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set-phasers-to-whump · 2 years

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can't make an omelette without breaking a few legs

prompt: fracture

whumpee: eddie diaz

fandom: 911

hi! this fic is super duper pre ship and despite the title does not feature any broken legs lmao...hope you enjoy!!

He steps onto the roof, slightly crouched to lower his center of gravity. “Hi, Kevin!” he calls out to the boy who is sitting near the roof’s peak. “I’m Eddie. I’m gonna get you down, okay?”

Kevin nods. He’s sitting there curled into a ball, dripping wet and looking equal parts afraid and embarrassed. Apparently he’d managed to climb up onto the roof but had found himself unable to get back down when it had started raining.

“Do you think you can come down towards me?”

Kevin shakes his head. “I don’t wanna move!”

“Okay, all good,” Eddie reassures him. “I’ll come to you.”

The roof isn’t too steep, and it takes him only a few seconds to reach the kid. Eddie sits down beside him.

“We’re gonna scoot towards the edge of the roof, okay?”

Kevin looks at him, eyes wide, but nods. “O-Okay.”

Using their feet, they slowly scoot down the roof towards the spot where the ladder is resting. They make it without incident, and Buck is there to grab onto Kevin and help him onto the ladder. They start climbing down, and Eddie’s about to follow them when Kevin cries, “my phone!”

“I’ve got it,” Eddie says immediately. If he squints he can see it, back near the top of the roof. He hopes it’s in a waterproof case.

“Be careful, Eddie,” Buck calls after him, as he and Kevin descend the ladder.

Eddie carefully makes his way back up to the top of the roof. He almost loses his footing once but stops himself from sliding anywhere. He gets his hands on the phone, tests the power button - it still works, luckily - and then tucks it into his pocket.

He turns around to descend the roof and his left foot slips out from under him. For a second he stumbles and nearly regains his footing, but then it’s gone and before he has time to really even think about what’s happening, he’s falling off of the roof.

He shouts, but barely hears himself over the whistling of air in his ears. The two-story fall takes forever and at the same time it takes no time at all.

He hits the ground flat on his stomach, the air completely knocked out of him. Everything hurts, all the way down his body. He groans and then just lies there, not willing to move.

“Eddie!”

His team is here. He makes a vague noise to assure them that he’s alive and feels Hen and Chim’s hands on him. They take his pulse and check his blood pressure and feel his neck and he knows they’re just doing their jobs but he really doesn’t like it.

“‘M fine,” he mumbles, face pressed into the wet grass.

“Wanna try that again?” Hen asks.

“You fell two stories, Eddie,” Chim adds.

Everything hurts too much to think up a suitable reply. He settles for a sort of sigh, which makes the pain in his chest spike. He takes a deep breath and feels much the same thing.

So he’s broken a few ribs. Great.

“We’re gonna flip you over now, okay?”

Eddie gives Chim a thumbs-up, and then he’s being rolled onto his back and everything hurts just a little bit more, except for his chest, which feels like it’s been lit on fire.

“Think…I broke a couple ribs,” he manages to get out, after a few seconds.

Hen pulls up his shirt and then presses a hand to his left side. He has to fight to keep from screaming. He digs his fingers into the dirt beneath him and tries to breathe but of course that doesn’t make the pain any better. She repeats the process on the right and he almost passes out. He isn’t sure if the wetness on his face is from the rain or from tears. It hurts so bad.

Hen makes a sympathetic noise. “Almost definitely broken,” she reports. “They’ll confirm at the hospital.”

“And you’re going to the hospital.” This is Buck. Eddie can’t quite see his whole body - he’s off to the side, to let Hen and Chim work - but he can picture the look on his face. Worry. He doesn’t like that.

“Okay,” he agrees, easily. He doesn’t like the hospital, not by any stretch of the imagination, but he has to admit that some strong painkillers wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world right now.

Forty five minutes later, he’s sitting on an examination table waiting for a doctor to come back with news on his x-rays. He’s lost his shirt - they’d cut it off to examine him, since he hadn’t been able to move his arms enough to get it off himself. He wishes they’d given him something else to put on. He’s kind of chilly, and more to the point, he really doesn’t like having to see his horribly bruised chest.

He doesn’t like having Buck see it, either, but he knows there’s no chance of getting him to leave. Not that he can blame him too much - he sure wouldn’t want to, if their places were reversed - but the attention is a little overwhelming. Buck keeps looking at him and Eddie wants to reassure him and say it’s not that bad but he doesn’t think it’ll do any good.

“Hey,” the thought strikes him out of nowhere. “I don’t have the phone. Did you get it back to the kid?”

Buck blinks at him. “The phone?”

“Yeah. He get it?”

“It fell out of your pocket when… Yeah. He has it. Screen’s shattered, though.”

“That’s good. That he has it.”

Buck shakes his head. “If he hadn’t left that stupid phone…”

“Buck.”

“Look at yourself, Eddie! Your whole chest is purple. What if…”

“I’m okay, Buck. I’ll heal.”

Buck sighs. “I know you will. I just…”

“I know.” It’s not like Eddie’s never been on the other side of this kind of conversation before. Not like he’s never felt the same way he imagines Buck’s feeling now.

A knock at the door interrupts them. The doctor steps in, and Eddie and Buck both look at her expectantly.

“You’ve broken your first, third, and fourth ribs on the left side, and the first and second on the right,” she says. “They haven’t punctured anything, fortunately, and you’ve managed to escape any other injuries.”

She hands him a pamphlet with the title Caring For Your Fractured Ribs. “Here’s a pamphlet on at-home treatment - there’s really not a lot we can do beyond prescribing medication for the pain, unfortunately. Your ribs will heal on their own in about six weeks.”

