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bestworstcase · 1 year ago

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Thanks for your response ala Ruby & Yang, great stuff!

Idle aside, but do you have any thoughts on Yang's role as the sort of black sheep of the family by dint of Raven associations?

Cos like, Tai overtly favors Ruby, projects Raven onto Yang, resents Raven being rough up and is bad enough about reminders of her Yang feels she has to apologize for his negative reactions. Let alone his... Everything else.

Then there's Qrow who doesn't seem to interact with Yang over much at all and one of if not their most major interaction. Involves him straight up saying he thinks she's either a liar hurting people for fun or "crazy".

I recall someone I was chatting with wondering: Imagine doing everything you can to keep your family from breaking apart & being compared to the woman who left you when you were a baby?

Cos I do wonder how Yang feels about all that given she seems to downplay and or try to work around her family's issues when she can. Let alone what it says about the adults in the room.

smth i think about a lot is the way yang’s narrative about her childhood shifts between v2 to v5

’cause in v2 it’s: “it was tough. ruby was really torn up, my dad kind of shut down. it wasn’t long before i learned why…” all to provide context for this anecdote about putting ruby in a wagon and running away to find her mother. and then her conclusion is “my stubbornness should have gotten us killed that night.”

and while there is a degree here of yang framing the story to emphasize the point she wants blake to understand, it’s also very obvious in her delivery that the emotional reality of this memory for yang is “the time my stupidity and stubbornness almost got me and ruby eaten by grimm”—when she was [checks notes] like five, six years old, and regularly left at home unsupervised.

but in v5, it’s: “my mom left me. ruby’s mom left too. tai was always busy with school, and ruby couldn’t even talk yet; i had to pick up the pieces. i had to pick up the pieces. alone.”

aside from the telling slip (tai, not dad)—yang centers her own feelings and the harm this situation did to her this time. which is something she’s always felt but i don’t think she could have brought herself to say it out loud to anyone during the beacon arc, because it was pressed down under the guilt on display in burning the candle, the feeling of having been inadequate and too stubborn and too selfish and and and–

coughs quietly. “my stubbornness should have gotten us killed that night.” / “you were predictable. and… stubborn. and maybe a little boneheaded.” yang’s narrative about the wagon incident—which happened when she was five or six!—pinning the blame on the thing tai imagines to be her fatal flaw is…probably not coincidental. yang in v4 after a year of being loved by her team and supported by mentors like glynda / oobleck / port has the perspective to know that tai doesn’t know what he’s talking about; but as a small child who’d just had a terrifying near-death experience with her baby sister… 😶

it definitely had a big impact on the way yang sees herself

BUT i do read qrow's talk with yang in 3.8 pretty differently ->

because the context is: yang saw mercury attack her and struck back in self defense, then had like a dozen synthetic soldiers point guns in her face, then looked up and saw the replay footage of herself walking over to shoot a boy who was just kneeling on the ground. and some of the most powerful authority figures in the world are pushing this narrative that stress and adrenaline "clouded her judgment."

like this would make anyone doubt their sanity. bc holy shit.

yang, though...a couple weeks ago, yang after being knocked unconscious woke up and blearily saw someone she thought was her mother walk away from her and disappear in a flash of red light. she hasn't mentioned it to anyone, because it's just so bizarre—yang doesn't know about raven's semblance yet—she must have just been seeing things. right?

aside from raven (who isn't here) and yang (who believes she hallucinated), the only other person who knows that yang saw her mom on the train is qrow, because raven told him about it. he also knows that:

tai insisted on not telling yang ANYTHING about her mother, and qrow respected that up until now; so yang doesn't know about raven's semblance and can't make sense of what she saw.

salem's infiltrators are the same people who attacked amber, and qrow didn't get a good look at them because they seemingly vanished into thin air—pretty damn good chance that one of them has a semblance that manipulates what you see.

ozpin wants #2 kept secret, so yang has some very powerful people actively trying to convince her that she's crazy. ironwood is straight up gaslighting her.

qrow also—based on the first thing he says, which is "why'd you do it?"—seems to consider it a possibility that it is what it looked like but yang did have a good reason, and i actually do not think that is an outrageous thing for qrow specifically to think. because qrow was emotionally abused as a child, and he knows yang, and in the event that yang really did suddenly turn around and punch a guy who was kneeling on the ground, why would she do it?

glances at shay d. mann. well. maybe this kid has been harassing her? maybe he said something horrible or threatening to her and in the heat of the moment she just snapped? maybe "he attacked me, i saw him attack me" isn't really a lie per se, she's just scared that "he's been picking on me ever since he got here and he made a disgusting remark and i just couldn't take it anymore" won't be taken seriously? as in, he did attack her—verbally/emotionally.

it's probably worth asking, at least!

so, qrow leads with "why'd you do it?" in case there is some invisible reason justifying the apparent action. yang says "you know why." qrow goes okay, well, i only know what i saw, so you're either lying (i.e., yang had a reason she now isn't telling) or crazy (i.e., yang saw something different from reality that was very real to her).

she says "i'm not lying." qrow believes her: "crazy, got it."

at this point, he knows the most probable explanation is that one of salem's infiltrators fucked with her head. the inner circle's gaslighting doesn't sit right with him; he's not going to buck ozpin by telling her the truth outright, but he wants to make sure yang knows she isn't losing her mind. he also has all the info needed to guess that yang is actually really really scared that she might be crazy.

which is why he kicks off the wall and begins to pace around. the language he uses sounds dismissive, but his tone is mild and his body language implies "let's talk about it, let's figure this out."

leading to:

YANG: Who knows? Maybe I am. QROW: And here I thought your dark-haired friend was the emo one. YANG: I saw my mom. …I- I was in a lot of trouble, took a pretty hard hit. But when I came to, the person attacking me was gone, and I thought I saw… her. Her sword. Like the one in you and dad’s old picture. QROW: You’re not crazy, Yang. That was your mom, alright. Let me guess—she didn’t say a word, did she? YANG: How did you know that? QROW: I don't see my sister very often, but she does try to keep in touch... whenever it suits her. YANG: Wait—you mean you talk to her? That was real!? QROW: Yeah, she found me. Had a tip from my most recent assignment and wanted me to give you a message.

it's really telling that yang responds to him this way. 'cause we've seen how yang acts when she feels dismissed or belittled:

TAI: Well, "normal" is what you make of it. YANG: What is that supposed to mean? Do you want me to just pretend like nothing happened? I lost a part of me. A piece of me is gone. And it's never coming back. TAI: You're right. It's not coming back. But that doesn't have to stop you from becoming who you wanna be. You're Yang Xiao Long, my sunny little dragon. You can do whatever you put your mind to. So whenever you're ready to stop moping, and get back out there? I'll be there for you. YANG: I– I...

she freezes and shuts down! her teachers have to come to her rescue!—but when qrow goes "crazy, got it" and suggests she's being "emo," yang blurts out her big secret. i saw my mom. to me that suggests a level of trust and understanding that isn't there with tai: qrow says stuff like "okay, so you're crazy" and "here i thought your friend was the emo one" but what he means is "hey, i know something's really bugging you, tell me about it," and yang picks up what he's putting down.

it's akin to how ruby goes "did you miss me? DID YOU MISS ME??" and qrow's like "nope" and they both laugh. or the back-and-forth ribbing between him and the girls in 3.4. there's this layer of mild ironic meanness in the way qrow converses with his nieces that all of them are fluent in, and in this scene he's using that mode to signal that "crazy" is not off-limits, that it's okay to talk about openly.

crucially, there's a code-switch in the middle of the conversation: as soon as yang gets real and says "i saw my mom," qrow reflects that seriousness back to her. you're not crazy, that was your mom, she found me afterward and told me about it. it was real. you're okay. qrow's ability to do that—to shift into a more serious mode when irony isn't appropriate—is why yang can have this rapport with him that she doesn't have with tai, because tai isn't... being ironic when he says mean or dismissive things to her.

anyway, qrow passes on raven's terrible message and then kind of annotates it: "raven's got an interesting way of looking at the world that i don't particularly agree with, and she's dangerous." (which is a very diplomatic way of saying he thinks raven is full of shit. lol.) but then he connects this whole conversation about raven back to what happened after the match: "you're a tough egg, kiddo. don't let this tournament thing getcha down. you had a slip-up; sometimes bad things just happen."

implicitly: yang isn't crazy. what she saw on the train was real, a product of raven's personality and her semblance. sometimes bad things just happen. qrow believes that yang had the experience she says she did when she punched mercury. he doesn't know why she had that experience—yang doesn't either!—but he knows she isn't just "crazy." sometimes things that seem crazy are actually real.

remember what he tells the girls in 3.4? "you may be acting like huntresses, but you're not thinking like one." same thing here. he's telling yang, hey, you're not crazy, you know what you saw, but you don't know what or who caused you to see it. "you cut off the head of the king taijitu, but now the second head's calling the shots."

hint, hint.

it's subtler than the hints qrow drops for ruby in 3.12, but very much in the same vein, and yang is plenty smart enough to figure it out. she might... not have? in the couple of hours between this conversation and everything going to straight to hell, but if they'd had literally just one more day, just long enough for the wheels turning in yang's head to click together with what ruby heard from velvet about coco hallucinating during her and yatsu's 2v2 against emerald and mercury, she would've had it.

more... generally, i've never gotten the sense that qrow projects raven's flaws onto yang in the way that tai does; qrow is definitely a lot closer with ruby than yang, but i think that has less to do with favoritism on qrow's part than it does ruby thinking he's like the COOLEST uncle ever and wanting to use a scythe like he does.

'cause like, qrow isn't their parent, he doesn't live with them, he's not responsible for raising these kids like their dad is, so while he obviously did contribute to fucking them both up because: alcoholic, ultimately there just isn't the same degree of betrayal or emotional abandonment; he's not their dad. both times yang talks in detail about her childhood, it's "my mom left, ruby's mom left, tai wasn't really around, ruby couldn't even talk, i was alone"—she doesn't mention qrow. there isn't that deep hurt, that feeling that qrow is someone who left.

when he isn't drunk, yang seems to feel pretty okay around him, and qrow likewise treats her... honestly a lot better than tai does:

he stops by their dorm in v3 to hang out with both his nieces; yang is fully in sister mode—cheers for ruby to beat him until ruby loses, immediately shoves her out of the way like "my turn!! >:D"—and qrow ribs them both, takes ribbing from both of them in good humor, tells both of them "you two are gonna go far."

qrow nicknames to show affection; ruby is "pipsqueak," yang gets "firecracker."

we only see qrow's goodbye to ruby, but in 5.4 yang indicates that qrow came to talk to her before he left, too. she also has complete trust that he's keeping the promise he made to look after ruby.

yang, as noted, opens up to him about seeing her mom; she's also shocked that he's still in contact with raven and indignant that he didn't tell her sooner, but—unlike with tai—she doesn't seem surprised that qrow is willing to talk about raven in general.

which tracks with what tai says in 4.11: "despite asking him numerous times not to, i know qrow told you where you're mother's been at these days"—meaning, this was a point of contention between him and qrow. behind the scenes, while tai refused to discuss raven at all, qrow was going okay well, let me tell her then, she deserves to know. and then ultimately he just bit the bullet and told her behind tai's back. i wouldn't be surprised if it turned out qrow had been straight with yang that her dad wanted to be the one to tell her the important stuff, and he wanted to be respectful of that, but raven wasn't an off-limits topic.

general contrast between yang-tai and yang-qrow dynamics; for example both of them say almost verbatim "you've got a long way to go before you're ready for the real world" (3.4/4.4). from tai it's belittling, he's insulting her; from qrow, it's meant to encourage, it's "remember you're still new to this, you'll make mistakes, just keep learning, keep trying." (rwby does stuff like this all the time, refracting an idea in different directions to highlight contrasts between characters; ozpin's advice to ruby vs port's advice to weiss is another example.)

a lot of qrow's resentment toward raven is centered on her abandonment of yang: "did you know yang lost her arm? [...] rhetorical question, i know you know. it's just obnoxious that you'd bring up family and then carry on like your own daughter doesn't exist. [raven: "i saved her."] once. because that was your rule, right? real mom of the year material, sis." like he is PISSED on yang's behalf that raven won't even try.

my impression is that qrow—although a) often away on long missions in far away places and b) an alcoholic who sometimes got blind drunk and became a burden yang and ruby needed to take care of—when he did manage to be there, made a serious effort to connect with both of them. he ended up being closer to ruby bc she wanted to learn scythe-wielding, but i do think qrow would've trained yang too (or instead) if the girls had different combat interests.

and while his relationship with ruby has a mentorish aspect, i don't get the sense either of the girls see him as a parental figure: he wasn't part of their household, he traveled a lot, his alcoholism in combination with tai's neglect eroded the adult-child boundaries because they had to be responsible for him as often as the reverse. he's a friend who also happens to be related to them. and that's especially true for yang, because he wasn't her teacher.

(i know it's a... pretty common headcanon / fanon that qrow lived with them, but i really don't think that's supported by the text? whenever ruby or yang look back on their childhoods, the family unit is always them + tai, and qrow isolates himself out of fear that his semblance will injure those he cares about. plus ozpin sending him all over the place as the one member of team strq still active. it makes way more sense to think he lived alone, and visited when he had the chance. which is the main reason i'm WAY softer on him than on tai, 'cause qrow wasn't in a caretaker/parent role; at most he was an occasional babysitter. so while his incidents of turning up drunk on the doorstep contributed to the harm... it's like, it would absolutely have been better for them if qrow were sober, but that wouldn't have changed anything about their home life. they'd just have somewhat easier relationships with qrow.)

TO WRAP THIS BACK AROUND TO THE QUESTION, tai is unfairly judgmental and harsh with yang bc he projects his idea of her mom onto her; yang also has a better relationship with her mom's brother than she does with her dad. how do these two dynamics interact? how does yang feel about hearing from tai that she's too branwen, so to speak, while also getting along better with the branwen side of her family? how might that fuel her desire to find raven?

if her uncle treats her better than tai does, then... maybe her mom would too, if only yang could reach her?—obviously it's not rational, but like. i don't think five year old yang put her baby sister in a wagon and ran away to find her mom because she thought she would ask "why did you leave me?" and then get her answer and go home. as yang grew older and developed a more realistic perspective it shifted to "i just need to know why she left" and she projects that backward onto herself as a child, but at the time what she wanted, what she was looking for, was someone who would take care of them.

#never-ending heap of yang thoughts

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biblio-smia · 1 year ago

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event 3 req: fic idea about the reader finding Mike Schmidt (FNAF) at the hospital after the incident at Freddy’s and realizing their feelings for him (angst confession w/ happy ending) - tysm!

here it is!! | part of v’s 800 follower celebration!

mike is only seventy percent alarmed when he sees the hazy outline of you standing over him, sure it was the blood loss making him see things. however, you're still there when mike opens his eyes again, awkwardly slumped into one of the uncomfortable-looking chairs, and mike pinches himself to make sure it's not a side effect of the drugs he's on.

you shift in your seat as if sensing mike's movement. your sleep at mike's side had been like this for hours; so light, any little movement woke you.

mike watches as you blink awake, rubbing the cramp you surely had in your neck away. your eyes glance around, as if remembering where you are, eyes falling on mike tiredly. your gaze rises up to his face and mike watches as your eyes widen.

"mike!" in an instant, you’re at his side, leaning slightly over mike as your hands grip the little plastic rail on mike’s bed. he watches, quietly, as your fingernails move to pinch the skin on your knuckle.

“hi.” mike’s voice is hoarse, sounding strange even to his own ears. he clears his throat before trying again, slowly lifting his hand to place it atop of yours. “hi.”

mike feels the shudder that runs through your body, your other hand lifting to sandwich his between yours; gently at first, as if your touch would hurt him, then a little tighter when you realize it won’t.

mike’s eyes find yours and he frowns upon seeing the tears in them, seconds away from falling.

really, mike can’t understand why.

he hadn’t had much of a chance to think about it, but he would’ve expected a phone call, maybe a get well soon! card. he hadn’t have expected a visit from you. judging by the time of day and the clothes you were wearing, it looked like you rushed to the hospital as soon as you found out.

mike’s severe underestimation of the care you held for him expressed itself as a dumb look on his face as he stared up at you, not quite knowing what to say as tears slip down your face.

“why are you crying?” mike finally asks densely.

you manage to laugh at that, which wasn’t mike’s goal, but he’ll take it anyway. you blame the medication he’s one for his obtuseness, though it’s really only to blame for mike’s uncharacteristic straightforwardness.

