#red hood is a worried mother hen but tries not to let it show

[marauderundercover]

i didn't choose this town (you're on your own kid, ch. 1)

Look. He didn’t ask to be stuck in some scummy city in New Jersey of all places. If it was up to him, he’d still be in his mom’s apartment in New York, in the only home he’d ever known. But that was over. And he could never go back. Smelly Gabe would never let him back, not now that his mom was gone. And he definitely wasn’t gonna go back into foster care. Both of the houses he’d been in since getting to Gotham had been pretty bad. Like cigarette burns on his clothes and no dinner during the weekend bad. But that was fine. Percy was a New Yorker, and more importantly, he was a Jackson. He was more than capable of taking care of himself. Besides, it was New Jersey. He wasn’t going to let it best him.

---

Percy glares at the dog sized rat in front of him.

“Look, man, back off. This is my food.” He says, frowning at the animal. It hisses at him. Honest to god, the rat hisses at him. Percy jumps back, holding the sandwich higher up. Can rats jump that high? He glances at the fire escape ladder, noting how far off the ground it was. Sticking the sandwich in his mouth, he sprints over to it and jumps, just barely pulling himself up before the rat leaps and bites at where his ankles had been moments before. Grinning, Percy takes the sandwich out of his mouth and nods down at the rat. “Later, asshole!” He calls before scurrying up the ladder and flopping onto the roof. Letting out a huff, he stands and saunters over to the opposite edge and sits.

Letting his legs dangle off the roof, Percy takes a small bite of his sandwich as he glances out over the city. It was no New York, but it was his home now. He’d probably never make it back to New York, not until he was old enough to live by himself. Too many people would ask questions in New York, if they saw him wandering the streets. No one in Gotham cared though. Made it easy enough to do what he wants. Also made it a little lonely, but Percy was getting used to it. Just as he’s shoving the last bit of his sandwich in his mouth, there’s a big thud behind him. He whirls around, gripping onto the ledge for stability. He wasn’t really in the mood to fall off a roof. Tilting his head at the man, he turns around completely and plants his legs back onto the roof. All else failed, he’d make a run for the fire escape.

“This your roof or something?” He asks, trying to sound tougher than he felt. The man was…intimidating. He was way taller than Percy, with a red helmet and visible weapons and Percy felt uneasy. A staticy snort escapes the man, making Percy’s hand twitch.

“You’re in Crime Alley, kid. All of these roofs are mine.” He says, his stance loose.

“Crime Alley? Who named it that?” Percy asks, frowning. It seemed like a way to just invite trouble. The man’s head tilts to the side, and Percy has the feeling that the man is studying him for some reason. And whatever he’s trying to find, he doesn’t.

“You’re not from around here, are you kid?” Percy stays quiet. “You visiting Gotham with your parents or something?” The man adds, and Percy grits his teeth. He couldn’t answer. Couldn’t risk getting pulled back into the Gotham Foster System. Not again.

“Y’know, I’m really not supposed to be talking to strangers. So, uh, thanks for letting me know that this is your roof, but I’ll just be headed out now.” He says, starting to move in a big arc around the man, towards the fire escape. The man clears his throat, or that’s what Percy thinks he does, and Percy pauses.

“Look, I wasn’t trying to scare you or anything. But if you are new and you are sticking around, you gotta know that this area isn’t safe at night. Try and hole up somewhere if you can.” He says. Percy nods. Obviously this place wasn’t safe. Between the rat from earlier and the dodgy guys he’d avoided trying to get the sandwich, he knew that. But he guessed it was pretty nice of the guy to tell him.

“Totally. Uh, thanks Mr…” Percy raises an eyebrow expectantly.

“Red Hood.”

---

Percy shivers, wrapping his arms around himself. He really needed to find a coat. Or even a heavier jacket. He’d been running around Gotham (mostly Crime Alley) for a little over a month. Honestly, he was pretty proud of himself. Gabe had always said that Percy was a wimp, but he’d been surviving on his own in one of the most dangerous cities in the US. He didn’t really wanna see the man ever again, but he also kinda wanted to rub it in his face. Well, if he could find a way to keep warm that is. He’d been living in an abandoned fire station, but he still didn’t have enough blankets or anything to get through actual winter. He’d probably have to try and pickpocket some more. He didn’t really like doing it, but he was small and people tended to not notice him. And he never tried anything with the people in Crime Alley. He knew better than that.

“Little cold to be hanging on rooftops.” Red Hood says, his boots thudding with every step as he walks towards Percy. He’d discovered early on that the man could be silent when he walked. But after Percy had almost fallen off a roof twice, the man had taken to making noise when he saw him. Percy shrugs.

“Not like I’ve got anything better to do.” He says. The man tosses something at him and Percy reacts immediately, snatching it out of the air before frowning. ��What’s this?” He asks. The man shrugs.

“Just a hoodie and some more socks.” Hood says.

“You said-”

“I agreed not to give you food, kid. Never made any promises about clothes.” Hood says, and Percy can practically hear the smirk in the man’s voice. Percy’s stomach churns uncomfortably. It’s not that he didn’t want to accept the hoodie. He did. But he also hated the idea of owing someone anything. Nothing in the world was free, no matter what anyone told you. Percy’s grip on the plastic bag tightens as he tries to figure out a way to decline the clothes that won’t seem too ungrateful. “If it makes you feel better, I didn’t go out and buy them.” Hood says.

“What?” Percy asks, the mental image of Hood grabbing someone’s clothes off a laundry line popping into his head for some reason.

“The socks were a donation I picked up from one of the shelters I check in at.”

“Oh.” Percy says, some of the weight of debt lifting off his shoulders. Hood nods.

“Yeah, and the uh, the hoodie is a hand me down. Hope you don’t mind.” He adds. Percy’s eyes widen.

“It’s yours?” He asks, the worry shooting through him once again. Hood shakes his head.

“No, not anymore. There’s no way it’d fit me now. But it’s getting colder, and you need something. It was that or throw it out.” Hood says. Percy falters again for a moment before tugging the hoodie out of the bag. It was thicker than he’d expected, and the faded Wonder Woman symbol on the front made him smile a bit. He’d used to be a big fan of heroes. Back before his mom died. Pushing down the wave of grief, he lets his resolve falter and tugs the hoodie on, making sure to keep the hood on to warm his ears. It helps immediately, and he glances over at Red Hood, relieved for the first time that he couldn’t see the man’s face. He’d definitely caved way too quick, but it saved him from another cold night, so it was mostly worth it.

“Thank you.” Percy says, pulling the ends of the sleeves up so that his hands would poke out. Hood nods.

“‘Course. You know how to find me if you need anything, right?” He asks, and Percy nods. He’d learned pretty quickly after their first meeting that Red Hood cared about keeping kids safe. ‘Specially kids like Percy who were on their own. “Good. Look after yourself, okay kid?”

“Always do.” Percy says cheerily, saluting the man before turning and scurrying down the fire escape. Time to head home.

---

Percy was screwed. He’d managed to make himself comfortable in the City of Crime, and had let his guard slip. And now he was gonna pay for that mistake. Somehow, he hadn’t managed to see any major bad guy attacks in the almost three months he’d been in Gotham. He should’ve known that couldn’t last. Darting into the first warehouse he sees, Percy runs to a corner and tries to calm his frantic heartbeat. His vision already looked weird on the sides, and he really wished he would’ve found a mask or something sooner like Red Hood had told him ages ago. But he hadn’t, and some dude with a freaking sack on his head had sprayed some crap in his face.

“Well, look at what we have here. Genius boy came crawling back.” Gabe grunts, cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Percy’s eyes widen and he tries to scramble back even more.

