#saw the volume cover...oof

[cheswirls]

no way prince's hair is lime grn wtf

[dontmindme2600]

Despite knowing literally barely anything about superheroes (and honestly usually not caring) I had to get the first volume of the new Superboy when I saw it on the shelf because holy shit was that design an eye catcher- I first saw it in like a real comic shop I visited a few days ago but skipped out on it because it looked like there was only one volume, saw it again yesterday in a newbury comics and was like “fuck it, missing out on whatever what looks to be Superman’s absolute loser son is like is gonna haunt me forever if I don’t buy this”

[hikennosabo]

trimax volume 5 random thoughts

the moment i saw this volume cover, i said to myself, "oh man, the book club is going to be crazy this week."

these are all very disconnected sorry

^ is this the first time we're seeing the injection power-up?

watching the 98 anime i could never really take midvalley completely seriously - i mean, using a saxophone as a weapon is objectively pretty hilarious. but his fighting style as we see it here in the manga is genuinely cool and intense.

also does anyone else think that the wolfwood vs midvalley fight is kinda... homoerotic

"you are like a wolf! ...wood!" [roll credits]

i love biblically accurate vash, it hurts to watch him have such a bad time but the visuals are so cool. i think other people have said everything that could be said better than i can, so i'm not saying much about him in this post. just... oof :(

also i love meryl, have i mentioned how much i love meryl?

legato is the most unintentionally funny motherfucker on the planet. there's something very wrong with him and i find it so entertaining. he's constantly screaming crying throwing up etc

^ real legato dialogue that made me laugh out loud. he's so funny. yes honey you're depraved now let's get you to bed

girls who say owieeee! :)

elendira is SO cool and i love her so much already and want to know everything about her. also her adaptive counterpart in stampede is the biggest downgrade i've ever seen in my life, what the hell. look how they massacred my girl.

i've made the general comparison between these characters in the group chat before, but seeing knives talk on the phone has the exact same energy as seeing sephiroth use a cell phone in ff7 crisis core LOL... like "this guy is a terrifying force of nature to be feared. here's him doing something extremely mundane." it's so funny

zazie is ALSO so funny. they thought ahead enough to prepare a disguise but they're in such a rush they don't even put it on correctly. congratulations buddy that's the worst anyone's ever done it

[rose-arwen-padme]

Suppression

The forbidden tale of Anakin and Padmé's AOTC courtship. A detailed expansion covering the movie, known deleted scenes, and many new scenes. If George showed 20% of their screen time, this is the other 80%. Told in Padmé's POV with ROTS awareness. Written for the enduring fans of Anidala.

I Coruscant. Chapter 3: Executive Order

It was the familiar savory smell that roused me awake. When my eyes squinted open, I saw Dormé's oval face looking down on me from her stance next to the sofa. A promising mug was in her right hand. "Caf?" she asked, sweetly.

Oof. Did I fall asleep looking at drafts on the couch again? This was hardly the first time Dormé had found me on the yellow bench, greeting me in the morning with a pleasant smile and a hot cup of my favorite spiced brew.

The apartment was cast in yellowish amber, as the emerging sunrise entered the space like gold filling a basin. It was going to be a beautiful morning. For a wonderful moment, life was as it had been. Normal. Uneventful. I was too recent a visitor of the mind-numbing sleep world, and I didn't yet remember the events of the landing platform. The deaths. The grief. The close call of the second attempt. But the ignorant spell was broken when a shiver went through me and I realized how frigid the room was, and why. Normally, I kept my apartment at humid, slightly warm temperature that mimicked Naboo's southern climate. It reminded me of home. But the busted window in my bedroom— an area that was merely one open corridor away— must've allowed Coruscant's chilly dry air to infiltrate throughout the apartment during the night.

And with that dawn of understanding, reality came rushing back. Because it was a window broken when a bounty hunter— or their accomplice, I was still hazy on the details, especially now— tried to assassinate me. Had tried again— after slaughtering innocents yesterday.

Cordé. Bern. Torin.

Seven faces flashed before my eyes in quick succession. I stared momentarily at the deep blue ceiling, composing myself, halting the way my lungs seemed to constrict and fill with rocks in my chest. Then I swallowed the grief back. I propped myself up on my left elbow— like I'd prophesied, I had indeed rolled over in my sleep to better adjust myself to the "C" curve of the sofa— and with a grateful smile, I reached up. Dormé carefully passed me the purple mug of caf, just like she had for hundreds of mornings. Some routines just carried on. "Thank you." I wrapped all my fingers around the cup luxuriously— it warmed my chilled hands.

That's when I noticed there was a second, thicker blanket draped across my lower half, covering the thin one I'd brought with me from the veranda's couch. It was the purple top linen from my actual bed. That was unexpected. Without it, I might've frozen through the night. I credited its presence to Dormé. She must've placed it on me while I slept.

Unless…

"Where's Ani?" My eyes scanned around the room, failing to find their target.

Dormé studied me for a moment, pausing ever so briefly before she answered, with a directional tip of her head, "He's just outside. I think he's doing some morning reflection ritual."

Careful not to spill my drink, I sat up enough to peek over the rim of the furniture at the figure out on the balcony. His back was to us, and his hands were clasped low behind him. His brown robe floated around him in the breeze, showing us that his feet were spread shoulder-width apart. There was no hint of tension in his frame. The sunrise rays illuminated his dark blond hair, making the short strands appear almost crown-like around his head.

When Dormé answered me, her voice had been quieter than when I'd asked my question, and I knowingly matched her low volume now. "He's meditating."

Dormé shrugged. "Like I said."

I sat up fully, my aching back protesting but also reveling in the chance to straighten out. I stretched it as best I could while sitting and holding a cup of hot fluid in my hand. At least my neck seemed to have decided not to hurt anymore. I ventured the mug to my lips, but the toasty air before I made contact alerted my senses that it was still too hot. I blew habitually on the liquid, then dared to take a sip anyways. I licked my scorched lips and looked expectantly up at Dormé. "Any news?"

Only her eyes betrayed Dormé's otherwise stoic countenance. "Hundreds of messages of condolence came during the night. Honestly, it might be in the thousands by now. Even some of the factions who don't like you sent words of sympathy. And there are numerous requests for interviews from the media."

I sighed. "So, word has gotten out."

At least the families of the victims knew— I'd made sure they'd been contacted before I gave my speech to the Senate yesterday. In my opening remarks to the assembled chamber, I'd publicly announced the seven lives lost. It would've been unforgivable if the families found out either that way or through some back channel.

"Should we tackle the media all at once? Call a press conference?"

"No," my tone was adamant, imperative. "No, not with the vote in the balance. I don't even want to give the appearance of capitalizing on tragedy."

The life of a politician mandated that press conferences be a part of the diet, but instigating them when it wasn't absolutely necessary was the style of other Senators, not me. Besides, the threat was still ongoing, and there was no need to make Obi-Wan and Ani's job any more difficult.

Dormé nodded, and I knew she both understood and agreed. "A memorial service is going to be held at the Naboo embassy this morning. There's to be moment of silence, time for remarks, as well as grief counseling for anyone seeking it. The service is going to be semi-private— Naboo only at this time."

I knew the staff at the embassy extremely well, and I was proud and glad that they were putting something together. The shock and brutality of this attack would be felt by all who called Naboo home, and I was grateful that those here on Coruscant had a place to come together.

I took another sip of caf. "I'll be there, too." Dormé's lips twisted, and lines appeared on her forehead. I was about to take another sip, but as I studied my handmaiden the mug stayed paused before my lips, inadvertently heating the tip of my nose. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Well. I just think— yes, it would be good of you to go."

I gave her a wary look. "What are you not telling me?"

A rushed sigh suddenly escaped through Dormé's nose. "Last night the embassy held a candlelight vigil for the fallen at Lucian Park— completely open to the public. The crowd was… large."

I didn't believe my ears. "Our embassy? The embassy for Naboo?"

The look on her face was all the affirmation I needed.

I gaped at her, incredulous. "Why wasn't I told?" I should have been there!

Dormé was immediately apologetic. "I'm sorry. You were in your room eating dinner when I found out, and the Jedi and Captain Typho told me not to."

My lips straightened into a thinly pressed line, and then my voice rang out clear and loud. "Ani!"

Continued at AO3 Link and FanFiction.net Link

[suzubelle-chan]

Breaking Chains Chapter 3

(Just a quick note, you may be spoiled if you haven’t finished the manga up to say Volume 12 since I mention characters and events that happen later on. Just in case you haven’t gotten that far or want to watch the anime first)

Happy Anime Release Day! Thank you so much Ipham2525 for beta reading this for me. Now onto the fic!

In which the Doctor and the Patient actually meet

Snoring often made Sariphi think of being sick. Not because she snored when she got sick or that snoring meant one was sick. Pop-pop Ollie, town patriarch, always snored when he slept. Everyone in town knew because whenever someone was sick or injured, he’d stay with them. He made kettle after kettle of honeyed tea, made them laugh with all kinds of stories and jokes, or just stayed by their side, head popped back, mouth wide open as he slept and snored. “Nothing to fear when I snore,” Pop-pop would say. “Beasts take one listen and run away with their tail between their legs.” 

When Sariphi fell ill to the miasma, she thought about the old man briefly. While recovering in the human realm, she thought of the king she missed more than anyone else. Now, stuck in bed, stuck in her head for so long, Sariphi longed for Pop-pop. For his smile, for his honeyed tea, and for that loud snoring. Pop-pop Ollie always made everything alright, even when it felt like the gods pulled the earth out from underneath your feet. Even with his final goodbyes, he’d hugged her so tight and whispered, “Go on little snowdrop, go have an adventure, meet that man your hands tell me you’ll meet, and one day tell me all about him.” A caretaker until the very end. 

And somewhere through the height of her illness, she started hearing that kind of snoring again. It wasn’t quite the same. It came with bitter powders, it came with a wheezing kind of laughter, but it did make Sariphi feel so much better. The nausea churning her stomach became ripples, the squeeze on her lungs eased, and finally her eyelids didn’t feel so heavy. Finally, she could open them again. 

She saw a vaguely familiar canopy. Rubbing her eyes, she remembered it from when she was sick with the miasma, sent to the infirmary. She slowly pushed herself up, muscles stiff from inactivity. She could sit up again, what a feeling. She gazed around the room, empty beds all around.

But then her eyes stopped, one bed right next to her wasn’t empty at all. 

Snoring heavily on it was a woman, judging by the curves she made in the bed sheets. Long black hair covered most of her face, a stark white streak in the mess of black. From what little she saw, she could see some age, some weight. Sariphi would place her around her adopted mother’s age, probably older. She gazed at the sleeping woman. In the haze of illness, she swore that she saw a face like Leonhart’s…could this be her?

“Hello?” Sariphi croaked, grasping her throat. 

“Girlie!”

 Sariphi snapped her attention to the sound, now seeing Bennu at the foot of the other bed. He stood on a cushion with what looked like something striped next to him. He feverishly flapped his wings, just making it to her bed. Sariphi slowly crawled while he sprinted with his little legs. Soon enough, the two bridged the gap, the maiden taking her holy beast, bringing him to her face. He pasted himself against her cheek.

“God, Girlie, don’t worry me like that! Next time you cough or sniffle, I’ll drag you to the priests myself!” He hollered, adding a smack or two for good measure.

“Thank you,” she whispered, enjoying the softness and warmth her companion offered. 

“Mrow?”

Sariphi glanced up, now seeing the striped kitten on the cushion. 

“Hello,” Sariphi rasped again. 

The kitten blinked, then immediately pounced on the woman. Said woman let out an oof, before swatting the cat away. The creature bristled, kneading furiously at her back.  

“Is that my doctor?” Sariphi whispered.

“Yep. Since you’re talking now, I’d say she’s done a good job.”

“And the cat?”

“Sekhmet. Her pet and assistant.” 

The doctor snorted and lazily said, “Leo? If your siblings are teasing you again?…Tell them…when I get up…I’ll jerk a knot….” The woman then flopped over onto her stomach, snoring again.

“Mrow!”

“Ah Sek…” A hand emerged from the locks, waving, some scars scattered on it. “If I give you tuna, will you give me ten more minutes? Anything broken will stay broken until then…” The hand flopped and more snoring ensued. 

The kitten growled, stalking right over to the woman’s head and then let out a loud, “MEOW!” 

Snoring halted, the woman shook her head. “Okay, I’m up. I’m up.” The woman rose, then twisted herself, showing Sariphi the four long scars on her face. The woman rubbed her eyes and stretched. “Alright Sek, what’s so…” Now the woman faced Sariphi, her brown eyes wide. “Important.”

The two humans blinked at each other. Sariphi then bowed her head. “Hello there, ma’am.” Her throat then raged mutiny, sending her hacking. 

The woman then sprang out of bed, revealing scars on her legs as well. She glanced around, spotting a pitcher and cup. She quickly poured water and then offered the cup, pressing it close to Sariphi’s lips. “Drink slowly, okay? Take a breath in between gaps.”

Sariphi nodded, gently taking the cup and tipping it backward. The water, so refreshing and wonderful, soothed her throat. Following her instructions, she took in a breath, finding herself sighing. She opened her eyes, ready to thank the woman, but found her gone. 

She glanced around, and then spotted her backside wiggling on the other side of the bed. The woman then shot up, “Found them!” Now she was holding a chalkboard and a long piece of chalk. She quickly made it back, Sariphi spotting simple slippers on the woman’s feet as she offered the objects to her.

“I’m not sure you remember but I told you to save your voice. This will help.”

Sariphi exchanged the cup for the two objects. She quickly wrote in neat print, “Thank you so much ma’am. You saved my life.” 

The woman sat down right next to the maiden. “It’s a part of the job.Though I’m relieved you’re doing better. My name is Leona Carrin, nice to meet you.”

“I’m Sariphi.”

Leona raised an eyebrow. “Just Sariphi?”

The maiden blinked and then quickly added so it read, “Sariphi Kleinoel.”

“That’s better. For a while there, I thought you were some kind of foundling when those crazies decided to take you in since no one could tell me your last name. Guess I should have realized you didn’t tell it to anybody.”

“Crazies?”

Leona rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, his royal furriness and I got to talking and he told me you were raised to be a sacrifice. I can think of several very fitting ways to describe them, but for the sake of your young, future royal ears, ‘crazies’ works for now.”

Sariphi gripped her board a little tighter. If this woman knew, then…Sariphi quickly scribbled, “Are you here to take me back?”

“Back?” 

“To Yoana.”

“Well, I think it depends on a few things…” Leona stated, scratching her head. She then stared at the girl, point blank.  “Can you tell me why you came back here? After what, two months, you were sacrificed, I heard rumors that this year's sacrifice was spotted in a border town. Yet when Breza’s disciples flocked to round you up, they found a clinic with a broken window, a doctor with a head wound, but no sacrifice. They spent a whole month in that town, searching the area, but nothing. Why did you come back and also…why did you leave in the first place?”

“I suffered from miasma poisoning. His majesty left me there to recover while he came up with a cure. However, they found out I was a sacrifice and kicked me out. Fortunately, his majesty found me after that and I was able to come back home.” 

“Home…so you want to stay here?”

Sariphi nodded.

“And you want to marry the King of Beasts?”

Sariphi nodded. 

Leona stared harder now. “And now for the most important question….Do you love him?”

Sariphi’s face flushed pink, you could almost see steam pop out her head as she leaned down. But then looked the woman right in the face and said, “I do. I love him.” 

Leona smiled widely. “Alright. Looks like I’ve got a queen to take care of.”

“Really?”

“Well, you’ve made up your mind. And you’ve got good friends here who’ve told and shown me they care. And that groom of yours…he’s a bit rough around the edges but he does love you. If I take you back, it’d be kidnapping. I don’t intend to break any laws at this moment…” Leona paused, hands pressed together and pointing to the maiden, “but in the future, should you want me to do something to those crazies, I could probably make a quick dash to them and be back before I’m caught.”

Sariphi let out a small chuckle, and wrote, “No but thank you. For everything.”

“Of course.” Leona slid off the bed and brought over her bag. “Now time for your medicine. Then how about I’d get you bathed and something to eat?”

Sariphi nodded and then opened her mouth. Leona smiled, tipping the powders down. Sariphi gulped them down and then stuck out her tongue in disgust. She then took two more cups of water. 

“By the way….what happened to the town? What did the Disciples do to them?”

Leona tipped her head in thought. “Well they repaired and improved the clinic you stayed in, but they also decreed a fine on the whole town for losing a sacrifice. The ones that roughed up the clinic and its doctor gotta to pay the lion’s share of it.”

Sariphi leaned her head down, frowning. Leona plopped a hand on her patient’s shoulder. “Come on, it’s a bunch of adults paying for their actions, literally. They’ll be alright. Now how about that bath?” 

The maiden smiled, sliding off the bed. However, she then found the floor wobbling underneath her feet, world shifting around. She quickly grasped the bedside, willing her eyes on the pitcher-hoping the world would stop shaking. 

Leona held her steady. “Guess you still feel a bit sick…I’ll carry you. Would you prefer princess carry or piggyback ride?”

Sariphi paused for a moment, chalk close to her lips and then wrote with a small blush on her face. “Piggyback please?” 

Leona smiled and knelt down, hoisting her bag onto her shoulders. “Climb aboard.”

Sariphi did, making sure the bag and board were set right in between their bodies. She gripped the chalk as she wrapped her arms around the woman’s neck, knees tight against her waist like a jockey. Leona twisted her hands together, right underneath Sariphi’s bottom. “Good to go, queenie?”

Sariphi stuck her thumb out.

“Alright, bath first,” Leona stated as she shoved the door with her side. “I think I know my way around now, but if I’m going the wrong way, please let me know.”

Sariphi let out a small hum of agreement. 

For a few minutes, the two traveled around the palace hallways. They came across two soldiers who dropped their spears when Sariphi waved at them. At a few corners, Leona asked Sariphi which way to go and the maiden would point the way.

“Sariphi!” 

The two humans paused and twisted to see Cy and Clops, frozen in mid-air.  Cy’s wide eye wobbled with tears, Clops wailed. The two blobs bounced over to the two humans. 

“Cy! Clops!” Sariphi chirped. Leona smiled and knelt down, letting Sariphi slide down. The maiden sat on her knees, arms out wide, and hugged her friends.

“Sariphi, you’re better! You’re okay!”

“Okay!”

Sariphi nodded. “Thank you so much-” But then coughed, stopping any words she had. 

“Sariphi!” the two cried. 

“She is better, but she’s still a bit sick,” Leona said, handing her the board. 

Sariphi nodded and quickly wrote to her friends, “Yeah, but I am feeling much better. I know you two took care of me with Amit and Lanteveldt. Thank you so much!”

“Sariphi!” the two cried. 

“Say you two, I’m going to give Sariphi a bath, could you two bring some clothes for Sariphi to wear? Oh and find Juno and tell her to make her special soup, okay?”

“Of course. We’ll go right away!”

“ ’course!”

The two blobs bounced away.

“They’ve certainly cheered up.” Leona looked over to her charge. “They sure do love you.”

Sariphi nodded and then climbed onto Leona’s back. They strolled a few more halls until they finally reached the bathing room. Leona let out a long whistle. “I’ve been in here a few times, but it’s still impressive.”

Sariphi nodded, hummed in agreement. Even after months of bathing in here, the grandeur still surprised her. Taking up most of the blue and white room, the tub was in the ground, deep enough that most Beasts would be in over their head if they stood. A line of stone acted as seats halfway, with a small set of steps on the closest corner to the door and the one farthest. At least three spouts stood on each side, ready to bring in water. 

