time had passed, Peter’s sobbing slowed down, until he was breathing heavily, protected by Tony’s arms. “Shh, Pete. You’re safe, my sweet little boy. Come with me to my lab. I don’t want you to work with the other interns anymore.”

  Peter nodded and let himself be led into Tony’s workspace. He didn’t remember how they got there, he didn’t even notice that they weren’t seen by anyone else. The only thing he felt was Tony's grip around his hips and his voice telling him that everything would be okay.

 When they entered the lab, Tony sat down onto his couch, pulling Peter in his lap. Neither could let go of the other. Instead, Peter clung to Tony like an octopus, his face back into Tony's collar.

 After a minute of silence, Tony picked up a discussion. “Peter, I want you to work with me in my lab. Not only because you’re my soulmate, but also because you’re the most intelligent person I know. I don’t want you wasting your time on a phone, I want you to work on your project.”

 Peter looked up, smiling for the first time. “Really?”

 Tony smiled back. “Really. You are brilliant, Peter, and on top of that I want to keep you close to me.”

 Peter grinned, pressing his lips to Tony’s once more. The familiar heat, mixed with arousal, bubbled in his chest and he smiled in the kiss. Everything with Tony felt so perfect.

 After a couple of minutes, the billionaire pulled back. His lips were swollen, and he looked at Peter with hunger in his eyes. Peter wanted to go further. He wanted to thank Tony by blowing him, getting down on his knees in front of the billionaire and putting his cock into his mouth. He wanted to be bent over the couch, he wanted his daddy to fuck him until he screamed.

 Peter froze for a second. Had he called Tony Daddy in his mind? Fuck, what was wrong with him? He was glad, he didn’t say it out loud. What would his soulmate think of him? He didn’t see Tony as a father, he didn’t want to be parented by him, but he wanted to be protected like a boy. It was hard for him to admit to himself that the thought of the billionaire as his provider, his protector, turned him on even more.

 “Everything all right, boy?” Tony asked, sensing his discomfort.

 Peter smiled and answered cocky. “Everything is fine. I just thought about blowing you right now.”

 Tony groaned and gently pushed him off his lap. “Peter, please. Don’t try my patience. How can you tempt me when you were crying just a few minutes ago?"

 Peter laughed loudly, licked his lips and enjoyed the effect he had on his soulmate. “I don’t know. I constantly think about you fucking me.”

 Tony’s moans were flattering. He was so happy to be allowed to work in the billionaire’s lab and he was making plans. He wanted to work on his project, but he also wanted to work on the billionaire. Let’s see if Mr. Stark could wait for his birthday or if he would go crazy with arousal. Peter smiled to himself. For the time being he would let it go, sit on the couch next to Tony and stay away from his lap, but he would make the billionaire's next few weeks difficult.

 They both needed time to calm down, getting a grip of their arousal. Peter kept cuddling Tony and pressed himself against his side, but the smell of his soulmate made it difficult to think about anything else than getting fucked. Nevertheless, he held himself back.

 “Why were you in the lab?” Peter asked after a long time of silence and turned his head to look at the billionaire’s face. “You even had a piece of your Iron Man Suit with you.”

 Tony smiled at him and pressed a kiss on his forehead. “I felt your distress.” He confessed. “It didn't feel like the feeling was coming from me. It was in the back of my head and I knew it belonged to you.”

 Peter looked at him stunned. “Do you think it’s because of the bond?”

 The billionaire chuckled and pressed him closer to his side. “Maybe. If we have time, we could look into it more closely. Do some research.”

 Peter beamed at the thought of recherche, of knowledge, and it was the moment he realised that maybe the thing between them wasn't just a chemical reaction or a mission for him to make Tony happy. Maybe they really were a perfect match.

  ~*~

  When Tony was allowed to leave the hospital, he felt nothing but relieved. He had been going crazy in there, never any good with patience and he felt restless when he was separated from his lab for too long. Pepper and Peter had left days ago. Pepper had a company to run and Peter continued his internship. Tony had kept him away enough lately, but he missed his boy. He didn’t know if it was because of the bond, but he suspected it might be caused by the kid’s awesomeness, too. Everything he had already seen of the boy was perfect. Shit, if he wasn’t careful, he would become a sap.

 Lab work with Peter turned out to be great. Tony had known he was clever, after all he had seen the blueprints of Peter’s project but watching the boy work was something else. Tony could see Peter had never worked with good equipment before. He’d always feel bad, when an idea didn’t work out and material was wasted, even tough failure was a part of engineering. But after some time had passed, Peter got used to the unlimited amount of resources and it was inspiring to work with the boy.

 The only thing worrying Tony was the pull towards Peter that he felt. Working with him, seeing his intelligence every day, was slowly killing Tony. He was almost constantly turned on, watching the boy’s fingers when he worked. He imagined how it would feel when the boy wrapped them around his cock and Tony couldn’t suppress a shiver. He watched Peter’s ass, saw the muscles flex when he walked and the only thing stopping him from bending the boy over was his stubbornness. On top of that, Peter was almost constantly chewing on something, a pen or a screwdriver, and it was tempting as hell to see the pink lips stretching around something.

 Tony didn’t know if Peter was doing it on purpose, but he couldn’t imagine that such an innocent boy could even try to seduce him. He blamed himself instead, believing that his sick mind was making things up. Only four weeks after they started working together, Tony snapped.

  When he entered the lab this morning, Peter was already there, bending over a workbench to screw a metal piece to the fifth prototype of his prothesis. Immediately, the billionaire’s gaze was glued to the firm little ass, watching it flex in the boy’s jeans. He didn’t announce his arrival to get more time to admire the view. As Peter shifted his weight from one leg to another, Tony could see his cheeks wiggle and he closed his eyes, imagining how they would bounce when he slapped them, when he would split the boy open with his cock.

 Tony would love to strap Peter down to the desk, keeping him there for hours. He would enter him over and over, filling him with his load until it leaked out of him. He would claim his boy so thoroughly that everyone could see who Peter belonged to. Tony knew his thoughts were wrong, that Peter couldn’t possibly want the things he did, but his mind keep wandering even though he tried to fight it.

 “Mister Stark, you’re here. Why didn’t you say something?” Peter ripped him out of his thoughts, looking at him with his innocent Bambi-eyes.