“do you remember what happened?” you ask gently, drying your face.

“uhh…” mike’s eyebrows furrow in concentration. “i got attacked by killer robots.”

“you lost a lot of blood,” you say gently, though the words clearly have more of an effect on you than they do on mike. “you had a concussion.”

“is that why you’re crying?”

you hesitate, looking down at mike’s hands between yours, squeezing slightly. “you could’ve died, mike.”

“eh, i’ll walk it off.”

mike’s only half-kidding, but you’re not laughing.

“i’m serious, mike.” your voice breaks as you speak and mike wonders again why you’re here. so, of course, he asks you out loud.

you tilt your head at mike’s blunt question, a teary-eyed smile on your face. “where would you be if i was hurt?”

“with you,” mike says immediately and too honestly. his brain hurts when he tries to think of any deeper implications so he lets it be, trying to hold his tongue from revealing any more subconscious truths he hasn’t given much thought to but knows are genuine.

“exactly,” you whisper.

“where’s abby?”

“she’s at my house. she’s completely fine,” you assure. “she’s worried about you, too, y’know.”

“i’m fine.”

“you scared us bad, mike.”

“why?”

it’s a simple question, why. because we’re friends. because i care about you. because what abby told me terrified me. there’s a million reasons why. why you showed up. why you sat near mike for hours, terrified.

“because i love you.” your voice is quiet, words you hadn't really meant to say somehow slipping out.

a million things to say and you chose the worst one.

mike stares at you with a blank look on his face and you wonder if he even heard you. something in you hopes he didn't.

the silence is reaching suffocating when mike speaks again.

“i love you. and that’s me. not the drugs. i didn’t think you did. but i’ve loved you since june 13th. wrote it down so i wouldn’t forget.”

a part of you was shaking your shoulders, begging you not to believe him. but june 13th? that was too specific. you doubted the drugs mike was on would make him lie like that.

your breath quickens. your entire body is uncomfortably warm and your heart is beating so hard it's creating an ache in your chest. you're doing your best to act calm, but if mike notices any breaks in your composure, he doesn't say anything.

mike's eyes are heavy with sleep and you wonder if he's even aware of the consequences of what he's just done. if he is, he doesn't seem to care. you're sure it'll catch up to him later.

mike's eyes are half-shut when they catch your movement, hand gripping tightly onto yours, quiet words slipping out of his mouth almost too quickly.

"will you stay?"

you smile, gently taking a seat on the edge of mike's bed.

"yeah. i'll stay."

#mike schmidt #mike schmidt x reader #mike schmidt x you #mike schmidt fluff #mike schmidt fanfiction #five nights at freddy's #fnaf x reader #fnaf movie #fnaf #v + mike #v writes #v's 800 follower celebration

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de-fright-ful · 8 months ago

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Honestly, writing out Amity’s backstory really comes down to ‘Rhiannon is the absolute worst at every turn,’ and ‘The fact Illumise didn’t beat the shit out of her is singlehandedly enough to make her qualify for Saint status,’

There’s this one incident I think FULLY gets that.

For context, after Amity and the family moved to The Estate (because Rhiannon was cheating and was pregnant with another man’s child, Kija knew but wanted to keep and claim the child for his pride but didn’t want her still around that guy, hence going to the middle of nowhere.) Amity wasn’t doing too good because her older siblings (11 & 10) blamed her for the move (Rhiannon never did anything to try and correct that btw, Kija did, but Amity was a daddy’s girl (because she was rejected by her siblings) so his efforts to get them to cut it out were GASOLINE)

Amity, then between 5 and 6 years old, was just starting kindergarten and fully speaking. She was already starting to be emotionally pushed back inside herself, and all that big, goofy personality was just fading into this furtive ghost of a girl.

& Illumise, who met her at 2 and started living nearby at 4 when the family first moved into the estate, had a front-row seat watching her literally shrink away within herself in real time. It was hard to witness, especially for the ‘have problems? Fix it. Do better’ sort of person Illumise is.

BUT THEN CUT TO A SHORT TIME AFTER AMITY’S 7TH BIRTHDAY, her grandfather on Kija’s side, Chikao, who they lived alongside, had died, and per regional tradition, the helper Pokemon of his house were meant to go his descendants. Kija wanted none of them; his dad had just died, and I couldn’t blame him for not being able to face that. So, instead, he passed the buck along to his other kids. But the older 3, had specific ideas about the distribution. Each of the eldest got one, but the 3rd child was one of a set of twins (her sister had literally died the year before Amity was born), and she felt she deserved two of Chikao’s Pokémon for her AND her lost sister, and the others backed her up on it.

But in doing that, there was none left for Amity, and it was obvious to EVERYONE how much it hurt her. I mean, really, her siblings would instead give a Pokémon to a ghost than they would let her have one. OUCH.

Kija wasn’t going to get involved, he was emotionally absent at that moment, and Rhiannon really couldn’t give less of a damn; she just didn’t care to rock the boat and have to parent the other three because that would require having to tackle hard questions with her kids. (I.E., if Amity isn’t the scapegoat, who should be? Hint, it’s you, Rhiannon!)

But Illumise? It broke her heart into hundreds of pieces. She decided, ‘Fine, fuck it, we’ll do it live,’ and one afternoon, she offered to babysit Amity and Mira so she could give her own gift. She went on about her and Chikao’s childhood, her history, and the battles until finally, she got to the point: she’d bred her Flygon several times, and she still has some of the Trapinch that resulted. Illumise wanted to gift Amity her own and raise it, so when Mira got to her age, Amity could teach her how to care for the gift she’d get from Illumise, too.

And Amity, again, 7 YEARS OLD, IN A WORLD WHERE THE BOND OF FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN POKÉMON AND MEN IS SO COMMONPLACE AND SOUGHT AFTER AND UNDERSTOOD, was AFRAID, Illumise saw it completely on her face, she was petrified and politely refused— but Illumise knew, she wasn’t afraid of the Pokémon. Amity’d been to her home many times and loved playing with them. What she was terrified of was her SIBLINGS; she knew the inheritance Pokemon incident was to prevent her from having one, period. It didn’t matter who took what and who died. Amity, AT 7, refused because she feared what would happen if they were overruled.

The fact that Illumise didn’t go apeshit and demand custody of her after that shows her intense restraint of character.

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missmoon2539 · 1 year ago

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Wordsnstuff January Writing Challenge

Day 1: Does it ever get easier?

A Drabble from my first book, Best Friends Til The End

Enjoy :)

—

“Does it get easier?” Amelia said to Oliver, shaking in the shower. Oliver fought the urges to cry and carefully extended an arm out. Seeing that Amelia wasn’t flinching or rejecting him, he carefully set his hand on her back and rubbed it as a source of comfort.

“I honestly don’t know, Mia, but I’ll always be here with you, okay? We’ll get through this together,” Oliver desperately wanted to hug her, squeeze her so hard that he could squeeze the pain away. But he knew it wasn’t possible and he didn’t want to accidentally make her uncomfortable as she’s very sensitive to other people in general right now. He would call Sienna over but she’s also in the hospital. He should check up on her soon, she should’ve woke up by now.

He also really wanted to beat the guy who did this to her to death, but he knew that would get him in trouble and Amelia needed him right now more than ever.

“Let’s get you dried up and a new change of clothes,” Oliver said, shutting the running water and pulling the plug out of the bathtub. Amelia was fully clothed when she decided to step into the shower and turn on the tab, he’s gonna need to remind her to take her clothes off before she do that one day. She said it once that it was because she felt really uncomfortable in her own skin ever since the incident, but getting her clothes wet isn’t exactly ideal.

He left the clothes by the sink and closed the door behind him.

His heart broke every single day seeing his roommate, his best friend, and his crush like this. The fact that she flinched the first time he tried to touch her was terrifying enough. He knew she wasn’t to blame though. The guy that did this to her will eventually have to face the consequences, Oliver just hopes that by the time that comes, that guy wouldn’t escape from his punishment.

Want to know how they got there or what happens next? What was the incident? How did it happen?

Find out in my story on Wattpad under the same username, missmoon2539!

#wordsnstuffjanuary #wordsnstuff #writers on tumblr #wattpad #plz read my story #I’m getting desperate #jk #or am I?

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dottores · 3 years ago

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LITTLE DARK AGE

haitani ran x fem!reader x haitani rindou

summary: eight years later, you finally return to tokyo and find yourself caught in the middle of a violent gang war between the two most ruthless criminal organizations of tokyo’s underworld, forced to choose between blood and love.

genre: bonten timeskip, angst, forbidden romance, childhood friends -> strangers -> lovers, 18+ MDNI

warnings: fem!reader, gang violence, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, explicit smut, polyamory, profanity, MCD, unedited, MTBA

previous chapter -> masterlist -> next chapter

CHAPTER ⅩⅡ. WHATEVER I'VE DONE, I DID IT FOR LOVE

TWELVE YEARS EARLIER.

It had been a very long time since you’d felt like this. You felt as if your stomach was eating itself as you sat alone in the penthouse, fingers shaking as you stared at the phone resting on the table in front of you, waiting for a call from your uncle, or Miss Sara, or Mister Mado, or one of your uncle’s colleagues, or anyone who would tell you what was going on.

One week. Seven full days. One hundred and sixty-eight hours. Too many minutes for you to try to calculate.

It had been too long since the Kanto Incident--or so the news was calling the disastrous fight between the Tokyo Manji Gang and Tenjiku--considering you had yet to find anything out about what had happened that day. Your uncle was away on business and wasn’t picking up his phone, Miss Yua and Mister Ayato were taking some well deserved, and much needed, time off in Fiji and you didn’t want to bother either of them, you had tried to go to the police station to get information but nobody gave you answers, you had even tried going to Izanagi Headquarters to try to talk to some of your uncle’s colleagues but only one had spared you some time and even then, he had only given you a half-assed, ‘I’ll look into it,’ before rushing off to his next meeting. You couldn’t blame him--Izanagi was dealing with some heavy lawsuits from another tech company--it was shitty timing all around and it was making you sick to your stomach.

Three dead. Five arrested.

You didn’t know who died. You didn’t know who was arrested. You couldn’t get answers no matter how hard you tried and it made you want to cry. You were fucking useless without your uncle’s support.

Rindou and Ran hadn’t come home since the incident, neither had any of the rest of their friends--your friends. And you could only pray that they had been the ones arrested because you knew damn well that they would have come to you afterward if they had been able to.

(Deep, deep down you knew that was impossible. Three dead, five arrested. There were six of them.)

The thought spinning around the back of your head froze the blood flowing through your body, fear clawed at your chest. Three dead, five arrested. Six of them. Anxiety built faster than you could push it away, your heartbeat raced erratically, your body shuddered as an unnatural chill ran up your spine.

One of them is dead.

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

No. That is not necessarily true. Maybe they just hadn’t had the chance to come talk to you yet.

It was a waiting game, and you were quite certain now that waiting games might be the worst possible games in existence. All you could do was wander around your penthouse trying to keep yourself distracted as you waited for news. You had only felt this helpless once before in your entire fucking life--the night of the accident when you were waiting for news about your family--and you hated it. Every passing second had your heart leaping to your throat, your knees weak, tears building in your eyes that you could only barely catch before they fell.

You were scared. You had lost your entire family in one blow once before and it had nearly destroyed you. You were terrified that it was about to happen again and you weren’t sure you’d be able to recover from it a second time.

You pressed your face into your palms, pulling your knees to your chest as you rocked yourself back and forth, trying to keep yourself calm.

Everything would be okay, you tried to convince yourself. Everything would be okay.

Ran and Rindou. Izana and Shion. Mochi and Mucho. They were fine--probably caught up in juvie again and without your uncle’s influence, it was just a little harder to figure out what was going on so you could try to get them out. That was all.

That was all.

Everything would be okay.

As soon as you got word of what detention center they were being held at, you would haul your ass to them and give them the scolding of a lifetime. All of them. Ran and Rindou. Izana and Shion. Mochi and Mucho. None of them would be able to get out of it.

Especially Izana.

Fury stirred in you at the thought of your white-haired friend. You had warned him so many times--a countless amount of times--to not let his resentment get the best of him, to not let it make him lose sight of his goals.

And he did.

He fucking let it.

You wanted to scream and shake him, rattle his brain in his head and demand answers--what the fuck was so important to him that he let it risk his goals, your goals? Every time you tried to ask him what exactly the ‘detour’ was, he would withdraw like a damned turtle, give you the silent treatment and force you to drop it.

You should have known that it would come to this.

You supposed you blamed yourself as much as you did Izana. You should have pushed more. You should have asked more questions even if it did piss him off. Maybe things would have gone differently.

You exhaled deeply, standing up to pace around the main room of the penthouse. The news station was playing in the background, muted and unintelligible to your ears. Your legs were unsteady but you forced yourself to keep moving. If you stopped, you would drown.

You couldn’t let that happen, not yet. You needed answers.

You needed to know they were okay.

Your phone buzzed back at the kitchen counter. Your head snapped to the side, eyes wide.

At once, the fear began crawling back.

Your phone had not buzzed since before the Kanto Incident.

Your feet dragged against the ground as you made your way back to the kitchen--slower, less excited than you should have been at the prospect of possibly finally getting news.

One of them is dead.

The thought rang around your head--screaming, whispering, you couldn’t push it away this time.

One of them is dead.

They would have come to you if they had been able to. They would have come to tell you what happened. So five of them are jailed. One of them is dead.

Best case scenario.

Worst case scenario, three of them are jailed, three of them are dead.

Your stomach twisted and turned, you couldn’t bring yourself to look at whatever message had just come through. Three jailed, three dead. You couldn’t breathe, you forced yourself to walk away from the counter your phone was resting on, moving over to the sink to pour yourself a glass of water.

You downed the liquid immediately, nearly choking over it before slamming the glass back down. You braced your hands against the counter, leaning over it, breathing heavy as you tried to control yourself.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Everything would be okay.

All you had to do was figure out where they were and get to them.

You pushed yourself up, smoothing out your shirt and forcing your lips flat.

First, you had to read the message. There was no reason to stress about anything else until you did.

Letting out one more heavy breath, you moved back over to the other counter, ignoring how your fingers trembled as you picked up your phone. Inhaling softly, you unlocked your phone, taking note of the unknown number who you figured must be Amon, one of your uncle’s colleagues who had promised to get back to you if he figured something out.

Your heart dropped once the message registered.

16:43 UNKNOWN: A Haitani Rindou was admitted to the Kawagoe Juvenile Prison infirmary in critical condition two days ago.

---

You had never moved so fast in your entire life. You were out the front door of the building in less than five minutes and you were grateful that your driver for the week had been in the area because he was already waiting for you underneath the awning outside of the building, car running and ready to go.

You all but leapt into the passenger seat when you got to the car, telling him to drive as fast as he could.

It was an hour’s drive to Kawagoe Juvenile Prison without traffic. And it was a Friday night, on the verge of rush hour. Every second you spent in that car you swore was taking time off from the end of your life. It was frustrating, anxiety-inducing.

‘It would be faster running there,’ you tried to tell Mister Mado but he only clicked his tongue at you and told you that if you stepped out of the car in the middle of rush hour traffic, he would drag you right back into the car and drive you back to the penthouse. And you did not doubt his capability--Mister Mado was ex-special forces, like Mister Ayato. They had trained together, and Mister Ayato was the one that introduced Mister Mado to your uncle a few years back.

If you had tried to make a break for it, he would have caught up to you easily. And then you wouldn’t be able to see Rindou, or Ran, or any of the others at all.

Assuming they were all there.

Critical condition, the words rang through your head as Mister Mado pulled into the juvenile prison. Critical condition, two days ago.

Three dead, five arrested. Rindou, Ran, Izana. Shion, Mochi, Mucho.

Six.

Schrodinger’s cat. You would not know who was dead or alive until you entered that building, thus, until you enter it, the six of them, in a sense, are both dead and alive.

Once you entered that building… at least one of them would be dead and nothing would ever be the same after.

Your nails dug into the cloth of your slacks, trying to calm yourself down as Mister Mado talked to the man at the front gate. You couldn’t pay attention to what he was saying, too focused on the large building ahead of you.

Three dead, five arrested.

Please be okay.

You rested your head on the cool window, letting your eyes slide shut.

It was too hot for a February day. Muggy. Suffocating. Ugly.

You hated the humidity nearly as much as you hated the rain. You could feel the heavy air weighing down on you through the rolled-down window Mister Mado was leaning out of to talk to the man at the front gate. You swore you felt like you were going to pass out.