Leona let out a long whistle. “I bet even Rinsa followers don’t have baths this nice…” She knelt down so Sariphi could slide off. “Let me get this bath started.” She rolled up her sleeves and fiddled around with one of the knobs. Water gushed out of the spouts, steam flowing. As the water filled, Leona reached into her bag. “Let me see…” She then pulled out a bottle of what looked like salt. “Mind if I add something to your bath? Something to clear up your lungs and throat? ”

Sariphi, sitting ankles crossed on the floor, gave her a thumbs up. She watched as the tub filled with water, feeling the cool tile underneath. While she did feel better, she still felt a little warm, so she laid down. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the cool tile against her warm forehead. Something leafy, refreshing filled her nose. Leona was right, it did ease her breathing so much.

“Bath is ready, your royalness,” Leona whispered, close to her ear. 

Sariphi opened her eyes, seeing the woman’s knees first. The maiden’s face turned red. 

“Trust me, I’ve seen plenty of patients flop onto tile when they have fevers. You’re not surprising me right now.”

Sariphi smiled shyly, slowly pushing herself up. She managed to get to her knees before teetering.

“Here kiddo, let me help.” Leona chuckled and helped the girl to her feet. She quickly helped Sariphi pull off her clothes and slowly escorted her towards the bath, easing her into the foamy water. Sariphi sank down, water reviving her. 

“As my Ma always says, ‘baths know to wash away anything that ails you.’ How about I let you steep for a bit, before I wash, okay?”

Sariphi nodded and for a while closed her eyes. Just letting herself float, taking in the scent. Her breathing did feel so much easier. She then opened her eyes and flipped, setting her arms on the side and resting her head on them. 

She watched the older woman, fiddling in her bag with a small smile and hum. Sariphi saw the scars on her arm. “Where…did they come from?” she asked quietly.

“What?” Leona twisted her head to the girl.

“Your…your…” coughs once again took over. Sariphi then groaned and made a swiping motion across her face and then on her arm. 

“Ah my scars. Well, let me see…” She glanced at her arm. “These came when some kids who really didn’t want to take a bath.” She pointed to her face. “They came from a certain…frick it…asshole who didn’t much like my critique of him. And let me tell you—asshole was a word made for that man.”

“Are they all from Beasts?”

“Yep.” Leona waved her hand. “Eh, they’ve healed a long time ago, so don’t worry, I’m still fit.”

Sariphi gazed sadly. 

“What’s wrong?” Leona asked, now cross-legged on the floor. 

“It’s a shame you got hurt.”

“Happens sometimes in relationships.” Leona stopped going through her bad and faced Sariphi, crossed legged on the floor. You say something in the heat of the moment or without thinking of others, you forget something that may not have been a big deal, but felt like it at the time, heck you might reach out to someone or pull them only to really psychically hurt someone. Those kids weren’t trying to hurt me, they were just squirming and wiggling like kids do. However, when it happens, the best thing to do is learn from those moments—if you can forgive and forget.” Leona then looked at the girl. “Although, there are people either so cruel or so cold that they don’t care about others’ pain. Best to stay away from those, run away if you come across them.”

“That’s true.”

Leona beamed. “Plus, now I’ve got these cool scars. Makes me look pretty badass, right?”

Sariphi chuckled a bit, nodding at the woman. 

“Alright. Time for washing. Let me know if I’m too rough with you, okay?” 

Sariphi hummed her agreement, although she came to regret it just a bit. Not because Leona was rough, but she was rather thorough. Sariphi couldn’t remember when she scrubbed some of the places Leona attacked with soap and sponge. She probably hadn’t been washed like this since she was a baby…

“Good Mothers, you’re so small! And thin! If your parents really thought of you as a sacrifice, they certainly didn’t feed you like one,” Leona commented as she rubbed behind her patient’s ears. 

Sariphi shrugged.

“Ah just one of those thin girls by nature? That’s fine.” The doctor stopped rubbing, twisting her head before nodding. “Some ladies are like that. Stay in the bath for just a bit while I get some towels.”

Sariphi did as she was told, enjoying the warmth of the water for a few more moments. Leona whistled, catching the maiden’s attention and turning her head. Sariphi slowly climbed out of the tub, Leona quickly wrapping her hair in a towel and wiping her body down. 

“Lady Leona-we’ve brought the clothes!”

“Clothes!” 

Leona left Sariphi bundled up in a large towel and opened the door. The two blobs bounced in. 

“Thanks kiddos,” Leona stated, picking up the dress. “This is so cute, but it looks more humanish. Where did you get this one?”

“Sariphi wore that when she came in.”

“She did.”

“Huh, does she have any clothes besides this? Do you have any others?”

Sariphi quickly dried her hands so she could write on her slate. “Yes, but I like this one. Others are for formal occasions.” 

“Okay, but you’d think there would be a royal dressmaker who could help with that…” Leona glanced around. “Did you not bring Sariphi slippers?”

“Slippers?” 

Cy leaned to the side, little hand pressed against his side. 

“Yeah slippers.” Leona pointed to hers, laying down on the ground. “Ah wait. Probably didn’t bring any with her…what kind of shoes did you wear?”

Sariphi shook her hair.

“None? Those Breza bas…” A quick glance at the two blobs. “Jerks didn’t let you wear shoes.”

“His majesty requested that the sacrifices not wear shoes,” Clops informed.

“No shoes,” Cy confirmed.

“Really? When did that start?”

Clops shut his mouth, Cy looked down. Leona tilted her head. “Was this before your time here?”

Sariphi slapped the ground. Leona looked back to her charge, seeing the maiden hold up her hands.

“Ten years? Is that when?”

Sariphi nodded. 

“Huh…” Leona twisted to the little beasts. “Do you two know why?” 

Now the two balls shook in place for a few moments, before zooming out the door. 

“Sorry! We don’t know anything!” Clops yelled as he escaped. 

“We don’t!” Cy screamed too. 

Leona and Sariphi watched the two. And then side-eyed one another. 

“Do you believe that?”

Sariphi shook her head. 

“Good instincts. But mysteries of footwear can wait.” Leona helped Sariphi get into her dress. She held her hand. “Feeling any better?”

Sariphi nodded. She opened her arms wide. 

“I gotcha,” Leona smiled and knelt down again. “Climb aboard.” 

Sariphi plopped down on Leona’s back and once more, the two traveled the hallways, heading back to the infirmary. Just as they turned a corner, Leona stopped. She twisted her head so Sariphi could see her. “Looks like you’ve got a visitor.” 

Sariphi looked up to see the King of Beasts staring at the door to the infirmary. His red eyes looked so pensive and sad. 

“Your Majesty!” Sariphi cried out, taking one hand off Leona’s shoulder to reach out to him. However, the motion threw the two off-balance, causing the human tower to stumble and tip forward. 

They barely had time to close their eyes and scream before the two found themselves safe from a hard impact. Far from it. A familiar softness graced Sarphi’s cheek. When she opened her eyes, she saw a wall of brown fur. She then glanced up and saw the king’s muzzle, inches away from her face. Sariphi beamed, “Your Majesty!”

The king’s eyes sparkled with emotions. He leaned in close, nose almost touching hers. “Sariphi…” He gently pressed a paw against her face. “How are you? Are you truly better?”

“Yes, I’m--” That’s when, of course, a coughing fit seized Sariphi in a chokehold. When she stopped, she gazed at the king. Fear was etched on his face. She smiled up at him. “Well, I’m still sick. But I’m feeling a lot better. I promise.”

The king’s features softened as he held her close. “I’m so relieved to hear that. I’ve…missed you.”

Sariphi placed her head on his chest. “I’ve missed you too.”

The two lovers silently watched each other, enjoying being together once more.  Then a sigh broke out, reminding the two they weren’t alone. They glanced down and saw Leona, lying on the king’s leg, holding her head in her hands. “Oh, please don’t mind me.” 

The king huffed, tilting his leg so the older woman slid off. He pushed himself up with one hand, still holding Sariphi in his other paw. He lowered his head slightly. “We thank you in aiding Sariphi’s recovery.”

Leona shrugged. “It’s all part of my job. You’re welcome. She still has a bit to go before she’s fully recovered. I’ve asked Juno to prepare a soup for her littleness here, so I’ll go check on it.” Leona found the chalk and board on the ground, handing them to Sariphi. “I’m sure you two have some catching up to do. Want me to get you anything, your majesty?”

The king pondered and then said, “Perhaps more of that coffee.”

“Alright. You want something to drink, Sariphi?”

Sariphi quickly wrote something down and showed it to the doctor.

Leona brightened. “Oh yeah, good idea, your ladyship. I’ll be right back.” She strolled away and turned around the corner, but then popped her head back into the view. “With that being said, Sariphi is still pretty sick. So, it’s best you two save the smooching for later.” Leona smirked and ducked her head away.

“Smooching?” the king asked, facing his bride-to-be. 

Sariphi, face red and shaking hard, wrote and held up the board. “She means kissing.”

Now the king’s face flushed a bit red. “I see…”

For a moment, the couple stayed like that, in their awkward silence. Then some more coughs rattled Sariphi’s chest and mouth. 

“Let’s get you to bed,” Leonhart muttered. Soon enough, he tucked Sariphi back under her sheets. He sat at her side. “Are you comfortable?”

The maiden nodded.

“That’s good.” The king slowly clasped her small, tiny hand. Sariphi clasped her fingers in between the gaps. 

They stayed like that for a while. Even though they had been apart for so long, neither could decide on what to say first. It felt different than being reunited after a long trip yet the relief of being reunited was there. 

Sariphi wrote something on her board at first quickly. Then her brow furrowed, lips twisted. She continued to write, slowly this time. She then twisted her board, tapping on it with her chalk. 

“When did you have kaffee?” 

“Kaffee? Kaffee…coffee. I suppose we don’t have a word for that.”

Sariphi bounced her head and looked up, her eyes wide. 

“Ah right. It was the day after Leona arrived. I had trouble sleeping…with you ill….so I took to walking around the castle. She found me and offered me some.”

“Did you like it?”

“I find it quite pleasant…Have you had coffee before?”

Sariphi nodded and then pressed the chalk to the board. But then she paused, a frown drooping on her face. She wrote something, then wiped it away with her sleeve. She stared at the board before writing and then wiping again. 

“What is it, Sariphi?”

Sariphi almost slumped over at his words. She quickly wrote to him, “I am sorry. I do not know the words.”

The king’s brow furrowed. “Really?”

“The books I have read are history and etiquette…I am sorry I do not know more.”

Leonhart saw the sorrow in her face. He gently led her face towards him. “Do not fault yourself.  I’ll see if I can find some books that might help increase your vocabulary.”

Sariphi clasped onto his paw, nodding furiously. But then paused and took up the chalk again. The king watched as she scribbled, brow furrowed. He shifted himself so he could look over her shoulder. That’s when Sariphi flipped the board.

It was now filled with simple pictures and when the king looked closer, he saw arrows and words. The first depicted two girls, holding hands, one short girl with “Me” on her skirt. The other was taller with a ponytail, the word “sister” on her skirt. The next one depicted the shorter girl drinking from a tankard while the taller girl cheered on, the words “13th birthday” floating above their heads. The next were the girls playing some kind of game with the stars and moon to their side. The final showed the girls, both of their eyes closed, some kind of symbol next to their heads as the sun shone.

“So your sister gave you some coffee on your thirteenth birthday, and it kept you awake at night so you played games with her and then you fell asleep the next day?”

Sariphi beamed, clapping. She quickly wiped half of the board and wrote. “I’m glad you figured it out! I should still learn more words…so I can write letters and other such things.” 

“Indeed. Perhaps I should have requested Cy and Clops teach you as well as translate your studies…” the king mused out loud. He then noticed Sariphi look at her board, her eyes on the “sister” girl. He noticed her bright eyes darken as she gazed at the picture. 

“Do you miss her? Your sister?” Leonhart asked. 

Sariphi nodded her head. 

“Would you like to contact her?”

Sariphi shook her head, and wrote, “It is complicated.”

Leonhart patted her shoulder. “We will find some way. I promise.” 

Sariphi placed her hand on his, leaning in towards it. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

Just then the door slammed open, Will leaning on the door, panting. “Thank God…you’re okay now…So…Pardon.” He took some deep breaths and straightened himself up, fixing his vest. “I’m glad to see you are better, milady. I’m Will, it’s nice to meet you.” He gave a low, elegant bow. 

Sariphi nodded and wrote on her board. “I’m Sariphi. It’s nice to meet you sir. Did you come here with Leona?”

“Indeed. I escorted her here.” Then a dark look crossed the golden dog’s face. “And I must ask you a serious question.”

Sariphi’s face hardened. She gave a nod, eyes determined. 

Will returned the nod. “Good. Now…” he pointed a digit towards the maiden. “Is that your natural hair color?”

The king blinked. “What?”

Sariphi let out a small “oh.” She stopped briefly and then wrote, “Yes it is.”  

“Again, thank God, I was worried for a while.” Will sighed, paw at his chest.

“Why would you be worried about her hair?”

Sariphi tapped on his majesty’s arm, he looked down to see her starting to write on the board, but stopping once more.

Will walked on over. “Pardon me, what kind of Yoanin do you write in, milady?”

“Western Yoanin.”

“Ah good, I know that one. I can translate anything you write.”

Sariphi beamed and quickly presented the board to Will, who read,  “Some humans may lose their hair color if they have been through severe illness or injury. I have been asked this all my life.” 

“Really?” 

Another moment later, Will read out her reply, “ Yes. Everyone in my village says I’ve had white hair since I was a baby.” He then rested his chin on his paw. “So Leona was right about you being a Choseh,” Will commented, sitting down. “Glad I didn’t make a bet on it.” 

“Cho-seh?” The king repeated. 

Will straightened himself up. “They are humans that are born with different hair or different eye colors, or even both. In ancient times they were thought to be chosen by the human gods for some great purpose—similar to how we think of Beasts of Light and Dark. However, over time, Choseh have lost their holy connotations and are often thought of as normal folks at birth.” 

“Beasts of Light and Dark?” Sariphi asked, “Like in the history books? Is that the reason why the previous king looks the way he does?” 

“Correct. He was hailed as a Beast of Light in his lifetime, thought to bring great glory to the kingdom. Well, he did end the war so there may be some truth to the legends...” The dog shrugged and then turned towards the girl, head tilted. “Pardon me, mind if I do some examinations on my own?”

“Are you a doctor too?” The king asked.

“I’ve assisted Leona from time to time.” Will gave a shrug. 

Sariphi nodded, a smile on her face. 

“Thank you.” He then picked up the maiden’s foot, slid it underneath his floppy ear. “Hmmm…I can just make out a heartbeat.”

Sariphi pressed her hands to her mouth, her body trembling, her nose frantic in breathing. 

“Sariphi?” Leonhart asked. 

She let go of her mouth, tears forming at her eyes, laughter like the jingling of bells escaping her throat. “Please sir…you’re tickling me.” Coughs once again took over the girl.

Will dropped the foot, paws up. “I’m sorry, my lady!” Then something smacked his head. 

“I should have known.” Juno arrived, one hand behind Will’s head, the other holding up a tray. “Pardon me, your ladyship.” Juno curtseyed to the royals. “I am known as Juno. I deeply apologize for my colleague’s behavior.”

Sariphi managed to wheeze in between giggles. “It’s fine. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard.” 

“And Leona says laughter is often the best medicine,” Will countered, rubbing the back of his head.

Juno flicked the golden dog’s muzzle. “I doubt she’d prescribe it in every situation.”

As Will clutched at his nose, small tears formed at the corner of his eyes. Juno set up the tray, revealing the large bowl with some pale pink meat, vegetables, and noodles floating in a light brown broth. 

Sariphi gasped, smiling.

“I do hope you enjoy it. I’m a bit worried that the noodles may not have cooked long enough.”

“Noodles?” the king pondered. 

“A kind of food made out of wheat. Rather than round out the dough and bake it, they turn it into strips and boil it,” Will explained, still clutching his nose. 

Leona walked in holding her tray—two pots, several cups and spoons, a small pitcher, and two jars. “I wish you’d wait to start your human lesson. Someone’s got to fact-check you.”

Will stuck his tongue out. 

“Enjoying the soup?” Juno asked.

Sariphi nodded, spoon still at her lips. She quickly wrote and Will read. “Thank you so much for this soup. It is so delicious! The…is delicious.”

“Will, what did she say?” Leona asked.

“Meat,” he said, quickly. 

“Come on Will, what did she say?” Juno asked.

Leona shoved him with her shoulder, quickly read the tablet, and then wheezed in laughter.  

Juno smirked, trying and failing to stop her own laughter. “Let me guess, she called it chicken, didn’t she?”

Will slumped over and sighed, “Yes. Yes she did. She called it chicken.”

“And now.” Leona held out her hand. “The usual, Will.” 

“Alright, alright,” the dog grumbled. “But it’ll have to wait until we get back home. I left all of my enens there.”

Leona shrugged, “Pay me in Shekels. I’ll need them here.”  

“What’s going on?” the king asked.

“Ah forgive us your majesty.” Juno stated, wiping her eyes. “It never fails to amuse us, especially when humans say something tastes like chicken.”

“If this isn’t chicken, then what is it?” Sariphi asked.

“Nothing to worry about, my lady. It’s spiked horned lizard meat.” 

The king bristled. “Humans can’t have beast food.”

Leona placed a hand up, stepping in between them. “Trust me your majesty, I’ve had it plenty of times over the last few years. I wouldn’t have given some to Sariphi if it would have hurt her. Actually, I find lizard meat easier on patients suffering from nausea. It’s just that tender.”

The king blinked. “So what you said before…”

“Taught my kids how to read and write…Makes the best snacks any side of the Gate.”

“That was true? You three are friends?”

“Yep.” Leona smiled. “I’ve known these two for years. In fact, these two are neighbors of mine.”

“Really?”

“Yep. We’re all misfits in our own way, not quite fitting into the mold the rest of the world made out for us. And allow me to be the first to say...” Leona held out a hand. “Your majesties, welcome to the club.” 

[bokettochild]

Violet

So y'all remember this animatic? Yeah?

I wrote a thing based off of it.

I'm not entirely sure how I fee about it, but y'all have shown how much you like my crack in the past, even if I wasn't sure about that either, so...

Here's Legend getting mistaken for a mom and pulling his brothers into a terrible impromptu acting adventure.

There are many things you do not do in Castletown.

One of those things, apparently, was taking Twilight with you, and next time he had a chance Legend was seriously considering muzzling their wolfish friend, in his shadow form or not.

He wasn’t the only one with that thought either apparently, although likely the only one who was thinking it out annoyance rather than utter and complete terror. Honestly, Twi needed to cut that protective streak of his in half, or he was going to be regretting it even more than he was going to regret this!

They’d all met thieves before, on the road, in villages, even here in Castle Town, and unfortunately Warriors’ central city was particularly full of them. The captain had explained it ages ago, something about the war displacing people and stirring up unrest with the refugees. It wasn't uncommon that someone got tired of relying on the crown for help, which, the captain had admitted sorrowfully, was rather slow in coming, despite all of Artemis’s efforts, to provide any sort of relief to the starving and displaced victims of the war. Legend had winced at that. Poor blokes, it had been similar in his own Hyrule when those trapped in the dark world emerged again, and even back in their Hylian forms, many of them had struggled to readjust to a world that had moved on in their absence.

