#recharged suddenly. just crying it’s fine.]

[godblooded]

sometimes peace is knowing even when it is so, so hard to deal with all this i will always have my eternal safe place. sitting behind flocks of tourists on the deck of the ferry, cradled gently by the hudson river, rocking to and fro languidly, waiting for the crash when it hits the side and sends all the non new yorkers scattering until it bobs itself to a lazy stop. it’s nice to know this is a feeling that has never left me. it’s nice to know i can still feel it.

[kuroppiii]

   hide and seek ᵕ̈         kozume kenma x gn reader ˎˊ˗

⋮⋮ ˒ ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎ 𖥻 ⿻ : where you and kenma   ⋮⋮  always manage to find a place ,   ⋮⋮  one just for the two of you

📋 content      ♡ # 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧 🐮      ♡ # 𝘥𝘳��𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦 🥛      ♡ # ~700 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 ( + about 300 in bonus )

🎶 on shuffle “ dream girl (home made) ” - anna of the north

🧸 directory  ‹ ✩  like what you read ? check out more of my blog !  •ᴗ•

💬 kuroppiii ─ “ i ' m gonna cry this is so soft wtf ”

waning sunlight bore through the row of square windows perched high up on the nekoma gymnasium's walls. the gym lights were already off, and in the dimness of the space, the windows gave glimpses to the pink and purple sky as the sun was starting to set outside. they casted shapes on the shiny and sneaker-streaked wooden floor, the patches of light continuously getting sliced and diced by the shadow of the spinning ceiling fans the third years were yet to turn off.

the only noises that met your ears were the distant whirr of those metal blades, the minuscule clicking of buttons and flicking of joycons, and the faint sound of breathing coming from kenma–who was snug up against you as you sat on the floor against one of the gym walls, showing you the gameplay of the new game he just bought.

volleyball practice had just ended. you could hear through the open entrance doors the rest of the boys on the team conversing loudly, as they put equipment away or were gathering their things to go home–it was a school night after all.

but between you and kenma, no words needed to be spoken. you both were completely content there, feeling the warmth of one another close by and watching the bright screen of kenma's portable gaming console flash colorful pictures of a hero overcoming their evil adversaries.

kenma was very grateful for this fact, for this little ritual he started to share with you when you started to stop in at the end of volleyball practice. originally, you did it with the intention to chat and ask him how practice went, then to walk home with him and kuroo and talk some more.

but sometimes practice was tiring, and some days kenma just couldn't find the energy to keep up the conversation. it's not that he didn't want to talk to you. he loved hearing your voice when you two conversed, actually.

all it was is that he needed to recharge. he needed to play with his games, even if just for ten to twenty minutes.

so you let him. because you care. and kenma loves appreciated that about you. from then on, you two started to end the days off (before being met with kuroo to make the trek home, that is) finding a little corner, a bush, a not-so-dusty spot under the bleachers... to just sit. and he'd play another level or two of one of his games, and you'd calmly watch.

your shoulders brushed every time kenma had to quickly maneuver some ability in the game–and even if it slipped far enough for a rush of coldness to attack your arm, it would always without fail return to its rightful place, bringing with it warmth as an apology. at times, you swear you feel like your breathing was in sync. every time you blinked, your eyelids almost seemed to move in slow motion.

together, time gradually slowed to a stop. you two were in a little bubble of your own creation, where nothing else mattered except the both of you. both of you being, and being together...

"kenma! kenma? y/n!" kuroo's voice suddenly rings through the door of the gym and bounces off the walls of the big room. kenma quietly groans and a giggle escapes you at his reaction–as if you two haven't been in this scenario for a dozen times before, and as if kenma's reaction has ever changed, at that.

"yaku! i told you to turn the fans off. don't forget tomorrow!" you then hear the captain yell out. overhead, the fans spin to a stop, and now everything is still for a moment.

"time to go kenma," you softly nudge at his side.

the blonde reaches over to shove his console in his bag with a sigh, "fine, let's go."

as you stand up, you body feels a shock of cold. it's already yearning for kenma's warmth again, the one that makes hiding from the world feel so nice. so your body seeks it out, following close behind him as you make your way across the gym to the exit.

       ⇩  ⇩  ⇩ 𝘽𝙊𝙉𝙐𝙎 ::

years later, the conventions you and kenma find yourselves at are awfully crowded. with questions at panel after panel and interactions with fan after fan at meet and greets, it's hard to believe the day still isn't over yet.

and it's not like kenma didn't like his fanbase. he loved them, and he loved what he did as a streamer.

it's just that sometimes he had to recharge. and thankfully, he knew just how, and who to go to for that.

his feet moved mindlessly, seeking you out. he found you behind some backstage black curtains nearby.

"hey kenma!" you smile at him, "how'd the meet and greet go?"

"it went great," his hand suddenly grasps at yours, "let's go somewhere real quick?"

you don't miss the way his words come out laced with the tiny breath of a sigh, or how he's hunched over just a little more than usual.

so you don't question it as he pulls you through the crowds, weaving to different convention hall entrances until finally when he peeks his head in the doorway, you find a room unoccupied.

there, against the wall and on the worn-out carpeted floor, you sit–nothing besides a bare stage, rows of empty chairs, and the two of you.

kenma relishes in this newfound hiding spot, letting his eyes close and his head lean against your shoulder for even just a moment. the bustling of the convention-goers outside gets tuned out.

there's no game console in his hands this time. so you resort to watching how instead of pressing at buttons and joycons, he plays with your warm hands under his fingertips.

and you let him, for as long as he wants, and he appreciates loves that about you, the person–his solace–who gets him so well. he loves you.

[moonlight0934]

Shhh

Shiro watches from his lion as the Galra drops bombs on the city they’ve been trying to free for the last twelve hours. They’re all exhausted and half of them were trying to evacuate the town, but now it’s nothing more than rubble.

Shiro’s lion destroys the ship that manages to get bombs past them, then dives down. Hunk continues trying to manage the ships by himself while Shiro races to find their teammates. The Castle is almost done recharging anyway, so they’ll be able to help soon. Shiro jumps out of his seat as soon as his lion touches the ground.

“Is everyone ok?” Pidge asks, and Shiro lets out a breath.

“I don’t know where Lance and Keith are, but it’s good that you’re alright.”

“Yeah, I was at the evacuation point. I’ll see if I can pinpoint their exact locations from their trackers.”

“Thanks, let me know what you find.”

Shiro doesn’t wait, running to the rubble that was a town only a few minutes ago.

“Ok, I have both of their locations. I’m going to get Lance, and I’m sending you Keith’s right now.”

Shiro waits for the information to come through, then heads to the coordinates as fast as he can. When he gets there, he finds a ruined church, nothing more than a pile of smoldering rocks. Shiro feels his breath catch in his lungs, and suddenly he can’t think, and can’t breathe.

Up until this moment, he was hoping that he was wrong, and Keith was fine. That there was another reason he wasn’t answering, but this is undeniable proof slapping him in the face. They’re far enough out from the actual bombs that most of the damage was from shockwaves, and that’s Shiro’s only solace.

He takes a step forward, and starts trying to pick through the rubble for Keith. It’s slow going, and every thing that he moves without any sign of Keith is enough to make Shiro want to cry. He digs for another ten minutes before he sees a bare hand. The voice in the back of his mind says that it can’t be Keith since he was in armor and a flight suit, but Shiro starts digging the person out anyway since they obviously need help regardless of who it is.

The man is quiet, but doesn’t seem to have any major injuries. He was near the exit and near the top of the rubble, so Shiro just sets him away from the rubble, and fixes his neck and back before continuing. He ends up spotting a broken piece of Keith’s armor a few feet away. He starts digging there immediately, and finds Keith a foot away under a bunch of rubble.

Keith’s helmet is broken, and blood is covering his face and hair. There’s something that went completely through his forearm, but Shiro can’t tell what it is. His shoulders and head are at an odd angle, and his knee is bent weirdly.

“Keith?” Shiro whispers, his hands hovering over Keith’s body without touching him.

Keith’s eyes open, but they’re glazed over. He whimpers, shuddering. His eyes stare past Shiro, unseeing. If he wasn’t shaking so badly, Shiro would wonder if he was even still alive.

“Guys, I need an extraction right now. I can’t move Keith, and I don’t know how to get him out of here.” Shiro’s voice is shaking so badly that he can barely get the words out.

Allura is the one to respond, and she seems scared by his tone and words too, “Ok, just stay where you are, and we’ll come to you as soon as we can get to the ground.”

“Good news, I found Lance, and he’s fine. His comm was broken, but he was on the edge of town.”

“Good. Shiro stay with Keith, and Pidge, you should take Lance and look for survivors.”

Shiro doesn’t respond, all of his attention is focused on Keith, who’s whimpering again. Shiro gently places a hand in his hair, away from the gash causing all of the blood.

“Shhh, it’s ok, buddy. You’re going to be alright, Otouto. I’m going to take care of you.”

Keith’s empty gaze settles on Shiro’s face, and while he continues shaking, he stops whimpering.

“That’s right, just keep breathing. You’re alright. I love you, Otouto. I love you so much, and you’re going to be fine.”

Keith’s breath hitches, and he coughs. His whole face screws up in pain, and he whimpers again. Shiro bites his lip hard enough to draw blood to keep the tears at bay. He leans closer, and starts rubbing circles on the back of Keith’s hand as he whispers more reassurances. Despite the fact that he never turned it off, the comm channel is dead quiet. He isn’t even aware that they’re still listening. By then, it’s just him and Keith, who has gone disturbingly quiet.

“Hey, Otouto. You gotta stay awake, ok?”

Shiro takes in a short breath, wondering if Keith can even hear him. Keith blinks slowly, broken gaze turning upwards. His eyes seem to follow something that Shiro can’t see, and he has more lucidity in his eyes than he has this entire time.

“Keith?”

“Shiro?” Keith whispers, his voice broken.

He doesn’t look at Shiro, and Shiro’s glad, because the tears finally fall down his face. He doesn’t let more than a few tears slip down his face.

I won’t cry until this is over.

Shiro gently cups Keith’s face in his hands.

“Shiro, we’re heading to your location right now,” Allura says, causing Shiro to jump.

“Yeah, ok. Just hurry up.”

It’s only a few minutes after that when Allura runs up. She doesn’t waste any time, just immediately very gently picks Keith up. He still lets out a breathless, pained gasp. She walks back to the Castle as quickly as she reasonably can with Shiro trailing behind her. He keeps a hold of Keith’s hand, pressing his thumb into the back of Keith’s hand to try to ground him. Allura sets him down on a bed once they get into the infirmary.

“I’m going to set his injuries to make sure that they heal properly in the pod. Just try to keep his attention. We want to make sure that he doesn’t go into shock, but we can’t drug him.”

Shiro nods, gripping Keith’s hand tighter. He tips Keith’s chin, pointing his face towards him. Allura starts with his knee. He doesn’t respond when she touches him, and doesn’t do anything other than shudder when she puts his knee back in place.

“Keith?”

Keith blinks, his eyes barely opening again. Shiro forces him to stay awake as Allura continues getting him prepped for the pod, but as soon as he’s in the pod, Shiro breaks down crying. Allura puts a hand on Shiro’s shoulder, but doesn’t say anything. Even though he knows now that Keith is going to be fine, he can’t get Keith’s blank eyes out of his head.

[riyva]

finally with you. | k.dy

pairings. kim doyoung x fem!reader genre. fluff, romance, angst warnings. explicit content, minor dni, read at your own risk. a/n. this is the part two of almost had you. also, revised! hehe thank you! :)

You felt nauseous when you woke up today. You vomit again and again, which makes you weak. You intend to go to work, but your body won’t cooperate. “Geez, I need to rest.” You feel so terrible. You kept on wondering what did you eat last night. But a few minutes have passed, and you felt okay? So, you packed your things for a two-week vacation in Japan. Your flight is in 2 days.

You haven’t seen Doyoung in quite some time. From what you’ve heard, he seems fine, but something seems off. Despite his absence from social media, he will still answer your texts. You didn’t want to interrupt him since you needed some quiet time to recharge. You have to prioritize your own needs. You two have been inseparable ever since you two became best friends. You used to run to each other whenever you needed to talk or cry, but now is the time to be alone.

You stayed home all day and ate ice cream, pizza, chips, and donuts while watching your favorite movies. Thankfully, the rain outside served to quiet your racing thoughts. Laughs and cries filled the room, and different emotions while you were watching. You halted the instant you heard a knock on the door. You glanced at the clock, it was already 11 p.m., and you were not expecting someone. Who the hell will go to my house at eleven and raining? The moment you opened the door, you saw doyoung soaking wet. He was in pj’s with a jacket on. Doyoung’s unexpected visit didn’t take you aback. You asked no question as you took him in.

You sat on the solo sofa across from him while he was covered in a towel. “Doyoung, what’s up with you?” Curiosity keeps you going, but he glanced at you sleepily as his eyes wandered your sala. He noticed your bags and asked, “You’re leaving Korea?” You nodded. “Why?” He added. “I just want to spend time alone.”

Before Doyoung continued talking, you stood up to urge him to bathe. “Please use my bathroom and freshen up. You could catch a cold from that.” He didn’t say anything but nodded before going in like a lost puppy. “Go grab any oversized shirt and joggers in my closet!” You added as you went to the kitchen to make some chocolate milk. You’re wondering what happened. Did you guys break up? You thought. I hope not.

You sat on the countertop as he left your room wearing your clothes. You can’t help to laugh when he wears your hello kitty shirt and dark pink joggers. “I have some dark colors there, but why did you wear those?” You asked as he settled down next to you. “Because they’re cute?” he said, leaving you dumbfounded. You raised your eyebrow as you shook him, making him dizzy. “Ya! This is not the Doyoung that I know! Bring him back!” Laughter filled the room, and then suddenly, there was silence.

You took a sip before asking, “So, what happened? Hmm?” He shrugged. “Nothing.” You scoffed. “Ya, Kim Doyoung! Seriously? You’ll lie to me?” Doyoung sighed. “She cheated on me.” Your eyes widened in shock. “Dude, what the hell? That bitch!” You stood up. “Let’s go to her house. I’ll slap her.” Doyoung held your wrist, stopping you while shaking his head. “Nah, anj-a.” You silently sat back down, giving him a look.

You never thought that someone would do this to him. You examined his face; you didn’t see any mad or sad look at him. There’s something you can’t pinpoint. His girlfriend just cheated on him. Why doesn’t he act like he was hurt? Is he going crazy?

“Yes, I’m crazy over you.”

You awkwardly laugh. “HA-HA-HA! Nice joke, Kim Doyoung!” You suddenly felt nervous as you gripped your glass, and you could hear your heart beating so fast. You started to have hopes again that you know it isn’t normal. Is he joking? How the hell did he hear me?

“Because you’re speaking out loud.”

You looked at him worriedly. “Should I call 911 for you?”

“Seriously, what’s going on with you?” you added.

He glanced at you, and you met his gaze. He took a deep breath. “Look, Y/N. I’m okay,” he said.

“We split weeks ago, we’re just actually messing around.” They already broke up after you had a talk. “I-i tried to rid my affection for you with someone else, but it didn’t work out. It made me realize that my feelings for you weren’t gone. You always linger in my thoughts, driving me to insanity.” he held your cheeks, feeling your warmth.

Your mind was lost in the clouds. “W-what do you mean?”

He gazed directly into your eyes, brimming with sincerity, and spoke softly. “I love you, Y/N.”

-

Clearly, he wasn’t seeing anyone, so you do. Ever since that night happened, Doyoung never fails to make you smile every single day. He wants you to fall harder for him. He takes you on dates, late-night strolls, movie nights, and many more that will make you happy.

You both agreed that there would be physical contact (except holding hands) once you reached ten dates and had three left. You’ve also been tempted to say, “I love you too,” but you’ll say it at the right time, maybe after the ten dates.

You also find it so difficult not to kiss his plump lips. Oh god, I miss those lips.

A sudden knock on the door jolted you out of your reverie. You almost forgot that Doyoung is coming to your house. You took a few deep breaths before opening the door. “Hey, pretty boy!” he showed his pretty smile. Why so cute? You saw him with boxes of donuts and pizza, and you leaned on the doorframe. “Come in, doie!” you said with a warm smile.

As he went inside, you prepared the food he brought for your movie night. You also took the wine you bought last time in Italy. When you were halfway through the movie, there was a spicy scene making you bite your lips, and you felt his arms wrapped around yours. His throat tightened at the sudden scenario. You pulled away from his touch, making you sit beside him. “Wow, it’s getting hot! HA-HA right, Doie?” as you fan yourself with your hands. He just hummed as he drank the wine. He felt the tension too. It was hot, hot. You gulped as you looked at him and called out his name.

Without warning, you abruptly interrupted him and seized his neck, pulling him in for a passionate kiss. Your lips began to move while he was still in shock. You pulled away, “What are you doing? Aren’t you going to kiss me back or wh--” he locked his lips to yours. Your hand instinctively reached for his nape, pulling him closer as you sat on his lap. You wrapped your legs around his waist as he supported your bum. He barely squeezed it, making you flinch.

The embrace was imbued with deep affection and admiration, albeit slightly intense, yet it was a sensation that you found yourself drawn to. His tongue glided into your mouth, exploring every inch with an irresistible touch. Your tongues battled fiercely as your hands explored each other’s bodies. With effortless ease, he removed your top and unclasped your brassiere with a single hand, carelessly tossing it aside.

Fuck it. Fuck, the dates. You want him tonight. You missed this; you missed him. The sensation of his lips against yours is simply irresistible, leaving you yearning for more.

“Fucking hell.” A curse escaped his lips as he felt his manhood stiffen. He pulled away from you to remove his shirt, revealing his chiseled chest. He scooped you up into his arms and carried you toward the bedroom with one swift motion. As he made his way there, he couldn’t resist the temptation of your neck and began to suck and nip at it, sending shivers down your spine.

As he gently placed you on the bed, your lips intertwined in a passionate embrace, and tongues battled. You both removed your remaining clothes until nothing was left. When you’re both naked, his lips wander down your neck, eventually finding their way to the gentle curve of your breast. He palmed it and showered his attention on your hard and taunt nipples. Once he’s done, his lips go down to your mound. In between your thighs, his tongue and lips bathed in your wetness.

Your legs trembled as she reached her first orgasm. With an arched back and closed eyes, waves of pleasure washed over your body. And he didn’t stop yet, sliding his two digits while simultaneously continuing to suckle and lap at your clit. Your insides clenched again as a sign that you’re cumming again. He quickened the pace of his fingers, prompting you to grasp his head and draw him nearer to your cunt. As the waves of pleasure began to wash over you, you found yourself chanting his name like a sacred mantra.

“Doyoung..”

“Hmm.” he only answered with a moan while he was busy pleasuring you. You can almost see stars again. Your fingers instinctively reached for his head as your other hand tightly gripped the sheets. With a few more licks and thrusts of his fingers, you got the peak of your second orgasm. Your legs trembled as your body weight fell onto the mattress.

Doyoung took a few more licks as his lips met your lips. You welcomed his lips again, tasting yourself. He placed both hands on your sides, using them to lift himself. He desired to gaze upon your stunning face as he passionately loved you. He didn’t move yet; he wants to feel your warmth and looks at you like you are the most beautiful woman in the world. Once more, he claimed your lips, the kiss tender and brimming with affection.

Your messy hair and pretty face were in his view. Seeing you like this makes his body burn even more. Your fingers entwined with his as he moved on top of you. It felt more intimate. He wanted to move faster and rough, but he wanted to savor this moment.

His thrusts were deliberate, slow, and deep, causing you to whimper in pleasure as the tip of his member brushed against your sweet spot. “Right there?” he asked breathlessly. You nodded as you slightly slapped his butt cheek, making him flinch. You chuckled when you saw his reaction. “Stop being so naughty.” He lowered his head towards your neck, planting gentle kisses and nibbles while occasionally applying slight pressure with his teeth.

He leaned back and firmly grasped your waist, causing your legs to spread even wider as he maintained a steady pace. You gave his arm a firm squeeze, urging him to go faster. Loud moans escaped your lips as he intensified his movements, thrusting faster and harder.