It took an outrageous amount of time for the guard to let the two of you through the gates. Or well, you were being dramatic--it only took about five minutes, but those five minutes felt like five hours. Every moment you were separated from them was hellish, every moment of uncertainty, every time you questioned whether or not all of your worst fears might come true.

You just wanted to be with them again, your throat was tight at the admission--you wanted to be hanging out in their room annoying Ran with Rindou, you wanted to force Ran to sit down so you could brush his hair, you wanted to fight with Rindou over what movie you two were going to watch, you wanted to complain that the two of them were being too clingy when Rindou draped himself on top of you and Ran was forcing his head on your lap when he came back into the main room of the penthouse--having woken up to you shrieking at a jumpscare--dragging one of the soft blankets that Miss Yua had given him for his birthday behind him as he joined the two of you for the last half of the movie you were watching,

You felt your eyes well with tears, you forced them away.

Now was not the time.

Finally, the car was moving again and your heart was stuttering in your chest as Mister Mado pulled up to the front of the detention center.

“The guards will guide you to the infirmary,” Mister Mado told you, “stay with them. I’ll meet you there.”

You nodded once, slipping out of the car and into the humidity. The heels of your boots clicked against the dark gray pavement as you approached the building, keeping your chin up and your gaze forward.

One of the guards pressed his access card against the scanner, a loud ring and the front doors swung open. They waited for you to move inside.

You hesitated.

Schrodinger’s cat. As long as you did not enter the building, all six were both dead and alive. A state of unknown that might just be better than whatever reality you would face walking into that building.

“An alarm will go off if you don’t go in,” one of the guards said, voice brusque. You bristled in annoyance, shooting him a sharp look before letting out a sigh of defeat, stepping into the building.

Two guards were waiting for you in the long hallway, the doors shut behind you with an ominous bang.

“Come, l/n-san,” one of them said, “We’ll take you to the infirmary.”

You nodded, following after them silently. You had half a mind to ask who all was arrested--their names were on the tip of your tongue. Haitani Ran. Kurokawa Izana. Madarame Shion. Muto Yasuhiro. Mochizuki Kanji. You swallowed their names, continuing down the long, dreary hall of the juvenile prison.

You knew Rindou was alive at least, and the thought put you at ease, if only momentarily.

Alive but his last known condition was critical.

You felt sick.

Right, left, left, right.

You bit down on your bottom lip. The prison was cool and damp compared to the humidity from outside but it was just as suffocating. A part of you wanted to run before you learned the truth.

Three dead, five arrested. Six of them.

You were scared. It was a sort of low, creeping fear that was eating at your mind and soul. One that was building and building and had been building since the news first came out about the casualties of the Kanto Incident. It was becoming too much for your body and mind to handle.

You were going to break.

“Here,” the guard said firmly, stopping in front of a grey door, “We’ll wait outside unless you call for us.”

You couldn’t break. Not yet.

Hold yourself together. Now is not the time.

Chin up, back straight. Push all of your emotions to the back of your head. You can only fall apart in the privacy of your own home. Your uncle’s words rang on repeat through your head.

You took in a deep breath, you straightened your back, you raised your chin.

“Thank you,” you said. Your voice was steadier than you expected as you stepped forward, pushing open the door.

You entered the room, heart tight in your chest. It was a shitty little infirmary--not equipped to handle any serious wounds. You felt anxious as your gaze drifted around before it tunneled to a figure laying on one of the beds on the opposite side of the room.

“Rindou,” you breathed out, rushing forward toward him. And you nearly broke there and then—eyes blurry with tears when you noticed how badly his face was bruised up and the way his arm was in a sling. You stood at his bedside, half kneeling on the bed next to him. You brought your hands to his face, cupping his cheeks gently and your fingers trembled against his skin as he peeked up at you through swollen eyes, split lips pulling up into a small smile, “What happened?”

“Got the shit kicked out of me,” his voice was rough, scratchy, and he winced as if his throat hurt when he spoke, “Real bad.”

“No shit,” you laughed, but your voice cracked as the tears spilled over your cheeks. Your uncle would be disappointed if he found out. You couldn’t bring yourself to care.

You shifted the thin sheets off of him, one hand leaving his face to trace gently down his chest and abdomen across all of the deep purple bruises marring his skin all the way down to beneath the waistband of his pants.

You pulled away when his abdomen spasmed beneath your touch, sliding the sheets back over him as he shivered. You looked back up at him as he leaned his face into your touch, bringing your other hand up to brush a lock of blonde hair from his face.

“Who did this?” you asked quietly.

Rindou shook his head, “Doesn’t matter,” he murmured, “How’d you get in here anyway? They said they don’t allow visitors.”

You scoffed lightly but there was no heat behind it as you gazed down at Rindou, biting down on the inside of your cheek as you took in just how hurt he was, “Do you even know who I am?” you said light-heartedly, fingers ghosting along his cheekbone, “I can do whatever I want.”

“Ah yes, I forgot, Miss My-Uncle-Owns-Half-Of-Japan,” Rindou teased, but there was an odd tone in his voice, one that you couldn’t quite place and it had you on edge because you could always, usually pretty easily, tell what Rindou was feeling. “Why’d it take you so long anyway? Figure you’d be here as soon as news got out about what happened in Yokohama.”

Your small smile faltered at the reminder of your own lack of capability, your inability to get anything done without your uncle’s help. How the fuck were you supposed to start up your own business, much less make it successful, when you can’t even do basic shit on your own? When you can’t even find out if your friends are dead or alive without going to a dozen and a half people for help.

Well, you supposed you wouldn’t be alone, you remembered. You and Izana had planned it all out over the few months you spent in the music room together. He would be at your side, and you were quite certain that you and Kurokawa Izana would be an unstoppable force once you got the momentum going.

You didn’t have to answer his question. Instead, a new familiar voice spoke up, “What am I? Chopped liver?” a petulant voice asked and you all but leapt off of the bed, eyes wide and desperate as your gaze swiveled around the room, eyes falling upon Ran lounging back on a nearby bed, studying you carefully.

“Ran,” you gasped, leaping off Rindou’s bed and toward Ran.

Ran spread open his arms for you and you buried yourself right into them. He huffed in amusement as he wrapped his arms snug around you and you couldn’t help the way your eyes fluttered shut, you couldn’t help the warm feeling that swam throughout you at the feeling of his arms holding you tight.

“You’re okay,” your voice was choked as you pulled back, hands going right to cup his face just as you had to Rindou, eyes tracing over his skin, and then down his body. He wasn’t as fucked up as Rindou, but he was clearly bruised and battered.

“Okay is a relative term,” Ran murmured in response.

“Wh-what happened to you guys?” you demanded, going to look back at Rindou but your gaze caught on the other three in the room: Shion, Mochi and Mucho, all of whom had also been beaten albeit none as badly as Rindou. Your voice rose in anger, “How the hell did Izana let this happen? Wher-”

Three dead, five arrested.

The anger washed away, your hands trembled. You pushed yourself off of Ran’s bed, looking around one last time--maybe you had missed him.

Your voice was little over a hushed whisper as you finished your question, “Where is he? Where-where is Izana?”

Neither Rindou nor Ran would meet your eyes. Mucho’s lips were pressed together tight. Mochi stared ahead at the barred window of the infirmary blankly. Not even Shion opened his mouth to answer you.

“Where is Izana?” your voice was louder, more frantic, “Hey! One of you fucking answer me, where is he?”

No response.

You looked between Rindou and Ran, desperately trying to get one of them to look at you, “Answer me,” you were begging, you never fucking begged. “Answer me, please, one of you answer me. Where is he? If this is some sick joke-”

“Izana’s dead.”

It was Shion that spoke. His voice was more serious than you had ever heard before. You turned your head to look at him over your shoulder, eyes wide. His face was cold, stony--any and all hints of the wide, wild smile you were used to was gone as he watched you.

He was lying.

“You’re lying,” you accused, shaking your head, “Izana can’t die, he’s Izana. Where is he? This isn’t funny, Shion.”

But even as you spoke the words you knew, you knew deep, deep down that what Shion was saying was true. He was an asshole, but not even he would go this far--not with his friends.

“He’s dead, y/n,” Ran said. Your eyes were wide, glassy as you looked back at Ran, searching his face for any hint of a lie. “He took three bullets to the chest during the fight.”

There was none.

“No,” you said, “No, no no no, what do you mean bullets? It was a fist fight, you guys do fist fights, why the fuck was there a gun? What do you mean bullets, Ran? Who brought the gun? Who shot him? Ran, tell me who the fuck shot him, I’ll have them ki-“

Your world was spinning and tunneling all at once, you weren’t even sure how you were still standing up straight. Your head felt light, you were dizzy.

“What are you trying to name it after?”

“Huh? Name what?”

“You said you’re trying to break off from your uncle. You’re gonna need a new company name, what’re you trying to name it for?”

“…”

“… you don’t know, do you?”

“… I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”

“… whatever, I’m done practicing today anyway. Come here, let’s think something up.”

“You can’t kill him,” Rindou shook his head, “You can’t-”

“I can do whatever the fuck I want,” your voice was shrill, loud. “Don’t you fucking forget that, Rindou. Tell me who had the fucking gun.”

“Well I can’t do Japanese mythology, ‘cause that’s what Uncle Ichirou’s is… um…”

“Roman?”

“Hmm okay, I don’t know much about Roman mythology.”

“I actually have an idea, hold on.”

“Kisaki Tetta.”

“Shion!” Ran roared, “shut the fuck up.”

Shion stared right at you, “His name was Kisaki Tetta. The one who killed Izana.”

“Guys, I had the best idea for the name of my company when I get it started.”

You wanted to throw up. You pressed your hand to your mouth, turning around to face the wall so none of the others could see you.

Control yourself. Do not break down here. Breathe in, breathe out.

“Who had the best idea?”

“I-okay well, I guess it was Izana’s idea. But we’re pretty much the same brain at this point so it’s technically my idea too.”

“Excuse me, we’re what?”

You could feel nausea build in your stomach. You shut your eyes and the world around you shifted. You were back in the car with your family, reaching out for your sister, yelling for her to get up, that you guys had to get out of the car before it exploded. You could smell the smoke and the blood and the gasoline, you could feel the heat burning your eyes, you could hear your mother gasping for air as she breathed her last.

You couldn’t breathe. Izana, he-

“Anyway, get this! Janus! After the Roman god. He’s the god of beginnings and endings, and transitions, doorways, gateways, do you get it?! A new era for technology, and a shift away from my uncle, a new era for all of us, really. Once we get it started, everything will be easy after that.”

You wouldn’t be able to do it without him. You knew it. You fucking knew it. How were you supposed to? How were you supposed to build something alone that you had promised to do with him? Something that he named, something that he helped you plan, something you were supposed to do together. Your new era. Together.

“Stay away from that family, death follows them.”

How many times had you denied it? Spat those accusations in the face and then cried in Rindou’s arms at home because they spoke of deals with the devil and curses of death that weren’t true and you couldn’t make any friends because of it.

Maybe they were right, a part of you whispered. Izana had been fine and then months after befriending you he gets shot at a fist fight, what the fuck are the chances of that? They had so many big fights over the years but the first major one since you befriended him ended in his death?

Who was next?

Shion? Mochi? Mucho?

Rindou or Ran?

Your chest heaved, you pushed away the nausea.

Not here. Not here. Not here.

Not in front of them. Control yourself.

The door to the infirmary creaked open. You stiffened.

“Huh? What’s this?” an unfamiliar voice. Male. Deep. Accented. “What’s a girl doing in here? Smuggling whores in, Haitani?”

His voice was low, teasing, but there was an underlying edge that had your hair standing on end. Ran shifted in the bed next to where you were standing but before he could open his mouth to say something you were looking over your shoulder back at the room.

They were tense. Uncomfortable. All of them. At once, a deep-set hatred swept throughout you. Whoever this was, he was not a friend.

“Who the fuck are you?” your voice was also low, but it did not have the same teasing edge as his did. Next to you, Ran inhaled sharply, a look of warning thrown in your direction.

The new guy was large—obscenely large, really, larger than Mochi and Mucho and they were the tallest guys you ever met. There was a tattoo curling down his neck to his chest, top unbuttoned, and you couldn’t help but notice the scars that riddled his chest.

“He took three bullets to the chest during the fight.”

Resentment flooded through you too fast to control it. Your gaze drew up to meet a strange golden one that made your skin crawl.

“Watch yourself, girl,” the amusement in his voice was also gone, your eyes narrowed.

The resentment shifted into a steadily growing anger.

“Take your own advice,” your words were milder than the ones sitting on the edge of your tongue, ready to burst. “I asked you a question.”

Your name left Ran’s lips, a warning. He was telling you not to fuck around with this guy. One glance at Ran and the rest of them told you all you needed to know—his eyes were wary, hesitant, he looked torn between standing in front of Rindou, who was immobile on his infirmary bed, and dragging you behind him. Mucho was on his feet, standing to the side between you and the new guy, ready to jump in, Shion and Mochi were still sitting on their own beds, significantly more tense than before.

This was the one that beat the shit out of them.

Your gaze drew sharply from them, onto the two guards who had walked you here, now standing stiff at the doorway due to the new arrival, ready to intervene.

“Leave,” you said. Their eyes snapped to you,

protest visible in them.

“L/n-san,” one hesitated, looking at you.

“Now,” you interrupted before he could continue and you watched as the two of them shared a look before stepping out of the room, letting the door slam shut behind them.

“Sending away your only means of protection wasn’t a smart move, girl,” his voice was low and derogatory, the amusement was back again. That deep-set hatred began to boil again as your gaze fell back on the scars on his chest—proof of his survival against something that had killed Izana. “These fuckers can’t protect you. They hadn’t even been able to protect themselves.”

Your hands shook with anger from where they were stuffed in your pockets. If Izana was here-

You wanted to cry. Izana was not here. He was dead, and you felt like it was your fault. Cursed. You were fucking cursed.

Now is not the time. Control yourself.

If Izana was here, he would put this asshole in his place without sparing a second. You could practically picture it and-

-and if Izana wasn’t here to do it, you had to. For Ran and Rindou, for Shion and Mucho and Mochi, for Izana, who you knew would be furious if he knew some ogre was beating and bullying them.

Izana was gone, you couldn’t shake the words from you. Dead. Three bullets to the chest during the fight. You were on your own now—well, you supposed you weren’t on your own. You had Ran and Rindou and Shion and Mucho and Mochi, but they were not Izana.

Izana understood you in a way that they did not. And that’s not to say that Ran and Rindou didn’t understand you—they did. But it was different. You knew they struggled to see you as someone independent, as someone they didn’t need to protect all the time. You loved them. You did. But Izana had always recognized your potential whereas they did not.

“I think you underestimate yourself too much, and I think when push comes to shove, you’ll do what needs to be done.”

Maybe he was right, you considered as words twisted through your head—bullets ready to fire at the asshole standing in front of you. But things were different now that he was gone. Izana’s presence had been a reassurance. A reassurance that if you split from your uncle, you would still have someone there watching your back—someone who understood, someone who wouldn’t coddle you or try to hold you back.

But Izana was gone. He was dead. And now you were drifting alone, drowning in the open sea and the only buoy you could cling to was your uncle until you could learn to float yourself.

You could stand on your own—you knew you could. Izana had faith that you could, and you had faith in yourself. But not yet, you knew you weren’t ready yet, and you knew that things would only get more dangerous as time passed. More threats to you, to them—threats that you wouldn’t be able to eliminate on your own. Not yet.

Your family name was like a bulletproof shield that surrounded the pedestal the world held you on. You hated using it, it always left a sour taste in your mouth but…

“When push comes to shove, you’ll do what needs to be done.”

If it was to protect them, you would use it. You would use your family name, you would use your uncle, you would do anything.

This was only the first test.

Chin up, back straight. Push all of your emotions to the back of your head. You can only fall apart in the privacy of your own home.

“You’re foreign, so I suppose I can’t blame you for not understanding how things are run in Tokyo,” you said. His gaze darkened, you raised your chin, straightened your back. Your uncle's words swam throughout your head yet again. You did not know all of what your uncle was involved with, but you knew enough to realize this brute had no right trying to threaten you. And perhaps you were about to speak out of your ass considering you were crying about not being able to get anything done, not even a half hour ago, but nobody needed to know that.

“I run Tokyo. Or well, I suppose my uncle does right now. But I will sooner or later. My family has this city in our pocket. Someone like you should already know just the way this world works,” your gaze drifted down to the bullet scars decorating his chest, the tattoo that you were sure had some sort of gang significance, “and you should know to avoid the larger fish of the sea.”