“I, no. I didn’t- how did you-”

“Can’t even talk right, can you? Must be why your mom left you with me.” Gabe taunts, pointing his cigarette at Percy. He could feel the phantom pains of the burns on his arm, as well as the not so phantom tears rolling down his face.

“My mom didn’t wanna leave me.” He says, his voice shaking. His mom didn’t choose to die, she never would have left him. Right? Gabe snorts.

“Yeah, sure, kid. Whatever helps you sleep at night.” He says, and Percy can’t help the flinch as the man steps closer to him. He’d never liked Gabe. Ever. But he’d never told his mom that, never thought there’d be a day where he was left alone with the man. And now-

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Percy says, his voice sounding much stronger than he felt. Gabe smirks.

“You don’t have a choice, brain boy. You’re stuck with me. I’m all the family you’ve got.” The man steps forward so that he’s toe to toe with Percy, and the stench immediately invades his senses. Before he can protest, Gabe’s hand shoots out and grabs Percy’s wrist. He immediately pulls back, trying desperately to tug himself away. He didn’t want to go back with Gabe. He couldn’t go back there. Not without his mom.

“Please, no! Let me go! I don’t wanna go, please!” Percy pleads, his breathing getting faster as he tries to get free. A sharp pain in his neck makes him gasp before the world around him goes black.

---

A constant beeping wakes Percy up, and he immediately begins to panic. The walls were a sterile white, and he recognized the universal layout of a hospital room. He couldn’t be here. He really couldn’t be here. His eyes dart around the room, trying to take in everything he might need to know before trying to make a break for it. He frowns at the man slumped in a chair across the room. He didn’t look like the usual DFC worker. The guy was in regular jeans and a sweatshirt, his dark hair much messier than the usual business-like people that Percy had talked to back when his mom first died. But if he wasn’t part of DFC, then who was he? Before he can even attempt to get himself out of the bed, a woman in scrubs walks in, smiling softly at him.

“Look who’s up! How’re you feeling sweetheart?” She asks quietly. It didn’t really matter though, because the second she started talking the guy on the chair jumped up and started blinking rapidly. The nurse raises an eyebrow. “Alright there, Mr. Grayson?” She adds. The man nods, rolling his shoulders before dropping back down into the chair, giving Percy a small smile. Percy’s eyebrows furrow as he turns back to the nurse.

“Sorry, why am I here?” He asks, frowning.

“You were dosed with fear toxin. Nightwing administered the antidote, then passed you off to Mr. Grayson.” She explains. Percy raises an eyebrow. Nightwing, the vigilante, passed him off to some random guy?

“I’m a police officer in Blüdhaven.” The man in the chair speaks up. “I’ve worked with the bats a few times, so it’s not like Nightwing was just passing you off to the first person he saw.” Percy nods slowly.

“Right.” He says. The nurse finishes checking his vitals before giving him another smile.

“I know you must be missing your parents terribly. Do you know their numbers? We could try and call them for you.” She offers, and Percy feels the color drain from his face. This was not good. He was definitely going to end up back in the system. Or worse. With Gabe.

“They uh, don’t have cellphones and our voicemail is usually full. It’d probably be better to call later.” Percy blurts out, trying to ignore the way Mr. Grayson was intently staring at him. The nurse frowns.

“Are you sure, honey? I’m sure they’re worried sick-”

“They both work really weird shifts, so uh, they probably didn’t realize I was even out. But we can definitely call them later.” Percy says. The nurse’s frown doesn’t fade, but she eventually nods before walking out of the room. Percy lets his shoulders slump as he lets out a breath. One worried adult down, one to go.

“Are you afraid of how your parents are going to react?” Mr. Grayson asks, his voice softer than it had been earlier. Percy blinks at the man.

“Huh?” He says, intelligently.

“Your parents, bud. Are you- are you afraid of what they’re going to do when they find out what happened?” Mr. Grayson asks, a concerned look on his face and-oh. Oh. Percy shakes his head rapidly.

“No, they really are just hard to get a hold of.” Percy says. Mr. Grayson opens his mouth, probably to question him more, but Percy cuts him off. “Could you- do you know if I’m allowed to have food? I’m kinda hungry.” He says. It was the only thing he could think of that would get the man to actually leave the room. The man’s face softens immediately.

“I can go ask for you. Anything specific sound good?” He asks. Percy swallows, feeling a little bad for the disappearing act he’s about to pull.

“A burger?” He asks, and the man smiles.

“I’ll see what I can do.” He promises before leaving the room, the door swinging shut behind him. Percy swings his legs off the bed, trying hard to push down the nausea swirling in his stomach. He’d lucked out that they didn’t have him plugged into anything besides an IV. It hurt, but it wasn’t a big deal to pull that out himself. Glancing around the room, he spots his shoes and his Wonder Woman hoodie that Red Hood gave him. Slipping both on, he takes a deep breath before stepping towards the door. Hopefully, they didn’t have much on him. He really didn’t need people actually looking for him. Cracking the door open, Percy glances out of his room. He could see Mr. Grayson at the desk right across from his room talking to the nurses, and to the right, a door with a huge exit sign above it. Shaking out his hands, Percy takes one moment to ground himself before he moves silently towards the door. He’d gotten good at sneaking around, since he’d been living in Crime Alley. It was easier that way. Fewer ways to get hurt. Miraculously, he manages to slip out of the door and into a lobby without Mr. Grayson or his nurse spotting him.

“Young man, watch where you’re going.” An older nurse huffs as Percy almost runs into her. His cheeks flush red.

“Sorry.” He mutters, continuing past her and out the doors at the other end of the lobby. He takes in a deep breath of the (not so fresh) Gotham air, his shoulders finally relaxing. But he didn’t stop moving. He couldn’t. Not until he made it back to the safety of Crime Alley, the place he’d definitely started to think of as home.

---

That night, Percy climbs onto the roof of the abandoned fire station and stares at the sky. He was sure there were stars up there. He’d heard about them in school all the time, but he’d never lived anywhere where he could actually see them. He wasn’t sure if he’d like them, if he was being honest. So used to the lights of cities and the noise that came with it, he wasn’t exactly eager to ever go somewhere without all of that. A thud brings him out of his thoughts, but he doesn’t turn to look.

“Hey, Hood.” He says, tucking his knees close to his chest. He was definitely in for a lecture from the guy.

“You okay, kid?” Hood asks instead of launching into the lecture that Percy had expected. Hmm. But maybe that was expecting too much. After all, Hood had a million street kids he looked out for. He didn’t have the time to know what happened to each of them, or care enough to lecture them for making dumb choices.

“Yep.” Percy says simply. Hood hums, the noise coming out more static than anything. Percy glances at him and raises an eyebrow.

“So you didn’t get dosed with fear toxin yesterday?” Hood asks, and Percy’s eyes widen. He did know.

“Who told you that?” Percy asks, before shaking his head. “Doesn’t matter anyway, I’m fine.” Hood snorts, dropping onto the roof beside him and dropping a bag of fast food between them.

“Sure you are.” He says, before tugging his helmet off. Percy inhales sharply and turns before he sees the man’s face.

“Dude, what-”

“I still have a mask on, kid.” Hood chuckles, and Percy blinks at the lack of static in the man’s voice. Slowly, he turns and relaxes at the domino still in place on the man’s face.

“Scared the shit outta me.” Percy grumbles.

“Language.” Hood says, then frowns. “Ignore me. Can’t believe I said that.” Percy snorts, then glances at the bag of food between them. “Go ahead, kid. I’ve got enough burgers and fries for the both of us. Guy at Batburger gave me extra for saving his cat last week.” Hood adds. Percy frowns, but tentatively reaches for the food. He didn’t have the energy to try and scrounge for food today, not after everything that happened yesterday with the fear toxin crap.

“Thanks, Hood.” Percy says quietly before taking a huge bite of the burger. It was still warm.