It was little wonder than that those in the captain’s time faced the same struggle, especially after a bloody time war, but even so, it bothered him to no end that their group specifically had been the one that the idiot of a man chose to target. Honestly! They were all carrying swords for pities sakes! How did the sod even think he was going to catch a bunch of warriors unawares to steal from them?

Maybe it was because they were split.

It only made sense, after being dropped in the captain’s time, that they restock supplies. Both for practicality and to avoid suspicion, they’d divided the group into two to better run their errands, Time taking those less accustomed to bustling cities with him to gather food and potions, and Warriors leading the rest of them, those who could stand crowds at least a little bit better, to visit the blacksmith, fletcher, and tailor shops.

True to form, the captain strutted ahead with his scarf waving behind him, Wind tagging along beside him and chattering excitedly about something or other at the soldier. He and Four, however, had chosen to trail after, not for any particular reason other than both being extremely tired and maybe just a bit emotional.

In his own case, he hadn’t slept in a good sixty-three hours or so, and combining that with the stress of wandering around in an unknown place, he was a little more sensitive than usual and a bit put out as a result. Similarly, Four was fighting off his usual headache from their sudden switch, and ever since they’d pulled themselves out of the alleyway Hylia dumped them in, the shortest hero had worn his hood pulled over his eyes, mumbling softly under his breath in a way that was, unfortunately, unnerving Legend further and making him want, very much, to beg the other to stop.

That wasn’t an option of course, so he did something he hated almost as much as the saunter Warriors was using to get down the road.

He made small talk.

It helped, surprisingly, and while the four of them had run their errands, he chattered amiably with the smithy, who’d been willing to talk as long as he didn’t have to think too much on things. Legend could agree with that, and the two had spent the last half hour discussing if Four’s tunic really was red, green, blue and violet, as the smithy claimed, or red, green, blue and purple as Legend thought it was.

“It’s violet.” Four huffed, pushing the last bundle of arrows into his pack as they departed from the smithy’s shop and made their way back to the fountain at the center of town, where they'd agreed to meet with Time and the others.

“But it’s not!” He insisted, shifting the bundle of fabric in his arms and meeting the smithy’s gaze. “Violet is softer, duskier, a bit closer to grey or blue. That’s purple, plain as day!”

Warriors and Wind, for once, didn’t say anything, only exchanging grins every so often that the other two ignored.

Talking with Four was surprisingly pleasant, and ridiculously easy in comparison to talking with the others. For one thing, neither had to look too very far up or down to see the other, and as they’d found since their first dinner at the ranch, it was easy to say a lot with just a look. Subtle communication also went a long way further with the smithy than with anyone else, and it was a relief not to have to explain everything for once. Additionally, Four also liked reading, and unlike with most of their other brothers, they could actually have intelligent conversations with each other.

Not that that’s what they were doing when they’d trailed after the other two towards the fountain, but when they heard the snarl and resulting scream, the look the two heroes shared had carried as many words as a full two-hour lecture, while all at once conveying a single thought.

Oh boy, what did Twilight do this time?

What Twilight had done, he found out later, was spring a thief who had attempted to snatch the Sheikah Slate from Wild, who’d been a bit busy trying to calm his anxiety to really notice that one of the humans pressing close all around him was actually trying to steal it. That, naturally, was all well and good. The problem was the way Twilight had chosen to handle it and Legend swore there were days that Twilight forgot what form he was in; rather than pushing the thief away or grabbing ahold of them and confronting them, the gracious rancher had chosen to fling his entire body weight at the man and bite his arm.

Of course, that was only what Legend found out later, what he saw when the four of them managed to peek through the crowd, was Twilight standing there in full sight of the entire market with blood on his teeth and a man screaming in pain and terror at his feet.

Bravo, Rancher, bravo.

“Oof.” Wind winced. “That’s not good.”

“Shit.” Warriors swore, glancing around nervously and ripping his scarf off to hide in his pack.

Realization sprung on the vet like Twilight had the poor thief; Warriors was the hero here. If anyone noticed him, or any of the knightlier looking ones, they’d probably try and have them arrest Twilight. That was all well and good of course, as it would make a reasonable excuse to haul the rancher out of the way, but they’d be expected to call for help from some soldiers, and while they’d been planning on meeting with the queen while they were here, having Twilight presented to her as a feral, potentially insane, and definitely dangerous criminal was not the approach they were aiming for.

They needed a distraction, fast.

So, like the reasonable and totally mentally secure Hylian that he was, Legend shouted the first thing that came to his mind. “Violet!”

His three companions stared at him, and had he been capable, he would have stared at himself, but a desperate glance Fours way had the other drawing back, nodding slowly as Legend shouted again. “Violet? Honey?”

Warriors looked at him like he’d lost his head, gripping Wind’s shoulder firmly as if worried he’d have to pull the kid back from the apparently mad veteran.

Thank Din for teaching him acting years ago, even if it was all stage performing, but he was counting on it to get him, and Twilight, out of their respective messes, even if that meant building his higher before he could escape. At any rate, he’d caught the attention of a few people with his panicked shout. Turning to the nearest Hylian that wasn’t one of his group, he gently tapped the woman’s shoulder, letting his panic and everything in general spill over into his face and voice as the woman met his gaze with a startled look.

“Ma’am, I’m looking for-” Oh Four was going to hate this. “-My child, Violet. Have you seen a blonde Hylian child, so tall?” He lowered his hand to approximately where Four’s head would reach. “I’ve been looking everywhere!” He forced a fake sob into his voice, glancing from the woman to the surrounding crowd, and Warriors and Wind in its midst.

Wind was stifling a laugh behind his hand while Warriors stared in utter shock.

“Oh my,” The woman touched her cheek, clucking lightly and patting Legend’s hand in a consoling manner. “You poor dear! I haven’t seen a thing but just give me one moment.” The burly housewife turned, still patting Legend’s hand gently as she murmured something to the women behind her, before turning back to Legend with a sorry expression. “None of my friends have seen your little one, dear. But-” The woman turned and, with all the force and volume of a cow, hollered at the top of her lungs to the crowd as a whole. “Hello? Yes, this woman is looking for her daughter!”

Woman?!?!?!

“Her name is Violet! She’s-” The woman blinked, looking to Legend with a worried look as several other market goers turned to stare, many of them women with looks of pity and understanding that was making him wish he’d stayed silent. Fortunately, his ruse had startled them out of staring at the sight of a mauled thief as worry for a poor young mother and her lost daughter took its place. “She’s how old?”

Legend fought the protest of female pronouns, both on Four’s part and his own, but only in his head. Outwardly however, he covered his face with the hand not being smashed by the farm-wife's own. “She’s four.” Shoot him, he was saying whatever came to mind because he was panicked, alright?

A snort could be heard behind him, earning disapproving looks from the crowd that soon shifted to pity as Wind too joined the act, turning his snort into pitiful sniffling as he clung to Warriors’ hand, looking for all the world like a child who’d been to the market too long and wanted to go home, but was also panicking at the loss of their sibling. “Have you all seen my sister?” The sailor blubbered softly, actual tears spilling down his face as he pouted, expression making his act so believable that no one even questioned his height. As if to make the act more convincing, Warriors wrapped an arm around the kid’s shoulder, his own face stiffening into something that could either be gas or worry, Legend was a bit on the fence.

“What’s going on here?” Legend wished that was Time stalking towards them in full armor, but it wasn’t, it was a Hylian Soldier, staring at the crowd with a grim frown on his face as he turned to Legend, standing in its center.

Oh well, those who crack under a tough audience get tomatoes to the face; he just hoped Wars would keep playing along. “My daughter,” He sobbed into his hand, pulling the other free from the housewife to properly cover his face. “She- My baby- I can’t find her anywhere, Sir!” Later, Warriors would begrudgingly admit that the look Legend shot the soldier was enough to break any heart as the vet stepped forwards, grabbing hold of the man’s arm with all the desperation of a worried mother. “Please tell me, have you seen a little girl? She’s in her favorite dress, the colors of the goddesses, red, green and blue?” He motioned down at his own tunic, skirt, whatever one would call it. “There’s a violet corner too, I made it for her myself- oh my poor baby! I can’t seem to find her anywhere!”

The grizzled soldier quickly melted under the power of tearful violet eyes, and he too gently patted Legend’s hands as if he thought it would do any good. “I’ll have my men look for her right away, ma’am. How old would you say she is?

“She’s four.” He reaffirmed. Might as well stick to his original story.

“So tall?” The farm-wife motioned, hands lowering a bit more than Legend’s had, but the woman was trying to help, so he couldn’t really be upset with her for getting it wrong. At this point though, he was a bit worried about where Four actually was, because he’d expected the shorter hero to make an appearance sooner rather than later so the act could end.

“Right.” The man nodded, pulling himself loose as Legend brought his hands to clasp in front of his chest in an imitation of the maids he’d seen worrying about the halls when Fable went missing. “We’ll do everything in our power to find your little one, madame, you have my word.” The soldier bowed, kissing the back of the vet’s hand graciously before moving back into the crowd and snapping orders at the soldiers stationed around the market.

People buzzed by, spreading the word of ‘little Violet’s’ disappearance as Warriors and Wind pushed forwards to where Legend stood.

“Really, vet?” Warriors murmured lowly.

“I panicked.” He admitted softly, as to avoid anyone noticing as he wrung his hands. “But seriously, where is ‘’Violet’? I thought he’d have appeared before it became a big thing.”

The captain frowned, settling a hand on his shoulder carefully and standing on his toes to look over the crowd as Wind giggled at the scowling veteran. The minute he shot a look down at the sailor though, the kid had picked up his role as smoothly as if he’d never dropped it. “I’m worried, mom.” Wind blinked past fake tears, and had he not needed to remain in character, Legend would have scowled and flicked the kid’s nose for the tease.

“I am too, honey.” He sighed instead, ruffling the sailor’s curls and looking over to where the others had been. Time and the others had disappeared into the crowd again, likely trying to keep a low profile and laughing their asses off at Legend’s expense while Time and Sky scolded Twilight.

“Mama?” A small voice called out, and the crowd, and he meant the whole crowd, the whole freaking crowd of several hundred people, froze as a small face peeked out from an alleyway, the smithy’s hand coming up to rub at his shimmering purple eyes with a sniff. “Mama?”

“Violet!” All three heroes surged forwards, Legend sinking to his knees and wrapping Four in a hug, taking the opportunity when his face was hidden from the crowd to scowl. “About time you showed up.” Aloud for the crowd however, he let sobs pitch his voice hysterically. “Oh honey, you can’t run off on mama like that! I was worried sick!”

And as if to put the icing on the cake of shame, one of the men in the crowd smiled softly, patting Warriors’ back with a friendly smile. “Your wife is quite the caring mother, isn’t she? Ah, you’re a lucky man, Mr.”

Legend forced himself to not blow their cover, no matter how little they now needed it with the others safely out of sight. Breaking character meant causing drama that they didn’t need. ‘Violet’ had been found, the cute little family would depart, people would calm. But if the worried mother turned out to be a screaming teenage boy and the lost daughter to be a smithy apprentice with a height problem, people would likely riot. So instead of turning around and giving the man a piece of his mind, he pushed forwards, hefting Four in his arms (the smithy sank into him with a sigh that couldn’t have been faked) letting the smaller hero nestle against him, hood hiding the smithy’s face from view as he pulled them both up, adjusting his arms so as to not drop the other.

Man, he was glad he’d put on power bracelets today.

“She is indeed.” Warriors forced out, a strained smile on his face as he settled his hand on Legend’s waist, stiff, cold and incredibly awkward. “We’d probably better head off, dear.” If the captain smiled any harder, he’d break his teeth. “Or the inns will all be full.”

It should have ended there, it should have. Legend was so ready for it to end (although Four was warm and a calming presence as the smithy began to doze against his chest), but because fate loved to mess with him, it didn’t.

“You’re looking for a place to stay the night?” The Man-Who-Needed-To-Be-Kicked cocked a brow. “I run an inn here, just across the square. I’m sure we can find a lovely little family like yourselves a place to rest, you and our wife must be exhausted after such worry!”

Warriors, sages curse and bless him, nodded along stiffly, gently pulling him along by is waist after the Blasted-Innkeeper-Who-Would-Be-Kicked as the man chattered about family discounts and free dinner. Legend’s shoulders only lowered when a free trip to the bath house was also thrown in ‘complimentarily’.

He regretted it when someone pointed him to the ladies’ side of the bath-house (think heavens it was empty that early), and he was about ready to strangle something or someone when the others joined them inside, stuck with a regularly priced room, and the smithy and vet both were bombarded with teases as Warriors sat looking utterly and completely disgusted.

“They thought we were married....”

Legend groaned, flopping over on the other side of the bed with a grimace. “Gross, right?”

“Yeah.”

"We’re forgetting this ever happened, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

Regardless, no one ever let them forget it happened.

Legend was buying Twilight a muzzle, and he was pretty sure Wars would be willing to help.

[helloalycia]

just a kid [two] // wanda maximoff

summary: you decide to get to the bottom of things, suspecting Wanda has something to do with your troubled memories.

warning/s: mentions of death and explicit/descriptive violence.

author's note: here’s the second and final part! bit of an angsty one oof

part one | masterlist | wattpad

In all of the time Wanda and I spent together, we'd never lied to one another. We always told each other everything, even if we thought it would make the others person upset. So, I couldn't for the life of me understand what she was doing behind my back now.

After a while of trying to collect my thoughts and reigning in my agitation, I returned to Doctor Maya's office to see she was alone. When I entered without knocking, she looked up with surprise, but now that I knew that she was hiding something, I saw a hint of guilt.

"Y/N, what can I do for you?" she asked without so much as a shake in her voice. She'd practiced well. "Did we have an appointment?"

I closed the door behind me, stepping forward but not quite committing to taking a seat.

"I still feel nauseous," I said with stern eyes. "I still get nightmares. My thoughts don't feel like my own. My head hurts every time I try to remember my accident."

"Y/N, I've told you, it'll take time to–"

"Stop! Stop lying!" I exclaimed, gripping the back of the chair tightly. "I heard you and Wanda talking earlier. I know you're hiding something. Something to do with Wanda. So, tell me. What is it?"

Other than jumping at my sudden outburst, she showed no expression on her face, nor acknowledgement to my words. I tried a different approach, shoulders sagging with defeat and expression softening.

With a normal volume, I pleaded, "Please. I have a right to know if it concerns me."

Still, she said nothing. Only avoided my eyes and played with her fingers nervously on her desk. I clenched my jaw, trying not to snap.

"Fine," I gave in. "Can you at least tell me if Wanda was there when my accident happened?"

Finally, she spoke, nodding. "Obviously she was. She was the one who got you to the quinjet after you were knocked unconscious."

I chewed the inside of my mouth, trying to piece together the incident. Things still didn't make sense...

"The agent that I was trying to help," I said, remembering that was the reason I was out in the field in the first place, "what happened to them? Where are they now?"

She straightened up in her seat. "As I told you before, he made it out okay. But I cannot tell you where he is."

"And why not?"

"It's not relevant."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Well, now I know you're hiding something."

She pressed her lips together, unsure whether to respond or not. After opening and closing her mouth like a fish in water, she opted to stay silent.

"I guess I'll keep taking my medication like a good girl," I said with sarcastic smile. "Thanks for nothing, doc."

With an eye roll, I left the room and decided to take matters into my own hands. If neither her nor Wanda would tell me the truth, I'd make a start to finding out myself.

First thing's first – Wanda had some sort of connection to this whole thing, excluding the fact that she was hiding it. I recalled hearing her say something about 'working out the kinks'... what was she trying to work out?

I knew she had powers and was capable of many things; was it linked to that? I was having trouble remembering and the only two people who seemed to know were my doctor and Wanda, the girl who had the abilities to manipulate thoughts to her own will. But she wouldn't, would she? That was an invasion of privacy, morally wrong. She was a good person. The only time she'd done that was when she was trying to defeat the Avengers, but she wasn't that person anymore... she wouldn't do that to me, right?

It was getting late and I still had so many pieces of the puzzle to put together. All I had were theories and nothing to back them up. So, as I headed to Wanda's room with tired eyes and a curious brain, I tried to push it away for the evening and focus on getting some sleep, if any.

Wanda was tying her hair up in the mirror, already dressed for bed, when I stepped in. Her eyes caught mine in the mirror and she spun around, expression softening.

"Hey," she said gently, probably taking caution after how our last interaction went. "D'you have a nice walk?"

I pursed my lips, studying her carefully. How could she act like this? So concerned for my well-being as she watched me suffer, when she knew something that might help me?

"Yeah, I guess," I spoke, before taking my shoes off and going to the ensuite to get changed.

It was quiet as I got ready for bed and brushed my teeth. Wanda, thankfully, didn't push me to speak, but I was still confused. I wanted her to tell me what she knew, but she was playing it safe. Maybe I could test the waters a little...?

As I clambered into bed beside her, I saw she was sat up and reading a book in the light of her bedside lamp. I began to take my watch off and glanced at her subtly, deciding to say something.

"I think something is wrong," I said, earning her attention. "I think I might be remembering my accident incorrectly."

She lowered her book, giving me her full attention. But unlike before, I now saw the doubt swimming in her eyes.

"What? Why do you think that?" she asked with confusion.

I put my watch to the side and paused, deciding whether I was in the mood to get into it.

"How do you know it was a mine?" I asked her, quirking a brow.

She pulled a face, as if suggesting my question was silly. "I was there, Y/N. I saw it."

I wanted to believe her, I did.

"Did anyone else see it?" I asked, unable to stop myself.

Closing her book, she shook her head, distracting from the panic settling into her expression. "What's with all of the questions?"

I ignored her. "You can manipulate people's thoughts, can't you? Get into their head. Read their mind."

"Yes...," she answered, nodding with a puzzled frown. "So?"

I'd known Wanda long enough to know she was hiding something. I should have detected the signs sooner. The constant avoidance of my eyes, the fiddling thumbs, the way her accent grew a little stronger. I was right. She was keeping something from me.

"You've never got into my head before, right?" I asked curiously, wondering if she was reading my thoughts right now. Did she know I was on to her? Did she know I knew she was hiding something?

Resting a reassuring hand on mine, she shook her head. "I would never."

I glanced at her hand that squeezed mine, then to her dark green eyes swimming with certainty. Was she lying now? Or was she just getting better at it?

No, I still had my doubts. She must have done something to my thoughts. And I would never know unless she told me, which she clearly wasn't going to.

"You're mad at me," she realised, letting go of my hand.

I shook my head and looked away, frowning. "I'm not. I'm just tired."

Without another word, I got under the covers and turned my back to her. I wasn't sure what else to do. She was blatantly lying to my face when I thought I could trust her. How could she?

Sleep came to me quickly that night, thankfully not bombarded by painful dreams. But when I woke up and had a shower, I realised how angry I still was. Wanda was lying to me and I didn't understand why.

"I'm gonna go back to my flat," I told her out of the blue after drying my hair.

She walked out of the ensuite and leaned against the doorframe, seeming taken aback. "You're going back?"

I nodded, maintaining eye contact. "Yeah. I can't stay here."

Wanda frowned. "This is about last night."

She looked so hurt by my words that I almost took them back, but I didn't. She was a liar.

"Yeah, it is," I said, crossing my arms with certainty, a hostile expression taking over my face. "I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, Wanda, but you're lying to me."