Eddie nods. The doctor explains the basics of what he can and can’t do for the foreseeable future and tells him she’ll call in a prescription for pain meds, which he can pick up in a few hours.

“In the meantime, your partner here can take you home. Just try to rest and make sure you take a deep breath and cough every hour, okay? Other than that, you’re free to go. Please call us if you have any questions or if the pain gets worse.”

And then she leaves, just like that, before Eddie even opens his mouth to say he’s not my partner, not like that, we’re coworkers, we’re friends. He looks at Buck, expecting…something, but Buck just shrugs and asks, “ready to go?”

“You don’t have to take me home,” Eddie says, immediately.

“Remind me again which one of us drove over here in our own car and which one of us arrived by ambulance?”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Besides, I’d take you home anyway. No way you’re driving like this.”

Buck does have a point, he has to admit. The idea of driving sounds about as appealing as that whole breathe-and-cough thing the doctor had instructed him to do.

“Thanks.”

“Anything for my partner,” Buck says with a grin. “But seriously, Eddie, don’t mention it.”

Eddie nods distractedly. Anything for my partner. He knows Buck’s only joking, but. He kind of doesn’t want him to be.

Shit.

thanks for reading! hope you enjoyed :)

#whumptober2022 #no.13 #fracture #911 #fic #eddie diaz #broken bones #broken ribs #medical #my writing #i say things #oughhh the next two days are boutta be hellish...we got this. it'll be fine. yeah.

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alamoroofingllc · 5 months

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hcm92literature · 2 years

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‘Out Of Character’ 25th November 2022

‘Out Of Character’ master page

Read on AO3

As soon as Adrien closed his apartment door, his phone beeped with the particular noise which alerted him that Marinette had texted Chat Noir. Looking at his phone in almost annoyance, he read the contents of the text as he dropped his bag on his sofa. [Is there any possibility you could visit tonight please?] His eyes widened in disbelief. What a strange situation he found himself in, to be rejected and then summoned by the same woman in the same night. They had texted an awful lot since their chance meeting at Comic Con, but hadn’t seen each other in person other than when he was Adrien and not Chat Noir. So to be invited to visit her as Chat Noir… He frowned, realising something.

[In costume…?]

He didn’t need to wait long for a response. [Oh… I guess so, if you still don’t want to tell me who you are…]

Adrien sighed unhappily. [If you knew my reasons for not telling you, you would understand.]

[I’ll admit, it is a bit weird, but I would still like to see you, if you want

You would have to come to the balcony though, if you’re gonna be in disguise…

I’m not sure my parents would appreciate a guy in a black hood and mask coming through the front door!]

Adrien had seen the building Marinette lived in. Nino had taken him to her parents’ bakery once in a sneaky attempt to set them up, but she hadn’t been there and it had been a profoundly awkward experience talking to her parents, no matter how kind they had been. But he had got a glimpse of the balcony she spoke of, and he had a fair idea of how to get up there, as one of the attached buildings had an outside staircase up to the roof. He couldn’t exactly tell her that Chat Noir knew all this, though… She’d either be suspicious of his identity, or assume he was a stalker.

[How do I do that?]

While she explained her address and a way to get to the balcony, Adrien donned his outfit, covering it with everyday clothes so he could walk through Paris without looking majorly creepy and weird. He could hardly believe he was doing this, but he couldn’t pass up this opportunity, both to see her and to get her side of the story from tonight’s disaster of a D&D session.

Finding a secluded alleyway near to Marinette’s house, Adrien pulled off his overshirt and jeans and stuffed them into his messenger bag, then mussed up his hair, covered it with his cat-eared hood, and stuck his mask to his face. He suddenly realised that he’d forgotten his cat-eye contacts in his hurry to get there. Hopefully Marinette wouldn’t look too closely at his eyes tonight… He then found the outside staircase and began climbing, trying to make as little noise as possible. Once he’d reached the top, he had a bit of a jump to pull himself up onto the roof, then he turned to see lights softly glowing from behind the wall that must have been sheltering Marinette’s balcony. He quietly padded towards it and peeked round to see a piece of waterproof fabric had been attached to the wall, potentially hiding her from view, but he could hear quiet music and the occasional flipping of pages in a book between scribbling on paper. As carefully as he could, and trying not to look down at the terrifying height he would fall down if he slipped, Adrien sidled around the dividing wall until he was safely behind the balcony’s railing, and grinned down at his princess. All thoughts of her walking out of the game store earlier that night melted away as he saw her tongue sticking out of her cute mouth in concentration over her books.

Marinette looked up when she heard his footsteps and saw Chat Noir standing with a fist on his hip and a wide grin on his face looking down at her. Her own grin spread across her mouth and she dropped her pen, jumping up to envelop Chat in a tight hug, nearly bowling him over. “Oh, I’m sorry!” She then kissed both his cheeks in greeting and he felt electricity shiver up and down his spine with each contact.

“I-it’s okay, Purrincess. Are you alright? Is something wrong?”

She turned away from him quickly, facing her study nook. “N-no, why would something be wrong?”

Chat looked at the back of her head with apprehension. “Well, you’ve never asked to meet up before, and it’s pretty late at night… People tend to only want to meet up late for one of two reasons.” He grinned again in a jokingly suggestive way.

Marinette’s face flushed as she turned to look back up at him from under her eyelashes, a small smirk playing on her lips. Damn, she was so pretty. “What makes you think I didn’t want to see you for the other reason…?”

Oh boy. Chat swallowed hard as his own face flushed, desperately trying not to think of that kind of scenario with her. If she did want that, it wasn’t going to happen tonight on their first “proper” meeting, and not like this with him in disguise. “B-because I don’t think you’re the kind of girl to do that kind of thing with someone you don’t really know…”

She looked at him a moment longer, almost as if she were assessing him, then nodded, the smirk turning into a softer smile. “You’re probably right, of course.” Only probably? “And… you’re right about there being something wrong. Well, not wrong, as such. Just…” Chat followed her as she walked back over to the cushions she had been sat on, clearly doing homework of some kind, and plopped herself back down on them. She puffed out her cheeks and slowly let out the air filling them. “I’ve had a weird night.”