He was breathing deeply in your ear and whispered. “Let’s get married.” Doyoung’s heart raced as he awaited a response, wondering if you would say yes or no.

A chuckle escapes your lips. “Really? Are you proposing marriage while still inside me?” Your voice trembled in shock.

He slowly moved. “Why?” He kissed her forehead and nose, a familiar gesture to you both. He did not doubt that you would make an exceptional wife and mother. “Because I love you,” he whispered, his eyes fixed on yours. Finally, he leaned in and gently placed his lips upon yours once again.

You hummed. “Hmm.. Let’s not waste time, shall we?”

"And, I love you too my Doyoung."

Finally, I am with you. As fate would have it, our paths have crossed once again. There are no more what-ifs, no more holding back, and no more hide-and-seek.

-

BONUS PART :)

“Are we seriously in a relationship now? We’re official?” you asked as you traced your fingers on his naked chest. He hummed gently as he caress your hair. “We are.” he took your hand placing a kiss making you flush. You suddenly stood up naked when you went straight to your bathroom leaving Doyoung confused. You remembered the pregnancy test kit that you took yesterday morning, and you haven’t checked the result.

“Doyoung, sit down.”

He was in shock seeing the pregnancy test on your hand. “Do you have COVID-19?” you took the pillow and smashed it to his face making him laugh.

“You dimwit! I don’t!”

“I know! I was just kidding. So, what’s the result?”

“Let’s look at it together.”

It was positive.

©riyva

[hoonieeverse]

Enhypen Imagines.

When you're caught making out💟

Hyung line headcanons.

Heeseung:

You were currently in your office working when heeseung decided to surprise you,

You were in your cabin with him sitting on your chair imitating you, how you work and order people around. He looked so fine sitting there with a white shirt, unbuttoned, exposing his collarbones and a little chest area, you were literally drooling at the sight.

He called you out seeing you stare at him like that when you went to him and kissed him square on his mouth, he pulled you closer and kissed you back, it soon turned into a makeout session.

None of you realised that the door wasn't locked until your parents walked in, greeting you excitedly only to shut up halfway at the scene in front of them, You got off heeseung and straightened your hair looking at your parents in shock when your mom mouthed a sorry and walked back out, you were about to say something when your dad cut you off,

“Uh oh i- i forgot your mom outside Imma go g-get her, y'all continue”, is all he said before running out leaving you and heeseung embarrassed.

Jay:

Your parents had invited you and your boyfriend for dinner. You were in the kitchen with Jay helping you serve the dessert, seeing you serve ice cream with such concentration, soft strands of hair on your face not letting you focus made him cocky.

“Y/n”, he called out, you looked up at him and hummed when he suddenly picked you up and placed you on the kitchen counter right next to the ice cream box, and before you could process everything, his lips were on yours,

When you finally caught on, you pushed him a little to stop him as your parents were sitting right outside in the living room watching television, but he didn't let you,he pulled you even closer and kissed you back,

“5 minutes please, I need to recharge, you're too cute I can't focus”

With that, here y'all were, making out in the kitchen, the ice cream beside you melted long ago. It had been about 15 mins since y'all were in the kitchen and your mom decided to check on what ruckus you have been creating for so long just to find y’all making out, giggling. She blushed seeing you guys like that and decided to just walk out when your dad entered behind her surprising her to which she screamt a little too loudly with your dad following her,

y'all pulled away at the sudden screams wondering what happened, just to see your parents watching you guys. You were surprised yet again with the big baby in front of you screaming along with them completely shocked. This literally had you crying.

Jake:

You were sitting in the living room talking with your mom, your mom was sitting right across from you and you were sitting on the couch next to the entrance.

Jake had just returned from work, he was too tired and exhausted. He walked in and saw you sitting pretty on the couch, and jumped right onto you and started kissing you, you were freaked out, the first reason being, someone jumping onto you out of nowhere and the second being your mom sitting right in front of you.

You pushed him a little to see what was happening and saw him looking at you adorably, you were about to tell him to get off and that your mom was right behind him, but before you could, he kissed you again, this time not letting you move.

Your mom giggled seeing y’all like this and your most adorable puppy like boyfriend being so whipped for you, she teared up at the cute scene unfolding. Your dad almost choked on his drink as he walked in with your brother when you pushed Jake off of you right onto the floor which had your brother laughing into fits.

Sunghoon:

Y’all decided for a movie marathon. He suddenly got so clingy and started peppering you with cute pecks all over your face, things escalated and y’all were now making out on the couch.

Your parents had another key and entered the house thinking you guys were asleep as the house was quiet, they walked in on such a scene right in front of them, luckily it was a cute makeout session and not a gross one. Your mom was frozen at the scene and your dad accidentally dropped the crockery set in his hands.

Y'all stopped and pulled away at the sudden loud noise, It was just the four of you staring at each other in pure shock. When y’all turned to look at each other, Sunghoon pushed you off his lap right onto the floor.

EMBARRASSMENT is all you felt.

💗💗💗💗💗

It's been a while since I last posted, I've been a little busy with studies😩

Thank you for reading, Hope you like it!

navi.

Have a great day/night ahead💕

[dimorphodon-x]

Looming Shadow

A second ghost!Starhawk thing I wrote last week. Wanted to draw something for it but haven’t gotten around to it :/ also on mobile rn so idk if the layout is screwed or not

—

—

Thunderclash shifted uncomfortably in his sleep. Most nights he slept just fine, but this time, he just couldn’t properly get into recharge. He felt unpleasant. Like he was being watched.

His eyes shot open and he stared up at the ceiling. Thunderclash swallowed, suddenly anxious. He felt Rodimus shift next to him, sound asleep. Slowly, Thunders lowered his vision down to the end of the bed.

His lines went cold.

A tall black figure stood at the end of the bed, like a void cut out of reality. Yellow eyes stared unblinking at the large Autobot. The shape tilted its head, “you awake?”

A wheeze escaped Thunderclash’s vents as he recognized the voice. He slowly nodded, “mhm…”

“Good!” Starhawk perked up, “Novabird is crying in his room. I can’t calm him down.”

“Oh,” Thunderclash whispered. He could faintly hear the sparkling’s distressed calls now that he was paying attention. He slowly got up, careful not to disturb Rodimus, “I’ll check on him.”

“Thanks,” the specter smiled and stepped back into the shadows, vanishing from sight. Yet by now Thunderclash knew he was still there as he made his way to Novabird’s room.

Starhawk was always there.

[sennsational]

pairing : miya osamu x gn!reader

genre : comfort, fluff

word count : 1.1k

tw : mention of anxiety

affiliated with : @hanayanetwork @planetonet

[a/n] : this ‘drabble’ turned out to be more like a small fic hehe, but this is for the lovely @peacheat and i truly hope you like it babe 🤍

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It’s been a hot minute since you’ve last been to a party. Life has been kicking your butt and the days that you were free, you either wanted to get away from everyone and recharge your social battery or spend time with your dog. Some might say you're missing out on life’s great opportunities. One of them being none-other than your boyfriend, Miya Osamu.

The persistent younger twin would try almost anything to get you out of the house and ‘have some fun’, but you beg to differ though. Clearly, you both have different perspectives of the word ‘fun’.

It’s not that you hate to go to parties. Well, only the ones where you don’t know the people attending. It makes you feel anxious and extremely uncomfortable and that’s why you rather spend your time at home doing your own thing.

However, Osamu doesn’t know this fact about you. You refuse to tell him about your anxiety, due to your own pride. Osamu can be very perceptive at times and you have no doubt that he might have speculated something, especially every time you text or call him to cancel.

Osamu thought it was more or less a phase you're going through or because of your reserved nature. He meant to ask you why you keep declining every party invitation, but when he does you would skillfully divert the subject. Sometimes it would irk Osamu how persistent you are at avoiding the topic, but he also respects your boundaries, which is why he never blatantly drags you to a party himself.

The clock reads 08:30 PM and you are pacing around in the living room, waiting for Osamu to pick you up. Doubtful thoughts are clouding your mind and you can feel your anxiety increasing by each second.

Earlier that morning, Osamu invited you yet again to join him at Atsumu’s goodbye party, since he would be leaving Japan to participate at the international competitions. As an act of deviance, when Osamu would tease you for being really shy, you surprised him when you agreed to come.

Osamu was exhilarated that you agreed and with a quick peck on your lips and a bright smile to match, he left to go to work. You, however, could feel the burning anxiety rise within you.

Why the fuck did I agree?!

Is it too late to cancel?

Will Osamu get mad at me if I do?

You can’t help but notice how much your hands are shaking and how uneven your breathing sound to your own ears. You feel lightheaded. Black spots take over your vision and you quickly try to make your way to the kitchen sink. Cold water hits your face and you take a moment to regulate your breathing,

Suddenly, you hear the doorbell ring. Already aware who it is. As you make your way over to the front door, you risk a quick glance at your appearance. The face of someone who had been crying just a few minutes ago mockingly greets you back.

“Fucking hell, the one time I want him to be late he decides to be on time,” you curse under your breath as you reach out for the doorknob and open the door, coming face to face with your boyfriend who’s neutral expression immediately change to concern.

“What’s wrong, babe? Why have you been crying?” he asks as he enters the house. “I didn’t cry,” you instinctively deny. You also can’t help but avoid his intimidating gaze.

“Y/N, there is no point in lying. You know that,” — always as blunt as ever — “There is nothing, it’s just allergies,” you try to lie as you risk a glance at Osamu’s face that tells you he doesn’t buy it.

“Y/N,”

You scoff. “Fine, I'm feeling anxious and scared about the party. Are you happy now?” Osamu feels the opposite of happy.

“But weren’t you the one who agreed to come?” he asks, a bit confused.

“Yes, I know that!” you blurt out frustrated. “I want to show you all that I'm not a lame ass party pooper and that I do want to have fun with you guys!” You spat out, tears welling up in your eyes again. “But large crowds of people make me feel icky and claustrophobic. I get anxious, to the point that I can’t breathe and I want to run away as fast as I can to my room or somewhere else that feels more safe.''

Osamu’s suspicions were right all along and it makes more sense why you would cancel or reject him every time he invited you to a party.

Osamu rests his palm against your cheek, gently coaxing you to look at him. His hand feels warm against your skin and a little calloused from years of playing volleyball. He starts to tenderly wipe at your tears with his thumb, almost like you could break under his touch. You subconsciously nuzzle your cheek against his palm, which in turn makes him blush a little.

“Y/N, why didn’t you tell me? If I knew how much distress parties gave you, then I wouldn't be so annoyingly persistent about it. If you don’t want to go then you shouldn't push yourself. It’s not like ‘Tsumu would be butthurt if you cancel again,’’ he takes a moment to reconsider his words. ‘’Okay, he actually would. However, who the fuck cares? ‘Tsumu is a big boy, he can handle himself. What’s more important is that you feel comfortable.’’

He then surprised you with a flick to your forehead, chuckling as you hit him against his bicep in return, while rubbing soothing circles on said spot. ‘’And what do you mean by ‘party pooper’? None of us think of you that way and we won’t stop hanging out with you because of it, dummy. We all like you for who you are. I like you for who you are. Well, more than like actually.’’ he teases and you can’t help the blush from forming on your own cheeks.

You look up at him, biting your bottom lip in uncertainty. “You really mean that?” Osamu nods as he places a soft peck on your forehead. “Yes baby, I mean it.”

You engulf him in a hug, burying your face in his chest. His familiar scent makes you feel safe, he makes you feel safe.

“Thank you, ‘Samu,”

You feel two arms encircling your frame into a tight embrace. One hand rubbing soothing circles on your back, while the other gently pats your head. After a moment, Osamu clears his throat.

“We should go, if you're still up for it?” he reached out his hand expectantly. You smile and nod, while intertwining your hand with his.

“Let’s go fuck this party up!”

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reblogs and comments are appreciated !

© sennsational 2021 - all rights reserved. please do not copy, modify, or repost my works and claim it as yours.

[princesskittycatofmeowland]

TEEN WOLF REWRITE

CHAPTER SEVEN: NIGHT SCHOOL (Part 3)

Stiles Stilinski x Reader Liz Bloom (eventually)

Word Count: 2476

Warnings: Violence (no more than you should be used to by now. Basically none.)

Posted on: 2/9/22

"Okay, first off— throwing Derek under the bus? Nicely done." Stiles whispered to Scott when he came over to kneel beside us. As he did, Lydia walked over to Jackson, and he opened his arms for her to snuggle in for comfort. The the two of them, and Allison, talked amongst themselves in their own little huddle a few feet away.

"I didn't know what to say. I had to say something, and if he's dead, then it doesn't matter, right?" Scott said, before he added, "...Except if he's not."

"Oh, god, I totally just bit her head off." Scott said suddenly, making me roll my eyes at him —spiritually.

"And she'll totally get over it. Bigger issues at hand here— like, what are we gonna do with Liz and how do we get out alive?" Stiles said and Scott pointed,

"But we are alive. It could've killed us already. It's like it's cornering us or something."

"So, what? He wants to eat us all at the same time?" Stiles said and I chuckled as I probably would've said the same, if I could.

"No. Derek said it wants revenge." Scott reminded him and Stiles asked,

"Against who?"

"Allison's family?" Scott offered, and Stiles perked up at the idea as he suggested as well,

"Maybe that's what the text was about. Someone had to send it."

They thought about it for a long moment, my body's steady breathing the only sound to be heard between the three of us. Scott looked down at me and gently touched my arm, and as if by instinct, Stiles protectively pulled me closer to his body.

"Is she okay? I mean, she only seems to be sleeping, right? It's not, like, low blood pressure, is it? 'Cause if she needs a hospital right away, you guys can take Jackson or Derek's car while I—"

"No. You're not sacrificing yourself." Stiles said, shooting Scott's idea down. "She's tired— yes, we all are— and sleeping, but other than that, I don't think she actually needs medical attention. In fact, I think maybe she's even healing herself."

"Healing?" Scott asked, confused, and Stiles nodded excitedly before explaining to him the theories he'd been brewing in his head.

"Okay. Remember that day you and Allison ditched school to go somewhere? After school, Liz and I were in my room doing more research after we found that video of the Alpha on Lydia's phone, right? Well, here's the thing: a few hours of that and she fell asleep on my bed —which was fine. I tucked her in, made sure she was comfortable, before going back to work.

A few hours later, she woke up screaming her head off, then just crying, asking for her dad. She told me she saw him when that mountain lion was about to attack him. She saw it all happen —and get this— through her dad's body! Like, she possessed him, but only as a spectator. She can't control him. At least, she doesn't think she can.

And it's not just that— she can also project her spirit to see everything that's happening currently on her own, free to go wherever she wants. But never fast. She said it's like being underwater. Or something like it anyway. Or—"

"Woah, wait! ... How did I not know about this?" Scott asked and Stiles gave him an angry look in response. Scott understood immediately, staring down at my body to avoid Stiles' gaze before asking again,

" So, how do you know she's healing herself—or that she healed herself... after that?"

Stiles shrugged before saying, "Dunno. Just little things, really. We told you already about this thing she has with other people's emotions, right? How she can read them like a book? Obviously, you can imagine just how tiring that must be. Well, after that time she slept in my bed, she just seemed... rejuvenated. Like, she was recharged again of something."

Scott raised his eyebrows at Stiles as he didn't seem to believe him and Stiles scoffed upon seeing it, getting offended as he punched Scott's shoulder before saying,

"It's very subtle, alright? You, of all people right now, wouldn't have noticed it."

Scott gave him a hurt look, to which Stiles clicked his tongue in annoyance and guilt, before saying, "Just... Forget about it, alright. It's just a theory."

Scott nodded, then suddenly widened his eyes as he seemed to realize something just then. He looked at my body, then at Stiles before asking,

"Wait! You said her spirit can move freely, right? How do we know she's not here with us right now? Watching us? Listening to us?" Scott asked and Stiles' eyes widened in realization as well as the both of them turned to look at my body, then to the place surrounding them.

"Liz... If you can hear us... Give us a sign." Scott whispered, turning his head around to look everywhere and nowhere. Stiles slapped his arm in annoyance, slightly jostling my body before saying,

"She's not a fucking ghost, Scott!" He whisper-yelled to him and Scott threw his hands up in defense before countering,

"Isn't she?"

"No!"

Scott huffed before he gasped again, then touched his chest, before looking to Stiles with a worried expression.

"What if she's in us, right now? What if she's in me?! I don't want her inside me!" Scott exclaimed and Stiles slapped the side of his head this time before saying,

"Don't fucking say shit like that again!"

"Okay, assheads! New plan— Stiles calls his useless dad and tells him to send someone with a gun and decent aim. Are we good with that?" Jackson said, calling out to them loudly and Scott sighed before looking at Stiles as he gently placed my body down on the ground, only for Lydia to run over and take his place a second later. He thanked her when she did.

"He's right. Tell him the truth if you have to. Just... just call him." Scott told Stiles, voicing his agreement to Jackson's order.

"I'm not watching my dad get eaten alive." Stiles whispered to Scott, turning his back on everyone and slowly walking away as he rubbed his chin, contemplating other alternative options. I saw Jackson advance on him, angrily stomping to the spot where Stiles had stopped to think.

"All right, give me the phone." Jackson said, harshly grabbing Stiles' shoulder and Stiles turned around and punched him square in the face when he did. Jackson fell to the ground a few steps from Lydia and I, and Allison was there to quickly run to his aid.

"Jackson! Are you okay? Hey, are you okay?" Allison cooed, genuinely worried as I walked over to the two of them to check for myself. Jackson had his back to the group as he kneeled down on the ground with Allison's hands on his shoulder, making sure he's alright as she kneeled beside him. Allison turned her head around to glare angrily at Scott and Stiles.

"Dad, hey, it's me. And it's your voicemail." Stiles said, automatically making me turn to look at him at the sound of his voice. He was talking to his phone, looking at where Jackson was laying on the ground. I looked down at Jackson to see him sporting a victorious smile, one he quickly wiped from his face when Allison turned her head back to look at him again. That fucking snake...

"Look, I need you to call me back now. Like, right now. We're at the school. Dad, we're at the school." Stiles said when everyone jumped to turn to took at the door as it rattled, someone slamming on it on the other side.

"Oh, my god..." Lydia muttered fearfully, clutching and dragging my body as she used her legs to skid backwards on the floor. Stiles grabbed my body, standing up and carrying me, and Scott quickly helped Lydia up as everyone backed away from the door.

"The kitchen. The door out of the kitchen leads to the stairwell." Stiles said, pointing at the door with his head as he hugged my body to his.

"Which only goes up." Scott told him and Stiles countered,

"Up is better than here."

The slamming of the door only got more stronger and frantic as the bolts separated itself from one another and the barracade gave way more and more.

I watched as they all ran to the door Stiles indicated. I tried keeping up but as Stiles had said, it was like moving underwater. Almost like it, anyway. I can walk and move normally just fine, but any sudden causes me to slow down.

I kept up just fine, only about 10% slower than everyone else. Before leaving, I turned to look just in time to see the Alpha's Werewolf-monster face, before quickly running away again, as fast as I possibly could. I followed them as they ran up the flight of stairs and into the chemistry room. Scott grabbed one of the chairs, placing it under the door handle, jamming it closed. Not that it would do much of anything.

Everyone was silent for a few seconds, trying to control their heavy breathing as the Alpha's shadow showed just outside the door, through the little box window. I looked over my body to see my head buried in Stiles' neck

"Jackson, how many people can fit in your car?" Scott asked, whispering to Jackson.

"Five, if someone squeezes on someone's lap." Jackson said, to which Allison gave him an incredulous look.

"Five? I barely fit in the back!" Allison said, annoyed.

"And there's six of us!" Lydia reminded them, pointing the obvious and Jackson rolled his eyes at her before saying, gesturing at my body Stiles was holding,

"God! Lydia, just leave her!"

Stiles stepped forward angrily and Scott held him back —not that he could actually do much anything with me in his arms. It didn't matter anyway as Lydia slapped Jackson on the face *so hard* I was afraid the Alpha would burst through the door as the sound cut through the silence of the school. Jackson held his cheek, looking at Lydia unbelievably at what she'd just did, when Stiles spoke up, saying,

"It doesn't matter. There's no getting out without drawing attention."