“No problem, kid.” Hood says. And Percy glances at him, decides to trust the guy just a little more.

“Percy. My name’s Percy.”

Next

---

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[mamabearcatfanfics]

More Than Words Chapter Four

You can read it here on AO3, or continue below! My heartfelt thanks go to @britonell​ for her help with my faltering Japanese!

A sound had woken her, and for a moment she had no idea where she was, or what was going on. Then she heard it again, a shaking sound, like a box of cereal.

Kagome blinked herself awake. She could see Inuyasha standing a few feet away, lit by a shaft of early morning sunlight peeking through heavy curtains. His back was to her, and he was standing at what seemed to be a kitchen bench, pouring cat biscuits into a little bowl. She stared at him groggily as she tried to make sense of things, a headache pulsing away in the background making it difficult for her to think.

He was wearing the same t-shirt he had on yesterday, and a pair of soft grey boxer shorts, sitting low on his hips. She watched as he filled up another little bowl with water, then bent to place them both on a little mat on the floor. A tiny kitten sized ginger streak appeared out of nowhere, planting his tiny face directly into the little ceramic dish containing the cat biscuits. Shippou began eating his breakfast with gusto, making little sounds of appreciation as he chewed.

Inuyasha snorted as he watched the tiny kitten, his face still turned away from her. His long dark hair was in a low ponytail, but looked untidy, like he hadn’t had a chance to brush out the tangles yet. He’d obviously just woken up. Was this his place?

Then everything that had happened the night before came back with a rush. A man’s face shadowed by a hood, his voice guttural as he demanded money, the glint of street lights on a knife, a strong hand squeezing around her throat. Overwhelming fear. And then running here on pure adrenaline, that fear giving her feet wings. Inuyasha cradling her in his strong arms, caring for her, kissing her. She sat up unsteadily, and Inuyasha instantly moved to her side.

“Kagome.” His voice was quiet, and he sat down next to her on the bed, leaving a small amount of space between them. He looked pleased to see her awake, but also a little uncertain. “Good morning.”

She smiled at him shyly. “Good morning Inuyasha. Thank you for letting me stay last night.”

“How is…” he grunted in irritation, then began again. “Kagome, are you well?”

She nodded, then grimaced a little, the background headache that had been lingering suddenly pulsing as she moved her head. Inuyasha reached out towards her, his amber eyes filled with concern. She closed her eyes and let his hand take the weight of her aching head. His fingers passed gently over where the back of her head had smacked into the wall last night, his touch featherlight.

“I’m okay Inuyasha, just a little headache. I feel fine.”

He ignored her protest, moving his fingers down to her chin, pushing upwards gently until she bared her throat to him. He made a grumbling noise in the back of his throat.

“Stay”, he said, his eyes full of concern. She gave him a small smile, brushing her fingers over his and taking his hand and squeezing it.

“Inuyasha, as much as I’d like to, I really can’t. I need to go home and feed my cat. I definitely need to have a shower and get changed out of these sweaty jogging clothes - I probably smell bad.” She lifted the front of her t-shirt to her face, sniffing it and wrinkling her nose, “In fact I know I smell bad”, she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He shook his head, his expression stern. “Stay.”

She watched as Inuyasha walked over to his desk and retrieved his mobile phone to make a call, speaking at length in Japanese, his eyes constantly flicking over to her and then away again. She caught her name mentioned a few times, so he was obviously talking about her with whoever was on the other end of the line. Was he speaking to Sango? Her eyes widened in surprise when he suddenly thrust the phone at her, indicating she should talk.

“Uh, hello?” she said uncertainly, taking the phone from him.

“Good morning Kagome. Inuyasha tells me you had a very interesting evening last night, and that he’s worried about you.” The voice was warm and friendly, but it was definitely not Sango. It sounded like an older woman, a voice that she didn’t recognise at all.

“Um…” She looked at Inuyasha trying to show her confusion with her expression, but he just nodded and pointed at the phone.

“My name is Kaede. I’m Inuyasha’s landlady, but I was also a nurse until I retired a year ago. He wants you to tell me about your symptoms, so we can work out if he needs to take you to your doctor for a checkup this morning.”

“Oh, okay.” She rolled her eyes at Inuyasha and gave him a ‘really?’ expression, but he just crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her. Kagome huffed out a sigh – he obviously wasn’t going to budge on this, so she decided she may as well go along with it. “Well, I think I’m fine? I have a headache, but it’s not the worst one I’ve ever had.”

“Did you lose consciousness at any time during or after your injury? Any clear fluid or bleeding from your ears, or bruising behind your ears?”

“No?”

“What about your balance. Do you have any ringing in your ears? Can you walk around the room without feeling dizzy?”

Kagome stood up and walked over to the desk and back, Inuyasha hovering behind her like a mother hen.

“No dizziness, I feel fine.”

“No blurred vision, no weakness anywhere else, like in your arms or legs?”

“Nope?”

“Inuyasha says you have bruising and scratches on your throat. Any difficulty swallowing? Any pain when breathing?”

Kagome’s hand reached up to trace over her neck, and Inuyasha glowered.

“I haven’t seen the bruises myself, but I can swallow fine.”

“Well, based on your answers, I think you’re right - it sounds like you should be fine. And a headache is to be expected if you’ve taken a hard knock. But if it suddenly gets worse, or any of the other things I mentioned start happening, you should definitely go see a doctor. For today, I think all that’s needed is for you to relax and take it easy. Take some ibuprofen to help with the pain and swelling. Inuyasha can go get some for you.”

“Oh, but…”

“He’s also asked me to tell you that he wants you to stay at his flat until he finishes work this afternoon, and then he’ll walk you home. He’s a good man Kagome, very trustworthy despite his looks, and he seems to care a lot about you. Why not humour him, just for today, hmmm?” The voice was warm and soothing, very motherly, but also firm.

“I guess…”

“Good girl. Put Inuyasha back on for me.”

There was another conversation in Japanese, a little heated on Inuyasha’s side, and then he hung up the phone, grumbling to himself.

A loud rattling noise followed by screeching metal came from the shop downstairs, and Kagome jumped, a little startled. They heard Sango’s voice drifting up from below.

“Kon'nichiwa Inuyasha? Daijōbudesuka?”[1]

“Koko ni kite, Sango”[2], Inuyasha called out, and they heard her quick footsteps on the stairs.

“Hey”, she said poking her head around the door, then she saw Kagome. At first she grinned, raising her eyebrows at their rumpled appearence, and then her eyes widened as she took a closer look. She was by Kagome’s side in a moment, her eyes drawn to Kagome’s neck.

“What… oh my god Kagome, what happened to you?!”

Kagome shrugged. “I got mugged when I was out jogging last night. It happens.” Now that it was daylight, she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, in fact she wanted to forget all about it.

They all heard a confused call of ‘hello, are you open?’ from downstairs. Inuyasha glanced down at his grey boxer shorts and wrinkled t-shirt and tugged on the hem of the shirt, as if that would get rid of the creases.

“Right”, said Sango in a business like manner. She pointed at Inuyasha “You – shower.” Inuyasha opened his mouth as if he was going to argue, then rolled his eyes and shrugged as Sango continued to point in the direction of the bathroom. She turned to Kagome as Inuyasha grabbed clean clothes from the chest of drawers next to his unmade bed. “Kagome, you -  sit. I’ll deal with the customers until Inuyasha is ready, and then we can talk about what happened later.”

“But I-“

“No buts. Sit down”, Sango said, with the air of someone who was used to having her instructions followed. She waited until Kagome sat down on the edge of the bed, then raced back down the stairs.

Kagome could just hear her talking to a customer over the sound of Inuyasha starting the shower. With a sigh, she slumped down on Inuyasha’s bed, closing her eyes against the thumping in her head. She placed her forearm over her eyes, trying to block out the daylight now filling the small room.