Situating himself on a few of the cushions beside her, Chat attempted to adopt a sympathetic demeanour. “Do you want to talk about it?” Perhaps he was about to hear her actual thoughts about that night’s session.

She looked at him for a moment, and he could see every detail on her face properly under the soft glow of the fairy lights. She had freckles. How had he never noticed that before? Then again, he’d never really been this close to her before. Her breathing seemed to hitch up as she stared at him. “Your eyes are actually green…” Adrien held his breath as she continued staring, mentally cursing himself for forgetting the contact lenses, then she seemed to catch herself and shook her head, laughing nervously. “Well, uh… I play D&D, right? Well, you know that, of course you do. And I know I’ve told you about this guy who’s in my group.” Slowly releasing his breath through his nose, Chat tried very hard not to react in any way that could give himself away, instead giving her a short nod. Marinette continued without paying him much attention, too engrossed in her own thoughts. “Well, the other two players weren’t there for tonight’s session and so it was just him and me being led on this two-person quest by the GM. And we butted heads, as we always do. But…” She frowned as she recalled the events and Chat wrapped his arms around his knees as he waited, attempting to keep his breathing steady. “He- or I guess, his character… just blurted out that he loved me. Er, my character. Out of nowhere! And up until then I’d always thought he hated me because he was always so short with me.” Adrien suppressed a flinch. She thought he hated her? Perhaps playing an angsty character with the girl he was in love with was the wrong choice…

“What, uh… what did you say? Or do?”

Marinette turned to him, uncertainty clear in her eyes. “I… didn’t say very much. Neither did Marc- uh, our GM. We were both kind of taken aback by it. Honestly, I… was probably really mean.” She buried her head in her hands and groaned. Adrien’s heart was racing as he watched her but he said nothing. After a moment, she ran her hands over her hair to rest at the back of her neck and looked up at him with a remorseful expression. “I walked out.”

“You walked out?”

“Yeah. I didn’t want to hear any more of what he had to say, so I just left… Am I an asshole?”

Chat let out a short bark of a laugh. “I certainly don’t think so. But… it probably would’ve been kinder to stay and let him explain. I know I would’ve wanted to be heard out in that situation…” He watched her carefully as she nodded, covering her face with her hands again. “Maybe he’s just been too nervous around you and he could never seem to find the right words to speak to you. So he just didn’t say much at all and that’s why he was acting aloof…” Marinette looked up at him with an unreadable expression, so he cleared his throat and continued. “Why did you walk out? I know you said you didn’t want to hear more, but why was that?”

“Well,” She lifted her head again but this time to look out over the railings at the gloomy Paris horizon. “I was… kind of scared that it wasn’t in character.”

Heart pumping furiously, Adrien swallowed before speaking again. “What do you mean?”

“I…” She looked back at him for a moment then shook her head quickly, seemingly dismissing her thoughts. “I dunno, I think I’m just imagining things!” She laughed nervously then the remorseful look came back. “But… I think I probably will apologise to him the next time I see him. Which will be at a Christmas party in a couple weeks, since Marc’s going on holiday and we won’t have D&D until they get back.” She frowned down at her hands for a moment, deep in thought. “I never thought him capable of feeling anything other than contempt but… Well, clearly, I was wrong.”

Chat said nothing as he watched her. She had genuine sorrow on her face as she spoke, and she probably had no idea that he was Adrien, so she had no reason to fake it. Perhaps this would be the start of the door opening for them to get to know each other better - well, without the very dishonest disguise he was wearing to get to know her now. When it was clear she had finished speaking on the subject, he picked up one of her books and flicked through the pages, turning it upside-down. “Is this what you’re studying? Looks pretty complicated.”

Seemingly grateful for the change in subject, Marinette snatched the book away from him, smirking. “Well, you probably know nothing about fashion, alley cat, so of course it’d be complicated to you.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised. My looks are in all the best catalogues!” He winked at her, but realised from her suspicious expression that this was perhaps a big clue to his real identity, so he laughed. “I’m kidding! Everything is complicated to me because I’m just a catterbrain.”

She snorted and shook her head. Before either of them could say anything more, they both looked up as they heard a few gentle plops of water hit the wall hanging above them, then a few became several, and several became many, until the heavens had opened up and rain began pouring onto the balcony in a steady stream. A lot of spray bounced off the previously dry paving of the balcony floor, and the pair exclaimed as they began to get wet. Marinette opened a skylight she was sitting next to and gathered all her study materials before she dropped herself inside, motioning for Chat to follow. Without thinking, he obeyed, and dropped through the opening to find himself crouched on Marinette’s bed, with Marinette herself knelt very close by as she reached up passed him to close the skylight. Her expression coupled with their proximity as she slowly crouched back down made him feel dizzy, and he was barely able to breathe properly. They stared at each other for a moment longer, before Marinette suddenly realised their situation and lurched backwards, nearly falling off her bed which appeared to be on a higher level than the rest of her room. Chat caught her hand just in time and the odd expression she’d had before returned until she righted herself, laughing nervously.

“Um, w-wanna movie watch you? I mean, do you wanna watch a movie? You can’t exactly leave while it’s raining like this, right?”