"What about this?" Scott said, walking towards the door that leads to the roof —which I always guessed was there for when experiments go awry. "This leads to the roof. We can do gown the fire escape to the parking lot in, like, seconds."

"That's a deadbolt." Stiles said, adjusting his hold on me as I got heavier in his arms by the minute. Scott thought about it for a moment before saying,

"The janitor has a key."

"You mean his body has it." Stiles said pointedly.

"I can get it. I can find him by scent, by blood." Scott said, whispering that part for only Stiles to hear.

"Well, gee, that sounds like an incredibly terrible idea. What else you got?" Stiles asked sarcastically and Scott thought about for a moment before walking away from him and to Allison.

"I'm getting the key." He said to her and she gave him an incredulously look, saying,

"Are you serious?"

"Well, it's the best plan. Someone has to get the key if we wanna get out of here." Scott said.

"You can't go out there unarmed." Allison stated factually and Scott looked around for a moment, before grabbing Mr. Harris' flimsy pointer stick he used for lectures. It even had a hand with a pointy finger gesture connected at the end. He held it out for everyone to see, and everyone stared at him like he was stupid.

"Well, it's better than nothing." Scott defended.

"There's gotta be something else..." Stiles said, leaning against the board as his energy drained slowly from his body, with him still carrying mine.

"There is." Lydia said, and everyone turned to look at her but she only stared at the cabinet beside Jackson— the one filled with chemicals, kept under lock and key.

"What are we gonna do, throw acid on him?" Stiles said sarcastically.

"No— like a fire bomb. In there is everything you need to make a self-igniting Molotov cocktail."

"Self... igniting..." Stiles said slowly, squinting slightly in confusion.

"...Molotov cocktail." Lydia finished, talking to him like he was stupid, almost as if forgetting how intelligent she actually was. When she realized everyone was staring at her, silently asking for an explanation, she said,

"What? I read it somewhere."

"We don't have a key for that, either..." Stiles said and Jackson rolled his eyes, breaking the glass of the cabinet door. Soon, Lydia got to work on making the Molotov Cocktail concoction she *heard about*. Allison rolled Mr. Harris' rolly chair for Stiles to lay my body on. He was making sure I was comfortable when Lydia said,

"Jackson, hand me the sulfuric acid."

I wish he wasn't. I wished Stiles was paying attention to them rather than me. Maybe then, he would've caught on to the slight hesitation of Jackson's hand hovering over a bottle, before deciding to grab something else. I didn't bother checking what it was as I knew it wasn't Lydia had asked for, therefore making whatever it was she handed Scott after she was done was, completely useless.

"No. No, this is insane. You can't do this. You cannot go out there." Allison said to Scott, terrified and worried for his safety.

"We can't just sit here waiting for Stiles' dad to check his messages." Scott told Allison.

"You could die. Don't you get that? He's killed three people." Allison spat, frustrated tears in her eyes.

"And we're next. Somebody has to do something." Scott said, walking away when Allison followed him, blocking his way to the door.

"Scott, just stop." She said, finally letting her tears fall freely on her cheeks. "Do you remember —do you remember when you told me you knew whether or not I was lying? That I had a tell? Well, so do you. You're a horrible liar, and you've been lying all night. Just-just please, please don't go. Please don't leave us. Please."

Mid-speech, I saw Jackson smile secretively to himself as listened to Allison cry, knowing Scott was technically the cause of it. Sadistic prick.

Scott sighed after Allision was done, having already decided, before saying, "Lock it behind me."

Allison kissed him, as her last attempt to get him to stay. But he only walked away after that, with nothing else more to say. With nothing else left to say. And out the door, I followed him when he did.

What else was there for me to do?

(Previous) <(Masterlist)> (Next)

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@radiant-carefree-dreamy @7thleveldown @stabbydabbi

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[p-artsypants]

Crushed

Stuck under a collapsed building together, Chat Noir and Marinette have a heart to heart.

Ao3 | FF.net

I originally wrote this as a secret santa gift, but it strayed too far from what the giftee wanted, so I did something else. I decided to finish this anyway, and I hope you like it!

—

This akuma attack was not going great. He called himself ‘Bomb Voyage’ (“Like in the Incredibles?” “Yes, Chat. I do believe Hawkmoth ripped that name.”) And he was blowing things up right and left. 

When the Lucky Charm bullhorn fell into her hands, she had some sort of plan in the works, but it all fell short at Chat’s shout. 

“My Lady! Look out!” 

The building right in front of her, mere feet away, exploded suddenly, the only clue being Bomb Voyage’s finger point. 

There was no time to run. No time for Chat to scoop her up. Only impending destruction and carnage. 

So Chat leapt, his arms wrapping around her head, and tackled her to the ground as the rubble rained down. 

It felt like ages of pain before things settled. They both coughed out lungfuls of plaster dust that still hung in the air. It was mostly dark, with a scant bit of light from above. 

Chat was squished, but he pushed up on his arms and felt Ladybug move slightly. 

“My Lady?” He asked. “Are you alright?”

“My leg hurts. I may have sprained my ankle. How are you?” 

“I took a brunt force to the back when the building collapsed. It hurts, but...I can’t really feel my legs.” 

“Chat...” 

“Though, that could just be bad circulation. I’m in an awkward position.” 

Ladybug’s earrings chirped. 

“Crap,” she muttered. “I used my lucky charm. Do you think you can cataclysm your way out of here?” 

He twisted his neck in an effort to look around, though the dust of the rubble was still thick. He looked towards the light source above them, able to see where it was coming from, but it looked several feet away. “Negative, my lady. I think we might need some outside help for this one.” 

She bit her lip nervously. “I don’t hear anymore explosions.” 

“That’s good. Right? Maybe Hawkmoth thinks we got crushed and stopped his akuma.” 

“Yeah, that’s great…unless he’s got someone waiting to take our Miraculous’ off our corpses when we’re dug out of here.” 

“Ever the optimist, hmm?” 

“It’s my talent,” she smirked. Her earrings beeped again and she turned her ear toward Chat. “How much time do I have left?”

“Looks like two minutes.” 

“Great…”

“I can close my eyes.” He offered. They were basically nose to nose, and her hands where trapped below his arms, so she couldn’t reach up at all. 

“I…I don’t know…”

He raised his eyebrows. “You don’t know?”

“We need to find a way out of here,” she switched topics. “Or find a way to contact emergency services to get us out.” 

“My baton is still on my back, if you can reach it.” 

Ladybug groped around blindly, feeling for the staff. 

“That’s my butt.” 

“Oh, sorry.” She blushed, and then moved her hand up. Once she found it, she held it out to her side as she could see the screen. “I’m about to detransform, but I have a cookie for Tikki in my purse. As long as it’s still there, she should be able to recharge before they bust us out of here.” 

“I didn’t even think about that,” Chat winced. 

Ladybug dialed the number. 

“112, what’s your emergency?” 

“Hello, this is Ladybug and Chat Noir. We’re in a bit of a pickle.” 

“How can we help, Ladybug?” 

“A building collapsed on us, and we’re pinned and can’t get out. We’re on Rue de Lappe, not far from Bastille.” 

“I’ve got your location on my map. I’m sending the fire department your way.” 

“Is there any sign of the Akuma?” 

“We’ve gotten similar calls about being trapped, but they stopped coming in a few minutes ago.” 

“Thank you. I’m going to extend Chat’s Baton out through the rubble so they can find us.” 

“Alright, I will pass that information along. Good luck, Ladybug!” 

“Thank you!” Carefully, Ladybug aimed the Baton towards the little hole to the surface, and extended the staff, the top breaking through the topside. 

“And now...we wait.” Her earrings beeped again. 

“So...you don’t want me to close my eyes?” Chat asked for clarification.

“I’ve been thinking...if I’m the guardian, and something happens to Plagg, like he gets sick or something, you need to be able to find me out of the suit, you know? It’s just you and me...” 

“Does that mean you want to know my identity?” 

She grimaced. “I should but—“ 

In a flash of pink, Marinette remained, looking sheepishly at him. “...I need a little time to come to terms with this.” 

His eyes were impossibly wide, staring at her, drinking her in in the scant light. “Marinette? Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” 

“Howdy?” She squeaked. 

He squeezed his eyes shut.

“Chat?” She asked, fearfully. 

“Sorry,” he whispered. He opened his eyes again, and his lip wobbled. “I just—I’m trying really hard not to cry.” Despite this, a tear fell from his eye and landed on her cheek. 

She tried not to cry herself. “Are you that upset?” She whispered. 

“Upset?! No! How could I ever—Marinette, I’m thrilled beyond belief! If it was anyone else—“ he clenched his eyes shut again, as more tears started to fall. “I admire you, and trust you, and respect you more than anyone else.”

“Chat...”

He smiled tenderly. “You know, I had hunches. I was almost completely certain until Kwamibuster, too!” 

That made her wince again. “Oh Chat, you know I didn’t mean to lie to you...” 

“I know, I know, at the time, it was too risky.” He continued to smile, his tears subsiding. “I know this isn’t ideal, but I’m glad I get to see you now.” 

“Kinda makes Evillustrator funny, huh?” 

He laughed. “You’re right! I forgot about that! Hey! You called yourself cute!” 

“I am cute!” She pouted. 

“You are cute,” he agreed, taking her in. “I’ve stared at your face a lot, but you look so so different without the mask.” 

“It’s the glamour,” she elaborated. “That extra bit of magic that makes it hard to connect the dots.”

“I know how it works,” he smirked. 

“Right...sorry, this is just...weird.” 

“Good weird?” 

“I feel naked.” 

“You just say the word, and I’ll get naked with you.” 

She threw him an unamused look. “Don’t be gross.” 

“Sorry, I can’t help cracking jokes around you. Although, I’m sure you were wishing I was secret mystery boy right now instead, right?” He waggled his eyebrows in an attempt to hide his heartache. “So who is it? It’s Luka, right?” 

It was like she had her mask on again, cheeks red as a tomato. “No...it’s not Luka.” 

“Oh...aren’t you guys dating?” 

“Not anymore. We did, for like a week. If you could even call it dating. He just came over to my house during my downtime, and played his guitar while I worked on commissions and stuff. It was nice and all...but I prefer the piano.” She looked away. 

“Piano, hmm?” He smirked. “You know, I’m an excellent piano player...and the real mystery guy is too?” 

“You can’t laugh.” 

“I would never.” 

“I doubt that,” she said flatly. 

“I promise, I know you don’t like people shallowly. So whoever it is, I know it’s genuine.” He smiled softly, encouragingly. 

Marinette screwed up her lips and admitted, begrudgingly. “Fine. It’s Adrien. Adrien Agreste.” 

The sound that Chat let out was not a laugh. But it wasn’t a great sign. It was like a wheeze, but a gurgle. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“I just...” he blinked several times, trying to convince himself this wasn’t a dream. Ladybug was Marinette! And she had a crush on him! “I...am surprised, is all. I didn’t know you were...close?” 

“I sit behind him in class. He’s one of my best friends. Our best friends are dating, so sometimes we end up being third wheels together?” 

“Oh. And this is the same guy as before?” 

“It’s always been Adrien.” 

Chat hoped she couldn’t hear the pounding in his chest. “Oh...even when Glaciator hit? When I found you sad on your balcony?” 

“Yep. He was supposed to meet us for ice cream, and he didn’t show...I kind of told Andre that love was bogus, and that’s why he got akumatized.” 

Chat laughed at that. “Aww, it’s okay, Marinette. I’m sure he had a good reason for not showing up...” 

“I’m used to it,” she said dully. “His father is a huge pain in the ass. I used to respect him, but now...he’s a jerk. He constantly holds Adrien’s freedom ransom to make him do stuff. It kills me! You know when I was in New York?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I had to beg his father to let him go. It was a class trip, and he was the only one not allowed to go! Just because his father is so concerned with his safety.” 

“Can you blame the man? We’re currently trapped under a pile of rumble.” 

“But as soon as I’m out, I’ll lucky charm and cure everything! Poof! Sprained ankle gone! Whatever’s wrong with you, gone!” 

“What do you think your parents would do if they found out you were Ladybug?” 

Marinette thought for a moment, and answered honestly. “Probably be sort of angry, and worried. But I think they would understand. They respect us a lot, even after my dad got akumatized.” 

“Don’t remind me.” He groaned.

“What about your parents?” She asked. 

“My mom would have been excited. I think. Worried too, but excited for me. But my father...well, he’d rip off my miraculous and make sure I never saw the light of day again.” 

“That bad, hm?” 

“I’m not exaggerating. I’m in the same boat as Adrien, extremely sheltered.” 

“I’m sorry,” she smiled softly. “I didn’t know.” 

“I didn’t really want you to know. Chat Noir is supposed to be my safe place, my wild and crazy side. I’m afraid if I start talking about home, I’ll admit things that civilian me doesn’t want to.” He exhaled, his chest bumping with hers. “God, it is just so easy to talk to you. Now more than ever.” 

“Really? You know me that well?”

“I know enough. And maybe it’s just because I’ve got you pinned and you can’t go anywhere.” 

She laughed at that. “Well, we’ll probably be here for a while. And...I still want you to hide your identity for a while, but if you want to talk about your life a little more, that’s fine.”

“You sure?” 

“Yes. It really is time for us to know who each other are, I’m just...not ready.” She huffed, and his bangs fluttered. “This was unavoidable, but let’s plan for your reveal, so I can be emotionally prepared.” 

“You won’t be. You will cry.”

“You say that with an awful lot of certainty.” 

“Trust me, when you behold me in all of my unmasked glory, you’ll cry.” 

“Alright. Can’t wait to prove you wrong.” 

He smirked. 

“Chat? Are you shivering?”

“Uh…yeah, kinda.” 

“Are you cold?”

“Not…not exactly. I’m holding up a lot of rumble so it doesn’t crush you…and I’m pretty claustrophobic.”

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier!?”

He laughed, but it lacked any mirth and was filled with quiet panic. “Uh, just…you know…trying to stay calm.”

“What can I do to help?”

He exhaled shakily. “I don’t know, but talking about it isn’t helping.” 

“Okay, well, why don’t you keep eye contact with me, and…let’s just talk.”

“About what?”

“I know you’ve got a whole list of questions you’ve been dying to ask me. Now’s your chance.”

“Damn it!” He nearly shouted. “I had a whole notebook full of questions I wanted to ask you, but it’s at my house!”

“Well, you know where I live, so you can ask me some other time if you want.”

“Deal!” He screwed up his lips. “But first, since you mentioned it, Weredad.” 

“Oh god…”

“Why did you say you were in love with me?” 

She winced. “To be quite honest, I thought you were going to find out who I was…and the poor excuse just flew out of me before I could think through the consequences. I didn’t think my dad would overhear anything, and I didn’t think you’d show up for brunch.” 

“You didn’t think I’d show up? Me? The biggest gentleman in Paris?”

“Okay fine, I hoped you wouldn’t show up.” She rolled her eyes. 

“Now that I’m thinking about it, there’s a lot of shenanigans that could have been prevented if—hold the phone, how did you do Multimouse?!” 

“Fox miraculous,” she shrugged. 

“The Fox! Of course!” 

She laughed, his reaction calming her nerves. “I understand what you mean now, it’s easy to talk to you. It’s always easy, but I didn’t notice until you said it.” 

He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “You don’t always feel that way.”

“I mean, I get frustrated with your jokes when I’m trying to be serious, but that doesn’t mean—“ 

“That’s not what I meant.” 

“Oh?”

He swallowed thickly. “Civilian me…you…you have a hard time…” He trailed off, not looking at her face. 

“Chat?”

“Did you ever tell Adrien? That you…you know?”

She tilted her head at the sudden topic change. “Uh…no. I tried, but it was never meant to be. Every time I did, something would go catastrophically wrong.” 

“Like what?” 

“Like...I gave him this scarf, right? For his birthday. And I forgot to sign it initially, so I snuck into his house and left a sticky note on it. Somehow, it still managed to go wrong, and he thought it was from his dad.” 

Chat stared at her, wide eyed. “And you never told him?” 

“No, he was happy believing that it was from his dad. His happiness is all I want.” 

It was hard to describe the look on Chat’s face. Almost pained, but still full of love. Like seeing something so precious it brings you to tears. “You did that for him? You really love him that much?”

She looked away, “Unfortunately.” 

“Why unfortunately? Is he a jerk?”

“No, not at all. I just…I know he doesn’t love me back. ‘Oh Marinette, you’re such a great friend.’ ‘I’m so glad I have a friend like you.’ ‘Please stay my friend forever!’” She shook her head. “That boy has me firmly friend-zoned.” 

He winced, “I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that. He probably really really likes you, and just wants you to know how much he appreciates your friendship.” 

“And that’s another reason I can’t confess. He doesn’t have a lot of friends, and I don’t want to ruin our friendship.” She groaned. “I sound so pathetic! It’s so stupid.” She shook her head. “I wish I had your bravery.” 

“My bravery isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s gotten me hurt pretty badly, after all.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” he smiled at her softly. “You feel how you feel, and I just hurt myself.” He gnawed at his lip. “Actually…can I ask a really dumb question?”

“I don’t see why not.” 

“You don’t have to answer it…actually, no. I shouldn’t ask at all. Nevermind.”

“Well now you have to ask,” she chuckled. “I’m curious.” 

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, but don’t hate me.” 

She nodded him on.

“Why…why did you go out with Luka if you knew I loved you? Do you also like Luka? Or…are you just that…repulsed by me?”

Marinette’s mouth fell open in quiet shock, and she inhaled some dust. She turned so she wouldn’t cough in his face at least. 

“Sorry,” he tried to sooth. “I told you it was stupid. You can date whoever you want…” 

She cleared her throat, and then wheezed out. “You just wanted it to be you.”

“…yeah…”

“Chat,” she leaned up to tap her nose against his. “To say I have absolutely no feelings for you would be a lie.” 

He looked hopeful. “Really?”

“They’re still developing. But I noticed thoughts I have about you sometimes. Missing you, thinking you’re cute…but Luka was the safer option at the time. I was trying desperately to get over Adrien. Luka and I weren’t really friends first, so if it didn’t work out, it wasn’t a big loss. But with you…” She looked into his eyes, an insurmountable amount of pain and unsaid words just beyond his reach. “I could lose everything.” 

“You won’t lose me, My Lady.” He said softly. 

“Oh kitty,” she moaned. “I…I never want to lie to you…but there’s something that I haven’t told you. Something I should have a long time ago. I just…don’t like thinking about it.” 

“What is it?”

“Chat Blanc.” 

At her hesitation, he prodded her on. “What’s a Chat Blanc?”

Her whole face tightened, lips curling into a thin line, eyes squinted hard, and brow furrowed. “It’s…he’s your akumatized self.” 

“What?” He breathed. “But I’ve never been akumatized.”

“No, not anymore. You see…Bunnyx helped with it. Somehow, the event of me signing a gift to Adrien triggered a series of events that got you akumatized. I don’t know what the correlation was, but…you knew my name, and you said our love destroyed the world.” 

“The world?”

“I hate thinking about it,” she winced again. “The whole of Paris flooded, the Eiffel tower knocked on it’s side, the moon exploded. Everyone, including me and Hawkmoth, turned to dust. You cried when you saw me. You asked me to save you, but you also wanted my earrings, wanting to fix everything yourself. So we fought.” 

“I assume you won, if you’re here.” 

“Yeah...the Akuma was in your bell. Your all white bell, on your white suit, with your white hair and blue eyes...” she shuttered. “I still see you like that in my nightmares.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” 

“I didn’t want to mention it. I didn’t want to worry you, and I didn’t want to remember. I knew I should have told you sooner, though. I’m sorry.” 

“...I understand.” He swallowed and exhaled in a whoosh, all the debris above them shifting. He moaned, ending with a hiss. 

“Chat?”

“Sorry, I moved and realized that I’m a little more hurt than I thought.” 

“What’s ‘a little more hurt’?” 

“Uh…I think I’m…I’ve been impaled?”

“What!?”

“It’s not that bad, the suit took most of the pain. I just…am having a little hard time breathing, and I thought it was from my claustrophobia, but I think something is lodged in me.” 