He scoffed, loudly, and he took a step forward, you did not move. “You tryna say you’re a larger fish?” he sounded amused, you were not.

You smiled thinly, “The largest someone of your standing will ever have had the misfortune of stumbling upon,” you said coolly, gaze flickering down to the name etched on his uniform. “Brutality and aggression get you nowhere in this world. Money is what makes the world go round, Terano, and our wallets are all but endless. You don’t want to make an enemy of me.”

“Or what?”

Your eyes trailed back down to the scars marring his chest before flashing back up to his eyes.

“I don’t think you need me to answer that question,” any amusement that might have been apparent on Terano’s face was gone in an instant.

He stepped forward and at once there was a cock of a gun. Ran, Shion and Rindou flinched, Mucho and Mochi tensed. Your eyes flickered behind Terano to where Mister Mado was holding a pistol up.

A bullet to the chest might not kill him but Mister Mado always aimed for the head, and he never missed.

Terano’s brows knit together, his lips pressed tight. He glared so hard that you swore you’d be a boiling puddle of flesh and blood and bone if he had the power. His eyes flashed with something dark, angry, a sort of blinding rage and bloodlust that sent a chill running down your spine.

He was not a man that liked to be backed into a corner.

The adrenaline was fading, you could feel the nerves reappearing. You had to leave before you broke.

“I’ll be back to visit next week,” you didn’t look back at Ran or Rindou as you started walking away. They called after you but you ignored them. You were running out of time; you only had a few moments before reality smacked you once again.

You stopped as you passed Terano, tilting your head up to look at him, shoulder brushing his arm. Pupils constricted, gold stared down at you furiously. All it would take was one movement, one snap of his arm up and he would have your neck in his grasp, snapping it in one swift motion.

“If you touch them again, you won’t leave this center alive,” you said before turning your gaze back forward brushing past him and out of the door, ignoring the calls of your name.

As soon as the doors shut behind you, you pulled your hands from your pockets, revealing just how shaky they had become during the confrontation. You took deep breaths, trying to keep yourself calm.

“I’ll have the cameras wiped and we’ll pay off the guards to keep an eye around here,” Mister Mado said, squeezing your shoulder gently. “You handled this well. Your uncle will be proud.”

Your chest sunk. His words rang bitter in your ears.

This was what you wanted, wasn’t it?

—-

PRESENT.

You were sure that this was all you had ever wanted in life.

Thin rays of sun slipped past the blinds, beating against your eyelids, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Not with Ran’s arm wrapped snug around your waist, his face buried in the nape of your neck. Warm, soft puffs of air fanned against your skin, short purple and black hair tickled your shoulders.

You could feel Rindou laying somewhere in front of you, one hand curled around your wrist, as if he was trying to stop you from trying to flee when you woke up. You had always been the one to wake up first of the three of you. Your chest tightened at the thought, his grip was tight, holding your hand close to him.

Rin…

You let out a shaky breath, letting your eyes peek open. The sun burned, but only for a second as your gaze focused on Rindou’s sleepy expression, inches from your face. His lashes brushed his cheek and his pink lips were parted as he took in slow, even breaths.

You swallowed thickly, eyes tearing up as you realized just how at peace you felt at that moment. You felt safe, genuinely and truly safe, for the first time in years, even if you did know deep down you were in more danger than ever.

Rindou let out a quiet hum in his sleep, grip tightening on your hand, and you inhaled sofly, bringing your free hand up to his face, cupping his cheek gently, scared of waking him up. Your fingers brushed his cheekbone and your breath caught as his eyes fluttered open, purple eyes lost and confused for a moment before his eyes trained on you.

His face was unreadable, if only for a moment, and then his lips lifted into a small smile, “Creep,” he accused, but even as the word left his lips, his eyes slid back shut and he leaned his face into your touch.

“Shut up,” you murmured, no heat behind your words as you let out another uneven puff of air. “I just-”

You couldn’t bring yourself to say your thoughts out loud. I just wanted to make sure you were real, I wanted to make sure this wasn’t some sort of sick trick.

But you didn’t have to say it out loud. Rindou’s grip on your hand tightened in response to your words, his way of saying that he had been fearing the same, and his grip on your hand was his way of keeping ahold of reality. Ran’s grip on your waist shifted, nuzzling in closer to you as he let out a low groan in his sleep.

Rindou’s eye’s flickered behind you, a strange expression crossing over his face. Your brows furrowed, asking him a silent question, and Rindou only shrugged, eyes sliding shut again.

“He hasn’t slept well in a long time,” he murmured, “Not without sleeping pills, at least.”

“Oh,” you said quietly, guilt stirring in you once again. You wondered if you leaving had anything to do with that, or if it was just something that had come with years in his line of… work.

You grimaced at the reminder. You knew what they were a part of—you had known since that morning at Izanagi Headquarters—but it was different hearing it directly from them. They didn’t spare you any details, and you weren’t sure if you were grateful for it or not.

Bonten. The rival gang that has been trying and failing to back Sugawara into a corner. They knew just as much about Sugawara’s group as his knew about Bonten up until recently. Both groups were slippery, good at keeping to the shadows, careful and calculating.

But Bonten couldn’t keep up. And you supposed it was nobody’s fault but your own. Your return to Tokyo had been the turning point in the cold war between the two gangs. Your money, your technology, your relationship with the Haitanis.

You shut your eyes, guilt pooling in every pore in your body, weighing you down heavy.

Bonten was on its last legs. Sanzu Haruchiyo and Kakucho were frantically trying to get their shipments out of their warehouses before the police raided them. Kokonoi Hajime’s businesses had all but burned to the ground. Akashi Takeomi was trying to get in talks with smaller gangs but nobody wanted to step into a raging fire for a gang that would’ve looked away had they been in the same position.

And Rindou and Ran were here. With you. A part of you wondered if there would be backlash for it, but you doubted that Bonten could spare the resources anyway. And you were certain they couldn’t afford to drive away two of its executives when it was already falling apart.

Your fingers trembled.

You should have stayed away, back in Europe, or the Americas, anywhere but here. All you did was bring death and misfortune with you wherever you went.

You were certain that the kids from all those years ago were right. You were cursed.

A palm pressed softly against your cheek and your eyes fluttered back open, meeting Rindou’s.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked quietly, and you let out a breath.

“Nothing,” you said quietly. His brows furrowed in annoyance, you sighed louder. “Really, nothing, I was thinking about Izana,” you lied, “or well, just that day at the detention center.”

Rindou’s lips pressed together tight at the reminder of Izana before he shook his head, snorting, “South. I cannot believe you and him work together now. I swore he was going to kill you that day. Even when we were with him in Rokuhara Tandai after, I don’t think I ever saw him so angry before. You made it look so easy.”

You smiled, shaking your head, “I was terrified,” you admitted, “and I was pretty much talking out of my ass. I was literally crying on the way to the detention center because I couldn’t do anything without Uncle Ichirou’s help.”

Your eyes fluttered shut again as Rindou’s fingers danced along your cheek, “Couldn’t tell,” he murmured, “You were…”

His voice fell off and a strange, uncomfortable feeling swept over you as you waited for him to finish the sentence.

You were what?

“I was what?” you finally asked when Rindou never continued.

He blinked, as if he himself hadn’t realized he never finished his sentence, before a strange look crossed over his face, “I don’t know,” he said quietly, “Looking back on it, that was really the day it all changed, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” you responded. You couldn’t meet his eyes, his hand drew back from your face and an unwelcome, longing feeling swept over you. “Yeah, it was.”

Rindou grimaced, and you could see all the thoughts running through his head.

I should have realized, I should have done more, things would be different if I had noticed, I should have, I should have, I should have-

You squeezed his hand gently, “There wasn’t anything that could’ve been done,” you told him softly, but he shook his head, pulling his hand from yours and rising off the bed.

Your hand felt cold. Your lips parted to call after him. He wouldn’t look at you.

“I’m gonna go see what Miss Yua is making for breakfast,” he said, not waiting for a response before he turned on his heel and left the room, letting the door shut loudly after him.

An excuse, of course, Miss Yua always made eggs in the morning. Mister Ayato was the one that did fancy breakfasts for the three of you and he was all but bedridden.

As soon as the door shut, the arm around your waist tightened. You let out a soft noise as you squirmed beneath Ran’s arm, turning your head to look at him, eyes meeting violet ones that peered at you from over your shoulder.

“How long have you been awake?” you asked, trying to shift away, but even wounded, Ran was still stronger than you.

“Long enough to hear you talk to Rindou. What were you really thinking about?” Ran questioned, voice low and sleepy, “I know you were lying.”

“Ran-“

“Don’t play games with me, I’m not in the mood,” Ran muttered, finally letting go of you so you could turn around to face him.

You could barely meet his gaze, eyes darting around to look everywhere but at him until his hand came up to hold your jaw, forcing you to look at him.

“Do you-“ you let out a shaky breath, closing your eyes. How fucking embarrassing. Were you really going to admit to this? “Do you remember what those kids used to say about me and my family? When we were younger?”

Ran’s brows furrowed as he nodded, unsure of where you were going with this, and you could feel the tears pool in your eyes behind your eyelids.

“Do you ever wonder if it’s true?” you finally asked and you hated how your voice shook, and you hated even more as Ran let go of you.

“What?” he asked, tone inlaid with such disbelief that it had your face heating up in embarrassment, “What are you talking about? Why would-?”

“My whole family died, Ran,” you interrupted him, “in a freak accident on the way to one of my

ballet recitals. And then as soon as I befriend your friends, two of them die too. I go to Europe and thousands of people are killed in the explosion. And now I come back to Tokyo, and everything goes to shit in a matter of two weeks. Everywhere I go, tragedy follows. And I’m scared, I’m scared every day that you and Rin will be next.”

You expected a multitude of reactions from Ran. You expected him to get angry, annoyed; you expected him to blow you off and call you dumb; you expected a roll of the eyes and a ‘quit it with the paranoia.’

You did not expect him to laugh.

Your eyes flew open, glaring at him. Amused purple eyes watched you fondly. Your glare lessened when you felt his hand rest on your bicep, thumb rubbing soft circles on your skin.

“Rindou and I have been around you for what? Seventeen years? We were together for nine before you went off to school? Don’t you think that if we were cursed, we would’ve been struck down by now?” Ran teased, “Is that really what’s got you so wound up?”

You looked away, he brought his hand up to cup the side of your neck and your eyes instinctively drew back to him. The amusement was gone and instead replaced by worry.

“Is that really what’s bothering you?” Ran’s voice was quiet, more serious. You grit your teeth to try to stop the tears.

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. You told yourself it over and over again but it wasn’t working this time.

“You don’t-you don’t understand,” you shook your head, which was a mistake considering the movement made the tears start to fall. “You don’t understand waking up every day and being terrified that you’re going to get the people you love killed-I-Ran, it’s so-“

Your vision was blurred but you could still catch the look on Ran’s face—the questioning and then the understanding and then the anger.

He spoke your name and you nearly flinched, “Was this the reason for the rush? When you left? You told us two days before, y/n, you didn’t even give us any time to process it before you were gone.”

He was trying to stay calm, you could hear it in his voice, but you could see the fury boiling behind his eyes. Your shoulders shook, you took in a wet breath. You opened your mouth to deny it. Deny, deny, deny but instead-

“I’m sorry,” your voice broke as a sob wracked your form, your hands flew to cover your face and you tried to move away. “I was scared.”

The excuses and apologies flew from your lips like bullets, but even as you cried and asked him to forgive you, you felt as if the last of the weight bearing down on you had been lifted.

Even if he hated you, at least you had nothing left to hide from them.

Ran let out a heavy, shaky breath, his hand wrapped tight around your bicep again, pulling you in close. You buried your face in his chest, melting into the warmth of his body, wrapping an arm around his waist as he held you.

“Rindou was right, you really are somehow the stupidest and smartest person we’ve ever met,” he muttered. “You are so fucking infuriating. So fucking infuriating.”

You ignored the insult, instead letting your eyes slide shut as Ran pressed his lips to the top of your head. And for a moment, the two of you just laid there--you bundled in his arms, trying to calm your breathing and dry your tears, and him clutching you tight, blunt nails digging a bit too hard into your skin but you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

You weren’t sure how long the two of you laid there curled up into each other but you were sure that you would have stayed there forever if given the chance.

“Breakfast is ready.”

You jumped at the sound of Rindou’s voice, pulling away from Ran to sit up and look at him. There was an odd expression on his face as he eyed the two of you but you only let out a breath as you pushed yourself off the bed, straightening out the button-up you had slipped into last night after the three of you were two bottles in.

Rindou’s, you recognized now that you weren’t drunk out of your mind--you could smell his cologne heavy on the collar of the button-up, a woodier scent than the one that Ran wore.

“Eggs?” you questioned, raising your eyebrows. Rindou tore his gaze from where he was staring at the bed you had just been in with Ran.

“Yeah,” he said after a moment, “eggs.”

You rolled your eyes, nudging his shoulder, “Coulda told you that,” you said.

“Miss Yua always makes eggs,” Ran agreed as he stood up, a grimace crossing his face, his hand flying to his abdomen.

You and Rindou both took a step toward him but he waved you off, irritation flashing through his eyes, “I’m fine,” he snapped. You sighed, sharing a look with Rindou as Ran made his way toward you, breath shaky and knees wobbly. He was barely walking straight, the bruises marring his skin were dark and ugly against his pale skin, blending in with the tattoos on the left side of his body.

You shook your head, moving toward him, you took a spot on the right side of his body and Rindou moved to the left, helping steady him.

“I don’t fuckin’ need your help,” Ran, ever the difficult one, tried to push both of you away but you only tightened your grip on him.

“Relax, Ran,” you said quietly, “Let’s just get to the kitchen.”

“I can walk myself,” Ran muttered, unamused, but he didn’t fight as he leaned into the two of you, letting you guys guide him to the kitchen.

Miss Yua was there waiting for the three of you, graying hair pulled up into a bun, lips flat as she scowled at the three of you. You could almost pretend that you guys were teenagers again, about to get a loud and unending scolding after the three of you had stolen Mister Ayato’s alcohol and blacked out, missing breakfast and lunch and stressing Mister Ayato out intensely when you didn’t meet him at the school like you were supposed to.

“Good morning, Miss Yua,” you murmured, Ran echoing your words.

The woman raised her nose, sliding three plates of eggs and toast toward you guys. You picked up your fork immediately, going to shovel a forkful of food into your mouth. You paused when you caught all three of them staring at you.

“What?” you asked, disgruntled, “I’m hungry.”

Rindou snorted, looking down at his own food, and the irritated look on Ran’s face disappeared momentarily as he smiled down at the plate in front of him.

“You, boy,” Miss Yua pointed a kitchen knife at Ran, Ran froze mid-bite of food, finishing chewing slowly and swallowing as he watched her, “Do not overexert yourself, I’m not going to do checkups on you every few hours. Your body is weak--” Ran flinched “--and it will become weaker if you push yourself. Take it easy.”

Ran let out a noise of agreement but from the look on his face you knew damn well he had no intention of taking it easy, and from the way Miss Yua rolled her eyes, she knew that too. Miss Yua let out a heavy sigh as she smoothed out her clothes, making her way back in the direction of where her room and Mister Ayato’s were located.

Before she left, she paused to look back at the three of you, there was a strange, longing look in her eyes as her gaze traced over the three of you, lips tugged up gently. Her lips parted as if to say something but instead she only shook her head, turning away, “It’s nice to see the three of you home together,” she murmured before making her way back down the hall.

With Miss Yua gone, a heavy silence overtook the kitchen. You chewed your food slowly, swallowing and placing your fork down.

“We should probably get out of here,” the words felt bitter. You wanted to stay, pretend that you had never left Tokyo and the three of you were lounging around the penthouse like old times.

But you couldn’t. The longer you stayed here, the more danger you would put Miss Yua and Mister Ayato.

That wasn’t an option.

“Yeah,” Rindou said quietly, and you could see on his face that he probably felt just as reluctant as you did. “Let me go get changed,” his gaze darted over to you and Ran, “you two should get dressed too.”

You let out a breath, rising to your feet after finishing the last of your eggs, moving your plate to the sink, grabbing Ran and Rindou’s, placing them with yours. You swallowed thickly as you stood at the sink, hands braced against the counter as you shut your eyes.

Breathe in, breathe out.

You had to get away from the penthouse--it’ll be the first place that Sugawara looks. But leaving the penthouse meant facing reality again and you didn’t know if you were ready for it. Facing reality meant facing danger, and facing danger meant that Ran and Rindou would be at risk again.