She straightened up, eyebrows furrowing together. "What are you talking about?"

I squeezed my hands as I continued to cross my arms, hiding my frustration. "I know you're in my head."

She hesitated – a split second, but I saw it – and it was enough to confirm my thoughts.

"I would never do that," she said with a shake of her head, making me clench my fists.

"Stop lying to me, Wanda!" I shouted, finally bursting. "I know it's you! You're in there, I can feel you!"

"Y/N–"

"No!" I cut her off, tears brimming my eyes. "You're mixing my thoughts up and spitting out something that isn't real. You have to be! Because if you're not then– then– then I'm going insane."

I swallowed hard, wiping my eyes and looking away momentarily, trying to collect myself. Crying wasn't my intention, but God, the discomfort in the pit of my stomach and the constant restlessness I felt was eating me alive. I needed to know the truth and the one person I thought I could rely on wasn't helping me.

"I'm sorry," she said, and I looked at her to see she was watching me apologetically. "I don't want to. But I have to."

I licked my lips, partially fed up. I was hoping I was mistaken, that the most that would happen is I accused my girlfriend of something immoral. This was way worse. I was right.

"Why do you have to?" I questioned with burning eyes. "What happened that I can't know?"

She stepped forward, but I stepped back. Frowning, hurt, she ran a hand through her hair.

"I can't tell you," she said regretfully, making me groan loudly. "Look, it's not as easy as you think. This is for your own good, Y/N."

"No, no, it's not," I disagreed, before pointing an accusing finger her way. "You don't get to decide that for me! You have no right!"

Glassy green eyes met mine. "This is all to protect you. The truth hurts."

"Fuck yeah, it does," I said bitterly. "Discovering my girlfriend is mind-controlling me is never a nice thing to learn."

"Don't say that!" she snapped, clenching her fists. "It's not like that."

"It's exactly like that," I said lowly, scowling at her. "You're treating me like your enemy. You don't just get to prance around in my head because we're a couple. That's not how this works."

"That's not what I'm doing!" she shouted, eyes beginning to glow red with frustration.

"Then tell me what the hell is going on!" I said, not backing down.

She clenched her jaw, red eyes and anger dispersing as her expression softened. "I can't."

Through blurry vision, I glared her way. "Then fuck you, Wanda! I'll figure it out myself!"

I was sick of her feeling like she could control me, like I was some sort of helpless being who needed her protection. It was my head and I deserved to know what the fuck was in it!

In the two years we'd been together, we'd never argued this bad. And I'd never imagined it would be because she was manipulating me like she was.

With determination, I stormed down to the medical floor of the Tower and straight to Doctor Maya's office.

When she saw me, she looked up with surprise. "Y/N, what are you–"

"Cut the act, I know the truth," I interrupted her. "About Wanda mind-controlling me. How you were both in cahoots. I know it all."

She seemed shocked. "I– I don't know what to say."

"You can tell me where the agent I tried to help is," I got straight to the point.

"I'm not sure if I should–"

"One way or another, I'm going to find out," I deadpanned, not in the mood to be played. "Just tell me."

It didn't take much convincing, as I soon found myself on the way to a hospital at a nearby S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where the agent was recovering in. With my clearance, it wasn't difficult to get inside, and after explaining who I was, the agent – Agent Montgomery – was happy to have me visit him.

When I walked into his room, I saw he was sitting up in his bed, watching the TV hung on the wall ahead. When he saw me however, he muted it and smiled brightly at me. I noticed the bruises littering his body and though he was wearing a hospital gown, I suspected his injuries were bandaged beneath it.

"Doctor Y/L/N," he addressed me. "It's such a pleasure. I've been wanting to thank you ever since you helped me out a week ago."

I offered a small smile, stopping by his bedside. "There's no need. I was just–" I hesitated, feeling like an idiot as I couldn't even remember what I'd helped him with. "I was just doing my job."

He chuckled. "So modest. It's just nice to know you're doing okay. If it weren't for you swooping in on the scene, I'm sure I would've bled out. I wanted to thank you, but the doctors here told me that you were pretty shaken up after what happened and needed some time."

My eyes fell to the monitors beside his bed, avoiding his eyes. "Yeah... what exactly happened that day?"

He seemed surprised. "You don't remember? It wasn't... it wasn't good. I thought that's why you were taking the time for yourself."

I looked up, catching the way his smile faded into a frown and he looked down to his hands sadly.

"Can you refresh my memory?" I asked gently, unsure whether I was ready to hear the truth or not. But it was now or never.

"Well, from my perspective, I was laying on the ground, thinking I was gonna die from blood loss..."

This part of the city was desolate and destroyed, remnants of broken buildings as a result of the Avengers' fight surrounding me. When I was rushed into the field with my team, with plans of finding the handful of casualties to be extracted, I followed usual protocol.

It was supposed to be empty of enemy combatants. We were just supposed to be prepping the casualties for evacuation, as usual. This time was different though.

I came across Agent Montgomery's body by myself, separated from my team as they spread out amongst the rubble to find the rest of the bodies.  He was laying there, body unmoving as his hand was pressed to a point above his stomach.

Instinctively, I rushed over to him and began to unload my medical equipment on the ground beside him. I squinted in the hot sun – why was it so bright out? – as I tried to pull the agent's helmet off.

"Hey, I'm here to help," I told him reassuringly, giving him a smile that I hoped would put him at ease. "Can you hear me?"

"You helped me, patched me up," Agent Montgomery was explaining vividly, and I found myself hanging onto his every word.

For the first time in a week, my memories were making sense. They flowed as one rather than in mashed scenes of a broken film.

He nodded, to my relief, and let me move his hand to the side so I could see what I was working with. A bullet wound and from the looks of it, the bullet was still lodged in there.

I spent the next five minutes patching him up well enough so I could eventually take him back to the quinjet, whilst making conversation with him so he would feel better about everything. When I was done, I radioed my team to help collect him and planned to wait by his side until they arrived. But I heard someone calling for help and looked up with confusion, hand resting on my own pistol.

"There was this kid," he recalled, wincing at the mention of her, which made me wonder what went wrong. "I was a little out of it, I'm not gonna lie. But I could never forget it. Forget that poor girl."

The voice belonged to a little girl. It was as if she'd appeared out of nowhere. Her clothes were tattered and she was covered in dirt, like she'd climbed out from one of the collapsed buildings. I wouldn't have put it past her. People did live here after all. Or, at least, they did.

"Hey," I said quietly, letting go of my pistol. "Are you okay, love? Are you hurt?"

She frowned, lip quivering. "I don't know where my family is."

My heart sank at her words, watching the look of horror cross her expression. I couldn't imagine what she must have witnessed as the battles raged on earlier. She stepped closer to me, eyes blinking innocently, before finding the state of the agent on the floor.

"He'll be okay," I reassured her, earning her attention. "And so will you. I'll help you find your family, yeah?"

She nodded, wiping away fresh tears.

"She was just a kid," Agent Montgomery said, his own eyes glassy from pent up emotions. "She didn't deserve what happened."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. He didn't need to finish. I remembered it so vividly.

"Do you have a name?" I asked her, removing my medical gloves and throwing them to the side so I could give the girl all of my attention.

I outstretched my hand, offering it up. She rested hers in mine, making me smile.

"Selena," she mumbled.

"Well, Selena," I began, hopefully, "that's a pretty name. And I'm sure we can find your parents in no time."

We just had to wait until my team came and then I could try to look for her parents. It wouldn't be hard and I refused to accept they were dead, despite the likelihood of them being alive being quite low.

Selena nodded, her tiny hand squeezing mine, searching for comfort. I squeezed it back, kneeling before her and giving her a quick nod.

Before either of us could say anything more, the unexpected happened. It was as if there was a bomb set in the middle of that tiny girl's body because one second I was staring at her, and the next, she exploded all over, coating me in tiny, fleshy pieces.

My jaw dropped with disbelief, ears ringing from the explosion and heart dropping at the suddenness of it all. I risked looking down, only to see the girl's hand still intact and resting in mine. But where her body should have connected, there was nothing there.

I couldn't help but think how strange it all looked, like a prop from a film set, or a mannequin hand from a clothing shop. I dropped it without thinking, watching it bounce onto the blood-stained ground.

Smoke and blood infiltrated my nose. I looked down and my hands were shaking so much, covered in what looked like minced meat. Meat. Blood. Smoke.

My stomach curled, but I couldn't move. Eyes were permanently widened. Hands were still shaking. The girl's voice played in my ears amidst the ringing. One second she was there and the next she wasn't.

"It came out of nowhere," Agent Montgomery muttered. "Some weapon HYDRA were testing. Had the ability to make its target explode within seconds. She was just another victim of the senseless violence that day."

I swallowed hard, my stomach curling. So much nausea. So much aching. I pocketed my sweaty, shaking hands. Looked to Agent Montgomery.

"That avenger, the witch?" he continued, looking up to me. "She got us out of there. Killed the HYDRA agent. You must've passed out from shock. But she saved us both."

Wanda. She was there. She'd seen it all happen. She'd saved me.

She'd lied to me.

My mouth was dry like sandpaper. My head hurt. I felt sick. The memories were connecting as they flashed through my mind.

It came out of nowhere.

She was just a kid.

"Thanks for telling me," I managed to get out, already backing up. "Good luck with your recovery."

He may have responded, but I wouldn't know. I left the room, ears ringing like I was still there. I looked down, half expecting my clothes to be covered in flesh. Selena's flesh. That poor girl...

She was just a kid.

My vision blurred and I had to pause, hanging in the empty hallway of the medical wing. I raised my hand, covering my mouth as I struggled to breathe without shaking. But it was impossible.

It came out of nowhere.

I don't know where my family is.

"There you are."

I looked up, blinking away tears, making out Wanda standing before me. She seemed reluctant to come closer and for a moment, I wasn't sure what I was feeling.

"Doctor Maya told me where you were," she explained quietly.

Do you have a name?

"I don't have t-time for this," I got out, pushing myself away from the wall and moving forward, walking past her.

"Y/N, please wait," she pleaded, grabbing my arm, and I shook her off so quickly. The thought of being touched right now, when I was covered in–

I looked down. I was clean.

Selena.

"I shouldn't have controlled your mind," Wanda continued from behind me, sincerity in her words. "It wasn't right. It wasn't my place."

I turned around, breath catching in my throat. My ears were still ringing. Hands still sweaty. I pocketed them, though they shook so much my jacket was moving.

Well, Selena, that's a pretty name. And I'm sure we can find your parents in no time.

"She was just a kid," I said, expecting such ferocity in my words, but they barely came out above a whisper. "She wasn't supposed to be there."

Wanda swallowed hard, taking a small step forward. I didn't move back.

"It wasn't your fault."

"She just wanted her family." I clenched my jaw, squeezing my sweaty, shaky hands into fists. "She shouldn't have been there."

"Y/N..."

I squeezed my eyes shut, tears flowing out, before shouting, "You had no right! You– you– you had no fuckin' right!"

Wanda watched me with glossy eyes. "I know. You're right."

Just a kid.

The ringing stopped. I clutched my stomach, wishing the stabbing nausea would disappear. Now that my thoughts were whole again, I felt like I was experiencing the whole thing once more. It was catching up to me quicker than I could adjust to.

She opened her mouth to speak and I shook my head, signalling for her to stop. I couldn't take it. I was so angry and hurt and shocked and I– I–

"I hate you," I breathed out.

She frowned, eyes screaming with guilt. "Y/N..."

My jaw ached from the pressure I was putting on it. Marks were forming in my palm from how hard I was squeezing my fists. She had no right.

"It wasn't your fucking place," I repeated, moving forward and bundling her shirt in my fist. Glaring at her through my tears, I saw the way she put up no fight, expressions softening and etched with guilt. "You– you– you–"

My hands began to shake again. The ringing returned. I couldn't take it. I let go and shoved her back, needing a moment. But I didn't know what to do.

I wanted to hate her. She had messed with my head. Made this so much worse than it could have been if she'd just let me suffer in the first place. But at the same time, a small part of me wished it would have worked. That her mind manipulation would have done it's job and I wasn't remembering. Because fuck, remembering hurt like a bitch.

More tears came and I squeezed my eyes shut, squeezing my stomach to ease the never-ending pain. I opened my mouth to speak, but a sob came out instead, and before I knew it, Wanda was wrapping her arms around me, letting me fall into her.

"It's okay," she said with certainty, squeezing me. "You'll be okay."

I shook my head because I knew that wasn't true. Nothing was okay. I couldn't imagine it ever being okay.

She was just a kid.

[swapder]

Spam Aficionado

Chapter 2/20: YOU’VE GOT THE [[Light]]

Total Story Word Count: 9,328

Total Chapter Word Count: 5,318

Story Summary:

Finally, Spamton had completed his end of his deal. He had acquired a human lightner SOUL. There was so much he could do now, so many things… And Yet… There was only one thing he wanted to do. He needed to stop himself from the worst mistake he had ever made. And if it meant restarting from 1997? That was alright with him. Lightner SOULs were very, very powerful. Especially this particular human SOUL.

(Title is link! Under cut for those who don’t want to read on A03)

STATS

SPAMTON G. SPAMTON LV ??? Salesman Has a human SOUL and the power of NEO. HP: 600/4809 ATK: 13 DEF: 5 Magic: 12 Weapon: Chained Heart Armour 1: Dealmaker ($ +30%, +5 DEF, +5 Magic) Armour 2: (Nothing) D$ 11,940 Last Save Point: The Alleyway Garbage Bin

(As Spamton’s the one with the SOUL, we can check his STATS similarly to one of our party members in game.)

Also, each chapter going forward will have a song from the playlist I made for Spamton. Here's the song For This Chapter!

      -----

His mind felt hazy. Just a moment ago it had been in a deep, dreamless state until something dragged it out. Not quite out of the sleep, all he felt was a headache, some sort of shaking or shivering, and both amazingly and uncomfortably warm. He couldn’t really tell why he both shook and felt warm. Usually it was one or the other. Was this just luck? His tic trying something new? An earthquake?!

He decidedly didn’t want to deal with any of that. So he turned around in his laying spot with a frustrated noise. Leave him alone, weird shaking. He didn’t want to deal with it, let alone figure out what made it. The shoulder shaking did actually stop. A hum of approval buzzed through his throat. That was so much better. He snuggled closer to the squishy probably-a-pillow (He thinks? He couldn’t be sure. When did he go to sleep..?). Maybe if he fell back asleep then the headache would leave him as well.

The shaking returned like a terrible itch. This time something pulled at his shoulder. Some sort of voice blared in his non-existent ears. That tore him out of his sleep more than the hand touching him. A flicker of anxiety shot through him.

Spamton abruptly sat up, his eyes snapping open to the blurry world. This turned out to be a mistake. As he sat up, he bonked his head right onto another’s. If his headache was bad before, it didn’t compare to now. He made a loud ‘AUGH!’ and dropped his head to cradle it in his hands. The other person made the same noise but he couldn’t see them.

“Ow… Spamton, are you awake now?” Spamton tilted his head out of his hands, looking over to the voice. The figure blurred for a moment but he quickly registered who it was.

“…Binx..?” He mumbled, not quite sure. What was this? Oof, he shouldn’t have sat up so quickly. That hurt too much to be a dream. “BINX [My Old Buddy, My Old Pal]!!  HAEAHA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?? WHERE IS HERE? I CAN’T SEE A [$!?!] THING. WAIT…”

The usual disappointment over his vocal volume buzzed through him. He lifted his head and squinted at the blue other. Did he lose his glasses? Everything looked so dull coloured and blurry. Fiddling with his fingers, he felt a glitch run through him. He didn’t let his brother answer, “YOU [Abandoned For The Slime] M E. WhY ARE YOU HERE? IS THIS A [Hallucinations] AG4IN? WHY…”

He saw rather than felt Binx grab his hands. Blue fingers traced the false knuckles on his hands in a circular pattern. Spamton’s eyes followed the movement. Though he didn’t feel anything from it, the motion helped calm him some. Round, back, round, back, clockwise, counter-clockwise… 

“I MISSED YOU.” Spamton said, quieter than before. Still not an indoor volume, but less overbearing. Without his glasses covering him, the tears bubbling at the corner of his eyes were easy to see. “I SHOULD HAVE [Come Back Soon!]”

Binx’s expression dropped in the corner of his sight. He patted Spamton’s hands, and spoke with mixed emotions, “Spamton… I don’t know what exactly has supposedly happened to you over the years, between now and whenever you come from… Regardless of believability… But… That’s not now. Whatever it is that happened hasn’t yet happened. I don’t know why you have been able to miss me.”

“oH.” Spamton used a dirty sleeve to wipe away the tears. He took a moment to mull over the words. He remembered now. The past, yes, the past. 1997. January. Overuse of magic and days of exhaustion catching up to him. Probably that hit to the head too. Ridiculously harassing his past self, which seemed stupid now that he has had a bit of sleep. One thing started to bug him. “WHY AM I INSIDE? YOU DON’T KNOW IF YOU C4N [[Trust]] [HonestMan].”

“Well, you are quite right that I can’t.” Ouch, that was blunt even for Binx. “But… Spam— Past you?— believes we can at least trust you and your word for now. Especially after your last… Comment. So… I want to trust you are both telling the truth.”

Spamton hummed. He hadn’t really noticed before, but Binx was really willing to go along with him when he was younger, wasn’t he? Could it be because he was the baby of the house or something? It seemed a little amusing that he hadn’t abused it much then. 

His gaze turned to the house. He himself sat on one of the couches in the front room. A familiar blanket bunched around him. It must’ve been the source of warmth from earlier. Generally he could tell where everything was. Years of living in this house were only dulled from time, not erased. The entryway was to his right, the kitchen and dining room to his left. A step stool rested against one of the counters. Behind him ran a hallway and staircase up. He wondered if all his old painting things were still in the hall’s end room. Did Oakley ever take her guitar back? Wait, of course everything would be there. It’s still the past. If he dared tread upstairs, he knew he’d find the colour-coded and labeled bedrooms. Still left alone for when the whole family met for any holidays. Or if they all just preferred home for their meeting instead of Cyber Grill.

For only two people, the house was rather big. Supposedly their parents were quite successful, and that’s how they afforded the house. He didn’t really know, they were long gone. Even before the Call. The house seemed smaller when there used to be seven addisons living here years ago. Not long after it reached seven, there were five whole occupants left. There were four, and after that there were two. Then. Then, there was only one left in the family home. To his knowledge, it stayed that way until he went back to 1997. Now there were two.

Living in a big bunch was great and all. Until you started to feel crowded and wanted to do your own thing. Wanted privacy.

Now that he was in his old home, all the pushed down nostalgia and longing skittered in him. It clenched his throat and left it parched. He missed it, living with his siblings. He would give anything to have another movie filled night with buttered popcorn. A static-filled sigh left him, much like a tired dog would make. If the dog was a low quality video.

“Spamton?” Binx’s voice pulled him from his musings. He hadn’t even noticed his mind slipping from reality again. It felt odd to have someone interrupt it, and drag him from that void of thoughts. He turned to Binx, noticing that at some point he had stood and looked down at him. If only he had nerves in his hands, maybe he would have felt Binx stand up. 

“YE S?”

“It’s Friday, and we were planning on going to the Cyber Grill.” Binx paused. He took a deep breath in. He continued, “Spam was wondering if you would want to join us there.”

“...”

“Otherwise you would be left alone in the house. You don’t… You don’t seem like you should be left to your own devices, regardless of why you’re here.”