 Tony cleared his throat before answering. “I’m just watching you work. It’s interesting how far you’ve come with your project.” His voice was rough, and even in his own ears it sounded like an excuse, but Peter just smiled.

 “Great, Mr Stark. Would you mind lending me a hand?” Oh, Tony would love to. He would help undress the boy, stuff him full of his fingers and wrap the other hand around Peters cock. But that’s not what the boy was talking about, Tony remembered. He was talking about the prosthetic.

 “Sure.” He replied, struggling to keep his voice neutral.

 “Perfect.” Peter beamed. “Can you walk around the desk and keep the prothesis still? I want to open it and see why it couldn’t react as fast as I want it to.”

 Tony only nodded, disappointed that he couldn't watch his ass any longer, but he could at least see Peter’s face properly now. He held the prosthesis in place and gave the boy enough room to work.

 What he didn’t expect was the boy’s facial expression while he was concentrated. Peter’s mouth fell open and his tongue darted out. He licked his lips, focused on his project. Tony couldn’t tear his gaze from the boy’s lips. They were wet, glistening with salvia and Tony wanted them stretched around his cock. He could see that they were swollen, Peter had probably bitten them, too focused on his project.

 Tony’s thoughts weren’t nice. He didn’t just want to push in, he wanted to choke Peter on it, seeing the boy cry from his cock when he split open his throat. Tony knew his cock wasn’t small, many of his past lover struggled with it, but he’d never wanted to wreck someone so thoroughly as he wanted to wreck Peter.

 When Peter’s mouth opened a bit wider, Tony was done. He let go of the prothesis and jumped back a step as if he had been burned. Peter looked at him confused.

 “Mister Stark, is something wrong?” He asked innocently.

 Tony shock his head, struggling to find the right words. “No, no. Everything is fine Peter. I’m just craving coffee. I want to go to the coffee shop across the street. Shall I get you a coffee too?”

 “Yes, please.” Peter smiled. “I love their cappuccino, it’s amazing.”

 You’re amazing, Tony thought, already halfway out the door. He had to put space between them. It was only a little over a month away from Peter's birthday, and he’ll manage it. The attraction between them was almost unbearable, he had never felt anything like this before, but he couldn’t sleep with Peter until he was twenty-one. His fantasies were so filthy, so wrong that he couldn’t act them out with a kid.

  Twenty minutes later, Tony came back with two coffees in his hand. He felt calmer. For a second, he had thought about relieving himself in the bathroom, but he had quickly dismissed the idea. He was no longer a teenager, so he wouldn’t act like one.

 Peter dumped his work when Tony offered him the cappuccino. “Omg, thank you, Mister Stark. The taste is amazing.“ He moaned during his first sip and Tony closed his eyes, feeling aroused. Again. What the fuck was wrong with him.

 A little bit of foam was still on Peter’s bottom lip and the boy licked it up seductively. Tony’s eyes were on the boy’s lips once again. It had taken the billionaire twenty minutes to calm down, only to be back on the edge of his control after a few seconds. Great, just great.

 Things only got worse. Peter arched his back as he was bend over the workbench once again, his legs were spread to stand securely. He was occasionally sipping his coffee, moaning each time and declaring his love to the coffee shop across the street. When Peter whimpered after his last sip of coffee, Tony snapped.

 He pressed his groin against the boy’s ass, moaning in his ear. His left arm hold Peter securely on the table, making it impossible for Peter to move. “Stop that, sweet boy.” Tony pleaded desperately, knowing he would regret his next words. “You don’t know what you’re doing to me when you offer yourself like that. You’re acting like a slut for me.”

 He had never expected the reaction of Peter to his words. The boy cried out, arching his back even further and rubbing his ass against Tony’s groin. “Please, daddy. Please let me be your slut. I’ve worked so hard to break your patience.”

 The minute the boy called him Daddy, Tony was lost. He growled like an animal, all doubts vanished from his thoughts as if they’d never been there. He gripped Peter’s wrist, holding them firmly behind the boy’s back. His cock was pulsing in his jeans, uncomfortably so, and he thrusted against Peter’s backside. It wasn’t enough.

 “You wanted it, sweet boy? Acting like a slut for me, presenting your lips and your ass, trying to seduce me?” His voice was deep, he didn’t even recognize himself anymore.

 “Yes, please, daddy.” Peter cried. Tony had never seen anyone so beautiful. The boy belonged here, beneath him, crying for his daddy to ravish him. “I’ve tried so hard, Daddy. I bend over every time you looked at me, I bit my lips raw for you. Just please, do something. I need it.”

 Tony growled. His boy was everything he had ever wanted, his soulmate, perfect for him in bed and out of it. He couldn’t hold back anymore. Tony used his free hand to undo his belt and pulled out his cock. He moaned in relief when he was out of his prison.

 “I want you to pull your jeans and boxer down. Don’t take them off completely. Just enough so I can see your milky ass. Can you do that for me, Pete?” Tony could have done it himself, but he wanted the boy to decide whether he was ready or not. “You won’t come today, my sweet boy. I can’t reward you for your slutty behaviour. I won’t fuck you and I won’t even let you blow me until your birthday. I will stroke myself until I’ll come on you pretty cheeks, rub it into your skin to show you that you are mine.” He growled, squeezing Peter’s ass once. “If you want to leave now or want to wait for your birthday, that’s fine, but if you want to stay, it's on my terms.”

 Peter didn’t even have to think. “Please, come all over me, Daddy.” He begged, already tugging down his pants. He revealed the most gorgeous little ass Tony had ever seen. It was milky white, plum and round, inviting him to slap the skin to watch it wiggle. Tony couldn’t resist, he spread the cheeks to get a good look at the tight little pucker between. He wouldn’t touch today, but a look wouldn’t hurt.

 He groaned when he saw the pink muscle. Peter was gorgeous down there, smooth, hairless skin and so responsive. The boy cried out as the billionaire revealed his entrance to the air, and the urge to touch was stronger than ever. But Tony hold back, just one more month.

 Instead, he gripped his cock and started stroking it. He knew he wouldn’t last long; he was already too riled up from the boy’s seduction. His gaze was focused on Peter while he pleasured himself. He enjoyed all the little noises Peter made and watched the ass wiggle when the boy twitched.