Last night, when she’d gone to sleep she’d been so happy, despite her terror prior to arriving at Inuyasha’s flat. He’d kissed her, said she had pretty eyes, asked her to stay. But since they’d woken up, he hadn’t said anything about the kiss, so she hadn’t said anything either. Now she was second guessing everything. What if he’d just felt sorry for her last night and she’d made assumptions about where this… connection… was headed? She sat up again when Inuyasha came out of the small bathroom with steam billowing out behind him, fully dressed in black jeans and a red t-shirt, his damp ponytail clinging to his neck.

“That must have been the shortest shower in history”, Kagome joked, offering him a small smile. She did her best to look cheerful, even though she felt anything but. Perhaps she should just go home, despite what Inuyasha had said. She was a big girl. She’d been taking care of herself for quite a while now. “You’d better get downstairs to work, everyone will be waiting for you.”

He sat down next to her on the bed and looked at her seriously. She blinked, unsure of what he was going to say. He huffed out a breath, reaching out to stroked her cheek, his eyes roving over her face.

“Kagome”, he said softly, “hataraku nakute ikenee, suman - hontoni zutto soba ni itaindaga...”[3] His thumb grazed over her lip, stroking the soft skin, and Kagome shivered. “Itaino no itaino kisu shite tondeke.”[4]

He leaned in, his palm cradling her cheek, and pressed his lips to hers, the kiss soft, a gentle goodbye. She could taste toothpaste on his bottom lip, and without thinking she swept her tongue along the slightly chapped skin, licking at the corner of his mouth. He pulled back in surprise and then grinned at the mischevous look on her face, his light hazel eyes approving.

“Yancha koneko…”[5]

His kissed her again, firmer this time, his mouth slanting across hers and she couldn’t help the small moan of need in the back of her throat, her arms winding around his neck to bring him closer. All her doubts vanished, burned away by the heat of his kiss, his tongue teasing hers, encouraging her to kiss him back. Then his mouth left hers and she almost whimpered in dismay, until he began placing tiny lingering kisses down her neck where she assumed the bruises were. She shivered at the contact, her fingers winding into his dark hair.

“Inuyaashaa!”

The tone of Sango’s voice echoing up the stairs was loud and determined, giving the impression that perhaps it wasn’t the first time she’d called out. Inuyasha rested his forehead on Kagome’s shoulder, slumping his shoulders and sighing.

“Fuck.”

Kagome kissed the top of his head with a disappointed sigh of her own.

“Yes please.”

She giggled a little as his head snapped up in surprise. He blinked at her, his expression unsure, and she realised he’d heard what she’d said but was worried he might have misunderstood, so she winked at him, her gaze teasing. He chuckled.

“Bad girl”, he said huskily, rubbing his nose against hers.

“Sukebe Inu”[6], she crooned back, and he laughed out loud, kissing the tip of her nose. She pushed him on his shoulder, grinning.

“Go on, go, before Sango akido’s your ass.”

He got up with a sigh, and moved to the chest of drawers next to his bed, getting her a pair of his gym shorts with a drawstring waist and a clean t-shirt. He grabbed a clean towel from a cupboard near the bathroom, and placed them all on the bed next to her.

“Shower. Rest.” he said, dropping a kiss on the top of her head, then sprinted down the stairs, taking them a couple at a time as Sango’s voice echoed petulantly up the stairs again.

After that, Kagome couldn’t stop smiling. She made Inuyasha’s bed, then moved into the bathroom, more than ready to get out of her crumpled running gear and get clean.

Her reflection in the mirror of the small bathroom cabinet made her pause for a moment. The dark fingerprint sized bruises were clear on her neck, along with the scratches of her attackers fingernails and probably her own where she’d tried to pull his hands away. There were a few bloodstains around the collar of her t-shirt that she probably wouldn’t be able to get out. But then she took a deep breath, nodding at her reflection. She was okay. That was last night, and now she was safe. Today was a whole new day.

Kagome stripped off, welcoming the heat of the shower, washing her body and her hair using Inuyasha’s bath products, and immediately feeling all the better for it. She put a small amount of toothpaste on her finger and rubbed over her teeth; not quite a brush, but better than nothing. After she’d towelled off, braiding her damp hair and dressing herself in Inuyasha’s shorts and t-shirt, she snorted at her reflection in the fogged up mirror. She looked ridiculous; both the shorts and t-shirt came down to almost cover her knees.

Seeing a bottle of laundry detergent sitting on the bathroom floor next to the vanity, she decided Inuyasha probably wouldn’t mind if she borrowed a small amount to wash her underwear. She washed and rinsed her bra and panties in the bathroom sink, squeezing out as much water as she could by hand then draped them over the shower rail, hoping that they would be mostly dry by the time she had to venture outside again.

Even though the shower had helped, her head was still thumping. She decided she would lay down again for a little while. She could hear voices downstairs, the hiss of the coffee machine, the regular beeping of the eftpos machine and till, the occasional jingle of coins. Inuyasha and Sango were probably dealing with the morning rush, so just closing her eyes for a few moments while they were busy would be okay.

When she woke again, there was a glass of water sitting next to the bed on the chest of drawers, along with a box of ibuprofen, and a toasted cheese and ham croissant. After taking a couple of tablets and eating, she lay down again, waiting for the medication to begin working. She’d go downstairs soon and thank whoever had got the food for her. Her eyes closed all by themselves.

The sound of laptop keys clacking woke her. Inuyasha was sitting at his desk, and the sunlight in the room had the deep glow of afternoon. Kagome sat up and rubbed her eyes.

“Crap, I’m sorry Inuyasha. What time is it?” she asked sleepily.

Inuyasha turned sideways in his chair. He smiled at her, seemingly not worried that she’d spent all day sleeping in his flat while he worked. “Afternoon. Shop is closed.” He glanced at his computer screen. “4.48pm.”

“Eeep! Buyo is going to be so upset with me!” Kagome got up quickly and went into the bathroom, splashing her face with cold water. Her bra and panties were still a little damp, but she decided she’d rather wear them than go outside without them and got changed into them quickly, putting Inuyasha’s clothes back on over the top.

“Who is Buyo?” asked Inuyasha as she emerged from the bathroom in a rush, clutching her dirty clothes and rummaging in the pocket of her leggings for her keys.

“My cat”, she said in a distracted voice, “he doesn’t like being hungry. And if he’s upset he tends to pee on the carpet.” She looked around for her shoes, then spotted them lined up at the end of Inuyasha’s bed. She sat down, pulling the shoes onto her feet without socks. “I should be fine to walk home by myself Inuyasha, I’m feeling much better.”

He shook his head, sliding his own feet into his shoes where they were sitting under his desk. “I am coming.” He snagged her hand as she stood and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her, and she squeaked in surprise.

“Missed you, yancha koneko.” She giggled as he tucked his nose into her neck, blowing a small raspberry on the soft skin there.

“I’m sorry I slept all day Inuyasha”, she said softly.

He shook his head. “Good for you.”

She smiled. “I guess it was, my headache is gone now. But we really need to go.”

They walked slowly back to her apartment, moving aside to allow Saturday afternoon shoppers and harassed looking people with places to go to pass them by. Kagome reached out casually, taking his hand and entwining their fingers. She watched shyly as Inuyasha glanced down at their hands, and then looked around them to see if anyone was paying attention, then back to her. He grinned at her widely, squeezing her fingers with his. He didn’t relinquish her hand until they were standing outside the door to her apartment.

“What are you doing tomorrow Inuyasha?” she asked. She really wanted to see him again, but if he was busy…

He made a disgusted face. “Koinrandorī.[7]” She blinked at him. He tried again, slowing the word down. “Koin randori”, and pointed at her dirty clothes. “Wash.” Her face cleared.