“I SUPP— 1 5UPP053— I SUPPOSE!! I HAVEN;T BEEN THERE SINCE 1999… Th4T’S” He twitched and wondered if he should call Binx his younger brother. Spamton was technically older now. “[Lost Friends] [[Abandoned]]. WHERE ARE MY [$49.99 Prescription] [[Dealmaker]]? I CAN BARELY SEE.”

He watched as Binx repeated the word with furrowed eyebrows before nodding and stepping away. Spamton tried watching for a moment, then gave up bothering. He fiddled with his fingers again. His thoughts turned back to family.

Spamton wondered how his family had changed over the years, in his own lifetime. It didn’t really matter. But he couldn’t help but think about it. Going to the past was much like visiting relatives you saw only on holidays. They saw you and expected you to be the same as before. Nothing changed, stuck in a static moment of life and assumptions. Except. Now it was only him. He was a distant family member, expecting the same old and thought to be the same to anyone who would believe him. He would be in the wrong just as much as the believers. Still it differed, as he noticed things that the young him didn’t. He never saw how Binx trusted him so much, and certainly wasn’t aware of how willing to believe his past was. Is? Considering where he sat, perhaps he should consider speaking of the past as now rather than then. He likely couldn’t go back to his time, for the foreseeable future.

He chuckled at the thought.

Fear of being an outsider to his siblings wormed through him. Even after the fallout between most of them, he had still been family to them. Doubt was to be expected. Certainly it would take time for them to all be convinced of the absurdity of time travel. Especially with how he looked. Little Spam growing to become what looked like a sickly, black market dealing, media stereotypical druggie? Complete with the manic behaviour and constant twitching? Laughable. Yael wouldn’t believe it. Pascal neither. Oakley he wasn’t sure about, and clearly Binx already sat on the fence. Spam? He would see. Would Spam believe him or did he just pity him?

Spamton’s vision cleared with pink, orange, and yellow hues. It was jarring for a moment before his mind registered why it happened. “OH! THANKS.”

“Of course.”

The pause of silence didn’t stick around. A third voice joined the room. “Oh good. He’s awake just in time!”

“[[Rise And Shine Sleepyhead!]]” Spamton looked behind at the doppelgänger. The Spam of this time came from the hallway into the living room. He too twiddled his fingers much like Spamton, but his hands weren’t made of plastic. He wore white flats instead of the green heels from earlier, but otherwise looked the same. 

Nothing more jarring after a nap than to see yourself without a mirror. A reflection that didn’t flip or copy you exactly. Even his magic sorta-clones didn’t feel the same strange way. They were too small and never looked exactly like him. Had he always looked so… Nerdy? Tiny? Like a walking ball of raw cotton wearing clothes? Sure he had seen Spam earlier, but he had been running off of solely the high of success at that point. Really, he should have passed out when he first went back in time. It turned out time travel back almost 3 whole decades took a lot of energy.

“How did you sleep? You didn’t sleep long. Just an hour. We’re late at this point, so it’s good Binx woke you.”

Binx left the area, saying something about needing different shoes and giving a thumbs up to Spam. Spam returned one in kind with a smile.

“I SLEPT [Like A] [Ga-Ga] [Baby]!!!” This was like a literal and worse version of projecting on Kris. “W3 ARE GOING 2     ThE CYBER GRILL? [New Year's Resolutions!]”

As Spamton spoke, he had an idea of what day it could be. Regret over his two second thought agreement filled him. Maybe, he thought, he didn’t actually want to deal with the reality of being ‘other’ to the rest of his family. This was a terrible idea. But he already agreed and didn’t want to— No, he couldn’t back out. Staying alone in this house would kill him more than his family could.

“Oh! Binx actually convinced you? It was my idea.” So he had heard from Binx. “I’m glad you agreed! You just— You kinda—”

“L0OK LIKE [Behave Like A Slime]?? [Hungering For Great Deals And More]?!.!” Spamton interrupted with a laugh of his own volition. Time to get up. He pushed off the blanket and swung his legs, actually sitting on the couch. He paused and then carefully stood up. His feet still stumbled. “oR IS IT [my] CLOTHES?”

“Eh— A bit of both.”

He hummed like a computer fan. The semi-permanent smile on his face turned almost sly and kinda sad, “YOU’RE TOO [Honest]. TOO [Trusting]. YOU CANT TRU5T ANYONE, [Kid].” He stepped towards Spam and gestured to where Binx stood. He ignored the looks on both of them, “NOT EVEN YOUR OWN [Friends And Family Discount!]. NOT YOURSELF AND NOT THE PHONE, NOT THE PHONE, NOT THE PHONE—”

Spamton kept repeating the last phrase like a broken record. Not the phone, no. He couldn’t trust it, it had to be made clear. A glitch shot through him and he started laughing with blackened glasses. He curled in on himself, with hands clawing towards his hair as if to grab it. Why, why, why, Heaven, why? He did what he was supposed to, what was this terrible feeling and the god awful ringing in his ears? This wasn’t right. This wasn’t right. What was this? Why was it like this again? Where was he? This wasn’t his hideaway, this wasn’t a safe spot.

“IT’S SO DARK [Gamma] IS IT STILL SO DARK?!?!!? I DID EVER  YTHING RIGHT WHY IS IT ALWAYS DARK!? [Y]!?.! [[Unintelligible Laughter]]”

Faintly he felt something touch his greasy hair. Luck was with him and he yanked at his hair, feeling a sharp tug. He shuddered and stumbled, yanking again. Spamton’s head shot up, and the colour returned to his glasses. He saw the look on the other addisons. Staring at him. He didn’t like it. He tugged a third time to make sure he forced himself back into reality.

Carry on, carry on. Don’t think about it, don’t let it be real.

“WELL, SINCE WE’rE [Late Night] WE MIGHT AS WELL GO NOW.”

“Are you alright?”

Ignore, ignore. He didn’t register who asked. Only a momentary pause and then he pushed past it with a dismissive answer, “I’M [Please Try Again Later]!! LET’S GO. AND GET THIS. OVER WITH. I ALREADY [Being Afraid] SPEAKING TO P4SCAL AND YAEL AGAIN. OAKLEY THOUGH.”

He walked towards the door and changed the subject in his mind. Ignore the previous train. Not important. The taste of caffeine and sweet, sugar filled espressos crossed his mind. “I ALMOST M1SS HAVING A COFF3E [Addicted To These Sweet Rides?].”

He opened the door and left the house, stopping only to give a wide and expectant smile to Spam and Binx. They were late, didn’t Spam mention? Yes. He focused on that goal as the three of them headed off to the Cyber Grill. No one commented on the fact that Spamton still wore the same clothes. A complete disaster with stringy hair hanging in front of his face, staining his glasses.

The walk to the Grill wasn’t too long from the house. Awkward but only 15ish minutes. Spamton filled the uncomfortable silence with random quips and nonsense. Maybe it would make who he was more believable. Or it would make the other two also ignore his weird behaviour from not too long ago. Kris was good at that. They should be too. He spoke words riddled with stutters, ads, and straight up electronic noises. Such as how it was difficult to keep white hair constantly dyed a dark colour, especially with no money. 

Only a few times did Spam say anything, asking questions about a future Spamton lived in. He spoke of a lost grandeur, of fancy clothes and expensive dining. He had been describing how soft his old bed had been when he saw the sign. He tripped over his feet and he let out a telephone dial tone. Binx opened his mouth but apparently whatever he had to say died on his tongue. 

They were in front of The Cyber Grill.

It looked as it had always. Of course it did, Spamton retorted to his thoughts. It was the past. Of course it would look the same. That didn’t help his mind from stuttering like an old machine at the sight. The dial tone noise turned to an Emergency Alert noise as he looked up at the Grill’s glowing sign. In the corner of his eyes he saw Binx and Spam continue on, walking to the door. He wanted to follow but his knees wouldn’t respond.

“Spamton?”

Something burned his shoulder. He jerked away from the sensation, vision flip flopped as his head glitched. Spamton forced his body under his control and looked to the voice. A ring of silence followed the cut off of the emergency beep noise. 

“WHAT?”

It was his little 21 year old self, looking up at him with furrowed eyebrows and a frown. That’s all it was. Just himself, a hand held up as if it had been on something. That something being his shoulder. That’s all it was. Was he that unused to physical contact that his mind would only register a threat? Too long on his own affecting him? Or did his past self just have really cold hands?

“Are you… Well, no. But will you be okay? Actually going inside?”

He really didn’t want to think about it. Time for what he was best at, or at least pretended he was good at.

“EAHAHAHAHAA!!!! HUH??? WHAT?? OF COURSE [Little Sponge]! I AM [[Mentally Unstable]] FINE!”

Spam’s face didn’t change for the positive. His eyes squinted more and his frown deepened. That was not the look of someone reassured. Augh, Goddamn it. He really couldn’t say a thing without making it worse. He followed Spam as they all headed inside. Ignore the glances from Spam, ignore the bystanders looking at him strangely. 

“YOU KNOW!” Spamton hesitantly began anew. “BELIEVE IT OR          !! [Banned 4 Life] HERE FOR A F3W YEARS! APPARENTLY FIGHTING IS AGAINST THE RULES.”

“There you two are!” Someone interrupts him, cutting off the topic he had decided on rambling about this time. “We knew you’d be late when you called, but it’s been— Who the hell is that?”

“This is—” Spam’s voice faded to a buzzing and ringing telephone in Spamton’s ears.

Pascal.

Tall, pink, foul-mouthed, sweet, huggy, traitorous… 

Pascal.

He missed Pascal.

He hated Pascal. He never wanted to see them again.

He wished he had come back home and apologised to Pascal. Maybe left on better terms. He couldn’t remember exactly why he started the last fight. There were mixed feelings about them. Then his eyes looked to the others at the table. There was Yael and Oakley too. He expected this but it wasn’t the same as actually seeing them.

Sitting across from Pascal was Yael. The second oldest, yet had been the second shortest as well. Well. Now they were the same height. Spam was still shorter than him. Yael’s hair and fur stood on end like normal, somehow always electrically charged. He was reminded of fun days cheating at carnival games, of hours spent being taught how colour coordination helped sales, playing new video games, shocks on accident, shocks on purpose… He was reminded of bared teeth, a yellow hand holding back a white one from trying to take an eye out, blood pouring from Pascal’s nose, and deep slashes on Yael’s cheek. Yael had been the most sympathetic, but everything had a straw that broke the camel’s back.

He hadn’t seen either of them since 1999. Not since that night. They both had good reason to never see him. But… But they still left him. They left him. After all he tried to give back? They left. Why did they leave?

He always kept his claws clipped dangerously short after that. For promotional reasons, of course. Nothing else. Definitely not because he didn’t want to accidentally hurt family like that again or see that horrified look on Pascal a second time. Looking friendly or looking handsome was very good for ads. Claws weren’t usually ‘safe and sexy’ even if every addison had them. …His fingers hurt for days on end.

Oakley, though. She sat next to Pascal. They were his new favourite sibling, he decided to himself. She hadn’t been there that night, only hearing of it secondhand. They had left on surprisingly good terms, and contact had been kept up for a few years after. Binx had tried to keep calling him, trying to get everyone back together and apologising. Tried to force the family back to what it had been before. Spamton figured it was an eldest sibling thing. Much more preferred, Oakley had waited until Spamton reached out. They were the first and only one he called, since she was the farthest from the entire conflict. Until he threw himself off the grid almost entirely, they had small meetups filled with coffee and laughter. The last time he saw her was 16 years ago. He recalled it being the day before he evicted himself a little too late. He could remember that day in great detail.

He missed having a coffee addiction… But coffee wasn’t cheap, nor did it feed anyone.

Actually. It seemed kinda… Funny. That in a way Spam had been the one to get him in a reunion. The very person that stopped him from it. Years and years of radio silence. Stopped because the family baby requested his sweet big brother to ask the strange man to join the weekly family meetup. There must have been some sort of cosmic humour in that.

The distant sound of pitch changing, manic laughter pulled him out of his memories. The world seemed unreal and blurry. Had it been like that a moment ago? He didn’t know. What was that laughter? Who was laughing? Oh wait, that giddy feeling jumped in his chest and throat. It was him. He was laughing. Why? His tic? There wasn’t anything funny about this situation. The past was in front of him. Shocked, confused, disbelieving, worried. Most of that last one on Spam’s face. How strange to see.

“SO—SO—SoR—” Spamton tried saying in between his fit of laughter. The attempt left him breathless. He tried again with pre-programmed words, “[[Apologises For This Interruption. We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties.]]!!!”

“Spamton? You know how we love you and all… Yeah?” Yael first spoke up after the laughing fit. At first Spamton thought he was talking to him, then saw Yael looking at his past. Not himself.

“No, no, I know that. But I swear, that’s what’s going on! That’s what he said. So far I believe it.” Oh, Spam must have explained what little he knew about the situation while Spamton had… Spaced out. At least that answered an earlier question.

“You are easy to trick, and it could be a scam.”

“What could he even get from such a ridiculous scam?! All he’s done is pass out on the lawn.” Spam gestured an arm wildly at Spamton, “He didn’t even try offering— Wait, no. He did offer money to break the phone. But that’s not really a scam. Just really weird.”

“That’s suspicious as fuck, Spam.” Pascal pointed out. They took a sip of their drink. When did they get that? Wait. When did everyone but himself sit down at the booth?

Best not let this continue on. He couldn’t let a fight start between his past and Pascal. He did hesitate, though. Would it help the situation?

“You sure would believe a stranger. Easily. Any story would get a meal from you.” That was Oakley. Okay, now.

“THERE ARE [Top 10 Easy Ways To] TRICK SPAMTON” Spamton agreed. He flapped his hands in the air as he thought. No way would he go through such effort just for a meal. Time travel? Hell no, too complex. He could have just said his wallet got stolen and Spam would have offered his own money. That would have been so much easier. “FOR EXAMPLE. I COULD. I COULD… What am I trying to accomplish by this…?”

He froze mid hand waggle, his last words a mumble. Best not to waste the breath. With a sigh, he dropped his arms and glanced his hidden eyes at his siblings. “CAN I SIT? AND JOIN? PLEASE? I CAN [Afford These Deals] WHAT I GET. I PROMISE. YOU WON;T HAVE [Spend Spend Spend!] ANYT HING. I CAN— I CaN— I CAn— I C4N—”

“Sit down. Please.” His repeating glitch stopped when Oakley interjected, patting the empty spot next to her.

Spamton sat down, careful not to set off his glitch. Normally he’d just plop down like a weight. But he already ruined a first impression. Shouldn’t make it worse. The booth was the best seat he’s had in years. Not too soft, not too hard. Miles better than the sorry excuse of a chair he had at his little shop. He relaxed his stiff muscles against the backing of the booth. Who knew a good seat would make him feel as though the weight of the world left his shoulders?

“Who are you, really?” Yael went right to the point as always. He sat across from Spamton, next to Binx and Spam. Pascal and Oakley were on his side of the booth.

“THE NAME’S SPAMTON G. SPAMTON [(C)1997]!” Spamton shifted in his spot. Then he settled with one of his legs bouncing up and down. It shook the table lightly. “AND YOUre YAEL. STILL VERY [Yellow]. WHICH I AM NOT [Surprised Yet?] 4BOUT. BECAUSE YAEL. YELLOW. YAEL-LOW…”

Okay, so maybe he rambled while nervous. That wasn’t usual, was it? His past family didn’t seem too thrilled about it. He saw a frustrated glare from pascal and mild annoyance from Binx. Were those towards himself? He assumed so. Were they as displeased about it when he was younger? He hadn’t noticed. Or was it because he was a stranger now? Maybe the stilted words he spoke were it. He needs to try a different approach.

“W0W! THIS PLACE SURE. IS. 3XACTLY THE SAME AS IT WAS!! WHAT DAY IS IT?” He turned his head to Oakley. She was a safe person. “JANUARY 3 ND? I KNOW IT’s [The Year Of Our Lord And Saviour 1997]. IT WAS SUCH A GOOD YEAR YOU KNOW. [[My Favourite Year]]. UNFORTUNATE THAT PRINCESS DIANA [Killed] IN SUCH A [GoodYear Blimp]. BuT HEY! SCOTLAND GOT A PARLIAMENT. AND I GOT RICH! THAT… THAT ALSO. HAPPENED. WON''T AGAIN THOUGH. It CAN’T. I WON’T LET IT.”

He fiddled with his fingers, twisting them this way and that. Maybe he could take total control of the conversation, and refuse to let anyone else speak. He didn’t want to let them talk. It would hurt less. If they were silent, he could pretend this was a hallucination. That he sat in his shop on his shitty chair, and imagined a reunion again.

“Why would you want that?” Objective failed, he didn’t continue speaking. Oakley was loud over his thoughts. “Isn’t getting rich a good thing!”

That wasn’t much of a question, he decided.

“I’d want to be rich.” Spam said, tapping his fingers on the table with downcast eyes. Attention all turned to him. “I’d do a lot if I were rich. Like paying for dinner for once.”

“You know that you don’t need to do that. We can cover it...” Binx gave Spam a soft pat on the shoulder.

Ah ha! A topic he knew. This was easy. He could force everyone to be silent with this. Being polite didn’t matter right now. He saw Pascal go to speak but threw his words out even faster. “HEY H EY HEY! THAT’S A [Great Deals And More]!! WHAT IF I COVER TONIGHT COMPLETELY?!?!” Spamton pushed forward. Both verbally and physically, as he sat up and leaned against the table. His smile seemed to grow. “I HAVE ENOUGH [Wacky Stacks]. THEN EVERYONE ELSE KEEPS THEIR KROmer!”

“WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP?!” Any and all voices at the table quieted immediately at the unexpected tone coming from Pascal. Enough was enough. He hadn’t paid enough attention. He forgot they were an easy to set off trigger when stressed and annoyed. They turned a hell-fire stoked glare to Spamton, baring their teeth. This looked far too familiar. “Stop talking. None of us know who you are, and I frankly don’t give a shit.”

None of the group noticed his flinching at their words. Too focused on the second youngest with mixed emotions. Spamton quickly clacked his mouth closed and shrunk away from his sibling the pink Addison. His fur bristled and he held his arms stiffly at his sides. 

Spamton could swear he felt his fingers and knuckles ache, despite not having any hands to hurt.

Yael gapped at the explosive reaction. “Pascal!”

“What?!” Pascal threw their hands up. “He’s clearly fucked in the head! What sane person goes around claiming to be from the future? Who looks like that? No one! Spamton’s got a goddamn bleeding heart, letting him tag along.”

Spam jerked away at the backhanded sort-of-compliment, his jaw dropping. The others all saw that. Binx patted his back and traced circles on his shoulders. Yael turned a glare on Pascal and Oakley was shifting in her spot with grinding teeth.

“You’re ruining what was suppose to be a fucking family meet up.” Pascal carried on, their look worsening and fully focused on the stunned Spamton. “You’re just some crazy, glitched up and broken Addison. We don’t know you.”

“You can’t say things like that!” Oakley leaned back in her seat, sending a look right back at them. She crossed her arms, “Why would you say that?!”

“Look at him! His clothes are falling apart at the seams. He’s so dirty he might as well be dirt! And then, he has the fucking audacity to offer to pay for dinner?”

“Is that really what got you in a twist? It’s an offer. You’re being petty as hell.”

“We were all thinking about it! Right?!” Pascal looked at Binx for support. He scowled. They glanced at Yael. Nothing. “I can’t be the only one! One of these times Spamton’s going to help the wrong darkner. It’s starting to get real worrying.”