 His orgasm came fast, sweeping over him like a train. He trembled, fighting to keep the control of his body. It was white hot pleasure, as intense as he had never experienced before.

 Tony saw his seed splashing on Peter’s backside, covering him and marking him up. He felt pride when the boy surrendered himself to his grip and he felt satisfaction that was deeper than just sexual. He rubbed his release into the boy’s skin, before helping the boy up from the desk. Tony massaged the boy's stiff wrists to stimulate blood circulation and tucked Peter’s pants up, without cleaning his mess. He wanted the boy to feel him a little longer.

 After that, he hugged the boy close, sitting down on the sleeping couch in his lab. He draped Peter on his lap, his arms wrapped around his boy to keep him close. The boy was still hard, but he relaxed into the embrace with a content smile on his face.

 Tony soothed him, unwilling to let the boy go. They sat in contented silence for a few minutes until Tony raised his voice.

 “Pete, I think we need to talk about a few things. Don’t worry, nothing bad.” The boy nodded, still uncertainty in his eyes.

 “Peter, I really like you.” Tony confessed and Peter beamed at his as if it was Christmas.

 “I like you, too Mr. Stark.”

 A warm feeling spread through Tony’s chest. Although he already suspected the boy was developing feelings for him, it was different hearing it from him.

 “Peter, I’m not a good man. In a relationship and in bed.” Tony sighed. “I take too much control and I find it hard to be considerate. I mean, everyone knows, my divorce with Pepper was all over the media.” He swallowed, afraid to lose the boy with his demands in bed or with his carelessness.”

 “Tony.” Peter spoke up for the first time. His voice was steady and calm, all shyness gone. “You are a good man. You look out for others, risk your life for strangers and care about all your friends. What makes you think that's not enough? I really like you. In time, I'll probably love you too.”

 The words were like fire in Tony’s veins, but for once not due to arousal. Even though he tried to be tough, to be fine on his own, it was beautiful to hear that such a perfect young man could think so well of him. He glowed with affection for the boy and it was the first time he believed, given time, he could love Peter too. How could he not? The boy was perfection.

 Still, a little disbelief remains. Tony lowered his head and could no longer look Peter in the eye. “The thing with Pepper, I really tried. I cut back the hours in the lab, tried to be on point for all the social events, I even started to care more about the company. Still, it wasn’t enough. It will never be enough.”

 Peter put a finger under his chin and gently lifted his head. “And what did she say about why she left?”

 Tony shrugged. “That it didn’t work out between us?”

 “Exactly.” Peter smiled warmly at him. “That it didn’t work out between you, not because of you. She wasn’t the right one and that’s fine. You don’t have to cut back the hours in the lab if that’s what you love. Of course, relationships are about compromises, but not about losing yourself. If you have to change for things to work, you’ll be miserable. Tony, Pepper loves you as a friend, I’ve seen that much these past few weeks. You two didn’t work out. But maybe we will. Give us a chance.” Peter started to feel desperate.

 Tony was still not completely convinced. “Pete, how is it right that lust for you as much as I do? You’re more than twenty-years younger than me. I can’t be good for you. The things I wanna do to you, that cannot be normal.”

 Peter smiled at him and brushed through his hair. “Tony, if you think it's wrong for you to feel this way, then my feeling would be wrong too. I love it when you take control and I want to submit to you. Even that means I can't come.” Peter grimaced looking at his neglected dick. “I want this, you want this. That’s all that should matter.”

 Tony looked into the boy's eyes, searching for anything to tell him it was a lie, but Peter’s face was full of honesty. “You really want this?” He asked, sounding more like a child than a grown-up dominant man.

 “I want this.” Peter confirmed. “But only if you try to open up to me. I want you to tell me about your doubts, to give me the chance to help with your guilt. You’re not the only one that has to accept his desires. I almost died of embarrassment when I called you Daddy earlier.”

 Tony swallowed and pressed the boy closer to his chest. “I love it when you call me that, Peter. Don’t be ashamed.” He whispered in his boy’s ear.

 “Then try not to feel guilty about your urges too, Tony.” Peter replied, settling against his chest. “I want you, all of you, maybe the soulshit isn’t as bad as I thought. Maybe we really are a perfect match.”

 Tony buried his face in Peter’s neck. Maybe, Peter was right. There was no other explanation why Peter was so perfect for him otherwise. He wanted to keep the boy and not to fuck it up like he had a million times before.

 “I’ll try, Peter.” He promised, leaning back so he could look the boy in the eye again. “I’ll try, but it won’t always work. There will be times when it will be hard for you to like me.”

 “I just want you to try.” Peter reassured him. “Even when it will be hard.”

 And then Peter kissed him, not a heated kiss, but a sweet one. And Tony let go, gave himself to Peter, knowing if there was anyone he could trust, it was his boy.

Chapter 5

Five weeks later

  Tony Stark was leaning against the passenger door of his new black Tesla. He had parked on the side of a ragged street in Queens, his car obviously not fitting in. The apartment building he was waiting in front of was grey and dirty, but it looked slightly better than the other houses he was surrounded by. Although it was already getting dark, the street was still busy. Children were running around, adults were carrying groceries home and a group of young people were chatting in a corner.

 Everyone was looking at him, of course they were. He stood out with his flashy car and the fancy suit, carrying a bouquet of 21 roses in his arms. More than half the people probably recognized him, wondering why the fuck Tony Stark, billionaire and genius, was standing in a ragged street in Queens on a Friday evening. He didn’t care, used to that kind of attention.

 Tony was waiting for Peter outside his house. He wanted to pick up the boy and take him to a restaurant because today was Peter’s birthday. Finally. Tony couldn’t wait any longer. He wanted to show the boy off to the world, everyone had to know that Peter was his, and his alone. In the past, he’d tried to keep his flings to himself as long as possible. He hated the media and their interest in his lovelife, but with Peter, his soulmate, it was different. He intended to tell everyone that the beautiful boy belonged to him, he would shout it from the rooftop if necessary, and taking Peter out in public would be the first step.

 On top of that, Tony’s control was almost broken. He couldn’t resist anymore; he didn’t want to wait any longer. All his guilt had slowly disappeared over the lasts weeks and it was getting harder and harder every day to keep his hands off his boy. And he didn’t want to hold back anymore, he planned to devour the boy, to show him everything he could do to his body. Resisting had only been more difficult after he’d known that the boy wanted him as much.