Very carefully, Marinette reached up and felt along his back. A lot of debris was laying flush to his suit, but as she moved her hand around, she noticed he felt wet and sticky. 

“Yeah, I think you’re bleeding, kitty.” She said so sadly. She touched where the wound was and he cried out in pain. It was his lower back, by his spine. 

“I’m sorry!” She pulled her hand away. 

“S’kay,” he hissed out. “God damn, that hurt.” 

“I promise, as soon as we get out of here, I’ll magic you right as rain. Just...just hold on, kitty.” 

He opened an eye to look at her, still fond through his pain. “Are you panicking?” 

“Yes! I was worried when the building collapsed, but now I’m on the verge of pure panic!” 

“I must admit, this is not how I expected today to go.” He breathed slowly, the pain subsiding when he held still. “Actually, I didn’t imagine this happening when I found out who you are. You being Marinette is like…the cherry on top of a diarrhea sundae.” 

“Do you like cherries?” 

“I love cherries.” He whispered. “I got grounded today.” 

“Oh.” 

“I was having lunch with my father, a rare treat. My friend texted me and I answered without thinking. My father became upset that I would do something so ‘rude’. He said if my friends were more important than him, then he shouldn’t bother eating with me. Then he took my phone.” 

“That’s the kind of assholery that I’ve come to expect from Adrien’s dad. You’re in that boat too?” 

“Unfortunately, yes. Come to think of it…he’s probably the reason I got akumatized in that other timeline.” 

“You think so?” 

“It’s a hunch. I don’t often get upset about things, but when I do, it’s usually because of him.” He sighed, ending with a wince. “That’s something I haven’t admitted to myself until now.” 

“Kitty...” 

“I didn’t mean to bring that up...” 

“It’s okay. I’m glad you did. I want to be able to support you where you need it.” She could see that he was spiraling into depression, and quickly sought to remedy that. “What was your daydream like? When you would find out who I was?” 

A twitch of a smile took his face. “I knew I would spend a long time staring at you, memorizing what you look like without the mask.” He took a shaky breath. “And I thought, when we decided to share our identities, it would be because you finally fell for me. So there was a kiss. And a lot of roses. It was sappy...but it made me happy to think about it.” 

“Can I ask...what it is that you love so much about me? In case you don’t know, there’s a lot of differences between Marinette and Ladybug.” 

“I know,” he smiled. “But there’s plenty of similarities. Your strength, for example.” 

She laughed. “Chat, Ladybug can throw you across the city. But Marinette couldn’t even lift you.” 

“I bet you could! We should test it later! But I meant your strength of heart.”

“You sound like an anime character.” 

“Well, it’s important to me.” He blushed. “You aren’t wishy-washy. You don’t cater to the voices around you. You do what’s right. You want justice. Even when akumas and civilians tell us to go or step down, you get up and fight.”

“I do that?”

“Yes. The day you stood up to Hawkmoth, and you promised Paris that you would fight for them until the end? That moment, I said, ‘no matter who that girl is, I love her.’ And even now, it hasn’t stopped. I may even love you more.” 

“Chat…” She sniffed. “I…I care about you so much. And I know that if Adrien wasn’t in view, I’d fall for you hard and fast. But I can’t.” 

“I know, Marinette. Just knowing…that maybe someday…”

“All the more reason to get rid of Hawkmoth, right?” 

He nodded, a tear slipping from his eye and landing on her cheek. “Today sucks.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s really not your fault. And I’d much prefer that you were here, under me, than being alone. I’m handling my claustrophobia a lot better because of it.”

“I’d much rather be under you too.” 

He gave her a smile, and then snorted with a little blush. “Oh my lady…”

“I thought we were being mature.”

“Me? Mature? Come on.”

“Yeah, I should have known better.” 

“You’re beautiful too,” he added. “I’ve always thought so. As Ladybug and Marinette. I saw you with your hair down once, and it’s haunted me ever since.” 

“You saw me with my hair down?” She questioned, trying to ignore the hot blush on her cheeks. 

“Yeah, it looked really nice on you. I know it’s not practical for crime fighting, but…” 

“Maybe for a patrol,” she offered. “When things are calm.”

A smile graced his face as he sighed deeply. 

The pile above them shifted, and Chat let out a cry of pain. 

“Kitty?”

“This sucks!” He moaned, leaning his forehead down to her face. “Sorry, whatever is in me moved, and I really felt it.”

“Please don’t apologize, Chat. If anything, I should apologize, you took the hit for me!” 

“My Lady…you didn’t do anything wrong. If I can help it, I will never let you get hurt.” 

She closed her eyes, trying not to cry. “It breaks my heart that you would do that. I don’t want you to be a meat shield, I want you to be my partner.” 

“You said it yourself. Once we’re out of here, you’ll do Miraculous Cure and set me right. So I’ll take the hits if I have to.” He sucked in a harsh breath. “Even if it hurts like a bitch.” 

With her hands trapped at her sides, she couldn’t reach up and wipe his tears away. So she opted for the next best thing. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for protecting me. I know you’re going to say it’s your job, but I really do appreciate how much you look out for me.”

“I love you, Marinette. Of course I’m going to protect you.” 

She shook her head slightly. “How can you just say that so casually?” 

“Why bother hiding it? You know already. I’m not going to bottle it up.” 

“I just…wish I could do that. With Adrien. I wish I could walk right up to him and say, ‘I love you, you magnificent human being’ and crush my lips to his perfect face.” 

Chat hid his blushing face in her shoulder. “You should. I bet you’d make his day.” 

“Yeah, or he’d freak out, and sue me for sexual harassment, and then I’ll be the laughing stock of the school, no, all of Paris! The whole world, maybe!”

“Do you often catastrophize?” He chuckled. “I’ve heard you do it before.” 

“Usually only with Adrien. I just…don’t want to mess things up.” 

“I don’t think you will. I know Adrien. He’s a nice boy. He won’t turn you down.” 

“You can’t possibly know that.” 

“Call me a psychic.” 

She scoffed. “Whatever.” Then she shook her head. “Whether or not you’re confident he won’t reject me…I don’t think I’ll ever tell him. I’ve tried to get over him, but I just look at him and melt all over again. I’m sorry Chat.”

He was quiet, his face resting next to her head, cheek against her ear. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, “hey, you like pink, right?”

“Oh? Uh, yeah.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow. A dozen pink roses, maybe some red and white in there too for flavor.” 

“You’re doing what tomorrow?”

“I’m going to reveal my identity tomorrow.”

“After all that? What about Adrien?”

“Don’t worry about him right now. I’ve been thinking. If you and I know who each other are, in a crisis, we’d be able to communicate better.” 

“What do you mean? What kind of crisis?”

“I’m just trying to imagine what happened with my akuma. If there was a problem with my father or miscommunication, we could better solve it without identities in the way.” 

“Okay, yes…” she considered. “But please don’t get your hopes up, okay? I would love to spend time with you out of the suit, but I won’t fall for you instantly.” 

“I suppose you’re right. After all, how can I compare to the amazingly handsome Adrien Agreste? Well, he won’t be a problem for much longer.” 

She frowned. “You say that like you’re going to kill him.”

He laughed. “No no, Bugaboo,” he said fondly. “Look, everything will make sense tomorrow, I promise…as long as I don’t bleed out down here first.” 

“You’re acting really jovial for someone with a mortal flesh wound.” 

“Tis a scratch.” He breathed a shuddering breath. “Or so I hope.” 

“Ladybug! Chat Noir!” A male voice called from up above. 

“Ugh, finally,” Marinette muttered to herself. “We’re down here!” She called. 

“We’ll get you out as soon as we can! Any injuries?” 

“Chat has a…bit of a scrape.” 

“An ambulance is on the way!” 

Marinette didn’t want to tell him it didn’t matter. Once she did the cure, he’d be right as rain. 

Right?

“Marinette,” Tikki piped up. “I’m all set, whenever you are.” 

“Alright. Tikki, Spots on!”

The pink flash only helped the first responders locate them quicker. 

“There’s the baton!” His voice sounded closer. The light above was distorted by a rain of plaster, before it was replaced by flashlight light. “Hello?”

“We’re down here!” Ladybug called, moving her arm under Chat. 

“Can either of you move?”

“Chat’s pinned, but I might be able to wiggle out, with some help.”

“We’ll get a sling. We might be able to pull you up and out.”

“Once I get my arms free, I should be able to cast the cure and set everything right.” 

“Great plan, Ladybug! We’ll have you out in a minute.”

Ladybug nudged Chat’s nose with her own. “I’ll cast it as soon as I’m free. Can you hold out that long?”

“I’ll have a dozen pink roses. And I’ll wear something nice, like a sweater. Or maybe a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I heard the ladies love that.” 

“Chat?”

“I’m trying to focus on something else instead of being trapped.” He explained. “Sorry, I might not be very useful for the next few minutes.”

“Okay,” she kissed his cheek. “You do what you have to.” 

The fire department lowered a strap attached to a chain into the hole. “If you can maneuver that under your arms, we can pull you out.”

Using Chat’s Baton, Ladybug was able to pull the strap closer. Very slowly and carefully, she wriggled it under her armpits, careful not to jostle Chat in the process. 

“Jewelry could be fun. I know she doesn’t like it when I’m extravagant, but surely she would cherish it if I gave her a ring.” He had his eyes shut tight, his brow furrowed. 

Ladybug gave Chat a pitiful look. 

“Alright, I’m ready!” Ladybug called to the rescue crew. 

She was pulled out from under Chat. Though, she had been supporting his lower half, and he sank to the ground as she slid away from him. This jostled the debris violently, and he cried out in horrible, agonizing pain. It was the worst sound she had ever heard. 

“Chat!” 

He kept howling, sounding like he was being ripped apart from the inside out. 

Ladybug pushed on the piles around her, hurrying to get free. 

The moment she broke the surface, she called for her Lucky Charm. 

It was a rose, and she teary-eyed through it up into the air, and called for the cure. 

The explosion of Ladybug’s surrounded her, mending her ankle and silencing Chat’s cries. 

She touched down on solid, undisturbed concrete, and turned to find Chat face down on the ground. 

“Kitty!” She cried, voice cracking as she rushed to him. 

He pushed up on one arm. “I’m okay, My Lady. Just a little winded.” 

“Are you sure?” 

He stood slowly and stretched. “Yeah. All cured.” 

She hugged him. Tight and sure, maybe squeezing a little harder than she should. 

“Bug, I can’t breathe.” He chuckled. 

“Sorry, I just...”

He hugged her back. “I’m never going to turn down a hug though.” 

Her earrings beeped. 

“Are you both alright?” Asked the EMT on the scene. 

“We’re all better,” Chat assured. “Thank you for your help!” He gathered Ladybug close to him and put an arm around her waist. “We gotta go though!” 

Ladybug only had a second to realize what he was doing, before she was lifted off her feet and into the air. 

“I can travel myself, you know. I still have time.” 

“Sure,” he shrugged. 

He carried her all the way to her balcony, before setting her down. Her transformation ran out just as they landed. 

“Thanks for the lift, Kitty.” She scratched under his chin. But as she looked in his eyes, she saw tears. “Chat?” 

He sniffled and hugged her again. “Just...a sucky day. I wanted to hug you in privacy. I know how you get when people assume things about us.”

“Well, it’s different when you’re getting handsy and when you need comfort from a traumatic experience.” 

“I never get handsy,” he argued. “I just like to be close. I’m touch starved.” 

“Well, from what you told me today, I believe you.”

He laughed mirthlessly, and pulled away. “I really do feel better now.” He reached up and cupped her face, letting his thumb trail across the apple of her cheek. “No matter how bad this day was, it will never taint the absolute elation of finally seeing you.” 

“Chat...” she blushed. 

“I must be the luckiest man on Earth. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Ladybug, all rolled into one. I can’t believe it.” 

“Two transformations and you still don’t believe me?” 

He smiled. “My brain believes, but my heart never gets so optimistic.” He cast his gaze away. “Even if you...change your mind...” he mused. 

“About what?” 

“Nothing. Never mind. I’ll just...see you tomorrow. With a dozen pink roses.” 

“I’ll get a vase ready.” 

He reluctantly pulled away, like tearing himself from her was physically painful. He hopped up on the railing of her balcony, and with a little salute, he hopped into the night. 

“I’m proud of you, Marinette.” Said Tikki. “It had to be hard being that honest with him. 

“I didn’t really have a choice. I can’t imagine how much worse that experience would have been for him with his eyes closed the whole time.” 

“It’s over now. And tomorrow, you’ll know who he is too!” 

Marinette whined. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that...” 

“It’s a little late for that. What? Are you going to run at the first sight of flowers?” 

“I might.” 

“It’ll be fine. Marinette, I know who Chat is. And I promise, it’ll all work out fine. Great even. Just, take a shower, and go to bed. Then you can wake up early and mentally prepare yourself.” 

Marinette chuckled as she dropped back down into her room. “What would I do without you as a life coach?”

“Sleep through most classes.” 

“It was a rhetorical question.” 

—

In the morning, with the extra sleep Tikki had urged her to get, Marinette rose and dressed. 

Then the nerves turned on. 

“What if I just fake sick?” 

“Don’t you dare! You’d hurt his feelings!” 

“You’re right...but I really do feel like I might throw up.” 

“Just relax. You’re going to love this.” 

“If you say so...” 

After breakfast, Marinette wandered over to school leisurely. Tikki would say she was stalling, but Marinette would disagree and state she was simply taking advantage of being early. 

At the front steps, students were gathered. No roses. In the courtyard, teens milled about. No roses. In the locker room, her locker was devoid of anything that wasn’t supposed to be in there. 

“Well well well,” said Alya, with too much bravado. “Lookie who’s early!” 

“Yuck it up. I was tired and went to bed early last night.” 

“You sure you aren’t eager to see Adrien today? He looks pretty cute in that button up.” 

In all the confusion surrounding Chat, Marinette had honestly forgotten about Adrien. Her. Forget about Adrien. Perish the thought. 

“I mean...it would be a bonus.” She muttered. 

“Well, he’s up in the classroom. If you were wondering.” 

She wasn’t. Or hadn’t been, until now. But it seemed that Chat wasn’t ready to reveal himself yet, and Marinette still had time to prepare. 

She ascended the steps and headed to the classroom. 

What she wasn’t expecting, was seeing Adrien standing there, sunlight filtering through the window to make a halo in his hair. He wore a black button up shirt, sleeves rolled up, and had a dozen pink roses in his hands as he talked to Nino. 

Dare she hope? Dare she dream?

She just stood in the doorway, staring, before he noticed her. 

“Good morning, Marinette.” He smiled at her, looking warm and inviting and…nervous?

“Goo-goo-good morning, Adrien.” She stumbled. She glanced down to the flowers, then up to his face. “Um…those don’t happen to be for me, do they?”

With a twinkle in his eye, he smirked. “Why? Just because something is pink, you think it’s for you?”

She deflated. “Haha, right…that was really forward of me.”

With a pleasant hum, he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I’m just messing with you, My Lady. These are for you.” He placed the bouquet in her shell-shocked hands. 

“My...?” She breathed. The word was just a whisper, barely heard by even him. 

His smile was broad and gleeful, squinting his eyes and coloring his cheeks. “Mmm-hmm!!” He hummed eagerly as he nodded. 

Marinette had to shut her eyes as a sound like a laugh and a sob burst from her lips. Tears started immediately, and there was no way to stop it. 

“I told you you would cry,” he teased. 

“You jerk!” She blubbered. Then she tossed the flowers at a confused Nino before throwing her arms around Adrien, and sobbing into his shoulder. “I love you, Kitty.” 

He squeezed her back. “Do you really? Because I’m getting mixed signals.” 

“You’re awful. You’re wonderful. I’m a mixed bag of emotions. Just hold me.” 

“Can do!”

As other students came in, seeing the couple embraced, they gave them thumbs up and congratulatory back pats. 

And then Lila entered. 

She halted, hid her sneer, and said, “oh no! Marinette! What’s wrong? Why are you crying on Adrien like that?” 

He patted Marinette’s hair. “Happy tears, no worries.” 

Marinette refused to let Lila ruin this moment. It was far too perfect. Adrien was far too perfect, the flowers, her kitty...

Mustering all her strength, she hooked her arms under his, turned and spun his into a dip. 

“My lady?” He breathed, in awe. 

“You’re the love of my life. I should have kissed you yesterday. I definitely wanted to.” 

“You did?” He smiled drunkenly. 

“Yes, like this.” And she slammed her lips to his, kissing him just like she had in her dreams. 

Adrien let out a contented little mewl as he tangled his fingers in her hair. 

The class went wild with roars and cheers. 

Before she could drop him, Marinette righted Adrien. “Sorry, I just...wanted to do that for a while now.”

Adrien nuzzled her cheek with his nose. “Oh don’t worry, Bugaboo. You can smooch me whenever.” 

Nino made a gagging sound. 

“Oh, well I’m very happy for you guys,” Lila feigned a smile. “But Adrien, are you sure your father will be okay with this?” 

Chloe, who had known this was coming since she saw the roses, stood and stalked over. “Okay, you’re done. Bye!” 

“Chloe, I’m just trying to be rational...” 

“And Adrien is the most deserving person for a happy ending...even if it’s with Dupain-Cheng.” She cast Marinette a glance and rolled her eyes. Then she looked back at Lila. “Though, he could do worse.” 

This made Marinette and Adrien giggle. 

Lila scoffed. “Fine! Make me the bad guy! But don’t come crying to me when Gabriel tells you to break it off!” 

Adrien whispered in his new girlfriend’s ear. “Even if my father makes Adrien and Marinette break up, Ladybug and Chat Noir follow their own rules. It might not be the most fun, but we’ll make it. Then, once I’m 18, I’ll propose.” 

Marinette laughed, kissing him swiftly. “Oh my sweet kitty. Let’s take it slow for a little while. We have the rest of our lives to be that insufferable couple.” 

Alya, who had come in not that long after Marinette but stood quietly in the door, finally spoke up. “Adrien, I couldn’t bear to tear you away from your Princess. So I’ll take your seat.” 

Adrien just grinned in gratitude and hugged Marinette. “This makes that building collapse yesterday totally worth it.” 

“Does that mean...you had a crush on me?” She teased.

“No, my Lady, I fell for you.”

[plomujio]

Rescue (Joaquin Torres x reader)

Joaquin and Y/N were in mission together in Greece to fight against the Flag Smashers under the orders of Sam. Joaquin and Y/N had to follow the group in the whole town without getting noticed but unfortunately a woman noticed them and now they are on high-speed car chase. Joaquin is driving while Y/N is trying to shoot them. 

“Turn left !” Y/N indicated to Joaquin but he just turned right and Y/N looked at him confused.

“I said you to turn left and what did you just do ? You turned right !” Y/N shouted at him as she received a bullet next to her ear on the sun visor. Joaquin and Y/N looked at the mark for a while and then Joaquin focused on the road.

“I have been turning left like three times now, you know if I turn left again I will just go again at the starting point, that’s the point of the square !” Joaquin shouted at her as she looked at him, irritated. 

“Tell me how many times you have been in Larissa because I have been here four times and I know that you have to turn left !” Y/N said to him as she grabbed the wheel and turned left. Joaquin tried to turn right as he yelled at her and Y/N yelled at him too but then suddenly a car appeared from nowhere and ploughed into their car. Their car turned over again and again and Y/N thought that it was interminable. When the car finally stopped, Y/N opened her eyes slowly and she saw that the car was starting to catch fire. She looked at Joaquin and she saw that he was unconscious so she tried to wake him up.

“Joaquin. Joaquin wake up !” Y/N said to him as she shook him but he didn’t react so she detached her and Joaquin’s belt and she dragged him out of the car. She put him far away from the car who was in fire and she hid him behind a low wall. She saw that the Flag Smashers were coming to them so she took Joaquin’s phone, unlocked it and she quickly called Sam to tell him to come save them and to bring medical aid and then she took her gun and she moved away from Joaquin and she hid against an other low wall. She breathed deeply and she felt that her wrist was broken when she recharged her gun. A man approached her and she shot him but he dodged the bullet and ran to her. He tried to hit Y/N by throwing her a punch but she avoid his punch and she shot him in the leg so he grumbled in pain and he ran to her and grabbed her wrist and twisted it. She yelled in pain and hit him with her grip on the head but he didn’t even step backwards.