“Laundromat! You need to wash your clothes?” He nodded, glad she’d understood.

She tugged on his sleeve excitedly. “Don’t waste your money on that – come here! You can use my washing machine! I’ll make breakfast!”

Kagome squealed as he suddenly picked her up off the ground and hugged her tightly.

“Kagome! Thank you!”

She giggled at the look on his face. “So you really don’t like the laundromat huh?”

He shook his head emphatically. “Do not like…” he tried the word she’d used, knowing he’d have trouble with that first sound, but uncaring, because it was Kagome, “randoromat.”

“Okay, it’s a date then!” she smiled.

“I will bring coffee”, he said carefully, and she smiled even wider. They were interupted by the sound of frantic scratching on the door behind them, interspersed with plaintive mewing sounds. Kagome groaned.

“I have to-“, she pointed at the door behind her.

He nodded and leaned in for a quick kiss, and then another, and then one final lingering press of his lips. “Good night Kagome” he smiled. “See you.”

“See you tomorrow”, she agreed. “8am.” She watched as he jogged down the stairs, then turned to open her door. Buyo rubbed himself frantically against her legs as she stepped inside, closing her front door behind her. She picked him up, rubbing her cheek against his, and walked straight into the kitchen where his food was kept.

“Sorry I’m late baby”, she crooned apologetically, smiling at the deep vibrating purr. “Mama had an interesting day.”

☕💖☕

Inuyasha looked with a puzzled expression at Kagome’s washing machine. It was a lot more complex than the one he’d used previously at the laundromat – those just required coins and a push of a button to begin washing. Start was easy, because he recognised the icon for pause/play, but there were all these other buttons. He poked at one hesitantly, and grimaced when it made a blooping noise. “Kagome?”

“What is it Inu?” she called back from the kitchen, raising her voice over the sizzling sound of cooking. She’d been busy making breakfast when he arrived, and he’d decided to get his washing out of the way quickly so he could go watch her. She obviously loved to cook; he could hear her humming songs under her breath as she cooked whatever was on the stove.

“Kagome”, he called, “how… uh… feh”, he grunted, putting down the washing detergent and just going to the kitchen himself.

She was busy flipping pancakes, all her attention on the frypan. He couldn’t help but grin at the way she was dancing on the spot, that cute rounded peach of hers just out of sight in her shortie pyjamas, swaying in time with whatever she was singing. He was seriously hoping this Sunday arrangement would become a regular thing, especially if it meant he caught her wearing outfits like this. He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

“Is everything okay?” she giggled, rubbing her cheek against his affectionately. “Do you need to borrow some of my detergent? I have plenty.”

“No, I buy detergent. Button?” he asked, hoping she would understand.

“Oh, sure.” Kagome lifted the pancake pan away from the heat and switched off the gas so the batter wouldn’t burn while she helped him with his predicament. He followed close behind her as she walked to the desk in her bedroom first, grabbing a pen and a post-it-note from the drawer, then out onto the balcony where the tiny laundry room was. He watched as she drew pictures of the buttons and then numbered them in kanji, so he would know what order to press them.

“Very good”, he praised, rubbing her shoulder.

She grinned at him. “Thank you. I only know up to five off by heart; I have to look at the others.

“Sorry”, he said, gesturing towards the buttons on the washing machine.

“No worries, it’s fine”, she smiled. “If we were in Tokyo and I was looking at a Japanese washing machine, I’m sure I’d need to ask for help too. Was yours back home a lot different from this one?”

He shook his head. “No machine.”

“Oh, did you use the laundromat there too?”

“Sometimes. Not many.” He sighed, and looked at her, his mouth straightened in an expression of frustration. He shrugged.

“Hey, it’s okay, we’ll get there.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tight. “How about you do your washing and I’ll finish making breakfast, and then we’ll go for a walk. I’ll teach you some English words and you can teach me some Japanese words.”

He hugged her back, dropping a small kiss to the top of her head, then released her with a smile. “Okay.”

When he’d finished loading the washing machine and set it to a warm wash cycle, the sound of running water indicating his success, he walked back into the kitchen to see Kagome flipping the last pancake.

“It’s such a nice morning! Should we sit out on the balcony to eat?” she said, pointing towards the small table and chairs.

He nodded, grabbing the plates, cups, knifes and forks she’d set out already, along with the thermos of black coffee he’d brought with him, and took them out to the tiny table on Kagome’s balcony. He poured himself a cup of coffee, then sat down to wait for her.

There wasn’t a great view from her balcony, mostly other apartment blocks and a busy side street, but if you stood on a chair and leaned way out you could see the big clock tower at Central station. He grinned, remembering Kagome’s shrieks of dismay when he’d done that when she gave him the tour earlier.

Her place was nice. A bedroom with a walk in closet, bathroom, a lounge room which led onto a small balcony with a laundry room, and a kitchen with a little eating area. He sat sipping his coffee, watching the traffic and listening to the more muted sounds of a Sunday in the city.

Buyo wound his way around Inuyasha’s legs, purring loudly. They had made friends quickly when he’d arrived, and he already liked the fluffy calico cat. He reminded him a little of Japanese cats he’d seen on the street in Osaka, with short stumpy legs, and black and tan markings colouring his cream body.

“Hullo Buyo”, he said, reaching down to scratch the calico behind his furry ears. As soon as he sat back up, Buyo jumped up on to his lap. “Hey fat cat.”

Kagome laughed as she walked through the open glass sliding door, carrying the stack of pancakes and the maple syrup.

“What did you just call my cat?”

He grinned at her, lifting Buyo up under his front legs to reveal the cream coloured fur on his rounded stomach. Buyo purred even louder.

“Shippou is a little shit. Buyo is a fat cat. Better.”

Kagome sniggered, sitting down at the table. “Better? Because he’s a healthier weight or because he doesn’t bite you.”

“Both.”

He poured Kagome’s coffee, then watched hungrily as she moved a stack of pancakes onto his plate. He poured a steady stream of syrup over his pancakes and dug in eagerly.

“Mmm, s’good Kagome!”

“Yokatta – wait, is that right?” She sighed, sitting down to begin her own breakfast. “So many different ways to say ‘you’re welcome’ in Japanese.” She giggled as he gave her an emphatic thumbs up, his mouth too full to answer with words. He swallowed.

“Is correct. Yokatta means”, he scrunched up one eye, while thinking for the English words he wanted, “you are happy for me to like it.”

“Did you eat pancakes for breakfast in Japan, or is that not a thing there?” asked Kagome, still smiling at him.

A sudden memory of the sparse breakfasts of his childhood came to mind. And afterwards, he was usually too hung over or injured from his fights the night before to eat. He shook the memories away, not wanting to spoil the happy sunny atmosphere at the table. Kagome put down her knife and fork, a worried expression on her face.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”

Inuyasha sighed, not noticing how hard his fists gripped his own knife and fork. “Kagome… I want to forget Japan. I want to be here. I want to live here. A new home, not-” he stopped as she reached out to touch his hand, stroking her fingers gently over his knuckles until his tight grip relaxed.

“Was it really bad, the life you left behind in Japan?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then”, she smiled. “I’ll stop asking questions. I understand wanting to leave the past behind and try something new to get away from painful memories. It’s one of the reasons I moved to this city too.” He put down his fork to squeeze her fingers gently.

“Thank you, Kagome.”

They resumed their breakfast, Kagome looking thoughtfully out past the buildings surrounding them, into the intense blue sky and bright sunshine. Then she smiled at him, a full beaming grin that crinkled up her eyes, and his heart thudded. She was so beautiful when she smiled at him like that. Not just her appearance, but the pure emotion behind the smile, aimed right at him.