 Before his thoughts went too far, Tony concentrated on the plans he had made for the evening and the flowers in his hands. They were beautiful red roses and he had paid a small fortune for them, but he didn’t care. Peter deserved everything and Tony was wealthy enough to provide for his boy.

 When Peter stepped out of the door, Tony smiled at him. The boy looked amazing, even more than usual. He was dressed in a plain shirt and dress pants with a soft grey coat on top. Tony was speechless. The clothes fitted perfectly, and he smiled smugly after seeing the boy in the grey coat that Tony had bought him a week ago. Peter looked like his and that made the primitive part of his brain pleased.

 “Happy birthday, my boy.” Tony greeted him with a hug, burying his head in the boy’s curls and inhaling Peter’s sweet smell. The bouquet of flowers was forgotten in his hand. He had never been so happy in his life, being surrounded by his soulmate and seeing Peter’s beautiful smile almost every day.

 “Hey, Mister Stark.” Peter said mischievously, knowing exactly what he was doing to Tony with these words. The billionaire groaned. He had asked the boy weeks ago to call him Tony, and mostly he did, but Peter had discovered the effect of calling him Mr. Stark after a long day in the lab. To summarize, it had been another unsatisfactory evening.

 Tony enjoyed the hug, savouring Peters smell and the warmth of his body, but the boy tensed up after a few seconds. “You’re all right?” The billionaire asked concerned, overwhelmed by the urge to protect his soulmate.

 Peter blushed, eyes lowered on the ground and the primitive part of Tony’s brain cooed because of his innocence. “They’re all watching.”

 Across the street a group of people were staring at them with open mouths. Tony chuckled. “You have to get used to this. You’ll soon officially be my soulmate, people will be staring all the time.”

 Peter paled, looking at him with huge innocent eyes and Tony purred. His boy was the sweetest. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I will protect you.” He couldn’t smoother his smug smile, protecting Peter satisfied something dark inside him. God, he felt like an animal. “I bought you some roses, do you want to put them in a vase before we go?”

 Peter smiled at him and nodded. While he was quickly running upstairs, Tony opened the door of his car, waiting for his boy to return. The billionaire had planned the whole day and he was a bit nervous, everything had to be perfect.

 “Thanks for the flowers, Tony.” Peter said as he got into the car, and Tony didn't know whether he was happy or not to be called by his first name again. Since he was still planning to take his boy to a restaurant, it was probably for the best.

  The drive didn’t take long, Tony made sure Peter didn’t have to spend his birthday in a car, and they arrived in front of an Italian Restaurant in the middle of New York. It wasn’t the fanciest one because Tony knew Peter wouldn’t be comfortable, but he insisted to spoil his boy on his special day, so it would be way above Peter’s budget. Tony parked the car, opened the door for Peter und lead him into the restaurant.

 All heads turned as they entered. Some people looked at them with disgust, probably because of the age-gab, others were jealous, and Tony enjoyed the attention of the other guests. He wanted everyone to know that Peter was his.

 “Mister Stark, I would like to show you your table.” A waiter approached them before they had a chance to ask for themselves. Tony smiled, helping Peter out of his coat and gave a servant both of their jackets. He couldn’t stop himself from placing his hand on Peter’s lower back, and he felt the boy shivering under the touch.

 They were led to a table next to the window with a beautiful view of the central park. Tony could see that Peter was smiling and seeing his boy happy helped him to settle. He would make sure Peter got everything he could ever wish for.

 “Do you like it?” He asked the boy, unable to completely supress the nervousness from his voice.

 “It’s amazing.” Peter beamed at him. “I love Italian. How did you know?”

 “Intuition.” Tony lied. The truth is, he had asked Pepper, bugged her for a whole week until she caved and promised to subtly ask Peter what his favourite food was. Tony still owed her a bottle of wine for the troubles, especially since Peter had apparently not noticed the interrogation.

 “I’m so happy, it’s my birthday at last.” Peter whined. “I swear, I nearly died of blue balls.”

 It was the first time Tony blushed. Fuck, how could his boy say something like this in a restaurant? Peter had been so shy and innocent when they met and now, he was starting to express his own desires. Even though he was still pliant and sweet when Tony showed a little dominance.

 “Don’t say things like this.” Tony groaned. “Or I'm not gonna hold back and fuck you right here on this table.”

 Peter just grinned smugly. “Is that supposed to be a threat?”

 Before Tony had a chance to devour his boy or be embarrassed further, the waiter interrupted their flirt. “Would you like something to drink yet?” He asked and offered them the menus. Tony ordered a white wine and Peter a coke.

 When the waiter left their table, Peter looked at him overwhelmed. “The menu is in Italian.” He complained. “I don’t understand anything.”

 Tony took his hand and stroked it with his thumb. “Don’t worry, sweet boy. Do you want me to translate or should I order for you?” He pleaded silently that the boy would let him order, trust him to pick something he liked.

 “You can order.” The boy answered, blushing again and Tony suppressed a growl. The boy was literally his dream.

 Tony chose Spaghetti with chanterelle for himself and Pizza with shrimp for his boy. Of course, he had asked Pepper to find out what Peter liked, to make a good impression in case Peter allowed him to order. And according to Peter’s face when the food arrived, Tony picked well and he was rewarded with a bright smile.

 The conversation during the meal was comfortable between them, had spent enough time together in the laboratory to get to know the other. They had already skipped the awkwardness that usually goes along with dating.

 Tony took the opportunity to watch his boy thoroughly, his gestures when he talked about his project and his sparkling eyes when he told him all about the last family day with May. While Peter was chatting about his last conversation with Pepper, Tony felt a sudden urge to hold the boy close. Pepper was very important to him, and when he heard his soul mate talk so nicely about his ex-wife, happiness gushed in his chest. Instead of being jealous, Peter not only accepted Pepper into Tony's life, but also tried to make friends with her.

 Feelings Tony had never felt before, grew inside him. “I love you, Peter.” Tony blurted out, interrupting Peter mid-sentence.

 Peter gaped at him like a fish, completely silent. Doubts arose in Tony, accompanied by a sudden urge to leave the situation, but he fought to sit still. He wouldn’t run away, not now, not when the boy in front of him was so perfect. Tony’s hands started to sweat, and he lowered his gaze, unable to look Peter the eye anymore. His whole life was either running away from uncomfortable feelings or trying to change for his partner. But with Peter everything was different, with Peter he allowed himself to be vulnerable, even if he gave power to someone else who would be capable to destroy him.