Not trusting his voice, Adrien nodded. Marinette nodded back, then clambered down her bed’s ladder to the lower room. As he followed, Chat took in all the posters, photos, fashion magazines, dress-making bust, and sewing materials she had in her room. He noted that one or two of the magazines had photos of him on the front page, obviously Agreste brand magazines she had been using for inspiration. His expression in those photos was impassive, even aloof, and he didn’t blame Marinette at all for thinking he was devoid of any proper feeling if that was the expression he had adopted in their D&D sessions. He turned as her PC monitor flared into life, and she opened the browser to find a movie streaming service.

“What do you fancy?”

The urge to answer with “you” nearly overcame him, but he forced it down and moved over to look at the options.

After the pair chose an action/comedy, Marinette quietly nipped downstairs to get refreshments, then she turned the lights off and they settled on her chaise with a myriad of cushions and a blanket. Adrien had made sure to sit a respectful distance from her, but somehow during the film they’d managed to inch close enough to each other that he was now draped over her lap and her fingers were softly running through his hair, her fingernails ever-so gently scratching his scalp. He was sure that if he’d been a real cat, she would’ve heard him purring like an engine. Thank goodness he was not! They stayed in that position until the credits began to roll, then Marinette stretched, yawning as she did so.

Looking up to her skylight, Marinette seemed to listen for a moment. “I think it’s still raining…”

“I shouldn’t really stay too much longer…” Even as he said it, Adrien wanted the opposite to be true. He’d never felt so… cosy. Cuddling up and watching films with Marinette felt like the most comfortable thing in the world, and if he could, he’d stay curled up on her chaise with her forever.

Marinette nodded, but she was wearing a smirk. “You really shouldn’t. One of us might get the wrong idea if you did.”

Raising an eyebrow as he sat up and adopted his own smirk, he leaned closer to her. “The wrong idea…?”

Her face flushed a bright pink, illuminated by the movie credits scrolling on the monitor. Chat Noir grinned at Marinette, lingering close to her for just one more moment, barely daring to hope for her to ask him to stay but knowing he shouldn't even if she did, before standing up and stretching. He gathered his messenger bag then began climbing the bed’s ladder. Marinette followed a beat or two after, and opened the skylight for him. He watched her carefully, then leaned forward to give her a small kiss on each cheek, thrilled that it caused the pink on her face to deepen, then he pulled himself up through the opening and onto her balcony. Watching the rain clouds gradually make their way across the dark Paris skyline, he wished he could stay there and listen to the rain gently patter against the wall hanging and balcony floor with Marinette, talking and laughing and, dare he think it, flirting all night long…

He sighed as he raised his hood and readied himself to clamber over the rooftops, stepping out from under the shelter of the wall hanging to be showered by the rain, then stopped as he felt fingers entwine with his. Glancing down at the small, delicate hand wrapped up in his large, clawed glove, his heart skipped a beat as he looked at the owner and her bluebell eyes twinkled under the fairy lights. He could see her breath getting rapid as her gaze flicked between his own eyes and his mouth, and he couldn’t help but mirror her, though he stared at her soft pink lips a fair bit longer than she had glanced at his. Did this mean what he thought it meant? That Chat Noir had done what Adrien couldn’t and had somehow won her affection? They continued staring at each other for what seemed like an age and only a few seconds at the same time, then she finally broke the silence and his heart leapt into his throat.

“Don’t go…”

Oh, how he yearned to obey those words. He turned to face her properly, not really sure if he could believe what was happening.

“Chat… stay…”

Her voice was more breathy, as if she barely dared to do more than whisper. Taking a step out of the rain and closer to her until their rapidly rising and falling chests were nearly touching, Chat began slowly shaking his head, droplets falling off his hood.

“Please?”

It really was a whisper this time and he could feel his self control growing weaker. A hand snaked up his slick with rain chest and neck to entangle fingers in his partially sodden hair as Marinette slowly leaned up. Adrien knew that if she did this, he definitely wouldn’t be able to leave, and she would discover who he was. Before her lips could get any closer to his, he reluctantly took her hand from his hair and held it with the hand he was already holding in between them, whispering back to her.

“I’m sorry, Marinette, I can’t.”

Marinette stiffened and began pulling away, and Chat cursed himself for causing her this grievance.

“I want to! Believe me, if I could, I would never leave…”

“But you have to go…?”

They locked eyes and an unspoken conversation occurred between them. Adrien knew at that moment that he would be back again another night. Hopefully very soon. And hopefully maybe even without a disguise. And maybe that time he wouldn’t stop Marinette from entangling her fingers in his hair. Or from letting his own hands rest on her back and waist. Or…

Chat stepped away, knowing he needed to stop his train of thought before he attached himself to her and never let go. He held onto her hands though, and raised them to his lips in a sweet parting, relishing the deep shade of pink it made her cheeks turn.

“I’ll see you very soon, Purrincess.”

“Goodnight, mon Minou.”

A pleasant tingle ran down his spine at her nickname for him, and at her use of possession. He was her kitty. Hers. Marinette’s. Adrien may have failed tonight but Chat Noir certainly hadn’t. The wide smile that plastered his face never left, even as he vaulted around the dividing wall between her balcony and the roof next door. Even as he clambered over to the building that had the outdoor stairs attached that he deftly lowered himself down onto, being careful not to slip. Even as he found the deserted alleyway to pull on his everyday clothes over his wet costume. And even as he began the long walk home under the yellow glow of the street lights and the pouring rain. The whole way, he replayed the night’s events in his mind, and the whole way, the smile stayed, until he threw himself onto his bed, texted Marinette that he was home, and grinned at her reply until his face was sore. He was Marinette’s Minou.

#hcm92literature #miraculous ladybug #'out of character'#fanfic #au #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Chat Noir #Adrien Agreste #marichat

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lilnasxvevo · 2 years

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Sangcheng week day 2, prompt: Chengyu!