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t think…” Spamton spoke up, shaking in his spot. Any bit of a smile turned down. He froze when he felt the table’s eyes on him. Waiting with breath held. Hot frustration whipped through his chest like a hurricane. A growl built in his throat and his fist raised up high, then slammed down on the table. Everyone jumped at the sound. A hole dented in the table, punching half through it with splintered lines spreading out like a spider web. His plastic hand cracked. “GODDAMMIT! WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN [Twice]?!?!”

Spamton tensed and then threw himself to his feet, stumbling away from the table. His static filled gaze looked from the hole to everyone. They all were staring at him, or glaring at him in Pascal’s case. Panic flitter through their eyes. He clenched his hands with a frown. Punching a table usually did that. 

Spamton breathed in deep… And let it out. Apathy filled the void his whirlwind emotions left behind. He didn’t want to repeat a mistake completely. “LOOK. I GET IT. I WOULDN’T LIKE SOM3ONE [Offers So Low I’ll—] EITHER.”

He checked his inner jacket pocket and counted out a few hundred Dark Dollars. Who knew he could get a teenager to give him so much for some random junk and the KEYGEN? Setting a counted amount on the table, his frown turned back to a bright smile. A fake one, but one all the same. “HERE. THAT’S ENOUGH 4 WHAT YOU’LL GET,, AND SOME. JUST TAKE IT. DON;T QUESTION. I’LL TAKE [My] L34VE. YOU WOnT SEE ME IF YOU [Don’t] WANT.”

Spamton turned around and left the Cyber Grill. He didn’t look back, ignoring the yelling from the addison family.

[trueshellz]

Meet Cute Event for @ghost-party

Warnings: clumsy reader, fluffy, minor angst, injury, swearing

Author's Note: Somehow managed to delete this and here I am posting it again. FFS

Summary: When a cute but clumsy neighbour moves in next door, the last thing Getou wants it so be involved with her.

Follow up: Chaos (NSFW)

Getou was woken by the sound of a loud bang and crash, the sound way too loud in the dead of the night rousing him from his sleep. Glaring at the clock through his dark locks, he groaned when it read 1.24am back at him. Rolling out of bed to the window, he looked around to see a car parking up next door. The streetlamps lighting the area, bouncing off the planes of your face as you pulled your suitcases to the front door. He watched in amazement as one rolled down the road, stifling a laughter as he saw you run after it only to fall on your face, dragging it back up the street before half throwing it on the ground.

Suguru would not get involved, no way. He was happy keeping to himself, he didn't need any distractions in his life. Not unless they were easy and willing to spread their legs with no expectation of him calling back. Sex was just sex, no strings attached.

Shaking his head, he flopped back into bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

Loud music blared through the walls, so loud he could feel the bass in his bones. The walls vibrating so much that his wall art was moving with the beat. Putting down his saw and tugging off his goggles, he wiped the sweat and sawdust off his chest with a wet rag before swearing loudly. The noise was bearable at first, but steadily getting louder each passing hour until he couldn't take it anymore.

The walk to the house only increasing the volume as he walked up your stairs he screamed as his foot went through the third one. Tugging it free, again swearing loudly, he knocked on the front door once. Twice. Three times. Peering through the windows was useless since they were covered and when he knocked on those it made no difference. Praying to the heavens, Getou knocked once more loudly before he tried the door, relieved yet annoyed that you had left the door open.

"Hel-"

You were having a great time, wearing your favourite t-shirt, listening to your favourite tunes and painting the walls this gorgeous blue colour. Your hair out of your face with a car headband and paintbrush in your hand while spread the paint over the wall. The ladder wobbling next to you made you jump, yelping a little when it started moving sideways. The paint tin landing with a splat on a person's head.

"-lo?"

Oh no.

Dark hair (now covered in blue paint), low rise jeans barely holding up with a loose belt and heavy boots on his feet. The arms bulging, you could see the veins sticking out and the vague definition of his abs through the makeshift ocean dripping down his chest and stomach.

"Oh shit."

Getou was very much not impressed, not only was the little menace prancing around in short shorts but she had left the door unlocked. Wiping the paint from his face, he looked at you in disdain. Your arms and legs were covered in paint smears, face flushed from the laughter you were holding in.

Wait, what?

"You really think this is funny, little girl?"

You couldn't help it really. Hand covering your mouth as your body shook, eyes filling with tears from doing so. The situation getting so much worse when he started to walk over to you, a yelp from your mouth as you tried to run away but your plan thwarted when he grabbed you and tugged. Except both your legs got tangled in the sheets you had laid down and his arms were slippery from the paint. The combining factors had you both falling onto the ground, his chest pressed to yours as you landed with an oof back first.

Staring up at him, you laughed out loud at the paint dripping onto your body as his hands braced over your head. You were vaguely aware of the pain in your back from landing awkwardly, his eyes now filled with a mixture of anger and mirth as he looked down at you. You could feel the paint squishing between your bodies, your legs tangled in his and-

Oh.

"You keep moving sweetheart, you may not like where this ends up."

Heat bloomed, a full on shudder running through your body at the low pitch of his words. Your hands reaching out to touch his chest before moving back, repeating the motion a few times until he leaned forward enough for your hand to reach. He was so warm, even with the cold paint smearing his skin. The blue looked amazing against the tanned skin of his chest, the way it dripped down his body made him look like a work of art.

"Mind telling me why your door was unlocked and you were prancing around like that where anyone could have grabbed you?

"I-"

"And how are you not deaf with that loud racket? You didn't even hear me come in."

"But-"

"And what the hell is this colour anyway? I looks like a bubblegum machine threw up on me."

You'd had enough.

Shirking down under his arm, you scrambled to stand before kicking him in the butt except you missed and kicked the paint can instead. A loud yelp leaving your mouth as your foot collided with the metal with a thump, hopping up and down as you held it.

"Ow. Ow. Ow owowowowowow!"

"Lemme take a-"

"No! You stay away you big... big... meanie!"

"Wait, lemme-"

"No! You've said enough. I know how you feel. So you can just leave. The doors that way."

Hobbling over even though your toes were killing you, you pulled the door open and pointed at the exit. You could feel your nose tingling, eyes starting to water from the pain but you were determined not to cry in front of him. No way.

Getou knew he had fucked up, he watched as the light in your eyes faded. The giggles die out with each sentence he said, from the way you were holding yourself he could tell you were in pain. Standing up, he walked over to reach for your injured foot, stopping himself when you moved it away.

Dropping his head, he walked to the porch and jumped when the door slammed behind him. Walking down the stairs, swearing again when his foot caught in the stairs.

Karma was a bitch.

Getou was officially confused and worried. For the last 2 days he hadn't seen or heard you, there was no loud thump of music from your house and no banging around. He knew he fucked up, knew he had hurt you and wanted to make it up to you. Maybe offer to help you out with the DIY you were doing or offer to fix your broken porch.

He jumped up when he heard a car outside your apartment, running to the window to see you hobbling out a taxi with a crutch in your hand. And now he felt worse. He watched as you waved goodbye to the driver before you made your way up the stairs. His heart lurched when he realised you would have to go past the broken step.

What if you hurt yourself?

Or broke your foot this time?

Or fell and hit your head?

He sighed a breath once you bypassed the step from hell, door closing as you entered your home. He saw your lights switch on, noticed that you had taken the sheets off the windows allowing him to see into your home. He watched as you moved slowly to the sofa and plopped down, throwing the crutch at the room before facepalming yourself. Getou couldn't help but smile as he watched you pout and crawl over to it before dragging it back.

Before he knew what was happening, he was walking over to your house (vaulting over the porch ledge) and knocking on your door. Mentally slapping himself when he realised how stupid it was, checking the door and once again, finding it open. He watched the emotions flit over your face: confusion, shock, annoyance and then nothing as he walked in and crouched down in front of you.

"Come to yell at me again?"

"No."

"Then why did you come over? Pity? Wanted to watch the new girl flail and hurt herself again?"

"Look, I know you're pissed. You have every right to be, I handled myself badly. I... I wanna apologise. If you'll let me?"

You watched as he checked your foot, the same warmth spanning up your leg. His rough fingers tracing the bandage that you had on there, lifting to put it on his knee while he looked at you. Dark eyes full of worry, hair tied in a bun with a hoodie and jeans. Peering down you could see he wasn't wearing anything under it, the faint spatter of hair on his chest. Abs and pecs outlined, you could see one of his dusky nipples and-

"Should I strip off for you, little menace?"

Huh?

"Sorry, I-"

A smile graced his lips, a sharp contrast to the aloof and stern face you had seen. Your neighbour-

Wait.

"I don't even know your name."

You watched as his eyes widened at your words, a grin covering his face.

"Getou. Suguru Getou."

[wannabe-amateur-writer]

Levi Ackerman X Femme Reader: Sick Boy Soldier, Modern AU

Inspired by the song: Sick Boy Soldier but you're at a party and Levi Ackerman saw you.

Sick Boy Soldier: By Palaye Royale.

Listen to it whilst reading this if you would like.

***

You weren't exactly dragged to this disco. More like you and your friend suddenly wound up here after deciding to go on a late night walk.

The disco was lit with neon lights, meaning some areas were murky. A lot of people were smoking, to your distaste, but for some reason you stayed put. The music was just at the right volume and it wasn't blaring out deafening noises. It matched the setting flawlessly.

So did he...

"Y/n, you're staring", your friend nudged you once realising who you were staring at.

You snapped out of your trance, quickly taking a sip of your drink to recompose yourself from the embarrassment.

''He's hot'', your friend stated. Eyes traveling back to the stranger, your body tingled with a feeling quite alien to you. You unwillingly found yourself nodding your head in agreement and only knew what you were doing once hearing the muffled snicker of your friend.

"Shut up", you mumble, setting your eyes downcast to look at the table instead.

"He's looking at you", your friend whispered after a few seconds.

"Liar", you retort, taking another sip of your drink with a metal straw.

"I swear his eyes are traveling towards your direction", your eyes rolled at your friend's words.

"He's definitely staring at you".

Your eyes glanced up to catch his eyes, just briefly though as your phone went off. You received a text from another friend, luckily your phone was already placed upwards on the table so you didn't have to pick it up.

"He's so fucking hot", your friend blurted.

You hit their thigh lightly with the back of your hand, indicting they should shut up but they didn't take the hint.

"He's literally devouring you with his eyes", they went on.

A small smirk met his lips, as if he heard that once you looked back up.

"Oh shit...", you murmur, thinking he did actually hear.

"Chill, he's quite far away, plus this music is kinda loud", they reassure you.

'Oh, I heard it'.

His eyes travel back to his friend, who was blabbering this whole time. He responded back.

"Damn, you hear how silky his voice is?!", your friend gushed. The man's eyes landed back in your direction.

'Silky?'

"Oh my god...", you face palm, "he sure as fuck heard that".

'So adorable'.

This time his orbs didn't move from your figure. Your body sizzled under his intense gaze.

"Go talk to him dude! The man can't stop looking at ya", your friend encouraged you, nudging you again, "and from the looks of it, neither can you".

"Very funny", you comment at the last bit, your eyes only wandering from your glass to the stranger.

His chin was being held up by his index finger, his head facing his friend but his eyes were solely on you, occasionally glancing back at his friend but only for a brief second or two. His figure was illuminated by the neon lights behind him, making him stand out more than usual.

"His attention is just on you. It's like he's not even aware his friend is still there", they say.

"You're fawning", you point out.

"You're literally drooling", they shot back causing you to roll your eyes again. You received another message.

"Someone's popular tonight".

"It was the same person", you retort, picking up the phone to swiftly respond. Once putting your phone back down, your eyes inadvertently flicker towards the man. Once locking eyes with him, he smirks again.

"He winked at you!!!!", your friend squeaked, "oh my lord. Go talk to him, like now".

You didn't know how to handle this but realised the pungent stench of cigarettes was getting more prominent.

"Ugh, it stinks so bad in here", your face scrunched up in disgust as you cover your nose and mouth with a hand.

'Now there's another cute expression'.

"We'll leave after you speak to him", your friend remarks.

"Are you serious? No, not happening. He's probably just bored and looking around", you try come up with excuses, not realising you said it a bit too loud.

'Bored? Yes, until my eyes landed on you and your amusing expressions'.

''Go to him dude or you'll regret it", your friend said, eyebrows wiggling.

"No, no. He's probably not even interested. Let's just leave".

"Oof, too late", your friend instantly scurried off.

"Hey, where are you-?", you halted once you glanced up to see the man was gone. Someone sat down to your right. From the corner of your eye, you realised it was him.

'Oh god. Oh fuck!!', you thought, freaking the hell out.

"Hey", he said, facing you. His back was right against the elongated baroque styled sofa.

'Okay, his voice is so fucking smoky and hot'.

"Hey-hi", you stammer for words, desperately trying to shake your thoughts.

"You don't seem like the sort to come here", he continued.

You laugh nervously, "haha, yeah, no. I dislike it here".

"Mm, I see why", he faced ahead instead.

"Do you come here often?'', you ask.

Maybe you shouldn't have because now you regained his attention. His eyes swallowed you whole.

He chuckled slightly, "yeah, you could say that".

You felt like you were missing something from what he said.

"Oh... Do you smoke?"

He shook his head, "nah, it tastes and smells disgusting".

He got that right.

You look ahead at his friend who was conversing with someone else. His eyes dart towards you again, taking you all in. He leaned in but you only realised once the back of his index finger stroked up and down near your temple. You jolt from shock before you felt your rapidly beating heart sprinting inside of you.

He again chuckled at your reaction.

"What's your name?", he asked.

"My-my name? Oh, um... It's Y/n! My name is Y/n", you stutter, almost forgetting everything about yourself, "what's-what's yours?"

"My name's Levi. Nice to meet'cha, Y/n'', he gives you a half smile as his index finger wraps around a strand of your silky hair.

"You too...", you manage to breathe out, closing your eyes for a second.

After a little bit of chatting with Levi (who was still playing with the strand of your hair), you remember your friend.

"Oh! Sorry, I have to go", you swiftly state, "my friend– they're waiting for me. I'm so sorry. Bye!", you apologise, getting up and gathering your stuff. You give him a wave with a sheepish smile before heading off.

You barely just caught onto his words, "see ya around Y/n".

You find your friend, Zara, pretty easily as she was near the exit. Once she saw you, her eyes lit up in excitement.

"So how'd it go??", she asked.

"Okay, he was nice but I'll probably never see him again. Anyways let's go", you say, wanting to cut the conversation short and keep the details to a minimum.

'Every second that passed that I was still near him made me melt. His voice was as smooth as honey. His eyes were like black holes and they were consuming me and my every move. His touch though... That was the worst of them all. Every time he touched me, my skin was on fire and I think he knew it too'.

"Wait, I gotta grab my phone. Brb", she exclaimed, disappearing into the crowd once more.

You decided to meet her by the car, you couldn't stand being in there another second. Your mind still ran back to when you asked Levi if he went there often. You definitely didn't pick up on something but what?

"Back!!", Zara yelled, unlocking the door for you. You swiftly open the door to the passenger seat, it was too damn cold right now.

"I'm sleeping over yours tonight'', Zara breathed out once inside the car. You giggle at her reaction before agreeing.

~Time Skip~

After the two of you got some pizza, you both went to your house. Once inside, your roommate greeted you.

"You guys are back so late", he stated.

"But Y/n messaged you back", Zara stated, "plus her eyes were a little too preoccupied''. She nudged you before joining Zach on the couch.

"Wait, what?''

"Y/n met a guy-"

"Zara!!", you shout at her.

"What?", she innocently shrugs her shoulders.

"Shut. Up", you chuck your purse at her which she just about managed to catch.

"I want details!!", Zach now sat cross legged on the couch, eagerly staring at you both.

You facepalm as Zara goes on about how hot he was and how you were almost drooling.

"Y/nnn", the two whine on the couch as you move about the house, putting things away.

"Yes?", you groan.

"What was his name?", Zara asked for at least the hundredth time.

"Levi. His name was Levi. And why are you both making such a big deal out of it? It's not like I'll ever see him again".

Zara had a grin plastered on her face as she held up your phone, "I wouldn't be too sure about that".

You squint your eyes at her, "what did you do?"

"Well you know how I said I had to go and grab my phone...?"

"You got his number, didn't you?"

She gave you a sheepish grin as your phone went off, "he texted you".

Your eyes widen as you sprint towards her, snatching your phone from her grasp. You leave to your room as your two friends whine in complaint. You only did that because you knew she would have read the message out loud and responded back.

You peer at your phone to see that he did in fact message you.

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋: Hey, this is Levi (the guy from the disco). Your friend gave me your number.

Your eyes widen at the name Zara put down for him. Why did you expect her to put a sensible name anyways?

You: Hi, I'm so sorry about her. I swear she meant well, I'm also really sorry if she threatened you for your number.

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋: It's okay, I was actually the one who asked her for your number.

You: Wait... Really??

A small blush adorned your cheeks as a smile arose on your lips.

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋: Yeah.

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋: Sorry, I just wanted to talk to you more.

The blood in your body warmed up so much. This guy was very straightforward and candid.

You: It's okay, I'm glad you did so but I doubt you even remember my name, never mind what I look like.

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋 is typing...

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋: your name is Y/N. (E/c) eyes. (H/l), (h/c) hair. (H).

You: Okay... I guess you do remember.

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋: Apart from my name, what do you remember about me?

You: you have kinda short, black hair and grey eyes that look a little bit blue. You're pretty tall, like really tall.

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋: Hm, I didn't actually expect you to remember.

You: 😇

You: Me neither... But luckily I did.

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋: Are you free tomorrow?

You: After 2:30pm, I am.

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋: Would you like to grab a coffee?

Did you really want to? He was a complete stranger after all. But it would be in a public setting so he wouldn't be able try anything. You bit your lower lip as you weighed out the options.

'C'mon Y/n, just give the guy a shot. He could be a genuine guy'.

'What's the point, he'll lose interest as quickly as he gained it'.

'You never know until you take the chance'.

Your phone pinged again.

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋: I'll be sure to make it worth your while. 

You bit your lip even more but the smile you were trying to mask peaked it's way through.

You: Where and when?

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋: 4pm, at L'Vistro's?

You: Sounds cool. I'll see you then.

#Fawning💋😍😘🤤👅💋: Okay, night Y/N.

You: Goodnight Levi.

You turned off your phone and stared at the blank screen for a few minutes, the messages still carved into your mind. You let out a small squeal in delight. You couldn't believe this... Maybe Zara giving out your number to a complete stranger actually worked in your favour for once.

~ ~ ~

I know Levi isn't tall but he is in the fic.

[wish-i-wasnt-a-coward]

Books and Anxiety: Dating edition

a/n: sooo, I know this isn’t actually in the right order BUT. This story absolute slaps, like I’ve never been prouder of my writing. Historical AUs my beloved. If you enjoy this shit to give it some love folks, pls. 

Parings: analogical,  very background brotherly prinxiety and dukexiety as well as platonic logicality 

Warnings: a little bit of self deprecation, anxiety (this is Virgils pov), and one sex mention at the very end (just skip the bonus to avoid it) 

Word count: 1,260

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

Virgil tapped his foot. Why had he thought this was a good idea. Stupid. Too many things could go wrong, they could get kicked out of the Library, Logan could decide he wasn’t worth the energy, Logan might not even show up! Maybe he had already realized how awful Virgil was and never wanted to see him again.  