“I’ve got an idea!” she squealed excitedly. “We’ll finish tidying up and hang your washing on the drying rack, and then I’m going to take you to a fun place. I’m gonna help you make some amazing memories Inuyasha!”

He leaned across the table, his hands leaning either side of her plate, and kissed her, joyful teasing kisses. He couldn’t help it. He didn’t have the words to tell her how happy she made him, but he knew this would get the idea across. She giggled as he licked at a stray spot of syrup on the corner of her mouth.

The pedestal table rocked a little with his uneven weight, and Kagome squealed, her hands moving to the edges to hold it steady. He sat down again, laughing at her.

“Behave!”

“Why?” he said, laughing again at the sudden blush turning her cheeks rosy.  

She made a grumbling noise, then sat sipping her coffee, looking out at the sunlight bouncing off the windows of the other high rise apartments surrounding them. He grinned as he finished his own pancake. They would make today a good day, together.

Translation Notes:        

[1] “Hello, Inuyasha? Are you okay? [2] “Come up here Sango.” [3] “I’m sorry I have to work Kagome - I really want to stay with you…” [4] “Pain, pain, fly away with a kiss” (the Japanese version of ‘kiss it better’) [5] “Naughty kitten…” [6] Sukebe means lewd, but in this context you could perhaps say ‘dirty dog’ [7] An english loanword – literally ‘coin laundry’

[mona-rei-is-not-okay]

Heya. I'm the sibling asker ! H/s = honorary sibling. Hope you're doing fine

i love deep friendship gimme gimme

and there are NO MAYBES YOU WILL HAVE THE BONUS BOY ALWAYS especially with cute asks like these omg i love

i don’t know too much about MT!Paps though, so i’m sorry if my interpretation is a lil wonky. also h/s is teen, sorry if it isn’t apparent

UF!Sans: He’s really concerned about your low mood spell, but isn’t really sure what to do about it. As much as he relates to your apparent anxieties, he doesn’t know what to do to make you feel better. He’s not usually good at comforting words. What he will do is check in a lot. Make sure you’re generally doin okay and have everything you need. Again, if you need to vent, he’ll listen.

But he really doesn’t get why the cuddles make such a difference. Sure, he’s become a bit of a cuddlebug himself, but the way you completely relax like that? Unnatural. Especially since it’s the only thing that seems to be cheering you up. But then again, who is he to question what works? He won’t exactly cling to you from then on, but he’ll start following you around the house a bit more, snagging every cuddle opportunity. It’s still a little weird, but it’s a lot better than seeing his kid sibling all skittish. Eventually though, curiosity gets the better of him, and he just has to ask.

And your answer?

Congratulations, you have floored your big bro. Beet red in the face. Absolutely no composure. What did he do to deserve your trust?? Why are you so sweet?? Aaaaaah?!? He pets your head and tries not to let you hear his wheezing, but it’s obvious, he’s really moved and has no idea how to deal with it.

“h-heh… watch where yer aimin’ that sweetness, kiddo… i’m gettin’ a toothache… jeez…”

Anyway, was he tailing you before? Welp, now he’s become your guard dog. It doesn’t matter where you’re going, he’s comin’ with you.He’ll always be by your side, gently holding your arm and keeping his head on a swivel for shifty characters. If you ever need to navigate a crowd or a tight space, he’ll usher you behind him and get you to grab the fluff of his hood while he leads the way. He can’t exactly follow you to school, but he’ll shortcut to walk you between classes if you let him. Your teachers hate him. He’ll stop following you everywhere if you fend him off with a stick, but until your mood improves… well, he’s your personal escort now, deal with it

UF!Papyrus: He’s always wanted a little sibling. He loves helping people, and shows love through physical care.He’s a bit of a mother hen. It’s part of why he took in his cat, Doomfanger. To him, you are an absolute blessing.

So he’s already got some huge maternal instincts, but your mood has got him sent into overdrive. He’ll always be asking you if you need anything, fixing you comfort snacks, asking if you need help with homework, doing a chore or cleaning a room so you don’t have to. It might feel naggy or get a little overwhelming, and he’ll dial it back if you tell him to, but his first instinct will always be to take care of possible stress sources directly. It helps him feel better, too.

So when you settle down to cuddle and just… completely deflate, he asks about it immediately. He must know. He must help.

And when you answer…

His face is deep maroon. If anybody else had said that, he would have dismissed it. But coming from you? Wowie. He feels like he’s succeeded as a caretaker. He’s about ready to squeal with joy, but he contains himself. Smiling from ear to nonexistent ear, he loops an arm behind you and pulls you closer. He tries to mask his joy with a confident air, but the grin betrays him.

“WELL! THAT’S… PERFECTLY NATURAL!! AS THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS HAS TAKEN YOU UNDER HIS PROTECTION!!!”

From then on, every time he starts an activity or chore, you’re invited. Help him put away groceries! Help him do laundry! Help him cook! Also, if you accompany him on errands, hand-holding is required.

“I HAVE TO KEEP TRACK OF YOU SOMEHOW! STOP GIGGLING!”

He just wants to make sure you feel safe. Even if it means walking you to and from school, fixing you lunches with positive sticky notes in the bag, and taking you with him everywhere he goes. It’s not cute!

MT!Sans: He’s not around as much as either of you would like, but he knows you’re feeling down. He remembers seeing his brother with such a similar look on his face. Young fool that Sans was, he started taking him with on small jobs to keep him company. And now Pappy deals in some of the same dirty business he does. He’s promised himself not to make the same mistake with you.

He does his best to help you take it in stride while he’s around, but he knows there’s only so much he can do. He feels a twinge of guilt every time he has to leave you in that state. He knows it probably doesn’t have much to do with him, but he feels responsible. Maybe if he were around more, or even just in a safer profession, you wouldn’t seem so worried all the time.

Cuddles are solace for both of you. He gets to relax and feel like he’s doing something, and you don’t seem half as rigid. Smiles all around! He already sort of knows why you relax so easily in his arms, or thinks he does, but he feels he should still make sure.

And…

Well, he didn’t know what he was expecting, but he can’t keep his grin from widening a touch. You’re the light of his life, you know that? Honestly, what did he do to deserve you? But the guilt sets back in. No wonder you’ve been feeling down… he’s been particularly busy lately, and he really should make more time for you. And if you didn’t normally feel safe, whose fault is that? Well… nobody feels safe in this part of town.

“well…” He’ll plant a small kiss on the top of your head. “take it easy, kiddo. i promise, someday, we’ll all get the hell outta here.”

He’ll get somebody to watch the house while he’s gone. He knows he can’t be there all the time, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t know you aren’t safe. He’ll call you more often to check in, too. Also… he’ll start putting a little extra away, start saving for a little vacation. Maybe some time out of town will do all of you some good. You’re family, and he’ll take care of you no matter the risk or cost.

MT!Papyrus: He’s around more than Sans is, thankfully. He sticks around to fix you meals and offer cuddles and make sure the house is safe. It’s given him plenty of time to notice one of his favorite siblings’ low mood.

He does his best to help out in indirect ways, checking the house for wires and cameras and sweeping the perimeter every so often. He knows this helps with his brother sometimes, when he gets paranoid. But he isn’t sure that’s your problem. He feels a little lost, but is upbeat as ever. He has to set a good example after all.

He most likely won’t ask about the cuddles for a while. He’s more concerned with what more he can do to make you comfortable, and if this works, it works. Besides- openly nosy folk are seldom rewarded in his line of business. Eventually though, he’ll push back the instinct. He trusts you, and this could make a lot of difference in helping you cheer up.