 “Omg, Tony.” Peter cried out, his voice trembling and Tony raised his head, afraid he’d said something wrong. On Peter’s face was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen on the other man, reminding Tony of an angle. Not that he had ever seen an angle before, but that’s how he imagined them to look. Peter took his hand across the table, squeezing it lightly and beamed at him. “I love you, too.”

 Tony felt a smile spreading across his face. He was happier than he'd ever been in his life. This beautiful stunning boy loved him too and belonged to him. He grabbed the boy’s neck, pulling him closer across the desk to press a sweet kiss on his lips. Peter melted under his touch, leaning his forehead against Tony’s and panting even minutes after they separated.

 Tony cleared his throat, still overwhelmed by his own feelings. He had been so caught up in the kiss, in Peter, that he hadn’t noticed that other guests were taking pictures of them. It would be all over the media the next day anyway, but Tony didn’t care. Peter was an adult, and it was his own decision who he wanted to date.

 “I have a present for you.” Tony declared. “Do you want to open it now or later at home?”

 “I don’t want to wait.” Peter’s eyes sparkled and he grinned smugly. “But I don’t want to open it here either. Let’s leave.” The boy licked his lips seductively and Tony let out a groan. One gesture from Peter and he started to lose his control again. Maybe it was time he took what he craved.

 “Check, please.” He waved at the waiter, his eyes not once leaving Peter’s lips.

  ~*~

  In retrospect, Tony couldn’t remember how they left the restaurant. The only thing he recalled was his tongue in Peter’s mouth and how the little ass wiggled when he grabbed him firmly. He hoped that no reporters were lingering in front of the restaurant or he would be able to see a detailed picture of him ravaging Peter in every gossip rag tomorrow.

 It was one of the hardest things Tony had ever done when he released his boy from his grip to get in the car. He would much rather hold him close, keeping him in his arms forever, but unless they wanted to be arrested for public indecency, they had to drive home now. Tony was almost at the point of no return and if he didn’t get a grip on himself right now, it would be too late.

 During the drive, Peter couldn’t sit still. Out of the corner of his eye, Tony watched him shifting on his seat, spreading his legs as wide as possible and when his boy pressed his palm against the bulge in his trousers, Tony growled. “Stop that, boy. Or you won’t come today at all.”

 Peter winced; eyes fluttering shut and lips slightly open, inviting the billionaire to slip his cock right in. Tony’s finger clasped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white and he forced his eyes back on the road. Fortunately, Peter listed to him and removed his hand from his crotch.

  It felt like hours until Tony opened the door to his apartment, although it probably took about ten minutes. He had been waiting for his boy for months and now, so close to his goal, he was about to lose himself.

 As soon as the door slammed shut, Tony pressed Peter against it, hands tucking at his hair to bare the boy’s throat. Peter moaned from the sharp pain, surrendering to him and Tony felt his cock harden from the trusting gesture. He pressed his lips on the boy’s jaw, sucking and marking him up, watching the skin bruise under his assault. Peter melted in the touch and tilted his head even further, giving Tony access to his delicate throat. Having Peter at his mercy, the primal part of his brain preened, knowing the boy was his, and his alone.

 Tony had had many lovers before. Some a little more dominant, some submissive, but never before had anyone given himself so completely in his hands, trusting him with his pleasure and he noticed what he had been missing all these years. Nobody was as close to being perfect as Peter.

 A sudden urge to kiss the boy, to hold him close, overcame him and he pressed his lips tenderly on Peter’s. “I love you.” Tony whispered in his mouth, enjoying the boy’s taste on his tongue. His feelings were so overwhelming that it took him a second to deal with them. “Mine.” He said softly, nibbling at Peter’s lower lip, demanding entrance to his mouth.

 Peter moaned again, opening his lips slightly so that Tony could slip his tongue in. He explored every inch of the boy’s mouth, trying to memorize the taste of him, unwilling to ever let go of Peter’s lips. But the boy had other plans. He pressed his body against Tony’s, rubbing his clothed cock against his leg and whimpered like he would die if Tony stopped. Tony had always loved it when his partners showed him their pleasure and Peter was a needy little thing, moaning and panting exactly how Tony liked it.

 “Mr. Stark, please.” Peter begged, sparking off a fire in Tony’s body with his words. “I need you, I need your cock. Please, let me suck it. Please.” Peter’s voice was trembling, his eyes huge and filled with tears. Never before had anyone begged so sweetly for his cock and Tony couldn’t refuse him.

 He lifted the boy into his arms, carrying him to the sofa in his living room. He sat down, dropping his boy gently between his legs. Peter shifted until he kneeled comfortably, his pink lips close to the billionaire’s clothed cock. He tried to press his face against Tony’s thigh, but Tony stopped him with a firm grip in his hair. Peter cried out in frustration.

 “Behave yourself, boy.” Tony growled, his fingers pressing against the boy’s neck. “I want you to earn Daddy’s cock. I want you crawling in front of me, while you beg me to fuck your mouth. How does that sound, baby boy?”

 Tony felt the boy shivering under his touch, lost in his arousal and he watched Peter, pleased with himself. His boy was a vision, sitting between his legs and waiting for his cock, his lips slightly parted and his tongue darting out. Peter relaxed in front of him, pliant and waiting for the next order. Tony could sit like this for hours, watching Peter on his knees in front of him, begging for his cock.

 Tony’s control snapped after a few seconds and he unzipped his pants, pulling out his cock. Peter’s gaze was fixed on him, watching as Tony stroked himself to full hardness. The boy’s eyes sparkled at the sight and Tony felt his ego burst at the covetous look on Peter’s face. He knew his cock was bigger than average, but when he saw that the boy liked his treat, it clearly inflated his ego.

 “I want you to tab twice against my knees if it’s too much, you understand me, sweet boy?” Tony said forcefully, making sure the boy had understood him as he nodded.  

  “May I, please Mr. Stark?” Peter begged and Tony smirked at the desperation in the boy’s voice. He gestured him to come closer and took his own cock in his right hand, smearing his precome all over Peter’s face.

 “Look at you, so desperate for me. You can’t wait for my cock filling your mouth, can you, boy?”