“This is useless, you can’t win.” The man said to her and he released her wrist to take her gun and he shot her so she stepped backwards because of the shot and the shock. She looked at her stomach and she saw that she was already bleeding. 

“Okay now I’m really pissed off.” Y/N said to him and she grabbed his head with her hands and she stared at him and then her eyes turned black with some little white veins in it, the man’s eyes became the same as her and suddenly he fainted. She looked at him while he fell on the ground and she saw the others Flag Smashers, who were further away, getting in their car and driving away. Y/N breathed deeply with an hand on her injury and she tried to reach Joaquin who was still unconscious but she suddenly fainted and fell on the ground next to the man.

 After few minutes Sam finally arrived with Bucky and they found Joaquin and Y/N both unconscious. 

“What the hell happened ?” Bucky asked to Sam as he looked at the guy who was laying on the ground with his eyes wide open but black with white veins. Sam came next to him and he looked at the guy with a frown.

“Y/N used her power.” Sam let Bucky know as he approached Joaquin and he carried him and he showed Bucky to carry Y/N. Bucky imitated Sam and they quickly went to the airplane. 

“Okay and what is exactly her power ?” Bucky asked to Sam as he dropped Y/N on the stretcher while a man was taking her away to save her and they did exactly the same with Joaquin.

“Well he’s somewhere... in an another world created in Y/N’s mind but he will wake up when she will because she is in it too.” Sam explained to Bucky while he told to the pilot to take off.

“That seems complicated. I have an other question : when will she wake up ?” Bucky asked to Sam who sighed of exasperation.

“Well that depends. Let’s just hope that she doesn’t wake up while the nurse is taking the bullet off of her stomach.” Sam replied to him as he went to join Joaquin. The nurse was taking some pieces of glass who was stuck in his leg.

“Is he okay ?” Sam asked to the nurse, worried about Joaquin while Bucky just stared at the nurse.

“He will be. He has a concussion and some minor injuries but he will be fine. I’m more worried about Y/N, she doesn’t seem fine and I’ve just saw her briefly but I will go join the other nurse after I finished to bandage him.” The nurse explained to Sam and Bucky as she started to bandage Joaquin’s leg. 

“She’s gonna be okay. She has to be because if she doesn’t he will never forgive himself for letting her get hurt so do everything you can.” Sam explained to the nurse and she agreed and she stared at Bucky who was still focused on her.

“Could you please stop looking at me this way ? It’s scary and unsettled.” The nurse said to him and Bucky stopped looking at her and he looked at Sam.

“Sorry he is just...buggy sometimes.” Sam said to him with a smirk and Bucky left the room, irritated. Sam sat next to Joaquin on a chair and he waited for him to wake up. He looked at his phone during twenty minutes and then suddenly he heard an horrifying scream who woke up Joaquin. He opened his eyes and tried to lift up but Sam put an hand on his chest and he stopped him.

“Sam ? What happened ?” Joaquin asked to Sam who opened his mouth to talk but he immediately stopped when Y/N screamed again. Joaquin turned his head towards her scream and he started to stand up when Sam stopped him again.

“Torres you have to stay calm and to rest.” Sam tried to calm him down but Joaquin looked at him confused.

“What happened ?” 

“I don’t really know. Bucky and I found you and Y/N laying on the ground with an another man from the Flag Smashers. You have a concussion so you have to stay sit.” Sam explained and Joaquin calmed down a little before grimacing while he held his head in his hands because of the pain.

“And Y/N ?” Joaquin asked to Sam, worried about Y/N’s health.

“She has been shot in the stomach, they are trying to remove the bullet and she has a broken wrist.” Sam listed to Joaquin who was thinking about the event.

“How did she beat the guy ?” 

“She is a pretty good warrior, she just--” Sam started to lie but Joaquin stopped him.

“Sam please. Just tell me the truth.” Joaquin almost begged him with his eyes and Sam sighed and accepted to tell him the truth.

“She used her power. She’s going to be in great pain and she did that because she knew that if she didn’t use it you and she would be dead. The guy would have smashed you, you were clearly not ready and neither Bucky and I are. All of this is my fault.” Sam confessed as he stood up and Joaquin looked at him as he disagreed. 

“None of this is your fault. We accepted this mission so it’s on us.” Joaquin said and Sam nodded no but he hugged Joaquin to show him that everything is going to be okay. He released him and he left the room as Joaquin just stayed into the room and he waited for Y/N’s screams to stop.

After two week Y/N finally woke up, her eyes suddenly came back to the normal and she took a deep breath. She raised from her bed and she immediately felt a pain in her stomach so she laid on her bed again and then she finally noticed that someone was sitting on a chair next to her and it was Joaquin who was asleep. She frown when she noticed that he had dark rings under his eyes. 

“Joaquin. Wake up.” Y/N said softly to him and he slowly opened his eyes meeting her eyes. He sighed of relied and he hugged being careful with her injuries.

“What happened ?” Y/N asked to Joaquin while she put her head on his neck and he put his head on hers.

“You fight the bad guy with using your power and you almost died because you got shot on the stomach. Never do that to me again.” Joaquin said to her and Y/N could heard that he was about to cry.

“How long have I been unconscious ?” Y/N asked to him as she got slowly away from his embrace.

“Two weeks.” Joaquin explained and Y/N looked at him, shocked.

“Oh God, it’s a lot more than the last time. Don’t tell me that you stay here during all this time.” Y/N sent him a severe glance and Joaquin just sat deeply in his chair.

“I didn’t want to leave you alone.” Joaquin said to her with a serious look and at this moment she knew that he missed her a lot.

“I was unconscious. I couldn’t feel loneliness Joaquin.” Y/N said to him with a sad smile trying to reassure him.

“It doesn’t mean that you had to be alone and I personally felt alone and I feel guilty.” Joaquin confessed to her and she immediately took his hand on hers when he finished his sentence.

“Because-- I saved my ass and I couldn’t save yours.” Joaquin said and he looked at their hands which was interlaced.

“Well the only thing that you should feel guilty about is that you had to turn left and not right.” Y/N said to him with a little laugh and he sighed of amusement.

“Let just forget it okay ? I’m fine, you’re fine, everything is okay.” Y/N reassured him and he smiled at her and she smiled too.

“You’re right. I’m sorry to be so worried” Joaquin said and Y/N came closer to him.

“You know, I saved your ass, so it means that you owe me something.” Y/N said as she took a violet who was in the bouquet that Joaquin brought to her while she was unconscious.

“Any ideas ?” Joaquin asked to her with a smile and she gave him a smirk so he knitted his brow afraid of her suggestion.

“Actually I do. What do you say if I suggest a date ?” Y/N asked and she looked at Joaquin’s face to look for his reaction. Joaquin’s eyes became bigger because of surprised but he tried to not look surprised when he noticed that she is watching him.

“Well-- I say, when you will be better, I will bring you to a Greek restaurant if you agree with that idea.” Joaquin’s said with a big smile and bouncing up and down a little.

“I say that I agree with that idea and that I want another bouquet of violet the day of the date.” Y/N replied to him with a smile.

“Anything for you.” Joaquin replied with a smile as he put a violet behind Y/N’s ear.

[ashbrea381writings]

Flying Blind: Chapter 1, Bats in Paris

Four-year-old Richard Grayson glared at the girl in front of him. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was just six weeks older than him, and right now, she was taller than him too. “You’re gonna lose.” He taunted in heavily accented French, “I got super high scores and you can’t beat them!” “Don’t even think about it! I’m gonna win!” Marinette’s fists were clenched and her face red. “Just you watch!” The Dupain-Chengs and the Graysons shared an amused look over the heads of the children. “How are you doing?” Tom asked, chuckling about the children’s antics. “We’re good, we’ll be starting another tour this summer, then probably settle down for a couple years before moving on.” The two children started shouting even louder, causing them to be dragged apart by their exasperated parents. This happened every competition, for years.

***

Five years later, Richard stopped showing up to competitions. Marinette was annoyed at first, grumbling about him being a chicken who didn’t want to face her. At another competition, a month later, she heard one of the judges talking about the Graysons, making a sad comment about the loss of so many talented people, the wasted potential, an entire family of fliers just gone. Marinette stiffened in shock, her eyes wide as she processed what they had just said. Bolting to the locker room, Marinette yanked her hair out of it’s bun and changed back into her street clothes, hiding in the bathroom stall and crying. When her parents find her some minutes later, they make sure she isn’t hurt and take her home. “He’s dead… Dick’s dead.” She told them tearfully in the car on the way home. “All of them are.” Marinette stopped going to competitions after that.

***

Ladybug could feel the tension in her shoulders as she confronted the man before her, Chat a step behind and to her left. “If your Justice League doesn’t want to help, you could at least stay out of our city.” Her arms were crossed as she glared at Batman. “Why do you think the League wouldn’t help?” Robin asked, his accent strong but his pronunciation carefully precise. “We only heard of the situation recently.” “Oh? I called the League two years ago when our mentor gave up his memories to prevent Hawkmoth from getting something important.” Ladybug spat, letting her disgust show without letting it be bad enough that Hawkmoth could sense it. “I got told to stop playing games and they hung up on me.” “Who did you speak with?” Batman asked, pulling out a small tablet to take notes. “I don’t know, they didn’t say. Male, light voice in the baritone range, sounded way too cheerful until he decided I was lying, then he was just an ass.” She shrugged and gestured to the city around her. “‘Paris is fine, we would have noticed if something bad happened.’” She quoted in a near-perfect impression of Hal Jordan that made Batman frown. “Did you mean to do an impression?” Robin asked, somewhere between surprised and trying not to laugh when the girl his age was able to deepen her voice that much. “It’s accurate, I was there to hear him.” Chat chuckled, crossing his arms and shifting to lean on just one leg. “The guy continued to rant about children making prank calls and how he didn’t even know how we had the number.” “The fact that we had it at all should have told him the truth.” Ladybug scoffed. “Look, I’ve been doing this for four years. If you really wanna help, you’ll need to make sure you don’t fall victim to Hawkmoth yourself.” “And how does one do that?” “Mostly by repressing your negative emotions.” Chat shrugged, looking out over the city. “To be honest, it’s getting harder for Parisians to keep up their hopes. Our ages don’t help either, there are plenty who keep demanding we give up our Miraculi to older, more experienced people, but not just anyone can wield them.” “The personalities of the people wielding them must mesh well with the Miraculous, or it corrupts you and either causes you to become someone you wouldn’t recognize, or makes you very sick.” “That explains why you can’t pass them on, but why were you two chosen?” Robin tilted his head, moving forward a bit more. “We were the best candidates at the time. Our former mentor read our auras to make sure who meshed with which Miraculous and gave us a test to make sure we were the type of people to help others even when it’s not in our best interests.” Ladybug sighed and turned to look as a loud ‘bang!’ sounded from the direction of the Eiffel Tower. “Always the tower, I still don’t get it.” Chat sighed, prepping to take off. “Don’t ask me, Kitty.” Ladybug grabbed her yo-yo. “Stay back out of the fight unless you see a civilian in danger. You don’t know what you’re up against.” Batman looked like he wanted to argue, but the teen heroes took off in the direction of the Akuma that was currently pulling pieces off of the Tower and throwing them at the ground nearby. Batman and Robin found a spot just outside the action to observe. Other members of the Miraculous Team were already on the scene, moving civilians and calling out information to each other. Viperion split off from the action to intercept Ladybug and seemed to have a lot of information. Once they conferred for a few moments, a suddenly weary-looking Viperion gave signals to several of the team members. The Akuma was released, captured, and purified. With the Cure cast, the Tower was repaired and the Miraculous Team collectively shared quiet celebrations before separating except for Chat Noir, who’s Cataclysm hadn’t been used. “LB and the others are going to recharge, check in with their families after the attack, and meet us. I’m to lead you to somewhere private where we can talk more thoroughly.” Chat was brisk, seeming tired. “Your Snake friend… He spent a good portion of the fight observing and only really called out instructions for the most part. Why is that?” Robin asked as they started running across rooftops. “That’s his part. Ladybug is Creation, I’m Destruction, he’s Intuition. He watches the fight and uses his ability to make sure we do not fail when we cannot avoid it otherwise.” Chat answered vaguely, enjoying the verbal cat-and-mouse. “Are you going to tell us what his power is?” Batman asked, his exasperation audible in his voice. “The more information we have, the better we can plan and the more help we can give.” “I’m gonna let Viperion explain, he’s a chill guy, he won’t mind telling you. Besides, they’re all gonna be there and I think LB plans to give you two a rundown of everyone anyway.” Chat explained, dropping down into a small garden hidden between buildings. There was a small storage shed that Chat opened, removing a handful of chairs and a folding table. “I believe LB plans on bringing refreshments, will you help me set this up?”

***

An hour later, the rest of the team had assembled, with more than just Ladybug bringing snacks and drinks. There was something for everyone, although Batman chose not to eat. “So, a rundown?” “My powers stem from Creation, I create an object that helps us in the fight, purify the Akuma, and my Cure repairs any damage done by the miraculous during that specific Akuma fight. If too much time passes after the Akuma was purified, I can’t put it right.” Ladybug began, pointing to Chat next. “His power is from Destruction, he can destroy any one item he touches or a portion of a surface such as the ground or a wall. He can control how far the destruction spreads to a degree, it’s something we’re working on. Viperion has the power of Second Chance, he sets a timer and within that span of time he can reset to the beginning as many times as he wants theoretically. The problem is that he’s the only one who remembers what happened in the timeline he reset, so he has to be able to remember what to do so we can succeed.” “Is that why you suddenly looked more tired during the fight?” Robin asked, brows furrowing. “Yes. Seeing your friends get hurt over and over will do that.” The shaggy-haired hero sighed, shaking his head. “As much as I dislike seeing it, I know that I can prevent it as long as I still have my power active and as long as I’m able to give them the right information when we reset. I’ve gotten a lot better than when we started, but it helped when Chat started to realize I knew what I was doing.” His eyes sparkled with a bit of humor and Chat shook his head with a goan. “You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?” Chat asked, stretching. “Nope, never.” “Anyway.” Ladybug glared at the two boys, but it lacked conviction. “You’ll have to give me the rundown later of how many times we reset. Moving on, Rena Rouge, power of Illusion. Carapace, Protection, his shields are nearly impenetrable.” Ladybug pointed out each hero in turn. “Honey Bee, she can paralyze a person with her stinger, most of these have a duration and are usable just once for now. Pegasus can make portals to anywhere, again, once and there’s a time limit after using it. King Monkey isn’t here right now, but his power disrupts those of whomever is touched with an object he summons. We have one more teammate who doesn’t get involved often. Their name is Bunnyx, and they don’t show up much unless we really need them. They travel through time.” “So you have a time-traveler to come pull you out? Then why don’t they tell you who Hawkmoth is?” Batman demanded. “Because one: that’s cheating, and two: that’s not how they’re supposed to figure it out.” Came another voice from above before a blue, white, and pink blur dropped down behind Ladybug.

***

Note: The competition is for Gymnastics if anyone’s confused.

[arosesstorm]

Demons | Newt

Words count: 1k                                        reader! x Newt

Serie: every song has a story

Warning: pain, shooting; we’re in the middle of a battle!

🎧: Demons -Imagine Dragons

My eyes opened, suddenly, quickly.

It felt like I woke up in a body that was not my own.

I searched around frenetically when something exploded onto my right, just a few feet beside me.

Shooting was heard as my head broke into a strong headache.

As i slowly touched the back of my head, I felt something liquid lying there; I was bleeding.

Consciousness coming back to my body as I tried to stand up.

In the distance I spotted someone shooting, they wore all black, but their silhouettes were oddly familiar.

With all the strength I had, I pushed myself up.

"I’ll get them, leave!" One of the figures shout as they glanced back at me.

"Take her and leave!" 

Thomas looked at his friend sympathetically, then glanced behind at me.

Minho close, shouting for dear life as his Launcher lost munitions.

I quickly got up, searching anywhere for something, as my eyes fixed on a dead Wicked guard on the ground, my eyes lighting up.

"Move!" I shout .

The three boys heard me enough to turn around, but none moved.

"Y/N! What are you doing?"

"I said move!" As I pushed back Newt, I throw a grenade in that direction, collapsing with my knees on the ground.

"Let’s go!" Thomas yelled, as a hand was picking me up.

"How are you feeling? You alright? It was a bad fall" Newt’s eyes searched scared mine’s.

"I’m fine, I’m fine" 

As soon as his face broke into relief, he doubled to the ground, gagging.

Black ink was wetting his lips.

"I’m not gonna make it."

I knelt down, taking the boy into a sitting position.

"You can walk?" I yelled over the sounds of bombs, guns, deaths.

He nodded.

"Try to walk!" My voice almost audible over the crying of sirens and grenades.

The boy got up, walking as fast as he could, me by his side, watching his every step.

We eventually made our way around the streets, as an explosion a few feet ahead of us, made us stumble back.

"This way!" Minho shouted.

We hid inside a now destroyed shop, the smell of dust reaching my organs, as I sit on the ground, Newt by my side.

"How’s your head?" Thomas quickly asked, making his way closer to me, my head between his hands.

As he saw blood dripping, he quickly exchanged a concerned look with Newt, who forced his body up enough to reach my head as his chests heaved.

His eyes full of concern as he looked at me.

"I can make it" I reassured them, "I promise I can, let’s get to the cure, tunnels are around a couple blocks away".

"Let’s move, they’re recharging!" Minho informed.

Thomas turned around, but Newt kept on looking at me, his hands still caressing my hair.

"It’s fine I promise, let’s go" I muttered, smiling kindly to the blond.

We stood up rather hardly, Thomas helping me steady Newt.

"Alright, come on" 

We made our way through bullets flying around us, one brushing against my leg as I wimped in pain.

"Y/N!" Minho screamed, but I kept on walking, until my leg gave out, me falling down.

Blood slowly wetting my leg as I pressed a hand against the wound.

"Come on I can make it" I say, as Thomas offers me his hand, me slowly getting up.

Newt’s eyes almost completely dark as reached to get him.

We kept on going, eventually stopping behind a statue.

Thomas taking out his transistor as he tried to reach for Brenda.

"Brenda! You hear me?"

His eyes darting from me to Newt almost going insane.

As an horrific background, cries and shouts filled our ears.

The world, at least what was left of it, was really ending.

"Brenda? We’re not gonna make it" 

My eyes leaving Newt’s face, as they met Thomas gaze, pretty resigned.

"I can take him!" I insisted, words hopelessly leaving my mouth.

"No you can’t" Newt throbbed again, unbuttoning his jacket as he panted.

"Just leave me"

"Shut up" I answered, not looking at him.

"You wanna hide the truth" he smiled, looking amused, a terrified grin spreading across his face.

"I wanna shelter you" I whispered, my hands finding his resting on the ground.

"But with the beast inside, there’s nowhere we can hide" he smiled, bitterly.

"Don’t wanna let you down" he admitted, after a moment of silence, his hand caressing my right cheek.

"Though this is all for you, don’t wanna hide the truth" I cried, holding my leg.

Brenda’s voice broke the silence : "Thomas? I’m gonna get you! Keep strong. Just found a way in!"

As Thomas’ eyes reluctantly left mine, he talked: "what? What do you mean?" 

"Look up!" Our eyes fixed to the sky, above our heads, a Berg made its way inside the city, the night sky above looked just like the perfect frame for the end of it all.

"They say it’s what you make" Minho whispered.

"I say it’s up to fate" Newt replied. 

Looking at his head falling exhausted down, I quickly got close to him, helping him stand up.

"Let’s leave" I stated, Minho and Thomas nodding.

We stormed away, running as fast as we could, steps one in front of the other, my leg begging me to stop, but it was only a matter of time before Newt fall to the ground again.

"Minho" Thomas announced, his eyes quickly solving the situation: "you need to run, as fast as you can. Get the cure and come back to us".

The boy looked reluctant but then he nodded, looking at his friend again.

"Thank you Minho, thank you" Newt smiled, patting his shoulder.

Thomas got up, holding his gun tightly, looking around for any danger, as I looked at Minho’s figure disappearing between  crashes and fires.