And when you tell him…

He’s beaming at you with such genuine joy, he looks like he might just start crying. Just… wowie! He doesn’t really understand why you’d feel that way, he’s only decent in crisis situations, but the fact that you really trust him that much? Well, it’s not something he gets a lot of. He must be doing something right if you feel this way.

He’ll rest his chin on your head and give you a hearty squeeze. “WELL! I SUPPOSE!! YOU’LL JUST HAVE TO STAY IN THIS HUG!!! FOREVER!!!!”

He won’t move for a while, get used to him, he lives there now. From then on, he’ll start taking every opportunity to come home early and see you. He’ll ask you to cook with him, he’ll ask you to read to him, he’d even try to sneak you with him on jobs if Sans didn’t always seem to stop you. He tries to be around the house more in general, he wants his little sibling to know that he’s always around if you need him.

HT!Sans: He understands your mood all too well. He’s been through plenty of periods of fear and depressive episodes in his day, and he knows how it feels. Sometime he feels like the only way he can perceive the world is either through an all-consuming fog or with painful knife-point precision. But it’s hard for him to think back to what he wanted during more desperate times. Food? Safety? He’s pretty sure you’ve got those covered already. Maybe your head just acts up a little sometimes, like his.

He’ll make sure you have everything you need, regardless. You hungry? Tired? He’ll take care of it, just you relax. If you need to talk, he may not understand or remember everything you say, but he’ll do his best to offer comfort.

It doesn’t quite register how much you relax when you cuddle him, not for a while. He can be a little slow sometimes. He’ll get it eventually though, and he’ll ask about it. This seems important, had he asked before?

And what you tell him…

It almost brings a tear to his eye. He may have a trauma-induced forgetful streak, but he remembers a lot of things. He remembers a lot of nasty, horrible things. He remembers the taste of human flesh. He remembers the strain of keeping his guard up at all times. He remembers watching his brother slip away.

But you? You’ve been his second chance. You gave him the opportunity to make things right with himself. A sibling he didn’t have to fail. He most definitely felt he didn’t deserve you or your trust... after all, he had eaten people like you without a second thought. But you gave your trust just as freely. 

“heh…” He ruffles your hair. “hope that works out for ya.”

He’ll do his best to be available for cuddles (not that he has much to keep him away) and he’ll try to take you with him if he has to go somewhere. He always makes an effort to ask about your day, if anything bad happened, if anything good happened. He doesn’t feel like he can do much, but he’ll do what he can to make things easier on you.

[noncommitalshrug-blog]

Keeping up with the Joneses

Part 3

Jughead smiled. Not his typical crooked half-smile/half-smirk, but a real smile, that was so rarely present on his face that his cheek muscles actually ached with disuse. He clung to his sister’s small, familiar frame. A swirl of memories and emotions crashed through him like an invisible force. Flashes of pain, anger, despair, and longing all mixed together in an undertow that made remembering to breathe difficult. Tears of joy and pain of the long separation landed from Jellybean’s eyes onto her brother’s jacket and from his eyes onto her hair and shoulder.

Archie watched the long wished-for moment with happiness. There was nothing in the world that his best friend had wanted more than to be with his baby sister again. But she seemed older to Archie… not in age, but in her eyes. Eyes of someone who had seen more than she was ready to see… Like her brother’s eyes, when his father entered the same room that he was in; resolved and with an almost feral preparedness for some terror or pain that may suddenly come from some unknown source.

Archie swallowed those musings down deep inside of himself. He had more pressing concerns… like the clumpy white blobs falling gently down from the night sky. Archie looked down at the pavement which was beginning to get a dusting of snow. It was sticking.

“Hey, Jellybean!” He approached the siblings slowly, reluctantly. The young girl smiled broadly, wiping unshed tears from her eyes,

“Hi Archie! Long time no see!”

“What? No hug for your “adopted” brother? See if I let you beat me at Super Smash Bros. later…”

He teased.

She gave Archie a huge smile, “Like you’d have to let me… I’ll beat you even if I play cross-eyed.” She gave the red-haired boy a warm hug.

The two older boys laughed at the boast.

Archie jerked his thumb towards Main Street,

“We better started heading back, the snow is already coming down pretty good.” He eyed Jughead meaningfully.

The dark-haired boy nodded, the unspoken warning accepted. The street lights’ yellow glare showed snow on Archie’s sweatshirt hood which poked out from under the collar of his bomber jacket. Jughead sniffled liquidly, wiping his nose on his sleeve as subtly as he could; repressing a shiver. The snow was melting quickly into his coat collar, icy water trickling down his neck and upper back. He pulled up his collar against the cold, wet invasion. He instantly thought of Jellybean.

Jughead reached over, pulling her puffy winter coat’s hood up and over the purple woolen beanie and in the same fluid movement, zipped her jacket up higher. She rolled her eyes at his hovering, but allowed her brother this small victory. He smiled at her reaction, satisfied that she was guarded against the elements. But his traitorous nose seemed to notice his distraction, and forced him to sniffle again quickly. The sharp rush of cold air set a tingling buzz coursing through his nasal passages. He winced, shaking his head and sniffling again trying to dispel the sensation.

Jellybean watched this event play across her brother’s face with curiosity, but said nothing. He rubbed his nose with the edge of his coat cuff again, which proved to be the turning point of his battle. He gasped as the fiery tickle intensified and two rapid hitching breaths later,

“Heh-Heh-HEDDDTSSSHHAAH!!!” Jughead spun on his heel away from his sister as the sneeze overtook him and ducked into his shoulder to avoid spreading this virus further. He cringed inwardly and turned back toward Archie and Jellybean with a forced smile. “Whoo… That came out of nowhere!” At least it was only one this time. He stole a glance at Archie’s face. The red-head sighed and returned his glance with one of apprehension and pity.

“Bless you, Juggie… Are you okay…?” Jellybean searched her brother’s face for answers. He just grinned at her, seemingly amused by her concern,

“I’m just fine, Jellybean, or should I be calling you “JB” now?” He attempted to change the subject of discussion.

“Are you sure?” came the persistent question, along with a small tilt of her head that reminded Archie of a small bird.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry so much. You’ll get wrinkles.” He playfully pulled her hood down over her eyes.

Anxious to return home (and to get his friend out of this weather) Archie took matters into his own hands with an exaggerated shiver,

“Brrrr! Guys, it’s freezing out here… Let’s head back to my house.” The ploy worked and the trio began the trek back to the Andrews’ house.

Jellybean hesitated, “We aren’t staying with Dad…?” she asked her brother slowly. Jughead’s face darkened,

“No, sis, he’s not at home right now,”said Jughead, avoiding the questions that he could not truthfully answer without hurting her more: Where was Dad? Didn’t he want to see her? Did he know she was here? He tried to put a positive spin on the situation,

“Archie missed you too, so we planned for us to stay at his house. He has all the fun video games anyway…”

Jellybean nodded. Her small face, was all at once, alight with evil plotting, “Can we have pineapple pizza, too?”

Archie pretended to throw-up noisily, at the mere mention of the unique pie-ingredient. She shoved him away, as equally disgusted by his evaluation of her preference, as he was pretending to be of her tastebuds’ poor lifechoices.

Jughead put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her to his side,

“Anything you want.” He was rewarded with a bright smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

By the time they turned onto the quiet old street, the snow was coming down heavily. The muffled sounds of their laughs and joking falling flat in the cold, dry air. Jellybean held the hands of both boys, relishing their kindness, and company. Every so often, Archie glanced over to watch her as she looked towards her brother, full of joy and contentment.

They tromped up the porch stairs kicking clumps of snow from their boots. The stripped off their cold, drippy jackets, hats, and coats, hanging them on the coat rack behind the door. Archie went to start heating the pizza and Jughead helped Jellybean unpack her things, badgering her to take a warm shower before the pizza was ready.