You felt a palm press against your lower back, and you turned your head to the side, eyes falling upon Rindou, who watched you with furrowed brows and a concerned frown. You shook your head, giving him a small smile, “I’ll go get changed,” you said quietly, stepping away from the sink.

And you didn’t give him a chance to respond as you started your way back down the hall, a sinking feeling in your chest and a heavy weight returning to your shoulders.

---

The hardest part was saying goodbye to Miss Yua and Mister Ayato again.

You sighed as you leaned against the wall of the elevator, tilting your head back to look up at the mirrors lined in the ceiling. You could see Rindou and Ran standing against opposite walls, Ran typing furiously on his phone while Rindou stared ahead at him, fingers toying with his rings. He looked just as upset as you felt.

“Where are we gonna go?” you asked after a few moments. Rindou’s head lolled to the side as he looked over at you, raising his eyebrows, “... well we aren’t going to go back to your apartment, right? You said the cops have been raiding all your warehouses?”

“What’s that gotta do with our apartment?” Ran muttered, lips twisting down as he started typing out another angry message.

“... who do you guys think has the cops in their pocket?” you asked slowly, Rindou and Ran both looked up at you, Rindou’s face falling and Ran’s brows furrowing. “My uncle has had the TMPD in his pocket since we were kids, and if he does, Sugawara surely does too. Plus they have access to all the CCTV cameras in the city… that’s on me, I guess… sorry. Anyway, what I’m trying to get at is that we can't really stay in Tokyo right now. It’s not safe. They’ve got eyes and ears everywhere, literally.”

“The fuckin’ cameras,” Ran muttered to himself, shooting you a half-hearted glare before returning back to whatever argument he was having over text, “God, Sanzu won’t leave me the fuck alone.”

“What’s he want now?” Rindou rolled his eyes, turning his attention back toward Ran and you tuned them out as your phone buzzed in your pocket.

You recognized Takuya’s number flashing on your screen and you swallowed thickly as you answered the phone, praying to whatever god that would listen that they managed to get out of Tokyo safely.

“Takuya, are you-”

“Get out of the fucking elevator now,” it was Mina’s voice on the other side of the phone. Your heartbeat faltered in your chest, your body moved on instinct, eyes darting up to catch the thirteen on the elevator as it descended down to the ground floor. You slammed your hand against the button for the twelfth floor.

“What’s going on?” you demanded, “Mina-”

“Sugawara’s fuckers are in the building, they’re waiting at the bottom of the elevator, coming up the north and south stairwells. Eight on north, nine on south. We’re way outside the city right now, I won’t be able to get to you. You’ve gotta get out of there.”

“Oh fuck,” you breathed out, looking down each hall, “Oh fuck, fuck, what floor are they on right now.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Rindou demanded, clicking off the safety of his gun as he readied it in front of him, eyes wild as he looked up and down the hallway, trying to figure it out on his own.

“Sugawara’s men are here,” you said quietly as Mina and Takuya talked in the background, trying to pinpoint where exactly Sugawara’s men were. “In the building. Coming up now.”

“They’re on the sixth floor, or close to it. I can’t tell exactly, there’s no cameras in the stairwells. They seem to have your location, they’re not even bothering to check the other floors, just coming right up,” Takuya’s voice sounded further away, you could hear him typing away at whatever computer he was on, “I’m trying to get into the building’s cameras now. They’re not ours, it’s taking a bit longer than it would if they were.”

“We need to move,” Ran said, grimacing as he pushed himself off of the wall. Sweat was beading at his forehead, his face looked paler than usual, his legs shook with every step.

He was not okay.

“Ran,” you breathed out, trying to move forward to grab him but he batted your hands away.

“I’m fine,” his face was resentful, angry. He despised weakness. He hated being the one holding people back, “I’m fine. We need to move. Start moving.”

“You can’t walk,” Rindou spit right back, not having any of Ran’s shit, “You’re going to hold us back.”

“Then leave me,” Ran’s tone was absolutely vile, eyes on fire as he glared at Rindou.

“Fuck you,” Rindou snarled, shoving the gun in your hands before moving to wrap his arm around Ran’s waist, steadying him and helping him move along. His face softened as he looked back at you, “You know how to use that?”

“Yeah,” you swallowed thickly, holding the gun correctly in front of you, “I know how to use it.”

“Go to the left, down the north stairwell. They’re moving slower and there’s less of them. You’ll at least be able to get down a flight or two before they catch up. The building’s gym is on the tenth floor, it’ll probably be the easiest place to take cover and take them out. I’ll try to get the cameras out before you get to the floor,” Takuya said, you hesitated.

“Stop fucking standing there and move,” Mina boomed and you were moving forward immediately, sprinting to the north stairwell and shoving your phone into Ran’s hands as you reached the metal door.

“You’re on phone duty,” you said to Ran, who gave you a scowl so deep that you swore it would be permanently etched on his face.

The door creaked open as you pushed it open, holding it for Ran and Rindou before closing it quietly behind the two of them. Your eyes darted around. There were no cameras in the stairwells, but you knew they must have seen the three of you enter it from the ones on the twelfth floor. You had to keep moving.

You let out an unsteady breath, holding the gun in front of you as you started down the steps, moving as quickly and quietly as possible. You glanced back at Rindou and Ran. Ran had shoved a fistful of his shirt into his mouth, muffling the grunts of pain that rose at all of the jostling, giving you a clear view of the nasty bruises lining his abdomen courtesy of your decision.

Guilt swelled again, you pushed it away.

Now was not the time. Hesitate and it’ll get all three of you killed.

Focus.

You turned down the staircase, glancing down. You felt sick, anxiety was eating at your chest and stomach. You could hear the footsteps slamming against the metal stairs from floors below, the hushed voices. They were all armed, you were sure.

And you were the only one of the three of you armed. One versus eight, plus the additional nine on the opposite side of the building.

You felt sick. You couldn’t let them die here, not now. Not ever. You had to get them out, even if it meant giving yourself up.

They would never forgive you.

You don’t even know if they would actually let them go. They could lie.

It might be your only shot.

You felt dizzy, nauseous. You couldn’t push it away.

Floor Eleven.

One more floor, then sprint to the gym. You could make it. The three of you had done this a million times before, running from Miss Yua and then trying to camp out in the locker room, hiding behind the benches before she inevitably found you.

An intense sense of nostalgia swept through you as you looked back at them again. You could practically picture yourself hopping down three stairs at a time, shrieking and laughing and looking back over your shoulder as Rindou tried to keep up with you and Ran. The two of you had always been the fastest.

You were almost there. One more staircase.

You turned down the last twist, and you swore your heart stopped beating when you came face to face with a man around your age, dark hair, darker eyes. Gun in hand.

No. They had sent someone ahead?

Recognition flashed through his eyes when he saw you, gaze ripping to the side, halfway up the other staircase to where Rindou was struggling with Ran.

Your eyes widened.

You hesitated.

He raised his own gun, but not at you, and your body acted before your mind could process what was happening, watching Ran use the last of his strength to force Rindou behind him, using his body as a shield. All of the lessons from Mina and Mister Mado before he passed away coming back to swim at the forefront of your head.

Brace your feet. Steady your arms. Aim and pull the trigger.

Do not hesitate.

The bang that echoed throughout the staircase was terrible, loud, you wanted to cover your ears and curl up. In front of you, the man dropped dead to the ground, a hole through his forehead.

Your breath was erratic, your eyes were wild. “W-we need to keep going,” you told them. You could hear shouts from below, closer, the pounding of feet moving faster.

You raced down the steps, swinging open the door to the tenth floor, holding it for Rindou and Ran before taking off down the hall to where the glass doors of the gym were situated in the middle of the floor.

Your fingers trembled as you typed in the passcode—it was the same after all of these years and tears of gratefulness sprung to your eyes. A small mercy.

Your face was wet and sticky, you could feel a hot, thick liquid dripping down your cheek, something chunky in your hair. Your vision blurred and spun, shaky arms pushed open the doors.

Rindou and Ran slipped in and you shut the doors just as the doors to the stairwell slammed open on either side. Ran looked worse, you noted as you followed them into the locker room, locking the metal door behind the three of you. He was barely standing, shivering and sweating at the same time.

“Ran-“ you began, but he interrupted you.

“Are you okay?” Ran asked, your brows furrowed, unsure of why he was asking you that when he was the one in awful shape. “Was that the first time you killed someone?”

Your lips parted to answer, no noise left them. You swallowed, clearing your throat as you tried again, “Directly, yeah,” you said softly, looking away.

You felt two fingers press against your jaw, Rindou turned your face to him, bringing a warm, damp rag to your skin and wiping off the blood, removing whatever had been in your hair and hiding it in the rag before you could see it.

“You did good,” he murmured, “He would have-“

He would have killed us.

Well, you corrected, them. Your mind danced as you recalled the brief second before you shot him. He had seen you, recognized you, and then purposefully turned his body to pull the gun on Ran and Rindou.

They weren’t targeting you.

“They’re not targeting me,” you said quietly, refusing to look at either of them, “They-he looked at me and recognized me, but then he turned to try to kill you guys.”

“I figured they wouldn’t,” Ran said, grunting and shifting from where he was sitting on the ground, arms circling his abdomen, “Not when you’ve got all the money from Izanami. They’ll probably try to take you in and-“

“I should go,” you said, interrupting him. Rindou and Ran’s heads snapped toward you, confusion on the former’s and fury on the latter’s. “They won’t kill me, I can make a deal-“

“They won’t kill you yet,” Ran hissed, “That’s not to say they won’t once they’ve got their hands on Izanami.”

You shook your head. Your throat felt tight, your hands were shaky, you didn’t even know how you were talking coherently.

“We won’t make it out of here,” your eyes were tearing up.

Not now. Not now. Not now.

Ran opened his mouth to protest but you continued before he could, “There are what? Seventeen rounds in this? There’s seventeen of them just coming up here looking for us. There’s god knows how many downstairs waiting for. There’s only two exits for the building and I’m sure both of them are covered. I would rather-I would rather take the chance than certain death.”

“No,” Ran said instantly, “Absolutely not.”

“You can barely even walk,” you hissed, taking a step closer to him, “You can barely walk, Ran. H-“

“They’ll kill you as soon as they get what they want,” Ran’s expression was livid, “You fucking promised that you wouldn’t pull shit like this. We can hold out here-“

“Hold out for what?” you demanded, and to your horror, your voice cracked, “Hold out for what? Bonten isn’t coming. You said it yourself, they’re busy dealing with the raids. What are we holding out for? For them to finally break in here and kill you guys?”

Neither Ran nor Rindou responded, you let out another shaky breath, “Answer me,” you said, voice pleading as you looked between them, “Tell me there’s something else we can fall back on and I won’t. But I’m not going to stay here like a sitting duck so they can come in here and kill you guys.”

You could hear banging coming from the hall, a shattering of glass—you flinched violently. They were in the gym. It was only a matter of time.

“They’ll kill us anyway,” Rindou’s voice cracked, you had never heard him like this before. Tears sprung to your eyes and you forced them away. You had to stay strong, convince them that this was the best route. He grabbed you by the jaw, forcing you to look at him. “They’ll kill us anyway, all you’re doing is giving yourself up. If we can hold them off, you can get out of here.”

“That’s a big ‘if’ when you have one gun,” you snapped, “you’ll die if we do it that way. There’s no way.”

“We’ll die either way,” Ran shouted, trying to hide the grimace that swept over his face at the action. “We’ll die either way, I’d rather die knowing you might’ve got out of here instead of you having thrown yourself to death row for us.”

“I’ll hold Izanami hostage,” you looked away, staring at the door of the locker room that led to the gym, to where Sugawara’s men were gathered and searching for the three of you. You heard a shout and a bang against the locker room door.

They knew where you were.

“They’ll need me to sign over Izanami before they kill me, otherwise the company will go over to Takuya at my death,” you said quietly. “I’ll refuse to sign it over until I know you guys are safe.”

“No,” Ran said, “No, stop. They’ll just take us in and torture us until you give in. There’s no win-“

“The signing is public, for a company of Izanami’s size. Or even if the signing itself isn’t, I’ll be expected to make some sort of public announcement and speech detailing the future of Izanami under someone else’s leadership,” you interrupted, staring at the door blankly as the metal shook underneath the force of a kick. “They wouldn’t risk me speaking out in public.”

You smiled wryly, looking back at them, “Unfortunately for them, I’m a lot more popular with the general public than my uncle is. They know it would start an uproar.”

You supposed there was always the issue that they could just hold Rindou and Ran hostage to keep you quiet during the speech but… you were running out of options, and time. They would die here without a doubt if you didn’t do anything. At least they would have a chance if you played along.

You rose to your feet.

“No,” Ran’s voice was hoarse, panicked as he struggled to his feet.

You did not look back at him.

“Don’t you dare walk out that door,” Ran spat out, “I won’t forgive you. Don’t you fucking dare. Rindou, stop her.”

You did not look back at him.

A hand reached out to grab your wrist, holding you in place. You turned your head to the side, looking at him from the corner of your eye.

“Don’t do this,” he said quietly.

“Trust me,” you responded. “Please, Rin.”

Rindou stared at you for what seemed like an eternity, searching your eyes for some sort of answer. You waited, hoping and praying that he found it.

He let go of your wrist.

You let out a shaky breath.

“Thank you.”

Ran was shouting, furious, but you did your best to tune him out. Distantly noticing how Rindou was forcing him back down to the ground instead of chasing after you and Ran, too weak to fight back, could only spit vile insults and curses at his younger brother.

You stood in front of the door, swallowing thickly.

“I’ll come out,” you called loudly, the shouting on the other side of the door ceased. “I would prefer not to be shot.”

For a moment, there was no response, you could hear your heart beating in your chest. You could hear Ran begging you not to go—you had never heard him beg before. Your throat felt tight, your hands felt shaky.

“Come out,” one man called, “Any tricks and we’ll shoot down all three of you.”

You reached out for the lock on the door.

“Please,” Ran was gasping, his voice was cracking, your lips trembled, “Don’t fucking do it, don’t go out there. We just got you back, we just got you back.”

Chin up, back straight. Push all of your emotions to the back of your head. You can’t fall apart now. Don’t let them see you break, they’ll latch onto weakness.

You raised your chin. You straightened your back. You opened the door.

***

WC: 12.2k

REBLOGS AND FEEDBACK GREATLY APPRECIATED !!!

— feedback on character development and story progression pls do not nitpick little mistakes

#ran x reader #rindou x reader #ran smut #rindou smut #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers smut #ran x you #rindou x you #tokyo revengers x you #tokyo rev smut #tokyo rev x reader #tokyo rev x you #ran haitani x reader #ran haitani smut #rindou haitani x reader #rindou haitani smut #haitani brothers x reader #haitani brothers smut

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anonymooseforever007 · 2 years ago

Text

Behind on that Cute Date

(Michael Gray x Reader)

Summary: Wanting to give her busy friend some time to herself, Y/N had offered to watch her friend’s son Karl for a few hours to go to movie and ice cream. But upon returning to the house, Y/N offers to keep the boy longer if Ada wants to spend some more time with her “cute date”. It is a date right?

A/N: Hi y'all! No TW's I think? I thought of the worst way to meet someone's mom and wrote it? I guess this could also be considered an Ada x Reader Platonic story too considering Michael isn't in the first part too much, but he is defiantly the focus of it...or parts of him are.. Also Michael is probably OC a bit here as I wrote it more with early S2 Michael (farm boy Michael:) ) in mind than the other seasons. enjoy❤️

WC- 5.4k

Part 2- Chocolate Pie

Main Masterlist

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Small and sticky fingers closed around the collar of Y/N’s dress as Karl began to softly snore into the woman’s shoulder. The energy of the day’s excitement finally beginning to fade (at least until nap time was over) as the two figures quietly walked back down the street to Ada’s house.

Y/N wouldn’t openly admit it, but she was slightly relieved that Karl had fallen asleep. It wasn’t that she didn’t adore the boy, but after almost nine hours of his endless questions (often which had be answered five minutes earlier) and constant need to be running in a different direction (often the opposite one than they needed to go in) the quiet was nice.

Even if she truly did enjoy about coming up with all the different answers for questions such as, “Why don’t ducks have scales,” or, “How many jumps would it take to get across the park,” and even her (least) favourites, “What if I put this rock in my nose,” or “What if I took off my pants?”

It would be later that Y/N realised the pattern where many of the questions Karl asked starting with the words, “What if I…” would typically result in a similar answer from herself ending in the words, “…and we don’t want to make mummy sad do we?”