It had gone like this: Nie Huaisang, the foreign exchange student living with Lan Wangji’s family who Jiang Cheng had a big huge stupid fucking crush on, showed up at Jiang Cheng’s locker after school complaining bitterly and somehow all in one breath that he was going to have to stay late after school for no reason because it was raining like crazy outside and Lan Wangji was staying late today for whatever Wangji reasons and they only had the one car between them and Huaisang didn’t want his sketchbook to get wet. Jiang Cheng, who tried to limit one-on-one time with Huaisang because he tended to trip over his words and also his own feet when that happened, for some reason decided that he absolutely had to play the fucking hero and offer to walk Huaisang home: “Um. Because I have an umbrella in my locker. Not like, just so we can both get wet. Haha” and Huaisang had lit up and agreed.

So now Jiang Cheng, who had lied and said “We live near the Lans anyway” even though the Jiang house was in fact the opposite direction from the school, was going stupid out of his way in the pouring rain in shoes that were low-key not really waterproof, just to awkwardly hold an umbrella for a cute boy for maybe half an hour.

Huaisang was doing most of the talking, thanking him profusely at least every two minutes, telling Jiang Cheng stories that were mostly about his day or about his big brother, while Jiang Cheng listened and laughed or nodded when appropriate and occasionally managed to unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth long enough to answer a question Huaisang asked him.

About ten minutes in, Huaisang said, “You know, I’m really happy you offered to walk me home–not just because I didn’t have to be at school for a second longer than I needed to, but, like, because I really like spending time with you. I feel like we never get to hang out just the two of us.”

Jiang Cheng felt a little pang of guilt since he was the one who was carefully trying to avoid situations that were just the two of them, but just said “I like spending time with you, too.”

They reached a crosswalk just then and had to stop and wait for the light to change. Huaisang smiled at him as they stopped, and Jiang Cheng smiled back.

“I thought of another chengyu I thought you might like,” Huaisang said, still smiling, and suddenly speaking very quickly. “I think you might like this one, it’s <<当机立断>>.”

“Dang ji li duan?” Jiang Cheng repeated, and Huaisang nodded once at his pronunciation, moving to stand in front of him for reasons Jiang Cheng couldn’t imagine. “What does it mean?”

Huaisang rocked himself onto his tiptoes and pressed his lips hard against Jiang Cheng’s. Jiang Cheng took in a sharp breath through his nose and immediately, instinctively pressed the hand not holding the umbrella to Huaisang’s back, maybe to keep him there forever.

Huaisang was blushing hard when he pulled away. “It means–it means like, to make a split-second decision.”

“You know, I think I do like that one,” Jiang Cheng said. He glanced up and noticed the light had changed and regretfully dropped his hand from Huaisang’s back, nudging him towards the curb.

Jiang Cheng waited until they had crossed the street and then said, “But there’s another chengyu you taught me that I think describes you better?”

“Oh yeah?” Huaisang said, hooking his arm around Jiang Cheng’s. “Which one?”

Jiang Cheng looked straight ahead. “Xiao li cang dao,” he said: to hide a knife behind a smile.

“What?” Huaisang yelped, laughing. “Why?”

“Because!” Jiang Cheng said, trying and failing to suppress a smile. “You–you acted all friendly with me and dragged me all the way out here just to–seduce me! You wicked little man!”

Huaisang gasped dramatically, hip-checking him–not hard, because Jiang Cheng was still the one holding the umbrella. “Jiang Cheng! That is not what happened!”

Jiang Cheng snickered at him. “Isn’t it?”

“God! You are such a dick! I can’t believe I have a crush on you!”

Jiang Cheng smiled wider at that, and Huaisang squinted at him, still fake-outraged. They walked in silence for about thirty seconds, and then Huaisang said, “I’m so mad, I want to hold your hand so bad but you’re holding an umbrella.”

“Oh! Here.” Jiang Cheng switched so that his other arm was holding his umbrella kind of awkwardly across his body so it was still covering both of them, and offered his newly freed hand to Huaisang.

“Aw, so sweet! Such a gentleman.” Huaisang took the proffered hand in both of his, and after a moment’s thought, lifted it to his mouth to press his lips against Jiang Cheng’s knuckles.

Jiang Cheng turned quite red, and Huaisang laughed outright. “Ah, you blush so easily, A-Cheng, it’s almost too much fun.”

“Look, if you’re just gonna bully me–”

“Nooo! I would never bully you! My knight in shining armor, saving me from the evil raindrops.” Huaisang draped himself across Jiang Cheng, arms around his neck, somehow managing to make the gesture apologetic.

“All right, all right,” Jiang Cheng said, smiling, “quit messing around, you’re gonna trip and pull us both into a puddle and then you’ll defeat the whole purpose of me walking you home.”

“Hmm,” Huaisang said. “I thought the whole point was for you to get me alone so you could besmirch my honor.”

“You kissed me!”

“Prove it! My word against yours!”

They bickered the rest of the way to the Lans’ house, where Huaisang kissed him again just before he went inside.

Jiang Cheng’s walk from the Lans’ house to his house took about an hour, but for Jiang Cheng it passed in a blink. He only realized when he stepped in his front door and Wei Ying said, in lieu of a greeting, “What the hell do you look so smug about?” that Jiang Cheng realized he hadn’t stopped smiling the whole walk home.

#1000 words isn't TOO long but christ alive if it isn't longer than i thought it was going to be #yes once again i was 1 day late sue me #sangcheng week 22 #sangcheng week 2022 #sangcheng

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the-red-mafia · 2 years

Text

The Pool Party

After a stressful week, The Red Mafia relax at the Mahogany Mansion's roof pool. When a complication arises, the group separates to handle personal issues concerning Velvet's past and Maroon's time in Unor's possession.