He glanced at his watch, 4:46. Okay, Logan was 15 minutes late, there are worse things to be. Plenty of things could have happened between the printing press and the downtown library. 

Virgil watched as the horses trotted happily down the cobblestone street. Oh to be a horse. Free of cute boys who make your heart feel like it's gonna explode and then stand you up. 

It was shocking that Logan even saw something in Vigil. He didn’t particularly like standing out. His dirty grey trench coat and cap helped him blend into the grimy shadows. He wasn’t good-looking or particularly smart and worked in a factory. Whereas Logan was a brilliant budding writer who was, to put it lightly, ridiculously gorgeous. Yet he had asked Virgil out.

Virgil rubbed his face, in his rush to get to the library he had forgotten to wash it (shut up, he was excited). He had used a ‘borrowed’ kerchief from his brother Roman but there was probably soot covering his entire body. If Logan was to show up who’s to say he wouldn’t take one look at Virgil and leave.

  The man leaned against the tree behind him. Nodding to passersby and trying to look like he wasn’t screaming inside. 

Few more minutes of torture later, Logan made an appearance. His worn brown jacket and blue tie flapped behind him as he sprinted across the street towards Virgil. He was missing his hat and his brown hair was disheveled. “I am so sorry” he panted. 

Virgil put a hand on his shoulder, “s’ fine, I wasn’t here long” he said softly. Logan smiled, catching his breath, “thank goodness, I- well, I got caught up in an article and time escaped me, again” Virgil chuckled gently, “I could tell” he said, pointing to Logan’s ink-stained hands. 

Logan flushed a little and accepted the offered kerchief, wiping his hands vigorously. “So uh, the library” Virgil nodded, “after you” he murmured and smiled down at Logan as the lovely man’s blush only deepened. 

The downtown library was much smaller than the uptown one. It housed more rebellious volumes and the librarians were far nicer. It was an old brownstone that had been sold to the town a few years ago. The once lovely building was sorely neglected and had fallen into disrepair. The town didn’t want to spend much money on it, so they stuck some books inside. 

All in all a perfect first date for two gay men in the early 1900’s.

The librarian waved happily at Logan as he entered the building, “well how do ya do Mr. Berry” Logan smiled “I’m quite well Mx. Heart, this is my um- this is Virgil Storm” Mx. Heat beamed. “Oh my! I heard so much about you, would it be alright if I hugged you. Ohhh” Virgil looked at Logan, baffled, who shrugged. Mx. Heart wrapped Virgil in an impressively strong hug before ushering the two away. After all, it was a date. 

Virgil carefully walked through the crowded rows of books. Books were placed haphazardly on every available surface, the few desks had piles of books on and/or underneath them. 

Despite the chaos, Logan seemed to know exactly where everything was. Virgil nervously looked away from his date towards one of the books on top of the pile. 

‘The wild olive; by the basil king,’ someone liked food, goodness. Virgil put down the book and continued his search. His attention was caught by a big black book ‘spiders’ which was printed on the back in spindly silver font. Virgil’s breath caught slightly, as he picked up the heavy volume. 

“Found something?” Logan asked, Virgil startled and nearly dropped the book, “sorry,” Logan said scratching his neck, Virgil shook his head, “It's fine, I did, uh- it’s a book on arachnids. When I lived in the country I had a pet spider but it was um- killed…” 

“I’m sorry,” Logan said touching Virgil’s arm softly, “s fine, I mean- I wasn’t fine then” Virgil laughed awkwardly, “but it’s fine now” he shrugged. “Are we gonna find a desk or..” Logan shook his head, “no, I want to show you something”. He held out his hand, Virgil took it without hesitation.

Logan led Virgil across the room and into a small corner blocked off by a shelf. With his free hand, he pushed on the panels and it swung open like a door. 

The stairs going down were broken and blocked off but those going up seemed sturdy. Virgil stayed alert and ready to grab Logan should something was to go wrong. That would be a great way to spend a date, falling through a staircase and dying. 

The two made it up the stairs without incident. The room the staircase led to was also in disrepair but it had been patched up enough that no-one would be falling through the floor, though you never could tell. Virgil's brother Remus had taught him that. 

There was a cracked stained glass window that let in shards of colored light illuminating the room with beautiful hues of blue and purple. Cushions lined the room as well as quite a few blankets. A coffee table pressed up against the wall held an assortment of pens and pads of paper all decorated with the same slanted handwriting. There were also quite a few cups of cold tea across the room which made Virgil smile. 

“Well?” Logan asked a little nervously. “It’s beautiful” Virgil beamed. Logan looked very pleased with himself and led the man to a well-worn spot directly beneath the window. 

Virgil followed dutifully sitting just close enough to Logan for it to be flirty without invading personal space. He was adamant about respecting boundaries and at this point, Logan hadn’t set quite enough for him to initiate anything, though he wanted to. 

Logan shifted towards him (yeeessss) opening his book, it was on psychology, one of Logan’s many interests. Virgil opened his book, and let himself relax a little. 

Virgil’s watch ticked past 12, Logan was fully seated on Virgil’s lap and was reading excerpts from his book out loud. Virgil was smiling like a fool, absentmindedly branding the longer parts of Logan’s unruly chestnut hair. 

“While dreams are the compilation of memories and fantasy when studied mean- meaning can be derived from them *yawn* furthermore” Logan mumbled sleepily. 

Virgil laughed lightly, “Lo?” Logan hummed, letting the book fall onto his lap. “You need to go home?” Logan shook his head, “not really I- *yawn* no one’s expecting me” he said grinning up at Virgil who smiled right back down, “no one’s expecting me either” Logan hummed happily and leaned back into Virgil’s chest. 

The added weight surprised Virgil. He held Logan tightly as he lost his balance. They slid down the wall and landed with an oof onto Virgil’s back. The two tired men dissolved into giggles. 

Logan flipped onto his stomach and tucked his head into Virgil’s chest. “Night verge” Virgil smiled, “good night” he pressed a kiss into Logan’s hair and closed his eyes. 

*Bonus

“hem-hem” Logan blearily opened his eyes and was met with an angry Patton Heart. “did you have sex in my library!!!!”

[hypnomicimagines]

For Honor [Samurai!Yamada Ichiro/Reader] - Chapter 3

You’re happy to learn Ichiro didn’t grant you an empty promise.

As dinner was slowly cooking over the fire Ichiro had led you away from the horses, making some joke that he didn’t want you to spook them. You were excited as he removed the sword from his hip and brandished it for you to admire, almost feeling like a child when he began to explain how truly dangerous his weapon was. With some ‘get on with it’ hand movements Ichiro sighed, ushering you close to him and turning the blade away from you just in case you suddenly grew clumsy. Holding the hilt of the sword was an experience on it’s own, you could tell why his hands were so rough as the material wasn’t nearly as smooth as you thought it’d be.

“Is this an old sword, Ichi?” The nickname caught him off guard, leading him to not reply to your question for several long moments. When you repeat it, this time without use of his name, he stuttered out his reply.

“It was a gift from a town I helped… I had to chase bandits, fought most of them with my bare hands since I was too poor to afford a proper sword. They had a talented blacksmith who offered this as compensation. It would’ve been rude not to accept it…” He looked at the sword with a fond grin, it almost seemed mischievous in nature which was a far cry from what you’d seen of the proper swordsmen so far, “It’s seen the best and worst of times with me.”

“Now those are tales I’d like to hear!” You held the sword out in front of you, immediately surprised by the slight weight of it in your hands.

You nearly fumbled forward, not quite falling but your balance thrown off. Ichiro, being both your protector and a professional big brother, panicked immediately as the potential situation of you falling on his sword blade up flooded into his brain. His one arm wrapped around your middle, steadying you again while his unoccupied hand reached out to prevent the sword from slamming into the dirt after you dropped it in surprise. You can feel his breath tickling your neck as he let out a sigh of relief, turning to look at him with burning cheeks. It only took another few seconds for Ichiro to realize the inappropriate position you were in and he released you without a second thought, carefully sheathing his sword before he got to his knees in front of you.

“I apologize, princess! I should have asked permission… I should never have allowed you to put yourself in danger like that…” Ichiro’s forehead is practically on the ground with how low he’s gotten, feeling truly guilty for having touched you without permission. To think he had approached a young lady so brazenly, and a noble one at that. You must think so poorly of him now.

You’re more upset that the moment is completely ruined due to this but you placed a hand on Ichiro’s shoulder, once again noting the way he flinched under your touch. You removed it as you didn’t want to make him more uncomfortable than he already was, telling him you accepted his apology (as you did not feel like arguing with this stubborn, honor driven man about how his actions hadn’t bothered you) and turning the topic to dinner. He seemed grateful for the change and immediately went to tending the food, the silence speaking volumes as you ate without speaking another word to each other.

You curled up in the wagon that night with memories of how it felt to have Ichiro’s body pressed against yours, your imagination running away with itself when you thought of how it might feel if he had a distinct lack of clothing. Naughty thoughts were unrefined for someone of your social standing but so was thinking that marriage was about love, an ideal you wanted to hold onto for as long as you could. You knew you were on your way to potentially seal the deal, to be with a suitor of your own status, but the thought of it truly filled you with dread. You didn’t dislike having to be married off so young but you wish it was more your choice; your parents shoving bachelors in front of you and going ‘pick one!’ still wasn’t a real choice, at least, not in your opinion. When you had rejected each one of their line-ups, they had finally gotten sick of giving you this illusion of choice, instead opting to great an agreement with a neighboring kingdom to have you marry their prince.

They told you that should you think anything is wrong, you could reject the proposal and they’d welcome you back with open arms, but you’re not so sure that was a statement based in reality.

You’re beginning to fall asleep when a twig snapped outside, your sleep-addled brain unworried as you assumed it was just Ichiro. It’s when the careful sound of multiple sets of feet start to surround the cart that you’re alarmed, and you let out a loud cry as the back of the wagon is forcibly opened. You can hardly make out faces in the dark but you see bright shining eyes and scars, your leg suddenly in a heavy grip that you can’t escape from. You let out another scream as you’re pulled unceremoniously from the cart, falling into the dirt and scrambling to cover your body as your nightwear was quite thin. You sent out a defiant glare but your face faltered at the sight of Ichiro, bloodied up in a pile near the fire pit from earlier.  

“You look so pretty, princess, you wouldn’t mind if I had a taste, would you?” The bandit closest to you touched your face in an overly familiar manner that filled you with rage.

You kicked out at the man saying such disgusting things to you, hoping he’d kill you before you ever allowed him to touch you in such a way. You’d rather face a thousand deaths than allow a man such as him to defile you, you hoped that at least in death your ghost could come back to haunt and torture this man a thousand times over. You’re full of even more fury as he picked your body up like a rag doll, tossing you over his shoulder like you were nothing even as you fought to get out of his grip. You saw a man bigger than the others, likely the leader, sitting a few feet away from Ichiro, watching you with interest.

“Keep calm, princess. We just want to strike a deal with ya. Coin is all we’re after… Simple folk, and all.”

You let out an ‘oof’ as you’re thrown on top of Ichiro, pulling away to see that his eyes had opened at the sudden impact. There’s something eerily calm about his aura that sets you a little more at ease now that you’re within arm’s length of him, even if his hands are currently tied behind his back. You knew his sword was at the bandit leader’s side, you had seen it when the leader had addressed you initially, so how were you to get out of this situation? There didn’t seem to be many men, three others without including their leader, but there was only one of Ichiro. You remembered his earlier story about saving a village from bandits with his bare hands but had they been heavily armed? Had he just been lying to impress you with his feats?

You placed your hands on Ichiro’s chest as you looked up at the leader with an annoyed look.

“Who the hell are you to touch me, you insolent beast!” You spat out, ignoring the way Ichiro’s eyes widened from underneath you. You felt him start to move, his voice muffled by the gag they had wrapped around it, but you were already using up every ounce of bravery you had to keep eye contact with the leader; you were afraid if you looked at Ichiro you would crumble back down, and now was not the time to be weak. “You will get no gold from me. My parents will send only the best of the best after you, you won’t know what’s hit you until you’re burning in the afterlife!”

“We were goin’ to be nice…” The leader stood, taking a few steps towards you and standing still for a moment before his hand suddenly lurched out, taking a fist full of your hair. “But if you don’t got manners, then neither do we.”

You brain is screaming to act and you do so immediately, once again acting on impulse before the sensible side of you causes you to shrink back. You’re going against every bit of training you’d ever received, always made to be compliant, always told to be kind and pretty and perfect, but those were the rules of the elite. Out here in the woods, there were no rules, no proper etiquette that was forced to be upheld for the sake of one’s reputation. Here you were free, no politics at all, and you would run with this chance while you had it.

The dagger dug deep into the chest of the bandit who let out a yowl at the surprise attack; you had caught him off-guard, angered him so deeply that he had forgotten he didn’t do a full body search on the samurai. You couldn’t blame him, most samurai only carried their swords and nothing more, but you’d have to give personal thanks to Ichiro’s ninja friend if you made it out of this one alive. The cries of pain caused Ichiro to jump back into actions, the ropes tying his hands together falling to the ground uselessly. He had been working at them slowly but surely as everything was going on around him, the bandits far too full of themselves for thinking they had gotten the jump on him.

Ichiro had something to prove now.

[shinsouskitten]

Hey Kat🤗 I was wondering if you could write about Bakugou, Shinsou, or Hawks meeting the reader’s family and something goes wrong and they don’t like them at first. Or possibly the parents think they are a negative influence on the reader.

Hey hey hey

I asked my mom how she’d react if I was dating someone she didn't like and she rlly just said “you wouldn’t be dating them if i didn’t like them”

like damn sis okay chile

Warnings: does it count as angst if the parents are the ones being mean? if so, there’s angst, but also fluff, bakugou is bakugou

---

💥 Katsuki Bakugou:

It wasn’t the best first meeting. You had planned to introduce your long term boyfriend to your family at your own pace, but of course the villains of the city had other plans. 

You were on a date, en route to the cinema to catch a new movie amidst Bakugou’s insistence that it was a ‘stupid unrealistic movie’. Mere metres from the entrance a villain came rushing past, a handful of gold jewelry in his arms. He pushed you to the side in order to keep running, which of course enraged Bakugou, who immediately took off after the villain, completely oblivious to the sirens following his path. 

Unsurprisingly he caught him within moments, but what you hadn’t realized was that all the events had been caught by your dad, standing on the other side of the street. Your dad knew you had a partner, and he knew that they were a hero, given you cancelled every opportunity to meet with the excuse of ‘another villain attack’. What he hadn't expected, however, was for your partner to be possibly his least favorite hero currently climbing the ranks. 

Later that night, after your forfeit on the movie date in favour of a much more simple date with your bed, you had a series of texts from your parents. 

So, Ground Zero is the partner we’ve heard so little about?

He’s a bit aggressive, isn’t he?

You should’ve told us sooner.

We just don’t want you getting hurt.

That had been the moment you were waiting for. Anyone who didn’t know Bakugou (and a few who did) would describe him as a never ending pool of anger, too aggressive to be a hero and too mean to be a good partner. But if they knew him the same way you did, they would know that’s not always the case.

Of course he’s angry when he has to deal with stupid villains interrupting every date he plans, or news reporters crowding him like an animal in a zoo whenever they got the chance. But he was different with you, more relaxed. He didn’t exactly express his emotions in the best ways, but he loved you, and he’d never hurt you.

Your parents practically demanded a meeting the next day, and blatantly refused to accept any excuses of villain attacks or the like. The meeting was awkward, with your father almost attempting to provoke Bakugou simply to prove a point, but your boyfriend knew this. He put on a good face, masking his worry and anger with an uncharacteristically kind attitude and baffling you all.

Maybe he’d changed his ways. Or at least, that was the conclusion your parents came to by the end of the night, wishing you well as you made your way home. You fought the urge to laugh at Bakugou’s sudden change once your parents left his view, and held back a smile throughout his mutterings of ‘stupid extras’.

He kept up appearances for long enough, but by the time your parents noticed it was a farce, they realized there was nothing they could do to stop the love you held for each other. After all, he may be an ass, but he’d never hurt you.

---

💜 Hitoshi Shinsou:

Shinsou, on the other hand, wanted to meet your family pretty quickly. If anything, just to get it out of the way, but there was a part of him that wanted the validation that he was good enough for you. Sometimes he just didn’t feel like he was, so if your parents liked him, it’d definitely be a weight off his shoulders.

The two of you picked out a nice restaurant, keeping in mind your parents favorite foods in an attempt to butter them up, then send them a text asking you to meet you and Shinsou for dinner. They replied eagerly, especially when you mentioned the two of you were covering the bill. 

You arrived first, giving your name at the door and sitting down on the plush leather anxiously awaiting the arrival of your parents. When you finally saw them, the two of you stood up to greet them, you offering hugs while Shinsou held out his hand with a smile. 

“It’s nice to meet you.” He said.

Your parents nodded, a false replica of a smile on their faces as they ignored Shinsou’s hand.

The air around you was thick, no one willing to be the first to break the uncomfortable silence, until you eventually suggested you all sit down. You made a mental note to tip your waiter extra when the night was over. It was clear they could sense the awkwardness, and thank the lord they came over at the exact moments you feared a bomb might explode.

The meals went down perfectly, but the atmosphere made it difficult to enjoy anything. Your parents spoke little, and when they did, it was always to you, almost as if Shinsou wasn’t even present. 

To be truly honest, he’d expected this reaction, although he hoped he was just overthinking. He knew people didn’t react to his quirk well, and there were many misconceptions about how much he used it. He had hoped your parents hadn’t been so quick to judge.

By the time your waiter delivered your check, you were ready to curl up in your bed and not emerge for a good few weeks. The four of you walked to the door silently, but before you could wish them goodnight, Shinsou spoke up, his hand holding yours tightly as he faced your parents.

“I just want you to know, whether you like me or not, I love Y/n more than anything, and I would never do anything to hurt them. I will protect them until my last breath, and I hope that we can sort out any differences with time.”

Did he really just confess his love to you in front of your parents? Yup. Well, at least it seemed to get a response this time, as your dad replied:

“I should hope you do.” Your dad held out his hand, and Shinsou took it a bit more than happily. “Or I’ll kill you myself.”

Shinsou laughed awkwardly, not sure whether to be scared at your dad's threat or not, especially when he ended it without another word, turning and walking towards their car. 

I mean at least he spoke to him, right? That’s an improvement?

Either way, Shinsou quickly realized in reality the only opinion that mattered to him, was yours. 

oof having a good dad who cares about you? couldnt be me. also i absolutely hate this one and idk why, but shinsou’s my bby and i feel i disappointed him

---

🍗 Keigo Takami (Hawks):

The meeting was almost completely by chance. Keigo often took you on sky-high (not mile-high get your minds outta the gutters ppl) trips on his off days, and while flying one day, you saw your parents' house from the clouds. They hadn’t met Keigo yet, so you suggested that you pop in for a moment. He agreed, and in seconds, you were standing on their porch, hand raised high to ring the doorbell.

Your mother opened the door, surprised to see you, and even more surprised to see the bird standing behind you. Nevertheless she invited you both in, and as your father called Keigo over, your mother pulled you to one side, whispering quiet enough that the two men wouldn’t hear her. 

“The news says he’s a bit of a playboy.” You said.

“The news says a lot of things.” You rolled your eyes. 

“And his fans?” She asked.

“What about them?” You replied.

“Well,” she paused, “he can get a little friendly with them, don’t you think.”