Maybe it was cheap manipulation, the “let’s not hurt mummy’s feelings” tactic, but Y/N had to admit it was extremely effective. It was right up there next to the , “we gotta be good or mummy may not let me watch you anymore” tactic, she often heard from her own babysitters when younger. Of course, she would explain why the question or action would make “mummy” sad and give Karl reasoning behind not doing it. But in a quick pinch telling him that “Mummy would be sad because he kicked the light post and his leg may fall off,” worked great.

So aside from a few incidents involving light posts and small rocks, the day had gone great. Having picked Karl up right before lunch Y/N had taken him to run around the park for a bit before treating him to a small picnic shoved in her pack.

Then, being ready to get out of the heat for a bit, the pair went to see the film Peter Pan in the nearby theatre. Technically the movie had been released in the previous year, but the theatre was running a special that week and was playing select children’s films at a discounted price. Despite having purchased two tickets, Karl remained on Y/N’s lap for most of the film. Within the first few minutes he had been terrified by the film’s portrayal of “Nana, the Darling’s family dog,” and sought refuge with the women. Which seeing as it was a rather unnerving puppet Y/N didn’t blame him.

Finally, on the way back the two had passed an ice cream shop and Y/N decided to get them both a cone. Admittedly, she had already planned on doing so, but it certainly did help that while Karl was eating, he wasn’t able to continue pestering her on why she wouldn’t tell him how baby mermaids were made.

Yes, while Y/N certainly didn’t regret offering to take her friend’s son for the day, she could also see why Ada may have wanted (needed) the break. So when Karl began to walk slower and slower, dragging his feet just a bit more, until the only thing keeping him up was Y/N’s hand over his, she was a bit relieved. Even if she did have to keep readjusting his small body in her arms every few minutes, as his head switch between different sides of her shoulders to watch the people passing by.

The time was getting close to dinner now and Y/N had promised Ada she’d get Karl home by dark. And even if it was still light outside, Y/N didn’t think Ada would mind the two returning a bit earlier than expected, especially if Karl was already tried out for the night.

If anything it meant that Y/N would be able to take one more task off her friend’s list and get the boy washed and in bed early, leaving time for the two to catch up on the last chapter of their newest book.

That was how the two met of course, with Y/N, who just started working at the same library, asking for a good book to read. And Ada, having found a thrilling new cover of her own, decided to share her find with the young woman who couldn’t have been older than her own cousin. And thus a new friendship was born, with both women reading the same book and later gushing over the new twist and turns of the plot over lunch each day.

Now here Y/N was almost a year later, walking back to Ada’s house, a trip she now knew by heart, with Ada’s little boy asleep on her shoulder, and hopes that Ada herself was actually able to take that long nap. Y/N knew her friend had been busy with work and Karl and even extended family too. It seemed every day Ada had a new rant about the stupidity of her older brothers’ even more stupid plan. It was why Y/N had offered to take Karl in the first place, remembering how tired her own mother often got trying to take care of the house and her siblings in those long years her father was fighting.

However, as the Y/N got closer to the house she became more and more unsure that Ada actually did spend the day alone as expected…

Sitting outside Ada’s house was a car that Y/N hadn’t seen before. It was a Black Bentley of the nicer model and judging by the shine of the metal it was obviously new. This was the first hint in Y/N’s mind that Ada wasn’t alone. She knew her older friend didn’t own a car, preferring to walk the short distance between work, home, or any other place she needed to get to. On the rare occasion that the women did need to travel further than they could walk, they could easily have called a cab or even taken the car Y/N “shared” with her older brother during the times he’s was in town.

Stopping at the foot of Ada’s steps, between the front door and the car itself Y/N stared for a moment. A conversation she had with Ada earlier that week came to mind.

In between their usually chatter during lunch, Ada had mentioned that she might have needed Y/N to watch Karl one night soon. Apparently, the one night Y/N went home early from the bar, was the night Ada had met a handsome man who’s interest was requited. After Y/N had left, they had met and got talking for a while and the mysterious suitor had even paid for Ada’s cab home later wishing her a good night with a kiss on the hand. It was during the lunch, that Ada let it slip the man had eagerly asked her on a date, but being unsure of how it would affect Karl, she asked to think about it for a few days.

Upon seeing the car outside and remembering their discussion, Y/N felt a smile begin to grow on her face. Obviously Ada had finally decided to call the man back and accept his offer, and Y/N was excited for her friend.

Currently having no boyfriend or romantic interest herself (not for lack of trying), Y/N sometimes found herself highly invested in the love lives of her friends. She enjoyed listening about their newest attractions and helping them find new clothes to wear for dinners and even planning romantic picnics that could rival those in the books she read. Plus, when the relationship was a good one, she got excited seeing how happy her friends were when they had someone they could spend part of their life with. Even if Y/N hadn’t found that person of her own yet.

Of the few dates Y/N had been on, she often found the men either nice but without connection, or worse, charming but far too handsey for someone who was a stranger only the hour before. Besides, along with the romantic encounters many of her friends had came the inevitable heartbreaks. And while she never minded being the shoulder to lean on, Y/N didn’t look forward to the feeling herself. So she had decided to let life run its course and if she were fated to find someone one, found they would be...one day... hopefully. If not she could always buy more dogs.

“Are you Ada’s friend?”

A small yell left Y/N’s mouth as she jumped slightly, hearing the voice that had spoken, startling her out of her thoughts. Karl made a small noise of protest but quickly fell back asleep as Y/N’s hand went to his hair, brushing it soothingly.

Taking a few seconds to regain her breath, Y/N turned from the car she had been staring at and towards the steps of the house. Towards where she assumed Ada’s mystery date stood.

Upon seeing his face for a brief second Y/N wished Ada had left the bar that night early instead of her. Maybe then this man would have started talking to her. Maybe then he could have been her date.

He was dressed in a well tailored suit complete with a beige overcoat and matching hat in hand. His hair was a pretty brown color and had obviously taken some time to style it as neat as it was. In the back of her mind, Y/N wondered if his hair still looked as neat when he woke up the morning seeing how much product there appeared to be. His hair still looked soft though. His shoes were so polished Y/N had no doubt she would see a perfect reflection if she was looking down. And then there was his face…. He had a pretty jawline and even prettier green eyes. And slightly above his left eyebrow was a small mole on his otherwise almost flawless skin. Y/N decided at the moment that there were few faces she liked as much as his. Even if it did seem to be covered in an expression of confusion.... wait what?

"I asked if you were Ada's friend?" the man spoke again, once more breaking Y/N out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, yes! I am totally Ada's friend. I'm not just walking around with this one for no reason," she spoke quickly, motioning to Karl as she did so. The man's eyes moved over to the boy resting on her hip as one corner of his mouth pulled up slightly.

"I suppose that makes sense. Ada's not one to let just anyone watch Karl. I don't think her brothers are allowed to watch him half the time," the handsome stranger chuckled turning back to glance at the house quickly. Y/N smiled as well. She hadn't met Ada's brothers but had heard more than one story about them to know the stranger's comment may not have been wrong.

"I'm Y/N by the way, really sorry for staring earlier. I've been chasing Karl here all day and zoned out a bit." Doing her best to shift Karl to one arm, Y/N was able to stick part of her right arm forwards hoping she hadn't offended him by not introducing herself sooner. Though it may have sound silly, and truthfully it was silly, Y/N had more than one of her friend's dates who got pissy if she didn't introduce herself "properly". And while those men, thankfully, never lasted to long, Y/N didn't want to risk pushing away first man she'd ever seen come out of her friend's house. Especially if this was the one Ada had seemed so enamored with just the other day.

Looking back over at her, the man gave another half smile and stuck his hand out. Just as he was about to open his mouth to introduce himself, the exhaust of passing car released a loud bang.

The standing pair both jumped at the sudden sound and Karl's head shot up. The little boy, now fully alert held on tightly to his sitter, moving his head around anxiously to find the thing that scared him awake. Seeing nothing his grip relaxed slightly and his head laid back down on Y/N's shoulder content to listen to her soothing words as she told him it was alright. Only a few seconds later, Karl's head shots up again and a grin spread across his face as he recognized the man before him.

"MEL!"

"Karlie!" The man, Mel, replied with a full smile and wave of his own, obviously familiar with the young boy. "How are you today? Your mum mentioned that you were spending the day with a friend when we got here. Did you go to a movie?"

Nodding his head Karl gave a toothy grin, before motioning to be put down. Happy to have her arms to herself once again, Y/N did so, unable to keep the smile from growing on her own face as she watch the two interact.

If this truly was the mystery data of Ada's she expected him to be, Y/N was already impressed. Not only was he good looking, but he also seemed polite and more importantly but excited to interact with Karl. Y/N knew that if Ada truly was going to start going steady with any man, it wouldn't be one who ignored her son. She had also noted that when the loud, gunshot like, noise suddenly happened Mel had stepped closer, almost protectively, towards the other two. Whether out out of instinct or bravery, it certainly gained him another point in Y/N's growing list.

After quietly watching the two interact for a bit longer from the front steps of, Karl came back over to his mother's friend and grabbed her left sleeve motioning for her to bend down, eager to share a new secret.

"I have to pee."

Stifled laughter was heard behind the boy at his not so quiet whisper, and Y/N bit back her own smile the words reached her ears.

"Alright Karlie boy, why don't we say bye to Mel and you can go right ahead." The words barely leaving Y/N's mouth before the boy blurted out a quick parting to the man before shooting inside and disappearing within. Now left alone on the steps with "Mel" as Karl called him, Y/N took another moment to smile to herself, as well as to breath before she planned on heading in. Waiting outside also gave her short time to plan her now numerous questions for Ada. Not intending to take up more of his time before she had time to interrogate her friend, Y/N turned to the man about to say her own goodbye when this time it was him who spoke first.

"I guess he had fun today. Last time he was that excited was when John gave him a slingshot and Arthur taught him how to use it. Almost took out Finn twice that day, and Tommy three times" Mel spoke with a smile on his face, both at the story he told and the women he was speaking to, who was now failing to hide her smile at the images in her head.

"I'm glad I could bring him such joy then," she laughed as he admired the spark in her eye, "He really was great today. I don't have many children in my own family, so getting to spend time with one if always fun. Besides I don't mind giving Ada a break every now and then, I know she works hard. But I take it you two had fun today," the last sentence Y/N couldn't help but asking. Even if she did plan on getting the details from Ada later it never hurt to get another's point of view in these situations....

"It was nice yeah, we got here right after you picked him up I think, and then spent most of the day here. I got some work I need to pick up now but I believe later we agreed to meet back at one of the clubs...," hesitating slightly now with his head looking to his feet quickly before he continued," I don't suppose you're going to be watching Karl tonight too? Or just until now? Or did you have other plans tonight?"

"Oh no,I'm probably gonna read a book tonight. I think Ada only wanted me to watch him until about dinner. But I didn't realize she had others plans tonight. I might have to see if she needs that," the last bit was mumbled more to herself as the silence now grew between them. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, quite the opposite actually. Each wrapped up in their own head figuring out the details inside.

Soon enough Mel looked back down at his watch noticing the time and a small cough and stretched out hand was all it took to break Y/N from her own reverie.

"It was nice to meet you but I really do need to get going on that work now. Don't want to get told off for being late," he said. And it was then as they both shook hands again that each took notice of how warm the other's hand was and how well it seemed wit fit with their own.

"Of course, go ahead! Don't let me keep you any longer. It was pleasure to meet you as well!" Y/N returned, removing her hand from his as she watched him move down the steps finally heading off in his car. But not before he glanced back to give her one more quick nod and half smile.

Fuck, Ada was lucky...

Standing on the steps a few moments more, Y/N waited until just after the shiny car had turned the corner out of sight before finally making her way inside.

She made her way immediately to the kitchen where she heard Ada, giving Karl a quick wave as she passed him playing with his toys on the couch. Entering from the side Y/N immediately caught sight her friend washing a few plates in the sink and started to speak eagerly.

"Hello, alright so first I hope it's alright that I brought Karl home a bit earlier. He had fallen asleep and I figured it may be time to come back. I take it your day of rest went well. Also you know if you want I can take him for the night too? Leave you to have your fun..." She spoke wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at the last part.

Ada laughed before fully turning to her friend and responding, "My day was great, thanks again for taking him. And what do you mean by leaving me to have my fun? I don't have anything else to do tonight? Have you and Karl made plans to get rid of me?"

"You have nothing else to do tonight?! Oh Ada but what about Mel! I thought you two were going to a club later? Are you really telling me you're gonna skip out on that? With him?!" Now both confused the two women stared at each other. Ada was confused because she couldn't think of any Mel's she knew, much less one she had plans with that night. And Y/N was confused because she was sure Mel had mentioned that he and Ada were going to a club later. Y/N hadn't spent long around him, but knew she'd enjoy having plans like that. Especially if they involved him.

"Y/N who's Mel?"

"What do you mean who's Mel? It's Mel! Mystery man? You two met after I left the pub one night and hit it off? You said he asked you out and I thought you too had plans tonight? At least that's he made it seem like. He literally just left? Said he had some work to get before he came back?" Y/N moved her hands around in the air as she spoke now, as if that would make the picture of the man in her mind more clear to Ada.

"Oh do you mean Michael?" Ada said her smile beginning to grow as she began to realize what had happened. What Y/N still didn't realize.

"Michael? Karl called him Mel? He never corrected it but I'm not sure? Maybe? Anyway the guy who just left? Pretty hair, pretty clothes, pretty voice, and even prettier face? Oh come on Ada! How can you look at a man like that and say you don't remember him? He seemed perfectly polite too! Ohh Ada! Come on! Are you really not into to that?" Now bouncing on the heels of her feet as she began to describe the man.

"Oh yes! Him! He got here a bit after you left. I remember now. But no, we don't actually have plans tonight I decided to stay in with Karl. Just out of curiosity... I take it you two talked for a bit? Did you like him?" Ada now stood looking at her friend with a grin matching Karl's. Now understanding who her "date" was, she wanted to see how far this could go.

"Like him?! Ada he was brilliant!! You really caught a good one with him! Not only was he great with Karl, but he was also really nice about it all. He even moved a bit closer protectively when a car made a loud bang, he gets points for that I tell ya! And dear lord Ada he's gorgeous! Did you see his face? I know I keep saying it and the rest of him too! I tell you Ada if it ever get to where you meet his family you tell his mum I said 'thank you' because she really did great work! He's a real cute date! I hope he's treating you right! If not I'm sure we can get my brother to take care of him. We can have tea and biscuits while he hides the body!"

Ada didn't hide her laughter any more and Y/N grinned back too. Though she had only met him a few times Ada was sure Y/N's large, but teddy bear like brother would have not problem hiding a body if needed. He reminded her of her own brothers... when they weren't pissing her off at least. However it was still one of these last sentences that make Ada pause and retrace her thoughts briefly.

"Wait, what do you mean thank his mother?"

"Well you know....Boys, they gets their balls from their daddy and their butt from their mama. At least that's what my grandma says. And I'm telling you Ada, ain't no tailor in the world can make an ass look that fine on skills alone. No Ada, that was pure genuine good ass genes."

As soon as Y/N finished speaking a loud laugh filled the air. A wonderful laugh like someone just heard the funniest joke on earth. It was the kind of laugh Y/N loved to hear from her friends. Only it wasn't her friend who laughed.

Ada just stared, her mouth hung open but with the corners turned up. Shocked with both delight and confusion at the words. The laugh belonged to someone else. Someone who Y/N, in her haste to play detective, had accidentally missed. Someone who had overheard the conversation with just as much joy as Ada, but choose to remain silent until she couldn't hold her laughter in.

"Ada, I think that's the best thing I've heard in a while. You keep this one, she's fun."

An older woman, beautiful and with all-knowing eyes, met Y/N's glance and she finally turned to meet the "new" speaker. She had a look about her that said she could be just as cold as she was warm. She was a dangerous as she was smart. Luckily for Y/N the woman's face was warm indeed, though not as hot her own. Telling her friend how she felt about a strangers rear was one thing, but knowing another stranger heard it! Y/N didn't think it could be any worse.

"Already planned on it Pol."

Ada, finding her voice again, had finally spoke again. But she was still chuckling under her breath as she did so. It was as if both her and the older woman knew a joke Y/N didn't. But that was a thing for another time Y/N thought.

Pol, that sounded familiar to Y/N but she couldn't place where from. Instead she decided it would be best to stop gaping like a fish try to fix the small mess she just made. Because again it couldn't be any worse right.