Also available on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/TheRedMafia Next Update: [Updated] Word Count: 3337

11 days after “The Unexpected Encounters”

The sun was high in the sky as the Red Mafia sat on the roof of the mansion. Solana was splashing around with Thorn in the pool, joking around and playing. Mad sat far away from the duo, sitting on a beach chair and reading a book. They were wearing a stereotypical lifeguard tank top and red shorts, and sunglasses were displayed on their screen. Maroon was sitting on the edge of the pool, dangling their feet into the water. Occasionally they laughed at Solana and Thorn’s water fight. They were still recovering from injuries that they gained during their escape from Unor and Mad was refusing to let them get into the water because of it. Velvet was sitting on a beach towel near Mad, playing on their cell phone.

“Velvet!” Solana called out to them, “You should come get in!”

“Yeah, no thanks. I’m good,” She said, tucking her knees to her chest. Solana rolled their eyes.

“Come on Velvet, don’t be a coward!” Solana taunted. Velvet glared at them.

“No.” She put her headphones in, ignoring the world like any teenager would. Mad laughed.

“Good luck getting them in now,” the droid said, a smile being displayed on their face. Solana sighed and climbed out of the pool.

“What are you doing?” Thorn asked. Solana smirked.

“You’ll see~” They said. Solana sneaked around Mad and behind Velvet. In one swift movement the elf picked Velvet up and started to carry her to the pool. Velvet attempted to break free of Solana’ grip but failed and was dropped into the cool water fully clothed. Thorn and Maroon broke out laughing as the assassin resurfaced, their eyes filled with rage.

“You fucking bitch,” She growled, sending a death glare towards Solana.

“Oopsies, I slipped,” They responded, smirking. Mad quickly stood up and joined Solana next to the pool's edge.

“Is your phone ok??” It asked, seemingly very concerned at the status of the device. Velvet looked at them puzzled.

“Uhhh yeah? Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Because it just got dropped in water?!” Mad replied, looking at Solana. Velvet chuckled a bit.

“Mad, my phone’s waterproof,” she said, “Unlike you, apparently.”

“Aww Mad’s not waterproof? I was gonna make it 2-0 for dunking people into the pool,” Solana said jokingly.

“Don’t try it,” Mad responded, “I am, in fact, not waterproof and you would endanger everyone in the pool. And probably also kill me, now that I think about it,” Solana sighed.

“Fine fine, no dunking Mad, got it.” Solana lightly pushed Mad away from the pool and cannon-balled into the water, splashing Velvet, Maroon, and Thorn. When they resurfaced, Velvet shoved them back underwater and pushed them to the bottom of the pool. They then climbed out of the pool and walked back over to where they were sitting, using their towel to dry off. Solana didn’t resurface for a few moments and Maroon was starting to get concerned. That was until something grabbed their legs and pulled them into the water. The water surrounded their head as the air in their lungs started to dissipate. Maroon could hear shouting from outside of the water but couldn’t make out the words. Their air quickly disappeared from their lungs and they began to start flailing around attempting to get to the surface. As they began to lose their energy, arms quickly grabbed their shoulders and pulled their head above water. Thorn pushed Maroon out of the water with the help of Velvet who was on the side of the pool.

“Maroon, are you ok?” Velvet asked, lightly shaking them. Maroon’s eyes slowly closed as they went unconscious.

He handed over the key.

“Good luck in there. There’s a reason that you're the 4th guy we’ve needed to go in there,” He told the man, “But this suit should protect you from the spores it gives off.”

“It ‘should’?”

“Well, we’ve improved the design to be completely sealed off, but there could still be a way.”

“Why do the higher ups care so much about this kid anyway?”

“You’ll find out when you go in there, Chris.” The man put the suit on and unlocked the door. After several hydraulic and electric locks clicked out of place, the door swung open. The man walked in with his cart full of surgical instruments and closed the door behind him. all of the locks reactivating, preventing any escape.

“Alright kid, let's see why the company cares so much about you.” He approached the unconscious kid. They were restrained in a hannibal-esk manner, with a straight jacket and a muzzle, in the center of a concrete cell, with a one way window looking in. He removed their mask and picked up a syringe, full of a dark reddish liquid. Tilting their head, he injected the liquid into their neck. The serum sent them into a state of attack. The child raged against their restraints. It managed to get one hand freed from the straight jacket and swung it toward the man who jumped out of the way. He could now see why he was the fourth person to have to do this. He rushed to get away. Banging and pounding on the door screaming to be let out. But the door remained shut. Turning back around, he could see the kid’s hair floating, as if animated by an unseen static electricity. Their eyes glowed a similar color to the liquid and its mouth hung open, akin to letting out a ghoulish shriek. Only, no noise escaped. The kid’s head snapped towards the man, now cowering in the corner of the concrete box. He saw now that the cell wasn't designed to keep the kid in, it was designed to keep HIM in. He felt something in his gut start to grow. The growth in his intestines started to burst out of him. The growth began to crawl its way up his body as he screamed for help. Once his body was completely covered in the mold, it began to eat inward until the only things that remained were his bones and the suit that was supposed to protect him.

“Well, looks like the suit wasn’t enough to protect them,” The man said, writing down the results on his clipboard. When he looked back up, however, he saw that the kid had gotten out of their restraints and was now in front of the glass. He heard a slight clicking noise come from as they touched the glass.

“JESUS FUCK,” he exclaimed.

Oh right it's just a mirror on its end, I should be safe. He was not safe. The kid punched through the glass and grabbed him by his neck, spreading a parasitic moss onto his skin. It spread to his throat, clogging his airways. His body slumped until his neck ripped and his body and head fell to the floor. His assailant stepped back into their cell and collapsed onto the floor.

Maroon woke up with a start to find Thorn giving them CPR. They quickly sat up, breathing quickly.

“Oh there they are,” Velvet said from where they were standing nearby, “I guess you do know what you’re doing Thorn.”