As I helped Newt rest his back onto an hard block, he smiled, his eyes completely dark now, as purplish grooves were aiming for his cheeks.

"Your eyes, they shine so bright" he mumbled.

I looked up.

"I wanna save that light" 

His smile fell, as he rested his head back against the concrete.

"I need to let you go"

"Shut up!" I screamed, my head on the point of exploding.

"Just shut up" I cried now.

"Look into my eyes"

My hands shaky, as I did what Newt instructed.

"It’s where my demons hide" he breathed.

"They just look the same to me."

As tears fell down my eyes, I pushed the boy away.

"We’re gonna get you to the Berg."

"Y/N-"

"You’ll be safe"

"Let me go"

"We’ll walk through the safe haven"

"It’s okay Love"

"You’ll get to smile by the fire, growing old"

"Y/N plea-"

My hands in my hair as I gripped tightly: 

"I can’t escape this now, Unless you show me how!".

Mia

Masterlist

© 2023 of Mia (arosesstorm). All Rights Reserved.

[splendidly-secret-sick-fics]

Ooo! What about Kuroo feeling really unwell during training camp while training with Bokuto, Akaashi, Tsukki, Hinata and Lev? He's probably felt bad for a while, but just suffered through. So when everything becomes too much, a panicking Hinata runs to get Kenma... and you can decide the rest.

Only if you're comfortable with writing it though! Have a nice day!

Leaders Don’t Cry: a Kuroo sickfic

Pairing: sick Kuroo, caretakers Kenma, Tsukki, Bokuto, Akaashi, kinda Hinata & Lev

Word Count: 4,266

Warnings: vomit, swearing, slight emetophobia, and sad Kuroo :(

———————————————————

Thanks for the request friend :) I’ve only ever written Kuroo & Kenma as side characters, so this was kinda fun!!

I’m not super super happy with the overall product, but that’s alright. I do feel like maybe it’s not super cohesive? Idk. Let me know!! I look forward to improving my characterization of Kuroo and Kenma.

———————————————————-

Kuroo was a Leader. He was someone that others looked up to. Someone you could depend on.

Leaders were extroverts though, and Kuroo had to admit he did his best Recharging alone in his room or the quiet company of the Kenma. That’s an Introvert Thing, apparently. Even when he was young, too many people or too much social interaction drained him. Another Introvert Thing.

When he met Kenma and started playing volleyball, it seemed he naturally outgrew his Introvert Model, shedding his shy, intimidated outer-self. It was easily replaced with the Extrovert Model.

Now, Kuroo liked being surrounded by his team and his friends and he liked meeting new people. That’s an Extrovert Thing. So Kuroo was an Extrovert.

(“That makes you an Introverted Extrovert, Kuro,” Kenma told him one day. Kuroo didn’t understand how that could possibly be a thing.)

As an Extrovert, it was only natural that he became the captain of his volleyball team his third year. It was only natural that he was the Bridge between Karasuno and the Tokyo powerhouse schools.

(Kenma claimed, when the two of them were alone at least, that it was really his friendship with Chibi-Chan and their coaches that did that. Kuroo refused to concede this point.)

As the Leader and Bridge, it was again only natural that not only his team, but also other teams’ players were drawn to his wisdom and sparkling personality.

(“You forced yourself on them,” Kenma sighed.)

And that’s how he, Kuroo Tetsuro, Certified Extroverted Leader, came to be in Gym Three, long after their main practice ended with two of Karasuno’s first years, Bokuto, Akaashi, and Lev.

And that’s also how he ended up in the Worst Possible Situation.

It went down like this.

They were at another training camp with the Fukurodani Group and Regular Guests, Karasuno High. It was a short one, thrown together quickly because of the long weekend.

After much convincing (read: coercion) from him and Bokuto, Tsukishima Kei agreed to join them again for blocking practice. They pushed because Kuroo couldn’t stand to watch this kid’s talent waste away and Bokuto was personally offended that Tsukki still didn’t seem to enjoy volleyball.

It should have come as no surprise that Karasuno’s Hinata Shoyo joined in again, determined to redeem himself from his previous loss at the last camp.

And then because Haiba Lev decided that Chibi-chan and him were rivals, he joined in too.

(Akaashi claimed he had no choice but to join. It was either endless practice or endless Dejected Bokuto. Kuroo thinks he’s just masochistic.)

Their first night was awesome. He saw a fire ignited in Tsukki and got to smash Bokuto’s spikes back in his face. Plus, his ego was boosted because the three first years were all wowed by his skill.

Tonight, however, was not great. If he was honest with himself, things were bad from the second he woke up, and promptly wanted to curl back into his futon.

His head hurt and his body ached. The sounds of his team waking up and getting ready for the day set his nerves on edge the second he heard them. He felt overcrowded and overstimulated and he wasn’t even out of bed yet.

It had all the signs of a Recharge Alone Day, but it was the last full day of a training camp in which he was supposed to be a Leader. So, he pushed that all aside and got up to go lead.

As the day progressed, Kuroo gave more and more thought to Kenma’s “Introverted Extrovert” theory. He still loved his team and wanted to be around them. He did want to participate in the games and hang out with the other teams.

He also so so very badly wanted to sit in the dark for the next several hours.

Kuroo’s headache only grew more insistent as the day went on, likely due to the sounds of squeaking shoes, bouncing volleyballs, and the too warm summer heat. He got increasingly more fidgety and nervous all day and it made him uncomfortable in his own skin. That, added to the already ever-present soreness of his limbs only served to make him more miserable.

But he was the Captain, so he shoved those feelings down, ignored his headache, and tried to act as normal as possible. For the most part, his plan worked and no one bothered him about what might be wrong. Kenma was the only one that eyed him suspiciously every time his Extrovert facade slipped a little. At the end of the regular practice, his best friend approached him slowly.

“Hey,” he said, his voice quiet as usual.

“Kenma! What’s up, dude?” Kuroo forced, trying to maintain his usual Extrovert Mode.

“Cut the crap, Kuro,” Kenma sighed, blunt and exhausted as usual.

“Kenma, what are you—“

“Are you sick?”

The question caught Kuroo off guard. Was he sick? He thought it was just an Introvert Day that he had to push through. Maybe Kenma had a point though? It wasn’t like he normally felt this drained during a training camp. That usually came after the camp ended.

“No,” he eventually replied and waved his hand, “nah. Just tired. I think practicing with the guys at night took more of my energy than usual.” That must be it. He didn’t usually have to put out that much energy after practice. Lev, Hinata, and Bokuto were all True Extroverts, after all. Unlike Kuroo, who just molded himself into one. It made sense.

Kenma studied him with wide eyes before relenting and saying “Don’t push yourself, Kuro.”

“I won’t, don’t worry. I am a little tired though so maybe I’ll forgo evening prac—“

“Kuroo-san!” Hinata ran up to them, “are we practicing again today?? I want you to show me that cool wha-BAM block again!!” He jumped up and slammed his hands down, most likely trying to imitate exactly what he was trying to convey. All the loud explanation did was call attention back to his headache.

“Shoyo, Kuro was actually just saying that he was—“

“On my way to look for you Chib-chan!” Kuroo interrupted. Kenma narrowed his eyes at him, but Kuroo couldn’t deny the little red headed twerp.

“Let’s go grab something to eat and then we’ll round up the others.”

Hinata looked at him with those stupid starry eyes and nodded before running off to pester Tsukishima. Kuroo deflated some.

“Kuro. It’s okay to take breaks. I know you think that this is what you should be doing as Captain, but it’s alright to say no sometimes,” Kenma said.

“I know, Kenma,” Kuroo smiled gently, ignoring the uneasy feeling in his gut, “Thank you for looking out, but I’m fine! It’s only one more day. Tomorrow afternoon once everyone’s gone, I’ll just hang out in my room. You can come over if you want and play that new game I bought.”

Kenma studied him again before letting out a long-suffering exhale.

“Sure. Sounds good.”

After they ate, the six of them met up in Gym Three for another three on three. On the outside, things were going well. On the inside, Kuroo’s head was quickly descending into chaos.

He pretended that Bokuto, Lev and Hinata weren’t too loud. He pretended that he had enough energy to show them the same move seven times. He pretended he was enjoying this.

All the while, his headache slowly transitioned into a migraine, his limbs got heavier, and his dinner swirled in his stomach nauseatingly. It took maximum effort to stay awake, let alone play a three on three with three of the most energetic people he’d ever met before.

It all came to a head when his feet slammed down after blocking one of Bokuto’s cross shots. The power behind those normally made him stumble upon landing, but this time it sent a sharp pain shooting through his head and stars dance in his vision. He couldn’t regain his footing, and he stumbled onto his ass.

“Kuroo-san?” Akaashi asked when he didn’t get back up. He couldn’t get back up. The stars were still there and he couldn’t really find his feet.

“Y-yeah?” he stuttered.

“Hey, hey, hey, Kuroo, you alright my man?” Bokuto’s voice boomed and he winced before he could stop himself.

“Kuroo-san? What’s wrong?” Akaashi was kneeling beside him now. He could tell by the proximity of his voice.

“Just a a little...dizzy,” he forced a laugh, trying to play it off. He squeezed his eyes shut and brought a hand up to squeeze at his temples. What the hell was happening?

“Kuroo-san! Do you want some water?” Hinata’s voice rang and clanged in his head. He groaned.

“Kuroo-san, don’t die!!” Lev’s voice pounded. He grimaced.

“Would you idiots keep it down?” Tsukishima, beautiful, quiet Tsukishima commanded.

“Hey, Stupid we’re just trying to help!” Hinata screeched.

“And clearly he’s got a headache, you massive dolt. Keep your volume down,” Tsukki snapped back. Kuroo would thank him if the room would stop spinning.

Suddenly, a hand was on his forehead.

“You’ve got a fever,” Akaashi stated.

Oh. Well, Kenma was right after all. He was sick. The confirmation snapped something into place and all of his emotions, his control, whooshed out of him in one fell swoop. All the symptoms he ignored all day came to the very front of his mind and all he could think about was how miserable he felt.

“Oh,” he choked around the abrupt knot in his throat. He blinked his eyes open and turned to look at Akaashi. The setter was serious as ever, but there was a small frown on his lips and tiny furrow to his brows.

“Bokuto-san, can you bring me your warm up jacket?”

Bokuto nodded and quickly, but thankfully quietly, brought their jackets over and Akaashi draped it around Kuroo’s shoulders.

“Kuroo-san, do you want to lie down?” he soothed.

“Akaashi, I don’t feel good,” he muttered. There was a burning in his eyes and a quiver to his lips that he really wished would go away.

“I know. We’ll get you to your room, but first, I need you to get yourself together some.”

“I don’t...I don’t feel good,” he said, an all too evident shake in his voice. This is not what Leaders do. But he felt so terrible, there was nothing he could do to prevent this sudden onslaught of emotions. Before he knew it, warm tears rolled down his flushed cheeks.

“Kuroo-san!” Hinata screeched. Tsukishima smacked him upside the head. He glared and rubbed the back of his head.

“Kuroo-san,” he tried again, quieter this time, “don’t cry, please. It’s okay!”

Kuroo couldn’t help it. He appreciated Hinata’s attempts at comfort, but he was so drained and he was so sick and he couldn’t help it.

“Kuroo, what can we do to help, man?” Bokuto asked gently, much to his and Akaashi’s (flustered and very evident) surprise. He sat down by Kuroo and rubbed a hand soothingly up and down his back. It helped for a second, but then it just made his skin crawl and his stomach turn.

“I I don’t...I don’t know,” he whimpered pitifully, “I don’t feel good.” He exhaled and dropped his chin to his chest. The downward spiral of both his physical and mental condition brought him further and further into his own self-incurred misery. He needed someone else to be the leader. Anyone.

“Ahhhh, Kuroo-san.” Hinata flailed.

“What about Kenma?” Lev whisper-yelled. Hinata’s spine straightened sharply.

“Good idea, Lev! I know where he is. I’ll go get him!” Hinata proclaimed and ran out.

“Kuroo, what doesn’t feel good?” Bokuto asked.

Kuroo inhaled shakily.

“Head.. my head hurts. And I’m sore and uh and my st-stomach,” he responded through panting breaths.

“There’s a stomach bug that just hit a couple of the player’s on Shinzen’s team,” Tsukishima supplied helpfully.

“Sounds like you might’ve picked that up, Kuroo-san.” Akaashi clicked his tongue.

This was news to him. It must’ve just happened because usually the captains kept each other up to date on those kinds of things as soon as they could. If that was true, that would explain why it came on so quickly. He was fine yesterday. Even just a few hours ago, he was nothing but a little groggy. Now it felt like he got hit by a bus.

If it was a stomach bug, that meant….

“No, no,” he panicked, “no I don’t want that.” He wrapped his hands around his swirling stomach.

“Kuroo, calm down. It’s alright. You’re gonna make it worse,” Bokuto said. Kuroo shook his aching head.

“No I hate throwing up, Bo,” he whimpered and dropped his head to look at his shaking hands.

“Oh…” Akaashi breathed, “do you feel like you might?”

“I don’t know,” he said again. Because he didn’t want to. He absolutely did not want to puke. Not in front of these first years. That might ruin all of his credibility as an upperclassmen, let alone the Captain of a powerhouse school.

Geez, what a pitiful and pathetic display he was putting on. He was supposed to be someone these kids looked up to, and now they were helping him.

“Here,” Tsukishima said, handing Akaashi and Bokuto a bucket from the supply room. Kuroo eyed it distastefully.

“It’s just in case, Kuroo-san!” Lev tried. But the more Kuroo got worked up in spite of himself, the more he realized that wasn’t true. His current emotional state wreaked havoc on his head, which in turn twisted his gut.

Several minutes passed and Kuroo took the time to collect himself so that he could get it together enough to go to his room. At least there he could be miserable and pathetic alone.

While he was able to get himself to stop crying, the come down from the sudden rush of emotions only made his other symptoms that much more prevalent.

Kuroo groaned miserably, “where’s Kenma?”

“Hinata-kun has gone to get him. He’ll be back soon hopefully.”

“Akaashi, I don’t feel good,” he whined and curled tighter in on himself.

“I know,” Akaashi said.

“Feels… bad…” he swallowed thickly.

“Kuroo…” Tsukishima warned. He shook his head.

“‘M sorry,” he mumbled. Something heaved in his stomach and he pulled his shoulders up to his ears and brought the back of his hand to his mouth.

“Y’guys should go,” he said around the pool of saliva in his mouth and the heaviness of his jaw. Who he was talking to at this point, he wasn’t sure. He just knew that being around him right now was only asking to catch this. He also knew he was about to puke and he really wanted to try and maintain some of his dignity.

“Too late for that, numbskull. We’ve been around you for days. If we’re gonna catch it, we’re gonna catch it. Might as well make sure you don’t die,” Tsukishima said. Kuroo, behind his mounting nausea and hazy brain, was touched by his salty kouhai’s attempt at comfort.

“I think he meant he doesn’t want you to see him spew, Tsukkidude,” Bokuto murmured. His hand was still on Kuroo’s back and while it was more comforting than bothersome now, it also served to swirl things around in his stomach and brain. He nodded lethargically.

“Kuroo-san, if you could, uh— please, just, um...wait...for Kenma-san, I think it would make you feel, uh, better. To have him here, that is. Instead of...uh...me,” Akaashi stammered. Kuroo heard the nervousness in his voice and felt bad. There wasn’t much he could do to stave off the inevitable though.

“You squeamish, ‘Kaashi?” Bokuto asked.

“Uhhhh,” Akaashi hesitated, high pitched, “maybe a little.”

“Bo,” Kuroo panted, punctuated by a sick hiccup.

“I gotcha, buddy. Bucket’s right here,” Bokuto reassured and placed the bucket in his lap. “You can leave guys, I got this.” He said to the other three.

“Yeah...I’m gonna take you up on that,” Lev said uneasily. “Sorry Kuroo-san.” He bowed and then sprinted out of the gym. Tsukishima looked more hesitant, but ultimately bowed and left as well.

“Akaashi?” Bokuto said right as Kuroo spit into the bucket. The sounds of their conversation faded in and out with the rest of Kuroo’s surroundings. All he could fully register was the lump of something nasty moving up his chest. All he could see was the blinding red color of the bucket.

A few airy burps that grated his throat passed through his parted lips. He whimpered.

“It’s alright, Kuroo,” Bokuto’s voice filtered through the haze. He gagged.

It hurt. It hurt so badly. Each heave, gag and hiccup that plagued him for the next several moments.

Where was Kenma?

Kuroo coughed, hiccupped, and a small stream of vomit trailed out of his mouth. It wasn’t enough. It still hurt. He wheezed.

“Hey, Kuroo-san, try to take deep breaths,” Akaashi’s shaky voice commanded.

“Can’t,” he gasped, coughing up more bile.

Fuck he wanted this to be over.

Cough, gasp, puke. The painful, horrific cycle repeated for several tense minutes. It didn’t relieve any of his discomfort.

Bokuto patted his back and tried to offer comforting words. Akaashi wouldn’t look at Kuroo, but he was there, another steady presence to offer some grounding to Kuroo.

“Kuroo- san! I found Kenma!” Hinata’s voice cut through his misery. “He was in the shower. I’m sorry it took so long!”

“Kuro,” Kenma said, voice calm, blunt, comforting. He took Akaashi’s place at his side, his Snorlax slippers and ratty sweatpants taking up Kuroo’s peripheral.

“I don’ feel good,” Kuroo told him around the bile coating his mouth. Kenma put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

“I gathered that,” he said with amusement, “it’s okay. Just relax.”

Kuroo shook his head. Relaxing meant letting this happen. He did not want it to happen.

“Tetsu, don’t be an ass,” Kenma sighed, exasperated.

“Kenma,” he whimpered. The hand on his shoulder squeezed again.

“How long has he been like this?” Kenma directed at someone else in the room.

“About 15 minutes,” Akaashi’s shaky voice answered.

“Shit, Tetsuro, why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Kenma asked. Kuroo shook his head slowly.

“Didn’ re’lize,” he slurred. His stomach cramped and his inhaled sharply through his teeth and gripped tightly at his shirt. As soon as the cramp passed, he gagged, his body jolting forward.

“Uh, I’m gonna—I’m gonna go,” Hinata stuttered out and then Kuroo heard his tiny feet run from the gym.

“Can you two go get Nobuyuki and Yaku from the Nekoma quarters? I’m sure Lev is looking for them, but he’s an idiot,” Kenma demanded of Akaashi and Bokuto, the inflection behind his voice commanding and unwavering. It comforted Kuroo in ways he didn’t understand.

Despite how it appeared to onlookers, Kenma was alway the one taking care of Kuroo. More than Kuroo took care of him, anyway. The setter always knew exactly what Kuroo needed before he even said anything. He was passive most of the time, content to let things be, but stubborn and steadfast when he needed to be. Which was something that Kuroo was grateful for, too prone to letting his emotions take over. Kenma was a sturdy support for Kuroo when he was at his weakest.

“They’re gone, Testsu. Relax and let it happen. It’s just you and me,” Kenma told him. He put his forehead on the top of Kuroo’s matted, sweaty hair. The parts of Kenma’s hair that touched Kuroo were wet and cold. It felt nice. 

The uncharacteristic gentle action from Kenma made something in Kuroo’s chest twinge and he whimpered, fresh tears dropping into the bucket.

Kuroo could be himself with Kenma. He didn’t need to be the Captain or a Leader or an Extrovert or even an Introverted Extrovert. He could just be Kuroo.

“Just us, Tetsu,” Kenma said and pulled his head back.

Kuroo inhaled slowly, deeply and exhaled, trying to relax his shoulders and back. It didn’t take much more for his stomach to finally find relief.

A gurgling hiccup brought up a small stream of bile and he coughed. Another hiccup brought a little more. Then finally, he belched, wet and heady, and heaved, a much stronger torrent of disgusting vomit moving up his chest and out of his mouth.

“There ya go,” Kenma sighed. He moved Kuroo’s unruly hair, made more disgusting by the sheen of sweat covering his forehead, back and away from his face. Kuroo lurched forward with a gag, bringing up more of his dinner.