Laughing at his mother-henning, Jellybean finally conceded,

“Fine, Juggie! I’ll go. Criminies…”

Only she had pushed the old creaking bathroom door shut and he heard the water running, did Jughead finally release the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He checked out his appearance in the hall mirror, making a face. The mimed image grimaced back at him, pale with a violently rose-colored nose, dripping curls, and wind-chapped cheeks. His nose was running again.

“Crap.” He muttered, thoroughly perturbed with his body’s crummy immune system. Jughead swiped his nose on his long-sleeved black shirt. He sighed, running a hand absently through his unruly, wet hair; hoping against all odds that he could keep this weekend as a truly happy, carefree memory for Jellybean and for himself.

Jughead shivered again, his dark-hair shaking droplets of snow melt onto his shoulders, causing him to rub his arms to ward off the chill that still lingered. He grabbed his obligatory commemorative sweatshirt from the Blue & Gold, pulling it over his head. He smirked at how much he had argued against this trite ritual of school activities, citing the wearing of such a piece of clothing lacked originality and was just another way that the school was encouraging voluntary conformity. He had never loved the ugly blue sweatshirt more than he did at that very moment.

 He went down to the kitchen quickly, knowing Archie’s home-economics skills left much to be desired. Jughead had found, through trial and error (mostly error), that it was best not to leave the red-haired boy in charge of anything flammable for too long.

The kitchen was not on fire. This was a good sign. Jughead walked into the kitchen, smelling sweetness and savory smells emanating from the oven. Suddenly, there was a flash of color as his vision disappeared. A huge towel swallowed his head with a “thwuff” sound.

“Oof… Damnit, Archie!”

Hands rubbed his damp curls vigorously, but not roughly.

Archie, moving the towel as he dried, eventually came eyeball to eyeball with a miffed Jughead. Struggling not to grin at the expression of annoyance on his friend’s face, Archie continued his way along the back of the smaller boy’s neck and ears.

“Are y’done?!?” came the irritated question, half-muffled by the towel.

“I didn’t think you’d have enough sense to dry off, so I decided to be prepared.” said the larger boy with a shrug and a smiled creeping over his face. Jughead’s hair, notoriously stubborn, (due to it’s proximity a stubborn mind) had gone the way of the late eighties hair bands and was sticking up at odd angles, being statically charged from the towel.

Jughead sniffled, rubbing his nose gently with one finger,

“Does that include not burning the pizza?” Archie looked into the oven worriedly, but without cause: the pizza was perfectly golden brown on the edges. He removed the pizza, placing it on the island on a potholder. He gave the dark-haired boy a withering look over the slight against his non-existent cooking abilities.

As Archie began to slice the pie, he discreetly tried to figure out is their trip to the depot had taken its toll on the smaller boy. Jughead still looked pale, he wasn’t coughing as much now, and he didn’t seem feverish when Archie had toweled him off. Reassured that, at least, for right now, Jughead was holding his own against his sickness, the larger boy breathed a sigh of relief.

A cry of “PIZZA!” carried through the house, as Jellybean dashed down the stairs and into the kitchen. Vegas trotted beside her, equally enthused about the choice of food.

The simple dinner was quickly demolished by the hungry quartet (Vegas scarfing down every unwanted crust and occasional dropped pepperoni that his newest best friend passed along to him.) Archie pulled out the sofa bed and made it up for Jelly bean while her brother microwaved hot chocolate in the kitchen and she selected “Cats & Dogs”. Archie raised his eyebrows at her choice; she simply smiled,

“What? I love talking animals!”

“I didn’t say anything… but it’s good to know you haven’t changed that much…” Archie bent down and messed up her hair.

“Hey! I’ll get you back when we play Nintendo later!” She declared. Archie tossed two pillows onto the sofa bed and plopped onto the floor beside her, pretending to yawn.

“I’m not even sure I’ll m-make it… (Yawn) through the movie at this rate. I’m beat.” The earlier he got everyone to get to sleep, the better the chances that Jughead’s body would have be able to beat this cold.

Jughead brought in the steaming mugs of chocolate, nose twitching with irritation. He set down the mugs and mumbled,

“I-I’ll b-be baaahck…(Sniifle) Bathroom-break.”

“Hurry up!” yelled Jellybean, distractedly, putting on the DVD. Archie frowned, unable to hear over the DVD advertisements. He got up, making an excuse of finding popcorn, and took a right down the hall to the downstairs bathroom.

The muffled explosions that he heard through the door came rapidly,

“HEH-GSSSHMMF! HEHHCCT! heh-EH-GHmmmft! HEShccmmmf! Ugh…eh-heh-Hehhh-ggggshh!!!” This unsettling chorus of sneezes, began violent and urgent and trailed off into a deep, gurgling nose blow followed by an exhausted-looking Jughead opening the door. He jumped about a foot, causing the door to jerk.

“Geezus, Arch!” He bit back a yelp of surprise which dissolved into a small fit of dry, painful-sounding coughs. Jughead ducked his head into the collar of the sweatshirt, so that it covered his nose and mouth, quickly silencing the fit into the hoodie’s lining, his hands pressing the fabric to his face.

“Sorry…” said Archie, looking at his friend with no small amount of worry, “You sound awful… I thought you were doing better than this. I shouldn’t have let you…”

“Hold it…” said the dark-haired boy, “I’m gonna stop you right there. You didn’t let me… I went, I’ll deal… Got it? Staying here wouldn’t have made much of a difference anyway. Guilt-tripping yourself needlessly won’t fix it either. I’ve been through worse, hell, you’ve seen me go through worse than this. I’ll be fine. I’ll call it an early night after the movie.”

“Okay.” Archie said dejectedly. He let Jughead push past him and watched as the tired boy sat heavily on the sofa bed next to Jellybean. She was so absorbed with watching the movie, that she didn’t notice her brother’s dark hair duck twice in quick succession as he pinched his nose in two completely silent stifles. He shook his head to clear it briefly and pulled the old afgan and quilt a little more snugly around her sister. He stroked her hair and pulled her closer to his side. Archie rejoined the group, and passed around the nearly forgotten hot cocoa, trying to lose his worries in the ridiculous movie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Before the ending credits, Jellybean was asleep, in spite of all her late-night plans of videogaming.

Archie watched as her brother’s head came to rest on top of hers, Jughead’s clear eyes drooping. The red-head got up careful not to disturb the sleeping girl. He gently roused Jughead, who blinked in confusion. Archie put a finger to his lips and gestured to Jughead’s left. Suddenly, the dark-haired boy’s tiredness was forgotten. Jughead smiled, easing Jellybean’s head off his shoulder and laying her down onto the sofa bed softly. He pulled another blanket over her sleeping form and quietly left the darkened room with his best friend.

 Once upstairs, Archie tried to get Jughead to take his bed,

 “At least for tonight!” He argued. Sadly, whether he didn’t get his mother’s skill at pleading a case or whether Jughead just knew his tactics too well, he still couldn’t convince his friend.

 “It’s better this way. She’ll come tearing in here tomorrow and jump on you by accident trying to wake me up! I’ll be fine on the air mattress. I swear.”

 Archie sighed and passed Jughead a couple of Nyquil capsules and a glass of water,

 “Fine, but you are taking these.” The implied “or else” was clear.

 Jughead swallowed the pills in one gulp with a healthy swig of water.

 “Done. Happy now?”

 “Yeah, for the moment.”

 “Well, I hope the moment lasts a while, cause I’m going to sleep. Night.” Jughead crawled under the comforter and unceremoniously passed out.

 Archie stayed up a bit longer, watching the snow fall outside and listening to the soft, congested snores coming from the sick boy on the air mattress. He wished he could take this sickness from the smaller boy, but he would do everything he could to make sure that this cold didn’t get any worse.

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End of part 3