 Peter whimpered and opened his mouth wider, trying to coax the billionaire to fed him his cock. But Tony took his time, touching his cheeks and his lips with the tip of his cock without giving Peter what he wanted. Peter’s lips looked gorgeous coated with his precome.

 Only when Peter was almost crying with desire did Tony show mercy and pressed the tip of his cock into Peter’s mouth. Tony was ready to burst. The warm wet heat made him go crazy and he closed his eyes, fighting against the urge to thrust deeply. Peter tentatively licked across his slit, tasting the salty precome and Tony felt himself twitching in Peter’s mouth, his tip bumped against Peter’s throat.

 He had always loved getting head from his partner, he loved the rush of control when he buried his hands in his partner’s hair, owning his mouth and controlling his breathing. But Peter was something else. He was so beautiful on his knees in front of Tony like he belonged there, like he was made for sucking Tony’s cock. It had never felt as intense as it did today and his whole body was tingling with the rush of power.

 Greedily, Peter tried to get more of the man into his mouth, but Tony stopped him effectively by grabbing his hair. “We have time, Peter.” He scolded the boy. “Take it slowly.” Patience would make everything so much better.

 Peter whined, but Tony stood firm, pulling his cock out of Peter’s mouth. “Behave boy, or you’ll get nothing.”

 Peter stopped struggling immediately and became pliant once again. He craved to get the billionaire back inside and Tony could see Peter’s hard cock was straining inside his jeans, but the boy kept quiet, waiting for anything the man was willing to give him.

 Tony only lasted a minute until he pressed back in, giving the boy more of his cock this time. Peter moaned; the vibrations around him felt like heaven and Tony groaned loudly. Gone was the slow rhythm. He started to thrust into the boy’s mouth, feeding him more and more every time he dived back in. Peter was taking him like a champ, sucking him, pleasing him, doing everything he demanded of the boy.

 Peter had started to rub his cock against Tony’s leg and the billionaire could see the look in the boy’s eyes, could see how far gone he was. He was deeply trapped in his submission for him and Tony promised himself to take care of the boy, to show him pleasure he had never experienced before. If he commanded Peter to come in his pants now, Peter would probably, spilling over Tony’s legs like a dog in heat.

 “You are made for this, made to be my little cock slut. I just need to feed you my cock and you are ready to burst, rubbing all over me like a bitch in heat.”

 Peter groaned and Tony used the opportunity to press deeper. The boy’s throat convulsed around his heavy flesh and he started to gag, but Tony showed no mercy. He fucked Peters throat however he wanted, only drawing back when the boy needed to breath. He loved the tight heat surrounding his tip, loved that Peter didn’t complain but took him like he was made for it. Nothing had ever felt better than Peter’s throat convulsing around his tip and he lost himself in the moment with his boy.  

  When Tony sensed he was getting close, he pulled back, resting his tip on the boy’s tongue. He didn’t want to come too soon, he wanted to bend the boy over later, burying himself in that plump little ass. Peter whined at the loss, begging with his innocent eyes for his cock once more, but he didn’t move. Tony was proud of him.

 “I want to take you to the bedroom and fuck you.” Tony growled, gripping the base of his cock to stop himself from spilling. “Is that okay with you?” He watched his boy closely, making sure he didn't do anything Peter didn't want to do.

 “Please, Mr. Stark.” Peter was already begging, shifting on his knees, unable to get any friction on his neglected cock.

 Tony closed his eyes and pulled himself together so as not to lose his patience. “I want you to go to the bedroom now. Undress yourself and get comfortable on the bed. I’ll be right there.”

 “Yes, Daddy.” Peter replied, sending a jolt of arousal through Tony’s body. The billionaire composed himself, needing a second to get the feelings under control. He was almost relieved when the boy left him alone, afraid he would come too soon if he didn’t get a second to calm down. He no longer young, and it would end too quickly if he followed right away.

  Still, he couldn't stand it for five minutes until he went into the bedroom, getting lube and a condom from the bathroom first. The view that greeted him was breath-taking. Peter had taken off all his clothes and folded them neatly beside the bed. He was lying on his stomach, shoulders pressed into the bed while his ass was lifted into the air. The boy had spread his legs like he was presenting for Tony, his milky white cheeks on display.

 “Baby, you’re beautiful.” Tony gasped in wonder, carefully stroking his fingers across the white globes. He couldn’t resist spreading Peter’s cheeks with his hands, revealing the tight pink hole in between. Peter whimpered.

 He had been dreaming about that ass ever since he had spilled over Peter’s back. He’d imagined what it would feel like to thrust into the tight little pucker, glistening with lube and puffy from Tony fingering it open. He had fought the urge for month, always holding back and now that he was allowed to touch, it felt like his dream would come true. He gently tabbed his middle finger against the pucker, testing how the skin would feel.

 Peter cried under the touch, squirming on the bed and trying to press his ass closer to Tony.

 “Shh, sweet boy.” Tony cooed, gently caressing Peter’s back. “We have time. Don’t try to suck my finger down your greedy little hole without lube, okay?” Peter answered with a whine, sounding like a kicked puppy and Tony couldn’t stop himself from thinking how cute his boy was.

 “Daddy, please. I can’t wait any longer. Give me a finger, now.”

 Tony slapped his ass a response, watching the flesh wiggle afterwards. He loved his boy’s eagerness, but he couldn’t let such demanding behaviour slide. “Patience, boy.” He growled. “Patience or you will get nothing.”

 Tony loved how Peter reacted to the threat, how pliant and good he became, how he fought against himself to be his best for Tony but holding back was as straining for the billionaire as it was for his boy. So, he flipped the cap of the lube open and poured a huge amount directly onto Peter’s lower back, letting it dribble down in Peter’s crack. Peter flinched from the cold and a sadistic part of Tony enjoyed it immensely.

 “I’m gonna spread you open.” Tony promised. “Make you ready and gaping for my cock. I’ll fuck you with my fingers until you’re begging for more.”

 “Please, please. I’ll do anything.” The begging went straight to Tony’s cock, his baby was marvellous when he was losing his mind.

 Tony coated his fingers in the clear fluid, one hand wrapped around his own cock without moving it, the other one moving lower to Peter’s entrance. His right index finger tipped against Peter’s hole teasingly, and Tony watched with smug satisfaction how it twitched. The boy’s breath quickened and strained muscles showed how difficult it was for Peter not to move.