“Maroon, are you ok?” Mad said, lightly pushing Thorn out of the way to sit next to Maroon, “Can you breathe? Are your ribs ok? Are you in pain?”

“Y-y-yeah, I’m ok,” They muttered, “What happened?”

“Solana,” Velvet began, their voice filled with controlled rage, “Decided to pull you under the water and you almost drowned.”

“Oh…you should’ve just let me drown then,” Maroon said under their breath so no one could hear. “What was that?” Thorn asked, concerned.

“Nothing, nothing,” Maroon said, “Thanks for bringing me back, Thorn.” Thorn smiled brightly.

“That’s what friends are for!” it said, giving a thumbs up. Velvet looked at Maroon suspiciously but didn’t say anything.

“You are going straight to the medical room,” Mad said sternly. The robot stood up and picked Maroon up bridal-style. The two walked over to the stairs and back down into the mansion, headed towards the medbay.

“I call not cleaning up the pool supplies,” Velvet said, walking away.

“You are a literal child but….not it!” Thorn ran past Velvet and down the stairs.

“Hey!” Solana called out, “Get back here you two!”

“Na, I’m good. Thanks for the offer though,” Velvet replied sarcastically as she also descended down the stairs.

“Fuck you two,” Solana mumbled and began to start picking up the pool toys.

The news channel was on quietly in the background as Velvet, Solana, and Thorn sat in the living room. Thorn was working on a puzzle that Zaeor had gifted them after they had joined the mafia after Maroon had gone missing just a week or so before. Ae were almost finished with it, surprisingly. Solana seemed very engrossed in the current news story about a crashed B.A.D. starship. Velvet was lying on one of the couches, vaguely paying attention to the news while having a headphone in as well. She had already read most of the day’s news online so she was just paying attention to see if anything new had come in.

“And for my last newssssssss ssssstory of my show,” Kelly Mogusse, the news anchor started, “A new monument has been created by B.A.D. CEO Nala Bolton over the course of today.” Velvet sat straight up, staring at the T.V.

“Turn the T.V. up,” they said to Solana. The elf obliged, grabbing the remote.

“Over the courssssse of today Bolton Ammunition Disssstribution CEO Nala Bolton consssssstructed a recent monument in honor of the one-year anniverssssary of the dissssssappearance of her daughter, Velvet Bolton.” The news showed a picture of a younger Velvet in a blue shirt and black jeans, smiling. Her black hair was tied up in a high ponytail and she had a cheap turtle charm necklace on.

“Wait, is that you?” Solana asked, “You look so stupid.”

“Aww baby Velvie~” Thorn said. Velvet quickly grabbed their sword from its sheath on the table next to the couch and threw it at him. It sailed over aer head and pinned aer crown to the wall.

“Shit-” they exclaimed.

“Shut the fuck up,” Velvet said, looking back at the T.V.

“The monument conssssisssstssss of a giant 10 meter-tall granite ssssculpture of Velvet. It is ssssupposed to ssssymbolise the hope of the child’sss return assss well assss honor her memory.” As Kelly Mogusse droned on in her snake voice, Velvet grumbled and stood up. They held out their right arm and the sword zoomed back to their hand. She turned around and began to walk towards the mansion’s docking bay.

“Where are you going?” Thorn asked.

“To destroy it,” Velvet replied coldly, attaching the sword sheath to their belt. Solana rolled their eyes.

“So emo,” they commented. Velvet walked back over, threw their dagger onto the couch, and grabbed the elf’s arm.

“And you’re coming with me.”

Maroon groaned as Mad roughly tried to put their ribs back where they were supposed to be.

“Mad,” Maroon said, “My ribs aren’t broken.”

“Yes they are,” the robot mumbled, “Aren’t you feeling them??” “I’m feeling you break them.” Mad sighed and stepped back from the bed. It walked over to a counter to grab pain meds for Maroon.

“I’m not in pain, Mad,” Maroon commented.

“You will be if you keep denying my medical assistance,” Mad grumbled, “How much do you weigh again?” Before they could get another word out the sound of a ship taking off echoed around the area. Mad ran over to the window just in time to see the Umbrella taking off to some unknown location.

“What the-” it said, “I swear to god if Velvet took my ship again she is going to be sorry.” Mad turned to Maroon.

“Sorry Maroon, I gotta go figure out who just took my ship. Are you ok here on your own?” Maroon rolled their eyes.

“Yeah, I’m ok.”

“Great, don’t go anywhere!” The droid ran out of the Madbay and almost bumped into Thorn.

“Woah!” Thorn called out, stepping out of Mad’s way, “Where are you headed in such a rush?”

“Someone took the Umbrella gotta go see who it was, watch over Maroon for me will you?” Mad said, running past them.

“Yeah, uh, sure. And it was Velvet and Solana who took the ship.” Mad mumbled something Thorn couldn’t make out and the robot quickly made a right turn. He shrugged and walked into the Madbay.

“Hey Maroon!” ae called out as ae walked in. Maroon smiled as Thorn pulled up a chair next to their hospital bed.

“Hey Thorn,” they said, “What’s up with the Umbrella?”

“Velvet and Solana took it to go destroy some statue of Velvet.”

“Well, that’s not the weirdest thing that has happened today.” Thorn tilted their head like a confused puppy.

“What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened then?” Maroon looked down, avoiding Thorn’s eyes. They sighed, and explained the strange flashback they had had when they were unconscious. Thorn stared at them, speechless.

“..Are you ok?” It finally asked. Maroon looked at aer.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. Just…confused.”

“Confused? About what?” Maroon sat silent for a few moments before responding.