“Holy shit, Kuro, that’s some fever. I’m sorry you’ve felt so bad all day,” Kenma whispered. Kuroo shook his head, spitting out the nasty taste in his mouth, trying to find his breath before the next round. 

He didn’t get much of a chance before he heaved again.

“God,” he slurred between wretches.

“It’s alright. Calm down,” Kenma instructed.

He puked twice more before his stomach settled for the time being.

“Kenma...please…” he whispered, gesturing for him to move the bucket away.

“Here,” Kenma handed him a water, “drink this first. Rinse out your mouth.” Kuroo did as he was told and spit into the bucket. Kenma took it away after that and Kuroo thanked him quietly. He inhaled, bringing his head up and looking at Kenma for the first time since the setter got there.

Kenma’s eyebrows were furrowed ever so slightly, a subtle pout on his lips. He brushed Kuroo’s bangs back again.

“Thanks, Kenma,” he smiled weakly. Kenma clicked his tongue.

“You’re an idiot,” he sighed. It lacked any of its usual blunt edge.

“Kuroo!!” Kai called out, running into the gym. They were both wearing medical masks, a couple more in their hands.

“Hey,” he said sheepishly, a hand on the back of his neck.

“I knew something was wrong. You really are such a dumbass,” Yaku said, a hand on his hip and an eyebrow raised. He was as blunt as usual.

“Thanks, Yaku. You’re as gentle as ever.”

“Yeah, well. Can’t help it when you decide to push yourself to this point,” he said, turning his face away. “Idiot,” he added as an afterthought. Kuroo couldn’t see his cheeks behind his mask, but his ears were red.

“You alright Kenma? Here,” Kai asked and handed Kenma a mask. Kenma shook his head.

“Too late for that,” he sighed.

“Yeah, but several of Shinzen and Fukurodani’s players have gone down with the same thing as our fearless leader here. We’re trying to contain it so it doesn’t spread more,” Kai explained.

“Yeah. Exactly. You wear one too, Kuroo,” Yaku insisted. Kuroo didn’t like the idea of having his mouth covered, but he also didn’t like the idea of spreading this wretched fate to others.

Kenma and Kuroo took the masks and then Yaku pulled some meds out of the bag on his shoulder and handed them to him. Kuroo’s lip curled, but Kenma pinched his elbow and he relented. They hit his stomach with a hollow thud.

Kai held a hand out to help Kuroo up. As soon as he stood, his knees buckled and black spots danced in his vision. Kai quickly caught him around his waist and threw Kuroo’s arm around his shoulder.

“Try not to pass out until we get back to the quarantine room. It’d make things difficult,” Yaku said. Kuroo would’ve rolled his eyes if he had the energy.

Together, they made it back to the classrooms (repurposed as sleeping quarters for the camp). There was a room for people who already puked and one for anyone experiencing symptoms. Kuroo was shocked to find Akaashi there, leaning over a trash can, Bokuto rubbing his back, as well as several Shinzen players, a couple Ubugawa players, and the setter from Karasuno.

Hinata was there as well, sitting beside Kageyama with his arms crossed and a disgruntled look on his face.

Yaku set up a new futon for Kuroo and Kai helped him settle into it. He immediately curled up on his side, exhaling in relief.

They asked if he needed anything, promised to bring him a change of clothes, and left. Kenma saw them out but then came back and plopped himself down beside Kuroo.

“You can go, Kenma,” he said, looking up at him with one eye open. Kenma shrugged.

“I wouldn’t leave you,” he said plainly. Like it wasn’t embarrassing at all. Kuroo smiled to himself.

“What’s with Chibi-Chan?” He asked in lieu of a response. Kenma snickered.

“His team sent him here when Kageyama came down with the bug. Apparently their “secret relationship” isn’t so secret.”

Kuroo chuckled. That was probably why Akaashi and Bokuto were both here as well.

“You know,” Kenma said.

“Hmm,” Kuroo replied sleepily.

“No one thinks you’re less of a Leader just because you’re sick. It happens to everyone. Doesn’t mean you’re not still someone other people look up to,” Kenma said quietly, matter-of-fact.

“Mmm.. you’re right,” he muttered back. He was. Kuroo knew that. He appreciated the reminder though.

“Go to sleep, Tetsu,” Kenma said and stretched his legs out beside Kuroo. He ran his fingers through Kuroo’s hair. Sleep called to him and his eyes slowly closed.

He woke up several times before the next morning, because of other people puking, because he needed to puke and once when Kenma puked, swearing Kuroo out for getting him sick.

He apologized profusely and pulled Kenma’s hair back with the hair tie he kept on his wrist.

Kuroo was a Leader. Someone other people liked and looked up to.

Sometimes Leaders needed someone to lean on too, he supposed. Thank goodness he had Kenma.

[nincompoopydoo]

DEBRIS AND MISERY

THE A-TEAM ; PART 7 / ?

PAIRING: Loki Laufeyson x Female!Reader WORD COUNT: 3.3k SUMMARY: Now stranded on Lamentis with two of the worst variants, you find it difficult to decide whether Loki is potentially empathetic to others around him. A/N: I’m so sorry I haven’t updated in awhile and for posting this slow-moving and kinda uneventful chapter but I promise you, it’s vital for the next chapter as it explains a few things. Please tell me what you think so far and maybe theories? (idk if yall have any lol) gif from this gifset by @kamalaskhans WARNINGS: Swearing. Loki being a jerk. Loki and Sylvie support my writing through ko-fi💖 MASTERPOST ; MASTERLIST

Vertigo strikes you more often than you enjoy. The sensation of everything that encompasses, spinning in tandem with your mind. It’s the work you deal with that constantly sends your brain reeling because the complexity of time travel and time itself sometimes becomes too much to handle. Yet, this isn’t vertigo caused by an existential crisis. It’s nausea from the throbbing gash on your cheek and the numbness of your entire face from the fall through the time door.

For a split second, as your body surges through the door in mid-air, you have a vision, a series of flashing images—crimson eyes blinking before you, the sea, the Sun and fire.

Then, it’s gone and you land with a loud thump.

Your head hurts. Your face hurts. Everything hurts.

A groan escapes your lips, muffled with your face to the ground. You attempt to seize yourself up but immediately halt as your hand seems to come into contact with a shirt-like material. Too soft for it to be the ground unless you are on a mattress. Nothing seems to make sense anyway because a second ago, you had a knife to your throat and another, you are falling.

Deciding that maneuvering in the darkness of your shut eyes isn’t going to give you answers, they flutter open, adjusting to the lightness and hues of your surroundings. Then, every muscle of yours freezes with the realization that it is not the ground you had landed on as you meet another’s eyes with the same stricken gaze, staring back at you. Loki, in a rather unfortunate position, lays beneath you.

Momentarily, time passes like a goddamn laggard.

You can hear and feel every ragged breath he takes. Suddenly, you find yourself swallowing.

What a great time to stab him in the chest if you had a knife right now.

Yet, the moment passes as the tension severely thickens and your anxiety starts to creep onto you with the sudden awareness of your unknown surroundings. Purplish hues can never be good. You continue to seize yourself up in the effort to get back on your feet albeit legs feeling weak when you unceremoniously jab his rib with your elbow and you hear Loki wince from below you.

“Woman! Why are your elbows so sharp?!” Loki shrieks through a series of grunts. In a swift movement, his hands are on either side of your shoulders, shoving you off him. You land hard on your back, head slamming onto something metallic as it clangs with the impact. You groan, hand flying to your head as you eye the God with sharp eyes. “Ow!” you yell but then hear the same exclamation echo from another’s lips—the fugitive variant. You seemed to have kicked her in the knee.

In your peripheral vision, there’s a certain glint that catches your eyes. It’s the tempad, sitting idly amongst the dark gravel. Before you could even begin to pull yourself up from the ground, you are being hauled once more as the blonde climbs over you to reach for the device. But, Loki is quick to grab her by the foot, yanking her away with force.

“Get off my foot!” she growls as Loki attempts to make an expeditious crawl towards the device. He manages to snag it but, the Goddess hoists his head onto a nearby desk with a loud clang.

She already has it within her grasp as you’re struggling to lift yourself.

“Goodbye, variants.” she spits, voice course. If it weren’t for your throbbing migraine and the sting from the open wound along your cheek, you would have properly realized she referred to you as a variant. Well, she’s not wrong to a certain extent.

Yet, she’s still here and no timedoor appears.

“You’re outta juice!” Miss Minutes’ American Southern accent mechanically echoes from the tempad in an almost eerily way followed by repetitive low beeps. You watch her repeatedly stab the screen with slightly wide panicked eyes. “It’s not working,” she says, expression growing anxious with every passing minute.

Loki manages to gracefully stand on his own two feet, even after a brutal hit to his skull, and unexpectedly bends over to you and offers an outstretched hand. You don't say anything, taking it as he hauls you up with a hand to your back as leverage. In an attempt to steady yourself, you instinctively grab his shoulder

Then, you find yourself being yanked by the sleeve and a knife to your throat once again.

She has a scowl imprinted on her face, eyes blazing with frustration and rage.

“Give me your tempad,” she snarls, face close to yours. You can feel the edge of the knife grazing your neck with every inhale. A nervous laugh escapes your lips, eyeing the shine of the blade. “Do you really want to do that?”

For a moment, her face falls, yet it’s gone the next second. She pushes the blade closer. If you breathe, there’s going to be blood. “Give me your tempad or I’ll slice your throat,” she threatens and with your erratic heart pounding in your chest, you manage to cry out.

“I don’t have a tempad!”

“She doesn’t have a tempad!”

You and Loki exclaimed synchronically and shared a look. As far as you were concerned, only Renslayer and Mobius knew about the confiscation of your tempad because it was embarrassing enough to be the only analyst to be called to court. You have so many questions but right now, you should be thinking about how your one slash away from being decapitated.

You feel his grip on your back tighten and within a split second, everything changes around you.

Your surroundings have changed, her knife is no longer on your neck. Magically, you have been transported across the room, facing her back. Loki releases his hold on you and shoves the blonde to the side as she tumbles into a storage shelf.

Your stomach churns unannounced, feeling like the floors are spinning below you as you try to wrap around the fact that you were on the other end of the room a while ago and now you’re here. Transportation or whatever the hell it was, made your insides feel like it's about to spew out of your mouth.

“Never do that again,” you groan, holding your abdomen. Meanwhile, Loki has plucked the tempad from the ground and the other doesn’t seem to want to take the hint that fighting isn’t going to do any good to the situation.

“Just give it back to me. You don’t even know how to recharge it.”

“Well, I do.” you chirp and she eyes you with a scowl. “And so does he. You’re not the only tech-savvy Loki.”

“Don’t call me that!”

You and Loki shoot a bewildered look her way.

“Tech-savvy?”

You swing your head to look at the God who shares an expression equivalent to your own, silently raising the only reasonable question at the moment: What the fuck?

Once again, both of your minds seem to be working in tandem as the two of you echo the same question at the same time like two peas in a fucking pod.

“No. A Loki.” Her gaze shifts between the two of you as she shifts in her stance ready to pounce. Yet, as she does, you see that flicker of green magic appear. In a blink of an eye, the tempad disappears. You suddenly grow worried.

“Loki, where’s tempad?—”

“So, you’re just fully a magician then?” The blonde cuts you off with a mocking tone, snarl directed towards Loki. You watch how his shoulders stiffen at her words.

“Fine. For my next trick,” from his grasp emerges a pair of daggers. “I’ll make you disappear.”

“Woah, Woah. Okay. Now, hang on—” as you were forcing yourself between the two, a shot of flame whizzes just about an inch away from your face, from above. You yelp at the sudden streak of fire right before your eyes as you watch it extinguish to nothing once it hit the ground. The three of you stagger back at the surprise of it.

“Is that one of your powers?”

“Where did you send us?”

Curiosity gets the better of you as you crouch down to inspect the hole in the ground. There are chunks of rock with pieces of dull metallic material amongst the debris. You recognize it in the way it shines under the light that beams through from above—it’s Iridium.

You know exactly where you are.

“You have got to be fucking me.”

Abruptly standing, your hands fly up to hold the sides of your head, face morphing to sheer horror, eyes are wide and breaths deepened. The two Lokis stare at you with slightly anxious looks. You attempt to pull back the wisps of your hair that caress your bloody and bruised cheeks to try and diffuse the growing panic and anger sizzling in your chest.

You feel compressed, stuffy. It doesn’t help when you have two pairs of eyes staring you down while you have a meltdown. So, with the turn of your heel, you trudge out of what you finally figured to be one of the fleets of tents as part of a relief camp. The two variants trail behind you.

A sky filled with light bursts and streaks of asteroids and planetoids. In the foreground, the planet Lamentis grows immensely, its structure severely fractured. The collapse of Lamentis is the ultimate apocalypse and the three of you might as well be dead by now. The ground beneath you rumbles as asteroids shoot towards you from above like flaming arrows. Your head begins to throb all over again at the apocalyptic sight.

“You idiot! This is Lamentis-1!” You hear the woman scream as Loki bickers back. “I don’t know what that means!”

You whip your head to the two of you, teeth-gritting and nose flared—you’re practically seething. “We’re on a moon and that planet is about to crash into and destroy all of us! No one makes it out of here and it’s your fault we’re stranded here!” Your anger is directed towards the two but Loki very well knows it’s specifically him. He swallows, attempting to hide his sudden guilt. “So, fuck you. Fuck both of you—”

“Oh, isn’t that just fantastic—”

“Watch out!”

The woman hollers and suddenly, you are being pushed aside as a meteorite darts, punctuated by a screech that makes your ears ring. Then, you find yourself being guided by firm grips to your arms, dragging you as the three of you sprint across the area. You seek temporary shelter under a tanker, crouching behind its tire. The two variants continue to bicker but to you, their voices are muffled as all you hear is intense ringing.

The fugitive variant abruptly stands, extending her finger to a rundown mining shack. “There!” and once again, much to your feet’s dismay, you’re sprinting through a goddamn warzone. From experience, you know you’re not a fast runner—the whole physicality to it just doesn’t match up to your capabilities. So, you trail behind them, struggling to catch up yet, despite your efforts, the universe tends to play your enemy once again as a meteorite strikes you in the arm.

You collapse to the ground and your right ear starts to ring again, louder than before. You don’t hear your shrill scream, cutting through the noise of the eruptions—it’s just a high-pitched tone drumming in your ears and the excruciating pain burning in your arm.

Loki appears before you, barking words you can’t hear. All you do is grip your arm, pressing into the wound. There’s definitely blood, you feel it surging within your fingers. Indefinitely, you feel his hand sharply tug at the crook of your unhurt arm, hauling you up to stand. His other arm curls around your back, pulling you with him in an attempt to make a run for it towards the shack. Overhead, you see her running, whipping her head around to glance at you. She looks afraid.

The ringing finally halts and through all the wailing like war cries ricocheting across the crater, you hear his voice, ragged and low. It's only for your ears. “Come on, just a little more—”

You’re close to shelter with the blonde a few steps ahead of you. You unconsciously knot your hand against the fabric of his jacket, as if it will conjure any lasting energy left in you push yourself forward, and prevent you from thinking about your bleeding arm.

Eventually, the three of you make it to the shack, slamming the door shut once you’re stepping into the place with the sound of muted metallic thunks. You free yourself from his hold, sliding down the door and to your feet, feeling weak as ever. Your eyes flicker to the wound and it's unexpectedly huge and crimson. You groan, ignoring how the constant arguing of the two variants has become white noise to you but right now, all you need is some goddamn silence.

“Would you two just shut up?” Their pathetic squabble comes to an abrupt stop at your words. You then fish out a handkerchief, from your back pocket, weakly waving it towards your bleeding arm. “—And help me out here?”

The blonde’s snarl returns, “And why would we even help you?”

Loki turns to her with a surprised look. “We? So, we are a team—”

“Shut up—”

“Because let’s face it. The two of you are pathetic liars and you don’t actually know how to charge the tempad. So, help me out here before I start losing more blood than I should and you’ll have no way off this moon.” There’s silence and all you do is concentrate on your breathing as the two of them just stand there, staring, thinking. They share a look. The quiet passes in a moment, Loki surprisingly steps towards you and goes to crouch down to your level. He plucks the handkerchief from your grasp and ties a firm knot.

“Does this mean you’re not planning on killing us?”

You snort, gaze shifting between the two. “Not for now.”

You don't notice the flicker of green emerging from his fingertips as he holds his palm against your wound. You don't notice how the pain nearly subsides at his touch.

—

The golden cocktail glass mocks you with the lack of alcoholic liquid. It shines under the pretty and obscure chandelier above the circular bar where a bartender shuffles her way around. It also manages to reflect the daze of your expression and the flying wisps of your hair that drifts with every passing elite Lamentian adorned with some fancy hat and shiny heels. They seem to move at an obnoxious prissy speed. Though the thought of every being on this moon is about to die and you too might join them in the apocalypse, it somehow comforts you to think that these rich and elite groups, prioritized to enter the evacuation ark, will be joining the others as well.

The trek from the crater to the train had been nothing but eventful. You kept your mouth shut for most of the time, not wanting to lose your energy over two varaints who can’t seem to get along for once. From the woman who blasted the two for harassing her and Loki’s disguise to enter the train, heading for Shuroo, you wonder if this was all worth it.

You also learn that the woman goes by Sylvie. Not Loki.

Strange.

Right now, you aren’t too worried about the major possibility of dying. As much as you hate the two Loki variants that forcefully brought to the current situation you’re in, you know, from working with several variants of the Asgardian prince, Lokis do not die. But, will you? It’s a question better left unanswered.

Loki appears beside you, elbow propped up on the bar, leaning towards it as he faces you with an oddly sickly grin. It’s nearly amusing when you notice how Sylvie and Loki are entirely different from each other, one being much more aloof than the other, yet hold equivalence as well. At the moment, the difference between the two is obvious because you are very sure Loki is as intoxicated as you are while Sylvie has gone off to dream world by the corner of the lounge.

At least you only have to deal with one for the moment.

“You should really stop drinking,” you say, taking a swig from the martini glass. Loki snorts, curiously watching you in a slight daze. “Then, I must call you a hypocrite.” You scoff, not merely paying any mind to his usual antics and clever counters. You spare him a glance before lifting the cocktail glass to rest upon your lips, “Always so perceptive about everyone but yourself.”

Amid his drunken stupor, he nearly hears his mother with every articulation of those words. He is yet to admit of his amazement for your unmatching traits to your personality—so wise yet so outrageously reckless. Your mind is powerful but you don’t tend to use it very well. Loki merely hums, deciding to disregard his surprise, and takes a seat beside you on the barstool. You don’t shift or flinch away when his shoulder brushes against yours.

“Untrue. I know nothing about you,” he says, glancing your way in his periphery, “And that is because you never let me.” Your laugh comes off more like a puff of air, hinted with amusement. “It’s not that. There is nothing to know about me. I’m not very interesting, unlike you and your variants.”

Loki turns to you, lips pursed into a smile that’s knowing and somehow charming. “Don’t be so modest. You are a part of the most powerful bureaucratic organization in the universe. You must have been to many places, seen many things...” he trails off, watching the deepening furrow of your brows. You turn in your seat to properly face him this time, “And why does it matter?” You eye him suspiciously as he briefly raises his palms in defense. “It doesn’t. I was just...curious.”

You shift in your seat, arm now propped up on the bar. “Well, curiosity did kill the cat.”

“But satisfaction brought it back.”

Silvertongue. You narrow your eyes.

“I’m surprised you know that.”

Loki shrugs, gesturing to the bartender for another cup while you carelessly decide he isn’t worth babysitting for now. The alcoholic drink arrives and he takes an unceremonious shot.

“I think you should really go easy—”

He scoffs, “You sound a lot like Thor.”

You’re frowning again.“You’re drunk.”

“And you’re a mewling quim.”

You’re surprisingly calm at his words. He immediately regrets it, thoroughly blaming the alcohol on his once sharp mind. Though your stare is outright intimidating.

“You know, there’s this ancient poem—Hávamál. You might be familiar with it. Hávamál is said to present advice and wisdom from Odin’s very lips. With your current behavior, a particular stanza comes to mind,” you say, voice hinted with cynicism. He knows of Hávamál but with the current scatter of his mind, it’s a lot harder to remember the words of the specific lines of the poem.