 “Shh, you’re doing fine, my boy. So beautiful, so perfect. Relax, open up for me, Pete. Let me in.” Tony started to mumble, helping his boy to relax under his words, while his finger still played with the tight pink pucker. He had never seen anything more beautiful than Peter in at the moment, lying there so trustingly and obediently, moaning occasionally under Tony’s hands. He didn’t want to wait any longer.

 Much less carefully than he had originally planned, Tony thrusted his finger in, forcing the wet heat to open up. Both moaned simultaneously. Peter was warm and soft inside, wet from the huge amount of lube, and Tony couldn’t wait to split him open on his cock. But he could seriously hurt Peter if he went too fast, so he was content to add another finger.

 Peter’s discipline broke when Tony spread both fingers to prepare him for the billionaire’s cock. “Daddy, p-please more. I can take more. Please, I want it to burn a l-little.” He moved his hips back, impaling himself on Tony’s fingers. He was a responsive little thing, already moaning like he was fucked thoroughly.

 And who was Tony do deny his beautiful boy such a lovely request? He lubed up a third finger, pressing it in the tight little hole next to the other two. It was too fast, the stretch must burn like hell, but Peter took it like a champ, rocking his hips back and forth, already moaning for another one.

 Tony starred at him in wonder, his own cock painfully hard in his grip, barely holding back. “Almost there, baby. Just a few more seconds.”

 Tony withdraw his finger, making Peter whine about the loss, opened a condom and pulled it over his leaking cock. He reached for the lube bottle again, purring more on his length and dropped it open onto the sheets. He didn’t care about the mess he was making, too focused on the vision in front of him.

 “Can you turn around for me, boy?” Tony requested, helping Peter to get into the desired position. His boy way laying on his back and Tony could see the cute blush on his face, his eyes sparkling with lust.

 He gripped Peter’s legs, forcing them wide open to make room for himself. He lined his cock, the tip pressed against the stretched hole, but not quiet bracing it. Peter was lost in his pleasure, squirming on the bed, his neglected cock pulsing and leaking onto his stomach.

 “Please, Mr. Stark. I can’t wait anymore.” Tony wasn’t sure if he could ever get enough from his boy’s begging, loving how lost and open Peter was in bed. He didn’t play his arousal, he was truly losing himself in Tony’s arms. Savouring the closeness to his soulmate, Tony pressed in.

  It was like coming home and Tony let out a loud moan. The boy’s hole slowly opened up for him, letting his cock in inch by inch. Peter was tight, tighter than anyone Tony had ever fucked before and he gripped him so good he was almost afraid of shooting early. He couldn’t compare it to anything he had ever felt, his whole body was tingling, buzzing from the pleasure and his mind shut down. He no longer thought about work, about his lab or his problems, the only thing on his mind was Peter, nothing matters but giving Peter the same pleasure he was feeling.

 When Tony had bottomed out, he paused for a second, giving Peter time to adjust to his girth. He loved holding Peter down, choking him on his cock, but he didn’t want to hurt him seriously. His boy, on the other hand, didn’t care about the pain that much. He bucked backwards, impaling himself further on Tony’s cock, moaning like a slut for him.

 “Fuck, sweet boy. You need it bad, don’t you?” Tony teased, catching the boy’s hips to stop him from moving. “Such a slut for Daddy’s cock.”

 Peter cried out, arms wrapping around Tony’s neck and his hole twitching around the thick girth. Tony could see the frustration in Peter’s eyes, tears running down his cheeks. Out of pity, perhaps because he couldn't wait any longer either, the billionaire started to move, his hips pistoling his length in Peter’s body.

 “Look at you, boy.” Tony gasped. “You’re usually so shy, but once you get dicked down properly, you’re whimpering like a slut. Is that all you need to relax? A fat hard cock in your ass, filling you up?”

 “Yes, Daddy.” Peter cried, shame long forgotten. “B-but only yours, Daddy. Need only your cock.”

 Tony snarled possessively, his cock twitching at the possibility of owning this lovely boy.

  They did not have time to take things slowly, they had done slow in the last months. Tony forced himself into Peter’s body again and again, watching the pink pucker where they were joint, and he knew he couldn’t last much longer. He shifted slightly, aiming for Peter’s prostate and a loud cry confirmed he had found it.

 “So good for me, baby boy.” Tony was panting. “You look so beautiful spread around my cock. You were made for me, made to be my little slut, weren’t you?”

 “Yes, Daddy. Yes, please. Made for you, only for you.” Peter was really a sweet little thing.

 Peter’s untouched cock was angry red, bouncing between them and Tony loved the desperate picture. He didn’t touch it, gripping his boy’s hips tighter instead, thrusting into Peter’s hole like his life depended on it.

 The boy was about to lose himself, his moans getting louder and louder, his hips twitching on the sheets with such force that Tony was unable to hold them still. Tony’s pleasure kept rising and he knew he would come soon, so he fumbled between their bodies to touch Peters cock.

 “Daddy, T-Tony, I’m coming.” Peter screamed. “Please, I’m so close.”

 “Then come for me.” Tony said, adoration in his voice. “Come for me, now.”

 As soon as he touched the tip of Peter’s cock, his boy was coming. He convulsed, his hole squeezing around Tony while his back lifted off the bed. The boy’s eyes rolled back in his head and Tony watched in awe as Peter was consumed by his orgasm. He was so beautiful, Tony felt warmth spreading in his chest.

 He was close, too, keeping up the thrusts to search for his own orgasm. He continued fucking Peter, watching his boy riding the height of his pleasure, never slowing down. Peter’s face was twisted from overstimulation, but Tony showed no mercy.

 He felt himself getting close, the familiar tingle starting in his spine and he picked up his pace. White hot pleasure rushed through his body, amplified by Peter’s still twitching hole. Tony came, his hips stuttering while he buried himself as deep in the boy as possible. It was overwhelming, waves and waves of pleasure were crashing down on him, and his cock was spilling inside of the condom. He came longer than he ever did before, needing minutes to catch his breath.

  When Tony felt like moving again, he pulled out carefully, earning a wince from his boy. He stripped off the condom, fastened it with a knot and dropped it on the floor. Then, he picked up some handkerchiefs from the bedside table, cleaning Peter sporadically, before pulling him into his arms.