"Hi. Ada you have company, and you are Ada's company. Ohhhh noooo. I barged in on you two and I'm interrupting and I just didn't know anyone else was here and you just heard all of that. I was just so excited because I thought Ada had date and like he didn't seem like a narcissistic asshole, and that was really good and and I'm rambling now so I'm gonna start over," Y/N paused, took a deep breath and stuck out her hand.

"Hi. I'm Y/N and I am sorry."

The woman, Pol, smirked at her and stuck out her own hand.

"Don't be sorry, Y/N, it's nice to know that at least someone's interested in furthering Ada's love life," Pol said, giving a quick side glance to the mentioned woman who gave a small huff and rolled her eyes. Obviously this type of conversation had come up before. And Polly continued turning to Ada, her tone now slightly sarcastic, "I'm just saying that your brothers do the same thing so it really shouldn't matter if you do either. You deserve to go out, find a good enough looking man and get laid? Isn't that was all the equality stuff is about anyway? Y/N what do you think of all that? Shouldn't our girl be just as able go out and have just as much fun as her brothers?"

The conversation have veered slightly from it's original course but none in the room seemed to mind.

"Ohh I agree with you on that ma'am. Remember Ada. This is a time of equal rights! And equal rights means equal fights; and equal fights means equal fucks!"

"Oh great, now there's two of you, if you keep this up you could give John and Arthur a run their money in the annoying awards," Ada groaned putting her head on the table in defeat briefly before it popped up again, "At least those two idiots I can hit. They won't hit back, but not you two. If I go after one of you I'm gonna have to get my nails done again. The brothers won't attack, but who's to say what would be done by the best friend and the aunt!"

"Aunt?," Y/N repeated as she heard the last word, "OH AUNT, Pol, Aunt Polly, you're Ada's Aunt! Oh I remember now! Ada said you were going to come down this weekend." She turned towards the Shelby women who both perked up suddenly as if remembering their own idea from before.

"Yes, she's my aunt. She came down with my cousin for the weekend. I've told you about him right," Ada said, her grin beginning to grow again, while Polly sat back and smiled, just watching and waiting for what she knew was about to happen.

"Your cousin.... cousin," Y/N spoke aloud as she thought, "Oh yeah, you've mentioned him before. He's the one who let Karl go down the stairs in a bin! You tried to stab him! Isn't his name M...."

Y/N froze.

Ada just stared at her friend with an innocent smile while Pol hid her smirk behind her cup of tea.

Things were falling into place and Y/N realized it was worse... it was so so much worse. If a random stranger hearing your opinions on another stranger's ass was bad enough.... if the random stranger was actually the first one's .....

"Ahhhhhhh..... nooooo....no no no. No. No. No....No. Polly's your aunt.... and Polly has a son named Michael... And Michael is apparently Mel's real name.... which means that I .... you heard me.... thank you?.... great bullocks." Y/N spewed out her head shooting back and forth between the pair of Shelby's wearing matching grins. Her head hit the table with a thud, much like Ada's had earlier as she tried to block out the whole interaction that just happened.

Maybe she should have just taken Karl to her house and let him play with her brother. They always had a riot of a time playing hide and seek, and making their own riots in the mini block town. That would have been a better option.

"Great Bollocks? Who's mine or my son's?"

Y/N laughed. She laughed and kept chuckling under her breath, it was all she could do. Of all the worst ways to meet someone's mom. Polly didn't even know Y/N's name before she knew all about Y/N thoughts on her son's rear end.... Releasing a deep sigh Y/N decided there was only one thing left to do in a situation like this. Standing up from her chair she looked at her companions.

"Right, I really just want to say... OH DEAR THE COOKIES ARE BURNING!!!!"

Alarmed, the Shelby women looked towards the oven to make sure the cookies were not in fact burning, and Y/N took her chance to make a break for the door. For someone who despised all things running, she was surprisingly fast.

"I'll just let you deal with that. I gotta get home to make sure my brother has stayed out of the dog food..yeah the dog food. Did I tell you he got dog? Yeah that happened. It was great talking with y'all!! Byeeeeeee!"

Before the remaining two could even take two steps towards the fleeing girl, the door to the house shut firmly and she was gone. Ada was about to go after her and make sure she was alright. Even if it was funny to see her friend mistake her cousin for her lover, Ada still wanted to make sure she wasn't too embarrassed. Y/N liked to laugh a lot, but Ada was close enough to Y/N to know her laughs also hide her friend's anxiety at times. But Polly stopped her niece by grabbing her arm.

"Oh don't worry about her."

"Pol you don't understand. I know her and even if she laughed she's dying inside. I need to let her know it's alright."

"No, let her go now. She'll be back," Polly spoke, pointing to the bag sitting by the door belonging to neither her nor her niece, "You and I need to get ready for a night out."

"But Pol. I sti..."

"No buts. You and I are dressing up and going out tonight. No men. Esme and Linda are on their way down too, if Lizzie can keep them from killing each other. So go upstairs and put on the dress you shove in the back of the closet when your brothers are here and get ready. I'll put Karl down and then change into my dress. Michael should be here any minute and we take his car."

"If it's no men then why are we taking Michael's car? And who's going to watch Karl while I'm out? James is gone for the weekend and I don't want to leave him alone if something happens. Besides if that is Y/N's pack she will be back tonight. It probably has her keys in it and she needs to get in. Someone should be here when she gets them."

Polly smirked a smirk only she could pull off.

"Ada dear I said WE'RE taking Michael's Car. I never said he was coming with us....

Part 2

#Peaky Blinders Imagine #michael gray x reader #michael gray imagine #peaky blinders x reader #ada shelby #polly gray #Peaky Blinders #michael gray

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maxdibert · 4 months ago

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Everything you’re saying is nothing but assumptions and headcanons. You accuse Severus of going around using Dark Magic on people, and I’m telling you that when Lily confronts him, she doesn’t mention him using it—she mentions Mulciber. That Severus had an interest in Dark Magic and developed DEFENSIVE spells because he was an abused child is another matter entirely. Stop making up nonsense because no one buys into your cheap hater rhetoric.

James starts the fight, and Severus defends himself. If someone slaps me, I have every right to punch them back because they provoked me. Sorry if you don’t understand how things work, but the person who attacks first is the one at fault. You keep victim-blaming over and over again, and you’re worse than one of those guys who, in the face of a rape case, says, “Well, she must have done something to deserve it.” You’re spouting the same rhetoric as those people—it’s disgusting.

No, Remus and Sirius never said James kept attacking Snape because he was afraid Snape might retaliate. What nonsense are you even talking about? Seriously, stop smoking hallucinogens.

Lily didn’t cut ties with him solely because of that incident. It’s obvious their relationship had already been falling apart before that, and they had been drifting apart for a while. It’s clear Lily had distanced herself from him more and more due to the company he kept and the incompatibility with her own circle of friends. That moment was simply the breaking point. And it’s not the same to get along with a Gryffindor Muggle-born as it is to openly confront an entire house, as you’re suggesting, and ACTIVELY RENOUNCE that house’s ideology when you have to sleep in the same dorm as those people. As I said, you must be incredibly privileged to think that someone without social, economic, or familial support has the freedom to stand up to a majority that not only outnumbers them but also wields enormous social influence. I don’t know what world you live in, but it’s clear you’ve never opened a book on class dynamics in your life. You sound like some neoliberal capitalist idiot spouting the “if you try hard enough, you can” narrative. Don’t come at me with that garbage when I’ve been a Marxist activist since I was 15 and have been working with at-risk populations since I graduated.

If Severus were a girl and a guy hung her upside down, exposing her underwear in front of the whole school, would you still have the audacity to say it’s not sexual assault? Leave your disgusting double standards at the door. James humiliated him in front of the entire school because Sirius was bored and wanted some fun. It was two against one. And the fact that the spell was Severus’s means nothing—what, are you serious? If I carry a knife to protect myself from being raped, and the rapist takes it and holds it to my throat, is it my fault that I was assaulted? Do you understand how problematic your comments are when applied to real-life situations? If you genuinely think like this, you’re terrifying, and I hope you never have to work with children or teenagers because you’re incredibly irresponsible.

Many Slytherins could afford to remain neutral because their families were powerful, socially and economically, and no one would touch them. Severus wasn’t a Nott. Severus wasn’t a Greengrass. Severus was a working-class half-blood with no familial, economic, or social support, which made him easy prey—both for being indoctrinated into a cult and for being targeted by a couple of rich bullies.

You’re defending a rich, upper-class kid with no reason or trauma to justify his sociopathic and violent behavior, while demonizing a working-class child from a highly dysfunctional family environment who had no resources whatsoever. Maybe take a hard look at your disgusting classism and your bootlicking attitude toward elites—we’re in the 21st century. You’re like a typical worker who’s always sucking up to his boss. It’s revolting.

No James wasn’t the devil and snape wasn’t his innocent victim.

Lately I’ve seen Snape Stans insisting that snape only became a death eater because of James or Sirius or his father or anyone else they want to blame, and that snape was innocent before hogwarts and innocent in all of his choices. It’s clear in the books that this is not the case. In the flashback scenes which take place before hogwarts, snape intentionally attacks a muggle with magic and makes it clear to lily that he sees her as an exception to blood purity and other muggleborns because she’s different. When lily asks him if her blood status matters he hesitates before saying it doesn’t matter, this is because it does matter to him but he thinks that she is special enough anyway. Not to mention that snape began using slurs against muggleborns before saying it to lily in fifth year, which she reveals she knew about when he tried to apologise for it.

Snape also already knew more dark magic than most adults as an incoming first year, which is listed as one of the reasons that snape was so hated by James, as Sirius and Remus say that James was always against dark magic and blood purity. Snape was using dark magic as a student early on, lily mentions he and his friends using dark magic - even against another student which snape says was just a “joke”.

I cannot find it reasonable to hate James for hating snape when snape was using dark magic and slurs on other students and clearly well on the way to being a death eater even in the early years. James learnt he took things too far as he grew up and began to avoid snape not wanting to provoke a fight, and snape would seek him out to attack him causing James to defend himself (ootp). This is not the actions of an innocent boy and his devilish bully this is a rivalry with the tensions of the war looming over them.

Also, the idea that snape was abused by his muggle father, and therefore it’s somehow okay that he became a death eater, is essentially a headcanon and a weird one. The only mention of his parents in the books is that they argue with each other and that his father is a generally miserable person- but not abusive. The idea of snape being whipped by his father came from a website, not the books or the movies or even written by jkr herself - it is therefore not canon. It is also so weird for people to try and justify snape becoming the equivalent of a Nazi because his father abused him and he happened to be a muggle, when snape grew up in a muggle neighbourhood and would have had many other experiences with muggles that were not abusive. It’s just nonsense.

Furthermore, trying to justify snape being a death eater by saying he had no other choice because he was a slytherin is again nonsense. Not every slytherin became a death eater and most people were not involved in the war based on the size of the order of the phoenix and the original named death eaters. Snape was not forced to be a death eater simply by proximity, he could have chosen to remain close to lily or other people who were not involved in the war- but he did not. He chose to be a death eater for the power and freedom to use dark magic, and because he was a blood purist as a younger man even if he grew out of it later in life.

Overall, it’s just not true to claim that the actions of James or anyone else are the reason snape “turned out” the way he did. The rivalry with James did not make snape turn out how he did because he was already like that before he even met James.

Snape is a very grey character, in my opinion more dark than light, and trying to justify his terrible behaviour by blaming everyone else takes away from the depth of his character and is also just not accurate to the canon.

#severus snape #pro severus snape #Severus snape defense #Severus snape fandom #james potter #Marauders era

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capseycartwright · 3 years ago

Note

for the sentence prompts: "i thought this was gonna be a bigger deal." <3

Eddie’s mouth was soft, against Buck’s, the curve of his smile pressed into the corners of Buck’s lips, unfamiliar in the way it felt, the way it tasted – the happiness of it all was unfamiliar too. Buck had imagined what their first kiss would be like more times than he’d care to admit – he’d imagined desperate kisses in the rain (blame Maddie, for the steady diet of romantic movies she’d raised him on), and he’d imagined confessions after a bad incident at work, but he had never imagined this: Eddie’s hand gently cupping the squared line of Buck’s jaw, the older man touching him like he was something precious.

It was terrifying how terrifying it wasn’t.

All the times that Buck had imagined this –

He had thought that it would feel like the very core of his life was shaken to the core, the moment he kissed Eddie for the first time. A change so fundamental – how would it not be terrifying? To be crossing that line, and moving from friends, to more, that would have to be utterly terrifying. Buck had been so sure of that much, at least.

Except –

Eddie was kissing him, and Buck had never felt more at home, more at peace, than he did right in that moment.

Eddie was trying to catch his breath, as they broke apart, his cheeks flushed pink and his eyes crinkling at the corners with utter delight as he studied Buck’s face carefully. He was beautiful – that was one of the other things that Buck knew for sure. Eddie Diaz was beautiful, in all the ways that someone could be beautiful, from the way his eyes scrunched up with delight when he laughed, to the way he cared so deeply for the people he loved the most in the world.

Eddie was beautiful –

And he had just kissed Buck for the first time.

"I thought this was gonna be a bigger deal,” Buck found himself saying, before he could really even think about it: because honestly, he had thought it was going to be a bigger deal. He’d wanted this – him and Eddie – to happen, but he had been so sure that it was going to be this big, scary, terrifying moment.

Except –

It wasn’t.

It was life affirming, in the easiest ways – like it came naturally, as though loving Eddie was as easy as breathing.

(It was, Buck knew.)

Eddie smiled, in that soft, kind way he always did, the expression dripping with love – how could Buck have missed all of that love? – his hand gently caressing the curve of Buck’s jaw. “Buck,” he hummed, pressing a brief, tiny kiss to Buck’s lips. “Why would this be anything except easy?”

Buck couldn’t help but laugh, the relief coming from his toes, the whole way up – because, well, of course Eddie would believe that. Eddie was more of an optimist than he’d care for anyone else to know – but Buck always knew, because he knew Eddie better than anyone else in the world.

“You think this will be easy?” Buck hummed, brushing Eddie’s hair back off his forehead, pressing a kiss to one of those gloriously happy looking lines at the corner of Eddie’s eyes.

Eddie grinned, and Buck wished he could bottle the way the expression made him feel. “It’s me and you,” he said simply. “Of course it’s going to be easy.”

send me a sentence and i'll write you a mini fic

#911 fox #evan buckley #eddie diaz #buddie #in which i ramble #in which lorna writes fic #kitchenscene #prompt fill

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the-clari-net · 3 years ago

Text

i'll be dead before the day is done

Ao3

“Danny, aren’t you the literal Ghost King slash Prince slash whatever? Can’t you just make her go away?”

“If I could, I already would’ve,” Danny hissed back. “This isn’t fun for me to see either.”

Sam growled, as the Banshee’s weeping continued in the back of the classroom. Dash and Kwan in the back looked like they were about to pass out or deck her in the face. No one really blames them.

The Banshee coming to Amity Park was a new development for everyone. At first, she appeared as any other regular oddity that occurs in the ghostly town. A woman singing down the streets with her long dark hair covering her face in an old green dress wouldn’t arouse much suspicion in the town. That is, until she made it to the elderly care home.

Once there, the details get scrambled for everyone who heard of the incident later. Some recollect her approaching an old woman in a corner of the recreational area, another claims that they saw her approaching one of the young receptionists. Truthfully, no one knows who she was here for. And it really didn’t matter once she started screaming.

It was a terrifying yell that resulted in all nearby windows shattering, and several people fainted from the shock and pain to their ears.

In the end, two people died, both elderly. Whether it was through the shock of the woman’s scream or through natural causes, it’s hard to say.

Since then, she’s been seen around. Not often, and not for every death. Oddly enough, when investigations on the death were concluded, it resulted that she doesn’t seem to be the cause of the deaths. It’s akin to an eerie canary in mines; a warning rather than a cause. The police are in the process of figuring out her pattern and tracking her behaviors, but it’s still quite perplexing.

Phantom once tried to talk to her, but she completely ignored him, which is an odd approach for a spirit. Danny knows his role as future king in the Ghost Zone makes his presence noticeable to say the least and impossible to ignore to most ghosts. She never even glanced in his direction. He became concerned with it a week after her arrival and decided to do his own investigation on her.

He found his answer with the Ghost Writer.

“Ahh, yes The Banshee,” Ghost Writer says to himself while moving some of his manuscripts into some infinite filing cabinet that Danny avoids looking at to prevent a headache. Too many dimensions in a tiny space is not something his human brain is capable of processing well.

Ghost Writer continues, “She’s untamable. Think of her as a grim reaper of sorts. No one’s really been able to track down what her logic is to be quite honest. No one wants to be exposed to her wailing long enough to figure out,” he shrugged.