“Humour me.” are the words that leave his lips. They are challenging.

You don’t take your eyes off him as you speak lowly, “Er-a svo gott sem gott kveða öl alda sonum, því að færra veit er fleira drekkur síns til geðs gumi”

Less good than they say for the sons of men is the drinking oft of ale: for the more they drink, the less can they think and keep a watch o'er their wits.

You just called him a drunkard idiot in fluent old Norse and it strikes him like a blade to his cheek. Not as bad of an insult than his, but certainly less childish.

His mouth goes dry.

Abruptly standing to your feet, you take a final swig of your drink, slamming it rather vigorously on the bar. “Maybe, you should have listened to your father more often.” With a spin of your heel, you’re walking away from him. Loki swallows, calling after you. “Where are you going?”

You halt in your step, turning to him momentarily with an unknown expression and a lingering gaze. “Away from you.”

TAGLIST:

@lareinedususpense

@poubxlle

@mystoragehatesme

@the-maroon-panda

@kashasenpai

@nyxrae

@johnmurphys-sass

[whumpmatsus]

tw // noises , loud noises : osomatsu afraid of an emergency alert system test

I went ahead and made it an actual emergency alert, because rainy days and Mondays and whatnot-

also it's worth noting I did look up Japan's emergency alert system, but I have no idea how J-Alert actually functions, I've just kind of assumed it's similar to the system that's in place where I live XD

Osomatsu, you've got some top-notch little brothers there!!

it's technically Allmatsu but like... big Sokudomatsu vibes tho :D

-

All things considered, a few days of bad weather keeping all the sextuplets cooped up in the house pretty much guarantees that they’re all going to be on edge.

They’re occasionally two seconds away from being at each other’s throats anyway, with all the challenges of being a big family in a small house. When the skies darken and open up with rain, though, it all becomes that much worse.

It means Ichimatsu can’t venture out to feed the stray cats, because being out in the cold rain for so long will probably lead to him getting sick. The comfort and stress relief that Karamatsu finds in playing guitar on the roof is vanished into thin air. Everyone has to keep Jyushimatsu from going outside since he’s half determined to play baseball even when it’s pouring. Choromatsu can’t hit the streets in search of a job or anything; too much chance of getting caught in a torrential downpour far from home. That’s also the reason Totty can’t make any plans with his friends, and counts his blessings that he doesn’t have any work shifts during these days.

All things being equal, Osomatsu is almost certainly the most laidback of their little group. Big brother tries his best to find solutions to keep all of them distracted, such as playing games or helping everyone settle on what TV show they should watch. Even though there are other places he’d rather be right now ― like the races or pachinko or maybe somewhere trying to pick up girls ― he can acknowledge that it’s kind of nice to spend time with his brothers when they can’t go outside.

The rain’s been coming down steadily today, a constant pattering that’s rhythmic and borderline soothing. It’s already put Ichimatsu and Totty to sleep, the two of them curled up under a blanket together. Before they fell asleep, Totty said something about the storm being “free ASMR”, whatever that means, and Ichimatsu mumbled an agreement as they cuddled in against each other.

To be completely honest, the energy in the house in general is pretty low. That might be best for a stormy day. Everyone can chill out and recharge their energy.

For the most part, Osomatsu is playing at being as responsible as he can handle today; gathering snacks, making tea, keeping kerosene in the heater so nobody gets too cold. Now that Totty and Ichimatsu are down for the count, everyone else is starting to get sleepy. Which, of course, means it’s time for a collective nap.

He takes a look around the room as he settles in on the couch himself. There’s Ichimatsu and Totty under their single blanket, seeming to be getting along just fine to share it. Choromatsu and Karamatsu are nuzzled against each other with their legs under the kotatsu, with Choromatsu’s head resting on Karamatsu’s shoulder and Karamatsu’s head resting on top of Choromatsu’s. And Jyushimatsu is… huddled up in a few blankets near the couch. For all intents and purposes, sleep has apparently claimed him, too.

Well, that’s good. Now that he’s made sure all his little brothers are comfortable, Osomatsu can doze off himself.

There’s a leftover blanket folded up at the end of the couch, so he pulls it up around himself and lies down with his head propped against one of the arms of the couch. He’d certainly like to be nestled up with one of the others, but he’s not gonna disturb them for that. They’re all in their own pairs, save for Jyushimatsu, and he’s not going to make the second youngest clamber up onto the couch just because Osomatsu wants some physical contact.

Besides, he can get that later if he wants. It’s going to be chilly and dreary all day, so more snuggles are inevitable. If he gets lucky, everyone will gravitate to one big cuddle puddle after dinner.

So he does his best to relax on the couch. He closes his eyes and tries to slow his breathing down a bit. The rain continues to pound in sheets against the window, and in heavy drops against the roof. There’s the soft rumbling of thunder that’s begun in the background, so low and powerful he can feel it. Somehow, it’s a comfort, something that whispers to him that he can go to sleep now.

Surrounded by his brothers and the lullaby of the storm outside, it’s easy to drift off.

Osomatsu is nearly sunk down into the beginnings of a deep sleep when suddenly, a blaring alarm goes off. And it’s not just one ― it sounds like several firing off in perfect, irritating harmony.

He can’t explain why he has the reaction he does. All he knows is that the abrupt, loud, obnoxious noise cuts through everything else and seems to hit the panic button in his head. A terrified yell rips itself from his throat, and he’s bolt upright. Then he’s on the floor, rolled onto Jyushimatsu and waking his younger brother up.

“HOLY MOLY!” And as soon as Jyushimatsu shouts, it’s enough to wake everyone else up. How anybody could sleep through that siren is beyond Osomatsu, though he’s pretty sure if anyone could, Jyushimatsu could. “Osomatsu-nii-san! You’re on top of me! What the heck is that?! Are we late for school???”

Totty groans as he’s woken up in the rudest way possible. “We’re too old for school, Jyushimatsu-nii-san. We’re adults.” He pulls his phone out, and his other hand reaches to pat Ichimatsu on the head. “Aaahnnmmm… it’s a weather alert.”

“Severe thunderstorm warning,” Choromatsu groans, having turned to glance at the TV. “Looks like it’s only gonna last till like 7 P.M., though.”

Karamatsu yawns and rubs at his eyes. “Should we get supplies together in case the power goes out?”

“The rest of you dumbasses can do that,” Ichimatsu huffs. “I’m not moving. As soon as the alerts stop making that shitty noise, I’m going back to sleep.”

“Well, I guess it falls to the three oldest, then.” Choromatsu stretches, giving a quiet, “Oof” when something in his back pops. “Osomatsu, do you wanna come help us… uh… Osomatsu?”

Strangely enough, the eldest brother is still incapacitated from the unexpected sounds, curled into a ball with his hands pressed over his ears. There might even be tears in his eyes, if one’s looking close enough.

Jyushimatsu runs a gentle hand, (or sleeve, as it were), over his big brother’s head, seeing as he’s the closest one. “I think something’s wrong with Osomatsu-nii-san. He’s all shivery and breathing funny.”

That’s really all it takes for Choromatsu to be over lightning-fast, knelt down next to the eldest. “Osomatsu? Osomatsu-nii-san, are you okay?” He frowns and tentatively tugs one of Osomatsu’s hands away from his ear. “Hey. What’s wrong?”

“Th… the noise…” His hand is trembling in his younger brother’s grip, tears welling up in his eyes. It still feels like his heart is trying to hammer its way out of his chest completely. He can’t really get a good breath in.

Choromatsu’s brow furrows and he looks back toward the TV, which Karamatsu scrambles to turn off in case it’s the prolonged sound causing the problem. “Did you… ahah… it startled you, right? I think it startled all of us…”

Ichimatsu pushes himself up a bit so he can turn his attention to his older brothers. “Looks like it did more than startle him. He’s about to jump out of his skin.”

“Ah…” Choromatsu quickly gathers Osomatsu into his arms, and is surprised with the fervor with which the eldest clings to him. It reminds them both of… being kids. “H-hey, Osomatsu-nii-san… it’s okay, it’s okay. It’s over now. Can you, um, try to follow my pattern of breathing here? That might help you calm down.”

Osomatsu nods and does his best, mirroring the way Choromatsu inhales for four seconds, holds the breath for seven, and exhales for eight. It takes several cycles, a few minutes’ worth of this, before he can feel himself starting to be a little less shaky. His heart is still pounding, but not as fast as it was a moment ago.

Choromatsu holds him carefully, rubbing Osomatsu’s back, until he can feel the tension beginning to fade from his brother’s muscles. That was… weird. It’s not like Osomatsu to get so anxious, especially not to the point that he’s crying. “There… is it better now?”

“Y… yeah…” Osomatsu raises a hand in an attempt to scrub the tears away. Man… how embarrassing. He’s the oldest and he’s over here acting like a baby because of a stupid weather alert. “Sorry… I, uh, don’t know where that came from, haha.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” Neither of them make any move to get out of the position for a minute, then Choromatsu gradually pulls away once he can’t hear his older brother’s heart beating like a gong. “You… good?”

“Yeah… yeah, I think so.”

Ichimatsu stretches his arms above his head. “Damn. I guess we’re all awake. I hate those alert things… remember that one night when we were kids, and it came on just as we were getting ready for bed?”

Totty laughs, rolling over and propping his face up against one arm. “Yeah, I remember Choromatsu told me they were warning us a big storm was gonna come and wash all the baby brothers out to sea.”

“A-ah…” Choromatsu’s face goes red in an instant. He was such a little bastard as a child. “I’m sorry about that, Totty!”

He waves a hand. “Nah, it’s okay! ‘Cause remember what we did next?”

“Ah… I remember!” Karamatsu grins. “We all said we wouldn’t let the storm get you, and we wrapped you up in blankets and stood guard the whole night.”

“Until we fell asleep,” Jyushimatsu giggles. “I remember panicking when we woke up, but then we all high-fived each other when we saw Totty was still there in the morning!”

“W-we could do that again,” Choromatsu suggests, stealing a peek at their eldest who still appears to be tired. “Except this time…”

Totty’s up in a second. “Ooh, yeah!! Let’s cocoon Osomatsu-nii-san so the big, bad weather alerts can’t hurt him!”

Osomatsu feels like he should be having the hairs on the back of his neck stand up right about now. Instead, he feels sort of warm in a good way when everyone starts to wrap blankets around him. “Geez… you guys don’t need to do all this shit…”

“Well, no, but it’ll be fun.” Choromatsu gives him a smile and nestles in against his older brother’s side. “I’ll take first watch.”

Osomatsu snorts, but lets his head fall on top of Choromatsu’s anyway.

“Man… you guys are lame.”

Thank God for that, though.

[bikananjarrus]

Fanfic: hey brother

here is the hera and howzer bonding fic that nobody asked for, but refused to leave my head anyway! @milf-herasyndulla , this one is for you bestie <33

fandom: the bad batch

rating: gen

warnings: none (some minor discussions of death, but nothing explicit)

wordcount: 2k

you can also read here on ao3!

::

Hera sat with her legs tucked up to her chest, one arm across her knees, the other halfheartedly poking a stick into the fire. Hitting a spot that shifted some of the coals, she watched glowing orange sparks dance into the air, bright against the star-filled night sky.

The one good thing about this new base—the rocky outcropping had a great view.

She could hear voices and equipment being moved around in the hangar behind her, and laughter floated to her from the other side of the outcropping, where a few other Twi’leks and clones were taking a break. With her father gone on another scouting mission, she knew she should be helping her mother hand out rations and supplies inside the base. But she was sick of handing out food and blankets. She knew it was important—every little bit counted, her mother often reminded her. And it was their job to help those in need.

And Hera wanted to help. But she wanted to do it out there. She wanted to fly. Or fight, or do something besides stay in the shelter of this base.

She felt helpless. And the last time she’d felt like this—no.

She squeezed her eyes shut, blacking out the stars and the glow of Ryloth’s moons as she inhaled deeply. She wasn’t going to think about that day. But the tightness in her chest didn’t ease, and she could feel her eyes starting to burn.

In through the nose, out through the mouth, slowly. In and out, she breathed. When her shoulders felt lighter again, she opened her eyes, focusing on the first star she could pick out on the horizon.

“Hey, kid.”

Hera tried not to scowl at the familiar voice sounding behind her. Whoever said all clones sounded the same clearly hadn’t spent enough time around them. She would recognize Howzer’s low, gentle tone blindfolded.

Sure enough, when she turned her head, the clone captain was taking a seat next to her, leaning back against the wall of the outcropping. His helmet was off, and the longer curls on top of his head stirred in the slight breeze.

“Hi,” she responded, a little more sulkily than she’d meant to. She buried her chin into the crook of her arm, trying to hide her frustrated frown. Ever since the day of the attack a couple months ago, her parents were checking on her constantly. And they’d definitely told Hozwer to do the same, because he came to see how she was doing at least once a day when he wasn’t out on the front lines. And he always spoke in that gentle voice, like he was trying not to spook a wounded blurrg.

“Hungry?” Howzer asked, offering her a ration bar.

“Nope.”

“Suit yourself.” His armor creaked as he shrugged his shoulders. “More for me then.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, Howzer chewing quietly beside her.

Hera sighed.

Relenting, because she actually was hungry, she said, “What kind do you have?”

“Just the boring regular ones, unfortunately. But I do have half a chocolate bar left, if you’d rather have that.”

Hera turned her eyes on him. “Really?”

Howzer gave her a little smile, the motion tugging at the scars on his jaw and chin. “Won it off Skipper in a game of Sabaac. Already took a couple bites out of it, so I hope you don’t mind.”

She shook her head and took the chocolate from Howzer’s outstretched hand. She took a bite, humming as the sweetness coated her tongue. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

“Sure thing, kid.”

“Don’t call me that.” When he called her kid it made her feel like he was trying to be her brother. But she didn’t need another brother. She had a brother, and he was perfect, and he was—

Gone. He was gone.

The chocolate suddenly tasted bitter in her mouth.

“Sorry, Hera,” Howzer replied, in that same, stupid quiet tone. Like if he spoke any louder he would scare her or break her or something. “Say, where’s that droid of yours? Some of the boys were saying he ran over their toes earlier for calling Y-Wings shitty ships—oh, kriff—oh, no, I mean—shoot. Uh. I meant bad ships…”

She barely heard Howzer stumble over his words. It was automatic as she said, “Needed his power cells recharged.”

“Ah, gotcha.” A pause. Then, “Hera? You all right?”

She shot to her feet, dropping the chocolate and glaring at the captain. “Stop talking to me like that! I’m so sick of everyone treating me like I’m just a little kid who can’t handle anything!”

A few nearby Twi’leks paused what they were doing to stare, but Hera didn’t care.

Howzer raised his hands in surrender, but didn’t get to his feet. “Hera—”

She pressed on, cheeks hot. “I’m sure my mom sent you up here to talk to me and make me feel better or whatever, well guess what. I’m a big girl and I can forget about what happened just like they did. No more dead brother if we don’t talk about him, right?”

Silence.

She vaguely saw Howzer wave off any onlookers, barely heard the crackling of the fire or bustle of the camp past the roaring of blood in her ears.

It was suddenly hard to breathe, which reminded her all too much of that dusty caved in cavern after her father’s last base of operation had been shelled by Seperatists. She still remembered how hoarse her voice had gotten as she’d screamed for help, screamed for her brother when she spotted one of his shoes next to a giant pile of boulders blocking an exit tunnel. Her brother had been nowhere in sight.

Hours later, after Commander Ponds’ and Captain Howzer’s units had rescued the survivors and gone through all the rubble, she’d seen the limp body of her little brother cradled in her father’s arms. When she’d heard her mother scream—a wailing, broken sound Hera had heard before on Ryloth during the war, but never from her own mother—that’s when she’d known.

Since that day, maybe four months ago now, her parents had barely uttered a word about it. It was like her brother had never existed.

“Hera.” Howzer’s voice floated to her through the haze of memories. It was that same gentle tone, but it was—clearer, somehow.

It worked. Her anger flowed away like water down a mountainside. In its place—an aching sadness.

Tears sprang to her eyes, hot and burning. She slumped back down to the ground, once again tucking her knees up and crossing her arms on top. Forehead falling against her folded arms, she started to cry.

For a moment, there was nothing except the echo of her sobs down into the canyon.

Then, Howzer placed a hand on her shoulder. He gave a comforting squeeze before letting go. “I’m not trying to replace your brother, you know,” he said quietly. “I know it might feel like it, me checking in on you and all. But I’m doing it because I care. Not because your parents are making me.”

She sniffled, wiping the back of her hand across her nose and lifting her head. “They didn’t ask you to come check on me?”

Howzer shook his head. “Nope. I’m just checking in on my friend. We are friends, right?”

Hera wiped at her tears some more, and smiled. “Yeah. We’re friends.”

“Then here.” Howzer reached over and picked up the remainder of the chocolate bar she’d dropped. He dusted it off as best he could, before giving up and breaking off the part with dirt on it. “The last little bit was inside the wrapper, so it should be fine.”

She took it gratefully, popping the last bite in her mouth, and giving Howzer a quizzical look as he opened his own mouth to eat the rest.

“What?” he shrugged. “A little dirt never hurt anyone.”

She giggled. He grinned back at her, eating the chocolate with only a slight grimace on his face.

For a few minutes, they sat in comfortable silence. Hera started poking at the fire with her stick again, trying to get rid of the sadness in her body through sheer force of will.

Suddenly, Howzer said, “I’ve lost brothers, too.”

Hera turned her head to look at him. He suddenly looked much older than he ever had before. The sadness on his face seemed to match the sadness she felt on the inside. She scooted back, copying his posture and leaning against the wall.

“You have a lot of brothers, though.”

One corner of his mouth twitched, like he wanted to smile. But his eyes stayed fixed on the sky. “I do have a lot of brothers, yeah. But losing one doesn’t mean he’s replaced with another. We’re all different. So when I lose a brother, it hurts just as bad every time. Worse, sometimes, because I’m their captain. I’m supposed to protect them, and it hurts when I can’t.”

Hera looked up at the sky like Howzer, thinking about that. She only had one brother, and it hurt more than anything ever had before to lose him. She couldn’t imagine having to feel that kind of hurt and sorrow the way Howzer did every time one of his brothers died.

Digging into the inside pocket of her jacket, she pulled out a multicolored bracelet made of woven leather. She studied it in her palm for a moment, blinking away the memory of her mother gingerly taking it off her brother’s wrist so Hera could have it.

“Here,” she whispered, tapping his arm. “I want you to have this.”

He reached for the bracelet, then hesitated. “What is it?”

“It was my brother’s. I made it for him.”

“I—I can’t take that, Hera. It’s too important to you.”

“But you’re important to me, too,” she insisted. “My brother will live forever on our Kalikori, so I want you to have this.”

Still, Howzer hesitated. “But—why?”

Hera grabbed his hand and dropped the leather bracelet into his palm. “Because we both know what it’s like to lose a brother. This is a reminder that we still have each other. Right?”

Howzer stared at the bracelet, then at her. She swore she saw tears shining in his eyes as he smiled at her. “Right.”

She helped him secure the bracelet below the armor plate on his forearm, where it would stay safe.

Hera leaned her head against Howzer’s shoulder. “Sorry for yelling at you.”

“Apology accepted. And I’m sorry, too—I need to be better about reminding myself that just because you’re a kid doesn’t mean you can’t handle yourself.”

“You know what would really make it up to me?”

“Hm?”

She tilted her chin up at him, grinning. “Taking me flying.”

Howzer chuckled. “Oh, absolutely not. Your parents didn’t send me to come talk to you, but they would most certainly have my shebs for that.”

“Ugh, fine.” She jutted out her bottom lip in a pout.

“Maybe one day, vod’ika,” he promised. Hera wasn’t sure what that last word meant, but it sounded nice.

“I’m gonna be the best pilot in the whole galaxy one day,” she told him earnestly, leaning her head back against his shoulder.

“I bet you will, kid.”

This time, she didn’t bother correcting him when he called her kid.

Maybe, if Howzer could have more than one brother, she could too.