You sighed. Your mother wasn’t the first person to bring up Keigo’s fans when discussing your relationship, but you knew that in reality, he couldn’t be bothered with the swarms of people throwing themselves at his feet when he had you waiting for him at home. 

“He’s a friendly person.” You shrugged.

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“Just say what you want to, mom.” You rounded on her, the heightened volume of your voice drawing Keigo’s attention from the other side of the room. “Say it. Go on.”

She glanced around, seeing both Keigo and your father now watching the two of you. 

“Fine.” You continued. “I know he has hundreds of fans who would kill to be in his bed at night. But you know what? He’s not there. He’s with me, watching crappy tv and binge eating kfc (CANNIBALISM). If you don’t like him, that’s your problem. But don’t try and convince me to do anything but love him, cause you’re not going to do it.”

Baffled, your mother stammered for a response, but you weren’t about to wait for one.

“C’mon Keigo,” you called, “we’re leaving.”

He was next to you in moments, and you grabbed his hand to pull him out of the house, stopping only when you were satisfied you were out of sight of your parents. 

“So, kid…” He looked across at you with a smirk, wrapping an arm around your waist as he lay his chin on your shoulder. “You love me?”

“Shut up bird brain.”

again i hate this but where my baby birds at?

[writersrealmbts]

Take This Road

Description: Part of the summer #btswritingbingo, hosted by @bangtanwritingbingo​! For road trip.  You've taken an unusual turn in your road trip, and your new passenger is the primary cause.

Warnings: casual discussions of arson and murder

Posted: 07/31/2021

Tags: Jungkook x reader, sort of mafia au? sort of gang au?, road trip au

idk what genre this is: 1,503 words

A/N: This one was really fun

Too many snacks.

You had too many snacks for one person.

So...was it fate that brought your passenger?

Or was it the fact that he shoved someone under your tires as you were driving past?

“So...remind me again where we’re going to dump this body?” You asked.

“He’s not dead.”

“Yet.”

“Yet. If he does die...well, there’s a nice floating bog not too far from where I live that could work. Or I could use him as a decoy body in a housefire.”

“Oooh, I know this one,” You chirped, turning the volume up and singing along with the radio.

Your passenger, the one that wasn’t dying, was soon singing with you.

It did strike you that maybe you shouldn’t be so casual about the fact that you were transporting a dying person with the person who had tried to kill him using your vehicle, but honestly...you kind of were guessing that the guy you ran over may or may not have been abusive and you didn’t really feel like asking.

“Such a good song,” Your passenger sighed. “Oh, I don’t think I told you, but I’m Jungkook, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you Jungkook, y/n.”

“Nice to meet you. Sorry to change your plans.”

“No problem, really. I was kind of bored. If you want any snacks, feel free to grab any. Any but the chocolate covered pretzels. Those are mine and I will shove you under my tires.”

“Understood. So, should I explain why I tried to kill him?”

“I mean, if you like. Do I need to turn here?”

“No, it’ll be the next one. So, that guy is actually a loan shark. Except, when you can’t pay in cash, he takes people.”

“Ew.”

“Yeah. I was hoping he’d be helpful and tell me where he sent my friends, but...well….” He glanced back as the other man began to groan softly. “Oh. He’s waking up.”

“You tied him up, right?”

“Yeah. I owe you a roll of duct-tape and some zip-ties.”

“Don’t worry about the zip-ties. I’m not really even sure why I had them. Anyway, he took your friends?”

“Yeah. So I’ve been trying to track them down ever since. And then he told me tonight that one of them had died before he even sold them and I guess I saw red.”

“Well, I’d be concerned if you thought my car was purple or green.”

“True,” He tried a few different snacks before settling in with one. “Anyway, if he died, no big. If he lives and tells me what happened to them, awesome. I’ve got enough leads to carry on without him if I have to. What about you? You’re taking all of this surprisingly well.”

“He kind of struck me as an abusive bastard, to be honest. And that’s while looking at him half-dead on the road. But nah, I’m just sort of wandering around. I recently quit my job, and I’ve been on a road trip in the interim before my next job starts.”

“What’s your new job?”

“I’m working for Taiji International. Personal secretary to one of the higher-ups.”

“Isn’t that the one with suspected Mafia affiliations?”

“Possibly. I could probably poke around and see if they have any idea about your friends for you.”

“That’d be cool.” He sighed. “It looks like he might live.”

“Have you ever been to Keirishiro?”

“No. My parents always told me it was full of Mafias and gangs.”

“Exactly. He’s probably affiliated with some group. Which means they’re probably after you.”

“Probably….”

“So, we put him in your place and burn it down. They’ll find out it’s him, no problem, and then there’s just the question of where you went. No one would expect someone so wholly unconnected to you to be hiding you, or helping you.”

“But the fire….”

“Is the easy part. Frito’s bag near some outlet or appliance. Leaves no trace. Set these aside.” You pulled the bag up and tossed it at him.

“What about your road-trip?”

“Oh, I thought we could go to Keirishiro after burning your place down. That’s where my job is. You can stay with me. We’ll work on disguises for you, and I’ll find out if my work is associated with a Mafia or not. Then we can go from there. Hopefully they’re not associated with this piece of work.”

“You grew up in the Mafia, didn’t you?”

“Nah. I just spent way too much time working customer service.”

“Oh, I love this song,” He turned the radio up again, jamming to the song on the radio.

You thought the trip ahead of you would be quite pleasant with Jungkook for company.

“We’re going to pretend we’re dating, right?”

You hummed. “Actually, we might need to pretend we’re married. I sort of lied and said I was getting ready to be married which was why I wanted so much time before I started this job.” You rolled your eyes. “I was just going to say, ‘oh, it fell through and I was so heartbroken’ but a fake marriage would suffice.”

“Okay. Sounds good to me. With any luck, even if people know about me they may not know what I look like, so I might be able to pass as someone else. Then I’ll be sure to sell the part. And when the time comes, we split amicably.”

“Works for me. Go fifty-fifty on chores?”

“Mmmm, sixty-forty, I might not be able to swing as much for rent as you.”

“Ah. Between jobs?”

“Kind of. Something about endangering coworkers.”

“Oof. Yeah. We’ll see if we can find someone to forge an identity for you, that way you can get a job if it’s safe to show your face.”

“I might know a place. Got any CD’s?”

“CD player is broken and the last CD put in was a kids CD. Don’t touch the CD player. On the one hand, I know twenty children's songs. On the other hand, I would like to throttle whoever broke the CD player because I know twenty children’s songs.”

“Got any drinks?”

“In the cooler, behind your seat.”

“Ah!” He unbuckled and reached around, getting drinks for both of you. “I’m thinking: maybe instead of burning my place we just clean it out and dump him in the bog, whether dead or alive. That way we don’t draw unnecessary attention to me.”

“Fair. Okay. Then where am I going?”

“Stay on this road for another...five miles?”

“Map in the glove-box.”

He pulled it out, unfolding it and taking a few moments to gather his bearings. “Yeah, about five miles, I think. It’ll be the third road on the left.”

“Okay. Feel free to mess with the temp controls, I tend to keep things cooler than they need to be.”

“I’m good. Might channel surf, though,” He said, waiting until you had nodded to start trying other stations on the radio.

“You have a license?”

“Definitely.”

“Great. We can take turns driving, then.”

“Works for me.”

“Uuaaaghhhh...wh--what?”

You glanced in the rear-view mirror. “Oh dear.”

Jungkook quickly got up to deal with the passenger. “Didn’t expect him to wake up.”

You sighed. “Poor soul, he just didn’t know what hit him.”

“Better than he deserves,” Jungkook muttered, holding up a notebook. “I forgot to mention, I got his ledger from him. There are lots of names in here.”

“Ugh. A bog is almost too good for him.”

“Almost,” Jungkook agreed, sliding back into his seat. “You understand the danger we’re getting into, right?”

“Yeah. I do.” You gestured to your backpack. “Front pocket, there’s a bag with some jewelry in it. There should be two rings. They were my parents. But they’ll do.”

He followed your instructions, pulling them out. He slipped your father’s onto his ring finger. “Fits well. Here you are, my wife.”

“Why, thank you, husband,” You said, taking your mother’s ring and slipping it onto your ring finger.

“So...what happened to them?”

“Hmm? Oh, no, they’re fine, but my father can’t wear rings because they make his fingers swell and my mom broke her ring finger so her ring didn’t fit anymore. They tattooed rings on their fingers instead.”

“Ah. So...your family is alive...and you’re still okay with this?”

You considered what to tell him. “My parents are private investigators.”

“So, this is….”

“Definitely not something they would want me doing. They’ve never been a fan of me sticking my nose into dangerous situations. But...you know. When both of your parents are private investigators….”

“It’s in your blood. Cool. I’ll follow your lead then.” He smiled, kind of peeking down at the ring. “I’ll be a supportive husband.”

“And I will be a loving wife,” You answered, sharing a smile with him. “This could be a lot of fun.”

“It really could.” Jungkook grinned and leaned back in his seat, staring at the road ahead. “Next road.”

“Right.”

You looked forward to where this journey led you.

[suguwu]

THE VOLUME 19 COVER REEEEEE. Listen, if I had to choose the character I absolutely simp for the most in JJK it’s gonna be Toji. That man? Oh, I just know he can throw me over his shoulder with little to no effort and that really just !!!!!! But when I saw Higuruma on the 19 cover??? I truly considered starting to collect the volumes. It was our beloved bathtub lawyer that finally got me considering taking the plunge. (Seriously whenever I type out his name vivid images of him in that bathtub dance across my thoughts, ah!)

N e ways I’m glad you’re doing well and that the arrival of spring is bringing you happiness! As a southern Californian I’m not looking forward to the weather heating up (so-cal heats up so quickly and stays that way forever!) but more hours of sunlight is doing wonders for my mental health.

Also I’m kicking my feet because you thought of me with the sunflower boy volume cover and I also thought of you 🥺💕👉🏼👈🏼

- 👁 💕🗽

hi hi hi my dear 👁💕🗽anon!! i am still not over the volume 19 cover there’s just something about it?? he looks so good and i just love it in so many ways! toji is absolutely able to throw anyone and everyone over his shoulder with little effort i mean just LOOK at him,,,an excellent choice to thirst for!!

👀 you should take the plunge it’s meant to be!!! just think…bathtub lawyer panels in your hands!! i knew i was gonna get at least the nanami cover volume but i think i’m gonna add at least a few more including volume 19!!!

oof i know the socal heat well, i’ve spent a decent chunk of time there thru the years and the heat is brutal and it truly does stay forever!! please keep cool 🧊 and it is amazing what sun can do lol

omg how could i not think of you i think of you whenever there’s higuruma content 👉🏻👈🏻 we’re just two people connected by this bathtub lawyer 💞💖 and i love it lmao

i hope you’re having a good monday!!

[221bsunsettowers]

TK/Carlos: Fire Drills, Flirting, and First Dates

Apparently TK can't wait a few hours for his and Carlos' first date, since it's the 126 pulling up to supervise the school fire drill.

This is the second part of the Found Forever on a Field Trip 9-1-1 Lone Star AU verse, where Carlo is a preschool teacher and TK is a firefighter, and they first met when Carlos brought his students on a fire safety field trip to where TK volunteers.

I would definitely recommend reading the first part of the series (which you can find here ) before this one for some background.

This story takes place just a few days after their first meeting, way before the time jump in the first story.

CW for mention of TK's canon storyline of addiction and his overdose towards the end of the story.

You can also read this on Ao3 here! And if you have any stories you would like to see in this verse, please let me know, I would love to keep writing for it!

Carlos had one child on his hip, crying into his shirt ever since the fire alarm had rung out its ear-piercing trill. Another child was clutching his free hand, sniffing back tears. "It's all okay, I promise," Carlos assured them gently as he led them and their classmates into a straight line against the fence. "Remember, we talked about how this is a drill? It's practice just in case we ever need to get out of the school quickly. But there's no real fire right now."

"Just real firefighters," a familar voice called out from Carlos' right, and he turned, unable to stop himself from grinning as TK strode towards them from the fire truck, a grin also dancing across his lips. When he saw the two crying children though, he quickly crouched in front of them, Carlos gently lowering the other child to stand in front of TK.

"Firefighter Strand!" Both children yelled excitedly, tears drying up as they cheered, drawing the attention of their classmates, who immediately started rushing over.

"Back in line please friends!" Carlos called out, quickly walking alone the line of students. "I know we're all very excited to see Firefighter Strand, but we have to stay in our safe spot."

"Hmm, does that mean you're excited to see me too?" TK's voice was low in Carlos' ear, the blush spreading across Carlos' cheeks as TK flashed him a playful smirk before making his way down the line of children, stopping to say hi to every single one.

"Couldn't wait until after work, huh?" Carlos teased back as he passed behind TK, highly pleased to see red spreading up the back of the firefighter's neck.

"We're doing community outreach here, I don't know what else you could possibly be referring to," TK grinned, leaning back against the fence, the nearest child finding a way to wrap around TK's leg without moving from their space in line.

"You aren't fooling anyone, Strand!" Marjan called out as she came around the back of the truck to the cheers of "Firefighter Marwani!". Squeezing Carlos' shoulder as she passed, she leaned in to whisper just loud enough for TK to hear her too, "It's all he's been talking about since shift started. He even made us help him choose his outfit-he seriously brought every option to the station."

"Traitor!" TK mouthed at Marjan, ducking his head and smiling shyly, cheeks now flushing pink. "I just don't want to be late for our first date, or show up looking like this." He gestured up and down his firefighter uniform.

"You can feel free to show up in that anytime," Carlos murmured in TK's ear, right before he reached a hand out to bat away a stick one child had just thrown at another. "Zoe, we don't throw sticks, okay friend?" The little girl nodded.

"Eyes in the back of your head," TK murmured appreciatively, as Marjan made her way to the last of the very excited children. Noticing the students were still occupied, TK leaned in, his voice so low only Carlos could hear. "Can't wait to see what else you can do with those hands."

Laughing, TK made his way back to the truck, leaving a sputtering bright red Carlos behind him. "Bye kids!" TK called out. "Bye Mr. Reyes!" WIth a wink, TK climbed inside the truck, Marjan shaking her head as she followed behind him.

Carlos was five minutes early to the cafe, but TK had somehow beat him there, and was sitting on the edge of a chair near the front door, fingers drumming against the table. When he saw Carlos, his face lit up, and he stood up from the chair, meeting him at the door for a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"You picked a very nice outfit," Carlos confirmed, gaze sweeping appreciatively up and down TK's short sleeved patterned button down and dark wash jeans. "Remind me to thank your team."

"It was worth all the teasing from them, then," TK grinned, sliding his pinky under the edge of the sleeve of Carlos' dark green polo, giving the fabric a gentle tug. "There's no way your students helped you pick this out or it would be sequined and covered in superheroes."

"Very accurate," Carlos laughed, nodding his head. "No, my co worker Grace helped me out. She has a good fashion sense."

"She really does," TK agreed, eyes twinkling. "Definitely thank her for me." They turned towards the table, and Carlos reached for TK's chair, pulling it out enough for him to sit down before carefully pushing it back in.

"Wow, thank you," TK said softly, and Carlos could easily pick up on the awe tinging his voice. "No one's ever done that for me before."

"Well, I also hold open doors, so get ready for that," Carlos teased gently, settling into his chair. His gaze fell on the large mug in front of him, the smell of expresso and cinammon wafting into the air. "You remembered my coffee order?"

"Large coffee, extra shot of expresso, add cinammon," TK recited, a shy smile crossing his lips. "It's what you had when we first met."

"And you have the same?" Carlos grinned, pointing to TK's cup.

"I figured teachers must be experts with all the coffee you guys must consume," TK laughed, taking a sip. "And I was right, because this is delicious."

"How was the rest of your shift?" Carlos asked, cradling the warm mug in his hands and inhaling the steam before taking his own sip.

"Seeing you was definitely the highlight," TK answered with a smile, "and not just because the rest of the shift entailed a microwave fire where someone had been trying to reheat fish, and three separate cats needing to be rescued from three separate trees."

"Oof," Carlos pretended to shudder, drawing a laugh from TK. "I'll see you your reheated fish fire and cats, and raise you a child sticking play dough up their nose and an entire bottle of glitter spilling all over the rug."

"That explains this then," TK reached out with his hand, gently wiping away a piece of glitter on Carlos' chin. Carlos found himself leaning into the touch, and TK let his finger linger longer than was necessary. Taking a deep breath in, TK moved his hand away, showing Carlos the sparkle on his fingertip. "And here I thought you went to a disco without me."

"More like a rave," Carlos teased. "Do people still even go to raves anymore? Glow sticks and lots of party drugs?" But the smile quickly fell from his face as he saw the light dim from TK's eyes. "Did I say something wrong? I'm so sorry-"

"Carlos, it's okay," TK said softly, reaching out and laying his hand on Carlos' arm.

"First date and I've already managed to hurt you somehow," Carlos mumbled, his gaze on a small scratch in the corner of their table.

"You didn't, I promise," TK insisted, running his thumb along Carlos' wrist until he raised his eyes from the table to meet TK's warm gaze. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Sure," Carlos responded, voice still quiet as he walked to the front of the shop and retrieved two to-go cups with lids. Handing one to TK, he quickly transferred his coffee, then moved to hold the door for TK.

"Thanks," TK smiled at Carlos as he exited the cafe, but Carlos didn't smile back. Instead, Carlos stopped on the sidewalk outside the entrance, his fingers rubbing nervously on the side of his pants leg. "Carlos," TK said warmly, reaching over and taking Carlos' hand in his free one. "I meant what I said. We're okay."

This time it was TK who suddenly couldn't meet Carlos' eyes. "At least I hope we are," TK voiced softly, looking up hopefully when Carlos squeezed his hand. "I come with...baggage."

"You aren't the only one, I promise," Carlos affirmed gently, swinging their interlaced hands slightly as they began to walk. "Clearly I do too, considering I was so ready to believe you were already breaking up with me before we finished our first date."

"You definitely don't need to worry about that," TK assured him, squeezing Carlos' hand reassuringly, before dropping his eyes to the sidewalk and the volume of his voice to just above a whisper. "So no one here knows this yet, except for my dad, but I really like you, and you deserve to know all the facts before you decide if you want this to go any further."

"TK, I really like you too," Carlos vowed, placing his coffee cup on the ground, cupping TK's cheek with his now-free hand. "You're safe with me, I promise."

Leaning into Carlos' touch, TK sighed, shutting his eyes. "I'm an addict," he confessed, words whispered into the palm of Carlos' hand. "Oxycontin. I OD'd back in New York, if my dad hadn't found me, I wouldn't be here. I haven't taken since then, I go to meetings, I have coping strategies, but I'm always going to be an addict."

TK squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, as if bracing for a hard-hitting emotional blow, but instead he felt the soft brush of Carlos' lips against his cheek. "Thank you for being so open with me," Carlos murmured against TK's skin, wrapping him up in a tight hug. TK sunk into the embrace with a grateful sigh, nestling his head into the crook of Carlos' shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

"Good," TK breathed out, relief and hope tinging every word. "Because I want you to stay."

@pragmaticoptimist34 @bikingthroughhawkins @i-had-bucky @highqualitykhakis @meloingly @buddie-buddie @morganaspendragonss

If you would like to be added to my Tarlos tags, just let me know! And if you are on the tag list but changed your username, please let me know so I can make sure I’m tagging you again :)