“So… I shouldn’t worry about her being in my town?”

“Wait, what?” Ghost Writer fumbles with his manuscripts and turns his entire focus onto Danny. “She’s in your haunt?”

Hesitantly, the boy nods.

“Well, I’ll be damned…I thought you just wanted to talk on an educational level, kid. This is more serious and bigger than I expected it to be.”

Danny scoffs a little at that, “Bigger than fighting Pariah Dark? I’m not sure I can go bigger than that. I mean, the town’s been sent to the Ghost Zone, how much worse than that could it be?”

“I’m just saying, if she’s in some place, that usually means a big death is bound to come. You might want to brace yourself.”

After that discussion, Danny stayed a bit to help with Ghost Writer’s endless organizing before heading home to think.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t given much time to think because the following day, Danny arrived at school to see the Banshee crying in his homeroom.

At this point, all Danny knows is that this Banshee has been weeping in his classroom this morning, and he’s been a nervous wreck all day. If Ghost Writer says that it’s going to be a big death, then it has to be his class that’s in danger. Danny’s not the only one struggling. The entire class has been silent, trying desperately to ignore her crying in the corner and focusing on their work. It hasn’t been very effective.

Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door. Their teacher ignores it, when suddenly the door blasts open and in enters two men in white uniforms and government issued ectoweapons.

Danny’s heart freezes. The Banshee’s weeping is becoming louder.

“Daniel James Fenton, you are to come with us immediately to be decontaminated. We have collected months’ worth of evidence, indicating that you are in danger of ectocontamination, and will be taken into custody by order of the United States Government.”

“What?! No!”

“Son, this is not a request. Our scanners are going off the charts at the amount of ectoplasm in your body. You are a danger not only to yourself but your peers.”

There’s more jargon being said but Danny can’t hear anything. Blood is thundering in his ears. His breathing is shaky, his hands have clenched, ready to fight something.

Danny can’t go, they’ll find out everything about him, they’ll try to cut him open, they’ll kill him.

“I said…no.” Danny’s eyes begin to glow green and the temperature in the room suddenly drops.

The Banshee’s crying becomes more hysterical.

“This isn’t ectocontamination, this is body possession! Set your blaster to stun!” yells one of the agents.

A noise goes off and Danny’s body lurches back, and his vision blacks out for a moment. However once it comes back, he turns towards the agents. They’re pale, and their weapons have fallen on the ground. He then looks towards his classmates who look at him in horror.

Danny looks down where their eyes are pointing, and he sees a massive hole where his core used to be.

Oh.

Danny feels his vision dim, and his body collapses, unable to move.

The last thing he senses as he falls into oblivion are the Banshee’s screams.

#Ectoberhaunt22 #EH Order #Day 5 #Banshee #danny phantom

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alloftheimaginesblog · 3 years ago

Text

So My Ex-Boyfriend Is Spider-Man {Peter Parker}

Plot: When you’re ex-boyfriend (that you still harbour some feelings for) is Spider-Man and is constantly in the news, it makes it hard to form new relationships.

Character: Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) x Gender Netural Reader

Warnings: description of explosion, casualties and brief mention of blood, swearing

Break-ups were tough regardless. Random things would remind you of them; random things would ruin all of the progress you’d made. Some people were reminded of their ex on a cold morning as they walked through the park, some were reminded of the ex through music... you? You were constantly reminded of your ex. Your ex-boyfriend was none other than Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man. This meant that more often than not your ex-boyfriend was in the news as Spider-Man near enough every single day. He was plastered over billboards, newspapers, adverts, kids wore his mask in the street; the whole of New York City reminded you of your ex-boyfriend.

You and Peter had dated for a few years. You’d met each other in college, he was the nerdy sweetheart and you fell for him pretty much straight away. It didn’t take long before you started dating. Your relationship was a whirlwind, it got very intense very quickly but that wasn’t a bad thing at all. When you fell, you fell hard and so did Peter. It was around the six month mark that he came clean about his secret identity after you’d found him bruised and bleeding in his dorm room one night. Of course you were shocked and worried but it was Peter’s decision at the end of the day and of course you were going to support him regardless. The two of you dated all through college but one day something happened; something that changed the fate of your relationship.

One day, as you walked home from work late one night, you were knocked out and kidnapped. Turns out that the villain of the week had discovered Spider-Man’s love affair with you and had tracked you down and used you to get to him. Peter came and saved you but you got hurt and you were terrified. Peter had always promised you that he’d keep you safe and he couldn’t forgive himself that he’d been so reckless to have you be recognised by a villain. He grew distant after that, you’d see him less and less until one day, you didn’t see him at all. It was weeks later when you finally managed to pin him down. It resulted in a big blow out fight. Peter was pushing you away, trying to make you hate him so that it made it easier for you to break-up. You knew what he was doing and you tried so hard to make him change his mind. He didn’t. You didn’t see him after that aside from seeing him on the news.

You had tried to date, tried to move on but living in the same city as your superhero ex-boyfriend proved to be a lot harder than you’d anticipated. You couldn’t move on without seeing him everywhere, you couldn’t bring your dates into your apartment without Spider-Man being on the news; you couldn’t get away from him. It hindered you from moving on because really, you didn’t want to move on. You missed Peter. You didn’t blame him for you getting kidnapped and hurt; you knew that would a risk when he told you that he was Spider-Man. You were terrified from the incident but you never wanted it to come between you and Peter.

“(y/n)?” A voice asked, “You zoning out?”

“Huh?” You asked blinking quick and coming out of your trance of thinking about Peter.

Tom, the guy you’d been on three dates with, laughed, “You’re adorable... I was asking if there’s any crazy ex’s of yours that I need to worry about.”

You faltered as you tried to think of something to say, “Um... I wouldn’t say that he’s crazy.”

Tom raised his eyebrows, “Oh yeah? What’s his-”

Tom was cut off by a rather large explosion that erupted at the bar of the restaurant. You and Tom had been sitting close-by which meant that the force of the explosion threw the two of you out of your seats and skidding across the floor. Everything was a bit of a haze. Your ears were ringing and your head was agony. You must’ve hit your head off of the floor on your way down.

Tom’s face hovered over yours a moment later. You could see that he was talking but you couldn’t hear him. It sounded like you were underwater and then all at once, your hearing came back. The sounds of the alarm, screaming and shouts of help were overwhelming.

“We gotta get outta here,” Tom said, “You doing okay?”

You managed a small ‘yeah’ as you allowed him to help you up and led you out of the restaurant. As you stumbled through the rubble and chaos, you had to step over a few bodies. Your stomach churned at the thought. Tom led you to safety outside of the restaurant and it was then you realised that the bar was on fire and there were still various people in the restaurant either unconscious or trapped.

“We have to help,” you said, attempting to stand up but falling into Tom’s arms.

“Whoa,” he said, moving you to stand up straight, “you’re bleeding.” He tutted, staring at a cut on your forehead, “You might have a concussion, you’re not going anywhere.”

“But Tom-”

“The police will be here in a minute, they’ll deal with it.”

It was then a voice came from above, “I’m not the police but I’m the next best thing.” Your whole body froze as you heard that voice and then suddenly, Spider-Man dropped into your vision. Tom felt your body stiffening as you stared at the masked superhero, he glanced down at you and asked if you were alright. You stared at your ex-boyfriend and through the mask, Peter Parker stared straight back at you, “(y/n)...” He whispered and then he noticed the slow trickle of blood down your forehead, “You’re bleeding,” he said, approaching quickly, “Are you okay?”

Tom’s head whipped between the two as you said, “I’m fine, I’m fine,” you stepped out of Tom’s embrace, towards your ex-boyfriend, “There was an explosion at the bar. I don’t know if it was a bomb or what but it was big... There are still people trapped and it’s on fire, you need to help them.”

Spider-Man nodded, “On it.” He turned to leave but hesitated, “Hey-”

“Hey-” you said at the same time as him. He turned to you and you gave him a small smile, “Be safe.”

He nodded quickly, beginning to jog into the restaurant, “Get them checked out by the paramedics, will you?” He called to Tom, “They’re just coming!”

You watched as he disappeared into the depths of the restaurant and then you realised that now you’d need to explain the situation to Tom. Slowly, you turned to him with an awkward smile, “Remember you were asking about my ex? So... turns out that my ex-boyfriend is Spider-Man.”

His face was priceless and had it not been so awkward you probably would’ve laughed, “Spider-Man?” He asked, “Spider-Man is your ex-boyfriend?”

You nodded, “Yup.”

“Oh wow, okay,” he muttered, rubbing a tired hand over his face. It wasn’t the worst reaction to finding out that your ex was Spider-Man, “I’ll deal with that later. First, let’s get you checked out.” Course it was a shock to the system but Tom seemed to be coping okay as he tried to lead you towards the ambulances that drove up to the restaurant, “Can you check them out?” He asked, leading you over but you couldn’t take your eyes off of the restaurant, “I think they’ve maybe got a concussion.”

“I’m fine, Tom, I just really need to-” you tried ducking under his arm to get a better view.

“You need to make sure that he’s okay.” Tom’s tone was a little bitter. You turned to him, guilt all over your face, but he shook his head, “Can you let the paramedic check your head wound out? I’ll keep watch and tell you when he’s out.” You thanked him quietly and allowed the paramedic to check on you.

It only took a few minutes for them to check you over. They put a band aid over your cut and said you had a slight concussion but nothing major, you’d be okay. You walked over to Tom, “Slight concussion, nothing serious,” you told him.

“He brought out three and went back in for someone else.”

You felt terrible, “Tom...” You felt like you owed him an explanation, “That’s the first I’ve seen him in person in a long time... It’s hard, trying to date when your ex-boyfriend is all over the news constantly.”

He shook his head, “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I just want to know what you want.”

“What do you mean?”

He sighed, “I know we’ve been on three dates but I’d like to see you again. It seems you have some unresolved things here and I want to know what you want. I don’t want to compete with a superhero.”

You resembled a fish out of water, mouth moving but no sound coming out. To be honest, you didn’t know what you wanted. You had tried to pretend by going on various dates that you were ready to move on but the truth was that even if Peter wasn’t plastered all over the news and billboards, you’d still think about him and miss him. You’d never experienced a love like the love you had with Peter and it was time you admitted that to yourself.

“There was an incident that started in the kitchen of the restaurant, some workers seeing what stuff they could microwave and then set on fire... It got a little out of hand and that’s what caused the explosion, officer.” You whirled round to see Peter chatting to the Chief of Police, “Few fatalities, I managed to get the rest out.” As soon as you heard his voice, your full attention was on him.

The Chief of Police nodded and shook his hand, “We’ll take over from here.”

Peter approached you, “Where’s your boyfriend?” He asked.

You turned to your side where Tom had previously stood but he was gone. You looked around and could see the silhouette of him walking back to his car, “He’s not my boyfriend,” you muttered, “and if he was then him leaving me here without telling me surely means that’s things ended.”

The pair of you stood there awkwardly in silence for a few seconds before Peter asked how you were going to get home, “I mean, my date just left so I’ll need to get the subway or something.”

“Nah,” he said shaking his head, he opened his arm, “Come on, I’ll get you home in two minutes tops.”

You shook your head, causing a sharp pain to radiate through your skull, “Ow!” You hissed, hand flying up to your head, almost falling to your side but Peter caught you easily.

“I’m taking you home, (y/n),” he said softly, “I need to make sure you get home okay. Don’t fight me on this one.” With a sigh, you nodded and curled into his embrace. You tried to not think of the fact that you could smell his cologne and it was still the same one; the bottle that you’d gotten him for his birthday years ago. You tried to not think of his hand on your hip, holding you tightly in place as he swung through the city. You were used to zooming through the air with him though it wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience so you buried your head in the crook of his neck. Peter tried not to think of the fact that he loved when you hid in his neck, he tried to not think of your hands that clung to his body... He focused on the buildings and continued to swing.

It was exactly two minutes later when he landed on the rooftop of your apartment complex. Immediately, you let go of him, scuttling a few steps away, “Are you sure that your head’s okay?” He asked you.

You nodded, “I’ll be fine. I’ll take painkillers and I’ll be fine. Thanks, Pete.” You gave him a small smile and went to turn away when he asked a question that froze you in your tracks.

“Was it easy? Moving on from us?”

Slowly, you turned to him with a confused expression, “Who said I’ve moved on from you?”

“You seem to have moved on quite well in fact. You’ve got a new boyfriend.” The fact that his tone was dripping with irritation annoyed the hell out of you.

“First, he’s not my boyfriend and even if he was, what the hell does it matter to you?!” You hissed, “You’re the one who ended things, Peter. Don’t get pissy with me for trying to carry on my life after you shut me out of yours.”

Peter scoffed, “I’m only asking because it seems like you’ve completely forgotten about me-”

“Forgotten about you?!” You were angry, your blood was red hot and you let the pain and grief come spilling out, “Do you know how hard it is to move on when you’re literally everywhere I go?!” You yelled, “You are on every screen in New York, in every shop window; on every fucking billboard! I can’t do anything without being reminded of you, Peter!” Peter was taken aback but you weren’t finished yet. You were breathing heavy, “He’s not my boyfriend,” you huffed, “I’ve not had a boyfriend since you. I’ve been less than ten dates! I can’t get past the third date. I mean, how can I move on? You’re literally everywhere so it means that I can’t get over you! I can’t stop thinking about you and worrying about you! How can anyone I date come close to that?! You are in my head every single fucking day, Peter!”

“You still think about me?” He pulled the mask off and you could see his expression; that sad, pained look in his eye. You’d missed seeing his face. He looked tired, probably hadn’t slept in a few days. Peter avoided feeling his true emotions by throwing himself into being Spider-Man when things got tough. It pained you to see him do that to himself.

Seeing his face made you soften completely. You hadn’t meant to tell him all of that but you were angry and you needed him to know that you were hurting just as much if not more than he was. Your chest heaved as you nodded, “Of course I do.”

He stepped towards you, “I thought that I was protecting you,” he said softly, eyes full of tears, “I thought that by pushing you away it would make it easier but it- it hasn’t. I was stupid.” He shook his head, “I-I don’t want you to get hurt like that again though.”

“Me getting hurt wasn’t your fault, Pete. You need to stop blaming yourself for it. I’m okay, I survived it, didn’t I? You got me out, you saved me. I forgave you a long time ago but I need you to forgive yourself.” You barely registered that you’d stepped closer to him too.

“I think about you every day too.”

“Oh.” I mean, how were you meant to respond, “Thank you?”

Peter scoffed with that stupid dorky half grin on his face, “Thank you?” He repeated, “I basically tell you that I’m still hopelessly in love with you and you say ‘thank you’?!”

You found yourself grinning and laughing slightly in front of him before you realised what he really said, “Wait... you’re still in love with me?”

He looked at you, “There’s never been a moment where I was never in love with you, (y/n). It’s you; it’s always been you.”

“Peter,” you whispered, “I... I still love you, too.”

“Can I kiss you?” The fact he asked, the fact that even after all of this time he was still so careful with your consent and with your trust to ask for a kiss. Peter Parker wasn’t like any guys you’d met before. Aside from the fact that he was the only superhero you’d met, he was a rarity among men; kind, caring and so freaking selfless. He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders and yet continued to make sure you were okay first.

“Kiss me,” you whispered, closing the gap between you and pressing yourself against him.

He didn’t hesitate and you didn’t need to tell him twice. He kissed you and you melted into him. He tasted the same as always; coffee and chocolate. You kissed him as though you’d never been apart, as though the last few months never happened. His hands were on either side of your face, cupping your soft skin so gently yet kissing you with such hunger and passion. He’d missed you. He’d missed you so much. The two of you only pulled away when the need for oxygen burned at your lungs. You buried your head in the crook of his neck, needing to feel him against you, “God, I’ve missed you.”

“Do you forgive me?” He asked softly, pulling you closer to him, “I can’t promise that you won’t be targeted again but I do promise that I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

“I forgive you and I trust you... Do you forgive yourself?” You pulled away looking deep into those gorgeous eyes of his.

He nodded again, “Yeah,” he whispered, “I forgive myself too.” He kissed you again, a gentle kiss that lasted only a few seconds, “Can I come into your apartment? It’s freezing out here.”

You laughed as you rolled your eyes, trust him to ruin the moment, “Let’s go, Spider-Boy.” You teased as you took his hand and let him to the rooftop door which would allow access to the stairs.

“You know, I didn’t miss you calling me that.”

And just like that, things were seemingly going back to normal.

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