 “I love you.” Tony mumbled, pressing a kiss on Peter’s forehead and listening to their fast beating hearts.

 “I love you too.” His boy shifted, until Tony was laying on his back, Peter’s head resting on his chest.

 “Tony, it was… wow.” Peter said, making the billionaire smile, and wondering how he had ever earned such luck.

 “Yes, it was.” Tony replied, stroking Peter’s bare back as he lost himself in the moment.

 Being close to Peter was all he could ever want. He wanted to fuck his boy, spend time with his boy and cuddle him to death. He wanted him as a partner more than he had ever wanted Pepper. Peter was perfect for him, and with the boy b his side, Tony knew he could face everything.

 On the bedside drawer was Peters present, still wrapped up. Tony had booked a trip through Europe, planning to show Peter more than just the hospital in Switzerland, but he couldn't bring himself to get up so quickly to give Peter his present.

 His eyes drifted shut, satisfied with the good sex and Tony knew he had never been happier in his life. It didn't matter what he would read about them in the media the next day, he could bear anything if only his soul mate was by his side.

[nyotasaimiri]

Partnership

Marcy brushed at their foliage as it tickled her arm. “You’re really determined today.”

Mihre grinned, wide and fanged. “Floran is always determined. This is why you asssked about the Ceremonial Bone the other day, yes? Clearly it’s important.”

“On point, as always. Nyota told me that the Bone was linked to this… Gate she found. Not the one where she took this photograph.” Marcy tapped the screen again. “But the carvings are similar, and she said they were probably made by the same culture.”

Mihre nodded appreciatively. “Same is a good start.” They scratched their carapaced chin thoughtfully as they studied the screen. “Do we know which culture?”

It made Marcy smile, how smoothly Mihre slid into using we for this. Instant partnership.  “Well, I don’t really know it, or at least don’t know much… But Nyota calls them Builders. I guess it’s a nickname. You see, here…” She tapped the screen to enlarge the image taken inside the Vault. “Apparently they’re talking about how they’ll leave their buildings behind, or something?”

The floran leaned closer to get a better look at the symbols. “Builderss or Floran?” they asked, touching a symbol delicately with a thorny claw. “Floran use this sssame mark for house.”

Something clicked in Marcy’s head at that, there and gone too fast for her to catch it. But the idea of it remained, enough that she asked “Can you help me translate some of this?”

“Perhaps?” Mihre looked a little concerned, even worried at the sudden responsibility thrust upon them. “Floran can promisse nothing in quality. Never sseen mossst of these symbols before.” Their hissing accent got notably worse until they got ahold of themself.

“That’s fine.” Marcy reached up to rustle their foliage affectionately, careful not to damage the petals on the large pale grey flower that grew from the back of their head. “I just need a little insight, that’s all. Maybe you can help me pick up some nuance I would have missed.”

Mihre relaxed. “I can do that.”

*

Sonny hummed to herself as she rubbed her smooth hands over the walls. The blue lights weren’t much good for her to see by, any more than her own faint green glow was, but that didn’t bother her in the slightest. She could feel the echoes in the stone, the flickers where energy jittered and bounced around it. “Spark it again, Arrow,” she said. “Real gentle, now.”

“Nervous. I’ll try.” Arrowmail crouched near her and very gingerly touched loose wires from his flashlight to the stone, one on either side of Sonny’s hand, a little ways apart.

It was a very weak current, but it was just enough for Sonny’s sensitive fingers. She felt where the energy bounced around imperfections, where it flowed smoothly under her hand, and hummed again in satisfaction. “That’s it, alright. There’s somethin’ carved in this here stone. Gotten darn near smoothed out, though. Guess it’s so old…”

“Disappointed. We can’t read it, then?” Arrowmail asked. He sat back and absently knocked a little fallen frost off his sleeve.

“I didn’t say that. Almost…” Sonny ran her fingers over the faint marks again. “I think it’s… yeah. Get your pencil, Arrow. Might be able to do this.”

Arrowmail pulled his pencil and notebook out of his pack and scrambled over to sit closer beside her. “Curious. What are you planning?”

“Can you write stuff down as I say it?” she asked. Her glow focused in her hands, making the wall shine as it diffused through the thin sheets of ice. “I helped Lumen do stuff like this at the bar, takin’ down orders an’ whatnot. Ah, no, no…”

“Reassuring.” Arrowmail patted her shoulder. “I can transcribe it for you. I used to do this a lot in my old village.”

“Nah, that ain’t it.” Sonny sat back with a defeated sigh. “It ain’t gonna work. I can’t ‘read’ pictures to you. ‘cause these marks are all pictures. I can feel it where the stone got pressed in, all sharplike when they chiseled at it them long years ago, but it’s all pictures.”

Arrowmail gave her a comforting one-armed hug, patting her hand with his free hand. “Helpful. Can you show them to me, maybe? Try to draw what you see?”

Sonny huffed, frustrated. “I ain’t much good as an artist, my handwritin’s all wobbly, y’see? Like a chicken doin’ a tango. Wish I could jus’ straight-up show you—oh hey! That’s it!”

“Concerned. What’s it?” Arrowmail whirred as she touched his cheek, eyes flaring very bright.

Sonny giggled. “It’s so easy, why didn’t I see it? You’re energy, I’m energy. We speak the same lingo. Just you focus on me, alright?”

“Flustered. Goodness. I mean, yes ma’am.” Arrowmail put his hand over hers and took up his pencil again. Sonny reached over and touched the wall. He was entirely unready for what happened next. Light flickered in front of his eyes—no, in his mind? He could see the etchings on the wall as plain as if Sonny’s own glow was filling in behind them.

Oh—he was supposed to be doing something with these images, wasn’t he?

The images vanished. Sonny had let go of his hand and was watching him, bubbling merrily. “You got right lost in that, didn’t you?” she asked. “Sorry ‘bout that. Forgot it catches folks off, I shoulda warned you more. Made Lumen fall right over, first time I tried it.”

Arrowmail shook his head slowly, like he was trying to see through fog. “Dazzled. All those lights…”

Sonny reached up to steady him and took his hand again. “Yep. That’s how I ‘see’ in rock and things. Don’t worry, I’ll go slow this time. You ready?”