“I don’t remember what happened when I was kidnapped, you know? I don’t remember what Unor did, I don’t know how I escaped, I don’t know anything! And it scares me! My powers…you’ve seen what they can do. What if…what if Unor did something to me? What if he replicated them, imagine what he could do!” Thorn looked at Maroon sympathetically, not sure what to say to make their friend feel better.

“I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dumped that all on you all of a sudden,” Maroon stuttered.

“No no, it’s…it’s fine. I just don’t really know how to help,” Thorn replied. The two sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Thorn…” Maroon started, “How did you guys find me?”

“Well, we were searching for you for about a week. Then, randomly, your homing signal activated. We immediately zoomed over to your location and found you unconscious with multiple injuries among the rubble of a destroyed spaceship.” Maroon once again looked away from Thorn, tears starting to form in their eyes.

“Do you think…that maybe…I destroyed that ship?”

“What?! Maroon, what are you saying? Why would you destroy a ship???” Maroon choked back tears.

“I’ve done it before Thorn, that’s the problem! I almost killed a man with my powers accidentally and I don’t remember doing it! The only reason I know about it was because Velvet told me what happened! If I can’t be in control of my powers, how am I supposed to help others? How…how am I supposed to live up to Ailuj’s expectations?”

“You already are, aren’t you?” Maroon looked up at them, tears forming in their eyes.

“...what?” Thorn sighed and sat down at the edge of the hospital bed.

“That’s the Red Mafia’s job, right? To help people? You’ve been a part of it since it’s creation, of course you’ve helped people.” Maroon looked towards the floor.

“I’m not so sure,” they muttered, “Either way, I still can’t fully control my powers! I’ve…hurt more people than I’ve helped.”

“And how many is that?”

“Too many!” Thorn sighed and put their hand out, slightly lifting Maroon’s head to meet their eyes.

“Do you even hear yourself?”

“Huh?” Thorn closed their eyes and chuckled a bit before looking at Maroon again.

“Maroon, you’re doubting yourself again. Even after you graduated, you still don’t think you can do anything. Why?”

“...I-”

“You need to believe in yourself. You can do things no one else can do. You’re insanely powerful, you can’t keep limiting yourself like this! Sure, you messed up a few times. Everyone does. Your powers help people, you can’t keep hiding in fear!” Tears fell down Maroon’s face and they quickly leaned forward, grabbing Thorn in a hug.

“Thank you Thorn.”

“Anytime, Maroon, anytime.”

The Umbrella set down in a near-deserted parking lot near the monument. Solana opened the door and Velvet jumped out of the ship and onto the pavement. Solana went to follow them but Velvet motioned for them to stay.

“Na, I don’t need your help actually destroying the thing,” they said smirking, “I just needed you to fly the Umbrella to get me here.”

“You little-” Solana grumbled, glaring at Velvet as she started to walk away.

“If I’m not back in 10 come and get me!” Solana rolled their eyes.

This fucking kid man, they thought as they sat down in one of the Umbrella’s beanbag chairs. Velvet strolled into the pitch-black abandoned square in which the statue of her stood. They stopped and looked at the granite work of art before stuffing their hands into their hoodie and walking towards the base of the statue. As they approached they noticed a woman standing near the statue, staring at it. The woman wore a blue knee-length flowy dress with a black blazer over it acting like a jacket. She had dark brown hair tied into a tight bun and was seemingly wearing makeup that was starting to flow down her face. Velvet soon made the connection that she was crying and looked at her face closer. Suddenly, they gasped and stopped in their tracks. Velvet stared at the woman in shock.

There’s no way… Velvet thought, Why would she still be here at this hour? Velvet threw her hood over her head and walked over to where the woman was standing. They stood about 6 feet away from each other, the woman still silently crying while not seeming to notice Velvet’s approach. Velvet stared up at the statue while the woman looked down. The two sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Uhh,” Velvet broke the silence, “Mrs. Bolton? Are you ok?” The woman, Nala Bolton, looked up at Velvet in their red hoodie.

“O-oh, yes, I am ok. I apologize, I did not see you approach.” Velvet turned towards her and smiled.

“No need to apologize, Mrs. Bolton. I approached rather quietly.” Nala looked Velvet up and down, as if searching them for clues.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing here?” She asked curiously.

“I just came to see the statue and pay my respects to your child, ma’am,” Velvet said, cringing at calling her mother ‘ma’am’, “The statue is stunning. Did you design it yourself?”

“Why yes I did!” Nala said, wiping away some of her tears, “Thank you very much for the compliment. I am glad that my daughter's beauty can be enjoyed by the world.” Silence reigned once again.

“So..” Velvet started, “What was she like?”

“The most amazing daughter ever,” Nala answered, “She faced so many hardships from a young age and she rarely got along with her father…but she remained so strong.” Nala bit her tongue in an attempt to stop tears from falling once again.

“I-I’m sorry, I just miss her a lot.” Velvet looked at her shorter mother sympathetically.

“No no, it was my fault, I asked a sensitive question,” Velvet replied, “But, if I may be so inclined, may I ask one more question?” Nala nodded.

“If…if you could say anything to her right now, and she could hear it, what would you tell her?” Nala looked down at the floor before meeting Velvet’s eyes once more.

“I’d tell her that I love her, and that I miss her a lot. And that, wherever she is, even if she can’t come home to me, that I hope she stays safe no matter what.” Velvet felt wetness in her eyes and knew she was about to start crying once again. They stepped forward, embracing Nala in a hug.

“O-oh!” Nala exclaimed, surprised.

“I love you mom,” Velvet whispered in her ear. Nala went to turn to look Velvet in the eyes.

“V-Velvet?”

But she was already gone.

#/the red mafia #/mad valentine #/velvet #/maroon #/maroon pembrooke #/solana #/thorn alviar #/velvet bolton #/solana roison #/chapter 014 #/trm part 2 #/the pool party

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